--- promenade

@Oh Sehun “That’s a really nice thought, thank you.” Hayley commented with a soft smile and waved to him. She watched after him a bit until he was out of sight, happy that she met such a friendly stranger by chance. Maybe it was a good day, indeed.

@Hayley Atwell Sehun stood up from his seat, ready to leave and get back to his work. "I will surely be thinking of you the next time I see animals in a cloud." He bid goodbye to his companion with a smile, "Have a great day ahead."
As he walked back to his building, he couldn't help the smile that formed in his lips, thinking about the conversation he'd had. It had been pleasant, and the possibility of more in the near future was something to look forward to.

@Oh Sehun "Fair enough. Until next time, Sehun. Take care." she replied with a warm smile that mirrored his and lifted her hand to bid him farewell. Something about the prospect of having someone to talk to, even about nothing for a little bit at some point in the future was just nice and helped to lift her spirits through the rest of her lunch.

@Wong Yuk-hei A voice from not far off called to Hayley and she was quickly pulled back into whatever mental journey she had taken to be once more in her own corporeal cage. Somewhat embarrassed to not have noticed it's owner before, a gentle tinge of color bloomed in her pale cheeks as she turned away to hide both the color and expression from him. Suddenly she was quite busy with something deep within the flower bed and focused all of her attention on creating a task just out of the creature's line of sight.

This was a problem and not exactly a new one for Hayley who had begun spacing out more and more but usually she was at least somewhat aware of her surroundings. It was this time, however, that she began to realize her work as a groundskeeper was no longer fulfilling enough to keep her attention and that she would need something more. Her very nature was so restless that she couldn't even pretend to work in order to cover her embarrassment for more than a few seconds before she gave up.

Hayley stood and sighed, pulling off the well-worn fabric gloves which protected her hands one finger at a time as she walked towards her cart with her job essentially dismissed. In fact, she was so over it that she was even able to look directly at the person who had spoken to her earlier as if he hadn't just caught her both daydreaming and quitting at the same time. "If you're looking for something interesting to draw, I would recommend the clematis archway towards the hippocamp water fountain." she said, figuring that he like most other artists was there to capture the beauty of the landscapes and flowers rather than anything to do with her. "The play in color and texture is quite stunning."

@Hayley Atwell Sehun could surely agree with her statement, coz in his case, it was true most of the time. He usually got so engrossed in his 9 to 5 job that there was hardly any time for anything, let alone to hangout with friends. Not that he had many friends to begin with.
By then, he had finished his lunch and it was time to get back to the files that still lay stacked on his desk. "I should warn you that it isn't a very interesting job to talk about. But I look forward to the next time that we meet." He said, with a warm smile.

@Hayley Atwell Serendipity.
No, there would be no invisible hands pulling some strings gravitating them towards each other. It wasn't infatuation that Yukhei had developed, but rather a virile seed of fascination. Observant gaze note every contour of her prominent cheek-bones and high nose bridge and inspite of her toned physique, the silhouette of her bosom traveling down to her petite waist-line beneath the shabby uniform made her all the more attractive. A soft chuckle spilled from his parted lips, his hand came to a momentarily halt upon noticing the dull expression on his current muse's mien. "Taking care of this enormous property must be exhausting." Yukhei remarked continuing on to add more definition to his rough sketch with light shading so he got a better idea of where he needs to deepen the shadow.

He raised his chin again, blinking when he noticed another visible change in her expression and naturally, he frowned wondering why the female looked forelorn staring a distance. The Phoenix was close to finishing his sketch and with that, this potrait too shall remind him of another beautiful stranger he'd encounter.

@Oh Sehun "Work is the destroyer of imagination and spirit these days." The she wolf intoned with a chuckle as she opened up her salad, ready to dig in. As far as she was concerned, her lunch was only half over and she wasn't going to go back to work until she had eaten. Her boss wasn't around and she didn't really have to clock in or any kind of schedule so that kind of freedom allowed her to do mostly as she pleased so long as the job got done. "But it has been nice talking to you, Sehun. Maybe next time we meet you can tell me what it is you do."

