InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Is it time to get down...."

chemin_argent (chemin_argent) wrote in nosuchtimes,
@ 2009-01-10 15:18:00

Entry tags:

sascha connolly, sydni wilson

Sydni Wilson and Sascha Connolly
When: Shortly after first arriving in Elysium
Where: The Library
What: Handsome librarians confuse Sydni

Sydni had not spoken to anyone in weeks. Well, anyone besides Molly, but the pup, while wonderful, was not much of a conversationalist. The first week in Elysium she had not actually left the cottage, and by then Molly was so wound up from only having the yard to play in, walking could not be avoided. Even during her walks, she never spoke to anyone. When anyone spoke to her, she jumped and moved away as if she were frightened. She was. She was very timid and the world going to Hell didn't make her feel any better. But the walks had helped. Seeing other people, she realize she was not totally alone. Slowly, she began to do odd things for her neighbors. Weed gardens, stack wood. Anything she could do without talking to anyone. Maybe no one noticed. But it helped to focus on something other than the final images of her family. They were no more gruesome than anyone else's, but the brunette internalized so much, that it was enough to make her mute.

Finally, she had grown restless. Maybe it was the wolf inside her, or maybe she was ready to cease mourning. She didn't really know what to do, so she meandered. She even made it into town, though she didn't speak to anyone, even still. Somehow, her feet knew where to take her. The library. Shocked almost, she stood in front of it, staring at the door for a few minutes, before she realized people were staring. Cheeks reddening, she hurried inside.

Once inside, it was like she had stepped into another world. She may have been there a few minutes, or a few hours. But, by the time she was done, she had a stack of books in her arms. Some books she should have read a long time ago (or so she thought): Plato's Republic and The Aeneid; some books she enjoyed: Les Miserables and The Lord of the Rings; even some scientific journals. Making her way to the circulation desk, she felt something akin to giddiness, maybe even contentedness.

Looking up, though, she felt her breath catch. Mircea?! she thought. The books fell from her hands with considerable noise, but she didn't move to pick them up. Echoing her thoughts, she managed a whispered exclamation, "Mircea!" She thought everyone she had known was... gone.

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OOC: In which Sascha throws a mental hissy fit XD

bohemiarhapsody
2009-01-10 10:20 pm UTC (link)

Sascha hated the circulation desk. Hated wasn't even the right word for it, really: despised, detested, loathed, even. He loved books and he liked people, so it should have been the perfect marriage of ideals for him, but for one reason or another, it wasn't. Movement had been a key component of his classes back at the university; he was always moving around the classroom, moving at the chalkboard, moving out amongst his seated students- hell, on nice days he'd move the students outside for lectures and discussion. Being limited to essentially one area of the library like this was something akin to a desk job, and his mind just didn't function that way. Stillness and solitude were great when he was writing, but when he was teaching, when he was learning, when he was working...he needed motion. At the circulation desk, he felt like a statue.

And somehow he always ended up at the circulation desk, much like he was now. Granted, he'd only been working at the library for a couple of weeks and knew relatively little about some of the magical literature and resources that many of the patrons had requested, but he was plenty knowledgeable about other literary topics. He'd rather be answering questions at the Reference Desk or shelving books in the massive stacks, because at least then he'd feel like he was actually doing something. He had a fucking Ph.D, for crying out loud! Inspecting the books in the return bin for missing pages and torn bindings was practically boring him to tears!

Sascha's current mental tantrum had kept him so preoccupied that he didn't even notice the pretty brunette who had approached the desk. He also didn't notice the flash of obvious recognition in her eyes or the name whispered in astonished disbelief. The loud fwapclumpTHUD of the books hitting the floor shattered the heavy silence blanketing the building, and only then did Sascha's head snap up from the pile of books in front of him. He blinked at the woman in surprise for a few moments before courtesy kicked in, and he rounded the edge of the desk to retrieve the fallen items.

