Driving/walking Down to Maple Hollow, Tag Dierdra

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

Ace grinned, sitting in front of him was his bike. He always got happy chills whenever he saw it. His face would light up and his spine would tingle. The bike was his baby, and he loved it to pieces. He grinned as he placed his helmet gently on the seat examining the vehicle. It was a thing of beauty, it was black as night, sleek and so, so amazing. his smile widened as he let his fingers run over the engine and then over the seats. Damn the thing was awesome. He had on a leather jacket even though it was too hot to wear in the summer right now. He only wore it because he didn't want to get cut up if he crashed, plus it was cold if you went for a while. He wore jeans too for the same reason. Ace twirled the keys around on his finger slowly looking at the bike, circling it. Okay so there was no new scratches or anything else that he would have to try and fix later.

Ace was heading into Maple Hollow to get to the mall. He needed some new prank stuff, and other essentials. Though he wasn't sure where to put all this stuff when he got it. Seeing as there wasn't much room on the bike for much merchandise. He'd probably just stuff everything into his trusty old messenger bag. In it he had mostly emptied it of everything but maybe three water bottles, and a few pens. But that was it. And he was glad that his trusty bag had a waist strap too. It was good that he had it because if not the bag would move around all over the place. It would cause drag, and then when he stopped it might fly forward. With the waist strap it stayed perfectly at his side so he didn't have to worry about it.

Ace stood looking down the road, the forest enclosed the sides of the road and was amazing scenery for it. The parking lot was outside the gates of the school and that's where ace and his bike were. He walked around the bike once more before sitting down on it looking at the road ahead of him. Ace put in the key and gave it a twist. He checked as the dashboard started up, he blinked at the gas indicator, crap it was near empty, he forgot to fill up on gas last time. But he was sure he would make it to the town.

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Things were beginning to grow more odd. Deirdra didn't know yet, but the strange feeling inside her was the beginnings of a few friendships—things she was definitely not used to dealing with. The fact that Nell and Ace especially were beginning to pop into her mind every once in awhile, just through the normal course of her thoughts, was a little weird. She was used to that happening with her uncle—after all, she trusted and love him more than anyone on the planet. But these two people, whom she'd only know for a week? Speaking of which, there was Ace. Deirdra was out in the parking lot, meaning to take a day-trip to Maple Hollow to buy herself a treat or something like that. Being around tons of other people wasn't her idea of fun, but her uncle had made her promise that she'd find herself some changes of scenery sometimes. He seemed to think that since she'd spent the first fourteen years of her life in a basement that she would become a hermit at the school. Well...he was probably right. Anyway, Ace was admiring a motorcycle, which piqued the girl's interest. She'd never seen a motorcycle up close before. Her feet carried her toward him, though she wasn't exactly sure why. A little part of her was urging her to tell him thanks for the times he'd helped her. He did have a habit of coming upon her right when she needed help. Sort of. But mostly she was just glad he'd been there to snap her out of her episode that first time. Though she hadn't ever thanked anyone before, she thought he'd earned it. So she walked toward him slowly, and cautiously, watching him get on his bike and fiddle with it. Evidently, Deirdra had never been around a motorcycle when it had been turned on, either. When it roared to life, she jumped at least two feet, slipped on the landing, and landed on her butt with an 'oof!' It was not very graceful, nor was it painless, but she survived. The earth girl felt her heart going several miles an hour, but she calmed herself quickly, telling herself that it was no different than the sound of a car. She'd just thought....smaller vehicle, smaller sound, right? ”Ow.” She said, though it sounded far more sedate and stunned than surprised or pained. Mostly, Deirdra was just a little out of her element. Instead of picking herself up, she looked up to see whether Ace had seen that or not. TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

Ace held the clutch and pushed the ignition, the bike roared to life, like a dragon coming from the bottom of a volcano it roared. Ace grinned like the man who controlled that dragon. It was a piece of beauty and might. It may have been small but it was an amazing thing. All that power inside of such a small thing. It was like the power within an atom. If you split an atom all that power and ferocity would explode. And Ace was the one who controlled it. That gave him this sense of power over something powerful. And sure he enjoyed the feeling, it just didn't make it to his head. He didn't want to be the guy who went crazy with all that power.

