[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

She had been awake since 4am, being dragged out for a photo shoot and interview early in the morning and then being left in peace to sample the hotel’s gym for the rest of the morning. The afternoon was free to her – she’d been told to take the chance to relax at home ahead of this weekend’s shows, but Ashley didn’t really feel like being cooped up in her room all day. She was in New York! What was the point in touring in different cities if you didn’t get to experience them?

She’d changed out of her sweaty gym gear into some clean gym gear – a comfort choice, trying to get herself in the mood for an energetic afternoon of sightseeing. It was tough deciding whether or not to opt for the celebrity-in-disguise sunglasses but in the end she went without. She had a black baseball cap to hide behind if she really felt the need, but people in New York seemed too busy and too focused on getting themselves from A to B to pay much attention to those around them.

It was only upon leaving the hotel that Ashley realised just how hungry she was feeling. She’d have to make a quick detour before hitting the sights, unless she wanted her stomach to provide a running commentary of the day.

It gurgled noisily at her, providing a lovely demonstration.

“Okay, okay…” Ashley hissed to herself, vaguely amused to be interacting with her stomach. She scanned the street with her eyes, searching for something that wouldn’t be too greasy and terrible, but would also serve as a bit of a treat on her afternoon off.

In the end, Ashley found herself ducking into a Panera and ordering herself a tasty looking chicken and wild rice soup. She grabbed a seat near the back and clutched the bowl in both hands, enjoying the warmth against her fingers. She was lucky to get a seat – the whole place was pretty full, and this had been the last remaining table, with just two free chairs. Still, the atmosphere wasn’t unpleasantly busy – Ashley quite enjoying the hum of activity from the neighbouring tables – and she closed her eyes while she breathed in the delicious smell of her soup.

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Senri made her way down the sidewalk, for once at a walk, taking in the sights and sounds. "Another beautiful Monday," she thought with a private grin. Mondays were one of the three days she had free from work during the week, along with Sunday and Wednesday. As always, she intended to spend it outside. And so, while she had eaten breakfast at home, a long, steady, and most of all satisfying calorie burn up and down the streets of Manhattan now left her with the need to top off once again. Rather than go home, she decided to eat out, and there was one place in particular that she had in mind. "Hm... I think I'll go with the three S's. They're all really good there. Ah, speaking of which, there it is!" The three S's - soup, salad, and sandwiches - were specialties of none other than Panera, and it was there that she now found herself. From what she could see through the expansive windows, it was clear that she was far from the only one that thought so. "Packed again, I see. Let's hope I can still snag a seat!" Humming quietly to herself, she pushed open the doors and entered.

Following a cheerful exchange between her and the cashier, she plucked up a table tracker and took a quick glance around the dining room. It only took a moment to confirm her preliminary assessment. "Packed to the gills! Ah, but there's still a seat! Better grab it while I still can!" she thought gleefully. With a mischievously furtive look back toward the entrance, she strode with purpose toward the table and installed herself across from its only other occupant with a smile and a bright, "Hello!"

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

It wasn’t too surprising to find the seat across from her suddenly occupied, but it was a little surprising to see a friendly face beaming radiantly at her, making cheerful introductions. Ashley felt her mood lift even higher, and she set the soup down on the table to give the stranger her full attention.

“Hi! How are you?”

The woman seemed to be her height, even smaller, actually, and had the gentle flush in her cheeks of somebody who had just been exercising. Ashley recognised it from her own face earlier, though she was sure that the only remnants now of her earlier workout were the gentle satisfying aches in her muscles. Either that, or this person was an avid, avid fan of Panera and had run at full speed to get here before the last seat was filled.

Considering the popularity of the place, Ashley couldn’t entirely rule it out, but she figured it was a far safer bet to assume that they too were refuelling following a workout session of some kind.

“This soup smells so good, I’m dying for it to cool down enough for me to actually eat some of it,” Ashley said, laughing at herself before giving her soup a blow. “All my cardio today has been leading up to this very moment.”

With that, she gathered a small spoonful of soup and sipped on it hesitantly. Satisfied she wasn’t about to burn her tongue off, Ashley gulped the rest of the spoonful down and met her table partner with a satisfied grin. That’s some good soup…

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Heartened by the favorable response, Senri chirped, "Doing well, thank you!" She set the tracker on the edge of the table and tilted her head appraisingly as her new tablemate drew attention to the soup in front of her. This, naturally, drew another smile as she said, "Ah! The chicken and wild rice, right? Isn't it the greatest? Especially post-workout!" Looking about the busy restaurant, she added, "I'm so glad I was able to squeeze in! No wonder it's so popular, what with it being so close to Central Park. Betcha that most of the people in here have been exercising in some form or another just like us." She fell silent, her expression still cheerful as she let the bustle of the restaurant's many patrons sweep in to fill the gap. That is, of course, until her stomach chose that moment to weigh in with its opinion. The surprisingly audible growl made her look down reflexively before her grin turned rueful. "Oh, man. Breakfast wasn't that long ago. I'm running on fumes, though."

