Dancing Under the Sun (Blake)

Posts : 41 Join date : 2017-10-04

Saturday, July 28 - Age 16

It seemed that it was the beginning of the school year and the end of summer. The breeze was still divine and Tess closed her eyes as she felt it caress her cheeks. Every year she enjoyed this time of the season because it was a perfect merge of seasons. The winds were so vocal, the water was always following the moon, and the warm rays still caressed her skin.

Her morning routine was very much a peaceful one. Taking advantage of a month before school started, she moved in wishing to get in tuned with nature. Her days consisted of meditation, cooking with the fairies, and then taking walks. Every afternoon she took lunch by the beach. It seemed right. Her mother once told her that her heart was of the sea and that whenever it called out to her she should follow it. In turn, her father would tell her to simply not to anything stupid.

And since no one was here...Tess threw her shoes to the side before running to the beach. As her does dipped into the wet send she sighed. The waves caressed her as if it wanted to show her how it missed her as well. She had no shame in diving in, for all she wanted to do was take advantage of the alone time and dance with the water. As her arms swung around the water swayed with her and when she tiptoed, she found herself now dancing atop of water. Humming softly, she felt at peace for there were no paparazzi wanting to take her photos, no reporters, no inventions, nothing. Just her and the sea.

Posts : 33 Join date : 2017-10-20

Blake had, of course, arrived at school early. With a schedule as hectic as his -- he had a somewhat major role in a short web-series someone was filming, and while he'd decided to focus (finally) on school (he did want to graduate, after all) the filming for that had aligned perfectly with his summer break. Of course, it meant that he hadn't much time for homework, and so as soon as filming ended, he made a beeline for the safety of the island. Nobody could disturb him there, after all, and he had finished his assignments with just a few days to spare.

There were a few left, naturally, ones he hadn't bothered to do because they weren't of any interest -- who really cared about the history of some washed-up hero or his arch nemesis? It wasn't as though his parents weren't famous or anything; he could get details from them anytime he wanted -- or he'd been too lazy to complete.

Leaving his dorm with a towel hanging over one shoulder and only swimming trunks (just loose enough to meet school rules, although when wet was definitely far more revealing than most would ever be comfortable with) on, Blake made his way to the beach. It was too nice a day to waste on the indoor swimming pool; besides, if he was lucky, there'd be others there for him to talk to. Being stuck indoors writing out essays hadn't been in the least bit fun, and his attention meter was severely low, which meant he was getting irritated. He was an extrovert (or quite possibly just too self-absorbed, not that he ever realised or saw) and humans were much needed.

It seemed, therefore, that he was in luck. With the sun high above, peeking out through some clouds and offering warmth but not overbearing heat, Blake broke into a jog, tossing his towel onto a clean patch of sand before stopping at the water's edge. She was dancing. Tess Holmes, Blake knew from classes; water manipulation, if he wasn't mistaken. (He knew he hardly was.)

"Beautiful," he called out, although if he was talking about her, the dancing, the weather, or the scenery, he didn't elaborate. "You dance spectacularly -- I would know, I've seen some of the best."

Posts : 41 Join date : 2017-10-04

Dancing with no music was an easy feat for her. Her mother had a Siren's song meaning that she would always ague that a song lay within your soul and it was a mere movement that evolved it into more. While she was not gifted with that portion of her mother's powers, she did feel that she move with the pattern of the waves. As she rose, she lifted her arms and curved them to move alongside it. When she was growing up her powers always seemed less vital than her brothers, but as she grew into herself she realized it was a thing of beauty.

Beautiful

As soon as she heard the first word come from his mouth, she found herself swaying the water a different direction in surprise. There were only a handful of students on the island, and at this time, they would be in the town square on the mainland hanging out. But the boy she saw was not like most classmates of hers. For one thing he was well known and super popular in classes. Everyone knew Blake King, or Mr. Popular as she liked to call him. He was handsome, and charming, but something was always off when he spoke.

"You dance spectacularly -- I would know, I've seen some of the best."

