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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 10, 2011 22:00:45 GMT -5
Screw it all, The normally lovely child had decided to skip his math class today, finding such a thing entirely torturous, and having had no desire to listen to a rambling of numbers, had fled to the staircase, a pocketknife that had been effectively smuggled from Skylar's trench coat in hand. Tail flicked almost curiously behind him, and a rather stupid smirk rested on his lips. Someone was feeling just simply defiant today, and had no interest in stopping with just skipping classes. No, he also had a weapon on his person. Such a terrible kid. Oh well, it wasn't like he'd ever harm someone else with it. The dearest blade was all for him.
No, the kid wasn't a 'cutter', so to speak, but Zeros were born without pain, and the boy was simply curious. Sure, curiosity killed the cat, and normally resulted in quite a bit of blood-loss for Avery(seeing as only feeling pressure didn't help too much when a naive child got a hold of a knife), but it hadn't killed him yet.
Avery, upon reaching the stairs, quickly proceeded to shove himself in a corner behind the concrete things, hopefully out of sight(Ave had absolutely no desire to be caught by his teachers and given detention), and surely out of the way, then pulled his beautiful, black-handled pocketknife out of his hoodie's pocket, a bit of a grin on his face, lopsided and awkward.
The boy's sleeve would be yanked up, half-way between the elbow and shoulder, and he'd glance at the scars that resided there. Why the hell didn't it ever work? Of course he knew the answer, but it didn't keep him from trying. The connection that the nerves had with the brain was basically entirely severed, making him both weaker and stronger than the normal human. The warning signs that his body was breaking didn't effect him, it allowed him to go farther, but it made him so much easier to take down.
A broken bone wouldn't slow him down, but what happens when a rib fractures and smashes a lung? Wouldn't know what hit 'im.
A tawny ear would flick slightly to the side, and his matching tail would wrap around his leg as he popped the blade up and made a gentle mark down his arm, just enough to bleed, just slightly. A few drops of blood bubbled up, but they didn't run. To anyone else, it'd hurt. He knew it. He knew it as an elementary school student, from when the other children skinned their knees and cried. He didn't feel anything but the pressure of the knife severing the skin. Why doesn't it work? Never hurt to ask.
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 451
Tagged Astrid
Comment No song. :/ ...And Avery's such a freak. :l
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 10, 2011 22:47:57 GMT -5
> Science was such a boring topic. It wasn't when biology was the unit they were studying but when it came time for physics... well, seeing Astrid in class was a rare and beautiful sight. Generally, though, she skipped out on numbers and headed for whatever place was empty at the time.
> Today it was the north staircase.
> She'd grabbed her keys for her dorm room and her moped out of her locker, shoving her binder inside and then closing it up tight. Once the combination lock clicked into place, she turned and headed down the hall at a brisk pace, seeming completely natural despite her 'crime'.
> She came around the corner and headed down the first flight, humming softly as she fiddled with her ipod, searching for just the right song. It wasn't until she picked up the presence of someone else that she stopped, looking down and over the railing and spotting a tawny haired boy sitting in the corner, cutting himself of all things.
> For a moment, she considered teasing him for it, making him feel like shit for being a cutter. Then she saw his face; no pain. In fact, she could've sworn she'd seen some confusion in his eyes for a moment.
> Black, red and pink hair to her shoulders, black and red stripes dyed into her tail, colorful additions to her uniform and her ipod already softly playing one of her favorite songs. Surely she, the newcomer freak of the school, had no place to judge.
> In fact, his numb confusion sparked some curiosity. Instead of striding over to bully the kid, she smiled that Cheshire grin and approached with a sort of animated goose-stepping. She stopped directly in front of him, hands in her pockets and head tilted, smiling all the while.
