[color=silver][indent][indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/kK45qQC.jpg[/img]

[sub]A [@metanoia] & [@NeoAJ] Collaboration
Featuring [color=sienna]Tackle Dude[/color] & [color=73c2fb]Heaven’s Missing Treasure[/color][/sub]
[hr][hr][/center]

The first interaction she had with anyone at this giant rave party and it was akin to a bodycheck. An explosion of glass shards spread out over the deck as the bottle hit the ground. At least Alina had already finished most of the contents. So it wasn’t too much of a mess. Aside from the glass. [color=73C2FB][i]Off to an absolute flying start…[/i][/color]

[color=sienna][b]”Sorry. I should have paid more attention.”[/b][/color] 

As her eyes met those of the boy responsible for letting her feel like she was back in a fight for the first time since middle school, she had a couple thoughts. [color=73C2FB][i]Oh good. A jock with a heart. Definitely a jock from the muscles. Probably eying me up right now. Like I’m a piece of meat. Great.[/i][/color]

[color=sienna][b]”Let me get you another beer. It’s the least I could do.”[/b][/color]

She was going to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but he was already off. [color=73C2FB][i]Well at least he’s taking a few steps for me. Not even sure I like that beer.[/i][/color]

The mystery man was quick to return with a pair of beers in hand. 

[color=sienna][b]”Here.”[/b][/color]

[color=73C2FB]”Um… thanks,”[/color] she offered in return as she grabbed the beverage from him. [color=73C2FB]“You didn’t have to do that. I could have grabbed another drink. That one was almost done anyway.”[/color]

[color=sienna]”And now you don’t have to - at least not until this one is done.”[/color] Hunter raised his beer to his lips and took a casual sip, though hazel eyes remained on the girl. When he swallowed and lowered the glass bottle from his mouth, he said, [color=sienna]“I mean, I was the one who bumped into you and wasn’t looking where I was walking. So, really, it’s no trouble at all!”[/color]

[color=73C2FB]“If you say so,”[/color] Alina replied as she took a sip. It definitely wasn’t the same beer she had before. It was lighter than the first one. [color=73C2FB]“So, if this is your plan to talk up girls at this party, I don’t think it’s going to lead you to what you want in the end.”[/color]

[color=sienna]“And what do you think it is I want, hmm?”[/color] Hunter asked curiously, his lips not forming anything but a neutral facial expression.

Alina pursed her lips in thought for a second or two. [color=73C2FB]”Well, I’ve heard a few things, but which one of them would you be angling for in particular…”[/color] She gave him a quick glance up and down, as if trying to appraise him for auction. [color=73C2FB]“I’m guessing you’re looking to get better acquainted with some of these Liberty girls running around. Although you’re better off trying Miki Park. All those things I’ve heard, I’ve heard she does all of them.”[/color]

He shrugged. [color=sienna]”Even if I was - as you put it - wanting to get better acquainted with the girls from Liberty, it sure as hell wouldn’t be Miki Park.”[/color] Hunter’s reply came off with a bit of bitterness attached to it as he took a rather aggressive sip from his bottle. [color=sienna]“Not that I have had the ...experience of dealing with her, but I’ve heard things about her too and I can say she isn’t my type.”[/color]

[color=73C2FB]”Oh?”[/color] Alina raised an eyebrow. She was pretty sure Miki wouldn’t be pleased to hear there was one less boy on the market for her to try and date. [color=73C2FB]”And what kind of girl is your type… or… guy? Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t assume anything.”[/color]

He raised up his free hand, gesturing to her that it was okay. [color=sienna]“No apologies necessary. Truth be told, I don’t think I [i]do[/i] have a type. Well..”[/color] He let his voice fade into a low chuckle, [color=sienna]“I guess that’s not true.”[/color] Of course, it wasn’t true. Between Melissa and Minty, Hunter’s type was definitely in the aggressive ballpark, but then again,  Niki was...different. And the thought lingered for a few seconds until he caught himself and continued. [color=sienna]“I’m more of a personality kind of guy, ya know? If someone interesting catches my attention, they become my type.”[/color] He flashed her a small smirk. [color=sienna][i]At least that wasn’t a lie.[/i][/color]

