go the other way; [open]

[.autumn.]

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'Now, behave yourselves for Mom, okay? I'll be home in a little while. I'm just going out to explore.' Aidyn kissed his baby sister, Aila on the forehead and mussed up his baby brother's, Skylar, hair. Aila grasped onto her brother's leg, the ten year old sliding down to sit on the floor. 'Aidyn! Don't leave me here!' she pleaded, her bright brown eyes staring up at him. He bent down and swooped the child into his arms. Even though she was ten, he had treated her like she was the only girl in his world for quite some time. She had become accustomed to him spoiling her. 'Aila, honey, not this time. I'll be home soon, promise. If you're good for Mom, maybe I'll show you something really cool,' he persuaded, setting the child back down. She stuck her lower lip out further, her brown eyes widening, pleading almost with her older brother. He shook his head and kissed her once more on the forehead. 'Maybe next time,' he said, and Aila nodded solemnly. Aidyn smiled a little and turned away from his family, knowing full well his little sister was still pouting.

i'm over me and i'm over everything
and everyone i know.
it's time to lock my doors and lose my phone.
all my friends, who needs them? i don't.
it's just funny when you look around,
they think they know me like i lived and died.
so go ahead and judge cause i don't mind.
i got a thousand songs that say i tried.

Aidyn ran his fingers through his messy brown locks, slightly jogging away from his home. 'Just one of those days...' he thought, slowing his pace down as his distance grew further from his home. It wasn't as if he was avoiding his family, in fact he loved them dearly. But ever since the twins were born, it'd been his job to watch over them. He'd never really gotten the chance to do much else, besides work. Today was a day where he had nothing to do, for a change, and he planned on using it to his advantage. No, not hunting or anything. Just a time to relax a bit and explore District Twelve. He wasn't one for causing trouble, he just wanted to know what was going on. Aidyn began to walk away from the Seams, just slowly treading away. The light snow that covered the ground was nearly unmarked, except for a few footprints here and there. Probably from the men who went off to work in the coal mines. It could've been him this time, but he wasn't called or told they needed him. Coal mining wasn't too popular around this time of year anyhow.

don't even try to say i'm overreacting,
cause no one ever understands a thing that i'm saying,
and not my "so-called friends" but like i already said,
i don't need them.

The tall seventeen year old stopped in his tracks, just to watch the snow fall. It'd been awhile since he'd truly paid any attention to snow. Usually, it was just here and there, and the weather was slightly colder. But the ground was slightly covered with the light snowfall. Snow used to be the last thing on his mind. Family first, work second, play later. Well, it was later. Aidyn sank down onto the ground, not minding if his ragged jeans were a little wet. He scooped some of the white ice into his palm, watching the crystals melt from the heat of his hand. It was the first time since childhood that Aidyn had actually paid any attention to the nature around him, and he loved it. Not daring to go much further with the snow, he allowed what was left in his palm to fall back to the ground, each snowflake glistening as they drifted through the air. The boy pushed himself off of the ground, feeling sillier than his two younger siblings, because he had allowed himself to play with snow for a few minutes. Oh, if only he could relive his childhood...[/color][/size][/ul]

[Meghan]

"Delilah Dewberry."



"Hey there Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all."

It wouldn't be off to say that Delilah was predictable when it came to her afternoon routine. As soon as she was allowed to go around on her own, Delilah had begun her long-standing tradition of leaving the shop to explore whatever part of town struck her fancy. Some days, her feet carried her through the Seam, over the common layer of black coal and through the sickly, impoverished areas of the less blessed part of town. She never had the courage to stop and talk to any residents of the run-down area, but the journey was an adventure of its own.

On less courageous days, she made her way through the wealthier part of town, and into the leafier areas of District 12. Nature felt safe to her, familiar, although she never dared to venture too close to the fence. The woods beyond promised great adventures in the most childish fashion, but the dangers that surely lurked beyond the metal barrier kept Delilah locked safely in the district. Still, she couldn't help but stare at the unglorified chains, wondering what lay beyond.

As she was making her way home from such an adventure, a boy in the path made her stop in her tracks. He wasn't obtrusive, and Delilah could easily get around him if she just said 'excuse me', but she was feeling shy. He looked so peaceful standing there, and she hesitated, unsure of whether she should disturb him or simply choose a different route.

She slowly approached him, stopping just a few feet from his spot, lost for the polite words the situation so desperately asked for. He was in the same class as her at school, but beyond that - his identity was a mystery to her. A total stranger. Why had she approached him? She didn't even know him.

