O N L Y |༗| T I M E

[AdriELf]

Lexi got out of the taxi and looked around. It all looked so different to her. There were more people and more businesses. There was less nature and more buildings. She felt like she had never been there before. She was walking around when she noticed her old favorite burger joint was still open. She saw the glowing open sign on the window of Dukes Burgers and Fries. She slowly pushed the door open and took in the mouth watering smell of fresh burgers, fries, and shakes. She ordered a meal and took it back to her hotel.

When she settled into her room she unpacked and got settled. She got onto the bed and ate while she went to Instagram. She was interested to see what some of her fellow classmates were doing now. The first person she looked up was Emille. Her mouth dropped at the sight of him. “Wow, he’s even more better looking than I remember...” she scrolled through his Instagram while munching on her meal. She was so invested that she didn’t even realize the time. She slowly drifted to sleep with her phone in her hand. That night she dreamt of Emille sweeping her off her feet and leading her into a life where they would live happily ever after.

[jj735]

x

E m i l l e x K e i s l i n g
male | 26 | info
romantic interest: Lexi
Location: hotel
Tags: open
________________________

It had been a rough day today, work at the dive shop was bringing some heavy 300 bar cylinders through from the storage deck and putting them on display. Emille had not had a single customer that day, but his back was aching by the end of it, and he was glad to change into some clothes other than his 'Aqua Centre' polo shirt that was a little too tight and had that annoying, sharp tag that stuck into his back. He had boarded the '83 after work, and it was there, sitting on the uncomfortable bus seat, that he remembered his old classmates. It was quite hard to forget some of 'em. Emille's mind drifted off to Lexi Johnson - he had always had a soft spot for the girl. When he had to move schools at the end of year, Emille had left a note in her desk telling her he was in love with her. He couldn't remember what words he used, or how cringe worthy it was, how embarrassed he should be tomorrow; he was sure of one thing, though; it wouldn't have been poetic. 8 year old Emille wasn't any better with words than he was in the present day. Anyway, he was sure she had never gotten the note - the desks were cleared out in the next week, so it was very unlikely. He sure well hoped she hadn't. He was still thinking about the jokes the shared and the fun times they had as sleep claimed him, a prisoner of the uncomfortable slumber that came with the train.

When the train finally arrived at Glydie station, Emille was in need of a proper sleep. He had been interrupted several times by an old dear on the bus that was telling him about her daughter and how the two of them would make a great couple. The woman finally got off the bus, but not without giving Emille her 24-year-old daughter's number and making him promise to call her if he was ever in a place called Theysan. Emille groaned at the thought of the woman somehow being on the same bus as him when he left Glydie.

Somehow, Glydie Hotel was still open, and so he checked in there for the night. The Duke's burgers and fries across the road beckoned to him, but the young man was too tired to eat, even from one of the best burger joints in the world. The whole place had changed so much. It was a miracle that the time capsule had stayed there for so long. He set his alarm to go off at 7:00 the next morning, for he intended to go for a walk around Glydie park before the others got there, maybe take a look at the old school. As always, the alarm was his favourite song, Yesterday. Always got him up, for sure. If he wasn't awake by the second chorus, god help him. Of course, he would not sleep for a couple of hours yet - he would stalk the people in his class on the internet for a couple of hours, first. Socially awkward, he preferred to know about topics to avoid and to use in a conversation. You know how people say that their 'heart skipped a beat'? That was what happened. Damn... Lexi was ... wow. And he might be seeing her tomorrow? That made him all the more nervous. Suddenly, he could hardly keep his eyes open. Sleep took over him, he would not resist it.

x

R e i dx O ' m a r a
female | 26 | info
romantic interest: open
Location: train
Tags: Thomas Fisher
________________________

Trains were her favourite mode of public transport. Reid could fall asleep on a train; well, the young woman could fall asleep almost anywhere. She had a whole carriage to herself - just her and her thoughts. It was going to be fine tomorrow, and, if it wasn't fine, who cared? Reid had always had the reputation of a bit of a troublemaker at school. She was a daredevil even in her earliest years, like that time she licked poisoned ivy and had to see the headmaster, or when she had *accidentally* set the tennis ball machine on the school's tennis coach. Hopefully her old classmates would remember her fondly. A guy entered her carriage. Weird. He looked familiar. Then it clicked.
"Thomas Fisher?" The young man didn't seem to recognise her at first...or throughout any of the time that they stood in awkward silence. Reid knew exactly who he was. At school, the two of them weren't exactly 'two sides of the same coin'. Reid was reckless, and Fisher was, to put it bluntly, boring. Still, she could not have been happier to see him standing there, just when she had given up hope of having any friends tomorrow.

