We're all mad here.... (open)

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BRAEDYN EVREMONDE

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A tall figure stormed into the ballroom, drawing the gaze of the bartender.  It wasn't luck that there was no one else around; Braedyn had purposefully picked a deserted room.  Just about every other room in this damned place was occupied.  Shooting the bartender a dirty look, he sat down at one of the few tables set up in the corner.   As soon as the man left, the brown-haired boy got back up and poured apple cider into a champagne flute just because he couldn't find any other cups in his rage.  "Bottoms up," he muttered to himself, swallowing the whole thing in a single gulp, pinching the stem so hard it almost broke.  He slammed the cup back down  on the counter and stalked over to the buffet table.  If he'd been in a better mood, he might have found his ability to eat even when angry amusing.

The boy piled food onto a disposable plate, and as soon as it was full,  stomped up the stairs, not even knowing  where they led.  Apparently, to the balcony.   He sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall, and began to eat., staring at nothing with a dark gaze.   Braedyn couldn't believe that boy had the nerve to criticize him.  'You should work on your spikes,' should he?  As if that idiot could beat him in anything.

He wasn't even in the mood for music, and that was bad.  With his gaze, he felt like he could make the whole world burn.  Burn to ashes, he thought wickedly.  Actually, if he called on lightning, he could really make things burn.  The world isn't worth it, the boy thought dismissively.  He had the urge to throw something off the balcony, but all he had was his food, phone, and headphones, and those were all too valuable to lose.

His grip on the plate was so tight the plastic was trembling and the food on it was shifting back and forth.  Without noticing, he'd happened to grab a bunch of American food: fried chicken, biscuits, and gravy.  The food of gods.  Setting the plate on the ground, Braedyn turned around and slammed his fist into the wall.  Nothing happened to the building, but he skinned his knuckles, which were turning red.  Out of pure anger and disregard for the pain, he punched the wall again before he managed to realize he was being stupid.  Eventually, after a momentary internal struggle, he sat back down and resumed eating, glaring out at the view.

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Notes:

( WORDS ) 891 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here So far, the day had been progressing pretty pleasantly for Felicity. She had been able to attend only half of her classes, which wasn't a surprise, simply because they were covering so-called 'new material', and though she'd thoroughly studied herself in the subjects, the instructors insisted that she at least come to a part of the lesson. Having to learn things for the second time by people whom she didn't necessarily enjoy was a bit irritating, but with her plethora of books handy, passing the time wasn't nearly as difficult as she'd previously thought. It was mildly annoying to be stuck in a place where the studies concerning book-smarts was still incredibly important, whereas she preferred not to dwell on something she'd excelled in. If anything, it was only her abilities that continued to confound her time and time again, and she hadn't enrolled in any power training classes... At least, not yet. Exhaling slowly, Fel established herself at the balcony of the ballroom. She was adorned in a dainty, lacy dress that reached down to about her mid-thigh and dotted with small, pinkish flowers that complimented her light eyes. Along with this, she kept her equally lacy parasol positioned above her, and a pair of brown, high-heeled sandals finished off her prestigious look. Her hair cascaded down her side in a french braid of sorts, finished off with a small, white bow to tie off the light-blonde hair. It didn't seem like many people were up here, and she was thankful for this. She was able to read The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in peace, enjoying the odd humor of his negligence to scientific details that simply weren't available in his time. Sometimes, viewing people's previous historical works was enough to provide amusement, especially since the young woman was well aware of what natural selection was and the flaws his other theories presented. Nonetheless, viewing his thought process on something so abstract for the time was enough to capture her attention, and just as she was flipping the page to continue reading the book, a young man came storming up the stairs. The girl was hidden behind her rather large book and was about to roll her eyes in slight annoyance, when she watched the boy punch the wall in two, swift jabs. Felicity was stubborn, yes, but she wasn't a complete idiot. This boy could be mentally deranged for all she knew, and there was no way she was going to do anything that might instigate violence. Sure, she could outmatch him in a standardized test, but when it came to fists and fighting, she might risk rendering herself unconscious while trying to fend him off. No, she wasn't interested in succumbing to those circumstances, and attempted to toss her thoughts and focus solely into the words before her, but none of them seemed to stick to her brain as they had before. To be honest, she was.. Apprehensive. If this wasn't enough to distract her thoughts, the staggering young man that came shortly after the other student did. He couldn't have been much older than she, and his straggly hair and slurred laughter was enough to indicate that he was, in fact, drunk. She stiffened up uncomfortably, seeing that she'd never appreciated people who were intoxicated being so close to her. He stumbled towards her as a bout of incessant laughter slipped from his lips, a beer bottle in his fist. "Yo, they were riiiight! There's a freakingvampiiire here!" he exclaimed as he leaned over to examine her at far too close a distance. His glassy eyes blinked slowly as he cackled into the sky, and just as Fel was placing down her book to confront him, he reached forwards and placed his hands on her shoulders, "C'mon, the guys downstairs won't belieeeeve me if I tell them I saw a vampiiiire! Let's gooo--" "Last time I checked, I wasn't a bloody vampire, so sod off," she snapped, suddenly disregarding the potentially dangerous boy who sat not too far from her. As Felicity spoke, she purposefully interlocked her eyes with the surprised ones of the man before her. She exhaled slowly through her nose, clenching her fists together as she let her mind temporarily empty itself of thought. Her determination to teach this insolent drunkard a lesson was the only element keeping her consciousness completely blank, for as she breathed in and out again, a violet light could be seen in the center of her forehead, and it fanned out just enough to come in contact with the other male's forehead. Its intensity and size was fairly impressive, spanning out for about an eight meter radius, but it didn't have the ability to affect anyone but the man standing in front of her. After being hit with the psionic blast, the man recoiled backwards, clutching his temples and groaning as Felicity was forced to seat herself upon the chair. In an instant, he was frantically staggering out of the door, as though the pain temporarily made him lucid enough to sense danger. He deserved it for his words, or at least, this is what Felicity perpetually thought to herself as she held her head in her hands. Life was far too taxing for her if this is what type of people she had to deal with. Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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BRAEDYN EVREMONDE