@Hayley Atwell "I believe that they are mostly mammals, as I haven't really let my imagination run wild outside that territory." Sehun was really enjoying the conversation he was having with her. It was somewhat entertaining and mostly funny that they were discussing cloud animals. He could see that she was done with her lunch, as she wiped with a napkin. Her next statement put him at ease, feeling glad that she had not taken it the wrong way afterall, making him realise that he had been fretting over a very insignificant thing.
Surprisingly for him, Sehun was a little disappointed that they could not carry their conversation any further than the limited time they got whilst enjoying their respective lunches. "I can understand that as I, too, need to get back to work." He glanced at his watching, hopeful if he had a few more minutes to spare. "It's been really nice to talk to you, Hayley. I'm Sehun."

@Wong Yuk-hei At some point in the decades taking care of the parks on the promenade Hayley had begun to grow numb and distant to the natural and unnatural beauty that surrounded her. The werewolf was aware on some level that the grounds were breathtaking and immaculately kept, she had a part in that, and she knew she was fortunate to be able to work in such splendor but more often of late she seemed to be disconnected from it all. Her job had become just that, an exchange of services for money, and despite all of the inherent joys that she used to derive from it she felt so distant from them. The lush and vibrant green grasses which carpeted the space between pristine ivory-colored walkways and beds meticulously planted and arranged with flowers of every color imaginable barely even registered to her anymore as her thoughts could no longer be drowned out by the impressive vista. Hue and life itself seemed to drain from them more with each passing day until she was merely going through the motions and half-halfheartedly trying not to get fired.

In this case she was knelt rather comfortably in front of a patch of particularly fetching daylilies which somehow appeared to perfectly encapsulate the passionate stain that overtakes the sky during particularly heated summer sunsets. The deep reds and oranges that evoked so much ardor in others were almost bland to her as she stared past them, idly pulling shifting the ground cover around them so as to look busy while actually doing nothing. Her mind was miles away, years away, as her consciousness stumbled through memories which she was having more and more trouble keeping tied down behind her cheery visage. Hayley had run from it, abandoned it even, and yet her past had begun haunting her present that she didn't even notice that she was no longer alone.

@Oh Sehun The smile which the male displayed mirrored her own as she let out a soft and lilting laugh into the pleasant summer wind. "Are they always mammals or do you on occasion see giant tortoises and things like that?" Hayley couldn't help but to playfully inquire after she finished off the remnants of her sandwich. It was then that she paused, offering him a curious but friendly glance as she lightly wiped away whatever crumbs might have clung to her lips with a napkin. His apology was certainly not required and she wondered why he felt the need to do so despite there being no hint at malice or discomfort to her knowledge. "It takes a lot more to offend me so don't worry too much about that. As for the conversation, I am afraid I don't have much time to continue it after I finish my lunch because there are weeds that need pulling. You can call me Hayley though. What about you?"

@Hayley Atwell Yukhei's unconditional love was kindled by his mother, she was an excellent storyteller who stitched words seamlessly that would catapult him into a virtual world- filled with magic, unparalleled beauty and happiness (such a stark contrast to his sad reality then). However, unlike his mother, he couldn't narrate stories because he disliked being the center of attention nor could he spin wonderful tales to entertain people. The best alternative was drawing, although, he's not very good at it. With the intention to create a new artwork, sketching pad wedged underneath his right arm and a black pouch puffed out with pencils, he entered the park. One by one, the leaves fall to the ground when a slight breeze rustled past by. The warm air carried faint scent of exhaust fumes while sunlight filtered through tiny chinks of ivory cloud lazily drifting across the pastel-blue sky. He walked a bit further, until he came across an empty bench resembling the beautiful sombre brown driftwood.

Yukhei turned around to seat, the small creaks of wood echoing inside his eardrums while his spine slouched against the bench. His eyes went adrift savoring the beautiful scenery unfolded in front of him. Another deep inhale and the smell of fumes was lost by the floral infusions. He closed his eyelids briefly and opened them again, he blinked a couple of times when something or rather someone piqued his interest. He had seen this individual a couple of times, so he assumed she worked in the park. The woman was beautiful, anyone with functional eyes would admit that. However, it was the small nuances in her fair visage that onlookers would miss if they blinked. Her appearance could be described as "rough" in a sense that it strayed away from the females he encountered on daily basis due to his line of work, but there was beauty in it. But it was her eyes which behold unspoken words, so quiet yet loud. Without much thought, Yukhei opened the pouch and grabbed his most used 6b pencil followed by scribbling sounds. Alternating betwixt frantic and huge albeit slow .

