Post by Joseph "Max" Keys on Jun 21, 2010 22:24:01 GMT -4
Before coming to Shifter Academy, Max would put aside time to jog by the beach at sunset at least once per week. During the summer, he took care to do so even more often, as there were often concerts by local bands on the stage that was near the beach. However, he had found himself with far less time to do so since coming here, what with the plays he wrote, directed, and acted in taking up much of his time. It was sad, really, that what was once a ritual had now become a vacation of sorts, a special thing he would put aside time to do to ensure some solitude and thinking time in his normally hectic and people-filled life.
Sure, he took his normal jogs around campus, but that just wasn't the same as watching the bright yellow sun melt into the blue water, resulting in an inverted rainbow of sorts; the yellow sun made the sky above it orange, pink, and purple respectively, with dark blue sky under which it was already night and green trees along the opposite horizon.
The sun dove into the water in slow motion, making Max wish he could do the same. Firstly, because diving in slow motion (much like doing anything in slow motion) would probably be a pretty cool experience, and secondly because the water looked so inviting. He knew it was probably freezing, but the expanse of blue was stretching its arms wide as if to ask for a hug, and with the kind smiles that rippled along the water's surface as the waves crashed, it took all of Max's strength to say no.
Max, who had been lying on a bench catching his breath until now, sat up. What was the point of going to the beach if you spent most of your time on a bench? He stood, looking down at his running shoes, which now had sand in them. Screw that, he thought, I want to feel the sand in my toes, and not because my shoes have a hole in them either. He kicked his shoes off, then retrieved them, leaving them under the bench as he stood and began to walk down the beach length-wise. He didn't have to continue running just yet, but he liked walking through sand enough to want to walk a little before he started running again.
In the distance, he saw a man a few years older than himself tossing a fedora hat around. He was doing tricks, like tossing it in the air, spinning it and catching it... he was quite good. Max was impressed. As he got closer, he realized that this must be a teacher. He had certainly seen him before and... oh yes, this was Peter Sullivan, or Hatter. Max never had him as a teacher himself, but his sister Mischa had mentioned him as her Paleontology teacher, and said that he was nothing like any teacher she had ever had. He also recalled her mentioning that he was a mongoose, something she liked a lot since it was one of the animals biologically closest to hers (a ferret).
Max stopped, watching Hatter do a few more tricks before... whoops! He tossed his hat too hard on one of his tricks and the hat went flying, landing at Max's feet. When Hatter ran to retrieve it, Max picked it up and handed it to him. "You're very good at that." he said, stating the obvious, as he could think of nothing else to say.
