skittles on a beach(open)

[nate.]

Nate lay back, a bag of skittles in one hand and Rye's lead rope in the other, though as he was using the palomino for a pillow, Nate didnt think the horse would be going anywhere anytime soon. He closed his eyes as the sun warmed them, glad that he wasnt in classes right now. He didnt even know if there were any classes going on at all, so it saved him the stress. He reached up to brush his bangs out of one eye and then dropped the lead rope to pour himself a handful of candy. He carefully picked out all the purple ones and nudged Rye, who whickered and picked up his head to see what the fuss was all about. He was much more grateful when he saw that it was skittles, and he inhaled the purple candies with glee. Nate tossed a few of his own skittles into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, watching the gentle surf roll up onto the beach.

He had worn his swimsuit for two reasons-riding a horse in skinny jeans is uncomfortable as hell, and even though riding in a swimsuit was nearly as bad, he had decided he might go swimming, so might as well be prepared. He was wearing his blue-green aqua contacts today, because of this trip to the seaside. He could be organized and color coordinated if he wanted to. He had almost settled back into a dreaming state when his horse shoved him forward onto his face and proceeded to stand and shake. From the ground he looked up, raising a hand to sheild his face from the sun. That was incredibly rude, and I hope you never do that to a pretty girl. He rebuked, a smile on his face. That was what Nate enjoyed-the pretty girls. Or any girl for that matter, he was in incurable and insatiable flirt of the worst kind.

Which left him thinking of the rest of his day and where the most girls might be at. There was the stable, where he and Rye had picked up an enormous amount of chicks, but even though they all loved him, they knew him by now and getting laid with one of them was not hopeful. Yeah, he knew he was a man whore, but it was just who he was. He didnt have sex with all the girls he met and charmed. There had been a few, however, he wasnt going to lie. Grinning to himself he stood, finishing the rest of the skittles and tying the empty package to Rye's halter as a souveneir. C'mere He pulled the horse to him and grunted as he jumped on. He was tall but so was the palomino, and effort was needed to pull off such a dashing feat as a bareback jump from the ground. Looping the lead rope over Rye's neck, he made a sort of single-reined hackamore with the halter and directed him to the water with a nudge.

The hot and sandy horse needed no encouragement from Nate and proceeded to trot briskly to the shore, no hesitation present as he leapt into the surf, leaving Nate clinging on tightly with both calves and muttering at Rye, not all pleasant things. As soon as the water reached the horse's shoulder he stopped, just standing in the gentle waves, enjoying the cool. Nate stood up on Rye's rump, taking a moment to enjoy the sun before he executed a dive into the chilly water. He surfaced, swimming around his horse and splashing him a little, laughing at the 3 year old's antics. He trusted his horse, and he did love him, even if he seemed the type not to. In fact, the only person/animal/thing that Nate had ever loved was this horse, so it wasnt a love he would easily give up. After a minute he got back on and they went to shallower water, racing up and down the beach a few times, tearing up the sand before they were nearly dried by the wind.

Good kid. He muttered as he brought Rye to a walk, still barely in the water.

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

Reply coming (:
Just because i'm cool.

[/size]

[nate.]

I agree, you are indefinitly made of awesome sauce.

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

»It had been a long time since i'd been able to walk along a beach this carelessly. In the past few months the only time i'd been able to enjoy the ocean smell and the soft, sinking sand was when it was my quickest escape route, in which case the sand would prove to be more of a pain than anything else as it was hard to run in the damn stuff. I could remember clearly, times when i'd be walking past a cafe and notice a small white sheet of paper that read 'have you seen this girl?' in large bold print. Sure enough it was only a matter of seconds before someone made the connection between me and the photo of the girl on the paper. As soon as they lifted a phone from their pocket i knew it was timne to start running. Of course it would have been much easier to just dye my hair some outrageous colour to change my appearance. But where was the fun in that?

»Upon arriving at Arrowfield Equestrian Centre i was relieved to find that the silly little 'missing' posters had yet to reach the school, for the time being i could stay here, with a roof over my head, food to eat and a stable education. But as soon as word reached campus, i'd have to shoot through, i didn't come this far for nothing. And so it was now that i wandered along the beach, hands swinging by my sides as the cool sea breeze blew over me, causing me to shiver ever so slightly. Further along the shore i could faintly make out the outline of a horse and rider, messing about in the water. I smiled to myself, remembering my riding days back at home. Oh how i missed those days, spending hours in the saddle every day., and the musky smell of horse and hay mixed together.

»I sighed and sat down on the warm sand as the horse and rider wandered through the shallows in my direction. I watched intently for a while, noting how the horse allowed his rider to use him as a diving board. I see them clearer now that they were closer, the rider was a boy. Perhaps a year older than myself, maybe two? His dark hair shining in contrast to the golden-cream colour of his horse. It wasn't long before the warm sand and constant rhythmic breaking of the waves pulled me from reality to fantasy. I'd always been a day dreamer. Now only faintly aware of the presence of the horse and the boy i began wondering how long i'd be able to stay at the school without being recognised. Surely i wouldn't have that long before word reached the area. But either way, i was going to enjoy myself for as long as possible. This was the first time in months that i'd been able to be myself, and be able to have friends, or people to talk to as such. I hadn't been to the stables yet, i knew that once i got there i wouldn't be able to leave. I'd end up scraping together the remnants of whatever money i had left and go buy myself a companion. But i couldn't do that, not if there was still that possibility that i'd have to shoot through. I couldn't leave another horse behind. I didn't know if i had the strength to lose more of myself, to lose another friend.

word count. 603 words.
status. complete
song inspiration. ice box - there for tomorrow
ooc | rockstars are beginning to have a negative effect on me, eh. (: [/blockquote][/right][/blockquote][/left]

[nate.]

