[Atoli01]

"So you're a country girl!"

Oh that was the last straw. Rhys snapped around and slapped the taller boy right across the face. That had to have been the fiftieth time she had heard that just today. Being looked upon with such rage by a girl a foot shorter than him was something just short of degrading. "Yeah, well me being a country girl is what got us out of that shithole! Remember that my granfather's connections are the only thing keeping us out of jail for the next two years!"

Still, Rook's smirk wavered for only a moment. "Yeah, yeah, country girl, I hear you loud and clear," Rook said with a sigh. He gave her head a pat and stepped ahead before he could get slapped for that too. They both knew that he was guilty. They could have lied about their age and gotten away with a slap on the wrist if they had only been tagging the side of the building. Instead, Rook had decided to bring a few... herbs to pass out to the gang, and the rest was history. Rhys refused to touch the stuff--as always--but still, she got caught up in it.

So now they were here, on her grandfather's farm, standing in front of a pile of Tuskow dung. What a shitty situation.

[Atoli01]

Rhy's old man appeared behind them, his face stern. "No time fo' playin'," he grunted. Stuck a shovel in both of their hands and huffed. "Now I'unno how ya convinced lil' Rhys to do sum'thin like that, but I ain't happy with either of ya. And Rhys... this ain't a good way fo' me to meet the boyfriend." Rhys's body went rigid and her lips flattened into a line. She was feeling vulnerable.

One, I did not touch those drugs--though I still might have been doing something else illegal--and two, he's not my boyfriend!

It was strange to see Rhys so very obedient, but one could tell her words were choking her. "Yes, grandfather. We will work hard. Thank you for your help, and I promise it won't..." She hesitated. "It won't happen again." It was Rook who had to stifle a snicker. Like hell it wouldn't happen again! Rook elected to turn his back to the scene before he could do anything to screw up the situation even further. Just let Rhys handle it. She new her grandfather better than he did, anyhow.

[Atoli01]

It was a number of tense moments before Rook was able to speak again, and when he finally was, it was time to get to work. Without her grandfather even saying it, it was obvious what the pair was tasked to do. There was an exemplary pile of shit sitting in front of their faces, and a Tuskow barn perched serenely on the horizon.

"I'm convinced that jail at least smells better than this." With a drawn out humpf!, Rook perched the worn shovel up on his shoulder and started off to his personal hell. It'd surely be a wonder if Rhys could even pick the shovel up,, the boy thought, now quite smug of himself and his strength.

[Atoli01]

Despite being the head of a gang of juvenile delinquents--god knows how so tiny a girl pulled that one off--it became clear to Rook that the girl was, in at least some capacity, a priss. Or a clean freak. It was all the same to him. He watched on in amusement as she tip-toed around little brown mounds. Whenever Rhys noticed him, she shot him an icy glare and he got back to work. The boy just couldn't keep his eyes off the blue-haired haired girl, even in stench and decay that surrounded them. It was perhaps the perfect contrast to the girl's beauty.

How curious...

[Atoli01]

"So, are you going to stop ogling me at some point today, Rook?"

They had been working for a few hours already. Rhys stood with a hand on her hip and shovel in the other. Her cheeks were flushed, but whether it was from the heat or embarrassment, Rook couldn't tell. He stared at her with a blank look in his eyes, clamoring and grasping for the first answer to rise to the surface of his brain.

And that was when he noticed it.

[Atoli01]

One. Deep. Breath. Should he tell her? Should he not? It felt as though he spent an eternity debating the decision. She's going to freak out, Rook. Prepare yourself.

"You... have..." he scratched his cheek in hesitation. "Right... right there. On your cheek. There's..." Rhys's eyes widened in fear; she knew what Rook meant immediately. Her hand, seemingly in slow motion, rose toward her face. "NO!" Rook screamed, and Rhys froze. "Just... just go inside. Show your grandfather. Wash it off, and don't you dare look in the mirror until you're done. I don't need you going into a panic."

[Atoli01]

Fast forward half an hour, and Rhys was still missing. She had taken off toward the house before Rook could even finish his sentence, with what he swore were tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. How pathetic she must have felt. He knew that expression of her's. It was one of both disgust and lost pride. He was such an idiot. There wasn't one way in the whole goddamn world he could make her get back to work after that. If it was anyone but Rhys he wouldn't give a damn, but it was, and that was the problem.

He was going to finish the rest of the job by himself. That was his resolve.

[Atoli01]

Rook wasn't someone who so easily went back on his word, so when Rhys emerged another half hour later, he turned the girl right back around. Apparently her grandfather had been scolding her the entire time, but her eyes spoke of wounded pride. He pretended to ignore it of course, like he did all the sides of her she hated. Rhys was one of those few people who managed to demand every ounce of his attention; it was nigh impossible for him not to take note of even the smallest changes in her words, appearance, and attitude. He hung on  each one.

She put up quite the fight, that was for sure, but Rook was unperturbed. Rook had already steeled himself for the task, and he sure as hell wasn't going to stop half way. Resigned, Rhys retreated to the house and left Rook to work until sundown. His muscles were sore and it was likely that no amount of showers would get the stench off of him, but it was his own personal form of atonement. Rook didn't expect her to understand. Hell, he barely understood, but he did was his body told him to do. And thank god he did, because if he had taken just another ten minutes, the night sky would have hindered work indefinitely.

[Atoli01]

Rook came to find out, after making his way into the house and (mostly) stripping at the door, that Rhys had been sent to help the rest of their group in taking care of the Roosken and Yingshee. From what he understood, it didn't include heaping piles of crap, and that was good enough for Rook. Rhys has stayed on the couch in the living room, waiting for his return. There was a towel and a washcloth perched neatly on the edge of her legs. It seemed she had already showered herself. Her wet hair was dripping onto her fresh sleep clothes.

The moment their eyes met, her expression softened. Rhys leapt from her chair and crossed the room in a flash. Before Rook knew it, there were fresh towels pressed onto his bare chest. "One, don't strip like that in front of a lady! Two, take a shower. The stench is revolting! Three...!" Rook could sense the hesitation in her voice. Oh man, what did he do wrong this time?

[Atoli01]

"Three... if you keep acting like that..." Rhys's voice lowered to a whisper. "The others are going to get to thinking you have a thing for me..."

Rook couldn't see her face clearly, but what he could see of it was bright red. This time... this time, it was definitely from embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry. Well you know that's not true, right? That's all that matters, haha!" And he patted the girl on the head in a piss-poor attempt to hide his face, now mirroring the warmth of Rhys's own. Rhys stood frozen until Rook took the towels from her hands. She nodded weakly; it was almost like the action reminded Rhys that a response was warranted.

"I'll be in the shower, little one. Don't imagine doing too many dirty things to me while I'm gone," Rook told her, and winked. He was used to these quick recoveries. He had to be. Their flirtations would never stop, after all. They'd never change.

And so another moment slipped by when Rook could have just told his best friend, "I love with all my heart."