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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 16, 2014 0:23:10 GMT
Jesse smiled when the girl reached out for the bag, glancing as he felt the edgy twitching next to him. Cyrus was only just well trained enough to not be jumping into a stranger. As the girl fed the black and white hound, Jesse quickly introduced, “That’s Cyrus.”
The other dog watched suspiciously now that the girl was handing out the treats, but leaned forward with her ears twitching. Sniffing the air before moving herself, Daphne stood to take the one step needed to reach. There was as much a sniff of the hand as there was the treat, but finally she snagged the treat, retreating quickly. “And Daphne,” Jesse said, glad the Dane hadn’t tried to growl. Scoffing down the treat as fast as her brother had, Daphne seemed a little less suspicious now as she eyed the bag again. Jesse couldn’t help the chuckle at the shift in loyalty, setting the bag down in front of the girl before going after his own tea.
A long, slow sip later, and it finally hit Jesse the irony of the situation. Too busy introducing his two Great Danes to remember to introduce himself… or ask for her name. “I’m Jesse, by the way,” he said as a quick remedy, trying to make it sound casual. All he managed to do was reveal his embarrassment about the lack of introduction earlier… seriously, who introduces the dogs before themselves?!
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 29, 2014 15:30:51 GMT
Her host left the bag before her, quite pointedly in fact, so she took this as a que that it was acceptable for her to try again. She did so less cautiously this time, and found she wasn't sure if the female was feeling more at ease when she rather eagerly lapped up her treat, or whether it was just her own wishful thinking- A hope that maybe this creature might actually grow to trust her... Cyrus, however, was happy as ever to accept the treat. She found herself wondering how anything can be so eager to react positively to a stranger, especially one showing what he might take as a predisposition to violence. And on that matter, the question extended to her host... Why had he decided to open his home up to her after she had trespassed, and almost threatened him? After further thought she corrected herself on her earlier assumption in regards to the animals attitude's to her.- No, it wasn’t that the hounds trusted her... her presence was merely accepted, despite the fact that she was an intruder in their home. And that reason was down to their host.
She could sense that simply his presence exuded a calming ambience under which the animals sensed security. He treated her without fear, and the animals, trusting his judgment, did so too. It was all very strange. Even in her extensive (and predominantly negative) experience, dogs never ceased to perplex her. They were always fiercely protective and trusting of their owners. How could it be that a creature could learn, or would choose, to trust another’s instincts above their own intuition?
Yet she was also aware of how animals can turn in spite of their owner’s control, a fact that kept her ever wary, even of bouncing, playful Cyrus...
Her mind wandering, it took her a moment to register that something else had been said, something that left an air of questioning hovering in the silence. Embarrassed, she tried to answer quickly, but found the words dying on her tongue. He had offered a name, so he was obviously expecting one back. After a moment of faltering, the silence growing embarrassingly, she managed to stutter it out. “A... Amelia.” She looked annoyed at herself for her hesitancy, almost seeming to bristle in defence; defence against possible suspicions after her slip-up. “I’m sorry, you caught me off-guard.” She commented, but it was edgy and almost accusing, showing a tendency to lash out when nervous. She reached for her tea, for she had involuntarily tensed up again. She hoped it's warmth might calm her nerves, and not just her frostbitten fingertips.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Feb 5, 2014 4:56:44 GMT
Jesse was close to repeating himself when the girl responded, hesitant. There was a look of understanding at the hesitation, a sense of remembering of doing the same. A memory later, and he nodded. "No worries," he said with a smile. A glance at Daphne, however, and Jesse remembered something else. She had been sniffing the air, but not in the direction of the treat bag.
"Oh for-" With a mutter at himself about dinner, Jesse scrambled up and went racing down the stairs, Daphne jumping to follow him. Cyrus, of course, stayed loyal to the treat bag, bouncing up himself and barking before snuggling into Amelia's side, paws in the air as he tried to beg for treats and attention. After a few moments, one oversized paw patted her arm as he whined, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Every few minutes, he'd wiggle a little closer, apparently aiming for her lap.
It didn't take long for Jesse to come back up, hand to his mouth with a slightly sour look. His lack of attention hadn't ended when he had gone downstairs, and while trying to stir the boiling vegetables managed to bang his finger on the pot. The cold rinse of water wasn't enough and he was instinctively nursing it as he came into the room again, sitting down to go for his tea again. Daphne settled beside him on the floor, resting her head in his lap. Cyrus was still working his way into Amelia's lap, wagging his tail the entire time. "Well, dinner won't be much longer," Jesse noted in an effort to keep the situation positive, nursing his finger for a few moments again between sips of tea.
