Everyone into the Pool.

[Audrey Pierce]

The bulking gym bag at Audrey's side bounced slowly up and down as she walked towards Hircine High's Aquatic Center. Inside the charcoal bag were her basic essentials needed for her desire to train her body once more in the sanctuary of the pool. She had trained in the pool back at Varron, but since then she hasn't had a chance to train. She was sure to take advantage of this opportunity and get this done.

She reached out in front of her to pull back on the tall, sturdy door's handle and enter the main area of the Aquatic Center. The door slowly closed behind her with a small click as the metallic lock echoed throughout the area. Making her way to the girl's locker room, she peaked towards the pool to see if anyone else had the same idea as she did. Only a few people, whom she had not recognized, were swimming laps and splashing around. She let out a small smirk and turned to the locker room door and yanked it open.

As she entered, she walked to furthest locker at the end of the room, setting down her bag on the bench. She let out a calm exhale as she pulled at the ends of her black tank top and lifted it over her head. She turned to her gym bag and unzipped it, removing her goggles, navy swim-cap and towel and placing them onto the bench. She then slipped off her plaid mini-skirt and placed it inside the bag, along with her tank-top. She now stood in her matching navy Solid Super Pro-Speedo bathing suit. The fabric of the bathing suit made notice of Audrey's slim figure and curves that existed on her frame.

Reaching into her bag once again, she pulled out a combination lock. She finally zipped up her bag and placed it inside a locker which door was already opened. Slipping the lock through the small hole of the handle on the locker, she pushed down on it until she heard the click. She pulled on it to make sure it was securely fastened and then let it go. She turned to bench and lifted her belongings and made her way out of the locker room.

Once reaching the main area, she walked to edge of the pool and sat down on the deck. She placed her towel to the left of her and reached over for her swim-cap. She dipped it into the water to loosen the latex. Twisting her hair into a tight bun, she slipped it on, the Speedo logo showing on the right side of the cap. Once that was complete, she placed her goggles over her head and down onto her eyes.

She could already tell the water was a bit nippy, but she knew she had to just go for it and not sit there, shaking like a pansy. She stood up once again and placed herself in front of the marked off lane, closest to the wall of the pool. She reached down at the edge of the deck aligned with her feet. Slowly she lifted her arms near her ears, her head now facing down towards the pool. She took in a deep breath and pushed off the deck and dove into the pool. Her hands out in front of her, her legs now close together performing the dolphin kick to propel herself further underwater. As soon as she resurfaced, she continued to move her arms out in front of her and her legs kicking behind her continuously. This was known as the front crawl, her best stroke that she had ever learned. Once she reached the other side of the pool, she somersaulted in the water, causing her feet to hit the wall of the pool and push off. She continued this for 10 laps, back and forth.

She was rusty and she knew she had alot of training to do. Not only was this to keep her body in shape, but it was also another enjoyable hobby of Audrey's.

[Valencia Donahue]

From minnow, to guppy, to stingray, to pike, or whatever order it was, that was the highest level of achievement this “blonde” Asian accomplished in terms of swimming. She didn’t do too well in the swim team, nor did she apply for any synchronized swimming teams either. In short, Valencia was by no means an uber professional at swimming, but she knew just about enough about it to save her own life should the risk of drowning arise. That, and just in case a film shoot required the ability to swim effectively. With that said and done, Valencia was one of the few people doing laps when Audrey surveyed the pool. By the time the once-Varron student returned after some preparation, Valencia was resting off to the side after a good few laps of non-stop freestyle, which tuckered her out. She wasn’t really fast at it, but she did it long enough to feel tired.

I think I ought to make a trip to a vending machine once I’m finished…

She began to tread water in the pool somewhere where she wouldn’t get in the way, smoothing out her long hair that she didn’t tie back. At the moment, Valencia was feeling rather relaxed and content in her one-piece blue swimsuit. The Vietnamese lady climbed out of the pool, readjusted the goggles over her eyes, then dove right back in. When her form rose up to the surface, she turned onto her back and did the backstroke in the opposite direction Audrey was going, in a different lane.

