Brave It All • •

[Odette Morgana Neville]

Odette had lived in New York for a few years now, much to her mother's displeasure. She still seemed to be waiting for her daydreaming daughter to come back home and settle into a real life, rather than chasing dreams and wishes around the city that never sleeps. Ettie would be lying if she said she didn't miss Stratford-Upon-Avon and the atmosphere there, but she knew her future was somewhere on a New York street. She was determined and just crazy enough to keep running around until she found it. The bright city lights still mesmerised her each time and there was rarely a day that started without Ettie wearing some ridiculous smile on her face just because she could. She was young, had options and had a good few more years left in her before she would have to start having nightmares about settling down and making some kind of permanent roots for the rest of her life to sprout from.

With a day off from her usually busy job, Ettie took the chance to clean out bits of the clutter in her apartment and catch up on the TV shows she recorded and usually watched with a nice hot cup of tea and a pack of biscuits. She could live in America for the rest of her life but there was absolutely nothing that could take her British nature away from the petite brunette. After the end of the last program she had to watch, Ettie glanced at the clock on her wall and pulled a face. It was still so early in the day and while procrastinating errands had been a good idea all morning she really had nothing else left to do in her tidy little apartment. Finally showering and changing out of the cosy pyjamas she could happily spend the rest of her life in, Ettie was annoyingly disturbed by a call from her older brother who wanted to ask her a bazillion questions about their sister's new love interest. Repeatedly she had to tell him that she knew nothing more than his name, age and occupation. She finally said goodbye and got the worrying idiot off the phone as she was lacing up her boots.

Ettie had a couple of letters to mail off and then she needed to go shopping for groceries and a few other things. A book she wanted was in at Barnes & Noble, there was a sale on in her favourite shoe store and she personally loved putting fresh flowers all over her apartment and right now the only plant in there was a fern that appeared to want to take over her kitchen window ledge. Her mode of transport through the city was a moped; something which always turned a few heads since she wasn't a spotty faced delivery boy. Once parked and with her helmet shoved into the large bag she owned for that particular reason, Ettie was on her way along the sidewalk, almost completely in her own little world. It was only when she spied the face of a guy she had gone on a date with at the start of the month did she crash back to reality. He was walking in her direction, alone, and he seemed bound to notice her. It had been a terrible date and she hadn't wanted a second, but the guy did not like to take no for an answer. This was actually the first week she hadn't received any voicemails or text messages from the guy. Not wanting him to approach her, Ettie impulsively grabbed the arm of the person next to her, linking her arm through theirs. “For the next thirty seconds to a minute, we're together.” She stated boldly, only then looking up to see who she had claimed as a quick distraction.

• • •

TAGGED! Open!
WORDS! 679!
OUTFIT! Summer Madness!
LYRICS! Now - - - Paramore
NOTES! <3

[Deleted]

"Surri, you act like I abuse you or something." Gannicus looked down at the reverse brindle Cane Corso walking next to him. She, in turn, looked back up at him with squinted green eyes. No matter how much she hated exercise, he was persistent about taking her on walks on a daily basis. She was a big dog, that could easily become over weight if he didn't keep her on her toes and feed her the best food he could purchase. Hell, he took better care of his dog than he did himself, making sure she recieved the best of the best. She was part of the reason he even stuck with his goal of becoming a vet. Surri was his bestfriend and closest companion. Even if she was lazy, he couldn't ask for a better or more behaved dog.

With one hand shoved into the pocket of his leather jacket, his other hand was wrapped securely around the loop of Surri's green leash. It was honestly going to be a boring day of studying for him, but the weather was perfect for a walk, and he would much rather have been outside than inside any day. In fact, he figured he would go out and run a few errands while he could before school and work took over his life completely again. He loved what he did, but boy could it get stressful at times. Surri seemed to understand though because she rubbed her head against his thigh as they walked and he reached down to pat between her erect ears.

Gannicus hadn't really had a destination in mind other than to just go out and get some coffee, pick up his equine veterinary guide from Barnes and Noble, and perhaps find Surri a new chew toy. It may not be a long to do list, but who knows, he could always add on. He kicked at a lose piece of gravel and Surri shoved him, "Oh piss off. I'm not taking you back home." She sighed and hung her head in a very pathetic manner.

"For the next thirty seconds to a minute, we're together."

