quiet conversation (Rhys)

[Remle Boyd]

In a quiet bar, a bit more on the upscale side than she usually frequented, Remle sat in a plush chair sipping wine and nibbling at a chocolate covered pretzel from the dish in front of her. She didn't like being alone in her apartment recently. Outside the weather was getting warmer but night was still chilly and crisp. She sighed again and put her glass down. She checked her phone vainly. She'd gotten so used to checking for messages throughout the day over the last eight months that she was trying to train herself into not staring at it every half hour. But if she had to be honest she missed all the tiny little notes of love and encouragement throughout the day. Kota had promised to keep in touch...and they did but their conversations lacked the spark and playfulness they had worked towards for the last several months.

She thrust her phone back into her purse with frustration and picked up her wine glass again. No more staring at her phone, just look out the window or at the other patrons or dig out the book she was writing lyrics in or SOMETHING else that would make it less awkward for her to be here, otherwise she should just go home. She wistfully thought of the stack of maps she had shoved into her bag on her way out the door. For some reason sipping wine and eating chocolate covered fruits and pretzels while pouring over road maps planning a trip to see Kota had sounded romantic and chic. Now it just seemed pathetic. As her eyes frantically darted about the room to catch something of interest they stopped when she realized that someone was approaching her. She lowered her glass in time to hear the stranger ask to sit with her in the chair across. She swallowed and nodded in tiny little movements. "Sure, it's okay."

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys had been watching her for a few minutes, throwing glances her direction now and then to see if the tone of her table had changed. She seemed to be brooding over something, almost making the room darker by the power of her mood. When he felt fairly confident she wasn't just waiting for someone to join her after running late, he tossed back the rest of his whiskey, asked the bartender for a refill on his whiskey, and took his glass with him over to her table. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, smiling just enough it was noticeable.

To his surprise, she granted his request without much hesitation, and he took the seat across the table from her. There was something about her that was strangely familiar, but he certainly couldn't place her in his mind. "You look more than a little bit distracted. Perhaps I can be the good distraction from the bad one," he suggested. "I'm Rhys. Thanks for the seat."

Well, it wasn't his smoothest approach, but it was honest. She did look distracted by something and certainly hadn't seemed happy when she put her phone away. There was always the off chance just talking with another person about anything would brighten up her evening.

[Remle Boyd]

"Oh, well...just a little," she admitted slowly, like sharing was something still new to her. In reality she was fighting to keep the ground she had gained when it came to interacting with others. Kota had been friendly and more or less outgoing...or at least more outgoing than Remle, which often made social interactions difficult. She'd been working on fixing that, she wanted more friends, she wanted to be able to easily fit herself into social situations because at the time she created the goal she was envisioning a future where she and Kota would be together long enough to THINK about a "Future Together". "Just some..." she floundered for what to say that wasn't totally revealing or inappropriate, "personal stuff, mutual breakup type thing," she finished with a weak smile. “I'm Remle by the way, nice to meet you," she inclined her head politely as he thanked her for and took his seat.

“You’re a rather brave soul, approaching someone who might not want your company,” she stated in a tone that revealed admiration rather than derision or sarcasm. Remle was envious, she did not possess such a talent…yet. She was trying to work on it…truly. She might have to spend more time around Midori in order to make it stick…or her son. He didn’t seem to be frightened of anything.

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys nodded at her explanation. There were few words that even friends could give to soften the blow of a break up, even a so-called 'mutual' one. From his experience, mutual break ups less mutual and more the instigator talking the other person that breaking up was better for both of them, that they both actually wanted or needed to be with other people. "The pleasure is mine, Remle," he said, trying her name for the first time. It certainly had an interesting feel to it.

"Not much bravery to it." Rhys shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "Worst case scenario, you would have declined my request, and I'd have gone looking for company elsewhere. Best case scenario, we have a nice chat, and you let me buy you a drink." Rhys smiled at her and took another drink. He was hoping she wouldn't mind the casual suggestion, but even buying her next glass of wine would be enough for it count. As far as he could tell, Remle was in need of at least a small gesture of kindness to help her deal with the unpleasant situation she was having to deal with.

His mind ran over her name again, trying to pick it from a memory or place it in a book. No luck. Surely he'd be able to remember someone who looked like her and had a different name if he'd met her previously. "So are you from the area?" he asked. Perhaps a little background on her would clear up the haziness in his mind.

[Remle Boyd]

She smiled, she couldn't help it. It was a rather charming thing to say and she had a plethora of romance books back home to back to assure her she was right. She picked up another pretzel, dipped it into the chocolate and took a bite as he asked her if she was from the area. She chewed and swallowed before answering (as was polite) and set her wine glass down before she fiddled a bit with the large ring on her right middle finger. "Yes and no I suppose? I moved out here when I was younger for school and I just decided to stay as I got older. I moved back about a year ago though to take a job at the radio station," she explained fluidly. This conversation was easy, one she'd had many times, one that she could eliminate details from as it suited her to keep her privacy private.

