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Post by ianharris on Sept 6, 2009 18:42:23 GMT -5
...out of darkness, light...
It took Ian a few moments to realize that he was finally awake. His eyes snapped open and he raised a hand instinctively to block Conall's attack. But Conall was not there. Neither were Diana, Ellie, or the hallway Ian had left. Instead, Ian found himself staring at the ceiling of the sick bay. Early morning sunlight shone through the windows and created beautiful patterns on the ceiling. The picture was very peaceful... something that Ian wasn't very used to.
He tried to sit up, but was suddenly struck with the worst headache he had ever experience. Crying out in pain, Ian feel back onto the pillow. It felt as if he had just ran headfirst into a brick wall. Apparently he wasn't going to be sitting up anytime soon. Whatever had happened during his prolonged exposure to Conall's mind, it had screwed quite nicely with his own. He felt... violated. Ian's whole body shivered.
Since he wasn't going to be sitting up, Ian turned his head from side to side to get an idea of his surroundings. He was in the sick bay, that much was obvious. On one side of him, a girl that Ian didn't know lay in a cot. On the other side of him was Aramis. Ian felt a twinge of guilt again. So Aramis had been in the sick bay the entire night... for an incident which was sort of Ian's fault.
Nothing Ian saw from his limited vantage point explained anything about last night. What happened? He assumed that Conall hadn't ruthlessly slaughtered everyone - after all, he was still alive and had somehow ended up on the sick bay - but he had no way of knowing whether or not Conall was dead. And after the nightmare he had just endured, he figured it was time to get an answer. And there was someone around who would know at least part of the story. "El...Miss Evans-Barros?" He called softly, so as not to wake up the others lying near him. "Miss E? Hello? Are you there?"
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 6, 2009 18:48:42 GMT -5
Aramis heard him move... definitely heard the cry of pain. He turned and looked at him, his purple eyes dark with concern. "Hey, Ian... nice to see you back in the land of the living... I asked Miss E to let me stay until you woke up... Since my roommate is still out cold. What was going on last night? Somehow I actually SLEPT through most of it."
He sat on the edge of his cot, looking at the older boy. Ian looked really pale, but Ara was afraid to try to help. For one thing... if Ian had hit his head or something, Ara didn't want to muck with it. Head injuries were tough and dangerous.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 6, 2009 18:58:22 GMT -5
Ian turned his head towards Aramis. He was glad to see that the boy had stopped vomiting, and seemed to be back in the happy mood Ian found him in. Focusing really hard, Ian attempted to remember details from the night before.
"I... uh... I probably shouldn't be talking about this without talking to Miss Evans-Barros... but... uh... I guess I owe you." Ian shifted slightly in his bed, making himself a bit more comfortable. "You know Conall? 'course you do, you're not me... that is... uh... you've been here a while. Either way, this Conall. He woke up last night... I was out trying to find Professor Harrows and kinda... uh... got mixed up in the whole thing. Professor Harrows and I... we went looking for Miss Evans-Barros, but after we found her, uh... Conall found us." He fell silent. Willing as he was to go into detail about his mental battle with Conall (Aramis already knew about Dylan and his dad anyway...), he wanted to make sure Aramis wanted to hear about it before he launched into detail...
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 6, 2009 19:07:21 GMT -5
Aramis looked pretty interested. "You were in a fight? How do I always miss the good stuff? Or maybe I should ask why all the good stuff happens at night... anyway. What happened? No one got hurt too badly, right? I mean, you didn't have any blood on you when you came in."
He paused, realizing he was babbling. ...He tended to do that. Babble around people he was just getting to know. He tended to be shy and his social skills were somewhat lacking. Kemekin could probably agree to that. Aramis was NOT used to sharing a room, and it showed. Mostly with the invisible dividing line in their room. He looked at Ian with interest.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 6, 2009 20:50:01 GMT -5
"Uh..." Ian thought for a second. "I don't know what happened, really. Conall showed up. Professor Harrows changed into a wolf. I thought it'd be a good idea to try to keep Conall scared, so I... um... tried to... uh... make him think there was a fire. But something... um... I think something went wrong, and I heard voices, and then... uh... I woke up here. I don't know what happened... I sorta hoped Ellie would."
Ian made another attempt to sit up and got a little further before the pain knocked him back again. "My body's fine. My... uh... my mind still hurts. A lot."
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 6, 2009 20:56:16 GMT -5
"Don't try to get up," Ara said quickly, putting a hand on Ian's shoulder. "You feel pain for a reason. It's your body's way of telling you not to do something or that you messed up."
