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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 16, 2012 20:42:07 GMT -5
Nell walked calmly, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. She held her breath as she walked past the front desk, chest puffed out in all her red-faced confidence. Her cheek hurt from an attack, but she pretended that she didn't feel it. ”Ms. Shepherd, you’ve been here how long?” The Earth girl turned to the nurse, expression pleasant. She saw the suspicion in the older woman’s face, the lines in her forehead from years of dealing with girls like her. ”Five minutes,” shes aid quickly, as if the speed would make the woman forget it with her next words. ”I was just…going to look for some aloe.” The nurse nodded behind her desk, flipping over some papers, and Nell knew she wasn't buying it. Not like she was exceptional at reading people, but c'mon. ”In the hallway?” She looked up. ”Go back, Ms. Shepherd. Honestly, kids are thankful when they can skiv of a few classes in here.” Nell was half tempted to snap her fingers and say ‘oh man’, feeling like a thwarted Swiper from Dora the Explorer. Or maybe she just watched it too much lately and it was seeping far into her brain, along with Barney and Blue’s Clues. She didn’t mind it one bit.
She trudged back to the uncomfortable plastic cot in the room like a doctor’s office, picking up the squares of paper she’d asked the nurse for, “if it’s not too much trouble, beacause if it is, I’ll be fun.” She hadn’t made a wish once she’d gotten to one-thousand paper cranes. It had been during her depression, and she didn’t want to wish for something that wouldn’t come true. Now she just wanted to make the wish come true herself. She was still folding just to keep her occupied. It wasn’t a hobby she could just give up, she’d been doing it for years upon years. It was catharsis, it helped steer her mind from the sunburn-like injuries all over. A Fire elemental had healed them, but healing didn’t mean escaping them quickly. She couldn’t help but touch her skin where some of them were to watch the skin blanch, wincing from the pain. Aloe would be very nice right now, considering her skin still felt hot and irritated. She placed a finished crane on the almost-homey nightstand next to her, reminding herself thati t was mind over matter, mind over matter, mind over matter…
The pain didn’t bother her too much, she was used to days like this, and as the memories floated their way to the surface of her sea-like mind, she let them drift away before they could do any damage. She guessed she lost, considering, and there was some wounded pride, which was a strange thing to realize. She didn’t have pride, really. She had stubborn independence and certain indignation, but she never considered herself a prideful person. Maybe it was because she couldn’t stand up to Chase and Altair’s words. Because she knew she wanted to be a defender a protector, she wanted to be her own Don Quxiote, maybe chivalry wasn’t dead. But she ended up simply talking shit, and subsequently getting hit. The girl plucked at her jeans, pulling at a loose thread. I don’t want to fight. But maybe she should defend. The thought was pretty quickly squashed. She knew where defense got her, a subpeona and a countdown until your hauled into a cell. No thank you, not again. Nell would much rather not think about it, instead let her fingers work at the cranes. How long were they going to keep her here? If she really wanted to she could escape, she’d done it in an actual hospital, but she decided just to hold out.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 17, 2012 16:18:50 GMT -5
Lark sat down quite happily with her books on the grounds, a faint smile on her lips. She had only just sat and started chatting amiably with a few of her new allies, enjoying their company as they talked about their homework. Why had she not done this sooner? Lark had a temper to match her Fiery element, but the Earths were almost sedating, like they took a tranquilizer dart to the feral lion rampaging at the zoo. Currently she was as docile as a house cat. "What is with you and getting detention, Lark?" One of her Earth comrades asked innocently, tilting his head to the side. Lark chuckled and shook her head, holding up a finger to signal that she was going to finish reading something before speaking. Accustomed to Ashton by this point, the questions were not as invasive as they used to be. Some things would always go unanswered, but the simple inquiries were easy enough. "I honestly have no idea," The girl finally admitted, still scanning the page and surveying it as though it was a new extension of her hand. The Earth student had witnessed their professor offer Lark a detention slip the previous class. "Sometimes I think the teachers are just out for blood. Though a couple of them I probably pissed off in the past." The Earth chuckled and went back to his own book.
Just as she flipped a page, another student sat down next to her and plopped their bookbag onto the grass with a muffled thump. "Hey Lark, guys," The chipper girl greeted before adjusting herself on the green lawn. Lark smiled and nodded. "Hey Julie." This camaraderie was still new and occasionally the poor Fire girl had a hard time functioning when people surrounded her at all sides, but she was managing quite well considering. She refused to show how overwhelmed she felt at times. Julie turned herself towards Lark before prying open her bag, clearly interested in saying something. Lark swallowed and looked at her expectantly. "You guys missed the fight in the mess hall a few minutes ago," Julie started, looking concerned. Lark tensed up a little and shut the book partway, now interested in what the other girl had to say on the matter. She was a fighter herself, but for Julie to make note of a fight was something to catch her attention. The others siting nearby were now focused on her too. "There was a pretty nasty fallout between two Fires and an Earth. Poor Nell is in the medical wing right now..." Lark's insides churned at hearing Nell's name, a rather familiar feeling that she got when concerned for her friends. A surge of rage followed shortly after, and the Fire girl stood up rather abruptly, hands shaking. "If you'll excuse me. I need to go and check on her."
