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Post by larkeh; on Feb 21, 2008 20:55:44 GMT -5
Nathanial turned up the drive of the farm, slowing as he reached the parking lot, stopping near her car. The young woman swung off the bike and handed him her helmet. He pulled his helmet off for a moment as he stood there, the motorcycle still rumbling beneath him as he straddled it. He gave a nod to her and a lopsided grin, "See you," he said as he hit the gas, making a quick turn. He stopped again, pulling his helmet back on his head, scolding himself for even moving on that thing without it. It was reckless and he knew it. He watched as she slid into her car and gave her a wave before he headed back for his apartment.
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He bored himself around his apartment, wishing he had an oven so he could bake. He knew that was a way emasculate thing to think of, but whatever. He was relieved when he looked over at the clock and realized it was eleven-thirty. He kept a second job walking dogs and it was time to pick up the few people's dogs in the complex that had already hired him. He smiled and picked himself up off the bed where he'd collapsed. Despite his distaste for TV he'd watched an episode of Seventh Heaven, wishing he'd had a family like that.
He flicked off the television and reached for the jacket he'd ditched when he came back in. He left the apartment, bounding down the stairs with excitement. He absolutely loved dogs and enjoyed his little side job. He didn't really need the money so he put it away for his future, whatever it held. He picked up his first dog, a white pit bull mix named Sydnie, then a young lab mix called Biggie, and lastly an adorable whippet cross known as Mira. Even though there were only three of them they were all quite hyper dogs. He kept behind them, using his upper body strength to keep from losing one of them.
As they passed one of the buildings Biggie spotted a cat walking around in the hall of the second floor. Instantly the dog started to jump excitedly, barking and drawing attention to the fat orange cat that reminded him of Garfield. Before Nathanial could do anything to stop them, the two other dogs had joined in, Sydnie's bark deep and Mira's high pitched and almost piercing. The very strong pit bull mix pulled away from his grip on the leash, bounding upstairs enthusiastically. The young man restrained the other two dogs, and watched nervously as the big dog approached the cat. He knew she was hardly vicious, but he'd lost all control of the situation. The white dog cautiously stuck out her snout, taking in a whiff of the orange cat...
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 21, 2008 23:50:13 GMT -5
August moved about her apartment, picking up random things here and there as she made her way back to the kitchen where she'd abandoned the CD case. She snatched it off the counter and moved to the stereo against the far wall in the living room. She was enjoying the cool winter air that slipped into the warm apartment through the open door. She inserted the CD into the stereo and in a a couple of seconds the Rolling stones were blasting from the stereo. August thought nothing of the loud barking that she could hear above the loud music. She knew that it was awfully loud for being in an apartment but she hadn't gotten any complaints yet so she continued in her ways of loud music.
A yawn escaped from the girl as she danced around the apartment, making a slight game out of cleaning up things that the old cat had gotten into while home alone. He really was quite the trouble maker when left alone for a period of time. He was quite dramatic over the whole matter. August wasn't sure how she'd ended up with such a needy cat. He certainly hadn't started out so needy but as he aged he became more and more social and eventually it came down to the fact that he couldn't stand to be alone. When left, he made it very clear he wasn't happy about it.
A loud banging could be heard against the wall of her apartment and it took a minute for her to realize what it was, her first complaint. She grinned "I was waiting" she mumbled to herself and moved towards the stereo, her fingers curling around the volume nob as she turned the volume down quite a bit, it had been almost too loud anyway. With the music down she could hear a slight hissing sound and she frowned, what on earth was that, suddenly realization dawned and she made a mad dash to the door....
The orange cat that did oddly resemble Garfield but was known as Newton watched as the dogs barked. He didn't seem too bothered by this as the dogs seemed to be quite a bit a ways and not able to get to him. Instead of heading back into the house the cat moved to lay down, watching the dogs almost in a teasing manner as if saying nanana you can't get me. The cat was taken by surprise as one of the dogs suddenly seemed to be dashing in his direction. The orange ball of fluff jumped to his feet, eyes growing five times bigger then their original size. As the dog climbed the stairs and stuck out her curious nose the cat hissed and took a swipe, dragging it's claws across the dog's nose.
