Jake Cornwell
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Human
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Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 11:29:11 GMT -8
Jake Cornwell fell asleep in a Motel 6, but it was Isaac Smith who woke up in his bed.
Not a case of multiple personalities, folks, just a case of assuming his alternate identiy.
As he showered, he went over the details of his identity. He always did this the first few days in a new city; background questions had to be answered as easily as though they were real.
His name was Isaac. He did not answer to Jake, Jacob, Jay or anything other than Isaac.
Isaac grew up in Tennessee. He had a dog, Bozo, a couple of goats, a horse named John Wayne and no siblings. Isaac prefers GMC to Chevy and Chevy to Ford. Foreign cars are interesting but not worth pursuing said interest.
Isaac has a sweetheart back home who is going to UT. Her name is Anne Meddock, and her breasts are fine.
Isaac's parents are Robert and Jillian Smith. Jillian is one of the highschool cafeteria workers and Robert puts his 50 hours a week in the lumber yard.
Both are worried about him being all alone in some practically unheard-of State, but they're proud of him all the same. They send him some of their hard-earned money every payday and harp on him a little too much to spend it wisely.
Isaac listens to his parents. He's a good ol' boy.
* * *
Isaac smiled at the young, stylish student working behind the admissions counter. Her heart all but skipped a beat as she looked up adoringly into his face.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm a transfer student. I need to enroll for this semester."
She helped him through all of the paperwork, processed his enrollment fee, and referred him to the advisor's office. She also gave him her number and offered to show him around since he was new and all. He took her number and figured he might just call her.
Several hours later, he was enrolled in a handful of classes and eating lunch in the commons area all by himself. Phase 1 was complete. Now he just had to meet some people and feel out the city.
Something he was sorry to say he got better at each time.
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 11:56:19 GMT -8
Adrianna hated college. Not just hated, but was at times horrified of college. The people, the professors, the expectations, there where so many things she could fail at and so many people she could disappoint.
She hadn’t planned on furthering her education from middle school. She hadn’t taken one class since she’d left home so long ago, but she wanted to impress Hoyt. She needed to impress him, needed his approval, so she went back to school. She’d gotten her high school diploma through PCC and then applied for college courses.
Adraianna had been positively shocked the entire at the difference between diploma classes and actual college courses.. She had never thought that she would ever have been enrolled in college, and before last year it had never occurred to her to even try. She had yet to decide whether trying was a mistake or not. As it was she was over worked and panicking. Keeping up in class was a chore. Excelling seemed like an impossibility.
Currently Adrianna was sitting in the commons area trying hard to blend into the paint. Her first week here had been insane. She ran her hands through her short messy hair and sighed. She would get through it though. She had to.
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
Feel free to PM or IM for plot assistance.
Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 12:11:41 GMT -8
It certainly wasn't Isaac's - or Jake's - kind of weather. Cold, grey and threatening. Even with his coat zipped up to his chin he was shivering. Damn northerners and their weather. What did Oregon have against heat?
Cold or not, though, he didn't complain, but tried to focus his mind on watching the people walk by the windows in the commons area. He never knew what he was looking for until he saw it. Couples were laughing, all bundled up with scarves and gloves, friends were chattering, loners either strolling at an unhurried pace or moving quickly, heads ducked.
Hazel eyes were caught by one movement in particular - a pale hand mussing up short brown hair. The young woman's face, while attractive, had a certain look to it.
He knew what that look meant.
She needed to have some fun as much as he needed to find what there was to find and get out of here. So, at the risk of intruding on a potential fireball - hey, you could never tell with girls - he got up, dusted his hands on his jeans, and walked past several trash cans just so he could use the one closest to her.
As he dusted his hands again, he looked in her direction, tried to catch her eye, then looked away quickly... only to look back at her a second later with a small smile.
"Hi," he said, only with his accent, it came out sounding more like "hai."
"You from these parts?"
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 12:29:11 GMT -8
Adrianna stared up at the man in shock, hand still tangled in her hair. She had to resist the urge not to look beside her for the person he was really talking to. She managed to keep her eyes on him simply because she knew no one had sat beside her in the last five seconds.
She disentangled her fingers from her hair and managed to keep her mouth from hanging open as she looked him over. He was positively beautiful. Darker than a lot of the men she’d seen around… then again most of the creatures she hung around were of the pale and creepy assortment, she blended right in.