Without waiting for the others to say a word, Lark packed her bag and slung it over her shoulder before making a beeline towards the medical wing. The other students glanced between one another, unaware of Lark's relation towards the injured Earth. Rage. Fury. Worry. Concern. Fear. They surged up in Lark's stomach, leaving it aching and throbbing with emotion. Once there, Lark stopped at the desk where the nurse sat. "Excuse me, is Nell Shepherd here?" The nurse nodded and directed Lark towards the other room. The girl walked straight in to see Nell sitting on a cot playing with some paper. This irked the girl. She did not like to see her friends hurt, and it was obvious the Earth student was injured. "Nilla," Lark called to her before approaching so as not to startle her. Once her presence was made known, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, surveying Nell's injuries. There was a subtle rage in Lark's eyes. A look that said 'tell me who they are so I can bury them alive.' "What the hell happened? Who was it? Are you okay?" The concern in her voice was laced with anger, but not towards her friend. No. She wanted to go and bash some heads for even laying a hand on Nell. No one touched Nell and got away with it.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 18, 2012 20:28:50 GMT -5
Nell wasn’t expecting anyone to come. Really, she just wanted to get in and get out. A lot of the times she didn’t bother coming to the medical. It had been ingrained in her from youth to suck it up, and so suck it up she did. But she could be smart when need be. Especially when her body told her that even its threshold couldn’t handle the pain it had been dealt by the Fire leaders. She knew she’d been no match for them, and so she didn’t stand up. What was it worth, anyway? She wasn’t going to fight back when they could just burn her to the ground. Even though she didn’t want anyone to see her in this state, she felt her stomach flip when Lark came in, a smile lightening her features. She held the unfinished crane between her fingers, but her eyebrows furrowed upon noticing something off with the brunette. It was like anger, something like fire there, and this was brand new to her. She’d never experienced the girl’s anger before, but it didn’t change the opinions she had on Lark, the fact that she thought her to be so admirable and strong and brilliant. No anger would change that, and she smiled even wider at the nickname.
Waggling her fingers, she smiled and said, ”Hola, L’s.” And shame on you for making me hungry. She didn’t get to finish her lunch when Chase and Altair had ambushed her, and that was not very good for her. Going without food made her feel weighted and sad. At the look in her eyes, Nell almost didn’t want to answer any question when Lark perched on the edge of her bed. She scratched the back of her head, tittering a bit. ”Uhm…well, I kind of hoodwinked the Fire leaders and they got a little miffed about that.” Still, she felt proud, rather smug. Did Chase really think she’d sell out her element to him? He clearly didn’t think highly of her, but honestly, the last thing she’d ever want was to put anyone in danger just to get the heat off her. She waved her hand and rolled her eyes. ”I’m perfectly fine, they’re just keeping me prisoner in here like an invalid.” She didn’t much appreciate being held captive, or being a patient. She snapped her fingers. ”I got an idea. You should create a diversion while I sneak on out of here. Like…juggle or something.” Nell could juggled—thank you, bartending—but she was the one who wanted to get out of here.
She finished folding the crane and handed it over to Lark. ”Here, have this,” she said in a jocular tone. ”I make more than I can keep.” That was very true. But like chewing nails or tapping feet, it was a habit that she couldn’t necessarily quit. When she had to keep her hands busy, and had paper nearby, she didn’t even notice when she started to fold. She could make other things, she was constantly learning more things to make out of the paper. ”So how’d you find out I was down here?” She almost winced at the next realization. ”I guess word travels quickly.” The fight had been in a pretty public place, the mess hall, of course people would see and news would come to find Lark’s ears. Nell was still wondering at the girl’s anger, not realizing that she thought of her as anything more than Josh’s fiancee whom she’d gotte drunk with. ”Thank you for visiting me,” she said genuinely, shifting so that she sat on her knees, trying not to wince when an almost-healed burn made itself known underneath her jeans. ”It was getting lonely.” She leaned forward and cupped her mouth with a hand as she whispered, ”Nurse Ratched is cranky today.” She wrinkled her nose, but smiled. Comparing the nurse to Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest? Unkind, but Nell never meant it like that. ”So how has your day been?”
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 18, 2012 22:01:00 GMT -5
Lark could handle a lot of things. She could handle teasing, taunting, fights, and injuries. She could cope with the bullies, and those of her own element because she knew what they were capable of. After all, she was so much like them with her temper. The only difference was Lark now found herself among good people, and only used her fire against those who actually deserved it. Her lip twitched in contempt at hearing mention of the Fire leaders, clearly not pleased by this news. She had recently lost a fight with Altair herself, and the blow to her stomach was still rather tender. Her arm was doing decently well considering the damage, but it was still bandaged. "Those bastards," Lark seethed, clenching a fist and narrowing her eyes at the floor. "They really have no sense of fucking control. None what so ever. Thinking they can pick on whoever they want..." Well, they were wrong. Dead wrong. Lark wanted to control her anger, she really did, but it was difficult. She was a Fire, after all. However she felt this anger was justified. They harmed her friend, and as always their logic had holes big enough to encompass the universe. Her dark gaze snapped towards Nell, the concern and worry mingling with the anger. "You don't look perfectly fine," She stated flatly.
"And you aren't going anywhere until I'm sure that you're going to be okay." It was not even stated as a suggestion. Normally Lark would have smiled and gone along with Nell's suggestion, taking it lightly and brushing it off with a limp hand. Not today, not now. She was livid, enraged that they dared to touch her. Lost in the focus of trying to calm herself, she was startled to see a small paper crane flash across her vision. Lark hesitantly reached up and took the small paper creature in her hand, observing it. She sighed and closed her eyes. How was Nell so calm, so sweet and understanding of people? She simply could not understand. "Thank you. I like handmade things." And she really did. Lark's voice was quiet, distant, and thoughtful. Her shoulders were still tense with anger, eyes still dark with thoughts of strangling the so-called 'leaders'. What arrogant, stuck-up ass holes. "I was out on the grounds with some of the Earths doing homework when someone came over and told us about the fight. I came straight here." Lark was not an extremely emotional person, at least in the sense of showcasing right out concern, fear, or love for another person, but it was probably evident now.