> "Doesn't hurt, does it?" She mused calmly, quietly. "I can see it in your eyes." Another tilt of the head, this time to the other side. "But I wonder why you'd do that, cutting yourself. It's a waste of blood." |
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 10, 2011 23:03:23 GMT -5
Kid's attention would move quickly between the knife and the small line of blood, but there seemed to be no connection. Sure, one had created the other, but the reasoning seemed off. You're only supposed to bleed when you're in pain. I know this for a fact. He had paid attention to the others at school; hell, he even had a sick obsession with just the general idea of pain, but it didn't get him anywhere. It never would. It was impossible that he'd feel it. His genetics were screwed with, and that was that.
But, but, but... The weak and childish argument he had always used had failed him, and the only thing he was left with was the vague notion of being left out. Everyone else could feel pain, but why couldn't he? It made him feel vaguely like an outcast. Few even seemed to understand such a thing; lacking pain. Maybe that was on of the reasons he had taken to Skylar so well. Skylar understood it. Skylar couldn't feel pain either. They were Zeros.
The footsteps wouldn't be noticed until too late, and as a result, Avery'd tense, ears pinning themselves against his head, only for him to relax upon hearing the voice of a girl; another student. She wouldn't turn him in; most likely, she was skipping too.
The girl'd speak, and head would tip up stare at her for a moment, taking in the sight of the dye, before shoving the pocketknife back into the front pocket of his hoodie.
A few moments of silence would be given as Avery took a moment to consider what to say, and another expression of blank confusion would highlight his facial features for a moment, followed by a smile, and some words, "Not at all," Such a stupid boy, taking such a thing so lightly, "Don't tell me that if only one other person you'd ever met didn't feel pain, that you wouldn't be curious. I can feel the path of the knife. I can feel it pressing into my skin; there's nerves. I can feel pressure, but where's the pain? It's just...numb."
There'd be a few more moments of silence, "You can't tell me that it isn't curious."
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 373
Tagged Astrid
Comment Nada
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 10, 2011 23:32:33 GMT -5
< Short post. My apologies. >
> His words were taken into acute consideration. Those copper eyes watched him, so still, unmoving, giving away nothing except understanding and an undying patience. A predator, in a sense.
> "Curious, maybe, but not without an explanation." Not that she'd give one. She didn't know the reason, only the fact now. Astrid knelt down in front of him, crouching so she rested on the balls of her feet, her arms crossed over her knees. "I think I like you." She concluded matter-of-factly.
> "I'm Astrid." She smiled, tail curling behind her and flicking into view, long in length and fur alike. "Just moved into the neighborhood." Idle chatter, nothing more for now. The Cheshire kitten would rest for the time being, happy to take a back seat to the girl's more social side.
> "Who're you?"
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 11, 2011 14:13:20 GMT -5
There was a look of knowing on her face...mutual understanding? The girl'd get a grin in response to her comment, her look of understanding, and head would tilt slightly to the side; the look of a dog confused by that high-pitched noise coming from the police sirens outside.
At the comment of being liked, he coulkdn't help but have his smile grow, and then a look of loneliness would strike him, "You'd like Skylar more."
It didn't matter that Skylar was a pain in the ass that seemed entirely indifferent to life most of the time, and a tad bit violent the remaining time; in Avery's mind everyone like Skylar. Who couldn't like his Fighter? The idea was simply insane, and if brought up, was quickly discarded.
At the mention of a name, he'd try to connect the girl's label to her face; memorization if you'd like, after all, it'd be awfully embarrassing to mess her name up if they were to ever talk again. "I like you too, and the name's Avery."
There was more fragments of silence, and then finally, he added onto his introduction, "Me and my Fighter, Skylar, have been at The Academy since middle school. We were lucky; we were paired pretty early up."
In truth, if asked, Avery would be entirely confused as to how to describe their relationship. Together? Maybe in Avery's mind. Friends? Yes, but, more than that. They were just...a team. They understood each other. They worked together. Any other idea of what they were was entirely beyond him.
"Have you been paired up yet?"