It was like being in two different worlds for Valencia whenever she did the backstroke. She heard all sorts of noises she heard on the surface but not underwater and vice versa. The sound of each stroke and each kick was characteristic to each swimmer like how she identified people by how they walked. Some people’s movements were erratic, while some were smooth and fluid-like. For each tumult of splashes she heard above, Valencia heard differently from below. When she reached the end of the lane, she simply stopped to look around her… And in her mind was reminded of a poem.

Travel far enough away,
my friend,
and you’ll discover
something of great beauty:
your self.

O, the world’s a stage they say
upon which mortals strut and play
until the final hour of day
until the curtain calls

O, to sing with all my heart
caress you with my soul, my art
embrace you as my counterpart
until you turn away

O, the wind of change doth blow
in which direction, who can know
I dare not ask, I turn and go
I’ll find out when I get there

O, the all-consuming fire
licking, lapping like desire
exalting, rising ever higher
until the wind blows in

O the circle, o the cycle
ô la vie, an ode to thee
o water of life
please carry me

To the scores of silent alchemists
who wreak their joy in darkness and in light
bringing magic to life
we bow most humbly.

…And with that, Valencia began doing the breaststroke, which happened to be the style she felt most accustomed to doing.

[Audrey Pierce]

The tiny air bubbles exited Audrey's nose as she exhaled underwater, continuing her strokes. Turning her head to the right on top of the water, she quickly took in air from her mouth and then turned her head back down onto the water.

She was nearing her final lap, as she could now see the pool's wall ahead of her. She stretched out her right hand and glided until her hand laid flatly against the wall. Her head popped up onto the surface as she took in another gasp of air. She lifted herself back onto the deck, her arms shaking slighty as she did. Her hands reached up to the sides of her goggles and slipped them around her forehead.

Her pale blue eyes stared down at her feet, which were below her in the pool's water.

Usually I can go on without stopping, what the hell is wrong with me?, she yelled at herself internally. Her right hand clenched into a tight fist as she slammed it down onto the deck. This was not acceptable in Audrey's eyes. She hated that she had grown so weak, especially in something that she loved some much.

Slowly lifting her eyes to examine the others in the pool, she noticed another female swimmer. Audrey was impressed by the styling of her breaststroke. Personally, Audrey could never quite get it correct. She would either pull in her arms and legs at the same time, or move too fast and not glide long enough. This encouraged Audrey to take a closer look at the girl's movement.

Audrey slid back an inch to allow her feet to resurface and then stood up slowly. Removing her cap along with her goggles, which were attached around her forehead, she held them in her left hand as she approached the girl's lane. She stood at the edge, waiting for the girl to swim back towards her. Audrey stared in awe as the girl performed the breaststroke with such ease and poise.

When the girl finally did reach the end of the lane, Audrey would look down at her with a small smile on her face, "Well, I'm officially jealous."

[Valencia Donahue]

For each stroke Valencia made, she felt as if she was flying underwater, particularly because her long limbs made gliding easier and the fact that out of all the strokes she learned, this was one of the first techniques she took a liking to. Most of the other techniques made her feel like drowning when she was a kid. When she went to Hawaii with her aunt and uncle to go snorkeling, this was the stroke she used to swim out into the ocean where see saw all the tropical fish and a couple of wandering sea turtles. Speaking of Hawaii, didn’t Lilo do the breaststroke in the opening sequence of “Lilo and Stitch”? So many memories were conjured up as Valencia daydreamed about her happy place and then came the time when her long lapse underwater had to end. Quite simply because she needed oxygen and if she didn’t, she would’ve made a tight swerve near the wall underwater to turn around instead of doing a somersault. Like how sharks behave near the glass at the aquarium.

Valencia heard a voice as soon as a portion of her head rose above water and of all the things she heard, the Vietnamese lady didn’t quite understand what the person was talking about. She blinked behind her swim goggles and began to examine the lady opposite to her, taking in all sorts of details from the color of her pale blue eyes to multi-hued hair that resembled your natural earthy colors. She began to float, laying down on her front as if lounging on a fancy chaise when she responded.

“And what is it that you may be jealous about?”

