Deathbed (Chase, Kirien, Leo)

[Leogare Lasteulf]

Leo was dutifully ignoring the women, as angry as he was with the gender in question, when he heard someone call out to him. And even better, they used his most infamous exploit to identify him.

He didn't even turn around immediately for his rebuttal, instead holding a finger up. "One, it wasn't my idea to turn myself into a giant bomb, she was crazy to start with. Two, close but not quite, it's Leo. And third..." He turned around at this point, and he stopped for a moment, looking at him.

"I know you too....oh yeah! The guy I had to pick up in Wyoming...Skye's friend...Aaron right?"

At the mention of that name, the nurse's eyes went as big as a doe's, as she stared agape. Leo had just uttered the worst possible word he could have said right now.

And of course, Leo was completely oblivious. "So how are ya doing? Get into an accident or something?" He moved into the room, at least it was going to be someone to talk to for a bit, besides the kid looked damn desperate for a little company. The practice must have been keeping him cooped up, much like they did to himself.

Damn doctors.

[aaron]

Aaron's eyes were at least as wide as the nurse's. Skye. He said Skye. He knows her. I saw her with him. He knows her and I saw her with him. Is that why? Was that why she rejected me? It was because of him. She loves me. I know she does... but she didn't want to hurt this.... Leo. Of course. How could I not have known?

Part of Aaron was relishing in how sweet it would be to punch this guy in the face, to spit in his eye, to burn him to ashes. Another part of him wanted to ask about Skye, how she was, why she didn't come to visit, if she said anything about him.

Fortunately, at least one part of Aaron was thinking clearly.

"Accident... you could say that I guess. So... you know Skye then?" Aaron's voice had gone flat, almost unfriendly, but he tried his best not to show any open hostility.

Aaron wasn't sure what he was feeling. Hate? Jealousy? Pain? How could he be thrown away and replaced like some kind of tool? He hadn't heard about Skye for so long... to hear her shoved into casual conversation like that made him want to scream.

[Leogare Lasteulf]

Leo nodded. "Well sure, you think she'd do a cross country road trip with just anyone? We went on a date or two, just another girl in the wide world, right?" He moved further into the room and looked about, noticing how bare the room was.

"Jeez, they really cleaned this place out...what lousy service here." He remarked with a half grin. Leo may be playing along, but he'd dealt with enough jealous boys to know what was going on here.

"The better question might be, how do you know Skye? I mean she was willing to ask a guy she'd met once to give her a ride halfway across the country for you. That and you were so focused on her during the ride you didn't even notice me. So, what's the truth on that?"

The nurse cringed, but didn't intervene. Aaron had been making little progress lately, maybe this rash boy could do something.

[aaron]

Aaron's eyes were bulging out. This despicable, dirty good for nothing son of a bitch. Just imagining his hands all over Skye made him want to kill him. A date or two... with him? Some dipshit with his 'whole wide world of girls' didn't deserve Skye. Aaron looked sideways at the nurse, then looked directly at Leo. His voice was low and dangerous, even though he stood little to no chance against Leo in a fight.

"Fuck you. Fuck you and everything you have ever said to Skye. You little shit. You have no idea who you were with, do you? Leave the school, leave the fucking country. You have no idea..." Aaron was at a loss for words. What else could he say? His face was an angry red, and he started shaking.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA! NO FUCKING CLUE!" Aaron was little more than a child throwing a temper tantrum at this point, but he had no where else to go. He started to dig his nails into his face, clawing at his skin. The boy who had been teetering over the edge for the past few months finally fell off.

[Kirien Melantha]

Until now, The Academy seemed focused on drilling Kirien with training session after training session, keeping her monitored and out of trouble, and trying to diffuse her "anger issues" with their silly therapy. When she found out she finally had an assignment, she was thrilled. Finally, something interesting might happen! But her hopes were soon dashed to pieces.

Mentoring. Of all things they could have given her to do, they wanted her to mentor some suicidal idiot, and if he threw himself off a tower or something, she'd take the blame! She grumpily mumbled unpleasant things under her breath as she made her way to Redwicke's Medical Practice.

They're just trying to get me fired! They just want me to do something wrong so they can put me in jail, too! She thought to herself suspiciously. She couldn't believe that they actually expected her to fix a suicidal person. She specialized in breaking things.