Gannicus felt an arm slip through his own and it took everything he had not to back off as quickly as possible. Looking down, he raised one of his dark eye brows at the petite young lady walking next to him. This was a very unusual situation for him. He was a bouncer and a student. He studied and prevented females from getting themselves in bad situations. He never really interacted with them though. Never had a reason to. And naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is that he hadn't shaved, so his five o'clock shadow from the day before was growing darker. He rubbed at his chin and cheek self-consciously with the hand holding onto the leash.

"And why's that exactly, if you don't mind me asking...."

TAGGED . Odette
WORDS . 500 ish? XD
NOTES . I hope you don't mind me snagging this. (:

CREDIT . this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0. and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Jason Mraz. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere.

[Odette Morgana Neville]

Odette's life in New York was so busy that she was surprised that she had even found the time to go on one date with the man she was now trying to avoid. Between returning calls to her family and friends back in England, her job as Fallon Flynn's personal assistant, and maintaining some semblance of a life in New York everything just blurred into one as time went by. Usually the closest Ettie got to a date was flirting with someone to stay on schedule with work or having some harmless fun at a bar over a few drinks before getting a cab home alone. So she was finding it rather amusing that she of all people had found themselves in this situation, kidnapping a stranger on the street to essentially use as a human shield. She supposed that was the curse of living life as impulsively as she did.

At least it was something she could laugh about over morning coffee with her boss come Monday morning before they turned their attention to the plans for that week. There had been a long list of silly predicaments that Ettie had found herself in since moving to New York City and people often joked it was her English side showing through. It had only been a year for her, so her accent was still noticeable from the first word and more than once she had been mistaken for a tourist or an overseas student. It was something she grew tired of, but something she was polite enough to smile through while she corrected the mistake. Right now she would have happily accepted a misunderstanding like that one over letting the date corner her. It wasn't that she was scared of what he might try, but more to do with the fact that she simply didn't want the hassle today. Ettie wasn't as innocent or saintly as she might have appeared on the failed date. She had been raised with two brothers and had been the girl who took on the school bullies and who usually won; some guy didn't scare her in the slightest.

However, battles could be chosen and this one really wasn't worth her time and if she could just slide on by then maybe she could get back to going about her business. “Because that's about as long as any good non-personal relationship should last?” She offered without really thinking, mainly focusing on the one she didn't want to see. “Or maybe because the guy about to pass by is a hell of a lot more clingier than I'm being right now.” She admitted, finally looking up at the guy she had essentially kidnapped. Luckily, Ettie was the kind of girl who could talk to anyone without feeling nervous or worried about their reaction to her. Glancing sideways, she felt the eyes on her, but let out a long sigh of relief when she was out of the danger zone, the terrible date having finally passed by. “Sorry, that's not usually how I meet people. Normally I offer them a drink. Can I get you a coffee to say thanks for letting me kidnap you?” Ettie smiled sweetly, tilting her head to the side slightly as her attention turned back to the man by her side. “Ettie, by the way. In case you're thinking what name you need for the restraining order.” She was always light-hearted and full of funny little remarks. Over the years she had found they helped keep her in people's minds after that initial meeting and it often worked in her favour that way.

• • •

TAGGED! Gannicus!
WORDS! 610!
OUTFIT! Summer Madness!
LYRICS! Now - - - Paramore
NOTES! I don't mind at all! EEEK! Excited! xD <3

[Deleted]

Coffee, books, dog toy. Repeat. Coffee, books, dog toy. Yeah, that was going to change to coffee with a girl who had just kidnapped him as a meat shield, and who knew what was going to happen with the rest of his day now. He was such a human of routine. Just keeping things as simple as possible. He actually didn't have many friends in New York, even for having lived here for four years. He had his dog, and maybe his boss. For the most part though, he was quite a hermit. Always sticking to himself and never really trying to make friends. He was lonely, yes, but he tried to make himself feel better by thinking that he was in it for vet school and that was it. And then he ends up in a situation with a girl on his arm who was acting so casual that it actually threw him for a small loop. Hell, even Surri was a little apprehensive. She never quit walking next to him, but she was looking up at the female like she was a foreign object.

"You sound like my boss. Non-personal relationships are his favorite." He was about to untangle his arm from her's but then she brought up the clingy guy they were about to pass. Gannicus hated clingy. Especially when it came to guys not leaving girls alone. He had a soft spot for girls, probably because of his little sister. He always felt a need to protect them. His brow narrowed as the stranger walked passed, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't about to turn around. His arm even tensed slightly around the girl's arm. "Well, you're in luck. I don't like clingy guys, so you're safe."

