Vigil (Sept 8)
Jul 11, 2018 2:57:22 GMT -6
Post by Snick on Jul 11, 2018 2:57:22 GMT -6
Walker couldn't sleep. It was bad enough that Siobhan's kidnapper had rushed within inches of him and had kicked his ankle in the rush to get by him, but he had heard the girl's scream and gone groping through the dark trying to find her, failing and knocking a couple of other kids sprawling in his quest to find her.
Sitting on the roof of the Dormitories, he watched the light of the lighthouse sweeping out methodically from its turret, scouring the world for Siobhan. The only way to block its light was to shut it out completely, like making a building without even so much as a crack for it to shine through. Even then, it could remove bricks and mortar from the structure. It might not be able to shine down into the depths of a coal mine, but it could keep placing mirrors down into it until its light could shine down into it. But the darkness that had filled the cafeteria, even darker than the darkness shed by Dementors, seemed to have blocked it completely; maybe even blindsided its precognition.
There was nothing Walker could do, but if it needed to call upon him, he would be ready for it.
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Elizabeta and her other Legacy mates finished seeing to it all the 6th graders were in their dorms. Only Patrick and Iris weren't in their dorms but she made note they were in the Common Room. She was not tired but Professor Glassman made it clear they were to return to the Legacy House within a short period of time once the firsties were settled. Heading out of the dorms and outside, she pulled her nightgown tighter around her. Now she was glad she work something obviously old style. It kept her warm.
Returning to her Legacy house she reported to Professor Glassman then headed up to her room. The whole incident had left her restless and she was not at all ready for sleep. A part of her wished she had a roommate. Sighing she decided to leave the House. This wasn't a time for wondering about but she felt she could be of better use helping staff with a head count. She left a note and word with her fellow Skulls where she will be and she headed out. This time she was dressed in her robes and had not just her wand but a small knife she would not hesitate to stick into anybody who dared tried to grab her.
Leaving her legacy house she moved silently across the grounds. A flash of light from the Lighthouse drew her attention upward and she noticed somebody sitting on the roof of the Dormitory building. Who was that?
Being to far away to get any sort of detail, especially at night, she didn't waste time standing there in the open staring. Instead she simply headed back to the dormitories at her regular quick pace. Once inside the building she headed for the stairs. A few minutes later she stepped out onto the roof, wand out. It may be a kidnapper acting as lookout..so she was not taking any chances. It could also just be a student, restless...but either way it wasn't wise to be alone.
It didn't take her long to spot the person...he was tall, big enough to be a full grown adult...but that slight lean in his body as he sat..she knew who it was.
"Walker...what are you doing out here?"
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Walker set down a small knife and a stick he'd been whittling, and patted the ledge beside him, looking over at Elizabeta calmly. "Yes, it's me." Now in jeans and a casual blue button-down, both very worn, and a black stetson. He was about the only person in the school who would wear one. "I'm watching. Waiting." He said with a nod towards the lighthouse. At one time, he had been called upon to help endangered students, and the possibility existed that it might happen again.
He waited until she came closer, and looked up at her, the lighthouse's light occasionally falling upon his his face, his dark eyes. "So much for the first dance of the year." He said, which might have been either a lame attempt at humor, or just a statement of regret. He picked up the stick and started whittling on it -- it looked like it had been split roughly down the middle and then hollowed out. Not a wand, though. It was a flute. The sort hippie new agers would eventually pay $29.95 for in a Native American Souvenir store.
Which was one of the ways the Goodwins paid the bills. They did dream catchers and peace pipes, too. Walker just preferred the flutes. They had a deep, peaceful, resonant sound to them, and they were fairly easy to make -- just a softwood stick, a leather strap, sandpaper and some varnish. "Too early to go to sleep. Everyone's wound up."
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Elizabeta sat down on the ledge next to Walker, keeping a comfortable distance between them. She looked over at the Lighthouse, its bright light, traditionally a warning for sailors to steer clear to avoid reefs or rocky shorelines. Now did it search for a missing student or was it even aware Siobhan was missing? Looking back at Walker she silently watched him whittling at the stick...a flute most likely given the stage it was in.
