|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 1:32 pm
Sparrow's eyebrows lifted when Jove thrust the book back towards him, glancing down at it with an expression of mild confusion.
"Er," he said, blinking a bit first at the brilliantly colored page, then back up at the ghoul. Does...she not speak..? Sparrow's eyes flickered, attempting to figure out what had just happened. So far all he had heard her speak was her name, and now she was pushing the book back to him and gesturing at the elaborately colored picture on the right side of the page.
Strange... Sparrow thought, fingers drumming absently on the tabletop. Maybe she can't speak...though she did say her name. Maybe she doesn't like speaking..? Maybe it's the accent thing. I know it was only one word, but I could have sworn I heard a faint accent. Maybe she doesn't like it so that's why she doesn't talk. Or maybe she's just shy. Whatever the case is, it's...er, a little odd.
Leaning forward, Sparrow rested his chin in his palm again, glancing down at the book. "Do you just not talk, then?" he asked Jove lightly, wondering if she would answer or get angry or upset or anything like that. "I mean, it's not a bad thing. I'm just curious."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 3:58 pm
Jove was not very appreciative of Sparrow's question. His ears folded back and he huffed, pretending to go back to reading his own book. But the pup couldn't simply ignore the reaper, not when there was still the chance he was up to something and Jove could be caught off guard. No, he was going to pay attention even though he tried his hardest to look like he wasn't...
Being unable to focus entirely on his book, Jove thought over the situation. This was terrible, being trapped in that corner by that reaper, who was asking him if he talked even though he had clearly introduced himself earlier. It made him grumpy that he couldn't walk away without showing the reaper either his fear or his back, his pride prevented the former, his survival instinct the latter. He didn't like the feeling of being forced there even though he would have stayed in that spot for hours of his own volition.
But then when he thought about the actual exchange, a surprisingly mature realization hit him. It wasn't really the reaper he was grumpy at, it was just the situation. His past experiences, and his irritation over his current state of mind, it was all adding up to a pretty substantial bias. Sparrow was a reaper, yes, but there were many reapers at the school who hadn't even looked at him funny since his arrival. He was surrounded by them, and yet he was unharmed by any of them. Odds said it would be the same with this reaper.
He glanced up from his book somewhat apologetically, but he still didn't answer Sparrow's question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:21 pm
He eyed Jove with a mildly confused expression, head tilting slightly to the side as if to say what did I do? "Oh," he said, after a moment of thinking. "I didn't mean - well, I know you can talk, but why don't you? You've said your name; that's it so far. Are you always this shy, or is it just because I'm a reaper and you're a ghost?"
Sparrow was quite certain that this was the reason for Jove being so apprehensive of him so far. After all, the ghoul was practically sitting at the next table, she had scooched so far away. He was used to people being wary of his status (he did collect souls, after all), but this was a school. Sparrow had no intention of reaping anyone's souls right now, or even do anything that might get him in trouble. As much as he stubbornly tried to admit it, he did love school and learning and everything that came with it. So the last thing he wanted was to have to leave.
"Relax," he said again, though this time his tone was gentler, catching the vaguely apologetic look on Jove's face. "I promised I wouldn't do anything, and I'll keep my promise."
A pause. Then he reached over, plucking the book from Jove's hands, turning it around, winking at the ghoul.
"Also your book is upside-down. Might want to check that before pretending you're reading."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 10:21 am
Jove eyed Sparrow warily, as if searching for some sign of deception. But he seemed sincere and honest. Not like the reaper who had sent him to Halloween, and had been none too gentle about it. Finally the pup relaxed slightly.
And then looked down at his book when the Reaper flipped it around.
A fierce scowl appeared on his face in an instant, followed a full second or two by a blush that made his cheeks light up. His deception had been caught! Jove snapped the offending book closed and shoved it aside, glaring for a second before picking up a new one. Right side up this time.
He glanced up at Sparrow to make sure the other boil wasn't going to start laughing at him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:57 am
Sparrow learned two very important things about Jove. One was that when she blushed, it was not a normal blush; it was as if someone had stuck a candle beside her face, the way her cheeks lit up. Oh, and she glowed. It was sort of fascinating, actually, watching her face burn a pale teal. Sparrow studied her with some amusement, his eyebrows drawing together, his fingers steepled together as he rested his elbows (impolitely) on the table.
The second thing he learned was that Jack this ghoul could scowl when she tried. The look on Jove's face was full on irritation as he realized that he'd been holding the book upside down. What this indicated to Sparrow was that this ghoul was definitely not as "delicate" as she appeared at first glance; or at least, that was what he believed. If she could scowl that point blank, she could probably handle anything else with the same sort of fierceness.
