All That Is Gold - (Open)

The sun was just setting, getting low in the sky. The lighting was naturally perfect: soft and red, no harsh glare or sharp whiteness. It was hardly a surprise, then, to find Issie with her camera in hand, snapping some shots of the lake and the area around it. Settling in to a new place is never easy, and uprooting yourself to move across the country is even harder. Add to that the fact that you're now attending a school for teens with superpowers, and things can get more than a little hectic. This was one of the first chances to relax and have fun that Issie had been given, and she was damn well going to take it. Her stuff was moved in, her classes were sorted and she was officially settled. Now it was time to take some photos.

Her camera was digital. It had a single lens, a scratched display screen, and more scuff marks and dents than any camera had a right to bare, but it still worked just fine, especially in an environment like this. There was a scattering of other people within earshot, but there was more than enough space for everyone to do whatever they're doing and not get in the way of Issie's shots.. or at least there should be. A small, brightly coloured beetle was making its way slowly along a fallen tree branch, plodding along at its own gentle pace, putting itself in a perfect position for a shot. Kneeling, the redhead adjusted her focus, biting her lip and frowning slightly as she tried to frame things just right. She wasn't really set up for macro photography, but her gear could still do a decent job. She had finished lining up, her eye to the viewfinder and her finger on the button, when a shadow moved over the insect. It continued to saunter along the branch, completely oblivious to the fact that its moment in what could be considered some form of limelight had ended. Turning, Issie directed her gaze up to the figure, the light of the setting sun behind them causing her to squint slightly. "Dude, you're blocking my light."

㎈

[attr="class","jenkins"]

[attr="class","maraschinocherries"]

@issieevans| Outfit |

[attr="class","jscroll"]Ralph wasn't used to how it felt without the instincts he'd learnt to live with. Ever since he had a Telepath put up mental walls around his Wolf half, he didn't feel right, he felt like a different person and he had searing headache that never seemed to go away. It was both frustrating and a little bit worrying, Ralph had to face the fact that he was going to have to gain control of his power or live with a headache forever. Ralph knew that at some point he's going to have face his fears and get control of his Wolf. He just wasn't sure he was ready for that, not only could the Wolf hurt other people but it hurt him to shift and the pain didn't go away for days. Thankfully his wolfish features had dissappeared after the first shift so he looked more human.



Ralph chose the lake as a way to just catch a breather and have a walk, he had been hiding out in his dorm for days. Unfortunately the need to be around people wasn't just a Wolf instinct, it was a Ralph thing. He hadn't spoken to Raven for a few days, this was due to his own mixed feelings about her. She was his best friend but Ralph wasn't seeing her like that anymore and he was worried to say anything. These and many other thoughts were distracting Ralph, which is why he didn't notice the girl taking photos until she told him that he was blocking her light. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you taking pictures." Ralph said. He was sincerely apologetic not meaning to spoil the girls photos.

► kaigra ◄

[newclass=.jenkins]height:300px;width:300px;border:10px #555 solid;overflow:hidden;[/newclass][newclass=.maraschinocherries]transition:all 1s linear;[/newclass][newclass=.jenkins:hover .maraschinocherries]margin-top:-300px;[/newclass][newclass=.jscroll::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass][newclass=.jscroll::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background:#ccc;[/newclass][/quote]

    Looking the guy up and down, it was obvious that there was something up with him. He must have been lost in thought or otherwise distracted to have gotten close enough to block out the light without noticing her, and considering her hair was roughly the same colour as the sunset that was a pretty impressive feat. Tilting her head a little, Issie regarded the man before her, rather openly trying to read him. "That's a pretty hard thing to do, dude. Something on your mind?" There weren't any other people in the immediate vicinity, so it was reasonable to assume that he was trying to spend a little time by himself. But then, if he'd wanted to do that there were plenty more secluded areas that weren't on the banks of a rather attractive location.

