|
Post by gabriellaseong on Dec 29, 2011 22:31:13 GMT -5
Gabriella never really put "hard work" and "smarts" in the same category. The only reason why is because she knows some people who are smart, and don't have to spend as much time as Gabriella needs to at least ace a quiz, test, or exam. When Nell mentioned how working hard is also the same as being smart, she didn't really agree but she wasn't going to voice that right now. Nell is the one who needs the attention. Her ankle has swollen up considerably. The girl found no reason to argue with Nell about how "working hard" is the same as being "smart", it's what she thinks, and she will not push her own thinking onto Nell. Everyone thinks differently. Gabi maybe be stubborn but she knows that fact, and will be considerate of that.
The girl let out a chuckle when Nell disguised her voice to be her "extra foot". Nell was one of the people that can make her laugh. Sure there are her circle of friends that she hangs out with, but she isn't really that comfortable with them yet. Most of her friends are the ones that she met a couple of months ago, and she knew Nell for about a year now, even though they had few interactions, she felt comfortable around the Earth elemental. Gabi looked at Nell when she decided that she wanted to just go to the medical center. "Yeah, of course, whatever you feel comfortable with," Gabi replied with a smile. An ER can be a scary place for some people, while Gabi doesn't mind going there as a patient, she had gotten used to going into an ER just to see her father at work.
How are we going to get there? Gabriella thought to herself as she tried to think of ways for Nell to get there safely, while not injuring herself on the way. Maybe Gabi can carry her, the girl may look fragile but she's quite strong. But Nell of course said that she doesn't have to. Gabriella wouldn't mind carrying Nell, the medical wing isn't too far and it could be a great opportunity for her to build her endurance. "You can use me as a crutch, I'll be fine." Gabriella said when Nell wanted to make a crutch out of a branch. The girl didn't want her to waste energy, even though that won't affect her ankle whatsoever, but Gabi thought it would be best if she rests.
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 30, 2011 1:25:50 GMT -5
Nell was glad to hear that the Water elemental wasn’t going to force her to the ER. It was one of the few things she was uncomfortable with, people forcing her to do things. She may not have voiced that fact out loud and would tell the person that she would prefer doing something a certain way, but she did not like being taken control of. She had far too much experience in that as a child, and it made her very nervous to think of someone having the same power over her as her mother once had. Maybe she’d be more acquiescent if she didn’t have such issues with her past, but her childhood didn’t allow her to brush off certain things as easily as she did other.
She stretched out her arms up to Gab so the girl could help her up, and she leaned against her shoulder, taking the time to wrap her arms around the other girls neck. Nell was an affectionate person—when she knew the other person was okay with it, and sometimes even with strangers depending on the circumstances—so the hug was natural for her, and also joking. ”You’re my savior. Lead the way, Gabs.” Unfortunately, the medical wing of the Academy was quite a journey, especially in the snow. But Nell didn’t speak a single complaint, didn’t even wince when she accidentally moved her ankle while trying to adjust it as she held it up. She wasn’t a complaining person in the first place, and besides, little expressions of kindness like what Gab was doing for her seemed like huge acts of selflessness. She may have been easy to impress, but she really did think a lot of someone who was willing to show even the smallest of kindness.
At the medical wing, she sat down on a chair in one of the rooms and told the nurse who approached, ”Fell out of a tree.” She barely noticed the woman lift her eyebrows in a quizzical expression as she explained, ”Think it’s a sprain. Gab helped me here. Do you guys have lollipops?” She asked, her voice entirely serious as she tilted her head. She believed the girl deserved one for helping her all the way to the medical wing. ”No, we do not,” the nurse said to her, seeming slightly amused. Nell wasn’t too disappointed. She’d give Gab food when she next saw her. ”Are you going to stay…Gab?” Nell wasn’t going to force her friend to stay with her as she got her ankle looked at, but she would like the company. If not, she’d just talk the nurse’s ear off in what would appear to be pointless conversation.
|
|
|
Post by gabriellaseong on Jan 1, 2012 22:20:09 GMT -5
Gabi was glad that she can help Nell go to the medical wing. The girl outstretched her hand and help the Earth elemental up from the snowy ground, and she stayed steady so she could wrap her arm around my neck for support. Gabriella put her arm around Nell's waist so she can help support her better. "You're welcome," The girl said with a a smile. When she made sure that she was ready she started walking towards the medical center, while keeping Nell from falling over. It was a long walk but the two girls managed to get there through the snow.
