Alright, alright. Yes. Of course I'll be your study buddy. But we're meeting at the library this time and I reserve the right to confiscate your phone if you keep checking it every five minutes.
Good. Library, twenty minutes. Bring whatever homework you've got, but for sure bring the book from class today because we're starting with that.
[ twenty minutes? yeah ok. Chuck's leaving now, but she wants to give him time, yeah. so twenty minutes seems fair. obviously when it comes to study sessions it's perfectly fair to expect him to drop everything and get right to it. but yeah, she heads to the library, heads towards the back tables meant for group projects, where it's okay to talk ( quietly!! ). there's different sections in the library for studying but she always picks the same seat at the same table, no matter which part of the library she's in. it's nice. like having your favorite table at a coffee shop, only with books.
anyway, she's already got her notes out by the time she sees him enter the library, and she tips her chin up, waves him over, her foot reaching out to nudge the seat across from her. like she invited him to her own home, that's the level of casual comfort she has here at the library. her uniform is still looking sharp and perfect, but her demeanor is a bit different than it is anywhere else. ]
I hope you're prepared for some next level note-taking.
[ she lifts her brows and nods, like she's so serious about this. oh yeah, so crazy. but really, now that he's here and sitting across from her, she can already feel that same feeling in her gut that she got the last time they hung out. the gut feeling that lets her know that somehow, again, he'll manage to distract her from actually studying. that somehow, again, he'll keep her attention in a way that most people don't seem to here.
[ Casey responds back with a quick okay okay got it before he's grabbing said book, a couple of others, some three-hole-punched lined paper, a couple of pens, and shoving it all into his backpack without too much of a thought. He slips his phone into his back pocket, puts on a new shirt, grabs a couple of candy bars and heads for the library, all under twenty minutes.
He did say he was going to make an attempt to study. Like, really study this time. But when it really comes down to it, it's really one lame excuse to hang out with Chuck in a way that isn't like ... too forward or something stupid because Casey sucks at this whole thing, and he doesn't really want his sister to figure it out, not yet, and ... well. It's embarrassing. He's been here at Mythian Academy for less than a month, tops, and he's still getting to know his way around, so how is it that he finds it so incredibly easy to be around Chuck?
Feelings are so weird. ]
Hey. Uhh. Yeah. You're gonna have to define 'next level note taking' first, because I have no idea what that entails and I'm afraid to agree to it.
[ Case is grinning as he flops into the offered seat and dumps his bag onto the table. ]
Well. [ she sits up a little straighter, because he asked her to explain a thing and so she'll explain a thing. in great detail. because that's how Charlotte does things. ] Next level note taking involves bulletpoints and numbered references, for sure. Hi-lighters are essential, and so are post-it notes, but only when used appropriately. Nobody likes a fluttery mess every time they open up their notebook. We might even start developing your note-taking shorthand by the time we're done today.
[ SHE JUST REALLY LIKES SCHOOL OKAY but luckily, her smile isn't the manic expression of someone trying to convert their friend to madness. it's the smile of somebody that Gets It, if he's showing signs of doubt here ]
Kidding! I'm kidding. Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to completely redesign your study habits in one night. I mean. I've literally had a few lifetimes to perfect it, so- Mostly I'm just hoping you'll maybe leave here tonight with one or two good study habits. Maybe even three.
Oh, my god. You actually do have an explanation for next level note-taking. [ He laughs. ] If you weren't joking, I'd almost regret asking.
[ Except he actually likes it when she gets all dictionary-like. ]
Okay. Yeah. I can try for a couple of good study habits. School's never been like, my passion or whatever.
[ He's one of those kids who is clever enough but never puts in the time or effort into his studies. Not when there's wolf stuff and dad stuff and snow and boarding to think about.
But he's willing to make an effort now.
Even if it is admittedly, in part, to prove to Chuck that he's a decent study buddy. ]
Oh, but it should be. One of your passions, at least. I know it doesn't feel like it, but these classes, this whole school, it's going to stick with you forever, no matter where you end up. It's kind of up to you if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
[ sometimes Chuck sounds like an old woman giving out words of wisdom, okay, it just happens. she's an "OLD SOUL", like literally, so. he'll need to get used to that if he wants to be her study buddy. ]
Though I guess how you feel about this place also depends on why you're here. Though you don't seem like the type that's here because your parents thought you needed some discipline in your life. Or are you that type? Hmmm.
[ just giving him a slow once over from her spot across from him, eyes narrowing a bit ]
For all that he might act like a rebel without a cause, wanting to embody the James Dean life, he's actually a ridiculously good boy in the ways that count.
