|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 10, 2011 20:48:36 GMT -5
Running late like usual, Gage hurried along through the parking lot, trying to remember where the hell he parked his damn car. He couldn't understand how he managed to forget where he parked everyday. The best part was that he was pretty sure he parked in the same spot every time he came to school. Was that sad? Maybe his memory was just fading already. He supposed seventeen was a reasonable age to start losing your mind. Wasn't that normal? Besides, he was preparing for the senioritis that he knew he might come down with next year.
In any case, where. was. his. car?! A flash of red caught his eye and he spotted his small sporty car right where he suddenly remembered parking it this morning -- in his spot beneath the tree in the corner of the third row. It was nice to park below a tree because it kept the temperature down in his car so he wouldn't sweat out half of what he drank that day thirty seconds after entering. However, on the downside, whatever fell out of the tree was always waiting for him on the hood and roof of his car. Sometimes it was just a leaf or two. But no, sometimes it was the shitty little squirrels that liked to piss on his vehicle. The nerve of them! However, before he had a chance to open the door to locate his forgotten English book, a familiar scent invaded his nostrils.
Was that...weed? He blinked in surprise, wondering who had the balls to smoke on campus right in the parking lot. When he looked around, it became clear to him immediately -- they didn't have big balls. Actually, they didn't have balls at all. A girl was sitting on a moped (of all things), clearly smoking a joint right in open sight. With a raised eyebrow, Gage found himself walking over to where the scent was originating from, and tilted his head to the side once he'd gotten there. He'd only smoked weed maybe once or twice before in his life, but he wouldn't deny that it was something he enjoyed.
A light smirk played across his features as he called out to the girl facing the opposite direction. "Hey." Usually he wouldn't be so drawn to a female, but hey, she was holding a joint. Who wouldn't want to start a conversation? He was up for new things. Why not smoke right now? It just seemed so...rebellious.
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 10, 2011 21:07:55 GMT -5
> Astrid sat in plain view on her baby, feet up on the handlebars and back against the custom seat she'd installed about a year prior. Technically, she was still too young to drive the onyx black moped (which in all honesty, looked more like a motorcycle than a moped with all of the tinkering she'd done to it) but her mother had pulled a few strings to get her a driver's permit a few years early.
> She'd been driving since she was thirteen.
> As she stared up at the cloudless sky above, her mind wandered. Today had been interesting; her new school wasn't all that bad, actually. It had a lot of rules (something she hadn't liked about it at all) but the dorms were nice and open. She didn't have a dorm mate yet, thank god. This of course meant she could lounge around all day after class, not worrying about cleaning up her room or getting her work done before lights out.
> Rather, she spent a lot of her time doing this; sitting on her baby, smoking some of the best weed money could buy.
> A voice broke her from her intense zone, bringing coppery eyes to the source. Today her hair was short, just down to her chin, dyed a mixture of black and red with bright pink streaks mixed in. So when she turned her head, that soft hair flicked down into her face, making the person standing there a touch less... visable.
> "Yeah?" She murmured carelessly, moving only to cross her legs and take another puff from the joint. The guy standing before her was a charming fellow - gay - with red and purple hair - gay - blue eyes and a matching set of ears and tail - closet gay?.
> "Can I help you, tomcat?" A meaningful smirk found its way onto her lips, her own long, thick-furred tail curling and flicking in his direction. She was patient, it seemed, cause her voice wasn't mean in any way... just... mellow.
> Girl was very much stoned already. |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 11, 2011 20:13:45 GMT -5
The boy immediately raised an eyebrow when he was called a tomcat, although it sort of amused him a little. He could tell by the way she casually glanced over her shoulder and by the way that she spoke that she was already a wee bit past the breaking point. The look the girl was giving him just screamed she was high, and it struck Gage as sort of amusing that she didn't freak out when someone caught her smoking the illegal drug. How long had she been sitting here for?
"Right," he said in response to the nickname, his light smirk widening into a full-on grin. "I was wondering if you wanted to share," was all he said about it, careful not to use wording that might piss her off or something. He didn't know how this girl was, but he was fairly sure that it didn't really matter -- she didn't have a care in the world right now, did she? No matter. In any case, Gage stood there somewhat awkwardly, waiting for an answer. Having completely forgotten about his textbook, he tilted his head to the side as he watched for her reaction. Besides, he hadn't really felt like going to class anyway. It was so...boring. Even though it was English class where he'd learn how to use words to form spells, it just seemed so mundane a class. Smoking seemed more fun.
