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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jul 1, 2010 0:53:50 GMT -5
"Oh god," Alex moaned. "I didn't even think about..."
He's young. He's entitled to a few issues. That had pretty much been his entire train of logic. He lay his hand on Hitomi's back and patted her, not sure if hugging her back would be appropriate or whether he should just listen.
Hitoshi clung to him because he needed someone that wasn't clinging to him. He still didn't quite know how to deal with that, but apparently there were a lot of things he didn't know, and none of them were any excuse.
"I'm sorry," he finally replied. "To you and everyone else. Is there something that can make this better...? Or should I just... go talk to him, now, or in the morning, and..."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 1, 2010 1:03:08 GMT -5
"I don't know," she murmured. She wiped her eyes, then gave Alex a sad sort of smile. "Sometimes, I think you maybe know my brother better than I do. Did you know he likes green tea--" She sniffled. "--or that his favorite author is Dostoyevsky? Because I just learned both of those today."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jul 1, 2010 1:10:11 GMT -5
The edge of Alex's mouth twitched, and he decided to go ahead and hug Hitomi briefly.
"We don't talk about books much," he half-admitted. "If I haven't completely botched everything... I'll try to make things better. Promise."
A thought occured to him, but he dismissed it. This wasn't the time to speculate about weird magical occurences.
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 1, 2010 1:13:14 GMT -5
She smiled. "Thanks for understanding, Alex," she whispered. "I just really...really hope it goes well, and that everything will be okay." She paused for a moment, and licked her lips. "Just...try not to bother Professor Yogo too much with it. I really hate to see teachers get dragged into this sort of thing, and he's really nice. I don't want him to worry."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jul 1, 2010 1:16:51 GMT -5
Alex blinked. Well, that's another person's welfare he hadn't been thinking about; they'd probably woken the poor man up with all the screaming.
"You shouldn't have to thank me for realizing I was a jerk, but I appreciate it. Mmh. I'll try to be quiet sneaking back in the room... and thank you, for not hitting me." He smiled.
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 1, 2010 1:19:37 GMT -5
Hitomi gave him a funny sort of smile and punched him lightly in the arm. "That wasn't from me. That was from Thrall. He says if you don't fix things with 'Toshi, he's going to hunt you down and make sure you never, ever get laid." She grinned. "But like I said, that wasn't from me. Thrall, remember."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jul 1, 2010 1:22:33 GMT -5
Alex looked at Hitomi like her head had just fallen off, then broke out in laughter and hid his face in his hands.
He sniffed between breaths. "Oh- I'm going to need to borrow your bathroom. Then I'll leave. And I'm going to tell him you said that the moment he won't send a horde of reanimated cockroaches at me for it."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 1, 2010 1:25:08 GMT -5
Hitomi smiled. "It's over there. Make sure to unlatch the door so my roommates can get back in."
She hugged her pillow and leaned back against the headboard. "And, um, Alex? If you can get him to still come to the beach... I really want him to try and enjoy the rest of the vacation. Even with all of this."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jul 1, 2010 1:25:36 GMT -5
He nodded and stood up. "All right. I'll see what I can do."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 6, 2010 9:14:01 GMT -5
The sweet, spicy aroma of fresh baked gingersnaps wafted into Hitomi's room from the kitchen. Her writing paused mid-sentence, and she breathed in deeply. She hadn't thought her brother was home...but who else would be baking cookies? Tristan rarely cooked and never baked. And Hitomi loved gingersnaps.
Hitomi's cat, Pumpkin, plopped down on top of Hitomi's journal and stared at her with beady eyes. She wasn't a very pretty cat; she was about three times fatter than was healthy and a had splotchy brown coat, and one of her ears had been bitten by something. But Pumpkin had been with Hitomi since she was three, and she couldn't imagine how lonely she would have been without her.
"Smells like 'Toshi's baking cookies." She scratched the cat behind the ears, and Pumpkin butted her head against Hitomi's hand. Hitomi smiled. "Should we go steal a few?"
Pumpkin meowed. She lazily stood up and hopped off of Hitomi's desk, knocking papers and pencils everywhere. Hitomi supposed that was the best answer she was going to get from her cat and followed Pumpkin out of her bedroom and down the hallway.
Hitomi stopped dead in her tracks. She heard a woman's voice, humming soft and sweet, a song she remembered faintly from long ago. She peered slowly around the corner and gasped.
A tiny blond woman stood over the sink, her hair braided over one shoulder, washing dishes in the sink. "Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind, smiles we give to one another, for the way we were...[/b]" Her gentle voice washed over Hitomi, warm and familiar. "Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line...[/b]"
Hitomi felt her throat go dry. "Mom...?"
"Hitomi. It's been so very long..." She gave Hitomi a misty-eyed smile and wiped her sud-covered hands on a towel. "There are cookies on the table. Would you like milk, sweetheart?"
Hitomi nodded numbly and collapsed into one of the chairs. Her mother poured a glass of milk and sat beside her, running her fingers lightly through her hair.
