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Post by Claude 'Stormy' Miranda on Mar 7, 2010 21:17:10 GMT -5
When Push can't shove anymore  Throw yourself over the edge Detroit, Michigan
"Kavik, if you do not calm down I am seriously going to put you on a train and walk away."
Stormy told her large hybrid pet in a frustrated tone. The wind blew around her slightly, because she was so on edge. She was heading down a certain road, her steps were either quick and close together, or slow as possible. She kept debating whether or not to go, even though she was on this street. Kavik was beginning to get annoyed with her constantly turning around and then going back, so the dog was protesting his annoyance by jumping up and barking every time she stopped. Stormy was ignorant of the fact she was causing the dog any distress at all.
Finally she turned back, once more, and headed towards the small shop, Sweet Jam. She paused in front of the door and took a deep breath before, finally, pushing the small door open. As she stepped in, holding the door open for Kavik to come in as well, she subconciously pulled the single key out of her pocket. It was tied to the small green ribbon that she had found tied on Kavik's leash from a while ago. As she stepped in, fiddling with the key between her fingers and Kavik making his way straight to the small couch and laying down, she finally found the courage to call out.
"Um, heh..hello?'
Hearing movement her head snapped in the direction to see a short, older woman step out. Mrs. Blackwell, Vincent's mother. The woman looked at her a moment before setting down the box she was holding and clapping her hands to her face as a wide grin grew over them.
"Claudine! Claudine Esperanza!"
She said happily, rushing towards her. Claude was unprepared for the hug, and it felt extremely odd to be touched like this. She hadn't been hugged, or really even touched by any other living person in years. You know the feelig you get when you are swinging on a swing set?
Yeah, that's what she felt.
She smiled and awkwardly hugged back.
"Honey, honey come out here."
She called to her husband who stepped out and had just about the same reaction. He too came to Claude and kissed her forehead, taking her face between his hands.
"Little Claude! It's been so long, and oh you've grown."
"Um yeah...oh- I brought Kavik, I'm sorry he's- um....on the couch."
Of course last time they saw Kavik he was a tiny puppy and now here he was, this big beast lounging on their couch.
"It's no problem, you two are always welcome here, you know that."
She'd actually almost forgotten.
Claude continued small talk with them, catching up the best of her ability, though leaving out the fact that she was half-demon and had powers and that she was a hacker; illegal hacker some of the times too. Her back was facing the very back room, that was also the back entrance of the building. Upon hearing a noise she was tempted to turn, but kept facing forward to look and speak with her old friends.
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Post by vince on Mar 8, 2010 23:11:41 GMT -5
Today was a very important day. Today, he would leave for New York City, and set foot into The Academy for the very first time. Today, he would bid farewell to his parents, and nearly have a heart attack upon seeing Stormy already speaking to them.
The trio might have been unaware of Vince's presence if the only indication he gave was the soft sound of footsteps and the light tinkle of the doorbell as he entered, but he did not. He was so surprised to see his childhood friend standing in his parents' shop, after so many years, on the very day he would arrive on her campus, that he gasped. His jaw dropped comically, and his feet seemed to start walking toward her of their own accord. In a desperate attempt to regain his composure, he clumsily walked right into a music stand, causing it to fall to the floor with a noisy clatter.
His parents exchanged uncomfortable glances, unsure if their son wanted his presence revealed; after all, this encounter did not fit in with what he'd already planned. They looked to him for guidance, but he seemed to be in a world of his own. They ultimately decided to continue chatting up their long-lost 'second child,' opting to let Vince handle the situation he'd stumbled into on his own.
Admittedly, he wasn't handling it well. He'd planned to leave Stormy all sorts of little clues first, waiting to confront her face-to-face until he set off the litle lightbulb in her head, but there she was! He nearly turned invisible and ran right out the door, he was so overwhelmed with nervousness. What if she didn't remember him? What if she didn't care about him anymore?
