bunny
New Member
it's friday friday
Posts: 8
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Post by bunny on Jun 12, 2008 22:13:07 GMT -5
"Oh look, a gyp."
"In here? Are they sure she won't steal anything?"
"I wouldn't even leave my scraps around her."
Continuing on as if the comments hadn't bothered her, Natalya Benson scrubbed the floor as she had been directed to do earlier that afternoon. It was part of the job, those taunting people. She couldn't hold anyone to blame but herself. In some way, she must be giving off proof of their stereotype. It wasn't in her nature to steal, but maybe she was being too free in how she behaved. That had to be it. It wasn't as if Tali was a saint.
Shaking the terrible thoughts away about her lack of usefulness, she pushed the brush over the floor more roughly, opening the wounds on her palms again. She had been lying to Bryce when she said most of the cuts came from falling down. In fact, cleaning the various dangerously sharp objects in Florence's school was the source of the various injuries. The first time she started bleeding, it had been her inclination to tell someone in case she undid the work by making everything contaminated, but the women just shooed her away, saying something about calluses forming soon enough.
That had made her cry. Not what they said, but how it had been uttered. They had spoken to her like she was unintelligent and a pest to have around. Frequently, she caught them speak about all the gypsy workers and how they wished the lot would bug off. As if the gypsies caused trouble. Natalya was sure that it was the students who made the messes, right? There could be no complaint of her people. Weren't they not even allowed close the school? It just didn't make sense.
Sitting up, Natalya wiped her forehead with the underside of her forearm. The work uniform was so constricting... Tali didn't wear dresses that often, opting for loose fitting pants which, supposedly, were looked down upon as too masculine. Adjusting to working at Florence's was taking a terribly long time. It had already been a year, and each day seemed to make her dread it more and more. No one liked her here. If it wasn't for the children that smiled when she brought food home, and her mother who knew the camp was happy with how much she brought home, Tali might not be able to come back. They didn't really want her.
Maybe... hearing them yell for her, she thought that maybe it would be okay if she took a break. It was irresponsible, but Tali was reeling from the chemical smells and loss of blood. Actually, quite a bit of it was swirling in the bucket.
"Eww, that's absolutely disgusting, girl. What made you think you could clean the floors with that shit in there?" a gruff voice asked, kicking at her bucket. Natalya looked up for a moment, brushing the dark bangs out of her face to find her supervisor glaring back down at her, and sighed in relief. This was the nicer one, at least. The others... they would have kicked her instead of the bucket. Moving to answer, she swooned a little and saw the harsh look on the older woman's face soften.
"Go take your break now, hun. I'll dock your pay if you're not back in fifteen." With a pat on her back, the lady left. She jumped up quickly, pulling her sleeves back down and raced out of the building. The cool air blowing across her face was a wonderful welcoming. Natalya couldn't stop running, her feet flew across the ground away from the building. Away from her job into nature. Without thinking of where she was going, her body naturally turned for the lake and its still, unmovable surface. It was there that she slowed down.
It looked like glass. Unbreakable, unmovable glass... Water was so fascinating to her. The feel of it enveloping her body was divine. She learned to swim in this lake as a child, diving from the spot that overlooked what seemed to be a trench at the bottom. You could go headfirst and not hit the bottom. One time, she had slipped in-- this was before she learned to navigate the waves with her body-- the sudden immersion scared her to death. She flapped her arms in a vain attempt to resurface, but it only made the sitaution worse. Her mouth and nose filled with water until it felt as if she was going to die. That was when a pair of hands fished her out. (She's always getting in trouble. -___-;; )
Even then, though, I had this love of water. It was calling to her, Natalya could feel it. But, this time, there would be no one to help her if she panicked. It would be the end of everything, suffocation... No. She couldn't think of that. People needed her. There had to be one person who depended on her. Didn't she establish how much her job meant to the camp? It brought in money for them to live a little more comfortably at times. To lose that contribution, it could mean so much to the children. Slipping off her uniform and into the underwear, Natalya walked around the bank until she returned to the same spot that almost lead to her death...
Swimming always relaxed her. It's liquid embrace never judged her. It never offered advice she knew she should listen to. It only blocked out the noise and the light and everything else besides what was going on beneath the surface. Taking a deep breath, Natalya backed up, ran...
And dived. The water rushed towards her, and Natalya suddenly realized her mistake. It wouldn't be a lack of swimming skills that could spell out a mishap like when she was a child.
It would be the cold.
The water cut at her skin with a sharp knife-like sensation that caused panic to bubble in her chest. Instantly, she strove to get to the surface, breaking through for a second before sinking under again. The temperature was slowing the blood flow in her limbs, making them fall asleep and, therefore unable to control. As clawing for the surface became less of an option, Natalya wondered if, perhaps, somewhere in her, she wanted to die. It was a terrible thought, but as the water pressed into her nose and against her mouth, it became a possibility. Was the job really too hard on her? Was she so weak that the stress could make her ask for this?
Her mouth opened, gasping for air, but only water came to the gesture. Down and down it went while she floated there, no longer trying to swim. The pain was becoming excrutiating. Her lungs burned, threatening to explode inside her chest. It was going to hurt so much. Yet, that thought scared her less and less. The light of the surface was fading... Her eyes opened and closed slowly, freezing up along with the rest of her body. She couldn't fight anymore. Natalya wouldn't fight anymore. Water sloshed around inside of her lungs, filling her throat... And then, she blacked out to escape the pain
ooc;; I hadn't been up to writing to my full potential. So, it's choppy because I skipped over things I wanted to say. Laziness. -dies-
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Post by justjenn on Jun 13, 2008 19:27:53 GMT -5
The abrupt throwing of her out of her thoughts caused her to be somewhat irked. She, miserably, opened her emerald eyes to gaze over at the cause of her irritation, but found nothing. At first, she pondered if she’d simply imagined it. After a second of thought, she tossed that idea out, like she’d really blame herself.
