A breath of fresh air *Leo*

[ALINA RAE LEXUS]

Outfit

Alina couldn’t believe it! Summer break was already over! It was hard to wrap her mind around. Well, a lot of things were – Alina tended to get distracted quite often. But, still. She had had quite an interesting month of June. She had spent the first week or so staying with her friend Carson in Maple Hollow. She had met a handful of people who attended the school while being in the small town. It was funny to her – she met more people OUT of school than she had met when she was ATTENDING the school. The thought made her giggle a bit. After staying with Carson, Alina had taken Carson with her to go to the big city and visit Alina’s Nana for the rest of the month. Her Nana had been so excited to see the girls again. Alina felt bad, always leaving Nana by herself. She had taken one of the nights to talk to Nana and explain to her that they needed to move. And she had tried to explain why. She knew she could trust her Nana with the information that she was an elemental and that’s why they needed to move to Maple Hollow. Her Nana had been shocked at first, but after putting together the pieces, she believed Alina. Alina had proved it to her by blowing out a candle from across the room. Simple enough. But it had stunned her Nana. But it had worked. Alina was set to move to Maple Hollow permanently as soon as her Nana could make arrangements.

That had made Alina quite happy with herself. Not only would she be closer to the school and her family close with her as well, but she could be out in the open about who she was. Being a Wind was special to her. It was something that was only hers and it couldn’t be stripped from her. She might not have had a mother, or a father, or really any friends who she could fully rely on besides Carson, but she was going places in this world, she could feel it. Anytime she’d call herself special at school, the other elementals would laugh. Mostly the fires, and the thunders. They’d throw in the names that Alina didn’t appreciate. Being called Special Ed wasn’t funny when you were dyslexic, it just wasn’t. But that didn’t even matter. Because now her support system was with her. Alina had gone through her classes for the new semester with grace and an appreciation of where she was. And to top it all off, she had an evening to herself. No homework. She decided she’d walk the grounds, take it in again. It HAD been a whole month, after all. Letting her now pastel rainbow hair loose and free, Alina took off her shoes, holding onto them while she walked through the gardens. She had Carson had colored her hair from blonde over break. It was different, but she liked it. She closed her eyes, twirling around a bit to a song playing in her head. And she twirled…right into someone. WHAT was WITH her running INTO people!? She didn’t know. She gasped, backing up with wide eyes, ”I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to run into you. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going…”

[/color] She looked up to see a boy with dark hair, smiling slowly at him. ”Forgive me?”[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[earthie]

Cause I belong to the hurricane;

It had been so hard to leave his mother again. Yeah he went down every Sunday to see her. It still didn't make leaving her any easier. Never in his life had he met a woman as strong as her. Still, she made a point of reminding him how important his education was. That always made him a little sad. He knew why she really wanted him to focus on his studies. It wasn't about making a good life for himself. It was about making sure he never showed that side of himself again. At the very thought of the incident his chest seared with pain. He had to stop and try to catch his breath. One would think that after three years he'd be used to the wound on his left pectoral. However, it never got any easier.

Leo had homework he ought to be doing. However, he'd convinced himself he could do it later. Such a procrastinator. He could hear his mother giggling at him, see her shaking her head. When he was younger she would threaten to tickle him until he did his homework. Usually the very memory of the scenario made him do his homework, smiling the whole time. Today was different though. The pain in his chest was almost blinding today. The sixteen-year-old young man reached into his pocket, turning up Florence and the Machine to almost deafening volumes. That was saying something considering the headphones sat around his neck, as usual.

Leopold was just about to replacing the iPhone back into his pocket when something hit his chest. The pain shot through him like a fire. It made him panic as he tried to catch his breath. His vision was blurring and it took him a moment to realize that he was bent over, hands on his knees. The fabric of his jeans against the palms of his hands felt like sandpaper suddenly. He could feel the ground directly beneath his feet begin to shake. "Damn it!" He cursed quietly, trying to regain his strength and his breath. Out of the corner of his bright blue eyes he saw the flowers immediately around him starting to droop. After several moments he began to stand up straight. "Of course you're forgiven. Just try to be more careful. Not everyone at this Academy would appreciate a beautiful woman such as yourself running into them. Now if you'll excuse me I really must sit down before gravity helps me to do so."

The young lady hadn't hit him very hard, but she hadn't needed to either. His chest was so terribly sensitive and in so much pain to begin with that any sort of tap would turn him into a pile of crying pain. Sometimes even a breeze against it made him lose his breath. As he attempted to sit down he ended up falling down slightly more than he had meant to. He was determined that no one would find out about his wound. However, he knew his limits and wasn't about to push them simply because a young lady had lost her focus. He turned his bright blue eyes to the girl, his hand on his chest. He could feel the bandage beneath his t-shirt. He'd have to change it a little sooner then he had planned to. That was alright though. Suddenly, Leopold wondered if this girl had ever heard of him. He doubted it. He wasn't really the talk of the Academy or anything. However, he knew that his desire to lead his fellow Earths was a pretty well-known fact.