She seemed to ease slightly as the stranger passed and he couldn't help but offer her a small crooked grin at her witty remark. "Don't worry about it... I'm not one for actually meeting people in general. But it was my pleasure to be kidnapped by you, if only for a minute, so I'll buy the coffee." Gannicus chuckled softly and shook his head, "No restraining order necessary, Ettie, honest. I'm Gannicus and this is Surri." He pointed down to the big pup beside him. The two were nearly inseparable, so it only made sense to introduce her as well. She returned with a soft woof and then went back to hanging her head very pathetically. He glanced down at Surri and then looked over at Ettie, their arms were still intertwined, but he wasn't going to move his arm until she moved hers. He hadn't had much interaction with a girl since he left Miami, so at this point, awkward was his middle name and the poor boy was just going to ride the situation out to see where it went. She seemed comfortable enough conversing with him, so he seemed to be doing something right.

TAGGED . Odette
WORDS . 500 ish? XD
NOTES . D'awww yay!!

CREDIT . this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0. and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Jason Mraz. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere.

[Odette Morgana Neville]

Odette was the type of girl who could strike up a conversation with a stranger on the subway and then get so involved with it that she'd miss her stop. It was why she very, very rarely took the subway and preferred her Vespa. She managed to get places on time and not stop for idle chit-chat. No, that happened when she wasn't riding the thing. Just like now, for example. This poor guy could have had anywhere in the world to go but Ettie had selected him out of a crowd and now he'd have to jump in fast with an excuse if he wanted to get away from her. She was too energetic and talkative for her own good, that was for sure! However, it had yet to lead her into any situations that left her broken and disheartened by humanity, so Ettie hadn't leant any lesson in it; if there even was one to learn.

Laughing warmly, Ettie crinkled her nose and shook her head. “Doesn't suit me at all, I'm afraid.” She preferred getting to know people over short, sharp interactions. She knew the baristas in her regular coffee spot, befriended the security guards at the studio sets and even had inside jokes with the countless people she called and spoke to on behalf of her boss on the days when Fallon was at the university campus. Ettie preferred the personal touch in her methods. Ettie did subconsciously turn her slim frame closer to the stranger when the guy drew equal with them on the sidewalk, relaxing away once he was gone. Crisis averted, and she could get back to her life without pretending to live like some sort of guilty spy. “Does anyone like clingy guys?” She asked rhetorically. They were worse than the bad boys in Ettie's opinion, and she had mingled with a few of them in her life.

“I insist. You just spared me the trouble of kicking a guy in the balls. Plus, since you've only just met me, I'll let you in on a little secret; I'm about as stubborn as they come.” Ettie was already turning towards one of the many coffee shops that lined the New York streets, grabbing her purse from beneath her helmet in her bag. “Gannicus...I like it!” She decided, only then moving to unlink herself from him and turn her attention to the dog by his side. “And I like you even more, Surri.” Ettie hesitated for a moment, just to give the dog a chance to sniff at her hovering hand or growl warningly, before she softly scratched the dog behind the ears. Her own would probably be asleep on the couch after knocking the three cushions off and onto the floor first. Sir Didymus was a fussy little thing who likes to leave a trail of where he had been. “So, how do you take your coffee?” Ettie asked, playing up the moment with a dramatic bedroom voice. She figured that she had already made as much of a fool of herself as she could, and she wasn't one for worrying about how others perceived her. She had quirky ways and habits and sometimes they worked for her, other times people were left giving her bemused looks. Either way, Ettie didn't worry about it and just carried on.

• • •

TAGGED! Gannicus!
WORDS! 568!
OUTFIT! Summer Madness!
LYRICS! Now - - - Paramore
NOTES! xD <3

[Deleted]

"Does anyone like clingy guys?"

Gannicus smirked at her remark and nodded his head, "Yes, actually, my little sister. I couldn't tell you how many times I had to peel a stupid boy off of her. It was like trying to take a fly off of a fly trap." And that's saying something considering the fact that he isn't exactly small by any means. He certainly took after his father when it came to his looks. He stood in at a little over six feet tall and weighed about two hundred pounds of muscle. This was partly why he was hired on as a bouncer at such a young age. Plus, he had a knack for making sure girls were kept safe, so that's always a bonus.