Her long “blonde” hair whipped about on the surface of the water, streaming out in all sorts of directions as Valencia eyed Audrey calmly like a sleepy crocodile would to a white ibis. Casual, yet somewhat indifferent since you don’t exactly see crocs devouring ibises on sight anyhow. Valencia was pretty sure that her goggles were dark enough above water so that her eyes won’t be seen, so she looked wherever she pleased, even making direct eye contact whenever she felt confident that Audrey wasn’t looking right back at her.

[Audrey Pierce]

From the tone of her voice and the way she formed her question, it seemed that girl had been a bit confused by Audrey's statement. Well from her point of her view, it would seem a bit odd. A random person walking right up to you, claiming to be jealous. Completely random and it was obviously unexpected.

Shifting some of her hair from out her eyes, Audrey spoke, "The breaststroke is my weak point when it comes to swimming. You just perform it as well as I wish I could."

Placing her hands firmly on her hips, her left hand still clutching her cap and goggles, she shrugged some. Audrey didn't think it was such a big deal as a way to start off a conversation. Especially with someone whom she had never met before.

Probably a Hircine native, she wondered as she tried looking over the girl. From what she could tell, she knew this girl had blonde hair. Her eyes were shielded away from by her darkened goggles. So until she would remove them, Audrey would a get a better picture of who this girl might be.

"I'm Audrey, by the way, and you are?," Audrey questioned her. Once she would answer her, Audrey would try to think of a way of figuring out if she was in fact from Hircine or Varron. It did not matter much to her, since she would not stop talking to the girl if she was a Hircine native. The curiosity just swam about in her head and she just wanted to settle that.

"So, you're from around here?," was the best Audrey could come up with without sounding like the typical Varronians, trying to pick out the enemies the best way they knew.

[Valencia Donahue]

“I see…”

Valencia really wanted to say a bit more than that, but the words wouldn’t form an appropriate enough reply. From what she observed based off of Audrey’s body language, what she said was a casual, friendly icebreaker and Valencia certainly didn’t know whether to feel flattered or… Something. Honest to goodness, Valencia didn’t mind making friends, especially strangers, but you can say that it mostly depends on her mood. Right now, she didn’t feel particularly talkative, but felt it was necessary enough to speak out of common courtesy and with utmost respect for the sake of introductions. After all, she felt that the world around her was getting cramped lately from the lack of reaching out to others.

“My name is Valencia Donahue. Salutations.”

She nodded to Audrey and changed her position in the water so that she’d feel more comfortable “sitting”, letting buoyancy do the rest. Valencia’s eyes hovered off to the side and were glued on the waves that rippled on the surface of the pool, thinking about how long it would take for the pool to be completely clam and flat from the lack of activity. When Audrey asked her if she was from around, Valencia thought for a moment. Why didn’t she bother with people from Varron so much? Because she didn’t think that they were too different from other students, that’s why. Well, some may be more rowdy because of their background, or so Valencia heard, but every person was built up by many contributing factors. She didn’t understand why it was important to know about a person’s “academic origin”, since it has been a question that has been popping up lately in many forms, but she figured…

Hmm… No use beating around the bush… Things are happening around me and it’d be nice to know why people are making a fuss over it.

“You can say that. I’m a SanFran resident. As for yourself?”

[Audrey Pierce]

Audrey nodded after Valencia's short and simple reply to her remark. She seemed as if she really did not want to bothered by anyone. Simply wanting to seclude herself and not deal with social interactions. Audrey's head turned away from Valencia and looked towards the locker room.

Maybe I should just leave her alone as she might have intended to.., she wondered. Her eyes slowly glanced back at Valencia once she formally introduced herself.

"Valencia. What a unique name," she grinned at her. Audrey began thinking that perhaps she did want to speak with her, but was holding back a bit because it was something she was not used to doing. The interaction between Valencia and herself was nothing planned, just a natural occurrence. If Valencia had objected to telling Audrey her name, or even acknowledging her, she would have just walked away. As if nothing had happened. If that had come up once again, Audrey would surely do as she had previously mentioned.

Her brief train of thought was halted when Valencia mentioned that she was in fact, a San Francisco resident.

I knew it, she congratulated herself internally.

