Rick

The thunderstorm had been threatening for hours, the first fat drops starting to fall just before you reached the cabin. By the time you reached its rickety front door, you were soaked to the bone, your bag tucked under your coat to try and protect your art supplies.

It has been a long hike, the trail has been longer than you had anticipated, and the closest you could get to it by bus had been about a mile from the trail head. You were not looking forward to the hike back, but according to the flyer you had got the location from, that wouldn't be your problem for a couple of days.

The cabin was dark, quiet, eerily so. You check the information you had noted down, had you got the time wrong? Were you somehow the first here? Either way the dark interior was a welcome retreat from the rain, and you pushed the thankfully unlocked door with your shoulder, eager to be out of it. Inside was dark, sparsely furnished but you could see it being cosy when in use. You place your bag on the table, shrug your coat off and check if anything in your bag has got damaged while you wait to see if anyone else will turn up.

"Well, this is an unexpected surprise. What are you doing here little one?"

You turn in surprise and are met with the sight of a man standing in the doorway to the next room, leaning casually against the doorframe, his head tilted looking at you curiously. He's tall, broad shouldered, his silk black shirt and tailored trousers hugging well defined muscles. The outfit seems painfully out of place in the cabin, but that doesn't strike you as much as the long white hair which he's pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. A camera sits on his chest with its strap around his neck.

"I came for the monthly artist's retreat, there was a flyer on the notice board at the library for it."

You say hesitantly, painfully conscious of the fact you're now alone with a strange man miles from anywhere.

The man in question seems surprised by your explanation.

"There hasn't been anyone else using this cabin for months. Whoever was running your retreat, they have long abandoned it."

His response sits in the pit of your stomach, and you curse yourself for not having considered that. He looks out of the window at the rain lashing outside, and then pushes himself off of the doorframe, extending a hand to you.

"Well, as it looks like you will be stuck here a while until the storm passes, we should probably get better acquainted. I'm Rick, and... you are?"<