"Someone's eyes are bigger than her maximum carrying capacity, I see," he teased with a smile as he knelt beside her, assuming she'd just stacked the pile too high and lost the battle with gravity. One of the titles caught his eye, and he cocked an eyebrow in curiosity as he held the material up for her to see. "Journal of Applied Ichthyology?"

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Lol, mental hissy fits are fun

chemin_argent
2009-01-10 11:29 pm UTC (link)

The only thing that Sydni hated doing was a job that required standing around indoors. Even if it was as menial as filing, that was fine. So long as she had something to do, she was fine. Working retail had sucked. Stay at your station. Period. No cleaning, nothing. Stay put and wait for customers.

As Sascha walked around to help her, Sydni continued to stare, unmoving at the near-perfect resemblance to her friend. Even as he knelt beside her, she merely stared, and resisted the intense desire to simply touch him and make sure he was real. When he spoke, the spell was broken. It was not Mircea's voice. Nor did this man carry Mircea's smell. Turning away for a minute to hide bitter tears, it took her a minute to reply, "I study sharks," softly, barely audible to human ears. Kneeling, she helped to finish collecting the pile, tilting her head so her hair shielded her face. He didn't need to see her tears.

Taking a moment too long to organize her books as she collected herself, she stood finally and looked into eerily familiar eyes. "I just wanted to check these out, please," the brunette requested softly.

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bohemiarhapsody
2009-01-13 05:27 am UTC (link)

Even behind the fall of dark bangs shielding his eyes, Sascha could see the woman's unwavering stare. She certainly seemed like a quiet one, though her gaze on him was anything but shy and demure. Sascha was used to getting appraising looks from people- not that he was particularly vain, but fact was fact, and he knew for a fact that he was somewhere on the attractive end of the spectrum- but there was something about the intensely hopeful look in her eyes that made him realize she wasn't interested for the reasons he'd first assumed. So why was she so interested, then?

When he spoke to her, she turned away as if to avoid looking at him. Sascha wasn't sure if he'd said anything to offend her (and he'd said very little as it was), but she was obviously upset nonetheless. At this point in their interaction, he saw only two logical responses: 1) play the oblivious desk clerk and check out the materials as requested with no questions asked, or 2) be a compassionate gentleman and see if there was something he could do to resolve her distress. He decided to try his hand at both.

"Did you say sharks?" he asked with a friendly smile, gathering up the materials in his hands and setting them down on the counter with a fwump. "Haven't heard that one before. Does that mean you're used to biting off more than you can chew?" Yes, he knew it was horribly cheesy, but he'd hoped it would be enough to bring just a tiny smile to her face. She was a very pretty girl (and Sascha had seen a lot of pretty girls, so he was a decent judge) and probably even prettier when she smiled, although he had yet to see it.

Sascha gingerly took the books from her arms and added them to the pile on the counter before turning back to her, and in a rather bold move, he reached out to carefully tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear and out of her face. "That's fine, I'll get everything fixed up for you. Is that all?" He figured that asking if she was alright would have been too cliched; she could evade that line of questioning with a simple 'yes,' anyway. Even in her introverted mode, she still seemed to be searching his eyes with her own as if she expected him to recognize-

Ah, now he understood. Sascha almost wanted to smack his forehead with his palm, but he restrained himself; instead, he cocked his head slightly to one side in curiosity. "I get the feeling I must remind you of someone, miss," he said simply as he waited for a reply.

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chemin_argent
2009-01-13 04:06 pm UTC (link)

Nodding to his question, she was taken by surprise by his little joke, and it earned him a weak smile - one that didn't reach her eyes. But he was trying to be kind and she appreciated it. "Hopefully, there's no actual biting involved at all," she replied softly, some amusement playing across her features. She would have been surprised to know he thought her pretty. Usually she did a good job of being invisible, and she wasn't used to getting noticed for any reason.

