Kedrick Suwa's Estate

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria blushed lightly as Dimitri took her chin in his hand and made her look up at him. Though she was pretending that everything was still hurt and she was fine, her stomach was doing flips just by staring at this eyes. She honestly could stare at them for hours. She felt her own smirk appearing on her face when she heard Dimitri's voice and playfully sighed. "Well, I'll try to hide my pain," Maria responded, her grin still playing on her face, "But it'll still be there."

"If I spilled out the wonderful surprise, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, no?" Arielle giggled when Kedrick responded and winked at her. She kissed his forehead and realized that she still needed to change for the day. She had spent so much time talking with everyone else that she hadn't even broken away and gotten dressed.

Maria shyly smiled when Dimitri kissed her cheek and blinked in surprised when he stood her up back on her feet. She knew she should've seen it coming, but she barely had a warning to get up so that he didn't have to do it himself, and at the same time, she didn't completely mind. "Well, I guess you have to since we need to leave," Maria stated, "But I'm pretty sure not all of us are ready."

"Yeah, that would be my fault," Arielle commented shyly, her cheeks lightly turning pink from embarrassment. "It shouldn't take me so long and I'm really sorry for slowing us down."

"No need to apologize at all, Ari," Maria said with a warm smile, "We all get carried away at some point. And it's our fault just as much as it is yours since we didn't remind you to get ready. However, enough of our chit chat and you go get dressed little lady~."

Arielle giggled and started heading towards hers and Maria's tent before looking back at everyone. "Alright Mama Ria, I'll make sure to do so. Be out in a few," Arielle said before ducking into the tent and making sure it was closed.

(I have returned from my absence x.x. Sorry about my "death" and hope this post was good enough for you.)  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Dimitri smirked as Maria continued to act severely injured by his comment. "Well, I'm sure you'll get over it eventually." He teased lightly, nudging her shoulder playfully.

Kedrick glanced up as the girl's began to talk, and he smile to himself when Arielle blushed. He laughed softly to himself. "Alright, you get changed and then we'll head out." He said, suddenly remembering that they hadn't grabbed the first aid kit from the car. He turned to Dimitri. "Hey Dem," He called, jerking his thumb towards the car. "Toss me your keys, okay?" He said.

Dimitri looked up, a small frown appearing between his eyebrows. "Planing on stealing my car?" He asked flatly, his face settling into a look of mock-agitation.

Kedrick snickered under his breath. "No you dope, I need to get the first aid kit out of the back, under Maria's suggestion of course. In case you didn't remember, we have a 'clumsy one' in our midst." He said, pointing decreatly towards the tent which now concealed Arielle.

Dimitri smirked and dug around in his pocket. It took him a minute, but finally he pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed then in a graceful arc across the campsite. "Alright, there you go." He said, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "We don't want that 'certain clumsy someone' to get hurt on the trail."

Kedrick nodded his agreement, snatching the keys out of the air. "Right." He said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'll be right back." He said, and then made his way back over to Dimitri's car. Kedrick tried to remember if he had seen the small first aid kit when he and Dimitri had been looking for the sun screen and bug spray, but nothing came to mind. He clicked the button on the keys that would unlock the car and grabbed the handle of the trunk. the handle cracked reluctantly and for a moment Kedrick was afraid that it was going to pop right off, then what would he have told Dimitri? Kedrick smirked, trying to picture that conversation in his head. ' oh by the way, sorry Dimitri but I pulled the handle off of your trunk.' He shook his head, knowing that Dimitri would freak out. Dimitri didn't have much money to take care of the up-keep of his car, so it know that Kedrick had broken a peice off of it would definitely be a problem. With that in mind, Kedrick eased up on the handle, pulling gently until the hatch popped up.

Kedirck pawed through the back of the trunk for a while until he found the small plastic first-aid box. It had been shoved way back into the bottom of the trunk, hidden under a plastic tote. Kedrick shook his head and pulled the first aid kit out. He placed his hand on the trunks door and shoved it down so it fell into place with a satisfying 'thunk' He turned back to the campsite, strolling over. "Here it is," He said, kneeling down next to the backpack and unzipping the top. Among the water, bug spray, and sunscreen, Kedrick found an accessible place to stick the first aid kit in case they needed it in a hurry. He doubted there would be trouble, but you never knew, forest trails could be kind of tricky sometimes.

"Good," Dimitri said, nodding once. "We've got everything we need, we've had a small breakfast, and now," He said with a smirk. "we're just waiting on Arielle." He glanced over at the tent. It was true that Kedrick had mainly been teasing about keeping their lunch a secret, but now Dimitri was curious to know. The small bit of sausage that Kedrick had fried up for their late breakfast wouldn't last long, and Dimitri hoped that the girl's had packed something good.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"So you say, Dimtri~," Maria waved off with a smirk of her own, "So you say~." After Arielle had left to go change, she was just left with the boys. She couldn't help but be excited about later on that day and almost felt like spilling the beans about what they were going to have for lunch, but she refrained. She was barely focusing on what the boys were saying until her name was mentioned as well as bringing up about her suggestion of the first aid. She grinned lightly and found herself giggling.

Arielle could still hear them from out the tent and almost wanted to comment, but she knew that it would make no difference at that point. She knew she was clumsy and had Maria not mentioned it, had she hurt herself, that would've ruined their fun. Especially since Kedrick would be worrying about her well being and she would've felt bad, even though she knew he did that because he cared deeply about her.

