New Surroundings

[Cole Kessler]

Cole walked down the sidewalk outside the Cafe. It had been about four days since he arrived at Hammel. It was just so depressing to him sometimes. He had no new friends, no family nearby, not even Hoss to accompany him here.

Normally, a night like this would've been spent tuning his guitar or playing some HALO, but tonight, he figured, was a chance to go out and make some new friends. The warmer weather recently had persuaded some of the local female population to wear less encumbering clothes. He always loved it when beautiful women liked to show off their..... assets. Amazingly, he hadn't flirted with any of them, or at least not yet.

He felt slightly uncomfortable in his T-shirt having grown accustomed to muscle shirts or cut-offs. He had rolled one sleeve up into itself and wrapped the other around his pack of reds. He grabbed the cigarette he'd put behind his ear, placed it in his lip, grabbed his zippo, and lit up. As he took his first few drags he leaned on a nearby wall. Cole what have you gotten yourself into? He thought to himself, I guess we'll just wait and see what happens tonight, won't we?

For some reason he always spoke to himself as if there were two of himself. Continuing to lean against the wall, he waited to see if things got interesting.

[Taeyeon Kai]

party!

She was feeling restless. Her skin was itchy, her soul wanting a thrill. She walked to the club huddled in her coat, wearing the same outfit she had worn when she had come and danced with Robbie. It was her nicest party outfit, and she liked the shoes. They clicked as she walked past the Kafe towards the club, her mahogany hair bouncing in springy coils and spirals. She heard some whistles, since her denim skirt exposed her legs from mid-thigh to ankle, but she rolled her eyes and continued.

Once she reached the club, she didn't notice the other person in time and bumped into him. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" she apologized, looking up into the other person's face. She was caught by the color of his eyes, a pearly gray that captured her attention. Only when the music grew louder by the door opening did she shake her head and turn away.

She smiled at the bouncer, paying her seven dollars and shrugging off her coat as she walked in, showing the outside world the straps that crisscrossed her back and leaving her skin bare before the door closed, shutting her inside.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole was caught off-guard by a beautiful women as she bumped into him. He placed an arm in front of her to help her regain balance. Had he not been quick to react, she most likely would have fallen. Luckily when she'd bumped into him, he'd dropped his smoke and stepped on it, preventing any burns. What he didn't expect was locking eyes with her for a good three seconds, if not more. Her hair gave off a rather lovely scent, one that enticed him almost immediately.

He waited for a few seconds after she had walked into the club before following. He didn't want to seem stalkerish, but something about her had just taken hold of him, drawing him in. As he reached the door, he pulled out his wallet. Seven bucks was all he had until Friday, but this woman was, to him, worth it. As he entered the club, the music floated into his ears. A nice beat, great lyrics, and all this in a live performance.

Being underage he couldn't buy alcohol, and he didn't want to get in trouble if he got caught drinking. Hammel was strict on underage drinking, especially with new students. His objective right now was the finding the woman that had bumped him. Slowly, but surely, he did. Walking up behind her, and trying not to scare her, he spoke, "Just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm Cole." He introduced himself rather quickly and generically. He didn't have a fancy introduction, just his name, that was it.

[Taeyeon Kai]

When she walked in, she ditched her coat on a nearby table, eyes looking out over the crowd. The music was loud, exactly like she liked it, and her hips instantly started swaying to the familiar beat. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, looking around as she waited for a song to dance to.

She heard a voice behind her and turned, looking into those pearl-colored eyes she had met outside. His voice was sultry, pleasant to listen to, and she found her skin shivering when she listened to him. Her dark eyes looked him over curiously. "My name's Taeyeon. I'm sorry I bumped into you. Guess I wasn't paying attention." She chuckled, the flashing lights sparkling in her eyes.

