|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:37 pm
"Oh, you bullies." Came the quiet complaint from Ivie as she took another bite of her cake, eyes shutting quietly as she chewed her way into happiness. "It's probably for the best, I'd be a blimp if I knew where to buy cakes this nice!"
Nevermind the fact that she'd probably spend what small amount of cash she put aside from food on cakes and not put on any weight at all due to malnutrition. Oh Ivie, you're meant to be a nurse.
She smiled at Allison as she sat down, though her eyes seemed to slide over Nye as a slightly fixed expression came onto her face. She nodded. "Yes, but please call me Ivie. And...I hope not, that would be rather rude of me."
That distant look in her eyes was slowly creeping back as, mentally, she started to panic. Had she been taking advantage of him? She'd been leeching off him since 'the incident', using his couch and he'd been so nice to her...perhaps she was taking advantage. The hand holding her cake-fork began to shake a little, but she didn't notice.
by the time Gale had slid down to her level, Arvia had tugged her board off her feet and was grinning in triumph. She'd won! Whoo!
"So what was that about eating your snow, mm?" She said smugly, eyes alight with the thrill of the win. "I do believe you owe me a mocha"
"Ohmigawd, guuuuys! Too awesome! Oh Gale, are you alright?" It seemed Michelle had caught up to them, and as she ran up she made quite an obvious display of fussing over Gale. "I saw you fall, are you alright? You didn't break anything , did you?"
So much for the moment,
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:14 am
The group (except Nye, unfortunately) laughed collectively. Zak draped his arm loosely around Ivie's shoulders, more of a goofy friendly gesture than anything else. Allison raised a brow, and looked at Tim. The blonde seemed to be in complete bliss with his strawberry cake, not minding Zak at all.
Zak gave Ivie's shoulder a pat and released her almost immediately after that. "'S alright, he's more than your average hairdresser. We're betting all that extra cash comes from prostitution, but no one can figure out if he's the Richard Gere or the Julia Roberts, if you know what I mean."
Another cacophony of laughs induced by that comment, and even a slight chuckle from Nye. Tim sipped at his tea, not really getting the mass-media joke everyone shared. He wasn't the movie buff type.
Gale pouted as he bent down to get his board off. He didn't like to be a sore loser, really, but his boss' daughter- the reserved, elegant Arvia- had beat him at his own game. Danger, recklessness, bada bing, bada boom. He completely wanted a rematch!
Michelle seemed to have awful timing. Just as he was about to open his mouth, say something pleasant, witty, and clever, she romped onto the scene to coo over his fall. Dear sweet lord. "Yeh," he answered with an unusual gruffness, "Broke m' spleen. Thin' I ough'a go... sleep i' off."
He looked to Arvia for help, desperate to evade all of this uncomfortable-ness. Michelle wasn't exactly his type.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:36 am
If Ivie had been tense before hand, she went positively ridged as Zak's arm draped casually around her shoulder. He meant nothing by it, she knew that, but touch right now was something she was a little sensative to.
"It wouldn't be alright." Ivie murmered, before she caught the giggles at Zak's comparison. "Perhaps he's a little of both?"
Now there was a strange image.
The last piece of her cake vanished between her lips and Ivie looked at her now empty plate, slightly down. It'd be rude to ask for more, so she scraped what she could off the crockery and slid it into her mouth, savouring every last crumb. Hey, she hadn't been working lately; when she went home, it would just be toast for her for a week or two.
Arvia's grin dropped as soon as Michelle approached though this time, with the adreniline still pumping through her brain, it actually registered that Gale didn't seem particularly pleased to see the blonde. Curious. Men usually were. Then again, he'd just fallen off his board and lost to a girl, so perhaps this wasn't the best time for Michelle to be flirting.
"I'll help you back to the lodge." Arvia cut in before Michelle could, sliding an arm under Gale's as if to help him stand. "I think he might just need rest now, Michelle. You know, by himself."
Arvia's tone was quite pleasant but its undertone wasn't; ******** off. One of Michelle's eyebrows rose. Interesting. "Alright, I'll see you at dinner then, 'kay?" And she was gone, skipping back towards the ski shack no doubt to look for those cute ski instructers Arvia had mentioned.
