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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 18, 2011 23:53:09 GMT -5
Paul's eyes darted back to Jon, his chin jerking up ever so slightly, blue gaze steady.
"I take it that's Paul?"
Jon nodded, glancing away from his brother, shifting ever so slightly so that he wasn't directly facing him. "Yeah, but whatever, it's not like he owns the place." Wow. Did that ever sound childish. He appreciated her concern though, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, forcing a lopsided smile. Like he said-whatever-it didn't matter much anyway. Paul knew he was in town, and had elected to stay out of the house while he was there- he didn't need to be pushed by their parents or anything. If they saw one another, then things would just go on as they had, since he was fairly certain that it would remain unspoken between them. But he was about to be proven wrong.
The group had drawn closer, their voices now able to be heard. One of the guys elbowed Paul in the ribs, pointing to where Jon sat. "Hey, isn't that-"
"Yeah, I know. I'll see you guys in a minute." Came the curt reply, and he veered off from his group, to the apparent confusion of everyone but the first boy who had spoken. "Hey," Paul called out loudly, not sounding particularly friendly. Apparently he had been unable to resist the draw of finding out what sort of person could end up with his brother, since he strode over toward the couple, a smirk on his face.
Jon sighed, not needing to turn at the loud 'hey' to know who was approaching them. His jaw clenched and he turned back toward Paul, not missing the appraising look his brother shot toward Scarlet. Paul stopped a few feet away, and clearly smart enough to not expect a greeting from Jon in return, he turned that piercing gaze on Scarlet once more. After a moment of hesitation, he held out his hand to her, turning on that blazing grin. His eyes narrowed the tiniest bit when they fell on the scars on one side of her face, but he said nothing about it. "Guess you're the mystery girl." He crossed his arms over his lean bare chest, towel still looped over one arm. It was hard to say if this seemed to be a good thing to him or not. Once again he slid a look in Jon's direction, but the dark mimic was glaring at a point just over Paul's shoulder, apparently determined to not make eye-contact. "Sorry, I guess some people never learn manners." Paul rolled his eyes at Jon with a sneer. "I'm Paul Brass."
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 19, 2011 0:10:23 GMT -5
Quirking an eyebrow at the tension between the two brothers, Scarlet stared quietly at Paul as he stared back, before finally saying something to her. Something about manners. Putting on her most charming, bedazzling smile-which was absolutely stunning; possibly a bit more so than Paul's, given the aspect of the sun beaming down on her-she took his hand and shook it briskly, before letting it go. "Ah, yes. But I guess I'm no mystery anymore, hm?" She tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Funny. You should do wise and not mention lack of manners." She leaned forward, looking right up his nose at him. "Looks bad on you, as well." Scarlet spoke that part barely more than a whisper, before grinning a bit. Paul was nothing more than a cocky teenager to her right now. He wasn't even as bad as some of the Poseidon demigods she was used to dealing with at the school.
Noticing he had narrowed his eyes at her scar, she frowned and brushed her bangs over it gently, raising an eyebrow. "I'm Scarlet Lancaster. The pleasure of meeting you has exceeded my expectations, truly." She laughed softly and squeezed Jonathan's hand, before tilting her head back slightly to look at him. "Aren't you going to say hello?" She tilted her head, looking slightly confused. This was family, not some person Jonathan had crossed paths with in junior high school. He was blood-even if he didn't look like it. Scarlet looked up at Paul again and laughed softly. "He's working on that." She rolled her eyes and reached up, patting the cheek of his brother. Paul was freezing compared to her hand; the hand that had been resting in the sun. Without really realizing it, some of the sunlight seemed to transfer slightly to his cheek, but it was easily mistaken for just her hands warmth.
