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fandomhighdorms2009-05-11 12:52 pm
bitchprince) wrote in fandomhighdorms2009-05-11 12:52 pm
The Salle, Monday Morning
It had been very, very, very good for Arthur's nerves - not that he ever had nerves, thank you - to come home to an empty dorm room last night. He hadn't known where Leto was, nor had he particularly cared, and instead he'd abused the new space to get a chance to breathe.
The last week had made a fine attempt to do his head in. Arthur was, of course, better than that, and when he arrived at the salle that morning he was feeling remarkably fresh for the first time in far too long.
Starting in on an intermediate drill, he took the time to enjoy the fact that his muscles were finally moving properly again. God help them all: Arthur was actually feeling chipper.
The only thing that interfered with that at all was the thought that he was, at some point, going to have to talk to Leto in a way that didn't involve shouting.
[[ open like the salle is! ]]
The last week had made a fine attempt to do his head in. Arthur was, of course, better than that, and when he arrived at the salle that morning he was feeling remarkably fresh for the first time in far too long.
Starting in on an intermediate drill, he took the time to enjoy the fact that his muscles were finally moving properly again. God help them all: Arthur was actually feeling chipper.
The only thing that interfered with that at all was the thought that he was, at some point, going to have to talk to Leto in a way that didn't involve shouting.
[[ open like the salle is! ]]
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"This. It was a gift from my Uncle Aaron for going away to school. Though I have met plenty of people. At least ten of them."
...she only realized afterward how absolutely pathetic it sounded. She tried not to wince and exacerbate it.
"I figure I'll try something else once I get a handle on this one."
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"It's stainless steel, but otherwise it's just a yo yo. I'm considering hitting someone on the head very very hard," and no she didn't look but it was obvious enough, "since he's an idiot but I'm pretty sure it's normal enough. I, uh..."
She considered it for a moment, then remembered who'd sent her here. She was here because of her family and if they'd wanted her to keep quiet, she would have been told to. Besides, Dinah had already confessed to having telekinesis. What was cutting to that?
She picked up the yo yo from the metal ball and pulled the string down, willing a cutting edge on either side. Like the thread she'd used on the vault door in New Mexico, it remained straight as a board even as she turned the string side up: it was a sword from a yo yo, which the practical side of her thought was just a little ridiculous since it gave up the weapon's strengths, but it made the point (ha ha) quite well.
"I can cut anything if I have an edge. Any edge. And if I want to."
Anything.
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"No. That, um, it's my mother's gift. I can cut like her. She's, um..."
How do you tell someone that your mother was known as Death, the Pale Rider, oldest of the Fates?
The easy answer is: you don't.
"Complicated. My brother can't do it. He uses a violin to do" what would you call it? "stuff."
Which was going to get him in trouble sooner rather than later, she was pretty sure. She wondered absently if he'd gotten that 'infection' in his arm taken care of yet. And what her mother's family thought about the whole thing.
Arthur was a good distraction from it all.
"Does he stop treating you like you're useless because you're a girl?"
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"Oh, sure. I mean, he doesn't say anything different, but it's not like he actually wastes time trying to keep you out of a fight when it happens. And he gives credit if you try, just not much." She tried to work out how to explain, then finally settled for, "Actions speak louder, with Arthur. Or he wouldn't be teaching me swords and coaching me on staff."
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"I'll see what he says tomorrow. He's the one who mentioned the reserve to me, but if he starts acting stupid, I am going to get him in the head with the yo yo."
She thought she might clarify--
"Just the metal part, obviously. He's not that bad."
She supposed she'd just have to prove herself which should be OH so much fun. No no, she hadn't done THAT before.
"You're learning the sword?"
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"Eskrima sticks?" She'd probably recognize them from Uncle Aaron's collection if she saw them.
And the gun range. She might check that out herself. He hadn't liked the idea of her using guns, but he wasn't here to yell at her and the more she knew, the better. Who knew when she'd end up in a sewer with another giant crocodile and nothing but a shotgun?
"Why are you learning all this?" she found herself asking after a moment.
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I wish I could think like that. Maybe when I'm in a place where I'm not trying to make sure Eliot and I are safe.
But will I be like Them at that point? Is that what being Immortal and getting older means?
She didn't know. And she didn't meet Dinah's eyes as she answers, her lips curling into a polite smile.
"I just don't want to die. And I don't want my brother to die. I'm the warrior, so this is what I have to learn. I'm sure Eliot's working on his music at his own school."
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"Um, thanks?" She smiled, then sobered quickly. "Is that likely? Back home? Here's got weird stuff, but really, no one died even though we got attacked a couple times." She tilted her head. "And I get wanting to protect your brother. I have two sisters, but it goes both ways."
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"I know. I mean, if it wasn't for him, I'd be dead right now. He's the reason we managed the last trial, after all. But yeah. It's pretty likely."
She looked up, blue eyes firm.
"My family has certain standards and because of who our parents are, some of them wanted to kill us. So we had to prove that we were worthy of being let in by completing three trials. We did" and killed a pretty nasty relation on her father's side as well "so they let us in, but that doesn't mean they don't still think we're dangerous."
She still had her rose, given to her by her Aunt Lucia at the induction ceremony. Metallic yet organic, nothing smelled sweeter, and nothing could damage it. She loved it, but she'd taken it off when she heard they were separating the two of them.
It made her too angry to think now.
"And then there's our father's side. And who knows what they might try."
She shook her head.
"It's a mess."
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"I called him last night. He said he's at a place almost as strange as this one. He won't give me any details, though. He's being stupid."
Ever since he'd gotten that violin, he'd been getting braver and braver. She knew it was good for him, was proud he was standing up for himself more now, but she still worried for him. He was her brother, after all. She knew him better than anyone.
"I don't know how to e-mail anything. Robert gave me a laptop thing, but Eliot's the one who knows how to use it."
And thank goodness he had. They wouldn't have been nearly so prepared for the second trial if Eliot wasn't such a wizard at things.
"He's acting like Louis" their father, weird as he was "which is annoying but I think he'll be okay. It's just annoying. They separated us because we're weaker apart."
She shook her head as if to shake the whole thing off her back.
"Whatever. I'm here, he's there, and you should probably get your practice done. I'll meet you at the store later?"
Fiona was going to enjoy her money from Uncle Henry or die trying.
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She hadn't meant to spout off like that. It was just-- the whole situation was made to make them vulnerable. Plus she knew she wouldn't be seeing Robert any time soon, and she still couldn't entirely trust her mother after all the lies.
Back to the other side of the salle, she started cutting. Hopefully Arthur was right about them not caring that she was destroying the dummies because they certainly wouldn't be usable once she was done.