When he reached out to touch her, two opposing urges ran through her mind. One wanted to shrink back - this was the first time in weeks she'd even spoken to another person. Touching was far beyond her comfort zone. The other, the part of her that still hoped, or wished, he was Mircea, wanted to nuzzle against his palm and be comforted. Instead of doing either, she merely froze, eyes like a deer in the headlights, standing still as a statue as he gently brushed the hair from her face.

When her brain finally worked through its internal traffic jam, a blush rose to her cheeks and she took a step back. She was clearly flustered. And while her actions may have read, Stay back, that was not an intentional message. Most people only got that message, thinking her stand-offish or snobby. They didn't bother to see beyond it to her timid nature. "Yes, that's all," she answered softly, nervously twisting a ring on her finger.

At his final statement, she paused before looking up to meet his eyes. "You could be his twin," she whispered. Images of memories flashed through her mind - being on the receiving end of his deadly accuracy with a throwing knife (it was an accident), being thoroughly intoxicated and lonely on the beach only to have Mircea see her safely home, conversing about her Wiccan magical studies, meeting in the library. "He was a librarian, too," she murmured. Another pause, and she added, "What's your name?" She knew it was not possible. He didn't have the same scent as Mircea, or his voice. But it didn't stop her from hoping.

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bohemiarhapsody
2009-01-17 02:40 am UTC (link)

Sascha hadn't intended to frighten the poor girl with the contact, but it had been a little forward on his part; it was actually quite an intimate gesture, touching someone's hair or face like that, not that it had really crossed Sascha's mind at the time. He was quite a tactile person and rarely had issues touching or being touched, but he knew that not everyone shared those same sentiments. When she immediately began to move away and adopt a more defensive position, he knew it was time to back off.

Her whispered responses gave him a bit of a pause, and he took advantage of the moment to move toward the circulation desk and put some distance between them (for her sake). "Sascha," he answered automatically, running his fingers over the cover of one of the books on the counter before looking up at her again. He almost didn't want to give her his name because he knew it would destroy whatever frail hope she was clinging to, it would shatter the illusion that he was this other person who had obviously meant something important to her. Unfortunately, he wasn't. "Sascha Connolly. And you-"

He stopped mid-sentence as something odd struck him, a strange prickling sensation in the back of his mind that seemed to flare up whenever he looked at her or listened to her speak. Now that he was in a closer proximity, something about her was setting off his mental alarm bells, and he didn't for the life of him know what it was. He was about to open his mouth again when a thought suddenly came to him, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. Sascha had been briefed on the variety of praeternatural species inhabiting the haven when he'd first arrived, but he hadn't yet had the opportunity to meet some of the more interesting creatures. The sensation in his mind was akin to the one he experienced when communicating with dogs, but there was something heavier about this kind of energy, something....different. More feral, perhaps, and yet...more human.

He knew what she was. She just had to be, that was the only explanation. Sascha was so taken aback by the realization that he couldn't keep the words from tumbling out of his proverbial mouth. Are you a were??

*Denotes mindspeak

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chemin_argent
2009-01-17 06:58 am UTC (link)

It was very intimate, and Sydni was not used to physical contact, even before arriving in Elysium. There were few, a very few, very close friends or family who were that close to her. She was a very loving person, and did not hesitate to show those she loved how she felt. It just took a lot to get that close to her. Not on her part - she trusted easily, once someone made the effort to get to know her.

His name did destroy the final shred of hope she had. It showed on her face, but she tried not to dwell on it. It was not his fault, and there was no reason to ruin this meeting with regrets and disappointment. She thought the pause was meant for her to respond, so she answered, "Sydni Wilson." Her voice was soft for disappointment, bu she was feeling more comfortable with his presence, as her posture clearly denoted.

