//dig.it.up__andTEARit[down]•••Luke

[Natsumi Sayuri]

This was bad, so bad -- she shouldn't have done it, she shouldn't have done any of it; she was breaking again, but this wasn't the worse of it. Oh no, not even close enough to what she should be feeling, not even close to what she should be doing. The world had ceased spinning, finally, finally, but the Wolf was restless, wretched and dispirited. It was a first, and she felt emptied suddenly, as if the very fire which sustained had been snuffed out with one fatal blow. The poor girl, one disaster after another, one little climax of emotion riding the next low; what was she going to do now? Who did she have, now?

Her eyes refused to water, her skin refused to be warmed: she was hollowed out, the blood crusting on her skin, her eyes distant, reviling the very world which had sought to make a claim on her. What was she now? Alone and cut free? I did it, I did it... but it was a hysterical thought, her breath catching with the laughter of one who couldn't cope anymore. This was too much for someone so small, for someone so tortured.

She kept swinging, one extreme to the next, and it was wearing her down: her heart couldn't take it. Eyes downcast, heart splitting into so many little fractured pieces, Rin didn't know what path she followed; she didn't feel the Wolf moving inside of her like some living balm. For once, she felt completely human, completely normal... completely forgotten. Arms clinging to her sides, body hunched over as she stumbled over the steps, as she leaned against the wall of the hall and smearing drying, cracking blood along it's pictorial purity, Rin was succumbing to inevitability.

Where was the irrational ferocity? Where was the rage? She should be mad, she should be happy -- she had nearly ripped the woman's throat out, had nearly, so close, she could still taste it! So close, the death lingering in that woman's breath had tainted her very mouth, had poisoned her tongue; no hollow echo of the Wolf's footfalls greeted the thought. Nothing but the immensity of the act, the barbarity of her actions, in front of him. He had seen her, had watched her -- and had taken that bitch's side ... but instead of rage, there was only self-hatred, only a knotted tension in her gut as she waited for the final blow: the wolf that lifts it's muzzle one final time before it's conqueror comes and slips its fangs through it's throat.

Rin whimpered, a sound so pathetic and utterly human as she leaned against the wall, as she crashed against gravity, and hung her head against it -- blood clung to her hair, not her own, but his yes, yes, so much worse the scope of this terrible deed. His own blood on her skin, the very rebellion she feared most in herself. She had done what she should never have done, had lashed out in anger at someone she had most respected, most feared. No wonder he didn't choose her.

Unstable brat; too willing to turn on the hand that feeds, even if the hand had slapped her around, had ripped her very heart out from her chest. Was that indignation shifting beneath her skin? Rin didn't know, couldn't tell, and quickly left the burning embers of herself fall into ash and soot. What good was she? Another laugh escaped her as she tilted her head, as she squeezed her eyes shut so tight, hoping, praying that it would just all disappear, that this was just another nightmare in a string of nightmares.

There was a rot underneath her skin, turning her courage and her mettle to mush; she was deteriorating, this battle-hardened warrior, full of scars and broken bones. She stumbles forward again, that breathless laugh silenced by the enormity of the deed she had left behind. Nightfall had come, and with it, emptiness.

Yet there was a scent here, she remembered, a scent that the girl craved, that stirred that ashy fireplace within herself: a gentle rustle of sentience that moved her, made her suddenly conscientious. Her nostrils flared, her eyes flicking over the numbers, the doors, the seemingly endless hallways. This scent, yes, yes -- she was rising from her gloom, almost there, almost; her nose followed it, that musky scent of cat and male, that solidity that comes from knowing there is still someone out there, someone who the Wolf in her considered pack. There was something...someone... yes... yes. Her fingers reach out, knuckles rapping at the door feeling at once vulnerable and on the verge of finding herself again.

Mura, Mura -- who was Mura? What a laugh, to try to dismiss this person so close to her, but he had chosen, and so would she. No, no, she had chosen, and had walked away. She knocked, breathless, Etta's blood sticky in her hair, sticking to her slender neck and jaw line where she had not been able to wipe it away. She was bruised, exhausted, heart broken; she had done what she should never have done, and it hurt her pride to crawl to this door, to knock on it: but she was afraid of being alone, was afraid of the emptiness in her heart and in her soul. Where, God, please, where was the Wolf?

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word count;; 905
tags;; OLLIE!
OOC;; FMLYHM is a great song for Rin ,_,

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[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

Luke was pretty much alone in his dorm room. Well, his roommates weren’t there. He didn’t know where they were and nobody had gone up or down the halls in the past hour, so he was beginning to think everyone was attending some kind of special event that he didn’t even know about. Depending on the type of event, would have depended on whether or not he would have been interested in it anyways. Part of him had wanted to go out and check, but he would have felt like an idiot. More importantly, something had told him that he should stay in his dorm. Yes, the Jaguar had told him. Rarely did it speak verbally, even when he talked to it. But it had come out and told him that he should stay in his dorm. He had yet to figure out why.

Since he had decided to stay, he had to put up with the other kid in the room. He had knocked almost an hour ago and had claimed to be waiting on one of his roommates to get back. That was one way to find them, he guessed. But there were better ways that he could think of off the top of his head to find someone, and it didn’t include waiting around in their dorm room. From what he had gathered, the kid was in one of the lower grades. Possibly in seventh or eighth grade. Luke sprawled out on his bed and turned his head slightly to look at the kid. He had been sitting up, but was laying back now as he was. The kid also turned his head to look at him when he did. If he was bored waiting, that was his own problem. Luke wasn’t about to entertain him. He sighed and turned back around, hearing the boy sigh and more than likely doing the same. After a moment of waiting, he turned back to look at him. The kid looked at him too. ”I should tell you now that I have no problem coming over there and smashing your face in.”

Sure, he would probably hear it from his roommate, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. The boy only sighed and looked away – there went his entertainment for his wait. Luke reached up on his chest with his hand, his finger clasping around his dorm key. He had put it on a chain to keep track of it. The boy stood up and began walking around the room, pacing from one end to the other. His eyes followed him as he paced and finally stopped. Curiously, he picked up an object and Luke released his key from his fingers. His eyes focused on the cell phone in the boys hand and gritted his teeth. Pushing off of his bed, he walked over to the boy and snatched the cell phone away from him.

”What is your fucking problem? You don’t touch things that don’t belong to you.” One of his hands had unconsciously grabbed the boy’s wrist and he pushed him away. He looked down as he held it in his hand. The cell phone wasn’t even his. It belonged to Rin. He didn’t know why he was so protective over it. Luke hadn’t seen her since she left him in the library, so he hadn’t actually had the chance to return it. Although he had considered taking it to her dorm room one time, but decided against the idea almost after it came to him. She was an unpredictable person, so the best case was to keep it and wait for her to get it. Even though she didn’t really care about it at all.

