• What Happened •

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton was more than slightly confused. When she'd woken up this morning, she'd found a note from Paige on the kitchen counter. It was a usual means of communcation for the twins with both of their hectic schedules, but that wasn't what surprised her. What was written inside the folded paper, however, puzzled her. There was an address scrawled in Paige's hand, along with a few words. "Nix wants to see you this morning. Love, Paige." No explanation, no good morning... just that Nix wanted to see her. Sure, she'd hung out with the hyper-active blonde boy a few times now, but she didn't understand why he'd want to see her, especially on a Sunday morning. There had to be something going on here. Didn't there?

With an internal sigh, Pay got dressed into the comfiest clothes she could find and tugged on her thick jacket. It wasn't chilly out today at all, so she grabbed it more out of habit than anything. During winter, it was a rare occasion if you ever found her bundled up in anything less than an eskimo would wear. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and headed off to Nix's, the address shoved into her pocket. Maybe she could con him into getting food later, but she wasn't hungry for now. If anything, she was anxious about what this was all about. Pay didn't like surprises, as Paige very well knew. All of this just screamed "strange" to her and kept her on her toes. Or, more so than she normally was around Nix. The guy could really get Payton out of her shell, and she was afraid of that. She liked being pulled back from the world. The less people she knew, the less people could make fun of her or tease her or pity her. But when Nix was around, she found all of that logic going to the wind.

Pay pulled the tiny piece of paper from her pocket, checking the address once more before reaching for her phone. She tapped the screen, quickly sending a text up to Nix to see if he'd come down to meet her. Making her way through a sea of even more people was not in her best interest right now, and she'd rather not walk into the wrong apartment. Her patience only lasted so long when she was embarrassed and there was a strong chance she'd be on her way back home if this wasn't in fact his building.

Wrapping her arms tight around herself, she awaited his reply and flickered her eyes to the confusion of people surrounding her. Sometimes, it was amazing to realize just how many other people inhabited the same city she did. Her thoughts enveloped her, distracting her from noticing the door behind her opening. A strong pair of arms flying around her snapped her out of her mind, however, making her jump and blink in fright for a long moment as she noticed who'd circled her into the uncharacteristic hug.

WORDS: 524!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: Nixxy's House!
OUTFIT: hmm?
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

“Phoenix Austin McKenzie! What in the hell are you thinking sticking your nose in where it don’t belong, again?” Nix could practically hear his mother screaming at him the second he woke up that morning, grinning as he realised that today was the day his plan took action and became more than just the thought that had been bugging him for weeks on end. He climbed from his bed and danced merrily towards his bathroom, the spiderman boxer shorts doing nothing but emphasising what a giant kid the twenty two year old really was.
He whizzed through his morning routine with more energy than was acceptable at this hour of the morning, but Nix didn’t have the time to stop, not even when he ran downstairs to the Starbucks across the street from his apartment to get his morning cup of coffee, though the caffeine was not necessary for the Duracell Bunny as he raced back up the stairs two at a time, too impatient to wait on the rickety old elevator that often made him fear for his life.

Paige had warned him about the dangers of his plan and had explained repeatedly and in more detail than was necessary about the harm that could come from it. Nix, however, had waved the blonde twin off with a flick of his wrist and a rather wet kiss, before simply reminding her that no one had to know that she knew about this plan. All she had to do was tell Payton that he wished to see her and he would do the rest. He didn’t want to cause conflict between the twins, but he did want to help and he believed that this could be just the way to pick up the sorrowful brunette who he simply adored coaxing a smile out of whenever he saw her.

Skipping around his apartment, munching on his breakfast of Red Vines (yet another incident that had his mother’s thick drawl swirling around his mind) Phoenix moved to unwrap the surprise he had planned for Peyton. Borrowed from a friend of his, Nix carefully removed the guitar from the sturdy case and rested it against the wall, out of sight slightly, but clear enough to reach. He had spoken to Paige about this and heard wondrous tales of their past that he wanted to bring to life in the present and future. His neighbours may not approve of his drums, but a soft guitar when they were already out at work could do no harm to anyone.

His phone loudly played out the theme to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and he stretched across the table to reach it, flipping it open and grinning at the text message signalling Payton’s arrival at his messy but humble abode.
Taking to the stairs again, he soon reached the ground floor and ran outside, grabbing the recognisable brunette around the waist and spinning her around in a custom Nix hug, before placing her gently on the chewing gum stained floor of his apartment building, stepping around her to face her. “Hey!”

