(Un)Familiar Territory || Alexis

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

PLAY BY THE SILENCE
IT'S WHERE YOU'LL END, NOT WHERE YOU BEGIN

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Life was hectic.

Drama with Kamala, car breaking down, more drama with Kamala, the fire....it was all mounting up like a pile of dirty dishes. It was surprising that Jamal had kept a cool head throughout all of this. Kamala drama was just the usual dose, but she was really cutting him deep with more snide remarks and her bitter attitude. The fire had had lasting effects on him, though those were more phyical. Smoke inhalation had made him sick, and mild burn scars littered areas of his body. One in particular, was visible on the top of his right arm, and another just above his hip. However aside from these injuries, Jamal had fortunately pulled through almost unscathed. The sickness had cleared, thankfully, and everything else was just memory.

Though being the optimist, Jamal saw the lighter side of it. There had to be a rainbow amongst the clouds somewhere. That rainbow was Alexis, the young woman who had saved him from the inferno. It was incredibly fortunate that Alexis was around when he had passed out in the burning school. He would be dead otherwise. Or, as Jamal believed, his soul would travel into another body, reincarnated into his next life. Alexis was his heroine. He had not seen Alexis in a little while. The two had seen one another a few times since the fire fiasco. Jamal considered her a friend, and was confident that that sentiment was mutual.

His shift at the barrier was over. Moving from a worker to the defense team was a grueling move. The young man often wondered why he would want to defend the Safe Lands from zombie vermin anyway. At first he felt like a weak soldier in the trenches of war, though over the past few days, he felt he had purpose, like a hero of some kind, and he figured his job relocation was a good one. It was an impulsive move after his encounter with zombies in the Asylum.

The walk home had averted to a wander in the gardens. The July weather was hot and sticky, the heat of the afternoon sun beating off him, forming a thin layer of sweat on his dark skin. Jamal relished sultry weather, but it was too hot. The gardens was still littered with a few workers. Jamal searched them all for any familiar faces, particularly for Alexis. Unfortunately he could not see her, and instead perched himself upon a wall, ambitious to just waste time. He fished a cigarette out from his back pocket and placed it between his lips. Smoking was a terrible habit of his, something he could never resist. Ever since finding Kamala again Jamal's smoking habit had picked up, almost leveling up to the 'chain smoker' stage. Though smoking soothed him. It was therapeutic. Perched upon the wall he lit up, guarding the flame with his hand. With the end now aglow and smoldering, he took one long draw. The first draw was always the best. That first draw satisfied his appetite for his habit. Furthermore, it was something to do whilst loitering around alone.

Words: 520 | Tag: Alexis Notes: This sucks...apologies! Promise it will get better
Thread template by Fi. xD

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[ALEXIS JASMINE FLETCHER]

Where life for Jamal had been hectic, life for Lexi had been pretty boring. After the fire she’d gotten pretty ill and was banned from working in the garden until she was better. For a little while, she’d at least had the pleasure of Jamal’s company, but soon enough, the defence had stolen him away and she was left alone. It had almost driven her completely insane, being stuck in the flat pretty much all day staring at the same four walls day in and day out but eventually, she was allowed back out into the big wide world. After weeks of not being able to do anything, she was completely over the moon about being wandering about outside again and the first place she’d ventured was her beloved garden. She still had a few faded scratches and yellowed bruises scattered across her flesh, and her forearm was still stitched and bandaged up tightly, but she was feeling good.

She’d found several packets of sunflower seeds in the shed that had lay forgotten, tucked behind one of the shelving units. She thought it would be a nice little addition to the garden. She’d never really been a girly girl, but sunflowers were pretty. And they were yellow, her favourite colour. Besides, they had plenty of fruit and vegetables for the time being. Surely there was a little section of the garden that could be used for flowers.

She’d spent most of the late morning pottering around, catching up with some of her fellow workers and enjoying the sunshine that had been long awaited after all of thee rainfall they’d had recently. It was a wonder the entire garden wasn’t flooded. After most of the people she knew started to disappear, she put her earphones in and listened to some music instead, enjoying a variety of songs ranging from UB40 to the Stray Cats to Jason Mraz. She stopped briefly, only to tie her hair back in a pony tail in a feeble attempt at keeping her neck cooler. Eventually, she checked the little silver watch that clung to her wrist. Time to change her dressing.

She got to her feet and clapped her hands together to get rid of some of the dirt that clung to them. The rest, she swiped across the seat of her denim shorts before she wiped the back of hand across her forehead to remove some of the perspiration that had collected while she’d been working. She removed her iPod from her back pocket and scrolled through her song list, selecting a song by Brotherhood of Man before sliding it back in place. She tossed trowel and fork into the small basket she’d carried out, along with the empty seed packets and a bottle of water before carting them back to the shed, humming along happily to last 30 seconds of Save Your Kisses For Me. Putting every thing back where it belonged, she exited the shed and fixed the padlock in place as the opening riff to Tiger Feet sounded in her ears. Smiling broadly, she stuffed the keys in her pocket and headed off towards her flat. As the chorus started playing, she pranced along the pavement, wiggling and twirling and bouncing her head along to the beat. It was then she caught sight of a familiar face.

She stopped abruptly, her mouth hanging open in horror. She yanked her earphones out and felt heat creeping into her cheeks. ”Jamal! Hi!” she said, slightly flustered. She’d just been caught prancing around like an idiot. How embarrassing. she thought, twirling the headphones between her fingers. She shifted and scratched her neck awkwardly, an bashful laugh escaping her. ”How are you?” she asked. It had been a while since she’d seen him last, which sucked, but he had a job to do just like everybody else so she understood.

