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 Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:05 am
When he found himself up at an absurdly early hour on a weekday morning, Gale Gentry was not exactly in a bright and sunshiny mood. It was cold outside, with a wind chill that made the windows rattle noisily, and the buildings of Deus Ex Machina were old, which meant they were drafty more often than not. It looked as if it might snow (Gale hoped it wouldn't), and he tried to roll over and go back to sleep.
It was no use - he was already awake. Grumbling a little, Gale dragged himself from bed, stifling an enormous yawn as he slowly got dressed, finally throwing his scarf lazily around his neck as he made his way to the cafeteria. Not really in the mood to stay, he got himself a cup of strong tea and a bagel and then went back to the dorms, where he sat outside in the hallway beside his door with a book and his reading glasses (which he rarely wore, since they were irritating) perched on the end of his nose.
The halls of the dormitory were quiet; it was nearing eight-thirty, and Gale wished he were able to go back to sleep in his nice, warm bed. Jinhai was still dormant within his mind, the dragon slumbering in the way that he did - namely lapsing into such a complete state of silence that Gale just referred to it as being asleep, when really he wasn't entirely certain whether he could or not.
Leaning his head back against the wall, Gale closed his eyes briefly, reaching up a hand to rub tiredly at the dark circles beneath his eyes. He had not been sleeping well, not for a few days, and he could not understand the reason behind this. His mind just refused to settle, leaving Gale feeling restless and uneasy.
With a small sigh, he returned to his book, taking a sip of his tea.
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:36 pm
Candace was tired, but not because of insomnia.
She wished it was because of insomnia.
No, instead Candace had been sleeping peacefully dreaming delightfully pleasurable things when she suddenly heard a loud noise and found herself shoved to the floor off the bed. Sure, he'd apologized profusely but in the end they had agreed perhaps it would be best she stay in her own room for her own safety. So now she was trudging down the hall in her hunter coat and...a silk, pink and floral and lace-trimmed nightgown. Yes, she was not prepared to be kicked out of Jerry's room. Sigh.
She also didn't expect anyone to be awake right now.
Candace nearly tripped over Gale passing his room to get to her own, stumbling and twisting to land against the wall with her eyes wide and her doorknob digging into her back, her hands gripping the wall behind her. The ******** just--
"...Chipmunk? What're you doing out here?" Oh s**t! He had tea! Did she spill it?! "Uh...sorry about your tea I can get you more.."
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:56 pm
Gale, lost in his own world, did not even hear anyone padding down the hall towards him, scrutinizing the book and the sheaf of notes beneath it with a musing sort of expression on his face. The tea was held in his left hand, almost as though he had forgotten it was there.
At least until it all went cascading over his chest, half over his papers, and over the floor - hot and steaming and making him jump a good foot in surprise, dropping the cup - and everything else - in the process. He could hear Jinhai stirring around sleepily inside of his head, but Gale's eyes had already flicked upwards to the figure standing...against the wall.
In a little pink and white nightgown.
"Oh," said Gale, a little awkwardly. His cheeks had dusted a faint shade of pink, but he just sat there, the tea seeping into his shirt as he tried to figure out what had just happened. It took him a moment to realize that he was, in fact, in the way - and that Candace had just tripped over him.
"Er, I was just - no, it's fine," he said, waving a hand as he shifted, trying to move the sodden papers away. Kneeling on the floor, he pushed them and the book towards his own room, and began trying to mop up the mess with his scarf.
"I was just...er, feeling a bit too stuffy in my room, I suppose," said Gale, trying very hard not to look in Candace's direction while she was dressed the way she was. "And I haven't got the patience to walk all the way down to the common room, so I just...sat out here."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:40 pm
Oh damnit there was tea everywhere. Damnit! And his papers and his shirt and...s**t, Candace! "Ugh, Gale. I am so sorry. Hang on I'll..get you a towel and...s**t. I'm so sorry I had no idea." Even as he said it was fine she couldn't help but feel bad. He was a nice enough kid and it really had been her fault not paying attention to where she was going and..damnit! His papers! Candace got down on the floor to grab a few papers and try to gently shake excess water off them, frowning as she did. Were they still legible? Maybe they could save them! They were...uh...tea stained! Like when one wanted to try and make something look old and worn! Ugh. She looked Gale's way and noticed him using his scarf, giving a gasp and making a grab for it. "Ohhh nonono! Don't use your scarf, Chipmunk. I got this. It's my mess. I'll clean it up. Give me your scarf I'll wash that, too. Ugh and your shirt. You're a mess. I am so sorry."
