Jean expected a larger crowd wandering around the town at dusk, though, his city upbringing certainly jaded his current small-town living. Used to seeing crowds of people crawling everywhere during the city on weekends, Jean found Paradis' current state depressing! It was hard to imagine the weekend crowd would swell beyond Paradis' immediate population. This was his first opportunity to leisurely explore the town at night, having turned into a recluse the weekend before to recuperate after travelling. In contrast to the day Jean first arrived in the town, Paradis had evolved and gradually came alive and full of spirit. Finally.

There was still tons of room for improvement, however. During his first visit, Jean assumed certain buildings were closed for business, but it turns out, they were simply empty, uninhabited of business even at night. Had the owners closed down due to the last of tourism? Lack of funds? Or perhaps they themselves moved on from Paradis, too?

Jean was at a complete loss for where to begin writing, even after spending all his free time deep in thought. All of his electronic drafts sat empty. He needed to start talking to people and doing his own research; and quickly! The time would slip by faster than expected. The only positive of Jean's current predicament was the gentle sunset in the sky, perfectly adding to the pacific mood on Paradis. Should he not come across anything that piqued his curiosity, he'd turn back and find a spot to photograph the sunset

"Hey! Are you lost?" A voice called out, piercing through the ambience and his swirling thoughts and plans.

To his right, two people - a woman and a man, maybe (hopefully) around his age - sat at a table in front of a café, staring right at him. The partition that divided the path and the café created a sense of distance between Jean and the two, leaving him feeling like a zoo animal, subjected to the watchful eyes of curious observers. Jean shouldn't have been surprised. He definitely stuck out - expression betraying a lack of direction or purpose - so it was only natural for others to assume him a clueless tourist. Jean became accustomed to such an expression whenever he dared to walk around the town, but still, he was slightly caught off guard. Over the course of the two weeks, he'd been in Paradis, everybody was much too fascinated in staring at him to call out to him.

Because he hadn't worked up the courage to talk to anybody just yet, this was the best sort of exposure he'd get. Jean warily gestured to himself to make sure he was the target of their attention. "Me?"

"Yeah. Are you lost?" The woman repeated.

"Ah, no," Jean declined. "I'm not lost."

"You sure look like you are," she pointed out, leaning over the partition. The gesture felt warm and welcoming, fully intent on delving into the reasons for Jean's aimlessness. "Are you trying to find somewhere in particular?"

"Not really," he lessened the distance between him and them, eager to continue the dialogue. Their open natures were pretty magnetic! "I'm just exploring. Erwin...um, the mayor, hired my workplace for some advertisement and tourist-related stuff. I just got here a few days ago and I'm trying to plan what to see and what to write about."

"Heh, we know Erwin. How's he planning on getting more tourists with a photographer?" The man, with a subtle motion, gestured to the camera slung around his neck.

"I'm a journalist," he corrected, but he couldn't blame the mix up. Walking around with a camera would confuse anybody. "He wanted to increase the tourism here, so I'm here looking at Paradis the best parts of Paradis and writing articles to convince people to come here. Since a lot of the photos we have on file back at home are several years old, my department wanted some updated ones. I'm living here for a while to collect data and photos to send back home to the team. They'll write and finalise the articles and everything."

"Right. Sounds like a big job," the man sympathised.

"Oh, yeah. There's a lot of ground I need to cover," Jean acknowledged.

"How long are you here for?"

"Six months."

"Plenty of time to see everything and then some." Her words had her friend nodding in agreement.

"Totally..." Jean trailed off, internally tossing up whether to vent his issues to these random strangers. They seemed friendly enough, considering they initiated the conversation, so took a gamble. "...I just have no idea where to begin."

"Well, we can tell you the best places to go, if you'd like!" The immediate offer relieved Jean! For the first time since he arrived, his work was finally heading in the right direction.

"I'd really appreciate the input! When I met Erwin for the first time, I got absolutely nothing. He just said to 'think like a tourist'. But, I think it would be better to hear from people who live here and are knowledgeable about the places and attractions that gain the most attention," he recounted. So, he supposed, they were correct in a way when they called out to him; Jean was lost. Just not in the way they assumed.