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

PLAY BY THE SILENCE
IT'S WHERE YOU'LL END, NOT WHERE YOU BEGIN

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There was so long that Jamal could go for without human interaction. He loved the company of others, wether it were friends, acquaintances or even someone that grated his nerves like Kamala. God knows why he was sitting on his own just now. The young man took frequent drags of his cigarette as he watched people shift on by, studying their faces for any sense of familiarity. The gardens was not a place he visited often these days, and there was no surprise that none of the faces rung any bells. He questioned himself why he was here. He was not sure if Alexis was around. With cigarette half burned out, he opted to just head for home.

Deftly he sprung off of the wall he had been sitting on. Now on both feet he let his cigarette rest in the soft grip of his lips as he pulled his jeans up. Jamal had such a skinny waist. With hardly an ounce of meat on him he often found his jeans slipping down whenever he sat, and belts didn't help that much. Satisfied that his jeans were sitting better, he looked up. Ahead he could see a dark haired young woman, prancing along the pavement. At first he didn't recognise her, though as she came into view, he could not help but grin, pinching the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger and taking it out. Speak of the devil. Alexis. It was one person he expected to see around the gardens, but he really didn't expect the silly dancing. Regardless, it was a humorous and delightful surprise to see her acting like that. For a few more moments he watched the girl as she was lost in her music. He could hear its tinny sound though he couldn't work out what it was. By the way Alexis was acting, it looked like a catchy tune.

He exploded into a fit of giggles when she realised she had an audience. Best reaction ever. "Hey Alexis." Jamal greeted her in return. "Having your own silent disco?" He asked almost rhetorically, humor still holding in his tone. Momentarily he looked down his cigarette. His smoke was not even finished, though he tossed it to the ground, stubbing it out with the soft sole of his converse shoe. Jamal was a bit of a chain smoker, though at times he watched his habit around others. Passive smoking was unpleasant, even if they were outside. He didn't want Alexis to be breathing in his second hand smoke. Plus he had got used to lectures from people, so it was habit for him to quit the habit when with non-smoking company.

He rubbed the back of his head nonchalantly at her question. "I'm alright. I've been keeping busy with stuff." He answered, hand dropping. Plus a lot had been on his mind regarding Kamala, though he was not about to dampen the light hearted mood between them with a silly sob story. "How are you?" He asked her in return. He was not about to let the dancing topic drop. "Is the dancing some kind of ritual that you gardeners do after a day's work? Or are you dancing for a spell of rain? Think we've had enough of that already," he joked, looking at the girl attentively. It was good to see her again. It was actually a relief to him now that he had company for a bit, given that she didn't have plans.

Words: 580 | Tag: Alexis Notes: xD
Thread template by Fi. xD

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[ALEXIS JASMINE FLETCHER]

It wasn’t often that the young woman got caught having fun like this but right now she was so busted. At the sound of his laughter she cringed and covered her face with her hands, cheeks flushing scarlet as an embarrassed groan escaped her throat. When she removed her hands though, she was smiling. She pulled her iPod out of her back pocket and switched it off, wrapping the earphones around several times before placing it back again. She cringed a little again and nodded. ”Something like that I guess,” she laughed. She held her hands up defensively. ”In my defence, this is the first time I’ve been outside in weeks… Think maybe the Sun got to me.” She nodded, the perfect excuse for her crazy awful dancing. She hoped that would be the end of it and watched as he crushed the half finished cigarette beneath his toe.

She looked back at him as he answered her question. ”Stuff? Defence keeping you on your toes?” she asked in response, her tone a little curious. She shielded her eyes from the sunshine and answered the returned question. ”Pretty good ta. For a girl caked in dirt anyways,” she laughed. ”Glad to be outside again. I think I might have gone a bit mental if I’d been cooped up any longer. Now I’m just putting off going home.” There was only so many times she could read and re-read Breaking Dawn. Unfortunately for her, it was the only book in the place and she didn’t really have much stuff to do since she was nearly always in the garden. She didn’t really like the book. All that lovey-dovey crap with a werewolf and vampire thrown in, pining for the heart of an average sounding girl. She just didn’t get it. What happened to the classics? She would have killed for a bit of Stephen King. She’d maybe have to ask Melissa to pick her something new up to read if she got the chance.

And then he brought up the dancing again. Her shoulders dropped as she heaved a sigh, wrinkling her nose as she tried not to laugh. She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at him, though there was no malice in her expression or tone of voice. ”Okay, I’m a terrible dancer… So how about we don’t mention this. Ever. Okay?” she asked him, hope in her voice. She crossed one foot in front of the other and balanced there awkwardly, waiting for another comment. This was why she didn’t let loose very often. It usually resulted in her never living something down. One of the many perks of growing up with an older brother that liked to tease her for her quirkiness as a child. As she’d grown up, she’d managed to iron most of them out, but there was still the odd day that all she wanted was to have a little fun. She was only human afterall.

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

Play by the silence
It's where you'll end, not where you begin

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It took a while for him to calm his laughter. He was just far too amused right now. A hand rubbed over his nose and mouth once he felt his laughter die down. That was the highlight of his day so far, seeing Alexis do some silly jig. "Well, you need to be out in the sun more often," he spoke, grinning at the young woman. "I agree it can make us go crazy though."

