Love In The Oxygen, Chemicals In Our Bodies.

[Apollo Lion]

Apollo stands in front of a very wonky Motel door. Its color is almond green, its painting peeled back and showing its original rusty brown coloring. How long had it been since someone had cleaned this place up? Every part of every metals rusted and there were spiders that spun webs on every crevice. When Apollo stepped on the ground, he felt as though he was close to caving in. He was on the second floor, and the unsafe feeling of standing on a wooden rope bridge did not calm the already festering butterflies in his stomach.

Apollo took in a deep breath, then knocked on the door. He waited a little while, but no response. He waited again, then decided to kill the silence by knocking again. Still nothing. He thought that all he did was hopeless until the door swung open, a large squeak awakening Apollo to his surroundings. What came out of the door was unbelievable. A very heavy set man, over stretching past Apollo, with muscles of pure perfection were staring down at him. This mans arms were giant, his abdomen resembling that of a gods. He came dressed naked with only a towel to cover his waste. Did he just get out the shower? Or was he getting in? From the wetness of his body he could tell that the man had just gotten out.

Apollo stood there for a moment, confused and a little sad. The dream girl in which he had thought he had found, who he had thought had lived in this exact motel room, just had another guy answer the door for her, his biceps and triceps, charming good looks and abs completely belittling the young boy. He froze, maybe from the embarrassment or the fear, but he could not get out what he wanted to say. 

The man stared at Apollo, confusion an irritation shown on his eyes, and they boy stared back, fear and utter sadness on his. The man then turned from the boy to the inside room, speaking to someone.

"Pan, some kid is here to see you, " he said.

Pan? Was he talking about Pandora, the girl he came here to visit? If so then maybe this was the biggest mistake of his life. If he did really mention Pan as in Pandora, then that means that he was taking a shower in a motel with her, sharing space, breathing the same air, and walking around in nothing but naked towels. His cheeks turned red and his eyes fell towards the large mans feet, not ever daring to look at him again. 

The man saw this and continued speaking. "He is a very fragile kid."

[Pandora]

While her brother was in the shower cleaning up for a date or something, Pandora was laying across the bed looking at some stupid fashion magazine to pass the time. It was a Saturday evening, and there were a few guys that wanted to take her out for the night. She had no interest in them though. Normally she'd let the suckers take her out and use them for a bit and cause some trouble, but for some reason she wasn't in the mood.

Pandora was lost in her thoughts when there was a knock on the door. Hosi had just gotten out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel. "Are you expecting someone?" Neither were, so it was up to big brother to check things out and see who the hell it was. Pandora didn't seem to care either way and started reading her magazine again.

"Pan, some kid is here to see you, he is a very fragile kid."

She looked puzzled over at her brother. She hadn't invited anyone over. As she headed to the door and had Hosi step aside, she realized who it was. What was Apollo doing here though?" Immediately she remembered what Hosi said about him and said a few things in Russian, obviously nothing nice by her tone.

"Sorry about that, my brother is a dick sometimes." Pandora stood there for a moment unsure of what to do. "Well, come inside."

[Linette Nerissa]

Linette had just finished her set at the Jungle Jam club. The stage was scuffed and paint was peeling in some spots. Not to mention the giant hole to Linette's left. Jungle Jam may not have been the most popular club in town, but a girl had to start some where. She had just finishing putting her equipment in her bag when she felt a hand on her shoulder. That made her jump.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you" It was a guy; maybe a couple years older than her. He had sandy brown hair and blue eyes. "I really liked your set......" he said eyes darting in every which direction: trying to maintain eye contact but not stare. Linette stood there and just smiled at the guy in front of her. It was kinda cute watching him fumble for words. He muttered what seemed like jibberish for a moment until he managed to blurt out. "Would you wanna get a drink with me after you finish packing up?" 

Linette knew it was coming but it still didn't lessen the panic of how she was going to respond to his question. This was one of the main reasons she avoided gigs on valentines day; however, she needed the money to replace a couple of her mics that were damaged in Russia. In a small panic she just started signing to him; saying that she was sorry but she already had plans. He seemed confused for a brief moment and caught on that Linette "couldn't speak"; he must of gotten what she was trying to say because a look of crushing disappointment slowly began to swallow him whole. Linette mouthed I'm sorry to the poor guy in an attempt to make him feel a little better. He walked away with the most heart crushing depressed look on his face.

"Poor guy, i know how he feels..." Linette whispered to herself. She strolled out the back door of the club absorbed in her thoughts. She'd met someone she really like but he hadn't contacted her since she got back home. No texts, emails, calls. "He's probably wrapped up in some spaceship project, and besides he was a billionaire why would he call me anyway". She thought to herself. So far today was like every other one of Linette's Valentines days.

