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Post by max on Mar 14, 2008 23:39:39 GMT -5
Salt, he could smell it even miles away from the ocean. Ever since he arrived on the island his keen senses had noticed just about every smell, but the one that captivated him most was the salty brine of the ocean. It shouldn’t have been that interesting to him; he’s lived in England, traveled the world and been to so many coastlines he’s just about lost count. Nevertheless, there that tantalizing odor begged him to leave his window open in the middle of the night, even when it rained. Of course, one could expect nothing else from a man such as Maximus Gideon. Such eccentrics are a given to his character, to take them away would be to take away a piece of the man himself. Lips parted and lungs dragged down deep gulps of the fresh air that greets him as he stepped through the doors of the apartment building, a spring in his step that never seemed to abandon him. Chocolate eyes were bright with curiosity, a childlike wonder that probably should have deserted him many years ago. There was a grin painted across his face that threatened to break into a million pieces, existed without cause or reason and lit up his demeanor like the sun. Russet locks strewn across his head in haphazard fashion; spikes laid this way and that, a tangle of almost sinfully soft hair. He’d never been one for hair-care, other than the occasion excursion into the world of gel and mousse, and even those didn’t last too long once he tired with the process. Most of the time he just got out of bed and let it do it’s thing, sometimes there was a blow dryer involved after a shower, but usually nature just took it’s course.
Maximus possessed a body that was almost excruciatingly skinny, his metabolism enough to compensate for all the food he shoveled down during meal times and in between. He’d already ingested a hearty breakfast of toast, cereal, a chocolate muffin and a generous glass of pomegranate juice. There hadn’t been much to do around his flat; the Saturday morning stretched out before him like a road without end, the very prospect of such a thought something that deeply unsettled him. So he did what he always did when boredom came knocking upon his door and his nerves nearly had him in fits. He went for a walk. The sidewalk was firm beneath his sneaker clad feet; his long stride pulled him along the walkway in a quick jaunting gait. Sharp eyes took in everything there was to see, even though he’d been in Hawaii long enough for everything to become vaguely familiar. Usually there was a scruffy mutt that followed closely at his heels, but he’d left the flat before the dog had a chance to wake up. As much as he dearly loved his Casanova, he had to admit there were times when the little ball of fur was just oh so tempting to kick. His grin widened, if even possible, as his neck rolled and he took in the rays of the sun as they cast down upon the surface of his narrow shoulders. That was one thing he didn’t miss about England, the dreary weather. Hawaii certainly had the old mother country beat when it came to paradise.
Long nimble fingers drift over the fabric of his dark denim jeans as they slid into his pockets. He’d dressed casually, the jeans topped off by a cotton-tee shirt in a shade of bright green that hovered on the edge of being obnoxious but actually fit quite well with his image. Hips swayed awkwardly mid-step, caught up in some dance step that coincided with some random snippet of a song in his mind and his grin faltered as he longed for his Ipod. Stride soon straightened and he rounded a corner, headed toward the Square. He’d always loved coming into the Square, with its array of shops and scenery that was just so striking and yet so horribly ordinary that it caused a swell of admiration to rise each and every time he came upon it. There was no money in his pockets, no desire to purchase anything from any of the shops, only a keen interest in his surroundings and that restless energy that urged him to explore, inspect, do anything but keep still.
Teeth bit down onto his lower lip as he came upon the fountain, eyes narrowed as he studied the stone structure, a slight twinge of sadness pulled at his heart. Oh how his Issy would have loved to get that fountain in a snapshot, perhaps stick it in one of her many albums that had littered their house and spilled from cupboards. He frowned, the remembrance obviously something he didn’t care to indulge in at the moment. He shook his head softly and ran a hand through his hair, mussed up the locks even more, if possible. As soon as that sadness had come, it passed, and he bounded around the fountain like a five year old who had been given a bit too much sugar on accident. Fingertips ran across the stones that enclosed the water, the rough texture unpleasant but exhilarating. “Splendid,” he crowed to himself in his English lilt, the epitome of exuberant wonder.
With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he scrambled up to the top of the wall, frame precariously balanced upon the surface, a look of utter concentration masked across his features. Arms stretched wide in the position one usually sees on a tightrope walker, tongue pressed firmly between his lips as he took a few hesitant steps. After the first wobbly movements, his confidence returns vehemently and he quickened his pace, almost running. Of course, what would life be without a few mishaps, a few falls to make sure one hasn’t overestimated oneself. A patch of wet rock appeared almost out of nowhere, or so Maximus would claim if asked, and one, two, down he went. Lean body pitched backward and hurtled toward the clear liquid, arms flailed and legs kicked up a storm. No one said he’d go down without a fight, even if what he was fighting happened to be gravity.
Despite the warm temperature of the air, the water is icy cold and he surfaced sputtering. A expression of utter confusion crossed his face before being replaced by a childish crestfallen look, his lips turned into a frown that wasn’t quite serious. He wiped some water from the bridge of his nose and let out a long, suffering groan, over dramatic but one he thought he deserved. Maximus had never appreciated being wet, especially when he lacked a bathing suit. And these jeans chafed, oh how they would chafe, he shuddered to think. He waded toward the edge, but instead of heaving himself out he stood, almost waist deep in water, shirt clinging to his skinny frame, a grin upon his features as if he’d just completed the most glorious of tasks. While he wasn’t amused with the whole being wet part, he couldn’t say he didn’t mind the excursion. After all, how many people took a dive in the Square fountain?
