Peaceful Escape [OPEN]

[chilirox1]

Texia walked into the park, her origami supplies in her bag. It was a serene scene, and she looked forward to relaxing here. She found a large tree by the river and sat against it. Her bag beside her, she reached in and brought out a single, square piece of beautifully designed origami paper. Texia began to fold it, first diagonally, then horizontally. The paper had a distinctive feel to it, one she enjoyed as she advanced into the steps to make her crane. In only a few short minutes, she was almost done. All that was left was to pull out the wings to make the body. She did so, and placed her creation onto her palm. Smiling, she set it down next to her and took out another new, crisp sheet of paper. It's going to be a long way to one thousand, she thought.

An hour later, Texia ran out of paper. Disappointed, she made a mental note to bring twice as much next time. Putting the issue aside for now, she started to count her cranes. One, two, three, four, five...She had made twenty cranes in all. After storing them safely in her bag, Texia walked over to the river. She laid on her stomach, and tried to catch a glimpse of a fish. Just then one jumped out of the water, it's scales glimmering, splashing droplets of water onto her face. She giggled, and watched with glee as more fish started appearing.

"Fish are funny," she said out loud, smiling a dopey smile, entertained with all the pretty colored fish.

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carlos loosened his tie, feeling beads of sweat roll down his temple. It was hot—too hot for him. This is why I hate walking around, he thought to himself, suppressing the urge to display any sign of irritation. He had been wearing a charcoal-gray suit earlier, but now he has abandoned the jacket that acted as a cover for his upper torso, unable to bear the extra fabric of the drape. He then neatly folded and swathed it on his right arm, and he briefly thought of how he resembled a butler. His train of thought was again interrupted when he felt his sweat drop on his pristine white shirt. He reached into his pocket using his free hand and pulled out a white handkerchief, which he proceeded to use by wiping the sweat off his brow. His hair was tousled, and passers-by thought he looked quite disheveled, yet still dashing in a regal way. Carlos glanced up just in time to see a couple of girls staring at him. The girls then giggled and walked away in a hurried manner. It was as if there was an extra spring to their steps. Carlos raised his eyebrows. Maybe it was the suit. He's taking a stroll in the park, since it’s actually his first time exploring on his own, and he figured he might as well familiarize himself with the town. There was an assortment of shops and stores, he noted. It would be a viable place to live in, and Carlos was glad for that. He did not like the idea of having to go extra lengths to take care of himself; having every thing concentrated in one place would mean time-saving, for he can buy all his needs in one go. If only he had the money. But no, he has to be “financially independent” as well, even if the deal was he’d get the rights to his fortune when he turned eighteen. In his opinion, it’s a load of crock. Moving on. Carlos decided that he shouldn’t stay lingering in front of stores any longer, just because they have shade. The patrons of the store keep giving him looks that mean Aren’t-you-going-to-sit-down,-well-dressed-stranger? He sighed, but it was more of a huff of air than actual noise. Then he began to walk, even if he was uncomfortable with the weather, and found a river. At first, he was surprised to see one, but soon he faintly smiles, relieved. He liked the smell of water, and it would help stop him think of the heat. As he approached, Carlos heard a girl state, “Fish are funny.” He turned his head to the direction of the voice and saw a female, just as he thought, who was on her stomach, seemingly playing with the fish. Or the fish were playing with her. Since it’s just like him to talk to strangers, he thought he should chat with her a bit while refreshing himself. She might be interesting, after all. Carlos’s steps on the ground were light—he never was a heavy-stepper—and he stopped beside the girl, a safe, casual distance away. He didn’t want to scare her to think he was some sort of creep. Then, after a second of deliberation, he promptly plopped down on the ground, bringing his right knee up while his left was stretched. He laid the suit on his stomach and leaned forward to see what the girl was looking at, and a small splash of water hit him square in the face. It didn't take him by surprise: he was actually expecting that to happen. Carlos took his handkerchief again and patted his face, now wet with both sweat and water. "Fish certainly have a sense of humor," he said conversationally, before another splash was directed at him, and he hadn't expected that. Good-naturedly, he continued to pat, while thinking grimly, Yeah, fish certainly do. TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 959 NOTES: TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

"Fish sure have a sense of humor." Texia was surprised, to say the least, to find someone joining her. She didn't jump, but she slightly flinched, her eyes widening for a moment. He looked older then her, maybe a year or two difference, and formally dressed. And currently, getting splashed by the fish. His face was wet, and she couldn't help but burst into a mad fit of giggles as she watched the sequence commence. The fish would splash, he would wipe, then the fish would splash again, and he would wipe, it was a never ending cycle. It only made Texia giggle even more. The fact that this boy could take the fishes' splashing good natured already set him as a good person in Texia's mind, a friend of fish is a friend of hers. She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest and loosing looping her arms around her legs.

