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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 3, 2016 3:49:37 GMT -7
Picking up speed with a few solid kicks, Marion rode his skateboard up to the top of the administration building's accessibility ramp, coasting to a stop next to the NO SMOKING sign. He took his cigarette out of his mouth and tapped the ash down onto the concrete as he surveyed today's challenge.
The administration building was located on the edge of a bit of a drop, with a wide stairway leading down to the buildings that were closer to the waterfront. In the middle of the stairway was its handrail, with a short gap corresponding to a flat landing between two flights of stairs. Then there was another landing, with a left turn leading to the next flight of stairs, but if one were to hypothetically continue straight onward, one would have to get over a tall concrete embankment. Atop the embankment was a small patch of grass and a couple of trees, and on the other side was a long drop to the sidewalk below.
Some of the bystanders seemed to recognize Marion from his YouTube channel, or perhaps they just recognized the contemplative expression on his face. Either way, the phone cameras came out. Marion had his audience. He grinned with satisfaction.
"Coming through!"
With that, he mounted his skateboard, shoved his cigarette back between his teeth, and kicked himself forward toward the stairs. The pedestrians scattered to clear his path down the handrail.
Marion brought his board up off the ground with the toe of his boot, catching enough air to land on the rail. He slid, knees bent, arms out, the rail ringing under his board as he slid down. A kickflip bridged the gap across the landing, and then he was on the handrail again, sliding down toward the embankment.
He flipped his board up again, launching himself up toward the high concrete lip of the embankment... and while Marion had enough height to clear it, his board did not. The board clipped the barrier, and momentum carried Marion forward, stumbling across the narrow patch of grass and then over the other side. He fell toward the sidewalk below.
The sharp crack rang through his skull, knocking the wind out of him, and Marion rolled over onto his back just in time for the falling skateboard to catch him in his midsection.
"Oof! That... hurt. Fuck." He coughed, not sure which part of his body to clutch as he rolled around on the ground. It was all pretty painful. Worse still, he had lost track of his cigarette. He hoped he hadn't just swallowed another one.
Marion was vaguely aware of the spectacle he was causing. This wasn't the inter-class rush, but the few students who were traveling across the campus were forced to step around his miserable form. They weren't really the primary concern in his thoughts at the moment.
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 8, 2016 23:18:28 GMT -7
Vivi chose today to relax and push studies away for once. Known to be a loner of sorts, nobody had questioned her lack of socialization for the past couple of weeks especially since testing had been such a hassle lately. Instead they left her to her own solitary peace which was nice and there'd be thanking later on. But she needed someone to talk to after such a long period of isolation. Of course none of her friends had been exactly available for today, but had to wait until tomorrow to accompany her one an outing or happened to be on vacation at the time. "Perfect timing..." Vivi mumbled underneath her breath in annoyance before hanging up. Her eyes drifted towards her closet door which consisted of a chest she kept lock and a shelf which held her beloved board; This one she made all on her own and even painted by herself. "Might as well put this old thing to the test." She complied with the fact that she was lonely and instead decided to occupy her time with an entertaining hobby of her's: a hobby that she had, honestly, been rejecting lately.
Soon after gearing up - padded knees with sparkly helmet and all - Vivi began her skateboarding directly outside of campus so she could sight-see, return some work, and hit up the movie theaters afterwards all while riding. She'd planned the whole journey - even marking a map to ensure her accuracy - before slinging a bag over her shoulders and jumping on the wooden board. For once she kept her multi-colored hair down, the thick locks waving and fluttering in the wind as she kicked up speed with her left foot. She dared to close her eyes every once in a while to feel the fresh, cool air hit her lazed lids; but eventually she gave this up knowing that her luck wasn't very giving on this day, and falling would definitely be in her future. One thing that Vivi hates the most is getting hurt in public. Better to be safe than sorry.
The same could be said for the red-head who fell right in front of her feet, skull connecting with the concrete in a way that made her lips twitch and curl up slightly. Hilarious. Except she wasn't supposed to be that type of person, and instead forced that smile into a pitiful frown as she shook her head in disapproval. "Idiot." The college student muttered underneath her breath before kicking up her board, stuffing the piece of glorified wood underneath her right arm, bending down and place a hand on the male's head with her left. Pressing down slightly on soft skin, pushing against hard bone buried beneath, she pitched an annoyed expression - towards the crowd and seemingly attention seeking victim - before loudly speaking, "Does that hurt at all?"
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 8, 2016 23:57:57 GMT -7
It took Marion a moment to realize that the voice was directed at him, and that the sudden increase in pressure on his head wasn't related to the crash. Then it took him another moment to think the words over and formulate a reply.
