Wings and Noses |
Summary: | 4 students get into a conversation about origins and draugr shortly after classes got out for the day. |
Date: | 2018-3-19 |
Related: | None |
NPCs: | None |
Scene Runner: | None |
Classes just finished for the day and students are milling about. Young Bryce, one of the newest students, emerges from the room where his 'Intro to Powers' class was being held. He has a couple of books in his left hand and a notebook in his right. He tries to walk across the entry way wondering if it is still snowing outside, but a group of giggling girls comes by which causes him to stop. He waits until they pass, but a couple upper classesmen walk by too so he stops and waits. He is rather short and slim so he assumes that people might easily miss him. On top of that, he doesn't want to get run into.
The giggling girls head towards the front door and open it allowing a gust of wind into the entry way. The wind has a bite to that tries to rip right through the clothes. "Shut the door!" on of the passing students yell at them. The girls ignore the yell, but someone uses their powers to slam the door from a distance.
Right after the door slams, there is a muffled, "OW! Ruddy Nora!" And the door opens again, revealing behind it the be-winged Carmichael, in a coat over a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The coat and the t-shirt have of course been tailored to allow his wings to poke out the back. He's not just standing there, he's holding the door open with one hand, and rubbing his nose with the other. "Right, who slammed the bleeding door?" Carmichael inquires, voice muffled since he's got his hand over his nose still.
"Mother must be livid," Loukanos mutters, leaving one of his classrooms right in time to see the hallway chaos. The wind, itself, does not bother him. It's what the weather means. The first day of spring is tomorrow; it should not be this cold. Letting out a deep breath, he sends waves of warmth throughout the entry way.
Ashton was also in the Powers Intro class. He had been missing from class for just over a week, though his absence didn't seem to be unexpected from the teachers. Before he even got out of his seat, the tie around his neck was loosened to the point of barely being considered tied. As he steps out of the class he hears Louk's remark. "Hopefully not because of me… "
Bryce is able to finally step free of the doorway once enough people get past. He tries to find a place up against the wall where he can wait until things settle out a bit more. This time when all the students are running around feels like trying to play a game of Frogger where he is the frog. Hearing a yell from the door, Bryce looks a the winged guy and shrugs his shoulders. He says, "I don't know," but his soft voice may or may not carry. Hearing a familiar voice, he looks back at Loukanous and says, "Hello, Loukanos. Is there something we should do to make her happy?" He then realized that he might have cut off Ashton so he says, "Oh, excuse me."
Carmichael rubs his nose one more time. "Tch. Well, no harm done, I suppose," he replies, and enters the estate proper, closing the door behind him. CLOSING it, mind, not slamming it. Getting his coat off is a delicate matter, thanks to his wings basically poking out a hole in the back of the garment. He sheds a bit of downy feathers in the process. Once he's got the coat off, he pauses, bending forward a little so he can stretch his wings without hitting anything. Or anyone. "Hi there, anyway," he offers amicably to the assembled group.
Loukanos says, "No…well, maybe," Loukanos looks at Ashton. "Kore will return to her tomorrow. She should be happy." Unless something's gone terribly wrong. He frowns, pensive and thoughtful. The question and greeting from Bryce snap him out of it. "Hello, Bryce," He greets, a wry smile on his mouth. "Unless you wish to send her your prayers and beg for her favor, I'm afraid not." He looks at the winged boy, and his eyes narrow. Ashton would recognize the look. It's when he senses something, or someone, and needs a moment to process."
Ashton offers Bryce a smile. "No worries…" He can remember what it was like to be the new kid. For him it was only a month or so ago, so it is not that hard to remember. Of course, Ashton was never that mousy. "Bryce, right? I thought that is what I heard someone say your name was…" He grins and offers a chin-up nod to Carmichael, "Hey, Dude. How's it going?" He moves up and leans against Loukanos. "I wish that I could be as confident about your mother coming around as you about winning over my grandparents."
Bryce looks at the man's wings for a moment before looking at his face. "Um, hi. My name is Bryce." He acts for a moment like he will try to shake hands with the person he just met, but he then remembers he has something in each hand. He sheepishly lowers his hand hoping that no one noticed. When Loukanos mentions prayer, Bryce says, "Oh, I don't think, I mean, well, I've never actually, you know, prayed. I'm not sure that would actually help anyone. Might make her angrier if I did it." He then looks to Ashton and nods his head. "Yes, that's right."