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Post by Kelathi on Feb 14, 2014 23:51:16 GMT
She jumped when Jesse leapt up, but it soon became apparent that his sudden agitation was not aimed at her. As he swung the door open and raced downstairs, the coaxing smell of cooked vegetables floated languidly into the room, and she felt her mouth begin to water. She raised the tea to her lips once more, this time finishing it in a few eager gulps. When she placed the mug down she noticed that her hands were now trembling, and after the initial shock, she assumed that her body was responding to the lack of food. To be so close and yet still denied, it was reacting anxiously. She pressed her hands into her lap in an attempt to hide her physical state, and Cyrus, as if acting on que, took this moment to cuddle up to her. At first she remained stiff, impervious to his advances. As Jesse re-entered, Cyrus changed tactics, gradually snuggling closer until finally, boldly lifting himself and shoving his front paws onto her lap, along with his large head, his doleful eyes staring up at her pleadingly. She couldn't help but smile at this, and began to scratch him behind the ear. The action seemed to calm her, perhaps because on focusing on something else it momentarily took her mind away from her current deteriorating state. She began to relax again.
As Jesse returned, she noted he seemed to be preoccupied with his hand. Evidently the cooking of the meal was not going as smoothly as he had planned. "Well, dinner won't be much longer," he spoke, settling back down. As much as she wanted to ask exactly how long, she didn't want to reveal just how desperate she was... so she let his statement go by without comment. She decided that instead of sitting in silence, which may provoke her host to start asking her questions, she should break it first with her own. There was no harm in finding more out about this stranger, after all, who so far had treated her with such kindness. "So... I'm guessing you haven't lived here long?" She commented, a small smile slipping onto her lips at the obvious answer to this question, when the building's current state is taken into account. Well, it was an opening for conversation.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Feb 26, 2014 23:42:01 GMT
Jesse glanced up at her question, her timing catching him with a mouthful of tea. Swallowing, he took a moment to count. "About... three months? Trying to fix up the place, it's... taking longer than I had intended," he admitted, looking around the room a little. With all the supplies about, including several that were clearly unopened, his admission was almost humorous. "It's a nice place, just neglected for far too long."
The silence lingered a little, and finally Jesse heard the ding of a timer downstairs. "I think dinner's ready," he said, standing up again. "Do you want to come with me? We can load up our plates and eat up here. Mostly because it's freezing between the kitchen and here..."
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Post by Kelathi on Mar 14, 2014 2:58:54 GMT
She nodded in answer to his question, feeling a sudden rush of excitement at the promise of food. As if feeling it too, her stomach took the moment to growl loudly. Embarrassed, she ignored it, standing up quickly and waiting for Jesse to lead the way. It was difficult to hide her impatience at what seemed, to her anyway, painfully slow movements from Jesse. But she managed it anyhow. After what she had been through, she was not one to openly show her vulnerabilities, which was why she was trying so hard to hide just how bad in a way she was from Jesse.
Walking down the stairs, it suddenly felt all very... normal. The smell of cooked food wafting up the stairs, the warmth of the heated room still in her memory, even as the cold air hit her face as they descended... For a moment she could pretend that none of it had happened. But the transient moment was soon over. As Jesse dished up the food, her stomach was laced in hunger pains, painting unwanted images of memories in her mind, reminding her of the sleepless nights on the pavement from the last few weeks, the desperation to find something, anything to eat... By now the scent of the food was making her feel light-headed, and as she followed Jesse back upstairs the short journey seemed painfully long, and her hands were shaking.
Back in the room, she no longer waited for further invitation, and began to tuck in eagerly. As with the tea, her impatience earnt her a burnt tongue, but she did not stop. The need to eat was too strong. After a few moments, she realised the ravenous way at which she had attacked the food. Embarrassed again, she forced herself to slow down. Every mouthful was savoured. With every lift of the fork towards her mouth, she felt herself well up with gratitude for her host. He could not possibly know what this meant to her. He hadn't just given her food, he had given her an extra chance of survival out there. For that, she was thankful. It wasn't long before she had polished off her meal, and she placed the plate down beside her. She sat back, content for the first time in... In fact, she couldn't remember a time like this. It was perfect.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Apr 6, 2014 2:15:44 GMT
Jesse smiled a little at the growl, but decided not to mention it. He led the way down, both dogs eagerly following. They made it rather difficult for him to get the plates out and the food until he tossed some meat scraps across the room, leading to the sound of scrabbling and crashing into the wall as they licked up the treat. Jesse moved rather fast while they did, barely getting his own plate established before they were back for more. "Um, go ahead and up, I'll be up in a minute," he said to the girl, grabbing a big spoon and grabbing one big bowl from the ground. Juice from the chicken was clearly about to be added to kibble as he dug up the drippings and added it to the bowl before moving to the kibble bag in the corner.
