[hider=ooc]Your post was fine! I gave you like, nothing to work with. Got caught up in the ANGST. Here’s something a little more useful[/hider]
	

Whenever Carys had gotten maudlin, she had gone exploring. She’d throw her things into a bag, pick a train at random, and let her feet carry her somewhere new. There was something soothing about finding new little wonders, about one foot in front of the other without a destination. Carys let herself quiet, focusing on only the sand between her toes, the bite of salt in the wind, the back and forth between breaths and heartbeats. 

She lost track of time, walking what seemed to be endless miles of coastline, out past the bustle of bodies to rockier shores. She found a small cove where the world seemed to fall away, until there was simply the dim roar of the sea and the chattering of gulls. For the first time in a year, Carys found peace in the quiet.

The sun had sunk well past noon by the time she finally picked up her things and turned back. She left with a lingering glance, memorizing the little curve of rocks and ocean, lips curving into a quiet smile.

With a destination in mind, Carys walked much more briskly, abandoning soft sand for an established path. Her shoulders had started to smart in the afternoon sun, aching where her bag dug into the flesh. The exhaustion she’d ignored reminded her how very little she’d rested and eaten in the past few days. She’d been so determined to keep [i]moving[/i], losing herself in action and distraction alike. Now that she’d taken a moment to breathe, her body protested its treatment quite vocally. This hadn’t been her most well-though out excursion.

Her phone got signal in fits and spurts, and though she knew the way home (straight), she found herself antsy at not knowing [i]when[/i] she’d make it back. She’d walked for, apparently, two hours. It had been fine on the going—but the coming back was significantly less pleasant. Her phone helpfully informed her that she had at least another forty minutes yet. [i]Wonderful[/i]. 

She’d begun passing people again, smiling politely and continuing on. The thought of the house (not hers, not yet, maybe not truly ever) still churned her stomach, but she knew she couldn’t avoid it forever. Eventually she’d have to unpack and settle in. It was such a foolish thing to resent, a house, especially as lovely at this one. Yet she had done nothing to earn it—at least she had paid for her apartment with her own money, even if it had been in a shit neighborhood. 

Arms tucked beneath her chest, Carys kept her head down and lengthened her stride, as if she were back home. Not that she could have ever confused the two worlds—this path lacked the familiar aroma of piss and car exhaust. Focused on getting home she very nearly managed to run into someone. Instinct had her opening her mouth to bark back an insult, but she’d looked up and caught the words before they spilled off her tongue.

Oh—shit, she recognized those faces. Carys scoured her hazy memories from the previous night ([i]really need to quit drinking[/i], she reminded herself). Right! The beer incident. And s’mores? She was pretty sure that had happened.

“I’ve got to stop running you over,” Carys quipped apologetically, grey eyes crinkling as she scrunched her nose in a wince. “It’s Chase, right? And um—oh god, I swear I know your names—“ she directed to Mason and Ryan, cheeks flushing more with embarrassment than sunburn at this point. [i]No, seriously, you drank way too much[/i] her brain reminded her ever so helpfully.

“I’m drawing a blank,” she admitted with a self-deprecating laugh, scuffing a sandaled shoe against the pavement. “Anyways—super sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I’ll get out of your way.”

[i]Good job, Carys, forgetting the names of literally the only people you even sort of know. That’s really going to do you wonders.[/i]