rivermxrgan

[rivermxrgan]

KYLE GALLNER — Crater Lake PNW

(he’s so fucking precious)

[rivermxrgan]

closed: @intcrmezzo

location: the forge

River hopped out of his pickup, grabbing his tool bag before closing the truck door. He usually took Sundays off, but when Tanner called him up about a repair emergency, River drove over without hesitation. He had never been the type to turn down a friend in need. The handyman strolled through the entrance to Forge, heading towards the back when he spotted Tanner. "Your savior has arrived." River playfully jested, dropping his tool bag on the floor. He rolled up his sleeves, gazing around the open space. "What seems to be the issue today?"

[rivermxrgan]

"No talking about work. Got it. Same for me. It would be nice to have one day where I don't talk about hammer and nails," he laughed. A slight shade of red bloomed over River's cheeks. "Uh, well.." He didn't think he would have to explain to anyone why he was here today. It already felt silly enough to think about. Actually admitting it aloud made River's palms sweat. "Okay, so, don't laugh.. I came here to see if I could meet someone. Like, a guy, you know?" River was secretly hoping the Earth beneath him would suddenly open wide and swallow him whole. Anything to get away from the embarrassment he was currently feeling. "I haven't had the best luck at the usual places I go to, so I thought I'd try some place different."

"Ah, that makes sense then." Sid chuckled, though he still wasn't convinced that he wanted a scar himself. He could handle most pain, but falling flat on his ass in a packed establishment, then topping it off with a visible reminder? Absolutely not. "That's fair. But yeah, I'm cool with it. I just came here to unwind and not think about work, so a little people watching, letting everyone else fall and provide some entertainment, and mingling? That's still worth the trip." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But if you're scared to get back out there, what made you come out today?"

[rivermxrgan]

"It was only a couple days ago. It's really not a big deal, I promise." River didn't go around bragging about it, but he had a high tolerance when it came to pain. Bruises were nothing compared to the injuries he suffered in the past. Pushing away the unwanted memories, River turned his attention back to Sid. He gazed at the skating rink for a moment, nervously scratching the back of his head. "I don't know, man, I think I suffered enough embarrassment out there to last me a lifetime. You sure you're cool with just standing around and watching?"

Horror stories about someone else's experience weren't what Sid had in mind for advice here, yet River's honesty was surely about to make all of this a hard pass for him. "Wait, how long ago did you try this? I know you're not walking around with a bruise that won't go away, right?" He asked, trying to make the slight hint of fear in his voice. "I do know that I won't be good at it probably, but falling flat on my face or my ass? I'll pass." He chuckled, realizing her was even more out of his element than he'd previously assumed. When River offered to just stand back and watch, Sid shook his head. "Absolutely not, man. I'm not gonna give you a front row seat to me failing at this. It's either we go out there together, or we stand here, have a drink, and watch everyone else tackle it."

[rivermxrgan]

[rivermxrgan]

"I tried ice skating, and I literally had be escorted off I was so bad. I have one hell of a bruise on my hip to prove it." River wasn't going to be returning to the ice rink anytime soon. He was perfectly happy admiring it from afar. "Don't let my bad experience scare you away. Maybe you have Olympic skater potential and you just don't know it yet," he chuckled. River had initially met Sid after doing some repair work for the other male. He never would have thought that being a handyman would help with his social life. River had been lucky enough to make some decent friends because of his job. "Why don't you go find out and I'll be here to root you on."

open starter: capping at 3

where: woodside luge adventure sports park

After knocking out one activity, Sid was now on a roll and ready to conquer something else. The only problem was that he hadn't been into winter sports before, so other than rock climbing and zip-lining, he was way out of his element here. But as he watched some kids expertly gliding across the ice in rollerblades and skis, he figured it had to be somewhat easy, right? Probably not, but he was a grown ass man and if a bunch of little humans could pull it off, then so could he. Okay, he could attempt it, maybe that was the better way to look at it. He didn't know which one to try though, so as he grabbed a drink from a nearby ice luge, Sid turned to the person closest to him. "Hey. Have you tried ice skating or skiing before? I'm new to both, so I figured I should ask someone else which one to test out first."

