Realistic or Modern What Harbors at Dawn

[Aster]

{ Roleplay between AlmighTy and Aster }​

.​

Rowan Evans, child art prodigy fallen from grace. Who would've ever thought that she'd find herself living in a cramped apartment with another male. Rori Island, if she remembers correctly. It was an odd name, the kind that was hard to forget. She wonders if he's been mistaken for a landmark before. His name sounds more suitable for a location than a person, but she knows better than to remark such on their first meeting.

Scratch that. Their first official meeting.

Rowan has seen the male before on campus. He has the kind of appearance that was hard to miss. Maybe it was because of his clean shaven undercut, or his eyes that were deep with shades of cobalt and silver. Maybe it was due to the scar on his right eyebrow, giving him character. Looking up at him now, she thinks it's definitely because of the scar.

"Uh, hey. Rowan Evans. We have English together," she introduces with an awkward handshake.

 

[AlmighTy]

Rori sat in the middle of the floor painting his latest piece, Rori is an art major and a pretty good one the only problem is he's a slob and a shopaholic. Every time a new paintbrush or sketchbook is released he's first in line for a long time his parents would send him money until they realized he was a total slob who refused to get a job. After getting cut off from his parent's money Rori started taking older women out on dates nothing illegal just a quick date and maybe a kiss on the cheek. It's a quick five hundred dollars which is enough to cover half of the rent. However, between art supplies, rent, and his party life he's falling behind on rent... After a long night of drinking and painting, he decided to put out an ad saying that he was looking for a roommate. Later on, during the week he got a phone call saying someone was interested.

He rolled out of bed and fell on his pile of trash "Shit what if the person who called is from is school!" Rori turned bright red and started pushing all the trash into a nearby closet this was the first time in years that you could you see the apartment floor. After two hours of shoving trash in a closet the apartment was finally clean, Rori took a shower and got ready for his guest when he heard the closet meow. "What did I get a cat?" Rori said walking towards the closet when he heard a knock at the door. He looked at the closet then looked at the door "Shit... Ill save the cat later he began to walk towards the door and greeted the person with a smile. The shouted "Fuck" in his head she was from his school... Rori cleared his throat "Hey... Come in" He said with his raspy voice "This is the place nothing major but it has a nice view of the freeway." he said with a slight chuckle praying that the cat wouldn't meow or that the trash would fall out of the closet or worst that she would go in room he hadn't cleaned it in months. The only rooms that were clean were the kitchen because he can't cook and the bathroom because he cants live with a dirty bathroom.

(The apartment before he trashed it)

 

[Aster]

The familiar smell of acrylics and paint masked the possible stench of any leftover food or garbage in the dorm. Coming from a large home with empty hallways and minimum but grand decor, it was strange for Rowan to find the mess oddly comforting.

She peers into the house before raising a confused brow at the male. He was still blocking the entrance.

"So, uh, can I come in?" she muses, before he quickly shifts himself over to let her in. A giggle is held back out of courtesy and she notes the smears of paint on his hands and forearms.

"You paint?" she asks, already knowing the answer. She knows the smell by heart.

 

[AlmighTy]

"Yes, I love art." Rori walks to the bathroom and opens the door "Bathroom" he says as he walks to the kitchen "Kitchen" Then he walks past his room then goes into a room with nothing but a bed "Your room if you're still interested." He crosses his arms and leans on the wall "Whats your major?" he says with a smile then he coughs trying to cover the cats meow "A little dusty in here" He says with a nervous expression.

 

[Aster]

She follows at his heel as he gives a mini tour of the apartment. It's not exactly roomy but also not as worn down as she had thought it to be. A smile graces her visage and she hums in appreciation as they pass by the balcony. That would make a nice place to paint.

When they come across her room, the emptiness reminds her of home, threatening to pull the corners of her lips down. She doesn't let it and instead, plasters the grin even higher.

"I'm interested," she confirms, ducking her head back out to the hallway. Her thumb jabs in the direction towards the unopened door. "Is that your room?"

The answer was obvious but she asks regardless, just to be sure. She'd respect his privacy but her curiosity often needed to be sated. Luckily for Rori, the redhead's attention was quickly shifted to confusion.

"I thought I heard a cat meowing, just now." Her hand raises to fiddle with her hearing aid. Maybe she was hearing things.

"Probably just my imagination."

