I'M NOT HERE FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT (tag Em/open)

[xavier]

]

Dammit, he did it again. He got an hour’s worth of detention again this week. What is up with these teachers? Just handing out pink slips like there’s no tomorrow. He didn’t even do anything wrong really. Ok, so he cheated off of someone’s test paper. To make it fair, the guy cheats off of his too. They had an arrangement going on: Xav peeks at his, he peeks of Xav’s. It was perfect until he got caught today, and it landed him in the hell-whole. Nice job.

So here he is now, staring at the accursed poster yelling out happy-go-lucky words of advice like, “Be Yourself!”, “Remember the Golden Rule,” and other insane things like that. It almost made him want to gauge his eyes out, or the teacher in front of him reading the book before him, trying his best not to make eye-contact with him. Fine by him. He didn’t want to look at the jerk anyway, unless glaring daggers at him would work.

He was supposed to work on some assignment about…something. He didn’t know nor did he care. All he wanted to do was get out of here and fast, but he knew time. Time was his enemy when he needed it the most. It chooses when to go fast and slow, just to piss him off, and it works. Right now, it feels as though it’s been 20 minutes at least, but no. Only a measly 5 minutes have passed. This is great…

[marci4]

Detention? Detention. Em hadn't been happy when she'd heard that word, standing up for her friend who had “cheated” (as if the teacher could prove it). But it had been such a bad day for that teacher that instead of quieting her and telling her to sit quietly, he gave her a pink slip, and booted her out of the only class that she liked. Well, forgive her for never liking that class again. Em, with her usual temper, was searing the halls as she passed, giving people glares that made them choose detours instead of risk a confrontation wit the drama queen. She didn't much like the thought of spending an hour wasting time and doing nothing.

She was late, of course, for which the supervision adult gave her an overtly judgmental look and wrote her name on the board, with a five after it. Emilia waste no time in glaring knives at the teacher, cursing under her breath for the extra five minutes she'd acquired. Ah well. If she'd been much later than that, it would have been another full hour tomorrow. She stopped in the doorway, giving the room a brief glance before her eyes fell on a familiar face. She gained a smirk, and one hip thrust out to the side as it was apt to do when she saw something she like. Xav. He was a tasty piece of man, and not afraid to flirt outrageously with her.

She walked over to sit next to him, scooting her chair closer to his with skillful silence when she teacher wasn't looking. Then she leaned over toward him just enough so that their shoulders briefly touched, speaking in a barely audible whisper. ”So what did you do this time? Zap a freshman? Get into a fight?” She enjoyed when they shared detention, because during and afterward he usually had fun stories to tell of his illegal exploits.

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[xavier]

He was enjoying himself by making the teacher’s hair stand up when someone walked in. Finally! Someone to talk to He looked towards the door to see someone he had not think to see here. “Emi?” He waited for her to sit next to him to continue. “Emilia Reece. What a surprise.” He gave her one of his genuine smiles that was unique only for her. “What are you doing here missy?”

He was genuinely shocked to see her here. No, she wasn’t a good girl, but she wasn’t completely bad either. She’s not detention-type, but she was his type. Damn. This girl was fine. And the great part about it was that she knew it. One of the many things he likes in a girl is confidence: not too cocky that she looks at herself too much, but enough to like what she has…and this girl has a lot. He couldn’t help but look down at the assets her parents gave her. She knew she hated it, and that’s why he loved doing it.

“Oh, the freshie? Nah, that was last week. My friend and I were helping each other with our tests…only it was an individual test. But, whatever. It got me in here with you, didn’t it?” He winked at her and turned his desk towards her, which earned a glare for the teacher. He glared backed, which scared him. “Pansy…” he muttered under his breath. He enjoyed the fact that some teachers feared him. Can he blame them? He was a huge man. He sometimes had to duck under the doors just to get in, which sucked on his part, be can’t complain. He liked the fact that people had to move out of his way to go by. Shifting his gaze back to the beauty in front of him, he smiled, awaiting his reply.

