Coco Haven [avery]

[Anna Demidov]

The warm fall afternoon easily calmed the teenager. Whereas a bit earlier she had been stressing over homeowrk, now she was calm and just finishing it up. Her curriculum was moderately normal, although it was more advanced for her age. Anna liked to challenge herself, enjoyed struggling just to prove herself right with something. She was the one in the class who was always taking on enough that she was juggling her activities, yet never really struggling to begin with. The girl curled her tail around her, settling it on her stomach as she set her books aside on the bench. Now and then, the student saw a few stray peers pass by; the polite and courteous wave, a smile, a quick hello, but that was it. She felt lonely here, although it was silly to think of herself that way. Anna was always smiling - if not physically, then with her being. Reaching into her bookbag, the girl pulled out a bar of chocolate. She had some other sweets in there as well, some saltwater taffy, a few packets of something sour, but for the most part it was chocolate, white chocolate. Anna just had a thing for it, the sweet taste cheered her right up. She ate about a bar a day, sad to think about.

Another student passed by, but he was noticeably younger than her. At least, to Anna, he looked a lot younger. Maybe puberty hadn't agreed with him too much. She felt herself smile, at long last, even as the half opened candy bar was in her hand. Waving him over with the other, her smile only grew. He was, in a word, adorable. Everything about him screamed cute to the sacrifice, right down to his short tail, to the color of his hair. It wasn't a romantically inclined cute, more like something that she would want to pinch its cheeks. "Want some chocolate?" the brunette offered him, brushing her bangs from her eyes with the hand that had once been used to call him to her, scooting over and moving the books so that he could sit with her. There was about an hour until dinner, longer still until they had to be in their dorms. Plus, the poor guy looked pretty lonely - and Anna had to admit, she wasn't one that had too many friends at the moment.

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

Sandy brown headed child had been walking through the gardens rather aimlessly. He didn't truly know what to do or where to head at this point. Skylar had fled to someplace located somewhere, and Astrid was out of sight. Not even the red-headed guy, Gage was around. No, instead the sacrifice was left to wander around out on his own. Ears plopped down against his head, and the kid was looking rather pathetic at this point, partially hidden in his hoodie, making him look smaller than usual, and ears against his head in a pathetic manner rather than an aggressive one. Tail was even basically between his legs. Poor, obsessive child was out all on his own.

Avery didn't notice the girl that was sitting alone with her chocolate, not at first. In truth, at that time, he wasn't noticing anyone, but instead just walking, just moving. Loneliness didn't work to well on the kid, now did it? Changed him into the living dead, personality wise. It made him just so beautifully submissive.

At the offer of candy, ears would perk up near instantly, tail raising, head turning, and a smile would mark the kid's face. Chocolate? Who wouldn't agree? He'd quickly step over to the girl, presumably new because he hadn't ever seen her here before(and he had been here since sixth grade, after all.), and would sit beside her on the bench.

"I'd love some, and I'm Avery, the Sacrifice of Paradoxal! What's your name?" Just a little bit of conversation and a small piece of candy was all he needed to make his day better. Such a simple minded fool, the boy was. So sweet.

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 279
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Hnnng, I was trying to go for at least 300 words, but school's strangled my poor muse.

[Anna Demidov]

His noticeable difference in the demeanor at her offer of chocolate made her smile a little bit more sly. He was just something that she would love to find and pick up at a store, just to take home with her. Anna broke off a piece of the food that had lured him over, a good sized chunk to keep him busy for a little while. He did look so sad and lonely, Anna had to wonder what was bugging him. It was in her nature, the inherent desire to do good and make others feel better. Pleased that he had joined her one the bench, Anna replied in kind to him, introducing herself. "Anna, Sacrifice of Ageless. I'm moderately new here, I really haven't been out of the dorms or classrooms too often." She omitted the fact that it was because of schoolwork and decided to let Avery figure out why. It was more amusing that way; plus, depending on what conclusions the kid jumped to would tell Anna what sort of a person he was.

