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Post by Peter Holden on Nov 8, 2012 19:03:00 GMT -6
Peter walked into the recreation room, his hands full of papers and art supplies. Once inside, he stepped over to a table and settled the stack on it, but it quickly slid over. He usually spent most of his time in the Red Ribbon common room, or his own room, but he'd decided to try the recreation room, which he hadn't been into yet.
Shrugging off his charcoal grey coat, he hung it on the back of his chair and sat down, starting to sort out all of his stuff. In one pile he stacked the papers and folders of school work, most of which he had finished, but he figured that he'd study if he got the chance. The second was a pad of drawing paper and a sketch pad, topped by various graphite pencils, as well as colored watercolor pencils and pens. The third was a couple of thick manila envelopes labeled Negatives, Equine, Candids, and Nature in Sharpie.
He stacked the first two piles together and pulled out the Equine envelope, taking out a stack of photographs. He'd developed them recently and hadn't taken a while to look at them. Most were of Thimble, but a couple were of pastures with horses in them, and people riding. He stopped at a picture of his sister, Kate, who had her arms around the neck of a little Fjord.
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Post by Avery Jacobs on Nov 10, 2012 21:54:42 GMT -6
Avery walked with purpose through the white ribbon house, offering one of the girl she had met a tight smile. She wasn’t one for all that friendly banter, but smiles were a given. She didn’t particularly hate anyone in her house, and actually found herself enjoying their company. The brunette sighed at herself, why she had been giving her teachers such a hard time was simply her thing, though the girl was an okay person to people her age. Just as long they didn’t bother her in the first place. Eyes flying down to her watch, Avery realized she had quite a bit of free time on her hands.
She walked out to the courtyard, looking around for something to do. Avery easily got bored and it was a feeling she thought was worse than death. The brunette looked somewhat hesitantly toward the recreation room, imagining annoying younger boys with video games and back to her dorm. Her curiosity of the recreation room overruled the prospect of just spending the time in her dorm and she made her way to the door. Opening it with large force, Avery closed it just as firmly as she opened it, never failing to make herself known.
The brunette offered the few kids sitting around a nod before moving off toward the table. A lonesome boy seemed to be doing something and the girl’s curiosity grew. She wandered closer, until she was standing barely a hair away. It was too late, she realized she had gotten too close to be normal, but her eyes looked upon the photos. Amazement clouded her features and she gave the boy a pointed look. Avery was annoyed at herself for making such an awkward introduction.
The girl soon realized turning around and walking out was not an option and talking to the boy she had just walked up to and nearly nudged, was inevitable. For what seemed like the first time in her life, Avery shot the boy a guilty grin. “Uh- sorry. Curiosity got the better of me.” her voice came out truthful, as Avery valued honesty and fairness above anything. She looked bluntly at the folders off to the side and the sketch pad, easily seeing the boy was somewhat of an artist. Avery had always enjoyed seeing art, though she couldn’t do much herself. “Mind if I see those? They’re nice.” she said, not stopping to even have a proper greeting or introduction. Those were minutes wasted. The girl hoped the boy would be thankful of her compliment, because as mostly everyone was going to learn, they didn’t come out often.
OOC: OMGGGZZ, Avery's done something awkward and been nice all in one day. It's a revolution. xD
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Post by Peter Holden on Nov 11, 2012 7:50:58 GMT -6
Peter continued to flip through the stack of photos, many of which featured Kate and her two horses. Several were in black and white, as he liked to work with that a lot. One in particular he really liked, as it featured the silhouette of a girl arched over a warmblood type horse's neck mid-jump. It was Kate with her newer horse Cailin. Peter had taken the photos shorty before he'd left, and he and Kate had spent the evening at the stable with their horses. Kate had always teased him about his always having a camera hung around his neck, but not that day. She could hardly complain since she loved to be in the pictures as much as he loved taking them.
He sensed someone close to him, though it was unclear how exactly. It could have been the body heat from being so close, or the sound of breathing, but it made his back feel a bit tingly and he itched to shrug the feeling off, but kept still. When the someone spoke behind him, he turned around quickly and was startled by the girl who stood beside him and her close proximity, despite his knowing about it before. He didn't know who he'd been expecting it to be, but he didn't recognize the girl and didn't know exactly how long she'd been watching him. He gave a tight lipped smile when she mentioned her curiosity and apologized, and he quickly replied, "No, it's uh- please don't be sorry. He stopped flipping through the photos self consciously.
