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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 18, 2010 2:58:04 GMT -5
Hitoshi wandered up the stairs, half-carrying, half-dragging his bags behind him and wishing that he had packed a few less non-essentials. He didn't really need to bring his Necromancy text book, or that extra change of clothing just in case someone (likely Rudeth) decided to push him him out of the ferry, or...well, the shampoo he needed. He'd be damned if he was going to use hotel shampoo, even if it was a four-star hotel.
The stairwell was sweltering hot and smelled stale and a bit like sweat, which gave Hitoshi the distinct impression that few people actually used it. But after riding with the headmistress for that long, there was no way he was getting into an elevator. He could only take so much claustrophobia in one day. He could deal with the stairs much more easily than that, even if it was hot and smelly.
After five flights of stairs, he finally reached the floor of their room. Hitoshi pushed open the door from the stairway and headed down the hall. Their room wasn't very far from the stairs, thankfully, and within a few minutes, he could put his things away and rest for a minute.
The inside of the room was sleek and modern, with crisp white linens and black accents along the walls and furniture, and a window overlooking the city that spanned the entire outside wall. Five sets of stairs was worth a view like that.
And air conditioning. With a thermostat he could set. And if Hitoshi had any say over it, he was going to turn this room into an ice-chest.
Hitoshi dropped his bags at the foot of the bed by the window and collapsed onto the mattress. He had every intention of putting his things away and going out for breakfast, as soon as he had cooled down and didn't feel like his legs were about to fall off anymore.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 18, 2010 3:54:12 GMT -5
Alex looked a little paler than usual when he saw Hitoshi deciding to hike up the stairway, but nonetheless he followed. At the top of the stairs, where the air was clearer, he paused for a minute to catch his breath before heading into the room.
He spent no time marvelling at the view, but simply sat his backpack by the wall, kicked his sandals off, and flopped onto the bed Hitoshi wasn't on.
"Mmmh. Don't let me fall asleep," he murbled, face embedded in the pillows, "or do, not sure yet. Mmh. Tired-hungry."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 18, 2010 4:37:07 GMT -5
Hitoshi snorted and turned over on the bed to facte Alex, trying hard not to think about the fact that they would probably end up sharing a bed--or at least, he had no intention of sharing a bed with Professor Yogo--or that, in some ways, he really didn't mind the idea of sharing a bed with Alex. Didn't mind to the point that it was probably a bad idea, particularly since they weren't dating any more.
It didn't help that the last time Hitoshi had slept in the same bed as anyone else had been when he was a kid and he'd had to occasionally share a bed with his family members, so he had no idea if he did anything embarrassing in his sleep, like talking or drooling or--god forbid--spooning. (Hitoshi refused to sleep in the same bed as Rudeth for exactly that reason.)
"There's a kitchenette, so if I had something to cook, I could make breakfast while you take a nap," he mused, "but there's not exactly anything around to cook. There's also the mini-bar or room service, but the headmaster would probably kill us if we added unnecessary charges to the bill."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 18, 2010 5:18:19 GMT -5
Alex stretched his arms out in front of himself and peered at Hitoshi over one shoulder. "Yeah. I'm probably not tired, of course, but the bus wasn't exactly restful."
He was quiet for a moment, realizing how he'd woken up. It was probably still a bad idea to make jokes about how Hitoshi must make a comfortable mattress. In fact- "Sorry. Uhm. I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I? I didn't mean to fall asleep against you."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 18, 2010 6:25:11 GMT -5
Hitoshi felt his face redden again. He looked back up at the ceiling, deliberately not meeting Alex's eyes. Uncomfortable was not quite the word he would use for it.
"I didn't mind," he replied. Then, realizing how that might have sounded to Alex, he quickly added, "I hardly noticed, really, with everything else, and--ah." Hitoshi rubbed his forehead and sighed as he forced himself upright. That hadn't sounded convincing even to him.
"Listen, if this is going to work, there's something I think I need to get out in the open," he began. He pulled his legs up against his chest and turned toward Alex. What he intended to say was going to take all the courage he could muster. "I still have feelings for you, and I don't think that's going to go away any time soon. And I don't care if we're not together anymore, I still want to be friends, but...I just want to make sure you know." Hitoshi laid his head down on his arms. "I wish there were some way this could be less awkward."
There was a lot more Hitoshi wanted to say, but he didn't think it would be wise. He wasn't sure how exactly he expected Alex to respond, or if it was even a good idea to say anything in the first place.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 18, 2010 17:44:23 GMT -5
Alex pulled his arms closer to him and folded them up, his head ending up in the crack of one elbow.
"I... I noticed. I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and thought about how to respond.
