[Sandbox] Hammer Academy - Courtyard of Champions

[Aethyrium]

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra | Haim, Mir, Artanis, Doya, Blake

Farrah had given Lyra time to seek her out to finish what had been started on the battlefield, but the elf had gone back to her cold treatment of ignoring Farrah's existence. That irreverent dismissal was patiently endured, but when it seemed clear that Lyra had no intention of attempting to resolve the issue, Farrah had sought her teammate out. Her plan - which had immediately gone awry - had been to catch her on the way to the cafeteria. She had been distracted by the glance she had caught Haimehen sneakily giving to an oblivious Mir. She had opened her mouth to say something, but Artanis had started to noisily crumple up a sheet of notebook paper with his eye on Marlowe's back. As the balled-up paper was tossed, Farrah took a step forward to catch the missile and and toss it at Artanis's head.

"Them limp arms must be mighty embarrassing!" Farrah said, but her momentary foe caught the paper and tossed it back harder with his own sneer and comeback. Their back-and-forth went on for a few childish seconds and was ended when Doya caught the paper and tossed it into the garbage can.

"Nothin' but net! The crowd go wild!" Farrah cheered with her arms up. If that didn't diffuse the situation, her backpedaling out the door ended a chance at Artanis having the last word which was victory enough for Farrah. But then she was alone - gRAVIty had already dispersed and finding Lyra hadn't been as easy as she thought it would be. Some of their teammates had already assembled a a table, but Lyra wasn't among them. Farrah checked the line, but didn't see the elf. Scanning the cafeteria, she wondered if Lyra had finished and left. The thought of spending her lunch hour chasing Lyra down instead of eating her own food was not a pleasant idea, but the tension between them needed to be resolved.

Still, grabbing a quick bite... "Heeeey, sorry for my rude, Blake, but it is an emergency!" she apologized, but still carried on with her bad behavior of cutting line to snipe his sandwich from the line before bolting off to the courtyard. Her golden gaze finally spied Lyra sitting at a table under a tree. There was only one chair. From a nearby table, Farrah noisily dragged the seat over to Lyra's spot and sat down.

"Ya cannot ignore me forever, Lyreilynn. We has ourselves unfinished business."

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 19th | Early Afternoon
Location: Hammer Accademy - Courtyard
Wearing: Floral embroided cream wrap top with wide sleeves, dark blue skirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah | n/a

Lyra gave a small sigh as she nibbled on one of her crackers from her small lunch. There was a book open on the table in front of her, the familiar lines of babble on arcanite from their class textbook laid bare for all to see. The dainty elf flipped another page, rereading the same lines she had nearly memorized by this point, yet gleaning no new information from them. There was another dejected sigh that slipped past her lips as she boredly turned another page, before quickly turning another, deciding to skip over the pair of pages that showcased a detailed drawing of some better-known crystal formations. It was all old news to her, between growing up around arcanite production and having read this textbook at least a dozen times cover to cover, but still, she hoped that maybe this time, something new would jump out at her that she had missed before.
 
Reaching for another cracker, she paused as the screeching of metal against stone pierced through the air, a hand poised inches from her slightly ajar mouth with the dry treat held aloft between delicate digits. There was a certain displeasure written all over her face as those silver eyes found those of Farrah’s, glancing up at the much larger elf as the woman dragged a chair over to seat herself, uninvited, at Lyra’s table. An empty bowl that once held a leafy salad was set off to the side, utensils resting gently against the inner rim. She had gotten her meager meal and decided to spend the lunch period outside, as was usually her norm in recent weeks. Well, ever since the Dazzle & Dust incident, really. Eating together with her team had felt awkward since then.
 
As Farrah proclaimed her reason for seeking her out, Lyra gave one more sigh, closing her eyes as she set the cracker back down inside the unfolded little pouch she had sitting next to her open book, which was closed shortly after her hands were free of treats. “I was certain there was little left to discuss after that rather… explosive outburst on the field yesterday.” That mask of indifference was back, but her tone was calm. Not hostile, not angry, not even mean. Just… calm, maybe even a tad cold. Perhaps even sad? Large silvery eyes peered up at her taller teammate sitting across from her. “What more do you have to say? I thought you were quite clear with your distaste of ‘Miss Priss.’” There was a bit of venom dripping with the emphasize on those final two words, recalling what Farrah had called her just a day ago. She hadn’t forgotten that exchange. Not one bit. “I do not care to be your punching bag for your fury again, so please just go bother someone else. Or were you hoping for more of my… What did you call it? ‘Infamous diplomacy?’”
 
While she had resigned herself to try to turn over a new leaf and start anew, there were certainly some things that needed to be resolved first. This encounter was one of them, as much as Lyra did not want to engage with the much larger elf. “Besides, I am not ignoring you. We live in the same dormitory, lest you forget. I simply chose to hold my tongue. But seeing as you so clearly sought me out for something, you may as well say what that is.” There was no resentment in her tone of voice, like all the fight had left her. There was a pause before she reached over and pushed the small pouch of crackers towards her teammate, gesturing to them with a wave of her hand as a sort of peace offering, much like she had done the day before. “Cracker?”

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra |
Farrah watched Lyra thoughtfully, taking a slow bite of her sandwich as she listened. There was a lot happening in front of her and she wasn’t sure if she was smart enough to pick up on it all. Instead of immediately interjecting her thoughts - because she definitely had them! - she gave Lyra uninterrupted time to see where she’d take it. Pleased over it resulting in a cracker, she took the offering like a good girl and nodded her head in thanks, slipping it into the sandwich to make her next bite crunchy. Rather than dig in, she looked back at Lyra.

”Me seein’ this body language ‘n hearin’ these mouth words and it no match,” she observed. ”Dunno why you tryna confuse me like that. Here I is to settle what we got twixt us ‘n you gunna just lie to my face? How is we to move forward if you cannot bother bein’ sincere? Gave you honest and true at that trial ‘n what you give me? Some fantasy tale of make-believe ‘n then cryin’ over people who ain’t here? You know good ‘n God-dang well that we ain’t at the same page ‘n iffin we cannot fix it? Might as well do the favor of leavin’ now rather than drag the rest of the team down. The only one you gunna run ragged with this attitude is Lolo ‘n she don’t deserve that.”

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date: Oct. 19 | Time: 12:54 |
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: Uniform, school bag, blue high tops
Tagging: Farrah, Lyra, Lolo | Mentioning: None |
Haim held up his hands to Lolo and motioned her to keep chatting with Meena and Vesper. He then pushed himself up from the table and started walking to the same exit they'd jut watched Farrah go through and Lyra a few minutes before that. With Lyra, Haim was pretty sure Lolo hadn't clocked the tiny elf leaving the cafeteria. Haim only had because Mockery was sitting near the exit and his peripheral vision had been locked on Mir for part of the meal or most of it. It depended on how honest he was feeling at the moment.

Why was that man refusing to crawl out of his mind. He'd made an ass out of himself, assaulted the man, and Haim still counted convince himself to stop staring.

As he walked by their table, he pushed himself into a slight trot as he felt the gravity of the man's presence pull his attention again. He did not need Cub having any more ammo on him. He blew a raspberry and was most of the way out the door before his couldn't contain it. His eye cast sideways to catch a glance even as the frame of the door obscured him. His hair was looking really nice today, wasn't it?

Outside, he scanned the courtyard before he spotted the big, white-haired elf then saw the more dainty one across from her. Body language and their faces spoke, shouted tension. He cringed as too many likely scenarios played out. He twisted to look back at the door and grumped. Lolo would never let him go back empty handed, not without words.

He could split the difference?

Chuckling, he moved in a wide circuit around the courtyard and used people and trees to disguise his passing. Luckily, he was in the uniform and blended in like a striped equine in a herd. Begrudgingly, he also acknowledge that he was shorter than most the men and some of the women at Hammer. Eventually, walking behind a small pack of seniors who eyed him askance, he slipped behind a tree within earshot. Well, earshot for him. His ears perked and a cloud passed over his face as he heard Farrah mention leaving. He'd not heard much though and it was best to avoid assumptions. He leaned out to get a better look at the waves coming off them.

He blinked and slowly panned his vision to where a pair of students were eating their lunches on a bench nearby. Their mouths were hanging open, sandwiches half-inserted, and giving him the stink eye. He blanched but shrugged and looked back toward Farrah and Lyra.

