Oh yea.

Twist, turn, spin, jump, flash a smile. Who's yo daddy? At the moment, not Rain. He was being 'yo sista'. Well...actually not, but...whatever. Anyways, anyone could tell he was having a fun time, except with the 'he' part, replace he with a she. Yes, she was in a good mood and was making the most out of it.

Meaning, listening to the fastest and most exciting techno she could find on her iPod and while skating outside and in the mall with her shiny white skates laced with rainbow laces. It would appear that she had no socks on either, but if one were to get a close look at her feet, they'd see black peeking out of her skates. It's fun to skate to music really, especially when you find yourself dancing while skating, bustin' out moves likes a pro. She could thank Desporia for teaching her how to dance so well.

One might wonder why security hasn't stopped her or kick her out. They probably got tired after trying to chase after her when she first started, also this happened before and she was well known for skating around this place while shopping. That's what she was doing too. There were a small percentage of people who knew she was a he, but on days like this they kept their mouth shut and in a grin.

She was welcome to do this as long as she shops, and that is what she does. Shopping spree time! She was already holding about five large bags in each hand, each filled with summer clothing, it was never too early for summer after all. She was flashing that part around in her bright and tight, white leather tube top. Not flashing her bosom, but the fact that the tube top was leather, and well, you get it. The white of the tube top made her already healthy, deep tan skin tone appear even darker.

The mall was rather crowded and while maneuvering through them was difficult, it was not impossible, especially if you knew how to use skates. Many of the mall goers would clap or cheer if she busted out a particularly hard or elaborate move. Though some mothers would complain she was a danger, Rain had yet to crash, hit, or smack someone with her body or bags. Spinning was a favorite thing to do and even funner with her mid thigh high denim skort with splits up the side so moving was easier. The skort was old but kept in good shape, with a green heart patch on her left back pocket.

Mobility was a must and the ability to move without getting caught on anything was also a must, thus the only accessories she wore was a simple silver watch on her wrist. If one watched her, they would see that she looked at it every now and then to check the time. Instead of carrying a purse like most girls do, she had a small 'backpack' where instead of the usual style, it was the head of Chi Chai Monchan, a monkey friend of Hello Kitty. In it, she kept her wallet, cellphone, lip gloss, several hygiene items, and an extra pair of black knee length socks. What is wrong with being ready?

The growl of her stomach caught Rains attention, she was hungry and needed to eat before she went into bitch mode. That was Rain's thing, must eat when hungry or else she'll get bitchy and have anxiety attacks, it's called fast metabolism and low blood sugar, and what better way to get actual food in you then to stop by a coffee shop in the mall because it's the healthiest place there? Anyways, they serve smoothies the way you want 'em, and that's perfect for Rain. So she skated over to the only place she ever got food, set her headphones around her neck, music still audible and smiled at the cashier who nodded back.

"Ah, hello, I would like, umm...one jumbo sized smoothie, strictly ice, raspberries and strawberries please - no added sugar please! And umm...eh, nothing without sugar in it? Pooh, ah well, that'll be all."

So what if she was picky? She hated sugar with a passion, finding it very disgusting. Fruit she liked, but no other sweet things thank-you, especially chocolate. Chocolate is disgusting and makes her gag, she can generally choke down dark chocolate if she needs some sugar and that is the only thing around but she prefers not to have to. Fruit is fine thank-you, leave your man made things and bring in mother nature!

Mmm, strawberries were her favorite things as well as raspberries, peaches, and limes. Oh, she was a sucker for limes and lemons, sour thing were a plus with her, don't give her sweets, give her fruit if you want to court her. She laughed despite herself and paid the man the money that was due.

She grabbed a handkerchief from her back pocket and wiped her forehead and lower back, she wasn't sweating a lot but after all that movement for nearly 2 hours straight you get a bit sweaty, after finishing that, she neatly folded it up and threw it away. She flattened down her ruffled hair as best as she could, she had gotten a hair cut and her left lock of hair was now gone, cut up and covering her eye. It was till choppy cut, just in a different style, and she was still getting used to it. Easing her bookbag off her shoulders, she pulled out her lip gloss, applying the shiny liquid to her lips quickly and then putting it back.

She turned around and leaned backwards against the counter as the dude went to fix her snack. The room now in her sight and the outside of the room directly in front of her. She loved people, people person to the core and loved to be around them. A lazy grin was on her face as she viewed them. Sure, some could be be really nasty, but others could be really great, you just have to keep an open mind about that, ne?

He’d seen her around the mall twice. And smiled both times. Who else had the balls...excuse me...guts to defy the security and rules and skate around the mall. The surface of the floor was good for it. Better then any stupid cracked and chipped sidewalk. He was, as many teenage boys, a fan of skating, did so himself, though he wasn’t that great at it since his balance was off. But if you told him to do a trick, he could calculate it out and pull it off as good as any pro, if not better. But he had to sit and do the calculations first.

Ivan was sitting at a table for four, but he was the only one there. But that could have fooled anyone. The boy’s school bag was sitting in the seat beside him and books were spread over the entire surface of the table. If one should glance down as they walk past, they would notice all of the books have titles like ‘Black Holes: the Mystery’ or ‘Astronomy for the twenty-first century’ and ‘Identify the Constellations’. Some of the books were brand new, purchased today at the bookstore in the mall. Some of the books looked like second hand’s bought from the used bookstore with their yellowed and torn pages, tears were taped back together. There was a notebook in front of him, the face page scrawled with slightly large, loopy, messy handwriting. The majority of what was on the page were some sort of calculations, the rest were notes scribbled in the margins.

