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He had only been living in Chula Vista for a week, and already the heat was killing him. They didn't have weather here! Hot and sunny every fucking day! And this damn uniform didn't help. It was stuffy, and itched. Lucius longed for his usual attire, his fishnet top, his kilt, his jacket... not this!
The young Scot wore the uniform of his new school- Fremont High. He wore a white shirt, unbuttoned up around his neck, and with the sleeves rolled up. A pair of black dress trousers, sticking to his legs in the BLOODY HEAT! His tie was loosely hanging from his neck, and he grabbed it as he sat, loosening it more. He had his blazer lying on the chair next to him, and for the millionth time that day, he hated it. It just... lacked colour, originality, everything his own wardrobe had in spades!
The only thing of his own he wore was his trainers. The DC's were each a different colour, the left being white, the right being black- both linked by the acid-green laces. Lucius still had had his bells in his ears, and tucked under his shirt were his wooden Pan's pipes. The Scot, ignoring his older sister's warnings, had opted to wear his shoulder length, cherry-red hair in it's usual style- bound up all over his head, in dozens of ponytails. One hung over his eyes, and he impatiently blew it aside, running his hand over his face.
It was too hot to go outside, or even near the windows, where the burning ball of hate could scorch his skin. In frustration, the boy had hidden in an empty classroom for most of the day, on his own. He sat on the teacher's desk, his blazer beside him, his legs crossed. Once more loosening his tie, Lucius pulled out his pipes, his hand feeling unbearably hot as it touched his skin.
Wincing, the teen lifted the small wooden pipes to his lips, and started to play, blowing out a little Scottish folk-tune he had known since he was a boy. It was a simple tune, but it relaxed him, thinking of home. Bonnie Scotland. Where every day was cold and miserable, where there were two types of weather- raining and pissing it down, where you were mugged by twelve year olds with sticks...
Lucius lay back on the desk, a nostalgic grin on his face as he remembered his homeland. He continued to blow on his pipes, eyes closed as he sprawled out, his mind almost taken off the suffocating heat. But, feeling his shirt cling to his back, Lucius sat up again, the bells he wore as earrings tinkling softly.
"What the fuck is with this bloody heat!" he snarled, his accent sounding angry, and rough, though in appearance, he was far from rough. The boy looked almost feminine- a source of endless amusement to Dru, his sister. 'Androgynous' was a word he heard frequently at home. Lucius knew he was meant to be moving into the school dorms, but since he had just transferred from another country, the school was being reasonable, and giving him a week with his sister, before he moved in.
Hating the whole situation- his uprooting, and being dumped here, in Chula Vista- Lucius started his playing his pipes again, trying to take his mind off things playing something soothing. The music flowed easily from his mind, and before long he had closed his eyes, and forgotten about everything.
He didn't even notice when the door opened, and someone entered the room...
« Last Edit: Aug 1, 2009 21:42:33 GMT -6 by nosferatu »
Just tired of being happy all the time. Life had really dumped on her for the sixteen years that she had been living it. And today she just felt like crap! She was tired of people thinking that they could just leave her because she was homeless. Or think she was less of a person because of that. She sighed, she was tired of the judgements and the prejudice and the teachers hating her. Calling her out in the middle of class knowing that she couldn't read very well and yet making her the laughing stock just because they figured it would make her want to read even more.
It was lunch.
The WORST time of the day for a girl that didn't even have a quarter to her name much less something that she would actually be able to eat. She sighed as she slammed her locker closed. She was dressed in her uniform. The kilt showed off her toned legs, but they were thin and toned because of the amount that she walked and ran. The white blouse was buttoned up her front but loose around the neck and she wore her sweater vest with the school crest on it over her left breast. She sighed softly her shoes were pink and black, the only ones that they had and the teachers hated them too.
She could do no right!
There was a room that she occassionally went to. She just wanted to get away from everyone else. All the chatter and the happiness, get away from having to possibly see Connor. See that was the other things. He had broken up with her because his father didn't think she was good for him. Then his mentor.. father.. whatever.. Berlin liked to affectionatly call him asshole in her mind, had taken him away on a trip. Probably to harden him even more against her. Berlin had to admit that she had never in her life hated a person until she had met his father. Now she couldn't stand to even think of the pair.
