Skylar and Serafina Reduex

[Psychofish]

He stared at her as she spoke, half his mind sinking into thought while the rest observed. That was a rather simple minded philosophy. He wasn't certain that he could fault it though- simple and bad were far from synonymous. But that was the question, wasn't it? If he peered into the past, what had led him here, his collection of scars, then he would be straddling two worlds. It would be catching up with him constantly, right then, all the time. How long would this world seem important beside that? How did one simply not lose themselves, and if he didn't, then did it really matter?

It felt like it did. But feelings were notoriously treacherous, he had learned long, long ago.

He stared, never as still as his mother but still disquietingly so, until the girl snapped him from it. Wearing poise as if nothing happened like a cat, he'd turn away, flicking his eyes across the books and the room. "Eat. The healing will have burned any reserves your body had, it'll need more fuel."

He stood, staring across the room and looking for something to engage in. He'd already paged through the more interesting looking books a bit. He paced slightly in front of her, not certain of what exactly he was going to get into to entertain himself, but he idly removed his vest, holding onto it a moment before starting to fold it and put it onto the table.  

[Tei Kae]

Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, "Yes, mother...", she teased even as she reached for the sandwich, the first bite making it into her face quicker than she thought, swallowing quickly. "If you're that scared of the past, it'll define you forever. Face it, accept it, then it serves you as a tool, and not you it.", she shrugged, taking another bite. She wasn't one to overthink things too much but this was something she was firm on. No one was going to define her but her.

"You seem almost scared. Is that pendant something more than an heirloom?", she quizzed him, she might not over think things, but some things showed through more than you'd think. Another bite, another drink and she'd watch him pace. At least he was pretty to look at.  

[Psychofish]

He shot her a glare, staring her down for a moment as she ate, debating telling her to shut up and just eat, partly for the comments on fear and facing the past that he couldn't decide on the aptitude of, partially over her accurate guess. Until she went back to it anyway. Well, part of the reason he'd bothered with her was because she wasn't stupid, so he supposed that was his own fault.

"Yes."

He said it curtly, and removed the thing from his pocket, cupping it in his hand and looking at it.

"I said it holds memories. Someday, it's meant to hold mine. This is my heritage."

From his tense and guarded tone, that clearly wasn't all there was, but it was a definite step forward, and not a word of lie. That was good to practice. His fist closed and opened, toying with it.  

[Tei Kae]

Another bite. "So what's the big deal then? Someday is pretty far away usually", she shrugged, surprised that she didn't wince that time. He hadn't been joking about the healing and the eating. It was like instant fuel. And she was ravenous. "Someday you'll throw some memories in it. Why does it worry you now?", she really didn't understand what he was talking about and why it affected his mood so greatly.

"Are you somehow worried you won't be worthy of that legacy?", she laughed as she ripped another bit off the sub. "That's what life is about. Striving forward, silly. Making the most of what is. Using everything you've got...sucking the marrow out of life itself if that's what it takes. You're never going to feel worthy. But if you are wholly you, then you've been everything you can be when it ends."

"Look...are you any good with history...or I guess mythology to most people. Ever heard of Avalon? King Arthur...all that round table stuff...it exists. Sorta. Arthur was well...more a figure of legend created to...never mind. The point is...those beings of legend. I bet none of them felt worthy, but they remained true to themselves, and it was only when they lost themselves that they failed. As long as you are trying, you are not failing. You just haven't succeeded yet...oh god, the cliche...but the point is the same", softly she sighed but since he'd handled the ghost thing so well, she hoped this could help to, if he could swallow the truth.  

[Psychofish]

She obviously didn't get it. But then, how could she? it was a completely different situation, with those last few details he was hiding. And even then living it and knowing it were still very different. At least she was eating.

Was. The tense being key. She began talking again, more and more, waxing philosophical and at first he was just annoyed that she was doing quite so much lecturing, and less eating. It was when she made one particular reference that he froze in place, and lifted one eyebrow in surprise. That expression stuck, but he relaxed, and moved slightly once more as she continued, slowly gaining the hints of a smile. When she'd finished he stared a moment, maybe processing, and maybe just waiting to see if there was more.

