Beauty is Skin Deep (Richard)

[Jessica Ross]

December 3, 2027, a park in Tranquility

Today had been a bad day by Jessica's standards. Which meant that she had woken up in agony and it still hadn't gone away. She didn't know if it was phantom pains or very real pains. However, as she refused to take strong pain meds or anything that was severely addicting, not wanting yet another thing to rule her life, she knew it was probably real.

She also knew her mother hated that choice, as her dad, and her brother, when he was around since her dad was practically retired now, didn't like seeing her in pain. They had tried to get her to take stronger pain meds, now that she was out of the hospital, but that was all.

Now, in the cold that clung to the park, Jessica was sitting and waiting. Her mother had gone to a nearby cafe, after locking the wheelchair in place, she was left to contemplate while staring at the empty, abandoned park. Anyone walking up on her left side would think she was just a normal person, in a wheelchair, but from her right side, her scaring was prominent and had, more then once, sent people backing off.

"Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly reaches down to the bone," she quoted softly, something her mother often quoted in hopes of reminding Jessica that she wasn't strange.

Except that she was.

Jessica, dressed in warm clothes and with blankets tucked around her, buried her head into her gloved hands. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep the cry of pain from escaping.

She didn't stop the whimper however and wished, more then anything, that she had someone to talk to. Or that her mother would come back.

Anything would be acceptable at this time. Anything to distract her from the pain in her legs, in her lower back, in her side...everywhere, almost sending her mind back to the night in the car. It was only the crisp smell of outside that kept her calm.

And it didn't stop the second whimper of agony slipping past her, now bleeding, lips.

[Richard Magnus]

Richard had been practicing his guitar farther in the park for quite sometime until it got too cold for his liking. Some day he hoped to get an electric guitar but he liked having the wooden one so he could play it whereever he wanted.

The teenager wasn't well used to the cold since he grew up here, but at least it didn't get that cold like some places often did. {"Stiff hands, not fun."}[/i][/color] he thought as he put away his guitar in its case. He had used a pick and wore thin gloves to practice so he didn't hurt his hands. Though he had used a little of heat transferrence thanks to his ability to manipulate heat and fire to keep himself warm. He just didn't want to over do it because that would simply cause himself to get tired faster.

Once the guitar was packed away and the zipper was all the way sealed, he stood up and looked around before walking towards the entrance of the park, passing a swing set, monkey bars and other things as he moved. It was nice having already finished homework and kicking back, even if it meant staying up late to get it done as soon as possible.

Richard noticed a girl huddled in a wheelchair while waiting for someone. Frowning slightly, he quickly observed she must be lonely. And cold. Maybe he could help her out in a non-weird sense? There was nothing wrong with that, right? It wouldn't take much to transfer a little heat to the wheelchair.

Cautiously, the tall 18-year old approached Jessica. He stood about a foot away to her right with the guitar case behind his back. "Afternoon. It's pretty chilly out here. You going to be okay?"

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica had not known that there was anyone in the park besides her. Between the cold, and the time, she had not even begun to think that anyone would be here. Even her own mother had retreated from the cold. Normally, Jessica would have joined her, but the crowds of Christmas shoppers had closed in around her, making her feel claustrophobic at best and gave her panic attacks at worst.

As such, she had not kept as a good listen out for anyone around her. Not that Jessica would have been the best at defending herself right now, considering the cold was causing her entire body to go from aching to just pain beyond most imagining. She was sure someone could imagine it, but that didn't stop it and, dear God, she wanted it to stop, just for once, just stop!

So, when someone spoke, low and she couldn't catch all of the words, she sat up so fast to hurt her back. Not that it needed more pain, in addition to her muscles in her neck protesting the slight twist. She struggled to remember her manners, even though she knew she was probably in a state. She blinked a bit, feeling the painful stretch of her scaring as she tried to smile. "I'll be fine, thank you for your concern. I just don't like being in crowds," she answered.

Privately, she thought of it as the understatement of the century. Saying she didn't like crowds was like calling a hurricane a bit of wind and rain. As it was, she was incredibly thankful she had heard him and hadn't needed him to repeat anything.

Even with these thoughts, Jessica prepared herself for any other questions she suspected Richard would ask of her.

[Richard Magnus]

Richard's right eye brow quivered and rose up slightly upon hearing the girl's response. She didn't like crowds? There weren't many people around, especially when it was colder out than normal.

