Something close to happy is suddenly mine...

[stillaboyscout]

It should be said that there is never actually a quiet day in Chicago. Ever. Somewhere, always, something is happening, and invariably that something has to do with explosives. It is Chicago, after all.

But there are a lot of people in Chicago, and so specific people can have quiet days. Take Michael Vaughn for instance, currently out and about

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[gotbottle]

The whole paste-on-a-smile-and-pretend-you're-getting-better thing has been working out for Rachel. Okay... not for Rachel. But for Rachel fooling people into believing it's true? Going gangbusters.

But now that she's walking down the street alone, on her way back to the Conrad, there doesn't seem to be much point in the pretend-smile. She walks along, hands jammed in her pockets, feeling the weight of her despair on her shoulders once more.

She glances up every so often to make sure she won't run into anyone; on one of her upturns she notices the lady walking along with an empty wagon in tow. She's smiling, apparently oblivious to everything else besides the beauty of the day, or maybe it's the city. Something.

Rachel's a bit envious, but somehow the "carefree" that seems to be radiating from this woman musters a bit of a smile out of her, one that she's still wearing as she starts to pass her, going the other direction.

[cookiesandhugs]

Gladys barely sees the girl coming, but the general person-shaped thing coming at her means she instinctively reaches into her purse and pulls out a gallon-sized ziploc baggie full of cookies. She holds it out to Rachel as they pass, intending to just have them smash into the girl's chest if she doesn't take them. She's all about the random acts of kindness, Gladys is.

[gotbottle]

Rachel's eyes drift back down.

Just in time to see an outstretched arm brandishing a plastic bag.

Rachel stops short so she doesn't get bodychecked by it, and she takes it, peering at the contents in complete puzzlement.

"They're, uh. Cookies?" Rachel looks up and blinks as politely as she can manage. Not because she wants to be rude, but, because, really, how does one blink at someone in utter confusion and still be polite? She's not sure how.

"What're... these for?"

[cookiesandhugs]

Gladys stands there for a second, then proceeds to back up the wagon so she can look at Rachel properly. "Yes, they are cookies," she confirms with a smile. "And they're for you. Because everyone needs cookies." She pauses for a moment--there's something in the air, something that tells her that with this girl, it's more than the basic 'everyone needs cookies'. "Because you need them," she corrects herself.

[kineticmachine]

Arlin is not sitting out in the rain. Arlin is, in fact, wanting to go in from the rain, and also wanting food, and also wanting to not deal with any more Organization crap at the moment (you know, after a recent road trip threw both a pterosaur and a polar bear at him), which is why he only has his personal, non-Rift journal with him. He was also getting sick of staying in his flat, which is the only reason he's going to a cafe to draw.

Of course, he recognizes the girl sitting outside almost immediately. This makes him hunch a little bit further into his jacket and attempt to get into the coffeeshop before she notices he's there. This may or may not work, but he can hope, right?

[omnomnomface]

Trin's not dumb, despite what most people would think, and though she might not be the most book-smart person in the world, she does have a very very special skill--she never, ever forgets a face. Ever. So when she sees her special drinking buddy? She raises an arm in greeting, simultaneously taking a sip of her coffee.

"Aaron!" she shouts to him. "Grab a seat, I'll get you a coffee!" Because the term 'drinking buddy' does not limit itself to alcohol.

[kineticmachine]

Arlin sighs. He's not going to pretend he didn't hear her, because that's an insult to both their intelligences. He's also not going to just walk into the cafe anyway, as bitchy as he's feeling like being today. No, he's going to lineface at her.

"It's raining," he says. Clearly she cannot expect him bear both her company and rain. He might not mind the rain if this was someone he particularly wanted to have a conversation with and he hadn't come to the cafe specifically to sketch. Sketching in the rain doesn't work out so well.

[omnomnomface]

"I KNOW!" Trin giggles, looking up at the sky as she stands to make room for him. "Isn't it wonderful?"

She loves the rain, if you couldn't tell. It has something to do with the fact that she's also terrified of fire, but there's something so calming about the rain.

