Coastal Daytona Academy: A High School RP [IC|DEAD]

[Imperial Esplanade]

Daytona Beach Boardwalk

---

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017
05:32 PM

The ride from the campus of Coastal Daytona to the boardwalk was a meager ten minutes, give or take an additional three given the prevalence of lights and the final swaths of tourists hoping to enjoy the twilight of their summer. For the Taylor sisters, it was an opportune moment to roll down the windows in Sophia's orange International Harvester Scout, blare some of their favorite tunes from a randomized playlist on Sydney's phone, and to soak the sights of the self-proclaimed "World's Most Famous Beach." Even after nearly three months of living there, the awe and wonder of Daytona felt just as raw for them as it did the moment they first arrived.

As the duo rode down Highway A1A, colloquially known as North Atlantic Avenue by the locals, Sydney sent text messages to both Sydney and Heather regarding their estimated time of arrival, assuring them they were on their way as they hadn't yet arrived by the 5:30 planned target, and smiled enthusiastically once Despacito became the next song to play. Sophia quietly leaned an elbow against the opened window, pressed her fingers against her forehead, and flashed a grin of her own once the song began.

"Seriously?" Sophia asked in a sarcastic tone of voice. "This is, like, the twelfth time I've heard it this week already."

Sydney smiled, shook her head in response to Sophia, and sang while ignoring her older sister's light-hearted complaint. "Ayyyy, Fonsi! Ooooh! Oh no, oh noooo! Oh yeaah, Diridiri, dirididi-Go!"

"This is really happening a thirteenth, is it?" Sophia asked, only to be interrupted by Sydney, who had memorized the entire song to the point of regurgitating it back out - even in, somewhat, decent-Spanish.

"Sí, sabes que ya llevo un rato mirándote!
Tengo que bailar contigo hoy!
Vi que tu mirada ya estaba llamándome!
Muéstrame el camino que yo voy!"

Sydney would continue on, half-rapping, half-singing, and gesturing with her hands as she attempted to harmonize with her finest in Spanish accents, all the while Sophia grinned and listened along, keeping her eyes on the road, in search for a parking lot as they had gotten closer to their destination. The quest would not be a particularly arduous one, nor lengthy, and they eventually find one off from the main thoroughfare that ran straight through the heart of the coastal-side of the city. The roaring waves, cascading and rolling back away from the shores, were always a striking, picturesque sight to them, certainly among others. The slightly heavier wind gusts, relative to the more inland-location of the school itself, tossed the hair of both Taylors as the vehicle halted to a complete stop.

"Des-pa-cito
Vamos a hacerlo en una playa en Puerto Rico
Hasta que las olas gri--!"

Sydney immediately shot a glare over toward Sophia, once she turned the key to kill the engine and open the door, killing the stereo midway as the song was nearing its' conclusion.

"What?" Sophia asked, bemusingly, while lifting an eyebrow in perplexed-fashion.
"What?" Sydney retorted back, albeit sardonic in tone. "It's, like, twenty seconds till its' over. Ya really gonna leave me hanging?"

Sophia rolled her eyes, while grinning to show she was still being playful and friendly toward Sydney, and sighed. "C'mon, you can sing on the walk over."

Sydney was happy to oblige, and she did just that for the entire way over, occasionally nudging Sophia with her elbow in a futile attempt to get her to join in. Unlike Syd, Sophia hadn't quite memorized it just yet, thus she was content with simply wrapping an arm around her animated sister while walking over to the boardwalk. Alas, it would come to an end just as they neared the boardwalk, and stood gazing out upon the scenic ocean. That would be a sight that would never get old.

Sophia, a couple of seconds later, turned to look at Sydney, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, did you tell them we're here?" Sophia asked.

Sydney, without much in the way of an expression, quickly reached into her pocket, and whipped out her phone to start texting Heather and Suzzanah, informing the two of their arrival.

Hey girls!!!!!! We just got here, so give me a call or shoot me a text whenever you are here!!!!!!!! We'll be chilling out somewhere, waiting. No rush!!!!!!!!

"And, done." Sydney remarked, sliding her phone back into her pocket, and looking up to see Sophia pulling out her own phone as she responded to a previous text message from Eric, sent earlier in the day, and deciding to extend out an invitation to him as well to join her, while Sydney would almost assuredly run off with her own friends at some point.

Haha! Nice one, dude! Always love a good meme.

Hey, taking Syd to the boardwalk. I'm here now actually, wanna come meet and hang with us?

The pair picked out a bench, situated next to the railing that oversaw the beach, and patiently awaited for the first of any one of their friends to arrive, joking around and people-watching to entertain themselves for the time being.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Cafeteria
Madison Perkins

Quietly nodding her head, smiling as she heard Caroline shared her adventure, and crossed her arms while listening intently to the younger brunette. Her own face would light up a tad once Caroline had inquired about Madison's own expedition.

"Yes, Italy is quite a lovely place, and I'm so happy you were able to experience it. Sounds like you all had quite a lovely time."

"Normally, we like to travel to Europe too, but this time we had gone to Japan for a couple of days. It was pretty much a planned-extended layover with some sightseeing involved. Tokyo is so amazing, the pictures and videos do not give it justice. Then, we went off to New Zealand for a week and a half. Let me just say, if Japan was amazing? New Zealand was life-altering. I would certainly return there in a heart-beat, when given the chance."

