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Post by Rowan McKinley on Mar 30, 2009 20:05:36 GMT -5
(tag Trent)
Casting her eyes around the crowd of teens that populated the beach, Rowan took a sip of her drink and sank back on the lounger she had staked out near the water’s edge, turning her head to smile at Trent. She loved these parties, the way the teens and the younger adults of Forks could simply mingle without regard for their age or wealth. Since she had arrived in town, she had been granted a more or less unconditional invite to them all due to her almost childish behaviour and the way she found their company, for the most part, more enjoyable than more people her own age. True, she was a good handful of years older than most of the people here, but she could fit in well enough if she allowed her true nature to come out rather than slipping into librarian mode, and having Trent with her only made the evening more fun. Normally, a teacher like him wouldn’t be welcome at a party like this, it simply wasn’t done, but as her guest he was just as welcome as she and for that she was grateful.
She wasn’t sure what it was about him that made him so much an integral part of any enjoyable occasion, only that since they had met, he seemed to make any day or event infinitely better. Since the accident, she had come to realise even more just how much she valued his company and she knew that being here just wouldn’t be the same without him. Looking at him now, she couldn’t help giggling at just how out of place he looked. Then again, she didn’t much fit in herself, dressed in her ankle length chocolate brown skirt and red long-sleeved tshirt. In fact, about the only thing that did fit in was the sandals that had decked her feet until a few minutes ago when she had kicked them onto the sand beside her chair. Leaning her head back to look up at the night sky, she grinned and pointed at one particularly bright star overhead.
“Look Trent!” she said gleefully, reaching over to pat his arm to get his attention before pointing again. “I haven’t seen Jupiter so bright in months!” It was a small thing to be excited about, but she had always had a weakness for the planet and its mythological connections. King of the Gods and thrower of lightning bolts, Zeus had always fascinated her, just as all the Greek pantheon had, and from the day she had learned that the planets were named after them, she had become equally fascinated by astronomy. Trailing her eyes across the expanse of black above them, she smiled as they settled on what she was looking for and pointed again. “And Venus too, they’re both bright tonight.” She sighed, the old myths running through her head as always. “Isn’t she beautiful?” she asked softly, staring at the star. Venus was her second favourite, but at times the romantic in her couldn’t help but be drawn in by the stories of the goddess of love and beauty. It was times like these, seated by the water, gazing at the planets, that she could almost imagine the scene at the birth of Aphrodite, the rest of the gods and goddesses watching from their seats in the heavens as the newest among their ranks came into being.
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Trent Adams
New to Town
Human, Physics Teacher
Posts: 39
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Post by Trent Adams on Apr 1, 2009 15:02:46 GMT -5
It had to be admitted that Trent had not been to a beach party since he was in his teens on one of the occasions that his more exuberant, social little brother had decided to bring him along. He had never quite been sure why he had done so, but once he was actually at the event, whatever it was, he had usually held himself pretty well. His excitable attitude was quite infectious and quite often people enjoyed listening to just how involved he got with whatever was on his mind at the time, even as a schoolboy. Then, as he grew, he had been required to attend a few soirees with the Think Tank, which were designed to put forward and network for funding of revolutionary ideas in theory and practice. Again, this was where his enthusiastic personality shone and his team often won funding for their projects. It was a shame that their research focused had become so defined, otherwise he might still be there to this day.
He turned his head up to Rowan and grinned at her goofily, following her direction up to the canvas of stars above. Then again, if he had been allowed free reign at the Think Tank, then he would never have come back to Forks and would never have met Rowan, a woman so on his wavelength that she had surpassed being his friend and had become something akin to a permanent fixture in his life. He lay on his duster coat, which was lying next to Rowan’s lounger. He propped himself up on his elbows and peered upward.
“They are, aren’t they?” referring to the planets’ brightness. He found the stories behind them interesting, but beyond hearing them once he did not think of them. Well, that was before he had started spending all his time with Rowan. She often brought a more whimsical side to his stark scientific reasoning, which served to soften his intense intellect. Still, it was often refreshing to hear her perspective on things. “They usually are at this time of year, with the tilt of the earth’s axis in these next few days... It’s a shame we can’t take a closer look.”
He turned his head as a small group of guys from the main bonfire came closer, laughing amongst themselves, though he didn’t think anything of it.
