Halcyon Halls

Who: Starbuck and Taylor
When: Thursday night
Where: the beach

Starbuck's week had been good. Really good. The bombshell dropped by his mother had changed just about everything. He had never been the kind of guy to think money was everything, and he still wasn't, but having the green stuff sure did make life easier. It was a huge relief knowing that his mother was financially secure. When Bardsley died, Starbuck felt a tremendous burden. He felt as though it was now his responsibility alone to care for the family, even though Kai was a strong woman, perfectly capable of fending for herself. And now she could much more easily. So, yeah, things were good in Starbuck's world.

But they didn't appear to be so good in Taylor's world. Dylan was gone now... something family related. Starbuck could understand that, he'd go home in a heartbeat if he was needed there. So if Dylan was leaving to be with family, it was probably something important. So why wasn't Taylor going as well? It was then that Starbuck realized he didn't know all that much about the dynamics of the Sandoval family. Was that a sign of him being a bad friend? Or had Taylor simply been tight-lipped on purpose, much the way Starbuck often was where his father was concerned. He couldn't be sure. The one thing he could do was be there for her, let her know that he was around if she did want to talk.

So after making sure Vegas had eaten and was likely going to nap for a while, Starbuck grabbed his board and headed off to the beach. When he arrived, he could see Taylor already riding the waves. Starbuck pulled off his shirt and dropped it to the sand along with his towel and flip flops, then he charged into the surf, belly on the board a second later. He paddled out, his hands moving almost elegantly through the inky black water as he made his way toward Taylor. The waves weren't great tonight, but they were good enough. He was sure to find a few worth riding. "Hey," he called out to her.

When: Night
Where: Heaven and Hell - Hell
Who: Taylor and Open

Dylan was gone. Half the room was empty; it looked as though someone had just scooped up everything from that side and threw it away. She hadn’t had Taylor help her pack. Taylor just came back from classes to see her putting the final bags together. It was…startling…and yet somehow fitting for how the weeks seemed to be going for Taylor lately. Her words were brief…it was obvious she wasn’t supposed to say much to Taylor and that had wounded deep. Too damn demon. Their mother, that stupid bitch that had some grudge against Taylor from the moment she’d been born. Taylor never understood why, she’d tried so hard to mend that distance but it never worked. Their mother favored Dylan and once it had been that their father favored Taylor. Now that wasn’t even the case anymore.

The goodbye was brief…she was just gone and Taylor felt like half of her was missing. Maybe she should have seen it coming, Dylan had been so distant for so long now. But she had thought it was just Dylan being her hermit like self. Burying herself away in studies and work…that’s how her sister had always been. But it had been more then just that. She’d tried to keep that contact, trying to find Dylan often but she found spots to get away and talk to their mother…till finally the woman convinced her to just leave all together.

Taylor wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about it. Hurt? Left out? Alone…all of that fit. But as she sat there on her bed with her legs crossed beneath her, staring off at that side of the room…she just felt numb.

She had thought coming here would be a good thing. She’d get to be with her sister again who she had missed terribly, she’d get a break from the fast pace world of LA and sort of get some breather time. Finding Rafe here had only made it seem like this really was where she was supposed to be. And yet in the last week everything had sort of unraveled.

She wanted nothing more to just…go back to how things had been. Go back to LA, pick up where she’d left off. But she knew that wasn’t possible. The heat was still too high over what happened and she knew it wouldn’t be the same. Rafe wouldn’t be there. Friends would be gone. Everything was changed. Maybe going back home, her real home. Except she knew her father wouldn’t be there anymore and things between them now were…tense at best.

Still she found herself calling him, listening to the phone ring over and over until his nearly monotone voice came onto the line. She asked him about Dylan, their mother, asked if he knew….thankfully he hadn’t. At least she didn’t have to feel like he’d kept that from her too. But he didn’t seem to care either. It was…disconcerting. She asked if he was okay..if he wanted to see her…but none of it seemed to really matter. She hung up the phone feeling even more…lost then before.

