Evelyn Emmaline Wilder (semperquietus) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-03-28 21:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | emma, nick |
Thursday, April 23rd, 2008
Who: Nick and Emma
Where: Outside Supernatural History, then the dorms.
When: After Supernatural History, then around eleven at night.
What: Nick's request and then the followthrough.
After another fruitless night of next to no sleep, Nick had decided that if the insomnia didn’t stop soon, his brain would. His eyes were barely open as he slouched in the back of Supernatural History, and the discussion at hand was doing nothing to keep him alert. Which wasn’t fair to the professor—the class was fascinating.
With a mumble he straightened up a bit more, blinking at his notes and then sighing when he realized he’d stopped taking them about two topics ago. That’s going to be on the test, then. Nice. A change in situation was good; rather than slouching, he now leaned forward a bit and propped his chin in his hand as he stared at the board, wings twitching once or twice. Okay, Nick. Pay attention.
As he was mentally ordering himself around, a glint caught in the corner of his eye and he looked to his side, spotting the blonde who had regularly been sitting towards one wall or another in the class and had, today, chosen the back wall. Something in his memory started buzzing then, and it involved her; so he kept watching her for a couple seconds.
Emma had no idea she was being watched, despite the prickle at the back of her neck; she was hastily making a list to go with what Professor Witt was telling them as the end-of-class notes. Her free hand was holding her hair out of her way, fisted by the back of her neck, and she was leaning on her other elbow as she wrote; all in all she just looked comfortable, though maybe warm in the classroom. She had on a turtleneck and gloves—wasn’t taking any chances on another comatose classmate anytime soon, after all. As the class wrapped up she slid her notebook shut and then straightened, the lights overhead causing her skin to shimmer softly.
Emma. Moments after she stood Nick remembered Summer mentioning her last night. Sleep demon. Knocked her out. Sweet person.
All of these thoughts were flashing in his mind, up until he realized he was staring at an empty seat. With a start, he looked around and then snagged up his notebook without actually closing it, hopping to his feet. A couple swift “’Scuse me’s” and then he was through the door, looking down the hallway in both directions until he spotted the gold haired female heading towards the exit doors. Then he darted after her, adrenaline kicking in where normal energy might have usually sufficed.
There were feet pounding behind her. Slowing slightly, Emma glanced over her shoulder and blinked at the rapidly approaching young man who was looking at—her. Ack. Eyes widening now, she stopped completely.
Nick loved running usually, but he was glad to stop when he skidded to a halt next to the blonde. Dragging in a breath, he held it and smiled briefly before exhaling in one quick gust. “Hey. Emma, right? I’m Nick. Emberley.”
“Hello, Nick.” She was laughing, partially in disbelief that this was happening and partially because he looked like he was about to asphyxiate. She was quickly distracted, though, by how very tired he was, and concern flickered in her amber eyes as she watched him. He didn’t need to mention it, or even look it; she could just feel it dragging at her senses like a magnet. “Are you okay?”
“Wh—yeah, I’m fine. Hey.” He cleared his throat and then straightened a little. The urge to offer his hand was squelched as he recalled, again, what Summer had said. I don’t want to pass out in the hallway… “So I know this is random, and you don’t know me, but I was hoping you could help me out. See, I was talking with Summer—you know Summer right?”
"I do." Of course she did. One didn't forget one's first giant blunder in front of most of a classroom. Watching him curiously, she ended up chuckling softly. "Allow me to guess—you need my help to get some sleep...?"
"Yes!" He grinned and pointed at her. "Well... if you're willing, I mean. Summer and I were talking last night and I told her I was having trouble sleeping, and she gave me the great idea of asking you for help. I don't mean to use you as a giant NyQuil or something, and I'd totally owe you, but..." For the first time a shadow of desperation crossed his face. "I need to get some sleep. It's been over a week without a full night, you know?"
His voice had dropped slightly as he'd admitted the trouble sleeping, and even further—to something close to a vocalized whisper—when he added that pleading note. "She said make lists... and I tried. It's not cutting it." Admitting this to Emma was strangely "okay." She was, so far, a stranger; someone who couldn't really hold this against him. And besides which, if he didn't tell her then he wouldn't get help and he... was not going to think of that.
The underlying plea in those words, even if he never explicitly begged or even used the word "please," tugged at her heartstrings. Concern once again flared and she nodded almost instantly after he finished speaking. "I will. Of course I will. When?"
"Tonight? Please?" Relief flared up, a heady burst of it that got him to grin and laugh reflexively. "Thank you—so so much."
"I would never say no to something like this. I...can you explain what's going on? If this is something that a doctor should take care of..." She turned, subtly, hugging her notebook against her chest as she took a step down the hallway. The cue to start walking had dual purpose; she wanted to head back towards the dorms but thought he might like the privacy as well.