"Well I'm originally from New York City, but I attended Varron. You might of heard of our 'glamorous' school, hm?," Audrey replied, with a small hint of sarcasm after she made it seem as if Varron was a school for the 'gifted'. Audrey did love Varron, no matter what reputations it had against it. People only saw the fights and bloodshed, but it was something that really didn't cross her mind. She loved her school and her classmates, she just hated that it was now a distant memory.

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia nodded to Audrey, then climbed out of the pool. Right behind Audrey was where Valencia’s belongings were, so she tranquilly wrapped herself up in her towel and removed the goggles from her face. She allowed them to dangle around her neck as she stood next to her acquaintance, then offered her a seat in one of the chairs off to the side. She didn’t look right at her, but the fact that she was facing her was enough. Her eyes had that same old faraway look that made plenty of people believe that she was blind and their misty hue was what usually did the trick. Her eyes were almond-shaped, not like your stereotypical Asiatic slits, which hinted to her Southeast Asian descent.

“I must say… I have heard of your school, but I’m in no position to judge it if I don’t know a lick about it.”

Her hands went up to her long hair so that she’d squeeze all the water out into the pool like how people would do the same to a towel or a sponge. Once she was sure that most of the water as out, Valencia pulled the towel closer to her body to keep warm.

“From what I’ve heard… That place wasn’t a thing like Hircine because of the violence. Of course, this school also has its share of violence, probably not like Varron’s but what’s troubling me is… What was Varron like? I mean, what was it really like?”

Primary sources. It’s best to ask someone who actually went there instead of relying on rumors all the time…

Should Audrey choose to take a seat, Valencia would take a seat as well.

[Audrey Pierce]

I guess I'll stay, no need to run off and be rude, Audrey pondered as she walked over to a chair and sat down, crossing her legs at the ankles. Audrey parted her hair from behind her and placed the two parts on both sides of her shoulders. She then pushed away some of her bangs from her face and looked to Valencia.

She listened as Valencia told her she had heard of Varron. Audrey already knew this without her even speaking a word. Most Hircinians knew about the history of her beloved Varron Academy. Rumors were spread out through the school as Varron transfers arrived to the school, one by one. Telling of how each student from the New York area was blood-thirsty and always craved a fight with any unsuspecting victim. But Valencia chose not to speak badly of her school. She had no knowledge of Varron, which had surprised her some.

Her eyebrow slowly rose as she watched Valencia squeeze water from her hair and then she sat back on her chair. She stared at the ripples made in the water each time someone jumped into the pool or swam by.

Is she serious?, she wondered again as Valencia continued to tell her that Varron was nothing like Hircine, mostly because of the violence, Well at least she knows about the violence.

She then asked her about Varron. This made a small smile appear on Audrey's face,"Where should I begin?," she lowered her head and let out a chuckle then glanced over at Valencia.

"Varron Academy was my home away from home. I loved it, no matter what people thought of it. The school wasn't bad, at all. It was the most perfect place to be," she let out a small sigh,"It was the various students who occupied the school that made people in town quiver. I personally never got into a fight at Varron. Well, except with a few punks who thought they could get away with touching my body, but other than that. It was pretty safe for any girl to attend."

This statement was true and yet, a lie at the same time. Most girls that attended this school knew what they were getting themselves into. They would know the history of Varron Academy before even stepping inside it's doors. So that's why the girls who went there, had previous training in fighting in order to defend themselves.

"But it was also a good priority to know how to defend yourself if the unfortunate opportunity came up," her smile faded and became tight, showing her seriousness,"That's how i survived there without getting a scratch on me. Oh, and sparring of course." She let out that sweet smile once again. Audrey was someone who you wouldn't expect to be trained in various fighting areas, but she made it known when it came down to that point. She felt it was important to mention it to Valencia since she wanted to tell her the truth, and not hold anything back.

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia stared ahead as Audrey gave her testimony, tilting her face a smidge towards the other senior during the pause. At times, Valencia was good at detecting lies and such by the words people choose and on some occasions, based on what she’s able to pick out from their body language. Her eyes weren’t on Audrey, but she felt like something was up… Then set it aside once she heard the discreet change in Audrey’s tone. Valencia “heard” the smile vanish from Audrey’s lips and in a way, anyone can do this if they tried hard enough and gave it some thought. Before long, the grin was back and Valencia felt glad that she got a “It wasn’t that bad” story instead of the usual “It was THAT bad” tale. The world can do with some good news once in a while.

