NEW GREEN LINES,, dani

The voice surprised her, but Nell was pretty deft when it came to balance in high places, and so merely had to juggle the pot from hand to hand as she lost her grip on it for a moment. Turning, she saw a girl looking rather panicked, probably a few years younger than herself. The Earth student considered the words, blinked, and said, ”……what.” Sui…cide…? When she thought about it, this did look rather suspicious. She was halfway out a window on the fourth floor, what were innocent passersby supposed to think? Now realizing what the girl had meant, Nell laughed, the sound easy and light. She pulled the scarf down so the girl could hear her. ”Trust me, suicide is the farthest thing from my mind.”

Nell patted the space next to her, the windowsill wide enough for two people at least. ”Hop up and I'll show you what I'm doing." Her words were a bit mischievous, and she lifted her eyebrows as she said them. Turning to look back out at the Academy grounds, Nell said, "The view is quite breathtaking." She wrinkled her nose. “Though it’s pretty much just snow. Still lovely, though.”

She turned back to look at the girl again through curious--and still mischievous--brown eyes. "Did my post-it notes bring you here, by any chance?" They were put there for a reason, after all, and not just so she wouldn't get lost. She'd feel very triumphant if the notes did indeed bring the girl here. "If so, I'm Nell. And I'm not doing anything particularly awesome." She chuckled. "I just thought it would bring me some company." She always loved to meet new people, and so she purposely went out of her way to do so.

The girl released her grip on Nell’s hand, and she smiled. She was just too adorable, being so read to save Nell from certain death had she been considering to jump out the window. Which she wasn't, of course. The younger girl's face heated up when she said that she didn't like heights, and Nell tipped her head. Why, that was nothing to be embarrassed about! Everyone had their fears. Nell herself disliked being locked inside anywhere, she understood such things. "Ah, not a fan of being up high, huh?" Nell loved it but to each her own. She could totally understand why Dani would be turned-off by dangling her feet out a window. "That's all right, I'm not gonna force you to or anything."

So she had actually followed her little yellow brick road. "Thanks," Nell said with a wolfish grin when the girl complimented her creativity. Then, conspiratorially, she leaned in and said, "Though to tell you the truth, I did it so I wouldn't get lost. Castle's big, ya know, and I don't do well finding my way around." Nell watched with sparkling brown eyes as the girl pulled a chair over to sit next to her. At introductions, the Earth student said, "It's nice to meet ya, Dani." She seemed rather flustered about the mistake, but Nell waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t think people usually sit in fourth story windows or anything, what else were you supposed to think?” Nell laughed at her next words. "Good. I hope I don't give the impression of a suicidal." The Earth girl was much too cheerful, always smiling at people she passed in the halls and having a general easygoing demeanor. She'd never even contemplated suicide before, even when she'd been steadily destroyed by her mother.

Her forehead wrinkled in sympathy as Dani tried to look out the window, but stepped back, looking rather pale. Nell was ready to catch her should she faint. ”Maybe you shouldn’t try that… You okay, Dani?” Her concern was sincere as she surveyed the younger girl who was rubbing her temples. The height really bothered her, huh? Nell always liked to be closer to the sky, feeling the rush when she looked down and saw how far away from the ground she was. That didn't sound like general Earth student behavior when she thought about it, as they liked to keep close to their element. But no one was a perfect cut-out, she guess.

Nell continued to keep her worried gaze on Dani as she swung her legs over the windowsill and turned to face the girl, the plant in her lap. Hopefully she could distract her from the height thing. “Lookit,” she said as the beginnings of a sprout poked its way up through the soil in the pot, growing further to reveal itself as a tulip, its purple hue dull. Nell scrunched her nose in a usual sign of vexation, but at least it had grown this time. ”Us Earth students are having trouble because of all the snow and cold. I was hoping if I got closer to the sun, it might encourage this little sprout to grow…” Slowly, the color faded from the flower and it fell limp in the pot. Nell sighed, but she sent Dani a smile. ”What grade are you in, hmm?” She seemed quite young, so Nell’s curiosity made her ask. "And for that matter, what affiliation do you belong to?" The other brunette didn't seem like a Fire student, or even Thunder. There was only three then, and Nell felt proud of herself for being able to make such connections. She still felt like a fish out of water, but at least now she was getting the hang of things.

