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Post by dante on Apr 16, 2007 4:23:34 GMT 1
“I’ll think about it…” were the only words that would escape the lips of the vixen nearby Dante and Odin. Dante sighed mentally, really wishing that one of the two could contribute more to the conversation but neither seemed to be that talkative at all and only used words when neccassary. Getting these two to talk freely and comfortably was going to be rather difficult to do but it was a challenge Dante would attempt. Regardless, his eyes traveled over to the little card nearby the frill-necked lizard quickly after, reading it with haste. Granted it was some interesting stuff to know, once his eyes caught the picture nearby the postcard... his thoughts could only come to one conclusion,
'You're the bastard from Kingdom Hearts! I swear if you weren't behind that glass I'd beat you senseless!!!' he would scream in his head, his left eye twitching slightly. Truthfully, the frill-necked lizard wasn't the animal that you had to fight in Kingdom Hearts, it was actually a Chamelon. Unfortauntly for that frill-necked lizard, their resemblence was too close for him to realize the difference right away and he was on his "I will kill you" list,
'You took me forever to kill with that crappy Kingdom Key! If I had at least the Jungle Key I would have been kicking your ass all over the place! Only managed to land hits on me because I had to get next to your face to hit you with that Kingdom Key!' he would debate in his head, his rage for the animal blinding him from realizing the key element that made the Kingdom Hearts boss and this lizard different... they were different animals. Though what would snap him out of this rather suddenly was when he heard Valencia walking again, his dark orange eyes quickly turning to see her legs... he had to make sure she was ok... among other things. Regardless, his eyes would soften slightly as a smile graced his features, noting that she was walking fine now, only a slight angle in her path. It wasn't enough to be worried about, but despite this he would make sure he stayed close enough just in case since the direction she was headed was toward the exit where the heat was. Soon enough, the exit was quite visible the sunlight blinding him slightly as he put his right hand up instictively to block out the sun,
“Now… Where would the nearest vendor be…” Valencia seemed to sprout off absent-mindly, “A sherbet or a popsicle would be nice, but I’m in an ice cream bar mood… Choices. Hopefully they’ll still have a bunch to choose from… Because of the climate and tourists and all.” she would add soon after though, thus killing Dante's suspicions that she hadn't meant to say her first sentence. Regardless, his right hand would plant itself across his eyebrows horizontally, his head turning and his eyes traveling around the landscape, hoping to find a vendor with the ice cream,
"It better have fecking Sherbert." he would state bluntly (what a surprise) and absent-mindly before his eyes fell upon a nearby vendor and widened along with his toothy grin,
"I'M GETTING THAT SHERBERT FIRST!" he would yell rather loudly, only moderately defening to those around him. Regardless, his right foot would push the door in front of him, his legs then blasting off as he sprinted at his highest speed to the vendor... which only took about 3 seconds or so to get to. Once there, three ice creams were present inside the vendor, a sherbert ice cream as he had wished for, an ice cream bar that Valencia seemed to be in the mood for, and a drumstick for Odin,
'Because there is no fecking way in hell he's getting my sherbert.' he thought as he quickly pulled out his own wallet, lucky enough to see that he still had another good ten bucks in singles with him along with some change. Each ice cream was $1.50, coming to a grand total of $4.50... nice dent to add to his wallet but he could always bust Valencia's chops for his money back later,
'Maybe... but only after I get Odin to laugh.' he thought, setting yet another goal ahead of him... to make the man who seemed to never really change his expression or display much emotion... "Statue" would probably be a good nick/code name for him. Regardless, Dante quickly inserted the money inside the vendor, getting each ice cream as he held the one for Odin and Valencia in his left hand as his right hand held the Sherbert he was just about to devour,
"Awww there isn't any more ice cream left." a small girl, probably ranging about 7-8 in age would complain. Dante's jaw lowered slowly as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh,
'Damn you little girl... why did you have to come to this vendor of all vendors?' he asked mentally, knowing that he wouldn't get an answer. Despite this, his eyes slowly went over to the girl, handing her his Sherbert ice cream. A gigantic smile would curve against her lips, suddenly embracing Dante's left leg as she snuggled her head into it a bit,
"Thanks a lot... ummm..." she would pause for a moment, scratching her head as she thought of what to call the man before her, "Dante." he would simply reply as she nodded and ran off, more than likely toward her parents. Regardless, another sigh would escape his lips as he slowly walked toward Odin and Valencia, his eyes glaring dully to the side until he met the two. His eyes would situate themselves on the two teenagers, handing them each their respective ice creams (or rather handing Valencia's to her and the one that was left for Odin... though it wasn't like he said what he wanted so Odin couldn't bust Dante's balls on anything),
"This was all that was left to choose from." he would state bluntly, not really up to trying to be sarcastic and perhaps witty at this point in time. After all... he just had to give his Sherbert away... which was just LUCKILY enough the last one,
'I really have to reconsider this whole being a nice guy thing... I haven't had Sherbert in months and I finally had an excuse too.' he'd complain inside his own thoughts, a neutral facial expression gracing his features as to not worry either of the two nearby... which of course was a small grin... at least for Dante anyway.
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Post by officer on Apr 16, 2007 4:48:09 GMT 1
The bright, orange burn of a Cohiba cigar made the latino man stand out in the crowd of cigarette smokers. People gave stares at they walked by. A few zoo staff took a look, but found that the person was a police officer, and that he was tapping the ends of his cherries in designated areas, so they left him be. he had been idly following a handful of Hircine students during his trip. He had been on a date with a younger university student who was in his fifth year in The Arts, but it had gone sour when David (the date) began to scream at Carlos for smoking a cigar on their date. It turned out he was a highly anti-smoking, which was odd for an anglician. "Thats them breaks." Carlos had said as he inhaled the minty goodness, and exhaled it in the young man's face. "Sorry."