[Apollo Lion]

Pandora came through the door. Apollo's heart pounded at his rib cage multiple times as he laid eyes on her. Her person rid of all depressed feeling that he had. His mind was no longer clouded, his feelings no longer close to suicidal. It was like she had turned his mood from bad to fucking wonderful. 

Before she said something to Apollo, she spoke to the guy with the towel in some form of language, neither German nor English. Was it Russian? She did have a Russian accent that Apollo seemed to enjoy dearly. 

She turned back towards him then spoke, "Sorry about that, my brother is a dick sometimes."


Brother? Apollo thought, his facial expression turning even more joyful. She asked him if he wanted to take shelter in her home, but he politely refused.

"No... Um... Actually... I-I was wondering i-if you w-wanted..."

While Apollo tried talking to Pandora, events where taking fold behind his back. A giant lizard head began to rise to the second floors level. Its breathing was heavy, its aroma flooding into both Pandora and Apollo's mouth. Its eyes where closed, but opened suddenly to show its predatory pupils. The eyes remained on Pandora, its deathly stare trying to burn her eyes out.

"Wanted to ride my dragon...?" 

[Nathaniel Graham]

    Standing there, he couldn't have looked more out of place though no one seemed to pay any attention to him. The young man was dressed in jeans, boots, and a tshirt underneath a black leather jacket. The occasional woman would approach him, even a few guys, but, on this day, he was thinking of only one person.

    Others socialized, drank, enjoyed themselves, but Nathaniel wasn't there for any of that. He waited patiently for the set to end and, when it did, he began walking towards the blue haired girl who was packing up her things, a smile on his face. It was Valentines day and Nate had figured he'd surprise her with a day of wondrous romance.

    Nathaniel had met Linette only a short while ago but she interested him more than any other woman he'd ever met before. Her hair was blue like the sky on the most perfect of days, seeming a gentle cascade framing a lovely face that had haunted his waking dreams of late. And those eyes... Sometimes, Nate felt he could just dive into those warm pools, content to drown in them before he ever reached the bottom. So here he was, ready to make a fool out of himself.

    As he made his way over, however, Nate saw a sandy haired man approach her and he stopped. They talked and he thought he saw Linette smile at the man. The young man's face burned and he turned away quickly. He felt like such a fool. Nate had thought he'd show up and surprise her on Valentines day but he should have known. Beautiful as she was, someone else must have already asked Linette out for the day, if she didn't have a boyfriend. He'd probably read too much into things.

    Nate nearly started to walk away, a strange ache beginning in his chest, when he turned around to get one last glimpse of Linette. He saw her signing as if she couldn't talk and he nearly laughed, his relief instant. The young man felt no pity for the boy who'd just been blown off, though he pushed down secret fears that he may be in for the same fate.

    "Linette!" The young man called out, smiling warmly as he walked up to her, a slight bounce in his step and all signs of his earlier embarrassment had faded.

[Pandora]

Apollo's mood seemed to lighten by the second. She noticed especially after she mentioned it was her brother in the motel room with her. Hadn't she mentioned Hosi before this? She couldn't remember. Either way he knew now.

The poor guy tried to tell her something but as usual it was taking him a little time to get to the point. Not that she minded. Pandora actually found it adorable how nervous he became around girls. Before she could tease him though, something happened. A creature brought it's head up from behind Apollo and stared at her. She didn't have to have the ability to speak to dragons to know this thing disliked her already.

"You have a Dragon? How?" It was completely unexpected. Apollo didn't seem like the type of person to have one. Dragons were extremely rare, and she wondered how such a shy boy found one to begin with.

"Are you sure that's ok?" Pan loved all kinds of nature, especially cool things like dragons. But this one didn't seem very happy with the girl for some reason. "Let me just change my clothes quick." He could either follow her inside or wait outside the door for her. Either way Pandora got out of her skirt into some pants and grabbed her jacket. She told her brother she was going out for a bit and left with Apollo once he was ready.

[Linette Nerissa]

Linette strolled towards the bus stop in low spirits, but then she heard her name being called. She turned to see who it was only to see the last person she expected. Its was Nathaniel... She didn't know what she felt more anger or joy.  He hadn't tried to contact her in anyway til today, but he showed up today which made her feel all fuzzy inside. Despite her feelings of jubilance; she locked eyes with him for a moment so he knew she saw him and then continued walking. In that moment her eyes reflected the rage of all seven seas put into one raging maelstrom.

Despite her effort of displaying confidence and strength; She managed to trip into a dumpster spilling all of her equipment on the ground. "Just great Linette" She thought to herself. She thought today was bad to start, but now it seemed like it was a million times worse.

[Apollo Lion]

"You have a Dragon? How?" Pandora looked astonished, Apollo looked at her confused. Had he not mentioned his dragon before? That did seem like a topic that would be hard to bring on. How would one even start that conversation? 

"I have always had a dragon," he answered, his voice very modest and nonchalant. It was clear from his casual tone that what he said was true. "This is my life partner, Bayla."

