Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Dec 27, 2009 0:11:07 GMT -5
Her fingertips pluck upon the hem of that off-white polo. She’d been working there a little more than a week now, and still she hadn’t gotten use to the attire. That disgusting polyester top, and those black slacks that truly didn’t do much for her form - at least not with that polo shirt draping low and thoroughly curtaining her back side. Just lovely.
And heaven knew she didn’t need to be here! She still had a decent amount of cash stashed away in some bank up in Alaska and still she was here. It was something to do more than anything else.
Despite her loud personality Adeline had earned herself very few acquaintances throughout her stay in RavenBlack city, and even less of what could be considered real friends, Despite having not seen the young man in some time Miss Graham would still consider Thaddeus a good companion to have earned - they’d definitely had a number of good times together. And then there was Julian - more of a fuck buddy than anything else, still, she found herself within his company quite frequently.
Then there was. Oh, what’s her name… Something with an A, or maybe it was a L. Well, whatever her name was, Adeline hadn’t seen her since that single fateful day at the mall when all this chaos had started.
The small girl sighs out softly and tiny fingertips cease their plucking only to turn her attention back downwards and to some Game Informer magazine settled upon that glass table-top. There’s nothing new or interesting within; some upcoming release dates, some fan art from both kids and adults alike. Addi didn’t so much care for the magazine, but today was turning out to be excruciatingly slow despite the fact that Adeline only worked roughly twenty hours a week, still she was reminded of her first job, some stock-work in her home town’s grocery store. Those hours had been short, at least, still it’d been excruciatingly boring work.
This job wasn’t that bad, at the very least she got a discount! Still, she can’t help but stare at the digital clock mounted overhead. There was nothing worse than the last twenty minutes of a shift. She even sighs out to punctuate her irritation.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Dec 28, 2009 21:27:23 GMT -5
Today had been...a good day? Or as close to a good day as he could get. He'd managed to shave, get a haircut during lunch and had even found a shirt in the back of his closet that hadn't been worn. There was even left over take out from the night before waiting for him when he got home. Work had gone as swimmingly as possible. No crisis had ended the world, no one had come to bother him in the sanctity of his cubicle. He'd managed to take a nap without being disturbed by anybody - which had resulted in him waking up to a dark and empty office. There was a slight skip to his step as he made his way through the empty parking garage. The tightness in his chest was a touch looser and it was just slightly easier to breathe. The paranoia wasn't as great either. His bike was in sight and, as he reached it, he felt something that he hadn't in a long time. Reckless, throwing caution to the wind. He mounted his bike without hesitation or a second thought. A turn of the key and in a heartbeat the burnt orange beast was humming with life. What did he want? It'd been such a good day...a part of him wanted to reward himself. Where was he? Not far from the mall. What was at the mall? GameStop and Barnes & Noble. Was there anything that he wanted that he didn't have?
It couldn't hurt to check...
A glance at his wrist watch told him that he had just enough time to get there and spend a few minutes browsing before the mall closed, so long as the traffic wasn't bad. Derrick slid his helmet down over his head and gave the machine some juice. The bike and its rider zipped out of the parking garage and onto the street, sending a car to a screeching halt as he pulled out heedlessly in front of them. A horn honked but Derrick didn't hear; not that he would have cared. It was like a sign from God though - the street ahead was open and empty. Where was the rush hour traffic? Oh yes, he'd slept through it. He parked his bike in the mall lot, shivering slightly in his leather jacket from the cold air of the wintry night, before making his way through the glass doors. Precaution and habit had made him park at the exit closest to the gaming store.
Inside it was warm and store were just beginning to shut their doors - teenagers rushed around inside trying to get their work done so that they could go home and finish their schoolwork. Derrick made his way to GameStop without bumping into anyone of consequence - he even got into the store without any associates traipsing up to him. With his helmet tucked beneath one arm and head ducked, he leaned over the new releases. Modern Warfare 2, he had that already. Dragonage? Nah. He'd heard it wasn't as good as originally anticipated. Assassins Creed 2. That one he hadn't even heard was coming out. Derrick greedily took the game in hand and headed for the counter. A quick one-two-three check out and he'd be back on his bike then home in a heartbeat, where he could eat his leftover Chinese and enjoy his game. But as he turned to face the counter he froze.