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 266
Tagged Astrid
Comment Sorry that was posted in pieces. I started it at school, then finished it at home. xD
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 11, 2011 16:48:20 GMT -5
> So this kid was a sacrifice too, huh? She'd been told that she'd have a fighter upon coming here, but anything beyond that... well, this entire situation was completely and totally new to her. In honesty, she hadn't met her fighter yet. She was almost afraid to.
> This guy was obviously used to his life as someone's sacrifice. Maybe it wasn't all that bad that he couldn't feel pain. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure what being a sacrifice entailed herself, but she did know it involved taking the blows for one's fighter sometimes.
> Her confusion never showed for a moment, not even in those copper hued eyes. Instead, she smirked. "Nah, haven't met him yet. They said I'd have one when I came here, but other than the bare basics, I'm pretty much lost." A sarcastic grin worked its way onto her face, and it didn't belong there.
> "So what's it all entail, anyway? I'm guessing I'll be meeting my fighter soon... everything's sorted, but I skipped out on the meeting." Yup. She was supposed to go meet him the other day, but instead, she'd skipped out to watch a marathon on the tele. Smooth move.
> She honestly thought they'd been pulling her leg, until she'd witnessed two of the other students talking about it a day before. Now she was pretty sure everything they'd told her was real.
> She'd never been more afraid. |
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 11, 2011 17:07:43 GMT -5
"It's...different. I'll tell you that. Life before meeting Skylar just seems strange, looking back on it...almost alien. Just, life without my fighter doesn't seem right at all." A bit of an awkward looking expression would spread across Avery's face, and he'd scratch his head, almost nervously. Tail would flick slightly, almost embarrassed at the apparent obsession he had with his Fighter.
He'd continue listening to the girl only for his jaw to drop, "What!? You missed your meeting! That's..." He didn't know how to describe it. Avery himself had felt excited to no end to meet Skylar that first day. He spent at least half an hour before hand pacing around the meeting area just because he was so excited. How could someone just miss their meeting. Such a strange girl Astrid seemed to be, with her oddly colored hair, and what seemed to be a lack of interest in finding her other half; her teammate.
"And, it's different for everyone; being a sacrifice. I can't tell you exactly how it's gonna be, but for me it's been great. Most people, I've heard, are willing to die for their teammate, and can't imagine life without them. Of course, once again, it's different for everyone. I can't imagine a world without Skylar in it." Hey, at least the kid wasn't entirely alone in his enthusiasm for his Fighter, though he did tend to make it more easily noticed than those he met before. Oh well, that didn't bother the boy one bit. Skylar was his, and his alone.
"They told me that a Sacrifice 'owns' their Fighter in some ways, but it's never been that way with me and Skylar. The only time I ever command him is in battle, and only when needed. He's smart enough to know what's needed, for the most part; competent. He keeps me standing, and tends to bring other teams down, so we're all good...I wonder who your Fighter is! It's gotta be exciting to think about meeting them!" Oh Avery, so easily distracted, so quick to flutter from conversation topic to another without another thought. Such a strangely innocent child.
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 359
Tagged Astrid
Comment Hnnngg, sorry if my posts have sucked lately. Tad bit tired.
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 11, 2011 17:57:05 GMT -5
< Astrid's not normally so honest, but like she said, she likes Avery. :3 He got lucky. >
< Also, your posts are not sucking. D: They're fine. >
> Avery's reaction to her having missed meeting her fighter almost made Astrid laugh. No one ever told her what to do, when or where. She just did as she pleased. A stray to the very end. So when they'd told her to meet him, where and when, she'd opted for another plan; if they were so 'destined' to meet, he'd have to find her on their own time.
> Though she did feel a pang of guilt at missing out; surely if Avery was so excited to have met his own fighter, didn't that mean her partner would've been upset to have been stood up?
> Whatever.
