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Lightbringer
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Teren's words were one thing, but his actions were another. If he wasn't interested in having dinner like he seemed to suggest, he wouldn't have went up to the ingredients, right? Nevertheless, Rose was still mentally shaking like a leaf. She had never had to be so assertive before, even with the other delinquents. Then again, she wasn't their mentor and Teren was obviously a step up from them in terms of criminal acts. Still, for better or for worse, her mind came up with a sassy response, like always, to Teren's words. But like always, she held it in, not daring to stoke a fire she wasn't ready to handle. Or the judgment that came with it. . As Teren asked Rose for help, and though his words stung a little, her gaze studied the ingredients before him. To be honest... she usually just winged it, catering to her desires that certain day. And Reagan never seemed to mind. But could she really just tell Teren that? He probably wouldn't be thrilled with that answer. Plus, was he really wrong? Should she really threaten him like she did? She did need to give him some kind of answer, though, obviously. "Just... um..." After a long couple of seconds trying to come up with a sufficient answer, Rose just said heck with it. . "This is a creative test, to see how creative you are! Do whatever you want, just don't make it purposely gross. All you have to do is throw stuff in, try it, and voila!" Rose followed up her words with a sheepish smile, probably revealing to Teren that her instructions were that of which she did everyday. Even though he probably said some harsh things in response to Rose's reply, she just ignored it, instead focusing on his work. Her gaze wasn't judging, but instead, it was filled with curiosity and even a hint of excitement to try someone else's creation besides Reagan's and her own. And though she watched him, Rose made sure to stay out of his way and keep a comfortable distance between them. Luckily for them, Reagan was now busy preparing other things on the other side of the kitchen. . After a while, once Rose had managed to push down her previous fear and frustration, she finally had a good response to what Teren had said. "Do you... seriously think that anything would change if I asked you nicely for every single thing? If I don't do something, you'll almost always say no and then you'll leave here the same way you came. Have you ever had a pet cat? They always knock stuff down or scratch you for some reason or another. You have to squirt them with water. You have to give them consequences if they do something wrong. Otherwise they'll keep doing the same thing. If they eat the wrong thing, they could get sick and even die, so by giving them, as you call it, threats, you're really protecting them." Rose murmured quietly, her gaze thoughtful. . "Now, I'm not comparing you to an animal, so don't even go there. It's the same with everyone. Parents have to discipline their child so they can teach them what's right and wrong and protect them. Atleast... that's what good parents do, anyway. At Last Chance Ranch, we try to be the good parents some people have never had. So, yeah, you may hate me, but I can guarantee you being here is better than being in jail. All the adults here genuinely care. That's why they decided to work here instead of following their dreams or whatever. But at the jail... I don't think that's the case." |
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Neutral
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Teren had initially given Rose the benefit of the doubt as he waited during her lengthy pause for instruction, though as those few seconds evolved into a lengthy moment, he turned his head toward her with an impatiently raised brow. The surprise test she announced was something he did not foresee coming, especially if one were to judge by his confused countenance. The smile she tried to cement her words with fell flat with Teren who pushed a sigh of dismay through his nostrils. “I didn’t think salad creation dictated creativity levels,” he replied, shaking his head as he turned to look back down at the bowl in front of him. “I must have missed that portion of the IQ test I took in high school.” He added sarcastically, surveying what was in front of him thoughtfully. Now that he was really thinking about it, he couldn’t even recall the last time he had even eaten a salad. Teren, confidently blind to his concoction of leaves and various other nutritious vegetation, combined that and questionable seasonings to it following the dressing. If he had jerky on hand, he would have added it. It would look more appetizing to him if it was less green, but he figured that was generally the tell-tale signature of most salads. Pausing his contemplation of how much dressing was too much with the interruption of Rose’s voice, he flicked his blue gaze in her direction. A subtle scowl followed closely behind her comparison to dealing with cats. Though just as he had opened his mouth to make a remark about her comparing him to an animal, she spoke again, prompting him to close his mouth in a frown as she addressed what he was going to say before he could actually say it. Rose’s continuation of the symbolism the people here had as parents did not resonate well with Teren. No longer holding her gaze as his own