[marci4]

Emilia was not in the least surprised when Xav gave her that special smile. Their current relationship was a great big mix between shameless flirting and friendship. Though there were times when she felt a real connection with him, she didn't much want to get close. Not in any real, emotional way. Not yet. It wasn't safe—people who were closest to her always hurt her. They'd turn on her, or change, or...or die in a car crash. So she just kept everything superficial, keeping the deeper stuff inside her where no one could hurt it. Her own smile was filled with interest and perhaps even a touch sensual as she shrugged and answered, ”Stood up for a friend who got detention, that's all.”

It was true, she usually didn't get detention. Though Emilia was a rash and reckless girl, she was smart enough either to not get caught or to do something when the teachers were off duty. An eyebrow raised as she watched Xav's keen interest in her being, quite used to being stared at like that, but not entirely sure yet as to whether she liked it when he did it right in front of her. Though she knew he was extremely flirty, just like she, Em also thought of herself as Xav's friend. Perhaps someone close enough to him for him to start respecting. However, none of this actually registered in her features, nonchalant observation the only expression the possessed. That was, until he told her what he'd done to get in here.

”Cheating?” She pouted, ”Well, that's not very interesting, is it?” She sighed, leaning back in her chair and surveying the room with a slightly dull expression. Usually Em could coax a story out of a delinquent guy that would last thirty minutes or more, which would pass a heck of a lot of time in situations like this. But oh well. She could at least milk it with banter. A slight tug of a smile reached her as she glanced at Xav out of the corner of her eye. ”You might have at least made something up. Don't you want to impress me?”

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[xavier]

Xav secretly hoped she liked the smile he gave her. He sometimes wished he could do more than that; he sure as hell did with other girls. But whenever he tried to get closer to Em, she would…shut down; Almost as if she had this built in barricade inside of her. He wondered what happened to hurt, and if someone had hurt her. He had a brief vision of maybe a past boyfriend of hers breaking her heart. That made him want to hunt down the bastard and break his break an arm or two. He noticed that he was glaring at an invisible person, then it disappeared when she gave him one of her beautiful smiles. That always calmed him down. She had that odd effect on him. It’s probably one of the reasons why they hung out; whenever he got too angry, she would always be there to calm him down. She was just about the only one who could do that. She was special like that.

“How brave and noble. If only you were in my class at the time, and I was that friend you were sticking up for. I would be free from this place, while you would be here, serving time. A great sacrifice.” He quietly laughed, which earned him a ‘shush’ from the grumpy teacher. He nudged her a little to get her attention. “Hey, watch this.” He waited for the right moment for the teacher to grab his coffee and drink it. When he was about to put it against his lips, he gave the cup a tiny shock, which in turn caused him to jump a little and spill it all over his shirt. While he was cursing, Xav tried his best not to burst into laughter right there and then. The guy got up and mumbled an ‘I’ll be right back’ and left.

“Finally, he’s gone.” He said this in his normal, booming voice. So, she wasn’t interested in his story huh? Well, he could spice it up, just for her. “I didn’t get to finish sweetheart. See, I got busted for cheating, but that’s not the main reason why I’m here.” He paused for a dramatic effect, then continued. “We stole the answers to the test the day before, ya know, snuck in the teacher’s filing cabinet and took em’ out. We sorta…spread them around the classroom, only we were the ones who got caught. I told the guy to lay low for a moment, but no, he didn’t listen.” He shrugged it off as if it were nothing. He didn’t lie, his story was true. It’s just that he did it 3 years ago when he was just a freshie. Smiling at her, he said “Impressed now?”

[marci4]

Elaine noticed that he seemed upset about something. Xav seemed a little spaced out, starting to glare at a person or a thing what wasn't there. She wondered if he'd just remembered something that had happened earlier, someone he needed to get back at, or the like. But other than gaining a slight frown, she didn't react to it. Xav had never once been angry with her—why should he start now. The big bad man was putty in her hands, so long as she chose not to stab him in the back. Which she hadn't, so far.

”Oh, no, she got detention, too.” She said, dashing his hopes for ever getting off the hook on her account. Then she looked about the room, pointing at a sullen face in the corner. It was an acquaintance of hers from the fire dorms, nothing more. But the girl had helped her with her harder courses many times, and Em had felt the need to speak for her. Em made a disgusted look as she gave the supervising teacher a furtive glance, ”Even if she did cheat that time, she's smarter than half the senior combined. Should have been let off the hook this one time.” It might have been odd to hear Em spout words of mercy, but she really was a completely different person when it came to her friends.

