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 Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:38 pm
Alex continued to listen, his face becoming slightly more animated then it had been as the conversation eased it's way past the obviously awkward stages and into territory that Yin seemed more comfortable with. He nodded along with Yin's explanation, the beginnings of a small smile appearing on his face. So that explained that, then! No wonder Yin had been so snappy that day!
"You don't need to----" 'apologize!' was how he had intended to finish that sentence, but he had told Yin that once already and it didn't seem to stop the weremantis, so he just nodded again, and accepted it. It felt good to know that the entire thing was just a big misunderstanding, and that their friendship could continue.
"Ok, so back to you running away from home. What made you choose to come here? How did you know about the school? Would they have sent anybody after you to bring you home? Might they be looking for you even now? And..." he stopped for a moment, not sure if this question was really appropriate, since it had little to do with weremantis customs, and more to do with Alex just being curious. He decided to ask anyways, his voice soft "Don't you have a family that might be worried about you?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:32 pm
Yin glanced over when Alexander began to say something and then stopped, nodding. There, finally he had realized that Yin owed him an apology and was taking it. Now that he all but admitted that Yin had been in the wrong the weremantis was experiencing a strange thrill of pleasure. It was actually fairly close to how he felt at the end of a particularly difficult training match, and was somewhat rejuvenating.
Feeling quite a bit better about the situation now he was ready to tackle the questions. As usual his friend, yes...apparently Alexander would still be friends with him, was bombarding him with one question after another. He was about to answer when there was a slight pause, but then in a slightly quieter tone Alexander asked about his family.
He shifted a bit uneasily. It really was not a big deal not to have a family after all. Some being came to life from pure FEAR and did not. "I....I do not know who my birth mother is or if I have a mother. It is not uncommon to not know ones parents for us." That was not completely the truth. Most at least knew who their parents were. But whoever had given birth to him had not bothered with any documentation whatsoever. In fact, he had not even been dropped off at the nursery but rather left out in a public place. That was nothing that needed to be told though.
"I suppose that the closest I had to family were the boils that I trained with. I also had a teacher that showed interest in me, and checked on my studies occasionally." He swallowed, and with a lack of enthusiasm went on to say "it is okay though, who needs family anyway? So no, there is no one to come looking at me. I am not significant enough for them to want me back, nor worth the trouble to track me down. I had never heard of the school until I had been away from the Clan for a couple of weeks and heard about it from a stranger as I was traveling to get farther away from the Clan's territory."
He gave Alexander the hint of a smile. "You realize that you do not have to ask every question at once. I shall do my best to answer all of your questions, even if you forget to ask it today."
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:13 pm
Alex felt completely chagrined. It was worse then he had expected, at this point. Yin had no family. No family, to Alex, meant that he had no horde, and that was absolutely unthinkable for the zomboil. He would be lost without his horde. Being away from them for so long was harder on him then anybody could have imagined. He could not even contemplate what life must be like for anybody to not have a family, though he knew that it happened quite often, particularly with ghosts and zombies like himself. Yin could probably see the horror in Alex's eyes, though after Yin explained about the boils he had trained with and the teacher who had shown an interest, it did lessen a bit.
That's all he had, and all he knew, it's not as bad as you think....oh dear Jack, but no real family?
Is what he was pretty much thinking at that moment. Then something stirred in the back of his brain, and he spoke without thinking "I have a family!" wait...had that just come out like he was boasting? Though his circulation was poor, his face turned a touch pink. "I mean...what I meant was...uhhhh..." he was looking down now, as though that loose string on the mat that he was sitting down on was the most interesting thing EVER. "You should come with me, the next time I go to see my family, Yin. They would be happy to meet you, and they would...they would welcome you like you uh..uhhhhhh.." Like you are part of the family too, is what he wanted to say, but he seeemed to be having some trouble with words at the moment. Why had he even mentioned it?? It was so stupid...Yin didn't want to meet his family! Why would he? So that it would look like Alex was rubbing it in his face? He brought up a hand to muss around with his mop of white hair furiously, angry with himself for even saying anything now.