She realized suddenly that she’d been staring for a moment to long and cleared her throat.
“Er, Yes I’ve lived here for a while.” She looked over him again. He was bundled up like it was Antarctica, where she was wearing a dress, boots, and a light jacket. “And you’re not?”
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
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Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 12:49:52 GMT -8
Speaking of Antarctica, that's where he drew the line. His parents could chase the demons into hell itself if it pleased them, but he stopped at Antarctica. Probably before Canada, even. And screw Alaska, leave it for the bears.
Ahem.
Her reaction wasn't all that uncommon. He got his good looks from his mother, but he was still a little embarrassed by the way women stared sometimes.
His embarassment showed in a slightly pained but endearing smile.
"No, ma'am, I'm from the south. Tennessee. Ever been?"
He sat down on the bench next to her, but left a good sized gap between them. Women carried mace and knew how to use it. He could handle a punch but damn if mace didn't hurt.
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 13:07:49 GMT -8
Not only was he starting conversations, but it looked as if he was staying to continue them. This one got stranger and stranger.
Adrianna knew that she wasn’t completely unfortunate looking, but she wasn’t one to pick out of a crowd and was always a little suspicious when this happened, no one in the history of someone’s she knew started a conversation simply for the pleasure of conversation, and yet here he was sitting next to her completely at ease with himself.
Though he, she suddenly came to the realization that she didn’t know his name, seemed comfortable enough, she didn’t know what to think of him. He didn’t look like a psychotic predator, mass murderer, or a bible thumper in a reach out program… so maybe he wasn’t all bad. Though looks couldn’t say it all, or hers would say a lot more.
She moved her pale green eyes from his face to the ground before answering.
“I came here from Washington, I haven’t been any further south than southern Oregon. I am in love with the weather her” She smiled slightly to herself as it was obvious that he did not. “Its likely to sunny everywhere else.I like the cold, and I love the rain.”
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
Feel free to PM or IM for plot assistance.
Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 13:16:46 GMT -8
"You," he said, unintentionally mirroring her thoughts in a way, "are a complete psychopath."
Laughing, he shivered for emphasis and hunched his back a little, curling in on himself for warmth. "People actually like this weather? I mean, it gets cold in Tennessee, but it's a dry cold. Barely ever snows."
He smiled at her for a second before a 'duh!' look seized his features. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Isaac. Isaac Smith." He extended his hand to her, skin red with the cold.
"And you are?"
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 13:28:01 GMT -8
Adrianna laughed as well, but more at her thoughts
Oh, if you only knew. “ I love it. The wet weather here is perfect for me. At times I wish I were a fish.”
A fish? You wish you were a fish? I wish you weren’t an idiot !She mentally scolded herself.
She was saved from hitting herself in the face when Isaac introduced himself, and extended his hand. He didn’t look like an Isaac, she thought as she grasped his large hand with her small pale one.
“Ah, I’m Adrianna Daye.”
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
Feel free to PM or IM for plot assistance.
Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 13:36:21 GMT -8
Adrianna was a pretty name, he thought, but that wasn't the sort of thing he'd ever say aloud.
"Nice to meet you, Adrianna. I guess to each his own with the weather and all, but I can at least say I'm glad your not a fish. Would make askin' you what I wanted to kind of hard."
Cracking a boyish, awkward grin, he pulled his hand back and rubbed his head, his chin angled so that he regarded her crookedly.
"Well, you just seemed as out of place here as I feel, and since I'm new and all.. well, I miss having friends, and I was wondering if you wanted to go get a coffee sometime? I've got a girlfriend back home, I swear I'm not comin' on to you or anything."
He paused then, realizing that might hurt a girl's feelings.
"Not that, well, not there's anything wrong with you, mind. You're pretty and all."
Now his face was definitely changing colors, and it had nothing to do with the cold.
"Now's the time you can say something before I stick my foot in my mouth," he added sheepishly.
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 13:47:43 GMT -8
He’s asking me out? Has the underworld completely frozen over??? Oh, no, he’s not asking me out, he has a girl friend. Great, well that’s a relief.
Adrianna thought to herself, though she wasn’t sure it was. She wasn’t sure what to feel. This amazing looking man comes over and starts a conversation out of the blue than asks her out, while not asking her out. She wasn’t sure if she was on an incline or rushing toward the ground on the rollercoaster of feelings she was currently experiencing. Talk about too much to handle.
