|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:12 pm
2:13. The sun sat high in the sky, glaring down on Destiny City. Sirsce sighed. This happened unusually often. It happened often enough that she questioned the need for such a meticulously precise schedule. She questioned the legitimacy of said schedule every time she stood there waiting. Every time she found herself counting the seconds. 2:14. There were no signs of it. No distant roar, no rumble of the earth, no glimpse of purple in the distance. No matter how hard she strained to see, or how many times she peeked around the corner, it wasn't there. Each time a car went by, she thought she could hear it in the car's wake. Every few moments she would glance around for it, and only be greeted by the faces of others who stood in loose assembly around the familiar purple sign. 2:15, and the bus was officially five minutes late. Sirsce frowned. Not only was her iPod dead so time slowed to a crawl, but the bus couldn't bother to keep up with its own schedule. Her library books felt heavy, and she couldn't set them on the ground for fear of scraping up the bag that contained them. The weather was chilly, and her scarf made her neck itch. Her legs felt cold, unusually so. Her feet hurt. She wanted to be done with her errands so she could sit at home and have a delicious cup of hot chocolate. A slightly older boy, sitting on the bench near her, had his headphones turned up so loud that she could make out every word the band was singing. This only served to agitate her further. Jeez, I'm stuck at this bus stop waiting for the world's slowest bus , and I can't even listen to music... How am I supposed to pass the time?! Idly she thought of suggesting bus stop crossword puzzles, or installing a tablet full of fun little games like sudoku or spider solitaire. Then again, she wasn't much of a gamer, and a lot of people would want to play it. Maybe just a deck of cards. Or two. Or six. No, she had a better idea: teleport pads. Then no one would have to wait for the bus, or do bus sudoku, or deal with the battery dying in their iPods. But wouldn't all the bus drivers be out of a job? Maybe that wasn't such a good idea... Or they could be cab drivers. Or they could drive those airport shuttles. Wait... The airport shuttles would be replaced by teleport pads. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. And it was still only 2:17. Oh, come on, bus... Sirsce glanced down both ends of the street. Still nothing. I don't want to stand here forever! The's library books are he- Ooh, he's cute. Sirsce's brain instantly shifted gears as she stared wide-eyed at a brunette man farther down the sidewalk. Suddenly, her books weren't so heavy. Her neck no longer itched from her wool scarf. Her feet didn't hurt. Her lips weren't numb from the cold. Her iPod's untimely death didn't matter.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 9:50 pm
Nathan Darrow was doing nothing. This was not unusual for him: he spent most of his time doing nothing if only to piss off his father and 'mother', who both seemed to think he should be doing something, anything with his time. They had not idea that he did, in fact, save innocent lives every night.
Of course, he also had no idea that they did the same thing.
He sometimes brought Dogby out for walks, but ever since he got her lost one time, he was not really allowed anywhere near her. She had been gone for days, which was apparently a terrible thing for him to do to her. Somehow her running off like an idiot was his fault, just because he happened to let go of the leash. No one blamed the Corgi, though.
They just blamed Nate.
The gruff teenager almost walked by the bus stop until he felt someone watching him. He looked her way and grinned at her, noticing that she had been staring at him. Cue him sauntering over.