Hmm… Heheh… I can relate to the “stray hands” situations, that’s for sure.

“Too true…”

…Valencia commented when Audrey mentioned the importance of self-defense. Now, here’s the thing: If so many stories were about how violent Varron was, what’s up with Audrey’s testimony being a lot less… Extreme? Little by little, she pieced the picture together, using the information given. “Students who occupied the school that made people in town quiver.” Those who got directly or indirectly involved with them were probably the ones who stirred up the “Varron was a violent high school” rumors, which may as well be true depending on how much Valencia will learn soon enough.

“Huh… It’s good to hear that not everything about your previous school was bad. I was beginning to have trouble believing in the credibility of my other sources of information. So, in a sense, most of Varron’s bad reputation comes from a few bad apples? Do you… Do you know if any of them are here at Hircine? Or who they are?”

[Audrey Pierce]

Leaning forward in her chair so her head would be hovering over her knees looking down at her toes, she muttered,"I'm not completely sure if the bad guys are here at Hircine, because I personally never encountered someone who threatened me or my life."

Momentarily she yawned and leaned her back against the chair once again. Audrey had never met anyone who had caused her to cower in fear or fight for her life. She knew of other people who had to, but no one personally.

Besides Kyukaku...

But she did not need to know that story. It seemed that Valencia was interested in the 'bad apples' as she had put them, but it also seemed to bother her some. She did not want to put fuel to Valencia's probable already started fears of dangerous Varronians. From observing Valencia, she could tell that she was not the type that demanded attention from anyone she encountered. She was probably the type to be hidden amongst the masses, not really being noticed. But people were aware of her being.

"There's plenty of great people from Varron here at Hircine now," she spoke as she raised her eyes to Valencia,"Have you met any of them?"

[Valencia Donahue]

“That’s very fortunate of you…”

…Valencia responded quietly, after hearing that Audrey hasn’t encountered such horrors. She was concerned that she wasn’t able to attain information that may possibly save her life some day, but more so than that, it was now her turn to be envious. Valencia wasn’t born to be unnoticed and she accepted this fact for as long as she can remember. Although she may draw the eyes of all sorts, the ones that want to do harm are the sorts she wants to avoid. From this conversation, Valencia can obviously tell that Audrey is more likely to live a good, healthy life in comparison to this San Francisco native and with that, she earned the utmost respect from the Asian. In a sense, this is the result of good karma. Audrey must’ve done a considerable amount of good to get good in return.

Life isn’t fair, but there’re special cases…

Valencia smiled faintly at this and it was the kind of smile she reserved for the friends she’ve made here in San Francisco in the course of her eventful life. However, it disappeared as subtly as it appeared when Audrey asked her a question this time around.

“Hmm… I might have… To be honest, I believe I have quite a few times, but haven’t the pleasure to confirm their identities. I mean no offense when I say this, but aside from my name, the most commonly asked question I get nowadays is if I’m an original Hircine student or not. It’s because of this that I seldom ask the same of those I meet… You’re the first one who I’ve ‘outright’ spoken to about this.”

[Audrey Pierce]

Audrey's misty blue eyes squinted some as her cheeks raised while she smiled. It seemed that Valencia may have been slowly opening up to Audrey. Not too much that she would spill her life story, but enough to let her possibly become a new friend.

"I guess that makes me different from everyone else, huh?," she pushed aside some hair that had fallen to her face and placed it behind her ear. To Audrey's knowledge, she had never met a girl around Varron and stayed in contact with her as friends may do. Realizing this now, Audrey's lip pouted some. She noticed that she was usually around the male gender, seeing how she usually ran into them around class or wandering around the woods. Now in Hircine High, she may actually meet someone that she could normally converse with, and build a strong friendship.

Her eyes glanced over at Valencia then back down at her knees, Maybe she doesn't want a friend. Just someone to talk to right now, and then move on.

