Ben Stafford
January 13, 2007 6:53 PM
On a stroll... [tag Bella] by Ben Stafford
Ben grinned as Bella hooked her arm around his before exiting the Aladren Commons. They shortly had made it down to the gardens, where the sun was bright and the day was clear. It was funny how Sonora had a way with weather. After his first year and all the weather problems they had experienced, Ben wasn't sure how he was too surivive the next term. It had all worked out, however, and there he was, out in the calm Saturday, with Bella Santoro on his arm. Funny thing, Sonora."Well, we're here, and there's sun," he said with a slight grin while looking over the top of her head, "But I don't see any girls..."
It was four years since Ben'd started at Sonora, and he wasn't that close friends with anyone. Lexi, of course, was his best friend, and had been for their entire lives, but it struck Ben as odd that he didn't have many close friends. Aladren was full of quiet, bookish types, as he'd discovered early on, so most of his roommates were more reserved, and less likely to strike up conversation. That was probably why he hadn't had a girlfriend, or hadn't been really interested in anyone. Ben supposed that it was partly his fault; he should have made more of an effort to make friends, especially when there were people like Bella to get to know.
The gardens were twisty and often testy, but something still made him want to wander its paths. Ben took a step forward, as to enter the maze itself, but then stopped and turned his head back towards Bella, asking, "Shall we?"
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Ben Stafford
On a stroll... [tag Bella]
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Bella
January 13, 2007 8:18 PM
Oh, I love to be wanted. by Bella
Bella exited the school with a slight skip to her step. She hardly ever got out much, but she only had herself to blame for that one. Aside from all the time she gave to learning her music, Bella studied, or stayed behind closed doors of her dormroom. She never really felt it necessary to go outside on her own. Much like she didn't like the idea of eating in the Hall on her own. She felt that made her look lonely. Perhaps she was a bit lonely and just was in denial about it? Who knew."They're probably hiding. The Charming Benjamin Stafford has arrived and they just can't handle the heat of it all." Bella said, fanning herself as if standing beside Ben was taking her breath away. She was wearing a plain purple t-shirt, a ripped jean skirt that fell midway between her knees and her thighs, and sneakers that kicked up dirt as she walked. It was a great day out, Bella was glad she convinced Ben to take a walk. It gave her an excuse to be outside too. "Guárdelo en sus pantalones, cortejo de necesidad de muchachas." Bella stated, switching easily into Spanish on purpose.
Bella tilted her head for a moment as if in great thought before smiling up at Ben. "But of course." She disengaged herself from him and moved farther into the labyrinth. She paused after a moment, looking back at him with a sly smile, "Come on Pastey, which way first?" Bella teased him about the paleness of his skin, hoping he didn't get offended by it.
OOC: Guárdelo en sus pantalones, cortejo de necesidad de muchachas. = Keep it in your pants, girls need wooing.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Oh, I love to be wanted.
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Ben
January 13, 2007 10:18 PM
Well doesn't everyone? by Ben
"That's silly," he replied quickly to Bella, with an mixed degree of playful sarcasm and humor, "It must be the Lovely Izabella Santoro that's scared them off. They must be hiding from the inferiority of their beauty compared to yours. It's the only logical explanation."Ben's outfit was relaxed like Bella's, his consisting of a solid blue polo with jeans and some old pair of sneakers. Okay, so maybe the polo was a bit less casual, but for Ben it was the most prevailent type of shirt he owned and therefore the most comfortable and casual. Considering it was a Saturday and therefore a usually casual day, Ben thought his clothing was appropriate for a walk outdoors.
"What?" Ben said after the Spanish comments, glancing down at his jeans, only half-catching the words.
Any idiot living in the US could figure out 'pantalones' and 'muchachas', but that was all that he gleaned from the quick interjection. For all the years he'd spent studying Latin and Greek, the matter of Spanish remained a mystery. A small voice in the back of his head told him that if he was to ever even think about being 'involved' with Bella, he'd probably have to learn Spanish. Ben suddenly felt a slight pang of hurt when Bella unlinked arms and went ahead in the maze. What was that all about? He shook off the ridiculous feeling and took the Pastey remark in stride.
"To the right," he said decisively with a grin, picking up with the lyrics to the muggle play '1776', "Ever to the right. Never to the left, forever to the right." \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Well doesn't everyone?
