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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 1, 2015 12:27:10 GMT
Keith woke with a start. His heart pumped a mile a minute and it took several just to calm down. A dream. He'd been having a lot of those lately. Dreams. And in all of them, he was running in a pitch-black hallway. His footsteps echoed against the tile. The air was cold, chilling him to the bone. And every time, he felt the presence of something behind him, far in the distance, but slowly, steadily closing the gap. So he'd walk, first. Then jog. Then break into a run as the air stirred and howled.
He'd been having dreams like that ever since someone broke into the academy. Everything was fucked up. He and Trace were in one of the training rooms as per usual, practicing. Then the lights failed, engulfing the entire school in darkness.
He'd seen the— the thing— whatever it was —pick students apart limb by limb. Slowly, deliberately, the way a spider dissects its prey. The light was dim, absent as it was, but he didn't need sight to understand what was happening. The wet, cracking sound— thick, disgusting —was fresh in his memory.
Keith looked at the clock. 2:53AM. It was a Friday night so there wouldn't be class tomorrow. Trying to return to normalcy felt strange, odd, even out of place. And it'd only been a month.
His roommate was next to him, seemingly asleep. At least he didn't wake Trace up.
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Post by synchro on Mar 1, 2015 17:47:59 GMT
Keith was different ever since the attack on the Academy. He was a lot more jumpy, looking over his shoulder more times than he ever would have otherwise — but then again, everyone was. Besides, they had a right to be. The Academy was supposedly the safest place in the world, but that didn't stop those things from scuttling around in the darkness, tearing apart students and teachers indiscriminately. The situation was under control now, said admin, but when in history had statements like that ever quelled paranoia over what ifs?
Trace wasn't so much worried about a repeat — the most talented and powerful mages in the hemisphere were on high alert and doing everything in their power to make the fort impenetrable. It would be a long time before there was anything even capable of breaching security. He wasn't wracked by uncontrollable fear in his dreams like Keith was either — he didn't sleep enough or deeply enough these days for that to be a problem. What bothered him the most was that he couldn't say with any kind of certainty that they'd survive if they relived that day. Some of their classmates hadn't been so lucky — and that was just the problem. They were lucky. It wasn't any kind of skill that assured their survival — yes, they took out one of the creatures, but how many more were there? And what would have happened if they were attacked again before the staff regained control over the school?
They would have died. It was just that simple.
Alex, his uncle Cyrus, Lucy — maybe — could hold their own. They had the skills and experience needed for situations like that. They could rely on their own abilities in desperate times. But for all his training at the Academy, Trace had had to depend on luck to keep Keith safe. And if anything like that were to happen again, he'd have no choice but to do it again.
He felt Keith jerk awake beside him, his breathing fast and shallow. They didn't seem to be getting any better, the nightmares that haunted him in his sleep. If anything, they only seemed to be getting worse. He waited a few minutes to see if Keith would fall back asleep, but it didn't look like that'd be happening tonight.
"You okay?" he asked, eyes still closed.
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 1, 2015 20:39:04 GMT
Keith couldn't help but smile. So Trace'd been awake this entire time. Go figure. He didn't sleep much before the attack and Keith couldn't blame him if he didn't sleep now. He ran a hand backwards through his hair, taking a deep breath. Trace was different than him. Probably because of his lineage. Somehow, he seemed to always be in control of himself and his emotions. And he was resourceful, talented, definitely one of the top students in the academy, though Keith knew he'd play it off like it was nothing. But he wasn't like the other students by any means. He more closely resembled Professor Gannon and his older sister, Lucy— both top organization members. And there was no doubt in his mind that Trace would be climbing the ranks soon too.
Meanwhile, there was him. Keith. He felt silly compared to his roommate. He wished so earnestly he could keep his composure the way Trace could, but here he was, still waking up with nightmares. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything— Keith never felt jealous —but the things that bothered him where the what if's. What if he screwed up a spell that day? Would they still be here? What if they met more of those beasts? Would they have made it out alive?
Those questions chilled him to the core. All he had was luck. And he had it in spades, of course, but you can't rely on luck. Luck always ran out eventually.
Keith rubbed his eyes a little, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah. I'm okay. Just one of those fucking dreams."
He laid back down, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't talk about what happened and Trace was too considerate to ask. He seemed to always understand Keith's moods even on the most subtle levels, but. Sometimes it felt better to hear it. Let it carry in the air— permanent and real.
"D'you think we could do it again?"
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Post by synchro on Mar 2, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
Trace listened quietly to Keith's question, barely moving. Behind his eyelids, the sigils he'd been placing around the room for the past few weeks — while Keith was busy, asleep, away — shone like stars in the night sky. Barely an arm's reach away in the satchel that hung from one of the bunk's bedposts he could feel the gentle thrum of magic from the latest of his experiments, calling out to him like a sea of tiny voices, just waiting to be released. Around his neck the obsidian talisman he'd shared with Keith hummed at its own special pace, warm against his skin.
