|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 18, 2011 20:17:41 GMT -5
Nell couldn’t say that his reassurance were really…well, reassuring. Because this was Josh, and everytime he said something was ‘fine’ it really wasn’t ‘fine’ at all. And with a half-smile, she decided to point this out. ”You’re always fine.” With a light sigh, she decided maybe it be best to drop it. Worrying is pretty useless when there was nothing she could do about it other than hover around Josh like a distressed hummingbird. It would be obnoxious to keep bothering him about something he was obviously worried about too. Why wouldn’t he be worried when he attracted the worse kind of people? Her smile truly formed with his joking though, and she just left it alone from there. ”Oh right,” she said. She guessed his parents didn’t know about the whole pregnancy fiasco. That didn’t seem like a very good thing to bring home to mommy and daddy. ‘Hey, I went to the store, got some milk, eggs, and a girl preggo’. It only made sense.
She dropped her hand and smiled at Josh when he soothed her worries about being an ignorant fool. It took only a moment for her to get over so that she could tease him. ”I never said I was an idiot! I said I was a dunce,” she said accusingly, looking at him as if she had been very offended by the loose switch of words. But the smile quickly came back to her features when he continued to reassure her. He had told her that she was a good person, but did he realize how good a person he was to her? She wasn’t going to randomly ask that, though, even though she did have to wonder. Yes, it was better him than someone else who would have mocked her or busted her balls about it. He gave her an honest answer, which is all she wanted. Well, she had to assume it was honest, but why would someone lie about that? ”Yeah, I’d rather not go around thinking strip clubs were good places for shopping,” she said, laughing as she finished saying that. What a place to stroll into thinking it would be a good place to splurge on clothes or something. ”Thanks for clearing that up, really.” She figured it would be best to go to him for that sort of thing, considering in comparison to her…he was not so naïve. And Nell at least hoped he wouldn’t hold that sort of thing against her.
It was amazing that Nell could contain herself by the end of the movie when the credits started rolling so that she didn’t start listing off the actors and the other movies they’d been in and other pointless stuff that Josh would probably just be forced to nod and listen to. All the popcorn going down her throat was surely to thank for that. So instead of going on about the director whose work she was familiar with she said, ”I give it two thumbs up.” And she actually did laugh about the strip club joke, since it was easy enough for her to get over, and Josh helped with that. She wasn’t sure if many other of her friends would have humored her like that, so she appreciated that he had and he could still joke about the fact that he corrected himself on the whole ‘strip’ business. When he mentioned regret about leaving the car behind and burning off what they just ate, ”It’s good exercise.” Though the adrenaline of a joy ride in his Lambo would also be good for burning off calories. ”Besides, I kind of just want to leave my car there forever and never look at it again.” She wrinkled her nose. The poor Cruiser suffered so much distaste from her. Of course, she didn’t loathe it as much as she seemed. It was more than she could ask for since it got her from points a to b, and it’s a thousand times better than the Monte Carlo. She almost shivered remembering that junker.
Nell felt very much like the ingenue in the shopping scene, taken under Josh’s gilded wing. Before papa’s bank account came along, it was thrift and secondhand for her, and she actually liked the stuff she got. She didn’t have expensive tastes, especially when it came to clothes. A t-shirt and jeans was usually her outfit of choice, and when it came to things like accessories and all that, it was the same way. But now that she had bitter shopping to do, it changed. Even though she felt a bit out of her element in the upscale shop, she couldn’t be happier. Seeing the sunglasses, Nell tilted her head. ”Or three? How about you just pile them all into a bag and take them home,” she jested, and now she was the one busting his balls. She didn’t have any vices like that, to shop for, though, so she just looked for things that she would wear and that were still her ‘style’. And her style was cheap, go figure. ”Actually, I wanted to buy a pair of Ray Bans,” she said, putting on a pair from the rack and waggling her eyebrows at Josh. They weren’t that expensive, but papa would be sure to notice.