Carmichael smiles in Ashton's direction. "Hi. Going well here. Aside from a slightly flatter nose," he quips, chuckling. "And yourself?" He notices Loukanos's narrow-eyed look. "Hm?" A tilt of his head. "Do I have something on my face?" He reaches up and rubs at his nose again. Bryce's introduction gets a smile too. "Pleased to meet you, Bryce. I'm Carmichael." He doesn't give a nickname. Admittedly, it's pretty difficult to get a nickname out of his name that isn't silly, so maybe he's given up trying?
"It might shake up the silence in Olympos," Loukanos offers, smiling slightly at Bryce. "Their number of followers has waned over the centuries. I think I might ask her about it, myself." If she decides to start speaking to him again. To Ashton, "I understand the feeling. Even I get a little nervous speaking to her at times." As for the grandparents, "Their approval is important if I am to continue this courtship process. Mother always said things like this need the blessing of one's guardians." Ironically, she has expressed her disapproval, and Louk doesn't seem to care. Looking to Carm, he shakes his head, "No. Hm," Okay, so asking someone 'what are you' is not how to approach this situation. "I take it you are an angel?"
Ashton shrugs to Carmichael, "Well, honestly, been better… my grandparents aren't exactly happy right now, so that kind of sucks, but the reason for it is well worth it." He looks at Loukanos, "Courtship?" Okay, his brain does not immediately translate dating to courtship. "But hasn't your mother already forbidden you to continue our… courtship." It still sounds weird to his ears. Of course that line of thought is suddenly dropped as he snorts at Louk's question to Carmichael. "Well, that's better than what I got."
Bryce looks from Carmichael to Loukanos and then to Ashton only to then look back to Carmichael. What was going on here? People are talking about courting, angels, and shaking up Olympus. He decides to talk about the one that feels the safest to him. "From what I remember of my mythological reading," he begins, "Shaking up Olympus was rather dangerous for mortals. And, well, I'm mortal, so -." He pauses and decides to change the topic. "If I was supposed to report something, well, unusual to a faculty member, whom should I tell?"
Carmichael's hearing some important things regarding Ashton and Loukanos. Though he's not a gossip, and doesn't intend to repeat it. So he doesn't indicate that he's heard it. Besides, it isn't really any of his business. Then Loukanos looks at him and asks that question. He blinks. Looks at his black wings. "Uh… I hope not, mate. 'Black wings' and 'angel' tend not to mix." Despite the words, it's a good-natured tone, and he gives a half-smile. "Pretty sure I'm just a bird. I can talk to them. Not that most have much to say." He snickers to Ashton's words. "'What you got'?" Carmichael asks. "Why, what did you get?" Carmichael nods to Bryce's words. "Yeah. Better safe than splattered, right?" A chuckle. Though he pauses as Bryce asks that question. "Why, what did you see?" Pause. "Uh, if you feel like you can talk about it, of course…"
"Courtship," Loukanos explains. "Like dating." Only with the intent of marriage, but the godling leaves that part out. "She will come around, I'm sure of it." He just has to find a way to talk to her! He looks over at Bryce and chuckles, "A small prayer wouldn't garner their wrath. Maybe their amusement. And any teacher will do most likely." He looks curious but won't push it. He smiles at Carmichael, "I find that unlikely. I can talk to animals, too, and that does not make me any less divine. Have you ever looked into the matter?"
Ashton looks at Bryce, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it.. it's not like any of them actively dislikes you, right?" He says that with a slight sarcastic tone, but there is a bit of sadness hidden in that. He listens to the exchange between Louk and Carmichael. He cocks his head slightly, before he loops an arm around Loukanos's neck. "You think that there might be something I could do to get on her good side? Like planting some fruit trees or something?" Yeah, he knows that look on Louk's face and he can almost hear his own words in Carmichael's voice, so distraction.
Bryce looks amazed when Carmichael says that he is a bird. "So he's the son of a goddess, and you are part bird?" What is he? How does he compare? His wonder quickly disappates as he feels completely out of place here. When asked what he saw, he says, "Well, I was at a coffee shop in town with two students. I didn't know them before then. There were two old people whispering at a nearby table. One of them showed two pictures to the other. I never saw pictures of anything like that before. Ronan said that they are draugr." He glances over at Ashton and says, "Um, I'm not sure. I hope not." He then adds, "I'm sorry, but what is your name?"