Until he spoke again. In her mind. If mere touching was an invasion of her personal space, being inside her head was an outright attack. She was a very private person, and while she was very loving with those who had been closest to her, she had never been very open about her personal thoughts or feelings. It was perhaps why her wolf was so feral. All those feelings she kept bottled up found an outlet on the full moon. The effect of his contact with her mind were unmistakable. She froze, staring at him with almost palpable fear, and then she took several steps back, hugging her arms tightly around her. "Stay out of my head!" she cried. At the same time, she instinctively set up the mental walls she had developed from practicing her faith and from hours of meditation. They meant little to his ability most likely, but it was all she had.

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bohemiarhapsody
2009-01-17 01:21 pm UTC (link)

Goddamnit, why didn't he think before he did that?

The air around them was thick with tension as the newly-introduced Sydni backed away from him in fear and shock. Sascha could feel the very instant her mental barriers shot into place, and he almost recoiled physically. It was rare that a dog had the capacity or sophistication of thought to erect that kind of a barrier- for the most part, their minds were like open books- and he'd never actually used his telepathy to mindspeak with a creature that had a largely human mental component. Hence, he wasn't terribly used to being rejected in quite that way, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do now that he had been.

As it stood, his powers were probably developed enough to bypass her "mental walls" should he want to do so, although Sascha wasn't too keen on the idea right now. Dogs, he could handle; humans, well...that was another story altogether. It was obvious from her reaction that his query had been too invasive, and he held up his hands in a calming gesture. Holy fuck, he hadn't meant to terrify her, he just wasn't used to this yet.

"Hey, it's okay! Sorry, sorry, I won't do it again, I promise." He tried to keep his voice low and even in hopes of pacifying her a bit, especially since a few of the other patrons and library aides had taken notice of her outburst. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just...you are a were, aren't you? I haven't met any before, and I wasn't even sure I could actualy...do that."

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chemin_argent
2009-01-17 03:24 pm UTC (link)

Honestly, she hadn't meant to react so severely. It had just frightened her, and her instinct in social situations was to flee. Or simply freeze up. But, he had the books she wanted. She couldn't simply leave.

It was clear from her look and guarded stance that she did not trust Sascha. But the attention from the other patrons and aides made her withdraw and become more subdued - she never wanted to draw attention to herself. Moving back closer to him, she gave him a rather intense look when he promised not to do it again; it obviously said she didn't really believe him. There were few urges inside of her that were stronger than her timidity. Two were her obstinacy and her temper. It wasn't clear which one was giving her the assertiveness in this instance, but she was decidedly less skittish than she had been a moment before.

However, when he said he was unaware of his ability, her face softened. She knew what it was like to have an uncontrolled ability. "I am," she answered softly. "Do what?" she asked. Clearly, he could speak in her mind, but he seemed to be talking about something else, and she was confused.

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bohemiarhapsody
2009-01-18 10:40 am UTC (link)

Sascha relaxed a bit at the girl's admission, although it did seem to conveniently raise a few issues. Like how the hell he was supposed to use his telepathy to converse with a lycanthrope now that he knew it was possible, and whether or not they would all react in a similar fashion. God, he hoped not. He wanted to keep his head on his shoulders where it belonged.

"I thought as much," he murmured, almost to himself, before focusing on Sydni. "I'm a canine telepath, so communicating with dogs is pretty much what I do. I've never tried using it on someone who's part human, though...like I said, you're the first were I've met. Guess I'm not used to...announcing myself." That was probably putting it lightly. Damn, that woman had a look that was downright intimidating.

Sascha hesitated for another moment before reality seemed to set in, and then he rounded the corner of the circulation desk and flipped open the patron log to record her name and information. "Sydni Wilson, you said?" He penned it in quickly, scanning over her books and making sure to include all the pertinent titles, smiling lightly all the while. "...a lycanthrope who studies sharks. That's a fun combination."

