Glencoe Park
Glencoe Park isn't the largest in the area, but it's still fairly sizable. The grass is in a perpetually well-trimmed state, shining a healthy green year round. Near the southern entrance to the park is a playground cluster filled with swings, a merry-go-round, seesaws, huge forts, and a jungle-gym. Not too far from the playground are fields for both rugby and softball, enclosed by wire fences so that children don't run haphazardly onto the fields. Further into the park is a walking path through a small forested area.
As the sky turns from a bruised purple to a deepening cerulean blue, the park begins to clear out. People donning jogging suits with their iPods turned to the max take the nearest trail out, knowing full-well the park isn't quite safe at night, especially with those vampire-people about. But it's not a total creep-fest, really. The lights flicker on, causing tall shadows to come out, but lighting the area well enough. Well enough for a group of college co-eds that had been sipping out of paper bags to stash the bags quickly — but perhaps not quickly enough. One of the rent-a-cops on patrol manages to catch a glimpse, and blows his whistle, sprinting toward the benches where they were hanging out.
One of them just so happens to be Ashton. She's not a bad kid, really, but on a Monday night, what else was there to do? She didn't have class til later anyway, and it seemed kind of tabboo. She'd only had one beer, so she was able to scatter rather quickly. Luckily, the cop took off in the opposite direction after her friend in the Pink hoodie, so Ashton is able to duck onto the jungle gym rather easily and crouch, watching the commotion unfold. Oh, and she still had her remaining beer. She sips it pensively and stifles a laugh.
—
Normally, Ivan wouldn't take much notice of a police officer accosting a bunch of college students. Normally, Ivan wouldn't manage to catch one particular girl duck into the jungle gym.
But then again, normally Ivan isn't running around the city near fanatically in search of a mental patient. He is jogging about in his well-put together outfit, looking sorely out of place, thanks to the combination of his fine clothes, his exertion, and the location. Eventually, he slows himself to a stroll, his green eyes flicking back and forth in search of something - of some one. Whoever it is, he does not find it. Instead, his attention hones in on Ashton's form. "Hey!" He calls out to her with a wave, doing his best to get her attention. "Hey! I'm not crazy, I swear, and I'm not looking to waste your time, but I've a question for you, if you've got the time to answer it? Please?"
—
Okay, so Ashton can't really judge. She is, after all, tucked underneath a jungle gym, sipping beer camoflagued in a paper bag, at night, in the park. But! Random guy in a sort of expensive looking outfit wanting to ask her a question? The dark-haired girl hastens to a stand, hitting her head on the upper-most bar of the structure while she's at it. A metallic and hollow sound rings out, indicating the obvious "hurt factor" of her head. She's fazed for just a moment before she slowly clambers out, eyeing Ivan warily and hiding the beer behind her back. "I know, I know. Yes, Jesus is my savior or whatever. I'm already in church, okay? You can keep walking." He has to be one of those crazy Bible freaks — or even worse…a Fellowship of the Sun member. She quickly sidesteps him and heads back toward the main part of the park. Rather have the company of the security guard than a freakin' Mormon or whatever.
—
Now would be the time for Ivan to whip out the photograph of the Tyler twin, for him to explain in rushed, hurried tones that she's gone missing, and that it is of the utmost importance that he finds her. In fantasy land, that would be how it goes. But this is the Real World, and the Real World insists on throwing Ivan these occasional shockers. The very fact that Ashton - that anyone really - can mistake him for a member of any church baffles him, and he finds himself glancing down to himself, as if trying to puzzle out when exactly he tattooed the word 'LAME' onto his person.
"Wait - what? No! No, God no! I like sex too much to be in church." Beat. That's not exactly what he was supposed to say… "Uhh - no. Hold on a second, Jesus Christ!" Now he's chasing after yet another woman. Story of his life. Once he gets close enough, he holds out his arm, attempting to place it upon her shoulder to stop her. "I just need your help. I'm looking for a friend, this girl that's gone missing. I need to know if you've seen her or not…please?"