Lark took a moment to finally look at Nell, to really look at her. The situation was made so light, like it meant nothing to be burned by the Fire leaders. "Of course I would come and visit you," She replied. Her voice was tense, but there was a soft edge to it. One she only displayed towards people like Nell, Josh, and Ashton. Lark tried to crack a smile, to show some semblance of calm, but it was extremely difficult. She wanted to punch someone in the face, namely Altair and Chase. They needed to learn their lesson, and was not past requesting Joshua's help either. "So I noticed. 's why I don't come to the medical wing most of the time." After the fight with Altair she blacked out, and woke up in the medical wing shortly after. She was there against her will. Lark blinked and looked at her lap again before chuckling. It was a dry chuckle, but there none the less. "You act like this is nothing, Nill. Like their beating you up is something to look over." Her shoulders tensed up again, fingers twitching. "I'm more concerned about you right now than how my day was."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 19, 2012 18:37:10 GMT -5
Nell felt regret in telling Lark the truth, but what else could she have said? Had a run-in with a pot of boiling water? Really, the Fire would have been able to see through something like that. But she might have been able to resist namedropping the leaders. Eh, whatever, I don’t care whether or not they’re found out. It may have been difficult to make enemies with her, but talking shit about her fiance and her element was a good way to get on her list. It was actually kind of scary seeing Lark like this, but not in the ‘boo! ah!’ way. Nell wasn’t easily frightened like that. No, it was more scary in the way when you come across a snake and have no idea whether its poisonous or not. ”Well, they did have a reason, at least,” she said, shifting a bit uncomfortably. ”I lied to them about the Earth dorms.” Nell bit her lip. She was defending the Fire leaders. No, she told herself, she was just informing Lark about what was going on with the situation. It was almost instinct for Nell to swallow with the look. Fires were always intimidating, it seemed a natural part of them. Nell held out her arm, eyes large and unassuming. ”Go on, poke it. Turns white and then right back to red, like sunburn really. That’s it. All I need is some aloe, and I could grow that myself, I’d just like a pot for it…” She wanted to reassure Lark, even though it was hard to do with her blotchy skin, her cheek, her arms, her upper chest. She felt like she could be a supervillain or something.
The Earth girl chewed on her lip. She wanted to please Lark, and so she nodded silently. ”All right, I’ll stay.” It wasn’t worth breaking out of the place if it would upset Lark. She didn’t want her to be any more upset than she already was. Angry, rather. She just hoped the crane would do some cheering up, even though she didn’t know. Lark was a bit of a stranger to her in the way that she didn’t know how the girl’s temper worked, how long it lasted, what to do with it. But she’d try her best. ”I can make other things, too. A lot of flowers and animals.” Talking about inocuous things like origami was nicer than talking about incensed Earth leaders. Nell knew she really was doing a terrible job at being a pacifist with both the leaders hating her guts. She couldn’t really care, as long as they didn’t go after anyone else but her. That was too much to hope for, of course. Maybe she felt too much, but her chest tightened when the girl said that she’d come over when she heard about it. ”Maybe you can finish your homework here?” Nell tried to keep the hope from her voice, but it was hard to mask. Besides, she didn’t like to mask things like that. She was an honest person when she wasn’t tricking the Fire leader. And she wanted Lark’s company.
It was another twist when Lark spoke so matter-of-factly, even though the anger was still very much there. The notion was terribly sweet, and she wondered how the Fire would react to be called that. Nell wondered about a lot of things with her. ”Thanks, Larkita,” she said, using the affectionate Spanish term. She rarely did it. Once there was a time when she was really paranoid about speaking the language around others because of her grandparents, even though she spoke it around the house as a child, but now she incorporated Spanglish because it was natural for her. She couldn’t help that she was taught the languages at the same time and that she switched seamlessly between them. Besides, she wanted to embrace her heritage, especially after going to the country that her father had been born in. She waved a hand in front of her face. ”Eh, it would be much better if they had a mini fridge in here or something.” That would definitely make her more keen on going to the place. Food could make her bend to anything. Nell was at least glad to hear the laugh, no matter how sarcastic it was. She crawled over closer to Lark, on her knees, watching as the girl seemed to tense again. It was almost like watching an animal in the wild, reading its silent signs. ”Well, it does happen a lot. Not just to me. Earths hate to fight, so we don’t. Fires take advantage of that.” She shrugged. ”And I’d like to hear about you. Really, it’ll help me.” She wasn’t lying to be nice, she honestly wanted to know.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 21, 2012 19:35:54 GMT -5
Lark was not accustomed to this. If the roles were reversed, Lark would not be trying to come up with an excuse for being attacked. She would turn on them and say that they were merely assholes with a god complex that thought they could beat up on people simply because they felt they had the upper hand. Nell was so quick to excuse them, to come up with a reason why they attacked her. It was very upsetting and did not like the fact that she tried to cover up for the Fire leaders. "That does not give them a reason to touch you," Lark replied, her expression grave and full of hatred for Altair and Chase. "Just as they protect their own, you were protecting your own. There was no reason for them to even consider laying a hand on you." The girl was bristling, frustrated that this even happened in the first place. It should not have happened. Her fists itched to make acquaintance with their faces, to show them what happened when you fuck with her friends. Lark stared at the redness of Nell's skin, gaze softening considerably enough to show the concern. "I'm not going to do that Nell. Inflicting any sort of pain on you would--" Lark did not even want to fathom laying an aggressive hand on the Earth girl. That would be like striking out against family. Against Josh. No. That was not happening. The skin did look as though it were merely sunburned, like Nell just made a quick jaunt into the sunshine and laid out on the grounds to soak up the warm rays. If that had been the case, Lark's reaction might have been different. But these were injuries.
