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 Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 6:25 pm
Simple minded? Not really, she simply had an active if simple imagination. Ivie dealt well with facts and figure and diagrams, but art wasn't her forte. She distinctly remembered almost failing her classes in that at school, and really, who failed art? It was practically impossible!
"I guess it might be better for them this way then..." Ivie agreed, her mind also flicking to the subjects of deforestation and other such depressing things. Who hadn't seen the ads? "They get a safe life here too...but I don't think birds starve themselves. But I wouldn't know..."
Yeah, definitely a heavy atmosphere. Ivie didn't resist when Nye took her hand and led her away, falling into step for the short walk over. Behind the shrubbery you could vaguely see other zoo patrons loitering around for 'Feeding Time', one of the few afternoon events the zoo held. The red-head seemed to perk up a little. "Oh, it must start soon! It's almost half past." It was then her that tugged Nye into the que to receive their 50 cent bag of bird feed and be ushered into the humid, squawking menagerie.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:27 pm
"Well," Nye said in defense of his depression theorem, "My fish have done it before."
As they collected their bird feed and walked into the enclosure, the first thing that Nye noticed was the sound. Those birds sang and sang, and there were so many of them it was impossible to tell where exactly one was. The songs resonated through the space, followed by the heavy air. Definitely a welcome atmosphere from the near painful crispness outside, and all the colors, too! It was like stepping onto another planet.
Nye unbuttoned his coat and pulled a small handful of feed from the bag they were given. Spotting a bird wasn't too hard if you looked close enough, and Nye saw one right near the entrance. He walked over to the bush, and put his hand out for the bird to come to him. He remembered vividly what it was like to not be able to reach the bird, let alone feed it freely. "I think I see a few more over here."
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:34 pm
While Ivie had unbuttoned her outer jacket she left her scarf firmly around her neck, preferring not to be stared at by the smattering of other bird-feeders. Ah, but it was nice to be warm. As much as Ivie loved winter she was more at home in slightly warmer temperatures. Summer was bad, though; with skin her colour, harsh sunlight led to speedy burning, and being sunburnt was something Ivie didn't enjoy. She went through a lot of lotion in those months.
Still, she did enjoy the birds. There was a mild paranoia about them pooping on her from above but other than that, Ivie was ready and willing to be a perch for any feathery friend that flew her way. She inched after Nye and looked up at the bird that had worked its way down to sit on his hand, nomming happily on the offering of seed and grain. Though Ivie might have held her hand up like his she was either too short, or too much of a red-head, for them to really pay attention to her. Still, she tried.
Unknown to Ivie, she wasn't bird-repellent. One overly friendly bird had taken it upon himself to perch on her hat and happily bobbed around on its new moving seat, looking rather pleased with itself. Figures.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:48 pm
It took Nye a few seconds of feeding his own feathery friend to spot the one ever so happily sitting on Ivie's hat. Smiling, he bent down and reached his hand over to take her wrist. "You know, Miss Callaghan, sometimes your eyes and yours ears might deceive you as well." He was close on a whole different level, this time. If Ivie wasn't able to feel his breath on her while he whispered, there was something wrong with that girl.
Aside from that, ever so gently, he guided her hand up and to the top of her head. The bird, suspicious at fist, tentatively latched onto the side of Ivie's hand and began pecking at the feed merrily. A fun perch was sometimes worth giving up for food.
Still smiling, Nye rose to his full height and continued entertaining the now two birds perched on his hand. It was really a good day so far.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:59 pm
Don't worry, Ivie isn't completely oblivious. You'd have to be daft not to notice that Nye was getting awfully close and surprisingly, Ivie really didn't mind. Letting him do what he wanted, it would be quite obvious if Nye was looking for it that Miss Callagher was blushing lightly at the attention he was deciding to lavish upon her. It was a welcome distraction to feel the bird creeping onto her hand and it gave her an excuse to look down as she brought it down to her level.
Heh. It's pecking tickled. The silly little giggle she'd held back earlier, Nye's fault, was now allowed free since she had something else to laugh about. The character on her hand had decided that her finger was just as entertaining as the food, and was pecking at it happily as she wiggled it around. Comfortable and happy, Ivie scooted a little closer to Nye subconsciously, all but leaning on the man as a bird hopped from his hand over to hers, obviously attracted by the finger.
"Pity they don't give us longer..." She said quietly, noting that the fifteen minutes was almost up.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:15 pm
A-ha! She blushed! So his attempts weren't entirely futile.
"Yes," he agreed quietly, "pity indeed." With the warmth of another body so close to him and the amusement of the playful birds, the remainder of the fifteen minutes seemed to pass by all too quickly. By the time they had to leave, the bag of feed was gone, and Nye was in extremely good spirits.
