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 Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:13 pm
Yambati bristled a little, fiddling with his classes. His posture grew straighter, tighter, and he crossed his arms over his chest instinctively.
"I prefer sitting in the middle of a garden to sitting in the middle of a crowd. The flowers are easier on the ears."
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:17 pm
 Mat blinked, then rolled his eyes just a little. "Oh, like there's crowds everywhere but here?" he replied, before really thinking about it. But, really! There weren't all that many people around ...
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:21 pm
"Before you and your pet arrived, I was alone. Perhaps you are not a crowd, but you are harder to listen to than the plants." His frown was back, coming closer to a scowl now.
He knew he was probably expected to make friends, but really! Plants made perfect friends.
"A crowd, to me, is any number of annoying people."
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:35 pm
"Oh, so I'm annoying?" he asked, head tilting. Not that he appeared at all offended by the thought. Mat knew he could be annoying, and reveled in it half the time. And just maybe he was sensing a new target for his tendency to pester, as he couldn't really do it that much to Grave anymore ...
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:38 pm
He looked at Mat for a long time, quiet, lips pressed into a firm line. One more caustic word, and he had a feeling things wouldn't be all happy butterflies and pollenating bees. He had to try and make, if not friends, acquaintances of such a type that he could easily get them to leave him alone. You know, promise them dinner later, or something, and get some quiet time.
"You have the potential," he settled on, uncrossing his arms and sitting down beside him. He didn't really want to, but if it would eventually lead to Mat going away...
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:48 pm
Mat just kept smiling at that. "Yup. I've heard that before. From several sources actually." Verin made a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter at that point, head ducking just a little. He well-knew Mat's annoyance factor and how he enjoyed using it.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:54 pm
Yambati shifted, tugging at his knee socks. They were a little warm, but oh well. They were comfortable.
"And it sounds like you take pride in that."
Great. That was just what he needed - somebody who knew he was annoying and seemed to like that following him around. He really hoped this Mathiaz had people he liked to ignore more.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:59 pm
"So what if I do?" he replied, raising a brow. Yea, he'd found a new target ... this should be fun. Eyeing the other, he asked, "Why're you taller than most everyone else anyway? You find a special plant that does that?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:09 pm
"It may not be the best thing to take pride in."
He narrowed his eyes a little, clutching at the ground in annoyance. Oh boy.
"I don't know. I might just be older."
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:51 pm
"But why would you be older?" he asked, head tilting over just a bit. "I thought everyone got uhm. Brought here about the same age." Of course, he didn't know anything but that didn't mean that he couldn't act like he did.
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:35 am
Brought here? Yambati was curious, but he was damned if he was going to ask. No way was he letting this annoying little person feel that superior to him. He'd find out on his own, later.
"I suppose I'm just special," he said, archly. Technically, it probably would have been a better kind of special if he had been younger... and not half-blind.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:37 pm
Mat smiled at that, and shrugged again, nodding at the same time. "Sure, whatever ... I get that." He crossed legs under him, obviously settling in a bit more. And miracle of miracles he was quiet for a little bit. But ... he was sort of staring at the other, watching him almost as if waiting for him to do something interesting.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:27 pm
But all Yambati did was turn back to the plants, tracing the lines of stems and leaves and feeling those roots which came close to the surface.
If he was going to have to deal with Mat, he might as well enjoy the plants a little more, first.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:50 am
Danna's feet took her to the one place she knew was safe: The Flora Gardens. By the time she got within the Gardens, her chest was shuddering with laboured breathing, and her feet were numb from the run. Danna found her way to the centre of the Gardens and collapsed at the foot of the old Oak Tree.
She sat in the moss, in her favourite spot and sighed, letting her breath unsteadily return to normal. She curled up in the tree's roots and leaned against the old bark.
What to do now? What to do tomorrow? Astaroth was her closest friend, or at least, she thought he had been. But it seemed he wanted nothing to do with her now.That look on his face was so...piercing, and Danna knew she was not strong enough to weather it a second time.
But why? Why had he suddenly turned so cold? Her words had been meant as praise, as faith, why had such good things angered him? Danna did not understand. She wanted to grab at the many straps of Astaroth's vest and just scream "Why?" until he answered her. But that would take far much more courage than Danna had.
