A not so random occurance of you and me <Shai, NP>

[desna]

It wasn't like she had planned anything out. Of course that would be silly, unreasonable, out of the question. She was just going to let everything snow ball along as usual. Whatever end point it reached, well at least she'd understand herself a little better. It must have been at the very least week since she'd been nearly on her death bed, this was her second trip to Shai since then, with her head cleared none of the odd thoughts she'd been having went with them.

Odd thoughts filled her silly little head, well, they were odder than usual, ponderances like how when Aden looked at her with his ice blue eyes she got a shiver down her back and a flutter in her stomach. Or how when she thought about their various meetings she got a warm sensation flowing through her heart for her fingers and toes and the tips of her hair.

If she didn't know any better she'd say she was smitten. Even that word, it seemed so awkward. To smite is to destroy so being smitten means you're being destroyed, no wonder she got sick with all the odd thoughts invading her mind. But they weren't all bad, Aden had walked her home, that was farther than any of her friends had ever went for her, she liked his family and they seemed to like her all the same.

The world was turning to tang if what she was thinking about doing was really what she was going to do. Being vulnerable scared her, the thought of making a more lasting attachment to someone was frightening in the worst way possible. If there was anything she could say about herself it would be that she was never one to give up a chance and roll the dice. If she turned out to be wrong then it would be just as easy to walk away and forget the entire thing.

Maybe that was why she was walking alone at the moment, it was time to think and weigh the odds. She could usually tell when people were lying, Aden seemed honest, he might actually care about her, but where did they stand? Perhaps he was just a really good liar and had her fooled all along. No that didn't seem right.

Desna finally tilted her head back, her tired ochre locks of hair settling gently around her parka, she'd actually spent time brushing her hair and styling it this morning even though it was still situated in her almost out of dated pair of clumps that looked akin to a bears ears. Wispy bangs framed her face, strands that were too short to be held back, her old worn parka shifted with the subtle movements of her body just as her boots clipped alone along the smooth ground of the canal wall.

Pikatti and her sled were both back with her grocer friend, as much as she loved her polar bear dog she also needed some alone time now and then, not like se didn't have alone time nearly twenty four seven.

[aden]

Despite a lack of any real chores or tasks to perform this day, Aden found himself meandering around outside. Perhaps just because it was a sunny day, or maybe he just felt like chancing an encounter with someone he knew in the market, but something got him out of the house.

He started off walking swiftly along the roads from his home, though he eventually slowed his pace after he reached the beginning of the canals. Glancing both ways, he decided to take a stroll down to the lower levels of the city and toward the markets and docks. The walkways were not very busy, but nor were they deserted. However, he didn't spot anyone he was on speaking terms with.

That is, not until he walked past a short young woman with a familiar face and whispy hair. She was across the waterway on the other side of the canal, but the lack of other people around her made her easy to notice. Aden stopped on his next step and raised a hand to his mouth.

"Hey, Desna!" he called out to catch her attention. "I almost didn't recognize you without the sled and bear-dog." Aden smiled lightly and glanced around him to see if he was blocking the way for anyone else on his side of the waterway. There was a crossing a short way up, and depending on which way Desna was going he was considering which way to head to meet up with her.

[desna]

Sometimes if really did feel like there was an odd form of magnetism between them, perhaps they were both actively seeking one another or they were just lonely looking for anyone but by some force they almost always came back to one another in a serendipitous act that Desna couldn't wraps her mind around for more than a second before the actuality of it overwhelmed her. Then like a candle blowing out the understanding was gone, perhaps she was just looking over it when the truth was starring her in the face.

Either way she'd have to stop reading complex scrolls, they made her patterns of thought odd enough. For a brief second Desna was unsure about acknowledging Aden but once that passed a bright smile donned her face and she waved to the boys shouting out a greeting of her own " Hey! "

A mischievous glint came into her eye as she started at an easy lope towards the bridge beginning to cross the threshold before she spoke again. " I almost didn't recognize you without that frown of yours, it's nice to see that even grumpy guppies can smile." Sure she could have been nice and what not but it wasn't her style, when she wanted to cover things up she always went to empty humor, it was how she protected herself.

Honestly on a day like this didn't he have anything he should be doing? Surely his father would love the help, mothers always seemed to need a hand around the house, yet she was grateful because now he could help her put something to the test. She'd need to figure out the results of this experiment before it drove her crazy.

