✼Reed's Hollow✼

Fern kept her fists clenched, ready to pounce if Reed said anything alarming. She was a little surprised that they were really just standing there with mumble feet, almost shy after being confronted. That was a pretty weak lie, unless they weren’t lying. If this had happened before, they should really be more used to people being upset with them. Maybe they were, hence the shyness.

“I’m not ‘up in my feels’, you’re up in my feels. What do you think you’re doing?” She’d put people in trances many times before, but it was always with intent from her first. In this case, Reed was supposedly only drawn to her emotions? Get real.

Reed takes notice of the clenched fists, which weren’t as powerful of a tell as the emotions raging off of her at this instant, but they do tell Reed that things could get violent here—something they’d rather avoid.

They scratch behind their ear awkwardly, holding their hands out and making grasping-at-the-air gestures as they collect their thoughts in order to explain. “See, I...thing is, I can’t really turn it off. I can try an’ distract myself, though. It’s just...yours feel pretty, uh, pretty loud right now, an’ it’s hard to ignore.”

Well, that was not the answer Cole had been expecting at all. If this kid was a VK, he’d probably think the student was illiterate since most of them hadn’t even gone to school. Something told him that wasn’t the case here, though.

“Can’t read it? They’re numbers,” Cole pointed his pencil up to the board. Maybe the kid just needed to ignore the words if they were distracting or hard to read. Not that Cole could help much with the math, since he was struggling with it too, but at least he had some focus comparatively, “So, you just do the same proof as we did before, but this time ‘X’ is the numerator. I think.”

Reed grimaces, not really wanting to go into it all, as it is pretty embarrassing. Presumably, by their age, reading shouldn’t be a problem. Whether ir’s words or numbers. Listening to words or numbers, they don’t have too much of a problem understanding, though even then the terms tend to get a little jumbled up. Reading? A whole other issue.

“I think the word for it is...ironic,” Reed responds, remembering something their father had once stated. “My name is Reed, but...reading ain’t really my, uh...my fort.” Reed’s almost certain the wrong word was chosen there, but they’re sure it at least sounded like fort.

“I don’t get why math’s gotta have letters no. Wasn’t it hard enough with just the numbers?” They groan, glancing at Cole’s paper. “I didn’t....I didn’t do the other proof, broki. I don’t even know how. We solve a problem then prove that we solved it? Like, ain’t showin’ your work the same thing?”

Rhedyn snatched the book from Reed’s hands, only to realize it was justt another story book, not one of the ones she’d thrown away, though she did find it a little funny that he struggled to read the cover. “I referred to treasure as in the old saying, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. With the low standards as set here on the Isle, many consider perfectly useless items to be of importance, such as jewelry or riches. Even if you do feel you are offending some, I might venture to say that a majority of people are either deserving of you offending them, or are not the type of people worth pleasing. ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ can refer to people too,” She raises a grim a finger to point at Reed. The gesture may have been sweet is it hadn’t come across so monotone.

“I don’t believe you’d have an enjoyable time with the Tremaine’s or the Evil Queen, however if you feel the need is so important, I can take you to their houses before going home myself,” Though this was obviously going to be a fruitless effort on her friend’s part, Rhedyn had no hand in the game of meeting other villains, so it wouldn’t hurt to help Reed along. Additionally, there was no way Rhedyn would be able to take Reed back to her father’s house, he’d break everything in sight and the Horned King would have his head for making noise.

Reed’s jumps a little at the sudden movement of Rhedyn snatching the book, their defensive instincts kicking in and getting them into a battle stance. It takes only a moment for them to realize this was no cause for alarm and to get back into their normal stance, though not quickly enough for any of it to go unnoticed

Tilting their head curiously, Reed wonders aloud, “Whadda you consider important stuff? Like, books? They’re pretty important. Or is it somethin’ special in pacific kindsa books?” Reed wishes that they could have the same love of literature. It’s not that Reed doesn’t enjoy learning, quite the contrary, rather their inability to read the way they’re expected to has made all of that difficult for them.

Reed shakes their head in disagreement at Rhedyn’s statement. “I’unno, Branches. Como, like, I don’t know what they been through, ya feel? Especially here...there’s just so much...hurt here. I don’t wanna make it any worse for ‘em.”