Still, her question was unanswered, causing her to slide her feet under herself and stand up. Her drive to figure out what the disruption was over-powered her want to hang around at the base of the tree and just think. She already could assume what it was, some stray cat prowling the garden and woods for a robin or some squirrel breaking a limb and causing it to clatter down to the ground. Yet, it was November after all, hearing the crunching of leaves in a consistent pattern didn’t result in either of her two previous conclusions. So, she mumbled and cussed lightly to herself as she trekked off after the interruption-causing ghost.
Her action surprised her, usually she wouldn’t have cared. Would’ve glared at the subject in question and then melted back into her own little world. Yet, this was different. Some would say that the following statement was preposterous. That she felt like she had to follow, like something horrid was about to happen; whether it is where she sat or where she was going. Something sat in the back of her mind, just telling her to have blind faith in the instinct, and that she did. They’d never failed her before, why would they start now?
So along she went, following after the sound. She’d seen the scenery before, and could only predict where this feeling would take her. To the lake. And so it did. She found herself standing by a tree, scanning the area for any other beings.
You could say that Claudia DeMonte, Clyde, wasn’t quite so surprised when she found another person there. She felt a small tickle in her throat, almost of a growl that this was what that whole little adventure had been about. Following some girl to the lake. But just when she had become disappointed in her instinct’s lack of judgment, it happened.
She watched the girl dive in, at first wondering why someone would be so foolish to do so. Clyde knew the lake was rather shallow, and then she was reminded of the trench that lay in there. Her mind told her to turn back so it could return to its dormant state and continue just thinking, her feet failed to respond. Remaining frozen in placed as she realized the girl had vanished under the surface. Clyde felt a tickle in her throat, proceeding to clear it in order to subconsciously break the eerie silence; she felt the seconds tick like years, just waiting for the girl to appear once again.
Only when Natayla broke the surface did Clyde take another breath, everything seeming to speed back up to regular. Yet the relief was not long, Clyde watched the water swallow her up again, this time there was some thrashing, clawing as she tried to escape the liquid’s grasp, disappearing beyond the dark surface once again.
Now, walking away wasn’t an option. No, Clyde headed to the water. Rather, sprinted. What drove her to do so, she was not sure. She hadn’t an idea in the world that this woman was; she just knew she was in trouble. The Misfit streak in her kicked in. An unlikely savior protecting any and all.
As she dashed downwards, she devised a plan. Trying not to let the pumping adrenaline and panic cloud her mind. Her first idea was to dive in and save her, but this was quickly shot down. Diving in provide the great possibility of hitting the bottom, resulting in her own death. No more thought was needed for that plot. Her mind blanked out as horror leaked into her mind, next thing she knew, she leapt into the water.
She looked down in time to see the black, shadow of fluid below her. Watching it consume her leg followed by the other one. As soon as her mind caught up to her body, she regretted it. The adrenaline just wasn’t enough to distract her from the axe that was thrusted into her mind. The cold temperature of the water shocking her body at her legs, shooting straight up into her head causing a light-headed sensation, one that did not help when her footing was lost in the thick mud of the bottom. Sending her splashing down into the water.
Clyde gasped as the chill rocked her body, maxing out her nerves and sense of touch within milliseconds, depleting her energy and strength. She, in an attempt to escape slammed her feet down; luckily enough to hit the mud bank underneath and shove her torso out into the air again.
She shivered violently already, having just been in the water for moments. The air increasing the freezing sensation by a severe amount. Goosebumps rose quickly on her skin and she was barely able to sit still due to the tremble. But it quickly came back to her what her motivation was to get in the water at the first place.
She turned in the water, jaws chattering as she saw some bubbles a small distance away. She quickly pushed off the sand bank, the feeling numbing –Due to the cold or the urgency was unknown- as she struggled to paddle over. After a moment, she simply shook off her dress shirt, the water weighing it down and constricting her movement.
When she reached the location of the ‘bubbles of hope’ she looked down. The attempt was pointless due to the sheer black-hole like water. After a moment of frustration, she just threw her arms down waving them around in an attempt to find the girl.
The anxiety was starting to wear down swiftly, corroding the confidence as she took a deep breath and ducked under water, finally touching something. She grabbed it, pushing back up towards the surface.
She found her energy almost non-existent as she pulled at the object. Her grip tightened as if it would help her tow in her catch, but she gritted her teeth. Clenching her jaw as she dragged her treasure up. When Natayla’s body broke the surface, Clyde let out a small sigh. Yet, this was not a complete relief. Good, she’d found her. The true question was if the girl was even still breathing.
Clyde struggled to fight the cold, the fatigue, and for Natayla; Turning her onto her back so her face remained out of the water. She tried to speak, but words failed to spread from her lips, the trembling was just too much and she already felt close to collapsing. So, Natayla –alive or dead- in tow, she began to head back to shore; one arm around Natayla’s waist, the other trying to paddle the two along. But the shore felt like it was miles away.
It was times like these she wished she’d quit smoking way back when.
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Post by Poe on Jun 18, 2008 23:03:34 GMT -5
It was getting colder with the change of the seasons, cold enough to have Jack Frost visit them in the morning and leave his mark. It was relatively silent, the cardinals were getting ready to nest, and squirrels were chattering as the buried acorns in the ground for their winter. The last of the birds chirped as the crisp red and gold leaves fell to the ground silently.
It was a good time for a nap.
And that is exactly what Bryce Sanders was doing. Sleeping. That all changed, however when the first racing crunch of leaves was heard, followed by a splash. Eyes yanking open from his deep sleep, Bryce looked around, slightly confused. Who would be swimming at this time of year? The water must be freezing. Looking down from his perch in the tree he listened once again to the second splash. Wincing at the thought of the freezing water he swung down from the tree limb, landing in a crouched position. Slowly standing up he dusted himself off, listening at the water, wondering what would have jumped in. Or who.
