Nuit Blanche (Mae-Lim)

[o3o]

A solitary vehicle raced across the streets, its engine roaring loudly throughout the still, late-night air. The rider squeezed the clutch gently, the engine revving in response to the shift of gears. The motorcycle steadily increased in speed, continuing its path toward the outskirts of San Fransisco. His leather jacket was flapping violently in the wind caused by the speed at which he was going. He needed a break from the city, somewhere he could be totally introspective and immerse himself in thought without the many distractions the city seems have. This wasn't new; he had done the same in both Seoul and Tokyo, and now he just had to find his place in San Fransisco. The young man wasn't alone, however; his good friend soju was accompanying him on this quest of self-immersion.

The late-night air was still once again, uninterrupted by the sound of the bike's engine. Hyung arrived at the base of a mountain, a path presented before him that plunged into the darkness of a lush forest. With the moonlight guiding him, Hyung followed the path, rolling his motorcycle; the moonlight only reach so far, before it, too was consumed by the darkness the large canopy of trees provided. Cautiously stepping into the darkness, he turned and looked over his shoulder to ensure the exit was still visible to him. A few moments later, he noticed the moonlight filtered through the trees, and decided to head toward it. Unfortunately, the source of the light was off-road, so Hyung kicked down the stand of bike and continued through the trees, unconcerned about his vehicle in an out of the way place like this.

More and more moonlight was revealed the deeper he got into the forest. It wasn't far from the path, the abundance of trees just made it somewhat arduous to travel. When he finally arrived at the desired spot, he was impressed; the moonlight shining into the clearing hit the scenery perfectly. Tiny droplets of dew on the wet, cold grass and foliage sparkled as if they were precious stones. The sweet scent of the fresh grass and crisp, clean, night air made his nose tingle. The chirping of several crickets resonated throughout the air. And the stars; thousands upon thousands of small, twinkling dots scattered across the sky, light pollution failing to reach this part of the wilderness. The area seemed untainted by humans; it was all-natural.

Hyung entered the clearing, the sound of ruffling grass could be heard as his boots glided through the tall blades, become wet as droplets of dew found their way onto his boot. The crickets occasionally paused, observing the new arrival into their domain, only to start up again, their melodic song coming from every direction. Removing his leather jacket and black t-shirt despite the fact it was a chilly night, he lay them neatly onto the grass, retrieving his good, 750 ml bottle friend soju from the jacket. He cracked the bottle open, taking a whiff of it before consuming the liquid within, it's slightly sweet, vodka-like flavour totally lost on Hyung's numbed taste buds toward soju.

After drinking a decent amount, he lay onto the grass; the feeling of the cold, wet blades of grass caressing his bare, warm back, arms and neck was ecstatic. "Hmmm..." he mumbled, closing his eyes and taking another swig from the bottle in his hand. He could feel every individual droplet of cool dew on his body. His cargos were now damp, but it didn't matter to him. Hyung drank more soju before opening his eyes to the star-littered night sky. The tops of the trees surrounding the clearing were visible through his peripherals; they formed a subtle heart shape, which caused him smile. He looked at the ring on the middle finger of his left hand, and mentally read the Korean characters engraved onto it. "Love is free."

The bottle met his lips once more, and he was now looking at a half-empty bottle. "Hm, and I'm just a bit buzzed right now. By the time I finish this bottle I'll only be slightly tipsy," he closed his eyes, allowing the sensations of touch, smell and sound prevail, a smile still present on his face.

"Tolerance is a bitch."

[Mae-Lim]

(Feel free to interupt any action at any time you want.)

"Where are you going?"

The maculin voice inquired, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to halt the girl. She had been heading out the door but fortunately, Joel had managed to stop his sister in time to inquire. It hadn't been a rarity for the black-haired girl to simply leave at night without so much as a note. It worried him and it worried their adoptive father slash teacher. Mae-Lim didn't seem to care though, and that perhaps was even more of a reason to worry. What if something happened to her? They wouldn't even know.

