I kissed a girl (Charlie)

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Bucket lists. They were a great way to reach some goals, especially if you were someone who needed that extra bit of motivation to loosen up and to just live life at its fullest. Ever since her return to Pilot Ridge, not fully certain how long this hiatus would last, Kiara had taken it upon herself to make one. To figure out what she wanted to experience before her nose would be in books again and she would hardly have any time for a social life.

”Okay, you can do this, Ki.” Inhaling deeply, with the flashlight in hand, the blonde flicked off the beam illuminating the path she had opted to follow to the lake. Her goal was to be brave and to get over her fear over the darkness. Perhaps even to skinny dip, which meant she would have to get into the lake. Three goals could be crossed off the bucket list if she were to go through with this. Kiara strutted through the grass and closer to the water. The moon, given it was close to midnight, illuminated and reflected on it, so she easily knew where to go.

Once her destination was reached, the backpack slid off her shoulder and she plopped down, casting a cautious glance around her. Then she tugged a fleece blanket out of the bag, protectively wrapping it around herself. Three hours, that was her goal. At least if the nocturnal noises that could be heard didn’t make her rush out of there sooner.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Unlike Kiara, Charlie was quite used to visiting the lake after the sun went down. It was almost like a second home to her. She came here often, whether alone or with friends, and new a lot of the area by heart. Not to mention, if she ever DID get lost or in trouble, she could just shoot off a flare, either into the air or at someone that was threatening her. She freakin' loved her ability.

She was alone tonight, trying to squeeze in some more nights of fireworks by the lake before the weather got colder and the rain started. She was planning on just shooting off a couple fireworks, maybe practicing shapes (she was starting to be able to form the fireworks into shapes, like stars and hearts - which, in her opinion, was amazing), and generally jut having a good time by herself. What she didn't anticipate was someone suddenly appearing in her way as she walked along the banks of the lake.

"Oof - Hey!" she exclaimed, nearly tripping over the blonde. "Oh goodness, sorry, love. I didn't expect anyone to be out here." It was hard to tell in the dark, but she looked cute, maybe a few years younger than Charlie. She narrowed her eyes at the girl. She looked frightened, and kinda cold, if her blanket said anything. "What're ya doin' out here anyway? Are you lost?" She had no idea why anyone other than herself, or maybe a homeless person or drug dealer, would be out here at this time. And this girl didn't look like either of those types of people. Shrugging, she plopped down next to the girl, offering a hand. "Charlie, by the way. I hope you don't mind some company - I was planning on being alone tonight, but really, it's much more fun to have someone to talk to." As long as you aren't a maniac or something, she added silently to herself.

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Approaching footsteps could be heard, much to Kiara’s dismay. Blue eyes flickered to her left side, quite disorientated when it came to discovering the source, but even before she could turn her head, legs could be felt bumping into her and she nearly lost balance. Arms splayed out though and she quickly recovered, snatching the fleece blanket around her again as a terrified look got shot at Charlie. The fact that it was a feminine voice did soothe her some, but not enough for her to be fully calm.

”Um,” Kiara stammered, attempting to form decent answers, but before a chance occurred to reply, Charlie plopped down and the blonde found herself extended a hand to shake the other’s. ”Kiara.” It being a normal and instinctive reaction when it came to introductions. She soon shook her head though and pulled her hand back, tangled it around bend legs again while eyes continued to linger on Charlie.

”No… no, it’s fine. You can stay. I was just trying to get over my fear of the dark.” A sheepish smile appeared and Kiara shrugged, knowing it quite possibly sounded silly and stupid. So that’s when she looked away and focused on the lake instead. ”Mission impossible.” She joked, half sad and half acknowledging there was no way this had been a smart idea. No goal would be succeeded at today. ”What are you doing here, other than having had the plan to be alone? Secretly drinking?” The girl did attempt to joke, but she was no expert at it. Anything to try and appear interesting, right? No longer wanting to be that boring wallflower.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

The girl looked terrified, and Charlie really couldn't blame her. She looked jumpy, and having a stranger bump into you in the middle of nowhere in the dark was scary anyway. "Nice to meet you, Kiara." She shook her hand gently before pulling it back and wiggling it a little. She was eager to start shooting. "Again, I'm sorry to bump into you so rudely. I'm normally quite polite when it comes to cute girls." She shot her a grin, before leaning back on one hand and listening to the girl's explanation.

"Ahhh, I see. Well, this is a good place to do it, it's definitely dark. I come out here a lot though, so it doesn't bother me too much anymore." When the girl asked for an explanation, Charlie just smiled slyly at her. "Watch this." She reached her free hand upward, and with a flourish, closed all of her fingers but her pointer finger. With a whistle, a spot of light shot upward, exploding a moment later as it reached its destination several dozen yards above their heads. "I don't need an excuse like the Fourth of July to use my abilities," she told her, not really caring if she was one of those people that despised meta-humans or not. Everyone should appreciate her talent, in her opinion.