Personality was something Alina wasn’t certain she had to offer to anyone anymore. How can you offer something if you don’t know what you have? She could fake it for the airwaves, but she was certain that if that was her tactic for survival at Rosefell, it would fall apart very quickly. [color=73C2FB]“Well, I guess that takes me out of the running, doesn’t it? I don’t think there’s too much interesting about me. I mean, I wasn’t even eye-catching enough to keep you from knocking my bottle into a million little pieces on the deck.”[/color]

Hunter expelled a single laugh from his lips. [color=sienna]“That’s not necessarily true. I mean, that had more to do with me being distracted by my phone than it did with whatever it is you think was the case,”[/color] he said, correcting on that matter. [color=sienna]“What else isn’t true is that I’m still here, so clearly you’re wrong about not being interesting to me.”[/color] Even as he spoke, Hunter was failing to see why he was saying these things. For comfort? For distraction? Maybe a bit of both, but this girl was hot and it at least filled the void shame created. So why not indulge in a little harmless fun?

[color=73C2FB]“Or you’re bored,”[/color] Alina shrugged. [color=73C2FB]“That would lower the bar. But I’m bored too. You bodychecking me was the most interesting thing to happen to me so far at this thing.” [i]Wish Raven was here. At least then I wouldn’t be going at this alone and I’d have some backup. Hope she gets here soon.[/i][/color] It wasn’t like Alina to be this negative about something, and Niki certainly wouldn’t approve of the attitude, but it was hard to feel anything else. 

[color=sienna]“You caught that, huh?”[/color] Hunter found himself chuckling as he took a half-worried sip from his beer. [color=sienna]“And here I thought I was being subtl--”[/color]

Before he could finish that though, which was spoken in a non-dominating tone, anyway, she interrupted him. 

[color=73C2FB]“--So… what do you think of all this mixing between schools then? Can’t imagine there are too many positives for you Rosefell types having everyone from Liberty invade. Aside from being able to have these parties at a place like Christian’s.”[/color]

He shrugged. If he was honest, there might be a mention about how his secret romance came from Rosefell and his two worlds collided in the worst way. But he wasn’t about to ruin a potentially-glorious distraction. [color=sienna]“I don’t know. I mean, there are definitely some people who might not enjoy it and see it as an invasion -- as you phrased it, but not me,”[/color] he admitted with a chuckle. [color=sienna]“I love Rosefell and if you asked me would I favor Liberty over my home, you’d know my answer, but, I don’t know, I’m not like a friend of mine who absolutely loathes the guys from Liberty.”[/color] He took a moderately slow sip and shook the bottle, frowning slightly as he realized its contents nearly gone. [color=sienna]“And what about you? Are we as bad as some people said we are?”[/color]

Alina thought for a second. It definitely wasn’t as hopeless a situation as she thought it would be. DeShawn alone made that happen. If it wasn’t for him, she probably would be home alone, or just hanging out with Raven listening to her latest piano project. She hadn’t had much interaction with anyone else though. The nameless boy in front of her was already the Rosefell student she had the second-longest conversation with. [color=73C2FB]“I don’t think I can say that, although I haven’t met all the Rosefell students yet. But there are definitely some diamonds in this rough. DeShawn seems like a nice guy. I don’t know if you know him. But he’s been very kind. It’s been really appreciated.”[/color]

Hunter’s mouth opened, with a surprised [color=sienna]“oh”[/color] falling out when he heard Dee’s name. [color=sienna]“So, you know Dee, huh? Why am I not surprised?”[/color] Hunter laughed. And then chuckled into another sip from his now empty beer bottle. [color=sienna]“He’s always one to show around some new students. He’s pretty reliable like that,”[/color] he said, smiling at the girl, [color=sienna]“Yeah, I guess you can say I know him. He’s one of my boys. Always looking out for me when I least expect it.”[/color]

[color=73C2FB][i]Least I know it’s not just me then. He actually seems like a genuinely good guy.[/i][/color] Alina took another long sip of her beer. It still wasn’t great, but it was giving her something to do with her hands and mouth while the mystery boy spoke. [color=73C2FB]“I wasn’t expecting that level of hospitality, but like I said, I actually really appreciate him doing that. He’s the only reason I’m here right now. Couldn’t get any of my friends or my sibling to come to this. Cause I’m clearly about as persuasive as I am interesting.”[/color]

[color=sienna]“Not the party type, are they?”[/color] Hunter mouthed out before he let out a chuckle. [color=sienna]“I mean, I guess it’s to be expected. Whether it’s hosted by us or Liberty, these parties tend to get pretty crazy.”[/color] This made Hunter think about how he was one to let loose at any party. He wasn’t like Colin, who often avoided Liberty parties unless it benefitted him, so he didn’t outright hate any Lib. And especially not when Niki was one of them. And thinking about Niki, of course, brought a slight frown to his face. He tried to hide it, but didn’t have the excuse of taking another sip because it was empty. 