He couldn't even bring his eyes up to meet Yins again.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:36 pm
Well, Alexander had ceased his questioning, but his face seemed to have more color than he was used to seeing. There was no cause for the boil to be blushing, so instead of focusing on Alexander having a family he tried to think of why the boil might have increased blood flow. He could be embarrassed, but having a family must be nice, so nothing to be ashamed of. He could be ill, but he had seemed fine when he had come in. Or perhaps he was angry, and was actually flushed with rage.
But...why? Because he had insinuated that families were unimportant? And now Alexander was inviting him to go meet his family...probably to prove to them that they were important. His actions seemed angry, and he was looking away. Guilt stabbed Yin, he had not meant to insinuated that just Alexander's family was unimportant, just that it was not crucial for him.
"I am sure your family is wonderful," he said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "You must be quite proud of them to want to introduce them to everyone." But obviously introducing him the zomboil's family would be awkward, the boil was unsure of how he would be welcomed. "I would never want to intrude upon your time with your family." He looked to the spot that Alexander had seemed to be studying. Oh, a string on the mat was loose.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:57 pm
Alex's face somehow reddened even more. Every word out of Yin's mouth felt like a slap, and he hadn't meant to rub in the fact that he had a family and Yin didn't! Oh dear Jack..how was he supposed to fix this?? It might help if he could look Yin in the eyes and talk to him straight up about how he was feeling, but the thought of doing that terrified the poor zomboil for some strange reason.
"Yin..I..I" again with the complete loss of words! What was wrong with him? Was the whole family issue really so unsettling that he couldn't even think straight anymore?
Finally, slowly, he looked up. If the weremantis couldn't see how pathetically sorry and hurt the zomboil felt then he surely must have been blind. He took a second to pause, and gather his scrambled thoughts, before speaking "I only meant that, it might be nice, and I would really like it if you came with me when I go to see my family next. I swear, I wasn't trying to rub my family in your face. I'm so sorry if it seemed like I was..." another pause, and then a very very quite mumble as he looked back down into his lap, "I want you to feel like you are a part of my family, Yǐn Cáng"
Holy Jack did he just use Yin's proper name?
Why yes, yes he did.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:18 am
He was doing it again. He was messing things up and causing his friends trouble and hurt. He had misconstrued a rather nice invitation to be something bad, and by refusing had all but thrown it back in the zomboil's face. And here the zomboil was politely asking him again after he had been so rude. Appalled at his own behavior he was about to answer when Alexander spoke again, voice barely audible.
His eyes widened at the use of his full name, surprised that the zomboil not only remembered it but had managed to pronounce it correctly. He had not heard anything other than Yin for so long that it was a comfort to hear it all, and he almost ignored the rest entirely.
But not quite. He want's me to feel like I am part of his family? Perhaps wants me to know what having a family is like. To turn down the invitation a second time would be rude, and there was no call for it, though there were several reasons that his brain was telling him not to. But I owe him.
And therein was the heart of the matter. He still owed Alexander, and how could he live with himself if something happened to the boil while he was away? He could not protect him if he left and Yin did not accompany him. "Just let me know when to pack," he said, attempting to sound more optimistic than how he felt. "But only if you are certain that it would not be a burden on your family."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:37 am
Alex raised his head, a little meekly, when Yin responded to what the zomboil was practically begging him to do. "You--you're sure?" he questioned, his face plainly very hopeful, yet still a little red since his slow circulation had yet to allow the color to drain back down. His face suddenly split into a grin, from ear to ear, and he laughed a little
"It won't be for a little while yet! And don't worry, I, uh, have a rather expansive family, and every year it only gets bigger! One more wouldn't be a burden at all!" He was so excited, he had completely forgotten the fact that Yin did not do so well around ghouls, and that going to Alex's house potentially meant subjecting Yin to his Mom, his 3 sisters, his 4 aunties, and approximatly 14 female cousins.
But who was counting?