He sometimes didn't have control of his aura, his heat energy, and it gradually began to expand over the wheelchair since he was standing within arms reach of her. He wasn't intentionally doing it, at least, not at this point. His aura was simultaneously naturally reaching out about its surroundings as he sensed another person (her). Being very intuitive, the signals received transferred back to his mind in nanoseconds, allowing him to make your average, normal decisions that happen almost instinctively for him. Though for him, he was usually more in tune with his intuition, and he was also able to sense and feel others, which was in part what his aura was doing instinctively as he stood there. Whether a person knew or not the behaviors of a typical aura depended on the type and their background. Techno organics had an easier time with it, as did people with well-developed heightened senses. {"She certainly doesn't look that comfortable, regardless of being in a wheelchair."}

"There's hardly anyone here. You just seemed cold, and of course moving would help but, yeah...I presume you're waiting for someone." so he would hope because for this time of year it WAS pretty chilly. Then came that usual awkwardness. Richard wasn't sure of what to say next.

He then muttered under his breath as he realized he was letting his aura get too close to the girl. Not wanting to freak her out when she sensed the sudden change in warmth that 'followed him', Richard hesitated and slowly drew the invisible force back. "Sorry for the awkwardness, and sorry if I'm wasting your time. Just not every day one sees a person in a wheelchair sitting around out here."

((sorry for the slowness, been really busy with school but found time to post with a little help from some music ^^))

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica almost smacked her forehead with her hand when she realized how she answered before deciding it wasn't worth it. She wasn't going to explain it, unless she had to. Or she felt it deserved a better explanation later.

Jessica blinked in surprise as the warmth that suddenly came. She settled more into the wheelchair, but she otherwise didn't worry about it. It worried her slightly, but it was better then anything that the cold would dish out. She shifted a bit in her wheelchair and settled into a different position, mainly from nervousness. She couldn't stop the slight smile that spread across her face when he pointed it out. "Yeah, I am. Sorry, I am waiting for someone. However, the reason I'm out here is because everyone is in there," she explained, flushing slightly in embarrassment.

She twitched a little when he brought up the wheelchair. She resisted the urge to snap, but instead she smiled a bit. She rubbed the back of her neck slightly and nodded a bit, feeling the heat later. It must have been a figment of her imagination, in all honesty, because there was no reason, that she could see, for the heat to have come over the wheelchair. And that was next on her shopping list; getting a battery powered heat blanket.

"You didn't waste my time. I just wasn't expecting anyone and I've been having a rough day," she answered softly with a tiny shrug. She ran her hands across the blanket nervously and pulled at it. Normally, she would try and get out of a conversation. Though, usually, she wasn't trying to not scream and keep herself from having flashbacks.

She looked over at Richard and then held out a gloved hand to him. "I'm Jessica," she introduced softly, ignoring the slight pull across her scarring.

"Oh, and if you try anything, while my mother may not be in a branch of the military, she is very protective and a very fast runner when in three inch heels and faster in flats. And who I am waiting for out here," she added cheerfully.

[Richard Magnus]

Richard smiled and shook Jessica's hand with a light grip. Luckily he wasn't nervous or anything so his body temperature was that of a healthy human's, nothing out of the ordinary there. "Don't worry, I wouldn't try anything. I'm not like that." Richard wasn't really interested in girls, he rarely had dates in high school, though he had become fairly popular during his last few years because of how he stood against the norm in his ways and how he carried himself. He didn't let the bullies push him around much any more like they used to and he was becoming more protective of the innocent, and those that knew him in his senior class had taken notice of it. He had graduated last May, and was glad to be moving onto something bigger within the next year or so, college. But first he was taking a well deserved break to let his mind wind down a bit.

"I know all I can do is hope that you'll take my word for it, but, hey, at least I'm just standing here so that says something. Just out doing my own thing today, was practicing my guitar."

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica gave him a tiny smile as she shook his hand and nodded. "I believe you," she responded cheerfully, politely removing her hand from his light grip.

With that, she settled back against her chair. She rested a bit and the tension seemed to slip from her shoulders. However, the announcement that Richard played guitar, she perked up slightly.

"You play guitar?" she questioned, almost excitedly.

She immediately flushed a bit and turned back to facing forward. She ran her hands nervously along the blanket once again. She huffed softly, trying to clear her nervousness. She twisted a piece of the blanket around in her fingers before she looked back up at Richard. "Sorry. I just...well, I like music," she explained, though it dissolved quickly into a quiet mutter.

Jessica shifted nervously and shoved her blanket to lay flat over her legs once more. A bad day compacted with suddenly talking with someone was...odd, to her. She looked up at him and tried to smile at him again.

It was the least she could do.

[Richard Magnus]

Richard nodded vigorously. That was one thing they had in common then, music. He particularly loved banging on the drums and playing the guitar. People said he was better with the guitar but he certainly liked raging out on the drums occasionally. "Yes I do, I only play string/acoustic, I don't have an electric guitar, yet...but I'm going to be able to get one soon hopefully." Richard replied. "Every bit of music I listen to inspires me to play more each day. Gives me a break from the video games. It's...relaxing. Helps you get into a peaceful state of mind." Richard explained.

