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Post by Noam Levin on Apr 22, 2008 0:22:04 GMT -5
Noam thought about the classes he had taken his first year as a junior agent. A smile crept to his face. He hoped Rebecca didn't notice, or if she did that she didn't take offense. He simply was glad to be rid of those 100 level classes... Although, come to think of it, not much changes.
His thoughts were interrupted by Jasmine's approach. He was always glad to see Jasmine. She was an odd one, but her happy behavior tended to lighten up situations that might otherwise be tense. Hope this one isn't too tense. Noam thought. Sometimes I wish guys weren't as daft as we are. Women are so much more-- Noam realized he had missed what Jasmine was saying. The mention of gym class awakened him to the world around him.
"Ya, I'll see you in a few hours at gym." He said to the already distracted Jasmine. Another smile crept on his face as Jasmine peered into the cafeteria.
He turned back to Rebecca. "You ought to enjoy your classes. Just make sure to use the extra time you have to full advantage. You have less and less of it as the classes get tougher." He paused, thinking there was something else she had mentioned. "Ya, you'll probably be great at the evening skill training. Even if you feel a little behind, that's why we meet. It's better to work out the kinks with people who like you than when staring at a group of people who want you to die." Noam realized the joke he had tried to add sounded a bit more grotesque than funny.
"Anyway, I need to get my stuff together for this morning's class. I didn't realize I would be meeting you at breakfast, otherwise I would have been more prepared. I'll be around if you need me, otherwise I'll see you later tonight?"
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on Apr 28, 2008 15:40:36 GMT -5
((Sorry about taking so long, my computer went haywire and it's been in the shop all week. x.x))
Rebecca pursed her lips to hide a smile. The situation hadn't struck her as awkward but she could see that Noam was stressing it. "Alright, see you later tonight," she said, finally letting her smile out.
Making her way down the hallway, Rebecca tried to remember the number and combination of the locker that she had left her possessions in before basic training. When she came to the long row of lockers she picked one that looked right and put in what she thought was the combination. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as the lock fell open.
The locker was mostly empty, Rebecca hadn't brought many items with her when she had run away from the foster home. A few items were stored in a bag at the bottom of the locker and, after glancing inside, she heaved this bag over her shoulder. Yet, it wasn't on these few precious items that her attention was focused, but on the long bundle that leaned against the back wall. "Robert Swenson" was written in the leather and Rebecca ran her thumb over her father's name as she pulled out the bundle and loosened the lacing. A long, silver rapier slid into the sunlight.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 12, 2008 12:57:39 GMT -5
Elijah walked down the hallway, library books in hand. He'd finally found them, though with some help from a Junior Agent. Thinking of it now, he wanted to laugh and groan at the same time. In a way, it was amusing, but at the same time he felt rather stupid. Oh well, he thought with an inward sigh. It's all said and done now anyway, so just--
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw a girl standing by a locker in the hallway, holding something that shone in the light of the hallway. As he took a few steps closer, he saw what is was and stopped short, just staring. "Whoa," he said without meaning to. To cover for his not exactly profound choice of words, he added, "Does Dr. K know you have that thing?"
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 12, 2008 15:11:00 GMT -5
Becky jumped at the sound of Elijah's voice and shoved the slender blade back in its scabbard. "It's kind of hard to smuggle something like that onto campus. Here's the license information," she said, holding up the card that was required for all student-owned weapons. Her eyes did quite meet his, however, and she hoped that he wouldn't notice the date on the card -over 20 years before. No doubt he was aware that you had to be a Senior Agent before you could own a blade...but it shouldn't be too hard to believe that hers may be a special situation.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 12, 2008 17:51:42 GMT -5
Elijah raised his eyebrows, but didn't pry any further. He noticed the date almost immediately, but figured it was her business if she wanted to break the rules, and he wasn't going to tell on a fellow Senior--
He stopped short when he realized that she wasn't wearing the uniform of a Senior Agent, but of a Junior Agent. "Okay," he said, biting his lip. "I can pretend to ignore some things, but it's pretty hard not to notice that our shirts are not the same color." He looked at her, hoping she would believe he was entirely serious and at the same time trying not to grin. "Which means, no one cares if you have outdated license information because you're not supposed to have a weapon period." He frowned at her, trying to look the part of the serious Senior Agent who'd just caught a Junior Agent doing something wrong.
He leaned against the locker beside hers and folded his arms across his chest. "So, where'd you get that thing anyway?"
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 12, 2008 23:28:54 GMT -5
Becky's back stiffened and her thumb stroked the sword's wrapped wire hilt. She vaguely sensed that there was something behind the Senior Agent's stern appearance, but she couldn't begin to guess what it was.
Leveling her chin, Rebecca tried her best to keep her voice even. He may outrank her, but he looked to be about the same age. Even so, a small wave of intimidation washed over her. "It belonged to my father...he used it when he was an agent," she said, then added with a touch of anger, "It's mine now and this is the only home I have. What else am I supposed to do with it?"