Outfit. Words. 603

[ALINA RAE LEXUS]

Honestly, Alina had been running into so many people, she had been contemplating on whether she’d need glasses or not. Of course, it had nothing to do with her eyesight and she knew she’d look HORRIBLE with glasses anyway, but it was a better option than what her doctor would say she needed. So she was a little ADHD, a little unfocused, and very much dyslexic…she didn’t want to be medicated for being herself – no matter how many people thought otherwise. She would just have to work on her attention span and not wanting to take in the beautiful day distract her to the point where she wasn’t even looking where she was going. She was not going to end up like Hansel & Gretel or Little Red Riding hood, she would be smarter than that. Though this boy she ran into didn’t look like the big bad wolf. At first glance, Alina would’ve thought he would’ve been quite alright and would’ve taken her apology right off the bat. But no…after another glance, it appeared that she had…hurt him? Her eyes widened, her hands moving up over her mouth. So much for trying to be cute and get out of this the easy way – it just looked like she had done some SERIOUS damage. She instantly felt bad. If she would’ve been in an anime, and had ears, they would’ve been flat to her head at this point.

”I’m so…so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

[/color] He seemed really put off by the fact she existed now. She saw the plants around them droop, blinking a bit and looking back at him. An Earth….but weren’t they supposed to be friendly? She was going to help but decided it would probably be a better idea if she didn’t touch him. She pursed her lips, her face full of remorse. Even if he had thrown in that she was beautiful, she felt so bad right now. Her over-empathetic emotions were kicking in. She breathed a bit, frowning and nodding, ”I’ll just go…I wouldn’t want to put you through any more stress or hurt you any more. I’m really sorry…”[/color] Honestly, the girl was as gentle as a butterfly, but even a butterfly’s weight could cause a crumbling building to come crashing down to bricks and mortar stone. She met his eyes, her blue eyes holding sympathy. If she had a rewind button, she would’ve rewound all the way back to when she even had the stupid idea of coming to the garden. So that way there was no possibility of her interrupting this boy’s day. She backed up from him a bit, looking ready to cry. ”Is it really bad? Do you need me to fetch someone?”[/color] She just wanted to help.[/blockquote][/size]

[earthie]

Cause I belong to the hurricane;

Leo tilted his head to the side as he listened to the young woman. The pain in his chest ebbed for a moment. Even through the pain he was able to smile at the young woman. She couldn't seem to decide if she wanted to stay or leave. Perhaps he had come off a little rude. He hadn't meant to of course. Still the young lady had surprised him and the pain had a tendency to catch him off guard. For a moment he glanced down at the grass that sat between his legs as he propped up his left knee, placing his arm on it.

Once Leo had caught his breath he turned his attention back to the young lady. "No. No, I'm the one who should be apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong." He smiled, placing a hand on his chest for a moment. "I don't need any help, but thank you. I'm quite alright." He'd have to take something when he got home, an aspirin or something. That could wait though. As he looked up at the young lady in front of him he had to smile again. The sun behind her light her up beautifully and suddenly he regretted not having his camera. "By the way, I'm Leopold. It's nice to meet you."

Outfit. Words. 603 Note. Sorry it's not very good.

[ALINA RAE LEXUS]

Alina didn’t know what to do, at this point. First she’d run into a fire and gotten into such a big fight, she’d been burned and the teacher had had to break up the fight. And then she’d run into a Wind and found out the girl was nearly blind and so she’d startled her, quite a bit. And now…she had ran into…well…she assumed he was an Earth. Everything around him seemed to pick up his mood. And let her tell you, it didn’t seem like a good mood. Because the flowers were wilted and she could feel the earth below her. It didn’t feel very happy. Alright, so that sounded weird, but she was very empathetic. It was something she was born with – and along with being empathetic, she could get auras/vibes off of people. This earth was not happy. Though…when he smiled, it was a bit easier to let out a breath. She wouldn’t relax fully until she had a plan. She wasn’t just going to stand here and watch him be in pain – she already felt bad about it. She kept her eyes down, though peeked at the boy from behind her hair. She just wanted to make sure he would be able to at least get off the ground by himself. She wouldn’t leave him here to die in this garden. Of course, she was sure his friends and the teachers would notice him missing, but she didn’t want MURDER on her shoulders.

Alina shook her head quite quickly, ”But I did. I ran into you. I guess I just wasn’t expecting anyone else to be out here…with me.”