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

“It is! I got my mom to recreate it for me once,” Ashley said, proud of her mother’s culinary achievements. It occurred to her that Alice was also a rather capable cook… She smiled at the prospect of asking Alice to recreate fast food. Alice would probably do it – for her – but it would be a fancy alternative that she could actually take pride in. The girl had standards over her fro yo, as if she’d be any different with soup.

“So you’ve been working out too?”

She was happy to have deduced correctly, and for a second Ashley was wearing a deerstalker in her mind’s eye. Will would have been proud.

“I was just in the hotel gym, but I’m going to try for a run through Central Park sometime this week, I think! Gotta have the tourist experience, am I right?”

Ashley took the pause to take another healthy slurp of soup, which was interrupted by the roars of a rather furious monster that seemed to inhabit her lunch partner’s abdomen. She snorted, managing to avoid spraying soup everywhere, and eyed the woman with a mischievous grin.

“I hope you’ve ordered something good!” She paused, then extended her hand. It was definitely time to introduce herself properly, now that she had laughed at their digestive movements. “I’m Ashley, by the way.”

A handshake seemed oddly formal, but hugging would have been just plain weird. She’d have had to stand up and lean across the table – endangering her tasty soup! No sir, a handshake would have to make do.

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"Oh! That must have been excellent!" Senri enthused. Nodding vigorously, she continued, "Sure have! Today's an off day for work, so I've kept myself busy running around Manhattan. Up and down it, too." She flashed a cheeky grin at the last bit. "And definitely, yeah! There's some great trails to run!" After composing herself after the mild embarrassment of her stomach growling, she replied with a laugh, "I sure hope so!" Briefly struck, as always, by the impish impulse to introduce herself in Japanese, she instead restricted herself to bowing briefly in her seat as she shook Ashley's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ashley. My name is Senri. Sen for short. Tourist, né? Where are you in from, if I may ask?"

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

Ashley sighed longingly. “It sure was. I am so jealous of people who can cook well.”

Since moving away from home, Ashley had cooked a lot more – mostly under Alice’s supervision, but sometimes it was just her left to fend for herself in the apartment. It was always basic stuff – recipes she had to follow as part of her dietary plan – but at least she’d stopped making so many mistakes and accidentally burning things. Ashley was still a long way off from mastery however. She just didn’t have the knack for knowing which flavours brought out the flavours in other things, when something was perfectly crispy rather than dry and charcoaled underneath. Practice would get her good at certain dishes, but she probably wasn’t destined for the chef life.

“Woah, you really put in the miles, nice work,” Ashley said approvingly. “Maybe I’ll catch you on one of those trails… or I guess, maybe you’ll catch me.”

She really hoped that there would be time this week to go out into Central Park, but her schedule seemed pretty packed. Her manager was making the most of this week up in the city that never sleeps. It was a worry that she’d have any energy left by the time the show rolled around. Good thing McKenna’s crowds were always so infectiously lively.

“Sen,” Ashley echoed, enjoying the sound of it. “Great to meet you too. I’m originally from San Francisco! I’m here for work this week, then all over the East Coast. Should be a blast,” she said happily. “This afternoon is off for me too, so I was planning on seeing some sights while I can. Feels a waste to come all the way here and not even get to know the city, you know?”

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Senri laughed quietly as she replied, "There's just something about good cooking, right? And thanks! I've been a runner for as long as I can remember, and a traceuse for almost as long. I'd love to show you the trails. I haven't had a running partner for a good long while." Anything further that she planned to say was interrupted by the arrival of her food. She thanked the server as he set the tray on the table. A full meal now sat spread in front of her. There was a bowl of soup that was a match for Ashley's own; a roasted turkey, apple, and cheddar sandwich; an ancient grain, arugula, and chicken salad; and a cup of hot tea with a cranberry walnut bagel to round it out. With a concentrated exertion of willpower, she tore her attention back toward Ashley and continued with an excited, "Wow! And you said that I put in the miles? On foot, maybe, but you're going all over the country! I wish I had the time to do that. I want to hike the Appalachian Trail all the way down some day. But I definitely get what you mean. Plenty to see here in the city! - Ah, do you mind if I say grace, by the way?" Not quite able to keep her eyes off of her food, she nonetheless waited patiently for an answer.