"Hey, now," Sparrow protested, lifting his hands in a gesture of innocence. "Why do I feel like daggers are going to come flying out of your eyes at any second? It's okay; just the other day I was trying to pretend I wasn't paying attention to someone and wound up tripping and falling flat on my face, so it's completely understandable."
Said person had, in fact, been a ghoul Sparrow had met at a bookstore, and sad to say, she had clearly not been impressed with his feigned nonchalance, especially when he had needed her assistance to stand back up. Sparrow's gaze flitted towards Jove again.
"Shall I leave you in peace, then?" he asked, pushing his chair back and closing his book. "It seems as if I do nothing but cause you to be on edge, and the last thing I want is to make someone uncomfortable."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 9:09 am
Jove tried to pretend he didn't notice Sparrow watching him, but that scrutiny only made him blush worse, and the hot feeling in his cheeks made his scowling increase. But when Sparrow spoke up, the scowl turned into a look of confusion. Flying daggers? The pup's wild imagination turned the phrase into a literal expression quite quickly. Now that would be a trick! It would be hard to call him tiny when he could glare a dagger at someone instead of having to settle for kicking them.
His musings were halted abruptly when Sparrow mentioned leaving. The pup's first emotion was joy, that he could go back to reading without feeling all nervous about the reaper across the table, but if there was one thing Jove had realized since being taken in by his caretaker, it was that he had a conscience. And the thought that he was making Sparrow feel bad disturbed him. And he had just been thinking that the reaper was so honest and polite too...
Jove's fluffy ears flopped back, his expression becoming an apologetic "I'm sorry, please don't leave on my account," face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:15 am
He had a sneaking suspiscion that he'd completely confused the poor ghoul once he'd mentioned the daggers thing. Jove's eyebrows had furrowed at first, but then her eyes had grown as wide as saucers once she had thought about it more. Sparrow watched her with growing amusement. She really is quite the interesting puppy, isn't she? he thought to himself, and then shook his head, his mind working to think of how Delia and her might get along. He had a feeling they'd rather enjoy each other's company. After all, his younger sister was around the same age; though she was a great deal more talkative than Jove, Sparrow though ruefully.
As he stood to leave, Jove's ears had flopped backwards against her fluffy haired head. At first Sparrow thought it was a gesture of relief that he was finally letting her alone, but then he glanced at her face. The expression surprised him; was that...remorse? No, not quite, but from what Sparrow could tell (though he still had issues discerning the ghoul's expressions) she was...sorry...perhaps..?
Slowly Sparrow slid back into his seat, though his posture was still a bit unsure as he tilted his head, giving Jove a questioning look.
"I would have thought you'd be pleased to see me leave," he said lightly, though not unkindly. He wasn't irritated, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 4:42 pm
Although Sparrow's tone was light, Jove's ears flopped back further as though chided. He regretted giving the reaper that impression, even if it was true, nobody liked to feel unwanted. The pup sheepishly looked down at his book. Maybe he was only like Ren, a little annoying sometimes, but nice enough when you could put up with him. If only the boil could get rid of that reaper smell!
Jove couldn't remember if he had smelled this one at the academy before, Was he just recently enrolled?
The pup's ears lifted curiously, and he peered up from the book. "New?" He asked hesitantly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 12:35 pm
She had spoken again. Sparrow's eyebrows rose so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline, though he hastily tried to cover up the feeling of sanctification and stupid pleasure he felt that he had managed to get another word out of a ghoul who apparently did not speak.
And if he listened hard enough, he could swear he heard an English accent...
"Yes," Sparrow answered her with a small smile. "I'm new here; only been here for a few days. My cousin attends here, though; Coralie Bahest. Do you know her, perhaps? She's quite, er...mischievous at times."
An understatement; the last Sparrow had heard of Cora she had been hosting a Truth or Dare game that had been quite, uh...entertaining, but that had been months ago. He was horribly out of the loop when it came to the shenanigans of his cousin, which is why he had no idea whether or not she even knew he was here at Amityville now.
"And what of you, Jove?" Sparrow asked, swinging one leg casually over the other and leaning the side of his head against his hand. "How long have you been here? Do you have a lot of friends?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:00 am
Jove blinked, he was related to someone at the academy? The pup hadn't met this Coralie person yet, but it sounded like she must be a reaper as well. He wasn't sure if cousins could be two different species, usually families were related, right? Although what would happen if a reaper decided to marry a ghost or something. Would there be ghost reapers?