"So why are you trying to get over your fear of the dark?" she asked. "Is there a reason, or just something you thought of randomly?" She thought about making a joke involving Doctor Who and the Vashta Nerada, but unless the girl was a Whovian, it would probably go over her head.

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Cute girls? Based on Charlie’s voice and the general glimpse cast at her which betrayed feminine curves, Kiara could confirm that this was not a man. So it sort of surprised her to hear those words. The girl wasn’t judgmental though, nor felt the need to make a comment of discomfort. Women or men, any compliment was welcome after her self-esteem had been bruised even more. With a soft smile, she nodded and looked ahead. Dark enough for sure. Until a whistle could be heard and blue eyes followed the spot of light with interest. A smile lit up her face, visible thanks to the firework illuminating the sky. ”Beautiful.” She whispered, definitely finding this an intriguing power. Absentmindedly, she continued. ”I would love a power like that.” No more fear when no flashlight was within reach.

The question got her to snap her head back at Charlie though, smiling meekly. ”It’s on my bucket list.” So technically it had indeed been a random question, but right now it was more of a goal she wished to reach. Speaking of which, the couple of papers had been folded and tucked into the pocket of her jeans, given she tended to come up with more ideas at the weirdest moments. Snatching it out, she handed them to Charlie.

”Time for a change.” Kiara mused as arms unwrapped themselves from around her legs which soon got stretched. Splaying the fleece blanket behind her, she then leaned back on elbows and eventually rested her back down onto the rather hard ground. Just in case more firework would follow. ”Not all are too serious though. But it just… seems fun.”

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie watched the trail of sparks in the sky with a grin on her face. She got such a high off of these nights, it was an adrenaline rush. And she was glad when the girl complimented the firework - not that there was any reason for her not to, though, in her opinion. "Oh! You're a meta too?" she asked, turning to look at Kiara with a smile. "How lovely! What is it that you can do?" She didn't respond to Kiara's wish to have her power, but secretly, she thought her ability was better than pretty much everyone else's. She just didn't say it to people's faces.

"Oooooh, I should make a bucket list," Charlie cooed, eyes widening. "What a fantastic idea. What made you think to write one, especially at your age?" She always thought bucket lists were for people who were old, or knew they were dying. Oh, God. She hoped this girl wasn't dying. That would be awful. She took the papers as they were offered, using the last of the light from the firework to scan the words.

The one at the very top made her giggle out loud, but she continued to look through them all until she said anything. "Okay first of all, I have squeezed a teacher's butt, and let me tell you, it's not the best experience I've ever had." She snorted, leaning back a little as she continued. "Clubbing and getting drunk, yeah, that's something you've gotta experience at least once. Also, please don't try to steal my clothes and replace them with a costume, I will slap you." She laughed again, nudging the girl playfully to show she was kidding. "Howeverrrr," she drew out the word, handing the papers back to Kiara. "I've kissed plenty of girls, and let me tell you, they are waaaay better than guys, for the most part. So, that is a good thing to have at the top of the list. You might decide you like them better. I know it changed my opinion on relationships."

She shrugged, pointing a finger in the air and shooting off another firework - this time, it was a bright pink, and she managed to get it into the shape of a heart. Charlie pondered a moment. The girl really was very pretty, and she wondered if she would accept a bold offer. "I can help you with your list, if you'd like. I have to say, I'm a pretty dang good kisser. I mean, I understand if you want to pass, I won't take offense. But I would love to help you." Was that weird? Being offered a kiss by a complete stranger? Probably. Oh, well.

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”Nothing too special. Just probability manipulation.” Kiara responded with a little shrug, really judging it not worth the mention. Perhaps being able to shoot fireworks from your hands wasn’t that awesome either, but it would beat her own ability every day. Heck, it actually seemed like fun, and she was not biased by the smile on Charlie’s face.

Glancing at the bucket list in the other girl’s hands, lips spread some as a smile settled down, even though it was a rather sad one. ”Just… recent circumstances which made me realize I haven’t done anything interesting with my life and this is the time to change that. It are goals that I might not be willing or capable of fulfilling anymore within a couple of years.” Shrugging once more, Kiara glanced up at the starlit sky and the faint remains of smoke, indicating where the firework had been. ”No more Miss Boring,” she chuckled weakly. And here she was, the girl who had sworn to never change for or because of someone.

Ears were still paying attention as Charlie scanned through the list though. Closing eyes, cheeks remained slightly raised in a smile and fingers laced as connected hands rested upon her abdomen. She was pretty peaceful and relaxed, every now and then letting a soft chuckle or snort escape, up until the other blonde reached the goal of kissing a girl and that’s when eyelids fluttered open again. Turning her head a tad bit, Ki looked up at Charlie. It clearly intrigued the curly one.