|
|
|
Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Aug 18, 2011 21:59:19 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:380px; height:200px; background-image: url(http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss283/amostprofoundseduction/paper1.jpg); padding:3px 10px 10px 10px; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px; -moz-border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] I'M NOTHING BUT A TIN MAN, DON'T FEEL ANY PAIN. rusted from the rain,
I STUMBLE THROUGH THE WRECKAGE, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO SALVAGE, NO ONE LEFT TO BLAME. AMONG THE BROKEN MIRRORS, I DON'T LOOK THE SAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Joshua chuckled about the comment on sunglasses. "I totally would, only I've probably got a copy of most pairs." Though he said it as a continuation of the joke, Joshua's words rang almost true. His hoarding of sunglasses could only be called a collection, and he didn't even care if Patrick labelled him as 'gay' just because he liked the fashion. Shades could totally be masculine. They could also be feminine, however, and Joshua got a great kick out of the way that Nell wiggled her brows at him. "Definitely suits you," he chuckled, poking her playfully. Thoughts of jail were now completely and totally suppressed from his mind. It alarmed him how easy it was to relax around Nell and just forget about all of his problems. He didn't have that sort of luxury with other people or even with his family--the latter created more problems than it solved, lately. Annabel hated him, Donovan didn't trust him, and Patricia didn't seem like she was sure of what to think. What would Belle do when she found out about the alleged assault? Hate him more, most likely. It sucked to be estranged from his sibling like this, but at least hanging around Nell lightened the mood considerably. "I like these ones," he mused as he fiddled with a pair of aviators and then slipped them on with a slight grin. "How do they look?" He could have just checked himself in one of the multiple mirrors around the store, but that was a lot less fun. He sensed that Nell was a little out of her element here, simply because she didn't seem to care about designer names as much as he did and all that. "Do you usually shop designer?" he asked. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember her wearing expensive clothing very often. She'd shown up to his party in a fancy designer dress but it seems that it had been wrong to assume the designer label had been as intentional as he thought. "Doesn't matter to me either way, I'm just curious." She could wear rags and he'd probably still hang around her. Even though he wasn't frugal in his spending habits and didn't have a true value for money, Joshua didn't judge other people for what they had (or didn't have). You made the best out of what you could buy and that was just life. He didn't go around donating to the poor or wearing cheap clothing himself to make a statement, but 'to each their own' could practically become his motto. Smirking a bit, he said, "If you could pull off Chanel with that dress you wore, you can pull off anything in here, I'd bet." It was a compliment by all means. He really did believe that Nell could wear anything with style, and maybe it was because she was so carefree about it all that it didn't matter what she was wearing. When people focused on fashion you judged them critically and didn't allow certain things, but because Nell didn't seem to put hours a day into shoe shopping, it had little effect on how he saw her as a person. Unlike Nell, though, Joshua was completely at home here. He always checked the brand before frowning at the style and considering if it was something that he would wear, occasionally asking Nell's opinion for the hell of it and because it was always nice to have someone to tell you if something looked nice or if the colour was off or something. He lingered by a selection of Marc Jacobs, admiring a jacket and then checking the label to make sure that it was not made of leather or something else that he couldn't wear by choice of lifestyle. Satisfied that it was not, he shrugged it on and grinned at the way that it fit comfortably. "I like this one," he announced. He browsed the colours and chose a tan colour. It still had the typical new-clothing smell of most stores attached to it and had the feeling that one got when new shoes had to be broken in, but it suited his style and it was the right sort of size as well. Not so large that he drowned in it and not so tight that it strangled him when he pulled up the zipper. "Just under half a thousand," he mused upon checking the tag. "Well, I was hoping for a bit of a higher price range, but it'll do." He got a dark red shirt that matched it as well as a pair of jeans and some boots. When Joshua shopped for things, he tended to go for an entire outfit rather than just one article of clothing, so he knew that everything at least went with something and he could try to mix and watch when he got home. He got a few more full sets and grinned at Nell. "I don't doubt he'll notice this." He sounded smug and even proud of himself, which he supposed weren't the normal feelings attached to betraying your father, but he didn't care. Josh showed Nell around all his favourite stores at the strip and occasionally told stories about the times he'd had here with family and friends such as Asha and Philomena for kicks and giggles. Keeping a conversation going was now almost natural to Josh, at least with her. A glance at the sky revealed it to be darkening, which caused a subtle frown to play across Joshua's lips. "Huh. We should probably head to eat before the reservations crowd takes all the good service." His parents knew the owners and so he could bypass some of the rules, but not all of them. If the reserved tables started packing it in, they'd be in trouble. Sure enough, it was quite easy to secure a table with just a smile and a mention of his last name. "We go here a whole lot." 'We' meaning his family, of course. When they had sat down and were awaiting someone that would take their order, Joshua gave a good-natured smirk. "I don't suppose you'll let me cover the costs, eh? Shall we split it or just pay separately?" He knew that Nell was uncomfortable with letting other people pay for her, and seeing as this wasn't really anything like a date he was completely fine with that as long as they established how they were doing things before the time came for the bill. "So what are you thinking of getting?" he queried, already having decided on his favourite potato dish as well as a couple of appetizers as well as a meatless main course. "Oh, and I know you don't drink too much but I have my ID with me if you do want anything." Being nineteen and of legal age at last was definitely a perk.
GO ON CRUSH ME LIKE A FLOWER, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. COME ON STRIP ME OF MY POWER, BEAT ME WITH YOUR CHAINS. AND IF I'M THE KING OF COWARDS, YOU'RE THE QUEEN OF PAIN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . |
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 19, 2011 13:08:47 GMT -5
Nell was starting to see why Josh liked sunglasses so much. They made everyone look cooler. ”Oh thank you,” she said in a posh voice, taking the shades off and looking at the price. Just about one-hundred bucks. Okay, she definitely wasn’t as good as Josh with his expensive shopping, and a part of her was jealous for that. The things she liked were always cheaper, but she didn’t want to buy expensive things she didn’t like and let them go to waste. Such a dillema! Thrifty as she was, her nature wouldn’t allow her to buy expensive stuff. It was like a voice in her head telling her not to buy something because it was astronomical. Josh did not have that voice. She giggled as he put on the sunglasses, saying, ”You look so fine in them.” All right, in spite of the uncomfortable feeling her frugal side was giving her for being in this store, she was having a lot of fun. And maybe it wasn’t just because she was spending her father’s money. It was also the fact that she was doing this with Josh, and it was so simple and easy with him. She didn’t feel like she was unimportant with him just because she didn’t have an eye for designer labels.
