A Burger? Sounds mighty good. (open)

[Guest]

Thane had traveled a long way.

All of him was covered in dust, and so were his horse and dog. As he rode along the street like a John Wayne flashback, he couldn't blame the people giving him strange looks. Dragon trotted along behind him, panting heavy and eyeing warily from side to side. It had been a long, hard road to this point, and for some strange reason, he welcomed the presence of civilization. When was the last time he'd actually talked to another human being? Too long, he decided. He urged Hope into a trot, and she willingly agreed.

From off to the right, "Hey, cowboy!", Thane tipped his hat to the young lady and rode on. He wanted to talk to people, sure, but he knew those types, and he was far from interested. Further down the paved street he spotted a pub, and his stomach growled ravenously. How long had it been since he'd last eaten? He couldn't remember, and a burger sounded mighty good. Thane turned Hope's head and loped to the pub, Dragon following behind. Pulling the mare up, he swung out of the saddle with a long practiced motion, reigns in hand, and looked about for a hitching post. A hitching post? Ha! Don't be foolish. This is a city, cowboy, not the wild west. He shrugged and spotted a parking meter. It would have to do.

Once Hope was safely tethered, he popped a few quarters in the meter and grinned. He'd be getting even more funny looks, that's for sure. He turned towards the door, Dragon following on his heels, before stepping inside. Sure enough, every head was turned in his direction. Thane moved straight to the bar and had a seat, Dragon settling beneath his stool. Taking his hat off, he set it beside him, eyeing the barkeep as he walked over.

"What will you have?"
"One of them big burgers, a coke, and some water for my horse...", Dragon let out a whine and Thane grinned, "and the dog too."

[Guest]

Kaede was sitting in the back of the pub, not really eating, not really doing much of anything. A pad of paper and a pen sat in her hands, the pen weaving its way through her fingers as she chewed her bottom lip.

Kaede often came here to people-watch, as odd as it was. She wrote short stories a lot, and based characters off of people she’d seen. The waitress had come over to her three times already and told her that she’d have to order something, or they’d have to ask her to leave. Kaede hadn’t taken it seriously, though, considering they’d given her three warnings, and they still hadn’t kicked her out.

But by the time the waitress came back for the forth time, Kaede was getting a little bit thirsty, and instead, ordered a lemonade, not in the mood for drinking anything stronger. Her eyes scanned the people in the pub before she noticed somebody new coming in. He sat down at a table that was only three tables from hers, and she stared at him a moment. He looked rural. Not like the natural city-dwellers or drunks that made their way into this pub.

Kaede chewed on the inside of her bottom lip, pondering. What was he doing here? Did he get lost—seriously lost—, or was he just rolling in and planning on rolling back out? He sure was collecting a lot of stares from people all over the pub, but he didn’t seem to mind, though he obviously noticed that he was being stared at. Kaede, not wanting to be exactly rude, dropped her gaze and began to scribble on her pad. His outline, and history she would later on make up, would make for quite an interesting character.

After jotting down a few things about the stranger, Kaede’s lemonade was placed before her and she sighed, taking a sip and staring blankly at nothing, her mind deep in the crevices of thought. It was quite strange he was here, and he had brought his dog in, too, she finally noticed as the dog whined, breaking her train of thought. Not a lot of people brought animals here. He really sparked her curiosity, and after another moment of staring off into space, she leaned forward and began to jot down neat notes on her paper once again.

[ that okay? ]

[Guest]

[yep, that's just fine]

Thane had gotten his burger and coke, along with a bowl of water. He didn't touch his food, however, till he set the bowl on the floor for Dragon and watched, rather amused, ad a busboy brought a big bucket of water out for Hope. Once his animals were happy, he was happy, and tore into his burger like he hadn't eaten for ages. As he did, he completely forgot about the people that surrounded him, tossing Dragon a bit of burger now and then. Once his plate was cleaned, he leaned back with a grin on his face, finally feeling full for the first time in a long while. He was content, and for the first real time since he'd been in here, his gaze swept across the pub, passing over each person in a quick glance. He paused, however, on a girl in the corner.

