InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Not the gumdrop buttons!!"

swim_away (swim_away) wrote in nosuchplace,
@ 2009-11-06 16:30:00

Entry tags:

elliot brenton, susie medina

Friday: February 15, 2008
Who: Susie and Elliot
When: Late morning/early afternoon
Where: Art and Trade Enclave
What: A little bit of music...and maybe some dancing.

She just needed to get away. Worry over the missing women compounded now that she had friends out there looking for them. Susie didn’t want anyone to get hurt – couldn’t contemplate losing anyone else. While she felt the pull of the water, she couldn’t bring herself to go for a swim today. The lake here had become associated with all kinds of emotions and experiences. And she didn’t want to think. She wanted to escape.

There was a place around here somewhere with music; she’d heard it mentioned a few times. Her latent adventurous streak kicked in – maybe she was related to her mother after all. Susie finally found out how to go about using the stables.

A morning of light riding brought her to the Art and Trade Enclave. Leaving her horse in the appropriate place, she ventured inside. Her steps were light as she ducked into the building and peered curiously around the corner. Eyes wide, she was ready to take in as many of the sights as she could.

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alloveragain
2009-11-09 05:30 pm UTC (link)

Elliot learned how to ride horses early in his stay. He wasn’t a master at it, but he wasn’t bad. He got thrown only two or three times. Elliot traveled north on horseback. Past Van’taurë Lake, to the Arts and Trade Enclave. He heard about it long ago. Elliot never tried to visit it. It was like he never had time. It sounded so far away.

Elliot’s jaw dropped when he saw it. It looked like a palace. He tied up his horse at a tree outside. No one was at the entrance doorway when he walked into the building. The enclave was impressive. Every sight caught his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling. The patterns above were amazing. Elliot turned in a circle to follow them with his eyes.

“Woooow…”

Elliot looked at the floor. The main hall’s floors were tiled. Elliot’s inner child shone through. He took off his shoes and tossed them aside. He tried his socked foot against the tiles. It easily slid. Elliot grinned and readied for a run. He dashed across the floor and skidded. The socks allowed him to slide effortlessly across the room.

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swim_away
2009-11-10 04:48 am UTC (link)

The place was much bigger than Susie had anticipated. She’d never been any place like it before. One ornate hall lead to another. There were doors leading to rooms, but none were the one she was looking for. Quickly her excited anticipation fled, leaving impatience in its place. She hated being lost.

As she reached the corner, Susie came to the frustrating realization that she’d just come full circle. She thudded her back against the fall in a huff. This wasn’t how she intended to spend the morning. But the sound of someone calling out roused her from her fit. Shyly she peered round the corner to see what was going on.

Poised to leave if there was any apparent danger, she edged over so that only her eyes and a small portion of her face were unprotected by the wall. She saw a boy who looked to be around her own age. At first she couldn’t figure out what he was doing. He didn’t look to be in distress. But then he slid across the room and the situation became clear. A few strands of hair fell across her face as she turned and giggled at the sight.

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alloveragain
2009-11-11 11:06 pm UTC (link)

Elliot heard the giggle. Light as it was it rang loud in the hall. Echoes liked to sound big in big, hollow spaces. He nearly lost his footing. Luck was on his side though. Elliot slide to halt, wobbled until he held out his arms for balance. He looked for a person in the hall but he didn’t see one. It was kind of creepy.

“Is somebody there?” asked Elliot. His voice echoed off the walls. He stood still in the middle of the floor, waited on an answer. He hoped this place wasn’t haunted. If asked Elliot would say he didn’t believe in ghosts but ghosts scared the bejesus out of him. Disembodied sheets of fog were scary.

“I know who to call!”

He stuck out his arm and pointed across the room, turning full circle. It was a warning, a stupid warning. Ghostbusters was a classic American movie franchise. Elliot’s warning was a reference. But not everyone was going to get it.

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swim_away
2009-11-11 11:14 pm UTC (link)

Susie had flattened herself back against the wall when her giggle echoed out. Flighty, she had startled herself. But when she realized what the sound was, she was taken by another fit of laughter.

She peaked around the edge again. He knew who to call? There was someone to call? Maybe they would know how to get to the music. Fairly certain there was no immediate danger, she carefully stepped out so that she wasn’t entirely hidden. Susie bit her lip, uncertain of what to say. “I’m sorry.” Apologizing was probably a good start. She hadn’t meant to upset him. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you. What are you doing?” She had a pretty good idea, actually, but wanted to see what he’d say.

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Waiting a million and one years but here it is!

alloveragain
2009-11-25 11:56 pm UTC (link)

Elliot deflated at the sight of the girl. She looked harmless enough. Disembodied giggles just creeped him out. He raised his arm and waved. He half-smiled at her. Elliot swept the hair out of his eyes.

