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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 15:31:31 GMT -5
Ariel couldn't say that he was surprised; Markise wasn't exactly subtle, at least in his looks. He turned his head back towards Markise, though, feeling almost like he should say something about his own reasoning. Then he tightened his hands into fists, no, there was no reason to tell Markise how life had been for him back there. "That's why I don't hang around people," he said in place of the thoughts running through his mind. He watched Markise's face for a moment, taking in the little details, and then looked away.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 15:38:58 GMT -5
Markise looked back up at Ariel then. "It wasn't about hanging around people," he said, his voice tightening, losing some of the softness and deepening just a bit with the words. "It was in class, in the halls, in my dorm room, where I couldn't hardly sleep for wondering if someone was going to do something to me. Things happened, and it was about that, too." He didn't want to think about those things, though. He wanted to forget and move on. Markise chewed his gum again, not bothering with bubbles for the moment, and his hand twirled almost furiously in his hair. Let it go, he told himself. "Just...ignore that," he told Ariel.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 15:52:30 GMT -5
Ariel closed his eyes and looked away, everything Markise said was so familiar. He couldn't imagine that his own story was as bad as what Markise had went through, but he hadn't been able to stand being back there much longer. "You know..." he said, though his instincts screamed at him not to talk. "I know how it is." He wasn't gay, but that didn't stop people from thinking he was, or acting out because of it. "I had the entirety of the female population at my old school against me." He opened his eyes, met Markise's for just a second, then looked away.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 16:00:40 GMT -5
Markise nearly teared up at that. He'd come out alone, without Dare by his side, without Kwami, who'd broken up with him because he'd wanted to do it. He'd just wanted to be honest with himself, and it had all gone so wrong. Markise felt such a connection with Ariel then, neither of them saying the words, but both of them knowing. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" Markise asked. He knew his looks wouldn't help his case, but if he didn't say anything, if people didn't know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 16:05:47 GMT -5
Ariel shook his head, why would he tell anyone? It was Markise's to hold and tell, no one else's. Maybe that was one of the reasons it had killed Ariel that his ex had went around telling the whole school about his...mishap, she had no right to spread it around and had done it anyway. It had only added to the thought that he was gay, which had originally been based only off of his name, though it had spread to more. No, he wouldn't tell.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 16:11:38 GMT -5
"Thank you," Markise whispered. He didn't know what to say then, how to pick up the conversation. He wasn't sure he'd be able to, at least not for a while. It was hard to put aside something like that once it was out. Out. Markise had a huge decision to make, and he should have decided as soon as he'd known his parents were sending him here. Did he want to change? Want to try to fit in so it wouldn't happen again? He wasn't sure. Markise licked his lips, thinking about it. "Is it obvious?" he asked. The group he'd hung out with before had been such a mix of characters that he'd just blended in, but now... he wasn't sure.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 20:21:08 GMT -5
Ariel raised an eyebrow, are you serious? Yes, yes Markise was serious. Ariel stared for a moment in disbelief that he had asked, and then finally spoke, "No, of course not. I heard that all the guys in the Kingdom have lavender hair and wear mascara." His eyes gave away the tease and just the corner of his lips turned up, before he dropped the humor back into his usual neutral face.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 20:26:14 GMT -5
Markise's lips parted in mild shock that could have turned into offense if it hadn't been for the sudden laughter in Ariel's eyes, and...was that the beginnings of a smile? Markise closed his mouth and fluffed his hair, then gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "I'm not giving up the mascara," he said. His lips quirked. He could probably talk himself into going blond again, but he'd feel naked without just a little makeup.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 20:32:37 GMT -5
"I didn't tell you to give any of it up," Ariel said, shrugging and looking over Markise's face before turning his eyes back to the dimming sky. He couldn't imagine a less flamboyant Markise, it would be odd to see him walking down the corridor without the makeup or the hair. Assuming Ariel ever saw him again. His eyes turned up into the sky, a slightly different sky than he was used to, wondering faintly why he was so tired, only to remember that it was around four hours later down there in Australia.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 20:38:47 GMT -5
Markise felt that heat in his cheeks again, and dropped his gaze, blowing another slow bubble as he told himself to calm down again. They'd just met and already Ariel was implying a don't change. Or was he? Maybe it was back to his statement about the tattoo, about doing what you wanted. God, he was confusing. Markise sighed and went back to his thoughts. Should he? He was rather attached to his hair, but he supposed he could get used to it blond.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 20:48:42 GMT -5
Ariel had half a mind to tell Markise to stop it with the bubbles, he didn't want to watch, but he was tired enough to not be able to put up much of an argument when his eyes trailed over there again. He put his elbow on the windowsill and propped his head up, idly watching the bubble form without really meaning to. His other hand messed absently with the seam of his pants, running his fingernails along the raised fabric.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 20:57:11 GMT -5
It took a bit, but eventually Markise could feel Ariel watching, and so he brought his gaze back from the window. He wanted desperately to just watch Ariel back, or maybe to tease him a bit, to try to get a rise out of him, but he thought maybe he'd done enough of that already. Maybe. If Ariel liked the bubbles so much, who was Markise to deprive him? Markise popped another and pulled it slowly into his mouth with his tongue, letting it linger on his lips for just a moment. "I like your belt," he said softly. "It really kicks ass."
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 21:02:27 GMT -5
Ariel raised an eyebrow and glanced down at his belt. He had had it for years and it was ratty around the edges, though perhaps it wasn't that obvious across the compartment, and where he kept it buckled was worn thin enough to be on the verge of breaking. "I need a new one, though," he said, nodding. Not that he didn't love the one he had, but he didn't think it was going to last much longer.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 16, 2008 21:08:48 GMT -5
Markise had to bite his tongue to keep from giving fashion tips just then. He wanted to volunteer what kind of belts would look good on Logan's body type, but he figured that was going too far. "There's probably a robe shop in Hogsmeade, but they'll probably just have crap. I've got a couple catalogs, if you want to look for something good," he offered. And dammit, he'd done it anyway.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Oct 16, 2008 21:13:23 GMT -5
"I'm hoping this one will last me until Christmas, maybe Maverick will give me some more money then." As it was he wasn't going to spend what little money he had on a belt, considering all he could afford, and still have plenty left over for the term, would be a little cheap one that wouldn't last long. When he bought a new one, he wanted it to be a good sturdy one that would last him a long time, like the one he was currently wearing.
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