He heard a knock on the door and looked up. The boy had returned to the bed, almost as if nothing had happened. He could have sworn there was something wrong with him. After placing the phone back in its original spot, he tossed a warning glare towards the kid and opened the door. Of all people, there was Rin. She must have been psychic or something. That wouldn’t have surprised him at all. His first thought was that she really must have decided she wanted the phone back. Maybe she wanted that guy’s number out of it. That thought was quickly wiped away when he noticed the blood on her. ”Oh God,” he whispered, stunned.

”What happened to you?” His eyes ran over her hair and her skin. It was obvious that it was blood, but whether it was hers or it belonged to someone else, he didn’t know. Had she been walking around the school like that? He slowly reached his hand out, but paused in mid-air. Instead, he pulled his hand back and spun around, towards the kid. ”Get out.” Confused, the kid just looked at him.”But I haven’t even seen my friend yet!” Luke walked over and grabbed his shirt, pushing him out the door. ”Then I suggest you go and look for him.” After watching the boy walk off, he turned to look at Rin, holding the door open slightly. ”Come in.”

tagged , Rin!
words , 856
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
notes , No YAHTZEE! I changed my code around, in case I didn’t in the last thread. So it’s easier to read.<3
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

She was lost -- her eyes dilated, her breath stopped, her heart, yes that terrible, aching knot of agony, it was there, somehow, somewhere, beneath all the soot and grime, beneath the rot of her emptiness. She was lost, and hoping, so fervently that she was close to being found; she followed the scent, unable to ignore it, unable to stop her feet from stumbling forward, her fingers from reaching out; she needed to know, to see, to feel, to know that through this terrible emptiness there was still someone out there who was whole, someone who would look at her as if she were not simply some basket case. Someone, who would just see Rin, and not the emotional baggage she carried under each arm. It was a palpable thing, this slowly dawning hope, this facet of the Wolf that had become inseparable from the girl.

Her fingers ached where she knocked on the door, her chest tightened at the pause, at the momentary breathlessness; perhaps he was not here. Perhaps, just perhaps she had truly been imagining this, an illusion as forthright as it was heartbreaking. Biting her lip, her eyes slipping down, hands returning to their hard grip on her arms, she seemed to be melting away: a ghost on the verge of disappearing. Peace... what was peace? Rin laughed softly, hollowly -- a slippery sound of wet breath as she took a step back, on the verge of moving, of turning away when the door opened; when the light in those blue eyes swept over her.

Heart hammering, yes that ghastly, rotted pit, thrashing away within her, Rin tilted her head, looking up at him in momentary disbelief. He was here, he was real; no dream this, but real flesh and blood -- her nose twitched, drawn in by the smell of his shift, by the smell of his gender, knowing the combination for what it was: comfort. Safety. She was safe, right? This, this haven he had offered over a week ago, this sanctuary from the madness in her brain, from the terror of her life in this school -- he had offered, and he wouldn't turn her away, right? Not now. Please, not now when the rest of the world felt as if it were pushing her away into the dark. Oh God,

[/b] he whispers, and his breath carries with it, his reality. What happened to you?[/b] -- hand outstretched, and Rin takes a half-step back, unable to to quiet the urge to flee from touch.

Why dirty another? Why spread this sickness in her heart?

Rin tries to find the words, and fails: what words were there that could encompass all of her feelings? If there was just one word, she would utter it, but the human language was not made for this sort of melancholy, for this extreme descent into depression and confusion. It was made for communicating, for sure, for sure -- but the girl had too long closed herself off. What words could be spoken? --- and the scent hit her, another male; Luke's absence felt like a gaping hole, so dramatically gone, so completely forgotten; the boy stumbled past her and she drew herself away from him, his stench nauseating in it's irritation. Closing her eyes briefly, she turned toward Luke, slightly, so slightly.

Come in, and so easily the dam broke, asylum granted in a rush of relief as she half-laughed, as she clutched at her arms, ducking into the room, struck by the odd mixture of scents. The world was muted by greys and blues, untouched by the fiery colors of her usual passion -- she looked over her shoulder at Luke, feeling guilt-ridden and tired. "I didn't do it." she says, softly, hesitating. "I swear I didn't do anything to her. Or him." -- too many fights since she had last seen Luke, too much blood and brutality for her to get it all straight.

What was she saying? Him? Mura, or Rhys? Death in human skin, or that green-eyed cougar come to hurt her for no reason at all. Emotions rushed up, unbidden, and terrible. "I didn't mean to hurt them. They just... they..." like a puppet, she seemed to collapse, her knees bending as she perches on the balls of her feet, arms quickly coming round her knees hard. She peers up at him, muffled, unable to look him in the eye, "Everyone wants to hurt me." and she bites her tongue hard, to cease the on-coming of tears. Numbness, like everything else, will eventually wear off. But the Wolf, with her confidence, was gone, gone.
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word count;; 773
tags;; Ollie ;3
OOC;; sadness o.o

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[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

Luke was glad to have that kid leave. He had been looking for an excuse to kick him out, other than just doing it because he wanted to. Perhaps it was a little mean that he didn’t actually care whether that kid was crying now because he had kicked him out. He didn’t actually think the kid was doing that, though. He didn’t exactly look like the type to cry easily over someone being mean, despite his very young age. After she entered the room, he checked the hallway behind her. Somehow she had managed to make it to his room without anybody noticing her. Or at least without any teachers noticing, otherwise he didn’t now what the penalty would have been for fighting. Which was the only excuse he could come up with for the blood. It didn’t just come from nowhere, right?

He closed the door behind him and turned to look at her. It was easy for him to guess at the people she was talking about. The same two that they had talked about at the library before she left. She had told him she wouldn’t do it. But now he couldn’t remember whether she had been talking about killing the girl or just hurting her. He walked over to his mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and picked up a rag. Luke had a mix of things in his room. He preferred to use his own towel and rags when taking showers, rather than those that the school provided. At this school, it was hard to tell what kind of pranks people would pull. He just felt safer using his own stuff. ”Whose blood?” he asked, pouring some of the water onto the rag. ”Is it yours?”

Even though she claimed she didn’t do anything, the blood said otherwise. Unless she just meant that she didn’t start anything, but she likely finished it. She was a vulnerable person all around. He had learned that much. She put on a stiff front, but that’s what people had to get past. They had to dig deeper. Stopping at the first obstacle in the road wasn’t going to do anybody a bit of good. Part of him just wanted to hold her and make her feel better. To tell her how everything would be okay. But what good did it do to just tell somebody that? It wasn’t very helpful if he couldn’t do anything and even worse, he had no proof that everything would be okay.