"The shopping was okay there, not on par to Italy. Like, honestly, who can really beat Italy in shopping? But girl, the number of things you can do there? Oh. Incredible."

"If you are an adventurous spirit, and if you don't mind the outdoors, it's basically Heaven-on-Earth. The beaches are just as you can imagine them being, exotic and stunning. The jungle, pretty much the same can be said for the jungle. The Emerald Lakes? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, and I don't even know how to describe them. I'm not a huge reader, but we checked out those cool hobbit huts they have too. They were in some big movie, my dad really wanted to check them out."

[Tumblrena]

Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach Boardwalk
1738
Wednesday
16 August
2017

After school Suzzanah had had to do what she had dreaded when she went through classes and tell her dad that she was not going to come home with him. Especially on the first day of school and with how he would always pick her up it felt like she was betraying him by going off with someone else. She knew that if he acted disappointed that she would have caved and gone with him but instead he had been encouraging and told her to go out and have fun and even gave her ten dollars to spend on something nice. She was so relieved to hear it and gave him a hug before he took the route to drop her off there instead. She is too young to see some of the disappointment in his eyes not from her going out with friends but realizing that his little girl is growing up.

After he lets her off Suzzanah spends a few minutes spinning in circles as she tries to look at everything and tries to figure out where she is before she thinks to check her phone as she wanders away from the beach and into the buildings unknowingly away from the others. She does not know the number but it has to be Heather or Sydney and so she texts back.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Daytona Beach Boardwalk
Sophia and Sydney Taylor

The two kept their place at the bench, their feet dangling below, and bare backs facing out toward the ocean. Both of them wearing matching relatively-modest white tube swimsuit tops along with blue jean shorts and sandals, in case they were to take to the beach only a few feet away from them. The conversation that had been having gradually changed, going from light-hearted to a genuine discussion as they awaited the arrival of Sydney's friends. Even as close as they were, and with their aunt and uncle serving in the role, Sophia wasn't able to shake the habit of acting as if she were a parental figure herself, always attempting to get a sense of the happenings of Sydney's life (and Sean, though whenever he's allowing it).

"Yeah. They seemed nice." Sydney said, having been asked about the people she had wanted to hang out with. They were the first people, outside of anyone in the family that Sydney had been willing to open up to since moving to Florida.

The fact she had taken such initiative made Sophia proud of her, almost even shedding a tear of elation for Sydney, knowing how taxing it had been for her and that she is normally the quiet, reserved girl who grappled with the thought of doing things out of her comfort zone, even back in Louisiana. Sophia smiled, placing a hand on Sydney's shoulder, who looked back with a grin on her own. "What?"

"Nothing." Sophia said, looking at Sydney. "I'm just happy you've already made new friends, and that you're doing things with them. That's so cool."

Sydney shrugged her shoulders, feeling a vibration in her pocket as she receives Suzzanah's text. Sydney's face lit up with bliss as she read it, and her fingers rapidly typing up a response without much of a care about typos.

From: Sydney

---

Hey girls!!!!!! We just got here, so give me a call or shoot me a text whenever you are here!!!!!!!! We'll be chilling out somewhere, waiting. No rush!!!!!!!!

From: Suzzanah

---

I am here where r u?

From: Sydney

---

Sitting on a bench by the foid place

From: Sydney

---

wait its by the feris wheel

From: Sydney

---

I'm with my sister, if your looking for us. Walk to the stores next to the ferris wheel and look towar the beach!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, Sophia sat back up, slipping her hand away as she gazed back out toward the boardwalk, eagerly awaiting a text from a certain person as well, yet quickly glanced back toward Sydney once she stopped texting and starting to look around.

"Here." Sophia suddenly reached a hand into her jean pocket, her fingers fishing around between keys and phone to feel for a couple of crumpled 20's. "It's the only cash I have on me." Sophia took a second trying to pull the cash out from the jean pocket, yet found herself fighting against its' other contents. Sophia then just pulled out her phone, and keys, and sat them on the bench as she reached back in for the currency. "But, I do have Aunt Madeline's debit card if you need some more. She said it's cool if we need to get some money from it, as long as we don't go crazy with it." Sophia added, finally having gripped the cash, and having extracted it out to hand over to Sydney.

The younger brunette gave the older a wide-eyed expression, though such generosity wasn't uncommon from Sophia, yet Sydney looked back down toward the money feeling a bit speechless as she reached out to accept the charitable giving, and then back toward Sophia. "Thank you." She said, quickly stashing the money into her own pocket for safe-keeping, then glanced once more out toward the people passing them by, trying to see if either Suzzanah or Heather were near.

[The Free Territory of Makhnovia]

Heather arrived to the boardwalk after returning to dorm to painting her face, with dark lipstick and putting all of her silver jewelry in place. Since the day will require a lot of walking, he eschewed the corset for a black sleeveless shirt and black skirt with simple black slippers on her feet. She came from the dorm deep in her thoughts and she didn't notice the cellphone vibrate in her purse. However, as soon as she arrived, she spotted Suzzanah and came to greet her:

"Hey." She said simply, walking up to Suzzanah. "Am I late?"

[Tumblrena]

Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach Boardwalk
1741
Wednesday
16 August
2017

Suzzanah is squinting at her phone when Heather arrives and so is bent over and surprised when she speaks to her and startles. She almost drops the phone and it bounces between her hands a couple of times before she manages to catch it.