Ace heard someone oof as he had started the the bike and he turned around to see a familiar face. "Dierdra?" He said getting off his bike and putting the kickstand out. "Are you okay?" He said at the girl who was on the ground he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the girl. Had she fallen over because of the bike? Either way he held out a hand for her to help her get up. "Hey Dierdra what's up?" He asked with a grin. He usually didn't see the girl much around school, they probably had totally different classes. Ace also didn't know where the girl hung around after school so it was hard to meet her around school. So it was up to chance, or fate to bring the two together. Ace sighed it was like someone was writing out what was going to happen to him sometimes.

Ace grinned at the girl "So Dee. Mind if I call you that?" He asked calling her by a nickname he had thought up of. "So what brings you to the parking lot?" He asked curious. The bike had quieted down enough that he didn't have to yell to talk to her like normal. Ace heard something clack to the ground behind him as his helmet had fallen off and started to roll away. He shouted after it "Hey come back!" he said as he chased after the rolling helmet

Ace's little race with the helmet happened quickly. It rolled towards the road and Ace chased after it. The helmet had a good lead on Ace but it must have hit a rock or something because it bounced and slowed down rolling into the grass that was be side the road. Ace sighed as he picked it up and inspected it for any dents or scratches. Seeing only dirt and a few rocks on it he brushed it off looking at the orange thing. He was glad he had this, a crash without this and he had a higher risk of dying during that crash. Ace sighed as he held the full face helmet and walked back to Dierdra. "Sorry about that, I guess my helmet was in a rush to get going." He said with a laugh.

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ace said her name as if he wasn't sure it was her. Or at least, that was how it seemed to her. She merely blinked at him, though, knowing she was not the most socially adept person at the school, and that he had a habit of asking questions she wasn't supposed to answer. Which was confusing. Deirdra wanted to do the correct thing, but how was she supposed to be able to tell what he wanted her to answer or not? Oh well. Right now it wasn't important. He asked if she was alright, and she nodded, ”I'm ok.” It surprised her, but when he held out his hand Deirdra only barely hesitated to take it and allow him to pull her to her feet. She pulled her hand away immediately after, and only then did she realize that the touch hadn't bothered her. At all. It had been a shallow touch, yes, but that was something. Deirdra brought her hands together absently, allowing her left hand to explore her palm, then move up to grab her forearm loosely. Since she'd had the bandage there, it had been a habit. For some reason, Deirdra couldn't help but touch the things. In her usual way, the girl ducked her head a bit and answered, ”Not much.” That seemed to be what most people said when they were asked what's up. She'd just been to the medical wing again to get her burns re-bandaged and have her face checked up on. At this point, it was just purple, and the slightest bit smaller. It looked to be going away faster than most would. When Ace called her 'Dee', her train of thought crashed into a wall. ”What?” Why did he call her that? And now he was asking if she was ok with it. A brief look of confusion crossed her face, and she frowned the slightest bit, ”I.... That's not my name.” She said stupidly. The idea of a nickname had not occurred to her—she'd never had one before, never given one before, never been close enough to someone else before to grasp what sort of a thing a nickname was. But, after hesitation, she nodded a bit, ”You can... call me that if you want, though.” She paused after he asked her the next question, then answered again. ”I was going to walk to Maple Hollow.” Then the helmet ran away. Deirdra's eyes widened a bit as she watched first the helmet begin to roll away and then Ace run after it like a madman. Something inside her got a little happy. One corner of her mouth twitched a bit, but no luck—Deirdra didn't smile. She felt very amused, but on the outside she was still stoic and a little but curious, as always. After a certain point, she walked a few paces forward, wondering whether he was going to catch it on his own. But she stopped before she got to the bike and waited. After all, there was nothing she could do. When he came back and made the little joke about his helmet, Deirdra surprised herself again. ”Where are you going?” TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