[/color] the only other person who ever really liked to take a walk in the gardens with her was her best friend Carson, and even Carson had been choosing to stay inside now that she was back at school and the classes were back in session. She watched the boy, ”You should never apologize for being hurt.”[/color] That was something the weak did. She didn’t think this boy was weak. Just wounded somehow. ”If…if you say so…”[/color] She thought a bit, before moving onto her knees with him, sitting on the back of her heels, letting her dress spread around her. ”But I won’t leave you be…until I know for sure. If you could stand my company, I’d like to stay here with you.”[/color] If he would have her. She wouldn’t want to put him through more trouble than he needed. She tried a small smile, looking down at her hands before peeking up at him. ”It’s nice to meet you…Leopold. I’m Alina.”[/color] She just hoped it would get better. It could only go up from here, she hoped.[/size][/blockquote]

[earthie]

Cause I belong to the hurricane;

Leo believed in many things. The thing he believed the most was that no woman could do any wrong. Perhaps it was a bit naive. However, it didn't change what he believed. Anything a woman did could be explained. He also believed that women deserved forgiveness even if they did do something wrong. Then again everyone deserved forgiveness. However, women deserved even more. They deserved more respect also. It was the way he had been raised. He smiled at the beautiful woman as he responded. "I was not apologizing for any pain I may have displayed. I was apologizing for not being more aware of my surroundings. I never should have allowed myself to possibly put a woman such as yourself in any type of harm."

Leopold grinned as the young lady offered to stay with him. It pleased him to see such kindness. She had to be a wind, a water, or an earth. No fire or thunder would be so merciful and kind. And she was insanely beautiful on top of that. Alina. Beautiful name too. "Well, Alina, I would love for you too delight me with your company. I have to make a confession though." He frowned for a moment before leaning closer to Alina. "I'm afraid you'll find me rather boring." He whispered, a playful smile growing on his lips.

As he began to giggle softly he felt the dull aching in his chest intensify once more. He winced but attempted to show no noticeable signs of his discomfort. He breathed out softly, letting his gaze fall on Alina once more. "So, what brought you out here on this fine day? Most of our fellow students are holed up doing homework." He spoke lightly, a calm smile on his lips. He was so used to the pain by now. For a moment he wondered what he might have been if he had never received his wound. Unfortunately, there was no point in dwelling on the impossible. He shook his head softly. He was slowly building a reputation for himself. If Alina told anyone that she thought he was hurt it could ruin everything he'd done to try to become the leader his people needed.

Outfit. Words. 603 Note. Sorry it's not very good. And that it took so long. lol.

[ALINA RAE LEXUS]

Alina had a habit of making mistakes. Even if she looked it, she wasn’t exactly the most graceful thing on the planet. She had run into so many people at this school, she was considering wearing a caution sign around her neck. Maybe she should just make herself a skirt out of caution tape. That was an idea. She’d made a dress out of toilet paper once. Not to really wear, of course, but it was just fun to use different materials. She liked to be creative. Either way, back to caution tape. She would’ve even considered a wide load sign except it didn’t really apply – she just was never really paying attention, her head was always up in the clouds. The fact that this guy was apologizing for just sitting there made her feel bad because she KNEW it had been her fault. The garden was beautiful – she would imagine a LOT of Earth elements came here to think and meditate and reflect. To re-energize themselves. She shook her head lightly, ”I wasn’t in any harm. I really was the one to take the blame, I was dawdling about, day dreaming you see? I do it quite often.”

[/color] She blushed sheepishly, smoothing her skirt slowly. Her eyes shot down as he grinned at her, her blush moving up into her ears. She wasn’t sure if he was grinning because she was silly for asking or if he actually liked that she offered. Though she got her answer when he replied, and she sighed in relief. So there, she hadn’t ruined it.

She smiled ever so lightly, though her brows furrowed in confusion as he said he had a confession. ”What’s that?”[/color] Alina leaned in close to him so she could hear him, her eyes flitting down to his lips as he whispered, shaking her head slowly. ”Oh no…I’m sure you’ll be wonderful company.”[/color] She moved a bit, deciding in order to talk to him more efficiently, she’d have to move. She slowly moved to sink onto her knees in front of him, so she’d be face to face with him, resting on the back of her legs, smiling lightly, shaking her head, ”It’d be impossible for anyone to keep me inside on a day like today. It’s much too nice to be behind closed doors. Especially with this lovely BREEZE.”[/color] She looked around a bit, taking it in with a deep breath before looking over at him, noticing the wince. She bit her lip lightly, thinking a bit, leaning in closer to him, ”May I try and help you? With the pain? I don’t know what kind of injury it is but I know I could probably help you relax…”[/color] Her element came in handy, sometimes. When there was as much wind as today, she could change directions and pressures, and possibly make it easier for him to just breathe without having to be in pain each and every time. She looked over him lightly, her blue eyes studying him. She settled herself, relaxing slowly, ”So you’re an Earth? What’s that like?”[/color] He hadn’t told her of course…but she could guess.[/size][/blockquote]