Halcyon Halls

Who: Ayolinda and Peck
Where: Rocky shoreline
When: Saturday afternoon
What: She summons more than a seal to the shore.

This close proximity to others wasn't entirely working out for her. While Ayolinda had gone to schools in more populated areas, she'd planned it so that at least three days of the week could still be spent at a location by the ocean. Staying in her father's house, it was impossible not to, but Halcyon was packed so much more tightly with people. At least the shore was.

Already she'd left two shorelines after seeing a curious head pop up or a glimmer of someone overhead and she'd closed her mouth. It wasn't that she had to sing. It was just the thing she'd always done for herself. Ayolinda got why her song could lure, she felt it more strongly than anyone else. The song was like therapy. She had no aspirations to sing professionally, or even for a crowd. Her songs were passionate songs of longing. When she was eight her father had taken her to see Amalia Rodrigues in Los Angeles, of all places. She had said that night that all her love songs were sad, because that is what she knew how to sing.

Ayolinda had grown obsessed with fado after she had lost her wings. Saudade, that undefinable emotion of longing or loss for something you just could not have. That want, the despair, the negative swirling that, in many ways, was beautiful because it opened up your emotions to memories and thoughts that filled you with rememberance. That was why they had fado for one's homecountry, parents, or anything people sometimes lost and could never get back.

After a few test bars, Ayolinda let loose. Sitting on a large rock, her sandals still on the shore, the hem of her rolled linen capris was wet with sea water as the waves splashed up against her feet. It was cold, but it was worth the strange feeling of contentment she felt when you were just in the water and could look out into the endless horizon.

She knew her family and others could possibly hear her. Her voice pulled at people, tugged at their hearts, even if just a little. Only once had she recorded herself, if only to confirm how beautiful her voice could be. But it seemed a pity to hear it come out so tinny when the air would twist it in so many wonderful ways as she could sing with everything or as little as she wanted at the water. Sometimes in Cape Verde dolphins would appear in the water to hear her, the setting sun, she remembered, would shine off their bodies.

Eyes closed, she sang a much longer rendition of Em Aranjuez Com Teu Amor than had probably ever been recorded, but she took it slowly, savoring each word and phrase and repeating them when she felt it. When she stopped, all she could hear was the waves moving, but she had a startle when someone's face came into sight as her re-opened eyes adjusted to the light. There were no words, only an accusation in those eyes of having her private moment --which had to have involved roughly hundreds of miles of ocean-- disturbed.

Who: Kristi, Sydni
When: Thursday, Lunch
Where: Dining Hall
What: Munchies-R-Us

----

Kristi could not quite remember a time in his life when he'd had such a hectic, blindingly full schedule. He was three point five days into a five day week, and, so far as simple timekeeping and assignments were concerned, had managed to stay afloat. Much like his earliest swimming lessons during vacation, though, the ice-blonde European was crackingly positive that the motions he was going through were incredibly ungraceful.

He barely made it to class on time, especially after the short siesta gap he'd left for himself in the afternoon. Getting through the actual classes was a mixture between struggle and free-fall; it was virtually impossible to sleep through any of the classes he'd enrolled for, but Kristi was Kristi, and sometimes catnaps simply happened. It was Summer, wasn't it? Homework assignments somehow had to be done, and on this Kris was having very few issues - when he got over the nagging case of Chronic Procrastination that automatically dogged the steps of every student alive (or, in some cases, not).

Whatever the methods he used, Kris had yet to blow off classes, miss deadlines, or be called on his small classtime snoozes. Languages were no problem; they came as easily as breathing. Verb conjugation was simple logic in all cases, and the additional benefit of having a photographic memory only helped it. The morning classes were a little harder. Thus, as a companion to lunch, he had one of the books Teacher-WhatsHerName had recommended on the reading list. Something to skim through.

Kris did that skimming whilst eating; his lunch, as it was every day, was a half-hearted affair that involved an apple, some bottled water, and the occasional use of teeth. The book, as he'd expected, was drier than the Sahara, and frequently the blue of his eyes meandered over the people slash creatures occupying the dining hall. Distraction, salvation, whatever you wanted to call it, came in the form of a werewolf who hadn't yet eaten him. What did a werewolf eat for lunch? Pastries, if Kristi remembered right. He caught Sydni's eye, and snapped his book shut while beckoning her over.

"So what does a werewolf eat for lunch?" The question came instead of a more conventional hello, delivered in blithe, Kristi fashion.

Who:  Kenzie and Sydni
What:  A sudden meeting
Where:  Lunch Hall

Being as frazzled as she was, Sydni was not sure how she'd make it through the week to Friday.  She was already anxious because Charlie hadn't contacted her at all.  After his breakdown Thursday night, she didn't think his sire appearing out of nowhere was going to be at all helpful.  There was too much guilt and anger, and she worried more for his mental well-being than his physical well-being.  It was a dark road to travel, and she was afraid he would bury himself walking it alone.

Add to that her betrayal of Justina, and her concerns now for Frankie and Davia, and she was an emotional mess.  She didn't dare call Justina, but she desperately wanted to find out if she was ok.  Of course she wasn't, but she wanted to comfort her, despite being the one who had caused the pain in the first place.  Davia seemed like a confused teenager sometimes and she worried that she'd end up hurt or in a dangerous situation.  Teenagers did that - got into trouble because their risk-assessment centers weren't fully developed.  She also felt a bit guilty, knowing that Davia had a crush on her and she'd had to turn her down.  Another broken heart caused by her, good job.  And then Frankie was upset about Clove.  And that was definitely something not in her power to fix.

Distracted by these thoughts, Sydni was only paying attention to the partially hidden table away from the general cluster in the center of the hall.  She hoped no one else snagged it before she got there.  She didn't want company, and she didn't want to find a new table for herself.  Of course, as busy as the caf was, she should have been paying attention to the people around, at least enough to avoid them.  This became painfully clear when she crashed into a small form that scurried in front of her.  Luckily, she hadn't gotten her food, yet.  Unfortunately for the person she'd walked into, he had.  Loads of pizza.  It looked like a pizza joint had exploded on his shirt and the floor in front of him.

A string of uncharacteristic curses streamed from her mouth as she bent to help pick up the mess.  Unable to hide the aggravation, she snapped, "I'm sorry."  Well, that wasn't sincere.  Trying again, she softened her words a bit, "I didn't see you coming.  You ok?"  She finally looked up at the poor guy, concern beginning to overwrite the frustration on her face.