Two Left Feet :: Ivanna

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Rushing around, rushing around. There was an air of urgency in his walk as he made his way through the school, books in hand and a determined look on his face. His hair was tousled and looked like he just rolled out of bed and forgot to do a damn thing with it. Probably because he did; Devin had managed to sleep through his alarm clock--again--and was about to be late for his class. The professor had already warned him that if he didn't get his act together his marks wouldn't look so good. That sent the boy into a bit of an internal panic since he wanted to do well. His aunt's expectations were a big deal to him.

Turning yet another corner, Devin felt like he was in the home stretch. One more right turn and he would be where he needed to be. And right on time, too! I think I need a better alarm. Or maybe one that didn't play music. He always wound up singing to himself and dozing back off. This morning he missed it completely. Fortunately for him, his sister Athena noticed and started attacking him with pillows until he woke up. Annoying siblings were always fun. Lost in his very small, minor frustration with Athena, Devin did not even stop to look where he was going and felt his body collide with something else, nearly knocking him to the ground. His books hit the floor with a clatter and flurry of papers.

"Oh my god," Was the first thing he exclaimed when he noticed that the thing he hit was not a wall or a pole, but a person. The panic of being late overflowed into the panic of having hurt the girl before him, and it was obvious by how flustered he was that it was a lot to handle. "I'm so sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you over--are you okay?" He asked quickly after a flurry of apologies and mumblings of self-degradation for his own clumsiness. It was a wonder he was still alive and had yet to seriously injure anyone else in the process. "Seriously I'm such a clutz and I was trying to get to class on time and I totally wasn't paying attention-- I can't believe-- I'm sorry!" Devin continued to splutter while he had taken time to squat down and check on her. He didn't function well when people were hurt.

[xtragedy]

Having just gotten out of her last class until after lunch and eager to read her most recently acquired item from the library, Ivanna had her nose buried in the book before she had even made it out of her classroom. She read enthusiastically, enveloped so completely she forgot to pay attention to where she was going and bumped shoulders with a few irritated students on her way to the mess hall.

Just as she was rounding the last corner, something solid and very tall hit her forcefully, knocking her to the ground and sending her book flying. She lie there on the cold linoleum for a few moments with the wind knocked out of her, gazing confusedly up at the ceiling. What the hell, world, is it 'lets see how many times we can knock Ivy over' week or something? the redhead thought to herself, huffing in frustration. Another couple seconds passed before Ivanna realized that someone was speaking to her - and apologizing profusely.

Ivy slowly pushed herself up from the ground into a sitting position, running a mental check to make sure nothing hurt too badly as she did. "No worries," she placed her head in her hand, rubbing a sore spot on the side where her head must have hit the ground. I'm alright, just have a bit of a headache starting... I must've hit my head." She looked up to see who had knocked her over, but was surprised to see him kneeling down to check on her. He was cute. He was really, really cute. A blush started creeping up in her cheeks, making her face burn and her gaze drop. "My fault," she smiled shyly. "I, uh, wasn't w-watching where I was going. I'm sorry for running into you!" Ivy braved making eye contact again, though her face was still on fire. She smiled, and went to stand, but stopped and placed a hand on her head when it began to throb with the effort. "On second thought, I'll just sit here for a minute."

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

He was still in a bit of a panic over knocking the poor girl over, the worry evident in his blue eyes. She didn't seem to be bleeding anywhere and wasn't sobbing uncontrollably so that was at least a good thing. Still, he wanted to ask her a million times over if she was alright even if it wouldn't do much good. The answer wouldn't change, Thatcher. Telling him not to worry was not much of a relief, either, though he was glad she was able to talk to him. "Oh man...I didn't even realize I--god I really should pay more attention to where I'm going." Now the girl's head was hurting and he was perfectly fine. Devin felt horrible. He reached out and touched the side of her head gently to see if he could feel a lump of sorts before pulling back.

"It's not your fault!" He balked, blinking at her. Why would she take the blame for something that was his fault? Or maybe it was her fault but he was so wrapped up in the fact that she was hurt that it was difficult to think past it. Either way Devin would probably take the blame. That's just who he was. "Please, please don't apologize. I'm not even the one hurt, here." There was a frown on his face, eyebrows tightly knit with concern. Maybe she had a concussion or something. That was scary! He didn't want to think about it, which was hard when she tried to stand up and wound up sitting down again.

