curious fox

His attention went back to the kitsune when she spoke. He nodded after her words, accepting the fact that she had to leave already in spite of how short a visit this had been. That didn’t feel right for the fae, though. That they would just say goodbye to each other like this. It was likely that they would text each other over the summer, but still. This brief encounter wasn’t enough to bid farewell to someone he cared about as much as he did with Allison. “I’ll walk you back to the academy” the Welshman said with a light smile. He didn’t phrase it as a question on purpose to prevent getting a ‘no’. He wanted those extra minutes of walking her back.

Allison hesitated for a moment before nodding at Marcus’s suggestion, pulling her robes around her a little more on her way out of the apartment. She hardly ever minded being out in the rain, and the coolness of it was almost a bit of a welcome relief, but she didn’t want her dress getting ruined if she could help her. Corenna had been the one to buy it for her, and she’d feel bad showing up only to have it soaked through. Looking up and down the street, she tried to impress the image as much as she could into her mind, trying not to focus on how much she would admittedly miss it while she was away. Nowhere had ever felt like home quite as much as Clearbrook and Lothering, a fact she always felt a little guilty about when she knew the Carrows wished she would come home more. Three months hadn’t seemed so long when she agreed to go home for the summer, but it suddenly seemed like a very long time.

A small smile stayed on his lips as the girl explained how things went in the event. It may not have been anything extraordinary, but it would have meant something for Marcus to have been there for her. It wasn’t the graduation itself he cared about, after all, it was her.

Allison looked toward the open window, breathing in a bit more deeply that usual to catch the scent of a storm in the air. She knew that the few droplets of water on the window were an indication that people would soon be scattering from the streets and her foster parents would probably try to find a way to contact her to insist they start to get going soon. After all that she’d told them about the area, about the supernatural world in general, she could assume that even a simple thunderstorm in a place like this might scare them. She was still staring out the window when he closed it, eyes trained on the dark clouds as a faint flash of lightning brightened the sky. A small, comfortable smile formed on her face at the sight, finding it to be an all too fitting end to her undergraduate studies at Clearbrook. She knew her foster parents would likely fall asleep on the train ride home, but she couldn’t imagine doing anything but quietly looking out the window and watching the storm as it raged ahead. Sometimes she considered watching storms to be her own personal form of meditation, the only thing that always helped her feel a bit less burdened, a bit more at home wherever she was.

He wished he could have attended the graduation ceremony and it showed in the way he looked at her before he shook his head “No, I couldn’t go. There were no tickets left”. He probably should have asked earlier to secure his spot in the event. But he was glad Allison had decided to come to say goodbye, appreciating that she’d thought of coming to see him before leaving for the summer.

Her lips curved into a frown for a few moments when he revealed he hadn’t been able to attend. Even if it probably was boring for a lot of people to sit through, there was a certain emotional energy about any graduation ceremony that made it intriguing. Allison had found herself watching a lot of her classmates to see their reactions throughout the speeches and receiving diplomas. It was very strange to see so many new kind of responses that she might not have expected from some people that she’d seen in the halls for the past few years.

Hearing it was the kitsune was a pleasant surprise. He knew today had been the graduation which unfortunately he wasn’t able to attend. He figured he wouldn’t see much of her on this day given the ceremony and the fact that her parents had come to town. It was to be expected her time would be spent with them and probably celebrating the momentous event.

She waited patiently to be buzzed up, glancing up when she heard a faint clap of thunder. The dark clouds that were coming in overhead were moving at a speed too fast to be a natural occurrence, but it wasn’t that surprising to her. A number of thunder kitsune graduated, and it wouldn’t be all that odd for one to think that a thunderstorm was the perfect celebration. Or they just wanted to show off one last time. A bit of a chill breeze came by just as the door unlocked and she quickly came inside, glad to be greeted by warmth again. 

@allison-watts

The graduation ceremony was just what was expected - traditional and nothing particularly exciting about it. They read off names and honors and people filed by in robes and there were hugs and pictures taken after and then it was time to go. Allison honestly went through most of it feeling a bit like she was on auto-pilot, even with the picture taking. It was strange, to be leaving Clearbrook even for just a few months. When she returned, it’d be different. She wouldn’t live on campus, with her housemates, and she’d be taking much more advanced courses in just one area. It almost seemed unreal. While Aryn and Corenna helped to pack up the remainder of her things and get them to the train, Allison went into Lothering to say a quick final good-bye to Carter and Ryan if she could find them. On her way back to the Academy, she passed by the street that led to Marcus’s and decided to make a quick turn. They still had plenty of time before the train left, and Corenna and Aryn loved just walking around Lothering to witness all that was there. With an assigned guide, of course.

Marcus wasn’t even sure when the graduation ceremony would be, but he figured he still had time to see if anything could be done to be able to attend. “Maybe so, but if it’s possible, I’d like to go anyway” the gardener reassured her with a light smile. A question crossed his mind, and now was as good as any other time to ask it “And will you be leaving soon after graduation? Or are you planning on spending some time here before leaving?”.

