I have the voice of a thousand hurricanes [andy]

[ged]

“And that, my friends, is why wind is the best element. You get to blow off girl’s clothes and say it was an accident, and you never run out of breath if you get my meaning,” Ged concluded his tale with a flourish and a wink at the two girls in the small group clustered around him. The group laughed and dispersed, some to refill their drinks, and others to make use of the extremely crowded dance floor. Ged watched them leave, waving off offers to grab him another beer, or to introduce him to their friends. “I gotta powder my nose,” he said with a grin, though he didn’t move from his spot at the table right away. Ged reached across his body and grabbed the half full can of beer, brought it to his lips, and drained it in one chug. He held the empty can out in front of him. Was his hand shaking or was the world just swimming along the amber river? Either way, it was time for him to go.

Ged slipped out the door, smiling and nodding at anyone who looked his way. He didn’t bother to stop and chat, mostly because he didn’t feel like dragging the correct name out of the two dozen or more he’d been introduced to over the course of the night. No one had been interesting enough to stick with for very long, but all in all it had been a fun night. Ged stepped out one of the numerous doors to the outside. It was a lot easier to get to the wind tower if he cut around the outside, at least until he figured out the twistings and turnings of the maze of passageways. He paused, feeling the cool night breeze caress his skin, evaporating the thin sheen of sweat that had accumulated after spending several hours in the cramped quarters of the party. Man, it felt good to be outside. The relative cool of the night also helped jolt him awake, and Ged hoped the jet lag would hold off until he made it back to his dorm. He was still running on east coast time.

He heard footsteps nearby, and quickly stepped back into the shadows of the tall castle wall, holding carefully still until the other person passed. Ged was pleased to discover that the other person out in the night was not a teacher, but obviously a student. Best of all, it was a pretty girl. Now, how to introduce himself without getting maced in the face. He stepped out from the shadow and stretched for a few seconds before he pretended to catch sight of the girl. “Hey, nice night, right?” Ged said with a smile. He held his hand out slightly to the side, trying to be as unthreatening as possible. He knew he wasn’t very impressive physically. A scrawny boy wearing a plaid, button up, long sleeve shirt and jeans didn’t look like one of the serial killers from horror films, even if Ged’s hair did look very red in the odd moonlight.

“Can you give me a hand? I just transferred, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to the wind dorms. I don’t want to get picked up by a teacher on my first night out.” It was actually his third night, and Ged knew exactly where he was going, but implying a sort of vulnerability on his part helped ease tense situations. And who knew, maybe she would offer to walk him there. He could use a little company.

[xmarci2]

As per usual, Andy was the queen of the party. This time she didn't have Altair with her, so she'd had to keep the reputation of the duo intact by herself, but it worked out just fine. Boys got her drinks and girls either tried to make her a public embarrassment or hung onto her every word. She supposed most of it had to do with jealousy—her powerful personality did tend to draw in the attention of the men—but Andy never once tried to hook of with a guy (well, ok, she did sometimes, but not when the boy had a date) or outshine the other girls. She just...was. It may or may not have had to do with her ability to swing her hips back and forth in a mesmerizing motion.

Since she didn't have a buddy to keep track of her presence of mind, Andy decided not to stay out the whole party. While she was both graduate and legal, she still didn't want to show up to class the next day thirty minutes late with a hangover. So it was barely past twelve when she extracted herself from the drunk boys and party-crazy animals and slipped out the front door. Thanks to her dexterity, she had both dodged the pile of puke by the door and side-stepped the drunk young man who was flinging an open can of beer around. Andy took a second to check that she had not been defiled anywhere, and then she moved on.

The young woman made it about halfway back to the parking lot before she was accosted by a man's voice. Not the type to be unduly worried, she simply turned around and watched him come out from the shadows. Her brow raised, and she jutted one hip out to provide a comfortable resting place of her hand. Her amused gaze ran up and down him a second, then she smirked, ”You know, the groundskeeper is not likely to appreciate random students pissing on his perfectly tended lawn. Or tossing. Doesn't really matter which one, he catches you and--” This was followed by a sharp little whistle and a lazy gesture with the hand that was not on her hip, “--You're off to detention. Doesn't really seem worth it, now does it?”

