Shade found himself climbing to the top of a small tree and leaning back against one of the long branches as he gazed up at the sky. It was silent out, he came to escape the noise and constant battering of most other places in the city. His light blue eyes closed halfway as he slowly dozed off.

He felt the wind blow slightly, and pulled his jacket closer around him to protect himself against the chill. A large, frail leaf broke off from it's branch and floated down onto Shade's face. He opened his eyes suddenly and brushed it off, looking over to watch it fall onto the grass. Then, settled back comfortably to his own thoughts.

Clare was walking into the park to get away from the city life. She trudged quickly, her shoulders were hunch up as she tried to fight an incoming chilly wind. She wore her normal patch filled jacket which was wrapped tightly around her.

She had a sudden craving and stopped at a tree to lean on as she brought out a pack of cigarettes. She took a cigarette out and lit it with a match. She took her first drag and exhaled slowly into the wind. She had no idea anyone was in the tree.

Shade dozed off so suddenly, he tumbled down from the tree and landed in the grass beside Clarity. Groaning, he shook the dizzyness off and glanced up at her. "...hi?" he said, meakly.

Clare jumped at the sound of him falling. "Jeee-sus, kid, the hell you doing in that tree? You scared the crap outta me." She looked slightly annoyed, her privacy had just been her imagination. She started figuring that where ever she went there was always a person lurking. She laughed and took another drag of her cigarette.

"Sitting." he remarked, and stood up, brushing himself off. "Well... then falling. But I was planning on just sitting." he smirked and sat down. "Sorry about dropping in on you like that." Cringing, he added. "That wasn't supposed to be a pun."

"You know smoking'll kill you." he stated, grinning at her.

Clare grinned as she looked at her cigarette, she looked at it like an old friend.
"Yes it will, kid, and so will this weather. I just don't care." She turned her head towards Shade. "And from the looks of it, your habit of climbing trees is bound to be the end of you."

He grinned again. "At least it'd be an interesting way to die." he remarked, looking her over. "So, ....what's your name? Just trying to keep the conversation away from my really bad balance."

"It's Clare, and just so you know you're forever marked down as a klutz in my books." She said with a grin, she always liked to keep people in their place.

"I can live with that." He remarked.
"I'm Shade, nice to meet'chu." he said half-sarcastic. He picked a blade of grass out of the ground and started to shred it slowly. "So were you just planning on sitting out here and doing nothing?, because that's beginning to look kind of boring."

"I was planning on walking alone, kid, until you dropped into my life..." She gave him a sly smile. "But hey if you want to come with, I can't guarantee a very exciting adventure nor will I say I'm not boring, it's totally up to you. Or I can leave you here with your favourite tree?"

He laughed. "Hey, I guess I'll come. Kinda sick of this damn tree anyway."
Smirking, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I swear I won't trip or fall off of anything."

"Well come on then." Clare picked on a steady and slightly quick pace, it was obvious she didn't walk with many people. She kept her head down and her cigarette looked dangerously close to her jacket as she held it at her side. She moved deeper into the park. "Have you been around here often?"

"Not really." he admitted, walking close by her. "I usually stay more towards the city 'cause I like being around people." he kicked at a rock on the ground. "And anyway, there's usually not a lot to do here, but I like the quietness sometimes."

"Ha! Kid there's one thing you gotta know about people. None of them are good for anything. See this park.." She waves her cigarette hand across the park. "This is truth, no problems, no pimps, no money. I don't understand why people act the way they do, so that's why I'm here."

"I probably like people for a different reason then you..." he muttered under his breath, not really caring if she heard or not, he'd just make up an excuse if she questioned him.
Yeah, they're good for a lot, all right. he thought. Even if you don't like it

"What's eating you kid? I said I would let you walk with me, I didn't say I was pleasant. It's not like I'm a saint or anything, if I liked people I'd probably wouldn't be here. I'd probably have lots of money, living on the cleaner side of town. Now that's a thought. Hell, I could've been important." Clare smiled. "I'm not if you're wondering..."

"What's EATING me?" He grinned, then started laughing out-loud. "...sorry." he said, still snickering.

"It's not you, I was just thinking before, and anyway, I don't like rich, preppy-ass people anyway." he said, smiling cheerfully.

Clare, just a little unclear about the "what's eating me" part, decided to ignore that outburst. She took a drag of her cigarette as she walked futher along the path. She spotted her favourite spot, the swings, two overused pieces of rubber hung up on two chains each. She plopped herself on one of them without saying a word and stared thoughtfully towards the ground.

Cringing slightly, he noticed how hungry he was.
He took a seat next to Clarity, his eyes staring down at the ground like her.
"Something interesting you're thinking about or are you entertained by the dirt?" he asked sarcastically.

"Nope." She took a drag of her cigarette and continued staring at the ground. Not really giving a better answer than that. That was her life... a whole lot of nothing... She started to swing.