Ivan was sixteen, looked like he was twelve, acted like he was thirty, had the manners of a fifty year old millionaire, and the inelegance of no normal human being. His face was full of sharp angles, his eyes were deep set and a green color that was just short of being light enough to be called blue. His hair hangs just a the length between short and long. It’s to short to tie all the way back but too long to be called short. The ponytail at the base of his neck was only half an inch long and strands escaped to hang around his pretty face. His hair had once upon a time been blonde, then dyed bloody red, but he’s neglected the dye job and not the hair is a soft, ester-egg pink with blonde roots showing through.

Ivan’s wearing what some would call winter clothing during the tail end of spring. His pants cover his feet and are held up by a pyramid belt, two rows of pyramids. He wears another belt, the same one, only, this belt wasn’t threaded through the loops but hung diagonally from one his to the other. Then there was a third belt, this one fashioned to look like bullets held by a leather strap and pop ribbits. The pockets of the pants, two on his butt and two just below his knees, are fishnet, and the rest of the pants contained straps that hung off and gave the impression that the pants were ripped, except there aren’t any holes in the pants. His shirt is just a fishnet cover, black, showing a bony, abnormally thin chest with two silver loops on the nipples and an adolescents thin, light blonde trail of hair leading into the pants. Otherwise, his chest is hairless. His face is hairless except for the shadow of a day old shave starting to show back up on his chin. Around one wrist is a set of handcuffs, around the other, a chain-link wrist cuff. Looped around his throat is a single thin leather strap that looks more like a string. His boots have inch and a half platforms, moving his five foot seven inches to a leggy five foot eight and a half inches. His bag is also fishnet. His pen has a big green poof of feathers on the end.

There’s a clear plastic cup sitting on the corner of the table, empty except for the water that was from melting ice. A pair of thin, squared glasses sit on the end of his nose. He looks up, looking over the glasses rim and smiles at ‘the skater girl,’ then shakes his head and returns to his studies.


((Mer. That's not a post I'm proud of))

Rain had noticd the 'Pink Boy'. as she labeled him, but hadn't paid much attention to him while shopping. Now though, he had her full attention since he was one of the only people in the shop. Her head bobbing to the heavy metal like techno, she took her time looking over him while waiting patiently for her smoothie.

The first thing that she had noticed about him was that he was young. The boy didn't look a day over 16 to her. The second thing she noticed was his hair, pink was always a cute color and the whole blond/pink thing was really cute. The third was all of the books on the table, and being the person she was, loving to read and learn, this really caught her attention. Sadly though, because of her position, she couldn't see the book's titles.

A tap on the shoulder and she turned around, the attractive young male cashier was holding her smoothie. Time to pay. She turned back around and brought out her black, obviously for males, wallet and paid the man who counted the money and gave her the receit, she simply tossed everything (save the smoothie) into the back pack. Pulling on the back pack and picking up her bags in her right hand, smoothie in the left, she looked for a place to sit and 'eat'.

The best place? The table right in front of Pinkie. She skated over to it easily, setting her stuff on the table as she stod beside it. While she did so, she snuck a look at the books. boy was she surprised, but she was also pleased, and not exactly forgetting herself but acting as a girl usually does she jumps over to the table picking up one of the newer books.

"Oh wow! You're studying Astronomy?" Like Desporia. "Wow...not my kind of science but still really cool!"

She flashes him a brilliant smile, one of her best features, and looks through the book before stting it back down carefully and looking at another on the table without picking any more up.

((Pish Posh! Very nice lovey ^^))

He'd been obsorbed, as often happens when he turns his mind over to studying. No longer does anyone at all matter. Just him, the books, and his memory all working like a well oiled machine. Speaking of machine, he'd have to by his aunt Sarah a knew coffee maker. He'd taken her's apart this morning and put it back togather. But when you take something apart, when you put it back togather, he didn't think you were suposed to end up with more pieces then you started out with.

But she picked up the book and his attintion snapped back to reality. Glancing up his pen kept scrawling across the paper, writing coherent words but the line suddenly began to slop downward. He spared a smile, then looked down, finished his sentance, and returned his attintion to the woman peering over his books.

"Oh wow! You're studying Astronomy?" Like Desporia. "Wow...not my kind of science but still really cool!"


A smile crept over his lips, a charming, flirting, he's-too-young-for-that-smile smile. His eyes sparkled with the smile. It was crooked, one corner higher then the other, but his teeth were straight (thank two years in braces for that) and white (thank the 'if i'm gonna have straight teeth they may as well be pretty' brushing for that).

"I'm trying to understand what might exactly be on the other side of a black hole."

The thought it too complex for a kid his age to be thinking. But he's thought it. Not only has he thought it, he's not stopped there. He's searching for an answer to some random thought. Devotion. Or just too much mind mass that he doesn't know what to do with it all. That's why most genius' have problems. Like certian tasks being too simple to comprehend.

"Wanna sit down? I don't mind if you can find a clear spot to sit your drink. Company's always welcome."

That's too much charm for a kid his age. But he has it.

Naturally she hadn't heard him, you must remember, the poor thing is basically deaf, but she did catch the movement in time to read his lips. She studied it for a moment and took off her head phones, the sound of the dark, metal techno blaring a bit too loudly for some before she cut it off.

She blinked for a moment then slowly another pretty smile graced her pretty face.
Rain was tickled, the boy was doing something like that? Reminded her of herself when a thought popped in her head and she studied and researched it for hours on end until she found out the answer to her idea.

But what's on the other side of a black hole? Hasn't that been one of the biggest scientific questions for like, a long time? Like the whole chicken or egg thing, but we all know that the egg came first, it was laid by a chicken like creature. She almost jumped when she realized she was being rude, not replying to his comment.

"Well, that is a pretty serious thing...Would you please grace me with the reason why you are trying to 'understand what is on the other side of a black hole'?"

