skip the plan || OPEN

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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LEAVE THE OAK

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Classes were back in session, and Ester was forced to contemplate her future. Instead of attending the first day of class like a responsible student, she was avoiding the subject by roaming the school grounds. She eventually made her way to the caverns, walking along the blazed trail. She stepped on top of beer cans and kicked aside liquor bottles, remnants from the summer activities. She would attend a few of those parties here and there, but not to socialize. She would sneak around and steal whatever alcohol she could. She was short, so it didn't take much to get her to where she wanted to be, which was plastered. She had no limit. Too much was never enough. Despite herself, Ester actually enjoyed the outdoors. It was quiet and it offered some stillness to her constantly in motion mind. It gave her a sense of serenity, which she didn't often get to feel. She took in in stride and continued her way up the cliffs, her mind surprisingly quiet. She was taking in the sights, and for the most part they were beautiful aside from the litter all over the ground. She kicked aside another empty beer can, the clang of aluminum echoing against the large rock formations. She made it to a tree stump and sat herself down, reaching into her back pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. Aren't you the badass, Ester? She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Taking a puff of the noxious smoke, she held it for a lingering moment before blowing it out through her nose, smoke billowing around her head. Who needed to think about the future when you knew there was nothing for you there?

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

Kai ruffled his hair for the thousandth time that day. It was the first day of second half of the year but thankfully he had this period off and he took advantage of it and walked out to the cliffs to get a breather. He was a little stressed because he had just found out his mom was really sick and bedridden. Of course she told him that he didn't need to worry about it but that didn't stop her from doing so. If it weren't for the fact that she insisted that he stayed at the academy he would have been on the first plane out. He didn't even care if he missed a few days of classes but he couldn't refuse his mother's request.

So now he was here, frustrated and worried. He was probably overreacting but after loosing his father to cancer he was always on edge when his mother was feeling ill. Yes, she took very good care of herself but that didn't stop him from worrying about her whenever she had a simple cold. So since his nerves were high and he didn't want to bother anyone else, including Emmett, he walked out to the caves on his own to clear his head. He passed numerous trees and others things on his way as he tried to clear his mind and relax. As he continued walking he eventually found himself no longer alone. Just ahead him sitting at the base of a tree was a girl he recognized from one of his classes. He didn't know her but he knew she was in the same grade as him.

"Lucky that faculty don't come up here all that often during school hours." He never understood other people's need to disregards the rules. He didn't see the point to it. Maybe it was just because it was the fact that he had always been taught to be a well behaved person by his parents that he always rolled his eyes at those who felt they were above the rules.

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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LEAVE THE OAK

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

Ester took another drag of her cigarette. She placed a foot on a raised rock and, getting more comfortable, she placed her elbow on her knee. She looked out along the cliffside, seeing the school in its entirety. If she didn't resent the place and everyone in it, she might have admitted that it was a serene sight. It seemed peaceful and she was just able to make out the small figured rushing around as she heard the bell toll in the distance. Tensing her lips, she considered heading down for her class, but she quickly changed her mind. She was actually in a decent mood at the moment, and she didn't want to ruin that by being suffocated by the crowd of people. Then she heard footsteps to her side and she was sure she was in trouble. Pulling her lip back into a sneer, she turned her head to look at the familiar boy who made himself known. He was in her year, but she never spoke to him. Was he skipping, too? Then he said something about being lucky the teachers didn't come up this way and she rolled her eyes and scoffed, her eyes turning back to the school. "And what? You're going to act on their behalf?" Ester took a decisive drag of her cigarette before thumbing it to drop the ashes that had gathered on the end. She first thought he was skipping, too, but then his comment made her realize he probably had a free period.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

If he had to guess he'd say either a thunder or fire. Couldn't be a wind because he basically knew everyone in his year that was a wind. Not that he was friends with everyone but he just in general knew those in his years and a couple here and there in the younger year winds. The thing about the academy was that the elementals shared general and basic personality traits which helped with somewhat being able to tell the which element they belonged to. Some were harder than others but in general you should be able to get the side of the alliance they were on. Of course didn't make it easy since they varied so much. So here he was standing in front of either a thunder or fire.

He sighed. "Honestly, I'm not in the mood to care." he said nonchalantly as he took a seat at the trunk of one of the nearby trees. This wasn't exactly what he had hoped for when he came out here. He had been hoping to be able to be alone and just clear his head but it didn't look like that was happening any more. "What brought you up here?" He figured there was no point in sitting in awkward silence if they were both sticking around for a while. At this point he wasn't sure if to introduce himself. Did she even care? Did he? Normally he would probably take the initiative to introduce himself regardless but today was sort of an off day for the wind and honestly just was totally out of it. Did it matter if they knew each other's name. Perhaps the animosity was better.

