((Megan Emerson continued from Circle of Fifths))
As soon as the final bell dismissed classes for the day, Megan forced her way through endless waves of students and made it to the library, where she took a seat at one of the study tables. As much as she would like to be home now, she couldn't - no, she wouldn't, not just yet. She could only take so much of her sister, and Megan was at her boiling point. The week full of passive aggressive remarks had finally gotten to her; she needed a break, and the library was the best asylum.
Thank God her sister was only visiting for the week.
Megan took a quick scan around the rather compact library as she lifted her backpack onto the table. The books placed haphazardly on most of the shelves made Megan cry a little on the inside, but what could you expect from such a well-stocked library. At least there were few people in the room, if any, which was just the way Megan liked it - the less people, the better.
She reached into her backpack, pulled out her Government book, and got to work on defining key terms from the chapter - with a little help from the glossary in the back.
A Tree Grows in Seattle
One Friday Afternoon (Open)
((Francis St. Ledger continued from Tiger in the Night))
Poking his head round the corner of one of the bookshelves, Francis quickly scanned the library to see who else was hanging around. This was probably the only good thing about how small the school library was; you could easily see, at a glance, how many people were in it, and who they were. In this case, it allowed Francis to see whether there was anyone else from the "popular crowd" milling about, and if there was, exactly who they were. He didn't really want to bump into any of them right now; he was in a good mood, and he just wanted to get some reading done, rather than talk to them.
Well, nah, it'd be totally fine if I met someone like Summer or Stacy or hell, Travis on a good day. Jus' not, I dunno, Adonis or anyone like that.
There didn't seem to be anybody Francis recognised, though. Didn't seem to be many people here at all, in fact, and a good amount of them were packing up to leave. That wasn't entirely great; Francis would have liked somebody's company at least, even though he was only planning on staying for ten minutes at the most. He'd planned to practice some more "parkour" with Rene after school, but Rene had said he needed to do a short errand for a teacher first. Francis had decided to meet the guy in the library; the school was closer to where they usually practiced their stunts than Francis' house, anyway.
Francis looked over the bookshelf closest to him to see whether there were any titles that particularly piqued his interest. After a few seconds, a rather dog eared, creased book caught his eye and brought a small smile to his face. Predator's Gold, the second book in the Mortal Engines series. Francis had read it before, but it was a good read, and he wouldn't be spending too long reading it anyway. Francis slid the book from the shelf, and looked around again, more thoroughly this time, looking for somewhere to sit. Most of the people here were in their own friendship groups, and Francis didn't want to sit alone.
Walking round the other side of the bookshelf, Francis saw a brown-haired girl sitting by herself at a table. He vaguely recognised her from one or two of his classes, but he'd never really spoken to her that much. She didn't look as if she'd bite, though, so what harm was there in sitting with her?
"Hey, uh..." Francis said, trying to get the girl's attention whilst searching in his head for what her name was. "Meredith, right? D'you mind if I sit here?"
Poking his head round the corner of one of the bookshelves, Francis quickly scanned the library to see who else was hanging around. This was probably the only good thing about how small the school library was; you could easily see, at a glance, how many people were in it, and who they were. In this case, it allowed Francis to see whether there was anyone else from the "popular crowd" milling about, and if there was, exactly who they were. He didn't really want to bump into any of them right now; he was in a good mood, and he just wanted to get some reading done, rather than talk to them.
Well, nah, it'd be totally fine if I met someone like Summer or Stacy or hell, Travis on a good day. Jus' not, I dunno, Adonis or anyone like that.
There didn't seem to be anybody Francis recognised, though. Didn't seem to be many people here at all, in fact, and a good amount of them were packing up to leave. That wasn't entirely great; Francis would have liked somebody's company at least, even though he was only planning on staying for ten minutes at the most. He'd planned to practice some more "parkour" with Rene after school, but Rene had said he needed to do a short errand for a teacher first. Francis had decided to meet the guy in the library; the school was closer to where they usually practiced their stunts than Francis' house, anyway.
Francis looked over the bookshelf closest to him to see whether there were any titles that particularly piqued his interest. After a few seconds, a rather dog eared, creased book caught his eye and brought a small smile to his face. Predator's Gold, the second book in the Mortal Engines series. Francis had read it before, but it was a good read, and he wouldn't be spending too long reading it anyway. Francis slid the book from the shelf, and looked around again, more thoroughly this time, looking for somewhere to sit. Most of the people here were in their own friendship groups, and Francis didn't want to sit alone.
Walking round the other side of the bookshelf, Francis saw a brown-haired girl sitting by herself at a table. He vaguely recognised her from one or two of his classes, but he'd never really spoken to her that much. She didn't look as if she'd bite, though, so what harm was there in sitting with her?
"Hey, uh..." Francis said, trying to get the girl's attention whilst searching in his head for what her name was. "Meredith, right? D'you mind if I sit here?"
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Megan smirked as she looked out of the book and at the tall blond boy about to take a seat at her table. She felt slightly disheartened at him getting her name wrong, but it happens all the time. In fact, she herself couldn't really recall the boy's name, just that she's been in a few classes with him, but were usually separated by rows of seats so...Oh wait, his name was Francis. Or Frank. Or another name that starts with "Fr-".