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Bella
January 13, 2007 11:38 PM
One would think, but weirder things have happened by Bella
The smile on Bella's face faultered slightly with Ben's comment. She blinked repeatedly for a moment while his words mulled about in her head. "Did you..." She started before the words finally settled in her head. "You totally just called me pretty." Bella may have always been a confident girl, but she had never been called pretty by anyone outside of her family before that moment.Despite her internal battle of telling herself it was just a jest and that Ben was only playing along with her and the fact that she actually liked being called pretty by him, Bella couldn't keep an almost pleased, but slightly unsure smile from slipping across her lips or the small blush from rising into her cheeks. She never realized such a simple comment could cause such a reaction out of her.
At least she could still speak Spanish without him understanding. She smiled innocently up at him. "It's nothing." She stated, "Only said you need to be patient." Bella lied.
"Okay, to the right it is." Bella stated, ignoring the rest of what he said and playing it off as Ben having a weird moment. Bella rounded the corner, but pulled her head back out to have a look at Ben. "Hey, Benny, want to play a game?" She asked, grinning mischieviously at him. Without waiting for a reply, Bella giggled, "Catch me if you can!" Bella shouted before sprinting into the garden.\n\n
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Bella
One would think, but weirder things have happened
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Ben
January 14, 2007 3:45 PM
Yes, they have. by Ben
It had never occured to Ben that Bella might not have ever recieved a compliment on her looks from anyone else. Ben hadn't really ever thought about compliments like that- it just wasn't something he considered. Now, after seeing Bella's reaction, he wondered- what had he meant by it? Of course she was pretty, anyone with eyes could see that, but he had quickly learned that there was a difference between being 'pretty' and, well, pretty."Yes, I did," he said, grinning, "And you're blushing rather violently. Surely you can take a compliment when you're given one?"
Ben couldn't help but add a little jest in his last remarks. He wasn't even sure exactly if he was just going along with the playful banter or if he really meant it, but it had seemed fitting to say at the moment. It took him a second to recognize his familiar pattern of circular logic, and as soon as he did, Bella but a stop to this thoughts by challenging him.
Well, he couldn't very well refuse a challenge, it just wasn't him. Laughing, he took off down the paths after her at a high speed. In England, his mates had warned him about girls and their silly cat and mouse games, but he'd dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Who woulda thunk he would end up quite literally chasing one around at school? Rounding a corner sharply, Ben caught sight of Bella not too far ahead. He sped up after her, his shoes flapping hard against the gravelly paths, making plenty of noise.\n\n
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Ben
Yes, they have.
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Bella
January 14, 2007 6:44 PM
Heeeere, kitty, kitty, kitty... by Bella
"Am not!" Bella pouted, lightly punching him in his arm for good measure. She knew, of course, that she really was blushing, but having it pointed out to her just made her want to defend herself just a bit. Besides, it wasn't like she could actually control such functions. She ignored the rest of his jest simply because she didn't know how to answer it. She had received plenty of compliments before...just none on her looks.She could hear him running behind her. He wasn't far, but she still had a bit of distance from him. She had to keep herself from laughing, but from time to time, she would slip up and let a giggle escape.
Glancing behind her, Bella established just how close Ben was to her. Figured, his legs were longer, he was bound to be faster. Still, Bella had always been an active girl. Quidditch with the family, exploring with the boys, climbing trees, playing tag, she knew how to hold her own.
"Come on, Benny, you've got to do better than that!" Bella chimed before ducking into another path. She had no idea where she was going. She didn't know much about the paths. She had been here for four years but had never really taken much time in exploring all the paths. Some she knew by heart, others were a complete mystery to her.
This one happened to be one of them. But none of that mattered now. All she had to do was keep ahead of him. So far, so good.\n\n
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Bella
Heeeere, kitty, kitty, kitty...