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on Mar 15, 2008 13:17:52 GMT -5
» It was an unremarkable day, to put it in mild terms. Nothing remarkable had happened thus far, and Mystic didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen for the rest of the day. She never really expected anything to happen- being a nurse in the NICU of the local hospital, the variety of things she saw was pretty limited: premature babies that either survived or croaked, maybe with an occasional rare condition. Surprises were few and far between. But that was okay with Mystic- not know what was coming would kind of scare her, so having a fairly predictable job was really good for her. When she woke up this morning, Flannery was already gone. She had been kind of expecting it- their schedules were pretty crazy, and it was very rare that they both had the day off. It took her a while to get used to waking up alone, but she eventually came around. At the end of the day, she knew that he loved her, and she loved him, and nothing would change that. Someone once suggested that, because of their odd schedules, it would be "super easy" for either Mystic or Flannery- or both- to be unfaithful. Mystic knew that she would never do such a thing; she just couldn't hurt her husband. She was not a jealous or paranoid type of person, so she completely trusted him to stay faithful even without her around, despite it being painfully easy for him to cheat if he had a mind to- he was, after all, incessantly handsome, and she knew for a fact that some of the other nurses liked to flirt with him. But still- she trusted him, and knew he wouldn't want to hurt her.
» She rolled out of bed at around six in the morning, and went about doing the things she usually did anyway. She went to the closet and pulled out the clothes she would wear for the rest of the day: a white short-sleeved shirt with a red tank top underneath, a pair of simple black shorts that came down to her knees- they were not tight, but showed that she had a nice figure, as did her shirt, which also made it a bit obvious that she was a tad lacking in the boob department. For shoes, she chose her usual small black shoes. She never really bothered dressing up before, and saw no point in doing so now. She laid the clothes carefully on the bed, and went into the bathroom to take a shower, coming back into the bedroom about ten minutes later, wrapped in a towel. She realized that her hair was still dripping wet, so she went back into the bathroom and blow dried it, coming back when it was just mildly damp. She got dressed, and stopped in front of the mirror in the hall with a frown. Mystic never liked the way she looked, but now she had a reason- she should not be so slim. It broke her heart every time she thought about how she should have a swollen belly by now, but didn't. No, she had to go and miscarry. She still blamed herself for it, despite the fact that there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. With a heavy sigh, Mystic stepped away from the mirror to go get something to eat. She was no good at cooking- even simple things like scrambled eggs or pancakes stumped her, so those were completely out of the question- so she had a simple bowl of cereal: Lucky Charms. In many ways, Mystic was still childish, but that was fine; it was all part of her charm. She poked at the cereal for a while before eating it, and then put the empty bowl in the sink.
» She finished her usual morning activities fairly early- when she glanced at the clock, it was only seven-thirty. If she didn't find something to do, it would be a long, boring day. Like most other people, Mystic hated being bored, and would do weird things if she couldn't find anything better to do. She went over to the nearest mirror and started to mess with her hair. She normally just combed the red curls and let them rest on her shoulders, but she needed something to do for now. After seeking out two little white hair ties, she pulled the red locks back into double French-braids. It wasn't something she often did, especially in the winter when it was cold. In the summer, she would do it a lot in an effort to stay cool. When she was done with that, she gave a huge sigh, realizing that it was still really early. What was she supposed to do all day? She wasn't one to complain, but the time between now and when Flannery would return home seemed like an eternity. She had to do something or she would lose her mind. She thought for a short while before deciding to go for a walk. She stepped outside, taking a quick look around before starting her journey.
» Despite the simplicity of it, taking a walk was a really tough decision for Mystic. Sure, the circumstances were different, and there was no way history could repeat itself this time, but it was still kind of traumatizing for Mystic to go for a walk- because the last time she did that, was the day she miscarried. Long story short, she was going for a walk in the park- it was a really nice day- and felt a sharp pain. When she got to the hospital, they couldn't detect a heartbeat. She and Flannery were devastated, and ever since then, Mystic had been avoiding walks. But today, she honestly couldn't think of a damn thing to do, so walking seemed like a pretty good idea. It was a fairly warm day- one of the many things she loved about living in Hawaii- if a little hot. She wasn't much for really hot weather, and as she started walking along, almost considered going back home to hide on the couch with air conditioning. But as she walked a little more, she began to mind a little less, and decided to keep going. She also decided on a destination.
» As she approached the fountain, she saw a man standing on its ledge, and couldn't help but think that he was going to fall off. Whether because of recklessness or because his original intention was to jump in, she didn't know, but she was almost certain he would be wet soon. And she was right. She couldn't help but smile as she heard the splash, resisting the urge to laugh. It wasn't funny, was it; someone getting wet? She wasn't sure how deep the fountain was, but knew for a fact that a person could drown in much less water than was in it, especially if they had hit their head. She walked cautiously over to the edge, slowing her pace as she saw him get up. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. She was usually much too shy to randomly go over to people and start talking, but her instinctive need, as a nurse, to make sure people were alright usually pushed her shyness aside.
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Post by max on Mar 15, 2008 22:03:11 GMT -5
The water seeped through his meager layers of clothing and spread across his skin with a chill that was definitely unwelcome. He, however, was perfectly happy to overlook it simply because this was a new adventure. Granted not a grand adventure, or all that exciting and it basically consisted of him standing in two feet of water sopping wet looking the fool, but it was something new nonetheless. And Maximus Gideon lived for something new. The old was so boring, so stuffy, restraining and most of all heartbreaking. Nothing from the past needed to come into the future, and so he was busy making his way through the days, grabbing up experiences to increase the distance between then and now. If he has to get wet to do so, then so be it. Splayed palm came down and smacked across the glittered surface of the water, chocolate eyes danced with a soft childish excitement. Some would say that Maximus had never truly grown up; a child’s delight lingered in a man’s body. And yet, if one knew of the heartache he suffered, of the pain he’d endured they wouldn’t dare suggest a child’s innocence. A sigh left his lips in absence, head bowed and a twisted smile curled across his lips as if he’s just discovered a fantastic secret that no one else’s been told. He couldn’t really tell you why he found everything so interesting, it just was. Anything that could be discovered would be discovered when he was around, he could name you a hundred different types of insects just by looking at them and point out twenty different constellations at any given time during the night in the sky. He gleamed knowledge from books, television shows, magazines, from experience.
