InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm coming to get you.. maybe."

Annie Hills (thegirlwolf) wrote in light_of_may,
@ 2015-01-23 14:57:00

Entry tags:

2009-10-13, annie, jason

stepping forward out into the day, shrugging off the dust and memory
WHO. Jason & Annie
WHERE. Streets of Scarlet Oak
WHEN. Early Afternoon

The cool air was welcome and the breeze played with Annie's hair as she walked down the sidewalk. Loose strands tickled her cheek and caused the slightest twitch upwards in her lips. She couldn't remember ever being able to smell or hear or see so clearly. Birds chirping sounded pristine even though they were not close by. She could smell something sweet, but she didn't think they were near a bakery. Annie tilted her head and glanced over at Jason for a moment. She didn't think they spent very much time together, just the two of them and she wondered why that was. She wasn't exactly shy and Jason had a very nice smile. He had the sort of smile that made her stomach flip flop like she was about to step out onto stage for a recital or a concert (Why didn't she have any of her dance stuff?).

She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out right away, so she turned away and laughed softly. This was silly; she didn't understand why she just choked and now was giggling away her embarrassment. Annie reached up and pulled her mass of hair over to one side, letting it drape over her shoulder. The past couple of days had felt a little strange, but she did not let the feeling linger because she actually felt nice. She felt sure of herself and wasn't worried about anything, not that she knew she usually felt the opposite. The rest of the pack seemed at ease and she found herself content with the warm feeling of home that she picked up on here.

"I like this place," she said suddenly without looking at Jason. Instead, she let her gaze linger on a window display of little blown glass figurines. A tiny pink rose caught her eye and she stopped walking to stare at it for a moment. She was fascinated with how soft it looked even though it was made of glass. "Do you think the others like it here too?" Why wouldn't they?

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wildinside
2015-01-23 11:22 pm UTC (link)

It had become abundantly clear extremely quickly that all of them were displaced and even if they couldn't remember why there was a sense of familiarity and reassurance in their collective company that told them all, Jason included, that they were where they meant to be. They sounded out of place, they looked it too, but there was no denying they had a reason for being here, so far from the places they had once called home. It had also become very plain to them early on that there was something strange about them all as well, something about them as individuals which they just so happened to share. They didn't smell normal, there was something wild there, something animalistic and feral. Something of trees and earth and wide open spaces, of cool air through thick fur and running together. Jason had taken comfort in that shared strangeness and very quickly he had accepted how they all looked to him and responded to him in subtle ways.

Like Annie and those smiles and that soft laughter. Something about it felt right but at the same time it didn't. Somehow, he wasn't sure how, he knew this wasn't the way things normally were with them. There was a ball of anxiety in his gut that just didn't belong there and that was frustrating and confusing but he kept it all inside, walking along with her with his hands in his pockets because he didn't know what else to do with them. Watching as she pulled her hair to one side Jason felt something inside of himself respond, something shifted and for a few seconds he couldn't take his eyes off her neck or the slope of her shoulder where the top met, the soft skin exposed with that simple gesture of hers. Jason swallowed and turned his head so he wasn't staring.

"I like it too," he said and stopped when she did, somehow recognising a split second before she did so that that was what she was going to do, turning on the spot to watch her as she admired a display in a shop window. Stepping closer he followed her gaze to the rose. "If they didn't like it they'd go, don't you think?" he asked her, more interested in what he could see of her face in profile than any glass figurines. The fact that she liked the rose so much didn't go unnoticed, though, that was something Jason was logging away for later.

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thegirlwolf
2015-01-25 05:11 am UTC (link)

There was definitely an animalistic element to their home and the way they behaved around each other. Annie could not place the behavior in her mind, nor could she recognize the canine smell exactly, but none of that concerned her. In fact, she was a little fascinated by how everyone regarded each other. They all seemed so close like family, but the only ones who resembled each other were Zelie and Weston. They were their own crew, or pack she supposed. The word amused her with how right it felt. As much as she was enjoying herself at home, Annie wanted to see the rest of the town. Scarlet Oak was completely new to her, it seemed, and she wanted to know more about their new home. Because it was new, wasn’t it?

She too knew that this interaction between them was not typical, but she did not understand how she could know that. Nothing in her recollection painted any other picture, but neither did paint this one. This particular painting was pleasant and Annie ignored the small twitches of unease that came as she smiled. She had no reason whatsoever to not trust Jason, but there they were, little flares in the pit of her stomach that caused her to pause every once in a while. Still, she found they were mostly trumped by how much she enjoyed his company. I like him, she thought. It made sense, but she didn’t know why she wasn’t more confident to say so.