"Do you have time right now? Come and sit down. We can talk!" The pair began to gather their textbooks, notebooks, and laptops, neatly storing them under the small table for safekeeping. Despite the kind and enthusiastic offer, Jean realised he was encroaching on something important. A study session? A meeting? They seemed like college students, so perhaps the former.

"It doesn't have to be for long, so don't worry about packing up," Jean insisted.

"No, please, make it take a long time!" The agonised expression she wore was all too familiar, one that Jean saw in all of his friends, classmates, and himself during his days as a student - they were choosing to submit to procrastination. So, definitely college students! "Before you walked past, we were just saying that a distraction would be nice."

"Heh, sure, I get it. I'm always happy to enable distractions." Jean walked along the partition until he reached the footpath, then traced back to the table. A chair had been positioned between the two. He got out a notepad and set up his phone in preparation for recording the interaction. If the two consented, of course.

"I'm Sasha, by the way. He's Connie."

"Jean. Good to meet you both." The two didn't come across as handshake sort of people. The action felt too formal, so Jean refrained. "Do you mind if I record this? Just your voices - no video? My job likes to have the recordings on file so they can be transcribed and referenced during the writing process. I also need to get the explanation and verbal consent on the actual recording for it to be legally valid. I'm, personally, not that much of a tight ass."

"I'm alright with that," Sasha confirmed before pointing out, "will your boss, or whoever listens to this, mind that you implied they're tight asses?"

"Probably not," Jean answered...though he'd have to make sure the recording was kept far away from Levi! The thought of such an accusation following him throughout his entire career like a ghost was a reality he could not allow to happen! With Sasha's consent recorded, next, Jean turned to Connie. "Are you okay with it, Connie?"

"I don't have a problem with you recording," he responded, and almost immediately, an impish grin emerged. "Do I need to be more formal? I didn't bring my thesaurus, so I'll have to wing it."

"You don't own a thesaurus," Sasha interjected.

"Hm, you don't know that."

Jean couldn't help but laugh at the quick-witted exchange, thoroughly amused. "If I had one, I'd let you borrow it so you could pretend its yours. But, in all seriousness, what you said is fine. Or an 'I consent' is fine, too, if you're that concerned."

"I consent," he repeated, words flourished with a clear, robotic tone.

His eyes momentarily flickered to the widely grinning Sasha; this seemed to be the standard behaviour for the two, regardless of the conversational partner. "Try not to sound like I have a gun to your head," Jean requested.

"Well, put it away, and I'll sound more enthusiastic," he countered without missing a beat. Jean found himself unexpectantly charmed, a sense of gratitude blooming within him as he realised how lucky he was to stumble across Connie and Sasha! They just managed to fill the personable connection he'd missed over the past two weeks. Armin was fine, amiable, courteous, and polite, but not enough to fill the space his friends back home had left. "But, recording the conversation is fine by me. As long as you don't do anything weird with the recording to blackmail me."

"You have my word that I won't try to blackmail you," Jean promised. He'd never felt more relaxed while conducting an interview. Building rapport and a positive relationship was his sole responsibility. Most approached journalistic interviews like they were job interviews; heavy with nerves, tension, and worrying about saying the wrong thing. But, to Connie and Sasha, conversation wasn't a burden, it was an opportunity to have fun. It made him a lot more comfortable to admit he was completely and utterly unknowledgeable. "I don't really have any conversation topics planned, so I'm just gonna wing it. Have you both lived on Paradis your whole lives?"

The two looked at each other, visually deciding who should lead the conversation next. After Connie gestured with a head nod, Sasha volunteered to begin.

"I have," Sasha indicated first. "My family's been here for a while."

"My family moved here when I was really young, so I'm technically the 'first generation Paradisian'," Connie explained, using his fingers to demonstrate air quotes, "for whatever people who live on Paradis call themselves."

Sasha's face immediately opened with surprise as she turned towards her friend. "I didn't know that! I just assumed you were born here like your brother and sister were!"

"We moved before I was old enough to form any memories, so I've basically lived my whole life here," he explained with a resigned shrug

"I'd say it counts," the journalist agreed. "Are you the oldest, then, Connie?"

"Yeah. They're both in middle school." It occurred to Jean that there was a possibility they travelled to the library for lessons with Armin. The thought lingered, sparking additional curiosity - did Connie and Sasha know him? They all seemed to be around the same age. "They hate being known as 'Connie's younger brother or sister' by all of the teachers there, who taught me. Things haven't changed that much since we were kids."

