It Was The Wind, I Swear [open]

[Spencer Cox]

Spencer really, really hated clothes shopping. It was so difficult to find shops that catered to a man of his size - and looking for shoes was no better. One thing that was worse than normal clothes shopping was clothes shopping during the holiday season. So it was a really good thing that he wasn't out looking for clothes, although he had gone into a formal wear shop and lusted over the sharp-looking suits for quite a long time. Reluctantly, he left after glumly deciding that the suits a) were too expensive and b) probably wouldn't fit and continued his journey around the shops.

His family all celebrated Christmas, and he admittedly had a little soft spot for the festivity and togetherness and gift-giving. That was why he was trying to do his shopping sooner rather than later, and since he had nothing better to do that afternoon he figured it might be a good idea to look around for inspiration. Actually, he was usually finished shopping by now, and pretty smug about it, but moving more than 3000 miles away from home had screwed everything up. His internal clock, his focus, his money situation...

Walking into a stationery shop - there were those in his family who would have been happy with sparkly pens and a Newton's cradle - he told himself that he felt confident enough that everything had already straightened itself out... yawning into the back of his hand as he did so. Turning to look at some decorative notepads that would have been perfect for... well, himself, actually, his elbow caught on a stack of calculators and sent the entire thing crashing to the floor. Paused in his tracks, Spencer felt his face turning a violent red. A couple of people stopped to stare.

"Oh, er... well, I... that's not..." he managed to stutter, torn as to whether to leg it out of the shop and never go back or to pick up a calculator, purchase it, leave and never return.

Crouching down next to the pile, he started to lift the calculators and hang them back where they belonged. No sense in leaving this mess for the poor employees to clean up; he wasn't some sort of monster, after all.

[Deidra McKay]

Deidra had been looking for a new journal for a few days now. She went through them so fast with the ridiculous amount of nonsense that she scribbled into them, it was amazing really. She never seemed to have enough paper, no matter where she went. And if you ever found her without some kind of pen or pencil on her person at all times then hell would freeze over and the devil would ice skate. Metaphorically of course. So while thanksgiving was now over and the Christmas rush was really getting underway, the young student decided it was time to do some shopping of her own. I mean, you would to if you had a nearly unlimited amount of money to just throw at whatever you liked.

In the stationary store she had already picked a journal, some steampunk like thing, and was now looking at pens. The very fine ink pens she liked for doodling were there, as well as the Tul pens and mechanical pencils that she loved to write with. There were even a few shiny collectors pens that went to some fictional book series or other. They had a sort of fantasy look to them anyway. It was then that something behind her crashed. The dark skinned girl turned quickly, seeing a tall man with glasses picking up knocked over calculators. She walked over and set her basket down, starting to help him pick up the mathmatical devices.

" Those darn calculators just like to jump out at people, don't feel bad. They're quite mad at the moment because no one likes to think about math around the holidays." Her smile was slightly disarming, and what she was saying? Ya, it made about as much sense as a flying curtain rod.

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[Spencer Cox]

He tried putting the calculators back a few at a time, but they just kept falling back into the pile on the floor, making the task at least twice as difficult. Was he really this incompetent? As he gathered a few up into one arm, out of the corner of one eye he saw a basket come into view and he reflexively looked round at it, and then up at the lady who'd been carrying it. Quite a young lady, she was; more of a girl, really, but he wouldn't say it out loud. Were someone to ask him who she was, he would say 'I haven't a clue who this young lady is'. Whoever she was, he felt entirely grateful towards her as she started helping him with the calculator pile.

"Oh, wait, you don't have to; it's my own fault," he started, hastily pushing one particularly stubborn package back where it belonged. "Shouldn't... shouldn't let people as big and inelegant as me into tiny little shops like this." Who didn't like a bit of self-deprecation?

" Those darn calculators just like to jump out at people, don't feel bad. They're quite mad at the moment because no one likes to think about math around the holidays."

Huh. She was a bit of a cloud cuckoolander, wasn't she? Not really all there, poor dear. Or maybe she wasn't serious. Was she serious? Joking? A mix of both? It was... kind of hard to tell. It wasn't a bad thing, though. Actually, Spencer thought it was genius. Absolutely brilliant. Grabbing another bunch of calculators, he laughed. Of course, if she wasn't kidding, he was probably in for a world of awkward.

"That's, er, that's good, that, actually. Good way of putting it. Listen, thanks a lot for your help." Were she a bit older (by about... ten years) he might have offered to buy her a drink. Something to properly thank her for her help. Maybe he could buy her a pen? Or was that creepy? Was it? He didn't think that it would be wise to ask someone, just in case they did think he was some kind of creeper. Was that a thing? The sort of creeper who likes to hang around the stationery shops waiting for students to come in for their supplies/random things and knocks over calculators... to lure young ladies to them.

Nah, that couldn't have been a thing.

