Anti-Ball [Jalon]

[Admin Courtney]

"You could have picked out anything, and you picked out condoms, so this is your fault," Talon said with a smirk. When she mentioned the possibility of him having sex in that very room, he threw the condom box away from him and against the opposite wall, as if it had an unmentionable substance on it.
"Gross," he commented, losing the accent for a moment. "Images I did not want in my head."

He racked his brain for turn ons after she chose that as her truth question. What did turn him on?
"Well as you know, I don't have a gender preference," he began. "But I guess, uh... People who aren't annoying and judgemental. A good taste in music, definitely. Hair. I like hair. That you can grab, you know?" he said, holding his hands out in front of him and motioning grabbing chunks of hair. He grinned, then continued. "And uh... Well non-fake people also. And brunettes. Yeah," he finished, then glanced at her as if for approval.
He realised in the back of his mind that she fit every one of those qualities, and smiled slightly at that realization. Well, he wouldn't be able to stand her if she did not fit those qualifications.

[Admin Sydnee]

"Everything else in the desk was boring! Like I was going to steal a bottle of correction fluid!" Jade argued and she burst out in laughter when he tossed the box away. "And you think I'm not suffering from a similar image?" Ugh, it wouldn't go away. That was just wrong on so many levels. She wouldn't be able to keep a straight face the next time she had swim practice.

She nodded as he recited his list. "Alright, fair enough. Although I'm a bit offended by the brunette comment. Black hair is attractive too." She stuck her tongue out at him for about the third time that night. "I'm going to pick truth, before you even ask, because I am not going through something similar to finding condoms in my coach's desk again." It wasn't happening. And so she looked at him, waiting for a question.

This was fun, being with Talon was fun. Everything they said was playful, but she also knew that they could actually understand each other and that was nice, but it was great to just kick back and chill. Way better than the snow ball. Who would've thought she'd be doing this with a guy who hadn't wanted her to save his life weeks ago? Not to mention, she was a little annoyed at how attractive he was without even trying.

[Admin Courtney]

Talon laughed. "All right, fair enough. Condoms it is. But they can stay on that side of the room," he said, shaking the image out of his head. At least he was not the only one suffering from the scarring imagine.

At this point, he had forgotten to continue speaking in the accent, and switched back to his regular voice. "Brunette and black hair is the same to me," he admitted. "Dark hair is probably what I should have said. What do you call someone with black hair, anyway?" he wondered. "Blondes, brunettes, redheads... Is there a name?" He shook his head, not having any idea. "Anyway, I like your hair," he told her, smiling genuinely. It had been a while since he had smiled so much. Already he had smiled more tonight than he had all week. The anti-ball had been a fantastic idea so far. He didn't want the night to end.

"Truth again? Fair enough," he chuckled. He supposed they were both freaked out after the condom thing. He didn't want to end up with a dare that had to do with the condoms, since that was all that was coming to his mind. And he was sure Jade would want to get back at him. He grinned at her and thought up a question to ask her.
He asked the first question that popped into his mind, his expression turning serious.
"If you had known as I was dying that I didn't want to live, would you have still saved me?" he asked, turned his head to face her. He hadn't meant for the question to become so dark, but there it was.

[Admin Sydnee]

"Agreed," Jade said, her gaze averting to the box that had landed on the floor on the other side of the office. She turned back to Talon to hear his rant about hair colors. It made her smile. "Okay, dark hair. And I guess we don't really have a name. Nothing sounds right..." She shrugged. She'd never really thought about it.

But she ran a hand through her hair subconsciously when he'd said that he liked it. She liked her hair for the most part too. "Yours isn't half bad either," she said with a half smile and so she waited for his next question, wondering what ridiculous thing he'd ask next.

But it wasn't ridiculous at all. In fact, it was a question that Jade had asked herself once before and she still didn't know how to answer it. She was floored and her gaze fell to the floor for a moment, concentrating on her combat boots and the scuff marks on them. "Honestly..." she started. "I don't know. I remember not wanting to live...and....I would feel bad making somebody live when they didn't want to. I mean, it seems wrong to take away that wish, but....Leah." She found herself finally looking up to meet his eyes. "She needs you and you need her. I know that you think it's bad that she's over here, that something's holding her back, but Lanie's been with her lately. She's just watching over you, Talon. And I...I had to save you because she wanted you to live. A spirit was in distress. And honestly, I'm not sure if I would have been able to just let you die even if you wanted to. I'd feel like I could have done something." She finished rambling and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Suddenly she felt like she couldn't just go back into asking truth or dare. It felt wrong.

[Admin Courtney]

"See?" Talon pointed out. "So I meant black hair and brown. Dark hair. It looks better, I don't know," he said with a shrug. Lighter hair was nice, too, but when it came to a personal preference, he liked darker. For no better a reason than why he like certain colours over others.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when she complimented his hair as well. He was a fan of his hair, but did not really have a preference on his own appearance. He was pretty proud of his swimmer's muscles, though. He really had to get back into swimming before he lose them completely.

