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 Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:02 pm
She was actually beginning to feel quite bad for having started him, even as the snort alluded that it hadn't been a big deal. That grumpy little scowl, however adorable(And it was oddly adorable) made the djinn want to apologize again, and even even opened her mouth to do so before he reached out to take her hand.
Well then. She supposed that solved that. The worried lines that had started to form on her face smoothed at once and she rolled her shoulders in a gentle shrug, giving his hand a little squeeze. His fingers were cool in her hand, though her own skin wasn't quite as warm as your average living being's. They could be cool skinned together.
As he questioned her about the field trip she gave him a gentle little tug to get them moving again, once more leading him towards the dorms, her smile returning in full. "Yes," She snorted softly herself. "This last winter season we took a trip to Christmas Town. This nightmarish place covered in ice and snow, it was freezing. We got in a train crash, had to hike for days through forest and mountains while getting attacked by jack knows what all to raid this .. JOYFUL little town." The word Joyful was accompanied by a shudder, and she squeezed his hand again for comfort, this time her own.
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:48 pm
Good, she stopped making worried faces.
Jove looked down at their linked hands when she squeezed, his ears perking forward attentively. He had never been a fan of people touching his paws, but this was different. It was friendly and pleasant. No, the pup had no objections to Yaya touching him, as long as she didn't do it suddenly. Or try to grab him. But she wouldn't do that sort of thing, would she?
One ear swivelled slightly to listen to her description of the school trip, and when she shuddered, he looked up with a worried expression. The foxfire's ears drooped. It must have been really scary for her to still get the chills thinking about it. He recalled his own time running around lost, it always felt like there was something threatening looming...
Jove squeezed her hand back, mimicking her gesture with more confidence than he felt.
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:27 pm
She would try not to reach unexpectedly or startle him further, but Yaya was a touchy feely sort of ghoul, and she couldn't make any promises. Hopefully with time he wouldn't be so very skittish, or would at least get used to the djinn. If not, there would likely be a lot of startled yelping. Personal boundaries just didn't seem to register with Yaya, she didn't understand the desire to -not- be touched.
That worry on his face as he looked up at her wilted her smile a bit, but only for the briefest of seconds. "Oh, don't worry too much, we all made it back mostly in one piece." Even those who had.. Died, for lack of a better word, had materialized in the first aid tent. She wisely decided to leave that bit out though, sure it would only make him more nervous. Honestly, there probably wasn't a student around who'd made it home from Christmas town that didn't still shudder over one thing or another from the place. It had been absolutely dreadful.
She glanced down at their hands when he squeezed, and vivid blues warmed visibly. He was quiet, but he sure was a sweet little thing, and absolute adorable on top of it. The djinn made a mental note to keep an eye on him when ever she could. She was quickly developing a liking for the younger boil that have her acting very protective of him and his well being.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:23 pm
Jove's worried look morphed into a bit of a scowl, his ears flattening out sideways as he silently questioned her use of the word "mostly" in that context. The mental image of students with missing parts, undead or otherwise, was not a pleasant thought, and the chance of finding himself in such a situation on behalf of the academy was equally unpleasant. Then he began to wonder if Yaya had a tail once upon a time, that had been lost during the course of the past field trip. He eyed her shapely body with child-like innocence as he imagined what sort of tail she might have, finally settling on a tail like a unicorn. Slim with a poofy tip to match the long, wrapped strands of hair that dangled behind her.
Looking ahead, he noticed the path would soon split off towards several buildings, one of which would house him for the rest of his time at the academy. He took a couple quick steps in their direction, tugging on Yaya's hand as he pointed curiously with the other. When he looked at her, it was with wide eyes, a head tilt, and perked ears to indicate it was a questioning expression.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:06 pm
Had Yaya noticed the fall of plush ears she likely would have asked what had suddenly made him so worried. To her knowledge no one had left Christmas town missing a limb, though she was absolutely positive there had been quite a lot of innocence left behind there. They had all gone through so very much and seen.. things, no teenager should.
Of course there was no reason to recap the horrors of Christmas town. Yaya would much prefer to focus on the here and now. As Jove gave her another soft tug towards the dorms she laughed, grinning down at him and those adorably perked ears.
With a small dip of her head she indicated the direction they'd be taking of the split, letting him decide if he wanted to play leader or not. In truth the djinn had never set foot in the ghost dorms before, she'd never had reason too. She knew ghosts, but just wasn't very close to any. So they could learn the layout of the building together.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:56 am
Jove glanced back just in time for the directional cue, and he ran with it. Literally. He trotted along the path with all the enthusiasm in the world, only slowing when he came to the gates of a little graveyard.
