Music is Art (Cole)

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne had been wandering around the only mall in Pilot Ridge. She had been to the mall many times before, always stopping by Starbucks and window shopping. She wasn't a hardcore shopaholic, but she did enjoy looking around in the stores for any new fashion that accented her style. It was something to do, considering most of the time she was partying or drawing by the lake. What a life of fun that was. She needed to change it up somehow.

She decided to go into the music store, even though she wasn't very musical. She had always wanted to learn to play guitar. She enjoyed looking at all of the different designs and shapes of all the instruments. Some were oddly shaped ones. There were also some very pretty designs on the guitars, things that she could actually appreciate since she was an artist and not a musician.

She knelt down beside one guitar that had the design of Ghost Rider on it. A slow smile spread on her face. The flames were so detailed and the skull looked real. She knew it probably took a lot of time to draw, let alone paint. It was quite the master piece though and she definitely liked it.

Rayne stroked the smooth body of the guitar and traced the licks of flames. How she wished she could do something along those lines for a job. She was interested in being and Art major. She wanted to design tattoos, but her parents didn't really approve. Not because it was trashy, but because it didn't pay much. They wanted her to use her brains for something that would make a little more money.

Art wasn't a major that made much money on a constant basis. It was sporadic money here and there.

[Cole Kessler]

As he hopped out of his car, Cole reached over and grabbed his guitar. He stood up, rested the strap around his neck and walked into the building that was the Pilot Ridge Mall. He knew exactly where he was going, a shop he'd been to plenty of times before. This time, though, he wasn't going to hang out, he wasn't going to flirt with the new female worker his bandmate had told him about, he was going to buy some new strings.

He'd been in the middle of a song at work the night before and the steel polymer strings gave up and snapped. The string had missed his chin, but only just. Cole could swear that he'd felt the hairs on his chin slice in half as the string's edge carved through his small goatee. The thought caused him to rub his chin gently as he walked through the Mall's front door.

His walk, in a way, was more of a strut as he made his way through the quiet, near empty corridors of the building. It was still early in the day, which is why Cole wasn't really surprised about the absence of any crowds. The sound of heavy rock music filled his ears as he walked through the opening that was the store's entrance. There was a few people in the store, but not enough for him to worry about being in a hurry. He instead surveyed the new guitar models that had arrived since his last visit.

He noticed the Ghost Rider painted Fender being looked over by a young woman. Cole smiled and walked over, "Ya'know, normally they don't let you touch the guitars for that long unless you show an interest in buying it." He laughed as he stood behind her.

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne wasn't really paying attention to anyone else in the store. She didn't care if people were looking at her or if she stuck out. It didn't bother her in the slightest. She continued looking at the work of art in front of her. Up until she heard someone's voice coming from behind her.

It was a guy's voice, maybe about her age. Deep and silky. She stood up and smirked slightly when she turned around, "I would buy it, if I even knew how to play." She laughed quietly and folded her arms across her chest as she looked him over. Not as subtly as some might, but it wasn't too obvious. She noticed his style and couldn't help but smile wider. Her eyes strayed on the guitar he was holding.

It was beautifully designed and very sleek. This was a gorgeous work of art, another piece she wished she could draw. Of course she was capable of putting that much detail into her work, but usually she didn't have the time. She barely drew anymore because she had gotten so busy with work and night classes. She was just too busy all the time and couldn't settle down to relax.

She looked back up at him, "Nice guitar."

[Cole Kessler]

Cole leaned against a rack of CDs behind him as she stood up, "It's never too late to learn." He said as he pushed off the rack almost immediately as it jabbed into his spine.

He reached passed her and grabbed a package of guitar strings. Then he heard her speak again. "Yeah, my little brother painted it for me. I've had this for about two years now." Cole paused as he remembered young Cheyne. It had been almost three months since his younger brother had lost his battle with cancer and passed away. His mind flashed back to before Hammel, before his powers.

He'd been picking a few notes on a brand new guitar when his brother had asked Cole to let him gived it a new paint job. Not once has he ever regret that as it came out nearly perfect. Cole smiled as he remembered the look on his younger brother's face when he'd emphasized "Nearly Perfect"... Cheyne gave him a half-death glare with a little sadness mixed in. It wasn't until Cole took out his pocket knife and carved "CKx2" into the back that he said it was perfect.

Cole's mind zoomed back into the present and realized that in the recollective memory, he'd traveled back to the counter. He paid for the strings and looked back to the young girl, "I'm Cole by the way." A little late for the introduction line, wasn't it? "Cole Kessler." He said offering a handshake.

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne looked up at him and smiled, "Well I would, but no one I know can actually play. Let alone play well." She said with a small shrug as she turned to look at a few more of the guitars beside it.

She turned back when he reached for the guitar strings and she nodded slightly, "He's very good I must admit. It must have taken a lot of time designing it and figuring out what colors would make the most dynamic contrast." She stopped and looked down when she realized that she was rambling.

