Post by purnip on Dec 23, 2009 12:53:15 GMT -5
Lyam was on his way to his room in dour spirits and he certainly wasn't hiding it. There were no other Candidates in the halls to witness his foul mood. He had searched the Bowl again twice over where he was pacing before and even the lake again, but he could not find the coin he had lost once again. Maybe he had left it in his room as he had told Jasra. He had checked it earlier, turning over everything he could lift on his own. No dice. Now he was off to check it once more in a distastefully growing moodiness that he was having more the trouble masking. There was no use for that now though, and he was eternally grateful for that.
Suede was perched on his shoulder, keeping to himself. He may serve as an emotional crutch to others, but it was harder with His. The boy's feelings were so genuine and concrete when they were apparent that little could be done to console them, aside from finding that trinket. The Blue could only keep his eyes peeled should he catch sight of it, but as they walked through the corridors he could not help but be attracted to a feeling of yearning. It was strong and it was something he had a chance of curbing. Suede cast one apologetic glance at Lyam before taking off into the room they were just passing. The boy stopped and looked to see what the distraction had been about with tiny hope that his coin had been spotted, but the subject was no coin. It was an old acquaintance. Old as in, back from Fort Hold.
"So you must be this Blue's human," the girl said, raising her gaze from the firelizard on her lap. She was simply sitting on the edge of her bed with several small objects beside her and one bulkier one that appeared to be an assemblage. Lyam had no interest in it for the moment and returned his attention to the girl. She smiled, but the look in her eyes revealed a sort of disappointment. "You don't remember me, do you?"
He nodded slowly. He only remembered what she was like, but not her name or anything of great detail. She was a girl he had talked to more often when they were younger but she became reclusive when he was a teenager. She used to be part of his entourage when he was a kid, but problems with family or with her, he wasn't sure which, changed all of it. "I remember we used to be friends as children."
The girl chuckled, her eyes downcast once more. It was then that she reached into her pocket, felt around it, and pulled out a dull bronze coin. She held it out for Lyam to take. "Rhysia," she answered, waiting for him to take what was his. "We bumped into each other at the Dining Hall yesterday and you were in a bit of a hurry. You always were."
He wanted to be mad at her, and had he known nothing about her he would have been, but it was all coming back to him. When they were kids, Lyam and Rhysia were good friends, but he used to encourage her habit of taking things. He didn't know about her full-blown kleptomania disorder, but he figured that she had taken the coin in order to have him find her eventually. "You know, it would have come to this without you stealing from me," he said, but not in the tone you'd expect. He sounded more amused if anything. Lyam wasn't ready to let anyone know how much the coin meant to him, especially this one. Rhysia had also been a smart girl from what he remembered. She was about half the cunning that he was, if not more.
"I know," she said, her legs now swaying on the edge of the bed, back and forth. Rhysia was in a better mood now that an old friend was around. One that would understand why she did what she did. She couldn't remember however, if Lyam was familiar with the whole story or not. He sounded like he wasn't horribly offended by her taking of his things. "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."
Lyam chuckled. Now that's priceless. He just had to answer this truthfully, because the truth would certainly dispell at that. "I wasn't avoiding you at all. If I recall correctly, you've been the one avoiding me, well, until now." Yes, he did remember a little more as time went on. She was the one who broke off whatever friendship they had when they were kids. She simply stopped showing up when all the other kids did. Come to think of it, the other kids were glad of it. They accused her of being a thief. Lyam had already known about that though; that was one of the reasons he kept her so close as a kid. She was the one who got things. Things he could use if he asked. She must have gotten in some deep trouble before she stopped making appearances. "Why was it that we didn't remain friends again?" He asked as if he was already told and needed to be reminded.
Rhysia's expression went sour for a moment, but she looked up with an arrogant defiance he didn't think her capable of. "Don't act like you're concerned, Lyam. I remember you pretty clearly now. You used to take advantage of me. I'm not an expert or anything but I don't think that's what friends do." Those eyes of her were sharper than he remembered. Little did he know she hadn't exercised this kind of behavior since she was Searched. She had precious little ground to make accusations from. Normally, she was the one who took the brunt of them.
