Hitting the Nets (Odion)

[August Swan]

As promised, August showed up at the tennis courts the day after running into Odion, dressed in her usual tennis gear - running shoes, athletic shorts, and a loose, comfortable t-shirt with a Nike jacket zipped over it. She held two tennis rackets in one hand, and carried a messenger bag slung over the opposite shoulder, with her hair tied back in a practical ponytail. Overall, she was ready for whatever the match brought her.

She wasn't quite sure what to expect with Odion's skill level, but she planned on taking it easy on him, since he had said he had never played before. Who knew, maybe he would have a natural talent? Whatever the case, she knew it would be fun, because she liked her new friend, and he had been nice to her and showed her card tricks. That, in her mind, was a great friend. Not to mention, she didn't need to worry about shifting around him!

The courts were empty for the time being, and August set herself up on the middle court. If Odion was a time traveler, did that mean he was always on time? Or did that make him not think showing up on time was important? She couldn't help but wonder. She was a few minutes early, anyway, so she warmed up by doing some leg and arm stretches.

[Odion Martins]

Odion wasn’t sure what to wear for this type of sport, so he decided some sneakers, shorts, and a t-shirt would do. He was tempted to wear his parkour/stealing gear, but he wasn’t doing either, so he needed something different. This was a mask he had never worn before, and he was excited to just play sport and not mind games. Two redheads against one another might actually be fun for once.

At least, in the long while Odion had been here, he had managed to make a couple friends. August didn’t ask questions about his family, and she was shy enough perhaps to never try. He wasn’t a good person, but some people liked to challenge that belief.

Being a time traveller meant both things – conveniently. If Odi was actually paying attention, he made it a point to be on time if it was important to him, however, he was also prone to losing himself within time, zoning out for hours at a time. It was common for him to not know what day of the week it was.

Spotting August on the court, Odion smiled to himself as he passed the gates. “Hello,” he greeted simply, sauntering onto the courtyard and approaching her cautiously. He squinted slightly in sunlight. “I can’t wait to see how you play,” he said honestly, but he wasn’t trying to hit on her, as she already knew about his preferences. Odion picked up a racquet and spun it around once in the air before catching it.

Odion took his spot across the net and readied himself. “Take it easy on me, yeah?”

[August Swan]

August was just finishing a quad stretch as Odion passed through the gate, and she couldn't help but glance at her watch - just on time. "Hey!" she called back, giving a friendly wave and a smile. She was quite excited for this - she hadn't made a new friend in quite some time. It was probably fortunate (or perhaps not) that she didn't know about his usual tendencies. In her mind, he was just a nice guy with a lovely accent that new cool card tricks. And that she could be comfortable around. If she knew about him not being a 'good' guy, things might be different. But as it was, she was oblivious, and would probably stay that way for quite some time.

His eagerness made her smile widen. "Tennis is definitely one thing I can say I'm pretty good at," she replied, blushing slightly. If she hadn't known what she did, she probably would think he was trying at something, but as it was, she just took it as a compliment.

She picked up her own racquet and a couple tennis balls, bouncing one against the ground experimentally. It was a good one. "Oh, of course!" she replied, planning on going easy the entire time if need be. She didn't get the opportunity to play like this very often, so she was going to make sure she was playing at a level where he could return the ball without too much trouble. "Ready?" When he indicated he was, she tossed the ball into the air and hit it with a thwack, sending it over the net close to where Odion was standing. It was a light serve, and he should be able to return it pretty easily.

[Odion Martins]

August wasn't the only one who thought highly of Odion, and the redhead wanted to keep it that way. Honestly, if everyone thought he was a nice guy, he'd have too many people surrounding him, and that wasn't what he wanted. No, August served a purpose, and that was as a friend. He felt like he could trust her if he ever did need someone other than Lani to rely on. She would only be afraid to see his true nature and those weren't his intentions.

Glancing at her, he secretly wished she was dating his brother instead of that Cameron Osiris. Maybe once that gong show was over, Odion could mention it. "Well I've already had my moment to shine," he said with a nod. Now it was her turn.

"Ready," Odion said, both hands on the racquet. It felt so foreign in his hands. He watched the ball hover in the air for a moment, wondering just how hard he was going to have to hit it to get it over the net, but not over August's head. Taking his first swing, Odion barely hit it at all and it plopped near his feet. He frowned at it deeply. "Well then," he said, picking it up and feeling it's density. "It's not a ping pong ball," he mused, looking over at her. "Mind if I serve?"