"I don't actually sleep much, more a night owl than anything." Elizabeta admits. When at school it wasn't unusual for her to maybe have 5 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, 6 if she was lucky. Yet she didn't feel exhausted. Usually around exam times or other stressful times she felt exhausted and wanted more sleep, unfortunately she rarely slept more than a couple hours at a stretch. Tonight she expected she won't get much sleep at all. "My first goal was to ensure the first years are in their dorms. I then had to report to Mr. Glassman and make sure he knows I am here. They are going to do a head count, make sure no other students have gone missing."
Elizabeta turned back to the Lighthouse. "Do you think it realizes one of its Keepers is missing?"
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"They know I'm here. As long as I don't leave the dormitory, they're happy." He said, looking across the lagoon at the lighthouse with long eyes. Although it might be easy to mistake his concern for Siobhan as something other than it was, it was little more than looking out for a friend. He liked the girl, but he wasn't attracted to her. Maybe in a few years, that would change, but Walker felt she was way too young, fragile and innocent for him.
"It knows." He said softly. "It's upset. Scared, angry... If you close your eyes as the light hits you, and try to tune in, you can feel it in its light." Then again, it might just be him projecting his own emotions onto the frantic motion of the light. To some people, it might not even seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary, but Walker believed he could sense its emotions like he could sense tension in a room, or outrage, or fear. Maybe it was because he worked with animals and was in tune with their emotions more than he was with those of human beings.
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Elizabeta looked back at the lighthouse and closed her eyes. Relaxing her mind she tried to feel what Walker described. As she always had a knack of tuning into the emotions of animals, how she could even approach very dangerous creatures like dragons and not cause them to want to eat or attack her. The Vipertooths didn't react to her as they did many of the other handlers but they didn't let her get close. Elizabeta always knew to keep her distance. She loved dragons.
With her mind relaxed and calm and when her eyelids brightened when the bright light of the Lighthouse swept over her she felt something...it was a sense of anxiety, so brief but strong enough it made her lose focus and her eyes opened. Glancing about she saw she was on the roof, next to Walker. Exhaling she ran her hands over her thighs as though trying to warm them.
"I...never thought to open myself up to it the way I do when I approach animals." Elizabeta said softly. "It is very worried...."
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"Most people don't get that it's alive, that it has feelings." Walker murmured, picking up his knife and the would-be flute again, his knife moving in long strokes to pare away the bark and burls of the branch's outer layers to reveal the lighter-colored wood underneath. The wood had a pleasant, dry, pine-like scent to it, which contrasted to the salt air of the ocean around them.
"Most think it's just a thing." He said, with a bit of a shrug. "But even things have feelings." He knew wands did, even though they were like a twin soul to the one they chose. Brooms, too. Walker's own broom, a Sturmfront industries Brummbär, wasn't as fast as most sporting brooms, but it had a rowdy sort of feel to it, like it was chomping at the bit to get into the air and scrap. Perfect for Walker.
The light passed again, but this time, the feelings had changed. "She's back. Siobhan." He said, looking up. "It's still stressed, but... It's calmer."
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Elizabeta found Walker's voice rather soothing as he talked about the Lighthouse and how most just considered it a lifeless thing. Being familiar with animals and enjoying reptiles, snakes in particular, she understood how easy it is for many to view what they don't understand as cold, unfeeling, even evil. She never told anybody she could speak Parseltongue. She saw no reason to broadcast it. It was her secret talent and it certainly gave her a far closer bond with her familiar, Eclipse.
When the Lighthouse washed its light over them again, she felt the slight difference in feel than before, even as Walker revealed of what he felt. She looked at him and placed a hand on his knee in agreement. "Yes..I think you are right. I am glad she's back."
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Walker looked over at her. Did she understand? Possibly. It didn't look like she was faking things. "I'm sorry we didn't get to dance more." He said quietly, before turning back to his carving. A few more slow dances would have been nice. He liked having her close to him, and enjoyed the casual flirtation they had going on. If it could be called that.