Life at the barriers was fast paced and hectic, and for most of the time frightening. Though it did keep him on his toes. Being on the Defense team now was much more rewarding than doing work around the Safe Lands. Some of the things he had experienced had been enough to give him nightmares, though nothing could compare to that creepy night spent in the Asylum. Ardently he nodded. "Yep, you could say that. Pretty grueling stuff though I am surviving every day." Jamal half joked with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not exactly over my fear of zombies yet but I'm getting better," he rubbed his nose, laughing softly. LIke most people, he had a phobia of zombies. It was hard not to be afraid of them. Though his fear was his driving force into doing something about them - like bludgeoning them to death, to put it lightly.

He mirrored her laugh as she answered his return question. "I know what you mean," he agreed, understanding where she was coming from. "I'd go nuts if I stayed indoors for too long." Jamal, being a practical person, liked to have his hands occupied. He liked to be doing something. Life on the Defense team satisfied that need, for the zombie count was growing faster every day.

Jamal let out an impish cackle as her shoulders sunk. No, he was not about to let this drop for a bit. He was enjoying making a fool of her, especially when he was just kidding around. Of course, he wouldn't maliciously make a fool of her. He then folded his arms across his chest with confidence. Head tilted to the side, looking at her attentively through narrowed eyes as if contemplating. "Hmm, I don't think I can promise that," he responded lightly and slowly. It was obvious he was teasing her, a childish colouring his expression as he spoke. Jamal felt like he could let his more childish self shine through when around Alexis - only certain people could bring that side out of him. Shoulders then shrugged. "I never said you were a terrible dancer, did I?" Jamal said, unfolding his arms and letting his right thumb rest in his jean pocket. "Just bear in mind that you said you were a terrible dancer, not me." He lightly jabbed two fingers into her shoulder kittenishly. If anything, her little jig along the pavement was fun, and rather....cute. It was adorable how carefree she was, especially in this day and age. Jamal admired that trait in Alexis. He was in a small day dream for a moment. His mischievous expression dissolved away, and brightened up again into one of genuine warmth.

At last he spoke up, pulling himself out of an awkward moment of silence. "Fancy going for a little walk? A-around the gardens?" Jamal asked, voice shaking for he was a bit hesitant. A hand brushed over his dark hair, having a sudden feeling of nervousness. Why was he nervous all of a sudden? It was probably the effects of an awkward silence more than anything else. He was not sure though.

Words: 597 | Tag: Alexis Notes: xD
Thread template by Fi. xD

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[ALEXIS JASMINE FLETCHER]

She arched a finely shaped brow at him. ”And why’s that?” She asked him, crossing her arms. ”So I can become a running joke for your own amusement? I thought you were better than that…” She sighed. Clearly, she was not being serious. Life was too short to waste time being offended by things. She’d learned that lesson during the fire. She dropped her arms and smiled. ”You should take comfort in knowing that you haven’t even begun to see my crazy.” she laughed. ”I can assure you it isn’t pretty.”

She listened to him as he spoke about being on the defence team, smile still fixed in place with no signs of disappearing. She laughed when he told her that he was surviving. ”Good to know,” she told him. ”And the day that you stop fearing those things is the day I start fearing for your life.” Being afraid of something usually gave a person a better chance at survival. Lord knew that fear had saved her life a few times, for a start, it had driven her to the Safe Lands. It had helped save them from the inferno. And it had helped her and Melissa in the park. Fear was a good thing it her eyes. It also showed that you were still human. But that was just her opinion.

She mirrored his head tilt perfectly, pushing her bottom lip out and pressing her palms together, holding them under her chin. When he told her that he couldn’t promise he’d never mention it, she deepened the puppy dog eyes and threw in a ”Pleeeeeaaaaase…” for good measure. She liked Jamal. He was good fun. She opened her mouth to say that she guessed not when he questioned whether or not he had called her a terrible dancer but he had carried on talking. As he finished, her mouth dropped open in mock insult and she punched his arm gently in response to his playful jabs. ”Shut up!” she laughed. She pulled her iPod out of her pocket, scrolled through her songs and selected Footloose by Kenny Loggins. She held it out to him with a mischievous grin. ”Shall we see if you’re any better?” she challenged.

Lexi didn’t generally try to be carefree. She just was. What was the point in moping around over something that you couldn’t change? Life had changed and she’d adapted, taking each day as it came. There wasn’t really anything else she could do. She made the most of what she had. It was something that she was used to. No big deal. If she spent time dwelling on everything bad that happened, she probably wouldn’t have made it to her twenty-first birthday.

She watched him curiously as he seemed to momentarily space out, waving a hand in front of his eyes. ”Heeellllooooo? Anyone in there?” she asked cheerfully. Then he seemed to brighten again and she smiled as he asked if she wanted to go for a walk. ”What, now?” She asked, his nervousness going unnoticed. She looked thoughtful for a moment. She’d have loved to have gone for a walk but she really needed to change the dressing on her arm. ”I can’t right this second. I have to change this thing,” she told him, holding up her arm and pulling a face. ”But I only live up there,” she told him, pointing to one of the blocks of flats. ”It’ll only take about five minutes or so if you wanted to come up and wait? Or I can meet you back down here and then we can go?” She waited to see what he wanted to do. She wasn’t ready to stay cooped up in her flat again just yet. She’d only just made her escape.

