The Run In ( Phoenix/Open )

[Phoenix]

OoC: I’m just going to presume you have a couch in the room, even if it is covered in an ungodly mess Hopefully that’s okay lol

Phoenix would follow Astrid after she explained that her place was closer than anything else and that they may as well head straight there. As his steps fell into sync behind Astrid, Phoenix would lose himself in his own thoughts, complicated chess strategies, memories and segments of unrelated data thrown together all passed before his mind’s eye as he was constantly training his brain to reach the next level of intelligence and ingenuity.

Taking note of where Astrid was leading him, Phoenix memorised the route, directions and orientation in case he needed the knowledge later on, as he did so he noticed Astrid looking back at him to check if he was still following her. As Astrid entered a dormitory building, Phoenix guessed that they were nearing the end of the trip and were almost at Astrid’s room. Climbing up the stairs, Phoenix would once again question why he was here and what he planned on doing, surprised, he cam up with no answer for either question.

Phoenix would lean on the doorframe as he waited Astrid to open the door and follow her inside. Stepping through the doorway, Phoenix would take stock of his surroundings, noticing the mess that seemed to permeate the room. Upon noticing this Phoenix wondered if Astrid used the same system as he did to order things in his own personal space, Phoenix knew that in his own room he could locate anything he required in a matter of seconds, almost as if the apparent chaos was somehow organised to suit his style of living.

Taking up Astrid on her invitation, Phoenix would spot a couch in the living room and proceeded to move some of the rubbish off the couch and onto the floor next to it. Just as Phoenix had made himself a little bit more comfortable, he would hear Astrid’s voice from where the phone was.

“Nope, I’ll eat practically anything providing I’m hungry enough”

Phoenix looked down at his stomach as he recalled that he hadn’t eaten for at least 3 hours, almost as if his brain had alerted to this fact, Phoenix stomach began to grumble a little bit.

[Astrid Sudeki]

Astrid put in the order for pizza and then hung up the phone, letting out a soft sigh as she turned about to face the direction he had gone in. Noting that he had taken a seat on the very small couch she managed to buy to fit in here.

"Should take about 20 minutes. I am gonna go change...So yeah...make yourself at home. "

With that, she then turned and headed into the bathroom, closing the door, partially, as usual, behind her......When she came back out she was in a pair of cut off jean shorts, a extra large t-shirt and her hair was twisted and pinned up at the back of her head in a slightly messy fashion.

A soft smile offered as she hopped onto her bed, just a bit away from the couch he was seated on, crossing her legs and placing her elbows on her knees.

Those blue eyes locking on him as she brushed her tongue across her lips.

"So, you are in my house, more than likely have spotted a few sets of my underwear, and are sitting on my couch about to buy me a late lunch.....Tell me about yourself..."

Yup...that was about it....She expected some form of reply. Because well, he owed it to her. Well okay so maybe he didnt, but she wanted to know. So yeah, she asked him what she wanted to know.......In probably nooot the best way...But yeah..if he didnt like it...he could leave.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix heard the phone click back into place as Astrid put it down, turning his head to the side, Phoenix would watch her with his amethyst gaze as she said that she was going to go change and that the pizza wasn’t going to be too long in getting here. Following her back with the same gaze, Phoenix would watch her enter the bathroom and leave the door ajar, as she was presumably getting changed in their, Phoenix decided he would have a little fun and play a little mind game with her. Removing one of his hands from his jean pocket, Phoenix would reach up to his eyes and remove the amethyst contact lenses from both of his eyes, revealing his eyes as they should be. Blinking quickly a few times to get used to not having any contact lenses in his eyes, Phoenix would glance around, still with perfect vision, and absorb more of the room… or the mess that lay in the room. Deciding to take up Astrid on her invitation, Phoenix would use his feet to push off the rest of the mess from the couch and swivel on his gluts into a position where he was lying down on the couch.

Phoenix didn’t have to wait long for Astrid to return from the bathroom as she emerged wearing jean shorts and a large t-shirt. Watching her with his eyes, Phoenix would see her sit down on something, and then realise that it was indeed her bed, it was just almost indistinguishable because of the mess that was on it. Listening to her request, Phoenix would allow a sinister smile to manifest itself on his face again, extending it to his eyes just to see if she noticed the difference in his eyes.

“I’m known as Phoenix. Its not, as you might have guessed, my real name and, no, I won’t tell you my real name. Nothing personal, I just hate it. I transferred here from New York just recently, and if you want to know anything else you’ll have to be specific.”