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In his anger, the brown haired teen didn't notice the albino girl already situated on the balcony.  Eventually, as he punched the wall, his peripheral vision began to clear and he took note of her presence.  However, he chose to ignore her for the time being, instead choosing to sit and eat, shutting the rest of the world out.  His hateful gaze burned a whole in the nothingness of the atmosphere, and small bolts of lightning crackled around him, flashing in and out of existence.  The only reason they were obvious was his black shirt.  Otherwise, they were so small and momentary you'd have to know they were there to see them.

Some random idiot staggering up the stairs created a racket, adding fuel to the fire of Braedyn's anger, and he just wanted to punch the drunk guy.  His obvious lack of restraint in front of the girl was only another reason, and he watched with disgust as the drunk leaned in, breathing in the girl's face, and laughed, saying something about a vampire.  "Yeah.  Vampire in daylight, that'd be the day," he scoffed, laughing without humor, reaching up to slap him across the face with a crack.  He didn't think about it, he just acted.  There were too many idiots in this world.  It was as easy as spiking a volleyball, whatever that other idiot outside had thought.

He sat back down and watched the girl and boy disinterestedly, as if he had done nothing to intervene.  The girl seemed to use some sort of power to render the guy unconscious, or at least put him in a state of disorientation.  She then sat back down heavily in her chair as the drunk practically tripped back down the stairs.  Too bad there were no clouds outside; there was nothing to channel a big bolt of lightning to blast that jerk from.  The bright midday sunlight had chased the clouds away long ago.

Braedyn snorted and said, "You should have let me punch him."  Then again, the guy probably wasn't worth it.  At least he would have had an outlet for the anger that marred his normally good looks.  Well, not that he was ugly now, but he definitely looked dangerous.  He ran a hand through his hair and threw a biscuit crumb at a nearby crow.  The bird cawed and flew away in alarm, then returned to scavenge the piece of food.  "Stupid bird," he muttered to himself, quiet enough for only himself to hear.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that his bipolar disorder was causing this, and he was lucky that downs like this didn't happen too often.  He almost wished he was old enough to drink--he knew that some bipolar people drank to make the anger and sadness go away.  But then he probably would have been like that guy who'd just left.

He never thought about his bipolarity in his anger, though.  The dark cloud hovering over his mind pushed out everything but the darkness in his heart like a picky toddler.  Apparently he hadn't picked a deserted enough place, and his mind hovered between 'leave' or 'stay' as he tried to ignore the pain in his bleeding knuckles.

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Notes: At first I just skimmed your post and I thought Fel attacked Braedyn and I was like "..." xD  Also, I was just listening to that song today!

