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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 17:42:20 GMT -5
Hitomi strolled alongside her cousin in the cool autumn twilight, her windbreaker pulled tight around her chest. Safely within the walls of the castle, the strange glowing in her peripheral vision that hung perpetually around the forest seemed almost like a dream. After so long, such a minor thing scarcely bothered her anymore. As long as they were within the walls, nothing bad could get to them.
Hitomi dragged her fingers along the rough bark of the willow tree, idly examining the intricate patterns in the bark.
Something, something she couldn't quite place, had been prickling on an off for the past few weeks, at moments in hallways, in the cafeteria, even once or twice in places she believed herself alone. For the moment, however, it was a dull buzzing almost as meaningless at the soft glow of the forest. A far away threat of no eminent danger.
"So what do you think," she asked quietly, her voice laced heavily with mischeif, "about my brother and his new boyfriend?" She smirked.
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Post by Thrall Volkova on Sept 28, 2009 18:00:31 GMT -5
Thrall walked along in the old turtleneck Grandma had given him many Christmases ago, enjoying the cooling air. As much as this place annoyed him, he liked having distinct seasons rather than the March-through-November summer that often characterized the climate around her house.
He looked down at his cousin and smirked back. "I doubt he's had the guts to ask somebody out yet, whatever you say you've seen. And the kid seems like kind of a nosy priss, but I don't really know him. Do you? You know, like, everybody."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 18:12:28 GMT -5
She rolled her eyes at her cousin. "I'll have you know I have it on good authority," she replied importantly. "And if that's your way of saying that Alex is sweet and interested in other people, I suppose he is."
She smiled genuinely, wrapping her around a low branch and leaning against it. "And I think it will be good for him. He really needs to learn to rely on other people more."
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Post by Thrall Volkova on Sept 28, 2009 18:29:56 GMT -5
"I'll believe it when I have it on authority of my own eyes," he shrugged. "And I really don't think he's as 'sweet' as he likes to come off. Just call it a hunch."
He ran up to an acorn and kicked it, launching it away to bounce off the wall. "Have you met that Jonathan son of a bitch? Little fucker mouths off at everybody?"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 18:52:55 GMT -5
"Can't say I've had the pleasure," she remarked dryly, "though I've certainly heard an earful from Tristan. I don't think I want to meet him."
Hitomi watched the acorn bounce off the wall and roll back toward them, settling in the grass. "You seem pretty determined not to like Alex," she commented, watching him. "You don't need to worry about Hitoshi so much."
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Post by Thrall Volkova on Sept 28, 2009 19:00:00 GMT -5
"I never said I didn't like him," Thrall objected. "I just don't think he's all sugar and light. Neither is Hitoshi, so maybe they'd be good for each other. I don't know."
"And yeah, I do. He's family. You know how I feel about that." He grumphs. "If Alex gets like Yuuki is, or Carmen, he's free to be included in that."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 19:20:37 GMT -5
Hitomi smiled, shaking her head tolerantly. "Have you picked out your college yet?" she asked, more quietly. "You know Rudy doesn't think you're actually going to leave him. He's not going to believe it until it happens."
There was that prickling again, slowly growing stronger. She glanced around for a moment.
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Post by Thrall Volkova on Sept 28, 2009 19:30:28 GMT -5
"A couple. They're waiting for my test scores, I think." He looked down and sighed. "He can come with me... but he's not-"
He noticed Hitomi's expression and fell quiet, looking in the same direction she was.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Sept 28, 2009 19:44:05 GMT -5
Alex rounded the corner, staring up at the trees and the dimming, nonspecific glow above them. Clouds passed across the sky and shifted slightly in color, and he thought it was gorgeous.
Between that and Lamadre's instructions, it took him a moment to notice Thrall and Hitomi. He waved at them both and turned around to grin at Hitoshi. It was a wonderful day.
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Post by Angel Kapur on Sept 28, 2009 19:48:31 GMT -5
Angel walked behind him and Hitoshi, staying beside Lamadre, mostly quiet. He found their discussion fascinating; he hadn't had much contact with mages before coming to Dunehelden, and getting information from the perspective of a new one made his mind whirl with possibilities.
