// A Dustland Fairytale , Caroline .

[CADEN RYAN THOMAS]

"Aye, it's me again," the Irish doctor replied with a nod of his head, acknowledging the barista with a gentle smile on his curved lips as she whipped up his usual cup of coffee. Some people wondered why doctors got sick, if they in fact knew what was best for themselves and others. The thing was that knowing and acting upon that knowledge were two separate things. Yeah, Caden did go out for a jog between shifts and he maintained a healthy diet. But then he basically ran on coffee and the adrenaline rush to make it through the day. His shift was over and he was exhausted, running his hand down his face as he waited in line.

She motioned for him to go sit, so he did, grabbing a local newspaper on the way to his usual seat by the window. It was the early afternoon, since he'd worked overnight, not that his shift was ever really over. They could call him up on a moment's notice and there he'd be, leaning over another torn up corpse or dealing blood packets in the dingy back alley. All in a day's work, he'd say.

Being a regular had its perks, like not really having to open your mouth to place an order when the one behind the counter knew exactly what he would order. Caden was a little predictable from time to time, but it was nice to have a routine. It helped him believe that he was leading a normal life, when in fact, in was anything but. He skimmed over most of the upbeat headlines, chuckling at how they made this town seem so friendly to the tourists. It was a pocket full of sunshine, as far as they were concerned. Then they disappeared and were never seen again.

A flicker of brown caught his eye, making Caden peer up over his paper to a brunette that had just walked in. She reminded him very faintly of his deceased ex, though he shook those thoughts away because they were ridiculous. Of course it wasn't her. He was pulled away from his thoughts when the barista came by his table with his order, giving him a warm smile as she set the cup on a football-shaped coaster. He remembered playing quarterback for a minute as he stared at it, before looking back up at the blonde to thank her. "Thanks, love. Cheers!"

How the tourists didn't pick up on her increased speed, he'd never know, as he lifted up his cup to nurse his drink, careful not to burn his tongue. It always hurt like a bitch and he didn't want to seem like a fool infront of...

Hey, where'd she go?

[CAROLINE EVETTE WALKER]

Caroline Walker hadn’t ever bothered with semantics. To be honest and rather frank she was a terribly boring individual in her own mind. She was an overworked and under paid secretary. Which, she kind of did to herself in the end. When they’d moved here from Dallas she hadn’t really argued with her brother, they were following dreams and his job. Caro could have gone anywhere, she could have done anything. But she didn’t. She went where her dreams were leading her and from the look on her face she was not sleeping very well.

That was where the need for coffee came from, she wasn’t sleeping much. The dreams were vivid and mostly violent. She’d seen that girl being dragged out into the woods and slaughtered—but that was about it. No face of the killer just her being tortured and laughter. Crazy, unfocused laughter that had chilled her straight to her bones, but she couldn’t tell what kind of person it was. What creature it was—she’d learned a long time ago that it was different for everyone. That dreams only told you what you needed to know and not what you want to know.

Coffee! Right, that’s where she was going, standing in line and talking to the barista over the counter. She needed something good, and chocolatey that would keep her awake so she didn’t fall asleep at work and dram there. That would be trouble. Tossing her brown hair over her shoulder she smiled and started walking back through the tables, her hair waving as the happy smile settled over her face. Oh Caffeine, glorious habit forming caffeine. She sighed to herself as she sat down at a table near the window, turning her eyes to finally scan the room. She didn’t know a lot of the people here, but that was alright being new in town meant people didn’t know you as the freaky girl with the prophetic dreams.

Caro could feel looks, but that was normal in this town. Seemed like everyone was always watching everyone and everyone was hiding something. She sighed, and used her straw to mix her drink. Oh well.

[CADEN RYAN THOMAS]

Caden glanced around for a few minutes, before his gaze fell on the brunette again. Being the town's local doctor was enough of an excuse for him to go introduce himself, right? Everyone would get to know him at some point anyway, either after an attack (which hopefully wasn't her case) or because they fell "ill." He used that term very lightly because most people didn't make it through their transformations and in those cases, there wasn't much he could do. So despite the slight deja vu vibes that she was giving him, the Irish man grabbed his drink and moved down the aisle.

He noticed that she had also taken a seat by the window, which would normally be a cue for someone who didn't want to be bothered, but maybe she would make an exception. He licked his lips when he reached her table, holding his mug in one hand while he outstretched the other to indicate the empty seat across from her. "Hey, I'm Caden, the town doctor. Don't worry, I'm not really going to pester you about life insurance or anything... mind if I sit?" he asked in a gentle, almost humbling tone while a charming smile tugged on the corners of his lips.

After the death of his ex and their almost son, Caden became one of the most eligible bachelors. Sometimes women would make appointments simply just to hit on him, but they didn't notice his irritation through his broody facade. He hadn't really shown much interest in anyone since the murder, and quite honestly, this was the first time he actually felt a little nervous around a lady. "I'm addicted," he added after taking a sip of his drink, lifting it up a little for emphasis. "Not sure we have any anonymous meetings around here though. Or how it'd look for the doctor to be head of staff."