InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "For great justice!"

Noah Pierce (quarterback) wrote in halcyon_halls,
@ 2008-02-07 22:47:00

Entry tags:

kate, noah

Week Three: Monday
Who: Noah and Kate
Where: Outside the school, the archery range
When: After clubs meet in the afternoon

Noah was competitive by nature. One didn't play a sport as long as he had, at the levels he had without having that desire to reach the top pushing you along. There were too many other things to be done in life to sacrifice free time, friends, other activities, all in the name of being the best that you could possibly be at one thing. Lord knew that Noah's grades in school could have probably enjoyed a few extra hours of study. Granted he'd done a lot better than most of his teammates. He'd always refused to just let the tutors take the notes for him. He'd actually attempted to get some kind of education. While he'd put almost all his eggs in the football basket, he couldn't just put them all there. He had to have some sort of backup plan, even if it seemed to not even compare...

But it was a reality now. At least as far as Noah could tell it was. That was a fact though that he tried to not think about very often. No, Noah had not really dealt with that whole, dreams over and time to figure out what in the hell he was going to do with his life thing. It was still... a bit too raw to manage for him yet. That and if he was being honest with himself... he was still holding onto that small belief that maybe, if he gained enough control he'd be able to play again... and not take another players head off. Right.

It seemed a bit easier to put all that thought off though when he had a football and a baseball club to get some of it out of his system during. Football was a bit more rag-tag than he was used to, and baseball while he loved it hadn't been his sport the way football had been. They were good though, definitely something to pass the time. Though they weren't what he was currently feeling frustrated with. It wasn't what was making that competitive nature in him chomp at the bit at the fact that he hadn't mastered a particular skill.

Was definitely this damn bow in his hands. He wasn't... terrible. But by no means was he about to enter any competitions. Hell he was still a little worried that he was going to shoot someone in the ass on accident. He had the strength to make it work, it was just coordinating it all and even if he didn't want to admit it... hurt his hands like a sonofabitch. Worse than the game he'd played in below zero and every time the ball was snapped to him it felt like his skin was cracking. So to recap, shit hurt and he wasn't nearly as good at as he wanted to be. So practice and more practice it was... Even though it was starting to get late and the light was starting to fail, luckily better eyesight was a perk of the whole were thing.

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

(Post a new comment)

straight_shot
2008-02-08 06:30 pm UTC (link)

Once her afternoon was clear, Kate had decided that a hike was exactly the perfect way to end her day. She'd run back up to her room, strapped her quiver and fold-away bow to her back, tossed all her little miscellaneous necessities into a bag and set out. She'd followed mostly the same path she had the day she ran into Rufus out in the middle of nowhere, using the same clearing for a bit of archery practice. She got so sick of standing around shooting at those huge targets, sometimes it was nicer just to go out and see what she could find.

Just before the sun started slinking from the sky, she headed back towards school. She was quickly learning her way around the grounds, but there was no use in getting lost out in the woods because she'd been too caught up in shooting to start back in time. The hike back seemed shorter than the time it had taken to get her out there in the first place and as she stepped from the tree line, she caught sight of someone still hard at work at the shooting gallery. A moment later it dawned on her that it was Noah, whom she recognized from class, and she remembered then that she toted with her now the extra gloves that she'd offered up to him. Kate set off to cross the distance behind him, making sure to stay clear of where he was aiming.

"How are your hands holding up?" she inquired once he'd let his last arrow fly. She could only guess that by now his fingers were screaming in agony - the bow string could wreak havoc on them. "I thought I recognized you over here practicing and I thought I might bring these by," she held out the shooting gloves of her father's that she'd offered him, knowing that they would help alleviate the discomfort in his hands.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

quarterback
2008-02-10 12:29 am UTC (link)

Christ, the grounds at this place were freaking huge. Colleges had pretty big campuses... but they weren't really so much in the middle of a forest like this one seemed to be, or wherever the hell it was. Really just a good place to get lost. Noah hadn't exactly tested it out yet, he wasn't exactly too keen on getting lost. Plus he really didn't want to hear what Nat would have to say about his male sense of direction sucking. He wasn't that terrible aka he'd seen worse.