"Nah, go ahead...and it's 'Megan', not 'Meredith'. I'll give you five points for trying, though." Megan sighed out a laugh. She lifted her green backpack off of the table to make room for him. "You're...Frank, right?"
Megan quickly shifted her view on the book resting in Fr---'s hands. "...If you don't mind me asking, what's that you got?"
"Nah, go ahead...and it's 'Megan', not 'Meredith'. I'll give you five points for trying, though." Megan sighed out a laugh. She lifted her green backpack off of the table to make room for him. "You're...Frank, right?"
Megan quickly shifted her view on the book resting in Fr---'s hands. "...If you don't mind me asking, what's that you got?"
Francis nodded at the girl in thanks, pushing a chair out and sliding into it. Turned out her name was Megan, not Meredith, but it wasn't that far off, really. He'd been much further off in the past, such as with an old friend of the family. As in, "known-since-childhood" friend of the family. That had been ever so slightly awkward.
Man, I really need to work on gettin' peoples names right, huh? Someday that's seriously gonna bite me in the ass...
Although, Megan had got his name wrong too, albeit only just. Francis chuckled a little at her comment, and the misremembering of his name, before placing his book on the table, still in his hands.
Megan's eyes seemed to have shifted to the book, as she asked what book it was. Well, actually, her exact words had been "what's that you've got", and Francis was tempted to answer with "A book". But there wasn't any real point in being sarcastic; he'd understood her meaning, and it'd be kind of a dick move, seeing as she was being perfectly nice.
"It's called 'Predator's Gold'" Francis said, holding the book up so Megan could see the cover. "You heard of the Mortal Engines series? This is the second book in it. This is, like, my third time readin' it or somethin', but I guess that just shows how good it is." Francis grinned a little, and as he did so, took a look at the cover of Megan's book.
"That looks a lot more... uh..." Francis rooted around for a word that fitted yet also didn't insult. "... intellectual... yeah, intellectual. I mean, you'd probably learn more through that than with mobile cities and killer robots 'n stuff."
Man, I really need to work on gettin' peoples names right, huh? Someday that's seriously gonna bite me in the ass...
Although, Megan had got his name wrong too, albeit only just. Francis chuckled a little at her comment, and the misremembering of his name, before placing his book on the table, still in his hands.
Megan's eyes seemed to have shifted to the book, as she asked what book it was. Well, actually, her exact words had been "what's that you've got", and Francis was tempted to answer with "A book". But there wasn't any real point in being sarcastic; he'd understood her meaning, and it'd be kind of a dick move, seeing as she was being perfectly nice.
"It's called 'Predator's Gold'" Francis said, holding the book up so Megan could see the cover. "You heard of the Mortal Engines series? This is the second book in it. This is, like, my third time readin' it or somethin', but I guess that just shows how good it is." Francis grinned a little, and as he did so, took a look at the cover of Megan's book.
"That looks a lot more... uh..." Francis rooted around for a word that fitted yet also didn't insult. "... intellectual... yeah, intellectual. I mean, you'd probably learn more through that than with mobile cities and killer robots 'n stuff."
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
"...Mmm?" Megan looked down at her textbook, momentarily forgetting it was even there. "Oh," she used her notebook paper as a bookmark and showed the cover to "Frank".
"It's for Government. Ya know, doing definitions and all that busywork." She cracked it back open where she was and continued writing words down, not looking up at the boy sitting at her table as she continued to speak. "Normally, I'd wait until right before class for complicated homework like this, but I might as well do it now." Megan momentarily paused and raised her eyes at "Frank". "...You know, it's been one of 'those' weeks."
She shook her head. "Sorry, I don't mean to start ranting." Megan chuckled a bit as she continued on her mindless work, stopping for milliseconds to look back to the blond as her pencil flew across the paper. "And no, I haven't read Mortal Engines. I'm not a big science fiction reader."
Like a broken record, Megan stopped for a moment to make eye contact with her table partner. "It's kind of embarrassing, but I kind of get confused by the plot lines in the sci-fi (or straight up fantasy) books I've read. I dunno if it just takes a different way of thinking, or if it's the amount or names of characters or something, but some of them, ya know..." Megan motioned her right arm to simulate something going over her head.
"I mean, I'd like to think I'm not 'stupid', but ya know..." Megan shrugged and went back to work. "I can't say Predator's Gold doesn't sound interesting, unless Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up somewhere. What's it about?"
"It's for Government. Ya know, doing definitions and all that busywork." She cracked it back open where she was and continued writing words down, not looking up at the boy sitting at her table as she continued to speak. "Normally, I'd wait until right before class for complicated homework like this, but I might as well do it now." Megan momentarily paused and raised her eyes at "Frank". "...You know, it's been one of 'those' weeks."
She shook her head. "Sorry, I don't mean to start ranting." Megan chuckled a bit as she continued on her mindless work, stopping for milliseconds to look back to the blond as her pencil flew across the paper. "And no, I haven't read Mortal Engines. I'm not a big science fiction reader."
Like a broken record, Megan stopped for a moment to make eye contact with her table partner. "It's kind of embarrassing, but I kind of get confused by the plot lines in the sci-fi (or straight up fantasy) books I've read. I dunno if it just takes a different way of thinking, or if it's the amount or names of characters or something, but some of them, ya know..." Megan motioned her right arm to simulate something going over her head.
