Stonewalled (Odion)

[Alexis Amaros]

Alexis examined the smooth flat surface. Slate, it is definitely slate...so why won't it skip? It's all in the wrists her brother had said...but she had complete control over her wrists! She could position them perfectly for bras en couronne so why not this? How is it that she failed so miserably at a simple flick of the wrist. She was perfectly in tune with her body and could control its every quiver so why was skipping rocks beyond her capabilities? She made another attempt and watched her stone sail towards the water, it skimmed the surface, once twice, and then sank. Never more than two skips. She tossed the next rock in frustration without even really trying and it sank immediately. Skipping rocks was supposed to a leisurely activity. People called it calming, but to Alexis it was anything but.

She had the same confusing frustrations with music and math. Everyone said music was completely mathematical, but nothing that beautiful could have anything to do with boring old numbers. Sure she needed to be able to count out the beat, but counting didn't really count (she inwardly smiled at her little pun) as math...and yet, everyone said it was math....just like everyone said skipping rocks was all about controlling your wrist movements, but couldn't possibly be because she had complete control and still never got beyond two skips.

Alexis took off her yellow cardigan and laid it out by the pond to sit on, tugging at her skirt to cover more of her thighs. She felt around for another flat stone to try her luck with. Why was it that she never felt quite complete? She was always missing something. She could understand music with her soul, but not math with her head, and she could understand the concept of a wrist flick with her head, but never quite got the "soul" part of skipping rocks. Her technique was flawless so it must be some inequity in her heart which caused this malfunction.

She tossed a stone. One skip. One. Skip. She gritted her teeth looking for yet another. She wasn't ready to give up yet.

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Outfit

[Odion Martins]

Things were beginning to make sense in his life. Well, as much as he could. Never before had Odion tried to decipher why he went through the things he did, but he was beginning to think that his life was made for chaos, that it would always be in a state of disarray, and he would never be anything other than a crook. While that all remained true, he also had Lani, and he didn’t want to know where he would be at this very moment had the blond not entered his life like a slow burn.

Odion was dressed in beige slacks and a white dress shirt. It didn’t matter that it was summer, he still liked to dress up. There were too many dingy students around here, and he wasn’t about to be one of them. His dark blue eyes happened upon a girl, trying to skip rocks but failing miserably. A small smirk set on his pale face, the freckles that had disappeared over winter coming back to life as the sun hit them. Lani always teased him about not having a soul, but at least he wasn’t burning up like a vampire.

As he approached her, Odion picked up a couple rocks, feeling the weight and shape of them in his hand, never removing his eyes from her. She gave up so quickly. Once he was closer to her, he stretched out his hand, offering one of the rocks. “You’re scaring the fish away, throwing rocks at them like that,” he commented, finally looking away from her and to the pond. Just to prove a point, he flicked the rock like it was no big deal, and watched as it skipped five times. That was sure to annoy her, as was the triumphant smirk on his face.

[Alexis Amaros]

So intent was she on her failure, Alexis failed to notice anyone approaching, so when the boy appeared next to her and spoke she was too startled to focus on what he had said at first. She stared blankly at the rock he offered her and for a second before taking it. As he threw the other rock her mind caught up with what he was saying she pursed her lips in annoyance. Alexis wasn't sure if the teasing was friendly or not, but this whole rock skipping thing had become a bit of a touchy subject with her, especially when watching him so effortlessly skip his rock five times. She didn't mind others' success, but hated failing, and hated how used to it she was getting even more. It wasn't his fault she failed though, so the only thing to do was to suck it up and ask for help.

"Well then, since you seem to be such an expert how about you tell me where I am going wrong? For the sake of the fish." She grinned a little feeling embarrassed, but trying to cover it with her natural friendliness. "My name is Alexis by the way."

She examined the rock she had taken from his hand. It was heavier than the ones she normally chose, but smooth and flat, there was no reason for it not to skip. She flung it out into the water with force, possibly too much force. It skipped only once, but the skip was long, several feet. It was more impressive than most her tries, but that of course was saying next to nothing. It was embarrassing and she bit her lip wishing she didn't have to look so foolish in front of a stranger. She felt it was her duty to show him her form up close however if she was asking for his help. She had thrown the rock like a frisbee, from her seated position.

"I hear it is all about the wrist, but I can't see what I am doing wrong." Alexis gazed out at the water with a pout.

[Odion Martins]

Odion held the strong belief that people needed to get over themselves. Skipping rocks wasn’t a needed skill in this life, and so what if she couldn’t. Still, it was amusing to see her reaction, and the pin pricks of annoyance emanating from her only egged him on. Odion looked back at her, a slight smile on his face. “I don’t really care for fishing,” he said, his British accent pouring out. His eyes trailed over her once, sizing her up, before resting on her dark eyes. “Martin, pleasure to meet you Alexis,” he lied. But that’s what pleasantries were, a convenient stockpile of lies.