Feeling her remove her arm from his, he tucked it in close to himself, burying his hand deeper in the pocket of his leather jacket. It felt weird to say the least. Good Lord, when was the last time he was even hugged? He hadn't been home to visit his parents in nearly three years, so maybe that was it. The only physical contact he got these days was picking guys up and throwing them on their asses on the curb outside of the club. he didn't even really shake hands. Well, hell, he needed to get off whatever tangent his brain was going on if he was going to be a pleasant person at all for the rest of the day. "I've learned that if you can't win against someone stubborn, you compromise. Or make them think that they've won" He grinned crookedly down at her.

Surri looked up at Ettie and licked her hand quickly before she moved back to speaking with Gannicus. He chuckled softly and shook his head, "Black, with a spot of cream." Her tone was fantastic. She was so carefree and relaxed. The complete opposite of himself. He didn't so much care about what others thought of him because he didn't ever give them a chance to come up with anything. But as for relaxed, he was as stiff as a board. Always. He shrugged off his own thoughts and decided to add in, "I don't want to come off as a complete moron, but you aren't from here, are you? Your accent sounds European. If you don't mind me asking, of course..."

Naturally, he was curious, he didn't want to sound like an idiot, but he didn't want to keep himself guessing either. He was a firm believer in the fact that there was an answer for everything. You may have to look extra hard and ask all the right questions, but it's there. You just have to find it. He grabbed for his wallet in his back pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "If you won't let me pay, at least let me tip." He smiled kindly, knowing that he'd be making someone's day. And that he would sorta be winning the stubborn battle. It made him feel like he would have technically bought coffee, if not for himself and Ettie, than hopefully for the barista that would be receiving it.

TAGGED . Odette
WORDS . 500 ish? XD
NOTES . I've got major scatter brain going on. Sorry if the post is everywhere. XD

CREDIT . this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0. and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Jason Mraz. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere.

[Odette Morgana Neville]

Grinning mischievously, there was a slight spring in Ettie's next step. “Or maybe she just likes to torment you. God knows I did it to my brothers.” One was actually younger than Ettie by four years, but he still liked to take on a protective role and mimic the eldest when it came to boyfriends and dating. When Ettie was a teenager she had been exceptionally torturous and dated guys who she knew would press buttons with Thane and Jerome. At least now there was an ocean and a few countries keeping her brothers at bay. Although she was a lot more feisty than her five foot appearance gave off.

Ettie didn't put much thought into her actions a lot of the time. She was forever grabbing people when they whizzed by, hugging friends and slapping them when they teased her. She wasn't the kind to worry about personal space or fuss when someone accidentally nudged her during a Monday meeting. Despite her stubborn nature, she was very easy going and relaxed most of the time, which was unusual considering she was running around sets and offices at least five days out of the week, chasing up missing things or arranging meetings. “It's usually safer to just let us win. You never know which of us are capable of exploding.” She made a dramatic 'boom' gesture with her hands and her face, before smiling softly. “Luckily, it takes a lot to take me to that point.” Unless her mother was around, in which case it usually took less than sixty seconds. They didn't have a good bond as Ettie rolled into adulthood and it didn't repair itself with one on a different continent.

Once time came to order the coffees, Ettie gave in Gannicus' order first and then added a mocha for herself. She was waiting for the barista again when her hero for the day pulled her attention back to him. Smiling, she clicked her tongue and nodded slowly. “Yep, you caught me there. I'm English. I moved to New York a year and a half ago to see if it was as good as everyone says.” She explained simply enough. There were more details in there somewhere, but Ettie wasn't about to chew some strange man's ear off with her life stories. Nothing that spectacular had happened to take her from being the curious Linguistic student in Exeter university to the even more curious Personal Assistant in New York City.

Shooting her dark eyes up at him in a less than serious glare, Ettie relented, but was still determined to put up a fight as she picked up the coffees. “Fine, but only because I suppose I owe you something for letting me use you as a human shield.” She insisted with a coy smile. She found them a table to sit at, just nicely positioned under the final days of the summer sky and placed the coffees, taking a seat and leaning back to relax, dropping her bag under her chair. “I hope you had no immediate plans because I am not in the mood to rush.” She said honestly, sitting forward and dropping her hand to her palm, elbows on the table. “So, when tiny brunettes aren't kidnapping you, what do you do?” She asked curiously. Ettie was a girl of too many questions.