@Hayley Atwell "I guess, my sense of imagination does not go beyond giant animals." Sehun replied, with a coy smile. "Although, if I'm lucky enough, I do see the occasional panda."
He would admit that talking to her was a breath of fresh air. With his colleagues (who seem to be the only company he's had these days), he always tried not to sound stupid or naive, thinking about the kind of impression that he would leave on them. But, with her, he didn't think twice; which was a first for him. "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way, coz that was not my intention." Sehun apologized. "To be honest, I would like to continue our conversation." He added, "For someone who knows about my cloud elephants, I don't even know your name."

@Oh Sehun Some of the folks who took their meals in the park were quite stuffy and had no sense of humor or fun but she knew that wasn't the case with this young man as he played right along with her whimsical comment. A bemused smile curled her full lips as she chewed her sandwich, in no hurry to end her lunch any sooner than she had to. "Do you always see elephants then? Or are they what you look for?" the female inquired between bites. "Solitary is fine enough but I do enjoy decent company when it presents itself. You don't have to speak to me if you don't want to though. I am fine with the silence if that's what you prefer."

@Hayley Atwell Sehun gave a small smile at her statement. He deduced that she was the kind of person to speak her mind, without caring how the other person would take it. It was refreshing for a change. "I agree. Not being able to visualise a giant elephant soaring in the sky is quite... disappointing." He looked at the thin horizontal layers of clouds, giving a fog like appearance to the sky. Sehun munched on the last bit of his sandwich, as he enjoyed the view. "Do you enjoy solitary lunches as well?" He regretted it, the moment it left his lips. What if she got offended thinking that he was trying to imply to her lack of company. Not that he was, he enjoyed having his lunch alone too, with nothing but his thoughts.

@Oh Sehun There was a brief moment as Hayley considered which section of her lunch to start with where she was more or less focused on her food rather than her surroundings that she almost missed the stranger beginning to speak. It took her by surprise because she figured he would have wanted to be left in peace but she was also happy at the prospect of a conversation. "Not bad at all. I could do with a little more clouds though. These ones are too thin for proper daydreaming." she commented back as she picked up her sandwich, decided to finish up with the lighter salad instead of the other way around.

@Hayley Atwell When her questioning look turned into an amiable smile and then a nod of acknowledgement, he couldn't help the return smile that left his lips. Seeing her attention brought back to her lunch, Sehun thought of letting his silent companion enjoy her food in peace. He opened his bag and decided to do the same. As he munched on his grilled cheese sandwich, he looked around him and thought about the first time he stepped on this street. It had been a day just like today- moderate and pleasant. Giving another look at the woman beside him, Sehun wondered if he should say something.
"Nice weather." Was all that he was able to utter, in a tone so soft, he doubted if she had even heard him.

@Oh Sehun It wasn't really a surprise to her that others found the place just as pleasing as her but she was somewhat curious that they both picked the exact same spot. The male didn't sit there, no, she had already occupied it but she could tell that was where he had intended to go. Part of her thought to give up the seat and the words sat on the tip of her tongue but he was already seated on another bench so she thought it was maybe too much work for something so inconsequential. Instead, she gave him a friendly smile and a nod before turning her attention to her meal; a light salad and a turkey sandwich.

@Hayley Atwell Sehun gave out a sigh of relief as he closed the final file and tossed it aside. He was not nearly done for the day, but was looking forward to take a break. Carrying the small bag where he brought his lunch, he walked out of the building into the open street. The weather was pleasing and he was glad to have made the decision of eating outside. Walking towards the water fountain, he found someone already seated on his usual bench. So, he sat himself on the bench adjacent to it and got out his lunch. He gave another glance at the other occupant, who, as if having sensed his gaze, looked in his direction with questioning eyes.

@Oh Sehun Another day at work was a little more than half over for the werewolf as she set aside and locked up her sanitation cart to go on break. The weather itself was remarkably beautiful and clear; warm with just enough of a breeze to keep the heat from becoming stifling while not being so strong as to stop her from taking her meal outside. Hayley walked to her favorite bench near the water fountain and flowerbeds, admiring the peaceful scenery before pulling her lunch out of her bag.