In her panic she had completely forgotten her current state of dress, sitting there on her hands and knees reaching for Gale's scarf. Yup. Good thing she had a longer new coat now to cover her behind, huh? But what was he doing up so late? Sure he was a hunter trainee like her and all but...he was still a child. He still needed all the sleep he could get. "I can understand that...usually when I start to feel stuffy I either open a window or get rid of all of my blankets." She also removed a few other things but she wouldn't tell him that. Gale didn't need to know..
As he informed her he was impatient she chuckled and ruffled his hair, grinning at the young boy. "Awww lazy little boy death. How cute. But you really should be sleeping, Gale. You need all you can get." Eh? Why wouldn't he look at her when he talked to her? Candace blinked, suddenly feeling something wet against her knee. What was--oh, it was tea.
...And that was when it hit her. Candace suddenly gave a laugh. "Oh wow, this is embarrassing. I'm sorry you're seeing more than you need to or probably ever wanted to see." She sighed and stood, wiping tea off her knees with her hands and offering Gale help up. "Come here, you." Candace wasn't taking no for an answer, putting an arm around Gale's shoulders as she lead him into her room. She grabbed a towel off the back of her desk chair and offered it to the boy before walking away to open one of her dresser drawers, grabbing a pair of jeans and just pulling them on under her nightslip for now. Everything else was properly covered, it was just the lack of pants that had been getting to him, right?
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:53 am
"No, really, I'm...fine," said Gale, a little helplessly, even as Candace was grabbing up his papers and then, in turn, dragging his scarf away from him so that he could not use it as some sort of cloth to wipe up the mess of tea on the carpet of the dormitory hallway. He glanced sideways unintentionally, catching sight of her as she leaned over, and Gale's face flushed redder, turning hastily away. It was not as if he had any sort of feelings towards Candace other than purely platonic ones (and even then he wasn't quite sure how he felt on that level), but she was dressed a tad...skimpily.
<< Just admit it. She's hot. >>
I'm ignoring you.
Jinhai's still sleepy-sounding laughter echoed in his head, but thankfully lapsed into a silence after that, leaving Gale alone with his thoughts.
"I suppose I could have opened a window," he said slowly, the thought having never occurred to him, and now he felt quite stupid for not having done that in the first place. His eyes were fixed studiously on his hands as he said this, as if he were talking to them and not to Candace. "I was going to sleep, but I - "
The rest of his sentence was cut off somewhat as the older hunter pulled him to his feet and pulled him into her room, any protests Gale might have had dying in his throat. He gave a small sigh internally and then accepted the towel, turning around quickly so that his back was to her, his still-red face pressed into the towel.
"Thank you," he mumbled, his voice sounding slightly muffled, and then he lowered the towel, mopping up his drenched shirt first. "And I'm sorry - I didn't mean to, er...get in the way." And see you in clothes only Jerry has probably seen you in. "I suppose it would have been more ideal to just...open a window, but I just...couldn't sleep."
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:25 pm
"I wouldn't recommend keeping your window open in the middle of January, darlin'. We may be in the tropics but it still does get chilly at night. You're no good if you're sick." Candace said as she dug around in her drawers until she found a proper bra to put on, opening another drawer to find a sweater. That should do it. She glanced Gale's way to find he was very adamantly not looking, chuckling quietly and deciding to take advantage of his shyness. She took off her coat and quickly took off the slip to put on the bra and sweater, then hanging her coat properly before walking over to where Gale was standing with his back to her. "It's okay, I'm decent again. Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone to be out and about at this hour."
Candace stepped around Gale and picked at the front of his shirt, frowning. Hopefully it wouldn't stain. "Is something bothering you to where you can't sleep, Chipmunk?" Something she could help with, maybe? His scarf was tossed into her hamper. She would wash it at a more reasonable hour.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 6:12 pm
"I don't very easily get sick," said Gale, still concentrating firmly on wiping his shirt and not turning around. He could hear rustling, drawers opening and closing, and he focused his eyes on the stain that was now very prominent on the vest he wore. It probably wouldn't stain, but it still felt sticky and uncomfortable. Fortunately, however, the tea hadn't soaked completely though to his skin, the shirt beneath the vest making for a nice blockade.
He pulled it away, frowning a bit and tugged at the hem, debating whether to just take off the bloody thing. There was a shuffling of footsteps as Candace reappeared in front of him, thankfully fully dressed, though there were still dots of pink dusting Gale's face as he peered up at her.
"...not...entirely," he said, feeling a tad exposed. Without his scarf, the scars and burns on his neck from the first Haunted House experience were clearly visible beneath the collar of his shirt. "I've just been feeling a bit...uncertain lately. You know, mission stuff, life..."