Her feet lead her back to the balcony and the dust on the window planes tell her that it's been left unopened for a while now. Either that, or this man just doesn't like to do house chores.

"I major in business politics, minor in art." A short, nervous laugh escapes her. Her fingers fiddle with the ends of her hair. "It's weird, I know. I would major in art if I could but father would have my head if I do."

Then she hears it again. A meowing sound that sounds like it's coming from inside the apartment. "Did you hear that? I think there's a cat in here." Her brows furrow as she strains for the sound again. The meowing is soft but she's slowly tracing it to Rori's room.

"Don't tell me you're keeping a cat in there." It was impossible to lie now.

 

[AlmighTy]

"Yes, that's my room and the only rule I have is that you never go in there," he says with a slight smile but a serious look in his eyes. He watched her walk to the balcony and follows her with his eyes. "My parents support my dream it was art or a chef but I burn cup ramen and I got this scar from a cooking accident," He said laughing then the cat made another sound she definitely noticed "Shit.." He thought to himself.

Rori crosses his arms and looks her in the eyes "If you open that door you will know my darkest secret and you can never leave." Rori stands in front of the room door

"Sign this contract and I'll let you see whats inside..."

The cat starts meowing then there is a loud crash the door starts to shake, Rori "At this rate, she'll think I'm catnapper and with that loud noise a kidnapper as well" He thought to himself. Rori moved from in front of the door handing her the contract. "Will you sign?" the contract just said that she would never tell anyone his secrets and pay rent on time it was a basic contract

 

[Aster]

His rule made her smirk and she rose a brow in challenge. Naturally, she wouldn't dare overstep her boundaries but the temptation was there.

"You have great parents then," Rowan answers, voice dropping to a murmur. There's a touch of bitter jealousy in her voice but does well to hide it with a laugh. "And here I thought you'd have a story to tell," she points at her own eyebrow to gesture his. "How does one cut themselves there out of all places from cooking?" she's sniggering as she crosses over to the unopened threshold of his room.

The contract waves in her face and she meets his gaze face on. They stare deadlock in silence. A few seconds passed before Rowan finally broke the tension with a sharp inhale.

"Fine, I'll sign it," she resigns, fishing a pen from her coat pockets, "But there better not be some dead body in there. It would be awkward to dorm with a murderer for a month huh?"

Awkward isn't exactly the right word, but she's joking regardless. The slight grin on her face makes it obvious.

Using the door to Rori's room as a makeshift table, Rowan scribbles her name at the end of the contract and doodles a smiley face for good measure. "There you go. One signed contract!" she says aloud, passing the paper back to the male. "Don't make me regret it, Island."

She almost does as she hears a crash in the room.

"What was that?"

 

[AlmighTy]

Rori opens the door and all the trash spills out old paint tubes, take out containers, old paintings, bike parts, and finally a fat cat about 30 pounds came waddling out.

“This whole time I thought it was a stuffed animal.” He looked at the cat giving it a stern look “So you’re the one that’s been eating my breakfast every morning!” The cat laid on the floor out of breath and Rori turns to you

“I’m a little messy... “ He said as he started picking up the trash. “Growing up I never really had to clean up anything because we never had anything my parents didn’t get jobs until I turned 20.”

Rori rolls the cat over and grabs the trash under him “Plus my motto is why clean when you can hide it.”

 

[Aster]

"You got to be kidding me," Rowan cursed as various miscellaneous items fall to her feet. She doesn't hide the judging disappointment in her gaze but that easily dissolves into surprise when the large cat waddles out.

"How do you conveniently forget that you have a cat living in your house?" she exclaims, feeling incredulous. Messy was an understatement and she found herself almost laughing at the situation.

She kneels down, rubbing the content cat's chin with her fingers. It purrs lazily.

Rori's room was dim, probably due to the closed curtains. Sunlight filters in, illuminating the center of the room. Sitting there was his unfinished painting: a piece which as Rowan staring in awe and silence.

When was the last time she's seen a canvas? It had been years since she last held a paintbrush and her fingers itched for completion. Despite minoring in art, most of it was theory work and practical skills were all just sketches with the occasional use of colored pencils. Her heart longed for more but her father had banned her from art ever since she started university. It was partially the reason she ran away from home decided to move out.

Rowan stays rooted in her place, staring at the painting until finally she raises a finger and points at the piece.