"Wow, you look like a shadow!" She says looking at all the black covering her friend.

"They are over by the Ferris Wheel they said. I think we are still on time." She answers the question.

[The Free Territory of Makhnovia]

"Maybe I am a shadow Peter Pan loat." Heather said with a serious face. "Let's go. I love Ferris Wheels.Their very shape against the skyline is lit. More so when they are by the sea. "

[Tumblrena]

Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach Boardwalk
1743
Wednesday
16 August
2017

Suzzanah wonders what a "loat" is but she follows anyways.

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

The first few days had passed by fairly smoothly, by now Yusuf had become relatively familiar with the layout of the school, which wasn't all that complicated to begin with and he had already discovered where the quieter areas were, something he would likely be availing of as the year progressed. He wasn't the type to skip classes, but for lunch or break it as always nice to have somewhere he could escape to. His classmates were, for the most part, tolerable, yet another plus. Fortunately for Yusuf, his Daytona experience had so far been unchallenging. Connection to his family had been quite minimal, but he wasn't about to start complaining about that anytime soon. Frankly, not having them in his space may have been for the better. He would happily have spoken to Melanie, his younger 15 year old sister who had always cared about him the most so it seemed. But even she had decided just to leave him adjust, if he wanted to say anything, he would.

Of course he missed his friends too, Jess and Adam, but short of Face Time or booking them both a flight to Florida there wasn't much he could do about that. Daytona wasn't that bad a place either, Yusuf very much appreciated the sun and palm trees were always a nice touch. He was on his way back to the dorms after taking his evening stroll, that was a Seattle tradition he just could not let go of, it always felt rather like a relief to take walks such as this without an agenda, just as time to himself. He passed down past door after door in the corridor, wondering if his roommate was in. Yusuf hoped that he was, and not at that party, he didn't feel like sitting alone in the room all evening. Opening the door he walked in closing it behind him before turning around to notice Jackson was indeed there. "Hey," Yusuf greeted him smiling. "I guess you're staying in too then?".

[Vaquas]

Yusuf Erkan

The first few days had passed by fairly smoothly, by now Yusuf had become relatively familiar with the layout of the school, which wasn't all that complicated to begin with and he had already discovered where the quieter areas were, something he would likely be availing of as the year progressed. He wasn't the type to skip classes, but for lunch or break it as always nice to have somewhere he could escape to. His classmates were, for the most part, tolerable, yet another plus. Fortunately for Yusuf, his Daytona experience had so far been unchallenging. Connection to his family had been quite minimal, but he wasn't about to start complaining about that anytime soon. Frankly, not having them in his space may have been for the better. He would happily have spoken to Melanie, his younger 15 year old sister who had always cared about him the most so it seemed. But even she had decided just to leave him adjust, if he wanted to say anything, he would.

Of course he missed his friends too, Jess and Adam, but short of Face Time or booking them both a flight to Florida there wasn't much he could do about that. Daytona wasn't that bad a place either, Yusuf very much appreciated the sun and palm trees were always a nice touch. He was on his way back to the dorms after taking his evening stroll, that was a Seattle tradition he just could not let go of, it always felt rather like a relief to take walks such as this without an agenda, just as time to himself. He passed down past door after door in the corridor, wondering if his roommate was in. Yusuf hoped that he was, and not at that party, he didn't feel like sitting alone in the room all evening. Opening the door he walked in closing it behind him before turning around to notice Jackson was indeed there. "Hey," Yusuf greeted him smiling. "I guess you're staying in too then?".

Jackson Brady

Jackson had gotten everything settled very quickly this year, much to his own surprise. It was easier having someone to talk to when he was setting everything up, and even though normally working in silence was preferred, that wasn't the case in that instance. A poster of Martin Luther King at the March on Washington hung prominently above his bed, with its sheets perfectly squared away, pillows ajar in contrast. As he glanced across the room, he remembered he'd considered setting up some sort of divider days ago, not out of dislike, but out of privacy. He decided against it, just as he had the year before, and he had been glad he did so. Yusuf was an interesting guy, they seemed to get along just fine. They had talked a little after coming back to their dorm on the first day, and a little more in the days since. Still, he hadn't probed too deep, and much to his relief neither had the other boy in regards to him.

Today there was some party, the sort of thing that the teen would sometimes attend when feeling especially bored, but tonight wasn't one of those nights. Tonight, he was working on some sketches. Dressed in a black tank top and shorts, Jackson sat on his bed, filling in the shadow of a building he had just finished with and rewarding himself with a small grin.

This is coming along quite nicely.

Suddenly, he heard his roommate enter, shooting him a question he almost missed.

"Hey, Yeah, I decided I'd have a better time in here than out there tonight." he responded, smiling back. "I'm not really a party animal."

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

The first few days had passed by fairly smoothly, by now Yusuf had become relatively familiar with the layout of the school, which wasn't all that complicated to begin with and he had already discovered where the quieter areas were, something he would likely be availing of as the year progressed. He wasn't the type to skip classes, but for lunch or break it as always nice to have somewhere he could escape to. His classmates were, for the most part, tolerable, yet another plus. Fortunately for Yusuf, his Daytona experience had so far been unchallenging. Connection to his family had been quite minimal, but he wasn't about to start complaining about that anytime soon. Frankly, not having them in his space may have been for the better. He would happily have spoken to Melanie, his younger 15 year old sister who had always cared about him the most so it seemed. But even she had decided just to leave him adjust, if he wanted to say anything, he would.

