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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Nov 9, 2012 12:56:44 GMT -5
 Nell blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness around her. A chill tickled the back of her neck, even though the area was very warm. She knew exactly where she was, but unfortunately, she didn't know how to find her way out. The dungeons presented a very real threat to her, as she had gotten lost many times before and none of them ended well when it came to the dungeons. She nervously tugged at the sleeve of her thermal. One would think by now she'd have learned to realize which halls led to the dungeons, but she always ended up getting too far in before she could backtrack. Her nervous eyes darted around, looking for some light, some sign of the place where she had entered from. However, before that, she heard the scratch of shoes against the ground, and quickly swivelled, squinting in the dark. She knew that whoever she saw would not be a friendly face.
"Nell, right?" She bristled. Someone from the enemy alliance who knew her name. No, not good at all. Her eyes could pick up long hair, the slim figure of a girl, and as she studied her a light sparked, the sound like crackling electricity. Thunder student. Nell's history with them was long-standing and unfortunate. She was born into a family of them, they had started a war against her, her asshole of a (half) brother was one. It was not on her laundry list to mess with them, even if her element was theoretically superior. And so, she instantly went with the defensive tactic that anyone ever pulled over by the police knew. "Listen, I just got lost. If you could..I don't know, point out the exit? I'll be out of your hair." And answer didn't come for a while, and the electric light dimmed. She thought she was out of the blue until a jolt of electricity came whipping at her, faster than she could react. It connected with her hands as she lifted them up to protect her, and as she hissed she heard the Thunder girl's laughter.
She picked up a movement as she lowered her hands, trying not to rub them. It would only make them sting worse. "Go back and take a right, kiddo." Nell heard retreating footsteps, and was quick to backtrack. She knew the Thunder only wanted to mess with her some before sending her away, but she didn't want to encourage a fight, and the girl most likely knew that she wouldn't give it. The Earth element was known for being full of pacifists. That didn't give them a good rap among the enemy alliance. Taking the right turn, she was about to keep going straight until she saw the light at the other end and followed it there back into the hallways. She panted lightly, leaning against a wall to stare at her hands. There were black marks against the skin.
This would be the point sane people would head to the medical wing. This was the point that Nell decided that she didn't want to get lost again. So, she took this time to grow a few leaves to wind around her hands, until she could find a passerby that might know where the medical wing was and would be willing to help her. She wasn't one to often reach out, but in cases like this she knew it would be the wisest decision. The woman wasn't too fond of being treated at the medical wing, either. Not that she didn't like Avery, of course not, she just hated being a patient. She wasn't fond of acknowledging that there may have been any problems with her health, even when it was a rather apparent electrical burn.
She pushed herself off the wall and started down the hallway, crossing her arms over her chest and tucking her hands under her arms. When she saw someone, her expression brightened and she approached to ask, "Uhm, hey! Can you help me out?"
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Post by theepicfiend on Nov 19, 2012 16:01:05 GMT -5
Tiger was making his first round around the school, a well-concealed but still evident tinge of confusion twisting up his face. He had been pointed in the direction of the Thunder Dorms multiple times, but still managed to get himself stuck... somewhere or other. It was dark, dim lights lighting the stone hallways. Judging by equilibrium, he could tell he was underground, but he didn't quite remember how he'd gotten there.
Great, lost again.
He'd run into several students, most of which he'd judged poorly. Some of them pointed him in the right direction, but most pointed whichever way they felt like pointing at the time. One of the particularly flighty students even pointed at the ceiling... this place was going to take some getting used to.
As he turned the corner he saw a woman almost stumbling along, her hands tucked into her armpits. How strange. Tiger's eyes flitted back and forth, looking her over in the dim light.
He might've been surprised when she approached him, if not for her face. And voice. And disposition. The girl gave off an inherent air of... stupidity. Well, that, and kindness. Stupid kindness, the kind of kindness that gets you killed if you're not careful. Or at the very least taken advantage of. It also reminded him of his mother in a way. He almost liked Nell before she even greeted him.
His eyes turned to focus on her hands as she approached. Her brief stutter followed by a timid cry for help wasn't surprising in the slightest. Tiger had already made up his mind that this girl was worthy of whatever social skills he possessed, so he answered the question honestly.
