|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:27 pm
West shook his head at Yaya and continued walking away from Chuppi and her stupid auction signup sheet. It seemed the marid was determined to hang on. Honestly, he didn't care. It was predictable, actually. He shouldn't have stopped to see what everyone was so interested in, hell, even going outside like this had been a mistake. Mustering energy he didn't know he had, he sped up, smirking to himself as he forced Yaya to keep up with his pace. When he reached the hallway outside his room he stopped, finally yanking his arm away from her.
A yawn seemed to pull at the demon then, and although he fought it, he didn't win. When he spoke again, his voice had regained some of its usual slur, but it was due to exhaustion, not haste. "This's really not the time." He turned to unlock his door, speaking to it instead of the ghoul. "So long, and all that."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:17 pm
To any and all outsiders the relationship between the Marie and the avarice demon would appear strained at best. They would be half right. While there wasn't an abundance of love lost between the two, they were still friends, and Yaya at least cared very much for the boil. What had started as a bargain had, over time as well as surviving Christmas together, grown into a mutual respect, and even friendship. Perhaps they would never be conventional companions, but they certainly had something.
It didn't really take an exceptionally close bond to realize something was very off about the wrath demon. So it was out of concern that the djinn kept her grip on West's arm, fingers tightening as he sped his pace. Leading her all the way back to the demon dorms and his room where he finally jerked his arm free of her. That had been a little more normal, but one tiny act of irritation did not make a wrath demon.
His dismissal was met with a stubborn narrowing of eyes, and she even went so far as to place her hand over his when he went to unlock his door. "I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, but I do actually care for your well being." her voice was soft as she spoke, and swimming blues dropped from his face and down to their hands. "Somethings wrong with you. You didn't yell at me for signing your name on that sheet, or clinging to your arm." She looked up again, frowning. Expression thoughtful and full of worry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:29 pm
His hand continued moving even as she placed hers over it, and once the door was unlocked, West shoved it open with perhaps more force than was necessary. His anger wasn't gone, the unexpected use of his FEAR had simply stopped it from seething right on the surface like it did normally. He actually had to work to summon his favorite emotion, and that was tiring. Considering that the loss of his wrath was coupled with the rapidly fading surge of adrenaline called up by music class, it was kind of surprising that West was still conscious.
"Wouldn't want anything to happen to your slave," West spat through gritted teeth. He turned to face her, probably nursing some idea of shoving her away, but instead he deflated when he saw her expression. Before he could accidentally blab anything more about their private deal to the whole of the demon dorms, West stepped inside. He hesitated before adding, "You coming?"
The boil's room was surprisingly tidy for someone you'd suspect would be throwing things and punching walls at the slightest provocation. Ever since his pets had been trained and he had gotten the place cleaned, the biggest mess in the room was the large pile of barely used clothing on a chair in the corner. That and the fist-sized chunk of cracked plaster near the closet.
He didn't wait for Yaya to come inside or make any motion to close the door after her. In his opinion, all that would be the least she could do in exchange for being a meddling nuisance. Instead, he dropped onto the end of his bed and began furiously tugging at a boot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:34 am
As his hand kept moving despite her gentle urgings for him to stop she let her's slip away to hover anxiously at her side, the other still resting softly on his arm. Of course that too jerked away at his scathing retort as if the words themselves had stung her. Which they had, though not in the physical sense. Lips that had fallen open in surprise snapped shut, pressing into a thin line. Slave, did he really think that, consider himself that to her? Brows contracted, though not in anger, as she thought back over the course of their odd relationship. She couldn't remember having ever treated him so coldly, but perhaps she was remembering wrong?
She was tempted to ask, but he'd stepped inside, and after a slight paused actually invited her in. Well now, perhaps he wasn't so mad at her as he pretended? After that last comment she really wasn't sure anymore. She'd assumed their friendship was well defined, but now she was left wondering if perhaps it was all one sided.
With a delicate sigh she followed him in and closed the door behind her, taking only the smallest of glances around herself at the room itself before returning that worried gaze back to the wrath demon. He'd taken a seat, and was working furiously at removing his boots.
