The man who would be Artemis Cross casually rested on a bench. The evening sun freckled though the canopy of green leaves above him, glittering in haphazard patterns off his silver piercings. His foot bobbing to a silent beat, he sat there content in his own little world.
A shadow passing in front of him broke his quiet revelry. He looked up to see a woman nervously looking at him...
"So...uh...hey!" she began, her gentle voice trying to find some level of authority in the words. "You look lonely..."
Cross stared at her in the same way a child would view a complex mathematical equation.
"No, not really." he replied innocently.
She seemed momentarily stunned by the response, obviously trying to regroup her approach.
"Oh...oh...uhh....well, b-big....umm..yeah, big boy..." she tried again. "...if you're looking for a good time, I know where you can find one..."
She paused, shaking her head with a confusion.
"No...no...I mean...no, I mean...if you're looking for a good time...I..wait..." she sort of stammered, trying to remember something obviously complex. She took a deep breath, nodding with some form of mental acceptance. "Are you looking for a good time? Yes. Yes, that's what I mean. Are you looking for a good time..."
"Always!" Cross nodded with a goofy grin.
"Oh." she said, seeming to find some surprise in his positive response. "Oh, yes...well...I know where one is....I...no. Wait...oh...what am I supposed to say? Ummm..."
She bit her lower lip a bit, trying to figure out what the proper response was...
"Well, if you're looking for a good time, then I'm the woman for you." she stated in a very rehearsed fashion.
She then paused, tilting her hip out to the left a bit, obviously trying to show off her curve in a sexy manner. It came across as a back spasm.
"Are you in pain?" Cross asked, his brow furrowed.
Her expression fell a bit, letting her posture resume its normal off-balance tilt. And, finally, just sat down on the bench next to him.
"OH....poot." she said with a disappointing sigh. Her head hung low, trying as she might to wiggle her feet out of the platform stilts that seemed to have been surgically planted to the bottom of her feet.
"What's wrong?" Cross asked, turning in his seat to watch her.
"Oh, nothing..." she replied. shifting uncomfortably in the tight, neon-red skirt. "...I just suck at this..."
Cross was becoming more and more lost.
"You seem to be sitting, just fine." he shrugged sincerely.
She giggled a bit, looking over at him. The small smile on her face obviously shone through the gaudy make-up she was wearing. And, it sparkled more than the fake-gold earrings she pulled at.
"No, silly..." she finally said. "...I was trying to proposition you..."
"Proposition me...for what?" he asked, curious at this enigma that had made herself comfortable next to him.
"Well....for sex..." she explained, seeming to find more embarrassement that he didn't understand.
"Oh." he said, his face going into a thoughtful expression.
"I guess I didn't do it right..." she sighed, looking back down again.
Artemis thought about this for a moment, then turned back to her.
"You could try again, if you like?" he offered.
She glanced over at him, unsure of his sincerity.
"You....serious?" she asked cautiously.
"Absolutely." he nodded with the same dumb grin.
Her smile suddenly widened, like finding that red bicycle at Christmas. Then, she bolted back up on her now bare feet. Cross got a better look at her, now. She was much shorter than her incredible height had at first suggested. A smaller frame than her poor attempt at being sexed-up. But, the smile. The smile was real.
She cleared her throat, as if getting ready for a recital.
"Okay....okay....okay..." she breathed to herself, trying to find her moment. Then, she opened her eyes with steady determination.
"So...you looking for a good time...big boy?" she asked, finding more confidence in her words this time around.
He grinned, nodding.
"Better...much better..."
"Really??" she squealed. "I didn't flub the end?"
"No, no...the 'big boy' was perfectly paused..." he nodded.
She squealed again, twirling in place with a childlike glee. Artemis just smiled, enjoying her innocent joy.
"So?" she finally asked, still a bit breathless with the achievement.
"....so?" he asked curiously.
"....so....are you?" she prompted him. "Interested?"
"In a good time?" he made sure.
"Yeah..." she nodded, still grinning.
"Always!" he responded exactly as before.
"Oh!" she nodded, the reality suddenly sinking in. "Okay, great...let's go..."
Cross looked back and forth.
"Go where?"
"It's up to you....uhh...your...place?" she offered weakly.
Cross narrowed his eyes.
"Is this about sex again?"
"Well........yeah..." she shrugged.
"Oh." he said, glancing away in thought. "Okay. Well then, no. I'm not looking for a good time."
Her expression crashed.
"Did I...did I do it wrong? I can do it again!" she fumbled.
Artemis stared at her for a moment.
"Actually, I kind of liked it when you were sitting down here..." he replied, patting the seat next to him.
She paused quizically, finally sitting down next to him.
"You...I'm not really..." she began, stammering a bit. "...I'm not sexy enough, am I?"
"No, not at all." Cross replied. "I think you're hot."
She seemed to find some joy in this.
"You're just saying that..." she shrugged off.
"No I'm not." he stated matter-of-factly. "You have a killer ass."
"I do?!" she squealed, suddenly looking back up at him, all the previous excitement returning to her expression. "Really?"
"Without a doubt." he assured her. "And your tits are truly happening."
She giggled a bit again, looking down at her own modest bossom.