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 19th | Early Afternoon
Location: Hammer Accademy - Courtyard
Wearing: Floral embroided cream wrap top with wide sleeves, dark blue skirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah, Haimehen | Namid, Mila

Although surprised but pleased that Farrah had accepted the offered cracker without so much as a rebuttal, Lyra simply nodded in her direction before pulling the pouch back within ease of her own fingers. She picked up another cracker to bite into as Farrah started her little rant, and those silvery eyes went slightly wide at the accusation leveled at her. Lie to her face? Fantasy tale? Make-believe?! Lyra felt her jaw clench in response to Farrah just telling her that it’d be best for her to leave the academy. Words she never thought to hear from the brutish elf that seemed so convinced on making friends with everyone.

No, she kept telling herself. This wasn’t someone trying to think first, this was just another brute spouting nonsense that even she didn’t know what she was saying. And it irked her. Why was Farrah so antagonistic towards her all the time? Lyra had never been outright hostile towards the taller elf, but she had avoided her, mainly because she didn’t like confrontations that well. And here Farrah was, getting all up in her face, calling her a liar and telling her it’d be best to just leave!

“Excuse me?” Lyra set the half-eaten cracker down on a napkin, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked over at Farrah. Maybe once upon a time, she might have kept quiet and just accepted the outcome, but not anymore. She was done getting pushed around like this. She stood her ground at the trial and thought maybe finally, Gravity could mend itself and move forward. Perhaps she was wrong. “Lie to your face? I will stop you right there, you—” Lyra instead stopped herself, letting the insult die on the tip of her tongue. She closed her eyes a moment, then let out a deep breath, before she tried to continue, much more calmly this time. “You have no idea what you are talking about, Farrah. I have never once lied. Not to you, not to anyone.”

“Fantasy tale? Make-believe?” She scoffed lightly, shaking her head as she reached up to tuck a tendril of silver-blue behind her ear. “Crying over people? Like you were?” While it was true their absence had also affected Lyra, she had mostly kept to herself, but it had been far from what Farrah had done with a broken spirit. While the dainty elf had closed herself off, wearing a smiling mask, Farrah just shut down. So, how could she, of all people, say that Lyra was crying over people? “By the Light, you are frustrating!” That line may be the closest she had ever come to cursing.

With the raised hand, she rubbed her temple softly, before leveling Farrah with an icy stare. “I have been sincere. I did not give you some fantasy adventure tale filled with lies and deceit, making things up as you so believe. You say what you said on the field was honest and true? Well, so were the things that I said.” Her voice was calm, but it was edged with something else. Not quite anger, but not quite sadness, either. “I have no intention of leaving this academy. I will not be like Namid.”

Slowly, Lyra gathered up her things. Pulling the string of the little pouch of crackers closed, she set it on top of her closed textbook, right next to the empty bowl she now needed to return to the mess hall. As she stood, she picked up the pseudo-tray she had created with the book, keeping it level as she gave the tall elf another look. “I asked in good faith what you wanted from me, but I see now that all you needed was another punching bag for your fury. As I said before, if that is all I am to you, then you can go find another target.”

Lyra let out a deep sigh, the look in her eyes softening as she continued to stare at her teammate. “I tried to protect you. All of you. That night, I mean. I thought what I was doing was the best for us, but my efforts were in vain. You, Namid, me. None of us were on the same page. And with Namid and Mila gone, you were not going to listen to anyone else's but your own words, your own version of the tale. You may call what I did fantasy all you want, Farrah, but that does not change that I truly did believe I was protecting you.” She let her gaze travel off to the side, where she spied a certain male elf keeping track of their conversation. “You are not the first to wish me gone.” She paused, lifting her gaze to the sky. This time, there was no anger on her face, nor resentment. Only regret and sadness. “Now I wonder if it was truly worth it.”

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra | Haim (I know you're there, but Farrah doesn't <3 )
Farrah squinted and took that crunchy bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she stared hard at Lyra. Frustrating was the correct word for it. "It ain't never occur to me that you truly not hear mine warning that them men had come to rob Dazzlin Dust. Lyra, why you think I hit that man?"

Farrah ignored the attempts to shoo her away for the second time. She had spent weeks stuck in Lyra's low-simmering loathing - most of it easily ignored since she was stuck in her own pity party - and she was not going to allow it to continue. She had come ready for confrontation and she was going to see it through to the bitter end until this nonsense had been settled.

"What exactly was you protectin' us from? I do not understand the words comin' out of your mouth 'n I'm tryin'." There was an intensity in her unblinking gaze. "Mine request is you explain 'n help me reconcile this story. Ain't no other target gunna tell me how you feel save you 'n that just the way it should be."

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 19th | Early Afternoon
Location: Hammer Accademy - Courtyard
Wearing: Floral embroided cream wrap top with wide sleeves, dark blue skirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah | Haimehen, Namid, Mila

Lyra paused as Farrah finally realized that Lyra never heard her warning. All this time, they were both on opposite sides of the same event. Farrah thought she warned Lyra and that the dainty elf ignored her warnings and still did what she did, while Lyra had no idea that Farrah suspected foul play from the get go. A glance was given to the tanned elf, before she let out another sigh, turning towards the table once more and setting her things back down, smoothing out her skirts as she plopped back down in the chair. Why was she always running away from things? Why, she knew why. Because it was easier than facing it. Confrontation did not come easy to her, despite her actions back in the arcanite shop facing off against Ocean. Lyra would much rather avoid this entire conversation with Farrah, but she knew things needed to get settled. Why was she the only one ever getting questioned about her actions, though? Why hadn’t anyone else’s actions been called out?

“I do not know why you hit that man. That was part of the issue. I thought you were angry we were asked to leave. You made for the door, then laid him flat.” How many times was she going to have to recount her reasonings? That next night after the incident had been the first time with Marlowe. It had been only a few days since her awkward encounter with Haimehen. With him on her mind, Lyra let her gaze wander off to the side towards a particular tree. She was certain she had seen Haimehen there, but he was either avoiding them, or perhaps she had seen wrong. Shaking her head, Lyra focused her attention back on Farrah. She deserved to know and finally put this whole thing to rest.

“Where I come from, money is power. You can even buy silence. When you attacked that man, I was worried you angered his patron, someone I thought was merely a wealthy gentleman wanting a private shopping affair. Back in Pearl, that type of thing is common, though perhaps not here? I had not spent much time in Onyx by then. I thought that by appeasing him, I could protect the rest of you from the fallout.” She folded her hands in her lap, lowering her gaze as she stared hard at the cracker pouch on top of her book. “I thought I could convince him to let us finish up. We were almost done gathering the powder, but Namid… She wanted all of us to leave. Back then, I did not know why. If you told her the store was about to be robbed, I suppose now I can see why.”

“I…” Lyra closed her eyes, curling her fingers into fists as she gathered up a handful of her skirts between slender digits. “I was wrong. I see that now. But… back then, I truly did think I was doing what I needed to. After Mila and Namid were gone, everything was… broken. I did not know how to approach anyone. You,” she opened her eyes as she spoke, looking back up at Farrah sitting across from her. “You were broken.” Her shoulders began to shake, looking back down at the hands in her lap. “I felt guilty, that I should have done more, while still not knowing why you struck first, and I did not know how to face you. So, I left you be. The same for Haimehen when Namid left.” She turned her head towards that tree once more as she said this. “And how badly he got hurt.”

With a defeated sigh, Lyra lifted her gaze to focus back on the tanned elf. “I have never lied to you, Farrah, and I am being sincere. I just… do not know what to do. I made mistakes, and I am paying for them. We all are.” She clenched her fists just a little bit tighter. “But we can do better now. We can still fix this.”

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra | Haim, Mila, Vesper, Ocean
As Lyra explained her story, Farrah's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she blinked and tilted her head. She had no idea why the woman believed she was doing what she needed to do if she had no idea why things were being done in the first place, but it didn't seem important to belabor the point. The past weeks had been an anomaly for Farrah's character - she wasn't one to dwell on the past and she sure wasn't going to make anyone else do it. She let out a disbelieving laugh at the idiocy of the situation and the sheer audacity of it as Lyra continued. She set her sandwich down on the bare table and wiped her hands together to push crumbs off before leaning back in the chair with her hands laced behind her neck.

"Ain't gunna pretend to understand what you on about, but iffin' you don't never tell me, how'm I gunna learn? Don't mind you tellin' me a thing or three at all." She needed all the help she could get! She looked down at the book on the table and narrowed her eyes at the title. Between Lyra and Haim, they had boasted an impressive understanding of arcanite - something she and Mila had chuckled about considering neither of them could do anything particularly impressive with that knowledge beyond what anyone else could do. Perhaps the instruction from the supplemental class Lyra and Vesper were being pulled into would change that - elemental sorcery did sound cool. But what caught her attention was that she knew Lyra had already read the book... yet here she was with it again like a new page was going to pop out. An insight struck Farrah - if Lyra couldn't even be bothered to move out of her comfort zone with independent reading material, moving out of her comfort zone to have a difficult conversation must have been a whole new level of anxiety.