Ace smiled at her. "Well that's good." He said as she took his hand. Ace gently pulled her to her feet, and her hand pulled away the moment she was on her feet. Ace remembered once more that she didn't like to be touched, he wanted to apologize but that would just end up being lame. So he rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a little smile unsure of what to do next. He watched her move her hand and she grabbed at her forearm. Which reminded him about the burns she had. Ace concerned a little bit asked her "Hey how are the burns feeling?" He asked sweetly. He wanted to know how they did, "I'll put some more cream on tomorrow and switch the bandages, so you should come to the med wing again. I mean if you hadn't gotten them re bandaged already." He said telling her. He would or one of the nurses would have to switch the bandages on her arms. "Well," He looked closely at her face. "The bruise looks better." He said commenting on the bruise that looked like some of it had faded away.

"Well I guess that's normal isn't it?" He said at her answer. Mostly everyone said not much even though there may have been something that was up. Then she questioned the nickname he gave her. Ace guessed it wasn't okay but he discarded that thought when she said that it wasn't her name. Ace grinned at her. " I know, but it's a nickname." Ace said happily. Maybe she didn't know what a nickname was, she didn't know what a friend was or what a rhetorical question was so Ace felt like he should explain it to her. It was a rather easy explanation, unlike the other ones he had to give. "A nickname is something a friend calls you. Dee is short for Deirdra." He said glad that he didn't have to try and clutch at straws with this explanation.

Her next sentence was a bit of a surprise to Ace. "Walk there? That's an hour's walk." He said and it was about an hour's walk to get there. However with a car or a motorcycle it was actually only a ten maybe fifteen minute drive there. Of course if you went at the limit it might take a bit longer, but everybody went above the limit. Ace was going to suggest something but his helmet had other ideas.

Ace smiled at the girl "Well I was heading to Maple Hollow too." He said with a grin. Then he remembered the idea he was going to suggest before his bike helmet had other ideas. "Why don't you ride with me?" He said gesturing at the bike. "Be my passenger." Ace hadn't had a passenger on his bike yet but it couldn't be much different than riding solo. It wouldn't be much of a challenge. Well it shouldn't be much of a challenge anyways. Ace grinned, "So what do think? Wanna ride with me on a motorcycle all the way to Maple Hollow?"

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ”They're better.” She said softly. This was one of the questions she was supposed to answer, she was sure. Taking a few seconds to pause and look about her absently, Deirdra shrugged a bit and let go of her arm, holding it closer to him so he cdould see that the bandages were new, ”Already done.” But she was glad he'd be willing to do it for her, for some reason. It didn't really make sense to her why he was so worried about her well-being, but at least while he cared whether she was ok he wouldn't hurt her in any way. She was just waiting for the other shoe to drop at this point. Deirdra pulled her arm back before he'd have a chance to reach out and touch her again. Ace moved closer to look at her face, but for some reason the earth girl could tell he wasn't going to touch her. She looked into his eyes as he looked at her face, figuring he was checking on the bruise. Sure enough, it wasn't another four seconds before he'd leaned back and commented that it was looking better. Well good. Deirdra wasn't keeping track of it, because she didn't much like mirrors. His answer to her own comment confused her, but it wasn't long before she was tripping over the nickname he'd given her, and he was explaining it. She tilted her head a bit, watching him as he told her what it was. Yet again, this was an easier explanation for her to understand. What a friend calls you. So, he was going to call her Dee from then on. Which meant he was her friend. Or he thought he was her friend. Or maybe he just wanted to be her friend. Deirdra blinked at him a few times, caught up in her own thoughts. Was she his friend? Well, she wasn't sure. He wasn't so much trouble as she'd thought he would be at first. And he'd helped her. But he might hurt her later. Oh well. She wasn't going to make this choice right now. The young woman nodded, ”Yes, at least.” She'd walked the distance several times. The girl was pretty fit, so it wasn't too hard for her. She was also very used to hours of monotony, for obvious reasons. So she'd take the walk for some time alone with nature, the exercise making her feel good and the lack of company making her feel even better. ”It's not very hard.” She said, shrugged her shoulders again. As said before, she did it all the time. Ace seemed to be surprised that she would undergo something like that. Which also didn't make sense to her. Didn't he like to walk? Well what a coincidence. Deirdra blinked at Ace a few times, then blinked at the bike. Truthfully, she was wary of the contraption. After a few moments of hesitation, she frowned and angled her face a bit away from him, ”There's not much room.” It didn't look like two people could comfortably sit on that thing, and she wasn't completely sure she wanted to snuggle just yet. In fact, she was very certain she did not want to. Then, she looked at him. Another brief pause, and then she asked, ”Is it safe?” Am I still safe with you? TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

