[Private] A Visit To Ma

Guest

Fletcher Emerson

After packing a change of clothes and some bare necessities, Fletcher had slung his rucksack onto his back, said bye to his half-siblings for a little bit, and headed towards Thalia's Pine. He wasn't really sure what something like this called for, it wasn't a date but it wasn't really anything else. He was visiting his mother with another camper, how odd was that? Crouching to make sure that the knife strapped to his left boot was still there, he watched both camp and the entrance to camp, eyes flickering from one to another.

Maybe Dania wouldn't show up. Maybe she'd had a laugh or a few telling him she'd accompany him to his mother's place and was telling her Athena siblings about it and snickering. What a hoot, fooling the infamous heart-breaker of Camp Half-Blood. He figured that if she ended up not showing, he would just visit his ma by himself, not too big a deal.

He might consider becoming a summer-camper, or to just cease visiting camp altogether. After all, he knew how to defend himself and the ones around himself well enough by now. Plus, he was getting old. It was some unspoken thing at camp that once a camper got too old, they left and tried to do things by themselves from then on. It wasn't that they got kicked out or anything, it was just that you needed to leave to make room for the fresh, green ones - ones that needed training more than the oldies who had already honed their skills plenty.

Thing was, with the war raging, he wondered whether he should leave to help his own or stay and help his... other own. Choices, decisions, stress.

Exhaling, he glanced at his watch. They would have to catch a bus and then a train to the place his ma lived. He had some cash saved up, he couldn't remember where he had gotten it, but it was a decent amount, it would get him and Dania where they needed to be.

Guest

"Took you long enough," a voice called from one side of Thalia's Pine. Aria Syntyche slouched against its bark, peeling off apple skin with her long dagger. She went by unnoticed as she sat in the side facing away from their beloved Camp. Well, she would've stood up and paced around while waiting, but the sun's rays started prickling her bare arms.

Maybe she should have payed more attention to what clothes she pulled out from her trunk. But, then again, she was notorious for dressing simply and- to a certain extent- strangely. This time she wore a white cotton tank top, combat pants, her usual army boots, and black leather half gloves that exposed her fingers. And, as always, she brought her signature array of weapons. Daggers strapped to her boots, a leather scabbard hung at her right, her armlet, and her anklet (which wasn't seen). Yep, she looked like a serial killer; but, in all fairness, it suit her. The style made her even more dangerous.

Her fashion sense also saves a lot of time.

It took her less than twenty minutes to get dressed and ready, therefor making herself arrive at the rendezvous point an hour or so before the scheduled time slot. See? Efficient and simple.

Aria ran a hand through her choppy blond hair and re-strapped her dagger to her boots. "There you are, Emerson. Lag behind like that again and I don't think I'll be waiting." she winked playfully, stood up, and briskly walked downhill, the duffel bag she slung behind her bounced as she went. "Where to, boss?"

Guest

Thank the gods. He had been nervous she wouldn't show for no reason. "Didn't you say two hours?" He asked in a defensive way, though it wasn't really a question. After a moment (or rather, a second), he dropped the face and replaced it with his usual grin. "'Sides, you can't really go visit my mother without me. That would be pretty weird. Although she does enjoy any company of any sort." He said, furrowing his eyebrows. He shook it off, however, and scanned her clothing.

Simple (if in a way of dressing that the military dressed in), competent, looked good on her - you didn't really need more than that. Girls who cared too much about clothing were silly anyways, they weren't real women. "You look.. nice. My ma's not going to shoot you or anything, no worries." Fletcher said, laughing before beginning to follow her down the hill. "She lives in Atlantic City though, we're going to catch a train - I'll pay, no worries again. The ride's about two and a half hours though, so we'll have to entertain each other." It was his turn to wink now.

Frowning, he paused by the side of the road, realizing that buses didn't come by Camp Half-Blood. "Huh. Would you mind walking to the train station or would you prefer that I carry you there?" He asked, cracking a smile at her.

Guest

"Although the you carrying me part sounds extremely tempting, I think I'll just stick to walking. Besides, as able- bodied as you are, I think we'll get there faster if we both walked- or jogged. As for entertainment, we'll be lucky if we don't run into monsters... so you don't need to worry about being bored. Scenario A is all those nasty critters are out helping," Aria thought before muttering his name. It could be charmed to track demigods down. "the C-word. Scenario B is they're out looking for lunch. Demigod lunch, that is." she added the last part grimly, still walking in her usual brisk. Her voice never faltered or wavered; she was, in simple terms, sure of herself. "Just expect the unexpected.". Deep down, she laughed at her irony.