"Well?" he asked, getting somewhat impatient. His ears twitched as he tried to resist the temptation of just grabbing the joint out of the girl's hand.
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 11, 2011 20:34:26 GMT -5
> She eyed him for a couple of painful moments, copper eyes focusing more as she looked him over. He was cute, even if he was so obviously gay. Something about him though...
> She shrugged, finally. Taking one more puff, she passed it over to him, sitting up and turning around, so her back was to the handlebars. "Sit, puff, talk, chill. We stoners gotta stick together, right?" A Cheshire grin came home to her face again, crinkling the corners of her eyes slightly. "Name's Astrid. Never thought I'd find another stoner in this dusty old place."
> Then, as an afterthought, "Never thought I'd see someone alone, either. Everyone around here is obsessed with their partners. Where's yours, tomcat?" She didn't have one yet. The day before, she'd met Avery, another sacrifice who was paired with Skylar (who'd turned out to be an okay guy, apparently).
> She kept her legs down this time, resting them backwards on the sides of her baby. It was amazing she was letting him sit on the moped at all, being so protective of it. Then again, if he just stood there, he'd draw attention and she didn't want to get into trouble; she still had almost fifteen dollars worth in her pocket and if they found that, she'd be in jail.
> I wonder how my fighter would react to finding out his sacrifice was arrested for the possession of an illegal substance? She mused, grinning to herself. That'd be an interesting first meeting... mind you, mom would probably pay my bail like last time. Oh great, the girl had a record. |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 12, 2011 13:44:49 GMT -5
Gage stood there awkwardly for what seemed like years before she gave him something of an invite to sit down and smoke with her. Feeling overjoyed, he grinned back at her, and took his seat on her moped, careful not to scratch or buff anything. "Sweet," he commented, eying the joint in her hand. However, when she spoke about stoners, he gave the lightest of shrugs. He wasn't exactly a stoner, per se, given he'd only smoked on maybe two occasions before this one. Both events transpired in the year before last, so he wasn't really familiar with the feeling anymore. All he remembered is that it felt, well, good.
"Right, right. The name's Gage, it's a pleasure meeting you." With that, he gave a sly wink as if it were a natural part of his introduction. As soon as she asked about his partner, though, he fell silent for a few moments. "...Haven't met 'em yet," he remarked, averting his eyes while he said it. Though he didn't really show it, it unnerved him to no end that his Sacrifice might reject him entirely. It was a strange thing to think, considering most pairs got along pretty well, but he wouldn't ever be able to shake the feeling until he met his other half in person someday.
"What about you? You seem to be pretty alone yourself, kitten." He raised an eyebrow, automatically assuming that she fell into the same category as him -- partner-less. While he felt some comfort in the fact that there were others his age that still hadn't found their other half, he still felt rather lonely. There was something about this girl that he couldn't quite put his finger on...probably because they'd only spoken for two minutes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 12, 2011 14:30:11 GMT -5
> Astrid couldn't help smirking. So he was in the same boat, huh? Comforting, kinda. "I'm a stray. Always have been, always will be." Came her usual, constantly repeated reply, though she hesitated afterwards. A thought.
> "Ah, actually... I ditched out on our first meeting. I guess it was a dick move on my part but I hate being told what my fate's gonna be... and I kinda got cold feet because of it." She sounded... mournful for a moment, but it turned into defiance at that last part, her copper-hued eyes glaring up at the trees lining the parking lot.