When she rested her head sideways on her knees facing the fish-boy, she noticed her face was wet as well. She lifted her head up, and went cross-eyed, somehow having the idea of looking at the water on her face. It was kind of empty-headed of her to not realize her face was wet; the fish splashed at her too! Although she didn't pay attention to the getting-wet part. No, she was more focused on a little fish enjoying themselves.

Texia was tempted to go back to just staring at the fish, but etiquette on greeting people that had been drilled into her mind resurfaced. She couldn't just rudely ignore this boy. She resumed her previous position, looking at the boy next to her, ignoring the wetness of her face for the time being. But before she could formally introduce herself, or even talk, she found herself drawn to the small routine he had going on. Fish splash, wipe, fish splash, wipe, fish splash, wipe; it made Texia start giggling again. Seeing as he was being patient enough with the fish, she figured that he was perfect for her to practice talking to. Maybe she should request that of him... Normally, she would have come out and said it, no questions asked, but she was too preoccupied giggling, which soon turned to soft laughter.

A game formed in her mind. If this fish-boy could dry his face completely before the fish splashed him, he would win. For a few minutes, she just watched him, wondering what the outcome of her made up game would be. Finally, when she realized it would be never-ending, she decided to determine the winner herself. She decided the fish deserved to win. She got out of her sitting position, and stretched her body out, reaching her hand into the river. Then, she quickly flung water out of the river and onto his face. Or at least, she was aiming for his face. The water happened to get on his face, but also his clothes. Texia's eyes widened, and she was finally able to talk.

"I, greatly apologize for getting your clothes wet. I was only trying to let the fish win the game. And I was only aiming for your face. But I'll make the fish stop. I just got some fish food from the pet store, so I can use that. When I'm done, I promise I'll help you dry your clothes, okay?" With that, Texia walked to her things that were lying by the tree. She grabbed the ten pound bucket she'd bought earlier that day, and did her best to pick it up, struggling to see where she was walking. She dropped the bucket, panting heavily. She took a big gulp of air, then started to control her breathing. When she did, she pulled the top off, and started sprinkling the food into the river. The fish immediately swam toward the flakes. Texia watched almost sadly as they swam down river, to catch up with the food floating away. But she couldn't dwell on that for long! First, she had to help this boy dry his clothes.

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To say the least, Carlos was astounded at the behavior of the fish. The splashes continued and, being continually taken aback that they do, the brown-haired male kept on patting his face in effort to keep his self dry. Not only were the fish “playing” with him; to Carlos, it seemed like the fish were openly mocking him. Needless to say, he was irked. Fish could hear me, he thought exasperatedly. Bloody fish wanted to play bloody games. He planned of leaning back and being out of reach, but a slight noise made him cock slightly to the side, examining the girl. She was giggling. For a moment, Carlos was indignant. How could she find this funny? It might be because she thought him idiotic. Who wouldn’t? He probably looked like a well-dressed moron to her, being bullied by a group of fish. And he couldn’t fight back, lest he wanted to look like an even bigger idiot by trying to catch the fish. The slippery devils move like a flash in the water, and it would be impossible for him to catch one with his bare hands. So he let the fish be. He had manners. He could hold himself properly in public. A splash caught him in the eye, and he winced. The handkerchief was pressed hard—he didn’t want to rub—and he was swiftly wetted again. She was enjoying this, Carlos noted. He’s been hearing her laugh for quite some time. He took the moments he was free to gaze at the stranger. She was noticeably smaller than him, he noticed. But then, it’s rather rare to find a girl who could reach his height of five foot ten. She had big eyes that resembled a doll’s—at this thought, Carlos fought back a shiver. No, her big eyes don’t resemble dolls, which he was absolutely freaked out by. They remind him of… puppy eyes. Yes. Big, green, puppy dog eyes. Her hair wasn’t that long, and looked as if it reached her shoulders, or perhaps longer. She wasn’t sitting straight up properly, and Carlos couldn’t examine very closely, since he’s getting splashed every other second by the fish. He was about to lean back, and so he dropped the handkerchief shielding his face, when all of a sudden the girl had stretched her arm and splashed him. Obviously, the girl’s actions had more water content in them, and the water had his suit wet. Because of the lack of defense from the trusty white fabric he had been using earlier, the water accidentally when up his nose, and he spluttered. It was deeply uncomfortable to have water up one’s nose, maybe even more uncomfortable than a hot day out for a spoiled brat, but he was polite enough not to exclaim with curses, or be vulgar about it. He forced himself to be a bit grateful that she didn’t scoop up the water with two hands and used that to splash him, because then he’d be soaked, and he’d probably stalk off in a huff. "I, greatly apologize for getting your clothes wet.” It took Carlos a second to realize that the girl was speaking. He turned his head to her, feeling his shirt stick on his skin where it got wet. He raised a hand to pinch his nose. “I was only trying to let the fish win the game,” she continued, and Carlos thought, What game? Oh, Christ. We’re sharing the same bloody thoughts. “And I was only aiming for your face. But I'll make the fish stop. I just got some fish food from the pet store, so I can use that. When I'm done, I promise I'll help you dry your clothes, okay?" She talked straight, and Carlos didn’t get a word in. But by then, he couldn’t. His nose was stinging. When the girl had stood up and left for several moments, Carlos tried to clear out his nose. Thankfully, he succeeded; otherwise he would have had a hell of a time trying to while making conversation with the girl. He wasn’t deterred by the “game” that had transpired, and was still determined to chat up. You’ve got to give him credit for that. The girl returned, fed the fish, and they swam away. Carlos did a bit of damage control: his suit jacket was considerably wet, since it was on his lap, and the water had dribbled from his chin directly to it. His right pant leg was darkened at the knee, while he could feel water seeping into his collar. First, he wiped off his face, so that he was—finally—dry and content. Then he stood up, held the suit jacket by the shoulders, and looked at it blankly. He was a stranger to cleaning, and he wasn’t sure how the girl was going to try and dry him off. Carlos pointedly stared at her, a vacant expression on his face. “How doest thou suggest we do that?” he asked politely, his voice softer than normal. He certainly wouldn’t let the girl do it for him, since he was too gentlemanly for that, but he wouldn’t mind her help, either. TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 1180 NOTES: TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