Nate and Rye had reached the end of the beach but instead of taking the trail back up to the school he decided to stay out a little while longer. Live in the moment-that was his motto, and however much trouble it got him into, he had had some pretty good times because of that mantra. He legged the horse off the right, turning him into the water and then completely turning him to face the opposite direction. As he turned his attention up the beach he thought he saw a figure in the distance. As they closed the gap he realized that it was a girl's figure, and a pretty girl at that. Well, maybe he wouldnt have to look for the girls after all, if they started coming to him. He pushed Rye into a trot to close the distance faster, noticing other things about her, like the fact that she seemed to dress in a similar style to him, which was nice, and that she was alone. You didnt see many girls walking alone nowadays, they moved in packs-especially to go to the bathroom, a trait that made Nate rather nervous if he knew one of them.

He pulled Rye back to a walk when he was about ten feet away and he waved happily at her. Good morning! He called in a friendly tone as they approached, and finally came to a halt in front of the girl. Im Nate, whats your name? He dove right into the introductions, not wasting any time at all in getting to know this already interesting girl. Before he could stop him-not that he would have been able to with the makeshift steering appliance he had-Rye butted his head against the girl, asking to be pet. He was a friendly horse, to be sure, but Nate didnt even know if the girl liked horses. She could be deathly afraid and just have been containing it very well as he came closer. Ah. Whatever it didnt matter. Thats rude. Nate poked his horse, who craned his neck around to see what the problem on his back was. This is Rye. He's very forward and likes his relationships to move quickly, thus him putting his face in your boobs. He chuckled and smiled again, basically enjoying the day.

word count. 386 words.
song inspiration. The Fever - The Academy Is
ooc | Monsters have a bad effect on me. Mostly the ones under my bed and in my closet, but the drink too =]

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

»I was vaguealy aware of the rhythmic beat of a trotting horse through wet sand. The pop and squeeze it made as the hooves made and broke contact with the surface playing on the back of my mind whilst i wandered through thoughts of my past. Thoughts of riding late into the night, until it was so dark i couldn't tell where we were going. Of jumping over any obstacle we could find. Jumping had always been my favourite discipline. That and general hacking. But it wasn't until a loud, cheerful shout broke through my haze that i realised the horse and the boy were approaching me. I lifted a hand to shade my eyes from the sun and looked up, searching for the boys face. As soon as i obtained eye contact i was taken aback by the intensity of the boy's eyes. They were a deep sea aqua, not like the usual shallow green or blue you'd see more commonly. They look almost arteficial, i stared expressionless for a moment. Beautiful.

»Hey there. I'm Winter. I said once i'd caught my tongue, smiling up at the boy in responce to his friendly expression. Just as i finished speaking i was knocked almost onto my back by the boy's horse. I giggled, clutching the horse's face in my hands gently and rubbing him behind the ears, aware that the cool sea water covering his coat was now soaking through my clothes. Thank god i hadn't worn white this morning. Either way, i'd managed to remember to wear a bikini underneath my clothes incase i were to be compelled to wander into the ocean by some chance. I listened intently as the boy adressed the horse as if he were a person. I leaned back on my elbows, scratching Rye on the nose as he turned back to face me with a seemingly expectant look in his eyes. That's okay. My boobs don't mind. i laughed as i spoke the words, grinning at the boy again. He had a relatively easygoing auro about him, i felt comfortable talking to him. So much for being out of practice with socialising!

»I looked back up to the boy, taking note of his now damp hair and how it stuck up in every which way it possibly could after being wet. I was aware of the hyperactive smile i still had on my face, an expression i had once worn permanently. I would have been quite content just to sit and admire the pair before me, but i was struck by the apparent need to lear more about this boy. Maybe it was just because it had been so long since i'd had someone to talk to, someone else's thoughts to hear other than my own, that i wanted to get away from my own for a little while. I figured, why not start with Nate? It wasn't long before i came to the conclusion that he was quite attractive, i'd bet he was a real flirt too judging by how forward he was with his speech. Without any warning whatsoever i burst into laughter, pointing to the boy's shoulder. You have um.. Seaweed. My laughter reduced to excited giggles and i began absent mindedly fondling with Rye's ears.


word count. 564 words.
status. complete
song inspiration. Hm, more like television inspiration. i'm watching heartland (:
ooc | Thirteen days without a day off. It took me two rockstars simply to wake up at work before i stoppped answering the phone wrong haha. Oh and then i spent the rest of the day annoying the monkeeeeeeys. HA
I am a monster under your bed. (: [/blockquote][/right][/blockquote][/left]

[nate.]