"Out." came the brief answer, a tinge of venom seeming to slip out. In now way had the girl intended it towards her beloved brother. She was simply in a horrid mood, something none-too-rare. Mae-Lim reconsidered her answer however, feeling her brother hadn't deserved such a cold answer. "Joel, I'm just going to the mountain. If it'll make you feel better, drive me there and I'll walk the rest of the way. You can come pick me up in a few hours."

Her brother gave her a disapproving look but the blank stare he received simply made it harder to know if he was winning or not. He scratched the back of his head before shaking it and letting go an audible sigh.
"You may be quiet, Mae, but you're a fuckin' pain in the ass."

Mae didn't see his choice of words as anything insulting, instead, she gave a soft barely-noticable smile and a nod, knowing she'd won another "battle" against her older brother.

Turning towards the door, she was again stalled by her brother,
"You aren't putting on a coat?"
"I don't see why." she replied, looking back over her shoulder. This time, though, she'd let him win. She never wanted to make him look at her like an angry father more then twice a day. "Fine."
Not too surprisingly, her autumn coat was white (as was her entire wardrobe, practically) and she slipped her arms into the sleeves before fixing it up at her shoulders. Not expecting anything else to stop her, she walked through the door and headed for the car, followed suite by her dear older brother.

------

She lost count of the minutes that had gone by as she walked up the trail in the mountains. The night was refreshing and the woods had always been a soothing place. Looking up and about always calmed her down when ugly thoughts came to mind. Disturbing flashes of memory always crossed her mind and it was horrible to sleep when you couldn't erase those very thoughts. Afterall, thinking about something so much sometimes makes you dream of it and that was something she didn't wish to dream about.

Enough of that, she came here to forget.

Lost in her own world, Mae-Lim could safely say that by this time she had no idea where she'd manage to get herself. That's what you get for not paying attention right? Oh well, she couldn't be THAT lost. Even if she was, she didn't really care at the moment, she could worry about it later. She was at a clearing at least.

Turning her head, though, Mae-Lim could see something towards her right. What was that? An animal? 'It looks like a corpse. Did somebody murder someone and ditch the body here?'
Much too curious, Mae-Lim decided that investigating may be fun. Hell, if it really WAS a body, then that would be interesting enough. And off she went, walking as silently as she could towards her assumed corpse up until she was pretty much standing over the boy (well, next to his head and leaning her upper body forward to look down at his face).

"Hm, doesn't look dead to me." she told herself, crossing her arms and tilting her head. Her eyes travelled over to the bottle in his hand and shook her head. "If anything it's a passed out drunk. Oh well. Looks happy enough."
Her gaze shifted from the boy before taking a seat next to him, assuming he'd passed out by now. She supposed while she sat up here lost she may as well keep an eye out for him so that nothing happened to him. Her eyes did travel towards the bottle he had though, something in the back of her mind urging her to reach out and "thieve" it from him. Against her better judgement, the thought prevailed and she slowly began to reach over towards the bottle, her focus solely on that.

[o3o]

Hyung's keen senses had detected something unfamiliar. A noise that broke the harmony of singing crickets. His head shot up, but he remained in a prone position, using his ears to pinpoint the source of the disturbance and his eyes to confirm it. There was nothing in sight as of yet, but the sound of the forest being treaded through was still present, silencing any crickets nearby the commotion. "Wait, could there be predatory animals on this mountain? Maybe I'm trespassing on their territory? Shit," he waited nervously, ready to sprint through the trees should anything happen. He swallowed, his heart banging against his ribcage, expecting something like a bear or mountain lion to emerge from the darkness.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the silhouette of a human body came into view, Hyung returning to his relaxed state. "Hmm, maybe I'm buzzing more than I thought. This is place is really out of the way, how could one just stumble into here?" he dwelt on that thought for a second, "Well, I pretty much stumbled here. Maybe, like me, that person needed to think. Perhaps this is their place to think, and I'm an intruder." He took another swig of the clear liquid, brushing his free hand across the cold, dew-ridden blades of grass that haven't been touched. His ears perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, coming directly toward him. The silhouette must've noticed him, but then again, it wasn't that difficult not to spot him.