Lets try this old trick.
Carlos removed his guillotine cutter from his pocket and in a moments notice cut off the tip of his cigar, and snuffed the core, effectively saving the cigar for a later light. However, the later would become sooner. He walked up to Dante as he handed out the ice cream and tapped his shoulder twice. "Would you happen to have a light of sorts?" Carlos said as he covered the badge on his hip with his dress shirt.
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Post by Odin Reeves on Apr 16, 2007 21:33:13 GMT 1
With eyes still focused on the ground Odin witnessed the legs in his view begin to move, taking up toward an unknown destination, as he remained pressed against the divider. He was lazy in his efforts to keep moving, preferring the air condition area to that of anything else the zoo had to offer… Except for the tiger exhibit, but it was a close second. Taking one last glance back toward the reptile he remembered seeing in the movie Jurassic Park lead to Odin pushing off the divider and onto flat feet before catching up to Valencia while she stood at the exit. As he neared the young women and the younger, more obnoxious male he laid witness to a high school student turning into giddy-school girl over something as simple as ice cream. “If that’s the normal reaction for ice cream, I’m glad I’m different.” Odin’s blunt statement was in fact delivered as a joke. He had referenced back to only a few minutes ago when Dante made the observation that he wasn’t normal simply because he hadn’t decided on the ‘luxury’ of a television screen. Still standing behind Valencia he looked over for some place to sit down, somewhere with a shadow from a building or umbrella to shade them as they dined on the calcium ‘rich’ products. Spotting a table off to the side of the vendor, roughly ten feet from the reptile exhibits wall gave Odin a feeling of minor accomplishment.
“Want to sit down?” As he spoke he stepped up beside Valencia, pointing with the use of his entire right hand toward the table equipped with a umbrella. If only he had been wearing a tuxedo and stepped back with his opposite leg people could’ve assumed he had asked her to dance, and that it was sometime in the early 1900’s. Placing his left hands finger tips on the small of her back he gently pressed the issue of taking a seat, or at least getting her under the shade to help avoid her getting dehydrated. His concern was possibly over-riding his other thoughts, but as long as she wasn’t going to faint or need medical attention he was happy.
Having lead Valencia to the table he walked around to the other side, sitting down across from her should she take a seat. This was when Dante returned with two ice-cream snacks, looking mildly disappointed. His blunt under-tone seemed disrespectful, upset, and even more annoying then his general perky self. In short, it was sickening to see someone act like such an ass. If that was his transformation after not getting his way then he was truly a spoiled brat, but such a claim wouldn’t be made so early into meeting something.
“Keep it.” He said, referencing with a nod toward the held out drumstick. “I’m not hungry.” With elbows raised on the wooden table he perched his body forward, relaxing under the shade as the sun illuminated everything else outside of the ‘brella’s range, giving Odin far warning of the person coming toward them. He seemed peaceful enough, if not a bit older then the general teenager crowd, but the paranoia drove Odin to keep focused on observing everything around him. When he asked for a light from Dante Odin’s head swung around to look at the table’s surface. Of course, something so simply had escaped his mind. Nevertheless, Odin wasn’t going to involve himself with yet another member, and so remained quiet, mostly due to his personal idea’s about smoking.
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Post by Valencia Donahue on Apr 19, 2007 5:49:50 GMT 1
((OOC: Expect slow posting… Lots of studying and testing coming up, especially a slew of standardized testing for the entire next week.)) With a blink at Dante’s outburst and a tiny wince in reaction to how much the sheer volume of his voice irritated her sensitive hearing, Valencia’s silvery orbs followed him as he rushed out into the burning oven of day to get his coveted sherbet. Extremely loud noises at close range; big no-no to someone who grew up the majority of her life depending on audio cues to survive. Sure, it tells her where people are, but bugs her. Valencia regarded Odin’s comment with a short nod, even though “normal” can’t exactly be associated to her and there may be some occasions where her reaction to tasty treats aren’t as “FLARGH” but still comparable in nuttiness factor. Soon after, he guided her to a table with an umbrella by means of touch. She flinched a smidge from the contact, but did little else as she eventually found herself seated underneath the shaded sanctuary. Now that was a good lead. Shouldn’t have expected any less from a boxer… Pugilists actually have the capacity to become good ballroom dancers, contrary to what most may think. Arthur Murray? Evander Holyfield, anyone? Or something like that anyways…While Dante was undergoing a moral dilemma in regards to the fate of the sherbet, in which he obeyed the angel conscience and was rewarded with a momentary lapse of cutesy, cuddley goo, Valencia waited at the table with Odin, still turning thoughts in her head as usual. It’s a habit, but what else can you do with a person like her? He got my center with just his fingertips, which is something most random people don’t do out of the blue… Or rather, they wouldn’t even know where my center of gravity would be. Newbies would still be trying to figure out where the hand should be placed. They always put it down too low near the hip and since they still haven’t mastered their ability to control two centers of gravity at once, their lead sucks like hell and they end up being led by the lady instead—Strings of thought have to end sometime, or we’ll be here forever. Valencia woke up from her cogitating and accepted her ice cream bar with a nod, then a brief curve on her lips signifying a smile until it faded away. She began to unwrap her frozen treat as Odin refused Dante’s offering, but something got her attention… Something in the air. It wasn’t exactly pleasant to the senses, even if it did smell a little intoxicating. Valencia had the stimulus registered in her mind as someone nearby smoking and that was that. She didn’t search out the source, she didn’t know how long it was in the environment, she just knew that someone about was doing it and she finally realized it. It didn’t even take a while until someone approached them, though. Lo and behold, it was someone asking for a light. Hmm… Great. Another smoker…?What Valencia didn’t know was that this man asking Dante for a light was not only the smoker she perceived, unless she was mistaken, but also an officer. If she knew he was an officer, she too probably would’ve seen the ol’ cop trick in advance… Unless this officer was beyond Hollywood.