And then he laughed again. This time not just a short peal. It was louder, longer, but just as harsh and rough on his throat, an unrestrained sound struggling to life. It wasn't the sort of thing he was used to letting out. He continued for a bit, and as he started to compose himself, tossed the pendent in the air.

He caught it again, and yanked it down over his head, giving one less harsh cough of laughter, a final sound of sardonic amusement and victory. Or resignation. The girl had no idea what she was on about, not in this situation, but he wasn't about to let her make some sort of coward of him.

He eyed her coolly- but the tight corners of his face, the glimmer in his eye said something of sly playfulness, and his old haughtiness.

"Shut up and finish your food."  

[Tei Kae]

Wow, not even babbling about King Arthur being real had thrown or had him declare her crazy. Maybe he was insane. But that laugh was nice. Genuine. She liked that. It made her like him a little better and not just lust. But whatever Iit was, she'd said her piece and he seemed to figure out something since he put it on his head. She despised cowards an Iit was just a piece of jewelry besides.

Back to the serious business of chewing her food, she watched him for a few moments, curious as to why the medallion didn't seem so bright anymore. "You don't have to stay around, ya know. I will be in class tomorrow...well unless something better turns up", she grinned at him again. He really did have a nice laugh.  

[Psychofish]

The one edge of his lips quirked up, the same thin, harsh smile, and he just shook his head, and picked up his vest and coat, throwing them on with much less care than seemed to fit him- though perhaps that was because he started carefully arranging them both afterwards, quickly pulling things together.

"Well, it has certainly been an interesting bit of 'research', Miss Veli."

And that was that, as far as he was concerned. So long as he was this close to her, he made one last stop- laying a hand upon her shoulder, drawing energy from the air about him, and moving some more of it into the girl, a subtle little wave of vitality. After all, it wouldn't do if she slept through class. That would be almost as bad as if she came in and bled all over his floor and desks. It had the added benefit of draining him slightly as he moved mostly his own energy. Perhaps he could even get to sleep before he had the chance to begin over-thinking matters.

He'd head for the door. He'd wear the pendent that night.

He was a prince after all, declared or not. Time he took what came, and laid claim to what was his.  

[Tei Kae]

"Yeah, you could say so.", and it was research she was likely to go out of her way to avoid if she could from this point on. She wasn't convinced she wasn't crazy and for him to just accept the stuff she said without a second thought, he was surely crazy too. Go to class, get her grade, and go home.

Now if the weird things she kept seeing out of the corner of her eye would go away....curling up on the couch, she let herself drift back off to sleep.

The laugh hung in the air, drunk on a promise even as the figure moved into view, deep curves that he'd once thought a man's curves he knew not how. The now longer hair no longer bound within her helmet. For him, she'd grown her hair and her body was round with his child. His mother had confirmed his paternity. He was no fool.

Since then, they had spent many nights in the others company, his jealous blood wanting to refuse her bed to all but him, at least till the child was born. And again, she had allowed it. They had also fought many battles, at each other's side, in loose alliance against the Vangoths who sought to encroach on their land. And he had healed her many times. But now, here she was, and they were to be wed. An alliance on the part of his father and...he wasn't sure what on his part. Friendship at the very least.

As she laid down beside him, he could see her wide, ridiculously wild grin smiling at him as the firelight flickered. One hand reached out, brushing his hair back from his face, and still he had not moved. "I'm no one of your delicate court ladies, my Sky. I'll mend as I always do by your hand." Her good arm reached up, brushing the stray tendrils from his face. "I dun understand your love of that noxious weed but I admit on the battleground it makes a fearsome sight." Her nose wrinkled charmingly as she smiled once again, the grin cracking from ear to ear, creasing the longer scar along her face, one she had refused to let him heal, her fingers still idling brushing that strand of hair. "However, it is not as pleasant smeared on my body as the way it got there."

"My wife, my child...", he was not his father. It would be his child, acknowledged happily even if it was not the way of their people who normally saw a child as only the mother's until the child had proven himself worthy of the father.