> Then she thought back to what Avery had said before. "...your other half." [/u] She hummed softly, not entirely sure if that 'other half' would actually come. > The odd part? She'd been registered only a day when they'd told her they'd found her partner. Another honest liar. Softly, under her breath, she recalled that name, the one they'd told her so many times but she'd rejected. > " ...Truthless." > She hadn't meant to say it aloud, nor did she recall any of the warnings she'd been given about doing so infront of other people. Somehow, she didn't even realize she'd said it at all, effectively stoned and lost in her thoughts. > Her happy high had been ruined and that alone was ruining her day. She wouldn't blame Gage, though. He wasn't at fault here. In fact, she was glad he'd dropped by; these thoughts were bound to come back eventually. Better to have someone around as a distraction than being alone to mull over them.[/font][/blockquote] |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 12, 2011 15:00:25 GMT -5
"You're a stray, huh?" he asked. He made an almost-pouty expression when he realized she hadn't passed him the joint yet, but didn't want to feel like a dick for having to ask her a second time. So, he waited. And waited. And waited. Still nothing. Damn. In all his frustration, he almost didn't even hear her talking about finding her other half. Which was funny, because the only part he did hear was the part about her skipping out on the gathering of the teams.
That struck him as rather odd. His partner had been a no-show. Nah, it couldn't have been her. Could it?
The man shook his head absentmindedly, shaking the thought from his head. There was no possible way that this girl could be his partner, and it had to be a coincidence that the same event happened to the both of them but on either end. He stared at her for a few minutes too long, trying to regain his thoughts.
After several moments of internal struggle, his brain kicked back on with just enough time for him to hear her mutter a single, insignificant word that at the same time meant so very much:
Truthless.
She said it, he heard her. For a very long time his breath was caught in his throat, and he found himself unable to breath. Was she...serious? There was no way that after having been talking about units and partners and finding your other half that she would just openly (and for no reason) say the name that happened written across the back of his neck. Could it really be that she was his...other half?
Having no idea what expression had crossed his face, he managed to say one word after everything that she'd said: "........Truthless?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 12, 2011 15:43:38 GMT -5
> Astrid was finally about to snap out of it and hand that joint over to him (the dang thing had almost gone out at this point), unaware that she'd said anything at all... but then he repeated what she'd accidentally said before and she stopped, kind of frozen for a moment, mid-pass... just... sort of staring.
> At first, the stare was dangerous, a cold expression that meant she'd put her walls up again, sobering up very quickly for that moment. Then she read into his expression, one she couldn't name or describe for the life of her. Shock, maybe... and... realization?
> Then her own expression mimicked it and those ears went back. It only lasted a second before horror flashed across her eyes a moment - her life partner was a gay junior!? - then settled into a numb expression, one that only showed in her eyes.
> She didn't really take very well to this sudden realization.
> "...impossible." She murmured flatly. "Please don't tell me that this is the way I'm finding my fighter. No way." It wasn't him anymore. She could deal with the gay bit just fine, even his older age. That was all just fine with her (though the moment he started talking about his sex life, she was most assuredly kicking him in the balls) in the end. Rather, it was the situation in which they'd found each other.
> In a parking lot.
> Smoking a joint.
> On a moped.
> Then, as her shock faded, she sighed and pushed the joint toward him again, though it had gone out now. "Pfft. Talk about magical." She commented sarcastically, seeming to have come to her senses, her walls sliding down again. Once he'd taken the joint (if he took the joint), she'd sit back again and cross her arms.
> "Yeah. Name's Truthless. I'm a Sacrifice who probably just slammed headfirst into her fighter, because she's a total ass who stood him up in the first place." Her tone was scornful, but to only herself.
> She felt that guilt twisting her stomach again. Now that she knew who he was, she felt horrible for standing him up like that. He seemed like an okay guy already (if a bit pushy, but then, she wasn't the most attentive when stoned, so that was probably her own fault) and she'd taken to him fine. Normally strangers didn't get to touch her baby, none-less sit on it with her. Now if only he could forgive her for a terrible reaction.. and for standing him up. |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 12, 2011 16:25:19 GMT -5
After carefully watching her reactions, Gage came to the conclusion that she wasn't happy about something. Whether it was the fact that they met in the parking lot or the fact that Gage himself was her Fighter, he couldn't tell. Something about her expression though forced him to think it was the latter of the two. The way she looked made it seem as if she had been judging him or something. He knew he outwardly appeared homosexual, so he wondered if that was what upset her. So did that mean...they really were partners, then?