"Doesn't make sense, grabbing a girl off of a crowded dance floor. From the school." He added, frowning. It just... Didn't. It would be like... Trying to rustle cattle while there were a dozen cowboys with guns on their belts riding herd on them. While they were in the paddock. And why Siobhan? Her family ran a bar. Why not grab someone rich, like one of the Pratts? Maybe they tried that and grabbed Siobhan by mistake, but wasn't Pratt like the red-headed stepchild of his family? No, it made no sense at all.
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"Its alright. There will be other dances." Elizabeta assured him. No, he knew too much about the Lighthouse not to encourage future interactions at this point. She did enjoy being near him, he had a strong physical presence that was oddly...comforting. It actually reminded her of how she felt near Mr. Glassman. Except when she was near him it was more..masculine. Not quite how she would put it but it was the nearest she could describe it. Maybe it was simply more magical...than physical.
When Walker brought up why Siobhan of all people was grabbed, she blinked and looked back at Walker, mind moving on to a far more important question.
"It really seems odd..and risky. The Peruvian Darkness powder only has a short time effect so there isn't a whole lot of time to do what they needed to do. What is eve more important...HOW did they get to the school undetected? How did they know where to find Siobhan? What if she decided not to go to the Dance would they have known? These people they would have to know the layout of this school and how to get past its defenses..." Then a rather uncomfortable thought entered her mind. "What if one of the staff was in on it? They would know how to get past the school defenses, exactly when the dance was being held, the perfect time to use the powder, how to get off fast. The man who nearly knocked me over was an adult...and big. No way he was a student, even a big one like you. He didn't smell all that clean either."
Elizabeta didn't know if any of the staff would be do bold. Why would they want to kidnap a student? Why do it in such a public manner other than to cause confusion on who grabbed the girl? Why Siobhan? What was so special about her? So many questions. "It couldn't be to use her for ransom...her family isn't wealthy, I don't have her in my classes she a year or two below me. As far as I know she doesn't have high magical ability."
The light of the Lighthouse washed passed her again and then it dawned on her what the reason may have been. Wasn't she the youngest? "She's a Keeper....a young one too I believe...Arwen is one year below me...and I think Pratt is too...hmm I am not sure, maybe he's the same year as Siobhan to. Makepeace is my year. I can't think of any other reason Siobhan was taken...being nothing special may be why she was grabbed instead of Pratt...unlikely to have rich parents to come for her?"
Elizabeta knew it was just theories...for all she knew it could be totally random who they grabbed or because Siobhan was the physically weakest. Either way there was no way to get definite answers. At least not sitting on the roof of the dorms.
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Walker set down the stick, folded his knife and stuck it in his pocket, and then slipped an arm around Elizabeta quietly. He had asked himself all of these questions and more, and was no closer to the truth than she was. "If it was one of the staff, they could have taken her at any time. In a way that nobody would know she was gone." Because Siobhan was scrappy and would have put up a fight, and probably would have been able to hurt a big guy, even Walker.
Nothing about the situation made sense from any angle he approached it. Not even if this was some stalker perv who was obsessed with Siobhan. Walker didn't want to even think of it from that angle. "There's tons of people who have access." He said, reaching up to stroke her hair gently. Not for her sake so much as his own. He was agitated and needed the calming. "Dunno if they'll let us leave the school this weekend."
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Elizabeta sighed. The whole situation was worrying. She was good at remaining calm in a very tense situation but now she was feeling the effects. It was why she knew she wouldn't get any sleep this night. When Walker put his arm around her she leaned into him without really thinking about it. It gave a sense of solidity and comfort. It made her think of the times her brothers held her when she was very little. They made her feel safe.
"The dance was full of people, taking her there, because it made such a commotion, may be the very reason it was done there. Everybody has access to the cafeteria. Most of the faculty was there, many students too. They wouldn't be able to get into the Lighthouse to snatch her from there, and a classroom, hall or library would have less suspects around. " She sighed. They could discuss the possibilities all night and still be no closer to an answer.