She then looked back at her once again and spoke,"Have you made any friends here since the transfers came in? I've personally only have friends that came over from Varron and landed here in Hircine. The Hircinians I've encountered were complete jerks and hormonally-driven. But they were also male, I wouldn't expect that from the girls," she giggled some.

[Valencia Donahue]

“Oddly enough, now that you mention it… Yes, I have been making a good amount of acquaintances and friends as of late.”

Most of Valencia’s friends weren’t students. They were often odd people and overlooked persons who composed a certain percentage of society that no one bothered to look up. If someone had to count them, over the course of her lifetime, she had enough buddies to occupy a small town. As for at school in Hircine High, Valencia only had a few friends whom she was close to, classmates who spoke to her once in a while, hallway acquaintances, and whatever small circle that decided to at least talk to her. In short, she had friends, but only kept in touch with those who wanted to befriend her back.

“Heheh… Though admittedly, they’re guys. The whole lot of them. Who’d have thought that the second I look up to take in the world around me, I find out that I’m surrounded by guys. And guys who’re nutsy about politics that they might forget all about once they graduate or something. I don’t mind, it’s just a bit odd.”

I’m getting thirsty… And a bit hungry too...

“Would you like to make a trip to the vending machines with me? As a fellow swimmer, I know that one can feel mighty drained after a good while.”

[Audrey Pierce]

Placing her hand against the middle of her stomach, she felt a small rumble within herself. Her cheeks reddened slightly, she figured that the grumbling was so loud that Valencia might of heard her.

"Nothing like carbonated drinks and sugar filled candy bars to make you feel great after a few laps," she replied jokingly. Holding onto her goggles and cap in one hand, she walked over to where she previously placed her towel and retrieve it. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she turned back to Valencia and waved her over to follow along.

Audrey would continue to walk into the small lounge of the Aquatic Center. Throwing her towel and other belongings onto a couch, she walked over the vending machine. Looking over the different types of candy bars and potato chips, an instant reminder popped into her head.

"My money is in my locker!," she ran towards the girls locker room and shoved the door open. Running towards her locker, the floors were a bit slick from the water and almost slipped. She stopped midway and walked calmly to her locker.

Don't want to go to the Emergency Room now, she thought as she opened her locker to retrieve at least 2 dollars from her wallet.

Exiting from the locker room, she walked over the drink dispenser machine. Looking over the selections, she saw they carried Arizona Extra Sweet Green Tea with Ginseng & Honey. She squealed softly as she placed her dollar into the machine and pressing in the code "5-L" for the drink. A small thump was heard as the drink was now ready to be pulled out from the bottom of the machine. She reached down and felt the coolness of the drink. She was glad that it wasn't the typical warm temperature.

Standing up right, she pulled back the tab and guzzled down her first sip,"Aah....," she exclaimed refreshingly,"Now that's good."

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: Pardon the late post. I had a bunch of things going on…))

Valencia nodded before following after Audrey, keeping a moderate pace behind and some mental notes about the size of her stride. It was something she always did when she was sure that a relatively good relationship would come from a meeting. It was a way for her to know that amidst a crowd of people, should Valencia be able to detect it, someone she knew was there… And that made all the difference. She was mostly dry now, save for her swimsuit, and picked up her bag with her belongings in them like money and snorkeling gear. Her other bag with her clothes was in the locker room. Once they were in the lounge, she placed her belongings onto the couch and began to unzip a compartment where her loose change was and heard Audrey exclaim. She watched as she left in a hurry, then looked at the selection.

Oh how indecisive I may be…

Sometimes, Valencia would take up several minutes in front of the vending machine before finally picking something to consume. She always wanted to drink or dine according to the occasion and her mood often defined that. No use having an extremely fizzy, spissy, sweet soda when you’re in a quiet mood, y’know? Thing is, people sometimes have trouble understanding their emotions and you have “blonde” Asians taking their sweet time at the vending machines. Valencia still wasn’t able to make up her mind by the time that Audrey returned, but after watching her newfound buddy make a choice, she finally arrived upon a conclusion.