"Whatcha working on?" she asks casually.

 

[AlmighTy]

“That’s trash... It was supposed to be my take on love but.... I got drunk one night and ruined it.”



Rori pulled it into the living room “ The girl is my art partner June, you remind me of her she’s normally here telling me to clean up.” He said smiling then he sat on the couch “Tell me about yourself.” The cat coughed up a chicken bone then went back to sleep. Rori smiled ignoring the cat this was normal for him

 

[Aster]

She lets her gaze linger on the painting a minute longer. The silence fills, softly broken by her breathing.

"It's beautiful," she smiles at him, pulling herself to her feet and following him into the living room. The cat trods after her, hoping to get the attention it lacked after its time freeloading in Rori's apartment.

Her eyes never leave the painting and when it does, it's only when Rori's speaking. She looks contemplative as though considering what to say next.

"If the rest of the house gets as messy as your room, I probably would too," she admits, her fingers playing with the end of her coat. "What do you want to know?"

She wasn't used to being asked about herself or her personal life. Being homeschooled for a majority of her life, the only people who took interest in her existence were her family's business partners and distant relatives, but even they only cared because of personal reasons. Being the only child to the Evans family, the sole heir to the large corporation it runs, people kept ties solely for future benefit.

One could even say she was pretty much locked up in her home until now, when her father decided it was doing her no good to stay hidden from the world, despite being an eyesore to the family. She's seen the way he scorns her with his cold gaze so she's more than grateful when she's shoved into university. Floundering in a sea of unknown faces was better than being alone in an empty room, especially after she had her lifeline taken away from her.

The painting brought back memories, both wanted and unwanted. Her feelings about her broken home were ever in conflict and her only outlet was through splashes of colors on a empty canvas. When painting was banned as punishment, Rowan felt herself drowning, but still her iron will kept her afloat. Now that she was away, maybe she could finally learn to swim.

"How about I show you instead?" she suggests with a cheeky grin on her face.

Picking up a nearby paint brush and the art palette off, she taps the wooden tip of the brush against her chin as she examines the painting thoughtfully. "Luckily for you, this looks like it's still salvageable."

 

[AlmighTy]

Rori sat back and watching her looking at the canvas.

“How old were you when you started painting?, If you could animal which would you be?, What was your childhood like?”

Rori rubbed the cats stomach watching Rowan look at the canvas

“Save it and its yours” he smiled “in your room closet I have a ton of canvas I didn’t use you can have them”

((I’m at work sorry for the short replies))

 

[Aster]

(It's okay, I had to sleep anyways)

Rowan talked as she painted, filling words in-between silent brushstrokes here and there.

"For as long as I could remember," she said dabbing violets for shadows, "I'm not sure. Maybe a jaguar?" she steals a glance at the cat and smiles, "Maybe a house cat."

Streaks of daisy yellow were added for highlight. The smile on her face dimmed as her past was brought up. "Empty," was the word she chose before she fired the questions back, "What about you? Why did you choose art as your major? And why stay here instead of home?"

She was almost done. Her hands worked fast and it wasn't long until the painting was salvaged. The colors popped after Rowan added another layer to bring out vibrancy. Once she was finished, she took a step back, satisfied with what she's done. Maybe she'd consider restoring paintings as a career. This was fun.

"What do you think?" she asked, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Paint smeared over her forehead but she didn't seem to notice or mind.

The offer of empty canvas made her eyes widened in surprise, "You really mean it?" she asked, excitement and hopefulness pitching in her voice. "You meant that right? No backing out what you said!" Rowan laughed, throwing her arms around the male to express her gratitude, pulling him into a sudden hug.

"Thank you," she smiles, quickly releasing him and stepping back.

 

[AlmighTy]

"I started off drawing on walls... then my mom put newspaper all over the walls and I continued to draw I was fascinated with the things I couldn't have but I could draw them we weren't rich but it felt like it, I would draw furniture and doctors to help... "

Rori's voice cracked then he cleared his throat "Its looks amazing." He was surprised when Rowan hugged him, he smiled then licked his thumb and wiped her forehead

"I guess I'm not the only slob," he said as he started to smile "I'll cook dinner"

Rori went into the kitchen and poured milk and ramen in a pot and started throwing random vegetables "Were missing ketchup.." He started looking around the kitchen. The cat looked disgusted and waddled into Rori's room this was a meal he didn't even want to try.

