Participants:
| Scene Title | A Beach Meeting |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | On the beaches of California, two people meet on a beach thanks to a runaway cat. |
| Date | March 29, 2009 |
Will Rodgers Beach, Los Angeles, California
An out the way beach on the coast of California.
Spring, 2009. 23rd of March.
The gap between quarters at UCLA gives students not involved in sports a chance to take a break, to go home, or to just turn their brains off and not have to worry about studying. Caspian, as a member of the soccer team, has practices. Yes, that means instead of sleeping in until noon, he’s up at eight to run and have burly men kick balls at him while he tries to prevent said ball from getting past him. He’s good - his coach and team have said so - which is why when he relaxes, it’s not in the same way that the rest of the team does. Sure, he does go out and party from time to time, but after practice, instead of wandering back to the dorms, Caspian makes his way to the nearby beach with his towel to enjoy a quiet lunch with the sound of the surf crashing in his ears.
It takes a bit of doing, but eventually he makes it to Will Rogers State Beach on his motorcycle - a kind of out-of-the-way beach that has people, but not as many as Santa Monica beach which is just a little bit further south. With small subdivisions to his back, Caspian sets himself up on the sand a little before the surf line, his battered cooler opened up to reveal a pair of sandwiches, some bottles of water, a bag of chips, and a banana.
“Oya! C’mere you sneak!”
A tiny voice can be heard just over a nearby dune as a cat leaps over and races down the side right towards Caspian. It's a rather large cat to be a house cat. More the size of a small dog? It's fur a chestnut brown with golden hair peeking out at some places most notably around its ears. White stripes on its face and under belly this feline is exotic.
The woman that follows shortly after hands on her knees as she catches her breath is just as exotic.
Tibby is pretty short. Her bleached blonde hair an almost silver color cut in a strange mullet with severe bangs with shaved sides. Her light skin is bright in the sunlight, legs peeking out from black denim short shorts. Clad in a deep red tank top and her feet bare a pair of Vans in her small hand. She shakes her head as she spots the cat. “Oya! Back here this instant!” The tiny woman stomps her foot as the cat slows down to turn its head at the woman. A slight tilt before Oya is barreling towards Caspian.
His biking gear set aside on a small hillock to keep the sand out of them, Caspian has forgone shirt, shoes and the like, instead opting for a pair of fire-engine red swim trunks that hang a little above his knees, his shoulders, chest, and feet bare. He’s kneeling in the sand after spreading out his towel when the call from across the dune catches his attention, his head coming up just in time to see a small horse with a skinny tail tumble over the edge of the dune and scrabble over the sand towards him, away from the small blonde who seems to be intent on catching up.
In contrast to Tibby, Caspian is not short. If he were standing, he would probably have a good ten inches on the little blonde and in contrast to her light skin, he’s got a bit of a tan on him. He’s also fairly well built, hair cut short on the sides and long on top to allow him a little bit of range when he wants to style it a little differently. Today, thanks to the helmet, it’s a positive mess, but this is the beach and really, who dresses up for the beach?
“Hey, wait….” is all Caspian manages to get out before the dog-sized cat crashes into him, the man’s arms going out and actually wrapping around the cat before he tumbles back and does a roll with the cat stuck firmly on his chest, finally ending up looking up at the sky with a cat perched on top of him, claws dug into the skin of his belly. He isn’t sure /what/ the best thing to do right now is….more than likely the cat will want to not be where it is now and will fight to escape so, with a quick motion, he grabs his towel and tries to get it off and wrap it up before it decides to sink its claws into his skin.
A strangled yowl escapes the cat in the towel and Oya wiggles in its confines. The tiny woman squeaks as she witnesses the action and she runs down the side of the dune. As she comes to where Caspian is standing with her cat she puts her hands on her hips and leans in shaking her head at the bundle in his arms. “See what happens when you run away like a little shit!” Her childlike voice ringing out over the sound of the waves.