The song changed and Tae looked out over the club, feeling the need to dance. She looked back at Cole. "Do you...wanna dance?" she asked hesitantly. Maybe he had someone else to dance with, or someone he was waiting for.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole chuckled as she apologized once more for bumping into him. "It's alright, sweetheart," he told her his hickish accent coming to light, "look at it this way, if you hadn't I wouldn't be here talking to you right now." Hillbilly twang galore, Cole's accent was shining through. He wasn't used to disguising it yet. He'd gone into a store earlier that day to buy some shirts and they'd looked at him funny when he spoke.

He didn't want this girl to do the same thing. But perhaps she enjoyed hearing his voice, otherwise, would she be speaking to him presently? His nostrils filled with the scent from her hair and now the rest of her body. He wanted to pull away for a moment, but the scent and beauty of this delicate woman had taken strong hold of him and didn't feel like it would release him any time soon.

She asked him if he wanted to dance. He didn't see a reason not to. He was out with no worries, had no one with him, had no classes tomorrow, a dance was just the thing he needed. He ran his hand up her arm, stopping at her shoulder. As the music picked up in volume, he leaned in so that she could hear him and spoke into her right ear, "Dance with you? I'd love to, gorgeous."

[Taeyeon Kai]

His voice changed, becoming something she was familiar with, and she smiled up at him, her teeth a flash of white in the darkness. His fingers ran up her arm, making her shiver again, and her smile turned shy as his breath swirled in her right ear, making heat flash up her neck and into her face.

"All right then," she said, taking his free hand and tugging him onto the dance floor. She pulled them deep into the throng of people, her body swaying to the music as she walked. Soon she stopped, right in the center of the gyrating bodies, and started dancing in earnest, her hips swinging like Shakira and her mind lost within the beat of the music.

She almost forgot about Cole. She grinned and put his hands on her hips, pressing her back against his chest as she danced, her arms wrapping around his neck behind her.

[Cole Kessler]

He felt her shiver as his fingers ran along her skin and he spoke to her. This was Cole's strong point, flirting. Something he'd done plenty of times growing up, Cole could flirt with the best of them. Sometimes, the flirting even led to something more, but the only relationship to have come out of that ended on bad terms.

Her smile was indeed a beautiful thing. His smile left something to be desired due to the cigarette tar, but it was no where near as bad as it used to be. He followed suit as she walked the pair out into the thrall of the dance floor. The song had changed again, this band provided a great diverse setlist of music. Something that indeed covered every aspect of anyone in the club.

Taeyeon placed his hands on her swaying hips. Cole knew now he would have no regrets about going out tonight. As she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, he brought his head down and placed his mouth and nose centimeters from the skin of her neck. He gently kissed her neck on time, but unaware of how she would react, stopped after doing so. Pressed together closer than anyone else in the club, the two danced and danced. Cole wouldn't stop until she was ready to stop.

[Taeyeon Kai]

She felt his kiss from the top of her head all the way down to her pink-painted toenails. Goosebumps rose on her skin as they danced, shivers wracking her body at the sensual heat that flourished in her blood. As the music slowed and couples took the floor, she turned in his arms, keeping his hands on her hips and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"So...what brings you to Pilot Ridge?" she asked him over the music, gently swaying to the sappy song playing over the speakers. "I'm sure it's because of the wonderful snowy weather and the stimulating people here that you live here." The words were said with slight sarcasm, but she smiled as she said them. "I live here with my aunt and uncle, and I go to the high school down here. I also work at the mall."

She looked up into his pewter eyes and lost herself in them again. The sensual heat simmered down, smoldering in her blood instead of roaring like it was a few minutes ago. "Let me guess..." her voice lowered a bit as she leaned in closer. "You're a meta, aren't you? I'm best friends with one."

[Cole Kessler]

The slower music took hold. A song Cole was very familiar with at that point. As more couples took the floor, Cole was happy with his current dance partner. He felt Taeyeon's body shift as she turned to face him. He could here the sarcasm in her voice we she first asked him what he was doing here.

