some generic title [mia]

[Lux]

Lux loved life in the city. He was so, so glad he was in Maisigh and not, like, Saelin or something. As far as he knew there were no cities in Saelin. Just some little villages. He'd heard some people there even just lived in the woods, as animals. What a horrible life that would be. Lux was so grateful he'd ended up in the civilized clan.

It sure was hot out today. The weather in aaeria was crazy. It could be hot one day and snowing the next, depending on where one traveled to. Today it was hot, hot, hot. Lux sat down on a random bench underneath the shade of a tree and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, wishing he hadn't worn something with a collar today. It was too hooooooot.

He could really go for some water right now, but he didn't know of anywhere close by to get any and the heat was making him feel too lazy to get up and walk any far distance. Oh well, he'd just chillax here in the shade for a bit until he got the motivation to get up.

[Mia]

It was too hot. Way too hot. Mia wasn't used to hot weather, and this was certainly the hottest temperature she had ever been in. She had been born on iceland, the island in the north of Aaeria that was covered in snow basically all year round, and she'd never left it. The day she and her twin sister had turned sixteen (just a few weeks ago ago) was the first time she'd ever left her small town on her small island and ventured to the mainland.

It had taken Cara (her twin) and her about two weeks to make their way over to Maisigh, but they were finally here. The two were staying at a hotel just outside of Jubilife until they could find somewhere else to stay. But every afternoon Mia took a walk into the city and then went for a run in the park.

Right now she was on that run, her short shorts on and her hair tied into a ponytail. She'd always gone for runs while she lived in Iceland, and she wasn't about to stop just because it was warmer here.

The heat was getting to her though, so she decided to take a quick breather underneath a tree. She didn't notice a boy sitting on the otherside as she leaned up against the bark and undid the cap off her water bottle. "Ah, water," she said after she had guzzled about half the thing down. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and leaned her head against the tree.

[Lux]

Lux was just about to give into his thirst and force himself to get up and find a clean water source, when all of the sudden his prayers were answered when he heard a magical, disembodied voice say, "Ah, water," as if fate had been reading his mind.

Well, obviously it wasn't a real magical, disembodied voice. It was a girl behind the tree. Still, it was pretty convenient. Lux turned around on the bench and sat up on his knees to get a good look at her. She was cute, with her ponytail and little running shorts. Best of all she had water.

"Hey," he said, before she even noticed him there, "can I have some of that?"

[Mia]

Mia was startled when someone spoke to her. She jumped a little, and turned quickly to face whoever it was. Her mom had taught her to be wary of stranger, especially boys, so she was immediately cautious, though not overly so.

Upon getting a better look of him though, she decided he didn't look dangerous at all. "Want to tell me your name first?" she asked with a curious smile.

[Lux]

"Actually I want some water first," Lux replied, since it was true. His mouth felt so dry. Still, he smiled a friendly smile at the girl. It's not like asking his name was some outlandish request. "But if you wanna know, my name is Lux. Lux Mercer. And you are...?"

She really was a pretty girl. Even sweaty and gross, he could see that. She was probably even prettier when she wasn't sweaty and gross. Maybe he should become friends with her, if she was as nice as she was cute. She looked like a nice girl.

[Mia]

"Mia," she answered, handing over the bottle. "Lux is a nice name. I don't think I've heard it before," she said as he guzzled down the remainder of the water.

She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and smiled again at him. "I didn't know Maisigh could be so hot," she said when he finished drinking the water. "This has got to be like a record or soemthing, huh?"

[Lux]

Lux shrugged. "It's not usually this hot this time of year," he replied, "but it does get hot. Not just here, either. Where're you from?" She couldn't be from anywhere near here if she'd never experienced a day this hot before. Sure, it was a little out of the ordinary, but it happened. "Thanks for the water, by the way," he added, handing her back the empty bottle.

[Mia]

"That's good to hear," Mia said, wiping off her brow. "I'm from Iceland, and I don't think I've ever been in weather this hot." She wasn't sure if she liked it, honestly, but she would definitely deal with it if it meant living around other people.

"You're welcome, she said as she took the empty water bottle back and put it in her lap. "So, what brings you out here?"

[Lux]

"I live here," Lux replied matter of factly. Correcting himself, he added, "Not like...HERE here, obviously, but in the city. Lived here my whole life, so trust me when I say you're gonna like it. I mean, it's not hot and gross like this all the time..." he assured her, figuring that if she was from Iceland she couldn't be enjoying the heatwave very much. He cleared his throat a little. "So what's it like in Iceland?"

[Mia]

"Cold," she said simply, a small smile on her face. "And small. That's why I came here. I was tired of living in a small town. Everyone knew everyone... it was pretty crazy. Everyone was in everyone's business."

She looked around, turning to the entrance to the park and looking past it, to the buildings. "Here, there's so many people I bet you don't know half of them. That's what I want."

[Lux]

"I bet I don't know ninety percent of them," Lux replied honestly. "And you're right to want it. Everyone knowing everyone sounds irritating. Like, you'd never have any secrets. Sounds kinda boring too, no offense. Here, there's always something to do, always people to meet. Like me!" He grinned.

[Mia]

"That's definitely better then what I had over on the island," she said. "You're right, there were no secrets. No new people. No nothing."

She transfered the bottle from one hand to the other and then looked back up at Lux. "So, Lux. What do you do around here for fun?" she asked. She hoped they could be friends--she really wanted to meet new people.

[Lux]

"Oh, tons of stuff," Lux replied thoughtfully. He listed a few things off, counting on his fingers. After he finished listing them (you can use your imagination to figure out what they were,) he added, "Oh, it's not in the city, but I go to the beach a lot. Especially on days like today. You ever gone swimming, Mia?"

[Mia]

"In Iceland there isn't any water warm enough to swim in," she said, after listening to him list all of the fun things there were to do in Maisigh. "I don't even know how to swim. On the ship ride over here I was so afraid it would sink or something," she said with a small laugh. "I don't know how I'm going to get back on when I have to visit my mom..."

Thinking about her mother made her a little sad, but she tried not to let the fact that she wouldn't see her for a long time get her down. When she went back maybe her mom would see that the rest of Aaeria wasn't so bad and that things had changed since when she was a young girl.

[Lux]

Lux perked up at this. "You can't swim?" he asked interestedly, as if it were a good thing that she couldn't swim and was afraid of boats. To him it was, because it meant, "I can teach you how!" No one could go their entire life without ever knowing how to swim, so Lux decided to make it his personal mission to teach this deprived girl how.