a quiet stroll [devin]

[serena]

Well of course it was going to be a quiet stroll. On any other day, under any other circumstances, Serena would already be chattering away happily with her sister as the two walked around the streets. But instead, Rena had to walk in silence and let her sister, Karina, do the talking- which, of course, wasn't happening either. Instead, the two conversed through sign language, which Karina had learned especially for her. It was a kind gesture of course, one that did not go unappreciated, but Rena couldn't help but be sad knowing that she couldn't actually talk with her sister anymore. After all this time of being free from their father, they could have had so much to talk about together, but instead they were forced to 'talk' in minimal amounts, and all through hand gestures or facial expressions. At least they could understand one another well, yes, but it still wasn't the same.

'I'm going into that store over there, do you want to come?' signed Karina as she stopped and pointed at a nearby store. Rena shook her head, not being interested at the moment as to going indoors anywhere, and quickly signed back, 'I'll wait outside and walk a bit, meet me at the park when you're done?', to which her sister nodded before entering the store. Rena let out a soft, silent sigh before continuing on her way, smiling even through her boredom now that she was alone. Perhaps she should have gone inside after all... but the air was so crisp and nice that she just had to stay outside! Yes, it was a bit cold, but she was wearing a hat and some gloves, not to mention a warm coat, boots, and a scarf, so she should be fine for a little while, or at least she hoped so. Perhaps once they met up in the park, she and her sister would stop for hot cocoa somewhere before going back home.

It was winter break, which meant Serena was out of school for the time being. This gave her ample time to spend with her sister- or at least, when Karina, a nurse, wasn't working. She usually worked during the day so that she could spend evenings with Serena and not leave her sister at home alone at night, but today she had the day off, which was even better. Serena always enjoyed these days- she was very close to her sister, after all.

She now wandered along the streets on her way to the park, surprised to see her breath showing up in the cold air. Yes, it was December, but she was not too cold at the moment, being that she had been walking for a while and had warmed up through the movement. Where to go.... she wondered, looking around and trying to remember which way to go to reach the park. She wasn't too worried about getting there- she liked just walking, and if she sat in the park for too long she'd end up getting too cold. She smiled as she saw a flock of birds flying up high in the sky- going south for the winter no doubt. Hurry! she thought as she looked up at them, for it seemed they were a bit late to be doing this. Oh well- they would know what they were doing. Rena wondered about her own birds at home, nice and warm in their sanctuary no doubt. For now, she'd just enjoy being outside, having her quiet stroll as usual.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Ah, Christmas! Such a bright and jovial holiday, one that many people looked forward to for one reason or another. Family, friends, gifts, food, the list could possibly be endless. It was time for gift shopping and scrounging up delicious recipes, as well as sending out holiday cards with pictures of their families. The air was crisp, a clean scent that was happily inhaled as soon as Devin stepped foot out of yet another store, hands full of assorted sized bags. He loved buying presents for people. Seeing their smiling faces was enough of a reward for him. Athena had accompanied him to a few of his destinations to grab presents for a few of her friends and Aunt Judith, but as soon as the money had been spent and the list checked off, the girl hustled her way back home so she could go and be with her friends for a Christmas party later in the evening. His sister was just as social as Devin was, if not more so.

A couple of his bags slipped from between his fingers and hit the sidewalk. Devin laughed and picked them up again; he was so incredibly clumsy it was amazing he had not broken a leg or an arm in the past few years. Falling down stairs and over his own two feet slowly but surely became a talent. Just as he managed to get the bags back into some sense of carry-able order, he caught sight of someone familiar on the other side of the road. Well, it might have been someone familiar but it was difficult to tell just by looking at the back of their head. With a smile, he wandered towards the intersection and crossed over the street as soon as it was clear, and then followed after the girl at a rather quick pace. His feet clamored over one another for a brief second. "Hey!" Devin called out shamelessly, not caring whether or not they were actually someone he knew. "Hey, wait up!" The bags shuffled and bumped into one another before he finally slowed to a fast paced walk, his stride nearly meeting hers. His blue eyes glanced over and a smile broke over his features. "Serenaaa! How lovely to see your pretty face. How are things? Out shopping?" So many questions at once, the boy's endless babbling a nuisance to some people. He had known Serena for quite some time and had learned a bit of sign language for her benefit, so she could converse with him a bit easier. She was like Devin's other sister.

"Are you out here alone?" He asked, suddenly worried as he looked around to see if anyone else was tagging along with her. "I hope not, because it's never safe for a girl to wander around by themselves." Not that Devin was the best defense when it came down to a fight but he still wanted to look out for his friends. He re-gripped the bags in his hands so they would not slip and fall to the ground again before offering Serena yet another unwavering smile.