He'd also figured out exactly where he was going to take her. This was going to be fun.
He spotted the two long before Alex had; one looked like the long-haired sullen one except in a dress, while the other was much larger and smelled absolutely wonderful. He licked his lips unconsciously and stared at Thrall.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 20:20:19 GMT -5
Hitoshi had been on his toes from the moment he joined them. Lamadre alone was enough of to keep him on edge -- he had no doubt that she had ulterior motives for teaching Alex magic, and he was determined to keep her from doing anything that might bring him to harm -- but the newcomer seem to stir something almost hostile within him. Perhaps it was the way he stared at Lamadre, or the fact that he was close enough to make the back of Hitoshi's neck prickle, or just the way he carried himself, but there was definitely something about him that made Hitoshi uncomfortable.
Hitoshi stepped close to Alex, resting his hand just on the inside of Alex's elbow. He didn't trust Angel remotely, especially not around Alex.
Hitoshi spotted his sister quickly and his cousin soon after. He raised the hand that wasn't attached to Alex's arm in a wave, wondering if he could make some excuse to drag Alex away from the other two. He was beginning to wish he had tried harder to convince Alex to stay in the dorm instead.
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Post by Lamadre Korlianes on Sept 28, 2009 22:04:11 GMT -5
Lamadre stayed close to Angel, her explanations of different aspects of magic just as much in effort to impress Angel as to teach Alex. He seemed genuinely interested in the conversation, or at least in hearing her speak, and she didn't care much which it was. She hugged her jacket tight around her and stepped closer to Angel, feigning cold.
She glanced up at the pair in the distance. The girl was Hitoshi's sister, she was sure, though she had never talked to the girl directly. The boy she'd seen as well -- was he dopey one, or the angry twin?
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Post by Thrall Volkova on Sept 28, 2009 22:21:27 GMT -5
Thrall grinned as he saw Hitoshi and the white-haired kid, and waved back. Wow. They were getting touchy.
"Hey! Damn, Hitomi's rumor mill came through, or what?" he said jokingly.
A moment later, he caught sight of a purple-haired guy walking with someone he vaguely recognized as a teacher's aide to his dad, and felt... uncomfortable. He didn't like the idea of him being around Hitoshi, and Hitoshi... may have been grumpier than usual? It was hard to tell.
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 22:41:58 GMT -5
Hitomi felt the throbbing in her temple suddenly escalate to the worst she had felt it in days, pressing her fingers to the side of her head.
She opened her eyes, catching sight at once of the source of her discomfort. A halo of dark light flickered sharply and menacingly, glowing with a strange sheen around the young man at the back of the group. There was something off, and there was something unbelievably powerful about it. The aura seem to overwhelm the subtler ones.
She concentrated on it slightly, following the light, feeling -- and at once, Hitomi was certain that this was the worst sort of thing should could come up against.
"Thrall," she whispered, her eyes still fixed on Angel. "Careful. Don't trust him."
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Post by Thrall Volkova on Sept 28, 2009 22:49:08 GMT -5
Thrall's grin broadened and became subtly sinister. He put his hand on Hitomi's back and watched for any indication the other boy was going to attack or close distance with his cousins.
"Damn shame when your instincts and mine come together. He's cute, too," he replied, only the last part loud enough to hear.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Sept 28, 2009 23:13:08 GMT -5
Hitoshi glanced between Angel and his relatives, tensing a bit. Hitomi's expression, locked on Angel like a deer in headlights, only further proved to him that Angel was trouble.
Hitoshi smiled tensely at Thrall, quickening his speed under -- hopefully -- the pretense of seeing his cousin and sister, gently towing Alex along. "My sister's rumors are just that: rumors," he replied irritably. "Whether or not there is a grain of truth in them is yet to be seen. What has she been claiming this time?"
