| Title: Go away, I'm trying to study myself to death. Time: Friday, April 9, 2004 The Thespians: Elijah Cruise, Lien Nguyen, Sukaku Karasuno and Pascal Curio Location: Allis Memorial Center - Library Notes: I have come to a realization about the future... except I won't say more than that. :) |
+---[ Allis Memorial Center - Library ]--------------------------------------+ | | | An immense area stretches out both upwards and horizontally. Squarely | | shaped, the library is carpeted in speckled blue and gray, except for a | | five-foot strip extending around the walls, which has been tiled in | | reddish tan and light russet squares. In these areas shelves reach upwards | | to thirty feet overhead, spaced apart by long, one-foot wide windows. | | Periodically a large wooden ladder is visible, should one wish to risk | | their neck for one of the dusty volumes perched so high. Occupying a space | | near the front wall of about twenty square feet abound round oak tables, | | supported by four thin legs and surrounded by chairs with blue cushions. | | The rest of the room holds what must be hundreds of bookcases, all packed | | with books of old and new, various sorts separated into labeled cases and | | those placed in similar sections. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| Lien is studying. ...er, more than usual. From the looks of her, she hasn't left the library since last time there was a meal. She's got herself a table, and she's using most of the whole thing with her clutter of parchment scrolls and books. At the moment the girl hunches over her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, hand moving mechanically to take notes as her drooping eyes creep along the page. Should she be this worried about finals? No, she shouldn't. She is anyway. Nobody ever said she had to be logical. |
| Is Elijah Cruise worried about finals? Of course not! Then why on earth is he walking into the library? This, of course, is anybody's guess. He struts (he's tall again, and has to show it off) into the library like he owns the place. The school was /his/, of course. And, upon his entrance, he spots Lien surrounded by scrolls. That was quite the sight. Such a sight that he can't help but smirk at it. "Oompa," he states in greeting as he glances around. "No point in studying, you're gonna fail anyway." The boy raises an eyebrow and stifles a chuckle. Yup, he's at it again. |
| Scratch, scratch, scr--the quill stops. Lien lifts up her head stiffly (that's not entirely Elijah's fault, though) and turns to glower at the boy. She looks like she needs more sleep. "That's all you know, Elijah." Testy, testy. Lien + stress + Elijah = ... "Go away." Because she's always had such success asking him (or some variation thereof) to leave her alone before. |
| "Uh-huh... think what you like. You and I both know you know /nothing/ about me." Elijah sneers. Truth be known, he actually had always done fairly well in his classes (better in some than others). Of course, he never wanted anyone to think he actually cared about his marks, and thus was rarely (if ever) /seen/ studying (believe it or not, he /does/ study). "You, on the other hand are an open book. You leave no mystery for anyone. Instead you go running about the schoolgrounds in your red cloak like little red riding hood," a pause, "or is it a make-shift Will Scarlet to try to woo Maid Marian (failing miserably as Robin gets the girl)?" He pulls up a chair. Yes, it seems unlikely that he's leaving. |
| Lien slouches forward and buries her face in her hands, rubbing at her eyes. This is your lucky day, Elijah. First encounter with the girl since you've got your own body back, and chances are good you'll either reduce her to tears or get her screaming at you (and probably kicked out of the library). "My mom picked that out," she says, without looking back up. She just... doesn't even touch the rest of it. "It wasn't my idea." |
| "I think red suits you," Elijah continues. Yes, he's well aware that Lien /hates/ the cloak. "The whole little red riding hood motif is somewhat..." he strokes his chin as he pauses as if searching for the right word, "...cute." Right. Cute. "I'm sure when you play Robin Hood Billy is the fortunate person to land the role of Marian. I know you are awfully attached to Billy and he to /you/." Another pause as he continues to stroke his chin. "One of his THREE friends so I've heard. Strange that someone so outgoing would have so few friends. Perhaps it's because he's uncharacteristically annoying." |
| Contrary to popular belief, Pascal Curio actually will study when it comes down to it. She strides out from the study area of the library, her red pen tucked behind her left ear. Her books are propped against her hip and she seems to be in a better mood than usual. You would be too, having your own body back. That and the little bet she supposedly lost meant that she actually had reason to hex the crap out of anyone who looked at her funny. Spotting Lien and Elijah, neither of whom she had talked to since the posting of the letter, she very quietly makes her way to the pair. She doesn't say anything, however, giving Lien more than enough time to blow up at Elijah about Billy. |
