Chore List:: Afternoon (Brittie)

The morning had come and gone, leaving the warmth of the afternoon in the place of pleasant coolness that had been around earlier that day. Even so the city did not stay still as people went about their business heading to the various shops and restaurants for food or to pass time in. Or for the more scheduled, this was the time to grab quick lunches before scuttling off to work or school once more. The city hustle and bustled and one would think that this was where a particular Cadet could be found. However, instead of spending his free time hanging at some arcade or comic shop like some kids his age liked to do, the young man known as Alex Tenth would be found out in the country instead.

However, he was not here playing about or leisurely strolling like the visitors of this place liked to do. Instead, the young man could be found wearing a tan apron over his clothing, his hair mostly covered up in a bandanna (the longer pieces of his hair hung from under it), and a broom in his hand as he moved about the ranch house sweeping the back portion of the sprawling place. He had come here after sitting through that class of new folk that had somehow managed to be picked for a "better path in life" so to speak.

It still kind of ticked him off having so many new people come into the business that seemed just fine without them and maybe it was this agitation that caused the young man to come back to his favorite place in the city - Lexaco Ranch in East Eden. And maybe the need to have something to do to vent said agitation was what allowed the young man to easily take on the various chores the couple here had been all too happy to give him when he asked if there was anything he could do to help them out.

While they handled the animals outside, Alex had been tasked with cleaning the inside of the ranch house. It was a simple job really. All he had to do was sweep, mop, dust, and organize amongst some other small things. It was nothing that he would complain about even if by himself it would probably eat up a good portion of the day and leave him ready for a nap before his real work began at night.

Even so he liked the physical work and solitude that gave him time to air out his thoughts as he focused on the gentle swishing sound the broom made with each stroke. He would sweep some trash into a small pile before using the dust pan to get it up off the floor. With the back half of the place cleaned, he would move to the trash can to empty the pan before drifting out into the lobby to begin sweeping it. Leaving the dust pan in an out of the way spot, he would start on the far left side of room, the gentle swishing of the broom against the hard floor the only sound that filled the otherwise quiet and empty ranch house. If anyone where to enter the place, they would find the young man dressed to clean as he quietly swept the main lobby of the place seeming to be lost in thought.

Alex would continue to sweep, the gentle swishing sound of the broom against the floor his only company outside of the natural sounds that floated in through the windows that were open. The boy’s mood while at first agitated had slowly flipped from moody to relaxed as he continued to clean, the activity something to vent his frustration on. As his mood seemed to pick up a bit, his mind would wander from annoyances in life to a calmer of state as he continued to clean moving across the lobby easily enough with the cleaning. Things would’ve probably remained mellow and chilled if a rather familiar voice hadn’t decided to break the Zen-like energy that had settled in the place.

As soon as Alex heard the voice, he stopped sweeping as he body tensed and his eyes looked at the ground for a few seconds in thought. He knew who that was. He remembered her well from their last encounter and just like before, this young woman had managed to tick him off with words alone. It was true the words were a tease, but even so a kid with as much pride as Alex had would not take it so lightly as he looked up at her with a scowl on his face, his eyes ablaze as usual.

“Why don’t you mind your own damn business!” he growled as he stomped his foot, his cheeks slightly red from being compared to a housewife or househusband whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. He honestly didn’t get this one or why she chose to tease him. Even if they somewhat managed to stay civil last time, he didn’t think she would actually keep to her word and come back. But here she was…but why?

To her question, he would let out an annoyed “Tch” as he shifted the broom in his hand as he looked off to the side. “You honestly shouldn’t have come back here, but it’s not like I can stop you from coming in; however, I have a ton to do, so just stay out of my way,” he would snap as he went back to sweeping a bit more vigorously than necessary as he steamed. This lady man….

Alex would continue to sweep the floor, still steaming as he heard her reply to his first set of words and her chuckle. While it was true most would’ve probably easily forgiven the woman for her error, this kid…this kid didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to forgive and yet how could one stay angry at someone who was apologizing to them? The conflicting emotions of forgiving or not forgiving only made him grumpier as he grumbled out  a “Hmph! So you say” as he gave a pout refusing to look up at the other for the moment as he remained moody.

He would continue to sweep, glancing slightly towards the movement as Brittany decided to come in. Lovely.