"Well that's good." He said nodding. It was good, that meant they caused less pain, and thus didn't hurt. He was glad that she was feeling better. Then she raised her arm and said that the re bandaging had already been done. "Oh I see." He commented looking at the new bandages that she had sported. She dropped her arm but Ace got a good enough look to know that they were on properly and that they shouldn't have irritated the burn at all.

"How many times have you walked there?" Ace asked curious enough. He could understand if someone just wanted the physical exercise of walking to get somewhere. He did it a few times, mostly because his car wouldn't start and he didn't like to go on the bus, but those few times he did enjoy it. The scenery was nice and so was the quiet, but Ace was a social creature, he liked to be with other people most of the time that he was awake. He didn't like being alone, it was just something that he really didn't like much. He loved to talk and chat and laugh with people, it made him feel, well not alone. Being alone for too long would drive him bored and crazy. He needed to talk and laugh and smile. He didn't like being alone.

"Well, yea I guess." He said when she said it wasn't hard, then he asked. " But don't you have a car or take the bus?" He asked wondering why the girl would walk instead of at least taking the bus if she had no car. if she didn't well Ace would understand, not everybody had a car. Like in the cities, it was nearly a waste to get a car. One should rather walk, or take the subway, or taxi if you needed a way to get around in the city. It was too much of a hassle to get a car and then be stuck in traffic the minute you pulled out of the parking space. And Ace didn't like to parallel park so if he went to the city he would prefer to use his bike or get a bus ride there instead.

"Sure there is." Ace said patting the passenger cushion. Really it wasn't a seat, it was a cushion, as there wasn't much room and there was no back to it so you had to sit straight or lean on the driver. Ace sat down on his 'seat' and then said "See there's plenty of room left." He said with a grin and patted down on the other side. "And don't worry, I'll keep you safe." He said with a sincere smile on his face.

"But I want you to wear this." He said handing her the helmet. It was an orange full face helmet meaning the thing went around your head. The visor swiveled up and down so that the wearer's eyes were revealed. Talking sounded a bit muffled but it shouldn't be too hard to understand what the wearer was saying. There was padding that layered the inside of the helmet so it should fit nice and snug. If she did take the helmet Ace would use a pair of goggles that he had found while looking around at a garage sale. They were rather cool plastic goggles painted brass with black lenses giving them a steampunk kind of look.