He'd have been able to feel Arvia relaxing under him. "You're not really hurt at all, are you." SHe murmered, smirking a little.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:41 am
Allison was eerily sensitive to other peoples emotions, their wants and needs. She wasn't a mind reader in any case, but the way that she read people definitely gave her some easy solutions to social problems. 'S why she was good for salon gossip. Ivie was scraping crumbs
She glanced at Tim, caught his eyes, looked at the cake, and then to Ivie. After scrunching up his face in thought, a metaphysical light bulb lit up over his head, and the boy got up on his knees again. The knife was in his hand momentarily, and he was slicing up more cake. "Would you like some more, Ivie? It's really good, and Zak's gonna be the blimp if we take any back with us."
Gale couldn't help a grin from spreading across his face. "Only wha's left o' m' ego," he mumbled back. Somehow, this set-up brought him an odd comfort- he was at ease. When Michelle touched him, he got the shivers. Curious.
As soon as Michelle was safely out of side, he bent over to pick up his board from the ground. He was discontent with losing, yes, but he felt that getting poked about it over coffee with a person he actually knew (and wanted to be around) was the better punishment. "C'mon, let's go buy you tha' mocha before I forge'."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:16 pm
She'd only just been placing her fork down when Tim asked the million dollar question. She waited a beat, before nodding. "Yes please!" After all, seeming too eager would make her seems desperate. Her plate was pushed back in Tim's direction and retrieved with another slice, and it was only after Ivie shovelled another mouthful into her gob that she replied.
"So are you boys roomates, then?" She assumed since Tim has said 'back with us' that they were, but that the boys were more than that...well, that would need further study. "How come Nye dosen't live with you as well and he's all by himself?"
Her eyes slid over to the man, before quickly darting back to the cake.
"You boys and your egos. They're so easily broken." Arvia said with a chuckle, amused. She never had a brother so the only boys she'd grown up with were the gardeners, and all of those had giant egos that were never really justified and built on the fact that they were all around twenty and believed themselves invincible.
She let him pull away, brushing one of her braids behind her and shifting her board and her arm. "You sure? You don't have to really." She continued with a smile, knowing Gale was on a limited budget. She led the way back to the lodge, starting to feel the chill seeping through her gloves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:04 pm
Zak nodded a little more enthusiastically than Tim did. He pulled his plate onto his lap for easier access to one of his favorite cakes (although it wasn't like he ate too many- Tim kept his diet in check). After swallowing a mouthful of cake, he was forced to actually think about what to answer. Tim squirmed a little in his place, biting his lip a little. This was always a weird question to answer- he never seemed to wanna talk about why he was out of the house at his age. "Nye was already on his own by the time I moved out of Boston, and Tim needed some new living arrangements recently, so I offered to house him. 'Sides, living with Nye would be too crazy. You never know what shenanigans he'll get up to."
Nye's gaze was fixed on the cup of tea he was so solemnly sipping at. He hadn't said a word all evening, but his friends didn't seem to be extremely concerned with it. Their attention was quite Ivie-centered.
Gale stuck his tongue out at Ivie, which was quite the mature thing to do if you consider the company. I mean, geez, what guy in his post-teenage phase didn't stick his tongues out at people? Psh.
He didn't like to factor his budget into anything, but come on now, he definitely had enough spending money to get him by. 'S not like he needed much anyways, with his pre-determined housing arrangement. If he could just keep up with his studies as well as he was...
"Y' won, fai' n' square. Think o' it as a than's for tha' save a momen' ago." So it was settled- to buy mocha they went!
The atmosphere was a wonderful kinda comfortable that Gale could learn to get used to. He was quite proud of his speedy mocha-retrieval (he got himself a hot chocolate; nothing beats out that for a wintery drink), and as he set the mug down in front of Arvia, he smiled. "Enjoy." The lounge that they found themselves in was lit mainly by the light reflecting off the powdery snow outside, coated in nothing but warm reds and chocolate browns. The chairs surrounding the small tables were plush and comfortable, and one could find many people curled up in their warmth.
Obviously, someone went all-out on this resort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:38 pm
Thankfully Ivie had the tact not to ask any more probing questions. Girls were good like that, you know? They seem to be able to sense when to just stop asking questions...usually, anyway. She simply nodded, taking a few more bites of cake.