Carmichael admits to Loukanos with a shrug, "Not really. Didn't seem to matter. Besides, with me it's just birds. So I figure I'm just some sort of weird bird-feral that eats sunlight. Probably from Dad's side; I've never met his side of the family." Though he doesn't sound completely certain. Though to distract from that topic, he offers with a grin, looking between Loukanos and Ashton, "Are congratulations in order?" He's just teasing a bit. Bryce says the word 'draugr', though, and Carmichael is paying attention. "You mean like… zombies? Like the ones that came out of the sea?" He'd been in ONE of those situations, but he'd heard there had been another.
"It couldn't hurt. Just make sure it isn't pomegranate. She'll see that as a slight," Loukanos smiles at Ashton, leaning into the other boy slightly. He nods at what Carmichael says, but he is doubtful, "It could be you have a drop of angel's blood from your father's side. In a weird way, that seems more likely than a bird breeding into your family at some point." This is coming from the kid with a horse for a 'brother'. Answering the taller boy's former question, he says, "When I met Ashton, I asked him 'what are you'. Looking back, it may have been too forward a thing to ask a stranger." Sapphire blue eyes focus on Bryce, then. "Draug? As in, undead creatures of the depth?" He pauses, furrowing his brows. "Who were these people?"
Ashton looks over at Bryce, offering him a wide smile, forming the slightest of dimples framing his lips. "Edward.." a pause, as he swallows, "Ashton Talbot.. " Yeah, he meant to give his full name. "Everyone just calls me Ashton though." Well, everyone but his family. He frowns, "Wait, there's been another sighting of the sea zombies? When was this?" He looks to Loukanos, "I thought we stopped them…" The smile that was once on his lips fades at that. He smirks back over at Louk, "Um.. yeah, because there's never any stories about someone turning into a bird or anything… like an eagle and carrying off a beautiful, young boy up to serve as his personal cupbearer?" Yeah, he's been doing more and more reading up on his Greek myths… "And I was thinking about a couple apple trees."
Bryce shrugs as the questions about the draug come. "I have never seen them before." He then closes his eyes and sounds like he is reading: "Draug are undead figures from Norse and Icelandic mythology/folklore that appear to retain some semblance of intelligence. A draug can be created by a curse or by the will of the deceased by simply refusing to die." He then blinks his eyes open and starts speaking more normally. "But what I read seemed more theory of mythology than details of experience. As for the people, man and woman, both well dressed and speaking softly. The man pressed a button as he left and destroyed everyone in the cafe's phone." He then says almost apologetically, "I'm not really good at drawing or describing people. I remember what I see, but sometimes I have a hard time describing it. If my powers were better, I could show you." He then glances to Ashton, "Pleased to meet you."
Carmichael shrugs to Loukanos's suggestion. "Could be. I don't know much about his side of the family. He tends to refer to himself as a 'black sheep' where his family is concerned," Carmichael admits. Loukanos's mention of the draugr gets a nod. "Several came up from the depths during a bonfire on the beach," he notes. "It happened again, but I wasn't there that time." Though he can't help but snicker at Ashton's mention of people turning into eagles to kidnap a prettyboy. "Maybe I should try that. Definitely would be 'sweeping him off his feet', wouldn't it?" he jokes. He pauses as Bryce starts to kind of 'recite' from a book he might have read — or memorized, from the sound of it. "Sounds about right. I didn't know what folklore they were from though, thanks," he offers honestly. "But if someone was talking about them — particularly after destroying people's phones — that definitely smells rotten."
"Edward," Loukanos repeats, testing the name on his tongue again. "Edward. What's wrong with Edward? I like it…" He teases with a grin and gently pokes Ashton in the ribs. "Even your phone?" He looks back at Bryce, something of a serious expression on his face. That's…rude. "Considering the circumstances, I thought we stopped them too. It could be that the demon was unleashed by people, though." Interesting. "I do not mean to discourage you, but I am not sure the faculty will care. They are very…laissez-faire with involvement in the students. The old staff was that way, at least…"
Ashton shrugs, "If you want to call me Edward, I guess you can. It's a family thing. All the men in my family have the first name Edward, even if we all go by our middle name. My grandparents, and some of their friends, insist on calling me Edward… I just prefer to be called Ashton. " He looks over at Carmichael, "They actually came to shore, two times after the night of the bonfire… " He frowns, "If that.. that thing wasn't the cause of them.. and only a symptom then someone needs to do something about it." He looks over at Bryce, "um… I could attempt a spell that would let those present see them… "
Bryce admits, "I, I don't have a phone. Wasn't safe." He says that somewhat cryptically but doesn't go into any explanations. Glancing over at Carmichael, he says, "I don't remember how they smell. My memory seems to be more advanced with vision and hearing than with smell. Sorry. Perhaps in the future as it develops." He totally misunderstood the comment. He then looks back to Loukanos and says, "Oh, I was told we should report it to the staff. I may have misunderstood." Looking at Ashton, Bryce's forehead furrows some making him look confused. "You mean people here could see what I saw?"
