Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 16:49:52 GMT -5
Allan hummed a tune under his breath as he mopped the floor of the hallway, his limping gait rather hampering the intended grace of his movements. Back and forth he moved with the mop in an ungainly attempt at a dance, smiling to himself as François lingered near him, careful not to get in his way.
He thought wistfully of the graceful dances he'd seen in Florence, but had been kept from participating in by his own self-consciousness. Well, there were few people out and about at this hour of the evening, and surely those who were wouldn't bat an eyelid at the sight of him. This place was his home, dangit, and he could dance if he wanted to. So he did, making his way gradually up the hallway, pausing every so often to move the bucket as he went. Let the people laugh.
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 7, 2010 17:52:18 GMT -5
Sae was looking over some transcripts as he walked down the hall, completely enveloped into the papers. His neon green eyes quickly skimmed over the words. So much to do and an eternity to do it in.
He didn't hear or see Allan or what he was doing. And it came as quite a surprise to SaeRyun when he slipped on the wet stone floor, not so gracefully landing on his rear.
"OOOF! What the . . ?" He said in shock, looking around to get his bearings as to what had happened and why he was suddenly on the floor.
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 18:00:12 GMT -5
Allan jumped a little at the sound of a confused exclamation from nearby, turning and spotting someone sitting on the floor some distance away, looking quite confused as to how he'd gotten there. Allan hurried to help the stranger up, reaching a hand down for him to grasp. François was already at the man's side, whining and nudging at him in concern.
"Are you alright?" Allan asked. "I didn't know anyone else was around at this hour."
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 7, 2010 20:17:02 GMT -5
SaeRyun looked up at the man and gratefully took his hand. "Yes," he replied looking around him as he stood up onto his feet, "I just don't see what I . . ."
Oh, the floor was wet, that might explain a few things. He blinked at the floor in astonishment. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Surely his senses of perception hadn't failed him THAT miserably.
He then turned his attention back to the man still before him, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the floor was wet and I appear to have slipped . . . " He trailed off, highly embarrassed. This was not like him to be so clumsy.
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 20:23:51 GMT -5
"No need to apologize," Allan replied with a smile. "I probably should have put a sign out. I wasn't expecting anyone to be about." He looked down at François, who was eagerly investigating the other man's ankles, and his smile widened to a grin. "Heel, boy."
François scooted obediently to his master's side. Allan chuckled, then returned his attention to the stranger. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Allan, and you are...?"
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 7, 2010 20:37:21 GMT -5
SaeRyun held out his hand to Allan. "Rim SaeRyun, at your service, Sir," he said, his voice gentle, "I'm the theatre TA."
He glanced down at the Dog-Roomba. . . if that -is- indeed what it was. He quickly returned his gaze to Allan and smiled softly, "I'm sorry for interrupting your work, Sir."
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 20:52:32 GMT -5
Allan shook SaeRyun's hand with a smile, thankful that he didn't have to worry quite so much about his germaphobia at night, though he still let go of SaeRyun's hand rather quickly.
"Pleasure to meet you, SaeRyun. There's no need to apologize; it's always good to meet someone new once in a while. It can get lonely after curfew, when it's just François and I." He nodded to his roomba as he spoke its name.
Allan resumed mopping again, though he was no longer dancing like before, and he moved more slowly to facilitate conversation. "Have you been here long? I think I've seen you once or twice before, just in passing."
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 7, 2010 21:10:15 GMT -5
Sae looked at the papers in his hand, making sure that they didn't get wet. "Yes, I've been here for a while," he explained, "I wanted to make sure I got my bearings before the students arrived, getting a schedule and plans together."
As he leafed through the papers in his hand he noticed that one of the corners had gotten wet. He proceeded to wave the paper, in an attempt to dry it.
He looked again at Allan. "I don't recall seeing you before, but then again, I don't pay much attention to people I pass in the halls," he said apologetically.
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 21:19:53 GMT -5
Allan smiled and nodded. "That's a smart thing to do. This place is notoriously easy to get lost in. Seems like there's something different about it every year."
He took a step sideways to avoid being hit by the paper SaeRyun was waving, and shrugged at his last words. "That's alright. Not many people pay attention to me on a regular basis at all." He half-smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose with one hand, still mopping with the other.
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 7, 2010 21:57:42 GMT -5
Sae tucked his papers under his arm and bent down to offer a friendly hand to Francois with a trusting smile.
He looked up at Allan and arched an eyebrow. "Well that's quite sad," he commented, "I don't see any reason why people wouldn't pay attention to you."
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 22:03:01 GMT -5
"That's kind of you to say so," Allan replied with a smile.
He watched as SaeRyun held out a hand to François, who inspected it closely for a moment before rubbing up against the other vampire's hand, wanting to be petted. If it had had a tail, Allan was sure it would have been wagging. He couldn't help but grin. Such a good boy.
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 7, 2010 22:14:32 GMT -5
SaeRyun chuckled and petted the Roomba's head affectionately. He really did like animals but with the kind of life that he had taken upon himself for the past few years, traveling from country to country were not the ideal conditions for having a pet.