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Bella
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Ben
January 14, 2007 9:07 PM
Cat and mouse, indeed. by Ben
Hedges whizzing past in his periphery, Ben kept his eyes trained on Bella running ahead of him. Almost like playing seeker, he quipped to himself, just follow the shiny object in front of you. The theory was simple, really: keep your eye on the ball. This, whatever it was, had rules too, just like quidditch. There were fouls and penalties, as well as victories. Now, if only he could figure out exactly what those things were. Ben resigned himself to just follow the 'keeping his eye on the ball' idea, which he did, pursuing her down garden paths that he'd never ventured into before.As he was running, Ben's mind wandered slightly to other subjects, like A) what he would do when he finally caught up to Bella or B) how in Merlin's name he would ever explain something like this to Lexi. He had no doubt that if his twin desired the information, she would uncover it, and Ben wanted to be prepared with an answer. These thoughts also brought with them the ideas he had about how he was to go about telling her that he wanted to be a Healer, like their Dad.
He knew that Lex would never apply herself enough to all of her studies to be a healer, not unless she really stuck to it, and why couldn't they both be healers, if they wanted to? It was ridiculous. The whole thing shouldn't have mattered, but it did. Ben finally resolved himself to find Lexi as soon as he could after finishing up whatever this was he was doing with Bella. Then, he'd be able to tell her what was on his mind, and maybe get some insight as to what she was thinking. Re-fixing his mind on chasing Bella, Ben focused.
Somewhere in the back of Ben's mind, he recognized that he probably shouldn't have been venturing that far into the gardens that had the tendency to be, well, a labyrinth. The more present thoughts in his mind, however, were not settled on that, rather, they were fixed decidedly on attaining his goal: catch up to Bella. Ben was fast, both in the air and on foot, and applied his speed where he could. It didn't take him long to pick up his speed enough to where only the balls of his feet were hitting the ground as he chased after Bella.
"I've got you!" Ben shouted ahead, almost breathless, when he was only a few feet behind, "Hah!"
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Ben
Cat and mouse, indeed.
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Bella
January 14, 2007 11:52 PM
Meow by Bella
Breathe in, Breathe out. Breathe in, Breathe out. Bella hadn't run like this in a really long while. She really needed to get back out more. This was terrible if she was already getting tired out. And to make it worse, Ben was easily catching up to her. Ah well, she wouldn't have been able to run from him forever.One of her favorite songs popped into Bella's head as she ran. There was hardly ever a time when songs weren't playing their sweet melodies in her head. Her lips formed the words with every step she took. Her very own concert while running to keep away from Ben.
If I had any meaning in this ol big world
Can you tell a lost and lonely girl
If I was happy for a day I'd risk it all
That's why when I'm with I'm not afraid to fall
Breathe in, Breathe Out. Breathe in, Breathe out. Turn.
And if you left me, and if you leave me
At least I'd have a cherish all the memories
Bella could still hear him. He was closing in on her. She wanted to keep running, to play a little longer, but her legs were already beginning to tire out. She began to slow down despite herself. And even though she knew she'd lose this round, the music continued to play inside her head. She was even smiling and giggling just as much as she had been from the very start.
I'm feeling broken
Scattered pieces on the ground
I'm feeling desperate now
can abandoned souls be found
At least no one could call her a soar loser. Bella discovered it was extremely hard to run with someone directly behind her. Her footing became irratic and eventually gave up trying to straighten itself out again. She went down, but managed to land on a knee. On the way down she let out a squeal, though whether it was because she was falling, surprised to see the ground coming closer to her, or just because Ben had finally caught up to her, Bella wasn't too sure.
Bella pulled herself back up onto her feet, but doubled over to catch her breath. After a moment, she stood up abruptly having remembered that she was still in a skirt. She grinned at Ben. "You won, what would you like as an award?" She asked him. She was still breathless, but at least she could form words. That was always a good thing.\n\n
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Bella
Meow
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Ben
January 15, 2007 11:25 PM
...Right, well. by Ben
Ben had not been expecting Bella to stumble and fall. He was going so fast behind her that when her footing failed to keep her up, Ben nearly crashed into her. It took some serious backward momentum to slow his pace, the gravelly dust rising around his feet as he skidded to a stop. It was equatable to the feeling to reverse thrusters being applied during the landing of a muggle airplane. He laughed slightly, but his laugh died when she landed on her knee. It didn't look like fun."Woah," he breathed, still winded from running, "Are you okay?"
