Romantic Scenery [Open]

[Elizabeth Majer]

Oh Valentine's Day. What a holiday. A highly anglicized religion. It was the day of courtly love and very few held the knowledge of Saint Valentine himself, other then that he was buried on the same day. It really did amuse Elizabeth. So as she walked in the park and watched the lovers hand in hand, she couldn't help but laugh to herself. How many of those lovers were swooning lads and lasses who would forget their love within a month? Perhaps too many. Love was a word that was thrown about far too much.

In the meantime, Elizabeth herself was in the park because she liked to take a stroll. Although cold, February was a great time to go out walking. The snow would settle down crisply upon the ground. Elizabeth herself had trouble keeping her balance on the frozen paths. Perhaps it was because her boots didn't truly allow for non-slip. She was likely to twist her ankle out here if she didn't watch it.

The blonde woman, a young lady of twenty-six, was one of the few who walked just to enjoy the scenery. This was away from the silliness of school life. She enjoyed it, to be sure; who didn't enjoy watching happy kids run around learning the thing they loved? But to be honest, she was glad to have some kind of break from the hustle and bustle of the school. Nay, of life in general! Life just went too fast.

She took her hands out of her pockets, revealing brown gloves. She then went towards a bench and leaned on the back of it, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Perhaps she should go back soon to the docks to catch the boat across, or she'd miss her chance to go back home tonight. Well, she'd sit here and see what she could see before she left.

[Clyde Newman]

Clyde was returning home after a particularly long shift at the Cafe, his black pack on his back that held his uniform to keep it from getting dirty should he fall on the trek home. The ice made it impossible for him to ride his bike, so he took the side path home away from the roads. He was in his black pants and boots with a heavy but worn leather jacket zipped just to the point where his multitude of necklaces could be seen. A particular patch of ice/snow caught him off guard and he skidded around as he tried to hold his balance. Maybe he should just wear ice skates to work. Wouldn't that be a sight?

Balance achieved, he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. If he fell and got hurt, he wouldn't be able to afford medical bills or to miss work. His roommate would be ticked. He pushed on though, the risk being a necessarily one until he spotted someone relaxing at the bench. Alone. Really? He looked around. No, no one bringing a warm beverage or a snack... He looked back, his brow raised in a confused notion. Alone... He started over, prepared to give a greeting while walking carefully over.

"What is a cute blonde like you out alone?"

Flirt. Couldn't help it--it's how he made money at work and it tended to carry over to idle conversation.

[Elizabeth Majer]

The red eyes glanced to the side and spotted a man sporting a very bad dye job and enough chains to do incredibly bad things. Elizabeth's lip curled upwards at his speech. And a shameless flirt. Well, this walk was turning out more interesting then she figured it would. She placed a hand on the bench and leaned on it, turning to face him fully. The woman was sporting a white winter jacket herself, a quilted white jacket with faux fur around the hood. Tight-fit jeans and brown slim boots finished the look.

She chose to ignore his direct flirting, or at least make it look like she was. Deep down, she wasn't even sure if she liked it entirely; although she did find it very flattering. "Just waiting around for my next ride. What's a man like you walking about a place like this?" Elizabeth countered, keeping her quiet smile fixed upon her face.

[Ryan Zornitsa]

A sigh was released into the form of a cold and condensed cloud before his face. He never once thought that his transfer to Domino City would end up with him stuck on patrol on a cold February day. He was a Sergeant for crying out loud! Even still, the promotion didn't save him from the endless bore of standing out in the snow or walking around the Island Park for the next couple of hours.

"X36A." His radio sqwaked.

"Go ahead."

"20?"

"Patrolling Island Park."

"Copy. Maintain position for now."

Great. Now he really was going to be stuck out for the next couple of hours indefinitely. Ryan just sighed in defeat and just accepted his orders for now. It was rather clear that Domino City needed more officers but until they hired more, Ryan was just stuck to the will of whatever the department needed for now.

He shivered some as the cold bit at him. The heavy parka he wore over his uniform helped shake off some of the cold, but it still got to him. He wore beanie with earcovers under his cap to help keep his head warm and heavy gloves with little mittens underneathe kept his hands from freezing. "Should have grabbed my scarf and long johns." He grumbled quietly.

The sound of voices caught his attention and Sergeant Zornitsa looked over his shoulder towards the direction from wence they came. He spotted a girl and a boy talking to each other. The boy had silver hair while the girl was a blonde. He shrugged and went back to his grumbling when it dawned on him. He blinked and looked back to the pair. "Is that...?" His mind suddenly wondered.

[Clyde Newman]

Clyde gave a short chuckle before leaning on the bench himself--more like sitting on the back with is 5'11" self. He used that moment to knock the snow off his boot with the back of his knuckles. Maybe he'd have better balance now that his soles weren't solid sheets of ice themselves.

"I just got off work actually."

He answered her question as he switched boots. Better grip for sure.