The fact that he only had one arm did not catch her attention, as it was dark and she had just come from the brightly lit party.

After the comforting warmth of the party, Andy was actually getting a little chilled—though it made sense. She was wearing a short black shirt and a cut-off shirt that gave a great view to her feminine curves. That was the ideal sort of thing to wear when she meant to impress via dancing. It also helped her think a lot more clearly than the douche bags around her, which was another plus. She felt a little shiver run up her, but she suppressed it. Until she knew whether this guy was actually safe or now, it was better to just act cocky and confident. Her smirk grew a little bigger when he asked her for help.

”Finagle her into a dark corner, eh?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at him with a humorous expression. No, she didn't assume the worst about people, but the words formed in her mind, so they came out of her mouth. It was pretty much how she was. ”Well, you're in luck. I just happen to be a wind graduate, with just enough booze in her that she might—might—give you a hand if you ask very nicely.” This was accompanied by a bright grin, ”Oh, don't hold back, dear, I'm dying to see how desperate you are.”

[/justify][/size]

[ged]

This girl had attitude, and Ged appreciated that. He appreciated a lot about her, really, like the way the moonlight revealed just enough of the clothes that accented her body oh so well. “I wasn’t pissing,” Ged protested with mock innocence. He placed a hand over his heart, “I was merely resting for a moment before tackling all those stairs.” The wind dorms had to be all the way at the top of the tower. After counting his way up those stairs one his very first day, Ged knew exactly why none of the wind students looked out of shape.

It crossed his mind that the stairs could also be a sort of sobriety test. If anyone fell down three or more flights, well, then they were probably too drunk to be allowed up to puke in the bathrooms. Ged was pretty sure he was sober enough to make it. His knees might want to give out for the last flight, but he would make it.

“I dunno, would he send you there too?” Ged shamelessly flirted. He really didn’t mind detention. It was a good place to sit and daydream for a while, as long as he didn’t have to write lines or some shit like that. He noticed her shiver, but he made no move to take off his shirt. He had skipped the undershirt because parties were always a hot, sweaty mass of humanity, and there was no way he was going to go shirtless in this kind of weather.

Now, the girl asked for a story. She was a graduate, which meant she was leagues above Ged in terms of control over their shared element. She should blow him away, and not in the pleasant way. It was a good thing Ged didn’t plan on making her angry tonight. “Ask nicely?” Challenge accepted. Ged stepped towards her, still leaving more than enough room so she wouldn’t feel crowded, and cleared his throat. “Kind lady, please humble yourself to give aid to one such as me, a lost, lonely, forlorn wanderer who might accidently stumble into a nasty, fire-breathing monster if you do not save his skin,” he said in a gallivant tone. He gave a deep bow full of flourishes, though the flourishes were distinctly one-sided. He straightened to look her in the eyes. “My name is Ged, and I would be ever so delighted if you could point me on my way,” he turned on his most charming grin, having a blast with the entire situation.

[xmarci2]

”Mmm, well, unless you jogged here from africa there was really no need for that. It's just a few stairs, after all.” Andy said dismissively, casting a short glance at the tower that stood nearly directly above them. She'd been very, very fit even before coming to the academy, so the stairs had never bothered her. They were like a nice refreshing workout before each day, whether or not she slept in too late to have her own time to exercise. Deep inside, the young woman had some inkling of understanding that other people were not to physically perfect as she, but she ignored that part of herself. To her, not liking to dance was a clear fault.

The corners of her mouth tugged upward the slightest amount when he flirted. She gave him a knowing look and said, ”Hun, I am far too beautiful to be punished for such an act. Besides, I'd probably be the one to turn you in.” She shrugged, raising a hand to look at her nails in a nonchalant sort of way. ”No use crying about it, though. Just the way of the world, it seems.” Yes, she knew very well that in most social circles she landed on the top of the heap, mostly because her confidence and force of personality were hard to match. So it was a good thing that she usually didn't feel the need to compete with people for the spotlight, or else she would have many, many more enemies than she already did.

