|
|
Post by Celia Abbott on Nov 19, 2016 21:12:57 GMT -6
Without much else to say, the two of them made their way down to the cafeteria in a silence that Celia would describe as "surprisingly comfortable." She wasn't feeling any pressure on her part to say anything, and she did her best not to say anything that might require a more elaborate response on Raven's part. She wasn't much of a talker, nor did Raven seem to be - though she wondered if that was a product of his personality, or of his injury.
She wasn't particularly fond of the cafeteria. It was loud, and busy, and the food wasn't really that good. She liked to cook her own meals and eat alone, or among close friends, in peace. Eating allowed her a moment of rest, so she could check up on what she needed to do and revise her to-do list, or start on her homework. It was, as it was meant to be, a slower point in the day. One she quite enjoyed. But, she wasn't sure she really had the energy to cook for herself and someone else right now, if she really had the energy at all, so the cafeteria was a good choice. She needed a moment to get her strength back.
Truth be told, her visits to the cafeteria had been rare since she had turned 15 and started cooking for herself out in the forest. She didn't really remember how things often were around there, or how things had changed in the two and a half years she had mostly stayed away from it. She was confused by the sight they encountered there. If the fading sunlight was any indication, it was quite late in the afternoon now. Most students would have been out of classes for a while now, probably having gone out to the courtyard or the training fields, or back into their dorms to rest or do work. So...why was it so busy? Why was there such a massive line to get cheap, mediocre food?
Raven took her by the hand and quickly ushered them both into a spot in the line before it grew any longer. A voice called out something she didn't hear, and the boy began to anxiously tap his foot. He brought his scroll back out and quickly tapped out a message to her.
<"Is there supposed to be something special today? They're only selling leftovers, aren't they?">
All she could do was shrug in response. "I don't actually come here often." But he wasn't listening. His eyes had gone wide, focused on a spot just behind her. She tilted her head, curiously, and slowly turned around to see what had surprised him so. A one-sided sign stood behind her, one that was so large she wondered how the two of them had managed to miss it on their first pass, that read '50% off sale today!' in large, bold font. She turned back, still confused as to how this would result in such a turnout, when she saw Raven's face grow intense.
She was worried, yes, but not in the same way he seemed to be. She wasn't concerned about getting something good, or even really getting food from here at all. She had a few coins and could stop at a vending machine if need be. No, what she was concerned about was how she was going to pass the time in line. Normally, she could just mess around on her scroll, but now that she had someone in her "group", that would be incredibly rude. Small talk, then? That could work. Starting a conversation was certainly not her strong suit, though. However...there had been a question growing in her mind for a while.
"Hey, Raven. Why did...why did you agree to help me out?" After a moment she backpedaled, raising her hands defensively. "N-not that I'm ungrateful or anything! We actually made...some progress today, and I really appreciate you taking the time to do this for me..." Her voice lowered, barely audible beneath the din of the students in front, back, and all around them. "It's just...nobody's ever really gone out of their way for me like this." She looked away, a light tinge coating her cheeks. Reflexively, she brushed a strand of hair out of her face and folded her arms. She felt...vulnerable, like this. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was unfamiliar and kind of scary. She wasn't even sure why she was allowing herself to do this. But she had to know.
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven Clovis on Nov 22, 2016 23:58:24 GMT -6
Buddy you're a young man hard man,
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day!
 The line showed little to no signs of moving - even if it did, he and Celia only managed to take a small step forward each time the monumental body of students barely inched forwards. To keep the long story short: They were all moving at a snail's pace. As they were going to be in the line for a while, the boy couldn't help but find the need to do something to pass his time. Normally, he'd fool around on his scroll with one of those little 'minigames' that he managed to download, but the brunette knew he had to conserve the amount battery life that he had left on his device until he got back to his dorms. Until then... he had to ponder about better ways of practicing their dances without him having to crush the girl's poor old foot all the time underneath his boots. "Hey Raven." Having captured his attention, the mute found his attention giving way towards the gray-haired girl behind him. Tilting his head, he wondered why she'd called upon him so suddenly. As it turned out, she had a question for him. To be more specific, she seemed to want to inquire on the reason as to why he agreed to help her out with dancing. Well, it'd be a lie if he said that he decided to help out for the sake of helping. In fact, if neither of their goals and ends aligned with one another in the first place, then he might have refused to help the Celia out. As he reached into his pocket, the girl took a step backwards, almost as if - again, perhaps fearing that he'd grow angry over what she had said. "N-not that I'm ungrateful or anything! We actually made...some progress today, and I really appreciate you taking the time to do this for me.... It's just...nobody's ever really gone out of their way for me like this."<"Well, I can't say I decided to help out for the sake of helping."> The mute wrote, <"It's just that I need to participate the Vytal Ball as my assignment for the Anger Management course. Of course, having to go there, I have to get a partner - and getting a partner means I gotta know how to dance without having to embarass myself in front of everyone."> As the mute flashed the message over in her direction, he began to notice how red her cheeks were. There were signs of showing that she was rather uncomfortable.... Was it something that she had asked him - or was it simply because of his message? He couldn't remember saying, or hearing anything that was noteworthy of being embarassing. Still, he felt the need to say something to... help Celia to feel less so. Normally, he wouldn't say much of anything else, but seeing her like this, Raven felt that he ought to keep the conversation going to avoid any awkward silence between them. <"Look, people live by returning favors to one another, so I don't really think it's something to be ashamed about.">
MADE BY VEL OF GS
|
|
|
|
Post by Celia Abbott on Nov 23, 2016 21:17:32 GMT -6
The color drained from her cheeks as she read over Raven’s reply, though her features did not change much. As it always had, her vulnerability had cost her - but she had expected it would happen this way. They hardly knew each other, and Raven didn’t seem like the kind of person she first thought he was. There was a lot about him that she still didn’t know, and it was difficult for her to get a proper read on someone without hearing their voice. She let her hands fall back to her sides and turned her head away again, a false smile playing across her features as she did her best to keep her true emotions from showing.