Running a hand through his hair he started toward the lake. It was a short walk, and the leaves and fallen twigs and branches kept him company as he crunched along. This wasn’t his normal silent walk…
A short while later he reached the edge of the lake, just able to see the other side. Even with the blue sky above him the water had an eerie look. The waters were still dark, however the glass that soft, unbroken look that the lake had had earlier was now broken by ripples and slight waves that whoever had jumped in had given the water. Narrowing his eyes, Bryce watched as a dark haired school girl thrust her torso up out of the water, he couldn’t tell who it was, and probably didn’t even know. He watched her swim shakily farther out in the lake, and pull up another figure. Even from here he could tell who that was.
”Tali?”
Didn’t she have enough common sense to –not- jump into a freezing cold lake? Seriously? Shaking his head vigorously he looked around, not about to jump in and give himself hypothermia. Trying to keep his cool he jogged around toward the dock, keeping his eyes on the other two, just incase he –did- need to jump in when the conscious swimming one went under.
It took him a moment to realize that his boots were pounding on the dock, and he basically skidded to a halt, looking at the little fishing boat that sat in the water, tied up. Two oars sat on the bottom. Biting his lip Bryce eased himself in, hoping it wouldn’t sink with the weight of three of them- one being a six foot tall man. Quickly untying the rope and pushing the boat away from the old wooden dock. The water sloshed up around the sides of the boat as he started to row toward the girls, counting the strokes.
Damn, when did this lake get so big?!
Still, he counted the strokes, seeming to get no where near to them. His mind and body was on high alert, and he only wanted to tell them to hang on. Just a few more moments… The minutes ticked on like years, the strokes each passing day, and each breath was shorter and more labored. Finally he was closer and put down his paddle, dropping it into the boat with a slightly hollowed sound. Tearing off the first outer layer of clothing he dropped the sweater and long sleeved shirt he had scrounged up in the bow of the boat, figuring he could suffer if he saved two lives.
Who first?
He hadn’t thought about this, it was a challenge. He looked at both girls for the briefest of seconds. Would this Florence girl take it to offense if he helped Natalya first? The gypsy? The Gyp, to these people? Would she be offended that he had not helped the pure of blood first? Licking his lips, he glanced back at the two girls. Well, if she did, he would just have to take it.
”Help me get her into the boat,” he demanded, voice sharp and husky, his throat half closed off. “Help me get her into the boat,” he repeated, grabbing both of Tali’s arms and lifting her. He was strong, but her water logged body was hard to lift up over the tall side of the boat. With this school girl’s help Bryce hefted Natalya into the boat, and eased her onto the floor. Clyde would have to watch her step. Before helping the other girl up he rubbed the gypsy girl’s arms trying to bring life back into her, trying to rid her of the gooseflesh that had invaded her soft skin. Throwing the sweater over her, he then turned to this second girl, holding out his hand. “You have to trust me,” he said.
She did, she had to trust.
Bryce was her lifeline, her last hope, unless she thought she could swim back to shore and not die from hypothermia… He continued to hold out his hand, waiting for her to take it so he could haul her into the boat. Finally, her slippery grasp met his and he pulled her up into the boat, dropping her onto the seat behind him so that her feet were to the side of Natalya. He glanced at Clyde, tossing her the shirt to dry off with. Bryce hadn’t even been in the water and he could feel the sting of it from where he’d been touched, and by the cool wind that had blown off the surface.
Wasting no time he pulled the oar back out and hurried toward the shoreline, biting the inside of his cheek. The bottom of the boat hit the sand, and, counting to three he climbed in, waist deep, to walk the boat up onto the shore. The pins and needles hit his legs, but he forced himself to keep moving as he pulled the boat up. He then looked at Clyde, who helped him carry Tali out of the boat and set her on the ground.
They needed warmth, all of them.
His head spun as he looked around. Fire? Blankets? Hot water? Anything? Swallowing hard he ran back to the boat house, completely lost in the fact that he had to save these two young woman. It was just the hero in him. But so lost, that he didn’t realize he was already back at their side, wrapping a blanket that he’d found in the boat house around their shoulders, pushing the two of them together. ”Rub your stomach and chest,” he instructed, “the blood will take care of the limbs.”
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Post by justjenn on Jun 24, 2008 17:52:54 GMT -5
A form of hope, she looked over as she heard a splash. Some person, some guy. Like she cared. Just someone who had a boat and was coming to their rescue. She stopped paddling to shore, the feeble attempt was using energy she didn’t have. Just focused on keeping both of them above water.
She watched him, He paddled, but it felt like forever. The lake seemed to be a wave-less ocean. Clyde wanted to yell at him to hurry up, but she was unable to. The cold stealing her words from even forming in her mind. She could feel the blood pulsing painfully in her mind, She simply swallow and fought under the cold and fatigue.
Finally, he had come. She did as he said, helping lift the water-logged young woman, hopefully not a corpse, into the boat. Then came her turn, At first she was going to deny the help. Pride would kill her. After a few moments, it didn’t seem to matter, she felt herself being drug down by the cold. She couldn’t fight it anymore. With the energy she held left, she pulled her hand through the water and grabbed his open hand. He, with ease it seemed, pulled her from the water’s grasp. Placing her behind him.
“Holy…” was the only thing that escaped her lips, she took the shirt and cradled her head as the cold air struck at her skin. The axe sliced at her mind again. She closed her eyes, fighting the pain and the intense cold air surrounding her. Next she knew, she boat lurched to a stop, she turned to watch Bryce leap into the water and pull the boat from the sand bar.
She aided in pulling Tali from the boat and onto the shore. Laying back she realized how numb she was, she couldn’t feel the prick of yellow, dead grass under her. She swallowed hard, the man was gone but returned with blankets. Taking her’s, she didn’t say thank you, she had to say something else, but her vocal chords didn’t wish to unfreeze.