"I mean, I'd like to think I'm not 'stupid', but ya know..." Megan shrugged and went back to work. "I can't say Predator's Gold doesn't sound interesting, unless Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up somewhere. What's it about?"
-
Ghost Of Ravenstar†
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:27 am
(Gavin Hunter continued from A Breath of Fresh Air.)
A refuge was defined as a sanctuary a person could seek shelter in when they wanted safety from the outside world. Gavin viewed Aurora's library as his refuge. It was quieter than the Seattle public libraries, and the people he met here were usually those he had at least a passing familiarity with. The old shelves held few surprises for him anymore, but that suited him just fine.
He was currently occupying the same corner he usually did. Gavin rarely read while sat down in the library, preferring instead to move to some out-of-the-way section of shelves and prop his book against them. It was a good way to ensure that nobody disturbed him except people he would like to be disturbed by.
Today, however, the roles were to be reversed.
As a fan of military history, and especially naval warfare, Gavin had been reading I Sank The Bismarck, the semi-autobiographical work of a British RAF torpedo bomber pilot during WWII. It had been good enough reading to keep him coming back to the library for it each time he had a free period over the past few days. This normally wouldn't have been an issue, except that on this day his attention to the pages had caused him to miss something important.
Gavin had been reading about the graphic destruction of the Vichy battleship Britannia by the battle cruiser Hood when he became aware of a conversation going on at a table nearby. It would normally never have caused a blip on his mental radar, had not he recognised the female of the group. It was Megan Emerson, one of the few people he genuinely considered worth putting a book down for. He had actually intended to wait for her in the library today, and Gavin damned his eyes for being distracted enough to miss her entrance.
His position was carefully chosen in order to conceal himself at least partially from the main doors and the tables, and the large-print hardcover book he had been holding had served as effective concealment for what poked over the shelf he was standing at. In this situation, it was just one more thing for him to damn. He had been so engrossed in the book that Megan had had time to sit down and start up a conversation with somebody else before he had managed to notice.
Somebody else. . .
As he usually did in such circumstances, Gavin immediately felt a pulse of jealousy that somebody had reached Megan before he had. It was, however, beneath him, and he quickly pushed the involuntary emotion to one side. He reasoned that it was more misdirected annoyance about his own lack of situational awareness, rather than any anger at the people around him.
Now he had to decide if he should intrude or not. Was it worth it? That was a silly question; it was Megan, of course it was worth it. But would he do more harm than good by butting in on a conversation that was already in progress?
If she wants me around, I'll stay. But if she'd rather meet me at some other time, I can take that as well. He thought.
With his mind made up, he lowered the book and placed it carefully back on the shelf. Then he stepped out from behind the shelf and began to make his way across the room towards Megan's table. He took it slowly, giving her and her companion ample time to spot him. The last thing he wanted was to loom out of nowhere and startle the pair like some kind of gothic jack-in-the-box. He kept his posture relaxed, a smile creeping onto his face as he made his approach. He didn't need to fake it; this was Megan, after all.
A refuge was defined as a sanctuary a person could seek shelter in when they wanted safety from the outside world. Gavin viewed Aurora's library as his refuge. It was quieter than the Seattle public libraries, and the people he met here were usually those he had at least a passing familiarity with. The old shelves held few surprises for him anymore, but that suited him just fine.
He was currently occupying the same corner he usually did. Gavin rarely read while sat down in the library, preferring instead to move to some out-of-the-way section of shelves and prop his book against them. It was a good way to ensure that nobody disturbed him except people he would like to be disturbed by.
Today, however, the roles were to be reversed.
As a fan of military history, and especially naval warfare, Gavin had been reading I Sank The Bismarck, the semi-autobiographical work of a British RAF torpedo bomber pilot during WWII. It had been good enough reading to keep him coming back to the library for it each time he had a free period over the past few days. This normally wouldn't have been an issue, except that on this day his attention to the pages had caused him to miss something important.
Gavin had been reading about the graphic destruction of the Vichy battleship Britannia by the battle cruiser Hood when he became aware of a conversation going on at a table nearby. It would normally never have caused a blip on his mental radar, had not he recognised the female of the group. It was Megan Emerson, one of the few people he genuinely considered worth putting a book down for. He had actually intended to wait for her in the library today, and Gavin damned his eyes for being distracted enough to miss her entrance.
His position was carefully chosen in order to conceal himself at least partially from the main doors and the tables, and the large-print hardcover book he had been holding had served as effective concealment for what poked over the shelf he was standing at. In this situation, it was just one more thing for him to damn. He had been so engrossed in the book that Megan had had time to sit down and start up a conversation with somebody else before he had managed to notice.
Somebody else. . .
As he usually did in such circumstances, Gavin immediately felt a pulse of jealousy that somebody had reached Megan before he had. It was, however, beneath him, and he quickly pushed the involuntary emotion to one side. He reasoned that it was more misdirected annoyance about his own lack of situational awareness, rather than any anger at the people around him.
Now he had to decide if he should intrude or not. Was it worth it? That was a silly question; it was Megan, of course it was worth it. But would he do more harm than good by butting in on a conversation that was already in progress?
If she wants me around, I'll stay. But if she'd rather meet me at some other time, I can take that as well. He thought.