He couldn't remember her name right off the top of his head but she was there behind the counter in the little GameStop uniform, looking bored and miserable reading a magazine. Ad...Adsomething. Adsomebody. Adelheide? No. That was just weird. Adelina? Close, not quite. Adeline, there you go. His hand shook a little - he'd forgotten about her entirely. Sure enough after their last meeting he'd gotten a phone call from GameStop about him being her reference for the job. He'd recited all that she'd told him - how she was a professional gamer, everything a potential employer liked to hear - but that'd been in one ear, out the other. Would she remember him? He didn't know. Either way he was holding a game in his hand and he needed to pay for it.
Derrick reluctantly made his way up to the counter, setting it and his helmet down next to the register and averted his eyes as he fished in his pocket for his wallet.
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Dec 29, 2009 6:28:07 GMT -5
Those pretty brown eyes of hers flutter before flicking upwards and to that digital clock hanging over head. Well, at least there wasn’t long left. Still, she was well aware that it would be another almost excruciating ten minutes before she was allowed to talk her way out of sleeping and meander back home before simply crawling into her own bed.
Ah, bliss.
If only.
Still, Addi prematurely folds those pages over until the back cover was facing toward her and with that she simply stashes the magazine behind the counter, for later use. It was more than likely whoever may be working her shift tomorrow would be subject to the same routine; face, and simply stand behind the counter and wait. Still, there were worse things. Adeline could have abandoned her dreams, and picked up where her father left off; being roughed up on some dingy old ship working the lift or even worse and playing the bitch-girl intern; running to and fro, climbing up within the pots and grasping hold of any clinging crabs.
But it was so cold. Despite having grown up in Alaska, Adeline hates the cold like no other. There was simply no way she’d be able to survive doing her father’s job.
In addition Miss Graham hated working on her birthday.
So, with one eye on the clock, and the other on the man who just entered - not so literally - Adeline simply waits, sucking the lower tier of her pout within a rough bite. Who came to shop ten minutes before closing? It’s downright irritating, and gets to Adeline every time it happens - whether or not she actually had anything to clean or not. Yet, she recalled when she’d been younger and didn’t have a single fuckin’ thing to do. There was no place to waste time like the mall - even if there was only five minutes till close. Still, that was a lifetime ago and something Miss Graham preferred not to reflect on.
Though she’s quickly pulled away from whatever day dreaming she may have been doing whilst eyeing that clock upon hearing the distinct settling of something hard upon her countertop; “Hi, did you find everything alright?” it’s a customary question of sorts, and there’s barely a soul that leaves this store without hearing such a thing. Despite the utter monotony Adeline offers up a warm smile of sorts, those freckles of hers bunching along the bridge of her nose, this lasts only a brief moment before the young woman pinches a single eye shut to survey this man’s features.
She knew him. Right? Right? Adeline wasn’t so bad with faces, nor names. She should know this; their initial meeting must have been brief for her to be blanking like this. It had been, right? Her mind fights for some sort of name to go with that face. “Shit, I’m sorry-- I know you from somewhere, right?” she offers up whilst flicking that copy of Assassin’s Creed II beneath the glowing red crosshatch and the giving it a thorough rub across the mat settled along the back of the countertop, deactivating any sort of device that may trigger the store’s anti-theft system.
The small girl clicks her tongue toward the roof of her mouth for a short moment, “Der…rick?” she sounds all too uncertain in that moment, fingers prodding wildly at the number pad before her, ringing up the total, “Yes,” she decides finally, “You’re the reason I’m stuck in this shit hole,” she teases with a widening sort of smile. It’s then Adeline punches in a few extra numbers for one promotional code or another; an employee discount was a fine thing to have when you’re a girl like her - Twenty five percent off guaranteed, and now she was doing the same for him, “That’ll be…” the small girl rocks from heel to toe and observes the glowing green numbers on the screen before her; “Fourty-five dollars and eighty-seven cents,” please and thank you, that was. Though this goes unsaid.
Her lips purse before she offers up a cupped palm to accept his form of payment, “So, what’ve you been up to?” she asks of him with a borderline devious grin.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Dec 30, 2009 14:18:55 GMT -5
“Hi, did you find everything alright?”
He didn’t quite flinch but he grimaced ever so slightly at her voice with his head ducked down to fish out his wallet. She hadn’t spoken loudly but she was close and he hadn’t been paying attention. That’s how he got through every day - with the world as a dull hum in his ears. Office copier, fax, phone, keyboard. Office copier, fax, phone, keyboard. It didn’t cease being mute until he got home to his apartment when it became unbearably loud. Every tick and every tock went right through his head, resounding over the sound of his xbox and the twenty one gun salute on TV. Her voice, though not unwelcome, was like shrapnel in his still quiet world.