She didn't say anything or a while, just wandered over to sink down beside him at the end of his bed. Leaning over to shoo his hands away so she could slip the boots off easily and place them aside. He was agitated, that was more the evident, but it wasn't.. normal. His behavior wasn't normal, and on top of that she was beginning to wonder if something was genuinely bothering him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:26 am
This time his hands stilled as she moved to help him, eyes sliding closed, but only for a moment. West snapped awake again to find his shoes on the floor. Hmph. He began to cross his arms, wincing as his battered hand made contact with his forearm. Gingerly moving the hand to where Yaya couldn't see it easily, West turned his gaze to the rug, as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever laid eyes on.
"Thanks," he said, his tone implying that was probably one of the words that never sprang from his mouth without a heavy dose of sarcasm behind it. West sighed. "A normal ghoul would've left. You're... exhausting." He glanced at her then, but only out of the corner of his eye and only for a second. It was hard to tell if West meant it as a compliment. It was likely even he didn't know, but it was certainly the closest thing Yaya was going to get to an apology for his snapping at her.
As was usual recently, West's thoughts soon turned to the attack by the forest. It was becoming a bit of a mental obsession when things were quiet, although this time someone else was present who had been there. "I saw you," he said after another stretch of silence. "When we all fought that... whatever. You were very glowy." He sounded amused and slightly confused at that. "Didn't know you had it in you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:17 pm
The flicker of pain that crossed tanned features made ebon brows twitch up curiously, though she kept the budding question to herself. She'd seen his hand at music class, and unless he'd payed a visit to Cricket, the bite would no doubt still be rather painful. His injured hand, while mildly troubling, was not the reason she'd followed him back to his dorm, and could wait until later.
The gratitude, sarcastic or not, was taken with a little half smile, and she couldn't help but chuckle as her went on. Exhaling sharply as she looked at him. "Ironic, isn't it?" The very definition of the word. She could see his point, but the idea of anyone as naturally tired as she was being exhausting in any right was humorous. Her task with the boots complete, she rested hands on her lap, and sat up a little straighter, glancing up at him from the corner of her eyes.
As he spoke again she blinked a bit in surprise, a little surprised by the topic, but if he wanted to talk ,she wasn't about to derail him from his chosen subject matter. "You did?" She knew he'd been there, but she hadn't thought he was close enough to have seen her attack. She certainly hadn't seen his. Of course she hadn't seen much of anything immediately before or after she used her fear. The pain had been highly distracting, and she'd damn near blacked out directly after. She Sniffed again, but his comments made her smile.
"Thank you, I think." She was 80% sure that'd been a compliment. "I've been getting a better handle on manipulating water, I think that may have helped a lot." She paused, lips pursed. "Did you hit them?" The question was curious and nothing more. She hadn't seen, and now that he brought it up, she wanted to know what his FEAR ability was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 7:34 am
Oh, great. That was not something West was interested in talking about, not ever. Never. He had to go and bring it up, didn't he? It wasn't like he had done it on purpose, it was just on his mind was all. This was ridiculous. No. There was still time to back out, time to change the subject, time to...
"Issat what that was?" Obviously. "Water?" West stood abruptly, crossing to the opposite side of the room and nonchalantly peering out of his wide window... no, wait. No, he didn't.
West tried to stand, but the walls and floor went all wonky for a moment and he reached back for the bed, dropping onto it with a grunt that was partially muffled by the sound of his teeth clicking together. "Jackdammit," he muttered. He went to cross his arms again, ignoring the pinching sting of his bite. Pain was good. The fact that he wasn't crying like a little b***h meant something, at least. "No. I didn't. If they're gonna make me use FEAR here again, I'm leaving. I'll go to ten schools, my parents don't give a s**t." He was babbling under his breath now, saying too much in an effort to say nothing at all. Eventually he stopped, pressing his lips together in a thin line and almost ceasing to breathe. He wasn't jealous that she could use her power with no apparent long term effects. Nope.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:59 am
A twitch of a smile touched dark lips at his question, head nodding. It had been an obvious question, but she answered it all the same, then lifted brows as West stood to cross the room. Only to cease after a step to sway unsteadily, one hand reaching back for the bed. Automatically the djinn reached up to catch him. One hand catching his, the other going up to his back to help steady him as he fell back to sit on the bed. She didn't hold his hand when he went to cross his arms, but he did notice the blossoming, multicolored bruise that was decorating nearly half of it. Is that the damage from the music stand?