Of course he missed his friends too, Jess and Adam, but short of Face Time or booking them both a flight to Florida there wasn't much he could do about that. Daytona wasn't that bad a place either, Yusuf very much appreciated the sun and palm trees were always a nice touch. He was on his way back to the dorms after taking his evening stroll, that was a Seattle tradition he just could not let go of, it always felt rather like a relief to take walks such as this without an agenda, just as time to himself. He passed down past door after door in the corridor, wondering if his roommate was in. Yusuf hoped that he was, and not at that party, he didn't feel like sitting alone in the room all evening. Opening the door he walked in closing it behind him before turning around to notice Jackson was indeed there. "Hey," Yusuf greeted him smiling. "I guess you're staying in too then?".

Jackson Brady

Jackson had gotten everything settled very quickly this year, much to his own surprise. It was easier having someone to talk to when he was setting everything up, and even though normally working in silence was preferred, that wasn't the case in that instance. A poster of Martin Luther King at the March on Washington hung prominently above his bed, with its sheets perfectly squared away, pillows ajar in contrast. As he glanced across the room, he remembered he'd considered setting up some sort of divider days ago, not out of dislike, but out of privacy. He decided against it, just as he had the year before, and he had been glad he did so. Yusuf was an interesting guy, they seemed to get along just fine. They had talked a little after coming back to their dorm on the first day, and a little more in the days since. Still, he hadn't probed too deep, and much to his relief neither had the other boy in regards to him.

Today there was some party, the sort of thing that the teen would sometimes attend when feeling especially bored, but tonight wasn't one of those nights. Tonight, he was working on some sketches. Dressed in a black tank top and shorts, Jackson sat on his bed, filling in the shadow of a building he had just finished with and rewarding himself with a small grin.

This is coming along quite nicely.

Suddenly, he heard his roommate enter, shooting him a question he almost missed.

"Hey, Yeah, I decided I'd have a better time in here than out there tonight." he responded, smiling back. "I'm not really a party animal."

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf nodded in response to his roommate, "I guessed, and chose to do the same. So don't worry, you won't have to deal with me stumbling in here in tomorrow morning". Like Jackson, he wore shorts except instead of a tank top, he paired it with a teal coloured shirt instead. He moved over to his own side of the room before sitting down the edge of the bed. He hadn't added much decorations to the space, with the exception of a Turkish flag which in itself wasn't that big. He turned his attention back to Jackson who appeared content with his sketches. Yusuf had realised he was an artist and a genuinely pleasant person not long after having settled in, it was a relief really, to have a non troublesome roommate.

"They look good," he commented, acknowledging the buildings Jackson had drawn. He couldn't tell if it was a place of significance or just background, but either way from where he was sitting the piece looked well thought out, with good use of tone.

[Vaquas]

Jackson Brady

Jackson had gotten everything settled very quickly this year, much to his own surprise. It was easier having someone to talk to when he was setting everything up, and even though normally working in silence was preferred, that wasn't the case in that instance. A poster of Martin Luther King at the March on Washington hung prominently above his bed, with its sheets perfectly squared away, pillows ajar in contrast. As he glanced across the room, he remembered he'd considered setting up some sort of divider days ago, not out of dislike, but out of privacy. He decided against it, just as he had the year before, and he had been glad he did so. Yusuf was an interesting guy, they seemed to get along just fine. They had talked a little after coming back to their dorm on the first day, and a little more in the days since. Still, he hadn't probed too deep, and much to his relief neither had the other boy in regards to him.

Today there was some party, the sort of thing that the teen would sometimes attend when feeling especially bored, but tonight wasn't one of those nights. Tonight, he was working on some sketches. Dressed in a black tank top and shorts, Jackson sat on his bed, filling in the shadow of a building he had just finished with and rewarding himself with a small grin.

This is coming along quite nicely.

Suddenly, he heard his roommate enter, shooting him a question he almost missed.

"Hey, Yeah, I decided I'd have a better time in here than out there tonight." he responded, smiling back. "I'm not really a party animal."

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf nodded in response to his roommate, "I guessed, and chose to do the same. So don't worry, you won't have to deal with me stumbling in here in tomorrow morning". Like Jackson, he wore shorts except instead of a tank top, he paired it with a teal coloured shirt instead. He moved over to his own side of the room before sitting down the edge of the bed. He hadn't added much decorations to the space, with the exception of a Turkish flag which in itself wasn't that big. He turned his attention back to Jackson who appeared content with his sketches. Yusuf had realised he was an artist and a genuinely pleasant person not long after having settled in, it was a relief really, to have a non troublesome roommate.

"They look good," he commented, acknowledging the buildings Jackson had drawn. He couldn't tell if it was a place of significance or just background, but either way from where he was sitting the piece looked well thought out, with good use of tone.

Jackson Brady

"Thanks." Jackson returned upon receiving the complement. He figured the Turkish kid wasn't about to throw himself into a party like that, especially since he wasn't particularly familiar with a lot of people at this school. He looked down at his sketch again. "Its just some random building in Jackson." he said, deciding to share a little to make conversation. "I used to pass by every day on my way to school, though I still can't recall exactly what it was for. People were always cycling in and out."

Jackson tapped his pencil a couple of times on his sketchbook before filling something else in.

"Normally I do more technical stuff, but sometimes its nice to just draw what you know." He added.