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Post by dante on Apr 21, 2007 21:38:10 GMT 1
“Keep it.” Odin started as he made a small gesture with his head, “I’m not hungry.” he would explain... great another conflict of interest. He could take the drumstick and eat it, enjoying the nutty goodness and what not, or he could give it back to Odin as to not be rude since it was supposed to be his anyway,
"Thanks, but no thanks." Dante started as he slid the drumstick back over toward Odin with a warm smile as he took a seat, "I am allergic to the nuts on those things and I personally don't want to get a case of the hives." he added, deciding a white lie wouldn't hurt. Not only that but he doubted Odin would be able to pick up on it since he talked in his typical tone other than his sarcastic one. Though before he could continue on, a man would tap Dante's shoulder twice, his head turning toward the person as he handed him an ice cream, an awkward blink being the reaction to this act of kindness,
"Would you happen to have a light of sorts?" the man would ask, Dante smirking lightly as he shook his head,
"Sorry to disappoint you but I don't and even if I did I probably wouldn't even offer it. To be honest, I despise smoking due to all the health problems it can cause and refuse to ever give anyone that is a smoker a light." he would answer, shrugging his shoulders lightly as he leaned back in his chair a bit. His hand that had taken the ice cream would soon let itself take the action of returning the ice cream,
"I appreciate the offer but I wouldn't want to take anything from a total stranger, it just makes me feel rather rude if I were to do so." he stated bluntly, hoping that the man would not take anything he said offensively. Regardless, Dante would lean back a bit further, putting his feet on the table crossed and around the edge. It required a bit of balance to do the action but Dante was fairly confident he could keep that balance and not fall backward... unless of course someone were to push him down,
"In any case, since my gaming topic wasn't that much of a hit," Dante would start once again, knowing that making one of these two break down into talking would probably take hours to do, "how about the topic of fighting? Do any of you do boxing, wrestling, ju-jitsu, or any sort of fighting whether it be an official style or not? To be fair though I will go first and say I practice JKD, also known as, Jeet Kune Do, and I am fairly familiar with quite a few styles." he would spiel, hoping this topic of discussion would be a hit. While he did feel the odds were against him in this 'hand', hopefully he would hit the 'River' he needed to win the pot and get these two to talk a bit more freely. As for the other man... he could join in if he like, Dante had no objections, but it would truly be his own choice. After all, Dante did say ANY of you when he suggested the next discussion topic and thus left it open for anyone near him to join in on the conversation.'
OOC: Sorry for it being short and taking so long, I had some things to take care of... as well as make all tremble before me as the GOD OF WAR!!!
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Post by officer on Apr 22, 2007 18:13:13 GMT 1
The police officer would raise his dress shirt then, showing the badge on his belt as he pulled out a Silvermatch Torch from his pocket. He'd press it about half an inch away from the cigar, inhaling as he lit, and blowing the smoke at the back of Dante's head with a blank look on his face. "Total non smoker, huh? I thought I smelt some smoke on you- maybe your parents smoke." He looked about idly. "Speaking of which, how did you get here, kid? I saw you just... Kinda appear. I take it you drove?"
Carlos rested one hand on his hip as his other hand brought the cuban back up to his lips. He held the smoke in his mouth several moments before exhaling once more and giving a small sigh. The hand on his hip kept his shirt pinned back so that his badge would be present and visible during the somewhat innocent questioning.
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Post by Odin Reeves on Apr 23, 2007 7:06:34 GMT 1
When Dante refused the eat the ice-cream snack he bought there was only one thing that Odin thought at that time: ‘He’s a damn liar.’ Odin’s thought process was simplistic when figuring this out. First of all Dante bought the snack, meaning despite it being wrapped he knew what was on it. Take that into consideration that one of the most ‘popular’ allergies are peanuts you come into the realization that one might be paranoid about the shelled nuts. He knew people who’re allergic to peanuts and knew that they never bought anything containing any sort of nut. This would be no exception to that way of life should Dante actually be allergic, and thus he was in fact lying.
In the end thought it didn’t matter, the ice-cream snack was still in his hand, completely wrapped, but with no one to eat it. Looking over his shoulder he spotted one of the zoos many garbage cans and promptly turned his torso over a bit further. He waved his arm up and down a few times, then once a clear shot was in his sights threw the snack in a high lob toward the wide rimmed dumpster. It landed with a splitting motion on the rim before sliding in, supposedly to melt within the warm confines of the tin can.
Turning back toward the table he let out a small ‘huh…’ showing surprise that he had gotten it in, but wasn’t in any way going to make a big deal about it. If Dante complained about Odin recklessly tossing it away then he’d simply bring up the point that he never asked for one. He might even go so far as to take a couple bucks from his pocket and put it on the table, but that would only be to make the youngest of the 4 shut up. Left to his own thoughts as Dante continued to blather on about his views on smoking to the older male Odin’s mind drifted to the lady across the table.