"Thought this path would be a bit more stable than the side walks and the questionable traffic but it's proving to be just as slippery. Starting to think ice skating would be a better way for travel."

Share his cheesy thought? Why not. He sat up fully now, using a rag in his pocket to clean off his hands. The rag was part of his uniform but he always bleached it when he got him so he didn't care if that got dirty. After he had dried his knuckles off, he offered the other hand for a hand shake.

"Next ride to where? Oh, and my name is Clyde. What's yours?"

A grin accompanied the last statement. When he had turned to offer his hand to her, he noticed an officer out of the corner of his eye. He nodded to the officer, acknowledging him and pointing him out at once.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's attention was snagged by you, I'd think..."

True, he got in trouble now and again for his drinking, but nothing worth an officer's attention at random. Plus, facial expression did not seem fitting from a guy to Clyde. No, it must be for the woman.

[Elizabeth Majer]

She shook her head slightly. The cheesy jokes were... well... just that. Cheesy. She wasn't exactly sure how the man thought this was supposed to be impressive, but maybe that was why she was enjoying talking to him. She waved her hand in the direction of the docks.

"Duel Academy. I should get back to the docks before the last boat leaves; otherwise, it will be interesting to find a place to sleep for the night." Considering that Elizabeth was twenty-six, she looked a little too old, confident, and out-of-place to be a student at the Academy. Clearly she was an employee. She did laugh a little though. "I'm Elizabeth. Pleasure."

But it was at his last statement, and at the next one that she looked curiously at him. "I'm... sorry?" She asked in confusion as she looked in the direction he was pointing. "I have no idea what you might be-"

She stopped for a moment, and then her face broke out into a beaming grin. "Ryan?" She raised one brown gloved hand and waved it. "Ryan!"

[Ryan Zornitsa]

When Ryan heard his name being called, his cheeks flushed red for a moment. *It is her!* As he made his way over to where the pair were standing, an enmorous gran began to form on face. It had been a bit of time since he last spoken to his closest friend, let alone seeing the girl. How long had it been, he wondered. Regardless, it was a pleasent sight to see her in Domino City. "Elizabeth! I don't believe it!" He hugged his long time friend when he finally got next to her.

"You're looking great! How are you?" He asked after releasing her from his grip. "I didn't know you were in Domino City. How long ago did you arrive?" Ryan could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was thrilled to see his long time friend. The last time the two saw each other was six months ago when Ryan was transferred to Domino City. "It's so great to see you. How's Makato doing, I haven't had a chance to check my email lately."

He looked to Clyde for a moment, realizing he was being rude to the man. "Sergeant Zornitsa." He extended a hand to the man. "Nice to meet you." Ryan was oblivious that he forgot to tell the two girls that he had been promoted to Sergeant upon arriving to Domino City. Oh well. "He's not bothering you at all, is he Elizabeth?" Ryan joked with a chuckle.

[Clyde Newman]

He watched the interaction with mild amusement. Must be nice to have those moments in your life. Close friends and all. When the Sargent introduced himself, Clyde gave him a firm and polite hand shake.

"Clyde Newman. Nice to meet you, sir."

He looked at Elizabeth. Well he was right about him looking at her and not at him. A thought crossed his mind: was it rude or awkward to stand there while old friends chatted and tried to catch up? Now when you were learning about people without having to ask the questions himself. Hell, it happened all the time when he was at work and he just had to stand there and wait until he could finish his job.

He put his hands in his jacket pocket to let them warm back up. Hopefully he wouldn't be mistaken for her boyfriend or anything because THAT would really make it awkward...

[Elizabeth Majer]

She wrapped her arms tightly around him, laying her cheek on his chest (she was still too damn short!). She finally let go after about half a minute and smiled, throwing one of her golden locks behind her ear. "I only got here about a couple of weeks ago. I was asked to take up a position up at the Academy because of my administrative background." she said with a bright smile. "It's rather fun. I never thought that looking after children would be. As for Makato, she's doing rather well; last I checked, she had settled down with Mashimoro finally and they're stationed in Northern Japan. She and him are planning on getting married within the year." She shook her head. "They've only been dating for forever. It's about time he asked her."

She then turned to Clyde and shook her head. "No, he's no trouble at all; we were only talking. I think he was headed home from work and we happened to run into each other." She waved a hand towards Ryan. "Don't let him bother you Clyde. He only kids." She commented. She then looked back at Ryan. "And where were you headed, exactly?"

[Ryan Zornitsa]

"Oh just recently then." Ryan returned her smile with one of his own. He had forgotten for only a moment just how short the girl was in comparison to himself. "So the job offer that you mentioned was that with the Duel Academy then? That's great! I'm so glad that you found a line work that works with your personal interests." Ryan started laughing about the news about Makato. "Well, its about damn time! I knew Mashimoro was dragging his feet but at least SOMEONE lit the fire underneath his butt to get him to pop the question." He wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. "We need to bug her on when the wedding date is so we can clear our schedules and attend."