( WORDS ) 615 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here As though the young man hadn't already creeped out Felicity enough, he actually had the nerve to reach forwards and land a slap across the man's face. Of course, he didn't seem all that deterred by it, and only had continued to cackle as though he'd just heard one of his favorite jokes. The entire act of being drunk sickened the girl to no extent as she warily eyed the young man sitting across from her. After the stranger had left, she felt marginally more comfortable, but there was no way she'd be able to move away from him now for two, valid reasons. First of all, she was afraid of somehow offending or angering him by implying that she didn't wish to be around him, and the last thing the frail albino needed was to be beaten up. But, she also wasn't feeling all that stable after having used her ability so intensely. Her hands continued to feel over her temples in an attempt to relieve the grogginess and fatigue now plaguing her like a disease. Thankfully, she'd positioned the parasol to hang over her head even after releasing it from her grip. Even without her energy, she wasn't going to let herself succumb to sunburn or possibly lethal sun damage. "Maybe I should've," she answered the other student with a surprising amount of tranquility. Perhaps it was just the exhaustion setting in that kept her temper in check, but it was also the fact that he could snap her in half like a twig that kept the girl on his good side. Surveying him with her oddly pinkish eyes, the young woman blinked her mascara-coated eyelashes to notice that he was feeding a bird. Well, that certainly wasn't something one would see every day, especially from a guy that seemed moments away from having a mental breakdown. Just as she was leaning back in preparation to take a nap, Fel was rudely interrupted by a trio of men storming through the entrance to the balcony. Oh great, she thought angrily to herself, rolling her eyes as they peered back and forth between herself and the other boy. "Yo," one of them growled, snapping his head towards the male, surprisingly, "Why'd you beat up Kal? He said he was lookin' for some girl that he saw, and even if he's a little tipsy, you don't hafta' send him reelin' back inside! He couldn't even come back up here!" The other two nodded and began to stalk menacingly towards the boy, at which, despite her spinning head and unfocused vision, Felicity rose up angrily, "I was the one who attacked your friend, so belt up--" At her words, though, the men erupted into laughter, especially since the girl was beginning to sway and was forced to clutch onto her seat with a pair of trembling hands, both from anger and fatigue. Once they'd composed themselves and noticed Fel's intense glare, one continued on, "You? Nice try, if you're trying to defend your boyfriend or something, Brit, you can forget it." The girl clenched her fists together and hissed out between her teeth, "I'm not lying! Just clear off, bastards!" She made a sweeping gesture with her hand as she said this, but the guys waved her off dismissively as they advanced on the young man. There was no way she'd be able to muster enough energy to distribute separate blows to each one of these guys, but given enough time, she might be able to recover to injure at least one of them. Her eyes flickered between them and the young man they were so intent on punishing. Boy, were they in for a surprise. Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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BRAEDYN EVREMONDE
Words: 732

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After he had decided the bird was fat enough, Braedyn looked at the the girl.  She looked decidedly weak in addition to her already frail state.  His more gentlemanly side forced him to at least inquire if she was alright.  Her soft voice in agreeing that perhaps she should have let him punch the other guy only added to her fragility in his eyes.  Without turning around or getting up, the boy asked, "Are you alright?  Did he hurt you?"  He stared at his blood-covered hand, and then the other hand, which was still a little red from the slap he'd given.

Before she could answer, the sound of angry stomping came from the stairwell.  Only when the three other boys began to walk toward him did the tall boy turn around and stand up.  He was taller than all three of them by at least an inch, and the rage in his eyes made them actually back up a step, which made his mouth curl in a smirk.  The girl interjected, saying that she'd been the aggressor--which was not untrue--but the boys laughed at her, saying that she was just trying to defend her boyfriend and returned their attention to Braedyn, which made sense.  He definitely seemed like the threat here.

And sadly, he was glad for it.  Three outlets was better than one.  Much better.  "Yeah?  You wanna go?" he said mockingly. "The big bad boys wanna beat me up?"  He gave them a smile that was scary because it was nearly the same as the smile everyone said belonged on a model.  But this one was full of venom and hate, emotions not often found in the tall boy.  The one who seemed to be the leader of the three raised an eyebrow at Braedyn and returned his earlier smirk.

Not waiting for them to attack first, he swung a punch that connected with a crack at the aforementioned leader's ugly face, who staggered back.  He 'helped' this process along with a gust of wind that slammed him into the wall.  The now disabled boy sat down hard, moaning and clutching his nose.  "Oh, he thinks he's soooo tough," one of the two remaining boys laughed.  The other snickered weakly, looking like he wanted to back out, but couldn't because of peer pressure.  Braedyn could tell that the taller two were drunk, the third one perhaps maybe not so much.  But who cared?  They had picked the wrong day to taunt him into a fight.  He summoned another wind to blow into the second boy's eyes, which didn't do any actual damage, but caused enough discomfort for him to be distracted for a moment.  "You still wanna take me on?" he said with a challenging tone to the third boy, who also seemed to be the youngest.  His attacker shook his head and took the chance to run back down the stairs.  Braedyn shoved the guy who'd recovered into the wall and forced him to sit down next to his friend.  "Now, if you still want to fight, I'd be happy to," he said with a violent glimmer in his blue-green eyes.

The less-injured drunk growled, "Ugh.  You're such a bully.  We're going to report you to the headmistress."  He managed a laugh and picked up his friend, heading back down the stairs as he flipped Braedyn off.  "Yeah, you go do that.  Idiots!" the brown-haired boy yelled at their backs.  He knew he was already on the headmistress's good side, and it was unlikely he'd get in trouble even if they actually did report him.