She opened the door to the normally empty room. She was just ready to be alone for a while she came here during lunch whenever she could. To get away from the scents of the lunches that she couldn't eat. She opened the door and saw a boy laying there on the desk. She said nothing to him figuring he was in his own little world, and so she moved to the back of the room. Dropping her bag on the desk she opened the window and climbed into it. Sitting on the ledge up above the grounds of the school. Her curly soft blonde hair caught the sunlight and she wrapped her arms around her waist, her grumbling stomach would realize soon enough complaining wasn't going to do any good. She sighed softly.
Her eyes were saddened and distant as the blue orbs looked over the grounds. Dark circles were under her eyes, and she looked as though she was basically given up on life. She was just tired of all of it together. And tired of all of it she just wanted to be herself, and be who she was and here she felt like she was tied down and held back more than ever
Lucius finished playing his pipes, tucking them back into his shirt as he st up, his bells tinkling as he opened his eyes. The teen looked around the room, the brightness outside hurting his eyes. It was a typical classroom, like all the others in this school. Everything was so uniform, so... Lucius sighed. Nothing was unique here. All the people seemed so far to be little duplicates of each other. These were not the people Lucius was interested in studying.
What he needed was to find someone who stuck out, who didn't fit with the rest of the sheep here at Fremont. The teen raised an eyebrow, noticing the girl for the first time. When did she get here? The girl wore the typical uniform, and Lucius almost lost interest then and there.
But, as the blonde girl sat, her blonde locks shining in the sun, her arms came up round her stomach. Even from across the room, he could hear her stomach growling. Now, after his week, Lucius was not inclined to be charitable to anyone, and it wasn't like he cared about another sheep in the field. But, he was bored, and at least if he interacted with this one, he might have someone to study. Reaching down the side of the desk, the red-haired boy lifted his bag, the surface of it bathed in patches, and splashes of random colours. The pack was one of the shoulder-strap variety, and hefting it up, the teen hopped lightly from the teacher's desk at the front of the room, to the nearest pupil's desk.
Walking nimbly over the desks, Lucius approached the girl, and when he reached the desk closest to her, he knelt down, sitting on his haunches, his elbows on his knees. Tilting his head, the boy looked at the girl, the bells in his ears jingling as he moved. Without a word, he reached into his bag, and pulled out a chocolate bar. He had loaded up on them as soon as he had been able, after breaking into one of the vending machines. Lucius needed a lot to satisfy his sweet tooth, but the twenty or so bars in his pack would keep him supplied for the week.
He held out the chocolate, his dark grey eyes simply staring at the girl. Human interaction was not his strong point. Studying them was a lot different to actually speaking to them, and in most cases, Lucius didn't know quite what to say. This was partly his personality, but it was mostly because he was a Scot- if they weren't being abusive, they generally were lost for words.
After a few moments, he said simply, "here," offering the sweet to the blonde.
The music, was like a haunting melody. Berlin had not had enough worldly experience to know where the origin of the song played on some pipes was from but she liked it non the less. She liked the song though, because it was something that made her mood only that much more concrete. She hummed softly once she caught the pattern of the tune and continued to look outside. She hated this uniform, and this school, and she hated being here with all the people that came straight from money and class and looked down on someone that had lived their lives the best they could given the circumstances.
When the music stopped Berlin rose her hand to her cheeks and brushed the tears that had fallen there away. She didn't want to cry but it hadn't been easy to finally be accepted by someone to be taken under their wing and actually cared for. To know what she thought love might be like.. and then have it all just tossed away because 'daddy' didn't think she was good enough for him. She sighed softly and was too lost in her own thoughts to really notice that the bright red headed kid was moving down the tops of the desks. Her eyes were red with the tears, but the blue was shimmering in the sunlight outside the window. The slight breeze playing with the kilt around her waist.