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

“Yah, fortunately my roomie’s a chef!”

Ashley laughed at her own living situation. It was pretty fantastic to be living with someone whose cooking was actually worth paying for.

She didn’t pretend to know what a traceuse was – Ashley assumed it was at least somewhat related to running, but her knowledge of parkour was so limited that she could barely distinguish it from free-running if asked. Still, it was nice to get the invite for a run down some trails. “That would be awesome! No promises I could keep up,” she added, a teasing smile on her lips.

There was a brief interruption for Senri’s food to arrive. And then more food. And then more. And more still.

Ashley’s eyes widened – she quickly tried to disguise her shock as envy, realising that it was probably quite rude to seem judgemental about somebody’s lunch options. But still, that was a lot of food for not a lot of girl.

She nodded enthusiastically at Senri’s dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail. “Plenty to see, huh? Do you-”

Ashley’s attempted request for a tour guide was interrupted by Senri’s sudden question. She smiled happily. “Sure, can I join you?”

Although Ashley’s faith was very important to her, she didn’t often find herself saying grace in public – or even much at home, except quietly in her head. It was something she had done lots with her parents but she didn’t like to feel like she was forcing it on those around her. It was refreshing for Senri to ask her, and she hoped that it wasn’t too weird to be saying grace mid-soup.

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"Oh, man! That's one of the best roomies I can think of! Good for you! I don't have one, myself, but it sounds like it would be awesome!" Senri flashed an answering grin at Ashley as she continued, "As for the trails, well, who knows? We'll just have to play tag and find out!" Preoccupied though she was by the arrival of her food, Ashley's reaction did not escape her notice. Her grin widened incrementally as she thought with a mental laugh, "People always seem so shocked when they see me eat! Surely a fast metabolism isn't that unusual, is it?" When Ashley offered to join her for grace, the mischievous grin on her face blossomed into one of simple joy as she brought her hands together in an excited clap. "Absolutely!" she replied enthusiastically, reaching carefully across the table to take Ashley's hands with her own before bowing her head and closing her eyes. Clearly, she had no qualms whatsoever about saying grace mid-meal. "Dear Heavenly Father," she began, "thank You for the blessings which You have given us today. Thank You for allowing Ashley's and my path to cross, that we could share a meal together. I pray that You would bless the conversation around the table, and bless this food to our bodies. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen." Opening her eyes, she gave Ashley her hands back with another smile. After a moment, she was struck by a realization and, somewhat sheepishly, asked, "Ah, were you going to ask me something just now? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!"

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

Ashley nodded proudly on behalf of Alice’s excellent roommate qualities. “She’s the best – we both have busy careers too so it’s like, the dream living situation. She’s super understanding and has this instinct for when I’m really craving frozen Greek yoghurt.”

She laughed. It was true, Alice’s ability to read her fro-yo desires was uncanny.

“Now playing tag sounds a great way to stay in shape!” she said excitedly. “Count me in!”

Senri seemed delighted that Ashley wanted to join her in grace. She reached out for Ashley’s hands and she let Senri lead the prayer. It was definitely different to what Ashley was used to, having been raised on the classic Catholic “Bless us, O Lord” complete with signing, but it was sweet to hear Senri’s message and she echoed the ‘Amen’ with enthusiasm. Once Senri released her hands, now ready to tackle the feast before her, Ashley signed the cross quickly and discreetly before returning to her soup.

“No, no, it was a perfect interruption, that was beautiful,” Ashley insisted, swallowing her mouthful swiftly. “I was just going to ask if you had plans for this afternoon. I really want to see the sights but I just have no idea where to start. I guess I was wondering if you, you know… if you have the time?”

She was surprisingly nervous as she formulated the request – hoping that she wasn’t taking advantage of the girl’s kindness. It wasn’t like Ashley would be too disappointed if she didn’t acquire a tour guide after all – she could always find a guide online or something. It just seemed nice to have an actual local take her around. Even if she didn’t have time, Ashley would try her best to extract a couple of tips and hints for her afternoon plans. New York was a big place, after all.

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Discreet though it was, Senri took note as Ashley signed the cross as soon as her hands were free. This, combined with Ashley's praise, prompted her to scratch gently at her cheek with an index finger, a pleased and somewhat abashed smile lifting the corners of her lips. With a short laugh through her nose, more a two-note hum than a full laugh, she said simply, "Thank you." She recovered her composure swiftly, aided by Ashley's enthusiasm toward her suggestion and her request for a guide, to which she replied, "I'd be happy to! There's lots of good stuff just in Central Park alone!" She gestured toward the window in the park's general direction before continuing, "To really do the city justice, we'd need a few days, but I think we can hit the high points! Just be prepared for the subway and the walking. Lots and lots of walking." Senri's smile grew distinctly impish as she imparted that advice, edged with friendly challenge. "Or running, if you prefer."