He was shocked to say the least when she asked to see them. Sure, they were just photos of his and Kate's horses and other little things from around the yard, but he rarely shared his pictures with others. He supposed that it was his own fault, going through them in the recreation room, but he liked the background noise of other people, and had assumed that nobody would approach him. Looking up, he shrugged and shook his head in answer to her question, half of a smile tainting his lips at her compliment. He slid the pictures back into a neat stack and handed them to her, looking at her face for the first time. "Here you go." he spoke, once again aware of his accent. He hadn't expected the funny looks he'd get form some people when they heard his English accent, and was always a little taken aback.
He watched her, waiting for a reaction. She was definitely beautiful, in that stop and stare sort of way, but Peter had never really paid attention to that and had quickly learned that what a person hid, or didn't hide on the inside was much more important.
OOC: They've barely met and already he seems to have a good influence on her :)
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Post by Avery Jacobs on Nov 14, 2012 16:24:28 GMT -6
Avery gave the boy a straight faced look as he turned around with surprise. She realized that he hadn’t realized she was there. The girl nearly let out a small chuckle at his obvious shock, somewhat cruelly liking the fact she had just freaked the poor guy out. Still, the brunette kept her cool, giving him a collected gaze, only a bit more emotion in her eyes than usual due to her amazement with the photos. Art had always been something she’d enjoyed, even before everything had collapsed. Perhaps it was the last thing that connected Avery to her old, sweet self. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been enough.
She raised a brow when he asked her not to be sorry. Avery didn’t really have a problem with this and made a somewhat nonchalant shrug “Okay then, I won’t.” Avery said this matter-o-factly, no venom in her voice at all. She hadn't meant any anyway, rather she wanted to let the boy know his want had been accepted. Most of the crap that came out of Avery’s mouth was directed at those she didn’t particularly like, though with innocent fellow students, Avery almost always meant what she said. The girl liked being direct and to the point with people she didn’t know or didn’t dislike, simply because she didn’t think anyone deserved to get confused. Most of the time, Avery made sure she was very clear with these things.
Avery could easily see the shock on the boy’s face, and she smiled slightly. What – had he believed she wasn’t going to ask to see them at least after going through that whole awkward moment? The brunette waited as he gave her the photos, giving him a genuine smile and looking through them before realizing the boy’s accent. She looked up slightly, not bothering to shoot any looks of any kind before stating what was on her mind “You’re British.” It hadn’t been a question. Rather something she had just wanted to make clear she knew.
Avery looked back down at the images, a sad, broken look crossing her face. She felt close to the ones of the little girl and the horse. It reminded her so much of the days back when her mother was alive and she had been a happy little girl. The brunette bit her inside cheek before looking back up at her new acquaintance. “Is she your sister?” Avery asked before adjusting her look on him. He was cute. She frowned slightly before pointing to the girl that she was talking about.
OOC: Hehe <3 He's so cute in that artsy way.
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Post by Peter Holden on Nov 14, 2012 19:32:48 GMT -6
Peter was a bit put aback by her cool expression, and quickly tried to wipe the look of shock off of his face, quite embarrassed, but tried to out it aside. He didn't really like to dwell on emotions that he deemed to be temporary and liked to put them aside as quickly as possible, so that his time could be better spent on more chronic or permanent emotions.
He had to force himself to stop his eyebrows from jumping up in surprise at her response to his asking her not to be sorry. Maybe it was an American thing? He suspected not. She was already proving to be an interesting figure. She didn't seem vicious about it though, for which he was glad, and he was quite confident in this as he prided himself in reading people rather well.
He let a smile slip through his mouth when she smiled while looking through his photos. He didn't often let people see them, and the only person he had ever offered to share them with was Kate. He was glad that the girl apparently liked them, and felt a bit of pride swell inside of him, but he quickly pushed the feeling down. He constantly reminded himself that pride nearly never resulted in anything good, and only let himself be proud of himself when he had accomplished something really remarkable. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but he a bit thrilled that she was impressed.
