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Blow Wind Blow |Tempy|
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Post by Tempest on Aug 3, 2010 21:50:18 GMT -5
Figures. The moment Caroline attempts to regain control of the situation, it spirals beyond her reach. Tobias's wicked grin barely showed through the water-curtain, but she had glimpsed it briefly before he said his piece about not wanting to be only colleagues. She was still reeling from the "my sweet song" bit, which would have sounded silly from anybody else, when he stepped out into the storm with her.
She glanced up at his face, blinking away raindrops. She couldn't figure him out. What could his motives be? She wasn't the most attractive available woman at Foresta, or in the surrounding areas. Heck, when she was standing beside Amy, she sometimes felt unappealing (and short.) This in mind, she felt even more uneasy about their continuing interlude than she had before.
Caroline's heart drummed a tattoo in her chest as Tobias gently pushed her back into a pillar. The stone was cool, like her skin. His arms caged her against the stone. Caroline pushed sheer panic back, telling herself that one or two bad experiences was just bad luck. Bad luck and nothing more. She could live a normal life again. Her eyes widened slightly at his comment about their lives being intertwined. His lips were warm, a contrast against the chill of the rain. Stitched together... by what? His lips felt good, so good. The sensation of his stubble against her skin was sinfully rough, but not too much so. He could feel as confident as he liked about whatever he could or could not deal with, but one question remained: could she deal with him? Her hands lay flat on his chest, but she didn't know if it was to push him away or to feel the contours of his body.
Tobias smelled like rain and smoke. Interesting contrast there, fire vs water. His hands came to either side of her head and brought her to meet his kiss. It was as good as she had imagined. Perhaps better, even. She was so startled, she dropped all her guards and returned it wholeheartedly.
Fear reared its ugly head. Suddenly horrified at the risk she was taking, she broke away from the smooch. Her guts twisted with the awful emotion as similar scenes from her last big mistake spun into focus. Her breathing came shallow and ragged, though that might have been partially from the intensity of the kiss she'd shared with Tobias.
"Oh, I am most certainly bad," Tobias said. At this point, fear translated itself into a form she could more easily use. Anger.
Caroline glared at Tobias, her eyes and tone cold. "That was a liberty you will never take again, Mr. Tobias Last-Name-Unknown. You do not know me, nor I you. At best, you are a friendly acquaintance and a colleague, despite what you might want. At worst, you are a stranger whose motives are murky. I can't afford to take a chance that you are the former rather than the latter." She didn't finish that thought, but her anger turned towards herself and her expression took on that same sort of haunted cast it had briefly adopted when they were inside. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I do believe that I will go home and forget that this ever happened. I suggest that you do the same."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2010 18:30:36 GMT -5
She was kissing him and it was the most natural feeling in the world. Their lips locked and she was filling him with her breath. For a single moment the universe was tangled in her hair, and he passed his hands through it, feeling her heart rate speed up. It was so freeing and he kept his mouth locked with her as long as he could. Then he broke apart for breath, ready to kisses her again, but she had moved away from him.
Tobias smelt the fear before it was washed away by the rain. He arched a single thick brow while she unleashed on him in a fantastically proper manner. His kissing hadn’t been that bad had it? He clinched his teeth, half of him growing steadily angrier due to his nerves being so raw this close to the full moon. He wanted to punch the wall in his frustration. Instead he took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.
This was so ridiculous; no preposterous was a better word. Why was she so formal all of a sudden? This didn’t seem right; everything was suddenly spinning in the opposite direction that he intended. What was it about him that had Caroline so scared? Frustration bubbled up inside of him and again he breathed heavily. The rain was bothering him. “Can we continue this conversation inside, where it’s dry?” he asked evenly.
Without waiting for a response, he walked back through the small curtain of rainwater. He kicked the walkway ruefully and held open the door for her. Now he wasn’t even sure he wanted to start anything with her. Caroline’s mood swings seemed worse than his, and yet he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. “I will not do the same,” he added in an undertone.
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Post by Tempest on Aug 5, 2010 8:39:17 GMT -5
Well, her sudden shift in personality did its job. Tobias was good and annoyed. While it hurt Caroline to drive him away like this, she knew that it was necessary. At this rate, he would most definitely not advance again. Who wanted the drama and strife of pursuing a crazy woman? Still, she would not relax until they were parted and she was on her way back to the apartments.
It was her turn to arch an eyebrow when he asked to go inside to continue this conversation. Since she had to go through the building to reach the front door anyways, it was really not such a bother to follow him. However, she did say in the same distant tone, "What conversation?" She nodded to him in thanks for opening the door, stepping into the church and immediately feeling ten times more damp. Her skirt, blouse, and hair all dripped. She felt droplets of water sliding down her face, down her neck.