"You're a great guy, Hitoshi. You're smart and interesting and- well, incredibly hot-" Alex's voice rose a little in amusement- "and it's really flattering that you feel that way. And I'm sure you'll find some other cute guy and make me incredibly jealous before the summer's over. You're completely capable of it."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 18, 2010 18:48:17 GMT -5
Hitoshi felt his throat tighten. He wanted to say that he didn't want to find someone else, that if he was so damn special then why did Alex break up with him in the first place. He wanted to be mad at Alex, or at least irritated, but he couldn't seem to summon anything more than a slight empty feeling.
Hitoshi pushed himself to his feet and glanced back at Alex. "I think I saw a crêpe restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. If you want, we can take the elevator down."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 18, 2010 21:00:53 GMT -5
Alex read Hitoshi's expression and hid his head in his arms.
"Sorry. I keep making this worse." He slowly pushed himself off the other side of the bed and took a couple of steps towards the window, staring at the vista.
"Crepes sound good," he said slowly. "Uhm. If you want to yell at me..."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 18, 2010 23:36:27 GMT -5
Hitoshi whirled around and caught the other boy by the elbow. "I don't--" His voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed. "I don't want to yell at you. I just..."
It occurred to Hitoshi just how close they were standing, and how much he missed Alex. His hand, trembling slightly, tightened on Alex's arm. He stood stock still, staring at Alex like he'd never seen him before, unable to string together any sort of coherent thought.
Hitoshi suddenly jerked backward, turning away from Alex and folding his arms tightly over his chest. His face flushed crimson. "Sorry," he mumbled. " I...sorry."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 18, 2010 23:49:21 GMT -5
Something in Alex cracked a little.
He stood there, dumbfounded, staring at a point behind Hitoshi.
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Post by Hoshi Yogo on Jun 19, 2010 0:04:12 GMT -5
Hoshi pushed his way through the door and dumped his bags in the middle of the floor, then stretched his arms above his head. Last night, staying up all night seemed like a brilliant idea, but about now he was starting to feel a bit drowsy. Taking a short nap probably wouldn't hurt, as long as he was up in time to for lunch.
He paused, looking over at the two teenagers on the other side of the room. He got the distinct impression he'd just walked in on something, though he was unsure what. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 19, 2010 0:08:24 GMT -5
Alex looked up and swallowed, then back down to Hitoshi. He put on a pleasant smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Did... maybe we should continue this, or not, over breakfast?"
I can't do this, he thought miserably. I hope Hitomi doesn't mind my bothering her later; I'll have to make it up to her.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 19, 2010 0:21:51 GMT -5
"Yeah," he said numbly. "Breakfast sounds like a good idea." He wasn't sure what they were doing, but he had no intention of doing it in front of Professor Yogo.
He looked back at Alex, waiting for the other boy.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 19, 2010 1:51:36 GMT -5
Alex nodded. "Let me grab my hat and sandals..."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 30, 2010 14:09:07 GMT -5
By the time they came back that evening, Hitoshi was exhausted. Hitomi had dragged them around to half a dozen stores, made him look at-- and try on, much to his dismay-- about ten pairs of swim trunks in various colors and patterns. Hitoshi had ended up choosing a pair of rather plain looking black ones. Admittedly, he chose them mostly because his sister didn't like them and kept insisting on something bright red that changed colors and designs depending on how the light hit them, and Hitoshi didn't want anything nearly that noticeable. He'd listen to her complain about them through the next three stores she dragged him through, but he had no regrets.
After three music stores, a souvenir shop, and a book store, eventually even Hitomi started to get tired, and she finally agreed to return to the hotel. It was about dinner time when they got back to the room (Hitoshi had insisted on stopping off somewhere to get something to make dinner first, since there was actually something that passed for a kitchen in the room), and Professor Yogo was already passed out on one of the beds. Hitoshi got the impression that the professor probably decided to stay up all night instead of going to bed early last night, especially considering what he knew of him. He hoped that the professor was a heavy sleeper.
Hitoshi tossed the bag with his swim trunks at the foot of the bed, then set about making dinner. It was nothing terribly complicated, just salad with feta cheese and sautéed chicken, but Hitoshi had a feeling he was going to go crazy if he didn't make use of the kitchenette during his stay.
It didn't take very long for him to finish dinner, and he spent most of the time cooking just thinking about various things, not all of which were necessarily to do with Alex. He decided that, the next time he got a chance, he wanted to talk to Dr. Evans-Barros and see if he could learn a bit of healing. Even Carmen's annoying blond friend could heal, but Hitoshi...well, Hitoshi had never really tried. He could do minor things, particularly things using necromancy, but necromantic healing didn't work the same way. It was typically painful, and likely to harm more than it helped. That was lesson number one in necromancy: Necromancy is, above all else, destruction.
