New Year Dilemma (Open)

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

It was another frigid day in Pilot Ridge, but Aracelli had been doing nothing but staying in since Christmas, and she was ready to get out and do something. With Reece not being able to practice, she was finding that she practiced less and worked on doing things like reading books and watching movies that she'd been wanting to get to, but hadn't had the time. It had been good to catch up on things, but she was getting tired of looking at the same four walls, so she bundled against the cold and headed outside.

Her new car started right up and she drove to the small lakefront. Although it might be colder here, it was a vast sweeping view, and the greatness of it was what she needed to clear her mind. She had a lot of thoughts and feelings that she was still trying to sort out. Everything seemed to be in such a muddled state that the Spanish girl wasn't sure if she would figure them out before someone else did. She knew that up until a few weeks ago, she thought that eventually she would get Reece back. Now, she wasn't even really sure she wanted him back. Yes, he would be dear to her, always, he was her first love, but he didn't want her, so she needed to move on.

And then there was Taitum. He inspired feelings in her that she wasn't sure exactly what they were. It was so odd, but he made her want to feel fragile, and protected, while at the same time, making her feel strong and sassy. He was easy to talk to and even more, to flirt with. And she was not one of those people for whom flirting came easy.

A heavy sigh misted into the air, and she shoved gloved hands into her coat, eyes still looking out over the water as thoughts churned in her head.

[Linden McKay]

The University had taken break a few weeks ago and since then, Linden had been stuck at home with Jay and Deidra. Ceri was always working, Kierri was holed up in her room and who knew what the rest of the family was ever doing. There were too many to keep track. Lin had been stuck dealing with Jay's lazy bum crap and Deidra's spazzing. It had driven him close to insanity and he really just needed an out.

He'd have gone running if the paths hadn't been nearly frozen everywhere. He didn't really feel like falling on his face while running. He could definitely think of better things to do with his time. Well, until today. Today was a day for chilling. Which was more literal than he liked to think. It was freezing out and he really didn't like the cold. It was annoying and made his nose run. Not very attractive.

He pulled up in his car at the lake and turned it off. Reluctantly he opened the door, releasing all heat that had been stored in his car. He frowned and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. He walked slowly, keeping his eyes on his feet, not really paying much attention to anybody. Heck, he hadn't even noticed someone else was there until he glanced up once.

Lin was pretty sure it was a girl. The shape looked feminine and he'd seen plenty of female bodies to know the difference. He wasn't exactly sure if the girl was someone he knew or not, but he was about to find out. "Uh hey, little cold out eh?" He said quietly, hoping he hadn't disturbed the girl. In which case he was sure he'd get bitched out. Not something he wanted to deal with.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

The girl standing by the lake had heard the car pull up but didn't look around. She figured it was simply someone else coming out to walk or otherwise get away from it all. The last thing she wanted was to was disturb another's thoughts. Not unless they wanted to be disturbed first. The crunch of his footsteps distracted her enough that she turned, giving a friendly smile as he called out his greeting. They seemed to be the only two people willing to brave the cold weather, and she couldn't help but laugh at his observation.

"It is a bit cold today. What brought you out today?" She thought perhaps she'd seen him before, but it was hard to tell. Maybe in class? Aracelli was pretty sure that knew who it was, and as she continued to stare, she realized who it was. It was Linden. They'd had a class or two together, and while they weren't well known to each other, they weren't strangers. Another friendly smile came to her lips. "How are you Linden? Did you have a good holiday?"

It was nice to have a classmate to talk to. It would make the cold seem warmer and the time go faster. It was certainly going to be a welcome change to her looking out over the water and thinking entirely to much about the odd turns her life was taking. Everything had been simple before she and Reece broke up and now everything was really complicated. That was not cool. She wished there were a simpler or easier way to deal with everything, but it was likely that it was only going to get harder. Oh joy!

[Linden McKay]

Linden recognized the voice vaguely, but the face was the give away. They'd had maybe one class together, but not too many conversations. Linden was always so focused in class he didn't flirt much. At least in the classes he liked. He smiled and nodded, "Um well I needed out of my hectic household actually. Younger sisters, older brothers, very crazy." He laughed and his eye twitched involuntarily.

He shrugged, "I've been better to be honest. Holidays are always insane at my house, sometimes I'd rather have class than go home." He laughed to show he was joking, but there was a hint of truth behind his words. Being home was nice every once in a while, but jeez his siblings could be rather annoying.

