Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I have a server...scooore!"

Username: 
Password:    
Remember Me
  • Create Account
  • IJ Login
  • OpenID Login
Search by : 
  • View
    • Create Account
    • IJ Login
    • OpenID Login
  • Journal
    • Post
    • Edit Entries
    • Customize Journal
    • Comment Settings
    • Recent Comments
    • Manage Tags
  • Account
    • Manage Account
    • Viewing Options
    • Manage Profile
    • Manage Notifications
    • Manage Pictures
    • Manage Schools
    • Account Status
  • Friends
    • Edit Friends
    • Edit Custom Groups
    • Friends Filter
    • Nudge Friends
    • Invite
    • Create RSS Feed
  • Asylums
    • Post
    • Asylum Invitations
    • Manage Asylums
    • Create Asylum
  • Site
    • Support
    • Upgrade Account
    • FAQs
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Interest
    • Search Randomly

Karin Shepherd | Tiamat ([info]sheltering_sky) wrote in [info]paxletalelogs,
@ 2011-09-05 20:44:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:geb, tiamat

there's magic in the water that attracts all men
Who: Sean & Karin.
What: Two strangers enjoy a little downward facing dog on the beach. Mrowr.
Where: The beach!
When: 7:30 AM.
Warnings: None yet.

Karin's plan had been to be early. Not excruciatingly, painfully, socially awkwardly early, but only moderately so. Early enough to choose the best spot to see the sun slowly marching upward, to place her mat down in the sand closest to this new instructor. She had taken little enough time to get ready, leaving her apartment without a stitch of makeup, her hair loose around her face in a thick and wild mane, her clothes a hastily thrown on combination of fitted workout shorts and a loose white tank. But when she arrived she realized there were no other students, yet, her only companions on the beach a few lone joggers and screaming, wheeling birds. She narrowed her eyes, yoga mat rolled beneath her restless arm, and trudged out onto the beach all the same. Now that she was out here, a rare day off stretching beautifully out before her, there was no reason at all to turn back. Sean had to turn up sooner or later, and even if he did not, the day was breaking beautiful and bright, and she could find countless other ways to spend it.

"Well," she said, sighing at no-one in particular. "Better early than never?" She knelt down in white sand, hoping she had at least approximated the place they had been meant to meet. It looked like the place, and was within walking distance of their building; she had a good feeling about it all, but her inner voice had lied to her before. Leaning over the packed earth she stretched out a slender arm, sweeping away excess sand and a few stray pebbles, then moved to spread her mat out across the smoothed surface.


(Post a new comment)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-06 03:37 am UTC (link)
Sean usually arrived on the beach around 8 a.m. and today was no exception. He was dressed in a white tank top, grey long sweat shorts and a pair of blue flip flops. Carrying a dark green mat in a mesh yoga bag, Sean arrived at the beach and set down his stuff right next to Karin with a big wide smile. "You must be Karin who goes walking on the beach, I'm Sean, glad to see you here!" It was hard to judge from the internet what someone was going to look like, but boy was he pleasantly surprised, Karin was quite good looking. There was just this presence about her in the morning sunlight, she practically glowed. He usually didn't find someone that attractive until he got to know them, but even with no makeup, dressed in work clothes, she instantly made an impression on him.

He smiled a bit awkwardly and straightened out his mat. "Sometimes I have students meet me here, but usually it's just me. How much yoga experience do you have?" Changing his mind, Sean set his mat so that it was in front of Karin's. Once he was positioned, he got down on his mat and begun to stretch out his legs.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-07 02:27 am UTC (link)
She cast an appraising glance over him, smiling as she did. She found him handsome in a boyish sort of way; his smile was contagious, a boon she desperately needed thanks to her recently trying times.

"Enough," she said. She had stretched quite thoroughly before his arrival, but now she shifted again, pressing the bare sole of her foot to the inside of her thigh. She stretched out, thin fingers wrapping around her toes, stretching catlike over her leg. "I think I can keep up, at least. But if you do see me fall behind, give me a few minutes, okay?" She smiled. "How long have you been teaching?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-07 02:41 am UTC (link)
"Of course. If at any point you need to stop, just relax in student pose until you're ready to continue okay?" Sean smiled her way as he watched her stretch for a moment, getting a bit distracted as he watched her. Sean moved so that he was flat on his back and lifted his feet up slowly, stretching his arms out over his head as he did so. "About 5 years now, and I've been taking yoga since college, so about 7."

