Having A Rest

[Acelister†]

((John Smith continued from Requiem for Lost Sanctuary - in E-minor ))

John entered the food court, a few bags weighing him down along with the backpack on his back. He fancied something cold and refreshing, now he had gotten the supplies he needed. He was in a Vikings football shirt and loose-fitting pants, to try and hide his extra weight a little.

He went over to one of the burger joints and ordered a large banana milkshake, then paid and took it to sit in the common area at a table. He put his backpack and bags down, sitting and letting out a soft sigh as the weight left his feet. Being his size didn't seem to carry any benefit if not an athlete... Sport was -not- his thing...

He sipped from the straw in his milkshake and savoured the flavour whilst he watched people walking about. He hated that he couldn't decide whether he wanted to stare at the cute girls butt, or her cute boyfriend's butt.

'What's wrong with me?' he wondered silently. 'I like boobs and girls butts, then I make out with -one- guy... Have my first make-out session with a guy... And now I like guys?'

He sighed heavily, then picked up his bag. He took out his new sketch-pad and took a pencil out of the new box of ten before closing the bag and placing them both on the table. The pad of paper was diary-sized, but he chose it for it's portability. He couldn't always think of enough to fill a full sheet of paper, so doodles filled sheets upon sheets that sat on his desk at home. This way, he could justify having one drawing on one sheet of paper.

He flipped the book open and picked up the pencil, tapping the tip with his finger to test how sharp it was. It was from the craft store, so almost assuredly good quality. He went to draw a line, grimacing as the tip shattered onto the paper and spraying graphite in an ugly splotch - he forgot to buy a new eraser...

"One sheet down, one pencil down..." he grumbled to himself.

[Moth†]

[[Introducing Celeste Beaumont]]

Stupid saleswoman! Celeste fumed as she stalked into the food court, face bright red in her anger. She had just left the third clothing store by now, having found hardly anything sophisticated--grown-up and sexy, in her size. For the first two she had just left, feeling midly irritated, but nooo, the third attempt, which should have been a charm...! Stupid saleswoman...asks me where my mother is, shouldn't I be in the children's department...Bitch! Celeste let out a low growl as she collapsed into a chair, face in her hands. She could feel the heat from her cheeks stining her hands, andknew she must look like a real witch. I've got to calm down...I know I should calm down, but damn, how can I?

Clothes-shopping was a bust for today...Celeste was tempted to take her money and go buy herself a new bear, or a kitty, to cheer her up, but knew how that would look. Like a little girl buying a new toy. And after this embarrassing fiasco, she really didn't want to appear childish. Celeste moved her hands away from her face and pulled her compact from her purse, frowning at her reflection. "What's wrong with me?" she whispered to herself, touching the side of her face. She was wearing make-up today...bright red lipstick, pink blush, and had lined her eyes with lack liquid-liner, angling it just so to give her the cats'-eye appearance. She thought she looked adult enough! So why did...why...?

"My life just fucking sucks," Celeste groaned, closing her compact and putting it back in her purse. Her stomach grumbled, as if in agreement, but she knew it was really for want of food. I can't seem older if I'm walking around with a grumbling tummy--stomach! Stomach, not tummy. The dark-haired girl rose to her feet and went to the nearest food-seller, a Mexican place. Five minutes later, she had three tacos and a soda, and was moving towards he table when a person caught her eye. Hmmm? It's a guy. Maybe this could make me feel better... A sly grin appearing on Celeste's face, she walked over towards the bigger man, setting her tray of food on the table, right beside him. Rather than sit down, however, Celeste moved behind him, snaking her arms around his neck and draping herself over him. "Hi, big guy...." she purred, her voce sounded more mature and sulty than her appearance would imply.

[Acelister†]

"My life just fucking sucks,"

John heard a female voice speak as he went for another pencil, but by the time he looked back up, the one who spoke was gone. He shrugged and turned the page of the sketchbook, starting to draw an image of a manga character. Mutsumi Otohime from Love Hina, seeing as he had just been reading volume six earlier that day. There was something about those thick eyebrows...

He didn't notice the tray of food get set down next to him, but jumped when he was suddenly embraced from behind.

"Hi, big guy...." the voice said, though it did sound quite pretty.

"H-Hi...?" he says softly, hesitating before turning to look at her. She was close enough to kiss, so her features were a little blurred. He could see a lot of make-up - mainly a nice shade of lipstick.

"Uhm..." he tried to start - wanting to ask why she was holding him - but it wouldn't come out. He tried once more before just looking at her. Maybe he could talk to this very forward girl if he could see her eyes properly.

