Slowly, Sofia's eyelids flutter open. She has that weird feeling you get when you nap too long, knowing you've either slept for five minutes or five days. Almost immediately she realizes she is not wearing the same thing she was before and that her hair is extra wavy the way it gets when she falls asleep while it is still damp. It is then that the memories come back to her of laying on the ground. Freezing.

Instant regret fills her when Sofia sits up entirely too fast and has to let her body adjust and try to blink away the dark spots clouding her vision. After a few minutes, she feels well enough to try standing up. Tucking the messy strands behind her ear, she grabs some pajama pants noticing that whoever changed her had put her in a comfortable oversized t-shirt and her favorite pair of sleep shorts.

Something on her nightstand catches Sofia's eye and she walks over to see a note hastily written 'Take care of yourself. Do not hesitate to call if you need anything-CM' with a phone number scrawled beneath it. The hurried strokes somehow manage to still look flowing and elegant and some strange part of Sofia's mind is a little envious of the easy grace that seems to come so naturally in Cassius' every move.

Setting the note down, not sure what to do with it, she decides food is the more immediate concern and walks out into the kitchen to see Hiari sitting there drinking what she presumes is coffee. As soon as the older woman sees her, she scoots a mug over to where the seat next to her is and Sofia gratefully accepts. Before even taking a sip, she allows the warmth of the mug to seep into her hands which have a lingering stiffness.

With a deep inhale of the delicious aroma she drinks it down, ignoring how the still too hot beverage is burning her tongue, only pausing when she feels eyes on her. Putting the mug down, Sofia awkwardly clears her throat "You didn't have to stay or make the coffee. I appreciate it! Don't get me wrong but I really am just fine."

Hiari raises a single perfectly arched brow "That would be more convincing if I had not had to call the guys so they could search all around town trying to find you. Cass finally spotted you around 3 am. On the ground. Soaking wet. Freezing half to death. Now look at me and tell me you are just fine."

Automatically, Sofia's face goes candy apple red in embarrassment. She hates to admit that Hiari may have a point and perhaps saying she is 'fine' was maybe an exaggeration when the older woman lays it all out like that. A knowing look crosses Hiari's eyes again and she leans forward, placing her hand on Sofie's arm.

"I know how hard it is to lose people you love babes. It is okay to mourn and grieve but you need to do it in a healthy way. Stop bottling it all up until it overflows and drowns you. I'm going to go now but you know how to find me if you need anything. Someone to talk to, a fun distraction. Anything. Nosti Valley is a tight nit community and things work better when we all stick together."

With those parting words and one last hug, Hiari is out the door and Sofia can't help but feel like there was more to that last statement than meets the eye. Either way, she can't bring herself to care at the moment. Her body aches in all kinds of places and her stomach is begging to be fed after guzzling down coffee when she can't remember the last time she had a real proper meal.

A glimpse at the clock shows that it is half past 2 in the afternoon and she groans at having wasted all day. With a heavy heart and an equally heavy body to match, Sofia sluggishly walks back to the room wanting to get ready for the day so she can go out and get some food. She pauses momentarily when she sees that the door to her yéyé's room is open. With hesitant steps and a lump in her throat, Sofia closes it, not even peeking inside. She knows she is not ready to. She can't risk letting her emotions take hold of her again the way they did last night.

Back in her room once again, Sofia digs around for something a little more put together. She does her best to ignore the fact that Cassius was apparently the one to find her looking like death, laying in the mud. That is honestly the least of her problems. For now, she just wants a taste of normalcy, and wearing something that makes her feel good is a small way to do that, as silly and inconsequential as it may seem.

After some digging around she ends up grabbing a white shirt to wear under a black cami, both tucked into high-waisted grey plaid pants. Lacing up her favorite Doc Martens, Sofia puts half of her hair up and applies a little makeup to help conceal the evidence of the exhausting last few days. Throwing her phone, wallet, and keys into a crossbody bag, she finally walks out and makes her way to the nearest diner.

Driving around, Sofia rolls down her window and takes a deep breath remembering how much she used to love coming here. Something about the feel of it with all the local businesses and not a Starbucks or Burger King in sight just made her feel like she had been transported to a different time. Walking into the diner she sits herself at a booth near the back and peruses the menu options.

