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 Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 7:23 pm
It had been a quiet day, with his classes just as demanding as the last, but with no impending deadlines coming soon, Arden let himself relax. He had only stopped by his room briefly to change before coming out on the school grounds, more than a few hours before curfew kicked in. The Chimera had found a place to sit on top a short stone wall that marked the edge of the path heading towards the outskirts of the Academy's land, and the student's boundary. With a lazy yawn he brought up a leg, wrapping a scaled arm around it before resting his chin on his kneecap. In his other hand was a small spell book. Some might make fun of him for reading it, but he found the enthusiasm the author had for magic endearing. Personally he had little troubles doing any magic, but it never hurt to read other takes on it, right?
He had been out there quite a while before his mind began to wander, so as he passed chapter 5, midway near perfectly, he dog eared the page and stretched his arms above his head, legs coming down as his tail swung over the edge behind him. Licking his lips, Arden glanced up the path towards the school, the tall buildings just over the crest of the earth. Something felt off though and he narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to figure out what bothered him about the scene. There was a Litch up ahead, her pastel colors bright against the school's backdrop in the distance, but he couldn't tell from here what she was saying, or make out what exactly she was trying to do.
Arden slid forward off the wall, wiping off the back of his pants before taking on a leisurely stroll back up the hill, book still clutched in his hand. He stretched his wings as he walked, tilting them from side to side without even a glance backwards before suddenly snapping them tight to his back once more. He could see the Junior a bit better now, but he still had very little idea what she was trying to accomplish.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 9:58 am
 This was still a decent window of time before the curfew would come into effect, but it didn't feel like enough.
Sparrow felt like a fool. She had come outside with Muffin, her skeleton-patterned vespercat, as she often did when she had some free time after classes. The feline had never left her line of sight before, but on this particular day a squealing mob of freshlings had appeared. Muffin spooked and ran for the hills while the children approached and all Sparrow could do was shout and stumble after the vespercat who seemed to have disappeared mid-stride.
That had been about twenty minutes ago, and now the junior was wandering the grounds nearby, calling for her furry friend. With each passing moment her worry grew and by this point tears were streaming down her cheeks. If she didn't find Muffin soon, then what? He spent all night outside in danger? What if she never found him again?
"MUFFIN!" she yelped, stamping her foot in frustration, "WHERE ARE YOU?!" Her arms stood stick-straight at her sides and she was entirely unaware of any nearby Chimera watching her antics.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 6:55 am
As Arden drew closer, he began to make out Sparrow's shouts. Muffin? Why were they screaming about foods? Still a bit hesitant, it only took a moment more to realize she was searching for someone, or something, and by the Litches' expression, she seemed very upset to be without them. Quietly, he weighed his options from afar, claws digging into the spine of the book he still carried. There was no way he was going to leave her out here so upset.
Jogging a little to make it over the crest of the hill, Arden slowed down as he approached Sparrow from behind. He frowned gently, tucking his book as best he could into the pocket of his hoodie. "Uhm," he started with, clearing his throat. "Hey. Do you need some help?" He frowned slightly as he noticed how hard she was crying, feeling a bit useless as he didn't know how to help that. What was the protocol here, especially as he had never met this blue-haired girl before?
Fumbling slightly with himself, he grabbed the edge of his hood, flapping it against his shoulders a bit nervously. "And ah, can I help? My name's Arden." There was no way he could walk away from this.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:54 am
Sparrow startled at the sudden sound of the Chimera's voice. She hadn't been expecting anyone to approach her, let alone to help. It threw her off to be addressed so casually. For a few moments she just stood there, eyes wide and brow furrowed while she mulled over the circumstances. On one hand she could use this taller, calmer boy to help her locate Muffin. It would be especially helpful if he were in a tree. On the other hand he was a new face and she knew nothing about him. Could he be potentially dangerous? Sparrow looked the boy up and down and then met his gaze again.
Finally the junior snuffled and nodded. Yes, she'd love some help. "Sparrow," was all she offered at first, but then continued, "My cat ran away." Her lower lip wobbled but she tried her best to not start crying again and embarrass herself in front of someone she didn't know. The little Litch took a deep breath and pointed up at the area where Muffin had made his escape. "We were up there, but he got scared by some kids and ran... I-don't-know-where." This would be the last time Muffin had free reign. From here on out it would be harness-and-leash, as soon as they found him. ... If they found him. Sparrow's eyes welled up again. "I don't know what to do!"
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:17 am
The Litch seemed to be taking him in, and Arden shifted a bit uncomfortably under her gaze, not exactly sure what she was calculating. Not really thinking about it, his wings tried to shrink behind him, pressing tight to his shoulder blades as his tail came to rest on the ground behind. Relaxed. He tilted his head the slightest. "Sparrow," he repeated her name as it was finally offered, committing it to memory. He still had plenty of classes to get through, so there was more than a chance he would see this Junior again in the future.
