Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder [Lonny]

[Jake Ainsley Kitching]

Jake made his way through town, nearly mindless of what was going on around him. His camera was strapped around his neck, dangling as he walked. He knew where he was going - he went there often. He found that he could capture a wider variety of pictures there, find more interesting subjects. Crossing the road after looking both ways, Jake stopped and smiled. The park. A simple place that held so many emotions. He walked past the rusted copper entrance gates and picked up his camera, fiddling with it's little buttons and knobs as he walked. Finally, he stopped and looked around.

He saw children laughing and smiling, sitting in swings or climbing all over jungle gyms. Glancing to his left, he saw a couple, holding hands and smiling at each other, oblivious that any other souls were present. To his right he saw a man walking his dog, who was straining against his leash, trying to break it and run free, taste the summer air. Jake couldn't help the smile that played on his lips now - he was such a people watcher.

Focusing his lense, he sat on the ground, getting comfortable. Once he started taking pictures he sort of... got in 'the zone'. Running his fingers through his hair, he shifted his weight and then pulled his camera to his face. He started snapping shots immediately, the sunlight was perfect. He took a few of the children, trying to capture the innocence, the carefree laughter that eluded most. He took a few of the couple, and then of the dog. He just let his camera wander, enjoying himself.

[Lonny Elizabeth Blake]

and i don't know where i've been

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and i don't know what I'm into
and i don't know what i've done to me[/center]

This was just another day. Lonny was doing what she always did. There was nothing special going on, nothing exciting. But yet, the girl was perfectly content with that ordinary life. Well, that's a lie, but for the sake of the current moment, she was content. Ok? It was nice to be in the park, to be out in the sun, around happy little kids and overactive dogs.

Her legs cross, journal on top of her lap, pen in hand, Lonny sat on a bench in the park deciding what she was going to write for her weekly spot. Of course, she was working on a much bigger story, but she couldn't neglect her duties to the paper otherwise. They had given her the assignment as a test. She had to prove to them that she was worth keeping. The girl looking perfectly happy with herself and her position, at least until a strangely strong breeze rolled over the loose pages of her journal. All of the things that could possibly escape from that book were now floating around her and drifting down to the ground.

Lonny sighed in frustration and got on her hands and knees, picking up every last paper. She put the messy pile on top of the bench next to her and leaned back, annoyed. Now she'd have to reorganize everything. This was a nightmare. Running her hands through her hair, she began to start leafing through the papers.

LYRICS by the PRETTY RECKLESS!

[Jake Ainsley Kitching]

As Jake sat, taking photos of the park, something caught his eye. He pulled away from his camera and turned to his right. The something that had caught his eyes were papers. Swirling and twisting in the air, almost... dancing? Okay, it sounded a little gay, but it was true! And in the midst of these papers was a girl. She looked innocent enough, ordinary... But she moved onto her hands and knees and tried to collect the papers. As she did this, the sun light up her skin, casting a dazzling light. Unable to stop himself, Jake quickly pulled the camera back to his eye and started shooting photo after photo, trying to capture the light and the girl and the papers before she collected them all and the sun shifted.

Once she managed to get all her papers, she straightened back up. Normally Jake would have moved his attention to a new subject, but something about the way the light lit up this girl's face was... well, beautiful. So he continued to take photos, moving a little bit every few seconds to capture it from a different angle.

Though she may have seemed ordinary at first, the sunlight turned this girl magnificent. It lit up her eyes, her skin, even her lips. Wondering if his camera was tricking him, he pulled it away and laid it in his lap, now gazing at the girl. Nope. Still the same scene before him. She was still lit up and nearly sparkling.

[Lonny Elizabeth Blake]

and i don't know where i've been

[/font][/i][/size]
and i don't know what I'm into
and i don't know what i've done to me[/center]

Lonny finally got everything in order, well, as much order as it was going to get. Should she start writing again? No, she was out of it, out of muse. There was no writing right now. It was the wrong setting, the wrong mood now. Fucking wind! Damn it.

She looked up and scanned the park in a very habitual way, surveying the people around her. Maybe it would bring her inspiration. Nope. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Fuck. But as she looked around, she caught sight of something very interesting. At least if you think interesting and creepy are in the same category. Really she just thought it was kind of funny. There was a man about 100 feet or more away from her staring. He had a camera up as if he was taking pictures of her. What the hell? She figured he'd look away, but he didn't, as if he didn't realize she was looking at him. Yeah, he was staring. He was looking at her, probably taking pictures of her. How wonderful. Chances are he'd jack off to them later, but she wasn't going to get too cocky now.

She stood up and grabbed her journal, tucking it into her bag. Quickly, she walked - more like charged - towards the man. She was curious as to what he wanted. After all, John did want her to make sure she wasn't being watched stalked. Maybe this guy was just a really bad detective or stalker. Probably neither, just a creep taking pictures of pretty women in the park.

As she got closer though, she realized that he wasn't just any kind of creep. He was a rare sort. The sort that was absolutely gorgeous. Something inside her caught fire and she felt everything get a bit more heated. He could stalk her all he wanted. Not really, but you get what I mean. As soon as she was within five feet, she tried to get his attention.

"Hey. Is there a reason you're taking pictures of me?" She asked him without skipping a beat. "Well?"

LYRICS by the PRETTY RECKLESS!