With his mind made up, he lowered the book and placed it carefully back on the shelf. Then he stepped out from behind the shelf and began to make his way across the room towards Megan's table. He took it slowly, giving her and her companion ample time to spot him. The last thing he wanted was to loom out of nowhere and startle the pair like some kind of gothic jack-in-the-box. He kept his posture relaxed, a smile creeping onto his face as he made his approach. He didn't need to fake it; this was Megan, after all.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Ghost Of Ravenstar. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Ah, right, the book was for homework. That thing. Francis vaguely remembered that he had some to finish off at home, possibly English Literature or Music, but nothing on the scale of what Megan's looked like. He smiled, and nodded slowly as she mentioned it had been one of "those" weeks. Francis' week hadn't been bad at all, really, but it had definitely been hectic; soccer, music and dance lessons would do that, and-
Oh, for God's sake, I totally forgot to correct her about my name, did'n I? Well don't I look stupid right now...
Inadvertently pulling a face at his own failure, Francis tuned back into Megan, who was still speaking, pausing every now and again to write something else down. Turned out she hadn't read Mortal Engines. There didn't seem to be many who had. In fact, Francis didn't think he'd talked to anyone at Aurora who'd read the series, which made it a little difficult to talk about.
They're kinda... ugh, 'steampunk'-y, though, aren't they? Maybe that Alex Ripley chick's heard of 'em... God, steampunk... what a stupid fuckin' word...
"They probably just a different way of thinkin', or somethin'." Francis said, shrugging. "Doubt it's anything to do with intelligence. Hell, my bro reads huge, dusty books on the 'intricacies of the human mind' and stuff like that in a week, but put this in front of him and he'd probably struggle to get past the first chapter. So, yeah..." Francis lightly ruffled his hair, as he thought how best to explain the plot of Predator's Gold to Megan.
"It's... kinda hard to explain without first explainin' Mortal Engines, or, y'know, spoilin' anythin'." Francis said, after a pause. "Basically, the whole thing's set after this huge world war, that devastated the whole planet and all that good stuff. So now all of the major cities get caterpillar tracks and wheels to become mobile, and they keep moving and survivin' by eatin' and destroying any smaller cities or towns that they come across. Most of Mortal Engines is set in London, and-"
Francis paused in his explanation, as he saw a figure moving towards the table. Turning to look, Francis was greeted by the figure of Gavin Hunter. Francis... wasn't sure on how to judge Gavin. Most of the people the "Popular Crowd" disliked were only disliked because of their position in the school's hierarchy. Gavin, however... well, Francis could see why a lot of the popular kids were wary of him. He was kind of a loner, kind of weird, and his dress and speech were from a different time period. That being said, Francis really hadn't interacted with the guy too much, so why should he form an opinion on someone without even getting to know them. Francis nodded at Gavin in greeting, before briefly looking back at Megan.
"Oh, yeah, shit, by the way, 'fore I forget... the name's Francis, not Frank. Shoulda said something earlier, sorry."
Oh, for God's sake, I totally forgot to correct her about my name, did'n I? Well don't I look stupid right now...
Inadvertently pulling a face at his own failure, Francis tuned back into Megan, who was still speaking, pausing every now and again to write something else down. Turned out she hadn't read Mortal Engines. There didn't seem to be many who had. In fact, Francis didn't think he'd talked to anyone at Aurora who'd read the series, which made it a little difficult to talk about.
They're kinda... ugh, 'steampunk'-y, though, aren't they? Maybe that Alex Ripley chick's heard of 'em... God, steampunk... what a stupid fuckin' word...
"They probably just a different way of thinkin', or somethin'." Francis said, shrugging. "Doubt it's anything to do with intelligence. Hell, my bro reads huge, dusty books on the 'intricacies of the human mind' and stuff like that in a week, but put this in front of him and he'd probably struggle to get past the first chapter. So, yeah..." Francis lightly ruffled his hair, as he thought how best to explain the plot of Predator's Gold to Megan.
"It's... kinda hard to explain without first explainin' Mortal Engines, or, y'know, spoilin' anythin'." Francis said, after a pause. "Basically, the whole thing's set after this huge world war, that devastated the whole planet and all that good stuff. So now all of the major cities get caterpillar tracks and wheels to become mobile, and they keep moving and survivin' by eatin' and destroying any smaller cities or towns that they come across. Most of Mortal Engines is set in London, and-"
Francis paused in his explanation, as he saw a figure moving towards the table. Turning to look, Francis was greeted by the figure of Gavin Hunter. Francis... wasn't sure on how to judge Gavin. Most of the people the "Popular Crowd" disliked were only disliked because of their position in the school's hierarchy. Gavin, however... well, Francis could see why a lot of the popular kids were wary of him. He was kind of a loner, kind of weird, and his dress and speech were from a different time period. That being said, Francis really hadn't interacted with the guy too much, so why should he form an opinion on someone without even getting to know them. Francis nodded at Gavin in greeting, before briefly looking back at Megan.
"Oh, yeah, shit, by the way, 'fore I forget... the name's Francis, not Frank. Shoulda said something earlier, sorry."