Both of his hands now had ripped skin and blood.  The blood on his right hand wasn't his blood, though.  He pulled a small amount of water out of the moisture in the atmosphere, which required more energy than pulling water out of clouds.  Using the liquid, he cleaned off the blood, and leaned on the railing, head in his hands.  With the anger mostly--not completely--gone, he was mainly just tired.  He turned back toward the parasol-toting girl and asked again, "Are you okay?"  There was still a trace of ire in his expression, but now it was directed at the dolts who'd come up here seeking revenge for their friend.

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Notes: I have so much energy right now.  I should probably go take my dog for a run.

( WORDS ) 603 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here Really, the girl shouldn't have expected anything less from the boy, reaction-wise. She'd been unable to reply to his question, though, and she was mildly surprised that he would even care about her well-being. It completely violated her concept of 'everyone hates on Felicity' kind of thing, and though that was slightly irritating, there was no way she could even begin to dream about putting him in his place. If this was the type of person he was, borderline-psychopathic and deceptively kind, she couldn't possibly try to be near him for too long, else she might let her guard down and slip a rude word or two his way. Her thoughts were cut off as she witnessed him stand up, an impressive height in comparison to her short stature and the smaller guys around him. Well, at least it would ensure that the skirmish wouldn't last long, and as he openly taunted the trio, it seemed as though her prediction was being confirmed right before her very eyes. He dealt a powerful blow across one of the boy's jaws, and before her eyes had time to fully comprehend the act of violence, she watched as another boy inexplicably was hindered for a moment. It wasn't as if the boy had physically attacked him, but for some reason, his eyes had shut swiftly, and after a few seconds of careful deductions and contemplation, Fel could infer that he had some sort of ability either linked to optics, or could use the atmosphere in some way to hurt others. Whatever the case, it proved to be quite useful, since he was able to successfully shove him against the wall to join his nearly unconscious comrade. The young woman wasn't nearly as appalled at this as she should've been, seeing that if she had the physical brawn of the boy, she would've done something quite similar. But, her frail bodice prevented her from even landing a punch that wouldn't break all of her knuckles. Luckily, though, the two boys were fleeing from the scene just as she was delving too deeply into thought, and it snapped her back into reality. Felicity was certainly enjoying seeing their displeasure, but standing soon became too taxing, and the young woman was forced to seat herself back down on the chair. There was no reason for her to have to be standing if the hostile guys were gone anyways. She exhaled slowly, assuming that the boy would storm off, but paused as he asked if she was all right again. Did he really care, or did he just feel guilty because she wasn't the strongest of people? "Not really," she admitted with a sigh, feeling marginally better than before, but it wasn't enough to make an exponential difference, "But I feel like I should've asked you that question first. You certainly did a number on those guys, and it was impressive, but I can't imagine that it wasn't physically or emotionally draining." Her eyes flickered towards him as he said this, holding her hands on the sides of her head to keep her eyes trained on the ground in a way that would stop her vision from zooming in and out of focus. "Thanks for.. Uh... Beating up those sexist bastards... 'Probably shouldn't have attacked that first idiot, but I guess some things can't be helped," she mumbled, glancing at the boy as she said this, "I'm Felicity Crusoe." She didn't really have that many great ways of showing appreciation or gratitude, since her pride wouldn't allow it, so she used introducing herself as some sort of sign of it. Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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BRAEDYN EVREMONDE

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Braedyn could feel the girl's eyes shifting between himself and the drunk boys the entire time, but he chose to ignore the sensation, or at least shove it to the back of his mind.  Thanks to a life of playing sports, he was quite adept at ignoring what he wanted to and concentrating on the action.  It came in handy at games and competitions where there were numerous loud spectators.  

As soon as the guys left, he sighed, and turned to the subject of their taunts wearily and curiously.  She said that she wasn't completely okay, adding that she should have been the one asking the question.  He shrugged, and evaluated her quickly, then turned back to face the edge of the balcony.  He didn't see any scratches or injuries on her, so at least she wasn't physically harmed.  Whatever she'd done with that light earlier had probably tired her out.

"Well... Yeah.  It's not easy, I guess," the boy said, running his hand through his messy hair.  Her eyes flickered up to him, but then returned to staring at the ground.  He guessed that she probably had a headache of some sort.  She offered a hesitant and quiet thanks, also saying that she shouldn't have attacked the first guy who'd come up here, seeking a vampire.  "He deserved it," Braedyn muttered. "If I never hear another drunk idiot coming up those stairs again, it'll be too soon."  Honestly, if another one had come, he'd probably just spend the rest of his energy summoning water out of the atmosphere or calling electricity out of anything solar powered to drown or electrify them.

