Our Roads Were Lined With Adventure

[Araxfell Kvalheim]

Axel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her eagerness to sit by him. He recognised the language her companions called out to her in, and considered resuming the conversation in the same language for her convenience, but it seemed that they were comfortable enough in English. He wondered if she lived in New Zealand permanently or was holidaying like him.

"If you wish," he told her instead, reaching behind him to spread out his towel for her to sit on. Women were strange creatures. Once again, he found himself wondering why she preferred to sit next to the pale foreigner rather than actually having fun at the beach with her friends. He was rather gratified, though; not many people sought his company. No one, in fact, not even his sister, who was told to leave him be. They were both very lonely in the big, empty castle that was their home.

Araxfell watched the exotic young woman's face and kept wondering all that time; who was she, why was she sitting next to him, would she stay longer, would she be poor company or good company? So many thoughts and not a single word, and then he feared for her comfort in the silence that he was used to.
"Do you live here?" he asked uncertainly, trying to reach out with his words. "I am on holiday."​

 

[Viviana Warrick]

Viviana gave a wide grin when the older-seeming boy gave her permission to join him. She sat the opposite direction of him, knees tucked to her chest and body language open so that she could face him and hopefully make him comfortable about talking with her - as she was a stranger. Viviana knew that sometimes people were intimidated by strangers, though she thought she was the least intimidating person in the world. She was much too scrawny to hurt anyone, and looked better for running away than confrontation - though Viviana would generally do neither. She preferred to stand by a person and allow them to yell at her until they felt better.

Viv's thoughts raced quickly through her head and in the time it took her to consider everything the boy had come up with conversation. "I go to school here in New Zealand. My Aunt is getting married so I'm helping her, or else I would e back in Russia in the cold. Not that i mind it, Russia can be beautiful this time of year." She continued to smile as she posed questions of her own. "Where are you on Holiday from, are you with your family?" She wanted to ask more, but Viviana knew better, she'd learned that posing a multitude of questions usually meant some woul go unanswered by no fault of the person whom was being asked.