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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 15:20:25 GMT -5
Ian was still very confused by the time he walked out into the courtyard. Liam's tour of the building the night before had been somewhat helpful, but there were still a lot of unanswered questions buzzing around in Ian's mind. The two major issues at the moment, however, were sleep and food. Ian had gotten plenty of sleep the night before, and he now held a sandwich he had picked up at the mess hall, which should nicely take care of his hunger. If only he could find a quiet spot to eat it.
Eventually, Ian found a small stone bench and sat down. He took a bit out of his sandwich and watched as students began to head off to their morning classes. His first class of the morning - literature - wasn't for an hour and a half, so Ian had plenty of time to sit and watch the people go by. As he watched various students pass him, Ian realized how very unusual this school was.
But then, I'm pretty unusual myself... He thought, and took another bite of his sandwich, enjoying some nice music that seemed to be coming from nowhere in particular.
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 15:33:55 GMT -5
Liam sat by himself on a bench across the courtyard, a tall black cello gripped between his knees and a bow in his hand. He drew the bow gently across the strings, playing a slow, gentle melody. One hand moved up and down along the cello's slender neck as the other moved the bow back and forth, coaxing deep, thrumming notes from the strings. It was one of his own compositions, a piece he had written a few years before. He played as though in a trance, tuning out the other sights and sounds around him as he wandered in his memories.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 15:43:36 GMT -5
It was only after his sandwich was finished that Ian noticed where the music he had been hearing was coming from. Liam - Ian's tour guide from last night - had been right across the courtyard the whole time. Ian watched him play, feeling a bit self-conscious. He had once thought he was taking oboe for a month, but that turned out to be...not real. Since then, Ian had harbored a great respect for people who actually did know how to play instruments.
And Liam was good...Ian couldn't deny that. With over an hour until Literature, Ian folded his hands in his lap and listened to Liam play.
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 15:47:21 GMT -5
Liam lowered his bow and looked up as he came to the last bars of the song. He spotted Ian, the student he had shown around last night, sitting across from him. Liam grinned and raised his hand in greeting, still holding the bow. "Morning, Ian!"
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 15:54:38 GMT -5
Ian looked down at the ground, and raised his own hand feebly. "Morning, Liam!" he called back. Then he stood and slowly made his way over to where Liam sat. When he got there, Ian stood awkwardly in front of Liam, still staring at the ground and feeling very out of place. Oh, well. He had to get connected into this school somehow. "That's...that's really good. Where'd you learn to play like that?"
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 15:57:25 GMT -5
Liam smiled, nodding for Ian to sit beside him. "I've been taking lessons since I was about six. I play the harp a bit, too, but that was mostly my sister's thing. I've only been playing the harp for a little over two years now."
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 16:12:01 GMT -5
Ian took a seat next to Liam and watched a group of high schoolers go by. "Well...you're really good. I don't play anything...well, I thought I played the oboe for a while but...that didn't happen."
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 16:16:32 GMT -5
Liam smiled. "I had a moment like that once... I have a distinct memory of going to a summer camp several years ago and taking step dancing lessons for a week, but neither my parents nor my sister ever believed it really happened. I can still almost remember a couple of the steps, so I'm pretty sure it did happen, but I can't be a hundred percent certain."
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 2, 2009 16:19:39 GMT -5
Seele's path through the grass wound and twisted around in different patterns. Walking on her toes, her heels held lightly in one hand, she span once and happened to glimpse a familiar face. "G'morning!" she called cheerily, stretching one arm high into the air to wave at him. "How've you been, laddie?"
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 16:24:33 GMT -5
Liam laughed as the pink-haired girl called his name, raising a hand to wave back. "Ello, Seele! I'm doing alright. How about you?"
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 2, 2009 16:29:00 GMT -5
Seele jogged lightly to close the distance between her and Liam, smiling brightly. "Rather good, rather good," she told him. "I'm taking a break from doing anything too athletic-- it's just degrading to have a barely-taller-than-five-foot mage beat you in a sparring match so many times in a row... I know she's had years of intensive training, and under Haneul, no less, but come on..." She stopped herself, realizing that she was rambling. It is far too early for thought, she told herself.
Another form then caught her eye. "Who's your audience, laddie?" she asked.
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 16:37:54 GMT -5
Liam smiled and looked at his male companion, introducing him to Seele. "This is Ian--he just arrived here last night. Ian, this is Seele. She's a friend of mine, from the Academy."
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 16:49:03 GMT -5
Ian stared at the new arrival's feet and managed to wave his hand limply in some sort of greeting. "Hi. I'm...I'm Ian. You already knew that. It's nice to meet you, Seele..."
Then, in a whisper he prayed neither of them heard, he muttered. "Please let all this be real..."