"Never in mine life have the words not come out fer me to say what I want said. Not necessarily a blessing. But sometimes the worst part is someone sayin' somethin' back 'n that can make it tough. How 'bout this: You got somethin' tough to say, you can tell me to sit pretty 'n mine mouth will stay locked tight so you can say your piece 'n peace. That make it easier, yah? Then we on the same page fer actin' together 'n iffin we happen to make a foolish choice, we can be in misery together like God uh Light intended it to be. What say you?" She didn't know how to better invite conversation to begin. Lyra turned her head towards the tree again and this time Farrah followed because it didn't seem like a way to collect thoughts, but as if something had her attention. She didn't see anything.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with mistakes. They happen. They gunna happen again. I make 'em all the time. But I ain't holdin' on to 'em 'n I certainly ain't volunteerin' my time to pay fer 'em. Might spend some time mopin' - I did wonder how different things might be iffin' I had knocked that sharp dressed thief out the door." She stroked her chin as if she had the same goatee as Ocean, indicating who she was talking about. "Maybe that store never woulda blowed up. But it did 'n what was done is done. Ain't the first sad thing me been a part of 'n it won't be the last. But I ain't gunna make the same mistake twice 'n that's the silver linin'. Don't pay fer 'em, Lyra. Learn from 'em. 'n as fer fixin' this..." Farrah leaned forward.

"You mean this," she pointed between the two of them, "or this?" She whirled her finger in the air, indicating the whole damn world. "'cause one of 'em is easy 'n I consider it done 'n the misunderstandin' fixed. The other? Be sure we got the brain power between the two of us 'n the rest o' gRAVIty to figure it out," she said with a grin.

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date: Oct. 19 | Time: 12:54 |
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: Uniform, school bag, blue high tops
Tagging: Farrah, Lyra, Lolo | Mentioning: None |
Haim stood with his back to the tree and felt small. He was positive that Lyra had spotted him earlier; he was equally positive that Farrah was locked onto her conversation partner like a laser. A lot had been said between the two women. Some of it he had heard with his ears, but not much. Most of it he'd seen with his eyes. His shimmer was interesting that way. He had put the work into it. Not listening in to others, but trained to listen to the sounds of parts and machines. To listen to the song of the world. It helped him to make sense of things.

He kicked off the tree and circled the courtyard to come at the pair of women from the general direction of the cafeteria again. If Lyra wanted to call him out, she could. But he thought that maybe what had been should be between them, for now.

What Haim knew was that listening in had given him a push, an impetus to work on something he'd mentioned Tuesday to Farrah. The big elf had a type of sincerity and earnestness that Haim valued. Her words for Lyra had reminded him of that. So, a bit of a fib was warranted, wasn't it? He felt a little shame. A small flush bloomed in his cheeks at the thought of it. But he steps were firm as he approached them. He made sure to move into Farrah's line of sight as he did.

"Ladies, one Miss Marlowe Ashe was wondering where her team was." He chuckled. Even with Meena the leader, Lolo was still the glue. A force of personality or gravity that drew them together when circumstances tried to blow them apart. He wondered how long it would have taken him to make the decision if not for what he had overheard because Lolo sent him to fetch Farrah. He chuckled, "She spotted you heading this way, Farrah, and I convinced her that I'd being you back. Lyr-a seems to be a bonus get." He sent a soft smile tinged with a hint of guilt at Lyra.

His gaze shifted to Farrah and seemed to grow deeper. His eyes darkened and he sighed. "But I guess I had an ulterior motive to assuaging our mascot. I was thinking about Namid again today, Farrah. Do you have some time? Now or this evening?"

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 19th | Early Afternoon
Location: Hammer Accademy - Courtyard
Wearing: Floral embroided cream wrap top with wide sleeves, dark blue skirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah, Haimehen | Marlowe

Lyra felt her cheeks heat up as Farrah laughed – laughed! – at her, embarrassment and guilt written all over her face. There was even a tinge of anger within the expression, upset at the brazen elf. Here she was, trying to explain herself and be sincere, just like Farrah wanted, and she was being treated like this? Willing the blush to fade, the dainty elf took a few calming breaths, trying to remind herself that Farrah was viewing this from a completely different perspective and they had two completely different upbringings, too.
 
A slight smile twitched upon her lips as Farrah made a comment about being in misery together like their God intended. There certainly was a sort of comfort of being around other elves, even as different as Farrah was to what she was used to. For a brief moment, her thoughts drifted to a different elf, one of Unovian descent like herself, before she dismissed the thought as she kept her gaze and attention focused on the one before her. A slight nod was given.
 
Learn from mistakes, huh? Lyra let her gaze drop to the table before her, staring at it but not quite seeing it. She was far more used to paying for her mistakes than simply learning from them. Learning was simple, but nothing was ever simple with her. She always paid for them, in one way or another. Tried to fix them, make them better, repay them somehow. Like the investigation she had dragged Marlowe along with her to take care of. That was paying for her mistakes in a different way. The silence and awkwardness between her and the other two elves was another form. Little by little, however, that was changing.
 
“This,” Lyra said as she mimicked Farrah’s initial gesture, pointing between herself and the taller elf. “Us,” she reaffirmed. That slight smile grew a little bit as Farrah stated the problem between them was basically resolved now, and she nodded in agreement. “For what it is worth, I am sorry, Farrah.” They had said their piece, learned what the other had thought, and hopefully were ready to move past the mistakes made. A light chuckle escaped before she could hold it back at the second half of Farrah’s display. “I think it may take more than just gRAVIty to fix the world. That is quite the undertaking for first years.” While she dismissed the thought, it wasn’t like she said it maliciously. No, there was a smile still on her face and a hint of amusement in her voice.
 
Lyra glanced over towards the tree again, just to see if Haimehen was still over there, trying to listen in and look conspicuous, but she saw nothing. Either he moved or was hiding quite well at this point. However, it seemed it was the former, as not long after that, she spied him coming from a different direction, the path to the cafeteria behind him. There was a slight tilt of her head as he approached, pursing her lips together. He was avoiding looking too obvious. She was sure he had been by that tree just moments ago, hadn’t he? When did he move? Or had she seen wrong?
 
Reaching up, she moved a tendril of silver behind a long slender ear, dropping her gaze to her stacked items. Being near Haimehen was still a bit awkward. It wasn’t the same as it had been like last week, but the recent days were still on her mind, even if she had pushed it out of her mind to deal with the field exercise yesterday. As Marlowe was mentioned, silver eyes found Haimehen’s mismatched ones. Her partner should be familiar with her fondness for eating outdoors those days.
 
Of course, as he said her name, the corners of her mouth tilted downward. There was a slight pronunciation difference between her full name and her nickname, and he blended the two, meaning he had been about to call her Lyreilynn instead, but shifted at the last possible moment. It was still her nickname, but it sounded off. Probably indistinguishable to anyone but her, considering it was her own name. It seemed like she was not the only one still awkward around the other.
 
Clearing her throat, Lyra offered him a polite smile, although the gesture did not quite reach her eyes, as she stood up from the table, gathering her things once more. “Seeing as you two have things to talk about, I will see myself out. Farrah, thank you… for listening. I am sorry we did not do this sooner.” This time, however, the gesture did reach her eyes as she looked at Farrah, bowing her head a bit in a farewell. With that, Lyra left the courtyard and headed back towards the mess hall, presumably to return her bowl and reunite with her partner who supposedly was searching for them.

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra, Haim | Namid, Lolo
Farrah smiled as the distance between the two shortened, but as Lyra dropped her gaze she felt a shift in the mood again. The larger elf knew it wasn’t her - she hadn’t said anything to screw up the moment yet - and wondered what the woman was thinking as Haim approached.

”Methinks that Miss Marlowe should not be denied,” Farrah said lightly with a smile as Haimehen entered the conversation. She made to pull back her chair and get up also, but hesitated at the man’s request to speak of Namid. She looked to Lyra.

”Glad we cleared the air, Lyra. Hope we do it more immediate next time,” she said in lieu of a goodbye, content that their differences had been settled. She looked back to Haim and nodded to the chair. She picked up her sandwich and gave it a bite, allowing Lyra time to back inside the mess hall before speaking.

”Ain’t take no leap for me to believe she takin’ an easy exit from our conversation, but that look she give you tell me it ain’t me she scurryin’ from!” She leaned on the table with her elbows, giving Haim a grin. ”Mine recommend is you settle it quick like. The longer it take for us to trust each other, the harder it gunna be to win that Tourny!” Thoughts of first place and valor were never far from her mind. But that excitement was put to check as she softened for the topic of conversation.