Dani seemed to enjoy her ulterior motive for the notes on the wall, and also sympathized. ”Nope, you’re not alone!” Nell’s voice was laced with a laugh. ”I’d be interested to find a person who thinks of the Academy as small.” She could only imagine someone approaching the place and going, “it is not taking up enough space, the next province over could use some land development.” It threw Nell for a loop, considering she grew up in a two-bedroom shack with not much freedom to go anywhere at all. Only the freedom she took for herself.

“Really?” Nell said, tilting her head in consideration. So Dani never saw the Academy as a castle? “Well, this place has dungeons and the whole nine yards.” Though she didn’t like to talk about that little detail, the dark places hiding underneath the Academy. It made her queasy to think of, what it must have been life for Dani and heights. While the younger girl was intimidated by high places, Nell panicked when in tight spaces. A case of claustrophobia, she figured, stemming from—what else?—her childhood. ”Sadly to say, no jesters and mutton.” She sighed as though this disappointed her, but laughed after, more soft than anything because she really did have a terrible sense of humor. But whatever, so long as this girl was in a good mood, she would be happy.

Nell grinned rather broadly as the girl explained she wanted to overcome her fears. ”Got any plans in mind for how you’re going to accomplish that?” she asked curiously, enthusiasm apparent in her voice. Overcoming fears was big for her, she liked to hear about others doing so. Even though she couldn’t handle many of hers, she was interested to hear about others dealing with theirs. Sorta the reason? ”What’s the whole reason you’re here?” she asked. Then she wondered if she should be asking this question, as innocent as it was. Because should roles be reversed, Nell would only give a half-truth perhaps. ”If that’s too personal or anything, you don’t have to answer.” There may have no reason to be so cautious around this question, but Nell felt the need to be careful about such things now with other people. She now understood about secrets and things too personal to ever speak into open air.

Nell’s lips twitched into a melancholy smile, but it was still filled with gratitude toward Dani, who looked on in wonderment. She pressed the dead petals between her thumb and forefinger, and it regained some of its hue. Sighing once more, she said, ”It’d be even more impressive where it spring. But alas, this is Canada, the country of snow and poutine.” She said this cheerfully, considering she loved poutine now that she’d discovered it. How could she not? The snow was not as incredibly delicious, which is why she had more distaste for it. Overall, the country and the province she lived in now were a-okay in her book. She’d wait for spring to pass her ultimate judgment however.

“Freshie?” Nell’s eyes sparkled. She used the term endearingly, of course. The Earth girl absolutely did not pick on anyone. ”So how are you liking it so far?” She didn’t ask this out of courtesy, she was truly interested. And she was especially interested in the little whirlwind cupped in Dani’s hand. ”That is just too awesome,” she complimented with a chuckle. And even the act of pushing a chair was amazing to her, even though apparently the girl could do it even before coming to the Academy. ”I can sympathize with you, though I’m in the twelfth grade. I’m new here, just came a little…late.” As in about four years late, but who was counting? At least this girl would be able to get her education started from where it should and soon learn new tricks.

Nell lifted her eyebrow at the younger girl’s words. When she was little, she didn’t have many fairytales to read but she supposed that’s what she thought of too. Smiling at Dani, she said, ”Hey, you never know. There’s a lake on the grounds, close enough to a moat. Dragons breathe fire and we got the Fire students. And…hey, you could be a princess.” Every girl deserved a fairytale, right? Nell made up her own for her sister to get her to sleep at night before she sneaked off to the library, always worrying that her mother might one day snap and do something horrible to Tilly. Her twin had deserved a fairytale, even though Nell could only provide stories created from her own mind.

Nell furrowed her eyebrows when she talked about going down into the dungeons. That…did not sound very fun to her. ”You could, but I wouldn’t advise it. I hear Fire and Thunder students like to haunt that place. And though I’m not too concerned about Thunder…you’ve gotta be careful with the Fire students.” She’d like to say everyone was pure and the world was bright and she’d like to believe it, too, but she knew better. There were dangers out there, especially in the dungeons. ”If you have an escort and you’d really like to see it, though…” She shrugged lightly, still not liking the idea of someone like Dani prancing around a place like that. Not only because they were cells and dungeons (Nell shivered simply thinking of them), but because Dani seemed so innocent and regrettably the kind of girl who would get picked on by those lurking in the cellars. A cute little freshman is like open season for those types. No, Nell did not like that at all.

Dani couldn’t seem to settle on one method to overcome this fear. ”Whatever works for you, ya know?” Nell leaned forward in the window slightly, seriously considering this. ”Does your fear stem from anything? Like…did you fall out of a tree or something when you were younger?” That could be the first step to figuring out how to expunge this fear. If it stemmed from a childhood event, then Nell was could perhaps find a way to help her. Even if it didn’t, she’d still try to assist this girl.