drifted back toward the salad bowl, he scoffed. “I feel so cared for its overwhelming,” he commented with dry sarcasm, purposefully not wanting to get into any real conversation that surrounded parents - the mere idea was aggravating. Stepping to the side and gesturing with his hands toward the salad, he looked back toward Rose. “If I pass and prove my creative worth, will I have earned the right to eat tonight?” He mocked while simultaneously returning his arms to a crossed position over his chest. “How much do people know about me here?” Teren asked after an interlude of silence on his part, contemplating the choice of words that have so far been used in his presence by people he’s just met. The other mentor he had more or less met with Rose earlier seemed surprised by him, and Teren had written it off, assuming they may have only had a vague grasp on his record. But what Reagan said particularly is what bothered him. How would he know if he deserved to be locked up or not? Unless Reagan just assumed anyone who came through the ranch was trash to pity that deserved to be in jail, but he reacted strongly in Teren’s opinion. “How much do you know about me?” He prompted, his expression falling into something detached and unreadable as he locked his gaze on Rose’s reaction to his questions. |
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Lightbringer
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Despite Teren being purely sarcastic with his words, Rose found it amusing all the same. The thought of salad creation having anything to do with IQ was hilarious to her, though she hid her chuckle behind a smile and tilted her head down so there was no way her mentee could catch her slip up. She didn't want to encourage sarcasm, afterall. Most people didn't find it funny, she knew. Despite all that, Rose forced her expression back to neutral as Teren gestured to the salad. She stepped up to the concoction, grabbed a fork, and took a bite. Sure, it wasn't on a professional level or anything, and she was dying to change some things, but overall, the salad wasn't bad. A small smile pulled at her lips, showing her approval. . "Yep. I would say you've earned your dinner. Thank you." Rose said, turning to smile at Teren. She then instinctively started getting out plates and dishing up portions for each said plate. Halfway through, Teren finally spoke up again, prompting Rose to look at him. His question took her off guard, which in turn made her tense ever so slightly. His question was wayyy to close to the secret Rose was trying to keep from him - the fact that both of them were basically experiments in this scenario. . "Well, obviously my dad knows everything the state knows about you. Or, atleast, almost everything. Reagan is my dad's friend, so dad has probably talked to him, though I can't say whether Reagan knows everything or not. But, he... dislikes almost everyone here, so his actions earlier weren't necessarily... out of the ordinary. Anyways, the staff here most likely only know the basics like what type of crimes you committed or your age and typical stuff like that. The other kids don't know anything, though. Beside the obvious that you're a criminal, otherwise you wouldn't be here. And... what do you want me to know? Probably nothing, correct?" Rose replies, turning the question back onto him to hopefully hide the fact that she knows absolutely nothing about him. . Her leading theory right now is that her father on purposely didn't show her Teren's file to save her from undue stress. And... honestly... She's fine with that. All that really matters is that he needs to change, right? Who cares what he's done in the past? She's seen all types of criminals. She very much doubts he will do anything she hasn't experienced before. And if he does... well, that's her fault for not asking for his file. She plans to take responsibility for her mistake and cross that bridge if and when she gets there. . That's when Rose finally saw Teren's expression, which sent chills down her spine. Not even anger scared her more than someone with an unreadable look on their face. It terrified her, the fact that she didn't know what they were feeling, the fact that the specific person turned into the unknown at the blink of an eye. Her throat constricted so much so that she couldn't even say what she had just been about to ask. All she could do was quickly look down again and focus on serving the rest of the portions. She had no idea why she had this intense fear of people's emotions, but she unfortunately never could get over it. |
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Neutral
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Silence enveloped Teren in accompaniment to his stoical expression. He suspected at the very least that Rose’s dad would have known more than enough, but as a religiously private person, anyone knowing beyond that ruffled his feathers. Although he wondered what kind of person wouldn’t be bothered to have their dirty laundry aired out in any capacity. His blue eyes made a sweep in the direction Reagan was in, his stare just as empty on the man before it swiveled back to Rose. The girl he was watching digress information to him seemed far too fear-ruled of a person to have a large grasp on anything involving his past, otherwise, he suspected she might have treaded on eggshells more than she had seemed to a bit since he had met her.