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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He told her he wasn't in the mood to care, and she scoffed. She waited for him to leave, expecting him to just move on or something. Why would anyone want to stick around anyway? Instead, he sat down at the base of a tree and made himself comfortable. Ester's harsh, brown eyes averted to him slowly, seeing that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. She felt her irritation rising. The last thing she wanted to do was be around someone who wanted to talk. Well, that was usually always the last thing she wanted. Was he going to tell her his name next? Familiarity was the next step and she didn't want to admit to really knowing anyone. He asked her what brought her up here and she was to her feet, taking a few deliberate steps in his direction. "It's funny you ask that," she said through grit teeth. "I'm up here so I can avoid everyone down there." Ester motioned toward the cliff side where the school could be seen in its entirety. "Thanks for ruining that." Perhaps she was being overly aggressive. Her hostility was pretty much uncalled for. He didn't do anything to her except show up. But for Ester, that was enough to tick her off. He really didn't ruin everything, but that didn't stop her from feeling like he was doing wrong to her. "Now fuck off."

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

Wow. This escalated quickly. Obviously she wasn't much of a talker. Here he thought maybe they could have a light conversation as to not make things too awkward but obviously he was rather wrong on that point. What exactly had he done again? Was it really just his presence here that had ticked her off so much? Must have been. This was not what he had signed up for. Now he was thinking that it would have been better to just carry on.

He followed her gaze to the school. That had been sort of the reason he was up here. He just wanted to get away from the crowds for a bit so that he could clear his head of worrying about his mother but it seemed like any chance of that would be down the drain now. He scoffed at her. "Wow, you're quite the people person aren't you.? You must be a blast at parties? You must be a thunder" he said. The reason why he started thinking thunder was because she was reminding him a bit of his best friend Emmett who just so happened to be a thunder as well and the last person who wanted to be surrounded by a thousand and one people. "Well since you asked so nicely why don't just scurry on back." he said rolling his eyes not making any motion to move. "Last I checked you didn't own the cliff. So unless you want you're going to fry me I think I'll stay right here." Yeah, Kai was asking for trouble but when this girl started to get feisty with him for no real reason, and he didn't count the idea that she was pissed off just because he was there as a valid reason to lash out at him, he didn't feel like bending to her will and thus continued to make himself comfortable near the tree trunk.

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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Ester thumbed at the butt of her cigarette anxiously as she glared down at the boy who made no motion to moving any time soon. He was just getting more and more comfortable. He made mention of her bubbly personality and she scoffed in response, rolling her eyes. "I couldn't give two shits what you, or anyone down there thinks." It seemed like it was easy for him to determine what element she fell under. It was no concern of hers whether or not she fell into the stereotypical 'thunder' category. She knew that thunders had a tendency to be difficult. She knew better than anyone that they could be hard to talk to. Despite being in a certain 'group', Ester didn't really feel like an integral part of it. She didn't pay attention to the politics and she was pretty sure no one wanted her involvement anyway. He called her bluff and she growled at him. "I could fry you if I wanted to, you know," she said lowly, having leaned in to hover over him. Ester was naturally a bitter person, but when she had been hoping to get some peace and quiet, she felt forced into a corner and the only way she knew to respond was with hostility when it was disturbed. Perhaps that was a poor excuse. Actually, yeah, it was a really lame excuse.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

Feisty little thing wasn't she. "You could have fooled me." he said rolling his eyes at her. "Are you usually this friendly or did I just catch you on an off day?" he asked sarcastically. Why was he pushing her buttons. There was no reason to it and he woudln't exactly gain anything from it, goes to show that he wasn't thinking straight for sure. How would this end though? He could tell their personalities were clashing, it was still a wonder to many how he got along with Emmett so well but what most people didn't realize that there was more to Emmett if he just gave them the chance to see it. Of course someone like Kai couldn't befriend everyone, that just wasn't possible. Of course he was sure he could name a few tv characters that would say otherwise.

He gave her an unimpressed look. "Oh really?" he said meeting her glare, undeterred and getting up from where he had been comfortable just a few seconds before. "Then go ahead. I mean you're so eager to get rid me right. Go on, try and scare me off." he said giving her a challenging look. Yup, Kai had officially lost it. If only one of his friends could see him now. Kai was a stubborn guy but he normally wouldn't be acting the way he was. He was much more out of it than he had realized earlier. "Just try and not to scorch the shirt too much. It was a gift."

