Welcome to Gaia! ::

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It had been ages since anyone had stepped foot into the chime gardens. The snow was untouched, and everything silent. It seemed as though this place would remain the same, until a pair of steady footsteps crunching through the snow betrayed that notion.

Alex was very dark in comparison to the snow white surroundings. His hair, his jacket, his pants, even the smudged lines of black around his eyes refused to blend in. But that was to be expected from an ex-goth. Alex mused about the whole idea. Really, what had happened to him? Why'd he let that go? He was still darker than most people, but he felt like by enrolling at Grove, he was secretly agreeing to conform to their uniforms and expectations.

Whatever.

Alex could handle that. He could slip into a uniform and still be himself. Maybe he could even work the prep look while still wearing eyeliner or doing something to his hair. It could all work. He'd make it work.

Despite his brooding nature, Alex could still see the beauty and light in the world. While walking, he came upon a koi pond. There was just the slightest film of ice coating the surface. So delicate, so untouched. A part of him wished he could find more things like that in the world, instead of ruined people left and right.

At the edge of this pond, Alex knelt down. He could fall in, balanced on his toes as he was, but he wouldn't. He was too good at sitting still and quiet, at knowing how not to be noticed. He'd learned that from trying to avoid his b***h of a mother for all those years.
A sudden smirk pulled at his lips.
So why'd he go through that stage where visually, he was all you could focus on?

As Alex crouched and thought, he didn't even notice the girl a ways off, sitting on the bench behind him. For all he knew, he was alone.

The sound of a voice, and a girl's voice, at that, scared him. He jumped, almost sending himself right into the pond to shatter that veil of ice on the water. s**t!

Alex spun his head around as soon as he caught himself fully. Attractive young men...?
Him?
And once he saw who had said it (and how could he have missed her, with all that red hair?), he had the distinct feeling of being trapped by a siren.

Alex stood in a slow, deliberate manner. He certainly wasn't used to people wanting to talk to him. This would be an adventure of sorts. An adventure with a really hot girl. That is, if he could see just what this was all about. Trusting people wasn't something Alex liked to do, as they always seemed to disappoint.

"I dunno about that. I'm not a student here. At least, not yet," Alex replied cooly, adding his own little smile to his smooth voice. Play the game, he thought. Play along.

Alex cocked his head at her, trying not to break out into laughter. Who was she kidding? Really, she was laying it on so thick, he could cut it with a knife. But, he kept his peace, with the only thing betraying his calm being the sparkle in his blue eyes.

"Alex. Alex Beaumont. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Danni." He was sorely tempted to give her a deep bow or something, but he wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor. Even if they were toying with each other, handing her that lie would be a bit too much.

"So," he said, suddenly turning on his heel and walking the other way. "Is this what you do for fun around here, in the middle of nowhere? Sit on benches, scare innocent people as they stare into ponds?"
He knew she'd follow, but just to make sure, Alex stopped, turning only slightly to catch her in the corner of his eye.

Her response earned a smirk, though not a cynical one as he was used to, but something approaching a real smile.
"Staring into ponds," he said, hooking his thumb at the one nearby, "Only when there's one nearby. I'm a city kid. We have puddles, not ponds."

As for being harassed by girls... well, he was used to being harassed in general, but by girls?
"The second part of your question, I have to admit... this is a mystery to me. We'll have to see how it goes and I'll file a report later." They passed a few trees, which he immediately wanted to climb. But if she couldn't join in, he didn't want to leave her stranded on the ground, and so Alex just leaned up against one for support.

"That is, if we see more of each other."

Oh, please guide me. It was a wicked little thought that went as soon as it came, but one thing was for sure: Danni wasn't going anywhere if he had a say in it.

"I'll be honest, any place is better than 'home'. Wanted to get out. Parents just got divorced, and my mom's raising hell."
Which was putting it nicely. Even after she had been so abusive to both her own son and husband, she had started playing the pity card. Where was she going to go? What would she do without her boy? What was she going to do? And could she take the couch since she had picked the color?

"Why'd you stay?" he asked, just to change the subject. If he thought about home for too long, he'd grow ornery, and he didn't want to scare away this new girl.

He shook his head. It was weird, he realized, how it felt like they were old friends. Comfortable. Something he hadn't felt with anyone for a real long time. He could even imagine her being with people who weren't blood-family, just having fun. If she could forge bonds like that, then she was sure to be someone he could get to know more.

"Just got here this morning, but things are so backed up in the offices that I haven't been properly, you know, welcomed. No idea where my room is, though they took my stuff there. Kind of sucks right now. I'm basically stranded."

Not that he minded, of course. Alex was ready for the welcome interview and everything. He had even promised his dad he wouldn't wear his lip ring, just to make a better impression than he was bound to.