August reached the door in time to catch the cat swiping it's claws across the dogs nose and she frowned "Newton!" she screeched, moving out the door, her hair falling over her shoulders as she moved quickly. She shook her head and swooped the cat up in her arms just to toss him back into the apartment. She looked at the dog that was making a big scene over it's scratched nose. Eyes moved to glance around, trying to spot an owner for the dog, it had a collar and a leash attached. It was then that she spotted the young man that she'd had breakfast with. Just her luck. She shook her head a little bit, grabbing hold of the dog's leash before closing the door to her apartment, starting down the stairs, bringing the dog with her, walking in bare feet...
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Post by larkeh; on Feb 22, 2008 17:36:29 GMT -5
Nathanial swallowed nervously as he watched the happenings on the second floor, all the while having to keep a strong grip on the other dogs' leashes so as not to have them run off too. So maybe this job wasn't all that. His grayish blue eyes watched the cat scratch poor Sydnie's nose, the big touch pit bull taken down by just that. She let out a yelp, jumping away from the cat and giving her an innocent, 'what was that for?' look. She lifted a paw, still whining from the inflictions across the left of her snout, running her paw over it in pain.
Nate had already jumped to how this could be explained to Miss MacDonald, the dog's owner. He supposed she'd find a different dog walker, which sort of saddened him as he quite liked the big dog, she was a real sweet heart. He'd never owned a dog personally, his dad being allergic, but he'd always loved them and wanted one of his own. His apartment was so small he wasn't sure if a dog would be comfortable there, and whenever he had company he wasn't sure what he'd do with it. He supposed a small dog would be comfortable, like a Chihuahua or something, but Nathanial wasn't big on tiny little dogs that yelped. He liked the bigger dogs, which he supposed most guys would say as well, and he knew that a big dog wouldn't be happy in his tiny apartment.
A blond woman came out of her apartment, screeching the cat's name. She was quite the tiny thing he realized as she picked up the cat that was the size of a New York City subway rat, but he made no connection at that moment between her and the young jockey he'd met this morning. The cat was tossed back inside and the girl scanned the area, spotting him after a moment. Once he'd seen her face he'd recognized her and felt his heart slam against his chest for a moment before it stabilized itself. She made a bit of a face and he knew she had recognized him as well.
As she reached for Sydnie's leash, starting down the stairs to return the dog to him. He tightened his grip on Biggie's leash, the large dog was quite the friendly thing that liked to jump up on people. He wasn't named Biggie without good reason either, the dog weighed over a hundred pounds, and it wasn't because he was fat, he was just really big. He could push most anyone to the ground, except his owner who was equally a very large man named Boris. He knew without a doubt the gigantic Lab could probably knock the wind out of the tiny jockey. Meanwhile the Whippet had ducked her tail and was trying to get away, quite skittish and afraid of new people.
He grinned a bit when the young woman reached the sidewalk. "So we meet again," he said with a bit of a chuckle, not sounding all that smug, but more just friendly. He reached for the white dog's leash, frowning at the blood that had appeared on her snout. He squatted next to her, pulling a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiping off the blood to the dog's complaining whine, all the while keeping the other dogs from getting away from him. "Your mom's going to kill me Sydnie," he said quietly to the dog, not even caring that he was talking to a dog. The four slashes across her snout had clotted and he figured once someone had cleaned them out better she'd be fine. He however was not about to put peroxide on a dog with any part of his body near her teeth and strong jaw. He was rather attached to his hands.
Once he'd determined she was fine for the time being he looked up, still crouched down, trying to comfort the dog who looked around all nervously. His eyes caught on the blond woman, "Sorry for losing her," he said, even though the cat had escaped unscathed he figured courtesy dictated he say this. He cocked his head a bit and smiled, finally looking away and patting the dog on the back, standing back up.