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

Play by the silence
It's where you'll end, not where you begin

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Eyebrows were raised and eyes wide as Alexis crossed her arms and asked him a question. He thought she was not being serious. Alexis didn't pass off as the type that was easy to nerve or offend. "Pretty much. You're the best entertainment since the BBC stopped working," Jamal joked, mirroring her actions by crossing his own arms across his chest. There was some truth in that. Jamal then looked surprised, letting his arms loosen and drop from his chest. "Um, well I wouldn't like to see that...." he said. He struggled to think what the 'ugly crazy Alexis' was like.

He scanned her over briefly with his eyes as she pleaded with him, lips curling with delight at the sight of her. Very adorable. Jamal always thought Alexis to be cute. Perhaps it was her jovial personality, or perhaps it was her refined but pretty features. Maybe it was both? Whatever it was, Jamal found Alexis alluring in a number of ways. Fingers then drummed on his chin. "Hmm, I really don't know. I've still to decide," he chorused a little teasingly. Dancing. Jamal and dancing? Oh God no. The two should never be seen together. It was something he really disliked doing, and usually acted as the wallflower in everything involving getting 'jiggy with it'. He got slightly apprehensive as she fidgeted with her iPod, and the sound of Footloose hit his ears. Man, she had to pick that song? His expression morphed into one of disbelief. "Come on, you serious?" Eyebrows pulled together delicately. He held out his hand, flicking the wire of the earphones, sending it in a frantic sway. "I am not dancing!" Nope, not ever. It would take Jamal a good dose of vodka and the pitch black to dance. Good luck with that, for Jamal didn't even really drink.

Jamal was spaced out. There were many theories, but really, goodness knows why. His day dream was snapped from him by the chorus of Alexis' voice. "W-what?" Jamal spoke so feathery it was hardly heard. Eyes averted to the dressing on her arm. Just the sight of it brought back memories of the fire. Oh yes, the day Jamal thought his birth certificate would be married up with a tombstone. It irked him to be reminded of that memory. He remembered in full blown colour of the splinter jutting from the woman's arm. "Oh, yeah, of course." He stuttered a little, habitually touching his hair yet again. "How is it healing up, anyway?" He asked, hand finally dropping form his hair. He felt slight regret in not asking earlier on how she was coping with the wound. As far as Jamal was concerned, he wanted the fire to be put behind them. It was a horrible experience he wanted to tuck away until he was an elderly man. It could be saved for the grandchildren -- if he had any.

Dark eyes followed the path of her finger. "Don't have far to travel to work, do we?" Jamal slipped in with a soft giggle. But to come up with her or not? He not at all bothered. Though he pulled an expression of thought, contemplating for a moment. "Um, I might just come up and wait?" He asked politely, fingers relieving a scratch on the side of his neck. He really had to stop fidgeting, and he still couldn't pin why he was so restless all of a sudden. HIs hand rested on his neck as he continued. "I mean, if I stay outside on my own any longer I might be tempted to light up again." Which was true. Smoking was a solitary sport. Jamal would block off his temptation to smoke if he were in someone's house, or even in someone's company.

Words: 630 | Tag: Alexis Notes: You can move them wherever
Thread template by Fi. xD

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[ALEXIS JASMINE FLETCHER]

She tried her best to keep a straight face but she couldn't, particularly after the BBC comment. She laughed and bowed, waving one hand above her head whilst the other was held out horizontally in front of her. "Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week!" she declared. She straightened up again, then something struck her. Oh no! He couldn't be. She feigned a look of horror. "Wait... You're not an Eastenders fan are you?... Were you?... Are you?" She wasn't sure which tense she should be using, so she had opted for both. She looked a little sad. "Because if you are, I'm afraid that we can't be friends anymore..." she was joking of course, though she had never really been a fan of the soaps, she didn't hold it against anyone else. They just didn't make any sense to her at all. She hated Eastenders with a passion.

Lexi would never have referred to herself as alluring or adorable in any way and had she known his thoughts she probably would have flushed scarlet again. As a child she had alwayss been a bit of a tomboy. She had never been considered 'girly' by any stretch of the imagination and that was something that had - and would - never really change. She wasn't cute and cuddly. She wasn't jaw-dropping gorgeous. She had always been jsut plain old Alexis Fletcher. Average, content and on occasion, a little quirky. She heaved an over exaggerated sigh and dropped her arms to her sides. "Okay fine. Tell everyone. They won't believe you anyway. I'm just a gardener remember. All we do is..." She paused, frowning slightly as she thought of what gardeners did. "... Garden?" she said slowly. Nope, that wasn't the word. "I pot plants, grow veg. and play in dirt. I'm much too busy for dancing," she concluding as she continued to search her playlists.

She laughed at his expression and nodded, shaking the device for him to take. "I'm always serious," she told him. "Come on Jamal! Let's see you bust a move!" She couldn't stop the words and the moment they left her mouth, she face palmed mentally. Seriously Lexi? Bust a move? Really? Who says that any more?! She didn't dwell on it for too long before she laughed again and tucked the music player away once more. "That's what I thought," she said, patting his arm gently and beaming up at him with a brilliant smile. "Chicken," she threw in with a wink.

Lexi frowned as Jamal spoke softly, a look of genuine concern crossing her features. "Everything okay?" she asked, suddenly worried that she may have offended him. She apologised quickly, just in case. "I'm sorry. I was only joking..." She followed his gaze to her arm and shrugged. "Okay I guess. It's mostly just brusing and stitches now but it-" she cut herself off. She had been about to tell him that it still oozed from time to time, but nobody needed or wanted to hear about that. It was pretty gross. Instead, she flapped her arm around wildly. "But it's still there and it still works. Sort of." She lowered her arm, eyes lingering on the soil stained bandages before looking back up at him and smiling softly. The medic that had tended to her after they had managed to escape the inferno had told her that she'd been lucky that the splinter hadn't nicked any veins or arteries. He had also scolded her for running into a burning building, but if she hadn't, it was likely that she wouldn't have the new friend that she had now. And she was still alive so in her eyes, everything had turned out okay. Every cloud, after all.