"Not-" He coughed, still recovering his breath. "Not any more than usual."
This would normally be where he'd get up and walk it off, but the hand on his head kept him effectively grounded. While Marion normally wouldn't mind having a woman running her hand through his hair, in this particular case it was anything but a lover's caress, just a little too firm to be comfortable. Maybe she was checking to see if anything was broken? Marion didn't really care, but he supposed that if she was trying to help, he shouldn't be rude about it.
Instead, he reached one hand across the ground, feeling in vain for his lost cigarette. It was while he was searching that he saw the skateboard tucked under the woman's arm.
"Oh, hey! You skateboard like I do!" Marion blurted it out with an enthusiasm entirely unsuitable for the situation. He continued, the pain throughout his body forgotten for the moment. "Did you see what I was trying? That embankment is pretty high! I'm not sure that it's actually possible to clear it from the handrail... but maybe it's close enough that I can still make it. Have you ever given it a shot before?"
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 9, 2016 0:35:25 GMT -7
Of course she had to roll her eyes. Who wouldn't? This red-head, she concluded, had to get into plenty of wrecks to say such a thing. But then again, at least she didn't have to carry him to the nurse or call an ambulance. That'd put a damper on her day. Though it would be rather exciting to blog about... Pushing past these thoughts she removed her hand and remained kneeling next to the male; Only because he had something to say, or else she'd be far gone by now and cruising carefree on her board. Already she'd proven to the crowd that she attempted to help, therefore extending her reputation as a caring, helpful citizen of Emerald City. Nothing could be gained from this. Absolutely nothing at all.
Or maybe Vivi was missing out on the fact that she could make a friend?
"Sure." She replied, shifting the hold on her board to under the other arm. Her oddly-colored orbs shifted back and forth, moving from the crowd to the victim and back again. Why were they still around? Not that she believed they were focused on her instead of the victim of the accident. Vivi simply preferred being alone. Behind everyone else. Not the center of attention. Average was what she kept herself and was meant to be. This sudden displacement of popularity, even if only recognized by Vivi alone, bothered her to a great end - as did the male's hand that slowly inched closer to her body - and produced a temple-located, throbbing headache. Good thing she happened to be used to pain. "I haven't done any stunts since I was a child. I was always bruised everywhere whenever I came back from the skate park so my parents banned anything that made me go flying in the air or even lifted my skateboard from the ground. And I definitely wouldn't, it obviously isn't going to work out no matter how hard you try. Why'd you even give it a go in the first place would be a good question." Brushing off her knee pads, she stood to her full height before smoothing out her clothing and offering a hand for the stranger to take. He'd most likely require assistance with climbing back up to his feet.
"If we're done here, I kinda have some work to turn in and a movie to catch. You sure you don't wanna stop by the campus nurse or go grab some sort of medicine...?"
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 9, 2016 1:12:09 GMT -7
"Hey, it's not like it was a complete failure!" Marion protested as he gratefully accepted the offered hand in getting back to his feet. He jabbed a thumb at his own chest.
"I made it over, and..." He limped over to his board, flipping it onto its wheels and putting a foot atop it in order to slide it back and forth and confirm that it wasn't broken. "My board made it over too! So, all I really need to improve on is making sure that we both clear the embankment together this time."
As his head began to clear, Marion let himself actually look at the woman. He blinked, wondering for a moment if he had hit his head hard enough to mess up his perception of color, but then internally shrugged. It didn't really matter. And while he was no expert analyst at facial expressions or body language, his gut told him that she was enjoying this on some level despite the disruption to her day's plans, so there was no harm in continuing.
Marion grunted triumphantly as he spotted his cigarette sitting in the dirt by the sidewalk. He bent down to pick it up and put it back in his mouth, wobbling slightly as he straightened up again.
"Whoa. There. Anyway, can't blame your folks for keeping you safe, but for my part... Maybe I'll stay here and try it one or two more times. What's the worst that can happen, right?" He grinned through the pain, daring her to disagree.