He didn't like the sound of a mischievous reaper, and glanced around briefly as though she was lurking nearby, waiting to jump out and startle him... But nothing happened. His fluffy ears turned back towards Sparrow as the boil continued to talk.
One ear flopped sideways, and he counted on his fingers. How many months had he been here? Only five? Six? He wasn't sure so he gave up the counting and just nodded in response to Sparrow's second question. He had made a lot of friends since coming to the academy. He had monster friends, ghost friends, demon friends... Although he didn't think he had any undead or reaper friends yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 7:44 pm
"I take it from that expression that you haven't had the, er...pleasure of meeting Coralie, then," Sparrow replied, somewhat dryly. "That's okay. Something tells me she would have much too much fun with you..."
Knowing his cousin, she would be the type to tease Jove relentlessly as a way of showing affection. She'd take the younger ghoul under her wing and be all sorts of goofy towards her, but Sparrow was not entirely certain how well Jove would take to that...she did seem the easily anxious type after all.
He caught the sudden worry in the ghoul's eyes and Sparrow laughed lightly, waving a hand noncommittally. "Don't worry, she's not here lurking somewhere," he said reassuringly. "I'm not sure where she is, actually, but she's not going to just leap out at you suddenly, so don't worry about that."
The ears flopping to the side made him think of a sleepy puppy. Sparrow suppressed a smile as she counted on her fingers, then nodded. "Friends are good," he said, resting his chin back in the palm of his hands. "It makes life quite a bit more interesting, dontcha think?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:11 pm
All of a sudden that frown was back. Was Sparrow implying something? Maybe something about him being too scared to deal with reapers? He wasn't scared at all. Surely just sitting and talking with Sparrow was proof of that, and so what if there was a desk safely separating the pair of them...
After a second of indignant bristling he relaxed, and the ears flopped back down. Yes, friends did make things interesting. The pup's ears perked suddenly and his eyes focused attentively, as if to ask "Do you have any friends yet?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:53 am
Jove was frowning again. Sparrow's teasing expression faltered, and he glanced at the ghoul with a slightly concerned look, trying to figure out what he had said wrong. Though she seemed to be very open with her facial expressions, Sparrow was finding it difficult to decipher them all.
"I'm sorry," he said, trying to backtrack, though for what he wasn't entirely certain. "If I said something to make you offended, I apologize."
However, Jove's ears had dropped back down to her head, and she looked as if she had relaxed a bit, one of her ears flicking towards him as she gave him a curious look. Sparrow tried to figure out what exactly she was asking him.
"Oh," he said, after a few moments of struggling internally. "Friends??" He shook his head ruefully. "I'm afraid I'm still too new at this school. Other than my cousin, I am quite on my own here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:57 pm
Jove waited through Sparrow's silent pondering. He was used to a delayed reaction from people as they tried to figure out his expressions, and took no offence. In many cases, as in this one, the person eventually came to the correct conclusion.
The pup's fluffy tail wagged slightly, his expression suddenly gentler. It was hard not having any friends, he remembered when he was new and scared and Yaya had offered to help him find his dorm. He could have never made it down those frightening stairs without her being there. Most everything was scary back then, even his first meeting with Ren had been frightening. And now he had a brother.
With an expression that wasn't a smile, but wasn't displeased by any means, Jove extended one arm across the table to offer a hand-shake. That was how boils introduced themselves properly, right? And maybe if he was this reaper's friend, he wouldn't get hurt by the guy down the road.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:51 pm
Sparrow was enjoying conversing with Jove; she was such a delightful little ghoul, and she reminded him very much of his own little sister. Admittedly he tended to spoil Delia, far more than their parents liked, but Sparrow was, by definition, the kind of older brother that snuck treats to their little sister underneath the tablecloth during dinner. Briefly he wondered whether or not Jove liked candies as much as his sister, but then he blinked back to attention, catching the more gentle expression on the ghoul's face. It made him relax, and Sparrow smiled at her.
Then blinked in surprise at the hand extended to him. Was she...offering to be his friend? For a moment he just looked at her, his eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion, but then his face softened, reaching out to accept Jove's hand.
"Thank you," he said with a friendly grin, and squeezed her hand, automatically lifting it to peck a quick kiss to the back of it before letting go. It was a standard greeting, after all; one that tended to have the younger ghouls in his family giggling like crazy because it tickled and made them smile.
"So," Sparrow said, smiling broadly. "Does this mean we're friends now?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
