NEVER NOT ENOUGH;;Wes&Aria;;

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

Blue eyes lifted to the overcast sky, grateful for the cool breeze that was winding it's way through the city, but wary of the rain it seemed to promise. At least they would be inside it the clouds opened up in the next hour or so.

Wes wasn't dressed too differently from the day that he had met Aria in the stables, but this time around he didn't smell of horses, and his clothing was mercifully free of rips and holes. His blond hair was spiked a little in the front with gel- better, at least, than how it had looked when he rolled out of bed that morning. They had met up at the school and taken the bus downtown, where he had tried to his best to entertain her by pointing out the various people milling about on the sidewalks and giving them voices.

When the bus pulled up down the street from their destination, he let her get off first, before hurrying ahead across the sidewalk to open the door to Lucian's, giving a mock bow and holding out his hand as if serving her.

When they had been shown to their table for two around the center of the restaurant, settling in with their menus, Wes lay his flat on the table, already knowing what he would get. His friendly smile was still there, eyes fixed on Aria, head slightly tilted.
"So tell me about being a nymph- what's that like?" Most people avoided that sort of question, considering that nymphs had died in some way to gain the status, but he really believed in depended on the person. Aria looked like a confident, happy girl- he was willing to bet that many of the nymphs at the school enjoyed being at Thaedeus enough to dissolve most of the bitter feelings about death.
"After you've ordered, of course." He pulled his menu back toward himself with a grin, not wanting to rush her.

{omg this post sucks so hard, I'm sorry }

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

Aria was wearing her favorite jean tomboy shorts, a wavy white floral top with little red flowers in assorted places, and her shoes were brown flats. Her red hair was slightly curled at the bottom; which was the effect of her scrunching it right after she got out of the shower this morning. She wasn't really wearing any make-up besides mascara and lip gloss that tasted like watermelon. She had met Wes at the courtyard like they had planned, and taken the bus downtown to where they were going to have lunch. The bus ride had been fun, the way Wes gave voices to random people. She had been laughing the whole time, sometimes copying the voice he was doing. They probably looked like idiots to other people; but she had had so much fun.

When the bus got to their stop, Wes let her get off first but quickly got ahead of her; going straight to open the door for her. When he did so, he added a small bow and a motion fo rher to walk in. She laughed and said thank you with a grin on her face. He was funny, she'd learned that by the little while they'd already spent coming here. They were at Lucian's, and the waitor showed them their table for two. She settled in and they were handed their menus, Aria having no idea what she was going to get; quickly opened up the menu.

"So tell me about being a nymph- what's that like?"

She peeked out from behind her menu, tilting her head just a tiny bit. No one had ever asked her that question before, she'd have to think it over. So she smiled when he spoke again, "After you've ordered, of course.", yes, that would give her enough time. She answered back a simple alrighty and then returned to her menu. She couldn't decide what to get, so she folded her menu up and set it on top of Wes's. "And I have come to a decision;... i'm having whatever you're having."

She laughed before leaning back in her seat a tiny bit, and about a minute later the waitor arrived. She looked at Wes, as he ordered their food and then his drink. When the waitor looked at her, she laughed before asking for coke. She had forgotten about a drink. Her eyes went straight back to Wes, finally examining his looks. She couldn't help it when a grin hit her lips, as Wes looked rather cute. Well, cute wasn't really the right word but it was all she could think of at the moment. There wasn't much change to the way he had looked at the stables minus the dirt on his shirt then. Though, he looked good, with his hair messed and his clothes worn.

She moved her gaze down to the table and then back at him, finally going to answer his question. "Well, nymph's don't actually have any powers; we just live as long as our thing we're connected to does. Though we're also supposed to stop aging after a certain time. Which will be cool, cause i'll be able to go clubbing when i'm 85 and no one will know right?" She laughed and then continued. "I'm an aurai nymph meaning I died by lack of oxygen but we're also called breezy nymphs."

Her story of how she died didn't bother her, she couldn't do anything about it so why dwell in the past. She had lived, sort of, she should be grateful if anything. "Oh! And most nymphs have really beaaautiful eyes. Which is a great trait I think."

She leaned back, and fiddled with her hands before speaking again. "So what's it like being a poseidon offspring? Tell me all your powers."