The boy stopped, it was his presence that she noted first. She sniffled a bit and looked over at him. There must have been twenty tiny pony tails on his head. Grey eyes looked at her as though he was trying to figure out just what she was doing. She looked into those eyes, her own normally so bright and cheerful could not be that today. They looked sad and tired. AS though she had taken just about as much as the world could give her and for one day, she was just going to allow herself the pleasure of suffering and wallowing in self pity. His head tilted, making the bells in his ears go off, her blue eyes shifted and saw the bells there, she gave a slight quirk of her lips at them.
Her hand reached out, curiosity taking over her normal senses and she brushed her fingers over the bells in his ears, making them tinkle again. She had never seen anyone quite like him and he looked so out of place in his little uniform with his wild hair and the bells in his ears. The boy moved and began digging around in his bag. Berlin brought her hand back to her stomach and she watched as he pulled out a large chocolate bar. Hadn't she heard some rumors about the vending machines being broken into. She wondered if that was him that had broken into those things but she supposed she couldn't be sure. He held the chocolate bar out to her and she blushed as he said a simple..
Here
"For me?" she whispered.
Sniffling again she reached out with her hand and gently took the candy bar from him, she blushed even further though. Berlin blushed from time to time but she didn't even know him and it still amazed her that there were times when someone would show her such care when they didn't even know her name. Still, she took it and gently her shaking hands opened it. She couldn't even remember the last time she ate. Four and a half days ago. This would be something for her. She tore the paper to the side and bit off a bite of the chocolate, tears still mixed down her cheeks and her eyes were still sullen but it was sweet of him to do so with her.
"Thank you." Berlin mentioned when she swallowed her first bite. "Umm.. what's your name?"[/color]
The girl looked at Lucius, and he saw her eyes were red rimmed. Why would she cry? The breeze blew in the window, shifting her skirt a bit, but more importantly, cooling Lucius. He was dying in this ungodly heat. The blonde, however, did not seem to mind it.
Her eyes seemed... sad. Lucius was not really in touch with his own emotions, but after so many years of watching them, the red-haired youth found it easier to understand other people's. He tilted his head, and his little silver bells tinkled. The sound was commonplace for Lucius, and he didn't really notice it any more. Even as the bells jingled, the girl smiled, apparently amused at his appearance. He was used to this, and expected some of the insults that usually followed, but instead, she reached up.
Lucius did not move, his cold grey eyes locked on the girl. Physical contact, upon first meeting. Noted. He was not used to being touched, unless it was in a fight, or by Dru, but he remained still, crouched on the top of the desk, studying her every move. Her finger-tips brushed over the bells, making them sound again. Her hand withdrew as he moved, hunting out the chocolate bar. He also hunted himself out a lolly, cherry- his favourite.
"For me?"
Lucius nodded. If it had not been for her, what purpose would holding it out have served? She was evidently hungry, so he may have done it out of cruelty. He had an abundance of sweets, so he may it may also have been gloating, showing her what he had, when it seemed she had none. But, it was neither o these things, or any of the other emotionally guided actions it could have been. It was simply him, handing her a chocolate bar, seeing she was hungry.
Eventually, she reached out, and Lucius watched her blush. Seems to be embarrassed by accepting charity from others. Hints at pride. Noted. Lucius calmly watched the girl as she started to eat, her hands shaking a little as they held the candy. The heat made Lucius worry the candy would melt, but it seemed he was the only one affected by the heat. He toyed with one of his ponytails, sucking on his lolly, and squirming a little in the heat.
"Thank you."
Lucius shrugged. It was a simple gesture, and he had more for himself anyway.
"Umm.. what's your name?"
Lucius took the lolly out of his mouth and answered. He silently hoped she could understand his accent- because, while it wasn't anywhere near as rough as most Scot's (in fact, he sounded almost English, much to his chagrin), it might still be a little hard for the girl to get.
"I am Lucius," he stated, his voice rather blank, almost monotonous. He held up his bag, letting the girl see just how much candy he had- the vending machines had been picked clean. Amazing what you could do with a cherry bomb, when you put your mind to it.
"Would you like more?" he asked, holding the pack out to her. He was curious to see what her reaction would be.
He had pulled a sucker out of the bag that he had, apparently it was more candy than it was books. Not that it was a problem she didn't care she had a few things in her bag, but she really didn't own very much her books were carried in a plastic bag from walmart, the exact bag that her shoes had come in when Connor, her ex, had bought them for her. It was all she had and made it slightly easier for her to carry all her books.