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 17:20:12 GMT -5
Ian's whisper grazed Liam's ears too softly for him to catch any words. He shifted his cello slightly so he could stretch out his legs, careful not to hit Ian. Making sure the cello was well balanced where it stood, Liam carefully edged around it and got to his feet, walking around a little to keep his legs from falling asleep.
Ian still looked quite nervous, and it didn't seem like the normal kind of first-day-in-a-new-school jitters. Liam remembered Ian's words of last night, and wondered just what was going on inside Ian's mind.
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 2, 2009 17:34:49 GMT -5
Seele leaned at the waist to look at Ian, her head tipped curiously to one side.
"You alright, mate?" she asked him, concern in her voice though her tone was inexplicably amused. "You look a tad...well, I guess excitable isn't quite the word, is it?"
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 17:44:15 GMT -5
Ian shifted on the bench. "Uh...I'm okay, I guess. At least, I think I am. I may not be. I don't know."
He mentally slapped himself for that one. Come ON, Ian! He snapped at himself. You're rambling again. These people probably already think there's something wrong with you...
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 2, 2009 17:50:25 GMT -5
Seele pursed her mouth to one side, eyebrows arched-- an expression that quickly turned into a smile. "Aww, cute," she said, straightening and putting her hands on her hips. She indicated Liam with a jerk of her head. "This kid gives you any trouble," she joked to Ian, "you come find me. I'll set him straight." She tilted her head to wink at Liam and chuckled.
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Sept 2, 2009 17:56:42 GMT -5
Liam grinned, taking Seele's gentle jibe in stride. "I'll be good, I promise."
His mind wandered back to Ian... no doubt the guy was paranoid about having people think that something was wrong with him. Liam felt a tug of sympathy for him. He had his own odd condition to deal with, and it wasn't always easy. Strangely though, this place seemed to have a quietening effect on Eve. She had been silent more often in the past few weeks than she had been in the past two years combined.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 18:05:44 GMT -5
Ian let out a small chuckle at Seele's comment. "I...um...I'm sure you will. I'll come find you if he gets out of line." Did I just make a joke? That's unusual. "I don't know how much I'm going to see anyone today anyway...I have a busy morning. I have a lot of catching up to do...thought I might swing by the library later and see what I could get done..."
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 2, 2009 18:16:56 GMT -5
Seele bit her lip and snorted. "Yeah... the library...about that..." She searched in her head for a good way to phrase it but, unable to find a proper method of circumlocution, decided that the direct approach was best. "Our librarian is kind of a psycho. I don't think Liam's met him yet, but I can tell you-- if you see him coming, either walk away or find someone to be in there with you."
He doesn't look like he could handle ol' Fable on his own, she added mentally. "Even if it's just someone nearby-- Fable has a habit of bringing people together." She said the last part with a chuckle. "If you want, you can come find me when you want to go. I'll be in Professor Harrow's classroom the first and last class of the day. Fable won't dare bother you if you're with me."
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Post by ianharris on Sept 2, 2009 23:25:41 GMT -5
Ian felt what little blood flowed through his face drain out. Being a literature student, he had imagined he would be spending a lot of time in the library. Now...now he wasn't so sure. Perhaps he would take this nice girl up on her offer. "I...Thank you. I'll come find you if I ever need someone with me."
And in the back of his mind, Ian had to wonder how bad this librarian could really be. He'd been to some pretty nasty psychologists in his time, but none of them could be described as "psycho". This librarian can't be all that bad.
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 3, 2009 13:26:10 GMT -5
Seele smiled, nodding at him. "That's good to hear."
She looked up at the sky as if suddenly reminded of something, then asked aloud, "Have either of you seen Haneul anywhere, by the way? He was supposed to have detention last night but it got moved to this morning. They're not in the gym...."
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Post by ianharris on Sept 3, 2009 15:09:30 GMT -5
Ian wouldn't know who this Hanuel was, but he had spent a good bit of time in the courtyard that morning. "I don't... know who that is, but... What does he look like? Maybe he's... you know... been through here while I've been here."
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Seele Steiner-Finlay
Keme
University Sophomore: Vampire
L? ?igin sul a n-?agfaidh mo R?is?n Dubh
Posts: 153
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Post by Seele Steiner-Finlay on Sept 3, 2009 15:55:39 GMT -5
"Big Asian guy," Seele held up her hands to indicate the width of Haneul's shoulders-- more than twice over again that of her own, "around six feet tall-- got sort of a mohawk, only not quite. Wooden prayer beads around his wrist."
Of course, if he was in detention now, he wouldn't have been outside. Nonetheless, it was worth a shot.
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Post by ianharris on Sept 3, 2009 16:49:11 GMT -5
Ian thought about that. He would have remembered a six-foot boy with a mohawk. But he didn't, so apparently Seele's friend hadn't passed by. "No... I don't think he's been by here. Not while I've been here, that is..."
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