sunnynardelli

[sunnynardelli]

Sunny had an eye for things. It was impossible for her not to have some level of taste to picking things out. Even though she’d never been anything other than comfortable, she’d grown up appreciating things that were given a fresh life. “Old isn’t always a terrible thing,” she told him. She could certainly appreciate that vintage or antique was not everyone’s style. She wasn’t going to try and sell him on a butter churn or something like that. There were some decent furniture pieces that could be found in shops like this though. The old stuff was made to last unlike the stuff that they sold these days. She paused when he collapsed into the leather chair, appraising it. It was in decent enough condition. It might could use with a little polishing and if it were her she’d probably do a reupholster but it could work as is. “It’s in decent shape,” she told him. “Do you like it as is? I mean, a few hundred and you could pretty much make it like new and the value would go up.”

with: @sunnynardelli location: polished brass market when: may 4, midday

"Everything in here's pretty... old." Way to state the obvious. Aidan frowned to himself, eyeing a display case of eclectic knickknacks. What he meant to say was that none of it was his taste, the combination of antiques and consignment items making him wish there was a basic JCPenney in town. Maybe they would've been making more progress if he'd actually told Sunny what he was looking for, but he'd merely promised her lunch when they decided to go out. The truth was that he was finally all set to move to Lupine Lane at the end of the month, and the thought of sitting in an empty trailer was too depressing even for Aidan to bear. He probably should tell Kennedy soon, at least... "Hey, what about this?" Aidan's steps picked up again, approaching a plush, leather chair. He pressed at the cushions before collapsing back into it, slouched and manspreading to the max. "Decent?" His eyebrows ticked up at Sunny.

[sunnynardelli]

“You do what you need to do when your actual family isn’t around or willing,” she told him. She knew that it was much easier to build a winning team with people who weren’t biologically related. At the end of the day, she didn’t think the producers really cared. It wasn’t like anyone had to know if no one told them. “Yeah, they’re have casts of stuff. It’s usually pretty entertaining especially when they have these weird rivalries between shows that don’t make any sense.” She didn’t really go out of her way to watch that kind of thing but she would tune in, especially if she didn’t have anything better to do. She nodded, listening to him talk knowing that a lot of times that was how it worked. There didn’t tend to think that a lot of things were real. A lot of it was rehearsed to get the largest viewing audience. If they could bring the drama, they could get people to tune in. “I’ve learned that most things are,” she confessed. “I’m doing my best to hold onto the faith I have left.”

"Oh no, that's true, I think there are plenty of situation where people bring along their family friends or co-workers instead, they're basically family, anyway," sometimes, depending on what you did for a living and how much time you spent with them, those people could be more like family than your actual family, anyway. "I know on Celebrity Family Feud, they always have their work buddies with them, co-stars and what not. Makes for a really funny show," sometimes he liked those special editions of the game shows even more than the regular ones. Maybe because they dumbed it down just a little bit, it seemed. "Oh, this one felt very rehearsed, and they were losers," he laughed, shaking his head, "not that I necessarily want to talk negatively about anyone, but watch it sometime when you have nothing else to do. Trust me, you'll be entertained. For better or for worse." And maybe lose a little bit of faith in humanity in the process, too.

[sunnynardelli]

It would definitely be easier in the long run to just do that. I mean, reality is hard to accept sometimes. If you look hard enough, there is always an excuse out there. I think some of us are just better at being creative with them. You can find them as long as you need them without much of an effort. You would think it would be easier to just not be a jerk or to just own it and be like… you know what I am a jerk and I’m okay with that. I mean, maybe they’re not actually jerks in the opinion of most but toward like one person or a few people and then it’s just who they are but what they were really doing wasn’t being a jerk but just living their life. I was pleased with myself even if I was exhausted by it all. I think I deserve to just sit back and enjoy life for a minute for sure. Animals are definitely different than people just throwing their stuff out at random. It’s maybe a combination. I don’t think it’s about careful though for most people. It’s just laziness.

Bizarre, isn't it? We should just tuck those feelings away and never have them, accept that robots are going to take over eventually by just becoming robots ourselves! Otherwise, we're just wasting our time! Or something like that. It's not, I think that people will search very, very hard to come up with reasons -- excuses, I should say -- for why they shouldn't have to be, though. And it's like… you wasted all that time explaining why you're a jerk when you could have just not been a jerk, you know? You made it through, though! So that counts, you should be proud of yourself for getting your hands dirty, you know? But now you can just sit back and admire your handy work for a little while, at least. It's pretty sad, yeah. But I think a lot of it just kinda… happens. Like it's not necessarily purposeful, I've seen those damn possums get into garbage bags, but it does make you wish people were more careful.