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 22, 2008 18:25:34 GMT -5
August started down the stairs in her bare feet and when she reached the side walk she realized he'd recognized her. She half smiled when he said they meet again and slowly she nodded "Indeed" she said in a friendly matter. She reached Nathaniel and handed the leash back to him, slightly curious as to why he had three dogs with him. She hadn't remembered even a single dog back at his apartment nor did she remember even a slight sign of a dog. hm. She slowly handed the leash back and she smiled "Where'd you pick up the dogs?" she asked with a little bit of a laugh, folding her arms over her chest, goose bumps forming on her bare arms, on top of that her feet were awfully cold against the cold cement.
August watched through soft blue eyes as he bent down to tend to the dogs bleeding nose and she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt over her stupid cats behavior. She sighed and as he apologized she shook her head "No I'm sorry. My stupid cat. The dog didn't even do anything" she rolled her eyes a little bit, glancing back at the apartment. She looked back to Nate "That silly cat just scratches whatever he can get his paws on. Me included" she shook her head, obviously sorry by the tone in her voice.
Slowly she moved closer and bent down to be at the dog's level "You going to be ok?" she asked quietly, her hand gently moving to give the dogs ear a little rub. She hadn't been the biggest fan of dogs as they needed too much attention in her mind, that's why she'd always had cats. Cats were supposedly not as big on attention and quite frankly that was nice because August's attention had always gone first to horses. She looked at the dogs nose and nodded a little bit "I think you'll be ok" she murmured, ignoring the fact that she was shivering.
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Post by larkeh; on Feb 23, 2008 13:12:38 GMT -5
Nathanial chuckled as she spoke to the dog in the same manner he had. He talked to pretty much any animal shamelessly. He'd been teased for it by friends and other trainers, but he didn't see what the big deal was. It seemed to him that animals weren't that much different than humans, why shouldn't they be spoken to? It wasn't as though people ignored the mute just because they couldn't speak back. The same principle should be applied to animals if someone asked him, not as though anyone would.
He grinned a bit when she inquired about the dogs and shrugged a bit. "I walk dogs as a second job," he said with a bit of a laugh. It sounded like something a young boy would do rather than a full grown man, but oh well. It was really more of a hobby anyway. He looked down at the skinny little Whippet that looked like she was going to die from the cold. He'd remind the family that owned her that she could use a sweater. He plucked the little dog up and held her close to his chest, letting her use his warmth. Anyone could plainly tell the young man loved dogs, perhaps not quite as much as horses, but they weren't far behind.
He looked over at the young woman and cocked his head with a charming smile, "If you've got the time you're welcome to accompany me." He thought for a moment before nodding, "You can just take my jacket if you like," he offered. If she were to accept his offer he'd place the Whippet back on the ground and remove his jacket and hand it to her before starting to walk again.
OOC: Gah, it's disgustingly short.
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 23, 2008 15:40:26 GMT -5
August nodded when he asked if she'd like to join him. Her eyes fell to her bare feet and she laughed a little bit "If you wanna go ahead i'll catch up. I'm gonna change and put shoes on" she gave a little nod. She knew that Newton, the cat, would not be thrilled to have her return to the apartment only to change and leave again but he'd just have to get over her. She nodded her head a little bit and turned to head back to her apartment "Don't wait up... I'll catch you" she said with a grin before picking up an easy jog back to her apartment, heading up the stairs and slipping inside the door where sure enough the cat sat waiting. She rolled her eyes as the cat looked up at her with his smug grumpy expression. She shook her head as she bent down to swoop the cat into her arms before continuing on to her room.
Newton was tossed onto the bed and he meowed worriedly as he flew through the air, landing not very gracefully on his feet on the squishy bed. She rolled her eyes "You need to go on a diet" she said quietly as she shook her head, moving towards her dresser. August in about 2 minutes had replaced her tight skinny leg jeans with loose black sweats and a slightly over sized white t-shirt. She slipped some socks onto her feet and shoved her feet into her white nikes and a black hoodie. She looked over at the cat "I'll be back later, Newt" she mumbled and slipped the hoodie over her head as she headed out of the room. She made her way out of the apartment and jogged down the stairs.