His careful gaze watched her as she examined the rock. Alexis had striking eyes, and while she was frustrated over the task, Odion had the feeling she was more often at ease with herself than not. Her air wasn’t arrogant, and Odion felt his guard drop slightly. His eyes darted over the water to where the rock had been flung, and he shook his head. “It’s not really about the wrist, not unless your wrist knows when the flat part of the rock will hit the water.”

Surveying her for a moment, he could sense her frustration. Most people didn’t like to fail. Odion looked around for another rock, and began collecting a handful of suitable ones. “You just have to try getting the flat part to hit the water at the right velocity.” He smiled to himself – he was starting to sound like Lani. Shaking his head, Odion stood up straight and walked towards her, giving her a few more. “It also might work better if you stand,” he said, an inviting, playful grin on his face.

[Alexis Amaros]

Alexis frowned. "Well Martin, it looks like my wrist doesn't know much of anything at all. At least the flat part of the rock is the part hitting the water...so now all I need to do is figure out how to aim to make it hit at the right time? So if I throw it too far the velocity might have slowed down too much and if I throw it too close it might be too fast?"

This was sounding suspiciously like math...or at least physics which was just math with a science-y name. Noticing his scrutiny of her rather than the rock for a moment made her blush. Alexis was quite comfortable with words, giver her flirtatious banter any day, but looks still made her blush. She found them hard to interpret. He was pretty cute, and though had seemed rude when he first approached she was grateful he was helping her instead teasing her. His helpful comments did seem to have a slight edge of mockery to them, but maybe that was just the accent. She felt that British people always sounded superior, but recognized that as an American flaw in herself. In reality the English were usually very friendly, it was just her own skewed cultural interpretation of their accent that made her think they were a bit full of themselves.

When he came back with more rocks Alexis took them in her hand and stood as he suggested, brushing off her skirt, though no dirt had gotten on it since she had been sitting on the cardigan. As for the cardigan, she left it crumpled on the ground, it couldn't get any dirtier than it already was and it would just be in the way if she picked it up now.

"Is there a particular stance you suggest?" She grinned back at him, setting her feet shoulder length apart and bending the knees slightly in a pseudo batting stance position. "How's this?" She giggled, and then just for fun, decided to try something out to see if she could get a better read on what that look had meant. She turned her stance into a demi-plié and an impromptu pirouette. Fortunately for her rouse to be believable, in this rocky ground a pirouette was not the best idea and she didn't bother spotting so it was obvious her balance was going to be less than ideal. She intentionally slipped slightly and wavered for a split second before putting her foot back down hard in a completely ungraceful way and reached out to him in mock alarm to steady herself. She felt she pulled it off very well and was sure he would never guess she had lost her balance on purpose in order for the excuse to touch him and read a reaction.

"Sorry, bad idea I guess" She gasped, her hand on his arm. "I should probably save dancing for the dance floor."

[Odion Martins]

“Exactly,” Odion nodded, finding it unnecessary to repeat or rephrase anything she just said. “And of course, practice will help you with finding the perfect throw and angle, since it’s different for everyone.” And he couldn’t really help her there, other than with the basics. Skipping stones was a pass time, not a life requirement.

Noticing her blush only made Odion smile a little more, gave him something to feed off of. Maybe she was used to words, but she hadn’t heard him speak, really speak, before. But she wouldn’t be the first time to have such a reaction from a look from him. She wasn’t skewed in her thinking – Odion was a self-proclaimed asshole. How she perceived him wasn’t something he could control though, and if he could get away with her thinking he was nice, or simply foreign, he really was superior.

An amused grin captured him, and he chuckled softly. “I prefer a relaxed stance,” he gestured towards her with a rock between his fingers, “this looks like you’re getting ready to wrestle.” Odion turned to the pond again, glad she was standing now. He cast a sideways glance at her – and she was funny. And she was... dancing? She was truly graceful, and when she began to fall, Odion knew he was being played the fool. He reached out instinctively to steady her – maybe he wasn’t as evil as he perceived himself to be. A hand was on her waist, another on the arm holding his. He would’ve believed her, had the initial movement not been so graceful; her arms had been in perfect form, giving her away. It took a dancer to know one, not that he was formally trained.

“You’ll have to prove you can dance at all,” Odion said, an eyebrow raised, moving away from her and turning back to the pond, “are you as good at it as you are skipping rocks?” He challenged, his eyes aglow.

[Alexis Amaros]

Her jaw dropped and she looked at the boy with complete disbelief. That had sparked something inside Alexis. She wasn't a competitive person by nature, but questioning her dancing ability was one of the few things that could light a fire under her and bring out that competitive edge. It didn't matter in the least that she had completely set herself up for it by faking that slip, nor did it matter that she was about to prove unquestionably that the slip had been faked by what she would do next. Alexis wasn't one for thinking ahead, she was more likely to just react to feelings.