She sighed in relief. Nell might be decently okay, but Lark wanted to be sure. "Thank you," The gratitude laced her words, though her voice was a bit broken in efforts to try and switch from sheer fury to kindness. It was so hard to display any anger towards Nell, even though these emotions were not directed at her. "Well, I'd like you to teach me how to make them, if you aren't too busy one day." Lark thoroughly enjoyed Nell's presence, more than she thought possible. It was like having an older sister, someone who kept her attitude in check simply by existing. Lark was amazed at how quickly her demeanor was altered when around Nell and Ashton, like everything they did was perfectly fine. Their comments and questions were readily accepted, though some answers were...less than satisfactory. She would protect them with everything she had, if it came down to it. Hurting Nell was seriously one of the things that pushed her over the edge. If you wanted to fight Lark and set her into a fit of rage, all it took was laying a hand on the people she cared about. Lark shook her head and fiddled with her hair to try and keep from clenching a fist. "No, I couldn't focus on it right now even if I tried. My mind is a bit...jumbled at the moment." She took off her shoes and pushed back onto the bed, crossing her legs to face Nell. Lark had no intentions of wandering off now.
Out of anything simple or minor that Lark could possibly tell someone, she always refrained from telling people how much she enjoyed nicknames. It was honestly not a huge deal to admit out loud, and even Lark could not quite understand her hesitance with saying 'I like that name' when someone gave her a nickname. She did smile though, when Nell spoke. Lark dipped her head slightly towards the Earth girl. "You're welcome." Her loyalty was steady and unwavering; she would go to the ends of the earth for her friends. She did have an ulterior motive for lingering with Nell, aside from the fact that she enjoyed her company; when she left the medical wing, Lark was going to walk her to wherever her friend needed to go. She did not trust the Fire leaders as far as she could throw them. "We should go and grab something to eat when they release you. I could go for some food." The Fire girl shrugged, then watched with a half amused expression as Nell crawled over towards her. She seemed so child-like, so innocent. It brought back that surge of anger to know someone could even think of harming her. "Well, I could never harm you." Lark stated, looking the girl right in the eyes. A couple of years ago she might have, but not now. She sighed and lowered her gaze. "Aside from classes and homework, nothing out of the ordinary. I've been...working on my music outside of that though."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 23, 2012 14:40:55 GMT -5
Did she think anyone had a reason to touch her? Thoughts like that went unpondered in her mind. Nell didn't want to say she was used to it--no one got used to it. But she accepted that it happened and it would happen no matter what. Especially if she did nothing to stop it. Maybe she'd been desensitized, maybe nothing could touch her anymore. It should have sounded nice, but it didn't. "Whether they had a reason or not, it happened. I guess it'll keep happening." The world was about conflict, was it not? Intentions conflicted with other people's intentions, and the world was full of people protecting something. Everyone had something to protect, whether it was something like honor, or whether it was something physical, a loved one. Nell looked down at the arm she'd held out as if it was a new appendage and she didn't know how it got there. Then she poked it with her index finger, jaw clenched tight. She hoped Lark didn't notice because she quickly recovered to say, "See? Perfectly all right. Just a little...zest in that." Would the Fire girl appreciate her humor? Please let her appreciate it, because Nell really wanted it to be okay, even if she had to fake it. And everything aside, she was all right.
Lark was difficult for her to read, so she wondered if her efforts of nonchalance and acceptance were working. But her eyes lit up, grew wider, when she asked for Nell to teach her something. Maybe the girl had been right. Maybe she should use a degree to teach. "Ohmygod, yeah! It's really easy, actually. Well, until you get to the harder stuff. There's this guy, Satoshi Kamiya, and he makes some crazy stuff. I mean, he's Japanese, they're good at you know...making things, it's incredible!" She spread her arms wide before blinking, a blush creeping up from her neck to cover her cheeks. "Or...yeah. I could help ya." She coughed a bit, rubbing the back of her neck. The girl wanted to ask why Lark's mind was jumbled, but wondered if it had to do with the situation. Nell was used to caring a lot and too quickly, but she always wondered how people acted and reacted. Did this really upset the Fire? She saw the anger, but it was still...strange. Lovely and scary at once.
The word 'food' sent another surge of excitement through the Earth graduate. "Should we go off-campus? I love the mess hall and all, but I just found this awesome Mexican restaurant. Do you like Mexican? Great food. Never been there, but if all their food is like that, it's on my list of places to travel to." She made a check mark in the air, laughing lightly. Mexican food was something newly introduced to her, as was most food. She had yet to grow used to certain things, the fact that she hadn't tried a lot of things in life. And Mexican was a lot different than Spanish food, she found, despite sharing a language. Well, sort of. There were definitely differences, and Nell was trying to educate herself on them. "And you make me sound like an animal." She noted this with amusement. "Releasing me back into the wild." She made a soft growling sound when she lifted her arms as if they were claws. It would have been wiser not to move so much with the state she was in, but she ignored the hum of pain in her ears.