Vince told himself that he couldn't put off meeting Stormy; maybe they were fated to meet sooner than he had planned. He wouldn't allow himself to run away and wait another day, while those questions were still floating through his mind. He took a deep breath and walked right up to his childhood friend.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here!" He started playfully. "I'm supposed to go to The Academy today, and my day just wouldn't end right if I didn't get to see you." He gave her a warm smile, and took her hands in his own. "I missed you, Stormy."
It was amazing how his nerves just melted away when he approached her; he never imagined that being with her after so long would come so easily.
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Post by Claude 'Stormy' Miranda on Mar 8, 2010 23:34:58 GMT -5
When Push can't shove anymore Throw yourself over the edge
Once again, she thought she heard a noise. No...this time she was sure she heard a noise. For a moment she thought it was just Kavik, seeing as he was on the couch behind her and she hadn't been paying attention to him for roughly twenty minutes. She tried to turn to look what was behind her, but the two older friends of her quickly regained her attention by talking even more. She was caught off guard slightly by how quickly they started talking, and how they seemd to suddenly want her to pay attention to nothing but them. She knew she'd been away a while, but she much prefered the greeting she got before. They were just acting odd now. Hearing a noise again she finally turned to tell Kavik to stop whatever he was doing, only she turned not to see her bit white dog, but instead a ghost.
She froze in place upon seeing him and hearing his voice.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to go to The Academy today, and my day just wouldn't end right if I didn't get to see you."
He seemed....happy. Perfectly fine. Just...standing there being comical like he always did. She stood there like a statue, staring at him with an almost vacant expression, though shock was still plastered over her face. She would have seemed like a perfect statue, only her arms were moved when he took her hands.
"I missed you, Stormy."
Stormy stared back in disbelief, the room going dead silent. Her hands were ice in his as she stayed perfectly in place, unmoving from how she had been since she spotted him. Had she not been half demon, her face would be going blue right now from the lack of breathing. It seemed that she was so still the air out side reacted with her. Not only did the wind stop blowing, it stopped moving all together. Kites that were flying dropped to the streets and the only wind going through anyone's hair was the wind they created just by walking.
How was this possible? How was he standing here before her? She couldn't be dreaming, he was touching her, she could feel it this time. The only indication she was even alive at this moment was that she blinked just once. The key on the end of the ribbon she had been fiddeling so nervously with now slipped between her fingers and fell to the floor with a gently little jingle. It was the only noise that could be heard in the small shop.
The older couple behind them exchanged nervous glances, wondering whether to break the silence or leave and let them sort it out. Stormy's mouth parted slightly, as if she were going to say something, though nothing came out. She suddenly felt very light headed and, as she finally tore her gaze away from him, yanked her hands from him to grab the edge of the counter to support herself. Keeping her fingers gripping the edge of the counter, she slowly sank to her knees, forehead pressed against the wood. This wasn't possible...this just wasn't happening! How could he be here like this?! How?!
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Post by vince on Mar 10, 2010 21:31:31 GMT -5
The color in his face began to drain as he beared witness to Stormy's less-than-favorable reaction. He was afraid she would have forgotten him. It even briefly crossed his mind that she would be angry that he kept his survival a secret for so long. But what he was seeing was nothing he expected, and it worried him. Had he said something wrong? Was she simply feeling ill?
His stomach felt as if it had suddenly dropped; watching her was making him feel woozy, as well. He never took it well when his friends and family were upset; he always felt as if he was somehow obligated to cheer them up. Even when he hadn't made them upset himself, he felt that he should have done something to prevent their unhappiness.
"Stormy?" He questioned softly, kneeling beside her; he made sure to stay a good distance away, but he could still reach out and touch her if he needed to. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner...it's been a really rough ride, and I wanted to surprise you when I got everything under control."
He extended his hand to rest it comfortingly on her back, or perhaps her shoulder, but it never reached it's destination, instead awkwardly hovering behind her back. He wanted to give her a hug, - she looked like she needed one - or hold her hand, but he wasn't sure if more touch was what she needed right now.