Distracted by layering sunglasses in front of her eyes, she took them all off to respond to Josh, ”No, it’s usually not my thing…” Maybe she was a little uncomfortable with that since Josh was basically her antithesis. Well, she decided she’d just have to learn from the master how to spend all of her father’s money. She picked up stack of bracelets and put them all on her wrist, and added a hat to that. Maybe just getting access amount of things… ”Hey, do you think it’s all right for me to be wearing a band tee in this store?” she asked with a cheeky grin. It wasn’t like she went out today expecting to go on a fancy shopping spree, and so it was jeans and a t-shirt for her. But she felt a little dangerous breaking some unspoken fancy-pants rule, so she didn’t mind at all. Her short laugh was out of surprise. ”You actually remember the label,” she said, obviously impressed that he’d retained that tidbit of information. It also was flattering, the fact that he remembered something she’d worn only once and was complimenting her about it now. ”Really? Thanks.” This renewed her determination in shopping as she collected accessories and wore them, earning looks from the clerk. But she didn’t even care about that as she checked price tags, then clothes.
Nell tried her best to follow Josh’s suit, even though he was a dude and therefore they were shopping for different styles. There were a few blouses and jeans that were really nice, but the rest were chosen based on price and bitterness. Plus, all the necklaces around her neck and rings on her fingers, she was blinging with accessories she planned to buy. Taking off the layers of sunglasses she put on her face, Nell studied the jacket critically for a second, before approving. ”Oh snap, that looks nice.” And of course she was telling the truth, because Josh had style. He definitely had an eye for what looked good, and not an ounce of gay in him to speak of. Hey, it took a man confident in his sexuality to go shopping like this, and that’s something to admire. She snorted a bit when he lamented the price, shaking her head. ”That cost more than my entire outfit,” she said, just to make him more sure of his purchase and its price. Was she being a bad person? Nah, his father is being mean. And so, she approved of every purchase he made, adding her own in. ”Aren’t you jealous that you can’t buy all these accessories?” she teased, since guys didn’t own as many necklaces or rings or bracelets as girls. And even if they did, they usually weren’t as expensive.
More shopping managed to make her hungry again (it wasn’t too much of an accomplishment after all) and so she was glad to be heading to Northern Lights, even when she was terribly underdressed. But she reminded herself that she was oh so fabulous, and it was more important to feel comfortable with what you were wearing. In her mind, that is. She nodded as Josh spoke, lifting her eyes from the menu momentarily, and lifted her eyebrow. ”’Course not, Josh. I have money to spend, and I am determined to spend it. So we can pay seperately.” Hopefully he’d remember the fact that this was her father’s money and that was okay. Plus, when it came to food and how much she could eat in one sitting, it didn’t seem fair to make other people pay for all that. ”Well rock lobster is pretty expensive and I love seafood… And maybe chicken… Ooh, appetizers…” Well, she finally decided on a few appetizers and her two main courses, always eating in doubles apparently. The seafood almost made her miss when her father made paella when they had enough money, but she didn’t think this resturaunt had any Spanish dishes. Josh brought up his ID, and she had to keep remember that he was nineteen now and that nineteen was the legal age, not twenty-one. ”Well, I have my liquor liscense with me,” she said, and it was obviously illegal, but he already knew she was an underage bartender so it wasn’t like she had anything to hide with that. Plus, he knew her worse crime, somehow illegal bartending seemed pretty innocent next to that. ”So if I want to drink, I can take care of that myself.” She ended that sentence with a wink.
|
|
|
Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Aug 19, 2011 18:56:23 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:380px; height:200px; background-image: url(http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss283/amostprofoundseduction/paper1.jpg); padding:3px 10px 10px 10px; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px; -moz-border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] I'M NOTHING BUT A TIN MAN, DON'T FEEL ANY PAIN. rusted from the rain,
I STUMBLE THROUGH THE WRECKAGE, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO SALVAGE, NO ONE LEFT TO BLAME. AMONG THE BROKEN MIRRORS, I DON'T LOOK THE SAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . A soft laugh coloured Joshua's lips as he watched Nell layer on the accessories like nobody's business. "Could have fooled me," he replied. This may not have been her thing, but she did seem like she was enjoying herself nonetheless. That was what mattered when it all came down to it, right? Provided they could have a laugh about this whole thing and have some fun whilst they were at it, Josh couldn't care less about how Nell shopped on a daily basis. "Nice hat," he commented deviously, poking at the brim. She seemed to be doing most of her damage in the accessory department, where Joshua's jacket had put a major dent in the spending quota for the night. They were each out to make a statement, even though Josh was unaware that Nell had similar plans to his. "I'd like to see them try and stop you," he remarked. "You've got money, that means business. They'd be stupid to kick you out." Joshua didn't really own things such as band shirts and logo tees--unless it was a designer logo--but he didn't mind Nell's style. It suited her, just as everyone had their own individual style. The fact that she was being silly and layering things might also have been attracting attention, but hey, as long as she planned to buy it... "Aren't all those heavy?" he asked thoughtfully, frowning at the bracelets and rings with a curious expression. He was not a girl and so he had never accessorized as much as Nell was at the moment, but it certainly didn't seem too favourable.