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 9, 2016 7:18:18 GMT -7
Her headache continued, as did the voice of the red-head. Annoying. But she pretended to care. Pretended to be there for him and not for herself. She wanted to bend over and hurl out of disgust, really; and she would if not for the fact that she wanted to keep a clean slate. Not to mention there'd be no excuse to offer other than "I'm sick" and at this point that reasoning would seem more than made up. Smiling gently, she moved over to the red-head and grabbed one of his arms with a deadly grip to achieve his attention. "How about I help you walk there?" Vivi tilted her head curiously before taking a few steps backwards, though, as he protested and mentioned plans of attempting his idiotic stun - that he obviously couldn't clear - once again. Knowing this absolutely wouldn't work out Vivi actually wanted to allow him to surpass her suggestions and stiff figure. It'd be a fairly interesting show, after all. Shaking her head, face-palming, Vivi sighed and shakily breathed out, "That's repulsive. Get a new cigarette at least. Reusing the same one after it rolled around in muck will certainly kill you faster than lung cancer will. Now, now," She moved towards the male once again, agreeing yet disagreeing all at once. Thinking of her parents right now wouldn't be the best choice, anyways, so she fell back on disagreement.
"you're really gonna get a concussion if you continue with this. At least wear a helmet..." She clipped her's off and shoved it into his chest. "but you really shouldn't do that again. Seriously. I might have to call security. And wouldn't that look bad to your little crowd here?" Vivi kept a soft, caring tone, yet her words held enough harshness behind the meaning to imply she was wiling to blackmail and sit back to watch the situation unfold. Turning her head she signaled to those still standing around, cheering the stranger on with a name she didn't recognize, craving disaster like the disgusting beings they were. Another form of bullying as Vivi saw it. "I'm just trying to follow the rules to keep you and these innocent people here safe~"
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 9, 2016 11:02:24 GMT -7
"Hey now, let's not do anything rash." Marion made a placating gesture, waving the offered helmet around in one hand. After feeling the woman's iron grip on his arm, he really could believe that she'd drag him all the way there. Not really a prospect he looked forward to.
He let the comment on his dropped cigarette pass without comment. After all, better to be 'disgusting' than 'boring', by Marion's estimation, and taking a third option was a luxury to be enjoyed only on the rare cases that it presented itself to him.
"Maybe we can find a compromise. You said you were on your way to a nice, safe movie theater, right? Why not take me with you? That way you can continue on with your day, but you'll also have a clear conscience knowing that you've successfully kept me out of trouble!"
Marion put on his best winning grin, clearly proud of himself for having come up with this pretext. Left to his own devices, he certainly would have beat his head against the attempted trick a few more times, but a more interesting opportunity was always appreciated, even when it didn't involve the rush of immediate bodily harm.
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 9, 2016 11:49:34 GMT -7
Of course the options came down to this. If Vivi hadn't been so compelled by this red-head - albeit his annoying mannerisms and too wide of a smile - then she would've turned on her heel without a care, leaving him in the dust. Yet her heart wouldn't allow such a vulnerable student crack his skull or break a limb. Yes... Her heart... Rubbing temples in attempt to soothe her aching head, brows furrowed and orbs glazed over with a natural, milky hue that'd been nearly taken over by a dim, hidden glow of curiosity, Vivi sighed once more before nodding her head up and down slowly out of acceptance for the male's plan. Alright. Movie theaters were dark: so no talking, eye contact, touching, or seeing each other. That would honestly be perfect and halfway through Vivi could sneak out, never having to see this human - she'd dubbed as an idiot - ever again. Then perhaps she'd be able to spend time in an entertaining or at least beneficial way, even if it meant being alone, for the rest of the hours she had left of the remaining day. All she had to do consisted of ditching the red-head soon after the screen's previews had ended and the official movie began. That is if he happened to not be as amusing as she'd previously thought. There'd be different, much different plans in store for this unsuspecting stranger if he proved to be worth her thoughts. Worth valuable time and extended efforts. Really part of her didn't want to admit she'd become attached to such an odd, spunky, stubborn personality. Really she didn't want anything to do with forming bonds or relationships or a closeness of sorts with this stranger. With anybody. Wouldn't that make her weak? Dependent? No longer whom she strives to be behind closed doors?
"Alright. If that's what it takes to keep you from self-harming because you think it's funny for some reason, then by all means join me on this adventure. Hope you have the guts for Horror~ I found the scariest movie rating online for today, actually." Shoving both hands into the pockets of her high-waisted shorts, Vivi blinked in doubt of both her plans A and B before slinging her board onto the ground, placing a foot onto the hunk of wood with wheels. "Race ya. Whoever loses has to pay. Winner automatically gets bragging rights and the feeling of being better than a complete stranger. Sound up your alley? Er... What exactly is your name?"
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 9, 2016 12:33:53 GMT -7
"You've got yourself a deal!" Marion replied with a triumphant grin. Well, there was the slight issue that his entire net worth at the moment was the loose change he had in his pockets, but he could handle that if and when it became a problem. "Horror's fine too, as long as it gets the pulse pounding."
