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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 22, 2009 17:39:49 GMT -5
When it is said that "some people name the ducks at the pond", though vague, it was true. Rory could attest to that because she was one of those people. For the moment, the ducks were too far into the pond for her to really decipher who was who, but it didn't matter anyway. Few things mattered anymore, and Rory believed that without a hint of lament. It was simply in her belief that everything was fundamentally absurd. That, however, wasn't the theory in question at the moment. Rory was sitting on a picnic bench outside the library thinking that the problem with life (not that anything could be done about it) was that it lacked background music. Wouldn't it be wonderful, she thought, if you could will music into the world, like an iPod in your mind? It wouldn't have to be all the time either - silence is good. What amused Rory the most was imagining being able to manifest really random songs, like Fergalicious, during really awkward and inappropriate moments. The very idea of it made her laugh aloud. Her laughter rang in the seemingly deserted area, sounding out-of-place among the bird calls and sounds of summer days, but not quite catching the attention of Pockets, Carter, and (was that?) Roaming who were floating in the pond far away.[/size]
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 23, 2009 14:59:56 GMT -5
Leo was on his usual morning jog. Not that it was that early anymore, it was about 11am. He wasn't working the ranch today, but he still liked to be up and out and he'd been out for a while, soaking in the sunshine before it got far too hot for that. The Indiana sun could be over whelming, so you had to get out early so you could go in during the early afternoon.
And as he ran past the library he heard a loud laugh, one that was familiar. Leo knew everyone in town to some degree, so it was hardly something out of the ordinary. But he decided to go check it out and he saw a girl he knew by name, Rowena, but not very well in person. her parent's stopped by Mac's every once in a while.
"Hey." Leo said, who was social by nature, and never minded starting conversations.
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 23, 2009 15:24:39 GMT -5
With the amount of stunts she pulled in the past, it'd be odd to expect Rowena to be a self-conscious or shy person. And she wasn't. The laughter was still in her being when he came by. The brightness and smile was still on her face as she turned to see who it was, and it stayed there because she was legitamatly glad to see him. How couldn't you appreciate a person who randomly comes over to (it appeared) make conversation. Even if they didn't have a conversation, that "Hey" was enough. He recognized her as another being on this earth; he acknowledged her existence. That would always be enough. It was a small beacon of hope for all of humanity. "Hi!" Her response back wasn't perky, or sarcastic. The ripples from the laughter left bubbling giddyness in her voice. She was really liking him at the moment - maybe because she was already feeling happy and he just came along like a pleasant surprise. Or maybe because he was bold and she liked that - he seemed brave. She did know who he was - his name was Leo. She knew where he worked and who he was engaged too. Most people didn't realize that Rory payed much attention to her surroundings. People were interesting, she reasoned.
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 23, 2009 15:32:30 GMT -5
Leo couldn't help but grin and chuckle at her obvious happiness, wether it had to do with him or not didn't matter to him. She obviously wasn't adverse to his company in anyway. Leo walked over to sit on the other end of the bench, turning sideways to face the younger girl. "How've you been?" He asked her with a friendly smile, looking at her before looking out over the pond at the ducks who were migrating a little closer, probably thinking one of them had food He sure didn't, he doubted Rowena did, because if she, she probably would have started feeding them already, she seemed the type.
Leo ran his hand through his blond hair, feeling the sun warm on the back of his neck. he loved summer, and everything that came with it. He'd been out of school for years now, and it wasn't like he was glad to be out in the summer time. he liked the heat and the people and the laughter that reminded him of days when he didn't work in the summertime.
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 23, 2009 15:41:40 GMT -5
"been ..." Rowena echoed softly with a smile and then stared absently into space for a moment, gathering thought. I've been and am and still here. Remarkable, isn't it? she almost wanted to ask. Instead, she gave a slight shrug and said, "No cause for complaints and I feel good at the moment ..." Rory was going to stop there initially, but her mouth followed her thoughts. She shared her speculation with him: "... but that can be because of the Sun, adding "feel-good" chemicals into my brain." Rowena looked back at Leo with still a hint of laughter in her eyes. "And what about you handsome? Look at your color! You must be overjoyed!" She teased.
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 23, 2009 15:47:10 GMT -5
Leo just laughed. "Oh yeah, I'm nothing without my farmer's tan." He joked even though most of the time he wore wife beaters out in the field if it was hot enough instead of short sleeves, or even shirtless if it proved hot enough. But yes, Leo loved the sun. Rain was fine when you wanted to be inside and listen to it, watch it melt the world like watercolors. But He preferred sunshine.
"I've been good too." He said with a nod. But he really wasn't good. He realized he didn't love Sophia as much as he loved Kim. He was so close to really cheating by more than just a kiss, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Leo couldn't wish it had never happened. Leo didn't like to lie, so he bent the truth a bit after that. "You know, good enough."