Texia sat there for a moment. How would she dry him off? Usually, a towel would be used. But, she doubted this fish-boy had one. She didn't want to intrude on anyone, asking for a towel they may not even have, so what else could she do? Then, she got an idea.

"Oh, it's a very nice day today, and it happens to be very hot and sunny. If you laid your jacket and shirt in the sun, they would dry really fast! And with your shirt off, you'll dry faster as well! I don't have a towel, so you'll have to let the sun do all the drying." Texia was extremely pleased with her idea. A towel would have been a bit faster, but the sun should work as well. And, surely by the time fish-boy had to leave, his clothes would be dry.

"Oh!" she suddenly said. "I didn't think I flung all that much water, but apparently I did. I still feel bad about that. Anyways, you can sit here while I look for a place that has the maximum sunshine away from the river. If fish come, just sprinkle some of the fish food and they should go away. I'll be right back!" Then Texia went running off.

She didn't have much in-depth knowledge on the sun, or any kind of solar information. So she didn't know where lots of sun would be. That meant she had to rely on the method of trial-and-error. First, she headed towards some trees. There were always some spots where the sun shone through to the ground at the absence of leafy treetops. She zig zagged through the maze of tree trunks, taking in the lush beauty of it all while still looking for that spot of light.

Unfortunately, after about ten minutes (and 42 seconds by Texia's count), she ended up not finding a suitable place. She looked around for some hills of sorts. It made sense that the sun would be hitting high points the most, right? She walked around a bit, her hand acting a shield for he eyes from the sun's rays. It wasn't until she had done a dew minutes of wandering around that she spotted non-flat landscape. Texia ran there, and spun around a little. The sun was nice and bright, and felt good on her face. Plus, the land was covered in thick, dark green grass. It was the perfect place!

She was excited to go tell fish-boy about it, when she realized something. After walking through and trees and wandering around, she had no idea where her previous spot was! Conveniently, she spotted the river, which was unmistakable. She knew if she followed it, she would have to meet up with fish-boy again. That is, assuming he didn't move. Texia paused for a moment. Maybe she should have informed him not to move? Then, sue simply shrugged and walked along the river. If he moved, then at least he would still be drying off.


