The row of new buildings went up over spring, and by early summer they were ready for occupying. Young and old entrepreneurs alike found common ground in their interest in the bright, airy buildings, and the blank canvases they offered. The buildings were not large, and so they filled up very quickly. As the days lengthened and the temperature rose, the new tenants began to settle in. The first building was bought by a businessman with a very different outlook on the world. He had a lot to offer, but he kept to himself, and so what exactly he did was unknown. The lights in his building could still be seen well into most evenings. The second building became the head office for a small company that dealt mostly with construction. The owner was a cheerful young man with a very grand mustache. The third building became a health food store, owned by a young woman with long red hair and a fondness for animals. She was very kind, and usually incredibly shy. The final building was turned into a very nicely decorated workshop for a man who loved nothing more than to tinker. He had some crazy ideas sometimes, but many people were quite fond of him. The four buildings were along a road that was equally quiet and busy, and opposite a large and beautiful park.
For a time, the new owners coexisted without much acknowledgement between them. They would arrive for work at their separate times and leave again in the evenings once they had closed up. One day however, after a long morning working on a new machine part, the tinkerer decided that he should eat his lunch in the park where he could enjoy the sunshine. He finished his work, washed up and headed over to the grassy area opposite his workshop.
He hadn't been over here at all since starting up, but he had seen plenty of it through his windows, and he couldn't deny that it really was a lovely place. The smell of cut grass and the sound of birds singing and children playing was thick in the air. He settled on a bench opposite the small lake in the centre of the park and smiled to himself at the children playing by the waters edge. The sun was warm on his back, and a warm breeze carrying the scent of summer drifted lazily about. It was really quite peaceful, and lunch forgotten, he soon drifted off to sleep.
"Hi there neighbour."
"Wha... wh?" The tinkerer jolted upright and looked about in panic. A quiet, honest laugh came from behind him, but before he could turn around, the owner of the laugh came around and sat herself down on the bench too.
"It's such a nice day, I couldn't waste it inside alone!" She smiled and held out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Zoeya by the way, but you can call me Zoey."
"Zoey...?" He gaped, not quite recovered from the surprise of her introduction.
"You're Lalna, right? It says so on the sign outside your building." She flexed her fingers a little then dropped her hand when he didn't shake it, but didn't appear phased by his apparent rejection. He coughed, thumped his chest, and adjusted his position slightly on the bench.
"Yeah, Lalna." He paused. "You run the food shop next door?"
"Yep! It's pretty cool huh? Anyway I was on my way to feed the ducks and I saw you sitting here and wondered what you could possibly be doing when I saw that you were sleeping in the park. Why are you sleeping in the park?" She tilted her head to the side, and the late afternoon sun shone prettily through her red hair. Lalna noticed that she was carrying a small bag of broken up bread crusts.
"Uh, I didn't mean to." Lalna frowned. "I came out here for lunch- Hey! My lunch!" He looked around wildly again, only to spot the remains of his lunch being consumed by several hungry looking pigeons.
"Well, since it looks like you already fed the ducks, I can make you lunch." Zoey offered. "If you want, I mean." Her cheeks warmed a little and she lifted her hands to cover them.
"I um. Okay then." He had to admit he was a little bewildered, but he just wasn't the type to say no to lunch with a pretty girl. Lalna stood up and offered Zoey his hand to help her up. She smirked and stood up by herself, then turned and began to run back to her shop.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Lalna laughed and ran after her. This could definitely be interesting.
On the top floor of the first building, Rythian Enderborn watched the happenings in the park with a sad expression on what remained of his face. Pulling his scarf over his face, he turned away from the window and pulled the blinds closed.