[sunnynardelli]

It definitely didn’t take much to put two and two together. Even with alcohol in her system, Sunny could piece together things drunk or not. Some things just made sense. “You have to be prepared for anything,” she said with a nod. She made a face at mention of bears in June. She didn’t know what he meant by that nor was she completely sure that she wanted to. “Where are you hearing such things?” she asked instead. She sighed, letting herself wind down knowing she wasn’t that far from the bar closing and it being time to go sleep off all the booze. “I’m pretty sure people are still thirsting him too,” she said with a shrug. “It’s not about the skin color. It’s about the quality of everything else you have to offer at the end of the day.”

"See now that-" he nodded toward Sunny, "that's forethought. That's smart. I'd definitely review bomb the company if we lose you to the bears." His mind, still in the gutter, laughed a little at the other context of that word. "You have to-" he hiccuped, "promise the same for me, of course. I hear a couple bears might be swinging by in June." He let his eyes slip closed as he rested his head against the back of the barstool, smiling slightly. "I caught that. You calling me pasty. You've got to own what you're working with, Sun. And vampires are sexy again - Nosferatu notwithstanding."

[sunnynardelli]

“I’m always down to be the lab rat when it comes to new food,” she admitted. Sunny did this enough with her drinks at the bar with her friends when she was trying to create new things. That was why whenever she was out and about and offered the ability to try new things she rarely said no. She probably ought to have been thinking about not eating a whole bunch of desserts but when faced with them it was a much better option than training for the obstacle course. “Cookie dough croissant sounds interesting,” she said curious exactly how that one was put together. Was it like a flaky cookie? She let her eyes move to the sample cups, decisively maneuvering to collect one of each. She strawberry lemon bar was the most obvious so she went with it first. “Very tart. Very springy,” she noted.

Who: Naomi & Open!

Where: Cherry Amour Bakery

When: May 1, 2025

“Okay, I have been testing the new menu and you came at a perfect time.” She came over to the booth with a tray of samples. She had been figuring out their spring menu for weeks and changing things up because she was indecisive. “Now, hopefully you aren’t training for the obstacle course but if you are, consider it a little treat for your hard work.” She smiled brightly. Naomi had almost got roped into it but she hadn’t exactly made up her mind. “I have got a cookie dough croissant, strawberry lemon bars and cinnamon roll cheesecake because I mean why choose when you can fuse things.” Naomi pointed to each item she had cut and put into sample cups. “I can handle constructive criticism… sort of.”

[sunnynardelli]

They were doing something for a good cause. That was what was important here and Sunny was trying not to lose sight of that. She wasn’t going to lie and pretend that she wasn’t completely aware that this hadn’t been a field day. They had taken on a hard task. It was dirty. They were gross. She felt disgusting.  There was no telling what all she’d touched and not even realized she was touching in her effort to pick stuff up.  They could at least smile and say they’d done their part though and that was what mattered at the end of the day.  “It’s the fact they’d have to get up and move to the trash can and it’s just easier for them,” she said with a shrug. Though honestly, she didn’t know how it was that much easier.  She could be as lazy as the next person but even she knew the difference in a trash can and a body of water.  Growing up, everything had been about being environmentally conscious.  She’d learned about recycling and cutting the plastic rings on sodas.  She supposed that schools might need to bring that back.  She thought there were probably some older people who needed that refresher too though.  “They’re probably at home or you know doing easier tasks,” she said with a shrug. “But mostly, I doubt they’d ever own up to this.”  She appreciated the lie about her looking alright because she definitely had a list of people she didn’t want to run into looking like this.  “Maybe but if I see anyone I know, you’re going to have to hide me. I don’t need rumors that a swamp monster got loose getting out. I’m more thirsty than anything though.”

Ugh, Sunny was so right about that. Today, they were the chosen few, the handful of suckers, and it wasn't even in a fun combination of flavours. She waved off the bobby pin in that case, agreeing that there was no hope for either of their current states of existence. It would be sodden waders and soaked shoes until this place was finished with, or until they decided they were finished with this place. And truth be told, Minnie couuld no longer predict which one of the paths would come true. "That's so freaking annoying. The fact that you could put up a super bin and a neon sign and like, a machine that gives you money for putting the trash in the bin, and still somebody out there would be like: nah, the river looks better! That makes me so squeamish actually." She also couldn't deny she came from an era of her life where that kind of mindset was normal. Perhaps that had something to do with why she took it so personally, and had set a vendetta against adapting it. "Mm. For sure. I doubt any of the actual culprits are out here. We have to clean up their messes. That's how we roll. At least we look good, you look good, don't let anybody lie!" A nod, because she also believed she still looked good, brown and pink and all. "You ready for some grub though?" She might be too tired to eat.