Smiling mysteriously, Phoenix would turn his face from Astrid to the ceiling and look up at it.

“What about you? Tell me about yourself.”

[Astrid Sudeki]

As she caught sight of his eyes she raised her brow, letting him finish speaking before she shifted a bit forward, more than able to reach him, given how small the room was, and put her hand to his face, turning him to look at her more fully.

"Your eyes are different....Contacts?"

It was a valid question for her...That bitch she was watching over had more eye colors than a fucking mood ring.

She would then pull her hand away, shaking her head as she sighed and gave him a look of both confusion and misunderstanding.

"I dont get why you would want to hide them. They are nice..."

She was not too fond of her eyes, but they were all she had, and they were her own...So she kept them as is. It was another thing she just could not bring herself to do, change herself .... Besides what would be the point? Guys were not on her list of things to do......Not out of real choice but just the way her life was.....

Shaking her head, she pushed stuff off of the bed and laid down on her stomach, her feet pressed lightly to the wall on the other side of the bed, facing him with her hands under her chin.

"umm..not much to say about me...I used to live in Long Beach and moved here to do a favor for my cousin. Other than that, all that is important is I come from one of the more prominent clans in the area...the Sudeki's."

It was not bragging, more a statement to show she was proud of her family line....

[Phoenix]

Phoenix was surprised at the contact but nonetheless allowed it to occur, not resisting as Astrid turned his face to look at her straight on. Seeing his reflection in Astrid’s blue eyes, he could clearly make out his own blue and green eyes because of the little distance that separated them. As the distance that separated the two of them, it was very easy to hear Astrid as she spoke.

“Yes, contacts.

Astrid promptly pulled her hand away from Phoenix’s face and he continued to look at her. Once again listening as she spoke, however, this time her voice was filled with confusion and misunderstanding.

“They remind me of my past. It’s not so much that I don’t like my eyes, just that I don’t like to remember what they’ve seen. So I decided to cover them up with my favourite colour, now my eyes only see what I want them to.”

As Phoenix’s mind drifted off to memories that he would rather not have witnessed, he was almost instantly drawn back to reality as Astrid shifted position on the bed until she was lying down.

Astrid listed off a brief history of her life in much the same way as Phoenix had done, that being with minimal information, Phoenix now knew that Astrid hailed from Long Beach and had come here for her cousin. However, she seemed extremely proud to be from her family, the Sudeki’s, despite being a very intelligent guy, Phoenix had never heard of them. If Astrid’s pride wasn’t misplaced, Phoenix was sure the name would pop up again soon so he figured that there was little point in asking her about them.

“A favour? Care to elaborate on that?”

Phoenix would look towards the door as he was impatient for the pizza to arrive.

[Astrid Sudeki]

Astrid thought about his statement, only making her that much more confused. Finally she shook her head, letting him ask his question before she would speak up softly.

"That is silly...To want to forget the past. I have things in my life that I wish I had never seen, yet I do not wish to forget them. They are what have made me who I am, what drives me to be more than what I currently am.......Those images are as much a part of me as all the good I have seen with these eyes......"

She shrugged. She supposed to each his own, or whatever that saying was.

Finally there came a knock at the door, Astrid hopping up and holding her hand out....yeaaaaah he said he would pay.....Right?

Once she was able to get the money she would run to the door, forking it over to gain the prize on the other side..

PIZZAAA!!!!!!!!!

Taking the change, slamming the door, clearing the coffee table, setting pizza down and grabbing her slices....

Oh gods that was sooooooo goood!!!!!

Laying back on the bed she took a bite, swallowed and then looked back to him.

"My cousin asked me to come here. To take care of somebody for him. So as long as she is in danger, or until he asks otherwise...I will be here."

Of course that was the extent of what she would tell. Not wishing to draw more attention to the situation than was needed.....

[Phoenix]

Astrid finished speaking and Phoenix considered what she had said. Of course, thought Phoenix, those events had caused him to be who he was, but he could never forgive his parent for abandoning him in that school when he so young. He had decided long ago that rather than try and seek out his parents and discover why they had done such a thing, he would commit himself to forgetting about them all together and with them he would hate all the things that they forced him to do. That school had changed him, and when he had escaped from the school and left Australia, he was no longer their son.

“The memories changed me, however, I hate the impact that it has had on my life and I control my life now, the contacts are as much a symbol of that as anything.”