Once the girls made it to the medical wing, Gabriella set Nell down on a chair. Nell explained what happened to the nurse who gave her a weird look. A lot of people climb trees, but it was mostly small children who did so. Gabi furrowed her eyebrows when Nell asked if the nurse had lollipops. Gabriella has never been to the medical wing that often, but she certainly does not remember them having a bowl of lollipops for the students who are injured. It would be nice if they did, as a comfort food. Lollipops are nostalgic, and they are sweet, so they bring sweet memories. That's what Gabi felt whenever she had a lollipop.
Gabriella looked down at Nell who was sitting on the chair when she asked if she would stay. She smiled, "Of course I'll stay," the girl said putting her hand on her shoulder. If Nell needed moral support, then of course she will stay until the nurse is done wrapping her ankle to help stop the swelling. The nurse might even give Nell crutches, which she will need for about two weeks.
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 1, 2012 23:59:59 GMT -5
Nell smiled broadly when Gab responded that she’d stay with her and rested her hand on her arm. She appreciated the company, always did, even though she tried to make friends with everyone she met. ”We should get you in a bed so we can elevate that foot,” the nurse said, and Nell looked over at Gab. ”Oh crutch?” Her smile was mischevious and she seemed wholly unaffected b the ankle sprain. It hurt, of course, but she wasn’t particularly bothered by it. Mostly she just bit the inside of her cheek to keep from calling out when she felt a sudden shot of pain. But she would never complain, it wasn’t something she did even when she was suffering even more horribly.
She got in the bed and the nurse wrapped it with an ACE bandage, and propped it up with a few pillows. Great, now she was a patient and this was a feeling that Nell did not like. She was having flashbacks to the last two times she had been put in the hospital. The first time was when her mother had tried to kill her and she was going to be placed into police custody after recovery, and the second was when she had an allergic reaction to okra when she and Josh had been on a vacation. The two weren’t very good memories, of course. "At least the bed is comfy," she said jokingly, exhibiting once again that she wasn't one to ever voice any anxieties she may feel. "Don't mind spending a little while here." She actually did because she hated these settings.
Nell figured that since Gab said that she'd stick around, they would need something to pass the time. She didn't like to be a complete bore, after all. ”Hey, why don’t you pull that table over.” She waved her finger over to a table that sat up against the wall as she shifted her position and pulled her deck of cards out of her back pocket. It may have seemed like an odd thing to carry around, but it was something Nell always had on her. ”Do you know how to play rummy? Or crazy eights? Just say the game, and I probably know it.”
|
|
|
Post by gabriellaseong on Jan 4, 2012 16:54:32 GMT -5
Gabriellacouldn't help but let out a small chuckle, as Nell requested her to be her crutch again to an empty bed in the medical wing. She gladly helped Nell up from the chair, and walked her to the closest bed, so the blood won't be rush to her ankle for long. When Nell was on the bed the nurse took off the handkerchief that Gabriella used to slow down the swelling, it seemed to have worked, the ankle looked a bit smaller than before. She watched as the nurse wrapped Nell's ankle with an ACE bandage, which is the best for sprains, that's what Gabriella thinks. She has used it for her own sprains, and they always worked well for her.
Gabi smiled, she's glad to know that Nell is comfortable and her ankle will heal properly now. "No, I don't mind." Gabriella replied as she grabbed a chair and sat down next to Nell. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, so she waited for Nell to suggest something. Gabriella always liked comforting the patients who needed visitors once in a while. It's sad to know that their own family members don't have the time to visit them. Ever since her father had been working in the ER she always visited him while he worked so she would walk around the hospital and talk to the patients who were there. It seemed to brighten their day, even though they were in a terrible accident.
The girl was brought out of her thoughts as Nell requested for the table. She nodded and moved it towards her. Then she saw the earth elemental pull out a deck of cards. Gabi hasn't played with cards for a while, she must be rusty now. The girl furrowed her eyebrows in thought, thinking about what games the two of them would know. Then she thought of one, it was what her brother taught her when she was about seven. "How about Speed? Do you know it?" The girl suggested. Gabi wasn't familiar with the rules of crazy eights, but it was probably better with more people.