Tone was, as usual, of pure interest, light and layered with happy emotions. That was one thing, Rain's emotions were always expressed through her voice unless she caught herself and controlled it properly. When he invited her she looked at him, her head cocked to the side and her blue-grey eyes on him. Indeed, the boy had a lot of charm and that made him even more adorable in a funny way.

"Well, as long as you don't mind, why not?"

She pulled her things from behind her and set her bags next to her and put her back pack on her lap. She opened up the monkey's head and looked through it, she must have something to show him, about her science. She grinned as she found a book, one that she always carried around. It was smaller, but pretty thick and she passed it over to him. The title? A simple word; GeoPhysics.

"That's my science. And I must say, I'm afraid I'm in love with it."

She flashed him a cute little grin before taking a long sip from her slushie, humming happily as she tasted her favorite flavors before setting it down in a little cleared area. She was able to stody his face even more, she liked the glasses, he was really cute. Too bad he thought she was a she.

grace me with the reason why you are trying to 'understand what is on the other side of a black hole'?'

He squirmed slightly, as though he were uncomfortable with the question. Or maybe it was the answer he was uncomfortable with. It's the sort of move a student would make after getting caught whispering but the teacher just stands and stares at you. Just stares. You start to squirm. His right hand began to pick at the corner of the paper of his notebook and his eyes watched, interested. His nails were bit back and painted black, but the ends were chipped away.

"Because...If i don't try..." He shifted again. This corner of the paper is the absolute most interesting thing he's ever seen in his short life. Golly. "Then I'll never know...and if i don't try to find out...My aunt Sarah says I look too distracted when I think too hard." Sudden jump in the subject. It would be beyond most to figure out the link between to subject breech. But trust that Ivan had a reason. He always does. He's just a little complicated.

He watched her dig through the bag with curious eyes. When she pulled out the book he used his left hand, which still helf the pen, to push the glasses back up the bridge of his nose from where they's slipped, his right hand out to look at the book.

"geophysics." He repeated the word while looking at her, then back down to the book. "Study of the earth. It's a branch of earth science that deals with the physical processes that happens to earth right?" Walking dictionary. He could probably tell you it's etymology too. Ok so he's read the dictionary a few times. But when you run out of things to read at home on a rainy day....*shrug*

Rain blinked, um, this was an odd reaction. It was like the boy didn't even know why he was. She stopped herself from raising an eyebrow, maybe he was just uncomfortable. Maybe he didn't even know why. She gave a friendly smile.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Another long sip of the smoothie as she watched him look at her book. She grinned when he gave a definition. She nodded, her eyes sparkling, she loved her science, what could she say, she loved the earth too.

"GeoPhysics, the study of the structure, composition, and dynamic changes of the earth and it's atmosphere, hydrosphere and magnetosphere, based on the principles of physics. Yes, my passion and soon to be my profession."

She lifted up her elbows and rested them on the table, cocking her head to the side, resting it on top of her hands. She looked at one of he open books on the table, reading both pages as she took sips of the smoothie.

((Blegh, short post, sorry ><))

You don't have to tell me if you don't want to

He frowned. She'd missed the conection and Ivan couldn't understand how that was possible. To him, the transition was plain to see. But don't feel bad Rain, most people wouldn't have picked it up. It was too complex a change and you'd have to Know Ivan and his Aunt to understand. That's the part he doesn't realize. He lifted an eyebrow.

"But...I just told you. If I don't look it up then Aunt Sarah says I'm being lazy, I look distracted and I should go look it up. She says if I have a question i should try to find the answer."

He shrugged. Ok, so now that made sense. The woes of being a child genius. The genius part slips his mind all the time.

"Soon to be your profession eh?" His eyes glinted and he leaned forward until his shoulders touched the table, his hands folded under the table. "Are you in college?" He sounded almost eager to ask the question.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch that part."

She winced,now it made sense, she kinda missed the whole thing since she hadn't been watching his mouth and he spoke too quietly. She nodded, "That makes sense to me." She grinned, "I do that too."

She smiled as she leaned forward, he really seemed excited abou that part. She nodded, her hair swaying back and forth softly.

"Yes, I've been one for five years, I'm going to be in for a few more just becuase I love learning and I love college so much."

She leaned forward, in the same position as himsave for the fact her bosom was on the table. The bendable straw in her mouth, it was now pink, being full of slushie. She was taking a long sip, her energy was steadily returning now.

He nodded excitedly when she said that she was in college. He looked at his empty coke bottle and frowned. He didn't want to get up to get another but it didn't matter. He put on finger on the bottle top and began rocking the bottle. He's got a bad habit of fidgeting.

"Keaton? I go to Keaton. I just don't..." he shrugged and a light tint of pink crept to his cheeks, warming his face. No teenage boy likes to admit they aren't popular. "Have many friends there." Another shrug. That's right. Shrug it off like it's nothing.

His eyes drifted down to her breasts on the table, it's hard to miss, and came abruptly back to her face. He didn't seem embarassed that he'd looked, and if she'd seen, it didn't seem to matter to him. He smiled again and took his finger off the bottle top and began to pick at the corner of his paper once more. This time, he wasn't watching the paper. This time his eyes were all for her's.

Flirt.

"Yup, I got to Keaton." She grinned then it fell off her face and was replaced with not a frown but a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry...hey..." Her face brightened, "I have lots of friends and know many pretty girls-" Wink. "You should come hang out at a study or something sometime. My friend Desporia is studying Astronomy, but she has a girfriend, but she is really fun to talk to! You two could have an interesting convo on that whole black hole thing!"

Notice she didn't say anything about herself and if she was single. She didn't want to scare him away with the knowledge that she wasn't a she. She still didn't have his name either. She noticed his eyes on her bosom but didn't say anything, she coouldn't yell at him. As a young man, she even stares at other women's boobs at time, hell, everyone does.