"You look a lot like your mother. Dad's hair, though. You must get that a lot." She paused and blushed, taking her hand away from his face, rubbing her slender fingers together as her hand dropped. "You'll have to excuse me. I tend to blabber when I'm horribly nervous, and this situation is a little bit uncomfortable for me, considering I have no siblings to interact with myself... Well, I might, but... It's a long... Story... Crap." She covered her mouth and took a step back, hiding behind Jonathan. There she went, embarrassing the hell out of herself.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 19, 2011 0:37:15 GMT -5
Paul's brows shot up at Scarlet's reply, but it only made him grin wider. He did look a little staggered however, when the sun hit her face, and in that moment he seemed to realize that he was dealing with...well, with one of 'Jon's kind' as he put it.
That mimic in question was trying to tune out most of what they were saying, coldly staring off into the distance. When she squeezed his hand, he glanced down, startled to find she was asking him something. He shrugged, finally looking to Paul, who flashed another cocky grin. But when she reached toward him to pat his cheek, it fell, cocking one brow in confusion. He didn't flinch exactly, but he was giving her that 'what the hell is this crazy chick doing stroking my cheek' look while letting out a mutter 'uh...yeah, totally'. Actually, in a funny way the brothers looked similar for once, since Jon was making the exact same face, for a totally different reason.
When she stepped back, mumbling an apology, Jon just shook his head, wrapping an arm around her narrow shoulders. Paul seemed to dismiss it, simply classifying Scarlet as being a bit touchy-feely.
They stood in silence for several seconds, before Jon reluctantly took up the duty he had promised to uphold for Scarlet's sake. That meant trying to be friendly. "Mom's having a barbecue tonight. You could come." It would be their last night in La Porte, but they still had the entire day tomorrow to kill as well, on account of their flight only leaving around 10 PM. Surely this counted as being nice- giving Scarlet another chance to see the family all together, though he couldn't promise that they'd be having any kodak moments.
Paul deliberated for a moment, giving a non-committal shrug. "Maybe. If I'm not busy." He spared his friends a glance, only to see them wandering closer, peering curiously at him standing with two apparent strangers. He shook his head at them, mouthing 'I'll catch up', but they just sort of stood there, milling about as they waited. With a sigh Paul shook his head again, but took a step toward them. Blue eyes fixed on Scarlet, he pretended to solemnly salute her. "See you later Mystery Girl, maybe we'll meet again without that cloud hanging over your head." He jerked a thumb at Jon, turning to jog back over to his friends. Some girls might have found him poetic, but he was being more of a troll than anything else. As he watched, Paul slung an arm around the waist of the brunette snuggled into his side, walking away with all the swagger of a jock.
"There. I got you another chance to see him again. Good enough?" Jon grumbled, letting his arm drop from around Scarlet's shoulders again.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 19, 2011 0:59:10 GMT -5
When Jonathan's arm moved away from her again, she frowned and turned to him, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly, kissing him fiercely on the lips. He was so much warmer than his brother; in more ways than one. Sure, Jonathan was gloomier than the sunny boy, but she'd rather her man have a warm heart and blood, then a warm smile with a cold heart. She kissed him over and over until she couldn't feel her lips anymore, before pulling away, eyes bright.
"You are the single most wonderful man I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." The demigod spoke sincerely, holding his face down to press kisses to his nose and chin. His brother may have had all the charm, but when it came to stealing hearts, Jonathan definitely had hers. And she never planned on giving him up. "I love you more than peach cobbler on the sunniest day in all of time." She nodded firmly. "... And that's a lot." She added with a whisper, for good measure.
After a good couple of minutes of standing there holding him, Scarlet blinked and glanced around at the empty space around them. So, they were alone... She bit her lip and wiggled a bit anxiously, before pulling away. Sober sex, outside? This had never happened before, and it was suddenly all she could think about. She ran her fingers through her hair, drawing them slowly over the scar on her face, before taking a deep breath.