And there it was. No matter how dashing or handsome he was, he would often times become so...pompous. It was by no means something to get up in arms about but it brought a bit of a smudge on his perfect persona. And that somehow made her feel as if her feet were back on the ground, figuratively. Though as he stared at her, she gave him a lopsided smile. They barely spoke, finding their social groups to be very different.

"I'm flattered" she cooed. "Care for a swim or is that the new fashion trend in Milan"

Posts : 33 Join date : 2017-10-20

Tess Holmes was a beauty, and although not the most stunning, gorgeous in her own way. They'd talked not much before, except in class discussions and the like, so he couldn't really say he'd met her. He made it a point, though, to try and introduce himself properly to everyone in school at least once; how could he claim to be the most popular man in school if he didn't know literally everyone? But Tess Holmes was somewhat of an enigma. He'd heard about her father, of course, but never really met the guy. His wife was someone with a power, but he hadn't really heard more than that (which probably meant she wasn't famous).

Tess, however, was entirely her own person. He prided himself on many things, but one of the main ones was that he never judged someone by their parents; he knew, personally and deeply, how annoying this could be. All he knew was that she was beautiful and, apparently, she could dance.

It was somewhat intriguing to find he was talking normally; her favourite accent was apparently his original one. That was a good start. Momentarily, he debated turning his charm up a little, if just to see her reaction, but he decided against it. He wanted to save his energy until and unless he knew she was actually worth it.

He grinned, deep dimples flashing. There was something about dimples that females loved, although he didn't see the attraction in them. In reply, he waded into the water, moving towards her, but making sure to keep a respectable distance. He wouldn't force himself on anyone; he wasn't rude.

"Have you ever been to Milan?" he asked, deliberately avoiding her question. One thing he'd learnt early on was to only answer what he knew would go his way, and change the subject otherwise. "The cathedral is second only to the beauty I just witnessed."

Posts : 41 Join date : 2017-10-04

Blake King was handsome. Making that statement was similar as stating that the ocean was blue. He was tall, famous, rich and handsome and it seemed that he knew it too. She sighed, that truly was a shame; she always had a soft spot for the people who were beautiful and did not know it. But when he smiled and his dimples showed, she felt a wave of something hit her. Her cheeks grew a little warm and she ignored it with the cooled waves. His charm was working, but his mouth tended to hinder him.

Tess was many things, but stupid was certainly not one of them. Ever since her third year, she had been told that Blake King was a boy who would not be tamed. At first she had no clue what that meant, but when her brother had told her to stay away from Blake...well she found herself being told what that meant. He moved on from girl to girl and the older they got the more obvious that was. The girl he had on his arm one day was not the one that was with him two weeks later for the next outing. It was astounding how they did not realize that this was happening yet they always fell for it.

Never in a million year would she fall for him, but when those dimples hit her and he moved closer to her element she moved around a bit thankful for the distance he created. When he took in her teasing, it seemed he took it in stride, so much so that he dodged it completely.

"I have been to Milan multiple times actually. My mother was a model when I was growing up." she looked out towards the castle. That is, until she heard his second comment and she did something out of character. She laughed. She laughed only because his comment was completely ridiculous. Why now of all times was he paying attention to her?

She moved the waves to bring him closer and looked down at him, taking advantage of the water as she leaned down. Tilting her head she asked.

"Does that actually work on girls here?"

Posts : 33 Join date : 2017-10-20

Winston was someone he knew, even possibly someone he considered a friend. Tess' brother was popular, too, and apparently well-liked by the females around him (although, in Blake's opinion, not as much as they liked him) not that he minded. There were plenty of fish in the sea, the saying went, and he would never force anyone to be with him if they didn't want to. He liked females, sure, but he wasn't a creep; they were their own person, go feminism, and all that stuff.

Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't try. There was no harm in that, at the end of the day, and try he would. Tess was, after all, beautiful -- and that was what he was after, was it not? Beauty of any kind, be it in the arts or in a female. Dancing helped, too; he liked dancers. They tended to be more... flexible, and private dances were always fun, too. There hadn't been many dancers he'd been with -- probably three or so over the years -- but he definitely planned on expanding on this number. He was only seventeen, after all, and only started dating at fourteen.