With the questions Rose spun back to him, Teren replied in a simple hum, as if the questions were worth thought he wasn’t privy to sharing with her. Which they weren’t. Instead, the young man silently watched Rose prepare the portions for the plates, memorizing the display and tucking it into his mental notes should the need to recall this information come later. If he could learn how to perform tasks completely on his own, then he would always try to. Dependence on anyone but himself disturbed him to the core. Maybe that’s why he felt like a tightly wound spring here - dependence on this place and Rose to be the redeeming grace he needed to leave. Any thought about what he would be doing after this place was non-existent though. It was easier not to face the future head-on for the time being though, especially when this ranch was enough to keep him more than occupied.
Teren was furthermore quiet during the process in which they began actually setting the table as he repeated the process of memorizing how to particularly do it. A few moments into the task and when he decided he had something worth saying out loud, his blue eyes flicked toward Rose. “Does everyone have to eat together at the table? I would rather take my plate outside or anywhere else and eat alone.” With no edge to his tone and something resembling casualty to his expression, Teren’s gaze turned back toward the table. The concept of eating with strangers at a table just felt unnecessarily painful and strange. As if eating at tables wasn’t weird enough for him. He hated when people attempted to make conversation because why would he want to talk when his task at hand would be eating? Like most things Teren did and preferred, solitude was a heavy factor.
“At worst, I imagine you’ll just have to eat with me if I am allowed to do it somewhere else, considering your adventures in babysitting likely only gets put on pause when it’s my bedtime,” Teren remarked dryly, pushing a heavy exhale through his nostrils. He wanted to smoke but he would attempt that in absolute solitude. It was easier to see if he could, and if not, for how long he could get away with it. It’s not technically a crime and he could play ignorant to whatever policies the ranch might have about it. Besides, it’s not like Teren would do it inside of any dwelling, he had that much regard for people around him. There was plenty of open-air around here anyway and plenty of space. The more he considered the ranch in that respect the more he could see its potential for pleasantry when it comes to late-night walks. He had only seen it in pictures, but from what he understood the night sky was much more remarkable without the influence of city lights and he did seek to enjoy that small thing if he could. |
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Lightbringer
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Honestly, Rose didn't really mind when Teren failed to give her a proper answer. That just meant she didn't have to answer back. And with how she could barely look the boy in the eyes, not talking about such sensitive stuff was a blessing. But, if he had really given her an answer, what would she have even said, considering she really did know nothing about him? Rose couldn't help but wonder on that fact as she finished preparing the plates with the help of Reagan, who served the chicken. She knew she had to be prepared for anything when it came to elusive people like she presumed Teren was, but right now, she wasn't doing a very good job. She knew that, but she was also determined to change it. Tomorrow, she would get herself together. But for now... she just wanted to survive. . Once all the plates were prepared, Rose grabbed as many as she could and started preparing the table. Put a plate infront of a chair, put the silverware by the plate and all done. It wasn't that complicated. Except, she had to do that process eighteen whole times, and she could only carry so much. A quarter through preparing the table, she was heavily regretting her decision to not have Teren help. Of course, Rose had helped Reagan multiple times, but usually atleast one other person was also helping. With how things were going, she had to keep going back and forth to get the food from the kitchen and then prepare the table. . Would it kill him to help, since it's obvious I need it? Rose caught herself thinking, barely keeping herself from glaring at her mentee. Before she could scold herself for thinking that way, Teren finally spoke up. Though it was for his own selfish reasons, Rose was glad he had provided a distraction from her simmering annoyance. She turned to gaze into the distance, thinking over the request. On one hand, she didn't want the other delinquents to throw a fit and say Teren was receiving special treatment. But on the other hand, it would be nice to eat outside on such a nice day. The internal debate had the young woman tapping her finger on the back of a chair, unable to find the decision that was best. Though, then again, maybe there wasn't a right or wrong answer to the question? . It took Rose way longer than anyone would have liked to come up with an answer, but once she did, she was completely satisfied. "Let's make a deal. We can eat elsewhere during dinner, but at breakfast and lunch, we eat with the others. Got it?" She finally answered, feeling pretty proud of herself for coming up with an answer that she considered fair as she turned to look at Teren. To her, this was a pretty sweet deal. Especially since even to her, the other kids could get annoying sometimes. "I have the perfect place we can eat, too. It has such an amazing view, and dad doesn't allow the others there. So, if you ever need a break away from the others for some reason, we can go there. It's really peaceful without the influence of everyone eles." |