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

Service was quick, even for the lunch crowd, so there wasn't much time spent having to strain over babbling voices and waiters milling about the entrance to the kitchens. Wes waited patiently as Aria browsed the menu, finally settling on whatever he would get. He offered a small smile, hands clasped in front of him on the table, having just turned back to her after letting his gaze rest absently on the people passing by the windows.

The good news was that she didn't seem to be offended by his question about nymphs. She just leaned back, laughing, the sort of laugh that just begged for a chuckle in return. He had been worried when she didn't answer right away, but having to mull over the question a bit was to be expected. His own story could be called interesting, but it didn't have the impact on his life that her's probably did.

His smile faltered as she glanced away, down at the table, but her thickly lashed eyes darted back up to his, and just like that he was grinning again, completely focused while she described being a nymph. It was a brief summary he supposed, but he wasn't going to pressure her for the details of her death. Though she joked about being able to go clubbing at age 85, he knew it must have been a hard thing to face, being attached to a place or object that would later dictate how long she could survive. It was a little grim, hearing her nonchalantly explain that she had suffocated. She alone held the right to express whatever she wanted about what had happened, but it was just something he had to put out of his mind. If she was happy, he was happy- his expression easily mirroring her own.

But there was one thing that stuck out in his mind, that he was both intrigued by and reluctant to pursue. As she carried on about the beautiful eyes of nymphs, to which he raised his brows, holding up his glass in acknowledgment, he stared across the table at this girl, something a little off about his expression, like his smile not quite reaching his eyes. She was in his grade, but for her, life wouldn't carry on like the other students. It was perhaps one of the most tragic aspects of the nymphs; he had just never considered it before because he had never had the occasion to befriend one. What was she supposed to do when all of her friends grew older and older, and she stayed the same? Her 'powers' were associated with something that never really died- the air, or the breeze- so it could really translate to her never having to die. But what did that mean? That you could never love without knowing you would eventually be hurt? You could never trust, because you knew that one day people would leave you?

"So what's it like being a Poseidon offspring? Tell me all your powers."

He blinked, hand going up to run through his hair once, coming to after blanking for a second. He could feel the slackness in his face, and quickly got rid of the frown, leaning forward as if eager to share, forcing back the bleak musings on her behalf.
"It's...interesting, I guess you could say." He twirled the straw of his drink around the glass, stalling for time. He didn't want to oversell what he could do- it felt too much like bragging. "There are the parts I don't mind- like the horses. Well, unless you count Harrow bugging the crap out of you an advantage." He rolled his eyes with a laugh, before glancing back over at her. "There's the water abilities too, and some demi-gods are able to create earthquakes, but I've never had that problem." He waved a hand dismissively, keeping his voice low to not attract the attention of the people nearest them. Rule number one of attending Thaedeus- don't tell outsiders. As far as he could tell, the school was there to assist them in assimilating with the public, and to help them control theirs powers, not make them strong enough to attract worldwide attention or something like that.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched the waiter approach with plates in hand, and settled back into his chair, realizing how closely he had been leaning in. He straightened up visibly to draw Aria's attention, indicating that it was the reason for why he had stopped talking. When they each had pasta set in front of them, and refilled their drinks, leaving them alone at their table once more, he leaned forward again, hoping to keep her entertained- his past was an open book, for the most part, and it was the perfect way to bring about the conversation to things that they were both interested in.
"I remember before I found out about the school- I pretty much thought I was going insane, hearing all of the horses at the ranch. Just the horses though- lucky for me there weren't...I dunno, seals around every time I went swimming. I mean," He tilted his head, smirking slightly. "I'm just happy not to be a Persephone demi-god or something. The fewer voices in my head, the better." He was starting to babble on about himself, losing track of where he had been going with this. "Speaking of horses, how did you come across Moka?" He was all ears again, careful to make sure he wasn't neglecting Aria without prying too much.

[EVANA JUSTICE KINGSLEY]

"There are the parts I don't mind- like the horses. Well, unless you count Harrow bugging the crap out of you an advantage."..."There's the water abilities too, and some demi-gods are able to create earthquakes, but I've never had that problem."

She laughed when it came to the Harrow comment, she wished she could talk to Moka and other horses. She'd probably start talking to the horses in the stables now like she could hear them respond. From what it sounded like, Harrow would probably hate that. When he spoke about his water abilities, she froze slightly. She knew this would be a power of his, so why did she seem so surprised? She made sure she had a smile still on her face, but inside her mind was swarming with memories of her little brother. He'd asked if she wanted to go swimming, and she'd said no. If only she'd been there, to help him. The officers had said he hit his head but as to how they weren't exactly sure. A rock, something. Who knew; Matt always loved diving or practicing his diving. He would've loved Wes and how he could talk to horses, though Matt was gone. He was in a better place she hoped. But ever since she'd been afraid of water, she had quit swim team at school and never went back to where he died. She only stared at it from far away, like Matt was going to come up from under the water and start laughing.

