touch and go (open)

[roycie]

It being the weekend and there being nothing particularly good on television, Royce decided it best to get out of her room and into an environment where she could at least be surrounded with people even if she didn't particularly feel like talking to them. What better place to do that than a mall, she'd thought to herself as she rang up her brother and asked him for a lift. Royce had begun to get used to his driving and she now had no qualms about asking him for favors. So long as they didn't have to actually talk, things were okay between them. He was still as preachy as ever when it came to laying down "the law" in their father's stead. But she just pretended not to hear him as she exited the car at the curb and quickly entered the large complex of shops.

Now as she window shopped, stopping from time to admire a well put together outfit on a mannequin or gawk in offended revulsion at what could only be described as a crime against fashion, Royce wondered at why she was always shopping alone. Was it simply that she found other girls her age that annoying? No, that was a lie. Many of the students at school were tolerable in class. But sadly, despite how she behaved on the surface, the girl really didn't have too many close friends. She crossed her arms and stopped abruptly in the middle of the path at the realization that it might in fact be her that was the problem.

Apparently she'd stopped a little too soon for the person walking directly behind her. The girl winced as she felt a body collide into her back. [white]"A-Ah!"[/white], she gasped in shock. Falling forward, her body reacted defensively on it's own and she managed to catch herself before face planting. She stumbled forward unsteadily a few steps but manage to crouch instead of hitting the ground. The girl sighed with relief and stood up slowly. She cast a glance over her shoulder to assess the state of the person who'd run into her, her eyebrows raised slightly and a frown plastered on her lips. People should really watch where they're going! she thought with irritation, forgetting instantly that it had been she who'd stopped without warning in the first place in the middle of a crowded path.

[flash]

The mall was packed shoppers, even to an extent that it was overwhelming for the blonde young man trying to do the last of his Christmas shopping. Really, it was the beginning of his Christmas shopping, and like every other citizen in Gotham, Wallace Rudolph West had left it off until the last possible moment. The seventeen year old, who preferred to go by West since he had grown out of his childish nickname, Wally, was walking out of a young adult clothing store. Considering it was geared towards girls, it was a little overwhelming. Who the hell had recommended this Forever 21 anyway? Clearly they did not have a twelve-year-old sister who needed to be wearing a nun habit.

His body had been jostled all about as he tried to get out the store, and he had is suspicions that it was not altogether unintentional. Now between the stylish teenage girl and the effeminate guy she was with, he could not tell whose hand had brushed past his ass. It was clear to him that this place could not fit another body and if he was going to search the entire mall for gifts he had no premeditated thoughts about, he was going to have to do it… fast. A sly grin of approval curled at the corner of his mouth. Not because it was anything out of the ordinary for him, but because the navigation was going to prove a challenge he had not had in some time.

Plotting a foreseeable course, West’s shoulders pulled back slightly, as his body twisted into a crouched position and he disappeared in the blink of an eye. Fortunately his dyslexia had never inhibited his ability to see even at the rate he was going. For him it was like time stood still. In and out of shops he raced, assessing every item within. Of course, glancing over something and truly thinking about an item he might think about buying were two different stories. As he raced out of record store, his mind was caught up with whether or not his sister insisted on having that Twilight movie soundtrack.

Focus was not one of his strong points, and as soon as he lost it, his body skimmed past a body and his momentum sent him hurling through the air. Not the optimal place to be, considering what a spectacle might be made near the center of the mall. Even his vision was a blur at this point as his body spun uncontrollably into the massive pine tree. His crash was alerted with the cracking of ornaments and a tangle of tinsel as he unavoidably fell to a cushiony landing. That’s strange, he thought. It only occurred to him that the oof he had heard was emitted by none other than,

“Santa.” He nodded in greeting, as though he had meant to do this. It was impossible for him not to feel a little awkward as wide eyes from children and parents alike stared at him in astonishment. Clearing his throat, he pushed himself up from the sprawled out position across the great man’s lap. “Merry Christmas.” He said quickly to avoid anyone else speaking while he made his escape.