'Should we get going?" She motioned to the direction of the parking lot and blushed a bit, keeping one hand to her cheek, watching his reactions carefully. If they left too soon, he'd think she was bored of him or something. If she lingered too long, he'd think she was expecting something to happen. It was one of those situations where she had to let him decide, so he wouldn't be hurt, or think she was desperate. Which was a bit true, but, she had an excuse... Baby hormones were a bitch. If that's even what this was. She wasn't sure yet. Well, she was 87% positive, but he really didn't need to be alerted yet. When the morning sickness started, that would be the time to freak out a little bit. But for now, she would bide her time with off-handed excuses and try not to worry about it.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 19, 2011 1:38:28 GMT -5
He could have just turned and walked back to the bike. They could just go back into town, grab a bite to eat, and head home. Or she could just make things difficult and bombard him with affection
Oh sure, he was listening, a little confused too by the sudden shower of compliments as much as the heavy kissing, but he didn't mind. Well, he did a little, since it seemed that most of the time these days Scarlet was playing the role of supportive partner. Hadn't he agreed to work on that? He took it for granted that she was usually able to just know what he was feeling, rather than having to say it.
He wanted to come back with something like 'only because you made me that way', but that was taking things a bit too far into cheesy territory than he cared to venture. He seemed to remember a time when he and Scarlet actually held full conversations, but everything tended to pile up together into one big blur after the break up. Lately there were just a lot of odd silences, as if they hadn't quite mastered the couples game after so long apart.
When she pulled away, wiggling out of his grasp, disappointment lit on his face, and he frowned, straightening up. He followed her gaze to the now empty parking lot, and the barren beach behind them, but when he looked back at her, her face was flushed.
"Should we get going?"
He thought about it, judgment wavering. On the one hand they were alone for now, and apparently both thinking along the same lines. The week leading up to the trip, and even before that, was always so screwed up with their schedules that it didn't leave much time for moments like this. He leaned forward slightly, but stopped, trying to asses what she really wanted. "We could..." It did seem like the sort of shenanigan they'd get up to while drunk- sober, on a rocky beach next to a parking lot in La Porte though? A bit of a stretch, considering someone could pull up at the beach at any second. Still he wavered, until the decision was made for him, and two cars pulled into the parking lot, apparently intent on enjoying the lake.
He stepped away from Scarlet, frowning down at her for a moment. Sometimes she just took him by surprise. He held out his hand, making a move toward the parking lot, looking almost apologetic. They'd get their time alone...eventually.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 19, 2011 16:53:01 GMT -5
Scarlet smile brightly at Jonathan when he stepped back, giving his hand a light squeeze. She understood. They'd have time later for all that fun stuff. It was probably for the best, anyway. They needed to communicate better for the time being, especially since she was probably pregnant, and would eventually be telling him every single damn thing she was feeling.
"Mmmm. Tell me a story, Jonathan." She snuggled into his side and pulled his arm over her shoulder, closing her eyes as he lead her back to the motorcycle. It would have to be a short story, but it would open the gateway for some more talking later on, when they were back home.
It took a little bit for him to finish the story, but once he was done, they hopped onto his bike and were off back through the town, to get to the house. They stopped for lunch in a little cafe, and she had a giant cup of coffee, before heading back out, finishing off her tour of the little city. He pointed out a couple of things he had missed along the way, and eventually they reached the house. Jonathan parked his bike inside the garage and Scarlet hopped off after him, pulling the helmet off her head and placing it on the seat with a satisfied sighing sound. Her hands found her hips, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder to look at him happily.
"That was actually a lot of fun." She nodded and turned to him, hands still on her hips. She was excited to get to her phone and check her messages, but she was also excited to spend some more time with Jonathan, as well as his family. The thought swelled up in her head and made her grin excitedly, before taking Jonathan's hands and kissing his cheek. "I'm so happy you showed me around. It must suck doing all this, just for a girl." She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist, swaying slightly.
Jonathan was doing so good lately. She was so proud of how much he had improved from that angry unnatural, to the man who was standing in front of her, today. It made her feel appreciated that he was doing all of this for her. But he really should have been doing it for himself... She vaguely let her thoughts wander to what she had said last night, and chastised herself internally for being so harsh on him. It wasn't his fault. And he really was trying... She just thought that his family did love him, they just weren't sure how to deal with his behaviour. She placed a kiss on the underneath of his jawbone, before closing her eyes and resting her head right under his chin, smiling against his chest. They'd work on that. Eventually. Hopefully the barbecue would go well. That was her major concern about later that night.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 19, 2011 18:00:10 GMT -5
The ride home was fairly uneventful, and the day was winding down to a quiet end. There were still hours to go before sunset, but dinner was looming, and the temperature had dropped to a comfortable coolness for the evening.