After a bit of scrummaging through her clothes, Arielle pulled out a teal colored long john like shirt that went up to her elbows, a pair of moss green shorts, comfortable boots and white knee high socks. She brushed her hair out and pulled them into two ponytails before braiding them. When she felt like she was all set and ready to go, she made sure that she looked good enough, even though that rarely mattered.

She stepped out of the tent right after Dimitri mentioned that they were still waiting for her and smiled at them, gently waving at them. "Your waiting is now over everyone," Arielle announced, playfully tossing a braid behind her shoulder, "The clumsy one, Arielle Gianna Shore, has arrived to grace your humbling presences."

Maria snorted suddenly and blushed before covering her mouth and laughing. She wasn't expecting to randomly snort to Arielle's comment, but when she did, she then wondered why in the world she was covering her mouth like it was something to be embarrassed about.

She playfully bowed to Arielle like one of the Three Musketeers and stood straight up, still finding herself giggling. "Well, I think we're all accounted for now, especially now that the amazing Arielle is here. Are we finally ready to set off~?"  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Kedrick heard the tent zipper pull open as Dimitri was finishing his sentance, and his looked up, curious to see what Arielle had chosen to wear. He looked over over, starting at her boots and going up to her hair. Kedrick smiled appreciatively and then laughed despite himself at Arielle's sill 'announcement.' It occurred to Kedrick that he hadn't ever heard Arielle's middle name before. But that, coupled with her first and last name, had a lovely ring to it.

Dimitri smirked, and then snickered under his breath along with Kedrick and Maria. He stood from where he had still been seated beside the fire and brushed the dirt off his knees, his hands slapping across the hem of his khaki shorts. He turned up the cuffs of his jacket, rolling them up to his elbows. Dimitri glanced up as he heard Maria's snort of laughter. The dark haired boy's face split into a grin, and paradoxically enough, found himself laughing at Maria's laughter. "A-Alright then," He said, taking a deep breath, a slight stitch in his side from laughing. "Since we're all here, dressed, and ready, we can now head out."

Kedrick smiled, looking up. "Okay, but Dimitri, you're the leader, You're the one who knows where this trail is." He said with a smirk, placing his hands on his hips.

Dimitri drew himself up a bit. "Alright then, Good sir," He said, gesturing to Kedrick, "Gentle Ladies," Dimitri bowed in turn to the girls. "We shall begin out quest." He said, and turn on his heel, marching down towards the lakes edge. Dimitri turned, looking over his shoulder and waving a hand. "Let's go!" He called.

Kedrick, following Dimitri's call, snatched up Arielle's hand, jogging to close the few yards of distance between them. Glancing over to make sure that Maria was still with them, Kedrick fell into step with Dimitri on one side and Arielle on the other. He looked over at his friend, who was squinting, apparently scanning the line of trees that ran next to the lake for the trail head.

Dimitri watched the trees for the gap in the that he was almost certain would lead them onto the trail. It had been a long time of course, he might not have remembered correctly where the trail head was. Dimitri was just beginning to seriously consider weather or not his memory had failed him, when he saw the break. There, between two towering oak trees, was the trail head.

The trail wound up a slight slope for a little bit before leveling out. The path itself was pebbly, and had sprigs of grass and weeds pushing up through the hardened soil. It wasn't a particularly well traveled path, but it looked beautiful. The trees on either side of the path formed a canopy above it, giving the impression of a tunnel, and the light was filtered in mottled spots of green and gold. Dimitri smirked slightly, glancing back at his three companions. "This would be it," He said with a small sigh. "Lets go."

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"We're following the leader, the leader, the leader. We're following the leader wherever he may go," Maria sang in a light jest. She didn't know why, but somehow that song had sprung into her head when Kedrick called Dimitri the leader, and she just couldn't resist the urge to sing it out loud.

Arielle giggled at Maria and turned her direction to Dimitri as he spoke. A grin highlighted her features and she could barely find it surprising that the two main jokers in their group were already making her laugh. Arielle followed along with the rest of them and held onto Kedrick's hand, another, more gentler smile, on her face at that time.

Maria made sure to keep up with them and tried to think if there was any other song she should randomly start singing out loud. She knew of a good couple of songs that she could play, of course all inspired from movies she watched when she was a child. It's all because I started singing "Following the Leader", Maria thought with a small grin.

As they were walking, Arielle couldn't help but think of a song she remembered one of her teachers playing in class one day. She could remember the sweet sounds of the shamisen, piano, and the violin and the calming effect it had, which had returned to her as they all followed Dimitri down the path. And the music remembrance worked since it was just so calming that day.

Maria took in the sight as well, making sure to remember everything just in case she got lost and just to remember it in general. She walked closer to Dimitri and smiled when he found a landmark point that assured them that they were going the right way. As they continued walking, a song slowly made it's way into Maria's head and she found herself humming the song joyfully before the words came out of her mouth. Considering most of her thoughts were a mixture of Spanish and English, she was surprised when once again she found herself singing in Spanish.

Arielle smiled warmly and looked over at Kedrick. "Isn't it wonderful about the amount of energy already? This is really going to be a great day~."

(Go Brother Bear~ XD.)  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Kedrick took a deep breath, surveying the head of the trail. It truly was a beautiful place, there was simply no denying that. A soft, slightly cool breeze rustled through the trees and he looked over at Arielle, a smile touching his lips. He squeezed her hand gently. "Of course!" He exclaimed with a bright smile, "It's going to be amazing, lets go," He said, and the quartet headed up into the mouth of the tunneling trees.

