| A stroll through the park at night | (Open)

[Kate Avery]

Kate left her apartment around 9:00. It was already very dark and due to the fact that it was winter, it felt even darker than it really was. She didn't like winter very much. She didn't like to wear winter clothes, but she was tired of being stuck inside so she left anyway.

She wore along sleeved black shirt that clung so close it was like a second layer of skin. She had on a short black laced skirt that would have hidden nothing if she weren't wearing thick black tights under them. The tights went down to her ankles and then cut off. She wore red keds and a matching red necklace and earrings. She hated wearing coats, but it really was freezing so she had on a red leather jacket.

She walked towards the park, her hands in pockets to keep them warm. There weren't many people out and it made her a little nervous, but she tried to ignore the feeling as she moved towards a bench in the center of the park.

[Shiloh Ferguson]

Shiloh hated winter. While he had grown up most of his life having to deal with chilled weather, it wasn't anything that he enjoyed. The colder it became, the more he unbearable it felt for him. It didn't help that his apartment wasn't heating up the way it should've been. It was the sixth time in a week that it malfunctioned, leaving him ready to bash it in with his fists instead of calling a repairman over and over again. The first apartment always had to be a piece of crap, didn't it? He had just moved into it at the start of fall.

It wasn't so bad then.

Instead of worrying about his place, or any other concern that might trail over his thoughts, the young man decided that it was safer just to go for a walk. A warm, leather coat was zipped up over his frame in an attempt to keep the chilled air from brushing against the thin fabric of the short sleeved shirt beneath it. While he walked along the concrete path, the sound of his heavy boots echoed and at least gave him some noise to keep him sane with. It was only 9:00, but the city grew sleepier earlier in the winter.

As he approached a bench, a stifled shudder passed through his body. Either the coat wasn't serving its purpose, or he was too sensitive to the cold. His body always had reacted better to warmth. He wasn't one of those people with a constant supply of body heat that just radiated off of him like a space heater. Before he reached it, his hand dug into his coat pocket, on the hunt for a lighter. Rarely did he ever leave without it-- But tonight-- Tonight, it wasn't on him. Damn it. As he breathed out a long sigh, his blue eyes caught the sight of a girl. Oh, why not? Not at all shy, he politely approached.

"Hey, you got a light, by chance?" He enquired, aware that most people probably didn't trust someone approaching at night in a park. He wouldn't either. God, it was probably a typical question even to those that really didn't need one.

[Kate Avery]

Kate reached the bench and looked down at it wearily. It was her favorite bench, she came here often to relax or, on occasion, to study. It currently had a small layer of frost covering it and she knew she would freeze if she sat down. At least it isn't covered in snow... she thought. Her jacket was too short to cover her rear, so sitting on it was not a choice. She stood there staring at the bench trying to think what to do. She really wanted to sit on that bench.

Before she had decided what to do she heard the sound of heavy boots hitting the pavement, getting closer. She glanced up and saw a man walking through the park. It was only 9:00, so she convinced herself not to be a ninny and get nervous. She turned back to the bench, looking ridiculous as she just stared down at it.

"Hey, you got a light, by chance?"

The voice startled her, but she pretended that it didn't as she looked up at the man she had just seen. It took a moment for her to understand the question. Not because it was confusing at all, only because she hadn't expected it. "Oh, um..." She looked through her pockets for a moment. She never carried a purse. She hated purses. To her surprise she found a lighter. She didn't smoke consistently, but it was nice to have a lighter close at hand when she decided to. She handed the lighter to the man. "Here you go." She said, the corner of her lips twitched up slightly in an attempt at a smile. She held out her hand, palm up, with the lighter lying in the center. It was then that she realized she was not wearing her gloves.

She frowned slightly, she never forgot her gloves. No wonder she was so cold. She did not favor winter in the slightest. Her eyebrows pulled together in a small moment of frustration at the weather before she remembered that she was standing next to someone and she probably looked like she might get angry at the stranger. She relaxed her face again and gave a small shiver. "Cold night huh?"

ooc: I can't figure out how to center my paragraph like that, I've been trying to figure it out forever. How do you do it?

[Shiloh Ferguson]

A grateful smile tugged at Shiloh's lips when he saw the lighter in her hand. He was glad that somebody else had been more prepared than he was. It wasn't like him to leave the house without a lighter. While, he didn't consider himself to be a heavy smoker, he typically had one when he went for walks. It relaxed and calmed his nerves. He pulled the lighter from her hand and with his free one, reached into his pocket for the pack that he hadn't managed to withdraw yet. It took him just a couple of seconds to have the cigarette out of the pack and between his lips and less than that to light it.

"Thanks." He expressed after he let the first drag swirl around in his lungs before he released it in a breath. Then, he held the lighter back out to her. As she acknowledged the cold, Shiloh caught his eyes lifting to glance around them, as if he could somehow see the cold. He started to muse silently about people that claimed to feel more alive when it was cold out. It was a sentiment that he never understood. Cold air wasn't refreshing to him and it hardly woke him up. Cool air maybe... But, there was a point where it crossed straight into uncomfortable. And this was it for him.