She laughed out loud when the teacher spilled, not feeling any fear of being punished because it was obvious she could not have done it—she was fire, not thunder. Her chocolate eyes were bright with amusement as she looked back at her friend, a smile weaving it's ways back on her features. ”Oh?” She asked with sudden interest. ”Well then, by all means, darling, do continue.” Em was very glad that he had more to tell of his story, though she didn't know how exciting a simply story of cheating could be. Anything to while away the hour they had to spend in this infernal room.

He elaborated, and though Em was inwardly congratulating him on his revolution, she gave him a look of boredom, stifling a yawn and throwing him a teasing glance. ”Well, I suppose it's ok. I would have liked something about how you dangled a freshie out of the thunder tower window, or the like.” Obviously she was joking—she'd maim Xav before she ever allowed him to something so dangerous. But right now she was obviously teasing him and making him work for her favor—she had his attention, making use of the small movements her body could make to keep it. Might as well give him a grand chase for her admiration.

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[xavier]

“Oh, wow. Then that sucks for her and for you.” He turned his attention towards the dour-looking girl in the back of the room. He hasn’t seen her when he walked in. Probably too busy sulking in his own problems to notice others. That was like him: when he’s in thought, almost all things in the outside world don’t exist. Sometimes it would get to the point where he would be shaken to get the attention of someone. A serious thinker as himself, one would think he’s good academically. Nope. Not really. He tried…but school work just doesn’t work with him. As long as he maintains his “c” average, he’ll be alright.

“Yeah. She should have. She doesn’t get in as much trouble as me. She should have been let off the hook. But you and I know the cheating policy they hold here.” He pointed to one of the poster blaring those words of expectation and “cheaters never win” crap. Disgust showed on his face. “They tell students not to cheat when their in school, but it’s okay for the adults to do it.” He was mainly speaking about his father. He didn’t get that high in rank in the military by “going by the rules.” He had to pull some strings, do meets and greets with the right people, then step on them given the opportunity. Just one more reason why he hated his old man so much.

He smirked at her laughter. Then it turned into a hurtful look. He held his hand to his chest as if it were in pain. “Ouch. What a pride killer. So you like that kind of stuff? I didn’t think you were the type to like it ruff. But…” He let his voice trail of with his traditional smirk. She knew he was perfectly capable of doing that too, and he would have no regrets in the matter. He’s just like that: Not quite nice…but not that mean either.

[marci4]

Em had to laugh a little, ”Wow.” She said with playful sarcasm, giving him quite the amused look, ”Way to be sympathetic to a girl's plight.” As she said that, her accent got a little stronger. It was odd, the differences between she and her brother. Both of them had British accents all the time, but his got stronger when he was trying not to be upset, and hers got stronger when she was excited or happy. Then again, whenever she got into a yelling match it came out loud and clear, and no mistake. She gave Xav a playful shove, a very light gesture of camaraderie.

She tilted her head in a sort of resigned nod for a second, ”Yeah.” Sometimes she thought that the teachers here were more hardcore about cheating than policemen were about robbery. She'd gotten days of detention merely looking like she was about to cheat, though that was normally with the more excitable teachers. She shrugged when he pointed at the poster, ”They're probably a little more strict here because most of the student have the ability to main them. I know I'd be rigid with my kids if they could burn me in my bed.” Ok, she was very nice, gentle girl when it came to children. But at the same time, simple recklessness could turn truly dangerous when you added elemental powers into the mix.

She gave him a look when he acted hurt, and it slowly turned a little...naughty as he spoke. Her expression of disinterest turned into a suggestive smirk and a teasing light in her eyes as she responded to his words, ”Dear, I've always preferred things rough.” She hadn't ever been a china doll—indeed, quite the opposite. While she wasn't the type of girl to lift weights and build up her strength, he size gave her an advantage, and she'd wrestled with her big brother many a time in the past years. Though she rarely won, she gave him a good fight.