"No, it's nothing like that." He took up the cue easily, settling into a comfortable stride that matched hers as they moved towards the doors. "I've got claustrophobia. It's usually pretty mild, and it's never bugged me when I was at home. Not when I was inside and ready to sleep for the night. But..." He trailed off, discomfort abruptly rising. It was one thing to admit to some insomnia. Discussing his issues besides that... She's going to think I'm a nut.
"But this isn't home. There aren't any familiar sounds, or people down the hall that you know you can talk to at any time, bout just about anything. And if you're in a room by yourself there's only you and your thoughts to keep you company." When Nick blinked at her, eyes wide and slightly startled, she smiled. "I understand. It's similar for me, but I miss the heat of the Masai Mara, the sounds of animals around the camp... talking with my father while watching sunsets. And I'm in a room by myself—you're not alone in feeling uncomfortable. If it weren't for my element I'd probably going with some sleepless nights as well."
"Yeah, that must come in handy. Sleeping through the uncomfortable phases." Relief, less visibly apparent, slithered through his system again and he felt his shoulders relax. Just hearing that made him feel a little better, though another part was stung by sympathy. "The Masai Mara—you're even farther from home than I am."
"A very long way. But I need this—I need to be able to interact with others without sending them crashing to the floor. Much as I did Summer." Her tone was wry, as was her smile as she reached up to tuck a few soft strands of hair behind one ear. "So school it must be, at least for a while."
"That's probably... no, that is definitely a good way to look at it." He was chuckling again, glancing at their surroundings before looking back at her with a smile. She seemed so... mellow, warm. Almost like she already had everything under control already. Like a mom, or something. The thought gave him a jolt, because she didn't look like a mom, not in the slightest. But he didn't let it show on his expression. "So. Uh... how do we do this?"
"Tell me where your room is and what time you would like me to drop by to help you sleep tonight, and I'll be there. I'll make sure to stay awake—otherwise it's almost impossible to get me up again until morning." She had to warn him, after all; she was a sound sleeper.
"H-6. Tail end of the boy's wing. And... maybe around eleven? I don't have any classes until later and I can sleep in most of the morning."
"I'll be there." She reached to catch the door, but he was already there—opening it for her, with a light grin. What a gentleman... She gave him a bright smile, and ducked out into the slowly waning sunlight. "See you tonight."
"Yep. Later, Emma. And thank you again. I owe you big for this." He followed still, but once outside he angled towards the gym. The idea was still there that he could just tire himself out and then he wouldn't need outside help... even though a part of him knew that that idea was futile and was just exhausting him even more.
"No, you don't. It's nothing. Sere." The parting phrase in Masai fell off her tongue easily; and at his blink she raised her hand and waved to accompany it. As she turned to walk towards the dorms, it dawned on her that he was confused about what the word meant. Her mouth open, she spun to explain—but he was gone already, taking off in a jog. His wings were flared, and he looked happy. Let him go. You can explain tonight. Sighing, she hugged her notebook tighter against her chest and continued on her course.
----
(Later that night.)
Emma had had to force herself to stay up in order to match Nick's request. She was an early sleeper, which came naturally to her; bed by nine was not unusual, especially since she was... well... what she was! Scribbling in her notebook, she sighed as she stared at the image in front of her. A couple lay entwined around one another, their faces featureless so far. The female grasped the sheets beneath her, her other hand curled over the back of the male's head as he supported her back with one hand, drawing her body closer to him so he could...
"Mmmph." That was it; she could draw the thing but she couldn't think about what was being done. Whining to herself, she snapped the sketchbook closed and then turned to her computer, eyes locking on the clock. 11:12 PM. Beautiful! She could go help Nick out and then collapse.
At the complete opposite end of the dorms, Nick was slouched in his computer chair, watching his own computer screen. His eyes were open of their own accord, despite the fact that he was barely upright; having slid down so far that it was his arms pressing against the chair that kept his head upright, shoulders basically propping it up from either side. His conversation with Summer wasn't disinteresting; in fact he was enjoying it thoroughly. But he was also looking at the clock periodically, and wondering if Emma had forgotten him. Maybe she fell asleep? Eleven could be considered late for some people... for him it was like five in the afternoon, especially lately. Ah man. Please show up...
Shuffling out of her room, Emma peered at the darkened, empty hallway and exhaled softly. It was weird to be out so late; no one else was around or moving. Well, no, that wasn't true. They were up and moving, but it was in their own rooms or out at classes, if they were the blood-sucking type. Pulling her robe tighter around her shoulders, she padded down the otherwise empty hallway towards the student lounge, and then beyond towards the boy's dorms. Sounds echoed around her, and the shadows seemed to bizarrely stretch along the walls and floor. I'd rather be asleep... Thankfully she didn't end up taking too long in the hallway, before she located H-6 and quietly rapped on the door.