"As you say, my Sky. You trust your mother, and I trust you.", it would have been difficult for her to say thus in the past, but they had proven to each other that they could be trusted, in the most powerful way. The heat of battle. Of course, she had been with others. She was a warchief, but his mother knew the signature of one touched with their blood and so there was no doubt in his mind. He wanted to crush her to him, and yet she seemed so fragile, her stomach round and soft, the life within her beating so strongly.

His hand reached out, placing it gently upon her stomach even as hers reached across to him, the heavy weight against his chest thumping back. "So you did steal it from me that night...", she laughed, "Did you think it controlled Boita?"

"No, or maybe I did, but it was also something else to steal, not just his woman..."

"You act as if I am not myself, my Sky. That was mine. I was the warchief of Kapila. I AM the Firebrand."

"Yes, I know. I just..."He was so hesitant. As if she was fragile; this woman who had saved his life so many times. And yet, she was his, at least for this moment in time...

~

"I will kill you! You did this to me!", she screamed, her legs squatted to the ground, naked and covered in the woad she so hated as protection . His mother, also naked, squatted beside her, the most undignified he had ever seen her, even as he stood nearby defying all orders for him to leave. A man's place was not at a birth but he wanted to witness his child's birth, to have it seared into his memory. His wife was helpless and nothing infuriated her more and so his job was to make her remember the fight.

"Of course you will. And we will make love afterwards until I cannot walk", he laughed, trying to be merry and hoping the fear did not show in his eyes. His mother was sweating, distracted. Something was wrong. She was never unpoised. The two women holding the warrior woman upright exchanged worried glances as his wife fell silent, her eyes rolling back in her head.

"Come my Firebrand, sear me with your words. Show me you are alive!"

"I'll mend as I always do by your hand. my Sky" , her voice weak and struggling, collapsing backwards as the baby finally slipped into his mother's arms. He was torn between his child and his wife, the one who seemed not to respond to his words and the one who was new life.

When Serafina did finally wake, she shook the weird images out of her head and let them disappear. No idea where they'd come from, she'd learned to ignore dreams long ago. However, there was still the matter of her PoliSci class. One skipped day wouldn't hurt, right? Plus she was still...no, she really wasn't. Maybe she just wanted to play hooky and go for a ride on Bubbles. She went to her first 2 classes that day...and lunch. Even though her appetite was not there in the least.

But rather than riding Bubbles or going to class...she went back to sleep. She was just exhausted. Stripping back out of her clothes with surprising ease given the extent of her injuries the day before, she crawled between the sheets and fell almost instantly asleep.  

[Psychofish]

Tei Kae

"I'll mend as I always do by your hand. my Sky" , her voice weak and struggling, collapsing backwards...

My Firebrand...?

The words came in a jumble, his body not working right, heart jumping into his throat, pounding frantically like wardrums. Someone was holding him back- he jolted upright, thrashed against his sheets and tried to call out to her-

The words died on his lips as he realized with horror that he couldn't remember her name.

And then his knees hit the floor beside the bed hard, hands scarcely catching him before his face followed suit. His head cast up, tossed white hair in his vision as he frantically cast his head back and forth. Where was he- what was- no, wait, this wasn't- he knew it. This room. His. But he had been somewhere else entirely, and his wife, his mother-

It was gone. It was millennia gone.

He had to get back. He fought to his feet, stumbled caught himself and looked around frantically back... back... to sleep? No, it was a dream. There was no back. It was the past. It was... gone, and now he sat here, heart raging in his chest, the world blurred to his eyes, and unable to stop the weak sounds from his lips. He was helpless. It was just a ghost.

Gone.

He shook, and helpless, chest pained, and cheated. He grasped the near-empty mug at his bedside, and with a feral snarl hurled it across the apartment, leaving a trail of droplets in its wake and exploding against the kitchenette wall- leaving nothing but a dent in the wall and shattered pieces raining down, clattering into his sink and knocking his timer to the floor with them, pieces falling and chattering to a final halt. His heart dropped, and he looked at the wreckage, with an urge to just turn all of it to ruin.