Dimitri followed his friend without hesitation, snatching up Maria's hand as well and swinging it between them. He looked over at Maria, and the perfectness of how this day was going got to Dimitri and he grinned at her, his handsome dark eyes gleaming in the dim, yellow-green light. "Arielle's definitely right, Today is going to be great!" A soft laugh pushed through his lips, and his took a quick step to catch up to Kedrick and Arielle so that the two couples where walking in step up the winding trail.

Within moments of entering the trail they lost sight of the entrance, and the only thing that reminded them that they where still even remotely close to their campsite was the lapping sound of the lake waters. After a few moments of walking in happy, companionable silence, even that was lost. Dimitri looked up, glancing around as the leaves above them seemed to thicked, blocking out the sky for the most part. He shiver, partly from excitment, partly because it was much cooler under the shadow of the large trees. He pulled his gray jacket closer around him, a small grin touching his features. "We're getting further in," He said thoughtfully, and then looked over at the girl's with a smile. "We're sure to find a great spot for lunch around here somewhere huh?" He asked.

Kedrick snorted, looking over at his friend. "Do you ever think about anything but your stomach?" He asked, cocking his head to the side to see him better, noting that Dimitri was all the way at the other end of their line of people. "We're in this gorgeous forest, surrounded by amazing, beautiful thing, and you're wondering when we're going to stop for lunch?"

Dimitri fained offense. "Kedrick, I'll have you know I'm very intellectual, and I think about a great deal more than my stomach." He said matter-of-factly, and then cracked a smile. " But if it satisfies you, It is my foremost thought at this present time."

Kedrick sighed, nodding his head. "Yeah, I thought so," He said, smiling slightly despite himself. "Well, none the less, you'll have to wait." Kedrick finished, a note of finality in his voice. He decided that it would be best to walk for another ten minutes, and then let the girls choose their spot.


 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Kedrick's happiness elevated the excitement and joy that Arielle herself was feeling. Nothing in the world could never make her anymore happy than seeing joy in Kedrick's face. The positive attitude about the picnic and the day was enough to make her want to start skipping the rest of the way there. She gently squeezed his hand in return and continued following after everyone else.

Maria blinked in surprise, somewhat, when Dimitri suddenly grabbed onto her hand. After she had basically sung to her herself, she found herself giggling gently as Dimitri swung their hands back and forth. She looked back at him and she felt happy chills go down her spine at the sight of Dimitri's eyes. Shew knew that she probably thought it before, but she could definitely stare at them all day and not even care about the rest of the world around her. Her smile grew when Dimitri readily agreed with both Arielle and Kedrick, and even she knew that they were all right.

Had it not been for the sound of the lake near them, Maria would've been sure that they were no longer in the same place. If what was going on was like a Disney film, she would be sure that the score would be joyful and full of happiness and the little creatures in the forest would start singing. So of course it was a surprise for her when they were under the shade since she had been so used to the brightness of the sun. She looked over at Dimitri as he mentioned about how much closer they were getting and about finding a great spot for lunch, which then reminded her that she was still holding onto the basket with all the food.

Funny how I forgot that that even existed, Maria thought with a small grin.

Arielle smiled at the thought that they weren't much farther from a place where they could enjoy their picnic. She giggled at Kedrick's snort, finding it a bit cute before realizing that snorting must have been a popular action today, and then laughing even more when Kedrick started messing with Dimitri about his interest on his stomach than the view around them.

Both girls found themselves giggle at Dimitri's comeback and each of them wanted to make their own comment, but that it was better to just leave it be at the moment.

"Patience is a virtue," Arielle said, readily agreeing with Kedrick.

"But if your stomach can't handle it, chico," Maria said with a flirtatious grin, "Then maybe I'll let you eat a small snack. Of course, that's if you really need it."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Dimitri looked over at Arielle with a small smirk, if there was anything that Dimitri wasn't, it was patient. He snickered slightly, about to reply to her when Maria began to speak. Dimitri shifted his attention to her, taking in her flirtatious grin. "well..." He said slowly, thinking about his response. Maria was sharp as a tack, and he always had to watch what he said around her or she could just as easily throw it back at his with another witty comment. His lips twisted into a devilish smirk, his fail safe avenue was to make her blush so that she'd be too flustered to come up with a witty response. "No, I think I can live without the food, but you'd better give me a kiss intend." He teased, leaning forward so that he was nose-to-nose with her, that charming, sneaky, flirtatious smirk still playing on his lips.

Kedrick watched the two of them, unable to keep a smile off his face. "Oh come on Dimitri, give her a break, you're going to scare the poor girl." He said, although he could pretty well figure that Maria was actually somewhat enjoying the flirting. It was a skill that she and Dimitri had both mastered over the years and when they started flirting with each other it created a wonderful, almost comical romantic tension.

Dimitri pulled back, having been so close that he was almost leaning Maria backwards. He pulled her hand gently to straighten her back up. "Okay, if you say so, but I don't think that she was particularly bothered." He said, pushing his dark hair back away from his eyes.

Kedrick smirked in response, shaking his head. "Come on Romeo, let's keep walking or you'll never get that lunch you're so eager for." He teased. He saw Dimitri nod, and the four friends continued walking down the path.

They had gone only a little bit deeper into the forest when Kedrick stopped, looking ahead. There was a fork in the trail, one branching off to the left, the other, to the right. He glanced back over his shoulder at his friend. He hoped Dimitri remember exactly how to navigate this part of the trail, he didn't want them to take the wrong fork and get lost. "Which one do we take Dem?" He asked, looking back at him curiously.

