[PRP] Hiding by the Ocean (Jamie & Kaleb)

[saedusk]

"Nah, if you stay close enough to the trails there are lots of signs," there was a jovial tone to his voice, something that made his love of the subject obvious. Jamie might start out clammed up and cautious, but all it took was a bit of genuine interest to open him up like one of Kaleb's books. It made him relatively easy prey to those with foul intentions, but he'd never have any of the friends he had now if he'd let fear hold him back.

"There are also lots of spots with benches and picnic tables and really nice views. They'd be great for sitting and reading." In front of him, Jamie's feet dug playfully into the sand, kicking it here and there.

"Y'know... if you wanted... I could, um, show you around the park sometime. N-Not the whole thing, of course! Just some of the nice, quiet places."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb's expression brightened further. "I would like that, seeing some quiet places."

He took a relaxed breath. "I'm a bit afraid to go too far into the forest on my own, but I like how it smells. Sorta like here with all the water and algae, it's just so natural. Not all smog and car exhaust."

The freckled teen glanced back over to Jamie, almost furtively. "You don't... see much wildlife in the woods though, do you? Like bears, or moose?" Kaleb was fairly certain he could deal with squirrels and birds, the typical diurnal city fare, but even running across a raccoon all on his own might be a startling situation. Book smarts would only get him so far without any hands-on experience.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

Jamie smiled and it was soft, understanding. "It's always a possibility," he admitted. "I dunno if you'll see a full blown moose" Were they even native to Ashdown? That was a question for Finn. "But there are bears and other things. Unless you just leave food laying around, I doubt you'll really see any."

Running into a bear, wouldn't that be something? There were protocols for that sort of thing, though. Jamie was still learning, but he thought he knew enough to weasel them out of a bear encounter.

"If we stay near the trails I don't think it's really anything to worry about. You might see lots of birds and squirrels and stuff, though. You're not supposed to feed them, but people do and they come begging sometimes."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

That answer seemed to be reassuring enough for the shy teen. He was not the sort to carry much food on him, let alone enough to lure out a bear.

"Squirrels and birds aren't that scary, I think that much would be okay," Kaleb replied with a smile. "And some of the bigger small things are mostly nocturnal, right? Like skunks and raccoons?" He wasn't sure how afraid he would be of a cat-sized wild creature, but they weren't fun to run into in the city, and he would probably have reservations meeting them in their natural habitat too.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

"Yeah, they're nocturnal, so you prolly won't see them. It's not that they never come out during the day, but even if they did they'd more than likely avoid us. We'd be making too much noise." It felt nice to be someone's reassurance for once as opposed to the other way around. Jamie was doing his best, but at heart he was still nearly as shy as he'd always been; his extroverted, social personality was only starting to force its way to the surface.

"Oh-! Oh yeah," he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "Here, let's exchange numbers. If that's okay..."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb nodded quickly, and began to rummage around in his bag. The mostly unused cell phone quite often fell to the very bottom, or slid in between the notepads and text books that filled most of the messenger bag pockets. After locating it in the second pocket he checked, the scrawny teen fumbled about with it awkwardly.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at this yet..." he apologized, his cheeks turning a slight pink. He had very little use for a cell phone, with such a quiet attitude and so few friends, it was mostly a security measure his parents had fostered upon him when he moved out on his own.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

The response he'd get was immediate and genuine, a head-shake and a, "N-No, it's okay!" Jamie never had it in him to judge anyone for silly things like not being great at phones. As long as he had a way to get in touch with Kaleb so they could hang out sometime, he couldn't ask for anything more.

"Here, I'll tell you my number and, um, you can either send me a text or just tell me yours, too. Whatever's easiest."

Waiting for what looked like a sign Kaleb might be ready, he rattled off his number. "Did you... get it okay?"

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb nodded, still a little red in the cheeks. He didn't need to put the number into his address book right away, he would be able to recall the number easily even later in the day. He even tucked his phone back into his bag, so he could mess around with it at his leisure.

However, combining his social avoidance with his phone-related inexperience and all around lack of confidence, Kaleb knew the responsibility of a first text would be far too heavy. He would just fret over it until it felt like he had missed the appropriate window of time, and then he would fret over the perceived misstep. All in all it was a recipe for disaster, so Kaleb knew he had to leave his number with Jamie now, before they parted ways.

He recited his own number shyly, but he knew his own quick memory was hardly typical. "If you want I could... write it down?"

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

"Oh, no, I've got it," Jamie said with a pleased looking smile, making a new contact and quickly entering the number before he forgot. It wasn't that he was short on memory, but he certainly didn't have it in him to remember the way Kaleb apparently did. That was fine, he seemed to pay little mind to the whole not-so-good-at-phones thing even if Kaleb was still embarrassed.

No worries, Jamie would definitely be the one to send the first text.

"By the way..." With a small huff, he stood up, looking off towards the water. Not that he meant for it to be a dramatic moment or anything. In fact, he looked sheepish as he turned back to Kaleb. "Thanks for talking with me."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was immediately flustered. Wasn't he the one who should be thanking Jamie? For being nice to him, and sharing the quiet spot, and even offering to show him some places in the woods? All Kaleb had to offer in return was his companionship, not that he thought that was a good way to return the favour!

"Ah, no, thank you!" He stumbled quickly, going even more red in the face than before. "Thank you, for talking with me!"

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

Though Kaleb might not know it, companionship was all Jamie would ask for, it was all he required. Loneliness was easier to wave off when there was always someone willing to stop and say hello. It was hard to imagine going back to living the life he had before.

"No problem," Jamie assured, eyes soft and apologetic. He hadn't meant to fluster Kaleb even more. There was a slight pink tint to his own cheeks, too.

"I should get going, I've got some stuff to do now that I've had a minute to relax, but... I'll text you!" He gave a small wave from close to his body as he often did.

Grey Dragonnnn

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb gave a shy wave in return, and for a second all the words seemed to choke up in his throat. That little address book in his phone was growing longer, and he still had no idea what he had done to deserve so many people who wanted to stay in touch.

"Thank you!" He finally squeaked once more. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to express what he was feeling, even if it was the third repetition in such a short time.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

To that, Jamie's smile shift to something warm and genuine. It was the simple things, really. No regrets when things went smoothly for once. All the magic and the misfortune had made Jamie rightly appreciative for the times when things were good and right.

"Thank you, too," he replied, rounding the rocks, almost out of sight. "See you later, Kaleb!" And then he was gone, off down the beach when renewed vigor.

Grey Dragon

Thanks for the rp!!