Sounds like Connie really made a name for himself if the teachers at the school were making comparisons between Connie and his siblings. Or maybe that was just how the 'sibling pecking order' went? As an only child, Jean didn't know. "How old are you both?"

"I'm twenty-three, she's twenty-two," Connie answered. It was nice to know they were all similar ages. "But Sasha's turning twenty-three in a couple of months!"

"Cool. Got anything planned?"

"Not yet. I'll let you know when I do!" He wasn't sure if she was joking or not, so he took it at face value. "You'll still be here, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good!"

Jean continued to feel swept up by these two - in the best way possible. "What do you do for work or study? Or both?"

"I work at this bakery," she answered as she gestured towards the shop they were sitting in front of. It was closed, luckily, allowing Sasha the leisure to do his interview. Sasha's uniform's logo matched the bakery sign, still wearing her flour-stained apron, so Jean guessed she had finished her shift before stumbling across them, and began the evening by studying with Connie. Considering their playfulness, he was surprised they were able to stay focused long enough to get work done. "I'm also studying part-time, as you can tell by the various textbooks."

"What are you studying?"

"Early childhood education."

Jean briefly thought back to his college days and realised he'd met many education students but neverearly childhood education students. "How's that different from regular education?" he asked.

"I'll be able to work with really young kids, like infants and toddlers, in kindergartens as opposed to teaching in primary schools," Sasha explained. He'd just met her, but he wasn't sure if he could picture Sasha in a room full of babies. "I used to babysit a lot in high school and in my first year of college, despite my 'I'll lose your kid' aura. Don't worry, I can tell you thought the same thing, Jean."

"But you did lose a kid once," Connie interjected. The celerity and spontaneity of his reply sent Jean into a fit of boisterous laughter, loud enough to echo within the small space! He slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle himself. She and Connie shared a grin at his reaction.

"Mm, I did," she admitted, displaying an air of nonchalance bearing her wrongdoing. "But I promise that I'm very responsible now and have learned my lesson."

"So...I assume you found the kid in the end?" Jean inquired while choking on his laughter. His phone caught his attention, reminding him of the recording. Considering Sasha's openness about her misstep, she either didn't care her admission would be on recording or had simply forgotten. In any case, the information was both legally confidential and irrelevant to the tourism project. Her admission would remain a closely guarded secret between the three...along with whoever happened to hear the recording back at home.

"I did! I'd probably be banished from Paradis if I didn't. I only lost it for a few minutes, and I never told the parents. And I assume the kid never told them because they kept asking me back! What the parents don't know, won't hurt them," she rationalised.

"I hate to keep reminding you, but you really need to break out of your habit of calling kids 'it'. It's fine now, but if you pull that pronoun in front of a parent, it's gonna look horrible," Connie advised. Of course, Sasha meant no harm, but Connie was right - she needed to break and abandon the habit.

"In my defence, I can't remember if they," she self-corrected following a barbed expression from Connie, "were a boy or a girl. They're probably in high school now. It'll remain a funny story to tell between us. Anyway, enough about my transgressions - go ask him."

Doing as he was told, Jean directed his attention to the aforementioned man. "I've still got a year of my electrician apprenticeship," Connie introduced.

A trades student was a first for Jean, who had spent his student life and current career surrounded by art students. "What happens once your apprenticeship is over?"

"I get to work without someone watching me the whole time. Since I still have to study as well, it's pretty full on."

"Sounds like it," he sympathised. He remembered his own placement experience in college. It was super useful for networking, but having professionals scrutinise his every movement affected his confidence and enjoyment a lot! "What made you wanna be an electrician?"

"My first interest was in mechanics, but-

"-we had to talk him out of it," Sasha interrupted.

The steady stream of casual lore dropping between them left Jean disoriented like he had whiplash. However, it was useful, on a personal level. If this friendly relationship persisted in the future, Jean would probably never have to beg or painstakingly extract information from them. "Why's that?"

"Because there's no market on Paradis for mechanics!" Sasha exclaimed before Connie could. His expression, unmistakably screaming 'not this again', suggested that this conversation was not a new exchange, but had happened countless times before. "I don't know if you've noticed, but there's pretty much only one road that the shuttle service runs on! People have no need to drive because they can walk everywhere, use the shuttle for short distances, or take the boat to a neighbouring island."