Dimitri frowned thoughtfully, trying to remember. This fork in the trail was definitely familiar to him, he was just trying to remember what his mother had said about the two trails. The memory flashed back to his and he looked back up. "One or the other," He said, nodding in the direction of the branch. "They go about a hundred yards, running parallel to each other, and then they meet back up again." He finished, stepping up the the fork in the trail.

"So we could take either one," Kedrick said, nodding his head in understanding.

Dimitri smirked. "Or," He said, cocking an eyebrow. "Or we could race."

Kedrick looked up at the suggestion. "Race?" He asked, blinking in surprise.

"Race." Dimitri repeated. "You can Arielle against Maria and I, what do you think?" He asked, sounding excited.

Kedrick laughed despite himself. He never could resist Dimitri's infectious smile when he was excited. "Alright, if it's okay with the girls." He said, and saw Dimitri clench his fists in a kind of victory motion. "But we have to decided who carried the heavier load." He said, gesturing to the picnic basket. Since it was holding lunch for four people, it was considerably more heavy than the backpack with the water bottles and sunscreen in it.

Dimitri pinched his lips together thoughtfully, and then, very decisively, held out his closed fist. Kedrick took the que and the two boys began a match of rock-paper-scissors. Dimitri chose paper, and Kedrick, unfortunately, had picked the rock. Dimitri smirked at him. "Bad luck buddy," He said, glancing back at Maria. "Kedrick'll take that off of your hands Maria," Dimitri finished, gesturing towards the basket. He was glad that Maria would be on his team.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria's ears opened up waiting for Dimitri's response. Dimitri was right to be cautious about what he said around Maria since she perfected that technique for having two older brothers in the household. She slightly raised her eyebrows in surprise at Dimitri's response, but probably should've been more aware when his lips twisted into a devilish smirk. Her cheeks heated up quickly as he moved in forward to her nose and a slightly nervous laugh escaped through her lips. She knew that he was probably planning that when he grinned like that, but it was too late to make a comeback now, especially when she felt weak in the knees.

Come on Maria. Think! Think! she thought to herself before her thoughts were overly crowded with the thought of Dimitri's grin. It took her sometime, but how she would respond finally came to her and a grin slowly appeared on her face which was a big enough proof that Dimitri still needed to be careful.

Of course, Kedrick's voice came in before she could say anything, and she was barely even aware of the fact that she was leaning backwards until her mind became aware of the rest of her body. She smiled gratefully at Dimitri as he helped straighten her up before she fell on her back. A playful snort like laugh escaped her lips and she moved in, almost like she was going to kiss his check before ruffling his hair some. "You're right," Maria responded moving away from him, "I wasn't that bothered, but I rather not have the option of kissing you over your eating. That's a little...unsettling."

Arielle found herself giggling the entire time. It was just so entertaining to watch the two flirting love birds go at it sometimes. Even she thought that Maria was going to kiss Dimitri on the cheek, but should've known better when it came to her best friend's jesting tendencies.

When Kedrick decided that it was best for the gang to continue on there merry way so that Dimitri could finally eat, Arielle nodded and she, along with Maria, followed the boys onwards.

When they reached the fork in the road, they all came to a stop and Arielle looked down each path. At that random moment, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" came into her head, and she was almost tempted to figure out which trail was least used. Then again, she knew that the poem was not meant to be taken literally in terms of hiking, but in how the average person should make their decisions.

Before her mind could get too wrapped up in trying to remember the poem, she listened to what Dimitri had to say about the trails considering he had been there before. From the sounds of it, it seemed like they both headed to the same place and were also the same distance.

The two girls listened carefully, especially Maria, who was looking at each trail carefully with her eyes. Of course, they were barely surprised when Dimitri's competitive side showed up and wanted to have a race to get to the site they wanted to go to for their picnic. When Kedrick mentioned about the idea being alright with the two of them, they both looked at each other. They both didn't mind too much, so of course it was alright.

Maria opened her mouth to say something when Kedrick mentioned about the heavy lifting. She didn't think the basket was that heavy that she needed to give it to someone else. Of course, the boys were already in their own world when they played rock-paper-scissors to determine the fate of the picnic basket.

When Dimitri was the one that won, Maria felt like protesting, but knew if she did, she would've most likely killed the competitive spirit. With a small sigh, she handed over the basket to Kedrick, giving him a small grin. "I guess we'll see you on the other side," she said, pushing some hair back, "And sorry Dimitri had to make you take care of the basket."

"Don't worry, Maria," Arielle replied with a warm smile, "If it gets to heavy for him, I'll help him out. Just the two of you be careful, alright? And try not to get lost."

Maria giggled and nodded. "Don't worry, we'll do our best. And Kedrick, make sure this lovely damsel doesn't hurt herself too much. We can't afford to take her back to the hospital again."

"I am not that clumsy!" Arielle protested before the two girls broke out into laughter again.

(I'm so sorry this took me a week to respond to D: I hope this is good >~<. School year is almost over, so I should be able to post more regularly soonish. Sorry again D:.)  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Kedrick smiled lightly, waving off Maria's concern. "Don't worry about it," He said, hefting the basket a little bit, still curious to know what was inside. "It's not that heavy, shouldn't be a bit deal." He looked over at Arielle when she spoke, and snicked softly. Even if the basket had been heavy, the most gentlemanly thing to do would have been to carry it himself rather than let Arielle take it because he was tired.

Kedrick shifted his attention to Maria as she addressed him, and he felt himself smiling again. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." He followed his path of vision over to Dimitri, who was rocking excitedly on his heel, clearly itching to get started. Kedrick grinned. "Ready to go Dimitri?" He asked, placing the basket on his right shoulder and putting his hand on top to stabilize it there.