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[xavier]

He shrugged with nonchalance and gave her a playful smirk. “You know how I am. I’m sympathetic to every girls dilemma. I guess you can consider me their knight in shining armor” He looked dramatically up towards the ceiling and gave a heroic smile. He likes to think of himself as a hero sometimes. In fact, yesterday some guy was making a girl a little too uncomfortable. All he had to do was clear his throat and the little wimp scattered off like the rat that he was. The girl rewarded him with a kiss, which he didn’t mind at all, but he didn’t really help her for the kiss. The fact is, she reminded him of his mom, and the douche was his father. He would beat on her some times, and he would be there to break it up. Out of the many reasons to hate the bastard, that was number one. No man should ever lay a hand on a woman; no matter how much they piss them off. It took a greater man to just walk away and cool off. That shows how much of a man his father was: he wasn’t.

“Hmm, well, I guess you’re right there. I don’t know if I’d go that far with my kids though.” No. He would never touch his kids, not like his father did. Damn. It seems like every thought that pops up in his head always directs back to his father. Talk about extreme daddy issues. Switching the topic, he chose a more lighter, careful subject. “So, how’ve you been hun?” He wiggled his eyebrow with a grin.

He gave her a look of surprise and had to turn his full attention towards the naughty female. “Oh really? How rough do you like it mama?” Now was his chance to show his real interest in the girl. Leaning into her ear, he whispered “I can be real rough. Just how violent you want it babe?” He pulled back and took a strand of stray hair out of her face to get a good view of his soon-to-be girlfriend.

[marci4]

Emilia laughed a bit, bringing her hand up to stifle it before it disturbed anyone else in the room. While they were talking normally, there really was no use it calling attention to themselves, especially if a teacher happened to walk by. She face Xav square on, putting a hand on his shoulder in a friend gesture that was meant to show him she wasn't trying to insult him or anything. ”Dear, you will have to work very hard to be my knight. It's hard to convince me—believe me, men have tried before.” She had a teasing edge to her voice, but honestly it was a fair warning. As much as she enjoyed flirting with him and their playful conversations, she didn't tend to open up to anyone. He was no exception.

He seemed to be getting upset over something, and it didn't do away when he answered her joke about her kids. He seemed to take it the wrong way, and she frowned a bit as she wondered exactly what he'd thought she'd meant. She would be a strict parent, that was all. Rules were a must for her, even though she didn't follow them herself. It was an odd juggle of things. She guessed she would act differently when she had little ones to take care of—not that it would be for awhile. Then he completely changed track and asked her how she'd been. She sent him a questioning look, but shrugged and looked back at her name on the board.

”I'm fine.” She rather wanted to leave it at that, too. Most of the things that weighed on her mind were things such as how she was ever going to get back on peaceful terms with her brother, and how much she missed seeing Tash often. How she was still missing her parents, and stuff like that. Nothing that would fit for detention gossip. But after a few seconds, she shrugged again and forced something out, ”I'm so tired of all this homework. I'd heard somewhere that senior year was supposed to be easier than junior year, but that's not the case here. I just can't wait until break.” Which wouldn't come for months. And then it would be two weeks and back to the academy. Ah well. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't all that oppressive.

Emilia wanted very much to lean further into this naughty train they'd just started, but her natural hard-to-get attitude came back in full. She gave him just a hint of her greatly pleased smirk, turning her head away from him a bit as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. After he did so, he moved back and pulled a strand of hair from her face, making her lips tug upward. He had a gentle touch for such a tough man. ”Well, first of all, don't call me 'mamma' again.” It was said patiently, but the truth was she had never liked that sort of nickname. It hinted at so many unpleasant things. Then she glanced at him and smiled a little wider. ”And I'm not sure you could handle it. I've seen the types of girls you hit on, Xav, dear. They really don't have much to recommend them.”