She paused momentarily to scan their surroundings. Aside from the occasional breeze and the rustles that accompanied it, they were virtually alone. It would be another ten minutes till the bus stop if they continued that pace, so best not stop it. "You go ahead, I'll fall behind just in case." Aria directed Fletcher with a single nod of her head. "Oh and by the way, Fletcher... My name is Aria."

Guest

"I am very able-bodied, aren't I?" He asked, grinning at her and continuing to walk to keep up with "Aria." Whew, this girl sure could work up a pace that would make guys in the military fall behind. "Although I can't quite keep up with you yet - but I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually." Fletcher said, looking left and right - "Just like momma taught me!" - before crossing the road.

"Those sound like nice scenarios. Let's hope for choice A, eh? Kronos probably isn't like Voldemort, by the way." He said, laughing. "'Sides, he's still weak and lacking in strength. He needs more followers remember? For now he's just getting Luke to run around and do all his dirty work." He growled, dark expression coming over his facial features as he mentioned Luke. However, his expression cleared in no time (as soon as he realized what had happened), and he was back to smiling and laughing after barely even a moment.

"Aria. Nice name, sorry about calling you Dania, you just remind me of..." He trailed off and looked away. No, he wouldn't do that. Aria wasn't like any of those silly girls, and he wouldn't compare her to one of them. She was... different. And she didn't seem to be interested in him - that was oddly refreshing. Walking in front of her like she instructed, Fletcher trotted along obediently.

"According to my calculations," He said, snorting and pushing up imaginary glasses before tapping a few buttons on his nonexistent calculator. "We should reach the train station in around 6 minutes, 8 minutes tops." Fletcher finished, looking back to see if she would confirm.

Guest

"I'm surprised you actually read Harry Potter." Aria said in a forced astonished voice, then covering her mouth in a surprised gesture for added drama. As if he can actually see her... Fletcher was a few paces in front of her- still struggling to keep his lead. His body was rigid, she noticed. "Besides, some creature could have charmed his name for tracking purposes..."

He reminded her of someone? Hmm, probably one of his many ladies. It was nothing to get worked up about, anyway; Aria had that kind of face. "Don't worry about not keeping up, we'll be sitting down eventually. And you're calculations are right... We're here."

Aria pointed to the sign that said 'Bus Stop' in bold letters some few meters away. "Now why don't you calculate how long it takes for the bus to arrive?"

Guest

Oh gods, he had let her know that he read stuff. There went his reputation. Struggling to keep his face grinning, Fletcher looked back at her as she made some gesture. "Only read a few of the first books, my sisters would not stop bubbling about the series and I had to read at least two books to discuss with them and satisfy them." He said, turning his head back to the front. "Maybe. Doubt they're too concerned about stuff like that though, they can smell and track us at any given time." He responded, pausing at the bus stop.

"A few minutes or so?" He said, looking around as if the bus might magically appear as he mentioned it. "I forgot the check the busing schedules sorry." He apologized sheepishly, glancing at her before sitting on the bench.

Guest

"People who actually read never fail to impress me, I mean with all the things going on at camp..." Aria had purposely left out the part wherein she'd say that she was a die hard fan of Harry Potter. She memorized every spell, charm, and curse; there were also times when she'd dream of being a witch. "Hmm, well, we'll just wait then.".

Glancing around, Aria noticed how the rocky ground met the edge of the street. The soil had eroded over it, spreading some pebbles here and there- these were caused by footsteps, no doubt. "Looks like others tend to use this bus stop as well." her voice was a bit doubtful since there were hardly any houses nearby. A sudden movement caught her squinted eyes: there was something near the sign. "Wait here," Aria gave Fletcher a small smile before heading towards the mysterious metal road marker.

Apparently, there was something taped to the back of it. It was a white sheet of paper that, when further examined, said 'Hail Kronos' in bold, handwritten letters. "Lovely." muttered Aria in a mocking voice. After making sure no one was looking with a single glance around, she pressed the paper closer to her nose and smelled it. The scent of the marker was strong. "Some rebel or monster was here a few minutes ago. I'd say roughly twenty minutes to an hour.". She flipped the paper to see if there was anything else. "Oh, the schedule..." Aria stalked back to Fletcher and handed him the vandalized time plan. "The bus should be here in ten minutes."