Walking was one of his favorite activities; he’d walk all day if he could. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the patience to limit himself to one activity for so long and he’d probably tire of it eventually. Back home in the classroom he’d miffed his students by dancing from topic to topic in rapid succession, giving them just the vaguest amount of information in little bursts, but it all came together eventually. He was fascinated with teaching children, that was certainly something he would never, ever tire of. He absolutely loved seeing the wonder in their eyes, or at least a select few, when he introduced a new subject, and to tell the truth, even the most reluctant students seemed to enjoy Maximus’s class, if not his antics. It saddened him to give it up, but his focus upon his job had been shattered with the passing of his wife and son, and the subsequent problems that he had suddenly accumulated recently.
It probably wasn’t a good idea to staying in the water much longer, because even though the temperature was comfortable, knowing Maximus, he’d end up with the worst cold of his life and be abed for a week. Still, he wasn’t in any particular hurry to extricate himself from the water as it lapped against the seams of his jeans and tickled the skin of his ankles. A light whimper ripped from his lips when he realized he’d gotten his new trainers wet, and he shuddered to think of how long it would take in the apartment complex’s washing machine to get the things even wearable again. He hated the thought of squelching home in them and had already decided he’d take them off before he even attempted the journey. His Issy had always loved walks, she’d wake him in the middle of the night and grab his hand, drag him out of bed and out the door. It didn’t matter that it was two AM and whatever city they happened to be in that week was asleep, they’d tour the street and whisper in excited voices over the silent town. A melancholy smile replaced his crooked one, a smile stuck in remembrance. Honestly, he was getting better at forgetting, some days it seemed as if Issy herself was trying to make sure he never forgot her. As if, he could. She’d be emblazoned upon his mind for as long as he lived. Probably follow him down to the dark silence of his grave as well. But it wasn’t as if he resented her memory, no he imagined he’d be quite lost without the thought of her smile or the way she laughed when he’d done something completely idiotic, as he was so prone to do. Some days he wondered how he even went on, others he couldn’t believe he’d even gotten this far. It was particularly bad whenever he saw a baby carriage or anything in that particular vein. He never really had gotten used to the way his heart would ache and the slight prick in the back of his throat, no matter how many times he told himself he never cried.
Shaking himself of these mournful thoughts, he turned his attention to the square. The sun was bright in the sky, casting it’s golden ray down upon the buildings and sidewalk with an intensity that almost blinded him. You never really got that in England, oh with its clouds and rain. Not to say they never received good weather, no he imagined they had their fair share of sunny days, just never of this intensity. Head shook back and forth, water dropped down the bridge of his nose and plopped right back in the water. His chocolate locks matted to his head, the little spikes crushed with the weight of the water. It gave him the look of a drowned rat, or at least a very wet one. He didn’t mind, although swimming wasn’t something he indulged in often and one could hardly cause this little dip swimming. A low hum came from the back of his throat as he shoved his nose forward so he could peer at the stone, trying to categorize it but giving up when the texture began to run together and loose themselves within the detail. Attention was soon caught by the sound of the water flowing down the waterfall and he turned to gaze upon it, head tossed back and a look of appreciation across his features. It was pretty he’d give them that. Mermaids weren’t something he thought often about, if ever, curious creatures as they were.
He returned his gaze to the edge of the pool, giving a dogged shake of his head and the grin reappearing upon his face almost instantly. Teeth ran across the surface of his lower lip as he gathered himself to leave the pool, but he was stopped by a voice and his curious brown eyes scanned the area before landing upon the redhead. The grin never faltered, but instead expanded, his eyes practically aglow with happiness. Oh how he loved making new acquaintances. It took him a moment to realize she had actually asked him a question, and then another for him actually to realize what it was. “Oh…oh, me?” he asked, his words quick and boisterous, although polite enough. “I’m fine, just a bit wet is all.” he said almost sheepishly as he tilted his head and chewed his lip. “Perfectly, one hundred percent a-okay,” he quipped as he hauled himself over the wall and dropped down to stand sopping wet a short distance away from her. He wiped his matted hair away from his face, causing it to spike up a bit at the front and he grinned at her. “But thank you for inquiring,” he said lightly. “Maximus Gideon,” he said, offering out a dripping hand, apparently forgetting for a moment that he’d just fallen into a fountain pool.
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on Mar 16, 2008 20:40:39 GMT -5
» Mystic was definitely not anti-social, by any means. If she were approached by someone and that person started up a conversation, she would gladly participate, and be friendly about it. But she wasn't exactly the most extroverted person in the world, and was extremely hesitant to actually start conversations. She wasn't even sure why, though. She wasn't particularly afraid of people- unlike her sister, she didn't have an incessant suspicion that every man- and some women, why not?- had a knife or gun in his pocket and was going to use it as leverage to rape her and then kill her- and she knew that, if she concentrated enough, she would not sound dumb. She wasn't afraid to get close to people, or become friends- since she was, after all, married, she didn't exactly have a fear of getting her heart broken by some random guy she met. So whatever was keeping her from being an extrovert was beyond her; but it wasn't exactly impeding upon her life, so why bother trying to change it?