When they parked in front of the garage and dismounted, he smiled to see Scarlet standing there with her hands on her hips, remarking how fun the afternoon had been. He wasn't sure how much of that he believed, but he was grateful for the fact that he happened to be dating the one girl who was happy to be doing anything as long as they were together. How had he gotten so lucky?
"I'm so happy you showed me around. It must suck doing all this, just for a girl."
He cocked a brow, smiling crookedly as he cuddled her closer. "Yeah, I just want to impress her though, you know? How else will I be able to make sure she sticks around?" He teased dryly; it had never been much of a concern to him, considering he was the one who had the tendency to run off, though he had to admit that in the beginning of there relationship, there had been the underlying fear that he wouldn't rise to her expectations or something. Plus, he had never been able to understand what she saw in him, but apparently it was good enough the way it was.
They stood there, Jon comfortably letting his chin rest on Scarlet's head, until the door to the house creaked, and Mandy poked out her head. "Oh, you're back. I thought I heard the bike." She smiled, apparently undisturbed to find them like this. They apparently got a pass for being a couple who had managed to make it beyond highschool and into adulthood. Holding the door open for them, she nodded in the direction of the back of the house. "Your father's cooking up some hot dogs and hamburgers, that sort of thing. Nothing fancy." Jon was sure that meant there was an accompanying spread of salads and anything else that Mandy deemed proper barbecue food, but she had turned and made her way back down the hallway, door still ajar as an invitation to join her. "Welcome to the family, where every meal is an event in itself." There wasn't anything really elegant about a barbecue, but one thing was for sure, and that was that the Brass family rarely went hungry. He tucked Scarlet beneath his outstretched arm (they had the couple poses down to a science by now, he was sure) and marched her off into the house.
Mike could be seen through the screen door on the back deck, hovering next to the grill, tongs at the ready. He glanced up when Jon slid the door back with a snap, before going back to prodding a hamburger patty. "Welcome back," He greeted them, distracted with getting hot dogs lined up over the flame. As expected, Mandy had set out several extra dishes on the table out back, along with the usual ketchup and relish and chips. She came out bearing a punch bowl, though Jon was pretty sure they weren't feeding enough people to warrant it.
He almost didn't notice the addition to their party, until he glanced up and spotted Paul sitting on the steps of the wooden deck that dropped off to grass. They didn't need a fence around their yard, but there were a few small maples growing around the edges anyway. Neither of his parents pointed out that their other son had joined them, so Jon assumed that Paul must have told them about seeing himself and Scarlet at the beach. "Food's ready." Mike said gruffly, breaking out the buns for the burgers and dogs. Paul was instantly on his feet, even more eager to eat than Jon, pausing only to flash Scarlet a grin as he passed her in the circle of Jon's arm.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 19, 2011 20:57:16 GMT -5
Blushing softly as he spoke, Scarlet shook her head and pressed her face into his chest. "No. You don't ever have to worry about me not sticking around." She mumbled, closing her eyes. When Mandy poked her head into the garage, she blushed and grinned back at the older woman, letting go of her boyfriend to follow her. Jonathan's arm snaked around her perfectly and she smiled, walking up and into the house with him happily, waving to Mike when he greeted them. Mandy came out with a punch bowl, and for the first time, she hadn't noticed Paul sitting around. Instead, she went over to Mandy and took the punch bowl happily, smiling to the woman in front of her. "I can put this down." She nodded and brought the punch bowl to the table, setting it down in the spot that was cleared among the set-up for it. She brushed her hands off onto her shots and looked up to Mandy, grinning.