[sunnynardelli]

“I don’t think the teenagers in Final Destination were looking to die either but when the universe puts that into your calendar, you just sort of have to accept it,” she said. It was the only movie that she could think of in that moment that was along those lines. There were certain things you couldn’t outrun. She hope that Ari planned to take it easy for a little bit though. She didn’t want anything to happen to him. The snow was definitely could to put a bit of a damper on anything else as long as he stayed inside. She’d distract him as best as she could “I’ve done it before. I just chose not to. I’ll put it under advisement for next year,” she told him. “Someone would really have to make it worth it for me though.” She felt like that was a challenge that he might be up to. If he was putting that into the universe though, perhaps that meant he was planning to stick around. That was something she could get behind. She nodded, a small smile forming on her face. “That’s fair,” she told him. “I mean, no one wants to make a fool of themselves by assuming something that wasn’t explicitly clear and even then sometimes you want be completely sure.” It was hard to be completely sure and at the moment, she wasn’t trying to overthink it. If she did, she’d probably send herself in a tailspin. She was much happier to just be in the moment and not.

Sunny was fond of how things were going. She was content with the warmth and the calm. She easily could have just taken a nap there with him. She wasn’t that difficult to entertain. It was probably what she ought to have suggested since he was supposed to be recovering, after all. She didn’t want him thinking he needed to go overboard trying to keep her preoccupied during the storm. The darkness was a bit jarring but once she mentally processed it, it wasn’t that bad. “There are worse places to be without power,” she admitted. She was supposed that they could wait it out and they’d be okay. She’d been in town long enough to know that as soon as it was safe to do, the public works would be working to clear the roads and the utilities would be working to restore power. For now, they just had to let someone else handle it. In this case, it wasn’t that difficult for her to do. “I don’t’ know that this is torture. It might be someone’s way of reminding us that I should be letting you rest. You shouldn’t be trying to entertain me. I also know if you should mix alcohol and medication,” she told him with a laugh. She let her gaze move from his to where his was looking out the window. Yeah, they were definitely going to be there for the long haul. “Is it super boring if we just lay here and talk until one of us nods off? I think you could probably do with a nap after the day you had. Maybe tell me about where you grew up.”

"Who said I have a death by freezing wish? Just because I did the polar plunge and then proceeded to fall during a snow storm and injure myself absolutely doesn't mean that." Alright, so if you didn't know better, you'd think maybe a tiny bit he might have had some kind of death wish. "Next year I'm just going to have to get you to join in on all the fun of jumping into a freezing ocean and awaken that side of you." Would he drag her kicking and screaming, no, but it'd be fun to attempt to change her mind over the next several months if he could change her mind, persuade her in a different way. "Not always, some people are more discreet in their showing if they want something from someone. Sometimes people love to know or hear things verbally." Plus there was the idea of knowing someone wanted something that was just nice to hear. But to be fair, he wasn't exactly the show it from the rooftop kind of person either. Which could pose a problem if they were both hinting around something and both came off as the type to wait until so obvious that even then they couldn't see it because they thought they were being just that. Far more complicated than Ari wanted to think about, he already had a dull headache that was going to last, he didn't need to make it worse by letting his head swim with what ifs, and other questions.

Falling into an easy but comfortable position between the two of them, he had to admit, he enjoyed it. It was nice to just be close to someone else that wanted to be there. The darkness definitely had changed that when they both reacted, "Shit." he breathed out, "That's definitely not coming back on right away." If there was one thing he learned was that any kind of bang that could be a transponder going, wasn't going to be an immediate fix. Especially with the storm still on going. "True, we're definitely in a better position than some that are out stuck in this..." He admitted, and he was kind of glad that he wasn't, had he not been injured, he'd probably still be out there attempting to help until his toes and fingers were frozen to popsicles. Thankful for the electric candle he grabbed the couple of small remotes and pressed the button turning the first set on, then the second, and finally the third that gave them a fairly decent candle glow that at least made it so they could see more than an inch in front of their face. "So we've got blankets, food, water, there's also alcohol over there if you get really tortured by spending time with me." A chuckle left his lips, "We can play some games, figure we'll save the laptop for when we get desperate for entertainment." While it had been fully charged it was one of those things that it only had a finite amount of battery charge. "Or whatever you feel like doing, not like we're going anywhere anytime soon." As he glanced out the window seeing the snow come down heavier than ever.

[sunnynardelli]

“I like to think so,” she admitted though Sunny didn’t mind being wrong from time to time. In fact, she welcomed the opportunity to learn that something was entirely different than she imagined. How was she supposed to learn if she wasn’t provided the opportunity to do that. She nodded as he talked about dragging his family to Family Feud. “I don’t necessarily know that it had to be blood family these days. I’d sort of love to take my crew at the bar or maybe friends,” she admitted. She supposed she would have had just as much fun with her dads and her brother though. They could have figured out some random other family member to make it work. She always loved the random categories and the answers people came up with. It was proof that not everyone came from the same environment. “There are honestly so many good option. I don’t remember that one. I feel like most game shows are pretty rehearsed though. I mean, it would be pretty disappointing to spend an hour with only losers. They want somebody to win.” She shrugged. “I don’t know that regulation will be a thing.”

