&& these days [LW!]

[C R I S I S]

Math was going to be the death of her.
Looking at the seemingly impossible strand of numbers and various symbols, it was almost enough to make her want to cry.
Almost.
It probably didn’t help that she had always had trouble in math; there was just something about the whole concept of everything she didn’t get, and despite what the teacher did to explain, she just couldn’t understand it. With a final sigh, looking at all the homework she was going to have tonight, Dominique slammed shut the fat red book, glaring hatefully at the cover for a moment, her violet gaze darkening threateningly. Black hair framing her face, a slim but not pointy figure, she was very aware of how good she looked, even for a lowly freshman, or frosh as they were so pleasantly called by those above them. She hated being at the bottom of the chain, being the weakest of the group. If there was anything she had always fought against, anything that she rebelled against more than anything else, it was being weak.
She would not be pushed around; she would not be called weak, never again. She had leaned what happened when you let people walk all over you before; and it wasn’t going to happen again.

A quick glance at the clock revealed it would be time for lunch soon—her saving grace of the day, more often then not it was the only reason she got through the day. Pulling out a notebook and a pen, the rat of the zodiac absently began to doodle, not really paying attention to what was going down on paper as much as the people around her.
Maybe she could be considered popular, but it was more of an on and off thing. People invited her to parties because they knew she would come; because once she got drunk she was a lot of fun to be around, though she always remained her distance physically from everyone. It had gotten her a…mixed reputation to say the least. Some said she was insane; she welcomed the compliment; some said she was as cold as her gaze, she figured that to be true, and some called her a true party girl, something that had amused her when she had first heard it, but annoyed her now. Party girls tended to ‘get around a lot’ and she had never so much as had a thought about what that was like. It made her sick, seeing all the girls who did it, almost enough to make her actually puke.

Her gaze flickered over her classmates; people she knew the names of, but not the people themselves. Maybe she should be more social when she was sober, but today, she just wasn’t feeling up to it. Today, more of her other personality, the one she often tried to hide, was peeking through, turning her not into someone who loved to party, but to someone who might even seem normal.
If there was such a thing, or such a possibility for her, being normal.
She had no clue who the current ‘god’ was, and had no plans to meet him or her, if she didn’t know them there was a good chance they didn’t know her, and that could mean she was safe, in a way. If the higher ups didn’t know where you were, or even who you were, they couldn’t hurt you, they couldn’t control her. She could still live her life as well as she could, even if it meant never getting close to people. Her ancestors, whoever they were, had dealt with this in the past, and she was not going to fall into the clutches of what she could not control. Turn your fear to anger; wasn’t that one of the rules of life?

The sharp ringing sound of the bell made Dominique start, her gaze sharpening back into reality. Without so much as glancing at her doodles—she was a horrible artist anyway—she grabbed her stuff, frantically shoving books into her overstuffed backpack. Someday it was going to rip and scatter her stuff all over the floor, but she would deal with that problem when the problem came. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Dominique, Dom to those who could call her friend, made for the door, glaring one last time at the problems on the math board as she did so; it was finally time for lunch!
Slinging her pack down at her next class; she was lucky they were so close to each other, Dom eagerly threw open the double doors, breathing in a deep breath of the outside; it was almost as though all the stress of the day was washed away with that breath. Tossing her hair back, eyes gleaming eagerly in the winter sunlight, it seemed as though her previous mood had been reduced to only traces; but she still wasn’t going to put up with the social dance and eat lunch. Knowing her mood, she’d probably make a fatal mistake and have to start from scratch again.

Rather, she went into the courtyard, surrounded by the flowers and massive trees, grinning slightly. Plopping down under the great maple tree, sadly leafless but still her favorite spot in the whole school, Dominique sat, gaze closing in the sunlight and soaking up the sun, even if there was no warmth behind those beams. Very few people at in the courtyard this time of year—there was still a lot of snow on the ground. Maybe she could get some peace. Fiddling with one of her many bracelets, Dominique absently cataloged her latest bruises; her combat training was a lot of work, but it made her feel safer than anything else really. There was nothing visible, the advantages of being able to wear long sleeves, but there was one on her upper arm that just hurt; the bruise itself was a deep, fascinatingly purple color.
So lost was she in her thoughts, that anyone could be watching her, or even sneak up upon her without her noticing, though the second wouldn’t be a good idea…


[sucks, I know. I'm sorry. xD I just wanted to get this thread started. =)]

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[LoneWolf]

Seiichi was only partially sneaking. See, he liked the more quieter places to have lunch. Well, this normally included trying to finished homework in this period as well so that he could do something else after school. Rather then take two more hours to cram homework in before bed and dinner. He wasn't a big fan of any subjects, though he knew them pretty good. They just got so boring. Same thing right after another. Math was the simpler formulas made more complicated with letters and new symbols. Science was still trying to 'progress' but in truth it was just annoying how they tried to teach you new things in it. Then you look over at Social Studies which you can't help but like because it's so easy. Literature wasn't much better. Harder but rather pointless. Where was the point in reading these books then writing what you thought about them? Of course, Gym and Art were his least favorites. It wasn't like he wasn't athletic or a wimp in the least, he just hated it because it had the same use everyday. To make those with little coordination, strength, or speed stand out. To stick the weaker up so they can be laughed at.