"It's merely my opinion, Sir," Sae replied smiling up at Allan, "Just that and nothing more."
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 7, 2010 22:41:10 GMT -5
Allan nodded, still smiling. "That doesn't lessen its kindness at all."
He crouched down and stroked François as well, looking fondly down at his pet. It was hard for Allan to imagine how he'd gotten along without François before; the two were nigh inseparable. God bless Smoke and his brilliant idea, wherever he'd gotten it from.
"I hope I'm not keeping you from some important obligation," Allan remarked, looking at Sae with his head tilted slightly to the side and a smile on his lips.
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 8, 2010 13:12:08 GMT -5
"Not at all," SaeRyun said shaking his purple topped head. "I'm merely working ahead," he added with a smile of his own, "It's a habit I've gotten into for the past 60 years."
Sae patted the Roomba once more before standing and smoothing out the wrinkles on his lavender button up shirt.
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 8, 2010 13:24:31 GMT -5
Allan straightened up as well, adjusting his glasses again. He smoothed the wrinkles from his own shirt, standing with most of his weight resting on his right leg and leaning on the mop for more support. "Sounds like a good habit to get into, if you ask me."
Allan limped over to the bucket and rinsed the mop before going back to cleaning the floor again, keeping an eye on SaeRyun. He certainly seemed a gentleman, much like Vincent. Allan liked that.
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 8, 2010 13:37:07 GMT -5
Sae watched the man walk and tilted his head slightly, his angular bangs falling out of his face. "Are you ok, Sir?" he asked. He held out his hand, "Would you like some help?"
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 8, 2010 13:46:14 GMT -5
Allan paused and looked over at SaeRyun, then smiled and shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm fine. It's just my foot." He nodded and gestured down to his twisted left foot, hidden in its overlarge shoe.
"It's a clubfoot," he explained, looking back up at SaeRyun. "Birth defect. Hurts like heck sometimes, but it could be worse. At least I have a foot." He shrugged. "He who limps, still walks."
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 8, 2010 14:03:11 GMT -5
Sae smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, he does indeed," he said softly, "and he who strives in hardships reaps the benefits in peace."
He carefully folded his papers and slid them in the back pocket of his black dress pants. "I love those kinds of sayings," he said thoughtfully, "The ones that say the least but mean the most."
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 8, 2010 14:10:54 GMT -5
"Indeed," Allan agreed with a smile. "And sometimes silence says even more. Actions speak louder than words, after all."
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 8, 2010 14:19:46 GMT -5
Sae nodded and smiled. He thought that he could sense something familar about the man, though he knew that they had never met before. His eyes narrowed slightly and examined the janitor carefully
"Pardon me if I'm over stepping my bounds, Sir," Sae spoke carefully, "But you are one of my kind, correct?"
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 8, 2010 14:25:35 GMT -5
"If you're asking whether I'm a vampire, then you're correct," Allan replied with a nod, grinning and showing his fangs. "It's good to see another one of us here. We're rather outnumbered by humans, especially mages. But our number seems to be growing every year. At least three of the new professors this year have been vampires."
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 8, 2010 14:35:04 GMT -5
"I'm perfectly fine with vampires' numbers growing, as long as it is under the proper means," Sae said looking down at the floor. "There are times when I think the vampires over reach their boundries," he said quietly, "Especially 'turning' humans with out consent."
He had to bite his lip to keep a growl from escaping his throat. He ran a hand through his dark purple hair, trying to calm himself back down.
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 8, 2010 14:39:31 GMT -5
"From what I know, these professors were all somewhat older vampires," Allan replied. "One was reported to be over a thousand years old. Then again," he added thoughtfully, "there were a lot of rumors about that one. It's hard to know what's the truth and what got twisted out of proportion."
He noticed SaeRyun biting his lip, and looked at him in concern. "Are you alright?"
|
|
Rim SaeRyun
Vi
A bird may love a fish, but were would they live?
Posts: 115
|
Post by Rim SaeRyun on Nov 8, 2010 14:42:41 GMT -5
SaeRyun nodded and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger. "Yeah, I'm fine," he gave Allan a reassuring smile. "I have not yet heard of that particular professor," he stated, "Which one would that be?"
He stepped closer to the man, being careful this time to not walk in any wet spots. "Just out of curiosity, Sir," he inquired, "Are you a 'turned' or 'born' Vampire?"
|
|
Allan Warbeck
Ireth
Janitorial Enigma
He who limps still walks.
Posts: 81
|
Post by Allan Warbeck on Nov 8, 2010 14:52:41 GMT -5
"Not someone you would have wanted to meet," Allan replied, his voice growing solemn. "His name was Conall, but the majority of the school called him 'Creeps McGee'. From what I've heard, he was a sex addict who targeted several students and some of the faculty. He died near the middle of October. That was one of the worst messes I've ever seen. Blood everywhere." He shuddered a little at the memory. "Thank goodness I had help cleaning it up, but it still took me hours."
"I'm a born vampire," he replied more cheerfully to the second question, glad for the change of subject. "And yourself?"
|
|