» "I can see that," she said, as he stated that he was wet. Obviously, it wouldn't take a genius to figure that out, considering that he was in a water fountain. She watched quietly as he climbed out. "Mystic," she said with a shy smile, extending her hand to shake his. Her grip was definitely not the greatest; it was pathetically weak, but hey, nobody who lifts two-pound babies for a living and didn't go to the gym would have much muscle tone, or much of a grip. She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Do you... regularly go swimming here? Because, you now, there's a beach not too far from here, so you'd probably have a bit more fun there. Not to mention that there are lifeguards and stuff, so you don't drown..." For some reason, she couldn't help but want to continue the conversation. He seemed like a nice guy, and she was all but certain that he had the same condition she did- ADHD. And by the way he was being all random- at least, that was how she viewed it- he probably hadn't taken his medication either.
» Even though she was married, it wasn't like she didn't look at guys. She knew full well what she could and couldn't do, and never did anything more than look and muse. It was harmless, really, because at the end of the day, she couldn't think of anyone she would rather be married to than Flannery. Sure, there had been a little bit of a lull lately, after she lost the baby, but it was nothing that wouldn't go away in time. Neither of them had done anything crazy after it, like go out and cheat, and she was hopeful that neither of them would. In any case, the man in front of her was pretty damn hot. Not the traditional Baywatch-lifeguard-man hot, but hot in his own way. Plus what she'd seen of his...personality...so far was just too adorable.
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Post by max on Mar 16, 2008 21:24:16 GMT -5
Maximus shifted upon the soles of his shoes and almost grinned at the squeaking sound they emitted, but quickly covered up the expression with a slightly tamer smile. He figured there was only so much any person could take before he completely creeped them out. Discreetly he studied her, not in lecherous inappropriate way, although he wouldn’t deny she was beautiful, but more of an appraising look, as if he were absolutely taken with the idea of meeting another person. Maximus had always adored meeting new people, he was like a puppy that leapt and licked anyone within it’s reach just because it was so damn excited about seeing someone. Of course, Maximus never leapt and hardly ever licked anyone he met, so he wasn’t exactly like an excitable puppy. Still, it had to be said that Maximus was the type of guy who never really got bored with the idea of new things, and even old things if he’d been away for a while. He was insanely curious everything had potential to him. Life hadn’t ceased to amaze him, even if it had beaten him down a bit. Not everyone appreciated his inquisitive nature, but most got used to him pretty quickly.
Head titled to the side as he watched her, his smile widened as she spoke and he bit his lip lightly, unabashed. It went without saying that Maximus Gideon could be completely oblivious half the time, usually when it didn’t matter, but when it mattered as well, but it was all part of his unintentional charm. “Well I’m very chuffed to meet you, Mystic,” he replied as he gripped her hand, his hold firm despite the water. He’d always had a strong grip, though anyone he’d met him would have said he never looked like he’d possess such a confident handshake. Anytime he’d gone out in public, spouting some eccentricities and had shaken a hand, Issy had always hid her smile behind his shoulder at their mild look of surprise. Arm dropped down to his side as she released him and he mused for a second, looking as if he were actually considering the question seriously. Then he grinned. “Nope, ‘s my first time, and my last, I hope.” His face screwed up at the thought of a lifeguard. “I’m perfectly able in my swimming capabilities,” he said, not without a hint of indignation. One might even say his chest puffed out in a display of pride, but Max would say it’d been a trick of their eyes. “But I haven’t been to the beach yet.” he frowned and chewed his lip. “Been in Hawaii a month now and haven’t been to the beach, imagine that!” he crowed absently as he moved his gaze from the ground back to Mystic.
He began to shift around again, not quite happy about standing still for so long. Absent gaze caught sight of a ring on a finger and he almost sighed. He remembered putting a ring that looked like that on Issy’s finger. Of course, he’d dropped it twice and almost lost it under the couch before that, but it’d made it there nonetheless. Now it sat on a chain in a small box Max sometimes brought out just to gaze on. Sometimes he still felt bad after he’d spent the night with a woman, as if he was dishonoring her memory, or worse betraying her. He knew it was blasphemous to think so, but he couldn’t stop nonetheless. He attempted to shove his hands in his pockets, but failed miserably because the fabric was so wet. He scowled but the expression was soon lost as he turned his gaze back to Mystic. “So…” he drawled in his collected English tones. “Hawaii’s a lovely place, don’t you think?” he cast a gaze around as if he were seeing it for the first time.
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on Mar 17, 2008 20:38:37 GMT -5
» She laughed a little at him. "Sure you don't want to go for another swim? It looked like you were having so much fun..." She giggled a little again. She could've sworn he was enjoying himself in there, but then again, her perceptions of peoples' moods weren't always the most accurate. She shrugged a little, looking away. She had always assumed that everybody knew how to swim. Granted, some were better, stronger, and faster than others, but even those who claimed that they couldn't really could; after all, it wasn't that complicated, was it? All one had to do was flail their arms around and eventually they would move in some direction, hopefully toward a ladder, shore, or what have you. If someone drowned, and she hated to say it, but it was their own damn fault. "Oh, I know. I'm pretty sure everyone can swim."
» She looked at him in shock for a moment, as if he had just told her he was God or something. "Is that even humanly possible?" It was shocking to her; how could someone be in Hawaii for even an hour- let alone an entire month!- without being to the beach? "It's so wonderful! Oh, you absolutely have to go as soon as you can..." The beach was one of her favorite places on the island. Granted, she had little time to go there, with the way she worked, and was trying to spend as much time with Flannery as possible, so the only time she could really go was if she was home alone, and had nothing else to do.
» She nodded slowly, taking a quiet look around. "It's gorgeous..." She loved it here- it truly was, to her, paradise. It was rarely, if ever cold- and, being someone who was particularly small, she was really sensitive to cold, and if she were to go out in low temperatures, she could very well end up in bed for the next week with whatever bug happened to be going around- the plant and animal life was phenomenal, and of course, her favorite part, the beaches and ocean. The beaches were the most beautiful ones she'd ever seen, and the ocean was as it should be- clear, clean. "So where are you from?" Obviously, it wasn't around here. Nobody picked up lingo like that from Hawaii.