Even in the dead of night, the room was alive to Trace, a cocoon of magics and enchantments that he'd painstakingly laid down one by one, each with a purpose.
In here, they were untouchable — or, they could be. For most intents and purposes, anyway.
Trace slowly opened his eyes, the symphony of magics around him fading into shadows as the plain, dim room came into focus around him. He smiled slightly, eyes fixed on a point on the ceiling directly above their heads where, if he closed his eyes, he'd be able to see and feel the gently thrumming pulse of one of his sigils.
"Of course we could," he lied.
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 2, 2015 6:47:35 GMT
Keith smiled. The uneasy knot in his stomach didn't loosen despite Trace's words. He wanted to believe him— and maybe he was right. Maybe if it happened again, it'd be okay. But maybes weren't good enough. And besides. What did that mean for everyone else?
Blood caked on the wall?
Keith looked around. At their own walls. Clean, of course. They felt secure, warm even, if walls could feel warm from afar. Their room was a safehaven for reasons Keith didn't understand. Maybe the privacy of it— the way it felt so separate from everywhere else. He didn't know, but. He felt safe here.
Safe didn't exactly guarantee sleep though. With a flick of his hand, the blinds of their window rolled up. The night was clear, moon full and bright. He needed to get out of here, use some of his pent up energy and tire himself out— so that he might actually get half a night's sleep for once.
He turned to Trace, assuming he was still awake.
"Wanna get out of here?"
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Post by synchro on Mar 3, 2015 4:20:55 GMT
Trace took a little while to respond, having closed his eyes to enjoy the gentle hum of magic around them once again. Leave their warm, cozy, safe nest? He did like to wander about a lot, though it wasn't really wandering (to him, anyway) if it was done in pairs. Still, it wasn't as if he felt particularly tired at all right now, so a little late-night excursion really couldn't hurt much. Unless they got attacked by hordes of hell-creatures bent on tearing them apart. He chuckled a little to himself at that. There was no humor like the true kind, y'know?
Cracking an eye open slightly to peer out the window, he noticed the cloudless night and full moon. What a gift — if he needed Hecate, she'd be there for him tonight.
Lifting his satchel from its perch on the bedpost, he slowly sat up, groaning for effect.
"Leggo."
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 3, 2015 7:44:02 GMT
Nice! Of course, Keith knew Trace was always up for ditching campus— they'd done it so many times before. Spending whole days at the arcade just because they could. Or just fucking around. But this was the first time in a while— and definitely the first time at night. And Keith was restless— always was, always will be. Trace's company was more than welcome.
He climbed out of bed, throwing on a pair of shorts and picking his jacket off the floor. Shoes by the door, socks slipped on. He didn't bring anything with him besides the usual— a pocket knife for emergencies, and his favorite talisman— the one he counted on when things got tough. He liked to travel light, probably unprepared, but definitely unhampered. If Trace wanted to bring his satchel though, he didn't care.
"I heard the view from the top of the academy's pretty nice at night. Sounds like a good chance for some star gazing."
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Post by synchro on Mar 4, 2015 6:23:31 GMT
Trace hopped out of bed, fishing a hoodie out the closet and slipping on a pair of shorts. Of course, Keith was ready way ahead of him, wearing very little in the way of clothing — not that it was anything but cool outside or that Trace was particularly bundled up either. He pulled up his socks, slipping his feet into his shoes and quickly tying the laces.
"Idunno," he replied, raising a brow, "the view from the window just now seemed pretty choice."
Slinging his satchel over one shoulder, he swung open the door and made a wide sweeping gesture.
"Just try not to fall when we're climbing. Doubt the view from above is anything to rave about."
The plan was relatively simple ー get up to the observatory without getting caught by security. Naturally, the Academy was packing (a most desirable quality, if you asked Trace) and so getting up to the destination would be fraught with danger and excitement. They'd have to get past the sentries and patrols at the ends of all the main hallways, disarm the plethora of barriers and enchantments on the doors, and avoid the traps and pitfalls on the stairs up to the checkpoint. Best case scenario was at least one of them made it out with nothing less than a broken arm or leg.
Psyche.
Laughing at the ludicrous battle plan he'd come up with, Trace high-fived Zack as he made his way past and said he and Keith were going on a romantic date underneath the stars in the observatory.
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 6, 2015 13:40:57 GMT
Keith rolled his eyes. It was one of those things you could only expect from Trace Gannon— near constant fake flirting. He didn't know how many times the guy's implied they were a thing— it wasn't hard to tell he was joking by the tone of his voice, but Keith had to wonder— did he do this with other people? Was he a special case because he happened to be his roommate? After knowing him for so long, he didn't know. It became routine, just part of the daily experience living with none other than Trace.
