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Post by JOCELYN ADELINE WALSH on Apr 27, 2010 2:01:45 GMT -5
Having grown up living near the ocean for all her life, Jocelyn had certainly found a love for the atmosphere. Even in Sydney when she was just a spoiled little girl with no grasp on her world, she spent most of her days either in the water, or near it. The girl absolutely adored the feeling of hot sand between her toes, and the refreshing appeal of spending a scorching day on the beach. Plus, as she got older and moved to Miami with her family, she even grew fond of throwing beach parties, the kind people remembered because of the fun and the drama. In general, Jocelyn appreciated that the beach was symbolic of a long history of good and even bad memories. You name it, she's seen it (or done it)... on the beach.
Perhaps an intense attraction to the lifestyle of a surfer girl was what initially drew Joce to her hobby, eventually inspiring her interest and passion along the way. She'd learned to surf at a young age, and was taught by her older brother and father as a sort of bonding experience. At first, she hadn't picked it up all that well, and struggled to actually stand on her board. Needless to say, years of practice and dedication brought her much success and enjoyment, and even a few medals in some minor competitions. Of course, they were nothing major to brag about, but Jocelyn was quite proud of the skill she'd managed to acquire in an area other than school. Sure, she loved being praised for her high marks throughout her education, but somehow, having that escape on the water meant a hell of a lot more to her. Hence her reasoning for building her new home near the beach. It was just necessary.
It was just after one in the afternoon on a saturday, and Jocelyn had already been at the beach for nearly an hour, having spent the majority of her time with a close group of friends as they sunbathed and chatted about various topics in their lives. She was dressed appropriately in a black halter-neck two piece swimsuit, her hair windswept and untied. The young woman had long since abandoned her flip flops somewhere near her beach towel and opted for a cool-down dip in the water. It was extremely hot and the beach was very populated, so there were quite a few people spotted along throughout the edge of the water. After wandering along the sand, Joce found a less busy area of the beach, where there were only a few random groups minding their own business. Making her way into the ocean, she trailed her fingers along the surface beside her, stopping when the water was just past her waist.
One of the things Jocelyn found slightly irritating about public beaches were some of the people that purposely chose to get in her way. Either that, or the abundance of aimless children that seemed to always be on their worst behavior, and the parents that couldn't control them. It wasn't that Joce hated kids, she just hated the ones who were nothing but menaces to society. There's nothing worse than having a crying kid throw a temper tantrum and toss sand in your face when you're lying on the beach. Well, maybe there are worse things, but Jocelyn particularly hated sand in her face.
Just as the young woman was enjoying the refreshing waves as they moved the water, she felt a powerful blow to the back of her head and soon found herself submerged under the surface. When she rose, soaking from head to toe, she shrieked in surprise and turned to find a rubber football floating beside her. Scowling, she picked it up and spotted an apologetic young man looking her way, speechless. "Watch where you throw your things!" she shouted, tossing the football further into the water in spite of the incident. As the young man and his group of friends started laughing, she shook her head. "Throw it at me again. We'll see what happens."
[/color] she threatened angrily, making her way back up to the beach as the group dissipated and collected their football. As she reached the sand and started walking away from the scene in the water, a small child ran past her and threw a clump of wet sand straight at her chest, giggling as he ran away. Perfect. That was just what she needed.[/justify] - - - - - - - - - -
OPEN - FEEL FREE TO JOIN. CAN BE ONE OF HER FRIENDS, OR ONE OF THE GUYS MENTIONED IN THE WATER, OR SOMEONE ELSE ON THE BEACH. DOESN'T MATTER TO ME. XP [/size][/center][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by duncan on Apr 27, 2010 3:00:00 GMT -5
Duncan should be using his free time to catch a few winks of sleep, even in broad daylight like this where he had at least four hours before his next job. But, the man couldn't put his head to pillow and close his eyes. Could insomnia be an issue during the day - how was that possible? What he did know was that staying in his shit-hole apartment only helped to depress him further, so he got in the truck and drove to the beach. Not that the uncomfortable wade through scratchy sand and high tide brought him any sense of calm, but for some reason, the beach was where he went if things weren't quite right. A swim could toughen him up, perhaps. Yeah - that was probably it right there. Swimming was what relaxed him. The water in Florida was always warm, too. At least, it had been the times he decided to dive right in.