Therein lies the problem of what to do with the rest of the day. "Well, Miss Callaghan, are there more birds you'd like to see or shall we step back out to greet Jack Frost personally?" The formality seemed to be just a game- some secret code between just the two of them that meant, "Hey Ive, let's go look at the rest of the animals!" instead of what really came out of Nye's mouth.
Ah, his mother always said that he'd do well with a London accent.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:34 am
Well of course they wern't futile, Ivie was still a girl with romantic ideals in mind. Hers were just tinted with pain and a few years of suffering because of them, and not everyone was willing to jump into things the day after you've been choked by your ex.
Still, she didn't mind Nye's flirting, strangely enough. It made her feel the same butterflies in her stomach that she used to get when cute boys at school paid her extra attention. It was a warm, happy feeling, and as they left the cage she loosely wrapped her arm around his. It could be interpreted as a friendship thing, or perhaps more? Maybe.
"Mm...I do believe you would appreciate a trip to the big cats, Mr Hemmingway." Yes, it was a game. Just pop them in period clothing and into a Jane Austin novel. "What with your singing of disney songs all the time, I do believe the lions would like to see you."
Giving a tug to his arm, the two strolled into the icy wind that made up winter in these parts. It was enough to inch Ivie closer and really, Nye should feel honoured that she was this clingy with him. It meant she liked him, and Ivie Callaghan wasn't a very clingy person with men. She let go when they entered the woodern path that led them through the fake rainforest that the big-cat cages were scattered through, and Ivie trotted over to the cage, gloved fingers clinging onto the cage bars.
"Oh...I think they're all inside." She said glumly, shoulders sagging a little.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:02 pm
Well, the fact that she wasn't completely rejecting him made Nye feel very accomplished. He didn't even pay any mind to the stinging wind once they got outside, or the absence of his favorite mammals aside from peacocks and flamingos.
"No worries!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "We'll come back to see them when it's a bit warmer outside." Winter... winter... what could you do outside in the winter?
Going back to his younger years, Nye remembered the best form of amusement, ever. "We can go sledding instead! I haven't gone yet this winter, and I heard they really did a good job with the big slopes this time around. Unless, of course, you're up for something different." He was open to any ideas, but sledding was a must-do for the winter season, at least once. Come on now.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:36 pm
With all her peering and repositioning, all Ivie had managed to see what a flicking tail outside of the internal pens. Nothing worth celebrating about, that was for sure. It was likely that the majority of the other enclosures would be in the same state and sigh sighed quietly. She would have liked to have seen some other things.
"Well, alright..." She admitted defeat, though didn't sound hugely pleased about it. The zoo was one of her favourite places, after all. "But sledding? I haven't been since school..." That line was becoming a bit of a reoccurring theme if you noticed. Ivie didn't.
"Well alright but we shouldn't stay too long...it'll get dark soon." The thought of being out after dark wasn't appealing to the girl right now. She shivered a little, cold.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:49 pm
Nye brought his arm around her shoulders again, this time more for warmth than the sake of flirting or anything, and began leading her slowly out of the zoo. "Don't worry, we'll come back when all the exhibits are open again, and maybe even stay for the whole day or something."
It took the car a few moments to even start warming up, but Nye didn't give it a chance to. He pulled out carefully, and began driving out farther into the outskirts of the town to the sled hills. He was always tempted to snowboard down them, but last time he tried, he ended up ripping his Achilles's tendon. Whoops.
The 20 minute drive was filled with random small talk and lots of music that had nothing to do with Christmas, thank the heavens. Nye hated early December for all that... spirity music. Too much!
The car park was decently filled when Nye pulled in and put the warmed up vehicle in park. He climbed out first, and as per usual went around to open the door for Ivie and help her out. Now, the cool thing is, the cars that were parked were there for the ski lodge. Instead of going there, Nye simply went around to the trunk of his car and popped it open via the keys.
"Behold!"
... What kind of a loser carries a bright red sled in their trunk all winter?
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:56 pm
Nye was spoiling Ivie. Not through the trips, not through buying her things, but she was going to end up expecting doors to be opened for her every time. Not helpful for a nurse, really, but hey. It gave her a few more precious seconds with the heat that had gathered in the car. Stepping out and feeling her already raw cheeks being blasted with yet more freezing air. Cold.
Squinting against the setting sun, Ivie raised a hand up to glance over at the ski lodge. She'd never been there and was curious, but that wasn't their destination for today. No, they were heading up some powder-puff mountains by themselves only to slide back down. What strange things we do for fun.