“N-no. Y-y-y-you have to-o-o war-r-r-m h-h-er-r-r up…” She stopped, swallowing hard and pulling the blanket around her tightly, “Slowly-y. The c-cold blood-d will rus-s-h to her h-h-heart and-d-d stop it-t…” She could hear, and feel, her jaw chattering, She sealed her lips but her mandible still trembled violently. She moved her hair out of the blanket, pulling it around her to prevent water from rolling down her back. Pulling her legs into the warmth of the blanket, closing her eyes, shivering and shaking violently.
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Post by Poe on Jun 30, 2008 22:21:41 GMT -5
Bryce was already kneeling over Tali. For a minute he just looked at her, watching her face, stroking it for a moment, pushing the dripping bangs out of her eyes, and running trembling fingers along her slowly freezing lips. He was transfixed by her. Transfixed by the beauty she had and beauty he saw in her. He just stared for a long, long minute, maybe too long even. It was only that girl's words that pushed him out of the trance and into a train of thought. Into an action. He glanced behind him at Clyde, hoping she'd be alright- he wouldn't be much help for both of them... Taking a deep breath he looked back at Tali, swallowing hard before slowly rubbing her arms, trying to bring back the warmth that she needed. His hands moved from her arms to her shoulders, carefully moving down her sides, trying to avoid her chest. Honestly, he didn't want her to wake up and think he'd taken advantage of her while she was out cold. Of course, he also didn't want to touch a dead body, but he felt a pulse- or he thought he did. Bryce's hands moved methodically on her stomach, slowly trying to bring back the heat that she so desperately needed to make her heart beat again.
But he was missing something. Wasn't he?
Sitting back on his knees he ran a hand through his hair, watching Tali for any sign of movement. He thought back, trying to remember what the girls always joked about, trying to think of life saving moments. He'd been Tali's knight in shining armor before, why couldn't he be now? Surely he could, couldn't he? He ran a hand down his face, curving off his jaw and his chin, he watched her. He almost needed the advice from Clyde. Sure, he'd done part of it... Bryce bent again, continuing to rub her stomach, where her heart needed the most heat.
What the hell was he missing?!
He watched Natalya's face again, eyes tracing her features, following the curve of her eyebrows, the slope of her cheek and jaw, following the tip of her nose, and down to her lips, tracing the curve of them with his blue eyes. Bryce's hands stopped moving, he simply stared at her lips. Would it be taking advantage of her if he put his lips to hers and tried to make her breath again? Or would that be being her hero? He surely hoped she wouldn't hate him for it.
With only a seconds hesitation he bent down, not bothering to glance at the other girl for approval. Surely they were only gyps to her. Vagrants and vagabonds. Surely she thought they made love every night- all of them, perhaps she thought they danced naked and alive by the firelight, trying to kill one another like animals. Bryce tried not to snort at this. It was more possible that she thought they stole from her precious school, and lured innocent school girls into the woods, maybe even that the practiced dark magic... He wasn't sure, and right now he didn't care. Slowly, he lowered her mouth to his. Gently taking her nose in one hand he pinched it closed so the air would not escape from it, with the other hand he moved her chin down so her mouth was wide open. Swallowing for a moment he lowered his mouth to hers, enclosing hers and carefully breathing air into her lungs, he pulled away, waiting for a breath. Then he pushed the air out, attempting and re-attempting, growing more desperate every time.
Bryce couldn't even tell that there were tears in his eyes, they had mixed with the water that had splashed into the boat and wet his face. He couldn't tell that they ran down his face in warm streaks and dripped onto hers as he breathed again and again into her.
"Come on Tali, please," he finally whispered, kissing her forehead as he waited for a breath.
That was all he could do.
Breath....
...And
...Wait.
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bunny
New Member
it's friday friday
Posts: 8
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Post by bunny on Jul 1, 2008 20:11:30 GMT -5
So there it was. Natalya was going to drown in the lake completely by accident. Er, well, not completely since her thoughts had strayed to death before even contemplating diving in. Was that terrible? She was terribly weak for someone who was so proud of where she came from. Being anything other than a gypsy never entered her mind. It was a life that called to her more strongly than one dominated by society and structure. So... why was she so upset?
Even in a state of unconsciousness, Natalya could feel the cold seep into her poors, into her bones, taking control over the speed blood pumped through her veins. Each prick slowed the progress until the tingling sensation affected her mind, affected her heart, affected her spirit. No longer in pain, mentally, Natalya simply felt as if she were floating into oblivion, waiting for her life to pass before her eyes. And, in a few moments, an image did come to keep her company...
The Hanged Man.
The Devil.
The High Priestess.
The Moon.
The World.
The Judgement.
The Lovers.
The Hanged Man.
The Devil.
The High Priestess.
The Moon.
The World.
The Judgement.
The Lovers.
The cards twirled before her on the fabric of her eyelids, shedding an immense amount of light into her thoughts. The faded pictures grinned and spinned, taunting her with their unknown meaning. Again and again. Around and around. The figures collided in their dances, mixing their meanings and ideas. Shattering the basic principles of the art into micrscopic pieces of dust that Natalya had no hopes of reassembling. This was her dream. The same insistent dream from the last few nights. Replaying with no significant meaning. The same dream she had mentioned to Bryce in the cave, the one that moved her enough to visit the cave of sorrow and examine its stone walls for an answer.
What did it mean, these cards? And why, at the end of their repeated appearance did the last card twirl completely blank with no hint of th past, present for future? She was a tarot reader, not a psychic, correct? Then why? Again and again.
Is that me? Both of them?