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
As Frank (or really Francis, as she soon found out) tried to explain Predator's Gold to Megan, she stopped writing and listened intently to him talking about the setting. As much as she wasn't much of a fan of the science fiction genre itself, she was always fascinated with post-apocalyptic or alternate-timeline settings. Or really, she liked those kinds of video games. Not necessarily the "zombie apocalypse ermagerd" ones, but the ones with a history of its own. They always fascinated her.
"That actually sounds pretty...well, legit!" Megan laid the pencil clutched in her left hand on top of the open book. "I always like that kind of stuff - 'steampunk', right?" Megan herself had only heard of the term before, but she was sure that it was the appropriate word.
Megan leaned over her backpack on the ground, opened it and shuffled around for another sheet of paper. As she pushed the book up and set the sheet on the table, she asked, "What was it called again, Mortal Engines?" In broad strokes, she wrote out the words "MORTAL ENGINES / PREDATORS GOLD" with her wooden, yellow and shoved the notebook paper into her bag. Might as well write down the names in case she forget by the time she checked Amazon. "I think I'll check out when I get home; thanks, Frank."
Oh yeah, "going home". What an odd thought giving how that was where she was avoiding.
And there was Gavin, approaching her table at a calm and steady rate. Megan wasn't shocked though, no. It was where they would usually meet up after-school on a few occasions, after all. But still, she was surprised she didn't see him when she first escaped in here. Oh well, here he is now.
Megan's eyes made contact with the tall Englishman. "Hey, Gavin, what's up?" Her eyes dashed over to one of the free seats at the table and back to Gavin's, hoping he would notice and take her invite. She hoped Frank probably wouldn't mind, but Megan felt like she had to ask, "You wouldn't mind, would you, Frank?"
...Or Francis. Shit. Here she was being sarcastic with him getting her name wrong, and now she was a repeat offender. "...Oh...I'm sorry," was all she could say as her cheeks started burning.
Her brain scrambled to find a topic to switch to. "So...uh...you guys ready for the senior trip?"
"That actually sounds pretty...well, legit!" Megan laid the pencil clutched in her left hand on top of the open book. "I always like that kind of stuff - 'steampunk', right?" Megan herself had only heard of the term before, but she was sure that it was the appropriate word.
Megan leaned over her backpack on the ground, opened it and shuffled around for another sheet of paper. As she pushed the book up and set the sheet on the table, she asked, "What was it called again, Mortal Engines?" In broad strokes, she wrote out the words "MORTAL ENGINES / PREDATORS GOLD" with her wooden, yellow and shoved the notebook paper into her bag. Might as well write down the names in case she forget by the time she checked Amazon. "I think I'll check out when I get home; thanks, Frank."
Oh yeah, "going home". What an odd thought giving how that was where she was avoiding.
And there was Gavin, approaching her table at a calm and steady rate. Megan wasn't shocked though, no. It was where they would usually meet up after-school on a few occasions, after all. But still, she was surprised she didn't see him when she first escaped in here. Oh well, here he is now.
Megan's eyes made contact with the tall Englishman. "Hey, Gavin, what's up?" Her eyes dashed over to one of the free seats at the table and back to Gavin's, hoping he would notice and take her invite. She hoped Frank probably wouldn't mind, but Megan felt like she had to ask, "You wouldn't mind, would you, Frank?"
...Or Francis. Shit. Here she was being sarcastic with him getting her name wrong, and now she was a repeat offender. "...Oh...I'm sorry," was all she could say as her cheeks started burning.
Her brain scrambled to find a topic to switch to. "So...uh...you guys ready for the senior trip?"
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Ghost Of Ravenstar†
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:27 am
It was perhaps just a little disturbing how disarmed Gavin felt after just a brief moment of eye-contact with Megan. He was never entirely sure how he felt about her; feelings towards women were not something he had great experience of. Either way, he often chided himself over how easily even just a look from her could shatter his stoic resolve into a hundred slightly quivery pieces.
Perhaps it's just that I don't feel the need to be on guard around her. He thought to himself as he continued his approach towards the table. He had noticed the way Megan's eyes had darted from his to a chair, and took that as a sign that he should sit down. He was just about to, when he realised that he'd completely forgotten that Francis was there. He replayed the last few seconds of his memory.
Oh, right, he nodded at me. Wait, who is he again? Gah . . .
For a moment Gavin just stood there, feeling a little bit silly. It didn't really help that Megan had kept on talking before he'd managed to take a seat. Fortunately he was able to reach a conclusion quite quickly; better to act and be condemned for it than take no action at all and end up dithering like an idiot. He marshalled his thoughts, took a few steps forward, and then sat down firmly on the chair Megan had highlighted to him.
Stage one complete. He thought wryly to himself, looking around at the pair before him. Still, he smiled at Megan and finally organised himself enough to give her an answer. "Nothing much, Megan. I'm sorry I wasn't quite visible when you came in; I got rather caught up with reading and didn't notice you until just now. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
He lent back a little on his chair, letting his gaze expand to encompass both Megan and Francis at the same time. It was odd, but Megan seemed to be a little on edge. Her change of topic mere seconds after greeting him had been a little uncharacteristic. Not one to prejudge, he decided to let Francis reply before he made up his mind about the situation.
Perhaps it's just that I don't feel the need to be on guard around her. He thought to himself as he continued his approach towards the table. He had noticed the way Megan's eyes had darted from his to a chair, and took that as a sign that he should sit down. He was just about to, when he realised that he'd completely forgotten that Francis was there. He replayed the last few seconds of his memory.