Nell seemed surprised by the fact that Joshua had remembered the label to her dress and his lips twitched slightly in response. "Of course," he said simply with a dip of his head. "It was a nice dress." She had looked quite pretty in it, he remembered, so it was probably part of the reason that this came to mind. On top of that, Joshua had a rather good memory trained from years of hardcore studying. He didn't have many friends with which he could converse, so those that he did keep were memorable. "Thank you," he said with an exaggerated bow when Nell complimented the jacket before shrugging it off and slinging it over his arm to add to the list of things he was planning to buy. "This is revenge spending on my part," he reminded Nell with a chuckle, not realising that it was on hers as well and that she was just a little more thrifty than he. His style bled expensive, everything in his closet back home had came from brands such as these. "I am so jealous," he laughed good-naturedly when she commented on the accessories. He wasn't really, of course, but he was playing along for the sake of humour. He grabbed a fedora from the hat section and put it on for a moment, with a challenging, "And who says I can't, anyway?" He was still only messing around though, and he made sure to put the hat back undamaged. There was no need to get himself a permanent ban from his favourite store, after all.
It didn't surprise Joshua that Nell was still intent on spending her own money--this was clear by the way he just nodded and ducked his head to hide his smile. She started rambling about the meat and seafood on the menu, and even though he was vegetarian and couldn't exactly share her love for it he said, "If it tastes good then order it." That was his motto anyway, throwing in a tiny grin. He wasn't the biggest fan of tofu or meat supplements, but he didn't mind them so much when they were cooked by the folks at Northern, so he made sure to get a generous main course. He might have just settled with something that had no meat, not even the 'fake' kind, but he was looking for the best way to dent the bank account even further. He was starting to feel a tiny bit guilty now, but Josh forced these thoughts from his mind. No. This is worth it. Donovan thought his son was a sex offender, after all. That was hardly as forgiveable as his usual snide remarks. "Are you sure that's wise?" he asked, sounding almost nervous as Nell pointed out the liquor licence. "I'd hate for you to get into any trouble." He had no problems with the fact that she was an illegal alien or that she worked underage in a bar, but he was a bit worried about their getting caught. Not for his sake, but for hers. She had a lot more to lose. "I guess we should just count ourselves lucky you're not big on alcohol, huh?" Josh smiled nervously.
The waitress came back and Joshua made it clear that they were paying separately, just so that there weren't any complications when the bill came in. He then ordered what he was getting and as usual talked about pointless things until their food was served. "It smells so good," he commented when the dishes arrived. The smell of the meat and seafood didn't bother him as much as it would some people of his dietary choice--after all, his family ate meat on a regular basis. "So what are you doing over the summer?" he asked. They both lived in the Hollow and so Joshua figured that they could still spend time together once school let out, but he was curious as to whether she had vacation plans or otherwise. "I know my parents were thinking about vacation, but I don't think they've set anything in stone yet." Joshua shrugged, not really minding either way. It would be nice if it happened, but Josh was completely fine either way. "How's the kitty, by the way?" It had been a few months since he'd gotten the pair, and Picasso was starting to get bigger and develop stronger muscles. The serious cat's personality hadn't done much of a change, but he had bonded with practically all of the other animals with the exception of Eris, who was much too hyper for her own good. She was almost a cat now, no longer the cute bundle of kitten fluff, but that hadn't changed her energetic ways like he had hoped.
GO ON CRUSH ME LIKE A FLOWER, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. COME ON STRIP ME OF MY POWER, BEAT ME WITH YOUR CHAINS. AND IF I'M THE KING OF COWARDS, YOU'RE THE QUEEN OF PAIN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . |
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 20, 2011 1:00:03 GMT -5
Gripping the hat so it didn’t fall off when Josh flicked at it, she stuck her tongue out at him. ”Thank you,” she said, shaking out the bracelets on her wrist and looking at their price tags. It wasn’t enough to even come close to touching his new jacket, but Nell was trying her best. Even if it meant raiding the place of accessories. She grinned over at Josh, ”Especially when I’m wearing their merchandise.” She wasn’t too worried. She certainly had more than enough money to be shopping here, and she looked back fondly on the days where she could never buy anything excess. Back when she just had a futon and an afghan. You’re still living that way, you can’t use your father’s money for the important stuff. But she was using it to help save up, especially since she bought food with her father’s money now. That way, she could beef up her savings for a new apartment. ”Hmm? I guess so, but it’s a convenient way to carry them, dontcha think?” Necklaces especially could get tangled if she carried them around, but she didn’t suppose Josh would know about that. She wanted to buy so many things, it was pretty impossible to carry them all in her hands.
Revenge spending was the best kind of spending, but it was still hard for Nell to imagine the kind of money that Josh had. Her father was rich, but she hadn’t grown up with the lifestyle. He had before he became estranged from his parents, and in her childhood most of the money went toward Tilly. She’d never seen the mass amounts she had at her fingertips now when she was little, and that was a huge difference between she and Josh. ”I know,” she said pompusly, putting another bracelet on her wrist and winking at Josh. But this wasn’t a competition by far, it was just…excersing their fathers’ wealth. Even though he didn’t know that much on her part. And she didn’t want to tell him, even though he was doing the same thing. Somehow, without the story behind it, just saying ‘I want to spend all of papa’s money’ sounded quite the dickish thing to do. And could she ever tell him the truth? She didn’t even know. There was a lot about her past she didn’t want to reveal, but Josh had never asked for any of that, even after telling him about her mother. She looked at the fedora he placed on his head, and said, ”Touche. You should keep that hat, fedoras are my favorite.” She guessed it was because of the film noir detectives that she loved them and wore them to parties.