Dimitri grinned, a cocky kind of glint in his eyes. "You'd better believe it, Maria and I will be wait for you at the finish line." He said, his words bordering on bragging. His meaning was clear, he fully intended to beat Kedrick there.

Kedrick raised his eyebrows. "Is that so?" He responded, stepping over to the head of the right hand trail. "We'll just have to see about that won't we?" Kedrick looked back at Arielle, waving her forward so that they would both be ready to go. Dimitri may be excited for this race, but he had now roused Kedrick underlying competitive spirit. Usually, Kedrick was pretty placid, but Dimitri had egged him on just enough that he was now determined to give the other team a run for their money.

Dimitri looked over at Maria, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze. "Ready?" He asked, raising his voice enough for Arielle and Kedrick to clearly hear. "Set," Dimitri could feeling the tension in his legs as he got ready to go, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kedrick mouthing the words with him. "Go!" Dimitri cried, and took off, Maria's hand still held tightly in his.

Kedrick took the que and burst into action, sprinting as fast as he could for the first few yard, before settling into an even running pace. He was sure that Arielle would have no trouble keeping up with him. After all these months, she was completely healed from her injuries, and he had raced her enough times in the past to know that she ran just about even, if not a little faster than himself. He grinned over at her, his heart rate rising to compensate for the expended energy. "Lets get them," He said simply.

Dimitri and Maria had already made it quite a ways. Dimitri knew for certain that the paths would meet up again, but now he wondered if he had misjudged the distance slightly. It wouldn't really be a problem, their race just might be a little longer than they had anticipated.

As he thought this, another revelation occurred it him. It was dark, very dark, far too dark for the middle of the day, even if they where in the thick of a forest. He looked up, curious now, but not concerned. He continued running as he tried to get a glimpse of the sky. When he did, he was surprised by what he saw. The thick white cloud cover that they had left behind was gone now. While they had been under the trees, it had roiled up into a black mass above them that was blocking out the sunlight.

Dimitri filled his lungs with the sweet, forest air, noting that that too was thick with moisture. While he had been looking up at the sky through the gaps in the branches, he had almost forgotten to breath as much as he needed while running. "Maria, I think it's going to-" He started, before suddenly it did. The rains started with a few fat, heavy drops that fell though the branched, but picked up speed quickly. Dimitri threw a glance over at Maria. "Hurry," He called, having to raise his voice over the rain. "We have to get to the cross roads to Kedrick and Arielle, We'll figure out what we're doing then."

Kedrick, unlike Dimitri had been too focused on the race to notice the darkening of the sky, and it wasn't until the rain was upon them that either one of them saw it coming. Kedrick let out a cry of surprise, throwing a glance over at Arielle. With the picnic basket swinging wildly from his arm, Kedrick pulled off his jacket, holding it out of both he and Arielle head, still jogging. He knew that the only practical thing to do, was to get to the cross road.

Dimitri drew in a breath through his teeth. They simply had to be getting close now. He scoured the area ahead of them,remembering just now that the paths curved slightly before meeting back up again. He shook his head, water flying from the ends of his hair. He looked over at Maria, even just from the short time, the heavy rain had soaked them both. Dimitri looked from Maria, to a small branch off the path, and then back to Maria. The wet, dark hair boy reached out, grabbing her wrist, and pulling her over. "This way," He called, "if we take this branch, it'll cut off the corner, we'll get to Kedrick and Arielle faster." He said, his voice still raised as they ducked down the small branch trail.

In fairness to Dimitri, the trail that would have cut the corner off of their trip was there, It just wasn't where Dimitri thought it was. The trail that Dimitri was thinking of ran right next to a deer trail, and it had been wildly over grown to the point that it hardly existed any more. The deer trail on the other hand, had been well used by deer, bear, and a number of other small animals over the years. The difference way, this trail became gradually smaller as it went on, and it didn't join back up to the main trail. This is the path that Dimitri and Maria ended up on, and that's where the trouble began.

((It's okay, I was pretty busy over the weekend anyways. ^^ But I'm super excited to be at this point in the role play! Now the real fun start! 8D ))

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Well, if you say not to worry about it then I won't," Maria responded with a light shrug of her shoulders. She knew that Arielle and herself made sure not to make the basket too heavy to carry, but of course that didn't mean that she wasn't concerned about it, especially with them trying to race to their destination.

She felt herself smile as Kedrick confirmed that he would keep an eye on Arielle. It wasn't as if the young girl didn't believe that Kedrick wouldn't do it, especially since it would seem just plain wrong if her best friend's boyfriend didn't make sure his girlfriend was fine, but she still wanted to make sure.

Arielle felt herself smirk at Dimitri's cockiness about him and Maria being the ones to beat them to the site. She raised an eyebrow and gave him this, So you say, expression on her face. From the corner of her eye she saw Kedrick wave her over to where he was standing and followed him over.

Dimitri's enthusiasm was contagious since now Arielle was starting to feel pumped up about the race. Of course, with the constant talk about the clumsy one being careful, she only hoped that she didn't end up hurting herself if everyone had jinxed it. Hopefully nothing bad happens to any of us, Isabelle thought before her mind fully took into consideration that Dimitri was readying them all for their race.

Maria smiled at Dimitri and squeezed his hand gently. She could definitely feel the friendly competitiveness in the air. As soon as Dimitri shouted 'Go!', everyone was off, she and Dimitri one way and Kedrick and Arielle another way. She followed closely behind Dimitri, holding onto his hand and making sure that she didn't lose her footing.