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 23, 2009 16:09:13 GMT -5
Rory was about to make a comment about how attractive his farmer's tan was, but then she listened to his response. Rory wasn't trying to flirt or hit on him in any way, only Leo was one of those people who's attractiveness hit you in the fit like a speeding semi. It was the first thing anyone noticed about him, and therefore, the most noticeable thing about him. Not noticing it would be like trying not to think of a dancing pick rhino. How could you not entertain the thought? It couldn't go unignored. And because Rory was noticing it (and therefore thinking about it), and because Rory normally spoke her mind, she was bound to mention it at some point. Just not right now, because he said something very interesting. Well ... not really. People were normally bothered by how much Rory noticed. This was because people normally hid things from the world. Rory left people feeling exposed. There was something about her gaze, people complained, that made you believe that she knew too. What they didn't know was that most of the time Rory didn't really know - she only had the suspicion. The look was key, because once people saw the look, they normally admitted to everything. Rory never figured out how it worked, but she was surprised every time. She never asked for confessions. Rory had nothing on Leo. The only thing that caught her attention, was the sense of things left unsaid. Rory gave Leo a sly smile, but all she asked was, "how much is good enough?"
O.C. ... wife... beaters....?
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 23, 2009 18:28:18 GMT -5
Leo had forgotten how observant she tended to be, even if she knew something she looked at you with eyes curious and wide. Waiting to learn something, something that you always felt she already knew. He looked at her sideways. "My life's gotten very complicated and turned on its side, and its hard.... but, in a weird way, I kinda like it. I just wish things could have happened a little differently." he said, admitting that something was going on, but he didn't say what. Even though he felt like she knew already what was bothering him. Frankly he'd be sort of surprised if there were no rumors yet. But if they're weren't any, well, then they were still doing well.
"It's ...complicated." Not to mention a secret.....
ooc- lol, wife beater: "In British, Australian and some American usage, a slang term for a sleeveless shirt" Its like a tank top but for guys.... does that make sense? Its basically just a tank top, but the words 'tank top' sound girly to me. lol
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 23, 2009 19:17:21 GMT -5
Confessions, confessions ... Rowena couldn't help but feel surprised that it happened again. It reminded her of a quote by her favorite author: Charm is a way of getting the answer 'yes' without asking a clear question. But people are never particularly hard to understand. After all, they were all human. She could only reason is that people started to forget how to really see each other. Regardless, it was time to help out her fellow human. Rowena shrugged and looked up at the sky. After watching the big clouds float by for a moment, she started talking. "Your life is entirely of your creation. Complicated, simple ... it's ultimately you who decides that. And why does it have to be complicated? I mean ... if that's what you want, go ahead, but Leo ... what do you want?" Rory glanced at Leo before dropping her eyes on the wooden surface of the picnic table. "One day you're going to have to comes to terms with that fact that you will die. I will die. We will all one day die. And as morbid as that fact may seem, it's actually quite liberating because then ... what you do doesn't really matter. None of this really matters. And then you start to understand that social expectations and customs don't really matter either, and you don't owe anything to anyone ... but yourself. If you makes choices for other people ... If you live life for other people it's not really yours and you're not really free." People normally lost Rowena on philosophical rants. She hoped Leo wouldn't because she was honestly trying to impart some liberating truth into him. Hopefully he wasn't one of those people who just didn't grasp existential thought.
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 23, 2009 19:27:00 GMT -5
What she said made perfect sense to him. You had to live for you, because life was too short to pretend, too short to give up, to settle on something you thought was good enough. And if you did settle only to find something better you had to go for it. It was like Kim asking him if Sophia didn't deserve a happy ending to, and if Leo's ending wasn't with her, than she deserved to find the guy who was.
That left one option. He was going to have this affair with Kim.
He didn't want to end everything with Sophia, what if it was only a fling and he realized that he did want the simple, boring life that Sophia was providing him with. Soph would never take him back if he left her now.
"If only it were so simple, if only it was easier done than said." Leo said looking over at Rowena, wondering if she knew what he was really talking about. It seemed she did, but he couldn't be sure.
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 23, 2009 19:40:51 GMT -5
Rowena chuckled a little. "Oh Leo ... it is simple. Just live your life! Do what you want to do!" Rory actually lifted her hands in the and tilted her head back with that declaration. Resuming a normal sitting position, she looked at Leo and smiled encouragingly, trying to convey that everything was going to be ok. It was while she was looking at him that she realized something. "If only it were so simple,..." The expression on her face changed: her lips formed the letter O without her actually making the sound. She pointed a finger at him. "Life is simple ... but people aren't ..." "You can't do what you want to do ... because you don't know what you want ..." That had to be it! Rory was almost jubilant - merely because it was like finishing a puzzle. Her speculation turned into a soft declaration. She almost whispered the following. "Your life's not complicated - you are. You're conflicted." And people always blame Life. Ha!