He did his best not to think about Alex, or Blaise, or the prophecy, or anything else as he cooked. Just magic, and the crisp green leaves of lettuce against the bright red tomatoes, and the smell of the chicken.
After a few moments, everything was finished. He looked at Alex across the room and smiled. "I'm finished. Hungry?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 30, 2010 15:31:39 GMT -5
Alex had flopped down onto the bed and was using the hotel's wi-fi. He felt rather guilty about today, and even if it had possibly (definitely) been the result of strange magic, he wasn't sure whether he should tell Blaise about it. He was busy updating his Facebook, chatting to his friends in San Diego, and listening to some strange and wonderful flavor of trance he'd never heard before when he smelled the most delicious smell.
Bright green eyes peered over the top of the laptop, staring at Hitoshi until he turned around. When he spoke, Alex pulled his headphones down, and his grin was visible even though his mouth wasn't.
"That is the best-smelling chicken I've ever been in the same room as."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 30, 2010 16:09:19 GMT -5
Hitoshi smirked. "Glad to hear you approve. I don't think I could make it a week without cooking something." He'd had to buy paper plates for dinner, but it wasn't too big of a sacrifice to make. He put about half of the salad on each plate, giving Alex (not entirely intentionally) the plate with more chicken. "We can probably just take drinks from the mini-bar. It should go on the headmistress's account."
Hitoshi hopped on the bed beside Alex and leaned back against the headboard. He picked idly at one of the grape tomatoes. He wasn't the biggest fan of them, really, but it made the salad much more aesthetically pleasing, and they were easy enough to pick around. Hitoshi found that, at least with certain foods, people tended to judge them based on their appearances. Nicer looking foods, even when they tasted the same, ended up judged as better quality.
"Let me know what you think. It's nice to work with vegetables that fresh."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 30, 2010 16:26:54 GMT -5
Alex sat up and started digging in, spearing a tomato, a small slice of chicken, and a tiny bit of cheese all at once.
"Mmm," he responded. "Wonderful. I feel sorry for Professor Yogo not getting any of this."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 30, 2010 17:10:33 GMT -5
"He seems content enough over there," Hitoshi replied, glancing back at the professor. Hitoshi stabbed a few pieces of chicken and took a bite. As much as he liked Greek food, it was nice to eat his own cooking again.
"Do you think we should pack something to eat tomorrow? I could save some of the chicken and make sandwiches, if you wanted."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 30, 2010 17:18:17 GMT -5
"Mmf." Alex nommed two more bites before slowing down enough to say something. "Chicken salad? Or something else? I guess; it would save more money for souvenirs and entrance fees."
He sat his plate down and hopped up to get a drink out of the minibar. Thankfully, there was ginger ale. "So... uhm. How are we going to sleep?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 30, 2010 17:44:26 GMT -5
Hitoshi finished off his food, then dumped the empty plate in the trash and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. "Chicken salad would be good, though if you have another preference, I could probably cook something up."
Hitoshi sat on the edge of the bed, pulling his knees up against his chin. "That...depends on what you're comfortable with, I suppose," he said slowly.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 30, 2010 19:17:33 GMT -5
Alex cracked open his ginger ale, nibbling slowly on the remaining salad. "Chicken salad sounds fine to me."
He made a quiet little worrying noise. "I don't know, except that if you're going to keep it this chilly, I want blankets. We could just pick opposite sides and hope for the best- you know I just drop off to sleep."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 30, 2010 19:45:17 GMT -5
"If you're alright with that." Hitoshi shrugged. "I could turn the thermostat up a bit, if it's too cold, though I'm not sure how much warmer I'd be able to stand it at night." The temperature was, admittedly, not Hitoshi's biggest worry about their sleeping arrangements, but Hitoshi was going to do his best not to think about that for the time being.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jun 30, 2010 20:23:28 GMT -5
Alex sighed. "Unless you have a better idea, which... might be good. That's all I can think of."
"Are you getting tired yet?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jun 30, 2010 20:35:28 GMT -5
"Not particularly," he admitted. "Are you? I think the best alternative I could come up with is sleeping on the floor, and that doesn't exactly sound like a pleasant alternative."
Hitoshi laid down against the pillows and rested his head on his arms, looking over at Alex. "Are you..." He hesitated for a moment. "Are you still willing to talk about Blaise? I know I shouldn't ask, but..." He glanced away, studying the pattern of the woodgrain on the bed.
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