After he had stretched a bit, he moved so that he was sitting with his feet crossed, flat on his mat. "Namaste, hello and good morning. I always like to start off morning yoga with a purpose, kind of a devotion, something to focus on. What do you say we devote this session to Pax and new friendships." Cheesy, very cheesy, but he meant it, and that was obvious as he smiled her way.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-07 11:54 am UTC (link)
She accepted the sentiment at face value, assuming his sincerity, as she was wont to do. Nodding, she moved to match his posture on the mat, letting conscious thought wane as she emptied her thoughts. This, she thought, was the real benefit of the exercise: It provided her a brief span in which she was not prisoner to her thoughts, trapped in the endless cycle of fear and uncertainty that had plagued her of late. She could have hugged him for affording her this respite. But that, perhaps, was for another time. Still, she smiled at the thought, and drew a deep breath, exhaling on an audible sigh. "Pax and new friendships," she repeated.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-07 02:34 pm UTC (link)
Sean took a long deep breath, exhaling just as long. He put his hands together and held them at his heart, nodding to Karin. "Let's see how long we can take a deep breath in. Count as you breathe in, and make sure you exhale for the same number no matter how long it may seem. Controlling our breath is so important." Normally Sean would watch his students and not participate the entire time, but he was going to do the yoga with her. He continued the warm up with Karin, doing various stretches, talking in a soothing soft voice the entire time.

"Before we move into the regular exercise, how much time do you have before you have to get to work?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-08 02:48 am UTC (link)
Her motions echoed his, matching him gesture for gesture. At first the deep breathing seemed to help. She was able to keep a long count, pleased with the lung capacity her constant swimming and running had afforded her.

"Oh, I'm free until tonight," she said, smiling warmly. "No need to rush anything at all." Her mind wandered, leaving their controlled breathing, their measured thoughts, and spread out toward the ocean. A swim after their session sounded wonderful, she thought; long, leisurely strokes that carried her out, out, ever toward that blessed island. Dark secrets lingered there, a pulsing, throbbing heartbeat that beckoned hers to join it. She swallowed hard in a dry throat, blinking to clear the thought from her eyes. "No rush," she repeated, her voice trailing off. Another breath, she thought, deeper this time; perhaps she could beat this, and perhaps Sean could help.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-08 03:10 am UTC (link)
“Good, if I don’t have a clock right in front of me, I get distracted and lose all sense of time, so it’s good to know that time is of no importance.” Sean went up into downward facing dog, his heels falling perfectly flat against his mat due to his years of practice. There was a smoothness in his motions, a seemless fluidity that had taken years to master. “Up into Adho Mukha Svanasana, downward facing dog. Make sure that you are breathing deeply, exhaling for as long as you are breathing in, counting is a distraction from any sensations you might be feeling. As with anything, push that extra bit, just to see how far you are able to fly, you never know what you can do if you don’t try.” Sean smiled and moved down into a plank position, holding it, and then down he went into cobra on the mat. “Repeat this, downward facing dog, plank, meet the ground , cobra, go as fast or as slow as you like, but don’t forget to breathe.”

Yoga was vital for Sean, it helped put his mind at ease and helped to train him to push himself as far as he was able to. It was also an extremely positive way to start the day and gave him an encouraging outlook on what was to come. For Sean, yoga also was a time to quiet his mind, all of those racing thoughts that entered his brain would float away. Like, what if he had continued school as an accountant? Would he have a lot of money, a beautiful wife with 2.5 children and not have to struggle to make ends meet? What would have happened if he had continued the charade of being catholic and his parents still spoke to him, would he have that loving family support he missed? The truth was that Sean wouldn’t have been happy as an accountant, it wasn’t the path he was supposed to take, he was meant to take the rough and bumpy path and have to live off of peanut butter some days, and if his parents didn’t love him for who he was, then it was their loss, not his.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-09 02:49 am UTC (link)
It took Karin very little time and even less thought to realize Sean had found his true calling. His voice was steady, even, as soothing as the waves at her back - though in a very different way. She wondered if this was what her patients meant when they told her she put them at ease. If so, she was doing a sight better than she had ever dared to hope. The tension did not yet fully ebb from her limbs, though she found breathing an easier task with every passing command. She followed his instruction, moving from one posture to another with an effortless fluidity, focused wholly on each deeply indrawn breath, each slowly exhaled sigh.