"He's that bad, huh?" Ivie said, forcing a smile into her face. "I don't suppose I would have guessed."
Now that was a big lie and Ivie knew it. After all, the first time she'd met Nye he'd been bundled up in a hospital bed after a shooting. She took a sip of her tea, wondering why on earth everyone was paying more attention to her than to their host. She tried to punt the attention back where it was needed. "Just his wrist yesterday, really, and that should heal up fine now, shouldn't it Nye?"
There, that should do it.
Well yes, if you take housing out of the equation you tend to make a pretty penny. Of course, were Arvia in Gale's situation, the majority of her budget would be spent on clothes and conditioner for her hair, but thankfully she wasn't.
Well, it wasn't as if coffee was very expencive.
They'd left the boards in the resturants' cloak room - only cloak rooms at a ski-resort would offer snow-board check in - and Arvia had done as told and curled up on one of the dumpy sofas by the fire. It was evening now and the sun beginning to set, sending off that warm light that was previously mentioned, and with the fire crackling on the other side of her Arvia had to admit that she was rather content.
That and she was spending her time with her hot gardener. Giggle.
"Thanks." She replied with a smile, tugging her mug towards her and blowing at the top of the liquid. It would be far too hot to drink now, so she simply held it between both hands and let the warm ceramics warm the last of the winter chill from her fingers.
"Not a coffee fan?" She asked, more rhetorically than anything. "It seems Michelle's taken a bit of a shine to you. Just wait until you meet the others." This last sentance was a little more grudging. Perhaps she should have insisted on bringing the garden's caretaker along instead, an old guy no-one would bother with.
Oh, but that would mean less eye-candy for her!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:39 pm
As soon as Ivie even mentioned Nye's wrist being injured, the man cringed. A cacophony of sounds ensued- people choking on their tea, their cake, exclaiming extreme sounds of profanity. Buggy-eyed hairdressers shifted their bewilderment over to Nye, who was trying his best to hide any injury with his best (nervous) smile.
"Does JP know?"
"He's gonna flip one on you, Nye!"
"How long's it gonna take to heal?"
"Can you still hold your shears?"
"Can you even hold a fork?"
The questions kept coming faster than Nye could even bother to answer. He put his hands up defensively, and the other three hushed almost immediately. He began rattling off answers, then. "No, maybe, a week, no, shakily."
Zak, Tim, and Allison exchanged glances, wary of the fact that their most popular hairdresser was their ticket to some laughs at work, and JP's immediate happiness. Talent-wise, Tim had Nye beat hands-down, but people suspected him to be gay, so not many girls immediately went to him.
And besides, Nye was the almost-casanova, that smooth-talker.
Allison cleared her throat slightly before speaking. "Well, at least you'll be back soon. Did you tell Ivie about the next party?"
"There's a party?"
"Next week or so."
Nye, cursing Allison's awful timing, turned his body to Ivie just slightly to explain. He seemed a bit too flustered- using his hands to explain things wasn't a usual for him. "Every once in a while the JP will host a party for the salon employees, and they're almost always bring-a-friend type gigs. This one is..."
He trailed off, leaving room for the ever-so-excited Zak to fill in.
"Well, we're all taking a trip up to the ice skating rink, 'cause JP's gonna rent an entire rink for us for a few hours, and then we'll all probably file back to his house for a swim in that crazy indoor pool and some dinner. Might even stay over night! Pillow wars with us are epic."
Gale was blissfully unaware that Arvia was even mildly attracted to him. He sat down on the chair criss-cross applesauce, careful not to spill anything. His cocoa was too hot to drink as well, but he was perfectly content with holding the mug to warm himself up. He always liked to be warm. Back home, he threw his clothes in the dryer for a few minutes before putting them on, just for that comfy feeling. Nothing beat winter work on a farm like a warm sweater.
His wonderful atmosphere was dented by the thought of Michelle. He was a nice guy by nature, he didn't want to flat out tell her he wasn't interested! That'd be mean, you know? But she was persistent, and he was hoping that she'd get his hints before her little flirts got too far. "I'll wear a pa'er ba' on m' 'ead," he said with a roll of the eyes. Really, now. "I don' mean t' be rude, buuu'... I don'... exac'ly li'e Michelle."