The figure that had emerged from the forest was now standing directly above him, peering down at him. Even though his eyes were closed, his other senses more than made up for his lack of sight at the moment. The silhouette muttered to itself a few times, revealing a feminine voice, before taking a seat next to Hyung. At this he pried an eye open, noticing her hand snaking toward his bottle of soju. His right hand quickly shot out, gently clasping onto the girl's hand near the wrist. "You know, if you wanted some, you could've just asked," he said quietly, a soft smile forming on his lips as he let go of her and held the bottle out in both hands in an offering.

[Mae-Lim]

Busted.

Mae didn't even pretend to be surprised as her wrist was grasped, her lazy gaze on the hand at her wrist for a second before turning towards her "assumed" drunk. Seemed like he wasn't quite as "knocked out" as she had assumed. Oh well, everyone makes mistakes, no time to be embarrassed by it.

There was a brief smile upon her face after the boy's words, Mae-Lim unsure as to why she found herself amused by it. She must have been tired. Regardless, she retrieved her hand slowly before looking before herself, away from Hyung.
"My apologies." she said softly before giving a shrug. "I assumed you'd passed out here in the woods. What's the use of asking if someone isn't concsious?"

She let the words sink for a moment, the rhetorical question either answered or taken as a rhetorical. Regardless she'd go on, her eyes returning to him. "It's very generous of you to offer me some even if I was going to thieve it." she said, her monotonous tone seemingly unchanging. Perhaps there were some signs of emotion in her words at certain points, however, it wasn't very noticeable unless you paid attention.

Her hand came up to grasp the bottle before giving a thankful nod of her head. At first, she inspected the bottle, taking a peek in the hole at the top. The action was quite futile as in the darkness, it was unlikely to see anything anyway. Afterwards she took a sniff, just to see if she recognised the contents but shook her head to herself. She didn't remember anything like this. Oh well. Bottoms up!

She took a few gulps before bringing the bottle down to her side, exhaling sharply before lifting the bottle back up, motioning for her "companion" to take it back. "Many thanks, um..."
Okay okay. You can do this. Socialising isn't hard! She just had to think of what most people do. 'Introductions I guess'
"I haven't caught your name. I'm Mae-Lim." she said softly. "Can I inquire as to what you are doing here?"

Turning her head away from the boy, Mae-Lim let her eyes explore her surroundings, taking in what she could from what she could see. 'I really should come up here more often. I think it makes me nicer.'

[o3o]

The girl looked at the hand that grabbed her wrist, then to person attached to the hand. She retracted her hand and averted her eyes elsewhere, apologizing for attempting to pilfer his drink. Then she mentioned something about him being unconscious. 'Assumed I passed out in the woods? Heh.' Her relatively monotone voice continued, complimenting him on his generosity. The bottle then left Hyung's outstretched hands and was now in the care of this girl sitting next to him. She studied it; eyeing it, smelling it. Tasting it. The drink trickled down her throat as she took a few gulps of the alcoholic beverage, exhaling at the mild strength of it before passing it back to him. She mumbled a thanks and introduced herself, "I haven't caught your name. I'm Mae-Lim. Can I inquire as to what you are doing here?"

The bottle met his lips and he took a large swig, his taste buds failing to react to the alcohol taste. Mae-Lim began observing her surrounds, taking in its beauty just as he had moments ago. As she was looking around he decided to take another gulp, and only when he noticed the girl's white coat that he realized his own state of dress. His left arm moved to cover the bullet hole on his abdomen, the chilly night air giving him goosebumps along his entire upper body. He relished in the feeling of cold temperatures; maybe it was because it made him feel fresh, clean, so contrast to what he really was. Mae-Lim seemed to be thinking. "Hyung," he introduced himself, the tone of his voice gentle. He then smirked, "Hm, I could ask you the same, couldn't I? I'm sure my reason is not much different than yours. Why else would someone come to such a remote place?" he paused for a moment, taking another drink from the bottle for placing it between him and Mae-Lim, for easy access to either of them. Lying down, he kept his arm draped over his scar and his free one cushioning the back of his head as he finished speaking, "To get away from it all. To have some introspective thought. Some time alone," he glanced over to her, "Though, a little company isn't unwelcome. So, what brings you here?"