The sound of a fist knocking on wood echoed throughout Astrid’s messy room and Phoenix immediately reached for his wallet. He was, after all, a gentleman and if he gave you his word or promise you could trust that he was going to do what he said. Withdrawing a twenty dollar bill and a ten dollar bill from his wallet, he would hand it to Astrid’s awaiting hand as she barely allowed contact between her hand and the currency before running towards the door and enthusiastically paying for the pizza.

The door slammed and Phoenix lazily moved out of his lying down position and assumed a sitting position so that eating was going to be easier. As Astrid sprinted back into the room and swiped all of the junk from the table, she would place the pizza on the table and rip open the pizza so that she could grab a handful of pizza. As she lay back on the bed and took a bite of pizza, Phoenix would reach forward and grab a slice for himself, greedily breathing in the aroma of the slice. Taking a bite, Phoenix would listen to Astrid’s reason for coming to San Diego and think about until he swallowed. No matter how much he tried, Phoenix couldn’t seem to understand why Astrid’s reason for moving here. It sounded like an emotion that Phoenix would never understand.

“I’m not sure that I understand fully, however, I think I can grasp your meaning”

Finishing his first piece of pizza, Phoenix would look at Astrid before reaching forward and taking up another piece, careful to not spill any grease onto his clothes.

[Astrid Sudeki]

Astrid finished off two slices, and then shrugged, wiping her mouth and looking at him as she sighed.

"You wanna hide 'em, thats fine...I just think it looks better like this......"

Grabbing a few more slices, she sat back and once more began to eat, loving the freaking taste soooo much as she closed her eyes and savored it ........ as usual.........

Then as he spoke again she opened those eyes and looked back at him....a bit confused about what he was not getting......

"Honor...It is why I do what I do. It is out of love and respect for my family that I do as he asks. It is what I live by..my honor to my family...without it, I am nothing."

She raised her brow...hoping that would clear it up. Their family was steeped in tradition, and some of it was bred into their blood, something they could never escape no matter how much they tried, or wished differently........

"It is not that far fetched of a concept. I mean, we are born in our family to be strong at whatever life path lays ahead. We each have our own lives, but the one thing that keeps us united is the love and respect we feel for one another. Family is something you cannot replace........You must cherish it for the short while you have it......"

She felt those old memories coming forth, her Mother and Father, their faces in her mind.....Quickly she lowered her eyes and looked away....Not about to let this guy see her upset.....Fuck that...She would rather die.....

[Phoenix]

Phoenix accepted the thinly veiled compliment that lay behind Astrid’s dismissive attitude. Watching Astrid for a while, Phoenix guessed that she must either survive on pizza alone or love eating it regularly because the amount she was consuming coupled with the number of empty pizza boxes lying around in the room was staggering.

Carefully. Phoenix would listen to Astrid’s reply to his confusion. Honour was the answer. Phoenix knew that he understood honour well and was, by all definitions, an extremely honourable man, however, he was still confused as to how one could relate the concept of honour to that of family. Astrid paused and Phoenix recalled her words from his memory to decipher them again, in an attempt to see if there were any hidden meanings in here explanation, apparently there were none.

As Astrid delved into her explanation once again, Phoenix suddenly saw what she was trying to say with clarity, and more importantly, why he had initially been so confused about the issue.

“I understand now, but your concept of family related honour can never apply to me. My family abandoned me, cut me off, never contacted me and for all I know hated me. I return their indifference, just as they would no doubt want.”

Phoenix was beginning to get annoyed, he detested being reminded of the times that he tried so hard to erase from his memory, ironic that his eidetic memory prevented him from doing so. Calming himself down, Phoenix would take another bite of pizza, filling his mouth with the taste of grease and fast food.

[Astrid Sudeki]

Well that was a touchy subject, one which she did not really care to push on. Hell she had just met the guy. Instead she finished her pizza and nodded....She understood how that went...Not from personal experience but from the fact that she knew Kevala, who had also been cast aside, nearly killed and from what Spike had told her, been told all her life, by every person that was supposed to love her, that she was a monster........

Only difference.......at least from what she could tell this far, was that he was not as insane as Kevala.

"Alright....chill...No need to be getting all huffy on the matter. I was only explaining myself. Nothing more. So, whatcha do for fun?"

Change of topic, best course of action for the matter she supposed.

Another bite of pizza as she continued to look at him and awaited his reply.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix laughed out loud at Astrid’s colloquial mannerisms and how simple but effective her language was. Putting the last remnants of his piece of pizza in his mouth, Phoenix would chew thoughtfully, trying to think about what he enjoyed most.

