All I Wanted -Sean-

[Aristotle Williams]

Even if it was Georgia, the nights were cool and breezy. The teacher walked around the school's perimeter, watching all the students go by and back into their dorms. Ari messed around with the purple-ish scarf around her neck as well as the hat on her head. While walking around the school building, she saw four kids just walking around, laughing and joking. She knew that judging was wrong and all, but she knew she should tell a local security guard or someone higher up on the food chain. She walked around for what felt like forever until she found a man that looked lower on the security rank, but it was better than nothing. She tapped on his shoulder and he immediately turned around with no hesitation. As usual, he started questioning her about her jewelry and she showed him her I.D. He then shut-up long enough for her to inform him about the four kids she had just seen wondering around so late at night. The guard nodded his head and went in the direction she had just came from.

After he left, she felt her eyes roll and her head look up at the sky. Did she really look that young? She took it as a compliment, but going through her day always having to show her badge around, it got annoying fast. She'd been here for about a year and at least most staff members had known who she was. The newer ones could, saying this nicely, suck it. She would have to wear her badge around her neck from now on apparently. She looked around, not even knowing where she had traveled to. It seems like Ari had made her way to the pond. She smiled at the calm waters, only being disturbed by the occasional bug or leaf. She looked around to see familiar faces among the staff, so when she was going to walk along the stones so close to the pond, she wouldn't get yelled at.

And so she did. She wasn't sure why water made her so calm inside, but just the persona of it made her whole body just relax. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The smell of this place was amazing really. At night, it was peaceful, rarely any sound to disturb the scene. She opened her eyes and found the bench under the flowering tree. She made her way over and took a seat. She wasn't quite sure what the special name of the tree was, but it was purely amazing. The purple of the flowers made the place around her pop out. When the wind blew, flower petals fell off, most going into the pond. She smiled at the sight and thought about just staying out here for the night, curling up in a ball and watching the petals and leaves fall off the trees that surrounded her. She had a half-way long-sleeve shirt on; she could make do for the night.

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[Dr. Sean Webber]

Sean had spent his first week at the ranch boxed up in his apartment. He knew no one on the staff and had yet to see his first patient. His orientation hadn't been especially helpful. Everything here was still unfamiliar, and it made him uncomfortable. He wasn't antisocial, but friends didn't come very easily, and he hated being the new face. It was easier just to be by himself. That's what he was used to, anyway. He had grown up by himself, essentially. Maybe this was how he functioned best: alone.

Tonight hadn't been much different. He dined alone at a quite Italian place in town with the company of a book and a glass of wine. He walk home, where he sat at his desk to jot down notes about the day. Whatever light remained outside faded away as he wrote. But when he considered going to bed, he realized he was not tired. He was bored. He was bored of his apartment. Enough was enough. He needed to get out. On a whim, he put down his pen and walked right out of his apartment, locking the door behind him. Outside, the streets were dark and quiet. Sean lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. He started to walk quickly, enjoying the nighttime breeze, cool against his skin. It felt good to be out. It was exactly what he needed. For a few minutes, he let his mind shut down. He only felt the refreshing wind, the rhythm of his feet on the sidewalk, the evenness of his breath as his shoulders loosened and he began to relax for the first time in a week.

Before long, he realized he was headed for the ranch. But it didn't bother him. Now would be a good time to get the know the place a little better; there wouldn't be any people around to get in the way. He walked for another quarter-hour before reaching the grounds. He wandered away from the school building, not wanting to pump into anyone accidentally. He only wanted to explore the grounds, not the people. By now, it was quite dark, though, so he really had no idea where he was going. He picked his way along a path he hadn't yet tred, straining to follow it in the darkness. It ended at a large pond, where the temperature was noticeably lower and the noises of nature were louder. To a soundtrack of croaking frogs and chirping crickets, Sean found a relatively flat rock and made it into a seat. He sat and dangled his fingers in the water, watching the smoke he exhaled rise into the air. This was so much better than his apartment.