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Neutral
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It didn’t take a significant amount of observation, perhaps after the third run he watched Rose make, for Teren to feel confident about setting a table alone. In fact, he highly suspected that most people would have even offered Rose a considerate helping hand. Teren, however, was not most people. His face did not reflect the mild amusement he felt toward the situation, though his eyes might have reflected a glint of humor as he had surveyed each walk with more silent satirical attentiveness. The deliberating thought process Rose was weighing in her head, prompted by Teren’s request, didn’t go unnoticed. Between the thoughtful nuances in her expression and her finger tapping, he couldn’t help but think that what he wanted should have been a simple yes or no kind of answer. Unless she was thinking of an angle she could use to convince him that sitting with everyone else was wonderful. Just before he was ready to express his impatience with a pointed sigh, Rose offered him something that she must have truly believed sounded like a bargain deal. So that’s what took so long. She phrased her offer like he might have been grateful for it, and maybe he should have been, but he didn’t feel very gracious at all. “Sure. Sounds like a thrilling compromise,” he commented dryly, “I’ll ration my social energy accordingly.” It was Rose’s last string of comments that held some semblance of Teren’s attention, though. A private place was something he could appreciate. It almost sounded too good, and offered far too casually, to be true here. So until he was confident otherwise, his interest was laced in skepticism. “If you say so,” he added with a light shrug, “I’ll follow your lead, friend.” The word didn’t come out as an insult, but it was sharp in a way that communicated clearly he did not value her as a friend. It’s what she was supposed to assume the role of here: a mentor, a friend, an overall positive influence. Teren was just playing nice out of his own necessity, and that was it. There were no friends here beyond a superficial layer of decency. It was only when the pair were already well on their way outside and in the direction of the stables that Teren began to question not only her taste in relaxing places, but also why their dinner was packed up into lunch boxes. Sure, he had stared at her with quiet questioning at the suggestion and while they had prepped their dinner - but he hadn’t considered she might have had a screw loose until now. Did she eat with horses? Worse, did she share food with horses? Everything about this situation reminded him of lonely ladies who lived at the end of blocks with a hundred cats they would speak to and consider ‘children’. Then, they stopped at a tree Rose gestured at with a pride he didn’t understand. It was tall enough to allow someone to climb up with relative ease and make it to the rooftop of the stables as Rose explained with an enthusiasm that seemed completely unique to her. He had opted to watch, first, as Rose ascended the tree with her dinner in hand. His eyes laughed when his mouth did not at the young woman’s efforts to get up the tree and onto the roof. Teren figured it was the amount of effort she was putting into looking effortless that made the scene of it amusing at best, a little embarrassing at worst. Noting her shortcomings with the climb, Teren had followed once she was out of the tree to ensure there was no risk of him being fallen on. With the only caution he exercised being balancing on the roof before coming to a seated position a small distance from Rose, Teren relinquished a small sigh as he set his pail of food beside him. All former judgments aside, his blue gaze wandered the sky that seemed much easier to reach for at the higher altitude. “It’s nice,” he said, in a tone that was just short of complimentary, as he spared a glance at Rose. “Is no one else allowed up here because they’re worse climbers than you? That would make sense.” He added, an attempt at a joke despite the lack of a smile. |
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Lightbringer