She simply grinned at him, eye contact all the way. He was a flirt, yes? A cute, charming flirt. She wondered breifly why he wasn't popular at the college-wait! He was a college student?! Her eyes widened and she thought back, feeling slow and stupid but her mouth went on.

"Wait a minute, you're a student!? You are soo young though! Or at least you look young, I'm twenty-three and though I look young, I don't look as young as-" She cut off and blushed, "Sorry, I'm blabbering, but you really are a student? You look really young."

He frowned at her coment about her friend Desipora. Was this her way of saying back down? Because Ivan was just too polite to keep going if he knew you wanted out. But if she was trying to set him in a different path she wouldn't have said her friend had a girlfriend.

At that knowlege, and his age, he didn't even blink an eye at knowing a girl went out with another girl. It seemed completly natural to him. And really, it was. After all, Ivan hit on anything with two legs and a...well, anything with two legs period. Not that he ever meant anything by it all. He was just a flirt.

Then she went off about his age and his being so young. He felt the pink tint creeping onto his cheeks again and he slid down in his seat until his butt was hanging off the edge, his chin almost to the table.

"Yeah." He grumbled. "Tell me how many people tell me that everyday." He sat up straight suddenly and picked up the pen, holding it upside down and dancing the feathers across the surface of the books. "I don't look young. I look my age."

He looked up at her then, wondering if she'd be offended by a sixteen year old staring at her chest and hitting on her. After all she was twenty-three. But Ivan hit on any age too, as long as they were no younger then fourteen. Younger then fourteen he just treated them like little siblings.

"I'm sixteen."

She blinked and sat up on her chair, leaning over the table, closer to Ivan. Why was he sliding down the chair, was he embaressed about something? She blinked for a few moments before snapping into reality once again.

"Are you okay?"

Whoa. She had to lean back quickly though. He shot up like a rocket suddenly. She nodded. He looked his age? Woah then that must mean he's really young. Blink. Woah, sixteen years old? She giggled.

"Smart, young, and pretty. Nice combination hon."

She gave him a friendly, cheerful smile. That was the truth, and it was a good combination really. She supposed the only reason he wasn't popular was because he was probably an introvert or something.

He did seem a tad bit shy.

...But not too shy.

((omg >< short post ;; sorreh))

Shy? Ivan? Not to many people would call Ivan shy. Actually, he had trouble making friends at the college because instead of befriending them, most of them look at him and ask if he needs help finding the highschool, or worse, the middle school.

"Pretty?"

His eyebrows shot up and he dropped the pen and started picking bits of paint off of his fingernails. He frowned at a particuarily stubborn piece. He'd not meant to shoot up like he had in the seat. If he'd known she was going to lean over the table he would have eased upward instead of surged.

"I've been called a lotta things but pretty isn't usually one of them."

Nevermind that she said he was young and smart. Neither he took as a special compliment because he heared them so often. Pretty was a knew one. She'd said nice combonation but he looked at her suspiciously, abandoning his nail paint and picking at the paper again.

"Is that a good thing?"

Well that sucks. Rain never had that problem. The only problem was people hitting on her thinking she was a she. Instead of a he. But she has gotten used to it and when that happens she just one: let's things go on and flirts back or two: tells them out right that she is not a she. The trick to flirting is never tell what she is, some people have tried to say 'you tricked me'!' but Rain never said she was a she, now did she?

She nodded and grinned, yes he is pretty. She had to control herself from snorting at the expression on his face but she couldn't stop the fit of giggles that happened afterwards.

"Yes that is a good combination. And pretty is the best word to describe you...I could just call you cute but that wouldn't seem right, your older than 'cute'. You're too young though to be called hot and I'd feel like a child molester if I called you sex-ay."

Another fit of giggles and she leaned forward too quickly, and her forehead met the table. Thud! No more giggles. The only noise that occured after the thud was a word too uncivilized to post here. She stiffened and raised herself up, hand covering her mouth and her face was crimson. Ooops, no one heard that did they?

She lowered her hand slowly, face furiously red. She bowed her head to Ivan and looked back up at him sheepishly, her blush probably just got even brighter. She said that in front of a kid for pete's sake. Biting her lip nervously, she pulled on her fingers in a nervous habit.

"Sorry."

Her voice was quiet and full of embarressment. She looked to the floor and then back up at Ivan.

"I'm trying to quit that habit."

It's not a bad thing.

"Really?" It wasn't really a question to be answered.

Ivan's face tinted pink at being told what word suited him and what word didn't. He picked at the paper again, ripping a little piece off of the corner and staring at it. His green almost blue eyes were just a little wider then usual. He's used to compliments, but not before he's tried to charm them out.

Then she hit her head. Thud. He jumped and dropped the paper, his glasses sliding down his nose to rest at the end. He looked at her and she swore. His eyebrows raised again, then lowered themselves. He half reached across the table, hesitated, reached further, then put his hand in his lap. He didn't know what to do with his hands.

"Are you alright?"

He didn't look around. He wasn't worried if someone had heard. He didn't care if someone was staring. But then again, he wasn't the one who'd hit his head or started swearing. But then, had it been, he probably wouldn't have cared anyways. He shook his head at her apology and his hair tie let most of his hair loose, holding back part of it. What came loose from the barely long enough to tie back hair, framed around his face and flopped against his skin while he shook his head.

"It was worth a good curse."

Bumping the head that is. He swears...when he's hurt. And when his mad. But other then that he doesn't. He figures pain is worth a good fit.

Rain had noticed the slight pink on his face before hitting herself. She rubbed her head and shook her head. Wince. Rain complimented anyone and everyone she thought was cute, even if others didn't think so. Rain was one of those rare people who saw the person according to their personality, if there were mean and nasty they were pretty ugly and if they were sweet they might be better looking. It doesn't always work like that but sometimes it does. She grinned at him.