Once she gave the okay, he tossed it up into the air lightly, as she had, and served it over the net. It would land somewhere in the middle and she'd have to move a little to get it back to him. But that was the point of tennis, so he prepared himself to move as well.

[August Swan]

Had August known what Odion was thinking about with Dec, she would he instantly been incredibly flustered. The thought of her actually dating someone was quite preposterous to her own mind, considering she would probably be shifting around them almost constantly. It wouldn't be pleasant for her, or the person she was with. "It was a wonderful moment," she replied with a smile. She hoped he would show her his tricks again sometime.

She watched the ball arch over the net towards Odion, holding back a laugh as he hit it and it went nearly nowhere. "Hey, at least you hit it!" she told him encouragingly. It was better than some people. It probably helped now that he knew how heavy it was, she thought. "Go ahead!" She held her racquet at the ready, wondering where it was going to fly.

"Nice one!" she told him, running to the side in order to hit the ball. It was a nice pass, and she managed to get it near him again, making sure still not to use too much force. "You've got this!" she told him, preparing herself once again if and when the ball would come flying back to her. She found herself wondering if he would use his ability to his advantage - could he do that? It could make things really interesting.

[Odion Martins]

Odion had to wonder if one day, August would find someone who thought she was their dream girl. Then she wouldn't have to morph. Or would she and simply not know she was? Oh well. In Odi's defense, he wanted the best for his brother, despite how he related to Declyn, and August was a charming young woman. "I can show you some more tricks another day if you'd like," he offered with a charming smile. Odion wouldn't admit to it, but he liked the sweet attention she gave him.

"I didn't want to hit it too hard," he said, trying to justify his actions. It wasn't like he didn't know what a tennis ball was, so why hadn't he tried a little harder? The ball flew back towards him, and he had to admit, August was spot on with the way she hit the ball, and it in turn went where she wanted it to go. It was sort of like pool, containing mathematical equations. Putting a little more oomph in his swing, Odion watched the ball soar over the net and towards August's torso.

Smiling a bit, Odion felt his competitive side kicking in, and he wait for the return shot. She was just being nice to him, he could feel it. "Let's see what you got!" He said, a devilish smirk coiling over his lips.

[August Swan]

Perhaps it was about time August met this so far unknown brother of Odion's. "That would be wonderful," she told him, beaming happily. How lucky was she that she had met someone that could do magic tricks? She loved it! No matter what tricks he showed her, she would always be impressed. Maybe, someday, she could convince him to show her how to do one.

"Oh, yeah, that happens," she agreed, nodding at his explanation. She couldn't help but grin, though. He would do better next time. She kept her eye on the ball as it flew towards him, and gave an excited little jump as he hit it straight towards her! "Perfect!" she called out, adjusting her body so she was to the side of the ball as it came closer to her, lashing out her racquet to send it back over.

"You're on!" she called back; she had hit the ball with a little more force this time, sending it flying behind him just a little ways. August hadn't really meant to, but she couldn't help it - his words had made the usually hidden competitive side of her come out a smidge. Her smile had turned into an ecstatic grin as she waited to see how he would (or wouldn't) return it.

[Odion Martins]

No one had convinced Odion to show them him magic tricks, and he probably wouldn't ever give his real secrets away.

Odi smiled slightly. August would be the perfect trainer. She wasn't upbeat about everything, but she was encouraging when it was necessary.

Reaching up, Odion gave the ball an overhead swing, sending it just past the net and bouncing off the ground, heading towards the other side of where August was standing. "Sorry!" He called out, because he thought the ball was meant to be passed back an forth. He wasn't sure how the score was kept, but his performance was seriously lacking.

"We should make this more interesting," he said, trying to up the stakes, because otherwise this was going to be a very long game. And Odion had a scheming idea. "Every time someone misses, they should..." And that's where his good idea stopped. He looked at her for help. Maybe she had some good ideas?

[August Swan]

His return wasn't perfect, but August still tried to go for it. Unfortunately, it was just too far for her to reach, and she just missed it as he sped past her racquet. "No, don't be!" she called out, breathing lightly. "That was a pretty good hit! And it's only your first time, after all." She ran over to pick up the ball from where it had ended up, tossing it in the air as she came back to her side of the net.

She was about to start again when he spoke, and she cocked her head curiously. Hm, that could be interesting. "Every time someone misses... The other person gets to ask them a question?" she suggested. It was the first thing that came to mind. And hey, maybe it would help them get to know each other better. She still really didn't know much about him, but she wanted to get to know him better, just because he was the first friend she had made in a long time. "Or, I don't know... Did you have anything else in mind?"