Moving slowly she pushed up from her bed, going to the computer and leaving a note on her journal for anyone that had known Dylan, letting them know she’d left. She didn’t stick around to see if anyone responded though. She needed out of the room. Away from that half empty side that was just a too stark reminder for her right now.

Grabbing her jacket, her phone, and her purse Tay quickly made her way out of Aquatic house. She didn’t care that her jeans were torn and her shirt was actually a guys one. One of those sorts that you just wear around the house. Her focus was just in getting the hell away from the school for a bit.

“Heaven and Hell.” Taylor spoke to the cab driver; the man nodded his head and started to drive. Taylor just stared off…watching the forest go by until finally the city came into focus. Soon he was stopping in front of the large building. Normally this was where she went to go dance the night away and have a great time. Now she planned to just hang out in a booth with a good drink and ignore the world. She mumbled a thanks and got out, heading into the club to hide away for awhile.

Who: Caylem and Taylor
Where: Heaven and Hell
When: Monday night
What: Taylor has agreed to show Caylem around Heaven and Hell and introduce him to Vale.

Making his way down the darkened streets in the city just outside of Halcyon, a slight frown could be seen flickering on Caylem's chiseled features. He'd mixed with humans all his life other than his family, and now, he wasn't entirely sure whether his LA-esque dj skills would be as much appreciated here at Halcyon, what with the supernatural community and all that. But even then, that was the lesser factor of the unsettling feeling he was having now. Ever since he'd received that last post from the girl with the journal name "ripplestowaves", the name she'd given him before running off for an appointment rang a bell somewhere in the back of his head.

Taylor... why did that name sound familiar? Why did it give him a vague uneasiness when he read those words on the screen? Was she someone he knew? From where? When?

The cool night air was thick with the peaceful after smell of rain, and the sidewalks were still damp from the entire day of drizzling. Caylem's shoes made tiny splashes in the shallow puddles as he walked through without bothering to avoid them, wetting the corners of his blue gray cargos. Though it'd been rainy, it wasn't too chilly and Caylem donned a simple black hooded tank top. He was slightly earlier than he'd intended to be, so he had got down from the cab nearby and wandered around the city for a bit. As he neared the building with those three flashing red words, he wondered whether Taylor was already inside. He cast the two big burly bouncers a glance before walking past the doors and into a dimly lit room, where there was, to Caylem's surprise, no queue.

"Um, no cover charge?" Caylem caught a nearby attendant and asked.

"Not really how Vale works, no," the girl said to him with a smile before disappearing up the stairs.

Caylem smiled upon hearing that. Vale was already beginning to sound like a cool boss. He fished out his cellphone and texted Taylor a message telling her he'd arrived. At this point, loud booming music could already be heard sounding through the staircase that led upstairs. Caylem could feel the surrounding air almost vibrating, pulsating in tune with the trance-like dance music, which Caylem recognized as a mild version of acid house with a dash of ghettotech.

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.

When: Late afternoon/Early Night
Where: Out front of the School
Who: Kissy and Taylor

Classes were dull today. Typically Taylor was rather engaged in the whole learning process but today it all seemed rather…droning. Voices sort of blended together and she found herself reading the same sentence over and over and over again in her books. It was not a day that could be called productive in the least when it came to school work for Taylor but that happened every now and again. Little sleep, too many thoughts, busy busy…whatever the reason Taylor just didn’t have much desire to be all eager student. Thankfully Taylor wasn’t behind in work at all really so one day of being not even half there wasn’t really going to set her all that far back.

Amazingly enough she didn’t decide to skip any of the classes though. She stayed till the last one and then headed back to her room for a quick change before planning to head out again. She had plans with Kissy, dress shopping! It was difficult to say no to that and Taylor could certainly use some more retail therapy. She actually had a dress picked out for the dance but she wasn’t going to object to taking a peek at some more. Never know, might run across the most perfect one while she wasn’t even expecting to get anything for herself. Her main goal was, though, to get Kissy looking like a star for the dance.