She introduced herself as Felicity Crusoe, so he turned to face her, clear eyes studying her as he returned the introduction.  "Braedyn Evremonde.  Sapphire dorm," he said.  Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to him.  What if those guys were students in Sapphire?  Life would be a pain.  Maybe he'd just leave Foresta completely.  Then again, he could probably get the guys expelled somehow.  Or beat them up again.  Either option worked.

"What was that thing you did with the light?" he asked, remembering how she'd dealt with the first guy.  He was sure it had something to do with her powers--where else would it come from?  Just like it was no coincidence that a wind had just happened to pass by and shove someone into the wall at the right time.  There were no coincidences in the magical world.  At least, not with his powers.  As if to prove a point to himself, he tossed a crumb of his remaining half of a biscuit up into the air, and with the flick of a finger, sent it flying outwards over the edge of the balcony.  He ate the rest of the biscuit in two bites, ruffling his hair absently.

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Notes:

( WORDS ) 460 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here Though Felicity naturally would've said something snappy to ward the young man off, she didn't have the energy to engage in an argument with him, and there was no way she was going to risk that with his unpredictable demeanor. Besides, his humor was right up her alley: Not sugar-coated and bubbly, but more cynical and sarcastic. A smirk twisted up the corners of her mouth as she glanced at him, "Tell me about it.. The last thing we need is more bladdered morons." Finally, someone who was willing to tell it straight. Despite not feeling completely comfortable about engaging in a non-hostile situation, she resolved to act a bit more snappy if she found herself in his proximity under different circumstances. This would at least balance out her odd desire to drive others away from her, for it was simpler to be alone.. Or, that's what she forced herself to believe. Oddly enough, when he introduced himself, he spoke of belonging to the Sapphire dormitory. She hadn't been there for long, and perhaps the same went for him, since she hadn't seen him before. "Looks like we're in the same dorm, then," she commented idly, nodding, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The words were somewhat forced, seeing that she never meant that with genuine emotion, but this time it was more or less an automatic response. When she became tired, she often found herself saying things that didn't exactly correlate with her personality. Nonetheless, she wasn't just about to leave this young man, especially in an unstable state. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she were to fall or something when trying to leave, so it was far safer to remain seated. It was then that he inquired about her abilities, which wasn't a surprise, seeing that a random blast of light had been emitted from her forehead. That wasn't necessarily 'natural'. Now having recovered a bit, she peered up at him, speaking in a factual and professional tone, "I have the ability to create psionic blasts with my mind.. Almost like mental attacks, if you will. I can create varying levels of mental pain, as you've witnessed... But since I administered a greater deal of power into that blast, I'm a bit fatigued as a result." She watched him then, continuing on, "I'm not sure if you can either control the moisture or density of eyes, or if you can somehow alter the atmosphere, but I gathered as much when watching you manipulate one of the guys from before. What is your ability, if I may ask?" The only reason she was being polite now, despite the obvious tiredness, was to ensure that she received the best possible answer when Braedyn responded to her. Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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BRAEDYN EVREMONDE

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The girl's response was snarky and snide, the complete opposite of how he normally was.  (His bipolar disorder liked to play hot potato with his moods, though.)  Then again, scornful people were usually honest, and despite his cheerful nature, that was one trait no one could deny he had.  He tilted his head to the side very slightly, considering her reply, but didn't bother to offer his own.

Braedyn introduced himself, including his dorm--Sapphire.  Felicity noted that they were in the same dorm, and he knew that she wouldn't have known that previously because he barely spent any time in the living areas.  All his waking hours were spent in the gym, on the beach, or somewhere he could do something athletic.  And that didn't include the dorms.  He didn't know any of his dorm-mates, female or male, and didn't expect them to know him.  Some people might have wandered around their dorms looking for friends.  Not Braedyn.  He made friends without even trying; he had some sort of magnetism that drew people to him.  Even when he was mad, apparently.  "Is it really?" he asked, in a tone that was almost challenging.  Honestly, he didn't think people like to meet people who were in a bad mood.  Who knows?  There's a first time for everything, he thought.

Thankfully, Felicity seemed to be recovering, and had the energy to look up to answer his question about the light.  Apparently, she had the ability to create something called a psionic blast, or as the girl explained it, a mental attack.  "Must be useful.  You know, aside from the amount of energy it takes," he mused, the faintest glimpse of a smile returning to his lips, then fading.  Braedyn waited for her to finish her follow-up, which he'd expected.  She started to ramble a bit about the possibilities of his power.  At the end of her miniature speech, he asked, "Wouldn't it be easier to just ask?  I do know what my power is.  I can control the weather, and predict it to some extent."  To demonstrate, he summoned a light breeze to dance around them, tossing hair and loose clothing.  After letting it blow around for a few moments, he let the air go.  And just because he could, the boy called on a bit of static electricity (and various other kinds of electricity and energy floating around here and there) and created a relatively small lightning bolt the length of his arm, careful not to burn anything down with it, regardless of how much he'd wanted to do that earlier.  The light flashed in the air for less than a second, then disappeared.  He thought it was an appropriate metaphor for life.  The most precious moments only lasted for just that--a moment.