I am Lucius
She smiled. His accent was very deep and sharp. Slightly hard for her to understand, but she had to admit that it wasn't so bad. She could make it out well enough and accents were always something nice. She loved being around people though and maybe this one could be a friend for her. But she wasn't going to push anything she was tired of being cast aside for nothing more than just something to pass the time. She sighed softly as she looked over at him.
"I'm Berlin."
The bag was held out so that she could see what was in it. Leaning over slightly she was shocked at the amount of candy that he had populating the bag. There were candies of all kinds in there, some chips, and even some cookies. Looked like he was the one that had raided the vending machine today. She was shocked that it all fit in the bag, looked like that was all there WAS in the bag was candies and snacks.
"Would you like more?"
"Yeah? Sure."
Berlin looked up into his eyes for a moment to make sure that it was really alright before she sat up a bit. Turning her body her feet fell to the floor on the inside of the room but her bum stayed in the window ledge. She grabbed a bag of skittles, a bag of chips, and some animal cookies. It wasn't like it barely even made a dent in the amazing amount of supplies that his bag had in it. She was surprised though that he was offering it to her. It seemed that people who actually could afford things were nicer than she had ever thought. This was just another proof, however only time would tell if it was actually worth it later or not.
"You new? I think I would have noticed you around, the hair and all it's kinda bright. I'm new too, only started about a week ago. So we're kinda in the same boat you know."
Berlin smiled sadly and leaned back into the window frame again and continued to eat her chocolate.
Lucius smiled- it was an odd name, but then again, his own was far from normal. Lucius Alexander Gelt was not considered the usual name in Scotland. But, it was his. The teen shrugged, holding up the candy-filled back-pack.
It was choc-a-bloc with sweets, and candies of every kind, all raided from every vending machine the red-haired boy had come across. He continued to work on the lolly in his mouth, savouring the cherry-sweetness.
"Yeah? Sure."
The gi-- Lucius stopped himself, having to remember people had names. Berlin looked up at him, as if to check it was okay. If i wasn't okay, then why would he offer? Lucius gave a barely perceptible nod, holding the bag out further, leaning forward in his kneeling position. Berlin turned on the window sill, bringing her feet to the floor. The girl grabbed a handful of munchies from the pack, and Lucius grabbed himself another cheery lolly, putting it his mouth next to the other. The two munched in silence for a few moments, Lucius' grey eyes never leaving Berlin.
"You new? I think I would have noticed you around, the hair and all it's kinda bright. I'm new too, only started about a week ago. So we're kinda in the same boat you know."
Lucius raised an eyebrow, puzzled. The... hair? He looked up, and chuckled, flicking one of his cherry-red ponytails. "Ah, yes." He grinned, shaking his head softly, jingling his bells again.
"I started this morning. So yes, I am new." He shifted position, dropping down to the desk top, his legs folded in front of him, hunched so his elbows rested on his knees. His spine was rarely straight, far more comfortable hunched over. It was odd, maybe, but again, it was just what he preferred.
"You like it here?"
Lucius shrugged. He had only a day's experience so the place so far- not enough time to make an informed decision, in his eyes. So far, his only observations had been of children, born into money, and now-empty vending machines. And HEAT!! The teen shifted uncomfortably, trying to stop his shirt clinging to his back. Lucius didn't know if he could suffer this infernal temperature, and angrily chewed on his lollies, squirming as he tried to cool down.
"No." It was said slowly, calmly. But in truth, he was frustrated, hating this god-forsaken oven, and the burning ball of hate, in the sky! He longed for Scottish weather- dull and dreary every fucking day! for torrential downpours of icy-cold rain! For gale-force winds that crack stone! He frowned, eyes downcast as he realised... he was homesick.
"I miss the weather," he sighed, shoulders sagging in the barest hint of melancholy setting in.
This morning? So he wasn't just new he was fresh off the press something that she hadn't quite expected. Not that it was a bad thing, she figured that might be why he was hiding in the classroom playing some kind of woodwind instrument instead of downstairs at lunch with everyone else. Though, if he had this many snackies, she figured that it was possible that he hadn't really needed lunch since he had several lunches worth of tasties in his bag.