[Mae-Lim]

(Sorry for major Delay >...<)

Mae-Lim listened to his reason, finding herself capable of relating if just a little bit. She wasn't entirely sure what she was here for herself. To get away? Somewhat. But it didn't feel like that. Some part of her wanted to be in the company of someone, but, someone that didn't remind her of that thing she wanted to forget. 'Half running away, half looking for something somewhere else.' she thought with a nod.

When he was done explaining, Mae-Lim gave a soft "Hm." in response, nodding a bit before tilting her head towards him. The question had been returned at her and for the sake of being polite, she would actually answer instead of saying "What's it to you anyway?". I mean she had asked and gotten a response. No use being rude.

"I'm here to forget." she began, giving an audible sigh. "There are some things i'd like to forget, but it's hard to do that when everything reminds you of a bad memory. I always find the wilderness a tad relaxing. It has a magical soothing power that I enjoy very much. Not to mention the darkness of the night illuminated by tiny specks of light carries the same effect for me. I would of seeked out company, however at this hour, it's not exactly easy to do so." she lifted her knees and balled herself up, resting her crossed arms on her knees and her face in her arms. "I don't want to be a bother to the select few I've found myself to call "friends" I suppose. When I found you there, I sat beside you for the sole reason that being alone gets redundant. Even if you were passed out it mattered little to me, I guess."

She'd talked too much for her own liking.
"I'm glad I am not a bother to you, however. In my sad attempt to force in conversation...could I ask you if you attend Hircine by any chance?"

Maybe he knew who she was already? Word travelled fast. Oh well it didn't matter, even if he did, he didn't seem to mind her there so it was okay. If he did go to Hircine part of her felt like forcing a recruitment upon him, but, she reminded herself that she was here to relax and not "work". Stupid. Revelation wasn't her only purpose in life. Even if she felt like it was. 'Note to self. Get life. E-bay might have some in stock.'

[o3o]

Following a slight nod, Mae-Lim responded to his question, "I'm here to forget. There are some things I'd like to forget, but it's hard to do that when everything reminds you of a bad memory. I always find the wilderness a tad relaxing. It has a magical soothing power that I enjoy very much. Not to mention the darkness of the night illuminated by tiny specks of light carries the same effect for me. I would of seeked out company, however at this hour, it's not exactly easy to do so." her figure seemed to contract as she pulled her knees up to her chest and nested her head in her arms. She continued, "I don't want to be a bother to the select few I've found myself to call "friends" I suppose. When I found you there, I sat beside you for the sole reason that being alone gets redundant. Even if you were passed out it mattered little to me, I guess."

Dwelling on her response for a moment, "You may think that because of this," he gestured toward the one-third full bottle, "I, too have ventured up here to forget. But I've actually come to reminisce. All of one's past experiences -- good or bad -- molds them into what they are today. And, well," he shifted his left arm, revealing the scar tissue of the bullet wound he attempted to conceal, "If you're still here today, speaking, breathing, living, then your past experiences could've been worse, right?" With his now free left hand Hyung reached over for the bottle and gulped down half of what remained before placing it back down onto the damp grass.

"I'm glad I am not a bother to you, however. In my sad attempt to force in conversation...could I ask you if you attend Hircine by any chance?" Mae-Lim inquired. To this question he raised his eyebrows, the corners of his lips turning up slightly into a small smile. "Well, I'm supposed to be, anyway. The 'musing thing is it was my choice to attend Hircine High and I haven't gone around to actually going. The school year is almost over though, right? So would there really be a point in attending the last month or two?" He looked down at his scar and covered it up again; even though he had already shown her he felt kind of... exposed having it out there like that.

