alternative-amp

[alternative-amp]

Santa's Helper // Rory

Rory,

Heard your Audi got stolen. Rough. Hope you like the new one!

XOXO,

Your Secret Santa

[alternative-amp]

[alternative-amp]

Andromeda sputtered as her head breached the surface of the water once more, coughing up the water she'd managed to swallow when Joel pushed her under. He was already too far away for her to retaliate. Asshole. She scowled.

Regardless, she struck out toward the falls and dove behind them, body twisting as the water beat down upon her from above. At last she was through - she pulled herself out of the water and onto the rocky floor of the tiny cave. She peered at her ankle in the little bit of light that was available to her, prodding the flesh gently with the tip of her finger. It looked swollen; she must have hit it harder than she thought.

Before Andy had time to think much more than that Joel had joined her carrying the backpack reverently in front of him. She peered into the bag while he extracted the pipe, wondering what other sorts of goodies he had in there. At his question her nose wrinkled.

"I seem to recall things not going so well with us the last time we smoked. Sure you want to lower your guard when it'd be all to easy for me to ditch your body back here where no one would ever find it?"

Hiking // Joel & Andromeda

Joel turned to look at Andromeda as she floated by him, patting his shouter. He smirked at her joke, then glanced down into the water to try and glimpse her ankle, but it was too far down. He was taken off-guard by Andromeda clinging to him, twisting her arms and legs around him. 

It felt surreal, after all, she had been gone a year. 

He had fallen so easily into habit with her, hands going places they used to, lips speaking words he didn’t mean. It was as if she had never left, and that made Joel panic inside. 

Joel looked back to the water and nodded towards it, “Well go on Dora the explorer. I’ll grab the bag.” He grabbed her thighs and pushed her down into the water with a laugh, before swimming to the bank. He dragged himself out of the cold, glancing at his elbow but it wasn’t bleeding anymore, it was just glowing an angry red.

He snatched up the bag and kept it above the water, trying to get as little of it wet as possible as he ducked under the waterfall. Joel pulled himself up onto the rocky surface, the cave not being too huge, but it was a cave nonetheless. Joel dug into his bag, unzipping it and then pulling out a small bundle and a pipe he’d borrowed from Indiana.

"Treat time?" He grinned.

[alternative-amp]

No no, you already committed to it being a date. I'm gonna wear lipstick and everything. See you then.

We’ll go this weekend. I’m free. See what kind of targets we can find.

[alternative-amp]

We'll go this weekend. I'm free. See what kind of targets we can find.

Nah, they don’t scale - you’re thinking dragons. Snowball Shooter is a skill game, the more accurate you are the more points you get. Headshots are triple.

[alternative-amp]

Nah, they don't scale - you're thinking dragons. Snowball Shooter is a skill game, the more accurate you are the more points you get. Headshots are triple.

Grannies have lived longer, so I thought they’d have more XP.

[alternative-amp]

Other way around. Grannies are slow, kids are smaller targets. C'mon, man, act like you've played before.

Ten points for kids? Twenty for grannies?

[alternative-amp]

Pelt unsuspecting people with snowballs.

Bucket list things to do around the City during Christmas. Go.

[alternative-amp]

Andromeda's eyes found the blood without prompting, washed clean every time he put his arm back into the water. It didn't look too serious; they'd experienced worse before. She patted his shoulder as she reached him.

"Poor Joel," she said teasingly, "We'll have to amputate, I'm sure. Think I banged my ankle on a rock." One of her hands dipped below the surface to touch the ankle in question, wincing when her fingers grazed the skin. Oh well, that was the price she paid for being an adrenaline junkie. She flung her arms around Joel's neck, legs securing themselves around his waist. She let him do the work of treading water.

"Bet there's a secret cave behind that waterfall." There was always a secret cave. "We could collect your pack and explore it." Her eyes still shone in excitement - the idea of finding something behind the waterfall was positively thrilling.

Hiking // Joel & Andromeda

Joel shook his head, blinking water out of his eyes as he tread water, arms moving under it. He looked over at Andromeda as she shouted out, eyes sparkling with something wild. Something he missed about her.

