dyed in the wool || LEO

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true] CUT THE CABLE

LEAVE THE OAK

[atrb=border,0,true] WE ON OUR OWN TRIP

Ester wasn't actually skipping class this time. It was her free period and she was enjoying it by finding a lone classroom and enjoying the peace and quiet... and most importantly, the solitude. No one was around which Ester was grateful for. She found a lone, abandoned classroom all to herself. Peering around the door, she saw that the shades were drawn and she could see the dust floating in the streams of sunlight that managed to find its way inside. Glancing around one last time to make sure it was prime real estate for isolation, Ester made her way inside, closing the door behind her. She didn't mind the dim lighting or the smell of old wood. The classroom looked to be decommissioned. Desks lined the back wall with a few out on the floor. The chalkboard had remnants of a subject long forgotten. Moving inside, Ester went to the window and looked out. It overlooked the garden and she saw a few other enjoying their free period, but they enjoyed it with each other. She saw boys wrestling playfully and girls sitting in the grass chatting away. Ester scoffed bitterly, thinking about what they could possibly be talking about - boys or their hair - some trivial things she cared nothing about. But still, there was a yearning deep within her heart she couldn't quite place. Of course she wrote it off as just being angry at the establishment. She wasn't the best student, but that was probably because she didn't try very hard. She skipped class often and when she did go, she didn't pay very much attention. Because of that, her abilities weren't up to par with the rest of her class - not that she really cared. Ester didn't really care about what she was. She didn't find herself special compared to humans or anything. It was just... some strange freak of nature kind of deal. That's all everyone had in common here - they were all just... weird. Moving away from the window, Ester moved to a desk and sat down. Dust rose around her form and she stifled a cough, choosing to ignore it. She sat there for... she didn't know how long, but after a while, she put her head down, resting in her arms and before long, her eyes started to close. And when a noise startled her awake, Ester looked toward the window to see that the sun had already set. Had she fallen asleep for the entire day? Groaning, Ester put her head in her hands. She hadn't intended to skip all her classes today so it wasn't a good feeling to realize that she did.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[LEONARDO CAIUS NAJIM]

Getting in trouble wasn’t a part of the plan. It was just to sleep, relax, and slack off like he usually did—not be sucked into one of his brother’s wacky plans that involved whipped cream and water balloons. He was the only reason why Leo was trying to hide from an angry pack of Fires that just so happened to be in the middle of the cross fire between him and his brother. Okay, so maybe Leo was aiming at them just a little bit. He remembered one of them from when he was in 9th grade; fresh meat. Needless to say, he was picked on a lot, but his brothers usually took care of them.

That being said, this was probably why Leo was breathless, a little bruised up, and running down the hall at full speed. He lost his brother somewhere outside near the courtyard, but he was sure he could take care of himself. Besides, Leo was the one who threw the whipped cream filled balloons at them, anyways. It was quite hilarious—for a few seconds. Then the punches came and suddenly, it wasn’t too funny anymore. Laughter turned into whimpers, and here he was trying to find a hiding spot. You’d think that in a school this big, there’d at least be a few that weren’t so obvious.

And so when he saw a classroom that had been long abandoned, he sprinted, hearing the faint shuffle of footsteps beside him. Thrusting open the door, he slammed the door shut, locking it for safe measure. One… two… three… and the group of footsteps shuffled by without suspicion and he let out a sigh of relief, leaning heavily against the door. Never again was he going to let his brother entice him with pranks. Especially when it dealt with angry Fires that were like ticking bombs. Now he’d just have to wait it out for an hour or so; so he can finally get home.

In the corner of his eyes, Leo saw a shift of movement near the window. Startled as he thought he’d enter an empty classroom, he nearly panicked, moving to unlock the door and bolt the hell out of there. But upon further inspection, he realized it was a girl—the hair was a dead giveaway. Leo shifted slightly on his feet, realizing he probably woke her up from a nap. Oops. “Uh, morning?” Could he even say morning? Maybe, late afternoon? That sounded weird. And evening was weird to say to someone after they’d just been sleeping, and so he stayed silent after that, moving so that he was in front of the whiteboards. He leaned against them, studying her, and he grinned his childish grin. “Have a good nap, sleepyhead? I’d imagine the desks aren’t all that comfortable.”