When she stood up rather abruptly, Ben was relieved. So she was okay. That was definitely a good sign. And she was grinning- generally injured people didn't look so happy, so Ben figured he was in the clear. He grinned slyly as she asked her question, thinking to himself that there were a great many ways to respond to such questions. Ben put his hands on his head, lacing them together while his chest still heaved, attempting to slow his irratic breathing.
"That's a dangerous question, Bella," he finally said, placing his hands down on his hips, "But I'd settle for just spending more time with you. You're a pretty awesome girl."
He grinned, meaning it. That morning alone, Ben'd had more fun than he'd had all term. It was refreshing, really. Bella in general was just so different that he did want to spend more time with her. Whether or not that time was used the same way as this one was, Ben wanted to at least have that time. Ben finally recognized that this was something that brought him passion. Ben had something other than quidditch and school that really meant something to him.
The perpetual good sportsman, however, Ben stuck out his hand for a handshake. "Well played," he said slightly still winded, "And there's always next round to win." \n\n
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Ben
...Right, well.
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Bella
January 16, 2007 9:02 PM
*Laughs* by Bella
Bella stood there trying to catch her breath while waiting for Ben to answer her question. A list of possible answers ran through her mind and from time to time she wondered exactly how she would respond if he had answered in such a way. What was not in her mind, however, was the answer he gave to her.It was completely left field from what she had been thinking about.
She started to giggle after a moment, and then her giggles turned into full blown fits of hysterics. "¡No lo creo!" Bella exclaimed between her fits of laughter. She was shaking from her giggles and her stomach hurt from laughing so hard, when she finally was able to calm down a bit, Bella slapped him on the arm, it was neither a hard slap or a gentle slap.
"Of all the things you could have gotten that was within my abilities, you chose my companionship?" Bella asked, amusement written all over her face and eyes. "That's lame. Cute. But lame." Bella said, in a teasing way, though meaning it none-the-less. "Oh, and I totally know I'm awesome." Bella stated, giving him a cheeky grin.
Taking his hand and shaking it, "That's true. But I'm almost positive that next round I'll end up flat on my butt. I'm not the most graceful of people as you've now witnessed." Bella exclaimed in a rather casual manner. "So, now that you've won me, what shall we do?"
OOC: "¡No lo creo!" = "I don't believe it!"
De todas las cosas... Realmente sólo no lo creo. = Of all the things...I really just don't believe it.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Bella
*Laughs*
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Ben
January 17, 2007 8:44 PM
Well, I'm glad you're amused. by Ben
Ben had not expected Bella to explode into laughter as she did. At first he was shocked, but he couldn't help from joining her in laughing. Granted, it was more of an amused chuckle in his case, but it was a laugh nonetheless. It was almost a reflex, to laugh along with someone. Maybe it was his way of making himself feel as though people we're laughing at him, rather, with him. Whatever the reason, Ben stood there, the quizzical look stretching his smile oddly."Yes, I did," he asked, caught between amusement and wonder, "And of course you know you're awesome. Why didn't I remember that before I went out there and pointed it out..."
A handshake later, Ben linked his arm around Bella's, leading her at a walk back down the path they were on. He wondered briefly what he did want to do next. He figured it was a safe enough option to walk around the gardens a little longer or at least until he thought of what to do next.
"Let's see..." he said, pulling at his nonexistant beard, "Now that I have won thee, fair maiden, I know not what to do with thee..."
As they walked, Ben noticed some of the flowers that were growing around the edges of the paths. He recognized some of them, remembering his Grandfather had some like them in his gardens in England. He wasn't a gardener or anything, it was just that he found it interesting that they would have the same type of flowers here. Ben took a moment and stopped, picking one of the small violet buds and twirling its stem between his thumb and forefinger. Even the light scent brought him mentally back to the English garden. He gave Bella a grin and handed her the small flower.
"For my lady," he said with an arm flourish and a bow in medieval style, "Might thee accept it as my humble thanks for thy time?" \n\n
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Ben
Well, I'm glad you're amused.
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Bella
January 18, 2007 6:25 PM
I'm glad too. by Bella
There were times, such as this, when Bella had a hard time figuring out the people around her. With her family, it was usually Julia, or Jake, or even one of the twins with whom Bella had a hard time trying to understand. But there were a rare few outside of her family that she had ever encountered who she couldn't get the jist of them within a quick glance.One will always be her roommate, Anne. The other one seemed to be Ben.