After a few minutes, he stood to move on. As he was turning, something caught his eye. A figure - a girl, it seemed - was curled up on a bench under a large magnolia tree; her white-striped shirt had stood out against the night. Sean approached her cautiously. "Hey!" he called out, unsure of a proper course of action. She looked like a student - why wasn't she in her dorm? He didn't want to confront her about this, though; that would risk alienating a patient before he even knew her name. "Why are you out here?" he asked gently as he came closer. He dropped his cigarette on the ground and kicked it around until the end no longer glowed.

[Aristotle Williams]

Ari put her legs up on the bench and then put a leg up and put her head down on the knee. She closed her eyes as the breeze blew her way. Her cheek started to hurt from being shoved up against her knee, so she switched to her chin. She smiled as she watched the pond. A few more flower petals fell in and made the rings. The rings went out pretty far since there weren't very many disturbances in the water. Out of no where, a frog appeared. It was very small, probably just changed into a frog or so. It croaked twice before moving to a rather large lily pad with one of the flowers on it. She wished she had a camera because the moon light was hitting the water oh so perfectly.

She began to close her eyes again, moving her head back to the cheek position, but then she heard a voice call out, probably to her. Her head popped up and she looked around just to make sure that the voice was talking to her. Yeah. She was the only one out here. Probably some old security guard or old man doctor mistaking her for a patient again. She put both feet on the ground and stood up and reached in her back pocket for her I.D. once again. When she looked up, there was a man in front of her; a handsome one at that. He asked what she was doing out here. He put out his cigarette and then she got a better look at him. He was tall, obviously. He had slightly darker skin than she did, but everyone did of course. His eyes were dark, but mesmerizing. His hair was a dark brown, unlike her super light, basically red hair.

She brought her I.D. up to her face and smiled at the guy. "I promise you, this happens a lot." She wished she could say different, but it happened. She sat back down on the bench. She crossed her legs and put her I.D. back in her front right pocket. She looked down at the bud and looked back up at him, "What brings you out here?" She didn't know why, but this man interested her. Her fit the description of tall, dark, and handsome. She tried to blow past the thought though. He was obviously knew because she had no idea that he had been here before. If they were going to be working together in anyway shape or form, then she shouldn't try and have a relationship with him. They could be friends, but nothing more. Right?

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[Dr. Sean Webber]

The young woman stood, and Sean could tell immediately she wasn't a student. She looked young, and she was petite; but there was something about her that made it obvious to him that she wasn't a student, though he couldn't quite place what it was. She handled herself too well, maybe. She was calm, collected, present. She pulled out her identification badge and told him she was often mistaken for a student. His face burned from the mistake, and he hoped it wasn't visible in the darkness. He looked down at his cigarette and finished snuffing it out, hoping she wasn't judging him for smoking. It was a vice he didn't like, especially as a doctor, but it did help calm him down. He always planned on quitting... later. It gave him bad breath, was rather disgusting, and compromised his image as a respectable doctor. Honestly, though, he rarely smoked. It was only when he was very stressed or in a bad mood, because it calmed him. He couldn't explain that to this stranger, though.

"What brings you out here?" she asked. He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." he said simply. He wasn't one for sharing details of his personal life. He had to have complete trust and a strong connection with a good friend to get him to say more than a few words at a time. It did occur to him, though, that a name exchange might be helpful. "Sean Webber," he said, holding out his hand and smiling. "I'm the new doctor." He wondered who she was. He hadn't seen her I.D. for long enough to tell, and he was curious about her. What kind of woman could be found curled up on a bench by a pond late at night? He looked at her, then at the open seat next to her. He put his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure which was more awkward: standing while having a conversation with a seated person, or asking to sit next to a stranger. He opted for the former and shifted his weight to be more comfortable.

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(sorry, a little shorter. I have to run.)

[Aristotle Williams]

She thought he saw him blush at the mistake that every new person made, but decided that it would be best to not bring it up. He looked down at the ground and finished off the cancer stick. Ari often called cigerettes cancer sticks since they often gave a person cancer. She hated jugding a person, but why would a doctor be smoking? It bugged her a lot to know that someone who was here to help people was smoking and slowly killing himself. She looked him over once again; he didn't look like he smoked a lot. She had an aunt who would smoke basically non-stop, so if he was an addict, he sure covered it up well. He was dressed to nicely and she could smell him from where he was positioned, so his smoking habits couldn't be that bad.