Nell tilted her head, arms still up, as if to amplify the animal routine. The words shouldn't have meant that much to her, but they did. She trusted people not to hurt her, but that was a system she'd set up for herself so as not to shut down when the hurt came. "Thanks, bro. I'd say I wouldn't harm you either but...I don't think I could if I tried." Nell saw nothing wrong with boxing and the sort as a sport, but she could never lift a hand, for one. And for another, she could guarantee that Lark was tougher than her. She didn't even have to see the girl fight. She could tell by the look in her eyes, how she held herself. One could tell a lot simply by poise. Nell eased her posture when the other girl sighed, ears picking up the mention of music. "Oh really? How's that going for you?" She tried to imagine what writing music was like. She'd tried it, but actually writing something coherent? It was something she'd love to try, and she wondered if Lark would have some pointers for that.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 23, 2012 21:26:34 GMT -5
It was obvious by the look on Lark's face that she still did not believe a word Nell had to say on the matter. No, you aren't alright, She wanted to say, to make the Earth girl understand that none of this was 'alright'. Someone took a hand against her, thought that fighting a pacifistic person was acceptable. That was not acceptable in the least. Lark was not one to lay down and take a fist to the face or allow people to talk down to her without fighting back (verbally or physically), so to see someone taking such a devastating hit enraged her. Nell did not upset her, no, the Fire leaders did. However, she did with her friend would have stood up for herself. It's not in their nature. Lark was determined to keep her as safe as she possibly could when around, even if it was not always welcomed. Her protective instincts were incredibly strong. The darker shadows lingering in the Fire girl's eyes were greatly diminished as Nell's face lit up, her enthusiasm overflowing about origami. "Satoshi Kamiya..." Lark looked thoughtful for a moment, as though the name seemed familiar but nothing came to her. She shrugged. "Doesn't ring a bell, but I'd like to see some of his work sometime too. Maybe this'll be a good stress reliever." Keeping one's hands busy during times of stress or frustration was extremely beneficial, although Lark might wind up setting the paper aflame unintentionally. Oh well; at least she could try. She chuckled when Nell rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. Lark appreciated the enthusiasm.
"I actually like Mexican quite a bit," Lark agreed, nodding. She did not go out to eat very often anymore due to lack of funds, but it would be nice to go and spend time with Nell. Any time with family was excellent for her. And Nell felt like family. 'Ohana. "Then we can try it out together. And we can see if they have any sombreros to wear." It was a bad attempt to rectify how angry she felt, and hoped that it was decent enough to help Nell understand that this was not towards her and she really was interested in their conversation. It was so difficult to push past the frustration when you were a Fire. Their personalities really were like flames. It only took a spark to ignite it, and within minutes turned to a raging wall of fire. Lark finally laughed, watching Nell make her wild animal impression. "Oh yes, the regal and powerful Nilla tiger being released back into her natural habitat," She teased, eyes glinting with humor. "I would fear for my life, for sure." Nell was probably the most harmless person she knew aside from Ashton, so of course it was said in jest.
The girl blinked and also tilted her head to mirror that of the other girl sitting before her, like a child. Lark was not quite aware that her words meant something to Nell. "You never know." She replied with a twitch of the eyebrows and a small smile. It was not the physical pain Lark worried about, no. It was emotional pain. Lark did not want to think that she would lose a friend for any reason, but shit happened. She just hoped that Nell would have no reason to walk away. Lark was mentally tough; after all, she's survived this long dealing with Frank and the rest of the world, but that did not mean she liked the emotional roller coaster that had been her life. Keeping her legs together like a pretzel, Lark gripped at them before rolling back on the bed and looked at the ceiling. It was childish, but that was okay. She then rolled back up to look at Nell. "It's going pretty well," Lark shrugged. "Working on a song right now, actually." She bit at her lip and looked at her lap for a moment before glancing back up again. "It's the note writing that's a pain in my ass though. The lyrics came easily enough."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 24, 2012 19:41:23 GMT -5
Origami may have been something Nell was passionate about. But then again, she was passionate about everything. No, it was more like she wanted to share it with Lark. It gave her so much hope in her life, as silly as it were. It had become more of a habit than anything now, but she still cherished it. Beauty was in the simple things, the small things that tend to be overlooked. She liked to focus on those things. Nell sighed, the air blowing up her bangs. They drifted back to her forehead, more unruly than before, and she kept her hands down now to alleviate some of the stinging. Every slight movement, even breathing, agitated the healed injuries. "Been trying to emulate some of his stuff. But you gotta admire that kind of talent. It can't be recreated." That's why the act of folding paper was an art to her, it was something that couldn't be imitated. Each one, even the cranes now on the table, in Lark's hand, was unique. The technique stayed the same, but that's how it was with everything.
Nell clapped her hands together. It was great news, indeed. "And ponchos," she agreed solemnly. "And a guitarrón. More places should have a mariachi band, yanno." They were quite the stereotype of Mexican culture, but she didn't mind, because in her mind they weren't. As she grew more accustomed to the world, she discovered ways that people thought of other people. There were always judgments. And she was unclouded to everything, she had a fresh look on the world and that was something she'd only come to realize recently. "Tiger, huh?" She grinned. "I'm cool with being a tiger. Could even endorse my own brand of cereal." She contemplated it. Nell Flakes. Eh, didn't sound too appetizing, really. She poked at her canines, said, "Wouldn't worry too much. I'm a scavenger." It was true enough, but then again, wasn't everyone? Well, unless they hunted for their food. It would be different if society were made up of animals, and that was something she saved for her philosophy and psychology courses. It always made her wonder, though, and that was the best thing someone could do. Wonder.
She snorted. "Pretty sure." And she knew she'd never find out because she just didn't want to fight Lark, and not just out of fear of her. She didn't want to hurt people, especially people she liked. That simple, everything was black and white. Except when it wasn't, but that came to other things. No one could be certain all the time. She watched as Lark fell back on the bed, reminding her of an exercise in yoga. She still did it sometimes, but it was mostly just her doing handstands. "The notes?" Nell questioned, holding out her pointer fingers and playing them on invisible drums. "You can just write them like this..." She continued to tap her fingers against the invisible drumpad. "Dum dum dum dududum. But only you would be able to understand, eh?" In her mind, it worked. "Notes involve too much math, anyway. Half beats, quarter beats, meh...dums work better." She actually didn't hate math, but then again, she didn't hate anything. "You'd be an innovator." Why not invent a new way to write music? Who could stop you?