"Ok, soooooo, I guess we got a little off topic there for a minute." His face was finally almost drained of color again, except for his natural pale green hue, of course. He reached up to push back the hair that had fallen in front of his eye. "Hmmm, well. I guess now what I'd like to know is..." he was flicking the middle finger of each hand to the mat with a steady thud, thud, thud. "Why does Danny not get the same reaction from you as other ghouls?"
Quiz time, back on!
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:04 am
It seemed odd to the mantodae that Alexander was so happy that he had agreed to go. In fact, for just a split second he was suspicious. But when one owed another a debt one such concerns had to be pushed aside.
Yin was getting a bit tired of sitting still, he had energy that would prefer to be burned, but Alexander was asking him a new question. Thankfully it was just one question, and easy to handle.
"Miss Danny is a good ghoul. I guess the main reason I treat her differently," he looked up toward the ceiling thoughtfully, "is that she has already claimed another boil. He has purple hair, and I saw him at the school play. Despite Miss Danny's appearance, I believe that she popped out of human Fear, as she seems to be a child mentally. But the most important factor would have to be that she is my friend." She had told him so when they had first met.
"I do not believe that she is like most ghouls. She is...she is different. I cannot quite place why, but she is important, and if possible I would like to protect her. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to choose how to phrase what he was describing. "She is like a child. She is innocent, and even though I know that she must grow up I feel as if I can shield her. He let out a small humorless laugh. "I know it is foolish to presume that I can shelter her. But she is one of my closet friends, and I must do what I can."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:52 am
On the outside, Alex was nodding along with Yin, a thoughtful expression on his face.
On the inside, he was cringing. Purple haired boil? Who was Yin even talking about? Danny was with that Reaper boil that had lent Yin his sweater just before they had gotten attacked in the hallways. The only purple haired boil Alex had ever remembered seeing was the one that had played the music in the school play.
With Danny.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.
For a split second, Alex was torn on whether he should try and tell Yin who Danny was really with, or if he should just leave it be and let the other boil figure it out on his own. He wanted to say something. He really, truly, did! But every time he opened his mouth, Yin seemed to take everything he would say in completely the wrong way. So he kept his mouth firmly shut, and continued to listen.
Ok, now Yin thinking that Danny had popped out of human Fear was even more hard for Alex to swallow, but somehow, he managed, though now he was struggling not to just burst out laughing. He didn't imagine Yin would take it very well if he did.
"She--she isn't like most ghouls, you're right." Alex's chest was almost shaking with the effort of sustaining the suppression of the gale of laughter that threatened to explode out of him any moment. He had to stop to try and gain some control. Finally, he was able to speak again, his body only trembling slightly. "She is completely not like any other ghoul I have ever met" Or ever want to meet again. She's nice and all, but holy hellfire...No, just...No. Not until she can learn to control herself better.
Alex was positive he would still have more questions for Yin, but as he looked up at the time on the wall, he realized he had already spent far to much of it here with Yin already. "Oh Jack! ,..I mean...no, that's pretty much what I mean. Um, Yin, I'm going to be very, very late." He began to push himself back up to his feet in that painfully slow and staggering way that he had. "But I have more questions. I really do. I want to know anything you can tell me. And, I'm so thankful, truly, that you are telling me all of this! You really have no idea..." Alex realized he was rambling, and let his voice trail off a bit, before picking it back up again.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is, thankyou? Oh and, uh, I had planned on asking you this at some point, but I never managed to work it in." He gave a little chuckle at his own absent-headedness "But, well, I'm planning on heading to the maul later this week, to get some new clothes...this is pretty much all I have left." He held out his arms as though to show Yin, like he hadn't already been able to see? "And I was just wondering if you might want to come too? I'll buy you dinner, we can make a da---" WAIT WHAT WAS HE SAYING? "--ammn good time of it?"
Nice save, Alex. Smooooothe.
((Sleep deprivation makes me silly.))
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:20 am
Everything seemed to be going smoothly (other than Alexander beginning to get some odd expressions on his face) until the zomboil suddenly started to get up. It was not a quick, but still somewhat sudden. He then realized he must have been talking too much, as Alexander realized he was late but was still almost hastily trying to fit words in. And something was bothering him about what he had said.