‘She’s rather unique. She’s intelligent, thoughtful, but not egotistic like some of the other girls. She also seems to find an interest in fighting, whether it’s positive or not I don’t know, but I’m assuming it’s positive…Must be positive since I remember giving her an autograph after the last tournament. Looking back I can’t believe I was signing my name for random people…Hell, I really can’t believe they were asking for them. One of them even followed me to my stuff in order to get one. Damn…weird social behaviors.’
When he clued back in he heard Dante start spewing out different martial arts in the form of a question. He listened to the boy’s resume of fighting knowledge and made no attempt to really connect with the subject. It may have been seventy percent of his life but he didn’t need to openly chat about it with a complete stranger and an annoying energetic kid. If it was one on one, in more of a serious nature, he’d have no problem doing it, should he know the person, but this was just to random of an attempt to start a conversation.
“I do a little bit.” His answer to Dante’s question was given with enough of a stern tone to tell even the most obnoxious person that he wasn’t going to contribute. It was also blunt while remaining dull, making his knowledge and fighting style completely unknown to those who haven’t seen him in the ring. Luckily enough he the stranger-turned-cop completely ignored the question and spit-out one of his own directed at Dante. The badge attracted Odin’s attention, giving him childish prospects of a future career. It was a possibility, but not a definite at this time, still, knowing a man of the law could give him some insight, and seeing as he had chosen to talk to them…well, Dante, then it could prove useful later on to get some information.
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Post by Valencia Donahue on Apr 26, 2007 3:40:27 GMT 1
((OOC: Nah… I’d be more insulted if you gave me pointless length instead of relevant quality. Hoo boy… Pardon if any inconsistencies arise. I will say so now that I don’t mind if posting order gets disrupted because I don’t think there’ll be much going on that’ll directly involve Valencia anyhow.))
Valencia began to devour her ice cream bar without any sort of hesitation and the only times she did pause was to either peel the wrapper off a little more or to keep the cold goodness on the stick (or consume it) before it could fall off. Brain freeze, eat your heart out. In this heat, anything chilly is a must on her watch. Then, after telling the gentleman that he didn’t have a light, Dante decided to start up another conversation with the group. This time around, of all topics, it had to do with fighting. Random. Talk about random.
I’m beginning to have this weird feeling that my life was destined for conflict of some sort that goes beyond my capacity to control. What else is new. Pfft.
She regarded Odin when he gave his answer and the fact that his reply was succinct further proved his solitary lifestyle. After all, Valencia was there at that tournament and according to the answer given and how he actually fought while she watched, she arrived upon the sound conclusion that not only was Odin humble, but also disciplined. See? You can figure out a lot about someone from a single sentence! So I guess it shouldn’t be too tricky to figure out Dante because of his paragraph, right? Yes and no.
Dante fights. Why else would he bring it up and why else would he put it THAT way instead of saying “Do you guys practice any martial arts as a type of recreational pastime?” Hmm.
Diction makes all the difference! That’s why Valencia is a lady of few words and lets interpretation of her ambiguity do the rest. It gets annoying after a while, but in the end it’s simply a matter of comprehending “her language” to get the whole picture.
“For every need, there should be a means to remove it.”
Cryptic-much. Okay… Should Valencia need to run and escape, she would do what she’s able to eliminate the need to do so (escape) by removing the cause of her need (the intruder) by whatever means necessary like actually getting away (removing herself from the environment) or engaging in combat (removing her intruder from the environment). Call it drive-reduction theory. It can be applied to practically anything that involves the psychology of motivation among other things. Like hunger. Hunger and the irritation caused by heat had to be eliminated. Thusly, why Valencia finished up her ice cream bar almost as though she never even began eating it and disposed of the wrapper and stick in the trash receptacle that Odin tossed his frozen treat into.
Soon the air was filled with smoke again and boy, did it bother Valencia that it came from the very guy who asked for a light earlier and also turned out to be an officer. She really didn’t know what to say or do because this matter was now Dante’s personal concern, but her lungs begged the situation to be dealt with swiftly while her curiosity compelled her to endure the smoke in order to observe the people around her like the ones here.
((OOC: ::baps brain:: ))
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Post by dante on Apr 26, 2007 4:26:25 GMT 1
“I do a little bit.” was all Odin would say, his tone more or less saying "And if you push any further I will probably slap you." from what Dante could interpert. This being said, Dante would sigh lightly as his head turned toward Valencia, a smile about to curve onto his lips but was soon snatched away by a simple sentence,
“For every need, there should be a means to remove it.”... or rather a cryptic one. Dante would look up to the sky (or rather umbrella), mentally rubbing his temples as he thought about what she said, doing his best to pick apart the sentence,
'If I can beat Silent Hill with Riddle Level hard, I am going to solve this for fecking sure.' was his first thought before attempting to solve the riddle but before he could even continue this train of thought, the police officer by him started going into interogation mode,
"Speaking of which, how did you get here, kid? I saw you just... Kinda appear. I take it you drove?" he would question, Dante now having a dilema. With that single sentence, Dante had MORE than enough ways to twist it too bust the chops of this lone police officer with his usual sarcastic wit. Problem was... well... he was a cop. Most cops he had seen in his life didn't take too kindly too sarcasm and he'd rather not get his ass beat or anything of the sort,
'Why did you have to make it so tempting?!' he would yell mentally but reply calmly, "My parents dropped me off here, and as for the smoke, it would be from my father's own smoking habits. He just loves to puff at least five cowboy killers in a hour's time span." he would answer, not getting into much more detail than that, nor taking the chance to be sarcastic. Regardless, his cupped hands would nestle a bit behind his head, finding a more comfortable position as his thoughts went back to the riddle,
'Let's see... for every need, there should be a means to remove it... damn I wish I had a walkthrough right about now. Too bad they don't have one for "Valencia's Cryptic Riddles" on gamefaqs.com.' he thought as he soon let his left hand travel to his pocket and his right hand hold his chin in thought. This would be one of the few times anyone here would see Dante actually have a serious look on his face, as well as be quiet... when it came to puzzles he needed silence,
'The need part could stand for running away from a fight so the other part of removing it would make sense with that. If the need part stands for escaping, the thing that would be removed has to be whoever she is fighting. Or could it mean herself? Either way it would technically work, if she ran away, or defeated her opponent then that would technically be taking away the need to do any action... or something. Bah she is starting to confuse me but I think I got what she meant by that for the most part. While the need could be a majority of things, we were talking about fighting so this would be a sound assumption I suppose. Prying any further though will probably just get me another cryptic riddle after I tell her the answer to this one and how I came about it.' and with that said (or rather thought), Dante would finally return from his thoughts and simply reply,
"I see... I think I get what you are saying." and that was it. For one of the few times in life, Dante would cut his words short and not go any further. Not only that but chances were, if he started talking again, the police officer near him would probably interrupt again and continue his questioning,
'I wonder why he is questioning me though... you'd think he'd be busy busting gangsters or something of the sort like in The Shield.'
