(Sound good!) Landon waited outside the large building, his eyes lowered as his expression tired thoughtful. *** Callie wandered through the forest, her hands in her pockets as she went.
Val approached, her hands in her pockets as she walked over. Her long black hair was back in a messy bun, and she already had a frown on her face as she walked up to him. "You look tired," she noted in greeting. * * * Arlo sat on a tree stump, his head craned back as he looked up at the sky, cleaning his glasses thoughtfully.
He smiled softly at her. "Good to see you, too." *** Callie pursed her lips as she joined him. "Hey."
She frowned, zipping up her jacket tighter. "Are you alright?" * * * Arlo blinked and put his glasses back on, a smile breaking over his face as he saw her. "Oh! Hi!"
"I'm fine. But you seem... I don't know. Down, or something. It's disconcerting" * * * "I'm alright," he said with a small shrug. "Could be worse. How are you doing?"
He sighed, shrugging. "Just tired, I guess." *** She laid back in the slow, watching the sky. "Pretty okay."
She squinted at him. "It's weird to see you acting anything other than chipper." * * * He raised an eyebrow, tossing a handful of snow at her playfully. "Just okay?"
“Yeah. You’re normally like....” She paused before adopting a low voice, plastering a grin over her face. “Val! The world is wonderful! Puppies! Kittens!” *** “Better,” he acknowledged, pushing up his glasses.
“I can’t believe I’m trying to coax you into being more chipper. What a role reversal.” *** “Alright is a pretty good descriptor.”
“Thank god,” she said. “Now I can be the miserable one.” *** “Alright is a wonderful way to be,” he replied pointedly.
She rolled her eyes, blowing into her hands for warmth. “Something like that. Come on, let’s go inside.” *** “Oh? What would the best be?”