Mmhm she was a pretty little thing. And her name was interesting, to say the least. He concurred that he had never met another person on the face of the earth with the name Winter. Course, it could be a nickname but all the same, it was unique. She also was obviously not afraid of horses, seeing as she embraced Rye's dripping wet face and fondled his ears. That was a plus. It was always hard to woo a girl who happened to hate his favorite thing in the world. It was a guy thing, he supposed. No such thing as agreeing to disagree with him, at least on certain things. He liked the fact that Winter didnt mind him commenting on her boobs (splendid ones, by the way, he was not ashamed to admit he was looking) and in fact volleyed back. Speaking of, Rye shifted his feet and leaned into the girl, unabashed and unashamed at craving attention. He was such a lap dog-though it was good he had never attempted to clamber onto any laps, at least he had some relativly decent common sense in his walnut brain.

He was trying to think of something to say, so that the conversation didnt lag into awkwardness, when Winter burst into laughter and pointed at him. Now, he was not vain (one hundred percent a lie) but it hurts a mans pride when he is outright laughted at. She then proceeded to explain the reason for the laughter, which lightened his mood considerably. He laughed as well, unsure as to how he could have not felt the sticky seaweed that clung to his bare shoulder. Peeling it off, he threw it in her general direction, though not really aiming to hit her, just teasing. Eeew. Water weeds. He chuckled, dramatically wiping his hands on his swim trunks. Nate brushed his still-dripping hair from his eyes and then gave up and shook like a dog, pointing his head towards Winter. When he sat up he gave her a grin. There, now Im all clean.

An idea sprung into his brain, unoriginal but fun, and he decided to act upon the impulse. He reached an arm out to the girl, an inviting smile on his face. Do you want a ride? Rye isnt tired enough to go back to his stall and you look like you need to get into that water. Yes, he was a shameless, indecent flirt who would stop at nothing, but yes, he really did thing Winter was interesting and really effing beautiful. And he appreciated stuff like that. C'mon, it will be fun. He smiled, really wanting her to agree.

word count: 448
ooc | What job could you have that combines answering the phone and harassing monkeys? Because I want that job.
p.s. I want you to be a monster in my bed.

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

»Still gripped by a subsiding fit of giggles i watched as he peeled the brown-green weed from his body, trying not to let my eyes wander. Rolling over to the side a little in a successful attempt to avoid the weed when he hurled it gently in my general direction i poked out my tongue and called Hey! What was that for? Meany pants. Then smiled when Rye insistently followed my movement with his head. Scrunching up my nose and squeazing my eyes shut i embraced the spray of water from Nate's hair as it showered down lightly on my face. I then pretended to look myself over in an attempt to imitate dismay at my spoiled clothes.You're all clean but now i'm all wet! I looked at Nate with an expression of false annoyance, but being unable to keep a straight face for long i shook slightly with silent laughter. I hadn't felt this at ease for a long time. This boy was a laugh, and i could see us being friends in the near future.

»I watched as the boy's face brightened, as if he had just had a brilliant idea that would somehow involve my participation. What's he up to.. i wondered freely. I grinned with enthusiasm as he suggested i ride with him, but then leaned back with indecision. All i needed was to get on a horse and realise how much i really did miss riding and it would muck everything up. I'd be back to square one. But i didn't want to seem rude, especially considering how much i had come to like Nate and Rye in the few minutes that we'd been talking. What the heck, maybe i could bend the rules just this once. Besides, it was horse riding. How could i refuse? The weather was nice, there was no one else around and it wasn't as if i had anything else to do today. That sounds like quite an adventure!

»I stood then, giving Rye a reassuring final scratch behind the ears, and pulled my t-shirt over my head, throwing it carelessly in the sand. I slid my skin tight jeans off in an instant, glad i'd thrown a short pair of boardies on underneath and added them to my discarded pile of clothes. I hadn't worn shoes, so that was a bonus. I didn't mind riding in jeans, in fact, they were usually all i wore. But the thought of heavy, salt water soaked skinny jeans wasn't really an appealing one. And i'd come equipped for swimming so, why not? i turned back around to the pair behind me, taking note of thier patience and stretched my hand out to Nate, wriggling on the spot with excitement. Well, are you gonna help me up or what?


word count. 484 words.
status. complete
song inspiration. ulytaviolet - stiff dylans
ooc | I work at a zoo silly!
In your bed you say? Well now, that could get aweful squishy! [/blockquote][/right][/blockquote][/left]

[nate.]

At his suggestion he saw a moment of hesitation in her eyes, a flicker of indecisiveness, but it was quickly pushed aside by her enthusiasm to join him upon his yellow beast. He was about to reach out to help her up and she turned around and pulled off her shirt, which Nate would not object to, and then her skinny jeans, revealing her long pretty legs and a pair of board shorts. Ah hah so she had planned ahead. It was an odd way to start out, with her undressing for him, because it usually the undressing part came at the end of the friendship and he was the one working the buttons. But hey, trying new things was fun. She turned back around and demanded his help with a smile, so of course he obliged. He took her hand and pulled her up partway, then used his other hand to grab her waist and pull her all the way up. He was cold and slightly damp but her skin was warm underneath his touch-it felt undeniably heavenly.