Oh, right, he nodded at me. Wait, who is he again? Gah . . .
For a moment Gavin just stood there, feeling a little bit silly. It didn't really help that Megan had kept on talking before he'd managed to take a seat. Fortunately he was able to reach a conclusion quite quickly; better to act and be condemned for it than take no action at all and end up dithering like an idiot. He marshalled his thoughts, took a few steps forward, and then sat down firmly on the chair Megan had highlighted to him.
Stage one complete. He thought wryly to himself, looking around at the pair before him. Still, he smiled at Megan and finally organised himself enough to give her an answer. "Nothing much, Megan. I'm sorry I wasn't quite visible when you came in; I got rather caught up with reading and didn't notice you until just now. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
He lent back a little on his chair, letting his gaze expand to encompass both Megan and Francis at the same time. It was odd, but Megan seemed to be a little on edge. Her change of topic mere seconds after greeting him had been a little uncharacteristic. Not one to prejudge, he decided to let Francis reply before he made up his mind about the situation.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Ghost Of Ravenstar. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
((Gwendolyn "Gwen" O'Connor Start))
Damn this poem and it's intricacies. And above all, damn writer's block. "Just damn it."
Gwen blew a strand of violet hair from her brow as she concentrated on writing. She was seated at a table of the library, eating a bar of chocolate while trying to work out her feelings on paper.
Normally, the ideas flowed like rivers (or her melting chocolate bar), but today they were dried up.
"Oh!" Gwen cried suddenly, and she began rapidly scribbling her thoughts on a sheet of paper, muttering aloud. She was getting ideas, and she had to use them before they were gone.
Gwen normally hated the library; she wished it was better-funded, and it just reminded her of her of the problems the country was facing lately. Today, though, she needed a quiet place to work in, so she figured, why not the library? Maybe if enough people used it, the school would magically get funded for new books and lighting and everything!
She needed to be less irritable; she supposed she was freaking out with the end of senior year. She needed some more optimistic writing, especially with final papers mounting up, college searches growing frantic, and stress piling into a cesspit of "Oh Jesus I'm going to explode".
Gwen wanted to be optimistic for once, so why not write a happy poem?
She'd been going at it for about 10 minutes, and she thought she might be making good progress.
"Ugh," she muttered as she stuck on the word "chortle". She couldn't think of a rhyme, and this poem was using a rhyme scheme.
"Does anyone know a good rhyme for "chortle?" Gwen asked in a moderately loud tone of voice.
Damn this poem and it's intricacies. And above all, damn writer's block. "Just damn it."
Gwen blew a strand of violet hair from her brow as she concentrated on writing. She was seated at a table of the library, eating a bar of chocolate while trying to work out her feelings on paper.
Normally, the ideas flowed like rivers (or her melting chocolate bar), but today they were dried up.
"Oh!" Gwen cried suddenly, and she began rapidly scribbling her thoughts on a sheet of paper, muttering aloud. She was getting ideas, and she had to use them before they were gone.
Gwen normally hated the library; she wished it was better-funded, and it just reminded her of her of the problems the country was facing lately. Today, though, she needed a quiet place to work in, so she figured, why not the library? Maybe if enough people used it, the school would magically get funded for new books and lighting and everything!
She needed to be less irritable; she supposed she was freaking out with the end of senior year. She needed some more optimistic writing, especially with final papers mounting up, college searches growing frantic, and stress piling into a cesspit of "Oh Jesus I'm going to explode".
Gwen wanted to be optimistic for once, so why not write a happy poem?
She'd been going at it for about 10 minutes, and she thought she might be making good progress.
"Ugh," she muttered as she stuck on the word "chortle". She couldn't think of a rhyme, and this poem was using a rhyme scheme.
"Does anyone know a good rhyme for "chortle?" Gwen asked in a moderately loud tone of voice.
Francis grinned as he realised that Megan actually seemed to be interested in what he was saying, as she had put down her pen and seemed to be listening intently to his words. This feeling was confirmed moments later when she actually expressed her interest in Mortal Engines and wrote down the name of the book. Francis did grimace a little when she too used the term "steampunk", but then again, it did kinda fit the genre, and the most important thing was that she seemed interested in it.
Megan then asked Francis if he was cool with Gavin sitting with them. He was indeed fine with it, and was about to say as much, when Gavin went and sat down of his own accord, which, y'know, wasn't exactly the best first impression. On the other hand, it could have been a lot worse, and Francis was fine with Gavin sitting with them anyway, so he was totally prepared to let it slide. He did notice that the majority of Gavin's attention was on Megan, and he briefly wondered whether there was some sort of prior history between the two. He quickly brushed these thoughts aside; it really wasn't any of his concern either way, after all.
Francis hardly noticed that Megan had mispronounced his name again, instead focusing on the question she had just asked him. He was about to reply, when he heard someone else speak, rather loudly at that, from nearby. Turning to look at the source of the voice, Francis was greeted with the violet-streaked hair of Gwen O'Connor. Gwen was another one of the so-called "weird kids", but unlike Gavin, Francis knew a little about her, and she seemed rather nice. Sure, her style of clothing was a... little different to his own, but it was nothing that deserved his derision.