The man shrugged and said that he couldn't sleep. Ari nodded in agreement. She had some trouble sleeping which is why she went on walks at night and came here. Usually the pond would make her tired. He then said Sean Webber and held out his hand. Ari took it, "Aristotle Williams, or Ari if you're feeling lazy." She smiled back as he had mentioned he was the new doctor here. She nodded and released his hand. A long hand shake was an awkward hand shake. She saw him glance over at the open seat beside her then put his hands in his pockets. Obviously he was a quiet one, or just didn't like talking to people he just met, which was fair to him. "If you want to sit down, you can," she offered. It was probably better than standing up.

She had forgotten all about saying what she did in this place, "And I'm the music teacher, by the way." She didn't feel like rambling on and on about her musical life and why she was qualified for the job she had. Most of the older staff members here did. She would list her multitude of instruments that she played, say she attended college, and ended up here. Why here? Well, she had a minor in psychology and there was a job opening. Music teachers today couldn't be too picky on where they should teach. Music jobs today were running thin and it was a bad, bad thing.

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[Dr. Sean Webber]

They shook hands briefly. "Aristotle Williams, or Ari, if you're feeling lazy." He grinned. That was a funny way to put it - 'if you're feeling lazy.' "Aristotle," he said quietly, just to feel the name on his own tongue. Then, louder, "Like the Greek philosopher?" Then he felt his face burn again. That was a stupid question. What other Aristotle was there? Sean had studied Classics in school and knew a lot about Aristotle, who was basically the father of Western philosophy; but it was all probably things the woman either already knew or didn't care to know. He found it curious that a girl would be named Aristotle, but he also kept this to himself, figuring it wasn't exactly socially acceptable to question the gender of a stranger's name. And while he found it curious, he also had to admit it was kind of cool. He'd love to be named after a Greek or Roman. Instead, he had a random – and boring – Celtic name that meant "the Lord is gracious." Like just about a million other names. What kind of a name was Sean, anyway? He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and turned his attention back to Aristotle. This attempt at a social interaction with a coworker was not exactly going well so far.

"If you want to sit down, you can," Ari said. All of a sudden, Sean wanted to leave. He had been found smoking, something he rarely did and didn't like to do; he had asked a stupid question; and then he had appeared too awkward to even ask if he could sit. He couldn't imagine she had a very positive first impression of him. But he forced himself to stay, taking a quiet deep breath. "Thanks," he said, and he turned and sat, crossing his right ankle to rest on his left knee. He was a little self-conscious, hoping that he didn't smell like smoke, but sitting helped him relax a little. A breeze blew, knocking a few magnolia petals from the tree above them. He caught one on its way down and started fingering it absentmindedly, ripping off small pieces and dropping them onto the ground.

Aristotle explained that she was the music teacher, and Sean had to smile. How fitting that an Aristotle would be a teacher. Music hadn't been in the Greek's strongest and most interesting writings, but his ideas were such a fundamental part of academia that it didn't matter. He was impressed that she was a music teacher; the arts tended to be underrated, and it must take some guts to pursue them as a career. Psychiatry was a much safer path; modern America couldn't seem to get enough of psychiatrists, but it didn't seem to have enough space for music. He was also interested that she left it at that. Most colleagues he had met had lists credentials, history, qualifications, as if they needed justification for their job. And honestly, he didn't care so much about those things. He was curious about other aspects of her career. "Why music?" he said.

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Sorry, Sean is turning out to be way worse at social interactions than I had planned. He's also awkward-er than I had expected.