| Elijah can't see Lien's face, as it's still buried against her hands, but it twitches anyway. Her jaw tightens and her teeth clench and slowly her hands drop and she faces Elijah again. Yes. Look in those eyes. Doom. All the more Doom-like because her eyes are red and tired from too much reading. "What's your PROBLEM, Elijah?" she hisses. "What did Billy ever do to YOU?" (Come down to it, what did SHE ever do to him?) She's trying not to raise her voice. The price might be loosing it in the direction of bursting into tears of frustration, if she's not careful. Her hands are shaking. She stuffs them under the table. |
| "What did Billy ever do?" Elijah repeats somewhat calmly. In Eli's practice, most people only got angrier when you remained calm. "Billy's excessive naivety is extremely annoying. He knows nothing of what the /real/ world is like. What people /really/ think about, and where their minds are at." He leans back in the chair. "Along with that, he dared challenge me." The boy blinks. "Which makes him my enemy in all things." A shrug. "I'm sure Billy sees me as some sort of strange archvillain, and is on a quest to rid the world of me." |
| Pascal's only standing a few feet behind Eli, so she can see pretty well the look on Lien's face. The combination of I'm tired and I'm gonna slap causes the thought of, 'Damn, too bad Sukaku's not around' too flit across her mind. So, with a smirk on her face, Pascal joins the pair. The smirk only gets bigger as she watches Elijah keep his cool. "Lien, Elijah." She has to force a slight coldness to her voice (because of the "letter") at the mention of the second name, but she sneaks a wink in. "Studying hard, I see, Lien." Insert pretentious scoff. |
| Pascal is treated to a second-hand glare, leftover from the one Lien's sending Elijah, but she feels some dismay at the older girl's arrival. She can't deal with two of them right now--she can't even handle one! "I'm -trying- to," she bites. It's a pity she's not more like the two of them. She could make some snide remark or something. As it is, she's left to draw in a sharp breath and exclaim, rather loudly, "I wish he WOULD!" The library's other denizens shoot dirty looks and a few shhhs her way. |
| A nod is given to Pascal in greeting. "Pascal," he quarter smiles. "Yes, Lien is always studying hard. Likely even harder than usual right now. Finals and all that. She's likely bringing down her potential 'good grades' because of all the stress she's under." Elijah's eyes twinkle ever so slightly. What a tag team they could make! "Billy rid the world of me? Not likely. He's too noble or something." Or something was right. "Besides, there are harsher evils in the world than those that I inflict on the public. Much harsher. Believe me, when you leave the confines of this school and your parents over-protective care, then it'll hit you." |
| Ouch. Only a second-hand glare. Pascal's going to have to try harder next time. Also not waiting for an invitation to sit down, she takes the chair beside Lien and rests herself there with an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, don't let me bother you then, Lien dear," she fights the urge to snicker here, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be studying than here. I don't know anyone else /half/ as well you know." Pascal's not leaving anytime soon either. She pauses to let Elijah's words sink into Lien and then feigns a sweet smile. "Lien, leave the confines of her school?" Pascal gives Elijah an incredulous look. "Never. She'll be in school forever, sitting in the library," a sarcastic edge develops now, "Making love to books for the rest of her /life./" |
| We'd better hope not. Her parents would never forgive her. Little Lien is trembling to keep control, she stares hard at her books to avoid having to look at either Elijah or Pascal. "You might want to try a different table," she suggests weakly. "This one's full." And it's true. While Lien is the only person sitting here, her wide collection of books and parchment scrolls has pretty much rendered the whole thing useful only to her. She should get an office. |
| Elijah Cruise smiles slyly. "Indeed. Stuck at school for life." He can't help but snicker at the comment about making love to books, "And such wondrous lovers they are as well. Dusty pages wofting to one's nose in a most romantic way." He puts his elbow on his table and props his chin upon it. "I don't have any items to put on the table. I'm fine where I am. I can stay here as long as I want." |
| Taking a look around the table, Pascal rather rudely clears a section of space on the table for her things. "There, now there's enough room for me to join you." A rather dark smirk curves her face at Elijah's little add-on to the book comment which only serves to worsen the sting. "Really though, Lien," Pascal turns her face serious, but her eyes gleam, "All this studying is so detrimental to your health. Look at yourself. You're already embarassingly short. Your skin is this ugly pasty colour. It's quite embarassing... to you, and to anyone sitting with you." A pause and she clears her throat. "Not to myself or Elijah, of course, because you know, we're /here/ for you," LIES! "But to your other fickle friends... who knows?" And on she goes in that condescending tone of hers. |