He was surprised at himself for not noticing her before. He hadn't missed her looking at him, jotting down... well, he didn't know what... but none the less, he could bet anything it was interesting. He drained the rest of his coke, before standing and placing the stetson back on his head. Dragon stood and stretched, much like a cat, and wandered after him. Slowly he sauntered towards the table, thumbs hooked in his belt loops, looking down at the girl. She was a pretty thing, he had to admit, but that wasn't what brought him here.

"So, how's the lemonade here?"

[Guest]

Kaede stared forward as he got his food, and looked down at his dog. The dog looked sweet, but by the look of the dog’s owner, it was probably a trained guard dog, or something of the like. Kaede wrote down a side note about the dog, and took another sip of her lemonade, her mind thinking up a story line that she could possibly use him in. With his looks, attitude, dog, and whatever it was outside (she only assumed he had another pet outside, considering a boy had taken out a large tub of water outside; she guessed they didn’t just do that to water flowers), it would be hard to think of a story to put him in. She wasn’t accustomed to his likes.

She watched him eat his food, and shook her head quietly, rather grossed out. He obviously was starving, and he tossed bits and pieces of his food to the dog. It was quite rude, she thought. But who was she to judge? Kaede shrugged and looked back down at her pad, ripping off the part of his to-be bio, and starting to make a story line, thinking of possible plots, when she heard footsteps coming up to her.

Kaede looked up to see the man she’d been writing about, and blinked a moment. His stance and his rather laid-back attitude screamed ‘cowboy.’ She chuckled to herself a bit as he asked about the lemonade, and shrugged, saying,
“As good as any lemonade, I suppose.” She smiled at him before turning back to her paper.

[Guest]

Thane watched as she looked him over. Shifting his weight to the other foot self consciously, before flashing her a crooked grin.

"So not good enough to write about, I gather." he chuckled, gesturing to a chair across from her. "May I?"

Something about this girl intrigues him, though he wasn't sure what it was. Her hair was blue, and as different as that was, it wasn't that. No, this was deeper, and his curiosity was peeked enough that he wanted to find out what it was. Dragon had since wandered over, taking a cautious sniff of her pant leg, Thane made a low sound, almost like he was clearing his throat, but not quite. It was the sound he'd always used around the dogs, it always got their attention.

"Dragon, don't be rude to the lady. Now you sit and shake hands like a gentleman." the dog looked up at him, before sitting and holding up a paw, panting with a wide grin.
"I'm Thane, by the way. Might I ask your name?"


[lol, brain dead]

[Guest]

[ x] it's okay ]

Kaede returned her gaze to his face, to see the rather lopsided grin, and she shook her head.
“I think writing about lemonade wouldn’t be much fun,” she commented, but playfully. “Unless you’re a food critic.” Kaede pulled off a face that said she’d die before being a food critic. When he asked if he could sit with her, she nodded her head,
“Yeah, sure. I could use the company.”
Kaede glanced over at his dog, who had sniffed her jeans a bit, looking rather timid. She smiled gently. She used to have a dog. A Great Dane named Sammy. Sammy had been a wonderful companion. Her memory failing a bit, Kaede vaguely remembered writing a story about Sammy for her five-year-old cousin.

Kaede looked back up at the man when he made an odd, throaty sound and cocked an eyebrow for a moment. What he said next, she definitely wasn’t expecting. And how the dog responded was rather interesting, too. Before she could focus on the dog, though, he spoke up once more, and she turned to look at him.
“I’m Kaede,” she said, smiling gently and trying not to jot down a few more notes about him. She would feel rather self-conscience if he asked her what she was writing about, and she’d reply, ‘oh, nothing, I just write about complete strangers like you.’ Kaede grimaced inwardly.