"I'm fine, it didn't hurt that much, I guess it's an automatic response system in me, even if it doesn't hurt that much I still say something."

She raised her eyebrows at him, that 'you should know this' expression on her, "Now, a week or more ago when I was at a coffee shop, me and this guy got in a fight and he gave me a real nice shiner, he ended up worse than me of course since I'm a upper level black belt in three different martial arts and I know how to defend myself and be able to attack properly. But he still landed a real good one on me, thus I must train even more."

She pointed to her left eye if one were to peer closely, they would see what looked like a faint shadow around her eye socket. "It hurt too. But I didn't swear then, I just looked pitiful."

She sighed and then grinned, sitting up and leaning across the table. Her tan hand outstretched, she pushed his glasses up his nose so they weren't practically hanging off.

"Don't look so sexy or I'll feel like a pervert."

She leaned back smiling. This was really fun. And it was the truth, she thought he was really cute. That's the nice thing about being a guy, you are actually open about what you think, unlike girls who send fucked up signals that make you go 'what the hell? does she like me or not?'. Rain was a looker and a flirt, but she never got serious unless she really liked a person. That was really rare too.

He watched her hand coming at him but didn't move. If anything, he sat more still then he had since she'd seen him. It's his experiance that if someone is reaching towards you to touch you for any reason at all, backing away is rude but flinch can get you hurt. His Aunt had reached out to get an eyelash off his cheek one time and he'd flinched, hit the wall behinde him, leaned forward to get away from the wall and got poked in the eye for all his efforts.

So here he sat statue still and let her push the glasses up his nose and back over his eyes. Her comment made the blush disipitate and the smile appear. Obviously, he's a little better when he has no doubt that the comment is a good one. Pretty had made him hesitate. Pretty was for girls. But sexy was for either. and it was older. Ivan liked being classified as older. It gave him a security blanket that reassured him he wasn't too young to be in college (even if his mental copacity reached further then the majority of the college students).

When her hand retreated, his hand followed. He held it out across the table, the hand with the hand with the chainlink wrist cuff.

"I'm Ivan Gothric."

She was glad he didn't move when she fixed his glasses, if he did, an accident would have occured. She was glad to see him smile, though she wouldn't say it, he looked even more prettier. She giggled and then felt her forehead. No lump but it was bruising, she couldn't tell if it was purple though. Damn, skating around a mall with a friggin' purple circle on your forehead. Really nice.

Rain smiled and took his hand, her own hand tanned with perfectly manicured finger nails. No decorations though, she prefered to wear as little jewelry as possible, it was easier to move around. She nodded.

"Nice to meet you Ivan, I'm Charlotte Rain Sharlamey, call me what you want, but most call me Rain."

She grinned at him, her grip, if he were to notice, was firm but not dominating. She had a very firm grip, generally business like because she reserves hand shakes for new people. Hugs were for friends.

Maybe he'd end up being a friend. He'd have to learn the truth though. Would he be shocked? Scared? Disgusted? Well, she wouldn't worry about it now but she can't ignore it permanetly. Her grin faded but it was quickly replaced with a smile. For a moment her blue-grey eyes had been clouded but they were once again clear.

His hand was completely opposite of her's. His manicure was self done, a slop of chewed back, broken off finger nails with black chipped paint. The pale hand was in the sun all the time, the skin was just not able to maintain a tan.

His own hand shake would have been hesitant, unfirmiluar. He's sixteen and is yet used to hand shakes that are reserved for more adult matters. Instead of shaking her hand, his butt came out of the seat just a little so he could lean over the table slightly and plant a light kiss on the back of her hand. His left hand with it's handcuffs lay across his stomach like he were holding the shirt so not to drag it over the table, except it was skin tight fishnet and didn't hang anywhere. Old habbits die hard right?

He sat back down and released her hand, his left hand immediatly picking up the pen and dancing the feathered end across the surface of one of the books.

"I guess you can call me Ivan or Gothric. Doesn't matter."

He watched her smile faulter for just a breif moment. Most people wouldn't have noticed, given how quickly she covered it, but Ivan's an observant one. His intake is nearly double the average male, nearly three fourths beter then the average teenage boy. He frowned.

"Whats wrong?"

Oh dear, he kissed her hand? Maybe she shouldn't tell him now. She blinked and smiled. How sweet, he was a gentleman, yes? She bit her bottom lip, she'll tell him later. Which name should she call him?

"Gothric makes you sounds like a gargoyle for some reason..." She blinked, a rather ditzy expression on her face, "I think I'll call you Ivan, sounds more human and more mature."

She grinned and leaned back, picking up her smoothie and taking long draws. Mmm, she shivered from the cold and giggled. Smoothies were the best, too bad they didn't have any real food here.

She looked around the store quickly, some weirdos were in here, humans too and something that looked rather suspicious, bet you a demon. You find all sorts of people here. She turned back to Ivan, she didn't want to attract unwanted attention. Smile. She twiddled with her drink.

"I love this thing-" The smoothie "-I love fruit, non sweetened of course. I'm a very picky eater, no sweets for me thank-you, only real, non processed foods. I hate sugar."

There a little bit of information. She had avoided the question at first. Not polite. She smiled softly. "It's nothing, don't worry about it right now."

Smile.

He laughed out loud at being told his last name sounded like a gargoyle's name. His laugh was like a bell, loud, ringing, and it didn't matter if everyone in the mall heard it. It had a way of either cheering people up or depressing them.

He looked at the coke bottle sitting on the corner of the table and made a show of grabbing it and dropping it into the seat next to him, out of her sight. He smiled and dropped the ben and started to pick at the fishnet on his shirt, picking the cloth away from his extremly thin body and letting it snap back.