"Actually, no. The weather here is different than home, but I came up here for the beautiful women and a chance to see other parts of the world. And right now, I'm sure glad I did." He said, partially meaning exactly what he had said. He figured he could make a joke if she had, but didn't want to get too out of hand with them.

Then she spoke again, hitting the nail on the head. That was the exact reason he was in Pilot Ridge. He looked deep into her eyes for a moment, almost losing track of everything, even the conversation before finally speaking to bring himself back into reality, "A Meta? Me? C'mon, sweetheart." He laughed, "But you're right. A Meta I am." Cole stopped to allow her to speak again as another slow song started.

[Taeyeon Kai]

An eyebrow quirked with his answer to her sarcastic statement. "Beautiful women?" she said seriously, looking around. Sure, a select few were pretty enough, but no one was beautiful during the winter months. "I can understand the traveling parts. My uncle was a traveling photographer, so we moved a lot before settling here. So far...I like it."

Another slow song came on as he answered her question, and she smiled. "I apologize if I was too forward. I'm best friends with a meta, as I said earlier, so I'm always looking for new ones to meet. I like to expand my horizons." She looked into his captivating eyes.

"So what do you do? Robbie Wilkes, my best friend, he's a weather manipulator. He uses that to make funny jokes and pick-up lines all the time. I adore him like a little brother; we've known each other since we were in diapers." When the memories came, she laughed a little at them, her eyes softening and sparkling, her smile dreamy.

[Cole Kessler]

She obviously didn't pick up what he'd meant when he told her his reasons. "By 'Beautiful women' I meant you." He didn't want to come off as the type of guy to meet a girl and her beome the "girl of his dreams" though this one could fit the bill perfectly. "And it's good that you like where you stay, home is where the heart is."

She apologized again, "No, you didn't come off as too forward. You get straight through the point, and I like that. I don't like when people beat around the bush, wastes time, ya'know?" He was definitely speaking his mind right now.

"I'm Electrokinetic. I can manipulate electrical currents and the like. Hopefully when I get more training I'll be able to generate my own. And by the way, friends like that are hard to come by. Always keep them close. I had a few like that, but haven't spoke to them since about a month before moving up here. We used to be a band, but some stuff happened and the hopes of that business died." Cole pulled her a bit closer to him. He liked what was going on at this point. He enjoyed having someone to talk to. "Being new here, I don't have many friends. You're probably the only person I've talked to in a week."

[Taeyeon Kai]

Her eyes widened with his compliment, heat coloring her tawny skin pink in the dark light as she processed his words. No one had ever called her beautiful anymore, not unless it was a compliment to her clothing or hairstyle. He said something about her being straight-forward and she smiled shyly. She was never one to mince her words, even if they got her into trouble.

"Electrokinesis?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "That must mean your personality just sparkles, huh?" She grinned at her little joke, feeling the beat of the music pick back up as the rhythm changed. Her hips started swaying again, gently at first.

She looked at him when he told her that he didn't have any friends. "I'll be your friend, Cole," she replied, smiling as her hair slid over her shoulders and the strands caressed his hands on her hips. "Robbie's the only person I've known since moving here, so we're kinda in the same boat, ya know?"

[Cole Kessler]

"I wouldn't say sparkles, lovely...... But I can make sparks fly if you'd like." He chuckled in response to her joke. He smirked as she told him they could be friends. He wasn't sure what to say now, but the music had stopped.

A man jumped on stage with a microphone, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, now is the time we've all been waiting for. Open mic night has begun! All you must do is come up here and say you want to sing, play, or whatnot. After that you will be put on the list. Winner of tonight's competition receives a check for $200."

Cole saw an opportunity now. Multiple opportunities at that. He felt a tickle in his hands as her hair flowed back and forth as she let it down. "I wanna make a bet with you, so I'll enter this contest. If I win this open mic night, you and I go to dinner friday night. Sound good to you?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

She laughed at his joke, the sound like bells. She could feel the stares of several people on her as she laughed; she had a tendency to do that. When the music stopped, she turned and kept his hands on her hips, feeling an unusual comfort in being in his arms. Open mic night? She hadn't heard of that before.