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ”I don't know.” She said. Deirdra hadn't counted the many times she'd walked to town since she'd come to the academy. Of course, she hadn't been allowed when she was younger, but now people really didn't care that much. As messed up as the girl obviously was, she also had a fairly good capacity to take care of herself (mostly because she trusted no one). Once people had seen that, they figured she would be fine, walking to a town that was merely an hour away. With a bit of a tilt to her head, she said, ”Almost every weekend for two years.” As a part of her promise to her uncle, obviously. There wasn't much for someone like her to do there. Deirdra shook her head, ”I can't drive.” Simple enough, though the few times she'd ever told anyone else, they'd been rather surprised. Was it that big of a deal that she didn't know how to operate the huge metal death machines? She'd barely known what she real world was when she was old enough to start learning, and the stress wouldn't be good for her right now. Not that other people knew that. She continued, ”And I don't like buses.” All the people, the close quarters, the bumpy ride that made people accidentally touch her all the time—no. That was not the right place for her to be. She'd been in a bus once before and she'd come out inches from a panic attack. Not worth it. Ace indicated the cushion she would be sitting on. That did little to appease the girl's wariness. She took a step forward and put a hand on the cushion, feeling the firm thing and wondering how it could ever be comfortable. Or how she'd manage not to fall off. When he slung himself onto the bike, she took a surprised step back, but after that she stopped, chiding herself inwardly for being so dang skittish. He gave her the same happy, carefree smile he always did, patting the cushion and telling her there was plenty of room. It was evident, by the quiet look on the girl's face, that she was not entirely sure he was right. But she stepped forward again. I'll keep you safe. She liked it when he said that. Though she'd been moments away from telling him no thanks and that she would walk, when he said that her gaze softened, and she looked briefly into his face. He really meant that, didn't he? While the same little pessimistic voice in her head told her not to trust him, that even if he meant it now he would change his mind later, Deirdra actually found herself accepting the object held out to her. ”Wear it?” She looked at him briefly, then shook her head. ”I don't want to.” She handed the helmet back, then climbed onto the back of the bike. Immediately her heart started pounding when she realized how close she was to him, but she forced herself to stay calm. This was different than other time. He wouldn't be able to mess with her while he was driving the bike. He wasn't even going to be touching her, not really. Deirdra tried to sit up straight, touching him as little as possible, but she could tell it would be difficult to stay like that. Still, she got herself situated and then said softly, ”Thank you.” TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

Ace blinked, it must have been a lot of times if she didn't know how many times that she had walked that one hour trek. He only did it maybe ten times tops and that was over the span of three years. Most of the time he would find a somewhat empty seat on the bus and sit there for a little bit. And then he got his car which meant he didn't need to go on the bus. He was glad of that, he didn't really like the bus. Too gross and crowded. when there were a lot of people it was crowded and Ace got a bit, anxious to say the least. Closed spaces weren't his specialty at all. Then she guessed and said nearly every weekend for two years. "Whoa!" He exclaimed, "That's like, well, a lot walking." he said his eyebrows arched in surprise.

He didn't think he could go every weekend walking back and forth between school and Maple Hollow. It was just, well not very efficient. He could have done something else with the extra time it took to get there. Though when he thought about it the stuff he would have done was well unimportant. Nothing vital would be done for him. He'd probably lounge an extra ten minutes at the food court, or walk around aimlessly for an extra few minutes doing nothing. So really walking back and forth, just stopped him from being lazy.

Ace's eyebrows once more arched in surprise, "Really?" He asked, usually mostly everyone could drive when they reached his age. And seeing as Dee seemed to be a bit older then him. Ace learned to drive only recently about maybe a year ago. That was a fun fun time. His mom screaming at him to use the brakes when he already did his dad laughing as he pulled into the drive in and got everyone whoppers, then couldn't eat the whopper beside him until they got back home. Oh yea fun fun times. "Well I can agree with you on that." He said nodding at her comment about buses. Ace didn't like them either.


Ace saw her feel the firm cushion he knew it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the entire world, but it was better than not having any seat at all. He sat on the bike and watched her hesitate, and then step forward. He grinned, that meant she might actually go with him. He nodded when she asked her to wear it, but then she shook her head and gave it back. He really wanted her to wear it, just in case something went wrong with the bike and they crashed, worst case scenario of course, but it was better safe than sorry. He was about to tell her to wear it, but then changed his mind, she was getting on a bike with him, and that seemed like it was already a big enough step for her. So instead he pulled out the goggles he would have worn and handed them to her. "At least wear these then, it'll keep the wind out of your eyes, and keep them from drying out. " He said as he placed on the helmet. He clicked the buckle that help keep the helmet attached and he revved the bike

Ace looked back at her and said over the rumble of the bike. "You might want to hold on!"