He spooked; almost genuinely fell out of his chair as he twisted to look at the door. Relief flooded him, much as it had earlier in the day when Emma had agreed to help him, and he called over his shoulder as he continued typing. Act cool... no reason to leap on her like she's a teddy bear or something. "C'mon in—it's open!"
Easing the door open, Emma peeked inside and gave a glance around before stepping all of the way inside. The room walls boasted a couple of posters, and was well lit, but other than that the personal touches were few; him, and his bed. Nick's hair was adorably mussed and sticking out all over, and he wore black pajama pants and a T-shirt. Smiling to herself, she slunk further inside and shut the door behind herself. "Sorry I'm late—I was drawing and I stopped paying attention to the clock."
"Nah, that's cool. I was talking with Summer." Amused, he finally slid his laptop shut and spun around to face her. Emma's hair was down again, but her outfit was definitely different; gone were the gloves and the sweater. In their place she wore a little, pink cami top and some white shorts with flowers beneath a pale pink, jersey-kit robe that reached almost to her ankles. Were he not severely lacking in sleep, he would have enjoyed the view far more than he did at that moment. "Kinda conned her into a swimming lesson."
"A swimming lesson?" She canted her head to the side, curious, and padded further into the room. She didn't curl up on any of the furniture though, much as she wanted to; she was at her worst as far as being "contagious" went right now, so close to bedtime. "And you... conned her?"
"Well, yeah. She said she doesn't know how to swim. Which is ridiculous—everyone should know how to swim! So I told her that I'd teach her to swim. And I kind of had to... you know, coax her into it. Got her to agree, and now she's teaching me to cook." He slid to his feet, rubbing at his hair and making the spikes even worse. "She might regret that. Might regret talking to the stalker."
"... Okay, you'll have to explain that. Stalker? You were stalking her?" He had no idea where he was going; she could see it in the way he simply stood there and stared at her vacantly. Quietly, and subtly, she oriented herself beside him and gestured to the bed. "I think you should lie down. You're going to fall over." She had to resist calling him "child" in kiswahili, even though, to her, that's what he was. Especially at that moment.
"Mm? Oh, yeah... Heh. I helped her out with her dog one night, and so I stalked her outside of class to see how he was doing. Y'know, just waited for her to show up at the door. She's so fucking cute." Not even aware of what he was doing—or saying, technically, as he might not have admitted that otherwise—he crawled onto his bed and then sprawled out on his stomach, letting loose a gusty sigh as his eyes closed. "Stalking."
"That's hardly stalking—there's nothing strange about waiting outside of a class to talk to someone. And I'm sure she appreciated that you were concerned about her pet." There we go... She followed him, steps silent. "And I'll bet she thinks you're cute, too." Her lips quirked as she stated that. Who wouldn't think he was cute, after all. Sliding closer, she finally settled; perched by his hip so she could speak with him a moment longer. "Go ahead and relax... take a few deep breaths..."
Nick did as told. He was so damned tired he didn't care to do much else. Emma's voice drifted over him, the words a curious blur and completely unintelligible, and he yawned. "Mmmkay..."
Emma knew a few enchantments. There were witches of all sorts in the tribes, and she'd buddied up with a few of them, learning here and there. The tribeswomen had taught her that often the worst part of sleep was dreaming; nightmares weren't always so bad that they woke the one who was dreaming. Thus she'd learned how to stabilize dreams. It wasn't a powerful spell, nor was she perfect at it, but he wasn't suffering from violent nightmares and thus it would take care of the majority of his dreams; keeping them at least neutral, if not pleasant.
What she cast afterward was her favorite, and actually one she'd learned from her father. It was Pax; a peace spell. The entire room came under its effect, and Nick was included in that; nothing would disturb him now, allowing him an even better rest than just her sand could. Sure, it could knock him out, and if she'd punched him he'd have been comatose for several hours; but that wasn't what she wanted. "There we go..." Her voice was soft, singsong almost, and as she watched his back rise and fall with every breath she leaned forward to touch his bare arm.
"Thanks... Emma..." His voice drifted as the sand took effect, and abruptly he was out. He'd think of asking what he said later; as it was he was barely going to remember that she'd come over at all.
"You're welcome, child." She lingered, her hand on warm skin, for just a couple of moments before she eased to her feet and snuck to the door. The light was turned off as she passed, and she gave the room one last check before she locked the door and stepped back out into the hall, heading back to her room and the haven of her own bed.