That said, Noah was sticking to the grounds that the archery class seemed to use so at least he could be pretty damn certain that he knew his way back to the school from where he was. The way back to the band-aids that his hands might need. Not that a manly man like him needed any band-aids or anything.

Noah cringed as the shot he let fly went past. He hadn't been paying enough attention to hear her approach and not only was the shot not the greatest but... that scene in Ten Things I Hate About You was running through his mind. Hey, he had a younger sister she liked that movie! Regardless, no one needed an arrow smack dab in their butt because he wasn't paying attention. Noah looked over and smiled, immediately recognizing Kate from class. "They hurt like a son of a bitch. Not that I'm admitting to that but yeah." He finished with a bit of a sheepish grin coming over his face. "I thought my hands were one big callous but apparently I was wrong."

He spotted the gloves she held out and shook his head. "And you are officially a life saver. Or at least my fingers say you are." He set the bow down entirely and headed over to where she stood, taking the gloves to try them out. "How much do I owe you for these?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

straight_shot
2008-02-10 02:20 am UTC (link)

"Consider them...a hand me down," she offered with a slight smile, "I have more than enough pairs of my own and my father won't be missing those. They should help relieve some of the pain in your fingers, especially in the long run." They did have the rest of the semester ahead of them, so there was plenty of time for him to do some pretty horrid damage to his digits without some sort of barrier between his skin and the bowstring. They were a lifesaver in most cases, especially if one was regularly using a bow and wasn't used to the damage that could be done.

"They might improve your shot, too - not having to worry about the pain, I mean. They tend to stabilize your aim." Once you weren't anticipating that sharp sting of pain following an arrow's release, you could focus more completely on your target - always a good thing in archery. There were people who chose to shoot gloveless, of course, Kate even had a time or two but she preferred to wear her gloves if the option was possible. Nursing a string cut was like dealing with a paper cut from hell - not her idea of fun.

"Liking archery so far?" she inquired after a moment. She wasn't really one to watch others during class and so she wasn't exactly sure how he was doing.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

quarterback
2008-02-10 02:44 am UTC (link)

Noah's eyebrow arched up slightly. He had... something of a problem taking anything for free. He'd grown up poor and struggling and if anything it had made him resent handouts, or the attempt at handouts. Probably a stupid thing but just the same it was never easy for him to just accept. "Are you sure?" He looked down at the gloves then back over at Kate. "I mean they seem pretty nice and whether or not they'd be missed they did cost something." He slid them on to make sure they fit and they did... like a glove. Har. "So you're dad is an archer too? He have the same ability as you?" Noah had to ask curiously as he flexed his hand in the glove, working his hand into the leather.

Noah picked up his bow and tested it briefly. Already a noticeable difference. "Hope so, I can't really stand this whole... sucking thing for too long. Might drive me crazy or make Natalia laugh too much. She knows I am probably a bit too competitive." Noah just shook his head. He had... something of a bad habit (depending on how you looked at it) of talking about Nat, even when the other person didn't necessarily know who she was. "Sorry, I don't know if you've met Nat. We ended up coming here together."

The gloves were shucked off and tucked in the back waistband of his pants. You know, for safe keeping. It was about time to pack up his practice anyway since it was getting dark. "I like it, just need to get better at it. Not going to expect to get to your kick ass stage... but a guy can hope right?" He said with a laugh. "I'd ask how you like the class but I can probably guess the answer. So instead I'll ask how you're liking the school so far."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

straight_shot
2008-02-10 03:20 am UTC (link)

Had he voiced his dislike of taking things free of charge, Kate definitely would have understood. Of course, she was still unwilling to put a price on the gloves. She didn't need them after all and what was the harm in helping out a fellow classmate? "I'm positive. If it makes you feel better, you can owe me one," she assured him with a smile, "I'm sure, at some point, I'll need assistance with something." The pair was one of boxes full that her father had, that he'd collected over the years. If she thought for a moment that her father would miss them, she could have mailed them home immediately.