He was taken aback. He didn't show it in any dramatic fashion, but he did raise his brows and take it in a serious tone. "You never complained of that before," he defended, taking his logical persona by the horns. It was too necessary. Rhysia had gotten him summed up to a 'T' and he needed to make sure she thought she was wrong. How is it that of all people, she was sharp enough to see through him? Perhaps because she was his friend during the more vunerable times in his life, back when he had yet to master his charm and wit of people. A mixture of that and her quiet manner of keen observations. The silent type were usually the most dangerous to play with. "You just suddenly disappeared. Everything was fine, as it usually was, and then you just stopped showing up."
Rhysia still glared at him, until Suede gave a chirp to get her attention. He didn't want them to fight. He knew His wouldn't be likely to pick one, but the girl was just so upset and he didn't want her to stay that way. It would be better if they just got along again, but something about the girl suggested that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. "I grew up," she said flatly, with less anger in her tone. "I got caught and I learned that you weren't the best influence. I did myself a favor and put space between us." The glare softened and she looked back down to stroke the Blue firelizard. She forgot that she was attacking his person.
Dissecting her like all the others, Lyam could see that there was little fight in her, or at least little practice for it. She wasn't angry at him. She was defensive about his questions. Defensive about his manner. If she knew he used people to his advantage, and it was becoming more apparent than before, then the only solution was to be himself. It would be vital to stay on the good side of this old friend, so if he had to risk chance, it'd be better than upsetting her further. "I see. Yet you took my coin in hopes that I would look for you to retrieve it."
Instead of taking offense, Rhysia simply gave a laugh. He didn't know! All this time and he didn't know about the impulse behind the hands. "I hoped I wouldn't. I was hoping your flit would come back so I could send him back with it." She folded her arms and remained amused for the time being. It was a little sad. She had hoped that Lyam would have known everything by now so she wouldn't have to explain. Either way, she was tiring of his presence. "It slipped out of your pocket," she said, a misleading answer. It slipped out in her hand is more like it.
Lyam didn't believe her, able to see though lies and misleading replies quite well, but he didn't dwell on it. Little good it would do him. He could tell however, that Rhysia was getting impatient with him and that was not at all the goal here. "Alright." He pocketed the coin and looked to the ceiling, actually delving into his thoughts for a good thing to say. "So I suppose you still want nothing to do with me?" His answer sounded more dejected than he felt, and that was little if none at all.
She didn't reply right away, which was good. In fact, her whole demeanor changed to a more subtle one. Rhysia was no longer holding up her defense so firmly. "I don't know," she replied, simply enough.
That was exactly what he was hoping for. Lyam could turn a conversation from 'I don't know' to any which way he pleased. He had to resist visually perking up at the response. "I hope not," he said firmly. "I remember that you were one of my closest friends, and that's saying a lot. I'd hate for us to keep blowing each other off."
Rhysia smirked again. "I bet you would," she muttered. He caught that, but he didn't take offense yet again. He had to sway her while she was still willing.
"You're not just someone who got things done, Rhysia," he began, careful to use her name. "You were fun to be around with, energetic, and we used to get in all sorts of trouble together. Not just you."
That must have struck something. She unfolded her arms and held them limply beside her. She remembered getting in trouble all the time. Mostly alone. Perhaps she was in the wrong. Perhaps she was just pinning blame on Lyam for her mishaps. Or perhaps he was working her like he used to. She could never be sure. She obviously looked a little hurt. "Lyam...I think it's a good idea if you left me alone for a while." Rhysia knew she was getting vunerable herself, and she couldn't let someone like Lyam take advantage of it. She needed space and she needed time.
Suede gave a croon of concern to the girl, but when she didn't respond he tilted his head at her, somewhat disappointed, and flew back over to Lyam's shoulder. He would try to cheer her up later, but he got the feeling that she indeed required some time alone to process.