She smiled again now that the mood had lightened once more. "I'll have you know that it's a pretty long commute," she told him with sincerity in her voice. "The lift doesn't work so I have to take the stairs every day!" She shook her head sadly. "It's such a hard life I lead..." She smiled and nodded when he asked to come up and wait. "Cool. It won't take long, I promise," she told him. Though she hadn't mentioned anything about it, Jamal's fidgetting had not gone unnoticed. She put it down to the heat. Unless he had real ants in his pants, what else could it be? She cocked her head to the left slightly. "What's wrong with that?" she asked him in regards to his temptation. She'd never met a smoker that wanted to resist the urge to spark up before. She took a few steps past him and waited for him to follow before continuing. "If you don't want to be tempted, why not just quit?" she asked as they walked towards her building. It was probably a typical non-smoker question, but she was genuinely curious.

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

PLAY BY THE SILENCE
IT'S WHERE YOU'LL END, NOT WHERE YOU BEGIN

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Eastenders. Jamal was not really a fan of it, but he had watched it from time to time when there was nothing else to do. He actually missed television, even though he barely watched any of it when it was on. He giggled softly, mostly at how offended Alexis was, although he was well aware she was just joking around. "Nah, not really. My mum and sister used to watch it a lot though. It was pretty unrealistic, though. Like, there were no happy weddings as they were always ruined. Too much drama," Jamal rambled a little. Once he had started on a subject it was difficult for him to shut up. "Just like us, I guess. Though we were more like the Kumars at No. 42." He had drifted off for a moment, averting his gaze elsewhere and somewhat smiling goofily. Though momentarily he was attentive to Alexis once more. He briefly pointed his finger at her. "You, bet you're a Coronation Street fan!" Jamal joked. Maybe, maybe not. He just felt like playing along with her whilst on the subject of soaps.

He was adamant that he was not going to dance. Defensively he locked his arms across his chest, solidly shaking his head. You didn't need a body language expert to know that Jamal was shielding himself. "No!!" He chorused out with an unsteady laugh. Jamal was a bit uptight, though he was not entirely nervous. He just didn't like being put on the spot, although Alexis was just joking. He puffed out a sigh of relief when she stashed her MP3 player away. "Alright I am a chicken. I just hate dancing. I look like a right idiot, trust me." He giggled at her winking gesture. "If you ever see me dancing, then someone must have divided by zero." Gosh he had a weird sense of humor at times.

Quickly he snapped out of the day dream. "I'm fine," he declared with a shake of his head, fingers rubbing behind his ear. "I know you were joking." Jamal tried to reassure the girl with a smile. It was good to hear that she was on the mend. Head gently cocked to the side as he studied her arm. Dark eyes then lifted to meet hers the moment she stalled in her words. "But it what?" He asked curiously. Jamal tended to get inquisitive when people left sentences hanging. He was always bothered to know what the mystery was.

Jamal was unsure why he was fidgeting. He was well aware of his sudden habit, and he was beginning to irritate himself. "Oh man. Well, guess that keeps you fit." At that moment he paused, taking another quick glance at the block Alexis lived in. He turned back from looking over his shoulder, and looked to her with subtle apprehension. "You're not high up are you? Cause if you are I'll be staying well away from any windows if I go up there," the young man confessed, trying to remain light hearted about it though he was a little shaken at the thought of heights. Yes, he had a fear of heights. Anything higher than two stories and he would refuse to look out of a window. HIs hand held out, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "I'm a little acrophobic." He confessed to her. 'Little' was accurate. Jamal did not have an extreme fear, though he got anxious and sickly when looking down from some height. It made him nervous. He would ramble more than he was doing the now, and his palms would get clammy. It was not an ideal fear to have when living in a massive urban area.

Hands dipped into his pockets again, and he began to walk with her with slow casual steps. Jamal watched the movement of his feet as he talked. "Well, that's the first step of it. Temptation. If I can fight those urges then I can quit. I can't beat it cold turkey." Jamal explained his strategy in quitting smoking. He had to try it at least. "Trust me, if you were a smoker you would know." he finally looked to the brunette beside him with a half smile. "Come on, there must have been something you were addicted to." Again his fingers prodded into her shoulder as they walked. Jamal was just breaking the touch barrier over and over again. Soon enough he would be giving Alexis noogies like he had done to Vanessa. He had that 'big kid' side of him that only unveiled itself when with the right people. Eventually they reached her building, and he motioned her to the main entrance. "Ladies first, as I don't know where we are going."