His eyes followed hers when she looked at the people but nothing of interest struck him. Had he known it was a demon, he probably would have jumped up, approached it, and started bombing it with questions. Interested in everything he was.

It's nothing, don't worry about it right now

"So you will tell me then. Not right now but eventually." He doesn't like being kept in the dark. Not even about feelings. And the way that he's talking, he seems to think that they will stay friends. Finally, a friend who goes to college with him that doesn't care that he's young.

Rain grinned at Ivan's laugh, to him, it was cheerful. Cheerful and loud, that was a good thing. She smiled and leaned forwad, head on the top of her hands. It was her turn to laugh when he hid the coke bottle. Her laugh was loud, not quite as loud as Ivan's but near, and it was like the clinking of unbreakable glass. An odd, but not unpleasant sound.

Rain would have grabbed onto him before he got near that thing. Whether it was freindly or not didn't matter, you didn't just run up to someone- er..okay, so maybe Rain had done it before but she nearly got herself killed once. Who knew that angels didn't like jokes about them being large birds?

Rain sighed, "I don't think you'd really like to learn, it might scare you a way...or think I'm some freaky weirdo." She winced, looking down at the table, it wasn't the first time she was nervous about telling someone, it took her a while to tell Desporia, but that girl didn't care. Rain wasn't so sure about Ivan, what if the boy freaked and shouted and- Rain stopped. She needed to tell him.

"Ivan, please don't try to freak about this, you might find it really disturbing and I would appreciate if you told me instead of making a show-" She breathed in and out with a sigh. "-If you don't want to remain friends or even aquantinces, please just tell me and I'll leave."

Well here it goes. She looked into his eyes, her own blue-grey eyes suprisingly not serious or nervous, but calm. "I'm a guy."

Ivan had been sitting straight in the chair, his butt near the edge of the seat, his hand on the other set where he'd put the bottle. Now he raised his eyebrows as if challenging the truth to that last statment. His eyes involentarily dropped to her breasts. Like before, he didn't bother hiding that he was looking. But unike before, he didn't look away quickly. Ah the rudness of teenagers. He stared at her breasts like he could see through the clothing and was looking for the line of incission on the side that meant breast surgery.

Ivan looked back up at his face. His face. How suddenly that changed, and how Ivan somehow really believed him. His eyebrows had lowered back from the arch and his eyes had grown just slightly wide when he reminded himself it was rude. Blink. Bilnk. Another blink. He shook his head as if to clear it.

Of course, he being who he was, even as he was shocked speechless, his mind went about it's own way. Searching for a reason that a man would have breasts. He leaned forward now, shifting so that he was on his knees in the chair, drawing his face close to Rain's. His eyes met with a determination, like he'd see straight into the others soul. He spoke in a low whisper that he couldn't manage to keep the suprise out of. But a whisper nonetheless, like he what he wanted to say may be a secret.

"Your not a trans are you?" Rude, but he wanted to know the truth. Now. "Or...tell me you have testicular cancer. Tell me that's the reason." As if being a trans may be a little weird for his young mind to grasp. But that young mind already know of side effects to testicular cancer. How strange. Maybe it was because one was natural, the other was not.

Rain blinked when the other put his face in his. It wasn't in a very purposefully rude manner and Rain didn't exactly mind, but it threw his eyesight off wack. He shook his head.

"Neither, these two-" A prod from both hands into his bosom. "-are 100% real breasts, but they aren't natural to my body. My mum, she is a doctor, used me as a guneia pig in an experiement and transfered them on. Feel them if you want, just don't take advantage, I feel everything."

He left out that small detail that she used a lot of her Necromatic powers too and the fact she was a Necromancer. But he felt that Ivan wasn't Innish and the boy wouldn't take him seriously at all. Most likely. If he was Innish, well then it would be easier to explain.

What the hell was testicular cancer anyways?

If he asked, Ivan would explain it's like cancer to the overies for a woman. Cancer in the genitle area, all of it or just parts. A side effect, rare as it is, is the hormones in the chest rage and the man with the cancer could end up with bigger boobs then his girlfriend.

But Rain didn't ask.

He could feel them. Ivan shook his head, finally a soft blush creeping into his cheeks, just barely tinting them. He'd hate to have to admit that he's never touched a girls breast. That he, this mega charmer, this flirt to the maximum, is an ubber virgin.

"That's alright. I believe you."

His voice came out calm, steady, very matter of fact. He was shaking his head in mild suprise, shock, maybe little interest. Leave it to him to want to know the details about how the surgery happened, what was in the breasts, if they were exactly identical to the real deal. If he hadn't been embarassed too, Ivan probably would have prod and poked him. Instead he let a small, devilish grin slip over his face to cover the blush that remained.

"I can still flirt though right?"

If he weren't trying to be funny, he wouldn't have asked for the go-ahead.

He grinnied at Ivan's faint blush, aw, how cute, the little charmer was shy! If Rain was a girl, he'd coo and squeal then giggle girlishly. But since he isn't he simply chuckled. Rain, at his age, is luckilly, not a virgin. Why is he lucky? Becuase that is one less thing the girls can't tease him about. Didn't stop them from touching him, do you know uncomfortable it gets after 10 minutes of people appearing behind him and groping his bosom? Very. If Rain knew Ivan was an ubber virgy, he owuldn't be surprised and would be glad to know. He coughed and cleared his throat, oy, no more girl voice for the rest of the day was.

Rain nodded, "That's good." There wasn't much change in the voice, it was only slightly lower, but still noticeable.

He stuck out his tongue and then smiled, fluttering his eyelashes in a mock flirtatious way, "Oh you know you can flirt any time honey!" He gave a little wave of the hand and then burst out laughing.

Ivan raised his eyebrows, both of them this time, in suprise at the decimal change in Rain's voice. This was very...not what a normal kid would call interesting. Butt Ivan is definatly not a normal kid and he definatly found this very interesting. Suprising, but not a bad suprise. Not a good one. But unlike a bad one. It was just...a suprise, pleasant and disturbing.