[/i] though?" she asked in a tinkle of bells that blended her words into each other. It was getting harder and harder for Natalya to understand what was being asked, like water was filling her ears. "Yes, I believe," came another response to an unheard question. "I guessed that's what you were." The conversation continued, warped in sound as the image became clearer until she saw every strand of fabric in their clothes. Each strand of hair took on a definite shape as the words lost their hold on her attention.[/ul] Was what?I do... I feel it. Like... something's rubbing against them.Her body spasmed for a moment from the air being blown into it and the water being forced out. Arching her back slightly, Natalya coughed and groaned in pain as it flowed out of her lungs, out of her body, out of the corners of her mouth. The jerky movements caused it to jump, continually choking her as air finally made its way in to circulate her blood flow. After a few moments, Natalya opened her eyes, still groaning from the pain, breathing sharply, gasping for breaths that seemed delayed in coming. It was too bright. Feebly trying to move a hand and shield her eyes, it occurred to her that she was alive. She was breathing. It took a few more moments of blinking and wincing for her to look up. As she did so, a few drops of water splashed against her face... Bryce? The first thing her eyes caught where the swimming blue depths of his own which made her stomach turn at the thought of water. The drops splashed onto her lids again. Was... was he crying or did he jump in after her when she realized suddenly that death awaited her? The hand the tried to move and block the daylight had more motivation to move towards his face. She wanted to see if he was real... if it was him with the gloriously worried expression on his face. She hadn't meant to worry anyone; to swim just seemed a comforting idea. One that wasn't well thought out, but... Gods, she was alive. Someone had saved her. As the water poured from her ears, Natalya heard another sound. Shivvering, perhaps? Wincing and moving her head, she caught a glimpse of a drenched girl of about the same age. Did she jump in too and was saved? Or... did she save Tali too? Stragglers of coughs racked her body again, and Natalya felt the sudden urge to cry as the cold assaulted her again. It might have been slightly idiotic to strip down to her underwear. Though her uniform logged with water seemed a drowning hazard-- taking it off didn't stop things-- but it might have offered a shield to the breeze and biting air. It was starting now, too, the shaking. But she was alive. The tingle of where his mouth must have met hers was stimulating, bringing forth a pathetic smile. "I-I-I-I'm s-s-so-sorry, Br-B-Bry-Bryce." And she cried. [/size][/color]
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Post by Poe on Jul 2, 2008 12:44:41 GMT -5
Bryce’s breath came out quickly, as if in relief. He said nothing as she reached up toward his face, he carefully placed his hand over hers for a moment. He was real, she was alive, and, yes, that was a wonderfully glorious worried look on his face. Even better, it was meant for her. "I'm right here, Tali," he whispered, eyes watching her, it had never occurred to him that his eyes would be painful for her, and if he happened to know this for some strange reason, he would only wish that they wouldn't: he never meant to hurt her. He took things in slowly after the shock of her being awake had filled his body and slowly sunk in, turning into happiness, he realized other things, like the fact that she was shivering.
Slowly, carefully, he wrapped her up in the blanket and sweater that he'd pulled off of himself and found in the boathouse. Then, settling himself int the ground more comfortably, he pulled her into his lap, stroking her hair for a minute, just letting her shiver before he wrapped his arms around her, trying to warm her up again. The way he was sitting, he was facing Clyde, and he looked toward her, nodding his silent 'Thank you.' He'd have had to get in the lake himself if she hadn't been there, probably, and he was grateful that someone else had tried to help Tali when he hadn't been there. If he hadn't showed up.... A shiver ran through his own body at the thought.
Looking down at Tali, Bryce kept all questions and interrogations to himself until she was better, and willing to answer them. They probably weren't even necessary, but it was always good to ask, that's for sure. He clawed a hand through his hair, sitting in the silence, looking down at Tali again, surprised that she was speaking through her chattering teeth.
"Sorry?" He whispered, kissing to top of her head, and then her forehead. "Sorry for what, darling?" He ran one of his hands down her face, watching her, and then pulling her now crying body closer to him, rocking her back and forth slowly, his chin resting on the top of her head, glad that she was this close to him... And that she hadn't slapped him for doing what he did. After all, he had saved her life, hadn't he? And last time he checked that was not a crime.
"Tali," he whispered. "Tali, it's all right. Everything is all right. You're here now. You're here with me."
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bunny
New Member
it's friday friday
Posts: 8
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Post by bunny on Jul 2, 2008 15:19:36 GMT -5
The heat of his hand on her cold, water sogged one was reassuring. This wasn't another dream. He was here, saving her life again. Perhaps, he was the one the old woman was talking about... the person who was trying to bring her back. How many times was she going to indebt her life to him? Again and again? She was going to have to repay him somehow... make up for the nuisance she's been all these years. Natalya was such a terrible person, she just knew it.
"I'm right here, Tali.
Well, he sure knew how to speed up the waterworks. Natalya couldn't believe she could cry that much and half wondered if it was left over lake water spilling from her eyes as he said her name. There wasn't even a proper reason to be crying in her mind. She'd caused her near-death experience. Her own stupidity almost caused her to drown and the two who went in after her as well. What if she'd caused that girl to drown? Or Bryce? What if she had ended up the reason no one else could see him smile? And the girl who didn't even know Natalya? Someone who had no reason to die early... gone because she jumped in a lake.
The fabric of the blanket and sweater blocked out the immediate cold air but did little to stop the insane amount of shaking she was doing. The cold had wrapped into her body; it felt as if Natalya couldn't exist without it wracking her body in spasms. That all she would know is cold, too useless to even attempt helping Bryce at whatever he was doing.
And then, in what seemed in a blink of her very fast moving eyelids, she was in his lap like a child. It made her give a watery giggle remember her urge to do the same thing when they had met in the cave. Drawing her legs in closer-- she cringe at the cold flesh of her feet meeting against her thighs-- Natalya selfishly tried to let his body heat warm her up. Despite the gnawing feeling that she shouldn't have made that mental promise, she did, and it shouldn't be broken even if no one else knew. She closed her eyes at the feeling of him stroking her hair and eventually wrapping his arms around her.