Aramis was a bit disappointed at Ian's lack of knowledge, but what he knew was still interesting. With everything being so quiet, he doubted the trouble was still going on, but it would have been nice to know for sure.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 6, 2009 21:15:06 GMT -5
Ellie heard soft voices as she approached the door to the sick bay. She knew that one must belong to Aramis... and after a moment of listening recognized the other as Ian's. She peeked her head into the room and smiled at the two young men, her growing exhaustion from the last twelve hours showing visibly on her face despite the bright attitude she was showing. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she stepped towards Ian's bed, glancing at the other unconscious figures as she did so. Kemekin was still asleep-- she had managed to heal Dubhiarr before leaving to check the rest of the school for those involved in the escapade. She had recovered nicely; the color had come back to her face in full.
Aramis had needed no healing-- just some soothing magic and a gulp or two of medicine. Ellie sat on the edge of Ian's bed, looking at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry for taking so long, sweetie," she said. Even her voice was tired. "I was able to take a look at you before I left, though. This shouldn't take long..."
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Post by ianharris on Sept 6, 2009 21:32:00 GMT -5
Ian nodded at Ellie. "Thank you, professor... before you treat me though, I think I des... I... uh... could I possibly... um... what happened with Conall?" Dammit, Ian... you need to work on how you say things...
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 6, 2009 21:45:10 GMT -5
"You don't need to worry about him," Ellie soothed, brushing her fingertips against the skin at Ian's forehead and murmuring an incantation that sent waves of magic into the boy's subconscious-- that's where the damage was. The repair itself was indeed a short one-- more like running together scattered strips of film than reconfiguring damaged tissue. By the time Ellie had finished, however, the use of magic had taken its toll. She pulled away from Ian, her work done, and swooned slightly as she stood, gripping the edge of the bed for support.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 6, 2009 21:47:54 GMT -5
Aramis leapt up and caught her, looking at her with concern. "Miss E? I think you should listen to your advice to me and relax," he said softly, carefully helping her stand. "You know... my magic lends itself well toward healing... if you coach me, I could do almost anything you need done while you rest up."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 6, 2009 21:56:48 GMT -5
Ellie sank into the nearest chair, running one hand through her hair and shaking her head at Aramis. "I appreciate the sentiment, honey. I really do. But healing humans, though connected to it, is quite a bit more complicated than doing the same for plants..." She smiled up at him, the fatigue in her features far more pronounced than before. "I just need rest. My energy will replenish itself with time."
She patted his wrist and pulled herself to her feet again, this time with her jaw set. She walked across the room to her desk and pulled up her log, starting to make the necessary entries for the night before. She did not sit as straight as she normally did-- nor did she hold her head quite as high.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 6, 2009 22:20:59 GMT -5
Ian attempted one last time to sit up. This time, amazingly, he was able to sit up all the way with only a slight buzzing in his head. His ability to move around restored, Ian took a quick look around the sick bay. There were quite a few people in the room... many of them obscured by curtains surrounding their beds. Ian wondered how many of them were a result of the chaos caused by Conall's escape.
Conall!
Was he dead? Was he captured? Miss Evans-Barros' response had been so vague... Ian didn't want to hope that the monster he'd touched minds with was actually dead. His curiosity screamed "Ask!" but his common sense said "Drop it!" After a several second internal battle, his curiosity won.
"Conall..." He said hesitantly. "Forgive me, Miss Evans-Barros... but I have to know... is Conall dead?"
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 8, 2009 21:39:56 GMT -5
Ellie looked at the boy through her hair. She paused, knowing that there was no way Aramis would miss her answer regardless.
She sighed, leaned back in her chair, and gave Ian a barely perceptible nod.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 8, 2009 21:50:32 GMT -5
Ian felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His back gave out beneath him and he fell back onto his pillow, exhaling all the air from his lungs. He felt his heart race and he suppressed the urge to cheer.
Conall's dead!
True, Ian hadn't known Conall before the night before. And true, he hadn't heard most of the horror stories that surrounded the vampire. But he figured that, after Conall had screwed with his head, he should be allowed to celebrate just a little. But right then, he simply lay there and let relief wash over him.
Finally, he spoke again. "Thank you... Thank you for telling me that. I... uh... I needed to know."
Another thought eventually crawled into his head. The Headmistress would probably have heard about the events of the previous night. Which meant she probably knew Ian was involved. Which meant she was probably going to question Ian about his role eventually. Ian's heart sank a bit. The Headmistress scared him... a lot. But not even that could dampen his spirits that much.
Conall's dead!