Guest

"Read the two a few years back, didn't bother reading the rest though because.. yeah, the war." And the dyslexia was frustrating. He said, watching as she walked off. "Oh, alright." He called, raising an eyebrow as he looked around and wondered where he could possibly go or what he could possibly do rather than waiting there. He looked after her and struggled to hear what she said.

"That gives me hope for our safety and well-being." He commented, laughing nervously. "Especially since we'll be sitting around for ten minutes." He said, looking around anxiously and searching the piece of paper for a piece of tape. When he found none, he frowned and folded the top of the schedule before placing it in one of the nooks of the walls of the bus stop shelter - schedule side rather than the "Hail Kronos" side being visible.

"Well, looks like we'll have to keep ourselves occupied in the meantime - and pray that we won't stumble across any monsters." He said, twiddling his thumbs. "Want to play rock, paper, scissors?"

Guest

"Erm..." Aria fervently wished that her face did not betray her clueless state. As a child, she grew up satisfying herself with books, video games, comics- a total classic geek. Rarely would she play outside with the other children, so the only child's game she knew was hide-and-go-seek. Although Fletcher's game did sound rather familiar. "How about we play hide and seek? I'll hide behind a nearby bush and you can pretend you don't know where I am.". She used to play this with her father whenever he was home from work, it was definitely one of her favorites partly because it was the only one she knew. Out of embarrassment, Aria started twiddling her fingers- something you'll rarely ever see from a child of Athena... particularly Aria Syntyche.

"Besides, I'm not good with, erm, your game...." she looked around nervously, thinking that someone was following them. Maybe it was her mind making an excuse to look away. "Are you excited to see your mother? I would be if my mom were available for meetings with her children 24/7... and my dad, well, that's a different story altogether.". Aria hadn't meant for the whole statement to slip, but it did. In the end, she was tempted to slap herself.

Oh, great. Perfect. She preferred her past kept hidden.

Guest

"Sounds like a solid plan." Fletcher joked, smiling at her. "What, you afraid you're going to lose at rock, paper, scissors? Not that I blame ya or anything, I am beast at games. You have no idea how proud I was when I beat... what's her face. Unique name, dryad, pretty... Asipha. Yeah, Asipha. Anyways, you have no idea how proud I was when I beat Asipha at hide and seek." He told her, placing a hand over his heart and wiping an emotional tear from his eye before dropping his hands and grinning.

"Anyways, enough of my boasting. How about we just... talk? Better to stick together rather than being ambushed by monsters while we're separated and not knowing where the other is." He suggested, pushing some stray hairs away from his eyes and laughing.

"Yep, sure am. My mom's a pretty great person, I'm lucky to have someone like her around for me." He said earnestly, shaking his head and smiling. His smile froze when she mentioned his father. Well, he'd been pretty self-centred (as usual) to that point, and he realized he knew nothing about Aria. Heck, he hadn't even known her proper name until a few minutes ago. "So, what is your dad like? If you don't mind my asking, that is." He questioned, twisting his lips around a little bit.

Guest

Were there words to describe her father? Aria pondered a few seconds before deciding on what to talk about, her fingers tapped her mouth in a thinking gesture. "Well, my father enjoys traveling. He's a nuclear engineer, pretty well-known guy if you ask me. He taught me the basics of becoming a geek; reading fictional books, playing video games till your eyes rot, browsing comic book stores... hell, I even learned how to skateboard because of him. Whenever he was away, he'd send me letters and souvenirs. I can show you some when we get back to camp." she paused momentarily, with a distant look in her eyes. "He was a great man, you know? Fearless, adventurous, intelligent, wise- there's no questioning why Athena fell in love with him. He's an awesome dad... even if there are times when-"

The words stopped dead in her throat. What was there to say? Even if there were times when she missed him? No, she couldn't get anyone worried, she didn't want more condolences. This opening up was like unraveling the stitches of a painful wound, exposing it to the world. Aria wondered what Fletcher's reaction would be when he found out her father was dead.

"There are just times when I don't know where he is. Especially now, I hope he's happy though. I pray he's happy, he deserves nothing less than Elysium.". With that, she fought back a tear and gave Fletcher a small smile.

Guest

Listening as she spoke about her father, Fletcher was about to comment on video games and comic books before processing the rest of what she had said and pausing. He was a great man... Horrified as he realized what he had gotten himself into and what type of painful memories he caused the come back of, he shifted on his seat awkwardly and wondered what he should say.