[Guest]

Thane nodded his head and pulled the chair out, settling himself down and leaning back, he watched her for a moment, noting the details. He was unbelievably curious about what she was writing, but unless she mentioned something about it first, he'd leave well enough alone. People had their right to privacy, and he understood that more than most. "Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm new around here. Would you be willing to tell me a bit about the area?" he full well knew he stood out like a holsteine heifer on the Belmont race track. Something about her told him she did this on a regular basis, she probably knew the types that came through. He sure wasn't one of them. Thane waved down the waitress as she was trying to hustle by. She held her pad of paper expectantly, and he got the feeling that if he didn't order immediately, he'd somehow be the cause of an eye roll as soon as she turned away from the table. That one coke hadn't done much to sate his thirst. It still felt like ever grain of dust off the trail was down his throat. He looked at Kaede "Would you like anything?" she already had the lemonade, but if he just ordered and left her out, well, that would have been rude.

[Guest]

They exchanged glances for a moment before Kaede sighed and looked down at her paper, scribbling a few more words and then looking back up at him, an apologetic look on her face.
“Sorry, just a habit I have. If I have something in mind to write, I have to write it. It’s kind of an impulse thing.” Kaede nodded when he asked about the area, and chuckled. She had guessed as much as he was new. Dusty head to toe, and probably had no idea where he was.

Well, fortunate he’d asked her. Most of the other people in this pub would’ve just looked at him funny and said something about the location exactly (and knowing the people here, they’d probably just tell him the name of the pub he was in; how rude). Kaede sighed and shrugged slightly,
“There’s not much here. It’s a small, by city standards,” Kaede then frowned, “There’s not much about it. About a mile from here is the shopping center. Malls, more fancy—not to mention more expensive—restaurants. That’s to the right. To the left, well… that heads out of the city. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, I’d say on the edge of town. About three blocks down from here, south-ish. Nice apartment buildings that rent for one-night stays, if need be.”

Kaede shook her head politely when he asked her if she wanted anything, and said, “No thanks.” She smiled gently and, unable to resist, put a few more things on a new sheet of paper.

[Guest]

He grinned as she jotted more notes onto her paper, listening intently. He shrugged good naturedly, her writing didn't bother him in the least. Truth be told, he hadn't been in many cities, so this place was big to him, and he'd only just gotten into it. He'd originally planned on moving out as soon as he'd had a meal, but maybe it would be nice to settle in for a few days, hang around, be a normal person for a while. Thane nodded when she said she didn't want anything. The waitress huffed impatiently, and for a moment longer, just for that, he stayed quiet, before asking for another coke (very politely), and flashed her one of his most charming smiles. She seemed hesitant to make any other comments, and turned away again without incident.

Thane chuckled and turned his attention back to Kaede. "I think staying here for a while might be a good idea. I could use a shower and an actual bed for once." he grinned. He knew he didn't smell all that bad, but the dust was unbelievable. Somehow, he'd have to get his clothes washed. The waitress returned and placed his coke on the table, asking if there was anything else. Thane flashed her another smile, "No, thank you ma'am." and tipped his hat to her. The waitress blushed slightly and turned away, headed back to her duties. Once they were free of interruptions again, his attention fully focused on Kaede again. "How long have you lived here, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Guest]

Kaede searched his eyes for a moment, then went back to writing a few things down before straightening herself, only to lean back into her chair. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and took a sip of her lemonade before staring at the waitress. Their service never had been the best here, if she’d learned that much from the place. Kaede chuckled at him for a moment, seeing him give the waitress a smile that was quite charismatic.

She smiled when he said he’d stay a while. “Actually, I live in the apartment that I was telling you about. If you stay there, I can show you around, give you a tour or something.” She shrugged, then added hastily, “I mean, only if you want to.”

Kaede kept quiet when the waitress came back and took the short amount of time to write down a few more things, more story plots and a couple of things about the waitress herself, before she sighed heavily and closed to notepad she was working in. Kaede rolled her eyes when the waitress blushed at Thane. Sure, he was good looking, but Kaede managed to control herself better than some women, obviously.

She gave a lopsided halfway-frown when he asked how long she’d lived here.
“Oh, as long as I can remember really. Since I was a baby,” she smiled gently at her childhood memories. “Curiousity strikes me,” she commented after a moment’s thought, “Where did you come from, and how did you get here?”