On the way to the room she sent a text to Kissy, just confirming that they were still set and everything. Thankfully they were…Taylor didn’t exactly feel like hanging around her empty room again today. Taylor was certain that something was going on with her sister. Distant, unresponsive, it wasn’t like her. Taylor was determined to get to the bottom of it but she wasn’t going to put off the rest of her plans or anything because of it either. No she’d hunt for Dylan once she got back.

She was looking forward to this get together of course. It included shopping which always was a good thing for Taylor and of course, Kissy was pretty entertaining. The girl spoke a mile a minute and had hundreds of stories to tell…lucky for Taylor she was good at keeping up with those speed talkers.

Most people would wait in the main hall for someone with the misty rain falling like it was. Taylor however, didn’t mind the slight rain. It was actually comforting to her. Taylor was not a girl you’d ever find with an umbrella. She didn’t mind at all the rain messing up her hair or anything else, it was always worth it. Okay…maybe not on the way to an interview or something but 99.9% of the time it was.

Taylor was casual tonight, dressed for some major store shopping. Jeans were her choice for the night, paired with a white shirt and black jacket with a hood up over her head for the moment. Though it did little good with how her face was tipped up towards the rain, letting the misty droplets settle on her skin.

She was a little early but a cab was already parked near by Taylor, waiting along with the elemental for the other girl to arrive. Taylor wasn’t in a big rush though, she was sure any second Kissy was going to come barreling out the front doors though. The thought already made Tay smirk a bit. You had to appreciate that sort of energy.

When: Early night
Where: Halls of Halcyon
Who: Taylor and Annabella

Taylor’s day had been rather standard so far. Classes, few minutes with Rafe here and there, random talk with people after classes, nothing too note worthy or exciting. Normally that wouldn’t bother her much really but she was feeling a bit stir crazy today. That sort of urge to just get out and play had been nagging at the back of her mind now ever since she’d woken up! Talk about making classes difficult to sit through. She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do, she just knew she needed to get out and about. The city, the beach, hell even just a walk around the school would do. Something to keep her feet moving and hopefully distract her mind a bit.

She was counting the minutes till the end of the school day where she could rush through the halls towards her room to get ready to go do something. She thought to ask Rafe to join her but the sun was still up and that antsy feeling just didn’t want to wait. Not like he couldn’t join up with her later. Maybe dinner or something…or maybe just a drink or two at a bar to end the night. She’d have to call him once the sun went down. But she still had hours to kill till then.

Not surprising her sister wasn’t around the room once Tay got there. She was starting to get used to that feeling. Was more like living alone then with a roommate and certainly didn’t feel like living with her sister again. Taylor wasn’t really sure what was going on but her attempts to talk didn’t go very far. Which didn’t sit well but only gave her more reason to look for some good straight forward distraction. Shopping always seemed like a good bet. Surfing put her in her element which Taylor never minded. A movie would be too slow and quite, not near distracting enough. Maybe Heaven and Hell, that was guaranteed to be loud and full of good times.

Ugh she needed a group to just throw herself into and not even think about anything. Where were friends when you needed them? For as popular as Tay used to be in school it wasn’t quite the same way here at Halcyon. Then again she hadn’t really been looking to be quite as involved in all that social scene as she used to be. But she did miss having some close friends to go to. Not just friends but those close sorts that knew everything about your or near enough to it.

Finally Taylor just decided to grab up a bad that had supplies for just about everything. Bathing suit, clubbing clothes, so forth. The best bet seemed like just going out there and seeing what jumped out at her. She could decide in the cab ride.

Tay grabbed up her jacket, tugging it on and hooking her bag over her shoulder before locking up the room and heading out of House Aquatic. Through the halls and around the corner. She stopped a few times to give a hello or chat for a little bit but she was set to getting out of the school for awhile.

So set on it that she nearly ran into someone when she came around the corner that led towards the main entry way of the school. She quickly halted, giving an apologetic smile “Sorry about that, think my minds already in the cab heading away from the school”

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?