Feeling his hand stroke her hair gently, Elizabeta closed her eyes. Her mind was still whirling with possibilities. What she needed was Professor Llewellyn's Bulletin board..she could pin up all the suspects and eliminate them one by one...thinking about him made her realize he may very well be doing that very thing once the faculty know Siobhan is safe, thanks to the lighthouse.
"I expect they won't." She said a few moments after Walker made the comment. Elizabeta felt disappointed. It would have been nice to go to the town, do a little shopping, talk, hold hands. Maybe she would even let Walker kiss her. The hand she had on his knee she moved away and slipped it around Walker's waist. "Disappointing as come morning, going to town would be a much needed distraction. If we aren't all locked up in the dorms and Legacy houses tomorrow, maybe we can just walk around the grounds instead."
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"You're very tense. Just relax." He said softly, continuing to stroke her hair with his roughly-calloused, poplar-scented hand. "Nobody's going to try anything more tonight." Well, it was a nice sentiment, but completely unfounded. If whomever thought it was a good idea to kidnap a girl from a school dance was really trying to be daring, the school, locked up as it was, might be an excellent target. Locked down, the students were under lock and key and the staff were distributed around the dorms and legacies. The school itself was unattended, except for the custodian.
"They might let the older ones out tomorrow if we're lucky. Either that, or they'll try to keep us entertained." Which meant movies, thestral rides around the island, trips out to the Elven village, and maybe a couple of Quodpot exhibition games. Like the JV team versus a team made up of faculty. Those were always mildly amusing -- Watching staff members who rarely sat on a broom trying their best to not be totally schooled by the junior team.
Walker considered putting the moves on Elizabeth, but decided against it. She was pleasantly warm, and her hair smelled nice, but whatever else, he didn't want to take advantage of her while she was in a vulnerable state of mind. If he was going to have a make-out session with her, he would prefer that she was in full command of her emotions. That way, there wouldn't be anything for either of them to regret.
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"I am very relaxed in a crisis..but at the moment the danger is passed...that is when I get tense." Elizabeta explains. A part of her wanted to stand and pace the roof of a building in the dark was not the best place to pace. So she knew the only way she can ease her tension is to just let it burn out slowly. A stray thought enters her mind there was another way to burn off alot of tension and nervous energy especially when she was in the company of a very handsome and well built young man. The thought brought a deep blush to her cheeks making her very grateful it was dark.
"The Lighthouse is watching.." Elizabeta commented, shifting slightly closer to Walker. His warmth was doing well in easing some tension in her, coupled with the gentle stroking of her hair. The faint sent of pine reminded her of the forests of the dragon reserve. A comforting scent. Not as strong if Walker was using a green branch to make his flute. "I don't think it will allow any strangers on the grounds again this night."
"Sports certainly will keep you quadpot jockeys busy...riding horses would certainly suit me fine. I do enjoy a good horseback ride." Closing her eyes again she felt more tension seep from her as her mind moved away from the troubling events interrupting the dance.
"Do you play the flute?" She asked, doubting he just carved them to give or sell to others. She couldn't recall offhand hearing him play before. Maybe the lilt of a flute would be relaxing.
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If Walker was aware of the the blush on Elizabeta's cheeks or the thoughts that spawned them, he gave no outward sign of such awareness, although his attentions were now as much for her benefit as for his own. Who didn't like a little cozy cuddling? Well, ok, lots of guys didn't, but that was because they were more focused on sating themselves between a girl's legs. Which was fine for them, Walker supposed. If all you wanted out of a relationship was sex, that was all you got.
Walker had a long-standing record of relationships that ended badly, but the reasons for the relationships going bad were many and varied, and usually got attributed to a lack of sensitivity and communication on his part. He didn't see it. He thought he was communicating just fine, just... Without using his voice. Sometimes a mouth had better uses than speaking. "Hopefully not." He said regarding the Lighthouse's vigil over the school.
"I'd rather be out riding. When Quodpot season starts, I won't have any time for myself." Because studying and homework were a chore, and the added burden of practice and scrimmage would while away at the free time he did have.