This isn't real, she thought. I'm going to wake up, and this is all going to be gone. I know it.
"You always had such pretty hair," she mused.
"It won't curl," she said weakly, her voice starting to break. She bit her lip. "I try, but...I can't make it curl."
Her mother laughed, soft and sweet, and took her hand. "It looks perfect the way it is. You have hair like your father, you and your brother both. His used to be long as well, back in college, though not nearly as long as Hitoshi's."
"My father...?" Hitomi's eyes widened. "Who is my father? You kept telling us we could meet him when we were older, but now--and. And. Please, Mom? Just...a name. Or something."
Cassandra smiled. "You'll learn who he is soon enough. I know that for a fact. I just want you to promise that you won't hold it against him that he wasn't there for you, alright Hitomi?"
Hitomi picked up a cookie and dunked it in her milk. Hitomi always did love gingersnaps. "I promise, Mom," she murmured.
"And there's one more thing before I go, sweetheart. About my death--"
"You can't leave!" Hitomi interrupted, her eyes filling with tears. "You came back, and we need you--me, and Tristan, and Hitoshi, and...and you just can't. You have to stay."
Cassandra sighed sadly, her arms wrapping around her daughter. "I know you do, but I can't stay. I saw your brother tonight, and Alex too. Your brother has been there for you since I left, and soon he's going to need you to return the favor. You're going to have to be strong for him."
"But that's just it." She trembled and threw her arms around her mother. "I don't know how to be strong, I...I saw what happened to you. I knew something bad was going to happen and there was nothing I could do to stop it. And Thrall--I should have done something. I should have been able to save him and I couldn't and I just don't know what to do! I'm not strong like you or Rivienne, or even like Hitoshi, I'm just--just..." She gave out a shuddering sob.
"Sweetheart. That's not true." Cassandra stroked her daughter's hair comfortingly. "You're a smart girl. You're level-headed, and you're caring. You're determined and passionate, and you might not believe it, but you're very brave. There are many types of strength, Hitomi. Believe me, you are not weak. And you are most certainly not to blame for my death, or for Thrall's.[/b]"
Hitomi's shuddering calmed, and she wiped her nose with her hand.
"Your cousin says to tell you hello, by the way." Cassandra smiled. "He misses you, and his brother. I think he's a bit bored, honestly."
Hitomi gave a little smile then and sniffled. "You were saying something," she murmured. "A-about your death."
She nodded gravely. "I have to tell you what happened. Now this is very important--" She gasped slightly, looking around. "Damn it, it's too soon. It can't be sunrise already."
"Mom?" Hitomi looked up, her eyes widening. "Mom, what's going on?"
Cassandra shook her head. "I won't have time after all. I took up too much time talking to Alex, damn it all," she muttered, mostly to herself. She looked back at her daughter. "You'll have to ask Thrall about me. He can tell you."
"But--no, Mom, wait!"[/i]
Hitomi reached out in front of her, but caught only the empty air as dim morning light spilled in through the window. She whimpered and curled up on her mattress, pulling the pillow close.[/color]
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Jul 8, 2010 15:14:19 GMT -5
"But-- no, Mom, wait!"
Dubhiarr woke to the soft cry, and the sound of someone whimpering. Blinking in the morning light, she sat up and looked over at the girl in the other bed. Hitomi was curled up, clutching her pillow close to her and crying quietly.
Dubhiarr got up and sat down on the edge of Hitomi's bed, laying a hand on her shoulder in concern. "What's wrong, 'Tomi? Did you have a nightmare?"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 8, 2010 16:47:29 GMT -5
Hitomi peered up at the other girl around her pillow. She sniffled slightly, brushing the wet trails from her cheeks. "Yeah, I just..." She shook her head and slowly pushed herself upright. "Sorry," she murmured. "Didn't mean to wake you."
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Jul 8, 2010 16:52:50 GMT -5
"That's okay," Dubhiarr reassured her, wrapping her arms around the younger girl and hugging her gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 24, 2010 0:42:20 GMT -5
Hitomi led Jaymie quietly back up to her room, which was thankfully still as empty of other human beings as it was when she left it. Aritha was probably out with Rudeth, and Dubhiarr seemed to have a good deal of friends. Maybe they would actually have an hour or two alone.
Hitomi climbed on her bed and pulled the blanket up around her shoulder, pulled her feet up beneath her. It wasn't terribly cold, but the warmth was comforting, all the same.
"You can turn the TV on, if you want," she suggested. "I think there are a few channels in English."
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Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jul 24, 2010 0:56:52 GMT -5
Jaymie closed the door behind them, then kicked his sandals off and sat down on the end of the bed, one leg hanging off it and the other folded beneath him. He smiled gently at Hitomi.
"I don't care. Whatever you like." He grabbed the remote and sat it on the bed.
"So... uhm."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 24, 2010 1:24:18 GMT -5
"I... um." Hitomi worried her lip gently between her teeth, staring down at the floor. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Hitomi leaned against Jaymie, her knees pulled tight against her chest. "I really don't know where to begin," she admitted.