Okay, so he didn't have much room to talk, but he was the college man of the house, the next accomplished McKay. Ceri had beaten him to it and she was younger, but that was just because she didn't need to know much in order to cook. Read, comprehend and measure. That was the extent of her job. Linden however had a different career ahead of him. Computer Engineer, not the easiest thing for some people. People that didn't have technopathy at least.

Linden looked back up at her, "How about you? Anything fun happen on your break so far?" He asked with an interested smile.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

She smiled at his friendly and engaging chatter. She knew what he meant about holidays being hectic. At home, there were several siblings, and she could remember what it was like to spend time with everyone home. Pretty much it was pure chaos. It was one of the reasons that she didn't go home much anymore. It was to chaotic and unsettling now. She'd gotten used to the relative quiet of Reece's family. It wasn't quiet, not really, but it was easier.

Had anything interesting happened on her break? Well, that was a doozy of a question, wasn't it? She'd met Taitum, fought with Reece, again, and just in general had a crappy holiday. She almost wished that she was in school as well. It certainly would have made this holiday less complicated. She looked out over the lake again as she pondered what to tell him by way of an answer. What could she say that didn't sound stupid?

"I don't know if it was interesting really. Spent Christmas with the ex boyfriend and his family, met a guy at a bar, had a fight with said guy and then spent the next day recovering from use of my power. It's been pretty crazy, really. I don't know if you'd classify any of it as actual fun though." She smiled at him, brushing a hand back through her hair. "I live a pretty boring life really. Sometimes I wish I had more excitement."

She paused for several long moments. "What are you studying?" She wasn't sure what else to ask him, or how much detail she should go into. After all, they'd only met casually, and it wasn't like they were close. She thought he was cute, but she wasn't going to act on that without some sort of signal that it was welcome.

[Linden McKay]

"That sounds really...not so great. Ex's are a pain, and fighting with a guy in a bar? I sure hope you set him straight," Linden smiled slightly. Something about her told him she was fairly capable of putting any guy in his place. Any gorgeous girl could if they knew how. Especially when it came to guys like himself. He was weak when it came to girls that liked to be the dominant one.

Now, Linden wasn't exactly a submissive type either, hello, he was a guy after all. He could be plenty dominant, but he rarely asserted dominance over a girl if he was trying to either date her or just get her into bed with him. Usually the latter, but some girls, such as Mira, liked a take charge guy. He didn't know Aracelli that well so he couldn't know what type of girl she was. All he knew was that she looked like the type of girl that wasn't easily messed with.

"Ha, yeah sounds like you need a little more fun and a little less of that kind of excitement." He pointed it out just because it was on his mind, but he believed it too. After hearing what she was dealing with, he had a feeling she could use a little less drama in her life. Then again, maybe she liked the drama. Some crazy people were into that sort of thing.

Her question was more small talk, which he could tolerate. As long as she didn't ask too many personal questions they'd have a nice conversation. Lin didn't really enjoy talking. If she wanted to vent, his ears were open, just don't ask him to vent. "I'm studying to be a computer engineer. Lemme guess...a model?" He asked trying his hand at guessing her major. She had the build of a model, or maybe a dancer, but he was betting on the model.


((OOC: I'm sorry Kas! Linny just started talking to me again))

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

Celli wasn't sure that she'd set Taitum straight, but things were alright. Eventually she'd be able to talk to him and apologize and then things would be straight. In the meantime, she was just not going to go drinking and doing stupid things for a while. As for the ex, well it was Reece. Reece's middle name was 'pain-in-the-ass'.

"I don't know that I did, but que sera sera." She waved it off, not wanting to worry about explaining the situation any more than she already had. It just wasn't something she wanted to discuss. Celli was a submissive type, and it was nice when a guy took control of things, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't give back as good as she got if something came up that she was passionate about. Most of the time though, Celli valued peace, and would back down rather than argue.

She quirked a smile at his comment about excitement. Less drama would be a gift from the gods at this point, and she wasn't sure that she'd get that. It seemed like everything in her life was full of drama since she'd broken up with Reece. "A bit less excitement would definitely be a dream come true."

Celli shook her head as a soft laugh filled the air. "No, but thank you. Actually I'm studying to be a researcher at Hammel. I want to find a way to detect less obvious metas sooner if possible. What do you hope to do with your degree?"

More small talk, just impersonal stuff. Both of them seemed to have heavier things on their minds, and while Celli wouldn't mind venting to Linden, she didn't know him well enough. They were amazingly similar, and if they could manage to get past the awkward phase of the initial meeting, they might actually be quite good friends. But they had a while to go first, and it all started with the small questions they were going through.