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 5, 2012 16:27:33 GMT -5
Nell could be considered a connesuir of games. It made her smile to think about about. It was only normal for her to have formed such a fondness for cards and anything that could be played on a board—go, Chinese checkers, chess. Even more than board games, she enjoyed cards. The first thing she remembered being drawn to about them was the sound they made when being shuffled. Her father taught her a few, some Vietnemese games he learned from a friend of his own father’s, and the sound of the cards slapping together was nostalgic for her now. They not only reminded her of better times with her father, but also with her sister. She could still recall cards spread out across their pink, threadbare sheets, Tilly with a quilt around her narrow shoulders because she’d always been cold without fat to help insulation. She felt terrible for it, for wanting to block out memories of the girl, but it was hard to recall Tilly as that skeletal thing with sunken in eyes and prominent cheekbones. Nell thought it would be how she looked before she died, and everything about those images haunted her.
Instead of following these thoughts too deeply in her mind, not during this state, she grinned when Gab suggested speed. ”Love that game,” she said as she dealt out the cards, half a deck for each of them. ”I have to warn you, I get intense. You may lose a hand.” Of course, as usual, she was joking, setting up the cards almost as quickly as one played it. Nell didn’t really get competetive, not in the way that she would be a sore loser or take the game way too seriously. Babysitting with her friends and playing cards with some of their younger siblings actually amazed her, because they got so into it. She couldn’t remember either her or Tilly getting like that. They both busted each other’s balls and messed around when playing, not taking it as seriously as some could. ”Where did you learn it?” she asked the Water graduate, wondering if it was from school or her parents or something. There was that usual tug when she wished she could have experienced education before last year, but she wasn’t going to make it harder on herself.
Nell flipped a card from her deck over and the game started, following its namesake of course. She liked fast-paced games, she liked anything fast. It was one of her defining characteristics, at least in her mind. It was why she played corner back in football (or rather powderpuff)—for her speed. With a nickname like El Torro, though, it made her sound like more of an intimidating force than she actually was. When she was out of cards, she slammed her hand on one of the piles after some deliberation and laughed. ”I don’t even know which is the smaller one.” That happened sometimes, and she didn’t worry as she shuffled the cards, deftly building bridges as she did so but not being obnoxiously flashy. Setting it back up, she said, ”Don’t think I’ve ever gotten it to where there was one deck.” It was like monopoly in the fact that sometimes it may never end.
|
|
|
Post by gabriellaseong on Jan 8, 2012 21:52:02 GMT -5
It took a while for Gabriella to think of a game that she and Nell would know how to play. There are so many card games out there, it's crazy. Gabriella only knows Speed, Crazy Eights, and Slap Jack. Those were the only games that were introduced to her by her brother, and her friends. Those were the only games that she was really familiar with, but Crazy Eights, was something that she never really got the hang of. It's probably better to play Speed with two people, instead of Crazy Eights. Gabriella smiled when Nell said she loved the game Speed. The girl let out a small laugh, "I better try my best to win, then." The girl said teasingly. Gabriella knew she was joking, and always chose to play along.
She watched as Nell passed out the cards with such ease. Gabriella always had trouble holding onto a new deck of cards. They always managed to slip out of her grasp. "I learned from my brother, when I was seven," Gabriella replied to Nell's question. It's been a long time since she last saw her brother. Gabriella doesn't even remember the last time she received a letter from him. He must be busy with his job, he is a news reporter for the newspaper. His employer's probably nagging him about his writing. He never had great grammar whenever he writes. Sometimes Gabi wonders why he took the job. "How about you, how did you learn about this game?" Gabi asked as the game started.
Everything was going by so fast, Gabi was trying to get rid of her cards before her opponent, but she beat her already. She heard the sound of her slapping a pile and she knew she lost. Wow, Nell is good at this game. Gabriella hadn't played Speed for a while, so she expected to have a few cards left, but she found that she had ten left - five in her hand and five in the deck. The girl looked at the two piles and it was a mess. She didn't even realize that the two decks meshed up together. "Same here," The girl replied as she put her hand down.