"Probably right about that," there had to be people who were smart in different fields, or else no one would ever succeed, no one would ever go far in their career or their studies, or whatever else it was that they were trying to do, if everyone was smart in the same way. "Family Feud would be fun, I can imagine dragging some of my siblings along for that one. The answers they'd come up with would be… interesting," he scrunched his nose a bit, knowing that some of them had some very colorful, creative minds. But he loved them all the more for that. "I do remember Double Dare! That one would have been fun, too, for a change of pace. There was that one game show -- Baggage? I wouldn't want to be on it, don't get me wrong! But watching it was hilarious. Had to be somewhat scripted, there's no way it could all be off the cuff, but… hilarious." And sometimes that was all it took, was something being funny enough to want to tune in a second time. "The problem is if they can make money off of it… will they ever even regulate it?"

[sunnynardelli]

How dare humans human! That is kind of rude of them. Don’t they know they’re supposed to robotically go through life making it easy for a select few. I joke though. It’s honestly not that hard to be a decent person. There a few that are pretty great though. I mean, I like my tribe and that’s all that matters to me personally at the end of the day. That might just me being a bit selfish though. It’s a big imposition but I made it work. I don’t love it. I don’t know that I’ll ever love it but I really am and it did make everything look nice for a few minutes. I think that it’s nice to see what they offered up. I would never try and steal your job though. I’m not that cruel. I could never do such a thing to you. Maybe I could just be a glorified assistant. It was pretty sad. I mean, the sheer amount of laziness in littering was something else.

It's life, you're going to make some people happy, make some people upset, and at the end of the day, you just have to accept that human beings feel things, and you have to let 'em, even if it sometimes makes things tough for us. For the most part, I like people. You'll always have some rotten eggs tossed in there, but most are decent, everyone's got flaws and pros and cons and all the things that make us humans, right? Oh, c'mon, it's just one week a year of dirt! No, I get you, I'm not super fond of being filthy, but I think that you really get into it when you're working with other people and realize that you're actually making a difference, you know? Some of the work shops were a lot of fun, too, I tried to get to as many of them as possible while I had the chance. What, and have you take my job? No way! Just say that you're sad that you had to pick up so much trash.

[sunnynardelli]

There was definitely no amount of preparedness that was going to work when actually faced with a bear. Sunny had zero doubt that a real, live bear would do whatever he wanted. “I feel like that might be something to make a note about before you go out into the woods hoping bear spray will save you,” she admitted with a laugh. “I mean, if I don’t make it write the review.” Surely, there was someone out there who could follow through and take care of it. She sighed. “It’s embarrassing really,” she admitted of her pale skin. “It’s genetics for you. I didn’t inherit from dad. He’s got that nice olive, Italian skin. The only Italian’s I could represent are the volturi.” Why yes, that was a drunk twilight reference!

He smirked, too inebriated to not have his mind go there. "Depends on the bear, I suppose." Though that was another story all together. "But, yeah. You point. Spray. They're supposed to hate it. And if it doesn't work," he shrugged, "not like you'll be around to write a bad review, right?" He turned in his barstool, leaning back to rest against the bar and laugh. "Yeah, I couldn't tell. You're only paler than a Victorian ghost over there."

[sunnynardelli]

Watching the way people found had taught Sunny one thing. There was no real thing as too different. Sure, there were people who gravitated toward people who were just like them but opposites could work. She’d seen it work. She’d also seen it fail. At the end of the day, it always came down to how much the other person was able to open themselves to the other person’s world. “I thought bear spray was a joke,” she admitted sheepishly from behind her glass. “I mean, is spraying a bear really going to protect you.” She knew that her companion was definitely trying to give her a little push here. “We’ll see. Sun screen is definitely a must too. I burn in the sun.”

She was right of course. He remembered the soccer games Leo dragged him too, the long days in the stands wearing sunscreen and shades. They would have made Nicki miserable if not for the joy they brought Leo. It was compromise and experience. It was living life in your partner's shoes. He ached to remember it. "Invest in bug spray, in bear repellent, and good cell service my friend." He raised his glass to her. "To locking him down, too. Don't let this one slip free."

[sunnynardelli]

Nothing in life was ever as easy as people might be lead to believe. At the end of the day, Sunny knew better than get her hopes up for that kind of thing – especially when it came to something that was meant to be about volunteer work. They were supposed to be making the world a better place, by taking these small steps. In the grand scheme of things, picking up a few bags of trash probably wasn’t going to put much of a dent in world pollution. There would be more there to pick up in a few weeks. At least they weren’t just letting it pile up though. At the end of the day, she’d made her decision and she was far too tired and dirty to change it. She’d do a little more work before inevitable calling it a day and going to clean up and pass out. “I don’t think a bobby pin could save me at this point,” she confessed. At this point everything was gross and she’d just have to accept that. “I don’t think anything is really going to dissuade someone who wants to throw their stuff wherever they feel.” It didn’t matter if they had a gigantic dumpster and a neon sign. Some people simply weren’t going to put in any extra effort. “I feel like some people just know there is some sucker that’ll come along and take care of it. Today we’re those suckers.”