[Deidra McKay]

Deidra didn't like the fact that he was being such a downer on himself, it just didn't ffel right to her. No one should have to put themselves down. She wasn't sure what the reasons were, she was definitely no telepath to say such things. She did know it was someone who was most likely a little leery of other people and the way they acted. Deidra pushed one of the last calculators in place and stood, taking her basket with her. The girl did take a moment to look around, and notice the people who were there. A few were giving slight head nods of approval, while others had stopped and were watching them seemingly apprehensively, as if ready to call for help. In fact, one last even had her cell phone out and was just standing there. The younger girl frowned as she looked at some of those faces. What were these silly ninnies thinking anyway? Definitely nothing too nice, that was for sure. She pursed her lips, rolled her eyes and sighed. She just wouldn't stand for it.

" What are you all staring at so intently anyway? Haven't you got anything better to do. It's just calculators." There wasn't any movement for a moment.
" Well, go on then! Shoo!" She made motions with her hands, shoing the people in a different direction. Most went without sounds, but one or two made a little impolite grumble. She just shook her head.

" Some nerve people have at times." She turned back because he was saying thank you. his man was so polite, it was....in the eyes of this crazy girl it was kind of adorable, although she wouldn't say it aloud

. He was laughing, and she was happy to. Laughing people were always the best kind of people.

" anyway, I'm Deidra. I live in one of the big houses over the way. Go to school over at the institute." She wasn't sure if she was allowed to talk about it, but for the most part there wasn't a filter on her brain. She just said it like it came into her brain.

[Spencer Cox]

She didn't seem receptive to the self-deprecating humour. Which was disappointing, actually, as that was sort of all he had on his side at that precise moment. Or most of the time where humour was concerned, if he had to think about it. Instead of ignoring it as he probably should have, he nervously laughed, scratched at one temple with a middle finger and looked off to one side. "Ah. That didn't go down too well, huh? Yeah... thinking up new material on the spot was never my... strong... point..."

Trailing off, he noticed that the girl was now looking at the rather concerned looking handful of people still hovering. Feeling his face turning a burning red as she scolded them and then shooed them, he began to draw up a plan of escape - or, more accurately, a manner of exit. if he did decide to simply walk away and never come back, had had to do it in the least awkward way he was able. He had to try and retain some scrap of dignity. This wasn't some holiday; he was planning to live in this town.

"Wow, well. You handled that better than I ever could." Of course he had to add to his thanks. It was true, too. Considering his first reaction to people looking at him when he'd toppled the calculators was to vomit out a bunch of random syllables as if they explained everything.

Smiling and nodding, he offered his hand rather awkwardly, perching his basket on the opposite arm. "Oh, right, Deidra; lovely name, that," he said quite honestly. It was similar to one he'd used for a character in one of his novels, actually. "Is it Scottish? I might be wrong; it sounds like a Scottish name but it's been a while since I looked up Scottish names and I could be getting my origins mixed up. And you know, some names have several different origins and that's where it gets confusing." Suddenly realising what he was doing, he cleared his throat as though to trip himself up. "I'm Spencer. So, you go to Hammel? I went there, long time ago. Not that I'm old. Well, I don't feel old. I probably seem old. Er..."

[Deidra McKay]

The people went away and Deidra gave a satisfied nod. Of course, the man seemed uneasy around her, the way most people did when she went and acted like that. It wasn't her fault that she was so straightforward! It was part of her nature to talk to people like that when they annoyed her. She nodded at his thank.

" Some people just.....ugh! Some people are so ridiculous and it makes me want to eat clouds! Honestly, what where they thinking? It was just a couple of knocked over calculators. It's not like it was some weird teenage flashmob trying to steal all the pens in here." Speaking of pens, one of the ones the girl had been carrying in her basket has gone missing in the commotion. See, Deidra had a slight problem with that and her illusions helped cover for her when something would just slip away unnoticed.

" Oh! Hi Spencer! My name is Scottish, that's where I lived all my life until my family came to Pilot Ridge. It comes from Deirdre, or Deidara. There are a few other derivatives and alternatives to the name but I never pay attention to them since they don't matter. " She threw something in her basket, a pad of black paper and a white gel pen that were sitting enticingly on the racks. She was supposed to be shopping for her family but obviously that wasn't going to happen while she was in this store.

" You went to Hammel? You don't seem that old! I mean, I guess because my older sisters Ren and Ceri and my one brother Linden went there and they're out now. It's just Kierri and I. Borran never went because he doesn't have a gift. He likes it though." She shrugged, eyes darting to something sparkly.

" Ohh! Look at those fish magnets! They're so shiny!" She started to move but stopped.
" My gift is illusions. What's yours? I bet it's something cool, like language assimilation or.....butterfly shapeshifting? No wait! I know! You can grow leaves from your fingertips!" Deidra clapped happily. It was beside the point that she had no idea what she as talking about. That didn't matter to the girl. Sometimes, he rants of randomness could be just as bad, or possibly worse, than Spencer's nervous talking.