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true] CUT THE CABLE

LEAVE THE OAK

[atrb=border,0,true] WE ON OUR OWN TRIP

She didn't know what had awakened her, as her mind was still in a haze from the hours of sleep. She rubbed her eyes and groaned as she realized just how many classes she missed, thinking she was alone, not even realizing that someone had been the cause of her disturbance. "Shit..." she hissed under her breath, putting her head in her hand. Ester suddenly felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. Perhaps it was the fact that she'd been breathing in the dust all along the desk her head had been glued to. Or maybe it was the stress and the small sense of panic that arose when she realized she'd missed the entire day. Mind you, Ester didn't try particularly hard in school, but she made a conscious choice not to go to class or try very hard. When that choice was taken away from her and she missed because of 'chance' or her own irresponsibility, she felt like crap for it. She groaned as her head started throbbing. But then a voice startled her. Her back shot up straight and she looked at the boy who had just... appeared so it seemed. She gasped. "Oh, fuck," she said breathlessly. She looked over to him as he made himself comfortable against the whiteboard. Narrowing her eyes, Ester caught his playful smile and she didn't like... not one bit. After a second glance, she noticed, even in the poor light, the slight discoloration of his face. She knew what that was immediately, having had a good few herself. Was he a recent victim to a fight or a bully? No... he was far too cheery for that kind of thing she assumed. "Yeah... well, your face doesn't look too comfortable either," she said grumpily. "Get lost..." Ester ordered. She turned her head away from him and put her head back in her hand, thinking he would just move on. She wasn't aware of his situation or that he was stuck here, hiding from a group of people he stupidly pulled a prank on. Ugh, she still couldn't believe she slept through everything...

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[LEONARDO CAIUS NAJIM]

Leo watched the girl curiously. Obviously she was disappointed about something—was it him? Did he disturb a really good nap? Well, fuck—and instead of saying something, he kept his mouth closed, not wanting to pry. Leo would probably startle her also, considering she hadn’t even realized he was there in the first place, though he was sure him slamming the door was quite loud. When she did notice him, however, his eyebrow quirked in amusement. It was almost like an electric shock coursed through her, forcing her to erect her back from the scare. “Sorry,” he apologized, a sheepish grin on his face. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” Obviously. If he had known someone was napping in this classroom, he would’ve skipped over the room and hide in another one—mind you, that wasn’t so dusty. Leo wrinkled his nose, running his finger along the threshold of the whiteboard and cringed at the sight of dust and whatever else that managed to crawl into the space between.

Whatever the case, he stared back at the girl who just so happened to suddenly take interest in him—or was it annoyance? He couldn’t tell, but the narrowing of her eyes probably made it evident she was irritated by his presence—and he shifted his position, his eyes reaching hers. Her off-hand comment threw him off guard and he almost laughed as she told him to fuck off. Well, that wasn’t expected at all. But Leo wasn’t about to take her advice—his blood was wanted out there. There was no way he’d ever be able to escape unless he waited until they got bored of playing cat and mouse. He stayed at his spot, tilting his head as he watched the girl put her head back down. Hmm. One, he could leave and get pummeled to a pulp. Two, he could stay and make a new friend, but something told him she wasn’t of the friendly type. Oh, well. Leo liked the challenge. And so he shuffled quietly over to her, sitting on the desk next to her and right in front of her field of vision. The small smile on his face never left, though he could the cut on the bottom of his lip stretching. He really needed a band-aid. It probably looked gross. “Sorry, ma’am. No can do,” Leo started simply, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “My life is in danger.”