”I doubt it would change my opinion,” she chuckled weakly, pushing herself up on elbows and then on hands in order to sit up straight again. Perfect timing as well since another firework made its appearance and Ki found herself cooing its perfection. But then the bold offer tore her focus away from the sky, clearly uncertain if she had heard correctly. Help was very much appreciated, yet Kiara ended up dumbfound at that point. ”I… I don’t know,” she whispered, biting her bottom lip while inspecting Charlie. ”Maybe in a bit?” Or never. Postponing tended to lead to never. Nevertheless, this was her chance.

(((I really tried to shorten it. D: Sorry, boo.)))

[Charlie Saynsberry]

"Probability manipulation? Neat!" Charlie replied politely. She didn't really know how that ability worked, but it sounded cool. Maybe not as cool as her fireworks, but hey, everyone had their own special talents.

Charlie sensed a feeling of sadness from the girl, but she wasn't one to pry. "Well, I think having a bucket list is a wonderful idea," she assured her. "I think everyone should have one, really. We need to get out of our shells sometimes, you know? Take risks, live life to the fullest. Try to do as many of these things on here as possible - they're all really great." Some were better than others, but the overall feeling she got from Kiara's list was a positive one.

"Oh no, I don't think it will change your opinion," she added, laughing. "But kissing girls can be fun." She heard Kiara's hesitation, and realized she might just have to give her a little nudge in order to get the girl to go through with this item on her list. "I don't have bad breath, I promise," Charlie told her, grinning. "And how would waiting change anything? Word of advice - with some of these things on your list, you're going to have to be bold and reckless, which might not be in your nature. Get out of your comfort zone. Go for it. Like this." She leaned over and gently pressed her lips against Kiara's, making sure to keep it light in case the girl freaked out.

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Of course probability manipulation was not as cool as fireworks. Heck, even though Kiara couldn't really imagine how there were a lot of advantages attached to it, any power would be better than her own. But she appreciated the polite words, as well as Charlie complimenting the bucket list. With a soft smile, the blonde tucked the list away again and nodded in agreement. "Maybe the goal that should be added is to complete all these goals." Which sounded so much better in her head. It probably was a ridiculous statement.

Laughing it off with a little nervous laugh, she only grew more uncomfortable as the topic of kissing a girl remained. Charlie definitely was a beautiful woman, and perhaps this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ki was about to mumble a 'I don't know' again, yet didn't even get around to blurt out the first letter as Charlie leaned in and pressed their lips together. How was Kiara to react to that?!

Obviously not by pulling away. Eyes had slightly widened, sure, but after a second or two her tension seemed to be diminishing some and her own lips added some to the pressure. Reluctantly, a hand, if only the fingertips, rested upon Charlie's cheek as Ki shifted a tad bit. Should she take it further? She hadn't specified what counted as a kiss.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie laughed. "That sounds like a good goal to me. Getting though that list is gonna be tough, I'm sure." Considering how much was on her list, Charlie assumed it would take her a long time, if ever, to get them all done. So Kiara's comment definitely made sense.

She sensed Kiara's surprise as she kissed her - well, that was only to be expected. But Charlie grinning internally as the other blonde didn't pull away, and reached up to run a hand through her hair as she kissed her back. It was a small, sweet kiss, all innocence and no sexual tension in the least. Really, two friends could share a kiss like this, in Charlie's opinion - what would be wrong with that? Absolutely nothing.

After several seconds, Charlie kissed her more firmly before pulling back, giving a wide smile. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked, making a 'check' motion with her hand. "There's something you can cross off the list!" Weirdly, this was far from being the first time Charlie had kissed a stranger. Very far. At least Kiara hadn't seemed to mind too much.

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At this point Kiara was really glad about not having specified what could be labeled as a decent kiss shared with another girl. It left open the option to keep it this simple, and despite her momentarily considering to actually deepen it, she ended up grateful that Charlie didn't make that move either.

With a sheepish smile, immediatly casting her faze away to the moonlit lake, the blonde gave a little shake of the head. "It... was okay," she decided with a brief nod, allowing blue eyes to take a peek at the other woman. While it did make Ki feel somewhat awkward to still be seating there, it did not change her personality, hence the reason her grateful trait popped up. "Thank you for... well, you know, helping me with that."

Exhaling softly, she mumbled a quiet 'yeah' in an attempt to distract herself again. "It's getting late. I probably should get going." Keep Dr. Neville from being worried where his guest might be. Pushing herself up, Kiara glanced down at Charlie. "Bye," her voice soft as a hand rose in a small wave.