The girl gave her an answer even though Nell had feared she’d overstepped a boundary in asking about what brought her here. And an interesting reason it was. "Find out who you are..." Nell gazed at the girl with a soft smile. "That's pretty noble." In a way, Nell could sympathize. She was alone in her powers from the beginning. It was understandable that this girl wanted to do some soul-searching here. "The Academy is a good place to find yourself, definitely. You’ll find your niche, just you see." Nell cast her winning smile toward her, having the upmost faith in Dani and her ability to find what she needed in this place. And of course, there were most likely things the girl left out from her explanation, but that was perfectly fine—more than fine.

Nell threw her head back and laughed. ”I’ve heard it does, but it’s kind of hard to believe when everywhere you look is just…white. And cold. And white. And frozen. Did I mention that it’s really white?” She was used to the smog and the overcast weather of The Bronx, the snow on the city streets not able to keep the snow pure for even a second after it settles. On the grounds, however, one could find traces of land perfectly untouched. ”When spring comes around, I’ll be overjoyed.” She tried to embrace this weather as much as possible, but spring would be a lovely change for her. Looking down at her wilted tulip, she exhaled lightly. Oh well. Spilt milk and all that, she figured—no use in mourning over this plant. She just had to focus on the future when she could be outside breathing in the smell of spring.

Nell was thrilled that Dani liked it in her school. ”That’s wonderful! So this is a brand new experience to you, huh?” She spoke as if she were a seasoned high school senior, when she really wasn’t. Nell didn’t have a formal education, but she didn’t tell this girl that. For one, it would bring up awkward questions. For another, it made her sound stupid, like an ingrate raised in a hick town. She lied to think of herself as—if not book-learnt—street smart. Crafty. Not that she didn’t think she needed books to teach her, but she found herself more capable of learning when it came to experience. Besides, she was reading medical dictionaries when she was six-years-old. Or at least attempting to, with the help of a kindly librarian curious about why such a young girl was reading such material. Nell raised her eyebrow and laughed whole-heartedly at Dani’s last comment. ”I guess getting lost is a lot better when there’s someone else with you. Then it’s an adventure!” She winked mischievously, because if Nell Doe loved one thing, it was adventure.

"Everyone needs fairytales." So what if it sounded immature? Even Nell would like to believe them sometimes. She missed out on her childhood. She believed she deserved at least some innocence. ”Hey, when I climb trees I like to imagine myself as a monkey,” she said with a wink to reassure the younger girl that there was nothing wrong about seeing oneself as a princess or something that may seem childish, imagining yourself in a different place or as a different person. And Dani was still relatively young; she should be able to hold onto her innocence as long as possible.

Rather relieved that Dani said she’d stay away from the dungeons, Nell gave the girl one of her “the world is awesome and colorful” smiles. ”It would seem so,” she said amiably as she kicked her legs against the wall beneath her. ”Though I like to adhere to the belief they’re not all bad. Sure, they’re supposed to be my enemies, but…” She shrugged softly. ”I like to wait until someone’s done an injustice against me before labeling them as my enemy.” It was true. Even though Nell loved her Earth comrades and would fight to the death for them if need be, she also didn’t like making enemies unless necessary. Right now, she had a bit too many for her tastes, and they all were in high places. Too bad she had just entered this wonderful world of politics and alliances. Still, should something ever happen, she would protect the ones she cares about.

Nell balanced the pot on her legs as she rested her hands on the window, leaning further back out the window. ”Perhaps if you confront this,” Nell suggested. ”Go on another tall ride, maybe. Of course that might making it worse…” She brushed her fingers through her hair and chuckled a bit, looking over her shoulder at the ground below. It could be rather intimidating, she thought as she put herself in the other girl’s shoes. ”Or just think positive thoughts when you’re up high.” If she were to try and overcome her fear of closed in spaces, would she go down and sit in the dungeons for a while? That would be a good option. But her other fears were something else…she feared becoming like her mother, she feared the law, she feared not being able to forget. How do you conquer that? She was such a hypocrite, but it’s not like she was focusing on her fears right now—she was locking them away. Dani wanted to overcome them; it was a whole different story.