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Post by Rowan McKinley on Apr 3, 2009 13:23:00 GMT -5
Returning his grin, Rowan pushed herself up again to sit upright on her lounger, eyes once again trained on the sky, darting from one star to the next. If she squinted hard enough, she could cut out a large proportion of the light around her, allowing her to see some of the dimmer and deeper sky objects. It was a trick she had learned from her father and while it didn’t give her a clear view of any of the nebulae that caught her fancy so completely with their wispy shapes and imaginative names, the barely visible star clusters were still wonderful to see.
“Mmhmm” she agreed softly, hardly aware that she was agreeing with his own agreement. “Even so, they’re brighter than normal. Unless there’s less light pollution than usual, which is always possible. Maybe we should go out to the observatory this weekend.” Giggling, she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “Or we could always call Cape Canaveral and ask if there’s a shuttle we could hitch a ride on. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a couple of extra passengers, and I doubt we could get any closer of a look than that. Unless you have superpowers I don’t know about” she added, turning to him with a smile. It wasn’t hard to imagine him as Clark Kent, with his suit and glasses and constantly ruffled hair.
Turning her head, she followed his gaze as a burst of laughter came from a group moving nearer to them, raising the plastic glass to her lips and emptying the last few drops of her drink before setting it in the sand beside her chair, pressing down slightly so that it was anchored by the grains against any stray breeze that might try to blow it into the water. “Looks like everyone’s having fun, doesn’t it?” she commented, laying back in her chair again, her hands resting at her sides. “Are you?”
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Trent Adams
New to Town
Human, Physics Teacher
Posts: 39
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Post by Trent Adams on May 15, 2009 19:45:34 GMT -5
Trent rejigged his position slightly as Rowan spoke, reaffirming the statement he had just agreed to, so it seemed. He didn’t move so much as bounce to resting more weight on one elbow than the other, switching and then regaining his equally balanced posture. Just as he thought, one of the endless pebbles from the beach had found its way under his elbow. Still, it was dislodged now, all better. Once comfortable again he cast his large brown eyes over to Rowan. She was bright, she really was, it was one of the things he most admired her for, though some of her suggestions were a little out there. Then again, when they were, they more than usually turned out to be a joke.
“Ah!” he announced with his personal realisation. His connections got him in to many places, but unfortunately space was not one of them. He didn’t have the constitution for it. “Mmm… it’s possible. A slight decrease in the immediate use of the red light spectrum in the immediate area. It wouldn’t initially counter-balance the wide spread nature of the spectrum influence in the strato- and troposphere, though.”
He grinned at the red head, pushing himself up so that he now sat up on his expanse of coat. “Ooh yes, with me and my contacts? We could be in orbit in twenty-four hours. Well… plus the time to amass the fuel and warm up the injectors…. Aaand to prep the shuttle… aaand training… Hmm…” He trailed off, not too good at making a joke when the practicalities flew in the face of it.
“Ooh yes!” he grinned goofily at Rowan as she asked if he was having a good time, twisting his skinny frame so that he was now facing her and had an easier view of the group of people behind them. “I always have fun, me. And you’re here, which makes it brilliant!” From anyone else that probably would have been held accountable as an admittance of attraction, or at least affection beyond friendship. However, Trent had been telling Rowan that she was brilliant from the moment that they had met. Not that it diminished the compliment at all, he was just honest from the outset. “Aah! But you need a drink!”
He jumped up suddenly, picking up both his coat and Rowan’s empty cup in the same motion. “Oh, ooph… That’s weird… sand in my shoes…” he jiggled from one foot to the other for a couple of seconds, a slightly disgruntled look on his face. “Oh well. Now, drink!” He turned on his heel and wandered away to the coolers and ‘bar’ area without a backwards glance at Rowan and the approaching bunch of youths.
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Post by Rowan McKinley on May 17, 2009 22:35:18 GMT -5
Giggling slightly at Trent’s rapid descent from humour into logic, Rowan reached across, patting his arm gently as she turned her eyes back to him, smiling. “Well, at least we’d get there” she soothed, appreciating his attempt at comedy, even if his practical brain had once more refused to allow him to remain on the path of humour for very long. “And it’d be worth it to see all those planets without the interference from artificial light, not to mention getting to look down on the earth. That alone would be worth the time. Then again” she added with a smirk, “I wouldn’t be surprised if astronaut training was another one of the many skills you’ve got under your belt. You seem to have a lot of hidden abilities.” It was true. Every single day she found out another little fact about Trent that she never would have guessed, such as his appreciation of art and his surprising knowledge of cocktails.