Becky was tempted to slam the locker door and walk away but doubted that it would have a pleasant effect on the senior agent's report when he turned her in. Even so, it was unlikely to be complimentary.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 12, 2008 23:43:42 GMT -5
Eli's surprise was not feigned. He cocked his head and looked at her with a curious expression on his face. "So your dad was an agent, huh?" He wanted to ask why then she was so old for a Junior Agent, but didn't. Instead, he said, without feeling or showing any amusement, "So that gives you the right to hide a weapon, right?" There was no cruelty in Elijah's voice, only curiosity and some unidentifiable emotion.
He straightened and uncrossed his arms. "Look, I was kind of just messing around with you at first. But seriously, if someone sees you with that thing and you don't have permission. . ." He sucked in a breath. "It just might not turn out so well, you know?" He hooked his thumb through his belt loop. "If you told Dr. K, I'm sure he'd keep it for you until you're--" he stopped himself before he said "of age" but the long pause made it rather obvious, "a Senior Agent."
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 13, 2008 0:04:47 GMT -5
Becky's temper snapped with his first statement. The slam of her locker could be heard all down the hall and she turned away before he could see the tears of frustration and anger that welled in her eyes. She had to get back to her room before they started to fall...
What he said next made her stop in her tracks. She stood there for a second with her back still turned, blinking hard and trying to steady her breath. Only when she was sure that a tear wouldn't fall or her voice wouldn't come out in a sob did she turn around slowly. Her eyes flickered back and forth across his face, trying to see what was was written there. "You're not going to report me?" she asked finally, at a loss for anything else to say.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 13, 2008 0:18:25 GMT -5
Elijah stood there for a long moment, feeling somewhat stunned, before starting after Rebecca. She turned around just as he neared her, reaching his hand out to touch her shoulder. As she turned, he jerked his hand back and took a step back. All he could think was, I'm about to be murdered by a Junior Agent.
He just stared at her at first. That was it? No yelling or hitting, just one simple question? Wow, he thought. Okay. He shook his head, then smiled a little. "Nah," Eli said, then offered a small shrug. "I don't figure you're going to go around assassinating people with it. Besides, if I were to report you as you said, I'd hate to think how your Handler would take it. I still remember being a Junior Agent and. . ." he trailed off, his expression a comical mixture of a grimace and suppressed laughter.
"Anyway," he said, "I won't report you if you agree to talk to Dr. K about this. It's better than having someone else tell, right?"
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 13, 2008 0:38:37 GMT -5
Becky hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she let it out. Her cheeks which had felt flushed and hot slowly began cooling as she realized she wasn't going to be expelled...not now, anyway.
"Yeah, I guess so," she muttered, her eyes on the floor. Then, re-opening her locker, she retrieved the rapier. "I'll take this to Dr. K's office straight away," she said. She forced herself to meet his gaze and felt her cheeks coloring again. "And thanks for not reporting me, Agent...uh?"
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 13, 2008 0:48:49 GMT -5
Eli sighed at how tense Becky seemed. It was his fault, he knew, but he wasn't sure how to fix it, or if he could. He felt himself unintentionally studying her face, committing to memory every feature. And her eyes, for some reason his gaze kept moving back to them. There was something about them that held him and--
"It's Elijah," He said hurriedly, looking away quickly. "You don't have to call me Agent anything. Just Elijah. Or Eli." He shrugged. "Whatever you prefer, I'm not picky. . ." he trailed off, realizing suddenly that he was rambling. As he did so, he felt his face darken a few shades. "Anyway, um. . . do you want me to go with you to Dr. Kerr's office? I mean, so you don't have to face him alone? He can be kind of intimidating sometimes."
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 13, 2008 1:08:39 GMT -5
A grin -a real one- spread across Becky's face. "Alright, Eli. My name's Rebecca...usually shortened to Becky," she said, then chuckled. "I can handle Dr. Kerr," she patted the rapier's pommel, "It's easy to be brave when you're holding a 37 inch piece of sharpened steel."
She stood there for a second, feeling like maybe she should say something else, but nothing came to her. "Well, I'd better get down to see Dr. K's before classes. Thanks again, Eli!" she said with a smile and turned to make her way toward's the headmaster's office.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 13, 2008 1:18:24 GMT -5
Eli felt glad that Becky seemed more at ease, but he also couldn't help wondering if she had noticed him staring and was actually laughing at him. He shook his head inwardly, shaking off the thought as he did so. What did he care, anyway. She was just a girl. Right?
He nodded, then ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Yeah, just don't hurt him, okay?" He smiled. "He's probably the coolest headmaster this school has ever seen, and I think I can safely speak for most everyone here when I say we'd like to keep him." He watched her go, adding a rather lame, "have a good day," as she left.
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