(OOC I think I should explain a little about Texia's personality. She grew up in a highly sheltered life, and basically knows absolutely nothing about anything that can't be found in a text book. So talking, understanding people's feelings, and knowing what thing you "should do" and "Should not do", yeah, she's oblivious to them all XD)

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carlos shifted his weight back and forth, awaiting the girl’s answer. Breathing down on the nape of his neck like a possessive lover were the sun’s rays, and he suppressed the need to run for cover or immerse himself in the river, or any form of water that would cease the unnecessary basking in the sunlight. It was hard, sometimes, to act properly, even if your innate sense was screaming at you. But Carlos has had a lot of practice in maintaining an intricate disguise, and so he stayed put. "Oh, it's a very nice day today, and it happens to be very hot and sunny,” the girl said. Really? I hadn’t noticed. Thank you for pointing that out, Carlos mentally rolled his eyes. The sharp sarcasm wouldn’t be fitting for a gentleman to exhibit, and so he bit his tongue. A second later, he wondered if the girl would bring up the Old English way he had spoken, but there’s only one way to find out. “If you laid your jacket and shirt in the sun, they would dry really fast! And with your shirt off, you'll dry faster as well! I don't have a towel, so you'll have to let the sun do all the drying." Instantaneously, Carlos’s never-ending annoyance with the heat was relieved of his attention because of what the girl suggested. "Oh!" she said again. "I didn't think I flung all that much water, but apparently I did. I still feel bad about that. Anyways, you can sit here while I look for a place that has the maximum sunshine away from the river. If fish come, just sprinkle some of the fish food and they should go away. I'll be right back!" The girl left without letting Carlos get a word in. Again. But perhaps that was for the best, as a smirk was forming on his face, and he chuckled briefly. “If this was a sinister plot to get me half-naked…” he muttered to himself, remembering the girls who had come across him earlier. He was more than welcome to share his godly physical attributes to the world, but really, this was too much. Not that he didn’t appreciate it, or he wasn’t flattered. He’s terribly flattered, actually. Carlos’s eyes swerved around, looking for where the female had gone, but he saw no more of her. He eventually figured that the girl was going rather far away, since he couldn’t see any of the blond hair bobbing up and down, as what happens to hair when a person is walking. He was still close to the river, of course, but there was an arm’s length of extra distance between him and its bank. Naturally, he was caught off-guard when another splash hit his leg. He turned his attention to the waters, and saw something big—bigger than the fishes earlier—swimming swiftly away. He was puzzled, of course, but didn’t give it any more thought, since he was about to remove the rest of his upper clothing. He laid the suit jacket on the ground—he couldn’t care less now that it was a Burberry original—and stretched his arms upward. He would then reach down to the bottom edge of the collar shirt and grasp the button with his lithe hands, before moving upwards. Then, he would remove the shirt by pulling it off his arms in a motion that can be considered slower than regular, but faster to be categorized as “slow motion” When the shirt finally left his person, Carlos raised his eyes and could vaguely see another couple of girls staring. And one of them was taking pictures with her camera of his well-toned six-pack. Inwardly he basked in the attention, and he gave an amicable wave, as if this was just an ordinary day. The couple then proceeded to retreat like schoolgirls and squeal their hearts out a fair distance away. Carlos sighed happily. Girls, he thought. Who could live without them? So now he was standing shirtless beside a river, and his upper clothes were on the ground in a neat fashion. He considered waiting about for the girl to return, but after several minutes, he grew tired of doing so under the sun. So he left his clothes by the river and walked toward a tree, sat down, and relished the shade. TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 1053 NOTES:Oh, I see. Haha, alright. You should know that Carlos is incredibly vain, then. xD TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

(OOC I see)

Texia continued her trek along the river, avoiding looking at it at all costs. It wouldn't be good if the fish distracted her. She finally saw the fish-boy, although he was under the shade this time. At least he followed her instructions, seeing as his jacket and shirt were lying in the sun. She ran, and gathered his clothes in her arms.

"Glad you're still here! I was kind of worried you wouldn't be here when I came back, seeing as I never told you to stay, but you are!" she said, smiling. "And, I found the perfect place for us to go, it's a nice hilly area with thick grass. Your clothes will be dry in no time at all." Texia then proceeded to walk around him and to her bag. She crouched down, and grabbed her bag filled with origami cranes. After, with fish-boy's clothes draped over her arm, she picked up her fish food bucket. She struggled for a moment to get up with all things she was carrying. She threw a smile to the fish-boy.

"At least now you won't have to carry anything!" she said. Her bucket didn't weigh too much, it was only fish flakes after all, but still, it was big. Somehow, she was able to wrap one of her arms around it, and grab fish-boy's hand as well.

She pulled him up the best she could, and eventually, she was almost dragging him on his feet along the river. It took her a few minutes to get here by herself, but with all of her things, and this boy, it took even longer. The fish were still splashing in the river and the water they sent felt nice on her legs.

The sun's heat was starting to get to her. Probably due to the fact that she had been getting splashed by fish the whole time and she didn't notice how hot it was. By the time she reached her destination, she was sweating and panting. She let go of fish-boy, set down her bag and fish food, and started to lay his clothes out again.