His smile grew taut when she mentioned his home country. A couple of people had asked about his being from England, but she didn't seem to be asking, or even confirming, really. It was just more a statement. He didn't pause for long though before responding, "I agree." A bemused expression graced his face, "You are an American." He stated the obvious in return, hoping that it wouldn't earn him a sharp look. The thought of it made the smile disappear from him face, and he closed a bit once again, wondering why he had opened up, even if it was just a crack.
He examined her closely when she looked down at the photos once again. She appeared to be sad, but he didn't question it, knowing that that was precisely the last thing he'd want to be done to him. His eyes were wide, but not in a surprised way when she looked back up and asked him about Kate. He stood up to glance at the picture, even though he knew it was Kate she was talking about. "Yes, she is. Her name is Kate; she just turned 14. She's back at home." The girl in the picture looked younger than that, but Kate always had, and she was younger than most of her peers. Peter turned a little sullen. He liked thinking about Kate, but missed her terribly and wished that she'd apply for Blue Ridge already. He shook his head just barely, telling himself sharply to stay focused in what was here, and now. He had a habit of letting his mind stray, and was determined to squash it.
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Post by Avery Jacobs on Nov 14, 2012 20:30:01 GMT -6
Already to engrossed in the photos, Avery missed the look of shock on the boy’s face as she replied back to the boy’s comment on her sorry. Her eyes lit bright, the feel of inspiration rushing through her veins. It dead right stopped however as she realized why she had made such a connection with the photos. Her brother, Leo had been a true artist too. He especially loved his camera the most. Avery sucked in a cheek as she looked at the pictures, taking to look at each and every one with a certain way that would make others think that she was dissecting them. With Avery, it was either she did things all the way or she didn’t do them at all.
Looking at pictures was included with that, and she took her time before flipping to the next one. Patience was something the girl actually somewhat possessed, though not nearly as much as her older brother. Her attention captivated only by the pictures, the boy somehow managed to get the brunette to pull her head up. Avery looked up at his reply, pursing her lips. Slowly, she let out the first grin that day. “I agree.” she said simply, following the boy’s example as he had hers. She did agree. She was American. “Does this fact bother you?” she asked simply, in the same matter-o-fact way of hers. To Avery, it was a relevant question, knowing the reputation Americans had over in Europe.
With that, Avery turned her attention back to the photo, her eyes growing soft at picture of the little teenager. For some weird reason, the brunette could never be mad at kids a lot younger than her. It was one of the only things that remained in her after the whole family crumbling episode. She looked up, her eyes searching as she watched the boy’s eyes go a bit rueful and then blank. Avery let out a soft knowing smile.
Avery flipped through a few more photos, her eyes searching through them, the girl in them clearly the boy’s little sister. She looked like him as well. The brunette looked slowly up, her voice having a somewhat gentle tone to it because the boy’s photos had touched her. “I miss home too.” she said, her voice not mean, but not soft either. Avery wasn’t trying to be sympathetic, simply telling off facts as she usually did. She met the boy’s face with her dark orbs before flipping to the next photo which in turn happened to be the first one of the stack. Avery nodded in approval of the photos, before she handed them back. “You’re an artist.” she said simply.
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Post by Peter Holden on Nov 15, 2012 17:47:20 GMT -6
Peter watched the girl's bright eyes as she looked through her photos. He would have given quite a bit to know what she was thinking, but it was rude to ask, and he certainly did not want to make a bad impression. After a few moments of flipping through them, the light in her eyes seemed to dim, and Peter bit the inside of his cheek unconsciously. She seemed to spend a certain amount of time on each photo and he itched to know what she was thinking. When wheels were turning in her head. Peter could have very well been an exceptionally nosy person with his curiosity, but managed to detain it rather well.
When she grinned at his response, he let the side of his lips turn up. Apparently she appreciated his humor, thank goodness. One of Peter's greatest faults, or strengths, (or maybe even a hamartia) was the need to be liked. Maybe not even liked, just not disliked. He never really did anything to make people dislike him, but the thought made him cringe. When she responded to his statement the same way, his smile widened, though it grew a bit tight with her question, and his eyes crinkled the tiniest bit. "Not at all." he answered, "I'm here, aren't I? I'll admit that I may be bothered by certain Americans, but the same was true for quite a few people back in Britain. But you; no, it doesn't bother me."