”Sorry I pushed off that conversation the other day. I know it heavy on your mind.” She considered sharing what she had just learned about Lyra’s role in the whole fiasco at Dazzle & Dust. Her not hearing Farrah meant that she hadn’t trusted Namid which had likely directly led to Namid leaving… But Lyra couldn’t be completely blamed over the miscommunication and since there was nothing more to be done about it, Farrah chose to keep it to herself. Why beat a dead horse?

”Lets chat now. No need to delay any longer. Take a seat ‘n tell me ‘bout it.”

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date: Oct. 19 | Time: 12:54 |
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: Uniform, school bag, blue high tops
Tagging: Farrah, Lyra, Lolo | Mentioning: None |
He hesitated. He'd gotten to the place where talking about it seemed important, but he hadn't yet got himself to the place of talking about it. He hadn't had time to sort through all the possible permutations or lines of inquiry possible. He hadn't thought about what he wanted to say or not say. He wasn't prepared. His instinct was to follow Lyra in and seek safety away from the sensitive topic.

He sat down instead.

Through gritted teeth and more than one move to pull away, he slipped into the seat. There, he sat still for a long time silently staring at the surface of the table. He traced a crack in the surface with a finger and wondered about the story of its marring. That lead him to wonder how many champions had sat here. Had Bill Derhup sat here. At lunch and laughed with his friend not knowing the man he would become? He bit his lip. Had this table seen champions that never saw the light of day. Champions that failed out or died?

He placed his palms against the table and sighed. "I was angry at her for doing- I was angry at her for a time." His jaw worked as he tried to figure out what to say. He shifted his eyes from the tabletop to the distant lines of the world. He didn't focus but drifted along them. "I know Mila's leaving was... different... to Namid's. But-" He worked his lips and tried to understand.

Namid had betrayed him. They had come together. In the trial, he had assumed he would end up with some blockhead. A primitive. He'd been surprised to pair with Namid, a kindred spirit. Perhaps that surprise had been why he'd opened up to her? He'd been prepared to reject any number of situations except the one he'd actually encountered. It was something to consider carefully for the future. There was no being fully prepared for the slings and arrows and misfires of the world, but that one seemed to be of the type that shouldn't have. It seemed well within predictable parameters. He could almost head his father's voice saying it. he shook his head.

"Hardly matters any more. I'm not. Mad. at her anymore. Disappointed? Deeply. Hurt? Yes. Mad, not so much. Sad." He slowly turned his eyes to Farrah and nodded. That was something he was starting to recognize in his feelings over Namid. Sadness more than the rest. He missed her.

"I started working on one of the projects me and her started together that first week. Developing a prototype of a bomb we used in the Team Challenge during the entrance exams. A 'gravity' bomb." He smirked at the various weights that name carried now. "I thought it might help me process the anger at her Be- departure. But all it did was make me miss her genius. The way she saw mechanics. She wasn't an engineer the same was I am. She was more practical, mechanical. I've struggled with the project because I don't understand geomagnetic stabilization as well as she did. I've had to adapt and change parts simply because they don't-" He wiggled his fingers in the air between them like he was trying to summon something. "I can't see it. So now I have this weird hodgepodge device. Mir helped me with one bit. But mostly it's a weird admixture of her and me."

He sighed and let his hands drop to the table. He was still struggling with things. Maybe he just needed to talk? No, he wanted to listen. He focused on Farrah and smiled at her. She'd been the second strong connection he made in Gravity. Namid then Farrah then Lolo. Lyra too, then, but that had fallen apart. He still needed to deal with that. "How did you deal with it? With Mila being taken? In it's own way, that had to be harder, yeah? She was taken from you." He flinched and stopped. Perhaps he was picking at a wound. What could have been done differently to prevent that event? He'd thought and thought it through; he'd blamed Lyra for a long time. But he'd just heard them talking. Combined with the... whatever you'd call it from the dorm earlier this week, he was understanding that she had made the best choices that she could in the context as she understood it. Just as Mila had and Farrah and the rest of them. That it was a disaster in hindsight was beside the point. He bit his lip and felt another chunk of the resentment he had for the Unovian elf fall away. "How? Not just 'do it.' Not just 'accept it.' How? How did you just choose to be ok?" Perhaps some of it was about more than Namid, but Haim swallowed that reflexively.

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra, Haim | Namid, Lolo
She watched the tension build in his body as Haim took a seat and when he spoke, Farrah was confused for a moment as she assumed the her was Lyra. Was the awkwardness between the two because he was angry with her? But as he continued, it became clear he was talking about Namid. Had his single-mindedness towards his preferred topic of interest caused him to ignore what she had observed about him and Lyra or had he just not heard it? She made the decision right then that both Haim and Lyra would now receive her loud voice during times of stress to ensure that neither of them could ignore her anymore.

”Mila didn’t leave. She ain’t have that choice. Namid did ‘n you gotta get over it. You sure is wasting a lot of energy on someone who ain’t givin’ you a lick ‘o thought anymore, Haim,” she said bluntly. ”Namid leavin’ is disappointin’ and sad both. Sad not just ‘cause it happened, but ‘cause you see what you think coulda been. But that ain’t what happened. Let her live her life ‘n let you live yours. It ain’t a pretty thing to hold a grudge over a grown woman makin’ a choice you don’t agree with.” The delivery was soft and her expression was sympathetic, but that took nothing away from the hard truth of the words.

She gave the elf a slow blink at his earnestness to know how to move forward. How to deal with things. ”Do not know what other way to put it that I ain’t said it before, Haim. Do not understand what you mean. You act like ’just do it’ ‘n ’accept it’ ain’t the answer ‘cause it ain’t take two textbooks, four lectures, and a mile-long schematic to understand. What happened is what happened ‘n you can choose to stay in the moment or you can choose to grow beyond it ‘n the best ways you can.” She leaned forward, forearms on the table to hold her weight to close some of the distance between them.

”Don’t say this lightly, Haim. ‘n I sorry for the forwardness. But your mama and sister both dead. ‘n you coulda stayed on that path at your fancy college to get you a fancy degree, but your way to cope with that loss… ta ’just do it’ ‘n ’accept it’ was to make them a part of you ‘n a new way.” Haim would never know just how much Farrah understood and agreed with his decision. ”You make a choice to honor them 'n a way that... well, it probably make 'em a little sad to know you prioritizin' a different path, but how can they understand that what you was with them alive ain't who you is with them dead? That ain't choosin' to be okay. You ain't okay. I ain't okay. It ain't never gunna be okay. But them bad things that happen to us 'n those we care for ain't gunna stop us."

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date: Oct. 19 | Time: 12:54 |
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: Uniform, school bag, blue high tops
Tagging: Farrah | Mentioning: Connie, Namid |
The words slid halfway out of him, "Two books and-" He clamped his lips around the rest of the explosion. The nugget of anger and outrage was bright and searing. But it had nothing to do with what she'd said about how he dealt with things. He bit his lips and swallowed hard words about 'folksy wisdom' and retorts about what 'grown' meant. What Farrah had said made some sense concerning Namid.

He chewed on that slowly.

That first week of time spent with the team had been unique for Haim. He'd never gravitated to other people like that. Haim had a few people he considered friends. Everyone else was noise. Idly, his fingers splayed over the table. He worked his hands slowly to stretch the fingers as far as he could and started counting them off as a list of names went through his head. As he went, he curled fingers in and, for the first time in his life, he didn't have enough fingers. He reviewed his math and reluctantly conceded the fact. Gravity had easily doubled the number of friends he had or thereabouts. He pulled his hands back slowly and wiggled the fingers back to life.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Of course, he did know. The words didn't mean what they said, they meant something else. They meant that he rejected what she had said. "Who I am? Going to stop me? Stop me from what? What am I? What am I doing?" The heat was building and he struggled against it. Some things, when you said them, revealed too much and made people look at you funny. And then it was hard to work with them because they stopped being normal.

His hands went down to the ubiquitous weight at his hips and pulled his weapons from his holsters. He set them on the table with the handles crossed and toward Farrah. He ran fingers over their surface. "You have Legacy." He pointed at the weapon with his chin. His fingers remained lightly atop his own weapons. "You took up a place and fill a role. You do that to honor and remember?" He looked at Farrah and he saw it in her face. Maybe it was his bias, but he thought he saw loss. Her words said as much. He started to understand her advice. He'd understood it. "I'm not like that. I do not have Legacy. I have Feu et Fureur. Fire and Fury." He cocked his head and regarded Farrah, "I didn't come here to remember anyone. I didn't come here to defend or seek peace. I came for vengeance. No. Not even that much. But that too. I came here to spend whatever life I had left in rage and anger until I was done. I had no intention of surviving. I had Fire and Fury."