Thankfully the young lady had some sense in her head and took off her shoes. He didn’t know how many times he wanted to whack the hell out of people for walking on clean floors with their dirty shoes after he had busted his butt to make them shine. Hmph. Well, he suppose he could give her some points for that, but the appreciation wouldn’t show on his moody face as he continued to sweep a little less vigorously the movement more natural as time went on. Perhaps he was calming a bit despite the face he was making or his unwelcoming behavior.

When he heard her next words, he wouldn’t take the suggestion at first as he continued to sweep.

“Now why would I want to do that?” he asked his voice still slightly peeved despite the calm delivery. From here he would fall silent, planning to at least pretend to busy; however, he found himself actually stopping a bit when he didn’t get an immediate response back. Holding the broom in both hands, he would tilt it to the left slightly as his grey colored eyes finally lifted to actually look at the other. She was rummaging in her bag for something.

Hm?

He would tilt his head at this. What was she up to?

A second later the answer arrived and when it did, Alex had no idea how to respond to it at first. He heard her words saw the gift and yet could not comprehend it all. What was this and why? Why was she doing this? It was all very confusing, but even so he managed to play this off as his blank expression vanished as he blinked. He would look from the box being held out to him to the girl and then back to the box again suspiciously before finally reaching out with one hand and taking the box.

“Hmph. Well, the debt is repaid then,” he say in calm tones as he glanced moodily up at the other for a moment before turning away and taking the broom and the box of chocolate to the counter. He would push a duster on the counter to the side before he set the box on the well polished counter in a spot where it would not get knocked over before becoming still as he kept his back to the other so she could not see his expression. He would not say thank you, but even so.....

…..Tch!

Peeved as he was about this new development that had caught him off guard, he would take the duster off the counter with his free hand before he finally turn to look over at her over his shoulder, his expression was calm as his eyes remained stormy as usual as he watched her careful.

“I cannot stop until I finish the tasks set before me….and since you have decided to loiter there, why don’t you make yourself useful and take care of the last chore for me?” he would say before turning to fully face her as he lifted the duster holding it out in her direction. The action felt foreign to the Cadet that would typically want to go through the floor before doing something like this, so why was he doing something out of his nature?  


Who knew?

Alex was a hard child to read. Even harder to read when caught off guard by something. While it was true he could typically strut around like a peacock at times and even truer that he could become quite vicious with his behavior when provoked, a little less known fact was that the boy could actually be sweet and well behaved if one was able to drag it out of the stubborn guy. A fact that was being proven quite true with this situation here.

While the boy did not hate the girl or exactly feel any hostility towards her, it was apparent he was a bit conflicted about what was going on here. On one hand he wanted to be tough and keep up the act you know? Didn't want to show weakness. But on the other he wanted to actually be nice to the other that had actually handled him quite well despite his behavior towards her. It was enough to drive a weaker person to bowing to the guilt, but for Alex? Nope. It just left him moody as usual and lacking the smart-ass remarks for now.

A bit humbled, so to speak, the moody male had managed to take the gift and even asked for help from the rather bubbly other. He wasn’t sure why he had done this, but at least she didn’t make him look like a complete fool for asking. She did accept the task.... though that remark only got her a narrowed look of annoyance.

“Whatever,” Alex would grumble as he looked off to the side not understanding why he couldn’t just chase her off or something. He typically didn’t have trouble doing this, but this gal?

....Yeah. Let’s not even go there.

Shaking his head mentally, he would go back to sweeping keeping an eye on where the other was located in the room using peripheral vision. As they fell into silence for a bit, Alex heard the hum the other made as she performed her task in quite an upbeat manner. While it was true he enjoyed hard work himself, this was the first time he had seen anyone be happy about such a simple job as given…then again this was the first he had actually allowed himself to actually have help in the chore ritual. So who knew? Maybe people really did get happy about the simple task in life.

Regardless, she seemed to be content enough and was actually doing a pretty good job of dusting, the action seeming natural on her. Hmph. Alright. So she could dust. Nothing to be impressed about, right? Right?

“…..”

The younger male would remain quiet as he continued his work moving across the room at a steady pace as he made sure every inch of the floor was cleaned. When the silence was broken by the girl speaking instead of getting an annoyed response, she would get a calm one as they continued to work.

“Music, huh? I’ve never tried working with music before. I usually chose silence to concentrate and relax,” he would say as he kept his eyes lowered to the floor focused on the task, yet still listening. “Does the music make the job more fun? Or is that a personal preference of yours?”

Alex was quiet as he listened to the woman speak about her tastes in music. As he listened he would sweep the trash he currently had into a small pile before retrieving the dust pan and sweeping the mess into it. As he worked, he would speak.