Braern materialized in the room, silvery twin daggers in hand, casting his eyes about frantically for a threat. The front door was ajar behind him- the main tell that he hadn't literally teleported into the room- but it seemed the only thing to have entered beside himself was the prince, and magic. But he wasn't a master enchanter, and that wasn't his purview. At the moment, he would have pitied anyone trying to tame the frantic energy the prince was whipping around himself.

"I am... fine. Braern." Skylar growled breathlessly, showing sharp fangs and elongated pupils, fingers clenched tight into a fistful of blanket. "I don't need you."

The bravo leaned back as if to take his leave for a moment, pausing for thought, and just as quickly put on his jolly manner. Skylar would have called it a mask, on any human. He wasn't so certain with the fey.

"No, not the mighty Prince of Kymru, Lordling to the Accord of Avalon. Great Skylar Pendragon," the dark skinned man swaggered over, tossing a mane of curls, and held down a hand to the prince. It was the first that Skylar noticed he'd fallen to one knee again, looking up at his friend. He panted for a moment, then slapped it away, standing on his own. Even so, the wild one looked rather pleased with himself as he did. It made it rather tempted to hit him, but Skylar swallowed the urge and stormed past him to pull his robe down and cover himself.

"You dropped your glamour, Braern."

His guard glanced down at himself, and then back up, flashing his own fangs in a wide grin. "Aye, I did. Look more fearsome this way, don't I?" His nose was even more elongated, and instead of a smooth shaved face showed a short beard, impenetrably thick black hairs spreading overly far, almost like fur if they hadn't been carefully stylized, leading up into a head of black curls that looked almost literally like a mane now. His eyes were golden, shining, pupils and iris spread until there was little white visible in them, and his skin a few shades darker yet, as much so as human skin ever seemed to go. He tapped a sharp nail against a pommel, waiting for a reaction, then made a sound of disgust as Skylar ignored him to go and clean up instead, straightening his posture and putting his dagger away- glamour flashing back on almost as if the motion had restored it. "What's all this then, anyway, hmm?" He followed Skylar, shutting the front door and then leaning against the bathroom door way to speak to the man as he showered.

"Just a gift," he replied past the rushing water, eyes closed and slowly steadying his pulse and breathing, letting him relax and let go instead of pulling all the life from the air around him as if he was about to go to battle with it. "From my mother."

Braern gave a long whistle after a short pause, evidently knowing enough to understand. Then again, perhaps he just had a healthy Fey respect for gifts given. "Sounds like you brought this on yourself then, cous."

"...yes. Yes I did."

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His classes seemed empty. In truth, more students were there than usual, but it was a Monday, and many were reluctantly so, tired and absentminded. It went slow, especially as his mind was preoccupied more than it should have been as well, lecturing students through information and answering questions without needing to stop to think. Mechanical. He'd have to learn to adapt to this better, or it was going to do quite a number on him. For once, he felt tired as well, dragging through his day. That rarely happened, even when he'd scarcely slept. He supposed the great enthusiasm and exploding energy of his scarce-awake students was only helping with that.

It was particularly clear as he began with the polisci lessons, waiting for some form of interruption or show. He didn't even notice she was gone at first, acting automatically, but somewhere along the line his eyes shifted across the room, and noted that the front seats were emptier than normal. He stopped to glance toward the back for a moment, frowned slightly, and continued.

He felt the need to lay his head down again, but he made himself carry out his day. He had labs yet, after that, the whole point of it all. And he feared what would come with sleep just enough to not want to cross that threshold yet.

When he finally was done for the day he returned to his room and sat for a time, rubbing his temples and working the exhaustion from them. He considered, only briefly, going to chastise the girl, but he didn't have the energy to go purposely looking for a fight at the moment. Which seemed the inevitable result of the two of them being in a room where they weren't forced to observe social niceties and maintain the proper images. As it was, he had to ward of Braern who seemed who showed up with very 'affectionate' giggling women on hand, whom he seemed quite slyly insistent would simply be thrilled if Skylar would come along and cut loose with them for a night. He was concerned there might have been some minor glamour at work on some students- though they could just as easily have been well chosen escorts (a safer option), or a pair of minor Fey hiding their energies quite well (a much less safe option, if also more alluring).