[rivermxrgan]

River finished out a quarter from his back pocket, toying with the coin between his fingers. "Either something new, or something I've already read a million times. I know I'm in the mood for adventure." He placed the quarter on his thumb and flicked it into the air. River caught the coin and flipped it over, slapping it against the top of his wrist. He glanced down, smirking at the results. "Well, well, well. Looks like my fate is in your hands." River lifted his hand, revealing the quarter was tails-side up. "I'm not the greatest at avoiding my feelings. I'm one of those idiots that puts their heart on their sleeve," he jokingly replied. "I just wanted to lose myself in a book for a few days."

"Tails," she blurted out, eyes glanced up at him and tearing away from the selection of books River had been standing in front of. No reason other than the fact she was sure most people chose heads. As someone who was pretty much always reading something, or a few somethings, she knew the difficulty in picking up a new title. It was always a risk on wasting your money on something new and not ending up liking it versus and author or book series you knew you could trust. One of the more important things, especially around this stupid holiday, was finding something distracting. Tomiko currently had four books going, so if her interest waned or distraction pulled she could just jump to something different. "What're you deciding between?" Surprisingly her romance section had been pretty picked over. Usually, and funnily enough, the romance books didn't sell as well during Valentine's season. "Are we avoiding or diving right into our feelings? Personally, I'm going with avoidance."

[rivermxrgan]

"I guess it's a tad harder." River teased back. He kept his gaze on the exit to the rink, pretending to ignore the feeling of everyone's eyes being on him. It must have been a pitiful sight, seeing River struggle to keep his balance on the slick ice. Having to be aided off the rink like a child was just icing on the cake. "That's a pretty dope name. I promise I won't make any lame honey related jokes. I'm sure you've heard them all." River grinned, releasing a small breath of relief once they were off the ice. "As long as you let me pay for your drink. My way of saying thank you for saving me from falling on my ass for a third time."

──not only did it offer a different pace of life, but it also did not lack activities and things to do; Woodside seemed to have been the perfect choice for her to settle in, offering just the balance her life had lacked before that. and Honey did not miss an opportunity to promote it through her social media platforms positively. she was trying ice skating, which she hadn’t done for a few years, and had just finished filming, gracefully made her exit out of the rink, turned just in time to catch sight of the other struggling a little and reached out to offer some assistance. a peal of laughter fell from her lips at the comment. “ice skating isn’t as easy though,” she teased. “nice to meet you, I am Honey,” she smiled warmly. “I was just going to grab a hot drink if you wanna tag along?” she offered, slipping her gloves back on.

[rivermxrgan]

"You make some solid points." River nodded, grinning back at Olivia's playful jest. He felt a bit of relief when she assured him he didn't need to check on the plumbing. River knew the basics, but he didn't want to take the risk of making her issue worse. "Got it. Stick to repairs and leave the plumbing alone," he quipped. "So, besides getting your door hinges and gutters replaced, how have you been?"

"Yeah.. I really appreciate that and it's so kind of you to offer.. However, I don't think it's something that I'm ever going to get so I fear you would be wasting your time because I wouldn't retain anything. Plus, if I call you for all of these issues then you are still making money! I'm not sure if you would like to be offering that advice to everyone." Olivia laughed softly. "Don't worry about it. It's really okay."

[rivermxrgan]

"If only I could figure out how to sweet-talk the guys," he chuckled with a shake of his head. River smiled with appreciation at Maeve's compliment. "You're giving me way too much credit. Those are some boxed brownies. Baking has never really been my strong suit." River poked around the takeout bag, retrieving the containers to place on the table. He turned his attention back to Maeve as she recounted the events she endured during the last week. A small frown formed on his lips upon hearing her news. "Do you mind me asking what he said?" River didn't want to pry, but he was concerned about his friend and her well-being. "Uh, it wasn't as chaotic as an ex of mine showing up outta nowhere. I don't know if I can top that," he attempted a playful joke to lighten the mood. "I had a few jobs that ended being a bigger pain in the ass than they needed to be.. that's about it. Sorry I don't have something juicier for you." River teased.

Maeve raised a brow at the brownies, then at River, before reaching for one with a smirk. “You really know how to sweet-talk a girl,” she teased, taking a bite. “God, these are good. If you ever decide to leave your normal job, you could have a solid future in bribery via baked goods.” She grabbed a beer, twisting the cap off with ease before leaning back against the counter. “Alright, my week…” She exhaled, shaking her head. “It’s been a mess. Work’s been insane, Stella’s going through a phase where ‘no’ is her favorite word, and—” she hesitated, debating whether to say the next part but then decided screw it, “—Dylan showed up. Saying things I’m not sure I believe.” Taking a sip of her beer, she leveled her gaze at River. “So, yeah. That’s where I’m at. Your turn. Tell me your week was just as chaotic so I don’t feel like the universe is singling me out.”