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 26, 2012 23:26:42 GMT -5
"It can't hurt to try and re-create another person's work though," Lark replied with a faint shrug. For her, emulating her favorite musicians was what gave her the drive to make her own music. You had to start out somewhere, find something to inspire you. It did not mean you were going to be like them, it just meant you found a source of inspiration to use as a catalyst for your own works in the future. Lark smiled and pointed at Nell with her bandaged arm, closing one eye. "If they don't have one, I can supply my own guitar and we'll start up our own band. We would need one more person though..." She tapped her chin, growing thoughtful though it was not made to be serious. It would be fun to start a band, but Lark did not know enough people who would be interested in jumping in on that one. Josh was the only person she knew who could play guitar besides her, and she knew of no one else who could play drums or sing. For now it would remain a small dream in the back of her mind.
"You remind me more of a...red panda, I suppose," Lark replied, tilting her head a bit to the side. "But I'm sure you could be a scary tiger if given the chance." She chuckled, the image of Nell's face on the front of a cereal box popping into her mind. It had been a long while since she'd eaten a bowl of cereal, but the thought of food was only making things worse. Once she's out of here we are going straight for Mexican food. The only problem was being a bit broke, but it reminded her of something. "By the way, the daycare called a couple of days ago. I went in for an interview and they seem interested." Lark's eyes were lit up, the anger diminished for the time being. She had been searching for a job for a while, and the pay and hours were satisfactory. Anything was better than nothing, and working with children brightened her spirits considerably. Lark was a Fire, she had her temper, but like with teaching her patience with children was a lot longer than with people her age.
Lark was confident, knew that she was able to fight, knew that she was able to win (of course not every time). However, that did not mean she would use that against someone like Nell. And who knew? The Earth girl probably had a lot of fight in her if pushed to that point. Most people did, even if they did not want to raise a hand against a person. Lark watched as Nell took to tapping an invisible drum, clearly amused by her methods for note-writing. Oh, if only it were that easy, she would be set and her songs would come flowing out of her fingers like water from a faucet. "Man, I wish that could work," The girl replied wistfully, also drumming her fingers to match Nell. "Because that would be so much easier! Hmm..." She stopped drumming. "But wouldn't a dum da dum, still be the same as one beat, and a dum the same as a quarter beat? I guess I can't avoid the math, eh?" Lark shook her head and sighed, chuckling. It was not a serious conversation of course; she merely enjoyed talking to Nell about random tidbits. It helped keep her mind off of strangling the Fire leaders while at the same time helping Nell.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 27, 2012 18:14:31 GMT -5
Nell looked up at the ceiling before glancing back down at Lark. "True, but then it's making something you're own. Like when you paint something that someone has already painted, or if you're covering a song, or you know, origami." Then again, "There is nothing new under the sun." Isn't that what it said in the Book of Ecclesiastes? Her thoughts often lent themselves to things like this nowadays, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. Nell tilted her head, acquiring a philosophical look. "I could play the recorder. Even though...you know...don't think that's a Mariachi instrument." Nell sighed. "Too bad there aren't too many Mexican immigrants in Canada." She really wanted to go to Mexico now. There was more to it than Mariachis and the food, of course, though the latter was a very important aspect for her.
She kept her hands beside her on the cot and thought for a moment before she pushed her inhibitions beside and asked, "What do they look like? ...Ya know, other than red." There were still a lot of animals that she'd never seen, that she didn't know about. Half of her was embarrassed to admit that she didn't understand some thing, the other half of her was curious and glad that there would always be mystery out there. "Yeah, I'd tell all of my tiger friends about how my cereal is a healthy food choice. Fear me." Sometimes she wished she wished she could be scary when needed, wished she could be imitating. It was difficult when she only came in travel sized. Nell straightened up when Lark spoke of the daycare calling her, and a grin broke out. "Really? What'd they say?" she said, nudging Lark's arm in affectionate pride. "All right, you go. I'm sure you'll be in there soon." It would certainly be fun to have Lark in the workplace. The prospect excited her like nothing else.
Nell wrinkled up her in displeasure. "Darn math and its darn...mathiness." Of course, she didn't think it as bad as she made it sound. She sighed. "Well, I guess it is interesting that two things like that are connected. But I can see how it makes writing music harder." She actually envied the girl. Nell was decent at piano now, her friend (who had admirable patience) had been teaching her for a while now. And she wanted to learn guitar. "When did you learn to play guitar?" she asked, the question seemed rather abrupt, but at least it had to do with the subject. "And how long did it take you?" She was interested, because she honestly wanted to learn how to play more instruments. Music was in the blood, she had her great grandmother's cello genes, her great uncle's piano DNA. All she needed was the practical part, the learning. As much as the interest may have been bred into her (even though she knew it was her opera-singer hopeful mother that influenced a lot of it), one didn't magically learn anything.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 28, 2012 23:43:57 GMT -5
Lark smiled and chuckled, adjusting her self on the small cot. She had always hated the medical wing; not that it was an unnecessary thing, more that it made her feel weak. It was admitting she needed help, something that she was not accustomed to. In Nell's case, Lark was glad she came in to get treatment, but that was because she was a friend and the girl could not stand to see her friends hurting or in pain. "Hey, we don't have to be just like everyone else," Lark pointed out with a shrug, still smiling somewhat. "We can make our own original mariachi band. I'll take the electric guitar, you do the recorder, and we can find someone to play a timpani drum." That would be an interesting combination for sure, and the image was definitely worth finding amusement in. People would definitely talk about that for a while. Hell, they might even become popular if they played well enough. Lark liked to let her imagination wander about with these things. It could not hurt in the least. Nell's next question brought her back from her mental ramblings, drawing her to tilt her head to the side slightly.
