[IC] Breaking Free (RavenWolf & LadySquee)

[RavenWolf]

The morning air was crisp and cool with only the faintest hint of a breeze, whispy white clouds making frantic brush strokes on the pale Blue of the sky, altogether quite comfortable. Many people were finding it refreshing to be out and about just to be able to have a chance to take in a lungfull of the delicious day, Happily greeting neighbors in the small town of Sunnyside. Dogs romped without a care in backyard lawns, a cat contentedly soaked up the sun on one of the dark thatched roofs, butterflies and birds were out in force, humming through the pleasant air, all life obviously enjoying the beautiful day it had been blessed with.

One man leaned his hip against a rusty Half finished frame of a voltswagon Rabbit, content to watch the frenzy of life around him with a glass of lemonade in his hand as he took a break from working on the machine he was now using to prop himself up. Telthris Bran, as The man was known, was the only mechanic in town and a God send if you asked the local religious leader's wife, Even if he had funny blue hair. The hair in question was indeed an unusual shade of dark navy blue and usually hung to Tel's shoulders, but had been gathered back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. Other then the odd lock color, He was a relatively average young man. He was only slightly shorter then the 5'10" Mark, With a broad shouldered stocky build to his frame, Covered in tan blemish free skin. His Face had a rectangular shape to it, Strong jawed with a slightly prominent forehead. Twin lines of dark blue cut thick markings above each of his eyes, those of which seemed to look out from a deep cavern and were so darkly Brown that they almost resembled black. But despite any intimidation one might feel upon first meeting the mechanic based on looks alone, he was a playful overprotective teddy bear, At least, that's what all the children said.

Sipping at the ice cold tart liquid, Telthris's lips puckered for a moment before he let out a soft sigh of satisfaction, setting The cup onto the lid of his toolbox and picking up a wrench and screwdriver to dive under the belly of the beast once more. But before he could even make it 2 inches...

"Ris!Rissy!" A young girl chirped happily as she skipped along the sidewalk, blonde pigtails bouncing, stopping in front of the crouched mechanic with a grin on her face.

Telthris offered only the smallest of smiles, little more than a faint twitch of his lips, but his curiosity and enthusiasm showed playfully in his eyes . "Hello Franny girl. You look like you've got something you want to tell me, so I think you should get it out before you explode."

Fran giggled and nodded her head enthusiastically. "we might be getting a new neighbor!" She folded her arms across her chest and stuck out her chin as if she had just given him The greatest treat in the world.

Tel lifted both of his eyebrows, Suddenly making his forehead appear not quite as prominent as it had been before. "that's... interesting." Turning his dark gaze towards the bulk of the town, the young man grew thoughtful, Worry showing in the depths of his eyes to only the keenest observer. "Thanks for the gossip Fran." He wasn't entirely sure why, but the news made something deep within him stir uneasily.

[Lady Squee]

Mj kept her Toyota Camry in the fast-lane, her hands tight about the steering wheel. She managed to take her eyes off the road for one second to look to her right. Outside her passenger window was nothing but metal. Oh, how she hated tractor-trailers. She quickly put her eyes back to the pavement and pressed on the gas pedal just enough to let her go by the truck. Immediately she was relieved and immediately she put on her brakes.

“Stupid people. There’s a slow lane, you know!” she said, her voice rising with each word. A quick look back to her right made her shut-up and tighten the grip on the steering wheel again. She was never going to get away from that truck. Today was officially terrible.

After five hours of fighting traffic, Mj finally saw Exit 108 and took it gratefully.

“Welcome to Sunnyside, where we’re always happy to see the Sunny Side of you!”

The corny little sign brought a smile to her lips. She was home. As strange as that was to say, it was the truth. Her Uncle Charley and Aunt Vera had actually told her about the town during their Christmas visit. Though they actually lived a few miles away in Maple Springs, they spoke nothing but good about Sunnyside.

“You’ll love it, Minerva Jane! It’s perfect for you,” her aunt told her.

“Vera, you know she prefers to be called Mj. Don’t tease the girl,” her uncle defended.

“Charley, she’s an adult. She’s going to have to get rid of that little nickname sooner or later. A strong woman isn’t offended by her name. She embraces it and uses to her advantage.”

That had been six months ago, and now here she was in Sunnyside starting a new life for herself. She cleared her throat as she turned down a little road named Grassy Lane. To be honest, there was nothing grassy about this lane. It was nothing but asphalt, concrete, and homes. Down the road a little ways, she saw a man and a young girl talking beside an old, beat-up car. What men loved about cars, Mj didn’t know and why that girl was with that strange-looking man, Mj didn’t know (or care), either. She tossed her hand to the right anyway, in a strange wave that she doubted they would see. That was the thing about being raised in the south; you waved at everybody.