Finally getting annoyed with the cold, Andy flicked her wrist and brought down some of the warmer air from higher in the atmosphere, letting it cut through the chill and encircle both herself and her new found friend with it's slight warmth. It was enough to have her relaxing just a little, her stature growing decidedly more comfortable than it was a few seconds ago. It was a good trick, changing the mix of the air to suit her, but it would never be as effective as any fire elemental's ability to heat up a room. Not by a long shot.

When Ged stepped forward, Andy was unable to keep the blatantly surprised look off of her face. It was only there for a few moments, thankfully due to her easy, go with the flow attitude, but it would be quite easy to see. So instead of nodding or doing something within context of their conversation during the pause before Ged's speech, Andy said flatly, ”You only have one arm.”

A tribute to the boy, he did a very good job of keeping her mind of his physical defect, his skill with words and ability to commit to an act impressing her very much. The bright—and somewhat mischievous—grin was right back on her lips as he spoke, her lithe visage changing as subtly as a cat's with pleasure. Oh, this boy would be so, so fun. ”Well, when you put it so imploringly....” She started and trailed off, feeling no need to qualify the statement as her feet carried her toward the boy. Though he was four full inches taller than her, he didn't look like much, and she knew that if it came to a tussle—element or physical—she'd be the victor. Then again, she did have a habit of playing dirty. Very dirty.

”Well, you're a scrawny little bastard, aren't you?” The words rolled from her lips. Whoops. Alcohol loosening her tongue a bit. Oh well. Her rich brown eyes flicked up into his, and a small, daring smile formed on her lips. ”I can do far better than point the way, love. But what'll you give me for it? Shoot pretty words a me all day, you'll need more than the fool's gold you call poetry to reach me. After all, you don't know it yet, but you already found yourself one of those nasty, fire-breathing monsters.” As she said this, she called a gale from out of nowhere, directing it squarely for Ged's back. At the same time, she took a quick side-step and turned a bit, eyes alighting on the dark sky. Such was the force of her gust that she expect him to fall over, or at least stumble forward a few steps.

”Hello.” She said, smiling regally at him, ”My name's Andy, and I'll be your dragon for the evening.”

[/justify][/size]

[ged]

The girl had attitude, and the self-assurance to match. Ged liked that in a girl. Here was someone who wouldn’t cry at the drop of a hat, and also hopefully wouldn’t get too attached to someone like him. Ged shivered at the sudden influx of warmer air. She had power too. Ged couldn’t begin to try and figure out how she managed to reach high enough to get that warm air from the atmosphere. His expression turned slightly more calculating. She could prove to be useful in the long term, if he could get her to show him some of her tricks. The school wanted him to train their way, which was way too slow in Ged’s mind.

He was about to ask her how she did the trick when she opened her mouth and said the most obvious statement of the night. Ged paused a moment, wiped the scowl off his face, and replied, “And you are extremely pretty.” His right foot shifted back a few inches so his bad side was slightly more hidden. “I left it in my other. Don’t you hate it when that happens?” his tone had more than a bit of a bite to it.

Her swagger was back after that moment of surprise, but Ged still watched her warily as she walked towards him. Her mouth opened, only to insult him again. He held his tongue, and she continued. If that wasn’t as a direct a come-on Ged had ever heard, he would eat his socks. He mock-pouted, opening his mouth to tell her that he quite liked his fool’s gold poetry, and anyways, the proper name was pyrite, and it didn’t contain gold, only iron and sulfide. But his rocky protest was cut off by a sudden force at his back. Ged wasn’t your average scrawny clumsy kid. He’d been tripped more than a few times in his life, and had spent the last year on the streets. He tucked into a roll and went with the fall. His intention was to spring back to his feet like nothing happened, but somewhere between turning upside down and standing back up again, the alcohol he’d consumed caught up to him. Ged made it halfway to his feet before sitting back on the ground. “Woah,” he waited for the stars in the sky to stop spinning, “I like dragons.” His nickname-sake supposedly talked to dragons after all.