“Ah, you look normal.” Elliot raced to his shoes and scooped them up. He plopped on the floor and slipped his shoes on. Elliot tied the laces, looked up as he spoke. “I was just goofing off. Sliding across the floor. I came here to use the dance floor. Or ballroom. Whatever they call it. It’s the same thing.”

He hopped to his feet and walked to her. Elliot grinned, held out his hand.

“I’m Elliot,” he said. “What’s up? What’cha doing here?” He looked her over, screwed his face up. “You don’t look familiar.” He grinned saucily though. “But you’re cute.”

Elliot wasn’t a guy to miss a chance to flirt.

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Totally Worth it. :)

swim_away
2009-11-26 12:57 am UTC (link)

Susie blinked and swayed a little closer back towards the hall. He talked fast. And what did he mean by normal? Was he human? He looked human. Did that make him a threat? She was alone, but so was he…maybe. He could have friends nearby. She looked back at the door. Not too far from the exit, just in case.

Grabbing the corner of the wall, Susie didn’t take his hand. She did look up into his eyes and make an effort to smile. Elliot was harmless…probably. There was ever likelihood that she was over-reacting. It wouldn’t be the first time. So she tried. Her head did turn back toward her shoulder, but she kept eye contact. “I’m Susie, and I – I was looking for the music. Someone said they had music here.”

She didn’t respond to his ‘cute’ comment. She wasn’t certain how. But a feeling of warmth did spread to her cheeks. It caused her to break eye contact. The floor was large and smooth, the kind that would be perfect for dancing – or so she imagined. Highly polished wood floorboards, however, also make it perfect for gliding as he had been so ably demonstrating. A smile twitched up the corners of her mouth. “That kinda looked like fun.”

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alloveragain
2009-11-26 03:23 am UTC (link)

Elliot was far from normal. He was the lovechild of a fae mother and a siren dad. Both of his parents were hippies. It was probably why they never married and did the two point five kids and picket fence thing.

Elliot could be dense, but he wasn’t that dense. He noticed the way she withdrew. She wasn’t comfortable around people. Maybe it was boys? He bit his lower lip and narrowed his eyes. Elliot dropped his hand to his side. He nervously rubbed his palms on his jeans. Is she scared of me? he wondered.

“Susie,” repeated Elliot. He gently smiled this time. Baby steps?

“They have a music hall.” Elliot nodded his head, raised his arm and pointed behind her. He then scratched his ear. “It’s that way. I haven’t gone there yet.”

He lit up. “Yeah it’s fun. You should try it some time. Always make sure you’re only wearing socks. Socks good for slippery floors.”

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swim_away
2009-11-26 03:33 am UTC (link)

The gentle change of demeanor helped. So did the fact that he knew where the music was. Her head turned and followed the direction of his arm. She made a quick mental note of it. Music that way. But she would find it later. Right now something else had caught her attention, and she wanted to learn a little more about him before she ran off. A few steps away from the wall – it wasn’t that difficult, right? She managed them just fine.

Susie bit her lip and then a wicked grin spread over her face. She was wearing socks now…well, under her shoes she was, but still. Now, how to get what she wanted? “I dunno. It looks a little tricky. How do you manage to stop yourself without falling over? I’d be afraid to try it if there weren’t someone here to make certain I didn’t hit my head.”

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alloveragain
2009-11-26 03:55 am UTC (link)

She inched away from the wall. This was better. Elliot chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not that hard. It’s all in the hips. Slippy sliding is a lot like dancing. You gotta keep your middle balance and work your momentum by using your upper body. Legs alone don’t do the trick.”

Elliot kicked off his shoes again and prepared for a demonstration. He shook his arms to loosen them. He stood still one moment, raced across the floor the next. Elliot skidded by sticking one foot ahead of the other. He held his arms out, one ahead, one behind. He tilted one shoulder back a few inches, leaning his body just right.

When he wanted to stop he abruptly straightened his torso and legs. Elliot twirled around and grinned at Susie.

“See? Very easy. Come on, why don’t you try it?”

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swim_away
2009-11-26 04:13 am UTC (link)

More to it than legs, eh? “That’s good then, ‘cause…uh…I’m not so good on my feet.” Her statement was accompanied by a self-mocking snicker. With her dislike of legs, she found it especially funny.

Susie leaned a hip against the wall, not to hide, but to more comfortably watch his antics. She tilted her head, unintentionally appearing coquettish as she looked through her lashes at him. As she slipped across the floor, she found herself leaning further and further over to track his progress. It was a really amusing sight and he was impressively good at it. She couldn’t help but wonder what he would be like in the water. Oddly, she hoped she would have the chance to find out.

At his prompting, she toed her shoes off. “Alright, but you won’t let me fall, will you?” She took a few steps forward into the room before hesitating.

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