Shopping. Nothing was a better cure all then shopping. Okay…there were a few things better then shopping but shopping was definitely pretty high up there on the list. It wasn’t just Taylor that felt that way though; if it was she wouldn’t have been able to so easily convince a group of girls from one of her classes to go with her. They wanted to head into the city right after classes in fact but Tay had managed to convince them to give her an hour or so. Her “hope” had been to find Dylan and maybe drag her down into the city too. She knew shopping wasn’t her sisters favorite past time or anything but she way needed to get out of the hermit kick. No luck on the twin finding hunt though. Where Dylan managed to hide Tay had no idea.

Tay was disappointed sure but she wasn’t going to let it show. She always kept those sorts of emotions out of sight and mind. Wasn’t that she buried them up and never felt but more she rather just forget about it all and have a good time for awhile. Sounded like the better choice to her at least.

An hour later, on the dot, Taylor was meeting the group in front of the school. Taylor was glad to get out of the school for awhile, she needed it. What she really needed was some time down at the beach. Maybe she’d convince Starbuck to go surfing with her. Or maybe another weekend trip down there with Rafe for a dinner picnic. That sounded like a good way to spend the night to her. She’d have to go tackle the boy with the idea later. Maybe Sunday, she wasn’t about to miss the Saturday bash either. It had been awhile since Rafe and she had gone to a bonfire party. Brought back old memories.

The girls piled into the first taxi that came by, chatting the entire time about this or that while they drove. Mostly it was school gossip, couldn’t get girls to let that go. Tay wanted to talk more about the dance club and all that was going on with that…which worked for awhile till they started to jabber about who was dating who in it. Made Tay roll her eyes a bit but they were friendly enough and weren’t really talking badly about anyone at least. The time went by even quicker once Tay got their conversation steered towards drama club. Tay loved that club, probably more so then any others she was in. Kept her sharp…after all she had plans to head back to LA eventually and start that career of hers back up.

Once down in the city the girls filed out of the car and had a good ten minute debate on just where they were going to go. They could head to the mall first but Taylor was way more interested in hitting up some of the more thrift like stores around the mall. Eventually the group ended up separating into two with plans to meet up in a few hour for dinner somewhere. Some ran off towards the mall and Taylor and a couple others were eager to hit up some of the more unique stores.

Taylor liked one of a kind sort of outfits, not something that everyone could get for a few bucks. Her agenda for the night? New outfit for Saturday of course. Something warm enough for the beach but still party attire.

A few hours later she and the others were headed towards the mall, Taylor making sure to take a swing by the spray tan place to make sure they were open late with the mall and everything. Like she had thought, they were. She grabbed up a brochure to give Charlie later on, probably easier then trying to type out all the details of the place. After that it was time to hit up a local restaurant in the mall with all the other girls. Not a bad way to spend her night, not that they were really done shopping just yet. They still had a few more hours after dinner to explore before finally heading back to the school.

Who: Selene and all female students
When: Tuesday, after afternoon classes
Where: Energies and Emotions classroom


Classes were over for the day. They had been for quite some time for Selene, the energy and emotions class she taught being early in the day. Perhaps something odd for a Vampire but she had had many years to become accustomed to altering the hours that their race was perhaps a bit more comfortable in. Truth was, with the proper precautions there was no reason for her to embrace the night hours anymore than the day. Not always such an easy thing for every new vampire to embrace, especially any that had been burned by the sun that had once embraced.

Selene had used the hours between her various appointments and the end of her class to ready the classroom for the gathering she had arranged for the week before. The tables that were normally situated in the room were now pushed back against the walls. The chairs were moved into the center of the room, turned into a circle to facilitate discussion. Or so was the hope.

She had made a trip down to the kitchen an hour or so before the discussion was set to begin. Some light refreshments were gathered as she had advertised. A plate of crackers, several cheeses and fruits. Warm water was brought in and set next to several cups and bags of tea as well as plain water. Perhaps not a selection that would please everyone but hopefully there was something for everyone. And in that vein a small container also held blood for those that wished to partake in that particular beverage.

