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 Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:27 am
Despite that there were the tragedies of two students dying in the same night, Malory still had to get her studying done. With all the talk and gossip, crying and mourning, and wailing and yelling, this was not going to be accomplished in the dorm rooms or study rooms. So she opted to go outside.
She took with her a blanket, a few textbooks, a couple notebooks, and a writing utensil (the pen was her preference, for she rarely made mistakes she'd have to erase). She picked out a tree on the grass, a solitary one with no one around it, and laid out the blanket. She sat down, being careful to set her skirt down just so, mindful of it not getting any wrinkles, picked up a textbook, and began to read up on her history.
Periodically between reading, she would grab her red notebook and jot down dates and important information which she would then restudy later. She had already finished all her homework for the day, and was merely trying to get in her two hours of self-study peacefully and, most importantly, quietly.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:44 am
In the end, the atmosphere of the school had become too much. It wasn't that Sam was oversensitive or anything, but he wasn't cold hearted. Even if he'd barely known the two students, it didn't mean he wasn't sad to hear about it - or that he didn't feel for the people that were left behind. So to take his mind off it, there was one thing that would do the trick every time. He'd grabbed his camera (digital - an older model by now, but it still did the job), shoved some goodies to snack on into a baggie, and tromped outside for a few pictures.
Sure, he'd taken pictures outside a thousand and one times before. But there was always a new angle waiting to be found somewhere, a shot begging to be captured and expressed. At first he'd hung close to the bushes - then hunkered down beside the trunk of the tree - but to anyone that'd known him long enough, it was no big surprise when he scrambled right up and vanished in amongst the branches. Anything for a good shot, and height was always an advantage. Plus the way the light was hitting the leaves when it slipped through the clouds made for an even better shot.
When he got like that though, it was easy for seconds to tick into minutes. And he was focused enough on his shot that he didn't even notice as someone settled down at the base of his tree. So it was no wonder he was oblivious when he eased back on his branch to whip out a bar of chocolate, the rustling of the package being torn to shreds filtering through the air. The fact that the silvery wrapper went fluttering to the ground was an accident, though. He'd meant to hold onto it. But somehow the breeze had caught a hold of it, and boom, there it went.
Sam floundered for it for a second, then sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Didn't mean to litter -- ah well. If he found it later, he'd just pick it up then.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:08 pm
Calm and content, reading through one of the shorter chapters, Malory felt at peace, detached from the world (and glad of it). But, the peace was not to last. Suddenly a very blatant, and shiny, reminder of the real world fluttered down on a gentle breeze, right on top of the pages she was reading.
At first she was disgusted. Not only was this a trash wrapper, but there were still chocolate sediments clinging meltily onto the forsaken piece of plastic which could cause damage to her precious textbook. She picked it up between her thumb and forefinger, not wanting to touch more of it than she absolutely had to, and looked left and right for the culprit. Other than a few people walking in the distance, there didn't seem to be anyone close enough to have dropped it.
Then, she remembered how it had come down like a leaf falling off a tree. Not wanting to believe there was actually someone above her, she very slowly tilted her head back, red eyes seething and discontent. And there, on the branches, sat a boy with shocking pink hair, just leaning back against the tree, and eating chocolate which had obviously come from the wrapper she was holding. As if littering wasn't enough, she was pretty sure climbing onto trees was against some sort of regulation as well.
Absolutely unacceptable.
She cleared her throat as she got ready to lecture the trash-boy. "Pardon me!" She announced, "but I do believe littering is statutory and finable offensive. It is people like you, that cannot be bothered to find a trash can, even if it is only 5 feet away from you, that contribute to the depredation of our society. In the 14th century, increased waste in Europe was a catalyst for the bubonic plague. Not only that, but because they are made of mixed materials, they are extremely difficult to break down in recycling plants, and that much harder for Mother Nature to do herself. You are helping spread disease and adding to the deterioration of the Earth! I hope you are ashamed of yourself!" All the while shaking the wrapper rather angrily at him.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Sam wobbled on his branch when he heard someone clear their throat, and tightened his legs around it as he peered down over the side at the source of the voice. A girl sitting neat and prim atop a blanket with what looked like her entire classroom in tow, glaring up at him and brandishing the wrapper at him like it was a weapon of mass destruction. Which, given the way she was going on about it, it might as well have been.
He tried to listen to what she was saying, but it was kind of hard to take it all with a straight face. She had to be kidding, right? It would be his luck, he thought to himself as he took another nibble of his chocolate. Of all the people to drop his wrapper on, it'd be one of the super-green residents of the school. "Hey, sorry, " he called down cheerfully, waving down at her. "I sorta dropped it - gee, though. I didn't know candy wrappers caused the bubonic plague though. Learn something new every day. Better be careful where you're shaking that thing."