[Guest]

Thane was genuinely surprised about her suggestion, it showed openly on his face, but only because he didn't really think he'd be invited to be anywhere near her. His experience with women were.. well... Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. It never lasted more than a night. Of course, he hadn't expected that from Kaede, but he hadn't expected this either. He frowned though, as a sudden thought hit him. "That would be great, there's just the problem of Hope.. I don't think the apartments around here are very horse-friendly." he eyed her. He was fitting the stereotypical cowboy pretty well, and that didn't do anything to help matters. Oh well, he was what he was, there wasn't any changing that. Thane listened as she told him about the area. A typical city, then. Well, no matter, he was looking to start conversation, he didn't care so much about the city itself.

He drained the last of his coke, a little more politely than the first one this time. When you've been out in the wilderness so long on your own, you tended to forget your table manners at times. When she asked about him, a slight pang ran through him, his eyes momentarily flashing. For the moment, he didn't care to recount his entire story. He liked the girl, but she didn't ask for his life story, just where he came from and how he got here.

"I grew up on a ranch in Montana. Pretty much just rode through the wilderness and small towns, making my way around the states. Came across this place pretty randomly, but I gotta say, I'm glad I did." he smirked at her then, poking at the ice in his empty glass with the straw. He was a fidgeter, and just couldn't help it.

[Guest]

Kaede could see he was surprised by her offer, and she suddenly wondered if he didn’t really want to, and if she’d said the wrong thing. But usually newcomers liked tours around here… especially when they were given by residents and not by those absolutely atrocious, boring, totally lame tour guides. Kaede shrugged it off and stared at him for a moment.

“A…um…horse?” Kaede was a bit surprised, but then she just shrugged and chuckled at herself. She should’ve known. Cowboys always had horses, right? She didn’t know why it surprised her so much. “Well… yeah, I guess. Um…honestly, I don’t think any city is ‘horse friendly.’ But I’m sure… we can find a place, I guess?” Kaede grimaced. She hadn’t thought of the horse complication matter. That would make things a lot harder. “If you can find a place, I can pay for boarding, I guess.” Kaede offered and shrugged.

Kaede sighed and leaned back, crossing her legs under the table and listened to his story intently. She was rather curious as to the rest of his history, but she wouldn’t pry. After all, she had only just met him. She smiled at him and then watched as the waitress came back over with the check. “I’ll pay.” Kaede said and took the small paper, signed it, and put almost exact cash. She wouldn’t care whether she got change back or not, knowing that this pub rarely ever gave change back.
“So, want me to show you the apartment? Or would you like to go do something else? I can give you directions and you can stop by whenever you’d like.”

[Guest]

[I've got to get off for the moment, would you mind if I replied later today?]

[Guest]

[ yeah, reply when you want. I'll be getting off for the night soon. It's a school night. -.-'' and i still have a lot of homework to do. So, yeah it's fine. xD ]

[Guest]

[xD alrighty. will reply later-ish]

[Guest]

[ lol okay ]

[Guest]

"Well I suppose if I could find another parking meter, there wouldn't be a problem." Thane grinned. He realized she hadn't known Hope was outside at all. It was unconventional the way he'd tied her, but hey, cities didn't cater to cowboys. As the waitress brought the check, he was too slow in reaching it, blinking at the girl. "You didn't have to pay for it, I've got plenty, but thank you." He wasn't used to having someone do such a thing. Since he crossed the city line, may of the things had been new. "I'll figure something out for the horse. I can follow you to the apartments, if you don't mind me tagging along." Slowly he stood, pushing his chair back in and heading for the door, holding it open for the lady. He sauntered over to Hope, who'd had her head hung, lip drooping, fast asleep. Thane made a low whistle and her head shot up, sending a nicker his way. He grinned, patting her neck affectionately. Between Hope and Dragon, they were the only ones Thane was close to now, they meant the world to him. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled a pocket knife, picking up Hope's feet one by one and removing any rocks. Once done, he patted her hindquarters and looked apologetically towards Kaede, "Sorry, just can't stand the thought of her gettin' hurt."