Rye shifted a little under the extra weight-he was still young of course and unaccustomed to such things, but he was well behaved and Nate was thankful. He waited until she was settled in front of him and reached around her to grab the lead rope. His chest pressed up against her back and he looked out over her shoulder, quite enjoying himself. He had never gone horseback riding with a girl, though he had thought about it, it just never seemed right to let another person on Rye. Until now, he supposed, when impulse had taken over the tiny part of his brain that made conscious decisions. Hold on. He instructed her, a perpetual mischievous grin on his face. Nudging the palomino, they broke into a long, loping, rocking horse canter along the shore's edge, spray from the ocean tingling on his arms and legs. The salty wind wrapped around them, full of the smell of the sea and the taste of freedom.

They loped down toward the school and back away to the end of the beach, towards her clothes and then past them about a hundred yards. Being the gentleman that he was, he decided not to tell her when they were going swimming. With basically no warning he legged Rye straight into the surf, breaking across a wave until they reached a similar depth as before. He just didn’t want to go any deeper because he wasn’t sure when the drop off point was, and he was pretty sure Rye didn’t know how to actually swim, he could just skillfully stand still in the water. Instead of letting her get off slowly as she pleased or getting off quickly as she pleased, he made the decision for her. Nate grabbed Winter around the waist and flung himself into the water with her, letting go once they had surfaced. He didn’t say anything, just smiled at her as they tread water, intrigued to no end. After a pause, he felt like it needed to be said. I apologize for throwing you into the ocean.

word count: 526
song inspiration: Take Me There - Rascal Flatts
ooc | Ah, a zoo. I was thinking nursing home, and you were making fun of the old people.
do tell exactly how it would be squishy?[/size]

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

»Upon reaching for the hand that he held out to me from upon Rye's back a thought ocurred to me that maybe i should have left my clothes on. I didn't want to come across as too full on, i was only seeking a little bit of harmless fun in any case. Expecting his hand as the only aid in my mount i clasped my hand gently around a clump of Rye's soft stringy-wet mane, but as i felt Nate's other hand close around my waist and pull me the rest of the way onto his horse's back i was struck by a slight pang of selfcounciousness. His chest was cold on my back, causing me to shiver slightly before swinging my legs back and forth where i sat in anticipation of our ride. Turned my head slightly to examine his expression as he insrtucted me to hold on and took hold of the lead he was using to guide his horse. The adventurous look he wore made me smile brightly and stick out my tongue again, an action that was starting to become routine for me. I had the feeling we weren't going riding as such, we were going for a real beachside hoon. Resting my hands evenly on either side of Rye's wither for balance i glanced down the shore, not moments before Nate urged the horse into a smooth rocking canter.

»It was only seconds before the exhiliration of simply being on the back of another horse clouded the best part of my awareness. For a short moment i completely forgot about the boy sitting behind me, but as we changed direction to head back up the beach i once again became aware that i wasn't in control at all, i was just along for the ride. nevertheless i couldn't resist the urge to lean back into the boy and laugh with joy. All worries gone, it was just the three of us, and the cool spray of the ocean on my legs as it sprang up from under Rye's hooves. We'd changed direction again, rushing headlong into the face of a breaking wave. The water flayed up in all directions, drenching the front of me and i laughed at the shock of the intense cold. It wasn't long before we came to a halt at knee depth in the water. I felt slightly disappointed that the ride was over, i was about to turn around and beg to keep going when i felt Nate's arm restricct around my waist. Instinctively i grabbed hold of his hand with both of mine, but just as i did i felt our weight shift on Rye's back simultaneously.

»I'd always thought that i had excellent reflexes, but apparantly i was wrong. As soon i felt that awkward loss of center of balance and we slipped toward the water i reached out with one hand, the other still clutching Nate's wrist around my waist, in an attempt to grab a handful of mane. Oh, shit. Unfortunately i fell short, couldn't have been by much i was sure, and we plunged headlong into the ice cold water. My lungs were half empty by the time we were completely submerged, but no matter, i wasn't one to panick at lack of breath. I felt like a ragdoll as we emerged from under the surface, shaking my head violently to get my hair out of my face i floated motionless where i'd fallen. Once i'd gotten my bearings, and located Nate again from where he was treading water in front of me i stared at him with a blank expression, unsure whether or not the fall had been intentional. I was fairly sure it had been, but me being the airhead that i was had had my head in the clouds until we were already halfway off. My waist felt colder than the rest of my body, now lacking the clammy warmth from Nate's arm. And then he apologised.

»I cracked up laughing, rolling my head back slightly. What on earth was that? I'll tickle you! then i made a tickling motion with my hands out of the water before splashing a whole heap of salty water in his direction, not particularly hoping to get any sort of reciprication from the action. At this stage i was very glad i'd made the decision to wear bathers and to take off my clothes, as inappropriate as that sounds. I reached up to wipe the water from my eyes and turned my attention briefly to Rye who was standing contently in the water, with an expression that if horses could talk, would read what they hell are you doing down there? Bloody humans.. Turning my attention back to Nate i swam up a bit closer, aware that i'd drifted in Rye's direction. Splashing the water at him again i smiled, Any more pleasant surprises that you're hiding from me? Or do i get to drown you now?[/blockquote][/right][/blockquote][/left]


word count. 858 words.
status. complete
ooc | A nursing home? WTF haha (: yes, i love old people.
But a nursing home isn't really my forte.
I speak monkey language, hence the zoo. You dud (:
I do believe it would be quite squishy, i suffer from rapid eye movement syndrome.
But not really! Tricked youu. [/size]

[nate.]

