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 Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:34 pm
It happened on a rumor. A dropped name happening shortly after returning from The Island. A band of horsemen that were said to have arrived. The word alone caught Calder’s interest. Horsemen. Horse. Men. Men that were horses. He heard the name before, vaguely, but it wasn’t connected to his kind’s mythology. Their beliefs. He read books upon books on his culture recently to prepare for his exam, but horsemen never came up. That didn’t mean he wasn’t interested, and didn’t daydream handsome boils in all sort of arranged anatomy mash-ups with various equine features. Slender Equine legs or more humanoid? Ears or no, and what would be best to nibble on? Did these horsemen travel in a group, were there a set of twins that didn’t mind sharing a lover, and were they, most importantly, available?
Investigation was in order, and Calder went out to find out more. A few people who had met such characters had nothing great to say about them, muttering curses and bitter words, not even wanting to remember their time at the Island. It was a hard subject to bring up after all. Even Calder disliked thinking about it, but he was more than steamed to find out that a lot of people had met these horsemen and he had no encounter with them!
There was also quick news that a horseman boil had been about during Open House and Calder all but cried out at missing him. Having two booths to run had taken all his time and he didn’t have time to search all over Halloweentown to find these boils.
It was, though luck, that he found one online. Just one. It seemed, to his great disappointment, that there only seemed to be one. Horsemen was a MISLEADING NAME! There were ghouls! GHOULS! He didn’t know what they looked like, but he all but cried on his keyboard at finding out. However, there was hope. Hope in the name of Invictus. A lovely name suited for, as the picture so graciously allowed him to gander, a lovely boil.
He spent countless times refreshing his page, reading questions on groanspring to better know this boil. A boil who seemed rather straight to the point, but probably harbored a lot of passion. Soon Calder was writing back, name hidden of course as was his fashion, to poke and prod for information. It wasn’t until a question had caught his attention. Invictus didn’t decline invitations. Calder prodded further and was left with a small hope that ballooned into a larger one.
A hope for a big event in his life. His first ever prom.
It was, on the first few days that Calder got word of the boil being enrolled, that he stalked him. The moment he targeted him, he kept him in his sights, and tried to pick out his pattern. Each time anyone came close to the boil, he worried. Would they ask him out? Was he too late?! Time was of the essence and Calder was NOT going stag!
It was on this day, hidden in the library, that Calder watched the boil. He certainly didn’t look horse-like in any sense of the word, but his adorable look of indifference and tiny, cute horns made up for it. He even had white hair streaked with black, something that made Calder think of other kelpie boils his age.
Pressed against a bookshelf, he tried to calm himself. This was it. He’d march over and in a lovely, soft voice, introduce himself. Then, through clever, easy talk, he would lead up to the prom. A “Do you have plans for Prom?” or maybe a “I’m sure a handsome boil like you has a date for prom, yes?” and then faking surprise, he’d invite him to the prom with him. It would work.
Calder looked over the shelf at the boil in question, sitting in a far off chair. Oh, he looked perfect.
Breathing deep, Calder ran his hands threw his hair, adjusted his scarf, and flicked his tail to make sure it looked good. Then, holding his breath, he started to head to the boil. This was it.
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Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:52 pm
There had been at least a century of time under his belt in the wretched, but fascinating, world of the ant-like humans. The months spent on that wretched island had done much to sour his mood when it came to those horrid small creatures and all of their intriguing evolutions and explorations. They were horrible...wonderful creatures. Now that he was without their amusement to make a goal out of ruining their lives in a humorous manner.
Then again, Invictus's idea of humor was helping turn the humans against each other and starting world wide wars.
Delicious, beautiful wars. Though the wars were something that Eris had done best in, over all. The four heirs hadn't spent too much time together, so their experience as a group was limited. Limited to that cursed island and its fog.
Its horrible...horrible, nasty, disgusting fog and nasty little human creatures. The thought of them and their horrible island caused Invictus's nose to crinkle up and his fingers to clench as he seemed to leer angrily down at the page in the book he was reading on Chinese lore.
He nearly peeled the cover off of it in his distaste.
A few deep breaths, and Invictus brought himself back into the present moment, flipping through the pages of the book idly. However, he paused on one in particular featuring an equine-deer esque creature with scales and antlers for a lingering moment, before he flipped past it just as quickly as he had the others.
No.
Nope.
No.
Every page seemed to yield him nothing new. He knew all of this. Underneath his breath he muttered something in a heavily Chinese dialect before he picked up the next book and begun to flip through it as well.