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 8, 2012 22:16:19 GMT -5
She grinned and turned her head at Gabby’s words. Cards were something she was good at, unfortunately, it wouldn’t get her anywhere. Not that she needed it to. She didn’t consider herself talented, not like most of her family was, but she was okay with that. Talents didn’t need to be wasted on her, because she saw so many glorious people around, surrounded herself with them, that she believed it’d be ill-suited for her to be really good at something worthwhile. She could flair bartend but that didn’t really matter where she worked, she could juggle which would be great…in the circus, she could memorize plays after reading them…some hundred times. But her memory was still good enough. She was clever? But that wasn’t really a talent. The Sinclair side of her family argued in defense of music, but she didn’t have a practiced voice, she just liked humming operas to herself. The Fuenteses were SOL since she stopped any interest in science after her twin died. And she never had an interest in law. Or doing anything against the law, for that matter. Ironic, considering how much of a criminal she was.
”Your brother any good?” she asked, her eyes interested but not probbing. She always liked to learn about siblings, actually. The question was turned on her then, and she played along. Nell sighed as if in thought, blowing up her bangs before answering. ”You know, I can’t even remember,” she said, half-honest. She hated lying to her friends, but her past was a difficult subject. Besides, she wasn’t really lying. ”I’ve been playing cards since before I could walk. That’s not exagerrating, either. I learned as many as I could from…everywhere really. Played with my sibling, too.” Well, that was a step in a good direction. Admitting she had a sibling was new for her, but Gab had asked how she learned it, and she didn’t feel comfortable lying any more than she already had. Besides, her sister was a good thing to talk about, because Nell wanted the girl to be remembered—the only two people alive who actually interactd with Tilly we her and their father. But as much as she didn’t want people to know about her shameful history, she didn’t want to lie. My entire life is a catch-22, isn’t it? she thought wryly. It wasn’t really fair, but then again, nothing about anything was fair. She knew that for a while. It was what life taught her, but she still saw everything brightly. Only now…only now her perspective has dimmed. Not on the world, but on herself. She didn’t believe she could view herself even lower than she already had. But it was possible.
Nell shook off these feelings as she continued, her hands working a fast pace. ”Anyway, I wasn’t lying about knowing almost every game exists.” It was something she had always been good at, something she kept from her past. Games occupied her, especially those years when it was just her and her mother. She often went out late and slept in just so she didn’t have to face her mother. But sometimes that didn’t work. Sometimes her sleeping in upset her mother, even though she did the same thing after drinking too much. ”Anything you’d like me to teach you?” Nell didn’t really see the point of telling stories unless the other person could gain something from it. She reorganized the deck, and like many times, realized why the numbers and faces were printed on both ends—these things can get messy. ”Don’t worry, either, I have patience. My friend would slap me upside the head whenever she tried to teach me how to teach me how to knit and I dropped a stitch. Wouldn’t do that to you.” She realized she had some strange friends, but everyone did. People were just strange. Nell wondered if that’s why she loved them so much.
|
|
|
Post by gabriellaseong on Jan 14, 2012 1:45:25 GMT -5
Gabirella couldn't help but let out a chuckle when she heard Nell ask if he's any good. She's not sure if he's played the game recently. "Yeah he was, I'm not sure if he still is." Gabriella answered Nell. Hopefully he still is, she needs the practice in order to beat Nell next time. Gabriella does miss her brother not being around. He's just been so busy with the newspaper, the girl sometimes wish that he never even took on such a grueling job. The editor in chief is always breathing down his neck about his writing skills. Gabi tried to help but he always pushed her aside. "I can tell." Gabriella commented her statement. Nell was going so fast, that Gabi couldn't even see the earth elemental's hands. The water elemental did catch the word sibling coming out of Nell's mouth. She never really mentioned that she had one. The girl wondered why Nell never talked about her family, but she shouldn't push it.
Gabi wasn't sure what card game she wanted to learn. She only knows about a few, maybe Nell can just summarize some of the games she knows. Gabi is sure that she can get the hang of it that way, or maybe not. "Hmm. Why don't you introduce one to me?" Gabriella suggested shrugging her shoulders. How many card games are out there in the world, besides solitaire, and the ones that involve gambling. Her mother always kept her away from those kind of games. She can see why, Gabriella has heard of people who have a gambling problem, and her mother never wanted her children to be one of those people. The girl appreciates her mother, she worked so hard to make sure that her and her brother to become productive citizens.