Words: 789 | Tag: Alexis Notes: again this post sucks lol. I rambled a bit. I had a funny idea though, but its just a wee one xD
Thread template by Fi. xD

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[ALEXIS JASMINE FLETCHER]

Lexi looked relieved when Jamal said he didn’t watch Eastenders and she heaved a sigh that matched her expression, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead and flicking it away. ”Phew!” she said. ”That makes things easier.” She listened to him as he continued, nodding while he picked a flaw in the soap. ”Or how nobody owns a washing machine, or swears, or has the same name,” she added. She really disliked the show. She smiled as he likened his family to the Kumars. She’d remembered watching that once when she was at her neighbour’s house doing her homework after the electricity had run out at her place. She pulled a face at the mention of Coronation Street and shook her head. ”God no!” She exclaimed. ”I wasn’t really a fan of anything on the TV,” she told him. The truth was, she rarely had enough electricity on the key to do anything other than light the flat and use the washing machine and microwave so she often read a book or studied instead of switching the television on.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. ”How come you hate it?” she asked him. ”I look like an idiot too! That’s half the fun of it! ” She smiled. Yes, she was a terrible dancer, but whenever she heard music she just couldn’t sit still. It would start out with something as simple as tapping a foot or drumming a finger against a surface. Then maybe a head bob here and there and then that was it. She was up prancing and jumping around like a maniac. She loved every second of it and though getting caught off guard like she had been today was a little embarrassing, who cared what anybody thought of her ability – or lack of – to dance.

She relaxed when he told her that he knew she was joking. That was good. The last thing she had wanted to do was offend him. She hated offending people, especially those she actually cared for. She looked back at her arm and picked at a fleck of dried mud, pulling it off and dropping it to the floor. ”It just looks a bit gross, that’s all,” she told him. Details were not a necessity.

She shrugged. ”I don’t really mind it too much. I quite like keeping active. Stops you from dwelling on anything for too long.” She glanced up at the lines of windows up the side of the building. She gave him an apologetic look. ”Fifth floor. Sorry.” She couldn’t help but feel a little bad, but she didn’t really know why. You had to live where you could these days and she’d picked somewhere that would get attacked first should the barrier be taken, but not so high that she couldn’t fight her way out. Or at least run to the roof and prolong her fate should it come to it. She had no idea that Jamal was afraid of heights though. She was always a little shocked to find out people’s fears, but it was oddly nice to know that not everything revolved around being afraid of zombies. There was still some normality around.

She walked beside him, listening to him as he explained about resisting temptation. She nodded. It was a valid point. ”Fair enough,” she said. She frowned and glanced sideways at the sky when he mentioned addictions that she may have had. A short laugh escaped her as he prodded her again and she took a few steps away from him before drifting back to his side. For the life of her she couldn’t think of any addictions. She figured that studying wouldn’t count. Plus it would make her sound like a huge nerd. There was stealing, but she figured that wasn’t an addiction either. Though even if it were, she wouldn’t have mentioned it. It wasn’t particularly something she was proud of, but you did what you could to survive, as everybody was figuring out due to recent events. Eventually, she shook her hea. ”Not really,” she said finally. ”A few habits maybe, but I can’t think of any addictions.”

As he motioned her to the door, she ducked past him and caught her dishevelled reflection in the glass. Dirt smeared her legs and arms, she’d even managed to get a few streaks across her face. She cringed inwardly and tugged the door open, entering and holding the door behind her for Jamal to follow. She was thankful that he hadn’t mentioned anything about her appearance. Not that it really mattered all that much. She worked in the gardens. Coming away covered in dirt went without saying. Still, how had it ended up on her nose of all places? Once they were both threw, she headed for the stairwell and started the routine climb. It was her turn to be lost in though now. It looked like the wound on her arm wasn’t the only thing that needed a good clean.

Finally, after many, many stairs, they reached her front door. She shoved the key into the lock and turned it, placing one foot against the bottom of the door and heaving her weight against it. The building was pretty old and her door always seemed to stick. Again, she held the door open for him and waited for him to enter before pushing it shut again. ”I’ll be quick.” she told him with a smile as she lead him into the living room. ”The kitchen is just through there if you want a drink or anything,” she pointed. ”There should be some bottled water in the fridge. Or a few beers. Help yourself!” And with that, she hurried off into the bathroom to get cleaned up. As she filled the sink with warm water, she pulled her clothes off and removed the dressing from her arm, pulling a face at the sticky yellowy substance that was there. She tossed her dirty clothes into the bath and washed all the dirt from her skin before filling the sink with fresh water and cleaning and redressing her arm. It was then that she realised she hadn’t taken any clean clothes into the bathroom with her. ”Crap!” she hissed. She opened the door a crack and peered outside. She didn’t really want to put dirty clothes back on again. She’d have to make a mad dash to the bedroom in her underwear. ”Jamal can you do me a favour and close your eyes?” She called to him. She stayed by the cracked door, waiting for his reply.

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

PLAY BY THE SILENCE
IT'S WHERE YOU'LL END, NOT WHERE YOU BEGIN

With light steps he followed behind her, actually being surprisingly quiet for once. Jamal had noticed the smear of dirt across her skin, but he figured that was normal for a gardener. Actually, he had a heap of respect seeing her like that. It meant she actually got down and...dirty. It was then the climb started. Alexis mentioned the fifth floor, which was not really that bad. Jamal could cope with that, but warned himself to keep his eyes everywhere but windows. "Do you really miss the lift?" He asked as they climbed, with Alexis ascending first. The rail aided him as he climbed. Jamal was not immobile or needed help in climbing stairs - he was no old man - it was a small habit more than anything else. "I know I'd miss the lift. But then again, I don't think I could ever live in a block of flats." He muttered out of thought. Occasionally he looked up as he went up the steps, and could not help but draw his gaze to her backside. He uncomfortably smiled to himself. Why was he looking? As a red blooded male it was understandable - for she did have a great backside - but every time he caught a glance at it, he felt dirty, almost perverted. He was not used to that feeling.