Down her back, down her legs. Her shoes, now mudcaked and slippery on the church floor, were a liability. She took them off. Good thing they were cheapo K-mart heels, huh? She could only hope that her purse fared better. She almost didn't want to peek in and see whether her phone was in commission. If so, she could probably call her brother to come pick her up. Then again, it would involve waiting for him in the church. She was as wet as she could possibly get, so why worry about the weather?
Tobias said something that she didn't quite catch and she eyed him warily. "Pardon?" She wiped away a droplet of water that had been shivering on the tip of her nose. Thank goodness her blouse wasn't white.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2010 18:13:37 GMT -5
His black undershirt clung to his ribs and the skin on his arms had turned to gooseflesh. His black hair, sopping and weighted down, hung past his thick brows and made a curling curtain over his eyes. Normally, Tobias would have just shaken his head and spine to rid himself of the excess water, but it seemed too much of an animal thing to do. What’s more, he didn’t want to seem disrespectful towards the church. Tobias’ boots squelched when he walked against the wood flooring. Irritation was growing in him one raw inch at a time and he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. What he really wanted was a cigarette. What sort of game was she playing at? It was apparent that she fancied him, so why the sudden change in shift. Having been raised with two sisters, Tobias had learned quickly to not ask if the mood swings were due to a monthly visit from Mother Nature, but the thought had crossed his mind none the less. “I said I won’t forget about it,” Tobias said more boldly, though he kept his voice down once they were back inside the church. “There are some things a man can’t get over so easy…like a woman standing in the middle of the Entryway with the sunlight in her hair or seeing her pray over the votives at church… or the way she’ll kiss a man in the eye of a storm as though nothing else mattered.” This was perhaps the most Tobias had ever said in one breath to her, but he meant it all. His tone was matter-of-fact and his eyes stayed on her as he spoke, not straying once least she suspect a fallacy in his statement. Couldn’t Caroline see how important that moment was to him? || Ooc: Okay so this was reminding me so much of The Quiet Man I had to steal a few lines. Here’s the clip www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu8PcufLNsQ The graveyard kiss scene also comes to mind XD||
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Post by Tempest on Aug 9, 2010 20:15:36 GMT -5
Oh, dammit all. He isn't backing off. At this point, she serious had to consider the very likely fact that he might be as insane as she felt. Nobody in their right mind would consider taking me on after what I've already done.
She was torn between being touched by what he said and being really really freaked out. Who develops feelings like that after three meetings with a person? Caroline glared at Tobias, hating what she would have to resort to. It unearthed a lot of bad memories for her to have to tell him exactly why this just wouldn't work out. "You have a way with words, Tobias. These are some heavy things you attribute to a woman you've met only recently." These words rang slightly hollow to her, as though she were no longer convinced that they should not try this.
As her mind shuffled through the images, she bit her lip and her demeanor softened significantly. She dragged her own gaze from his face, lest she chicken out and fail to do what was necessary. She hugged herself, feeling the weight of her remnant guilt settled about herself like chains. It draped over her shoulders, weighing them down and forward. It wrapped about her head like a crown, so she tilted her head forward slightly. It wound around her legs, so she stood stock-still.
She spoke in low tones, her voice tight with some emotion almost too strong for her to handle. It was like vocal toxic waste. With every word, she withdrew into herself, her eyes going blank as she stopped seeing and started remembering. "You just won't let up. I've done everything short of explain. Maybe then you might leave things be.
"The last time I dated somebody, the last time somebody seemed to become attracted to me so quickly, who seemed as nice as you... well, he turned out to be a psychopath. Came very close to killing several students, a couple teachers. Including my brother. Emilio still has a scar from where a zombie took a chunk out of his leg. He had used me to get into the school files. We were lucky to get out of that one with few people seriously hurt.
"Since then, I've had to be careful about who I trust. It's because of me that the welfare of those people was at stake. I should have known better. I promised myself after that incident that I would never fall so foolishly again. You came to Foresta and I'm suddenly making all the mistakes I made back then... except faster. I can't do this." She suddenly turned around and a pleading tone came into her voice. "Please don't force the issue, Tobias. I told you I have baggage. I can't just leap blindly like this- I don't know you. How can I trust you?"
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2010 20:35:24 GMT -5
Tobias’ brow furrowed deeply as she explained, and for a moment his thoughts stuck on the word zombies. He couldn’t help but give an incredulous look toward that statement, but he understood. He shifted his weight backward without realizing it, though his instincts were already quashing his testosterone and all the other animal urges that had been building up over time. Caroline just happened to be the key that unleashed that heavy lock.
He passed a hand over the stubble on his chin and sighed deeply. He most definitely understood. His sister, Anna-Marie, had trusted someone so deeply that she was lead to a secret corner of their home town to be taken advantage of. Every time Tobias thought about how the rape had damaged her and how now, after two years, she was just getting over it. To love someone so deeply and be betrayed by them was a confusing and terrible thing. He wondered if Caroline still had a twinge of love for this man as Anna-Marie had had before fully understanding the gravity of the situation.