His vision cleared, but Ged stayed on the ground, and tilted his head back to look up at the newly-introduced Andy. “Are you serious? I always wanted a dragon for a pet.” Yep, while other kids at his school wanted dogs, or horses, or even snakes, little redhead Ged wanted a dragon so he could fly away from the town and see the world. He frowned at her in thought. “What do dragons like to do? I don’t think I have any dragon food. I might have cookies, do you like cookies?” he grinned at her, “Name’s Ged, and I’ll be your soulless ginger for the night, if you’ll have me.” Soulless creature…he guessed that made him a vampire, but the romantic, swaggering nosferatu that came through windows to ravish poor maidens usually didn’t have orange hair.

[xmarci2]

”Uh oh.” Andy pursed her lips, falling back into the position with one hip thrust out. She crossed her arms, raising her chin a bit as she said. ”Your other what?” She couldn't help it, he'd messed up something he'd said in his emotion, and she couldn't keep the words from coming out of her mouth. However, the young woman did understand the difference between a subject that got one angry and a subject that one doesn't touch, ever, so she continued, ”Don't sweat it, dear. You're still all man to me.” She dropped her arms, eying him as he turned a bit away from her. In a rare moment of true honesty, she raised an eyebrow and said, ”Seriously, you're probably still hotter than ninety percent of the guys I've seen in my life.”

And with that, it became apparent that the subject had flown from her mind. Andy didn't let her gaze linger on his shoulder, didn't cast her eyes about, didn't seem uncomfortable and was certainly never at a loss for words. Her expression feel into an easy smile, and she moved her hand again to pull another wave of warmth toward them. It being a summer night, they didn't need it all that much. But it wasn't that much of a difference in temperature anyway. She was just....well...not well dressed. So it still felt good.

An actual snicker left her when Ged went tumbling, though it wasn't meant in any hurtful, insulting way. Andy crouched down in front of the boy, tilting her head a bit and smiling. ”Well, that's good to hear. We dragons are vastly under appreciated. You seem pretty well prepared, too. Get knocked over very often?” If she'd decided she didn't like him, she might have mentioned how only having one arm must really throw the balance to shit. And yes, the thought did cross her mind. But it didn't take only for the wind girl to decide it wasn't a good thing to say. She was a bit of a jerk, yes, but she wasn't a monster. She could only imagine what it would be like to only have one arm, for any reason.

Her brow shot up, ”Now I'm fascinated by your skill with words and charm, I really am. So much, in fact, that I might just make you stop pleading and just take you up to the dorm. But there is one thing you must get clear.” She leaned toward him, placing a hand on the grass before him to give herself some support. Her practiced body coiled like a cat's, and her eyes were filled with hidden daring and flirtation. A small smirk hit her lips, and she locked her dark gaze with his own. ”Hun, you aren't ever going to tame this dragon. I'm not a pet to be caught.” Yes, she was still confident and relaxed as ever, but there was a bit of an intensity in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Yeah, let him try to tie her down, if he dared.

”But I do like cookies.” She said, all of the tension suddenly leaving her as she sprang up like a gazelle, skipping once away from him and treating him to an inviting smile. ”Any reason you don't have a soul? Or did you just need an adjective so desperately that you went with the first one that popped into your head?”

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[ged]

Hot? Ged appreciated the compliment, but the end result only made him more self conscious. ‘Still all man;’ a thing like his arm did change how people viewed him, including Andy. He did not forget that even after the tumble, even after she stretched out the dragon metaphor. He gave her a light-hearted smile, a breath of fresh air in the face of Andy’s intense ferocity “Pretty girls knock me off my feet all the time, though usually not as spectacularly as you just did m’lady,” he told her, laying on the charm so thick it made his teeth hurt.

