03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
Today just wasn't her day. On top of two of her clients having complete meltdowns, and undoing a lot of work on Nova's part, everything had seemed to go wrong. To make matters worse, this was only her second week in Sweetwater and the promising vision she'd had seemed to flutter away in the dimness of the late evening hours. Pulling her black coat tighter against her small body, she quickened her pace as rain began to patter against the sidewalk, the faint glow of the diner in sight now.
Despite her two weeks here, she hadn't yet had a chance to really get out and experience Sweetwater, but Rosie's Diner seemed to be the place to go. Everyone she'd ran into so far had recommended it, and to be truthful, Nova was anxious for a hot, fresh meal. It was a welcome escape from the TV dinners she'd been torturing herself with since her arrival to Colorado. Who knew she'd miss her mother's home cooked meals so much so soon? She breathed a sigh of relief as her hand reached the door of the diner.
The warmth that radiated from the building clutched Nova in a comforting grasp as she stepped inside, and the smell of food coming from the kitchen made her stomach growl softly. A woman behind the counter perked up at the sight of Nova, greeting her with a smile. "Welcome to Rosie's! Feel free to sit wherever you'd like and someone will be with you shortly!" Nova smiled back at the woman, saying a quiet thanks to her as she walked past, choosing a booth at the back corner. The diner was mostly empty at the moment, with only a few small parties chatting away over their meals. In her lonely corner, Nova removed her jacket, adjusting the sleeves of her green tee and setting her things in the empty space between her and the window. The rain had already picked up and Nova grunted as she rested her chin in her palm. She hated the cold, but more than that, she hated when it was cold and wet outside.
Nova began looking over the menu at her table when, just as promptly as promised, a waitress had made her way over. She smiled at her, red lipstick staining her otherwise pearl white teeth. "Hi. What can I get for you today?" She asked, overly friendly as most servers were. "Um, yeah, could I just get a glass of Sprite and the cheeseburger and fries?" Nova asked, tapping the menu with her index finger. "Sure thing. Anything else for you this evening?" Nova waved her hand and offered a small smile. "No, thank you. That will be all." Said said, closing her menu as the plump woman began to shuffle away with Nova's order. While Nova was waiting for her food, she reached into her shoulder bag to reveal a book whose black cover was worn and nearly falling apart, no doubt a testament to the number of times it had been read. Just After Sunset by Stephen King, one of her favorites. Nova was all but lost within the pages when her food finally arrived. Setting the hardback to the side, she thanked her waitress and began to silently enjoy her meal, closing her eyes and saying a silent thank you to whoever had prepared the meal for her. This was definitely what she needed after today and she really couldn't be more thankful for the change of pace.
Brodie Sanders, member of a founding family and sheriff of Sweetwater, stepped into Rosie's diner. He'd come to see one woman, but he'd shortly find himself in the company of another. Life did that to you sometimes.
Brodie and the owner of Rosie's diner had a past. A long, complicated, heart-wrenching past...and Brodie had decided, at long last, that it was time to lay that past to rest. They weren't able to move on as long as they kept a hand reaching behind them towards something that would never be, so here he was, intending to let Kate know that he wasn't going to linger anymore. He was done with that stage of life. He was moving on.
Now, whether his heart would obediently follow suit or not was another matter entirely. He was working on it.
The host encouraged him to find a seat, and instead of moving he returned with inquiries about the diner's owner. Kate was out, apparently, an not expected to be back in today. That was surely inconvenient for the sheriff, but he decided not to make his time here a total waste.
With a tip of his hat Brodie stepped deeper into the diner, looking for a place to sit. When his eye fell on the newly arrived town psychiatrist he recognized her immediately and started towards her table.
"Miss Westbrooke." He used her name like a greeting, smiling in his warm, friendly way. They'd met in passing when she'd first arrived and needed to change her license. The DMV was a one person window in the police station. Small town convenience. Brodie had a feeling the two of them would come to know one another much more personally in the coming years--assuming she stayed. Then again, who didn't stay in Sweetwater?