Rowan’s cheeks rapidly flushed in response to the indirect compliment he paid her, surprised at how much the simple statement meant, especially when it was coming from Trent. He had never been very adept at hiding his thoughts and feelings, always, or at least as far as she could tell, simply blurting out what was on his mind, and it confused her slightly that something he said often should suddenly hold a new importance and make her feel so abruptly self-conscious. Glancing shyly down at the sand between them, she debated how to respond and was quickly saved as he jumped to his feet, the bashful smile that had curved her lips turning once more into an amused grin as he hopped from foot to foot, amazed that something so simple could catch his interest when occasionally even the most obvious things could escape his notice.
Watching as he walked away, Rowan sank back once more into her chair, staring up at the sky as the confusion over his compliment and her reaction to it chewed away at her thoughts. Why, after so long hearing the same comments, would the words make her feel so completely conspicuous all of a sudden, as if all eyes were suddenly on her? She began to feel nervous as she tried to figure out this new equation and was grateful when she heard a voice beside her. The group of teens that had been approaching them had stopped next to her chair, one of the young men holding out a cup to her with a smile while the rest looked on, a couple covering their mouths. Assuming they were simply being polite and trying to dispose of a drink none of them wanted without making a mess, and thankful for the distraction, she graciously accepted the outstretched drink and took a sip, watching absently as they seated themselves on the sand a few feet away, not close enough to hold a conversation but near enough that they could join Trent and herself should they be invited to do so.
Flashing a polite smile in their direction, she took another sip as she turned to glance over to where Trent stood, leaning her head back against the chair as she watched the line for drinks move slowly. The gradual progression or the partygoers past the coolers was almost hypnotic and after a few minutes she found herself giggling as she watched them passing the large coloured boxes, unsure why she found the scene so fascinating. As she watched them, she began analysing each in turn, marvelling at just how unique each was. A young man wearing jeans and a dark patterned tshirt seemed to have a slight limp in his left leg, the young girl behind him kept playing with a small gold hoop in one ear, the man behind her was remarkably tall and thin and wore a suit that was completely out of place at a party like the one she was attending, and the woman behind him was analysing what Rowan could only assume was a chip in her nail polish. It was all so fascinating, she couldn’t take her eyes off them all and carried on staring as they moved forward, each new addition to the line more intriguing than the last.
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Trent Adams
New to Town
Human, Physics Teacher
Posts: 39
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Post by Trent Adams on May 20, 2009 20:04:46 GMT -5
Trent grinned at Rowan bashfully as she comforted his confused ramble into quasi-logic when his joke lost its cohesive value. He shrugged a little as the redhead continued down the route of desiring a chance to go into space, even if it did take up a lot of time, fuel and training. Not being very good at realising what was normal beyond his own life, Trent did indeed have many surprises up his sleeve to those that didn’t know him and he was often bemused at what other people found odd about his life. He then shook his head a little, suddenly hoping that his failure as an astronaut wouldn’t put her off spending time with him.
“I had a go at it,” he told her, wrinkling his nose and bobbing his head from side to side as if weighing something up in his mind. “Oh, it wasn’t that great. We had a motion machine that they use to train astronauts and jet pilots, so we got to plot our own time on there. It’s just a whole lot of jiggly wiggly nonsense, really.” He scratched at his cheek absently and played with his ear a little. “Nah, I’ll wait until you don’t have to go up in a paint shaker…”
As soon as he had walked away from the redhead, Trent had located the area where they kept the alcohol and began to wait in the mass of people that he assumed were in some sort of queue. Sticking his hands into his trouser pockets and allowing the long coat to flow behind them, he glanced back at Rowan, a small smile growing on his face. He had to admit that this wasn’t actually his ‘scene’ (as he had heard one of the kids call it), and judging by the comments that he had overheard, he didn’t appear to belong their either. However, he knew how to have a good time, he enjoyed a nice cocktail and Rowan provided stellar company no matter where they were. Plus, they had the stars and they had the sea as well as each other’s company and, given the combination, something truly fascinating could emerge from it.
“Two banana daiquiris, please,” he requested of the unofficial barkeep (owing to the fact that he had bought most of the alcohol and wanted to make sure that it didn’t get wasted) as he reached the front of the queue and was forced to take his eyes from his companion. It was at this point that the youths approached the young woman, a fact that Trent was completely oblivious to as he had to explain to the kid how to make a daiquiri and then, of course, explain why the banana was the single greatest fruit.
“So, Jason, remember: always take a banana to a party,” he flashed a stupendous grin at the bemused looking young man and then turned on his heel with the two drinks in hand. Taking enormous strides, he approached the lounger that housed his Rowan once more and cast her his greatest of grins.