It was a good thing there isn't wind, his clothes blowing away would definitely not be ideal. She'd have to go chasing after them! Besides, hadn't fish-boy been through enough because of her? She sighed. Would he even consider helping her understand people now? Instead of dwelling on the thought, however, she decided to wait for his reaction first.

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Unbeknownst to the man, he was already starting to fall asleep. The combination of the shade’s comfort and the uncertainty of when the girl would return left Carlos under a blissful blanket of unawareness. His vision was beginning to blur, and his eyes slowly started to fall shut on themselves. Darkness soon engulfed his line of sight, and he felt himself dangerously slipping beyond the borders of his consciousness. It was a good thing that he heard slight steps on the ground a few ways from where he was, and he perked up like a feline. Carlos opened his eyes gradually to see the girl with his clothes in her arms. He smiled faintly, knowing he was in a vulnerable and slightly laughable position, but otherwise not caring for the girl seemed harmless. She was intent on helping him dry off, at least, despite the reasons behind it. Upon hearing that she had found a place where he could dry his self and his clothes better, the brown-haired man’s eyebrows rose up. It wasn’t that he doubted the existence of a sun-soaked location, but because the girl actually had looked for one. Carlos merely thought she was exaggerating, but he shrugged it off now. He was proven wrong, but the girl hadn’t known about his assumptions in the first place, and so voicing them out would have been for naught. He watched her stoically as she began to pick up her things; when he realized that she had way too many things to be carrying around, he opened his mouth to offer his help, but he was cut short when she started to pull him up. It was comedic, in a way, since Carlos weighed over a hundred and forty pounds, and the girl looked like a life-sized doll. His lips rose at one corner in amusement. He couldn’t have let her proceed with what she was trying to do without giving a hand, so he carried most of his weight up. He cleared his throat a few minutes after the girl had begun pulling him towards the direction of the place she found. “I can help with those things you carry,” said Carlos, noticing the way it was holding the girl down. It didn’t make him oblivious of the girl’s drive and determination, and he found it uncannily charming. But to no avail; the girl had went on walking like he hadn’t spoken. Or perhaps he had uttered the words too softly for the situation, and was therefore unheard. When they had reached their destination—a hill with thick grass, just as the girl had described—the stranger let go of his hand, and he wiped it on his pants, knowing it had grown clammy from the walking and the heat. Beads of sweat started to roll down on his torso again, and he glistened in the sunlight. Carlos held back a smile as he faced the girl. “That was certainly… interesting,” Carlos remarked pleasantly. “As to why you refused mine offered help, pray tell, for it leaves me clueless.” He approached the girl, still maintaining his genial disposition, but it appeared somewhat out of place with his half-nakedness. He stopped mid-approach. His conduct. How stupid of him to forget. “My apologies,” he began. “Mine manners have been forgotten. I am Carlos Mitchell.” TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 848 NOTES: TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

The first thought on Texia's mind was that this boy, Carlos, spoke weird. She'd learned proper English, and she was sure this was NOT what she learned. People have strange ways of doing things.

Another thought that came to her mind was "He asked to help?" If he did, as he claimed to have, then she didn't hear him. Her only focus had been to get to the place she needed to go. Besides, if she had wanted help, sue surely would have asked. But she wanted Carlos to be as comfortable as possible. She was the one who had splashed him after all. Honestly, she expected him to be more angry at her, but he seemed to be nice. Even to go as far as asking to help her.

Texia shook her head a little. The rest of her thoughts could wait. She needed to answer Carlos first of all. He had started to walk towards her, then stopped. Seeing as she was sitting down, and he was standing, she found herself having to tilt her head up quite high to look at him. Her eyes gazing up as kindly as she could, she stretched her hand up.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Carlos Mitchell. My name is Texia Shigura. I'm a first year at Kingdom University, and I assume you're a student as well?" It seemed so, seeing as he was dressed nicely and seemed to fit the part. She cut her thoughts short to continue her response.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you offer to help earlier. However, I would have asked you for help if I wanted it. I splashed you first, so it was only natural I carry everything. Also, you talk funny. I spent years learning proper speech, and that was never in any of my text books. That kind of talk died out centuries ago, so I don't know why you would use it. Unless you simply prefer it! Then I have no problem with that so please don't misunderstand." It wouldn't do her any good to offend Carlos now. She'd done enough already.