After waving a hand in greeting to Zack (poor guy always had the worst hours) he followed Trace, making his way up some stairs and into the observatory, where another flight of stairs would land them right where they wanted: the roof. Granted they could just stay in the observatory, buuut. Keith was a big fan of laying back and watching the stars drift by slowly.
Once out, Keith stretched, taking in a deep breath of night air.
"Mmmm, this is nice. Feels really good up here, don't it?"
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Post by synchro on Mar 6, 2015 22:15:20 GMT
Oh, Zack. What a bang-up guy. Shame he had such terrible hours. Better Zack than him, though. He'd much rather enjoy his late-night wanderings as opposed to having "productive" things to do at that time of night. Speaking of which, maybe it was just a long time since he'd come up this way, but the staircase didn't feel quite as tall as it normally did.
Beautiful place, the observatory. Not that they got to enjoy it for more than ten seconds before Keith went scrambling for the stairs to the roof. Trace made to follow him, crossing his legs and staring up at the moon and the corona of light around it.
"I can shoooow you the world," he sang, throwing his arms wide and falling over on to his back next to Keith.
"Shinging, shimmering, spleeeendid."
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 6, 2015 22:26:18 GMT
Keith gave him a look. A look that said "there's no way you're getting me to sing that with you"-- a look he gave a little more often than he thought was necessary. He rolled his eyes again, laying down as well and putting his hands behind his head for comfortable star-viewing.
"Mmm. What if I fall asleep out here," he said, yawning a little. He wasn't tired per se, but the sleepless nights did do something. Not that he was planning on sleeping any time soon though.
"You gonna haul my ass back to the dorm? Or leave me high and dry?"
A joke, of course. He didn't particularly care if Trace ditched him or not, but. Well. It'd be interesting to see how he replied.
Keith flashed him a grin. "So?"
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Post by synchro on Mar 8, 2015 2:37:29 GMT
What. A. Jerk. Did this ruffian not have a childhood? How dare he destroy the sanctity of Disney by not singing along. Did he not understand the wider social ramifications of going against Walt's Words? Their society was founded on Disney. Disney was love, Disney was life. What next? Was the hooligan going to say he didn't like Beyoncé either?
Yeah, Trace wasn't particularly a fan of Disney either.
He was, on the other hand, a pretty big fan of matching Keith's look from earlier with one of his own in response to that question.
"Are you kidding? I could probably fit three of you in my pocket, shrimp."
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 8, 2015 3:07:29 GMT
Keith frowned. Okay, he was short. He had to admit that much because there was no hiding the fact that pretty much every dude in the academy was taller than him. And most of the girls too. But three of him? Really? Keith made a face and shoved Trace in the shoulder. "Fucking rude. I'm not that freakin' small."
It was a joke, but. His height was a bit of a sensitive topic. Because literally every single thing towered over him and he felt, well, small. In every sense of the word. He puffed his cheeks out a little, trying to look hurt. "I can still kick your ass. All 5 feet and 4 inches of it."
See. Now that was a joke. Because Trace was 5'4". Meaning he was an ass.
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Post by synchro on Mar 30, 2015 5:10:42 GMT
Ah, salty about his height as usual. How refreshing! There was hardly anything that could get Trace's spirit up quite like Keith's frustration over his very low center of gravity. It was kind of adorable, in a 10 year old kinda way.
"Okay, okay. You're right, three was a bit of a stretch. But definitely at least two and a half?"
He couldn't help but grin widely at that. It was just too easy to rile Keith up. In fact, it was almost unfair how easy it was. What if one day he grew bored of the spicy shrimp and moved on to greener, taller pastures? Watching the boy beside him mid-emphatic retort, he decided that, no, that wasn't likely to happen anytime in the foreseeable future.
"Please," he said, laying it on thick as he made a show of examining his fingernails, "you know I could take you right now with only one arm."
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Post by ★ lysander on Mar 30, 2015 5:25:54 GMT
Oh no. Oh no he didn't. Trace insert-middle-name-here Gannon did not just challenge him to a wrestling match. A wrestling match that, in all actuality, Keith would probably lose. He didn't have much against the other's years of martial arts practice and whatever stuff he did in his free time (since, you know, having Professor Gannon as an uncle kiiiind of set the bar pretty high) but Keith knew he couldn't back down from a fight. Not even if he knew he was gonna lose. His pride wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Keith sat up, turned, then sat on the other's torso, giving him another instance of The Look. "You take that back or I'm gonna shove those fingers so far up your nostrils you'll need to get them surgically removed."
Hm. Maybe he could've picked better wording.
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