[color=gray][right][sub][u][b]Location:[/b][/u] Paradise Falls Trail → The swimming hole
[u][b]Interacting With:[/b][/u] Each Other
[u][b]Mentions:[/b][/u] None[/sub][/right]
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[indent][indent][color=B53389]“Noah! Hi!”[/color] Elsie excitedly greeted her best friend ten minutes after her arrival at the beginning of the trail, sprinting towards him to wrap her slender arms around his taller frame. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, letting the smell of his woody, earthy cologne fill her senses and basking in the comfort of his presence. The oldest Tanner sibling was the only other person besides her father who had the ability to make Elsie feel safe and loved with his presence alone, so she never wasted the chance to seek the comfort that his embrace always brought her… And the butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach that he seemed to evoke for a few years now. [color=B53389]“You ready to head up?”[/color] she asked him with a bright smile as she pulled away.

Noah returned the hug tightly, the boy had gotten used to Elsie’s physical affection over the years; though not to say it doesn’t still trip him up at times.

As they pulled away, Noah caught her expression. 

She [i]smiled[/i].

Surprisingly, she [i]smiled[/i]. A quick little thing. A flicker. Something that one would question if they saw or not. A moment of perfection too great, too brilliant to comprehend in an instant. The depths of his core warmed, the longing whisked away for but a moment.

Noah wanted- no, [i]needed[/i] more. He swiped his nose; a clumsy, boyish reflex to mask the heat climbing his throat. He bit his inner cheek, desperate to anchor himself before he drifted entirely into her orbit.

[Color=EEBC1D]“Oh- uh yeah let’s go.”[/color] Noah said, voice a bit low, as he followed closely behind.

Elsie and Noah made their way down the familiar, mile-long path in silence, quietly enjoying the sounds of the lively nature scene happening around them and exchanging looks and smiles along the way. Sometimes, it seemed like the days the two of them had to spend with one another were becoming few and far between. Their responsibilities to themselves and their families only grew by the minute, making it hard to coordinate moments like these where they weren’t in the presence of Elsie’s dad or Noah’s siblings. So when days like today came around, El made an effort to spend them the way they were going to: outdoors, in the company of a favorite friend.

As soon as the waterfall came within view, Elsie’s face broke into a grin, and she sprinted in its direction. She dropped off her items on top of a table nearby, stripped down to her swimsuit, ran to the swimming hole and jumped right in. The sound of her body splashing into the water echoed across the space, as did her giggles of delight as she swam around the space, enjoying the feeling of the cooling moisture against her bare skin after the hike.

[color=B53389]“Come on in! The water feels amazing right now!”[/color] the girl called out to Noah, gesturing for him to join her in the middle of the natural pool.

Noah was flummoxed, if anything. He resisted just gawking at Elsie, slowly stripping his jacket and leather pants into swimwear.

Soon his ‘motherly’ instincts kicked in as he joined her in the lake, [Color=EEBC1D]“Be careful, Elsie. Your dad would kill me if something happened here.”[/color]

The cold water felt ephemeral on his body. It had been hot- hotter than normal he’d say. And not many people in Pines Holler really had air conditioning of sorts. Especially not his family. Though he didn’t show it, this week had him stressed. Bills upon bills. This swim was a nice reprieve, but a gnawing part of his brain kept telling him that he shouldn’t be wasting his time to ‘relax’ and get back to the grind. Noah hasn’t ever really given himself any time to relax ever since his parents abandoned him and his siblings. 

Maybe it was a good thing, but his mind certainly wouldn’t let him think so.


When Noah’s warning reached her ears, Elsie couldn’t help but giggle and roll her eyes. Her father and her best friend liked to treat her like she was a china doll sometimes: always trying to keep her from any potential harm. It had been that way since she was a child. On one hand, she understood their concern. Elsie was known for being a bit of a risk-taker and a thrill-seeker, so her suffering potential injuries were never out of the question. But the two men, in their infinite sense of responsibility for the girl’s well-being, [i]did[/i] exaggerate sometimes– just like Noah happened to be doing at this very moment.

[color=B53389]“We’ve been here a million times, Noah! Everything’s going to be [i]fiiiiiiine[/i]: trust me,”[/color] she reassured her friend, swimming in his direction. She knew it was in his nature to worry about her, but it was in [i]her[/i] nature to reassure him of the opposite. [color=B53389]“Close your eyes... Take a deep breath in… Aaaaaand out… Let your worries wash away with the current flowing around us…”[/color] she recommended in a voice reminiscent of those relaxing, soft-spoken ASMR videos she watched on youtube sometimes.

Noah followed her words, his breath steadied and he looked relaxed. He actually could take in the beauty of his surroundings and… well… her. The week has been rough, to say the absolute least, and he definitely needed some rest and relaxation. The tension on his shoulders released and slumped as he continued floating.

[Color=EEBC1D]“Yeah, you’re right Elsie.”[/color] He replies with a small smile, [Color=EEBC1D]“Feels like I’ve been shouldering too much baggage the past week, sorry.”[/color]

Elsie’s lips came together in a pout. [color=B53389]“What have I said about apologizing for how you feel?”[/color] the girl warned, splashing Noah’s face.

Noah shook the water from his face with a slight laugh. [Color=EEBC1D]“How are you and your dad, have you two been okay? I feel like it’s been a bit since I asked about him.”[/color]

[color=B53389]“We’ve been okay! Dad actually has an interview later about a line cook position at the diner,”[/color] the brunette told Noah, allowing her body to relax until she was floating face-up. [color=B53389]“I [i]really[/i] hope he gets it. You know how stressful things have been living with only my paychecks, and I know how depressed he gets the longer it goes without him finding a job,”[/color] Elsie explained. The Woods duo had never been ones to live comfortably financially, but the loss of Elliott’s job at the lumber mill had put an extra strain on them. She wasn’t much of a faith-based person, but El would be lying if she said she hadn’t been praying for her dad to get this job since he’d told her about the interview.

[Color=EEBC1D]“I also hope your dad gets it, he’s a good man and didn’t deserve what happened to him.”[/color] Noah felt a pang of guilt on how he felt that the expansion might grant his siblings a better quality of life. But seeing how many people he knows and acquainted with have been affected… he felt like a selfish douche.

[color=B53389]“What about you? You said you’ve been shouldering too much baggage this week. What’s going on?”[/color] she asked him, concerned about what could be weighing on her bestie's shoulders.

[Color=EEBC1D]“Just the same old, same old, you know?”[/color] Noah laid flat, floating along the waves, he hasn’t felt this loose for ages. [Color=EEBC1D]“Bills- rent, their schooling and just being… tired, y’know?”[/color] He really didn’t want to dig deeper.

Elsie knew Noah well enough by now to know that there was more about his troubles than he was letting on, but she also knew that it was pointless to pry. So rather than push, she let it be. When he was ready, he would tell her.

[Color=EEBC1D]“... Not that I wanna throw my baggage at you, Elsie. But I am glad you brought me out here, really brings into perspective how small my issues are.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]