Marion spun his board around so it was facing the same way as the woman's was, placing his own foot on it as he mimicked her stance.
"Name's Marion! Nice to meet you, and all that. What should I call you?"
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 9, 2016 15:40:56 GMT -7
"Good, not like you had a choice anyways Marion." His name reminded her of her grandmother's own which happened to be the same. She smirked slightly upon receiving the thought, small enough that nobody would notice, before snatching her helmet from Marion's hand. This challenge would be simple. And oh boy does Vivi love winning things; Doesn't matter what she's winning for, she just enjoys the ultimate feeling. It helped that this challenge wasn't completely dangerous or would mark her as a bad person. Far from the norm, honestly. Vivi wasn't sure if she enjoyed this new person in her life or not. Hopefully he wouldn't last long. Hopefully.
Sliding the board underneath her foot to prepare for take-off, clipping the strap of her sparkly helmet back on, Vivi smacked her knee-pads to test the durability out before kicking away. Turning her head she called back, "You can call me the winner!~" Shouting rather loudly and with so much confident that it probably hurt anyone else to hear those words. Whether or not she'd eventually tell him her name? That depended on the outcome of the competitive contest. The wind hit her face relentlessly as she turned her head back - hair whipping back in every which way - into normal position while her orbs focused on the obstacles and trail ahead. The movie theater happened to only be about 2 blocks away once you were off campus. No problem... Right?...
Tags: Marion Mayes
Notes: Will place obstacles here and there, huehuehue~ Feel free to do so yourself... (¬‿¬) |
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 10, 2016 3:17:48 GMT -7
As Marion pushed off after her, it became immediately clear that the woman's skateboarding skills were of an entirely different sort than Marion's own. While Marion specialized in risky, improvisational maneuvers, he judged the woman's style as more precise and efficient, at least by comparison. On top of that, her kicks to build up speed demonstrated that same surprising strength she had showed off earlier in the encounter.
Meanwhile, Marion was still reeling from his crash. And even if he were in peak condition, he had his doubts about whether he could match up to the woman's speed. This just wasn't his kind of race. He quickly started to fall behind.
A new strategy was in order.
The path leading off campus wasn't a straight line from here, but there was an alleyway between buildings that could be used to cut the corner. Marion swerved into the alley's mouth, finding that it was full of assorted junk. He kicked his board up and to the side, scraping along the wall as he avoided a small forklift parked against the other, then landed with a wobble. Up ahead, a stack of loading pallets filled the alleyway entirely, but he leapt up off his board, skidding across the top pallet while his board continued to roll underneath.
Marion slid off the pallet, and his board emerged from below just in time for him to land on it. He exited the alleyway ahead of his opponent, and he dragged one gloved hand on the pavement as he swung around back onto the path, but the maneuver cost him enough speed that she was able to get out ahead of him again.
Laughing with carefree joy, Marion let his cigarette tumble down behind him as he kicked himself back up to speed. Yes, this was already turning out to be much more interesting than his original plans for the day.
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 10, 2016 8:42:56 GMT -7
"So he's smarter than he seems." She muttered beneath her breath, adrenaline pumping and confusion present; Did she even care about his intellect, anyways? Shaking her head, she grit her teeth and bit her tongue roughly to avoid yelling and complaining in the directions of Emerald City residents. They were in the way. In her way. At least the activity at hand wasn't boring. In fact turning leisure time into a skateboarding activity - involving people, by the way, so she definitely wasn't alone as she'd thought she would be today - even if with a stranger. A different stranger at that. Way too peppy and adventurous and seemingly innocent for her tastes. Thus she could withstand the bubbling annoyance rising within her stomach and harsh words itching to be heard, sitting along the tip of her tongue.
Vivi especially couldn't stand when she saw Marion even the least bit ahead of her. Because she was supposed to be the one to win! Not the other way around! Vivi pumped her left leg furiously as another rush of excitement surged throughout her body and sent her heart into a constant, face-paced beat. Cruising carefully, colorful locks blowing along the wind's currents, thumbs hooked around the waist band of her azure short-shorts; Vivi felt at ease for a split-second as she closed her eyes, only to remember what exactly was happening when she noticed Marion had once again achieved the spot of first place. She'd slowed down during such a relaxing moment while her mind blanked. Mentally face-palmed, Vivi pushed her weight a few more times before swiftly earning her respectful place back. Except this time she became tied with Marion himself. Sporting a focused expression, furrowed brows and all, Vivi still managed a taunt, "Looking a little woozy there, Marion. Next time I catch you doing something dumb - which I would imagine is 99.9% of the time - at least wear a helmet." Patting the smooth, glittery surface of her own protective gear, Vivi noticed during that moment an upcoming outdoor restaurant and a bus stop sporting a lone bench with not a single soul in sight around.