It was surprising just how hungry the petite red head had actually been. She all but scarfed down her food like a wild animal, leaving only a few fries on her plate. When her server came to remove the empty dishes, Nova gave her a warm smile, politely asking for another glass of Sprite. She then opened her book again and began to read as the waitress returned with a fresh glass of the lemon-lime soda. The woman shuffled back into the kitchen before Nova had time to say her thanks. She shrugged and turned her attention back to her novel when the sound of her name coming from a vaguely familiar voice caught her attention. Her green eyes looked up from the worn pages to see the town's Sheriff moving towards her table, a friendly smile, as always, across his lips.
"Sheriff!" Nova returned the greeting, though it sounded more surprised than she'd intended. "Please, have a seat." She said in her sing-song voice, motioning towards the empty side of her booth. She recalled seeing the sheriff around, though in a town as small as Sweetwater, it wasn't difficult to begin to recognize the faces and remember the names that accompanied them. Even so, the sheriff stood out since, as far as Nova could tell, he was the only person in town currently adorned with a badge. He even carried himself differently and interacted with the people differently than the big city cops that Nova was accustomed to. More friendly, less police-y. She liked that about him. He was much more personal with the townsfolk and had a knack for making everyone feel welcome and right at home, or so it seemed. Plus, he was one of the first people she'd met when it came time to change over her license, car tags, and tend to other legalities. "How are you this evening? I hear there's some exciting things going on around town, especially with the holidays coming up." She said enthusiastically.
Brodie walked up to her table and hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his uniform's khakis. Indeed, he was your friendly neighborhood sheriff for sure. Though he sported a pistol, handcuffs, mace, and a few other bonus items on his belt, he wore a smile and dealt with people more like a neighbor than a law enforcer. Of course, there were specific people and certain times when casual and genuine was inappropriate, but that was certainly a case-by-case basis.
"I'm good. Got nothin' to complain about, that's for sure." His tone was hearty and sincere. He always liked to catch townsfolk in good moods. It helped smooth things over for when he had to show up in the heat of their anger--though he was sure he wouldn't be having any issues with Novalynn.
"You can always count on exciting happenings in a town with prominent founding families, Miss Westbrooke, that's for sure. The Vandersons in particular are sure to thrill." He nodded. He was from a founding family himself, though his was not as concerned with things of that sort. His family was big on 4th of July. Holidays were left to the others.
Nova gave him a smile at his response. "I'm happy to hear that!" She said with a nod of her head. At his next statement, she chuckled. "That's about the same story the people of Sweetwater have told me." She replied, nodding her head again. "And please, just call me Nova." She added. Miss Westbrooke was a little to formal for her taste, though she couldn't really blame him for the formalities. She was still new to town after all, and in being new, she was also a stranger to the otherwise close community that had been formed by Sweetwater and it's founding families.
While she still didn't know too much about Sweetwater and it's residents, she'd heard enough rumors in her short time here, though they were all just that; rumors. Whether they were true or not, well, only time would tell, and time had a funny way of dropping the ball at the most inconvenient of times. Surely, that's what made life so exciting though, right?
At his inquiry about her settling in, she couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped her lips. "Well, to be honest, it's nothing like home, but I think I'm beginning to adjust." She admitted. It wasn't that she didn't like Sweetwater, it was just different than what she'd anticipated, which wasn't really a bad thing. "Actually, if you know of any empty buildings I could rent out to use for my office, that would be very helpful!" She said excitedly. Working out of her apartment wasn't ideal and didn't really look professional on her part. Aside from that, it probably wasn't the smartest - or safest -choice since she was bound to end up with downright psychopathic clients at some point. The last thing she needed was some deranged individual knowing where she lived.
She seemed a rather chipper girl, and Brodie was pleased to see it. Sweetwater could always use more people who shined light, versus those who sucked all the good out of things. Maybe that was part of why she'd moved here. They needed someone like her to help people find light again, find salvation. For being a small, homely town, Sweetwater had a lot of dark corners. It was a shame...and something Brodie had to face every single time he donned his uniform.
"Nova it is." He told her, agreeing to her request. He wouldn't extend the same informality--Sheriff Sanders was just right for him. He could friendly yet still keep a professional distance. It was necessary.