» By nature, Mystic was a curious person. She always wanted to learn things, to know what made something tick. One would assume this would make her want to know people too, but she shied away from most people. This guy was intriguing her more by the second. She hadn't noticed until then his accent, and his language. Was he from England? Or Australia? She felt so bad that she couldn't tell the difference, and on a few occasions actually got angry glares from people because she asked if they were one when they were actually the other. After making the mistake two or three times, she finally gave up on trying to tell, and usually just asked where they were from. This made her feel kind of pathetic, especially considering that if one were to show her pictures of Japanese people, Korean people, Chinese people, and Vietnamese people, she would be able to tell which one was which. A selective ability, she guessed- or maybe she was just better with identifying faces as being from a certain country or nationality, rather than voices.
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Post by max on Mar 31, 2008 20:14:41 GMT -5
Lower lip stuck out in what most people would call a pout. “I was doing no such thing,” Maximus grouched, although really he could have fun doing just about any activity. “I could have drowned,” he sniffed, although the light in his eyes destroyed the whole idea of him being absolutely offended at the insinuation. Before he could really get into his melodramatic theatrics, a bright grin reclaimed his face and he shrugged offhandedly, spraying water droplets around in the process. The chances of Maximus actually drowning were slim to none, if worst came to worst he could probably flail his way out with all the excess energy he carried around with him. Toes curled in his trainers, and he fought the urge to kick them off, they were wet and he loathed the feel of them against his feet. He wasn’t wearing socks because who takes the time to put on socks anyway. He much prefers the feel of his sneakers against his skin, even if he’d much rather prefer the feel of the Earth beneath his feet, but all the same, he’d take what he could get. “Well yeah, but tell that to all the poor saps who’ve drowned,” Maximus said flippantly.
Maximus had the sense to look just a bit ashamed. Usually when he got to someplace new, he’d go all around, exploring every inch he could get his hands on, hardly stopping at all until he was satisfied that an inch hadn’t gone unseen. Perhaps he’d just figured that since he’d be staying a while (indefinitely) he might as well save something to look forward too. Besides, Issy liked the beach, oh how she’d loved the waves as they crashed to the shores, and how he’d grinned as he watched her run from the waves, teasing them into games of chase. He wasn’t sure how he would handle the sight of the ocean without her by his side, and he was obstinately sure he didn’t want to find out. “I’ll certainly try,” he assured her, because even though he’d probably spend most of his trip to the ocean with his head in the clouds mourning a memory, he had to admit it sounded too perfect to pass up.
Head tipped back, exposed the angular curve of his neck as it dipped down, brown gaze captivated by the surroundings. He liked it, the simplicity of the warm weather, no angry bitter winds, just lazy clouds floating past like cotton balls in the sky. It was languid, no hurry, no pressure, just time that floated endlessly before him. Maximus was a man who knew what to do with time, never let it idle, never let it stagnate. Minutes seldom went by without words crashing through them, entire dialogues pulled forth from his tongue, frantic movement, little shifts, never still. He almost started when he realized she’d spoken again, prone as he was to drifting from the confines of awareness. “Good ol’ England, Great Britain actually,” he paused, his face twisted into a pondering grimace, “Birmingham if you really want to get specific, nice country, beautiful, though not quite so much as Rome was…” he trailed off, glancing at her expectantly. “How’s about you, always been here or Hawaii a second home?”
Maximus had always loved hearing about people’s lives, even if he wasn’t so keen to share intimate details about his own. Sure he talked, could talk paint off a wall at times, but he never really said anything. It was just who he was, or more accurately who he’d become. He’d opened up his heart to Issy, and she’d hurt him, unintentionally of course, but he still couldn’t help but feel the pain. And he didn’t want that again, even though he was sure that he would put himself in any danger if he happened to disclose any details about himself.
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on May 11, 2008 18:12:22 GMT -5
» Mystic shifted a little. Great Britain? It was England. Besides, it wasn't like the country was great in any way. She almost didn't say it- it was just in her nature that, on the rare occasion that something irritated her enough to tempt her to rant about it, she would just swallow the temptation, and not say a damn thing- but for some reason, her 'censorship" gene was all but gone. "Great Britain's not so 'great', you know. Pretty much every country they've ever owned rebelled against them and broke free. So they willingly gave up Australia, because they wanted to avoid yet another hideous defeat. Besides, it's England. I have no clue where people are getting this "Britain" thing." She continued for another moment, mumbling about it, until she realized he'd asked a question. "Oh... I think I've lived here my whole life. Not sure... At least so long that I can't remember anywhere else." She shrugged a little. It didn't really matter to her if she'd lived in, for example, Alabama in her earlier years, before coming to live in Hawaii. She didn't remember anywhere else, her earliest of early memories being from here. She lived here now, which was all that mattered to her. She doubted she would ever leave- it would be crazy, as far as she was concerned, to leave such a beautiful place. Most people would kill to live in Hawaii, and wouldn't even dream of moving if they lived there. Besides, it would take too much time and effort to pack up, get on a plane, find a new house in the continental US- Mystic didn't have a passport, and wouldn't even want to live in another country even if she did- unpack, re-organize a house... The very thought of such a huge move sent chills up her spine. She wasn't a total neat-freak, but she hated to be in the middle of utter chaos.