He called his friend a satyr, and sent him on his way, and sat to consider for a while what came next. He meant to continue wearing it. He had started this path- one night, no matter how intense, was not justifiable reason to cut losses. It could always get worse. But perhaps that didn't matter. He could learn to control it yet. And then... he'd have much to learn, and a great deal more power at his fingertips. The costs would likely be worth it. After all, he had a role to play yet, and even if he didn't know what it was, he would need to be prepared.

Hoping that his student hadn't maimed herself further, and his friend hadn't actually bitten off more than he could chew (unlikely, unless, perhaps, in event of that third possibility) he laid his head down, and resigned himself to what would come when he managed to fall asleep.  

[Tei Kae]

She slept harder and longer than she meant to, and when she woke on the following day, it was once again to a scaly hide pushing into her head. "Ugh...cut it out, Bubbles..."Shoving the tooth filled face away from her own. She'd had dreams again last night and she couldn't remember them, yet they seemed important somehow. If a ghost was bothering her again, she'd....do something. She still hadn't figured out what to do about unwelcome visitors of the ghostly nature but one day...

Crawling out of bed, she was even further surprised, she didn't feel anything beyond a few aches and pains. And she didn't have that weird aftertaste that some magic healing gave her. "We'll go flying tonight.", shoving his face away from her again as she made her way into the bathroom to clean up. It wasn't long after, she was leather clad and smiling. Everything forcefully removed from her mind. "One class today, and then I'll see you after", letting the dragon look after her mournfully as she headed to the single class of the day and food.  

[Psychofish]

"Cadeyrn. Look."

He pointed, and the pale child beside him leaned close, squinting down the path of his finger. His little periwinkle eyes searched the distance with slowly waning patience, until he gave a small cry of excitement. In the distance, a shape moved between the thick trees and sparse undergrowth, a large buck, still young by the size of it's rack. Plenty big enough for the silver-haired child to bounce on his heels in excitement though, looking up at him in a way that made his chest flush with warmth.

The small boy raised his bow slowly, focusing, but judged soon enough that he wouldn't be able to make the shot, not from here. His bow was still suitably tiny anyway. A squirrel it would do fine for, but he'd have had to get the arrow clean through an elk's eye to take it down with the size of his arrows. Still, Cadeyrn looked up to him expectantly.

"Father, can we get it?"

He smiled, creeping slowly forward until the elk looked their way- freezing carefully, and staying put and silent even after it had looked away again. "Probably. But it's too big for us to bring it back alone." He didn't raise his bow, and his son made a small sound of disappointment. The beast was still cautious, but it picked its way through anyway, king of its world. Someday, what Cadeyrn might be. A king. His son wanted to learn to be a warrior, the legacy of his mother and father, but while he always tried to barter for lessons in war instead of hunting, he was excited when the time came all the same. And there were important lessons here that he would need, before he held the power over men's lives.

"We could take part of it. And it would make grandmother very happy- I bet she'd let me mount the antlers in the hall..." he wheedled, trying to bargain his father into it.

Skylar laughed- a deep, rich, rolling chuckle, fluid enough that it didn't stir the elk's attention as he patted Cadeyrns head, wondering absently if it would someday be the rich shade of his mother's. Choices long to come yet. "Yes, she would. But we'll let it grow. Next time, you'll be big enough to haul it back so we can feast, and it's rack will be even bigger."

Cadeyrn looked up at him, slightly perturbed, but his son seemed to accept the answer all the same. Patience could be a difficult thing to teach a child.They watched until it vanished from sight, and then a brief time after. Satisfied, Skylar reached down to ruffle his son's hair before they went to hunt for squirrels on their way back.

His hand pressed over empty air, and he sat up slowly, stretching and luxuriating in the early morning light. He must have been dreaming. Skylar ran his hands through his hair, pushing it back, and stared for a moment.

