Re: The Story Begins Here: NYU School Campus

[JulietsCurse]

"Actually- That looks like a photoshop job gone wrong."Alexis said, looking over the poster. "That or she didn't know how to walk in heels, or stand in them, correctly. It's about practice in walking with them, really."She grinned, looking sideways at him. "Why? You wanna learn how?"

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth seriously considered this. Walking in heels was actually good practice for balance. He could benefit with that.

He tilted his head and hten replied, "I've always wanted to try out those tall stilt-walking things, you know? But those are hard if you've been wearing sneakers your whole life." He lifted a foot and accidentally kicked a lady in a business dress standing in front of his seat. Ignoring the dusty footprint he'd made on her black skirt, he pointed at his Nikes.

[JulietsCurse]

Alexis mouthed an apology to the woman as she shot a glare and looked at Seth again, pointing down to her shoes. "Airwalks- they work better."

[Tiger-Lily]

He snorted and nudged her foot with his so it swung sideways like a pendulum. "I bet it'd be fun being up there, huh? I'd dress up in metal and be a real-life Godzilla."

The train hurtled to a sudden stop and Seth got to his feet, edging past the woman. He reached back, grabbing hold of Alexis' wrist to ensure she wasn't left behind and ended up in Wall Street or something. He stepped out onto the platform, tugging her behind him against the rush of children and parents boarding the trains. "School's just let out," he informed her over hsi shoulder, leading the way up to the street.

[JulietsCurse]

"No wonder it sounds like we're at a amusement park."Alexis grumbled as she followed Seth, managing to keep up with him.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth let go of her wrist as they emerged out into open streets again. "Welcome," he said in a mock-tourguide voice, spreading his arms out as he walked backwards down the pavement, "to South of Houston Street, home to artists, musicians, and fashionistas alike."

He turned and began to walk to Prince Street around the bend. "Hurry before the fish is all gone." He gestured behind him for her to quicken her pace.

[JulietsCurse]

Alexis quickened her steps quickly to be beside him. "Look- not everyone has legs the length of polls. It's a given that I walk slower then you, Seth."Alexis smirked a little and shook her head. "How do you know so much about here anyway?"

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth snorted. "I didn't spent my entire life holed up in the Upper East, is how."

He reached down and grabbed her hand, speeding up so she was almost flying. "The fish, I repeat. You can walk just as fast as me, see?"

The reached Prince Street in no time. Seth turned and indicated the Mercer ahead of them at Mercer Street, with brick walls and cast-iron greeting them. Seth flashed a smile at the doorman as they entered a dark-panelled check-in lounge. "Here we are." He indicated the artful, scarce decor.

[JulietsCurse]

"NO I can't."Alexis said as they entered. She elbowed his side and looked around the inside of the building, studying it a little.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth smirked back at her as he walked past the front desk, towards a luxuriously decorated hallway. "What do you think?"

[JulietsCurse]

"It's ...wicked."Alexis grinned at her use of words, as she looked over the hallway, taking it in. They didn't have anything like this in Ash Creek.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth grinned at her wide-eyed look. Alexis was naively cute. In that country bumpkin way, at least.

"Too bad we're not dining in here," he let on, laughingly, as he led her past the double-doored entrance to the fancy dining hall and opened a door that showed a set of stairs that looked like they could be headed for some dungeon basement. Bricks, holding their age proudly, lined the walls and dim lamps led downstairs. Seth winked over his shoulder and led the way down.

[JulietsCurse]

"Where the hell are you leading me?"Alexis asked quietly, raising her eyebrows in question but followed behind him anyway.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth grinned wolfishly but didn't answer her. The stairs eventually leveled out to reveal an archway. They went through and Seth waved a hand in a dramatic flourish. "Welcome to the Kitchen."

It was an underground dining area, brick-walled, Seth informed her, and untouched from when it had originally been built decades ago. While the atmosphere might say dungeon, the furniture and decor, comfortable, contemporary booths and elegant lighting, gave it a cozy, secretive air.

Running behind the booth area were doors, Seth said, to the kitchen upstairs.

The place was half-full. A host came over to them.

"Come on," Seth said, ushering her on after the tall, dark-haired guy. The man led them to a table and Seth cracked open his own menu, glanced at the front page, closed it and said simply, "The smoked salmon breakfast meal for two with hot apple cider. Thanks, man."