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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Ester didn't bother responding to his first comment. Thinking about just how much she's screwed up with getting to know people isn't exactly her favorite past time. Now, she was able to add another person to the growing list of people who find her annoying. Whatever. Not like she cared. This was a usual occurrence for her: run into someone, say some mean things, get called out, and then sometimes a physical altercation would arise. But Ester wasn't exactly the strongest person, nor was she the sharpest tool in the shed. She was a lot of bark and very little bite. So when he rose to his full height, which wasn't that much greater than hers, Ester still couldn't help but lean back slightly. Most people didn't rise to the occasion. They either moved along or ignored her. Instead he met her glare with a steady one of his own and after her moment of hesitance, she tensed her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. Could she bring herself to hurt him after all? Could she really just... start shocking him with her ability because he came up to the cliff, a place that was neither private nor off limits? Ester clicked her teeth. "You're not worth my time," she hissed, avoiding the subject and stalling. She brought her cigarette to her lips and took a drag before blowing it into his face tauntingly. "But surely you don't want to stick around here with me hanging around..." She was hoping it rung true and he would agree and walk off. "You wouldn't want to miss your next class?" she added with a smirk.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

Oh if only Emmett could see him now. He'd probably think that Kai had gone nuts or traded bodies with someone else. It was quite amusing. Kai kind of wished he could have one of those out of body experience to be able to watch all this. Perhaps he'd regret all this later but at the moment this girl wasn't exactly giving him any reason to really be worried about anything here. Who knows, maybe she'd surprise him in a bit and he'd have to try and dodge a bolt of electricity. He had yet to actually feel the sting of electricity which was a good thing but he was sure he was trying her patience and would probably be able to push her buttons for so long.

"Oh, what a shame. I should count myself lucky then." he said with a mock sigh and moved away from the tree trunk to stand closer to the edge of the cliff and look out onto the view of the water and academy. He scoffed at her advice. "Classes are really the last of my problems." he said nonchalantly. "You're obviously have no problem skipping classes." He said scratching his hair in frustration again. Then before he could stop himself he let out a grunt of frustration which was followed but a gust of wind that was created with Kai's power. He did it away from Ester. His emotions were running on high and he was really happy that his friends weren't around to see him. He'd hate for his friends, specifically Emmett and Isabella to see him loosing control. He was normally very well maintained and composed. He took a quick glance behind him before looking forward again. "Sorry about that. Maybe it would be best if I head back."

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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LEAVE THE OAK

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Ester gave him an ugly sneer as he gave her a mocking smile before moving away from her. He went toward the edge of the cliff and she couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat as he neared the edge. Ester had made sure not to get close to the edge. She stood at a safe distance. The fact that she was this high up to begin with was a feat, but she managed to avoid vertigo by staying away from the edge. He, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. Ester opened her mouth yell at him to stay away from the edge but she quickly shut her mouth, a disgruntled look on her face. Whatever... if he was stupid enough to stand on the edge, fine. Let him fall. He mentioned how skipping class wasn't a problem of hers and she shrugged nonchalantly. If he was judging her choices, so be it. He didn't seem to care much about classes at the moment anyway, he said so himself. Ester had flicked her cigarette to the ground and stepped on it once when she heard a loud grunt. Flinching a bit, Ester's wide eyes shot to him to see a short display of his element. Where did that come from? Was he okay? No! She didn't care! She really didn't care if he was okay or not! Oh, good, he was leaving. But Ester bit her bottom lip and said quickly, "You're fine, man..." She didn't look at him. Ester had most certainly had a few breaks in her reserve and a short of electricity would come out of her. Next thing she would know is her hair would be sticking up after an extreme bout of frustration. Ester shrugged. "If you're going to vent down there, it's only going to get you in trouble," she offered. It was a lame cover for, you can stay if you want.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

Kai really needed to put a lid on it. Letting your emotions run wild was no way a good thing, especially when you were an elemental and your powers relied on your emotions. That's how powers were discovered, normally through a burst of emotion. Whether it was one of pure anger, deep sadness, or frustration. Of course it wasn't as if there powers would bend to their will just because they manifested it. That was the whole point of the academy, to come an learn to be able to manipulate your element at will but one of the things they do tell you is that loosing control of your emotions can very much lead to the loss of control over your element.