Art was just one of those things she tended to ramble about, and usually no one understood what she was talking about. She walked around him to look through the CD collection, pulling out a Black Veil Brides CD and a My Chemical Romance CD after that. Two of her favorite bands. She put them back and looked at several others while he paid for the strings.

She heard him speak and smiled as she took his hand lightly, "I'm Rayne. Rayne DiSalvo." She said as she flipped her bangs out of her eyes. She usually hid behind her hair when she didn't want to be seen, but for some reason she didn't really mind that Cole had talked to her. She was a people person after all. She just refused to get into the deeper stuff. "So you live in Pilot Ridge long?"

[Cole Kessler]

"He was damn good. Just wish I could've.... " Cole stopped speaking with a sigh, "Nevermind." He said as he walked over to a nearby table. He slowly began removing the old strings from their places on the guitar body. As he popped each of them loose and pulled them free he seemed more relaxed than usual. The light grinding of the metal fibers against the fiberglass of the body was like the base of any kind of tune that the guitar would make and it always had this effect on him.

His hands moved fluidly. Like a doctor performing surgery on his patient, just much less complication and very little risk. They exchanged mostly small talk as he worked the last of the old strings out and readied the new ones. It seemed so easy as he worked the strings into the guitar and ran them up the fretboard. As he finished his work he plucked each string to make sure they were tuned to the right note. "There we go...." He whispered as he rolled the old strings up, put them in the bag that had once held the new ones and tossed them into a nearby trash bin.

He picked it up and threw the strap back over his shoulders, and looked at Rayne, "Well, Rayne, it's nice to meet you. And if you really wanna learn to play, I can teach you." He offered. When his eyes met hers he realized just how stunningly beautiful Rayne really was. She'd moved her bangs out of her face and revealed the part that had hidden behind them eariler. "I'd uhm...," he stammered, "I would be more than happy to teach you."

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne listened to him for a moment and noticed his cut off. She had a feeling it was a sore subject, and she knew how hard it was to talk about stuff like that with new people. She was the most distrustful person one could meet. You had to earn her trust and if you ever screwed it up, you never got it back.

She continued searching through the CDs nonchalantly. She was big into music and all, she listened to everything she could, except for maybe a few lame country songs or boring jazz tunes. Most of the time she enjoyed heavy metal or screamo, maybe some grunge here and there. She also enjoyed the classics such as Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. Rayne was very well rounded in music, she just couldn't play anything to save her life. As she turned to glance at him, he finished re-stringing his guitar.

He put the strap over his shoulder and looked up at her. She presented a soft smile and nodded at his offer. She locked eyes with him for a moment and something changed. It was kind of like in the movies when all is going well and then a lightning bolt strikes the person and suddenly they see everything a lot more clearly. She noticed how blue his eyes were and the angles of his face. As an artist she loved his facial structure. It was the type a hero would have in the comic books. Angular structure, and piercing eyes.

Rayne pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled slightly wider, "It's nice to meet you too Cole. I'd love it if you'd teach me." She said softly as she chewed on the inside of her cheek.

[Cole Kessler]

When their eyes met, Cole felt the emotional shift inside him. In a way it was relaxing but in another it was almost scary. He shook the fear off, to him it was time he faced it. He stood firm and looked her in the eyes, as if he was staring right into her soul. In that he found relief, beauty and warmth. He could see himself falling for her one way or another.

When she spoke, he smiled. For him, teaching how to play the guitar came as naturally as playing it on stage. His patience was that of a well stealthed lion ready waiting to strike its prey and his understanding rivaled that of heralded professors. As he pondered what do next, his arms subconciously moved into position and started playing small notes, chaining together and few chords and finally into a full-fledged song. When he caught himself, he stopped just shorting of breaking out into the lyrics.

He stood silent for a moment until the silence was broken by the rumbling of his stomach, "Not to sound so cliche', but would you care to join me for lunch, Rayne?"

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne hadn't socialized a lot lately due to the fact that she hadn't found anyone that caught her interest. People were predictable and it annoyed her to no end. Back-stabbing preps, horny jocks, emo poets, it was typical of people to be so incredibly see through. She wasn't one of those types. She was smart, but didn't flaunt it. She was pretty, but didn't rub it in. She was just a mix of everything, but completely unpredictable. Or at least that's how she liked to be around most people.

With Cole, she had managed to open up slightly. Only a few people saw the fun, flirty side of her and he was beginning to. She had openly accepted his offer, something she usually would have blown off and turned the other way. She was letting him get closer than most, but she was still being overly cautious. She had to be in order to protect herself.

Rayne looked down at his hands as they moved along the frets and strings. She couldn't help but smile. It was a nice song, quiet and not too flashy. Good for moments like this. She saw the look in his eyes change when he realized what he was doing and she frowned the slightest bit until he spoke again.