"That was insane." he laughed, water droplets falling from his hair and nose before he wiped his face again. He glanced down at his elbow, a cut about two inches long split over it. Blood leaked out, but Joel only laughed. "Check my battle wound."

[alternative-amp]

Her other hand moved to Brooke's abdomen, pressing down just above the spot that she was touching within. The pressure would make it easier to hit, easier to make her scream. Her tongue continued to dance along her clit, hitting all the good spots at once.

Read More

[alternative-amp]

Andromeda took the second drink in hand, swirling the contents of the glass as Sai and Chad conversed in Japanese. She cast her glance around the bar, wondering if anyone else worthy of her attention was drinking here this evening. Nobody caught her eye. Her attention returned to her room mate, arm still curled around the girl's waist, fingers idly stroking her side. She and Sai hadn't been this close to each other in ages. They'd always used to cling to one another when they were out drinking - delighting in the way people stared - and she found it was a welcome reminder of what they'd once had.

She took another sip of the drink. It wasn't as delicious as it had been a moment ago - it tasted slightly bitter. Andromeda wondered if the cream had gone bad. She lifted the glass and peered at it between narrowed eyes as if she'd be able to detect just by sight that it wasn't up to standard. 

Chad, in the middle of answering Sai's question by telling her he'd spent a few years in Japan in his 20s, abruptly stopped the story.

"Alright, Andy?" he asked, concern in his voice. "You look a little...woozy. Too much too soon?" He was smirking, as if he found the idea of the girls feeling it after one drink hilarious. Andy scowled at him.

"No." And to prove her point she drained the rest of the glass, setting it on the counter with a flourish. Her head was spinning; she tightened her grip around Sai's waist as if to keep her balance. A second later her lips found Sayuri's ear and she was whispering urgently. "I don't feel so good." The words were slurred.

Ditching Class // Sai & Andy

[alternative-amp]

Andromeda's body hit the water around the same time that Joel's did; it was like being hit by a truck, but the water parted around her and she began to sink to the bottom. Torrents of liquid still gushed overhead, pushing her deeper beneath the fall. She twisted, turning this way and that under the water, arms waving and feet kicking as she tried to figure out which way was up. Mud clouded her vision, effectively blinding her, and after several seconds she felt her lungs begin to burn at the lack of oxygen. Her ankle struck something hard and smooth - a rock? - and she cried out, air bellowing from her body in a series of bubbles. The tips of her toes touched the rock and she pushed off of it. Finally the water began to lighten around her; she could see the sun, could see the shimmery divide between water and air. She surged toward it.

Her head broke the surface of the water and she gulped in air, looking around to find that she was some five meters from where the fall hit the water. Despite the throbbing of her ankle - keenly felt now that she was not struggling for air - she felt exhilarated. She lifted her arms above her head and let out a "Whoo!" of excitement. 

Andy looked around for Joel; once she found him she started swimming in his direction, a large grin on her face.

"That was awesome!"

Hiking // Joel & Andromeda

Joel glanced up when he heard Andy laugh, wondering if it was something he’d done or said. But naturally, she was clearly in a world of her own. He looked briefly at her hips wading through the water, muscles rolling off the bone in her thighs under the crystal water. He blinked out of his daze and turned to the foaming water tipping over the edge.

Then Joel got the feeling. That dangerous feeling that made his stomach twist when he knew he shouldn’t do something, while his mind screamed Do it!

It took him off guard. Mostly due to the fact that -yes, he still got the feeling when he saw the chance to chase dangers’ tail- but he hadn’t felt it like this since Andy had left. She had been his partner in crime, his other half. It felt like every good experience had two parts. Fun, danger, excitement… one part Joel, another part Andy. Joel had grown up a wild soul, throwing himself out in front of cars or stabbing the spaces between his fingers with a knife- all for the thrill of it. With Andy around, he’d wanted nothing more than to push limits and watch her howl in laughter as he did so.

Her fingers laced in his and Joel took a moment to look back at the feline, before both of them threw themselves from their perch and plummeted down to the water. His body wasn’t ready for the shock and the water smacked him hard, ripping his limbs down to the bottom of the pond below. It was very cold, his body jolted in keeping a warm temperature and it felt like he swam in a bucket of ice cubes.