Bring your own lunch.
What a novel idea. If only she had money.
The next question was whether he liked it here or not which she wasn't surprised when his answer came up no. It wasn't like this was the best school in the world. She looked over at him again as she took another bite of the delicious chocolate and chewed on it for a moment. He looked really hot. Not that she could blame him overall, it was hot, and they had to wear so many clothes especially the boys. The girls at least got skirts so there was some cool factor there.
"Yeah, the uniforms blow. And the dorms are so.. boring and I dunno.. the teachers aren't so nice."
"I miss the weather,"
He missed.. the weather? She had to admit she had never heard anyone say that they missed the weather of a place. Maybe a friend, family, some special place but the weather? Didn't it basically change daily she supposed he might mean the general weather but she wasn't completely sure and she had just been slightly thrown off by the answer in the first place.
"Weather huh? So where are you from exactly? I know it's hot as hell here. But then again it's summer and there ARE hotter places in the United States. Take Texas for exampe... over a hundred degrees every day! I'd melt like a little icecube on the surface of the sun!"
Berlin chuckled and took another bite of her chocolate bar chewing for a moment.
"Mmmm I've lived here my whole life, in several areas of the city. Never had air conditionin' growin' up or the like. So I'm not so adverse to this weather. Don't like it persay but I can deal. I'd rather be hot than cold, cold .. " she shuddered "Sometimes you just can't get it out of your bones you know."
"Yeah, the uniforms blow. And the dorms are so.. boring and I dunno.. the teachers aren't so nice."
Lucius was inclined to agree with Berlin's observations. He looked once more at the hideous uniform he was stuck in. The sun showed no signs of going away, and there was next to no breeze. Lucius frowned, completely unbuttoning his shirt so it hung open at the front, exposing his fishnet top. He wore it underneath so that as soon as he was out of school, he could be comfortable again.
When he said it was the weather he missed, Berlin seemed a little confused. His answer, to anyone who had ever been to Scotland, would make perfect sense. They had two types of weather there- rainy, and fucking miserable. And both were tragically missing from the boy's life now. Here, the people must have been bloody lizards to survive in this sun every day.
"Weather huh? So where are you from exactly? I know it's hot as hell here. But then again it's summer and there ARE hotter places in the United States. Take Texas for exampe... over a hundred degrees every day! I'd melt like a little icecube on the surface of the sun!"
"I am from Scotland," Lucius answered, looking a little down as he again recalled his home. He smiled as Berlin described the Texas heat, and the teen was glad Dru hadn't decided to drag them there.
"Mmmm I've lived here my whole life, in several areas of the city. Never had air conditionin' growin' up or the like. So I'm not so adverse to this weather. Don't like it persay but I can deal. I'd rather be hot than cold, cold .. "
The girl shuddered, and so did Lucius, but his was one of bliss as he remembered the biting cold of a Scottish rain, the wind bringing cold off the sea, the snow from the mountains. Closing his eyes, Lucius lay on the desk, his head hanging off the end, facing Berlin.
"Sometimes you just can't get it out of your bones you know."
"Oh, I know what you mean," he grinned, lollies still in his mouth, eyes closed as his head dangled from the table. "And believe me, until one has experienced a Scottish winter, one does not know true cold"
The teen brought his feet over his head, rolling backwards off the table, landing crouched on the floor, looking up at Berlin. He was now somewhat in the shade, and the girl's shadow kept the sun from his eyes. Flicking another cherry-red lock out of his eyes, Lucius raised an eyebrow, taking the lollies out of his mouth to speak.
"Tell me of yourself?" he asked, curiously, bells ringing as his head again tilted.
« Last Edit: Aug 1, 2009 21:40:38 GMT -6 by nosferatu »
Of course everything and anything she might possibly know about Scottland was written in books or told to her since her reading wasn't the best. NOt to mention the fact that she had only seen a lot of pictures. But from what she had learned from the pictures it seemed as though it was a really pretty place and she could imagine why me missed it. It seemed as though it would be a most beautiful place to live.