"Is there anything else I can help with?" She asked, tilting her head. When Mandy shook her head, Scarlet nodded and looked to Jon, letting him drape his arm over her once more. When Paul passed, she blinked and waved to him when he flashed her a grin, looking utterly confused by his actions. Was he trying to be flirtatious? She bit her lip and glanced to Jonathan's face before tucking herself further into his embrace. Paul was such a flirt. She smiled a bit and raised an eyebrow before sitting down at the table with the family. Her heart skipped a few beats when Jonathan sat down an placed his hand on her thigh. For the first time, she actually felt like they wanted her around. She glanced to Jonathan and smiled brightly, before looking around the table and grabbing a few hot dogs, and a hamburger from the plate of barbecued goods.
"This looks delicious, Mr. and Mrs. Brass." She nodded and stared at the plate, before grabbing a few buns and putting her hot dogs and hamburger into them. She also grabbed a slice of cheese and put it onto the hamburger, then started to dig in, engulfing the hot dog in a couple of seconds. She hadn't really realized how hungry she was until she started eating. Blushing, she slowed down considerably on her next hot dog, smiling happily when she finished it. "It is delicious." She nodded appreciatively. "Thank you for making supper."
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 19, 2011 21:20:38 GMT -5
Evidently Mike and Mandy had gotten over the fact that all of the teenagers in the vicinity seemed to need to eat as if it was their very last meal. Paul, who had gone to sit back on the steps instead of around the table however, hadn't been expecting it, and was staring at Scarlet as she devoured her food, before turning to his own with the reluctant look of someone having to stop watching a good show.
Jon hadn't missed Paul's grin, but it didn't do more than annoy him. Paul would keep his distance- not out of respect- only because he didn't take kindly the sort of people that went to Thaedeus. Unlike Mandy, and Mike on occasion, Paul had never been interested in learning more about the children of gods and the like. He seemed friendly enough now, but Jon suspected that he didn't want to get to know his girlfriend any more than he wanted to suddenly start spending time with Jon himself.
Throughout dinner Mandy asked the usually light questions, wanting to know if Scarlet had enjoyed the town, and where they had gone for their ride. Occasionally Jon offered up information, but for the most part he kept his quiet seat at the table.
It was during one of the comfortable lulls in conversation, when most of them had finished eating, and Mike and Mandy started clearing plates, that Paul took up his own agenda, studying Jon and Scarlet curiously. "So, how did you two meet exactly?" He didn't sound especially interested, but his smile came easily. "Jonny's first girlfriend, I'm sure that's a great story." He seemed to find it funny more than anything, coming across as bothersome rather than malicious. Mandy cast him a warning glance before she walked inside, rolling her eyes. Jon blinked slowly, looking like he might be praying for patience with his little brother.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 19, 2011 21:44:11 GMT -5
Scarlet glanced to Paul when he asked his question, tilting her head. "Archery lanes." She popped a piece of an extra bun in her mouth, chewing slowly, before swallowing and smiling brightly. "So, I guess we met at school. I wouldn't leave him alone. I imagine he got annoyed with me for the most part, but somehow decided he wanted to be my friend." She helped pile up the dishes for Mandy, handing them over to her helpfully when she came back for them. "Anyway, uhm. Someone attacked me at one point, 'cause I said no to him." She waved a hand idly and rolled her eyes, tapping the scar on her face. "It was much worse, but a teacher found me curled up in the stable stalls. There was a Pegasus freaking out and kicking around me to get his attention." She paused, chewing another piece of bread. Paul didn't seem like the type that would be interested in this.
"So, anyway... I stopped going to school for a while. Jonathan tried to visit, but my roommate at the time wouldn't let him in. Eventually, though, I left my room. He happened to catch me at the archery lanes again." She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair, looking at the soft strands, eyeing a split end. She needed a haircut soon. Her eyes wandered to Jonathan, before giving a smile and looking back to Paul. "He kissed me on the spot, and we've been together... For the most part... Since then." She shrugged and smiled weakly, eating the rest of the bun. It was a bit of an embarrassing story to tell, but Paul had asked, so she obliged the way she was taught to.
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