It didn't take long at all to catch up with Nate and August was actually glad to get the short jog in. She just didn't feel like she was jogging enough in the mornings so every little bit helped. August slowed her jog as she came up next to Nate and she eased down to a fast walk, walking alongside him. She offered him a slight smile "Hey" she said with a little bit of a laugh, raising her hands up to pulling her hair into a tight ponytail on the back of her head. She looked much less like a seductive slut when she was dressed ready to exercise.
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Post by larkeh; on Feb 24, 2008 15:17:43 GMT -5
OOC: Sorry I haven't replied sooner. I had it in my head I'd already replied... I think I'm losing my mind. xD
Nate nodded and flushed a bit for having not noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes. Being a man he wasn't exactly the most observant thing in the world, but it wasn't like he could help it. As she turned away he stood there sort of stuck, watching her retreating form. Being around her was like getting hit over the head with a valentine. He finally took in a deep breath, instantly regretting it as the cold air stung in his lungs and he coughed. He clicked his tongue and gave a slight pull on the leashes he held in both hands, the Pit Bull and the Whippet's leads in one hand and the gargantuan Lab's in the other.
He started to work his way with the dogs down the sidewalk, which wasn't exactly the quickest with three dogs. He didn't know how some of those other dog walkers took more, he was overwhelmed with three sniffing, peeing, rowdy animals. Within a few minutes Nathanial had scooped the little Whippet back up into his arms. She had begun to whimper from the hardly above freezing temperature, and he took pity on the tiny shivering animal. It took all his strength to control the two big dogs with one arm, but he managed.
He didn't even notice when the blond reappeared next to him at first. Biggie had stopped the group from continuing on the way, having found the perfect tree to pee on. His lips were slightly moving as he counted off seconds quietly, counting how long the dog could stand there with his leg hiked. "A minute six, nice," he said as the dog lowered his leg and jumped into a jog. It was then that the blond announced her presence and his eyes darted to her, widening. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he started to walk again with the dogs. Had she heard that? He certainly hoped not.
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 24, 2008 17:08:43 GMT -5
August couldn't help but let a little giggle come over here when she realized he'd been keeping track of how long the dog had been standing with his leg lifted in the air. She shook her head a little bit "You keep track" she said, still in a slight fit of giggles. Just how matter of fact he'd been about the whole thing was truly the funny part of it all. After a minute she shook her head, gaining control of her laughter "Wasn't even that funny" she mumbled aloud with a roll of her blue eyes, chuckling just slightly. She glanced at the young man with a slight smile, realizing he was carrying the slender little whippet and she shook her head, he really was too kind. She slowly extended a hand and grabbed hold of the pit bulls leash, wanting to help. She yanked the leash from Nate's grasp with a little bit of a laugh, her hand closing tightly around it, not wanting to lose the dog.
They walked in silence for a while, August's little body being yanked along by the strong pit. If she truly wanted she knew she could hold onto the thing and control it better but right now she didn't feel the need. She didn't mind being tugged along all that much, in fact she felt as if the dog was stretching her arms and shoulders and in a way it felt good, as weird as that was. After what seemed like ages of silence August turned her attention over to Nate and she smiled a little bit, sighing inwardly "I'm really sorry about earlier" she said quietly, still feeling gross over the fact that she'd completely thrown herself at the man. It hadn't been like her at all. She knew she'd come off like a total sex crazed slut and she wasn't ok with that, she really just wanted to make sure he knew that wasn't who she really was. She looked back to the dog for a minute before glancing towards him "I really don't know why I was like that" she said with a good natured shrug, not sure how he felt about the whole thing although he didn't seem to be holding a grudge.
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Post by larkeh; on Feb 24, 2008 20:32:06 GMT -5
Nathanial relaxed when he realized she saw the humor in what he'd been doing. He chuckled a bit, "His record is a minute fourteen," he said was a nod and a stupid grin. He'd realized when he'd started walking the dog a week ago that he had a freakishly large bladder and being a human stop watch Nathanial had started timing the dog. It wasn't something he did with other dogs or people for that matter as that would be oddly creepy.