"Are you sure that's ok?" She asked.

"Riding my dragon? Why wouldn't it be?" 

"Let me just change my clothes quick." Those where her last words before she went inside. She didn't say to follow her in, but Apollo felt compelled to walk in with her and at least wait. His legs where giving in and he needed a little rest anyway. However, the moment he came inside and saw Pandora get out her skirt, Apollo quickly stepped outside and closed the door to Pandora's apartments. 

When she came out, Pandora would find that Apollo could no longer stare at her without turning red. "This way," he would say pointing towards the down sloping steps. Apollo would wait for her to go first, being as gentlemanly as he could, then he would follow behind her. As they stepped down, Pandora would see Bayla's actual size, which was far larger than one would ever think. When she stretched her neck fully up, her body and neck would tower over the apartments, and even make Apollo and Pandora feel like ants. 

"She is easy to climb unto. Follow me and I will pick a good spot."

Under the dark sky Bayla looked completely black. On her back was a series of spikes that were not very sharp. Apollo used those spikes to climb from Bayla's tail to her scaly rear. When he found good support, he waited for Pandora to follow behind him, if she wanted. When they both stood together on Bayla, they would find that they where above the second floor of the motel. 

"Are you ready to fly?" Apollo would say, looking at her with a smile.

[Nathaniel Graham]

    The look she gave him stopped Nate right in his tracks. The young man was frozen for a few seconds, a confused and hurt look on his face, his lips parted slightly as he tried to find words for the question he felt the need to ask but already knew the answer to. At this point, he wasn't quite sure what to do and, as he stood there, his face melted into a neutral mask as he thought. Gram considered leaving and going on about his day but another part of him really wanted to go after her.

    After what felt like an eternity of mental battle between the part of Nathaniel that wanted Linette and the part of him that wanted nothing more than to run and bury his head in his work, he finally moved, his decision quickened by Linette's fall.

    Nate moved quickly towards Linette, not quite running. He was careful to avoid stepping on any of her things when he walked up to her, holding out his hand to help her up. The young man knew she was angry but he hoped she would take it and allow him to explain himself.

    "Linette," he began, looking slightly confused, his pale green eyes looking at the blue haired woman with hurt in them.

[Linette Nerissa]

The look in Grams eyes melted her heart to the core; it was an unspoken apology that words lacked the depth to describe. It was a million i'm sorrys, one hundred bouquets of roses, and ten long drawn out letters all rolled into one. Linette pushed his hand aside. Despite that look she still wanted to be mad at him; how could he just up and vanish with out so much as a text message. "You can't do that Gram. It's not fair....." she trailed off attempting to gather the spilled contents of her bag. It didn't appear that anything was damaged, but she wouldn't know til she got to her next gig for the night.

Looking back to Gram she notice that he seemed confused by her choice of words. For a genius he really wasn't that smart, and it didn't seem like he was going to say anything soon. Despite how much she wanted him to stew in his confusion; she didn't have time for Einstein to figure it out. "You can't just come be my knight in shining armor when its convenient for you Gram..... I haven't heard from you since you left in Jamaica" Grabbing the Mic that he'd picked up off the ground she continued her hunt for the rest of her belongings.

Finally managing to collect everything that had spilled from her bag Linette took a deep breathe to calm her self only to receive a nose full of dumpster odor  "Just great now my hair smells like last weeks old pizza" Linette cursed in her head.There was no time for her to run home and take a shower, so she just hoped no one would notice it. Linette turned  to walk out the alley; she needed to her to catch the next bus ,but each step seemed to linger in hope Gram would do anything. A small part of her was happy that Gram did show up.......

[Nathaniel Graham]

    Understanding dawned in Nate’s eyes as Linette explained why she was upset with him. Inwardly he scolded himself, suddenly regretting not reaching out to her sooner. He hadn’t meant to be cruel or inconsiderate by not contacting her since Jamaica.

    Gram was at a loss for words. He just didn’t know what to say or do but when she started to walk away Nate knew he had to do something, even if that something meant throttling his pride and throwing himself at Linette’s feet to beg forgiveness.

    Though he hadn’t known her for very long, Gram had to admit to himself that he cared about her. If he didn’t, he never would’ve shown up and most likely they’d never have spoken again. His heart was pounding desperately in his chest, inwardly screaming at himself to do something, to not lose her.

    Each step Linette took felt like another mile between them. Gram feared the resulting gulf would swallow him up if he let it. Staring into it, he saw his life flash before his eyes, heart beating so rapidly he felt as if it were tearing itself apart. The young man felt as though he were going under, his lungs aching for a breath full of cool, refreshing blue.

    He ran to catch up with her. Though the distance was not at all long, Gram was breathing heavily when he reached her and his pupils were dilated, saying all the things the tightness in his chest wouldn’t let him say. Nate took her hand and looked into those beautiful blue eyes.

    “Linette.”