She nodded and smiled a little. She really only had Corenna and Aryn coming to the ceremony, during a brief time period when the ward on humans would be lifted for people’s parents coming to the graduation. Assuming no one else would want to come who didn’t already have a way in, she’d given away her extra tickets and suddenly regretted that she hadn’t kept at least one or two just in case. “Just a few hours,” she admitted. “I’ve been boxing and sending a lot back home.”

“Honestly, I don’t know” he admitted with a light shrug. If it was up to him he’d certainly be there. He wasn’t friends with other students that would be graduating but would like to attend the ceremony for Allison. The fae was glad and proud of her achievements in the academy and her future in the graduate program. “I don’t know if all faculty and staff are invited”. The likelihood for a gardener to be invited was pretty slim, but the fae would make sure to ask. “I’d like to go”.

Pressing her lips together a little, she listened, unsure if it could be as simple as someone who worked at the school asking for a ticket for it to actually happen. She nodded, folding her arms behind her back as she looked up at him. “The ceremonies are a bit boring, anyway,” she admitted, but then again, speeches and calling off names wasn’t exactly exciting. “If you didn’t go, you wouldn’t miss much.”

His ‘plans’ may not be such a grand way of spending a summer vacation, but it would not be wasted time. Marcus had some relative freedom to make of the academy’s gardens what he liked, just as he’d done with the cherry trees by Adaria Park. He’d been thinking of planting some new types of flowers, rarer ones, an idea that was just reaffirmed by the kitsune’s comment. “I will, I promise” the gardener replied with a smile. He still had some seeds of the Skeleton flowers he’d given to Allison for her birthday, maybe he could plant some somewhere she could see them often. And there was of course the idea of acquiring some new seeds of other unusual plants he’d always liked.

When he assured her he’d send pictures, she smiled back at him briefly and nodded. Taking a sip of her drink, she looked back out at the dance floor for a few moments. Realizing she’d finished off the drink, she set it on the nearest table by where Marcus had set his drink. “Are you going to the graduation ceremony?” she asked curiously, unsure of just how much of the faculty and staff were invited.

He nodded in understanding. Growing up, the fae never had to work during summers but he knew some of his old friends did that either to help out their families or to save some money for themselves. “I think I will, yes” Marcus nodded with a light smile. The idea of staying and working didn’t bother him, despite it being during the summer vacations. “I honestly have nothing better to do, and I could use the money”. Working during the summer period would earn him some extra cash and it would keep him occupied.

She nodded a little, figuring it wasn’t worth it at that point to press and ask if he was going to consider taking a summer course. She knew how much certain events had set him back recently, and making some extra money probably couldn’t hurt. “You’ll have to send me pictures of the gardens,” she suggested, knowing she’d probably miss the castle and the village after only a few weeks back in Glasgow. Any reminder of what she’d be coming back to when her graduate program started would be welcome.

“How come?” the Welshman asked, his curiosity piqued regarding Allison’s summer plans. He wasn’t sure if she meant her summer would be a busy one because of things related to the graduate program of due to something else entirely. “I have no plans” he admitted with a shrug “I think I’ll stay here for the summer”. Travelling was barely an option considering his little spending stunt on April 1st had left him a little short on money. Even after he managed to resell the suit, he wasn’t able to obtain the full amount he’d spent when he bought it. Marcus was saving his money now more than ever. “Someone has to take care of the gardens during the summer too, so I guess it’s best if I stay” the fae added, but even he knew that was an excuse. It was easier to say that than admitting he no longer had anyone to visit during vacations.

“I’ll be working a lot,” she stated, something she guessed he could relate to considering the amount of effort he put into his job. Serving food to people wasn’t exactly as fulfilling as beautifying a campus might be, but it paid well and she often made a fair amount in tips, especially if it was a wedding event and people were eager to be drunk and generous. Learning that he’d be staying in the village for the summer, she nodded a little. Clearbrook was always fairly populated even during the summer, with people wanting to take classes or just needing a place to stay over the break. “Are you just going to be working here?” She wasn’t sure if he might consider taking just one summer course, when classes were less crowded. 

He almost regretted the way in which he led up to the question, realizing how it must have sounded like. The fae could only imagine the sort of questions Allison could’ve imagined he’d ask, and in relation to what topic. Definitely not the best wording he could have used to then ask about the graduate program. “Those are great news. I’m glad to hear so” Marcus said with an earnest smile. It was rather gratifying to learn things were following the path they should regarding the studies of the kitsune. “Sounds like you’ll be very busy” he mentioned in a light-hearted manner. It was to be expected that as she continued to advance in her education there would be more work and more time to be dedicated fully to her field of study with interships and such. “It also sounds like you’re happy” the gardener pointed out with a warm smile because it was hard to miss how excited the kitsune was about this next step in her life.

She nodded slightly, knowing that next year was certainly going to be busy at the very least. It wouldn’t be much different than any other semester, though. Having two majors that required such different courses made her grow quite used to being all over the place as she tried to hold it together. It might even be a bit of a relief to focus on just one area of coursework, even if the other time would be taken up with a, likely unpaid, internship. “Summer won’t exactly be free, either,” she muttered, taking another small sip of her drink. She’d be working for her adoptive mother’s catering company, trying to earn as much money as she could before coming back. She smiled a little, guessing she really didn’t need to confirm that she actually was rather content at the moment. “What are your plans?”