[Vaquas]

Cafeteria
Madison Perkins

Quietly nodding her head, smiling as she heard Caroline shared her adventure, and crossed her arms while listening intently to the younger brunette. Her own face would light up a tad once Caroline had inquired about Madison's own expedition.

"Yes, Italy is quite a lovely place, and I'm so happy you were able to experience it. Sounds like you all had quite a lovely time."

"Normally, we like to travel to Europe too, but this time we had gone to Japan for a couple of days. It was pretty much a planned-extended layover with some sightseeing involved. Tokyo is so amazing, the pictures and videos do not give it justice. Then, we went off to New Zealand for a week and a half. Let me just say, if Japan was amazing? New Zealand was life-altering. I would certainly return there in a heart-beat, when given the chance."

"The shopping was okay there, not on par to Italy. Like, honestly, who can really beat Italy in shopping? But girl, the number of things you can do there? Oh. Incredible."

"If you are an adventurous spirit, and if you don't mind the outdoors, it's basically Heaven-on-Earth. The beaches are just as you can imagine them being, exotic and stunning. The jungle, pretty much the same can be said for the jungle. The Emerald Lakes? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, and I don't even know how to describe them. I'm not a huge reader, but we checked out those cool hobbit huts they have too. They were in some big movie, my dad really wanted to check them out."

Caroline Strickland

Caroline was captivated by the other girl's description of New Zealand and all of its wonders. Lakes of Emerald, vast jungles, she was hooked. She made a little mental note to look more into New Zealand when she could. I mean, what's not to like about a place like that, that you think only exists in fairytales and movies but in reality is only an ocean away!

"That sounds so cool!" Caroline responded "Huts? Like natives were living in them? Like in Africa?" she asked seriously. "I think that would be so neat to learn about other cultures like that!"

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf nodded in response to his roommate, "I guessed, and chose to do the same. So don't worry, you won't have to deal with me stumbling in here in tomorrow morning". Like Jackson, he wore shorts except instead of a tank top, he paired it with a teal coloured shirt instead. He moved over to his own side of the room before sitting down the edge of the bed. He hadn't added much decorations to the space, with the exception of a Turkish flag which in itself wasn't that big. He turned his attention back to Jackson who appeared content with his sketches. Yusuf had realised he was an artist and a genuinely pleasant person not long after having settled in, it was a relief really, to have a non troublesome roommate.

"They look good," he commented, acknowledging the buildings Jackson had drawn. He couldn't tell if it was a place of significance or just background, but either way from where he was sitting the piece looked well thought out, with good use of tone.

Jackson Brady

"Thanks." Jackson returned upon receiving the complement. He figured the Turkish kid wasn't about to throw himself into a party like that, especially since he wasn't particularly familiar with a lot of people at this school. He looked down at his sketch again. "Its just some random building in Jackson." he said, deciding to share a little to make conversation. "I used to pass by every day on my way to school, though I still can't recall exactly what it was for. People were always cycling in and out."

Jackson tapped his pencil a couple of times on his sketchbook before filling something else in.

"Normally I do more technical stuff, but sometimes its nice to just draw what you know." He added.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf sat more upright while Jackson continued to talk about the building he had drawn. "Of course. I guess it's good to try out something you wouldn't normally draw too". Drawing had never been his personal strong point, sure he could do basic things but it was by no means to this standard. Music and occasionally writing on the other hand he was much more comfortable with and was happy to do.

Yusuf briefly glanced back to the page with the sketching on it, remembering what his roommate had revealed about its location. Jackson from Jackson, he thought. What a coincidence. He had never been to the southern states, in fact this trip to Florida was as far south he had travelled in the United States. "Is it nice there in Mississippi? I feel like anything I assume would probably be based off of stereotypes..."

[Vaquas]

Jackson Brady

"Thanks." Jackson returned upon receiving the complement. He figured the Turkish kid wasn't about to throw himself into a party like that, especially since he wasn't particularly familiar with a lot of people at this school. He looked down at his sketch again. "Its just some random building in Jackson." he said, deciding to share a little to make conversation. "I used to pass by every day on my way to school, though I still can't recall exactly what it was for. People were always cycling in and out."

Jackson tapped his pencil a couple of times on his sketchbook before filling something else in.

"Normally I do more technical stuff, but sometimes its nice to just draw what you know." He added.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf sat more upright while Jackson continued to talk about the building he had drawn. "Of course. I guess it's good to try out something you wouldn't normally draw too". Drawing had never been his personal strong point, sure he could do basic things but it was by no means to this standard. Music and occasionally writing on the other hand he was much more comfortable with and was happy to do.

Yusuf briefly glanced back to the page with the sketching on it, remembering what his roommate had revealed about its location. Jackson from Jackson, he thought. What a coincidence. He had never been to the southern states, in fact this trip to Florida was as far south he had travelled in the United States. "Is it nice there in Mississippi? I feel like anything I assume would probably be based off of stereotypes..."

Jackson Brady

To that, Jackson paused, stopping mid shade before glancing up to make eye contact with Yusuf. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, given he had left the place on such awful terms, but he figured that his roommate at least deserved an answer of some sort. He maintained that eye contact as he spoke. "Its nice enough." he said, shrugging a bit before letting out a sigh. "Sometimes the stereotypes are too accurate though."