"Looks like I have a potential friend from the school I'm going to be attending soon. I hope so, anyway."

[Mae-Lim]

Mae-Lim's eyes had shifted over to the bullet wounds he showed her that scarred his arm. The thoughts of a gun rushed into her mind, poisoning her thoughts by playing over that dreaded scene over and over and over. She seemed to frown at it, but show not much more of her feelings of her thoughts beyond that.
Seeming to be done, he began to drink down some more of whatever it was he was drinking.

Sometimes she wondered why she was still alive. Why her father chose to expose her to the murder of her mother, brother and then himself and leave her there all alone. Part of her spited him for not finishing her off himself. But then, she must of had some will to live if she hadn't finished herself off zoot-suite. In the end, her brother was...kind of fine. Perhaps that detail had given her enough happiness for her to go on. 'Hn. I don't like feeling sorry for myself. Get over it.'

Her head slowly placed itself back into a resting position in her arms, listening to his reply silently.
"There's a few more months of school, I believe" Mae-Lim nodded. She did wonder what the point of choosing a school but not attending it was. School wasn't great but it beat sitting around and not doing anything. It had it's uppityness. Kind of. Maybe...
Maybe she was judging too fast though. She knew nothing about why he hadn't attended. Maybe it had been too late even then? Maybe there was good reasoning.
"I suppose, even if you went, you'd not be able to acquire the necessary credit anyway. So there isn't a point, no."

As he looked at the scar then covered it up again, Mae-Lim's curiousity peaked. Of course, when this happened, she never really thought twice about inquiring.
"Would you mind sharing what happened?" she asked softly. "I'd hold nothing against you if you did."

[o3o]

She seemed to pause for a moment before replying, an unreadable expression gracing her face. Her head found its place into her arms, speaking in a low, monotonous voice about school. Hyung then pondered about the situation, "I could probably still get by my junior year if I went back to preparatory school, and attend senior year at Hircine. Perhaps father will allow me to do that. If that is the case, then I'd have to attend a thirteenth grade at the prep school in order to please him. Eh, forever shall I be in his debt."

He was so immersed in thought that he had nearly missed the girl's next question: "Would you mind sharing what happened? I'd hold nothing against you if you did." For a moment he lay there, his cold, steely blue-gray gaze falling upon Mae-Lim's own stunning sapphires, his pouted lips pressed thin. For an instant a slight look of discomfort marred his boyish features. He sat up, reaching for his leather jacket which was riddled with droplets of dew. Slipping it on sans shirt, he allowed his abdomen to contract tightly, silently enduring the bloody, scattered flashes of memories through his head. The leg closest to Mae-Lim rose in order to hide his now prominent abs from her vision. Hyung unknowingly let out a sigh of relief, his abdomen relaxing as he sorted out the memories floating about his head, a fine white mist rising into the dark, starry sky as his warm breath met the near breeze-less, chilled night air.

The episode which seemed like minutes were mere seconds; Hyung knew that in his perspective it would seem much more prolonged than it actually was. "I don't remember much," he lied, averting his blue-gray eyes toward the skyline of the forest, "I just remember the sound, agony, and blood. A lot of blood. In retrospect, the amount of blood probably shocked me out of feeling the pain. Heh, I even --" he paused, his gaze once again fixated on Mae-Lim's own. "A story for another time. Anyway, to sum it all up. It blew. Blew hard, so hard that I'm now deathly afraid -- no, traumatized by the mere sight -- maybe even thought, of a firearm. Now that I'm done with my show-and-tell, have you got anything as super-cool as mine?" he jested, the humour present in his soothing voice and the barely notable curve of his lips.

[Mae-Lim]

He seemed uncomfortable with the topic, and Mae-Lim knew she'd inquired too far mayhaps. She didn't mind if he thought the topic far too touchy to talk about. Mae would just have to go one wondering. Hey, it made an interesting thought. Try and see if you can come up with different stories as to what happened to this particular boy! But not right now. She didn't feel very imaginative at the moment.
She watched him silently as he moved around, reaching for his jacket and what-not. Her eyes drifted away as soon as the boys movements lost her interest and she hugged herself somewhat, feeling a bit chilly. Her brother was right in the end...he always seemed to be. Thank goodness for the damn coat.