The bite looked painful, but again it passed over by a more immediate concern. Her own natural fatigue never quite out of her mind, she could see it in others, even when they tried to hide it. Of course it obvious took a little more to catch if that was the case. He was exhausted, on the brink of passing out all together, and with his continued ranting babble she had a fair idea of the cause.
He was also, she would imagine, rather unhappy with having missed the figure they'd been attacking in the forest. Surely that sort o thing would have stung at his pride a little.
"Your FEAR drained your energy." Vivid eyes twitched up to his face then back down to her lap. "Not just your energy though, right?" Her tone was soft, understanding. Clearly the subject of FEAR, his specifically, was touchy, and she didn't want to set him off. Sure, baiting him was becoming something of a small hobby of her's, but that was under normal circumstances, when she knew her affectionate taunting would simply roll off him. "I know how it feels." She had blacked out directly after using her FEAR, but a nice case of energy drinks was helping to fight off the fatigue. She'd slept for a solid three days after they returned from Christmas Town.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:53 am
Although he wasn't doing so aloud, West continued ranting in his head, even as Yaya spoke. Her words became a part of his internal tirade, so much so that when she asked about the consequences of using his FEAR and expressed sympathy over it, he just began talking again once she stopped, his normal personal information filter nonexistent.
"It's just unfair, y'know? That's a part of me it's taking, and for what? So I can run away? Screw that, I'd be better off with these." He balled his fists and pounded them against his thighs, chuckling breathily as pain shot up his arm. It was clear he was talking about more than his current exhaustion, but he also didn't directly answer the marid's question.
Then, all at once, something in him wakened to the fact that he had said too much, or at least way more than he had ever meant to say to anyone. Worse still, he was whining. West's eyes widened, making him look quite young for the split second it took him to call up the anger to react.
"Get out."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:10 pm
Dark brows twitched up as he continued talking, and just continued to raise as he actually revealed something of meaning that she was fairly certain he hadn't meant to blurt out. In fact, he had just let slip more personal information, vulnerable personal information at that, then he had ever told her before. Probably more then he'd ever told anyone. She felt.. honored, sort of, and guilty for having heard it. Since he'd just been rambling and likely wasn't thinking about what he was saying.
Still, he'd said it, and she couldn't help but feel a little closer to him. She even reached out for his injured hand, as that pain filled chuckle shook from his chest. "Don't do that." Yaya could only imagine how much that had to hurt, and she didn't want him doing it again.
Then his expression changed, and dark brows contracted as something very close to naked vulnerability flickered across his features. Sympathy welling up in the djinn as she watched him.
Until he very rudely, and out of no where, demanded she got out of his room. What the jack? For a moment she couldn't react, but simply sat there with dark hands hovering near his side, jaw slightly sagged in shock. While that wasn't exactly unexpected behavior, she hadn't thought he'd do something like that now, while she was being so nice to him.
Lips snapped shut with the sound of her teeth clicking, and she got to he feet. Exotic features shutting down into something cold. "Fine, if you don't want kindness from a friend, you can just sit there and suffer." She brushed a wrinkle from her skirt before taking a step towards the door. "You can really be an a** sometimes." Despite her words, her tone was surprisingly mild. She was irritated with him, but even strong emotions were subdued to the marid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:48 pm
West really wanted to let her leave. He wanted to fall back onto his bed and sleep for a week without caring, ghoul-shaped interruptions. Maybe if he missed enough class, they'd expel him. His parents would kick him out (because despite what he had said, they actually did care about his schooling) and he could live on his own, working as an infamous bouncer and terrorizing any hapless chumps who dared to cross his path. Until someone came along and pounded him into the ground with their FEAR.
And, dammit, she had pulled out the 'K' word. The 'F' word too. He closed his eyes and sighed, dragging them open again as he began to speak.
