Apartment K-7

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

<sup>Hazel eyes flashed as a thin dark haired girl slipped into a tight black tshirt.
Dark blue almost black jeans clung to every contour of her lower body.
Black sooty makeup surrounded her sharp, wide eyes.
Thick eye lashes squeezed shut momentarily before reopening.
She flashed a confident, pearly grin before stepping into her black and white converse.
She looked to be about seventeen, but she acted much older.
A life of solitude does that to you.
She threw on a black jacket that hugged her curves.
Tala pursed her lips and emitted a low whistle.
A smokey brown husky darted around the corner and leapt up, placing his paws on her shoulders.
He came nose to nose to the girl, his intelligent olive eyes shining brilliantly.
"Hey there Harley,"
Tala said with a grin.
"Keep the house safe, I'm going out for a bit."
He licked her nose with a sense of understanding and trotted over to the door, planting his haunches firmly on the ground.
"See ya buddy."
She said, winking as she shut & locked the door behind her.
Tala skittered down the stairs, a jaunty attitude about her.
She'd take the evening as it came, she was spontaneous, not a planner.


Harley</sup>

[Shadow]

Ura sighed. After he'd given Cobalt some money and sent him off to grab groceries (also giving him a map to the apartment and fair for the sub-way) he'd went straight home to crash. His stomach was growling like an endangered beast, ready to pounce on the nearest nonstandard. The sub-way trip home had been a pain in the ass, for one. And he still couldn't believe he'd picked the kid randomly up off the street. Ura felt a slight chill, and remembered the kid also had his jacket. He'd finally reached his complex, and was just about to go up the stairs. And then he saw Tala.

Ura stopped, blinked, told his stomach to shut up, and went ahead. The plastic bag with the book in it rattled noisily as he walked, banging against his leg. It was awkward. Ura was the type to not like woman at all. But, technically, he was still young, and shouldn't've had those feelings. Right? Slowly, the space between them enclosed.
"Hey, Tala!"

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

Tala shrunk with the realization that she had traveled downstairs and ourside her comfort zone.
She saw a figure approaching and averted her gaze.
Her keys protruding out of her rear pocket.
She crossed her arms, trying to make herself appear less noticable.
How quickly her confident air had dissipated.
"Hey Tala!"
She heard a familiar voice call.
"Ura."
She sighed, her breath catching in her throat as she straightened her posture.
Her hazel eyes met his tired ones.
She took a step toward him, bridgeing the gap between them.
She tentatively brushed her fingertips against his arm, unsure of what he wanted to do in the open breezeway of the apartment complex.
Would he ask her to make plans with him?
Her agenda was free.
Tala cocked her head slightly, the ghost of a smile playing upon her face.

[Shadow]

Ura blinked. He didn't know how to react to her sudden touch. The whole clingy thing didn't work for him. But her touch was warm, and he was cold. Her smile made him smile in turn.
"Where're you headed, hmm?" His stomach suddenly grumbled, ruining the mood. The faint wisp of a blush trickled across his face, his ebony bangs in his face as the wind blew by. One; it was late. Two; Ura was hungry. Three; food... Four; Cobalt.
Shit. He thought. What about that kid? He was silently raging this war in his head, giving nothing away on the outside, except for a smile. His stomach has since quieted down. It hadn't been that loud in the first place. The goosebumps on Ura's arms were from the wisping wind that created a veil around the two.

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

Tala recoiled as the somewhat affectionate gesture was not returned.
"I'm not sure yet--"
She stopped midsentance, barely concealing a grin.
"Hungry dear?"
She asked, a coy grin plastered to her mug.
Tala's jaw twitched and she moved slightly, as though to whisper some words of comfort in his ear, but she decided against it, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels.
"You're busy aren't you?
You've gotta get going..."
She trailed off, the final words more of a statement rather than a question.
It was alright..
Sure..
She enjoyed his company..
But she was used to being alone.
Other than the times in which she was with Harley, she was normally alone.
Tala sighed softly, gazing at Ura with her warm hazel eyes.
He captivated her..

[Shadow]

He gave a slight chuckle as she asked if he was hungry. No, sorry, hungry was an understatement. Care to try again? Her suddenly pulling away caught him off-guard. Ura took in a sharp breath.
Busy? Me? Nah. Just picked some random kid off the street, and, hey! He's gonna make me some grub. So, nope, not busy at all. He ran it over in his mind, and decided he'd rather hit his head up against a brick wall. Her hazel eyes met his slightly violet ones, and held him there. There was silence for a moment, and all the joking in his mind disappeared. The look in her eyes, he couldn't quite describe it. Had he seen it before? Well, maybe, but not directed at him. And then Ura decided.
"Nah, I'm not busy. What, you think I was just gonna ditch ya', when we have such an ecstatic plan goin' on?" He smiled. The kid was on his own. And besides, he had a jacket, where-as the muscles on Ura's arms held small lumps of goosebumps.

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

^{Tala watched him attentively.
She blinked softly as she observed his silent pondering.
The young girl's mind wandered as she watched him, wondering what thoughts swept through his mind.
She knew which ones graced hers..
Whether the particular thought was a flock of blessings or a fleet of curses, she was not yet sure.
Tala, as Ura opened his mouth to speak, took another step forward.
She moved her fingers to the fringe of his jacket, clinging softly to it.
She smiled gently as he spoke.
"We have a plan?"
She asked.
"Well,"
She said, begining to ramble,
"You'll need to eat first.
I could go for something soon too.
I'm getting to that point.
You sure you're not busy?"
She asked, pausing breathlessly.
A wide grin graced her face and she sighed softly, happy to be in his precense.}

[Shadow]

In a way, it was comical. They way she was flirting, and he was being thick-skulled. But this was the usual thing, or so he thought. Once again she came toward him, and clung to his collared shirt. This would, in turn, usually send him spinning into telling said clinger to uncling themselves. But, then again, this was Tala, and her clinginess had grown on him. After all, she was his next-door neighbor.