These two places would be perfect to show off and for an obstacle to distract her opponent. Turning to the bench side, she gave Marion but no choice to head for the arrangement of empty tables and chair in hopes of clearing the mess. Luckily they both would only have to deal with one object. Vivi squinted in her eyes, prepping her feet and body for a take-off. 'If only my parents were around to see this...' She thought, laughing on the inside and curling the ends of her lips up slightly. 'They'd kill me.'
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 11, 2016 15:55:48 GMT -7
Marion was neck-and-neck with his opponent as he saw the cinema come into view. It was almost disappointing. He'd have preferred to race like this all day. The woman slid in close, her taunt reaching Marion's ears, and Marion instinctively swerved away to avoid a collision. But that set him on a course directly toward an outdoor dining area. There was no one presently eating there, fortunately enough, but the area was cluttered with tables, chairs, and large overhead umbrellas. And that gave Marion the most incredible idea. Rather than trying to avoid the obstacles, Marion jumped his board up onto one of the flimsy chairs. The collision caused the chair to tip over, but not before Marion launched himself further up, landing atop one of the umbrellas. He grinded along one of the aluminum shafts that supported the canvas umbrella, already plotting his course to the other side of the restaurant. But the umbrellas were not meant to support a person's weight. The one Marion was on shook and shifted, and then the canvas underneath his board bunched up and put a sudden stop to his grind. The umbrella tipped over, dumping Marion into the nearby tables and chairs, and there was a crash of flipping furniture as he came down hard. Marion lay among the destruction, stunned not so much by the pain as by how awesome that was. It was the angry shouts of the restaurant's owner that shook him out of his daze and reminded him that he was supposed to be racing. Marion tracked down his board and pushed off once against toward the cinema, all hopes of a speedy arrival more or less dashed, but with no regrets whatsoever for following his priorities. Tags: Vivian Landlow |
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Post by Vivian Landlow on Apr 12, 2016 12:40:33 GMT -7
Vivi easily lifted her own weight, along with her board, up into the air in a swift jump onto the obstacle only a few inches before her figure. Her breath escaped from her lungs within a second of being airborne; It'd been a while since she performed such an incredibly dangerous stunt. Not that she wasn't used to risking her physical form, but this feeling certainly felt nice for a change. Emitting a screeching noise of sorts, Vivi's board began to grind against the bench's top half, and only ceased to be painfully annoying when she lifted herself back into the air for the second time, landing roughly on her board and feet. Her moves were sloppy and nearly hadn't cleared the course yet somehow she'd made it through. Though she did make it out unharmed in the end, fortunately. How thrilling that was! Adrenaline rushed through Vivi's blood and gave her the strength to move on. Turning her head she giggled quietly to herself, shoulders shaking as Marion recovered from his crash. The college student found situations such as the ones he got himself into very laughable. Except Marion enjoyed the accidents albeit the fact that they caused him pain. If he were in misery surely his mistakes would've been so, so much better; but Vivi would make do with what she had to grasp what little humor people in her life happened to have.
Vivi didn't stop for a second. A race is a race and winner takes all. So she couldn't and didn't care to pause in order for Marion to catch up, or to at least ensure his good-will. Why would she ever do that? It'd be silly. With the cinema in view, Vivi shuddered as a chill rushed down her spine. Nervousness. Accomplishment. Pride. Swerving past crowds of people with Mario nearly out of sight, she was sure to take the cake this time around. Not that there'd ever be any other time... For Vivi, at least... Or so the female believed.
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Post by Marion Mayes on Apr 13, 2016 1:22:13 GMT -7
Marion chuckled through his grin as he saw the woman far ahead, already in the process of arriving at the destination. Before the race had started, he hadn't expected to lose, let alone so badly. But the experience had always been more important to him than the result.
Considering his options from here, Marion detoured, no longer moving at racing speed. He headed for the small skatepark located across the street from the cinema, where some teenagers were passing the time.
From the cinema, it wouldn't be possible to hear the details of Marion's haggling, but less than a minute later, he came back across the street, leaving his board behind with the kids who were enthusiastically getting acquainted with their new possession. In its place, Marion was tucking a small wad of bills into his shirt pocket.
"Not bad," he told the woman, grinning. "I guess your parents must not've been so successful at keeping you away from the more interesting maneuvers after all." He didn't bother to explain his current lack of skateboard.
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