She didn't know how she'd gotten so sad so quickly and by now her smile had probably faded. By then the waiter had arrived with their food, taking a sip of her coke, she looked up at Wes when he leaned in. She smiled, banishing the sad thoughts from her mind. "I remember before I found out about the school- I pretty much thought I was going insane, hearing all of the horses at the ranch. Just the horses though- lucky for me there weren't...I dunno, seals around every time I went swimming. I mean,"... "I'm just happy not to be a Persephone demi-god or something. The fewer voices in my head, the better."

That would be strange to have horses suddenly start talking to you, and if he had told anyone surely they would've thought he was a bit crazy. Therapy would most likely be brought into the situation but hopefully he didn't have to go through that. She realized, he was sharing his past and that earlier; he'd really been asking about hers. Not facts about nymphs. She felt stupid, it wasn't like she didn't want to tell him it's just that... she forgets. She forgets that she died, that it's supposed to be dramatic. Just like she forgets that one day, she'll be young and never get old. She'll never get wrinkles and grayish hair. She'll never age and her friends will. They'll probably move on and she'll have to go to younger friends. And with her family, was she supposed to watch her childern get old, her husband passed, and then watch them leave the world too? That thought was always, always pushed out of her mind. She didn't want to think that. She just prayed that she wouldn't be 400 when she finally passed.

"Speaking of horses, how did you come across Moka?"

She looked up, meeting his eyes and spoke; this would be the time she shared her story. "My family always had horses, and we had tons of land. We went to a horse auction every now and then, and my dad always said the lowest priced horses were always the ones that ended up in trouble; like horse meat. So he bid on them, rescuing them from their horrible fate. Of course, we didn't do that often but when we did... my dad always felt good about himself." She looked outside and then back at him quickly, something shiny taking away her attention. "My brother Matt came with us when we got Moka, and he'd told my dad to buy her for me. Moka settled in very easily and became our favorite mainly because she was Matt's favorite. See,... Matt drowned at the age of eight so when he died, I became very close with Moka. As it kept him alive in my mind."

She sighed, giving a small sad smile. "That's why I don't really say much about my death because I consider myself extremely lucky to end up living. Plus, I had learned to deal with death so when I died; it hit hard but not for long. I lived, sort of, and I considered myself lucky. Seeing as Matt never ended the way I did; he didn't get to live."

She realized, when she stopped talking that a frown had taken over her face. That she'd basically ruined the mood. She didn't want them to be sad."I'm sorry, it's just when I think about Matt. I miss him, naturally. He was such a cute kid. And I totally didn't mean to ruin the mood."

She put on a small smile, as she looked at her food before eating a tiny bit; glancing up at Wes every other second. Then she took a sip of her drink before meeting his gaze.

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

He kept up the friendly expression as she delved right into her past, internally berating himself for bringing it up. Of course Moka's story was intertwined with Aria's- he had seen that much in their bond in the barn. He just didn't want to make her feel obligated to share what had happened with him- he certainly hadn't bargained for what he was about to hear about her brother.

'See,... Matt drowned at the age of eight so when he died, I became very close with Moka. As it kept him alive in my mind."

His brows snapped down over wide eyes, biting back an immediate apology. As she went on to explain about how it impacted her own death, there was no mistaking the somber mood that hung over their table. But he wasn't about to complain- he had plenty of respect to spare for her situation, despite never having been in the same sort of thing. The closest he had come to that sort of loss was of his friend Jacob back when he had been in sixth grade. Growing up where they didn't have a lot in the way of distractions meant that being outdoors was the main attraction. No one had been around to witness it, but the boy had been lost in one of the rivers- tragic, but not as bitter as losing family.

Wes nodded understandingly with all she was saying, watching with concern as Aria seemed to withdraw more and more from their conversation.

I'm sorry, it's just when I think about Matt. I miss him, naturally. He was such a cute kid. And I totally didn't mean to ruin the mood."