[Consulting_Angel]

Blaise Essome
26|Male|Bisexual
Location: Hotel
Tagged: Open

Having finished wrapping filming for the highly anticipated sequel of his initial big break film - for which had the original writers and director - yesterday, Blaise wasn't in much of a rush today to finish preparing for the airport. He'd secretly hoped that he wouldn't have been able to make it to the time capsule opening. It had been eighteen years, after all, he didn't think it mattered that much. He wasn't even in contact with a single person from his school day. But still... he supposed it would be a nice break from his current city and to go back to the town he grew up in. His agent had sorted everything out for him - ensuring he'd have the time off, getting an early afternoon flight and a great room at the hotel.

After a two hour flight and 30 minutes in a taxi, Blaise had arrived at the hotel. He went to check in, quickly getting his room key, and he made his way up to the room. Throughout this journey, he'd spotted several people that were 'surreptitiously' giving him that unmistakable look that said they recognised him from their screens. It was nice, in a way, and he appreciated that they didn't just approach him. He... still wasn't sure he'd be comfortable with that, and actor or not, he deserved his personal space to remain uninvaded.

In his room, Blaise unpacked, thinking about who else might be arriving. He hardly remembered anyone's names right now, he'd had so much else going on. He knew that it would click when he saw them, though, so he wasn't too worried. He did wonder if they'd even remember him, or know what he'd been up to. Maybe, maybe not.

After a while, of talking with his agent, parents, and a couple of other actors that he was close friends with and worked with on the film he'd just finished filming for, all at varying times on the phone, updating them of where he was and what was going to happen, Blaise figured that he should probably find something to eat.
Leaving the hotel, Blaise caught sight of Duke's Burgers and Fries across the street, and instinctively wrinkled his nose slightly. He'd never understood the hype over it, and was surprised to see that it was still around, especially with how everything else had changed. Deciding to search further afield, he soon found a Mediterranean restaurant that he decided to try out, ordering the chicken kofta, with rice, salad, roasted vegetables and bread, which he ate in the restaurant, and made sure to keep a note of the restaurant to share with others.

After eating, and tipping the restaurant generously, Blaise returned to the hotel, where he spent some time updating his family, coworkers and friends before deciding to begin turning in for the night.

[LonelyAstronauts]

Scout Taylor-Thomas | NB, She/They | Panromantic Ace | 26 | Location: Duke's Burgers and Fries| Tags: Open! Mentions: Blaise
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Scout yawned, hugging her friends goodbye as she got into her car. It would be a long drive to Glydie, and she was not looking forward to it, to say the least. Still, it would be some good time to think about things like new music for the band, and possible cat names, and a billion other things that were not her classmates. She wasn't looking forward to being wrongly addressed for several days. For the memory of being a kid and being around her parents, which would then lead to her thinking about those horrible days leading up to her departure from her parents home. But she wasn't going to think about that. Besides, she was excited. It would be cool to see the time capsule that her kid-self had buried. It was a bit of a scary prospect to see her old classmates, see how they had all changed. The only one she vaguely knew about was Blaise; he had been in some movie, hadn't he? Or something like that? All Scout could remember was seeing his name on a poster somewhere and having the vague flicker of 'oh I knew that guy as a kid'. Still, it would be cool to see how much everyone had changed.