Nate could almost feel the exhilleration exuding from her as they rode up and down the beach. He was now tremendously happy that he had decided to invite her on a ride, because he was absolutly sure she was the only person who would enjoy and appreciate it this much. He could feel her warm, smooth back pressed up against his chest, leaning into his arms, and it felt good. It felt different than he was used to, different than having any other girl in his arms, for some reason that he couldnt seem to place. As they turned into the waves and the water spread its cold abundance upon them, he felt her shiver and leaned in more, before he pulled her off. She wasnt panicking but her hands wrapped around his wrist in a death grip, so he was pretty sure she hadnt been ready to get off just yet. After he apologized she began to laugh, a clear, beautiful, spirited laugh, and Nate knew he would be forgiven. At least, he hoped so, otherwise this would be an awkward moment.

As she feigned forward to tickle him, he held his hands karate style and beckoned her forward with his index finger, a grin on his face. Bring it on, baby. He laughed and then proceeded to be splashed big time, and he did swallow a little water, truth be told-it was about this time that he realized he didnt want to ever swallow salt water ever again, a sort of unconsious decision made in his brain, like most of his decisions were-but he was far from upset. He glanced over at Rye at the same time she did, and shook his head at the horse's dissaproving expression. Obviously he didnt think that playing around in the water was an acceptable way to meet someone. But he was going to have to disagree with the trusty palomino on this one, because when he turned back around Winter had swum up closer to him, and he could see the reflections of the water dancing in her beautiful eyes. He was captivated, no doubt about it.

This time he avoided the splash, and recovered in time to laugh at what she said. He didnt shake his head but pondered upon the question, and the look on his face clearly said, If I had a beard I would stroke it, as such to more accuratly answer your question. He grinned and swam around her in a circle, legs bicycling and occasionally brushing against her smooth legs underwater. If you want another pleasant surprise, as you so eloquently put it, I can make that happen. Otherwise, Im yours to chain to the bottom of the sea. He came back in front of her and wrapped his hands around her wrists for a moment, body very close to hers. Oh, flirt. He then proceeded to guide her hands onto his shoulders and he tread water for a moment more before sinking into the waves, dissapearing. Actually he just swam underneath Rye's belly, which was somewhat like walking through a mine field-dont touch anything or you'll be blown to peices. He would have warned the horse that he was going under but he would risk being seen by the drowner, and seeing as he was the drownee, it was probably not the best idea. So he hoped not to die.

He waited on the opposite side of the horse for a little while before reaching up and folding his arms across the horse's back and watching Winter. He called over to her, You suck at drowning people. (Just so she knew, of couse, and intended to bring help next time she felt the urge to stuff someone under water) And laughed, content to stay where he was and just observe the beautiful girl-that was, until she decided she wanted to come over to him. Rye reached around and blew in Nate's face, so the boy couldnt resist giving his palomino a little (manly) kiss on the nose. The horse was satisfied with this (manly) display of affection and turned to continue to stare out into the ocean with his disgruntled expression. The key is to pick the real dastardly criminals to drown. You cant drown an innocent boy. His speech was followed by the most unabashed puppy dog face in the history of any self respecting teenage boy in front of a girl, not that he was one to pass up an opportunity to humiliate himself.

word count:755 *not about to be outdone* ;]
ooc | Oh really? I speak whale. Also I know a few snippets of giraffe, but they dont like me much and usually lean towards the tendancy to try and strangle me with their absurd tongues.
and *clutches chest* you almost gave me a heart attack. REMS is not a joke, missy.

[/blockquote]

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

»I smiled with mild amusement at his karate pose, imagining how funny it would be if he forgot to keep swimming and sank under the water. Unfortunately he managed to keep floating, for now. I could have sworn i saw him scrunch up his face as if with the intake of salt water after i splashed him, but the expression passed as quickly as it had come. What a tough cookie. If it had been me who had swallowed a mouthful of the stuff i would be clutching my throat and gagging in a pretend effort to bring the stuff back up. Of course, efforts such as these were always in vain. As i swam closer to the boy i was struck by a slight shyness at the look he gave me, of course, a look like that could easily be mistaken for something else, maybe i was just getting carried away, as always.

»I laughed again, although this time it was more a giggle than anything else, at the thought of Nate with a long winding beard. i lifted my hand, poking out my chin and pretended to stroke my own imaginary facial hair, quite imaturely. He was swimming around me now, and i was vaguely aware of the intentional contact between our legs under the water. I smiled as he spoke again, far out this boy was quick. If i wasn't careful, he'd outsmart me. I didn't resist as he took hold of my wrists, although i let a quizzical expression change the fearures on my face for a moment, questioning his motive. His shoulders were broad, and built with refined muscle. Curiously i let my thumbs run a few circles on his skin from where they rested, taking absent note of where the tones in the muscles changed slightly. Quite suddenly i felt the secure pace of him treading water in front of me diminish, and he sank quietly under the water, disappearing from my sight. Okay, too far. i cursed myself inwardly, as it had many times before, curiosity killed the cat. I sat treading water for a minute longer, before swivelling on the spot in search of where the boy had surfaced, or if he even had at all.