1-H…

For some Hawaiian Fruit Punch. All that waiting and pondering for a can of Hawaiian Fruit Bunch. But Valencia was glad with her decision, because it was sweet on the tongue and fruity enough to make her feel energized. Lemonade would’ve perked her up too much and she was quite fine with this peaceful atmosphere. After a few gulps, Valencia looked at what Audrey was drinking and tilted her head off to the side as she seating herself onto the couch, next to their things.

“Hmm… What’s that like?”

…She asked, evidently showing that she hasn’t drank that beverage before. Valencia saw a good few people drink it all the time, but she’ve never had the pleasure of asking them what it’s like.

[Audrey Pierce]

The cool liquid soothed Audrey's throat as she continued to consume the drink she had purchased. Walking over to the couch where she had previously laid her things, she sat down, and lowered the drink into her lap. Her hands clutched around it as she stared down at the bottle. She loved the colors they used for the bottle and wondered if she could perhaps paint her room that color.

Total relaxation. I love it.

Turning her head to Valencia, who was now sitting next to her, she smiled at her question. It seemed that she had never had Green Tea before. Or maybe it was just the particular drink she had, since it was chilled and most people drank it like the way anyone would drink regular tea. Hot.

"It's really good. I bought it out of curiosity once," she lifted the bottle to the side of her face,"I've been in love ever since then," she then kissed the side of the bottle and giggled. Of course she was being silly, but she really did enjoy it. Green Tea was the one drink that completely calmed her down, whether she was upset, depressed or even lonely. It was a great sedative.

"Do you want to try?," she slowly brought the drink towards Valencia,"I don't have cooties, promise."

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia smiled briefly as she listened to the collected, harmonious sound of Audrey’s voice and she even looked out of the corner of her eye to sneak a peek at the happy, friendly attitude. Just to make sure that it was the sort she can sit down next to and revel in its presence like the sort a good amount of her other friends had. She placed her can of punch on the floor next to her foot out of accident’s wake and slowly reached for the beverage offered to her. She nodded her thanks and held it in both of her hands before taking a small sample of the drink. It was sweet and even familiar to the taste buds. She let the liquid blanket over her tongue and swallowed the fluid little by little until her share was finished and then she gave the can back to Audrey. Valencia tried to search for the right words to describe it, but found only a couple that came immediately to mind and those words couldn’t sum it all up in one go.

“Hmm… It tastes… Delightful.”

After a few more seconds, it dawned upon Valencia that what she had was cooled Green Tea and she didn’t realize that sooner because whenever Green Tea was involved, it was either when she was drinking hot Green Tea with some medicine or eating Green Tea flavored mochi ice cream. The last time she had such a dessert was a long time ago. She licked her lips to continue savoring the taste and resolved that she ought to get herself a can sometime after this little moment with Audrey. She turned her head to directly face Audrey, eyes meeting for a couple seconds until those pupils of hers glanced away.

“Gratitude…”

You can say that she felt a little shy or awkward by purposely looking Audrey’s eyes because of the fact that people often mistook her as a blind person. And freaked out. Valencia figured that Audrey would understand and won’t react like most people would, but just couldn’t bring herself to open herself up completely just yet. Such is the temperament of creatures such as she, who prop themselves up as the most fierce opponents adversity can ever face, yet still be the humble beings who shrink into the safety of seclusion without shame. Valencia went back to her original position, staring ahead in thought before murmuring to herself, almost barely above a whisper.

“It’s moments like these that make me wonder why people can’t just get along. People from Varron ought to be who they are and shouldn’t change their identities to simply conform to their environments. They can still be who they are… And still be a part of this school… The thing that puzzles me is why would they have such ‘violent tendencies’, as rumors go. Sure, there are a couple bad people, but I fail to see why the general public should group them all like so. If not-so-bad people are violent as well, then I believe it’d be best to find out why they are. What are they upset about? And how will such anger actually resolve their problems? Some time ago, I heard snippets of such anger while I was in the halls… I’ve lived my life contently here in this school and soon I will no longer be here, but I refuse to ignore wrongs that have been blatantly uncorrected for years… Until they’re truly resolved. ‘The first step to change is awareness’. I might as well think for myself whether this contentedness was a result of true peace or ignorance.”