After an achingly, mind-numbingly long drive, she finally arrived at Glydie. Ah, good old Glydie. Well, not good old Glydie for her. Scout had spend nearly half her life trying to escape this place, but still. It was a good sentiment. She arrived at her hotel room and promptly collapsed onto the bed, glad to finally have some comfort after sitting still for so long. She sighed, rolling onto her back and looking up at the ceiling. There was something special about hotels for Scout. Some feeling of travel; that the way things were weren't permanent. A good feeling. Feelings of change, and new horizons... and hunger. Scout rolled out of bed and checked her watch. Okay, so it wasn't that late. She pulled her shoes back on and decided to hit the town. Despite how tired she felt, it gave her an odd sense of nostalgia to be back in Glydie. And there was no place more nostalgic than good old Dukes. That truly was a good old spot for Scout; it had been home to some of her best memories with old friends. A spot where she could get food and solace from her mother's wrath. A good spot to be sure.

Scout walked across the street, and was happy to find that the place hadn't changed a bit. The same seats were empty, the same silly wall art still hung there. It was comforting to know that in 18 messy years where so much had changed, Dukes hadn't. Scout ordered the same thing she always got; a burger, fries, and a shake, and slid into her booth. Naturally, this was the same booth from 18 years ago. Despite being the only customer in here, save for a stranger, Scout found that she was enjoying herself. It was nice to be back. Scout decided on scrolling through her phone, and vaguely decided to search up the name of the movie Blaise had been in. After reading the synopsis and watching the trailer, Scout couldn't help but be impressed.

Thomas Fisher | Male, He/Him | Gay | 26 | Location: train| Tags: Reid Mentions: open
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Thomas gathered his bags as he boarded the train, his mind racing with all the ways this could end in his certain death. But surely trains weren't likely to be derailed in today's current day and age, right? That was surely just something that happened in old movies where cartoon cowboys would blow up the tracks with large yet comical sicks of dynamite.
Regardless, a train certainly felt safer than flying. Thomas hated flying with a passion, and avoided it as much as he could. There was nothing appealing about being stuck in sardine tin thousands of feet up in a constant fight against gravity. No thank you. He stepped inside a carriage and sat down across from a lady who seemed to be lost in her own world, and busied himself with trying to find something to do. He glanced up briefly as she seemed to stare at him, and gave a small wave.
He was even more surprised when she called out his name, and he stared back at her. Though she did look vaguely familiar, he certainly didn't know her from recent years. Still, she clearly knew him and expected him to answer. He stumbled for her name, but came up blank. "Hey there...Old chap". Oh dear lord. If it looked like he didn't know her name a second ago, it was clear as day he didn't know it now.

[borahae.]

xxxx▬▬▬𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍 "𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐈" 𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐒𝐁𝐘
xxxxcismale • twenty-six • homosexual • tags: xx • mentions: scout • location: childhood home/duke's

Sighing restlessly as he rolled over on the twin sized bed from his memories, having been rather bored and stressed since he'd returned to Glydie a couple days back, Benji reached blindly over to the small bedside table to grab his phone and see what time it was in his efforts to find something to do with himself before he went crazy. To say that he was nervous for tomorrow was an extreme understatement; The male went through his years in Glydie relatively unnoticed (something he had always been grateful for), and if he wasn't such a pushover, Benji would have been glad to have just skipped the reunion all together. After all, what reason did he have to come back here? He didn't have any friends, and after just getting off of his world tour, Benji had been looking forward to having a calm, peaceful, and well-deserved break spent at home by himself with some casual Netflix binging. Unfortunately for him, though, his mother had found out about the time capsule, and once that woman had something set in her mind there was no use in arguing.

Forcing himself to get out of his own head long enough to stand and fix his half-hearted appearance as he noted that it was nearing dinner time, peeling the pajamas he'd been in all day from his skin and replacing them with a pair of high-waisted khaki pants and a simple blue and white striped button up, Benji tucked the shirt into his pants so as to emphasize his form (consistent when it came to fashion, needing to look his best in order to keep up appearances these days) and sighed once more before making his way out of the small bedroom and down the stairs to the living room.