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Notes:

( WORDS ) 461 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here To the young woman's surprise, it seemed as though Braedyn was questioning whether or not she actually was glad to have met him. Sure, it was somewhat of a stretch, but she had to at least acknowledge someone respectively when they'd beaten up people who were antagonizing her. "Yeah," she admitted with a sigh of resignation, "I don't come across many people who share in my sense of humor, it's pretty ace." She then managed a wry smile at this, though it was swiftly returned to a neutral expression once she realized what type of despicably pleasant emotion was coursing through her veins. When she was exhausted, she really lost her edge, didn't she? There was nothing that could change this, and that was probably the most irritating fact she had to face today. Of course, her ability was quite helpful, though it didn't seem to benefit her all that much when used in large amounts, so she nodded in acquiesce to his statement. The same couldn't necessarily be said for his own powers, though, and when he chided her for wording her question so oddly, she only offered a shrug. His abilities far surpassed her own, since he could actually deal a great deal of damage as well as being able to catch hints on the weather. Before she could comment on it, however, he demonstrated the wind-bending ability by letting an air current weave around them, tousling her loose braid a bit, and, frighteningly enough, her dress. Sure, it wasn't a strong wind, but she was uncomfortable with the movement of the material, and found herself clutching it down slightly with her hand, as well as holding onto her parasol in case it decided to take its own leap off of the balcony. There was no way she could lose that. Her eyes caught sight of the brief lightning he conjured as well, transfixed by the impressive sight of it for a few moments, before regaining her composure and smoothing out her ruffled dress and hair. "That's quite the ability you have there," she confessed, blinking a few times to keep her eyes in focus, "I'd give anything to be able to know when the sun was present or not, so I don't have to carry around my parasol on overcast days. I'm assuming that you were born with the powers, yes? How close do you think you are to mastering them?" He seemed to be pretty handy when utilizing his elemental powers, so Fel could only assume that he'd thoroughly trained himself in honing them. One day, she'd be able to accomplish an equally mighty skill with her own powers, though that would also depend on if her body would ever grow strong enough to endure the strain. Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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BRAEDYN EVREMONDE
Words: 606

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If he was honest with himself, he was both surprised and not surprised at the same time when Felicity confirmed that she was indeed glad to meet him.  After all, he had sort of just 'fended off' her attackers.  But then again, she was the first and only person at this school to have witnessed his violent side.  Braedyn was about to shrug, but then started feeling redundant, so instead shrugged in his head.  The girl didn't seem very happy to admit she was happy to make his acquaintance, of course, but that was okay.  She also said that it was rare to meet others  with her sense of humor, using the word 'ace'--which, from context, he assumed meant something along the lines of 'awesome' or 'cool'.  He'd never talked to a British person before, so he'd never heard any of their slang.  (He was assuming she was British from her accent.  Maybe he was confusing it with some other European accent.  Or maybe an Australian accent.)  What have I gotten myself into? he wondered, if someone with such a cynical sense of humor thought he was similarly oriented.

His own good humor seemed to be reappearing, but the girl's seemed to be flickering in and out of existence like a dying flame.  She smiled for a moment with her words, lighting up her features, but it vanished into a composed mask of neutrality.  In a half-hearted attempt to bring it out again, Braedyn gave a small, crooked grin, revealing pearly white, straight teeth as he demonstrated his ability to control the weather.

Felicity grabbed hold of her dress and her parasol, and he supposed he should have considered her clothing before playing around with the wind, but it was so much easier to just exhibit his ability than to try and describe it.  After a moment, the wind dispersed, and the girl almost seemed to marvel at his power, expressing some degree of admiration in words.  When she wished she had the ability to predict the weather, he interrupted, "Well, it's going to be sunny tomorrow.  Unfortunately for you, I guess.  But good for me.  Either way, it's going to be summer soon, so then sun'll be out pretty much every day.  I dunno, maybe you can get a forecast from me occasionally."  He let her finish, and she--indirectly--asked if he'd been born with his powers, and--directly--asked how close he thought he was to mastery of them.  

