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Lorne was taking some time for himself. After a few days of work, with the situation with Nadia still fresh in his mind and knowing he'd have to get over himself soon and call - he opted to take a hike. Not anything extreme, just some time for himself lost in nature, something he didn't indulge in nearly as much as he should. There just often weren't enough hours in the day. In this case, though, he made those hours appear, desperate to clear his head and try to shake some anxiety away.

So far it wasn't really working, but it still felt good to get out. And not that Lorne had been in bad shape when he'd left, but he'd been taking self-defense classes (since without a girlfriend or much of a social life there had been a lot more time for those, hiking, and other various things), and he was in a much better way now physically if not mentally.

His thoughts were still racing, buzzing and buzzing around in his head, when he stepped on a branch and heard a voice in response. "A-ah!" What a dignified response. But Lorne was startled. He cleared his throat, already red in the face. "Y-yes, hello, sorry - "

Of course his greeting was an immediate apology. Ugh. But it might have been their cherished personal time too if they were all the way out here!

If Lorne hadn't been so frazzled to hear a voice coming from what might as well have been the middle of nowhere, he might've put two and two together more quickly - well, no, maybe that was giving him too much credit. He'd been in an entirely different city when they'd met; but then, he had a really odd penchant for meeting really unexpected people in this city, didn't he?

At least this time it wasn't an ex coming back to haunt him - not that he'd call running into Nadia a haunting thing, because even if it was a shock, it wasn't like he was miserable to see her, unlike the epitome of bad exes in Archer. But wasn't it a bit strange, really? First Archer in France and then here, and then Nadia in Russia and then here again -

What a strange city this was, full of coincidences and happenstance; that would be the first thought in Lorne's head when the girl emerged and he immediately sputtered, "O-oh, Lovi! Hello! - I co-could ask you the very same!" Only despite being punctuated by an exclamation point, his voice was really only loud by Lorne Benoit's standards. Still, though, "H-how good to see you, I - w-wow, I never expected - " and he gave a short, light laugh, because there were many less pleasant surprises to be had.

Well... at least she warned him. Lorne still gave a little 'meep' of surprise, his face lighting up more intensely than a Christmas tree, another sound squeak slipping out at the sheer intensity of the hug. Still, the initial awkward stiffness aside, he did reach around and pat her back lightly, flashing her a tentative smile as Lovi pulled back (although not without another one of those funny little sounds from the shaking). From Lorne, bar his little makeshift Saturn family, that was pretty impressive.

"Ohh, that's right - you did mention that you'd moved around a lot, " Lorne said reflectively, although that didn't really answer the question, "Though why here? N-not that I'm unhappy to see you, " and he was, he really was. It probably sounded a bit silly, but in reconnecting with everyone, to see someone he'd met while he'd been away was a welcome surprise. "Q-quite the opposite, b-but - what are the odds?" What an odd city this was.

Then, he turned a bit more red. "I'm fond of nature trails. A-a good way to clear my mind, you know? It's very peaceful out here."

Normally, honestly, the prospect of rock climbing would have immediately put him off. But these rocks didn't really... seem too intimidating to glance at them (not like his mountain in space), and he did want to continue to talk to Lovi if he could, and she was inviting him, and - "I've never done that before, " he admitted a bit quietly, just so she was aware by inviting him that he didn't know the first thing about it.

Honestly, if she'd asked, he probably would have laughed sheepishly and admitted he wished he had that amount of say in how he responded to people. The fact that his anxiety got the better of him in these new situations so often was something that quietly frustrated the ever living hell out of him. Lorne tried little tricks to get around it, but it felt like he was just wired to be shy and jittery.

All of that made a lot of sense, to be honest. "Ah, t-that's true though... I hadn't even considered that, " and of course there would be plenty to do for someone into construction here. The amount of property damage this city assumed was almost baffling. "I-it's a bit rough out here in Destiny City, so that would be why the rent is so... have you been here long?" It suddenly occurred to him to add, a little hurriedly, "Please be careful if you go out at night, i-it's really... " Lorne didn't want to make the city sound dangerous, but there was no denying it kind of really was.

Then, something that might have almost been a playful grin took hold even as his cheeks still burned. "If I'm put off by chalk, that would make my career choice rather unfortunate." Lorne didn't know if that was actually funny, but he thought it was.

Some chalk and sizable rocks that didn't look too dangerous. Okay. Maybe he could actually give this a shot, he thought as he claimed the powder and dusted his hands with it like he'd seen her do.

His cheeks burned a little more intensely again, but he smiled. "I - I lived in Destiny City before my teacher training, " and for all his trepidation about the city, he still spoke of it fondly. "I knew there was a demand for educators here, and I also knew I wanted to come back, so... here I am. The nature trails are a h-happy bonus, really."

Lorne's smile broadened a bit. "A-and you're here now too, so there's another bonus, I suppose."

Lorne couldn't help but laugh, and it was a little loud for him, but not a bad thing - it was a sign of familiarity if nothing else. "The world changes too fast, " he got it, thankfully without a stutter, "if someone my age is already dating themselves. My goodness."

Not that he was really great with technology anyway. He'd gotten a bit better, though. He had to if he was going to be an effective teacher, after all. (But fortunately he worked with children mostly, the crayons hadn't yet gone out of style.)

"Yes, of course - i-it certainly has its charm, and I've got too many good memories of friends here to leave it behind." Even if there were plenty of bad memories, too, and he didn't know where he stood with some of those friends now. Didn't change his fondness for the city, though.

It was good to hear, at least, that her school was keeping her secure. "Ah - I would, " and he turned a bit red again, "but I'll be in elementary, still. It's what I'm trained for, s-so I'm very excited." Lorne smiled, though, as he added, "Of course, you're free to visit. I shouldn't be hard to find."

He didn't really know why he was so jittery about it besides the fact that it was something new. Lorne had height on his side, and he was stronger than he'd been before he'd left Destiny City. He'd been so determined to be more useful when he returned that - well, there was no real reason not to try. So even if his fingers fumbled a bit and he was undeniably nervous, he still went ahead and tried.

Admittedly, Lorne got very quiet for awhile - he was focusing very intently on what he was doing, taking it slowly and carefully, loathe to think what would happen if his grip were to slacken enough to send him tumbling to the ground. It wasn't easy; he was a lot more fit than he had been in the past, but this was a different sort of exertion, and some part of him mused that his hands were a little soft for this. But generally speaking, focus and a healthy fear of crashing down to his death were enough to keep him clinging to the rocks. He was slow, of course, very slow, but he was making steady progress. "I'm okay, " he said finally, maybe a little later than he should have, but at least he got the words out.

Of course, vaulting himself over the top was... a little more awkward, with him grunting and pushing and kind of creeping more than actually getting anywhere fast.