[/color] He grinned brightly, stooping low to kiss her cheek with his Red Vine scented lips.
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• • •

TAGGED! Payton!
WORDS! 636
OUTFIT! hip dork!
LYRICS! Piano Man - - - Billy Joel
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

There was a reason Payton avoided talking about home with anyone other than Paige. She didn't like remembering who she'd been only a few years ago; it was too painful for even her. That starry eyed girl who'd had the world in her hands wasn't Pay anymore, and never would be again. Reminding herself of it only caused her to be more withdrawn than normal and for Paige, once again, to threaten taking her to a therapist for her "issues". So, the last thing she expected out of today was for Nix to be bringing that up. Hell, she didn't even know Paige had told him about it. Payton knew her twin had told some people, that was for sure, because they usually all tended to look at her differently when they found out about her. Or, more differently than they already did. Another reason Pay didn't go around blabbing about her past.

She hardly expected Nix to be the one to flip her life upside down. He was always the cheery blonde boy who could usually make some sort of smile twitch upon her lips, and it was the one thing she loved most about him. It wasn't that other people didn't try too because, trust her, she'd seen enough of them fail at it miserably. Rather, it was just that he did this with everyone and not solely her. He didn't treat her any differently than the few other people she'd seen him talking or laughing with. Right there was the biggest reason for him being able to give her a smile.

Pay stiffened as he spun her around, surprise sparking in her eyes. She hadn't heard him coming and he'd scared her; though, her hugging someone was definitely scary on its own. If Paige could've seen her, Payton was sure there would've been some award going around Nix's neck right about now. Her fingers clung tight to him as he finally stopped spinning, a tiny grin already teasing on her lips as his lips bent down to peck her cheek. There was a strong sweetness to his breath that suggested he'd been fueling his hyperness with some sort of sugar and coffee. So, that's how he always had so much darn energy!

"Good morning," she mouthed slowly, unable to reach his hands right now for her typical spelling out of words. Besides, that took forever to do, and Pay really wanted to know why she was here. She gave him a questioning look, brushing some of her hair back behind her ear. Her hands twitched as she automatically prepared to sign, but she quickly remembered Nix wouldn't be able to understand a thing she was saying. She'd really have to get to work on teaching him if this friendship were to continue. Especially with the way he typically speed-talked! With a silent sigh, she reluctantly grabbed one of his hands, "Why am I here?"

WORDS: 518!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: Nixxy's House!
OUTFIT: hmm?
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Nix’s biggest problem was understanding boundaries. Physically, that came with the way he greeted and parted with people. He couldn’t fathom the idea that not everyone was as comfortable with hugs and kisses and other forms of associated PDA like he was and never paused to consider that someone he barely knew may not like being grabbed and showered with the affectionate gestures that he was so known for.
Then it manifested itself in questions. He really was made for a life of forensics, because he never stopped questioning anything until he was entirely satisfied with the answer and the outcome. Some times it was with little trivial things, like what Meg had bought him for his birthday or why he couldn’t know what she was doing after class, but on occasion he did push it too far and today was an example of sorts.

He had chosen to ask Paige about the history of the twins, his curiosity peeking mainly about their differences. He couldn’t understand how Paige was so light and optimistic when Payton seemed to be the opposite. Though, in Nix’s experiences of the brunette, she seemed capable of smiling more than most of New York’s residents, so his opinion of her was a little more different than everyone else’s. Even Paige seemed a little surprised by how Nix was able to coax a smile from her sister, even though he could see the doubt in her eyes whenever he tried to explain about how much fun they had had spending time together. He was known for over-exaggerating at times, which made people doubtful of his stories from time to time.
But then, that was just another part of his boundary issue. Even when it came to reliving events past, Nix didn’t stop to think about whether people would want their names mentioned in the tale or if they’d have a problem with him publicising what was part of a private life. He never meant any harm by it, but it just never occurred to him that not everyone shared his life mantra or his laid back attitude to…well…everything!

However, the light hearted and hyperactive blonde had his heart in the right place and usually that was enough. He could make someone smile after a bad day and always knew when a serious moment needed to be alleviated. He could do that, he could fix things and he hoped that today he would be able to fix a part of Payton’s life that she had pushed into the shadows, hoping it would somehow fade away and never return, though the haunted look that sometimes clouded her eyes was more than enough to prove that theory wrong. “Can I not just want to hang out with you?”