"Hello, dear, nice to see a new face around here" Startled by the unexpected voice, she quickly looks up to see a kind older lady standing there in a red and white waitress uniform. Her short blonde hair is tied back and a name tag reading 'Josie' Is pinned to the lapel. The moment Josie looks up from her notepad, she recognizes Sofia and her face lights up. Preemptively, Sofie stands up to reciprocate the hug she could see coming.

"Hey miss Josie! It is so nice to see you again" she give the waitress her best smile, slowly sitting back down. Josie gives her a sympathetic smile and pats her shoulder "It has been so long hun, but you look beautiful. I know these aren't good circumstances but I do hope you'll be sticking around some."

Sofia remembers meeting Josie years ago while visiting her grandpa and she had to be one of the sweetest people she had ever met. It probably helps that Sofia has had more than a few midnight slices of pie with her when she couldn't sleep and would make her way over to the diner.

Out of respect for her yéyé's love for her late grandma Lola, Sofia would never say it but she had always secretly hoped Josie and her grandad would hit it off. A second love for both of them, but it never happened and now she can't help but be grateful it saved Josie the heartache of having to see a second husband pass away if it had worked out.

"Yeah miss Josie, I'll definitely be sticking around some. I need to get the bakery going again." Sofia hadn't been sure about moving. The bakery meant so much to her yéyé and he had always wanted her to take over. The decision to stay for the foreseeable was not a conscious one but it feels right, even if she will have to figure out what to do about school and her stuff back at the apartment. It's all worth it though because leaving and selling the bakery feels like a betrayal to her grandpa and she can't do that.

Josie affectionately rubs her shoulder and a sad smile crosses her lips "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. You'll be good for this town. Plus, now that I know, I can make sure we got apple pies ready just in case you make a habit of popping in at all hours of the night again" She winks playfully, pulling a huffed laugh out of Sofia. Despite how this day started, coming here was the best decision she had made in days.

It's almost funny how she had not realized how badly she needed a warm familiar face to remind her why she was here and that everything would be okay. Hiari had been there when she woke up but Sofia had not been in the right headspace to accept her kindness yet. Even with it laced with a well-deserved reprimand.

After a couple more minutes of chatting, she orders a burger and fries to go, wanting to check out the bakery as soon as possible and assess what needs to be done to get it running again. She sits there looking through her phone while waiting for her food to be done. In the distance, she hears the doorbell chime signaling the entrance of a customer. Not paying it much attention, she continues scrolling through her many unread messages until someone sits opposite her in the booth.

Sitting there I a rugged-looking man with chin-length auburn hair and matching stubble. His eyes seem much older than he looks and there is a hard set to his sculpted jaw. Despite not setting off any warning bells, something about him seem like someone you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of.

Sofia searches her brain and roughly remembers seeing him in the bakery and speaking to her grandfather. They silently stare at each other and she tries not to fidget. Since she isn't really sure what to do, Sofia opts to take the safe route and wait for him to speak. She can tell he is trying to read her, almost examining her face and it doesn't help her level of unease. "I hear you are taking over Lola's," he says in a gruff lightly accented voice like whiskey and smoke personified.

Sofia nods slowly while still waiting him out and the man looks away thoughtfully. "Huan, Lola, and I were friends. He was also important to this town and the people I call family. If you are going to do it, then do it right. Once you get it open and running again, you will see us there pretty regularly. If anyone gives you trouble you find me, cailín óg. The name is Alasdair and I will have no problem shoving my fist down someone's-"

"Aaand here is your food sweetheart", Sofia struggles to hold back a laugh at Josie's interruption and subsequent look thrown Alasdair's way.

"As for you sir. That is not the kind of language you use around a lady." After saying her piece, Josie turns on her heels and marches off while Alasdair throws a half sarcastic apology her way while lazily waving a hand. Feeling charmed despite herself, Sofia finally lets a snicker slip out and the side of his mouth tilts up into a smile.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a piece of paper with his name and number. After setting it on the table he taps it and gets up, silently telling her to save it. Sofia bemusedly watches him walk out and drive off. The only thing she can do is shake her head and scoop up her food and the piece of paper, at last making her way to the bakery.