At the mark, Arielle followed behind Kedrick and made sure to keep a decent pace alongside her boyfriend. It felt good to run again, especially since she hadn't done it so much. Even though her injuries from the past episode were barely noticeable anymore, she still had a tendency to take it easy while she ran. When he looked back and grinned at her, she smiled back and nodded. Yes, let's, she thought, running a little faster, but not too fast that she would lose Kedrick.

Maria had no idea how long they had been running, but it honestly didn't bother her too much. All she did was follow closely behind Dimitri since he knew where he was going and focused on what was around her, just in case he did forget and they needed to retrace their steps.

She was barely aware that it seemed to be darker around where they were until her mind processed that her environment seemed to have been just a tad bit dimmer from before. She took quick glances and noticed, just like Dimitri, that the sky was a little less friendly looking than before and only hoped that they wouldn't get caught in any bad weather.

Of course, Maria felt like that even that thought was jinxed. Before Dimitri could finish saying his sentence, the sky decided to let loose the rain water upon them and Maria almost wanted to pout. Now how were they going to enjoy a picnic if it was raining? Unless there was a large tree with good enough protection for them to sit under. Maria nodded at what Dimitri said and picked up her pace just a bit so that they could reach Kedrick and Arielle as soon as they could and figure out what to do from there.

Arielle had noticed seconds before Kedrick that things seemed a bit different when it came to the weather, but she honestly hoped that it was her imagination. That hope was proven wrong when she felt the rain falling on her skin. She looked over at Kedrick and thought something bad had happened but realized that he was finally noticing the fact that it was raining. She smiled gently at him as he covered their heads with his jacket and wondered just how long it would take until the two of them would meet back up with Maria and Dimitri.

Maria wished that the rain could've happened later during the day instead of then. She didn't hate the rain because she loved it. Of course, not when she didn't want it to rain. She was completely soaked and now wished that she had brought something warm with her to wear so that she wouldn't get sick, but that was unlikely so she had to deal with what she had on.

Maria let Dimitri lead her since she had clearly no idea where she was going in the first place. Even though she had some strange feeling, almost like a premonition of some sort, that something might go wrong, but barely believed in such things.

Unknowingly to her, for once in her life, since her bad feelings about meeting Jonesy, should she have believed int hat foreboding feeling in her gut which her father claim's is a family thing. Especially since the way that Dimitri was leading them would only bring them even farther away from her friends, but she barely had time to think about that since her only thought was getting out of the rain and meeting up with Kedrick and Arielle. Oh rain, please end soon, Maria thought with a small sigh, not letting go of Dimitri and still making sure that she watched her footing.

(There, finally done~. Let the trouble begin~)  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Kedrick ran with Arielle by his side, heavy raindrops splatting against his face and plastering his hair to his head despite the meager cover of his jacket. The dry, dusty path under their feet was quickly becoming a treacherous stretch of mud that slid under his sneakers, threatening to have them slip to the ground. "Watch your step!" He called, still having to raise his voice over the wind.

Dimitri pushed through some of the branches that hung low over the path. The trees overhead protected them very little from the pounding rain, and there ground here too was getting slippery. Dimitri looked around, concern flickering on his face, the storm didn't seem to be a passing one, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse. The wind picked up, screaming loudly as it moved through the trees. The sound was deafening and Dimitri ducked his head to try and keep the pounding rain out of his eyes.

He looked back at Maria, making sure she was alright, he hoped that she wasn't afraid of storms. Dimitri, on a normal day, like to watch a good storm, but that was when he was somewhere warm, and dry, watching it from a window. This was entirely different. Here, he was out in the middle of the screaming wind and the lashing rain that stung his face and arms. His clothing felt heavy with the water that had completely soaked it by this point. The branches of the trees around them began to bend and whip back and forth, swinging dangerously close to them. Dimitri felt a momentary stab of panic, this was a dangerous place to be. The path wasn't joining to the main one, in fact, it was getting more difficult to pick through. Low shrubs and tangles of weeds and bushes were coming across the path, making it hard to run.

Meanwhile, Kedrick was just wonder how far this path would take them, and weather or not the had gotten lost, when he saw the paths meeting up ahead. He breathed a deep sigh of relief. "There!" He called, pointing with his free hand. "There's the end!" He felt relief wash though him, but it was short lived, as he suddenly realized that Maria and Dimitri weren't waiting for them there. He tried to shove this feeling aside, telling himself that they where probably just around the corner, and that they'd be there any second now.

Kedrick slowed his pace, and came to a stop at the crook of the two paths, his ribs aching from running, his soaking hair in his eyes. He looked at Arielle, his eyes expressing his concern for their friends. 'Where are they?...' He wondered, craning his head to see as far down the other path as he could.

Dimitri's legs where beginning to ache, and it was harder and harder to keep his footing on the treacherous ground. Suddenly, when he thought this situation couldn't be worse, a crack of thunder boomed around them, loud, and sudden enough to make Dimitri jump. He gave an involuntary gasp of shock, jerking his head skyward to look though the gaps in the branches. As often happen with thunder, the lightning was quick to follow. A blot so bright it made the entire woods glow split the sky for a brief second, and Dimitri knew they where in trouble. This storm had gone from being an annoyance, to something very dangerous. "Maria!" He yelled, his words almost snatched away by the howling wind. "We have to find shelter! We can't stay out here!"

