InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'll make you scream 'FROGGER'"

Richard Wainwright (atrickstertype) wrote in paxletalelogs,
@ 2011-10-08 01:24:00

Entry tags:

loki, urdr

What Fates Impose, That Men Must Needs Abide
Who: Richard and Alexandria
What: Alexandria is out for an early morning swim. Richard is out for a run.
Where: The Pax beach
When: Saturday, October 8, 2011, around 6 am
Warnings: Language

Richard was awake and in bed. This was odd, because he had just been...

Oh what the fuck, brain? Dreams about monsters and giants he could handle. Wandering through the arctic tundra was probably just some sort of misplaced longing for Chicago. He was actually starting to enjoy the ones about being a bird. But this? This was not okay.

He had never even ridden a horse!

At least it was done now. He rolled over to eye the alarm clock. and a red 6:00 stared back at him, digital lines filled with mockery. So much for his grand plans of sleeping in. He wasn't even drowsy anymore, much less tired enough to get back to sleep (not that he would want to pick up that dream where it had left off). Burying his face in the nearest pillow, Richard considered his options. What did people do when they were awake before the sunrise on a weekend?

Well if he was going to put it like that, the answer seemed obvious. Less appealing than dosing himself with Nyquil and burying himself under the blankets, but obvious nonetheless. Richard crawled out of bed and threw on the essentials- a t-shirt, some hideous shorts, a pair of sneakers. They weren't anything he would wear in front of people, but they were comfortable enough that he could run through his stretching routine without having them ride up in unusual places. Jogging, he decided, would keep him from thinking about his dreams, which would keep him from wondering about some severe and immediate need for psychiatric help. It might even have the added benefit of wearing him out enough to go back to bed. "And if I'm very very good," he grumbled to himself, filling his pockets with the essentials, "maybe I can even get some normal dreams for a change. Put in a request for some superheroes and being naked in class." With a skeptical snort he locked the door and headed down the stairs for the beach.

The view was almost enough to make it worthwhile. Richard had spent most of his life near Lake Michigan and the light of the sunrise hitting the water made him homesick. The ocean was a different beast- it smelled and it was huge in a way that Michigan couldn't touch- but that made it worse. The only thing he could see for miles was that island, and that was what he kept his eyes on as he jogged down towards it.

Except for that thing by the shoreline. He squinted, picking up the pace a little. Yeah, definitely a swimmer. Didn't they have undertows and things like that on ocean beaches? Swimming alone seemed like a really bad idea, regardless. He had seen Jaws, after all. Richard hustled up to the waterline and called out at the figure. "Hey out there! Hey! Shouldn't you have a lifeguard or a life preserver or something?"

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urdr
2011-10-08 02:56 pm UTC (link)

At first, Alex hadn't heard him.

She was cutting through the waves swiftly, trying to exhaust herself early in the day. Over the past few weeks, she'd been extraordinarily busy with the start of the semester, and had as a result seen neither Adam nor James in that time -- a fact for which she was grateful. She'd spent a few nights here and there with her sisters and her parents, just to get away from Pax and the increasing frequency of dreams and nightmares she'd been having.

The past week had been so much worse, though.

She'd found herself blurting things out in her seminars, in the classes she taught, when usually her responses were always well-measured and thoughtfully timed. She'd been driving like a maniac, taking chances, yellow lights, and much worse risks than were advisable.

Normally, in fact, she would never be swimming in the ocean at this time of the day, no lifeguard or anyone else to be seen. But she'd wanted to avoid the pool in case James or Adam decided to take a dip, and for some reason, the caution she usually felt was barely a blip on her radar this morning, and she ignored it as though the thought hadn't even occurred to her. She hadn't even brought a sundress or a sarong as a cover-up for when she got out of the water; just her two-piece bathing suit, exposing the small, brightly-colored Ourobouros on her ribs and the "Allegretto" on her hip.