Annie ran her teeth over her bottom lip as she smiled down at the rose. She wanted it and somehow she knew she could walk in and palm it without even blinking. Stealing didn’t seem quite as wrong as it should have; was there something the matter with her to think that way? She let her gaze move upwards and she caught Jason’s reflection on the glass. Oh yes, she definitely liked him. She noticed the small dips and curves of his features in a way that told her she spent quite some time studying them. “You’re right. Absolutely,” she smiled again and turned to face him for a moment before continuing down the sidewalk. “What are we getting into today? Anything in particular?”

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wildinside
2015-01-25 02:52 pm UTC (link)

Some things just felt right and finding himself in the company of all the others -- Anastasia, Annie, Zelie, Weston, Derek -- had just felt right. There was a pressure inside of him at the same time though, an ache that made him think someone was missing, someone important, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Something else, as well, some quiet and whispered uncertainty that made him think it was somehow strange that they all looked to him and at the same time it wasn't because what else would they do? Jason wasn't about to spend a lot of time thinking about it, though, not when he and Annie were spending time together certainly. This was something to enjoy and not take for granted, it didn't happen too often and therefore he had to savour it while it lasted.

Narrowing his eyes a little with a crooked smile as she continued on down the pavement he turned to do the same, coming up beside her easily enough. Annie was tall but he wasn't exactly short either and in next to no time he was walking to her side again and glancing her way as she asked those questions. "I don't know," he said, shrugging, hearing the words come out more like I dunno than anything else and realising how perfectly normal that was for him. For a lot of them, actually. "If you had to choose," he said to her, turning his head to look at her with a smile on his face, "what would you want to do right now? Anything you want." Because making her happy was what mattered, Jason knew that without even missing a beat, and if he could see her smile and hear her laugh and know that he was the reason? That would make his day, hands down.

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thegirlwolf
2015-01-27 09:39 pm UTC (link)

Annie didn't understand why they all looked to Jason with such a feeling of respect. It almost seemed like reverence, though not as spiritual. What was more, it wasn't an act from anyone; there was a true sense that Jason was the one they looked to for guidance and depended on to get them through everything. No one looked at her that way, but that didn't exactly bother her. She barely thought about it, to be truthful. Whether or not the others liked her meant little to Annie - a thought that warranted little to no reflection, she felt. She had no idea that the opinions of the others actually meant a great deal to her usually, so she had no clue how much better it felt to simply be and accept who she was.

"Anything?" She asked with a playful smile growing on her lips. Anything in the world that she might want to do. Annie made a show of pretending to think on what she might want to do, but the truth was she didn't need to think very hard at all. The answer was on the tip of her tongue and was begging to jump off, but it was actually fun to hold it back and play with Jason. And as good as it felt to do that, Annie knew that it felt unusual. It did not seem like this was typical behavior, but she did not let her attention focus on that. Instead, she found that she had no reason to shy away or hide what it was she truly liked in this world. Why on earth would she want to hide any little facts about herself from Jason? She grinned and bounced slightly on the balls of her feet.

"Dancing. I want to go dancing."

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wildinside
2015-02-06 07:26 pm UTC (link)

It did feel to Jason as though there ought to be someone else everyone could look to but he couldn't exactly put his finger on why he felt that way or who that someone else might be. It was very clear to him now that they were a relatively small group of people, a dozen of them at most, and there was no one new who had shown up and settled in so there couldn't be anyone else they would all look to. Could there? That suspicion, that creeping doubt, wasn't going away no matter how much he attempted to distract himself from it. Maybe it didn't have so much to do with that possible other person but more to do with Annie and this time they were spending together. It wasn't something they did often, he knew he didn't know her as well as he wanted and that sort of ignorance could only come from an absence of time spent together. Maybe that was it.

"Dancing?" The way he said the word made it sound like there was no 'g' on the end, it dropped off of its own accord and he didn't even pause to think that sounded lazy or wrong in any way. He was too caught up in what Annie had said she wanted to do. "I'm pretty sure I don't dance." It didn't feel like he did anyway, that didn't sound like something he did for fun or pleasure or even for exercise. Jason shook his head. "If you want to find somewhere to dance I'll come with you though." Because if he didn't someone was going to make some kind of move on her and that was something he would not tolerate. No way no how. Jason knew that as certainly as he knew his own name. "Why do you want to go dancing?" he asked then, his eyes narrowed and a crooked curious smile on his face. Had he known she liked to dance? Jason couldn't remember.

