LOCATIONS

[farrowday]

(placeholder-- will have toplevels for common locations, players welcome to add their own for private spots like dorms)

Comments

GROUNDS

[farrowday]

[For anywhere outside the mansion itself. Students have been warned to be careful around the fountains for what's probably the fiftieth time.]

fountain - for ryan

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[After his day spent with Petre, their "date" which was nothing of the sort, John doesn't go back into the school. He finds himself sitting on the edge of the fountain, listening to the water to try and clear his head, staring up at the sky until it starts to darken. Easily the longest amount of time he's ever been quiet and still in his life, including sleep.

People pass, and then fewer people, and eventually he thinks he's alone. Sagging forward, elbows on his knees, he buries his face in his hands and just sits that way. It could look like crying, or just a serious breakdown, but it's mostly that he's tired. Mind and body, he's never been so fucking tired.]

[mediumatlarge]

[He likes to read and study outside, when he can. It's quieter out there, calmer, easier to focus; this is one of those days he just doesn't want to go back inside, even when he starts losing the light he's been reading by, but the darkening of the sky is an unavoidable reminder that he's got to go eventually. Ryan reluctantly starts heading back, textbook and notebook both tucked under one arm-

-and pauses when he notices someone still at the fountain. The posture makes him think for a moment that maybe he ought to leave them alone... but John's one of the people he recognizes easily by now, and he doesn't need to look for long to realize it's him.

Ryan comes over to settle next to him, the concern practically radiating off him as he peers down at John with a worried frown.]

...hey.

[That's all- just an acknowledgment he's there, feeling things out a little before he decides to just leap right into questions.]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

Not right now, okay? I can't talk about this one.

[It says something about the urgency of the situation that he won't even speak aloud, choosing to use a manner of communication that he feels will leave him vulnerable - and it does, mere seconds later, that loop of Petre's faintly accented voice that's been running through his head all day now playing through Ryan's.]

(I get what you're feeling. No one's ever done that for me. I've never needed anyone. I need you.)

[mediumatlarge]

[The fact that John's not speaking aloud definitely just makes him worry more- and god, those words he picks up aren't helping. They make his own heart skip a beat before he exhales a steady breath, shakes his head.]

You don't have to talk about it. I'm not gonna make you. But you remember what you told me, right?

(Don't forget this. Don't miss the manipulation.)

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Somehow, he doesn't seem at all surprised that things are bleeding through. They've been so loud in his own head all day that it seems impossible they shouldn't. But he just lifts his head from his hands, and his face is so pale and drawn from nerves and lack of sleep that he looks sickly.]

Ryan, you didn't see him...

[But now he can: Petre with his head low and eyes upraised, hands balled tight in a plain grey t-shirt, small and pathetic, pale eyes pleading openly. No. Don't leave. I don't want to stop. Not commanding John but begging. Nothing has ever looked more sincere.]

gardens, OPEN

[paraesthesia]

[She's got her sunglasses on like she's recovering from a bad hangover, sitting somewhere with the key to her room so she can clean the dirt from under her nails. Probably ditching class right now, but who cares. The year's just begun and anything they have to teach that doesn't involve physical violence will more easily bore the fuck out of her than have her engaged.

She picks at her hair, dry ends between fingertips. Ugh. She needs to go bleach it again, her darker roots are starting to show.]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[There's a bush of flowers beside the bench where she's sitting, and one by one, the heads of the flowers catch flame and wither away to ash. There doesn't appear to be any source for the flames, but they're clearly nothing to worry about, only targeting what they're meant to - the day he learned what was essentially fire ventriloquism was a wonderful one indeed, just for moments like this.

He's behind a tree with his lighter out, sending those signals from its flame and just waiting for a reaction.]

[paraesthesia]

[At first she jerks, both wary and pissed because if one of those things catches her hair then there's going to be hell to pay. She might look like the end of a broomstick on good days, but her hair's her baby and she'll still kick your ass for messing with it. It's just about the only way she can express how much she fucking hates her parents - by denying the heritage of their trademark auburn hair.

She practically snarls when she turns to look behind her shoulder.]

Do you want me to crack your skull open with my mind? 'Cause I'll do it.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

No, but I like that it's where you went first. [He appears from behind the tree, pulling any lingering flames into his palm and snuffing them out, then snapping his lighter shut.] Right for death threats. Pretty sexy.