He flashed a playful grin at her, even though he knew the second those words left his mouth this probably wouldn't end well. She didn't look the type to joke around. But he'd been wrong before. Either way, that didn't mean it'd stop him.
Sam leaned back again, licking the traces of chocolate from his lips as he peered down at her thoughtfully. "Hey. You're the girl that makes all those origami sculptures, right?" he called down, eyeing the decorations she had atop her head with renewed interest. He'd seen it before, but not like this. Usually at a distance at best.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:52 pm
"Hey, sorry. I sorta dropped it - gee, though. I didn't know candy wrappers caused the bubonic plague though. Learn something new every day. Better be careful where you're shaking that thing."
The boy's nonchalant attitude only made Malory's scowl deeper. "West Nile and Malaria are the diseases caused by litter in this day and age." She said slow and bitterly, almost like she would have ended the sentence with 'you brainless dolt'. Here she was, explaining for his benefit the wrongness of his ways, and he was just smiling and acting like an idiot, as if ignorance absolved him of his crime.
"Hey. You're the girl that makes all those origami sculptures, right?"
Her scowl lessened a bit at his inquiry. She wasn't sure if she felt proud by him noticing her craft, or if she felt appalled to be known by trash like him. "I am. And I take my work quite seriously, thank you very much." Despite that her opinion of him was lowest of the low, it did raise about a millimeter that he could recognize her talent.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:14 pm
Sam tried to fight back a bout of laughter, barely succeeding. He didn't make a habit out of laughing at people, honest. But come on. West Nile from a chocolate bar? "Right. Sorry I passed my Malaria ridden wrapper off on you, then. Won't happen again, promise, " he swore, crossing his hand over his chest. "I've learned the error of my ways, fair lady. At least it's not swine flu, right?"
He shifted his weight on the branch, still staring down at the top of her head more than at the girl herself, intrigued. "I can tell, " he admitted, flashing her a lopsided smile. There was still a hint of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. "You do some pretty amazing stuff. I've snapped some pictures of your work before - doesn't do justice to the real thing though. I never knew somebody could work paper so tiny."
It wasn't something said just to say it, either. Whenever he had caught sight of her stuff, it'd been damn impressive. No matter if she thought she was going to get yellow fever from a garbage can or what, couldn't deny talent when it was there. He wasn't an avid fan or anything, but it was nice enough to look at. "Name's Samuel by the way - just Sam's fine. Don't think I ever got your's."
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:12 pm
""I've learned the error of my ways, fair lady. At least it's not swine flu, right?"
You had better have learned your lesson, she thought to herself. She could still tell he wasn't taking this seriously at all, just like all those other ignorant people in the world. They all think 'I'm just one person, what could possible come of it', and when millions of people think like that, that's when bad things happen. And even then people still feel it's not their fault since they didn't contribute 'the majority' of the problem. Ignorant fools.
Malory didn't notice the trash-boy staring more at her hair than her face since her own attention was focused solely on that gleaming spot of chocolate next to his mouth. How could he possibly stand having that bit of desecration there while incessantly 'flapping his yap' to her?
"You do some pretty amazing stuff. I've snapped some pictures of your work before - doesn't do justice to the real thing though. I never knew somebody could work paper so tiny."
She tore her eyes away from him, ashamed at herself for getting so caught up with the appearance of scum like him. "There are few people in the world with the patience or talent required to produce small works of art." He was sure feeding her ego, which she didn't mind, she deserved it after all. "To make small works of art, one must also become adept at creating them in their larger sizes. I have worked very hard to get to the level I am today." With a kind of 'hrumph' in her tone, she made sure to point out just how skilled she was, while also assuring him that her talent was not the gift of any kind of luck.
"Name's Samuel by the way - just Sam's fine. Don't think I ever got your's."
Oh slang, how she loathed thee. Malory didn't even use contractions in her daily speech because she's always so put off by people having to chop up and slur their sentences just to get them across at a faster rate. Still she took it in stride, calmly correcting his speech, "You mean, 'My name is Samuel', and 'I don't think I ever got your name." She let there be a momentary silence so her lesson in grammar could sink in. "My name is Malory Gerard, Samuel." She wasn't fond of nicknames either.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:54 pm
It wasn't that Sam was oblivious to her tone, words that said he wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know. He was aware. He just didn't bother to get worked up over it. It took a lot to get the boy worked up over anything, really. "I bet there aren't, " he supplied readily, toying with the heart laden pin on his jacket as he leaned back against the tree again. "I had a hard time believing that stuff was really all made out of paper - how big do you usually start off?" He kind of wondered how long she had to practice to get skilled at something like that. Then again, he was always snapping pictures left and right.
He had a feeling she'd hate for him to compare his area of expertise with his own. She'd probably think taking pictures didn't take any real skill at all - maybe she'd be sort of right. The pink haired boy shook his head, derailing the train of thought before it even had the chance to start.
