Marlene walked along the road heading the shopping district, twirling her umbrella while enjoying the break from the rain that had pounded the island for the past two days. She wasn't against rain exactly, but being raised by shop owners--it usually meant fewer customers--instilled a certain ambivalence in her for it. Despite this, she braved the weather and quickly disappearing sun to browse the shops of her favorite part of town. The various shops with their constant hustle and bustle was just her cup of tea, and made her feel less lonely than she usually did. She had been here nearly a year and hadn't met anyone that she knew past acquaintance.

Once reaching the district, she was happy to find it was still a little busy, with visitors and natives alike getting their fortunes told or grabbing a bite to eat. While she wasn't necessarily an outsider anymore, she certainly felt that way while watching the locals happily chatting away and she knew none of them. She sighed, and ducked into a tiny jewelry store as the rain started back up again. She collapsed her umbrella and left it at the door to dry before looking around the store, making small talk with the shop owner as she did.

He hated the rain, but being a police officer, he had to patrol the streets in it. Something could still happen, even if it was raining. He had a rain coat over him with a hood, and it still bore the symbol of his employment. He walked along, his blue eyes scanning back and forth across the street as he tried to keep to awnings. The rain had pretty well kept things clear, but he was going to keep a look-out anyway. As the rain had begun to pick up again, he gave a sigh. He loved it when it rained, just not when it rained on him. Malachi stepped beneath an awning across from the small jewelry store and just stared out as he watched the rain pour down. Another sigh escaped him as he knew he would have to go back out into it eventually. He did not like to rest until he had done his usual walk.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, he did not really see anything out of the ordinary. There were a lot of faces that he did not recognize, but that was normal for the island, and he was quite used to it. It would be nice to find one familiar face, but he had a feeling it was not going to happen today. Looking to the rain that streamed down from the edge of the awning. He always hated going through them. He would get wet no matter what he had done. Malachi had been here all of his life, but seemed to just now be going to make friendships and meet new people. Thinking about this made him quite happy. He had met Marle, a lady who he had known since they were children. It was always nice to see familiar faces.

Marlene finished her browsing, finding not a single thing in her meager price range, which was disappointing. What she missed most about home was being the spoiled daughter of a successful merchant, and living as she did now felt odd. While they weren't terrible, the quarters she had now certainly couldn't compare to her lavish bedroom with the canopy bed and satin sheets. Adding to her supposed money woes, she hadn't found work since moving to the island and her parents' support wasn't going to last much longer. These thoughts made her slip further into a melancholy mood as she picked up the dripping umbrella and exited.

Most of the shops around were closing, causing the meager crowds from earlier in the eve to trickle out toward home or the local tavern, whatever the case may be. Instead of either of choices, she settled on the one shop that would still be open--The fortune teller! It'd be nice if they could change my luck. She thought, sighing. Her destination was only across the street and a short walk away, so she opted to run across without the assistance of the umbrella, taking shelter under the awning.

Once she crossed, she noticed well built man about her age who wore a coat bearing the emblem of the local police force. I had no idea they even made coats like that for the officers! How cute!

“Good evening, officer.” Marlene greeted with a smile, a light flush upon her cheeks. She couldn't help it, she was a sucker for a man in uniform.

{OOC: Dude, I just want to say you gained like 50 million awesome points with using Kamelot lyrics. :D)

As he stood there, he noticed the other woman come across the street. She had an umbrella, smart. He had to use a rain coat in case he needed both of his hands for whatever reason. Once she approached, he was going to pay her no mind until she addressed him and he turned to her, and nodded to her, "Good evening ma'am." He said to her, just being polite and respectful as he normally did. A friendly smile crossed his face. He reached up and brushed some of the blonde hair poking out from the hood of the raincoat, and tried to keep it out of his eyes. Some days, he was not sure what he could do with his hair. Malachi was tempted to engage in idle chatter with the woman, but she was probably busy and so he looked back out to the street.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned his weight on one leg, but he also began to think about leaning against a wall. Everything was quiet here, as it usually was. Malachi often complained about how useless it made him feel. All this pent-up boredom, he hoped he would be able to compose himself should something actually happen. Standing up straight again, he strode over to the wall nearby and leaned against it. His hands remained in his pocket, and his blue eyes looked out to the streets again. The rain was making him a little drowsy, but he could handle it.