"Yeah, too cold. Kind of wishing spring would hurry itself up." Too bad winter wasn't near over yet. It was probably bound to get colder too. Which, wasn't exactly a nice thought as far as he was concerned. "It's really not the best to walk around in." And yet, there they both were. Shiloh wasn't going to let the weather stop him, although, sometimes, it probably should.

Ooc:// Ohh, I just blockquote it twice.

[Kate Avery]

Kate watched him enjoy his first inhale of the cigarette. She retrieved the lighter and shoved her gloveless hands back into her jacket pockets in the hopes that they would at least be a little less frozen. She could see her breath in the air even though it was dark. There was a few small lamp posts around, but none that were directly shining light on them. She looked up towards the sky, past the trees, and realized that were no clouds tonight. She mumbled slightly. No clouds meant that it would get even colder. She could almost feel any moisture on her skin freeze.

"Yeah, too cold. Kind of wishing spring would hurry itself up."

Kate nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too..." The trust was though that it was only January and spring was far from getting close. She glanced down at the wet, cold bench again. She was getting tired of just standing. but it seemed that sitting wasn't an option either. That meant it was time to walk. She looked up at the stranger and then out at the empty park. "Would you like to walk with me?"

[Shiloh Ferguson]

Right now, the best option was to continue walking. Despite the cold, movement would probably help keep him warmer than staying still. Besides, taking a seat on that bench wasn't about to happen. It was cold enough and Shiloh didn't want to add moisture to his clothes from it. As she made the offer, a smile tugged at his lips. It couldn't hurt! It wasn't always better to walk alone. Sometimes, it was a lot more boring.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He nodded, letting her know of his agreement. He took another puff of his cigarette and watched as the smoke merged in with the cold air. Before, he had been able to clearly see the steam from his breath. Despite his hatred for the cold, he had always liked to see that contrast when it was cold out. It was a strange little thing and something he'd carried with him since he was a child. "I'm Shiloh, by the way." He introduced, deciding it was probably good to be introduced to the person he was going to be walking with.

[Kate Avery]

She noticed the small smile at the corner of his lips as she asked if he wanted to walk with her. She raised her eyebrow slightly in curiosity but did not ask about it. After he accepted her offer, she started walking down the sidewalk, figuring he would follow her. The street lights glowed on the wet cement, causing the light to reflect and seem even brighter. Brighter was good when it was dark, especially if you're alone. She was suddenly glad to have some company, stranger or not, at least she wasn't alone in this park.

"Kate." she replied when he introduced himself. She did not add any sentiments like 'nice to meet you' or 'I like your name', she was never one for saying things just for the sake of talking or being pleasant. She often came across as rude, but it was never intentional. She just didn't like to put on a super nice act just to get people to like her. She didn't care if people disliked her, that was their choice.

She pulled her hands from her pockets in order to wrap her arms around her body. She could feel the sting of the cold air on her cheeks and ears. She knew it would stop if she stopped walking, but she preferred the small of amount of discomfort to simply standing where the rest of her body would freeze. "Are you a student at the school?" She asked Shiloh.

[Shiloh Ferguson]

"Cool," Shiloh commented on her name with a short, acknowledging nod. In order to fight the cold, one hand was shoved into his coat pocket, while the other one held the cigarette. His shoulders were tense, but it was all in resistance to the chilled air. Despite it, he didn't want to stop walking. In fact, this was exactly where he wanted to be. Even though he disliked the cold, he did like the solace he retrieved when he went for a walk. And tonight, he didn't have to worry about being bored either. There was somebody to talk to, albeit someone he hardly knew. But, there was time to get to know each other-- If they continued talking, that is.

"Yeah," He replied in response to her question. "How about you?" He was curious and since she asked, he predicted that she probably did. Usually, when that question came up it was because there was some connection to it. Normally. It was just small talk, but that's all that could really be expected this early on. He hardly knew enough to talk about anything else.

[Kate Avery]

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I am." She glanced over at Shiloh who was fighting the cold as best as he could. She let her eyes roam his body for a moment before looking back at where she was going. Not bad, she thought to herself. She didn't really know what to talk about. She was never very good at anything social. With nothing else to say, she decided to continue on the subject they were already on. "I'm studying photography... you?" She was curious about Shiloh, she wouldn't deny that. She was definitely glad to have someone to talk to and he didn't look like he was going to surprise her and decide to attack her while she alone... in the dark. At that thought she unconsciously wrapped her arms tighter around her body, under her chest.

She looked at a nearby lamp post. A small layer of frost was easily seen on the glass that blurred the light. It was definitely pretty cold. She was afraid to stop walking now, as if the lack of movement would cause her to freeze in place and die a slow death. She hated the cold... it seemed that Shiloh was not to fond of it either. She glanced back at him. She liked the look of the cigarette in his mouth and she couldn't explain why, it was just... a good look for him. She would never say it, that would be a weird conversation. 'You look good when your doing drugs that might eventually kill you...' She knew it was unhealthy, but she did smoke as well. It was hard to stop and she wasn't ready to give it up yet and that was okay with her.