It didn't take him long to follow Amelia, although he was precariously balancing his plate and two kibble bowls around two very excited dogs. Somehow he managed to not spill anything as he slid the two bowls across the floor and towards the beds, the Danes attacking in mid-slide. While they were distracted, Jesse was able to calmly sit down and start eating himself. He was much slower than his guest, and much slower than the two beggars who were soon lurking around his shoulders aiming for the plate. "Need any seconds?" Jesse asked even as he moved his plate a little further in front of him and not under the slobbery jaws.
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Post by Kelathi on May 21, 2014 0:09:02 GMT
She hadn't realised it, but she had been watching Jesse eat, the hunger still evident in her eyes, despite the more than substantial plate of food she had just polished off. She visibly perked up at his words, breaking from her reverie. "There are seconds?" She asked hopefully, unable to hide her eagerness at the prospect of more food. At the moment, her stomach hadn't had chance to register that she had just filled it up with a warm meal, and she felt as if she could eat a horse.
((Not sure what else to write D: ))
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on May 29, 2014 15:54:51 GMT
(Well I've got a timeskip to that other idea of ours that we discussed; hope that helps! )
The smile was surprisingly understanding. “Help yourself,” Jesse offered, trying to ignore the suddenly eager looks directed at him by the two drooling dogs. “There’s still plenty of food left, and if it gets too cold you can use the microwave.” Letting this strange girl wander through his home alone seemed odd, even when distracted by the Danes. But there was something in his demeanor, something unspoken, that said he was paying back someone for offering the same to him.
---
“Gyaaaaaa-… damn it’s cold…” Despite the gloves, the layers of clothing, the icy wind cut through like a knife to raise goosebumps everywhere. And he’d forgotten to wear a hat. And with such heavy grocery bags, he couldn’t bundle them into one hand and wrap the other in for warmth. The bus had arrived ten minutes early, and wouldn’t return for another hour. Not worth waiting that long when the walk was half that, but damn was it cold. Waiting at a street corner for the light to change, Jesse found himself yet again looking around, seeing others hurrying in the miserable cold and wind. There was not a soul sitting on the street that he could see, which made him both worry and hope.
The girl, Amelia, had stayed only for the night and breakfast, but after he went to fetch some supplies she had vanished. He could understand it… when he had been on the run himself, it was easy to mistrust and prefer to be alone, but he had hoped to offer more. Too many people had helped him to make his efforts feel like they had amounted to anything. But at least he had tried. It was people moving past him that had him rushing to still catch his light to cross the street, having to take a breath to refocus himself. He still had two big charges to care for, a house to fix up before the bugs started crawling in with spring. Had to keep looking forward, not back. Not back.
The pathway towards his old house was old, a little apart from the main road and darker. Jesse had trudged it many times, often with the two Danes knocking him over in the process to be on the path in front of him. And he was too busy focusing on the present and not on the past to notice his surroundings as carefully as he should have.
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Post by Kelathi on Jul 7, 2014 2:30:38 GMT
She had considered robbing him. Of course, it was only natural for the thought to cross her mind when she was in a such a desperate situation. But even as her hand closed around the wad of money, the money she had found in the statue on the mantlepiece, with oblivious Jesse sleeping soundly upstairs... She knew she couldn't do it. Not to someone who had helped her so readily, without even asking for anything in return. So she had returned to the spare room, empty-handed, and fallen into a restless sleep, littered with the nightmares she was now so familiar with. Then in the morning when Jesse left, she left too.
That day had past, and it was hardly on her mind anymore. She had to keep moving, she knew this, but equally she did not want to be too rash. She had to gather supplies, had to be ready for the long journey ahead. So she waited, and bided her time. She got by for a while begging, but her slate was not entirely clean... A little thievery here and there, all opportunistic, had helped out. Now she had a rucksack, and a few measly supplies. Well, it was better than nothing, and she was feeling much more prepared than she had been when she had first...
She shook her head, banishing the majority of the snowflakes from her hair and also the intrusive thoughts from her mind. Focus... It was time to move forwards. She glanced up. Movement caught her eye. Two grey shapes traipsing down the street narrow.
The sound was secondary, carried towards her as the wind changed direction, the voices were male. Her footsteps slowed instinctively, and she should have turned off. But for some strange reason, she didn't. The direction of the wind was in her favour, coming towards her and carrying their voices with it. Besides they were paying no attention to her, anyway. As she continued, she noticed something had changed. They were no longer laughing and joking. Also, they were moving much slower. They turned the corner, and disappeared from view. She paused. Perhaps she was walking into a trap? She decided, against logic, that curiosity had taken her this far, so she may as well...