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ”Really.” She said, nodding a bit and narrowing her eyes. Did he think she was lying? Well, she did that sometimes, but that was a very odd thing to lie about. Maybe it was just very weird for someone her age not to be able to drive anything. Maybe people learned a lot earlier than she'd thought. No, her uncle had said sixteen. She wasn't too much older than that. She knew, because her father liked to celebrate the anniversary of her mother's death. And she was two months older than that. Ace didn't like buses either? Well, that was unexpected. He seemed so... social. Deirdra was very relieved when he didn't try to force her to wear the thing. She'd actually thought he would, thought he would get crazy angry about her refusing to do what he'd told her. But no, Ace took it in stride, and before she knew it Deirdra had an odd pair of goggles thrust into her hand. Again, she was going to shove them back. But then he made some good points. Deirdra had never been on a bike before—though Ace didn't know that—and she didn't know what to expect. He seemed to be saying that it would hurt her eyes if she didn't have protection. Ok then. Once she had them on, she decided it wasn't so bad. They were kind of uncomfortable, but nothing she couldn't handle. Ace, once he had his own helmet on, looked completely different. Deirdra actually found herself leaning back a bit to see him more clearly, the great big thing making him look out of proportion and—to be honest—a little intimidating. Though it had not been vanity that had kept Deirdra from donning the full-face helmet herself, some part of her wondered how ridiculous she would look, wearing that thing. Well, at least Ace didn't look stupid. Hold on? Her eyes went wide. Hold onto what? To him? Oh, no no no no no. She was shaking her head and starting to tell him she didn't want to ride on the bike with him, that she would just walk. It wasn't that far, she could do it easy. But then he was off, and an instinct deeper than her fears bade she yelp a bit, flinging her arms around the young man and pulling herself tightly against him. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Oh god oh god oh god. Though the goggles were sort of in the way, she shoved the side of her face against his back and held on for dear life. TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

Ace grinned at the girl in the goggles, he flipped the visor up "You look good in those." He said with a grin, then he flipped the visor down and told her about hanging on. Then he was off and he felt her squeeze against him. He felt himself smile underneath the helmet, remembering that one Shell commercial with the two people on the scooter. Well he understood why that guy liked that feeling. It was nice feeling, someone was trusting you to keep them safe, well that or he liked the feeling of the girl wrapping her arms around him. The feeling of Dee pressing against his back and her arms wrapped, tightly, around his middle, well it was a really nice feeling he enjoyed it as much as he did when he rode the bike alone.

When he rode the bike alone he felt this feeling of freedom and exhilaration. The feeling as he leaned into the curves of the road gently gliding over them like a dragon soaring across the skies. The feeling of freedom was amazing, it was like just pure amazingness. Words couldn't describe it. when he leaned at a turn he felt himself just become this thing that blended in with the road. he couldn't explain it well, and it was something you had to experience yourself to understand.When he soared across the ground he felt some feeling lift off of him, like a bird released from a cage, he accelerated more turning and gliding and just going as fast as he could while being safe.

But somehow this feeling of being with someone else, someone holding onto him, he felt this responsibility, this feeling of what he thought of as trust, and it just exhilarated him. He fell in love with the feeling. With Dee holding onto him for dear life, he felt he had to keep good on his promise, not like he was going to break it, and the feeling just reinforced that seven fold. She had accepted his offer and now it was his job to keep her safe. Safe from danger of flying on the ground. He tried his best to keep safe and yet that same feeling of freedom called to him, to go faster, and he partially gave in to that feeling and he accelerated, but only for a few seconds, the bike started slowing and he tried urging it on but it kept slowing.

Ace looked at the meters in front of him the meter that showed him how much gas he had, well that was pointing at empty. "No no no no." He said pulling over. The bike went on a few more feet before it just stopped and died. Ace placed his foot on the ground so the bike wouldn't fall over. He tapped on the glass. "Aww man." He said exasperated. He pulled off his helmet and gave a sigh. He turned to Deirdra, "Looks like were walking." He said with a bit of a heavy sigh. Looked like he was going to have to push the bike the rest of the way. At least it wasn't as heavy as a car, that would just be horrible. He could make it, they were only maybe half an hour away from the town.