And today was no different. With the sun blazing ahead, Duncan stripped down to his trunks and waded through the waves. The water felt nice against his flesh and helped him not to remember than in a few hours, he'd be right back at Platinum, watching the girls and the bums that slobbered on them. He would never understand two things: why those girls stripped, and why those bums watched them strip. To Duncan, the entire thing wasn't classy in the least - a girl who stripped for cash was just asking to be treated like a slutty slab of meat, and then she'd bitch about it. And he would never see the point in tossing a few dollars at some tramp onstage just so she'd shake her tits in his face - he could get some action without losing a buck in-between. Besides, Duncan seriously had no cash to waste on that kind of frivolous bullshit anyway.
He sunk further into the water, a few strokes taking him away from the beach and the careless people littering it. It was nice to get away from the crowd for a change. Duncan just wanted to float there. He flipped to his back and stretched out his lanky form. Just as he relaxed further into the depths, a commotion towards the shore started. His head lifted just in time to catch a ball being thrown at the back of some woman's head. Instinctively, Duncan flipped once again and started to swim at the girl, since she'd suddenly disappeared under the water. For a moment, he truly thought that the football had knocked her straight unconscious and someone had to help her. Within seconds however, the girl re-submerged with a lot on her tongue. His frantic strokes slowed until his foot hit the shore, and he stood up out of water to watch her toss the ball further away - at him, actually.
"Whoa!" Duncan managed to fall back into the water before it actually pelted him, but still it took a moment for his disorientation to wear off. A small, slow smile made his lips curve just some - she had some spunk in her. Figuring he might as well go after her and see if she was fine - since the boys who'd attacked her didn't appear to be concerned with anything but their ball - he thought it was possible she could have a concussion after that or something. A headache, at least. He wasn't no doctor or anything, but it'd set his mind at ease. Duncan followed her steps in the sand, ready to call out to her. A kid ran by, smacking her in the chest with a ball of mud. He wanted to laugh, he really did. But, she'd been through enough. "Today's not your day," he called out as he approached her, still soaked head to toe from the swim. When he was close enough, he lifted his hand to briefly caress the back of her head where the football had presumably hit, feeling the bump gingerly before he hissed his sympathy. "You got hit pretty hard there, huh? You sure you're going to be okay? I can take you to the hospital or something if you want."
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Post by JOCELYN ADELINE WALSH on Apr 27, 2010 3:43:22 GMT -5
Jocelyn had been too preoccupied in her irritated state to notice that there was someone else she'd inadvertently involved in the flying football incident. She was definitely not happy about being the target for careless boys to throw their toys at. Not at all. Nor was she pleased to have wet sand dripping through her chest, and a throbbing pain in the back of her head. If she'd been in a worse mood, the boys would not have just gotten off with a threat, they might just have been crawling home with dirt in their mouths. Considering she really wasn't in the best mood now, they were very lucky.
"Today's not your day"
You got that right. She was thinking the exact same thing just as she heard the words spoken to her, and turned to glimpse Duncan approaching, seemingly up to speed with her situation. Had he been watching what had happened? Or was he one of the group that'd been tossing the ball. She wasn't entirely sure. For his sake, she hoped he wasn't going to pull something else to make her day even worse. Luckily, her pessimism was defeated as the male neared her, expressing real concern for her well-being. This was a nice turn-around.
His gentle touch was rather comforting, especially after what had just happened. She couldn't help but appreciate it just that much more coming from a good looking guy like Duncan. Of course, leave it to Jocelyn to be having a terrible time at the beach and still have the capacity to scope out guys that were a treat to the eyes. Surely she hadn't had to do much scoping, but still, it wasn't something about Duncan that could go unnoticed. At least, not to Jocelyn. She was rather fond of days spent at the beach with her girlfriends, rating guys on their rediculous scales, or playing some sort of game that involved observing people on the beach and answering questions. Mind you, she hadn't done a lot of that since her teen years, but it wasn't something she could just forget.