When she asked if he played flute, he nodded. "Yeah. I'm better with a drum, but flutes aren't hard." All you had to do was lift your fingers from the holes of the flute in order, and then put them back. After you mastered that basic step, you learned how to make it come together like a song. "You want me to fetch my flute and play?"
Sitting on the roof of the Dormitories, he watched the light of the lighthouse sweeping out methodically from its turret, scouring the world for Siobhan. The only way to block its light was to shut it out completely, like making a building without even so much as a crack for it to shine through. Even then, it could remove bricks and mortar from the structure. It might not be able to shine down into the depths of a coal mine, but it could keep placing mirrors down into it until its light could shine down into it. But the darkness that had filled the cafeteria, even darker than the darkness shed by Dementors, seemed to have blocked it completely; maybe even blindsided its precognition.
There was nothing Walker could do, but if it needed to call upon him, he would be ready for it.
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Elizabeta and her other Legacy mates finished seeing to it all the 6th graders were in their dorms. Only Patrick and Iris weren't in their dorms but she made note they were in the Common Room. She was not tired but Professor Glassman made it clear they were to return to the Legacy House within a short period of time once the firsties were settled. Heading out of the dorms and outside, she pulled her nightgown tighter around her. Now she was glad she work something obviously old style. It kept her warm.
Returning to her Legacy house she reported to Professor Glassman then headed up to her room. The whole incident had left her restless and she was not at all ready for sleep. A part of her wished she had a roommate. Sighing she decided to leave the House. This wasn't a time for wondering about but she felt she could be of better use helping staff with a head count. She left a note and word with her fellow Skulls where she will be and she headed out. This time she was dressed in her robes and had not just her wand but a small knife she would not hesitate to stick into anybody who dared tried to grab her.
Leaving her legacy house she moved silently across the grounds. A flash of light from the Lighthouse drew her attention upward and she noticed somebody sitting on the roof of the Dormitory building. Who was that?
Being to far away to get any sort of detail, especially at night, she didn't waste time standing there in the open staring. Instead she simply headed back to the dormitories at her regular quick pace. Once inside the building she headed for the stairs. A few minutes later she stepped out onto the roof, wand out. It may be a kidnapper acting as lookout..so she was not taking any chances. It could also just be a student, restless...but either way it wasn't wise to be alone.
It didn't take her long to spot the person...he was tall, big enough to be a full grown adult...but that slight lean in his body as he sat..she knew who it was.
"Walker...what are you doing out here?"
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Walker set down a small knife and a stick he'd been whittling, and patted the ledge beside him, looking over at Elizabeta calmly. "Yes, it's me." Now in jeans and a casual blue button-down, both very worn, and a black stetson. He was about the only person in the school who would wear one. "I'm watching. Waiting." He said with a nod towards the lighthouse. At one time, he had been called upon to help endangered students, and the possibility existed that it might happen again.
He waited until she came closer, and looked up at her, the lighthouse's light occasionally falling upon his his face, his dark eyes. "So much for the first dance of the year." He said, which might have been either a lame attempt at humor, or just a statement of regret. He picked up the stick and started whittling on it -- it looked like it had been split roughly down the middle and then hollowed out. Not a wand, though. It was a flute. The sort hippie new agers would eventually pay $29.95 for in a Native American Souvenir store.
Which was one of the ways the Goodwins paid the bills. They did dream catchers and peace pipes, too. Walker just preferred the flutes. They had a deep, peaceful, resonant sound to them, and they were fairly easy to make -- just a softwood stick, a leather strap, sandpaper and some varnish. "Too early to go to sleep. Everyone's wound up."
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Elizabeta sat down on the ledge next to Walker, keeping a comfortable distance between them. She looked over at the Lighthouse, its bright light, traditionally a warning for sailors to steer clear to avoid reefs or rocky shorelines. Now did it search for a missing student or was it even aware Siobhan was missing? Looking back at Walker she silently watched him whittling at the stick...a flute most likely given the stage it was in.