He narrowed his eyes, and went for it. No hand motion accompanied what his mind was doing, nothing like the gestures Andy and so many of the other elementals Ged had observed used. A small tendril of night air brushed along the back of Andy’s neck, ruffling her hair like a lover’s caress. This finger, however, was as cold as Ged could find, pulled from the air nearest to the cold hard flagstones of the nearby courtyard. He released the air as quickly as he’d grabbed it. He might not be able to reach nearly as far as Andy, nor could he control huge gusts of wind, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve. Ged returned Andy’s flirtatious smirk with the same wide grin as before. “I can see down your shirt when you bend over,” he informed her quite candidly, completely shattering whatever mood Andy had tried so hard to build up.

Being sans one arm might throw people off initially, but Ged had months of hard-won experience to draw from. He set his feet under himself and easily rose to his feet without so much of a wobble. The cool ground had helped draw him closer to sobriety, and he had his center and balance back. “I am a horrible person, that’s why. I caught gingervitis when I was a little baby and I’ve been soulless ever since. Such a tragedy,” Ged said as he advanced on Andy. Half lies, half truth, all ridiculous, just the way he liked it. Ged reached out to grab her around the waist and pull that excellent dancer’s build closer to his own. He smirked down at her whether or not she allowed herself to be held. He would hopefully be holding her a hell of a lot closer very soon.

The redhead finally returned to comment on Andy’s earlier comment. “I would never try to tame a dragon. I just want to ride one for the night,” he said to her in a low voice. The seriousness of his town was distinctly offset by the cheesiness of the line and the ever-present, wide grin that seemed a second away from busting into laughter. Ged’s voice lightened back to normal. “Now let’s get Miss Dragon out of the cold and up to the cookies before you eat me instead.”

[xmarci2]

”Mmmm.” She smiled a bit, but a new little light had entered her eyes. ”You can turn of the sweets, Willy Wonka, you're giving me such a toothache.” He was trying a bit too hard, she thought, and if she wasn't mistaken, he might be coming close to being tired of it himself. Or maybe not. She was never that great at reading people she'd met five minutes before. Thankfully, she was also a hard one to pin down, especially when she hadn't yet decided herself what she wanted out of the current situation. Here she was, ever so slightly tipsy, but mostly of her own mind, flirting outrageously with a boy she'd only just met. A boy with one arm. A boy with one arm and an amazing amount of cockiness.

Andy was not ready for the cold air to find her, to lick the back of her in a soft sort of caress. A real chill went up her spine, and a bit of surprise registered on her features. But she didn't move, or make a sound, just narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her and motionlessly commanded the wind to disperse. He couldn't have known it, but Andy did not like to be cold in the slightest. Her high metabolism helped, but she still just simply felt more comfortable when surrounded by warmth that most other people would think is stifling. It was for this reason that she grabbed a hold of the cold night air and sent it underneath his shirt. No subtlety required, here.

”I know.” Was the young woman's terse reply, and she didn't seem at all bothered by the fact. It was something that reminded her of her job, however, and thus, she bit her snide comments back. She didn't like that subject, even if in this instance she couldn't care less whether he got a treat for the eyes or not. He wouldn't be able to touch if she didn't want him to, and that was what mattered to her. But at her job, she neither got a choice as to who got to look at her or who paid for the lap dance in a private room. Different, but similar enough to shut her mouth about it.

Her brow raised, ”Wow, when a girl tells you to turn off the charm you really take it to heart, don't you? Do you think that being unpredictable lures in the girls, or is being an especial people pleaser some sort of hobby for you?” The words slid off her tongue as she let her dextrous legs carry her in a small circle. As per usual, she was starting to get ansty, needing some sort of physical activity to appease her fit body. Which, it seemed, was not to be, because Ged approached her without hesitation and wrapped his arm about her waist, tugging her closer to him. For a second, she was musing about whether or not he was already going in for a kiss, but then he stopped. She breathed a little sigh, whether or relief of disappointed she couldn't tell.

Andy paused, angling her face and staring fiercely into Ged's eyes. She was not at all intimidated by his height, by the warmth of his hand against her back, by the fact that he just admitted to the world he wanted to sleep with her. But she pursed her lips, drawing in a deep breath before treating him to a sweet, endearing smile. ”Too bad.” It was easy enough to say, and easy enough to slip her petite body out of his grasp and dance a few feet away. ”Cookies I'll accept, and maybe even a place to sleep for the night, but sex? Well.... let's just say your chances of getting any from me tonight are slim to none.”