Maybe the injury was worse than he thought. He worried at his lip with his teeth before kneeling closer to her and offering his arm. "Come on, we need to get you to the medical wing. I'm not gonna leave you sitting here." Even though it would cost him dearly considering his professors' warnings from before, but this was important. He was sure if he talked with his professor about it next class something could be done to fix things. "I would just..pick you up but I'm not that strong." He chuckled nervously and tried to help lift her up from under her arm. "Let's go and get you an icepack or something. The doctors can get you fixed up!" He felt bad. So, so, bad. They were lucky they weren't on a flight of stairs; who knows where they could've landed them! Possibly the hospital.

[xtragedy]

"Its okay, really!" Ivy said, giving the stranger her best reassuring smile. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment urging the insistent throbbing to cease; she gasped with surprise when she felt his hand touch the side of her head. Her green eyes flew open, startled at the sudden contact. Were strangers always this nice to people who had just run into them? Somehow, here at the Academy, she didn't think so. Yet, this particular stranger was, and his gentle touch sent another rush of heat across her face.

His response to her apology wasn't quite what she had expected. "Well, I did have my nose buried in a book," she gestured to her books that had scattered onto the floor when they'd collided. Lucky, no one had stepped on them or kicked them down the hallway - yet. She would have reached for them, but the pounding in her head kept her firmly planted on the ground. Admittedly, Ivy hadn't had anyone worry about her like this for longer than she could remember, and it came as quite the shock to her.

Ivy stared at his offered arm for a moment before his words registered in her head. Medical wing? Gingerly, she took his arm and allowed him to help her stand, careful not to rise too quickly for the sake of avoiding another painful head rush. "Oh, its alright, I'm sure a few ibuprofen and a glass of water will take the headache away. Besides, you seemed to be in quite the hurry, I wouldn't want to make you late for class or anything." she smiled kindly at him, glad that he hadn't just left her sitting there but worried that she was keeping him from something important. "Thank you though, its really nice of you to offer," Ivy added quickly, hoping he didn't think she was ungrateful for his concern. In fact, quite the opposite. It had been a long time since anyone had worried over her, and she couldn't help but feel especially nervous around this stranger.

CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
LYRICS! "If You Can't Live Without Me,
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" by Mayday Parade
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[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Devin shook his head adamantly and continued to frown, not accepting her words as truth. "It's not okay. I mean, what if you have a concussion? And it could've been worse than that." Broken bones or something. Luckily that wasn't the case but he did not like to think that he played part in injuring someone else. Fights and confrontations were something he desperately dodged and yet he managed to hurt someone anyway because of carelessness. Not much could be done now except help in whatever way possible.

At the mention of her books he glanced around them and sighed in frustration with himself. Not only did she get hurt but now all of her things were scattered on the floor! This was just getting better and better. "Yeah, b-but..." What else could he say, really? Sorry? He said that a quarter of a million times already and it had yet to change her situation. A bump on the head and a mess of school books and paper lay all over the hallway. 'Sorry' seemed useless. "Well, let me at least--" Before even managing to finish the sentence, he had already started picking up the books and stacking them up nice and neat so they'd be easy to carry. It was the least he could do! "...there, all better. The books are, at least. I can carry them for you or something."

He gave her a small smile when she took his arm, glad that she could at least get up. He didn't rush her and didn't say much of anything at first, making sure that there was no chance of her falling back on the floor or passing out. Head injuries were no joke. He waved her off quickly. "No no, it's no big deal! I'll talk to my professor later on after I make sure you're okay. He'll understand." At least, Devin hoped he would. If not then there wasn't much he could do. To him, walking away from her would be like leaving the scene of a hit and run. He smiled. "It's no problem, not at all. I just want to make sure you're okay." About halfway down the hall he glanced over at her. "I'm Devin by the way. Who're you?"

[xtragedy]

Feeling very fortunate that she had not tumbled down a flight of stairs or fallen through a window as she would have expected due to her extreme clumsiness, the slight headache plaguing Ivanna seemed only a minor trouble. But, she did understand the stranger's concern, and was glad for the company - despite the somewhat painful circumstances they had met under. The headache was beginning to fade, though, and the man seemed unharmed.