His arm hit something hard under the water, elbow scraping across a harsh surface and he felt the sting of a cut. But moments later it was forgotten as his feet kicked off the muddy bottom and propelled him to the surface.

[alternative-amp]

Chad's eyes were dancing with some sort of positive emotion. Glee? Excitement? It was hard to tell. His unwavering attention was on the two girls; he didn't even bother to put his card away when the bartender brought it back, delighting in the way it seemed to make Sai and Andy even more interested in him. He wasn't an idiot - he knew if he hadn't flashed the card they wouldn't have looked twice.

"I'm here on business," he told them, attention focused on Sayuri while Andromeda sipped her drink. "Nihon no doko kara kita no desu ka?" His accent was a little off, but the Japanese words flowed smoothly from his mouth.

Andromeda, not speaking a word of Japanese, finished off her drink quickly. She wondered if it had been a double - it felt stronger than the ones she was usually served in a place like this. The bartender must be sucking up. The perks of money. She lifted her hand with the empty glass, giving a vague nod in the direction of the bartender, and he set about making another for her and Sai.

Ditching Class // Sai & Andy

[alternative-amp]

Read More

[alternative-amp]

The man could not believe his luck. A southern belle and an Asian? Two birds, he thought eagerly, two birds. He couldn't have stopped the smile that spread across his face if he'd tried.

"Chad," he told them. "Name's Chad." He lifted a hand to attract the attention of the bartender, who hurried over to take their order. He glanced twice at the girls, on the verge of asking for their IDs when Chad shoved a credit card at him and told him to "keep the drinks flowing for a healthy tip." 

The card was black graphite, the kind that only the elite were entitled to. Andy's eyes had practically become dollar signs; she wondered if Sai was thinking the same thing. Judging by the arm around her neck, the hand on his chest, and the adorable way she played up her heritage Andy assumed that she was. Andromeda curled her arm around Sai's waist, head tilted slightly and a small smile on her lips. Her eyes were wide as they gazed on Chad, as if he were the most interesting man in the world.

"Your names, ladies?" Chad asked as the bartender brought their drinks. Andy clinked glasses with Sai, taking a long swallow of the mixed beverage before she answered. She slid a finger across her upper lip to rid herself of the small milk mustache she'd acquired, popping the tip into her mouth and sucking it clean. Never do anything half-assed was the unwritten rule.

"I'm Andy," she told him. "Short for Andrea." That was a lie, but the way the R rolled off her tongue was exquisite. "This is my good friend Sai." Another lie, but at least she hadn't claimed that Sayuri was her girlfriend. She'd thought about it but decided in the end that it was more fun to make him work for that fantasy.

Ditching Class // Sai & Andy

[alternative-amp]

It's not every day I bond with a girl over cheating.

Regardless, it was such a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you around. And off she went.

If you could call it that.

[alternative-amp]

The ride to the sports bar was uneventful. Andy had nothing to say that was even the slightest bit interesting, so she spent her time gazing out the window while Sai flipped through the radio stations before settling on one she liked. Andromeda didn't recognize the song - she didn't bother trying to pick out the lyrics. Knowing Sayuri it was some sort of foreign band that she probably only listened to so she could say "oh, you've probably never heard of them" to anyone that asked. Hipster.

She was out of the car as soon as they pulled into the parking lot of the bar, pulling Sai toward the door. There were still a few seats available at the bar counter so this was where Andy led them, claiming a stool and lifting her hand to attract the attention of the bartender. Before he could take their order the man next to Andromeda leaned over, leering at her like she was a piece of meat. He was older, probably late forties, with a weathered face and a toothy smile.

"Can I buy you ladies a drink?"

That was quick, Andy thought. Didn't even have time to settle in. She didn't bother to check with Sai, assuming the girl would accept the free alcohol. Her answering smile was demure, lips parted slightly as she peered at him from beneath her lashes.

"How kind of you. Ain't he just the sweetest?" This question was directed at Sai, voice laced with the southern accent she often hid. "I'm hankering for a White Russian, heavy on the cream." She winked at the man, patting his shoulder as she glanced at her room mate.

"Sai, honey, what'll it be?"

Ditching Class // Sai & Andy