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Post by Odin Reeves on May 1, 2007 4:39:39 GMT 1
[Had been waiting for Carlos. Sorry for the delay.]
The blunt make-you-think reply from Valencia caused Odin’s lips to ever-so-slightly curve upward for half a moment as he smirked toward her reply. She seemed to be just as blunt and soft-spoken as him, making this conversation dead on arrival with no hopes of reviving it. Put simply it was the best way to stop the pointless jabber, and better yet caused the young, loud-mouth student to shut up and think for a moment. The quiet was nice, something he was use to, something he cherished, but it left him all to open for his other sensory receptors to take control, most notably his sense of smell. The smell of thick cigar smoke entered his nostrils, invading his lungs like a plague. He coughed, twice, while covering his mouth with his scared, burly right hand.
Normally he’d simply leave, it was a public area, he wasn’t inclined as to whether or not this Zoo allowed smoking, and the figure deeming himself fit to light the Cuban was an officer. No matter whether or not Odin held himself in solitude and confidence he wouldn’t go up against a cop, at least not without enough of a push. A simple lit cigar wasn’t going to push him over the edge, and without a strong case he had no authority over the matter. Then there was the fact that he had no quarrel with officers of the law, despite how they sometimes looked at him when he assisted his father in a bounty.
Shifting his weight away from the Dante and the off-shift officer Odin made his means to leave known. Both hands found themselves planted against the edge of the picnic table, thought by no means were they forcibly put there. His body raised, his legs slipped out from the bench and he began to walk away, reaching the side opposite of the oldest male before he turned back, his eyes directed at Valencia. He felt it would be more then rude of him to just leave without a word goodbye, and even more so if he left without offering her a scapegoat as well.
“Would you care to go see a few more exhibits?” His tone was friendly, showing actual emotion like when he first spoke with here. This was the first time he’d spoken like this since Dante’s arrival, and was unexpected, even to himself. “Perhaps we could grab a couple a refreshments along the way.” In a way he almost seemed desperate, he truly did want Valencia to join him, and was hinting toward it with soft suggestions, but couldn’t seem to bring himself to go any further.
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Post by Valencia Donahue on May 2, 2007 4:17:07 GMT 1
((OOC: ::hisses and claws at Shamu and his relatively low attention-span:: This is going to be pretty tough for me to write ‘cause of the interactions, and lack thereof, and stuff…))
Should the officer choose to persist, I believe he has every right to… Innocent ‘til proven guilty or guilty ‘til proven innocent, whatever method he chooses to conduct his business should be for the sake of upholding the law unless his means are unjust.
…Valencia thought to herself, knowing all too well that saying these words may pull her into something she wants little to no part of. Blame a certain incident in Los Angeles that ruined her opinion towards the majority of urban officers. She hoped that whatever Dante was in question for wasn’t something too bad for his sake or she’d have a low opinion of him too. Then, a nice, calm aura emanated from nearby and came from, surprisingly, none other than Odin whom was situated not too far away from this young lady. It made her want to talk because of how familiar it felt, even though it was just some time ago when they first met and she heard his voice like so. She couldn’t help herself from turning to look fully at Odin in the face, though not quite in the eyes, for the first time.
Odin just “kept behind” the majority of the time… Now he’s stepping forward and offering to get something and since he didn’t exactly accept Dante’s offering, then…
The shift from reserved to more open got her attention… Leading her to form yet another conclusion…
How could I forget our small conversation before my ordeal…? A person who lives according to necessity, but knows very well that such a life can be meaningless after some time and consideration. At least, that’s what I can assume. It does get boring living day by day without something to break the monotony… And what Odin is looking for is not just some random event, but rather… Another way to look at things and possibly change his life a tad.
A lot more than that added up to her, though not entirely in the form of words. To describe it would require a multitude of them, but in the end it boils down to how Valencia used to and may still have a relatively similar lifestyle of fulfilling and eliminating needs. The thing is, it’s not as though her life lacks meaning, but it’s just hard to put into words. Unlike most people, she found herself an identity, albeit an inconsistent one, and lives for all sorts of ideas and concepts that don’t make sense… Until you see the world through her seemingly blind eyes. Valencia glanced towards Dante’s direction before nodding to Odin, returning the smile, though briefly.