He considered sliding an arm around her and attempting to comfort her but she would probably slap him or something. He barely knew her anyways. Besides, maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. Maybe her father was still ali-

Okay, that decided it. Her father had passed away and she was obviously battling an onslaught of tears. Deciding that he would take the hits if she decided to deal them, Fletcher shuffled closer to Aria and hesitated for a moment before wrapping an arm around her back and half-hugged her to him, bracing himself for a snap if a punch was sent his way. "I'm sure he's happy. Any man would having someone like you as their daughter." He said, resisting the urge to hang his head at the corniness of what he had said.

Gods, he hoped she didn't think that he was being a total sleaze-bag. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he found that he had come to respect her opinion and her as a person. But she was just another girl and he wasn't quite sure if she would even react to him ever making a move on her or... if anything ever bloomed between them, would it even last?

Guest

A stray tear found its way cascading down her cheek, but Aria quickly wiped it away. Be strong, be strong, be strong... It was like a chant in her head, it went on and one for months since her dad's death. Somehow, it brought her strength and dismay. What if she couldn't live up to her own expectations? What then?

Aria cleared her throat and tried her best for a smile. "I'm not about to let you see me cry. And, anyway, my dad wouldn't want me crying." she inhaled deeply and suddenly became aware of the arm wrapped around her back. With great effort, she resisted the urge to shrug it off and chastise him for doing such a thing, he was just being sympathetic after all. "Erm, thanks. I appreciate the concern, Fletcher. You're a great guy, I'm sure my dad would've told you that. As for me? Hmm, I think you aren't half-bad. A guy who's read a single Harry Potter book would definitely be on my list. Definitely.". After a few seconds of just sitting there, Aria stood and patted Fletcher on the shoulders. "Time to go."

Sure enough, the bus came in all its screeching glory. She slung her duffel over her shoulders and gestured for Fletcher to go ahead.

The truth is, Fletcher Emerson wasn't even half-bad. He wasn't bad at all. Apparently, as she'd come to know him, he was a good guy. Aria boarded the bus after him, still feeling a weird tingle on her back where his hand rested. Strange and awkward as it was, maybe they would get along.

Guest

As the tear trailed down her cheek, Fletcher found that he wished he could make her feel better - make all the pain he had caused to go away (( Omg, so sappy xD )). "It's perfectly fine to cry." He said, smiling back. She seemed to be eager to go though. Maybe this was a girl thing? Don't let guys see you cry otherwise they'll think you're weak? Well, he'd been a shoulder to cry on for many girls and they didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Then it dawned on him. He realized that... she wasn't comfortable with his arm around her. Recoiling as if he'd been stung, a little fast and a little sharply, he coughed and looked away. "Sorry, I won't cross that line again in the future." Fletcher said, slipping his bag back onto his back because it had slid off. Shuffling onto the bus, he dug through one of the side pockets of his rucksack for money before paying the fare for both himself and Aria.

He'd been stupid, Aria was his usual type of girl and he obviously wasn't her usual type of guy. Whatever, he would move on. There were plenty of other girls at camp. It wasn't like anything serious would have ever happened between the two of them, this was just one trip that she had agreed to go on with him out of politeness.

But ouch, his pride.

He may be a player who regularly broke hearts, but he still had some pride and realizing that some girl couldn't stand to have his arm around her stung. Slumping into one of the seats near a window, he stared out and watched as the road blurred by and Half-Blood Hill began to disappear from his field of vision.

(( Oh gosh, overflowing in sappiness, sorry. xD ))

Guest

Aria took the seat beside Fletcher, there was no other choice. This was a two seater bus, after all. She watched as he gloomily slumped down unto the seat and stare out the window. Had she does anything to upset him? Maybe he was still feeling uncomfortable with the incident about her dad? Anyway, she had to set things straight. People who were disappointed or sad didn't make very good companions, in her opinion. They'd stay silent and refuse to talk; and she needed his talkativeness for this long trip. It was hard to admit, but his attitude was starting to grow on her- in a good way. Not a lot of guys could open up like that, it was... different.