»After a few moments of spinning awkwardly in circles i noticed a distrubance in the water from Rye's direction, spotting Nate hiding behind the big golden-cream coloured horse i shrugged overdramatically at him, before turning my face completely serious once more. Well now, i wouldn't exactly call you an inoccent boy. You did kidnap me after all. What kind of harmless male would do such a thing and not deserve to be drowned? I had hard time keeping a straight face while he procceeded to bribe his victory with the cutest, saddest puppy dog face i'd ever seen. The expression once again drew attention to his eyes, and how they resembled the blue-green colour of the water we swam in so closely. I was curious as to how ones eyes could be so striking and captivating. A silly thought occurred to me that maybe this boy wasn't real at all, just tricks of my imagination taunting me. Day dream or not, i didn't want it to end. This was undoubtedly the most fun i'd had in a very long time.

»Faced with the physical barrier of five hundred kilos of horse tha seperated us i floated onto my back, staring at the sky for a moment. The few clouds that scourned the sky so carelessly drifted hastily over us. The day was still young, and warm, it heated my stomach as i drifted for the next few minutes, engulfed by another trivial day dream, before a cheeky thought occurred to me. I sprang back upright, swimming in Nates direction. But i didn't stop once i got to him and Rye, i continued ona few metres past them, flashing Nate a mischevious grin before ducking under the surface. Emerging a moment later engulfed in sea weed i faced the pair. GRR, ever seen a mermaid before? And swam back over to them. Rye scrambled a few uncertain steps away from me, but no matter. Nate was my real target. I grabbed a handful of the slimy wet weed and threw it at him, before winding a long strand around his neck. There. That's better, you look much nicer covered in scum.
[/blockquote][/right][/blockquote][/left]


word count. 747 words.
status. complete
ooc | My god, i'm sorry about the cbox earlier! i left my laptop on, i was outside with my horseee. Redoing her bandages trying to decided whether or not to call the vet..
You speak WHALE?! Wow, i wish i could speak whale.. Hm. Alpacas are my sworn enemy. Wanna hear a story? Good. This one time, i was at work, up on the safari bus openeing gates and the bus was just coming back through and i turned around to be faced with an alpaca. I swear it gave me an evil look, i bolted for the bus and the silly thing chased me and tried to spit all over me! Everyone thought it was hilarious. But i didn't. I'm pretty sure that same day i fell off the bus while it was moving. Gravel doesn't help the unco-ordinated. Eh (: [/size]

[nate.]

Nate didnt miss the little nuances of her expression, the shifts in her body language. He could tell he was having an effect on her, but instead of getting cocky and exploiting that, he decided to just let it go and see where it took them. This could be interesting. Her hands on his shoulders were cold and yet they sent warm shivers down his body as her thumbs traced circles across his skin. He didnt want to leave that but he was playing a prank-he wouldnt sacrifice laughter for special tinglies in his defunctional spine. While he watched from the other side of the horse, it took definite effort not to laugh, mostly because of the confused look on her face. Well, he reasoned, he had dissapeared under water and not surfaced. He could have his shorts caught in the jaws of a shark and he could be getting dragged into the depths of the ocean to be eaten by a man eating beast. But it was unlikely, so he sat silently a little longer before poking his head back up.

He gave a disbelieving look when she doubted his innocence-EVEN WITH THE PUPPY FACE. Honestly. She must be alien to resist his charm with such a straight face. Well, or a girl who didnt easily fall for such a handsome, skilled, witty guy such as himself. (Yes, yes he does own a mirror. And possibly six.) But basically the option was alien. Yeah, he supposed he did kidnap her, but who's to say she didnt want to be kidnapped? He pointed to himself. Me. Im a harmless male that deserves to live. He vouched for himself happily. She stared into his eyes for a fraction of a second-what he woudnt give to be inside her head and know what she was thinking for just that one moment. But alas, he was no alien and as such could not read minds. She didnt seem too peachy keen on getting to the other side of Rye and proceeded to float on her back, giving Nate the optimal viewing seat.

What, you think its wrong for a guy to check a girl out while she's relaxing and unaware? Thats just how life is. Guys do it everyday. Its the nature of the beast. He had a feeling she had an idea when she sprang up like she'd been bitten on the ass, and he was debating whether or not he would like it as she swam by them. Rye watched her as cautiously as Nate did as she turned, gave a grin that was slightly foreboding, and slipped under the water. Thinking she was going to surface in front of him (or behind him to give him an uncomfortble swim-suit wedgie, Nate sort of danced around, trying to peer into the depths of the water, only to find his vision hindered within a foot by the upturned silt of the ocean floor. And then she popped out of the water covered in mucky seaweed. He couldnt blame his horse for shying away, he wanted to do the same thing at first, but he had slower reflexes and as such was content to wait for the monster to approach.