The rest of the tables were covered with various pamphlets of information for the women attending to take if they were interested. Something that Selene hoped all did. Packets of paper on self esteem, healthy eating habits, healthy relationships and relaxation techniques, all things that were important things to remember whether one was human or supernatural. All too often the problems were all the same.

The discussion was particularly important to Selene. She had been born to an age where women had rarely been known for anything other than their connection to a man. Their identity was nothing without that... other half if you will. Stepping free of that path when she had... had not been a simple process. While things were very different now, the issue was still one quite close to Selene's heart. She liked to now use the position she held now to help women now as best she could.

She poured herself her own cup of tea and smoothed her skirt down as she took a seat at one of the chairs. She could only hope that this discussion proved to be helpful for all the women at Halcyon.

Who: All sorts of people
When: April 5th, Friday night
Where: The city, Heaven and Hell (specifically Hell)
What: JELLO WRESTLING!
((OOC: Sorry for the late start to the thread!))

What to wear, what to wear. Frankie shifted from her right foot to her left and then back again, the pattern repeating as she stood in front of her closet, trying to figure out what she would wear tonight. Sadly, jello wrestling would probably be best suited for a swimsuit. She only owned one, and it had never been worn in the water. The most action it ever got was on family vacations to secluded areas where no one would see a girl with wings running around. She didn't swim, not only because of the obvious reason of having freakish flaps attached to her back, but also because she hated water. Short, hot showers were it for her. Thankfully, jello was semi-solid, which was really the only thing that made it a tolerable substance for play time. She prayed it wouldn't melt too much, get too 'liquidy', or she'd just have to forfeit and bail. Frankie didn't do water. Period.

She was losing focus. Back to the clothing choices. Well, she could go with her red running shorts and a tight white tanktop... that could work. Or, she could just go for the bikini. The skimpy, pale pink number looked great on her, and she was wanting to show off some skin now that she was able. Give Grey and Clove both something to lust over. For Grey, it was sort of a reward for the things he had done RIGHT last night (she was willing to forgive him splashing her with water). But for Clove, it was almost like punishment... her way of saying 'look what you're missing out on, punk!' That pretty much made up her mind. Bikini!

Slipping into it, Frankie threw on some yoga pants and a tank top. She also put on a thick and fuzzy hoodie. The clothes would keep her warm for the trip to the club, and hopefully help her warm up after her wrestling match. She also decided to bring a towel.

Now, what to do with her hair, and should she wear makeup? Hmm... tricky. As Frankie considered it, she really wished she had some tequila. Dammit, making decisions like this was so much easier with booze! There was the practical side of her that said there was no point to wearing makeup and doing her hair, because it was just going to look a mess once she got in the jello pit. But, who knew how long she'd be walking around for everyone to see BEFORE that?! Yeah, she'd have to make sure she looked cute. Damn.

It didn't take long to get gussied up. She styled her hair down, her golden curls falling lightly over her shoulders. Her eyes were smokey, and she put on a nice sheer lip gloss to make her lips look kissable. As she looked at her reflection, she mused that she now KNEW what it meant to be kissed. It made her smile ear to ear and think about last night.

Augh, losing focus again! Ok, finish getting ready. She did so quickly, and with one last look at herself, grabbed her towel and headed out to hail a cab. It was a relatively short ride to the club, and her informal attire was accepted when she reached the entrance, because she told the bouncer she would be stripping off all but her tiny bikini once she got inside the warm building. The bulky man gave Frankie a long, slow look up and down, smiling wickedly, making Frankie feel violated. But, she forced herself to smile in return and even wink at the guy (who smelled like onions, yuck!). A second later, he let her pass, and she made her way down to the bowels of the club.

Hell was really something to behold. She liked it a great deal. It was packed with warm bodies, creating a delicious heat that she craved. Frankie immediately peeled off her hoodie and tank top, letting her wings get a good stretch as she made her way over to the jello pit set up, as promised, by the club's owner, Vale.