It seemed so. However, seeing the way she responded to the one word he spoke made him wonder if that was really okay. Fear of rejection started to settle and he found his hands shaking in his lap. She'd held the blunt out to him, but he was afraid to grab it. Suddenly hesitant in his actions, he seemed to be the one that had put up the wall. He noticed, though, once she began to relax, that her face seemed a little more accepting. But he was surprised when she suddenly started talking down on herself.
Had he been wrong this whole time? Was she just upset at something she did? He didn't blame her for not showing up, he almost hadn't wanted to anyway. In fact, he'd bailed maybe fifteen minutes in when he hadn't immediately met his Sacrifice. So he supposed he could have been at fault, too. But no, here they were, in a parking lot, discovering that they were each others' life partner. What a scenario! He felt himself calming down as well after he thought things over. Maybe he was overreacting?
"Y-yeah.. Truthless is my name, too," he said, giving an uncharacteristic stammer. "Im..your Fighter."
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 12, 2011 18:36:32 GMT -5
> "I'm... your Fighter." [/u] > The words were surprisingly more effective than she'd expected. They sort of hung there for a moment, her mind scrambling to comprehend precisely what it meant, that this boy with his red hair and ice blue eyes, was suddenly the one who'd be protecting her in battle... > ...the one she'd have to protect for the rest of her life. > " And I'm your Sacrifice." She murmured carefully, still sort of caught off guard. > Her tail was the first thing to regain any real movement. It swished around the headlights of her moped, wild but not irritated in the slightest. Excited. Her ears went from being pinned back to perking forward... > ...and starting with her eyes, she smiled her first honest smile in many, many months. Yes, this one will do just fine, I think. Whatever high she'd been feeling from the cannibas was gone, replaced with a good, giddy sensation that seemed to lock a happy smile onto her face. > Then, as if a switch had been flicked, she sat up straighter and grinned, a childish expression that he'd probably not see again in a long, long time. " My name is Truthless, but my given name is Astrid Rotweil. I'm fifteen and in grade ten. My birthday is June thirteenth. Don't forget, 'cause I want to see you at every one from here on out. You got all that, tomcat?" > She leaned forward at the end, childish grin gaining a flick of that infamous Cheshire grin of hers, her finger prodding at his chest gently, eyes locking on his, daring him to disagree or to rain on her parade. Behind her, that tail kept waving excitedly, not missing a beat. > She'd never been more happy in her entire life.[/font][/blockquote] |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 12, 2011 19:55:47 GMT -5
The red-head nodded in agreement when Astrid pointed out that she was his Sacrifice. Even though they hadn't even touched, he felt a strong pull towards this girl, one that he hadn't noticed until now. Maybe he'd only just started thinking about how they'd be tied together for the rest of their lives, or maybe he was just ignorant to its existence before now. Whichever the case, he was glad he felt such a connection.
But when she started spewing information about herself, he had to try not to feel overwhelmed. "I'll try to remember all that," he said, chuckling. "No promises, though. And your birthday shouldn't be that hard to remember, since mine is June twenty-fifth. I'm seventeen, and I'm a junior. My full name is Gage Reinhart, but of course, my true name is Truthless, same as you." He took a glance upwards, as if trying to think of what else to say. "Uh..and my favorite color is red?" he added, ending the sentence in a question as if he were asking if that was an appropriate thing to say. "And I'll be around for your birthdays, no worries." He gave her a wink and grinned.
Of course he'd noticed the whole time the happy wagging of her tail, but he made no move to point it out. He didn't want to piss her off or something, especially since she did have the right to leave him on the side of a street or something. She didn't really come off as the type who would just abandon him, though, considering how she was acting right now after having just met him. "I'm glad we were finally able to meet."
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 12, 2011 21:31:19 GMT -5
> Every word he said, she memorized to the best of her abilities. Later, she'd start a file on her computer for him, just in case she ever forgot. Birthday was June twenty-fifth. Seventeen (only two years older), junior (grade eleven, then) and his favorite color was red, like herself. Gage Reinhart. She thought, rolling the full name around in her head. Gage Reinhart and Astrid Rotweil. In otherwords... Truthless.
> She perked her ears forward at that last bit. Finally able to meet... ...I didn't know it until now... but I've been waiting fifteen years for him... for Gage. A shy smile creeped past her defenses and she gave a tiny laugh. "So am I." She agreed full-heartedly.