And with his big blues, he's just ... sort of staring at Chuck while Chuck assesses him from her seat. If you're expecting danger and a need for discipline, you'll be sorely disappointed. ]
I wish that was why I'm here. Nah, my dad ... he sent my sister and I here for 'our own protection'. Whatever that means.
[ He rolls his eyes, leaning back into his seat with an air of petulance. ]
Said it was for our own good. That it's like, dangerous out there or whatever.
Oh no, your dad wants you to be safe. What a drag, what a jerk. [ said with a teasing tone of course, but nothing too heavy. she plays it too safe with situations like this - she doesn't know his family, doesn't know if maybe he is a jerk, even if his intentions were good, sending him and his sister to school here. he rolls his eyes and Chuck grins a bit, because yeah, even when he's being kind of a brat, it's- endearing. she's endeared. ]
It is pretty dangerous right now, for a lot of us. The world's changing- fast. Some of it for the better for us, but that just means a lot of people are going to be trying to push back. [ she chews her lip, stuck in thought for a moment, but it doesn't last long ] Though now I'm curious - what are you? [ there's probably a better way to ask that but she hasn't learned it, still, even after being around for so long ] I'm a phoenix, we tend to blend in fairly easily. I'm guessing it's not the same for you?
[ Casey shakes his head. He could go into the reasons why his dad actually is a jerk, and why it isn't all just about safety but he's convinced it has to do with monitoring him and Charlie too.
Aunt Nev is here, after all, and she and Casey's dad are pretty close. Apparently. ]
Wolf. [ Case answers.
Whether there's a 'nice' way of asking the question, he's got no idea because he tends to go for the same approach. Better to be up front about it, right? ] I was born a wolf, not made one like a lot of wolves are, so the whole 'werewolf way of life' has kind of been like ... instilled in me since I was born.
It's easy enough to blend in, I guess, as long as no one sees me around the full moon.
[ He pauses for a moment. ]
I've never met a phoenix before. Didn't even know they were real, but that's kind of how I feel about a lot of our class. Like the angels and the fae and centaurs. Everyone here ... smells so different.
[ her expression lifts for a bit ( not that it was down ) but wolf! some of her closest friends have been werewolves, in her different lifetimes. somehow this keeps happening. maybe it has something to do with the transformative nature of their abilities. like there's some kind of pull there. she'll think about it more later, no doubt.
she's distracted from that train of thought anyway when Case says something particularly adorableinteresting, ahem ]
We are, in fact, very real. Although now I'm kind of curious what I smell like. Hopefully nothing too ashy or harsh. Toasty maybe? Do I smell toasty? [ she's teasing. she's genuinely curious!! but she's also teasing. she's even holding out her wrist, eyes bright. she's wearing perfume, something light and flowery, but still. she knows her scent is probably pretty strong there, yeah. that's just how bodies work. why is she thinking about this so much? ] You would tell me if I smelled like burnt marshmallows or something, right?
Is that what you want to hear? That you smell like burnt marshmallows?
[ Case laughs, but it's soft and almost just this side of shy, because wow, he's not even thinking about the question so much as the fact that she's holding her wrist out for him to lean in and ... well, pick up her scent.
It's like, kind of a weirdly intimate thing to do unless you're on the prowl and you're doing this simply for tracking purposes. Because right now, obviously, Casey is not, and the thought of touching Chuck's skin for any purpose at all makes his pulse jump.
He sits up straighter, shuffling his seat forward enough to make it easy to reach out and touch her wrist. ]
When I first met you, you smelled like what I remember back in Canada, when the log fire would be on in the cabin and it's smoky and warm. [ And, honestly, it's one of his favourite scents. ] Just FYI.
if Chuck is meant to take her hand back once he's done with his explanation, she doesn't get that memo. although her brain hop skip jumps around the idea of pulling her hand back just enough so that his touch slips from her wrist to her palm, for sure. she could be casual about that. it's totally something she could accomplish. she doesn't but the opportunity is there. instead she just lowers her hand, keeps it outstretched but resting on the table now instead. like it's just the position she feels like being in now and not something she's thinking really hard about, contemplating the pros and cons of turning her hand so she can touch his too. ]
Now I'm wishing I had some sort of ability that I could use as a way to be complimentary. Unfortunately, most of my abilities are self-serving. [ a beat ] Oh, but, if your tea ever goes cold, I can heat it up for you with no trouble at all. So. There's that.
[ Casey feels like maybe he should probably take his own hand back, pull out their books and notes and whatever else, and set to work. Studying. That's what they're here for, right?