"I have a Gift, just like you. I discovered it, that day...it saved my life."
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Post by Claude 'Stormy' Miranda on Mar 12, 2010 20:21:12 GMT -5
When Push can't shove anymore Throw yourself over the edge
Stormy felt a tight knot forming in her throat. She didn't know any way that his was possible at all. She had to think, how could he have been alive all this time and she didn't know? She felt him kneel next to her, but she didn't react. Somehow she was frozen there, unable to do anything about him being there.
She kept her head ducked low as he spoke to her, her ears hearing them but her mind not really registering what he said until her eyes finally began to water. Clouds started to build up outside. He was a gifted one? That's how he survived? He said he had a gift like her, but he didn't even know what she really was. All those times she came over it was storming, so that was her nickname. Little did any of them know it wasn't just a coincidence. She was always too afraid to tell him about her trait, her mother had made her fear it.
Finally looking up, her eyes were watery and blood shot but didn't show much of what one might expect to see on a relieved friend's face.
"Surprise me?"
The question was just barely above a whisper, probably hardly loud enough for him to hear at all. After a short pause she stood suddenly, her arms stiff at her side and her jewelry jingled with the sudden movement.
"Surpirse me?! You've been torturing me!"
Stormy screamed with a voice that hadn't been raised in an angry manner at all in over four years.
"All those times I thought I was going crazy because you were gone!"
As she yelled the wind outside began to howl.
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Post by vince on Mar 15, 2010 19:20:28 GMT -5
He winced as if her harsh words stung him. Maybe they had. He never expected her to be so angry. He somehow convinced himself that if she remembered him, if she cared about him, her relief would overpower every unpleasant emotion she might feel. It was foolish of him to believe that their reunion would be like the movies so often portrayed. Maybe he was so excited and nervous about meeting her again that he just wasn't thinking clearly?
Whatever the case, he felt guilty, and his feeling of dread only intensified as he heard the wind howling outside. That always seemed to happen when she was angry. It was as if the weather was in tune with her emotions, and after he discovered that some people had superpowers, he was sure that the weather really was responding to her. She looked upset, she sounded upset, but if she was causing the wind to tear up the outside...could what she was feeling be much stronger than what she expressed outwardly?
He swore under his breath. He should have known she would be hurt. Could he have prevented it, if he had just told her the story of his survival as soon as he had the ability? He thought he was doing her a service by drawing it out; he couldn't imagine how he would react if a friend he thought dead called him one day to let him know they weren't. But the fact remained that, while he did think of Stormy and how she might react, his motivation was mostly selfish. He wanted to delay their meeting so he was ready.
When did he start thinking about himself before his best girl? And when did he start worrying about what other people thought of him?
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." He started, fighting to keep his gaze on her. It was so tempting to stare at the floor in shame, but he wouldn't allow himself to disrespect her that way. "I somehow thought that drawing it out would be easier to process than just...slamming you with it all at once. I never meant to hurt you. I'd never want that.
"I'm sorry no one told you, but it was long before anyone knew; when my parents told you I was MIA, they didn't even know I lived. When I finally made it back here, I requested my parents keep my secret a little longer...until I was ready. I never should have put my needs before your own."
I swear I'll never do that again.
"I'm sorry if you were upset that I went to serve, but I'm not sorry that I did. I still feel it was my duty to defend my people and my country, and I'm proud that I did, even if it was only for a little while. If I hadn't gone there, I might never have discovered my Gift, and we might not be here right now. Whether that's good or bad, however...that's up to you, Storm."
He prayed to every deity he could think of that she wouldn't snarl at him and set him from her sights. He was completely genuine in his apologies; it hurt him to see that he caused her discomfort, and he hoped she saw that.
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Post by Claude 'Stormy' Miranda on Mar 16, 2010 21:38:09 GMT -5
When Push can't shove anymore Throw yourself over the edge
Stormy kept her burning gaze fixated on him, though she wasn't ignorant of the weather reacting outside. Had she any more it'd start even reactin inside. Once upon a nightmare she woke up to find she had drenched her entire room in a small rain storm. She was fighting such an inner termoil. The girl hadn't shown any bit of real emotion at all in years, and now it was all starting to flood back to her. It felt so odd, so alien, she wasn't sure which one to go with. All of them were fusing in her mind confusing her on how she should feel.