“I found everything fine, thanks,” he mumbled with a nod. Derrick’s head rose to look at her then, blinking in surprise at the way her face was contorted. It was charming and comical in the same breath, with her lips turned upwards in a smile but one eye shut, nose wrinkled ever so slightly in thought. A look of clear concentration. He waited; he knew it was coming.
“Shit, I’m sorry-- I know you from somewhere, right?” He nodded, mute, while her hands deftly followed the checkout procedure. “Der…rick?” Another nod. Was that maybe a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips? Or even a slight glimmer in his blue eye? “Yes. You’re the reason I’m stuck in this shit hole.” Derrick laughed. Not quite wholeheartedly but it wasn’t an empty and vacant sound; that caught him off guard but he didn’t let his surprise reach his face. “That’ll be…fourty-five dollars and eighty-seven cents.”
He did, however, managed to look surprised at that. Derrick glanced down at the game case then back at the numbers lit in green at eye level. That wasn’t right. Then he looked at her. A quick run of numbers in his head and he knew that she’d done, a solid twenty-five percent. A slight flush in his face as he offered out his credit card, laying it numbers up in her petite palm. There came a nod of his head, wordless thanks.
“So, what’ve you been up to?”
“Working at a job that’s possibly as boring as yours,” Derrick responded, almost sardonically as he gave the empty store a visual once over, “which I apologize for.” Was that sarcasm? Had he actually managed sarcasm? Miracle of miracles, he had! The realization was invigorating. “How is it working here? Not as exciting as competing professionally, I bet.”
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Dec 31, 2009 4:11:54 GMT -5
Adeline cracks a broad grin, her brows lifting upwards in an almost skeptical sort of look toward Derrick’s utterance. “Don’t bullshit me,” she teases him before pressing her teeth upon the lower tier of her soft pout. Truly this job wasn’t all that bad. It was better than sitting at home all day! “It’s not that bad here,” she comes to confess, “Aside the fact that it almost constantly smells like ass,” That smile of hers nigh disappears in that moment at the thought.
A small hand lifts then to wave in an almost dismissive manner with a roll to those pretty dark eyes of hers, “There are too many boys working here,” the girl grumbles. Men truly didn’t seem to be afraid of performing any sort of bodily function in any place possible. Disgusting, truly. She shakes her head once more. She’d stall on this thought no longer. Or so she hopes she won’t.
Her pretty face tips a slight then to peer over her shoulder and toward that digital clock settled upon the wall. That almost infectious smile of hers is seen once more. Quittin’ time, so to speak! And there was nothing better than that. Well, at least not in that moment! “Hold on a second,” Adeline murmurs, then, taking the time to shimmy around from the back of that countertop only to backpedal toward what could be considered the ‘break room,’ “I need to punch out quick,” she explains quickly before turning on a heel to bounce toward the back.
That card is slid through the scanner quickly, only for the motion to be met with an almost squealing beep in return. “Graham, Adeline; #29” She slinks that plastic card back into the slot from whence it came. Dark eyes lift to glance around the cramped confines of that room before toeing the door mostly closed with relative ease. First and foremost she peels that damned and itchy shirt overhead. A quick glimpse of her stomach could be seen, though only briefly before she’s pulling on her “street” clothes with ease. It was nice to be back within the confines of cotton.
Adeline breathes a sigh of relief, tossing her jacket on, and work-shirt over her shoulder. “It’s about time I got out of here,” Adeline coos, sounding all too content in that moment, “It’s about time for us all to get out of here,” she continues onwards, tossing a glance over and toward Derrick. Oh, yes, he had to leave too! Still, there’s nothing to say that the two of them at least couldn’t leave together. Then again, it could be awkward.
Whatever, hardly anything about Adeline could be considered the norm. She was definitely a girl working in a man’s world, to say the least of her.
“C’mon,” she beckons eagerly.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Dec 31, 2009 13:07:42 GMT -5
“Don’t bullshit me.” He let out an exaggerated scoff then, his blue orbs giving a small roll in their sockets. Where was all this sarcasm coming from? Clearly the day had gone better than he realized if he was managing to be this lively and interactive. Had he been like this when they had first crossed paths and gone to get coffee? Derrick couldn't remember. He did recall shying away, reluctantly surprising her with an application after she'd been turned away. That's where all this had started and it'd come full circle, the way that everything did. The Knight of the Sad Countenance wondered to himself if he would tell O'Grady about this. Maybe, except then he'd have to recant his previous meeting with Adeline for her and that...was a touch too much effort for him to expend in a therapy session.