Now, you may think he would like Art. But really, no. Art was boring as well. If it was freedom art it would be better. Yes, practice makes perfect, and what not. But when you have to start writing paragraphs on old art or how to hold a paint brush and stroke properly you stop caring. Of course, Music was right next to Art. Learning how to sing, really sucks for the ones that can't. Like him for example. Though he also dislikes his art skills as well, they seemed rather like five year old's scribbles.

As he had been lost in his thoughts he just realized that he wasn't the only one in the courtyard. He looked over at who it was, seeing the girl, Dominique, he believed. She'd been one of the many to shoot out of math class. He on the other hand, had taken his time. Just to annoy the teacher who stood there tapping their foot and giving him a 'look'. One which he brushed off without second thought. He wondered what would be the best choice with her. Greet her, walk off, or ignore her. Though as he wondered about this he also went over what she was apparently like. Except, that was hard considering the fact that everyone had such mixed ideas about her it was hard to decide what was truth and what wasn't. Well, best to find out himself. After all, it was just opinions floating about anyway.

"Hello." He greeted walking over a bit closer to the tree she was under. "Thought everyone was out sitting with... People." He stated, unsure if half of those out there were friends, or only acting.

[Eh, your post is much better then mine. XD]

[C R I S I S]

It seemed as though she wasn’t going to be alone as long as she thought she was going to be; but surprisingly enough, it was not one of the many people she could usually be found around, but someone she had only a name for—Seiichi was it? He was in her math class that much she was sure of; he did a good job annoying the teacher and acting innocent all at the same time, something she approved of greatly. Watching him out of the corner of his gaze, it was rude to stare she knew, Dominique was quiet, not all too sure how to progress from this point. Aside from maybe one person, everyone she knew had been introduced to her by someone else, hindering her social skills but making things convenient. Ignoring the urge to bite her lip, it would split if she did that enough and that would result in a rather bloody mess, she absently pulled out a pencil and began tapping it against ground, before after a moment of hesitation, a notebook as well. She had quit watching him by now, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of him; she tended to be aware of everyone when on edge.

But there was no reason to be nervous! That was what got her; why she was feeling nervous when he meant her no harm, she could tell that much by his hesitation as well. What, was she afraid of actually meeting someone by herself, without a swarm of people to back her up? Was she really that weak, was she really such a coward?
Coward, such a cruel word; and the mere thought of it and herself made Dominique’s gaze burn for a moment; thankfully it was focused on the paper in front of her. Which currently was marked with various squiggles; maybe they were supposed to be graphs, they were working with them in math right now. If she stared hard enough, she could almost read the small numbers under the lines…and she was getting herself distracted as well. Sighing quietly, and brushing her hair back slightly, Dominique focused, though some part of her, the non nervous part, was excited about meeting someone by herself. The last time she had done this had been way back when, back before life had turned as it had.
Not that life was bad now, of course. Life now was great, even if she didn’t care for going ‘home.’

In her quiet musings; it had looked as though her mind had been occupied on mindless doodles, Seiichi had worked his way closer to her, standing just a little ways away from the tree she was sitting under. Starting slightly—where had her vigilance gone?—Dominique offered him a faint smile, though the brief flash of amusement in her gaze was more concealed.
”For the most part I suppose, if one wants to keep up with the social rules and regulations.” Dominique said softly, a wry twist catching the corner of her mouth.
”I just didn’t feel like it today. What about you? I don’t usually catch someone in the courtyard this time of year, most claim it is too cold for them.”
Rising to her feet in a single, fluid motion, Dominique leaned against the tree, relaxing her posture; she was no threat to him; body language was a key in conversations, and if one took simple measures in how they projected things, a lot of drama and confusion could be avoided.
”Oh, you’ll have to forgive me. I’m Dominique, but I also answer to Dom, or nearly any nickname you can get out of that name.”
Offering a tentative smile, Dominique made a faint shrugging motion—for the most part, she didn’t mind what people called her, as long as it was a good thing she would answer to it.

She was curious though, if she had happened to get his name right. She had never been good at placing faces to names in the past; the whole reason she hadn’t made a guess at his name.

[Easy to reply to = not a fail. xD]

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