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Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jul 24, 2010 1:27:46 GMT -5
"That's okay." Jaymie ran his fingers through Hitomi's hair. "Well... when did whatever this is first start bothering you? Would that work?"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 24, 2010 1:40:47 GMT -5
Hitomi squeezed Jaymie tight and thought for a moment. It was so much easier to talk about everything that happened when it was in reference to Hitoshi; talking to Alex had been easy, but this... She just wanted to forget about it, to sweep it under the bed and forget about it.
"Jaymie, how much have I told you about my mother?"
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Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jul 24, 2010 1:44:27 GMT -5
He let out a deep breath and tried to remember. Okay, this was some heavy shit, whatever it was.
"I know... you told me she died when you were little, and you went to live with your uncle," he said softly. "And you told me she used to be a waitress, and that's where your brother learned to cook. Some other stuff like that."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jul 24, 2010 2:57:56 GMT -5
Hitomi nodded slightly. "She died when we were ten. We never exactly figured out what happened to her, but I..." She swallowed. "I...felt something that night. Something Hitoshi couldn't."
Her hand tightened in Jaymie's, and she felt her throat start to close up. "I knew something was going on with my mom that night, so I ran to her room, and...she just looked like she was asleep." Her lip trembled, and she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
"I don't remember much else from that night, except that we spent most of it with a policeman and a few medics. I tried to tell the officer I felt something weird, but I was ten years old and hysterical. He kept telling me that I was just freaked out, and that I needed to try and calm down. I don't remember what exactly I said, or how much I told him, but I know when Tristan got there several hours later, he recommended that I get grief counseling. He didn't pay any attention to what I said." She snorted. "I mean, can you blame him? Some ten year old girl telling you she saw some sort of weird magic force killing her mother?"
She shook her head. "Tristan couldn't find anything, either, and he would have if it had been normal magic. And I mean...why would someone want to kill her? She was a waitress. She hadn't done any work as a hunter since before we were born."
She squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't going to cry, damn it. She was going to finish this. "There was only one other time I felt anything like what I felt that night. And that was on Halloween, when...when Thrall died.
"But last night...I dreamed about her. She started to tell me how she died, just before I woke up. I think it was really her, and I just...I just..." Hitomi made a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a hiccup and buried her face in Jaymie's chest.
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Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jul 24, 2010 3:47:38 GMT -5
He squeezed Hitomi close for a few minutes, playing with her hair and processing that. This was probably not worse than he'd thought, but he was having a hard time figuring out what the hell it was.
Crazy magic shit, even. To do with her mother. Well, he was hardly an occult scholar- in fact, he was glad she hadn't been looking at him when she mentioned a "weird magic force", because he forgot magic existed for a second- and on top of that, she was making it sound like this might just be some stress-based hallucination of hers.
On the other hand, it's not like he had any idea, and that was not the main problem he should be worrying about here.
"That sounds really... yeah, I can see why you're freaking out a little." He looked down and tried to meet her eyes. "I can't imagine carrying all that around in my head. Even just the other stuff, without some kind of dream-vision thing."
"I'm sorry that happened to you, if it means anything."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Aug 19, 2010 21:33:26 GMT -5
Hitomi sighed and closed her eyes, her grip on Jaymie loosening slightly. She must have sounded insane, rambling about dreams and visions and magic. She sometimes she forgot just how new Jaymie was to all this.
"Yeah, it does," she murmured. "Thanks."
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Post by Jaymie Elderton on Aug 19, 2010 21:58:15 GMT -5
"I... would suggest talking to someone again, at least about the new thing, but... I guess that's easier said than done?"
He looked down at Hitomi and considered what he was about to do very hard for a moment. He made a worried little noise, then kissed the top of her head.
"Sorry I can't be of more help. Uh, maybe you sense death or something...?" He shrugged. "Minor magical... something?"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Aug 19, 2010 23:05:09 GMT -5
Hitomi sighed and tried not to get too annoyed at Jaymie. It wasn't his fault she was completely incapable of talking to anyone about anything. It felt weird even talking to him about her mother. How the hell was she supposed to explain the rest of it? She couldn't exactly just say 'Oh, by the way, I've been lying to you for several months, I actually have magical powers'.
"That's not it," she murmured, pulling away slightly. She wrapped her arms loosely around her knees. "I've seen other things, starting around when my mom died. It's constant. I can tell when people are mages, or vampires." She glanced up, meeting his eyes for a second. "Or fae. Anything. They're all different. But Halloween was the only other time I saw what I did the night my mother died, and..." She swallowed slightly. "And she told me to ask Thrall. But what does that mean?"
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Post by Jaymie Elderton on Aug 19, 2010 23:18:48 GMT -5
She didn't even respond. I guess that wasn't a problem. I will not get excited about that; that's a little too dorky.
He pulled back a little to watch her expression and blinked. "Huh. Cool. I mean, the power thing; you never mentioned that." He smiled a little.
"I dunno, but if this really is some mystical thing, it'll show up eventually. Maybe there's something you'd find if you investigated things, or... wherever he was buried."
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