Perfect Strangers[Mark]

[Tara Calder]

It was a rather nice day outside, the sun shining in the sky and a cool spring breeze sweeping through Devil's Hollow. The treetops swayed and the rustling of it joined with the sound of the birds chirping, soaring through the air on wings so fragile and yet so strong. Oh how she envied them and the rush of freedom they must experience from such a plunge...

"Is this necessary?" "Yes, stand up straight, Tara." The girl couldn't help but give her mother a look, to which her mother sighed. "Now remember, don't mention a single thing about our situation Tara. No man wants to woo a girl whose father lost all the family's money," her mother said, making sure Tara looked presentable before she turned to ring the bell. "It wasn't his fault..." Tara said, mumbling slightly, but her words fell on deaf ears, her mother ignoring her statement when someone opened the door. Tara's mother was there to have tea with Mrs. Harper... but Tara... she was there for one thing and one thing only. To win over the rich man's son. Oh Joy.

Mrs. Calder was a pretty older woman, though she showed definite signs of aging, she aged with Grace. She had always been pretty, but as a girl, she had been absolutely gorgeous with long brown curls and fair skin. Just like her daughter. Tara was a magnificent young woman, right at the tender age of seventeen. Her hazel eyes were deep and at times revealed a marvelous green color within them, so green you would think you were staring into a forest. Her long hair flowed down her back in curls, silky brown and so soft looking. But perhaps the softest thing about this girl was her skin, so soft and smooth looking, not a blemish or mark in sight.

Tara's dress was a lovely shade of green and black with black lace along the trimming. It was a pretty, almost delicate dress, not at all poofy up top like the dresses her mother always tried to force her into. The sleeves hung down off of her shoulders, her shoulders looking pretty. Her breasts looked perfect in the dress, but not at all slutty. Tara was no whore. Upon seeing her daughter in the dress, Mrs. Calder had agreed, as if in wonder, that no man would be able to resist the girl's looks... her attitude and stubbornness however were another thing entirely.

The maid led the two women into the house and Tara couldn't help but roll her eyes at the words her mother whispered to her. "Behave like a proper lady Tara, don't you roll your eyes at me." She straightened up, giving the maid a smile as she went to fetch the lady of the house. Tara was tempted to walk right back out the door, not wishing whatsoever to meet this man. Ugh, he was probably some snooty bastard with a big nose and glasses who talked about nothing but science. The thought made Tara shudder. "Don't touch anything," he mother whispered as Tara observed a painting on the wall. She couldn't help but sigh. Damn mothers.

[Markos Harper]

Markos was not the typical wealthy man's son Tara was expecting. His mother tried to get his maids to put him in a rather uncomfortable and ugly outfit, but Mark refused, and now he was wearing a simply black shirt, the sleeves were very long though and came down to a cuff, he hated it. He always tried to push them up, while having his mother come by and fix them by pulling them down. He growled at this. She made him put on a heavy blue coat with big gold buttons down the side, it was very long and came down along his thighs, he hated this too. He felt like the old men with the white wigs that walked around. Even with all this ridiculous stuff on to make him look wealthy, well... Markos was a handsome man... a VERY handsome man. Not to brag or anything, but it was true. He had enough with his mother and father trying to court him off with women that were either... too young (Meaning literally half his age) Or they were annoying and wanted nothing to do with him, they only wanted him for his money, which was not what Mark wanted.

Pulling at his clothing the whole time, he was sitting in his room, which was massively out of proportion and huge. A maid came walking in, knocking on the door, even though it was open. "Mr.Harper, the lady Calder and Young Ms.Calder are waiting for you to arrive." The maid said this is a dove like tone. They were all shy around Mark, maybe because of the sheer size of him, Mark was built... and had a temper with some things. With a large sigh, Markos stood and followed after the little maid, looking around and then down the steps. His mother came out and alongside him, telling him to behave as well.