“Of course. After all, I didn’t come to the zoo to simply pass out. Though to find ourselves refreshments… We may have to rely on luck for that. I just hope that the heat doesn’t slaughter us first.”
Now… The question is what exhibit…
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Post by dante on May 8, 2007 0:20:42 GMT 1
“Would you care to go see a few more exhibits? Perhaps we could grab a couple a refreshments along the way." were words that left Odin's mouth, being directed to Valencia. Despite where they were directed though, they had a direct effect on Dante, one that wasn't very fortaunate at all. The second Odin had started speaking, Dante had been startled by the lone fact that someone was talking so suddenly. While normally he'd be able to keep his cool still at this point, the fact that Valencia soon smiled after sent him over the top... or rather falling backward. This being noted, it wouldn't be too suprising to see Dante lose his balance from his relaxation position, "Ahhh FECK!" he would shout out with wide eyes, waving his arms out in front of him in an attempt to regain his balance but failing miserably. The result of this reaction was his head hitting the pavement below him with a rather loud "thud", his natural reaction being to slap his hands against the pavement to slow his decsent due to his training. Regardless, the orange-eyed teenager would grunt a bit loudly with closed eyes and gritted teeth as he rubbed the back of his head. He took a deep breath as he slowly stood up, picking up his chair along with himself. He sighed lightly along with a small pout, the pain still being rather irritating but something he could deal with, "If anyone asks, I meant to do that." he said absent-mindly, a bit embarassed about his recent fall, "In any case I will be going now since Odin is so rude he doesn't even think of inviting me to the festivites as well" he would tease, crossing his arms as he stuck out his tongue at Odin, "that and Mr. Odin seems to be asking you out on a date or at least trying to show interest so go and have fun you two, I will catch you guys later I hope." he explained as he waved to the two and walked away, his hands slipping into his pockets as his eyes turned soft, and a smirk formed on his face, 'That bastard...' he thought, 'I had planned on asking that same question pretty soon too but that cop distracted me.' OOC: Short since I am just leaving and don't feel like putting any more effort into a departure post
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Post by Odin Reeves on May 8, 2007 4:13:42 GMT 1
[Brain dead, short post.]
When Valencia accepted his offer Odin preformed what is known as a double take. First was his head turning away, as though unaffected by the reply he was given, most likely thinking it was a rejection. Second came his mind snapping back to her, realizing her words and making himself look like a child overwhelmed with surprise. Or, at least Odin’s emotion cracked up a little from its monotone state to smile with a smirk of sheepishness as he stepped forward. His attention was all but brought from Valencia as the voice of Dante pierced through the air, annoying him beyond his usual limit, causing Odin to turn his attention and witness the fall. Inside he was smiling, there was no doubt of that, but the cold stare remained the same as he didn’t even bother to step around the table and help the young man.
‘Serves him right.’ Turning his attention away from Dante he didn’t bother to acknowledge the prior event, nor did he listen whole-heartedly to his statements as he moved beside Valencia. The fact that Dante had mentioned Odin’s motives of this being an attempt at a date didn’t even cross his mind, and so the final glance toward the sophomore was at his back, watching him for half a second as he walked away.
“Drinks might be a problem, but I’m sure they’ll have at least a water fountain somewhere around here.” Unaware of what the officer was planning Odin gave him a small wave, signaling a farewell before further plotting what exactly they could do, and which exhibit’s to see. “I’m not sure what you’ve seen yet, but I’ve only seen the Fox and Reptile exhibit. Perhaps we should just travel around and go to whatever catches our eye. Sound like a plan?”
Extending his right hand he held it palm up, acting as a perch for Valencia to use as she stood. After that point he simply didn’t know what to do, so he’d probably just let her lead the way.
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Post by Valencia Donahue on May 9, 2007 8:11:55 GMT 1
((OOC: As I’ve said, no worries with length. Though to be honest, I should be studying instead of posting, so pardon anything that may be wonky or scattered…))
When Dante abruptly fell, the sudden clamor and movement alone was enough to snap Valencia’s attention towards him once again, only to hear him say that it was intentional. Sure, it may be an offhand remark, but who would want to fall backwards? Who knows… Following this, she silently listened as he teased Odin, complete with playful gestures. Of course, Odin didn’t really pay any mind to his remarks. Valencia on the other hand did, though it didn’t show too obviously. As Dante took his leave, she gave a nod to acknowledge his exit and did some reflecting.
Hmph. If you knew a thing about what I had to go through, you’d know very well that I’m not seeking any new relationships… Much less with those who simply seek my company for their own means like security of their own characters and the “need” to fill a void… Also known as “dependency”. Something like that anyways.
In short, she didn’t believe too much that Odin was asking her out on a date, especially since they all met this day. Kinda fast, y’know? And Valencia certainly doesn’t believe in love at first sight anymore. She simply believed that Odin was being courteous and she was obliged to accept his offer since he was doing her life a favor: giving it something meaningful. It’s a long story and may take time to tell, but there’s no rush, so there’s little need to tell it now anyhow. Back to the real world, Valencia!
“Eh… Yes, that’s very reassuring. I believe that until then, I’ll do what I can to stay on my feet and able. I do not wish to be a burden after all.”
…And a hand was extended to her. She looked at it almost unsure of what to do with it, but that was soon resolved the moment she accepted it and used it to get up from her seat and away from the shade. Huh. Ain’t Odin the gentleman? Valencia stood beside him and looked about.