“It’s not that bad here. Aside the fact that it almost constantly smells like ass. There are too many boys working here."
His nose wrinkled as he nodded in agreement. Nothing like the smell of plastic cases and anal fumes. His office was, well, anal about scent - it constantly smelled of office paper and disinfectant spray. Was that the scent of white out? Air freshener to the rescue! He wondered what his cubicle smelt of. Probably decay. Normally he would be...no, not offended, but perhaps a little put off by her crassness. Instead there was something about her attitude that was endearing. It suited her perfectly, like a surgeon's glove.
"That's probably true," he agreed as her head turned to look at the clock behind her - closing time was a tick away. "I suppose that's because you don't find many women interested in videogames, much less women who are good at them." Much less women who are good enough to compete professionally - it was a wonder that she needed any recommendation at all with the success she'd spoken of. As if she was reading his mine her lips parted into a grin, though he had a feeling it was because it was time to go, rather than some supernatural ability to know how she impressed him.
“Hold on a second. I need to punch out quick."
Just like that she was gone, and as if on cue a voice echoed monotonously over the PA system: "It is now nine o'clock - the RavenBlack City Mall is closed. Have a great evening."
Derrick's fingers tapped on the counter, studying the case of his prize while he waited. There came a loud beep through the door that Adeline had vanished through, but he didn't look up, only waiting. A few seconds later the door opened quietly on its hinges. Derrick's head lifted to see her wearing a jacket, shirt changed and her uniform over one shoulder.
“It’s about time I got out of here. It’s about time for us all to get out of here.” A none too subtle reminder that the mall was closed and he should be leaving. If he hadn't found her to chat with he probably would've been out of here with time to spare. As it was though she was taking a step toward the door, clearly eager to be free from her prison.
“C’mon."
Derrick followed.
Game clutched in one hand, grabbing his helmet from the count with the other, he trailed Adeline out of the door, glancing one way then the other. Stragglers were making their way out of the mall now, bags in hand, talking to their companions or on their cellphones. One was on one of those damnable headsets and looked like he was talking to himself. The hand holding Assassins Creed II rose to scratch his head quietly while he debated what to do. He could say goodbye, nice to see you and leave now. Or he could escort her to her car like a proper, concerned gentleman (gentleman! ha!) and then say goodbye. Or he could say "Up for a celebatory drink? You know, for getting the job and all," with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
Except he said it without realizing it until the words were out of his mouth and his shoulders mid-shrug. It could only be followed up with: "What do you say?"
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Dec 31, 2009 21:41:20 GMT -5
Adeline hadn’t truly expected to be invited out for a drink. She’d expected to walk toward the parking lot with him, and from there make her own way home. On foot, that was. The mall wasn’t exactly far from her own apartment complex, and despite having the money for at the very least a clunker, she found a car a slight unnecessary in a city like this. The way folk always said a car was overrated in New York City. Though that wasn’t entirely true, on occasion a vehicle of sorts came in handy, you know, just in case you could no longer afford rent on your apartment, you had some place to go upon being evicted!
Adeline, in no way, was expecting to be evicted. Sure, occasionally her apartment may be the source of some obnoxiously loud sounds, from her television and otherwise. Loud pops and the squealing of imaginary ears ringing when being the witness of a flash-bang in Call of Duty, or the squealing of zombies ruthlessly being bludgeoned to death with Gnome Chompski, the garden gnome, which was always great fun. Still, it was nothing worth being kicked out.
Adeline shakes that almost confused look from her pretty features, hopefully before Derrick noticed! She blinks before biting upon her lower lip softly in a moment of consideration. She’d nothing better to do aside, go home, and shower in attempts to wash off that distinct Game Stop smell.
“Yeah, that actually sounds really good,” she sounds almost surprised in that moment. It’s not as though Adeline never drank, no, far from it, in fact, it’s just that it’s been quite some time since she’d actually been invited out for a drink. Especially so by someone she barely even knew! It was a nice sort of change, though.