"We have been waiting for you both!" Mrs. Harper said, who looked a lo different than Mark. He had gotten all his looks from his father. Mrs.Harper was a blonde, her hair graying with age. Her eyes were a crystal blue and she was a pretty women, just a bit thicker than she was back then. "Come Come. I have tea waiting for us." She said to Mrs. Calder. They were not to take the two offspring, they were to get to know eachother on their own.

Markos stood with a blank look on his face, kind of distracted at how pretty the girl was just standing their also. He then cleared his throat and said with a short stuttered, "I-I'm Markos Harper. I'm sure your mother has said something to you about it today. You must be Tara." he said, putting on a smile that wasn't force this time...

[Tara Calder]

Tara's eyes wandered to the man who accompanied the lady of the house and she was caught off guard for a moment. This, or rather he, wasn't what she had been expecting. She couldn't keep the blush from her face when she saw the way he looked at her. As soon as her mother and Mrs. Harper were out of the room and out of earshot, Tara had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, but didn't hesitate in saying what she did. "My mother hasn't stopped talking about it Mr. Harper, my ears nearly bled by the hundredth time she mentioned it," she said, realizing she probably didn't sound very lady like. That didn't matter though. She decided right then and there that if she was going to marry, then they would just have to fall for who she was, not for the doll she was all made up to be. She hated being a puppet. Her father and the family would get by without her marrying someone rich.

He was such a handsome man, she was surprised he wasn't taken already. Sure, he was a little intimidating, but he didn't intimidate Tara at all. She grew up with a number of brothers, so it was harder to intimidate her. Not always, but usually. She was very surprised that her own lips responded back to his smile. Her smile was certainly pretty, revealing perfect teeth. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Harper. I was afraid that I would be introduced to a short man without a backbone, and having a rather large nose and an unnatural desire to spew the workings of science to people who are unwilling to listen." Her smile grew more pronounced. Definitely not like most ladies.

[Markos Harper]

Markos was taken aback by this young woman, he had to admit. She seemed a few years younger than himself, but not by much. It seemed she said things even he wasn't planning on saying because he was suppose to 'behave'. He was astonished by her, between her openly wittiness and beauty his smile grew wider too. He smirked at what she said and then responded, "I finished school, don't get me wrong. I am educated." He said with a smirk, "But I never did really pay much attention with science. So you don't have to worry about rambling in that sense." he smirked, flashing her another smile.

He didn't know whether to relax with her, or act uptight like he was. She seemed to not care at all and he knew exactly why she hadn't been married off yet. It seems like her parents are sending her away to older men who expect their women to sit pretty and not say a word, and only smile with their lips, not with their teeth. Mark liked Tara already, he just didn't want to screw this up between them. "Ummm..." he said, not really knowing what to do. Other times he would try to bore the other girls on purpose so they weren't in to him at all. Now that he was actually interested he had no idea what they were suppose to do...

[Tara Calder]

Tara laughed lightly at his words, the sound like bells or music to the ears. This one seemed like he could keep up with her. Honestly, she already felt as if she could read this man and she had only just met him. How curious. She'd never had this reaction to a man before. "I can see you're at a loss when it comes to thinking of what to do Mr. Harper," she smiled, letting him know this was perfectly alright. "It's a rather nice day outside and I wouldn't mind being shown about the grounds." She arched a slender brow, waiting to see if he would agree an offer her an arm. "I know spending all day with a foolish girl probably isn't on you list of favorite things to do, but I assure you I had no hand in this whatsoever." She wasn't minding it so much now though... She was certainly smaller than this man, but they certainly looked fine together. Her hazel eyes stayed on him, a funny feeling in her stomach. Hopefully she wasn't coming down with something.

((Omg, Tara is so like her brother. With Aiden on Valora, he mistook his love for Fangs as indigestion. LMAO))

[Markos Harper]

(NICE haha)
Markos smiled, a large one, showing all his pretty, white teeth. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yes, you caught me at a difficult decision." he said, lying cause well... it wasn't that he had to make a choice of what to do... he didn't know what to do." Once she uttered the words ground, his eyes brightened, thank god she suggested something. "I'd love to show you around." he said, coming forward and linking arms with her. He was well... pretty massive compared to her, and he did his best not to overpower her delicate arm as he linked together with it.