"Cadeyrn?"

He waited for an answer, but none came. After a time, he understood why. Climbing out of bed, Skylar pushed curtains aside and spent his next several minutes simply staring out across the landscape of the campus, watching tiny shapes move on the ground, some lazed and others hurried, observing distantly and never minding his nudity. Treading on a deep well of emotions again, but this time they came quiet and gentle, not frantic and raging. He wasn't sure it was any better. After a time, he went to start the shower and begin his day. Whatever would get him away from here more quickly.

The apartment had always seemed so small and cozy to him. Now, it felt too large and lonely. For a man whom often preferred solitude, it was not a comfortable shift.

The rest of his day went similarly slow, dragging himself from one event to the next, through classes and labs, distracted even when doing the work he normally took to with a fervor. It was long, entirely too long, and when it was done he stared at the thing hanging around his neck with distaste for a long moment, and then gave a sigh and laid down, wearing it again.

Tuesday's night passed alike, in some ways. He remembered some of the dream- suits, not modern, but something he could actually recognize. Probably within only a handful of generations past, as he tried to recall lightbulbs- no, he thought it had been mostly lanterns, but still, a sudden shift from memories so old to one's relatively fresh. He'd been in a court setting, with a rather charming blonde that he'd been courting. Perhaps another one of his wives. Only her friend had kept interfering- the woman just simply didn't seem to like him, no matter how much the rest of the room always did. He'd dealt admirably with navigating her harassment all night, and then finally cornered her alone and confronted her. Raised voices- what came from there he remembered all too vividly.

He took a cold shower, and showed up to his classes on time, tired again, distracted and brief, losing some of the charm he normally made sure to put out. Brisk and to the point. The students probably just figured he was having a bad day, and the difficult part was he couldn't even decide if it was the case or not.

Miss Veli was absent in class again. It was a small point of annoyance piled on top of everything else, but for some reason that one ate at him. It didn't help that the class was entirely boring without anyone who was going to challenge him with actual worthwhile points. She was the voice of the class in a lot of ways- one of the smarter ones, heartier debaters, an instigator. Not nearly as many even raised their hands without her to kick things off. It was defiance perhaps, but the alternative was simply detestable.

He sent her an email regarding the absences and the assignment he'd given in class, paper due for Monday. The notes relevant for their exam before break he didn't bother with- that was her responsibility after all, if she hadn't gotten herself killed somehow, and he left it at that. After all, it would only have created a trail if he'd mentioned her injuries by the email, and he had enough respect for the cretin to follow her wishes on keeping that quiet.

Things only continued, until Friday when she missed again. Thoroughly annoyed now, he looked for her counselor, and found out the girl had been making her other classes. It set his teeth on edge, but he had greater concerns. He sparred with Braern (and only won when his friend threw it) and played chess (and won except for when he threw it) and even went to socialize with him once. It seemed to work to relieve him for a time, until as he warmed up to one particular girl his imagination went to work.

When he realized exactly what it was he was hungering for after tired days and nights of overpowering dreams, he decided to spare her. Few, he imagined, would have taken kindly to that many bruises and marks.

The loss of a friend. A domestic situation where he lived with a very minor princess, sweeter than he could have imagined if not particularly bright or worldly, Cadeyrn again, battles and blood, standing at a tree older even than his mother and taking a deep breath, removing his shoes and feeling the power of the world flowing through its roots and into the earth swell up in him until he couldn't help but cry out-

Each night was different. Some were pleasant, leaving him feeling slightly robbed and reminiscent. Some were terrifying, frantic, or violent. Every one seemed emotionally charged, so much so he had to imagine it was worse even than it could have actually been being there. It added up bit by bit. Bit by bit. Night by night. Day by day.

Either it was going to make him very strong indeed, or he was going to go mad.  

[Tei Kae]

It was with a much easier heart that Serafina landed Bubbles on the roof of her building on Friday night. The wilderness and the wind helped calm her, and kept the dreams at bay. She'd tried talking about it with her father, but even he seemed to have no answers for her, telling her that if she couldn't handle the work, she could come home. Of course, that upset her mother and they had a row about the whole thing. Before disappearing to make up. Not like it really mattered. She wasn't a quitter.