He stood up as well, stretching as Alexander asked him to go to...somewhere. He was unsure what it was he would be going to, but it involved clothing. And...was that an offer for dinner? The idea of food was something that greatly tempted Yin, but could he just let the zomboil buy something for him when he already owed him so much?
"I would be pleased to accompany you, but there is no need for you to purchase food for me. I am sure you have other things to spend your money on. Before you go however, I do have a question or two for you. This was...awkward. He was not actually sure that he wanted to voice his questions, for it was more than likely that Alexander would realize just how little Yin knew. But he had overheard multiple students, and he needed to know. "What is jack? And," a faint blush of embarrassment stained his his cheeks, "what is the maul?
He really had not made it very far in the book he had borrowed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:57 pm
Alex was getting a little fidgety, and kept stealing glances at the clock. He had really only meant to come and apologize to Yin, not sit here for the better part of an hour and ask the other boil a million and one questions. But alas, at this point Alex was pretty much already doomed to be late yet again, so did it really matter if he spent another five minutes talking to Yin?
He did feel more then a little incredulous that the weremantis didn't know what the maul was, or what the term 'Candle-jack' and all of it's many derivatives meant. He had to remind himself that Yin had been very sheltered when it came to these things. "Jack is, well, it's a curse or a profane word, basically. It's pretty much just the slang of the day, and I've gotten into the bad habit of using it when things go a little bit...wrong." He didn't know how else to explain it, really. "There are many different ways of using the term 'Jack'. Candlejack, jacking...jacked.." he could feel that slow steady flush starting to creep it's way back up onto his face. But it could have been worse. He could have been explaining what protective charms were for.
Jack save him if he ever had to do that.
"The maul is a collection of many shops within a single building. It's host of stores sell a variety of items, including clothes, pets, food, and electronics. A lot of students like to go their just to hang out.... Um, what day would work best for you to go?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 4:18 pm
A profane word. Oh. Feeling horrendously embarrassed himself (he had said a profane word!) Yin looked away. The explanation still did not make sense to him, not really. Maybe it was for "jack-of-all-trades," a word that could be used for anything? Still, jack was a weird word to use.
And the maul had, unfortunately, nothing to do with violence. He tried not to be too disappointed, obviously it was not a place to go defeat someone and earn their clothes. That would be ridiculous. And interesting. But no, it was a place of shops. He hid his feeling of dismay fairly well, especially when Alexander added that it not all students went to spend money. It was hard to spend money when didn't have a single pumpkin seed to his name.
"The afternoon or evening would work best for me, not tomorrow though," he had to go see Miss Danny at some point, "but any day after that. If you need to go in the morning however I can rearrange my work-out schedule." He was moving back toward the mats, realizing that he had taken quite a bit of time out of his work-out, and he would have to put extra time in to make up for it. "Just let me know when to meet you and where and I shall be waiting."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:02 pm
Alex couldn't help but grin widely at Yin, happy that the weremantis was being so agreeable about the two of them doing things together outside of the school. It gave Alex hope that everything between the two of them was definitely all right now.
"Ok then, how about the day after tomorrow? In the later afternoon, because I really wouldn't want to interrupt your daily routine." Alex would have honestly preferred they go tomorrow, himself, because this was literally his last set of clothing, and at the rate he was going through them he might be shirtless again before the end of the day.
And, of course, because he didn't wash himself he had that pesky glitter still covering his chest. He really didn't want to walk around shirtless and sparkling ever again.
Ever.
"So, uh..we'll just need to meet somewhere..how bout just outside the Monster dorms?" He was starting to back away from Yin slowly, his hands instantly finding their way back into his pants pockets. Once he had an answer, he needed to get on his way. He glanced at the clock again, wondering if it was even worth trying to get to his class on time.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:12 pm
The zomboil was obviously distracted, so Yin tried to give him a speedy reply.
"I shall be there." Answer given he turned toward the nearest training dummy, ready to get lost in the absolute pleasure that came with running through a routine perfectly. Which was what he planned on doing. Or he would do it again until it was.
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