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[ged]

Aww, shut down. Ged pouted, feeling just a little hurt. For a girl who just finished telling him he was better looking than most guys she had met, she was certainly quick to rescind the compliment. He really didn’t like being led on when she had no intention on acting on any of the flirting she had used over the last several minutes. Ged understood playing hard to get, but seriously.

A part of Ged, a rather large part, breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he hated to admit it, it was always nerve wracking for him to show a little skin. Most of the time, when the clothes started coming off, Ged just revved up the energy in hopes he would distract his partner from asking any questions, but really, his scars were difficult to not notice. He hated when his partner stopped, broke off, ask questions, got that disgusted look on their face. Confusion hit first, usually, then understanding, then that stomach-turning mix of revulsion and pity when they realized what exactly they felt on his skin. That was the worst part, even worse than the people who asked whether he was alright every five seconds. He had one arm, but he knew how to fuck.

But Andy had taken that pleasant ending out of the cards for tonight at least. Ged watched her dance away. She was like the wind, flighty, ethereal, impossible to grab hold of. He thought of sharing that little bit of poetry with her (it had to be worth at least copper or bronze), but decided against it. Andy said he was giving her a toothache.

“I just call it like I see it,” Ged answered a question completely honestly for the first time that night, voice strangely serious, “Life is ridiculous.” He looked up at the moon with a wistful smile, then turned his hazel gaze back on Andy who danced so tantalizingly out of grasp. Shit happened, and there was some thing you were never meant to have. If he took life seriously, there was no way he’d ever get up out of bed in the morning.

The redhead turned toward the castle. “C’mon, Andy,” he said, the light, joking tone back in his voice, “Don’t want me to beat you up there and eat all the cookies, right?” Even though Andy plainly said he wasn’t getting laid tonight, Ged couldn’t leave a girl out in the cold. People were inherently selfish, but Ged had been surprised at how much people shared on the streets. You might sleep with a knife in your hand and the wall at your back, but you shared what shelter could be found, no matter what. Andy didn’t want to sleep with him? Whatever, he’d take the floor. It was a lot warmer and more comfortable than dirty concrete.

Despite challenging Andy to a race, Ged held the door open for her when he reached it. “After you, m’lady Dragon,” he said, locking eyes with Andy as they stepped from windy night into the darkened castle interior.

[xmarci2]

”Mmm, well you've got that right.” Andy smiled sweetly at him, stopping her light movements just long enough to lean a little toward him and tilt her head. A second, and then she was off again, doing her thing and keeping herself warm. An energized, because the little amount of alcohol she'd drank was just starting to make her a little sleepier than she usually would be at this time. Not too much, but she did feel a little weighed down. ”And for the record, I do reserve the right to change my mind about the sex.” She winked at him, but something about her tone discouraged response.

She grinned at him, ”You would let a young lady starve, would you? Tch tch, bad form, sir.” And though a competitive spirit did rise within her, the wind girl checked herself, only hurrying enough to keep close behind him. She didn't feel like suddenly getting dizzy and falling on her rear. That would not give him a good impression. Not that she cared. But she was wearing a short skirt, and that meant that tumbling would be very revealing. So Andy chose the prudent route, for once in her life, not even feeling warm by the time they'd made it to the door. Then he opened it for her, and she smiled.

As she passed him, the young woman paused, angling herself toward him and leaning forward. Her eyes met his, and while she didn't quite touch him with her body, she did raise a hand to place it on his chest, a bit of a knowing smirk resting on her lips. ”You know, you may just get to call me that forever. Odd, I normally don't accept nicknames.” She tilted her head and smiled wider, her hand slowly moving down, touching him lightly. ”But I like how it sounds when you say it.”

