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Post by ianharris on Sept 21, 2009 23:46:44 GMT -5
Ian felt his ears go red. Appreciation was not something he was very used to. Or people being nice to him, for that matter. This school was very unusual.
"Thanks..." He mumbled, not looking at any of them. "...it's nice to... uh... meet you too?"
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Sept 22, 2009 13:17:49 GMT -5
"Nice meeting you, Ian," Stephen spoke up, careful not to show his fangs too much when he smiled. "So you took on the creepster, huh? Nice work. I wish I'd been there, at least to see it."
He was itching to ask about the blood in the hall (what could possibly have happened to Conall to make him bleed that much? And how had Nina not noticed it? She had gotten there well before he did), but held his tongue. Somebody would probably be explaining the whole story later. Most likely Veronique.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 22, 2009 14:33:35 GMT -5
"Er..." Ian felt a little bad that he had to disappoint the group, especially since they were being so nice to him. "I got knocked out before... uh... before most of the fighting started so... um... I didn't actually see him die... but... uh... I wish I had, though... I mean, he... um..." Ian fell silent. His ears felt as if they were burning.
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Sept 23, 2009 21:52:08 GMT -5
Nina gave Ian a little wave, knowing that touching him would only make him retreat further into his shell. "That's okay, Ian," she said. "It's good that you're okay, though."
Speaking of okay... Nina couldn't help her eyes from lingering upon Kemekin each time they fell across him. She hadn't seen him since the previous morning, far before the fight with Dubhiarr... Nina turned slightly to look at her roommate, so very glad that she was okay, so very guilty that she had driven her away and put her in danger in the first place. It was Dubhiarr's presence that kept her from rushing to Kemekin's side as soon as the boy had sat up-- as far as Nina knew, Du hated Kemekin. Much as she wanted to comfort the boy, she didn't want to anger Dubhiarr. That was a friendship she wasn't willing to put under more stress.
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Sept 23, 2009 22:02:27 GMT -5
Dubhiarr smiled rather nervously when she caught Nina looking at her. The last time they had been together had been during an argument--and the subject of said argument was sitting in the next bed.
A rush of guilt entered Dubhiarr's heart... it had been stupid, shallow and selfish of her to drag Kemekin into their fight. Nina could easily have been saying "I can't" for any one of a hundred different reasons. "I can't believe you feel that way"... "I can't deal with this right now, come back and talk to me later"... The possibilities went on and on. Things would have ended so differently if she hadn't leapt to the most painful conclusion she could think of.
Her eyes strayed over to Kemekin. True, the boy was cocky, clingy and obnoxious, but did she, Dubhiarr, really know what he felt about Nina, or what Nina felt about him? Body language told a lot, yes, but not everything. And did she really want to know every detail? More than one friendship might be affected, maybe for the worse, if she were to pry into that relationship.
Dubhiarr drew her knees up to her chest, staring down at the blanket that covered her legs. It was too much to think about right now.
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Sept 23, 2009 22:45:54 GMT -5
Stephen watched quietly as Nina and Du exchanged glances, and Du quietly began staring at her knees. He wondered what was going on inside her head... she was probably overwhelmed by everything that had happened. Not that he knew all of what that was. Nina and Du had argued, that much he knew--there was a purple bruise on Du's cheek that could only have come from a slap in the face. Was it that which had driven Du out into the arms of her would-be killer?
Stephen's fist clenched at the thought of Conall, with his filthy hands all over Dubhiarr's body, his teeth in her neck. He didn't have to take a lot of effort to imagine what kind of thoughts had been running through the creeper's twisted mind. The thought of a creature like Conall defiling someone as beautiful as Dubhiarr made him want to vomit. But she was safe now, and well. He relaxed.
He glanced down at the vase full of irises on the table beside Dubhiarr's bed, at the same time slipping one hand into an inside pocket of his leather jacket. Quickly and quietly he pulled something out of the pocket and tucked it in among the flowers, then returned to his previous position, hands at his sides. Dubhiarr hadn't seemed to notice.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 24, 2009 19:57:17 GMT -5
There was a lot of glorious, peaceful silence, So much, in fact, that Ian was actually uncomfortable in silence, something that had never happened before. He studied the group around the other bed very closely. Something was going on behind the scenes... something no one seemed to want to acknowledge, but was bothering all three of the people next to Ian. How very unusual.
Things got a bit weirder when Ian saw Stephen slip something into... what was her name? Du, or something like it... Du's bouquet of flowers. Interesting. Ian logged that away inside his brain for potential use later. Though he couldn't imagine where he would ever need the information.