He was already shaking his head, looking evenly back at the girl as her eyes rose back to him.
"Look- don't worry about it." He told her softly. Her hand was resting on the table; he could have easily reached out and taken it, but it just felt strange, considering the topic, and how little time had passed since they had met. He wanted to do something though, to take her mind off of her brother.

Soon he resorted back to trying to make her laugh as they finished the rest of their meal, gently coaxing her out of more miserable topics while trying to not come across as blunt or uncaring. Really, he just didn't like seeing her unhappy. When their waiter arrived to clear their plates, and ask about dessert, Wes shook his head, getting out his wallet.
"We'll get something on the way back- does ice cream sound good?" He shot a look Aria's way, making a final bid at trying to win back a smile.

He paid, assuring Aria that it really was nothing to do so, before shooing her out the door and onto the street. The clouds had gotten darker, the weather a little cooler, and in the distance he suspected that the first drops of rain were about to fall. But it was still warm and humid enough to warrant a cold treat, so he set off down the street, hands in his pockets, pointing out things here and there, usually with a story about how he had done this or that in his first year at Thaedeus.

It couldn't have been more than a six minute walk down the road that they passed by a small shop, and he nodded toward it. "After you?"

{Derp. I powerplayed a wee bit. :B}

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

Aria felt horrible about her ruining the mood of their lunch, and she had done her best to bring it back. But it was obvious that the mood was never going to be fully restored no matter how much Wes smiled, and made her laugh. The mood was just ruined, and it wasn't that she was sad. She was over it now, just angry at herself for digging that deep when Wes had probably not bargained for all of that.

Though when he mentioned ice cream on the way back, she smiled. She'd take this as her chance to bring back the full good mood to their lunch date. The walk was probably six minutes or less to ice cream shop. Wes had, of course, entertained her the whole time. Telling her about what he'd done while he was at Thaedeus; and it gave her many different options of things to do this coming year. Nymphs never had the full four years at Thaedeus, usually just junior and senior year. If less.

When he opened the door for her, she smiled before walking in. It was super cool in the shop; a nice break from the humid air outside. She could smell all the different flavors, and watched as different people walked out with their ice creams or even took a seat. She loved ice cream, and could never pick what flavor she wanted. Though she'd make sure to pick one quickly while she was here. She wasn't going to keep Wes waiting on her to pick a flavor. She looked back at him, shooting him a large excited smile; like a little girl getting her favorite ice cream. She walked over to where the ice cream flavors were displayed; motioning Wes to look too. When he did, she smiled. Looking up at him and then back at the flavors. Strawberry sounded amazing at the moment. "So, what flavor are you getting?" She didn't turn when she asked, but soon did realizing she'd miss his genuine smile. Wes really did have a great smile, it could make anyone smile.

"I think I might have strawberry, if that's okay." It was extremely nice for him to be paying for lunch and then ice cream. She felt bad that he was doing so, but he had assured her it was perfectly fine. He was a gentleman; she'd quickly learned.

OOC: omg, this kind of sucks. sorrrry <3 i just didnt have the right muse and i wasnt going to leave you without a post <33 can't wait for more threads though lol. : DD

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

It was just as clear to Wes as it was to Aria that things were a little bit more tense now, a little more somber, but at least they were soldiering on. The ice cream stop seemed to breathe new life into the girl, and she turned to him with a wide grin, beckoning him to the glass to choose their treats. His eyes lingered on her for a moment as she happily browsed the flavors, before she asked what he would be getting, and he glanced away to the attendant behind the counter who was wandering over their way.

"I think I might have strawberry, if that's okay."

"Sure," He nodded to her, flashing a brief smile in return, before getting the attention of the woman hanging back around the counter.
"Hi, can she have a double scoop of strawberry, and I'll have-" He glanced down quickly. "Pralines and cream?" As they shuffled toward the cash register, he couldn't help studying Aria again, looking tentatively over. "Are you having fun?" There was a note of something like worry in his voice, and although he smiled just like always, he was clearly concerned that he wasn't doing as good a job of hiding the evidence of what had transpired as he thought. In getting to know her better he was finding it hard to keep up with being cheery the whole time. Of course, friendship always came at a price- maybe Aria was a little more expensive. Although just as she had insisted earlier, she really did seem fine with being a nymph. Maybe he had to be thankful that she hadn't burst into tears while he offered her cone to her- but again, he could see that she wasn't that type of girl. She was made of tough stuff.

{fffff Mine's worse >.< I'll get better, I promise}

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

"Are you having fun?