» "So what brought you here?" He was from overseas, and seemed, to her, to, on some level, miss it. She was curious as to why her would move to the US. She could see how the beautiful beaches would be alluring, but since he had just said he hadn't been to one yet, that couldn't be it. The rest of the scenery was beautiful, yes, but couldn't hold a candle to the beach. Besides, there were beaches in England, and, since he was, in fact, a man, he would probably like them better, because a good chunk of England's beaches were nude beaches. Mystic personally wouldn't want to go to one, but Max was a man. Men liked those kinds of things, right? She managed to keep herself quiet about it this time, though. She doubted he would appreciate that tidbit of random though. "Hiding from the law? 'Cause, you know, the US does extradite. I think." A small smile. This guy, sure, had a little bit of quirkiness about him, but to Mystic, he had a very dry personality. She had no business trying to elicit a smile from him, let alone laughter, but she felt like she ought to. He was in some sort of a funk, and she wouldn't feel right just walking away.
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Post by max on May 11, 2008 20:26:31 GMT -5
Standing still for any amount of time had never been Maximus’s forte, and even now when he was so engaged in conversation he couldn’t help but fidget, bringing a hand to the nape of his neck, then down to a belt loop, and then back to his side as he tapped restlessly on the side of his jeans. All the while, his chocolate eyes stayed fixed upon her as he lapped up her words, his expression fading and crumbling into something that could only be described as forlorn. Then it shifted again to amusement. “You do know I’m not the ruler of the country, right?” he asked teasingly. “Wasn’t the one to christen it with the name, although technically, I think you’re taking the Great out of context, I’m not a major in history or anything, but to the best of my knowledge, I’m sure they stuck the name great in there not to boast of its superiority, but to distinguish it from another country,” he peered at her curiously, lips drawn together in something that might have resembled a pout. He merely nodded, Maximus had seldom lived in one place for too long, at least after he’d grown old enough to get his own residence. He’d spent at least a year of his life with no permanent residence, because he and Issy had been away so often. Maximus wasn’t too keen on spending a large amount of time tied down to one place, although that’s just what he was doing now. He was renting the apartment for at least a year, or so the contract said. The school staff psychologist had told him that’s what he needed right now, stability, and as loathe as he was to listen to anything the man said, he’d grudgingly accepted the fact that he just needed a vacation, a long, long vacation. Maybe with enough time, he’d even be well enough to teach again. He could only hope.
The question, although natural, startled him and he swallowed. “Eh, well, I…” he faltered, his brows drawing together as he cast a skittish look in her direction. He’d been pretty much lying to himself since he’d made the decision to move to Hawaii. As far as he was concerned, it was just a regular old sabbatical of sorts, that most professors took. He did have a paper to finish, not wanting to become too far off focus during his absence. He was trying to forget the reason why he actually needed the break, he hadn’t really acknowledged the fact Issy and Oliver were gone as of yet. Sure, his mental breakdown and descent into a world of OCD and disorder had immediately followed their deaths, but he hadn’t taken the time to mourn them properly yet, hadn’t even shed a tear. Her suggestion brought him back quickly and he chuckled wryly, shaking his head as his lips twisted into a grin. “Ah, no, I can assure you I’m perfectly legal, I actually don’t think I’ve had a run in with the law my entire life, unless I count that one time in Glasgow, but really we weren’t really doing anything illegal, per se, and the officers were nice enough to let us go without too much trouble. I did like those red and blue lights however,” he grinned ruefully at the memory. “Sirens were a might loud though,” he frowned. “Anyway,” he continued on with a smile, “I guess you can say I came here on a vacation of sorts.”
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on May 12, 2008 17:07:11 GMT -5
» Mystic let off a soft sigh of relief. She was worried that she'd offended him with her little rant about his homeland, but by the way he was speaking teasingly she could tell that he hadn't taken offense. That was good for her- she really, really hated offending people, whether accidentally or otherwise, and too it hard if she ever did. At least he had a sense of humor. She smiled a little. "For all I know you are the leader of a country." She shrugged a little and looked away. The truth was, she didn't know him. It wasn't like she should or anything- she had, after all, just run into him right here. It wasn't like they were old pals from elementary school or anything. She, personally, didn't know much about England. Sure, there was that whole Revolutionary War thing that just about everyone is taught since their kindergarten year, but other than that, she didn't know a whole lot. She didn't know- or really care- why it was called 'Great Britain', and had never really needed to know. Well, it was a good day- she'd learned something new.
» It was a good thing for her that Flannery wasn't really the jealous type. She probably would not be able to deal with him if he were, when she had been home alone all day, to grill her about her activities. It was nice to know that he trusted her, and that she could trust him. He wouldn't ask tonight, for instance, where she'd been, or who with. Not that she was doing anything wrong, just talking to this man. She highly doubted anything would happen beyond talking. She also highly doubted that, if she were to offer her day's activities to Flannery, that he would mind.
» She glanced over the man in front of her, then at the fountain. It was starting to get pretty warm, and she was half-tempted to jump into the water herself. At the very least, it would distract him- she could tell he was uncomfortable with the subject of why he was in Hawaii; she could tell it hurt him, and the thing she hated more than offending people was hurting them. She was, of course, curious as to what was on his mind, but wouldn't grill him about it- it simply wasn't her business. She figured that jumping into the fountain would effectively change the subject. Truthfully, it was something that would more likely be done by her identical sister; Mystic wasn't the one that really did things on a whim, for the sake of fun or craziness. Though their DNA was identical, the craziness gene was largely her sister's. Still, Mystic could tell the man needed a laugh, and could almost guarantee he wouldn't expect her to do it. So, suddenly, without warning, she turned, ran toward the fountain, and vaulted the edge, landing in the water with a splash and giggle.