He waited patiently for Jade's answer, glad she did not hate him for asking such a difficult question.
When she mentioned Leah, he nodded. Of course. He probably would have done the same if he were in her position, even if she was begging him to just let her die.
"I'm glad that Lanie's been with her," he said, speaking through the lump that had gathered up in the back of his throat as he thought of his sister. He met Jade's eyes and smiled despite the topic at hand.
"Can you thank Lanie for that, by the way? It's not something she has to do, but I'm really grateful that Leah's not totally alone wherever she is while she waits for me to... I don't even know," he sighed. He leaned back against the desk again, still looking at Jade.

"I know I've said this already, but I am actually glad you didn't let me bleed out," he said. "But it's not just for Leah's sake anymore," he admitted, his eyes never leaving Jade's. He wanted her to know he was being completely honest. "Leah or no Leah, I'm glad I'm still here. I'm glad I'm sitting here in this room with you, listening to music we both enjoy, sharing jokes... It's been a while since I've laughed, Jade. There is still a part of me that doesn't want to live, but... Not today. Today, this week, right now... Right now I good with being alive. So thank you," he finished, his voice dropping to a whisper as emotion overwhelmed him.

[Admin Sydnee]

"So am I," Jade agreed. "Lanie's good with other spirits. Besides, they're about the same age. They'll get along well. I can tell." She managed to smile over at him and nodded. "I'll tell her, but I don't think she has any problem with it. She likes surrounding herself with people. That's one way in which we always differed. She's very friendly and you can trust Lanie with her. Leah just wants to check up on you, that's all. Because she cares and she doesn't blame you." She leaned back as well, feeling his eyes lock onto hers.

He was glad he was alive. Maybe he wouldn't always be, but he was now. He was grateful and thanking her for what she had done. Honestly, Jade would have saved him no matter what. She knew what it was like to be in his place, but...it got better. Somehow, some time, it got better. And maybe there was hope for Talon yet. "You're welcome," she managed, finally finding her voice. "Being alive isn't so bad sometimes. Certain things...certain music...certain people," she grinned at him. "Make it worth it." And she was hoping that Talon would continue to realize that.

She'd realized that she'd reached her hand forward, finding Talon's that was resting on his pant leg. It was the scarred one, with the bandage on it. She looked down at it for a moment and her own pale hand, the black nail polish contrasting against it. Her fingers curled around his.

[Admin Courtney]

Talon smiled. He sure hoped Lanie and Leah were getting along. It would be nice for them. They wouldn't be alone, just like how Talon was no longer along, because he had a friend now in Jade. He nodded when Jade told him Leah just cares and doesn't blame him. That was good to know, although Talon still blamed himself. He probably always would; it was learning to live with that that was the problem.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Certain music and people definitely do make life not so bad." The Cab was still playing in the background, and he felt he loved the band even more. There was just something about that night that made everything better. Maybe it was because he felt better.

His eyes fell to their hands where Jade's was wrapped around his. He turned his hand so their palms were touching, and ran his thumb across her black nails, feeling the hard smoothness that contrasted the softness of her hand and admiring the colour before entwining his fingers wordlessly with hers. He hoped she didn't mind the roughness of his hands that came with being a guy whose parents gave him yardwork over the summer in the hopes it would distract him.
Then he lifted his eyes to meet hers, but his lips did not smile. He took one last drag of his cigarette before extinguishing it on the side of the desk beside and behind him and blinked. Then his mouth curved into a smile, the smile reaching his eyes as he looked at Jade, feeling more relaxed and content than he had in many years.

He lifted their hands and kissed the back of hers in the spur of the moment, then smiled nervously. "Sorry," he said softly, but loud enough to be heard over the music. "I just felt really compelled to do that."

[Admin Sydnee]

"It's just finding those things and people that's difficult," Jade told him. She knew from experience. Finding Rafi had been a matter of chance, because they'd ended up in powers classes together, despite their age difference. Meeting Talon had been something different, an affect of her power. She remembered him briefly from the swim team last year, but he was so closed off so she hadn't gotten a chance to know him.

She was still staring at their hands, watching as his fingers entwined with hers. He didn't say anything and neither did she. She liked the feeling of his rough hands against hers, which were delicate and pale. His were more tan and calloused. She followed suit and extinguished her cigarette as well before looking up at him and smiling back.

She was shaking her head. "Don't worry about it," she told him. "You could just use the excuse that you're being a British gentlemen, which by the way...you lost your accent. Although I guess we're not playing the game anymore...in which case, it doesn't matter..." she trailed off, chuckling. She hadn't even known what compelled her to touch his hand, but he didn't seem to mind and that was good enough for her. Besides, it was nice to have a guy who didn't mind being near you.

[Admin Courtney]

"At least we found each other, although the circumstances weren't the greatest," he said with a grim smile. He did not plan on doing that again anytime soon, however. And that was thanks to Jade. Since that night, he had grown to feel close to her, and without meaning to, he had moved her towards the top of his list of people he didn't want to be without. The list was small, and before only really contained Leah - although she had been taken from him, she still took the top spot on his list - and when Dakota came along, he made the list. But now Jade was up there, knocking all but Leah from the top spot.
His sister would always be at the top, but he would never get her back.