"You get your looks from her, I'm assuming," he said, keeping his tone casual; he wasn't flirting, not this time around. He was merely stating a fact. The laughter told him he missed his mark, not that it bothered him. Being turned down was part of life, and he never caught ill feelings from it. He just wasn't their type -- or gender -- and he would take the hint and move on.

Of course, moving on was easier said than done, which was why he'd set it up in that way. Depending on what she said and how she responded, he, too, had different responses. He felt the water move and relaxed into it, not stiffening as some might have. It was just another thing to adapt to, another thing that was happening. He looked up at her, his grin turning slightly lopsided as he did, one dimple deep, the other shallow, and let out a deep chuckle.

"I was talking about the ocean, actually, but I'm glad your self-esteem isn't lacking," he said, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "Nothing man-made can beat the wonders of nature. At the end of the day, one fades and one doesn't."

Posts : 41 Join date : 2017-10-04

'Oh he is smooth'

At first a sense of embarrassment hit her. Oh God was he never talking about her looks at all? Was she really that vain? But no, she had a feeling she wasn't. She remembered that her first boyfriend had been annoyed that Blake had stolen his previous girlfriend. He had sworn up and down that he had done nothing wrong, but his girl had gotten up and left with Blake. That seemed odd to her then and odd now but the way he looked at her, manipulating her to think she was vain seemed like him.

How many times had girls run through the dorms crying at how had had made them believe that they had never dated? Or worse, he had told them that it was fun while it lasted but he had no time to be with them due to work? She wasn't going to argue, but something inside her felt something coming off of her like a veil being removed. Her nose wrinkled and she really looked directly at him.

"Blake...you've been here for years and you've never come to the beach. I know, I'm always here. What really brought you here? If you're after Eris she's in the gardens, not the beach. If you want look after the popular girls, then go to the main village as everyone does. I know your type." She got up and began to walk over the water and walked a bit away.

"And I'm telling you know you are wasting your type taking in the beauty of the ocean" she waved her hands around as the water did the same.

Posts : 33 Join date : 2017-10-20

He raised an eyebrow at her words. "Woah," he said, holding his hands up in a 'surrender' position. Something crawled up your ass, he thought, but didn't say. He was a gentleman, after all, and he wasn't going to ruin that by one crude comment to a female that obviously was far too uptight for her own good. Nevertheless, he was going to be polite and decent; he genuinely hadn't meant harm, and he wasn't about to back down. Blake was many things, but a quitter was not one of those things. 'Calm down', he knew, never worked. Females were a complicated bunch, end of the day, but worth the effort.

So, instead, he smiled again and turned his charm up just a little. "I normally use the pool, it's true," he said, deciding at the last moment not to use his Voice. It wasn't necessary, not yet. "The weather was perfect for a swim. I do come to the beach, but it's usually at night when nobody else is here," he added. It was somewhat true; he usually came with someone. He prefered being outdoors than in a bed. There was just something about being under the stars that set the mood.

Tilting his head a little, he put on a confused expression. "Why would I go to the gardens in swimming trunks? I'm exactly where I meant to be." Gesturing to the water and to the sky and to the beach, he said, "This is what brought me here. I got bored of assignments and being inside." That much was true, and he released the part of him that had been using his charm; there was no more need for that, since he was being a hundred percent honest now.

Her last statement was somewhat true; if he was busy, or wanting something, then he wouldn't have been here staring at the ocean. It was nice, and the water was always a comfort, but the ocean wasn't his fix. He much prefered mountains; the view from the top was truly breathtaking, more than anything else he'd ever seen (and he'd seen plenty) or done (and he'd done plenty, too, and he could name them all). But he was here to relax, to wind down, to be himself without expectations, and she was, therefore, very wrong.

"What if I want to waste time?" he asked, impishly grinning at her. It was a serious question, and he tilted his head as he waited for an answer.