"Yeah, I really wasn't expecting it."
[/color] she replied slowly, unsure of whether or not it was a serious enough bump on the head to be all that worried about. It surely did hurt, but she wasn't seeing stars or anything. Lifting her hand to the back of her head, she felt the small bump and frowned. Her fingers grazed his and she dropped her hand, shrugging lightly. "I think I'm alright though, the hospital isn't necessary."[/color] she answered, offering a faint smile at the man in appreciation of the attention he'd spared her. "You're not... part of their little party... are you?"[/color] she asked, a brow arched curiously as she referenced the guys with the football. Moving a few feet towards the water, she scooped up a few handfuls and splashed it over her upper body, in an attempt to rid herself of the grainy sand that was drying to her skin.[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by duncan on Apr 27, 2010 6:44:09 GMT -5
Duncan's fingers moved away from her person, finished assessing the damage. Her tentative question made his laugh in response - not at her, per say, but that she would assume such a thing. "I'll take that as a compliment if you think I look like a high schooler. I'll be one young-looking man at eighty," he said, with a light tone of teasing that was designed to take her mind off the headache he knew she had to have now. All jokes aside, he stared at her seriously for a moment. "Are you sure you don't need to see anyone about that? I saw what happened and truth be told, I thought you'd drowned for a second. You were underwater for some time, y'know."
Duncan didn't think it was necessary to tell the woman that he had rushed after her to play hero - that wasn't his style, to gain points. Sure, she was cute in that 'I'm a drowned rat' kind of way. That's what happens when a person nearly drowns - can't expect them to come up looking model-rific. Despite himself, he brushed back the wet clumps of hair at her face before allowing his touch to fall. Last thing he wanted was to be called a creeper in front of the beach-goers and besides, he just wanted a clearer view of her face. Make sure she wasn't actually hiding a grimace under a blanket of that hair. "Tough lady," he complimented. "I don't think any other woman on this beach could've taken a hit like that and just shake it off."
His fingers now gripped her elbow lightly, so he could steer her towards the place he'd left all his things. A towel had been carelessly strewn across the sand, but it was better than nothing. Duncan motioned towards the towel. "Look, if you won't let me take you to the hospital then do me the favor of sitting down for a few minutes, just so I know you're alright. It'd take a load off my mind since I'm too involved now to walk off." Duncan waited for her to do as he asked - he wasn't a man used to being thwarted, that was obvious. Though, at least he wasn't trying to be overbearing. No, Duncan was simply looking after the welfare of some cute drowned rat that nearly took his head off with a football.
He got to his knees, letting her have the towel as he just sat down in sand. Being wet, the sand clung to Duncan's body parts like unpleasant clumps of flesh which he ignored for now. He'd have to take a shower before work, though. With a small smile, he stuck a hand out to her in introduction. "Might as well introduce myself. Duncan Montgomery, though most folks just call me Monty. And you're...?" What Duncan liked right now was that his day just got a lot more interesting. No, he didn't have a lot of time to fool around but it wasn't every day when a fare fell into his lap. He told himself it was only to make sure she would be fine. "Hungry? Thirsty? I can get you an ice pack for that bump.." It was odd for him, to feel so helpless. Or that he would concern himself with some random chick. The circumstances - it all depended upon the circumstances.
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Post by JOCELYN ADELINE WALSH on Apr 27, 2010 16:33:28 GMT -5
After hearing Duncan laugh at her question, she felt a smile spreading across her facial expression, a small chuckle coming from her throat. "Alright, well.. I suppose you could have been an older brother or something. A watchful eye?"