"It looks a bit of a hike." She commented, though that wasn't about to put either of them off. Turning away from the sun she followed Nye to the back of the car...only to burst into giggles. "Keep meaning to come and getting distracted, huh?" It was a very Nye thing to do, that.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:01 pm
"I could carry you up there if it's too much for you, Princess." Haha. He likes to think he's funny, you know.
With one hand on the raised trunk door and the other on his hip, Nye shook his head in disappointment. "That about sums it up. There's so much to do on the usual route... thank goodness we were coming from the zoo today!" Suddenly cheery once more, he grabbed the sled and slammed the trunk, only to start the only mildly tedious hike up the hill.
"Onward, to the trail we blaze!"
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Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 12:32 am
"Nonsense, Jeeves. It's your job to carry the sled!" The English accent made a reappearence for the line as Ivie made a show of fluffing her hair. She might as well call him Jeeves, for all the chauffering he was doing for her lately. Thankful she was in jeans and a sweater rather than her normal winter skirts, Ivie followed Nye and the little red wagon sled up the hills, using his footsteps to make her own trek easier. Nye's strides were a little lengthy for her own but she managed to make it to the top of the hill without too much effort.
"Oh...pretty." She breathed, puffs of hot air floating up in front of her face. The sun was dipping beneath the snowy city-scape before them, painting the rooves and valley below in orange and pink colours. How romanic, their first sunset. Meanwhile Nye was busy setting up the sled on top of the hill. He held it still and in place for her as she slipped into the front position. She and her father had done this when she was really small and then, later, she and her sisters had done the same. As the elder she was always stuck up the back. Not today, my friends; Ivie was riding up the front. She was smaller than Nye, after all. Feeling his legs settle either side of her, Ivie leant back against him as he pushed them off.
Hopefully her hair didn't choke him as they soared down the hill at breakneck speeds. Ivie let out a happy whoop as the air rushed past them, stinging her nose and cheeks and letting loose a rather hefty adreniline rush. Not worrying about steering, she didn't see the large root sticking out the snow in front of them until it was too late.
"NYE! Look out!" Far too late. The sled collided with the branch and sent them both flying, Nye over the top of her and Ivie over the front of the sled. She went into a roll, snow finding its way into her mouth and eyes, as they both travelled further down the slope without the sled. It was a short fall and something warm and soft stopped Ivie's fall. It appeared she'd landed sprawled atop Nye's body, her head on his chest. Right now, however, she was just feeling very, very dizzy. With a quiet groan she let her forehead flop back onto him, just glad she was alright.
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Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 1:02 am
It had been a successful day. Arvia had been to class, given her nails a good file during her lecture and painted them through her tutorial. Oh yes, she was paying attention but she really didn't see the point in taking notes she wouldn't look at ever again. It was a waste of paper, too. She didn't talk on her mobile, didn't sleep, her lecturers should be grateful. She paid her dues.
Sliding out of her soft-top masserati, legs primly together under their fashionable skirt and stockings, Arvia Douay braved the winter evening armed with jacket, scarf and beret. Her rediculously long hair was pulled into two bunches punctuated with elastic bands down their length. A ridiculous length really, it hung past her rear and then some, but she liked it. It was dramatic.
Dropping her lipbalm into her handbag, Arvia clicked the automatic locks on her birthday present and dropped those in too. Her garage was a later addition to the Douay manor and there wasn't a direct door inside. It hadn't been possible without compromising saftey so Arvia was forced to make the ten meter walk outside, around the main garage and up the manor steps in the cold. It was a challenge, it was true, but it was something she'd do for her public.
Besides, in the summer, the view was very, very worth it. Today like every day, one of the Douay family gardeners was busy taking care of the front patio. Winter meant snow shoveling, but summer, ah, summer meant lawn mowing and hedge cutting. Hard labour in the sunlight meant sweaty bodies and shirts off, oh-ho.
No, Arvia wasn't a pervert. Don't even think that.
"Good evening, Gallagher." Arvia greeted the t-shirted man, pausing to dig her house-keys out of her bag. "Busy day?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:41 pm
After an easy trek up, the sledding down was worth it until they hit... the root.
Nye was able to lean to the side at just the right moment to veer the sled off track a teeny bit, to soften the collision at least. The next thing he knew he was spitting up ice and snow and the frozen water was getting into odd places. Injury? Seemingly none.
This seemed to be a cause to laugh. Nye found the biggest amusement in making a fool out of himself, apparently, and only attempted to stop briefly to ask Ivie if she was alright. He attempted to lift a hand to give her a pat on the back and ask if she wanted another go on the other side, but a sharp pain in his right wrist made him yelp. There was no blood, but it looked like it was going to bruise, and was weirdly twisted. A break? Possibly. At least a sprain? Definitely.
Injury discovered.
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