If she still had the heat in her body to turn red, Natalya vaguely feared she would be a very dark red. Though she was convinced he hated her for causing so much trouble, the honest truth was that his actions didn't convey proof of the assumption. Of course he would save her in order to keep her family from grieving.
"Sorry? Sorry for what, darling?"
The "darling" threw her for a loop again. That wasn't a word someone who didn't care used, right? Her head tilted back to look up at him, finding herself being kissed on her head and forehead. With his body heat slowing her shivers, Natalya felt the blood gain enough energy to pool around her cheeks which tingled from where his hand had been. She couldn't answer. Natalya was stunned into silence, and simply closed her eyes again as he held her. Tears continued to stream down her face, but she didn't notice until she tried to speak again.
"I-I-I al-almost," her jaw clenched trying to get out the words. Burying her face in his chest for a moment, she felt the heat loosen the muscles. "got you a-and he-her killled. I ju-ju-just was t-taking a br-br-eak... I- I wanted to di-die."
"Tali," he whispered. "Tali, it's all right. Everything is all right. You're here now. You're here with me."
She wanted to know the girl's name, and turned for a moment to look in her direction with a grateful expression. The one who had been in the lake with her. God knows she wasn't swimming out there too. It would be insane. Something only... only a sucidal person would do. Groaning, Natalya couldn't accept the fact that she had wanted what happened to happen. Death? Over a job? No. Over her constant failings at being good. A good person who didn't judge and lived selflessly for others.
"I know."
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Post by justjenn on Jul 5, 2008 8:54:24 GMT -5
Clyde felt the blanket slowly start to weigh down with water, She listened to the two talk, almost wanting to drown the man for his sheer, almost cries, of worry. Weren't they suppose to remain calm?
Clyde had already reached that, in fact, she was ready to stand up and go walking back to her room. Leaving the two-what she guessed- was lovers behind to do whatever the hell they had planned.
But she felt as if her legs were made of steel, She would be walking nowhere fast unless she warmed up. Pulling her legs further against her slowly warming body, she rested her chin on her knees. Lifting only to throw the soggy box of cigarettes onto the shore.
When she did this, Her gaze was attracted like a magnet to the girl whom had cheated death. She studied the grateful expression on her face before turning to look back at the water, stone-like expression remaining for the duration of the eye-contact.
Resting her chin again, She tried to focus on warming herself up, overriding the shivers that rattled her body and pressing down to stop the chattering of her jaw.
She was slightly surprised by the fact that she didn't wish to know why the girl was in the lake, Did it matter? The whole point was that something, whether intentional or not, went down. This sparked an interest. Had she interrupted a suicide attempt? Or was it really just some girl foolishly trying to swim in the middle of November?
Regardless, Her wondering didn't get answers or warm her, so she simply stopped. Entering an almost thoughtless state as she broke out of her trace, Hearing the girl speak again.
"I know."
After a few moments, she cleared her throat softly, putting a hand on the soaked grass and pushing herself up onto her feet. Shivering as wind came up under the blanket, Goosebumps had already risen and she was still shivering rather violently, She could feel the blood rolling down past her no longer bent-knees. Feet feeling colder than previously, but she didn't care.
She looked over the two once again, trying not to scoff at the cheesy, love-sick tone he had or the pathetic behavior she portrayed.
Clyde wiped water droplets from her face with the edge of the blanket, turning to look back at the lake before turning to the trail in the woods they'd come out of. It seemed so much longer when she was running.
But didn't everything seem more difficult during a crisis point?
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Post by Poe on Jul 17, 2008 8:45:52 GMT -5
Bryce took a deep breath, and still holding Natalya, turned toward Clyde, to thank her. Strangely, he wasn't surprised to see her standing up by herself, it seemed like she was the type of girl that could do that. Giving Tali a little squeeze he appraised the young Florence girl. "Thank you for helping her, I'm not sure I would have come to investigate if I hadn't heard the second splash..." He shook his head before continuing. "I don't know how I can repay you, may I at least know your name?" For all she'd done he'd at least figure out a way to sneak in a new box of cigarettes into the school for her; he'd noticed the soggy one she'd just thrown on shore. If Clyde hadn't been there to pull Tali up... Bryce might not have seen anything when he came to look, so really, Clyde had been a big help. "Can you get back to the school all right?" He asked Clyde again, "Or should I assist you?" With all she'd done and seen so far he was sure she'd merely brush him off and walk by herself. Once again, she seemed the type of girl to do that.
At Tali's proclamation of wanting to die his gaze jerked back down to hers, scanning it and urgent before he slowly calmed. Not quite sure what to say to that he simply pulled her closer, putting his chin on the top of her head. "Why would you want that?" Bryce finally asked softly, rubbing her arms. Would have something to do with the school? He never would understand why she was working up there! Money could be made in town, or even just around the camp... She didn't need to be treated badly by the snooty girls that lived in Florence's "safe" walls. He took one of her hands in his, looking at the cuts and scrapes that lined the soft skin. Surely that couldn't just be from falling, right? But what else could have given her that? He looked up so he was looking into her eyes, studying them. "Are you tired?" He asked at last, trying to figure out where she'd go and where she'd want to go after this little fiasco.
There was more crunching of footsteps as another young Florence boy... I... erm... girl... came down the path dressed in slacks and a button up shirt. Looking more like a boy than ever with grimy skin and a taped-down chest, Salem "Blane" Thatchor stopped dead in her...his tracks when her eyes fell upon the little group. First, the gyps, which she hardly noticed except that they were dripping wet. 'Who would swim in the lake in NOVEMBER!?' She shook her head, and looked at the next... dripping wet girl. CLYDE?! Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Oh God, Clyde? Bloody hell, what are you doing?!" The girl ran toward Clyde, hugging the wet girl, gaining a wet front herself. Gripping Clyde's shoulders, Salem looked her up and down. "Don't you know it's a little late in the season to be swimming?" She asked. Then she noticed Tali and Bryce again, her head tilted to the side. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, what just happened that I missed?"