Lyam got the same message. He gave a small bow of his head. "Just think about what I said. Please." He'd leave her with that. He turned and continued down the hall, thinking about how it all went down. He could have been a little more sympathetic, but she would have been able to detect his falseness. Rhysia was probably his most difficult case yet. Hopefully all the doors weren't closed with her. He'd have to be persistent about it later.
Suede was perched on his shoulder, keeping to himself. He may serve as an emotional crutch to others, but it was harder with His. The boy's feelings were so genuine and concrete when they were apparent that little could be done to console them, aside from finding that trinket. The Blue could only keep his eyes peeled should he catch sight of it, but as they walked through the corridors he could not help but be attracted to a feeling of yearning. It was strong and it was something he had a chance of curbing. Suede cast one apologetic glance at Lyam before taking off into the room they were just passing. The boy stopped and looked to see what the distraction had been about with tiny hope that his coin had been spotted, but the subject was no coin. It was an old acquaintance. Old as in, back from Fort Hold.
"So you must be this Blue's human," the girl said, raising her gaze from the firelizard on her lap. She was simply sitting on the edge of her bed with several small objects beside her and one bulkier one that appeared to be an assemblage. Lyam had no interest in it for the moment and returned his attention to the girl. She smiled, but the look in her eyes revealed a sort of disappointment. "You don't remember me, do you?"
He nodded slowly. He only remembered what she was like, but not her name or anything of great detail. She was a girl he had talked to more often when they were younger but she became reclusive when he was a teenager. She used to be part of his entourage when he was a kid, but problems with family or with her, he wasn't sure which, changed all of it. "I remember we used to be friends as children."
The girl chuckled, her eyes downcast once more. It was then that she reached into her pocket, felt around it, and pulled out a dull bronze coin. She held it out for Lyam to take. "Rhysia," she answered, waiting for him to take what was his. "We bumped into each other at the Dining Hall yesterday and you were in a bit of a hurry. You always were."
He wanted to be mad at her, and had he known nothing about her he would have been, but it was all coming back to him. When they were kids, Lyam and Rhysia were good friends, but he used to encourage her habit of taking things. He didn't know about her full-blown kleptomania disorder, but he figured that she had taken the coin in order to have him find her eventually. "You know, it would have come to this without you stealing from me," he said, but not in the tone you'd expect. He sounded more amused if anything. Lyam wasn't ready to let anyone know how much the coin meant to him, especially this one. Rhysia had also been a smart girl from what he remembered. She was about half the cunning that he was, if not more.
"I know," she said, her legs now swaying on the edge of the bed, back and forth. Rhysia was in a better mood now that an old friend was around. One that would understand why she did what she did. She couldn't remember however, if Lyam was familiar with the whole story or not. He sounded like he wasn't horribly offended by her taking of his things. "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."
Lyam chuckled. Now that's priceless. He just had to answer this truthfully, because the truth would certainly dispell at that. "I wasn't avoiding you at all. If I recall correctly, you've been the one avoiding me, well, until now." Yes, he did remember a little more as time went on. She was the one who broke off whatever friendship they had when they were kids. She simply stopped showing up when all the other kids did. Come to think of it, the other kids were glad of it. They accused her of being a thief. Lyam had already known about that though; that was one of the reasons he kept her so close as a kid. She was the one who got things. Things he could use if he asked. She must have gotten in some deep trouble before she stopped making appearances. "Why was it that we didn't remain friends again?" He asked as if he was already told and needed to be reminded.
Rhysia's expression went sour for a moment, but she looked up with an arrogant defiance he didn't think her capable of. "Don't act like you're concerned, Lyam. I remember you pretty clearly now. You used to take advantage of me. I'm not an expert or anything but I don't think that's what friends do." Those eyes of her were sharper than he remembered. Little did he know she hadn't exercised this kind of behavior since she was Searched. She had precious little ground to make accusations from. Normally, she was the one who took the brunt of them.