Hoping over the fence, he immediately became aware of a young woman looking in his direction. The sight of her made him grimace. “Royce, you didn’t happen to… see anything…” Incriminating was the word he was looking for. This could be very embarrassing for him, should she decide to make it so.

[roycie]

Turning to look behind her, Royce found no one but soon realized, due to a large crash and the sounds of a surprised crowd over by Santa Claus, that the poor fool had somehow managed to tumble forward rather than backwards. And quite a ways too. For a second, panic gripped the young woman and she stood on the tips of her toes in an attempt to see over the heads of closer onlookers. Just what had happened anyway? Sure, there were times when she hardly knew her own strength... but this was just ridiculous. Her glare locked onto a blond head of hair and spotted a boy about her age sitting, or rather resting might have been a better term, across the big guy in red's lap. A snicker escaped her lips as he hopped over the fence and walked right up to her, visibly unhappy to see her.

Have I really earned such a reputation for myself already? she wondered as, for only the briefest of moments, her smirk faded into a worried frown. Realizing she was revealing her insecurity, Royce quickly replaced the more vulnerable expression with a look of cold indifference and crossed her arms over her chest. She shifted her weight on to one hip and made a soft click with her tongue as if trying to decide whether or not to answer him truthfully. [white]"I'd have to be both blind and deaf not to notice any of that"[/white] she replied as she reached up and proceeded to do what she could only call an 'attempt' to fix his hair. Seriously, had he never heard of a comb? That sort of thing drove her crazy.

[white]"Not that I'm your mom or anything... but aren't you a little too old to be going to such great lengths to sit on Santa's lap? He's not real, y'know. And aside from that, you have an embarrassing way of bypassing long lines."[/white] She pulled her hand away from Wally's head, seemingly having given up, and gave an exasperated sigh. The way he'd looked at her earlier was bothering her. It meant that despite being at a school where people were just as different, if not more so, than her she was still sticking out like a sore thumb. And not in a good way, clearly. Perhaps we should take a shot at compassion? the girl asked herself and did her best not to glare at Wally so severely. [white]"Are you...um...alright?"[/white] she attempted weakly, the strain of feigning concern quite obvious in her pained tone.

[Darcy Leone]

Darcy walked down the mall, People stared because he was one of the only not wearing either Hot Topic or Hollister. Just a white tee-shirt and slim fit jeans today. He noticed that Royce was talking to Wally West: South High's very own Track Star. His keen observation picked out what Royce said about him sitting on Santa's lap. He took a sip of his Coke.

[yellow]"Santa Claus is a myth, West. That is pretty funny to hear I must admit."[/yellow]

He walked right over to Royce's side. He hadn't met the both of them, but they were developing quite the reputation for being outcasts in a large group of outcasts. How that was possible, Darcy couldn't quite answer. He winked at Wally and lifted his soda like it was a toast.

[yellow]"Don't worry. I won't say anything."[/yellow]

He took another sip and looked back at the both of them.

[yellow]"So I guess you're uh... hanging out here also?"[/yellow]

He hoped that was the right lingo. He was 416 years old. If you had any idea how hard it was to change his vocabulary every year just to fit in, you wouldn't think it was so funny. He took another sip of his coke. It was pretty good. Never was a fan of soda... But hey. Tasty on a temperate day like today.

[flash]

It was not that West thought particularly poorly about Royce Fleming. She was attractive after all, but she did have quite a reputation for being, quite frankly, a bitch. She had a sharp tongue and an abrupt nature. And for someone who deserved mistreatment after the current fiasco, West expected the very worst. What took him aback the most was not her mouth, however, but how she started to tend to his hair. A hopeless battle he thought. He could feel the tinsel in his hair, but he also knew after all the running that it would be an absolute nightmare. But no company had made product yet that could withstand his capable speed.