"Had. Had."

"But it's not like they went away either. I'm still so. light-cursed. angry. At the world. At Hollow. At- Connie. But now I have you all. And, I don't want to be a hole in your hearts like others are for me." He looked at Farrah and waited for that to sink in. "So, starting with Namid, I'm trying to figure out how to be less angry. That well is the newest and shallowest. I know I cannot banish it. You said it yourself. This is 'not fine' me and that will not change. But, I can draw something else from that well, yeah? There's strength and resolve in fury. I've felt it. I embraced it. I walked with it hand in hand. And it won't let go. But I'm working at it. So, please don't give me platitudes and lines. Things people say to make other people feel better like stickers off a page." He worked his mouth and fire lit his eyes now. He clicked his tongue, "I'm sorry. I know that's not what you were trying to do. I know you're angry, too. You have to be. I'm not asking you to help me process my anger. Not directly. I'm working on that. I'm asking you to tell me you're angry, too. Because if I can see it in someone else-" The corner of his lip twitched into a smirk. His eyes flared wide with realization.

"What I'm saying... sorry I didn't realize this earlier... is that I am not asking for a solution. Not really. I know what I need to do. So, I'm not asking for answers. I'm asking you to bitch a little bit with me about what's pissing you off. Well, how losing Mila pissed you off specifically. But If I just pissed you off, I'll take that too." His face jerked away to look off toward the horizon and he sighed. He'd never talked about the anger with anyone else except Connie. It felt a little good to get some of it out again. The words leaked out. He tried to gather them back up before they did, but the thought was too slippery. "I just want to know I'm not the only one."

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Haim | Namid, Mila
Brows furrowed in confusion, Farrah opened her mouth to respond, but she didn’t know how to say anything nicely. What was happening? Was he talking to himself? Was it rhetorical? She didn’t respond. It wasn’t due to a lack of words - she was never short of an opinion - but like she had with Lyra, she listened quietly. Even when he gave space for interruption, she still waited. There was no quick retort she could give that would be satisfying and what she was witnessing wasn’t simply a sad friend. As he placed his weapons on the table and revealed himself to her, Farrah sat back. She pressed against the chair at the raw display of emotion Haim was struggling to process. This wasn’t just about Namid. This was a trauma that had been brewing underneath the surface for some time now. Undirected and restrained, it was only just now starting to break free and Farrah was squarely in the path.

That was awkward, because of all of the people Haim could have chosen, he chose the one who was least likely to be soft. For a brief moment, she wondered how Connie would react. Would she have been the ice to his fire? Had a soothing word to offer comfort? It didn’t really matter - Farrah wasn’t Connie. She leaned in again, narrowing her eyes in steely displeasure. He wanted to vent? She could tell by the way his thoughts flowed that he was still holding something back. Some sad thing that he was afraid to say aloud? Some unrealized truth? She didn’t know, but she was more than happy to rile him up until he found the words to figure out his own damn problem.

”Oh, I’ma bitch alright,” she said, drumming her fists on the table before slapping her palms into the surface. ”Got some nerve comin ta me n askin fer talk just ta act a fool. Tellin me what I oughta say. Tellin me what I outta feel. Boy, ya asked fer an ear n I gave it to ya, but ya got another thing comin iffin you think this arrogant nonsense gunna get you anything less than the kindness of a fist to the face to set that noggin back on straight. Ha!” Though she was a expressive, there was no anger. It was not unlike an older sister rolling her eyes at the audacity of a younger sibling for being so dramatic. But she wasn’t dismissive and instead of shutting down the conversation, she pushed for a deeper understanding in a way she could understand.

”Vengeance? That the dumbest thing I ever done heard! What you gunna do? Go out on a mission to slay the one foul beast that did yer family in? That ain’t no good reason to be here ‘n it selfish to boot!” She thought of Meena’s trials to get into the Hammer. Some people wanted their Academy slot to make the world a better place, not just pursue some revenge fantasy! ”Ain’t gunna be me that tells you to simmer that anger down. You wanna be mad? Be mad! Ain’t no nevermind to me. Rage against every Hollow you see! But ya better think twice before thinkin you gunna find connection with me in anger or fury. Wasted enough time bein sad over things me cannot change.” Some frustration did creep into her voice now. ”Stop dragin me down with you just cause we got dead family and gone partners in common. Stop pesterin me about Mila just cause you don’t like mine answer. I said what I said! Ain’t gunna change it just cause you don’t like it! I ain’t holdin on to one Dark-touched thing or lettin it drag me down, Haimehen. Wanna live, I do! Wanna be happy, I do! Wanna make peace, I do! On me own terms! What you want from me, Haim? You ain’t make no lick o sense. Is this about Mila n Namid? Your mama and sister? What about you, Haim? Take them away, n what does that leave you with?”

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date: Oct. 19 | Time: 12:54 |
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: Uniform, school bag, blue high tops
Tagging: Farrah | Mentioning: Connie, Namid |
He felt the anger heating up his neck. Every time he had tried to communicate how he felt, he had failed to make himself understood. Reflexively, his palms slapped against the table and he pushed himself up. His eyes traveled up her torso to her face as he did. Perhaps he'd made a mistake indeed. He'd always used to go to Connie when he was having problems dealing with things, but she was gone and maybe he just had to get used to the idea that no one would understand him the way she did. The angry flush crept into his cheeks as 'fool' echoed in his mind. His eyes broke from her face and fell on the dangly earrings she wore.

She always wore something like that. He wondered why idly. It was enough to distract him for a moment. He nodded, sighed, and turned to start moving away.

He was a few steps away, hands tucking into his pants, when he stopped and stood straight. He clicked his tongue and then turned to stalk back. He grabbed his weapons and felt the words tumble out of his mouth, "Just because you don't understand me, doesn't mean I am acting a fool or don't make sense. I came to you because I trust you. You berating me for feeling how I feel-" He huffed and felt a little breeze slide across his neck. His eyes caught her earrings again and saw them sway gently.

He looked at her again and sighed; he wasn't really angry with her or her words. Farrah was just doing exactly what he'd expected her to do. Somewhat. Yes, he'd assumed she was angry. That was on him. In retrospect, it made sense of what he knew of her that she wasn't angry. It also made sense that she cared about Mila and that she was doing what she could do and not worrying about what she couldn't change.

His shoulders slumped and he looked into the distance again. "Sorry that I drag you down. It wasn't my intention. I wasn't trying to tell you what to feel. I was trying to explain all the reasons other people have tried to give me over my life when I explain how I feel about things that don't help me. Perhaps it was unfair either way? Probably." If history was any evidence, the only person who ever understood him was lost. "But that's what I'm trying to figure out, Farrah. Don't you see? I'm trying to sort out what's left. If you'd have asked me that four weeks ago, I'd have responded instantly with 'nothing.' And maybe that was true or maybe it was the anger talking. Hardly matters." He shrugged and tried to feel out the knot in his chest. It felt heavy and choking and dead.

His mind drifted to Cordes sur-Ciel. The warmth and presence of his grandfather, the surly wisdom of his grandmother, the endless curiosity of his cousin. The way the summer sun played on the ocean waves and how the wind made the stalks of wheat dance. His smile faltered though as he thought of all that without Connie. What was the point of any of that without her?

"It doesn't matter because it's not really true. I don't know why- No, backup. Yes, I came here for revenge. Just because I use that word does not mean I am some incoherent hothead intent on banging my head against the wall until I dash my brains out. I still intend to eradicate every. single. Hollow. I can. Every. One. Not because it benefits anyone or thing or group. Simply because they took from me and now I will take from them. Methodically, strategically, deliberately. If they can suffer or feel pain, I will inflict it. But especially on the Leviathan. And to do that, I needed skills, training, power." He barked derisive laughter. His words were not passionate but hard and cold and dark like a lump of iron left to cool in the coals. "Just about the only thing I have ever agreed with Auguste about in the last eleven years. He made the argument that I needed skills and resources and that the Academy was the best place to get them. He wanted me to go into the military, not Hammer, but he can't have everything he wants. I will not be part of the organization that took my parents from me. Seeing the logic, I agreed. That's why I came here." He glanced at her. His motives were different from hers, drastically, but he saw no problem with that or his particular motives. It was how he had chosen to use his life; it was his life to use as he saw fit. He had been aware that it might break his grandparents' hearts, but that was a bitterness he could swallow if needed. "So, with Fire and Fury as my partners, that was my goal. WAS. Things changed."