“Yeah. I know what those are. In fact, those are some of my favorite types to listen to among other classics out there. I find the instruments soothing and great for relaxation. Though I can’t say I’ve humor dance music too much unless I have to due to going somewhere. As for using it to make a job more fun,” he would pause as he moved to empty the pan in the trash. A small smirk would come to his face. “I never considered placing work and fun in the same category before you mentioned it. I wonder if it is as great as you say it is.”

He would fall silent after this as he moved to tackle a spiderweb under an end table. Kneeling down to get at the web better, he would find himself pausing as he heard the question. “Hmm…” he would begin thinking for a moment before sitting up a bit and looking over at her. “Outside of classical music, I do like a few alternate genres, but to place my finger on a specific one?” He would look up at the ceiling his face crinkling with thought for a second before he looked back at the other with a neutral expression as he shrugged. “I guess all are okay as long as it stays away from country music. I do find that one a bit grating on the nerve after a while,” he would say before going back to work. Once done with the spiderweb, he would get back to his feet and lean slightly against the broom as he looked over at the with him, finding himself a bit more curious about her now that she had stayed though why that was still baffled him. Even so, he didn’t let that little unknown bog down the situation.

“You said you like to dance? What sort of dance do you enjoy?” he would ask surprisingly making conversation with the girl rather than scowling….at least for the moment he did.

This was…. actually kind of fun. Just  chatting casually you know? It felt kind of nice and while it was usually not very hard to keep a frown on his face, for just the briefest of moments, a small smile would crawl across his lips as he watched the other a bit amused. She...she wasn’t so bad after, all was she? He couldn’t really say, but at the same time he couldn’t deny the fact that he kind of liked her presence. Just a little to be exact, but at least it was something. Something that quickly folded itself under seriousness again as he furrowed his eyebrows a bit in thought as he continued to lean against the broom

“Heh. I thought I was the only one annoyed by that sort of music since most seemed to gobble it up like it was the best thing ever. The singing always sounded so whiny to me, so I can’t listen to it for long before becoming agitated with it. As for the banjo issue, I can understand what you are saying and yes. It can come off as bothersome when played in such a genre. Alone, I can’t say I hate or like the instrument. I prefer harps or piano when it comes to the string family of instruments.”

He would say the words easily enough, but had to wonder what was up with that surprised behavior. What did she find him incapable of liking music or something? He was a human no? So why was that a surprise? He didn’t know and maybe he would never know. While he could figure out most he came across women were always a perplexing thing for him. They just did things he just didn’t get. And it seemed old or young didn’t matter either. They were just strange creatures. That mystery aside though, he wouldn’t let the behavior bother him much as he remained relaxed enough in his current position as he fell silent to listen to what the other had to say on dancing….and that’s when the frowning came again.

He did not like that comment about the whole age thing, but knowing he could not argue there without getting into some other stuff he rather not get into, he wisely held his tongue for once as he instead puffed his cheeks a bit in agitation before letting it go this time. Lucky for her he was more interested in the term “shake up” rather than her comments on the age.

“I am afraid I don’t quite get what you mean by “shake up”. Like what sort of dance is that?” he would ask moodily as he watched her and waited for her to come out of Lalaland or wherever she had gone when she had spoken about waltzing. When she came back around and directed the question to him about dancing, the young man would shift a bit as he stood up straight once more and looked about the area a bit. He took a moment to think on that. When he had an answer, he would look over at the other briefly before shifting from his spot to put the broom away.

“I...uh…” Man this was killing him to say, but he couldn’t be a coward about this now could he? Man up! “I don’t really dance well in a normal situation; however, despite having two left feet, I do ballroom dancing well enough and like to do it from time to time. I’ve eyed swinging dancing, but I don’t know just yet. Not sure why, but I do better with a partner than solo when dancing,” he would shrug a bit as if it didn’t matter as he moved behind the counter to lean the broom against the back wall and out of the way. He would get the dustpan too and hide it under the shelving there using that moment of ducking to wipe away the slight blush to his cheeks. That was a bit embarrassing, but at least he got it out and now he would wait to see he what the other would do with that.

Once done with that small task of recomposing himself and putting things back in their proper place, he would stand up straight and his eyes would drift to the box of chocolates on the counter. He would tap his fingers lightly on his pants as he looked at the gift  for a moment and then back to Brittany.  He would watch her for a moment contemplating something before with an inward sigh, he would gesture for her to come over with a small jerk of his head.