• • •

TAGGED! Gannicus!
WORDS! 572!
OUTFIT! Summer Madness!
LYRICS! Now - - - Paramore
NOTES! I got lost in the middle here! xD <3

[Deleted]

Tormenting was exactly what Rhaella was probably doing. None of the boys she brought home ever stuck around for a long period of time. She never got into trouble, but she certainly kept him on his toes. "Sadly, I wouldn't doubt it. She had a habit of making sure I was always there whenever she would make a scene." Having brought up his sister, he had to make a mental note to call her when he got home later today. He couldn't help but grin at her when she made the boom gesture. "I'm sure I could handle you if you did decide to explode. I can only hope I don't bring you to that point." Which, he'd never actually made a girl mad, excluding his sister, but that was only him trying to protect her. Or perhaps when a girl was trying to flirt with him and it went right over his head. But at that point, he just came off as oblivious and they would leave him alone.

Gannicus waited patiently while she ordered their coffee and smiled down at Surri who was sitting down and leaning against his leg. People often gave them weird looks while he was out walking with her. She was a huge dog, with a big blocky head and intimidating eyes. She had her ears cropped and tail docked. She rarely said a word and usually hung her head because she was lazy. And then there was him, who was a tad intimidating if he wasn't smiling. Gannicus followed Ettie as she grabbed their drinks and headed for a table in the sun light. He handed Surri her own leash and pointed toward his chair while he pulled out one for Ettie. Surri trotted over and laid down next to the chair he had pointed at. He sat down and took his drink in his hands before speaking up. "My plans actually consisted of going to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book, grab some coffee, and maybe pick up a new dog toy for Surri. I'm not in any big rush either." He took a drink of his coffee and grinned at her, "Ha, I'm actually a bouncer at Marquee. And a vet science major at NYU. What about you? What brought you to The Big Apple?" He said 'The Big Apple' with extra joking enthusiasm.

TAGGED . Odette
WORDS . Only about 400 because I worked all day. XD
NOTES . XD

CREDIT . this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0. and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Jason Mraz. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere.

[Odette Morgana Neville]

None of Ettie's relationships had lasted very long or came with serious promise. The closest she had come to true love was with Leonardo during her university year abroad. She had met him while studying in Rome, fallen head over heels for him, and then said her goodbyes when she was boarding a plane back to England. She knew it would never become anything permanent with him. They had stayed in touch, but only as friends. The rest were just fizzled out flings or just to annoy her brothers. “It's what little sisters are born to do. Trust me; I am one.” She was also an older sister, but that job just included some curious questions at inappropriate times. She much preferred tormenting her siblings with her own life than invading theirs. They were thick as thieves, the four of them, even with Ettie living far across the miles now. “Many have tried and many have failed.” She said curiously, raising her eyebrows towards her hairline, her fingers interlinking. “Nah, don't worry. It usually takes a global disaster on a personal level to rile me up that badly.” She said, brushing the idea away with a wave of her hand.

Ettie was the type of person who could be oblivious to the people around her. She didn't notice if people were staring at her when she went about her life. More often than not she was the girl who bumped into people in hallways and crossings and then shouted an apology back to them since she was usually rushing around too much. At other times she could take in every little detail about a person or a place. It all depended on Ettie's mood and the situation. Right now she was in the middle of both; paying attention to Gannicus but oblivious to the rest of the people sitting around them. “Oh, I have Barns & Noble on my to-do list, too! The book I ordered finally came in.” She explained with a small smile, holding her cup delicately with both hands. She had a habit of dropping hot drinks when she was younger and such a clumsy trait would not bode well with her current job! This way was safer. “Ah, one of my favourite places for a Saturday night.” She grinned, sighing wistfully as though The Marquee was some tropical paradise. Taking a sip of her mocha, she swallowed the contents before answering his question. “The same thing that brings most people here. Big dreams and the hope for adventure. I suppose I sort of have that. I'm a PA with one of the film studios in the city, so it's lively enough for me.” She had no complaints about her job, but she didn't intend to be a PA for the rest of her life. Hopefully, enough experience and work for the company would open a few more doors for her.

• • •

TAGGED! Gannicus!
WORDS! 547!
OUTFIT! Summer Madness!
LYRICS! Now - - - Paramore
NOTES! Sorry it took an extra day! I was kidnapped mid-way through this! xD <3