In the short time he was explaining himself she could feel a large knot forming in her throat, another in her chest where one would assume a heart would be. Yeah, she had a heart similar to others, but wasn't that battery thing used to love? If that was it's purpose hers had been off duty for a very long time, so in a sense, broken, if you'd want to get sentimental. As he finished she found herself closing her eyes tight, and tilting her head towards the ground, her bangs creating a curtain around her face. Her hands struggled to stay in front of her, pulling at the ends of her sleeves rather than bring them to her head to block everything out.
How exactly was she supposed to feel? There was so much suddenly welling up inside that she couldnt decide, couldn't tell what was what; like she had lost all sense of what emotion even was at all. It actually, physically hurt. Because of all the confusion raging inside her she simply tried to push it back like she had been doing. Stormy did her best to draw out her breaths, make them soothing enough to calm her. Her physical form returned to being calm once more as she slowly opened her eyes and looked back up to him, but it was all she could do to keep from loosing control and destroying Detroit, or at least a good portion of it. The sight of him looking at her, begging forgiveness made it really difficult.
"I..."
Her voice cracked slightly and she straightened up and cleared her throat.
"I need a...a minute."
Her voice had almost returned to it's monotonous tone as she slowly turned away, only now realizing that Vince's parents had left silently. What she really needed was to get the hell out of a confined space. She remembered her list of well set rules and recalled the back entrance and headed directly for it, forgetting Kavik was sleeping on the couch.
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Post by vince on Mar 20, 2010 15:08:32 GMT -5
Vince's stomach gave another unpleasant lurch, and she sighed; he was disappointed that she wouldn't forgive him right away, even though he knew she had good reason not to. It would have been nice if everything stopped being so complicated and they were able to peacefully spend time together like they once had, but he had to suffer the consequences of his actions. He shouldn't have put his feelings before Stormy's.
"Take your time." He croaked; his voice was acting up, as well. On any other day, he might have laughed it off, but he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice it's strangeness.
When she made her hasty exit, he heaved another sigh, setting his gaze upon Kavik. Should he watch Kavik until Stormy returned? If she saw him again too soon, would she be hurt? He wouldn't take that chance.
"Sorry, boy." He whispered to Stormy's sleeping companion. "Storm's real mad at me. I gotta split. Besides, I've got a plane to catch." He glanced at his wristwatch, and retreated into one of the back rooms, searching for signs of his parents.
I'll be seeing you, Storm...I hope. He thought to himself and closed the door behind him.
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Post by Claude 'Stormy' Miranda on Apr 5, 2010 20:22:25 GMT -5
When Push can't shove anymore Throw yourself over the edge Stormy quickly made her way outside. Once on the outside of the building she perssed her back to the cold brick and held her hands over her face. She wasn't going to let herself get so upset, no tnow, not after all this time of molding and perfecting her emotions into ones that wouldn't affect her powers and herself in general. While she calmed on the outside, her hands still slightly trembled, and the dark clouds and incredible stillness that loomed over the city were almost like hints of her still inner turmoil.
After she was sure lightning wouldn't sly from every inch of her body, Claude took a deep breath and headed back into the small shop. Once she entered a sinking feeling shook her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was a feeling of relief or of regret; Vince was gone again. Claude almost had the insane thought to convince herself that she had day dreamt up the whole thing, but it was all too real. No he was back, alive, and gifted. None-the-less she held up her composure. She had a long bus ride home ahead of her, and she wasn't going to hang around and sulk just to miss her only trip home.
Claude picked up the small key and ribbon that lay on the floor. Whistleing for Kavik she took hold of his leash. As she walked out she dropped the key on the piano that she used to play, the bell rang, signaling her exit.
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