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true] CUT THE CABLE

LEAVE THE OAK

[atrb=border,0,true] WE ON OUR OWN TRIP

Ester scoffed at his apology, rolling her eyes as her head rested in the palm of her hand. She felt her head throbbing painfully in her ear, she could hear her blood pumping and it was deafening. The last thing she wanted right now was company... probably. She didn't know what she wanted. Most of the time, she hated everyone around her, everyone at this school. She despised them all. They all did stupid shit and tried to act all big and tough when really they were all just kids. Ester wasn't exempt from this list, though she liked to think she was. She was just another kid who did stupid shit and thought she was all big and tough. The hypocrisy of her thinking escaped her though. And at other times, for reasons she couldn't quite place, Ester felt incredibly lonely. It never occurred to her, stupidly, that the reason for her loneliness was because Ester, like any other human being with a heart, did in fact yearn for human contact. People were naturally social, and it was silly for Ester to constantly be pushing those social people away. But she couldn't help it. There's was just something in her that bubbled over every time someone spoke to her. It was constant irritation. Sometimes she liked to blame her element, but she'd met other Thunders who weren't quite as irritable as she was. And she wasn't always like this. There was once a time when she actually enjoyed people and the company they brought, the sense of welcome and warmth. She didn't want to blame her mother's death. She didn't like to blame her mother for anything, really. Her mother was probably the only person in the world she didn't hold some kind of resentment for, and maybe that was the problem. The only person she couldn't bring herself to be mad at was her mother, who was no longer a part of her life. But these thoughts usually never came to Ester. Her mind was usually filled with rage and resentment toward everyone around her... including the boy who pretty much refused to leave. She heard his footsteps and she thought he was leaving, but then they got louder like he was coming closer to her. Ester opened her eyes and looked at the floor, seeing his feet in front of her. Her jaw tightened as she heard him sit on the desk next to hers. He told her he couldn't leave and that it was because his life was in danger. Ester assumed it had something to do with that split lip and the bruises on his face. She craned her neck to look up at him, her eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Gee, I wonder why. It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the fact that you're annoying, would it?" Ester made a mock smile, one that was cold and cruel.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[LEONARDO CAIUS NAJIM]

To be honest, Leo didn’t know what to make of the girl in front of him. Obviously she wasn’t a people person; or maybe he just caught her at a wrong time. Maybe she was having a horrible day and wanted to sleep out the rest of the day to at least suffice for the horribleness. Because sleep, man, was the best thing a person could ever have. Leo never napped, though, because things like this often happened. And living with a household of four other guys, he could never catch a break, especially when he had to share the same room as Jayden, the prankster of the household. It was fun sometimes, but when you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep before a big test and awake at 3 in the morning due to cold water splashing all over you and your bed, there was a line to be drawn. “You know, my dad once told me if you keep doing that, your eyes are going to get stuck in the back of your head,” he pointed out, referring to her ‘rolling eyes’ habit. It was literally the only reaction he ever got from her.

Leo held in a laugh at her comment. “Ouch,” he finally laughed, unfazed. “But you gotta try harder than that. I live with my father and three older bros. I’ve heard worse.” He kept his voice light, walking back over to the whiteboard. It was way too intimidating to actually be in front of her, so he figured it’d be better to break the tension by drawing. It kept his eyes to the board, but he could still talk to her. Besides, he needed something to entertain himself. “And I am not annoying!” he exclaimed, his hand half frozen in the air as he raised it to begin drawing. Yeesh, talking about slow reaction. It was probably that smile that really wasn’t a smile that she gave him. It was intimidating; cold, even. But it was off. Something was always off when it came to other people, Leo found. Or maybe he was just looking way too hard into it.

With a swift movement, he began drawing, the lines smooth and thick. He easily slipped into concentration, though he made a conscious effort to continue conversation with her. He didn’t like awkward silences, and even though he was quiet, Leo always made sure to fill in the gaps in order to save himself from feeling like wanting to be sucked into the ground. “I pissed off a few Fires,” Leo said honestly, switching markers. “Threw whipped cream filled balloons at them.” He paused for a small moment and looked over his shoulder, grinning at her, despite her obvious distaste towards him. “And yes, it was definitely worth it.”