A quick swirl of the bottle told Alina that the conversation with the unknown boy had been going on for longer than she would have bet on. Maybe that frown on his face was a sign that he finally was getting bored with her. Or maybe it was something else. [color=73C2FB]“Something on your mind there, superchief? You look sadder than that empty bottle you’re holding onto.”[/color]

When Hunter looked up at her, he smiled, shaking his head. [color=sienna]”It’s not important.”[/color] He, of course, was lying his ass off. He had Niki on his mind and it was clear to this complete stranger that it was enough to break through the silk-like barrier that was his attempt to hide the pain. He wasn’t an old guy named Harold. [color=sienna]“I guess I’m just sad I drank it so fast.”[/color] That statement was partially true and it was enough to convince him even if for the moment. [color=sienna]“Might have to see about getting something stronger.”[/color]

[color=73C2FB]“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Starting to think I’m going to need more than beer to get through this night.”[/color] It was a bad idea. But Alina didn’t know that yet. Future Alina would probably be ticked, given she rarely dealt with any booze more potent than wine, but until Raven got here, or a more unlikely friend, there was no one to really tell her no. [color=73C2FB]“If you still want to talk, even if you don’t want to talk about the whole depressing thing you got on your mind, I’ll take whatever you get. If not, I guess I’ll head over after awkwardly watching you walk away and grab something. Take your pick.”[/color]

As he mentally went over the choices, he knew he didn’t want to talk about Niki right now - not with this complete stranger. 

Okay, she wasn’t exactly a stranger. For however long they’ve been talking, Hunter could honestly say that she had taken his mind off of...well, everything. And somewhere, he knew Dee was proud of him. Forgetting about one’s troubles was the whole point of a party. If you had shit going on in your life, whether home, relationship, or you’re one small step away from a nervous breakdowns, parties or, in general events with a lot of alcohol and good company could be the difference between getting admitted to a padded room and making it to your best friend’s place by night’s end.

And that’s what he had. Alcohol was a plenty here, especially since he heard Colin was involved in the supply run and this nameless girl was certainly enough for him to forget his troubles. His situation with Niki was complicated and Hunter [i]could[/i] spend all night dwelling about how shitty he was and how he didn’t handle the surprise of seeing them at Rosefell, but he didn’t want to focus on that. No, he wanted to have some fun. 

[color=sienna]“Whatever choice gets me fucked up, I’ll take it.”[/color] He smiled at her.

[color=73C2FB]“Right now, that sounds like the right choice…”[/color] Alina blanked for a second. Names had never come up in their whole conversation. They just didn’t seem important considering the interaction started with a collision. [color=73C2FB]“...OK, I can’t just keep calling you tackle dude or something for the entire night. You have a name right?”[/color]

Hunter was caught off guard and let out a laugh that turned into a rough cough. [color=sienna]“Tackle dude? Yeah, you can call me that. I mean, it’s accurate to my position on the team,”[/color] he stated, getting some of his composure back, “or you can just call me Hunter.” Even he had to admit that transition was so smooth one might think Suave Rico had his hand up Hunter’s ass and speaking for him. [color=sienna]“And yours? Or should I just call you the treasure that heaven is missing?”[/color] Okay, now [i]that[/i] was more of a Hunter Quinn line.

A hand went to Alina’s lips, but she wasn’t sure if it was to stop the laughing from the cheesy pick-up line or from the fact that for the second time in a week, she had a random encounter via a collision with a Rosefell student who was tour guide for a Zabrecky. At least she had to think it was the same Hunter. It wasn’t exactly a popular name at Liberty. She decided not to mention Niki, just in case. There was the possibility this was Hunter Jones or Hunter Druckenmiller or something.

[color=73C2FB]“I’m no treasure, Hunter,”[/color] she told him. [color=73C2FB]“So that’s probably not going to work as a name long term. You can just call me Alina.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]