"No," he shrugged slightly. In all honesty, he couldn't help her. He was new here, and judging by the slightly frazzled look in her eyes, she was lost just like him. After a beat of silence that would have been awkward for anyone but him, he continued "What do you need?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Nov 20, 2012 13:55:30 GMT -5
Nell did not have the habit of making snap judgments when it came to meeting other people. Her opinions formed slowly over knowing them. In the beginning, she always gave the benefit of the doubt. And this one, he looked younger than her, though he was taller. It did not surprise her -- everyone stood taller than her, it seemed.
She didn't look too crestfallen when he told her with a shrug and a simple word that he didn't know where the medical wing was located. Nell didn't want it to seem like it was his fault or something like that. It really was her own, the fact that she constantly got lost and couldn't even find her way to the nurse. "Oh, sorry," was her reply. Apologizing was one of the things she did most, and now she did it because she felt bad for bothering him. Is he a high schooler? That might have been it. Perhaps he didn't know his own way around yet. She was a sophomore and still getting lost. Pitiful, really.
He asked what she needed, and for a second she almost replied medical attention, but then figured she might as well give him a better explanation. She moved her hands from in front of her and the leaves pressed against her skin inched back to reveal the burns. "It's an electrical burn," she said, figuring he'd realize that it had been from a Thunder student. She wasn't going around sticking forks into outlets, after all. "If I go there, they'd be able to heal it up right away, but I could treat it myself. I just don't want it to scar. And..." She winced a little before she explained. "I don't know where the washrooms are so I can run it under water." It didn't sound very good, did it? That she was older -- though she didn't look too much older, baby face and shortness be damned -- but could not navigate the halls of her own school.
She let the leaves cover it back up, not looking fazed even though a sharp pain announced the fact that the burn did not very much like being touched. The girl had a high enough pain threshold that she shouldered it well. "But if you don't know where the medical wing is, I don't want to bother you." She smiled softly, figuring that she would find someone else who'd be able to guide her to the right place.
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Post by theepicfiend on Nov 20, 2012 15:58:38 GMT -5
Tiger cocked his head to the side slightly, unsure why the girl had apologized. People didn't often apologize to him, especially when they'd just met. Her tendency towards apologizing rather than accusing, though, helped to solidify his gut feeling that the woman wasn't so bad. Not wanting her to feel like she owed him anything, he gave what he knew to be the standard response, "It's okay."
He watched, wide-eyed as she held up her hands. He didn't like the sight of electrical burns... they reminded him what he was potentially capable of. As she leaned forward to show him he jumped back, a slightly wild look in his eye as he gasped, "Don't touch me." It was meant as a warning, but it came out as more of an angry grumble, accompanied by a voice crack. Tiger coughed, hoping he'd soon not have to deal with those. He meant it, though. He didn't want her to come anywhere near him while he still wasn't in fully control of his element, especially if she already had burns.
He listened calmly as she rambled on about 'going there', waiting for the moment when she would clarify where 'there' was and he could put all the pieces together. What piqued his interest, though, was her mention of a washroom. Tiger had just passed a loo not five minutes prior, so if he retraced his steps he'd likely be able to take her there. Yes, that was the plan.
She apologized again, sort of, this time for 'bothering him' when he didn't know the location of the medical wing. He might've told her about how he'd been to the medical wing a few days prior, but didn't know how to get there from wherever they were. However, not knowing quite which words to say, nor wanting to have to use many of them for risk of his voice cracking again, he kept it simple. "L-... washroom. Follow."
He turned on his heel, walking off without checking to see if she followed.
If she did, he would lead her down a hallway, around a corner and up two flights of stairs into a much more brightly lit area. From there he'd wander around in circles for a good five minutes before finding the washroom. He wouldn't admit to her, of course, that it wasn't the one he'd had in mind earlier. That wouldn't matter.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Nov 26, 2012 1:14:07 GMT -5
At his gasped words, Nell brought her hands tight against her chest. She had no intent of touching him, but she realized that he probably didn't realize this. Her eyes were wide and apologetic. "I'm sorry, I wasn't going to touch you," she squeaked out, even taking a step back to give him more room. She didn't know whether he was angry with her or simply guarded, but she would not take her chances. The woman did not like making anyone feel threatened or uncomfortable, especially someone she had just met and who had only been kind, if not reserved. She didn't mind that, she just did not want to upset him.