Upon reaching her door he held a curled up fist to his mouth and coughed. It was out of nervousness rather than to clear his throat. Odd to say, but he hardly ever stepped into a woman's home, not unless it were a relative or Kamala, a friend when he was a teenager. It felt strange, like unfamiliar territory. "Alright, but no real rush. I won't run off," he half mumbled, half giggled as he followed the woman into her apartment. Gently he closed the door behind him. He followed her through into the livingroom, and looked to where she gestured the kitchen. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm alright for now thanks," he smiled warmly at her. He liked hospitality in people. Jamal was just the same, though it was hammered into his habits since being a kid.

When Alexis scurried off into the bathroom, Jamal took the liberty of ambling around her livingroom. He was inquisitive in that way, that he could not help but look around at what things she had. Jamal did creep toward the window, hands locked across his chest defensively, and leaned over to check out the view. Fifth floor. Still a bit high. Though that was not the only thing that made him nauseous. London looked barren and gray from what he could see beyond the barrier. It was what was beyond the barriers that frightened him. Once a bustling city, now the land of the walking dead. It was times like these Jamal truly appreciated the people close to him. Even Kamala. That was probably because she was the only family he had left.

The familiarity of a voice reached his ears. Jamal snapped his head around to where it came from, only to see her peeking around the door. A little surprise washed over his features. Close his eyes? What on earth for? "Oh? Alright." He consented, closing his eyes tight. "Alright, they are closed." Jamal confirmed. He was a bit worried for a moment. Was Alexis in the buff? He was not about to complain to her about it anyway, considering this was her apartment. It was then he felt a tickle in his nose. Gosh, he was not about to sneeze was he? It was probably being in the garden that triggered it off, and he did have a mild case of hay fever from time to time. His features then screwed up, eyes squeezing tighter, before let out one noisy sneeze.

For a moment he forgot the situation, and opened his eyes to catch his friend in her underwear. His hand was held up to his nose, still guarding it, and he stared at her for a few moments. For those few seconds he was strangely relishing the sight of her in her underwear. It was then he realised he forgot his manners. "Oh shit! I'm sorry!" Jamal apologised hastily, turning his back to her and bowing his head. "I'm sorry Lexi. I'm not looking..."

Words: 721 | Tag: Alexis Notes: LOL..."down and dirty..."
Thread template by Fi. xD

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[ALEXIS JASMINE FLETCHER]

She shook her head in response to his question, her pony tail swinging wildly as she did so. "No not really," she told him simply. "To be honest, even if it did work I probably still wouldn't use it any way. Not unless I needed to cart something heavy up," she continued. Alexis had always been an active person and much preferred taking the stairs even if it was for no other reason than keeping fit. It had all started when she and her brother had first moved into their eleventh floor flat in Hackney. He had challenged her to a race where she was to take the stairs and Jim, the lift. Needless to say, she had lost that race, but it quickly became a game that the pair played daily. That being said, the five flights that they had ahead of them now was nothing and she climbed the stairs with ease, hopping up the last three steps of the first flight before turning on the ball of her foot and starting climbing past the second level. "Besides, these days I'd say the stairs were probably safer. If you think about it, even slight noises echo in these stairwells. If you see or hear anything suspicious, you can just turn around and head in the opposite direction. You don't get that in a lift. If you have zombies lurking on the floor you want, you don't see or hear until the doors are open, by which point you've probably got no chance of getting the doors to shut again before something gets in and tears you apart. So for me... I'd take the stairs any day." Not that she had given it much thought.

She threw a quick smiled over her shoulder as he told her he wouldn't run off. "Glad to hear it," she said as she kicked off her wellies and tucked them out of the way. Before she disappeared into the bathroom she said, "Well they're there if you change your mind. Back in a few!" She pushed to door shut with a soft click, leaving Jamal to potter around the rest of the falt to his heart's content. A lot of the things that lined the shelves and units were not even hers. A few photographs here and there. One of a smiling couple on their wedding day. Next to that was one of the same man knealt down next to a little girl, her head tilted back in laughter. There were several more photographs of the family scattered around and Lexi had never taken them down. A faded yellow teddy bear with with a brown nose and a silk ribbon tied in a bow around its neck sat on the sofa. There were a few worn patches on the bear and its bobble tail was just about hanging in there showing all the signs of a well loved teddy. She often wondered about the family that had lived here before the outbreak. Had they made it out of here alive? Had they found somewhere safe to go? She hoped so. They looked like such a nice, happy and normal family. Something that she had never had. That was part of the reason that she hadn't really moved anything. Apart from a cardigan hanging over the arm chair, a back pack on the floor beside it, a worn out copy of James Patterson's Along Came A Spider and the kays that she had dropped on the coffee table in passing, nothing in the living room belonged to her.

She waited until her friend had confirmed that his eyes were closed before inching the door open wider. She emerged slowly to begin with, her steps cautious as she craned her neck around the door until Jamal came into view. She double checked that his eyes were definitely closed before she ventured out of the bathroom completely. She tip-toed speedily across the room, the last thing that she wanted was to get caught in her pants, that would just make things awkward. She was halfway across the living room when Jamal let out an almighty sneeze. Caught off guard, she jumped and stopped in her tracks. "Bless you," she said automatically. She noticed that he seemed frozen and she frowned a little in brief confusion. Why was he staring at her like that? Then she realised and for the second time that day, her eyes widened in horror. For the split second that she remainted glued to the spot, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. A noise that resmebled a surprised squeak escaped her throat and she wrapped her arms around her body protectively, covering as much of her flesh as she could manage whilst she darted the rest of the way to the bedroom. She dove through the door and shoved it closed behind her in on sharp, hasty sweep of her arm. She leaned her back against the door, her hands pressed firmly against the wood also. Her heart was pounding so hard that she feared it would burst out of her chest at any moment, like that scene with John Hurt in Alien. She heard his curse and his apology follow her through the door but her mouth felt like cotton wool and she physically couldn't call out any acknowledgement to him.