"So why are you looking so glum?" she asked, breaking off a piece of chocolate for herself before offering some to him again. Annaa had no issue with sharing her favorite food, especially because right now she didn't have any white chocolate (which irritated her greatly). She wished that it was the weekend so she could get some, but until then, she would have to make do with what she had. The teen gave him a small smile, her legs crossed at the ankles, wearing just a pair of jeans, sneakers, casual t shirt. It was a time for just being, and Anna was enjoying it. Avery, however, had looked so pathetic that he might as well be truly alone. Sacrifice, huh? Well, he was probably missing his partner or they had gotten into a fight. Anna didn't really have that issue at the moment. Her fighter usually behaved herself.

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

"So you're a Sacrifice too?" It seemed he only ran into Sacrifices any more; not that he minded. He wouldn't be taking blows from a Sacrifice, no, it was the Fighters trying to keep him down in battle. He'd give a flick of the ear, and then shifted to gently take the piece of chocolate the girl offer him.

"And I've been here since sixth grade with my Fighter, Skylar." Avery's canine-esque tail would curl around his side, and land in his lap. A bit of space between talking would be taken for him to take a bit of his chocolate, certainly seeming more perky than he was before.

"You haven't been out of your dorm that much yet? You should go to Ashporte with me and Skylar this week! We can have fun and do....something." Someone hadn't thought that far ahead. For the most part, the kid just loitered around with his far taller Fighter and chilled about. It wasn't really a big thing, just escape from the campus where he was basically year-round.

The girl, Anna, would mention him seeming glum, and Avery would scratch his head, almost nervously, "Well, my Fighter ran off somewhere, and I don't know. I guess I was feeling kind of abandoned."

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 210
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Nope

[Anna Demidov]

Her tail tip flicked very patiently as she listened to his story, almost calculating. The intervals between going left and right were just about the same each time, a little clock that kept a perfect count. "Yeah," Anna answered, confirming what she had said earlier. She wasn't one to hurt others, rather just give the orders and deal with the pain. It was no big deal; Anna had become accustomed to it quickly. "Sixth grade? That's such a long time. You two must be in perfect sync." Anna nibbled on her chocolate as well, taking the time to muse over her own relationship with her fighter. A newer sort of a pair, in a sense, despite their true name. Hah, it was a little joke, for now. Then Avery suggested going to Ashporte. Well, Anna had intended to just veg out this weekend, maybe go out the next, but why not? There was nothing wrong with having a little fun - besides, they went there just to get away. Anna was already sick of seeing the same things over and over again. It was becoming far too familiar far too fast.

Her tail uncurled and sunk behind her on the bench, just barely brushing the ground directly below the junior. She frowned a little bit - there was definitely some resentment in his voice. "That sounds like a good idea. It'd be nice to get out for a little while." She paused, thinking about how to breach the subject of his fighter. That wasn't her relationship, but one would have to be a fool not to see that Avery was suffering. "I'm sure he-- she-- they didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You may be a pair, but if I were conjoined at the hip all the time with someone - even my fighter - I would feel the need for a break. It's just human nature, they probably just took the time to relax and do something alone. It's probably nothing against you." She was soft and gentle, though Anna wasn't one to sugarcoat everything. Speaking from experience, she had known her brother to get annoyed with her when she was always with him, and purposely left her behind. People needed breaks. But since Avery had been with his life partner for so long, it must be hard for him to understand how often others needed some alone time.

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

"In perfect sync? Nah. Not sure if that's completely possible, but we're aiming to get as close to that as physically possible. Skylar an' me are very...different people, but it's okay. We...complete each other I guess." He'd shrug. Kid didn't want to spew corny philosophy or something of the sort. He just wasn't up to it today. Besides, everyone must have heard about his various Skylar-obsessed conversations. It wasn't like they were all that uncommon coming from him.

Avery'd down the reminder of his chocolate like a greedy child, and he'd give Anna a large grin. "It'll be fun! We can go to the boardwalk, and loiter in front of the stores, and if any of us have any money, we can go to the theater and see a movie! You can bring your Fighter too if you want!" It was worth asking. They could all meet up and be friends!...if Skylar decided like being friendly, or at the very least, amiable.

