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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 17:03:16 GMT -5
When the gates had opened this morning, Markise had slipped in and headed straight for his dorm, or as straight as he could when he was halfway between drunk and hungover. He'd wanted desperately to collapse in his bed the way he normally did after sneaking out, but he hadn't forgotten Ariel, and so he'd dragged himself through the shower and brushed his teeth in an attempt to get the smell of alcohol off him.
It had all felt so good last night, sitting in a group of wealthy wizards and having their full attention. Then the time he'd spent with Mano. He didn't regret it, it had been too good, but that didn't appease his guilt. He was keeping such a close watch on Ariel, making sure he didn't step foot in Diagon Alley, and he'd gone and done it himself.
He couldn't have not gone, though! He'd been going crazy, wanting some kind of relief from stress and tension, wanting Ariel. The tension had lowered considerably since yesterday.
Now he sat on the grass, his hair towel-dried for once, and his clothes carelessly chosen, with dark sunglasses on, despite the relative shade beneath the tree. He had a headache, but it was still so early he knew it was only going to get worse.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 18:59:58 GMT -5
Ariel was used to the frequent meetings with Markise, though he couldn't help but think that he was being evaluated at least a little. Still, he made his way down to meet up with Markise, his hands shoved firmly in his pockets. He was even wearing his swimsuit beneath his pants, just in case. Finally, he found Markise and sat down beside him bringing his knees up, slightly spread, and put his elbows on them with his hands linked in front. "Hey," he said.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 20:05:07 GMT -5
"Hey," Markise returned, his voice low. Part of it was residue of the past night, part of it was trying not to sound as guilty as he felt, and part of it was hoping if he kept it down, his headache might hold off for longer. He wanted to go to sleep. He'd stayed up with Mano as long as either of them could manage, and however much sleep he'd gotten, it hadn't been nearly enough. "If you want like, a day off..." he started, torn between wanting to keep track of Ariel and wanting to hole up somewhere and sleep it off.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 20:14:20 GMT -5
Ariel shook his head. "I'm okay." It wasn't like he had anything else to do, anyway. Besides, he had gotten used to being around Markise, even if they weren't talking. He would even admit that he had turned to enjoying being with Markise. It was almost uncomfortable to think of that when he was so used to being alone. Then he looked over to Markise, his eyebrows coming together, "Unless you want me to go."
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 20:28:20 GMT -5
Markise shook his head, something he immediately regretted. His head drooped slightly to disguise the worst of his grimace as the light pulsing of his brain grew to a throb. It took him a moment, but when he could concentrate on something other than the worsening of his headache, he couldn't leave Ariel thinking he might be unwanted, or that he was upset over being denied yesterday. "I want you to stay," he said, "I just... thought you might want a break." I don't want you to ask questions.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 20:36:14 GMT -5
"Oh," Ariel said, then looked out over the water. He wanted to get in, but he would wait a little bit. "When I have a break it's just more time to think about everything I could be doing," he pointed out. He didn't mean for it to be rude or anything, just the truth. It was hard not to think of all those things when there was nothing else to focus on.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 21:22:01 GMT -5
Markise knew that, but it had skipped his mind with his mind so focused on himself right now. He nodded again, carefully, this time. "I... didn't sleep very good," he admitted, only realizing after he'd said it that Ariel would probably wonder why. "I'll be fine," he said, brushing it off. "Just, if I say something stupid ignore it." If his words were a little slower than usual, his accent a little more pronounced, he didn't know it. He knew Ariel was here and he needed to stay awake.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 21:30:42 GMT -5
"Are you sure? I mean...you could sleep if you want, I could swim or something." Ariel didn't want Markise to be miserable or anything because of him, even if he didn't know why Markise hadn't slept well. It wouldn't kill him to swim for a little bit, and it would give Markise some sleep time. It wouldn't do either of them any good to sit there when one of them was exhausted.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 21:44:39 GMT -5
Markise looked up at Ariel gratefully, though the expression was lost behind wide-lensed sunglasses. "Thank you," he said. he couldn't come up with any pretense now, not when that solved two problems at once. And maybe if he slept for a little, that guilt would fade. Markise didn't waste any time now that he had Ariel's go-ahead. He lay back without a thought for anything but the bliss of being horizontal and closing his eyes. Maybe he was still a little drunk.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 22:09:35 GMT -5
Ariel looked at Markise for a few moments before he pushed himself up and started taking his clothes off. He folded everything neatly and stacked the clothes on top of his shoes. Within minutes he was out deep in the water. It felt so good to be out in the water. Not that he hadn't been out as often as possible in the last weeks, ever since it had gotten warm enough to be in the water again, but he couldn't get enough of it. He had to make up for all the time he had missed throughout the summer.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 22:19:23 GMT -5
Markise was asleep within a minute of having laid down, his exhausted body pulling him into the deep, dreamless sleep he so looked forward to on Friday nights. It was quiet outside, and despite the firm ground beneath him, comfortable enough to keep him from stirring. If someone didn't specifically try to wake him, he could easily sleep until afternoon, as his body was accustomed to doing after a night of excess.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 22:32:08 GMT -5
Ariel was extremely surprised when he found he couldn't stay out as long as he could before the winter. Even with his lack of practice, he was out plenty long enough to get a nice start on his normally year-round tan that would probably sting a little the next morning. By the time he came back and laid out by Markise, he was about ready for a short nap himself.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 22:41:15 GMT -5
When Markise woke up, he could still feel the pulse of his brain, but it was faint now. The worst ache in his body was his back, from sleeping on the ground so long without moving. It was beyond the usual stiffness, and he grimaced as he stretched out, keeping his eyes firmly closed. He gave himself a few minutes to wake up, and in that time he realized he was outside and blinked his eyes open in confusion.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Jun 13, 2009 22:56:58 GMT -5
Ariel had already been out swimming again by the time Markise awoke and was finding his way back to shore to dry off again. He started unfolding his clothes again and looked down at Markise. "Get enough sleep?" he asked, then used his wand to dry himself off before he pulled on his pants. He pulled his eyes from Markise and focused on his belt.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Jun 13, 2009 23:04:06 GMT -5
Markise would have answered right away, but his attention was caught by a wet Ariel in a swimsuit, and it took Ariel dressing to really break his train of thought. It was times like this he loved having sunglasses with such dark lenses. He watched Ariel's hands as he gave an absent-minded yes. "I feel better," he said. Even last night couldn't keep him from wanting, though today he didn't feel the urge to suggest anything.
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