The girl smiled when Nell told her that she had the patience to teach her a new game. It was good to know that she won't slap her on the head for not getting something. "That's good to know," Gabriella said with a smile. She's lucky to know such a patient friend, and to have a patient brother. Card games aren't that hard to understand right? Well, Gabi is going to find out soon.
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 14, 2012 20:48:45 GMT -5
She tilted her head a Gab’s response. Why wouldn’t he still be good at card games? It didn’t take long for Nell to figure it out, as she wasn’t dim. ”Haven’t seen him in a while?” she asked, believing this was a reasonable guess. ”Well, I can’t say that he hasn’t. Not like riding a bike, where you don’t forget.” She wasn’t speaking from experience since she didn’t even know how to ride a bike, but cards—certain games that is—can be forgotten if you haven’t played them in a while. There were some games she hadn’t played in a while that would be foggy to her, but once someone showed her how to do it, she was sure she’d remember it. Skill was a different matter, however. You don’t forget skill, after all. She flashed Gab a sheepish smile. Nell wasn’t normally a shy person, but when it came to compliments, she usually didn’t know how to respond. She was used to getting them from her boyfriend, and it was still something so foreign to her. She just thought Gabby was really nice to compliment her like that.
Nell was excited to hear that Gabby wanted to learn more, and clapped her hands, holding them together and twisting them in thought. She didn’t know what games Gab had played with her brother, after all, didn’t know what she’d already learned. ”Wellll…how about a Vietnamese game? I know a few. Like Tien Len. But I usually just call it Sevens.” And most other people did, too. She had some friends who knew Vietnamese games, learned apparently from their parents since she asked. ”It’s pretty easy, I think. Pretty easy to learn, at least.” She tried to think of the best way to explain it, since there was a little bit of memorization involved. ”The cards have ranks and the highest is two, then ace, king, queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three. Three is the lowest. Then the suits have ranks, hearts is the highest, then diamonds, clubs, and spades is the lowest. Three of spades goes first. Basically, you’re trying to beat each other’s cards.” She hoped that she was explaining it well enough. It wasn’t a very hard game, but there were variations that made it hard and Nell had made it a point to learn them all.
She decided to at least go on. ”If you don’t have a high enough card, you can pass.” Nell liked the game for that, since in other card games you couldn’t pass. ”But with two player, we have to draw a card. It’s usually meant for four.” Nell had played it with only two people before, and she knew it worked. There were other games that weren’t so easily modified, like bullshit. It was easy to know when someone was bluffing holding the other half of the deck. ”So you wanna play that? Or I know Chinese Poker, if you don’t know that one.” It would be redundant to say Nell liked Chinese Poker, considering she liked every card game.
|
|
|
Post by gabriellaseong on Jan 21, 2012 22:23:09 GMT -5
Gabriella lifted her head when she heard Nell's question about her brother. She gave her a weak smile and nodded, "Yeah, I haven't seen for quite some time now," Gabi was missing him. Maybe she should write to him or give him a call. Hopefully he won't be too busy. Her brother's always been the ambitious type. Matthew would take an opportunity whenever he sees one. It's crazy how ambitious he can be. Gabriella even wonders if Matthew is ever going to get married and settle down. "Practice makes perfect." Gabriella said agreeing with Nell. There are many things one can pick up without having much practice. Gabi hasn't ice skated for a while, and she is sure she's going to remember thanks to muscle memory. But the rules of a game and how to play can escape one's memory.
The girl's attention was snapped back into the medical wing when she heard Nell's hands clapping together. Gabriella listened intently as she explained the Vietnamese game. The girl nodded indicating that she's listening and that she is understanding what she's telling her. The game sounds interesting and fun, maybe it would be better if there were two more people who are willing to play with them. Gabriella decided to just give the game a try. It won't hurt to learn a new card game. The game started to sound a bit familiar to the girl. "Oh, it's sort of like Duce, instead of the ace being the highest, the two is." The girl said after Nell was done explaining the game to her. She hasn't played this game in a while. The last time she played it was probably about a year ago.