[/color] He questioned innocently, before turning his back to her to press the button that would summon the elevator; the great magical box that was filled with annoying chirpy music that Nix liked to make up lyrics too, much to the dismay of anyone riding with him. He leaned against the wall next to the contraption and smiled at Pay again “I’m taking you to the great home of Phoenix Austin McKenzie The First; because I’m way too awesome for anyone else to have that name!” No one should have so much energy this early in the morning, but he felt like he could run the length of Central Park several times before crashing.
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• • •

TAGGED! Pay-saurus!
WORDS! 606
OUTFIT! hip dork!
LYRICS! Piano Man - - - Billy Joel
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton and Paige were the type of twins everyone thought of. One good and bubbly and bright; the other dark, a loner, and totally a "waste of society". Pay didn't mind people thinking that, though, because they were right. Before everything had changed, it was the complete opposite. Now, that description hit them head on, and she very well knew it. She had given up caring about it, about all of it. She loved Paige, of course, but her identity wasn't solely dependent on her twin's. They were two very different people with two very different personalities. If anything, there was now a better way to tell the girls apart, something they'd struggled with quite a bit while growing up until Paige started to dye her hair. They'd both originally been burnettes, but the hair dye continually changed that. The hair suited their personalities better now; one dark, one light.

One of Payton's dark eyebrows rose in curiosity as Nix replied. That answer was international signal for double meaning and, even if she couldn't hear the tone in which it was said, her suspicion grew on the spot. Something was up. She gave him a very questioning, dangerous look. Payton didn't like surprises at all and this was setting her on edge. Between Paige and the hyper blonde guy, she wouldn't be surprised if they'd come up with some diabolical plan for the innocent twin. She was just hoping it wouldn't be anything too extreme. Her patience was already stretched thin this early in the morning; pushing it wouldn't be a good idea for anybody, especially Pay herself.

A trait that had worsened once she was trapped inside her own head was that of bottling emotions up. When she got angry, her eyes flashed with fire, but it otherwise stayed buried deep inside her, burning and bubbling in ways that were definitely not healthy. But, Pay didn't do well with talking about emotions, not even with Paige. Hiding her own seemed like the only way to avoide those difficult conversations, ones she didn't plan on having with anyone.

Payton stepped onto the elevator as the doors slid open, shaking her head at Nix's words as she waited for him to press the floor number's button. She was at a loss for where they were going as she'd never been here before. She snagged his hand once more, quickly writing, "Did you set this up with Paige?" Her sharp eyes met his, searching for any signs of him lying. Pay would be laying into her twin later for this. Leaving notes for her to meet guys was not an accetable thing.

WORDS: 522!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: Nixxy's House!
OUTFIT: hmm?
MUSIC: American Dream by Better Than Ezra
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Nothing was ever plotted with Paige about how Nix was with Payton. Sure, today did hold one of, what Nix believed, was his brilliant ideas, but he had thought it up and Paige had disagreed with him over it, plain and simple. He treated Payton the same as he did everyone else in the city and didn’t think there was anything wrong with her. Sure, in contrast to her blonde sister, there were noticeable differences that were damn near impossible to ignore, but with Payton, Nix found that being himself worked just find to earn a smile on those lips of hers and whilst it may not be a huge deal, Paige believed that it was and he was more than willing to spend more time with the brunette, getting to know her better and learning more about what brought her out of her shell.

Over the years, Nix had learnt that nothing worked better than being with someone who truly didn’t care what the world thought of him when dancing down the street, pulling his boxer shorts over his jeans for a dare or whatever other wild adventures filled his mind. That was almost the perfect cure to shyness and he had encouraged many people to be themselves, even if they didn’t realise it was thanks to him that they laughed openly, responded to one of his quirky stories with a flat out, blunt, one liner…it worked and he would be damned if it didn’t work on Payton, like it had on others. Being deaf made her no different in Nix’s books and he was more than determined to make her see it that way too, even if that was taking on the impossible.

She was being quiet and hardly trying to communicate with him, which may not have been the biggest of deals, but the look in her dark eyes was full of suspicion and Nix had only ever seen that look in the eyes of his mother, usually after he’d pranked his brothers and then tried to feign total innocence. No, ever since birth, Phoenix had always had a cheeky look about him and throughout his life he always looked like he was ‘up to something’; at least, those were the words his mother and grandparents would use whenever they saw him and he had a huge grin on his face. Nix was the kind of guy who couldn’t hide anything though; his emotions, his thoughts, his opinions…they all rolled out of him without any kind of filter to protect those around him, or even himself from the potential shock or damage they could cause. He was the epitome of ‘an open book’ and sometimes he forgot that not everyone was like him, in that sense.

The elevator began its ascent up the mechanical shaft and Nix looked down at the brunette as spelt out the question on his hand. The technique tickled like hell, but Nix bit his tongue through it and then looked down at her with sincere eyes. Paige may have known about his plan, but she was definitely not a part of it. “No. All I did was call her late last night and ask her to pass the message onto you this morning.”