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[xavier]

When she placed her hand on his shoulder, he gave her an admiring look. “Oh my gosh!” He dramatically placed his hand on his heart. “She touched my shoulder. I shall never wash it again!” Laughing, he then replied to her rather harsh comment. “Well, my lady, I would say that I’m not like other guys, but I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the phrase already. But I will say this:” He knew Emilia. She was hard to get to. She has a wall around her; so thick it’s almost impenetrable. So he stopped trying to get in. The reason why he understood is because he’s like that himself. He doesn’t let hardly anyone in his mind. He scarcely let his therapist in. His facial expression turned serious at what about he’ll say. “I don’t know what those men have done to you, but I swear that I would never hurt you, Em. I’d…” hurt myself before I hurt you… He turned away from her and focused out the window. He mentally cursed himself for almost saying out loud what he felt for her. He wasn’t ready to go that far in their relationship. Plus, he didn’t want to lose the current connection they had now.

He raised an eyebrow at her short answered, but didn’t question her further. If she didn’t want to go into detail, then that’s okay with him. Contradictory to what everyone thought of him, Xav wasn’t that much of a talker. Sure, when someone speaks to him he’ll reply, but on his own volition, not really. He’s more of an action taking sort of guy; his history has shown that. His scars have shown that, and not only the ones on the outside either.

He snorted out loud at her statement and bit out his own caustic remark. “I heard somewhere that people can become whatever they wanted to be, but that was a load of bull.” Sure he sounded like an emo right now, but it’s what he felt and knew to be true, at least in his life anyway. Relating back to the subject, he said. “The teachers are trying throw all of this on us to see if we’re worthy of graduating. I also hear that some students drop out in their senior year. That’s a waste of their lifetime in my opinion.”
So she didn’t like mamma? Ok, he can roll with that. Some girls like the name, others didn’t. He sure as hell didn’t like being called daddy or pops. Her next comment erupted a laugh out of him. “Ouch Em. What a direct hit at my ego.” He smirked at her as he stated his next words. “Well, what type of girls do you recommend for me then?”

[marci4]

Em laughed right along with her silly friend, letting her hand linger on his shoulder shortly before pulling it back. Then he said he would never wash it again, and the hand that was halfway back to her shot the rest of the way like a rocket. The beautiful young woman played along splendidly, looking a perfect mixture or flattered and grossed out and the gesture. She didn't speak, however, until he said he was not like other men. Though still help up by that good Reece humor, she gain a serious light in her eyes as she answered coolly, ”Yes, I have heard that many times before.”

She was utterly taken aback when he suddenly turned serious. She leaned back ever so slightly, as if to get a wider shot of the eyes that were staring at her as intensely as she had ever seen them. Though very little discomfort bubbled to the surface, inside, she felt herself squirming under the look. What was she suppose to do now? What had she said? Then he continued with what he had been planning on saying, and she slowly lost her smile, a little stunned. Xav cut off, and it completely left her. Did he.... He thought she'd been hurt by a man, somehow. Well yes, she had, but no more than one usually hears about. Dumped, stood up, lied to, disrespected. Nothing she couldn't handle. It looked, however, like he was planning on 'handling' it for her.

Though it seemed that something so serious and heartfelt should be obliged with an answer, Em didn't open her mouth to speak. She didn't nod, didn't shake her head, didn't really give off anything. She didn't know how to handle a man showing that much protectiveness over her, other than her brother. And she couldn't very well snap at Xav and tell him she was a big girl, could she? So no, she was just silent until the subject changed. Em smiled again, giving a bit of a laugh as he spoke, ”I agree. People don't just up and be whatever, they're made for certain things. As for the teachers, I think they secretly like to have the seniors quite. Imagine trying to deal with a violent college elemental at this academy.” She shook her head at the thought. ”Damn.”

Jacob was a good, nice guy for the most part, which made him a good person to have around as a college student here. But Em had seen him when he was pissed—he was a nightmare. He wouldn't touch her or Tasha because they were his sisters, but anyone else around him had to watch out when he was off his rocker. Xav burst out laughing, and Emilia answer him with a wink, ”I should think so; I'm a good shot.” She gave him a secret smile and then turned her face to the board again, letting her shoulders rise and fall with a thoughtful breath, ”Well, for one you may want to find a couple with some self respect. It's no fun when they just fall right in your arms.”