[findaconstant]

[For Gladys! :D]

The unfortunate thing about living in a world that is not your own is that sometimes, you completely forget about certain things back home. In Dan's case, he hasn't thought about his mother in quite a few weeks - this is a good thing, really.

Except now he finds himself staring at a woman who looks exactly like his mom, save for one little difference: Eloise Hawking, as far as Dan knows, has never worn an expression like that. Still, he's staring right at her, looking quite bewildered.

[cookiesandhugs]

Generally speaking, Gladys is fairly oblivious to the world around her. It's how she can manage to move and not notice the whispers of people, and the ones who are scaredy-cats and hide their children when she comes around.

Still, she's not blind. She can see the nice-looking young man staring at her, and she's not exactly comfortable with being stared at. So she stops with her wagon and gives him a bit of a confused look.

"Can I help you?" she asks.

[findaconstant]

"Um."

He swallows, shaking his head.

"No, I just - you - uh."

Words, Daniel. You can use them if you try!

"Sorry. You just look a lot like... someone I knew."

[cookiesandhugs]

Gladys smiles, though it's not her normal, bright smile--more like a vaguely confused smile. "Oh," she says. This isn't the first time that someone's said that. "I... okay, that would be a lie. I don't actually get that a lot," she grins, then reaches into her giant handbag and pulls out a giant plastic bag of cookies.

"Would you like one?" she asks Daniel, holding it out to him.

[duology]

Dev heard a rumor somewhere that there are monsters in the lake, which has made him very curious. Plus he hasn't actually been to the pier yet. All the more reason to go check it out on this oh-so-beautiful day.

He's been having a good day so far, and the day just gets even better when he spots a familiar face sitting on the edge of the pier. He strolls up behind her, smiling brightly and digging a tissue out of his pocket, which he offers to Scout.

"Scoutbird, it's been too long. You've been taking care of yourself, I hope?" He raises an eyebrow at the dribbly nose.

[crashiscoming]

Scout takes the tissue and examines it with a curious look on her face, then uses it to dab at a bloody scab she'd been picking at on her shin. She's not exactly the brightest of girls.

"Devdev my dear," she says. "Take care, take care, take care of the ones you know." She's more than a little out of it today. Yay for a lack of coherency?

[duology]

Dev smiles a little, though he also tilts his head, watching Scout closely. "Your nose, Scoutbird, your nose. Get that gunk out of there and you'll surely feel better. Little Scoutling, you're not sick, are you?"

[crashiscoming]

Scout wipes her nose on the back of her hand and looks up at Dev. "Not sick, not sicker than normal no no no no no," she assures him with a smile on her face. "Not sick and no home full of no no nos, yeah?"

[sittinontrains]

Jamal spots Chance, and then sneaks up behind the tree that she's leaned against with two hot dogs in his hands. The hot dog man is being nice today, remembering their experience together on the streets of Chicago, and how Jamal seems to have an in with a dangerous behemoth. He gets close to the tree until he's pressed against the bark on the other side, and then he grins at his stealthy movements.

"Boo!"

[teenytinyteme]

Chance jumps.

"Jesusfuck what the hell?" she spits out before seeing who it is. And then she relaxes. "Oh. You!" Her face breaks out into a grin, a real grin. "Come here, you," she says, opening her arms wide.

She intends to hug him. She's missed her little fellow-homeless-person-buddy-guy-old-pal. Or something.

[sittinontrains]

Jamal's grin manages to widen when he sees that he has managed to sneak up on her. His skills of stealth have greatly increased! ...or something. He feels like that's what it means.

"Me," he agrees with a cheerful noise, and then launches himself into her arms wrapping his own limbs around her neck.

Jamal likes hugs. He doesn't get them often, but they are nice.

[teenytinyteme]

Chance smiles and hugs him for a little bit, shifting from side to side with him in her arms. She looks down at him and grins.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. "Are those hot dogs?" she grins. "You haven't been stealing again, have you?"

Not that she particularly cares one way or another. It's the way she makes her living, after all, if you can call it a living.