[Jake Ainsley Kitching]

Somehow, Jake really hadn't noticed the girl staring back. He was just too absorbed. Suddenly, without warning, she stood in front of him, asking him why he was taking pictures of her. He paused for a second, trying to pull his brain away from his pictures and back to his head so he could use functional speech. A few short words and random noises wouldn't do him any good, now would they? Finally, he stood up so he was at her height. "Erm, yeah, sorry." He nodded down towards his camera. "I come here a lot to take pictures, I'm sort of a free lance photographer. Where you were sitting, the sun was perfect, so I just went for it." He shrugged.

No apologies. He didn't think that it could be considered creepy, or rude. He would probably never understand how it could be perceived as any of those. It wasn't him creeping on her, or stalking. It was art. Basic, bare to the bone art. No models posing, aware. No one trying to primp and looking beautiful. No, just completely unaware subjects. He found the less aware they were, the more real the emotions they brought to the photo.

"I guess if you really don't want me to keep the photos, once I take a look at the film I'll get rid of them." He shrugged, still a little mindless, a little too absorbed in the way the sun stretched out on her skin, made her glow... If ever the was inspiration, a muse, he had found it. Now that she was closer, he took a look into her eyes. They had dimension, emotion - guarded though, for sure. She was different then many of the girls who lived in this town. Even on first meeting she seemed... unique.

[Lonny Elizabeth Blake]

and i don't know where i've been

[/font][/i][/size]
and i don't know what I'm into
and i don't know what i've done to me[/center]

The entire time he was trying to explain to her what he was doing, she was staring at his face, taking in his naivity. He had that it seemed, an innocence, a child like quality to him. He seemed totally serious about all of this, as if he had done nothing wrong, and in truth, he really hadn't. She was just a little paranoid due to her current situation. It was sort of flattering in a way, maybe. It depended on what sort of pictures he took.

"No. Keep them." She smiled sweetly, laughing a little. "I was just playing the devil's advocate." It was nice that he didn't seem ashamed of what he was doing. That meant that he meant it. He loved it. He was passionate. "So what else do you take pictures of besides random young women on park benches?" She was teasing him now, and by the looks of him, she didn't expect him to get it right away.

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[Jake Ainsley Kitching]

Once she lightened up a bit and told him to keep them, he smiled, baring his bright teeth. Great. He was glad, because it would have went against everything in him to toss out such beautiful pictures. He had a really good feeling they would turn out well. She then asked what else he took pictures of. Yes, it took him a moment to catch on to the joking nature of her tone, but he finally did.

"Ah, well... Everything. and anything. Just whatever catches my eye I guess. Lucky you." It came off a little flirty, though he hadn't even noticed. He had never really focused much on girls, to be honest. Yeah, he'd dated a couple, and he definitely wasn't a virgin... But still. They always ended up seeming dull, or snobby, or just not as interesting as his photos or art work. None of them, for sure, had ever seemed as... appealing as this one did right now. Not sexually, but more interesting than any before her. He felt that just by looking at her eyes, she could share one hell of a story with him. And if not? Well, he'd rather pretend she could and make the most of his photos.

"I'm Jake, by the way." He held out his hand for her to shake.

[Lonny Elizabeth Blake]

and i don't know where i've been

[/font][/i][/size]
and i don't know what I'm into
and i don't know what i've done to me[/center]

Oh, Lonny had plenty of a story. There was a lot going on behind that smile. Many had told her before that she had an old soul. Whatever that meant. I think it had to do with her instinctive wisdom and knack for knowing things, great perceptive skills. This guy had no idea how deep she ran. Sure, she looked like a normal average girl in her early twenties with a bright future and a fun early adult life. She was beautiful and seemed successful. She had heard it all before, but no one knew her or her life. They had no idea that her mother had paid Lonny's way into school and to advance grades. Of course, she deserved it, but money helped. And there was the side of her life that was not so great, a psychotic mother, careless brothers, a horrifically messed up loved life, a complicated job. She was so much more than her pretty face. It was too bad most people didn't see that.

"Well you definitely caught my eye." She said with a grin. "For different reasons though obviously." That would have been the kind of moment where she might have winked if she really wanted to be creepy, because I do find that to be a pretty creepy gesture. Oh well. Does it make a big difference?

She wasn't really the dating type. She had more than enough flings. Though she could never say she regretted losing her virginity. She loved the man she had been with at the time, although she had only been sixteen. There was the other piece to her, the one that got taken when he went off in the military and got himself killed. There was no way Lonny would ever get that back. Ever since then, she had never taken much interest in anyone else, at least not until Sean just recently, but who knows how long that would last. It was unlikely to go very far. She was too much of a liar and cheater. And so was he. They'd tear each other apart in no time, or find common ground in their similar behaviors. Who knows?

This guy seemed different, although she didn't know in what sort of way that was. He was handsome, yes, but no a pretty boy or a priss, not stuck up or a dick. He seemed perfectly content with himself and his camera. She liked that. And he seemed preoccupied with her. Although she had no intentions of reeling him in with her magical spell (get it? HGH?), she did want to keep this one on the hook just in case. He had no idea what he was in for. Lesson 1: be careful who you take pictures of anonymously. They may just ruin your life. Good luck my darling Jake. She's a vicious one!

"I'm Lonny." She told him and shook his hand with a firm grip.

LYRICS by the PRETTY RECKLESS!