Her morning had started out like the one before and was just about as ritualistic as they'd been for some time now, ever since she'd seen the end of her high school years and spent her days as she wanted under the loving, nurturing shelter of her parents. She would never say that she regretted leaving the one place she'd called home for over three quarters of her life, but just as with most young adults her age, she had heard the calling. It had been a calling to see the world beyond what she knew, beyond the protective arms of her mother and father that always worked so hard day and night to provide for their only child. Unlike most that were anxious to fly the coop as the saying often goes, Beylani had no reason to be so driven or set on striking out on her own. While mother and father loved her with all their hearts as they always told her for as long as she could remember - and sure, at times they seemed to be a little overbearing in their ways - they also did their best to give her the space that she needed as an individual to grow. She had the freedom to do almost all that she wanted, but then again there wasn't much that she enjoyed in regard to risky activities. She wasn't a party girl with a wild and flirtatious streak and she certainly had been taught how to stay out of trouble, which was perhaps what made her nothing more than a bland and forgettable face in the background of her peers. She was okay with this though, even when it meant making friends only to lose them when they did their best to try and pressure her into things like drinking or partying with a bunch of guys she didn't know and they failed terribly. She knew better, was raised and taught better, and for this she knew her parents could not be prouder of her for. But as with so many things in this world, her lack of worldly experience beyond the boundaries her mother and father had set for her in conjunction with her contentment to remain inside those figurative walls a she would stare out the window of her bedroom daydreaming of what the world was like, the downside was that she held a naïve air about her. In a less than gentle way of putting it, she was vulnerable, unwise in the dangers that could hide in plain view. There was only one way to change all that, though.

Showered, dressed, and her feline companion contented with her morning meal and saucer of cream while Beylani had relaxed on her futon in the living room of her small apartment with a navy blue ceramic coffee mug and baby blue eyes cast out the window as she watched the light of day brighten the sky, the blonde girl had made a decision. She was going to get to know this bit city better today. This being her second morning as a small-town girl out of her element in "the concrete jungle", so she really only knew of the little café where she'd met the dark-haired guy with eyes of fierce amber (who still haunted her thoughts) and the little grocery store only a few blows away from Inner Sanctum. Two places amidst a sea of unexplored shops and crisscrossed streets she always seemed to get turned around on until finally she was able to make it back to Riverdale on what more often than not tended to feel like sheer luck. Eastern Sacrosanct was certainly full of life, and much more crowded than she was used to back home in the small country town of Willowhaven. She turns her gaze away from the window and looks over the remaining boxes she had yet to unpack, having gotten to a fair number of them yesterday after her small adventure she'd not soon forget. She knew that it would be more productive if she stayed home today and focused solely on unpacking the rest of her things, and the long-haired tortoiseshell presently now presently curled up on her lap purring between stroke of her bristled tongue as she began to groom her silken pelt only seemed to make it more obvious that home was where she should stay today. And yet, when she turns her gaze back to the outside world through the window, Beylani is unable to ignore the urge to familiarize herself with more of this city. Especially on such a clear autumn morning when for once the skies were not heavy with clouds of pewter that threatened to drench the world below. Soon, there'd be fewer opportunities as favorable as today to explore without needing to worry about surprise downpours or icy walkways, and the blue-eyed blonde, though sheltered and new to a life on her own, was ready to grab the metaphorical bull by the horns and challenge her own securities she'd built around herself. After all, the biggest reason she had decided to move to Sacrosanct of all places was to experience new and thrilling things never found in Willowhaven. She'd spread her wings and flown this far away from the only world and life she'd ever known, why not chase that proverbial horizon and see what lay beyond it?