Placing her duffel bag on the ground under her seat, Aria tried to estimate the number of people on board. Usually, buses like these took thirty-two people. That meant two aisles with eight rows of two seats each. Though, she did see six seats lined up in the very back... so that meant thirty-eight. They were near the very front which was a good thing- it gave them time to escape if anything went wrong. Why not stay and fight? Well, there were too many civilians here and such little allotted space. You can't really rely on Mist the whole time. Looks like they had at least a small plan. If anything went wrong, Aria would improvise.

But, if anything went wrong, she'd want Fletcher the first one out of the bus. He had to see his mom. This whole visit was about him checking his mom's condition, so he was top priority.

After clearing her throat, she faced her companion and said, "Fletcher, I apologize if the topic brought you any discomfort. It's perfectly fine if we talk about my dad," she swallowed and realized that it wasn't. Still, there was no taking it back. "But, right now, we can't chit chat about it. Can you switch places with me? I want you the first one out of this vehicle if something happens... so you can go see your mom, even if I can't come along." Aria's voice was so sure and strong, even if it was kept in a silent hushed tone. For a moment, she reminded herself of her mother.

OOC: Hehe, heroic idiot xD

Guest

(( Have you seen all the posting formats, lately? xD ))

Glancing sideways at her as she sat next to him, Fletcher crossed his arms and placed his rucksack on the ground near his feet. He started slightly when she cleared her throat and talk, turning to her and grinning. "Whatdya' mean, discomfort? Me? Heck no. No need to apologize, I shouldn't have brought it up anyways, my bad." He replied, raising his hands in an apologetic manner. He listened to what else she said and frowned, setting his jaw and looking at her sharply.

"Absolutely not. I am the cause of this visit so you are my responsibility. In any circumstances, I will not exit first and leave you behind. We will stick together, we have higher chances of success that way." He said, furrowing his eyebrows. What, did she think that he would switch seats with her and hop on out of that bus if something happened? No way, Jose. Fletcher Emerson would not leave a camper behind for his own safety, that just wasn't right. Especially when it was his fault the camper had been put in danger and his fault he had blocked their means of exiting the scene.

Shaking his head, he smiled grudgingly before rapping her arm with his knuckles gently and affectionately. "Plus, you're the lady here." He pointed out, eyes laughing.

Guest

(( 'kay xD ))

Aria practically snorted when he mentioned the word lady. Some lady she made, she couldn't even bring herself to wear frilly blouses or dresses- let alone heels. "Have it your way then, Mr. Emerson. You're the boss here." she tipped her head in sarcastic recognition then returned his grin. "I'm still going to push you out of the bus first, mark my words."

Feeling a bit fatigued, she reclined her head back against the seat's soft head rest. Her eyes shut almost automatically. Hopefully, Flecther wouldn't mind taking first guard and her dozing off for a few minutes. The night before was a pretty restless night for her. Aria had spent it mapping out battle plans and tactics, positioning certain groups here and there. She still needed to suggest it to some higher-ups though.

"Don't think for one second that I'm letting the war stop you from reading the rest of the Harry Potter series. I'm lending you the next five the moment we set foot on camp. You better read it." Aria said, eyes still shut.

With that, she slipped away with a small smile on her face.

Guest

(( What? O-O ))

Laughing with her, he frowned and smiled at the same time (somehow). "Mr. Emerson? Sounds fancy and respectful. Continue calling me that and you'll get a gold star." He said, smirking. "You do that and I will pull you with me. I have no doubt that I am stronger than you." He half-threatened confidently, raising his chin defiantly.

"Oh man. I knew I should have thought twice before attempting to befriend a nerd." He joked, poking her softly before realizing she had dozed off. "Well... thanks for the warning, Aria. Just dropping off like that. Like a... log. I should draw a mustache on you with a permanent marker or something." He said, shaking his head and grinning. Girls always looked so cute when they slept, it was the time that Fletcher most liked them. When people slept they were just so peaceful and content-looking.

He kept silent after that, gazing at her for a few moments before realizing that he was and snapping his attention back to what was outside the window. Aria must have been tired, she fell asleep so easily. Or maybe she was just one of those people who didn't need that much time to fall asleep. Fletcher doubted it, demigods rarely slept so easily unless they were worn out or near death.

Personally, he enjoyed his sleep so he dozed off with relative ease. It still took him some time, he usually took the time to try and remember the name of his latest victim of love (( VICTIM OF LOOOOOOOOVE, OHYES )). Oh gods, that sounded sappy even in his head. He should really think of a new term for them. He refused to call them girlfriends because that implied something more serious than it actually was and he wasn't one for misleading people. He should call them...

Dolls.