"I don't actually sleep much, more a night owl than anything." Elizabeta admits. When at school it wasn't unusual for her to maybe have 5 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, 6 if she was lucky. Yet she didn't feel exhausted. Usually around exam times or other stressful times she felt exhausted and wanted more sleep, unfortunately she rarely slept more than a couple hours at a stretch. Tonight she expected she won't get much sleep at all. "My first goal was to ensure the first years are in their dorms. I then had to report to Mr. Glassman and make sure he knows I am here. They are going to do a head count, make sure no other students have gone missing."
Elizabeta turned back to the Lighthouse. "Do you think it realizes one of its Keepers is missing?"
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"They know I'm here. As long as I don't leave the dormitory, they're happy." He said, looking across the lagoon at the lighthouse with long eyes. Although it might be easy to mistake his concern for Siobhan as something other than it was, it was little more than looking out for a friend. He liked the girl, but he wasn't attracted to her. Maybe in a few years, that would change, but Walker felt she was way too young, fragile and innocent for him.
"It knows." He said softly. "It's upset. Scared, angry... If you close your eyes as the light hits you, and try to tune in, you can feel it in its light." Then again, it might just be him projecting his own emotions onto the frantic motion of the light. To some people, it might not even seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary, but Walker believed he could sense its emotions like he could sense tension in a room, or outrage, or fear. Maybe it was because he worked with animals and was in tune with their emotions more than he was with those of human beings.
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Elizabeta looked back at the lighthouse and closed her eyes. Relaxing her mind she tried to feel what Walker described. As she always had a knack of tuning into the emotions of animals, how she could even approach very dangerous creatures like dragons and not cause them to want to eat or attack her. The Vipertooths didn't react to her as they did many of the other handlers but they didn't let her get close. Elizabeta always knew to keep her distance. She loved dragons.
With her mind relaxed and calm and when her eyelids brightened when the bright light of the Lighthouse swept over her she felt something...it was a sense of anxiety, so brief but strong enough it made her lose focus and her eyes opened. Glancing about she saw she was on the roof, next to Walker. Exhaling she ran her hands over her thighs as though trying to warm them.
"I...never thought to open myself up to it the way I do when I approach animals." Elizabeta said softly. "It is very worried...."
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"Most people don't get that it's alive, that it has feelings." Walker murmured, picking up his knife and the would-be flute again, his knife moving in long strokes to pare away the bark and burls of the branch's outer layers to reveal the lighter-colored wood underneath. The wood had a pleasant, dry, pine-like scent to it, which contrasted to the salt air of the ocean around them.
"Most think it's just a thing." He said, with a bit of a shrug. "But even things have feelings." He knew wands did, even though they were like a twin soul to the one they chose. Brooms, too. Walker's own broom, a Sturmfront industries Brummbär, wasn't as fast as most sporting brooms, but it had a rowdy sort of feel to it, like it was chomping at the bit to get into the air and scrap. Perfect for Walker.
The light passed again, but this time, the feelings had changed. "She's back. Siobhan." He said, looking up. "It's still stressed, but... It's calmer."
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Elizabeta found Walker's voice rather soothing as he talked about the Lighthouse and how most just considered it a lifeless thing. Being familiar with animals and enjoying reptiles, snakes in particular, she understood how easy it is for many to view what they don't understand as cold, unfeeling, even evil. She never told anybody she could speak Parseltongue. She saw no reason to broadcast it. It was her secret talent and it certainly gave her a far closer bond with her familiar, Eclipse.
When the Lighthouse washed its light over them again, she felt the slight difference in feel than before, even as Walker revealed of what he felt. She looked at him and placed a hand on his knee in agreement. "Yes..I think you are right. I am glad she's back."
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Walker looked over at her. Did she understand? Possibly. It didn't look like she was faking things. "I'm sorry we didn't get to dance more." He said quietly, before turning back to his carving. A few more slow dances would have been nice. He liked having her close to him, and enjoyed the casual flirtation they had going on. If it could be called that.