He reached over and untied the horse, taking her reigns and leading her around to face his new acquaintance. "So, did you walk or drive?"

[Guest]

Kaede raised an eyebrow at his comment. “You hitched a horse on a parking meter?” Kaede chuckled at the thought of it. It would be a definite first to see. She shook her head at his comment, “Nah, it’s all right. Not a lot of times I get to have people join me at my little table. Least I could do.” Kaede smiled.

Kaede stood up with him, pushing her own chair in and grabbing her notepad and pen. “Thanks,” she murmured when he opened the door for her, and she stood staring at the horse that was resting, attached to the parking meter. Kaede kept herself from laughing. It was definitely an odd site.

She smiled gently when Thane went to go care for the horse. He obviously cared a lot about the horse, and she wondered how long he’d had the horse. She nodded, understanding perfectly. “I drove.” She nodded to the silver corvette parked two spaces down from his horse. “You can just follow me.” Kaede turned and walked towards her car, unlocking it and getting in the driver’s seat.

[Guest]

Thane's gaze flicked over to the corvette. Fancy, he thought, not every day I get to chase down a sports car. He chuckled to himself, half tempted to gallop after the car swinging his lariat, just for the hell of it. Just imagine what all the city slickers would think! He couldn't help but let out a snort when a man in a spiffy suit strutted by, giving the horse an odd look and taking a momentary pause from jabbering into his cell phone. He'd probably drop his briefcase.

He flipped the reigns over Hope's head and swung into the saddle. She pranced underneath him, eager to get going again. That was one of the things he liked about her, she was always ready to go when he was. He guided her into the street along side the corvette, making a half bow and gesture. "After you." he grinned, backing Hope behind the car and settling in the saddle, the leather creaking beneath his weight. This would be interesting.

[Guest]

Kaede put the keys into the ignition and backed out of her parking space, that was usually open, considering most people walked to the pub instead of driving. She didn’t like walking, however, since it took 15 minutes by car and about twenty-five minutes to half an hour on foot. It annoyed her. An odd pet peeve, she knew, but she could care less about what people thought.

She pulled up in front of Thane and his horse, watching him get into the saddle as the horse moved around excitedly. Kaede didn’t know a lot about horses, but it seemed Thane and this horse had quite a strong bond, and she wondered how old the horse was.

Oh, well. She could ask him later. Kaede chuckled at his comment and got the car moving again, but she wasn’t about to go ten miles per hour. She hated when people drove slowly, so why be a hypocrite? He’d just have to learn to keep up. With that in mind, she sped on towards the apartment.

[Guest]

Thane grinned as Kaede took off, not giving him any quarter. Well, that was just fine with him. She may be working with 340 horses under the hood versus his one, but he had never been one to give in. With a whoop he touched Hope's sides with his spurs, and she took off like a rocket beneath him, kicking her heels in excitement. Dragon streaked behind them, barking happily. Thane leaned slightly forward in the saddle, pushing his hat hard down on his head to keep from losing it.

He leaned low over Hope's neck and whispered "Go.", and a whole new gear emerged from her lithe legs. His duster fluttered out behind him over her hindquarters. What a sight they must have made, a sleek, shiny corvette being chased down by a hollarin' cowboy on horseback. It was like The Fast and the Furious meets 3:10 to Yuma. Thane grinned, betting anything they'd be the talk of the town tomorrow.


[Are we going to move the topic to a new board or stay in this one?]

[Guest]

Kaede looked back into her rearview-mirror, smiling at the sight that was trailing behind her. She chuckled and returned her eyes to the road. She wondered what bystanders would be thinking about this parade. A horse, a dog, and a corvette. That’d make for a humorous story. Thinking about it, it wasn’t a terrible idea. Kaede shrugged and slowed down at a red light, allowing Thane and his menagerie to catch up. She grimaced. Of course she’d gotten stuck at the longest red light she’d ever been stopped at. She turned on the radio, and hummed along to the song.