Peeking round the corner, the lane was long, shaded and solitary. She saw the two men had stopped. They appeared to be talking to someone, but she couldn't see properly from her position. With the wind and the snow, no-one was aware of her, so she decided to wait it out.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jul 7, 2014 3:00:36 GMT
It was the men themselves that engaged with Jesse and making him aware of the fact that he was not alone. "Eh?" he asked, turning to see the two men behind him. The wind must have kept their approach silent. "I said, do you have the time, man?" the stranger repeated, Jesse shaking his head. With such heavy bags in his hands, what all could he do about checking the time? "No, I don't, sorry," he replied with clear confusion, beginning to move away again. This didn't seem to be approved as Jesse soon found his arm being grabbed, dropping the bags in an attempt to break free.
"Hey, what are you-" he began to argue but was socked in the stomach by the other, hard enough to drop him to his knees.
(Enter Amelia I guess? lol)
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Post by Kelathi on Oct 1, 2014 23:06:34 GMT
Woosh Clang!
She hadn't really thought about it. It hadn't exactly been planned. She didn't know why she did it, to be honest. Perhaps the stranger's influence, all that time ago, had rubbed off on her. After all, it was not like her to rush to a random person's rescue. Especially when she needed to conserve energy, and stay out of trouble. But as the metal pipe collided with the man's face, and blood splattered her sleeve... She knew it was too late to start thinking logically.
She spun round immediately, her feet sliding on the icy ground, pivoting her easily as she went in for another swing. The next guy had already spotted her, so when she turned to meet him, all in one turn, he raised his arms in defence. Clang! "Oof!" he stumbled back, winded.
The action had jarred her hand, but adrenalin spurred her on, her blood pumping through her veins. Her fingers tingled. She paused to review whether the man was going to flee or not. As she did, the retreating man suddenly stopped, and his eyes narrowed in anger. A profanity slipped from his lips, and he suddenly came at her, this time rage in his eyes. Because she had hit him, or because a girl had hit him? Either way, he wasn't happy. But unfortunately for him, she was ready. She was pumping with adrenalin, and her next swing was no less strong than her first.
CLANG! *Sputter*
"Now F*** OFF!" She yelled at their retreating figures, each trying to help the other as they stumbled away.
She waited till they were definitely gone, their figures disappearing around the corner, before she dropped the pipe, and finally turned to the victim. All of the preceding events had happened in just a few seconds. "Hey, are you o..." She paused. This man... he was familiar. Her eyes lit up suddenly, but she was wary when she spoke, as if unsure whether her assumption was correct.
"Jesse?"
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Oct 27, 2014 3:20:44 GMT
As strong a hit as it was, Jesse hadn’t seen his apparent defender arrive, instead becoming aware of his surroundings after a curse rang out sharply. A couple of coughs as he regained his breath, shaking, and he finally was able to consider who was still there. His name was used moments before he brought the figure into focus. “A… Amelia? Where have… what are… are you okay?” he managed, his attention changing from shock at seeing her again to shock at what looked dark and fresh on her sleeve.
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Post by Kelathi on Nov 27, 2014 21:51:26 GMT
It was him! But how on earth had he managed to get himself into this position; did he have absolutely no street awareness? It wasn't the best of ideas to be wandering around the back alleys around here, especially with the weather as it was. Just as she was thinking this, he spoke, and she was momentarily surprised to hear his question. Wasn't he the one flat out on his arse? Despite herself, a smile cracked on her lips. She wasn't sure if his concern was genuine, but it was nice to hear nonetheless. "I'm fine, this bloods not mine," she replied, smiling crookedly, and offering him her hand. When he took it, she hoisted him up. Before he could talk, she stepped away. "You should get out of here before they come back with friends." She warned, glancing down the alleyway in the direction the men had left.
(Slight controllage... hope you don't mind)
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Dec 14, 2014 4:53:34 GMT
The smile was… not appreciated. He was worried about it being her blood on her sleeve, and she was cracking a smile at him? Jesse tried not to let the moment of annoyance show as he took her hand, glad to hear that she was alright. Well enough to haul him up, evidently, as he looked down to the groceries sprawled around them. At her words, he glanced in the same direction she had. “Uh… yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” he replied, bending down to try and gather the food as quickly as possible. Fortunately it was hardy. Only one of the dozen eggs had broken in the crash, and everything else had held up rather well.
“So, uh…”
What? Why did you run away? Did I do something to scare you off? Jesse knew better than to ask questions like that. But what would she think if he asked where she had been? What was she doing out here? What would be a safer topic?
“Are you… well… you helped defend the groceries, do you want some dinner?”
Ah yes. The very lame approach.
(No worries at all ^_^)
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