“That sounds like a plan alright. I don’t know about you, but I came here to relax and wander about. I think ahead there’s a penguin exhibit somewhere… Ever since I’ve watched ‘Happy Feet’, I’ve been meaning to visit one since. I forgot the last time I’ve seen live penguins…”
Yes, Valencia is a bit of a dork, but heck. It’s not like she cared too much about what others thought about her and she felt calm enough to say outright to Odin that she watched an animated feature with singing and dancing penguins with hardly any embarrassment. With that said, she walked over to a directory, gave it a glimpse…
“Compared to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, there aren’t as many animals at this zoo… I wonder if there’re any kiwis…”
…Then was off to play the good ol’ game of “follow the random signs until you’re at your destination”. That’s right, when you’re at some amusement park and there’re a bunch of signs hanging everywhere like the place was some pedestrian highway. She was so set on heading to the penguin exhibit (for the sake of penguins and another cold environment) that she almost forgot to let go of Odin’s hand. It wasn’t as though it was a sentimental thing as they passed the monkey and camel exhibits, but more so like when you forget that you’re holding something and don’t realize it until someone tells you.
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Post by Odin Reeves on May 13, 2007 19:30:44 GMT 1
Penguins, Odin had never actually seen penguins before, except for on documentaries shown in school during one of his grade school teachers hangover. They seemed cute and lovable, but that was an assumption he’d have to make on close inspection. Whether or not they garnered a smile from his lips would be proof enough of their cuddly persona, and so he was more inclined to go see the flightless birds slide down human-made ice slides.
Making no note that he was still holding her hand as they made their way to the directory Odin simply went over without a thought in the world. His mind was blank canvas, ready to absorb the colors of the world and shine with the knowledge he had learned. Or, the canvas would be turned over and he’d make assumptions about the animals based on shape, style, and what they did in front of him. Either way he’d be amused. Staring down at the directory Odin’s eyes scouted for wherever the penguin exhibit might be hiding, taking his time to scan from corner to corner. That is until he felt the tug on his arm, pulling him away from the directory and causing him to stumble a bit as he followed wherever the young women wanted.
Passing exhibit after exhibit gave him little chance to read the signs hanging above, thus no direction was found as he made his way back up beside Valencia and continued walking beside her. No longer was there a strain on his shoulder to go forward, but it also dawned on him that they were still holding hands. There wasn’t anything wrong with this, but the public view on such thing is usually one of affection. Truly it didn’t matter to Odin what anyone else thought, but he hardly knew Valencia and despite what he thought he knew couldn’t match her personality down to the tee. So, this might turn into an awkward situation for her, should she have issues with this sort of public display.
Loosening his grip he basically let his hand go limp, giving Valencia the chance to pull away. While his subconscious went through with that he pointed out with his free hand toward a sign hanging above the head’s of a few children being carefully watched by their parents. “Say’s the penguin exhibit’s over there. Ready to check it out?” His question seemed more rhetorical then something spawned of actual wonder. He felt how hard she had pulled, he knew she wanted to see the flightless birds and the cuteness they befell on all those who watched.
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Post by Valencia Donahue on May 19, 2007 1:46:19 GMT 1
((OOC: Pardon my tardiness… Typing up a post about penguins requires more attention than my time could afford last week… And that came out weird.)) When Odin let his grip go limp, Valencia’s grasp slipped away and it was the realization that something was missing that caused her to seek out what it was and how was it in her hands in the first place. Valencia, if you looked at this at a more figurative level, wouldn’t you say that was symbolism right there? Like sometimes, you never know you have something until you lose it? Valencia? Hello? Hey, what are you—Oh. Odin pointed out the penguin exhibit, causing the Asian to look about with mild curiosity like a puppy would with pleasant surprise. She turned her head a smidge and nodded, answering Odin’s question and literally couldn’t contain herself from heading into the cave-like enclosure meant to keep the penguins cold within. Inside the “cave” were other Antarctic inhabitants like some seals and some fish, but since there were relatively few animals in the South Pole compared to the North Pole, it should come to no surprise that the penguins stole the show. Random people wanting to take a gander at the flightless birds crowded almost every species of penguin behind their respective glasses. Valencia’s heart almost broke at the sight of so many people hogging the view, mentally wincing each time she heard “Mumble” because that was probably the reason why so many people were about. “Happy Feet” sure did boost visits to the penguin exhibit. Do they HAVE to tap the glass in hopes that the penguins will tap-dance?!Valencia made a little noise that Odin might’ve heard over the din of viewers because of their close proximity. “~” It was almost like a whimper… But she tried to inch towards the penguins anyways, hypnotized by the sounds the birds were making… So close, yet so far away, separated by glass and a bunch of families sharing the same love for animals as she! Every time Valencia saw a gap for her to squeeze in, it was filled up again before any progress could be made. She didn’t want to assert herself, but with each gentle press against another body with her hand, their polite efforts to move aside for her were in vain as another group of people prevented her progress. It was a never-ending cycle of a living barrier rebuilding itself each time it fell away. “I want to see the penguins…” …Valencia murmured in a small voice. "Penguins..."
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Post by Odin Reeves on May 21, 2007 6:57:11 GMT 1
Peering over the heads of the other park patrons Odin’s faint green orbs of vision caught the sight of the tuxedo wearing birds. Though at times the top of a head swayed in front of him he was quite amused by the waddling, belly sliding birds that everyone came to love. “Cute little things, huh?” He was just behind Valencia, letting her get as close to the exhibit as possible as he watched with a keen eye over other’s heads. He had failed to realize at that moment that she was only seeing the backs of everyone else. Sighing he came to realization, as it didn’t seem like it before but nearly half a foot or more was quite a bit difference.