He sort of let that hang there for a second, rubbing the back of his neck for a second before breaking eye contact, closing his sketchbook, and storing it away on the small desk adjacent to his bed. He wasn't sure if this conversation was going to go anywhere he didn't want it to, but he resolved that if it did he wasn't going to pussy out of anything. Better to be upfront in all that you are if it comes to it, he said to himself internally.

He decided that was a little ambiguous, so he added something else.

"The accent's real heavy." he said, slipping into the deep southern accent he had intentionally learned to speak without. It was accompanied by the tiniest hint of a smile.

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf sat more upright while Jackson continued to talk about the building he had drawn. "Of course. I guess it's good to try out something you wouldn't normally draw too". Drawing had never been his personal strong point, sure he could do basic things but it was by no means to this standard. Music and occasionally writing on the other hand he was much more comfortable with and was happy to do.

Yusuf briefly glanced back to the page with the sketching on it, remembering what his roommate had revealed about its location. Jackson from Jackson, he thought. What a coincidence. He had never been to the southern states, in fact this trip to Florida was as far south he had travelled in the United States. "Is it nice there in Mississippi? I feel like anything I assume would probably be based off of stereotypes..."

Jackson Brady

To that, Jackson paused, stopping mid shade before glancing up to make eye contact with Yusuf. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, given he had left the place on such awful terms, but he figured that his roommate at least deserved an answer of some sort. He maintained that eye contact as he spoke. "Its nice enough." he said, shrugging a bit before letting out a sigh. "Sometimes the stereotypes are too accurate though."

He sort of let that hang there for a second, rubbing the back of his neck for a second before breaking eye contact, closing his sketchbook, and storing it away on the small desk adjacent to his bed. He wasn't sure if this conversation was going to go anywhere he didn't want it to, but he resolved that if it did he wasn't going to pussy out of anything. Better to be upfront in all that you are if it comes to it, he said to himself internally.

He decided that was a little ambiguous, so he added something else.

"The accent's real heavy." he said, slipping into the deep southern accent he had intentionally learned to speak without. It was accompanied by the tiniest hint of a smile.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf looked at Jackson half expecting him to say something other than "nice enough", fortunately he didn't intend on prying much further considering he had no real reason to do so. He could almost sense Jackson's discomfort with the topic. Something felt slightly off. The accent comment earned an amused grin however. "So it seems. It can be a little hard to understand sometimes too,", he added. "I grew up mostly in Seattle, give or take a few summers in Istanbul. So I only really know about living in cities. Both are very different to here, and Mississippi of course." He stopped for a moment realising he still had his shoes on, he leaned down to pull them off, sliding them out of the way under the bed.

"I guess it's nice being here though. I haven't had any issues anyway so I hope it stays that way," he stated somewhat absentmindedly.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Sophia and Sydney Taylor

Only several additional seconds would pass, after Sophia handed Sydney a small balled-up mass of currency, before Sydney located her two friends among the passersby around them.

Sydney's face had brightened, her smile buoyant, and she got up onto her feet to briskly walk toward the two girls without mentioning a single word to Sophia, who only noticed Sydney vanished a brief moment later.

"Hey you guys!!" Sydney shouted while waving her hand, unintentionally loudly enough for everyone around them to hear, and futile in hope of containing an iota of excitement.

[Vaquas]

Jackson Brady

To that, Jackson paused, stopping mid shade before glancing up to make eye contact with Yusuf. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, given he had left the place on such awful terms, but he figured that his roommate at least deserved an answer of some sort. He maintained that eye contact as he spoke. "Its nice enough." he said, shrugging a bit before letting out a sigh. "Sometimes the stereotypes are too accurate though."

He sort of let that hang there for a second, rubbing the back of his neck for a second before breaking eye contact, closing his sketchbook, and storing it away on the small desk adjacent to his bed. He wasn't sure if this conversation was going to go anywhere he didn't want it to, but he resolved that if it did he wasn't going to pussy out of anything. Better to be upfront in all that you are if it comes to it, he said to himself internally.

He decided that was a little ambiguous, so he added something else.

"The accent's real heavy." he said, slipping into the deep southern accent he had intentionally learned to speak without. It was accompanied by the tiniest hint of a smile.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf looked at Jackson half expecting him to say something other than "nice enough", fortunately he didn't intend on prying much further considering he had no real reason to do so. He could almost sense Jackson's discomfort with the topic. Something felt slightly off. The accent comment earned an amused grin however. "So it seems. It can be a little hard to understand sometimes too,", he added. "I grew up mostly in Seattle, give or take a few summers in Istanbul. So I only really know about living in cities. Both are very different to here, and Mississippi of course." He stopped for a moment realising he still had his shoes on, he leaned down to pull them off, sliding them out of the way under the bed.

"I guess it's nice being here though. I haven't had any issues anyway so I hope it stays that way," he stated somewhat absentmindedly.

Jackson Brady

"I'm sure you'll be fine, you carry yourself well enough." Jackson said, sort of to his own surprise. He decided to keep talking, but he layed back on his bed and stared at the ceiling as he did so. "Not a lot to worry about here. What sort of stuff would you have issues with?" Jackson asked out of curiosity. He had minor suspicions based on some preconceived notions, but he of all people knew that that was really nothing to go by. He wondered what Yusuf thought about him, if he'd been a decent guy so far. He thought he had, so that was the end of that line of internal questioning.

