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The request surprised her. A person requesting to see what sat in her sketchbook (aside from professors and friends, of course) didn't happen often, especially from a person who seemed so soft spoken. Trying to make the conversation continue, Rya assumed. She had absolutely no issue with showing a few pieces, but only those that were meant for strangers eyes to see.
Too much of her heart sat in her sketches, so she didn't enjoy displaying them too often.
"Not a problem," The hydrokinetic nodded, opening up to her current WIP. The outline of a building sat on the page, only half showing the exterior. The other half sat open faced, small doodles in the middle depicting various, nearly undecipherable actions. "Rough sketch right now, but it's getting there."
What else did Lux have to do at this time of night, when she was (or she assumed as such) her only customer?
"A self sufficient man. I can appreciate that," Rya raised her brow, but this hardly was the strangest thing the hydrokinetic had seen, even today.
Her shoulders relaxed and her hands sat in her pocket. "What a relief," she laughed, "They're definitely not my forte." And suddenly, his silence overtook them for just a moment, all the while the look on his face displayed his intention. He was funny, she had to admit.
Rya grabbed the hacky sack in her hand and tossed it up once, catching it, "After I beamed you in the side of your head? Yeah, sure." The Brit pulled back away from the walkway and back into the grass, extending her arm, "You ready?"
Rya prided herself on her athleticism, but the fact that the hacky sack landed a direct hit to the side of a stranger's head was impressive even for her. She offered a variation of the two-fingered salute once the recipient of her 'gift', so to speak, turned towards her. Her eyes traveled up and down his body without apology and returned the grin shortly after, "Unfortunately, holding a hand through anticipatory pain is not my thing."
Certainly, she did come over to see if this person didn't get hurt from her momentary lack of coordination, so how could she deny him company should he request it? The brunette had nowhere to be, while the guy in front of her didn't seem too keen on going anywhere. "But I guess I can stick around as an apology or something."
She stood in the middle of the lawn in front of one of the main libraries, alone but surrounded by groups having picnics or talking between themselves. In the pathways, people walked to their destination. The hydrokinetic found herself alone, kicking a hacky sack around with her foot. For the most part her aim brought the bag back in the air, and she kept it in her general direction. It flew a few places, sure, but it hadn't hit anyone. Her lips pulled into a grin, her teeth showing, and her ponytail bounced back and forth with every sudden move.
Rya knew that her luck would run out eventually, and sure enough, she kicked the small bean bag into the walkway of moving people and it hit someone - In the head - before she could get it back under control.
"Fuck," The Brit cursed before running over, "You alright?"
Carter came back with a peace offering of sorts, to which Rya shrugged but accepted nonetheless. The girl took a drink of water shortly after Isaac, and nodded in response, "Brings back memories, yeah." Blue eyes caught the terrakinetic's, then she raised her own glass.
"So what brings you back to the states, monsieur blondie?" The named seemed fitting, since the two men around her both sported nearly platinum locks. The hydrokinetic was genuinely curious, however, of his return and why it came so unexpectedly. He seemed so keen on departing when he left initially, the small town of Stagfort not exactly fostering the type of life he wanted. She wondered what changed. It may be a conversation to be left for another night, but she figured she'd extend it regardless.
Forty. Rya brought out matching bills almost immediately, but kept them folded in between her index and middle finger, "I can do forty." She spent plenty of time playing on nights like these, but learned to never underestimate an opponent willing to put down a decent amount money. Some waved the cash without the skill to back them, but more often than not the hydrokinetic found a decent opponent and an interesting game.
Rya positioned the cue, leaned over, aimed, and shot. She watched the balls scatter, and a solid fell into a corner pocket. "Let's get this shit started, yeah?"
Rya spent much of her life acting like she had no concern for other people and did everything she figured would get her in the most trouble. Nobody heard her name, even today, and considered her the nice girl, but that didn't mean she was a complete asshole at all times. She took a sip of the cooling, bitter liquid, "Fair enough."
It seemed that throughout the years, the two women managed to unintentionally avoid the other. She shook her head, "Been here for a while now." Rya had no inclination to return back to England, "Been studying art history and studio art." The brunette gestured to the closed sketch book, "Sometimes this time of night is the only time I can get things done, hence why I'm here."
Rya pushed the work on the table off to the side then, far more interested in this familiar stranger that filled her coffee cup. The fact that she even remembered still intrigued her, and the once frustrated clench of her jaw eased when the young woman offered an almost relieved smile. The Brit didn't mind much - most people didn't expect her to be the remembering type - so when Lux confirmed her name, Rya was just glad that she didn't completely butcher it the first time around.