Aria nodded, before smiling and answering happily, "Definitely, thanks. What about you?"

Aria smiled as she grabbed her cone from Wes. Honestly, she felt better. The sad conversation from earlier felt like centuries ago, but she knew that was just how she thought. Wes surely hadn't forgotten it, and the way he looked a bit worried now made her begin to wonder if he was okay. He had no reason to be worried about the whole Matt thing. He couldn't do anything about her passed brother, he was gone and had been for quite a while. She'd learned to deal with the pain, and just live like Matt would want her to. So why was Wes worried? She watched as he ate some of his ice cream as they moved to the side; as Aria had been unsure if they were taking this to go to the bus stop or whether they were going to sit down and eat their deserts.

She licked hers, getting some on her nose; she looked at Wes and laughed before grabbing a napkin and wiping it off. He'd even been super duper nice and got her double scoop. Though with how full she was, she didn't see how she could finish it.

Once again her thoughts went to Wes, and as to why he was worried. It seemed the only way she'd find out if he was okay, was by asking. "Wesss?" she sounded curious, as she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

As she waited for an answer, her mind wandered; trying to figure out what had him so worried. Or concerned, maybe he was concerned. She knew she was a little strange but hopefully she hadn't already scared the guy away and made him think she needed help. If so, then she was in trouble. This was how she was most of the time. Though she knew she was jumping to conclusions, but really; had she upset him?

She looked at him, giving a weak smile before looking at the ground again. He had the blondest hair, and his eyes were adorable. She figured his full name was Wesley, which seemed to fit him perfectly. Just like Wes; which obviously fit as it was a nickname. She thought anyways. It made her wonder what his middle name was, and his last. But she'd wait till he answered her question before going back to the innocent fun questions.


OCC: could be better, but ohhh wellzzz. I'm so excited for the wharf thread. So awesome. ; DD

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

She was obviously happy with the ice cream as they moved out of the way of other customers. He started for the door, but didn't want to seem like he was rushing her out onto the street.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

He hadn't realised that she had been saying his name, but looked up in surprise, suddenly brought back to reality.

"Oh yeah, yeah. I'm good." He shrugged, letting attention fall to the melting ice cream in the cone he held, grabbing a napkin off of a dispenser on a nearby table, before his blue eyes flicked up to meet her's with a sheepish smile. "I just wanted to make sure that, I dunno, you didn't want to go home or something. Hopefully I'm good enough company." He smiled as they wandered toward the entrance again, just now seeming to clue in that she had been asking him something even before this.

"I had a good time as well-" He trailed off, not too naturally, but at least he stopped himself from sounding too presumptious. The whole point of the outing was to get to know her better- so saying 'I'd love to go out again sometime' instead of 'we should do this again' made all the difference somehow, but he chose neither. He would see her at the stables again, right? He hoped so. The fact that it was summer break made it more difficult, since he couldn't just hope to see her in class. "Maybe we could catch a movie sometime..." He didn't force himself to look disinterested, but shrugged, trying to not look too eager.

[ffff these are getting worse X) I need to liven Wes up and really figure out who he is.]

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

"I just wanted to make sure that, I dunno, you didn't want to go home or something. Hopefully I'm good enough company."

Aria looked at him as he spoke, following him towards the entrance. He really seemed off now. On the bus here, he acted like he was having a good time but now he just seemed strange. And how could he think he wasn't good company? She had fun, even with the awkward conversation from earlier. But that was to be expected, some awkward past conversations. This one just happened sooner then planned in their friendship. She shook her head no, and assured him that she was having fun; and that he was great company... not to even think that he wasn't. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that he was out of it. Off, strange, something. He was just acting different.

"I had a good time as well-" he answered from her earlier question but it slowly died off, like he was just saying that. She frowned, making sure not to let him see it though. Maybe he wasn't having a good time. Maybe he wanted to go home. Perhaps her little mood swings of happy and sad just kind of scared him off. She hoped not though.

"Maybe we could catch a movie sometime..."

By this time they were at the door, and a stranger held open the door for both of them. As they walked out she heard him mention a movie. She smiled fixing to say absolutely when she saw him shrug. Now that she thought about it, he hadn't sounded that happy when mentioning it. Maybe this was his way of hinting they just weren't going to be good friends. She frowned when he wasn't looking before answering. "Sure, sure. I'd love to..if you want to."

[omgg. this sucks. sorry!]