“What about you?” she returned the question with ease, assuming a look of interest as she reached for her glass again. She would need more wine soon but had been nursing this glass for a while. She thought it would be rude and a bit uncouth if she were to just drink the rest very quickly to ask for more. As she held the glass to listen to his side of the conversation her other hand reached up to absently play with the little beaded skulls hanging from her necklace. A nervous habit she’d developed recently but was, as if yet, currently unaware of.

[Rhys Rockwood]

That certainly had a familiar ring to it. Rhys, of course, knew plenty of people who had moved to Pilot Ridge at a young age for school. It was currently his job to keep bringing the individuals who could use the private school to Pilot Ridge. "It's surprising how often I hear that. I moved here myself for the same reason. I stayed for the environment. Small town, fresh air, nice people, easy access to some wonderful mountains...gets a bit cold at times, but there are worse things than that. Like deserts." Rhys laughed a bit. His next trip for work was to a desert, and it was apparently bleeding into his social chatter.

"I also keep finding the best company in the local drinking establishments. Makes it hard to leave." Another sip of his whiskey was leaving it dangerously low. "Whenever you're ready for your next glass of wine or other drink, let me know. It's on me," he offered...well, stated. He wasn't offering so much as informing her. He'd learned long ago to be a little insistent about these things; too many people were all too willing to decline the simple gesture.

[Remle Boyd]

"Deserts can be a little intimidating..." Remle agreed, thinking back to a less than stellar road trip across approximately a third of a country's worth of deserts. "I miss the ocean sometimes though." she added wistfully. "But I was so young when I moved; it might just be the fond memories. I stayed out here for school and work and I hardly ever visit back home...too sunny," she admitted. She swirled her glass a bit and watched the dwindling red liquid spin around the bottom. "Yes, the company usually isn't bad," she agreed innocently, thinking of all the people she'd met while drinking or in the midst of intoxication...quite a lot from her college days in fact.

"So what do you do? Are you an outdoorsman of some kind?" she asked curiously. He'd mentioned the environment and mountains; he could be a photographer or a writer. He looked like he could be artsy in some form. Then again he also looked like he'd be able to run up the mountain or swim across the lake rather easily. She nodded in response to his offer for a drink but continued to nurse her glass. She was nearly done though, she'd need one soon, or soonish rather if she was trying to pace herself...which for once she was trying to.

[Rhys Rockwood]

"Well I'm glad you approve of the company you keep. It might be a little strange if you didn't, but I'm sure stranger things have happened in both our lives." Rhys finished off his whiskey and set the now empty glass on the table. He'd get his last fill when he picked up Remle's drink. "And the ocean isn't that far away, but this far north up the coast, the water is probably more than a little chilly."

Rhys eyed the wine the swirling in the glass; this girl could hardly sit still. She was always toying with something, whether it was jewelry or her drink. He was curious what would be next. "I work at one of the local private schools. I travel around, talk to parents about why our school is the best choice for their child," he replied, being honest. He really did travel around and talk Hammel up to parents, but he certainly preferred the trips where he had to be persuasive with them. Whenever the parents were practically begging for an opportunity to rid themselves of a child, Rhys wanted to break things. "The job is simple enough, and it does allow for a fair bit of travel. Part of why I was more than happy to take the position."

[Remle Boyd]

"Well, normally I'm not much of a company keeper, but I'm trying to be better at it. Expand my circle as it were," she admitted with a bit of an embarrassed smile. She nodded about the ocean. "Yes, and while it's nice and all, I suppose I will just always have this image of a sunny California beach stuck in my head forever and nothing will ever live up to it," she chuckled with a half shrug. She listened to his story intently, as any seasoned interviewer would (and she was) and little things kept standing out for her.

"Ah, you must work for Hammel then," she finally stated as she finally finished her wine and set the glass down, reaching out to pick up a piece of fruit and dipped it into the chocolate. She ate it quickly and tapped the rim of her glass gently. "Ruby Port please" she asked politely. "Were you a student yourself?" she asked politely, allowing him to dodge the question if he so wished. There was only one private school close enough that had "travelers" that talked to parents, otherwise all the local kids would probably attend if they could.

[Rhys Rockwood]

California. She certainly had quite the place to compare to Vermont. "I can understand missing the ocean then. It's very different there compared to any ocean near here," he agreed with a nod. Rhys excused himself for a moment, taking both glasses to the bar for their next fill and returning quickly to set her glass down in front of her. He spent the fraction of time away from the table considering his answer to her question about having been a student at Hammel.

"I was a student there, yes," he admitted as he took a seat. "Liked it enough to make a home here and take a job at the Institute. Do you know much about it?" Remle was aware enough of the school to know its name, and most people that knew its name knew more about it than just that. "It really can be quite the fascinating place to work," he added with a smirk. Rhys took a sip from his third drink and made a mental note that he owed himself a considerable workout the next day to make up for this enjoyable evening.