"So... um..." He tried to break the incredibly awkward silence, which was hard, considering how awkward Ian himself was. "...anyone know what... um... what they serve us to... um... eat... uh... and stuff... up here? We... er... we can't go down to the... um... mess hall..."
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Sept 24, 2009 20:36:40 GMT -5
Nina brightened. The air in the Sick Bay seemed suddenly stifling to her. She needed a break. "I can go get something for you," she offered. "Du and Keme, that goes for you guys, as well." She took a few steps backward, towards the door, stopping level with the foot of Kemekin's bed and resting her hand lightly atop the blankets. "What do you want?"
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Sept 24, 2009 21:39:00 GMT -5
"Something with meat in it, preferrably," Dubhiarr spoke up, grateful for Nina's offer, but somewhat reluctant to see her leave. "I want to get my strength back sooner rather than later. Thanks, Nina."
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Kemekin Evans-Barros, Jr.
Keme
Academy Freshman: Were-Korean
No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.
Posts: 229
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Post by Kemekin Evans-Barros, Jr. on Sept 24, 2009 21:50:26 GMT -5
Kemekin smiled at Nina-- not his usual mischievous grin. "I'm fine," he insisted. "I don't need anything."
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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 25, 2009 12:03:56 GMT -5
Aramis watched everything quietly. He had managed to thank Professor Harrows for the flowers, but with so many people around he seemed to have lost his voice. Which wasn't surprising, even if one of those people was his roommate. He should probably be headed to class, but after facing the headmistress and now everything else... he wasn't feeling well again.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 30, 2009 22:46:50 GMT -5
Ian thought for a second. "Could I... uh... get some ham? The cook makes... er... really good ham. And some potatoes..."
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Sept 30, 2009 23:03:46 GMT -5
Nina smiled. "Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes." With that she turned and left, not pausing to look at anyone or even take a breath until she was out into the hallway. It was there that she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and cradling her head in her arms.
Yes, she would be back in a few minutes, with nourishment for those in the Bay.
After she stopped crying.
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Sept 30, 2009 23:14:55 GMT -5
"I'm going to go help Nina," Stephen spoke up, moving to follow the tiny mage out of the bay. Two pairs of hands were better than one, he reasoned, for carrying food for three people. He stopped just outside the sick bay door, staring down at the figure of Nina huddled against the wall. Quickly he knelt down beside her and touched her shoulder, speaking softly in her ear.
"What's wrong, Nina?"
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Oct 1, 2009 19:35:59 GMT -5
Nina flinched at Stephen's touch and curled into a tighter ball, shaking her head. The words I'm fine, give me a minute, followed by a more honest revision of, I don't know. This is all so confusing and stressful and it's my fault Du got hurt and both she and Kemekin are in the sick bay and something's up with Jaebi and I'm losing my grip on all this shit because I can't do anything about any of it formed in her mind, but they never made it past her lips. The only sound she emitted was a slow, shuddering sigh before she lifted her head to look at the vampire with burning eyes.
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Oct 1, 2009 19:40:44 GMT -5
"Aww, Peach..." Stephen moved closer to Nina and wrapped his arms comfortingly around her, shifting so he was sitting beside her on the floor. He wiped his sleeve across her damp face and looked into her eyes, one hand cupping her face gently.
"May I see what's bothering you?" he asked.
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Oct 1, 2009 19:43:55 GMT -5
Nina sniffed once, nodding at her friend's offer. So flustered was the little mage at the moment that she wasn't sure if she could manage a single word, let alone multiple sentences.
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Oct 1, 2009 20:13:06 GMT -5
Stephen held his eye contact with Nina, his good eye widening slightly as her memories all seemed to surface at once. He sifted through them, observing them in chronological order.
He saw Nina walking a--was that a cheetah?--down a hallway toward what looked like the dormitories, then standing beside a closed door, speaking to someone inside who refused to come out to talk to her--he recognized the voice but couldn't put a face to it. Nina's attempts at comforting the boy, whoever he was, were failing miserably; he could feel the sadness and frustration in her memory.
The scene shifted to Nina and Du's dormitory. The two girls sat down in their blanket tent, and Du pulled Nina close, explaining something that had happened earlier that day with Kemekin... a magical seizure of some kind. He saw Nina jump to her feet, then turn back to Du; her voice was soft and comforting when she spoke.
Du looked nervous about something, and Stephen wondered what it was, until Du spoke again. A tremulous confession tumbled out almost too fast for him to catch it. Nina stammered in reply, and Du began to cry, and then to snarl. Her tirade was cut off sharply by a slap in the face from Nina -- the silence rang for a moment, and then Du leapt up and fled the room in tears. Nina's sorrow and anger and confusion throbbed in Stephen's mind.