Being a good citizen was a whole lot of hard work. This definitely was more than she thought she signed up for, still somewhat accustomed to work being one post online and appearing at a gala later that night. However, she secretly preferred this. If she didn't, she wouldn't be here! ( Not that there was much of a choice now, but hey, bygones and all that. ) Noticing her attempting to fix her hair, Minnie took her current bag of gathered trash and rested it on the rock next to her day bag and Stanley cup. ( Both: pink. ) "Need a bobby pin? I have a whole case." She did her best to — pluck — her glove off her hand to reach in, but some scum still did touch the imported leather. "Oh, great." No, no, that's the old Minnie. She laughed it off and waved it away. "Honestly, though! That's why I'm, like, kinda into the whole super dumpster thing as an actual plan. Like we can plant one right there. Then, nobody can be like: oh, the trash cans were too small, they overflowed." She had heard this be a common complaint through her park walks. She thought about how it more than likely was the tourists again. "Probably they're like, eh, we don't have to worry about it, we're never coming back here anyways. And then here you and I come, the team of trouble to solve the ... trouble!" Not as much of a punchy line as it sounded, but she was right. At least it was going to be appreciated this summer.

[sunnynardelli]

There were definitely a lot of different types of intelligence. Sunny thought that everyone had the potential to be the genius who saved the day in life or on jeopardy. “It works to keeps the universe somewhat even keeled,” she told him with a nod. There were places that were niche and only certain things would help you come ahead but at the end of the day, she felt most places were about variety. She wasn’t completely sure that she was the right sort of person for any sort of game show but she could think about it. “I don’t know,” she admitted. It was the kind of thing she felt like she ought to have known right off the rip but she didn’t. “Family Feud maybe,” she said after a moment. “Or maybe pyramid.” She supposed there were a lot of fun options to go with. “When I was a kid, I would have said Double Dare.” That was more of a competition game show though than anything. She nodded at his him, occasionally looking out the window as they made their way toward the next bar. “It’s definitely not an ideal situation but until they do more regulation, there isn’t much that can be done for it.”

Letting out a warm laugh, Darrius nodded his head. "Alright, smart in different ways." She wasn't wrong, there were different types of smart, different categories that people were and were not good with, and he probably could fight off the science nerds when something about American history popped up… but he also figured the biggest trivia he'd get himself into would be some trivia night at a bar in town. That seemed more like his speed, anyway. "What kind of game show would you go on if you could?" he asked curiously, leaning back in the seat, "like… Supermarket Sweep? The Price Is Right? Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" While he wasn't even sure if some of those shows were still being produced, they were pretty popular in their time, that had to count. "AI just… sucks. I get it, I see the pros, but the cons are people being stolen from and replaced, and that'll always be bad."

[sunnynardelli]

I don’t think you can really call someone a friend if you don’t. I mean, sure you can disagree but at the end of the day, you just sort of have to accept that they’re going to live their life and you’re going to live yours. I know what you mean though! You definitely can’t always control that stuff and some of it you’re just comes with making decisions but the big damage, you can at least hope to mitigate. There are a ton of great people out there. I might be biased toward some of them. I’ve certainly tried to stay busy. I did some picking up trash from the creeks and remind me next year that it wasn’t my thing. I don’t think I’ll ever get all the dirt out of my hair. Taking pictures sounds like a much wiser choice. I need to take notes from you. You’re not joking though. People keep thinking I’m sick or crying because of my red eyes but it’s just the pollen.

The one that are most important to you will respect your choices, anyway. I do think you have to understand that sometimes the choices that you make are going to hurt people, and those people are allowed to feel how they feel, but that's kind of just how life goes. I like to think that there are plenty of good people out there, and I try to surround myself with those as much as I can! For Earth Week? What have you been getting up to this week so far? I've mostly been out and about taking pictures as much as I can while trying to help without getting too dirty, 'cuz… dirt, yuck, but it's been fun. The allergies aren't fun this year, though, I feel like every other person I've come across has been a sneezing mess!

[sunnynardelli]

Sunny wouldn’t have told him something okay if it wasn’t. It wasn’t even just a him thing. She truly felt like anyone would have been welcomed at her place. They’d always been the kind of roommates that welcomed people in. She couldn’t count how many times they’d let people crash on their couches. She had always liked having people around but that was the sort of environment she’d grown up in. As a little girl, her dads had always had their friends over. Anyone and everyone was always welcome. She tended to operate under the same plan. As far as she was concerned, there never had to be a reason to see someone beyond that you wanted to. She might not have been thrilled about the weather but she was happy to be there for Ari. At the end of the day, that was all that really mattered. “Not all of us have a death by freezing wish,” she remarked. She hadn’t quite forgot his polar plunge not that there was really much comparison aside from the fact they were both cold. “I’m pretty content being warm regardless of where I’m rolling around.” Banter or not, she knew that the difference in a booty call text and a normal one. She didn’t really picture Ari as the type of guy who sent the ‘you up?’ kind of texts because they were bored. If anything, she could carry on light banter with him because it wasn’t threatening. There weren’t glowing red danger signs above his head. If anything he was full of green flags and she worried she might be the red flag. “What would be the fun in that?” she asked. “I mean, I feel like it should be pretty obvious if someone wants it.” If she had to ask for it, how could she ever be sure it was what he really wanted? No. She wasn’t an ask for it sort of girl. She was a wait until it was painstakingly obvious kind of girl.