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Well that was...odd. Deirdra really didn't know what to say when he leaned back and told her she looked good. Had she ever been told that before? Her mouth opened for a second, but eventually she just closed it and decided she wouldn't respond. If she had nothing to say, it didn't seem like she should try. Plus, she really didn't believe she looked good. She had two bandages on her arms and a big bruise on her face. But, again, fighting was not her thing. Let him lie to her if he wanted to. All these thoughts flew right out of her mind when the Motorcycle roar to life and began to move. In all honesty, Ace was probably not going extremely fast. But it was far too fast for Deirdra, and he seemed to be pushing it faster as they went along. The faster they got, the tighter she clung onto the guy in front of her, the less she thought about how much she hated touching people. It wasn't a conscious thought, but she liked the contact, now that she had it. She really liked being able to trust someone else with looking out for her for a change, to not be the only one she could rely on. The earth girl began to breathe easier after awhile, her vice-like grip becoming ever so slightly looser as she opened her eyes and watched the trees speeding past them. Then she felt nauseous and had to close her eyes again. What the hell was she doing? People weren't meant to travel this fast. Still...he was rather comfortable. And when she closed her eyes she could sort of pretend she wasn't moving so fast. Deirdra didn't understand why, but right now she didn't much mind she contact. Ace was big and strong and a guy, but so far he had also been nice, and gentle, and relaxed. As much as she was used to resisting the belief that others could actually be good, Ace was on his way to...something. When the bike started slowing down, Deirdra was first relieved. Then Ace began to repeat 'no' over and over again, and she began to feel unsettled. She loosened her grip even more, pulling about an inch away, just in case he was getting unhappy and would want to hurt her. Then they slowed to a complete stop, and she frowned at the ground under them, the ground that was not moving anymore. For a few seconds she stayed like that, listening absently to Ace's words. Then she scrambled like a madwoman to get off the evil contraption, her foot catching one thing or another on the bike and sending her face-first on the ground. Pushing herself up and onto her rear, Deirdra spat some grass unceremoniously onto the ground beside her. ”It hates me.” She frowned at the bike. ”It hates me, that's why it stopped. I should have just walked.” Her left hand moved again to her bandaged forearm, rubbing absently along it as she looked around at the trees and the road. Though for most people, it wouldn't look much different than the rest of the road, it was different for this earth girl. She had a photographic memory. So she was immediately certain of what she said next. ”We're twenty-five minutes away.” Then she looked at the bike, realizing Ace would have to push it. ”Maybe longer.” TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

Ace felt her grip loosen a bit and he was a little relieved, it was a bit hard to breath with such a strong grip. The contact was still there of course, just not as tight as it had been when he started off. He promised her she would be safe with him, and she was, maybe now she was trusting him a bit. He grinned and enjoyed that feeling for a bit. Then the bike started slowing and his stream of no's came out. He felt her pull just bit away. When he looked at her he saw her try and scramble off the bike, and she fell face first into the ground.

Ace with his helmet off once more donned the concerned look he had whenever he was with her. He dismounted the bike and ran to her side. He was going to ask her if she was alright, and then she started yelling that the bike hated her. He couldn't help it, it was one of the funniest things he had heard. He laughed and and tears came to his eyes. He laughed for a good minute before he wiped his eyes. "Dee it's not your fault." He said still chuckling about her last sentence. "The bike can't hate you, actually I'm pretty sure it likes you. It just ran out of gas that's all." He said explaining what had happened with an amused smile on his lips. Then he stood up and held out a hand to her to pull her up. That was the second time he did that today, would she accept it like last time?

"Twenty five minutes?" He repeated with a sigh, after she got to her feet Ace stood on the right side of the bike both hands holding each of the handlebars. "Well we better start walking." He said as he started pushing. He looked back at the girl "Well Dierdra, why don't we play a game? I ask you a question and you ask me a question." He said remembering it as one game he used to play when he was with Ray. "Sound good?" He asked placing the helmet hanging on one of the handlebars.