[Remle Boyd]

Remle took her glass back from him and sipped at it appreciatively, but carefully. Though the atmosphere between them was pleasant and the bar itself, nice...it was still unfamiliar to her and so was the company. Being a little cautious at first had never gotten her in trouble so she continued to practice it when necessary. She made a thoughtful hum at his answer and set her glass down. "I do," she answered quietly, as the shadow behind her lengthened a little and assumed her own shape, with a little wave before disappearing again. "I can imagine that it's quite interesting on a good day and rather exciting on a bad one," she chuckled, voice low and thoughtful.

"What were you gifted with?" she wondered out loud since she'd more or less given him a demonstration of her power without being asked (a sober first!) but she'd also stumbled home drunk before playing with shadow puppets in the middle of the night so many times that it seemed a bit ridiculous that this was a milestone.

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys barely noticed the demonstration in time to see the shadow wave, and he couldn't resist the laugh that spilled from him. "Well if that wasn't the cutest act of showing off I've seen in a while, I'm not sure what was." He took a sip from his whiskey as he contemplated the bad days at work. The incident a few years ago during Dr. Neville's yearly speech required for graduation had definitely been among the worst; other than the dull trips to places like middle-of-nowhere, Arizona, and why-do-people-even-live-here, Idaho, he couldn't really think of bad times while working at Hammel.

"I'm talented at not getting tired. Takes a good bit of food afterward to keep me from being the biggest grouch in the world, but running a few miles makes for a nice warm up before a real workout," he explained. "Biggest downside is eating even a reasonable amount of food without expending significant energy in a day can make it quite difficult to sleep for more than an hour or two. Hell, it makes even sitting still a real challenge someday."

[Remle Boyd]

Remle let out a startled giggle and nearly upset the drink she was reaching for. She pulled her hand away just in time to cover her mouth as she coughed it out and was grateful for an excuse to explain away her blush. Why did people insist on using that word around her when she wasn't prepared for it? She finished coughing and straightened her jacket as she sat back again, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair back behind her ear. It was getting long again and she would have to decide when and how she would want to cut it...if she wanted to cut it at all.

“Endurance eh? That doesn’t sound so bad. Though, I can understand the frustration of not being able to sleep,” she sympathized. “So what do you do that lets you expend enough energy?” she wondered out loud while a small voice in the back of her head sniggered. “YOU know!!” She shoved that voice aside because it wasn’t relevant or helpful at the moment and to cover up the embarrassment; she quickly picked out another piece of fruit, dunked it into the chocolate and shoved it into her mouth so fast she had to chew heavily in order to talk again.

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys did his best to ignore her little outburst of giggles, but that had been fairly cute as well. If he hadn't known better, or at least assumed better since she was just getting through a mutual break up, he'd have thought she was trying to flirt with him. Not that it would have been a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact: he'd have welcomed it. He certainly wanted to endure another of those outbursts though.

"Well, to burn off the excess energy, I often go on long runs or lift weights more than I should. Helps me wear me out and keeps me looking fairly good without a shirt," he joked. Rhys did look pretty good, but that was more pleasant side effect than intended consequence. "Other than that...no, I shouldn't say. That would be telling, and that takes some of the fun out of it. Perhaps another night." At the moment, Rhys would be more than glad to spend another night with this woman. He was enjoying her particular brand of company.

[Remle Boyd]

Remle cleared her throat and took another drink of her wine. "Running sounds nice," she said in a voice that was a little more strained that normal due to her coughing fit and fast eating. "I like to go walking," she supplied, trying to indefinitely shift her focus away from whatever evil machinations were going on in her mind (and reminding her about she and Kota in various forms of the activity) into more innocent territory. "But I don't like being outside for a long time, at least not in direct sunlight. I'm more of a night owl myself," she claimed, putting her glass down again. She hoped that didn't sound too weird. Sometimes she said weird things when she was trying to be normal...night owl was a thing right? This would be a lot easier if she had drunk a little more.

"NO!! We are going to have normal, sober, social interactions!!" her brain reminded her sternly as it proceeded to remind her of all the goals she had set for herself (some with the help of her now ex-boyfriend). An ex-boyfriend whom she had assured more than once that she was fine, would be fine...could be fine being single again. She wanted to be fine, but maybe it still stung a little as her eyes darted back inside her purse as if she would see it illuminated by the light of her phone as it delivered her a message. She really wished she could have joined him, but she was finally gaining ground and eight or nine months wasn't enough time for her to know if dropping all of that was worth it. “Um, so anyway…do you…like this bar?” she asked, steering clear of the clichéd “come here often?” by the skin of her teeth, despite still cringing a little as she said it because she’d ACTUALLY said it.