He swallowed and slowly sank back to the bench with his guns held loosely in his hands. "I knew that Hammer set squires up in teams but I didn't think much of it. During the trial, I simple looked for a squire that would match my speed and style. With my Shimmer, it wasn't hard to avoid contact and observe until I found them. No desire for connection, just someone who wouldn't hold me back. But Namid was-" He laughed lightly, "We got talking about machinery and arcanite and we devised these crude traps we used in the second trials. We were up most of the night, heads together, tinkering. I didn't even notice the bond form." He sighed and put Fury into its holster. "And then the rest of you. That first morning in the dorms? Lyra and Lolo." He chuckled. "And I knew that my melee and brawling skills were mediocre, so I talked to you about sparring and you helped me in the way only you could." He slipped his other pistol into its holster. "Before I could say 'God of Light,' you all worked your ways into my heart. And I started to believe that, maybe, I needed to find a way to get my revenge and live through it. Then, all that Dazzle and Dust mess happened. And I started to question those connections. And I started trying to push people away. If you'all were just going to be something else I could lose, what's the point?" He held up his palms defensively, "Dumb, I know. But-" He shrugged. His heart and mind had done what they had done. He saw the folly in it; he'd made that step during Shir's little exercise. "Adapting to certain things and especially forgiveness are not things I handle well. Ask my father." He barked laughter again and smiled bitterly. He had started working himself up to certain apologies. This conversation was part of that process. He shrugged. Sometimes, being aware of your flaws and doing anything to change them were entirely different tasks.

"So what do I have left? A bit of family. Some projects I'm working on. But mostly, I have gRAVIty. Am I supposed to have more than that? I don't. I don't have a cause other than vengeance for those taken from me. And I don't have a concern other than protecting the ones left. I live and die for my people. That's me. Il n'y a pas plus que ça." He grunted and his gaze slid along the treeline. It dropped to the stone-paved courtyard. It jumped up into the trees after some birdsong. Maybe all that made him a defective, broken person. Maybe he wasn't as much of a person as those around him who seemed to do the things he couldn't do. Things that most people seemed to take for granted. Did others practice laughing in front of the mirror convinced they sounded fake? He shook his head and chuckled just to hear it.

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.19 | 12:53
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: uniform, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Haim | Namid, Mila, Mir
When Haim stood, Farrah stood. She didn’t match his urgency, but she gave him a wary look as his eyes traveled to her lobes. Then he deflated and turned away from her. Her mouth twisted into a crooked frown, her disappointment evident. She could feel her skin starting to itch. That uncomfortable crawl could set her to scratching so desperately that she broke through the skin in an attempt to reach the source. She never could, so she refrained from trying. Her fingers twitched and she crossed her arms to practice restraint just as Haim paused. Farrah tilted her head as Haim seemed to grapple with his emotions, but she gave a lopsided smile as he came back to face her.

”Havin’ feelins don’t give you no permission to say what ya want without me havin a response to it. Dunno what other people doin to rile you up so, but my mouth ain’t got no patience fer bein told what to say when you is the one requestin me say somethin. Should know by now with them ears of yers that I gunna say what I gunna say and it gunna be said.” She uncrossed her arms to place them on her hips as she sighed heavily, and then let them dangle by her side. ”Worse yet, yanno I cut straight to it n that can make it unpleasant.” Her words were based on the actions she witnessed and she rarely bothered to view them from a perspective that wasn’t her own. That was its own recipe for disaster.

Her conversational tone continued. ”Ain’t no fault of mine you cannot say what ya mean, Haim. Gotta use small words for this brute brain o mine to understand.” Her delivery was dryer than the Unovian desert, making the line between sarcasm and seriousness blurry. She still remembered their first trip to the cafe before training together and how every other sentence out of his mouth had needed to be clarified. ”But I is glad you is talkin cause you got plenty to say n I think it should be said. Helps me understand you more.” She kept her eyes on him even though he was looking almost anywhere else but her. Those short glances he kept tossing her way were almost pleading, but she didn’t know what to give him.

As he spoke of his father, her thoughts wandered. The Academy would have been the best place to equip Haim with the skills he so desperately needed in order to fulfill his driving purpose, but… Had the Captain seen his son - the last of his line - in danger with his grief and fire and fury? She had almost chased him off once. Rather than follow her line of thought with Haim, she chose to let it drop lest it push him over the edge with her poor word choice. She did the same over his confession to make Hollow hurt. That was a gross, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous desire, but maybe it would temper in time. As Haim sat, so did Farrah.

”Four years is a long time. Plenty to grow into what you wanna be. What you wanna do. Things already change a lot fer ya in this short time. They gunna keep changin. Mine plan is to be here n witness it n that’s all I can offer. Here I am and here I be.” She looked around the courtyard, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. She trailed PRoWLer as they moved across the courtyard, her eyes lingering on a certain dark-haired human.

She knew the feeling of nothing. It crept up on her sometimes in the most unexpected moments. It threatened to overwhelm her isolate her. It was an emptiness with no boundaries that wanted to consume her until she was nothing more than a Hollow. She refused to let it. She refused to let it take Haim. Despite his self-imposed distance, she noisily brought the chair closer to his side of the table. Her sandwich was long forgotten as she chose to engage with a different tactic.

Unexpectedly, she leaned in with a mischievous smile on her face. ”Been seein’ a thing,” she whispered salaciously. It was a complete switch of topics, moving whip-lash fast from heavy into scandalous. ”A thing that ain’t nothin. Might be somethin.” She teased the words out, blocking the side-view of her mouth with a hand as if to hide the ability of other students to witness her secret. ”That helper of yers. Mir.” She grinned. The things that brought her back from her own ledge looming over the abyss were connections. She hadn’t missed those moon-eyes Haim had given Mir, but she hadn’t thought more of it until now. "Kinda cute, wouldn't ya say?"

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date: Oct. 19 | Time: 12:54 |
Location: Courtyard at Lunch
Wearing: Uniform, school bag, blue high tops
Tagging: Farrah | Mentioning: Connie, Lolo, Lyra |
Haim was feeling kind of fuzzy in his head. It was something that he knew but not well; it was a feeling of connection. It was almost so apparent that he thought, if he turned his head at just the right angle and speed, he could see it. But that had been Connie's gift, not his.

Four years was a long time. He chewed on it for a moment and felt things that he wanted to say. There were rods bobbling around inside his head and chest. He was trying to muster them, marshal them, then find their path to the world so that he could express a bit of appreciation. The idea of taking things one day at a time resonated deeply. It changed his point of view on things a little bit. He didn't need to get it all sorted now, he had time to figure out what he wanted and what he needed. he couldn't imagine his need to punish the world dimming, but he hadn't been able to imagine being this angry just three months ago. Emotions had a way of feeling bigger than they were. Then Farrah chose to change the subject before he could get anything in order.

Red raced from his neck to his hairline. His hand slipped off the handle of his weapon and he lost a bit of balance. Words tripped over themselves as they rushed out of his mouth. Why would she bring Mir up? His eyes flared. His nostrils blew out overheated air. "Er, yes, cute Mir. I mean. He's not that cute. I mean. He's not hard on the eyes or anything." He bit his bottom lip to shut himself up and huffed air out the sides of his mouth. He had not been prepared for that line of conversation. Slowly, he moved his lips again, "I. meeaann. Mir is a good looking man and he definitely knows his way around a circuit." He took a slow breath and smiled as he recalled the man's features. Cute was hardly the word. The man made his toes curl. He shook his head gently, "And I do need to have a conversation with him. Not about... anything like that. About him. being cute. Just, about things. But-" He shrugged and let it float in the air. Mir was another person he had done wrong by in his dumb attempts to avoid connection. He couldn't afford another presence like Nicialan, could he? If he just held back long enough, the infatuation would pass and he'd be able to focus on his world as it was. That seemed easier if less satisfying.

And yet, Haim smiled and looked down at his fingers and picked at a spot on them, "He gave me a schematic. For a type of manual arcanite stabilizer." He smirked and scissored two of his fingers together. "I need to thank him. At the least."

He leaned back and looked at Farrah and grinned, "Gods apart, have I been being that obvious with it? I catch myself looking, but I thought I was being subtle." Briefly, he thought of what the two of them had just been discussing. His need to comment was fast fading. The notion that Farrah was here and not going anywhere was good. He knew the same was true of Lolo as well. Maybe even Lyra. He also needed to do more with Vesper and Meena. He shouldn't be afraid of that. He shouldn't keep putting it off. If he worked hard enough, he could manage it. As for Mir, that was more complicated.