“Hmmm, well… I guess I have fun doing whatever I’m good at. So, basketball, fixing things, computer programming, playing instruments, making music and definitely eating pizza with new friends. However, I do find fighting enjoyable as well, don’t judge me for it.”

Phoenix was exactly sure why he was revealing so much about himself to a girl that he hadn’t known a couple of hours ago, but for some odd reason he felt like he could trust her, like she wouldn’t betray him. Maybe it was something do with her opinion of honor, Phoenix thought to himself.

“Now that you know what I enjoy, what do you enjoy doing? I mean, other than eating pizza?”

As he said this, Phoenix would take one of the few remaining pieces of pizza and take a bite out of it.

[Astrid Sudeki]

As she finally finished up her pizza, she hopped off the bed, moving over to the fridge and grabbing a soda, holding it up in an offer to him.

"Want one?"

If he did, she would reach in, grab another for herself and then return to the bed, handing him his own before popping hers open and taking a drink before she would turn her attention to him and answer his question....finally....

"I sing, I play the violin, I hike, climb trees and skateboard....Oh and hang out with pretty much my only real friend....Bout it...."

Everything was spoken so matter of factly, as though it was of no real concern to her. Which it wasn't. She could care less if others liked her hobbies or not, that was why they were her hobbies.

A strand of hair randomly decided to fall into her face, brushing against her nose and causing her to wrinkle it slightly, not attempting to be cute, though honestly she could not help it. She HATED when stuff touched her nose!!!

Quickly raising her hand she brushed it back, trying to tuck it into place so that it would stay out of the way and away from her nose...

EVILS!!!

Her mind getting a bit sidetracked...but yeah...Focusing fast enough back on Phoenix.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix instinctively tensed his body as Astrid made a sudden movement, realising that Astrid was only getting up to walk over to the fridge, Phoenix would relax again.

“Yeah, sure. Do you have any Pepsi?”

If she did Phoenix would accept the soda with a nod and open it with a click followed by the sound of gas escaping from the liquid. Taking a draught, Phoenix would listen to Astrid’s response to his earlier question. A smile lit up in Phoenix’s eyes when the first thing that she mentioned was music related and the smile extended to his lips when she said she could play a musical instrument. The smile turned into a chuckle as Phoenix heard her last few words, they had even more in common than he had previously considered.

“So the usual list of suspects? We seem to have a few things in common then.”

Phoenix would stop there, leaving Astrid hanging for the explanation that would usually follow such a statement. Smiling sinisterly, Phoenix would take another gulp of soda and sit back in the couch, arranging himself in a relatively comfortable situation.

[Astrid Sudeki]

She looked at him after taking a drink. Her brow raising slightly as she set her drink down and brushed her tongue over her sugary flavored lips.

"Really? Which ones?"

She honestly had never thought about having a person like him share the same interests as her.......Let alone more than one. It was intriguing to find out what......

Clearly her interest had perked as those ocean eyes started to light up slightly. She had not really met anyone who shared interest.....it was a bit off setting and yet at the same time exciting......To her at least.....

She was after all a loner......so yeah....Leaning back on the bed, resting against the mound of pillows she kept those eyes on him intently, a light smile on her lips and her hands coming up to rest upon her stomach.....

"Not a lot of people share those interests.....at least not around this place. It is rather frustrating sometimes but I try to just ignore it."

She shrugged lightly and then fell silent as she awaited.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix glanced at Astrid as she voiced her question, smiling back at her, Phoenix was glad to see that his statement had had the effect that he had planned for it to have. As Astrid’s eyes lit up he could see that she hadn’t encountered anyway with similar interests at such a violent school, and Phoenix doubted that she would’ve guessed that a fighter such as himself would have the patience and intelligence required to understand music.

“What you said about the violin, I’m also a musician. If we had gone back to my place instead of yours, I could’ve shown you.”

Phoenix allowed the smile to remain on his face as he saw that Astrid’s eyes were lighting up, seemingly in glee, at the possibility of having someone that shared some of her interests with her.

Astrid seemed to confirm Phoenix’s thoughts at the same time as he thought about them. As she spoke, Phoenix would listen intently, knowing that the conversation could be taking a serious tone soon and that he would need to be paying attention.

“I don’t know about you, but I find that I play best when no one is around.”

Encouragingly smiling at Astrid as he spoke, he would scout around the apartment with his eyes, trying to find the shape of a violin littered among the mess that made up the room’s identity.