Before her hand got to dangerous areas, the young woman dropped her hand away from him and continued inside the building, turning her eyes ahead again. Her hand made a little gesture that vaguely made the impression 'follow me,' as she did remember that he'd asked for her help finding the wind dorms. Something told her that no, he didn't need the help—perhaps it had to do with the fact that he was so sure he was going to sleep with her—but she'd told him she'd help, and she didn't tend to lie. Or go back on promises.

”So, Ged.” She said, glancing at him. ”I surmised that you are a wind elemental, already. What's your grade? Twelfth?”

[/justify][/size]

[ged]

“Change your mind?” Ged arched an orange eyebrow at Andy as she danced past him out of the moonlight and into fluorescent, “You assume I’ll still take—who am I kidding. You’re beautiful and I’m a guy.” He sighed in mock disapproval of his own lack of self-control. Was he telling the truth or was he just lying for the sake of a joke, yet again? Only Ged knew, and even that was debatable. The wind elemental lived in the moment, and based everything on the situation and how it best benefited him. Of course, sex was a powerful motivator.

Andy passed by him, pausing to linger teasingly out of reach. She probably didn’t even realize how out of reach she was to Ged, and not just because of her verbal refusal to fuck him. His arm, his only arm, held the door open for her like a true gentleman, so Ged could no more reach out and grab her than he could applaud in approval of her teasing flirtation. She was a true expert. He leaned forward as much as he could towards her anyways, into her touch, staring straight into her eyes as her hand moved lower. The expression on his face did not change no matter how far the spot of warmth traveled down his torso, keeping the same grin that almost mocked her with its calmness. His breath picked up a subtle pace, but that was the only outward effect of Andy’s teasing caress.

“I thank you for the compliment, m’lady Dragon,” Ged said as he followed Andy to the stairs like a stoic-faced retainer after his queen. His voice was as calm as his face was a moment before. The door closed behind them with a gentle thud that echoed through the empty hallways.

Ged’s light hazel eyes stayed on Andy as she beckoned and walked before him. “Tenth, actually, but I’m seventeen,” the redhead watched Andy for any reaction. He knew she was a lot strong than her, but he was still figuring out what levels of strength correlated with which grade level. He continued, “the scouts had a hard time catching up to me, so as punishment they stuck me with the kids. Said I have a lot of ‘bad habits.’” The quotes dripped sarcasm onto the words.

“What about you? How long have you been here?” Ged waved at the passing walls. He added, as they were getting close to the dorms, “Top of the stairs, first door on the right.” He couldn’t remember the number of his dorm, but his directions were clear enough.

[xmarci2]

Although the sound echoed about indoors, Andy was not hesitant to laugh out loud at Ged's answer. She threw him a sinister grin, still chuckling as she said, ”You were very certain at first. Don't I have the right to some self assurance?” Especially when it had to do with getting a slightly drunk male to accept her into his bed? Yeah, yeah she'd earned the right. Andy skipped her next two steps, tripping along in a well-balanced dance. She was far from self concious about her dancing, having been utilizing the ability since she was five. Or younger, she wasn't quite sure anymore. Her movements were balanced and graceful, and it was especially hard not to do it when she knew she was being watched by an appreciative young man.

Andy was impressed at the calm that stayed on Ged's face as she made her move, the light smirk never leaving her own face. Impressive that he could control everything but him breathing, and his desire to be just that little bit closer to her. When he leaned forward she raised an eyebrow, cocking her head and giving him a mock-stern look. Ah, to be the boy to whom Andy was just out of reach. What a torturous position. Winking at him, the young graduate chuckled and said, ”I like you, Ged. How nice that we got to run into each other on this fine evening.” She almost purred it out, stopping her movements for a second to lean closer to him. ”You can drop the milady bit whenever you choose.”

”Tenth?” Andy stopped walking again, turning to look him up and down. Her odd expression shifted back into comfortable ease when he stated his name. ”I knew you couldn't be fifteen.” Taking a step toward him, she peered into his eyes for a second. For one, she wanted to know how he would take her scrutiny on the subject. It would tell a lot about how he felt about being behind. For another, she just liked adding a little bit of a silent introduction to her words. Like a song. There had to be a beat to it. The catchier, the better. ”I really had no business worrying about you, did I? I could tear you apart without even thinking.”