The guy noted this and disappeared to the kitchen. Seth sighed in relief, leaning back in his chair and crossing his feet at the ankles. "They always run out of salmon," he informed Alexis. "Like, Rafe and I were always unlucky coming here after school, because they never had any left from the breakfast menu. and the lunch menu's chef is strange. I think he has a bias against delinquent teenagers."

[JulietsCurse]

"Doesn't everyone?"Alexis asked, leaning back in her seat also as she looked around, absolutely loving the place. It was very relaxing compared to the vibe that had been going around the past few days. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth gave her an amused glance, flipping through his phone and grinning inwardly when he realized Jake was absolutely panicking over his Facebook wall post. "You look like you're at one of those yoga meditation things where they tell you to "reach inside and find yourself"." he commented.

[JulietsCurse]

"That would be because I'm relaxingggg.."Alexis said in a sing song voice as she reopened her eyes to look at Seth, pulling out her own phone to pass the time.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth put his phone away, cracking his knuckles lazily. "So how was your stay with Lassie?" he asked interestedly. "Did you sleep with one eye open in case she turned zombie and attacked?"

[[damn, forgot to leave campus. xD Seth and Alexis to SoHo]]

[JulietsCurse]

((Moved to SoHo))

[JulietsCurse]

((Alexis and Seth, from SoHo))

Alexis kept her arms around herself a little tighter than usual, positive she had seen Brett on the subway, and stayed very close to Seth, her "hero" from her last run in with the freak.

[Tiger-Lily]

"You look more frostbitten than you do worried about some stalker," Seth said, giving her a squeeze. His jokes didn't seem to be helping as much as they had last time. He tugged her closer to him and remarked, "Your face is about as pale as Jake's gym socks, with just as many spots of color. Really, it's not a good look." He led them toward the Freshmen Building.

***

He wasn't sure what he should feel when he saw them together. He wasn't even sure what he was seeing. When he'd first met Seth, he'd dismissed him as another player. He had that whole air James did. Like a vulture in his element.

But Seth didn't look like that right now. As he watched on from the doorway of the nearby building where he'd had his Music class, he saw Seth glance about searchingly before tucking her closer to his side protectively. And she didn't seem to be resisting. She was even willingly holding onto him like Seth was her last lifeline.

Which was what confused and bewildered - and hurt - him, the other boy, the most.

Maybe he hadn't been clear enough? He'd thought they were...what? He didn't know anymore. He hadn't made much of a move, hadn't gotten a direct answer. He should have asked one of the girls how this worked. It had been a hell of a lot less confusing in highschool.

But it wasn't like he was the type to stake a possessive claim on another human being. She could do what she liked and he was okay with that. She could hang out with whoever she liked and he was cool with that too.

But he wasn't so sure he was as okay with Seth leaning over and resting his chin on the top of her head like that though. And definitely not with the way he leaned over and whispered something into her ear, a smile on his face.

The boy shouldered his backpack and turned inside again, heading away down the hall of the building. He gnawed his lower lip, deciding to catch the subway home from the opposite side of campus instead. Hopefully, they'd be out of sight by then.

[JulietsCurse]

Alexis smiled weakly, her eyes still darting from place to place on the campus. She felt a little sick to her stomach as she thought about Brett, and tried to focus on Seth trying to make her feeling better. Any other time she'd be elbowing Seth in the side for the comments he was making but right then she was to scared to move to far away. She found in the back of her head she was wishing that it was Luke she was clinging to like this- she hadn't talked to him since all this had gone down, and was starting to wonder if he even knew. These thoughts slightly calmed her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth's phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket, unsurprised ot read a text from ALexis' nightmare himself.

Seth glanced down at her and then cleared his throat. "I...um...have to get going. WIll you be okay to go to the dorm by yourself?"

He didn't tell her he knew she'd be perfectly safe from Brett. That involved explaining how he knew where Brett was and why Brett was texting him.

And he didn't want to face those questions yet. He pulled his arm from around her waist, stepping back, and shoved his phone in his pockets, glancing away.

[JulietsCurse]

"Uhm. Yeah."Alexis nodded a little, crossing her arms tightly again. She glanced around, swallowing a little. "Thanks again for taking me out- it helped."

[Tiger-Lily]

"Yeah, no big," he answered, distractedly. He was already texting Brett baack as he started walking away, and then paused and turned back around. He wiggled his eyebrows at Alexis mockingly. "Wait, how seriously do you wanna thank me?"

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