Another shift... now inside the sick bay, mere minutes before. Nina clung to Du and cried while they both apologized to each other about their fight. Nina's guilt, shame and sorrow were all too palpable as she looked at Du and Kemekin lying in their beds, side by side.
Stephen broke eye contact, closing his eyes and holding his head. The memories pulsed against his mind's eye, making him wince. That was a lot of pain for one tiny girl to go through.
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Oct 2, 2009 15:47:20 GMT -5
Nina's eyebrows rose. Stephen seemed to be in pain.
"Oh no, now I've gone and hurt you, too..." She frowned and rubbed the vampire's back. "Stephen? Are you okay?"
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Oct 2, 2009 16:26:02 GMT -5
He opened his eyes, looking down at Nina as she spoke. Stephen? Stephen who?
Oh, yeah. She was talking to him. He was Stephen. Right.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I tend to kind of forget who I am for a bit sometimes, when someone's memories are really intense like yours were." He relaxed a little as the pain in his head ebbed along with the last lingering shreds of memory, and looked down at Nina in pity. "I'm really sorry, Nina... nobody deserves to feel that much hurt. Is... is there anything I can do?"
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Oct 2, 2009 18:42:01 GMT -5
Nina immediately shook her head, becoming defensive the moment pity entered his expression. "No," she said, her tone kind of her voice flat. She pulled her self to her feet, reaching out a hand to Stephen. She didn't want to discuss it any more.
"Let's go get the others something to eat."
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Stephen Shorne
Ireth
University Junior: Vampire
Dancing through life...
Posts: 168
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Post by Stephen Shorne on Oct 2, 2009 19:09:57 GMT -5
Stephen nodded once, taking Nina's hand and getting to his feet. He walked alongside of her toward the mess hall, mulling over what her mind had revealed to him, but not voicing his thoughts. He had seen the I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it look in Nina's eyes, and respected her wishes.
A part of his mind wandered back to Du in the sickbay; he wondered whether she'd recognize what he had given her.
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Kemekin Evans-Barros, Jr.
Keme
Academy Freshman: Were-Korean
No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.
Posts: 229
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Post by Kemekin Evans-Barros, Jr. on Oct 2, 2009 19:40:17 GMT -5
Kemekin sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He glanced up only after Stephen had left, his eyes lingering on what the vampire had left behind before his gaze shifted to the girl on the next bed.
"Hey, Du," he asked quietly. He didn't know why-- he just felt the need for low volume. "How are you doing? What with the last few days, I mean."
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Oct 2, 2009 19:52:41 GMT -5
Dubhiarr looked at Kemekin, her head tilted to the side, and gave a one-shouldered shrug. "As well as can be expected, I guess..."
She studied the boy quietly, sorting through her thoughts, wondering what to vocalize.
"About... that argument we had," she began nervously, "I'm sorry it turned out like it did. Believe it or not, I really didn't intend to hurt you. I was just trying to scare you into staying away from Nina--and it was for selfish reasons at first, but I think we both know another, perfectly good reason why. I don't want to risk another of those... weird seizure-things happening when Nina's around.
"And... I know I must sound like a total bitch for saying this, but I think you really need to learn to control yourself when you're with Nina. The hugging, the clinging... it's not a good way to behave, whether Nina likes it or not. There are times and places for that kind of behavior, and public places full of other people are not one of them. If you must cling to her like that, save it for when nobody's around."
She paused, wondering if there was anything she could or should add.
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Kemekin Evans-Barros, Jr.
Keme
Academy Freshman: Were-Korean
No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.
Posts: 229
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Post by Kemekin Evans-Barros, Jr. on Oct 2, 2009 20:07:12 GMT -5
Kemekin's mouth tensed slighlty, suddenly wishing he hadn't spoken at all. She had a point-- Kemekin's magic was dangerous, and until he had control over it he should really keep an eye on how he interacted with people.
But clinging was not something Kemekin did. Dubhiarr's opinion of his actions was clearly biased against him. He understood her anxiety, though, and that kept anything from coloring his voice as he replied, "You didn't hurt me, Dubhiarr. My magic did. It's not something that happens often-- I promise you. And I've told Nina about it already... everything she would possibly need to know about it. And she didn't leave me. Even after hearing what brought me here, to Dunehelden." A smirk tugged at his lips. "And no, you don't sound like a bitch for saying it-- just a bit prudish." He was not going to mention to her that he most certainly did not cling to Nina, because an argument was not what he needed right now, especially with Ian and Aramis in the room and his aunt in the next room with the headmistress.
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