    A quick glance behind her told Issie that the beetle she'd been about to immortalise had disappeared. Oh well, better luck next time, she told herself. Lowering her camera to her side, the redhead kept one hand over it instinctively as she stood, still curiously peering at the intruder. "Well, que sera sera, I suppose. I'm sure that's not the last time I'll have the chance to shoot a beetle." She smiled, chuckling lightly. "An interesting phrase to hear out of context, eh?"[b/]

RALPH JETHRO O'CONNOR

㎈

[attr="class","jenkins"]

[attr="class","maraschinocherries"]

@issieevans| Outfit |

[attr="class","jscroll"]Ralph saw the woman looking him up and down but it didn't bother him that much. He had after all just blocked her light and stopped her taking pictures of whatever she was moments earlier. Ralph smiled at her though, he himself wasn't sure how he missed her. She did after a have bright hair and it wasn't like it was dark out. "Uh, I guess so." Ralph said. He did have things on his mind but he hadn't expected a stranger to just ask outright hence his response. Ralph had odd ways of spending time by himself and usually it was around people but not with anyone.

Ralph watched as the girl stood up, her hand protectively over her camera. He supposed it was a natural thing to want to protect something like that, she wouldn't want it broken after all. Ralph chuckled at her comments, this stranger seemed like a nice girl and Ralph got on with nice people. "So they sent a human to assassinate, the beetle. Smart." Ralph ran with the out of context sentence for a bit. "I'm Ralph by the way. Sorry again about your picture. "

► kaigra ◄

[newclass=.jenkins]height:300px;width:300px;border:10px #555 solid;overflow:hidden;[/newclass][newclass=.maraschinocherries]transition:all 1s linear;[/newclass][newclass=.jenkins:hover .maraschinocherries]margin-top:-300px;[/newclass][newclass=.jscroll::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass][newclass=.jscroll::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background:#ccc;[/newclass][/quote]

    Whatever the thing on his mind was, he didn't seem all that eager to discuss it. That was fine, of course, Issie didn't expect everyone she met to divulge their live story to her at the drop of a hat. Still, it would be good to know what had this guy so distracted that he didn't notice a person with such fiery hair crouching among the trees. By this point, she had finished her visual assessment of the intruder, concluding that while he was a pretty big, athletic looking guy, he seemed fairly reserved, or at least not currently open. That as fine, quiet guys were often better to talk to than loudmouths.

    Flashing a smile, Issie glanced back at the bare branch again shrugging. "There'll be other insects, you hardly spoiled a masterpiece. And I'll have you know assassinating a beetle isn't as easy as it sounds. Last time I tried I had to bug out." It was a terrible pun, but quality wasn't something to care about when playing the pun game. You take them when you get them and learn to enjoy the groaning responses. Her smile grew at the mention of his name. She didn't want to be mean, but she'd never been quite able to take the name 'Ralph' seriously. "'Kay... sure it is, nice to meet you Ralphenator. I'm Issie...or Issntee?" The jokes were getting worse, and that one wasn't even original, at least not to the girl herself. But you can't make a joke about someone else's name without making one about your own that'd just be rude.

RALPH JETHRO O'CONNOR

㎈

Ralph wasn't totally closed off like Raven or Finley was but he wasn't the type to share his life story with every person he met. He did however get lost in his own thoughts which is why he missed the girl. Ralph wouldn't have considered himself a loudmouth nor would he say he was quiet. He was sort of midway between the two, once he got to know a person he could open up.

 Ralph gave her a smile back, she seemed okay about the whole picture thing so he relaxed a little. Her bad pun only served to have him feel even more at ease around this new person. He didn't mind bad jokes, he was the type of person who rarely got those considered to be not bad jokes. Her smile getting bigger when he introduced himself didn't surprise him. He knew that his name was pretty odd and probably made it hard for most people to take him seriously. Ralph laughed at her next pun, this girl seemed fun and he didn't mind people joking about his name. "Ralphnator? Really?" Ralph joked, he secretly hoped it didn't stick though. "I think I much prefer Scooby." that was the nickname Gem had taken to calling him. He wasn't sure how he felt about it at first but it kinda stuck and grew on him.