He bent down in front of her and placed the bottle of water to the side. He had made note of her withdrawal earlier, so he figured it would be better to offer the rag to her and let her clean herself off. Everyone? He wondered how many fights she had been in since they last met. Not that he was claiming that they were all her fault, but he was curious all the same. He studied her a moment and then held up the rag for her. ”Hey, don’t panic. You’re safe here.” Well, she was safe as long as a mob of teachers didn’t come running in. After watching her, he sat down on the floor, looking for any cuts or bruises. He didn’t think everyone could want to hurt her, but if a few people did, it could seem like everyone. Especially if one of the people hurting her was someone she really cared about. She had helped him solve a problem of his own. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t talked to his parents at all since that night. Now he wished he could just help her solve one of her own. Hopefully tonight she wouldn’t run off and leave him like she had done last time. "Who have you been fighting?"

tagged , Rin!
words , 634
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
notes , I know. D:
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

Thump, thump, thump; her heart, an echo, a terrible thrashing beginning where she did not feel it. It was starting, so slowly, so terribly, this ache, this overwhelming abandonment. She had come here, in desperation -- her eyes lifted, courage a hollow thing as she stared up at him, as she watched the way his eyes moved, the way his shoulders twitched as he thought, as he analyzed. Was he trying to predict her movements? Was he trying to understand? Did it matter? She shattered these presumptions without thinking -- it was her nature to be unpredictable, to follow a pattern set in her heart that had nothing to do with thought, but simple emotions. She fought, she cried, she lived; with no other options available to her, Rin ran hard and fast from the nightmares of a past life she had only so recently escaped.

Visions of a broken family seep through the age old wound in her chest, purring with delight at the instinctual fear in the girl. Her fingers clenched in her clothes, gripping the ripped vestiges of her pants; the change had come fast, without thought -- she didn't remember throwing her clothes away, didn't remember anything but that heartbeat that had intertwined the wolf and the girl, that brilliant howl that had decimated reason, had forced her to seek, to destroy the thing which taunted her, the thing before her which had cowered like a beast. If she hadn't run? Head dropping down to her knees, Rin snorted slightly, a pained smile curling the edges of her mouth. If she hadn't run? But they do -- always, forever. The grey had run. The white had run. Now this girl, this Etta had taken something precious from her and taunted her with it. Like a child too stupid to realize they were baiting the sleeping bear, she had come to her with ill intentions, had paraded before her misery with gloating happiness. Etta had known before Rin did the choice Murazar would have made. Etta had known... and yet...

Squeezing herself tight as if it would stop the emotions from leaking out from her grip, Rin quivered, her body strung taut with tension. Safety -- yes, safety. This place had no memories of Murazar, no memories of Rhys, of Dimitri, of Liam. Nothing of Rose, or Etta. This... this place was perfectly blank, riddled with the paling scent of old food and clean sheets. Her nose worked, though her mind remained blank, though she watched Luke through half-lidded eyes. Were her eyes red from crying? Or was that simply blood? She might have laughed; Rin couldn't tell anymore. The numbness was falling away beneath the pain.

Whose blood? Is it yours?

[/b] -- oh that living, hateful heart. She tensed, and could not find the words. Yes. No. His. Hers. Too simple, too vague -- he wanted details, his commingled compassion and curiosity sharp against the sensitivity in her skin. Rin couldn't bear it, almost, almost; what was she doing here? Crashing on the floor, flinging herself at him because being alone would be the worst thing she'd ever imagined facing today. No point in crying over the blood, or the flood of emotion: only that emptiness, that void that gaped up inside of her as she realized she had isolated herself again. She was alone again. Dying again, so slowly, so quietly fading away in the corner -- but if she held on tightly to Luke, if she forced herself to feel, to breathe this pain, perhaps she could prove she lived, perhaps the numbness which faded from her fingertips, from the shock of her deed, would alleviate the hurt that dwelled deeper than physicality. Hey, don’t panic. You’re safe here.[/b]

There was kindness in his voice, in his scent as he drew closer, as he offered the rag; with trembling fingers she reached out and grabbed it, squeezing it slightly as water dripped over her hands. Yet it was more than kindness that had brought her here to him, more than the friendship he may have perceived. Rin held his nature on her tongue, and it was strong, bold; it was the solitary confidence of one used to living on their own, one used to being strong for themselves, supporting themselves; for Rin, so integrated with the needs of the Wolf, she could not help but be attracted to it -- that inevitable strength that called to her heart. Made of loyalty, she was much like a dog at his feet, wanting nothing more than to fill and stuff herself of his confidence; was she replacing him? Was Mura to be erased with someone greater? She didn't know, didn't think -- simply acted as she usually did. Her hand reached out, grabbing onto the ends of his shirt, don't go away.

Who have you been fighting?

Nothing but truth between them. No lies, no half-hearted omissions. Rin didn't smile but she didn't look away, either. You're safe here -- she held that close. "The blood isn't all mine. I think my cuts have re-opened on my back where Rhys got me a while back." she released him, running the cloth over the ends of her hair, wrinkling her nose as it slowly turned red. "I found Etta you know?" she smiles, half-hearted as she lowers her knees and sits with her legs folded underneath her in a pretzel. "I kept my promise. I didn't do anything. This boy followed me and attacked me though. " she shrugs, but winces. "Etta goaded me today... and then ran. It--it wasn't my fault. Mu----" she catches herself eyes flicking away. No lies, no lies "Murazar interfered and chose her over me, though I didn't do anything wrong." oh.. these tears burned the harshest, but she held them back, holding onto this hurt more fiercely than she had that woman's throat.

It was growing, but she couldn't stop it; she dropped her face into her open palm, mumbling, "I'm sorry, Luke." For so many things, but she didn't dare say it.
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word count;; 1012
tags;; Ollie ^//////^
OOC;; Ah... I just realized I forgot to add stuff about the hurricane. Damnitall -__-

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[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

Luke sat forward on his knees as he made himself comfortable on the floor. He looked down at her hand as it grasped his shirt. She was so needy. But it wasn’t the annoying kind of needy for some reason. It made him want to do whatever he could to make her feel better. He didn’t honestly know how good of a job he was doing – the only thing he could do was be her friend. He lifted his hand off of the floor and placed it over hers. Luke listened as she talked about this guy – Rhys. A fight had taken place that he hadn’t even known about. He was tempted to look at the cuts along her back, but didn’t want her to feel awkward about it. His hand pulled away from hers as she let go of his shirt and he watched her run the rag over her hair. The dried blood began turning back into the red liquid it originally was.

He nodded as she continued talking – this Etta person seemed to cause some real trouble. ”So this..Rhys just attacked you for no reason?” He had picked up the water bottle and was now tightening his grip around it, so that the plastic folded inward slightly. When people hurt his friends, he didn’t want to think logic. He just wanted to get payback and kick their ass for whatever they did wrong. Luke was almost surprised when she said Murazar’s name. Even though he had put them together from the number in her cell phone, she hadn’t said his name before. He wasn’t sure why she changed her mind now. She was an unpredictable person, but he could deal with that.

Luke caught himself from asking her why she was so into Murazar, when he just kept hurting her. He guessed that she had her reasons, but the more he found out about what this guy does to her, the more he wanted to confront him about it. He knew who he was and he knew that more than likely he would get his ass kicked. The rule “there’s no harm in trying” didn’t apply to that situation either, but sometimes that was the stuff people had to do. ”Who is this Rhys guy?” Somehow he didn’t think she would appreciate him confronting Mura, but he could at least get this other kid back for causing her more pain. He could see it all in her face, even though she was trying to keep it back. Perhaps trying to hide it. But he didn’t want her to hide it from him. She dropped her face into her hand, apologizing even though he didn’t think she had any reason to apologize to him.