You never know what you can do... She could swim to the island, she thought. Shae had pulled her from the water once before, but Shae was gone now. With the strange hours Fee now worked, there would be times when she would not be there to dissuade her, either. A few more weeks of training to get her lung capacity right, to school her muscles to resist cramps or ignore them entirely, and she might make the trip, Coast Guard be damned. She could get there, and perhaps with Sean's help, sooner rather than later.

She slipped into cobra pose, holding it, feeling the comfortable stretch in her arms and lower back. She looked back to her teacher, allowing herself a small smile. "You have no idea how badly I've needed this," she breathed, speaking on a long exhalation. "You're a godsend."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-09 03:10 am UTC (link)
"Oh trust me, I have some idea. I do this every single morning. If it's raining I do it in my apartment, but no matter what the weather, you are more than welcome to join me." To hear that he was a godsend, completely flattered him, but it also struck him. He always believed that there was a reason for everything, that nothing was luck, and he was starting to see the reason he had been brought to Newport already, it made him feel fulfilled in some way. Of course he didn't exactly know how to vocalize that, so instead he simply smiled, looking up at her from a cobra position.

"Finish a cycle and go back to student pose as you watch the next pose. It's called Ardha Chandrasana, half moon. Sean got into the complicated pose, putting his weight on his right leg on right arm, while his left arm was straight up in the air, and his left leg was extended up into the air. "Your arm straight, not bent, head lifted to the sky. Once you get up in the pose, push yourself." Sean got out of the pose and went over to Karin, helping her to be in the perfect position with his hands.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-10 12:53 am UTC (link)
She smiled at his offer, assuming no deeper meaning in his words than what was present at first glance. She had need of more friends in the building, there was no getting around that. His initial, ill advised announcement regarding his drug habits did not deter her; after all, her beloved sisters had gotten into far worse in their day. She did not know him well enough to lecture, but in time that would come. Such things came from a place of love and concern rather than judgment, though not everyone, especially at first, could read such nuance in her tone. With such thoughts coiling through her troubled mind, thankfully pushing out her obsession with her own problems in favor of pondering someone else's.

She turned her thoughts to his instruction, returning to student pose as she watched him perform the complex maneuver. She was surprised when he unfolded his lanky body from the posture, and still more so when she felt his hands on her. But in spite of the faint flush dusting her cheeks, she could not truthfully have said she found it entirely displeasing. Fiona would mock her now, she knew, would laugh at her juvenile blush over something so small and meaningless. The thought bolstered her somewhat; helped her maintain her cool composure as she eased her body into the required pose. Luckily she did not strain to hold it, her body taut and toned from relentless exercise, but when she had accomplished the posture, she pushed herself as he had said. It felt good to stretch out toward the sky, down toward the sand and sea; it felt like she belonged there, stretched and split between those realms. She wondered at the strange thought, laughing aloud at herself.

"Thanks," she said, glancing up to where his hand rested on her leg. "We've gotten some rough injuries in the hospital from things like this. Things even less challenging than this, to be honest."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-10 05:54 am UTC (link)
"Well they obviously didn't have the right instuctor." He didn't mean that in a cocky way, to say he was better than other instructors out there, but good instructors monitored tricky moves like this and taught you how to get out of the pose safely. "When you're ready to come out of the pose, simply set the leg that is up in the air down slowly, then your hand. You should then be in downward facing dog. When you're ready, we're going to the last active pose, Virabhadrasana II, Warrior 2, common but effective." Sean got into warrior 2. For such a common pose, it actually wasn't all that simple. It was very easy to get wrong, and when it was wrong, it hurt, more than usual anyway. However, it was worth it, because in warrior 2, Sean felt empowered, like an ancient chinese soldier that could do absolutely anything. "Do you see how my knee is in line with my ankle? That's the tricky part."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-11 12:07 am UTC (link)
Sean was right to have faith in his abilities. The longer they worked, the more easily she found the movements came. The racing of her mind did not still, precisely, but it lost some of its frenetic quality. She found it easier to concentrate, to focus on things outside herself, to feel a sense of connection with her body and the world around her that she had long counted lost.