[aden]

Aden cracked a smile at Desna's jab and slowly started to walk towards the bridge she was trotting for to cross the canal. It meant he had to turn back from the direction he had been heading, but since he didn't have a set destination in mind it wasn't too much of a bother. He also didn't bother to respond with some kind of witty remark since he didn't feel like continuing their shouting conversation across the waterway.

Aden placed his hands inside the front pockets of his parka as he stolled towards the bridge. Desna would likely cross by the time he made it there, but he didn't feel the need to match her pace. That sort of exuberance only worked when you were female or under the age of 12.

"So..." the young warrior began to say as Desna came within earshot, "Where are your usual... accessories?" He couldn't think of a good all encompassing word for both an animal companion and an inanimate object, but hopefully Desna wouldn't take offense to Pikatti being labeled an accessory.

[desna]

" Pikatti and my sled are with a friend of mine." She said evenly enough finally bouncing up to Aden, stopping in front of the boy she shrugged casually not feeling the need to come up with some silly story and worry the poor boy. Though it was a semi-good idea she would have to save away for later. It would be amusing to have someone hunt around for an hour or so for something that wasn't lost " I felt like having a little time to myself, is that weird?"

He was happy to see her, she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, honestly she didn't really know what to think about it. If there was a hand book to dealing with people she'd read it twenty times over but still not know how to deal with people in a normal way. Perhaps that was made her oh so interesting, for Aden it was his silly wolf poof his awesome sense of humor and his odd tundra frost eyes.

" You free for the day or did you have a specific destination in mind?" Letting her weight shift to her right hip she regarded him with an open curiosity and a bright smile. If she had any ill intentions she wasn't showing it. It was hard to fight the urge she had to drop everything and just act like nothing was going on, ignore everything and continue on playing like little kids, but that wouldn't get her very far, it would hurt more in the end.

[aden]

"Not really," Aden added after Desna's mention of her desire for some time to herself. He clasped his hands together inside his sleeves and hung them by his waist, stepping back a few inches as he shifted his weight idly back and forth.

"Nowhere in particular," he replied to her follow-up question about his own objectives for the day. "Just sort of taking a stroll, maybe down to the docks to see if they brought in any whales recently." Aden was largely generating an answer on the spot. He didn't spend much time lingering on the docks when there wasn't some form of work keeping him there, but he had occasionally seen the makeshift workshops set up around freshly caught whale. Some might find the sight repulsive, but Aden found it fascinating how his people could dissect and salvage nearly every part of the massive creatures for use in a myriad of ways.

"And you?" the young warrior added, curious what Desna intended to do with her free time.

[desna]

She wasn't listening after he said 'nowhere in particular' after that she was thinking and idly nodding, uh huhs and sures. After all this was perfect, just what she was hoping for, the perfect chance to see what was going on in their silly little minds.

" Great!" She chimed as soon as he was finished talking even though it wasn't even a proper reply to the question he posed to her. Leaning forward her hand seized his slightly larger one and she beamed at the boy. " Were going on a feild trip since you have nothing better to do" Before checking to see if he wanted to come along with the idea she started tugging in the direction she came, back to the shelf. From there, the possibilities were endless. She wanted to go some place memorable, perhaps the caves or the little snowy beaches where arctic sloths sometimes migrated, any would be more than perfect for what she had in mind.

Either way she was keeping up the excitement, peeking her head back to look at him with a bright smile, how could be possibly say no without her throwing a fit and stomping her feet in protest, she was oh so intimidating.

[aden]

Despite all the time he'd known Desna, Aden was still surprised by the abrupt surge of excitement from the girl as she began to drag him along. He tried to wriggle his arm free gently, but she had a solid grip and he didn't feel like being unnecessarily rough in resisting the rather embarassing position. Aden's eyes immediately swiveled around to see if anyone was watching as she tugged him along like some kind of pet on a leash.

"Oh?" was all he really managed to respond to Desna's declaration of a field trip. "I guess I can go... but where exactly are we heading?" Aden asked. After a few more steps of following Desna, he figured she could see he was indeed going along with her and she he decide to extract hsi hand from her grip. Using his free hand to pry her grip loose, he slipped his own trapped digits free and then resumed walking normally.

"Any place far enough I should let my parents know?" he added as an afterthought. Chances are his parents trusted him enough to take his word on where he'd been if he came home late. However, Aden just figured it would be polite to let them know.

