esteemed {Noah}

[ĸara вelova★]

She ducked out of the Academy right before Jessica rounded the corner. Having escaped what would undoubtedly be an unpleasant confrontation, Kara let out a breath just in time to fall down the front steps. Sustaining many bruises was something Kara Belova was used to; her poor balance and clumsy nature did nothing but blemish her skin with black and blue. But this tumble was one of her more painful ones, and it took her a good minute or two to remember how to breathe.

Curled in a ball at the bottom of the regal stone stairs, taking in deep breaths to calm her heart from the fall, she felt the panic begin to fade and the shock disappear. Now she was left with other feelings, of the physical sense, that were even less pleasant than the emotional ones. But without so much as a groan or a hiss, Kara opened her eyes and stared at the stone path that lay before her. Still tightly curled, she wiggled her fingers and toes to make sure no paralysis had occurred, and once having determined that she was merely a bloody pulp that would still be able to walk and wave, she started focusing on the areas she'd injured.

She'd smacked her head pretty badly on one of the steps. She knew she'd feel dizzy if she tried sitting up; she was already feeling queasy. Her chest and lower back were scraped, the clothes torn, but not nearly as bad as her right hip which stung like a bitch. Her right knee wouldn't be good to walk on either, and her left ankle would make it even more difficult to crawl back up the steps. The independent mess that was Kara shifted ever so slightly, only to find out that the arm she was lying on was either broken or fractured near the shoulder. The intense pain it caused made her whimper noiselessly, and she grimaced, eyes screwed shut through the agony.

It was just another day for Kara Belova.

[noah]

Noah could appreciate winter for all the things it brought, - holidays, snow, gifts, drinking, snuggling, vacation - and yet, stand alone, he hated no season more than winter because of the weather. He couldn't run on a frozen track, and he couldn't swim in an icy lake, he couldn't kick a football in a snowed over field, and as such, he was left with far too much pent up energy. Winter brought on a fierce case of lethargy in Noah, but only in the morning. He was cold and grumpy, and therefore spent nearly half the day tossing and turning amongst his sheets, only to get up and find that he had nothing to do, except perhaps go for a walk.

So, after circling the icy grounds for over an hour, the Cavanite had finally given up and was planning to head inside, find some coffee and hopefully some brandy to spice it up. Popping the collar on his father's wool Navy jacket, Noah neared the school, and reached the intimidating stone pathway just in time to witness Kara throw herself down the colossal stairs. He winced, sucking in a breath at the sight, before quickening his pace, his long legs gaining twice the ground until he could kneel besides the bruised girl.

"Sorry, guess you missed the sign about the escalator being broken. It's temporarily stairs and all." Touching that spot at the top of his spine, cervical vertebrae C3 and C4, Noah laughed, not because he thought his comment had any comedic merit, but simply because he knew that it didn't; but Noah had a habit of making stupid jokes at the worst times, luckily, most found in more adorable than irritating and he could only hope that would be the case now.

His arresting gaze flickered away from the pretty face and finally took in the actual damage that had been inflicted in Kara's not-so-epic battle with the staircase. Suddenly he found himself wishing that he had been born with a gift that was slightly more useful, or that he had at least paid enough attention in class to make the one he did posses, worth something.

Noah reached forward, about to wipe a smudge from her cheek, but something had him pulling away, hesitating with his hand caught somewhere in the air between them and concern laying unguarded in his eyes.

"C'mon," Something in his tone was softer now that he had really gotten a look at the girl, since he had recognized something in her eyes, that familiar flash that had him second guessing because there were some people that just didn't want to be bothered, broken or not.

"I'll help you up to the Infirmary?"

[ĸara вelova★]

She scowled against the boy's words and the pain in her arm. His laughter grated against her already fried nerves, and she felt like spitting something acidic at him, verbally and literally. Noah's hope would be wasted; Kara already hated him.

The flash of warning shot through him heeded, Kara took her time gathering the necessary strength to sit up. Having to use her un-squished arm to push up, Kara winced as her injured arm moved. Once upright, she swayed, and gravity forced the blood that had begun to pool on her hip to drip down and soak the side of her jeans. She leaned back to brace herself on the evil steps.

"I can't walk," she spoke through closed eyes and a bowed head. Her voice was low and emotionless, her dark hair in the muted sun fell across her face, the lighter strands looking orange, which would have been red if the sun weren't hiding behind an overcast sky. She refused to look at him, and instead upon raising her lids, focused on her feet.

Kara was wearing the same thing she wore every day. Her thread-bare jeans and short red plaid winter coat with nothing underneath. She really needed a new pair of pants for Christmas, but the only person who would give her a present was Eiji, and Eiji would probably go out of his way to buy her something expensive and useless. She needed a job.

Lifting her uninjured arm so her fingers could touch the tender area on her skull, Kara pulled her hand to her eye level to examine the damage. There was a little blood; it was a shallow gash. Nothing life-threatening. But the pain from her shoulder and her hip was becoming unbearable, and now there was a cut on her lip, self-inflicted from a sharp kanine.

Maybe Noah could teleport. He could go get help. Or maybe he could teleport her. That was always an okay substitute. But if he had that ability, he probably would have mentioned it. What if he had something useless like Gift Mimicry? He'd be able to feel how much pain she was in, or even better yet make himself invisible! Whee! Kara's brows furrowed as the pain grew worse.

She tested out her right leg, but her hip and knee protested in such a way that made her gasp, having been unprepared for her nerves to respond that immediately. There was no way she was standing up on her own, what with her other ankle sprained the way it was. Like it or not, Kara was going to need Noah's help. Reluctantly and begrudgingly, she held out a pale, thin hand.