Karin nodded as he spoke, wide green eyes taking in the subtleties of his motion. She made a concerted effort to match his movements precisely; each fluid shift, each smooth transition. She let her body slide into the position, careful of her knee. A wrong motion here could put her out of running for some time, and the thought of losing her daily jogs along the beach was anathema to her. But by his example she managed well enough, breathing deeply of the salt air as she held the position, looking to her instructor for approval or correction.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-11 03:31 pm UTC (link)
"Perfect! Now come to stand in Tadasana, mountain pose. Everything straight like a mountain, feet firmly connected with the ground." Sean demonstrated it as he spoke. In this pose he always felt connected with the earth like it was calling to him, had something to say, if only he could understand. For some reason as he stood in this pose on the beach at Pax for the first time, the sensation was even stronger than it ever had been, and he wasn't sure if he liked the tingling sensation that was occurring in his legs. "Now we will do once more balance pose. We've already done the half moon, but we'll do one standing this time." Sean quickly got into the pose, focusing on the horizon, since it was one of the only things at the beach that was not moving. "Vrksasana, tree pose. Put your palms flat together at your heart, and lift one leg, pressing it with all of your might against the other leg. The leg connected to the earth is flat and straight, like a tree trunk, supporting your other leg. Look at something non moving, not me, it helps."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-11 11:27 pm UTC (link)
Karin readily obeyed. In Vrksasana he swayed unsteadily for a moment, but recovered to find her center of balance quickly enough. It was a simpler thing as she looked at him, drawing from the strength he seemed to share; it seemed she could even sense a new surge of strength within him as he adopted this pose. It was a comfort of a sort, reassuring her that for now, at least, she was in the right hands. Still, after a time she found him an uncertain guidepoint, as he had said; she looked over his shoulder, gazing at the city's skyline at his back. She felt her fears ebb away, slow and steady as the tide, leaving only a new, intensely desirable tiredness in its wake. She breathed deeply, tasting the fresh air on her tongue as she did, the warm wind blowing away from them all the sounds and smells of the crowded city beyond.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-12 09:01 pm UTC (link)
Once they balanced with both legs being lifted, Sean smiled and set his leg down, looking at Karin. "Now for a relaxation pose, Savasana, the reclining pose. You lie down on your back on your mat, spread your legs and spread your arms wide. Make sure your head is looking up, but your eyes are closed.Be aware of how still you are," Sean got into the pose, putting his legs close together and his arms over his head. "If you would rather have your legs together, do so, arms at your side, above your head, whatever feels best, but be aware of each and every breath, relaxing into the earth."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-14 01:24 am UTC (link)
Karin felt no self consciousness in obeying, no shame in letting herself go. She lay back, feeling the warm embrace of the sand at her back, its heat pulsing, alive, through her thin yoga mat. She stretched her arms above her head, her spine bowing as she stretched, until the small of her back arched up from the ground. With her next exhalation she felt herself sink deeper still, her softly splayed legs and upraised arms feeling beautifully, deliciously heavy. In. Out. In. Out. She was aware, it seemed; more aware than ever before. One with the sky, with the sand, with the water beyond. Her next exhalation took every breath from her body, and with it, the last of her woes. She might have fallen asleep there; she might have died. She felt only tenuously tied to her body, ready to flee its grasp at any moment.

"Thank you," she breathed, not knowing to whom she ascribed that sentiment.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-14 02:39 am UTC (link)
"You're quite welcome," Sean whispered, assuming the thank you was for him. Of course it occurred to him after he said it, that the thank you could've been to anyone or anything, or even just a generic thank you. Sean stood up and walked over to Karin, offering to help her up. "What do you say to breakfast?" She was quite gorgeous, and as he shook sand off of his yoga mat, rolling it in the air, he couldn't help but try. The worst she could do was shoot him down and call him a silly child.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-14 11:49 pm UTC (link)
She breathed deeply, slowly, letting the question sink in. It came to her as if from a great distance, filtering through layers she did not wholly understand, strata within herself she had not known existed. When she spoke, it was like someone else spoke for her.

"Breakfast sounds great," she said, airily, dreamily. "As long as I don't have to decide where we go." Smiling, she rose from the mat, brushing grains of sand from her backside. She spent far more time on the mat itself, carefully rolling it up, her hands sliding soft over its length as she wound it tight. She looked to him, green eyes distant - seeing him, but not. "Ready?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-15 03:09 pm UTC (link)
"Actually I was going to offer to cook. I have some food I need to use up soon. Is that okay or would you rather go somewhere?" He didn't want to push too much, but he did have a dozen eggs that were going to go bad in the next few days and some vegetables that only had another day left in their lives. That was the negative thing about eating a lot of fresh products, it didn't last as long. He loved how absolutely at peace Karin appeared, it mirrored how he felt inside on a daily basis, and he loved being able to spread that nirvana to others.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-17 04:17 am UTC (link)
Without thinking, she flinched. The salt air, the soothing lullaby of the waves at her back, the steadiness of his voice had all eased her into forgetting that place. For a time she had felt it was a distant memory, a place she did not rightly belong, a way station in the midst of her journey. Now it all came rushing back: This skin, this fractured mind, this winding, desolate path. Her teeth sank into her lower lip, nipping sharply until she felt the stirrings of a smile.