Carmichael nods to Loukanos's words of the staff. "But there ARE still people you can tell. If you can locate Daxton or Felicia, they may have a bit more concern about it." He nods to Ashton. "I only heard about the one time — I was there the first time. I missed it if it happened again. But you're right. Something needs to be done about it." He blinks a bit at Bryce's response to 'smells rotten'. "I… didn't mean literally," he hedges, with a chuckle. "It was a figure of speech." The mention of 'seeing what Bryce saw' gets a nod. "There are telepaths here too — though sadly I'm not one of them. They could possibly show others what you've seen."
"I am not saying you should not report it. It may be good to let them know, in case they do decide to do something about the issue. I just wouldn't get my hopes up," Loukanos cocks his head over to Carmichael. "Those two might be more inclined to look into the situation." He glances over at the dark-haired boy with his arm around him, "Ashton, it is then."
Ashton nods, "Yes, everyone could see what you saw or whatever image you focus on when I cast the spell. I could pull the image from your head and then transmit it to someone else, but it would be like playing the 'pass the message game'. Details will get fuzzy. The spell would be more direct… and shouldn't degrade with time nearly as bad." He cocks his head, "There is also the group of oldtimers that helps clean up things like that too… you know the one that the pizza boy works with."
Bryce looks at Carmichael and says, "Oh, no. I'm sorry. I didn't, I mean, I haven't gotten a lot of experience talking with people, especially my own age. I did read a couple books about it though…" He fades off realizing how sad that sounds. "I have not met those two yet though if I do so, I will be sure to tell them. But that does remind me, Loukanos, that I wanted to, well, um, apologize for my reaction when we met." Glancing over at Ashton, he says, "That sounds interesting, but I should ask a question first. This spell, does it involve or use psychic energy or is it some other process?" He sounds a bit worried when he asks that question.
Carmichael nods to Loukanos. "I thought so. 'Busybodies' are needed here. The staff seem more worried about the school and the students, and the… 'kingdom', I suppose, that the school represents. If it doesn't directly threaten the school or students, the staff may not do anything. But yeah… never hurts to report it." Carmichael doesn't know much about magic, so he's not going to add anything to Ashton's explanation. He does reply to Bryce's apology, "No harm done." And offers a quiet chuckle.
"Why would you need to apologize, Bryce?" Loukanos smiles curiously at the other boy. As far as he's concerned, the encounter went well enough. "If you are doing the spell, Ashton," The godling touches his hand and squeezes gently. "Try not to go overboard. It's your first day back." The spell does not sound too taxing, so Louk is okay with leaving before it's over. "I am going to find a way to contact Mother. I'll let you know how that goes…" He looks at other two and waggles his fingers at them before departing.
Ashton cocks his head slightly, "Well, I'd imagine that it would involve psychic energy in some regard, considering that a mind is invovled, but only in that way that any thought would involve psychic energy, but it is not part of the spell itself. I'm not psychic in any way, just magic… a little blood, mostly mine… a drop or two of yours, but it is used up in the spell." He chews on his lower lip slightly as he nods to Loukanos. "Okay… um, I guess I will talk to you later… " He grins, "I don't plan on bleeding to death on my first day back, don't worry." Yeah, not exactly the most encouraging statement. "Though seriously, this weekend sometime.. just you and me…"
Bryce tries to explain why he apologized to Loukanos, but he left before he could explain. Well, he would try again later. He does say to Carmichael, "Thank you," when he accepts his apology of sorts. He then thinks about the spell that Ashton is discussing. "Can I think on it? I have to be very careful with the amount of Psychic energy that I have. Probably if I expelled some Psychic energy, then things should be safe." He then says, "It was good to meet you both. I should head back to my room and put these books away. I'd like to memorize another of my textbook tonight. I've only memorized two so far." He sounds like he is behind.