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thegirlwolf
2015-02-09 09:50 pm UTC (link)

Annie couldn't help but notice certain differences between her and Jason. For one thing, their accents differed. It wasn't as noticeable as her accent compared to some of the others in town, but there was still something that made them sound different. Jason would leave the endings of some words hanging in the air or press a few together to sound like one, while Annie was sure to enunciate every syllable delicately. Was that something to do with how they were raised? She wasn't sure, nor did she care. She didn't consider the way Jason spoke in a negative light. In fact, she was rather fond of it. She noticed a similar difference in the way that they held themselves. Jason stood with a bearing that reminded Annie of strength and security, two things that she knew she did not convey. Was she a little jealous of him for that? She didn't know. All she knew was that she held herself in a graceful, almost subdued manner that barely made sense to her.

"Yes, dancing!" She waved off his initial statement, his so-called confession that he didn't dance. "Everyone dances. Some people just try to do it when they think no one's looking." If they didn't, then they definitely should. Annie felt as if the whole world should take the time to dance, at least once. She didn't think twice before she looped her arm in his and matched his pace as they walked down the sidewalk. "I don't know," she responded, again noticing the difference in the way she said it versus the way that Jason had said the phrase only a moment ago.

"I feel like I haven't danced in ages." Like I haven't had a reason to.

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wildinside
2015-02-15 04:41 pm UTC (link)

In Jason's mind it always made Annie sound much more cultured than him, she'd obviously had an education and a decent upbringing where teachers impressed upon their students the importance of enunciation whereas his had clearly been lacking in that department. It didn't mean they couldn't get along because obviously they were here and now, but it still highlighted to him just how different they were. Add in the fact that her idea of a good time was dancing and he was beginning to wonder if they weren't as different as chalk and cheese. Water and oil. Hopefully not the latter, that one almost implied no possible mix and the more time he spent with Annie the more time he wanted to spend with her, however he could. This might have been just a walk, time spent harmlessly and innocently in one another's company, but he would be lying if he said he didn't want more. It was like a magnet, that pull inside of him, that need to be closer to her and want to be with her. Jason didn't know how to fight that or even if he should.

With a small laugh and a shake of his head, he said, "I'm pretty sure I don't dance because I can't." Wasn't there some saying about British people and dancing? Jason was almost convinced that there was but he couldn't for the live of him remember what it was right then. Any additional response he had been about to add was cut short by the looping of her arm through his, the words dried up in his throat and his thought processes stalled like an old engine.

"You really want to go dancing?" he asked her, wondering if he ought to come up with reasons why they shouldn't. That would run the risk of disappointing her, wouldn't it? Jason didn't want to do that. "More than anything else?" Because if the answer to that question was yes then it seemed like that was what they were going to do. Because that was what Annie wanted to do. Because Jason didn't want to tell her no.

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thegirlwolf
2015-02-25 11:51 pm UTC (link)

Annie knew there was an attraction here between them, though she couldn’t be certain how strong it was. She woke that morning with the desire to spend time with Jason, not necessarily to know him better (though that was a welcome side effect) but rather to allow him to know her. For some reason, Annie hoped that giving him the opportunity might grant her some knowledge about herself. For some reason, she felt as if she did not know herself very well. She supposed that she ought to be more troubled by that feeling, but she couldn’t bring herself to be. Not when the solution was as simple as trying to figure out who she was by spending time with Jason.

“I do,” Annie beamed. She may have been unsure of herself, but of this she had no doubts. Dancing was the first thing she could think to do. No, she didn’t want to find a club where she couldn’t hear herself think, although something told her that she could fit into that scene quite well. What she wanted was a place where she could just dance, whether or not Jason actually joined her.

“Nowhere crowded,” she offered, hoping it would ease him into the idea. “Maybe somewhere quiet where no one will bother us?” They could head to an empty house, an alleyway, anywhere. Annie didn’t mind.

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wildinside
2015-03-12 05:38 pm UTC (link)

Annie wasn't alone in that feeling, not that Jason even knew how she felt right then nor would he acknowledge any sort of insecurity in himself in the least. That didn't come naturally to him, he knew that much. That sense of ignorance of one's self was something he had been feeling inexplicably and though he had a suspicion he wasn't alone in that there was no proof. Walking and talking with Annie made things easier, and yet somehow more challenging, there was a side of him that was somehow nervous spending time with her but there was another that enjoyed it very much and wanted nothing more than for it to continue. Hence asking her what she wanted to do, insisting it was her choice, and not flat out refusing the whole dancing suggestion.

Narrowing his eyes a little but still wearing a smile he turned his head to look at her where she walked at his side, her arm still looped through his. "You need music to dance," he reminded her with a thread of a laugh worked gently through his voice and it occurred to him quietly in the background of his thoughts that gentle wasn't really a concept that was often applied to him. How he knew that, on any level, he couldn't even hazard a guess. It was just there, in the back of his mind, a solid certainty he couldn't shake. "Where are we going to get music?" Neither one of them had a phone or an mp3 player and he couldn't think of many places where they had music that really allowed for dancing.