Like skulls.

She dramatically kicked open the door to the infirmary, wearing a scowl that only deepened when she saw her mentee throwing a tantrum. I hate The Academy! She thought to herself childishly, before rolling her eyes and marching over to her charge.

"SHUT UP." She demanded, stomping her foot against the floor in an attempt to gather his attention. "I'm Kirien Melantha and I'm an Agent and the stupid Academy told me I have to make you not kill yourself anymore. You look stupid so you must be Aaron."

She turned to address whomever the irate faerie was screaming at and was surprised to see none other than Leogare Lasteulf. The last time she saw him, she was sure he died! He was all black and crispy like a big, burnt fried chicken! "Hi Leo!" She greeted, sounding what Leo might describe as 'suspiciously cheerful.' After all, the last time they met she tried to kill him and he stuck a switchblade through her hand. "I'm glad you don't look like charcoal anymore. I thought you cooked to death!"

[Leogare Lasteulf]

Leo stood and weathered Aaron's temper tantrum. Well at least he wasn't violent. He was about to respond to him when the shout came from behind him.

"Oh god, it's you again. Ya know for a medical hospital I'm running into more mental cases then physical." At her remark about charcoal he grinned though.

"Hey, not everybody gets to claim that they kissed a centuries old magic bomb with ungodly beauty. And now for you." He said turning back to Aaron. "So you like Skye I guess...well that much might be an understatement. Care to say why? Or how you met her? Or how long you've known her? I mean I can answer those easily." He began ticking off his fingers.

"I met Skye in a small hotel out in Missouri, we had a quick chat, a little conversation back and forth, didn't even realize we were both gifted until we saw in other in a class here. Bout a week later she had some car trouble, and I helped her get her wheels running. My 'bill' to her was a single date, a movie. Didn't get the chance to cash in on that yet since that whole fighting competition thing, but yep that's it. I like Skye because she's funny, attractive and most importantly doesn't put on airs. She knows how to have a good time, and that draws me to her."

He pointed to Aaron now, wondering if he was going to flip out. "Can you answer those questions?"

[aaron]

Aaron had barely noticed the demon lady burst through the door until Leo turned his head. Leo had Aaron's full focus, the full force of his rage. He looked at the demon lady for a full half-minute before he turned back to the snake in crutches.

Why did Aaron love Skye? Why did water run downhill? Why do birds sing, why does ice melt? It's unbelievably obvious why Aaron loved Skye! What a stupid, stupid thing to even question.

"I met her at The Academy, on the grounds. It was winter. I've known her ever since I started up here." He hissed through his teeth. He had answered two of his questions, but the first one asked was a little bit hard to explain.

He didn't love Skye for her beauty, he saw plenty of that as a faery. He had barely talked to her, in fact.

"I love her sweetness, her innocence, her culture. I love her eyes, her breathtaking eyes, and I love that she's Skye."

Aaron was still shaking, his entire face red. He was so angry, in fact, that the light he communicated with normally stayed away from him, creating a dark outline surrounding him. The fleeing light was another personal blow to Aaron. Leo did this. He corrupted his Skye, he forced himself on her. He made her not want to go out with Aaron, forced her to say she didn't love him.

This man was the source of all Aaron's problems. Tears of rage blurring his vision, Aaron threw a punch at Leo as hard as he possibly could.

[Leogare Lasteulf]

OOC: I know only Aaron will get this, but this whole RP reminds me of a certain love triangle on another board we were both on....cept my character played the part of Aaron. Hah.

IC: Leo listened to the love sick boys rambling, how he loved everything about her. And he'd known her how long? Oh boy, so it was this kind of a problem, he threw love around, and his mind dived head first after it. Leo saw his fist clench and knew what was coming, but didn't move.

The fist connected. To spite Aaron's racial frailty, he did manage to draw blood as Leo's lip started bleeding. The nurse gasped and went to intervene, but Leo pointed to her.

"No. We do this my way." He then wiped the blood off of his sleeve and glanced at the stain. "Hmm, nice shot. Little sloppy, but some nice 'Umph' in it. Now I know this is gonna be a bit of a hard pill to swallow Aaron, but she sought me out. And I probably have a good idea why."

He spit out a bit of blood into a small flower pot in the room, where it stained the soil. "You go talking to this girl about how you 'love and adore' her? Promising your undying loyalty and love? You scared her! A girl that young doesn't want to think about love and the future, she wants to think about here and now, flings and excitement, someone who is fun to be around."

Leo looked around the drab room, and put another piece together. He was in a bare room, practically confined...and Skye had turned him down recently? As emotional as he was looking, it made a lot of sense. "Not someone who has a mental breakdown with a bit of bad news!" He closed with Aaron and grabbed him by the collar. "You want to get her attention? Well sitting here bawling like a baby isn't going to win her over, I promise that!"

He seemed to look over to Kirien, as if to ask if she agreed. Hearing it from a women might get through this kids thick head better.

[Kirien Melantha]

Aaron was truly passionate when he spoke of this Skye girl, but was it really love? Whether Aaron had fallen victim to love or obsession depended on how much contact he had spent with Skye. Kirien wondered how long Aaron had been enrolled at The Academy. When he said he met her in wintertime, she noted that it still was. Surely he meant they met in the Winter a year or two ago?

I might have to punch him. She thought to herself, eying the overdramatic boy with suspicion. But first, she would need more proof. She turned her attention to Leo, curious as to what the speedster might know of her charge's situation. She was surprised to see Aaron swing a punch at the other boy.

Wow, he really is stupid! Didn't Aaron see that Leo was bigger, stronger, and more mentally-stable than he was? He was practically asking for a pummeling. Did that count as attempted suicide? Should she intervene? Maybe only if they make a mess, she decided.

As she expected, Leo recovered from the punch with relative ease and proceeded to berate the suicidal faerie. When Leo turned to her for some womanly advice, she tapped one finger to her cheek thoughtfully. There were three kinds of girls: girls who were dying for true love, girls who were dying for a good lay, and girls who just didn't see the point. She didn't know this Skye girl, but Leo seemed sure she was Type 2. He seemed to think Aaron only knew Skye for a little while before his Great Depression, too. If Leo was on the right track, Aaron sure was on the wrong one.

"You're just a great big sissy!" She told Aaron; she wasn't going to coo at him and hold his hand just cause he was upset. "Girls don't like boys who cry all over them. That's just weak and pathetic!"

She repositioned herself so she was standing right in front of Aaron, aiming to intimidate him into listening to her.

"Some girls want a big, strong man to protect them and take care of them. They're stupid and I hope they all get eaten by hungry war dragons and then spit out again so then can cook them with fire breath! Some girls want big, strong men because they think they're more fun. No matter what, you suck. She likes Leo better because he's strong and fast and confident."

[aaron]

The punch helped. Even though it hadn't made any visible effect on Leo, and had prompted jeers from the agent appointed to meddle in his life, it let out some of the frustration. It was as if letting out his anger opened a floodgate that allowed his other emotions to tone down. He had been standing for a long time, and his legs were still weak, so he staggered into a chair.

"I'm not bawling like a baby. I'm not a sissy. I'm not scaring Skye."

I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. Aaron stared at his feet, shifting uncomfortably. How did he end up defending himself? He wasn't supposed the bad guy here, he was supposed to be the victim. When he spoke next, his voice was almost a mutter.

"A fling. Everyone's looking for a fling. Back at home, you couldn't turn a corner and not find someone looking for a fling." Aaron looked back up at his tormentors, his gaze and voice intent and cynical.

"What about romance, huh? What about true love, love at first sight. I'm not the strongest. I'm not the fastest." Aaron left the sentence hanging and reached out to the sunlight streaming through the window. The familiar light responded to him for what felt like the first time in ages. A glowing nimbus formed in his left hand, and he tossed it from hand to hand absently.

[Leogare Lasteulf]

Leo rubbed his hand through his hair. What a handful this guy was. "Love, at first sight eh? You really like throwing that word around, but we already got through how little you know about her. You throw around the word, you don't even know what it means. You want her, you desire her, but that's it. You threw yourself at her, and she ran away. And now look at you, flat on your face wondering why it happened."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Maybe before you go driving yourself into the depths of despair and insanity you should try out a bit of a 'fling' yourself to find out what it's like. No harm in looking around to see what's out there. Besides...."

And he spoke quietly, but with an odd smirk. "If you back off the poor girl a bit and actually show you aren't some creepy stalker, she might see something worth finding in you....maybe."

[Kirien Melantha]

There was a lot that Kirien could have said. She could have insisted that Aaron was indeed everything he claimed not to be. She could have told him that there was no love at first sight, only attraction. She could have reprimanded Leo for making Aaron think that he might still be able to woo the object of his affection.

But she crossed her arms across her chest and said nothing at all. Her immature, suicidal charge's constant whining was grating on her nerves, and she wanted nothing more than to storm out of the room.

Why should I care if he hangs himself with his bedsheets? He's so pathetic he doesn't even deserve to live! She thought to herself irritably.

But as much as she wanted to leave, she knew doing so would only cause her superiors to punish her. She would have to stick around until some sort of conclusion was reached, but that didn't mean she would help them arrive at the best one. Aaron could decide whether or not he liked Leo's idea, Leo could keep making fun of him, and she could smack both of them when necessary. Maybe she could even take a nap while they sorted our their issues.

Or maybe not. She saw Aaron playing with his light and immediately snapped to attention. Nia had an Aspect like that, and even though it seemed weak, she knew how much destruction it could cause; she saw it with her own eyes. She casually blocked Leo's body with her own, in case the suicidal boy became so angry that he attack them with his Aspect.

[aaron]

Leo's words hit Aaron like a hurricane. Not because this information was new, but because somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind he had already come to the conclusion that he was acting bizarre.

Reality overcame Aaron. His light nimbus waned a little, but Aaron took no notice. The familiar warmth of light playing on his skin was one of the best feelings in the world. He plucked the shining ball of light out of the air and waved it around, leaving a trail of pale yellow light that hung in the air. He continued this way until there was a translucent yellow barrier in front of him, separating him the two people on the other side. His mind was clearer than it had been in weeks. He looked analytically at Leo, and then back at Ms. Firehead.

Looking at how she moved slightly and discreetly towards Leo, he was suddenly reminded of what had happened to the kid the first time Aaron had seen him. The pale yellow barrier turned an embarrassed shade of light pink. Aaron plucked it out of the air deftly and folded the light up like a handkerchief. Having seemingly achieved what he had set out to accomplish, Aaron let the light disperse into fragments.

"Heh, I'm afraid that nothing I say to her will really make a difference. There's coming on too strong, then theres being an obsessed creep. At least I learned something, I guess." Aaron's voice had turned cynical, detached. He was realizing what a huge idiot he was being. In fact, this whole scenario had given Aaron an important lesson in reality.

Love doesn't exist

He would have flings, oh he would have flings... Hey, maybe even a long term relationship with someone he respected. But he would never love.

Aaron turned to Kirien, a cynical and darkly humorous edge back in his voice.

"Hey, look, I'm cured. Whoopie. You did an excellent job. I'm sure you'll get a big promotion now." He had the urge to kiss her full on the lips and say 'Am I confident enough now?', but the woman had just spoken about feeding girls to dragons so he was just a little wary... one attempted suicide was enough for a lifetime.

[Leogare Lasteulf]

Leo arched his eyes at the odd boy, and truth be told the sunlight he'd been tossing around had put him on guard, almost being killed by it once tended to do that. But it wasn't a paralytic fear, more like a healthy respect for some strength.

"Hmmm, somehow I'm not quite sure I buy all of that..." He cupped his chin thoughtfully. Then he snapped his fingers with a grin.

"It occurs to me. Do you even know how to date a girl? I mean, there are styles and methods, designed with blood, sweat and tears. Surely you don't just intend to strike up random conversation with everything that moves and has tits?"

Leo had an odd idea forming, and for some reason he felt bad for this little boy, in over his head. Perhaps he could teach him a thing or two, or maybe three.

[aaron]

Aaron had to admit that he had not considered how to date a girl. He was kinda just going to rely on his good looks, and attempt some smooth talking. Aaron thought hard, looking pensively at Leo, who he surprisingly found he kind of liked. What did he mean when he said that he didn't but that. Buy what exactly?

"Er... compliments? Gifts maybe? Showing off?" Aaron kinda wanted to bring back the light, but under the circumstances he didn't think that that would be appropriate.

"Maybe a pickup line or something?"

Startlingly, Aaron realized that he had never been on a real date with anyone... that in of itself was too sad for words, especially for a Faerie. He had just never deemed it the right time.