"Hadiyya, you can't... You weren't supposed to hear that. Any of it. If you tell anyone, I'll..." Perhaps he didn't realize he had actually said little to nothing of consequence, but any show of weakness was a thousand times more embarrassing to the demon than being entered in the Scarentine's auction ever could have been. "Don't be mad," he muttered. It was more an order than a suggestion, but it didn't take a whole lot of digging to hear the 'please' tacked on the end.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:28 pm
The sigh slowed her, but she didn't stop completely until he said her name, and even then she didn't bother turning back to face him until after he'd.. well not apologized. He did however confess what she'd already suspected, and that did thaw chilly features to something a little warmer, but still not happy. He'd actually managed to get under her skin, and here he was so out of sorts he couldn't even enjoy it. Of course, if he wasn't so jackdamn vulnerable, he never would have spoken without thinking, and there'd have been no reason to snap at her. Such a vicious little circle.
Dark arms crossed, the djinn returned to the edge of the bed to look down at him. "Don't be mad?" She caught the please on the tail end, then mulled over weather or not she wanted to acknowledge it. It was actually really ironic that he, a wrath demon, was asking her not to be mad.
Features pinching in slight exasperation as she let the irony go and moved onto something that wouldn't result in further yelling or the chance of. "I may tease and bait, but I'm not heartless." She frowned, rolled her eyes, and reclaimed her seat beside him. "Something up with you, and I'm worried. It would be nice if you'd keep that in mind and not bite my head off for trying to be a good friend."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 7:43 pm
Whether he was conscious of it or not, West visibly relaxed when Yaya took her seat again. He turned to face her for the first time since they had arrived back at his room and bent a leg up to rest on the mattress, putting a certain amount of comfortable distance between them. If he had been a more self-aware individual he might have argued that angry snapping and figurative head biting was technically his job, but he wasn't any more aware of his internal workings than a particularly braindead armassum would be. Instead he half-heartedly rolled his eyes.
"Yes. Okay," West said. Everything was calm and sedate and apologetic for the most fleeting of moments before he added, "And I don't need worry. Or friends." He sighed. "Wait. No. Forget that." The growl he suppressed was low and exasperated, and up went his arms to cross over his chest again. Yaya was a friend, and maybe it was time he make more of an effort to treat her like one. Maybe. But first...
"So, you're not gonna tell anyone, right?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:36 pm
If she hadn't been so familiar with the avarice demon she wouldn't have noticed the tension seeping out of his frame or understand what that meant. Yaya did know him though, and that her presence actually brought him a measure of comfort made her feel better about their odd relationship.
Perched on the edge of his bed, she smoothed her palms over her thighs to settle her skirt, then turned her attention over to him once again. Expression softly expectant though still open. She might have reclaimed her seat, but it was obvious she wasn't about to take any more abuse while trying to help him. Snipping at each other in every day affairs was one thing, but this was serious.
She almost got right back up when he declared he didn't need any friends, but he was quick to take it back, so she kept her place. Sweeping arms back so she could lean on her elbow, eyes narrowing briefly.
"No, not if you don't want me to." He could talk to her in confidence, she wouldn't go about gossiping.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:25 am
It was extremely difficult for West to truly trust anyone, let alone confide in them, so when Yaya agreed that she wasn't going to tell anyone what he had said, it took a hefty portion of self control not to call her a liar in an effort to alienate her further. Friend. He could do this. Besides, his guard had so many holes in it right now that it might as well have been completely down.
"Fine. So, yeah. My FEAR. I... fill people with rage. And it's not just by taunting or punching like usual." His voice lowered to an almost imperceptible volume. "I give 'em mine." He looked down at his leg, tugging at a loose string on his pants and worrying at the hole he created when it came loose. "I hate it! It doesn't belong to them!" He brought his left hand down suddenly and violently, smacking it against the bed. This time, however, it appeared it had already taken as much abuse as it could handle. Several small trickles of blood seeped from between the stitches near his wrist. West didn't notice.
Clearly the sheer amount of venom he had managed to spew in Yaya's direction over the last hour or so didn't seem to indicate that his anger was gone exactly. All he knew was that things were different after he used his power. As if emphasizing that point, his breathing slowly evened and the angry lines left his face, his confession calming him. The feeling didn't suck and it scared him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