~~End Scene~~

[TheFluffyOne]

Character Name: Hulta Elderfond
Date | Time: 11.13 | Early evening
Location: Just outside of the academy
Wearing: Brown trousers, cream shirt and lace up boots.
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Closed |
Hulta was drawn to people like a moth to a flame. The small gathering on one of the steps leaving Hammer Academy had been the perfect place for her to burrow into a conversation. The conversation had flowed easily and Hulta managed to keep in time with her companions. She made one of them smile and grinned in response, taking great pride in that accomplishment. Miayra would be ecstatic at the sight. Hulta in a crowd of people and maintaining conversations. She could do this. The elf beamed at the newcomers that joined the group. More people meant more chances for information to be gathered.

They were standing just shy of one of the many entrances to the main building. Maybe it was their placement or the laughter that trickled from the group like wind chimes. The group steadily increased and Hulta struggled to keep up with the conversation. She watched as the topic veered off to somewhere that she had never been. Names echoed around them. Streets, shops, favoured inns.

Every sentence that left the students lips had her sinking further back into herself. She opened her mouth to try to say something but felt the space taken by another student. Hulta’s bright eyes trailed over the group that had grown to around 10 people now. She vaguely recognised some and knew full well that this was not done in maliciousness. Internally, a small, crackled voice in her skull sounded. ‘Don’t be so silly, Hulta. Speak.’

The command could not break through the doubt that filled Hulta from head to toe. Was she ever really in this conversation to begin with? Had she slotted herself in where she wasn’t truly wanted? Again, her gaze travelled around the group and landed on Marlowe Ashe. The woman was not shying away from the conversation and was holding her own. Hulta’s fingers linked together as she felt like she was vaulted back to age 8. Standing on the fringes of a classroom and struggling to find a space.

The bright joyful eyes of before were now doubtful and childlike. The previous broad infectious smile was now smaller and barely could register as a smile. Slowly, she dragged her gaze away from Marlowe back to the rest of the group. Words came in fast and full of excitement. Even as she tried to wrack her mind, she could find no similarity in her background to cling onto. She was floating. Like a rotten timber dancing on the surface of the water. Every passing second was another inch closer to it sinking to the cold depths.

Not a single comment was made as she shuffled a single step backwards…then another. Hulta turned and silently attempted to disappear down the steps and around the side of the building. She didn’t even dare look behind her, unsure how she would react if any of them called to her. As soon as she was close to the old chestnut tree, she gracefully leapt forward and clung to one of the lower branches. Hauling herself quickly up to the trunk, Hulta was swiftly hidden behind the leaves. Curling up on one of the chunkier branches, she pressed her chin onto her knees.

It was her fault really. The moth would always find themselves burnt by the flame.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: November 13th | Early Evening
Location: Outside the Academy
Wearing: Loose, deep neck tank top, Black fancy pants, Black, kitten-heel ankle boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Hulta |
It was hardly surprising or new to spot Lolo amidst a crowd - she gravitated towards gatherings whenever possible. Especially of late. There was a sense of solace and familiarity in the company of many that contrasted the solitary interactions she initially favored upon arriving at Hammer. These collective encounters seemed to alleviate the anxiety simmering within her. It was easier to lose oneself in the midst of numerous individuals, an experience unattainable in one-on-one interactions. Lolo’s two years in Onyx primarily revolved around the central and western districts, so she relished hearing about others’ experiences in the city and discovering hidden gems she hadn’t yet encountered. Yet, above all, it was the people themselves that drew Lolo in.

Despite the captivating energy of the group, Lolo’s social instincts remained sharp enough to detect when something was amiss. As Hulta started to withdraw, Lolo’s scarlet eyes swiftly sought her out, sensing the shift in her demeanor. Unable to pinpoint the exact cause of Hulta’s change, Lolo’s focus momentarily shifted as one of the other squires directed a question her way, demanding her response. When she glanced back, Hulta was already drifting away. Lolo hesitated a moment, before excusing herself from the group. They’d get along just as well without her, and Lolo couldn’t bring herself to watch someone sink, and that’s exactly the energy that she had gotten from the poor elf.

Marlowe had seen snow only a handful of times in her life. One of her favorite things about it was how it revealed secrets. Following Hulta was a fairly simple task, despite the efficiency that Hammer’s military neighbors had done to clear the courtyard. She peered up through the leaves, able only to catch a glimpse of elf hidden among them. “You know, when I was a kid, I used to go up into trees because I wanted to be bigger than the whole world.” She stepped under the branch and peered up at Hulta from below. A little crouch and she leapt up, snatching the branch and hoisted herself up over it, turning to sit near Hulta’s feet. “Well,” She swung her legs as they dangled and glanced over at the woman, “And because I knew no one else could climb as high as I could, so there was nothing I couldn’t get away from.”

Shifting her elbow, Marlowe gave Hulta’s shins a little nudge, “So what are you trying to get away from?” Her head tilted, “I hope it’s not me.” Lolo’s lips curled into a slowly wider and wider grin, “Unless you were trying to get me alone.” She lifted her brows, “Though I can think of easier ways to have done that.”

[TheFluffyOne]

Character Name: Hulta Elderfond
Date | Time: 11.13 | Early evening
Location: Just outside of the academy
Wearing: Brown trousers, cream shirt and lace up boots.
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Closed |
Her fingers twisted in the fabric of her trousers. Burying her chin into her knees, she stared at one of the large leaves also occupying her branch. Hulta’s eyes followed the thin lines of the leaf and hummed a soft sound. Just loud enough for it to vibrate the fallen strands of her hair. She wanted so badly to fit in with everyone. She so badly wanted to be included in every conversation. Gods. What a baby, she thought harshly. She was so caught up in her own emotions to register the footsteps that followed her.

A voice cut through the harsh snark in her mind and Hulta froze. She recognised the voice. It had been a part of the crowd mere moments ago. Someone had followed her. Marlowe had followed her. The woman stepped out to be visible to Hulta and the elf gave as big a smile as she could muster. But it barely flickered on her lips. With graceful ease that proved Marlowe had done it many times before, the woman joined Hulta on the branch.

Hulta’s lips twitched as she fully agreed with Marlowe. Climbing higher and higher meant that few could follow her. Tapping the tips of her boots as a response to the nudge, Hulta dragged a breath in before she found the courage to respond. “I..” All previous doubt and worry that was stained on her face disappeared and was instead replaced by a beautiful light pink that seemed to dance between the freckles on her cheeks.

“No…yes..I mean..dang it” She spluttered in response before pausing. Slowly, she slid her legs down so that she sat cross legged beside Marlowe. “I think..I think I just wanted to get away from the conversation. I find it difficult when the topic veers to something I’ve never done and places I've never been to.” She tried to be as honest as she possibly could. “It’s stupid. I’m stupid. Ignore me.” Hulta placed her hands flat on her knees, closed her eyes and took in a breath that appeared to fill her entire lungs and soothe the burning on her cheeks.

It was difficult. Really difficult to place how she felt into words. There was so much she hadn’t done. There were going to be so many conversations that she wouldn’t understand. “I want to think that the knowledge I have is vast but I always forget just how small I really am.” Hulta snapped her eyes open and gave the other woman a smile that crept bigger than the ones from before. “I didn’t mean for you to leave the conversation.” Lie. She was glad that Lolo followed her, that someone cared enough to make sure she was alright.

Hulta could feel a shiver run up her spine as the conversation swayed too long in the emotional stages. She needed humour, excitement and noise. Her gaze trickled over Marlowe and the longer she looked at the woman’s lips, the more her own lips slowly but surely matched Marlowe’s grin.  “Can you still climb that high?” Amber eyes landed on Marlowe’s and there was mischief ringing in the elf.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: November 13th | Early Evening
Location: Outside the Academy
Wearing: Loose, deep neck tank top, Black fancy pants, Black, kitten-heel ankle boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Hulta |
If there was one thing that Marlowe enjoyed as much as getting people to shower her in attention and sing her praises, it was making people flustered. Coincidentally, that was something she had only really discovered once coming to Hammer. The opportunities to do it while she’d been living in Onyx had been much less because that space wasn’t really hers. Which sort of meant that this one was. The thought was exciting, and it quickly found its way stuck somewhere in her head to be thought about later - because right now, her thoughts were quite busy thinking about Hulta, and she just wasn’t any good at thinking more than one thing at a time.

Marlowe’s lips thinned out as Hulta depreciated herself. As Hammer’s resident expert on being stupid - the only subject that she felt particularly confident in - she was pretty convinced that Hulta was, in fact, not. Lolo shifted and reached out to one of Hulta’s stray strands of hair. Easily she began to wrap the red tress around her index, “You’re not stupid.” She added another twirl, “And I think you’d be very hard to ignore. In fact,” Lolo added one more twist of the hair, leaning toward Hulta, “Now that I’m thinking about you, I’m having a hard time thinking about anything else.” Her finger curled and gave the lock of hair the tiniest of little tugs. “You are a squire at a prestigious Battle Academy. I don’t think small is a word that applies to us anymore.” At least, she certainly hoped not. Lolo released Hulta’s hair and slid her finger back. “Besides, why would I want to be with them, when I can be with you? This is better, don’t you think?”

