Jennifer
The chill of the morning air greeted his cheeks and entered his lungs, as Asher took a deep breath to greet the day. It had been at least a week since he moved into Briar Ridge with his father, and Asher wasted no time in finding a job as soon as he could.

What luck that they needed a postman, so Asher eagerly took on the job. He had long legs, he could run fast and make deliveries! Plus, he could see what the town had to offer, and even get to meet the good folks that lived here! Sure, he'd only been here for a week, but to Asher, it was the first day of his new life, maybe even the rest of his life. Who would know? He sure didn't, and that's what excited him!

...Until he hit the first roadblock: a letter with handwriting barely decipherable.

So in the middle of the town square, poor Asher could hopelessly squint at the letters of the envelope, mumbling to himself.

This was bad; he couldn't mess up on the first day of the job! There were still so many letters to deliver!!

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Danny
It was a rare day off for Freddie, and one he intended to make the absolute most of. He'd left his pony to her fresh hay to enjoy the rest period for herself, and made his way into town with a little spring in his step thanks to the early spring sunshine. Whatever the day ahead held in store for him, he'd take it in his stride and make the best of it, as always. 

The usual cast of friends and strangers milled around the streets, and Freddie liked to let his mind wander and imagine what they might be up to in each of their own lives. There was the pastor's apprentice, deep in conversation with an older man that looked as though he might be his father. The schoolteacher, hurrying her way down the path. Two women deep in conversation beneath the oak tree, too far away for Freddie to catch even a snatch of their talking. 

And a man standing in the square, looking helplessly at something in his hand, clear distress written upon his face as he did so.
Perhaps he needed Freddie's help? His mama always said every day would be better if you made sure to do a good deed during it. This stranger could be on the receiving end!
The blond was happy to bound up to him, a smile on his face at the thought of providing someone aid in their time of need. 
"Hi! Need a hand with that?"

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Jennifer
"Weh-?!" Not expecting the sudden presence addressing him, Asher jumped slightly before composing himself. "O-oh! Oh, no sir, it's fine! Just tryin' to read the address here!"

Adjusting the very-full bag of mail on his shoulder, the man continued to squint at the piece of mail. Was that an A or an R...? What about the rest of the letters? Was that a lowercase B or a D? Asher was decently literate, but the handwriting on this letter made him doubt that for a moment.

It was his first day on the JOB!! He didn't want to look bad in front of other people, especially this person that ran up to him! What would happen if he were late? What would his father think? He could almost hear the words of disappointment... Laced with colorful curse words thrown at him.

Asher began to glance between Freddie and the letter for a few seconds, before letting out a resigned sigh. It would seem that help would be needed...

"Actually..." He began, his smile faltering. "...I can't read this letter, and I need to deliver it." Once again, Asher adjusted the stuffed mail bag before adding on. "...I need to deliver ALL of this, still!"

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Danny
Freddie *Beamed*. Finally, perhaps his wandering around town and satisfying his every curiosity could prove useful. He could help someone, and they could get their job done, and there was even a chance at making a new friend in the process. Today was turning out just great and it had barely even begun.

"You're in luck! I know where a lot of people live in this town, actually. It's pretty easy learnin' the streets once you get used to 'em, but I got lost all the time when we first moved here too, so I get it. I got you," He assured, leaning in to look at the envelope. The handwriting was a mess, even if he didn't feel like he could judge too harshly considering the state his own got into when he was writing with his only intent being getting all the words on the page before he forgot some. "I don't know- I mean, I'm not totally sure what that name says but it's gotta be someone I know. Maybe if we take a walk we'll run into someone lookin' for their real important letter?" He suggested, tone hopeful. "An' in the meantime I don't mind helpin' you out with the rest of 'em. Seen as how this town ain't on the map yet I'm sure there's all sorts 'a crazy addresses goin' on on those envelopes. But two heads are better'n one! We can find 'em all a whole lot faster if we work together... That is if you don't mind me taggin' along for a while?"

He shot the other a grin. "My name's Freddie. Lovejoy. If you got anythin' with mine or my parents' names on 'em I'll happily take it from ya right now. My sisters write all the time but it's a coin-toss as to whether they wind up puttin' the right instructions on there. Some'a these streets and houses don't have names and numbers yet, see, it's not all formal like a big city. But I'll put twenty-five cents on bein' able to get that bag empty for ya."

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Jennifer
"W-wait what? Really??" Feeling like the looming anxiety was just tossed out the window, Asher also beamed as Freddie's radiance and enthusiasm seemed to rub off on him. Thank the Lord, he didn't have to embarrass himself in front of the entire town... AND he could potentially make a friend at last!! 

"Thank you!! If you don't mind, I can definitely use the help!!" The taller man smiled back at Freddie. When he mentioned his last name, Asher paused. "Lovejoy... Lovejoy... That does ring a bell. Hang on a sec..."

Taking a moment to rummage through his bag, Asher occasionally brought out a letter, reading off the names to himself. "Was this it? No... What about this one? No, that's not it either. Where is iiiitt... AHA!!"

Triumphantly pulling out a letter that had "Lovejoy" On it, Asher handed it to Freddie. "Yeah, here's one right here for you! O-oh, and my name's Asher! Nice to meet ya, Freddie!"

Now that that little business was out of the way, Asher adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "Okay! Where should we start? I don't know this area too well."