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Post by justjenn on Jul 17, 2008 11:10:45 GMT -5
Once Bryce started speaking, she studied him carefully. Offering nothing more than a lift of the shoulders in a shrug. You couldn’t say she was humble about it, considering she didn’t say much after he finished speaking. “Don’t mention it.” When he asked for her name, she lifted an eyebrow curiously, never pulling her gray eyes from him until she spoke, then they simply dropped to the gypsy in his arms. “Clyde.” She stated simply.
Clyde’s eyes shifted cautiously back to him at the offering, she did just as he predicted and with a tone that contained a rather dangerous concoction of pride and stubbornness she, keeping with the theme of being remarkably antisocial, gave a simple response.
“No.”
Admitting she needed help would never happen, even though she realized how much trauma her body had just gone through. Being thrown into nearly-freezing water, using energy she didn’t have to drag someone out of its icy clutches, and then expecting it to be fully functioning and drag her weight to the building? To be able to place one numb foot in front of the other as if she was one-hundred percent okay?
Not to mention she felt like her head was a whisker away from exploding, heavy throbs causing her to sway only a minuscule amount. What had once been sharp, sword-like thrusts had dulled to only a repetitive, droning pulse; unfortunately, one last dagger had yet to be plunged into her mind.
It was propelled when she was spooked, turning in enough time to have two arms wrap around her. She didn’t catch the words at first, but the over-whelming warmth of the embracement caused her to drop her forehead onto the other’s shoulder. Vulnerability masking Clyde’s body language before she was pushed away held by the shoulders and observed.
Lifting her head, the words finally made sense in her mind. Her sight settled on her best friend, One of the only people she’d like to socialize with at the moment, but she scoffed at her words.
Salem never learned. Clyde always had faith that Salem would get used to the fact that Clyde was always getting herself into rather dangerous situations, and somehow, always came out relatively unscathed.
She lifted a deathly-cold hand up, pulling Salem’s chin, therefore whole face, back towards her.
“Are you finished?”
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bunny
New Member
it's friday friday
Posts: 8
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Post by bunny on Jul 20, 2008 0:25:21 GMT -5
"Thank you for helping her, I'm not sure I would have come to investigate if I hadn't heard the second splash... I don't know how I can repay you, may I at least know your name?"
There was a slight squeeze at his words that made her feel even worse than she already did. He seemed so relieved that she came out alive, but Natalya... She had given up trying after it almost seemed futile. She had accepted death with more grace than someone who loved and desired to live. Had it not been for that dream, there would have been no chance of her waking up in this world.
“Don’t mention it.”
Debating with herself wasn't something the girl was adept at. It was more her style to just blurt out everything that comes to mind and hope no one takes offense. But... with a water-logged brain and exceptionally slow reactions, it gave Natalya time to decide what she wanted to do. A torrent of apologies stood ready just inside her mouth, but it seemed Bryce was taking care of it for her, and there was a chance that she was a person who didn't like to talk and hear someone go on and on about how happy she was that the girl had stepped in.
And wouldn't some of her words be a lie?
“Clyde.”
Natalya shifted her position in Bryce's arms to look up at the girl. She was too tired and too depressed to offer another grateful smile, but she did nod her head slowly. The name would be remembered (it's kind of funny because Natalya does remember Clyde when she loses her memory >>) if only as her way of saying thanks. "Clyde."
"Can you get back to the school all right?" He asked Clyde again, "Or should I assist you?"
"No."
That answer was expected by every party, it seems. The way Clyde's face was set and the way her eyes had looks at Natalya was enough to ensure her that she liked to be independent and accepting help was not on her agenda. For the faintest of moments, she had a fear that Clyde considered her very weak for almost dying and very stupid for jumping into the lake in the first place. However, that fear died as Natalya realized that she felt the same way about herself. Maybe... it would have been better to not make that promise.
At her words, Bryce pulled her closer to him and rested his chin on her head which caused her to turn a darker shade of red. The shivering was beginning to desist and now she had the extra heat to flash to the world just how much she liked him. It was almost worse than drowning because she was still set into the idea that he hated her and was only being nice because she almost died.
"Why would you want that?" Bryce finally asked softly, rubbing her arms.
"I... don't mean anything in the long run. I'm useless. I can't do anything right, Bryce," she murmured, running some of the words together as she sighed. "I hurt more than I help, and half of me figured that I could do more for the world if I just... disappeared." It was a lot easier to admit she was useless than to admit to other sentiments she felt just as strongly about because this was a feeling that didn't need to be reciprocated.
Flinching as he touched her hand, Natalya realized that some of the newest cuts were bleeding since the cold wasn't staunching the blood flow. There were just so many sharp things at Florence's, and it wasn't as if she was allowed time to fix them. So many lines would remain permanently etched as a reminder of her status... Did they bother him? No. No, of course not because she didn't matter. If Bryce did have an opinion on them, it was only to strengthen a prejudice against the students at the school she never seemed to get. Clyde jumped in for her, yes? That was nice.
"I'm used to them," Natalya murmured in a soft voice, closing her eyes from the newest arrival and the world. The sun was still entirely too bright after the dark depths of the lake. Perhaps, though, the biggest reason was to avoid Bryce's blue eyes looking down at her with an emotion she didn't want to see reflected in them. Concern? It had to be her imagination.
"Are you tired?"
"I have work... it was only a fifteen minute break."
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Post by Poe on Jul 23, 2008 8:52:33 GMT -5
Before she jerked her friend's head back, Salem allowed her one moment of vulnerability before she looked her over. Then, the yaking began. Her eyes were still flickering to Bryce and Tali every so often, curious about what had happened. She was sure she had the gypsies to thank for rescuing Clyde from her idiotic behavior, but she said nothing to them at first, merely waiting for Clyde's answer as she continued to talk.