[serena]

Strangely enough, as she was walking, Serena though she heard a familiar voice. The voice seemed to be instructing someone to wait up... who that someone was, on the other hand, she did not know. Well it did sound familiar, so were they by any chance talking to her? It was a possibility. She finally stopped and turned around a bit confusedly to see if the voice really had been speaking to her, and was surprised (though pleasantly so) to see her good friend Devin catching up to her. Clumsy as always, she thought with a smile as she noticed him tripping over himself and the profuse quantity of shopping bags that he was carrying. She noticed his struggle and eyed the shopping bags, slipping her hand under the handles of one or two of them and gently pulling them into her own hand so that he wouldn't have to carry so many.

It was certainly nice to see him! And here she was, just wondering not too long before what she'd do while waiting for her sister and going off to the park. What a life saver he was, as usual. Serena had always been very fond of Devin; they had been good friends for quite some time, and she felt as though he was a brother to her. She'd never had a brother, of course, and so it was nice to have one, the fact of whether it were truly a biological brother or otherwise not bothering her in the least. She smiled and nodded when he asked if she was out shopping, and, glad to have a friend who could at least mostly understand her own way of communication, signed, 'I am well. How are you? You look great as usual!'

Then, it seemed as though Devin's big-brother instincts kicked in, which only made Serena smile at him before she responded to his questions. Firstly she shook her head- she wasn't alone any more, after all, and technically her sister was around somewhere. 'My sister's shopping, we'll meet in the park.' she signed to him, her hands moving a bit slower than they did when she signed to her sister, just out of courtesy. After all, though Devin had kindly learned quite a bit of sign language for Serena's benefit, he didn't have to use it as often as Karina, or at least Serena didn't think he did, and so she never wanted to take advantage of him or overwhelm him.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

There was an appreciative smile on Devin's face as Serena took the bags from him, lightening his load by a considerable amount. Although some of the bags were not immensely heavy, in a large cluster they had become quite the burden and was glad to be relieved of a few for the time being. Serena really was a thoughtful girl and he was glad that he ran into her today, even if it was just for a little while. "You didn't have to take the bags, but thanks!" He said gratefully. "They are giving me quite the work out though. I guess I could use a bit of Christmas bag lifting time." There was no real way to playfully flex his muscles because of his load, so settled for a laugh instead. He really was not a heavily built person; Devin was far too lazy to keep up a work out regiment of any sort. It did not really matter though. He was content enough with himself.

"Good good, I'm glad you're okay!" Devin chirped happily, relieved that Serena was faring well. He talked to his friends often but because of his busy life he normally kept up with them over the phone. With Serena that was difficult and normally opted for texting, which was not nearly as personal. "I'm doing alright, as always~ Just out shopping for everyone before it gets too close to Christmas. There are some crazy people out there." His lips dipped into a frown as he recalled nearly getting into a verbal scuffle with an older woman in a store earlier in the day. He had never seen someone get so worked up over a scarf. The holidays did some weird things to people, that was for sure. Her complement caused him to duck his head a little, a sheepish smile on his face. He did not think he looked good, really, so to hear it from her made him feel warm inside. His friends were always so good to him. So kind. Devin felt incredibly lucky. "Have you finished your shopping yet?" He asked. "There's a few things I'll have to order online I think, so I still have quite a ways to go." At least he had a job that could help fund him for Christmas this year. He had been saving up so all of his friends could get a gift. "Speaking of which, what do you want for Christmas?" Considering Devin had yet to talk to her fully in the past couple of weeks he had yet to ask her.

There was a visible sigh of relief when Serena said that her sister was about somewhere shopping; Serena could probably care for herself but he simply could not help but feel protective. "At least she's out and about with you! I don't know if I would feel very good knowing you were out here wandering alone." Or if any female were out wandering alone, especially his friends. Guys probably had incidents with bad people too but Devin had always envisioned them being a bit more physically capable of defending themselves. Not to mention people always deemed females weaker and tended to pick on them more. He wondered if he had been a girl in a past life; everyone loved to pick on him and start fights. Taking a swing at a little sign language, Devin tried using his hands to ask if she was heading to the park right then, though it was difficult considering his hands were a little full. Maybe she would get the message? Just in case, he added verbally, "If my hands were free this would be easier...but, were you able to understand that? I can try asking again." He gave her a nervous chuckle, hoping that he did not ask her where they sold giraffes or if she would like to jump off of a building on accident.