He raised his hand up to gently touch her face, lifting them up towards him. ”You don’t have to apologize to me,” he whispered to her. As he pulled his hand from her face, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly for a moment, being careful because of the cuts on her back, and then finally pulled away. ”You’re going to be okay,” he told her, smiling slightly. Somehow he would have to find a way to make sure she would be. He nearly jumped at the sudden loud noise pounding on the roof. It sounded a lot like rain and if it had been drizzling before then, he hadn’t noticed. The building creaked slightly under the pressure of the rain and wind. It was too dark outside for him to see anything but the rain slapping against the window.

It gave a groan as if under pressure and suddenly shattered. Luke leaned forward and covered their heads as the pieces of glass fell. Most of them fell before the window pane, but a few flew further into the room. As far as he could tell, none of them had landed on them. Once he thought it was safe, he looked up towards the window. Rain forced itself through the now broken window and the wind helped encourage it. He could feel it throwing itself against his skin as it flew into the room. Taking a deep breath, Luke turned back towards Rin. ”Are you okay?”

tagged , Riin!
words , 739
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
notes , Hope this is good for you. :P Sorry for the wait.
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

Somewhere there was a memory, nibbling away at her sanity, nudging the last of her wits into a fetal position to be devoured and destroyed. Somewhere beneath the fragility was the cause of all this -- the terror of all this. It was in the way he moved, the way he looked at her -- it was the sounds she heard, so distant and soft. Was the storm an illusion, was the rain simply a manifestation of her own horror? She lived, she breathed, but Rin was truly a delicate thing, easily broken down by the slightest breeze; the breeze had become a torrent, a monster unearthed in the warmth of the ocean's currents, and it was spiraling upward -- a descending typhoon of cataclysm come to rip the very roofs from over there head. It started with a rattling, this slow creeping evil, this calamity as volatile as the hurt buried within Rin's heart.

He was speaking to her, but though she was watching him, though her ears strained to catch the rhythm of his breath, the sounds that slipped over his tongue and lips, she could not; she saw through the memory, saw through the source, and could only see red; her vision shuttered and shook, broken apart by the sheer immensity of this fear, stinking of filth. In her hands was a coma of death, blood sinking into the cloth he had given her. These hands, yes, these murderous hands. Everyone wanted to hurt her? For what she had done to her brother, her light, her life, she deserved it. But that wasn't the evil that clicked it's nails against the window -- that was not the shadow that gathered int he corners of the ceiling. No, it was the after, yes, yes, the awakening -- the knowing, the feeling of breath squeezing out of your throat, of the hell which unleashes a fury, the first, and never the last.

So convoluted these thoughts, tattered and stitched together without a care to transition. She would condemn herself with the same breath that she pleaded for help -- so confused this little girl as she sat before him, as she felt the heat between their bodies flex and move, drawing closer, closer. He was a strength she needed -- without it, she could not stand upright. What was a Wolf without it's pack? She was truly a pathetic thing, at once fiery and broken, at once feral and completely, hopelessly, vulnerable.

Rain spat against the window, but Rin could only hear her heart, hear his own heart as he moved closer, as her own hand fell away from his shirt -- as the warmth of fell away. Sorry, so sorry -- and she could not spit the words out, could not explain without tears, could not truly convey with these misleading words what was in her heart. She apologized, but it was a terrible thing to feel as if it were not enough to fill the void in her chest; the memory wiggled and moved, shifting this way and that -- the sound of the rain increased, the wind caressing the windows, trees clashing together. Somewhere, far away, three stupid boys were on a boat, on the edge of drowning. Somewhere, far away, there was an unmarked grave full of broken bones and regurgitated flesh. Here, yes, secluded in this island, unable to get to grips with reality was Rin, trembling where Luke's hand seared into her skin.

Separated from everything she had ever known, sold like a cheap whore to the first bidder, leaving behind bitter memories of death and terror, of fear and brutality, the Wolf had raised it's head and howled in these very woods. The Wolf had been alone, and now it was Rin's turn to feel isolated and lonely, to feel cast aside by a man who had become family, to be detested a young wolf shifter who had no idea of the fury knotted in Rin's heart. It worked. Congratulations ladies and gentlemen, the show had only begun, and already you've stripped her bare, skinny and underfed, a terrible hunger in her eyes that could not be satiated by food. Luke was too nice in his own way, feeding the hungry girl the only thing she ever wanted: affection. Her eyes were large and black in her face, eyelids trembling. He was so sincere, too sincere, whetting her appetite for more. She opened her mouth to speak but he was hugging her, and she felt the wafting warmth of him envelop her like a blanket; the strength of his arms, the comfort, the safety, the extension of this welcome. Muscles loosened despite his fingers being close to the claw marks, tension melting away. You’re going to be okay

[/b] -- looking at him, how could she not believe it? So certain, it was impossible to argue.

But the storm, like her memories, were stirring, rousing to a fierceness that defied reason -- it seemed as if only moments passed between his arms leaving her, and them coming back around; a moment stretched out in eternity as she stared at the window, at the rain and howling wind. A moment of eternity as the sheer force blew open the window, as he protected her face, one of her hands clenching in his shirt, frightened, truly frightened of this double attack.

The sea had always been a monster, gnawing at the edges of the shore -- no one had believed her when she had watched it suspiciously: now it rose up over the shore and was going to swallow them whole. Only rain, now, but it was powerful as it pelted through the shattered window, as the walls seem to creak and groan, pressured by the heavy gales. Her heart hammering in her throat, she barely heard him ask Are you okay?[/b]

"Yeah. I think." she responds breathlessly, automatically -- she rises up, standing as the wind forces the debris of glass across the floor: her hair whips back over her shoulder, harsh and fluid. Grabbing onto Luke's arm she tugged upward, "Don't stay on the ground." Water drenched the floor near the broken window, but Rin was more concerned about the sight outside -- the clouds rumbling and converging, puking out darker circles of clouds and rainfall. "I..." she starts to say, her words failing her as her wide eyes peer out against the forceful wind, the ever slanted rain. She hugs herself, feeling fear in her very bones: instinct kicking her in the ribs, screaming at her to run, run, run[/b] -- but where could she go? This is an island. There was no outrunning this storm. Feeling particularly suffocated and trapped, Rin struggles and clamps it down. "Do you have anything to cover the window with?" She looks back at him, her fingers touching on the edges, though the rain was hitting her -- it didn't matter, not this, at least. There was something bigger coming, she could feel it in her bones. Better this, than waiting for the monster to swallow her. Better fighting, than simply rolling over and giving up. [/BLOCKQUOTE][/COLOR][/SIZE]

word count;; 1192
tags;; Ollie-baby!
OOC;; Rin really is needy -__- sidenote: yay for graphicing. XD

[/SIZE]

[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

Yeah. I think.