"Alright," she said. She schooled her features back into that calm, collected mask. She liked his company, after all; perhaps even back in that void of a building, he might help her feel at ease. "No bacon, though," she added, laughing quietly. "I'd hate to undo all the good we just did."

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-18 07:05 am UTC (link)
"Actually I'm a vegetarian, so I don't cook with meat. I can watch someone eat it, don't get me wrong, it's your choice, but I just can't bring myself to cook with it, but if it's healthy you're after we'll just make sure to keep cheese out of the menu then." Sean smiled as he headed back to the building with her. He was so glad to have the beach so close to his apartment, it was something he had wanted for as long as he could remember. There was something about sand and the way his toes dug deep into it that he always loved. When he was younger he would imagine sinking all the way down into the sand and the various wonders that could be there, hidden, waiting to be found. Sometimes when his imagination really ran, he imagined an entire world under the sand, all his to explore.

He led Karin into his apartment, unlocking the door and ushering her in. "Make yourself at home." He had unpacked as quickly as he had been able to. Sean wasn't one to be able to live out of boxes, it was too stressful not being able to find anything. His apartment was simple, furniture he had found for cheap on craigslist or had been given from friends or clients here and there. His couch is a tanish color, and none of the wood matched. The coffeetable was a light, almost white wood, whereas the end tables were a dark cherry wood, and the music tower was a medium brown tone. Against a wall on the way to the kitchen, there was a little alter table with fresh flowers, candles and a statue of Buddha. As Sean walked passed it, he nodded to the statue, giving him his thanks and went into the kitchen, kicking off his sandals when he remembered that he was still wearing them.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-20 12:45 am UTC (link)
For all her trepidation Karin smiled as she entered the apartment. It was an eclectic space, warm and inviting; a grounded sort of space, without the staring eyes and shifting presences she felt within her own. She toed her shoes off at the door, quirking a wan smile at the Buddha as she passed. Briefly she paused at the altar, wondering if she should perhaps light a candle out of abject desperation. But with a candle would come the smell of smoke, and that, at least, she could not abide. So instead she followed Sean into the kitchen, eager to help if she could, to keep her hands and mind busy now that they were back within these strangely hallowed walls of Pax.

"You have a very pretty place," she said. "Thank you for inviting me." She peered over his shoulder, trying to get a feel for the kind of kitchen she now found herself in. "Anything I can do?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-20 01:33 am UTC (link)
"Oh thank you, I'm not one to decorate very much or care about what goes with what, but I guess not many guys do right? It kind of makes the place look a bit like a college dorm, in fact, a lot of this stuff is from my old college apartment." It was a bit embarrassing to admit to himself, but he could barely afford this apartment, let alone new furniture. Sometimes it got to him, and he wished he had stuck with the track his parents had set out for him. He could've been living at the very top of this building in the lap of luxury, but instead he was struggling to make ends meet. Sean silently kicked himself, he was happy this way, and he didn't need anything more than what he had, he needed to stop thinking about what could have been and focus on what was.

"Actually yes, can you chop some of the vegetables up?" Sean took out mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchinni. "Anything you don't like, don't chop!" He grabbed a dozen eggs from the fridge and started to beat up one large omelet that they would split, alternating between using yolks and egg whites.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-21 12:05 am UTC (link)
Karin, being quite fond of all the ingredients she saw laid out, immediately set to work. Thus distracted, she did not notice Sean's momentary hesitation; if she had, she would not have understood. She would have given much to have a home that felt so comfortable, so effortlessly at peace with itself. Of late it had felt as if her own apartment wanted her gone. In sleep she had her dreams, in wakefulness the sounds and smells that drove her from within its eggshell walls: It was enough to drive anyone mad. She chewed her tongue as such thoughts crawled through her mind, sinking their talons into the peace she had only so recently found.

The more she chopped, the further along the dish seemed to come, its mouth-watering scent pervading the apartment. She had hardly felt hungry, but now she felt her appetite begin to reappear. With the edge of the knife she scraped the chopped vegetables closer toward the stove, where they might be picked up and dropped into the pan more easily.