He frowned the slightest. While he didn't have any familiars of his own, at least not yet, he knew how important they were to people. "I'll help you find them," Arden promised, trying to keep a straight face as tears began to bubble at Sparrow's eyes again. He really wanted to comfort her, but this whole complete-strangers thing made it hard for him to find a reasonable way to react that wouldn't be creepy. He decided on smiling, nodding. "Don't worry like that quite yet. We still have a few hours before curfew, I'm sure Muffin'll show up," Arden promised. "If the Freshlings scared him off, he probably tried to find somewhere else that was pretty quiet, yeah? I wouldn't think he's in the main courtyard anymore then."
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:09 am
Sparrow nodded and wrung her hands together. Okay. It was a little intimidating to have someone else here to help, but two heads were far better than one. Besides, having someone capable of flight on her side meant cats up trees could be more easily reached. Ah, but she hoped he wasn't in a tree.
Sparrow nibbled her lip in thought, eyes trailing off to one side. "Right. You're probably right," she replied. She hadn't moved very far from the main courtyard, but she had searched far enough from the original spot that she was definitely worried. All of a sudden this chimera seemed like some kind of a hero. Where Sparrow was clearly panicking, he was calm and thoughtful. Good. She could use him. "So probably not... probably not inside either?" the Litch asked, turning back to look off toward the nearest building. No, probably not. "So... further out." Ah, the campus looked so much larger right now.
At leas she was calmer. At least the tears had stopped for the moment. She offered Arden a hopeful little smile and headed past him and further out to continue looking.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:29 am
"I doubt he's inside," Arden echoed in agreement, looking to the school. There was little way anyone would blindly let in a Vespercat without realizing it. They were decently big familiars, and while not the largest, there was no way to miss one. He looked back to Sparrow, hoping he wasn't leading her too far astray. The last thing he wanted was to leave her worse off than when she started.
Sparrow was on the move though and the Chimera turned to follow her, heading off the main plaza. Thankfully, the woods were far off, and while there was a tree here and there, it was relatively open until the flowers of the meadow began to show their heads. It would have had to have been scared witless to run all the way out there. "What kind of Vespercat is he?" he asked as he picked down the hill after her. "I mean, what color?" It would be easier if he knew a bit more about what cat he was looking for, other than it's name was Muffin. Last thing he needed was to be chasing birds or something.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:57 am
Sparrow was having a bit of trouble picking her way down the hill. She had to go sideways and her balance was thrown, her arms half-raised so she wouldn't topple over. Not much was worse than a missing cat, but a missing cat and a broken arm? That probably would be.
"Oh! He's, um--" there was a little noise of exertion as she took the last couple steps down the grade of the hill, "He's black. With skeletal markings." It was amazing, she thought. There were so many different kinds of vespercat. Muffin's coloration, however, seemed relatively rare. That was good in the way that they wouldn't mistake another cat for him, but bad in the fact that black could be hidden well in the shadows. She didn't know what she'd do if he'd run into the forest. Probably never see him again? No, no, she couldn't think like that. She took a deep breath to calm herself and sighed it out.
"He has a collar too. A little green one." When they reached a more even terrain, Sparrow hung back to walk beside the larger chimera. For some reason she felt safer at his side, like everything might be okay. She wasn't sure why. "So, um. What... house are you in, Arden?" Her gaze was elsewhere, watching for movement, but she would gladly take part in conversation.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:28 am
Arden listened to her description, nodding as she described what made her familiar unique. He had no trouble going down the hill, his wings flapping slightly to keep his balance. Having long legs certainly helped going both up and down. "So, like your shirt?" Arden asked with a soft smile, catching back up to her once he reached the bottom. He pointed at the pastel design in a claw, raising a brow as he tried to lighten the mood. He wasn't sure he had even seen a cat like that before, but it would definitely stand out compared to whatever else they would find out here.
He continued to search too as they walked, tail swaying behind him over the short grass. "I'm in Enoch," Arden informed, eyes still keen. He glanced over to Sparrow briefly before continuing to scan the landscape. "I'm guessing you must be from the other houses, because I haven't seen you around before." Arden was good at keeping quiet and blending in with the crowd, so there was many Nightmares he had seen before in passing but never done as much as said hello or learned their name.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 7:57 am
Sparrow blinked at the comment about her shirt. What about it? It was just another-- oh! She peered down at the garment and realized its pattern. "Yes," Sparrow said, a small smile creeping over her features, "A lot like that." Whether Arden had actually lightened the mood or not could still lie up in the air. Sparrow wasn't a particularly easy-to-read little Litch when it came to happiness, but on the inside she felt much more at-ease with someone to help her. Even better, he wasn't scary or mean or any of those things she tried to avoid.