Kate nodded lightly as he inquired about her dad, "He's an Olympic gold medalist, actually. But no, he doesn't have my ability - all his talent is truly natural, no superhuman assistance." It was quite impressive even to Kate, even to this day, to watch her father at practice let alone in competition. It was definitely a sight to see.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it shortly." It was always difficult to have been an athlete, especially a good one, for most of your life only to come across a sport that seemed to best you. "I haven't met Natalia, no...but I've met only a few people since I've arrived. I'm sure our paths will cross at some point." It seemed inevitable that she would meet more of the student body the longer that she stayed at Halcyon.

"You might surprise yourself and find that you're quite good. I suppose only time will tell." Practice always did improve a new skill, after all. "I'm enjoying the school so far, actually. It's quite a bit different from what I'm used to, but I'm enjoying it so far. I take it that, beyond the class, you're having a good run here too, so far?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

quarterback
2008-02-10 06:35 am UTC (link)

He was male and had a bit of a problem talking about his feelings. Okay a huge problem talking about his feelings. Noah was definitely the bottle it all up and take it out on the field sort of guy. And that even applied to things as simple as the fact that he really did feel the need to pay her back for the gloves. No one ever said he was intelligent. Probably a few too many blows to the head over the years. Noah's lips quirked into a grin, the infamous dimple making an appearance. "Okay, I'll just owe you one and I expect you to collect at some point alright." Noah actually did waggle one pointer finger in her direction. He was serious!

The fact that Noah was impressed showed clearly on his face. "Damn, a gold medalist... wow." High achievement in sport clearly meant a lot to Noah, he knew it didn't mean much to a lot of people but to him it spoke of years of dedication, determination and discipline... which said a hell of a lot about a person. "That's... well that's awesome. Hope it's not a lot to live up to or anything though." Probably overstepping a bound to even mention but if she didn't respond to it, he was never the type to push on a topic. At least not with someone he didn't know well.

"Fingers crossed." Noah demonstrated that, "not that I've ever been one to rely on luck but might need it for a while with this." Instead he'd just work at it until he forced himself to get the hang of it. Sounded like a plan to him. Noah nodded his head. "If you hear any strings of Spanish cursing and you'll probably find her. Though I'm sure she'll argue that not a word of it was inappropriate. Feel free to call her out on her lies." He said with a good natured smile on his face.

"No shit, it is quite a bit different from what I'm used to as well." She looked college aged, though he figured it was harder to tell ages here. "Were you in school before you came here as in not a school with all us special kids?" He had to admit that he missed Cal like hell. Missed the life he had there. "It's alright so far. Granted haven't gotten to the messy part yet but whether I want to be here or not, can't really be anywhere else when the full moon comes around." Noah said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "But most everyone has been real welcoming which is a plus."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

straight_shot
2008-02-11 03:09 am UTC (link)

"It's a deal then," Kate offered a hand so that the two might shake it into permanence, "you'll owe me one." Surely at some point in the very, very vast future she would be able to think of some reason why she might need his assistance. If not, well she could just make something up to relieve him of his burden - easy enough to handle if he was truly unwilling to let her just hand over the gloves. Again, perfectly understandable.

People tended to be impressed by her father. Back home it was something he counted on to further his reputation in many circles. She wasn't known in Brighton as her own person, but merely as his daughter, as an extension of his existence. It got a bit tiring at times to always be known via someone else, but she'd gotten used to it over the years. "My life has revolved around archery since I was about two," she admitted with a light smile, "I don't know if it makes things difficult to live up to, but it definitely sets the bar rather high." She'd learned to deal with that too - it truly didn't bother her so much any longer, though distance surely helped with that.

"Archery really deals most heavily with arm and core strength, not to mention a healthy dose of balance. Once you manage to get all those bits working in cohesion, you'll get the hang of it," she assured him. Like anything else, it was getting to the point of not sucking that took the most patience and effort. "I'm sure you'll get there eventually. If not, you seem the type to run yourself ragged attempting to." He seemed dedicated, unwilling to give up...always good qualities when it came to anything, especially athletics.

