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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 19:20:32 GMT -5
Ariel turned his eyes back toward Markise, silently debating his answer. He was glad to have left, but he didn't feel like explaining the why and how of leaving to Markise. "It's..." he paused again, trying to find the word to use, but the only one he could think of, even though it revealed a little more than he would have liked, was "A relief. I don't expect everything to be wonderful, but I'm not crying for home. And you?"
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 19:33:19 GMT -5
Markise's pale blue eyes widened slightly at Ariel's answer. "The same," he said softly. It was a relief to be away from SWIM, where he'd spent 5 great years and then ruined it by coming out. Life had become misery, and this was...a relief. He'd be seeing Dare again, he'd have his sister close. It'd be like starting over. He wasn't teary-eyed over it, and he knew that it wasn't going to be walking into a dream, but it was a fresh start. It was something he needed.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 19:43:20 GMT -5
Ariel stopped himself from asking why they had moved, knowing it would only end in the question being turned back on him to answer. So he looked over out of the window again, running fingers lightly over his slightly prickly, tattoo-darkened arm. But he still wondered, what had been so bad in their school to make Markise and Brindle move to another school?
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 19:50:51 GMT -5
And Ariel had gone quiet again. Markise didn't know why he was surprised by that. He looked out the window too, for now, reaching up one hand to twirl idly at a tendril of hair that had fallen down over his face. He turned his attention away from the window, watching the soft lavender and blue twist, then release. Eventually, he was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and he released his hair to look up. A short, rather round woman stood there with a cart piled full of junk food.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 19:59:38 GMT -5
Ariel looked over at the cart, eying it as he mentally counted up how much money he had. It wasn't much, really, his brother hadn't seen the need for him to carry money when everything at the school was provided to the students. After a moment he decided it was worth it and lifted his hips from the chair to pull out his money. Still, he only bought a pastie before putting the small bag back in his pocket and turning back to the window, though he watched Markise out of the corner of his eye.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 20:11:33 GMT -5
Markise had been unable not to look when Ariel moved. If the guy hadn't been looking at him so much he probably wouldn't have, but as it stood, Markise kept wondering, and it was easy to let his curiosity expand. Ariel really was good-looking. Markise managed to pull his eyes back to the woman with the cart, but it didn't look like there was much that wasn't crap, and he didn't feel like skipping dinner later for the momentary bliss of a pumpkin pastie. Still, he wanted something, so he nodded to the woman and stood, sliding his hand into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. "Pack of Droobles," he said, handing over the money. He collected his gum, then returned to the seats. He took the one Brindle had given up, rather than continue to sit at that awkward angle, and looked idly out the window as he slipped a piece of gum between his lips.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 20:21:16 GMT -5
Ariel raised his eyebrow when Markise only bought a thing of gum and, after being momentarily distracted by that hand that had to belong to a guy and those feminine lips, spoke, "This ride is longer than a pack of gum." He wasn't one to talk, though, with his single pastie that was just now being opened by his own hands. He brought his eyes up to Markise's then away, down at the wrapper in his hands.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 20:30:03 GMT -5
Markise turned to look at Ariel, who'd actually initiated conversation this time. "I'll make due," he said, then blew a bubble, which popped in a burst of pale pink before being sucked back into his mouth. He looked down at Ariel's pastie, the only thing he'd bought, and thought that his gum would last quite a bit longer. He'd wait until Ariel was done with his pastie before offering to share, though. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the guy other than mildly intrigued.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 20:36:07 GMT -5
Ariel followed Markise's gaze down to his lap where his own purchase sat, and then took a bite, almost daring Markise to say something about it. It wasn't his fault that his brother had decided Ariel didn't need any money going to the school. He raised his eyebrow and a small grin almost came to his lips, before he caught himself and his eyes darkened before he looked determinedly out of the window again.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 20:50:33 GMT -5
That brief look sparked something in Markise. He'd been debating with himself, idly and in the back of his mind, whether there was anything there that he should bother looking for, and now the thoughts came forward. Markise's tongue swept briefly across his lips as he gathered his words. "So, are you leaving much behind?" he asked, as casually as he could. "Friends? A girlfriend?" A boyfriend? he thought hopefully.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 20:58:55 GMT -5
Ariel snorted at that and shook his head, "Nope, nothing. It's always been just me and my brother." And his last girlfriend was a big reason he was so glad to have left. His eyes were hard as the memories came back to him, of their failed relationship and the gossip, however true, that she had spread about him and his...abilities. He was happy to leave her behind.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 21:06:53 GMT -5
"That's too bad," Markise said, though part of him was more annoyed with the fact that he still didn't know the answer to his question. And there was no way in hell he was asking. "Yeah, I'm taking what I need with me. Well, and Brindle," he said, lips curving again. Ariel had such nice, thick hair. God, I'm not flirting with him, am I? he thought, then blew another slow bubble as he tried to think on it.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 21:12:20 GMT -5
Ariel watched that bubble, though at the same time he tried to convince himself that there wasn't a reason behind it. "I'm glad my brother's decided not to come to Hogsmeade, though I don't see why that place would need a tattoo artist..." he trailed off, thinking for a moment, and then continued. "I didn't have to be in school with him at all, which is probably a good thing, we would have killed each other." He brought his eyes back up to Markise's, the bubble really wasn't that interesting.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 15, 2008 21:17:16 GMT -5
Markise's eyes lit again. "Did your brother do that?" he asked gesturing to Ariel's tattoo. His eyes lingered on it, but he pulled himself away not to stare, looking instead back up to Ariel's face. He couldn't imagine the guy appreciated being stared at, despite his predilection for staring himself. But then, people were funny like that, weren't they?
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 15, 2008 21:22:00 GMT -5
Ariel nodded, crumbling up the pastie wrapper in his right hand and extending his arm. "Yeah, bits and pieces of it the past couple of years." He ran his left hand over it, his eyebrows creasing slightly at the prickly reminder and turned his arm over, the designs were lighter on his inner arm, but still obvious. "I've got a tribal across my shoulders that he did before we left," he said, glancing up at Markise before looking back down at his arm.
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