"We have a plan?" She asked. And then she went on about how he needed to eat, and that she wanted something too, and was he sure he wasn't busy?

Ura, though not fluent in female, took this as a "Let's hang out because I really want to" type of answer. He smiled, ready to spout his own answers. It was mischievous and calculating.
"Of course we have a plan," He grabbed her hand. "You asked if we had a plan, and now, we have a plan." He started to pull her toward the direction of the subway, then Ura stopped. "Now, the real question is, whether you want to cook for me, or go out?" His stomach sent signals of love and appreciation in beams headed toward Tala at the mention of food.

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

^{Her grin widend as his mood seemingly lightened.
She giggled at his amusing response.
It was as though he was joking around..
Oh wait..
Or was it flirting?
Tala shook her head slightly, relasing a short bark of laughter.
"Hmm.."
She said thoughtfully.
"Well..
If we eat in..
Ha,
You won't have an elaborate menu.."
She chuckled,
"Grilled cheese?
Ha."
Her gaze dropped to her white toed chucks as she sighed, happy to be with him.
"So,"
Tala said, redirecting her gaze once again.
"You tell me!"}

[Shadow]

Ura smiled, and listened to her short, nervous laughter. Honestly, he thought it was cute. With his smile still on, he listened to her merry banter. Tala seemed in such a good mood. He liked that, the fact that she was in a good mood. He didn't really understand why, though. She thought out-loud, and voiced her opinion.

"Well...If we eat in...Ha, you won't have an elaborate menu..." She chuckled. She offered up the idea of Grilled Cheese. Honestly, he thought it was a splendid idea. Then she said he should choose.

Once again, he wasn't fluent in female, so he didn't get that. But, honestly, he just liked the idea of having her company.
"Hey, Grilled Cheese sounds great. 'Specially if you're gonna make it." Ura hinted with a sly smirk.

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

^{She perked up, her eyes brightening once more.
"Alright!"
She said, lingering a moment.
Her fingers drew deathly close to his, but she changed her mind at the last second as she turned and leapt up the stairs with lightning quick agility.
Tala easily snatched the key from her back pocket and jammed it in the lock.
Harley greeted her, his tail wagging enthusiastically.
He smelled the warm scent of the neighbor boy as well.
"Grilled cheese it is.."
Tala muttered, mainly to herself.
She stepped inside, leaving the door open for Ura.}

[Shadow]

"Alright!" She said. The spark that seemed to ignite in her eyes made him chuckled, and her enthusiasm made him smile in return. Tala seemed to reach for his fingers, and he was ready to brush his against hers, but she rushed away in a gleeful dash. He frowned for a moment, confused, but then he laughed to himself at her childishness; it was very cute.

Taking the hint, he followed her up the stairs, though he took his sweet time about it. Half-way up, he heard the bark of Harley. This made Ura smirk. He liked Harley. He and Harley got along great. Which was weird, since animals tended not to like Ura. (He didn't really know why.) Finally he reached her door, and stepped in with a glow. The feel of her apartment was warm. Closing the door with a silent shut, he faced Harley and Tala.
"Heey, don't you know that if you leave your door open, strangers'll come in?" He grabbed Tala around the waist, peeked over her shoulder and stuck out his tongue.

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

Tala grinned enthusiastically at Harley.
She was thrilled that Ura was taking to her.
She loved how warm and welcoming he was being.
The young girl threw her jacket on the white leather sofa and stepped forward, heading towards the kitchen.
She was stopped though, as warm arms embraced her from behind.
Her breath caught in her throat and her heart rate escalated.
Her eys squeezed shut as she fought to control the steady flow of emotions.
She heard his gentle voice in her ear, and his warm breath on her neck.
"Harley'll protect me,"
She barely managed to say.
But Harley was no where to be found, he had retreated to the bathroom of the small three room apartment to give them a moment's privacy.
The kitchen was connected to the living room, there was a bed room with a bathroom, a bathroom, and a computer room.
The apartment wasn't large, but Tala had no room for extraneous space.
She turned around in his arms, facing him, her nose reaching his chin.
Tala tilted her head back so she could peer curiously into his eyes.

[Shadow]

"Harley'll protect me." Ura smirked as her meek answer came. She was so cute. As she turned around he stuck his tongue back in his mouth, and hoped he hadn't licked her. (He hadn't.) Tala's head titled back. She seemed to be searching for something. Ura looked back into her eyes with the same searching. She smelled nice, like any cliche` character would say about the girl they were currently holding. But it was true. And then he titled his head toward her ear, and whispered:
"Is this the part where I ask if I can kiss you?"

[Wolfeh. :://:: Tala.]

^{Tala watched him, captivated.
As he leaned close, she lost her breath and shut her hazel eyes.
She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his cold face.
Damn weather!
She cursed silently to herself.
Why must this cold bite him the way it did?
She'd fix that.
She'd warm him up.
"Did you have to ask?"
She replied, her voice silky smooth, barely a whisper.
How had things progressed this far?
So quickly..}