Ryan's sapphire eyes returned to Clyde. "Don't let the uniform fool you, I'm a big kidder at heart. I'm pretty sure you're an outstanding citizen so I see no need to worry." The question from Liz about what he was doing caused the man to shrug. "I'm on patrol, actaully." Ryan took a look at his watch. "I'm tasked with clearing the island before the last boat leaves. Seems its getting near that time. Don't worry," he smirked at Liz, "when the island is cleared and everyone is off, the boat usually comes back and picks me up. However," he rubbed his chin and smiled big once more, "since we bumped into each other, I'll have to finish my rounds quicker than usual. Not a big issue when one gets to spend time talking with a childhood friend."

[Clyde Newman]

Clyde raised a brow when she mentioned the Academy and the other brow joined his raised twin when she mentioned administrative background. That didn't leave too many positions open if he remembered right about school systems--but that had been a while ago so he may be a big foggy on any changes. Not to mention, it was the duel academy and he had never been--no reason. He shifted his stance, one hand moved from his pocket to his side. Their friend was getting married?

"Congrats to your friend."

He said it automatically. When he was the topic for Elizabeth for that moment, he nodded that she was right about him on his way home. The statement about the Sargent was kidding made him grin a bit more. When the man in uniform confirmed this Clyde chuckled. Outstanding Citizen? Worker: sure. Citizen: probably not. No GED, working at a cafe for years with no motivation to progress past that, drunk every other night almost... which lead him to a few visits to the police station drunk tank--always fun. Luckily, he doesn't drive anywhere, lacking a car and all that, so he never had DUIs. Just disturbing the peace here and there. He didn't say any of this out loud though. He just nodded his head again.

"Glad to know."

He shrugged after that before speaking again.

"I'm well behaved so you won't have any problems with me."

Generally. Depends on if he's ever working the same shift as Clyde is drinking. His next comment was in regards to the officer's explination of what he was doing / where he was going.

"Sounds like a hell of a lot of walking. Where all do you have to check before you are considered done? I hope not the whole thing; it'd be utterly exhausting, I'm sure."

If so, the amount of walking would probably equal a long shift at the cafe on a busy day... maybe...

[Elizabeth Majer]

Elizabeth chose to just nod her head with a grin in Ryan's direction, before she looked back at Clyde. Clyde was addressing Ryan directly, so Elizabeth thought that perhaps she'd better just sit back and watch the exchange. She didn't even really know Clyde, but already him and Ryan seemed to be hitting it off just fine. That was fine by her, really. She'd have more then enough time to talk with Ryan later. She made a mental note to grab his address from him before he and her went their seperate ways. Besides, listening to Clyde ask his questions would help her know more about what exactly Ryan was doing in Domino City.

[Ryan Zornitsa]

Ryan laughed some at Clyde's comment. "No, no. Turns out the Academy," he jerked a thumb at the Duelist Academy behind him, " actually owns a good amount of land on the island. Only less than say... a 1/10 of the island is actually public land." He looked to Liz who had been silent for the moment and just smiled at her. "While the DCPD doesn't have any contract to provide security with the Academy at the moment, we do have patrol this small stretch of public land. At most, I'm just walking a little over a mile in any given direction." Ryan studied Liz for a moment before speaking again. "I may be exaggerating my assumptions of the land division. I'm sure you may know the exact size or close to it at least, Liz."

Sargent Zornitsa shifted his stance a little, causing the equipment on his body to shift as well to relieve his tiring muscles. "Either way, it's not much of an area to clear and from the looks of it," he motioned to sight to people, possible students, beginning to disperse, "I may not have to shoo many people off. I know the Academy is responsible for their own students, we are just asked to usher them back onto the grounds after the park closes. Either that or cite them, depending upon my mood of course." He chuckled again since the last comment applied to Liz and her association to the Academy.

The Sargent's attention returned to his female friend once more. "The boat doesn't return for another 25 minutes, Liz. You are welcome to walk with me while I perform my last sweep. If not, I should be back before the boat leaves."

[Clyde Newman]

"That's interesting. All these years and I never knew that..."

He gave a mental shrug. Then again, he didn't really bother himself with learning much about anything. Life was too short for anything like that. When the area was motioned to, Clyde looked around. People must be wrapping it up. He chuckled at the cite comment. Oh that must be fun and horrible all at once depending on what side of the cite you are on. He checked his watch when the 25 minutes was mentioned. He lived on the island, so it wasn't really a problem for him, but he shouldn't loiter too long. He looked at Elizabeth for her response. Should she join him, he would just move on to head home--he had a party to dress for--if not, he'd stay to keep her company.

And for the conversation.

[Elizabeth Majer]

((Kay, yeah, guys... I can't honestly post to this. rofl. Duel Academy is on an Island. Domino City is on the mainland. How the fuck are you catching a boat/living on the island when we're on the mainland?))