[/b]

Luke felt a tug on his arm and he looked up at Rin, who was attempting to pull him up. His free hand grasped at his bed as he helped pull himself to his feet. The wind whipped at his shirt, threatening to throw him off balance. He squinted towards the window as the rain sailed into the room, damping everything in its path – the floor, his bed, and the walls. What kind of storm shattered a window so easily and in that matter of time? He heard Rin beside him and turned to look at her. Her emotions were apparent on her face; she was scared. He was frightened too, but mostly because the building sounded like it was going to fall apart. Luke touched her arm reassuringly as she asked if he had anything to place over the window.

Perhaps if he taped a bag over the window, it would hold back the rain and wind. For awhile at least. Reaching under his bed, he felt around the floor until his hand grasped the trash bags. He had to admit it felt like he had half of a house in his room sometimes. When he had first arrived, he never knew what to expect. It wasn’t as if there was a website or anything with details of what everything looked like and how everything worked, so he just took whatever he thought would be useful. That included towels, washrags, trash bags, and so on. He dug around in his bedside table drawer and found a roll of duct tape. He hoped the wind wouldn’t pull it off, but maybe it would keep his room from being flooded out by all of the rain.

”Can you tape this?” he asked, holding out the tape to her. He spread the bag across the open window space so that it could be taped down. The rain started soaking his shirt the moment he headed towards the window. The wind and rain pushed at the bag, as if trying to resist being kept out of the room. He had been in a hurricane one other time and this seemed somewhat like how the other one had been. But he wasn’t sure just how bad it was outside, since he couldn’t see much. At the time of the last hurricane he had been in, he hadn’t known what to do really. Now he somewhat knew of a basic procedure that would make it a little safer at least. He picked up a blanket and a few extra water bottles and grabbed her hand. ”Come on. Let’s go downstairs.”

As far as he knew, all of the bedrooms had windows in them, and he knew that it wasn’t safe to be around them. He held onto her hand tightly as he ran down the hall and towards the stairs. He peered down the steps as he slowly made his way down them. There didn’t seem to be any water on the floor so the door seemed to be holding for now. As he reached the bottom, he placed the water and the blanket against the wall. They were at the end of the hallway, opposite the door leading outside. He guessed it was the safest place for them to be without going outside, since they were on the first floor and they weren’t close to anymore windows that could shatter on them. They were lucky that none of the glass from the window upstairs had cut them. ”We should be okay down here,” he told her, leaning up against the wall and wiping water and sweat from his forehead. He was surprised nobody else had come out of their dorms yet.
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tagged , Rin
words , 657
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
notes , None.
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

Fear. Did Luke know the word? Did he know how it felt to have it strangling his throat? To have it's fingers slipping over his shoulders so lovingly; to have it's sticky eyes on his face, watching, waiting for the reaction, for the hell to break loose? Yes, she was afraid, but it was a fear created by human hands, by human cruelty. It was a fear that had been forced into the deepest, darkest parts of her psyche, scratched in broken words and straining breath. It was written in the blood of her brother, of Taro, of Kimi, that little girl which hadn't done anything to deserve to die the way she did. Fear was her past; fear was her present, and it threatened her future, lingering, hovering in the air with the taste of humidity, that slick sweat that gathered beneath the heaviness of her hair.

That memory, that horrible feeling of her father's hands, of that water, that dry heaving taste -- bubbles, light, blinding pain: blood in her mouth, revolting and terrible--- that memory is what had created Rin. Sayuri died the moment her jaws had sprung free of her human face, the moment she had been unable to contain the urge, to see past the pain: the moment the Wolf had come with it's fire, it's wicked tongue, it's wicked desires and overpowered her. It was this memory which made her harsh, made her cold and hot at once -- made Rin so distant from others, and clinging to the select few she trusts.

But trust is such a flimsy thing -- she gives it wholeheartedly, watching in silence as it is torn and broken, as human hands, always, always those humans which judge and discard her. Luke is speaking, but there is only water in her head, only water, drowning her, surrounding her. Her fingers tremble where she tapes, obediently without words, without conscious thought -- she is reacting to him, submitting to him, a wolf giving way beneath the authority of pack. Water spills over her face, hiding the surge of tears, the reckless heartache that makes Rin stumble: she is clumsy with the tape, but it is done.

Glass lays shattered at her feet, and she sees a part of herself in it -- she is suffocating, for sure, yes. To be reckless and uncaring: Rin is simply waiting to be restrained, to be held back. Is that all it takes? Is this all she ever wanted? Who knows? Her thoughts are on the warmth in her hand as he pulls her quickly out of the room, as her feet stumble over themselves and follow. Rin follows, but she is confused, her heart pounding away in her chest -- he is so sure and it makes her jealous. He just ... exists, and the world settles into sense; her fingers tighten in his as she throws a look over her shoulder, watching doors, memories unsettled and lifting up. There is a loud roar of wind in her ears -- an echo of the storm inside of her. It reflects her misery, frightens her, isolates her. So pathetic and pitiful this sight of her as she folds her legs beneath her and sits on the floor next to Luke; water-logged, ragged and worn, Rin feels as if the slightest motion would burst what was left of her calmness.

We should be okay down here.

[/i] -- she doesn't say anything initially, her eyes flicking to the side to see him, as wet and uncomfortable as she probably was. Rin cracks a smile at how idiotic this situation is, running her fingers through her hair, pushing it back so it doesn't suffocate her face; she smiles, but there is only a wry twist of her lips here, only a short laugh as she draws her knees up slightly, elbow on her kneecap. "It's pathetic how scared I am." she says, self-deprecating as she drops her head down slightly to her arm. Really, really... "really pathetic."

The tension which had fled from between her shoulders has returned, knotting up her muscles, seizing them up with that wretched fear. Vivid images of water break free and rushing through this hall replay in her mind, over and over... and always, she in the corner drowns. "You know, I can't swim." her tone is almost playful as she props her head up on her palm, her stringy hair ruffled about her face.

And the worst? The niggling sensation that she was the worst kind of person: forcing others into her own pace, unwilling to bend, unwilling to give up her pride for the sake of others. Rin should have been alone, and yet, when everything had crashed around her ears, she still had somewhere to go; she should be grateful, but instead, couldn't help but feel guilty. [/BLOCKQUOTE][/COLOR][/SIZE]

word count;; 831
tags;; skidoosh!
OOC;; *too lazy to even try proof-reading*

[/SIZE]

[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

Luke slid down the wall and sat down on the floor. One deep breath and then another. He closed his eyes and leaned his head up against the wall. Both the wall and the floor were cold as they pressed up against his skin. His shirt was mostly soaked from the rain. He hoped the bag was holding for a bit. Or that the tape was holding it down still. But if it really was a hurricane, then a broken window in his dorm room was going to be the least of his problems. It was going to be the least of everybody’s problems. He opened his eyes as she spoke and turned his head to look at her. He wasn’t sure if she was talking about the storm or if in general. ”You have been hurt. It’s okay to be scared.” He turned his eyes towards the door at the other end of the hallway which was shaking from the wind pressure against it.