She sat watching him explain himself for a moment, trying to pull herself together. She couldn’t understand why he would want to go somewhere with her. She wasn’t anywhere near interesting… Was she even allowed to go out??? She hadn’t gone anywhere with anyone who wasn’t one of Hoyt’s followers in what seemed like ever.
She looked at him with confusion in her eyes, Gods she didn’t know what to say.
I mean what could it hurt, it was just coffee right. She liked coffee…
“Coffee, sure. Yeah. That’d be nice.”
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
Feel free to PM or IM for plot assistance.
Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 13:55:18 GMT -8
She wasn't helping any, staring at him like he had spouted a second and third head just for the sake of it. Embarassment stung whether he was Jake or Isaac, and he could only sit there aware of his face burning until she finally spoke.
To say he looked relieved would be an understatement.
"Really? That's great, I was starting to think I'd never make friends here. It's hard, you know? Being so far away from home."
His face didn't feel like it was burning so badly anymore, and he hoped it had reached something like a normal flesh tone.
"What's you're schedule like today? I'm free until 3 o'clock... I could buy you that coffee, if you want, or maybe you could show me around?"
He sounded hopeful, and in truth, he was.
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 14:18:55 GMT -8
She was shocked by how happy he had looked at her answer. No one should be that excited to go out with her. It was unnatural. She had to stop and laugh to herself at that thought.
How on earth could this man have trouble making friends? He didn’t seem at all shy, he was good looking, and she was amazed to find that she was already feeling quite comfortable around him. He could probably draw in crowds of people, like moths to a blow torch.
Adrianna had finished her classes for the day and really would have nothing to do but wait around for Jude to return. Which wasn’t always a bad thing. It took her an eternity to do her homework and it was always good to work on it during that time. Or work on figuring out how to remove the Guise… that was one that had caused her numerous headaches. She could go without the headache today.
“I am free for the rest of the day.” She was shocked yet again at how easily the smile touched her lips. “Either is fine with me, though I am not sure I can show you much. What would you be interested in seeing?”
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
Feel free to PM or IM for plot assistance.
Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 14:33:16 GMT -8
"What do I want to see," he asked thoughtfully, getting up and offering his hand to assist her out of habit. You were just taught certain things where he grew up.
"I reckon just fun places to hang out, things to do. Bowling alleys, pool halls, night clubs." He threw the last out there so casually that it would seem like just a passing interest.
But he was very interested in night clubs. They tended to congregate there.
Something like a shadow of weariness briefly passed over his eyes, but then he was smiling at her, helping her up.
"Or anything in walking distance. My truck's been wanting to break down on me an awful lot since the drive out here; I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for getting you stranded on the side of the road while I walked for anti-freeze."
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Post by Adrianna Daye on Dec 19, 2008 14:44:19 GMT -8
Adrianna thought for a moment, the campus was way out in the middle of no where, there was nothing other than coffee shops and day care centers within walking distance.
“Well we’re a ways out, and there is not much around here…” She paused to contemplate her offer before she spit it out. She was not sure how thing were supposed to be with normal people. “But we could take my car. There are plenty of all of those things downtown. Portland has about a thousand bowling alleys.” For some reason he didn’t look like the bowling type. “And a couple hundred nightclubs. Most of them are all in South West I could show you a couple and have you back by three.”
She fished her silver key ring out of her pocket and waited for his reply.
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Jake Cornwell
Plot Driver
Human
Feel free to PM or IM for plot assistance.
Posts: 56
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Post by Jake Cornwell on Dec 19, 2008 15:09:45 GMT -8
"You sure? If you're not comfortable with it, we can just get some coffee at one of the shops by campus. We can do that stuff later."
He genuinely didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. For one thing, he really did like people and wanted to be liked in return. For another thing, he needed as many contacts in the area as he could get, and wanted them to trust him.
People saw a lot of things, even if they didn't realize the significance of what they were seeing. And women, he had learned, tended to be more attuned to their gut instinct about people. He could use a woman's response like a compass, telling him what avenues to explore and what not to concern himself with.
"Besides, I really gotta be back at 3, and if we start having fun, I might not wanna come back for class. Can't go skipping this soon into the semester."
He grinned at her.
"Maybe we could do that stuff on Saturday? Make a whole day of it. Go bowling, play some pool, eat dinner and then go to the club. I'll kick anyone's ass who tries to put a roofie in your drink. You'll have fun, promise."
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