Posts : 41 Join date : 2017-10-04

She placed a hand lightly on her chest as if aura ran through her like a chill. She went from annoyed, to charmed, to annoyed again and she wondered if there was something in the weather making her feel this way. The water around her tinkered nervously as well as she began to search if something was wrong. Maybe she was getting sick; because she swore she was angry a second ago.

But when his hands went up in a mock surrender and his expression said surprise she bit her lip. Maybe she had been overreacting but her brother had told her to not associate with him. And if Winston, who considered Blake a friend told her to stay away, perhaps she should. But if she left now that meant backing down. Tess knew she wasn't the strongest of people when it came to her personality, but she was stubborn enough to know this was more than a mere conversation.

He was messing with her so she took a deep breath before giving him a dazzling smile of her own. Something was wrong, she wasn't sure what but she felt it, and the only different thing was the boy in front of her.

"If you want to waste time maybe I can help?" with a snap of her fingers a wave hit him. It was not enough to genuinely hurt him, but perhaps cool the Lothario down. "I always find that a good dunk in the water can really be fun. And if you stay around my spot, the fun will come to you"

Posts : 33 Join date : 2017-10-20

He didn't miss the action, and hid a light smirk. At the very least he knew it was working, even if he didn't intend on taking it all the way; it was more of something to amuse himself with. While Tess was beautiful -- there was no denying that; he wasn't blind or stupid -- she just didn't seem worth the effort. He much preferred those who already wanted him or, at the very least, liked him. Why put so much effort into somebody who obviously wasn't interested when there was a whole host of people who were?

Still, he couldn't help but find it intriguing to see how much he could sway Tess. With her brother as a friend, however, he wouldn't try anything; siblings were off limit. It got far too messy when the breakup happened -- and make no mistake, they always happened. Blake just had not found 'the one' yet, not that he believed such a thing existed. Perhaps in time he'd find someone who captivated him enough to make him want to stay, but so far, that hadn't been true of anyone, no matter what they may have said. For whatever reason, females seemed to think they could 'change him'. It was ridiculous, but hey, who was he to question them?

The splash of water didn't do much, except startle him a little. He didn't exactly see it coming, but he wasn't thrown off by a single wave. He enjoyed swimming and was comfortable enough in water to not worry about a little dunk. Her words, though, were something else altogether.

Now he was just annoyed; he had come to swim and wind down, not to get into arguments with someone who was so uptight he couldn't tell if she had one of those ridiculous corsets or if she was just like that all the time. Whatever the case, Blake wasn't going to back down. He put just a little Power into his voice. "I didn't know you could claim a spot in the ocean," he said. He let the power go. "I'll go if you want me to."

[[OOC: It typically feels like a strong impulse to want to follow/believe what he's saying, although it's not usually in a suspicious way. (It feels very natural and not something that's forced/sudden.) Of course, it varies according to personality and their powers, so feel free to write whatever. ^_^]]

Posts : 41 Join date : 2017-10-04

What had started as a harmless joke soon filled her with dread. For her love of the ocean and her little quirk had apparently upset him. She felt it, the way his tone changed. It wasn't obvious per say but...her body had dread and embarrassment fill her and while her emotions were in turmoil, the elements around here began to feel anxious. Due to her shifting emotions, she felt the wind begin to pick up her anxiousness and the water swirl due to her unsureness. This was bad.

"I-I can't claim a spot I know" her voice was unsure and her voice softer than usual. Her demeanor was one that she used around her brother, or anyone close to her. Soft, clear with emotions, but wavering.

She was being a brat. That was her conclusion, she had to be. Her hands straightened down and she allowed herself to be submerged into the water just like him. Moving closer, she rubbed her arm self-consciously she moved closer in hopes of making peace.

"I-I'm sorry" she whispered "I guess my preconceived notions of how you are made me want to make you so upset you'd just leave. But it's not in my right. I'm sorry for being a brat, something just...off today."

The water in turn surrounded her, reassured her like a mother, that there was nothing wrong with her. Because while she did not know his lure over her, Mother nature did. Still, she bit her lip and mumbled.

"Friends?"