“I think we are done with the cleaning, so bring the duster here. I can’t exactly eat all these alone you know?” He tried to sound and look bothered by the ordeal, but a careful observer would see through that. He was being nice...and just didn’t want to admit it.

OoC:

He would see her expression as his eyebrow raised slightly. While he didn’t show it, he becoming highly amused by the girl’s reactions to his words. He didn’t know why it was so shocking to hear what he said, but then again….there weren’t that many that actually went out of their way to get to know him either, so maybe what she was doing was a normal reaction after all. Regardless of that, the young Cadet remained rather calm as he thought on what she said. Eventually, he would give her a light shrug and respond back.

“That is all part of the learning process. It starts off as a challenge, but in time it gets easier. However, one has to make time to get better and sometimes it is the time rather than learning that can really be a pain.” Time. At one point he supposed he plenty of time, but now a days it seemed he had none. On a more curious note though, the Cadet would title his head at the other before speaking. “Say, you said that classical music and these sort of instruments suited me. Why?”

He was indeed curious. What if he had said something like alternative music and the electric guitar was his favorites instead? Would she still think the same? Or was it no matter what he said, he would still match up with her image of himself? Was she saying the words just to be nice or something else? It was a curious thing indeed; however, the younger male did not let his mind go too far down the rabbit hole as he waited to see what she said.

As for what came next…

Alex would hear what she said, as he shifted his small frame a bit and folded his arms as he met her confused look with a serious one as he closed his eyes and shook his head a bit. ”That was a horrible explanation,” he would begin almost seeming at first to mock her for the not so smooth delivery; however, if the girl was observant, she would see a smile tugging at his the corner of his lips, a sign he was more amused rather than upset about the ordeal. It was true she could work a bit more on delivery, but in the end, the point was clear enough. He would reopen his eyes and give the other a nod. “Despite that, I get what you are saying. As for style, I wouldn’t say I favor one style over the next. More like I go for what I can excel in the most.” Yeah. He could learn other dances if he wanted to, but in the end if he didn’t see himself being the best in it, he left alone. Anyway…

“Though I am curious to know something here. If you love the waltz so much, why didn’t you learn it….?” He would trail off at the end as he noticed the girl went back to staring off into space again, her whole body becoming still as she stared at some point on the wall. She seemed to be lost in thought or something. Though what she saw in her mind that made her so focused was an unknown to the young man and something he did not pry into for now. He would let her do whatever it was she was doing as he reached up to take off the bandana that kept his locks held back. Freed once more the hair would try to go its own way, but Alex would shake his head a bit to get the hair to fall back into some form of natural order. He would actually need to brush it a bit to get it back to his standards, but for now this would do. Stuffing the cloth in his back pocket, he would eventually invite the daydreaming girl over to join him.

While at first she refused his offer to eat chocolate, the Cadet didn’t seem to show much anger at what was heard. “If you say so,” he would begin as he opened the box planning see what choices he had to pick from and eat at least one or two for now. However, just as he laid the box lid off to the side, he would hear the second part of the girl’s words and look back up with at her with a smile? Yes that was definitely a playful smile. “Hmph. Good thing you said something otherwise your chance would’ve been gone once I dug in.”  He could be selfish if he wanted to be that much was certain. Though how much of the statement was an actual truth was the question. His smile didn’t give any hints on the matter, so he would leave that mystery for the girl to figure out.

Moving past that though, his eyes would lower back to the chocolates, scanning them a bit for the perfect target. As he scanned them, he would speak. “Oi. You seem to watch what you eat, so what is your favorite snack or food to eat?” Oh that one! He would become quiet to give her time to answer if she wanted as he picked up a small chocolate in the corner of the box and popped in his mouth. He didn’t seem to go for test bites making one wonder if he was just bold or if he was going to eat it regardless of what the chocolate covered. He would bite down on it tasting some sort of raspberry filling. Not bad, but not his favorite one either. Oh well. There was still more to go.

That trivial matter aside though, Alex would stay quiet for a bit waiting for an answer; however, that silence would extend a bit more as he heard the question posed. Taking a few seconds to finish swallowing his chocolate, he would eventually answer.

“That depends. Are you going to actually be dedicated and do the work required to learn it?” He would look up at her with a serious expression. He could teach her the waltz if she really wanted to learn; however, if she signed up for that she would have to be serious on the learning front. He wasn’t making this offer so they could hang out or clown around. If you wanted to learn something you had to do the work and if you didn’t then the matter wasn’t worth his time. In the end, the matter was left in her hands.