Planting her hands on the branch, Lolo leaned back and tilted her head up. She peered past all the leaves, looking for the path, “Wanna find out?” She dropped her head heavily to the side and peered at the elf like she was the only thing in the world - when Lolo had said that’s all she could think about, she really meant it. “Come on.”

Lolo let herself fall backwards over the branch, holding on so that she swung completely around it. Her legs unhitched somewhere on the fall, and curled in tight, so that when she was on the way back up, she landed with her heels on the branch. She wiggled her brows excitedly. Standing up, she reached for the next branch she planned to pull herself up on. Fortunately, pull ups were one of her favorite exercises, so slipping through the leaves was a fairly simple matter. “I know what you mean, about not feeling like you fit in.” She offered, stepping over where Hulta was and getting near the trunk so she could evaluate next steps, “I’m not very smart. Not like everyone else here. And I come from a small place, with very… Small people.” Lolo peered down, “You know what I did? I came here to Onyx, I did the things I always dreamed, and saw the places I wanted to.”

Dropping to a crouch, Lolo grabbed the branch she was on and leaned down. She pushed her hand past the leaves and extended it to Hulta, “So how about I take you out sometime, and I show you.”

[TheFluffyOne]

Character Name: Hulta Elderfond
Date | Time: 11.13 | Early evening
Location: Just outside of the academy
Wearing: Brown trousers, cream shirt and lace up boots.
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Closed |
Hulta’s wide grin threatened to falter at the edges when Lolo told her that she wasn’t stupid. She had a sentence primed on the tip of her tongue, a way to change the topic and maybe get the beautiful woman to laugh. But then Lolo said that. ‘I’m having a hard time thinking about anything else’ Because Hulta was right in front of her or because…The previous pink that floated between her freckles deepened and a warmth blossomed across her cheeks and arms. Marlowe was close. She was really close. The hair tug had toppled all thoughts from her mind, and she nearly swayed from the tree branch.

“Umm..HaIwanttobewithyoutoo.” The words came out in one fluid sentence almost as if she was dying to breathe, yet somehow the redheaded elf didn’t take in another gasp of air. The warm red only seeped to a beetroot red, this time stretching up her pointed ears which were now painfully white at the tips. Find out what. There was a brief moment of panic that flooded through her pupils then she realised she had asked Lolo a question and that was the answer. As Marlowe let herself fall gracefully from the branch before swinging back onto her feet, Hulta finally managed to drag in a ragged breath. Gods, could she make and ruin a friendship in one night?! She needed to calm down, she needed to breath but why did every breath around Lolo suddenly feel difficult? As if dragging another gasp through parted lips was just speeding through the time they had together.

The taller woman disappeared into the leaves and Hulta pressed her hands against her cheeks, frantically trying to dispel some of the redness. Okay, okay. Conversation change. She could do that. Maybe Lolo would forget how she had stumbled through her words from before. “Pfffttt. Not smart. Come on.” She said with a loud exhale of air. Shake it off, she thought as she stood and did a full body shake like a small dog would do after falling in a puddle. As another lock of hair escaped her bun and landed lightly on her shoulder, she felt Marlowe’s voice coming from above.

Tilting her head back, she made direct eye contact with Marlowe and a beaming smile landed on her lips. That was what she wanted to do. Do the things that had been vague dreams and see the world. Do it all and somehow still protect her home. Sometimes it felt like the weight on her shoulders was going to keep her from taking the leap to the next branch. A slender hand broke through the leaves and Hulta took the hand eagerly. All before hearing the question that left the woman’s lips.

Hulta had already been kicking herself off the tree trunk to help Marlowe in picking her up when the question finally resonated with her mind. Just as her foot made contact with the trunk, she felt her heel skid off the trunk. Stomping the heel into the trunk, she managed to settle herself in a strange position. Hand up and linked with Marlowe, one foot on the branch they had both been on mere moments ago and her other extended upwards to press against the tree trunk. Her head snapped back up towards Marlowe as frantic eyes searched her face. Was this a joke? Was this all in her head? Was it real?

The warmth of Marlowe’s fingers against hers was all the evidence she needed. “I’d like that.” Hulta said with as much confidence as she could muster in her current predicament. “I’m gonna try that again.” She let out an awkward giggle and managed to get her bearing on the tree trunk and using Marlowe’s aid finally got onto the same branch as her. She paused there. Hair falling out of her bun, one boot undone, red cheeks steadily fading to light pink and bright eager eyes. Her fingers were still linked with Marlowe’s. She could faintly feel the other woman’s heartbeat through her fingers, did that mean she could feel the hammering of Hulta’s heart.

“Race ya.”

The cheerful request left her lips before she realised what she was saying. Hulta looked momentarily shocked at her own request and then let go of Marlowe’s hand. With one boot half undone, it didn’t take much for her to kick both free so that she could climb in her socks. She was already at a disadvantage for not having her staff with her, but Hulta still gripped a middle branch and using the tree trunk to launch herself skyward, managed to cling onto the next branch and slowly hauled herself up. Hulta had never been in a situation like this so she did exactly what she normally did, play the fool and try to make Marlowe laugh..and potentially win a race at the same time.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: November 13th | Early Evening
Location: Outside the Academy
Wearing: Loose, deep neck tank top, Black fancy pants, Black, kitten-heel ankle boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Hulta |
Lolo gave Hulta’s hand a squeeze when she grabbed it, making sure that she had hold of her. She didn’t suspect, given how quickly the elf had scrambled up initially, that she actually needed the help, but offering it alongside her date request had felt right. The acceptance of the hand signaled a yes, and when the confirming words followed, she was elated - and any embarrassment that might’ve happened on the initial failed attempt went forgotten. “Then it’s a date.” Lolo confirmed with a quick wink before releasing Hulta’s hand.

Lolo’s eyes sparkled with joy as she observed Hulta’s playful antics. She couldn’t help but grin as the elf kicked off her boots in preparation to take this seriously! So Lolo matched her - even though she had to unzip the sides to kick hers off, and that cost her a few precious seconds. Lolo admired that, even though moments ago Hulta had seemed pushed inward, she had quickly broken free of those feelings. She kicked her boots off to the ground and grabbed for the next branch, swinging out over open air to pull herself up a different path. “When I win, I’m going to want a prize!” She teased, rocking back and forth before giving a small strained ‘umph’ to lift herself up to the next branch.

Watching Hulta navigate the branches, Lolo’s heart danced with delight as they raced higher and higher. With a mischievous glint in her eye, Lolo saw an opportunity to take a lead. She jumped at a tall open space on the trunk, and barely clung to it. Her feet pushed into the bark and she launched herself off of that at a higher, thick branch. Lolo wrapped her arms around it, nearly bumping her head. The wood bit at her arms, but she didn’t mind. Letting go with one arm, she swung to the side, got both arms the right way, and hoisted herself up - having cleared half a dozen feet up in that one go. “I’m thinking I’ll pick what you wear for our date when I win!” She giggled.

High on the thrill of taking a quick lead, and never much of a planner to begin with, Lolo saw another opportunity to be dramatic and showy. Hugging the trunk, Lolo spun around it like a pole, swinging over Hulta’s head and rolling so her back was to it and she was holding it in reverse. It was a lofty jump, but she was determined. She sprung, threw her arms up, made contact and then… snap. The branch broke, displeased at the sudden burden of catching her, and Lolo fell straight down. She caught herself on a branch back where Hulta had just been. And before she could recover, a heavy dollop of snow from the canopy splattered on her head. Her eyes closed and she shivered, dangling from the tree. She shook like a dog to try and get it off - though that only partially worked, and globes of snow got lost in her mane of hair.

With a spirited laugh escaping her lips, she looked up to see how much ground she’d lost. Springing into action, determined, she pulled herself onto the branch and tried to follow in Hulta’s footsteps, working to catch up. Leaves rustled, and the wind whispered, and when she looked up again all she saw was a sock vanishing behind a curtain of leaves. “You haven’t won yet!” She called after the elf, lunging and grabbing at branches to try and make up for lost time. But when she finally burst through the top of the tree, stranding on one of the thinner branches at the top, there was the red head already waiting for her. Lolo shifted and took hold of the trunk to support herself, leaning in toward Hulta, “Well, I guess you win.” A little bead of water from melted snow in her bang ran a marathon down the side of her face, and Lolo blinked slowly, “So what can I give you?”