Lexi Lane (cest_moi) wrote in britannia_ny, @ 2009-08-22 22:08:00 |
|
|||
Current mood: | bouncy |
Current music: | C'est Moi ~ Camelot |
The Knight Returns (Open RP)
The bus bumped along the road, its shadow running past telephone poles and tiny farms, darting through towns and cities and empty fields. Lexi stared at it, fascinated as it undulated in towards the bus and then away again, charging along beside them fearlessly. She imagined it a steed, a great black horse, galloping into battle. Perhaps a knight rode it, sword out, armor shining so brightly it was white with the sun. The horse skidded onward, jumping through valley and mountain alike, never hesitating, bearing its rider on into victory.
By the time dusk fell, Lexi had conjured up an entire story around her shadow horse. She imagined the knight who rode him had loved someone, once, someone they could not have. Someone they must have adored from afar. So they, on their noble steed, went forth to quest and bring back trophies to their love. Dragons and pagan hordes and invading forces alike fell beneath the knight's blade and the horse's hooves, but no victory was ever enough.
It was a sad story so far, but Lexi was sure she could come up with a proper ending. Stuff like that needed a last minute rally in order to make everyone live happily ever after. It wasn't interesting, though, if everything was sunshine and roses right from the start. The lovers had to be separated, first, by as many factors as possible. That made their eventual coming together that much better.
The bus pulled into another station and Lexi looked up, curious. Britannia, the sign outside said, and Lexi considered it.
She didn't actually have any particular destination in mind. The last town had simply gotten stale, so she'd packed up her suitcase and gotten on the first bus out, sitting through nearly a day's worth of stops, seeing if one struck a cord. Peering out the window, she studied the town she could see beyond the station. It seemed quaint enough. Small, but not too tiny, and no obvious smokestacks or drug lords. For a moment she wavered, deciding, then, just before the doors shut again and the bus pulled away, Lexi slipped out and onto the platform. She couldn't resist the quiet smile as she watched the bus travel away, her imaginary shadow mount trotting beside it.
The benches at the station were not very comfortable, but Lexi made do. Waiting was not an unusual feeling for her, and she carefully folded her jacket across her legs and tipped her head back to catch the sun. She had no idea who or what she was waiting for, she simply knew she should. It was a feeling as certain to her as how much cocoa she should add to a cookie dough or when the bread was done rising. She just knew.
After a half an hour, Lexi looked off across the street. It was the strangest sensation, like someone half heard had just called her name. A man was sitting there, at a table, motionless. But he was watching her, just as much as Lexi was watching him, and she smiled at him slowly. It wasn't a creepy feeling, like one might expect when a stalker was discovered. More like seeing an old friend, even though Lexi'd never set eyes on him in her life. He was blonde, strongly built, and moved over to her with a hesitant confidence.
"Hello," she said cheerily. "It's a beautiful day."
A faint smile creased his face, kind grey eyes meeting hers. "It is. Are you waiting for a ride?"
One shoulder raised casually. "Just got off the bus, actually. Were you waiting for a passenger?"
"Perhaps," he laughed quietly, holding out his hand. "My name is Nathan. Nathan Tarn."
"Lexi Lane. Don't laugh," she cautioned him in warning, shaking his hand and then using it to help her up, unfolding her long legs and hooking her coat over one arm.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Nathan took her to the local bed and breakfast, where Lexi exclaimed over the lace and the pink and the kitten decor. He seemed vaguely disturbed by it all, but Lexi had a very deep and abiding secret love of all things tacky. After, he offered to buy her lunch. Instead of wondering where she'd packed her pepper spray, Lexi found herself agreeing easily. Odd, but then again, Lexi thought herself a fairly good judge of people. If Nate was going to ax murder her, there surely would have been some mustache twirling or cackling about train tracks by now.
On the way, he took a side track to his shop. And that was when Lexi fell in love.
Not with him. With the store next door.
"Oh, God, are those granite counter tops?" Lexi had pushed open a door, curiously poking around while Nathan grabbed something from the back, and found a large empty storefront connected to his. It was a bakery. Lexi had spent most of the last five years in them, she would know. Tables were set up, little round four tops, and there was a gleaming glass display case.
"Yeah." Nate was leaning against the door, watching her. "I built it."
Mouth dropping open, Lexi turned, eyes huge. "You built it?" Holy crap. The cabinetry was gorgeous, the tables simply beautiful, and Lexi just kept wandering around, touching everything.
"I don't just make crap for tourists," Nathan smirked slightly. "I was hoping to rent it out, but the guy I had fell through."
Lexi had just discovered the kitchen in the back. It was all gleaming and pretty and shiny and oh God, she was trying not to squeal. "I'll take it."
"What?"
Poking her head back around, she grinned widely. "I'm a baker. I'll take it. I'll rent it. Whatever, sign me up, this place is freaking perfect."
She missed the slight, satisfied smile, too busy opening and closing the oven and wandering inside the walk in fridge. Nathan's voice wove back in after her, a very quiet, "If you insist." Lexi was wondering if this place had been built for her, it was so damn perfect.
Ten minutes later, she was officially the renter of a bakery in Britannia, New York, and she and Nathan were settling in for a celebratory cup of coffee in the diner down the street. All in all, Lexi figured it was a really good day.
((OOC Note about setting: Nathan has become Donald Trump leased an empty restaurant area next door to Of the Lake because he had a dream, which seems to be his primary motivation for most things these days. Of course, it's him, so instead of just leaving it alone, he built some tables and refaced the cabinets, in some vague idea that someone was going to need it some day. So now Lexi has a bakery right next to Nathan and will be opening as soon as she figures out how to turn on the ovens. Soon everyone in Britannia will have a source for their chocolate fix needs, which, I know, is what you all were concerned about.
Right now, though, they're chillin in the diner, should anyone want to greet them. :D))