[Moth†]

Oh, this one sounded shy! Celeste's smile grew wider as she considered this...normally it would be a disadvantage, but maybe she could twist hima round. If he was shy, then he hadn't spoken to girls very often, Celeste thought. And if he hadn't spoken to many girls, then she had a better chance! All she ahd to do was pray that her looks owuldn't hold her down...Celeste chuckled a little and nuzzled John's shoulder. "Hi, to you too," she giggled. Damn! Not supposed to sound like that!

Celeste unwrapped her arms from John and moved around to stand beside him, not too close so as to make him uncomfortable, but just enough so that it felt...intimate. She continued to smile, one arm going behind her back and the other to toy with a lock of hair beside her ear. She tilted her head to one side, all in the name of looking coy. "I'm surprised to see someone like you alone," she said to him, smile widening a little. Celeste lowered her head to look at him from below her lashes. "See, I was thinking someone like you had a girlfriend nearby, and when no one had shown up for a while...Well, to be honest, it surprised me."

She came around the table to sit across him John, her food temporarily forgotten. Leaning forward iwth her elbows on the table, her chin resting in her hands, her gaze flickered downwards to the picture he was sketching. Oh, a manga character...so he was one of those types? She only hoped he didn't prefer paper-flat, inked girls as opposed to a flesh-and-blood one. "So, why are you all alone here?"

[Acelister†]

John felt his heart-rate increase as she touched him more before nuzzling him. He blushed as he realised it was turning him on. At least his lower-half was under the table...

"Hi, to you too," she said before moving away a little, finally letting him see her face.

She wore make-up. Enough to mask her natural looks. She looked quite pretty. Very un-manly. That only served to confuse him more... She was just turning him on as easily as that guy-guy website...

"I'm surprised to see someone like you alone. See, I was thinking someone like you had a girlfriend nearby, and when no one had shown up for a while...Well, to be honest, it surprised me."

John was kind of glad when she moved around the table, but then she looked at his book. He covered it, feeling shy that someone looked at his unfinished work. She was a stranger, though she did look familiar. Did he know her from school? She must have been a freshman, given her height and... lack of boobs. Not that she didn't look nice. It was alright to think of juniors as sexy, wasn't it...? Despite the lack of cleavage, she was a nice shape... And she had those thick eyebrows...

"So, why are you all alone here?"

John blinked, suddenly aware of what she was asking.

"I... I don't have... A girlfriend..." he admitted. Was she asking him out? "I just... I was having a... A drink. I just went to buy new pencils and paper..."

What if she -did- ask him out? Dating a junior wouldn't be bad, right? She wouldn't want sex, so it would help him work things out...

"What did you come here for?" he asked, before remembering the tacos. "Uhh... Just lunch?"

[Moth†]

Hmmm...so he drew those characters a lot, then? Celeste could live with that. Yeah... she thought, nodding to herself a bit. I can manage that. She hadn't heard him saying anything about her appearance or her height, so she assumed that the mare-up and outfit--thin, tight red shirt and skinny jeans--had paid off. At least this person wouldn't think he a kid, right? Celeste smiled even wider without realizing it. And no girlfriend, either!

"You have no girlfriend?" she asked, tilting her head again and twirling her hair. "That's hard to believe!" Pencils and paper? Yup. Artist-type.

"What did you come here for?"the boy asked her. "Uhh... Just lunch?"

"Hm? Why'd I come to this table?" Celeste asked, chuckling a bit as she continued to toy with her hair. She'd tried this trick several times before, and it worked most of the time. She didn't know why some men had a thing for hair...must've been something from ancient times. What did they think? Long hair equals fertility or something like that? "Well, like I said, i thought you had a girlfriend...but when I saw no one else here, I thought you might be lonely, so I thought I'd come over and sit with you." She punctuated her sentene with a small smile, nodding her head at him.

Unfortunately, the image she was trying to portray was ruined somewhat by her stomach's sudden growl. Blushing pink in embarrassment, Celeste hastily got up and moved back to sit beside John, rather than across from him, grabbing a taco. "I'm sorry about that...I'm hungry, too, see?" she said, raising her eyebrows at the word "hungry." She scooted the chair a little closer to him, "accidentally" brushing her thigh against his. "Real hungry."

[Acelister†]

"You have no girlfriend? That's hard to believe!"

John blushed at that. He figured it was the drawing. From television shows, he figured that girls liked the stoic, silent artist type. Sadly, he was just someone who wanted to draw and paint. If he didn't even class himself as an artist, why should anyone else?

"Hm? Why'd I come to this table? Well, like I said, i thought you had a girlfriend...but when I saw no one else here, I thought you might be lonely, so I thought I'd come over and sit with you." she said, almost constantly playing with her hair. It made her seem more innocent and maybe naive... Whatever it was, it wasn't helping John in the below-table matters. She was really cute... Maybe he could see what classes she had, then arrange to be in the hallway near to her classroom when she got out. Or near her locker. It would help his reputation to be seen with a cute girl - though depending on how under-age she was, it might just soil his reputation...