After what seemed like an eternity, she moved away from the door and rummaged quickly through a chest of drawers for some clean clothes. She pulled on a fresh pair of denim shorts and a baggy white vest with a large, neon multi-coloured parrot on the front. The top itself was about three sizes too big and the hem hung so low that it hid her shorts entirely, but it was comforatable and it was clean, so she didn't mind so much. She tucked the front, left side of the shirt into the waistband of her shorts and allowed the rest of it to sit how it fell. Tugging the hair tie from her her head, she rolled it on to her wrist, running her fingers thrrough chocolate waves nervously as she prepared to face Jamal after their little encounter.

She opened the bedroom door, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. Before she had even left the room she could feel the heat creeping into her face and she twisted her hands uncomfortably in front of her body. She avoided his gaze completely. Knowing that he knew what underwear she wore combined with the fact that he had seen her almost naked made her feel more than just a little weird. She cleared her throat and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Um... Ready?" she asked quietly before he had a chance to speak. If she could, she would avoid the whole underwear incident entirely. She'd thought that getting caught dancing like a lunatic was embarrassing enough. Boy had she been wrong! And now she had to walk around the gardens with him, not knowing if he was secretly judging her or not. She didn't know why that thought bothered her so much. She'd never really cared much about what others thought of her. They either liked her or they didn't. It was that simple and either way had always been fine with her before. Then again, this was different. Nobody has seen her dressed in so little since birth. All she knew was that this walk was going to be extremely awkward and she hoped that she didn't do anything else to make herself look like an even bigger idiot.

[JAMAL ANISH RAO]

PLAY BY THE SILENCE
IT'S WHERE YOU'LL END, NOT WHERE YOU BEGIN

One feature that Jamal did notice was the scatter of family photographs across her living room. At first Jamal thought the picture to be of Alexis' family, but after having a nosey at them, he figured not. It reminded him of the time he went back to his old house, and managed to salvage a collection of photos. Jamal was still sentimentally attached to his family, even though they had roped him into an arranged marriage. The wedding photo had really caught his attention. Right now marriage was all that was on his mind, for obvious reasons. He bent his frame to catch a better look at it, hands clasped behind his back as if afraid to touch anything. He forced a smile that soon enough turned into a grimace. If Kamala and Jamal were to get married, who would marry them? Good question indeed. They would need to scout for the right person who could conduct a Hindu wedding ceremony, not unless they got married the 'civil partnership' way, which dampens the whole tradition and more so, jeopardizes Jamal's spirituality and beliefs. With his eyebrows furrowing gently, he stood upright, and turned his attention to the teddy bear. This time he scooped it up in his hands, and smiled at it. Cute.

The teddy bear was nestled back into its resting place just as Alexis mentioned she was making a reappearance. Jamal then followed her wishes to close his eyes, and he did so, until, he sneezed. Just as she blessed him after his sneeze, he caught a glance of her. Just as he expected. Alexis was half naked. In Jamal's experience, he had rarely rested his eyes on half naked women, not unless he was at a swimming pool. He was always taught not to lust after women in such a way. It was uncouth. Jamal was a little bit of a prude, not unless he genuinely like a girl. Still, his imagination got away with him sometimes. Heat glowed in his cheeks. He swore for a moment he thought he was going to start sweating. His eyes were wide for a moment, locked onto her body, until he snapped his gaze away to meet her equally wide-eyed gaze. Jamal was mirroring that same horror in his own eyes. Why was he just staring at his friend? His bottom lip trembled for a moment until he whisked himself around to guard his eyes.

His heart rate was still up and firing away even when she disappeared. "I'm sorry, Lexi," he apologised shakily and surprisingly enough, humorously. Jamal had to see the funny side of it. When she left he concealed his face with his palm, and giggled away like some infatuated teenager. "Bad timing, huh?" he laughed, his curled up fist resting on the nook of his chin. Maybe Alexis was used to darting around her apartment in her underwear. People that lived alone sometimes did that. Jamal even did it when his whole family were out the house, but only if he was sure they were well out of sight. Nobody wanted to see a scrawny thing like him gallivanting around in his boxer shorts. He didn't like people seeing him stripped down so much. And to think, his future wife Kamala is supposed to see him like that. Gross.

When Alexis appeared again, he half expected her to be in her underwear once more, but she wasn't. The vibrant colours of her shirt made him smile, merely because it just caught his attention. Though she looked nervous. Jamal was nervous too, still feeling the gentle force of his heartbeat in his chest. He too avoided eye contact, and just focused on her parrot shirt instead. "Um, yeah, of course. We're going for a stroll, yeah?" he asked, floating toward the door. Jamal still thought they were going for a walk. However if they ended up anywhere, it was fine by him. He just wanted to spend time with his friend. The underwear incident, however, was not going to scrub away from his memories that easy. He would probably be thinking about it all night, especially when Alexis looked appealingly good in just her underwear. Wow. Perhaps Jamal was taking a liking to her in a very different way.

Approaching the door, he held it open for her. Still, he avoided eye contact, and struggled to think of a topic for them to talk about whilst on their outing.

Words: 742 | Tag: Alexis Notes: think this is finished? We can move them on
Thread template by Fi. xD

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