"There's always the odd racist but more often than not he's too scared by the reasonable people around him to speak up." he said, still smiling a bit. "I don't guess that was really the case in Seattle huh?"

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf looked at Jackson half expecting him to say something other than "nice enough", fortunately he didn't intend on prying much further considering he had no real reason to do so. He could almost sense Jackson's discomfort with the topic. Something felt slightly off. The accent comment earned an amused grin however. "So it seems. It can be a little hard to understand sometimes too,", he added. "I grew up mostly in Seattle, give or take a few summers in Istanbul. So I only really know about living in cities. Both are very different to here, and Mississippi of course." He stopped for a moment realising he still had his shoes on, he leaned down to pull them off, sliding them out of the way under the bed.

"I guess it's nice being here though. I haven't had any issues anyway so I hope it stays that way," he stated somewhat absentmindedly.

Jackson Brady

"I'm sure you'll be fine, you carry yourself well enough." Jackson said, sort of to his own surprise. He decided to keep talking, but he layed back on his bed and stared at the ceiling as he did so. "Not a lot to worry about here. What sort of stuff would you have issues with?" Jackson asked out of curiosity. He had minor suspicions based on some preconceived notions, but he of all people knew that that was really nothing to go by. He wondered what Yusuf thought about him, if he'd been a decent guy so far. He thought he had, so that was the end of that line of internal questioning.

"There's always the odd racist but more often than not he's too scared by the reasonable people around him to speak up." he said, still smiling a bit. "I don't guess that was really the case in Seattle huh?"

Yusuf Erkan

"I'm a gay Turkish boy of Muslim background, that's at least three things for people to have a problem with", Yusuf explained. "Even in a city as open minded and tolerant as Seattle, there still seems to be ignorant people with nothing better to do," he said before continuing. "It was mostly middle school that I hated, high school was pretty good to be honest, but at that time it was my family that became the issue. Trying to explain to my traditionalist grandparents why I will never marry or have a family with a woman was never going to be easy." Yusuf stopped himself before he rambled too much. He hadn't ever just spilled out so much personal information to somebody he barely knew. It felt strange. He did want to get to know Jackson more though, he came across as the type of person he would like to know. Perhaps this could be that opportunity?

Jackson had never given him any reason to worry and he got the impression that none of what he said would cause trouble.

[Vaquas]

Jackson Brady

"I'm sure you'll be fine, you carry yourself well enough." Jackson said, sort of to his own surprise. He decided to keep talking, but he layed back on his bed and stared at the ceiling as he did so. "Not a lot to worry about here. What sort of stuff would you have issues with?" Jackson asked out of curiosity. He had minor suspicions based on some preconceived notions, but he of all people knew that that was really nothing to go by. He wondered what Yusuf thought about him, if he'd been a decent guy so far. He thought he had, so that was the end of that line of internal questioning.

"There's always the odd racist but more often than not he's too scared by the reasonable people around him to speak up." he said, still smiling a bit. "I don't guess that was really the case in Seattle huh?"

Yusuf Erkan

"I'm a gay Turkish boy of Muslim background, that's at least three things for people to have a problem with", Yusuf explained. "Even in a city as open minded and tolerant as Seattle, there still seems to be ignorant people with nothing better to do," he said before continuing. "It was mostly middle school that I hated, high school was pretty good to be honest, but at that time it was my family that became the issue. Trying to explain to my traditionalist grandparents why I will never marry or have a family with a woman was never going to be easy." Yusuf stopped himself before he rambled too much. He hadn't ever just spilled out so much personal information to somebody he barely knew. It felt strange. He did want to get to know Jackson more though, he came across as the type of person he would like to know. Perhaps this could be that opportunity?

Jackson had never given him any reason to worry and he got the impression that none of what he said would cause trouble.

Jackson Brady

Jackson went silent as he stared up at the ceiling and processed Yusuf's speech. His suspicions had been correct, so that was one Gordian Knot that had been sliced through with a simple passive conversation. He considered coming right out with his own struggle to reassure his roommate on that front, but he couldn't will himself to do so. He wasn't going to advertise anything, if it came up it came up. Right? On the other fronts, Jackson had been raised in Mississippi, so his perception of Islam was probably about as far away from the true reality as possible. He had done some reading on it a few times, but that hardly led to a complex understanding. Ethnicity was never an issue in his eyes. It only ever was to morons and sectarians.

"Hmm." Jackson vocalized, somewhat ambiguously.

[Korhal IVV]

Sarkuz Dreema

As the days rolled by, Sarkuz Dreema was whimsical at most times. Every day, he would repeat the same routine. He would commute to the school via pedicab every day, and once he gets in, it would attending classes, getting high scores, and then going home. Once or twice he would spend the night out with his friends since elementary school. They would eat pizza by the droves, drink soda, and wake up the next morning extremely trashed. While they did go to the dame school, their classes were different and thus they had different vacant hours.

It was the after school hours. The day was slowly rolling off, the moon persuading the sun to stand aside for its queen. As Sarkuz sat on the editor’s office doing his job, he would fumble at his bag, just to realize something was missing.