“I see.” Her response was simple and quiet, likely not even audible over the great clamor of those around them. She didn’t blame him, really, though she could not bring herself to agree with his line of thought. That just wasn’t the kind of person she was. Celia helped people whenever she could, regardless of whether or not she got something out of it herself, it was how she was taught to do things. Still, she understood. They were very different people, perhaps the kind of people that could occasionally help one another out - but likely not much more than that. They could talk, they could spend time together, they could maybe even be friendly with one another in the future, but she knew what would really happen. He’d see her for what she was. How everyone else saw her.
A nuisance.
For an instant, her features dipped. A fatigued sadness fell over her, the resignation of one who was hoping for a new outcome - but had expected the same one as always. It hurt more and more each time she tried anew, perhaps that was why she had stopped before she had even started going to school. She had a feeling she was reading into it too much, but her emotional fragility would not allow her to let that feeling go.
Immediately, Celia snapped back into her calm smile and bright-eyed cheer. She read over his later addition, and it gave her a bit of pause as she considered it. Ah...so this was a favor. He’d be expecting something in return later down the line, then? She would be happy to oblige, no matter what it was. Still, this was a good time to discuss the issues that had primarily led them here in the first place.
“H-hey! We...uh…” Her voice shook, and she scrambled to stop it again, but she moved on before anything could be said. Don't dwell, she told herself. “We should figure out how we’re...going to practice from now on. So we don’t...get hurt.” By “we” she of course meant “me,” but she didn’t really need to say that. Aside from it being rude and presumptuous, they both already knew she was the only one who would really be getting hurt at the pace they were going. "Any...any ideas?"
...met before? |
|
|
|
Post by Raven Clovis on Dec 3, 2016 4:45:59 GMT -6
Buddy you're a young man hard man,
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day!
<"Is it... over something that I said?">Raven felt his head tilt in curiosity when he saw the sudden dip in expression making its way over Celia's features like gray clouds. It almost looked like someone who'd given up all hope. Was it over what he'd said? He couldn't remember typing in anything in his scroll to deliberately upset her the way he'd done just now. Though she seemed to be in a much better mood shortly thereafter, again, over what he'd said. The boy wasn't too sure what it was, but whatever it might have been, he tried not to concern himself with it too much. However, the silence that lingered between them amongst the crowd of students talking amongst themselves was simply deafening. He tried to think of a subject to keep their conversation going. Perhaps a brief change in topic? To what, though? However, the girl in front of him seemed to take the lead on it - though she seemed to be awfully nervous for some odd reason. “H-hey! We...uh…. We should figure out how we’re...going to practice from now on. So we don’t...get hurt.” The brunette tried not to laugh at it - well, it wasn't like he could even if he tried, but there was a smile which made its way across his ever angry-looking features. Raven had a feeling when she meant by 'we', she meant herself. She was right, they never managed to figure out a better way to practice after stepping on her toes so much. Again, he couldn't help but feel tad bit sorry over it, though the fault truly seemed to lie in the differences between their heights. "Any...any ideas?"Once more, the boy dug through the distant memories of the times he possibly might have danced with someone. The only people he could think of was... with his mother, really, during the winter Holidays in the Legion when they gathered the entire Clovis family over. Even then, the boy couldn't really call that a 'dance'. It was more like her having to guide him by having him over on her toes.... Raven paused, his eyes beaming brightly in realization of what they could do. What if he could have Celia step over on his foot instead, and have her guide him through? Sure, it would be awkward with their bodies almost pressing against each other, but that was the only way they had until he felt that they were in more sync with one another later on. After typing away at his scroll, he flashed the following message to Celia: <"I think I figured out a way.... What if we take it the other way around? I could have you step on my foot instead until our moves are in more sync with one another, and you can guide me through the steps."> He nodded, <"You'd get hurt a lot less that way, right?">
While typing away and waiting for her reply, Raven didn't even realize how far the line had gone up. <"Oh hey, we're nearly there. What do you want to have? I'll pay for our lunch today. My treat.">
MADE BY VEL OF GS
|
|
|
|
Post by Celia Abbott on Dec 6, 2016 20:12:39 GMT -6
Raven’s thoughtful look after her question certainly gave her a bit more hope for the situation. As she was asking her question, she could see a mixture of confusion and curiosity on his face. He’d probably seen her moping, and it would be best for...well, both of them, if that was just forgotten for now. Crisis averted, moving on to the next thing. He had at least smiled when she had brought up the question, so...maybe this was the right way to steer the conversation?