It’s then Adeline takes the time to flick soft hair behind a single ear, offering up a warm sort of smile, “Do you think I could catch a ride?” she asks of him then, pinching an eye shut. This was one of those times that having a car of her own would come in handy. It would probably be far more comfortable than her nestling into the front seat of whatever car Derrick had.
Hopefully not a compact.
“I don’t have a car,” the small girl clarifies with a coaxing sort of smile.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Jan 1, 2010 22:21:22 GMT -5
There it was. Only for a fleeting second but in that fleeting second he saw it. The creases of confusion crossed her pretty face before the lines were smoothed away by force of will. It'd been barely an instant - long enough for him to see though. Then there was a second where he could see her internal debate while she bit down on her delicate lip. He braced himself, prepared for the rejection that he knew was coming. Would he be hurt? No. Would he care? Not really? Maybe a little - but only because he was human. The seconds were passing by and she still hadn't answered. Was she actually going to say yes? Now he felt a note of panic. “Yeah, that actually sounds really good. Do you think I could catch a ride?I don’t have a car." Now it was his turn to mask his surprise from her - he'd really been expecting a no. But instead she had agreed and now he had to think of someplace to take her. Derrick gave a nod in response to her question; "Sure, of course." She'd taken him up on his accidental invitation. Did he think aloud often? Almost to reaffirm that he wasn't at that moment, Derrick pressed his lips together to make sure that they were shut so that it wouldn't happen again. Asking a young woman out for drinks. What was he thinking. Ashley, forgive me?He began to lead the way at that point, moving in the direction of the glass doors. When he reached them he held it open for her to exit, standing to the side. After she passed he followed her out of the mall. The air was crisp and cold, and the night was dark. The sky above was flecked with minute stars hiding behind shadowed, smoggy clouds. There were only a few cars left in the lot now, but he didn't lead her across the blacktop to one of those vehicles. Instead Derrick headed in the direction of the transportation parked closest to the doors, his Harley. His hand went into the pocket of his jacket, bypassing the gun to take out his keys. They gave a quiet jingle. Where to go, where to take her. She said that she didn't have a car which meant that she probably lived within walking distance of the mall - so he doubted she'd much like him whisking her halfway across the city. He tried to flash back to the days before he'd become such a recluse, before the days of hiding in fear from man. Bars, taverns, restaurants. Times were hard, sure, but there had to be something nearby that he remembered... Derrick opened the saddlebag, setting the game inside and taking out another helmet. Trying his hardest to hide his unease, still slightly off guard that she had accepted his invitation. He held it out to her in offering while his other deftly slid his own down over his head. he slid up his visor and fingers went into his pocket again before offering a pair of leather gloves to her as well. There was a glimmer in his blue eyes. "Not too late to change your mind."
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Jan 2, 2010 11:32:32 GMT -5
This wouldn’t be so bad. It’d been some time since she’d last made an appearance at some sort of sleazy and disgusting bar. She wasn’t expecting much, though how could she in a city like RavenBlack? It was a wanna-be New York city, only it’d gotten the short end of the stick; the roaches and the rats, and all things considered unholy.
Adeline’s in no way hesitant in that moment, however. She was the “outgoing” type of girl, and wouldn’t be deterred by the thought of a mouse crawling across the toe of her high heeled shoe. It’s a disgusting sort of thought to say the least of it, and still she was going out with him, for a drink or two. It wouldn’t be so bad to get to know someone else. To be able to chalk another name up beneath the “friends” category. To have someone else to call over for a round of zombie bashing would simply be wonderful. Occasionally Miss Graham got sick of playing online with teenage boys who did naught but ran their mouth.
Quietly Adeline tags along behind Derrick. She’d been expecting… Well, she wasn’t quite sure what kind of car she expected him to have in that moment. Did he seem like a truck man? Well, not exactly, nor did he seem the type to have some sort of high end sports car. She was uncertain as what to expect, but as he approaches that motorcycle Adeline decides that that’s about right. In some ways he does seem the type to be in possession of a motorcycle, though Adeline wasn’t quite sure what made him seem the type.
Adeline had never had a boyfriend with a motorcycle before - not that she had any intent to take Derrick home with her. No, she’d still not spent much time on the back of a motorcycle. It would be another unexpected experience.
She eyes the bike almost critically in that moment. Was it safe? How long had he been driving it? How far was the pub he intended to take her to? Would they make it there without some sort of mishap? There was no time to worry, though. May as well toss caution to the wind.