“116 Grassy Lane, 116 Grassy Lane…” Mj muttered to herself as she finally got closer to her number. “110, 112, 114…. 116!” She slowed down and turned into the driveway, stopping short of her garage door. This was the first time she had seen her new home in person and her blue eyes stared at the front door for what felt like ages. This place was actually hers. Everything about it was hers. Of course, the home was furnished with the furniture, but it was still hers!

Mj opened her door and finally stepped out of the car, her legs throbbing. She put a hand on the roof to steady herself and once she felt like she could walk, she made her way to the front door. Her honey auburn hair, frazzled from the drive, could clearly be seen in the reflection of the screen door. She was a completely sweaty mess that a shower was sure to fix, but first she had to get everything in the house and set up. Finally, Mj was excited. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[RavenWolf]

Only moments after the little girl's arrival with her exciting news, both Fran and Telthris alerted to the sound of an approaching car, heads turning simultaneously to watch the unfamiliar Toyota make its way hesitantly along Grassy Lane. The driver made a quick jerky motion with her hand that could have been a wave, but it this distance it was hard to tell. She could have been shooing a fly...

Tel's head tilted with interest, curiosity bright within his eyes. "Looks like you got your wish Franny, you've got a new neighbor." He drawled, watching as the Camry turned into the driveway of 116. Turning his dark eyes back towards the seven-year-old, his lips once again quirked up in a small smile. "why don't you run home to your mom and get something tasty started to bring over as a welcome gift?"

He watched as Fran's big blue eyes grew even wider and an excited grin lit her face brilliantly. As she turned to begin running back towards her house, number 115, she let out a delighted squeal of, "Oh! We can make her tuna noodle casserole! My favorite!"

A deep chuckle Rombold pleasantly in Telthris's throat as the blonde girl streaked excitedly away from him, Giving his head a gentle shake as he witnessed her actually leap in joy. Eventually, his attention turned back towards The woman who had climbed out of the Toyota, Turned in the direction of her new house and appeared to be studying it. The pleasant color of her hair unexpectedly stirred A distant memory deep within him, Something about... But no, grasping at the tendrils of thought was like trying to hold on to smoke and the impression slipped away from him. Perhaps it reminded him of something from his other life.... Giving his head another firm or shake, he shrugged out of his work jacket, revealing a simple black T-shirt beneath, and after discarding the clothing in the front seat of the rabbit began to make his own way down the street at a steady jog.

With a furtive glance around him to ensure that no one was looking, Tel increased his speed to just over The average human velocity, Streaking down the sidewalk and only slowing his pace as he drew level with 114, Returning to a leisurely jog. "excuse me, Miss, do you need any help bringing things in? I'm Telthris, I run the Bran's Mechanics at the end of the road." He called as he came Close enough for hailing, coming to a stop while he was still a few feet away

[Lady Squee]

As Mj unlocked the front door to her new home, the sound of a child stirred her. She glanced in the direction on the sound and saw the blonde run through a yard, scream about some tuna, and disappear into the home next door. “So, that’s one neighbor…” Mj thought to herself as she turned back to her car. It pleased her, to say the least, that there was children in the neighborhood (loud or not). There would always be something to do, which was never a bad thing. At the moment, though, the big ‘To-Do’ was the load of junk packed into her car.

The car had plenty of room, but it was still packed full. Mj started to her car and went to open the door when she felt eyes on her. She looked back up and it was him. The man who she had seen when she was driving down the road. Maybe he wasn’t staring at her? He was too far away for her to tell, but she could swear she could feel his eyes. It almost sent a chill down her spine.

“Chill, Mj. If he’s staring, it’s simply because you’re new here. You would stare, too, if a random car came creeping down the road like you did,” Mj told herself. That was logical, so she finally opened the car door, bent down to the pull-button for her trunk, and popped it. She lingered in the car for a moment longer, gathering a few knick-nacks from her floorboard, before she started to pull out.

“Excuse me, Miss...”

The sudden voice startled her, causing her to fully exit the car too quick. Her reward was a hard knock to the top of her head. She grimaced, but cradled her stuff in the nook of her right arm before she closed the door with her left. Her blue eyes studied the man intensely. She was probably glaring at him, truth be told. Her head hurt and he had scared her. He seemed friendly enough, telling his name and offering to help her. Something about him, though, felt dangerous. Would it be better to deny him?

“Mj,” she finally let herself say. The girl allowed herself to relax her body, but she remained focused on him. Her stomach turned in knots. She cleared her throat and continued, “Sorry if I seem a bit… ‘off’. It’s been a long drive and I just want to relax a while.” Mj managed a smile. “If you want to, I have the large things in the trunk. I just popped it so you can open it if you want. It’s just a few boxes and things. Fragile boxes are clearly marked, so no need to worry. Take the things in and set them in the hallway. I haven’t actually looked at the house, yet. So I don’t know where I want anything yet.”

