|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:34 am
If there was a word to describe the boy with shaggy, indigo hair as he milled around the computer supplies in the store, it was positively sulky.
Ever since his freshman year of high school, Cas had been flighty, absent, and had done his best to avoid civilian life whenever possible. It had been a rough year, marking his transfer from Meadoview to Hillworth, his parents' divorce and most important, corruption into the Negaverse ranks.
Powered life gave him an escape, and he indulged in it whenever possible. He had become distant from his old friends at school and didn't bother to make many new friends. And as the war slowly robbed him of those few and precious connections, he had become more and more absentee.
So now, just a little over a week and a half away from his eighteenth birthday, he was doing his best to reemerge in regular society. At the very least, he had managed to throw on a t-shirt and jeans and just browse around.
Things had changed. He didn't have a stutter anymore, he wasn't a scrawny, skinny little guy with clean cut hair and endless optimism. He had hit a growth spurt and patrolling the city had left him an awkward, but tall powerhouse with unkempt hair and an attitude that seemed absolutely sour out here among the regular day-to-day crowd.
His first adventure into the real world for 'fun' seemed to still be up in the air as far as verdicts go. Nothing amazing had happened, but nothing terrible had come down on him to frighten him back into the dank Bresner household to wait for nightfall and patrolling time again. This was absolutely not-terrible so far, and he could handle that, he thought, as he absentmindedly picked up an external hard drive to turn it over and look over its specs.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:34 pm
Emily had been bored lately. Where weeks of schoolwork and studying kept her busy, she was relieved to have another quiet moment, one without fighting over things in her schoolwork, and she took this to mean she could finally work on upgrading her gaming PC. Emily slid in toward the shelves upon shelves up accessories and hardware the moment she stepped in the door, briefly noting the people in the shop. One patron struck her as familiar, one brow raising, but she didn't persue it, crouching to examine a selection of video cards as she hummed, going over specs in her head once again. "Where's the good ones..." Emily mumbled softly, rubbing her nose. This was VERY serious business, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 11:38 am
Cas didn't notice at first. He was turning the box over in his hands and trying to compare the specifications to the other available options and begin the long process of trying to negotiate his needs, wants, and budget.
He had been scrimping and saving for ages to update his system and make a new purchase, but of course it wasn't enough to just grab the best money could buy willy nilly.
It was hard weighing his options against what he could stand to sacrifice, but that was his excuse for tripping over a girl crouching to look at video cards.
"s**t!" He hissed, bouncing to the side and regain his balance until he managed to get out of the precarious stumble without falling over. He shot a glare down to Emily, half ready to blame her for putting herself in that position and almost taking them both and a whole aisle of floor models out, but his glare turned to a wide eyed deer in the headlights look when he realized he recognized her.
People from the old days were terrifying. Mostly because they were accustomed to that wide eyed deer in the headlights look and the wimpy little kid full of naivete and optimism he used to be.
Not so now, but he didn't want to be a complete a*****e to Emily, either.
"U-uh..." Part of his brain knew he was supposed to ask if she was okay and show some concern but all he managed to articulate was a pathetic stammer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 12:32 pm
Emily fell over with all of the grace of a walrus, squawking like a penguin and blinking before looking up at the culprit with a similarly wide-eyed expression. She was clutching a video card box in surprise, one she'd been carefully reading and considering when he'd tripped, and she'd been ready to apologize or squabble as required, but the sight of a long past, but still familiar face made her paus to think before she beamed, rolling to her feet carefully with a happy grin. "Cas? Is that really you?!" She hoped to heck it was! She missed him! "How've you been?!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 5:23 pm
"No," Was the knee jerk response and he had made it in such an embarrassing voice crack that he could've sworn he was fourteen again.
"I-I mean," He cleared his through, clutching the box in his hands hard enough he had to have damaged the packaging by now. "Yeah. Hi."
This was so awkward. So, so, so awkward. What was he supposed to say to her? Hi, since I was actually shipped off to high school for troubled teens I became a magical, starseed pulling terrorist and I've probably killed more people than contained in our graduating class was definitely on the no list.
Maybe he'd had to make up taking on a hobby. Hm.