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true] CUT THE CABLE

LEAVE THE OAK

[atrb=border,0,true] WE ON OUR OWN TRIP

At his comment about her rolling her eyes, Ester's nose crinkled as she scowled up at him. She wanted to roll her eyes again, but she managed to catch herself in time. She didn't need to give him another reason to laugh at her or point it out to her again. Her lips pursed angrily, but he didn't seem to care. He even laughed at her comment like it was nothing. Normally, most people would respond with hostility or they would throw up their hands and walk away. 'I'm not dealing with this shit' kind of thing. But she learned something about him, something that she actually found interesting, but of course she never asked for the information. He lived with his three bothers and a father. It sounded like a thick fog of testosterone. Ester couldn't imagine being surrounded by a bunch of boys like that. Of course, he himself was a boy so he probably could handle it, but something like that would drive her insane. Boys are rowdy and sometimes uncontrollable. They liked to break things and hurt each other. Granted, Ester wasn't a bag of sunshine to be around, but she was willing to overlook that fact the sneer at boys and a family family full of men. He left her there to walk to the white board, giving her some space which she was grateful for. He announced that he was not annoying and she scoffed out loud, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. He started drawing on the white board and she thought about leaving, but for some reason, she didn't want to. Maybe she was just being stubborn. The whole 'I was here first' kind of thing. But she would have left now if he hadn't showed up anyway. So why stick around? Maybe she actually found him somewhat likable. No! That certainly wasn't the answer. He started drawing on the white board. She wasn't sure what he was trying to depict, but he seemed deep in concentration before he finally told her what he did. Her eyes widened at his explanation. That would definitely explain the bruises he had. Fires liked to get violent sometimes, perhaps that's why they got so along with thunders. They just had a short temper and thunders were so irritable. It was a strange match actually. One would think that they would be at each other's throats all the time. After a moment, Ester got up from her seat and walked toward the whiteboard where he was standing. She huffed out a short laugh. "Did your brothers teach you that trick?" she asked. She wasn't exactly the best at making conversation and certainly it was bound to turn south if she kept at it. "You know they're going to have you on their shit list for a while now..."

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[LEONARDO CAIUS NAJIM]

Silence. Silence was good. Leo was a quiet person himself and enjoyed the peacefulness of silence, despite having quite a hostile other in the room with him. He didn’t feel at all intimidated, however, and settled himself into comfort. She looked harmless enough, despite her harsh tone. Leo’s dealt with worse and he was pretty sure the only reason why she was a bit aggressive was because he interrupted her nap. At least, hopefully. Either why, it didn’t really affect his opinion of her just yet. Hell, he didn’t even know her well enough to judge. So when she didn’t respond to him, he took it as a good sign. She didn’t have any snarky comments that he’d refute, and in turn possibly make her even more snarky, so he took it as baby steps. Very, very small baby steps. But at least it was somewhere. Everyone had to start somewhere. They just so happened to start off on the wrong foot.

Leo was surprised when he suddenly felt a presence next to him and he turned, now looking at the girl in front of him. She was still radiating off annoyance, but perhaps not enough for her to leave. Leo took it as a good sign and grinned at her, the hand with the dry erase pen lowering until it was finally at his side again. “Yes, unfortunately,” Leo chuckled, shaking his head slightly. He loved his brothers, honestly, but the things they roped him into always got him into trouble. “I’m always the one who ends up getting into trouble because of them.” But his tone of voice wasn’t negative or hateful; it was light, as if it was something he was able to brush off his shoulder. And he could, because in the end, they were still family and he was sure that they didn’t mean to get their little brother into that kind of mess in the first place. “You know how it is, right? Family.” He rolled his eyes, though the grin was still on his face.

“I know,” he finally said after raising his hand to draw again, grimacing slightly. Oh, boy, did he know that. Fires were often the targets of the Najim pranks, so it wasn’t something new. It was just that Leo wasn’t exactly familiar with being the actual one who had to take the brunt of the consequences. “Can’t be helped, I guess. Nothing like a few scars,” he laughed, wiping his split lip with his sleeve, taking notice of the small drops of blood on the fabric. God, it was a good thing he escaped when he did. There was no telling how badly beaten up he would’ve become.

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true] CUT THE CABLE

LEAVE THE OAK

[atrb=border,0,true] WE ON OUR OWN TRIP

He didn't seem to care too much that the fires would have his number for a long time now. They weren't the types to forgive and forget. They held grudges. Everyone knew that, and surely he knew that going into it. Ester didn't know what it was like to have siblings, but he seemed to always get the short end of the stick when it came to his brothers - at least that's what he hinted at. They were dragging him into things. But Ester didn't really know much about family anyway, so when he made his comment about family, Ester just stayed quiet. She kind of remembered what it was like to have a somewhat functional family, but she tried not to think about it. It only made her sad and bitter because it was something she could never have again. Her father closed himself off from her and the world when her mother got sick, and that's when she stopped having a family. She managed to hold her tongue. She almost snapped at him, but she had no reason to. He didn't know anything about her and thus he didn't know how his comment was hard for her to swallow. Wow... reason! What a strange concept for her. Still, he seemed to shrug at the idea of being on the fire's hate list. Did it really not bother him? "Yeah, a few scars really get the ladies going," Ester said sarcastically. Ester picked up a blue marker and brought it to the board to join him in his doodling. "I guess you could use some back up if they come in here," she added nonchalantly. She didn't want him to think that she actually cared cause she totally didn't. Of course she didn't care. She shrugged and started to draw random lines.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[LEONARDO CAIUS NAJIM]