There. He said it. Gardeners have feelings too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:55 am
In all honesty, Ivie thought Nye would have let them know already considering he'd been missing work, so when he seemed to shrink a little at her announcement, she couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. Well, she hadn't known! She finished her second slice of cake and quietly placed the plate back on the table, having a feeling she shouldn't have eaten it.
Placing a hand over her tummy, she felt the bulge of overeating and sighed. Yeah, she should have skipped that last one, she was going to feel sick in a minute. "Huh?" Came her intelligent reponce, glancing up at the group. "Party?"
Oh, that sort of party. Actually it sounded fun but...on thinking about it, people might assume things they shouldn't if she went with Nye to anything like this. And then it was decided; swimming. And staying over night. Oh no, she wasn't going there.
"Ah...I wouldn't want to intrude, guys." She said, forcing a smile onto her face despite her voice rising slightly in pitch. Panic? Not quite, but she was getting there. "I think I'm working too, you know, night shift and all and I've already skipped this week and...yeah..sorry?"
Oh please let them drop it!
Gale must have been living under a rock; would Arvia even bother talking to him if she didn't like him, and would she bother hanging out with him so much if she didn't like like him? Probably not, though he was a nice enough guy and all.
She took a slow sip of her mocha, enjoying the feel of well blended coffee and chocolate rushing over her tongue. Ah, there was nothing like a well-made coffee. "You're not being rude." She said, hiding a smirk behind her coffee mug. "Most men do like her though. They like...rather forward girls, I've found, at University."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 1:18 am
Nye was never the type to care if people assumed things, but hell, if it bothered her that much, he'd lay off it. Of course, everyone else seemed to be completely eager to assimilate Ivie into the SA crew. They liked her better than Denise, in any case.
"Oh, but you've gotta come," Zak pleaded. "It'll be really fun!"
Nye couldn't intervene. He gave Ivie an apologetic look, but nothing more could be done.
"We need another person to make noodle-fight teams even, too!" Tim continued. Otherwise, Zak's team always wins!"
Gale would probably never admit it for the sake of being proper, this being his boss' daughter and all, but there was a slight attraction. It couldn't be helped! They always talked, she was reeeallly pretty, and in his age group. Bound to happen.
"Eh," Gale shrugged. He blew on his cocoa once and gave it a gentle sip, deeming it, from there on, good enough to drink. Nice and warm, and very, very rich. Yummy! "'S... really no' tha' attrac'ive. I guess th' guys a' you universi'y aren' really lookin' for a ... relationship."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:02 am
It wasn't really so much what other people thought that bothered Ivie, it was more being seen in that...setting. She wasn't comfortable with it yet, she wasn't ready for it yet, and...right now she didn't trust Nye enough to really think about it. She was scared, and she was grabbing at straws right now.
"Well...I'd love to come, but work...I've already taken far too long off recently, and I don't think anyone'll cover for me. Sorry!"
Trying to change the subject, she tried to look amused. "Noodle-fights, huh?" A slightly forced laugh.
Well even if he wasn't in the right age-group, it wasn't that strange that Gale would be attracted to Arvia. The woman was gorgeous, really; refined features, good figure, lovely voice and not to mention a fair amount of hair which some guys seem to like. She was really quite the catch, but only one man in the past had ever done that and she was reluctant to get into that again...
Well, maybe with Gale. He was a sweetie and she didn't honestly think he had a nasty bone in his body.
"Well...no, that would be putting it politely." Arvia took another sip of her mocha. "And I suppose you could say Michelle's...been around the block a few times. I do wish she'd respect herself more than that, but who am I to comment on her lifestyle? I couldn't do it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:23 am
Zak pouted and sat back on the couch. Allison sent a little tsk his way, but left the subject at that. They would be just fine at the party with just the salon geeks, as they always were. Zak just needed to turn ten already instead of being stuck as a six-year-old. "Yeah, we get these giant floaty noodles and throw down. Too bad you're gonna miss it 'cause of work."