But if he's going to be the one to break this incredibly charged moment, then really, you've got another thing coming, because he doesn't want to do that at all. He doesn't really want to do anything else right now but press his nose against her skin, or maybe his mouth. Just - lightly. Just to see what it might feel like to do something like press your lips against someone's wrist.
He breathes out. ]
Phoenixes ... they're birds of fire, right? And they - [ He shakes his head, corrects himself: ] - you're kind of immortal?
[ He still has his fingers against her wrist, the soft pads of his fingertips just there, exchanging warmth.
Werewolves tend to run a bit warmer than most regular people, it's just a residual wolf thing to keep their temperatures balanced during their shift, but Chuck's temperature beats even his own.
Jokingly: ]
Next time I need to reheat some tea, you'll be on speed-dial.
[ lyk fer sher. totally immortal? who says stuff like that? why is it suddenly really difficult to form eloquent sentences?
she knows why, but it's still a little embarrassing.
his touch is light, and maybe it's because she's paying so much attention to it, but after a quiet moment someone moves, it's either him or her, but either way it makes that soft touch drag across her wrist just a little bit, just enough to cause a laugh to bubble up. maybe it's nerves, energy built up making her overreact to something that's hardly ticklish, but it doesn't really matter because it happens and then she's pulling her hand back fast, her fingers curling around his. it could have been a sweet gesture, bold and deliberate, but it's not. it's the reaction of someone who was unintentionally tickled and hence has no control over her actions for a brief moment.
so there's that quick laugh, bright and surprised, then she's pressing her mouth shut tight, letting go of his hand a second later. embarrassed. life is embarrassing. both hands end up in her lap like she doesn't trust herself at the moment, cheeks pink. ]
I, um- Wow. [ she huffs another laugh ] There's no way to play that off, is there? Okay. What were we-? Oh. Fire. I mean, yes. We're immortal, reborn from the ashes. Most of the myths are pretty accurate.
[ The suddenness in her pulling away is echoed in the awkward, staccato-like movement he makes too, pulling back and holding onto something - anything - else as a kind of way to pass it off as intentional.
He absolutely meant to pick up his pen. Yep.
The small, thin, plastic ballpoint remains unused between his fingers when he laughs to join her, head shaking, a shoulder shrugging, his chest pounding like he'd just been out sprinting.
That was hella awkward.
It takes a moment for him to recollect his thoughts, scrambled as they are by what happened. There's a moment of far-too-long silence before: ]
Yeah.
So. When you're reborn ... I mean, how often does that happen? Or is it just like anyone, except when they go, they stay gone, but you don't?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2017-04-09 07:53 pm (UTC)i just need a study buddy
i think that's what i need
to like
motivate me
no subject
Date: 2017-04-09 08:05 pm (UTC)Do you really mean that? If I offer to come study with you, will we actually study?
Last time we only spent maybe four minutes studying. Total.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-09 08:08 pm (UTC)studying will happen at LEAST 50% of the time
see? math
i'm doing math right now
no subject
Date: 2017-04-10 01:39 am (UTC)Alright, alright. Yes. Of course I'll be your study buddy.
But we're meeting at the library this time and I reserve the right to confiscate your phone if you keep checking it every five minutes.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-10 05:41 am (UTC)okay fine
fine
i agree to these terms
no subject
Date: 2017-04-11 03:43 am (UTC)I wasn't expecting you to actually agree to that.
But too late now you did, it's here in writing, and it's too late to take it back.
Prepare for the best study session of your life, Casey McNamara.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-11 04:02 am (UTC)putting a lot of pressure on yourself aren't you?
because now i'm expecting the Best
no subject
Date: 2017-04-11 04:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-11 04:59 am (UTC)yeah
okay
i see your point
best study session it is
does this guarantee me an A?
no subject
Date: 2017-04-21 01:18 am (UTC)A whole letter grade, at least.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-21 04:11 am (UTC)i'll take it
:)
babbles foreverrr
Date: 2017-04-21 06:05 pm (UTC)[ twenty minutes? yeah ok. Chuck's leaving now, but she wants to give him time, yeah. so twenty minutes seems fair. obviously when it comes to study sessions it's perfectly fair to expect him to drop everything and get right to it. but yeah, she heads to the library, heads towards the back tables meant for group projects, where it's okay to talk ( quietly!! ). there's different sections in the library for studying but she always picks the same seat at the same table, no matter which part of the library she's in. it's nice. like having your favorite table at a coffee shop, only with books.
anyway, she's already got her notes out by the time she sees him enter the library, and she tips her chin up, waves him over, her foot reaching out to nudge the seat across from her. like she invited him to her own home, that's the level of casual comfort she has here at the library. her uniform is still looking sharp and perfect, but her demeanor is a bit different than it is anywhere else. ]
I hope you're prepared for some next level note-taking.