He couldn't help but smile when her stomach growled. He even let out a chuckle, though that he could have kept in. And should have. She didn't need to feel embarrassed. He watched her small frame get up and sit next to him, though he had kept his arm over the page of the book. It's a good thing he yet hadn't decided if he wanted this drawing to have clothes on or not...

"I'm sorry about that...I'm hungry, too, see? Real hungry."

John froze when she said that, rubbing her thigh against his. He swallowed, his mouth feeling very dry. So much for his thoughts earlier...

"I-I..." he stuttered, wishing he could adjust his crotch without her noticing. "I can t-tell."
He indicated her food, in case she thought he was making fun of her rumbling tummy. She was very forward for someone who was in their early-to-mid-teens...

"And you like... You like tacos?" he asked, trying to get the subject off of him and girlfriends. "Tacos are cool... I like loads of cheese on them."

He closed his book and slid it into the part-open bag near his feet before taking a long sip through the straw stuck in his drink. He wanted to get less nervous - he was sure he was sweating much too much.

[Moth†]

For a few moments, Celeste was angry again--but calmed down after realizing that John had been referring to the fact she had food, not the fact that her stomach had been protesting. Good thing, too, because if he'd been making fun of her she'd probably get pissed off and give up on him. And then she'd regret it later...giving up on a conquest. Unthinkable! You're trying to get a boyfriend, anyway. You can't go off in a huff because someone laughs. Not usually, at least, Celeste scolded herself.

And you like... You like tacos?"John asked her, and she looked up at him for a few moments, making sure to make eye contact. "Tacos are cool... I like loads of cheese on them."

Celeste smiled. "You do? I like mine with meat. And chili...chili's good on tacos. Most evrything, eally, did you know?" she giggled a bit, taking a careful bite out of her first taco. She wasn't lying right there...girl had a weakness for chili, she couldn't help it! Movement caught her eye and she noticed John putting his sketchbook under the table before taking a sip of his drink. Damn, why was he being so quiet? Oh, no, she wasn't ugly, was she?! Shit, if it turned out she wasn't his type...!

Okay, calm down...Keep at it. Celeste looked disappointed at John, the cornes of her mouth turning down into an almost-exxagerated frown. "Ah, why'd you put your book away? I wanted to see more of it..." she mumbled, lookign under the table to see where the book went. Her eyes widened as she saw the...problem he had in his pants. Nope...not me. It's him. Siting back up and smiling at him, like she hadn't seen a thing, Celeste scooted a little bit closer. "So...you think we've met at school or something, big guy? What's your name?"

[Acelister†]

"You do? I like mine with meat. And chili...chili's good on tacos. Most evrything, eally, did you know?"

John smiled back at her. She had a nice laugh. It was like the rest of her. Cute. And as she kept giggling and playing with her hair - she was flirting! Awesome!

"Ah, why'd you put your book away? I wanted to see more of it... So...you think we've met at school or something, big guy? What's your name?"

John blinked at the sudden subject change. He was well aware of his problem, but not how glaringly obvious it was through his loose-fitting pants. As she didn't say anything, he had no reason to think it was obvious.

"I'm John." he introduced himself. "John Smith, senior of Bayview. But you've probably seen me, but maybe not noticed me. You go there too, right?"

He hesitated before retrieving the book from the bag and opening it.

"I have part of a manga character and a smudge..." he showed her, becoming more comfortable around her. "I don't... Really like showing off my unfinished work."

[Moth†]

"John Smith, senior of Bayview. But you've probably seen me, but maybe not noticed me. You go there too, right?"

Celeste nodded cheerfully, then hesitated ad shook her head. Laughing awkwardly and scratching the side of her face, she told him, "I go there, too, yeah. But I haven't noticed you before now, which is honestly surprising." She stopped laughing to smile at him, tilting her head downward somewhat to stare upwards at him again. "I'd think that I would've, see...You seem to have this...presence, so to speak." Celeste flushed a bit, realizing how that could have been taken. Oh, she didn't mean it in reference to his physical body, or his weight or anything! She'd meant it as something mental, or emotional...something like "friendly, powerful vibes."

"Er...that's not to be rude, of course," she hastily corrected herself, managing to look appropriately embarrassed.

John retrived his sketchbook and opened it to the page he'd been on when she draped on him. "I have part of a manga character and a smudge," he pointed out. "I don't... Really like showing off my unfinished work."