"And true but...I don't know. I feel lonely without him. I guess he deserves time on his own, but...still." Child-ish boy valued his own attachment to Skylar over Skylar's feelings towards him, much like that of the usual kid, or a selfish or immature person. Though Avery wasn't selfish, he was immature, and very child-like at heart. That was easily seen in all of his actions, movements, conversations, and his body language.

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 239
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Nope

[Anna Demidov]

It was surprising to hear that Avery and his partner weren't completely with it. Well, that wasn't too odd. Anna knew that each pair was different, so it was just them working out their issues as a life pair. That was how these things were, and although she didn't want to hear that things weren't going well, it was always good to see that he was trying to figure things out. There was always room for improvement, in her mind. It was just the way everything worked in the grand scheme of things. "You guess? Well, I know some pairs that are always fighting.. no breaks for them. Some issues to sort out," Anna admitted. She had seen one pair just viciously going at it, yelling at each other.. Ouch. She couldn't imagine her fighter doing that. It must suck to be arguing or disagreeing with someone who was bonded to another for life. She laughed at his enthusiasm, smiling despite the previously serious talk they just had. "That sounds great.. I'll see if she wants to go. Well, I'll ask if she wants to go, she's coming regardless," Anna said, laughing at the thought. A night out... it would be great to get away from the academy. Although she was beginning to think of it as home, she still needed a break every now and then.

"We could go ice skating if there's crap playing in the theaters," the sacrifice suggested, thinking about that. She hadn't gone skating in forever. It would be nice to, though. "Hey.. you still sound so depressed. It's okay, really. Imagine your favorite ice cream is chocolate. You won't always get chocolate, would you? Even though you might pick some other flavors, you still love chocolate ice cream." Anna offered him some caramel, little squares of it, each individually wrapped in clear plastic. Leaving the bag on the bench between them, Anna took a square for herself. "But still.. he's your other half." She gave Avery a small smile, knowing very well how he felt. "Why don't we do something fun?"

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

"We don't fight, we're just...very different people. He's more quiet, reserved, a tad bit more aggressive...He's a lot taller than me, that's for sure. We get a long, but we're not in sync. Not totally so anyways. I think we both still surprise each other sometimes." He'd give a bit of a grin at that thought. It was hard to impress Skylar, or even get him to change that stoic expression of his, but on occasion it happened. Avery had seen it change into a cold disapproval before, quite a few times, and at least once he had seen him look somewhat pleased.

"And mk. You can meet my Fighter too, and we can all have a lot of fun!" Avery couldn't help but be excited, having so many friends as of late. Had he always been so popular without Skylar attached to him? He didn't think so. It didn't seem possible. No matter how many friends I get, I'll always care about Skylar most. The thought seemed to be a solid fact.

"I love ice skating!" He'd say excitedly, tail wagging happily as it rested in his lap, "That sounds like a great plan!" Oh, such an easily excitable kid, was he not? Just so easy to please, so optimistic and pleasant.

"Well, that chocolate ice cream gets lonely sometimes." More like all the time, "Oh well, I'm talking to you now any how, so it wasn't entirely bad for him to leave me, now was it?" Another pleased grin would mark his features.

The caramel would slowly be eaten, and thoroughly enjoyed. Oh, the boy was just loving all of this attention. He was just eating it up, and the candy as well. Just devouring the candy. A piece of caramel would be placed in Avery's pocket, saved for Skylar later. These were individually wrapped, so he doubted it would melt in his hoodie pocket.

"Thanks for all of the candy."