"Of course I want to play, let's see if I can beat you this time." Gabriella said fixing her posture, as if getting ready to beat Nell in Sevens. She knew the ranking of the suits and all and the numbers, she just needs to remember that the ace is the second highest.
|
|
|
Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 22, 2012 16:59:46 GMT -5
Nell’s smile was warm as Gab seemed almost nostalgic. The two must have been close. She figured it was that way with a lot of siblings. Of course, she had friends who just couldn’t stand their brothers and sisters, but when it came down to it, they were all intensely protective over one another. Though, when it came to adulthood, people just tended to…lose touch. It was kind of sad. That’s what happened with her mother and Jane, though she blamed Jane for that. ”You miss him?” she asked the Water graduate, and she could bet the answer was yes, judging by the expression on the other girl’s face. Nell could understand in a terrible way. She missed her sister every day. The only thing was she coould never see the girl again. It was a sobering thought, one that she didn’t like to think of. Because other thoughts tended to accompany it, like the fact her sister could never become what she wanted now, and that she was going to be seven forever while Nell, her identical twin, would continue growing. Sometimes, when she looked in the mirror, she thought of how it could be Tilly staring back.
Gab seemed to be interested enough in the game, for which Nell was glad. Though, she would have adjusted. It wasn’t like she didn’t know other card games, and she just wanted the other girl to be happy. She had done a lot for her today, and knowing how hard a worker she was when it came to school, Nell wanted to give her a little break. College was killer, the Earth graduate understood that now—she had more papers in a week than was humanly possible to get done. ”Yeah, it’s a lot like Duce,” Nell said, nodding. ”Though I’m sure the variations between both can be different. But we’ll stick to the original to make it easier.” Nell liked to try different versions, being who she was, but it would be much easier just to go with the original.
Nell grinned as she shuffled, being careful not to move her foot too much. It felt like she was in an awkward position, but she didn’t complain. ”Don’t expect me to go easy on you,” she teased as she delt out the cards. This was perfect for Nell, just sitting and hanging out with Gab while playing with cards. Of course, she was incapacitated, but it wasn’t too bad. ”But I have a feeling you will. Haven’t played in a little while since not many people are too keen on learning like you.” Nell rolled her eyes before looking at her cards and organizing them. She wasn’t truly peeved. She didn’t really get bugged by anything. ”Any game you think I might not know?” She certainly didn’t count it out. She may have known a lot, but she didn’t know everything. That would be much too boring.
|
|
|
Post by gabriellaseong on Feb 8, 2012 1:07:25 GMT -5
Gabi always thought of her brother whenever he somehow managed to creep into her mind. After not seeing him for what seems like a year, makes her miss him like how she misses her dad. Two of them are just so similar, except for the career path. They both have light brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and the same laugh. It's like these two were meant to be twins in another life, or something. One of the reasons she sometimes calls her brother in the middle of the night, is just to hear their father's voice again. They are similar, there is a slight difference between their voices, only Gabi and her mother can tell. "Yes, I do miss him." Gabriella said nodding her head slightly. Gabi, definitely needs to set up a time to meet with him, hopefully he won't be too busy with proof-reading his own article for the paper.
Gabi smiled when Nell mentioned the variations in Duce. Now she's wondering what other variations there are out there. "Sounds good to me." Gabriella said ready to take on this second challenge to defeat Nell. This is a great way to spend a break. Why hasn't Gabi ever thought of this? Maybe because she doesn't know that many people who know how to play Speed, or any other card games. Well, she never really asked other people if they knew any good card games, so it's partly her fault.
As Nell dealt with the cards, she heard that she wasn't going to be going easy on her. Gabriella let out a chuckle when she heard this. She's not sure if she's going to win or not. It's the same as Duce, but she hasn't played this for a couple of months now. Hopefully she'll remember about the different suits, and which one is stronger. Her brother taught her well, so that knowledge should be attained after some time. He always made different ways for her memorize something, even if it is something that's just for fun. Gabi grabs her cards and looked at her hand. It wasn't that bad, she had a two, wasn't the highest, at least she had one. "Do you want to go first?" Gabi asked Nell. She did deal the cards, she should start.
|
|