In spite of the makeshift grammar lesson, his smile still didn't waver. "Riiight... that. Sure." His vivid green eyes were bright as he leaned down again, taking a better hold of the camera dangling from around his neck. "Nice to meet you, Malory - hey. Can I get a picture?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:18 pm
At the very least, Trash-bo....Samuel seemed to have a genuine interest in her art. For the sake of educating the poor fool, she entertained his inquiries. "It depends entirely on the complexity of the final product. For the more complicated works, like the statues, I start off with particularly large sheets of paper, so that any mistakes early on are clearly visible. There is also value in unfolding finished origami, to learn how it has taken shape, and to study the crease lines as well." Ah yes, the tediousness of learning a new origami pattern. Of course, for a personality like Malory's, it was that very tediousness that she loved. Being able to earn your art through hard work made it all the more valuable.
As he got a better hold of his camera, Malory became worried that he may lose his balance and fall. Not for the reasons most people would, but simply for the fact that she did not want him to fall on her, nor was she particularly enthused about having to find help should he become injured. "Please be careful. I would prefer that you not fall out of that tree." Her voice came out concerned; concerned for herself, sure, but concerned all the same.
She was about to reply to his pleasant "nice to meet you" with a not-so-pleasant "I would have preferred not to," but suddenly the boy was wanting to take her picture! "A picture?! Whatever for?" She looked at him like he had said the most ridiculous thing on earth, and she may have even laughed at him if not for the fact that she hardly smiled, let alone laughed, on a regular basis.
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Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:58 pm
And he did. Sam listened intently as she spoke, fascinated to hear everything that went into it. "Wow... you must put a ton of time into doing this, huh?" he murmured. "I remember the first time I saw one of your works, that flower bouquet they put on display. I didn't even realize it was made of paper at first."
He was sadly done with his chocolate, licking his lips to wipe away the last traces of the sweet treat. Except for the blotch of brown on his cheek, still blissfully unaware. A light smile lit the pink haired boy's lips. "Don't worry. I'm careful - haven't fallen yet." Naturally, he didn't know the real reason she was worried. The fact that she was worried about his well-being kind of took him off-guard, in a good way. Malory really wasn't all bad, not at all.
Why a picture? Because he really liked that thing on her head. It was intriguing, complex, shiny, and rather delightful. It looked very nice in her hair, and with the right breeze, both she and the ornament would make for one amazing shot. Especially in this lighting. But he got the feeling that wasn't going to be a good enough excuse to act as her personal papparazzi. So it was time to improvise. "To go with the pictures of your art, " he supplied simply, flashing her a sweet smile. "Everyone should know what a truly devoted genius looks like."
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:57 am
"Of course! I put every effort into making my craft seem as real as possible." She stated matter-of-factly. Most people didn't care for Malory's overbearing pride, and how she made them feel like idiots on a regular basis. But then, Malory knew what she was doing and didn't mind in the slightest, since they were all idiots.
'Don't worry' he says, she mocked in her mind. I suppose he did not realize that the key word in his sentence was 'yet'. She grimaced, not at all reassured by his smile. It was always those happy-go-lucky types that were bound to do something stupid sooner or later. Malory was simply hoping for later in this instance, as by later, she should be far, far away from him.
She saw him eyeballing her head, unaware that the sole focus was on her hair ornament. It wouldn't have been the first time a boy had come on to her just because she looked pretty, but she was always quick to shut them down, harshly. She had been about to say something, that despite his admiration, there was no way in Dante's 9 rings of Hell that she'd have anything more to do with him than absolutely required by society, but then he made the "Everyone should know what a truly devoted genius looks like." statement. This prompted an often stated quote to pass Malory's lips. "One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius..." she recited softly. It was something written by Simone de Beauvoir, a French philosopher, theorist, and feminist, someone whom Malory greatly admired. Her near permanent scowl finally softened for the first time since talking at length to Samuel.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 3:11 pm
Whether or not Sam knew where the quote originated from, the pink haired boy easily found himself nodding in agreement. "That's true." That part wasn't a fib, or an exaggeration, nothing but truth. It was why he second-guessed his own 'gift' so much. "I think maybe some people are born with more talent than others, but that doesn't do them any good if they don't work at it. I've got more respect for somebody with the drive and passion to work for what they want than somebody who gets by on sheer dumb luck, you know? They're the people that really deserve to be acknowledged, especially if they had to work twice as hard to get there."
He grinned sheepishly and shrugged, toying with his camera between his hands. Never mind he still swore up and down he was one of those people who'd only ended up here through that sheer dumb luck. He still tried his hardest though, in his own ways. "I mean... I don't know. I'm just sort of rambling now, huh?"
Really. Way to go off on a tangent, Sammy boy. That scowl had just lost its icy edge. Maybe it would have been better to quit while he was ahead here. But still. He'd gone this far for it; might as well go for the gold.
"So... about that picture?"
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