She laughed when his stomach growled and looked up at him. Rayne thought about it for a moment. She had nothing better to do, she was trying to stay away from her house so she didn't get sucked into another sketch, "Sure. Why not? It'll keep me from being anti-social." She said with a small smirk.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled when she accepted his lunch offer and quickly began thinking on where to go to fulfill his hunger. Different places popped into his head, but one finally settled into place and booted the others out the door: Pizza Hut. It was within walking distance, just across the road from the Mall. "I was anti-social before.... Honestly, I find it overrated..., unless I'm in a bad mood." He said with a light laugh.

With that Cole gave a quick salute to his friend at the counter and offered Rayne his elbow, "Shall we, Miss DiSalvo?" Cole asked politely. Yet another cliche' moment from the mind of Cole Kessler.



(OOC: Sorry this is so crappy.... Running on no sleep right now. Feel free to bring them outside in your post.)

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne nodded, "It really is overrated. I hate being stuck at home doing absolutely nothing. Usually I end up sketching if I'm bored. And when I'm in a bad mood it's best that I be anti-social or I'll end up kicking some serious ass." She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she blushed slightly.

She took his arm and linked hers through his. It was cliché, but it was also cute. Rayne was a sucker for romance, even if she didn't like admitting it. She looked up at him, "So where are you taking me exactly?" She asked with a smile.

They went outside and she stopped, unsure of which direction to take. She waited for his answer and shivered when the wind whipped her hair around.


((OOC: I understand and mine's pretty crappy too, but I'll let you lead this shindig off ^^))

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as they got outside, "Pizza Hut, if that sounds alright to you." He explained. If she didn't agree they could always go someplace else; he could always have pizza some other time. He felt her shiver through her arm and offered her his jacket. The sun had poked out finally and it warmed things up enough that he didn't feel like he needed it with the hoodie he had on as well. He waited until she had it on and situated her hair before they began walking toward the restuarant.

It was going on the lunch rush, but Cole figured maybe they could beat it..., he hoped. As they walked across the parking lot, Cole was subconciously punched in the face by his craving for nicotine. He waited until they'd reached the sidewalk and curb to reach for his smokes, though. As he pulled one out, Rayne began to cross the road when the "walk" sign flashed their cue. She was just short of halfway across when Cole finally got his cigarette lit after fighting with the wind. As he took in the first drag of his newly lit tube of rolled paper, he looked up and started walking. The scene was like that of a movie. The wind, the cars, everything seemed completely in tune, at peace even. The electrokinetic couldn't help but let himself relax.

The mistake? Cole allowed it to relax him a little too much. The relaxing part was shattered as he heard the squealing of tires as a driver was late to get to their brakes, far too late. He looked left and saw on oncoming vehicle sliding toward Rayne uncontrollably. Cole heart picked up pace and everything around him seemed to slow down, nearly to a stop. Cole lunged forward, his momentum enough to push Rayne onto the curb and out of the way. He had saved her life, but at what cost?

The truck slammed into Cole broadside in mid-air. the impact's force was enough to land him twenty feet forward from the contact point and his body rolled violently for another ten, if not more. Cole's body was motionless on the pavement, he was down, definitely hurt, but he wasn't dead. Rayne had rushed over to him, screaming frantically, but one of the driver's in the other lane had already called 911 and an ambulance was enroute.

(OOC: Do your post and we can start a new thread at the Hospital, yeah?)

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne smiled brightly and nodded, "I love pizza." She said with a slight blush at her excitement. It was true, ever since she was five she had loved pizza more than life itself, though it was weird, she didn't care. She looked at him as he slid his jacket off and offered it to her. She chewed on her lower lip as she took it and pulled it on over her thin sweater. She pulled her hair out from underneath and started walking with him.

It was about the time she'd be starting work if she hadn't had the day off. Lunch rush was pure madness where she worked, so she was desperately hoping they'd beat it. Otherwise it'd be really crowded. She walked as he stopped, she noticed he wasn't there, but she didn't really pay much attention to it. She knew he'd catch up.

Everything happened so fast, that she didn't expect any of it. She heard screeching and just as she looked up she saw a car heading straight towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a scream. Rayne waited for the impact of the car to crush her, but instead of the car, she felt a solid...body?

Her eyes snapped open when she was pushed out of the way, just in time for her to see Cole get hit by the truck that was supposed to hit her. Her eyes widened and she gasped. The force of impact sent his body flying and she heard him hit the pavement hard.

Rayne took off toward him, falling to the ground beside him she looked down, searching for any sign of breathing. When she heard his faint breathing, she relaxed only slightly. She had heard someone on the phone telling what she assumed was 911, where they were and what had happened. Moments later she heard the siren.

Everything blurred together and soon he was being strapped to a gurney and put into the ambulance. One of the officer that was on the scene suggested she go in the ambulance with him and she didn't refuse. She climbed in and took his hand as she watched his face, praying that he would keep breathing and that she wouldn't be the cause of his death.