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Post by max on May 15, 2008 21:30:06 GMT -5
Maximus had never been one of those terribly patriotic citizens who had a heart attack anytime someone spoke a word against his homeland. Honestly, people were entitled to their opinions, if anything they amused him. He grinned toothily at her, his expression light and jovial, somewhat mischievous as well. His sneakers squelched against the ground as he shifted on the balls of his feet, wincing lightly as his socks chafed against his skin and he realized he’d have to change soon or risk tearing his clothes off in a feat of agony when the sun dried them completely. Who knew, he might actually do that, he always did appreciate a good scene and being melodramatic had always been a favorite of his. He laughed, something between a scoff and a snort and his shoulders moved upward in a shrug. “That’d be the day,” he lamented mockingly. The day someone elected Maximus into office was the day that country came down. Eccentric and charismatic as he could be, he’d loose all their files the first day and start up a revolution the next, unintentionally of course. It was like some sort of law; he caused some sort of trouble anywhere he went, especially the more important the place.
There was always a blurred line of loyalty for Max when Issy was concerned. He knew she was gone; at least he tried to pretend he truly did, but sometimes he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt whenever he found himself having a good time with someone else. Especially of the female gender. He almost felt as if he were cheating on her, or worse betraying her memory, and the thought of even coming close to doing that broke his heart. Still, he was trying his best with what he had, and overall he was much too bubbly and attracted to company that his feeling of guilt seldom intensified.
Absently Maximus wondered if he had any clean clothes, he’d done the laundry, but his always had a habit of disappearing. Especially his socks. His thoughts drifted to his door locks and he anxiously wondered if he’d locked them. You could never be too sure, locks were locks and were bound to break at the most crucial of moments and with an almost conscious effort, he pushed the thoughts away, not wanting to go running off at breakneck speeds just to go lock his doors when such interesting company was right here with him. He jumped, startled from his thoughts when she suddenly disappeared from his view and it took him a moment to realize she’d run off. For one crestfallen moment, he wondered if he’d done something to offend her, and then another bemused moment as he tried to remember if anyone had ever run from him before. His chocolate eyes were pulled to the fountain at the sound of the splash and he stared wide eyed after her, his perplexed expression melting slowly into a wide grin as he realized what she’d done. Without hesitation, he bounded over, his steps springing and effortlessly as he barreled into the barrier, his feet just managing to stop him as he leaned over the edge and peered at her. “Careful, you might drown,” he grinned impishly, aware of their conversation a few moments before. Head tilted slightly and he bit his lip, his expression focused as his mind tried to decide. With a devilish expression he scooped up a handful of water and chucked it in her direction, silently hoping she wouldn’t come and kick his skinny ass for doing so.
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on May 18, 2008 14:22:41 GMT -5
» While Mystic wasn't much of an extrovert- at least, nowhere near as much as her sister- she definitely wasn't a super-duper girly-girl. She could handle getting a little wet or dirty in the spirit of fun. Of course, her sister was the one much more likely to do such things, but Mystic was perfectly capable if she truly wanted to. This was as much for herself as it was for Max- it seemed as though he needed a boost, and so did she. All this crap lately with Drake randomly re-appearing in her life... It was pretty messed up. Dead people weren't supposed to come back to life- though, technically, he was never dead, which made her wonder why the Army made such a dumb mistake, or why one of Drake's friends or family members hadn't given her a damn call. There was a pretty good amount of time between his supposed "death" and when she got married... She may never understand why, but it didn't matter now. She would deal with the issues that would undoubtedly appear when they appeared.
» Mystic suddenly felt a splash on her side and gasped a little. Her whole body hadn't been submerged in the water, and the sudden cold on her upper body shocked her a bit. But she smiled quickly- she didn't want him to feel like he was doing something bad or anything like that- and laughed. "Thanks, but I doubt very many people would miss me." She reached down and splashed him back, then turned quickly and attempted to 'run' through the water- which was about hip-deep on her- to find some cover behind the 'statue' in the middle, in anticipation of a 'splash-war'. But as she tried to move, the stones under her shoes were slick, and she slipped, ending up completely underwater. She came back up after only a split second, sputtering a little- she was one of those 'losers', as her sister called them, who couldn't go underwater without pinching her nose shut. She coughed a little, and laughed again, feeling dumb, leaning over to shake some water out of her ear. "Cease fire," she said with a giggle, shaking her dripped red curls around with her hands. "Drowning is bad for your health. Which is kinda dumb, since our bodies are something like 70% water... Or was that the earth, covered in 70% water, with only like 10% drinkable? Huh. This is why paying attention in science is vital."
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Post by max on May 22, 2008 21:36:24 GMT -5
To Max, something wasn’t fun until you got dirty or at least in most cases, even though he hated any sort of grime attached to his skin for long amounts of time. It was as if, if you didn’t have any physical proof of doing something, it never happened. Most of the time, Maximus assured that his memories would be kept with a myriad of scars hidden at various points on his skin, it wasn’t that he was accident prone, just apt to behave like a five year old child on sugar, without regards to his own personal safety. In this instance, getting wet was about as much physical proof as could be expected unless he took a head dive back into the fountain and cracked his skull open (you never know). The corners of his lip never faltered as the grin spread across his face, the pleased expression upon his face easing some of the pain that seemed to hide at the corners of his eyes. As long as she kept his mind off Issy, he’d be having a grand ol’ time, although the same could be said with just about anything Maximus could possibly do. He was simply incapable of getting bored (well, most of the time, because a bored Maximus was just about the last thing you ever want to encounter).