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chemin_argent
2009-01-18 10:53 am UTC (link)

"You can speak with dogs?" Clearly, her interest was piqued. "What do you know? I mean, like, that is an amazing ability." Pausing for a moment, she mused, "I have a dog. Her name is Molly." She opened her mouth as if to to continue speaking, but suddenly stopped. She was going to say "we", as in "we found her". But that made her think of people who were no longer with her, so she stopped. After a moment, she continued softly, "I found her. She was a stray." Even through her melancholy, she couldn't keep herself from thinking that it was an incredible feat to be able to speak with animals. Any animal.

Part human. She seemed to visibly wince at that. She hated being reminded that she was no longer a human being. She was an... other. And if she had known he thought she was intimidating, she would have laughed out loud. That was probably the last thing she would imagine anyone thinking of her.

"I wasn't always a lycan," she murmured. "I haven't really been able to do any research since I was bitten, anyway. I was at a school..." Mostly, the problem had been that she couldn't go into the magical waters surrounding the school, but even if she hadn't been at the school... What would have happened on a full moon during an expedition?

Finally allowing her good manners to kick in, she stopped focusing on herself and showed some interest in the man to whom she was speaking. "What about you? Have you always been a librarian?"

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bohemiarhapsody
2009-01-27 02:18 pm UTC (link)

The look on Sydni's face as she paused in her reminiscing spoke volumes, and Sascha didn't feel compelled to push the issue. He was really just now finding his footing in the conversation with the pretty lycanthrope, and he didn't want to crush the tentative rapport they'd built up just for the sake of being nosy. And anyway, he took it for granted that most people in Elysium had probably suffered considerable loss and hardship before arriving in the haven, so she'd be no different in that respect.

"Molly's a sweet name," he said with a smile, wordlessly accepting her compliment with a nod. "What kind of dog is she, or is she a mutt?" He kept his tone light and friendly in hopes of lifting her spirits just a tad. If she was this pretty when she was sad, she was probably gorgeous when she smiled. "My girl Sweeney was a stray, too. Maybe we should set up a playdate for them sometime. I hope Molly's got plenty of energy."

Sascha saw her flinch as he spoke, and he felt a little stab of guilt as he wished he could retract the words. She looked younger than he did, so surely she couldn't have been a lycan very long...could she? Not that he knew much about the creatures, anyway. Open mouth, insert foot. "A school, you said? Which school? I used to teach literature at NYU, but that already feels like a lifetime ago." He chuckled a bit as he finished stamping the return dates on the card pockets and slid the pile of books toward her. "I'm not even much of a librarian now, I'm just stuck behind this goddamn desk. I think I'm startin' to go a little stir-crazy, and I've only been here two weeks."

He was about to say something else when a flash of light at her throat caught his attention, and he raised an eyebrow as he leaned over the desk to observe. "Is that a necklace?" he asked curiously, trying not to seem like he was looking down her blouse in the process. The pendant was star-shaped, but something about it seemed oddly familiar to Sascha, and he could barely resist the urge to touch it.

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chemin_argent
2009-01-30 08:56 pm UTC (link)

"She's a Shepard/Akita mix as best as the vet could tell." The offer for a playdate earned a slight upward curve of her lips, which was not quite a smile, but it did give that hint of what a smile would do for her features. "She does. She's still just a pup. Not yet a year, they think."

"Oh, not a regular school. A school for praeternaturals, to learn what we'd become," she said softly. Despite her saddened features, her memories of the school were not all morose. She had met good friends there. But they weren't with her now. "But, I earned my Bachelor's and Master's in San Francisco. I hope they find something more challenging for you to do. There's not much here for me to do," she admitted sadly. No sharks, since there was no ocean, she'd assumed.

His sudden interest in her holy jewelry renewed her nervousness, and she clutched at it even as she drew back. She was too used to people reacting negatively, and she certainly was in no condition for a confrontation. Even still, she was polite, and after a moment, she held it up for him to see and explained, "It matches my tattoo," which gave no explanation as to its meaning, but it was an answer of sorts. So he didn't have to strain, she continued, "It says 'I am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars'. It's the beginning of a prayer," was the only clue she offered as to its meaning.

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