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Post by cho-hee choi on Jan 3, 2010 20:12:38 GMT -6
we may not be forever, or even for long
but whatever we are we can both be it strong
The snow seemed to fall in waves, a heavy drift spiralling down from the sky, then a lull (as if the sky were inhaling again) and then another surge (the inevitable exhale). It blew across the streets and cut through the pools of sterile light cast by lampposts; it was dark at four-thirty in the afternoon, the wonders of winter. Most people had hidden themselves away in their homes, turning on their gas fireplaces and burying themselves in blankets. Those who did dare to leave shelter behind quickly ducked into a new building, a store whose warmth slipped out in tantalizing strains each time the door was opened, or some other similar establishment.
Ploughing through snow drifts is no small feat when you're five feet two inches and weigh little over a hundred pounds. Cho-Hee had forced herself out of the safety of her livingroom because her parents were both working late and she was hungry. There was no food in the house and she'd found a twenty dollar bill in her back pocket and it just didn't see right to make the poor pizza delivery man drive in such awful conditions. What if he got in a car crash? It would be her fault, because she was too selfish and lazy to get her own food. What if he had a family? They would miss their father or brother or son, and funerals (or health care, if you're feeling a little less morbid) were so expensive these days!
So there she was, in her bucket-size winter boots that were several sizes too big for her - the only boots that actually fit her were generally purple and sparkly and had pictures of Dora the Explorer on the tongue - and a parka she'd found at a thrift store that claimed to be good at least forty degrees below freezing. The wind tried repeatedly to tear the hood off her head, and by the time she reached her destination (Joe's Diner), her cheeks were red and she looked - not to mention felt - disgruntled, to put it mildly.
Half wishing she'd just stayed home and let the pizza man (or woman) do the suffering, they were getting paid for it after all, and they were probably bigger than her, and they had cars, she pushed open the door. At the jingle of the bell all four customers in the little café, as well as the single waitress, and the cook, behind the partition separated the dining area from the kitchen, turned to stare at her. Obscured by the shadows of her heavy coat, and camouflaged by the already red tint in her cheeks, she suspected that no one could see her blushing, but she really wished they would all go back to their business and leave her alone.
Deciding that she should make it clear she didn't want their attention, Cho-Hee climbed into the farthest window booth possible, turning her eyes outward to watch the undulations of the snowflakes. The waitress was at her side in a moment, all smiles and a menu and clearly in a good mood, probably because the empty diner meant she didn't have to be cheerful.
She ordered herself hot chocolate and a burger and fries because it was cold out and she was upset and sometimes you just have to eat gratuitous amounts of unhealthy food to make yourself feel better. Her parents would have been shocked, but, she mused to herself, it was their fault she was forced here anyway. If they had just gone to the grocery store... Oh well. They would never know.
Cho-Hee settled in for a quiet meal by herself. She hoped to draw it out as long as possible, to delay her next foray into the winter blizzard.
LENGTH: like 600 words maybe less hahah :]]]
WARNINGS: severe abuse of parantheses
TAG: i think mason wanted this but technically open |
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Post by Mason Gannon on Jan 3, 2010 20:48:03 GMT -6
The thick grey clouds about Masons head lay there like an oppressive blanket, not letting the sun down to warm the earth. It's not that he didnt mind the cold, but with all the snow, it was getting dark earlier and earlier, and Mason liked to stay out at dark. The cool night air, and the absence of people made it a good time to think about anything, and wander around aimlessly, which Mason did often, just not during the Winter months.
Coming back to reality, Mason realised he was outside of Joe's Diner, which probably had soem of the best coffee in town, which, conviniently, Mason had a craving for at this very moment. Trudging through the snow slowly with thick boots and thick pants, Mason didnt take too long to get to the door, but being the polite person he is, waited for the man behind to get to the door so he could open it, saving the people inside two cold blasts of air.
The man he let in was a shifty looking man, not someone Mason would associate with in other cirsumstances, but inevitably, something would have to happen between the two.
"Thankyou" The man said softly, like he didnt want it to be heard. Mason didnt reply, he didnt particularly want to start a conversation with the man, nor did he want to sit near him. He had taken the last available booth in the Diner, so Mason was left with nowhere to sit, everywhere else had a full booth, except one in the corner, which held a young girl, who didnt look very happy, seeing as it was the last seat, Mason decided to go over there and sit.