He looked back down at the picture she'd inquired about. Kate looked really, really happy in it. She usually was, except for when she was especially angry. That's how she was. Either very happy, or very upset. Quite the opposite of Peter, who usually tried to stay in the neutral zone.
He looked up his brow furrowed when she mentioned home. "Yeah." he agreed, having nothing else to say about it. He missed home more than he'd ever imagined he would. He knew he'd miss Kate, but hadn't imagined missing England itself. Or his parents, who frankly drove him nuts, or his sister's stupid cat. Everything he'd known had been taken from him, except for Lacey, Thimble, and his art. He took his photos back from her and ran his fingers over the edges, getting them back into a clean stack.
At her comment regarding him being an artist, his ears reddened a bit. This girl seemed to speak in truths and statements, and with others he would probably deny it, explaining how others were so much more talented and whatnot, but for her he didn't really know how to respond. He'd take it was a compliment, he decided, and accept it. "Thanks. That really does mean...a lot."
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Post by Avery Jacobs on Nov 15, 2012 18:52:10 GMT -6
Avery honestly could care less about what people thought about her when it came to being nice or mean. It was more of hurting her tough reputation that she cared about. She knew people didn’t mess with you if you were known to hit back hard. Avery thought she had established that around the school enough for those to have a warning before trying to pick something with her. She didn’t care if someone disliked her; that was their loss. This fact had probably been one of the only things that was benefitting when she built up her little mental walls. Avery liked to think that she was extremely strong, but on the inside, the pain of her breaking family was raw and weak.
Avery looked back up at the boy as he answered her straight to the point question. She was quite knowledgeable about how Brits felt about Americans as other Europeans. The brunette really couldn’t blame em’, nor did she actually care enough to. She shrugged, offering the hint of a smile “I don’t know enough Brits to dislike any.” she responded simply, letting the boy know she certainly didn’t dislike him. Quite frankly, he had rubbed her in a good way with his obvious artistic talent. She was always prone to that with Leo’s many painting and photos.
The girl wondered why she had said that, knowing how she sometimes didn’t think before she spoke. Not in the way of insulting people, because she really didn’t care about that but what made her look weak. Avery didn’t like to look vulnerable to anyone in any way whatsoever. She sucked in her cheeks softly, trying to focus back on the happy girl on the photo. She missed home too, but she was too busy at pretending to be mad at her grandparents, which she had gotten over but had too much pride to mail them a letter and end her grudge. Avery was still pretty angry at her father for losing the farm, but let him off knowing he was already devastated with himself. That was enough of a punishment if any.
Avery was really dishing it out in compare to her usual amount of compliments: zero. Still, the boy’s artwork deserved them and she was willing to tell him the truth. Still, she was feeling a bit annoyed with herself for acting so awkwardly and kept her face straight as he responded. Trying to make it look as if it was nothing much, Avery shrugged a bit “Just stating the truth.” she said with a nod. It really was the truth as she usually stated the truth without hesitation. She was indeed honest to a fault. Though most called it being blunt. She was stubborn as well, but that was simply just one of her rather more negative traits. She nodded to the other piles “What about those?” she asked, the curiosity easy to differ in her voice.
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Post by Peter Holden on Nov 15, 2012 19:15:22 GMT -6
Peter placed the photos back in their respective envelope and put it on top of the other envelopes. He'd been meaning to send Kate some of the ones she liked and the ones with her in them, but he could do that later. When the girl confirmed that she didn't dislike him, Peter felt a little something in him lift. Something else he wouldn't have to worry about, someone else not to hurt, or annoy, or upset. But he liked her. It would be worth it.
Her comment about home had shaken him a bit, and it almost seemed as if she wished to leave it as well. He was glad. To much to try to ignore, and not remember. Anything he'd cared about that he would never get back he packed up in a box and pushed to the back of his mind. His choice to leave had left many things in the middle. Things with frayed edges and empty, unfinished holes in him. The large painting he'd been doing as an assignment for his art teacher. The girl he'd fancied for a long time, who was just finally starting to take notice. Watching Kate grow as a rider, as a person. He'd miss it, but he'd start new things in place. The mural for art class was coming along well. He'd find another girl, or maybe not, whatever was for the best. And maybe, just maybe, Kate would end up here with him.