Feet that were once propped up on the edge of the oak coffee table in front of the futon lower themselves to the cold, scuffed hardwood flooring and the once relaxed and dozing cat settled having become satisfied with her appearance only moments ago makes a small "mrrow" of protest at the sudden disturbance of her throne, turning half-opened eyes of pale jade to meet her human's baby blue gaze. Lani simply smiled as she takes the last mouthful of her coffee before looking back to the feline and giving her a gentle push with her free hand to emphasize that it was time to move."I know you want me to stay here and sit on my butt with you all day, girl. But I need to go and find some new places and take a few pics", says the blonde girl to the reluctant-to-comply cat. As always, Chika pushes back against the insistent hand, forcing the young woman to use a little more force until finally the point is made and Chika jumps down onto the floor beside bare feet. If she had her way, Beylani would never get anything done. It is hard for her not to laugh softly at the look the tortoiseshell gives her, as though the elegant creature could not be any more offended that her human would dare to leave her to her own devices for amusement until she returned. But just as with most all cats (even though some days Lani couldn't help but think Chika had been a dog in some past life or something with the constant need for attention and affection), Beylani knew that she would find something to amuse herself with, or at the very least she would simply nap and groom and look at the window. For a seven-year-old feline, one would think she might be a bit more playful than she was but Beylani was plenty happy with the fact that she was the world's best cuddle buddy. She gets up from her place on the futon before Chika decides to try and convince her to stay, walking over to the mat beside the front door where her white flip-flops are and slips each foot onto one. She could have put on her tennis shoes, but she had no idea where it was the afternoon would take her though she certainly hoped she would be able to find some greenery to refresh her from all the cold steel and concrete that made up Sacrosanct. Plus, the white flip-flips went just fine with her bootcut jeans and white v-neck t-shirt. Making sure that she had her phone and key in her pockets, she turns to see Chika now sitting in the window silhouetted by the early afternoon sunshine."Be home soon!"

She walks down the flight of stairs and outside to where her white sedan is parked, reaches into her pockets to retrieve her keys, and as she unlocks the door and climbs into the driver seat, she glances to the passenger seat where the black bag containing her Nikon camera sits. I should probably start taking it into my apartment with me... The last thing she wanted was for someone to try and break into her car to steal the camera that she had saved her allowances and part-time paychecks for. It had taken her months before she had been able to buy this, and she couldn't even imagine losing it and having to try and save up for another. The thought passes though and she buckles her seatbelt, back out of her parking space, and drives down the street. She had no real idea of where she was going or where she would end up, but really the entire purpose of this adventure was to see more of this world she was going to be living in for a time, so in the end it didn't really matter where she found herself. Time passes on, the radio station playing various songs â€" some of which she knew while others she hadn't heard before though truthfully, she really wasn't paying attention to them â€" as she looked all around her at the towering buildings and people walking along the sidewalks. Sacrosanct is certainly larger than I thought... She takes a few turns, some left and others right, when at last baby blue eyes find what they were seeking. Up ahead, amidst the crowd of building, there was a break in skyscrapers and shopping centers as trees rise from the earth, adding a beautiful array of autumn color against the clear autumn sky, the buildings around it suddenly taking on a more rustic and quaint charm. A delighted smile dances across blush colored lips as she pulls her sedan into one of the few parking spaces. She reaches over and grabs her camera out of its bag, opens the door after turning off the car and tucking her keys safely into her front right pocket, and climbing out of the vehicle. She is greeted by crisp and cool breeze carrying upon its invisible currents the sweet scent of flowers and greenery, a welcomed change of pace from the metallic and overwhelming smells of hot blacktop and the buildings built upon it. This was exactly what she was hoping to find, a hidden jewel and small taste of home in a place that was still very much strange to her.

Her gaze turns to the sign not far away from the walkway that leads into the trees. Hyde Park. In the distance, she could hear the laughter and shrieks of children as they played on the jungle gym in the distance, but her attention is drawn there only briefly before wandering back to the path. Where did it go? She walks along the trail now, concrete surrenders to dirt and gravel the farther away from her car and the roar of the city she gets. She pauses every now and again, capturing the way the sun ignites the leaves on the outstretched boughs of the oaks and maples that entice her further down the worn paths likely walked by many or a small bird perched delicately on a low-hanging branch. Of the many things she enjoyed, days like this were some of the best. She does not know how long or how far she walks, allowing herself to be captivated by the scenery around her. Then, up ahead she spies a fountain adorned with majestic arches and sculpted figures that appears to be angels or cherubs. The sound of trickling water as it spills over the top only adds to the allure that engulfs the young woman and she finds herself moving towards it. There are a few pigeons strutting along the edge just wide enough to serve as a place to rest, the cooing voices of males echoing through the calm as they bow and fan their tails in hopes of winning the favor of any hens that might spare them a fleeting yet ever critical or curious glance. Beylani smiles and slowly lifts the camera up to her face and snaps a shot of the male with tail flared to its fullest extent. It is hard to suppress the giggle that bubbles over her when she wonders what the world of humans would be like if men did such extravagant dances to win the heart of a young girl they fancied. She moves to the side of the fountain, the courting creatures hardly bothered with her presence as she allows herself to simply sit and watch them while she basks in the soft rustling of the leaves as a passing wind breaths softly against them and toys lightly with her curled blonde hair. She knows in this moment, with the beauty of the autumn afternoon seen and felt in everything surrounding her, that this would become a place that she would visit often - perhaps even moreso than the cafè.