Halcyon Halls

Who: Rafe and Cissy
Where: small pool room
When: evening
What: a boy and his guitar and a random encounter with a fire mage/ice demon

Taylor's phone call earlier had made Rafe feel both better and worse. Better, because he was hearing her voice, that soft teasing tone that always made him feel as if he was home no matter where they happened to be. Worse because she was so far away, because she would be for quite some time to come, even though they planned to visit. Visit. Yeah, that was a great word and a fine concept, but it was cold comfort to him right now.

He'd attempted to fill his time with various things for a while after the call. There wasn't enough homework yet for him to really apply himself to it; after all, it was only the second day of class. He'd commented on a few posts, but that activity had quickly ceased to be diverting. He wasn't quite in the mood to go to the beach, had fed too recently to be hungry. What to do?

Finally, the vampire changed into his most faded and disreputable pair of jeans and a tank top and grabbed his guitar, slinging it over his shoulder by the strap and leaving his room. Even though it was empty except for him and did not contain that much furniture, he felt constricted within it. A quick wander through the Terrene common room revealed that there was nobody there to talk to, and he left the house, beginning to make his way down the corridor.

Rafe was in a strange frame of mind. He didn't want company, but he did, and he'd become aware that despite the fact that he'd been at Halcyon since February, he hadn't exactly overextended himself becoming acquainted with people. Tay had been his main companion, and she was gone. He was still adjusting to it, and he wasn't sure what to do with himself while he did that. Not the best time he'd ever had.

( in worlds so hollow it's breaking my heart )

Who: Rafe
Where: main hallway
When: just before dusk

Rafe stood against the wall opposite one of the treated front windows not far from the main front door that led out of the school, a duffel bag at his feet, waiting for dusk to descend enough for him to go outside. He was to meet Tay near the drive where taxis could be summoned to take students to town. They had their evening planned out beginning with dinner at a little cafe not far from Heaven and Hell, where he'd drink and take a bite or two of whatever Tay ordered, to be companionable. Then they'd move on to the club for dancing and, for him, a few blood-laced drinks, and once they'd had enough of that, they'd retire to the beach, where they planned to spend the entire night together, only returning to the school just before dawn broke.

A perfect evening. Unfortunately, Rafe did not feel anywhere near perfect at the moment, and he was using this opportunity to collect himself.

There was a part of him that wanted to beg Taylor not to go, still, even though intellectually he understood that he couldn't do that. This was something she needed to do, and it didn't have anything to do with him at all. There was also a part of him that wanted to not return to school, and he'd had to force himself to select a schedule for the next semester... classes he'd wondered if he'd be here to take. Ever since she'd told him she was leaving, he'd been upset, hurt, unsettled, moody, conflicted. All of the above.

What he didn't want to do, though, was to show that to her tonight. He quietly breathed in deep, unnecessary breaths, doing his best to calm himself and talk himself down. It wasn't forever. He was going to be visiting her during the break, spending part of it with her and part of it with his family. He'd decided to fill them in on what had happened to him, and he was going to see them first, saving Taylor for last, because he might well need her support and care afterward. He wasn't sure what to expect from that, and it was just one more thing to make him uneasy.

Two things happened in fairly short order: he determinedly pushed the negative emotions away, far enough below the surface that they wouldn't trouble him this evening, and the sun bled out of the sky, leaving dusk behind. Rafe picked up the duffel bag, squared his shoulders and crossed the hall to push through the front door, out into the cool night air.

Who: Rafe and Caylem
When: Wednesday night
Where: outside Zephyr House
What: Rafe is in scary stalker mode

Two classes? What the hell kind of schedule was that? Rafe wondered. He'd spent the past couple of days checking around, finding out as much about Caylem's whereabouts at any given time as he could. The guy wasn't in any clubs, at least not yet, and he had his classes early. Not a good scenario if Rafe wanted to try to find him during the school day. He had an advantage on the vampire in that he could go outside then, of course.