If Audrey listened in, odds are that she would’ve heard a great deal of what has been on Valencia’s mind about the Varron transfers. But if she didn’t, it was okay. It wasn’t abnormal for the young lady to speak into space to her somewhat-nonexistent companion named Solitude.

[Audrey Pierce]

Audrey watched intently as Valencia had sipped some of her admired beverage. Her hands laid clasped within each other in her lap as she awaited anxiously for Valencia's reaction. She felt as if she were waiting to see if she had passed a test. That sort of excited yet nervous feeling, except this was a little more frivolous compared to an actual test.

Her hands reached out to once again hold her drink between her hands, never looking away from Valencia. She had seemed as if she were trying to find the correct words to describe exactly how the taste had been to her. Her calm but yet satisfying reply made Audrey's smile grow larger.

"I knew you would like it," her smile now softened into a more neutral state,"This drink really helps me mellow out whenever something is bothering me or when I just need to relax."

Audrey nodded to Valencia's short response but her smile began to fade away somewhat. Valencia's body language showed as if she did not want to make direct eye contact with Audrey for more than a few seconds. This bothered Audrey, but not to a point that she would storm off and never speak to Valencia again. She doubted in her mind that she was intimidating to her. There was no way that could be true.

I couldn't even intimidate a puppy, if I wanted to.

A soft whispering came from Valencia as she straighten herself on the couch. Audrey did not want to listen in on what could have been her personal thoughts, but perhaps, subconsciously. She stared down at light emerald green bottle with cherry blossoms draw on it as she listened. The phrase People from Varron made Audrey jerk back a bit in her seat. Everyone seemed to section off the Varronites because of their bad reputation in New York. Meeting a Hircine High native did not startle Audrey at all, but it always seemed to work against her. They would probably either fear her or completely ignore her. As if she brought about a plague where-ever she went.

She let out a small sigh as she released the thoughts from her mind and continue to eavesdrop on Valencia's personal thoughts.

This matter seemed to really bother Valencia. It also annoy Audrey as well, but she tends to ignore it and move on. She was used to be treated differently, since the residents in Varron always looked down upon the Varronite students. Sooner or later, Valencia might do the same and just accept the way things are now. Even though the tension both Hircine and Varron is still at its boiling points, eventually it might settle down.

She had no words that could possibly comfort Valencia. Audrey could not think of anything, except one action that usually made Audrey feel better. She placed her Green Tea bottle onto the floor slowly and then sat back up, facing Valencia. She leaned in towards her with outstretched arms and with that genuine smile of hers. Not saying any words, Audrey simply gestured Valencia to join her for a hug. In a way, she knew that Valencia might think she was crazy and could possibly walk away, but she tried anyway.

Yeah, she thinks I'm weird, but hell... Hugs make everyone feel better, she pondered, her arms still stretched out to her sides.

[Valencia Donahue]

As faint as a butterfly choosing you to rest its wings upon, Valencia felt someone’s eyes on her and addressed the only person around who’d rest them there. The Asian tilted her silvery gaze towards Audrey and her attention was drawn to what she was doing. She didn’t see it strange at all. Perhaps a little unexpected, distinctively because she must’ve overheard the Hircine native, but considering the life Valencia had led… Things like this just don’t happen. Not like she didn’t want them to happen, of course. Slowly and uncertainly, Valencia leaned sideways towards Audrey and allowed herself to be hugged. In the depths of her thoughts, Valencia merely saw this as one of those instances where she did too much thinking and it spilled out. It’s embarrassing, through her perspective. She cannot recall the last time she sought out something or someone to embrace in times of strife, save for when she was still dating her ex-boyfriend, so she kinda stopped hugging people unless she found it “necessary”.

After a while of resting against the other body, Valencia would wrap an arm around Audrey to “repay the favor” and display her appreciation. She really did like being hugged by the right people at the right time, so it should come to no surprise that she remained in her newfound friend’s arms. Besides, according to scientific, psychological research, “contact comfort” is necessary to survival, in a sense. Once you reword this entire episode, picking out all the painstaking details to fix things up all proper, it’ll all boil down to this: Audrey was saving Valencia’s life and Valencia, in spite of her daredevil ways, always gave utmost respect to those who were willing to do that for her.

“My apologies.”