"Cheers," Carmichael replies brightly to Loukanos's farewell, waving back in a similar fashion. Ashton's words get a tilt of his head. "I doubt I could help, but if there's anything I can do, let me know, yeah?" Bryce then, makes a farewell, pleading the need to think about Ashton's spell. "Take care, mate," he offers with a smile.
Ashton looks very seriously at Bryce, "No. It must be this very moment." He then grins, "Yeah, no worries… just let me know if you decide you want to do it. Safer is cool… The safer, the cooler…" He nods, "Yes, nice to meet you, Bryce." He looks over at Carmichael, as the little gathering in the hall thins out. "So, things going okay, dude?"
Carmichael chuckles a bit at Ashton's straight-faced attempt at a tease. He smiles at the question to him, though, and nods. "So far. This cold has been a right pain for flying, that's for sure. The wind's brutal. I'm afraid I'm going to need a spacesuit for anything farther than a few meters' glide. I'll be glad when it warms up a little."
Ashton looks sympathetically over at Carmichael. "I guess that I'm pretty lucky that I don't get cold easily." He does grin slightly, "Though the cold is convenient for covering up my arms without getting stared at… I used to have a friend that said I was the best person to scrunch up on the couch by when it was cold, because I was like a mini-heater."
Carmichael tilts his head. "Why would you need to cover your arms?" he inquires. He might have already been told, but he asks anyway. Though he also notes, "If it's not too personal to talk about, I mean…"
Ashton pushes up the sleeve of his jacket and shirt of his left arm, exposing his wrist, which is covered in a thin bandage that is spotted with dried blood. "Most of my magic requires me to sacrifice my own life essence to fuel the spell. The more powerful the magic, the more blood it requires."
Carmichael winces at that. "Oh, that's right… I forgot you did mention that." He looks at the bandage ruefully. "Do you want me to try to heal it? It looks recent."
Ashton smiles, "That's okay. I think Louk did something to me, because after the last time he healed me, I have been healing quicker than I should be. By this evening, there won't even be a scratch." He stops and looks at you, "But thank you for wanting to. That look in your eyes speaks volumes to the type of person you are."
Carmichael nods. "That's good to hear," he says, with a note of relief in his voice. "Sometimes I can heal, though I'm not really that great at it. There are definitely people better at it than I am," he notes with a chuckle. "Well… it looks painful, is all. And since I have a problem with pain, I always assume others do too." He's probably teasing at least a little, given the wry tone of his voice.
Ashton shrugs, "Wouldn't be much of a sacrifice if it felt good. I've been having to deal with it since I started… " He chuckles, "Actually, I have been a bit of a klutz my entire life, so injuries is kind of like breathing or eating for most people." He pauses, "What exactly did you mean by offering your congratulations? I meant to say something then, but then the topic kind of became a bit more important with the sea zombies."
Carmichael tilts his head. "Well… if you need me for healing, I'll give it a go," he offers. "Not necessarily now. Just whenever." And then he grins, at the question. "Congratulations for your hooking up with Loukanos," he clarifies. "You two seem quite happy together."
Ashton grins wide, though there is a bit of a blush coloring the tips of his ears. "Yeah… " He chews on his lower lip, "Well, we haven't actually hooked up, but I like him, and for some reason, Louk likes me back."
"A 'hookup' doesn't necessarily mean physical," Carmichael replies. "If that's what you mean. Just, that you two are 'an item'." He smirks. "So is it Ashtanos? Or Loukashton?" he teases.
Ashton raises an eyebrow, "It's Loukanos and Ashton or is you must, absolutely must use a cutesy little name, "Louk and Ash" anything else and you might find yourself turned into a mouse." He blushes more, "Oh… and yeah… that's what I meant… but yeah we are." He frowns slightly, "Anyway, I missed a week of school so I have to go take a make up." He chews on his lower lip, "I'll catch you later, Carmichael."
Carmichael chuckles. "A winged mouse could bring a pretty penny or two," he points out. "If you do, though, turn me into a cat — I could be one of those flying cats. Wouldn't that be amazing?" He grins. Though as Ashton mentions needing to take the makeup, he nods. "Good luck," he offers. "Let me know if you need help with it."