[Spencer Cox]

Eat clouds. That was certainly a novel approach to dealing with frustration, he'd give her that. He could foresee himself using the phrase 'eat clouds' as an insult, actually. Something fun and relatively inoffensive that would leave people baffled for at least a minute or two. If only he'd been the one to think of it. Still, impressive imagination this young lady had.

"Well, why would you pay attention to those other names, eh? They're not your name, are they? Although, that said, I answer to a lot of things. I prefer not to be called nasty things but I could answer to them, I guess." Like... like Slender Man. But that one he didn't mind so much. That should totally be my costume next Halloween...

Chuckling a little, he switched the basket to the other arm. "Oh, I'm pretty old. Well, not pretty old. I'm not seventy. But, you know. Old enough." Old enough that, being a stranger, he was feeling slightly more self-conscious than usual talking to this enchanting young lady, but then he had little sisters. One maybe about the same age as Deidra. Maybe they'd get to know each other? She was just as cuckoo as Deidra...

But that wasn't a nice thought, really, was it? So he dragged himself back to reality, or rather, was dragged at mention of magnets. Ooh, they were shiny. Illusions? What? Was it possible that her mind was going faster than even him?

"Oh wow, I'd always thought that'd be a great power," he said, his jealousy barely contained beneath the impressed smile he wore. "I have night vision. Not quite as cool, but, you know. Take what you're given. Life gives you lemons and all those other things."

[Deidra McKay]

" People come up with all kinds of nasty names. There were some that people called me a few years ago, but, um, well, they're not really all that appropriate, you know? Swearing and all that stuff. Let's just say those ding-brained bandages had some bad nights once I found out where they lived." She grinned hellaciously at the memory. So what if the bullies now thought thier houses were haunted by giant spiders and zombies and whatnot? It was totally worth it. The girl snapped a few of the magnets off, admiring how they glittered in the light of the store.

" Old enough? Hmm, so I'd say you're like....thirty something? That has to be close. You're older than my siblings, most of them, but not by much. I thin Ren and Ran are both twenty three, so that's not so bad. I'm sixteen, just turned so at the end of November. I was a little tired of being fifteen so I let it slide this year. But next time I'm going to catch whoever turns the clock when it's time to get older and tickle them real good." Her attention span split again and she made some kind of weird motion with her hand like she was waving someone off. But she was move waving for Spencer to follow because she was highly enjoying the conversation.

"Ohh, I love lemons! And cherry lime-aid with pomegranate! It's so wonderful if it's all frozen and you just sort of squish it all together in the blender and drink it down! Wonderful stuff. If you forget to put the lid on top though it makes a terrible mess. I did that once and I think Ceri wouldn't let me even go near the kitchen for at least a week. She's a little possessive of the kitchen you know." She threw something else sparkly in the basket and stopped dead, turning to look at the man.

" Night vision is awesome! It totally means you can see in the dark and stuff! You never have to worry about tripping. I trip all the time, over everything. My mom says it takes a special talent to trip over flat surfaces, and I do that great! Which means I must be uuber talented. I also tend to run into walls, but, ya know. It comes and it goes." She smiled and shrugged, looking back and forth across the ilse as she tried to figure out what she was looking for now. This young girl wasn't going to let Spencer escape from her motor mouth just yet, oh no. He'd have to either run away, or wait through the entirety of her piece-meal conversation.

[Spencer Cox]

She was definitely delightful, and he wondered briefly if she and his sister would get on well. Though it really wasn't up to him to make friends for her... and she wasn't likely to be too grateful. And imagine, gone shopping for presents and found a friend for his little sister! Madness, utter madness. But in a nice sort of Alice-In-Wonderland sort of way, rather than a Jervis Tetch kind of a way. That wouldn't be quite so good. Although it was likely to be quite a bit more.. bloody.

Although, given the way she spoke about her ex-bullies, it almost felt like she was heading in that direction. Briefly he imagined her as a female version of Tetch, complete with ridiculous hat and the red hair rather than the shock of white and he had to stifle his laughter at the image, though he quietly apologised and insisted it was laughter at something he'd seen on TV, nothing to do with her at all.

"Well.. I suppose if life gave you limes..." he pondered out loud, trying to follow her bizarre wonderland ramblings. He was on the lookout now for a white rabbit, wondering if he should start calling himself Alice... or was he the Cheshire Cat in this scenario? To be fair to the girl, in this sort of situation, he was almost certainly the March Hare. And then he realised what he was even thinking, shook himself and lifted a nice shiny bookmark for himself.

"Ha, well, I'm forever tripping over my own legs," he admitted with a laugh. "You and me both, love. The most talented people in the whole country. Actually, I'm willing to bet, the world."