A flash of realization danced across his features, and he began to type away at his scroll. Celia waited patiently, awaiting a response, when something sort of clicked into place in her head. Raven said he didn’t have a partner for the dance. Come to think of it, she really didn’t either. She knew that dancing together would give them good practice in general, but it would also mean they would be more used to dancing with each other than with other people when the dance finally rolled around. On top of that...she just honestly wanted to get to know Raven more. He seemed a little rough around the edges, but Celia could tell her had a good heart. He was strong, he was confident, he was...well, in so many words, she thought he was kind of cool. She would’ve liked to know more about him.
He turned the scroll to her and she read his response. <"I think I figured out a way.... What if we take it the other way around? I could have you step on my foot instead until our moves are in more sync with one another, and you can guide me through the steps."> That was…huh. Have her lead the dance...that would probably be better, yes, but… <"You'd get hurt a lot less that way, right?"> Also true. She couldn’t see much of a downside to it, but she didn’t quite understand what he meant. Before she could ask for clarification, though, he tapped out another message.
<"Oh hey, we're nearly there. What do you want to have? I'll pay for our lunch today. My treat."> Huh? Well that was awfully nice of him, helping her out with two problems and then buying her lunch on top of it all. ‘Its just another favor,’ Celia reminded herself, ‘Don’t read into it too much.’ She looked past the small collection of students that still stood in front of them. There wasn’t much left to choose from in terms of hot food, she could see, and the cold food was beginning to dwindle. They had only a few drinks left; soda, which was easily the most expensive drink they had, and water, of which there were exactly five left. That was fine, she didn’t need a drink anyhow. “J-just...just a sandwich.” She wasn’t a big fan of ham, but she liked cheddar and lettuce well enough. A sandwich would be fine.
“W-wait, wait a minute.” She took ahold of the reins once more and tried to get things back on track. “What do you mean by...having me step on your feet?”
...met before? |
|
|
|
Post by Raven Clovis on Feb 5, 2017 4:40:16 GMT -6
Buddy you're a young man hard man,
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day!
After hearing out what the girl wanted out of the menu, the mute briefly made a note to himself. However, with the food running low, and the tension slowly, but surely rising between the hungry students like a pack of wolves that'd been starving for days, it was clear that a storm was brewing amongst them. Seeing this, he was actually half-tempted to break out of the line that they were in, and maybe, despite their empty stomach, he figured Celia wouldn't disagree with his deicision for doing so. The girl seemed reasonable enough, and she probably had the brains to figure out the war-like atmosphere all around them. They were surrounded by future hunters of various sizes, shapes and backgrounds with unique weapons and powers of their own at two fronts. He almost swore to himself he saw a couple of students pushing each other. They were now in a warzone. Thankfully, there was an easy way out of the mess that they were in. While it wouldn't do much cull their hunger the vending machines out in the hallway did sell some products that could stave it off for the time being. However, all he saw outside were a few candy bars, sweet rolls, probably a few canned or bottled sodas, at best. As Raven turned his attention back towards Celia, she'd begun to speak up once more. Apparently, the little faunus had a question pertaining to the method of the 'practice sessions' that the two soon would be having sometime in the future before the ball. “What do you mean by...having me step on your feet?”Perhaps he didn't make his explanation clear enough. The boy couldn't blame her for asking - at best, his explanation for the method that they'd be using earlier was pretty vague at best. One could perhaps imagine just about anything about what he meant on: 'Having you stepping on my feet'. Since he was hungry, he thought about explaining it over a round of sandwich and soda on the table for the two of them, but given the situation at hand, the brunette was now forced to make alterations to his previous plans. Scratching the back of his head, Raven turned towards the rowdiness going on in front of them, and then back at her. If he had to explain, then it was probably best suited if the two were at a much quieter location so that he could demonstrate what he was talking about. After gently grabbing hold of the girl's wrist with his prosthetic hand as if to tell her to 'follow me', the mute led them out of the cafeteria and out to the hallways where no one was watching them. Once he thought that they were in a much suitable location, he stopped, let go of her wrist, and whipped out his scroll. <"Sorry for dragging you out like that all sudden. Things tend to get rather rowdy at this time of the day, I saw something was about to happen, so I kind of decked us out of there. I'll buy you a sandwich next time, I promise.  "> He typed, <"As for the explanation for that goes: It's exactly as I wrote it? I mean, you put yourself over on my foot. I do all the moving, and you do all the guiding. Do you see what I mean?">
MADE BY VEL OF GS
|
|
"> He typed, <"As for the explanation for that goes: It's exactly as I wrote it? I mean, you put yourself over on my foot. I do all the moving, and you do all the guiding. Do you see what I mean?"> 