Nate willingly handed over the pit bull's leash, impressed that she wasn't scared of the dog. A lot of people, particularly girls were. He supposed this was their stigma with the media, but he could honestly say that the dog she was currently walking was about the sweetest dog he'd ever met. The dog was really more walking AJ, rather than the other way around and he smiled a bit to himself. He didn't mind the silence, he wasn't really the sort to press conversation, his eyes glancing around at the leafless trees and the cars that were parked in the spaces along one side of the sidewalk.
The young man looked to her when she spoke, nodding a bit. He gave her a teasing grin at her last comment, "I'm just too sexy, that's why." He shook his head and laughed at himself; he wasn't really conceited like that. He was silent for a moment, selecting his words carefully, and he looked to her again. "I meant what I said earlier though, you are beautiful," he said quietly, his face serious. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going with this. He supposed he was sort of testing the waters, questioning her actual interest in him more than anything...
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 24, 2008 21:16:16 GMT -5
Aj giggled a little bit, shaking her head. She turned to look at him, batting her long eyelashes in his direction "psh I know i'm gorgeous" she said with a little laugh. She was actually that conceited but with good reason. She knew she was hot stuff and she wasn't going to deny it. Besides she found it quite annoying when people sat there getting down on themselves. Everyone was beautiful in a way, it just wasn't right to sit there and complain about who you are. She half smiled and raised an arm, using her hand to gently shove Nate "You're not too bad yourself" she said with a little nod, moving away from him a little.
They continued on in silence. August wasn't quite sure where he'd been going with his statement on her being beautiful. She also wasn't sure where they stood. She knew she was somewhat interested in the guy and he certainly seemed slightly interested. She'd thought he'd been more interested until earlier when he'd declined her throwing herself at him. She knew some guys just didn't roll that way. I mean it made sense. It wasn't like she fell head over heels when a guy threw himself at her. Although she occasionally would take them up on their one night stand offer.
Inwardly August sighed and she glanced over again before her attention fell to the dog, pulling her mind from the thoughts of just moments before. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. She wasn't sure weather she just wanted to take him back to her bedroom and have her way with him or weather she wanted something more. No, there was no possible way she could want anything more. That couldn't be, not now. She was at her best in her life and career and she really didn't want to spoil it with pointless relationships that probably wouldn't even last.
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Post by larkeh; on Feb 24, 2008 22:47:05 GMT -5
He smiled a bit at her egotistical response to his words, laughing. Aside from his boyish face and oddly tall figure he really wasn't that bad, he actually had a six pack that was kept hidden by his shirt, but those two things about himself lowered his self esteem. He wished he looked more like a man, wished he could be a normal size, but he knew nothing could be done about these matters and therefore tried not to dwell on them. He must not be too bad though if an attractive woman would throw herself at him as she had this morning.
He chuckled as she teased him and shook his head, stepping slightly to the side from her shove. Silence fell between them and Nathanial's mind began to work, trying to decide what to do. He knew once the racing season really got underway and the horses that the stable had moved to Gulfstream, Del Mar, and various other tracks where they could train without having to deal with the cold weather returned, he would be very busy. Would he even have time for a girlfriend? He wasn't sure he could really devote that sort of time to a woman.
What was he even thinking? This wasn't high school and he shouldn't have to think on these terms. Why couldn't he spend time with a woman and just allow things to happen. If nothing happened between them and they were just friends that wasn't such a bad thing. And if they ended up more than just friends that was most certainly not a bad thing. He shouldn't have to think this whole thing out like a young teenage boy. They were adults and should therefore be allowed to just see what happened with no pressure either way. That seemed logical to him.
A wet tongue met his neck and he laughed a bit under his breath, pulling the whippet away from him. The fingers that rested on her chest gave her a little scratch to let her know it was ok and he halted for a moment, placing the dog back on the sidewalk, figuring he'd let her walk until she started to shiver again. He looked down at the petite blond and gave her a smile, "Well if you ever want a free dinner you know where to find me. I'm not a half bad chef if I do say so myself," he said with a grin.