"Oh shoot. I completely forgot about the game," he admitted. "So I guess I can't say I'm a British gentleman and just have to go with the truth." But he fell silent and did not say it. A mass of fear erupted inside of him. What if she didn't like him, and was only holding his hand as a friend? He couldn't take that kind of rejection again. His heart pounded in his chest, and he closed his eyes and turned his face away from Jade as he tried to calm himself down.

[Admin Sydnee]

"At least there's that," Jade agreed. "But it seems as if I never meet people in any normal circumstances." It was true, but perhaps it was more interesting that way. She wasn't one for cliches anyway. No, she preferred to meet people bleeding on the girl's bathroom floor.

"It's okay. I think I got my fill of the British accent," she told him with a laugh. Honestly, she was hyper aware of his hand in hers. It was different, to be apart of the living. She'd become so apart of the dead, even if she was still alive, but to have someone close to her like this, to feel warm flesh of someone who was also alive, was different. A good different. She found herself smiling and staring at the floor as he said he had to tell the truth, but when he didn't continue, she looked up only to see that he'd averted his gaze.

She squeezed his hand, trying to get his attention and with her free hand reached up to touch his face, fingers barely grazing his chin.

[Admin Courtney]

Talon's eyes flew open when he felt her fingers on his face. He turned his head into her hand. When he met her questioning gaze, the words began to spill from his tongue before he could hold them back. There was just something about the way she looked at him that made it easy for him to open up to her. He only hoped he would not pay for it later, but there was no going back now.

"I really like you Jade, and maybe I'm in over my head again because I have no idea how to shield myself from feeling this way as much as I try, but I do." He lifted his other hand to keep her hand to his face and closed his eyes again briefly. He liked the way her hand felt on his skin. He ignored the rapid beating of his heart, even though he was sure it might break right through his chest.
"Yeah," he breathed, sounded decided. His eyes met hers again. "I like you."

[Admin Sydnee]

When Talon turned his face into her hand, Jade met his eyes. He was holding something back and she only gave him a quizzical stare, not pressuring him to say anything, but instead just waiting to see if he would.

When he finally started to speak, the words poured from his mouth and Jade felt a hint of a smile pulling at the corners of her lips as she took in his words. He'd brought his hand up to rest on top of hers, keeping it pressed to his face and he closed his eyes. "If you're in over your head, I must be drowning," she said, smirking. Was that her way of telling him she liked him too? That was ridiculous. Jade was good with words most of the time, usually she was just good at talking to people, at explaining things and putting things in perspective, but right now, everything seemed so jumbled in her head as she looked at him. Who knew a guy could make her feel like this? "Damn you," she said to him, her voice soft as the hand holding his on the floor left his only to move up to the other side of her face. She used both hands to pull him towards her, leaning back.

[Admin Courtney]

With the words finally out, Talon felt a slight weight taken off his shoulders. He had no idea how she would react, but it was too late to take anything back now. Worst case scenario: she reacted like Dakota had. He knew how that would end up, and was not scared of what he would do. He only feared her reaction.

When she said she must be drowning, a vulnerably hopeful smile spread across his lips. "It's a good thing we can both swim, then," he said, feeling more joy than he did relief. The meaning behind her words were clear, and as cliche as it was, Talon actually did feel warm and fuzzy inside. He might just not admit that out loud.
His smile spread to a grin when she pulled him towards her, and he allowed her to tip him forwards as she leaned onto her back. He stopped with his face mere centimetres from hers, his heart now pounding for an entirely different reason, and hesitated only to bask in the feeling of knowing he was about to kiss her. But then he could hold back no longer, and closed the distance between their lips, kissing her softly and almost cautiously, as if unsure if this moment was even real.

[Admin Sydnee]

"Yeah," Jade breathed in response, agreeing with him. She smiled back at him as she pulled him closer, hands moving down to his neck as he neared her face. She let out a slight laugh. She hadn't imagined she'd be this close to Talon. She'd found him in the bathroom, bleeding out and the only thing on her mind was to save him, but honestly, she didn't think they'd become friends. She didn't think he'd want anything to do with her and she probably wouldn't want anything to do with him either, but things sometimes didn't go the way you thought they would and it wasn't always a bad thing. This was one example. He tipped over her as she leaned back, pulling her with him. When he closed the short distance between them, she found herself grinning into the kiss. She didn't remember the last time she'd kissed someone and she definitely didn't expect the next person to be Talon, but it didn't matter. She moved her lips against his, the music of the cab fading into the background. He tasted like cigarettes.

[Admin Courtney]

Her lips were incredibly sweet-tasting for someone who had just smoked a cigarette. Of course, the cigarette taste was still there, and quite strong. Talon loved it. His lips explored hers like they were given a new life until he had to stop to breathe. When he did pause, he kept his eyes closed but his nose touching hers. He grinned widely and laughed, not because anything was funny, but because he was happy. He was happy, and it was all because of this girl. The girl who had saved his life.
He opened his eyes briefly to look into hers, entangling a hand in her hair before kissing her again, unable to get enough. This time he kissed her more confidently, as if air wasn't an issue, as if she was his air.
And in a way, she was.
Jade had saved him, in more way than one.