The ghost honestly hadn't given much thought to his being dead. In many ways he was no different than the living, even if it was optional he ate and dressed and slept, and even felt his heart leap up into his throat when he was scared, even though he had no heart to speak of. But there was the occasional moment where it did strike home that he was no longer counted among the living. Peering at the tombstones as he crossed through the little graveyard was one of those moments, it made him wonder if somewhere there was a tombstone with his name on it... Or at least the name that he had when he had been alive. His time in the human world had been so brief, and he had been so disoriented, he hadn't thought to look.
He glanced over at Yaya to see what she was thinking, even slowing down enough that she could take the lead.
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Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 10:05 am
Was that a graveyard? Swimming blues widened a little at that in mild surprise before features evened out once again. Having never been here before it was something new, though she supposed it made sense.
Her gaze flicked up to the little wisp in front of her. He'd darted forward after she'd indicated what direction they were taking, but had now slowed to allow her to catch up. Watching him, she offered her hand again, a delicate little smile tugging at her lips.
Was it hard, as a ghost, seeing tombstones? Surely they were a reminder that you were in fact dead. Ah, but did those amongst them of the formally living even remember their past lives? She was sure she'd heard somewhere that they didn't. But still, she could appreciate the idea that being reminded of a former life could be hard. As a demon, Yaya was living and had always been such. She wouldn't pretend to know what the little ghost was thinking, but she would offer what comfort she could, if he needed it.
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Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 10:25 am
Jove pretended to ignore the hand for a minute, giving the ground in the opposite direction a firm scowl, but he took her hand anyway. If SHE wanted to hold hands, he wouldn't begrudge her that. But neither would he admit he was comforted by the gesture.
He went back to looking at the tombstones, tugging Yaya around in a zigzaging pattern as he examined the names and descriptions. Were these ones only for decoration, maybe to please the ghosts who haunted their graveyards and other gloomy places? Or were there actual dead bodies under there?
Jove sniffed the air, but he didn't smell any dead things nearby. All he could smell was dirt, and dust, and Yaya's water smell next to him. And a cat had been through lately. If there were any bodies in the cemetary, they were bodies buried too deeply for his keen nose.
Finally he reached the entrance to the dusty old mausoleum, and once again slowed down so Yaya could lead them onwards. He preferred to think of it as her turn, not that he was afraid of the dark stairwell inside that little building.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:36 pm
As Jove pretended her offered hand meant nothing to him, Yaya in turn pretended not to notice. Smiling benignly as she curled her fingers around his and gave them a reassuring little squeeze.
Of course she wasn't sure how much comforting he really needed once he started pulling her between the tomb stones. Looking over the carved names and scenting the air around them. And she had to wonder, like him, if there were bodies buried deep beneath their feet in the packed earth. She almost asked him, but he lead her back out from between the tombs back towards the doors to the dorm. He'd have mentioned if there were dead things in the ground, right?
As he slowed against so she could once more take the lead she she turned a little smile towards him before walking up the stairs. Pushing one of the doors open with the palm of her free hand and holding it so he could slip in beside her before letting it close behind them.
It was cooler in here, as the air hung with a chilly, unseen mist. Dim, and slightly eerie, but no more so then any of the other dorms. It did certainly lead ones mind towards ghosts, which she supposed was the point. "Do you know your room number?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:23 am
Jove cowered behind Yaya as she led the way up and inside the building, all the while trying to appear as unaffected as he could. Was this scary place supposed to be his home for the next few years? Try as he might he couldn't help the way his fluffy ears folded back.
The doors made a deep, solid thump as they closed behind him, making him jump slightly, and his tail press against the back of his legs in a very puppy-like fashion. Inside there was... a staircase? And not much else.
Jove nodded at the question, once again trying unconvincingly to look like he wasn't afraid. His room number... One twelve. B-112. Basement level. The puppy really didn't want to go down those stairs, but his new home was down there. Maybe this academy wasn't such a good idea after all.
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:57 am
She lead him up to the stairs, but paused before going further. Looking down at him with dark brows raised, lips half parted with the question that quieted on her tongue when she saw those folded ears and plush tail pressing against the backs of his legs. Nervous glance directed down the stairs in front of them.
