UNUSUAL.

“I DON’T RECALL ANYONE describing me in such ways. Thank you for your kind, eloquent words.”

               CLAW SCRATCHES   /    EYES LOWER  in bemused embarrassment upon the recognition of her praise ,  feathers flush  &&.  splaying out in a shudder .   it’s kind of him to bring such up ,  especially to someone so driven by fatherhood figures ,  lydia quick to reposition her hand to hide cheek .

                                ❛      ars goetia ,  correct ?    forbidden tome ,   but .  .  .    god ,  i remember reading about you when i was younger  ;       mother would’ve loved to be in my shoes right now .      ❜            her eyes soften ,  harden after brief lapse in defenses ,  only for her to recount her surroundings .

“…”

     ❛ ….Is it technically arranged if I do all the arrangin’ MYSELF? Through, mischievous deceit and clever loopholes? ❜

               constellations twinkle upon manor exterior ,  the soft flicker of flash photography capturing another glimpse of cosmic beauty within the flapping confines of a polaroid .   small  &&.  unorthodox ,  the goetia disguised deetz plucks developing photo from film dispense ,  whipping it to  &&.  fro in hand to speed up its process .   in the meantime ,  eyes wander the cascading lush of starlight decorum struck across architecture .

               soft oo’s follow as she walks the extent of iron fence ,  watching the flickering visage between bars shimmer like the living world’s own night sky .   it was glorified in all equity ,  defined by the galactic expanse of the known universe  &&.  further on .   new colors never thought to been seen in the milky way appeared to shower the premises ,  enough to distract her from blindly walking into a sharp turn in the fencing .

               photo falls through bars ,  camera just barely avoiding being crushed ,  all as the wide brimmed hat shuffles back on noggin .  hand braces cheek ,  a soft cluck of her tongue showing disappointment for her discarded polaroid still developing now left on grass within estate .

               DISGUISED   /    JADED EYES  trail the incubus ,  deer features making brows jump .   how was it possible for someone born of lust ,  of a concubine no less ,  to be so animalistic in decor ?    trigger finger itches ,  dances circles around the snapshot button upon polaroid ,  knowing better to save her film for a different aesthetic to capture .   though nothing stops her from speaking forthright ,  tone low  &&.  delicate in gothic trauma .

                                ❛      how far must we as a society fall before the grace of god shuns our humanity asunder ?    not to say there was even a god to begin with ,   because if he does he’s certainly done a great job as the father who’s been out looking for milk the past millennia .   .   .      ❜

✦ ; .                              ❛ - relax, those’re just as bad. sometimes when they get REEEEALLY outta hand, i hear they scoop your eyes out like ice cream. - ❜ lydia hooks her finger near her lower eyelid to tug down && further push her torment, only watching on for any skirmish or squeamish responses. regardless of how zim reacts she’s on the rebound to assure him of her joke. ❛ - c’mon — if it’s that bad i can always stick around to make sure you don’t break out. you don’t seem like the type who usually fits in anyways ; kinda like me. - ❜

             it doesn’t take much for the human to settle in without confirmation she’s even wanted around, sat with coddled knees against the wall she had found the other stood before. an elbow nudges the back of zim to urge him to let loose a bit, especially since now she’s taking him socially hostage in the situation. just look — the verbal handcuffs are already on, what with lydia sticking to his side like glue already. does he even have a choice?

[ nightmare ]

✦ ; .             skin crawls as the cold bites at her flesh, nails sinking into the folds of a blanket lydia had used to prop her head. her lucid dreaming had been horrid, showing her trapped within the netherworld again without family or friends — a slave to death by juno’s own hands. no betelgeuse, no adam or barbara. truly && utterly alone. ❛ - wh. . . oh god. - ❜ it’s only veronica, little bluebird bracing the deetz’s forearm as she rouses from her nap.

         ❝ wait, what – ❞ he blinks, leaning back a bit. what the HELL was going on about ? that wasn’t what he meant at all. he COULDN’T EVEN TOUCH the living if he wanted to. the most he could do was LIGHT FIREPLACES and close doors. maybe if he was BORED ENOUGH, he could fuck with cabinets, but that was IT ! the whole point of his curse was that he was, LITERALLY, INVISIBLE by EVERYONE that wasn’t ALIVE.