"Doesn't make sense, grabbing a girl off of a crowded dance floor. From the school." He added, frowning. It just... Didn't. It would be like... Trying to rustle cattle while there were a dozen cowboys with guns on their belts riding herd on them. While they were in the paddock. And why Siobhan? Her family ran a bar. Why not grab someone rich, like one of the Pratts? Maybe they tried that and grabbed Siobhan by mistake, but wasn't Pratt like the red-headed stepchild of his family? No, it made no sense at all.
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"Its alright. There will be other dances." Elizabeta assured him. No, he knew too much about the Lighthouse not to encourage future interactions at this point. She did enjoy being near him, he had a strong physical presence that was oddly...comforting. It actually reminded her of how she felt near Mr. Glassman. Except when she was near him it was more..masculine. Not quite how she would put it but it was the nearest she could describe it. Maybe it was simply more magical...than physical.
When Walker brought up why Siobhan of all people was grabbed, she blinked and looked back at Walker, mind moving on to a far more important question.
"It really seems odd..and risky. The Peruvian Darkness powder only has a short time effect so there isn't a whole lot of time to do what they needed to do. What is eve more important...HOW did they get to the school undetected? How did they know where to find Siobhan? What if she decided not to go to the Dance would they have known? These people they would have to know the layout of this school and how to get past its defenses..." Then a rather uncomfortable thought entered her mind. "What if one of the staff was in on it? They would know how to get past the school defenses, exactly when the dance was being held, the perfect time to use the powder, how to get off fast. The man who nearly knocked me over was an adult...and big. No way he was a student, even a big one like you. He didn't smell all that clean either."
Elizabeta didn't know if any of the staff would be do bold. Why would they want to kidnap a student? Why do it in such a public manner other than to cause confusion on who grabbed the girl? Why Siobhan? What was so special about her? So many questions. "It couldn't be to use her for ransom...her family isn't wealthy, I don't have her in my classes she a year or two below me. As far as I know she doesn't have high magical ability."
The light of the Lighthouse washed passed her again and then it dawned on her what the reason may have been. Wasn't she the youngest? "She's a Keeper....a young one too I believe...Arwen is one year below me...and I think Pratt is too...hmm I am not sure, maybe he's the same year as Siobhan to. Makepeace is my year. I can't think of any other reason Siobhan was taken...being nothing special may be why she was grabbed instead of Pratt...unlikely to have rich parents to come for her?"
Elizabeta knew it was just theories...for all she knew it could be totally random who they grabbed or because Siobhan was the physically weakest. Either way there was no way to get definite answers. At least not sitting on the roof of the dorms.
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Walker set down the stick, folded his knife and stuck it in his pocket, and then slipped an arm around Elizabeta quietly. He had asked himself all of these questions and more, and was no closer to the truth than she was. "If it was one of the staff, they could have taken her at any time. In a way that nobody would know she was gone." Because Siobhan was scrappy and would have put up a fight, and probably would have been able to hurt a big guy, even Walker.
Nothing about the situation made sense from any angle he approached it. Not even if this was some stalker perv who was obsessed with Siobhan. Walker didn't want to even think of it from that angle. "There's tons of people who have access." He said, reaching up to stroke her hair gently. Not for her sake so much as his own. He was agitated and needed the calming. "Dunno if they'll let us leave the school this weekend."
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Elizabeta sighed. The whole situation was worrying. She was good at remaining calm in a very tense situation but now she was feeling the effects. It was why she knew she wouldn't get any sleep this night. When Walker put his arm around her she leaned into him without really thinking about it. It gave a sense of solidity and comfort. It made her think of the times her brothers held her when she was very little. They made her feel safe.
"The dance was full of people, taking her there, because it made such a commotion, may be the very reason it was done there. Everybody has access to the cafeteria. Most of the faculty was there, many students too. They wouldn't be able to get into the Lighthouse to snatch her from there, and a classroom, hall or library would have less suspects around. " She sighed. They could discuss the possibilities all night and still be no closer to an answer.
Feeling his hand stroke her hair gently, Elizabeta closed her eyes. Her mind was still whirling with possibilities. What she needed was Professor Llewellyn's Bulletin board..she could pin up all the suspects and eliminate them one by one...thinking about him made her realize he may very well be doing that very thing once the faculty know Siobhan is safe, thanks to the lighthouse.