“Look! Banana daiquiris – greatest invention of modern culture!” he flopped down to his knees and held one of his arms directly out to her, putting the cup right under the redhead’s nose.
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Post by Rowan McKinley on May 20, 2009 21:50:12 GMT -5
Rowan’s eyebrows raised in surprise at Trent’s confession, realising a moment later that she was already proving herself wrong. Even knowing that every day with him brought something new and unexpected, he still surprised her. She listened in stunned silence as he described his experience of the ‘jiggly wiggly nonsense’, unable to think of any way to respond. How did you admit that although you had just said nothing would surprise you, you were indeed shocked? Watching as he walked away, she shook her head slightly in awe. “I was kidding” she mumbled to herself, suddenly realising just how much experience Trent really did have. Physics, astronomy, mathematics, fractal art, astronaut training, cocktail mixing, extensive knowledge of fruit, the list seemed endless and she couldn’t help feeling slightly out of her depth as she compared it to her own. Astronomy, comic books, mythology...that was nearly the extent of it. It made her wonder briefly how she could merit the attention of a veritable god of the scientific community. People far more intelligent than she looked up to Trent as a role model and yet the two of them had become inseparable despite the chasm between their individual levels of knowledge, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “Well, stranger things have happened” she murmured, shrugging at the thought.
She had been watching the line of young people for some time, one older man seeming to have captured a bartender in rapt conversation, when that man turned suddenly, heading directly toward her. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched, fascinated, as he strode over the sand, the gigantic steps he took making the fabric of his suit ripple almost hypnotically. She found herself gazing in a near trance at his knees, amazed at the way the pinstripes of his trousers seemed to move in a completely different direction to those on the sleeves of his jacket even though the movements of the limbs were nearly identical. She was so enthralled that she barely noticed when he reached her, frowning in disappointment as the focus of her attention dropped out of sight against the ground in front of her and she was forced to raise her eyes slowly along the lines of the stripes, following them as far as she could, her frown deepening as they met in an acute angle shortly below the waistband of the fabric, feeling a sense of frustration at the lines for not completing the path they should have taken to the very end of the fabric.
Just as she was preparing to attempt to follow a different set of lines, she found her line of sight interrupted by a plastic cup, held so close to her face that her eyes nearly crossed as she tried to focus on it. Raising one hand, she took the cup slowly, lowering the other to set the now empty cup that the youths had given her on the sand. “Thank you” she said quietly, staring at the cup with a sense of awe at the brightness of the drink it held, a small giggle escaping as she tilted her head to get a better perspective. “It’s yellow” she stated matter-of-factly before looking up at her new companion, nodding in gratitude. “I like yellow. It’s not as pretty as green or purple” she trailed off, gazing into the eyes ahead of her, sparkling with the grin that spread to them from his lips. “Or brown. That brown’s pretty” she said softly, her spare hand raising to his face, the thumb tracing below his eye as though outlining the specific colour she was referring to.
She had been staring for a few moments when she suddenly realised she had been holding her breath, or more precisely, seemed to have simply forgotten to breathe. It seemed odd to have to remind herself to perform such an automatic function and it took her a moment to remember how to do so consciously, the sudden intake of oxygen surprising her slightly, both with the strange saltiness of the sea air and the sharp sound that accompanied the breath. Tilting her head to the other side, she frowned once more, trying to place the face of the man that had approached her so confidently, as though he had simply returned to his proper place. “I’m not sure, but I think I might have had one too many” she said with an absent smile, “I could swear you seem familiar. Do I know you?” Chuckling slightly, she gestured with the drink in her hand toward the group that were seated nearby, sloshing a little of the liquid onto the sand as she did so. “I seem to be attracting all sorts of strangers tonight. First them, now you. If I’m not careful, I’ll owe a drink to everyone here.”
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Trent Adams
New to Town
Human, Physics Teacher
Posts: 39
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Post by Trent Adams on May 27, 2009 18:13:00 GMT -5
Kneeling with the two drinks in either hand, with his eyebrows raised high, Trent waited patiently for Rowan to take her own, the grin pinned to his face as he did so. Or at least he waited for a good few moments, before he allowed his gaze to drop self consciously to the area that she was staring at. Curious… he hadn’t spilt anything, no material had split and yet still she stared as if transfixed. Suddenly conscious that he might have made a social faux pas before he left (as he knew he was wont to do), he dipped his head, tilting it up so that he could see into her face properly.