So that was out. Rafe actually thought that he'd prefer that it be night, anyway. He'd pondered sneaking into Zephyr, but then he'd discarded the idea. That was Cay's turf, so to speak. He'd asked around, trying to be casual about it, and discovered that the demon often left the school premises at dusk and went somewhere-- the person who'd told him that didn't know where, just that the guy left. Maybe he had a job of some sort. Rafe didn't know, didn't care, but merely wanted the opportunity for some face-to-face time with him.

Was it a smart idea? No, probably not, but then Rafe was not guided by intellect when it came to matters like this. Unreasoning anger, jealousy, resentment... those were his guides. Considering everything, he'd done a reasonable job reining himself in. What he'd wanted to do was go and find Caylem right away once he and Taylor had gotten back to the school Sunday night. He hadn't, because he knew he was too irrational, and Tay was miffed at him anyway, he thought. So he'd waited.

Rafe was impetuous, but he could bide his time when he had to.

So it was that he waited outside Zephyr House as soon as dusk had fallen and it was safe for him to go out. Arms crossed, he leaned against a lamppost a little ways from the entrance that led outside. Just waiting and watching, and he had no idea what he was going to do or say. He just knew that he had to do this. In his mind it felt like protecting Tay, and that was something he planned to do for the rest of eternity.

Who: Open to all
Where: Main Hall
When: Saturday Evening into Night
What: Spring Fling

No one throws parties like the supernatural, or so many like to believe. Call it vanity, but most do have decades, if not centuries, experience to bring to the venture. The Spring Fling at Halcyon is no exception, except in one respect, this dance, far more than any of the other affairs thrown on this campus, most closely resembles a high school prom. Worse, it resembles the high school proms presented in American movies. After at least fifty years however, they are pretty damn close to the actuality, if not the simulation.

Tonight’s theme was a no-brainer. In fact, though the committee had been at work before the announcement of the Friday night auction, that news prompted the decision to give a beach theme to the Spring Fling as well.

Saturday morning the east wing with the exception of the cafeteria was closed off and by Saturday evening all those entering the main hall saw a transformation many might find difficult to believe.


Lights dim to reveal a twinkling array of “stars” in the blue black ceiling. The whole of the hall is covered in sand. To one side is a volleyball net, in the center wall away from the entrance, a stage set up, on which a band in Hawaiin shirts play beach themed music. On this stage the winners of the superlative voting will be announced later in the evening. All about are tiki torches, palm trees, and in the midst of it all, a roaring bon fire. A fine mist earlier has given the sand that slight dampness for the cool feel between your toes, and every there are now as many building castle as there are dancing.

Whichever your preference, kick off your shoes and stay a while.

Who: Rafe and Taylor
Where: the beach
When: night

Rafe had decided to meet Tay at the beach instead of stopping by her House to pick her up only because he'd had to try to find a surfboard that someone would let him borrow. She'd mentioned the possibility of some moonlight surfing while they were there, and he didn't own a board, mainly because he'd never surfed before. Of course, she'd be a natural at it with her water affinity, and Rafe would rather look foolish in front of her than anyone else he could think of if he was totally awful and had trouble learning how to do it. He'd asked around until a guy on his floor said he knew someone in another House who knew someone who would probably let him borrow one. It had taken longer than he would've liked to hammer all that out, but the end result was that he had the use of a surfboard for the evening.

It occurred to him only after he'd gotten his things together and left the school to walk down to the beach that he should have gotten in touch with Natalia, the wereleopard he'd met the previous week, and asked if he could borrow hers. After all, she'd been coming back up the path with a board under her arm. He breathed an unneeded sigh, feeling exasperated with himself for not thinking of that; it would've been a lot simpler. Leave it to him to not think the situation through.

If he liked surfing well enough, he'd probably end up getting a board of his own, although... Didn't Starbuck work at the surf shop in town? Rafe rolled his eyes as he strode down the path. That'd be fun, wouldn't it? Just the thought of the guy rubbed him the wrong way, and he was sure Starbuck felt the same way about him. One thing at a time. He might be a colossal failure at it anyway, and it might not be an issue. He was reasonably athletic, but that didn't necessarily translate into being good at every sport.