When she realized she wasn't alone, she moved closer to the shore, filled at once with dread and elation for a moment, thinking that her brother or Adam had found her. But no, it was a stranger. Instead of pretending she didn't hear, as she might have, or furtively making her way back to the apartment, trying to cover herself as best she could, she began treading water, and called back:

"I'm a strong swimmer."

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atrickstertype
2011-10-09 04:57 am UTC (link)

The figure was still a bit far out to see details well, but as the voice came over the waves Richard mentally reevaluated his first impression of the day. Strange dreams and weird sleep patterns were all well and good, but if television had taught him one thing about California it was to keep an eye out for beach girls. He had fond memories of that first season of Baywatch. Of course, he worked in the business that studied and perfected the art of making television lie, but who knew? Perhaps this could be a rare moment of truth.

Always assuming that she didn't drown as he stood there getting his Nikes wet. "So am I, but that doesn't mean I'd bet my life on it!" he hollered back. Really, he was only a passable swimmer, but he let it go. Yelling over the waves was not the right venue for fine points. "Y'know, there are pools for early morning swimming! Lovely places, less chance of death!"

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urdr
2011-10-10 01:34 pm UTC (link)

Since it appeared she'd found herself in the midst of a conversation, Alex began drifting closer to shore. As her feet touched the smooth, sandy bottom, she began moving forward more earnestly, though she stopped in a spot where the water came to about chest-level with her knees bent.

She could see the newcomer more clearly now, and hear him much better. She watched him as the saltwater splashed onto his sneakers, as he called out to her. Logically, she couldn't argue with him. Normally, she would have had the same thoughts, herself. Even so, she remained in the water for the moment.

"They also tend to see more traffic," she told him. "And everything has a chance of death. You could trip and fall and hit your head on a rock and bleed to death. Or you could have your eye pecked out by a rabid seagull. Or I could be an unbalanced, violent criminal with a hunting knife straped to my thigh, bent on stabbing you death."

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atrickstertype
2011-10-11 05:48 am UTC (link)

She had come in closer, which he guessed was a good sign. Better, Richard thought he recognized this game. He paused, as if he was thinking, then replied, "Well, I have very good balance, only mammals can get rabies, and that..." he crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow, "would be quite the way to go. Can you see the headlines?" He tilted his head back and declaimed in his best announcer voice, "Bathing Beauty Butchers Boy: 'Tried to Save Me From Drowning,' She Claims!"

He looked back down and grinned. "Besides, this is an awful place to kill someone. All of this empty space? Anyone could see you, and you'd leave tracks when you tried to escape. Unless you swam to that island, and I doubt you're that strong of a swimmer."

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urdr
2011-10-16 03:47 pm UTC (link)

Alex canted her head to one side, pushing wet, dark hair over her shoulder, the weight of it making her movement slow and deliberate. He was flirting with her, she thought, and she wasn't sure what to make of that. In general, Alexandria was pretty awful at flirting, and wasn't often the object of flirtation, even of the casual friendly sort. But for some reason, instead of making her retreat, the banter made her step closer to the shore.

"That may be," she said. "But a great number of people believe your time is up when it's up, not before or after."

She took another step closer.

"And it's possible that someone could see, so stabbing wouldn't have been the best idea. But it seems likely that I could have feigned drowning, luring you out to come save me, then drowned you myself." As she moved closer to the shore and the water line moved down her body, she pulled her hair back over the front of her shoulder to twist its heavy mass, squeezing the water out of it.

As she approached him, she felt that strange resonance again. She knew him, which was impossible, but she did. Her dreams came to mind, a figure like him, but not, with venom in his eyes, on his face.

"Who are you?" she asked, apparently untroubled by politeness or protocol.