Of course, Bella was fairly out there with a lot of things, so some people might be a little wary when around her. Or unsure of how to respond to pretty much anything she said or did. That could have been the case with Ben. It wasn't like the two of them had been good friends for the last year, so she was almost positive he probably didn't understand the deep complexities of Bella's mind. Or so she liked to think.
Even still, walking along beside him, and discovering the many different parts of his personality, Bella couldn't help but like him. He was amusing. He laughed, goofed around, he made her laugh, and, being in Aladren, Bella knew he had a brain in there somewhere. He was the sort of guy she could get a long with. And in some weird way, deep within her memories as a child, Ben reminded Bella a bit of her older brother, John. He had left when she was only 5, but she could always remember him smiling. Ben's smile was the same. It was the sort of smile that Bella couldn't help but to return.
When Ben stopped walking, Bella paused in her tracks watching him with a quizzical expression. She smiled at the offered smile, and brought it close to her nose to the smell the fragrence of it. "I shall take thee flower as a token of your thanks, Good Sir." Bella responded with a curtsey. "What, pre tel, would the Good Sir like to do with-er-thee?"\n\n
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Bella
I'm glad too.
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Ben
January 21, 2007 1:41 PM
Good. by Ben
Ben didn't usually act silly. It just wasn't really something he did. Sure, he had a sense of humor, perhaps an overactive one, but normally he was a focused person. His smile was easily given, as were the occasional jokes, but his behavior in the current situation was a bit over the top for him. Walking around in the gardens, he vaguely recognized that he wasn't acting like himself. This utter... silliness wasn't how he acted, it just wasn't. The only time he'd witnessed perfectly sensible guys completely losing their usual demeanor was around girls they liked.Maybe he liked Bella- maybe he didn't. Ben wasn't really sure. It was hard for him to draw those kinds of emotional lines: between like-like and friend-like. It was a crazy, mixed-up sort of thing that he didn't really have any kind of frame of reference to analyze. Being the inquizitive intellectual that he was, Ben couldn't stand that kind of unknown. With girls, a friend of his once told him, You never really know what's going on. There are always unknowns. Considering his situation, Ben could only agree.
"Well, that was ridiculous enough for today," he said with a laugh as he re-linked arms with Bella and continued walking, "And I believe it's almost lunch. Are you hungry?- because that would aid greatly in my current plans for what to do with you."\n\n
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Ben
Good.
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Bella
January 22, 2007 10:54 PM
Yup by Bella
Aw, he was cutting off the fun. Bella pouted up at Ben before easily slipping into a grin. "Oh, if only everyday a boy won me, mind and body, but had no idea with what to do with any of it." Bella teased. She skipped a bit ahead of Ben, twirling about as she walked. Bella had no care for anyone who thought she was a bit strange. She liked who she was becoming even if it wasn't in the direction she had originally planned on. "I can always do with a bit of food. I've heard a rather necessary for a girl's survival, you know."As she danced about, she began to hum to a tune that was playing in her head. The beat of the song had her head bobbing every so often. It was almost as though she were in her own little world, except, she completely acknowledged Ben as she glanced back at him with a smile on her face. Unconsciously, words began to slip from her lips, "I will be famous one day the people screaming my name..." As soon as they slipped out, she returned to humming. "...I'm gonna rock your world and you won't think about her..."
Coming to a certain point in the song, Bella began to hop about and twirl her head about. "Hot so hot. Yeah I'm hot, so hot!" Turning, Bella took ahold of both of Ben's hands, getting up as close as she could, though Ben's height forced her to tilt her head back to look up at him. "Scream for me, scream for me. Scream for me, dream of me. Scream for me, scream for me. Scream, scream, and scream..." While holding onto Ben, Bella twirled herself beneath his arms or hip-checked him when she figured he least expected it.
By the time she finished the last 'scream', Bella was laughing to herself. She dropped one of Ben's hands and tugged on the other one. "Come on Sleepy-do, show me the way to the food, lest I lose my mind to starvation."
OOC: For the feel of the song as well as the sound of how Bella's voice is (character's singing is based off of Cassie Steele as it the look), here is a link http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=130098405 (obviously, be sure to click on 'Famous'\n\n
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Bella
Yup
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