"There isn't anywhere else like Sweetwater, Nova, and I hope you do adjust and come to love that fact about this town." He beamed, proud of what his ancestors had helped build. This town was different. It was special. It went beyond just the people. There was...something. The supernatural rumors were pesky, but admittedly they drew in a tourist crowd that helped the economy (even if it didn't help Brodie's nerves).
"As for a space for your office," he said with a nod and growing excitement, the shopping center on the West Side has about two or three vacancies for rent. Here, let me give you the complex owner's number." He pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and then unlocked his phone, scrolling through his contacts. When he located what he was looking for he scribbled the numbers down on a napkin at the table.
"That's Jerry Jenkins. Tell him I referred you and he might waive the deposit. And here," he wrote another number under the first one, "that is my personal number. I want you to feel free to call me up if you're ever in a fix."
Brodie reminded her of the down home, small town sheriffs that you'd see in the movies. More specifically, the supernatural horror movies that almost always seemed to have the same small town setting. He was friendly, knew everyone's face and at least their last name, but was also courteous and genuine in his interactions. The way he spoke and carried himself was very reminiscent of the stereotypical 'I know everyone' officers that were all too often over played out. But then, that stereotype had to come from somewhere, and Brodie was the epitome of what the script writers all too often went for. It made interacting with him easy, not that the outgoing red head had any trouble with being sociable with anyone.
Nova couldn't help but nod her agreement at his comment about Sweetwater. She'd only been here for two weeks and even she could tell there was no place like it. It was as if a dark cloud seemed to constantly linger overhead, and perhaps that was part of the reason she'd chose to come to the quaint, Colorado town. She felt like this was the kind of place she'd be needed, and who didn't want to feel needed in some form or fashion? One thing that was painfully obvious was the amount of pride the people had for Sweetwater, which again, wasn't really a bad thing. In fact, it was a testament to the residents' closeness and clearly brought the community together in more ways than one. "I think I'll do just fine here." She told him with her own beaming grin. "In the short time I've been around, I've already had a few clients reach out to me, which definitely makes the transition much easier." That's what it all came down to anyway. So long as she had clients - and therefore a steady income - life here would be easy and simple, something she was desperate for.
When he told her about the vacant buildings for her office, she sat up straighter, clearly interested and excited about the prospect. He jotted down a number, informing her of the landlords name and giving her some more information. Waiving the deposit, which she hoped would happen, would make her life that much easier since she was still getting her finances in order after the big move. If not, she had no quips about saving up some money for the deposit if it came to that. When he jotted down his personal number, she beamed at him in an almost child-like manner. "Oh! I appreciate this very much!" She exclaimed, putting the napkin into her bag so she could save the numbers to her phone later. "And, of course," She began reaching into her shoulder bag again, this time to pull out on of her business cards, "If you ever need someone to talk to about anything at all, I'm your gal!" She slid the card to the edge of her table. "Confidentiality is kind of a huge deal for me, as it should be for any therapist, so anything said between us, stays between us." She said, her words promising. She knew there were probably things he couldn't speak of, but she still wanted to offer her helping hand in exchange for his. Politeness, professionalism and self-promotion, three things the spunky 24-year old had to rely on if she was going to make it in her career.
Brodie was pleased with this exchange. It seemed to him--and he was a professional of this small town--that Nova was going to fit in just fine. He nodded while smiling and took her card, looking at once side, then the back, then slipping it into his pocket. He dismissed the thought of ever coming to her, but who knew, one day something might happen to him that he felt he needed to discuss with someone. There were very few people for the sheriff to talk to. He knew everyone's secrets and had to be the bulwark of stability for the town. Who helped keep the foundation level when it started to crumble?
"Thank you, Nova. Well I'll be on my way, don't let me disrupt your meal." He knocked his knuckles on her table as he said it, then lifted his hand without waving it as a wave goodbye.
"Take care." With a small thing established and settled between him and the newest arrival to Sweetwater, Brodie was able to continue on with his day. Kate wasn't in so the lunch he'd planned to grab was forgotten and he left Rosie's Diner with other plans in mind.