Finally, Rafe reached the end of the path, and he kicked his shoes off to walk across the sand to the edge of the water. It was lovely here, he'd have to admit, with the breeze and the unceasing sound of the waves, as well as the sight of them rolling in over the damp sand. He didn't see Tay, but she could possibly be in the water, he thought. There were a couple of towels a short distance away, and he headed toward them. Once there, he stuck the surfboard into the sand and tossed his own towel down, standing to face the white-capped waves in a loose black t-shirt and black swim trunks.

It was soothing, and even he could understand why Tay liked it here as much as she did. His blue eyes traced a light in the sky, and he tried to decide if it was a satellite or a star. He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. Tay would find him, whether she was just now coming down the path or already in the water. It was a gorgeous night, and they'd be spending a large portion of it together. What else could he possibly need right now to be happy, once she'd arrived?

Who: Rafe and Natalia
Where: outside the school
When: Thursday night

The sound of the wind outside had been distracting Rafe all day long. It almost sounded as if a storm was brewing, though there were no indications that rain, thunder or lightning were imminent. It was also warm, or at least that was what he overheard from students coming in from outside. Most of the time, he didn't miss the daylight all that much; he'd always been more of a night person. In that respect, being a vampire suited him perfectly. Today, however, he found himself thinking with something close to nostalgia about the feel of sunlight on closed eyelids as he tipped his face up to the sun. It was warm in a way that heaters could not duplicate, more soporific than the strongest sleeping pill.

There was no point in dwelling on it, really, but Rafe was in the mood to dwell on impossible things today, apparently. The private message conversation he'd had with Charlie not long ago had started him thinking about his own Sire during odd moments. He couldn't help wondering where Thomas was, what he was doing, and it didn't seem to matter how often he told himself that he was better off not knowing. Despite the fact that Thomas had wanted a type of closeness from him that he hadn't been able to give, the man was his Sire. The ties between them were undeniable, and the way they'd parted had made it even worse. He'd either stopped trying to contact Rafe, or else the wards the school had in place had fully kicked in. The complete silence either way made Rafe uneasy, because it made him wonder what the man was up to.

He wandered through the day in a mental fog, coming out of it only when he'd seen Tay briefly in the hall between classes. She could more than likely tell that he was in a mood, but there hadn't been time to talk about that, or anything much beyond basic pleasantries. In the very brief time they'd had, he'd tried to make it obvious that his mood wasn't related to her in any way. In the past, he'd been bad about letting her wonder if maybe it was something she'd done, or said, or hadn't done or said. Overall, he was doing better with his jealousy issues, though he still wasn't keen on her friendships with some of the guys here, most particularly Starbuck. It even made him a little bit twitchy when she was friendly with Charlie, because he knew what a player the guy was, but he also knew Tay well enough to know that she'd never fall for that sort of thing.

It was all good, everything was fine, or at least, that was how he'd have it to be. Maybe he just needed a little time to decompress. After he'd partaken of his dinner blood bag, he'd gone to clean his teeth and splash some water over his face, trying to decide if he was going to start his homework like a dutiful student or blow it off for a while. The restless mood he was in decided him. Homework could wait. In deference to the balmy weather, he changed into jeans and a short-sleeved blue t-shirt in his room. It was fully dark by now, and he took the stairs down to the Terrene House entrance and then a short way down the corridor to the outside door, pushing his way out into the windy evening.

Clouds moved across the sky, intermittently obscuring the moon, and Rafe wandered away from the main entrance, where people would be passing in and out, everyone with the same goal of enjoying the night. As he stood at the very outside edge of one of the pools of illumination cast by the nearest landscape light, he took a deep breath that he didn't really need. Los Angeles seemed like a world away, and maybe it was. He was a different man in many ways than he'd been then... actually, he'd be a dead man right now if Thomas hadn't pulled him out of the wreckage of his cycle that night months ago. It was a chilling thought, particularly to Rafe, who even when he'd been human was arrogant enough to feel as if he might live forever.

He lifted his fingers as if to physically pull the winds to him, setting a pile of dry leaves spinning in a jagged circle. It took concentration, but not as much as it had when he'd first started working with air manipulation. Spin... spin... spin. His blue eyes were intent as the mini-cyclone grew, composed of leaves, a couple of twigs, even dirt particles. He wondered how long he could keep it spinning, how large he could make it grow. No time like the present to find out.