Kedrick heard the thunder at the same time as Dimitri and looked up, the same thought running though his head. "This isn't safe Arielle," He said, grabbing her arm firmly as though afraid that the wind would snatch her away from him. "We can go back along Dimitri and Maria's path and meet up with them if they haven't turned back already." He said. It was the only practical thing to do, a few minutes ago, they might have decided to wait the storm out, but now there was the danger of the lightning, and the wind was strong enough to rip branches from the trees. And a picnic in the woods wasn't worth getting crushed by a falling branch.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

For Arielle, the only thing she could manage to see was just water. Then again, she didn't want to lose her focus on what was in front of her. After all the jokes about being the clumsy one, the one thing she wanted to avoid doing was proving that fact true. Every part of her was soaked, but the only thing that seemed to matter was the fact Kedrick was by her side.

She could barely hear what Kedrick was saying, but from the sudden slipperiness of the ground beneath her feet, she could only assume that he wanted her to be careful With that thought in mind, she still made sure to move quickly, but not too quick that she fell and hurt herself. Totally not the kind of weather for being a klutzy spazz.

Maria honestly had no idea what to think of the sudden change of events. She followed suit of Dimitri, moving branches out of her way and was glad that they had some kind of protection from the rain. A part of her was already hoping that the weather couldn't get worse or that they wouldn't meet up with Kedrick and Arielle, but she didn't want to think that or she would slow them down.

She saw him look back at her and almost wanted to tell him to focus, but if she was him, she would have done the exact same thing. She could tell that there was no letting up of the rain just yet, especially if it was raining like cats and dogs. She had to squint through the blinding rain so that she could stay aware of her surroundings. It still didn't help, in her case, that the forest seemed to be out to kill them. The more they continued on, the more she was somewhat aware that they weren't joining along with another one, and it was now becoming even harder to run at the same speed she had been going for that time being. I guess I was wrong in that it couldn't get any worse, she thought with a light frown.

Arielle couldn't explain the happiness she felt when they finally seemed to be coming to an end. She was almost afraid that it wouldn't come at all. She smiled when Kedrick exclaimed that they had reached the end, but at the same time, there was a sudden realization that Maria and Dimitri hadn't met up with them yet. She did worry of course, but she had assumed that maybe they had more to work through with the trail they had gone on, especially since they didn't know how easily manageable it was for each path.

She slowed down alongside Kedrick and pushed some of her wet hair out of her face. She took deep breaths and felt Kedrick's eyes on her. She looked over at him and could see the concern in his eyes, and understood his same sentiments, reflecting those same feelings through her eyes as she held onto his hand.

At the sound of the thunder, Arielle jumped quickly out of surprise, gasping as well, before regaining her senses. Any other time she wouldn't have minded listening to the thunder, but that would've been in the safety of her room inside, not outside where it was completely dangerous. Before she could say anything, she felt Kedrick grabbing onto her arm and pulling her away just as he told her how unsafe it was.

She wanted to protest and ask Kedrick to wait for another five minutes, but she knew that he was right. She knew that after thunder, lightning would follow closely after it and they would be unsafe if that happened. Her only fear though, besides not finding Dimitri and Maria, was the fact that Maria hated thunder and lightning storms, especially since she was absolutely terrified of them. And Dimitri doesn't know that..., she thought worriedly, And I'm not there to calm her down.

I honestly hope we can find Kedrick and Arielle soon! We can't be lost, Maria thought the farther they were going. She was about to open her mouth to ask Dimitri that question when she heard the rolling boom of thunder. Immediately, the young Hispanic teen stopped running and everything else in her mind seemed to fade away. It was like there was a complete change in character and the strong determined young woman to being that of a scared little girl.

Not a storm! Not a storm! Please let it end! I hate this! Maria thought in fear as she clasped her hands to her ears before quickly moving her hands to hug herself. She wanted to curl up and hide, especially since she no longer had any desire to continue going. She heard Dimitri calling out to her and saying that they needed to find shelter, but she couldn't bring herself to move on. Also, because of the split up, she didn't have Arielle to help calm her down, and all she wanted to was cry. All Maria could do was stare at the cry and tremble in fear, fighting off every fiber that she had to start breaking down in a state of panic.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

"Come on," Kedrick said, his voice as gentle as it could be while he was still trying to be heard over the screaming wind. "Don't worry, We'll meet up with them on their trail, I'm sure." Taking her hand firmly in his, Kedrick started at a quick jog down the trail that Maria and Dimitri should have come from.

Kedrick scanned the path ahead of him, his eyes stinging as the rain lashed brutally against his face. He was looking for any traces of their two friends. He was so focused on looking for their figures in the path ahead of him, that Kedrick payed not mind to the obscure, ill traveled path that branched off the main trail. Before they knew it, the drenched couple has come out at the mouth of the trail that looked out over the lake. The surface of the water was a dark, dangerous gray, and it pitched and rolled as the heavy sheets of rain crashed into it.

Kedrick's breath caught in his throat, only room of one thought in his frozen mind. 'they're not here... he thought numbly. Kedrick felt panic rise inside of him, clenching his heart, and forcing it's way up to his throat. He shook his head quickly, dragging in a deep breath. 'The campsite....it's not for sure until you've checked the campsite...' Kedrick's hand tightened on Arielle's in what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze, although to him, it felt more like he was hanging on to a lifeline.

Dimitri pushed though the rapidly thickening undergrowth, his foot slipping dangerously underneath him. Dimitri gasped sharply, catching himself on a branch that was in a mercifully convenient place. Another crack of lightning split the sky, quickly followed by the answering thunder. Dimitri, worried again, looking back at Maria, only to realize that she had stopped several paces behind him, and was hugging herself tightly. 'she's afraid...' Dimitri realized, hurrying back towards her.