"Oh really?!" She exclaimed in playful outrage. "Alright, here is your proof!"

Alexis let go of his arm and repositioned his hand on her waist ever so slightly before retaking his hand that had been on hers before she moved it.

"Back straight, no slouching." She barked at him. "Let's see if you can keep up." She resisted the urge to make a dirty dancing reference about spaghetti arms, mostly because it wasn't necessary, his arms were quite steady.

Alexis pulled him along, not caring he couldn't possibly know the footwork. She made him dance with her long enough to ensure that she had a set rhythm in her head before going into a series of turns. She didn't need his hand on hers, but on this rocky terrain knew that supported pirouettes were probably the safest plan. She just hoped he didn't mess her up. Knowing how to hold and let go of someone's hand as they spin was something that came pretty naturally to most people though, so she wasn't worried. After completing 10 rotations she ended in an en pointe arabesque, leg fully extended, and turned her face toward him so that their faces were close and she could look directly into his eyes.

"There" She sighed, trying to keep her breathing steady and light. "Can I dance?"

She held her position with leg extended hoping her skirt wasn't showing anyone her underwear, but refusing to look around and check until she got her answer. Her panties weren't visible to him and hopefully they were alone enough that no one else could see them, but they weren't revealing enough to make her worry too much.

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Position

[Odion Martins]

Alexis had fallen into his trap. By defending herself so wildly, he knew that she truly was a good dancer, and that also meant she had been lying about falling over. She had done it on purpose. Odion smiled triumphantly as she set out to prove her worth. This girl liked to play games – he could play them better. Odion wasn’t the type of person to simply react, this usually ended in turmoil and more stupidity.

Laughing as she commanded him, Odion gave a curt nod. He wasn’t formally trained, but he was a fair dancer. He followed her around, supported her in her stylish arch’s, twists, and turns. He didn’t do much dancing, but he was graceful and light on his feet, simply following her around and not getting in her way. He didn’t like being in the spotlight, even though it was only in her head. Once she was done showing off and facing him again, Odion didn’t break eye contact, the dark blue of his eyes stormy. He shrugged, “I don’t know about dancing, but you can spin around exactly ten times,” he said, uninterested in whatever undergarments he may or may not be wearing.

Releasing her from his grip, Odion stifled a laugh. “I thought you said dancing was for the dance floor, no?” He took her hand and spun her around under his arm. “Besides,” he said, drawing her closer, hoping to make her nervous, “aren’t we skipping rocks?”

[Alexis Amaros]

(sorry this took me so long, crazy week!)

Alexis felt like screaming at him. Spinning ten times en pointe in tennis shoes on this terrain was quite a feat! Alexis was not the type to scream at people, even though she wasn't much of a think before she acted kind of girl, she rarely screamed at anyone.....skipping a rock on his head was another matter entirely though. Oh how she hated being laughed at!

Alexis stepped away from him further than necessary when he released her and scowled at the pond. She was embarrassed and annoyed and didn't know what to do about any of it. She bent down and grabbed a smooth stone.

"You are right." She said flinging it out....one jump....two jumps....plop. It sunk like the stone it was. She crouched down looking for another and stayed crouched once she found it. She looked at the water and tried to think about the angle she was throwing from on the slope. Geometry made her even more upset than being made fun of so this rock slid into the water like it was trying to slice through it without skipping at all.

Alexis raised her chin and refused to let it quiver. "I will master this." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself, but found another rock and examined it, this time standing back up. Her tongue sticking out ever so slightly to the side, she concentrated on this throw, trying to imagine herself as the rock and how it would feel to skim over the water.

She smiled triumphantly. Three skips, her best yet. She was definitely improving.

[Odion Martins]

(It's all good!)

Screaming at him was the common reaction people had towards him. But simply put, it would take a lot more than that to impress him. He wasn’t really laughing at her, he was more amused by her. Odion could leap across rooftops and land without a sound, so a girl spinning on slightly rocky ground wasn’t amazing. The anger in her eyes only make his smirk a little bigger.

He was right? Hmm, most people would continue arguing with him. He watched her throw a rock, and then scurry to find another one. Odion shrugged, at least she was determined and passionate. Those could be good things at the right time, and bad at the wrong. The next rock sailed right in, and Odion put a hand to his mouth, suppressing a laugh. Perhaps she needed time alone to perfect her skills?

“Oh please, take your time,” he said, mockingly inviting, “I have all day.” Odion watched the third rock sail over the water, before pleasantly sinking on the third jump. His eyebrows rose. “Not bad,” he said. “Not great, but better than before.” She probably didn’t want his commentary, but he wasn’t bothered by that.

“Anything else I should teach you today?” He asked, obviously not going anywhere.