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atrickstertype
2011-10-16 06:08 pm UTC (link)

As she came further out of the waves (and Richard tried not to stare too long at her tattoos as they surfaced) he found himself fighting a slight feeling of unease. Maybe it was how seriously she seemed to be taking his jokes, or maybe it was his feeling that her suggested homicide tactic would probably have worked. Mostly, though, it was that same niggling feeling he had gotten when he met Adam a few days ago, that feeling of familiarity without being able to place where it came from. This week must have thrown him off even more than he realized.

He squashed the feeling down and raised an eyebrow, nodding. "That might have worked," he admitted as she walked forward, "but again, you're assuming you're a better swimmer than I am. Plus, I'm heavier than you, which gives me the upper hand, unless you have some sort of secret mermaid powers you aren't telling me about." He didn't know if she would get the reference, (he wouldn't have either, if he hadn't been dragged unhappily to the most recent "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie by one of his coworkers) but comparing a woman to a mermaid was a good thing in any case, right?

At her question, he smiled. This coast's sense of manners was still throwing him, but this he could take in stride. "You're right, enough talk of the various ways I could be murdered. I'm Richard. I live up in the Pax." He turned a little and pointed up the beach, to give her a frame of reference, then turned back to her. "And really, I'm a very nice person who doesn't always talk about morbid, death-related things." He tilted his head questioningly, still trying to figure out if he actually did know her. "Who are you?"

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urdr
2011-10-17 08:52 pm UTC (link)

Unguarded wouldn't have been the right word for how she approached him, but cautious wouldn't have been either. Instead, it was with unfettered curiosity, unaffected by formality or eagerness. She felt the sort of affinity for him that she did for Adam, for Jamie -- even her new friend, Lucy -- but different. She was surprised by how difficult it was to understand, even in her own mind.

"I'm Alexandria," she said. "I also live in Pax, which is better than resting in it, I guess."

She'd made a joke. That, she noted, was really unusual, particularly for someone she didn't know. She set that aside to think about later. Water beaded on her skin, raising gooseflesh in the still-cool morning. Sand covered her feet. She watched him.

"I don't know if I'm a better swimmer than you are, of course. But you don't know, either. So it was still a risk for you to decide to talk to me. Even if you are heavier. Except that now, of course, I'm out of the water, proving that I'm not a mermaid."

He was tall, taller than she, at least, and fit. A runner. Was he one of Jamie's friends? She dismissed the possibility as quickly as she thought it; she had more confidence in her memory than that.

"I swear I know you from somewhere," she said. "When did you move in?"

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atrickstertype
2011-10-18 06:36 pm UTC (link)

So, maybe she wasn't entirely normal, but who on this coast was? They were alone on a beach, and she definitely did not have anything strapped to either of her legs (he had checked) but she seemed absolutely fearless, first of the water, now of him. And the intensity of her gaze... Well, Richard just tried to meet her eyes without flinching. It kept him from coming across as too much of a creep and trying to make out her tattoos. And her look wasn't exactly off-putting, either. He kind of liked the honesty.

He chuckled at her joke and nodded, then listened to her next point. "Can't mermaids change shape?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And by your argument, it's just as much of a risk for you to talk to me. I guess we're both just very brave." He looked down at her as she approached, trying to judge her height. Had he seen her around before?

"At the beginning of the month," he answered. "I'm the guy who blocked the driveway for a while with a huge truck trailer. Maybe we've run into each other in the halls?" He doubted it, but it was technically possible.

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urdr
2011-10-19 02:28 am UTC (link)

Alexandria was slender and small; her dark hair almost seemed to be half the length of her, and she barely scraped 5'4". Proportionally, however, she was long-limbed, as though she should have been taller, but somehow ended up miniature. There was something haunted to her appearance, as though if she lost a few pounds or one more night of sleep, it might seem there was something truly wrong. As it was, she was simply a pale, somewhat strange-looking creature.

"Oh, I heard about that. I think I was in LA during that shining moment of neighborly manipulation. Clever, if obnoxious," she told him, the statement a simple, impartial evaluation. "But I don't think we've met at Pax... you seem like the memorable type.

