halcyon_houses

Who: Starbuck and Lani
When: Saturday evening
Where: Aquatic House

Starbuck had been having a superbly shitty day. The semi-annual gossip rag had really done a number on his head, and he'd spent the afternoon talking to Ada about it, trying to figure out what the fuck to do with his life. Returning to his room after some puppy therapy, he'd found an email from his mother. It was pretty cryptic, especially so considering it came from Kai, who was always so honest and straightforward about everything. She and Starbuck didn't have secrets, but it seemed she wanted to surprise him, and that was different.

Then the surprise showed up, totally out of the blue! Starbuck was actually kinda shocked Kai had said anything, because it would have been even more exciting to find out that Lani was another half water nymph, if he'd not been given a little warning ahead of time. He'd have to call his mother later and laugh at her for it all. Crazy woman. Just as crazy as this situation.

Starbuck and Lani had hit it off instantly when they'd met back in Maui. She was a local too, though unlike Starbuck, she traveled a lot. Their relationship had been extremely brief, but it made a lasting imprint none the less. She was wicked cool, he'd always thought so, and maybe things would have had time to develop between the two of them if she'd not had to run off to Japan to help a friend. Starbuck was a little fuzzy on the details now, but he remembered it had something to do with a sick relative.

But, seemed she was back. Well, had been back, in Maui that is. And now she was here at Halcyon! It was going to be nice having an old friend around, especially someone who understood where Starbuck came from and all that. Plus, another water nymph! Starbuck wondered if she could communicate with sea creatures as well. He had so much he wanted to ask her!

As soon as he'd sent her a quick reply, he threw on a dark grey t-shirt with his worn out old jeans. Didn't bother with shoes, as he was just going to the common room. His bare feet moved quickly, the smile on his face really genuine for the first time today, as he ran into the common room, eager to see his old friend.

Who: Starbuck (and maybe Kat, if not, it's a narrative)
When: around 3:30 Tuesday morning
Where: Aquatic common room

Starbuck was absolutely beside himself with worry. He was fairly certain that Kat had met with Wes as scheduled, and that he had told her of his suspicions. She now knew who her father was. Such information had been difficult for Starbuck to take in, and he was just an outsider. He couldn't imagine how she felt. It was life-altering information. Was she mad? Was she depressed? Or was she doing what she often did when things got personal... brushing it off with sarcasm and insults and running away?

He figured the last was probably the case when he re-read their brief text conversation. Going out drinking. No promises. Don't worry. Seemed as though she was avoiding dealing with the issue and avoiding being around Starbuck. He wondered if she was aware that Wes had spilled to Starbuck. Probably not, and Starbuck wasn't sure if he should tell her. Though, at the moment, he would have been happy to tell her, because then he would actually be talking to her instead of sitting in the common room waiting for her return, his cellphone clutched tightly in his hand with him begging it to ring.

From time to time, he lost track of the hour, passing out for a few minutes before slipping into a nightmare that forced his eyes open again. Each time, he'd get up and pace the floor a bit. Earlier in the evening, several of his housemates had questioned him on what was wrong, but he just shook his head and told them he didn't want to talk about it. He couldn't talk to anyone about this, not even his mother, not yet. He needed to talk to Kat first. He just needed to know that she was ok.

To some degree he did trust Xael. He knew the guy had Kat's best interests at heart, but would he be strong enough on his own to prevent her from self-destructing? Starbuck didn't even know if he was strong enough to do that. He kept picturing her drinking herself to death, or at least to the point of making such horrible decisions that someone else hurt her. Part of him wanted to take off and look for her. It was a very big part of him, but at the same time he knew that if he were in her position he'd probably like a little space to breathe and think on his own.

But fuck if it wasn't hard waiting and feeling powerless. Still, that was what he did. He'd actually moved one of the sofas so that it directly faced the door leading into the common room, and while he'd brought a blanket and pillow, it was impossible to be comfortable during his vigil. Still, sleep claimed him once again sometime before four in the morning. He was sitting on one side of the sofa, sorta slumped back into its corner, his head awkwardly hanging back without actually resting on anything. In his resumed state of unconsciousness, bad dreams invaded his brain once more.

Who: Starbuck and Kat (and some poor bastard who gets his ass beat)
When: evening
Where: Kat's room

Starbuck seriously felt like chucking his computer across the room to smash it against the wall. He also considered finding a baseball bat and going ape shit. But, he didn't do either. Instead, he got up from the desk and stormed out of the room, muttering curses between completely illogical rants about the fight he'd just had with Kat. He considered going straight to her room to tell her off good and proper, but he was too mad. He'd just end up saying something he regretted, and considering the last shit she'd said to him in their journal conversation... she'd likely tell him exactly where to shove it and never speak to him again. No, he needed some time to get his head on straight.