He bit his lip as he watched her, his lips still twisted upward but a vague concern stuck on his face until she laughed, and then his expression brightened. If there was anything he hated more than being bored, it was upsetting someone. He simply didn’t have the guts for it, unless he was angry, but then he was just downright cruel. He frowned, almost teasingly, his dark eyes intent as he stared at her. “Well I would,” he said, his tone impish, because really, Maximus could miss just about anyone if he spent about five minutes with them. He shook his head doggedly after she’d splashed him and with little hesitation, propelled himself over the barrier and back into the water, landing lightly on his feet. He didn’t follow though, but concentrated on keeping himself upright. A soft laugh escaped his lips when he turned his head in time to see her go down and he bounded over, just in time to hear her plea for a cease-fire. He gave her a half attempt at mock salute. “I thought it was ten percent,” he mulled, “or like, two percent,” he corrected, although his face twisted as he attempted to recall the correct fact. “Anyway, I think it’s both, the earth and our bodies I mean, which is interesting, I mean, being made up almost entirely of water,” he trailed off, his thoughts continuing in his head as his lips pulled into a soft concentrated frown.
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mystic pearl adier
Junior Member
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out. Find nothin' but faith in nothin'.
Posts: 74
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Post by mystic pearl adier on May 23, 2008 15:50:14 GMT -5
» Mystic giggled a little. He'd miss her... How cute. She didn't mean the whole 'nobody would miss me' thing literally. Of course people would miss her- she was, after all, married to someone who loved her very much, knew Drake would miss her as well, and she had a pretty large family that would also be devastated, especially the sister that shared her exact DNA sequence. Even if she only had one sibling, no living parental units, and was single, she wouldn't think that nobody would miss her; even if she didn't know it, surely somebody would care enough to notice and be hurt that she was gone. Besides, she was hardly the pessimistic type; and definitely not at all emo or depressed. A little sad at times, sure, but who was truly happy all the time? Nobody, that's who. She was generally upbeat, and the only time she would ever claim that nobody would care if she died was when she was joking, like now.
» She simply rolled her eyes as Max started trying to figure out the number. "Well I know one or the other is seventy percent," she said, looking away. She was pretty sure she heard the number seventy in conjunction wit the percentage of water in either- or maybe both- the earth and the human body. But then again, she was never really good wit numbers, always having taken a fairly easy math class, when she was in school. It wasn't that she couldn't do them, it just didn't seem much worth it to her. Even then, she knew she wanted to be a nurse, and didn't see the point in needing to know how to calculate the square root of a bi-quadratic equation. And as she became a nurse, she knew that she had been right. Not once thus far had she found herself saying, "Ma'am, your baby's oxygen levels are really low... Just a second, let me graph a negative sine equation. Oh, hold on, I don't have my graphing calculator with me." It was just as well; while some might find it useful, she personally didn't, and even though she might have been in the top ten academically if she had taken, say, calculus, she wasn't going to take a complicated class that would confuse her and not help her later in life. "But who really needs to know that, unless you're a scientist, hmm?"
» With a smile, Mystic twirled around and started- slowly this time, not wanting to slip and fall again- walking around in the fountain, observing the statue up close. She had never been an art fiend, and didn't regularly go to museums and spend ten hours staring at a painting, trying to decipher its meaning- this wasn't The DaVinci Code, and as far as she was concerned, there was no hidden, deeper meaning to paintings that looked like a three-year-old drew them. However, she did appreciate the occasional artwork, and would occasionally stop to admire fine details. "Pretty good details... You like art?"
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Post by max on May 23, 2008 22:36:21 GMT -5
There hadn’t been anyone for Maximus in a long while. When Issy died, she took his last hold on any sort of social life with her. It wasn’t that he couldn’t make friends, oh boy could he make friends, but it was the fact that he was so, well, so intense and exuberant not many people liked to stick around him for long. He was interesting, entertaining, but overall tiring, something most folks didn’t like to deal with on a daily basis. A quick fix, if you will. His adoptive parents were either dead or simply uninterested. Well, his adoptive father was dead, he hadn’t heard from his adoptive mother in about five years now. Still, Max had never dwelled upon that fact, he was too busy making new acquaintances or satisfying his never-ending curiosity. Even if he was aware of the fact that he could probably die and no one would really notice, it probably wouldn’t bother him much. After all, he was perfectly content with how his life was going, no use yearning for something he didn’t truly want.
Distracted gaze returned sharply to his acquaintance as she spoke, quickly abandoning his attempts at recalling figures. “Mmm,” he responded, absently despite himself. That’s what he got for majoring in English rather than science. He’d probably seen the number in a magazine or on some television show a while back but at the moment he couldn’t persuade his mind to retrieve the information. It didn’t really matter, except he was slightly annoyed that he couldn’t figure it out. The feeling passed soon enough, as most were apt to do with Max, and he was back to grinning sloppily at her. He wasn’t the type to waste time when there wasn’t a need for it, and that went for almost anything. Back in school, math had been a breeze, but he hadn’t paid much attention because he’d thought it unworthy. It was lucky his high school was fairly lax in the mathematics department. Their English department was spectacular however, which might explain his love for literature. He could devour just about any book he set his sights on, and the great part about it was he actually was able to understand it. “Quite right,” he replied, putting on his ‘serious’ face. It faltered after a moment. “Or someone concerned with the water levels of earth,” he added as an afterthought as he mulled it over, tongue in cheek. “Which is probably mostly scientist anyway,” he continued his voice absent.
Maximus stayed put, his brown eyes following her slowly as she walked around the fountain. His gaze strayed toward the ornate sculpture in the middle of the fountain, and he found himself staring at it, vaguely wondering what the artist was thinking as they carved it out. Anything connected to the arts always filled him with a soft ache, the hole in which he kept his memories of Issy tearing just a little bit more. She would have loved this, he couldn’t help but think with a fond smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His attention shifted back to her and he stared at the sculpture for a long moment before he swallowed and fixed his eyes to her. “A bit, yeah,” he responded. “’been known to haunt around the art gallery every once in a while,” he said as his gaze returned to the fixture. He didn’t add that he was dragged to them by Issy. Even though he’d protested every time because he hated being quiet and still, being frowned at when he fidgeted, he still liked going.
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