"Oh, yeah, I'm in Arkham," Sparrow agreed. She had never seen Arden around either so it only stood to reason that they'd be in different houses. Save school events it was sometimes hard to socialize with other groups. "What's your favorite subj--" A rustle in the bushes. Sparrow stopped and turned to face it, unbelieving that it could possibly be this easy to locate Muffin, and when the bird took to flight she realized that she was right. Oh well.
"Sorry. What's your- um." What had she been asking? Oh, right. "What's your favorite subject?" Everyone had one, right? It usually had to do with a Nightmare's specialty or what they wanted to do in life. Sparrow personally wasn't too sure what her calling was in particular.
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:39 am
Arden watched Sparrow closely, happy to see that he got some sort of reaction out of the girl. She was probably just out of her mind with worry. "I like it," he offered in reference to her shirt, shrugging a bit casually. The Chimera continued to keep in her shadow, letting the Litch take the lead.
It didn't surprise him at all to hear she was from a different house, just nodding along. While the Academy did sort Nightmares by interest, it felt a little silly to him they all decided so early as Freshlings. Even coming in as Junior with a more-level head on his shoulders was hard, and he had relied a lot on the school to help him find his place before really solidifying what h wanted to do. He opened his mouth to respond but fell silent, his blue eyes tracking the same way Sparrow's did as his shoulders tensed. He frowned slightly in disappointment, having been completely ready to give chase if needed.
"I'm wanting to gear myself towards medicine some of the more technical magics for healing," he informed a bit quieter, looking over his shoulder as they walked for anything the bird might have frightened. He slid his hands into his jacket pockets, hoping she didn't ask for a why for then he'd have to explain home and the reason why he was here at the Academy despite being clan born. "So not a lot I'm really into here. Gotta wait until I graduate." He glanced back to the blue-haired girl briefly. "What are you into?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:46 pm
"Ooh..." Medicine was a respectable intent, she thought. Of course it didn't invalidate anyone else's interests, but helping people was always admirable. She herself had been placed as a freshling, drawn in by pretty colors and the promise of creativity. Unfortunately she was still feeling her way, trying to figure out what she wanted to start doing before university. She wasn't very good at painting or drawing, really, and didn't particularly enjoy it either, so at least she knew that wasn't for her.
"I like drama class." Surprisingly, considering how quiet she was, "and I like... building things?" She shrugged. "I don't know what I want to do yet. I wish I did. I think it'd be good to get a step further, but..." The litch trailed off and shrugged. Everyone kept telling her that she'd just know, that it'd come to her. She hoped they were right.
Sparrow paused then and made another plea for her vespercat who may or may not be anywhere nearby. "Muffin!" she called out toward the trees, and then back in the other direction, "C'mere, kitty-kitty!"
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:37 am
The Chimera fell back into quiet as Sparrow called for her familiar. He assumed the Vespercat would react best to it's owner, and two, he wasn't sure he could yell about baked goods with confidence having never met the creature. He couldn't muster it. Instead he listened and hearing nothing, waited a beat before responding to the Litch's earlier response.
"I wouldn't worry about it," he offered, moving to fluff his hood again so it sat better against his back. Sparrow still was young, and if she was cache born like most, had plenty of time to carve her own path. "You've got time. I can't say the Academy offers a lot of highly interesting classes like the Universities," he chuckled, thinking of the more advanced classes that lay ahead of him.
As they continued to walk, Arden let the silence take over, knowing Sparrow must be worried. He didn't want to annoy her with small talk even though she had initiated it. Still alert, they were nearing the edge of the open area when he heard a soft tink. His ears shifted slightly, raising as he paused. Curling his fingers slightly to not get her with his claws, he grabbed Sparrow's arm. "You hear that?" the taller male asked, ears wiggling again as the faint tink came.
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:57 am
Sparrow nodded. That was what everyone said. She had time, she didn't need to know now what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Hopefully they were right. It didn't feel great to just be wandering aimlessly through subjects without a proper grasp. "I don't know, I think it's interesting. I like learning just as it is, whatever it is." She paused. "...but there are definitely boring classes too."
She had missed whatever sound Arden had heard. What, what was it? The little litch absolutely froze. Only her eyes swiveled in their sockets. "No," she admitted, voice low. "Muffin...?" Or something worse? Someone hiding and waiting to scare her? Could it really be the lost vespercat? What a relief that would be! "What was it?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:03 pm
Arden tilted his head even further, spinning on the heels of his red shoes. He held up a finger briefly, claw extended. "You said Muffin wears a collar, yeah?" he asked in a low tone, turning his head the slightest to look at the Litch from the corner of his eye. He smiled softly, putting his hands down. "Unless someone is out here playing with spoons," he offered, a bit hopeful.
He looked out to the dense patch not too far away, distant enough to correlate with the tinking he had heard. His tail swished behind him, disrupting the grass. Smiling a bit wider, he moved to wade through the taller grasses that separated them from the trees. Arden didn't seem to mind it was muddy, and he waited for Sparrow on the other side, kicking off a few leaves that clung to his legs.
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