Getting his clothes soaked may not seem like much to a normal person, but to Texia, she imagined he was greatly upset. If someone got her clothes drenched in water, she would be mad too, so she couldn't blame him. Overall, it was simply proper etiquette to satisfy Carlos to the best of her ability so they could part on good terms. Although that might be a bit far off, as his clothes looked nowhere near dry as of now.

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A moment of surprise caught Carlos when the girl raised her hand up to him. He wondered briefly if she was offering it for a handshake, or it was an invitation to kiss her hand, as was the custom when introductions are made between a nobleman and a lady of high stature. Carlos hesitated. After hearing her name only did Carlos take Texia's hand and kissed it, his soft lips gracing equally soft, youthful skin. Immediately after doing so, he lets go and stood up to his full height, unable to meet Texia in the eye. Even though it was the way he was raised, what he did seemed inappropriate for the situation, seeing as he was in his current state and the girl didn't seem like one who would know that what he did was actually proper... but never mind. "It's nice to meet you, Mister Carlos Mitchell. My name is Texia Shigura. I'm a first year at Kingdom University, and I assume you're a student as well? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you offer to help earlier. However, I would have asked you for help if I wanted it. I splashed you first, so it was only natural I carry everything. Also, you talk funny. I spent years learning proper speech, and that was never in any of my text books. That kind of talk died out centuries ago, so I don't know why you would use it. Unless you simply prefer it! Then I have no problem with that so please don't misunderstand." (OOC: Sorry for the massive copy-paste. O:) A look of earnest overtook Carlos's normally bland expression. "Oh no, please, Texia," he said, the feeling of her name on his tongue odd and alien. Carlos doesn't use the Shakespearean way of speaking always, and he does have some moments when he doesn't care enough to do so. "Don't feel..." he feigned hesitation, as if he searched for the right word. "Anxious, or anything, about the way I talk." Carlos approached her automatically, and in a flash he was by her side on the ground. "I simply offered my help for I was raised to believe that a lady shouldn't do hard work... and from what I learned that sustained me, a lady shouldn't do all the work, at least." Then he paused, as if he was surprised at himself for talking Texia's ear off, but really, it was what he intended. He was trying to see whether Texia was the sort of person who was comfortable with connecting with strangers, or the sort that backed off when things were getting too close. And this was the closest Carlos was ever going to get. His slightly wet pant leg was in contact with Texia's clothing; most likely her skin, too. Carlos would then force out a laugh that sounded intentional, and his voice would be more composed when he said, "I'm sorry once more. I am a student here, as thou suggests; a third year. I major in Psychology. How about thee?" TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 812 NOTES: TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

At first, Texia was extremely surprised at his actions. Sure, her parents had been given this type of greeting at the important gatherings they've attended, but she'd always been ignored there. But, she got over her shock rather quickly, as to not appear rude. Okay, so maybe she was going for a handshake, but Carlos immediately backed away after the exchange, so it really didn't seem proper to address that point.

He then went on to say not to worry about the way he talked, and how he was raised to not let a lady do all the hardwork. In the process of doing so, he sat down next to her and she could feel the water seeping from his pants leg, to her clothes. But she didn't mind, it was a hot day, after all. When he finished speaking, he seemed to pause, then let out a small laugh. Apparently, he was a student here, as she had guessed, and majored in psychology. He then inquired her major.

Deciding to answer most of his questions in one go, she took a breath before responding.

"That was a very odd way of greeting someone. I've only ever seen my parents do that at gatherings they go to. Did you think I was someone of very high stature, because I don't consider myself like that. And I don't mind doing all the work, it's only natural you do things for people you've done something wrong to. And I got your clothes soaked. It doesn't sound right to make you work when it was me who did something wrong, whether I'm a girl or not." Moving her hair out of her face a bit, she turned back to Carlos and resumed speaking.

"So, you're a student here too. That's nice. I wonder if I have any classes with you. I major in art, by the way. And, psychology... Why does that sound familiar?" It was true. Texia bowed her head slightly, and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, blinking a bit. Psychology, there was something she remembered that had to do with that. Something...

"Oh! Now I remember!" she suddenly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up and her head snapping into an upright position again. "My brother, Minato, takes psychology classes! I'm not sure why, though, I mean, he's a theatre major, so why would he need to take psychology?" Her brother confused her sometimes. He understood her the most, but still made her life difficult. His reasons were always unclear and he refused to reveal to her some of them. Plus, he teased her nonstop, it was the least he could do for her! She automatically put on a bit of an annoyed face at the thoughts of her brother filtered in. All of the pranks, she couldn't even list them all if she tried!