"I don't know many men who could make an omelette look that good," she said, her voice edged with a tired, though sincere, laugh. "Your mother must have taught you well."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-21 01:17 am UTC (link)
Sean grabbed the vegetables and placed it in the omelette as she chopped them, saving the zucchinni for last since it seemed to get soggy fairly quickly like broccoli, which he was sadly out of. He went into the fridge and grabbed some shredded mozzarella cheese, putting it next to him on the stove. "I was always interested in cooking, but my mother was the type of person who would barely let anyone else in her kitchen, let alone accept help." Besides, his dad probably wouldn't have been cool with his big boy cooking, that was a girl's job in his eyes, something boys should never do. "But I watched her whenever I could, so I learned some things here and there."

Sean folded the omelette over and sprinkled some cheese on top, not being to heavy handed with it, putting just enough on for flavor. "You know, I feel as if we shared this amazing yoga session this morning. I know this sounds corny, but the energy was so positive and warm, almost inviting, but we don't know much about each other, ironic isn't it?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-21 11:35 pm UTC (link)
The thundering of her heart seemed to recede somewhat as he talked about his past. Memories were safe, comfortable things, like pulling on an old bathrobe. It put her in mind of her own far more pleasant youth, with her family in one place, her priorities set, and a pair of capable, if often distracted, adults to handle the more troublesome things. How she longed to be back in her mother's kitchen, stirring pots and scrubbing them, the biggest problems they had need to discuss her little sisters' flagging grades or countless crushes.

"Mm?" She looked up, caught red-handed in her little reverie. She blushed at her own preoccupation, hiding the expression with a turn of her head. She glanced back into the apartment beyond as she leaned back against the counter top, looking back to Sean only when she was certain that telling flush was gone. "Oh." Belatedly her senses caught up with her, and she registered what he had said. She smiled softly over to him, her eyes flicking down to watch his hands as he worked. "I guess it is," she said, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear. "I've heard people talking around here. Pax, I mean. It seems like a lot of people meet other tenants they feel like they've already met. It's interesting, I think." She shrugged. "I don't know that that's what our yoga session was about. But it was just the relaxation I needed." Left out was her certainty that to truly recover from what this place had done to her, she would need a thousand more sessions just like it or better; that sort of feedback had no place here, and after all, that damage - and its nigh impossible undoing - were not Sean's concern.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-22 12:15 am UTC (link)
Sean wasn't entirely sure if that was what he meant. Had it been a line he was using to hit on Karin just a little bit, to dig for more information, or was she right, did he feel like he knew her a little bit deep down? Things had been strange at Pax right from the beginning for him though that was true. The way yoga felt on this beach was like nothing he had ever felt before, he had always felt connected to the sand somehow, but today he felt as if he had literally become one with it. It was unnerving in a way, but exciting in another. Then there was the way he had arrived in this area to begin with. The job at the meditation center had been a dream job, one he had dreamed about getting, and he got the job with only one interview. He also was still confused about exactly how he wound up at Pax, because after all, other apartment complexes were cheaper and would've made life a little bit easier, but he had signed the lease here without a second thought, it had seemed to be the only real option at the time. "Whatever the reason, you're welcome to join me any morning on the beach for yoga, and I will give you some cards so you can have free classes and the center if you like."

Sean cut the omlette in half with the spatula and placed half on one plate and half on the other, handing one plate to Karin. "Have you ever meditated?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-22 02:23 am UTC (link)
Karin nodded at his suggestion, promising herself she would take him up on the generous offer. His company was easy and distracting, his classes more healthful than the punishing, full-tilt runs she had begun taking each morning and night. Perhaps sessions with this new found friend would help ease the burden of her other hobbies' physical demands. She prayed it might even help her find sleep in the evenings, the peaceful bookends of morning yoga and evening meditation easing her into dreamless rest after her body was worn down to its bitterest core.

"I have."

She took the plate, dumbly holding it as she waited for Sean to collect utensils and his own portion. She drew a deep breath, inhaling the succulent scent of their meal. He had done well, indeed; her stomach growled, gleefully sending her the first pangs of hunger she had felt in days. She glanced up to him from the plate, her tongue darting over the swell of her lower lip. "Why do you ask?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-22 03:10 am UTC (link)
Sean had to go into a drawer or two before finding the drawer that held the silverware. Adjusting to a new apartment was always difficult however nice the apartment. Everything had a new home in a new location, which had made sense when he had unpacked, but proved strange when it came time to use it. He eventually found the silverware and handed Karin hers. "I ask because sometimes people will be interested in yoga, but think that meditation takes it a step too far and is a little too different. After we eat, maybe we can meditate, it's amazing for clearing the mind."

