sydney sage 🌸 vampire academy (melbourne) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2019-01-22 20:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, * emily, * jamie, * kit, c: connor reed, c: rowena hyland, c: ruby atwater, c: sofia nichols |
WHO: Connor Reed, Sofia Nichols, Rowena Hyland, Ruby Atwater
WHEN: Tuesday, January 22, 2019; Evening
WHERE: Bowling Alley
SUMMARY: Sofia’s never bowled before, so she joins in on friends night!
WARNINGS: None!
With a healthy buzz on, Connor succumbed to the the urge to smoke and slunk out of the Dunhaven bowling alley to do just that. Rowena, Ruby, and himself had been whittling down the hour before they could bowl with alcoholic beverages, which was about half the fun of bowling in Connor’s opinion. Inhaling deeply and then exhaling into the cold January air, Connor’s eyes landed on a face that had become familiar. “Nichols,” he acknowledged coolly, tossing his cigarette to the ground and extinguished it with a stamp of his shoe. Connor crossed his arms over his chest, betraying that his leather jacket might not be quite enough to keep him warm tonight. Sofia, at her younger brother’s urging, had gone off in search of “fun” things to do around Dunhaven. His idea of fun tended to differ from hers a great deal, but he’d insisted that she wasn’t allowed to text him again until she had a list of ten things she was going to do over the following week. There had been other stops throughout the city, including one to the Java Chip where she’d picked up her fourth latte for the day and was now currently sipping on, and the latest one had been to the bowling alley where she’d planned on going in just to check out the prices. She wanted to indulge her brother’s requests, but she didn’t want to go broke doing it now that she was determined to pay her own way through college if that opportunity presented itself. It was a surprise, then, when she heard someone calling her last name--no one really did that, and certainly not in Dunhaven where she was now known by maybe six or seven people, and not very well by most of that number. Her head snapped up and she glanced around before her eyes fell on Connor who hadn’t been immediately noticeable in his dark colors. Burying one hand in the pocket of her coat which was weather appropriate, she smiled and walked closer to him, the smile wavering just slightly as she caught an unpleasant whiff of the smoke that still lingered. “I didn’t expect to run into you here,” she said, though her smile denoted that it wasn’t necessarily an unpleasant surprise, even if surprises in general were not her thing. “Are you actually here bowling?” Connor pressed a hand to his chest, “Me? I love bowling,” he told her truthfully--even if it was more the drinking and the friends that he enjoyed than the bowling, “And yes, I am, in fact, here to bowl. What are you up to?” he asked, raising a brow. “Me?” Sofia replied, in echo of Connor’s words, “Actually, I can’t say that I love bowling, but I was here to check it out. I’m supposed to prove to my little brother that I’m enjoying everything Dunhaven has to offer, and I thought doing something I’ve never actually done before would earn me bonus points,” she shrugged, looking around Connor to the building behind him. Connor laughed aloud at that, “Your brother is forcing you to have fun?” he asked incredulously. “Well, well, well...it seems you do need my help. You want to join my friend and I? We should be getting a lane soon,” he said, checking his phone for any updates. Sofia blushed, her attention brought back to Connor as she replied, “Correction, he’s encouraging me to have his kind of fun. I’m perfectly happy with my nerdy hobbies, thank you.” And though she hated the idea of humiliating herself in front of Connor, or his friends, or anyone else for that matter, she found herself wanting to say yes just because he’d asked her. She tried not to overanalyze that, or the fact that he wanted her to join them, though. Not wanting to seem too eager to say yes, Sofia pretended to consider it for a moment before offering him a nonchalant shrug. “I mean, sure, if you’re sure it wouldn’t be an imposition. And by friend, do you mean an actual friend? Or like a leggy blonde type friend? Just wondering.” Because it wouldn’t be a proper conversation if she didn’t get at least one solid but good-natured rib in, right? Connor’s expression turned sober at that--it wasn’t quite that he was embarrassed, though that was part of it. But rather, Connor bristled at his friendship with Ruby and Rowena being misconstrued. “They’re my friends,” Connor said forcefully, “Though they are girls--Ruby and Rowena. And Rowena is blonde,” he divulged, “But they’re just--they’re some of my best friends,” Connor said with a note of finality. Sofia almost instantly felt bad about the barb. “I was just teasing you, I promise. I wasn’t actually concerned about who you were asking me to bowl with,” she replied, offering him an encouraging smile, though she wasn’t quite sure why she felt the need to reassure him. “Are you sure they won’t mind a fourth person, who’s probably going to strike out a lot, joining them?” She knew the terminology was wrong, but had the hair-brained idea that, if Connor could correct her, she’d see that smile of his again and, though she would never actually dumb herself down for the benefit of others, it seemed a harmless sacrifice for that. “Strikes are a good thing in bowling,” Connor informed her, the corner of his mouth, indeed, turning up ever so slightly. “Nah, they won’t mind,” he assured her, his surliness gone as quickly as it came. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist correcting me,” Sofia grinned, though hers was brighter than the slight smile he’d given her. She’d get the full smile back, it was only a matter of time. “Then, I guess, let’s go bowl? And I don’t want to hear a single word from you afterward about how terrible I am at it. You knew I was a beginner when you asked me.” “I somehow doubt you’re going to be terrible,” Connor said, but with a nod of his head, he turned back into the bowling alley. He felt a weird surge of elation that she’d accepted his offer, which he chose not to overanalyze. Connor met up with Rowena and Ruby as they waited on line to exchange their shoes. “We’ve got one more,” Connor informed them, “Have you met Sofia?” he asked. Ruby stopped whatever she’d been in the middle of telling Rowena when Connor reappeared. She turned, brow raising at the sight of the “plus one” that was joining them and had to fight not to give Connor a look. She hadn’t met Sofia, but she’d seen her around the network and usually when she spotted Sofia on the network, Connor could be found eventually, too. Ruby didn’t tend to offer up her unsolicited commentary about things like that, but she still noticed them. “Hey, there,” she said, holding out a hand to Sofia which the other girl took. “I’m Ruby. More’s the merrier. I like having an audience when I destroy our boy here.” She let the girl’s hand go and looked over at Rowena as the introduction took its course. Rowena had likewise noticed Sofia on the network, if only because she tended to keep an eye out for her friends and Connor seemed to usually pop up around her. She wasn't about to comment on it either, though she did file it away for later; she didn't want to embarrass Sofia, but she had no problem giving Connor a hard time later, just to be teasing. Holding out her own hand after the greeting between Ruby and Sofia was complete, Rowena flashed one of her more friendly of smiles. "I'm Rowena," she chimed in before recalling, "fellow member of the DD club." “That’s right!” Sofia said, perking up at the sudden recognition. It was hard to actually place actual people with their online profiles, so she didn’t feel too bad about having not recognized her immediately. She shook Rowena’s hand, feeling a little more at ease even if she couldn’t exactly say she knew Rowena. Both girls seemed friendly on the network, though, from what she’d seen of them, and that was something. The line moved forward, and Sofia followed suit. Although everyone seemed to he getting along well enough, Connor had the distinct feeling that he would be getting teased for this whim somewhere down the line--not that there was anything wrong with making new friends. “No one is going to be destroying me,” Connor asserted. “I'm a natural talent, a bowling king,” he proclaimed, handing his oxfords off to a bemused bowling alley clerk in exchange for some bowling shoes. Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed, slipping off her own shoes and handing them over in exchange for her shoes. “Okay, Your Royal Highness, grab your shoes and go grab your throne before they give it to the next bowling king in line.” Meanwhile, Sofia was eyeing the shoes the clerk had set on the counter for her. Having seen the two in front of her exchange their own shoes for them, she tentatively slipped off her own shoes--a pair of practical, yet fashionable ballet flats. “Excuse me, yes,” she tried to say quietly to the clerk, “how often do you sanitize these shoes?” One look from the disinterested and unamused clerk and Sofia cleared her throat, traded for the bowling shoes, and stood off to let Rowena go next. Surely Luca hadn’t thought wearing other people’s shoes was actually fun? Rowena set her own pair of flats on the counter next, her toes curling into the carpet as a pair of bowling shoes were brought to her in exchange. Having been standing next to Sofia when she got her shoes, she couldn't help but overhear the attempt of an exchange. She sidled up next to the newcomer and gave her what she hoped was a comforting enough smile. "Don't worry," she said, keeping her voice quiet as Sofia had as she started to slip the shoes onto her feet, "they're cleaner than you'd expect." Bending down to tie the laces, she said, "And I will happily continue my place as court jester as the three of you stomp all over me and my gutter balls. I'm very secure in my position." Sofia returned a small smile to Rowena, grateful for the reassurance, and slipped on the shoes before following the others to their reserved lane. “There’s only one bowling king,” Connor said with a wink, leading them over to their assigned lane. When he got there, Connor promptly entered his name into the system as “king conman$” and when his name came up first to bowl, he made a great show of swinging his arms and stretching in thoroughly unnecessary ways. Holding the bowling ball up to his face and closing one eye as if that would help, Connor tossed it only for the ball to land immediately in the gutter. Connor turned and threw his arms out as if it’d been a strike, “What did I tell you? King.” Ruby snorted and stood up for her turn once Connor had sat back down as her predictable and trusty Ruby Rippers flashed on the screen. “Okay, okay. Let me show you how it’s done, kids.” She grabbed the bowling ball, cradled it securely in one hand, and then took a few quick steps forward before letting the ball go. Six pins