[ she lifts her brows and nods, like she's so serious about this. oh yeah, so crazy. but really, now that he's here and sitting across from her, she can already feel that same feeling in her gut that she got the last time they hung out. the gut feeling that lets her know that somehow, again, he'll manage to distract her from actually studying. that somehow, again, he'll keep her attention in a way that most people don't seem to here.
maybe.
like, sometimes her gut is wrong.
but in this case she's kind of hoping it's not ]
this is honestly the cutest tag in all of ever
Date: 2017-04-22 01:30 am (UTC)He did say he was going to make an attempt to study. Like, really study this time. But when it really comes down to it, it's really one lame excuse to hang out with Chuck in a way that isn't like ... too forward or something stupid because Casey sucks at this whole thing, and he doesn't really want his sister to figure it out, not yet, and ... well. It's embarrassing. He's been here at Mythian Academy for less than a month, tops, and he's still getting to know his way around, so how is it that he finds it so incredibly easy to be around Chuck?
Feelings are so weird. ]
Hey. Uhh. Yeah. You're gonna have to define 'next level note taking' first, because I have no idea what that entails and I'm afraid to agree to it.
[ Case is grinning as he flops into the offered seat and dumps his bag onto the table. ]
no subject
Date: 2017-04-22 03:41 am (UTC)[ SHE JUST REALLY LIKES SCHOOL OKAY but luckily, her smile isn't the manic expression of someone trying to convert their friend to madness. it's the smile of somebody that Gets It, if he's showing signs of doubt here ]
Kidding! I'm kidding. Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to completely redesign your study habits in one night. I mean. I've literally had a few lifetimes to perfect it, so- Mostly I'm just hoping you'll maybe leave here tonight with one or two good study habits. Maybe even three.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-22 03:53 am (UTC)[ Except he actually likes it when she gets all dictionary-like. ]
Okay. Yeah. I can try for a couple of good study habits. School's never been like, my passion or whatever.
[ He's one of those kids who is clever enough but never puts in the time or effort into his studies. Not when there's wolf stuff and dad stuff and snow and boarding to think about.
But he's willing to make an effort now.
Even if it is admittedly, in part, to prove to Chuck that he's a decent study buddy. ]
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 12:36 am (UTC)[ sometimes Chuck sounds like an old woman giving out words of wisdom, okay, it just happens. she's an "OLD SOUL", like literally, so. he'll need to get used to that if he wants to be her study buddy. ]
Though I guess how you feel about this place also depends on why you're here. Though you don't seem like the type that's here because your parents thought you needed some discipline in your life. Or are you that type? Hmmm.
[ just giving him a slow once over from her spot across from him, eyes narrowing a bit ]
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 12:45 am (UTC)[ LOL Pls.
For all that he might act like a rebel without a cause, wanting to embody the James Dean life, he's actually a ridiculously good boy in the ways that count.
And with his big blues, he's just ... sort of staring at Chuck while Chuck assesses him from her seat. If you're expecting danger and a need for discipline, you'll be sorely disappointed. ]
I wish that was why I'm here. Nah, my dad ... he sent my sister and I here for 'our own protection'. Whatever that means.
[ He rolls his eyes, leaning back into his seat with an air of petulance. ]
Said it was for our own good. That it's like, dangerous out there or whatever.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 12:57 am (UTC)because yeah, even when he's being kind of a brat, it's- endearing. she's endeared. ]
It is pretty dangerous right now, for a lot of us. The world's changing- fast. Some of it for the better for us, but that just means a lot of people are going to be trying to push back. [ she chews her lip, stuck in thought for a moment, but it doesn't last long ] Though now I'm curious - what are you? [ there's probably a better way to ask that but she hasn't learned it, still, even after being around for so long ] I'm a phoenix, we tend to blend in fairly easily. I'm guessing it's not the same for you?
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 01:10 am (UTC)Aunt Nev is here, after all, and she and Casey's dad are pretty close. Apparently. ]
Wolf. [ Case answers.
Whether there's a 'nice' way of asking the question, he's got no idea because he tends to go for the same approach. Better to be up front about it, right? ] I was born a wolf, not made one like a lot of wolves are, so the whole 'werewolf way of life' has kind of been like ... instilled in me since I was born.
It's easy enough to blend in, I guess, as long as no one sees me around the full moon.