By that point in time, it was probably already known to Calder that this particular horseman had made a point of picking up every book in succession to flip through it in something that resembled reading. Some took longer than others to read, however.
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Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 9:10 pm
Calder had never heard Chinese. His knowledge of such a place was bare bones at best, and even then he’d probable miss the mark when asked to identify what language the other boil was speaking. While he had a grand knowledge of his own kind and area of Halloween, he knew very little of any other place. Unlike the other boil, he hadn’t been anywhere but his clan lands and being at Amityville was his first time traveling away from home. Everything was new to him, and everyone was a new encounter to species, culture, and temperament.
As for Invictus current mood, it didn’t take a Plague Doctor to figure out that the boil wasn’t exactly in a chipper mood, and Calder almost stopped short to back away and wait for another, better time. It was only the reminder that if he hesitated, he could wind up missing his only chance at one of the best dates he would ever have. Slowly, warily, he continued towards the boil. It wasn’t like he was afraid of a scowl. Alabaster used to sneer all the time and it always melted Calder. That didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid.
It was times like this he wished he was undead as his heart beat against his chest like a herd of racing horses, their hooves beating against his ribcage and shaking him to the core. His hands gripped handfuls of his kilt, clenching it between his fingers as he prepared himself. It was only now that he thought it might have been a better idea to have brought a book along to pretend to be studying.
Gulping, he stopped just before the other boil, standing as rigid as a flag pole and looking with wide eyes. A small bead of sweat moved down the kelpie’s pale, perfect complexion, only marked by the flushing rose-petal pink of a blush.
His Adam’s Apple bobbed once as he swallowed.
Breathing deep, he opened his mouth and found that….he didn’t know what to say. His rehearsing in the Potent Poisons section of the library had all vanished in an instant, and he could pick up fragments but not how he started the conversation. His mouth attempted to start a word, but stopped short several times as his eyes darted from the lovely form of the studious boil (Making Calder wish he was the book in his lap), to the towering books beside him.
“HI!” He shouted, causing several heads to turn to see who just barked a hello. Calder whined inside his head at how high-pitched his voice went. “That!” He pointed to one of the books the boil was reading. “Can I look at that?!”
If Calder could burst into flames, it would probably help his chances right about now.
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Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:49 am
Invictus paused in his readings when the kelpie spoke, looking up from the text he had been reading with a more impassive expression than the one he'd been giving the book previously in his possession. Clearly he had no intention of misdirecting his anger onto anything, or anybody, else than what had exactly earned his scorn.
"It may serve you more knowledge than it is currently for myself." he spoke, his voice probably more childish than one would have expected of someone of her temperament, but not so much that it didn't sound like he hadn't gone through puberty yet.
However, it also seemed as though Invictus wouldn't be sparing Calder any extra attention with the single request he had made, the horsemen taking a moment to flip through the last of the pages in the new book, before he closed it and offered the book with one hand over to the kelpie.
The rest of his attention turned to the other books on the shelves, pulling the next one off of a shelf and beginning to flip through it in turn....with one hand. It would have been a rather impressive balancing act if it weren't for the fact that Invictus treated the motion as though it was water off of the back of a duck.
He clearly wasn't trying to be any level of impressive. In fact, Invictus didn't care if he was or not.
The new book at least seemed to interest the horseman a bit more fully as he took longer to flip through the pages than the previous two books he'd been reading.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:14 pm
Calder took the book and glanced down, raising an eyebrow at the title. Chinese mythology. Not something he expected, but at least he now had a bit more information on what the horseman was interested in and in this case, every little bit helped. Of course, it wasn't doing him much good now, and held the book tightly and tried to think of something more. Unfortunately, all he could think about was plastering his body with pages from the book he was reading in hopes the boil would just look at him.
He never was any good with first impressions. Then again, there never had been anyone near where he lived to impress…or even meet.
Licking his lips, he thought of a new idea. "You're new here? I haven't see you around." Of course he knew the boil was new, but it was all part of an act that would hopefully lead him to his main goal.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:12 pm
One book shouldn't have betrayed much about Invictus at all, but given that it happened to be accurate to him when Calder had asked was simply ironic. The horseman looked up at the kelpie again when he spoke up, his expression as impassive as it had been previously.
His lips tightened ever so slightly. Was he amused? It was possible.
The book in his hand snapped shut with a sudden WHUMP of the pages, before he moved it to rest more gently in the crook of his arm, turning to look at the kelpie, eyes narrowing a bit.