Some people criticized his favorite method of venting, but he found it very therapeutic to attack the punching bag in the gym. He could wail on it for hours, attempt to knock the stuffing out of it, and just keep going until his hands were numb. So, that was where he headed after leaving his room, though he did hit a few walls along the way, causing those he passed to look at him strangely or in fear. He didn't give a shit what they thought. His head was pounding, and hitting random shit was the only thing that helped, though not by much.

When Starbuck reached the gym, he didn't even bother putting on gloves. He just walked straight over to the punching bag and attacked it. For a solid two hours, he slammed his fists into the bag, stopping only every so often to rest his forehead against its smooth surface and breathe deeply, in and out, trying to calm himself. But then the anger would be fanned again upon remembering what all Kat had said.

( more )

When: Sunday Morning
Where: House Aquatic; Starbuck's Room (Finn's new room)
What: Introduction Time!
Who: Finn and Starbuck

Finn lingered in the doorway of his new room and groaned. His situation, in a word, sucked. His adolescent nine-year vanishing had landed him in a school, a perfect cage for a wild spirit. Granted, he would not have to fight or barter for his food, or steal random pieces of clothing for warmth, but he hated it here nonetheless. It was a school for the supernatural, or the other freaks of nature like him. He was here to learn about being a Fae and how to master his abilities. As far as Finn was concerned, he had mastered his abilities well enough to survive among the humans. He did not need to hide and resented the school all the more for encouraging others to run for cover. And to make matters worse, his roommate appeared to be a neat freak.

Clenching his jaw and grinding his teeth, Finn shuffled over to an empty bed and let his bags drop to the floor as he collapsed on his new bed. It groaned and creaked under his weight as he shifted to bring his hands up to rest behind his head, and he merely stared at the ceiling for a while. He silently brooded over ways to escape until he gave up a few hours later, running his hand over his face and through his mess of dark brown hair. With an exasperated sigh, he conceded once more that he could do this one thing for his parents. He had acted foolishly and selfishly, and now he would pay for it. He only wished they had not sent him way for his punishment. It was nice to be able to return home, to a familiar place. Now, after all these years, Finn could tolerate Nérine's coddling.

And Wren. She was only ten when he left. Before that, he did not bother to give her the time of day. Now he would give the world for his younger sister to speak to him again. Finn tried to talk his parents into sending her to the school with him, but there was no persuading the girl. She had fought the decision in Finn's absence, claiming it would not be fair for her to be trapped in a building while her brother roamed free. He had to smile at the thought. At least the siblings shared the same stubborn personality. But now that Finn was enrolled, Wren had adopted a new argument: she did not want to be anywhere near the jerk.

Finn sighed once more, before dozing off for a brief nap. Things would brighten up. Sooner or later, Wren would come around, and Finn could finally start trying to repair his family. And who knows? The supernatural people here might be interesting.

Who: Ada and Starbuck
Where: Starbuck's room
When: Monday evening/night

Ada wasn't tired in the least. Late nights worked out just fine for her, and the extra hours of sleep she'd gotten by accidentally sleeping through her first class had left her energized and ready to face the day and the night that followed. As far as she was concerned, she and Starbuck hadn't spent nearly enough time together. Tonight they could try and fix that. She spent a bit longer than usual getting ready, putting on a bit of makeup, a soft black longsleeved shirt, a pair of jeans and she was ready to go. She slung her guitar case over her shoulder--she ahd promised Starbuck a private concert after all--picked up a bag full of necessities for an overnight stay, and started toward the Aquatic house.

It would take some stealth. Ada had been an expert of sneaking out and back in since she was twelve years old, and her werejaguar senses made it even easier to detect if someone was nearby. Once she was pretty sure the coast was clear, she crept toward the door, listening for footsteps on the other side. Score. Someone was heading her way. Once they opened the door and walked out, chatting on their cell phone, she slipped inside and walked across the common room like she belonged there. Not that anyone was paying attention. She hurried up the stairs to the boys dorms and knocked on Starbuck's door, smiling as she waited.

How in the world had she found such a nice guy? And she thanked God that she was finally attracted to someone who wasn't a complete and utter douche. Course, it was hard not to be drawn to him. He had a magnetic personality, a smile you couldn't help but return, all among other less noticeable talents. Yeah, she was smitten, but who could blame her?