Oh my god, she thought with a start. "I-I didn't even... Are you hurt at all?" she asked worriedly, unconsciously reached out for him as he went to pick up her books. When he returned with her books in hand, she gave him a grateful smile and stuck out her arms to receive them. "Thank you so much! You didn't have to do that, here, let me take those," Ivy said, releasing his arm to carry the load. The books felt heavier than she remembered, and she silently cursed herself for being such a bookworm. Who reads anymore anyway? she thought, reminded of the night in the hallway with her almost friend.

"Are you sure? I totally understand if you're busy, or... or something," she finished lamely. "But I would really appreciate it." Ivy smiled up at him, shifting the weight of her books to her opposite arm, following him as he started off down the hallway. "Its nice to meet you, Devin! I'm Ivanna, or Ivy, whichever you prefer."

[/b] At that exact moment, her bad habit of drifting while she walked decided to make itself known and she suddenly bumped into Devin. She blushed, her stomach fluttering at the contact. She stuttered, "S-sorry, I, um... drift, sometimes, when I walk." Lamest excuse ever.[/size][/center]

CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
LYRICS! "If You Can't Live Without Me,
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" by Mayday Parade
[/blockquote][/size][/blockquote]

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

The only thing that hurt, if it could even count as an injury, was his hand as it bumped into her books before they fell to the floor. It didn't even leave a mark and hardly gave any inclination that it had hit anything except for a faint, infrequent throb. So in order to prevent the girl from worrying over something so small and unnecessary, he smiled and shook his head. She had been tossed to the floor and hit her head. That was a bit worse than a slight bump on the hand.

"No no, I'm fine!" Devin reassured her, giving a little dance of sorts to show that all of his limbs were in working order. He tilted his head and blinked as she reached for him, chuckling. It was nice to be worried over, even if she didn't need to. "You're welcome!" He said, then frowned. "Are you sure you've got them? I don't mind carrying them for you." At least she was okay enough to haul her own books but he wondered if it would cause her to have another near-fainting spell. That wouldn't be good, not at all.

Class was important, sure, but there would be time to rectify things with the professor later in the afternoon. "I'm totally sure! If it was a really big deal I would try and get to class." The guy was not really all that focused on school anyway and although his grades were decent he was never the best when it came to attendance. At hearing her name he smiled again. He would have tried to give her a hand shake or something but her hands were kinda full and there was no way he was going to be the cause of yet another accident. Devin had quite the talent for things like that. "Nice to meet you too, Ivy!" He replied cheerfully, using her nickname immediately. "I like that name. It's different." The hallway was silent except for their own footsteps, his pace slow enough to make sure he could stay next to her. He nearly lost his footing again when Ivy accidentally bumped into him. "Wh--" Devin tilted sideways a little but caught himself, chuckling once he was fine again. "It's okay, no big deal! As long as you aren't passing out or something." He kept himself close just in case she actually did and sighed when he reached the desk for the medical wing. "I uh...I accidentally knocked Ivanna over and she hit her head.." He glanced at Ivy and waited for her to do what she needed to.

[xtragedy]

Feelings of relief quickly replaced the worry Ivanna felt as Devin gave a funny little dance to prove he was a-okay. She giggled, instinctively pulling her hand back to cover her mouth as she always did, glad to see that the man was unharmed. "Good, I'm glad you're okay." Ivy offered him a warm smile, shifting the books in her arms once more so she could carry them more easily. "It's alright, I've got them." It was only a couple books after all, nothing she couldn't handle. But she was beginning to wonder why she had never bothered to purchase a book bag of sorts - it would be less of a hassle to drag all her texts around that way. She made a mental note to go into town and acquire one sometime - hopefully sooner, rather than later.