Nell smiled sheepishly upon realizing why Josh would be uncomfortable with it. ”Sorry, I’m just so used to..uh…being illegal.” She said the last part in a near-whisper as if there could be people listening in. She was in a permanent state of illegality. After the trial, when you come back, you can go thhrough the naturalization process, she reassured herself, adament about the ‘when’ part. But maybe it wasn’t good to have so much hope for the future. Or maybe she should stop thinking about it alltogether before she stressed herself out so much that she couldn’t eat. No, that would never happen. But it did happen when after her episode that Josh witnessed himself, but luckily it hadn’t lasted too long. ”Yep, no drinking tonight for me,” she reassured. Her father had let her drink wine, since it was a staple with dinner in Spain and she reminded him that they were in Canada, just to because she had leftover animosity to vent to him. Maybe I shouldn’t be so mean. But she reminded herself all the things she had to go through because of him, and decided that her meanness wasn’t the worse that she could do. Besies, he never seemed affected by it. Of course not, he was much too stoic for that.
Clapping her hands a bit in enthusiasm about the meal she’d ordered, she tried to practice her best table manners when around Josh. Not that she was sloevly whenever she ate, but since Josh was so upperclass, she felt especially self-conscious. But then again, she tried not to worry about it and just enjoy the food and the added bonus that it would be putting a dent in her father’s bank account. He asked about summer, and she pursed her lip in thought before saying, ”I have no idea what I’m doing. But I have the goal of learning to swim. And to have as much fun as possible of course.” Her father apparently had plans for next year after they won the trial to take her to Spain, but she’d rather not spend more time than she had to with him. It didn’t even comfort her that he believed she would win the trial—she believed it to be just his confidence in buying a good lawyer shining through, not actual care for her. Speaking of vacation, it seemed his parents wanted to go somewhere. ”Did they have anything in mind?” she asked out of curiosity. She’d think it almost funny if they had Spain in mind. The mention of Pablo brightened her thoughts, though, as she replied, ”He’s great. Causing as much collateral damage as possible, but great.” She smiled thinking of the trouble he got into—and tried desperately not to think of the time he pulled off Ace’s towel—whenever he could. ”And Picasso?” she asked, wondering how her cat’s sibling was doing. Somehow she didn’t think he wasn’t as troublesome as his brother, and loved thinking of how opposite they were.
|
|
|
Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Aug 20, 2011 14:50:21 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:380px; height:200px; background-image: url(http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss283/amostprofoundseduction/paper1.jpg); padding:3px 10px 10px 10px; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px; -moz-border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] I'M NOTHING BUT A TIN MAN, DON'T FEEL ANY PAIN. rusted from the rain,
I STUMBLE THROUGH THE WRECKAGE, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO SALVAGE, NO ONE LEFT TO BLAME. AMONG THE BROKEN MIRRORS, I DON'T LOOK THE SAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Joshua pressed his lips together in a thoughtful frown when Nell voiced her opinion on carrying the merchandise that she was about to purchase. "I guess?" he said uncertainly, then laughed for good measure. He didn't want her to think he was disagreeing, but he really didn't know what it felt like to lug around a bunch of jewellery because he simply didn't have any. Other than his watch and the bracelet which Annabel had made for him, he didn't really own anything of the sort. There was also a ring with the family crest etched into the stone, but that was mostly for show and he only wore it occasionally. After all, he had the crest tattoo on his left wrist and had no other need for it. "I really wouldn't know," he admitted to Nell, gray eyes light with amusement. "However, if it works that way for you then you won't get any complaint from me." His lips twitched into an easy-going smile. The gesture was becoming easier with time, especially around Nell, but it started to make him feel uncomfortable if he smiled too much. It was usually just a slight twitch of the lips that faded quickly back to a neutral expression, nothing more. "They do look nice, though, I'll give you that. Heavy or not." Then again, it was his belief that Nell could look nice in anything, and that wasn't just because they were 'going out'. He really did find her attractive, which was why her comment on wanting to learn the trapeze had turned him bright red and awkward. Thank goodness she hadn't noticed that and deduced exactly what he was thinking, because... well, that would have been uncomfortable for the both of them.
Joshua was a little surprised to learn that fedoras were a favourite accessory of Nell's, not having known this little tidbit about her before. Smirking, he retrieved the hat and twirled it around his finger. "Well in that case it looks like I'm getting a hat," he replied. That was one thing that he didn't own a large collection of. He hated it when his hair stuck up in every odd direction when you took them off after a day of wearing them, but hell if Nell figured it looked good, then why not? He was now carrying quite a load of merchandise and was beginning to finally wonder about where he was going to put it all when they were done their shopping spree. Especially since they still had all the other stores on the strip to nip into and explore. He shoved the thought aside--no reason to ruin their fun--and decided that the hotel staff were just going to have to deal with the fact that he was a big spender. "I'm just going to go up and actually pay for all this before she kills me with her glare," he half-whispered to Nell, winking at her as he gestured toward the rather unamused store clerk. When he reached the woman, he graced her with a wide smile and unceremoniously put everything down on the counter. "Well, how are you today?" It took such a great effort not to laugh as she glowered, but he burst into a fit of barely controlled giggling as soon as they left the store. "Did you see the look on her face?" It had been brilliant!