Dimitri grabbed Maria's shoulders, squeezing gently. "Maria, Maria, come on, snap out of it, we've got to find shelter." He said urgently, pushing the wet hair out of her face and touching her cheek. Another crack of lightning. Dimitri realized that there was not time for this, if they stayed in one spot, they'd be crushed, or electrocuted. Wrapping an arm firmly around Maria's waist, Dimitri pulled her along next to him. He couldn't just let her stand there, even though fairly well anywhere they stood was dangerous now.

Dimitri searched feverishly for a place to hide for the storm, but for several agonizing minutes, found nothing. The forest they where in had large glacier deposits of rock. These weren't just your average, every day rocks, these rocks where the size of houses. Dimitri knew for certain that a real cave would be far to much to hope for, but suddenly, he spotted their safe point. This said safe point was a place near the base of one of the larges rocks in the area. A large piece of the rock had been broken away when the passing glacier had left it stranded many years ago, and by the way the rock was set, it left a nice over hang. Dimitri decided right away that this would have to do.

"Come on, this way." Dimitri said breathlessly to Maria, still hanging on to her tightly. Pushing his way through the under grown, Dimitri and Maria made their way to the over hang. Dimitri took a deep breath, looking at Maria's white face. "in we go..." He said gently, his voice barely audible over the storm as he knelt down on the damp ground and crawled under the overhang, guiding Maria in after him. The dark hair boy hoped desperately that, once out of the storm's furry, Maria would calm down. He reached out, touching her sopping back hesitantly. "Maria..." He said softly, his voice carrying better under their temporary roof. "Maria, it's okay...we'll be safe here until the storm passes..."

Kedrick came to a skidding stop int front of the campsite, his heart in his shoes. The fire was completely drenched, not even a trace of an ember, and the canvas sides of the tent billowed and hissed as the wind pushed though them. Anything left out had blow hither and yon, but that wasn't the main problem, none of this was. The main problem, was that the campsite was completely deserted. Kedrick felt his panic rising again. 'Not at the crossroads of the trails...not on their trail...not here...' He voiced the last part of his thought, even though he knew Arielle had no more answer than he did. "Where are they?"

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"I just hope you're right," Arielle found herself saying not only aloud but in her thoughts as well. She appreciated his gentle voice, and felt like that helped calm her down somewhat. Yet, she still couldn't help but worry about her friends, especially Maria. The only thing she wanted was to know that they were safe and that they would meet up with them soon enough.

She let Kedrick lead her to where they needed to go, making sure to keep pace with him as well and tried not to trip as well. Like Kedrick, Arielle too was blinded by the heavy rainfall and had a hard time trying to make sure that the two of them hadn't gotten lost by trying to return back to where they started. The one thought that she found entertaining at that current moment was that she wouldn't mind for a cup of hot tea or chocolate to warm herself up, even though she knew that was impossible with the state of the weather.

Let's just hope it doesn't last like this forever, Arielle thought just as she and Kedrick finally found themselves close enough to the campsite. From as far as she could see, Maria and Dimitri were nowhere to be found and for a brief moment, she felt her anxiety about their well being rise again, but she had to keep it under control for the sake of Kedrick. There's still the campsite left, Arielle thought, trying to stay positive, We won't be completely sure until we get there. She felt Kedrick's hold tighten on her hand and wished that she could calm him down, especially since she knew that he needed it. Just please be there guys...

Maria was barely aware of the fact that Dimitri had stopped. She almost thought that he would've left her behind, but knew that wasn't the case. Part of her was hating the fact that she was revealing to Dimitri her greatest fear during a time when it wasn't the best idea to be scared, but her anxiety caused by the thunder and soon the sound of lightning wasn't really helping her keep her usual calm state of mind.

She felt Dimitri grab hold of her shoulders, squeezing them gently and trying to get her to snap out of it. If it was as easy as that, she would've done so, but storms were on of her fears that kept her immobilized. She heard his voice and was about to break free from her trance when there was another crack of lightning. A startled shriek escaped her lips followed by frightened whimpers.

Maria couldn't say anything as Dimitri took hold of her by her waist and guided her along somewhere that wasn't out in the open. Despite the fact that her mind was too busy panicking about the storm overhead, her feet found themselves moving to get out of there.

She still wasn't completely sure where they were and how far they were at that moment, but her only concern now was getting out of the open. Soon her eyes were aware of where they were and realized that they would be able to find a cave for shelter at some point, and that was exactly what had happened.

As Dimitri was leading her inside their shelter, she tried very hard to ignore the fact that there was a storm going on, imagining that Arielle was there with her. Even that didn't help when she heard the thunder again. She felt like that she was going to break down crying like she was when she was five. Maria worked hard to focus on Dimitri's voice and was very grateful that they were somewhere dry. She found herself shaking still and hugging onto Dimitri, not wanting to let go.

"I'm so scared Dimitri," Maria sobbed, "We're lost from Arielle and Kedrick and it's storming outside! I am so terrified of storms Dimitri! I-I'm so sorry for crying on you but I...I'm just so scared..."

When Arielle and Kedrick finally made it back to the campsite, there was no denying the fact that she was completely devastated about what she saw. There was no presence of Dimitri or Maria at all, which meant that they were still somewhere in the forest and most likely got lost on their way. The young girl took deep breaths, keeping every negative thought out of her mind and was able to hear Kedrick's question.

"I don't know, Kedrick," Arielle answered with a light frown, "They have to still be out there, but it's not safe for us to be standing around. We've got to go somewhere dry and wait for them to come back. Whether we like it or not."

(Woooo~ I finally got my response up! Hooray for summer =w=.)