"I expect they won't." She said a few moments after Walker made the comment. Elizabeta felt disappointed. It would have been nice to go to the town, do a little shopping, talk, hold hands. Maybe she would even let Walker kiss her. The hand she had on his knee she moved away and slipped it around Walker's waist. "Disappointing as come morning, going to town would be a much needed distraction. If we aren't all locked up in the dorms and Legacy houses tomorrow, maybe we can just walk around the grounds instead."
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"You're very tense. Just relax." He said softly, continuing to stroke her hair with his roughly-calloused, poplar-scented hand. "Nobody's going to try anything more tonight." Well, it was a nice sentiment, but completely unfounded. If whomever thought it was a good idea to kidnap a girl from a school dance was really trying to be daring, the school, locked up as it was, might be an excellent target. Locked down, the students were under lock and key and the staff were distributed around the dorms and legacies. The school itself was unattended, except for the custodian.
"They might let the older ones out tomorrow if we're lucky. Either that, or they'll try to keep us entertained." Which meant movies, thestral rides around the island, trips out to the Elven village, and maybe a couple of Quodpot exhibition games. Like the JV team versus a team made up of faculty. Those were always mildly amusing -- Watching staff members who rarely sat on a broom trying their best to not be totally schooled by the junior team.
Walker considered putting the moves on Elizabeth, but decided against it. She was pleasantly warm, and her hair smelled nice, but whatever else, he didn't want to take advantage of her while she was in a vulnerable state of mind. If he was going to have a make-out session with her, he would prefer that she was in full command of her emotions. That way, there wouldn't be anything for either of them to regret.
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"I am very relaxed in a crisis..but at the moment the danger is passed...that is when I get tense." Elizabeta explains. A part of her wanted to stand and pace the roof of a building in the dark was not the best place to pace. So she knew the only way she can ease her tension is to just let it burn out slowly. A stray thought enters her mind there was another way to burn off alot of tension and nervous energy especially when she was in the company of a very handsome and well built young man. The thought brought a deep blush to her cheeks making her very grateful it was dark.
"The Lighthouse is watching.." Elizabeta commented, shifting slightly closer to Walker. His warmth was doing well in easing some tension in her, coupled with the gentle stroking of her hair. The faint sent of pine reminded her of the forests of the dragon reserve. A comforting scent. Not as strong if Walker was using a green branch to make his flute. "I don't think it will allow any strangers on the grounds again this night."
"Sports certainly will keep you quadpot jockeys busy...riding horses would certainly suit me fine. I do enjoy a good horseback ride." Closing her eyes again she felt more tension seep from her as her mind moved away from the troubling events interrupting the dance.
"Do you play the flute?" She asked, doubting he just carved them to give or sell to others. She couldn't recall offhand hearing him play before. Maybe the lilt of a flute would be relaxing.
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If Walker was aware of the the blush on Elizabeta's cheeks or the thoughts that spawned them, he gave no outward sign of such awareness, although his attentions were now as much for her benefit as for his own. Who didn't like a little cozy cuddling? Well, ok, lots of guys didn't, but that was because they were more focused on sating themselves between a girl's legs. Which was fine for them, Walker supposed. If all you wanted out of a relationship was sex, that was all you got.
Walker had a long-standing record of relationships that ended badly, but the reasons for the relationships going bad were many and varied, and usually got attributed to a lack of sensitivity and communication on his part. He didn't see it. He thought he was communicating just fine, just... Without using his voice. Sometimes a mouth had better uses than speaking. "Hopefully not." He said regarding the Lighthouse's vigil over the school.
"I'd rather be out riding. When Quodpot season starts, I won't have any time for myself." Because studying and homework were a chore, and the added burden of practice and scrimmage would while away at the free time he did have.
When she asked if he played flute, he nodded. "Yeah. I'm better with a drum, but flutes aren't hard." All you had to do was lift your fingers from the holes of the flute in order, and then put them back. After you mastered that basic step, you learned how to make it come together like a song. "You want me to fetch my flute and play?"