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 8, 2009 22:25:58 GMT -5
Aramis nodded a little in satisfaction. He knew a few things about Creeps, and hearing he was dead was a good thing. He wasn't planning on telling the entire school, though. Probably would be best to leave that to the Headmistress. She was pretty frightening and he was not interested on getting on her bad side. Best to let rumors spread, none of which would involve his name.
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Sept 9, 2009 22:14:07 GMT -5
Dubhiarr drifted half-awake in a realm of shadows and dreams, memories swirling through her mind, melting together into a nightmarish ooze... Kemekin writhing on the lounge floor, and turning into Nina, who looked up at her and whispered, "Du, I can't..." She saw herself reaching down to help her roommate, only to have Nina swipe at her face with a hand made of gleaming white teeth...
Dubhiarr came back to consciousness with a shriek of alarm, sitting bolt upright in her bed. She gasped for air, her heart pounding, paralyzed for a few seconds; then she blinked, taking stock of her surroundings, looking around in confusion.
"Where am I... what happened?"
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Post by Veronique Poulain on Sept 10, 2009 21:06:58 GMT -5
Veronique rounded the hallway to the infirmary briskly. She looked pale and exhausted, even for a vampire: her eyes were bloodshot and marred with dark circles, her hair was pulled back but slightly disheveled, and her clothing was crinkled severely in places, as if she had attempted to make herself presentable but given up halfway through. Her eyes were set in a fierce determination, however, giving her the appearance of a woman possessed.
She banged open the door to the infirmary haphazardly, without regard to any sleeping patients. Her eyes swept over the students briefly, and her lips tightened together.
"If I may, I would like to speak to each of you individually and discern what you remember of yesterday's events," she announced without preamble, her gaze fixing on no one in particular, instead roaming to meet each pair of eyes solidly before moving to the next.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 10, 2009 21:26:50 GMT -5
The moment the headmistress stepped through the door, Ian felt a chill go through his veins. It was the second time he had seen the woman since arriving at Dunehelden, and although she looked more tired and stressed than the last time Ian had seen her, she was still frightening. Ian knew he was going to have to tell her about his part in the death of Conall eventually, but he prayed that he wasn't the first one she spoke to.
Instead, Ian turned his attention to the newly-awakened girl next to him. He didn't know who she was or how she got there, but the chances that she had been involved in the whole Conall mess were pretty good. So Ian decided to take a shot in the dark.
"It's, um... it's okay." he whispered, praying that the headmistress didn't hear him. "If you're about last night, he's... uh... dead..."
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Sept 10, 2009 21:32:56 GMT -5
Dubhiarr frowned at the boy as he spoke, trying to remember if she'd seen him before. At his final statement, her eyes widened. She moved her lips to shape her question without giving voice. "How?"
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 11, 2009 0:37:58 GMT -5
Aramis looked at the Headmistress and swallowed. "I could go first... I wasn't involved, but if you still want to hear my very, very short story..."
He did NOT want to talk to her alone. He didn't like talking with her, didn't really usually like talking with anyone unless they caught him in the right talkative mood. So... be first, get it over with quickly... and maybe make it to class.
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Post by Veronique Poulain on Sept 11, 2009 19:00:13 GMT -5
Veronique nodded, gesturing to the door. "In the hallway, if you please, Mr. Aldin? I'd like to speak in private."
She glanced over at the Doctor and gave a terse, humorless smile. "I'll only be a moment." She opened the door, waiting for the young man to follow.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 13, 2009 19:15:31 GMT -5
Aramis swallowed and nodded, slipping out the door and standing there nervously. "I don't know much, Headmistress," he said. "I was in the sickbay since yesterday noon."
He took several slow breaths, trying to remember everything he could in order to answer her questions. Considering his habit of doing magic outside of class, he hadn't really ever spoken with her, and she... intimidated him.
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Post by Veronique Poulain on Sept 14, 2009 18:32:17 GMT -5
Veronique nodding. "Of course," she replied coolly, slipping a notepad and a pencil out of her pocket. "Simply tell me what you remember of last night."
She studied him coldly, watching for any reaction.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 14, 2009 18:40:22 GMT -5
Aramis ran his fingers through his hair. "Not much, honestly. I got sick at about noon, and I remember hearing something outside after the sun set. Not much, since the glass in there is thick, and none of the windows were open. It might have been a scream? Then I heard something in the hall, and made myself go to sleep. Or tried. I do remember something getting brought in here, though... Not what it was. I refused to look."
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Post by Veronique Poulain on Sept 14, 2009 19:02:42 GMT -5
Veronique remained silent for a moment, her eyes boring into the young man. She scribbled something down on the notepad at last, then gave Aramis a dismissive gesture.
"Send the next one out, if you don't mind," she replied crisply. Despite her phrasing, it was clearly not a request.
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