         ❝ i just wanted to talk about MURDER – what the hell are you talking about, lyds ?❞

✦ ; .                              ❛ - i . . . - ❜

          ❝ well, when you’re INVISIBILE, ya gotta work with what ya got.❞

✦ ; .                              ❛ - oh, - ❜ HERE WE GO. ❛ - so i’m not invisible too ? maybe it’s just going easier for you since you’re invisible in the LITERAL sense since this whole world is going blind from their illusioned paradise, or maybe it’s because i’m finally getting recognized at home. you think anyone other than dad, delia && the maitlands see me ?? i’m lucky if i even get a HELLO from the doorstops. - ❜

            ❝ hey, WHO PLANS FOR MURDER ? the excitement is in the rush when you just go for it ! ❞

The same could be said for Emily; She was new to Winter River, and had kept to herself from the other students during her time here when she first moved. Naturally, like Lydia, she’d been labeled as one of the strange of the crop because of her appearance, and for being sarcastic, cynic, and overall slightly dark. Not that Emily cared. When you grow up in New Jersey, you don’t have a single fuck to give about what others think. She’d been teased by the more popular girls for being ‘scary’ in terms of personality, and tough as nails. Still, she wasn’t without kindness and manners, either, but not everyone saw that in her. So she was a loner for the most part.

She didn’t know what made her come to Lydia at this point. Perhaps it was the fact she was sitting by herself, and thought she could use the company beyond the other snobs in this place. Maybe it was because she saw a little bit of herself in her, and too longed for the interaction of a decent human being. After all, popular and peppy teenage girls were downright evil. The other girl took a seat from across the way. She takes her camera and starts to adjust it. And Lydia was correct, as she turned off the flash. She glances up at her to explain, then starts to use her camera.

“Evidence, hopefully. The food here isn’t exactly healthy, and I’m pretty sure that meat isn’t real meat. It’s probably horse. Talk about cruelty to humans and animals. Tch.”

She snaps a picture of one of the lunch ladies carelessly using their hand to hand out lunch items, like unwrapped cheeseburgers. Didn’t people ever hear of wearing gloves anymore?

“So I’m trying to get some pictures for the school paper. Not that they’d let me on, but whatever.”

She snaps a few more, then sets her camera down. She then looks to Lydia.

“Lydia, right? I’ve heard some of the girls talking a bit about you. They said, and I quote, that you and I are the strangest things to happen to this town.”

She gave her a bit of a stare as she asked her name, as though reading her, but then rolled her eyes in annoyance as she explained about the gossip she heard, then proceeded to mock a rich and snobby girl’s voice. She shook her head slightly then looked back up. She then turned herself to face Lydia properly.

“Sorry, I’m not that good at socializing, as you can imagine…

Honestly? I think strange is cool. I’m Emily.”

✦ ; .                              ❛ - EMILY, huh ? - ❜ an unspoken tension rests with lydia as she seems to let the name reverberate around her. eyes squint briefly as her nose scrunches up, smile wider as she pushes past the memories. ❛ - me neither. - ❜

             those last words punctuate pretty sharply compared to her warmer welcome, especially since she didn’t seem to take to the whole ‘strange is cool’ analysis. maybe the other saw this as some gateway to being accepted, that their flaws were something to boast about like a flag for freaks — like it’s a natural bond for other disillusioned people. no, lydia wouldn’t buy into that whole ‘all in this together’ mindset, especially not from a complete stranger with an eye for societal justice. her lunch tray is passed forward in offering to the photo op, what with its contents being the contender for emily’s interest.

                               ❛ - here, a donation for your troubles ; could barely stomach the hoof. - ❜ laces fold as she stares down the eager journalist regardless of what eerieness it might cause. nails pinch upon the flesh it grips, lydia’s cold && calculating eyes piercing through emily’s rougher exterior. so she’s one of those open book types, where they’re confident && own their stigmas, rocking it like some fashion statement. lips press tighter while she watches the other snap photos, stalking out the inferior && picking apart the echeladder of cafeteria corruption. it’s almost surreal to watch.

             there’s so much to go off of, so much source material to base her afflictions && nitpickings on. another sort to pin point is how emily manages to somehow sway the topic onto a minor weakness, the lack of communication barely noticeable. lydia, from behind folded hands that had nested in front of her maw, is quick to correct. ❛ - oh believe me, you’re anything BUT a bad socialite. it’s more along the lines of having trouble balancing the carried weight of a conversation. see how you’ve done all the talking already ? all i’ve done is ask your name && you’ve sprawled out your entire spreadsheet of documentation like this is some reputation-dependent standoff. - ❜