Alex would tilt his head at the explanation given. That didn’t make any sense in his mind at all. How could one use a look to peg what someone liked or did not like? You couldn’t for you had no facts and if you did happen to guess right, then he highly doubted looks supported anything. He knew some people that could looked refined and still be into rock or something that was more unsuited for the air or look they put on. No. She probably just got lucky with that one. Regardless of how perplexing that was, he would let it go as he shook his head at the young woman.

“If you say so.” He was clearly not convinced, but at the same time he wasn’t going to make an argument out of that one. In any case, it would seem the young woman had a lot tougher skin than he gave her credit for. His biting joke from earlier could’ve easily set off or even harmed another, but this lady? She took the blow well enough and rolled with the punch. Heh. Impressive. And look she was even smiling. Well, well. Look who could actually play and not cry about everything. The smile that was being restrained before easily crossed his lips at this one. “True enough,” he’d agree and then hearing her next set of words, his face would become serious again.

“Hmph! That’s what you think!” he would say as he crossed his arms and turned his head away from her as he tilted his nose in the air. He was slightly miffed, but considering the response wasn’t hostile in any fashion showed he took the tease well enough. He was just too stubborn and prideful to let it go with a laugh is all. That aside though, he would glance back at her as she began to describe her life, his body language and expression becoming more relaxed as he took it all in...and actually gave her a genuine smile.

“No they don’t pay themselves, but even so it seems you got it all under wraps despite it all. That’s pretty impressive.” Hard work and dedication to things, he liked those qualities and was pleasantly surprised to hear that the girl kept her self to such a strict schedule. With no wiggle room one usually went mad, but not this one? She carried herself with a light air that would’ve made it hard to peg her as dedicated to something as serious as the schedule she had. She just seemed like a free spirit that wouldn’t handle that sort of lifestyle. Heh. Surprise everywhere it seemed.

The response was pleasing enough and not being one to be very nosy, the young Cadet did not pry any further as the topic moved to dancing once more. To the question, he would give her a light shrug.

“Eh. It’s more like I never tried mastering it,” he would say in regards to the more upbeat dancing she loved. He just didn’t see a point in that one when it was frustrating to begin with, but who knew. Maybe down the road, he would try again. At any rate that matter was not relevant, so he pushed it away as he gave a light nod to the rest. “I suppose it is okay.” So he had mastered ballroom dancing. He didn’t see that as a huge feat, but whatever. He would take the words easily enough; however, it the last part had him becoming quiet a bit as he scratched at his cheek lightly as he watched the girl.

She was repeating herself when it came to that waltz thing, yes? He could’ve sworn he heard and saw the same thing a moment before. Maybe...he was just seeing things, but it certainly felt like a repeat of prior things. So odd, but at the same time nothing he pried into as he simply waited for whatever that was to pass.

In time they would eventually come to the topic of food, to which Alex would listen to as he waited for the other to choose a chocolate. Once she had picked, he would pick the next one in line from the one she had chosen and after eying it a bit popped it into his mouth. He knew it coconut...Ah well. He would still eat it as he listened to what she had to say. When she was done, he’d speak.

“I can agree there. Trying various food is fun, but I must admit I am a bit surprise. The items you listed off I too like. The pizza bit I am so-so on, but definitely yes to hamburgers and ice cream. Can’t seem to get enough the latter with all its flavors, you know?”

Yes. Ice cream. You place him an ice cream parlor and he might not be leaving for a bit due to the choices. He just wanted to eat them all, so having to choose which flavor he wanted was always a problem. Regardless of how happy that could make him, he would refocus on reality pretty quickly, a light smile the only fragments of pleasure given during the time. “So like this hamburger place you spoke of. What is called?” he would asked a bit curious about a place that made good cheap hamburgers. He didn’t go to out to eat often, but when he did he much preferred a restaurant's cooking over fast food which could be hit or miss sometimes for him.

That fun topic aside, things would take a more serious turn as the subject of waltzing and teaching the other how do it came up.

“Heh. As if that would win you any favors or mercy,” he would respond back with a smirk, showing he could take a joke; however, that aside his face would become serious once more as his mind began to consider some other factors in this matter. “Regardless if you are serious about this, then we’ll have to see what we can do about scheduling you for a class or two.” Yeah they’d both have to find a time slot when they were both available. A tricky thing with loaded schedules, but he was used to juggling various things so this would be no problem.