"In the scope of all things, you are new here, not myself. I have passed through these halls before. It was possibly long before yourself, or even your grandparents, were born." he said, his voice held no stiffness to it. He spoke with absolute purpose, no hesitation and no dancing around what exactly it was he was saying.
"I will give you spare points for bravery, as I seem to instill horror in your classmates; a delicious sentiment they spare me. However, if you have time for small talk, you have time to come out and simply say what it is you are intending to." He never broke the intense gaze he seemed to give, despite his lack of apparent interest. "It will save us both time and a lot more wasted effort in trying to segue a conversation awkwardly."
...
....
Blunt.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:25 pm
Calder stared, wide-eyed, as the boil went down the list of simple facts. Each one far more rewarding to hear than the horseman probably knew. The boil was an older man. A MUCH older man, and Calder's tail flicked quickly, instantly attracted to that notion. Older. More experienced. Not some jerky little child and hopefully not afraid of commitment. He was also serious, and didn't shy away from being up front. The confidence was also alluring, and he felt a delighted little spark dance up his spine. And as a cherry on top, he ordered him outright to speak his intent.
A horsemen...taking the reigns. It was such a turn on that he flushed, and he suddenly gripped the boil, placing both hands on the boil's shoulders and looking at him with intense purpose. He had to have him. Oh, if only he could have him now!
"Will you go to Prom with me?!"
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:51 pm
It certainly hadn't been the question Invictus was expecting, one brow lifting to break the very collected look he had on his face. It was another faint facial change, however. Then again, Calder probably would notice it for studying said face out of staring. None the less, Invictus held his hand out, obviously for the book that wasn't actually going to be read so he could replace it on the shelf.
However, unlike his immediate bluntness with demanding a reason for the small talk from the paler student (likely only paler because Invictus had dark streaks in his hair and horns), he took a long moment to think over the question.
Surely it wouldn't hurt him to mingle into a student event to get a feel for such students, plus it wasn't as though he had anything more pressing to work on with that particular evening...though the image of 'Prom Night Dumpster Baby' flashed through his mind from his time in the human world.
His lips tightened again.
He had the self control to avoid any such incident happening. In fact, he didn't need self control because he lacked the interest in anything regarding children and their conception.
Invictus looked back to Calder after he seemed to have sorted through his mind.
"I have no previous engagement for that evening. I can attend with you." he answered, as close to a 'yes' as the kelpie as he was going to get. However, it seemed to be followed up with another 'demand' of sorts; "Now that you have gotten that out of the way, are you going to introduce yourself?"
He seemed to reflect on this.
"I am Invictus."
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:13 pm
Calder froze, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as the boil before him first considered, and then accepted. It wasn't a outright yet, but he turned the words in his head enough times to come to know that's what was happening. Invictus was going out with him. A boil. A prom. He had gotten a date. The simple idea that he could lock elbows and walk arm in arm into Prom with this piece of eye-candy was enough to stop his heart and make him faint, which he almost did. Instead, he set his hand on the bookshelf beside him and tried not to topple to the ground. Wow. Did anyone else here sweet music or was the blood just rushing through his head too quickly?
It took him a moment to collect, and he jerked to attention when the boil introduced himself. While he might have smacked his forehead for forgetting that part in their introduction, it didn't matter as much anymore. He bagged his date already!
Reaching out, he clasped one of Invictus hands, not as a handshake, but to wrap both his arms around and look at him with an intense gaze. "And I'm Calder." He wanted to glee and hug the gorgeous boil but instead kept himself in check. "...and I will make sure you do not regret accepting me to Prom. I will be the best date ever. I promise you." He said this with such serious and with such intensity for someone as simple as a date. For Calder, this was serious. It was ROMANCE!
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Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:07 am
. . . .
It was certainly a very giddy response. That much Invictus didn't even bat an eyelash at. However, the horseman never had figured out just why it was such a reaction ever happened when it came to the emotional variety and not being completely shot down. Then again, Invictus had never actually been in the position where he was rejected. He'd made a point of never allowing it as an option.
However, having his hand clung to hadn't exactly been what he'd been expecting. He had been expecting the book to be handed back. Instead it was clinging and glee and giddiness! It could have been overwhelming if he had been anybody else. But Invictus took it all in a very casual stride.
Regal stride, even.
"Well then, Calder. I will expect nothing less than that from you." His standard at the Kelpie's promise was established without any hesitation. If one couldn't keep their word, it was not because he was too high on his expectations. And Invictus knew all about good and bad in dating, at least from his own observational experiences.
Though he was expecting more from a monster than he would be from a human.
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