Winter growled and Nate just couldnt supress the laughter. She looked so downright adorable covered in ocean weeds that there was nothing left to do. She threw a chunk at him, which he attempted to duck but most of it landed on his exposed shoulder. He didnt have time to wipe it away because she swam up next to him and wrapped one of the strands around his neck; a cold, clammy, unpleasant feeling. But he caught the hand that had wrapped the seaweed around him and pressed it up against his neck, holding it there with his own hand for a few moments. Thats not very nice. My mother always told me to wash behind my neck-she'll be so dissapointed when she sees this. She'll think I havent been bathing for weeks. He chuckled and let her hand go, reaching up with both of his to pull some of the seaweed out of her hair.

He took a few long strands and wrapped them around her mouth, holding them at the back of her head while trying not to pull her hair. He observed the gagged Winter and smiled. There, I like this better. Leaning in he kissed her nose flirtatiously and then tilted his head so that his ear faced her. Winter? Winter I cant hear you. Fine, if you want to give me the silent treatment, then hmph. He let go and turned around, folding his arms in front of him and tilting his chin up, nose in the air like a snooty afgan dog. Its more difficult than it looks to appear snooty while treading water and facing a horse thats giving you a look that clearly says Wtf. Im three and I have more maturity. He pulled it off for a few seconds at least.

word count: 839 *success!*
ooc | Im sorry to hear alpacas hate you. And I agree about the gravel problem, we should just do away with it altogether and replace it with tiny foam chunks of goodness.
p.s maybe the bus and the alpaca were working together.

[W i nter.Babeee (:]

»A sharp wave of satisfaction washed over me upon my resurface. The confused look on Nate's face as he glanced about himself warily hinted at vulnerability, i could have sworn i saw his eyebrows raise a fraction in disbelief when he caught sight of me, covered in seaweed. His laughter consuming all my attention at my efforts to imitate a harmful monster of the deep. I was vaguely aware that he was probably laughing at me, and not with me. But either way, laughter was laughter, and i'd take that in any shape or form it would come. The chunk of weed i threw first landed on his shoulder, in perhpas the same place the seaweed from the beach had been. Coincidence? Or maybe i just had wonderful aim. Either way, it made me giggle at the thought.

»When i wrapped some of my collection around him he caught my hand, pressing it to his neck. He only held it there for a brief moment, a moment that could have been quite awkward. And it was in a way, for me atleast, but not that uncomfortable awkward where you wished something would happen to distract from the present situation. It was that type of breath-catching awkward, where you were being held in teasing suspense, wondering what would happen next. The type of situation where the slightest movement could decided what happened next. I was aware of how close we were, tangled in slimy, constricting seaweed. So close, we were, that i could feel his cool breath on my face. I was dazzled for a moment, frozen in place almost. This was like one of those movie scenes, where you could always predict that the two people involved were about to kiss or say something meaningful. Funnily enough, this wasn't a movie, and i was hardly about to jump into a situation like that with someone i'd only just met.

»I had never been one of those boy crazy girls, who needed the security of a male in their lives. Horses had always been my forte. Plus, i'd always had more male friends than female ones. Which in turn, resulted in me being the least optimistic person when it came to guys, seeing how things worked from their point of view. Back home i'd always been treated as 'just one of the guys' sure there'd been the odd fling with a few of them. But i wasn't fussed, either way. And so it was strange to have thoughts such as these, especially conisdering the current situation. Two teenagers and a horse going for a swim at the beach. By the time he dropped my hand i became aware that i was staring like a blind idiot, although such a short time had passed i was hopeful he hadn't noticed at all. So i smiled and laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood again, scrunching up my nose as he extracted a few coiled locks from my seaweed wig.

»By the time i realised what he was up to it was too late. I reached for his wrists in a desperate attemp to stop him wrapping the seaweed around my mouth, forming a gag. All i managed before the bitter taste reached my lips was Oh, don't you dare- unfortunately, my efforts had been in vain. i slapped my hands on the surface of the water in defeat, mumbling under the wet gag indeciferable words. His hands holding the weed at the back of my head he proceeded to kiss me on the nose. I stopped my mumbling for a moment, slightly stunned. Before he started pretending he couldn't hear me. That brought me back out of my momentary haze, causing me to giggle, the sound muffled by the seaweed still stuck to my face. I peeled it off, tossing it back into the water and turning to look at the back of Nate, who was facing Rye, pretending to be offended at my recent 'silence'.

»I quickly ducked under the water, washing the remaining seaweed and sand from my hair before emerging and looking at Nate again, who still had his back turned to me. I smiled a lopsided grin at the boy, though he wouldn't have been able to see it and reached up to put my arms around his neck, leaning over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. Maybe i was giving you the silent treatment. Or maybe i just wanted to set you up for this! Sliding my hands back up to rest on the top of his shoulders i kicked my legs and rose out of the water a fraction, obtaining a slight height advantage and put all my weight onto Nate's shoudlers, pushing him quickly under the water. I moved back slightly, waiting for him to resurface, feeling no pity for the boy whatsoever. See, that's what happens to boys who gag girls!
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word count. 834 words.
status. complete
ooc | WOW, i adore the sound of this foam Where can we get such a thing? Although i don't think my boss will be too happy when he finds we've replaced his road with foam that's impossible to walk on.. let alone drive on. Hm. GUESS WHAT. Harry potter came out today. but i don't get to see it till tomorrow, because my friend who lives in queensland doesn't arive down here until tonight. The party pooper, sheesh. Also, me and my boss filled the water fountain with lavendar bubble bath the other weekend. it was funny, because the next day this customer walks in and goes 'um, your fountain's overflowed' and we turn around to see a bunch of customers fighting their way through a maze of bubbles to get to the front entrance, BAHAHA. [/size]

[nate.]