She gave his hand a reassuring little squeeze, tugging gently to draw him close to her side. He was scared, that was obvious, but almost as obvious was his effort to hide that fact. "What's your room number?" She wasn't always the most tactful, but since her time at the academy she was getting better, and she wasn't going to point out the obvious.
"We'll go check it out quick, then maybe go grab a snack at the cafeteria." She forced a small shiver, and brought her free hand up to rub at the opposite arm. "It's chilly in here."
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:19 am
Was it chilly? Jove hadn't paid much attention to the temperature, what with being a ghost, and being completely dressed for the cold besides. But he supposed it was. Especially for Yaya, dressed like... well, dressed like a girl, with all that skin showing and whatnot. She was a living thing, and most of them needed to be warm. Maybe that's why she was pulling him close, for the warmth. Except Jove was not particularly warm unless his surroundings were warm...
With that thought the pup puffed himself up, and acting on her behalf he dashed towards the dark staircase and tugged her along behind, ignoring her earlier question for the time being. He would make this quick for her! They would go find his room and then come back up, and go find somewhere she could be warm. The little ghost seemed to be a perpetual yo-yo of activity, alternating between dashing ahead and holding back, and this little sprint was no exception. He had to slow down out of curiosity as the entire atmosphere changed, growing much warmer and brighter towards the bottom of the stairs. It looked like a regular hallway down here!
With ears perked he glanced at his companion to see if the temperature was now more to her liking.
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:33 pm
She had expected a nod and a slow, cautious decent down the stairs and whatever may lay at the bottom. With her mostly leading, and him putting on a good show of bravery at her side. So far that'd been the extent of their wanderings, so why would it be different now?
Reverse psychology had given him an easy excuse to beat a hasty exit from the chilly tomb, allowing for her to be the reason they left quickly, and not him. It had worked, too. Though perhaps a little too well. With no sign of warning the little pup suddenly pulled ahead to dash down the stares, dragging Yaya along with him. The djinn having to regain her balance once they'd reached the bottom, both hands coming to rest on his small shoulders.
It took her a moment, but she couldn't help but notice the tomb of a dorm was no longer quite so eerie, or creepy. Intact it was down right cozy in the basement, sub basement? Yaya wasn't sure, but it did solve the issue of chills as well as the larger issue of nerves.
When Jove glanced up at her grinned, removing a hand from his shoulders to sweep bangs clear from her eyes. "Not half as bad down here, hm?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:16 am
The pup shook his head. Okay, so the stairs were a bit creepy. Only a little bit! But the dorm itself seemed completely normal, with carpeted halls, and lights in wall brackets spaced evenly down the hall. Jove looked around, eyeing the signs and the numbers on nearby doors, and finally headed towards the right, scanning as he went until he saw the right number.
B-112. Pausing in front of the door, his tail gave a nervous wag. He glanced up at Yaya, and wagged his tail again. That about summed up his excitement as he rummaged in his sweater pocket and pulled out a simple, unadorned key which unlocked the door.
When he opened the door and groped for the light switch, it revealed a small-ish room decorated in blues, with a dark hardwood floor. A dusty floor rug left from the previous occupant lay near the sheet-less bed, making it look like a rather forlorn little nook. Not much compared to the luxury of the demon dorms, but the pup's ears perked up and he wagged his tail like it was a five star resort. His own room!
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:03 am
The differences between the main floor and the basement were like night and day, and Yaya took a moment to give their new surroundings a quick once over. It was nice, homey. Perhaps not elegant like the demon dorms, but certainly not shabby in any way. Considering ghosts were once a subclass of demons, the djinn found the accommodations passable.
She kept her one hand on his shoulder as they wandered down the hall, watching the numbers along with Jove so she'd know which was his when they finally came to a stop. B-112, as he dug his key out of his pocket she mentally filed the room number away for later. Watching on as he slipped the key home and turned it to unlock the door.
As he pushed it open she couldn't help but lean forward to get a good look. Palms resting as his shoulders as she rose on tip toe to look over his head and into the room. It was a lovely shade of blue that she instantly approved of, but the rug.. Well. It wasn't her room, so kept her opinion of it to herself. Besides, who knows what the place would look like once properly adorned. All in all it wasn't bad though. The layout of the room seemed nice, and there was another door to one side that no doubt led to a bathroom.
The brush of his tail against her shins made her chuckle, shifting to glance down at it before letting her arms slip along his shoulders so she could lean against his back fondly. One hand coming up to idly stroke the length of a perked ear. So soft. "I take it you like it?"
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