He watched her, and listened, hearing her explain that it was just the truth. Always the truth with her it seemed. Truth was something he could use. No masks or pretty disguises hiding ugly truths. Her compliment warmed him a bit as he got used to it, and he realized that he was proud of himself for the second time in a conversation. Simply not acceptable. He shrugged it off and quickly answered her question, "Just school stuff and other drawings and supplies..." he trailed off at the end, knowing she'd probably be interested if the past proved anything. It was mostly just charcoal drawings and a few watercolors, none of his especially good work that he kept safe in good conditions.
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Post by Avery Jacobs on Nov 16, 2012 14:57:09 GMT -6
Avery watched the boy put the photos away, her eyes watching every moment of his with growing interest. The images were certainly something she definitely liked and she could sort of see where he was coming from with his photos. She wondered what it would be like to see the world through artistic eyes, wishing for one that she had gotten her brother’s talent. Avery froze a second, almost a hundred percent Leo had taken art as well as this boy. She wondered if they were friends. Just the thought nearly caused a wince to cross her face, but she contained her worries for the time being.
The girl’s eyes flickered back onto the brunette’s face, quietly wondering why she had made that comment about the whole missing home situation. Avery realized for about the billionth time in her life she didn’t think before she spoke. The girl preferred to speak her mind in the company of someone she didn’t feel threatened by, though it had gotten her into trouble many times. A sigh left her lips as she looked forward, waiting for the boy to break the silence with something. Avery allowed herself to study the boy’s looks only now, taking note that he was easily good looking, in that cute way. She frowned at the thought.
The boy’s obvious pride in his photos was easy for her to see despite his shrug and Avery smiled slightly. She was happy he knew what a talent he had. Too many people didn’t realize it. She waited patiently for him to answer her question, hoping that he would show her what it was. The girl’s eyes took on the same sheen of excitement and curiosity as she glanced at the other folders. Avery pursed her lips, giving the boy a knowing look. “Hmm… Can I see it?” she asked, a small smirk starting to play up on her face.
Before the boy could even answer however, a sound crackled over the loud speaker. “Pardon the interruption – Avery Jacobs to the main office please.” The brunette let out an exasperated sigh “Bullcrap.” she said, not even in the hushed tones most did. She gave the boy a nod, hoping this wouldn’t make him terrified of her. “Looks like I gotta go.” Avery sighed slightly before starting to make her way to the door, and she thought she had free time. Plus she really had wanted to see those pictures. The girl shot the boy a grin before slipping out the door, not even acknowledging the fact she didn’t know his name.
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Post by Peter Holden on Nov 16, 2012 21:18:40 GMT -6
Once he'd placed the photos back, his hands returned to each other, and he rubbed his knuckles, which was a bit of a nervous habit. Like the rest of him, his fingers were long and bony, and his knuckles almost stuck out. He wondered if she was new. He suspected that she might be, but he didn't know, as he was just as new himself. He usually didn't go for back stories, and figured that if he wanted one, he'd have to wait a while, and probably give up his own first.
Something made him think that he'd have noticed her if he'd seen her before, out of classes at least. She definitely stuck out to him, but he couldn't place his finger on why. When he told her what was in his other piles, a look of genuine excitement crossed her face, and he couldn't help but smile. Maybe if it made her this happy, he could stand to show her some of his other work. Anything to please. The words resonated through him, and he had to shake them off a bit, and didn't hear her question at first. He knew it was coming of course, and glanced up to see her smirking. Was she playing with him?
He turned to pull out a couple pieces of his, and vaguely heard the noise of the loudspeaker, but didn't pay much attention to it and didn't catch exactly what was said. He only knew that his name wasn't called, and so he was satisfied. He was quite surprised when he heard the girl proclaim something, and he didn't quite get it at first, but realized that she had been called down when she said her goodbye and darted out the door. "Goodbye..." he called after her, his voice raised louder than usual. She probably didn't hear him, but it made him feel better to think that maybe she had.
Peter sat down with a sigh, feeling quite defeated for some reason. Who was she? And what on earth had she done to get called to the office? The thought made him a bit nervous, but for some reason he didn't dwell on it too much. He tried to get back to what he had been doing before she had arrived, but he just couldn't focus. He ended up collecting up his things and returning to his dorm. He sat alone for the rest of the afternoon, trying to read, must mostly mulling over his meeting with that girl.
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