 

[Aster]

"Oh, oops," Rowan answered sheepishly, cheeks reddening at the act. She was the kind of person who easily lost herself in her art and usually dressed in a certain set of worn out clothes when she painted, not caring much if they were to be dirtied.

Her brows raised at the mention of dinner. Considering how Rori didn't do much to keep clean, she was surprised to hear that he could cook. She remained in the living room, eyeing the painting one last time before waltzing into the kitchen after him.

"I'll let you keep the painting, since it was yours to begin with," Rowan said, squinting at the ingredients he was throwing haphazardly into the pot. "Uh," she was beginning to doubt his domestic abilities, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She pointed at the strange concoction.

 

[AlmighTy]

Rori smiled "I'm making Alfredo, try some its great." Rori held the spoon up to Rowan's face and smiled.

The food looked disgusting and was over seasoned and soupy but Rori was proud. This was his first time actually using the kitchen he wanted to impress rowan so she would forget how much of a slob he was.

"When you move your stuff in just let me know if you need help me and a few of my guys can carry up heavy furniture stuff." Rori smelled the food and made a weird expression "Ill order pizza." He said with a slight laugh as he went to find his phone "Put the leftovers in the cat bowl."

 

[Aster]

There was a heavy reluctance when a spoonful of the dish was offered to her, but she didn't have the heart to reject especially since Rori was standing over her, beaming with pride at his disastrous recipe. She took the bite in her mouth and faked a wide smile, forcing herself to a swallow. The oily bite slid down her throat, almost threatening to be heaved up if not for her iron will.

"It-it's um, delicious," she lied, gagging the moment his back was turn.

"Mental note," she thought to herself, "Never let Rori cook."

Relief flooded her when he mentioned pizza. Looks like they won't have to starve through the night or suffer from food poisoning after all.

"I'm not sure the cat's gonna want to eat this," Rowan said honestly, slapping on most of the dish into the cat's food bowl. Even the cat looked like it was cringing in disgust. She pitied the poor creature, quietly promising to feed it some of her pizza later.

"I'll bring my stuff over tomorrow. I honestly don't have much I'm bringing, but thanks for offering," Rowan said with a smile.

The pizza delivery made fast work and it wasn't long before the duo had their pizzas. Rowan had reached the door first and paid the meal in full, presenting the pizzas like a waitress at a fancy diner.

"Dinner is served," she said in an exaggerated French accent, before sliding the pizza on the table. "What are your thoughts on pineapple on pizza?" she asked out of curiosity.

 

[AlmighTy]

"I love pineapples and I love pizza together is something amazing." Rori smiled and ate his pizza. "I'll grab you some blankets and towels." he stepped into his room for a moment and started to think

"What if my art career doesn't work out... then what... what will I fall back on." Rori grabbed the blankets and the towels and started mumbling to himself "Tomorrow will be a new start." Rori handed Rowan the blankets and stepped on the balcony to answer a phone call.

"So she's sick again," He said to the person on the phone as he rubbed his forehead "I'll go see her tomorrow... I love you." Then he hung up

He entered the room with a sad look in his eyes and fake smile on his face "Do you need anything else?"

 

[Aster]

Rowan remained indifferent to Rori's answer but the quiet smile on her face implied little on her own thoughts which were expressed only after he left the room. She carefully picked out the pineapples from her slice and placed them on Rori's before munching the rest away.

"Thanks," she said, placing the blankets in her lap. Her eyes followed his retreating figure as he left to answer a phone call. The room fell comfortably silent as Rowan ate steadily. Her fingers strummed across the table's surface as she examined the place she'd be staying at in full.

When Rori returned, something felt off. Call it a woman's intuition, but sorrow was a friend Rowan knew too well to mistaken.

"No, I'm fine," she answered slowly, watching him for any telltale signs. "Everything okay?"

 

[AlmighTy]

"My younger sister is sick again," Rori leaned on his room door

"She's been sick my whole life... I can't remember her not being sick my dad said when she was born she was the size of his hand and stayed in the hospital until she was ten." Rori reached in his wallet

"This is her my older sister I took this picture last month when I went to visit her." Rori laughed a little "When I take her for walks people assume she's my daughter and she's seven years older than me.

Rori sat next to Rowan "Do you have any siblings?"