Gale fiddled idly with his vest again, dropping his gaze. It was strange, standing here with Candace of all people, because in the beginning he'd been quite certain that she hadn't liked him, had disregarded him because of his age. But over the past few months there had been a clear shift in her personality, starting with the hug she'd given him at Ben's grave.
"You..." he started to say, and then stopped, not entirely sure what he had been intending to say.
"You're...nice to me," he finally said slowly, as if he were trying to figure it out in his head.
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:32 pm
Candace's eyes did indeed get drawn in to the scars on Gale's neck, frowning as she remembered how he got them. Damnit, Caelius. Learn to control your ******** temper. She hated to see someone so young get like this; he was so small and little, Candace hated seeing Gale covered in the marks of being a hunter. Candace herself had yet to 'earn' any physical scarring, and quite frankly she hoped it stayed that way. She was a vain little thing.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and listened as Gale explained what was wrong. Sort of. It was basically the usual stuff that would bother any hunter, huh? Candace frowned, bringing her legs up onto the bed to sit lotus style. "That doesn't sound too unusual all things considered. Though I have to admit I hate that you of all people get kept up at night about it." She admitted gently, giving a sigh and shaking her head. Gale was the youngest trainee even after all the waves of awakenings. Cass was a year older but somehow...it bothered Candace more that Gale had to experience these things than Cass. She couldn't quite place why. Was it a maturity thing? No, it couldn't be that. She couldn't figure it out.
Gale had more to say though and what he had to say got her very curious. Her? What about her?
"You're...nice to me,"
Candace blinked. What? HAHAHA! OH JACK THAT'S RICH! Atropos suddenly cackled obnoxiously, not caring that Candace was blatantly ignoring her this time. Why did he find that so strange?
"...Okay, you lost me." She frowned. "Is it bad if I'm nice to you? Usually people are happy when I'm nice to them."
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:57 pm
"It's no big deal," responded Gale, with a small shrug as he absently fiddled with the neckline of his shirt. He felt a little exposed without his scarf, but since it was currently lying in the bottom of Candace's hamper, he really didn't have a choice. "I'm used to not sleeping well. Sorta comes with the territory, I suppose."
Her reaction was as he'd expected, especially considering he'd just blurted something out he hadn't really intended. Gale's face coloured slightly.
"Er, no, that's - that's not what I...meant," he said, struggling for a way to say what he wanted. Taking a step towards her, he looked down at her, his eyes meeting hers for the first time.
"You didn't use to be," said Gale. "is what I mean. I mean, you weren't - you weren't mean. Just..indifferent. Like I wasn't...quite on your radar, I mean."
He could still remember staring down at Ben's grave, the misty rain casting a hazy glow around everything and giving Deus Ex a grim, dismal sort of air. Candace had stepped up to him after he'd admitted he'd been on the mission with Ben and wrapped her arms around him unhesitatingly, which had been something he had not expected in the slightest.
"It's..." A pause as Gale went back to struggling. His face was still red.
"...appreciated," he finished quietly, dropping his gaze. "That you're...nice to me, I mean. I...really appreciate it."
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:10 am
Oh. Okay, that made a little more sense. Kind of. Sort of. He was just confused. Candace chuckled quietly at the mention of not even being on her radar. It was true, she had been indifferent to him because...well...he was just some kid. Some stupid kid who really shouldn't be there. But he'd shown he could handle himself! He'd been the first of them to be promoted! That earned quite a bit of respect from Candace. "I'm sorry for that. I'm not the nicest of people~. But you're a good kid, Chipmunk." She pat the bed beside her, inviting him to sit if he wanted.
"You earned my respect, Gale. That's why I didn't really give you a second glance before, because you hadn't done that yet. But...you're still just a kid, okay? I don't mean that to be an insult, or some kind of hindrance or a handicap. You've shown many times you can handle yourself as well as the rest of us, probably even a bit better sometimes." Candace smiled, playing idly with a bit of her hair. She was being completely honest with him whether he liked hearing she thought of him as a 'kid' or not. "But you make me want to protect that part of you that's still a kid. Does that make any sense? I'm glad you appreciate it though. I was worried when you said I was 'nice to you' after asking why you couldn't sleep that you didn't want me being nice! Haha!" But that was what she was trying to do, honestly. She treated him like a kid because...she wanted him to keep having that kid 'experience'. He was what, sixteen now? He didn't get to finish high school now. He didn't get to do any of the things teenagers got to do. Him and Cass and Otto...they were too young in her opinion.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 10:23 am
Fiddling with the cuffs of his coat, the vest feeling damp and scratching against the fabric of the dress shirt he wore beneath it, Gale kept his gaze lowered, not quite daring to look up at Candace. He couldn't help the slight wince that flickered across his face at the word kid, but he also couldn't deny the fact that she was right - he was still a kid, in many ways. That thought made him embarrassed and frustrated, but he couldn't change what he had no control over.