“Rowan,” he called in quite a singsong voice, his grin fading a little so that it looked less manic and a little more unsure. His expansive brain quickly clicked into gear trying to figure out an explanation for this strange behaviour – Rowan wasn’t usually one to be broody, or to ignore him completely for so long. He then held up the plastic cup to her. “Eyes on me… or that. Yes that’ll do. That’s it…”
He frowned a little as a stifled fit of laughter from the group of youths nearby carried their way on a breeze and he looked out towards them to see them hurriedly look away from them. Still, might be nothing yet, it was unusual behaviour, yes, but not quite on the panic scale yet. When she went on to mention the colour in comparison with her other favourite colours, Trent smiled gently, the corners of his mouth touched with concern as this obviously wasn’t the calibre of conversation that they usually had. Well, unless they were talking about bananas, then things could get a little silly and light hearted. Well, very silly and light hearted.
He unflinchingly allowed her thumb to caress the skin just under his eye, his eyebrows raising at the unfamiliar motion and making them wider still. In the small corner of his mind he realised at that moment that he actually quite liked the closeness that touch brought, not a quick hug or friendly holding of hands, but actual tender feeling, but at that moment he was too concerned over her well being to notice it. He quickly put his own drink down on the sand, sinking it deep so that it didn’t spill and raised his own hand to hers to bring it down again. Looking deeply into her face, he frowned in a fretful manner and brought his other hand up to shift a lock of red hair that had fallen in front of her face.
“What has happened to you?” he asked, quietly, a mournful edge to his voice. He thought quickly over the options; he had only been away for a few minutes and there were only a few things that could have altered her so drastically in such a short space of time. His senses now attuned to the redhead in front of him, Trent noticed instantly the strange noise that accompanied her breathing, the harsh sound, and worry bubbled up within his chest.
“You’ve had one, Rowan,” he said, his quiet voice now getting a little fiery as it became clear that someone else had been here trying to intentionally to hurt his Rowan. His brown eyes scanned the sand and caught on to an extra cup there, not one that he had provided for her, nor the ones that they had picked up together on their way in. His eyes, now flashing with a certain rage, turned back to the group of boys, still audacious enough to remain within earshot of the couple. However, before he could get up to confront them about their actions, Rowan spoke once more and he melted down to her side again, his expression softening.
“Oh believe me, you know me, Rowan McKinley,” he said, his voice sure and oddly English sounding. He lifted a hand to stroke down the side of her head again, trying to offer comfort whilst his own pulse was hiking with high emotion. He jumped up suddenly, his sights set on the gaggle of youths who now looked a little nervous, just one, the leader, laughing boastfully. With one last glance down at the impaired young woman, he uttered, in a dark, almost menacing tone. “You just wait there, I’ll be right back. Just, don’t move.”
He worried that whilst he was away to find out what the idiots had put into her system, that she would do something that she would regret, wander off, maybe approach the sea in the dark, which she would know not to do in her right mind. However, the seething rage that itched the underside of his skin needed purging, and rightfully so. Thus, he stormed over to the group, whose numbers had severely dwindled as they listened in to Trent’s tone, and he stood close to the kid that he had figured out to be the leader.
“What have you done to her?” he asked, his voice lower, darker, more English that Rowan had ever heard it. His dark eyes now steeled and locked the eighteen year old’s gaze within his, commanding him, but it wasn’t quite enough to stop his cocky bravado. The kid merely shrugged, inciting Trent’s anger all the more as he stood with his hands dug deep into his trouser pockets whilst his coat fluttered idly in the breeze.
“You will tell me what you’ve done to her,” he reiterated the question in no uncertain terms, but the youth merely boasted that there was nothing that he, the old man, could do to make him spill. With gritted teeth Trent glared down at the teenager and he leaned in as he now shouted for anyone around to hear. “Ooh no, because now, by doing this, to her. You’ve made this personal and there isn’t enough red tape on this earth to stop me from finding out what has happened here!”
The intensity of the words, the amount of saliva that flew as the unassumingly eccentric physics teacher spat his words at the kid made him cower a little and he lost the last of his cronies. However, there was still a little of the stubborn side to undermine and the teenager crossed his arms across his chest, still unwilling to yield his power. “Why do you need to know anyway, it’s not like it’s permanent. It’s just a laugh, jeez.”
“I need to know because I’m clever,” Trent roared, one of his hands emerging from his pockets and beating at his chest to emphasise the point. “And I can help her, but only if I know what the drug was! I’m going to find out, so you might as well just tell me!”