Adeline offers up her work shirt to tuck into that saddlebag, before accepting the helmet he was handing her. Quietly she pinches an eye shut before begrudgingly slipping that thickly padded helmet onto her pretty little head and managing to fasten it almost awkwardly. Oh, yes, it’d been some time since there was even an opportunity to be on a motorcycle. Still, she shows no hesitance in that moment as she accepts the gloves offered to her. “I think I can handle myself,” she argues, voice sounding muffled and echoed within the confines of that helmet. Quietly she slips her hands into the too-large gloves before eyeing that motorcycle once more.
She awaits him to mount the bike before she, too, would be slinking onto it. Her hips nestling close to Derrick’s backside and her hands settling almost awkwardly upon the young man’s hips, “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she confesses, biting to her lower lip sharply thereafter.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Jan 3, 2010 23:17:06 GMT -5
The way that she looked at the bike made him pause, wondering if he would actually need to call a taxi. He’d thought it was insane when Ambrosia had taken him to the dealership, practically forcing the motorcycle into his hands - No, don’t think of her. It stung. It was all that he had left of her, the only person who had begun to breech through the walls he’d thrown up all around him - and he’d lost her as well. For a moment there was pain in his eyes and he had to stop himself from touching a hand to the scars beneath the leather hide of his jacket. At that point though she offered out her shirt and Derrick took it, putting it away in the saddlebag - so she would ride. That pleased him. A note of satisfaction coursed through him as her fingers took the helmet and pulled it down over her hair, then pulled on the gloves.
“I think I can handle myself.”
He smiled behind the helmet at the way her voice sounded behind the padding of the helmet while Adeline gave the bike another once over. Derrick swung a leg over, keeping his feet planted on the ground to keep it steady as she climbed up behind him. Her weight was slight; he hardly felt her behind him. He might not have at all if it wasn’t for her
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Just lean when I lean,” was his response.
His hands turned the key in the ignition and the motorcycle roar to life beneath them. The bike had become second nature - one of the few moments when he felt peace was when he was balanced precariously on two wheels. The danger and vulnerability, knowing he was leaving precious little between him and the rest of the world’s perils, blanketed him with calm. As his feet left the ground and the wheels began to roll, he felt like he could fly.
They were out of the parking lot in no time - the cold winter air stung his bare knuckles but he could tolerate it. The realization that he truly hadn’t lost every last piece of common decency and concern barely registered in his mind. Normally he would have driven looser - maybe not signaled at every turn or checked all his mirrors as he switched lanes. He didn’t realize that he was being more careful with Adeline behind him as he drove. His life didn’t matter. If he died...he died. That was in Fate’s hands. Her life was different. He wouldn’t play with it. So instead he was careful and responsible behind the handlebars, though going maybe just a touch too fast. Just enough to make his blood race a little. Just enough to remind him he was still human.
They hadn’t gone too far; his destination was growing near. Already he could see the sign outside of the bar through the tinted plastic of his helmet. The distance closed fast. Derrick maneuvered the motorcycle into a vacant parking spot easily, letting the bike’s engine thrum for a few seconds before turning it off. His feet rested on the ground firmly, turning slightly on the seat to offer her a hand to help her off before climbing off himself. He took off his helmet, giving a slight shake of his head and ruffling his hair with his fingers before tilting it in the direction of the building a few doors away.
Tao.
As they entered he held the door open before following her inside. The music was some strange blend of Asian and rock, and the scent of foreign food filled the air. Dragons and symbols and decorations hung from the walls and ceiling. Derrick led the way to the bar, setting his helmet off to one side and shrugging out of his leather jacket. He gave a slight tug on the sleeves of his button up before nudging a chair out for her and seating himself. A woman - he didn’t know if she was Chinese, Japanese or something else entirely - approached them, a smile on her face.
“Hello, what can I get you?”
“I’ll have sake,” he said, gravel in his voice. “And a miso soup.” His head tilted in Adeline’s direction, the bartender turned to look at her in turn.
“And you?”
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Jan 4, 2010 21:46:32 GMT -5
She squeaks, then. Hopefully the sound is muffled by the cover of her helmet, not to mention the loud and almost bubbling noise of that all-American motor churning beneath their two forms. And, god is it loud. There couldn’t be any way he’d heard her little girlish outburst, or at least that’s what the young Miss Graham is telling herself in that moment.
She hadn’t been that loud.