He nodded at the 'that's good'. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes being so trusting made him a perfect target, the ideal victim.

"Oh you know you can flirt any time honey!"

With the flick of his hand, Ivan found himself frowning deeply. He was still on his knees, his face very close to this man's. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or be offended at the joke returned. He didn't know if Rain was serious or not. He'd joked, but he'd been serious. As said before, Ivan will flirting with anyone, no mater the gender or age. Ok...so their is an age limit both too old and too young. But you get the point.

Instead of letting himself be offended or arguing that he was serious, he leaned forward and brushed lips with Rain. That and for some random reason, he wondered if the boobs were naturally there, were Rain's lips like a man's or a womans. Did the boobs mean anything else about Rain's masculinity was faminine.

Minature Scientist wrapped in the skin of a sixteen year old.

Ivan sat back and let his eyes bore into Rain's in a deadly serious, too old for his face, gaze. It was a chaste kiss but it was there.

Rain had calmed down quickly and stared back and was immensely surprised when the lips of the younger boy's brushed against his in something like a kiss, no, it was a kiss. As for the question of whether his lips were like a man's or woman's, well, they were very soft but not very plump like most women's.

Rain was staring back at the intense gaze of the younger one with blue-grey eyes. Ivan looked older than he was. That was a definite accomplishment. Man, Ivan was almost scary when he looked at him like that, intense gazes like his always made Rain like he was being examined by an uncomfortably curious doctor.

What was the kiss for? Well, he knew he should have been a little more serious about that flirting thing. The boy seemed to have been. Damn, what was their age difference? Quick math in the head. 7 years. Hmm.

He leaned forward, "You're serious, aren't you?" It wasn't a quetion meant to be answered, Rain figured the answer on his own.

"Well..." He rested his head on his hands, "I am too." There was a smile on his face but his eyes were serious.

Your serious aren't you?

He knew it was rhetorical, not meant to be answered. Not even truely a question. The only thing that made it a question was the raise on the end of the sentance. But Ivan nodded anyways.

"Yes."

He felt a small, smug smile creep over his lips at Rain's admiting that he too was serious. He felt triumph, like he'd won a fight neither of them new they were fighting. And in some small way he had. He'd crept over that threshold that kept so many believeing that he was still, no matter his intelegance or the he was in college, no mater that he worked a full job like a man, helped pay bills, just a child.

"Good."

He practically breathed the word on Rain, then sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and sliding off of his knees to sit slightly slouched in the unwritten law that all sulky teenagers must sit. He realized the age differance as well but that wasn't improtant since really, he planned to do nothing except for flirt.

Rain controlled himself from raising an eyebrow. Ivan's smug smile looked rather odd on the rather innocent face. He had an idea why Ivan was so smug about but didn't say anything. Hadn't they all run into that wall? Ivan might have stepped over it, but he still has a bit to go.

Rain just nodded whe the boy breathed 'Good', he han't even heard what he said but he read his lips. Since he was in front of is face. He instinctively stretched out his arms when the boy got out of his personal space.

He didn't say anything about the slouching, it was bad for his posture but no teen likes anyone telling them how to sit. Rain had perfect posture, he perfered to keep it like that, he needed to take care of his back if he wanted to keep doing gymnastics.

He leaned back forward, drinking his smoothie and checking the area again. No more creepy people IN here, there were plenty out though. He looked to Ivan, lips slightly pursed.


"Now, we've asked each other all the questions that we can to learn about each other-" Well, no they didn't, but Ivan should know what Rain meant. "-what will we talk about now? Or would you to flirt and compliment each other until something pops up?"

The last part was meant as a joke, some what, really Rin wanted to talk. He liked talking, not too much, but he liked it nonetheless.

Ivan glanced down at the chain link wrist cuff to the inside of his wrist. There was, inbedded in the cuff, a watch face. Clever. He picked up his pencil again and danced it over the paper.

"Flirting come natural. But only when i don't actually think about it." He smiled. Oh yeah, it was sly and interesting, and interested. And flirting. And no, he wasn't trying to proove his point. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it. He leaned forward now, slouching forward instead of backward, still fidgeting.

"I would like to talk." He said it outloud because Rain had given him the choice. He looked up again, and again those almost blue but really still green eyes were serious and beyond his age again. He knows the topic he wants to discuss. He would never ask if he wasn't will to talk equally about his own family. "Am I allowed to ask about your mom or is the topic off limits?"

Rain grinned, "Alright, sounds fine to me." He preffered talking over flirting right now. Flirting can be used when there is nothing to do. Talking is more fun because you learn things.

He too leaned forward, but unlike Ivan, he had a straight back, "Talking sounds great to me." Talking was fine right now. Nothing to do.

He blinked. His mom? Well, there was no harm in talking about her. Rain shrugged, grinning, "Sure you can, what do you want to know about her?"

"The surgery. Why'd she do it to you?" He'd poised the pen over the blank table as he would over a notebook, preparing too take notes from a professors lecture. He realized he'd done it, blinked, dropped the pen and picked up the empty coke bottle, begining to screw and unscrew the top over and over...and over.

"How old were you? Are you angry about it?" He paused as if reflecting. A sad little frown creeped over his eyebrows and the innocence of his child was back, bleeding into those eyes.

"What was she like? Did she ever sing to you? Did she take you to the park or let you cook with her?" Well if that isn't a whole different train of questions.

Rain smirked. Well isn't he just the natural interagator? The smirk fell off and was replaced by a grin, a wide, lazy grin Desporia would have been proud of.

"Why? I don't know really, my Mum is a very weird person, I bet she did the experiment becuase she thought it would be fun."