"I don't know if I was born with them.  Maybe I was and they just didn't manifest until I was twelve.  I've had four years to practice, and a tutor at my disposal for a year after the powers came around.  They're not always reliable, though.  Sometimes I can only control one aspect of this thing--wind, or precipitation, or lightning, and not all of them.  So, I don't know how close I am to mastering it.  Plus, I can't do much with precipitation or lightning if there aren't clouds, and if it's too hot or something.  If I draw out some snow from the atmosphere in weather like this--" he held a hand out "--it'll melt almost immediately."  With a gesture, he sent a tiny flurry of snowflakes swirling through the air, but after a second they melted into plain old raindrops.  "And if I do much more than that, it gets pretty draining."

The girl's question had him wondering, how long would it take for him to master the power?  Not that he expected to have already done so; that was just illogical, considering how iffy magic was.

---

Notes: Wow, Braedyn is really talkative.

( WORDS ) 612 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here While Braedyn was showing just how his abilities worked, he seemed to try and encourage another smile from her with one of his own, right after she'd hidden the disgustingly blissful feature. Just why did he want her to smile? She was fairly certain that it seemed sinister and sour in comparison to the happy-go-lucky grin he sported, but seeing that frowning costed more energy than returning the favor, she managed a small, barely noticeable smile and a nod in response. God, if only she had enough energy to actually show how disconcerting pleasant conversation was to her. She wasn't supposed to be liked or engaging in something so.. Bubbly. Somewhat sickened with herself, she exhaled slowly, focusing on nothing more than staying awake. There was no way she was about to pass out in front of some random guy who she just met, she had to at least prove her strength to him. His forecast was impressive, and though she'd probably check the weather channel when she returned to her dorm to validate it, she couldn't help but wonder if his last statement was true. Could she rely on him for a constant, up-to-date forecast? It wasn't necessarily needed, seeing that she had the forecast but a click away, yet it was something she could keep in mind. Perhaps being kinder to people did have its perks, but it wasn't worth the unbelievable amounts of discomfort coursing through her veins. This just simply wasn't how it was meant to be. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," she replied absently, for creating any response lengthier than that was going to be an issue. Darkness continued to pervade the edges of her vision, and she knew that her time with talking to this young man was growing limited. Nonetheless, this is what drove her to squeeze out the information she desired. All at once, he revealed his weaknesses to her concerning his power, which could prove to be vital if need be, though he knew of her own limitations with her abilities already, so the sides were even. She spoke in a fatigued, dull tone then as she rested her head on the back of her chair to keep her oddly pinkish eyes upon him, "Perhaps some of the limitations are permanent, but the duration that you can use them should be able to increase over time, since it's only logical. Who knows, maybe with practice, you'll be able to make it snow on any day of the year." As she finished the statement, the young woman felt the exhaustion get the best of her, and her eyes drooped to a close. For about half a minute, she let her body begin to rest itself, with a serene expression passing over her features. But, once this amount of time had passed, she jolted back awake, drawing in a startled and sharp intake of breath. "I really should.. Ah, be going," she said hastily in an attempt to recover from her blunder, feeling humiliated simply by falling asleep in front of someone. With those words, she tried to stand up as quickly as she could, but with the high heels she'd donned herself in, that was a hindrance, and she found herself wobbling a great deal as a result. Now, anger really did enter her system for a few moments as she slowly stepped forwards, careful to keep her parasol in her free yet trembling hand. "If those blooming bastards come around again to make fun of my temporary incapability to walk," she said to him with a slight edge in her tone while she ambled along determinedly yet at an agonizingly slow pace, "Punch their lights out for me." Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

---

BRAEDYN EVREMONDE

---

The tiny smile he was able to coax out of her felt like a big accomplishment, considering the fact that Felicity didn't seem like the type of person who smiled very often.  I haven't lost my touch, he thought with satisfaction.  It wasn't a malicious 'I tricked the victim' type of satisfaction, but rather the happy, joyful satisfaction like that of a person who has just won a big award.  This time, a lasting grin of sorts found its way into his expression.  The girl was proving to be decent company, especially taking into account the foul mood he'd been in just a few minutes earlier.

Her response to his offer to make weather forecasts for her was hesitant and polite, but it didn't seem like she'd really take him up on it.  That was okay with him; the usefulness of his power didn't depend on whether or not others could use it.  It depended on how useful it was to him, and even if it wasn't life-changing, it was pretty handy.  After all, weather forecasts made by meteorologists couldn't be more accurate than magic, right?  He was connected to the whole weather-air element.

As Braedyn watched her, Felicity's eyes seemed to be fluttering close, only reopening with what seemed like great effort.  She said that she should probably be going, and walked toward the stairwell with extreme caution and at a slow speed that almost pained him just to watch.  Which made sense, keeping in mind that speed was an integral part of most sports.  The parasol she held in her hand was quivering, which concerned him.  She requested that if the jerks from before should happen to return to make fun of her handicapped state that he beat them up.