"Oh, they aren't all red. Well...hmm." Lark had never really explained what an animal looked like because she assumed everyone had seen them before. It was like someone asking what an apple tasted like, or something like that. It was difficult. "If you've seen a panda, or a raccoon, well they look like the two of them had a baby." Was that an accurate description? Seemed like it. "They have a ringed tail, and the mask, but kinda have the color pattern of a panda. Really cute." It was then that Lark decided she was going to try and find a way to get Nell to the zoo as soon as possible. Nell seemed the type to enjoy something like that, maybe. Of course it gave the Fire girl a chance to hang out with her more often, because she really did enjoy Nell's company. Like with anyone she made friends with and stuck to, it was not something she dared question or explain. Whomever she was loyal to, she was loyal to, though elements defined that to an extent. Like with Sam. Still thinking of the Thunder caused her heart to ache. She missed him terribly. A void that was nonrefillable by anyone else. Lark's eyes were downcast for a brief moment before lighting on Nell's once more. "They said that even though I don't have experience they are interested to see what I can do. Said I might do well as a teacher's assistant, to kinda break me in."
The nudge on the shoulder and the smile was extremely encouraging. Lark was feeling more and more confident about this job already, just at hearing Nell's words was uplifting. I hope I'll be in there soon too. It was one more step towards independence, towards finding her own way. "Yeah it is really interesting. When I first started writing my own music it took me quite a while to figure everything out. I still struggle, but since I'm the only one who reads it..." Lark shrugged, not concerned with missing a few notes here and there, or writing them in the wrong place at first. Eventually she would go back and notice where she slipped up and fix the mistake, but by the time she got the music written down she usually had the song memorized. She looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I think I became interested not too long after I moved here, so...around nine. But I didn't try to get serious until I was probably thirteen." Lark had taken a few lessons here and there, but she liked to teach herself. Gave her a sense of accomplishment when she could strike a chord and figure out how to play her favorite songs. "I'm still learning and stuff, though. Always room for improvement and learning new things." There were masters at guitar, people who could play flawlessly and without a note out of place. However, that did not mean they left their guitar on the stand to collect dust. They played every day without fail, embracing the strings in hopes to find something new.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Apr 29, 2012 19:31:16 GMT -5
Nell's eyes lit up. She loved creation, so if they could invent something new, that was a good thing to her. "We're innovators," she told the girl with the a nod. Music was always changing. What was the expression? The only thing certain in the world is change? That definitely applied here. When Lark brought in the timpani drum, she chuckled. "So very Mexican," she said. She couldn't be too good a judge on that, however. She supposed she'd have to look up some more on that front. Nell brought up her hands in a questioning gesture when Lark told her that not all of them were red. For some reason it felt like deja vu, like they had a similar conversation before. About Swedish Fish. Nell could recall some of it, and then figured out exactly what night that was. Right. "I don't understand the world anymore," she deadpanned, the connotation humorous. And next to cross her mind was morphing together a raccoon and a panda. A blank expression settled on her face. The equation came out as panda plus raccoon equals some fat masked animal breaking a tree branch it sat on. "Either it is a horrible mutant or really cute." She found a lot of animals to be adorable, even ones that shouldn't be. Snakes were rather cute. And she liked spiders a lot, though she wouldn't call them cute. The big ones with lots of eyes, maybe. They were fuzzy.
Her gestures wide and sweeping when Lark told her more about what they said, Nell expressed her excitement better through expression than through words. Even though they helped a lot too. "That is great. You'll do perfect. Have you ever babysat before?" It was like that on a grander scale. And the she graced her with stories of writing her own music, which Nell paid apt attention to. No one else would see it, that was true. "Would you like to become...famous and everything so that people will be uploading your chords on the internet?" She wondered what that kind of fame would be like. For Nell, she was fine being in the background and letting other people's light shine. As a matter of fact, that was what she wanted from life. But she also wanted to leave something behind, and it wasn't the legacy of a murderer. What could she do to wipe that slate clean? "Nine," she repeated. So young to find an interest in something. She'd heard parents say that their children already had strong interests in things, in art or reading or solving problems. And here she was, nothing the same as she was when she'd been a child. Science and literature, yes, but what she wanted out of those things is different.
Nell laid back then, stretching out on the bed, wincing a bit when she felt her shirt brush at still-sore places. She wondered how long it would last, knowing that past experiences wouldn't help predict it much. Whenever she got burnt by Fire students, it usually wasn't an all-out assault by the leaders. "See, you know who I look up to? Jimi Hendrix. He played a Stratocaster." She bet he was still learning like Lark said she was, but unfortunately he was part of the twenty-seven club. "But I also look up to you, Larkita. Even though I've never heard you play. You write your own music, and that's something right there." She had no doubt in the girl's talents. And she definitely looked up to her in a lot of other ways. It was amazing that she could still look up to people when those that she did had ended up disappointing her. One in particular, but others. She just knew that she should not lack in trust because of that. "Do you think I should try with Nurse Ratched again?" She wondered how well that would go over. "I really want Mexican now. And to learn how to play guitar, but mostly Mexican." Chase and Altair chose the absolutely perfect time to ambush her.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 30, 2012 23:56:16 GMT -5
Lark liked to be uplifted, to be encouraged. No matter who you were or how tough you acted, it was nice to have the approval of another human being. Nell was an important person to Lark, so to have her offering high hopes and smiles was an astounding relief and boosted her confidence sky high. "I don't know about perfect, but I'm going to do the best I can." She was confident in a lot of things, but this was new and she was not opposed to humbling herself. "I babysat a few times in the past, but never made much of a job out of it. I don't know enough people who are in need of a babysitter." One of her professors had offered her a job to babysit his little girl, but he left the school for reasons even she was unsure of. The job flew out of the window due to that. Lark was honored to have received the offer in the first place though; to know that someone would entrust her with their child was evidence that she could handle children. I just hope I can handle them well enough in the classroom. One child as opposed to, say, fifteen was quite a leap and was a tad bit more intimidating than a single child at someone's home.