Then, she remembered she wasn't alone. Controlling her emotions, she calmed herself down and smiled at Carlos again.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't mad at you though, if that's what you think!" she said, because it was highly possible that her company assumed her expression was caused because of him.

(OOC: This is so bad, I apologize, my roleplaying skills are lacking.... And it's okay about the copy paste thing, Texia tends to talk in huge paragraphs XD)

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It amused Carlos to no end how Texia could manage to fit everything she wanted to say in throngs of consecutive sentences. No wonder he couldn’t get a word in when he first saw her. He nodded avidly after she had mentioned the bit about his greeting; it was a good thing, Carlos thought, that Texia was familiar with things like those. Otherwise he expected he would have gotten a slap on the cheek. He mentally rolled his eyes. Girls these days are so sensitive. A move like the one he pulled and they’d be screaming their heads off, crying “Pervert! Pervert!” You know. In theory. Carlos also took note of how “fair” she was when it comes to the tasks of people. Now he was certain that she was no sexist, and that she was no feminist, either, or else she would have made him do the work and, if Carlos had asked her to help him, would object that just because she’s a girl, she wasn’t to be ordered around. All in all, the male was impressed. She wasn’t a run-of-the-mill female student. He raised her eyebrows when Texia suddenly started to rattle off details of her brother. Carlos chalked it up to… poor attention span. Hm, yes. That sounded about right. Or he could be wrong and he’s just looking at this at the wrong way, but whatever. “Oh, it is alright,” he replied. “I did not see thy words hostile at all.” He put on a thoughtful expression on his face. “Hm… perhaps thy brother took psychology classes to… expound on human behavior, so that he wouldst be able to enact on a character more accurately?” Carlos waved his arm in the air, as if dismissing the thought. “Ah, I am merely rambling.” He would then gently smile and utter, “So, what is it with thy and thine fishes?” TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 614 NOTES: Ngh. Sorry that it’s a crap crap post. >.> And that it’s late. TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

Texia openly sighed in relief. Carlos didn't misinterpret her anger after all. That was good. After a moment, he then even went to try to answer her question on why Nato took psychology classes, which she had been treating as a rhetorical question. The actions of her brother always seemed confusing to her at times. So much, that she's adapted to just thinking of it as "Minato to being Minato".

When Carlos brought up the topic of fish, she felt herself grinning.

"Me and fish? Well, I don't know about them, but I personally love them! They're always quiet, not loud like dogs, or birds, or cats, and still very cute and funny! Plus, they're diverse in so many ways! All different sorts of colors, shapes, sizes, locations, and so much more! I like the poisonous fish too, I'm glad they have such a good way to defend themselves. Just hopefully not against me anytime soon." Smiling brightly, she turned towards him fully, and went on about fish again.

"Besides the fish themselves, they were the most enjoyable things to learn about when my parents hired this tutor for me. He didn't like me that much, and what he taught was boring. But when we moved on to ocean life, it was so interesting and I looked forward to the sessions! Also, I like bubbles too. And fish produce bubbles naturally! Small, little, silvery ones which float to the top in such a cool fashion! And, when they go to eat fish flakes, they look just plain adorable! Fish are definitely the best type of animal out there" Adding to her elated speech, her arms were waving in dramatic ways, emphasizing her enthusiasm. When she stopped, however, she set her arms down, and looked at Carlos with curious eyes.

"So, what do you think of fish? Disregarding the earlier game, of course."

[Carlos Mitchell]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:8px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:8px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] carlos mitchell will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carlos was not very informed in the ways of the fish-lovers. Sure, fishes amuse people; the species kept people entertained just by doing nothing special, specifically swimming around, and then perhaps running away when someone taps their finger on the glass, or looms over the pond menacingly. Carlos knew a lot of his father and mother’s friends who kept fishes as pets in their homes whenever his family visited them. Several of them even bought a huge aquarium to showcase the fish! As a child, Carlos did not question the ways of the world. He accepted them as they were, especially the inconspicuous details such as pets. But now that he had grown older, more mature, eyes wide open to the truths of the world, such things could silence him for hours and leave him in a pondering state, always questioning. He was a skeptic. Then again, he may just be paranoid, but he would rather be called the former, since it didn’t make him sound psychotic. Listening to Texia speak about her beloved fish, though, Carlos received an epiphany. Fish were friends. Not food. …. Or he may have just heard that from a DVD copy of Finding Nemo. But still, the thought was present. Carlos listened to the girl attentively as she spoke, understanding her appreciation for fish without prejudice, since he was generally interested in people, anyway. When she spoke of her tutor, Carlos felt a pang of envy in his chest, remembering his own. He fought back a scowl. Why hadn’t his tutor make him appreciate ocean life, too? When he was being taught, his brain merely absorbed the information like a sponge, but when it comes right down to it, he was not as passionate about ocean life as Texia was. "So, what do you think of fish? Disregarding the earlier game, of course." Texia’s words saved Carlos from his brooding. He snapped out of his reverie, although without much physical representation; his eyes, which were blank while he was trapped in his thoughts, plainly lit up. What does he think of fish? Well, they were pretty good meals. He scrutinized Texia for a second and decided he shouldn’t say anything like that, so he carried on with his search for his opinion on fish. Then he said shortly, but without lacking the proper gusto, “I think fish art wonderful,” although he did not truly believe that, since about ten or twenty minutes ago, fish were seeming quite intent on drowning him while he was on dry land. He cleared his throat to prepare a way of transitioning to another topic. “Thy history, pray tell, before thou hath foundst thy self in this school, as I wouldst love nothing less than engaging my ears in your ceaseless tales.” TAGGED. TEXIA/OPEN. WORDCOUNT. 744 NOTES: TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[chilirox1]