[rivermxrgan]

how dare he

[rivermxrgan]

status: closed @itshoneys

location: woodside luge adventure sports park

Given he used to be pretty decent on a skateboard, River hoped those skills would spill over into ice skating. He had given the winter sport a try or two back in his youth. The results hadn't been completely disastrous, so he felt somewhat hopeful. It was painfully embarrassing how wrong he was. He had the bruise on his hip and backside to prove it. The first fall had been embarrassing. The second one was downright mortifying. River decided it was time to call it a day. Thankfully, a kind stranger offered him some assistance off the ice. "Thank you for this. I swear I'm not usually this clumsy off the ice. I can walk straights lines and everything." He awkwardly chuckled, the heat of his embarrassment reaching his already rosy cheeks. "I'm River, by the way."

[rivermxrgan]

status: closed @smthliminal

location: novelty

Once again, River was plagued with the curse of indecisiveness. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to go with a classic he had read a hundred times over, or give something new a try. A part of him was craving the comforts of a classic. As a hopeless romantic, being single on Valentine's Day wasn't ideal. He really only had himself to blame. Since moving to Woodside, River's dating life had taken a backseat. He needed the break after Shawn. He needed to figure out who he was on his own again. Years had gone by since then. He had been out of the dating game for so long, just the idea of jumping back in to play made his palms sweat. "bro, this is not that serious." The words echoed through his head. He smiled softly as Tomiko approached his side. "Don't mind me, I'm just having an internal crisis over what book to pick. I think I'm about to rely on flipping a coin. Wanna call it?"

[rivermxrgan]

The Finest Hours: Kyle Gallner Behind the Scenes Movie Interview

[rivermxrgan]

"Just doing my job. Maybe next time I fix something, I'll have you watch what I'm doing. That way you can learn some tips. Although, that might start putting me out of the job." River released a teasing chuckle. "Uh, I know a little bit about plumbing. Couldn't hurt to take a look and see if I can do anything to help."

"Thank you so much for that! I suck at all of that stuff when it comes to hardware and trying to figure that out." Olivia laughed a bit when she looked at the man. "I mean, I don't think so. I don't know how much you know about plumbing and you've already done so much for me so you definitely don't have to worry about helping me out more."

[rivermxrgan]

River had been lucky enough to make a few close friends since moving to Woodside. One of those friends was Maeve. There was a strength in her that he admired. It reminded him a little of Forrest. He strolled into her kitchen, holding up a a plate of brownies he baked. "I brought sugar, and even more carbs." River grinned as he rested the sweet treats on the table. He dropped down into his seat with sigh, reaching for one of the beers. "That all depends on how bad your week went. You tell me about yours and I'll tell you about mine."

who: maeve peters + river morgan ( @rivermxrgan ) where: maeve's home

River had a way of making anywhere feel like home, which was probably why Maeve had gravitated toward them so quickly after moving to Woodside. What had started as casual run-ins—at the café, the bookstore, and him coming to babyproof her entire home —had somehow turned into one of the most solid friendships she’d ever had. That was exactly why she didn’t hesitate to invite them over where a takeout bag and a six-pack were sitting on the kitchen table. "I supply us with alcohol and carbs. Please tell me your week has gone better than mine has."

[rivermxrgan]

"Just another day at the office." River quipped with a slight shrug. He had never been very good at accepting compliments. River was just happy that Nari seemed approving of his work. His brows perked up with interest at the mention of coffee. "Now that would actually be a lifesaver. I got a big job later and some caffeine would be very helpful," he smiled politely. "So, how have you been? Anything new going on with you?"

             Nari ran her fingers through her copper strands, brushing her hair away from her face and resting one hand on her hips while the other pinned her strands on the crown of her head, watching as River worked on her door. “You’re a lifesaver, you know that, right, River?” The younger woman smiled, relieved that not only had he helped her with the new electronic lock she’d bought, but also, ensured everything was working just fine. “How much do I owe you? Also… can I offer you some coffee? I was just about to make myself a cup anyway.”