[Odion Martins]

"Questions answered," Odion nodded his head a couple times, "sounds fun." And it would be, because she wasn't going to remember anything he said, true or false. He shook his head no, because he didn't have anything to add. "How do you obtain points?" He asked, glancing at his racquet and then back at her with a smile. Was he being too nice now? Was he being obvious? Maybe he was just excited about his little game.

[August Swan]

August smiled as he agreed to her suggestion. "Great! I can't wait to find out more about you," she teased him lightly. She would make sure he got some points too, of course. Otherwise it wouldn't be fair. She readied her racquet again, pausing to explain the point system. "It's sort of weird, to be honest. Basically, you win with four points. That's four times the other person can't return the ball, or doesn't get it over the net, or hits the ball outside the field." It was based on a 15-30-40-win point system, which didn't make a lot of sense and she wouldn't go into detail explaining. "We can start counting points... Now!" With that, she smacked the ball over the net once more, deciding to up the game just a little by hitting it slightly harder. "I'm already thinking of what I'm going to ask you~!" she teased.

[Odion Martins]

"That doesn't really give me much chance, does it?" He asked, grinning slightly. Maybe all it would take was four shots, but he'd be perfect in her eyes in the end, no matter what the outcome now.

Prepared for the next round, Odion reached his racquet out and hit the ball, giving it equal amounts of force back over the net. He really did want to play the game properly, otherwise he'd never learn. But he would soon realize he was no match for August and she returned the ball quiet easily. Still trying to figure out what to do next and not given enough time, Odion shuffled towards the ball a little too late.

"Damn it," he muttered, chasing after the ball. He knew that before he served he'd have to answer a question. Odion returned to the right hand side and took on a comfortable stance. "Alright, question number one."

[August Swan]

"Naaah, you'll be fine. I won't be hard on you unless I think of a question I really want you to answer," August teased him playfully. That just wouldn't be fair, after all. She had been playing for as long as he could remember, and this was his first time - of course she had to take it easy on him.

"Nice!" she called as he hit it back; she actually had to run a bit to hit it back. But her swing went pretty wide, and he was unable to return it, so she stood with her hands on her hips and grinned at him, thinking of her first question. "What do I want to know about you..."

She thought for a moment longer before brightening as a question came to her. "What's your favorite hobby?" she asked. Simple enough, right? Maybe it was his magic tricks, but she assumed he liked to do other things as well. She lowered her racquet again in preparation for the next volley, planning on letting him win this one so he could ask her a question.

((Feel free to have her miss the ball, or not get it over the net next round ;D))

[Odion Martins]

Asking Odion to play his first match of tennis perfectly would be like asking August to pickpocket someone's wallet without their noticing on the first try. Odion didn't expect her to give him his best, but he hoped that once he was decent (if that ever happened), she would let her true performance be seen.

The ginger smirked as she tried to think of an answer. Why did people find him intriguing in the first place. His favorite hobby? He bounced the ball a couple of times, thinking. He'd never been asked that before. A hobby was something someone did in their spare time because they enjoyed it, and nothing more. Something he would do voluntarily. "Other than card tricks, I also enjoy practicing parkour." It was better than his real favorite hobby.

Sending the serve over the net, Odion was surprised she missed it, and his raised eyebrows expressed that. "Well what do you know," he mused, getting ready for her to make the next serve. "I hope you're keeping score," he said, because he really didn't understand the point system and wasn't going to try. But he had won this match, and he needed to ask something.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" Might as well, her answer might surprise him.

[August Swan]

August didn't want to ask him too-personal questions, which was why she had gone for a simple one at first. The word he used perked her interest; she had heard the word before, but didn't really know what it was. "Parkour?" she questioned, switching her racquet from one hand to the other. "I've heard of that, I think. What is it exactly?" Maybe it was something she could try. Although, once she actually found out what it was, her mind would quickly change. That stuff was way too intense for her.

She purposefully just missed the ball as he sent it over, feigning irritation at herself. "That was a good one," she told him, shaking the racquet at him as she went to retrieve the ball. "Yeah, that's one for me and one for you!" She would win this next round. As she returned, he asked his question, and her face went slack before her cheeks blushed intensely; it contrasted dramatically with her pale skin and auburn hair.

"Um, n-n-no," she replied, looking at the ground. "Not yet." She wondered why he asked. She threw the ball up in the air and served again, trying to regain her competitive spirit. His question had thrown her off-balance.