"Ah, I see...It's a typical artist-thing, don't worry about it, Big Guy--er....John," she said, chuckling a bit under her breath. She leaned forward, making sure that her arms were touching his, and her practically non-existant chest grazed his fore-arm. Her fingers gently trailed over the page, touching the girl's face, hair, eyes. They moved over a bit to touch the smudge, rubbing it in small circles. "Hm...it's really stubborn...doesn't want to go away," she whispered, frowning a little. Abruptly pulling away, she smiled at him again. "Oh, sorry, John, i didn't say what my name was! My name's Celeste Beaumont...But I'm sure you never saw me either...I can't really show up easily in crowds."

[Acelister†]

"I'd think that I would've, see...You seem to have this...presence, so to speak. Er...that's not to be rude, of course,"

John blushed before she corrected herself. She didn''t want to insult him? Someone like her generally did mean to insult...

"Ah, I see...It's a typical artist-thing, don't worry about it, Big Guy--er....John," she said, again correcting a potentially insulting comment. It was nice of her to try to be politically correct. He didn't mind the nickname, though...

He didn't know if it was intentional, but as she went to look at the picture, she touched her arms against his - and he felt her chest touch his arm too. It was very slight, but if he was right, he practically felt her up!

"Oh, sorry, John, i didn't say what my name was! My name's Celeste Beaumont...But I'm sure you never saw me either...I can't really show up easily in crowds."

John shook his head when she said that.

"I'm sure I've seen you." he told her. "I just couldn't remember where... You're... You're a babe... I totally know I've seen you."

He blushed at the fact he complimented her. He still figured she was a sophomore.

[Moth†]

Celeste allowed herself to blush at the "babe" statement, a pleased smile appearing. Wow, she was certainly smiling a lot around John...More than she usually did when trying to get a guy. Laughing embarrassment, she held her hands to her burning cheeks and shook her head a bit. "You really think I'm a abe?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. She looked down again, genuinely happy about that. No one had ever..."I've never been called that before, you see." It took a while for her to realize that she'd actually said that out loud, and she looked back up at John, still smiling. "Thanks a lot.

"And if it's anything to you, I think....you're a pretty hot one yourself," Celeste added, leaning against his side and hugging him a bit. Her eyes closed as she pondered that statement...Well, she wouldn't call him hot, exactly, but he was quite good-looking! She wouldn't mind actually snagging this one, personally.

"I totally know I've seen you," he told her, and Celeste nodded. He might have...he might have.

"You might've seen me once...I've gone to a few of the senior events, but as I said, I can't stick out in the crowds," she admitted, making sure to sound shy.

[Acelister†]

"And if it's anything to you, I think....you're a pretty hot one yourself," she said, hugging his arm.

John blushed brighter at that. He doubted she meant it though... He knew he wasn't a catch in the looks department. It was still nice for her to say.

"You might've seen me once...I've gone to a few of the senior events, but as I said, I can't stick out in the crowds,"

"Sure you do." John said, shaking his head. "So what if there's others who are... Bigger... But... That came out wrong..."

He grimaced at his stupid choice of words. She'll take it the wrong way...

[Moth†]

"Sure you do." John said, shaking his head. "So what if there's others who are... Bigger..."

Bigger? Celeste's smile was quickly erased, and she looked with contempt down at her body. Stick-like figure, barely-there breasts, small height..."Yeah," she growled, shuddering and wrapping her arms aorund herself. "They're all bigger." All of them, in every way. Hips, chests, butt, height in general. Why was she cursed like this? She must've pissed off some god of beauty in a past life or something... "I suppose you could see me standing out in a line-up," she said, gentler now but with a bitter tone to her voice. "But you can't see me in crowds because everyone tramples me."

"But... That came out wrong..."

Celeste looked up at him again, shuddering slightly. It had? So...Big Guy wasn't insulting her? Well, she supposed she had it coming. After all, "Big Guy' could have sounded insulting as well. And she certainly hadn't meant that. She looked down again, her hair shielding her eyes from view, and sighed. "Thank you for telling me that part," she whispered. She leaned forward again, her head bumping against John's arm, but this time it was in sadness, not flirtatious manner. "I....hate my size. You probably thought I was kid too, huh?" she whispered, sounding ready to cry.

[Acelister†]

"Yeah, They're all bigger. I suppose you could see me standing out in a line-up,"

John felt really bad for making her self-concious. He certainly uadn't meant to. He wanted to explain, when she suddenly cuddled him with her cheek.

"I....hate my size. You probably thought I was kid too, huh?"

John blinked, not knowing how to answer that. He did think that...

"Everyone's got something they don't like about themself..." he told her. "You should be glad you don't have to worry about your weight, or acne. Or think guys talk to you 'cause you have big boobs..."

He blushed as he said that word. It sounded weird coming from his mouth...