Josh heads to the house

While the people seemed friendly enough, this place was giving him some really weird vibes. What happened with Elena earlier, along with her husband and that blonde woman, had not left his mind at all. Frankly he was surprised he managed to go anywhere at all without sporting a massive hard-on. An old buddy of his had told him, just think of baseball, cats, or nuns. If that didn't work, imagine cats who were nuns playing baseball. Josh chuckles, thoughts of their old home making him feel nostalgic.

His musing of the past distracts him long enough to realize he's made it to the house. He had to admit, it was a pretty nice place. There were a fair amount of people inside, but it was spacious enough not to feel cramped.

"You look lost, boyo. You all right?"

Josh turns at the sudden voice, which seemed to belong to a smiling red-haired man with a matching colored beard and mustache.

"Sorry to startle you, lad. My name's Connor Sheeran. My kin and I are regulars at these get-togethers. You with some of the new arrivals to the neighborhood?"

The man seemed to be a ball of sincere, friendly energy, which helps put Josh at ease.

"Yeah, my name's Josh. My sister and I came here looking for our parents. Claire and Leo Winters? Have you seen them, Mr. Sheeran?" Josh asks politely.

"Oh none of that "Mr.," lad. Just call me Connor, I insist." He thinks for a moment. "Winters..Winters..aye! There was a lass by that name who was in the kitchen getting a drink earlier. She was talking to someone, but I didn't know the bloke."

"Must have been Dad," Josh guesses.

"Sounds likely. You know, I have a son about your age. You'll probably be going to school together. Have you met any of the younger ones here?" Connor asks, genuinely interested.

"Well, I met Melanie Gutierrez." Josh neglects to mention his experience with her aunt.

"Ah, she's a bonny lass to be sure. The Beraneck twins, Wesley and Olive are around here as well." The man seemed ready to go into a long discussion on the town's young people.

"I should really see if I can find my parents," Josh politely interrupts. "But I'm sure I'll be meeting them before too long."

"Apologies, lad. Word of advice, if your folks are not down here, they may be upstairs. Just, be cautious," Connor warns with a hint of mischief before walking away with a wave.

"The hell did that mean," Josh wonder in bewilderment. He sighs, casing the downstairs to see if he can catch any sign of his parents. When it's clear they weren't there, Josh glares at the stairs before beginning to make his way up.