> Then a thought occurred to her. Suddenly, she held out her hand, leaning back as not to hit him by accident. "As your Sacrifice, I promise to be by your side whenever you need me... and to share your pain whenever someone dares to cause it..." Then, that Cheshire grin again. "That is, if I even give them the chance." |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 12, 2011 21:48:22 GMT -5
Astrid seemed to be lost in thought or something, so Gage tilted his head to the side in wonder. "Is there anything else you want to know?" he asked, assuming she was interested in finding out things about him. He was, too, that's how he knew. He supposed it would be fun now getting to know the other and to ask questions about their lives. Maybe at some point, they'd know all sorts of personal information. Gage grinned, feeling somewhat excited for all the years to come that they'd be together.
But when she suddenly had her hand extended out toward him, he blinked in surprise. As he listened, he couldn't help but to shake his head and laugh at her last comment. "I'm supposed to protect you, too, remember? I'm your fighter, which means I'm up to doing whatever you ask of me.." He trailed off at the last part as if he wasn't used to saying such things to people. Finally, he held his hand up and took hers, but not in the way of a handshake. He pulled her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
A few moments later, he chuckled and gave a reason for his action, "You know, because I'm such a gentleman." He gave her a wink and released her hand. He was such a dork, but he had fun doing it. Besides, where would he be if he didn't act the way he did? He'd have no friends. And he wouldn't have met this girl. Astrid. His reason for living.
|
|
|
|
Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 13, 2011 20:37:06 GMT -5
> "Pssh." She replied to his comment about protecting her too. But she was grateful; she'd never had anyone to protect her before. In the past, she'd never needed it. But now that she was going to be... maybe... fighting people for school... well, she couldn't in all honesty say that she wasn't scared. She'd been in fist fights before. Even knife fights.
> But a battle of words? Girl tripped over her own tongue. She only prayed that Gage here was good with words, else she'd be feeling the blunt of it in time.
> Apparently, he was, as well as actions. The boy took her hand, but brought it to his lips in a gentle, charming kiss. She felt her cheeks heat up in a blush, but she ignored it, ears pinning back in utter bafflement. Gentleman. One who smoked weed? Really?
> She paused a moment, taken aback by his actions... before slapping him on the shoulder almost playfully. "Dork." Smooth.
> Then she remembered the reason he'd come by in the first place. She smiled, then laughed as she realized the joint had long since roached itself, forgotten and now left on the seat of her moped. She grabbed the roach and reached behind her, for her bag hanging off the handles of her baby. "I totally forgot, you came over here to get stoned. How about we head back to my dorm? I know a place a bit more secluded than this." The teachers would be wandering the grounds soon. The parking lot was a bad place.
> "I can grab some more and we can head there to do a real burn out of one of my pipes. Sound fair?" She grabbed her roach case, an old cigarette holder, and stuck the roach inside, closing it up and putting it back into her bag. "I owe you. You've never smoked my grass before. It'll knock you on your ass in minutes." A wicked grin replaced the previous blush, eyes gleaming with mischief. |
|
|
|
Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 17, 2011 18:20:52 GMT -5
Gage rolled his eyes at the sound effect she made, but chuckled right afterwards to signify that he was only messing with her. "Yeah, that's, you know, my job and everything. You're lucky Im so good at talking." He winked at her as if that backed up what he had just said. Regardless, it still made him look good. And sexy. Sexy guys winked a lot, didn't they? Or was that a gay guy thing...? Whatever. He was both, so he fit into whichever damn category it fell into.
After he had kissed her hand, she slapped his shoulder. What was that for?! He gave a dark laugh when she called him a dork, because he knew exactly why she'd said that. He obviously didn't come off as too big a gentleman, but he did try. The fact that she didn't fall for his romantic actions blew his cover. Damn!
And then, finally, she looked like she was gonna offer him the joint! He got excited to the point that his long, slender tail started wagging back and forth....only to have it droop back down to its original position when she placed it back in her bag! No! His ears slightly bent back in disappointment, but when he heard her voice an invitation to her dorm, he gladly nodded. "Sure, sure, sounds good to me," he said, grinning his dastardly grin. He read the mischief in her eyes with familiarity, and hopped off her moped so she could do the same. "Lead the way, kitten."
|
|