Shyly, she turned to go, her mind set on taking a different path if necessary. But her feet stopped her as if they had a mind of their own. Something about the boy made her want to stay and at least acknowledge his presence. She owed him that much - she would owe any stranger she approached in such a fashion that much. She stopped awkwardly in the path, not daring to look at him, her feet frozen at their own accord. If he wanted to talk to her, she was all ears. If not, well that was okay, too.

ooc: I hope it was okay that I posted here!

[.autumn.]

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Quietness was Aidyn's forte. Words very seldom left his mouth, even when he was around people he knew. Of course, unless it was his two younger siblings. Not many very people knew him, even though he was around them all the time. Big groups didn't scare him, but unlike the others in those big groups, he would stand in the middle and never be seen. Even in class. Sure, he may be noticed by few, but nobody ever took the chance to talk to him. Not that he really wanted to talk to them anyhow. It would've just gave him more chance to get attached to someone and then lose them because of the ridiculous Game. The one the Capitol enjoyed so much, while most of the other districts suffered greatly. And somehow, Aidyn was still addicted.

Maybe it was the color of the blood when the first death occurred, or maybe it was the viciousness and betrayal each of the tributes showed to each other. Maybe he was addicted to it for the same reasons as the Capitol. Quite saddening, actually. He wasn't a cruel teen, but he just was interested the Games. Aidyn rubbed his arm, kicked the dust and glanced around. He thought he may have heard someone behind him while he was off in his own little world, but as he listened, whoever it was had started to walk away. Yet, he listened to the footprints stop. Confused, he looked around, his gray eyes glistening as he recognized a gorgeous girl from his class. He doubted if she knew his existence. Should he say something or just let her leave? She had stopped as if she wanted to say something, but no words were escaping her lips at this point in time either.

Aidyn almost felt obligated to say something to her. She was standing there, in silence. 'You're in my class...right?' he said. Conversation wasn't Aidyn's thing. He began to chew on his lip, hoping he had said the right thing. He flicked his hair out of his face, glancing around hopelessly. He didn't like things to be awkward, which so far had been successful on his part, which is why he never made conversation. She really was a gorgeous girl, but her name escaped him. Probably because he never really paid much attention to what was going on around him while he was in school. The drama school brought around was never anything he dealt with. He was more interested in making sure his family was okay. He recognized faces, but names were lost. He'd never be able to keep track of anything with the way his mind moved so much.

She looked as lost for his name as he was for hers. 'Aidyn,' he offered, his voice soft. Hopefully she heard him. However, it was quiet enough around them for her to hear his voice. He watched her carefully, hoping to possibly remember her name, but nothing came to mind. Usually, if a situation like this occurred, Aidyn would just avoid it by muttering a stupid excuse and walk away. But he had come away from his home to explore. Meeting people wasn't on the list, but if fate pulled him to meet someone, he couldn't really argue. His gray eyes wandered slowly over her body, as any teen boy would do, but he was trying his hardest to keep his looks from her. Nothing was supposed to happen today, other than wandering through District twelve, and possibly finding something to entertain his family with.
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[ooc-Of course! (: That's why it was an open post!][/size][/ul]

[Meghan]

"Delilah Dewberry."



"Hey there Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all."

For a few long and awkward moments, silence became the pregnant void between Delilah and the stranger. Snow and coal alike swirled about them, dusting itself unevenly, like the icing of a lumpy cake, upon everything that crossed its path. Neither gloved hands, covered backs, nor cobbled stones were a match for the dusty layer of white and black. Delilah shivered, a sensation caused by her idle position on the path, as well as the layer of snow covering her still form.

It was only the soft spoken voice of the boy (no, he was closer to a man...) in front of her that drew her from her statue-like state. Her blue eyes wandered upwards to find his dark brown ones as she tried to convey a sense of familiarity. He was a quiet boy, not unlike herself, and it did not come as a surprise to Delilah that they had never talked before. "He keeps to his crowd, and I keep to mine."[/i] she thought dismissively, but her eyes stayed glued to him.

A few minutes had passed before Delilah had processed what the boy had said: his name, and a question - so similar to her thoughts. She gave him the tiniest of nods and cleared her throat, as if her voice had been captured by a hoard of awkward moments, unyielding to her will."Delilah." she offered back, her eyes still boring into his quiet soul. Who was he really? Why hadn't they bothered to talk to each other, even after so many years in the same class? It seemed improper to not know his name, surely she must had heard it before.

"Yeah, I am." She meant to ask him why he had bothered to greet her, after so many years of silence, but the words did not find their ways to her lips. Instead all she could muster was a simple, "What are you doing out here?" Conversations had never been her forte.