Unsaddling Bubbles, she made her way down the fire escape till she reached her own bedroom, and crawled back in. Everything was as she left it and yet it felt empty. Deciding that enough was enough and refusing to be maudlin, she pulled out a phone and made a few calls.

So it was that Monday morning, she was all shades of perky and happy as she rode into her PoliSci class on the back of her classmate Peter who was one of the ones who had gotten invited to the party. Laughing, her arms around his neck, her own backpack slung upon her shoulders, it was easy to see his strength and genuine good nature as the group of them laughed. 2 days of partying, thankfully not badly enough to get campus police called. With a lot of people she didn't know. Including one who stared at her rather intensely. She hadn't gotten to talk to him, but she felt his eyes watching her throughout the party and the night after except when he wasn't there but for some reason he stuck out in her mind.

It was a boisterous party, and she was sure her bed had gotten used for more than just sleeping by more than one person, but no fights had broken out between her keeping Dapper Dandy's Delivery on speed dial and people bringing their own booze to supplement hers which seemed to high class for most of them. Come Monday morning though, she started kicking people out to their classes even though she was the only one to awaken early enough to check her email and realize she had a paper due. It wasn't her best work, and likely deserved a C should that be what he gave it, but at least she wasn't turning in nothing.

"Peter, let me down! They have seats here!"but she was laughing through the reprimand as the rest of the class watched the comical entrance. Class had not officially begun but everyone was there, after all, it was test review day and midterms were only 2 weeks away.

"Neiiiighhhh~!", he mocked, hitching her higher on his hips as he galloped around the classroom like a fool.  

[Psychofish]

Class was subdued, several of the students seemed missing or sleeping, oddly for a test review day, but among those whom he expected to see all of the time, all were present. Well, all but one, but that was an expected development by this point. Still, no matter how normal he looked he felt like there might have been dark bags under his eyes. Sitting, sipping coffee, he fronted a few questions as students trickled in one by one.

Or two by two.

His eyes snapped up- humor was no part of his mood, after one particularly short, but vivid dream where he visited a historical site, in some post-renaissance century. It was very naturalistic, the wing of the castle, and everything seemed rather familiar. It had been maybe vaguely sad moment, looking at things he recognized from another life, shapes he knew he should have known, if only they'd been a bit clearer. He found a series of trees growing in one of the small courtyards, and knelt at it with his wife, whom seemed bemused, a normal sightseer. He moved to one in particular, and knelt, almost without thinking, clearing away moss from the faint, faded writing on a stone plaque at it's foot.

Cadeyrn Pendragon I.

He'd woken himself with his tears and found Braern waiting outside his door when he was finally pulled together and ready for the day, choking it all down and drowning it out with sheer force of will and stuffing himself into his petty, irrelevant schedule, fitting the whims of morons with no more foresight than the most basic preservation of knowledge, looking at him with a strange mixture of sympathy and confusion. He didn't need pity.

And he most certainly didn't need this.

Skylar sat very still, letting the young man complete one small circuit about the front, statue's eyes tracing his motion while the rest of the students went quiet or laughed watching. "Mister Chakowski," he drawled, voice ice.

He'd have a few seconds seconds to heed the warning, Skylar watching with one leg kicked up, foot flicking like the tail of an angry cat. And then all at once he'd explode to his feet, palms striking the desktop hard enough to make his coffee rattle nearly off its coaster.

"MISTER CHAKOWSKI." He started with a roar, pupils shrinking and sharpening, shaded by furrowed brows. "IF you are a beast of burden, kindly exit my classroom. If you are prepared to behave like a human being," his voice dropped from a snarl toward a hiss, leaning forward, "Get. In. Your. Seat."

He watched for a moment, closing his eyes as his head throbbed, and tried to let tension slide out of his shoulders as his eyes slide with an icy glare toward Serafina. He'd already been showing uncharacteristic impatience in front of the class, breaking the facade slightly, first Friday and now this morning, worn nearly too far to care about that proper image by trying to cope with everything and keep himself him- not to slip into old memories, old thoughts, or thinking about long past tasks and meaning to go speak with long dead persons.