> He went on and on excitedly about the topic, but in the end, Avery brought it back around to her again. She couldn't help but find his admiration for this Skylar person adorable, like a puppy worshiping his master or something. If a Sacrifice owned their Fighter, than someone had obviously messed up on these two. It seemed like Skylar had Avery wrapped around his finger.
> "I suppose." She murmured in response, finally settling with her legs crossed, leaning against the wall. "I've never really relied on anyone else, though. Always been just me. I guess I'd be lying if I said I were excited to start sharing my life with someone."
> She frowned, her tail curling around her so she could play with the scruffy tip. "I guess I don't see the appeal of suddenly letting some stranger in, just because some higher ups says it's meant to be. For all I know, my fighter could be someone with a family. Then what?"
> That was what scared her the most. Whoever her fighter turned out to be, she'd have to make room for him or her in her own schedule. What if, by some chance, this person was engaged to be married, or had a kid, or something like that? She couldn't handle the extra baggage.
> Or worse... what if he didn't have ears and a tail? Somehow she couldn't see herself associating with an adult. The very thought left an unpleasant task in her mouth. If this person was her life partner... Great, now I've worked myself into a panic. Thanks a lot, Avery. Her eyes narrowed a bit in a sarcastic glare, one that wasn't at all serious or mean... just... feigned spite.
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 11, 2011 18:37:59 GMT -5
Head would tilt to the side, only slightly. He most certainly was interested in the conversation, and paying attention, ready to supply more information at any point. A flick of the tail would be given, and then the boy would speak.
"I guess I kind of understand. I was adopted, I guess that's the word to use, and I had everything I needed. Good schools, nice clothes, you know, those kinds of things, but everything felt...incomplete. I tolerated my guardians; listened to them out of a lack of knowing anything else, but it didn't feel right. Skylar just seemed to..fix everything." He'd pause once again, zoning out to think about what he had just said, only to continue, "I can't promise that that's what your Fighter will be to you, but I really hope so. It's a great feeling, being able to trust someone so much, to be able to care for. It's different, but it's nice."
"Don't think about it as meeting someone because someone else is telling you to," He'd give the girl yet another grin, "That's not why you're meeting whoever it is you're destined to meet. You're meeting them because they're your other half. I know it sounds corny, but it's true. The 'higher-ups'? They're just helping you along."
The girl was glaring slightly, though it was entirely beyond Avery as to why. He couldn't figure out what he had said or done, but oh well. It didn't matter. They had gotten along so far, and if she ended up not liking him, that was entirely okay. Ave had his fighter, and that was all he needed in life. Sure, Astrid seemed nice, and he'd love to have her as a friend, but naive boy couldn't make her do anything. If she didn't like him, that was her own fault.
He didn't let the confusion at her irritated glance show through.
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 317
Tagged Astrid
Comment I really like how this is going. I feel it's really developing both characters really well.
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 11, 2011 18:47:42 GMT -5
> Her ears flicked forward as he spoke, eyes still settled on him, though her glare faded away quickly enough. More talk about how he and Skylar were meant to be, that she'd have her other half in whoever became her fighter. Blah, blah, blah.
> "Sounds great." She smiled, tilting her head again and letting her obnoxious hair flutter in front of her eyes. "I hope you're right about that, Avery. Hopefully whoever it is, isn't some creep bent on world destruction or something."
> And that was the cue to change the conversation. She laughed softly at the thought, a pretty sound. "So why aren't you in class, anyway? You don't take me for the type to skip." Her music player changed again, as it had been the entire time (though the songs were barely noticeable). Now something with a lot more bass to it was playing and, distracted from the conversation, Astrid twisted in her spot to turn it down.