"Enjoying the view or are you trying to look through me?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 12:18 pm
Lithia_Brandon "... Oh! Um," Sirsce turned beet red. She hadn't been caught staring before, and this boy wasn't about to let her off the hook. "Uh... hi." Neither option he gave her seemed like a good one. She thought about saying she was enjoying the view, but that made her sound superficial, and she wondered what that would do to his self confidence. Would he think he's nothing but a pretty face? She didn't want that. He deserved self confidence just as much as the next person. Then again, it might all go to his head and he'll have too much self confidence and come off as arrogant. That wasn't going to win him any friends either. On the other hand, trying to stare through him sounded silly, but what if he had a mental disorder? He could actually think he's invisible. Or he'd take it in the metaphorical sense and think that no one cared about him, and he was just a warm body taking up resources. She didn't want to imply that at all. Oh, but what if he thought she was brainless and actually tried to stare through him? Or thought she was wearing those x-ray contacts? Anything could happen; high schoolers were already battling the forces of evil with magic. Could she choose both? Ugh, this is getting me nowhere."Um, I-I wasn't staring, uh, really. I wasn't. I was just, um... I saw something behind you, and... It distracted me. I guess. I didn't mean to stare!" It sounded like a seriously bad cop-out, but she hoped he'd look past it. "I'm just getting on the bus to return some library books... I'll be gone before you know it." At least, she hoped so. By now she's dug herself a nice grave with this guy, and she hadn't even introduced herself. Hastily Sirsce glanced at her watch. 2:20. The bus could come save herself from social suicide any minute now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:53 pm
Nathan watched her with his sharp eyes. He'd inherited their edge from his father, though their dark color came from his mother. He didn't talk about her, or care to remember her, if he could avoid it. But some of his finer personality traits came for her fantastic parenting, including his self awareness and his ridiculous confidence that probably covered for other insecurities.
He didn't care about any of that though, it was too deep.
"Something behind me, eh? Not something I should worry about, right, or you would have warned me?" He looked back the way he had come, arching an eyebrow and then looked back at her. "Danger must be gone. Thank god we avoided that one."
His nose wrinkled in distaste when she mentioned library books. That was one of his buttons, he supposed. His dad worked at the library. Basically owned it at this point. Or something. Nate didn't listen very often.
He leaned over to look at her watch. He did it on purpose, just to get closer.
"Looks like the bus is late. It's not that far a walk, you know." He gave her a look that was entirely untrustworthy. He looked like the kind of guy who only went into libraries to mix up all the books and try to steal things just for the hell of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:32 pm
Oh god, Sirsce was about to melt into a puddle of shame in front a dozen strangers. This man wasn't letting her off the hook. Not only that, but the bus was seriously late, and if this grueling embarrassment was going to continue, she'd do better to walk the two miles. On second thought, if she just started walking now, she could spare herself the grief of replying. But that would be rude. "U-um," Sirsce's cheeks donned a rather unbecoming red. "Yeah. Yeah, I would've said something... Um," bright scarlet now. "Nope, no danger anymore, so uh..." Now would be a good time to exit. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity. Sirsce's legs froze solid, which was marginally better than turning to jelly, when the man leaned over her shoulder. She felt as though the skin on her face would sizzle off soon enough, due to the heat of her shame. However, she wasn't afforded that admittedly horrifying luxury. No, she had to stand there and take the endless flood of embarrassment. Go figure. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point about the distance to the library. The land was mostly flat, and it was essentially a straight shot, so she shouldn't let the bus's tardiness stop her. Then again, the books were heavy, and he was awfully suggestive about that walk. Well, what was the worst that could happen? He could steal her library books and run... She didn't want to be stuck with a fine, but she was sure the librarian would understand. He could also be a serial killer, and that wouldn't go over too well. She kept mace in her purse for just that occasion though, so perhaps she'd survive it well enough. Otherwise... He might chloroform her and leave her in a tub of ice after stealing her kidneys. Given all those possibilities... "Um, would you mind showing me the way? I don't really know how to get there on foot..." She spoke unnaturally, stumbling over her words. Sirsce was a terrible liar, and it only served to deepen the shade of red on her cheeks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:15 pm
Nate saw the way she was struggling for an answer and he grinned at her teasingly. He was a handsome devil, but definitely aware of it and that just meant the worst kind of trouble. He was a demon and a hero of some sort, all rolled into one.
Though she didn't know it, she had a safety net. Nathan might have run off with her books if the urge struck him, but his father was also the librarian and very disapproving of his son's actions. She would be in the clear of any charges or fines. And he was very good at recognizing descriptions of his son's behavior.