Kai wasn't doing a very good job at the moment though. He wsn't one that was known for sudden outburst. He tend to bottle up his emotions at time and that was probably what led to this. He hadn't even realized how close he was standing to the edge. He had only walked and stopped. It wasn't until after his little outburst that he realized that he was pretty damn close to the ledge but surprisingly liked the the rush of standing on the edge of the cliff. Kai wasn't some adrenaline junkie or anything but then again he wasn't exactly in his right mind either. "Now that is quite the fall." Speaking more to himself than to his companion. One mistake and he'd be toppling over into the water before. He always found adventure seekers who jumped from high places curious. The courage to do so was something Kai lacked.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the thunder's voice. He turned to look at her although she didn't return his gaze. He wasn't exactly sure how to take what she said. Was she just giving him a warning but still wanting him to leave? Or was that her way of saying that it was okay for him to say? "Thanks." he said softly before turning his gaze back onto the horizon. It was a beautiful sight. He thought of one of his younger artistic friends and was sure he'd be up here drawing the view if he could. "Sorry about the whole, snarkiness earlier. Haven't exactly been myself today. I promise if you would have met my usual self you'd probably be a lot more annoyed." he tried to joke. Kai normally was a lot kinder than he had been in the past couple of minutes. Someone like her might have found him a bit irritating. It was a wonder Emmett put up with him. "Kai. Sorry about ruining your alone time." It seemed that perhaps Kai just needed a moment to let out his frustration because he seemed to be returning slowly to himself.

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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At his mention of the drop below him being quite the fall, Ester felt her skin prickle... She hated heights, and he was so dangerously close. She didn't care about the boy, mind you, not really. But the idea of falling, anyone falling, it terrified her. So she couldn't help but look at his feet wearily, noting their closeness and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise in alarm. It really bothered her, but she wasn't going to say anything. He apologized for his attitude earlier and she gave him a strange look - one that was confusion mixed with distaste. Why was he apologizing to her? She was the one who told him to fuck off. So he was saying sorry? Well... he wasn't going to get an apology out of her. That was for sure. She huffed once and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes nervously darting to his feet before covering by averting her gaze and clearing her throat. He just... stayed right by the edge. What was he doing?! He told her his name and she looked at him, distracted by the thought of the height. "Huh? Oh! Uh... Ester..." she said meekly. She didn't know why she was bothering giving him her name. She didn't like him and she doubted any kind of 'friendship' would emerge from this meeting. She didn't try to make friends and people usually didn't try to make friends with her. And that was okay with her. She didn't mind the solitude or the isolation. He apologized again for intruding and she looked at him again, her eyes going to his feet once more. "Yeah... it's... Oh, my god!" she finally blurted out, feeling a rush of anxiety. "Would you step away from there already?! What are you doing?!" She felt the electricity rising in her, felt the hairs on her body rising a bit from the static. It was all very subtle though and nothing that he would notice probably.

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.

[KAI LEE JACKSON]

Yes, he was apologizing for his actions even though it was most likely unnecessary especially since it had been Ester that had been rather rude first. He had only responded with his own retorts since he was frustrated but his mother would have said that was no excuse to be rude for no reason. So with that in mind he apologized even if it wasn't necessarily. Emmett would probably have told him not to waste his breath but oh well. What's done is done. He wasn't expecting an apology from her or anything but he'd feel better this way.

Ester. He guessed it was nice to have a name to put to a face. They wouldn't be becoming best buddies after this or anything but he would rather know who he's talking to rather be completely oblivious to the fact. Through all this he paid no attention to how close he was standing to the edge of the cliff. Not until Ester started yelling at him about it. Looking down at his feet a small smile grew on his lips. "What? Am I making you nervous?" he teased. He hoped on one foot to see what kind of reaction he could get out of her. "Worried I'm going to fall?" He hoped on his other but was mindful of where he was landing. He wasn't an idiot after all. After a couple more seconds of doing this he let out another chuckle. "If it makes you feel better I'll move." He began to move away from the ledge and closer to her. "I'm a little not myself today. Sorry if I scared you."

[ESTER LEILA SUZUKI]

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Ester felt her entire body tense up as he seemed to edge closer to the edge in response to her command. She took an instinctive step forward. What? Did she plan on grabbing him if he slipped. Ester's heart was racing wildly and her eyes were glued onto his feet. She felt sweat starting to dot her forehead and the back of her neck, and there was a faint shaking in her shoulders. He hopped on one foot and she took in a sharp breath. Another instinctive step forward, but Ester was far too terrified to get close to that edge. If he did slip... would she be able to react and overcome her fear of heights to reach for him? Something, deep down, told Ester she was far too much of a coward to overcome her terror of heights. But he was mocking her... Ester's eyes narrowed dangerously and she shot him a glare of the ages. There was obvious fear in her eyes, too. He apologized, but that did nothing to calm the torrent of rage and horror within her. "You think that's funny?" she said loudly. Her hair started to rise slightly from the static crackling around her form. "Huh? Yeah! It's fucking hilarious, isn't it!" Her hands were clenched into fists and she wanted to grab him by the shirt and shake him or something, but she couldn't bring herself to get any closer to the edge. "Are you crazy? Just get away from there!"

FALLING IN LOVE BY THE MILLIGRAM

SO CONTENT TO SLEEP WHERE WE LAND

Lyrics by P.O.S.