He was happy enough to oblige, but said, "I should probably help you down.  Plus, they're not going to come back up here if they see you leave," as he moved to stand beside her swiftly.  "If I'm up here and they're down there with you, I'm not gonna be doing you any good."  Whether or not he hated being slow, he wasn't heartless enough to let her stagger around on her own.  The hand holding the parasol didn't seem very steady, either, and he knew she was carrying it for a reason (skin protection?) from her previous words about forecasting the weather and not just for style, so he wanted to make sure she didn't lose it or something along the way.  That seemed liable to happen, what with her weakened state.  And, in her condition, it seemed like she'd be risking her life just walking down the stairs.  He couldn't be responsible for a death, now could he?  Braedyn hoped he wasn't offending her or damaging her ego or pride in some way by offering some help.

---

Notes: 

( WORDS ) 441 ( TAGGED ) @braedyn  ( MUSE ) here Really, Felicity shouldn't have thought that she could just escape from this young man, especially with the state she was currently in. He offered to help her, and as much as this hurt her pride, she just couldn't muster up the energy to actively drive him off. Besides, if she ended up falling over or something of the sort, at least someone would be able to fetch help without the awkward exchange of information and pleading for assistance. She eyed him warily as she exhaled slowly, shuffling along slowly, ".. All right, I suppose.. But you don't have to feel obliged to pity me, I get enough of it. If you want to go on ahead, I really won't be offended, honestly. Do what you want." She was just a bit fed up with being pitied when she was leading a perfectly healthy life, even with albinism, though her tone just seemed tired more than anything. Even the spiteful edge her voice often armed itself with was beginning to fade. The young woman felt herself slowly slipping away with every staggering step she took, which, to say the least, was marginally disconcerting. Each time she was forced to take a stride forwards, her vision swam and stars danced before her extremely light eyes. A small sigh escaped her as she shuffled forwards, deciding to keep herself engaged in conversation in an attempt to stay conscious. "You know, you're going to have to teach me some of your moves," she said with a small smirk, "Maybe then I'll be able to beat those guys to a pulp myself, though you did a pretty bang-up job already. They'd have to have gone completely barmy if they try coming back to you." However, even though she was pushing all of her effort into remaining awake, it only seemed to work against her. She felt a sense of relief wash over her the instant they re-entered the school, and despite the fact that this went against her pride's principles, she had no other choice than to let her body rest before she passed out entirely. Slowly, Felicity lowered herself to the floor and leaned against the wall, having closed her parasol and placed it beside herself. She peered up at Braedyn, combing her fingers through a strand of her braid that had come loose, "Ah.. You really should go on ahead, chap, I think I'll stay here for a while.. There's no way I'll be able to move anytime in the near future." She smiled wryly, before sighing and internally cursing her frail body. Why did she have to be born with such a fragile bodice? Second chances they don't ever matter

MADE BY VEL OF GS

---

BRAEDYN EVREMONDE

---

He never suspected that she would do anything but accept his offer to help, and he was not to be proven wrong today.  "Don't worry," he said laughingly, eyebrows raised and hands up in a joking gesture of submission, "no pity here.  Not when it comes to powers, especially one like yours."  Even if it did take an incredible amount of energy, something that allowed you to attack another person with no physical movement was quite powerful.  Braedyn knew how draining using any power could be, especially when using it in large amounts, and particularly with physical powers, he thought.  I guess mental powers could be difficult, too, he thought.  But of course, he had to advocate the difficulty of physical powers, considering that was the kind of power he happened to have.

Luckily, the stairs were wide enough to allow two people to walk down side-by-side.  He followed her down, keep pace with her so he could make sure she wasn't going to topple over.  Watching Felicity, the boy could tell that every step, slow and hesitant, an effort to stay on her feet and moving.  It was a slow process that tested his patience, but really, he didn't mind too much.  His kindness was not particular to anyone, but rather just ingrained in him.  I wonder if it's harder to go upstairs or downstairs in her state, he wondered absently.

With a sigh and a smirk, Felicity said that he'd need to teach her some of his moves, so that she could take care of the guys if they came back.  "Fat chance.  At least, for now," he said, snorting a bit.  It was all in good humor, though.  "You're in no condition to do anything.  No pity and no offense, of course."

Once they were inside, the girl dropped her parasol and sat down, leaning against the wall.  Braedyn knelt down next to her as she told him to go ahead, saying that she wouldn't be able to move for quite a while.  "You really think I'm just going to leave you here?  I'm disappointed by your lack of faith," the boy joked.  "Do you want me to take you to the nurse or something?  I could probably carry you.  You look light enough."  What with her skinny limbs and thin frame, he could probably carry double her weight, but he didn't mention that aloud.  Being honest didn't mean not knowing when to shut up.  Not knowing when to shut up was just not having a filter.

---

Notes: