Post by jer on Nov 18, 2012 5:56:55 GMT -5
18:57:30 [Jer] As best as anyone could have hoped, most of the student body had survived the first day. Jeremy, being the type to mosey along with the flow of things - after all, his mind is often elsewhere entirely - had made it through as well with neither trouble nor qualm. (Although, a few underclassmen had approached him and very artlessly insinuated things about 'being cool' and 'scoring some' but, beyond those awkward and one-sided conversations, the day had gone by easy.) Now into the early evening of the second, the routines of student life have finally begun to settle down from their erratic beginnings. Currently, dinnertime in the Great Hall is winding down, many already having dispersed to go study or squander their free time. There are sparse groups and pairs still scattered about, chatting away the finish to their meals; but under the Tritus banner, the pale-eyed seer remains - alone. As might be expected of him, he sits with his gaze a million miles away, piercing through and beyond the floor beneath the table across from him. His elbows perched on his own table, he holds his cup (half empty) with one hand, the thing and the act of drinking forgotten perhaps several minutes ago. His other hand lies atop the arm's crux of the first and his plate before him, empty save for pitiable scraps.
19:11:18 [Violette] How long had she been sitting there, her mind reeling with the happenings of days previous...? Strands of mocha hair falling into delicate features her eyes seemed glazed, her eyes on everything and yet nothing. Ticking her head to the side she suddenly snapped out of it as a fae much like herself threw a wad of paper in her direction, aiming at her head of all things -- quickly she turned catching the paper ball which was inches away from her head. She'd saw it coming even before the stuck up little bitch even had the idea -- violet hues narrowing she dropped the paper to the floor and turned away from the elitist group. Sigh spewing from pursed lips she muttered under her breath, long lashes crushing together to hide those silver flecked irises. Tonguing the inside of her cheek in a habitual manner her eyes fluttered open, spinning around she slipped from the spot she was sitting -- she needed a cigarette and she needed one now. She'd found herself a hidey place away from people, which gave her solace and allowed her to get her nicotine fix without getting caught. Shuffling through the grand hall she ventured towards the doors which lead out to the hallways, such a lone wolf was the femme fae -- she rarely made contact with people -- and when she did it seemed to be a short lived conversation. She knew the rumors which went around the school about her, little did anyone know exactly how close they were to the truth -- she'd been sent here because she in fact had blood upon her dainty little hands.
19:40:25 Jer may have continued to dwell within his thoughts for countless minutes more if not for a trio of students on their way out. One of them, toting his navy blue blazer from his shoulder, accidentally brushed the seer's back while passing by. This coincidental touch duly rouses the fifth year from his habitual reverie, evoking a quick glance after the culprit before he assesses himself. In short order is another gulp of his drink taken before he sets the glass down. Hardly a second more is spent dithering here; he rises from his seat and heads out too, his own jacket slipped on and the collar popped up to keep the autumn chill from his neck as he moves into the halls. His course isn't particularly noteworthy, no destination planned (in spite of an intermittent twitch of the eye telling him things he shouldn't know). One such tick forces him to slow, almost to a standstill, on his way down the stairs. Now he has somewhere to go, and so he resumes his pace and directs himself outdoors. Hit with that instant wall of cold air, he sniffs curt and delves his hands into his pockets. He looks left. He glimpses right. And then he pads off to where he suspects he's going to find Violette smoking.
19:48:15 [Violette] Huddling in her spot, behind a wall and a thick row of overgrown bushes she lit up her cigarette -- shuddering at the falls air she muttered something about cold and inhaled cancerous smoke. Letting the smoke roll within her lungs she exhaled through her nostrils -- eyes darting up as Jer came into sight she blinked "Best place to hide if you don't want to get caught..." her accent rolled off her tongue and hit the air -- catching the others attention surely. Leaning her head back against the stoned wall behind her she pursed her lips pressing her cigarette between her lips letting it hang there a moment as she shoved her lighter back into her pocket. She was small enough she didn't much have to crouch down, but Jer on the other hand -- would have to seeing as he was a behemoth of a man compared to herself. Digging her black shined shoe into the dirt floor below her she sighed -- Violette didn't seem as jumpy this time around -- before he'd caught her off guard.
20:16:31 Jer follows the cues of his surroundings - the position of a certain tree, a wall that elicits deja vu - and soon spots the petite Russian he's looking for. Forgoing any formal greeting, he replies very simply in his approach. "Maybe not." Warning most likely isn't a luxury he affords other people, seen here in the sudden and unexpected way he reaches down and plucks the cigarette straight out from between the girl's lips. And in the midst of righting his posture from that low stoop he'd taken, he cocoons the lit stick between both his hands, seemingly without any caution to the possibility of getting burnt. If Violette at this point is wondering what the hell the big idea is, her (infuriated) question may be answered in her own mind before her eyes and ears. Because, very soon... "Oi! What'ave ya there, boy?" Teachers at a school for the magically delinquent are just as good at catching students as students are at not getting caught. It's a supernatural arms races to always stay ahead of the other. "Nothing, sir," the behemoth, the sore thumb in the environment, replies to the adult who'd almost literally popped out of nowhere. "Yea, yea, 'nothin'. Open em up!" Hesitating in the face of the command, Jer nevertheless does part his hands as ordered. What lies between them: a grasshopper. "See? It's jus--" "An how old ya think you are?! Still playin' with bugs... Cur!" And with that, the man shifts back into his possum patrol form and waddles on his way. The Tritus lad watches him go for a moment before abruptly lurching - the grasshopper had made an attempt to break for it. Luckily having cupped his hands again just in time, he reverts the insect to its former cigarette glory and offers it back to its rightful owner (if she even wants it back after all it’s been through).
20:37:14 [Violette] Hissing through clenched teeth as her beloved smoky treat was taken she frowned deeply, eyes widening suddenly as that voice broke through hitting her ears. Tonguing the inside of her cheek she looked from the ground up towards the teacher, then to the grasshopper which resided in Jeremy's hand -- eyes widening she shook her head and groaned. Violet eyes flickering she pursed her lips and snagged the cigarette away "Saved my ass there, I will give you that, pretty boy..." Pursing her lips she offered a hand to Jer "Names Violette, I prefer Vi..." her words dropped off her lips like a sweet honey, eyes flickering she looked up towards the other "...and you are...?" Quirking a thin dark eyebrow her eyes seemed to swirl with silvery flecks as she stood up. Smoothing her hands down her clothes as she pressed the cigarette between her lips once more she let out a content sigh -- sweet sweet nicotine.
20:51:55 Jer loosens a single laugh, albeit the sentiment sounding an iota shaky. "'Pretty boy'," he echoes, not entirely sure if he's supposed to be insulted by that or not. "Oh, uh, Jeremy," he then replies thereafter, at least able to get his head in the game enough to remember that much. Mirroring her introduction, he amends a little more with a smile. "I prefer Jer." With a small adjustment of his standing collar to maximize its warmth, he slides his hands into his pockets. "Yer... Pardon, I can't be sure if yer a new student or returning..." A believable oversight given the sort of space-case memory the boy has when it comes to social matters. If he didn't come to Hex every year, he'd sooner forget the names of his professors and what few friends he has. "You know, now that you mention it," as if she'd mentioned something at all, "I thought I 'eard a rumor or two bout a Violette goin round. Gets ya wonderin bout 'ow many Violettes there can be, don't it?" And that's when his dumb, amiable expression altogether drops; he'd recalled just what those rumored accused. "Not that I believe the gossip," he quickly tries to cover.
21:05:21 [Violette] Watching the other fidget Violette canted her head, pursing her plush lips she watched Jeremy -- eyes flickering she snickered. "So Jer..." he licked her lips "What exactly have you heard about me... maybe that I'm insane and have blood on my hands..." she wiggled her fingers. "That I'm here for murder...?" Pixie-like eyes widening she wiggled her hips "Who knows, maybe they're right...?" snapping her teeth towards the other she shook her head and chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around herself out of nervous habit. "You seem fidgety..." she spoke softly as she walked around the other "You are tall Jeremy..." she began walking as she snuffed out her cigarette the last smoke traveled through her nostrils. "I am new here, brought here for the torture and death of..." shaking her head she smirked "Just kidding, but I am new..." kicking a nearby rock she'd look over her shoulder to see if the other was planning on following.
21:20:27 [Jer] With his hand in the depths of his pockets, Jer bunches up his shoulders, trying to look both the innocent and ignorant in this shrug. "Something... like that," he says to dance around the topic, a topic as grave as murder. Though she doesn't grant him a straight answer on the matter, he's willing to be the fool who gives people the benefit of the doubt. How terrible it would be for Violette if the rumors aren't true; how terrible it would be for Jeremy if the rumors are true. He's big enough to volunteer for the fall. "Do I?" he asks, certainly fidgety now if she's going to point it out. (He hadn't realized.) Turning his gaze after her, he soon follows along. His reason for coming out here in the first place had been fulfilled, so he hasn't the slightest to linger. Thus with a couple long strides, he catches up at her side and falls in with her pace. "Oh, well... welcome. Been all right so far? I'm sure you've 'eard the question a hundred times over by now but, if I may ask, what are you?"
21:35:02 [Violette] Kicking that rock here and there she listened to the other, eyes darting to her side where the other resided she nodded her head "I'm a Fae..." Ticking her head to one side she stopped her hands shoved into her pockets -- eyes landing upon Jeremy she smirked "...and a Seer Mage..." shrugging her shoulders lazily she blinked. "...you?" she watched the other with intense violet eyes. Strands of long brown hair falling into doll-like features she bat ebon lashes. If for any reason there was blood upon Violette's hand, she must have had a good reason -- a small girl such as herself didn't much look like a cold blooded killer. Shivering a little she groaned "It's cold out here, and lights out is going to be soon..." She didn't want to go back into that hell hole, but surely she'd be dragged back in if she put up a fight, if Dryke's got wind of it -- things could get nasty. "As for my time here..." Violette shrugged her shoulders "Not really good at making friends, or striking up good conversation, I'm not into joining cliques because of my 'Fae' blood they assume I want to be an elitist fae..." Rolling her eyes she sighed "Hasn't been the best, but it could be worse I assume..." she smirked devilishly.
21:51:17 Jer nods with a great understanding, as if she being a fae had answered a few of the questions he'd had in his head. Of course, who's to really know what sort of things go on in there (except, perhaps, the mind-probing headmaster)? But when she confesses to being a seer mage, the surprise of the fact promptly gushes life into the boy's expression. "Get out! I'm a seer mage too," he immediately divulges before chuckling. Supposedly by impulse of the abrupt excitement, his tick twitches outside the corner of his eye. This does not, however, disrupt the flow of his actions. "Just human though, nothing special or the like." Speaking on that instead of what he's doing, his act of peeling off his jacket probably speaks for itself even before he drapes (or, better said, plops) the garment over the undersized girl's shoulders. "At least it's only the second day," he encourages her. "It always gets better." He mentally pauses to reconsider that. "It usually gets better." And as if to seal the deal, he offers her a warm and accommodating smile. "Come on, then," he says next, canting his head onwards, "we best get back in."
22:04:14 [Violette] Lashes crushing together not once but twice she pursed her lips, coat resting on her shoulders she smiled softly -- this was a rare occasion -- whether the other knew it or not Vi never truly smiled. Taking in a deep breath she nodded her head as she clutched Jeremy's coat around herself... "Well it's nice to know there are others like myself here..." her words a delicate whisper as she walked along beside the giant of a man. "You're not as fidgety as you were when we started talking..." her Russian accent dribbled off pomegranate painted lips -- tongue peeking from behind her teeth she grinned. "I hope that's a good thing..." Violette was coming to realize, everyone needed friends, or at least one friend -- Jeremy didn't make it awkward -- why not try this 'friend' thing. Pressing her lips into a thin line she looked to the other. "So..." her violet eyes flickering she crinkled her little button nose "You're probably the first person I've had a real conversation with, a conversation which didn't have to deal with excessive flirting..." she smirked.
22:20:08 Jer definitely doesn't know it; and what may be worse, he's ignorantly allowing the rare occasion to pass him by, taking for granted and hardly even noticing her smile at all. For one who often thinks in the future, the boy sure can let the present slip away from him. "Not a whole lot of seers," he dutifully informs the new girl, "but at least yer not alone." Replacing his hands in his pants pockets, his easy gait momentarily tightens up a moment later. He'd been reminded of his previous fidgeting and now, slightly, is victim to a brief fidget again. "Ah, yeah," he wagers a smirk before letting that subject fall by the wayside. "Well, a-hem, last I saw, you were talkin with Braxton?" Eyes cast out ahead of him, he shakes his head with a humored expression. "If there's someone to excessively flirt, he can do it fer ten." Not that he would eagerly repeat that again to the sixth year's face, but just been the two of them he can speak a bit unbridled. "New year, new blood - you understand. It'll calm down sure enough in the comin weeks." This is nothing to say if he too is engaging in this age-old practice. He doesn't want to try and seem above anything or anyone, but even a new acquaintance can get the sense that Jeremy isn't the type to put up so much romantic effort.
22:30:46 [Violette] Standing there a moment, a blank look upon dollesque features she let out a small sigh -- shaking the thoughts away a frown creased her lips. "I need to learn how to control these things..." she muttered the words more-so to herself than anything else. Toes curling within her shoes she listened to Jeremy as he spoke, head nodded softly she smirked -- lifting her hands she pulled her hair away from her face... "I'm sorry, I'm what people would call 'socially awkward'..." Pursing her lips she stepped closer to the other "I get the feeling, you are too..." grinning widely she shook her head and began to walk towards the school again "Pretty boy..." the words dripped off her silver serpents tongue. Nibbling her lower lip she sighed as she looked towards the school, she was dreading going back in there with a small sigh. "I dislike this place, to be honest..." violet eyes peering towards Jeremy.
22:48:35 Jer looks to his side, down to Violette, as she remarks on the trait the two of them reportedly share. After the 'pretty boy' name phases through him for the second time, he cracks a smile and scrounges up a reply. "I'm not sure I'd say that bout myself," he begins. "The socially awkward bit, that is. Or... the pretty part too, I suppose." He lets his gaze drop even farther as he mulls over the idea of the label. "But... I do spend time by myself, and I ain't wildly popular like the shifter crowd... so maybe you're right, Vi." Pale gaze lifted back to hers again, he champions on with a thick skin, like the revelation doesn't hold a grain's worth in his mind. "Well listen, this 'ere's my fifth year. If there's anythin I learned bout survivin, it's to find somethin you like and 'old onto it. If you focus on the good, it makes the bad parts... not so bad." Wincing on a hint of embarrassment, he frees a hand from his pocket and idly ruffles the hair at the back of his head. "I know that sounds right cheesy, but it might 'elp. I hope, anyway."
23:03:25 [Violette] Taking in a sharp breath she shook her head "That's not cheesy, everyone has to have something to hold on to..." Her stomach did a silly roll as she poured a small amount of emotion into her words, she rarely did things like that -- taking in a breath her cheeks reddened. Shaking her head she groaned "Sorry I am not use to shoving part of my heart on my sleeve, it makes me feel like a dunce..." she laughed softly. Rubbing the back of her own neck she thought for a moment "So Jeremy, why are you here...?" violet pools flickering brightly she looked up towards the tall male her arms crossing over her chest -- she would do anything to keep from going inside the school. Eyes widening she laughed "I just realized you are probably freezing, seeing as you gave me your coat..." facepalming mostly at herself she shook her head.
23:21:27 Jer actually managed to notice something this time; so as the girl's cheeks redden before him, he quells his own smile and averts his gaze downwards, then lets it fly far and away to their side in nonchalance. His sights swiftly return on her apology though, and he's quick to wave it off with a literal wave of his free hand. "What? Noo..." he makes light of the emotion matter. Thereafter does that hand of his mirror as the other has been the whole while: shoved cozy in a pocket. Before he can answer her question, he's nigh upon a chuckle as he shakes his head, trying to dispel her concerns for his dropping body temperature. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he assures, acting like an unaffected gentleman. In truth, the chill is starting to nip at him. He hasn't quite let himself shiver yet, so he thinks he should be okay against hypothermia or catching his death for several minutes more. "Back in my hometown, I uh... 'abused' my future visions. I'd get inter fights, sometimes on purpose, sometimes just on account of what I'd said. But when I started braggin bout knowin which team was gonna win this match or that, makin money an tellin other people the wrong thing, well... my mum thought it best I get wrung through the Institute, work it out of my system an all that." He pauses, only a pinch pensive, before his smirk preludes what he's about to utter. "And then I murdered a bloke."
23:40:43 [Violette] Licking her lips she listened as the other spoke of his past, and why exactly he was here -- biting her lower lip she nodded her head "Interesting..." wrapping her arms around herself she looked at the ground... "I've been in the foster system most of my life, I have fought for everything I have ever had in my life..." she couldn't look Jeremy in the eyes. "I've been around the world, named in France, raised in Russia... at the age of eleven I was officially adopted by a family..." Swallowing the lump in her throat her eyes closed her dark lashes crushing together "This escalated and I protected myself -- and accidentally killed my adoptive father... mind you it was not on purpose..." Lifting her head her shoulders slumped, nibbling her lower lip she frowned "...so I have blood on my hands..." looking into Jeremy's eyes she crinkled her nose nervously.
23:57:01 Jer very steadily, very surely, begins to regret his little joke. The more she uncovers about herself - a heavy, emotional tale of her hard childhood - the more he wishes he could take back sounding like an insensitive jerk. In comparison, his own delinquency that'd landed him here sounds like the spoiled troublemakings of a brat (but, then again, maybe that's all it'd ever amounted to). So by the end of the story, when the truth finally comes out and Violette snares his gaze with hers, the upperclassman briefly wets his lips and stretches for a reply. "Sorry... I didn't know. But, uh," he mentally gropes to find the positive, "like you said, it was an accident. An you were protectin yerself, by the by. So... if it's any consolation - havin told me? - I don't think any different of you than I did five minutes ago. Well, untrue. Now I think you had a rough growin up. But in a bad way, I don't think of you different in a bad way." He hopes that all came out the way he wanted it to. Now his breath is practically bated in anticipation of her reaction.
00:07:31 [Violette] Fingers fiddling with the bottom of Jeremy's coat she thought a moment as she slipped off towards a nearby tree -- her thoughts trailed off for a moment. Taking in a sharp breath she thought for a moment "Yeah but it still eats me up..." she chuckled... "He should have just kept his hands to himself..." Eyes widening as that sputtered from her mouth she groaned "Uhh..." she bat her lashes her cheeks reddening more "Just... ignore that..." she chuckled nervously. "I don't take things too personally, you haven't insulted me yet..." Biting at the inside of her cheek, mostly out of nervous habit more than anything she sighed "I haven't told anyone else... that..." her pixieish eyes landed on Jer as she leaned back against the tree behind her.
00:36:47 [Jer] And just like that, getting back inside is no longer very important. The frigid air, the chance of missing lights out - those could be handled on their own time. For the here and now, it seems to him that sticking by her is more imperative than saving his own hide. When she drops a phrase she hadn't originally intended, hopefully he was able to hide his stark expression of comprehension in time, before Violette could notice how quickly those dots of her homicide had connected in his head. Smoothening himself out in the moment next, he waxes a harmless smirk and echoes back: "yet". He likes the way she'd said it, as if it's an inevitable fact that he's going to insult her someday. He'll try his best not to. Thus in the lull, the taller seer bunches his shoulders again, moving and crushing at least that much to keep his warm blood flowing. And, albeit delayed, he meanders after her and the tree she'd picked out. (Of little consequence, his left eye gives a twitch along the way.) "Well... thank you, for trusting me." Given the cliques and the gossipers and the mudslingers, Violette had taken a large leap of faith by divulging so much to someone she doesn't even know. Luckily for her, he's trust-worthy. "I'll never repeat it," he perks up in tone, much lighter than the mood, "so don't worry."
00:44:31 [Violette] Taking in a deep breath she slipped Jeremy's jacket off and moved over handing it to him... "You have to be freezing..." she spoke softly as she looked up towards the other. "I will be fine, put your coat on..." her words coated with a worrisome tone -- she didn't want him catching his death out here. You see Jeremy was the first person to show his true colors, to seem interested in her, and not that fact she was some would consider 'attractive'. Tonguing the inside of her cheek she took in a breath "I'm not use to being able to trust people, it's a word that usually holds little meaning to me... but I will try..." Crinkling her nose she nodded her head, and lifted her hands softly rubbing up and down Jer's arms -- it was odd really -- it was a rarity when she touched people. Violette felt bad, this guy had given his only source of warmth to her, he was scrawny himself -- he needed whatever he could to keep warm himself.
01:03:54 Jer , with his hands still in his pockets, wheels back a step or two when she tries to return his jacket; all the while he's on the precipice of a laugh. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" he says, shrinking away like the garment is some kind of alien cloak he wants nothing to do with. But when she's essentially left pushing it against his upper arm like it'll stick there, he caves at last and takes the navy blazer. And as if he'd lost all his defenses in that defeat, a shiver sweeps him down deep to the bone. Ironically Violette's rubbing at his arms only makes said shiver immediately repeat, nearly a continuation rather than a second chill. (The fabric of his long-sleeved shirt is just as cold as the air around them. Though with perfectly good intentions, she'd pressed that across tracks of otherwise surviving skin.) Now with that bit of evidence reverberating just beneath her hands, Jeremy can't quite say he's fine anymore. "Okay, but listen," he grins to one side, "if yer givin this back to me, we 'ave ta go back in. I ain't lookin to be the one responsible if you wind up ill the first week a' term. Not because I care, mind you. This is for my own sense a guilt." He jokes, but he really is trying to insist a point upon her. She may not like being at Hex but it beats freezing right outside.
01:10:10 [Violette] Soft sigh escaping plush lips she looked down "Okay..." nodding her head she wrapped her arms around herself she looked to the other she smiled. "I should let you get to your common room anyways, lights out is soon..." Nodding her head she took in a breath "Sorry for keeping you out..." her words were meek as she began the track towards the building -- she didn't want to go in there -- in fact she hated it with a passion. Taking in a deep breath her shoulders slumped "What's on your mind, right now -- besides the fact you're freezing..." Laughing softly she pulled the door open, allowing the other to go in first she gasped as warm air brushed her rosy cheeks. Eyes widening she shuddered, the gush of warm wind let her know just how cold she was. Biting her plush lower lip she began down the hall, looking around at the desolate halls she frowned.
01:26:21 Jer shakes his head, armed with a smile. "No trouble. I was the one botherin you in the first place." Currently without a watch, he can only hope they hadn't missed lights out entirely as they ascend the institute's stoop. Of course, they would know soon enough once at the front doors; if they were late, there'd be a teacher standing there, on the second, to tell them so. Fortunately they seem to be in the clear. But not all things are safe and sound for Jeremy, not when a very girlish question sneak-attacks him. "Um..." After a moment's hesitation where he realizes he should have opened the door for her, he drops a short thanks off his tongue and pops inside. One final shiver rakes off the chill, replaced instead by the toasty warmth one might not expect from such a large, stony building. "Dunno," he answers at length. "I s'pose I wasn't thinkin of anythin." While that could very well be true of the rumored pothead, the exact opposite is just as likely: he was thinking of everything. Either way, there's no chance his answer would have satisfied. Questions like these sound more like traps, and his boring reply was probably just as bad as the hundreds of thousands of other 'wrong' answers he could have given. "Why?" A fine volley back.
01:31:53 [Violette] Walking down the hall with the other she shrugged "I don't know, just curious I guess..." eyes flickering she looked down the hall as she walked -- she was starting to warm up -- so she felt a little better. Pulling her blazer off she shuffled along... "So since you now know the rumors about me, are true... is what I heard about you true...?" she laughed a little as she looked over her shoulder to Jeremy. If they were true things could be worse, he could be a known rapist, or something horrific of that nature -- but a pothead -- that was nothing. Tonguing the inside of her cheek Violette took in a deep breath "I guess I was just looking for more conversation -- like I said before... I'm very socially awkward..." long obsidian clashing together softly she shoved her hands in her pockets.
01:45:04 [Jer] "Oh," he says, pausing a tick before harping a lightly apologetic smile. "Sorry for not bein more interestin, then." He'll try to have something ready in his head the next time she asks (assuming it's even appropriate enough to say aloud). Thankfully she shepherds them onwards to a different topic, a topic which happens to pervade the very fabric of the school: rumors. "...What've you 'eard bout me?" Pulling his sights away from the floor just a pace ahead of his feet, Jer glances to his side to better regard Violette. While people might cruelly whisper her gossip near her, near enough to be heard (and be hurtful), no one really makes a bold effort to mention his, at least in explicit terms. Even when the occasional stranger comes around, acting weird and insinuating things, they always start whistling and meandering away from him as abruptly as they'd arrived the moment he tries to get a full sentence coughed up out of them.
01:50:05 [Violette] She thought for a long moment, she wasn't going to sugarcoat things, couldn't be any worse than the shit they said about her. "Might as well get it out in the open..." crinkling her nose she pursed her lips "Apparently you smoke pot...?" shaking her head with a small sigh she pressed her back against a nearby wall -- nothing wrong with a little marijuana here and there... right? Violet pools landing on Jeremy she canted her head "Don't get me wrong, either way you are still my friend, I could care less what other people say or think..." Digging her foot into the ground he lulled her head back and closed her eyes basking in the warmth of the building. Swallowing the lump in her throat she opened her eyes peering towards Jeremy, she worried now that she might have insulted the other -- she hoped she hadn't.
02:02:40 [Jer] It seems all such worries can be thrown out the window because, in that instant, Jeremy actually laughs out loud. "Oh, that actually... explains a lot," he says, admittedly nodding along with the humor of it. Things certainly did fall into place better when it was said like that. "'Old on, 'old on... Does everyone say this? Fuck all, that might bring me problems." Stowing his imagination from what the professors might start to do if they hear this, he lightens up with a helpless grin and he turns back to his inquisitor. "Sure, I do a couple times a term, just to let my visions go farther. You must understand," he explains, from one seer to another. "Maybe it's because I smoke cigs and the smoke sticks." He besets the fingertips of a hand on his chest, mimicking the smell getting into the fibers of his clothes. "...Or on account of me spacin out." He drops the analytical look from his face and spies her way. "I tend to space." He gaze relaxes aside. "Shit... Oh well." And he's done with it.
02:13:56 [Violette] Biting her lower lip she can't help but let a true smile grace porcelain features, canting her head she giggles ever-so softly. Shaking her head Violette lifts her hands and covers her face, trying to hide her smile "I have no problem with it, I wish I had something which would relax me..." batting long dark lashes she dropped her hands -- but soon lifted them resting them both, one on each of Jeremy's arms she grinned "Doesn't change my outlook on you, as you once said to me... pretty boy..." laughing sweetly she slowly dropped her hands to her sides. "Nothing wrong with being a little spacy, it gives you 'character'..." giving a firm nod she licked her lips and canted her head to one side -- long locks covering her face she peeped through them at the other with those large pixie-like eyes.
02:37:43 Jer will simply have to diffuse this rumor the best he can from here on out, which should be somewhat easy with many of the rumor-harboring people coming to him. Elsewhile, whatever a teacher may subject him to down the line is a bridge he'll have to cross if and when he gets there. Such preparatory thoughts nearly overtake the forefront of his mind; it's the girl's giggle which pulls him from the edge, shining focus into his blue-sky eyes. "There's a potion for that," he helpfully chimes with a matter-of-fact wag of the finger, half in jest and half in earnest about a relaxant concoction. (It's perfectly safe in small doses!) But the joke is removed from his countenance when Violette lays her hands on his arms, riding a thread of intimacy to drive her point home. He can hardly pay attention to the reassurance in the midst of the moment. But before he can fall into the way her lips form the words, he snaps out of it long enough to hear them. "Yeah, 'character'." And then, with a suddenly crooked smile, he lets his mouth get ahead of him. "Pardon, are we flirtin just now?"
02:45:39 [Violette] Batting her lashes not once, not twice, but three times her eyes widening more so than they had the whole night -- the realization had struck her as he spoke those words. Biting her lower lip her cheeks reddened profusely, ticking her head to one side she crinkled her nose in a nervous manner... "Maybe... a little..." her words were softly spoke as she pursed her lips -- heart thudding in her throat at this point she looked up towards Jeremy "Is that a bad thing...?" thin dark eyebrow ticking upwards as if letting the question linger she groaned. "I'm not used to flirting..." Nibbling her lower lip nervously Violette began to fidget, much like Jer was doing previously. Clearing her throat she looked down at her feet, she wasn't used to a plethora of emotions which swirled through her brain "Well so much for being a good Seer, I didn't see this one coming..." a nervous laugh passed her lips.
03:06:02 Jer may have an eye for the future but not a gentle hand for the present. If he's to act on what he's seen, he does so boldly and without warning. Unfortunately, this apparently holds true for all things, even in real time. So despite knowing what he'd said, it's only when Violette's cheeks burn hot does he realize what he'd said. "OH, no, ignore me, I didn't--" And yet his scrambled effort to cover his mistake can't save either one of them; he'd artlessly unearthed the subtleties into plain sight. Therefore she meekly makes a reply and, really, she ought to be commended for sticking through the embarrassment. To look down at her, mouth open ajar in pure speechlessness, is about the most Jeremy can conjure for the situation, even as their eyes briefly meet. Soon after, a silence looms, threatening to make the whole occasion more awkward than it already was. The fifth year recovers, albeit very poorly. "Uhhhh... no," he pipes up, "no, it's not a bad thing. But I don't... Never mind. Don't beat yerself o'er the 'ead bout it, was my fault fer bein an ass." He pushes a single breath of a chuckle, out from a sideways grin he'd fashioned for the very purpose. "An you know, I s'pose that was very good flirtin on yer part. Yeahh, I just... Complete dunce, this guy. 'Ello." He raps his knuckles against the side of his nogging, just to prove no one's home. But was that good enough?
03:16:24 [Violette] Lifting her hands she hid her face once more, she was so damned embarrassed "I try to keep my heart off my sleeve and here I am -- being a fool..." Groaning a little she peeked through her fingers, canting her head to one side she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Maybe I should get back to my dorm, before I make a bigger fool of myself..." Looking around with wide violet eyes she looked down "Umm..." rocking from heel to toe she turned to hide her face from him. "It was nice talking to you Jeremy, sorry for the horrid awkward ending..." Shoulders slumping her eyebrows knitted, one thing was even worse than the embarrassment she was feeling, the thought of being rejected. Violette wasn't the best person in the world, she did bad things, things she preferred to keep to herself. Somewhere in there was a heart and the last thing she wanted was to get too close to someone had have stomped on. Taking a few steps she paused, looking towards Jeremy he nibbled her lower lip... "Have a good night..." she nodded her head.
03:24:15 Jer can feel his conflicted thoughts down in his very muscles and nerves. He doesn't want her to feel like what she'd done is wrong. He doesn't want her to feel like she must cloister her heart away. Nonetheless, he just can't make another bold scene about it. He can only hope that he'll run into her again and that they can carry on anew, leaving this explosion of a train wreck in the past. "Uh, right, likewise," he utters as she begins to go. "Good night." And once she's finally out of earshot, he palms his face and loosens the breath that'd gotten stuck in his lungs. "Oh, Jer..." he murmurs to himself before pivoting to head towards the Tritus commons. "Way to muck up that one."
19:11:18 [Violette] How long had she been sitting there, her mind reeling with the happenings of days previous...? Strands of mocha hair falling into delicate features her eyes seemed glazed, her eyes on everything and yet nothing. Ticking her head to the side she suddenly snapped out of it as a fae much like herself threw a wad of paper in her direction, aiming at her head of all things -- quickly she turned catching the paper ball which was inches away from her head. She'd saw it coming even before the stuck up little bitch even had the idea -- violet hues narrowing she dropped the paper to the floor and turned away from the elitist group. Sigh spewing from pursed lips she muttered under her breath, long lashes crushing together to hide those silver flecked irises. Tonguing the inside of her cheek in a habitual manner her eyes fluttered open, spinning around she slipped from the spot she was sitting -- she needed a cigarette and she needed one now. She'd found herself a hidey place away from people, which gave her solace and allowed her to get her nicotine fix without getting caught. Shuffling through the grand hall she ventured towards the doors which lead out to the hallways, such a lone wolf was the femme fae -- she rarely made contact with people -- and when she did it seemed to be a short lived conversation. She knew the rumors which went around the school about her, little did anyone know exactly how close they were to the truth -- she'd been sent here because she in fact had blood upon her dainty little hands.
19:40:25 Jer may have continued to dwell within his thoughts for countless minutes more if not for a trio of students on their way out. One of them, toting his navy blue blazer from his shoulder, accidentally brushed the seer's back while passing by. This coincidental touch duly rouses the fifth year from his habitual reverie, evoking a quick glance after the culprit before he assesses himself. In short order is another gulp of his drink taken before he sets the glass down. Hardly a second more is spent dithering here; he rises from his seat and heads out too, his own jacket slipped on and the collar popped up to keep the autumn chill from his neck as he moves into the halls. His course isn't particularly noteworthy, no destination planned (in spite of an intermittent twitch of the eye telling him things he shouldn't know). One such tick forces him to slow, almost to a standstill, on his way down the stairs. Now he has somewhere to go, and so he resumes his pace and directs himself outdoors. Hit with that instant wall of cold air, he sniffs curt and delves his hands into his pockets. He looks left. He glimpses right. And then he pads off to where he suspects he's going to find Violette smoking.
19:48:15 [Violette] Huddling in her spot, behind a wall and a thick row of overgrown bushes she lit up her cigarette -- shuddering at the falls air she muttered something about cold and inhaled cancerous smoke. Letting the smoke roll within her lungs she exhaled through her nostrils -- eyes darting up as Jer came into sight she blinked "Best place to hide if you don't want to get caught..." her accent rolled off her tongue and hit the air -- catching the others attention surely. Leaning her head back against the stoned wall behind her she pursed her lips pressing her cigarette between her lips letting it hang there a moment as she shoved her lighter back into her pocket. She was small enough she didn't much have to crouch down, but Jer on the other hand -- would have to seeing as he was a behemoth of a man compared to herself. Digging her black shined shoe into the dirt floor below her she sighed -- Violette didn't seem as jumpy this time around -- before he'd caught her off guard.
20:16:31 Jer follows the cues of his surroundings - the position of a certain tree, a wall that elicits deja vu - and soon spots the petite Russian he's looking for. Forgoing any formal greeting, he replies very simply in his approach. "Maybe not." Warning most likely isn't a luxury he affords other people, seen here in the sudden and unexpected way he reaches down and plucks the cigarette straight out from between the girl's lips. And in the midst of righting his posture from that low stoop he'd taken, he cocoons the lit stick between both his hands, seemingly without any caution to the possibility of getting burnt. If Violette at this point is wondering what the hell the big idea is, her (infuriated) question may be answered in her own mind before her eyes and ears. Because, very soon... "Oi! What'ave ya there, boy?" Teachers at a school for the magically delinquent are just as good at catching students as students are at not getting caught. It's a supernatural arms races to always stay ahead of the other. "Nothing, sir," the behemoth, the sore thumb in the environment, replies to the adult who'd almost literally popped out of nowhere. "Yea, yea, 'nothin'. Open em up!" Hesitating in the face of the command, Jer nevertheless does part his hands as ordered. What lies between them: a grasshopper. "See? It's jus--" "An how old ya think you are?! Still playin' with bugs... Cur!" And with that, the man shifts back into his possum patrol form and waddles on his way. The Tritus lad watches him go for a moment before abruptly lurching - the grasshopper had made an attempt to break for it. Luckily having cupped his hands again just in time, he reverts the insect to its former cigarette glory and offers it back to its rightful owner (if she even wants it back after all it’s been through).
20:37:14 [Violette] Hissing through clenched teeth as her beloved smoky treat was taken she frowned deeply, eyes widening suddenly as that voice broke through hitting her ears. Tonguing the inside of her cheek she looked from the ground up towards the teacher, then to the grasshopper which resided in Jeremy's hand -- eyes widening she shook her head and groaned. Violet eyes flickering she pursed her lips and snagged the cigarette away "Saved my ass there, I will give you that, pretty boy..." Pursing her lips she offered a hand to Jer "Names Violette, I prefer Vi..." her words dropped off her lips like a sweet honey, eyes flickering she looked up towards the other "...and you are...?" Quirking a thin dark eyebrow her eyes seemed to swirl with silvery flecks as she stood up. Smoothing her hands down her clothes as she pressed the cigarette between her lips once more she let out a content sigh -- sweet sweet nicotine.
20:51:55 Jer loosens a single laugh, albeit the sentiment sounding an iota shaky. "'Pretty boy'," he echoes, not entirely sure if he's supposed to be insulted by that or not. "Oh, uh, Jeremy," he then replies thereafter, at least able to get his head in the game enough to remember that much. Mirroring her introduction, he amends a little more with a smile. "I prefer Jer." With a small adjustment of his standing collar to maximize its warmth, he slides his hands into his pockets. "Yer... Pardon, I can't be sure if yer a new student or returning..." A believable oversight given the sort of space-case memory the boy has when it comes to social matters. If he didn't come to Hex every year, he'd sooner forget the names of his professors and what few friends he has. "You know, now that you mention it," as if she'd mentioned something at all, "I thought I 'eard a rumor or two bout a Violette goin round. Gets ya wonderin bout 'ow many Violettes there can be, don't it?" And that's when his dumb, amiable expression altogether drops; he'd recalled just what those rumored accused. "Not that I believe the gossip," he quickly tries to cover.
21:05:21 [Violette] Watching the other fidget Violette canted her head, pursing her plush lips she watched Jeremy -- eyes flickering she snickered. "So Jer..." he licked her lips "What exactly have you heard about me... maybe that I'm insane and have blood on my hands..." she wiggled her fingers. "That I'm here for murder...?" Pixie-like eyes widening she wiggled her hips "Who knows, maybe they're right...?" snapping her teeth towards the other she shook her head and chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around herself out of nervous habit. "You seem fidgety..." she spoke softly as she walked around the other "You are tall Jeremy..." she began walking as she snuffed out her cigarette the last smoke traveled through her nostrils. "I am new here, brought here for the torture and death of..." shaking her head she smirked "Just kidding, but I am new..." kicking a nearby rock she'd look over her shoulder to see if the other was planning on following.
21:20:27 [Jer] With his hand in the depths of his pockets, Jer bunches up his shoulders, trying to look both the innocent and ignorant in this shrug. "Something... like that," he says to dance around the topic, a topic as grave as murder. Though she doesn't grant him a straight answer on the matter, he's willing to be the fool who gives people the benefit of the doubt. How terrible it would be for Violette if the rumors aren't true; how terrible it would be for Jeremy if the rumors are true. He's big enough to volunteer for the fall. "Do I?" he asks, certainly fidgety now if she's going to point it out. (He hadn't realized.) Turning his gaze after her, he soon follows along. His reason for coming out here in the first place had been fulfilled, so he hasn't the slightest to linger. Thus with a couple long strides, he catches up at her side and falls in with her pace. "Oh, well... welcome. Been all right so far? I'm sure you've 'eard the question a hundred times over by now but, if I may ask, what are you?"
21:35:02 [Violette] Kicking that rock here and there she listened to the other, eyes darting to her side where the other resided she nodded her head "I'm a Fae..." Ticking her head to one side she stopped her hands shoved into her pockets -- eyes landing upon Jeremy she smirked "...and a Seer Mage..." shrugging her shoulders lazily she blinked. "...you?" she watched the other with intense violet eyes. Strands of long brown hair falling into doll-like features she bat ebon lashes. If for any reason there was blood upon Violette's hand, she must have had a good reason -- a small girl such as herself didn't much look like a cold blooded killer. Shivering a little she groaned "It's cold out here, and lights out is going to be soon..." She didn't want to go back into that hell hole, but surely she'd be dragged back in if she put up a fight, if Dryke's got wind of it -- things could get nasty. "As for my time here..." Violette shrugged her shoulders "Not really good at making friends, or striking up good conversation, I'm not into joining cliques because of my 'Fae' blood they assume I want to be an elitist fae..." Rolling her eyes she sighed "Hasn't been the best, but it could be worse I assume..." she smirked devilishly.
21:51:17 Jer nods with a great understanding, as if she being a fae had answered a few of the questions he'd had in his head. Of course, who's to really know what sort of things go on in there (except, perhaps, the mind-probing headmaster)? But when she confesses to being a seer mage, the surprise of the fact promptly gushes life into the boy's expression. "Get out! I'm a seer mage too," he immediately divulges before chuckling. Supposedly by impulse of the abrupt excitement, his tick twitches outside the corner of his eye. This does not, however, disrupt the flow of his actions. "Just human though, nothing special or the like." Speaking on that instead of what he's doing, his act of peeling off his jacket probably speaks for itself even before he drapes (or, better said, plops) the garment over the undersized girl's shoulders. "At least it's only the second day," he encourages her. "It always gets better." He mentally pauses to reconsider that. "It usually gets better." And as if to seal the deal, he offers her a warm and accommodating smile. "Come on, then," he says next, canting his head onwards, "we best get back in."
22:04:14 [Violette] Lashes crushing together not once but twice she pursed her lips, coat resting on her shoulders she smiled softly -- this was a rare occasion -- whether the other knew it or not Vi never truly smiled. Taking in a deep breath she nodded her head as she clutched Jeremy's coat around herself... "Well it's nice to know there are others like myself here..." her words a delicate whisper as she walked along beside the giant of a man. "You're not as fidgety as you were when we started talking..." her Russian accent dribbled off pomegranate painted lips -- tongue peeking from behind her teeth she grinned. "I hope that's a good thing..." Violette was coming to realize, everyone needed friends, or at least one friend -- Jeremy didn't make it awkward -- why not try this 'friend' thing. Pressing her lips into a thin line she looked to the other. "So..." her violet eyes flickering she crinkled her little button nose "You're probably the first person I've had a real conversation with, a conversation which didn't have to deal with excessive flirting..." she smirked.
22:20:08 Jer definitely doesn't know it; and what may be worse, he's ignorantly allowing the rare occasion to pass him by, taking for granted and hardly even noticing her smile at all. For one who often thinks in the future, the boy sure can let the present slip away from him. "Not a whole lot of seers," he dutifully informs the new girl, "but at least yer not alone." Replacing his hands in his pants pockets, his easy gait momentarily tightens up a moment later. He'd been reminded of his previous fidgeting and now, slightly, is victim to a brief fidget again. "Ah, yeah," he wagers a smirk before letting that subject fall by the wayside. "Well, a-hem, last I saw, you were talkin with Braxton?" Eyes cast out ahead of him, he shakes his head with a humored expression. "If there's someone to excessively flirt, he can do it fer ten." Not that he would eagerly repeat that again to the sixth year's face, but just been the two of them he can speak a bit unbridled. "New year, new blood - you understand. It'll calm down sure enough in the comin weeks." This is nothing to say if he too is engaging in this age-old practice. He doesn't want to try and seem above anything or anyone, but even a new acquaintance can get the sense that Jeremy isn't the type to put up so much romantic effort.
22:30:46 [Violette] Standing there a moment, a blank look upon dollesque features she let out a small sigh -- shaking the thoughts away a frown creased her lips. "I need to learn how to control these things..." she muttered the words more-so to herself than anything else. Toes curling within her shoes she listened to Jeremy as he spoke, head nodded softly she smirked -- lifting her hands she pulled her hair away from her face... "I'm sorry, I'm what people would call 'socially awkward'..." Pursing her lips she stepped closer to the other "I get the feeling, you are too..." grinning widely she shook her head and began to walk towards the school again "Pretty boy..." the words dripped off her silver serpents tongue. Nibbling her lower lip she sighed as she looked towards the school, she was dreading going back in there with a small sigh. "I dislike this place, to be honest..." violet eyes peering towards Jeremy.
22:48:35 Jer looks to his side, down to Violette, as she remarks on the trait the two of them reportedly share. After the 'pretty boy' name phases through him for the second time, he cracks a smile and scrounges up a reply. "I'm not sure I'd say that bout myself," he begins. "The socially awkward bit, that is. Or... the pretty part too, I suppose." He lets his gaze drop even farther as he mulls over the idea of the label. "But... I do spend time by myself, and I ain't wildly popular like the shifter crowd... so maybe you're right, Vi." Pale gaze lifted back to hers again, he champions on with a thick skin, like the revelation doesn't hold a grain's worth in his mind. "Well listen, this 'ere's my fifth year. If there's anythin I learned bout survivin, it's to find somethin you like and 'old onto it. If you focus on the good, it makes the bad parts... not so bad." Wincing on a hint of embarrassment, he frees a hand from his pocket and idly ruffles the hair at the back of his head. "I know that sounds right cheesy, but it might 'elp. I hope, anyway."
23:03:25 [Violette] Taking in a sharp breath she shook her head "That's not cheesy, everyone has to have something to hold on to..." Her stomach did a silly roll as she poured a small amount of emotion into her words, she rarely did things like that -- taking in a breath her cheeks reddened. Shaking her head she groaned "Sorry I am not use to shoving part of my heart on my sleeve, it makes me feel like a dunce..." she laughed softly. Rubbing the back of her own neck she thought for a moment "So Jeremy, why are you here...?" violet pools flickering brightly she looked up towards the tall male her arms crossing over her chest -- she would do anything to keep from going inside the school. Eyes widening she laughed "I just realized you are probably freezing, seeing as you gave me your coat..." facepalming mostly at herself she shook her head.
23:21:27 Jer actually managed to notice something this time; so as the girl's cheeks redden before him, he quells his own smile and averts his gaze downwards, then lets it fly far and away to their side in nonchalance. His sights swiftly return on her apology though, and he's quick to wave it off with a literal wave of his free hand. "What? Noo..." he makes light of the emotion matter. Thereafter does that hand of his mirror as the other has been the whole while: shoved cozy in a pocket. Before he can answer her question, he's nigh upon a chuckle as he shakes his head, trying to dispel her concerns for his dropping body temperature. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he assures, acting like an unaffected gentleman. In truth, the chill is starting to nip at him. He hasn't quite let himself shiver yet, so he thinks he should be okay against hypothermia or catching his death for several minutes more. "Back in my hometown, I uh... 'abused' my future visions. I'd get inter fights, sometimes on purpose, sometimes just on account of what I'd said. But when I started braggin bout knowin which team was gonna win this match or that, makin money an tellin other people the wrong thing, well... my mum thought it best I get wrung through the Institute, work it out of my system an all that." He pauses, only a pinch pensive, before his smirk preludes what he's about to utter. "And then I murdered a bloke."
23:40:43 [Violette] Licking her lips she listened as the other spoke of his past, and why exactly he was here -- biting her lower lip she nodded her head "Interesting..." wrapping her arms around herself she looked at the ground... "I've been in the foster system most of my life, I have fought for everything I have ever had in my life..." she couldn't look Jeremy in the eyes. "I've been around the world, named in France, raised in Russia... at the age of eleven I was officially adopted by a family..." Swallowing the lump in her throat her eyes closed her dark lashes crushing together "This escalated and I protected myself -- and accidentally killed my adoptive father... mind you it was not on purpose..." Lifting her head her shoulders slumped, nibbling her lower lip she frowned "...so I have blood on my hands..." looking into Jeremy's eyes she crinkled her nose nervously.
23:57:01 Jer very steadily, very surely, begins to regret his little joke. The more she uncovers about herself - a heavy, emotional tale of her hard childhood - the more he wishes he could take back sounding like an insensitive jerk. In comparison, his own delinquency that'd landed him here sounds like the spoiled troublemakings of a brat (but, then again, maybe that's all it'd ever amounted to). So by the end of the story, when the truth finally comes out and Violette snares his gaze with hers, the upperclassman briefly wets his lips and stretches for a reply. "Sorry... I didn't know. But, uh," he mentally gropes to find the positive, "like you said, it was an accident. An you were protectin yerself, by the by. So... if it's any consolation - havin told me? - I don't think any different of you than I did five minutes ago. Well, untrue. Now I think you had a rough growin up. But in a bad way, I don't think of you different in a bad way." He hopes that all came out the way he wanted it to. Now his breath is practically bated in anticipation of her reaction.
00:07:31 [Violette] Fingers fiddling with the bottom of Jeremy's coat she thought a moment as she slipped off towards a nearby tree -- her thoughts trailed off for a moment. Taking in a sharp breath she thought for a moment "Yeah but it still eats me up..." she chuckled... "He should have just kept his hands to himself..." Eyes widening as that sputtered from her mouth she groaned "Uhh..." she bat her lashes her cheeks reddening more "Just... ignore that..." she chuckled nervously. "I don't take things too personally, you haven't insulted me yet..." Biting at the inside of her cheek, mostly out of nervous habit more than anything she sighed "I haven't told anyone else... that..." her pixieish eyes landed on Jer as she leaned back against the tree behind her.
00:36:47 [Jer] And just like that, getting back inside is no longer very important. The frigid air, the chance of missing lights out - those could be handled on their own time. For the here and now, it seems to him that sticking by her is more imperative than saving his own hide. When she drops a phrase she hadn't originally intended, hopefully he was able to hide his stark expression of comprehension in time, before Violette could notice how quickly those dots of her homicide had connected in his head. Smoothening himself out in the moment next, he waxes a harmless smirk and echoes back: "yet". He likes the way she'd said it, as if it's an inevitable fact that he's going to insult her someday. He'll try his best not to. Thus in the lull, the taller seer bunches his shoulders again, moving and crushing at least that much to keep his warm blood flowing. And, albeit delayed, he meanders after her and the tree she'd picked out. (Of little consequence, his left eye gives a twitch along the way.) "Well... thank you, for trusting me." Given the cliques and the gossipers and the mudslingers, Violette had taken a large leap of faith by divulging so much to someone she doesn't even know. Luckily for her, he's trust-worthy. "I'll never repeat it," he perks up in tone, much lighter than the mood, "so don't worry."
00:44:31 [Violette] Taking in a deep breath she slipped Jeremy's jacket off and moved over handing it to him... "You have to be freezing..." she spoke softly as she looked up towards the other. "I will be fine, put your coat on..." her words coated with a worrisome tone -- she didn't want him catching his death out here. You see Jeremy was the first person to show his true colors, to seem interested in her, and not that fact she was some would consider 'attractive'. Tonguing the inside of her cheek she took in a breath "I'm not use to being able to trust people, it's a word that usually holds little meaning to me... but I will try..." Crinkling her nose she nodded her head, and lifted her hands softly rubbing up and down Jer's arms -- it was odd really -- it was a rarity when she touched people. Violette felt bad, this guy had given his only source of warmth to her, he was scrawny himself -- he needed whatever he could to keep warm himself.
01:03:54 Jer , with his hands still in his pockets, wheels back a step or two when she tries to return his jacket; all the while he's on the precipice of a laugh. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" he says, shrinking away like the garment is some kind of alien cloak he wants nothing to do with. But when she's essentially left pushing it against his upper arm like it'll stick there, he caves at last and takes the navy blazer. And as if he'd lost all his defenses in that defeat, a shiver sweeps him down deep to the bone. Ironically Violette's rubbing at his arms only makes said shiver immediately repeat, nearly a continuation rather than a second chill. (The fabric of his long-sleeved shirt is just as cold as the air around them. Though with perfectly good intentions, she'd pressed that across tracks of otherwise surviving skin.) Now with that bit of evidence reverberating just beneath her hands, Jeremy can't quite say he's fine anymore. "Okay, but listen," he grins to one side, "if yer givin this back to me, we 'ave ta go back in. I ain't lookin to be the one responsible if you wind up ill the first week a' term. Not because I care, mind you. This is for my own sense a guilt." He jokes, but he really is trying to insist a point upon her. She may not like being at Hex but it beats freezing right outside.
01:10:10 [Violette] Soft sigh escaping plush lips she looked down "Okay..." nodding her head she wrapped her arms around herself she looked to the other she smiled. "I should let you get to your common room anyways, lights out is soon..." Nodding her head she took in a breath "Sorry for keeping you out..." her words were meek as she began the track towards the building -- she didn't want to go in there -- in fact she hated it with a passion. Taking in a deep breath her shoulders slumped "What's on your mind, right now -- besides the fact you're freezing..." Laughing softly she pulled the door open, allowing the other to go in first she gasped as warm air brushed her rosy cheeks. Eyes widening she shuddered, the gush of warm wind let her know just how cold she was. Biting her plush lower lip she began down the hall, looking around at the desolate halls she frowned.
01:26:21 Jer shakes his head, armed with a smile. "No trouble. I was the one botherin you in the first place." Currently without a watch, he can only hope they hadn't missed lights out entirely as they ascend the institute's stoop. Of course, they would know soon enough once at the front doors; if they were late, there'd be a teacher standing there, on the second, to tell them so. Fortunately they seem to be in the clear. But not all things are safe and sound for Jeremy, not when a very girlish question sneak-attacks him. "Um..." After a moment's hesitation where he realizes he should have opened the door for her, he drops a short thanks off his tongue and pops inside. One final shiver rakes off the chill, replaced instead by the toasty warmth one might not expect from such a large, stony building. "Dunno," he answers at length. "I s'pose I wasn't thinkin of anythin." While that could very well be true of the rumored pothead, the exact opposite is just as likely: he was thinking of everything. Either way, there's no chance his answer would have satisfied. Questions like these sound more like traps, and his boring reply was probably just as bad as the hundreds of thousands of other 'wrong' answers he could have given. "Why?" A fine volley back.
01:31:53 [Violette] Walking down the hall with the other she shrugged "I don't know, just curious I guess..." eyes flickering she looked down the hall as she walked -- she was starting to warm up -- so she felt a little better. Pulling her blazer off she shuffled along... "So since you now know the rumors about me, are true... is what I heard about you true...?" she laughed a little as she looked over her shoulder to Jeremy. If they were true things could be worse, he could be a known rapist, or something horrific of that nature -- but a pothead -- that was nothing. Tonguing the inside of her cheek Violette took in a deep breath "I guess I was just looking for more conversation -- like I said before... I'm very socially awkward..." long obsidian clashing together softly she shoved her hands in her pockets.
01:45:04 [Jer] "Oh," he says, pausing a tick before harping a lightly apologetic smile. "Sorry for not bein more interestin, then." He'll try to have something ready in his head the next time she asks (assuming it's even appropriate enough to say aloud). Thankfully she shepherds them onwards to a different topic, a topic which happens to pervade the very fabric of the school: rumors. "...What've you 'eard bout me?" Pulling his sights away from the floor just a pace ahead of his feet, Jer glances to his side to better regard Violette. While people might cruelly whisper her gossip near her, near enough to be heard (and be hurtful), no one really makes a bold effort to mention his, at least in explicit terms. Even when the occasional stranger comes around, acting weird and insinuating things, they always start whistling and meandering away from him as abruptly as they'd arrived the moment he tries to get a full sentence coughed up out of them.
01:50:05 [Violette] She thought for a long moment, she wasn't going to sugarcoat things, couldn't be any worse than the shit they said about her. "Might as well get it out in the open..." crinkling her nose she pursed her lips "Apparently you smoke pot...?" shaking her head with a small sigh she pressed her back against a nearby wall -- nothing wrong with a little marijuana here and there... right? Violet pools landing on Jeremy she canted her head "Don't get me wrong, either way you are still my friend, I could care less what other people say or think..." Digging her foot into the ground he lulled her head back and closed her eyes basking in the warmth of the building. Swallowing the lump in her throat she opened her eyes peering towards Jeremy, she worried now that she might have insulted the other -- she hoped she hadn't.
02:02:40 [Jer] It seems all such worries can be thrown out the window because, in that instant, Jeremy actually laughs out loud. "Oh, that actually... explains a lot," he says, admittedly nodding along with the humor of it. Things certainly did fall into place better when it was said like that. "'Old on, 'old on... Does everyone say this? Fuck all, that might bring me problems." Stowing his imagination from what the professors might start to do if they hear this, he lightens up with a helpless grin and he turns back to his inquisitor. "Sure, I do a couple times a term, just to let my visions go farther. You must understand," he explains, from one seer to another. "Maybe it's because I smoke cigs and the smoke sticks." He besets the fingertips of a hand on his chest, mimicking the smell getting into the fibers of his clothes. "...Or on account of me spacin out." He drops the analytical look from his face and spies her way. "I tend to space." He gaze relaxes aside. "Shit... Oh well." And he's done with it.
02:13:56 [Violette] Biting her lower lip she can't help but let a true smile grace porcelain features, canting her head she giggles ever-so softly. Shaking her head Violette lifts her hands and covers her face, trying to hide her smile "I have no problem with it, I wish I had something which would relax me..." batting long dark lashes she dropped her hands -- but soon lifted them resting them both, one on each of Jeremy's arms she grinned "Doesn't change my outlook on you, as you once said to me... pretty boy..." laughing sweetly she slowly dropped her hands to her sides. "Nothing wrong with being a little spacy, it gives you 'character'..." giving a firm nod she licked her lips and canted her head to one side -- long locks covering her face she peeped through them at the other with those large pixie-like eyes.
02:37:43 Jer will simply have to diffuse this rumor the best he can from here on out, which should be somewhat easy with many of the rumor-harboring people coming to him. Elsewhile, whatever a teacher may subject him to down the line is a bridge he'll have to cross if and when he gets there. Such preparatory thoughts nearly overtake the forefront of his mind; it's the girl's giggle which pulls him from the edge, shining focus into his blue-sky eyes. "There's a potion for that," he helpfully chimes with a matter-of-fact wag of the finger, half in jest and half in earnest about a relaxant concoction. (It's perfectly safe in small doses!) But the joke is removed from his countenance when Violette lays her hands on his arms, riding a thread of intimacy to drive her point home. He can hardly pay attention to the reassurance in the midst of the moment. But before he can fall into the way her lips form the words, he snaps out of it long enough to hear them. "Yeah, 'character'." And then, with a suddenly crooked smile, he lets his mouth get ahead of him. "Pardon, are we flirtin just now?"
02:45:39 [Violette] Batting her lashes not once, not twice, but three times her eyes widening more so than they had the whole night -- the realization had struck her as he spoke those words. Biting her lower lip her cheeks reddened profusely, ticking her head to one side she crinkled her nose in a nervous manner... "Maybe... a little..." her words were softly spoke as she pursed her lips -- heart thudding in her throat at this point she looked up towards Jeremy "Is that a bad thing...?" thin dark eyebrow ticking upwards as if letting the question linger she groaned. "I'm not used to flirting..." Nibbling her lower lip nervously Violette began to fidget, much like Jer was doing previously. Clearing her throat she looked down at her feet, she wasn't used to a plethora of emotions which swirled through her brain "Well so much for being a good Seer, I didn't see this one coming..." a nervous laugh passed her lips.
03:06:02 Jer may have an eye for the future but not a gentle hand for the present. If he's to act on what he's seen, he does so boldly and without warning. Unfortunately, this apparently holds true for all things, even in real time. So despite knowing what he'd said, it's only when Violette's cheeks burn hot does he realize what he'd said. "OH, no, ignore me, I didn't--" And yet his scrambled effort to cover his mistake can't save either one of them; he'd artlessly unearthed the subtleties into plain sight. Therefore she meekly makes a reply and, really, she ought to be commended for sticking through the embarrassment. To look down at her, mouth open ajar in pure speechlessness, is about the most Jeremy can conjure for the situation, even as their eyes briefly meet. Soon after, a silence looms, threatening to make the whole occasion more awkward than it already was. The fifth year recovers, albeit very poorly. "Uhhhh... no," he pipes up, "no, it's not a bad thing. But I don't... Never mind. Don't beat yerself o'er the 'ead bout it, was my fault fer bein an ass." He pushes a single breath of a chuckle, out from a sideways grin he'd fashioned for the very purpose. "An you know, I s'pose that was very good flirtin on yer part. Yeahh, I just... Complete dunce, this guy. 'Ello." He raps his knuckles against the side of his nogging, just to prove no one's home. But was that good enough?
03:16:24 [Violette] Lifting her hands she hid her face once more, she was so damned embarrassed "I try to keep my heart off my sleeve and here I am -- being a fool..." Groaning a little she peeked through her fingers, canting her head to one side she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Maybe I should get back to my dorm, before I make a bigger fool of myself..." Looking around with wide violet eyes she looked down "Umm..." rocking from heel to toe she turned to hide her face from him. "It was nice talking to you Jeremy, sorry for the horrid awkward ending..." Shoulders slumping her eyebrows knitted, one thing was even worse than the embarrassment she was feeling, the thought of being rejected. Violette wasn't the best person in the world, she did bad things, things she preferred to keep to herself. Somewhere in there was a heart and the last thing she wanted was to get too close to someone had have stomped on. Taking a few steps she paused, looking towards Jeremy he nibbled her lower lip... "Have a good night..." she nodded her head.
03:24:15 Jer can feel his conflicted thoughts down in his very muscles and nerves. He doesn't want her to feel like what she'd done is wrong. He doesn't want her to feel like she must cloister her heart away. Nonetheless, he just can't make another bold scene about it. He can only hope that he'll run into her again and that they can carry on anew, leaving this explosion of a train wreck in the past. "Uh, right, likewise," he utters as she begins to go. "Good night." And once she's finally out of earshot, he palms his face and loosens the breath that'd gotten stuck in his lungs. "Oh, Jer..." he murmurs to himself before pivoting to head towards the Tritus commons. "Way to muck up that one."