guarded & guardian.

Eddison: No one calls me Eddie except my mom. I mean no one else ever has I think. Eds? That's new. You're...I'm confused. And my heart rate is up.

Eddison: Yes. I'm beginning to realize that.

Eddison: Glad? No. It's not fair. But you've answered now, so thank you. Are you saying you were planning on kissing someone tonight? You may want to consider doing that before coming here, you wouldn't want to keep someone waiting. You want to? Or are you just saying that? You called me Eddie. Why miss me?

Eddison: Most people do.

Felix: Yeah, I called you Eddie. I could call you a lot of things. Eddie, Eds, even a cute, sassy boy.

Eddison: I didn't hope that, no. Good. You can't call me out on dodging a question while dodging one of your own. I like to read, and to watch documentaries. Maybe?

Eddison: You don't judge me. Maybe I did miss you. But we've been talking so much, it would have been hard not to.

Felix: Good, I'm glad you didn't. I can't, huh? I do think a lot of things are fun. Like kissing cute, sassy boys. Sounds like a blast. We can do that sometime. I do miss you, Eddie.

Eddison: I think that's a good thing. I'll be here. What kind of fun? What exactly do you consider fun? Did you miss me?

Felix: Unless you hoped I wouldn't show up, then it is. See you soon. I consider a lot of things fun. What about you? Nice dodge. Maybe I do.

Eddison: Okay. I'm here, in my room. Please come here.

Eddison: Right. Those things exist. You're right. Okay. Do you think my blood pressure is up? I have a cuff, I'll check it. You want to do that?

Eddison: But what if I run out before what I buy gets here? Do you think so? That would make sense right? I mean, people are bound to get hurt here.

Eddison: Spring officially starts tomorrow an I don't know if I brought enough Flonase and allergy pills. I don't know if I have enough inhalers. I don't know who else to text. I'm sorry.

Ruby hadn’t intended to enter the library, and had just been passing by on her way back from the Administrative Office, heading towards her suite to change into something more comfortable for the welcome festivities. The figure positioned comfortably in a large chair caught her eye, and a quick backpedal and a little squinting revealed someone she shouldn’t have been surprised to see. “Bijou, antisocial as always. It wouldn’t kill you to come out into the sunlight every now and again, you know.” She joked, shaking her head. 

Hearing his name, Bijou didn’t flinch, he simply raised his eyes to look over the cover of his book and set his flute of wine down in two smooth motions. The teasing hit his ears and he tsked through his teeth, sucking in a playful breath of air before placing his bookmark in his book and setting it down beside his wine. “Charming, Ruby. You know, if you missed me all you had to do was say so.” A pause. “It might kill me though, you never know.”

Kale was never what anyone would have described as the ‘social’ type. Alone was how he was most often, and alone was how he preferred to be. He knew that eventually, he would need to open himself to some sort of interaction, for no other reason than to find his Guarded, and graduate Brightwood. But, it wasn’t a thought he relished nor one he looked forward to. When Rowena approached, he cocked an eyebrow, preparing himself to ask what she needed. Before he could, though, her hand was raised, a puff of something coming at him quicker than he could comprehend. It was as though he blinked, and when he came to, something about the world seemed different, somehow. When Rowena raised her hand, Kale wanted to stop her, but couldn’t seem to bring himself to do so. “I feel…I feel…” Bringing his eyes to focus on her, he cocked his head a little. “Hello, Rowena. You’re gorgeous, did you know? I haven’t seen you in a while, I was beginning to worry. Are you hungry? Here, have my lunch.” Kale replied, offering her the bag in his hand 

As Kale processed how he felt about being approached and how the powder had affected him, Rowena was quiet and patient, watching him with an expectant and curious expression on her face. Would it work? The Guarded’s power was a kinship to plants, she was basically half plant and half human. This meant that she produced things that plants produced, and she could communicate with and control plants. She often spent her free time experimenting with her power and with her plants, this was her first experiment on a person this year-- and it went perfectly. Kale responded as expected and she breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on her face. When she offered his lunch, her smile slid into more of a smirk, but she still politely reached for the hand offering it instead of the lunch. “Sweet Kale, thank you but you can keep your lunch. I’ll eat mine and we can eat together instead, how does that sound?” She did have hers in her messenger bag, slung on her side. More time for more questions and observation; to see how long he was affected.

I’m young, I’m not a child. What kind of shenanigans do you do, do I even want to know? Your band…I thought you looked familiar. It’s not my kind of music, but yeah. I think you and I have very different definitions of the word fun. 

We’ve got a tough guy over here. I get up to all kinds of things, I’m just coming off of a world tour, if that gives you any ideas. Yep, my band. We might, we might. Who knows. Maybe not. I like to surprise people. 

I think I’ll prefer to test my bond in a less…terrifying way, if given the choice. I’m Rosalie, a new Guarded here.

Oooh, so you’re like super young then. Yikes. I’ll try to keep my shenanigans to a PG13 level. I’m Felix, I started late because the Council let me tour with my band. The celebrity scene is fun, if you ask me. Then again, I started with nothing so I really appreciate it. It’s been really interesting being recognized everywhere from my album covers. 

No? Please tell me that sort of thing doesn’t happen often here?

It’s happened a few times, actually. Testing soulmate bonds and all that.

EDDISON: I don't know about that. I don't know the answer to that either. It's Tuesday though. On Tuesdays I eat kale salad with tofu for dinner. Fun? Was I supposed to? Did you?

EDDISON: I'm not sure. I just know that most aren't. Come over? Scoop- are you intending to physically carry me somewhere? What is it you were thinking of eating?

EDDISON: I didn't think you were deceased, I'm sure I would've heard about something like that happening if it had. I just assumed after our last conversation you weren't interested in talking to me. Which would have been fine, most people aren't. That makes one of us. Me? I'm just organizing my vitamin shelf, alphabetically I might add. And yourself? You are both right and wrong. I do usually eat on a schedule, but dinner time hasn't happened yet.