He was amused by the fact that Nell aspired to learn swimming, something that had always frightened Joshua immensely. "Really? Do you have any plans on how to go about that?" Whilst he himself had little interest in teaching himself or taking swimming lessons--lord, no, he was nineteen! that would be so embarrassing!--he was still quite curious when it came to Nell. He showed a genuine interest in the lives of his friends and this was even more prominent with Nell considering how much he liked her. "Good luck with that. I'm sure it can't be too hard, right?" It was voiced as a question because he honestly didn't know. His parents had tried to coerce him into learning before, but each time it had went absolutely nowhere. Annabel was genuinely upset that her brother was always the boring one whenever they went to the beach. He mostly just hung around the ice cream parlour on the shore or relaxed in the sand. The ocean was something he felt that he would never be comfortable with. Even if, metaphorically, he did know how to swim, the waves would have freaked him out enough to discourage him. He'd seen how people were swept under and took a moment to pop back up, and he would have nightmares about being pulled under the waves and being unable to resurface, eventually drowning in their midst. Don't think such grim things, he scolded himself fiercely. It wasn't nice to be wigging yourself out when you were having dinner with someone, that was just inconsiderate.
He wasn't really sure if his parents had anything specific in mind for the vacation, mostly because they tended to wait until they were ready to start packing to tell the kids. Sometimes this was great and ended up being a huge surprise, but other times--like when you had other plans for the summer--it was not so spectacular. "We usually go away for a week or two. I heard them saying some things about staying close to home this year in case something came up with Mum's job, but that's it." He remembered having sat down with Annabel and discussed the possibilities that this opened up for their vacation. Were they going somewhere in the United States, or were they staying within the border? Were they even going anywhere at all? "I reckon it must mean somewhere within the country, but that's all I know as of yet." Joshua laughed when she spoke of her cat and the damage that he was causing to her apartment, pleased that she still seemed to really enjoy the company of the kitten. He knew some people that would get a pet and love it for the first week or so and then have the love turn sour when they realised 'cute' wasn't the only trait about a kitten. "He's very calm, very well-behaved. Thank goodness, seeing as my parents would hardly have enjoyed his helping Eris tear apart the mansion." He laughed easily at this. "We ought to bring them together again some time. They are siblings, after all."
GO ON CRUSH ME LIKE A FLOWER, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. COME ON STRIP ME OF MY POWER, BEAT ME WITH YOUR CHAINS. AND IF I'M THE KING OF COWARDS, YOU'RE THE QUEEN OF PAIN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . |
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 20, 2011 20:40:49 GMT -5
Nell smiled at Josh, her eyes twinkling. ”Well good,” she said to the fact that he wouldn’t complain. He was probably having a good time too in spending all this money. At least she hoped, since he was smiling, and even though it was hard to tell with Josh, generally smiling meant happiness. At his compliment of her accessorizing, she winked and went about her business, thinking of the fact that it was nice getting compliments from Josh since it was something so uncommon before. It really was a pleasant surprise, even though she complimented often. He did look good a lot, after all. She blushed. I did not just think that. But it was okay to think about your boyfriend like that, right? Or was she doing something else wrong? Either way, even with the scar that made others thing he was some kind of delinquint (her father included, which probably added to the distaste León had for him), she still thought he was handsome. The fact that he had designer style sure helped with that. And she was still learning, fingering at a blouse and squinting to decided whether she would ever wear it. It’s not like she needed to dress up a lot, so expensive clothes weren’t necessary. The need only arised when she was feeling bitter toward her father, which was all the time. He deserves this, she chanted over and over in her head like a vindictive mantra.
She tipped the flimsy brim of her own hat to him when he said that he’d be getting the hat, her own—in her belief—perfect for summer. At least she could still be wise in her spending decisions while filled with bitterness. Hats were something she did like, though it definitely was not on the level of Josh’s love—obssession?—for his sunglasses. And now she could actually feel a thrill in her spending, instead of the drain it had on her bank account. When she’d first moved to Canada she was always very careful about everything, spending money especially. Which is why her apartment had been so bare and her refrigerator regretfully empty. Now with her father’s money, she could spend money on things she didn’t really need and save up for what she did. She looked conspiritorially at Josh when he mentioned the clerk, feeling particularly devious. Okay, maybe he wasn’t that good of an influence on her. But she held her tongue as she paid for her stuff after Josh, taking an extended amount of time to take off everything she’d piled onto her person. Outside, Nell laughed along with him, saying, ”If looks could kill, you wouldn’t have made it out here alive.” She felt kind of bad for laughing so hard about it, but Josh had paid for everything, so what the hell? ”I guess I’ll be heading to the beach because I’ve never actually been to the ocean,” she said contemplatively, going through options in her head. The beach sounded like a good place to head to even though she didn’t know any nearby. She didn’t know anything nearby since she was still getting used to the geography and she hadn’t really been outside of Maple Hollow. ”I’ve already got dog paddling down pretty good. Practiced in the lake actually.” She felt kind of like a little kid in explaining how she was going about learning to swim of all things. It was something that she was pretty sure six-year-olds could do, with some assitance of course. ”All I know is that I don’t want to have to go in the water anymore with swimmies, that’s for sure.” She laughed while saying this, and then she remembered something that Josh had told her while they’d been purning pictures on the cliffs. Excitedly, she leaned forward and said, ”You can’t swim either, can you? Why don’t you come to the beach with me or something?” Somehow, the fact that he didn’t know how to swim didn’t seem as childish as her not knowing, since Josh wasn’t a childish person. He’d just said swimming wasn’t his thing, and she believed that, but it wouldn’t hurt to learn, right? Of course, she wasn’t aware of the debilitating phobia he had, and so in Nell’s mind this was a perfect idea.