While he would have been glad to stay at a hotel for the occasion, part of him still hating his childhood home for how loud it had been growing up (always feeling forgotten due to his quiet nature, his three brother's rambunctious behavior making him the least of his parents' concern), his parents had insisted that he should come back home and spend time with them and Benji again couldn't say no. But, if anything, the male could at least find some solace in the fact that he had been able to get some homecooked meals again after spending the past few years living off of whatever takeout was closest (and whatever one he could order online, his anxiety spiking at the mere thought of having to make a phone call; he remembered many times of hiding in the bathroom until the delivery man left, too chicken to face the stranger bringing him his food).

His father greeting him with a smile while his mother cheerily beckoned to him from the kitchen that dinner was almost ready, Benji gave a shy smile of his own and made his way to the door as he excused himself, needing to take a walk in order to gather his restless thoughts "That's okay mom, I'm going to go for a walk...I'll just get some take out..." Trailing off as he quickly threw on a pair of white sneakers, Benji could hear his father mumble about how that wasn't a healthy way to live and gave a half-hearted chuckle before leaving the house, his hands in his pocket's as he made the familiar treck to the diner a few blocks down (the infamous Duke's Burgers and Fries, a Glydie special). Humming one of his own tunes under his breath, something he'd been working on and was close to releasing (his agent insisting that he wait until the hype from his tour was settling in order to rake in more profits), Benji made it to the small restaurant in no time at all and felt his nerves bundling up once more as he slid into a booth a few down from the only other patron in the place. Wringing his hands underneath the table as a waitress came over and asked what he'd like to order, not needing a menu to know what he was in search of, Benji shyly glanced up and spoke at about 90 miles an hour as he stammered out his request "Uh, a strawberry milkshake and a basket of fries please"

[AdriELf]

Lexi wakes up to hear loud music from the next room over. She roles her eyes and stands up slowly so she can get a nice stretch. “Are you kidding me...? It’s like seven AM.” She realizes it’s her favorite song and she starts to smile, but then she remembers that it’s too early for this. She leaves her room and starts to knock on the door besides her. “Please turn it down... I love that song, and it’s the best song by the Beatles by far... but I’m trying to sleep. Hello?” She starts to leave until she hears the door open and she turns around. When she sees that handsome figure of a man her jaw drops and she starts to blush. “Um... Emille... long time no see?” She gets flustered and doesn’t know what to say so she fiddles with her hands.

[jj735]

x

E m i l l e x K e i s l i n g
male | 26 | info
romantic interest: Lexi
Location: hotel
Tags: Lexi
________________________

'Yesterday' did not even come close to waking Emille up that morning. He was out cold, and the loud song only made him want to sleep more. A knock on the door. Oh no, it was a hotel! Shoot!
"Please turn it down... I love that song, and it’s the best song by the Beatles by far... but I’m trying to sleep. Hello?" Emille's eyes blinked themselves awake. His hair was unkempt, and he chucked on a pair of trousers. He picked up a shirt, but could hear the person walking away, so he held it, as he opened the door. Oh. my. God... that was...not what he expected. He did not think that, on the other side of his door, would be Lexi Johnson. Wow. His eyes met hers, before they shifted to her feet and back up. He stood, wondering what he could possibly say.
"Um... Emille... long time no see?" She knew his name! After 18 years, she recognised him?
"Lexi...it's been far too long..." He started to say. God, she was beautiful. Emille couldn't speak, but words found their way out of him.
"I - uh, sorry about the - I" He scratched the back on his neck, pulling his shirt over his head.
"You're ...going today?" He asked quietly.

x

R e i dx O ' m a r a
female | 26 | info
romantic interest: open
Location: train
Tags: Thomas Fisher
________________________

Realising she had fallen asleep on the train, Reid yawned and slowly opened her eyes. It had been a long ride here, but the train was due to stop at Glydie station about 3 stops after this one. Had her and Thomas been talking a bit? She couldn't remember. When she looked for the guy, he was wild eyed, looked like he hadn't slept a wink.
"well, good morning, then!" She said, stifling another yawn.

[AdriELf]

Lexi looked at his shirtless body and blushed. “Uh... yeah I’m going... I’m guessing you are too?” She smiles and and messed with her hair to try to make herself look slightly more presentable.