> "I have science right now. We're doing Physics, which sucks, so I don't really bother going unless there's a test or something." She shrugged. "I've never failed any tests before, so I'm not worried." |
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 11, 2011 19:16:13 GMT -5
Astrid's expression softened, and she spoke, though his eyes were caught once again on her hair. When her head shifted, the brightly colored pieces moved, and he couldn't help but be entirely mesmerized by it, being as easily distracted as he was. Hell, even the most focused of people would be having trouble with such a thing. It was just so bright. "I doubt he'd be bent on world destruction, but, you know..." His voice would trail off, but the arrogant smile on the kid's face would show that he was merely joking.
At the question of why the boy wasn't in class, a single ear would plop against his head, almost embarrassed, "Well, you see, in whatever the hell math class I'm learning now, I really don't care what's going on. I do however, care about why the hell I don't feel pain. I'll get Skylar to give me notes or whatever later." If he could. Avery didn't truly have all that much control over the actions of his Fighter. There were merely suggestions which he chose to follow.
A sudden low, but clearly loud, electronic noise came from the iPod, and Avery's green eyes stared it down for a moment. How had he not noticed it before? Someone was being so awfully unobservant today! "What song?" Just idle conversation.
"And Physics is kind of interesting, if you can get past all of the calculations. I thought Chemistry would be the end of me; all of the memorization." Since when had Avery been one to ramble on about school? Apparently now he was. Oh well, he was enjoying himself well enough for missing class for the first time this year.
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 281
Tagged Astrid
Comment I'm feeling that everyone but Avery is a bad ass at heart. xD
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 11, 2011 19:48:13 GMT -5
< The song is the Loveless opening theme. :P Irony. >
> It wasn't that he was skipping for his own amusements that impressed Astrid. Rather, it was how he said it. Apparently the boy she'd labelled previously as 'innocent' wasn't afraid to say a few bad words. He liked to say 'hell' apparently.
> She made a point to remember this fact. No real reason for it, but Astrid never had a reason for anything really. Not yet, anyway.
> He asked which song it was and as he went on to talk about boring classes (she liked Chemistry though), she checked, glancing down and lighting up the screen. "Tsuki no KAASU. It's the theme to an anime I watch." She smiled as it played, turning it up so that both her and Avery could hear it without disrupting any classes. Then, she took off her headphones (oh my god!) and set it down between them to act as speakers.
> "I like Chemistry, actually. And Biology. Physics though... if it weren't for the math involved, I think I'd like it fine. Science is one of my better subjects, next to History." Yeah, for some reason, the bright and flashy girl sitting there was a history nerd at heart.
> "So are you doing anything after school, Avery?" She smiled, looking up at him again. "I don't have any plans, but I've got money to spend. We could go get coffee or something. Skylar can come too, if he wants." Another smile, this time a lot more... natural. It wasn't her Cheshire grin like before.
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 11, 2011 20:59:51 GMT -5
An ear would flick slightly on the boy's head as he listened to the girl, completely calm for once. Such a thing was rare if the boy didn't have Skylar by his side. Tail was wagging slightly, just around the tip, something else that was strange. He was pleased to just be out here, just to be with someone else. How often did that occur? Was it possible to be happy without your teammate by your side at all times? It seemed possible, seeing as he had gone through how many years before hand without Skylar. Still, it just seemed so surprising; an entirely new discovery.
Though he was happy, it didn't mean that this was a thing he'd go out of his way to accomplish, after all, Skylar was his other half; his everything. Skylar made the world less terrifying, and everything better, and was just completely and entirely perfect. He was the rationality to Avery's own lack of it. He was the calm to Avery's energy. He was bad ass to Avery's...not so bad ass. Life wouldn't be right without him.
"Blowing things up in Chem was fun, but the teacher didn't trust me with the lighter," A bit of a snicker would be added to the end, leaving up to imagination as to why, "Just I never could get my periodic table down." Avery was a good student. He did his work, he strived for good grades, he normally didn't skip class or hide in the stairways and try to feel pain. Normally, he did pretty well; a B+ student. The pampered lab rat of sorts was made to be clever, he was made to be able to be the perfect strategist in combat, to feel no pain, to get farther, to do more. And in a way, they had achieved that.