Stepping in closer he heard her whimper, her sigh of displeasure as she was continually blocked from her goal. It seemed as though there was an evil genius watching from the zoo’s camera’s, giving small chances of hope to see the peaceful birds, only to take it away with his drones of human like robots. An evil, dastardly plan in deed, one that needed to be stop…If it was true.
Hearing her pleas for penguins his heart sank, see seemed to desperate, almost child-like with her giddy nature before reaching the ‘cave’ only to have to turn into a emotion resembling the sadness a child feels when something is snatch from their grasp. He couldn’t handle seeing it, just wasn’t in his nature to sit back and do nothing.
“Excuse me, ma’am? Could we? Thank you.” He had gently stretched his left arm out, tapping the shoulder of an elderly woman as she watched over her grandchildren with hawk-like eyes. There greasy little faces were all pressed up against the glass, but with a soft-voiced command to gather she called them all over and led them out of the pack. No longer was it necessary to get a prime position around the glass, as though they were huddling around a fire for warmth.
After another ‘thank you’ and a wave farewell he turned back to Valencia, a smile ever so present across his face, albeit not that grand. Though he doubted he’d have time to guide her he brought his right hand up to meet the small of her back before walking up to the exhibit’s outer edge. From further back they were cute, but after getting up close he could help but let out a soft chuckle as he watched a line of penguins rode down a well-crafted slide. Such a sight seemed so unnatural in his mind, something you’d only see circus animals do, but he truly doubted that the Zoo was secretly training penguins to perform after dark…
Although, it would make for an interesting show…
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Post by Valencia Donahue on May 28, 2007 15:34:06 GMT 1
((OOC: Well, this thread has been going on for a couple months now and considering that a bunch of threads are taking place in the present/future-ish, what say you to giving this a happy ending, eh?)) Needless to say, Valencia was kinda occupied fighting the labyrinth of bodies to realize that Odin was crusading away at it from another front until a hand reached out for her and held her in a familiar spot. What kept her from batting away or slapping the “random hand outta nowhere coming from a pedo trying to feel the strap of her bra” was that she recognized its shape and size, even though it was the opposite hand. In fact, she could’ve sworn that Odin was applying the same pressure if she wasn’t turning her head towards him and catching a glimpse of his smile. She returned it with a brief one of her own until a thump against the glass was heard. While Odin was watching penguins sliding down a slide, Valencia’s attention flicked over to a li’l fuzzy feller bumping into the glass for some unknown reason. She blinked in mild surprise, unsure of what to make of it because the baby penguin didn’t seem like it was attacking or trying to escape. It was just… Walking into the glass. She tilted her head to the side slowly, captivated by its unusual behavior until it waddled off to go sliding with the other happy penguins. After that, she watched all the other penguins with curiosity and wonderment as they all did their natural thing, active and about unlike the sleepy reptiles from before. That’s just the thing. Valencia could stare at stuff for hours and wouldn’t mind at all, especially if what she’s staring at was lively and animate. What made the moment even better was that another person was likely to be staring at the same things she was staring at and it didn’t give off that pesky look-over-shoulder feeling. Instead, it felt like sharing a moment and that’s always a good thing. She made herself another friend and that’s always a good thing too. There was a flash in her mind that blinded her like most cameras would and for a split-second, Valencia remembered a memory at the beach and it didn’t take long for her to return to the present. Maybe one day, I’ll come out of my mind in entirety and will know what to say each time… It may take a while after all I’ve been through, but I know for sure that nothing is impossible……And with that thought, she thought little else and continued to enjoy the penguins with Odin’s company not too far off.
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Post by Odin Reeves on May 29, 2007 23:33:04 GMT 1
[Short, but it helps end the thread.]
Everything was pleasant, everything was well. One would’ve thought this was a heaven on earth, enjoying the company of a friend while getting a laugh from various sights such as penguins acting as the will. But like all moment’s, long and short, this one had to come to an end. For Odin it was drawn to a close when he felt a small vibration in his front pocket of his jeans, followed by the sounds of a referee shouting “9-10! He’s out!” as his cell provided him with an alert. Removing the two-year-old cellular-mobile-phone he flipped open the faded grey top and checked the screen. Sure enough it was an alarm telling him that he was suppose to start making his way back to his dorm to resume his routine, which just so happened to begin with calling his father.
Disgruntled at the message he felt it came to soon, but all things do when you’re enjoying yourself. Perhaps that was the reason he felt his days go by so slowly when fashioned to his daily routines. Something he’d think about on his jog back to his complex. Sighing softly he slipped the cell back into his pocket, removed his digital camera from the other – quickly snapping a shot of the penguins as the waddled, leapt, and slid. And with that it seemed his day was cut short. Another sighs, a small frown, then a look toward Valencia. His smiled returned as he saw he happy exposure brought to life by the flightless birds. Mumbling at first he spoke up, uncharacteristic of him, but something that was unavoidable.
“I have to go…Sorry about that. Um, here.” Taking a piece of scrap paper from his pocket, one that was trimmed at the edges and actually presentable, he wrote his cell number on it with a black pen. “This is the number to my cell, you can reach me any time.” He smiled a little wider, timidly at first as he handed it over. Making his way through the crowd toward the exit he turned back, smiling and giving a farewell wave. “I had fun, thank you.” With that, he was gone. His body disappeared into a larger crowd as he made his way out of the cave and toward he nearest exit. Off to do whatever it is that he does.
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