What to do? Danna splayed her honey-brown hands on the Oak's Trunk and threw back her head to stare up at its rounded leaves and acorns she loved so much. "What do I do, Oak?" Danna asked plaintively and closed her eyes.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:22 pm
Astaroth was walking in the center of a cacophony of emotions. They crowded together in his head so much so that he couldn’t properly think. His body moved of its own accord, wandering this way and that as he tried to work out just what had happened and why he felt so very horrible.
He’d left to spare Danna from cutting words or stinging looks, not to hurt her. And now she’d fled to who knew where, leaving the very thing they’d been so proud of behind like some piece of trash. It worried him greatly.
Despite how angry and upset she’d made him, he still felt as though they were friends – better friends if she could understand he didn’t want subordinates. That was the crux of the matter, he thought; Danna was so in awe of him that she felt obligated to serve. This caused a wave of anger and sadness to break over him, drowning his thoughts and giving him pause. He didn’t want anybody to serve him. They were equals not master and servant. If anything, the golem was the servant and they were the masters. He felt lost and confused. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He had left to clear his head, to breathe some fresh air in order to straighten out his thoughts. He’d left to clear away the pain that seared through him so that he might speak coherently to her.
And now he found himself looking for her, worried that something was horribly wrong. All the times where she had doubted herself mixed with the image of her tears and pushed any concrete thought out of his head. He wanted to tell her…. He didn’t know what but he wanted to reassure her of their friendship and of his care for her. Astaroth wanted desperately to clear this whole mess up so that he might see her smile again.
But the very fact that he’d somehow hurt her snagged at his determination and ate away at his resolve. He knew not what he had done to draw those tears and he realized he was very afraid of being rejected outright – before he could even explain why he’d left or why he’d been so upset. Dazed, he patted his bag with the image of Yggdrasil within, and searched. He checked the class rooms they’d conversed in, the art room, every room he could think of but there was no sign of Danna.
Defeated, Astaroth slumped against the wall of the hallway and pressed his face into his hand as he tried to will the whirlwind of emotions away. He operated best when he could think clearly and with so much tugging at his attention that was impossible. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and focused on drawing air in at an even pace and exhaling slowly. After a few long moments he slid to the floor and wrapped his arms around his knees.
She had to be somewhere. By process of elimination, the only rooms left to search were her dorm…. The memory of Murmel flashed through his mind then, like a beacon summoning him. He would check the Flora Gardens next and if she wasn’t there, he would seek comfort from Murmel, the strange little fellow that Danna had shown him.
A weak smile played across his features then; that had been a pleasant experience and her company truly intriguing. He didn’t want to lose that. But if she told him she didn’t want him around…. He shook his head and forced the thought aside. He would explain himself and that should see them through. She’d be logical enough to follow his thought process wouldn’t she?
Only one way to find out.
Rising, he adjusted his satchel, and with purposeful strides approached the Flora Gardens. There was a determined light in his eyes as he stopped before the door and found himself balking. Biting his lower lip his inhaled deeply and forced his hand to open the door. Silently, he stepped into the gardens and cast his ice blue gaze around the lush and vibrant beds in search of Danna.
His heart did a funny little thwump when he didn’t see her at first, his legs carrying him into the gardens further. Astaroth’s gaze quickly turned concerned when he saw her curled up in the roots of the tree, however, and stopped as he struck by how fragile she looked. What to do? He ran a hand through his hair is characteristic gesture and pondered, suppressing the desire to simply run up to her – he’d likely only do more harm that way.
But what to do?
Crouching, he riffled through his bag, knowing better then to trust his voice at the moment, looking for something. He passed by Yggdrasil several times before finally stopping at her. It was the only thing he possessed that had a connection to both of them. His eyes flicked from paper to Danna and back again as he decided what to do. Slowly, carefully, he wrote ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s why I left.’ On the back side of the paper in a crisp, neat, and elegant hand. It was short and to the point. A simple reason that he hoped she could understand.
Rising, he padded silently over to her and let the sheaf of parchment rustle down onto her like a falling leaf as he carefully nestled into the roots beside her, taking up his favourite spot as well. It was strange how the Flora Gardens attracted him so. They always seemed peaceful and serene, a place where one’s mind to expand and absorb all the knowledge around. And right now, the quiet atmosphere helped to soothe the gnawing doubt in his stomach and the fear that coiled up his back to chase around the thoughts he was trying so hard to form.
As his gaze settled on Danna one more, his face remained neutral neither angry nor disappointed. Only his eyes burned with a mixture of doubt, pain, and worry. Would she read the paper? Astaroth did not know if he would be able to speak if she didn’t.
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