Nate sensed the tension, the electric shock that passed through his skin in a gentle current as they touched and remained close. Her eyes were locked with his for the longest of times, it seemed, though in reality the time passed measured in seconds, not minutes. It was a different sensation-not just the usual suspense before a kiss, but a kind of suspense that seemed like it could last longer than the moment, if that made any sense. It sounded garbled even in his head though, so who could be sure? He had just met her, but he felt like he knew her-which was absurd. He didnt know anything about her-all he knew was that she was beautiful, had a perfect sense of humor, and liked horses. And her name. But not even her last name! It was like kindergarteners meeting on the playground. First you have to get to know the person before you start trading crayons. And despite the strange metaphors that Nate was conjuring in his head, trying to clear things up, he felt like the mud was getting darker.

It would be a complete lie to say he got no satisfaction from the short little 'Dont you dare' cry that managed to slip by her lips before he stuffed her face with seaweed, so he wouldnt deny it-taunting her with water weeds was fun enough. He did happen to notice the lapse in mumbled screams when he kissed her nose, but he wouldnt draw attention to it just now. It could be useful in the near-or far, actually-future. He had to let go sometime though, and as he struggled to keep a straight face while staring at Rye's comical expression, he heard the water swish behind him, and then Winter's voice. It sounded rather deadly, in a way. He did his best not to turn around and face the impending oncoming danger, though it was a test of willpower for sure. Then in a moment there were her arms around his throat-a sensation that should, in the present situation, be rather frightening and give the impression that danger was rapidly approaching. But it felt so good that he tensed up and basically froze in place in complete shock, amazed at the special tinglies that seemed to have come back. Stupid bodily functions.

And stupid he proved to be, because not a moment later he felt himself going down. He spluttered out something garbled before he slipped under, and it probably sounded around the lines of, 'Help' which was only natural and a sensible response. He did manage to gasp a little breath before he went under, however. He turned around under water so he was facing her and put his hands around her waist, spinning her in a circle. He surfaced and continued to keep his grip, pushing her gently towards Rye until her back was up against his shoulder. The horse, by now unamused by all the horseplay (how ironic is that, eh?) was content just to huff and not move. Nate moved his hands so that they were on either side of her head, pressed up against the horse. He smiled, a cunning, playful smile. Is that so? Well, what happens to girls who repeatedly drown cute little boys? He asked facetiously, tilting his head questioningly. And then there was a moment, just one little moment that rocked his little world upside down.

Something inside of him screamed at him that he was inches away from this girl, inches, and to make the move right now. He could be through with her in a day, or a few at the most. He leaned slightly forward, lips parted, eyes flicking between her mouth and her eyes. And he realized right then that he didnt want to be through with her, he wanted to go on knowing her for as long as he could. Immediatly he closed his mouth and backed away a little, a confused expression flickering on his face before he settled back into his casual features. Well, I think thats quite enough swimming for today, or we'll be mistaken for prunes, and I for one, do not want to end up in an old woman's juice. He smiled and lifted her onto Rye without asking, of course, being the presumptuous little bastard that he was. Of course, he did lift her onto the horse so she was facing backwards, which was fun.

He jumped on facing forwards, this time he was in the front, and he reached around, linking arms with her. He couldnt have her falling off, after all. Peeking back over his shoulder he grinned. I hope you dont mind, we only had a rear-facing seat left; you booked your flight rather late, Im sorry. By this time Rye was quite ready to go, and Nate calmly steered him out of the waves at a slow canter, but once they reached the wet sand, he let the palomino loose. His calves squeezed tight, holding on for both himself and Winter, lest she fall off. In about three minutes the thundering came to a cease, replaced by rhythmic trotting. He had the horse go back to where they had left the pile of Winter's clothes and he hopped down, bringing her with. He then proceeded to remove Rye's lead rope, and the horse, exhausted, took a quick dip and then rolled in the sand before starting his walk back down the beach. He'd be fine-he wasnt ambitious about running away.

word count: 917 *feels uber pleased with self*
song inspiration: N.Y.C - Kevin Rudolf
ooc | Im fairly sure US Toy could supply us with it, though we may have to buy individual packages. Are you a billionaire? That would help. I wish I could have seen Harry Potter. I dont know if you know it, but Im a Harry Potter junkie. Like no joke. I listen to Wrock. And I have t shirts. And...a Gryffindor scarf. Alas, I spent a few hours of my day at a petting zoo, which was actually kind of fun You should put perfume on your animals, to confuse the guests as to where they are. (Guest: I see a water buffalo but I smell Aunt Gemima-maybe I do need to get my glasses checked, after all. Come on Aunty G, its time to leave) And then you'd have a crazy blind woman trying to tote a water buffalo out of the zoo, which would be fun.