"Trust me, a women of your beauty is not a waste of my time, and I'm sure you won't be wasting any man's time." he said giving her a charming smile before leading her out into the courtyard, it was large and elegant, with every plant you could ever think of. "My mother always wants the newest... most elegant plant. A few of these she had imported from different places around the world." He said with a slight roll of his eyes. The garden was amazing though.

[Tara Calder]

Tara couldn't keep the smile from her face and held onto his strong arm as he led her outside. Her heart throbbed a little for some unknown reason. A blush crossed her pretty face when he said she was beautiful, she just couldn't help it. "My mother seems to think otherwise, what with the way I talk," she said to Mark, arching a slender brow at him.

Once outside, she looked around the garden with a hint of amazement. "I love it," she said, looking at one flower in particular. It was gorgeous. "I've never seen such a garden. Your mother must be very proud of it." She reached down just to feel the flower's soft petals. "My grandmother would definitely die of jealousy if she saw this, Mr. Harper." She looked over to him, a gleam in her eyes. Yeah, the way to a woman's heart was definitely with flowers.

[Markos Harper]

Markos only laughed lightly when she spoke about the way she opened her mouth in public. "That doesn't bother me any Miss. You talk as you please. If anyone has something to say about it, well then they can say it right to my face." he said smirking lightly at the thought of it. The certainly wouldn't be the typical rich couple. Then again times seemed to be changing, the young were more bold and restless than ever, which was fine in Markos' eyes. He saw no reason to be quiet and perfect all the time, because to be honest, no one was.

Smiling once again as she seemed taken aback by the garden, he was more than happy that he had shown her this first. "Most women are jealous of this garden. I always just suggest they take some flowers home. They grow back every year." he said smiling, bending down to pick a flower that Tara had gazed lovingly at. Looking shy as he turned toward her, extending his hand toward her pretty face, putting the beautiful flower behind her ear and staring at her and the flower for a few seconds before continuing. "So... How old were some of the men your father tried to stick you with?" he asked with a half smile...

[Tara Calder]

Tara smiled warmly at the thought of this man standing up for her if someone had a problem with her. The moment he picked the flower for her, she blushed like crazy, letting him slip it behind her ear. The look on her face was somewhat coy as he stared at her and the flower, her stomach doing a cartwheel when she saw the look on his face.

Holding onto his arm, she continued with him, sighing at the thought of the men her parents had tried setting her up with. "Some of them were twice my age," she said, obviously not too fond of this. "Almost as old as him and old enough to be my father. Those that weren't too old were too... everything. Too hairy and gross, too dorky. UGH," she said, looking up at him, a smile crossing her face again. "What about the women your mother has tried sticking you with?" She arched a slender brow, her pretty eyes on him.

[Markos Harper]

Markos winced slightly at the thought of having to deal with women that were old enough to be his mother, he couldn't deal with his mother sometimes, and he could not imagine having to stick with a women just like her for the rest of his life. As he walked her along the gardens, his eyes lowered as he thought about the women he was paired with. At that instant he knew his mother's choices were not as bad as the ones Tara had. At least the ones his mother had chosen were young, and kind of pretty. None of them had wrinkles, and none of them were... dorky. If anything, Markos was not good enough for them, that's what they thought at least. His views were not as important as a wealthier man. Young women at the moment want to be paired with a semi older man who already had control of money. Markos wouldn't have control of money until his parents were dead, unless he left and worked his way up from the top. He doubted his parents would ever allow such embarrassment.

"The women I was paired up with... they were all young. And pretty." He said with a slightly different tone at the end of the sentence. He was just being nice, "But they were different, expecting me to have money in my pocket at all time to spend on them. I never took them out here, they never made it that far." he said with a smile, this was just the first stop, so it was obvious Markos wasn't good with women...

[Tara Calder]

Tara nodded her head slightly to what he said, paying attention to everything he said. She couldn't help it and rolled her eyes at the thought of these girls. Certainly an unladylike gesture. "Money is certainly over rated if you don't mind me saying Mr. Harper. Personally, I wouldn't give a-" she stopped and looked at him, wondering how he would take her profanity. She didn't curse often really, but this was a moment that called for it. "Damn if a man had two shillings to rub together."