He was smart enough beneath the layers of derpiness and the inability to connect with most people. Even if he was easily manipulated, and his Fighter's pet, they had gotten close enough to achieving their goal that Avery was kept on the paycheck. He could go to good schools, he could stay with Skylar, he could potentially have a life, if he got really lucky. Just hope cross your fingers and hope that everything doesn't go to hell. When you're a genetic experiment, everything could fail at any moment, and the domestic rat get tossed to the wolves.
"English is easiest for me. The analyzing pieces, not so much, but the rest I'm pretty good at. Anything that involves extreme memorizing and math, I don't tend to be as great at." Not as great as in C-.
Another twitch of the ears, and he'd smile brightly at Astrid, "Really, you'd wanna go with me and Skylar?" The boy couldn't help but feel giddy at the thought of hanging out with someone, "Maybe you can see if the teachers'll tell you who your sacrifice is, and you can bring him along as well?" Then everyone could meet everyone and be pleasant, happy, lovely friends. Such a sweet kid.
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 513
Tagged Astrid
Comment Sorry it took so long. And if there's an unreasonable amount of typos. I didn't typo check it. ^^;
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Post by Astrid Rotweil on Oct 11, 2011 21:27:40 GMT -5
> She grinned at his surprise. Of course she wanted to hang out with both of them! Avery was officially on her friends list and Skylar was his obsession; she wanted to meet this guy and make sure she could approve of him, obviously.
> "I think I'll pass on talking to the teachers about my fighter. As curious as I am to find out who he is, I'm fine with waiting until it happens, y'know?" Another smile, this time honest and true. "In the meantime, I can treat a cute boy and his object of affection to some tasty Frappus at Starbucks."
> Yup. Astrid was certainly a unique individual.
> She was about to say something else when the bell rang overhead. Looking up, she frowned. Next class already? "...I have P.E. next. If I miss anymore this week, they'll flunk me." She sighed and stood up, tail swishing behind her in disappointment. "Meet me in the parking lot after school? Won't be hard to miss me. I park over by the tress and I drive a black moped."
> She'd wait until he answered, even offering him a hand up, making sure to indicate that he should go to class this period (so she didn't feel the need to skip again). "Don't bring any money. It's my treat, okay?" |
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Post by Avery Newfeld on Oct 11, 2011 21:58:53 GMT -5
A flick of the tail was all that was given in response to the statement about not going to the teachers about not finding out who her Fighter was. Oh well, her loss. Avery was entirely okay with just hanging out with Astrid and Skylar anyhow. That constant grin on his face would widen at the complement of being cute, and the idea of coffee(which he very much so imagined that he'd have to sneak past Skylar. Both of them knew that Ave was hyper enough without caffeine), and generally just hanging out. How often did he do that with someone other than Skylar? Had he ever? A memory of such a thing entirely evaded him.
"P.E.? That's no fun. Guess you don't wanna fail that; taking it in the summer would be torturous." Astrid stood up, and the kid found himself to be slightly displeased. Oh well. He had to go to French next anyhow. He couldn't grab those notes off of Skylar. "Mk, I'll fetch Skylar too. It may take me a few to track him down though." Their lockers, sadly, were at opposite ends of the main building.
A hand was offered, and Avery took a moment to stare at it, before grabbing it, friendship, and using it to help him up, "Thank," he'd blink at the girl, surprised by her offer, "Are you sure? I have some money in my room..." He didn't want to seem too needy. That'd be a terrible way to come off on their first meeting, "...Thanks." Yes, the repeat was necessary.
"Well, I better go. French is on the third floor. I'll see you later!" And with that he'd begin on his way to French, trying not to move too fast so that he didn't miss anything that Astrid might be saying as he left.
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Puppet Avery
Muse 4/10
Words 306
Tagged Astrid
Comment Last post here? If so, I'll lock and archive the thread.
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