[/color] He said, shrugging lightly when he was finished. Payton seemed really on edge by all of this and she didn’t even know what was happening yet.
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• • •

TAGGED! Pay-saurus!
WORDS! 600
OUTFIT! hip dork!
LYRICS! Piano Man - - - Billy Joel
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton hated surprises. It was as simple as that. She didn't like feeling any more out of the loop than she already was, and it only flustered her to be caught off guard. All in all, surprises were not good in her opinion. That was part of the reason she was already so suspicion and uptight with Nix, and they hadn't even been together for more than ten minutes. She'd heard plenty of stories from Paige about his epic adventures or the ones the two had had together. They alone were enough to send her into her most cautious, wary state of mind. But, she liked spending time with Nix. That was the sole reason she'd even agreed to do this. He was good for her, whether she'd admit it aloud or not, and it was nice to smile for even a second or two. Payton liked it. She did not, however, like this whole surprise thing.

As the elevator doors closed, she gave Nix a sharp look that could chill a summer sun. This wasn't her cup of tea, no matter how much she enjoyed his company, and Pay planned on making it clear now. While it may have appeared rude for her, of all people, to be rude about ways of communication, she didn't like this. At all. No matter what he had planned for her, this wasn't flying. But, that sincere, sweet look in his eyes quickly began melting her icy heart and eyes - a thing nobody other than Paige could ever manage to do. What was this boy doing to her?

She flickered her eyes off of his, turning her focus to his lips as he spoke and quickly putting sounds to words, words to sentences. Pay continued her spelling once again, "Why didn't you text me instead? I don't like surprises." It was her turn now to give him a semi-sweet, pleading look. He may have been known for his big adventures and great pranks, but she was not the person for that. She was calm and relaxed and just liked to watch to him smile while he talked to her. He was one of the only people who managed to do that without it seeming forced. Pay stepped off of the elevator as the doors opened, looking up at him for further direction. She had no idea where they were going and, deep down, she had a dark feeling that it couldn't be good.

WORDS: 443!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: Nixxy's House!
OUTFIT: hmm?
MUSIC: American Dream by Better Than Ezra
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Was Payton always this suspicious about everything? He let out a sigh, his high shoulders slumping slightly as he leaned back against the cool wall, smiling down at the young brunette with a lopsided smile. He wished she would relax a little. It wasn’t like he was going to kidnap her, hold her hostage or murder her in the style of Patrick Bateman. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, giving her a giant teddy bear kind of hug. “Just relax for me Payton.”

[/color] He threw her a grin and then ruffled her hair. “Come on, you trust me, don’t you?”[/color] He asked, his dark eyes meeting hers, awaiting an honest answer. He hoped she said yes, mainly because he had the ability to trust anyone at the drop of a hat without questioning any of their intentions. It was his biggest flaw and his best at the same time.

He wanted to help Pay. He wanted to show her that her dreams didn’t have to end just because of what scarlet fever had done to her. She had so much she could offer and he was sure that she just needed someone to give her that push in the right direction. Paige may have tried, but they were family and family had a habit of saying the positive rather than the negative and it was harder to accept it for that fact. If she heard it from him, maybe she would understand that the sun could still shine, that everything could be hunky-dory again, if she just gave it a chance once more.

He smiled softly and then moved closer to her, his eyes staring into hers in a way that often unnerved those around him. “It was late and I didn’t want you to throw some excuse about being busy. I just figured that if Paige mentioned it to you, you might be more likely to come and hang out with me.”[/color] He shoved his hands into his pockets and then looked sheepishly down at the ground. He hadn’t meant to anger her or upset her, but maybe he had made a mistake asking Paige to pass on the message. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it…”[/color] He looked away as the door opened and then stepped into the hall. “It’s this way.”[/color] He reached tentatively for her hand this time and then led her to the apartment at the very end of the hall, pushing the door open with a gentle kick.

His apartment was nothing fancy, it was one of the simplest ones New York had to offer. The walls were only decorated with band posters or comic heroes and the place definitely looked lived in; bags and shirts floating around on the backs of furniture, dishes from last night in the sink and the broken shelves resting on the floor. His drum set was in tact at the far end of the room, in front of the large window and he kicked his shoes off near it, not minding if Pay left hers on or not. “Welcome to my pit!”[/color]
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• • •

TAGGED! Payton!
WORDS! 555
OUTFIT! hip dork!
LYRICS! Piano Man - - - Billy Joel
NOTES! <3