It was said in the kindest way possible, not a warning or a threat or a 'for-your-information.' Just a fact that Andy found particularly interesting. It wasn't long, however, before she had turned away from him and led him all the way to and up the tower. ”Bad habits, I can deal with. Betcha mine are worse than yours.” She cast him a grin, then waited in the common room until he told her where to go. She nodded, stepping toward the men's dorms. Then she stopped, and looked at him. ”Girls strictly prohibited. Do you have a roommate who'll tell on us?” Regardless, she stepped over to sit on one of the soft couches, looking at him and patting the cushion next to hers. ”Come, sit. We don't have to go to sleep just yet, do we?”

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[ged]

Ged watched Andy dance with an amused expression on his face. He liked watching her graceful movements, but the sheer randomness of her dancing like that made him smile. She didn’t seem that drunk, just tipsy, which was probably why she could dance like that without falling on her face.

Ged’s thoughts floated off as Andy commented on his age. For the last year, his age, where he’d come from, even who he was hadn’t mattered, but now, it was all anyone thought of. The fact that he could manipulate wind was suddenly the first and foremost detail people labeled him with. It was the most important thing about him, and the only thing that mattered. Elements came first. Ged wanted to laugh in everyone’s faces. For his entire life, the only person who knew about his powers was his father. After his death, Ged was the only one on earth who knew he could do things with the wind. A few of the elementals he’d searched out also knew his secret, but they didn’t even have a name to connect with the reckless wind elemental who sought them out, as Ged had used many fake names over the course of his travels. The only ones who knew Ged Jackson, wind elemental, were the students at the school. Being known by your element lent a strange level of anonymity to Ged’s actions and self. Whatever he did or said about himself, it would be superseded by his ability as an elemental. He made fun of someone? It was just him being a flighty wind elemental. He skipped from a group of earth friends to thunder? Again, just him being wind. It was nice, somehow.

“You should teach me some tricks,” Ged commented, far from intimidated by Andy. He’d felt the power of a fully realized elemental thanks to demonstrations by some of the teachers, and had witnessed (read: spied) on other years practicing, and knew his powers were far from strong. He had noticed that most of the students tended to use hand or arm gestures to accompany using their power, and was now determined to keep his habit of not using gestures with his power. It could let him get the drop on someone if needed. Besides, it was stupid, an unnecessary to waste time throwing your hand around when all you needed was a little mental application to get things moving. It had helped Ged in the past to avoid notice. People were more likely to think a random dust devil was exactly that, random, if it wasn’t connected to a gesture Ged made.

Ged plopped onto the couch next to Andy, making sure his good side was toward her instead of his bad. “My roommate? His name’s Pyson. He doesn’t care. If anything he would try to talk to you too much instead of leaving us be. I think he’s out somewhere tonight anyways,” Ged said, “And I’d like to think of the ‘girls prohibited’ thing as a challenge.” Most of the time, Ged went to the girl’s room instead of bringing one home. It was habit from being homeless for so long to suggest they go back to her place instead of his. Ged didn’t care. A bed was a bed.

“So whatcha want to talk about? You going to give me the ‘no-string-attached’ spiel? I bet I can recite it better than you,” Ged commented. He was an expert at avoiding connections, mainly because he seemed to be incapable of forming them. It made him feel uncomfortable when someone tried to pretend they were friends after they slept together a single time. It was just sex…if Ged wanted to be friends they should at least talk more than just a drunken night.

“You could tell me what it’s like at the college level of this,” Ged motioned around the common room, “Do the elemental ‘teams’ keep up? I’d think it would be pretty boring to be stuck with only your element for high school and college.” Not that Ged had any serious plans about attending the school after graduating high school. It cost money, money he probably wouldn’t have, once his dad’s pension stopped paying out when he turned 18. Ged could probably work his way to a scholarship, but that seemed like way too much work to him, though fine tuning his elemental powers would be infinitely easier if he stayed at the academy. That was far off into the future and completely out of Ged’s sight for now.