Sean grabbed silverware for himself and put his food down on the kitchen table. He walked over to the fridge, looking at the very few options that presented themselves in his fridge. "I have water, V8 Splash, orange juice, and peach iced tea."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-22 12:11 pm UTC (link)
"Water, if it's filtered. Not bottled, please." She looked over, a sheepish smile on her lips at her own request; she wondered if her host might find it presumptuous, somehow.

Turning on one bare heel, she padded to the table, silverware clinking merrily against her plate. As she set her plate across from his she thought on his offer, finding it an increasingly pleasant suggestion. She was not due to meet Elias for hours yet, and meditation might indeed serve to clear her mind, and perhaps even leave her better prepared for that difficult chat. Perhaps, she thought, a step 'too far' would be a step in the right direction.

"That sounds lovely, Sean," she said, nodding subtly. "I really appreciate everything you've done already. You don't know how much it's helped."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-22 02:21 pm UTC (link)
"I filter it with my water faucet and place it into pitchers to keep it cold in the fridge." He wasn't sure if she prefered it because of the filter, or if she didn't like the thought of using that many bottles, but either way he appreciated it. He grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and poured both of them water from the pitcher, handing her a glass.

Sean did have to wonder as he sat down at the kitchen table, if he would offer just anyone free yoga and meditation in the same day, especially when he had just met them. Was he doing this because he found her absolutely breathtaking? Probably a little bit, he certainly wouldn't have invited her up for breakfast if he hadn't. "I'm glad to do anything for someone as beautiful and interesting as you."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-23 12:36 am UTC (link)
She smiled as she took the glass, momentarily distracted by the motion. It took a moment, then, for the compliment to register: Never had she thought of herself in such terms, and indeed saw herself as neither of those things. Strengths she had, of course, the same as anyone. But these strengths were less tangible things than beauty, and certainly more grounded than being desirable or interesting. She was practical, she knew; she was an exceptional caregiver, capable and dedicated. But these same qualities made her the dullest of her siblings: She was mud where they were fire. Where they stirred passions, she calmed them; soothed where they aroused. She was pleased enough with this, proud of the role she had played in their lives, in the lives of her friends. Long years of seeing herself in this light left Karin vexingly unable to respond, struck dumb by a concept she had not faced in years. Not since Texas, she thought, the blush returning to her cheeks with a vengeance. It had been easier to field such conversation while drunk - that much she recalled with perfect clarity.

"Thank you," she said, belated. She hoped her delay would not make him feel self conscious or fear that his compliment was not accepted - off the mark though she may have considered it. His kindess was as appreciated as the rest of the day had been, and she had no desire to make him feel otherwise. "I promise I'm not that interesting," she said, hoping to defuse the moment with a quiet, self deprecating laugh. "Unless you see me at work, I guess. Then it's all chaos and disorder, and me right in the middle of it."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-23 03:04 am UTC (link)
From the pause, Sean only assumed that she hadn't known how to respond, and he assumed further that she had simply been taken back by it. Sean cut into his omlette and took a small bite, chewing on a bit of mushroom as he decided what to say next. Did he choose to flirt with her a little more, did he change the topic, or did he just continue casually? "You don't have to be interesting to be surrounded by chaos and disorder, I find you very interesting right now, and I find myself wanting to get to know you better." Perhaps over a cup of coffee, or a meal out somewhere? He could only dream. "At least you didn't try to deny that you are beautiful."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-23 03:32 am UTC (link)
Again she flushed, brighter this time. She chewed her small bite of omelette thoughtfully, wondering if this were mere flattery or something more genuine. Though she had not known him long, it seemed a stretch to believe him capable of empty, baseless praise. Whether it was better or worse that he thought so highly of her, Karin could not truly say.

"I..." She smiled, self conscious, glancing up to him from beneath thick lashes. "I'm just lucky God gave me good genes," she said, laughing. "Between work, exercise, and insomnia, there's not much I do to play up my looks." She pushed a bit of omelette around her plate, the tines of her fork squeaking as she did. "But thank you, though. You're welcome to learn basically whatever you like about me, though I can't promise I'll still seem so interesting once you do."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-23 03:48 am UTC (link)
"Well maybe that's why I find you so attractive. California is filled with so many people who feel the need to primp all day long, making themselves look like someone else with makeup and plastic surgery. It's refreshing to meet someone who is beautiful naturally and not afraid of it." Insomnia though, that did interest him, even though he wasn't sure why. He took another bite from his omelette, debating whether to ask further about it or not, but she HAD said that he was welcome to learn what he wanted from her. "Anything in particular keeping you from being unable to sleep?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-26 12:13 pm UTC (link)
"Well thank you," she said, sincerely. Awkwardly she started to laugh, an effort to downplay his continued compliments, when his question stopped her firmly in her tracks. Still, she recovered quickly, having had much practice in such lies thanks to work; even busy as they were, the other nurses had noticed the deepening shadows beneath her eyes, the way she walked like a dreamer when she thought no-one was looking. It was difficult, living such a lie, but it had to be done, lest she find herself foisted into one of the very beds she typically attended.