With his bet, she turned her head and looked into his eyes over her shoulder. "I'll do you one better," she said with a grin. She reached a hand up and cupped his cheek, her eyes twinkling. "You win tonight, I'll go out on a date with you...and I'll give you a goodnight kiss."

She stepped away from him and turned, the lights making her sweat-sheened skin glow, her hair wildly tousled and her dark eyes impish. "Go impress me." She winked. "And I'll see what kind of goodnight kiss I'll give you."

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled at her offer. Her skin glistening in the light, her hair seemed to glow as well. He couldn't help but feel slightly infatuated. Regardless, he now had plenty of incentive to win this Open Mic Night. "You're so on, Tae." Cole walked up to the booth, four names already on the list, two already finished. There was only one more space left meaning he would be the last one to perform.

The woman sitting in the chair looked up, "What's your name, kid?" Kid? Cole was eighteen already, and still people called him kid. He didn't want to cause a scene so he tried not to let the word bother him.

"Cole. My name's Cole Kessler. Singing........ Watermelon Crawl, I suppose." He looked around and saw plenty of people in western looking outfits, some more scantily clad than others. As the woman finished writing everything down, she pointed Cole towards the side of the stage. As he walked over, he looked down and saw an acoustic guitar leaned against the stage. He picked it up and pricked each string to check the tune, perfect.

By now the third participant had finished her song. Cole had very little time left to prepare. As the fourth contestant stepped up onto the stage, Cole stepped out the side door and lit a cigarette. He began synching his mind and body and readying himself. It had been almost four years since he performed live in front of anybody, even his parents. He flicked the Cigarette into a nearby puddle of water dumped from the restaurant nearby.

He walked back in as the fourth performer had finished. He reached over and grabbed the six-string and a nearby generic looking cowboy hat. As they called his name, Cole stepped up on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for tonight's final contestant, singing Tracy Byrd's Watermelon Crawl, a newcomer to our great town, Cole Kessler!"

As the music began Cole strummed his guitar in perfect pace with the opening notes. As the pause came between the guitar and lyrics, Cole whipped the acoustic around behind him and grabbed hold of the mic. "I was drivin' through Georgia in late July on a day hot enough to make the Devil sigh. I saw a homemade sign, written in red 'Rhine County Watermelon Festival ahead!"

Cole continued to sing in pace with the song with his accent shining through in perfect tone, getting into it and interacting with the crowd all the while. He hopped off the stage during the chorus and headed toward Taeyeon. Once there he took her hand and began to dance. Twirling her around, the second chorus came, he wondered if Taeyeon knew how to do the Watermelon Crawl, "She rocked back on her heels, dropped down to her knees, crawled across the floor, and she jumped back on her feet. She wiggled and she giggled, beat all you ever saw, said 'This is how you do the Watermelon Crawl!'" Satisfied with his interactions with everyone, including Tae, he headed back to the stage. He hopped back up as the song was reaching its climax. As the final notes came, Cole hit their tone with acute precision, "Do the Watermelon Craaaaawl!" As the lyrics ended Cole raised his arm above his head and pumped his arm when the final instrumental note hit.

The crowd was going wild. He grabbed his hat and tossed it out over the dancefloor, hopefully Tae would catch it. They wanted more, but Cole was sweating profusely. As the manager come up the stage, Cole relinquished the microphone to him. "Well, everyone I think it's apparent who wins this time, no 'applause-o-meter' needed. I present this check for $200 to newcomer and winner of tonight's Open Mic night, Cole Kessler."

Both of Cole's arms raised above his head, fists clenched. He took the checked, shook the manager's hand and hopped off the stage again. Once he made it back to Taeyeon, he'd already been congratulated by everyone else, "How was that? Impressing enough for ya?" He asked still breathing heavily.