[xmarci]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding-left:16px; padding-top:0px; padding-right:0px; padding-bottom:0px; background-image:url(http://i51.tinypic.com/2nbr3oi.jpg) ] Deirdra Rosewood my soul is on fire, a shot in the dark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What? There was nothing but utter confusion on the girl's face, the entirety of her expression opening up for just this moment to show complete bewilderment. Why was he laughing? She was upset about the bike, and he was laughing his face off. She had no idea what to do, as per usual, as he doubled over and she just sat there, in the grass, looking at him and rubbing her hand along the bandage on her arm. After a little while, she started feeling a little indignant. What was so funny? She was about to actually open up her mouth and say something else when he happened to glance at her again, and she felt herself instinctively pulling back behind her walls. Her face went impassive again. Ace seemed to be getting the swing of explaining things to the girl. Deirdra felt like he was now instantly realizing she didn't know anything about anything, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Still, while he was happy he wasn't a threat, and while he wasn't a threat she felt more secure. She ducked her head a bit, ”I know.” It was said quietly, like she wanted to prove she knew something. ”I know it ran out of gas.” When he held his hand out, she didn't hesitate. She reached up, grabbed his hand, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Then, as before, she tugged her hand away immediately, bringing it back to fiddle with the bandage in absent motion. Deirdra nodded a bit, then started walking beside Ace, not hurrying as she figured it would take some strength to push the bike. Her dull gaze ran along the vehicle, then rested on Ace for a few moments. He confused her a bit. It was odd enough that he reminded her of her uncle and managed not to set off so many of her inner alarms as other guys did. But now he was actually being consistently nice, and somehow making it seem more plausible that he'd never mean her any harm. It was a thought that was going around her mind while she was with her, and while she still didn't believe it.... Well. Maybe he was a bit closer. ”A game?” She found herself repeating as he told her how it was done. Then she frowned a bit. Well, that was a weird game. Just ask him a question. ”What if I don't want to answer?” She asked. Something told her that this game included some sort of need to answer, or else it would be rather useless. Still, even if she wasn't allowed to say no to answering the question, she supposed she could just lie. Either she was a good actor, or her normally sullen and closed-off exterior contributed, but Deirdra was actually rather convincing when she lied. So she nodded, ”Ok, I'll play.” TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.

[AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE]

It really was the most amazingly naive and amusing sentence he had ever heard. He was doubled over, with laughter and the tears filled his vision. He couldn't stand up and he fell beside her his laugh ringing out around the forest. When he looked at her again he smiled, "Oh Dee, your so fun to be with." He said wiping his vision. Then he stood up and offered her his hand. When she said she knew he gave an amused little smile. "You did, did ya?" He said looking into her eyes, as if to say he knew the truth. But there was no order in them that said she had to tell him the truth. There was no evil in his eye that said he would hurt her if she didn't. there was just a small sparkle of amusement .

He looked at the girl walking beside him, she was a pretty looking girl, the bruise on her face had taken away some of that attractiveness, but he knew what she looked like without it. She was a pretty girl, with pale skin like she hadn't seen sun very much as a kid. And yet unlike all the other pretty girls he saw he didn't feel that certain attraction that he felt. Instead he felt this protectiveness, like this person, this girl was someone he had known for a while, and he didn't want anyone to hurt her. She was an odd girl, she acted like a child sometimes. Like A child who thought the automatic doors at stores opened because of friendly ghosts, or that the rain fell because the clouds were crying. She had this naive sort of air around her, like when she said the bike didn't like her. It was something he remembered from reading some old Calvin and Hobbes.

"Well you don't want to answer than just say pass. But you can't pass every question or else there'd be no game." He said explaining the rules as he pushed the bike. He gave a mental groan as he saw the next part of their trek was uphill. He mentally prepared himself and started digging his feet into the ground trying to propel himself further up the hillside. "I'll start then." He said as she agreed to play. "What's your favorite color?" What he really wanted to ask was why she tried to hurt herself, tried to stab a blade into her thigh. But it was only the start of the game. You asked those type of questions once you had gotten further into the game.