Leo, overall, was a very calm, relaxed person. He didn’t let much bother him because he knew it’d be a waste of energy for him and for people around him to deal with. Maybe that was why he was so drawn to the girl next to him—how she tried to push him away the instant he tried talking to her. Perhaps it she was dealing with a few problems that made her exterior colder than it’s supposed to be, or she was just a grumpy person when she woke up. With that thought, he realized they were truly strangers, not knowing the other existed until he chose this classroom to seek refuge in. “I’m Leo,” he suddenly said, looking at the girl next to him. That introduction was quite delayed and more abrupt than he liked it to—but better late than never, yeah? The small blush appeared on his cheeks and he turned his attention back to the board he was doodling on. “Sorry,” Leo mumbled a moment later. “I just realized we didn’t introduce each other.”

A small smile tugged on his lips and despite the stinging pain of the cut being stretched, he let out a small laugh at her comment. “Well, I need all the help I can get,” he chuckled, shaking his head a bit. Leo… was horrible in the romance department, to say the least. He’d say the wrong things at the wrong time, and girls, well, generally didn’t like that. Guys, too, were the same way, he assumed. Leo didn’t really know. He was in the closet about his bisexuality, so coming onto guys never really was on his bucket list. He failed at flirting in general. Even with girls things didn’t turn out so well.

Leo looked at her in surprise as she spoke, not expecting to make an ally of the girl. He stayed silent for a moment, turning his attention back to his drawing, before speaking again. “You think you can hold out if that happens?” Leo took a side glance at her, a crooked smile on his face to tell her he was joking. “Even if Fires are your allies, I don’t think they’d take it too well if you’re helping out a prick who pranked them.”

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

[atrb=border,0,true] CUT THE CABLE

LEAVE THE OAK

[atrb=border,0,true] WE ON OUR OWN TRIP

He introduced himself and Ester realized they hadn't exchanged names. It was slightly difficult for Ester to remember social protocol sometimes seeing how not many bothered to introduce themselves to her. She looked over at him and quickly shielded her surprise and she was lucky that the room was dimly lit only by the campus lights outside and the moonlight shining in through the window. "Ester..." she told him softly, suddenly afraid he was going to laugh at her or say he didn't care or something cruel along those lines. But he didn't and she let the relief wash over her. She glanced back to the board as her hand had stilled. She tried to think of something to draw but she was coming up empty handed. He commented on how he needed help and she glanced over at him, only really able to see his profile. Despite the swelling in his face and the blood, Ester was able to tell he wasn't unattractive. And with his friendly demeanor, Ester wondered just why he thought he needed all the help he could get. The young thunder was usually immune to the charm's of the opposite sex. When she wanted something, she usually went for it, and she usually only wanted something when she was intoxicated. Sober, she wasn't much of a flirt. She wasn't at all as a matter of fact. It wasn't until that she was intoxicated that she got cravings for the flesh of another. But she let such thoughts run away from her mind. She wasn't going to give him any compliments about his appearance even if she did find it appealing. That just wasn't who she was. He asked her if she could hold out if the fires actually found him. She looked away from him, ignoring his look of surprise, and her eyes glued to the few lines she'd drawn on the board. Because Ester was such a horrible student, when it came to her element, she was shit to put it as lightly as possible. She had a difficult time controlling it and calling on it when she wanted it to manifest. While she may have been a crap elemental, she was one hell of a brawler. Despite being a girl and being weaker than most boys, she really knew how to throw a punch. It came in handy when others liked to try and intimidate her with their own abilities in harnessing their element. She looked over at him with a spark of bravado. "Everyone here likes to rely on their powers." She paused and smirked. She lifted her hand and balled it into a fist by her face. "I like to keep things old fashion." Her tone was surprisingly lighthearted. While she believed what she said 100%, there was a tone of jest in her voice. Perhaps it was because most people didn't hang around long enough to have a conversation with her. One insult and they were usually gone.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.