He'd mentioned knowing Natalia, that the two had come together - which must have been nice - but she wondered how well he was doing with the socializing bit. They'd been here a similar amount of time, give or take a few days of course. "Have you had a good go of meeting other people, then...you and Natalia? It's been rather easier to just bump into them out and about, there are so many people here." She met most when she'd had no intention of doing so.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

quarterback
2008-02-12 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Noah returned the handshake offered to him by Kate. "Definitely a deal. Though who knows if I'm digging myself a hole by leaving it opened ended like that. You aren't going to require a pound of flesh or anything?" Noah asked with a quirked brow. One hand pinched at his side. "Though without regular practice here maybe that'd be a good thing, don't need a keg forming." He finished iwth a laugh. Not that he was too worried about turning his six pack into a keg, not with the whole were thing... but it was probably possible.

Noah could only imagine that it was... a bit frustrating to not necessarily be known for your own achievements but only through someone else. Noah had made damn sure, well he tried to make damn sure, that he wasn't known as his father's son... in any way. Had been kind of hard as Noah had had his time in the limelight. Anyone knowing that his dad was in jail for being a raging asshole... wasn't high on his list of things that should happen. But life was what it was, had to work with what you were thrown. Or something like that. "True that. Has the whole archery thing always been what you wanted to do?" Had that even been an option?

Noah gave his midsection a healthy pat, he resisted the urge to put on a gun show. "Here's to hoping that it's a strong core. And I usually don't fall over unless I've had too much to drink and apparently that's pretty damn hard to do now. I still haven't figured out if that's a good or a bad thing." Noah laughed. He wasn't a big drinker. Just hadn't really fit with the way he lived his life, in fact he tried to never drink more than a beer or two. Reminded him too much of his dad. But shit happened every once in a while. Noah gave Kate a sheepish sort of grin. "That obvious am I? Well shit." She was spot on with that assessment.

"I've met some people, apparently we're not the only people that like to hit the waves so that's been nice to discover. How's it going for you?" Noah wasn't particularly anti-social. He just, didn't always go out of his way to be social. He did have his best friend her which could be considered a crutch but he wasn't the sort to just open up to anyone. Friendly was one thing, actually being friends was another.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

straight_shot
2008-02-14 01:39 am UTC (link)

"No pound of flesh, nothing less than legal," she assured him with a slight laugh, "perhaps we should have a contract drawn up to protect you in this little deal?" Chances are she'd come up with something to ask of him only because she knew he wouldn't let it slip and even then it would probably be something simple enough....something that wouldn't leave him feeling as though she'd handed those gloves over free of charge and still wouldn't put him out.

Perhaps in the early years being known as only her father's daughter had annoyed her, but it'd been so long now that it lacked any ability to further affect her. "It wasn't really a question of whether or not I wanted to do it, I suppose. I was started off so young it was just always there, always a constant of sorts." She'd never really had a choice, but then she'd never questioned it either. Archery had just always been something she'd done, something she'd been good at, not to mention it was something that her father was actually proud of her for doing. "I rather enjoy it now, which is a good thing I guess," she laughed lightly. It wasn't something she saw herself giving up sometime soon.

"I don't know if I'd call it obvious, more like a shared trait recognized." She strove to be the best at everything she did - sure she had the supernatural edge with weaponry, but plain sports were something she had to rely on natural talent in. Some of them she excelled in and others she knew to avoid all together.

"It's not been bad." She didn't have that built in support system, which had been quite liberating really, and so it left her completely exposed to meeting new people. Some had been quite lovely and others she could do without. "Most of the students I've met have been wonderful - it's a trend I hope continues. I'm sure it must be brilliant to have your best mate here, though...eases some of that 'new bloke alone on campus' tension." There seemed to be a few pairs that had come together or been reunited at school and each of them seemed completely thrilled with it, so she could imagine he felt the same.