went down, with four remaining in an irritating split. She sighed, went again, and managed to get one additional down. It wasn’t terrible, but hardly befitting of royalty. Still, she was about as cheesy as her best friend was, so she did a little victory dance and sang several variations of seven being better than zero. “You’re up,” she laughed, smacking Rowena on the knee. Rowena jumped to her feet, entering her name as the much less exciting Ro, just as she always did, and then picking up her trusty bowling ball that she always used -- one that was a bit too large for her hands, but a very pleasing shade of teal with dashes of glitter that she liked too much to not use. It had been pointed out before that using a ball that made her stretch her hands out like this one did might have been why she was so terrible, but that didn't change her mind. She stood at the end of the lane, hesitating as she closed one eye while trying to aim, then stepped forward, swung, and released. The ball teetered down the alley, actually managing to hit one pin that took out a second right next to it. Her arms immediately rose up above her head as she turned in excitement to her friends, a grin on her face. "I hit one!" she exclaimed, dancing a bit prematurely as she waited for her ball to return. Her second turn ended with the expected gutter ball, but it didn't keep her from dancing and wagging her hips all of the way back to her seat, raising her hand to request a high five from Ruby before she spun and sat down. "It's all yours, Sofia," Rowena said, waving her arm in front of her in a grand gesture. Of the four of them, Sofia’s game name was the least inspired, as she hadn’t known what else to put in aside from her actual name. She’d spent the previous three turns watching how each player bowled and how the position of the ball in the lane paired with the force at which it was let go and at what curve dictated how the pins would go down. She was still contemplating this when Rowena notified her that it was her turn, so she got up, tried a couple of balls before choosing one with appropriate weight and size, then stepped up to the lane. Her form wasn’t perfect--it couldn’t be when she had literally zero experience with this particular game--but she managed to hit one pin on the outside of the formation. She waited patiently for her ball to return and then probably took a few moments too long going over mental calculations in her head before she nodded once to herself and then took her steps forward and let the ball go at just the right angle and speed. Before she knew it, all nine remaining pins were toppling over and Sofia, shocked by her actual success, jumped and whooped. “Yes,” she said, before turning back to walk back to her seat, beaming over at Connor. And then the other two, as well. “Guess I’m striking out, after all, Connor,” she grinned. Connor raised an eyebrow, “How can you be that good and yet so ill-versed in bowling lingo?” Shrugging and taking her seat between Connor and Ruby, Sofia replied, “It’s like I said before. I’m really good at math.” Connor let out an indignant huff, “What does math have to do with this?” he asks, “We're bowling!” Rising from his seat, Connor chose a ball at random and flung it down the lane, using decidedly no math in his strategy. It hit five pins. The second attempt, however, went straight in the gutter. Connor still moon danced in victory all the way back to his seat. Sofia found that she was enjoying herself more than she'd expected and it was only the second frame. If Ruby and Rowena thought it was weird that Sofia was here at all, they didn't show it, and Rowena was being great at holding conversation with her between turns. “It has everything to do with math,” Sofia defended with the same excited look on her face that she always got when she talked about these things that she actually did get for a change. “The curve of the ball, the slope of the lane, the weight of the ball and the force with which you roll. Presumably, the weight and shape of the pins factors into it, too, but I haven't had the chance to think that much about it.” Connor may have had no real love for math, but he couldn’t help but smile at how Sofia’s face lit up when she talked about it; she probably wasn’t going to convert Connor into a mathematician anytime soon, but he liked listening to her talk about it. “I guess that kind of makes sense, though I don’t know where you even begin to figure that all out,” he said. And when it was her turn, again, she managed an actual strike. She pirouetted back toward her small audience, arms held high in victory. As she say back down by Connor, she didn't even think about it when she reached out and pat his knee. “Don't worry, though. This Queen still needs a royal advisor on hand.” She grinned and looked over to Ruby. “Any interest in being a royal advisor?” Ruby burst into a genuine, hearty laugh and looked sympathetically toward her best friend. “Oh, yeah. I definitely get it now. Let's keep her, Con.” Rowena grinned while nodding her agreement. "Yep, we're keeping you," she said, winking once at Sofia before looking to Connor. "Looks like you’re forever fated to be surrounded by brilliant women. Must be rough." Distracted by the sudden surge of electricity that ran through him when Sofia touched his knee--and the fleeting memory of a similar sensation when a girl put her hand over his on a California highway--it took Connor a beat to respond. Recovering, he fixed his face in an easy smile, “I guess it could be worse.” |