Traveling with parents sounded like a nice idea to her. Well, if she had Josh’s parents. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of going anywhere with her father, no matter how much hope he tried to blindly inject into her situation. Without a passport, it was pretty impossible for her to even leave Canada, let alone fly to Spain. ”It sounds like it’ll be fun, if you decide wherever you’re going.” Nell would love to travel and go to a bunch of different places, but unfortunately that had never been in the realm of possibility for her. She didn’t have parents with six-figure salaries to have her tag along onto planes to exotic places, or any freedom whatsoever. And now that she had some form of freedom, it was still forbidden to her to go anywhere else. Well, at least she had a kitten now. That was a kind of freedom, having a pet you were never allowed to have before. She had Josh to thank for that companionship, as hyperactive and destructive as it was. But that probably added to the reason she loved the kitten, its energy and the fact that she didn’t know what to expect each day when she got home. ”Oh yeah, how are the other ones doing, too? And Quartz?” Nell had almost forgotten how many pets he had up until the mention of Eris made her remember the amount of animals packed into the mansion. Well, ‘packed in’ wasn’t the right word, but they still must have occupied some space. Nell laughed as she agreed with Josh. ”A family reunion! I’m sure they really miss each other. I guess I can come over your place since it's not like we can walk them in the park.”
[/b] She didn’t doubt that even cats could feel some form of seperation anxiety. And seperation anxiety made her remember that she’d need someone to take care of Pablo and her plants while she was at trial. Or forever. Nell tried not to think that far into the future. [/size] [/blockquote] [/blockquote][/justify]
|
|
|
Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Aug 20, 2011 22:10:47 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:380px; height:200px; background-image: url(http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss283/amostprofoundseduction/paper1.jpg); padding:3px 10px 10px 10px; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px; -moz-border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] I'M NOTHING BUT A TIN MAN, DON'T FEEL ANY PAIN. rusted from the rain,
I STUMBLE THROUGH THE WRECKAGE, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO SALVAGE, NO ONE LEFT TO BLAME. AMONG THE BROKEN MIRRORS, I DON'T LOOK THE SAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Speaking of the oceans which he so despised, this was apparently the very place that Nell conspired to go. He smiled despite his internal hatred of the ocean and said, "That's great," he told her, not wanting Nell to catch on. "The beach is really nice. But you'd have to take a road trip down to the British Columbia shore if you want the ocean." It wasn't a place that he'd never been or anything, it was just a place he wasn't very keen on going back to any time soon. Nell did not need to know this. His fears made him sheepish and embarrassed and he didn't want her to thing that he was childish or emasculate because he didn't know how to swim. Only little kids can't swim. Of course, he was missing a big point here--Nell couldn't swim, either. She probably wouldn't judge him for this. It wasn't like Josh thought that she was lesser or childish because of her lack of knowledge, but when you turned it on to him? No way I can tell her. Then she did it: she asked him. "Okay?" The word slipped past his tongue before he really even realised what he was saying. He immediately regretted it and wanted to back out, but he had no excuse as to why he couldn't accompany her and do such things. "Yeah, sure," he clarified, digging himself into an even deeper hole on account of his pride. "That sounds great." No. No it did not sound great. To Joshua it sounded absolutely fucking horrible and terrifying in every way, but it was too late. His fate was sealed by his own words. Fuck. Maybe she'll forget?
Nell asked about his pets, thankfully, getting away from the dreaded conversation about the stupid beach and the stupid water that he was so terrified of. "They've been doing great," he said with warmth in his tone. "Annabel has been trying to teach Quartz how to do a backflip. They managed to break one of Mum's expensive vases, but no backflip." He sighed in exasperation but seemed more humoured than upset by the antics of his little sister and the dog. Of course, this had been before she had committed to not talking to him. It still kind of hurt that she'd been the one to sell him out to his parents when he'd gotten grounded. He'd thought that they were closer than that as siblings. "Apache seems happy to be back in the mansion again. I remember it was hard for him to get adjusted to the apartment." He sounded a little guilty as he said this. It was his cat and he felt bad for putting the blind animal through such an experience, but out of selfishness he had yearned for the companionship of his cats. "That's true," he chuckled when she pointed out that they couldn't very well walk their cats. "I'm sure Picasso would love that." They'd need to confine the cats to his room or at very least his floor of the mansion, seeing as he doubted his parents would appreciate Pablo's destructiveness quite as much as Nell did.
After they finished their meal and paid for the bill, Joshua hovered awkwardly outside of the restaurant. It was getting late and he didn't want to keep Nell out for too long, especially since she lived in a shifty part of town and probably didn't want to go home in the dark. "I guess I'll see you at school?" He didn't really know where he would be staying, so Joshua wasn't sure if he could get a hold of her by phone or IM like he had been doing whilst he was grounded. Feeling a little bit daring, Joshua leaned forward to press his lips to hers again. There went that feeling again--that odd, fluttery sort of nervousness that he usually didn't get when he did things like this. Just like the first time he didn't go too far with the gesture, it was just a matter of getting comfortable with the idea that they were 'going out' now and that this sort of thing was acceptable. It is acceptable, right? There's not too many rules to this? He'd heard the whole 'no kissing on the first date' rule, but... this wasn't a date, right? And they had known each other before this. That made it okay, didn't it? "I'll, uh, I'll try to get a hold of you when I find a good hotel." Talking after these sorts of bold moves always felt strange, like the silence was some sort of sacred vow that he was breaking. The fluttery feeling wasn't going away even after he had moved away, which was rather infuriating considering he didn't get what the fuck was going on. "I'm taking a cab to the hotel. I'll have the driver drop you off where we left your car? I'd hate to leave you to walk back on your own." See, there were at least some things he was good at! Like, well, actually caring about her.