Oh, spring. How she awaited it with yearning in her heart, or some other gushy, purple feeling. But she really did love it, even though she hadn’t known much of it. The milder climate, and the smell, and the feeling of light breezes on a warm day… Canada didn’t have that for her so far. ”We’ll have to wait for a while until this ice age thaws.” She knew the further up north, the colder it got, but the country wasn’t cold all the time. Its winters were just intense. So she had to wonder what the springs and summers and falls were like. In the Bronx, she only knew the weather when she headed out at night, or opened her window. But now she could freely walk under the sun and nobody would be able to stop her. Unless the government gets their claws in you.


"The upperclassmen have been hazing you, haven’t they?" Nell scrunched her nose up. The Earth elemental was definitely not a part of that scene, even though she was senior. She guessed a part of it had to do with the fact she belonged to the friendliest affiliation. It was ridiculous, really. Hazing a little freshman girl? And really, there was almost nothing she could do since if she retaliated, they would most likely gang up on her. ”You should make lots of friends,” She then suggested with a smile. ”That way you have people to back you up if any culos try to gang up on you.” Nell accidentally slipped into Spanish accidentally then, as she usually did when being serious or focused or nervous or any other strong emotion. ”Eh, sorry about that. Culos means…” Nell then smirked mischievously and leaned closer to Dani so she could whisper conspiratorially as if it was one of the big-bad words. ”Assholes.” Nell winked after, and settled back with a laugh. Really, though if this girl had a group of friends around her—maybe older friends who didn’t participate in hazing—then she’d be less likely to be screwed with.

Dani seemed non-committal to the idea, but the Earth student couldn’t very well know. Whatever worked for her, though. Nell chose to bury things in her mind, and it was working okay. It had gotten her all the way to Canada and now to the Academy, so hopefully this method of ‘coping’ will continue to work for her. But she knew it was only a matter of time, despite the fact she quickly buried that notion as soon as it cropped up, too. I’ve been doing a lot of landscaping, she thought dryly, and it was another thing she used to mentally cope. Sarcasm, her lovely new defense mechanism. She at least had something to thank her family for, and it was the sardonicism she used now instead of violence. Violence went wrong in so many ways, she should now.

Nell smiled. She didn’t take Dani as the kind of girl to go out of her way making enemies, and she seemed sweet enough to give everyone a chance. Tapping a finger to her chin in consideration, the Earth girl said, ”No one is evil, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find good Fire and Thunder students.” Although those aren’t the kind of people to go looking for at first when trying to make friends. Still, Nell never believed in absolute evil or stereotyping people in a group. ”You just have to be careful, is all.” But Nell still smiled as she said this.

Studying Dani as she seemed to take her words into consideration, Nell almost leaned forward then to hug her and try to take her home when the girl endearingly tilted her head to the side. Behave, Nell, no need to get creepy. But she had a weakness for adorable people, and this Wind student was practically the epitome of it. She still kept a careful eye on Dani as she walked over to the window. This girl had guts, you had to admit. Nell’s first instinct when faced with her phobia of closed-in spaces was to flee, and yet Dani was staring out the window like it was nothing.

Nell’s ears perked up at the mention of a certain state. ”So you’re from Nevada, huh? That’s pretty far.” She was American, too, but she’d rather not talk about it. If Dani asked where she was from, she would answer her truthfully, but it’s still something she was oddly wary about. Besides, she liked talking about others more than herself, but not in a gossiping way. More in an empathetic, ‘I want to learn about everyone’ way. Nell decided to say, ”It’s nice to see someone else from the states.” That was enough on her part, she guessed, the fact that she was from America too, though that much was apparent from her New York accent.

The Earth student caught a faint look on Dani’s face. “Careful there,” Nell said kindly, reaching out a hand just in case. At the girl’s suggestion of building a snowman, she grinned. ”Snowmen are awesome. Will it be your first then?” Because if it was, it would kind of like be passing the torch down. She’d built her first snowman with Ashton, and if she could she’d be helping Dani build her first one, too. It was a nice concept, she decided. Nell wondered if the girl had a similar childhood to hers, but she reminded herself that it simply didn’t snow much in Nevada. Hopefully it hadn’t been anything like how Nell’s childhood had been, locked inside all the time.

Nell dropped down from her perch, plant cradled in her arms. ”Then let’s go find some friends for you,” she said before leaning down to pick up her hot chocolate. Taking a tentative sip, she found it was cold and wrinkled her nose. ”I’ve gotta get more hot chocolate at the mess hall, anyway. Would you like some, too? Then we could go outside and build that snowman… Maybe challenge a few people to a snowball fight.” Nell winked when she said this. She believed she’d be good at an all-out snowball war should it occur. And she would actually like that, considering it was another thing that should have been a part of her childhood.