[/color] she suggested rhetorically, shrugging her shoulders after she spoke. At least she knew he wasn't associated with the football crew, which was good. He'd also made her laugh, which had certainly achieved the effect of lightening her up a little, taking her mind away from what'd happened. Perhaps if he wasn't there to calm her down and someone else came to throw sand in her face, there would have been a murder scene on the beach. Not literally, but she would have been furious. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be okay. I've been through worse."[/color] she assured him, fairly certain now that she would simply have the irritance of a headache to take away from the situation. Truthfully, she had been through worse. Getting hit in the back of the head with a football didn't hurt nearly as much as being hit with a surfboard, or being flattened by and unexpected wave. "I wouldn't say I'm used to being hit with footballs, but I'm used to random shit happening in the ocean. They're just lucky I didn't do something worse to them, you would've been attending to someone else's injuries."[/color] she said in a threatful tone intended for the guilty hooligans still in the water. Taking his compliment with a deserved smile, she nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. I'd like to hope I can walk away from things like that. I've been surfing for years, so I've grown to learn that the water makes you tough."[/color] she explained, laughing quietly. Besides, Jocelyn Walsh didn't cry. At least not very often. It was nice to have someone show concern for her well-being though, so she followed along as he guided her back to his towel, thankful she'd managed to get most of the sand off her chest. She didn't look like a walking sea monster anymore. Jocelyn assumed that Duncan was the type who didn't take 'no' for an answer, so she wasn't about to ditch his company now just to find her friends. "I appreciate your concern. Most people would just laugh and walk away."[/color] she told him, complimenting his moral stature. Jocelyn herself wasn't the most upstanding resident with a heart of gold, but she did have manners. Nobody would survive in the Walsh family if they didn't have good manners. Certainly, such things could be forgotten from time to time, but Joce wasn't about to insult Duncan and swipe his caring notions aside. Accepting the towel, she sat on it next to him and returned the smile, shaking his hand as he introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you-..."[/color] she paused, deciding it would be appropriate enough to adopt his nickname. "-Monty. I'm Jocelyn Walsh."[/color] she said, an air of pride attached to her words. Her father's advertising firm had certainly made her name familiar to many. "Hmm, well, because I'd hate to refuse your generous offer, I am a little thirsty. I can live without the ice pack though."[/color] she responded lightly, tilting her head as she looked at him. "Get a drink for yourself too, your chivalry deserves a reward."[/color] she added, grinning.[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by duncan on Apr 27, 2010 18:52:11 GMT -5
"Oh hey, ouch. You can't just take it back and say I'm older now. I don't feel quite as special." Duncan's bottom lip protruded ever so slightly in a pout before his features smoothed once more into a cool mask of control. It didn't matter where he was or when he did it - but when the man flirted, he always felt awkward until the games were set aside. He knew already that this girl was someone he'd be interested in - appearance wise. Her personality was yet to be determined though so far so good. He was a guy, this was just how he thought. The second he saw water running down her slender form, his mind screamed "EIGHT" on the scale and attention was up. Though, Duncan wasn't so sure if he would've noticed her had that football not come into the picture. He definitely wouldn't have approached.
See, Duncan was a specific guy. He picked up chicks in bars because everyone knew you only went out to drink in the hopes of picking someone up. Nothing was serious - you were in were a good night of fun and by morning, things would return normal. However, when meeting people in other social settings like say, the beach for instance, things were a little more serious. That's where "relationships" and shit started, which wasn't what Duncan was wanting. But this was a chat, right? Nothing to stifle him yet or anything - so why was his guard up? The man shifted and stretched, hoping to dispel some of that tension as he focused back on the cute drowned rat. "Don't get me wrong, alright? I'm not usually someone who worries about others unless I'm working. It depends on the circumstances, y'know? Those kids could've really hurt you but if the situations were reversed, I wouldn't have bothered with them." Maybe that was a little sexist of him to say. Not many girls could take a man's head off with a football - sorry.
Duncan's eyes widened with surprise - a surfer? "You surf? I wouldn't have guessed that." Another man's sport in his eyes. This pixie girl in front of him... He couldn't quite picture her riding a huge wave into town. Though why someone would lie about it, he wouldn't know, so he had to accept it as truth. "Yeaaahh, I'm not a surfer," e commented lightly with a shrug. "Not a sport that interests me too much. I'm more into..." Here Duncan's eyes found hers and his lips twisted up at the side ironically, "Football." Or baseball - but it was funnier to tell her that one instead.