West was not sure why he felt so uncomfortable as Royce straightened out his hair. No, that was a lie, he knew why. It was because, despite her personality, she was still very attractive. Her cute face and long blonde hair just made a guy look past all the bad stuff. That was a fact that had nothing to do with any supernatural abilities. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, West tried to ignore the affinity he felt for her when she mentioned being his mother. He had always had a soft spot for family, and an attraction to the link of women and motherhood.

Standing still in a rather obedient manner, Wally’s eyes glanced to the side, past Royce’s arm, when Darcy walked up. It was sort of weird, but it was like the crowds parted as he emerged from the midst. West always got a queer feeling from the guy, not knowing that it was because he really could not be considered one of them. At least in the sense of being a teenager. He was long past the mentality of a teenager, no matter what he looked like.

“I’m fine, thanks.” West said in a low, off-to-the-side tone, feeling a little awkward as Royce asked if he was okay. The implication of having been together when Darcy came up made him uncomfortable. “Oh, we weren’t… I mean, we’re not hanging out here together.” Not that Darcy had actually implied that. “I don’t know what Royce’s doing here.” It was necessary to uphold that same indifference that her body seemed saturated with.

[roycie]

Fixing other people's mistakes, whether they cared to admit them or not, was something that Royce felt compelled to do. It usually put a lot of people off but she was pleased that Wally had offered no resistance to it, even if it had all been a lost cause with him anyway. Her eyes lifted curiously to his as he answered her. His tone was strange but she ignored the temptation to ask him why he had grown so quiet all of a sudden. Heaven forbid that he actually tell her. Royce's mind was quite capable of jumping to it's own wild conclusions. Just what have people been saying about me?! She couldn't say for a fact that she didn't deserve it though.

A presence at her side made Royce stiffen slightly. She stood a bit straighter in the presence of this new person who seemed more than comfortable just walking up to them. Her eyes narrowed slightly at Wally's answer to the other boy's question. As if she'd even want to hang out with him at the mall! Sure, he was cute. There was no denying that aside from the frequently disheveled hair. But he reminded her of one of her kid brothers; now more than ever after catching sight of him on Santa's lap. The corners of her lips twitched downward for a second before she laughed and gave Wally a casual punch on the arm, hoping it hurt him more than it would appear to.

[white]"Right. As if I'd hang out with you anywhere."[/white] She wore a smile but it was easy to see she'd suddenly grown somewhat defensive. [white]"I'd be stuck going to the petting zoo and riding around in coin-operated cars all day if that earlier show was any indication of whatever it is you enjoy doing."[/white] The girl turned to face Darcy and smiled kindly at him before extending her hand politely. [white]"Sorry. My name's Royce. You go to South High too, right?"[/white] Actually, she wasn't even sure of that much. He had a familiar look to him but she could not decide if they had ever actually spoken before.

[Darcy Leone]

Darcy grinned and shook the girl's hand. She was beautiful! He may be borderline ancient, but he could still think of young women that way. He never aged.

[yellow]"I'm Darcy. And yes..."[/yellow]

He figured Wally was going to say something about his name. A lot of the football jock types who tried to have a conversation were either bored with him or said something like : [blue]"Duuude. You have a chick name."[/blue] Darcy was a pretty common name in France. It meant "Darkness". Though in appearance, Darcy looked far from being a dark figure... Could never figure why his dear old mother named him that in the palace. He continued with what he was saying. He had to lie. He wasn't English, but he had an English accent for centuries of being around his master, Ra's al Ghul. Lie lie lie...

[yellow]"My name's femenine here. I'm from Liverpool. It's more common then you think."[/yellow]

He took another sip of his coke after shaking the beautiful girl's hand. Winking, he tried out some of his old charm. Mabe it'd work... Eh, couldn't hurt to try.

[yellow]"Yeah I go to South. It's amazing. You're the first attractive girl I've actually seen there."[/yellow]

Copy a child's lingo and they understand you... Can't use the P.H.d vocabulary. His blue eyes met hers with curiousity as his took a last sip of his coke and threw it from a distance into the trash nearby. Basketball didn't seem like a bad sport... It was like archery, except without the bow and arrow. Only the basketball and target. What was it the kids called it? A hoop.