”As for the storm, well…” He jumped slightly at the loud burst of thunder that seemed to rumble even the ground. ”I’m afraid too. I may not always look like it on the outside, but I am.” This confession of weakness, he gave to her. Confessing stuff like that was not always an easy thing for him to do. He reminded himself who he was talking to, though. She had proven trustworthy since they had agreed to be friends. There was always that risk of being backstabbed by anybody, but he had willingly taken that risk with Rin. There were only two people who could confide in in the whole world – what would he do without anybody?

Luke laughed a little as she confessed she couldn’t swim. He wasn’t laughing at her confession, but rather laughing in hopes of making the situation not seem so bad. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently kissed the top of her head. ”Don’t worry. I’m not going to let you drown.” His extra curricular activity was swimming, so he could swim for the both of them. Although outside of the building, if it was flooding, the current would make it even harder to do so. ”Are you cold?” He held the blanket out towards her. It was good enough to keep them warm, he figured. A loud noise echoed through the hallway, causing him to jump as the door slammed open against the wall. From what he could see, it was starting to flood a little bit, but not enough to start drowning buildings. Luke jumped up and ran towards the door – the closer he got to it, the more the wind pushed at him to try and keep him back.

He reached for the handle and pulled himself to the wall so that he could get behind the door and push it. The distance slowly closed as he struggled against the wind to close it. He turned on his back as it pushed shut. The wind shouldn’t have been able to push the door open like that, unless it hadn’t been just the wind that had opened it. He looked around at the closed doors and then walked over to one and tried the handle. It was locked, so he tried the next one. The storm was going to cause enough damage without him breaking doors to try and get in. ”I need to find something heavy to put in front of the door,” he told Rin, pushing open the door to a room and walking in. Whether that was the safest thing to do, he didn’t know, but if the storm got worse, the door could blow open again.

tagged , Rin!
words , 615
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
notes , Yay for storms.
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

Oh she knew, this heartache inside of her; she knew the words she should never speak -- she knew that to keep those around her, she had to be strong, be independent... but Rin was hardly any of these things. Without pack, without friends, family to surround her, support her she was a loose canon, wildly shooting at whoever looked at her the wrong way -- she was without bounds, without regrets, constantly shifting into the maddened creature she most feared. But that creature had fallen into silence, leaving nothing but a giant gaping hole in the middle of her existence -- she could not cope with that enduring silence, that untouchable fire that lingered in the crevices of her grief. It was as if Mura's harsh words had forced the Wolf to disobey all laws and to dissipate into nothingness. Would she ever shift again? Would she ever be able to lift her muzzle and how to the indifferent sky?

There was something here, a ghastly memory that was moving and living inside of her, a worm, a worn old tapeworm slipping and sliding through her veins, around her spine. Luke was entirely too nice to someone who did not deserve it, supporting her in the way she needed most, accepting her in the way she craved; her eyes slipped to the side to meet his, smiling ever so slightly at what he tried to give her: this gift, this trust. How could she accept it as she was? How could she take this kindness, this friendship of comfort and safety? Rin was cold, to the bone, but still it burned her where he touched his lips the top of her head -- a heaviness she had never felt before.

For the briefest moment the smokey edges of her dormant fire seemed to stir to life, the Wolf with it's blazing eyes seemed to be glimpsed; in that quick-moving heartbeat, it manifested and disappeared, a whiff of the familiar giving Rin strength, giving her back her control, her edge, her harshness. She could be strong -- if the Wolf was still here, if Luke was here; she could stand, and know herself, as long as there was somewhere here who looked at her and didn't see lies, didn't see fear: only truth. Yes, see her for what she was: untamed and uncouth, but still very much herself, still very much in love with the possibilities of the future.

Wind howled, long and loud and Rin shivered, lifting her hands up to cover her ears, looking like a little girl for all her thoughts on strength and endurance. Her senses keen, her heart ice-cold, she was too aware of the violence crashing around outside.Are you cold? -- yes, so cold, but she did not say it, could not speak past the howling that echoed in her ears. "Do you --" the wind raised it's own violent muzzle, it's fangs cutting into the door as it slammed open.

Again, time froze, moving at a pace as quiet as a snails, as molasses pouring over your skin, all sticky and unbearable. Luke was quick to rise up, to move through the wind and the rain -- Rin rose, leaving blanket behind, leaving the safe little corner behind ... the rain, the wind, it was too loud for her, too impossible for her to ignore. It roared and crashed, thunder slipping beneath her skin and rumbling against the cage of her chest. Did he hear this too? Did Luke know what this madness felt inside of his head? She reached forward as the water gushed forward, lapping at her shoes -- her eyes widened, hand dropped as she crouches, as her fingers dip into the thin layer of water.

She looks over her shoulder, watching as the water runs out of momentum and stalls a few yards away from their little corner. Still it was enough to warn her, to strangle her -- he said he wouldn't let her drown, but ... but would she be able to calm? Would she be able to see past the gushing water? Hear his voice beyond the crash of memory of current as it pulled at her? It seemed idiotic that this hall would flood -- but with one burst of the door, water had come in a gushing torrent; it didn't matter to Rin it was only a half inch high -- water was water and it accumulated and destroyed. Biting her tongue she jolted into action, already moving toward Luke before he called to her, her eyes harsh where they locked on the door he had opened. Strength -- she could not be babied. She could not simply submit to this... better fighting, yes, better to fight than too ---

Rin's eyes slip around the room and nod toward the end, "Grab the desk, it should hold it." she moves forward, squeezing into the narrow space between desk and wall, ruthlessly pushing the objects off of the surface. They were simply objects -- so merciless her disregard for materialism. Her room will flood and she will not miss anything held in her drawers, anything beneath her bed. Everything she needed, wanted, was in her head, in her memories -- in the people around her. Wind screamed in her ears, reverberating and echoing beyond the glass -- her eyes whipped around to the window, "Before the window br---" but it was a futile hope as she heard the dull roaring, the thin whistling: lawn chairs had been lifted by the 155 mph winds, the forceful gale lifting up such flimsy plastic and hurdling them toward the building wall. Trees cracked and swayed, branches ripped free from the trunk as they dropped and were flung.

There was an eerie creek of old wood as the roots snapped, as the trunk began to fall; the wind laughed in her ears as she pushed the desk out from it's nestled corner, cursing the idiot who had thought to put the desk in such a stupid place ------------------the window shatters under the blow of rain, wind and debris; memory rises and flexes: a hand around the back of her neck holding her under the water, keeping her from breath, from life. "Luke?"she asks, her eyes clouded by the force of rain, by the prick of glass as it slipped over her skin, no harm really done, none at all, but she didn't want to ask him, afraid of the answer. He was okay -- he had to be. Right, right?