 

[Aster]

(Sorry for the late reply, I've been out lately)

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rowan answered, unsure of what else to say. She remained sympathetic, even when he showed her the picture and placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "What sickness is it?" Was it overstepping boundaries to ask? He was the one who brought it up the first place.

Rowan had been an only child all her life. While she doesn't understand what it's like to have a sibling, she could only imagine how odd it must be to have an older person be mistaken as a child. Her nose wrinkled at his comment, brows knitting towards the center.

She shook her head before getting up to place the plates into the sink, "I'm an only child," was all she said, but the tone of her voice spoke volumes.

 

[AlmighTy]

"No one knows..." Rori sighed "some days are better than others." Rori went into the closet "let's build a fort out of blankets," Rori smiled "Because I didn't clean your room." Rori had a lot on his mind and didn't really want to talk about his older sister. He had always admired his sister's strength but the thought of her dying always lingers in the back of his head. " I even have Christmas lights," he said with a fake smile

 

[Aster]

Rowan really ought to be going back. She hasn't told her father she's moving out officially, minus the angry mumbling under her breath and defiant remarks. All of it was heavily implied but she doubted he'd care. Mr. Evans was far too busy managing his million dollar company than meddle in the affairs of his failure of a daughter. Besides, she still had to grab her single suitcase of stuff so that she could move in.

Given what she's heard, sympathy made her reluctant to leave. "Sure," she answered with a shrug and a smile, "I've never made one before though. Only seen them in movies."

It was a shy confession but she was excited and willing to try.

"My room or yours?"

Remembering the mess in Rori's room, she strayed from the direction of his room to her own. While hers remained relatively emptied out and somewhat dusty, it was by far a better option than the disaster in Rori's.

"I'll get the blankets," she smirked.

 

[AlmighTy]

*Fast Forward a few minutes*

Rori stands back and admires the tent '" I think we did a good job all we're missing is a spot for the cat." Rori looked at the cat "Maybe we should name him... Sir Fluffy or Lazy Cat something. Rori starts to think to himself what if this tent is a little too romantic ... I don't want her to get a bad reputation because she's living with the campus bad boy. "Hey... Rowan don't tell anybody that we're staying together I know my reputation is pretty bad and I don't want you to be listed as "One of my girls." A rumor about Rori had started his freshman year when he got caught dating two girls one in his hometown and a girl on campus. He didn't have a phone at the time so he wrote and emailed his hometown girlfriend letting her know he had fallen for someone else but she never got the letters. When she came to visit him and his campus girlfriend was out on a date after he got caught rumors started to spread that he was a playboy and a heart breaker.

 

[Aster]

(sorry for the late reply)
Rowan laughed, wiping her brow when they finally finished their fort. It looked cozy and she wondered why she never done it before.

"Sir Fluffy sounds nice," she grins, looking towards the doorway in hopes that the cat would turn the corner. It doesn't but she's certain it's hidden in some corner of the flat, happy and content. The little freeloader.

The redhead crawls into the back of the fort, folding her legs towards her chest to make room for Rori. Her hand gestures at him to come in and she's grinning until he mentions his reputation. A brow is quirked in question.

"Huh?" was what she blurts at first until her cheeks redden, meaning finally sinking in. Rowan was a complete noob when it came to romance. She had never dated anyone nor developed any crushes despite having "tea" where her father attempts to set her up with another wealthy businessman's son. As the sole heir to the Evan's estate, it's natural for her father's desire for her to marry someone of status and wealth, but Rowan's heart was never in such things. After all, how could she?

She had been raised as a boy for a majority of her life due to her father's desire in having a son to take over the company. It was just his like that his wife had to pass after giving birth to Rowan and her gender deemed her a mistake, a failure. That didn't lessen her father's motive to "correct" her, thus she was dressed in trousers far more than dresses, even to this day.

Now that she's in college and way passed puberty, her slender curves and soft features were not something capable of hiding, leaving her father to eventually relent. Still, she kept the habit of acting and dressing more masculine simply because that was how she raised. Even her name had been altered, her real name being Rona, was kept secret from all.

"I-- uh, oh, okay," she stutters, looking down at her feet. While she wasn't one to follow campus rumors, it isn't hard to tell that Rori being a looker garners him a bunch of fans or jealous girlfriends. He's probably just looking out for her. A though which she appreciates with a smile.

"How did you end up with such a horrendous rep anyways?" she asks out of curiosity.