Her eyes pinch shut for a short moment before a tiny hand lifts from upon Derrick’s hip to likewise slap at that clear molded faceplate, shifting it downwards and before pretty features. Lest she catch some sort of projectile in the face. Insect, small bird, and all the other what have yous. Well, that and the wind was stinging those dark eyes of hers. Still, she finds her hand falling downward to clutch desperately at Derrick’s hip, seeking some sort of purchase on that speeding bike.
Was he going the speed limit? Was she panicking right now? No, it wasn’t that bad, at least not yet. Though she was pretty sure that he was, in fact, speeding. She’d never buy a motorcycle of her own, and it was about this time that she made up her mind. Maybe a moped, though those only really topped out at thirty miles per hour. Maybe, at best. Mopeds were fun and brightly colored, quirky at best, and none too intimidating, to boot!
Still, they were slowing soon, and Adeline finally manages to breathe a sigh of relief. It hadn’t been that bad, in all truth. It’d simply been some time since she’d held fast to some wayward motorcyclist.
She was fine, and it was all over for the time being. Quietly Adeline tugs her pretty head free of that cramped sort of helmet. She gives a quick shake to dark locks before eyeing Derrick almost expectantly.
She hadn’t been expecting what came next. This Asian styled restaurant with its pretty and intricate decorations.
Now, Adeline was at least a half Asian, Maybe more, though she doubted that her father was any bit from the Orient. Though her mother was; skipped straight across the way from Japan itself, or at least that’s what her pa’d told her. Adeline could barely remember the woman, and perhaps as a direct result of such, she hadn’t so much experienced that side of her heritage. Still, it wouldn’t matter. This was America and heaven knew this was the most watered down a single culture could get. She’d manage without embarrassing herself.
Despite that promise she’d made to herself Adeline didn’t know whatever the hell she wanted.
“Same,” she finally decides with a confident sort of grin, shouldering back into her seat comfortably, “I’ve never been someplace like this,” Addi informs Derrick, brows arching upwards with a purse of soft lips.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Jan 6, 2010 4:23:48 GMT -5
“Same,” came her response along with a wide grin as she sat. The woman behind the bar gave a small bow of her head before turning away and heading to the touch screen monitor behind her. Tap tap of her finger, two seats at the bar highlighted from green to red and Derrick watched as she began to put in their order. Adeline was speaking; his head turned back in her direction at the sound of her voice. He was pleased to see she was at least smiling. “I’ve never been someplace like this."
"I haven't been here in a long, long time," he confesses in response. "It was several years ago. I wasn't even sure if it would still be around the way that the economy is going." And now didn't he just sound like another cynical, politician/big-business hating male. Good, maybe he seemed normal now. After all, it was impossible to not despise the fast loss of money. He and Ashley had both taken out life insurance as soon as the triplets were born - they didn't want them to be without if anything ever happened. They just hadn't thought that something would. As it stood he was well off, like that mattered. He didn't even bother looking at his pay stubs now. Once a year he saw it when he sat down with his W2 to write out his taxes but that's where it ended.
"How has life been treating you?" Derrick made himself ask, trying to bring back all of the pieces of small talk that he could remember. "Any good games coming out or competitions coming up?" He was tempted to ask more about why she wasn't still in the main circuit but he didn't want to pry. Wasn't sure if it was something safe to ask about. Fumbling for safe territory, Derrick began to fiddle with a sleeve containing a pair of chopsticks. Almost beneath his breath he mumbled: "I could never figure out how to use these goddamn things..."
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Jan 7, 2010 15:28:56 GMT -5
How would she fare in such a foreign environment. Quietly those dark eyes of hers roam across the bartop and toward the almost overwhelming amount of decorative elements. This place was strange, though most definitely earned points simply for the dedication to the chosen theme. It was decent, overall, save for the dim lighting, which Adeline could never truly stand. She’d manage to survive, though - somehow.
Hell, she could survive the apocalypse with a shot (Or two) and some halfway decent company.
“Good to know,” she coos in reply, another of those smiles spreading to her features. At least she wouldn’t be the only one within this building who didn’t know what the hell was going on around here. It made her feel less awkward, which was a great thing; Miss Graham never quite got use to the concept of being awkward. She’d always been that strong sort of young woman; confident, that was.