"Uh... portal, maybe? Somethin' like that?" Francis said in response to Gwen's question, before turning back to Megan and Gavin, and answering the other girl's question.
"Don't think I could be more ready, honestly. Lookin' forwards to finally gettin' away from all this schoolwork and stuff. I mean, no matter what happens there, can't be any worse than school, can it?"
Megan then asked Francis if he was cool with Gavin sitting with them. He was indeed fine with it, and was about to say as much, when Gavin went and sat down of his own accord, which, y'know, wasn't exactly the best first impression. On the other hand, it could have been a lot worse, and Francis was fine with Gavin sitting with them anyway, so he was totally prepared to let it slide. He did notice that the majority of Gavin's attention was on Megan, and he briefly wondered whether there was some sort of prior history between the two. He quickly brushed these thoughts aside; it really wasn't any of his concern either way, after all.
Francis hardly noticed that Megan had mispronounced his name again, instead focusing on the question she had just asked him. He was about to reply, when he heard someone else speak, rather loudly at that, from nearby. Turning to look at the source of the voice, Francis was greeted with the violet-streaked hair of Gwen O'Connor. Gwen was another one of the so-called "weird kids", but unlike Gavin, Francis knew a little about her, and she seemed rather nice. Sure, her style of clothing was a... little different to his own, but it was nothing that deserved his derision.
"Uh... portal, maybe? Somethin' like that?" Francis said in response to Gwen's question, before turning back to Megan and Gavin, and answering the other girl's question.
"Don't think I could be more ready, honestly. Lookin' forwards to finally gettin' away from all this schoolwork and stuff. I mean, no matter what happens there, can't be any worse than school, can it?"
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Up until Francis correcting Megan about his name, she hadn't paid attention to the grunts coming from the table over. But as soon as Megan felt the bomb drop, during what felt like an hour of silence, those cries were annoying Megan. She considered just getting up and leaving to go anywhere but here - maybe even home. However, wouldn't it be really rude to Gavin who just sat down, or to Francis for blowing up at his correction? Whatever, she could tough it out for a few more minutes.
But God, could this girl please just shut the fuck up?
Megan turned and face the source of the cacophony and saw her - Gwen O'Conner. That "weird" girl who Megan perceived to be a rather eccentric person. From what she wore down to her anti-government views (which Megan only heard about from random tidbits of gossip hear or there, so she wasn't really sure herself), Megan always just found her...for lack of a better word, "odd". However, from the four or five words they've exchanged, she seemed like a really nice person. She probably just didn't realize how loud she was being.
As such, Megan decided to answer her dilemma, dampening her irritation so as to not explode. "How about...'mortal'?" That word made Megan laugh a little, calming her inner rage down substantially. Yeah, Gwen wasn't heckling Megan.
Megan considered asking Gwen to be more quiet, but she figured it would be rather inappropriate. After all how loud was her table being?
Megan faced back to her table after that exchange was done and said to Francis, "Yeah, me too. This'll be the first time in, like, 3 years I've been out of Seattle, so I'm pretty pumped about it." She noticed at this time that Gavin didn't chime in and hoped that he would.
But God, could this girl please just shut the fuck up?
Megan turned and face the source of the cacophony and saw her - Gwen O'Conner. That "weird" girl who Megan perceived to be a rather eccentric person. From what she wore down to her anti-government views (which Megan only heard about from random tidbits of gossip hear or there, so she wasn't really sure herself), Megan always just found her...for lack of a better word, "odd". However, from the four or five words they've exchanged, she seemed like a really nice person. She probably just didn't realize how loud she was being.
As such, Megan decided to answer her dilemma, dampening her irritation so as to not explode. "How about...'mortal'?" That word made Megan laugh a little, calming her inner rage down substantially. Yeah, Gwen wasn't heckling Megan.
Megan considered asking Gwen to be more quiet, but she figured it would be rather inappropriate. After all how loud was her table being?
Megan faced back to her table after that exchange was done and said to Francis, "Yeah, me too. This'll be the first time in, like, 3 years I've been out of Seattle, so I'm pretty pumped about it." She noticed at this time that Gavin didn't chime in and hoped that he would.
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Ghost Of Ravenstar†
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As Gavin looked between Francis and Megan he couldn't help but sense the tension emanating from his friend. It wasn't like her at all, and he couldn't see any real reason for it at this table. He cursed himself a second time. If only I hadn't been so absorbed in that book!
But it was pointless worrying about these things, the past was the past after all. Sooner or later Megan would be leaving the school, and Gavin saw no particular reason why she'd spurn his company on the road home. There would be plenty of time to pursue his suspicions later.
In the here and now, Gavin was just about to reply to Megan when suddenly he had to deal with a second intrusion into their conversation. He heard Gwen's voice and automatically swivelled his head to look at her. Then he stared. Somewhere in the back of his head, a voice that Keanu Reeves would've been proud of went 'Woh'.
It took several seconds for Gavin to adequately process the woman he was seeing before him and at least two more after that to correctly recall what had first drawn his attention to her. She had asked him a question, and his mental gears momentarily spun off their chains as he attempted to calculate a reasonable answer. In the end, he decided to be honest.
"I'm afraid that I can't think of anything that rhymes with 'chortle' off the top of my head. However, if you're truly stuck, maybe looking it up in a dictionary might lead you to other possibilities?"