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 325
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Avery's just so cute that I can't help but laugh at him. :l

[Anna Demidov]

Although it may have been taken as rude, Anna laughed about his comment regarding her little analogy. Well, Avery was right, chocolate ice cream must have gotten lonely. The poor guy. "Well, if you do get lonely, I'll make time for you. You're a real sweet kid," she said, smiling a little bit more. She was happy just to see someone excited, to get out and about. Well, she would have a good time with him and his fighter, and surely if she brought Eventide along it would be an eventful time. Her fighter was brash, bold, and at the same time very sweet. It was one of the biggest contradictions she knew. "Yeah, it was good. We should definitely hang out some time, get some ice cream in town or something when you need a weekend out." Her eyes smiled with her lips, an obvious sign of her affection for the kid. Avery was so sweet. Though Avery was a year younger than Anna, there was obviously more that needed to be taken into account with their mental ages.

"Text me sometime, and I'll bring some more candy. Chocolate seems to make everyone feel better." Pleased that she had made a new friend, the girl scribbled down her number on the wrapper of a candy - classy, right? - and handed it to Avery. She wasn't hitting on him, but just offering her friendship services should he find himself abandoned by his fighter. "My fighter is my polar opposite.. it's so weird. But surprise is good, usually. Adds some spice."

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

At the laugh, an ear plopped against his head limply, sort of confused, but he didn't voice that; not that he needed to. The kid wore his heart of his sleeve. Ever hear of a poker face? Apparently not.

"Thanks." The boy couldn't help but smile widely at the idea of hanging out with Anna, he liked her well enough after all, and besides, she said she was willing to hang out with him whenever Skylar ditched him. At least someone would. Sure, Astrid might be up for such a thing, and she was friendly, but all the time? Didn't seem too likely...And Astrid didn't have candy.

"Getting ice cream'll be nice, but we'll need to get it soon. If we wait too long, it'll be getting too cold to enjoy it soon." Such a simple thing, the other girl must have known that, but Avery felt the need to express it. Almost everything he thought up was expressed. He was smart enough to not just vomit up sentences, that could end up with some unsatisfactory results after all, but for the most part, nearly everything that wasn't directly offensive was spoken.

The soft brown tail of Avery's wagged even more when Anna gave him her number, and offered to bring more chocolate. Someone was intent on making him fat; not that he minded. Sugar-y food was great. "Can I borrow a wrapper and a pencil? I can jot down my number for you too." It'd be kind of awkward when someone texted you up asking for candy, and you didn't realize you knew them. Ummm...hi?

"And really? My fighter's the opposite of me too. Quiet, stoic, and he can be cold at times, but so can everyone I guess. He's tall too." Taller than Avery, at the very least.

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 302
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Nope

[Anna Demidov]

She was patient, thinking about the whole ice cream deboggle. Well, it was getting cooler out. They would have to make it soon if they wanted some like that. However, she knew that the 7-11 would have to offer something like it, so they could always go there and share a gallon if they really wanted to. She grinned, answering him, "Yeah, we'd better hurry it up. Well, if we're going down to Ashporte this weekend, maybe we could snag some." It was a friendly suggestion, her eyes smiling with her lips. Sometimes people just didn't have it in them to make their smile reach their eyes, but Anna was that one person who was always truthful. Kind and helpful, yes, but people knew when she was genuine and when she was not.

Picking up on the way he added his input, Anna could tell that the sacrifice was a little bit more immature than she was, even at only a year behind. Well, Anna would be able to help him along, hopefully. He was so sweet, so trusting, and just plain cute. Her tail curled up, laying itself on her lap, the semi-longhaired appendage make small motions. "Oh! Sure, good idea.." she said, searching for the requested items, handing them to Avery a few moments later. "My fighter is a spit fire, literally. She had a whole lot of attitude waiting to be unleashed onto the world." Anna laughed a little bit, knowing that there was more to Evee than that, but still. "She can be really fierce.. but she means well." Her eyes went down to her hands, which were on the bench; she retracted them into her sleeves and began to rub them together in an attempt to get warmer. "What sorts of classes do you have?"

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Tail kept wagging about happily. He couldn't help but be excited about hanging out and getting ice cream, now could he? Besides, Skylar and Anna's partner might be there! It'd be a great time for everyone to get to know each other, now wouldn't it?

Avery would take the pencil and wrapper, and quickly jot down his cell number, "Just text me whenever." He'd grin happily at her, handing the wrapper and pencil back over to her.