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thegirlwolf
2015-03-26 02:12 am UTC (link)

“Says who?” Annie teased. Truthfully, she didn’t know where they could find music. Maybe a department store with second rate jazz playing overhead. Or maybe someone was playing in the open air of the park even though fall was rapidly approaching. Neither one of them owned a device to provide her with the sort of music she needed, but she wasn’t entirely discouraged by that fact. Just because they didn’t have anything now didn’t mean that she couldn’t find something in the next little bit. Her mouth twisted slightly as she thought; he brought up a good question. Where were they going to get music?

The thought burrowing into her mind was not exactly sweet nor legal, and yet she wasn’t bothered by that. “We could… borrow someone’s.” She suggested, letting the implication hang in the air. Stealing for survival was one thing and Annie knew that. She was comfortable with that concept, though her memory gave no hint as to why she should be. Stealing for pleasure was something else and Annie realized that her conscience was not speaking out against the idea. Had she ever stolen anything that she didn’t outright need? We need music, she thought lamely. Not being bothered by taking something that she didn’t depend on for survival made her stop for a moment. What kind of person was she?

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wildinside
2015-03-27 11:33 pm UTC (link)

The fact that Annie was teasing him back and thinking seriously about where they could get music was endearing to Jason, there was no denying that, and he couldn't help the smile that set up shop on his face as he watched her consider the matter at length. There was this look on her face while she thought, a slight shift in her expression that she probably didn't know the first thing about, but Jason found himself fascinated by it, unable to look away.

And then she said something he hadn't been expecting but was by no means found in any way disappointing, his smile becoming something of a grin before he chuckled approvingly and nodded his head. "Borrow someone else's?" he echoed. "You know what?" he went on, tilting his head as he looked her way as if admiring the way her mind worked, "I think that's something we can manage." Okay so it was theft, it might get them into trouble, but it was what Annie wanted to do and when he'd said they could do whatever she wanted he'd meant it.

"Okay," he went on, "so now we need to find some music we can borrow. Something portable, like a CD player." Plenty of people still used those, especially people selling things at the side of the street, and already Jason was scanning the area trying to spot just such a person. What he caught sight of instead made him smirk, unable to believe their luck. When he pointed at what he'd seen to draw her attention to it as well it was at a few young men busking with a small crowd watching them. One of the guys had a box upon which he was sitting, using it as a drum while another played an acoustic guitar and the third was providing lyrics of some sort. The player they had down behind them was clearly just for backup and it wasn't just a CD player either, there was some sort of mp3 device slotted into it. It looked battery powered as well. "What about that?" he asked her, slowing their pace so they could consider it. If they went for it they would need some sort of plan but they could manage that, he was sure.

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thegirlwolf
2015-03-31 02:00 am UTC (link)

She found something thrilling in the idea of being crafty, of coming up with a plan and deceiving someone with only the goal of taking something from them in mind. Jason seemed to share her lack of scruples and Annie was momentarily lost in that grin forming on his face. She put it there and she relished that fact.

Street vendors and performers. Annie could have laughed out loud. People who hawked wares and talents were often accused of theft with absurd prices, so it seemed fitting that they should take from them. Of course, this also meant that several pairs of eyes would be on them and that made stealing anything even more difficult. Yet to the rest of the world, they were two youths looking for a little fun. Annie’s gaze rested on the player Jason spotted and her smile grew.

“We’ll need a distraction,” she mused. There was no doubt in her mind that she should play that particular role. “Something that gets everyone’s attention.” She paused, her lips pursed in thought. “What do you think: run up and act maimed, stage a fight with one of them, or streak through?” All of this was said with a laugh in her voice, but she was half certain that she would do whatever it took.

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wildinside
2015-04-03 06:54 pm UTC (link)

It ought to feel wrong, the desire to steal from someone else, but nothing could be farther from the truth. On the contrary Jason felt excited by the prospect and as Annie agreed with his target and mentioned a distraction he couldn't help the slightly crooked grin that crossed his face. They were going to go through with this, it seemed, and neither one of them had the slightest reservations about the legality of the act.

"Whatever it is you're up," he said, "because you're much more suited to turning heads than I am." After he said it he heard the words and how they could be taken and screwing his face up a little he laughed a touch awkwardly and said, "Didn't mean that how it came out, it was supposed to be a good thing." Waving one hand he went on, "You could always head over and pretend to be part of the crowd and then act like someone stole your wallet, really make a big show of it." Everyone would look her way, performers included, and Jason would seize his opportunity.

"Or you could start dancing." Jason smiled when he said that, looking her way with a hint of fondness in his amused smile.

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