He also liked to sing with his brother occasionally, or just play the guitar with him and make up beats, it was always fun to do with a sibling.

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica looked up at Richard and her eyes brightened slightly. She seemed to straighten slightly for the conversation and smiled. "I never really had a talent for playing any musical instruments. I mostly just have a talent for singing. Unless it is too low. Then I am completely lost," she answered cheerfully, glad for the common denominator between the two of them.

It pushed the sounds of metal far from her head. Not the faint pain that came with it, but it was keeping her flashback away from her. She smiled a bit and began to work on shifting her seat again, something she seemed to to be doing more in the cold then any other time.

"What are some of your favorite songs to play?" she asked curiously.

While Jessica usually kept her smiles brighter, it was cold and she was in pain. Between all of that, she was sure that her lack of smile could be forgiven.

[Richard Magnus]

"Well while I focus mostly on rock and some classic country songs, I also play some of the more popular classical tunes. I love listening to all sorts of music when I study." Richard replied. "I don't know many girls that are into rock and metal, but it's fun to play with." he paused in thought. "My brother and I practice together all the time, it would be nice to have a female singer join in. We have a garage band sorta thing going."

"If you wanted specifics, I would have to take some time to think about all the different songs I like from each genre."

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica listened intently as Richard began to explain all of his different favorite types of music and grinned. She wasn't sure if it was an actual invitation or if it was just an idle comment about the female singer, but she wasn't sure if she should push or not. However, she really didn't know him and she knew, unless he lived close to her, she would have to brave a car ride to get there. "Specifics aren't needed. I happen to love rock and metal. Well, I have yet to hear a song I don't like. Admittedly, it is thanks to my older brother I know about Metal bands at all," she answered cheerfully, starting to relax more with Richard.

She paused and then pulled a slight face. "It gives them something else to fight about actually," she added and shook her head slightly.

It seemed that she was thinking back slightly. "And was the comment about the female singer an invitation or an observation?" she asked, deciding to get the point. Being subtle was pointless at this time.

[Richard Magnus]

Richard grinned then. "Either way you wanna look at it." he offered. "We could do a little audition if you'd like, you can pick a song or two and sing to your heart's content, we'll listen. Bro's around, I'm sure he wouldn't mind joining if he has time. But if we do this I'll have to get some contact info from you. Only if you're interested, though. It's just a friendly offer, it IS indeed nice to know a girl I've met who can at the very least tolerate and appreciate rock and metal." he scratched his head a bit. "I mess around with a lot of rock songs and such on my guitars and drums but not near as much as I probably would if I had an electric guitar. Can't wait to get one. Got most of what I need saved up."

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica perked up, her blue eyes lighting up with joy at the prospect. She had always wanted to have friends and this was a rather nice chance. While, admittedly, the contact information giving out was not the best option, she was excited. She actually seemed to be considering it and looked up at him. "I don't have anything to write anything down with," she answered.

She wanted to have friends. Her only friend was her brother and he was usually busy with doing Ranger things. Well, she assumed Ranger things, since he didn't really talk about it. However, having one friend, and that friend being one's older brother, limited a lot of things. She twitched a bit and smiled. "I just realized...you never gave me your name," she commented and resisted the urge to flinch as a slight tremor of pain, phantom or otherwise, raced up her legs and side.

She couldn't stop the slight tension in her jaws in response of it, however.

[Richard Magnus]

"Heh, sorry. It slipped my mind. I'm Richard." Richard felt a bit embarrassed and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but tried to shrug it off. "Don't worry, I can memorize numbers. I happen to like them." He wasn't about to tell her what he really was or anything since she hadn't raised any suspiscions about his heat transfer/manipulation ability.

Richard had a similar situation as Jessica in a way, though he had started to change towards the last year or so of high school after his family's own tragedy. He didn't have many friends though he did have a few...just that many of them were moving on to the next part of their lives, college and jobs. Both for some.

[Jessica Ross]

Jessica smiled brightly and nodded. "It's perfectly fine," she answered cheerfully. Upon his rationalization that he could memorize her number easily, she gave a nod and closed her eyes to calmly recall her own phone number. She twitched her head to the side and let out a low hum. With that, she looked back at Richard and began to recite her number.

Jessica smiled and then looked over at the cafe, wondering if something was wrong. Normally, her mother would be bustling out in a hurried fashion and then running upon seeing her talking to anyone. The over-protectiveness of her parents sometimes worried her and she chewed a bit on her bottom lip, before she focused entirely on Richard again, relaxing. When she had been 'parked' here, it had been due to the crowding.

It could not have changed much since her mother walked in. "Have you ever heard of the CD Nightfall in Middle-Earth?" she asked suddenly.

It had, once, been her brother's, but he gave it to her upon entering the Army.