"...they're real, you know..." she added in a quiet modesty. "Wanna feel?"
"No thanks." he said, his grin becoming wider. "But, I would like something from you..."
She looked up with anticipating eyes. "...yes?"
"Your name, please."
She stared at him for a moment, to see if he was joking. But, as with this entire exchange, his sincerity had not altered.
"Ummm...Candi." she finally said. "Candi Cannon."
"Candi Cannon." he repeated with a nod. "That's a neat name."
She shrugged, looking away a bit.
"It's just...my stage name." she admitted.
"Oh? What stage is that?"
"The Red Room...down near the east bay..." she explained. "...well, it was...it closed last week..."
"Never been there." he said. "What's it like?"
She shook her head, trying to find the words...
"Like any other strip club, I guess..." she explained innocently. "....it's sort of...red. Lotsa red carpet and stuff."
"I like red." he nodded.
She looked back up at him again. And this time, she really stared at him, trying to find a handle on this odd man.
"So....what's your name?" she finally asked.
"Artemis. Artemis Cross." he said, offering her a hand. She shook it with a gentle grip.
"I like your name. It's...neat." she finished, mimicking him.
"It's just my stage name." he shrugged.
"Ha! And what stage is that, Mr. Cross?" she responded in kind.
"Life." he smiled.
She paused, her quizical expression returning.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"Nowhere near."
"So...what are you doing? Here, I mean?"
He looked around, as if searching for the answer himself.
"At the moment....waiting on the bus..." he finally admitted.
"The bus?" she asked, looking around, herself. "But...this is the park..."
Artemis seemed taken back with this information, suddenly looking all around him. They were, indeed, sitting on the bench in the middle of the city park.
"Well...guess that explains why it hasn't come by in the last seven hours..." he nodded.
She began giggling, he in turn finding something humorous in her laughter.
"I like you....you're funny..." she said innocently.
"And I like you because you think that..." he replied.
She laughed even harder. He matched it, to an almost disturbing degree.
After a moment or two of this, she turned to a forward facing position again. He did the same. And the two sat there quietly for a few minutes.
"So....where are you going?" she finally asked.
He shrugged.
"Down a path less traveled..."
"...what?"
He looked over at her.
"Oh, sorry. I thought you were speaking metaphorically." he explained. "Umm...no idea. I have no idea where I'm going."
"I know how you feel..." she nodded, folding her arms.
".......metaphorically?" he asked to make sure.
She grinned at him. Then, finding some emotional hiccup in the moment, her expression fell.
"I need to get out of this city..." she mumbled mainly to herself.
"So, what's stopping you?" Cross asked.
She looked up at him, not actually prepared for this man's sincere interest.
"Nowhere to go, I guess..." she admitted.
"I know how you feel." he nodded. "Literally."
They both smiled. And Cross knew that he liked this girl.
"You know...since neither of us has anywhere to go...why don't we go together?" he offered.
She paused, studying him.
"But...but I don't even know you..." she stammered a bit.
"Well, I don't know you either." he replied in kind. "And, don't try anything with me, I'm telling you right now. I'm not that kind of guy..."
She broke into laughter again, Cross just grinning. Mainly at making a successful joke.
"So...seriously?" she asked again, "You want me to just up and take off with a stranger? To...to anywhere?"
"And everywhere." he said. "Your choice, of course. Go nowhere here....or go nowhere with me...somewhere else."
She thought about this for a few moments, still not quite sure she felt comfortable with the situation.
"How...how do I know I can trust you?" she asked.
He studied her in return, finally leaning over to whisper something in her ear.
She jerked back with an excited giggle, rubbing her ear.
"What was THAT??" she cooed with a flushed pant.
"My real name." he stated seriously.
"It tickled my...my...my head..." she replied, shaking her head back and forth a little.
"That's why I don't say it often." he shrugged.
"And...and you said it to me? So that I'll trust you?" she asked.
"Yes."
"....that's an odd form of trust..." she admitted.
"What's more personal than someone's name?" he asked sincerely. "I'm giving you my real name freely, as a sign of trust."
She thought on this for a moment. Then, she leaned over looking straight into his eyes.
"Twyla."
"Twyla?" he asked.
"That's my name." she said. "Twyla Jones."
He held his hand out, shaking hers again,
"Pleasure to meet you Twyla."
She grinned.
"Ready for our journey?" he asked, standing up.
"Yeah...yes." she said, finding some type of refreshing confidence in the statement. "Yes I am."
"Good...let's go." he nodded, beginning to walk.
"Wait..." she stopped him. "...I just need to get some things from my place first. Is that okay?"
"Sure, I don't see why not..." he shrugged. "...which direc--"
A burst of wind suddenly ripped at his hair and face, cutting his words off. After blinking a few times, he looked up at her.
She was still standing there. But, now, she had a bag thrown over her shoulder.
"Ready." she smiled. And, in her eyes, he could see that she was terrified of what his next reaction would be.
"That was......fast." he admitted.
"....yeah..." she replied with a cautious expression.
Cross smiled.
"Neat." he said, offering his arm out.
She gave a relieved smile in return, wrapping her arm through his.
"Neat..." she agreed.
The two set off down their new path...