Her hand felt small and breakable - most women's did. Her name also sounded vaguely familiar but right now, it wasn't coming to him as to why. Maybe Walsh was just a common name or something. "Pretty name," he dished out with another award-winning smile. Seconds later, he was on his feet and dusting his legs and butt off. "Will do. Be right back." Duncan jogged off towards the refreshments, ordering a couple of drinks - he got her a fruity woman's drink named Blue Hawaii. The thing practically glows bright blue. For himself, just a closed beer. Just in case, he pocketed a water bottle and still got an ice pack, since women usually liked to downplay their injuries. To Duncan, it was better safe than sorry.
On his return, he plopped down and stretched his legs out, handing the tropical drink to her. "They told me it was sweet so... not sure what you drink." He withdrew the water bottle and ice pack, tossing the pack on the towel next to her. "It's there if you decide you do need it." Then, Duncan leaned back on his elbows, casually sipping his beer as a comfortable silence settled. Then..
"I've got work soon."
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Post by JOCELYN ADELINE WALSH on Apr 28, 2010 2:19:31 GMT -5
Though Jocelyn had often sat near the water with her girls just to watch the guys in their nearly naked states, she couldn't say she ever went relationship hunting on the beach. Mind you, she never really 'relationship' hunted anyway. She had plenty of friends, so she didn't outwardly search for more, and she was never quite comfortable with looking for serious intimate relationships. If they happened, they happened, but she generally took a long time to consider dating someone. Even blind dates hadn't worked out so well for the young woman. Her father seemed to have the idea that it was his responsibility to find her a man. Despite her unconditional love for her father, Jocelyn did not appreciate being set up. Too many bad memories.
As Jocelyn listened to Duncan reason with her appreciation for his concern, she let an amused smirk play with the smile on her face. It seemed that he was desperately trying to let her know that this 'caring white knight' behavior was certainly rare, and she wasn't supposed to take it for granted. At his last comment about the situation being reversed, she scoffed. "Ah, hey now.. I'll take that as meaning you wouldn't care to help a teenage boy, because I can guarantee you right now that I would've done considerable damage. And not just with a football."
[/color] she told him with a wink. Jocelyn was sure that Duncan assumed a girl like her couldn't throw a football hard enough to injure a male. Typical stereotyping. After she had told him that she could surf, his reaction was expected. She often surprised people with her hidden talent, so it wasn't new to get the 'you don't seem like a surfer' reaction. "Yes, I learned to surf in Australia - that's where I'm from - ... my dad and my brother taught me."[/color] she explained, shrugging lightly as if it was no big deal. Though she was born in Sydney and lived there for ten years, her fourteen years living in Miami had the effect of slowly wearing away her accent. Most of her words had an odd emphasis or pronunciation that hinted at her native roots in Australia, but her full accent was rarely heard unless she was with family, or... extremely intoxicated. Football. She knew it. Duncan seemed like the 'manly man, must do man sports' type of guy, so it was not a surprise to hear he liked football. Laughing, she nodded in acceptance of his preference. "I see. I've tried football a few times, but it's not my favorite. Years ago I used to play field hockey. It's a good game."[/color] she replied, trailing off as her memory touched on her time spent playing sports. She missed having the free time to be part of a team. Now, her life just seemed too preoccupied with her internship, building her new house, and the planning of her future business. Duncan sure knew how to dazzle people with his smile. She wasn't sure if his personality was just as shiny yet, but he seemed decent enough that he was actually taking care of her. In all honesty, Jocelyn would have rarely ever helped a stranger in need, especially on the beach. Perhaps if it was a good looking man that needed her help, she'd pull a Duncan and try to act like a hero, but on a regular day to day basis, she wouldn't be classified as 'generous'. Hearing the compliment to her name, the young woman returned the smile, without blushing. "Thanks"[/color] she replied quietly, pulling her hair back behind her shoulders before letting it fall, having dried a considerable amount since being submerged underwater. When he returned with drinks for the two of them, she laughed softly, accepting the fluorescent blue beverage with a grin. Tasting it, she took a sip, and then nodded in approval. "Excellent. Thank-you sir."