Seeing Ashley return to her soup brought her attention back to the meal set before her, and she brought her hands together with a quiet clap. With her voice soft but cheerful, she said, "Itadakima~su!" After some deliberation, she decided to start with the sandwich. "I love toasted sandwiches, but they're best when they're hot. After they get cold they're just fancy toast, and that's just sad," she thought with a wry mental grin. Much though she may have liked to try eating it in one hand, she was in public with company. "And my hands really are on the small side anyway, so it's probably for the best." Instead, she took it up with both hands before delivering it to her mouth for what was to her a hearty bite.

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

“Oh wow, that’s amazing!” Ashley caught Senri’s challenging tone and grinned broadly in response. “I’m a singer, so I like to think my lungs can handle a lot. I’ll walk wherever you take me so long as it’s not like, an 80 degree slope or something. And maybe let’s not run the whole way,” she added, giggling. She may be fit, but she’d already been to the gym this morning and she didn’t exactly want to push it in case she wrecked herself for the rest of her time in New York.

Her eyes flipped up briefly as Senri said some kind of additional grace in what sounded like Japanese. She wanted to learn the language some day – her music was popular over there too and she was eager to push herself more firmly onto the market. Relying on interpreters the whole time wouldn’t be fun. If she had the time, next year maybe, she’d enrol herself in a beginners class or something.

She watched in envy as Senri carefully selected the turkey sandwich. It looked heavenly.

“So it’s your day off, right?” Ashley asked, partly to distract herself from staring at the delicious looking sandwich. “What do you do?”

The girl was obviously in great shape – she wouldn’t be surprised if she was an athlete of some kind. Then again, she seemed to have the appetite of an unsupervised child at a birthday party – highly unlikely that a professional athlete would consume all that bread so happily in one sitting. Ashley tilted her head in curiosity as she waited for Senri to finish her mouthful.

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Ashley's response evoked another clap from Senri, this one of enthusiasm, and she chirped, "Wonderful!" After a moment, though, the impishness returned to her smile as she added in a teasing tone, "I'll try not to make you regret it." Occupied though she was by her sandwich, she took note of Ashley's glance up, resolving to explain herself shortly. In the meantime, however, she decided to start with the questions that had been voiced. "Yes, that's right," she acknowledged cheerfully. "I'm a medical resident, actually! I'm working on an emergency medicine specialty. It's what I'm familiar with, if a bit different in the particulars from being on the sharp end of the stick. Started as a paramedic. The running is just for fun! I'm a parkour practitioner. How about you? You mentioned you had a career?" She took the opportunity to pick up her tea, blow gently, and take a ginger sip as she waited for Ashley's answer.

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

A Big Apple a Day...

Senri was such a playful person, she clearly had no qualms in teasing Ashley about her athletic ability. The confidence reflected the fact that she was probably extremely capable herself, which was definitely impressive. Although she looked in good shape, the girl wasn’t exactly superhumanly strong-looking, nor was she very tall. Probably shorter than Ashley, actually, which was a feat in itself. She was obviously one of those extremely toned people whose muscles were almost understated from far away and when hidden under clothing but was definitely tougher than she first seemed.

“Aw hey, don’t go too easy on me, dude, I love a challenge!” She grinned. “I’ll do as much walking as it takes to see the sights. If I’ve gotta run a few blocks, so be it.”

Emergency medicine? That definitely sounded like a challenging career choice. “Oh gosh, what a job. You must see it all in the city – is that why you need such a huge lunch? To keep you going in the ER?”

She hoped she didn’t seem rude for pointing out the size of Senri’s lunch, but it was in pretty stark contrast to her own.

“And yah, I’m a musician for fun – but also for my job!” she explained excitedly. “That’s why I’m here – I’m doing some publicity work, that sorta thing… and some shows on the weekend! It’s gonna be such a blast,” Ashley said with a huge beam across her face. “I’ve been up since like 4am which was pretty gross, but I’ve been given the afternoon to relax. Apparently hiking around the city is the closest I get to relaxing.” She laughed at herself, shaking her head.

When you had as much energy as Ashley had, the prospect of spending her whole day “relaxing” and just passing time doing nothing in her hotel room was not something she really even entertained. She could have put on a good movie, she supposed, but she’d have still felt the need to escape eventually. Her plans for exploring New York were a much better alternative. So long as Senri didn’t have her running laps of Manhattan, she’d probably be okay.

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