Tibby tilts her head up at the man and blinks as she takes him in. Oh wow, handsome. Blinking a few more times she grins a toothy grin at the man her green eyes twinkle in the sunlight. “Oi hey you’re pretty fast.” She says lamely, her accent some weird mix of British and.. somewhere else and as she files away in her head a note to tell her bibi that the men in California were a sight to see indeed.
Oya seems to relax in Caspian’s arms, Tibby wears a bemused expression as her eyes flutter and close for a second. She might just be enjoying the fresh air. Taking a moment to revel in it.
Caspian holds the cat effortlessly in his arms, looking down at the cat that’s currently looking up at him, purring now, the force of it causing his whole body to vibrate. What probably helps a lot is that he’s being gentle - he’s not squeezing or trying to hurt the cat. The towel is just there for his protection, although one errant claw did leave a nice scratch on his chest - something that’ll heal up easily.
He looks over at Tibby after a moment of looking into the feline’s golden eyes, studying the smaller woman. She’s cute, and not in the general sense. This is not a bad thing, mind you. In Caspian’s eyes, Tibby is cute and exotic - not anything like the girls he sees on campus or traipsing on the beach in bikinis that are barely there. Tibby looks like someone completely comfortable in her own skin and isn’t afraid to show it, and that moves her up on Caspian’s internal list several dozen notches. Not bad for a first accidental meeting.
“I….” his voice is soft, calm, one hand coming up, thumb scratching between Oya’s ears, the purr intensifying a little as he does so. “I think I have your cat.” Smooth, isn’t he. “Why…um…why was Oya running away?”
“You do have my cat.”
It's said rather bluntly and Tibby blinks as she hops to standing straight up which is to just about eye level with the man’s chest. “Have my cat in your arms!” She blushes a bit and rubs the back of her head ruffling the long blonde locks in the back, a nervous tic.
Green irises take in the scar and her eyes widen, that is not a good thing to happen. Especially when said feline isn't legal to have in the country. “Ag man! I am so sorry. This bliksemse likes to run ahead,” Tibby jabs a finger at the cat purring in his arms with a hard shake of her head. “Don't call the coppers yea? This little bitch didn't mean it. She's usually not such an arse.”
Oya settles comfortably in Caspian’s arms. Purring deeply in his arms, the cat she is a handful even for someone like Cas. “Tibby.” She extends a small hand.
“I have your cat.” Caspian agrees, looking down at Oya, contentedly purring in his arms, shifting her to one arm, bending at the knees slightly and reaching out with the other to give her extended hand a shake, pumping it twice lightly before letting loose. “Caspian.” he responds with a smile. “Pleasure.” Then, shifting a little more, he sits cross-legged on the sand, the cat in his lap, looking up at Tibby for a moment, then down at the cat. “So, Oya.” the cat’s eyes lazily open, focusing on him. “I’m going to unwrap you. No running off again, okay? I don’t think Tibby would like it very much.” he actually smiles at the cat, tapping it on its nose. “Do this favor for me, and I’ll give you a bite of ham. How about that?” He leans over to snag one of the sandwiches from the cooler, holding up for the cat to see and, yes, sniff.
With its attention on the sandwich, Caspian carefully unwinds the towel from the cat, setting it lightly in the sand next to him, peeling off the top bit of bread and offering the cat a nice thick chunk of ham which, more than likely, is gladly taken.
Now, with the cat’s attention on something else, Caspian uses the towel to dab his chest. It’s not a deep scratch at all - just a little blood. It’ll burn like hell when he swims, though. “Don’t worry about this. I’ve had worse a dozen times over. I’m not going to call anyone just because of a scratch. Oya means something to you - I can tell that much, and I’m not the sort to separate a girl and her cat.” He gives Tibby a smile from his seat on the sand. She’s really cute….
Is he staring? He might be staring.
There’s a soft cough as he dives for the cooler. “Want something to drink? It’s just water, but it’s cold and it’s here….” He’s stammering…
An eyebrow is raised as Oya stares up at Caspian and watches the thick chunk of ham being offered to her. She does in fact sniff. A purr rising from deep within her. She's extremely fast as she snaps her mouth forward and catches the ham with her teeth withdrawing away not before a yowl escapes it as Caspian gives her a gentle tap on the nose and she rolls around in the sand tearing at the meat with her teeth. Sucking her teeth and shaking her head from side to side Tibby giggles at her cat before squatting down in front of Caspian her gaze frequently going towards Oya in case the sneaky feline tries to leave again.