He should help her up, he realized, but his brain had been so frozen that by the time he had this thought she had helped herself up just fine, and his dark, freckled face managed to gain a slight flush in embarrassment.
"I've been okay," He mumbled, trying his best not to seem grouchy. Yes, okay was a nice, safe adjective. "How have you been? Emily, right?"
Of course it was Emily. He knew that! But he wondered if remembering her so clearly after all this time came off as creepy. Or was pretending to semi-forget her rude? Second and triple guessing every word he'd said to her now he slowly raised the box to his chest, only barely resisting hiding behind it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 5:32 pm
Apparently 'ofd' was not in the dictionary in this encounter, and Emily pulled him into a tight hug, forgetting they'd missed speaking for a while, not since, well, the night before. But then, Emily never claimed to have social skills. "I've been good. Doing the college thing. Keeping busy?" She beamed, almost wriggling eagerly. Yes, she missed him. He was a rare friend. Why wouldn't she?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 5:30 am
"...College," Cas stated blandly, as if he was only just realizing such a thing existed.
It was a splash of cold water as a reminder, though, that he was in the final moments of his senior year and should've started thinking about those sorts of things months ago. But nope, too bus with Chaos shenanigans.
"Uh, well... Finishing up high school, I guess?" The fact he had ended up ripped away from all of his friends before because he was boarding at a school for troubled teenagers was not exactly high on his list of things to share, even if it wasn't all that secret.
He let awkward silence creep in while he kind of stared at some nonspecific place in space, and when he realized what he'd done, he jumped like the realization startled him, and he started stammering again to try to fix it.
"I-I.. uh.... a-are you going to DCU?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 6:10 am
Emily smiled further. She never judged him for moving schools - not bothered at all by the awkwardness (Was this normal around people? She assumed so in some cases. Important to file away, home schooling was murder on her social skills before), and now she focused simply on his company. "Horizon Institute." Wren nodded warmly, cooing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 1:26 pm
"Oh," Cas nodded and glanced away, and then he realized the awkward silence didn't have to be, he had something to talk about. "Oh! I-- I'm going-- I mean I'm trying to get in next year year, instead of DCU. I heard they have better labs and...
And stuff." Oh god human interaction was so hard.
NovaCracker Sorry for the wait on this!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 2:21 pm
Emily perked considerably at this news, and soon hugged Cas again excitedly. "That'll be great! i'm still getting core classes in - maybe we can overlap so we can do classes together, or do stuff between classes- or - I dunno, we'll think of something!" Emilly practically squirmed excitedly, beaming to Cas with the excitement of a nine year old, as opposed to someone far older. She missed her friend. She liked doing fun things with him, and others!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 3:11 pm
"Something," Cas said with a nod. His discomfort remained, but watching her enthusiasm go unhampered was a really secure feeling. It made it feel less like he was going to screw it all up by failing to appropriately react, and it managed a very small little smile on his face.
"I-I uh..." He turned the box in his hand over. "I should go pay."
We'll talk again, right?
It was what he wanted to say, but he didn't. He wanted to see he again, and have a friend again, but various worries in the back of his brain told him it was a bad idea, which left him standing there shuffling in awkward silence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 4:10 pm
"Huh? Oh, yeah, paying is kind of impoerant." Emily blinked, then grinned, pulling Cas into one final bear hug, beaming brightly. "You'll call this time, right?" Suddenly she was worried and scared. "I mean, I can show you around campus, we can catch up sometime, or... something!" Please? was the unspoken addition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 4:16 pm
Cas' teeth bore down on each other as he repressed a 'no' in the back of his throat. Because Emily was a normal civilian and someone he liked and probably would be loathe to see dead. These were all things that would get in the way of his goals.
No. I don't think that would be a good idea.
He could feel it back there, lingering. Born of his logical side that knew it was a bad idea.
But temptation overtook him.
"Yeah," He said with a nod and turn towards the counter, lifting one hand up in a wave. "See ya, Em."
Crap.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 4:31 pm
Carneli *Quietly waves plotting flag* Emily looked relieved. She was still getting to know HITS, but pride didn't let her admit it- a familiar, friendly face was welcome, and she beamed, waving. "Later, Cas. Missed you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