"Really? I hope I don't bother her too much. I don't want to anger her." The boy didn't really want to irritate or anger anyone. Such an idea hurt him. He truly didn't want that. Such a child-like creature lived to please, not enrage.

"I take Elementary Functions, but I want to take AP Statistics next semester instead of Calculus, and English 3, along with Environmental Science, French, World History 2, Gym, and Movie Club. You?" Avery was satisfied with his classes at the very least; enjoyed them well enough. Like the average student, he didn't enjoy them too much, but they were tolerable at the very least.

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 187
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Hnngg, short post

[Anna Demidov]

She accepted the paper with slender fingers, examining the number before she folded it nicely and set it in her pocket. Well, she would text him if she needed to talk or hang out, but Anna had a feeling that Avery would be the one who more or less wanted candy from her. He rattled off his list of classes as though he knew the schedule by heart. Well, he probably did. Anna smiled, digging into her brain for her list, lumping them altogether. "I'm in AP Calc, and I'm absolutely horrible in that class. Math isn't my best subject. I'm in English something, Biology 2, because I hate Chemistry.. I used to take Russian at my old school, and that class is a walk in the park for me. I really like AP US History, that teacher is great, take it next year if you can. Gym, of course, and I'm in Chess Club." Anna wondered exactly how well her activities would play out through the school year. "Oh! And I should see you for our specialty class!" That thought was a pleasant one, at least Anna wouldn't be entirely alone.

[Avery Newfeld]

I've still got sand in my shoes

The boy's ears flopped against his head in disappointment for a moment, upset that he didn't have any classes with Anna, only for her to mention their specialty. The upset look quickly faded, "Oh, yeah! That'll be fun!" The grin which was almost perpetually pasted on his face would quickly retake it's position.

The kid had almost always been a loner, having had trouble believing he could enjoy the presence of anyone other than his 'other half', after all being Zeros, the two weren't only paired up, but genetically coded for each other. The teachers would probably be rather pleased that he'd open up a bit and actually talk to someone.

Whenever group projects came about, the kid usually went into whatever group would take him, and finish the work with as little communication as possible; get his grade and leave. The teachers did try to drag him out, get him to get friends, but it was rather hard with someone who could be as stubborn as Avery. You can lead a horse to water...

"I liked Chemistry, or blowing things up at least, but the teacher didn't trust me with the lighter, and I had trouble memorizing the periodic table. Memorization has never been my strong point...and I'm terrible at math too." Another thing the two shared. A love of candy, being terrible at math, and both were sacrifices. Avery was just counting the similarities. Friendship easily meant a lot to him.

And I can't shake the thought of you.

-----

Puppet Avery
Muse 3/10
Words 244
Tagged Anna
Song Sand In My Shoes - Dido
Comment Nope

[Anna Demidov]

It was hard to imagine Avery in school. He was friendly and eager but at the same time so antisocial that Anna could feel the contradiction. She laughed softly as the kid spoke about his Chemistry days. "I just.. I can't stand it. That class doesn't relate to me at all. When will I ever need to know the molecular formula for something outside of school?" she joked. It was a common thought in her mind, especially when it came to the maths. Yes, they were very similar, but save for their core personalities. Anna was flamboyant and friendly, whereas Avery was reserved and reluctant to talk. Well, the young woman had used candy to help her along; she supposed that was the only exception. Which in retrospect could be dangerous, because imagine if a real stranger had walked up to him and offered Avery some. That was the epitome of stupidity, although she was sure that Avery wouldn't take the bait then.

"I'm good with memorizing things. It just wasn't fun. That whole class, for me, was like doing assigned reading for the summer. It plain sucked." She gave the boy a small nudge, her tail settling between the two of them on the bench. "Perhaps after we get some ice cream we can get some matches.. we can easily make some s'mores." Anna grinned, thinking about that. A bonfire would be fantastic, with the fall already upon the Academy. It would just be so much fun, to sit and burn marshmallows and eat them with graham crackers and chocolates. "You're one of the friendliest people here," Anna remarked.