The smile that crossed her face was certainly gorgeous, happy that from what he told her, she was apparently different from the others. Tara certainly didn't care if this man was good with women, because so far he was good with her. She had to admit, it was nice to be walking with him, holding onto his arm. He was nice and strong. "Please, Mr. Harper, tell me about yourself." She looked up at him, genuinely interested in him. This was one match her parents had made that she certainly did not mind. She couldn't wait to see where he would take her next.

[Markos Harper]

Markos paid no mind to her profanity. It helped her explain her feelings and he honestly saw no problem with it. He smiled at her hesitation, but walked on, leading her onto another flower filled path. Next were the stables, he hoped she liked horses, otherwise he would be making a mistake. "Well that's a good quality to have Miss. Calder." he said, looking down at her with a wide smile.

The huge stable was in view now as they walked down the small path, trees shading them. "The stables are rather clean all the time, so you don't have to worry about stepping in anything." he said, just encase she was weird with that stuff. "What could I tell you about myself.." he said, looking up at the sky to think. "I'm charming." he said, looking back down and giving her the biggest smile he had ever given her. "I like... steak.... and I have a horse..." he said, thinking of tiny stuff, just to be funny. He really couldn't say much about himself, because there wasn't much to be said. He was still working on getting out of this phase with his parents, so he could expand his story and make it more interesting. He almost wished he had met her later so he would have epic stories to tell her, to make her fall for him faster.

He really did think Tara was a catch, and he hoped she felt the same way for him, otherwise he was going to have to try a lot harder, not that he wasn't willing to. He was willing to do that for her, she seemed very much worth it.

[Tara Calder]

Tara looked over at Mark as he openly accepted her profanity. He certainly was a catch. "Well, it's certainly nice to know that you're a charming man, Mr. Harper," she said with a pretty smile, following him into the stables. She did like horses. She would have to thank her parents for this later.

"Please, call me Tara, Mr. Harper," she said to him, deciding to be somewhat bold. She liked this man a lot and... well, that was saying something considering how stubborn and rebellious this girl was. "Those are very fine traits for a man to have. Something I look for in every man. After all, who would want someone who doesn't like steak or own a horse?" She peered about the barn, trying to guess which horse might be his.

[Markos Harper]

Markos smiled at what she said, letting out a long laugh. "You have good taste in men... Miss.Calder." he said, turing to her and smiling with a sarcastic look crossing his face. "You have to call me Mark then." he said, smiling to her, showing his white teeth.

Leading her farther into the stables, he came up on a gray stallion who thrusted his head over the stall door, big brown eyes gazing at both Mark and Tara. "This is Storm. He's the horse that belongs to me." He said, patting the brute's neck and then looking to Tara. The gray stallion snorted loudly, pawing at the ground beneath him and then looking longinly at Tara, curious and friendly. He wanted to be out of his stall. "Storm os always looking for ways to escape from the stall, he broke it a number of times, even learned how to un-do the locks." Mark said with a shake of his head. "My parents regret buying him for me, he's costed them more than any other horse in this barn. But I refuse to sell him." Mark said, walking farther down the stall some more, letting go of Tara so she could look around as she pleased...

[Tara Calder]

Tara smiled at the thought of calling him Mark. It was such a nice name. "I suppose I must," she said when he told her she had to call him that. Coming upon Storm's stall, Tara couldn't help but reach for the horse, petting him and letting Mark let her go. "He certainly seems like a handful." She smiled fondly at the horse, before turning her head and watching Mark walk farther down.

She peered in at a few of the other horses and followed after Mark. "You have some very impressive horses in here." She finished looking around and linked arms with him again. "I once had an amazing mare, but my father sold her just a few years ago." She sighed and held onto his arm, looking up at him. He was so handsome and so unlike the other men her parents had attempted to pair her with.

((There should be a lake nearby and he should take her to go see it. I have an idea. Lol!))