An awkward silence settled in for a little bit with nothing but the ticking of the clock to amplify it. Allison took another sip of her tea and used her sagely art of unification to break it. Women were just that good. "In any case, there are a bunch of salon events you can come to. I'm pretty sure bowling is open next month, and then there's that ice cream social type thing we always have in June, and intern induction night. Shame you can't come skating with us, since mister casanova-wannabe and jock-brains are the ones who tally the most falls. Right, boys?"
Zak and Nye were notorious for falling on the ice, primarily because they push and trip each other. All outta love. "I mean, can you picture Nye falling on his a** in all his ... false classiness? We have quite a few pictures."
Nye, at this point, had turned a rather amazing shade of red. Hah! HIs weakness revealed.
Gale didn't have a nasty bone in his body, and even if he did, it was probably broken during one of his shenanigans and never fully healed. He was a sweetheart, born and raised with a taste of country boy.
He shrugged at the rather truthful comment. He was never one for those kinds of girls. They completely made him want to shirk away from humanity sometimes. "Hope she didn' share any of 'er cooties with me," he commented discreetly. "All girls 'ave 'em, it's been proven."
Ah, how lovely it was to relive his preteen years, even as a joke.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:41 am
She wasn't really sure why Zak was so eager to get her to this party, but she shrugged a little. "That does sound fun..." She said, feeling a little sad that she actually going to miss it. Still, she wasn't really wanted there, she was pretty boring.
"You lot certainly have a lot of outings." She said rather amicably, nodding. "I wish I could...I do like icecream, you'd have never guessed, would you? ...but I don't think I'll be able to. University goes back soon and that and work, and homework...well, I'm not going to be getting out much we'll say."
It was a sad life when ti was described like that, and she frowned a little.
"Well what can I say, most University boys seem to enjoy cooties." Arvia said dryly, finishing up her drink and savouring the warmth of the mug for a few minutes.
"Heeeey," She said, leaning over to rest her elbows on her knees. "Are you implying that either I have cooties, or that I'm not a girl, Mr Sefron?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:33 am
Allison was on the verge of commenting her pity to the redhead, but her phone rang out in all of its default ringtone glory. She mumbled an, 'excuse me,' as she dug the contraption up and put it to her ear impatiently. "Aloha. Yes. Yes. No. Okay. Be right there, love you."
The phone was snapped shut and shoved back into her pocket. Allison stood up, dusted herself off, and motioned to the door. "That was Dan. I've gotta pick the kids up, and since Zak's car is in the shop, I'm the boys' ride home. We'll leave the cake with you. Call JP, he's worried. Love you, we'll escort ourselves out."
Without making much of a fuss, the trio made their entrance as if they lived there and not as if they were occasional house guests. Nye apparently treated all of his friends as residents.
As the silence settled in again, he seemed to remember something and reached into his pocket immediately. "I forgot, I got something for you!"
Gale chuckled lightly at her tone. "D'you want one o' those rec'less Uni boys, then?" Hah. Well, at least that got her back for her next question.
Either way Gale answered would be offensive- so which route would he take? "Y'have the good kin'a cooties," he said decisively. Hah, there we go. Take that!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:47 am
They were gone as quickly as they'd arrived. In the blink of an eye, the three hairdressers had upped their stuff and high-tailed it towards the door, leaving Ivie, Nye and the cake all sitting at the table. The door eased shut behind them and locked with a quiet click, and silence once again loomed throughout the apartment.
Awkward, Ivie was about to collect the plates and take them to the kitchen for washing when Nye spoke up, and green eyes glanced over to him curiously. She was feeling a little more at ease since the visit but still...things were a little tense between Ivie and her host now.
"Oh?" She replied intelligently, blinking. "You know you don't have to get me anything." She held out her hand though, knowing it was pointless to argue once Nye had already bought it for her.
"Hardly." Arvia said dryly, placing her mug down on the table with a clunk. "I get enough trouble from them without you morphing into one too."
And she did. She was constantly pestered for her number, for dates and for the like and she very, very rarely gave in. All of them just wanted to get into her pants. Some even said it straight out.
"Oh, the good kind, huh." She said with a grin, leaning back and crossing her arms over her tummy. "And just what kind's that, huh?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