Texia would have loved to get into a conversation about fish. But Carlos changed the subject to her history quite fast, so she used her knowledge on people's behaviors to guess perhaps he didn't wish to talk about fish anymore. A bit odd since he was the one to bring it up, yet Texia decided to comply to his silent request to change topics.

Her history wasn't really all that great. Actually, she wasn't fond of it herself. However, there were several tales she could tell, and it would only be a brief overview of it all. Or at least that's what she planned in her head.

"Well, my parents are kind of, rich. I lived in a mansion that was pretty distant from the nearest town, so I never got much interaction with the townspeople. I spent most of my time in the mansion, folding origami usually.

"When I wasn't doing that, however, I was doing one of two things: getting ready for a fancy dinner party with a few of my parents' friends or at a tutoring session. I didn't like either one. The tutoring sessions, well, you see, my parents were almost never home. So the schedule was all up to me. I bunched them all at the end of the day, one after another. The tutor, and I only had one for all the subjects, didn't like this. He didn't like me either. I never really enjoyed the sessions I had, and he made the subjects BORING. I was given several text books, and took quizzes and tests on each section of them, then a test on the whole book, then finally a last test with all of the books combined. And I had to start all over again if I got any wrong. So I guess you can say I got all the subjects drilled into my head by the time i was done. That took awhile, and even then, I still hadn't gotten perfect scores." Texia paused before continuing.

"The only real reason my tutor actually put up with it all was because of my parents. They didn't want to send me to any kind of school, and still wanted me to be highly educated. So they gave the tutor instructions to make sure in knew everything there was in the text books. And he took the order quite literally.

"From then on, I was pretty bored most of the time. Until one day, I can't remember particularly which, I met my brother, Minato. You see, my parents kind of neglected him since he didn't want to be trapped in the mansion all the time. So he was allowed to do as he pleased. I believe he lived in the town, but slept in the mansion. Anyways, he helped me hide from my tutor one day. I got to hear all about the townspeople and how much fun he had there. In turn, I told him about my life, and we kind of bonded I guess. He came to visit and help me more often, and eventually, I asked him to sneak me into town." By now, Texia started to get absorbed in her tale. Her eyes were sparkling and her arms were making frantic gestures as she talked.

"It was one of the best experiences of my life! Everything was so different than what I was used to, and Minato's friends seemed to like me too. We got to run and play games I didn't even know existed, like "tag" and "hide-and-go-seek". I wanted to continue playing there, but my tutor came into town looking for me." At this, Texia felt herself getting depressed. But, she brightened up for Carlos's sake. He definitely wouldn't want to hear her story with her being all depressed and sad, would he?

"My tutor brought me back to the mansion, and scolded me and my brother. He told my parents too, and they tried to cut off my contact with Minato. However, I still met him at nighttime. And we agreed sometime then we'd go to the same college when it was time. I saw an advertisement for Kingdom University. I had to practically beg my parents to let me go. When they did, well, here I am! Minato somehow convinced them to let him come too, obviously since he's here now. Actually, if you're a psychology major, maybe you're in one of his classes?" Her history over, Texia felt the need to inquire more on Carlos. She just spent all that time talking about herself, it was only what polite people did. Also, this way, maybe she would be helping Minato get to know someone. The thought put a smile on her face. If you looked past all the pranks, tricks, insults, and teasing, Nato was really a nice person. Besides, it's only right she feel good about helping a sibling.

(OOC: Gosh, sorry for taking so long. And, Texia just gave Carlos an entire verbal essay of her life. She's such a weirdo XD)