[Aristotle Williams]

She saw him think over the name and saw his mouth kind of move. He then spoke where she could hear and asked about the Greek philosopher. She smiled and nodded, "Yes. Like the Greek philosopher." She thought she saw him blush a little bit and smiled. "My dad was into the classics and what not. My mom apparently wanted to name me Anne." She was very glad that he father had won the coin toss honestly. She thought Anne was a dull name and pretty boring. Besides, she didn't look like an Anne, or she thought so. She kind of looked him over. The name Sean suited him well.

When she said that he could sit down, he kind of looked worried. He said thanks and took a seat. He crossed his legs and grabbed a petal that fell from the tree above. He started to tear off little bits of the flower. And then a petal fell in her lap. She knew it would of been a long shot to ask him, but she might as well, "Do you know what kind of flowers these are? It's okay if you don't, but I just really like them." Asking a guy on this subject was a very awkward question. She hoped that he didn't freak out and just leave her right there and then.

He then asked why music. She kept messing with the petal that she held in her hand and trying to figure out an answer to give him. "Well, as a child, my father wanted me to learn piano because he had a love for the instrument. I was only four, so I didn't exactly have a say, however I ended up loving it and continued to," she tried to form the right words, "expand my knowledge. Throughout my childhood and teenage life I picked up different instruments. I play an instrument in every type of category, so it was apparent that I would do something with music." Ari came to the conclusion that all of that would be enough as an explanations.

"And I also have a minor in psychology. I had actually planned on being a music therapist." Obviously, it did not work out. Psychology was a good class to take however. It helps her out with these kids first of all. "What about you? How come you wanted to be a doctor?" She was always interested in hearing other people's stories. But, she wasn't expecting a long story like she had given him because he seemed shy. She was okay with that though; it made him even more cute.

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[Dr. Sean Webber]

Sean was disappointed in himself. He was being so predictable. How many people had mistaken Aristotle for a student? How many had asked her if she was named after the Greek philosopher? She had probably had this conversation a million times over. He felt like an idiot. He wasn't the best at conversing, especially with new friends, but this was going unusually badly – or at least it seemed to him. He felt strangely nervous. A little unsettled. Then a thought occurred to him. As she explained that her mother had wanted to name her Anne, he gave her a closer look. Yes, that was it. She was gorgeous. Stunning. Her clear blue eyes stood out in the darkness against her pale skin above pink cheeks, accentuated by the waves of her red-brown hair falling messily behind around her face. Great, he thought. I try to have a conversation with a pretty girl and I get tongue-tied.

"Do you know what kind of flowers these are?" she asked. He looked up, surprised. "It's okay if you don't, but I just really like them." For a minute, he sat silently, rubbing the petal between his fingers. Yes, he knew what kind of flowers they were. But he wondered if it could be considered strange if a man knew a lot about flowers. Maybe he should lie and say no, just in case she judged him. But somehow – and despite the fact that she seemed to make him nervous – he felt comfortable around her. "They're magnolia flowers," he said. "They can be white of various shades of pink. Or both." The magnolia tree had been his mother's favorite. There was one in their front yard. It was still there, even though so much else had changed.

Aristotle explained her background with music. She knew many different instruments, which Sean found pretty cool. But she hadn't answered his question. "So you grew up with music," he said. "Is that it? Why do you like music?" He hoped she didn't think he was prying. He wanted to hear more. He wanted to hear why she wanted to be involved with music, besides just that she was musical herself. Or why she was musical. He just wanted to hear more from her. He wanted to really get to know her. "And I also have a minor in psychology. I had actually planned on being a music therapist." He smiled. "Well, here, you might end up doing that, even though you're technically the 'music teacher.'" Music could be such an emotional outlet; he believed Ari could probably help the kids at the ranch through their music studies.

"What about you? How come you wanted to be a doctor?" she asked. He looked back at his fingers. He didn't want to go into the story right now. Somehow, he actually wanted her to know. He felt safe with her, like he could tell her about it. But not tonight. He hoped he would have another opportunity to tell her, but he just couldn't tonight. "Family stuff," he said, briefly and quietly. He looked up at her and gave a quick smile. "You know, the usual crazy family stuff."