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Teren's dry response caused Rose to falter, her smile falling from her lips. All her confidence quickly vanished as she realized he wasn't as happy with her comprise as she was. Didn't he know she was already sacrificing her reputation with the other residents of the ranch just by giving him a different eating spot? Now, Rose would never say this to his face, but in her opinion Teren was extremely lucky. If she had not been assigned to be his mentor, he would have had to participate and tolerate all the other kids quite frequently. But as his mentor, she had the power to give him alot more freedom than the other kids had. He didn't have to be around the other residents 24/7 like others did. What would he do with his social energy then, huh? . Teren's sharp "friend" was the last straw. Rose ducked away from him, hurt clear as day in her eyes - not that she would ever let him see. Without another word, Rose led the way back into the kitchen where she got out two lunch boxes. She knew she shouldn't have, but she on purposely ignored the plain lunchbox and instead grabbed the one she used to use as a kid. And then she grabbed the one she normally used for herself. "Reagan, is it alright if we go ahead and eat? Tammy should be here soon to help anyway, right?" Rose called, making extra sure her voice was normal and not tense with her emotions. Overall she was pretty sure she sounded atleast somewhat normal. Reagan peeked out from the pantry, giving both kids a suspicious look, before eventually letting out a small huff of agreement. . Rose turned back to the lunches, already getting everything packed. Her old lunchbox was light blue with little cartoon mermaid-cats and stars covering the box. With a sigh, Rose quietly but quickly prepared the lunches. Despite her annoyance, she made sure everything looked nice, even though they were just going to end up eating it anyway. Once she was done she grabbed them and headed outside, still making a point not to talk to the boy. Preparing the food may have helped the pain go away, but now she was just plain upset at him. Deep down she felt bad for acting like she was, but she also knew that Teren probably couldn't care less about her attitude. Therefore, the guilt wasn't so overwhelming that she couldn't be mad at her mentee. . Being outside, feeling the slight breeze tickle her skin and smelling the fresh air further served to soothe Rose's nerves. But still, annoyance simmered deep below the surface. Couldn't the boy atleast apologize or something? Rose didn't want to do this anymore than he did, but here they were. She couldn't change it now, and neither could he. However, the moment Rose arrived at her favorite spot, her annoyance took a backseat. Taking a deep breath, the young woman couldn't help but smile. "Welcome to the most peaceful place on earth." Rose beamed, gesturing to the tree with a fond smile. "If you climb up it, there's a tree branch you can use to get onto the stable's roof!" She explained excitedly despite herself. "Seriously, this is like the best thing about the ranch besides the horses. Like, what are the chances the stable would be in just the right spot?" . With that said, Rose didn't waste any time in scaling the tree. While she had done this thousands of times before, she had never had two lunchboxes in hand. And while she normally couldn't care less about how she climbes trees, today was different. Today she had a troublesome boy watching her every move, probably already thinking of more ways to upset her. She couldn't fail, she had to be the perfect mentor even if all she wanted to do was ditch her mentee. So Rose put extra effort into looking flawless. She would be perfect. She would show Teren whose boss. She would- Rose almost fell flat on her face when she went to step onto the roof. Luckily Teren was busy doing his own climbing, so he hadn't seen. Rose took a shaky breath, closing her eyes tightly. Yes, she was upset at Teren. Yes, she was terrified of failing. But it would okay. It had to be. . Rose took another deep breath before carefully sitting down. Her eyes immediately swept over the view, a quiet sigh of satisfaction leaving her lips. As Teren sat beside her, her eyes reluctantly left the scenery and found the young man instead. She slid him her old lunchbox, unable to keep the smirk from pulling at her lips. "Oh, ah, um... no. The reason others aren't allowed up here is because some... drama happened." Rose answered, already looking away in anticipation of Teren's glare because of the lunchbox he was given. She had no intention of switching, though, because no matter how happy she felt outdoors she was still upset at Teren. She didn't catch the male's attempt at a joke. . Rose opened up her own lunchbox, happily grabbing the apple that she had thrown in at the last second. It was supposed to be for the horses, but right now she needed something to focus on lest she look at Teren. "Some of the kids here liked to, um... tease me. This was the one place that I could get away. But they found me one day. My friend got into a fight with them on the roof, and they all almost got hurt. After that dad reserved this space just for me." Rose continued, hoping as long as she kept talking she wouldn't hear any mean words from Teren. Taking a bite of the apple, Rose finally glanced over at the other, just to see if he was really as mad as she thought, or maybe even hoped he would be. . (This was longer than I meant it to be lol Enjoy!) |
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Spring Month: 3 
Night 
Flood Moon: 