"There's a strong agricultural scene here, right? Not here in the main town, but I can imagine the amount of planting and harvesting crops, and raising livestock would need specific vehicles," Jean proposed. "Surely, they'd need servicing every now and then, maybe regular repairs if the vehicles were older. Not to mention the mainland would have a market for mechanics, so even if you couldn't work here, there's always the option of travelling or moving there."

As Jean spoke, he took note of their polarised reactions. The smug curve of Connie's lips, and Sasha's eye roll when he nodded emphatically with Jean's every word. "Thank you! I agree completely. Mechanics was my original plan because of agriculture. It probably wouldn't be enough, so I'd have to split my time between here and the Mainland," he informed.

"After some convincing from us, he decided to change his apprenticeship. You also decided that commuting almost 4 hours every day was too much - that's just way too much," Sasha stated. "He'd barely see us or his family, so it wasn't worth it. Plus, you'd have to do an extra few years to become certified in agricultural mechanics."

"Besides, with the way the technology is developing and electrical cars becoming popular, electricians might take over work that mechanics do," Connie resigned. "I might get to do both in the future."

His assertion brought up an excellent point, one that Jean had been considering ever since they mentioned their studies and occupations. "I mean, there doesn't seem to be that many job opportunities here, so it might be in your best interests to move. Do you see yourselves doing that at some point?"

"Not immediately," Connie replied, voice carrying a casual ease. "I think it depends on what happens after graduation. We were actually talking about that, just before you showed up."

"I'd probably need to think about moving," Sasha interjected. It seemed like something she had toyed with, but definitely hadn't decided either direction. "If the travel gets to be too much for me."

"Is that something you want?"

"At the moment, no. I like living here, it's where my family and friends are. We're not totally isolated from the rest of the world. So, why would I want to move away?" Sasha posed, an underlying and meaningful reflection in her tone. "It's what I'm used to. I know my family's staying here forever, but my friends will eventually move on from Paradis and I wanna spend as much time as I can with them before that happens."

With a reassuring smile, Connie expressed, "we wanna stay as long as we can, too, Sash."

Jean understood. Coming to terms with such a significant shift within a tight-knit community like Paradis would be a tough pill to swallow.

"With things like educational and occupational opportunities being so far away, it makes sense why younger people are less likely to live here for a long time," she continued. "Even older people don't really want to move here since there's not a big emphasis on places like aged care facilities if anything were to happen. Visiting here is a whole different story. Everything's kind of the same, and it's stayed the same for a long time. Nothing changes."

"Which isn't enough to compel people to visit again and again. Why visit if you feel you've already seen it all?"

From there, the talk quickly derailed to an array of random topics, straying from the interview at hand. Jean became so wrapped up that he almost forgot to address the topic he'd approached them for until the conversation was drawing to a close. The trio talked until the colourful sky became navy, until the air grew cooler, until the stars peppered the horizon in a much clearer and more beautiful way than they did in the city while drowning under city lights.

Sasha and Connie told him about a handful of popular locations. The two beaches are currently deserted, but anticipated to be somewhat populated with summer quickly approaching. The monthly market where the farmers from the agricultural side of Paradis integrated into the community for a single weekend. The cemetery, too, which...seemed like an odd choice to be included. If he could stomach visiting it, he might be inclined. Jean had the impression that apart from the beach, they themselves (and possibly their friends) wouldn't venture into the many places of the island during their spare time.

What captivated Jean most was Paradis's community gallery. From what he gathered, the Mainland was home to a larger gallery whose walls constantly changed with frequent and seasonal exhibitions varying by theme. But the Paradis gallery, on the other hand, was a mixed bag that housed the overflow and rejected works. The only independent exhibits Paradis ran was volunteer-focused (though, rarely, due to the lack of interest) and school children's artworks during major holidays.

They also told him about a small national park with short walking trails and flora and fauna native to Paradis. Apart from the cemetery, the park was probably another place he'd put on the back burner until it was necessary. "I'm afraid nature and animals are completely outside of my expertise," Jean admitted. If he could wrangle to two into joining him, that would be a different story, as having their presence and commentary might make it more enjoyable.