"That would be really neat," Lark replied, imagining her music winding up somewhere on the internet for people to use at their discretion. However her lips twitched into a faint frown, but it was brief. "I guess it depends on the song really. I like to keep personal songs, well, personal." Like the one she was currently writing. Lark bit at her lip a little bit, the thought of putting that song out for the world to hear making her stomach flip over in anxiety. It was not something she planned to share, at least right now. Maybe in the future, but the future was full of variables and question marks. She tried not to think too far ahead with things she could not control. Lark nodded at Nell's reiteration of the number, not thinking much about the age. A lot of children breezed through their interests, most of them only lasting for a month or two before they found something else more 'interesting'. That was one reason Lark was stunned at how many toys parents bought their children, with how they changed their minds and hobbies like the weather. "Long time, yeah. It's really one of the only things that I've stuck with though. Everything else kinda came and went." Some people spent years finding the one thing they wanted to cling to, to dedicate their lives to, and others found it before they could even read a book cover to cover.
As though Christmas morning had just arrived with a stock of shiny presents under the tree, Lark's eyes lit up considerably at the mention of Jimi Hendrix. "Mmm, that man and his Fender Strat," Lark said dreamily, remembering when she first discovered his music and how she fell in love with the talent he portrayed. It was a shame his highest peak of fame only lasted for the last three years of his life. "I'm sure you knew that he was left handed, but instead of using a regular left handed guitar he took a right handed guitar and restrung it so it was playable to a leftie. It caused the sound of the strings to switch, but he liked the way it sounded." It was something only unique to Hendrix, and he had to re-tune his guitar quite often because of the awkward slant and the way the strings were strung. No matter, he was one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Lark blinked a minute, a bit taken back by Nell's comment. Why would she look up to me? She had never heard that from anyone before, and though it was new it warmed her heart none the less. She never thought she would be worth looking up to for anything. "I'll play for you at some point, if you want. Maybe I'll let you hear a portion of the song I'm working on? At least the notes of it anyway." The lyrics were for her eyes only, but the tune itself could be playable in front of someone. Well, at least Nell. She did not mind playing it for Nell. "I think you should, because I could really go for some of that Mexican food." Lark stretched her arms above her head. "And I can teach you some guitar at a later date once we aren't starving."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on May 1, 2012 15:02:43 GMT -5
Nell did have some experience before getting the job with children, and so she hoped that it would also help Lark in the process. The Earth girl had grown over time, after all. She remembered being infatuated by Jacob’s little ister when he had brought her over for dinner. Since then, her maternal instincs had bloomed and fortered this love for anyone younger than her, even a year. She guessed she felt in a similar way for the Fire, though knowing how tough she was, it dimmed a little. More like a content mother than a fusy one. ”That is true,” Nell said, picking at strands of her hair. ”Especially if theirs older siblings involved. They babysit for free.” Even though they might not like it. She’d never had to do that since Mia didn’t leave the house, but she’d always been protective over Tilly. Every older sibling was, thought they might fight or say things that they shouldn’t. Personal songs were like diaries, Nell supposed. She didn’t write music, so she wouldn’t know. But she liked to find out. If there was something she didn’t know about, she went out to discover it. Nell laughed at Lark’s words of things coming and going. ”Now that I can understand.” More or less people coming and going. Nell did go through interests rapidly, but she also held onto them. If she forgot, she might end up reclaiming them. Her father was to thank for some things that she was focusing on again.
From her expression, Nell figured that Lark was a Hendrix fan. But then again, who wasn’t? Eh, Nell could understand varying opinions. But sometimes talent was undeniable. You could never say that Einstein was a stupid man. ”Now he’s an innovator.” A lot of people learned to play Smoke on the Water as their first song. She wanted to learn Voodoo Child. Of course, it was probably difficult, but why aim low? If she were going to do something, she would do it like those that came before her. Did she want to be a mover and shaker, though? Maybe not in the music industry, but who knew? She didn’t really have a claim in what she wanted, who she wanted to be. That may have been a wishy-washy way to live, but it was her way of living. Nell held a hand against her chest, her face falling into a static expression for a moment. Then she recovered and said, ”That would be great! Would you really do that?” Maybe it was another sign of something she didn’t want to become, but it would really be an honor to listen to the Fire girl play her songs. It would be something she created, and Nell had a very big weak spot for things like that.
She nodded her head, hopping off the cot as she headed out to the main area, careful not to brush past people so that her skin wouldn’t be irritated. Nell approached the front desk and leaned over far, almost touching the woman’s face with her own. ”Hola, Nurse Ra—“ She stopped herself just in time and her smile faltered before she said, ”Can I pleased be discharged? I’ve got an escort now and everything!” She pointed at Lark, and the nurse looked at the other girl. Turning back to Nell, she said, ”Go. And I don’t want to see you back here any time soon.” And that was a well-wish, she supposed, because who said, “Hope to see you again!” in a hospital setting? Kind of morbid. She exited it to go back to the building, immediately gluing herself to Lark as if the girl had her own gravitational pull. In these moment, Nell was a little cagey that the leaders, or even Fires, may be lurking, waiting to catch her in their grasp. ”So, my car? I just can’t wait till I get Lucille done and you can go for a ride in her.” She was going to be a beaut, Nell knew it.
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