Nobody had any plans for that day.
Or course they wouldn't; nobody ever had any plans. It had been like this last time, too – they'd wake up every morning and have no idea what to do.
Only, this time, they didn't have an undying urge to go outside and do something.
It was fun enough to just lounge about inside, reminiscing and all that, even though it hadn't been that long since they'd left.
Dil had set everything up for them already, before they'd arrived. To save from Dan having to sleep on the floor again, he'd tidied up the bed and agreed that, after he and Tabitha took their leave the next day, one of them could sleep there (there would probably be arguments concerning this arrangement later, but that wouldn't be Dil's problem). Yet, for now, Dan would have to curl up on the floor again.
Not that he minded; it would remind him of February, at least.
Or maybe he didn't want to remember February – this time was a new experience and he and Phil both wanted to start anew, forgetting about last time, greeting their old 'friends' again, and hopefully this week (and maybe the next if they decided to stay that long) could just be a relaxing opportunity for them both to sit back and unwind for a while.
Because last time certainly had not been relaxing.
At this current moment in time, everyone was sat on the sofas in the lounge, the Howlters on the long couch and Phil and Dan on the armchair, Phil somehow balancing on the arm, his feet flat on it as he rested his elbow on his knees, holding a mug of tea with his right hand.
And even though he and Dan were quite nervous about what would happen, they were both filled with a feeling of renewal. They'd come back experienced from their last 'adventure' and were ready to give it another shot. Maybe they could even restore their wilting reputations in the process.
"How long are you planning to stay, then?" Tabitha asked. Dil had planned the whole thing and she didn't have much knowledge of the specifics of what was going on.
"Thinking of a week or two. Maybe more, who knows?" Dan replied, "Depends on how long it takes us to make ends meet again."
"Is there something going on that I should know about?" Dil put in, sounding slightly concerned.
"Uh… no," Dan shook his head, realising he'd made it sound like he and Phil had fallen out with somebody, or something along those lines, "Nothing. I should have phrased that differently… As I was saying, we'll stay as long as we feel we should, but it'll most likely only be this week."
"Well, I really do hope something will happen to make you stay longer," Tabitha smiled, giving a dainty laugh. Dil nodded his agreement and Dan cast a glance up to Phil, who met his gaze.
"We'll see," He smirked.
It was an ominous smirk.
"Well, you have the rest of the day to settle down, so why don't you relax on the sofa together, watch some TV and get yourselves established and all that?" Tabitha suggested, kindly.
"Actually, I was thinking we could go out for a bit of a walk and get some fresh air," Dan told her. Phil did not argue, so he continued, "We could take a stroll down to the park and see if we run into any old friends…"
"Good idea, actually, Dan," Dil nodded, "You two should go do that. Tabitha and I will be here making sure everything is absolutely perfect!"
Dan gave a wide grin,
"Great!" He chirped, "We'll go in a minute…"
"Wow, it's warm out here, isn't it?" Phil observed, brushing back his fringe and looking around.
The perfect weather alongside it being mid June made the air around them hot and humid and there was no gentle breeze drifting though the trees, either, to cool them down.
"Good observation," Dan answered, slightly sarcastically, "Don't worry, you'll cool down once we start walking."
It was still so unreal to them that they were back here. It seemed like they'd never left at all, in fact. It felt like it was only yesterday that they'd both walked down this very path to the forest to break the barrier and return home.
It felt like it was only a few days prior that they'd-
"I feel floaty," Phil murmured, sliding his hands into his back pockets and swallowing a lump in his throat as he carried on walking, staring down to the ground.
"Are you going to pass out or something?"
"No, no, I'm fine, I just feel odd," Phil told him.
"Me, too," Dan replied, patting his back, "It's alright; we're probably just still dizzy because it's warm. Carry on walking, it'll pass," he assured him.
He couldn't help but wonder whom the first person they'd run into would be.
Probably Erica, knowing their history of ill-timed episodes…
They'd forgotten how long the walk was to Magnolia Blossom Park, but the journey was surprisingly enjoyable. They'd come to recognise everything that they saw and they'd picked up the names of all of the places, too.