He seemed to get better, though, this stranger, and she hoped that all was well. It hurt her when other people were distressed and made her want to help in any way she could have. So she would have been trying to soothe Tiger had he shown any other signs of being disturbed or ruffled. Some people did not like to be touched, she understood that and was very respectful. Nell didn't automatically attribute it to anything resulting from trauma, just a personal preference. She followed at his word, obedient as anyone. And she hadn't even realize they'd been going around in circles looking for this place, as her directional sense was totally shot. She could recognize some landmarks and similarities, classrooms that she had before, but as for their locations she was hard-pressed to remember any of it.
She walked into the bathroom, holding out her hand under the water and wincing when it hit her burnt skin. If this scars... It was more of a plea than an angry thought, because she didn't want to have to deal with that. All her others had mostly cleared up, the one she was most thankful for fading being on her stomach. She had faint white lines on her arms, but those were only apparent if the light hit them in the right way. After rinsing off the burn, she got a paper towel and carefully dabbed, before looking at it. Definitely would need some more treatment, but she supposed she would have to find a professor or someone to help her.
Walking back out she smiled and held out her uninjured hand. "I'm Nell, by the way," she told him with a smile. Still relatively unaffected by it, her only concern was that she would get an infection or something. She had experience in self-treating, but it didn't always work out. She realized it was a good thing she was married to a future doctor. "Do you need to get to class or anything? Because I can help you out there. I mean, I know where most classes are relative to each other..." The high school classes were all close each other for clear reasons, but the castle could certainly get confusing. Nell learned that the hard way when she first came here. "You're in high school, right?" she decided to ask him out loud.
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Post by theepicfiend on Nov 26, 2012 20:20:08 GMT -5
Tiger stood outside the bathroom, waiting patiently for the woman to emerge. He certainly wasn't about to follow her inside, but he wasn't quite sure whether he was supposed to leave her there or stay and wait, so he waited just to be safe. He also leaned into the door, wondering if she might be the squeamish type that fainted at the sight of her own blood. Tiger was definitely not aware of the protocol for that, so he really hoped she would just come out of the bathroom conscious.
"Tiger," he answered as she told him her name. Upon realizing that might not have been clear, he specified, "is my na-," but was cut short by another voice crack, which he coughed in an attempt to play off. He didn't bother finishing the word, enough of it had come out to make sense as far as he was concerned.
Tiger hadn't forgotten that he had class, he'd just gotten a bit turned around and ended up on the wrong end of the school. When Nell reminded him of that fact, he looked around at the hallway's walls and ceiling. He had... even less of an idea than he'd had previously as to where he was relative to his classroom. Normally if he counted the stone tiles and didn't deviate from his usual path by a centimeter he was fine, but this little detour had thrown him off completely.
"I have..." he paused, trying to remember which period they were heading into next, "group breathing exercises," he remembered, turning back to Nell, and answering he final question with a single word, "Yes."
He could easily tell based on not only her appearance, but also the question being asked that she wasn't in high school. It was kind of disappointing, honestly, knowing that she wasn't in high school. It meant that Tiger might not grow out of his impeccable ability to get lost like he'd been hoping.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Nov 27, 2012 16:04:10 GMT -5
As he had guessed, Nell took pause at the word, wondering immediately if that was his name of if he was a little...off. Perfectly fine with that, it didn't turn her away when she found that someone may be strange. She enjoyed that, actually, discovering quirks in the people around her. It was endearing, actually, and made her love them more.
So she smiled when he elaborated, nodding her head lightly. "Tiger," she repeated softly, as if testing the name out on her lips. "Interesting name. Do you know why your parents called you that?" A lot of times there was a story behind the name. Even for her own, but she liked not to think about that. Sometimes she realized how much she missed the other half of her name. However, she was glad to be a Dale now, to have Josh's name as her own. It gave her more joy than it probably should.
He explained his class, and that he was a high schooler, which was not surprising. She gave another nod of understanding, trying to hold her hands in front of her but remembering the burn there every time she went to touch the skin. She wasn't always the smartest of people. Or well, she was more or less forgetful of certain things.
"If you like, I can get you there. I have no more classes for the day," she told him, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "I suppose that would be in the building? Or is it an elemental class outside?" Teachers liked to do some elemental exercises outside, she knew that, and so she was unsure of whether this class was indoors. Heck, she didn't even know whether or not this kid could find his way, but she was certainly helping him out. "Oh, what element are you in?" It was out of curiosity that she asked, now she had gotten onto the topic of elemental classes.
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