Wendy the Werewolf Stalker Campfire [Wednesday Evening]

[icecoldfrost]

It was beautiful outside this evening, and so Emma found herself out by her cabin's campfire; cigarette in one hand as she balanced her notebook on her knees. It was easier to work on her creative writing assignment out here than in the cramped quarters of the cabin, and if she didn't like what she wrote, well, she could always burn it.

And really, there was no downside to lighting things on fire.

[open!]

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[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine was trying to figure out what to do with herself, restless after a boring day at work. She was leaning for maybe a walk in the woods; even dark, it was the perfect sort of evening, and the main campfire was no good. Turtle was there in a good mood and she did not have the brain capacity for Turtle Wexler in a good mood right now. So she started to drift a little, vaguely intent for the woods, but easily distracted, as proved by her pausing for a moment at one of the other campfires, noting Emma and the journal and she nodded toward it.

"Is that for class?" she ventured.

[icecoldfrost]

"Supposedly." Another page got ripped out, balled up, and tossed towards the simmering fire. "In reality, I am practicing my freethrow for the WNBA."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine followed the toss of the crumpled paper, her eyes lingering for a moment as the flames started to gather around it, causing it to curl and blacken, and she lifted an eyebrow. "I don't remember hearing anything about there being fire involved in the WNBA," she said. "You'd think it would have stuck around longer if there was."

[icecoldfrost]

"It should be added to more major sports," Emma replied. "As homoerotically fascinating as American football is, it would be even more entertaining if there were flaming hoops, I think."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Because," Valentine couldn't help summarizing, "as homoerotic as it already is, it could always be more flaming."

Grinning slightly, she nodded again toward Emma's notebook. "There you have it. Write a completely flaming gay erotica piece about football."

Look at how good of a TA she was, encouraging her fellow classmates even outside of the classroom.

[icecoldfrost]

Oh, it was always so very satisfying when someone else operated on the same level of intellectual dirty, and Emma grinned wickedly at Valentine.

"Exactly," she said, twirling her pen. "I would, if I knew anything about the sport beyond men-in-spandex pouncing on each other over a phallic symbol."

"I suppose I could toss in a murder, and just gloss over the rules bits with more sub-textual thrust of some sort."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Riggins is really into football, isn't he?" Valentine said. "Maybe you should ask him for help, although I'll admit a murder would be a great distraction from the vagueness of the game itself. Plus, I don't think your target audience is reading so much for the gameplay as they are the tight end."

[icecoldfrost]

"It's the touchdown that they're really waiting for," Emma sighed. "But what happens when the quarterback just can't perform?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"The underestimated fullback steps up to the plate," --way to mix your sports metaphors, Valentine-- "and pulls out a real crowd pleaser at the last second?"

[icecoldfrost]

"With mere moments left to go, he manages to score by slamming it right between the goalposts," Emma said as she wrote it down. "Everyone goes wild as the endzone is penetrated and victory is achieved."

Special Hell, but in her defense, the TA was encouraging her.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

And here Valentine had even kept her suggestions about the main character having traits to resemble Castle's to herself.

So far.

"The excitement is uncontainable, ejaculating from the fans over and over in great spurts of joy..."

Very, very Special Hell.

[bitten_notshy]

"Hey, Valentine," Jack said, a little lazily. "How was the hotel?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Boring," Valentine answered. "In a way, I suppose I should be glad for it, but I should really not be able to work through three fourths of a book in a workday. And how was your day, Jack?"

[bitten_notshy]

He'd been thinking about his discussion with Rose a lot, mostly. "Not bad," he said, shrugging. "I only had criminal justice class, so there was a lot of time to appreciate my alcove."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"On a day like this?" Valentine asked, shaking her head slightly. "I was actually thinking about going for a walk tonight, but the fire and a prospective creative writing inspirational circle distracted me. Did you find anything particular to appreciate about your alcove?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Too muggy," Jack said, wrinkling his nose and waving a hand through the air. "My alcove ... it was a thoughtful place. Can I ask you a bit of an odd question?"

He wouldn't tell Rose's secrets, but he was curious what a neutral party would make of the whole thing.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Of course you can," Valentine said, her intrigue obviously rising as she tilted her head and sat down at a good conversational distance from Jack. "And I'll try to answer as best I can, too."

[bitten_notshy]

"It's not that fascinating," he said, amused at her obvious curiosity. "It's just something a friend reminded me of. Say you have some kind of gift that you could use to protect other people, though you aren't the only one who can do it. Are you obligated to use it? Or do you still get a choice?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Ah, but Jack was wrong there. Almost anything was fascinating for Valentine, especially odd questions, especially, as it turned out, to be one with a psychological tilt.

And, really, odd questions didn't just come from no where, more often than not, so the real fascinating part was trying to figure out the source for them.

And it was a very interesting question at that, one that made her quirk an eyebrow as well as a grin, and immediately think of Ender, although that really wasn't so rare at all.

"Obligated?" she asked. "No. Of course not. You can always choose; that's something I'm adamant about. But whether or not you choose to do it says a lot about you, wouldn't you say?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack nodded as he considered how to phrase the rest of this. "Of course, but it seems as though this society weights the dice. If you chose not to use your gift, you're called a rather filthy name by those who do use it. But of course the ones who use it may die young and violently."

He looked thoughtful, weighing it out. "It's all a trade-off, and I suppose it's a rather stark choice -- honor among your tribe, or relative comfort outside it. So it probably says everything about you."

[glacial_queen]

"Valentine," Karla greeted with a slight smile. She didn't add her customary greeting. Like her brother, Valentine always had an air of someone to be careful around. Probably because they were so damn wary around everyone else.

Not that that really stopped her with Ender. But then again, they were friends. Or even more if Ben was to be believed. Idiot.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

For someone deemed so wary, Valentine returned Karla's smile easily, although that in itself might be just as calculated as anything else she ever did. "Karla," she said. "How are you?"

[glacial_queen]

It's was all in the psychic scents--well, in their case, the lack of an emotional signature, really.

"Great!" Karla answered. "Ben and your brother took me out to the stars the other day. I'm still a bit giddy over that."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Oh, yeah," Valentine smiled a gazillion years later. "I remember reporting about that on the radio. How did that go?"

[glacial_queen]

"Quite possibly one of the highlights of my life," Karla said quietly, "even counting the time I rode a unicorn." Because Jaenelle had arranged the ride as a way to help Karla through her grief when her parents had died. "In Kaeleer, we have a saying abut the Great dragons that created the Blood: 'and they spiral down into ebony, catching the stars in their tails.' Being out there, amongst the endless sea of stars, it made me see just what I was a part of. Ender says some people see that and feel small, which is why they go out and war with others over tiny bits of the galaxy. I can't understand that at all. How could you feel tiny when you are a part of all of that?"