In any case, Nathan wasn't considering stealing her books, not just yet. He was trying to think how to mess with her, but looking for something a bit more unique.
"Yeah, I can do that. I'm a well read sort, you know? So the library, as it happens, is one of those places I'm always at." He grinned at her, offering his hands to take her books for her. Because he was clearly a gentleman.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:38 pm
Sirsce was more than happy to take advantage of his open arms, as the books were precariously close to tumbling onto the concrete. She presumed they'd fine her heftily for returning books with road rash. They'd probably even require her to replace them with new copies if she wanted to continue using the library. But what if she couldn't find the books? What if they were out of print? She could be banned from the library forever. Yes, it was obviously the proper choice to entrust this young man with her library books. "U-um... Are you sure? They're kinda heavy..." Nevermind the fact that Sirsce clearly never set foot in a gym, didn't know what exercise entailed, and could still lift the handful of books. Carefully she handed over the heavier texts, despite her shaking hands. She managed to avoid eye contact during the entirety of the exchange. "And, thank you. Um, for showing me the way. And the books... Yeah." Shortly after redistributing the hefty books, her long-awaited bus screeched to a halt behind her. The tires skidded over a puddle, spraying muddied water across the back of her shirt and pants. Sirsce cringed as she felt the damp fabric pressing against her skin. "Ugh..." Could this day get any worse?Upon realizing that she was still faced with a rather dashing gentleman, she quickly forced a smile and pretended as though the feeling of damp clothes didn't make her skin crawl. No, she pretended she rather enjoyed it. Like she didn't mind feeling her jeans stick to the backs of her legs while she walked. No, everything was fine. Everything was just fine. "So, uh, where's the library again?" She asked with a nervous giggle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:32 pm
Nathan grinned at her, nodding his head.
"Trust me," he said, which was about as comforting a statement for him to make as it might seem. He had the least trustworthy face, made worse by his smirk and glinting eye. He chuckled at her and took the books whether she wanted him to or not.
"No problem," he said, looking down at the books and arching his eyebrow at them.
"What are you studying for? Why carry all these around?" He noticed the bus had splashed her, but he didn't comment besides grinning knowingly. He thought it was pretty funny, though he'd gotten a bit wet as well. He could tough it out. He walked along, actually taking her toward the library, like he said he would.
Maybe if his dad saw him helping someone out a little, he'd lay off? Or something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 11:29 pm
Sirsce quickly fell into step behind the stranger, hoping they were headed in the direction of the library. "Um, they're mostly fashion stuff. I like to make outfits, and sew, and, um, some of these books have good patterns. Or tips." Why would a guy care about that? "It's just, um, girl stuff really." Despite her words, she was already envisioning a proper scarf to go with the man's ensemble, and she didn't even know his name. Perhaps she should ask at some point. How impolite would it be if she allowed this man to walk her all the way to the library, carrying her books, and she never bothered to ask his name? It seemed downright mean. Certainly he deserved that much respect. "Hey, uh, what's your name? Oh, and I'm Sirsce." She would've offered her hand, but she was busy playing catch-up in her abysmally damp attire. It didn't help that a plethora of cars ran precariously close to the sidewalk, threatening to spray puddles all over the two. "So, um, how often do you go to the library? And for what?" The guy sounded pretty smart, if he spent so much time there. Maybe he knew the whole library like the back of his hand. Oh, or he could name all the dead presidents and detail their lives. Or maybe he's memorized the entire architectural section. Or he's a foreign language buff. Oh, it could be that he's a mathematician. Or he's heavy into literature. Best case scenario, he's into fashion too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:57 am
Nathan looked at her with a frown, arching an eyebrow. A fashion designer, eh? He wasn't sure he'd heard that one before, and it was not something he was very familiar with. But he attributed that to being a male, and not a sissy.
He didn't make clothes, and he didn't really think or care about how they were made. He just wore whatever appealed to him, and didn't put much effort into the whole thing save to make sure he looked cool enough for his reputation.