“It’s not all a bad thing then. I mean, sure it sucks being bruised but eventually it’ll start to heal and it’ll just be you enjoying time off with Archer or whoever else you want to spend your time with.” There were definitely times in life when the universe took it upon itself force you to slow down and appreciate something other than work. Maybe that was the era he was in. She had no doubt he’d figure all of that out though in the end. For now, she was more or less amused to just be there in this moment. “I’d offer to help you but somehow I think that wouldn’t have the same effect,” she mused. She knew he’d have to sort out the whole changing of clothes maneuvering around his arm thing and maybe before she did go home, she would actually have to help him with some of that. She certainly felt like she was comfortable enough for the time being, even amused with the way his eyes had scanned over her. “It’s okay though. I mean, if it distracts you from the pain then I’m doing exactly what I set out to do.” It didn’t matter what was fair and what wasn’t fair. It wasn’t as if they weren’t going to bury themselves under blankets anyways. She was pretty content with being there close to him anyways. She’d always been a touchy kind of person and she felt the most comfortable when she was right there with someone, especially someone she trusted. She might as well be comfortable. Besides, with all the conversation it wasn’t the easiest to pay all that much attention to the movie anyways. She did try though, her focus on the screen while her fingers drew invisible shapes on his chest through the fabric of his shirt. The sudden darkness did make her jump a bit. “I’m good,” she said with a bit of a nervous laugh. “Probably better than half the town. I mean, they’re at least not safely buried in your blankets.”

There was insistence that he wouldn't have been a problem coming over to her place, and he took that as an actual invitation that someday she would have him over to her place. Ari couldn't say he was the type to show up uninvited either, now some causal dropped hints he could probably pick up on. But that was for another day, today he was only focused on them getting to hang out in the throngs of a bad snowstorm. All in all, there could have been worse situations for them to hang out, at least they weren't stuck out in the snow or something like that. Right now all she had to do was look at a banged up face, definitely worse options, at least Ari thought so. Plus with the ways the lights were flickering, he assumed they'd be living life by candlelight soon enough. "Glad you're not planning on rolling around in the snow, because unfortunate for you, I wouldn't be able to save you if you met your untimely demise against it." Gesturing to his bad arm. "Would be really shitty timing, so we'll just save any kind of rolling for other places." He could pretend to say pity but really, he wasn't looking to be around any kind of snow if he could help it. Snow was the present enemy. "You might be into it huh? If you're suggesting we test the theory of how breakable I am, all you have to do is ask." They were towing a dangerous line between flirting and possibly putting some really statements out there. Something he hadn't done in a decent amount of time, and the thought made him a little dizzy, not because he didn't mean what he was saying, but because he didn't want her to think this was what he thought of her, or the reason he had texted her, to push the boundaries. Still, she made it all too easy to tempt.

"Thankfully I'll just need some downtime from my part-time job, I mean sure the snow will keep me from both of them at the moment, but I've been on strict orders that going back and doing the whole park ranger thing, is a no go right now." Something he was pretty sure he could have figured out himself, but there was a crisp doctors note tucked away in his work bag to make sure all bases were covered. Raising a brow as she pulled off her sweatshirt, leaving her in a tank top that hugged her body, causing his eyes to scan over her. "Now that's not fair, I can't do the whole pull my shirt off over my head so easily in attempts to make you drool. Which means you're basically playing an unfair game." Once again gesturing to his arm that not going to allow him to easily just pull his shirt off over his head. "But please, if you're intending on getting comfy don't let me stop you." Now that he was comfortable, surprising given he was on the floor, he glanced up at the blonde, patting the spot next to him. "Very comfortable, and I'm warm yeah, if I get cold we have enough blankets at the end to warm up with." As the blonde got comfortable he started with a movie on the television, since it was far better than his smaller screened laptop, he noticed her resting her hand on his chest as he settled more against the pillows turning slightly, realizing they were more getting lost in their conversation. Sometime by the middle of the movie the lights flickered again before there was a loud bang that had even Ari flinching and then all the lights disappeared leaving darkness between. "Well...at least it wasn't anti climatic the power going out." Rolling his eyes as he shifted a little closer, "You good?"