She released a nervous laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m starting to get all bossy. Like I said, it’s been a long day. Thank you, really.”

[RavenWolf]

He could almost feel his own head give a sympathetic throb as the young woman's head cracked against the edge of her car as she jumped in reaction to his voice , a brief wince touching his lips, and Telthris did his best to look acceptably apologetic. Even when she leveled an impressive glower in his direction a few seconds later. He did start to feel a little uneasy after a moment however, back stiffening imperceptibly, as the blue-eyed glare stretched out hand in hand with her silence until she finally spoke, instantly dispelling his uncertainty.

"Long drives seem to make even The best of us a little bossy." He responded pleasantly, Giving his head a slight tilt and offering a small smile to portray his understanding, though remaining completely aware of her unease by the faint scent he could detect. "It's A pleasure to make your acquaintance MJ. Welcome to Sunnyside." He continued, stepping forward and pushing open the trunk of her car.

Dark eyes sweeping over the boxes that had been fit tightly into the trunk, he quickly noted which looked the heaviest and which had written on the outside that the contents were fragile, eventually hooking his fingers under the edge and lifting out a particularly weighty box and balancing it against the rim for a moment before he could get a firm hold on it, hefting it into his arms with ease. Turning expectantly towards the front of the house, He let his readiness and another smile touch his eyes. "it's my pleasure to be able to help."

[Lady Squee]

MJ relaxed. She hadn't noticed that she had become so stiff, but once his smiled again she felt a weight come off her shoulders. She returned his smile and turned her back on him to make the way to the front door. She had managed to unlock it previously, but had forgotten to actually open it. With an odd little shift of the weight in her arms, MJ managed to open the door without much effort and pushed it into the home and out of the way.

Smells of bleach and other cleaning products hit her and though the strong scent turned her stomach, she was beyond relieved. The landlord had told her that the place would be spotless upon her arrival, but she had prepared herself for the worst. She glanced back at Telthris and nodded her head in the direction of the stairwell. "Just set it all down there. I can take care of it all later. I'm going to do a walk-through of the house to make sure everything is alright, and then I'll be back out to help. You don't have to be in a rush." MJ tossed him another smile and made her way into the kitchen and set the items she had down on the table.

Downstairs was simple. A kitchen, living room, bathroom, and a foyer were tied together with colors of red and yellow. It vaguely reminded her of ketchup and mustard, but that was alright with her. She could easily walk from room to room with ease, except the bathroom was on the other side of the hall, almost under the stairwell. She quickly made her way up to the second floor and was surprised at how much space she had. The stairs did an odd curve, and the top-step seemed like an afterthought. MJ, who loved superstition, quickly figured out that it was because there had originally been 13 steps and another was just tacked on to keep from being unlucky. She laughed to herself and looked around the rooms. There were three, not counting the master bathroom that was a part of the master bedroom. One bedroom would be her own, the master or course. The second would be an office of sorts, and the third would be a guestroom.

MJ made her way back downstairs just moments later. "How many more boxes do you have left out there? Any I could bring in?" she asked.

[RavenWolf]

Her smile relaxed the uneasiness he could still smell coming off of her, though not quite completely dissipating the emotion. Even so, Tel had to admit, to himself at least, that she had a rather nice smile. It softened her features. Following after MJ when she turned towards the house, he almost immediately wrinkled his nose with discomfort as the smell of bleach reached his nostrils, Intensifying tenfold when she pushed open the door and physically punching him in the nose. A low growl threatened to rumble out of his throat at the burning sensation, But he just managed to Stall the reaction before it could slip between his teeth and quickly rearranged his face into a more suitable expression as the young woman glanced back at him

"Will do." He said with a nod, acknowledging her instructions and moving to the indicated spot where he was to place the boxes, Crouching down to relieve his arms of the heavy weight.

As soon as she was out of sight, Telthris quickly ducked back outside, heading towards the trunk of her car, once again furtively glancing around.. Reassured by the empty windows, the young man reached in and picked up several boxes at once, easily exceeding the weight that he had lifted before and carrying the load into the house as if it weighed know more then if the containers had been stuffed with pillows. Listening for a moment at the foot of the stairs, he heard the stairs creak with MJ's return, and crouched down as if he had just placed a box onto the floor. He glanced up when she appeared at the foot of the staircase.

"oh, I think I did leave you at least one.." He teased lightly, eyes sparkling with deep amusement. Straightening up, he once again headed back outside, not going quite as quickly this time.