He suddenly began to speak, making Mae a tad surprised. She had it all figured out in her head that he didn't wish to speak about it. But he was going to. 'Guess I spoke too soon.' she thought silently, nodding to him as he began in her way of assuring him she was listening. He discribed the events, causing a bit of discomfort in Mae-Lim. Perhaps the images running through her mind, her redention of what he was describing, were somewhat taken from events in her life? Maybe that's why she saw it in such a real light. It was frightning, uncomfotable, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she swallowed harshly, her throat seeming to croak a bit at the vast ammount of spit she'd swallowed. It sounded odd, a bit, but, the sound hadn't been very loud.

Finished, Hyung returned the question at her and Mae-Lim seemed to grow a bit bitter.
"There is nothing 'super cool' about any of it." she seemed to hiss, her anger not directed at him however it was enough to make someone feel perhaps a bit awkward. She closed her eyes and sighed gently. Did she want to return the favour and talk about the thing she was trying to forget here? That would contridict the point right? She didn't know...

"To make things simple, because of one man, I lost almost everything." she whispered. "And everyday I wonder why he left me. Why he didn't just save me the pain and kill me too."

That sounded a bit suicidal to her. She wasn't sure why.

"I don't really think such thoughts anymore." she caught herself, regardless of how she hadn't said she 'used' to wonder. That probably made it sound like she still did. Did she? Bleh
"That's my sappy tale. Everyone has one, apparently."

[o3o]

"It appears as if she didn't like my 'humour' too much," he thought, returning to a prone position, his arms crossed behind his head, supporting its mass. Apparently she didn't take it too well, his misplaced, but innocent attempt to lighten the somber mood the story would have, and did produce lost on her. His eyes dropped momentarily, concealing his bluish gaze for a spell as the last bit of malice left her breath before she sighed. Her hushed voice caused one of his eyes to reveal itself. Hyung tilted his head and shot his one-eyed gaze toward her unseeing face, the deep blue of her eyes now hidden beneath a flap of skin like his left eye was and his right eye is. Her quiet voice had carried into his head loudly for some reason, like a suppressed whisper-yell you used to call out to your friend in a movie theatre.

Mae-Lim seemed even more uncomfortable than he did about her concise story, though it wasn't evident physically, he just kind of sensed it. Hyung nearly snickered at the thought of being clairvoyant, but couldn't help but wonder why he did feel her discomfort. Several sympathetic, possibly even pitying thoughts crossed his mind to vocalize, but he strongly refused to; he knew such things were of no help, perhaps even exacerbating the situation even further. What was done had already been done, and unless one would hold a grudge against him for not apologizing, he preferred to leave things in the past. "Yeah, apparently," he replied to her final comment. A long period of comfortable silence (to Hyung, anyway) passed before Hyung had broke it. Sitting up and removing his jacket he slipped on his black t-shirt before replacing the leather on his now covered back, the cold air of the progressing night nipping bitterly at his damp, bare skin.

Attempting to grab Mae-Lim's attention with a short "Eh," he first used his eyes, then his left hand to gesture at the near-empty bottle of soju. "Would you mind finishing that up for me? I have to drive, and I'd hate to see it go to waste," Hyung said, tilting his head slightly like a curious puppy, awaiting a response. Regardless of whether or not she responded he continued, "What do you think of motorcycles?" he inquired, his tone low and soft. "I've got one nearby; it's how I got here. Most people find them dangerous, so if you dislike them I understand," a sheepish, almost child-like grin crossed his face, "However, bikes are considerable amounts of fun when you're good at riding one. I don't know exactly how skilled I am, but I've never been in an accident the entire time I've been using one, even though I've traveled during peak hours, and right now the streets would be practically empty. Would you mind going for a ride? I could drop you off, too, if you wish."