She took the silence that came in between words to examine him. He was tall, and looked rather well to do despite his obvious Seam looks. Perhaps it was just the muscles that visibly graced his body. The boy worked with coal, as demonstrated by the dusty coloring permanently rubbed into his olive skin and dark brown hair. Delilah questioned this - most boys didn't start working until they were eighteen, yet he still had the subtle tones of youth rubbed into his flawless face. Perhaps Delilah would have found him attractive in different circumstances, but the snow clouded her vision and stopped her from examining anything but the strongest details of his body and face. She tried to give him a friendly smile, but it more than likely passed by as a pale grimace, caused by years of solitude.[/size]

ooc: if my posts are too short, let me know. It's been difficult for me to find words recently. I also changed my font size since it seems to be easier to read on this board.

[.autumn.]

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'Delilah.' he thought, trying to place the name with her face. Maybe this time he'd actually remember her name. It wasn't that he'd forgotten her name, but he just couldn't place her name to her face. Probably because he'd never actually been told her name. They were never around each other, other than just to pay attention in class. Here, he had this beautiful girl standing in front of him and he had no words for her. Not that Aidyn was very good at making conversation with anyone, especially not a young, gorgeous girl. Not quite eighteen, but the coal mines were a place for Aidyn to work. Because of his hardworking father, he'd been able to get into the coal mines a bit early. Of course, he was the youngest boy to work there, he still managed to keep up with the rest of the men he worked with. It was as if Aidyn was wise beyond his age, and it kept him on track. He didn't work in the coal mines often, mostly when he was absolutely needed, but it was enough to break him into the cruel world of hard work.

If it wasn't for his mother telling him today was his day off from everything, Aidyn would've been at home, watching Aila and Skylar, making sure they weren't causing trouble. The twins were pretty much his own children, except only seven years younger than he was himself. His mother took care of the house and the basics, while his dad worked in the mines. Which left Aidyn to keep the twins entertained and out of his mother's way. Aila and Skylar usually weren't too bad about getting in the way, but when they wanted to be trouble, they were trouble. Aidyn had grown up to be the only person who can control Aila's temper tantrums and Skylar's shyness. For being twins, the two were sure polar opposites. Skylar took more after Aidyn, but Aila was Aidyn's spoiled brat. Most of the time she got what she wanted, without even truly asking.

So she was in his class. He had thought so, but he didn't want to make any assumptions. District Twelve wasn't a very big district, and he kind of felt guilty for not knowing her name right off hand. Especially for being in the same class as her. She didn't seem to know his either, though, so his guiltiness was diminished slightly. He couldn't be in the wrong if she was as well. It just didn't work that way. But how had he forgotten this beautiful girl's name? She was stunning. Usually he'd at least remember a gorgeous girl's name. Aidyn was a guy, after all. His gray eyes drifted to watch the snow and dust circling around them, leaving a layer of residue along their bodies and in their hair. After working in the coal mines, Aidyn had trouble getting any coal to come off of his skin, no matter how often he had showered or bathed.

'Exploring,' Aidyn gave her a short and simple answer. He wasn't the best about explaining himself. He didn't find a need for her to know he'd been told he needed to get out of the house and do something for a change. Or that he wasn't really doing anything in particular, other than just wandering around until it was time for him to go back home. 'What are you doing out here?' he returned the question, smiling slightly at Delilah. So far, she was being awkward about everything, her movements seemingly stiff around him. He just noticed it, wondering if he had interrupted something she was doing. He didn't need to be in anyone's way. Aidyn shifted slightly to the side of the pathway, in case Delilah wanted to move by him. He felt bad about being in her way, if that was what she had wanted, rather than striking up a conversation with a boy who was almost a stranger to her. Oh, conversations for him were the worst. He needed to learn how to read people better. [/color]

[ooc- You're good! (: As long as you give me something to work with, we'll be alright! Let me know if you need anything from me!][/blockquote][/justify][/size][/ul]

[Meghan]

ooc: Sorry for taking so long to reply! I haven't had a muse. This post will be short, but I'll try to write more in the future!

"Delilah Dewberry."



"Hey there Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all."

Delilah gave an awkward smile as a response to his answer, digging her feet into the cold ground below them. He didn't seem to mind her presence, and he wasn't doing anything to scare her off, so she decided to stay and talk to him for a bit longer. "Exploring? Can I explore with you? I need a change of pace." Her voice was soft, and she avoided his eyes again. "I was just out on a walk during my break. But there hasn't been much business as of late. I can afford to miss an hour or two." She tried to look at him again, give him a sign that she was willing to be his friend, or something. Perhaps it came off as awkward, or maybe he was just as desperate as she was for some friendly company. Either way, she was up for adventure.