"Well, if you're sure... Thank you, by the way, I really appreciate it." Ivy, always concerned for the well being of others, turned quickly to Devin with a bright idea - and immediately regretted the quick movement. But she did her best to disregard it, and began speaking. "Hey, uh, if you want I can come back with you to your class after we stop by the medical wing. You know, as um... evidence,"

[/b] she blushed, realizing that the words hadn't come out as eloquently as she had planned. Evidence? Really, brain, that's the best word you could think of? Her gaze dropped, hoping he wouldn't laugh her off as she only wanted to help him in any way she could, since he had gone so far out of his way to make sure she was going to be okay. Which she assumed she was; the headache had already begun to cease.

His immediate use of her nickname made her smile. "Thanks; an Earth element nicknamed Ivy, go figure,"[/b] she laughed to herself, ever amused at the irony. "Nope, just one of the side effects of being plagued by clumsiness."[/b] she answered his chuckle with a hearty laugh of her own. Being clumsy wasn't always a bad thing, as she had come to find out though this chance encounter. Devin was, in all actuality, a complete sweetheart. Definitely the nicest guy she'd met this year.

Upon reaching the medical wing, Ivanna gently set her books down on the desk and cleared her throat. "I'm okay, not seeing stars or anything,"[/b] she offered the nurse with a small smile. "I was just wondering if you had anything for the headache."[/b] The nurse gave her a smile in return, said she would be right back, and left to fetch what the redhead girl had requested. When she came back, she handed Ivy a small paper cup full of water and two ibuprofen. Ivy stuck the pills in her mouth and took a drink of the water to wash them away, then turned to Devin with a smile. "There, all better!" The nurse insisted she return if the headache did not go away, and after promising she would, Ivanna gathered her books and turned to Devin once more, waiting to see if he was ready to go or if this would be where they parted ways. She sincerely hoped not.[/size][/center]

CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
LYRICS! "If You Can't Live Without Me,
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" by Mayday Parade
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[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

He nodded to show that he understood; if she was capable of carrying her books then he wouldn't push her to let him carry them. It wasn't like she had ten of them, in which case he probably would insist. That could be a falling hazard in and of itself. "I'm definitely sure!" He reassured her. No matter whose fault it was--if either were to blame fully--he wanted to help. He liked helping other people where he could, especially if he played a part in knocking them over. Paying closer attention next time would be a good idea. Her offer left him thinking, blinking slowly before turning to her. He was completely unaware that she was nervous or embarrassed--the guy was not overly observant of those sorts of things. "Really? You would do that?" Devin's eyes lit up. "I would really appreciate that. Thanks! My professor would probably appreciate it too." That was actually a load off of his shoulders and he let out a slow, inaudible sigh.

"Hah, so you're a fellow Earthie?" That was actually quite the relief, though he had a feeling she wasn't a Fire. That would be a shock. Some of them were nice--his best friend was a Fire, after all--but he had met far too many with their fists clenched and teeth grinding to think highly of every single one. He shook his head and let out an 'ahhh' of laughter. "I know that feeling. I'm so incredibly clumsy. I think I've made best friends with most of the staff at the medical wing by this point." It was sad, really, but true. Not a bad thing in the long run if something were to go horribly wrong but it could be embarrassing to admit that his injuries were frequent.

Devin stepped back from the counter when the nurse and Ivy started conversing, knowing that it was best for them to talk without him being right in the middle. As worried as he was there was only so much he could do. Hands in his jeans, he rocked back on his heels and watched as the woman went to fetch something for Ivy's headache. He smiled as she did. "Good! But yeah, if you aren't feeling better later please come back because I don't want it to get worse." He already felt immensely guilty for the whole ordeal in the first place. Thanking the nurse and giving a wave, the Earth tilted his head in the direction from whence they came. Time to go talk to the professor and hope against all hope that he would be in a forgiving mood. Having Ivy should be good reinforcement but he never could be one hundred percent sure. "Thanks again for helping me out," He repeated, glancing at her. "He'll probably see how adorable you are and let me off the hook." It was a sincere complement, one made with a shameless smile. Her kindness and sweet disposition was simply cute. He had a feeling that Sandra would agree.

[xtragedy]

"Okay, well, thank you again,"

[/b] Ivanna replied, giving him her sweetest smile. She reached up to tuck back a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face, balancing the few books precariously in her arm - and immediately gave up when they teetered dangerously, the top one beginning to slip a little. The redhead considered herself to be an accident on legs, an accident waiting to happen. Clumsiness was her specialty - like throwing keys under doors in the middle of the night, or slipping on ice in the gardens, or running into strangers in the hallway... very attractive strangers, mind you. Ivanna gave a slight shake of her head, trying to think of anything other than that in an effort to avoid turning seven different shades of red yet again.