[desna]

He was asking an unusual amount of questions for such a usually laid back guy, it was a rather good one though, she wasn't quite sure what the final destination was, she'd had to settle though, as soon as she could settle on a specific place. All the while her legs kept moving not wanting to fall behind on her non-exsistant schedule of things she wanted to get done." I'll tell you when I figure out where we're going." She shot back after a thoughtful moment.

Of course Aden might not appreciate that answer but as his hand fell from hers she simply groped around until they were once again holding hands. Almost mid stride she stopped in front of Aden with a smile and a wave of her free hand. " We shouldn't be gone too long, I promise." That said she started off again keeping up a rather quick pace, sure any sane rational person might have thought she finally lost it but for once she seemed rather serious in her own odd way.

The edge of the town came quickly and tugging Aden along she made her way to the lift finally releasing his hand as she trotted up to the guard stationed to man the lift, he seemed surprised at Desna's lack of dog and sled and even more so at her companion though he kept his peace going as far as to shoot the boy an apologetic look. " C'mon!" Desna chimed as she stepped onto the ice slab somewhat patiently waiting for Aden despite her rocking from heel to toe wishing he'd hurry up.

[aden]

Desna's uncertainty as to their actual location was not exactly encuraging, but even so he continued walking along with her. "I'll take your word for it," he chimed in after her promise not to keep him out too long. The two made their way through the city, and at each level Aden expected Desna to take a turn and lead him toward some interesting destination. But as they reached the limits of the residential area and began crossing the middle section of the city he began to realize that their goal might not be within the city limits. He asked a few generic questions along the way, but Desna gave no definite answers.

When they came to the Wall and reached the lift up to the shelf, Desna seemed to be getting even more perky. Aden almost thought she had some sort of surprise planned, but how could that be? He'd made no plans to meet her, and they'd only crossed paths by chance. His mind wrestled with the possibilities, but he didn't voice his suspicions. In a rare act of chance, Aden was content to be surpised with whatever Desna had in mind.

"Coming," he said as he stepped calmly in her wake to stand on the platform. "In a rush?" the young warrior asked casually, smiling a little bit at Desna's excitement.

[desna]

Desna looked at Aden for an instant, taking stock of his height, his expression, memorizing him for some reason she couldn't fathom, but like a block of ice suddenly chipping away from a glacier her expression turned into a bright smile once again the corners of her lips pulled up into a grin, mischievous and warm that had come to be her own. " Always" She chimed in reply to his query about her forced pace of the outing. "Life is much to short to waste even a second."

Recalcitrantly the lift operator brought them up to the top of the shelf, it was in this short enough span of time that Desna finally let her eyes close enjoying the surging feeling of being propelled upwards, she imagined it was the closest thing she'd ever feel to flying, it was these simple pleasures she enjoyed most of all. After all before the day was over she may or may not be down one friend. Still she was stubborn, she needed to know, were the little tugs on her heart strings something she should be investing in, would she be crying, would she laugh it off and avoid him for the rest of her life? It worked well enough with her father.

Sparing another coy glance at Aden she pursed her lips not sure what to say, her lips parted gently with the beginnings of a word, but it froze all the same, 'forget it, lets's go back' she'd say but her voice gave out on her. If she let this go they could be friends, stay that way and forget everything else, a sharp pain in her chest forced her to wonder if that would be enough for her. She turned her heard straight looking at the wall instead of Aden as the platform pulled to a hault and she stepped out tugging Aden along with her.

[aden]

Aden couldn't help but pick up on Desna's thinly veiled anticipation. It was clear she had something in mind, but he wasn't sure what. Of course, in the back of his mind there were a few possibilities that lurked. Some of them he chalked up to the influence of his recent conversation with Pika Harta and tried his best to push them to the fringe of what to expect. It was, after all, what seperated him from the average seventeen year old.

The lift came to a stop and Desna wasted no time in dragging him onto the shelf. He kept some tension between their arms but aside from that didn't put up much resistance. Aden caught the eye of the lift bender who seemed both confused and suspicious of their excursion and Aden could only shrug in response.

Several steps out Aden managed to match his pace with Desna's so she was no longer tugging him and they were on an even footing. "Not to sound repetitive," he prefaced, "But are you going to tell me what we're doing yet?"