"I blame it on homesickness," she said, giving a self conscious little chuckle. "I've always been within an easy drive of my family, and it's hard, now, being a very expensive plane ride away instead." She shrugged, cutting a bit of egg with her fork, lifting it to her forcibly smiling lips. "It's good to get out and meet people," she said. "People like you. Gets me out of my own head, you know?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-27 12:50 am UTC (link)
Sean ate from his omlette, starving but enjoying their conversation too much to focus on eating. As he listened to her he couldn't help but realize that it had been a long time since he had fallen for a woman, maybe right after he graduated college. He didn't have a problem with it whatsoever, it was simply a thought that popped into his mind. "Well, if you ever need out of your own head I'm around for you, promise."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-27 01:24 am UTC (link)
A small smile crept across her lips; this time it reached her eyes. "Thank you... Sean." She stumbled a bit on his name, as if uncertain of the liberty she was taking. But if ever there was a time to bite the bullet, that time seemed to be now. She hid an unsteady hand by tucking her hair behind one ear. "I just might take you up on that."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-27 01:30 am UTC (link)
"Of course." Sean reached out and gently placed a hand on top of hers. He had a feeling that she dearly needed his support right now, and if it was one thing he was good at, it was being someone's rock. "My home is your home and what I can do to help is at your disposal."

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-28 12:26 am UTC (link)
As vigorously as she fought it, she felt the flush creeping up her neck all the same, pinkening her cheeks and ears as it went. But though she paused in her picking at the omelette, she did not pull her hand away.

"Thank you," she said. After a moment's careful contemplation she let the pad of her thumb brush over his skin, a sort of encouragement she was not brave enough to put to words. Fee would have goaded her on, of that she was certain. For some reason that thought, as much as it bolstered her, frightened her all the same. She withdrew her hand, letting her fingers fall to the edge of her plate. "I, um. I should get going." Awkwardly she rose from her seat, grasping at the plate, looking nervously back to the kitchen. "I have to get ready for my... an interview."

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-28 09:18 pm UTC (link)
"Oh," had he gone too far? He had gone too far, maybe he had assumed too much, or maybe she was the type of person that didn't like people randomly touching her. Either way, he was concerned that he had upset her or crossed a boundry in some way or another. "well, good luck on your interview. It was an absolute pleasure Karin and please, feel free to join me any time on the beach for yoga, you are excellent company." Sean stood up and walked over to the fridge, pulling down a basket that was sitting on the top. He grabbed a few cards out from the basket and handed two to Karin. "One is a card for 5 free meditation classes, and the other is a card for 5 free yoga classes at the center. Use them too if you like."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]sheltering_sky
2011-09-29 12:16 pm UTC (link)
Carefully she set the plate down, her fork primly laid across its length. She smiled as she took the cards from him, more grateful for his time, for his kindness, than she could have put to words. But embarrassed as she was by her own response to him, she could not seem to force herself to act otherwise; it had been a long time since she had felt these stirrings, so unlike her, so ill timed, and now she was left with no real idea of how to respond to them. Still, she acted as she thought Fiona might, her fingers softly brushing his as she took the cards from him. "Thank you," she repeated lamely, her voice cracking on the words. "You've been..." She blushed again, looking up to him, wishing now more than ever she could apologize for this. "You've really been wonderful." She drew a deep, trembling breath, leaning gingerly up to him, and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. She raised the card, ignoring the trembling of her hands as she did. "I hope I get to take you up on these. I'll um. I'll see you around, Sean."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]eternalearth
2011-09-29 02:22 pm UTC (link)
"I'll see you around Karin." She was the kind of person that was beautiful outside and in, and he was immediately smitten. He opened his mouth, about to say something more, but decided against it and instead just smiled as he walked her to the door.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Home | Site Map | Manage Account | TOS | Privacy | Support | FAQs