"Miss Veli," he said, demeanor sheer ice, lips curling. It was technically a smile, he managed that much. She'd probably be able to tell that his urge was more just to bare his teeth. "So kind of you to grace us with your presence this morning. Now, Miss Greyer, you had been saying...?" he turned his head away from her, but the questions seemed to have dried up entirely- or at the very least, none of the students were ready to be the first to speak to him at the moment.

With a sigh, he sank heavily into his seat, and glanced at the clock, class to begin shortly.  

[Tei Kae]

A pin dropping would have been heard in the moments after Skylar Pendra's outburst. Even Peter stopped and looked at the TA, although he did not immediately drop Serafina from his grasp. Finally, the girl herself got his attention, tapping his shoulder and so let herself down, perhaps a bit more solemn than usual.

Peter moved towards his seat at the second hissing reprimand as did Serafina, neither saying anything as they seated, pulling their respective papers from bags. It was only as he rebuked the girl did she bristle slightly, giving thought to the idea of giving him a piece of her mind. It wasn't even class time yet, but honestly, she wanted nothing to do with him. Even if he hadn't caused the dreams directly, they'd been happening since his visit and she didn't want to take a chance of them reoccurring now that they seemed quieter.

Once class began, she focused on her paper, surprisingly taking notes and not questioning any of his statements or the theories behind them. And when the papers were turned in, and the review sheets out, class was over, and she slung her backpack back on and headed to the door and to find the next distraction.  

[Psychofish]

It was a long day.

Somehow at the end of it he found himself sitting quietly with Braern, going through a stack of papers- he would have preferred to stagger his work with the rest of it, but he was working as much or more off the schedules and priorities of professors as a rule, and they all seemed to think they had found the perfect timetable. Indeed it must have been if every single one of them used it. His guard sat near the oven, which he'd impatiently put something in to cook, but seemed almost to care more for the heat radiating from it than the actual task. He had his chair pulled up nearly right in front of it, and was seated with his stomach against it's back, arms crossed atop it with his chin buried in them, feet tucked up onto its rungs.

He watched Skylar for a long time like that while his concoction cooked, apparently not too hot since it hadn't burnt yet, clearly disinterested in the actual work he was doing.

"You need to shake things up sooner or later. This mood of yours is driving me to distraction, and I'm sick of trying to force cheer on you, oh Prince of Pickiness."

Skylar paused, staring at nothing and flicking a nail against his pen. He made two quick scratch marks before he replied. "It is not my intent to make you suffer, Braern. You can go and enjoy yourself until I have need of you." He looked over his shoulder, and the other man huffed, rolling his eyes and stretched one long leg out in front of himself before putting it up again.

"This playing human bit of yours was boring, but it almost worked for you for a while. Now, things are changing, and it's sinking like a rock. And you've tied yourself to it." He weighed in his two sense without a hint of doubt, nodding thoughtfully. "Listen to your better half. Time to make a change."

Skylar turned away and worked at the page for few minutes, finishing his notes and scratched a grade into the paper. He sat and stared for a moment at it before standing and turning to look at Braern, who looked entirely too innocent for the moment. He knew Fey. He knew better. But it still seemed earnest enough.

"This coming from your concern for my wellbeing, or your desire to create mischief?" The other man just gave him a wide grin that said he knew far more than he was saying.

"I can multitask."

That was how he found himself, half an hour later, climbing the stairs of a dorm complex with a sense of purpose, coat catching on the wind and disregarding it tussling his hair a bit for once- he only bothered to run a hand quickly over it to fix it as he arrived, before rapping sharply twice on the door, and waiting with a blank look. He did try to swallow the blazing competing needs to sulk, draw blood, and simply cut loose that all seemed to war about his less refined portion of mindspace.

When the door opened, he'd pointedly shift his toe forward to block it's closing in the least obvious way possible. "Serafina."