"Have you ventured off campus much, then?" she asked a moment later. "I've heard quite the piece about the club everyone seems to be taken with, though I've yet to see it for myself."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

quarterback
2008-02-16 04:19 am UTC (link)

"Well glad that we got that cleared up," Noah said with a grin. Not that he'd really thought for a second that she was the type to ask anything of him that would be... questionable. But then again he didn't know her and who the hell knew what really went on behind her eyes. Noah grimaced slightly. "Going to pass on contracts, can't stand legalese. And lawyers are even worse." Right next to agents on his list of annoying kinds of people. Maybe one perk to the ending of that chapter of his life.

Noah nodded his head, understanding the whole idea of a constant in your life. He'd always had that with football and well baseball for a lot of his life. He could clearly remember how important it had been to have that outlet when things had gotten crazy at home... he didn't want to think about what kind of person he would be now if he hadn't had something to focus on all those years. "I get that. Constants like that can be kind of important. Hell to be honest I have a hard time understanding people who don't have something like that in their life." How people just floated around without something to focus their energies on was beyond him. Kinda like his life now. What in the hell was he going to do with it. "As long as you like it... always told myself that when it stopped being a game I'd quit." Yeah it mattered, but there was a difference between enjoying what you did and doing it strictly for the money or prestige or because someone expected it of you.

"So we both are way too competitive. I think that means we'll probably both drive ourselves crazy someday. Or at lest that's what I've heard from people who don't exactly share that same trait." He'd heard that from an ex-girlfriend or two. Not that he had many. Noah wasn't big on the dating. Never had the time for it and he had his own particular set of issues when it came to that whole scene.

Noah couldn't help but smile at the way 'best mate' came out with the accent attached. There always something about accents, whatever kind. "It's nice. Though in the end I'd be fine if it was just me, kind of prefer it since I'd rather Nat not have to go through all this. But it is what it is and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying having a friend here." Though he could totally do without the douches that liked to hit on Nat.

"I went down there last weekend. That whole band thing they had going on. Checked out that club heaven and hell." Noah just shook his head. "I won't lie, it's got a hell of a lot going on down there. And hell... well probably one of those places you're into or you're not." Noah was decidedly not. Really really not his scene. "You should check it out. Kind of nice to get out of the school setting." And like a light bulb brightening over his head, he had the idea. "You need out of the school at any point let me know, we can go down there. I'll buy you a drink."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

straight_shot
2008-02-17 04:37 pm UTC (link)

Archery had been a constant that had both positive and negative moments in Kate's life, but it had been one of the few things that had always been there. Friends had come and gone, there had been brief almost-relationships, but archery remained. It had drawn her closer at times, given her something to disappear into. It had also given her a way out, a reason to avoid otherwise embarrassing social situations. And then of course there was the fact that she was good at it and she loved it, always a plus when selecting a hobby. "I doubt that I'll ever stop loving it, though I could see a considerable cut back in the amount of time I spend on it in the future."

Kate was definitely too competitive - yet another thing she could thank her years of archery training for. She'd been exposed to competition for most of her life and somehow the emotions, that striving to be the best that it encouraged, had stuck on a relatively permanent basis. "People who lack the trait don't quite understand that we already are crazy, it's why we're so competitive in the first place," she pointed out with a light laugh. One had to be mad to push themselves to such extreme in the name of a sport.

"I've heard nothing but interesting things about it, I'm sure I'll venture down to see for myself at some point." Heaven and Hell, Hell especially, definitely sounded like places you had to see to really believe. "With as much as I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if the mood to see if for myself struck as soon as this weekend. It is rather nice to get off campus after all, to see what the town has to offer." So far she knew mainly of the great pub she and Rufus had found for their weekly drink and now that she knew of the nightclub everyone was so taken with, Kate couldn't help but wonder what else there was to offer.

"I'll tell you what, if you make it out to Heaven and Hell after the full moon this week, I'll buy you a drink, how's that?" she wasn't sure if it was his first or not, but she was quickly catching on that shifting wasn't always a blast for young weres.

(Reply to this) (Parent)