“Alright,” he said. He felt awkward, like his hands and feet were suddenly too big. “Alright…och. Jesus. I’m sorry,” Tobias added in a mumble and blushed. “I’ll leave you then. It’s just,” he sighed again. “There’s something about you that just…moves me or something. I don’t know you, but I’m excited to know you. I guess a little overly so…Jesus.” Tobias was greatly embarrassed that he had made a whole mess of the situation. He didn’t petition his trust, her fears were valid enough. Instead he shrugged, stood hesitantly on the spot and went to the front stoop where he could smoke and think.
The rain was easing up to a steady drizzle and cars were hissing along the wet streets. Passerby sloshed down to the café and the clouds remained fat and heavy as if momentarily taking a break before starting up a tirade again. Tobias removed a slightly crumpled soft top from his back pocket and packed the tobacco with the curve of his palm. He managed to light a crooked cigarette after a few tries and inhaled deeply. He opened his abdomen as far as it would go so that every core of him would fill up with blessed smoke. Had he known of Caroline’s delicate position, Tobias thought wearily, he probably wouldn’t even have talked to her. He needn’t tell her his truths, her instincts knew enough to stay away from him.
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Post by Tempest on Aug 9, 2010 21:15:41 GMT -5
Caroline wasn't relieved about this. No, she just felt heavier. Time to go home, take a hot shower, then watch Much Ado About Nothing with a pint of mudslide ice cream. Nap until night, then sleep some more. The bad feeling she had unleashed made her feel tired. Old. Like a hag.
Despite what she had said, he still said some very pretty things. Hector had said pretty things too. She had, with a student, taken his soul to Hell. As far she knew, the necromancer was still there. Her smile was as she answered, "I'm excited to know you too... but not in that way."
She wound up following him outside, mostly because she was going to head home now that she'd blown this opportunity out of the water. She paused next to him on the stoop, watched him light a cigarette, then said softly, "I'll see you at school, I guess. I'm gonna go home now, lest this already-uncomfortable situation get any more awkward." Might as well take this chance to leave, now that the weather was a little less wet. As she left the limited protection of the stoop, she turned and said, "Thanks for the kiss, Tobias. Goodbye."
Hello, my name is Caroline Beatrix Harlequin.
Job: Vice-Principal, English Teacher, Utter Idiot
Status: Miserable and frustrated
Short-term goals: binge on ice cream, maybe break out the alcohol. Fall asleep on the couch and ignore all phone calls for a while.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2010 21:01:05 GMT -5
Tobias roughly pushed his hair out of his face. He felt angry and rejected and it hurt. He couldn’t understand why he was so keen on pursuing Caroline. Under other circumstances he would have easily picked up on her disinterest. But she was interested, and that’s what confused him the most. Was it a game, or a test of some sort, to prove his honesty?
He took a long, thoughtful drag on his cigarette and his brow knitted together as he thought of the complexity of women. She looked beautiful, though she probably didn’t feel it, and he wanted to tell her so but knew he couldn’t. He followed her off the steps, though his glance was toward the sky, guessing on how long the light drizzle would last. “So, could I see you for coffee then? At the cafeteria or at that little place down the street?” Tobias asked at last, with a slight jerk of his head indicating the café.
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Post by Tempest on Aug 10, 2010 21:07:19 GMT -5
Caroline paused and turned as he asked his question, hesitating only for a second before smiling and answering, "I'd like that. You free tomorrow?" Where was the harm in a cup of coffee with an attractive colleague? It didn't have to go anywhere, and it was public. Both of these facts made her feel infinitely more comfortable with the idea, though the idea in itself was very alluring.
She hoped that she had read him right- that he meant tomorrow and not that same day. After all, sitting around in wet clothes was just asking for a cold and she was feeling slightly drained still. Less unhappy, but still reeling from the whirlwind of emotions that she had felt withing a relatively short period of time.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2010 21:15:42 GMT -5
“Uhhm,” Tobias said, faltering in his footsteps slightly. Tomorrow was the tournament and he would be up first. After that he had to deal with his shift and seeing as how he didn’t know how long each round would last, especially since he was facing Koda, Tobias didn’t want to leave anything to chance. What a sorry way to start off a relationship were he to succumb to the beast right in front of her. He understood she knew about the other caretaker, but this was a private ordeal for him and didn’t want to reveal too much too soon. “I’m a little tied up for the next few days,” he said warily. “But I’ll see you at the event tomorrow?”
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Post by Tempest on Aug 10, 2010 21:20:09 GMT -5
Caroline nodded and replied, "Sure thing. Seeya tomorrow!"
With that, she turned and started walking briskly in the direction of the apartments, her shoes in one hand, her purse in the other, and her bare feet padding on the wet pavement.
||Dead?||
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2010 21:35:11 GMT -5
||Dead indeed...moving it!||
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