"Yeah, it is girl stuff," he said with a grunt. "The name's Nate. Nathan, but only my dad calls me that, when he's mad at me for the most part." He grinned. It wasn't true, a lot of his friends called him Nathan, but he pretended not to hear it.
At her last question he shrugged his shoulders.
"I go there mostly to get yelled at," he said with a grin, "cause a little trouble, have some fun. The librarian is uptight as all hell. He is not my biggest fan, but that just makes it more fun." They were approaching the library sooner rather than later, the large building looming welcomingly, a small flight of stairs leading up to its glass doors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:05 pm
"Nice to meet you, Nathan!" Sirsce sounded more excited than she meant to, but she had trouble tempering her excitement. "Oh, and um, you should really try wearing a white scarf with that ensemble. if you tucked it into your jacket, it would look really, um... What's the word..." She pressed her fingers to her lips as she pondered the phrase. "Classy, I guess?" Sounded right. Hopefully. Either that or he'll think she doesn't know what she's talking about. "Um, you really go there to get in trouble?" That seemed a little odd. Wasn't trouble supposed to be discouraging to others? Did something go wrong upstairs, and he ended up liking detention and such? She began imagining scenarios where he reshelved books in the improper order, or even upside down, and got chastised by the librarian. She then began to imagine him dog earing the pages of every book, or putting gum in the cover, or even leaving books that didn't even belong to the library into the book return slots. All of her imaginings seemed utterly horrifying for anyone in charge of the place, and she started to cringe just thinking about it. Maybe she was hanging out with the wrong crowd already. Then again... That seemed kind of exciting. Not that she'd ever rearrange the bookshelves at the library. The bus finally charged toward them, nearly cutting into the bike lane as it barreled down the road. Leda jumped with a high-pitched squeak and hid behind her new acquaintance in hopes of shielding herself from the spray of water coming off the bus's tires. She gripped Nathan's sides and hunkered down, closing her eyes as if it somehow protected her from the grimy water that splashed onto the sidewalk. However, the bus was gone as soon as it came, leaving the two quite dry. She opened her eyes moments later and stepped back from Nathan. "Oh, um... I guess there wasn't any puddles after all." She turned beet red as she spoke, and shifted her gaze toward the ground. She kicked the sidewalk bashfully.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:46 am
"White scarf?" He grunted at the idea, wrinkling one side of his nose in distaste as he considered the word scarf. Scarves were girly things, though he'd seen his father wear them before. That did nothing to change his opinion of them, however. In fact, it only reaffirmed that scarves were for the lame.
He could not imagine himself in one, but then, he had little imagination for things like fashion. Actually, when it came to it, he lacked a lot of imagination for anything except being a jerk and maybe letting himself get into a video game. He was not particularly artistic, though.
Save for what little attention he paid music, but even that often fell to the back burner, since it required practice and effort, and recently he'd been too involved in his senshi life to find time for it.
"Classy? Right, that's what I'm aiming for, obviously," he grinned at her wickedly, rolling his eyes.
Nathan watched the bus with a look of interest and surprise, but he didn't back down. The senshi of danger never backed down, even as a civilian against a bus. He even stood protectively in front of her, despite himself. It meant getting soaked, but he couldn't stop himself. His reputation failed and his instincts took over. Damn that righteousness that came with being a senshi.
The crisis was averted as the bus moved off harmlessly, and he sighed.
"Guess not," he said, pretending he hadn't been able to protect her from it, either way, and that he had known they weren't going to get splashed the whole time. "Eh, whatever. That bus was crazy anyway. The library isn't too far from here, and there's a drop right in front if you don't want to go inside. Though most people want to go inside to pet the dog."