Having managed to get that out without too much trouble, he paused to further absorb Gwen's appearance. It was . . . eye-catching, to say the least. Gavin probably would've spotted her much sooner, had he not headed straight for his own private corner of the library. Alaric the first would've loved to have had her at the battle of the Catalonian Plains. He thought amusedly.
That little historical in-joke aside (or complete smarty-pants bonus as a certain sarcastic voice inside Gavin's head was worryingly quick to point out) it was time to get back to the conversation going on at his own table. Feeling just a little more relaxed now, Gavin rolled Megan's question around in his head and finally spoke.
"I guess school trip hasn't been on my mind that much. Stuff I'd like to do after it, sure, but not so much the trip itself."
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he continued quickly.
"Speaking of graduation, have either of you any plans for when you leave?"
But it was pointless worrying about these things, the past was the past after all. Sooner or later Megan would be leaving the school, and Gavin saw no particular reason why she'd spurn his company on the road home. There would be plenty of time to pursue his suspicions later.
In the here and now, Gavin was just about to reply to Megan when suddenly he had to deal with a second intrusion into their conversation. He heard Gwen's voice and automatically swivelled his head to look at her. Then he stared. Somewhere in the back of his head, a voice that Keanu Reeves would've been proud of went 'Woh'.
It took several seconds for Gavin to adequately process the woman he was seeing before him and at least two more after that to correctly recall what had first drawn his attention to her. She had asked him a question, and his mental gears momentarily spun off their chains as he attempted to calculate a reasonable answer. In the end, he decided to be honest.
"I'm afraid that I can't think of anything that rhymes with 'chortle' off the top of my head. However, if you're truly stuck, maybe looking it up in a dictionary might lead you to other possibilities?"
Having managed to get that out without too much trouble, he paused to further absorb Gwen's appearance. It was . . . eye-catching, to say the least. Gavin probably would've spotted her much sooner, had he not headed straight for his own private corner of the library. Alaric the first would've loved to have had her at the battle of the Catalonian Plains. He thought amusedly.
That little historical in-joke aside (or complete smarty-pants bonus as a certain sarcastic voice inside Gavin's head was worryingly quick to point out) it was time to get back to the conversation going on at his own table. Feeling just a little more relaxed now, Gavin rolled Megan's question around in his head and finally spoke.
"I guess school trip hasn't been on my mind that much. Stuff I'd like to do after it, sure, but not so much the trip itself."
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he continued quickly.
"Speaking of graduation, have either of you any plans for when you leave?"
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Gwen sighed. The other three students gave few answers (mortal was okay, but not what she wanted). At least Gavin had offered her a suggestion; check the dictionary, of course. Gwen nodded as she looked through the dictionary.
Eventually, she found a word (she should've thought to use people!) and decided that she was pretty much done with the library. She might as well head home to try and relax.
"Thank you," Gwen said to the group at the table before departing, tossing out the chocolate.
[[Gwen O'Connor continued in A Recursive Process]]
Eventually, she found a word (she should've thought to use people!) and decided that she was pretty much done with the library. She might as well head home to try and relax.
"Thank you," Gwen said to the group at the table before departing, tossing out the chocolate.
[[Gwen O'Connor continued in A Recursive Process]]
Francis couldn't help but feel a little stupid at not suggesting "mortal" to Gwen, as Megan just had. It was, after all, part of the subject they'd just been talking about. The question had been pretty sudden, and kinda thrown him for a loop, but Francis couldn't really justify it. Still pretty silly.
It also really wasn't something worth getting hung up over, so Francis just smiled as Megan laughed. It was, after all, kinda ironic, sorta. Gavin suggested a dictionary, which seemed to satisfy Gwen, and she wandered off after a brief word of thanks.
Odd girl. Nice, but preeetty odd, yeah.
After Megan and Gavin both talked about the trip, Gavin asked what everyone was planning after leaving school. Francis grimaced a little at the question, visibly deflating a little. This was a question he was constantly getting asked, and he was getting pretty sick and tired of it. He'd really been focusing on the here and now, and whilst he had formed some solid plans, he was legitimately worried that they wouldn't be right for him.
"I dunno," Francis said dismissively, trying to move off the topic as soon as possible. "I was thinkin' of takin' a gap year or somethin'... taking a break from textbooks and lectures seems like the right sorta thing for me. Yeah, guess that's my plan."
It also really wasn't something worth getting hung up over, so Francis just smiled as Megan laughed. It was, after all, kinda ironic, sorta. Gavin suggested a dictionary, which seemed to satisfy Gwen, and she wandered off after a brief word of thanks.
Odd girl. Nice, but preeetty odd, yeah.
After Megan and Gavin both talked about the trip, Gavin asked what everyone was planning after leaving school. Francis grimaced a little at the question, visibly deflating a little. This was a question he was constantly getting asked, and he was getting pretty sick and tired of it. He'd really been focusing on the here and now, and whilst he had formed some solid plans, he was legitimately worried that they wouldn't be right for him.
"I dunno," Francis said dismissively, trying to move off the topic as soon as possible. "I was thinkin' of takin' a gap year or somethin'... taking a break from textbooks and lectures seems like the right sorta thing for me. Yeah, guess that's my plan."
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017