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 25, 2008 14:46:59 GMT -5
August smiled a little bit and nodded "Dinner would be nice" she said quietly, her eyes on the dog as she walked along. She was slightly amused by the slight bounce in the pit bulls walk, she'd never seen such a bulky dog walk like they were on air. She half smiled, shaking her head a little bit. Though she'd just met the pit she was already beginning to like her. Aj had never had a thing against pit bulls like most people did, every pit bull she'd met had been the sweetest dog. She sometimes wondered if those people that feared the breed had ever really met one. She doubted it though because if they had she was sure they wouldn't think the way they did.
August breathed in the cool air of winter, looking around. Even though it was cold it was nice out here. The sky was clear and the sun was shining but it didn't seem to make much difference in the temperature, not that she really minded. She was easily cold but she didn't mind having to bundle up, it wasn't that big of a deal. She felt a shiver come over her and slowly her eyes rolled, knowing she'd thought about it too much, it was beginning to feel colder then it had just moments ago. She hugged her hoodie around her a little more, picking up speed, she knew if she walked faster she'd warm up. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he picked up on the faster speed, she sure knew the dogs had.
ooc| I apologize for the shortness of this. It took me nearly an hour and this is seriously all I got. That's when you know you're really have lack of muse.
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Post by larkeh; on Feb 25, 2008 18:53:26 GMT -5
OOC: Ah it's ok, happens to me all the time.
Nathanial nodded his head at her acceptance of his offer, but was silent. A smile wanted to creep across his lips, but he refused to let it; play hard to get in his own weird little way. His mind snuck into its own world, thinking about his new job, his new life here, everything. He still missed Utah, it was the only home he'd ever known, but maybe being in a new place would be a good thing for him. Live outside of his comfort zone. It was odd that he could come from a place that would freak a lot of people out to a much more normal town and yet this new city weirded him out. It was strange not to see a few of the Fundamentalists eating in a restaurant or smell the funky scent of the Great Salt Lake that permeated the air on windy days. He kind of missed it in a way he never thought he would.
His thoughts pulled away from this when he noticed she'd sped up and he adjusted his stride, not really needing to put any effort into moving quicker. He'd been keeping himself checked since she'd joined him, knowing he would leave her far behind if he walked at his full stride. Now though he was walking a bit more comfortably, not having to hold himself back so much. He looked to AJ and noticed she was shivering from the cold and like a gentleman he shrugged out of his jacket, handing it to her to wear. The large coat swallowed her tiny body up, but he knew it would warm her up and cause her to stop shivering.
Exposed arms had become covered in goose bumps, but Nate refused to let this get to him, ignoring the tingly sensation. He was cold natured in the first place and he knew he had little business walking around in just a short sleeved polo shirt, but she was a lady and he had manners. He'd just suck it up. Maybe if he was lucky he wouldn't get freeze bite.
He stopped when they got to one building, taking the leash from AJ and walking into the little aisle way, knocking on her owner's door. He sheepishly explained the situation at Miss MacDonald's exclamation of alarm, offering to pay the bill if she took the dog to the vet. The woman tersely took the dog and he returned to the blond girl that was waiting on him. He shrugged a bit, picking up a walk as they returned the two other dogs, Nate reminding the owners of the whippet that she could really use a sweater, and allowing August to meet Boris, who had flirted with her quite openly. It was rather humorous the thought of a four hundred pound man with a girl that was barely over a hundred pounds if that. He'd completely crush her!
Once the dogs were gone he walked the rest of the way to her apartment building. He stopped and looked to her, "I'll see you around," he said with a nod and a bit of a smile. He walked backward for a minute with a cheesy grin on his lips as he waved in a silly manner, all of it merely for her amusement. He didn't realize he'd left his jacket with her on accident until he got back to his apartment. It didn't matter, he knew he'd see her again anyway.
OOC: Well I'm pretty much done with this thread, so do you want to keep anything going with these two?
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Post by Confuzzled on Feb 26, 2008 13:25:11 GMT -5
That's fiiiine =] I'll make a new one eventually. I don't know what's wrong with me lately. Complete lack of muse right hurr xD [/sup]
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