How’s her life been going though? “Well,” she begins, only to breathe inwards deeply, though she had some sort of long winded tale to spin - She did not, “It’s been pretty good, got myself a dead end job, which is great. God knows I’m long overdue for one of those,” she teases with a wrinkle to her nose. It’d been some time since her last minimum wage job. About a decade, in fact! Christ, she was getting old. “Other than that not a lot’s been going on,” her nose wrinkles, “I’m not part of that circuit anymore, it was fun while it lasted, but I’m glad to have retired a winner than be beaten out. I’d rather not risk embarrassing myself by going back.” Her hand flops almost lazily, though dismissing the entire idea as she slumps forth to the bartop.
“How about yourself?” she questions, “Wouldn’t have pegged you for an Assassin’s Creed man,” she teases thereafter.
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Kaiser Fell
CITIZEN
What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?
Posts: 23
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Post by Kaiser Fell on Jan 7, 2010 16:07:11 GMT -5
He studied her face for her reaction; she seemed interested in his choice. He felt that he had chosen well for the most part, and her countenance seemed to show approval. It pleased him.
“Good to know,” she said and he gave a nod. He felt like a moron trying to use those little pieces of wood, so he would probably wind up asking to have a fork at some point if he ordered anything other than soup. Which he might. And probably would; the smell of the food in the back was tempting. Only then did he realize that he was actually really hungry. This worked out well.
“Well, it’s been pretty good, got myself a dead end job, which is great. God knows I’m long overdue for one of those. Other than that not a lot’s been going on. I’m not part of that circuit anymore, it was fun while it lasted, but I’m glad to have retired a winner than be beaten out. I’d rather not risk embarrassing myself by going back.”
Derrick gave another bob of his head in understanding. Better to step away on a good note then be forced out. Leave on top before it got really bloody. He could understand that. That's what he should have done. Quit this whole life thing before things had gone so drastically downhill and now he was spending his days wallowing around trying to pick up the pieces, or find a reason to get out of bed in the morning like some kind of pathetic insolent.
“How about yourself? Wouldn’t have pegged you for an Assassin’s Creed man."
A laugh came from his throat, a little rough but it was there and it caught him off guard. He gave a shrug of his shoulders.
"I'm more of a war person," he admitted. "Call of Duty - of course. Blazing Angels, Rainbow Six, Brothers in Arms. When I was more of a computer person I played a bit of CS. Never got into all that stuff like Dragonage and Never Winter Nights though. But Assassin's Creed is just cool. You can't not love it. The first one actually reminded me of when I was in India." He took a moment then to recant the months he had spent in India, struggling in a foreign country whose language he didn't speak and trying to figure out where this was and that was. It was an experience that he was incredibly fond of, but on the other hand it was also an experience that he wouldn't try again. At least not now at his age and state of mind. "Good curry."
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Adeline
CITIZEN
Geek Goddess.
Posts: 37
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Post by Adeline on Jan 8, 2010 20:46:57 GMT -5
Adeline smiles. It was good to see Derrick laughing, even if she barely knew this young man. Still, she recalled him as some sort of scowling and brooding figure. Bashful at best, if his way of being could be described as such, that is. Perhaps Bashful was a poor word, though. More quiet, she supposes. Though it didn’t really matter now, since she’d managed to get a chuckle out of him somehow.
At least Adeline still made decent company.
Adeline kicks back into her seat then, hooking a single heel over one of those support beams beneath her seat. Her slender arms fold beneath her chest easily. She’s comfortable in that rigid sort of seat, despite the almost defensive stance.
It smelled good within this restaurant, to say the very least of it. The warmed smell of red pepper flakes, miso paste, soy sauce, you know, the usual line up within an Asian restaurant. Despite rarely having been exposed to the eastern side of her culture Adeline was no stranger to a cheap bucket of take out, semi sticky rice settled within a wax-covered and foldable boxes, alongside chicken and broccoli. Asian food was best in New York, if only for the simple fact that it was cheap.
“India?” Adeline questions suddenly, pulling herself back to reality. Those dark eyes of hers lift from the bartop where an empty napkin awaits for a drink only to simply stare at Derrick with what could be considered blatant disbelief. She didn’t know Derrick very well, but the fact of the matter was that Adeline knew of very little people who’d made their way over and into the cradle of civilization. She’s impressed to say the least of it.
It’s not long before that Asian woman is approaching the two of them with two of those trademark tiny cups and a carafe of that saki Derrick and herself had ordered. This would definitely be something new. “You know the better quality saki, the colder you can drink it,” the impurities become more obvious the colder the drink is, “The more expensive it is, too, “ Adeline teases, simply staring at that tiny cup for the time being.
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