Devin's surprise at her offer shocked her - then, she reminded herself that not everyone here was a very nice person. "Of course, I would be happy to! I mean, I do kind of owe you for this,"[/b] she said, with a shrug and a sheepish smile. "Who is your professor?"[/b] Maybe it was someone she'd met before, though she highly doubted it. She began to wonder what exactly she would say to Devin's professor when they met when Devin spoke again. "Yup, you are too?"[/b] Wait, duh, he must be... she laughed nervously, hoping he wouldn't think that was a stupid question - though she doubted he would. "I know how that goes, the doctors back home know me by name! I was in there at least twice a month - you name it, I've probably injured it."[/b] The redhead let out a small chuckle, shaking her head at the memories - and then immediately tried to find something else to think about. Anything to distract her from thoughts of home.

She smiled, finding Devin's request for her to return if her headache got worse sweet and a good distraction from thoughts of home. "Don't worry, I will."[/b] Ivy gave the nurse a nod of thanks and followed Devin back out to the hallway. "Of course, its the least I could do!"[/b] Ivy exclaimed earnestly, looking up at him - he was much taller than she was. At his next comment, she almost stopped dead in her tracks but reminded herself that would be weird and forced herself to keep walking. Her face burned hotter than ever, and she ducked her head down, letting her hair become a curtain between Devin and herself. He thinks I'm adorable?! A big grin split across Ivy's face and her stomach flipped a couple times before the blush finally began to cease and she could meet Devin's eyes again without her face literally exploding into flames. "Um,"[/b] she paused to clear her throat and then continued aware that her face was still noticeably red, "I guess we'll see!"[/b] was the best answer she could come up with.[/size][/center]

CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
LYRICS! "If You Can't Live Without Me,
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" by Mayday Parade
[/blockquote][/size][/blockquote]

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Taking notice of the books teetering back and forth, Devin quickly took the top book and nestled it under his arm so it wouldn't fall and offered her a smile. He didn't want her to get into another accident so soon after being knocked to the floor. If she wanted it back he would gladly set it back on top, though. "You don't owe me anything," Devin replied, shaking his hand at her to dismiss it. "Mr. Barrett. He's a cool guy. Are you...in the college too?" She didn't exactly look like a college student but he could never be sure. The boy was not very tall or extremely built so people still mistook him to be in the eleventh grade. That didn't bother him much. He chuckled when she asked about him being an Earth and didn't even answer verbally. Instead he merely offered a nod of agreement. He wondered if maybe she hit her head harder than she let on.

"Well, seems like we're twins in gracefulness," He said, adjusting his bag slightly. "Where are you from?" Being born and raised in Maple Hollow there were times he forgot that others were from different part of Canada and beyond. He didn't know too many personally but people did mention those sorts of things in passing conversation sometimes.

Still grateful for her help with Mr. Barrett, he smiled brightly at her. They were quite similar, he thought. Both overly apologetic, willing to take the blame for their hallway run-in, worried over others. Devin knew many Earths were this way but sometimes he didn't dwell too much on those sorts of things until instances like this. Still, it was nice. Ivy seemed like a sweet girl. He was completely oblivious to the fact that his complement made her blush and instead smiled at her. "Yep! If he's in a good mood it'll be even better." It usually made professors more forgiving, right? He hoped so. When Devin entered the room, the man was sitting at his desk typing up something on his computer. He cleared his throat. Mr. Barrett looked up and offered a small smile. "Mr. Thatcher. You're incredibly late for class." So late, in fact that there weren't any students present. Barrett had let them leave early. Devin frowned. "I'm sorry sir. I was on my way to class when I accidentally ran into Ivy here, and she fell back and hit her head. I had to make sure she was okay."

He stepped to the side to let Ivy at least show herself, the professor taking off his reading glasses before extending a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Miss Ivy. So are you his excuse note for the day?" The question was light and meant to be humorous; obviously the man was in a decent mood.