Though hearing that he had actually earned the respect of a girl several years older and probably more capable than he was made Gale flush with both embarrassment and pride. Now he really couldn't look up at him.
"...you're a good person, you know," he mumbled, after a moment of silence in which Gale suddenly found the floor very, very interesting. But then he looked up, subconsciously biting his lower lip for a second before saying clearly, "You're...well, I like you."
A pause. Gale could almost see Jinhai lifting his eyebrows in amusement.
"Not - not like that!" Gale added hastily, waving his hand as his face turned an even deeper shade of scarlet. "I just mean..." His shoulders deflated a little. "That you're...nice."
<< Awkward. >>
Shut up.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:32 pm
Candace watched him mess with his coat and shirt, humming thoughtfully and tilting her head. "Do you want to borrow a sweater or something? I've got a few comfy sweaters I purposely bought too big of a size for if you want them." There was one that was just a simple gray hoodie that read HARVARD across the chest and another that was a purple sweater she wore when she was feeling lazy...or it was laundry day. It was her 'I feel like being a lazy b***h' sweater, loose and warm and comfortable. But the way he blushed when she complimented him made her grin. He was so adorable! Getting all embarrassed about a little compliment! Candace stood, walking over to her dresser to dig out the two sweaters she had been telling Gale about. He may have told her he didn't get sick easily but she didn't want to risk it...plus if she got her hands on his coat and shirt she could wash them like she was washing his scarf. It was genius.
"...you're a good person, you know," Candace blinked, looking back at Gale over her shoulder. Oh, Gale...you don't know how wrong you are. Her smile was somewhat sad now as she walked back to where she had left the young boy, tossing the two sweaters onto her bed and hugging the boy from behind, nuzzling her cheek against the top of his head.
"You're sweet, Gale. Don't change~." She was actually being serious. He could grow up...but she'd hate to see this sweet, easily flustered little boy grow up to be a bad person. To be like...well to be someone like H or Caelius.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 2:15 pm
Maybe she had a point. Gale eyed the sodden vest again and gave a small, resigned sigh before un-knotting the tie from around his neck and pulling it over his head, idly twisting it in his hands. He could hear Candace behind him as she rifled through her closet - probably a good thing that she couldn't see him, since his face resembled something like a tomato again, and Gale rocked back on his heels, still twisting the tie.
There were footsteps and then, quite abruptly, two arms slid around him from behind, the side of Candace's face against the top of his head. She was several inches taller than he was, but her hug was surprisingly gentle as she rocked a little,her nose in his hair.
His face flushed, and maybe he would have pulled away - but instead he didn't, somehow needing the hug - and maybe, in some way, she needed it too. The island was mass chaos, and filled with the possibility that they could die at any given moment - but in this moment, at the very least, knowing that someone had his back was reassuring.
Slowly, with small, hesitating movements, Gale lifted his hands and rested them lightly against Candace's arms where they were around his chest. He squeezed his fingers gently, and then, quite suddenly spun around and hugged her from the front, his arms around her waist. Then he pushed her away from him, looking away as he mumbled embarrasedly "Thank you."
He needed to get out of here before he embarrassed himself further, and so, forgetting that he had been going to borrow her sweatshirt, Gale turned and made a hasty escape - however he paused at the doorway, what little Candace could see of his face scarlet.
"I won't change if you won't," he muttered, and then disappeared out into the hallway.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 6:58 pm
Candace was surprised as Gale turned in her arms to give her a proper hug, one she received with a warm smile and an affectionate squeeze. This was nice, hugging Gale like this. She almost felt...no, not motherly. No way would she ever feel motherly. Sisterly? That could work. She was an only child so she didn't know what being a sibling was like but she could imagine this was it. Candace swayed gently from side to side with Gale in her arms, holding him close and humming a quiet song Jerry had sung to her one night. She liked it, it was gentle and sweet. Even as he pushed away she chuckled and reached out to playfully ruffle his hair. "Anytime, Chipmunk. If you ever need me I'm just next door..and if I'm not next door just shoot me a text, okay? I'll be here if you need me."
She was somewhat disappointed by Gale's decision to leave. Silly boy, he could stay as long as he wanted. But if he insisted...
Was he blushing?! Oh, that was precious. But at his promise Candace smiled and gave Gale a thumb's up. "Can't change perfection, Gale!" She told him confidently, watching the boy leave and letting her hand drop. "Sleep well, Gale." She said quietly, walking over to close her door behind him. She was tired now, it seemed as good a time as ever to go back to sleep.
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