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Danny
Freddie hadn't actually expected there to be a letter for him, but he was delighted all the same. He recognised Catherine's neat handwriting right away, and clutched the small envelope to his chest for a brief moment before tucking it into his shirt pocket. She always wrote in blue ink, and the unfortunate left-handed writing that ran through the Lovejoy bloodline led to light smudges through the letters. He treasured each and every one, and looked forward to reading it aloud to his parents by candlelight when evening came. 

"Thank you - Asher." He smiled, a true heartfelt smile, and took a step forward to join the other fully. "Let's leave the difficult one for a bit later? Start with the easy ones! That one there in your hand - Father Abel Hughes is the pastor, which means we should head for the church ta find him. And maybe on the way we'll run into the mystery person waitin' on their very important letter." He laughed. 

When he'd left the house that morning he hadn't expected to be venturing into quite such a mission, but he did so love to help people, and his knowledge of half the town at least had to prove useful for Asher. He wished there'd been someone so welcoming willing to show him to the mines his first day, but he'd made the long hike up to the mountainside with only his father, the two of them finding their way together, neither with a better idea than the other as to where they truly needed to go. 

"The town centre's easy to find everyone in. All the houses are close together, an' lots'a the time you'll see folks just goin' about their days, so you'll get ta know who spends their time here an' there. It's once you get up to the farms and the big houses it gets tougher, but don't worry! You got me as long as you're needin' to have me today."

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Jennifer
"Oh!" Having the letter pointed out to him, Asher glanced at the name. Sure enough, the name said "Abel Hughes", and just as luck would have it, he wasn't that far from where they were. "Yeah, the church sounds good! Thank you for your help!"

Relief washed over the taller man, as he was glad that someone was helpful enough to show him around. As much as his mind could be faulty at times, Asher inhaled sharply in preparation to start memorizing the directions, locations, and everything Briar Ridge had to offer.

And so they were off, with Asher following behind Freddie as close as he could while making sure he didn't get distracted, which was a hard feat to do given all the new sights, sounds, scents, and the like that tempted him in various directions. Thankfully, he had a job and company to keep him anchored to his task.

"S-so um..." Asher spoke, but was unsure how to follow up with the initial opening. For now, the best choice was to attempt small talk. "...W-what do you do in Briar Ridge, Freddie?"

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Danny
Freddie's first instinct was to set off running - they had a lot to do, after all, if they were going to get the whole bag empty! - but he managed to keep his energy in check, and go at a simple walking pace, checking over his shoulder to make sure Asher was always close behind as he weaved his way through the street and the people in it. He was more than happy to engage in simple conversation, and glad that the other had initiated it so he didn't wind up rambling about anything and everything that entered his mind. 

"I work for the coal company, actually. Been workin' down the mines for a good few years now," He began to explain. "Moved here with my family back in the fall - they told us there was better work here, but they ain't tell us about the reasons why, so it's been... Well, it ain't been easy, that's for sure. But I don't mind it so much. The foreman likes me well enough, an' he saw how well I got on with the ponies. We use 'em for haulin' the coal up to the surface from miles and miles underground. I basically got one all of my own now. Named her Angel, for she's sure my guardian angel down in those dark tunnels, never so much as misses a step no matter how steep or badly-lit it gets, an' I get to bring her home with me at night so I don't wind up walkin' all the way up there alone." 

He smiled, biting his lip and looking to make sure the other man was actually following his words. "Sorry. I do like ta' talk a lot."

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Jennifer
Following closely, Asher couldn't help but smile as Freddie chatted away about his job and his pony. He felt a sense of excitement he never felt before as he was actually engaged in a conversation that lasted longer than 10 seconds, and that excitement helped him pay attention to **Everything** Freddie was saying. Asher nodded every so often to let the smaller man know that he was paying attention.

"You good!" He reassured with a beaming smile. "Workin' at the coal company sounds like a whole buncha hard work, I imagine! Having a pony is really nice, too. I remember when I was younger, I used to live on a farm, and we had a couple of ponies ourselves! I'm not sure if the post office would allow me to have a companion like that, though..."

For the brief moment his mind wasn't engaged in the conversation, Asher took notice of the building they were approaching. "I reckon that's the church, yeah? What kind of religion they practice here?"
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Danny
Freddie hummed in agreement. "Sure, it's rough work. Dirty an' hot an' the like, but it's all I ever known, and it makes me good an' strong." He grinned. "Shoulda seen me 'fore I started workin' down there, real scrap of a kid I was, but now I got as much muscle on me as any good minin' man. You should tell me more about the farm, I ain't had much time to go meetin' the animals that live around here just yet but you *Bet* I be wantin' to." Maybe they'd run into some today on their adventure, and the thought filled him with nothing but delight. He knew there were sheep up on the Gray farm and by *God* Did he want to pet their little woolly heads. 

"Yeah, that's right. Church straight ahead, cap'n." He turned back so Asher could see he was laughing, and then walked a few steps backwards, just for the fun of it. "What d'ya mean, what kind? It's church. You sit in a pew and try not to squirm around as Father Abel talks about the Lord. Jesus and Mary and the sinners and all'a that. Close your eyes and pray for... Salvation, sanctuary, good health for your family, all that. I ain't never known nothin' about no kinds'a religion but that."

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