[sunnynardelli]

There were some things that took time. Getting to know people’s past and inner workings was one of those things. It took time to know a person and even then what they said and when they said it depended on the person. Sunny didn’t consider herself a particularly closed off person. She had no problem talking about her life but there were some things that she wasn’t exactly going to volunteer unless directly asked or if it came up in conversation, just like she knew other people would do. There was zero doubt that he’d be welcome at her place. She doubted he would do anything that would really offend her roommates. They were all adults who accepted whoever people brought into their home. “It’s honestly not,” she said honestly. “I mean, we’re pretty open to people coming over and hanging out. I wouldn’t recommend going through the drawers in their rooms or anything but the shared rooms and my room are fine.” If anyone had something to say, they could take it up with her. She raised an eyebrow, smiling when he said that even banged up, he could still handle her. She didn’t think it required more explanation for what either of them meant by it. “I don’t have plans to roll in the snow any time soon,” she felt a need to tell him. She was towing the line between saucy banter and something else. “Who is to say I wouldn’t be willing to follow through? I might be into it. By all means, let me know thought."

To be fair, she had thought about it. She’d tossed and turned plenty of nights in recent weeks thinking about missed opportunities. A part of her wondered if she’d inadvertently had slipped into his mind as well though she had to keep telling herself that he was just being friendly, bantering back to her. If he’d wanted to actually do something about it, he would have right? Wasn’t she giving him all the signals that she’d reciprocate? “You’ll have some down time before you properly go back to work and I can always make time for you,” she told him. There wasn’t any judgment here. She definitely wasn’t going to kink shame. She wasn’t so sure anyone who did delivery was out working in this mess though and even if they were, she wasn’t sure that they wouldn’t have judged being sent looking for a costume in this mess. Where was anyone even going? “I mean, if you’re wanting a show,” she murmured, pausing to tug off the sweatshirt she had on, tossing it to a chair revealing the tank top that showed off more of her curves underneath. She had dressed in layers for warmth but she was inside now and with all the blankets she’d inevitably run hot always. If he wanted to see a little skin, she could at least managed that. She knew to appreciate it now before the inevitable power outages occurred. The flickering of lights meant it wasn’t a matter of if but when. There was no use in worrying about it. She watched him leave before she could argue about him grabbing his laptop, all she could do was accept this fate. She allowed herself to sit comfortably against the pillows and surrounded in the warmth of blankets, content with the spot she’d made for herself next him once he was sat. “I might have some expertise in living room sleepovers but also yes. Are you comfortable? Warm?” She offered a small smile, turning on her side a bit to better look at him a hand resting on his chest a bit as they chatted.

He swore he saw a sparkle in her eyes when he said that he wanted to have her there. Ari wasn't privy to much of her past, not that they would have those kind of conversations, given Ari wasn't even sure what any of this was. It was obvious, to him, that he was flirting with her but he was sure there were plenty of people that just flirted because they enjoyed being flirted with. This wasn't a time where he was going to make a fool of himself, at least not too much, and ruin what friendship they had built in the last several months. At her invitation to visit her at her place he raised a brow, "I'll keep that in mind, I mean I really don't want to take up space when your roommates may not appreciate it." Even if she was saying that her roommates lived their own lives and wouldn't mind. "Feels very much like a girl domain that they may not want me entering in on." Even if that probably wasn't the case. A laugh erupted from his lips, "I may be banged up, Sunny, but that doesn't meant I couldn't handle you." What Sunny eluded to was something Ari himself couldn't pass up either. "Don't make a threat if you have no plans on following through, I'm a lot harder to break than you think -- unless you're going to cover yourself in snow, then you know, maybe you have a shot at breaking me." Giving a roll of his eyes towards the woman. "Plus it depends on the breaking, ask me again later."

"Fair, I get that, you weren't thinking but you know I may have to take a peek at these costumes sometime, I'm taking that as an offer." Since she had said she'd be willing to if it made him feel better, and who was he to turn that offer down? Only an idiot would do that. "Hey, this is a no judgement zone, what I purchase on Doordash is not to be judged, and now they have stores on there, not just food." He pointed out, "It may be a lot harder to find an outfit not around Halloween time but I bet we could have made it work, the weather on the other hand definitely would have put a hinderance to it either way." Plus he wasn't actually going to make her prance around in a nurse outfit just because she was there to take care of him. A smirk played on his lips hearing her mutter close to under her breath but still loud enough he could pick up on things. A sigh left his lips as the lights flickered, "They'll last awhile, I have extra batteries we can put in them if they start to die out, I've not used them a ton. Plus then if we go through all of those and batteries, I do have regular candles." Not his first choice just fro a pure safety point, but if they needed it they would have them. Moving over her cranked up the heat a tiny bit, wanting it warm enough in the room for what was proving to be inevitable with the power going out. "Think right here we could put down all the blankets, make a big enough space there's enough of them in those boxes, extra pillows, and then we'll be able to stay warm." He offered, "I'll grab my laptop and my charger pack, feel like we may have to settle with whatever movies we can get on my laptop." Eventually the power was going to fail them. Making haste before she could say anything he returned, "Okay I now give you the power to boss me around, make me rest, do whatever you want with me for the rest of the night." As he shifted and moved to the several blankets now laid out on the floor making enough of a cushion that it didn't feel like laying on the floor and tossing a few more on top. Warmth would be the most important thing at the end of all of this. He smiled when he noticed how a bunch of pillows had been stacked up making it easier for him to lay back. "You're pretty good at this, you take people often or am I just special?"