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 23, 2009 19:47:30 GMT -5
Leo laughed. "I'm conflicted, between making myself happy and breaking someone's heart, between security and happiness....." Between women. Not to say that Sophia didn't make him happy, just not as much, not as happy as Kim was making him.
"But its not like I asked for it to happen, it just did, it had nothing to do with me..." He hadn't asked Kim here, he hadn't known he could fall so hard in love so fast. But maybe he'd brought it to him, Leo had always wondered if he had made the right choice when it came to love.
"There would be no question if I wasn't going to leave a path of destruction behind me."
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 24, 2009 15:12:19 GMT -5
"Wow." Destruction. "How gruesome." Rory left it at that. She was out of things she wanted to say ... aloud. For example, she wanted to tell him that she thought he was grasping at excuses, as if anything was his fault - it wasn't. Life was life, and quite frankly, shit happens. But she also wanted to tell him that it didn't mean that it wasn't his responsibility. Things happen but you had to deal with them. You couldn't play the victim and you couldn't say, "Well I didn't ask for this." Who ever did? But you made the choice in the end. If you believe that things just happen to you, you give up the control in your own life. Rowena couldn't say all this. All she did was give him a sympathetic smile and drop her gaze to the table top. How could she tell him she thought he sounded like a baby?
OC - I'm aware it's a shirt ... but still ... wife ... beaters ... Sounds so violent. Is it what ranchers used to beat their wives? I can see it now. Man stumbling home drunk from whiskey and whip off his shirt. "Damn you woman!"[/color]
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Post by Leo Madison on Apr 24, 2009 16:05:09 GMT -5
Leo sighed. Destruction might have been too strong a word in this case, but he just felt he might be throwing everything away. he was too afraid of what might happen, what if Kim was all wrong for him? What if he had to leave town because people were so mad at him, her family held a lot of weight around this place.
He looked over at her and sighed, shaking his head. Maybe he was a baby, but did she understand? "I'm falling in love, and not with Sophia." He said quietly. Rowena had to get it now. People were still talking about the engagement, he wasn't supposed to flake out now. He realized as soon as he spoke he shouldn't have said that and he just groaned looking down into the dirt.
He needed to get his act together.
ooc- yeah well... I dunno.... i'll just say tank top next time =P ok? lol
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Post by Rowena Sheaths on Apr 24, 2009 17:55:10 GMT -5
Rowena's expression stayed relatively the same, only she looked up to watch the poor beautiful boy looked down in desperation. Desperation a part of human existence that Rowena considered overwhelmingly beautiful. It wasn't the reason she couldn't look away however. Gazing into nothing, Leo looked so vulnerable, so - damn - sexy. Eventually she tore her eyes away and exhaled. "People love drama don't they?" She didn't wait for a response. "Similarly people like to raise others to really high standards - idolize them - and then watch them crumble. Like Oedipus or ... Britney Spears. Once upon a time they were adored - they were perfect - and now Britney's considered white trash by many, and Oedipus turned out to be shagging his mom and he stabbed his own eyes out ..." Rory paused for a moment. Leo was probably wondering how the hell this applied to him. " ... well his was a really brutal downfall, but anyway ... the point is ..." The point essentially was. Rory met Leo's eyes. "You're the golden boy. Everyone adores you or looks up to you in some sort of way. And you and Sophia are like ... the perfect beautiful couple." "And although it seems as though everyone believes that you'll live happily ever after, in the back of their minds, they know you're too young - and I bet they're just waiting for you two to screw up somehow to soak up the drama. I think they'll feel better about themselves if they see that even you fail ... or I don't know ..." People were strange. Rory clasped her hands together. "What I'm trying to say is ... rise above their expectations. Be bold and brave and mature. I don't think anyone would think any less of you if you said that you needed more time to figure things out or that ... maybe it wouldn't work out now ... or that maybe this wasn't for you." "Because at least you'll be facing the problem head on and being honest." "Otherwise, you might end up like another cocky, young guy who committed too early without really knowing what he wanted and ended up cheating on his wife." The last part was really wordy. She hoped he caught everything she meant. "People screw up everyday - I guess I'm trying to say is ... be ... smart? ... about how you screw up and don't be a coward about it. Because like you said ... it's not your fault." She paused for a moment, the silence hung in there air after all that she said. She added something quickly though. "Oh ... and if I were really truly in love .. like deeply and irrevocably in love ... I don't think I would be considering other options because ... no one else could compare." Rory gave Leo a small smile, but in truth she was starting to feel awkward. She'd done too much talking.
OOC - No! Gosh don't change on my account, I wasn't critizing you or anything. I was just marveling at the word itself. I'm eccentric. Pay my streams of conscience no heed =)[/color]
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