"Honestly, I'd be shocked if you were an expert in plants native to Paradis. Or native plants anywhere else in the world, for that matter," Connie wryly mused.

"Were you told to write about restaurants, too?" Sasha questioned.

"Well, no, but-"

"-you should. We'll take you to our favourite places," she announced before Jean could respond, rather enthusiastically, such that Jean had no chance to decline. To Jean, it seemed as though his clueless presence was an excuse to eat at her favourite places...

It would definitely fill in a lot of the time he was here for, as well as give him a wide variety of article sources. "I won't say no," he acquiesced.

When Jean felt he'd extracted all he could from the two, they decided it was time to retire for the night. The two students leisurely packed up their belongings, continuing to make small talk with Jean. "How are you liking it here so far?" Connie had begun, taking the opportunity to ask while Sasha slipped away to double-check the locks on the bakery doors.

"It's peaceful," Jean said, gazing at the dark sky. "I grew up in the city so it's definitely a lot different to what I'm used to."

"The tranquillity isn't driving you crazy yet?" Connie teased.

"Mm, not yet. Ask me again in a month or so," he remarked humorously. He had always considered himself adaptable to new changes, and though the solitude was a stark contrast to the consistent hum and chaos of city life, he wasn't convinced he'd be driven crazy.

"And you're staying near the library, right?"

"Mm. I work remotely, and it's pretty secluded out there if you don't count the school kids coming to classes during the week, so I'm gonna try and come into town more often. Erwin recommended I go there 'cause it has a lot of information. Plus, the internet connection is surprisingly good compared to what I expected," he added as an afterthought. "I talked with Armin for a bit, too - the guy who runs the library. I feel like you'd probably know each other."

"Yup," Sasha indicated upon returning. "We grew up together. Even if we didn't, we'd probably still know him. Typical small-town stereotype."

"I don't mean this in a rude way at all, but it's kinda crazy that he's running that whole library by himself. That's gotta be a lot of pressure, especially after losing his grandparent," he subtly probed, feeling as though it was unlikely he would get much information from Armin himself.

"Mm, it is," Connie empathised. It would be surprising if he didn't feel empathy or acknowledge the hardship. He, presumably, was a witness to his entire life. "He's doing pretty well, though. I think Armin enjoys it! He never really has any complaints about the classes or the work that he does."

Once Connie and Sasha were packed and prepared to depart, they ventured onto the footpath before leaving for the night. "Thank you, again, for everything you both told me. It's really helpful."

"Hopefully the recording's worth it! We got a little off track," Sasha recalled.

He'd completely forgotten he was recording in the end! Jean was sure that a majority of the material was useable for his own research and reference, but he'd listen back to it (cringing at his own voice, something he felt he should have grown out of) and decide whether he wanted to send this to the team or not. "That's not an issue. If it's that bad, I won't share it with anyone. Talking to you guys was more for my benefit than anything."

"We can always do more interviews for you, if you need it," she offered.

"Or, on a less formal note, we could just hang out with him without using an 'interview' for an excuse," Connie chimed in, rather slowly and emphatically, in disbelief that Sasha had overlooked a more simpler way to interact with Jean.

"Yeah! Let's be friends!"

Damn, they certainly got straight to the point! Never had Jean encountered such bold and forward people before. "Sounds great," Jean agreed, enthusiasm in his voice carrying a hint of relief.

"Oh! He should come to the thing on the weekend," Sasha declared, looking to Connie for any sign of agreement. "We can introduce you to everyone else.

"Ah..." Jean hesitated. It was more than likely that Armin would be present. Would he mind the journalist, who he was supposed to open his library to, intruding in on his friendship group, too? "Are you sure?"

"Would you rather be more isolated than you already are?" Sasha posed. The prospect of meeting people his own age seemed attractive, so he had no choice but to accept with the hope they were as friendly as Connie and Sasha. If they happened to be a little more on the quiet side like Armin, Jean could work with that, too.

"There's a small beach we hang out at when we're all available. It's near Armin's place, just behind the library, so you should be able to find it. But give me your number so I can let you know how to get there. Hey, Connie, give him yours, too," she commanded, but Connie had already put his phone in Jean's hand before she even finished speaking. After the swift and effortless exchanging of phone numbers, they departed for the night, and Jean felt a weight lift off of his shoulders for the first time since arriving.