"And believe me, until one has experienced a Scottish winter, one does not know true cold"
Berlin chuckled.
"I bet, except maybe Greenland, I heard it's really cold. Or maybe Antartica because I don't think you can get much colder than that. But I can get what you mean. When I lived.. back where I used to live it would rain on us, when we lay in bed you know. And it would soak us and the blankets and you couldn't get that kind of cold out of your stystem no matter how hard you tried."
Granted she doubted that he really could imagine that it would compare to the cold he was talking about. As much as she would like to believe that she had suffered, there were others that suffered more. While she doubted he had ever been homeless it wasn't as though you could tell she had been most of her life just by looking at her now. Before, it was all too easy to tell but now.. now that she was cleaned up and had a uniform to wear someone wouldn't be able to tell the difference much between her and another girl student here.
He flipped off the desk and onto the floor so that he was right back in the shadow. She watched with a smile. Her eyes looked over at him as he asked his next question.
"Tell me of yourself?"
Oh huh. Well she was sixteen, there was a lot to tell!
"Uhhhh well I'm not quite sure where you'd want me to start really. Well I was born here, no wheres else, lived here my whole life. Mostly on the streets though. My brother and me. But then he left and never really came back so I dunno decided I had to do something for myself. Got in this school cuz I figure I need some sort of education if I'm going to make it on my own."
She shrugged.
"Im boring though! What about you? You have to have a better story!"
Lucius sighed, his shoulders sagging. It was true, there were a lot of castles to be found in Scotland. From Stirling, not far from where he had stayed, to the more impressive castles of Edinburgh. Linlithgow Palace, Scone Palace, yes, even Doune Castle. All were magnificent edifices.
He had visited them often as a boy, Dru taking him for day trips whenever the opportunity arose. They had been almost mythical places, and each had left an impression on the Scot.
Yes... the land with... all the castles" he replied, only just realising how stereotypical a view of Scotland it was. The country had far more to offer than just castles- deep blue lochs, sprawling forests, high mountains, breathtaking sights... Lucius tilted his head, nostalgic memories flooding his mind.
The conversation turned to weather, and in particular the cold. Berlin talked, about several things, and Lucius was hard pressed to keep up with the conversation. Likes to talk, at great length. Noted.
Rolling onto the floor, Lucius got comfortable again. He laid his legs out in front of himself, his hands lying limp at his sides, hands facing upwards. The eyes tattooed on his palms were clearly visible, but Lucius never really thought about them much. He was used to them by now. The teen's head lolled to his chest, feeling incredibly heavy in this ungodly heat. To take his mind off the weather (and because he was curious about this subject) he asked about her past.
One could learn all sorts of things about a person, not just by listening to what they say about their past, but how they say it. Lucius got the feeling Berlin had had a difficult life, and now she just seemed... drained. It was as if the girl had given up on living, and just started existing.
"Im boring though! What about you? You have to have a better story!"
Lucius looked up, still sitting like a puppet with it's strings cut. His head tilted again, as he regarded Berlin. She was curious about... him? This was new. Most of the time, people simply ignored Lucius, or ridiculed him. No-one ever seemed to want to get to know him. Odd.
"There is not much to tell," he shrugged. "Mother died giving birth to me. I grew up in Bannockburn with my sister and father. Dad was a drunk old prick... well..." Lucius brought his hand to the side of his head, smiling as he pointed at his temple like a mock gun, "he left us rather early on in life. And, since then, my sister and I have been on our own. Scotland was fine, but she deemed it necessary to drag us to this infernal pit. And the rest of this nightmare is just beginning."
Lucius shrugged, finally crunching down on his lollies, before tossing the sticks out the window, past Berlin's head. Sighing, he reached into the side of one of his trainers, pulling out a long, thin joint, and a small lighter. Without even bothering to say anything more, Lucius sparked up, taking a deep drag on the weed laced cigarette.
Eventually, after a few draws, the red-headed teen looked back to his blonde companion. "So, why are you in here at lunch time, instead of with your friends?"
« Last Edit: Aug 9, 2009 15:50:06 GMT -6 by nosferatu »