He was taken aback. He didn't show it in any dramatic fashion, but he did raise his brows and take it in a serious tone. "You never complained of that before," he defended, taking his logical persona by the horns. It was too necessary. Rhysia had gotten him summed up to a 'T' and he needed to make sure she thought she was wrong. How is it that of all people, she was sharp enough to see through him? Perhaps because she was his friend during the more vunerable times in his life, back when he had yet to master his charm and wit of people. A mixture of that and her quiet manner of keen observations. The silent type were usually the most dangerous to play with. "You just suddenly disappeared. Everything was fine, as it usually was, and then you just stopped showing up."
Rhysia still glared at him, until Suede gave a chirp to get her attention. He didn't want them to fight. He knew His wouldn't be likely to pick one, but the girl was just so upset and he didn't want her to stay that way. It would be better if they just got along again, but something about the girl suggested that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. "I grew up," she said flatly, with less anger in her tone. "I got caught and I learned that you weren't the best influence. I did myself a favor and put space between us." The glare softened and she looked back down to stroke the Blue firelizard. She forgot that she was attacking his person.
Dissecting her like all the others, Lyam could see that there was little fight in her, or at least little practice for it. She wasn't angry at him. She was defensive about his questions. Defensive about his manner. If she knew he used people to his advantage, and it was becoming more apparent than before, then the only solution was to be himself. It would be vital to stay on the good side of this old friend, so if he had to risk chance, it'd be better than upsetting her further. "I see. Yet you took my coin in hopes that I would look for you to retrieve it."
Instead of taking offense, Rhysia simply gave a laugh. He didn't know! All this time and he didn't know about the impulse behind the hands. "I hoped I wouldn't. I was hoping your flit would come back so I could send him back with it." She folded her arms and remained amused for the time being. It was a little sad. She had hoped that Lyam would have known everything by now so she wouldn't have to explain. Either way, she was tiring of his presence. "It slipped out of your pocket," she said, a misleading answer. It slipped out in her hand is more like it.
Lyam didn't believe her, able to see though lies and misleading replies quite well, but he didn't dwell on it. Little good it would do him. He could tell however, that Rhysia was getting impatient with him and that was not at all the goal here. "Alright." He pocketed the coin and looked to the ceiling, actually delving into his thoughts for a good thing to say. "So I suppose you still want nothing to do with me?" His answer sounded more dejected than he felt, and that was little if none at all.
She didn't reply right away, which was good. In fact, her whole demeanor changed to a more subtle one. Rhysia was no longer holding up her defense so firmly. "I don't know," she replied, simply enough.
That was exactly what he was hoping for. Lyam could turn a conversation from 'I don't know' to any which way he pleased. He had to resist visually perking up at the response. "I hope not," he said firmly. "I remember that you were one of my closest friends, and that's saying a lot. I'd hate for us to keep blowing each other off."
Rhysia smirked again. "I bet you would," she muttered. He caught that, but he didn't take offense yet again. He had to sway her while she was still willing.
"You're not just someone who got things done, Rhysia," he began, careful to use her name. "You were fun to be around with, energetic, and we used to get in all sorts of trouble together. Not just you."
That must have struck something. She unfolded her arms and held them limply beside her. She remembered getting in trouble all the time. Mostly alone. Perhaps she was in the wrong. Perhaps she was just pinning blame on Lyam for her mishaps. Or perhaps he was working her like he used to. She could never be sure. She obviously looked a little hurt. "Lyam...I think it's a good idea if you left me alone for a while." Rhysia knew she was getting vunerable herself, and she couldn't let someone like Lyam take advantage of it. She needed space and she needed time.
Suede gave a croon of concern to the girl, but when she didn't respond he tilted his head at her, somewhat disappointed, and flew back over to Lyam's shoulder. He would try to cheer her up later, but he got the feeling that she indeed required some time alone to process.
Lyam got the same message. He gave a small bow of his head. "Just think about what I said. Please." He'd leave her with that. He turned and continued down the hall, thinking about how it all went down. He could have been a little more sympathetic, but she would have been able to detect his falseness. Rhysia was probably his most difficult case yet. Hopefully all the doors weren't closed with her. He'd have to be persistent about it later.