"Look, there's Chez Llama…" Dan pointed out, gesturing across to the ornate building to their right, clicking the fingers of his hand that was looped around Phil's shoulders, "If I remember correctly, we went there twice back in February."
"We certainly did," Phil affirmed, "It was great. Better than any usual restaurants, at least."
"What did we get? I can't quite remember."
"Dyspepsia, but it was worth it."
"Ah yes, I remember now," Dan snickered, "We should go again and see if we don't get nauseous."
"To tell the truth, I'd be surprised," Phil replied, in all honesty.
You could never trust anything in that restaurant; everything had very odd names, such as 'Glacier Infused Iceberg Lettuce', 'Jungle Moss Egg with Lavender Wisps' and 'Volcano Pasta', the last one of which sounded a bit… messy.
Maybe this time, they'd just stick to eating at home or at the club on the Commercial District, which mainly just served drinks but sometimes had a bowl of crisps on the bar that you could pick at.
Carrying on down the road to the park, they passed the club, too, along with the Willow Creek Archive Library, 'Movers and Shakers' Gym and the Municipal Muses Museum, which was the most bare museum they had ever seen, though the garden was very nice. Back in February, they'd sat under the cherry blossom trees and watched the stars. It was one of the nicer memories they held about the place.
And then finally they arrived in sunny Magnolia Blossom Park.
This was the first place they visited the first time they were here after introducing themselves to Dil. It here that they met Eliza Pancakes for the first time, too, and she had somehow managed to… take them hostage. It was best to forget about that one time.
"Feels like only yesterday we were still getting our bearings," Dan said, gazing around the cherry blossom trees and hedges all around, "Remember how confused we both were?"
"How could I forget?" Phil sighed, but he still smiled. He could certainly recall how bewildered they'd been, especially himself. He and Dan had had very different reactions to being stranded here.
Whilst Phil had been freaked out at fist but calmed down eventually, Dan had been calm until he and Phil were left to housesit and then he'd gradually become more agitated. There had been a very bad few days for both of them, but they'd chosen to forgive and forget about that.
It was only a few days before they left that everything kind-of fell into place, but by that time, they were already almost done.
This time around, though, they were determined to make everything run smoothly.
Phil and Dan stared around the park, trying to see if they could see anybody they knew.
They weren't sure if they wanted to see anybody they knew or not. It was best to avoid any awkward encounters and let Dil and Tabitha tell their friends that they were back in town, but knowing the Howlters, they'd probably forgotten.
At first, they didn't see anybody but then, at the other end of the park, underneath a very tall tree, Dan set his eyes upon a blonde woman wearing a blue, stripy polo shirt and a navy skirt.
"It's your girlfriend," Dan teased in a whisper, nodding his head as an indiscreet way of pointing.
Phil seemed confused for a few seconds but quickly realised who Dan was talking about and a lump started to form in his throat.
"Ach- not Summer…" he breathed, taking a step backwards and adjusting his glasses on his nose, squinting to make sure it was actually Summer he could see.
It was.
"What's wrong, Phil? Not over the moon to see her again?" Dan smirked.
"Don't joke, Dan, we should probably avoid her," Phil frowned, "Remember before? I just don't think she can take hints," he sighed, recollecting the many eyelash flutters and winks he'd received, "I mean, she's very pretty and it's not that I don't appreciate the compliments, I just wish she didn't go about giving me them in… the way she does."
Dan had to hold back a loud laugh and he shook his head,
"Alright then, we'll try not to be seen," he agreed eventually, "But if she comes over to say hello, just try and keep yourself together."
Phil smiled. He was trying his hardest to take things as well as he could and, even though he was tired, he was determined to take the rest of the day as it came, and if not, at least he'd have a week to mend things.
He'd learned his lesson from last time.
He was forced to bring himself back to reality, however, when he saw movement through his absent-minded vision: waving.
"Well… too late…" he coughed, straightening his back so his shoulders were straight, "Ready for our first interaction of the day?"