As he reached the booth, Mason realised she did not look happy at all, but he was over there, and he needed somewhere to sit. It would be awkward if he didnt sit down, and walked away.
"Sorry to bother you, but do you mind if I sit here?" He said softly, hoping his deep voice wouldnt carry too far, he hated it when other people could hear his conversations, but, that was the only downside to having a deep voice.
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Post by cho-hee choi on Jan 5, 2010 16:37:25 GMT -6
we may not be forever, or even for long
but whatever we are we can both be it strong
[/center] She was drawing shapes on the table with a finger, leaning her head on the other hand with an elbow on the surface. The booth was covering with exciting stains and gashes. Her finger ran over one that looked like it'd been made by a knife - and not a harmless little dinner knife, either - several times absently, her eyes turned away. She watched as a dark figure huddled against the wind toward the diner, to meet another diner at the door, and then they were out of her sight. She felt the draft sweep in through the room and knew they'd entered the building though. She also heard a hushed 'thank you' - apparently one had done something nice for the other - and then a snowy figure walked across the dining area and settled in the last available booth. The other person didn't follow, which confused Cho-Hee. Hadn't one been waiting for the other? The question was answered when the other person - revealed to be a very tall man who, judging by the proportions of his face, was probably very skinny under his winter clothing - moved into her sight. He was looking around at the taken seats, most pointedly not going to sit with the other guy who'd walked in with him, and then, to the small girl's terror, he headed toward her. It wasn't really an unfounded terror, as he was over a foot taller than her, and quite a bit older as far as she could see, and a stranger and she'd seen on TV men who would try to make friends with little girls like her and invite them back to their house and murder them or rape them and Cho-Hee really wished she'd just ordered the damn pizza and he asked if he could sit and she stared him with wide brown eyes and made a kind of squeaking noise. But she was being ridiculous, and she ought to be brave and polite just like her mom always told her not that she did everything her mother said, what was she, six? And without really thinking it through she was nodded and given a very nervous and moderately twitchy smile, and at the same time her cheeks were turning red because they always did when people talked to her, especially men, and she wasn't really sure why, but right now she felt very embarassed and uncomfortable. She scooted down to the far side of the booth even though he was sitting on the other side, and now she had lost all the warmth that had accumulated while she stewed on the leather bench, and a gust of icy air was slipping through the windowsill, and she thought that maybe this man was ruining her evening. But she was making an effort at being polite, so she darted another strained little smile his way, and then abruptly turned her attention down to her hands again, which were drawing much smaller, constrained shapes now. [/blockquote] LENGTH: 505 werds WARNINGS: none :]]] TAG: may-sun[/size] |
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Post by Mason Gannon on Jan 5, 2010 17:23:21 GMT -6
Guessing the squeak was an invitation to sit, Mason sat down on the other side to the girl, who now was hiding in the corner of the booth, under the window. Snow was falling on her lightly, and her cheeks were red, either from embarassment or the cold. Hopefully it was from the cold, he didnt want to embarass someone over nothing.
The wind from outside was cold, Mason was shivering, and he guessed the girl across from him was too. Closing the window, it stopped the air coming through, but the chill remained. Hopefully it would go away, and he'd start to warm up. He couldnt handle the cold very well, it was heat he could tolerate, and in Summer, Mason would be outside most of the day, in the sunshine.
Now the window was closed, Mason could smell the coffee, and it smelt beautiful. He hadnt had a coffee all day, which was unusual for Mason, by now he'd already emptied a thermas he carried around with him. Today he'd left it at home, and vowed to only have one coffee. Lately, he'd tried to cut back, and it hadnt worked well, if anything, he'd drunk more lately than he had been before he tried to cut back.
As the waitress walked over to Mason, he realised that sitting near a young girl looked suspicious, him being an adult and her being a schoolgirl.
"I'll have a cup of coffee thanks, Black with 3 sugars." He never usually drunk black coffee, but today he needed it, he was tired, and cold, and coffee always made him feel better.
The girl looked like she didnt want to be sitting near Mason, so he decided to try and start a conversation with her, hoping she wouldnt think him weird and run away.
"Hi, i'm mason, how are you?" cliche start to a conversation, but what was he going to do, tell her his life story?
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