a chance encounter {{jax||jasper}}

Jax sighed mightily, taking a deep breath as he strolled through the streets of his District. The rays cast by the sun danced around him like dazzling performers, as though not a single shadow graced the stage of this world. It was quite a juxtaposition, that beautiful, glorious light and the young man's darkened mood. He was thoroughly vexed, analyzing complex problems in his mind, attempting to work out how to solve them. As a rather gifted chemist, such was his blessing and curse; his mind's flexibility and tenacity enabled him to work out mathematical problems most could not hope to solve, yet also drove him to obsession. This was the catalyst that had accelerated his rise in the plant for which he worked, and he was grateful for it.


Numbers endlessly swam through his head as though it were a tranquil pond that needed to be perturbed. Frustrated, the young man continued his aimless wandering, barely registering his surroundings. The pages of the book he was holding rustled carelessly in the face of the gales meandering through so nonchalantly, tantalizing his skin which began to break out in tiny goosebumps in response to the sudden chill he experienced. I love days like these, he thought suddenly, all thoughts of science and math evaporating from his consciousness. It really makes me feel so…at peace...

His concentration thus broken by something as fragile as the wind, Jax finally took note of whereabouts. The public park into which he had wandered was as stunning as always, the grass its usual lush emerald, the noble trees standing tall as royalty, the minuscule lake as clear as glass. He had always held a certain fondness for this park, and it was the site of many of his best childhood memories. The beauty of it had always captivated his imagination, and it had been his sanctuary. He hadn't, however, been there since he was a boy. It was a crime, really, neglecting to spend time there for all these years.

Jax found a bench only ten yards or so from the lakefront, and he wasted no time in claiming it as his own. He took a seat and leaned his head back, a smiling overtaking his usually ambivalent expression that could pass for a brilliant poker face. Placidly staring at the sky, he exhaled again, this time due to the sensations of pure felicity gripping him. It was at that point that he decided to relax, and he opened his book to the last page he had read. The novel was exceptional, completely gripping him. He faded away into the written words, dreaming of worlds other than the usually bleak one which he inhabited...

Some time later, he tired of reading, deciding he would channel his attention span elsewhere for a little while. Thus it was that Jax took to people watching, a hobby he would surreptitiously engage in when boredom threatened to consume him. The minor idiosyncrasies of others greatly amused him, but for no particular reason. Jax watched the other patrons of the park very subtly, paying especially close attention to an elderly woman. Her animated conversation with a man he presumed to be the woman's husband was simply hilarious to behold. She had a habit of talking excitedly with her hands, you see, which exasperated Jax as much as it entertained him.

The young man had lost track of the time, rather startled when he observed the previously sapphire sky losing its luster to become the trademark smoky violet-indigo-orange blend of sunset. Jax got to his feet, stretching leisurely, and he walked down to the lake. Once there, he tugged off his Converse, setting them aside in the grass as he walked into the lake. Getting only his feet wet, he stooped down to pick up a smooth, rounded stone. As he tossed it skillfully, he thought to himself, That's all we humans are, eh…? Stones capable of causing ripples for a while, ultimately fated to sink...