“Oh hell now… where are my… printed pictures of us together!?”, he panicked as he dug deeper into his bag, searching for the packet that supposedly contained irreplaceable memories. “Just when I thought that my tiring job is done! Pffft… where did I… I think I left it at one of the benches in the dorm area. The seniors are all there though…”, he thought. “Nah, screw it.”, he thought on as he pressed the “Print” button on the printer, which would soon discharge newspapers. “I’ll have to go… mmm…”

Sarkuz then rapidly grabbed the keys of his station and locked the door behind him. He would then walk briskly towards the dorms, his one prying eye searching for the precious item. “I hope it’s here….” he thought as looked left and right. “Is that… there it is!” He almost said that aloud as he saw the little black packet, with the words “Irreplaceable Memories” emblazoned on it in white. He would start walking towards it, but he missed the banana peel on the floor and slipped on it! The people within the dorm room(Jackson and Yusuf) directly in front of the area where he slipped would hear a loud “THUD!”, as Sarkuz fell. He fell on his face and… horrors! His glasses were cracked!

“Oh of all things that could break.”, he winced as he looked at the cracks of his glasses. “It is the one thing that can let me see clearer.”

He would then sit down, inspecting the damage done to him. “God damn litterers.”, he would curse aloud as he brushed off his black trench coat. “To hell with you…”

[The Free Territory of Makhnovia]

Sophia and Sydney Taylor

Only several additional seconds would pass, after Sophia handed Sydney a small balled-up mass of currency, before Sydney located her two friends among the passersby around them.

Sydney's face had brightened, her smile buoyant, and she got up onto her feet to briskly walk toward the two girls without mentioning a single word to Sophia, who only noticed Sydney vanished a brief moment later.

"Hey you guys!!" Sydney shouted while waving her hand, unintentionally loudly enough for everyone around them to hear, and futile in hope of containing an iota of excitement.

"Hey Sydney." Heather managed a small wave. "Where do you reckon' we should go first?"

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

"I'm a gay Turkish boy of Muslim background, that's at least three things for people to have a problem with", Yusuf explained. "Even in a city as open minded and tolerant as Seattle, there still seems to be ignorant people with nothing better to do," he said before continuing. "It was mostly middle school that I hated, high school was pretty good to be honest, but at that time it was my family that became the issue. Trying to explain to my traditionalist grandparents why I will never marry or have a family with a woman was never going to be easy." Yusuf stopped himself before he rambled too much. He hadn't ever just spilled out so much personal information to somebody he barely knew. It felt strange. He did want to get to know Jackson more though, he came across as the type of person he would like to know. Perhaps this could be that opportunity?

Jackson had never given him any reason to worry and he got the impression that none of what he said would cause trouble.

Jackson Brady

Jackson went silent as he stared up at the ceiling and processed Yusuf's speech. His suspicions had been correct, so that was one Gordian Knot that had been sliced through with a simple passive conversation. He considered coming right out with his own struggle to reassure his roommate on that front, but he couldn't will himself to do so. He wasn't going to advertise anything, if it came up it came up. Right? On the other fronts, Jackson had been raised in Mississippi, so his perception of Islam was probably about as far away from the true reality as possible. He had done some reading on it a few times, but that hardly led to a complex understanding. Ethnicity was never an issue in his eyes. It only ever was to morons and sectarians.

"Hmm." Jackson vocalized, somewhat ambiguously.

Yusuf Erkan

The room fell into silence for the minute that followed, with neither Jackson nor Yusuf saying anything. Or rather, he didn't know what to say, if anything. "I guess that's why I'm here. My loving father thought it would be worthwhile sending me to the other side of the country. Not that it would actually change anything, and he knows that. But no point complaining," he stated, half to himself. "I get to see a city I never would have otherwise," he then added. "We've been here how many days now, and it's taken us this long to find out anything major about each other? So enough on my life, I want to know more about you," Yusuf asked considering how secretive Jackson had been so far. At the same time, he was hoping he didn't sound too eager or intrusive.

[Vaquas]

Jackson Brady

Jackson went silent as he stared up at the ceiling and processed Yusuf's speech. His suspicions had been correct, so that was one Gordian Knot that had been sliced through with a simple passive conversation. He considered coming right out with his own struggle to reassure his roommate on that front, but he couldn't will himself to do so. He wasn't going to advertise anything, if it came up it came up. Right? On the other fronts, Jackson had been raised in Mississippi, so his perception of Islam was probably about as far away from the true reality as possible. He had done some reading on it a few times, but that hardly led to a complex understanding. Ethnicity was never an issue in his eyes. It only ever was to morons and sectarians.

"Hmm." Jackson vocalized, somewhat ambiguously.

Yusuf Erkan

The room fell into silence for the minute that followed, with neither Jackson nor Yusuf saying anything. Or rather, he didn't know what to say, if anything. "I guess that's why I'm here. My loving father thought it would be worthwhile sending me to the other side of the country. Not that it would actually change anything, and he knows that. But no point complaining," he stated, half to himself. "I get to see a city I never would have otherwise," he then added. "We've been here how many days now, and it's taken us this long to find out anything major about each other? So enough on my life, I want to know more about you," Yusuf asked considering how secretive Jackson had been so far. At the same time, he was hoping he didn't sound too eager or intrusive.

Jackson Brady

Jackson let out a sort of resigned sigh.

"What do you want to know?" He asked, still staring up at the ceiling.

[Tumblrena]

Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach Boardwalk
1746
Wednesday
16 August
2017

"The Ferris Wheel!" Suzzanah says with excitement before realizing that she somehow answered the person she was with before the person who was greeting her.

She steps back in the conversation and switches to Sydney. "Hi! This was a great idea to come here, the place looks so cool!"