—
Not a church freak? "Well then," Ash murmurs to herself, whipping out the beer from behind her back, bag crinkling a bit as she takes a swig. She's not a bum — the preppy clothing, styled hair, and eye make-up is a dead giveaway as to /that/. She's just a bored college kid, really. No more of a drunkard than Ivan is a Bible-thumper. She continues walking, though, a bit turned off by the guy's desperate attitude, even if he is kind of cute.
She gets no more than three steps before her shoulder is touched — and by then, she just stops, heaving a slight sigh and peering impatiently up at him. "Alright. What?" The desperation in Ivan's tones does cause Ashton's own voice to soften around the edges, her auburn brows coming together ever-so-slightly with concern. "Did you tell the police?" She pauses. The closer she got to this boy, the more she felt something…twitchy with her magic. Or it was just the weather.
—
Ivan's blood is pumping too hard, too loud in his ears for him to feel any fluctuations in his magic. He is, however, supremely aware of the coolness of the night air flickering against his skin, the cadence of the wildlife playing all around him. Reaching into his front pocket, he pulls out an article from the local paper, complete with a large black and white shot of a certain Green Oaks former resident, all pale-skinned and dark eyes. "Here - this girl." He offers, pointing to her with a solemn frown. "Have you seen her around? She hasn't been nak-…eh. Nevermind. Have you?" When she mentions the police, the lad finds himself sobering considerably. "Not yet. I'm trying to keep the police out of this investigation but…fuck. If I don't find her soon, then I won't have any choice in the matter."
—
Ashton gingerly takes the picture, studying the girl's large, dark eyes for a moment before wordlessly passing it back. In the process, she tries to brush her knuckles against Ivan's, just to see if that strange prickle of a feeling might flare up if she makes contact with him. She was seriously getting some strange magical vibes from the guy, and not only because he was a well-dressed, dark-haired young…professional-type. "I haven't," she replies honestly. "I'm sorry. But, hey — why didn't you contact the police, seriously? You seem like you care about her, and you seem pretty upset." She pauses in consideration for a short moment before she takes out her cell phone. "Here. In case you don't have one, you can use mine. I'm sure they could help find her," she offers out the flip phone with a sympathetic look.
—
And with Ashton's denial, Ivan sighs, looking a bit bothered by that fact. Dejected, he tucks the photo away once again, although his attention is momentarily distracted by the brief contact between him and the younger girl. There was a flash - almost like a particularly strong static shock. Automatically, he grumps out a "Sorry…yeah, sorry for interrupting your…party of one? Thank you, though." He takes a step back, already scouting out the park terrain in a restless, near antsy fashion. It looks as though he's about ready to head off, but something she says keeps him in his spot.
The moment Ivan's eyes swivel back towards Ashton, she ought to be able to tell he's growing uncomfortable. Out of reflex, he ends up rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "Because. They might take her away," he offers finally, tone unenthusiastic. "And I'm afraid that she might have been taken by…err. Friends." Saying vampires would completely undermine everything he's attempting to do in office. When the phone is offered, he denies it with a shake of his head. "Thanks, but I've my own. I appreciate the offer, though. Just…" Beat. "How about I give you my number. If you find her, you can give me a ring? If you're not comfortable with that, it's cool, man. But…yeah. Figure I might as well try, right?"
—
Ashton takes a small step backward. The magic was there, alright. The thought framed in /that/ way made it seem like a lame Disney movie - Ashton's nose crinkles at the thought, even though she fights to hide a smile. It comes out with a rather strange looking expression. "Take her away? Like, she's a fugitive or something?" She pushes back her hair from her face and sucks in some air. "Uhh. This is kind of heavy for me, you know?" As in, don't ask her to track down your criminal sidekick friend. She edges away, unsure about him. First the guy seems like a Bible thumper, then normal, and now…perhaps a bit sketchy. Mobsters wear nice clothes too.
"I mean, best of luck finding her, but I don't want any part in…stuff." Her grandfather would kill her, for one. Still, a small, lingering part of her feels back, so Ash is bullied into a shrug. "Um, sure. I'll take your number. Your name might help too. But um, I gotta go. I'm actually /not/ here alone —" her green eyes flash with slight defiance. Like she'd really be drinking in a park alone! "My friends scattered when the rent-a-cop came. But I should go get them." She waits, just for a moment, to get the supposed number, and then treks out.