Heck no. That sounded creepy. Biting his lip as he tried to think of what to call them, Fletcher glanced at Aria. Noticing that a stray strand of her hair had fallen in her face, he unthinkingly brushed it away before catching himself. Face-palming, he turned back and scooted away to resist all other urges, pretending he hadn't done anything so embarrassing. Gods, he hoped she didn't wake up from the slight touch.

Guest

Never really one to push away sleep when the time presented itself, Aria had never really been sleep- deprived for one whole night then proceeding to train the following morning. It was exhausting, she was used to at least five or four hours- and a few naps around camp here and there. There were times when she slept under a tree, on a bench in the arts and crafts area, a patch of grass in a clearing, and many other places. She didn't mind exposing herself to the elements for a long time, especially if it was a breezy day. What she did mind, however, were the bugs that liked to be creepers and crawl to the gods know where.

"Stupid bug," she unconsciously and subconsciously muttered under her breath. Aria felt something touch her face and, as usual, tried to swat it by waving her hands in front of her face. She groaned and turned in her seat before realizing somewhere in her sleeping mind that she was in a bus, and not outdoors. Her eyes flew open. "Fletcher, what was that? Was it a bug? Did you try waking me? What happened?" Aria's voice was a forced whisper, yet frantic.

"Gods, I hope it wasn't a spider. I hate spiders, I really do.". Heaving a sigh, she told herself to calm down and just stay awake the rest of the trip.

"How long till we get down, boss?"

((I said okay to the post formats thing xD))

Guest

(( Alright.. xD ))

Covering his head as Aria attempted to swat him, Fletcher smiled in an amused and at the same time, embarrassed way. What should he do? She had thought he was a bug and that wasn't entirely the truth though some may claim that he did resemble an insect in certain ways.. But, that was beside the point. Scratching his head, he decided to tell the partial truth. Might as well. Telling her lies this early on wouldn't result in anything positive.

"No, it was just... me, sorry." He explained, shrugging. "I was shifting around a little bit and I guess my sweater hood grazed you or something." He told her, apologizing again and glancing at the window again before looking back to her. Hey, he'd said partial truth and he had stated that he "guessed" his hood had grazed her. It wasn't a lie, he had been shifting around, it was just that his hand had been the thing to touch her but he wasn't quite willing to admit it. After all, touching someone's hair while they slept? That just screamed creeper.

"Looks like this is our stop, actually." He said, standing up as the bus rolled to a stop. Spectacular timing, really. Taking up his rucksack, he slung it over one shoulder and waited for Aria to get her things in order. "Next is a two and a half hour long train ride to Atlantic City!" He declared.

Guest

"Oh joy," Aria groaned to the train ride comment as she slung her duffel over her shoulders. Now that she was standing up, she noticed that most of the passengers were all in their late fifties or forties. No harm there now, was there? Still, you could never be too sure- therefor her overreacting was perfectly necessary. Perfectly.

As she followed Fletcher out of the bus, she decided to strike a conversation for no reason at all. "Out of all the years you've been in camp, can you name all your past and present girlfriends? I hear a lot about you from my female siblings. And trust me when I say a lot. It's come to the point wherein some actually keep pictures of you under their pillows when they sleep. They're this close to making your own personal shrine," she paused to make a small gesture with her fingers to illustrate her last statement. "I've yet to find the blue prints. I will eventually, trust me." Aria nudged him playfully on the arm. "Sadly, I can't say the same about myself. You'll never find pictures of you anywhere on my stuff. Hope you aren't too disappointed.".

((Sorry, late xD))

Guest

(( It's alright. Not late at all, actually. xD ))

He had to admit, he was pleased. Very pleased, knowing that his past girlfriends still talked about him and still kept pictures of him (though it was on a small scale, creepy). "I am extremely disappointed but what's the use in griping about that?" He joked before sobering somewhat and thinking in a intensely concentrated way.

"Let's see, all of my past and present girlfriends. I do know a few of them but I'm not so sure about the rest. Hannah, Lacy, Georgia, Sylvia, Lydia, and Olivia." He paused after those few and trying to remember as he walked and purchased two tickets for himself and Aria. Handing her the ticket, he chewing on his cheek and made a face. "Janice, and then her sister." Fletcher told her, snapping his fingers and attempting to remember the name associated with a face he had long forgotten.