| Bail out, Lien! Bail out! You're no match for the two of them... heck, you're not even a match for one of them. Unfortunately, Lien's stubborn streak pushes back the urge to gather up her things and leave, and so, she stops staring ahead and looks sharply over at Pascal. "Look, -you- may not have better things to do with your time, but I do, so... so go away!" Pause. "I was here first." Hear that, Elijah? She was here first. Eleven year olds are not known for their rhetorical skills in most cases. |
| "True, true," Elijah nods in agreement with Pascal's comments. "Your /other/ friends could very well fear you in your current state." As if Eli and Pascal considered themselves Lien's friends. "Especially Billy. He seems to be particularly intimidated by things he doesn't understand." Lien's rise warms Eli's heart. "First, hmmm? I'm sure you're not the first person /ever/ to sit at this table. Order makes no difference. It's a free world, I go where I please, and do as I please." This statement was quite true. "You and Billy are very similar. Both have some sort of bizarre sense of social justice." |
| And on Lien's note, Pascal pulls out a few sheets of paper from her between the pages of one of her books. She looks like she is going to do work, but that would be jumping the gun. The pen tucked behind her ear is retrieved and Pascal scribbles on the paper to make sure the pen works. She gives Elijah a knowing look, followed by a wink and then starts writing furiously. "The patient has a distorted sense of reality, wouldn't you say, Cruise? Make believe with her fairy tales..." She trails off and continues to muse to herself. "Pasty skin, short complex, bloodshot eyes." Pascal tsks and falls silent, still writing. |
| "Indeed Curio, indeed!" Elijah strokes his chin somewhat thoughtfully. "Definite delusions, she has no frame of reality from what I can tell. Along with that, large obsessions. Did you /see/ the table when we both came in. This excessive studying is likely some sort of compulsion based on a perfection obsession." If Eli had glasses (which he doesn't), he would push them up on his nose to mock some sort of nerd intelligence. Instead he continues to stroke his chin. It seemed effective enough. "Courtesy?" he glances at Lien then at Pascal. "She must have another delusion that I /actually/ care about being courteous to her." Again, he chuckles quietly. "Leave you alone? But then you'd be lonely." Quite the logic. "Why would I want to do something silly like that? Look at everyone else around! They're not alone! They're sharing their tables. It seems that you are excessively selfish in this regard. Excessively." He turns to Pascal again, "Oh, don't forget to write down that the patient isn't responding well to the intake interview." |
| Nerd intelligence! Exactly what Pascal was trying to evoke, and hopefully she's doing a good enough job. She pushes back on her chair just slightly to prop a knee up on the side of the table to give herself someplace to write on the paper. She continues to scribble, periodically looking up at Elijah with a grin, and just continues to mutter lightly to herself. "Patient is also delusional. She may suffer from a..." she chews on the end of her pen, "Perfectionism complex. Unresponsive to the intake interview..." Another grin and she looks up from the paper. "I believe that we almost have enough information to give a diagnosis, Cruise. What say you?" She sounds almost victorious, and leans closer to Lien, slowly impinging on the smaller girl's personal space. "Would you like to hear your own diagnosis, Lien?" A wide toothed smile, Pascal nods brightly, having /too/ much fun with this, clearly. |
| "No, thank you." Isn't it amazing how she can talk with her teeth clenched like that? Lien squirms and hunches even more than usual. Pascal... too... close... (Although, Pascal did hit her right on the head with that "perfectionism complex" thing. You've gotta be perceptive to be really good at this.) Just look at the books, Lien. Not that you'll have any luck ignoring them. |
| Cruise repeats Pascal's words and strokes his chin again, "Well... delusions, perfectionism, unresponsiveness...hmmmm..." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Well, I believe that she's got... people-pleasing-naive-nerditis!" He tilts his head and stares a Lien. "The symptoms are all there. 1) Excessive studying and the need to be perfect. 2) Always running to a Professor at the smallest hint of a problem instead of /attempting/ to deal with it herself... it seems to me that our friend Miss Nguyen is a few eggs short of a dozen. In other words, she should really be heading for the funny farm." He turns his gaze to Pascal, "Thoughts, Curio?" |
| Go away, I'm trying to study myself to death. (Part 2) |
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