[Mae-Lim]

There was a nice silence, and Mae-Lim took in every moment to calm herself. Her breaths were long and deep, and slowy released. She felt a bit of a dizzy spell strike her, everything feeling as though it was spinning for a second. As soon as it began it was over the next second. Strange. Perhaps she was getting tired. It was far too calm here. 'I bet I could fall asleep anytime. No matter how cold I am.'

"Eh"

Mae-Lim turned to the boy slowly, a look of inquiry upon her features for her silent 'what?'. He motioned to the bottle of whatsits by the two, making Mae-Lim look down at it instinctively before looking back at Hyung. It was almost as if she knew he would speak afterwards. She didn't seem to change her expressionless face much, grabbing the bottle without looking down at it and bringing it up to her lips. She tilted her head back somewhat, bringing the bottle up half-way before letting her eyes shift down to look at Hyung and give a quick "Sure." and moving along to finishing up the last drops of the whatsits. Bringing the bottle down, it was apparent in her features that the taste had stung a tad, and she exhaled a quick "Hwaah" in her attempt to lessen the feeling. She placed the bottle back down before pushing some of her hair back, feeling slightly more calm then before.

Hyung began to speak again, Mae-Lim's gaze not falling on him this time and instead, looking in no particular direction. Observing again.
"Hn." she began one moment, seeming rather disinterested in the idea. As usual, she simply sat there silently, creating awkward moments between she and whatever company she had. She was never sure why she did that. It was almost like she was slow in the mind and it took a bit of patience on the part of others.

Soon enough, she began to stand up, brushing her long flow-y skirt to remove a bit of dirt and frowning at how it had gotten a little wet. Oh well what can you do? Water doesn't stain or anything. Its just not very comfortable when you are wearing clothes.
"Kay...Don't know how much fun it'll be but I'm not going to object to the idea."
She looked towards Hyung before giving a nod. "You can simply drop me off at the corner of..." where the hell did she live again?
"Hmnm...I'll just give you...directions then." she sighed, bringing her right hand to her forehead and shaking her head. Wow.

Without waiting for Hyung to start walking first, Mae began to walk slowly in some direction. As soon as Hyung would begin to walk towards wherever his vehicle was parked, Mae would shift around and follow him. She just needed to move her legs a bit for now. Sitting down always put her legs to sleep.

[o3o]

"Bottoms up," Hyung thought as Mae-Lim downed the rest of the clear alcoholic beverage. She exhaled in an audible attempt to smother the slight burn soju caused. As he spoke enthusiastically about motorcycle riding a look apathy crossed her face, muttering a simple "Hn." before Hyung rose from his seat, his pants quite damp and uncomfortable. The fingers of his left hand raked against the back of his neck as a mosquito decided to have a meal, effectively shooing it off and relieving the growing itch there. The girl remained seated, seemingly watching nothing, peering into the dark depths of the surrounding forest.

Finally she rose, brushing grass and dirt from her long skirt. Hyung turned to walk away, but she began speaking; it was apparent in her tone that she was disinterested in his suggestion. Mae-Lim started again, asking him to drop him off at a corner, though she stopped as if she had forgotten where. As he turned his head to glance at her in case she would continue, she had been shaking her head, disappointed. He then walked off in the direction of his bike, carefully maneuvering through the little maze of branches, trunks, and underbrush before arriving at the path. Once again he shot a look over his shoulder to see if Mae-Lim had followed him.

Hyung handed her his sleek black helmet as she emerged from the forest, a small grin on his face. "Gotta be careful, eh?" he said quietly, though his voice sounded amplified on this dark, barren dirt path. Contradicting his previous statement, he pulled a pair of brown leather motorcycle goggles from his jacket, slipping them on sans helmet in order to protect his eyes from the various debris that would be flying at him with the wind as he traveled at high speeds. Hopping onto the bike, the goggles still resting on his head, he kicked the stand supporting the bike up, his leg now replacing it. His hand turned the ignition key, the loud roar of the bike's engine coming to life ravaging the silence of the mountains. It died down to a growl, but was still relatively loud in the dark forest -- or once dark forest, as the bright, blinding headlights of the bike revealed the mountainous trail that would lead them out of this serene environment.