((lol thanks, but you get 50 million extra awesome points for actually recognizing the lyrics AND 50 million extra awesome points for using Nightwish lyrics, Nightwish forever!))

The rain drops thudded against the awning with increasing force, whipped up by the early Spring winds. This added up to poor socializing weather, but with the officer the only person not fleeing the area, her only other choice was the fortune teller. Who's probably some ugly old crone anyway. She thought, and she much preferred the company of an attractive young man. Naturally.

The officer was ever the professional, Marlene mused, as the he resumed his post. Undeterred, she stepped into his field of vision to catch his attention again. She was never one to be easily dismissed. “Excuse me, sir.” She said ever so politely, pausing to think up a reason to bother him again. “I need help finding the, ah... tavern.” Sure, it was out of the way, the rain was coming down in sheets and it was dark... but it would give her more of an opportunity to speak with him. And who knows? Maybe some lovely wine could be in her future.

(OOC: Thankiee! :D Indeed! I love the Tarja days. I'm not liking the new singer very much. D: And Kamelot's lead singer left now, too. These bands keep breaking my heart!)

The woman had grabbed his attention again, and he turned to look at her with his blue eyes. "Yes?" He asked and she then said she needed help finding the tavern, "The only tavern here is Juniper Bar, I'll take you there." He said as he stepped out into the rain again, "This way ma'am." The officer said as he began to walk through the rain and toward the bar she was wanting to go to. Now, it was a ways away, so they would have time to talk. Unfortunately, since Malachi was in his 'work-mode' he would probably not be that talkative, but if she started a conversation, he would politely respond.

His foot-steps tapped lightly in the rain, and moved through a puddle. The officer looked to make sure she was following as he continued. Poor Malachi had no idea of her real reasons why she asked where the tavern was, to talk to him. He had no idea that she was attracted to him, and even if he knew, he would still refrain from trying to flirt with her. He was on duty, and flirting with a lady would look bad. If he were not on duty, it would be a different story altogether. Malachi had a reputation to uphold. The role of law enforcement was sometimes looked down upon and held in a suspicious light enough, he did not want to do anything to make it appear as though he were doing something that could be unjust, such as flirting with a lady to let her off of something she had done.

((Yeah, I tolerated the new Nightwish singer for "Dark Passion Play" but Imaginarium, I heard a song from that and realized they have now started to sound like "everyone else in mainstream music" but I love some of Tarja's singles. I agree though, these bands are heart-breaking D=))

Marlene's eyes sparkled... It actually worked! She suppressed the silly grin forming upon her lips best she could, nodding in reply to the officer as she followed him out from under the awning, the cool rain sending shivers down her spine. Her feeling towards this kind of weather was definitely teetering over to the dislike side as the evening drew on. She was walking slower than her guide, trying to keep her boots as unspoiled as possible. The soft light given by the lampposts aided her, allowing her to avoid the large puddles as she struggled to keep up with him.

“My name is Marlene, by the way.” She said as she caught up with the officer's determined pace. “What's yours?”

(OOC: Yeah I agree! D: I still love Tarja's voice but I'm not very impressed with the actual music. :/ I really enjoy her cover of Poison though. XD )

Malachi, on the other hand, was walking at a normal pace. The rain did not bother him any. If anything, it made him more relaxed. He still stepped around puddles when he could, and he would look over his shoulder to make sure the lady was still following him. After a moment, she introduced herself as Marlene and asked for his, "I'm Malachi." He spoke to her as he noticed that she seemed to want to avoid the puddles. Well, that was fine, some people did not want to get wet or get their shoes wet or whatever, Malachi did not particularly like it either, but it was no big deal if he had to walk through it. The rain tapped against his jacket as he continued on. It was not very far before they would reach the tavern.

((Yeah some of it is a little tacky. I love, love "The Archive of Lost Dreams" from her new Album. I could listen to that song forever lol))