When people advise Reed against meeting certain others, this only draws more curiosity out of them. They continued to hold out hope that they’d somehow be able to connect to them on a level, whatever level that may be. So when Rhedyn mentions the Tremaines, and how Reed should steer clear, this only sparks more eagerness in them. “Heck yeah! That’d be super cool of you. Should I bring anything? A vegetable gift basket, maybe?”

Song Lyric Meme - Patience from Dreamgirls

Cole stared at the whiteboard, completely baffled by every symbol the teacher had written up. It was supposed to be equation they’d need on the final, but none of the corresponding letters made sense to him, and his notes were becoming more and more like chicken scratch as time passed. With a deep breath, Cole leaned over the student next to him.

“Look, I’m not saying we should cheat, but do you have any idea how to help me with this? I have no idea what we’re doing,” He admitted, gesturing to the board again.

@askreed

Reed had been staring blankly at the whiteboard for a while now, only snapping back to reality every now and again to swallow down the saliva collecting in their mouth before any of it dribbled out. It was numbing, trying to read the symbols on the board. The letters, the numbers, the symbols—they danced about each other in waves, warped, without any pattern they could possibly comprehend. The overwhelmingness of it all sets in and their eyes glaze over, a tightness in their chest raising a feeling of dread.

Just short of screaming, they’re pulled out of this state by a voice floating in their direction. Pulling themselves together, Reed turns to the student beside them who’d leaned over. His words bring Reed some much-needed comfort. They smile at the boy, despite their watery eyes. They blink them dry.

“Got me,” Reed whispers and shrugs in response. “I can’t even read any of it.”

Fern had the sneaking suspicion something was trailing her. She wasn’t exactly hiding anything on today of all days, but the feeling of someone’s eyes on her back was unwanted to say the least. Usually River was the only one willing to skip class with her, and students shouldn’t be out of class while finals were goign on. Once in a fairly private place, the school garden, Fern spun around quickly on her heels, making eye contact with the kid floating behind her, too close for comfort, “Back off!”

@askreed

Though slow on the uptake when it comes to understanding socially acceptable behavior, Reed is quick to retract when their advances are unwanted by others—which has happened enough times that they’re not at all rattled by Fern’s confrontation. Reed smiles brightly in contrast, though their eyes are apologetic.

“Sorry, broki. I kinda got wrapped up in all this energy you got up in your feels right now. Got me all trance-like, y’know?” They weren’t too sure how else to explain it, and understood that doing so would just make them sound intrusive. Reed can’t exactly control it when they feel the whirling of emotions around them, but it feels like an invasion of privacy, all the same.

Rhedyn stared down at the jewelry, deciding it’s place of origin must’ve been off the Isle. Likely something made by an Auradonian craftsman and then thrown out carelessly, “Yes, it is aesthetically pleasing, however the chip on the second stone implies damage was dealt during it’s transfer to the Isle. Likely worth much less not that it is partially broken, and worth almost nothing here since we don’t find use in superficial style elements. Perhaps a Tremaine or Grimhelde would like it.”

She found herself a little flustered with the nickname again, but didn’t say anything against it. As for finding interesting things in the dump… Rhedyn preferred most people to not find her family’s old books, “I prefer not to go digging through trash, no matter how men may consider it ‘treasures’.”

“I’unno, I like that it has this lil’ chip on it. Makes it look organic, y’know? Real naturalism, real characterisms,” Reed comments, trying to sound smarter with longer words, one of which is used wrong and the other not being an actual word. Not that Reed would know.

“Oh, cool! Maybe you can introduce me to ‘em?” they ask, as Rhedyn mentions a couple names. As much as Reed tried, they couldn’t quite start a conversation with any of the locals on the Isle. Perhaps Rhedyn could help with that? “I feel like I keep offendin’ folks here. I get bad vibes wheneva I try and say hello. Maybe you intro-ing me around could help?”

Reed scratches their head, and shrugs. “Well, I don’t think it’s meant to be treasure for all folks. Guess that’s why it’s here, huh?” They reach down and pick up an old book, squinting at the title, trying to read it. “Hmm, what’s this book about?”