[/SIZE]

word count;; 1091
tags;; Ollie ;3
OOC;; ^-^ couldn't resist causing mayhem heh

[/SIZE]

[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

The storm was merciless to the island – it was like a small hill surrounded by water and it didn’t take much to overcome it. It kind of reminded him of the game about the city. It held tiny people in it with their tiny cars and a looming hand and magnifying glass. If the glass stayed on an object too long, the light shining through it would get hot and set on fire whatever it was focused on. In this sense, it was like the storm was toying with them. They were surrounded by an ocean that was playing along with the storm – they had nowhere to go. They were subjected to whatever torture the storm threw at them. It wasn’t a comforting thought, but unlike the game, they weren’t just going to stand there until it killed them.

Luke had gotten one of the doors opened and hoped it had something in it strong enough to hold the door closed, for at least awhile. He had moved into the room and started looking around. Rin was right behind him and pointed out a desk at the far wall. Grab the desk, it should hold it. Luke nodded and followed her over. She easily brushed the objects off the surface of the desk. Now was not the time for him to realize how quiet the Jaguar had been, but he noticed it anyways. Animals were usually panicky during storms too and usually caught on before most humans did. At least he was sure that was how it went. He pushed the chair out of the way and reached for the desk. Luke was surprised to notice that something about her attitude had changed – it was different than the way she normally acted, at least around him.

She started to speak again, when she was cut off by more loud noises; thunder, wind. Thunder that roared so loud that it made the ground tremble in its power. Wind so powerful that it uprooted trees, tore down some buildings, and shook others. Luke took hold of the desk to help Rin pull it out of its corner and it was no easy task. He gave the desk a pull – a little too hard as the window shattered to pieces. The lights flickered as he fell to the floor and with him came the desk. It crashed onto his legs, covering up his body from his waist down. ”Ow, fuck.” A crack of thunder drowned out most of his voice. It wasn’t enough to do any real damage to his legs, but that didn’t prevent it from hurting.

The lights flickered off as he heard Rin call his name, just about the same time he opened his mouth to see if she was okay. ”I’m here,” he gasped, reaching for the desk. ”Are you okay?” He could feel the wind flowing into the room and with it came the water. He pushed at the desk with his hands to try and relieve the pressure. The lights flickered back on and he sighed in relief. ”Help me get this desk off.” He was pretty sure he could walk it off after he got back to his feet. As far as the window went, he didn’t know what they would cover it up with. Perhaps they could just close the door back. It opened inward, so water from the inside wouldn’t push the door open probably. As the desk was raised off of his legs, he rotated himself around so that he could help stand it back up. His legs didn’t feel like they were broken, so that meant he could still use them. ”You didn’t get cut by that glass, did you?”

tagged , RinRin
words , 618
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
notes , More destroying, yay.
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

She had said it, hadn't she? Had thought it so painfully clear? It didn't matter these useless objects, this foreign bits of plastic and metal. What was a pair of shoes in comparison to memory? What was a little pen when she had the rest of her life to pick up and lose them? These things were nothing to her -- it was the laughter, the acceptance, the abiding friendship that she held most dear, that she craved like a drug on her tongue. Could she bare herself any more blatantly than she had when she had swung her arm against the desk and threw those pictures, those little drawings and notepads onto the floor like so much garbage? It was true, and yet excessively brutal; no need to throw away someone's memories simply because hers were kept closer in her heart.

But there was a need for such actions, a need to pick up the battle ax and charge into the fight -- not a time for quiet indecisiveness: it was a strength she had, to throw everything away and focus on the important matters. To be able, when threatened, to realize the truest danger and to meet it head on: it was her flaw, as well. No need for Mura, for the Wolf and her absence. No need for Etta and Dimitri to fill her head -- only this, this struggle, this battle against Nature's very own hand. She was a Wolf, first and foremost, and she could no more stop protecting the pack, yes, this pack of two, this wild friendship she had managed to find, than she could simply stop being Rin.

So this monstrous storm raged and throttled the very foundations that supported their feet. Nature ripped it clean out, with a haughty turn of her chin, her fingers tight around the reins of the hurricane at her bidding. Earth became the enemy: the tree fell with a loud crash, thudding against the building, reverberating in her bones. Rin was pitched forward, her ears straining with her eyes, unable to see through the spouting rain that slashed across her vision. She rubbed them with her forearm, crawling around the edge of the desk on broken glass -- she did not notice. "Luke...?" she called again, her fingers gentle where they probed his side, looking for purchase against the desk.

We had said, hadn't we? Pictures, candles, gifts -- these things didn't matter. It was people, yes, the people she surrounded herself with that mattered the most -- it was the people she cared for, the people she wanted to protect that often hurt her, that she could not live without; there was a surge of ferocity that lit the darkness in her eyes as she met his -- as the building shuddered again from the force of the hurricane. "Just a few cuts," she responds, but it is nothing, as she brushes the little pieces of glass off of her arms. What are a few pinpricks in comparison to the rage just beyond the dorms? The tree was nestled against the building, the window shattered and broken -- but the trunk was moving, groaning as it began to roll toward the side: these things Rin did not see, her fingers too busy trying to get a good hold on the lip of the desk. "This is going to hurt." she says, but it is more of a growl, a vicious snarl that curls the edges of her lips; even without the Wolf, Rin is too much part of the beast to be completely human. She is transforming without transforming, surviving with each slow devolving thrash of her heart.

More Wolf than Girl, she counts in her head and then heaves the desk to the side, catching the edge on her hip and using her body, rather than just her arms to move it; the desk makes a horrible noise as it scrapes against the glass, as it falls off from his body -- her breath is short and harsh as she looks over her shoulder. She opens her mouth, that question do you hear that? always, always on the tip of her tongue -- but again it is too late as the tree rolls, as the branches break through the window, leaves fluttering loose around them. Rin reaches out, "You can get up right?" anxiety makes her voice tight -- she is more than willing to abandon the desk for the sake of safety -- water has drenched her from head to toe, the window clogged by the tree for the most part -- but it is sprinkling, a consistent spray that soaks into the carpet ... but it is rising, ever so slowly. Rin lifts her hand, squishing the rug with her palm, trying to hide the fear.

Closing her eyes for the briefest moment, she tightens her fist, refusing to let this fear control her -- survive or die: so melodramatic, but it is what allows her to get to her knees and to stand; it is what allows her to reach down to help Luke up, her hair tumbling over her shoulder like a wet cable.

[/SIZE]

word count;; 866
tags;; Ollie!!
OOC;; w00t ;3

[/SIZE]

[Luke Bowers]

* LUKE ( OLIVER ) BOWERS ,

Just as Luke started to get on his feet, he heard a crash against the building. Branches forced themselves through the broken window, as if they were trying to claw themselves at them. Trying to force them out of the room. It was like all of nature was against them. The wind pushed at the windows and doors to get in. The water was building up to push in, blowing in through the broken windows to drench everything. The thunder shook the ground and the buildings. And now, the trees. This tree didn’t want them to get the desk, because they would use it to try and keep the water out of the building. He felt like nature was trying to punish them for something they did. Except he didn’t know what they could have done for all of this. You can get up, right? In answer, he reached up and grabbed her offered hand. His other hand reached for the desk to help himself up so that she didn’t have to do it all herself.