[paraesthesia]

There'll be nothing sexy about you crying with snot and drool all over your face, asshole.

[bleugh.]

gardens, for about two weeks? a month?! WHO KNOWS

[broil]

[After the New York trip with John, Petre kept his promise and took all the blame. He's serious about those promises, the same way the faculty is serious about laying out his punishment. Suspended from classes for two weeks, forced to work around the institute for a lot longer than that, and not going anywhere outside the institute until the end of the school year. He's either locked up in his room and not allowed to go anywhere without supervision or stuck outside doing some hardcore gardening.

If you catch him around the first week, you'll find him chewing gum (can't smoke when they're watching you closely) and staring at the tools like a dog that's been instructed to learn how to use a computer. Eventually he'll stop doing that and actually work.]

[ineedyou]

[ so there is one (1) harry osborn adjusting his sunglasses and strolling on over. LOVELY DAY FEELING GREAT LOOKING GREAT.

he's going to hover a little, watching petre with a curious look. this is how they do punishments for sneaking to new york with john? (he could've shown them a seriously good time if invited but whatever he just met them. no fucks given.) ]

You look super lost.

[ ...not that...he would know anything about gardening either. he'd be lost too. ]

[broil]

[Nice sunglasses. I'll have to steal them sometime.]

I'm trying to decide what I'm going to tell my shrink.

[... not a shrink. A counselor. But that's what he calls him/her/it anyway.]

[ineedyou]

That's a tricky one.

[ where's the person monitoring petre right now? he glances around. ah. there's the teacher. he looks back to him after spotting them. ]

How long have you been out here? If it hasn't hit thirty minutes yet, I can save you.

[bakegarasu]

[Otoha wanders over. Oh. Right. That's why. He looks down at Petre and smirks slightly.]

Those weeds aren't going to pull out on their own.

[He doesn't agree with the punishment, but it's not his call. Unfortunately.]

[broil]

Are you sure?

[the tool dangles from his hand. He lets it swing back and forth.]

Could be my new power.

[bakegarasu]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not true.

[Come on kid. He doesn't like this either.]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Three days in. Ryan comes to "study" and slips him the lighter every day, so his own tension about his work assignment is starting to dissipate. It's that act, his own intense gratefulness for it, that makes him eye Petre's pack of cigarettes on his bedside table thoughtfully and formulate a new plan.

They're nasty addictive, he remembers that much from his mom. And Petre's got pretty much zero opportunity to smoke right now.

He walks down the path to the gardens, finding where Petre is working and ducking behind a bush to light one of those cigarettes. Blech, disgusting, but he knows better than to inhale this time. Once he comes into view, he just holds it out to Petre with his head cocked. That choking blue-grey smoke rising temptingly from the ember.]

No one's around right now. I'll keep an eye out; if anyone gets close, the whole thing'll be ashes before they see anything, right down to the filter.

[broil]

[If nothing else, by the third day Petre's actually working with the tools he's given, rather than just frantically chewing on stale gum while he picks them up and lets them drop down again. He's at the stage where everything he does is wrong and is told to repeat until it's done right, which could really just be a way of him stalling and irritating his supervisors into giving up hope that he'll ever be a passable gardener. No doubt they'll arrange worse punishment for him if that's the case, but history will just repeat itself until it's no longer fun.

When John shows up and hands out the cigarette, Petre stares. His eyes aren't alert - quite on the contrary - when they narrow, lip twitching slightly. He isn't suspicious as much as he's just bemused.]

And you're doing this because...?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

You did it. You took the blame. [He shrugs, like that'd be enough to coax a truly selfless gesture out of him and not a fierce about fucking time.] I can't be appreciative?

GROUNDS OPEN

[precognition]

[ idk she's out here a lot. and
may warn you about rain
even tho it's a totally sunny day

or whatever make something up ]

[paraesthesia]

You're fucking kidding me.

[she's making an unpleasant face, lip curled up at the weird little girl. The sunglasses on her only seem to exacerbate the expression.]

It's not gonna fucking rain.

[... language, Jewell.]

[precognition]

[ why does everyone keep cursing at her. you people are terrible influences. she frowns ]

Yes, it is. It really is.

[paraesthesia]

You know you need clouds for that.

[points up.]

Do you see clouds?