He locked eyes briefly with Thrall, then glanced back at Angel. He hoped his cousin caught the gesture, or at very least wasn't brushing off Hitomi's reaction.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 2, 2009 18:26:39 GMT -5
Alex wasn't used to being tugged around by Hitoshi; it was usually the other way around. He walked faster to keep up with the boy, grabbing his hand.
"What rumors?" he said with faux scorn, smirking at Hitomi. "Neither of us have gone mad, we haven't become monks in some strange cult, we're not planning to take over the world until after college... there can't be any rumors left I haven't heard of."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Oct 5, 2009 18:36:34 GMT -5
Hitomi gave her brother and his boyfriend a nervous smile, the strange glow still flickering in her peripheral vision.
"Thrall's just teasing you," she replied with mock exhasperation, rolling her eyes at her cousin. She glanced unwittingly back toward the stranger, feeling a cold chill creep down her spine. He was -- peculiar. Like the forest, but blacker; like Lhachlhass, but stronger. He was the malevelent sort of thing old childrens tales warned about, the sort of thing that should not, by all rights, be within the walls of Dunehelden.
He was one of them.
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Post by Angel Kapur on Oct 5, 2009 20:43:49 GMT -5
Angel smiled; the girl had noticed him, apparently, and the boy with her was grinning like he was ready for a fight. He winked at Lamadre and kept walking at an even pace.
"Hey. Hitomi and... Thrall, correct? Nice to meet you." He looked straight into Hitomi's eyes; she didn't smell like a mage, but not all of them did. What was up with that?
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 8, 2009 22:59:59 GMT -5
Hitoshi glanced back at Angel. "My sister and my cousin," he announced icily. "I hope you'll excuse us for a moment, we have a few things to talk about. Family matters."
He face his sister and cousin, his had still snaked around Alex's arm, keeping Angel in his peripheral vision. "If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, you could actually ask rather than just making assumptios," Hitoshi pointed out. "If it's something I don't mind telling you, you'll probably get a more forward answer that way."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Oct 8, 2009 23:05:30 GMT -5
Hitomi edged toward her cousin, shifting so that she was slightly behind him. Her pulse thudded in her ears, and suddenly it seemed as though the grounds were far too wide, far too deserted. Was it always such a long way to the main entrance to the dorms? In that space, in the time it would take her to sprint there, who knew what terrors could befall her...
"Who are you, then?" she asked, her eyes fixed solidly, unblinkingly on Angel, her expression both terrified and defiant.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 8, 2009 23:59:42 GMT -5
Alex looked between Hitoshi and his sister. Hitomi seemed like she was about to be scared to death; he squeezed Hitoshi's hand and didn't ask whether he was included in 'family matters' for this purpose. Poor girl- and what in the world was he missing that was scaring her so much?
"Is there something wrong?" he said to her with a voice of soft concern.
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Post by Angel Kapur on Oct 9, 2009 0:09:27 GMT -5
"Angel," he beamed his best smile at Hitomi, which admittedly was not very charming. "Name's Angel. Nice to meet you, I just transferred to the Academy."
He glanced at Lamadre, then back at the rest. "I was just hanging out with Lamadre while she tutored Alex, so we can leave at any time."
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Post by Lamadre Korlianes on Oct 9, 2009 0:18:24 GMT -5
Lamadre smiled brightly back at Angel. "Well, if Alex and his friend have things to do, I suppose we can resume our lesson later." She pulled her jacket tighter around her, looking back at Alex. "Next week we can pick up at about the same time, if you like," she suggested.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 12, 2009 21:13:44 GMT -5
Hitoshi took one glance at his sister, taking in her terrified expression. He felt a sudden pang of sympathy -- and felt even more certain that he wanted away from this person.
"Alex would be happy to resume his studies at a later time," Hitoshi replied coolly. "The four of us have things to talk about, and I'm certain the two of you would rather speak alone than have all of us trailing along behind you."
Hitoshi found it slightly unnerving that Angel was with Lamadre, though he was not sure whether he was more afraid that they were plotting something together or worried that Lamadre was in danger. Regardless, it wasn't his problem either way. He wasn't going to risk himself, and if Lamadre was foolish enough to endanger herself, he didn't see why he should care.
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