Triangler

There was never a wasted bit of a daylight for Eric Tenebre. Early in the morning, the boy would wake up and throw his on his workout clothes. More often than not he would enjoy running around the school's grounds, but now that it was the weekend he had the opportunity to go somewhere else on the islands and enjoy some new sights.

Eric drove into the city, to Oceania Park. It was a fresh view to have greenery surround him during his run, rather than one side being the empty ocean. Rather than passing by students, Eric ran along more anonymous city residents. He didn't have to worry about anyone bugging him for anything out here, so he plugged in his earphones and enjoyed his music.

The weather was getting warmer, much to his delight. Instead of sweatpants, Eric could finally be comfortable with shorts and a t-shirt. It showed off more of his muscle, a fact Eric never ignored each time he passed by young woman.

But of all the women he saw, none craned his neck as far as the last one he saw. It wasn't just her exotic features or slender figure, either. She was holding a musical triangle and happily tapping away at it, and to make it more interesting there was a hat on the ground in front of her. Was she serious!?

Eric pulled out his earplugs to hear her play, slowing down his jog. Needless to say, there was nothing spectacular about it. No matter how well you played a triangle, it was still just a triangle. But that wasn't what made Eric drop the rest of his run to see her. Her tirangle was just the in to break the ice.

He smiled as he walked up to her, peering into her hat just to check her current earnings. Eric could find more change lost at the laundromat. He did have his wallet on him at least; Eric removed a five-dollar bill and placed it in her hat.

"I've never heard a triangle played solo," Eric grinned, "Don't you think you could use some accompaniment?"

Eric supposed she wasn't doing this for the money then. Even if she liked the sound of the triangle, the only reason she wouldn't mind making next to nothing playing it was because she was already financially secure.

"I like it too. Mind if I sit and listen?" Eric asked, but before she could give an answer Eric was already lying on the grass next to her. He crossed his legs and pushed himself away from the road. His legs felt sore anyway, now that he wasn't running. He was a little out of breath, as the girl would notice.

"So where are you from? I'm from Canada," Eric asked. Her accent seemed to make her Australian, or maybe New Zealander. Or was she British? Eric couldn't actually tell. Even Anglo-Canadians had a bit of an accent to him.

"How long have you been playing the triangle?" Eric wondered aloud while she played, while most others passed by the two without another look. He still had to admit, busking with a triangle was pretty weird.

Eric noticed how long it took her to provide an answer. He didn't, however, dwell on it too much. Not until she mentioned lacking any timekeeping, as well as struggling to read a clock face. Her otherwise innocuous hesitation now lent fuel to the idea that something wasn't right.

"Do you uh... did you like school?" Eric wondered if she dropped out. It didn't really explain not having even a calendar. And it was a darn shame she didn't have a phone. How was he going to get her number?

Never mind the flirting though, Eric was now very curious about her history. He unfolded his legs, stretching them along the grass to keep his muscles from bundling up and cramping later in the day. Still, he didn't hesitate to let his shirt or shorts creep a bit for Nerina to see his musculature.

"I play a bit of music too. I can play the guitar, and sing a little." Once he stretched some, Eric stood up again.

"Hey, wanna walk with me for a bit? My name is Eric." He shook his legs out, and then offered a hand for Nerina to help pull herself from the grass.

"I'm glad you had friends," Eric frowned a bit over her hair ordeal. He knew redheads could get some unwarranted flak, but he had never in his life heard one be compared to an ape. Some people were just... plebian, as his grandfather might put it.

She also mentioned chronic fatigue, which would obviously cut her schooling down, but it sounded like a little more than that. She was still keeping something from him, but Eric didn't really care. A secret was a secret, not his business.

The change of pace for questions was nice. Eric immediately smiled, "Yeah, sometimes, whenever I go South." There weren't any places to surf in Montréal, but he had been to California and Florida once in a while, and learned to surf.

Eric could feel Nerina take his fingers, and the boy grinned even more. Her hand was oddly cold, and she smelled rather salty. "Did you go surfing recently?" he asked, wondering if that was the reason. In any case, he gladly took her hand in his own and shifted a little closer to her.

But as he asked her, Nerina pointed out to an ice cream truck. Even in the morning, there was a line of kids waiting for some ice cream. Eric had to remember that it was the weekend, so it wasn't too shocking to see whole families and kids out here. On the other hand, ice cream in the morning? Yikes, no wonder America is so chubby.

Eric looked over to Nerina, studying her for a moment. "Did you want some ice cream?" he finally asked. She didn't say anything, but the wide array of excited yet meek expressions had him thinking yes.

"Let's get in line, then," he pulled her hand gently towards the truck.

"Huh," Eric muttered out loud. How could she not know if she surfed recently? Again, she was holding something back. It made him wonder, but he was also worried about pushing an issue she did not want touched. Like hiding a body in the ocean. Instead, Eric tried to keep the worries to himself.

He could believe she lived near the beach though. Her feet were pretty much covered in sand, and she didn't bother wearing shoes. She must have spent more time in the sand or grass than on pavement. He wondered what she did for a living, then. "Do you work near the beach as well?"

When it was their turn in the line, Nerina immediately ordered her ice cream. Eric, however, noted he'd refuse. She didn't seem to take that easily, suggesting he get a sorbet. Sorbet was healthier, sure, but it was still very sweet and not really something to eat for breakfast. Especially not when he had another run to go around here.

"Oh, alright. A strawberry sorbet for me. Hey, wait," Eric reached into his own pocket and quickly pulled out his wallet. "Let me pay. You earned that money, don't spend it on me." Eric pulled out a ten dollar bill.