[Consulting_Angel]

Blaise Essome
26|Male|Bisexual
Location: Hotel
Tagged: Open (Various Mentions)

Blaise was awake and out of bed by 6 that morning. He was used to it - early starts for filming got him into that pattern - so he wasn't too bothered. He'd had a shower, and got dressed, his outfit consisting of dark blue jeans, a white fitted t-shirt and a maroon leather jacket, and was already on a video call with his parents. They'd moved out of Glydie after his big break, as he'd bought them a house with an attached restaurant so that they could work on their new career, serving Cameroonian cuisine. They were doing very well, and Blaise was proud of them, talking to them in Hausa - their native language - as they showed off their newest dishes they were adding to the menu. At the end of the call, and Blaise telling them that he'd call again after the time capsule was opened, Blaise read through the group chat that he was in with his closest co-stars, sending a quick message of greeting and that he'd update them after the time capsule was opened.

Thinking of the time capsule, Blaise wondered who was going to be there for it. Having given it some thought, he did remember a handful of people. Benji, for instance, who he remembered seeing his name across the Internet and being a relatively famous singer now. Reid he knew used to be be something of a troublemaker, and he wondered of she was still like that. He knew there were a few other musically-inclined people as well, but their names eluded him right now.

Anyway, he checked the time, then figured he should go and get some breakfast. Checking he had everything he needed with him - phone, wallet, keys - Blaise left his hotel room and walked down to the lobby. Since breakfast was being served here, he took the opportunity to go and see what was available.

[borahae.]

xxxx▬▬▬𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍 "𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐈" 𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐒𝐁𝐘
xxxxcismale • twenty-six • homosexual • tags: xx • mentions: xx • location: glydie park

Having yet another restless night as the weight of having to meet up with his former classmates hit him, the weight heavier than ever given that it would be happening today, Benji forced himself from the small bed and put all of his nervous energy into getting showered and ready. His whole body buzzing in his anticipation (and underlying fear) as he numbly went about his daily routine, trying his best not to completely freak out about the whole thing and instead focusing all of his attention on keeping up with his appearance, the brown eyed boy dressed himself in a pair of high-waisted light blue skinny jeans, a white V-neck tee, a pleated mustard-yellow jacket (Not wanting to go too bold with his fashion for this event, confident in his homosexuality but figuring that it would be easier to make conversation if he wasn't throwing his sexuality in everyone's faces), and was heading out the door by 7am .

A pair of earbuds buried deep in his ears as he tried to bring his mind to more optimistic thoughts, not wanting to immediately assume that this whole thing was going to be a mistake and that he'd only make a fool of himself, Benji kept his walking pace pretty slow and let the music wash over him (calming his senses and slowing his racing thoughts) as he made his way to Glydie park. Not really focused on the song that was playing, using the music as simple background noise as he crossed into the relatively empty park (far too early for the unveiling, which wouldn't be for another few hours, but always one to arrive early to things), Benji readjusted the tee so that it was tucked into his jeans before sitting himself down on a nearby bench. After settling in, taking a brief moment to admire the nature around him before again hitting the inevitable panic mode, Benji pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and decided to spend some time figuring out where everyone from St Peter's Primary School had ended up (hoping that some research would let him ease into conversations with less stress).

After enjoying his meal from Duke's last night, Benji had returned home to find that his mother had dug out his old yearbooks, and he'd never been more thankful for her sentimentality; if it wasn't for that fresh reminder, the singer probably wouldn't have remembered his classmates names, which would have only made his embarrassment sky rocket.
Digging deep into different social media platforms to find a few familiar faces, taking his time as he tried to match the current day images to the kids he remembered from his schooling years, Benji felt himself relaxing/zoning out as he read up on some of his classmate's current lives; not only did everyone seem to get even more attractive in their years away from Glydie, much to his dismay (because while he was gay, Benji could still tell when a female was good looking, and while he didn't have the same butterflies in his stomach at the sight he still felt himself growing a bit jealous of their attractive features), but the other's seemed to be pretty successful in their careers too. And while his nerves were still running wild, his mind racing as he tried to prepare himself for what was to come, Benji couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought on how this small and relatively boring town had gave way to so many well-to-do individuals.