“Aye’ thanks bru.” She sighs in relief before she is plopping down on the blanket next to Caspian. Her eyes on his scar.. eyes traveling up to study his face as he offers her water. Tibby’s gaze narrows on the bottle, it's not like he followed her here. Her cat accosted him the least she could do is have a drink a water with the guy.
Tibby was also not above having some eye candy around to look too. Most of the men she had met in LA were.. just shallow. “Oya seems to think your kiff so,” she shrugs her shoulders lightly and nabs the water taking a few gulps before regarding Caspian with a stare. “You from around here?” It's LA you never know whose really from the city or just visiting like her.
“Not a problem.” Caspian leans back on the blanket, positioning himself to be able to look over the water and, occasionally, glancing over to short-clad blonde sitting on his blanket. First impressions are fairly good here, with Caspian not giving off any of the vibes that the normal California dudes give off. He's actually paying attention and isn't trying to shift the conversation back to him. He seems to just enjoy being here.
“Don’t know what Kiff means, but I guess it's a good thing.” He reaches over to scruff Oya behind the ears, looking over to where Tibby sits, shaking his head in the negative. “Nah, I'm not rich of famous enough to be from here. I'm from up north - Sonoma valley area, about two hours north of San Diego.” He closes the cooler to keep the cold things cold and takes a swig of his water, resting the bottle on his lower lip, thoughtful. “I'm going to school here - up at UCLA.” He says after a few seconds. “Playing soccer….football to the rest of the world. How about you? What brings you to the big city? Your accent…I've never heard anything like it.
“It means uh.. cool.” Tibby explains with a light grin on her face throwing her arms in the air and allowing her body to fall back onto the blanket she stares up at the clear blue sky. She really loves it here. Her eyes swivel to Caspian and she nods her head. “A footballer? Bladdy.” The little woman laughs from deep within. “I'm sorry, it's no joke I just.. Well back home I always seem to run into footballers. It's a nutty thing that I've run into one here in the middle of a semi-private beach!” She waves her hands in her air as she speaks, as comfortable as she always is when talking to strangers.
“I'm from South Africa, Johannesburg. My mom was British though,” was. A light shrug as she regards the young man with a look. “My accent’s a bit weird ya. My cousin sounds more proper than me.” She says proper with a bit of a snort. Remi is not a snob, but her side of the family in France can be.
Oh, okay. The word is different but the meaning is the same. Inflections and body language help a lot with the translation of exactly what she means. Blatty gets a little bit of a look but he guesses it means something like ‘damn!’ But in a good way. He chuckles a little, resting on his elbows and looking out over the water, then down to where Tibby lays. “I don't make nearly what a professional footballer does, and the fame is about the same level as a local restaurant owner or politician. Still, I have fun, and that's all that matters, really. It's just rare to meet a footballer around here, you know?” He gives Tibby a bright smile, “There’s not a lot of that kind of football here.”
And then, he goes quiet, just looking out over the ocean, at Oya, at Tibby, and just enjoys the sound of the surf, the feel of sunlight on his skin, and some unexpected companionship. He's quiet for a good few minutes, just glancing over, trying to not make it obvious. She's cute. Really cute, in fact. Petite and curvy in the right places, and most important of it all, interesting. “Well.” He finally says, fixing Tibby with a warm gaze. “Welcome to the United States, then. I'm very glad you and your cat came to visit. This afternoon wouldn't be nearly as interesting or as lovely if I hadn't run into you and Oya.”
The cat, as its name is mentioned, looks up at the pair, stands, stretches, slinks over, and finally settles down between the pair of them, long tail lashing their bare legs intermittently. This is a guy who was just tackled, cut, shared his sandwich and water, and still calls what happens the start of a lovely afternoon.