Once the cab dropped him off at the hotel, Joshua checked in despite the strange looks that his myriad of bags got him from the receptionist behind the desk. "You're not planning to move in, are you?" The words were spoken with a high amount of sarcasm. Joshua just shook his head, too worn out by the excitement of the entire day to joke back now. "Just a room for, uh, a couple nights." He didn't know when his mother was getting back, but he figured that he could just continue paying if he needed to stay for longer. This was the nice, expensive vacation hotel. This would also dent the bank account. The woman seemed confused by his lack of suitcase or anything of the sort, but said nothing as she gave him the room key. He didn't even have the time to appreciate the huge television or the view of the mountains from the large windows along one wall. Josh was so tired that he took a shower and then collapsed upon the bed, giving himself in to sleep. He'd sort all of this out another day.
GO ON CRUSH ME LIKE A FLOWER, RUSTED FROM THE RAIN. COME ON STRIP ME OF MY POWER, BEAT ME WITH YOUR CHAINS. AND IF I'M THE KING OF COWARDS, YOU'RE THE QUEEN OF PAIN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . |
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 21, 2011 2:21:43 GMT -5
Josh was doing a job at keeping her completely oblivious to any problems he may have with the ocean. She knew he didn’t swim, and that was about it, so she thought that talking about the ocean would be free game, and that he wouldn’t mind if she spoke about it like it was the most exciting thing in the world. ”A road trip sounds fun. Would be better if I had a convertible…” A girl could dream. She didn’t just want one car, after all, she wanted many cars. Not only Lambo, but a Mustang too, one of the old muscle ones. And then she could take a road trip to the beach in one of those. That sounded nice, maybe one day she’d have the money to afford it. In any case, she laughed at the fact that he sounded uncertain about the beach thing. ”C’mon, it’ll be fun,” she said, like someone goading another with peer pressure. And she was very happy when he asserted that he would like to come. A day at the beaach with Josh seemed like fun, especially since it would be a completely new experience for her. So while Josh inwardly chastised himself for agreeing, she kept smiling ignorantly.
Nell really had to stop drinking when talking with him, since she came dangerously close to a spit-take when he spoke of Annabel teaching the dog how to do backflips. As it were, she set the glass down on the table while holding a hand in front of her mouth and giggling. ”I’m sorry, I know that a vase was harmed in that incident but…” She laughed again. ”That is just too great.” She didn’t know if dogs were capable of actually doing a backflip—she’d never had one and the friends who did usually taught them things like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’, not ‘do a gymanastics routine next to this very expensive vase’. She was still laughing a bit when Josh went on talking about the cats, mainly Apache. She remembered him as the blind one who’d taken a liking to her. ”Well that’s good,” she said, sighing a bit after recovering from laughter. Nell was all for a little kitty reunion, especially since she did feel bad about keeping them apart. It didn’t seem very fair, even though it wasn’t like they could be together at all times. At least Josh had a big mansion for Pablo to run around in. She was sure he felt limited by the walls of her studio apartment.
Standing outside of Northern Lights, Nell smiled when Josh spoke. ”I guess so…” Nell didn’t know exactly what was going to happen with him and his parents, and hoped… All thought process was interrupted by Josh’s lips against hers, and that was quite an amazing ability he had there. Blinking a few times, it took a second to actually become aware of what he was doing. She hadn’t expected a second kiss after the awkwardness of the first one, especially not in the same night. She was going to have to get used to that, she guessed. It was a usual dating thing, right? And it certainly wasn’t unpleasant, so she didn’t give any argument or pull away. Far from it. She returned the kiss again, wondering if the butterfly feeling would ever go away, and looked down a bit when they parted. Nell waited for her face to cool down before looking back up to say, ”Yeah, give me a call.” She wondered if she should say something dramatic or romantic like ‘I will be waiting to hear your voice’ or ‘I shall count the hours’. But she settled with a lame pleasantry. I’ll get better at this. Moving on… ”I’m not too keen on strolling the streets right now, either. But I’ll be paying for the cab.” She said the last part as she poked his chest, like she was challenging him to argue. But she was joking about this, made clear by how she laughed afterward. She could be lenient about some things when it came to money.
Back at the police station now, she had to wince looking at the brick building. She never wanted to be inside that place again, whether it was because of Josh or herself. Driving away, she had to remind herself not to speed otherwise she’d land right back in there. Back at her apartment, she found Pablo scratching at the couch, which he seemed to have gut in her absence, the yellow fluff scattered along the floor. ”Oh Pablo…” she said with a wan smile. Of course she couldn’t be mad at the kitty, especially not when she was so tired. It only took a few minutes before she fell face-flat on her futon and instantly fell asleep, her bags now the objects of Pablo’s curiosity.
|
|