[ He pauses for a moment. ]
I've never met a phoenix before. Didn't even know they were real, but that's kind of how I feel about a lot of our class. Like the angels and the fae and centaurs. Everyone here ... smells so different.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 01:25 am (UTC)she's distracted from that train of thought anyway when Case says something particularly
adorableinteresting, ahem ]We are, in fact, very real. Although now I'm kind of curious what I smell like. Hopefully nothing too ashy or harsh. Toasty maybe? Do I smell toasty? [ she's teasing. she's genuinely curious!! but she's also teasing. she's even holding out her wrist, eyes bright. she's wearing perfume, something light and flowery, but still. she knows her scent is probably pretty strong there, yeah. that's just how bodies work. why is she thinking about this so much? ] You would tell me if I smelled like burnt marshmallows or something, right?
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 01:41 am (UTC)[ Case laughs, but it's soft and almost just this side of shy, because wow, he's not even thinking about the question so much as the fact that she's holding her wrist out for him to lean in and ... well, pick up her scent.
It's like, kind of a weirdly intimate thing to do unless you're on the prowl and you're doing this simply for tracking purposes. Because right now, obviously, Casey is not, and the thought of touching Chuck's skin for any purpose at all makes his pulse jump.
He sits up straighter, shuffling his seat forward enough to make it easy to reach out and touch her wrist. ]
When I first met you, you smelled like what I remember back in Canada, when the log fire would be on in the cabin and it's smoky and warm. [ And, honestly, it's one of his favourite scents. ] Just FYI.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 02:00 am (UTC)[ it's pretty silly how true that is.
if Chuck is meant to take her hand back once he's done with his explanation, she doesn't get that memo. although her brain hop skip jumps around the idea of pulling her hand back just enough so that his touch slips from her wrist to her palm, for sure. she could be casual about that. it's totally something she could accomplish. she doesn't but the opportunity is there. instead she just lowers her hand, keeps it outstretched but resting on the table now instead. like it's just the position she feels like being in now and not something she's thinking really hard about, contemplating the pros and cons of turning her hand so she can touch his too. ]
Now I'm wishing I had some sort of ability that I could use as a way to be complimentary. Unfortunately, most of my abilities are self-serving. [ a beat ] Oh, but, if your tea ever goes cold, I can heat it up for you with no trouble at all. So. There's that.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 02:15 am (UTC)But if he's going to be the one to break this incredibly charged moment, then really, you've got another thing coming, because he doesn't want to do that at all. He doesn't really want to do anything else right now but press his nose against her skin, or maybe his mouth. Just - lightly. Just to see what it might feel like to do something like press your lips against someone's wrist.
He breathes out. ]
Phoenixes ... they're birds of fire, right? And they - [ He shakes his head, corrects himself: ] - you're kind of immortal?
[ He still has his fingers against her wrist, the soft pads of his fingertips just there, exchanging warmth.
Werewolves tend to run a bit warmer than most regular people, it's just a residual wolf thing to keep their temperatures balanced during their shift, but Chuck's temperature beats even his own.
Jokingly: ]
Next time I need to reheat some tea, you'll be on speed-dial.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 02:39 am (UTC)[ lyk fer sher. totally immortal? who says stuff like that? why is it suddenly really difficult to form eloquent sentences?
she knows why, but it's still a little embarrassing.
his touch is light, and maybe it's because she's paying so much attention to it, but after a quiet moment someone moves, it's either him or her, but either way it makes that soft touch drag across her wrist just a little bit, just enough to cause a laugh to bubble up. maybe it's nerves, energy built up making her overreact to something that's hardly ticklish, but it doesn't really matter because it happens and then she's pulling her hand back fast, her fingers curling around his. it could have been a sweet gesture, bold and deliberate, but it's not. it's the reaction of someone who was unintentionally tickled and hence has no control over her actions for a brief moment.
so there's that quick laugh, bright and surprised, then she's pressing her mouth shut tight, letting go of his hand a second later. embarrassed. life is embarrassing. both hands end up in her lap like she doesn't trust herself at the moment, cheeks pink. ]
I, um- Wow. [ she huffs another laugh ] There's no way to play that off, is there? Okay. What were we-? Oh. Fire. I mean, yes. We're immortal, reborn from the ashes. Most of the myths are pretty accurate.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 02:59 am (UTC)He absolutely meant to pick up his pen. Yep.
The small, thin, plastic ballpoint remains unused between his fingers when he laughs to join her, head shaking, a shoulder shrugging, his chest pounding like he'd just been out sprinting.
That was hella awkward.
It takes a moment for him to recollect his thoughts, scrambled as they are by what happened. There's a moment of far-too-long silence before: ]
Yeah.
So. When you're reborn ... I mean, how often does that happen? Or is it just like anyone, except when they go, they stay gone, but you don't?
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From:idk dates
From:im?? dying?? this is adorable!!1
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