Kaede moved forward when the light turned green again, about ten minutes later, and turned the corner slowly before speeding off again, the apartment building in view now. She turned into the parking lot and found a parking spot before parking and collecting her things, putting them in her purse before getting out of the car and staring at Thane and his two animal companions. “Well, this is it.” She smiled and gestured with her head towards the two-year-old building.

[ ummm, we can stay here if you want. I don’t really think it matters. ]

[Guest]

[Alrighty, this works.]


Hope snorted and laid her ears back, stretching her neck and speeding after the corvette. They pulled up short as the light turned red, he leaned back in the saddle and remained in the lane, much to the surprise of other drivers. Thane glanced side to side, tipping his hat to each of the observers, as if what he was doing was the most normal thing in the world. Then, they were off again.

Finally, they reached the apartments. Slowing Hope to a trot, he followed in behind Kaede, scanning the lot and finding an empty spot. He dismounted, leading Hope into it, dropping her reigns and uncinching the saddle. He lowered it in front of the horse, pulling from the saddle bag a halter and lead rope. Getting the bridle off, he fitted the halter over her head, clipped the lead rope and tied the other end to the saddle horn. She wouldn't go anywhere, but at least this way she appeared to be somewhat under control. He gave the mare a once over along her legs, cleaning her hooves out again, before looking at Dragon, who waited expectantly. "Now you watch her, got it? Stay here." Dragon dropped down behind the horse, letting out a huff, obviously not happy with having to stay behind.

Thane turned then and walked back to where Kaede waited, looking up at the multi-story building. He'd seen them, sure, but he'd never been inside one. He grinned at Kaede then, turning his attention back to her. "You win this time. I suppose the next order of business is getting myself a room."

[Guest]

Kaede couldn’t help wonder what would happen to her reputation, seeing as she brought a dusty cowboy, a horse, and a dog to an apartment building. Kaede watched intently as he secured his horse, telling Dragon to stay behind and ‘watch the horse.’ It was quite interesting how much he cared for his animals. Kaede hadn’t really ever been that close to Sammy—well, she had, but she hadn’t been the caretaker of the dog. Her father had been.

Kaede leaned against the corvette, lost in thought, until Thane’s voice brought her out of her own world. She cocked an eyebrow at his comment, and a small smile tipped the corners of her mouth, “This time? Are you implying that you chasing after a corvette was a race?” Kaede laughed slightly. “If that’s the case, I’d like to see you actually win that little ‘race.’” Kaede then turned towards the apartment building and nodded.

“Yeah,” she said, shrugging. “It’d be best. Do you know how many days you’re gonna stay here? The people here may not be the friendliest, and they prefer to have an exact amount of time. Start thinking about it while we walk.” Kaede pushed off the corvette and began walking towards the building’s revolving door. She vaguely remembered her friend telling her once, ‘there is no such thing as revolving doors, only gentlemen ninjas.’ And she smiled to herself.


[ okay ^^ ]

[Guest]

Thane chuckled at her response to the 'race'. "I could strap a rocket to Hope's rear end, but I don't think she'd like that very much." he grinned at the image in his head, before following Kaede through the revolving doors. He paused a moment, listening to what she had to say, his gaze wandering around the building. It was snazzy compared to what he was used to. Inwardly he grinned, knowing whatever bed they had in the rooms were going to be a lot more plush than his blanket on the dirt. Honestly, he was looking forward to a hot shower more than anything in the world. He halted midway through the lobby, touching Kaede's arm lightly to get her attention. "Hold on a second. There's gotta be houses around here for sale, right?"

Thane may not have looked it, but he had money. Through his travels he'd made money by breaking horses, going in rodeos, helping as a ranch hand, basically anything he could to make it. He hadn't spent hardly any of it, seeing as he needed no lodging, and most of his food was either provided by the people who hired him or hunted down by himself. Over the years he'd managed to collect a small fortune, plenty to get himself a nice ranch house with a few acres, and then some. It'd be good to stay here about a week until he had things settled on a place to live. After all, you simply couldn't keep a horse in a parking spot.. at least not permanently.

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