"As for bravery," she continued, moving toward the bag she'd brought with her, drawing out a white towel, "I don't know about that. You don't seem like a bruiser."

She shrugged as she wrapped the towel around herself, grateful for its warmth. "So, I think the normal way these things go is we ask each other questions about where we're from, what we do, and other personal but not intimate details about each other. But really, I'd like to know how long you've had the stones to do something like block a driveway to force your new neighbors into helping you move." She looked at him with bald curiosity.

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atrickstertype
2011-10-19 03:01 am UTC (link)

Richard laughed aloud, caught off-guard by her accusation. "Listen, I couldn't park the Monster anywhere else. I'm horrible with a stick shift, and that trailer has the maneuverability of a redwood tree. At least, that's my story." He winked conspiratorially, "And I'd repeat it under oath."

"As for all the rest..." he shrugged, giving her an appraising look. She was probably too young for him, and possibly crazy, but he was honestly enjoying this conversation. Also, his shoes were thoroughly soaked, and there was no hope of completing his run. The best combination seemed to be to get her dried off and dressed before she dissolved into the ocean, and to get him warm feet, but also to continue the conversation.

With this in mind, he continued, "Well, the story of how I got this way is a long and tangled one, filled with lots of interesting digressions, and just as many boring ones. But if you'd like to hear it, I have a coffee maker up in my place. Or there's that little bistro down on the corner. Now that we've determined I'm not a bruiser and you're not going to drown, we could grab some breakfast, and you could tell me how you got to be so fearless when it comes to strangers and water."

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urdr
2011-10-22 07:37 pm UTC (link)

At his explanation about "the Monster," she arched a dark brow and smirked. She imagined he would repeat it under oath; she also imagined that meant little enough in the way of whether it was true or not.

The sun was starting to make its presence more obviously known, and this was Alexandria's first indicator that it was time to go inside. As it happened, she found him intriguing, not least of all because of this odd sense of familiarity, and so his plan seemed favorable. Besides, she should eat breakfast, and after her swim, cereal and a yogurt didn't seem like they would cut it. She considered him as she began to shiver. Soon it was going to be too cool to do this so early.

"All right," she said finally. "Breakfast sounds good. I'm going to need ten minutes, though. Maybe fifteen. I need a rinse."

It was strange -- completely unlike her to even have spoken to him rather than ignore him and continuing to swim. But here she was, going to breakfast with a total stranger. She made a note to bring her cell phone with Jamie's number already queued up.

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atrickstertype
2011-10-23 08:10 pm UTC (link)

"I can do fifteen," he said. "I'll need to switch my shoes, at least. They may need some real attention, now that I've saved you from an untimely death." He wiggled his toes, making a squelching noise. What did salt water even do to sneakers? Oh well. The way things were shaping up they might be an acceptable sacrifice.

He was distracted from his thoughts by Alexandria's shivers. He hadn't exactly dressed warmly, so he didn't have any spare pieces of clothing to offer her for warmth. Time to go, then. He turned a little towards the Pax. "Shall we? Quick, before we end up dead of hypothermia on a beach in California. And here I thought this place was supposed to be the land of eternal summer." Definitely the bistro, he thought. While his refrigerator was not exactly empty, he had almost nothing in the way of breakfast food besides milk and coffee. Somehow he doubted that his usual combo of an apple and some leftovers would fly with a guest.

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urdr
2011-10-23 11:07 pm UTC (link)

Alex canted her head to one side and quirked a half-smile, arching a brow as she looked down at his feet, then back up at him.

"You're a strange person," she said. "But funny. Let's go."

The banter continued as they walked back toward Pax, and when they realized that they lived on the same floor, Alexandria was made to feel still more comfortable about this little outing. Rinsed, dried, and dressed, they met again by the elevator, and were off. Alexandria might have found it strange, how at ease she felt, how comfortable with him, but for once, she didn't question it. Instead, she enjoyed the banter and the eager anticipation of the omelette she planned to order.

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