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[xavier]

He shrugged at her comment. “Figures,” was all he said in reply. Of course she’s heard it: that quote was around the top five things guys said to girls when they’re interested in them. Heck, he used it himself with other chicks, but that was for play. He thought her gesture was cute, and returned with a hurtful and shock facial expression.

He saw the look of shock and discomfort she gave when he told what he felt, and he immediately felt bad for it. He wished he hadn’t said that. Xav still didn’t look at her, too angry with the fact that he almost confused to the way he felt about her. And what would her response be? A laugh? Snort? Consider it like one of his usual flirtations and brush it off as nothing? No. He wouldn’t say anything about the way he felt until she gave some indication that she was interested in him.

Her lack of a response made him feel bad even more, so he sighed and muttered. “Look, just…forget what I said.” He just wanted to not recall this conversation, or bring it up again. He hated feeling awkward, and making her feel it as well. So it’s just best to let the convo go away. To her next, he replied half-heartedly. “The teachers should know what they’re dealing with before they fill out the job application. I don’t feel sorry for them at all.” He barked a harsh laugh. “Let me be a teacher and see how these students act. All they need is a hit or two and they’ll be fine.”

He waved her off and smirked. That was his Em: always hard to get. He knew she was just playing around, so he let her so, but if it were any other person, a guy particularly, he’d probably punch him where he stood, or threatened him the least. He next comment raised a questionable eyebrow on his face. “What? That’s exactly what I want: a girl to fall directly in my arms.” He smirked then turned toward her more. “The ones with self respect are usually hard to get.”

[marci4]

Emilia had to catch herself so she wouldn't respond to his request with 'gladly' or something equally unfeeling. As much as she didn't like dealing with the deeper feelings that he seemed to be developing for her, she didn't want to hurt him any more than necessary in order to stay isolated. So she just gain a pensive look and nodded slightly, hoping he would take it as tacit compliance. She valued his friendship very much, even though she did very little to show him that. He was a good bit of stability for her.

He mentioned his thoughts on the teachers, and she smirked a little. ”That is a very amusing mental image.” She said, looking at him with keen eyes as she thought of him, a couple years older, beating down any of the students would did him wrong. While she had no doubt that is what he would do, Emilia didn't much believe that that would be an affective teaching method. Teachers had age and experience on their side, but even the best fighter of the teachers would not be able to take on the school if the students decided to revolt. Without really thinking, she commented, ”My brother's thinking about staying on as a teacher.”

She actually gave Xav a disgusted look when he said that about women. It was muted, but it was still there. She knew they were just playing around with each other, but he was encroaching on the 'dick' territory instead of just puttering around the bad boy territory. Usually men liked the thrill of the hunt, right? But she mediated her voice to something lighter and not at all insulting when she said, ”Trust me, it's worth it to go after a girl with more fight in her. I could point out a few you might like, if you want. There are several hot, self respecting girls who might be interested.”

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[xavier]

Xav was glad that she easily forgotten the awkward moment. He knew she wasn't the touchy-feely chick, unlike the ones he messes with. Em's personal, very personal, and so was he. He obviously didn't think this one through, which is so like him: always going with his feelings than logic. He wondered what he what do if he was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Well he punk out like he just did, or make a complete fool of himself when Em rejects him? Only time will tell.

He nodded in agreement. "Yup. They should be glad I'm not the teacher. I believe they should bring it back to the old times, where teachers were allowed to 'discipline' their students." He thought for a moment, then spoke again. "Then again, I don't really obey the rules, so I'll be the one being disciplined huh?" He didn't really expect an answer; the last statement was more of a thought out loud. He'd like to see a teacher try to hit him. Now that would make school interesting for once.

Her next words caught him off guard. Her bro wanted to be a teacher? "Well, good luck for him," he said with a frown. He honestly didn't care for the guy, and she knew that. He didn't know why; he just didn't like him. Xav never actually met met him, but he sort of knew him. They ran into each other a few times and the encounters weren't pleasant the slightest bit.

"Hmm, several hot self respecting girls huh? Well, point me out some then." He was curious as to see what her version of a hot girl would be. "You know I'm picky, so I hope you chose some good ones for me." He stretched out in his chair in a relaxed position, which is difficult for a guy that's 5 inches away from 7 feet.