As he stood, he tested his legs. They had bigger problems, so he would just have to shake it off. Not much damage done, other than the pain from the desk falling on him. ”I’m good,” he told her, taking a deep breath and looking at the desk. The branch that had forced itself through the window had the edge of the desk wedged under it. ”Damnit.” Now he was slightly frustrated that the desk had gotten stuck after that. He kicked at it, but it wouldn’t come loose. After another kick, he heard the front door pop open again. Spinning around, he ran over to the door of the room and looked out into the hallway. Water was flooding in through the open door. ”Uh oh.” This was not good.

He splashed through the water towards the door and tried to close it. ”Come on… close!” The oncoming water held it open, determined to get in and stay in. The door slammed back against the wall as he realized it wasn’t going to close. Between the water and the forceful winds, it was too much for him to handle. He splashed again, to the bedroom and grabbed Rin’s hand. ”Come on. We have to get to higher ground.” Higher ground meant going up – anywhere the water would stop rising. By the time he got through the hallway, the water was already rising to his knees. The water pushed at him as he moved down the hallway. If it were safe, he would have recommended going somewhere else.

One of the other buildings surely had to be safer than the dorm building. But it was worse out there and they couldn’t guarantee that they would even be able to get inside one of the other buildings. The other students and teachers were likely trying to keep the water out as well. He opened up any doors that would open along the way. It would be more damaged stuff to replace, but if the rooms had to fill up with water, that was more time they had for it to fill up the whole first floor.

He was more worried about their lives than the damage the water would do to other people’s things. Luke released her hand as they got to the stairs. The blanket he had brought down was already soaked with water, so it wasn’t of much use now. So much for that. He fought to hold his balance as he moved towards the floating bottled water and gathered them up. He moved along the wall until he reached the stairs and pulled himself up some of the steps. He dropped to the floor at the top of the stairs to catch his breath. ”We should probably check these rooms for any useful water,” he said between deep breaths. After the flood let up, they would need clean water. Bottled water was clean water, but if it floated out into the ocean, it wasn’t going to be useful. He figured it would take a little while for the first floor to fill up.

tagged , RinRin
words , 691
lyrics , run this town - jay-z
muse , Red –Breathe Into Me
notes , Tried not to take over your character or anything. Can’t remember if I did any, lol. Sorry! I tried to leave room so she could panic or whatever if you wanted her to.
credit , rora @ hos

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[Natsumi Sayuri]

She had to be strong, she had to be strong -- it was a mantra, that had become the only source of her strength, only stubbornness and fear keeping her moving; but it was the fear that was going to undo her. Yes, she had to be strong, but it was a difficult thing when she was in a nightmare, pitched amongst the darkest memories she sought to forget. With each inch the water rose, so too, did her rationality. So, too, did her pretense at strength become more and more transparent. She did not cling, though she ached to hold onto him, to clasp her hands so tight around his that he could never let go of her; she did not cry, though the tears were burning behind her lids, though her heart was twisting and she could barely breathe past the impossible panic that was rising, rising, rising.

The tree crashed through the window. The Desk was wedged. Luke was alright -- Rin paused, her fingers letting go of his own when he rose to his feet; she had to let go. She had to stop touching him, or all would be done, all of this effort would crumple into meaninglessness. The indomitable nature of the Wolf had melded too deeply with Rin's consciousness to be completely vacant, even with the Wolf's absence. She held onto that spirit, to that rebellious streak of daring and fearlessness, hoping, praying it would be enough.

But everything was moving too fast -- she couldn't keep up, not with her mind, and especially not with her heart. It thudded, it contracted, convulsing, her pulse almost louder than Luke's voice, drowning (ha, ha!) out the sound of the water dripping around them, the groaning of the tree as it finally settled against the building. The Desk was useless, their work only injuring them, refusing them. He ran, and she jolted forward, catching herself before lurching after him. Be strong, be strong! -- and who knew what voice was screaming that in her head now. Was it her own? Was it memory? For the first time in weeks, she thought of her brother, of his eyes, of his fear. Is this what he felt? No, no, he had been betrayed. She was simply going to die.

Come on… close! Rin hears Luke splashing around, and looks once more around the room; her eyes fall on a picture, of family, and she smiles, so bitterly it is painful to see. No time for this. -- but she cannot stop herself from feeling, even if she had wanted to; she looks out of the door, her eyes wide and black. Water surged over his legs as he fought the wind, fought the sheer force of the current that pushed him back -- what could she possibly do? He gives up: water gushes forward like a wound, unstoppable.

Once again, her hand is in his, and she is following, cold, wet, and terrified. Water, water, always with the water; it was enough for her to be trapped on an island, where the very waves made her disgusted with herself, for fear was constantly squirming beneath the heart. Now, with it all around her, surging upward, lapping at her, pushing, pulling, chaos... she was coming undone. She tried not to trip as they ran through the hall, toward the end, the blanket floating like so much garbage. Stairs, she is thinking, her throat tightening as she whimpers, unable to keep it in. Fear forces the worst sound out of her throat, scrambling after him when he releases her, when the stairs lift her out of the water. The whites of her eyes are becoming veiny with combined fear and salt, burning her as she remembers, as she tries so desperately to forget what the body will not: the suffocative feeling of drowning, of flailing, unable to lift your head because there is hand on your neck, holding you down.

She crashes against the wall, at the top of the stairs, her breath harsh as she presses her face against it, shoulders rounded out. No, no. She had to be strong -- but it was an impossible task from the start. This was her nightmare, this was her hell. Caught here, she felt like she was going to die -- no matter how idiotic it was. A building flooding to the second floor? Unlikely, unless the whole island was going to be swept under by a giant wave. We should probably check these rooms for any useful water. Rin flinches at the sound of his voice. "Noella." she mumbles, her mind struggling to work under paralysis. She blinks, wiping the water from her eyes, "Noella." she says, stronger this time, rising to her feet. "Come on. My room is right over there."

Rin opens the door, knowing the door would be open -- none of her roommates locked it; they knew Rin never carried a key, and to lock it only meant the door would be broken when they came in again. It helped she had seniority over the other girls... or that, of all their shifts, her's was the one that would eagerly devour them. Either way, the knob twists, and the strange normality that greets her is so completely in contrast to the horror of downstairs that she is almost frightened. She walks in, mumbling, "I didn't think her hoarding habits would be helpful." and sighs, as she kneels next to the bed, reaching under as she pulls out several boxes full of snacks, lotions, shoes, hats...squirming under the bed, she reaches, growling as she finally reaches the last box nestled in the corner. "Water." and whips it out from under before backing out. Carelessly leaving the other plastic bins out, she waves toward the beds, "Take your pick, they have to have some sort of towels somewhere."

Kneeling on her bed, Rin places her fingers on the window, her eyes watching the chaos outside. "Should... should we do something to the window?" She asks, without taking her eyes away. She couldn't, not yet, not with tears blurring her vision. Be strong, but what, exactly, was strength, anyway?

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word count;; 1033
tags;; Ollie <3
OOC;; yay for muse! And no worries, you didn't do any PPing ^-^

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