“I think she likes me.” His hand moves down to stroke Oya’s ears.
Stolen glances aren't just a thing that Caspian is doing and Tibby is taking every chance she can to study the handsome stranger. And boy is he handsome, and nice! Most people might be a little freaked out at seeing a native African wild cat in a domestic area.
She stretches again her limbs popping and cracking, this is a woman that works out, it would seem. Her body is sprawled out in a lazy fashion her gaze half lidded she licks her lips with a nod to the man. “Well maybe one day you’ll be on the big screen. All the lovely lasses out there screaming their knickers off!” Tibs snickers with a clap on the sand bed. Oya looks over at the two and meows, enjoying the attention she's getting from Caspian just as much as Tibby is. It's almost as if their moods are influencing the other. Oya yawns and Tibby stretches her limbs out with a small sigh. Tibby changes position and Oya might nudge a bit. In tune these two are.
“She doesn't like many people. Her brother likes less people.” A brief look of sadness breaches the mostly sunny mood as Tibby thinks of the caracal she couldn't find on her way out of Africa. She thinks of the feline often. She thinks of her family often. But Caspian is a welcome distraction.
“As to your earlier questions,” she digs in her pocket pulling out a tightly rolled joint whipping a lighter out and without further ado lights it. Taking a few puffs and blowing smoke rings into the air she looks at Caspian from the corner of her eyes. “I deal in special things.” A nonchalant tone.
“Ah, I guess so.” Caspian looks out over the water for a second. “I mean, that's the ultimate goal for a lot of the guys on the team. Came and fortune. Me, I just want to enjoy the competition, do my school, do my art, and end up after it all with some good stories, a degree, and somewhere else to go in the world. Maybe meet a girl in there somewhere….who knows? Soccer has gotten me this far, so I can't wait to see where it'll take me next.”
He watches the pair of you writhing and stretching in time with the other. He's heard of people taking on the characteristics of their pets, so maybe this is something like that. He watches as you pull out your joint and, surprise surprise, doesn't act shocked or awed by it. “Well, I’ve got some friends who would love your number just for that joint you have, but I think that if I do end up getting it, I might keep it for myself.” Here he goes. Reaching for the joint, he takes it if you let him and takes a couple of puffs, blowing out a cloud of smoke after holding it, watching it vanish in the breeze. “I hope this isn't too forward, but you wouldn't happen to be doing anything later, would you? You seem like an interesting person an’ I'd like to maybe go out to dinner or something with you. If you were up to it, of course.”
“So you don't have a lady waiting around at home for you?” Eyebrows raise as Tibby gives the man a sly smile and a wink. She's going for it as well coincidentally at the same time. “You make art?” A tilt of her head as she smiles. That's much more appealing than a skelm. She didn't want to say she also attracted thugs usually, perk of the job. “Well if you decided to use my number I would be beyond flattered by a oke like you.” She sits up on her elbows and lifts an eyebrow at him.
Oya has watched this exchange lazily. There's a life to that stare though as if she is somehow partially aware of what's in the air. This is emphasized by the sudden voice that is all too familiar in her head, Mate. It whispers in the back of her mind like a lover speaking from behind her. A flash of Oya and.. another cat in the desert fields of Africa takes over Tibby’s vision.
QUIET
Is Tibby’s shout back to Oya’s mind to which the cat wrinkles her nose and trots off closer to the sea line. She settles with her back to the two, head canted to the side. Fine be that way. Tibby glares at Oya’s back for a moment before catching herself and staring back up at the man.
A date? Is that what he just said? How fucking polite of him. Tibby grins widely and sits up now peering over at Caspian. A little closer than she was before. The nonchalant reaction he has to her herbs and her occupation makes her stomach flutter. He looks so.. proper and straight laced. Definitely Remi’s type. Tibby would usually run away from a guy like this, her life is insane. But.. he is just so cute. “I.. well.. where would ya wanna go? I don't do five star well.” She snorts, it's not that she can't dress up. She just rather not too. Food is food, whether you get it for cheap or expensive.