"Kimberly, that's her name. Then there's Eleanor, Anne, Cora, Terri, Becca, Sandra, Cathryn. Dania, heh." He paused then and tried to remember some more names. It was hard enough remembering them as he dated the girls then, trying to pull up those rusty and dusty names now required immense effort.

Sitting down on a bench as he waited for the train, he turned to Aria and narrowed her eyes at her as he wracked his brain for more. "Eve, Tamara, Theresa, Alice, Helen, Patricia, Marie." He stopped after this round of names and then shrugged. "Alright, that's all I can remember for now." He said, shrugging and smiling abashedly. "Oh yeah, and my current girlfriend's name is..." He trailed off and squinted. What was her name again? "Alyn, that's her name." He finally said, making a triumphant noise. "Told me her name means 'pretty' or something before blushing in a cute way, but she is quite a beauty. Really sweet girl too, lasting much longer than most others." He told Aria, sighing happily.

Guest

Aria just walked along with Fletcher, keeping a straight face and a cool expression. But as the list of names grew longer, she found it harder not to either laugh out loud or chastise him for breaking too many hearts. There were actually some names of her siblings mentioned, and she found herself wondering what could have possibly gone wrong.

After he mentioned his latest victim, Aria cleared her throat and scanned the crowd. There were very few people, and even less suspicious-looking ones. "Yes, I bet they're all gorgeous, pretty, sweet, and all those girlish descriptions you could possibly use to elaborate them." she paused for a snort then added, "Can you name at least one of them who despises dresses, make-up, low-fat food, and two-piece swimsuits?" her voice was inquisitive and curious. The truth was, Aria hated 'girly-girls' for some odd reason. She wasn't jealous because there really was no problem about wanting to look good- but it was a different story if you added wanting to look good for boys.

They stopped in front of boarding area. The timer a few meters away stated that the train to Atlantic City would arrive in ten minutes. Gods, were they always cursed or graced with a ten-minute waiting period?

"Dania, huh? Sounds familiar. Was that the girl I reminded you of? Honestly, I don't think you could compare me to any of your gorgeous girlfriends, it would ruin my self-esteem." Aria said jokingly. "Anyway, while all your girlfriends were learning how to shop in malls and apply mascara on to make their eyelashes fluttery, I was playing video games, reading Lord of The Rings, trying to teach myself how to skateboard, attending comic conventions, et cetera. It's fun being a nerd."

Guest

(( Sorry about the delay! Thank Fluffy for reminding me to post once I got on. xD ))

Eyes flashing once, quickly and briefly, Fletcher waited for Aria to finish what she had said before managing a smile that wasn't thin enough to arouse suspicion but also wasn't as genuine as his earlier ones. She probably wouldn't realize that he was the very opposite of happy with her at that very moment, he had plenty of experience convincing people of things much more intense that how happy he was. "They are very much gorgeous, pretty, sweet, and beautiful, thank you very much. I can name none of the sort, but it's perfectly fine in my opinion. They're girls and girls are free to be fond of all those feminine fripperies and affinities - after all, they can't all be like you." He answered her, managing to keep his tone light and amused.

You have no right. He wanted to say to her but he managed to successfully hold himself back. No right to say that about those girls. He thought, lips tightening subtly but grinning anyways. Although he wasn't particularly attached to any one of them, he couldn't help but feel a jab of irritation when Aria ran her mouth about them like they were all vain and silly, like there was nothing to them other than that. She knew nothing about them, and there was no reason at all for her to act as if they were below her or something for being girls that liked things that girls usually liked. Fletcher Emerson happened to like his women to act like women.

Standing as the train rolled in, he turned his attention from Aria kind of hastily, but not hastily enough her to sense. Once it had come to a complete stop, Fletcher gathered up his bag and lined up to enter. He entered the train and looked around for a little bit to examine his surroundings before heading to what he deemed a decent spot. After placing his bag in one of the storage compartments above, he, once again, plopped into a window seat and stared out at the train station. He really had to stop doing that. Just hopping onto his means of transportation as fast as he could when he was upset with Aria wouldn't help him or the trip at all. Better to resent an ally than to make an enemy out of that person.

Honestly, he really had to get over himself. He expected Aria to sit near him, however, so he would attempt to strike up easy conversation with her once he found herself next to him again. If she avoided it, so be it. Actually no, he wouldn't give up like that - he would probably just scuttle on over beside her and talk. Managing a neutral expression that was on the brink of his usual grin, Fletcher watched as passengers filed in.

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