"Small world," She exhaled on a quick laugh, "But yeah, makes sense. Lux does slide off the tongue nicely."
Rya shifted and quickly ground the chalk against her own cue after the blonde set it down. The brit leaned against table for a moment and waited for the balls to be left alone, but just as they were, the woman brought up an interesting proposition. Are we playing for cash or fun? Did she want to spend any extra money on the prospect of losing? Then again, that implied that Rya might actually lose.
Immediately, her lips curled upward, "How much are we talking?" No reason to turn down a reasonable offer without knowing the details, after all.
Isaac made his anger clear. His posture shifted, his jaw clenched, and Rya’s posture went lax in response. She should have been more remorseful for her insensitive comment, but it did exactly what she wanted – made him angry. She had her fair share of slut-shaming aimed at her, and did she necessarily feel it right to even go to this level? Absolutely not. Or she wouldn’t, but she couldn’t help but grin, laughing at his attempt to shoo her off.
“Oh, I must have pressed a button,” She said simply, her tongue sliding along her bottom lip, “But I think this little girl is going to stay.” The fuming blonde did not frighten her in the slightest, even if he were two times her size and probably could do a good bit if he cared to. That was a future Rya problem, and she didn’t care to think it through.
Rya placed the coffee she pressed to her lips down slowly. Her eyes traveled across the waitresses face, trying to pull a face to a name. "Yeah, the name's Rya." For a few moments, she felt the frustration of a nameless recognition bubble up and she grabbed her bottom lip with her teeth. As soon as she mentioned Carter and how she, at one point, was his roommate, it all came back. The many nights she bypassed the brunette in the living space to get to the blonde came flooding back, and a name came to mind.
She nodded, "Yeah, yeah." Who would have thought, out of everyone that she could have come across, that Rya'd be recognized through her affiliation with the blonde. She laughed, shaking her head, "You're... Lux-" A pause, "Luxanna? Or am I just completely wrong?"
Rya grinned, rested her head on her knees and watched for a reaction. Deb didn't disappoint, and the hydrokinetic laughed in response. The professor hadn't assigned the project that long ago but Rya, for once in her academic career, wanted to begin working as early as possible. Prior to this semester, things were done near minutes before the deadline and she'd come to class with works that still needed fine details worked out but never were. She often wondered if school was for her, but if she weren't at Bellfonte, the Brit would be back in England doing God knew what. "For fucks sake, Deb, am I really that forgettable?"
She really didn't want the other girl to answer that.
Rya appreciated the honesty, and shrugged when the question returned back to her. Her sketchbook was already filled with enough unfinished pieces, she almost wanted to work on some of them to avoid having to come up with absolutely everything. The hydrokinetic adjusted her legs and placed the book on her lap and began flipping. "There are these rough sketches I have from the shit I've fucked around with, but you pick."
(most are images of the historic district of the town or natural scenes)
The brief acknowledgement turned to outright staring with a look the hydrokinetic couldn't quite decipher. Rya like to believe she was more observant, but that momentary blank that the waitress seemed to have left her genuinely confused. Did she have something on her face? Sometimes she had marks on it from putting the pen the wrong way, but damn, she'd been more careful this time around... she thought? The stuttered apology did little to ease the confusion,"Is everything alright?" Rya asked, setting down the pencil on the table.
The Brit forgot to thank her, to which she quickly remedied, "And thanks, by the way."
Rya could see the minimal shift of annoyance, for lack of a better term, at what she said. It didn't bother her enough, it seemed, because she requested to join a game of pool. Rya nodded, "Yeah, I think a table just opened up." Standing at the bar already became a chore, with some men pushing up against her to do exactly what she had, so she needed no reason to leave the crowd at all.
The Brit held her bottle and shoved her way back out of the hoard, towards the tables which, surprisingly enough, it looked like a game just finished up. The game played in the background, and it looked like the tensions were getting high, so the focus of most of the bar was back on the television sets. This breach gave the hydrokinetic enough time to slide and claim the table before anyone else could. Rya turned to the blonde, looking to see if she even followed. "Do you want to break first, or do you not care?"
The access to water did wonders on her psyche, the pressure from her frustration easing enough for her mind to clear. Did she get what she wanted? Certainly not. Is it what she wanted now? No. What did she want? Her mind went to fucking around with the two guys, as a way to have a little fun. She took a breath and took a sip of water, turning in her chair the minute that she heard Isaac move onto another girl.
Rya stood up and leaned on the bar, whistling to gain the attention of the bartender moreso than Isaac. "Damn, with how fast you've moved on, you've got to wonder what you have crawling around down there." Eyes traveled to Carter, "It's a valid concern, yeah?"
