oh, pretty bird

He wanted to live. He wanted to leave and be able to live again –but first, he needed to find Ikje, to find him and find a way out and perhaps dragging those few people he actually liked with them, because there was nothing worse than running and leaving others behind.

« I feel you so much on that, sometimes he just makes me want to slam my head against a wall. And I share a room with him, so guess who has to deal with him every day, every night. » Sigh ensued, trying not to think about the silly roommate for a moment, one hand moving to scratch lightly the back of his neck. « I guess we all have those people in our lives who are the bane of our existance. »

At his next remark, she let a wry smile curl at her lips. “I guess we do---which is one of the nice things about this school, actually. Anyone back home that was the bane of our existences we don’t have to see ever again. I can definitely think of a few former classmates that fit that description. So glad I don’t have to see them anymore.” She paired the arch comment with a laugh, though irritating classmates didn’t even cover half of it.

That label belonged to the two men who called themselves family in public, but didn’t dare acknowledge that fact behind closed doors. Her stepfather and half-brother were so much more than the banes of her existence; they were worse, and sometimes, Haneul couldn’t find enough words to describe how much she fucking hated them. How horrible they were, how horrible they had been to her. 

Reaching for the doorknob of the art room, she let herself fling open the door to see a familiar girl. Her name hadn’t slipped her mind like most people’s name at Elswood. Haneul.

“So, I’ve noticed. I expect art students to be messy, but never this messy.”

And she did remember overhearing a conversation about where to have sex in Elswood, but had promptly left the vicinity; she had no interest in such topics. Had Fleurette been genuinely curious or was she just trying to start shit?

While it was enough to pique her curiosity, it was ultimately not her concern.

“Maybe it’s a new art form? You know, expressing yourself creatively a la Jackson Pollock. You can’t make more of a statement than spilling paint all over the floor where someone’s not going to miss it---even if it means slipping right into it.”

She paused, considering the puddle on the floor again.

“Or they were just really clumsy and irresponsible, but that’s the much more boring explanation.”

Much more given to the protection of his office or classroom, to their stillness and silence and the rules his students would have to follow - or back in his TA days that were but a year ago, where he could stay at the library undisturbed. The physicist was rarely seen anywhere but those places, not the most talkative either, if anyone would ask, he remained quite the “Serious Teacher” and people were afraid of him. If only they knew it was the classical - he was much more afraid of them than they were afraid of him. And yet he understood their world, the enclosed world that was Elswood in his own way and didn’t go against it. Even with powers that could might as well do so. 

Speaking of said powers - as all of his classes were theoretical, Konstantin always made a point of never disclosing his abilities to any student, for it was much too dangerous. Still, one thing Grigori had told him was that not only a trained mind or body but trained skills make one whole. It is after dusk that he stays by the lake, appreciating the fact there are no students or faculty within his surroundings to train. He changes the lake’s colour to bright pink with a motion of both hands, talking to himself in his mother language still, keeping what Grigori would’ve called a “spell”. Around the borders of the lake, changes the grass foliage to soft blue fuzz. It is approaching steps that disrupt his concentration - and from the ring of blue grass around the lake, tendrils of violently red tall grass spark. Konstantin frowns intently at it, startled. “Careful.” He speaks stiffly, motioning his hands to reverse the changes. “Very dangerous.”

At first glance, the professor is imposing with his height and stoic manner, and she’s heard as much in the hallways. He’s strict, he’s a man of few words, he’s a mystery. She should be intimidated, but she isn’t, not really. A man who warns someone instead of snapping can’t be all bad.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” She places an apologetic smile on her lips, but when she looks at the lake again, her expression is full of awe, her mind whirring. If she’d been more expression, she might have gushed at the sight. She’s seen many powers since coming to Elswood, but nothing like this. Is it illusion? Is it kind of like Jai’s power: Changing an object into another? What was that...molecular manipulation or some shit? 

“Dangerous, yes, but beautiful,” she remarks, watching as he reverses the changes with a twinge of disappointment. She rather liked the show, even if it wasn’t for anyone to begin with. “What kind of power is that? What makes it dangerous? If you’re just changing the color, then surely not much would really change, unless you’re doing something more to it that makes it spark?” She gestures to the previously crimson grass. 

Send an emoji to learn how good/bad my muse is at that particular skill!

💋 — kissing

💄 — makeup

👾 — video games

🎵 — singing

💃 — dancing

🎹 — playing an instrument

🌷 — taking care of living things

🌲 — surviving in the wilderness

👊 — fighting

😇 — following rules

🍳 — cooking

🍼 — taking care of children

🎁 — giving presents to others

🎉 — hosting parties

💌 — romance/flirting

🎨 — art

🍀 — luck

⚽️  — sports

🏊 — swimming

🚗 — driving

🔮 — magic

🔎 — investigating

🔫 — long range weapons

💣 — explosives

🔪 — melee weapons

🔬 — scientific pursuits

🚿 — hygiene

💰 — finance

🌍 — knowledge of the world

👻 — communing with the paranormal

📚 — reading

🔧 — engineering/mechanics

⌛️ — time management

📥 — organization

🍺 — alcohol tolerance

🚴 — riding a bike

🎭 — performance art/acting

⚓️ — sailing

Jai tried to make sure his smile wasn’t too bitter as he forced it upon his lips, hoping it would stay in place.

“I guess so,” he said plainly, a dreamy look in his eyes as he looked out on the forest. There was a world going on beyond those trees. A world full of a future none of them would ever have.

By the time he looked back, he was focusing on his feet, digging his loafers into the dirt as if it was some act of rebellion.

No point in dwelling on a topic he seemed more than happy to move on from, though. No need to be reminded of the grim and the morose when there were already far too many unspoken reminders. So when he asked about Hawke, she just regarded him with pensive curiosity, lips pursed as she mulled over his question.

She didn’t trust Jai ( and she doubted he trusted her ). He was easy to talk to, of course, and decent company, but that did not have to mean she’d put her faith in him.

But Hawke did.

Then again, Hawke trusted about everyone while she trusted nearly no one. Still, aside from picking something new to talk about, Jai seemed genuinely concerned about their friend, and that was nothing to scoff at. 

“No, he’s not. It’s just...boy problems.” She offered a wane smile, sighing. That wasn’t even half of it, but other than what happened with Young, she didn’t really know what else was truly bothering him. For someone who was the living embodiment of an exclamation mark that never stopped talking, he had a talent for shutting down when he wanted to. “Did he say anything to you about what happened?”