At last the teenager gave up the game and gave Trent the name of the drug, which made his heart lighten considerably as he realised that the effects should wear off fairly rapidly. Still, he highly doubted that the prank had involved accurate doses, so he would definitely need to keep an eye on her. Noticing that the idiot was just about to run off Trent turned to him once more, his teeth still gritted in a dangerous, annoyed fashion. “You tell your friends that those pranks are over. If I catch wind of one more incident then believe me I will end it!”
Without waiting to see if his words had the right effect on the quaking teenager, the physics teacher turned on his converse heel and jogged back over to the woman he cared about, the one that he had shared so much with in recent months. He crouched down beside her once more, his brown eyes now softened right back down to a puppy dog concern. “Rowan?”
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Post by Rowan McKinley on Nov 17, 2009 6:51:14 GMT -5
(OOC- I couldn't quite remember which drug she'd been slipped so I went with the general symptoms until I could check with you to see if you could remember which we'd decided on lol. Also, if it seems confusing or disjointed, it's not because I'm not giving it my best effort, it was supposed to sound that way as it's more from Rowan's POV so it's supposed to sound more as if it's affected by the drug. If it makes perfect sense, I didn't try hard enough XD )
Rowan watched in awed confusion as the man in front of her looked at her with a concern she felt sure she didn’t warrant. He was handsome, in the kind of way that one didn’t look at and think ‘he’s handsome’ but more in the type of attractiveness that became more apparent over time and she couldn’t help wondering how exactly she could notice something like that after a few mere moments. “You know” she murmured, her eyes drifting back to the brown one she had been focusing on, now trying to discern which exact shade she found so pleasant. “I think I may have had a little too much to...” She trailed off as he spoke again, blinking deliberately as she automatically leaned toward the hand that touched her hair, the other curling around the one that held her own. “One what?” The tone in his voice was becoming almost frightening and she couldn’t help wondering if this ‘one’ was something she herself ought to be worried about.
Watching as he walked away, her mind trailed over his words. He evidently knew her well, or he wouldn’t have been quite so familiar with her. Her hand lifted absently to her hair, following the path his had taken as she watched him speaking to the group that had been so kind in giving her the drink. She frowned with concern at the turn their conversation seemed to be taking. The man was shouting now, the words easily reaching her, and she blinked, confusion making her brain spin. Personal? Why would it be personal? Am I supposed to be here with him? Surely I can’t be, I’d know him if I was. The thoughts fought with each other for dominance as she listened, her head gradually reeling faster and faster until she could barely focus on the fact that there were any there at all, let alone one any one in particular.
Jumping as the man’s outburst peaked in a shout and moving to the end of her lounger, ready to run to the aid of her apparent protector should he need it, though the volume frightened her somewhat, she watched intently. Clever? Drug What was it all about? Had someone been hurt? Her eyes quickly moved over the gathering throng watching his tirade, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She could see nothing but the usual drunkenness, a small smile appearing as she watched a few couples who had ignored the shouting, still dancing on the sand. Rowan quickly forgot about the man and his victim as she began to watch the dancing, admiring the way the limbs moved fluidly, like water in a stream. This was far more fascinating than any silly argument, whatever it was about. Maybe she could join them.
Pushing herself to her feet, Rowan looked over at the man as she remembered his words, biting her lip nervously. He had told her, no, ordered her to stay where she was. Judging by the way he was behaving, this was not a man who tolerated being disobeyed well, and admittedly he did seem to care about her, for whatever reason. If she did know him, she might be risking the same telling off the boys had received for disobeying his instructions, and the way her head was spinning made her doubt that she could cope with the volume, let alone the fright.
With a sigh, she sank back down on her lounger, eyes still trained on the dancers and swaying slightly in time with their movements. It was almost hypnotizing and she found herself more and more often having to take a sudden breath as she got further engrossed in the spectacle and forgot to breath as often as she should. The movements gradually became dizzying and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to stop the beach around her from spinning with the dancers. The effort seemed to work backwards as, instead of everything slowing down, the lightheadedness seemed to increase and her eyes flew open once more just in time for her to grab the arm of the lounger to stop the backwards path her body had decided to take toward the sand. Just then, the shouting ceased and she looked over toward the man to see him jogging back toward her. Thinking it best to at least be friendly even if she wasn’t sure how she knew him, she smiled warmly at him, her eyes widening a little at the look of pure worry on his face as he sank down next to her. “Yes? Is something wrong?”
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