Dogby almost demanded it. The corgi was attention starved even when surrounded by everyone in the building.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:28 pm
What was she supposed to do after that anticlimactic event? Shrug her shoulders? Say 'oops'? Instead, she pretended it never happened and resumed her merry walk with her escort. He was right; the library wasn't far, and they had nary a block to go before they were at the front door. In fact, she could see it from where they stood. Idly she wondered what would happen afterward. Would he help her return her books, and part ways? Would he stop in and harass the library and cause havoc? Or would he ask her to dinner while dropping her books in the library's metal slat? She preferred the last option, but then again Nathan could be taken, or gay. Hopefully not gay. Sirsce completely failed to grasp the man's sarcasm. No, she took him quite seriously, and turned on him to explain the errors of his ways. "if you want to be classy, Nathan, you should wear a suit! Or slacks and a peacoat, I think that would look quite wonderful in this weather. Ooh, and maybe one of those berets for when the weather gets bad." Yes, that granted Nathan an appropriately classy look, she would say. She nodded in silent agreement with herself as she looked him up and down. "Oh, and those shoes have to go." She offered a coy smile. After about facing, she resumed their walk toward the library. "Oh, um, what were you doing before you... um..." Caught me staring, she thought. "Well, you know..." How was she supposed to explain to him what she meant without sounding like a creeper? "Before you bumped into me at the bus stop." Yeah, that seemed appropriate. "I mean, I don't want to make you late for a class, or late to go home, or anything... That wouldn't be nice. Oh, and you spent all this time carrying those heavy books... You must be tired of them by now." Maybe she should be the one offering coffee or dinner here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:27 am
Nathan looked up at the library, a very familiar place to him. Not because he was a reader of any sort, but because he went there so often just to mess with his Dad. Or his nerdier friends. He was not too impressed with the sight but he sighed and looked at the girl he'd been traveling with.
"I... right. Suit. I'll look into that," he rolled his eyes. Then realized that she might think he actually would. Maybe she was one of those people that had never been properly exposed to sarcasm before. And sarcasm was what he was mostly comprised of.
He would have to expose himself to her.
Her comments were making him wonder about his attire though. What exactly was wrong with the way he dressed now? He thought he looked pretty cool, with the dark colors and the pink on his shirt, and the various belts and chains. He didn't go over the top like some of the gothic or punk kids he'd seen around. He felt he forged a fine balance.
Or something. Whatever. He pulled on clothes and looked awesome at the end of it. That was all that was required, right?
"I was just walking. Here, actually. I needed some money." He didn't elaborate on how the two were related. "Anyway, you already know I don't have class." He grinned at her teasingly as he walked up to the book drop. The perfect gentleman. Maybe he was just in a good mood today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:48 pm
Lithia_Brandon "Ooh, you will? Great!" Sirsce was more than ready to provide Nathan with a host of sources for proper suits. If he wanted classy, he had a long way to go. His dressing habits looked fine for the most part, except for how his shirt and pants didn't really go together, and too many belts overcomplicated the look. Still, he dressed in a pretty tasteful fashion. However, he would clean up wonderfully when donning a suit. "Really? You were coming here? For, um... money?" How did that work? The only thing money-oriented that she knew about was paying fines, and that involved getting money, not receiving it. What could he be possibly doing here that would earn him money? Working there came to mind, but so did robbing the place, and he obviously wasn't dressed for that. Besides, who would rob a library and show their face like that? Or even rob a library period? The third option, she concluded, was a fundraiser. He must be heading to the library to do a fundraiser, so he could steal funds from said fundraiser, and then maybe even rob the library on top of that. It sounded like she'd need to chaperone him inside to keep him out of trouble! "Hey, if you're going inside, I'll come with you!" She offered exuberantly. Not only would she continue to partake in his company, but she was doing a good deed by doing so and protecting the library's valuable assets. She much preferred this kind of work to senshidom. Sirsce ran ahead of him, eager to hold open the door. However, her shoe caught in between the slabs of the sidewalk and she stumbled across the walkway, nearly slamming into the door instead. She turned around and offered Nathan an apologetic smile. "Um, I meant to do that." After a halfhearted chuckle, she opened the door and leaned against it, waiting for Nathan to head inside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
