Not Alone (open)

[Stella Corbin]

Stella dismounted Princess and pulled her saddle off. Knowing that she was now free to go, Princess walked off to go and play in the water. Stella, who had never really enjoyed swimming or been good at it, didn't go with her. Instead, she stayed on the beach and pulled a baton out of her bag.

She glanced at the sunlight's reflection over the water and held her baton up. She twirled it around her fingers and watched the sun's rays reflect off of it. The she tossed it up in the air and caught it with ease. She continued twirling her baton, while Princess splashed in the water. When she got the feeling that somebody was watching her, she stopped and looked around.

[salt]

"I've always loved the water. My parents used to bring me to the beach each morning."

He mused quietly. Mason's hazel eyes admired the rippling formed around the horse. He watched as the soft light rays bounced off the water surface, turning it into a golden hue, like liquid gold. Turning to face the woman he was talking to, he acknowledged the view, nodding silently.

His seemingly casual clothes did him no good. His trousers were marked with mud, his shoes ruined by the natural excess of wet earth. Mason shrugged, not in the least concern for his appearance. He was indeed curious as to why the woman would be practicing in the middle of a beach.

"It's like liquid gold at times. A beach, nice place to spend some quiet time alone."

[Stella Corbin]

Stella looked at the dirty boy, wondering what it was he was doing. He was been practically right in front of her. It seemed as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

When he mentioned of his parents taking him to the beach, it reminded Stella of going to the beach with her dad when she was little. They would play in the waves and he'd carry her out to the deeper end. Then they would go back to the shore and build a sand castle.

She took a few steps closer to the water. "Yeah" she agreed. "I've never been big on swimming but it is pretty to look at."

[salt]

"Agreed, somethings are prettier to look at at certain times."

Mason smirked, putting his hands into his pockets. He stared into the sky, the creamy amber sky reminiscent of an orange cream cookie. As he looked on into the horizon, he saw a flock of bird flying into the sunset, a typical film ending, or so he thought.

He returned his attention to the woman, who had take a few steps into the water, her baton in her hands now. It nagged at him to ask why she had chosen such a place to practice.

"Might I ask why this would be a suitable location for band practice?"

[Stella Corbin]

"Baton Twirling practice" she corrected him. "I don't have a band with me." It bugged her that people often associated twirling with just bands. She was a majorette and a color guard, so she had twirled with bands before, but she had always considered it a separate thing.

"And I don't see why this wouldn't be a suitable place to practice. There aren't any crowds of people around so I don't have to worry about accidently hitting someone. There's soft sand for me to stand on, which is also good if I accidently drop the baton. Plus my horse can play in the water."

It didn't occur to her until after she said it, that she might have come off as a little bratty. She sometimes sounded a little stuck up when she was irritated. She didn't mean to, she just did.

[salt]

"I apologise for the miscommunication then."

Mason did not notice the stuck-up streak in her voice. Instead, he focused on her words more. Yes, it was perfectly logical why the beach would have been a good place to practice. He gave a silent chuckle, not audible enough for the other to hear.

He was intrigued by how well the horse was taking to the water. Genuinely curious towards the breed of the animal, he enquired softly, so as to not disturb or irritate her further.

"What breed is she?"

[Stella Corbin]

"Paso Fino" she explained, losing the stuck up tone. She couldn't help but wonder if he knew what a Paso Fino was. Most people didn't. "Her name is Princess."

She watched Princess. She had stopped splashing in order to take a drink. Stella would never drink this water. She didn't think it was sanitary, but a horse wouldn't care.

She wondered what he was doing here, but she didn't want to pry. She couldn't help but notice that he was asking questions of her, but she wasn't asking any of him.

[salt]

"Peurto Rican or Colombian? I must say, that is a well-chosen breed you have there."

He nodded positively, acknowledging her response. Mason had studied and read about horses back home. His father was keen into horsebreeding and thus, that was where he learnt it all from, until his father sent him to live with Aunt. He examined the horse, watching it drink from the seawater.

Mason dusted his shoulders, the sand unsettled and falling to the ground. He took off his shades, revealing the hazel eyes which shone an orangey gold hue.

"My name is Mason. And you are?"

[Stella Corbin]

He seemed to know what a Paso Fino was and Stella was kind of impressed. She wondered how he knew that, but she didn't ask. She was worried that if she did, it would sound like she thought he was stupid.

"Stella" she answered. She took a few steps towered him and held her free hand out for a shake. For some reason hearing his name, made her feel like it was more ok to pry. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked. Finally she had asked a question of him.

[salt]

"A pleasure to meet you, Stella."

Mason returned the handshake, his lips curling into a soft smile. He was quite delighted to find the company of another resident in the area. Apparently, he was beginning to get quite lonely, even though he had just moved in. As expected, it was typical for a newcomer to feel out of place while he settled down.

He heard the question that was posed to him. Mason grinned, parting his lips to release a melodic reply.

"I'm getting my degree."

[Stella Corbin]

"Oh, you’re going to the university. Cool" she replied. If he was he collage then he couldn't be too much older than her. She had just started high school, but she could already imagine herself in collage, although she wasn't sure what it was she wanted to do yet. She mainly just imagined living in the dorms, although she didn't know what they would look like because she had never set foot on a collage campus. "What are you majoring in?"

[salt]

"Medical Sciences. It's a challenge, but I'm sure I can manage."

Mason clicked his tongue, giving a grin. He stretched his arms, the body enjoying itself in the breeze. His lungs took in a deep fresh breath, presenting him a change from smoky Boston. He silently took out a wrapped package from his coat, unwrapping it to reveal a sandwich, his teeth sneakily taking a bite, the mouth swallowing it daintily.

He turned to the girl, posing a question.

"Have you ever tried Aces' sandwiches?"

[Stella Corbin]

If he was majoring in medical science then he must want to be a doctor of some sort. Stella was never a big fan of doctors, or lawyers either. Their supposed to help people, but they usually just want to take their money.

He suddenly pulled out a sandwich and started eating. He was quick to change the subject and asked if she had ever tried Aces' sandwiches. "No I haven’t" Stella answered. She had never even heard of Aces'.

[salt]

"Neither have I. My roommate recommended it to me yesterday."

Mason shrugged, taking another bite. He sat on the bench, admiring the sunset as his body was greeted heartily by the cool beach air. The soothing calmness of the waves breaking into the shore eased him, somehow making his problems disappear for a moment. He unfurled a newspaper, scanning the headlines, taking in the local news.

"I spent the whole day trying to find that shop," his lips flashed a grin, chuckling softly.

[Stella Corbin]

If he spent the whole day trying to find it, then it must be hard to find. Stella figured that's why she had never heard of it before. She watched him take a bit of his sandwich. "Was it worth it?" she asked.

She twirled the baton around her fingers, slowly. Her fingers had been still for a while, while she was talking to Mason but they could only hold still, while wrapped around a baton, for so long.