[/color] she said in a mock-formal tone, glancing at the ice pack he'd brought. He really seemed insistent on making sure she was okay. Turning over, she stretched out on the towel so she was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows to look at Duncan. Boy, was he nice to look at. As always, she caught herself wondering what he'd look like without a swimsuit. Naughty. "Oh. Where do you work?"[/color] she asked, bringing her thoughts back to reality, sipping her drink again. She considered telling him that if he needed to leave, she'd be fine, and that he didn't need to feel obligated to nurse her back to health. However, Joce was sure that he didn't need her dismissal to know it would be okay to leave when he needed to.[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by duncan on May 1, 2010 1:05:06 GMT -5
Duncan never could understand what is was with women and their trying to prove themselves. He didn't find it attractive in the least. A girl was supposed to be fragile - supposed to be taken care of. That's what men were put on the earth to do for them. What use would he be if he couldn't provide for the girl? If she always insisted that she could do it all herself? Accepting help wasn't a weakness. And yes, Duncan was old-fashioned in that regard. The guy was strong, the woman was weak. That was just how nature made them, so that they would both be dependent upon the other. Though, he'd be lying if he didn't think a man could be without a woman. He did it just fine... Yet, how many times did he walk past a cafe and the women were complaining about their depression that they couldn't hold a guy down? Men never discussed stuff like that.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," he told her bluntly. "I think a boy wouldn't need as much... attention... as say, a girl. You might have done damage, but I doubt it'd be more than a headache to him." Duncan was insensitive. He was aware of this, and he was fully aware that his chauvinistic ideals could get him slapped. But - this is what people did. They discussed things. Nobody ever had to agree eye to eye, did they? If she punched him in the face and stomped away, he'd shrug it off and continue his life. What did it mean that a strange, unknown female didn't like him? There were other women who would. Duncan always kept an optimistic approach - plenty fish in the sea was right, indeed. It wasn't like he was fishing right now anyway. He was trying to be a decent person and make sure this chick wasn't going to faint or something.
When she explained her surf habits, Duncan's eyes moved to the clouds in thought. Christ, was everyone in Miami from Australia or something? This was the second woman he'd encountered from 'down under' and he he'd never met anyone from there ever before. It was a trend or something. Maybe there was a huge convention for Australians... "Oh, well that makes sense then," he finally said, eyes returning to her cute face. Women weren't normally surfers but he could believe it if her father AND brother thought she needed to learn it. If he had a sister and knew karate, he'd teach her - even though he didn't believe karate was a woman's thing either. It was all circumstantial. Duncan leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "How long did it take you to learn?" Years, he'd bet.
Football? She played football? He sat up a little straighter, somewhat in disbelief. "Football? Uhm.. do you mean English football or something? Y'know, soccer?" Cause Duncan wasn't aware of any female football teams besides soccer. He also thought it was dumb to call two incredibly different sports, by the same name. But that's probably their miscommunication here. And field hockey? He just wasn't going to comment on that. She was pretending to be a boy - he was so tempted to ask if she dressed as one as a kid or something. Or maybe she just grew up in a house full of men and it was the only influence she had? "So ah, how many siblings do you have? Or is it just your dad and brother?"
He wasn't surprised when she liked the fruity blue drink. It looked like something all women preferred. His beer tasted pretty good, for something you got on a beach. Right now, however, he didn't appear to be drinking much of it. Duncan had only purchased one for himself out of sheer politeness. But boy, he was spending a lot of money he didn't have to spend. Now he had to make up fifty bucks for rent by the end of the week. Her question made him uncomfortable and embarrassed. Looking away, he spoke. "Platinum. Y'know, the strip club downtown. I'm a bouncer." He focused on the waves, not very proud of himself.
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