Face yanked forward Salem blinked once, twice, three times. She stared at Clyde for a moment. "Well, I can be done if you want me to be, but, for the record," she yanked her head out of Clyde's grasp and socked Clyde in the stomach. "That's for being an idiot." Standing back up, back rigid now, glaring at Clyde. It took no time at all for her to go from worried to angry. She wasn't the child Clyde seemed to think she was. Hell, she was older than Clyde. Her eyes flickered from her friend to the two once more. That was the gypsy from school, wasn't it? The one that had run out of the school in such a hurry. Had she somehow known something was wrong? Next, she looked at the man whose lap she was sitting in. Hey! That was the gypsy that Cicily and Ara knew. Bryce, was it? What was he doing away from the cave that that group of girls were always saying he lived in. Poor guy, he must not have much of a life... Her eyes blazed over the sword hanging at his side, looking at the twisted cross of leaves and swallowing, wondering how sharp it was. Her eyes looked back to Clyde, waiting for her to draw back her fist and punch her lights out. Well, it wouldn't be the first time that happened...
Absentmindedly rubbing her arms with one of us his hands he made a face. "You are not useless. How many children do you make happy? How many orphans do you make feel at home and give them a smile? How many times do your stories enchant and enthrall, Natalya?" He shook his head quietly. "While I'm here," he said, "you are not allowed to say you're useless, because you most certainly are not." Kissing her forehead again Bryce fell silent. Bryce was looking at her hand again, looking at the crisscrossing lines, shaking his head. "You haven't fallen this many times Natalya, so you better tell me the truth about how you actually got these..." Shaking his head he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, before returning to stroke them with his thumb. Of course they bothered and worried him, of course he was concerned about her working up at that godawful school. Why couldn't she under stand that? He really did care about her, and of course, he really liked her... But she didn't know that, of course. And why would she like him back, anyway? He wasn't anything... special? "You shouldn't be so used to them."
"Work?!" Shaking his head stubbornly he looked down at her. "I think they'll have to deal with you not going back to work today, Tali, you almost drowned! Anyways, would you--" he stopped his words quickly, not wanting to say she wouldn't be worth much to them because she was waterlogged and shivering from the cold. "Come back home with me," he said finally. "We'll get you warmed up and you can rest for awhile."
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Post by justjenn on Jul 23, 2008 12:32:41 GMT -5
"Yeah, be quiet f--" Clyde groaned as she Salem's fist slammed into her stomach. Profanities flooded her mind as she seethed through clenched teeth. The numb sensation disappearing from her mind as she refrained from dropping Salem to the ground in a single swing of her fist for the main reason of she was still, very much, freezing.
"Idiotic?" she questioned, scoffing bitterly, "Maybe you should listen to the damn story before you start decking people!" Clyde added lowly, exhaling stiffly.
Who cared if Clyde was younger. Salem made that painfully obvious and Lizzie had pointed it out previously, Did it make that much of a difference? A whole year? Surely that couldn't have been an argument point in this situation.
Never the less, Clyde started to argue back her point.
"I saved her..." she nodded over to Tali as she spoke. "... from drowning." Her jaw was still clenched, not happy her friend had just sucker-punched her icicle of a body, scolding her like a Mother to their child for something she hadn't done.
"I should punch you for jumping to conclusions."
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bunny
New Member
it's friday friday
Posts: 8
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Post by bunny on Jul 23, 2008 19:50:08 GMT -5
"You are not useless. How many children do you make happy? How many orphans do you make feel at home and give them a smile? How many times do your stories enchant and enthrall, Natalya?" He shook his head quietly.
"Someone could do it better. They don't need me," she replied before it was in her power to stop. It had been almost only moments before that Natalya told herself not to say anything about her low opinion of her self worth because it seemed to irritate Bryce. He probably didn't want to hear it because he agreed, and it was hard to keep faking. She couldn't let herself believe anything else. She couldn't.
"While I'm here," he said, "you are not allowed to say you're useless, because you most certainly are not."
He kissed her forehead and continued to shatter her belief on his sentiments for her. Gods, someone just being polite didn't do that just like someone just being polite would be blushing as hard as she was, and Natalya was blushing really hard. The heat had returned enough to color her up like a tomato.
"You haven't fallen this many times Natalya, so you better tell me the truth about how you actually got these..."
"I fall a lot, really," Natalya replied honestly. Almost every other step at times. Clumisness that was crippling (Bella anyone?). But... perhaps all of them weren't from falling in the woods. Sighing, she muttered the rest of the answer and ducked her head as he kissed her fingers and, eventually, stroked them with his thumb. It was a shame she wasn't a liar. "Some of my jobs... I cut my hands on things. I'm not given a chance to bandage them up so, they scar. And... some of the other workers don't like me."
"You shouldn't be so used to them."
"I need to to work, Bryce. I have to... learn to deal with things in the real world."
"Work?! I think they'll have to deal with you not going back to work today, Tali, you almost drowned! Anyways, would you--"
"What if i get fired?" she asked worriedly. "If I can't take Florence's... " It was true. Wouldn't the real world be more trying on her nerves? She wasn't built to deal with the class system of the world. In her eyes, everything, everyone is equal. To... It didn't matter. It didn't matter. She had to go back to work because there was a promise of working for money. They couldn't pay for what she didn't do. She--
"Come back home with me," he said finally. "We'll get you warmed up and you can rest for awhile."
"Okay," she nodded slowly. "Will you... will you stay with me?" That was embarrassing. She'd basically cornered him into saying 'yes' when... oh, This was so confusing. Why was Bryce suddenly paying so much attention to her? Was it because she nearly died? It was confusing her so much, and raina's tired of writing so Natalya just stopped thinking about things for a while.
She flinched at the punching, though, and looked worried between the girls and Bryce.
"I saved her..." she nodded over to Tali as she spoke. "... from drowning."
"Thank you, Miss Clyde," Natalya responded automatically, hoping that would clear things up.[/color]
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