@issieevans

She made a face, looking him over once more. "Scooby? Nah, I'm not feeling it. Don't like Ralphenator? I've got more. The possibilities are endless Ralphageddon, Ralphonso, Ralphenstien. You might wanna settle in, I got a million of these." She was grinning now, feeling pretty at ease around this new guy. "I mean, you wanna stick with Scooby, that's your choice, but don't be surprised if I come to you to solve some spooky mysteries for me. Protip on that though, just accuse the first guy you meet and you'll do great."

He was smiling, which meant she'd had success in taking his mind off whatever had been weighing on it, even if it was just for a moment. It hadn't directly been her intention, but she was glad to have been of some help... assuming the matter wasn't something that required an urgent solution. If it was though, he probably wouldn't be standing around debating nicknames with her. "So.. I know I said I wasn't bummed out by that picture or anything, but looking back on it, I'm sure I could have won some kind of prize for most awesome entomology award. So, I figure you owe me something now, kay?" Her trademark cheeky grin was fixed in place as she spoke, her silly mode activated.

RALPH JETHRO O'CONNOR

㎈

Ralph couldn't help the laugh that resulted from the girls many nicknames. "I think Ralphnator works." He had never connected with any of those names but it made him laugh anyway. His name seemed to amuse the girl and that was only his first first name. Ralph's laugh settled into a smile as she explained that Scooby equalled spooky mysteries. "If you can find a mystery in Calloway I'd happily solve it with you." Having some mystery to solve would be fun, but nothing happened in Calloway especially not mysterious things even if it was a town full of SPB's

The girl had definitely managed to distract him from his thoughts and it was a welcome distraction. It wasn't something that could have an immediate solution, in fact time was probably the best thing for now. He did agree though, he blocked her light so he owed her something. "Right!" he readily agreed. The cheeky smile that she threw at him gave him the feeling that whatever she had in mind would definitely be interesting.

@issieevans

The laughter spurred Issie on, her grin widening. There was nothing she loved more than someone who appreciated her kind of humour.  "Ralphenator it is then. Don't worry yourself over the mysteries, I got one for you already. Ok, so like, I go to bed, right? And I take off two socks. So then some time later I gather up my clothes, go wash 'em, and when I come back to them I've only got one. What's up with that? There must be a sock eating monster on the loose, so you gotta go round up the gang and figure out who it is, 'kay?" She spoke with all the animation and passion of someone who actually was expecting an investigation into missing socks to be launched. She even held his gaze expectantly as she finished, her eyes locked with his, her expression demanding a response. She even managed to suppress her smile, at least for a few moments.



    Her grin inevitably returned, but she didn't immediately drop the subject. "You'll even get a scooby snack out of it... you're buyin' though, cus I'm hella broke right now. How did the cartoon scooby even live anyway? They never accepted payment for any of the mysteries they solved, did they?" Some might consider the shift in topic to be rather random, but the links were pretty clear in Issie's mind. "For serious though, I'm gonna expect a favour when I ask for it now. You agreed, we have an accord, this is all serious and binding." She waved a finger in his direction as she spoke, as though trying to warn him not to break his deal. "I mean, it won't be a huge favour, maybe only a two out of twenty. Yeah, that sounds right. Two, three if it turns out there's some bug photo contest going on in the near future." She gave an affirmative now, cementing her words in her own head.

RALPH JETHRO O'CONNOR

㎈

This girl seemed like a laugh and definitely someone who Ralph could become friends with. Her humour ammused Ralph. Ralph rolled his eyes for his moment "Man that darn sock stealing monster. I've lost a few socks too but can never catch the thief. Must have invisibility." Ralph joked. Of course it would become very frustrating if his socks did keep going missing. "We need to split up and look for clues." Ralph laughed going back to Scooby thing.

Ralph chuckled again, "How they bought all those Scooby snacks I haven't got a clue or what about gas for their huge van, they never asked for money but still managed to run that van." Ralph said feigning seriousness. It was a random subject but sometimes life got to serious and you needed some random. "I'm a man of my word." Ralph said about her wanting a favor and wanting him to keep his word. "Two or three out of twenty sounds pretty doable."