[Aristotle Williams]

She kind of looked Sean over. He seemed to be super socially awkward; Ari didn't exactly care too much though. He was nice and she wanted to get to know him better. He was also cute. He had the short black hair and then the big blue eyes that went well with the pale skin. She knew the blue eyes and pale skin well since she was in the same boat. However, she still had the palest skin of anyone she knew. Sean was very good-looking; handsome. She looked down at the ground to try and get her mind out of that place. No relationships with the other workers here. That normally led to problems with one another and then someone would quit among other things. Besides, he probably just looked at her like a normal person on the staff here.

He kind of looked weird when she asked him about the flowers. Almost like he knew the answer, but didn't want to tell her. Did he think he would loose man-points if he knew or not. He looked like he had gotten over because he did tell her that it was magnolia and can be varied in white or pink, or both. She looked at the petal in her hand and smiled. "I'll have to remember that. Magnolia." She repeated the name just to make sure she had it in her mind. She loved flowering trees and well, flowers in general. "Thank you. It was going to bug me all night." Ari was one of those people that if she didn't know something, it was going to bug her until she found it out. It was the same way with music.

He kind of wanted more of a why she got into music. Not how. She guessed her explanation didn't really describe why she got into it though, "Well, music is a huge part of my life." She tried to think of a more complex answer but she just couldn't, "I'm sorry. I'm not being much help, am I? I can't exactly explain why, I just do." She really was trying to think of something to tell him. With her music therapy comment, he said that she just might end up doing. "Well, I would love to help these kids. Helping people is kind of in my blood I guess." Her father was a doctor and her mother was a lawyer. Well, a lawyer "helping" people could be argumental, she helped her clients at least. The whole psychology degree came from her father being a doctor. She probably wouldn't of gotten into it if her father was something else really.

When she asked him how he got to being a doctor, he seemed to pause and think about it, like it was a big secret. He just said that it was family stuff and if he didn't want to tell then he didn't have to. Ari wasn't one to pry into someone's life, especially at a place like this. If someone were to open up to her, it would be on their terms, not hers. "Sounds interesting," was all she said to respond, "So, what's it like being a doctor?" She knew it was a relative question, but the concept of how he became one was obviously out of the question for now at least.

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[Dr. Sean Webber]

Sean looked out onto the pond. The chilled night air filled him with every breath after it rippled across the water towards him. He was finally starting to relax. He uncrossed his legs and slid down against the bench, sprawling out a little. He looked at Aristotle as she smiled and examined the magnolia flower. It was a small smile, showing none of her perfect teeth, but her eyes seemed to light up with it. "Thank you. It was going to bug me all night." He laughed, almost surprising himself. He generally was not the sort to laugh easily. He looked back to the pond, trying to decipher what was going on inside him. He didn't want to have to deal with romantic feelings. He only wanted a friendship. A close one, yes, but nothing more.

"I'm sorry. I'm not being much help, am I? I can't exactly explain why, I just do," she said. He smiled. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to pry." He liked to hear the emotional side of people, not only their backgrounds. But now he felt bad for asking. Maybe that was it for Aristotle; it had been such a huge part of her life growing up that she just had to stick with it into adulthood, make a living from it. That would make sense. Sean wished he had a passion like that. He loved psychiatry, but it wasn't something he had grown up with the way Ari had with music. It wasn't something he could turn to when sad, or something that evoked strong emotions in him. It was just something he liked to study, and helping people was just something that felt right after the way he had grown up.

"Well, I would love to help these kids. Helping people is kind of in my blood I guess." He nodded. He knew that was why several of the staff members were at the ranch. Doctor parents often raised doctor children. And he could certainly relate to liking helping people. Most of his need to help came from his mother. He never wanted anyone to have to go through what his family went through.

He was glad she respected his evasive answer about his history. She moved on to a different quest. "So, what's it like being a doctor?" He raised his eyebrows and watched a bird walking on the other side of the pond as he thought of a response. "It's interesting," he began. "There's always something different going on. It's tough; I'm sure you know helping people to the point of significance is tough." He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess it's fulfilling. It feels right to be doing what I'm doing with my life."

Meh. This post is kinda bleh. Sorry.