Turning to Mae-Lim, a soft, close-mouthed smile was present on his face. He patted the leather of the seat that lay behind him with a free hand as the other gripped the handlebars, speaking over the engine.

"Hop on! Don't forget to put on your helmet!"

[Mae-Lim]

(Sorry for the wait, I've got no posting drive lately)

"Gotta be careful, eh?"

Mae's only response were a series of blinks, grasping the helmet and looking down at it for a moment. Well, at least if this guy DIDN'T know what he was doing, if she fell her head would be safe. Nevermind the rest of her, and the potential risk of death regardless of a helmet. 'Like if I break my neck'
Ahh but that was just the pessimist talking, and, graciously accepting the helmet, she brought it up to her head. "Thank you."

For the moment, she stood there and waited for a signal. She didn't just want to go ahead and hop on or anything. That signal came soon enough when Hyung turned to her and instructed her to hop on and not forget the helmet. Mae's eyes looked up at her hands still holding the helmet above her head before exhaling a quick breath (which could be taken as a laugh) and placing it on. She gave herself a knock on the head, almost as though she was testing the helmet. With a nod, she made her way over to the back and hopped onto the seat.

'How the hell do you hold onto these things?' she thought then. Her eyes slowly lowered as she thought back at all those movies she'd seen. Awkward.
Her arms hesitantly went around Hyung, holding onto him as though he was some kind of slimy creature. She had to admit she was uncomfortable with it all but what could she do? She would rather NOT fall off then get picky and not hold on. Hold on and be safe(r)? Or don't and quite possibly fall? Hn, decisions decisions!

'I'll hang on.'

"Just get off the mountain and then I'll tell you where to turn" Mae began, although that bit of information was most likely a given.

[o3o]

[OOC: Don't worry about it; just get to it whenever you can. It's not like you're obligated to post right away. :>]

Mae-Lim seemed to hesitate as she wrapped her arms around Hyung in order to prevent herself from falling off the bike while it was in motion. This amused Hyung a bit, and told him a lot about the girl seated behind him. The hold she had on him was awkward, and would be okay for when they were on the dirt trail, but once they hit the straight stretch of road, he'd have to tell her to hold on tight since he'd blast down street. A small amount of adrenaline seeped into his bloodstream at the thought of the speed he'd be going. The blue-eyed girl muttered something from behind, but Hyung could only make out a few words; the rest were drowned out by the growling of the engine.

Hyung eased the bike into motion, turning throttle back slightly with his right hand. The engine then went from a growl to a roar once again, the sound almost deafening in the silent forest. Several dry fallen pine needles, leaves, dirt, sticks, and debris kicked up behind the motorcycle as its rear wheel spun, propelling the bike into motion. They began the descent down the slight incline of the dusty mountain path, the bike's speed gradually increasing as Hyung's wrist slowly pulled toward him.

Hyung turned the bike onto the paved street; it was one of those long, isolated stretches of road that were popular among street racers because of its linear design and lack of authority. Quickly pulling down his riding goggles, Hyung yelled out to behind him over the engine, "I suggest you hold on really tight if you want to stay on the bike, Mae-Lim," and with that he pressed down with the index and middle of his left hand, squeezing the clutch. His left leg jerked, and in turn the engine halted for a fraction of a second before starting up again, signifying a change of gears. With a glance of his steely blue-gray eyes down to the speed gauge, it informed him that he was nearing sixty-five km/h. It steadily rose as they travelled down the road; there wouldn't be any turns anytime soon, which Hyung was grateful for. He would maintain the speed until he felt Mae-Lim's grip tighten around them, then he would be able to give his bike a speed-test. From what the salesman at the Kawasaki dealership had told him, the ZX-14 could reach speeds nearing three-hundred km/h. Now, Hyung wasn't crazy enough to push his bike to the limit, but he wanted to go fast. Really fuckin' fast.