[sunnynardelli]

It felt good to be wanted. Sunny would have been lying if she said it didn’t feel good to hear someone say that in a world of there being plenty of other options out there she was the one person he’d wanted to talk to. Even if it was truly as simple as just being the first name he saw or something around him making him think of her, she liked to hear it. She couldn’t allow herself to read more into it. It would have been entirely too easy to take it at face value and allow her mind to race to a place where he was thinking of her for the same reasons she found herself thinking of him. She’d spent far too long developing self-protection mechanisms to let her brain go there. If she put it out there and then she was stuck at his place, she was pretty sure she would have died of mortification. She liked his company though and as long as he wanted her there, she was going to be pretty content to be there. “You do know, you’re welcome to drop by my place as well, right?” she asked, biting her lip for a moment. “I mean, Stelly and Sylvie are out living their own lives half the time and even if they were there they’d no mind.” She shook her head, amusement on her face all the same though. “I don’t think you could handle me right now,” she mused, giving him a pointed look, playfully letting her eyes rake over him. “I’d break you and then it would make taking care you super awkward. You wouldn’t want me to break you would you?”

“It wasn’t a high priority with the weather,” she admitted unable to not laugh at the thought of it. It was ludicrous really. She definitely had a closet of eclectic costumes from years of parties and events that she could have put to use. She tended to not break them out in everyday life. Besides, they were mostly messing around, right? “I think that you’re just going to have to take what you got today but if it makes you feel better, I’d model any outfit if it’ll help the healing process. I don’t even think they sell those on DoorDash. What kind of places are you ordering from that sell things like that, Ari?” She couldn’t help but tease, even though she felt pretty confident he wasn’t ordering anything weird there. He was probably like anyone else who ordered entirely too much takeout versus picking it up. She nodded at his instruction of locations, sighing at the fact he was refusing to just let her lift things. What good was she if he wasn’t going to properly rest? She didn’t want him to over o it. She could definitely do as instructed. “You’re going to be the death of me,” she muttered as she went toward the closet grabbing the supplies they’d need and moving back to set everything down and organize it in the living room so they could be comfortable and warm. “We’ll see how much you want to see me after being stuck with --" she started to say before the lights flickered, making her loose her train of though. "Guess it's a good thing you have battery candles. How long do you think we have with them?"

Brows furrowed when the woman in front of him said about the medication the hospital had given him that had him text her about being injured. Yes, they had given him some medication, mainly because they hadn't wanted to keep him overnight and risk him getting stuck in the hospital for longer than needed -- they needed those spaces in case of real emergencies. A few broken bones, bruises, and cuts was not on that list. "I didn't need medicine to want to text you, Sunny. I texted you because you're the first person I thought of that I wanted to talk to." Maybe it was a bit too much information to give out at that time, after all she was just arriving to his place. Which thankfully had more than enough space in case she didn't want to be surrounded by him the whole time -- nor would he expect her to be around him at all times. There was a spare bedroom, extra blankets, and he had books and all other things to keep her busy if she found herself bored of him. Anything was possible, wasn't it? "But trust me I'll make a mental note you don't need me injured to come see me." Tapping his temple as if he was making a mental note of that, not that he planned on getting injured anytime soon again. "Oh do you? Isn't that up for others to decide some things you do well?" Quipping because he couldn't just let her have that too easily. A smile tugged to his lips, "I like the sound of that, take that for what you will." Giving a casual shrug of his good shoulder and moving into the open concept living room.

"Oh, oh, missed opportunity, Sunny. You have a nurses costume and didn't think let's show up in one when planning to take care of an injured man? That's just too bad." Since he obviously wasn't going to suggest that she go back out into the bad weather. "Think Doordash would find it weird ordering one?" A smirk on his lips, "I'm kidding, by the way." He'd never put her in a position that made her dress in something she wouldn't want to wear, he was just trying to make light of the situation, while also possibly hinting that he found the woman in front of him attractive. He wasn't good at this, relationships, in any capacity -- let alone figuring them out. He often deemed himself more of a hinderance for people he started to care about. If his previous relationship showed anything about his ability to understand people or read things incredibly wrong. "The closet down the hall on the left, you should find an obnoxious amount of blankets, pillows, the works to turn this into the coziest place to stay, at least for the time being." he offered, "But let me at least grab a few things, I promise you can boss me around to stay in our comfortable little bed area we make thereafter." At the mention he would do the same for her, his head dipping down close to her ear, "You're right, I would do the same for you, but you don't need to be hurt for me to want to see you either." Before pulling back and heading down into the kitchen area to grab the box filled with battery operated candles and starting to set them up around the area.