He noticed the eyes, how sad. Did he not have a Mum? That was the first question, or maybe his Mum wasn't a nice person. Rain didn't say anything and just continued. "I was about maybe...15? So I've had them for about 8 years or so. And was I angry? No. Surprisingly I wasn't. I was more amused than anything."

Rain rubbed his nose, "Mum...mum is my idol. She is a loud, boisterous woman, she looks similar to me, with grey eyes and more reddish hair. Her body is similar to mine, just a bit more willowy. She is an open-minded, fun loving person who knows when to stop and be serious. She is a very smart woman, and strongwilled."

Did she sing to him? "I don't really remember, I'm sure she did, songs like 'I'm Bringing home a Baby Bumble Bee' and such. She took me everywhere really, park, toy store, I was spoiled rotten. Maybe she was making up for the fact I didn't have a father. As for the cooking, well, she burnt water so me and my Auntie cooked."

These questions were all very interesting, not interesting to him, but the fact that he was asking him about all the nice things.

No, actually, Ivan didn't have a mom.

"My aunt and I cook togather sometimes, but she's a very busy woman so we usualy just eat sandwhiches." With how thin his body was, it was a wonder that he ate anything at all. Though, the pants did bulk up his legs a little, but then the waist band and the three heavy belts highlighted his thin, bony hips.

"So your mom was pretty then." What the comment implied was very obvious. Rain had said he resembled his mother. Ivan had said that when he flirt, he usually wasn't thinking about doing it. When he realized it he looked up from the bottle cap, meeting eyes with Rain.

He put the bottle down and started to pick at the material of the arm band on his left wrist. "You didn't have a dad either. What happened to him?" Either. He didn't ask if the topic was off limits this time. He just took it that if Rain didn't want to discuse it he wouldn't.

Rain nodded, it sucked majorly when your parents were busy with something. "That stinks, only sandwhiches, hm? I have to cook for myself now, Mum and my Aunt are back in California, where I grew up."

He smiled at the flirtacious comment. How sweet. He rubbed his nose, laughing a little before licking some smoothie off of his straw. "Yes, my Mum is beautiful to me." Not because she resembled him, but because he thought so.

He didn't care about his father, it never made him angry, in fact, he hoped he'll never meet him. He wasn't there for him, he shouldn't be in his life at all. He doesn't even get angry to think about him. He waggled a manicured finger at Ivan.

"The question isn't 'what happened to him?', it is 'who is he?'. I'm a bastard-" If Ivan knew so many things, he should know what a bastard is. "-and all I know about my quote unquote Dad, is that he was a much older man who ditched her when he found out she was pregnant. I grew up with only women, besides my male cousin, and I'm not angry at my Dad. In fact, I think it's better I didn't know him, or I wouldn't be who I am and I wouldn't have these two."

He prodded his breasts, which were up on the table and returned to sipping and licking the straw, his eyes on Ivan.

"We havn't got time to cook for ourselves. We're too busy working. And I go to school." He shrugged. At first you get tired of the same food over and over. Than after a while you start to get used to it, then numb to it. Eventually, you just stop noticing.

"So you don't know your dad." The lingering saddness to his eyes hadn't evaporated. It stayed there, but something else was creeping in. It was an emotion hard to describe. Much like resentment. You could say anger but that wasn't it at all. "All for the best sometimes I guess. Long as your not angry about it I guess that's ok right?"

He stopped picking the arm warmer and started to pluck at the soft feather at the end of his pen. His eyes drifted away from Rain's, looking at the scared table top. When they came back up both the anger and resentment were gone, carfully concealed behind a mask of maturity. Theres that beyond-his-years look again.

"I didn't know my pop either." There was a bitter smile there now, but his eyes were still carfully gaurded. "A bastard too. Seems we have something in common." Except he didn't know his mom either. And he was obviously ot happy with this father that he didn't know.

"Mm, I know what you mean, there isn't a lot of time inbetween eating, sleeping, going to work, going to class. Generally I use my 'recreation' time to cook meals for the next week or so."

Rain shrugged. "Nope, I don't know him and I really don't want to, things wuold probably get nasty." The emotions in the other's eyes worried him slightly, hopefully in wasn't Rain that those emotions were directed to. "Yea."

Rain watched Ivan look down at the table then back up at him. He blinked, so he was hiding his emotions was he? Rain sighed and leaned forward, further across the table, "Indeed, but there are some things we definetly don't have in common." A couple passed by and Rain looked up at them, aw how sweet, was that a guy or a chick? Rain's eyebrow rose and watched them pass by and sit at a table for two.

He looked back to Ivan, man, that kid doesn't seem to like his father. How'd he know? Well, he mentioned his father and he has a rather bitter expression on his face. He is guarding those eyes, damn, Rain hated it when people were able to do that...he sometimes wished he was an empath but then again it wouldn't be such a pleasant experience.

Deciding that he won't test that ground he took a sip out of his smoothie before speaking, "Looks like we killed the more positive mood." A sheepish grin.

Killed the light mood? Ivan's gaurd falttered and he looked away to gather it back up but when he looked at Rain again, that sheild had been broken. But now it wasn't anger. Maybe a tint of the anger that had been there but now sadness, guilt, fear were dominating he face.

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

He dropped his hands, for the first time he wasn't actually fidgeting with anything. It didn't last long. Ivan reached across the table and played his fingers over Rain's knuckles, then back again. Back and forth, a feather light, speedy touch. A slight tremble to the fingers, occasionally the scrape across skin from the chewed off nails.

When in dowubt, find safe ground. "So you said Desipora likes my science. Who's she?" Obviously not his girlfriend. "Is she like...well...Does she have..." He shrugged, indicating with the other hand at his breasts. It's still a little strange for the sixteen year old, not that his fingers even paused over the others knuckles.