Wow, okay, so much to cover here. Passing back the joint, Caspian bids, that familiar buzzy feeling starting to rumble around behind his ears. “Yes, I make art. Here, look….”. He leans up and grabs his iPhone 3 and goes to the pictures. As he swipes, you see graffiti - some simple, but others highly complicated in a swirl of colours and subjects. Simple statements, scenes of dancing people, swirling around a maelstrom of spray paint that must have taken hours. One, though, really stands out - a picture of a girl spray painting a slogan on a highway sign “be the best you can be” is what it says, but there was actually news about this. The sign was left up for two months and then auctioned off, making more than the sign was worth. “I can show you, if you like?”
“No, no-one at home. Just me and a dorm mate who snores too loud. S’why I come out here to relax. Meeting a girl is kind of a bonus, y’know?” He's actually blushing - you can tell, just barely, but he is. “Five Star isn't for me. Too…stuffy. Get yelled at for using the wrong fork or something. I Was just thinking five guys or something. Somewhere we can just sit outside, talk, I don't know….hang out. See if we can't be friends.
Nodding at the offer to see his art sometime she grins and peers over to look at the phone that is offered. She grins at the images and quickly looks up at Cas with excitement. “Eish! You're bladdy good Cas.” The nickname slips out and Tibs blushes momentarily before sticking her chest out proud. She's not one to be ashamed of the words that come out of her mouth.
Her head held back she looks regal. Like a cat queen. Rotating her shoulders her gaze flicks towards Oya in the distance making sure she hasn't scampered off. She really would rather not have to influence the cat’s movements.
“I don't have many friends,” She says in her small voice as she's suddenly exiting the photos and going to type in her contact info. She's slow as she write it all out and then pushes the phone back in his direction. “Snoring roommate?” A lazy grin as she puffs more from the joint blowing it out the side of her mouth.
“Lucky you, I have a boat.” Waggling her eyebrows with a short laugh. As if they would be hanging out alone in the future or something. “Five Guys..?” A curious tilt of her head and her eyes widen a little. She hasn't eaten out at a lot of places in the city yet.
Cas, as he is now known, gives a brilliant smile to that. “Thanks, Tibs….”. There's a nickname for her. “It took lots of practice. Lots of late nights. Lots of running from the cops, the yard masters, and anyone who didn't want a tag on their property. Harmless art, gets blasted off a week later. So I have to make it memorable.”
He watches as she takes his phone and puts in her contact information, taking the phone when she pushes it back, sending the number she just put in a text so she’ll have his digits too. “Well….we might have to work on that then, won't we? Depending on how our little date goes, you more than likely have one more. Oya seems to think so.”
“Five Guys is a burger place. Good burgers, great fries, sit outside and look over the beach while you eat. Terrible for you but….”. He shrugs. “Tasty as hell.” He smiles. We can even get it to go. Take ‘em on your boat.”
A rueful smile is thrown Cas’ way and Tibby dips her head a few blonde strands of hair falling into her eyes. “Pose ya right..” she says softly the smile still on her lips. Oya for that matter is content chasing a few seagulls dumb enough to let their guard down around the wild cat.
The cat’s body is stiff as she waits her nose twitches with the scent of the birds in the air and she then pounces. Sailing gracefully and fast through the air, she catches one of the seagulls in her paws and slams down on the beach. The seagull squawks as the cat rips into it with abandon.
The feline’s owner looks sheepish as she peeks a glance at her new friend. “..she gets hungry. Sorry. Taming her isn't exactly easy.” A nervous chuckle as she looks into his eyes. At least Oya doesn't attack humans for no reason.. not fatally at least.
She continues to puff in the joint before putting it out in the sand and then throwing it in her pocket. Littering isn't really something she's a fan of doing. Nature is sacred and she tries to respect her. As much as she can seeing as she sails a boat of pollution all through its waters. Sorry Mother Earth.
There's a beat and then Tibby is hoping to her feet leaning down to look at Cas though really she's basically staring eye level. Hands on her hip she taps a foot. “Well after she eats.” Her head jerks in the direction of her feline friend having her lunch.
“Then we eat.”
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