Darkness in all of us

[That Lass Over There]

'ere we go @Infinities Lover

 

[That Lass Over There]

The clanging of metal rung out across the campus, the group of medieval club members sitting outside the forge. "He may be as thin as a toothpick but James is one heck of a blacksmith." Another member nodded. "Yeah. One of his custom spears he made for me as decoration cut through the concrete floor without chipping when I dropped it. I'd hate to see the beasts he would make for a real battle."


One of the female members leaned over the table, motioning the others closer. "Some people say he's one of those dark ones... those monsters that have darkness magic somehow."


Another nodded her head. "James is far too nice to be one of them, and even if he was I doubt he'd ever hurt anybody." The rest of the group looked straight at her and synchronously said: "You only say that because you have a crush on him."


The said blonde blacksmith came out after a sizzling noise, swinging two curved daggers in a flurry of moves impossible to follow by eye before tossing them up and catching them in their sheaths. "Here you go Illas, dual-wield daggers based on the designs you showed me. With a few tweaks, of course. Good luck on your next tournament you seven, I have to start on the other requests I have. I don't just forge your equipment you know." the twenty three year old went back into his forge after handing the daggers to the gossiping girl.


"I have got to have him give me some lessons on how to do that..." Illas said, strapping the daggers to her belt. "Come on guys, we have to practice."

 

[izayoiix]

Sighing lightly in irritation at the clanging sound of metal echoing across campus, Logan shut her book with a snap. Running a hand through her long wavy black hair, she tugged lightly at the ends of her thin black sweater. While it wasn't an especially cool day, it wasn't necessarily a warm day either. Letting out another sigh, the woman stood, grabbing her purple messenger bag. Logan didn't really hate the sound coming out of the forge almost every day, she just wasn't up to it today, with a major headache pounding away behind her eyes. It also didn't help that as she made her way down the path, the student body continued to comment about the 'loner'.


"Did you hear?" one of the girls asked a nearby group. "I heard she caused her entire family to die in a car crash when she was a baby. That she's cursed, one of those dark ones." she said dramatically, 'sneakily' casting a glance Logan's way before darting her gaze to her friends.


Rolling her eyes at their gasps of horror, the twenty-one year old woman continued on her way. She had better things to do than stand around listening to stupid gossip about her life.

 

[That Lass Over There]

James looked at the silver picture border in his hands, running his fingers along the garden-like engravings on the metal. Now if only I could remember who asked for this, he thought before setting it down on a workshop table. He yawned and wiped his eyes, putting away his tools and cooling down the forge. Ah well, I'm too tired. They'll come to me tonight or tomorrow if they really want it, and if not I just sell it or make a cast from it. No big deal. He headed off to the boy's dormitories, locking the shop up behind him. How nice of the school to let me use their facilities... Of course I do have to make them stuff at half price, so it isn't completely out of graciousness.

 

[izayoiix]

Cursing to herself softly, Logan ran as fast as she could across the grass. She was near the boys dormitory, trying to make it to the library next door. She was running out of time, and she had to return the books she'd been reading today. It wasn't her fault that the library was so far away from her dorm. Glancing at the inside of her wrist where her watch lay, Logan cursed again, trying to speed up her pace, her messenger bag bouncing against her hip. She only had a few minutes, and she was so close!


Just as her hopes reached their high point, it all spiraled down. Her foot, smashing into a stray branch, the raven-haired girl tripped, sliding slightly into the grass. "Shit!" she cursed loudly, before she could stop herself. As she made to get up, she caught sight of the library, only to slump down onto the ground again. She'd missed it. "Damn it..." she muttered and slowly started to gather her now scattered belongings.

 

[That Lass Over There]

James looked down on Logan, a bemused expression in his gray blue eyes. "Need some help Logan?" he dangled a lock pick in her face, grabbing the girls stuff up with the other hand. "You are lucky you ran into me. I have most of the staff codes due to technically being staff myself. And no, before you ask, you don't owe me for anything. I'm just doing this on a whim." he held out her things to her. "Shall we be off? It's not like I have anything else to do." he smiled a bit, pocketing the pick and offering her a hand up.

 

[izayoiix]

Startled, Logan looked up at the voice. "James?" she asked, surprised to see him here. "What..?" she asked before actually hearing what he was saying. Slowly, a small smile grew on her face as he dangled the pick in front of her. Watching as he grabbed her bag, she took his outstretched hand, letting him pull her up. Accepting her bag with a small thanks, Logan nodded at the male. "Thank you." she told him, wrapping her arms around herself as she waited for him to lead the way because of his privileges.

 

[That Lass Over There]

James picked the lock with practiced ease and opened up the library computer. He had it fixed up within a moment, the books back on their proper shelves, within ten minutes.


"There. Nobody will ever know." he started towards the boy dormitories, pointing behind him at her muddy clothes. "You can change in my room, borrow some of my clothes if you need to. With all these rumors going about nobody shares with me, so it should be okay."

 

[izayoiix]

Following James, Logan couldn't hold back her small smile, putting some of the books back as he fixed the computer. "Thank you again," she said as they closed the library doors. Flushing the tiniest bit red at his statement, she nodded, hurrying to catch up with him, definitely not liking the feel of mud drenched clothes. And hair. "Thanks," she said once again. It seemed like that was all she could say to him. She was then quiet once more, thinking before she spoke again.


"You're not the only one you know." she said softly.

 

[That Lass Over There]

"I know. But I'm probably the only one that hates it." James gestured to his bathroom as they entered his room. "Shower is in there, tell me if you want or need anything. Most of my stuff is berry scented, hope you don't mind. I'll set out some clothes for you, and I'll be outside making sure nobody sees you in here. We don't want any more rumors now do we?" He grinned and took Lord of the Rings book out of a shelf, walking out the door.

 

[izayoiix]

Rubbing her arms, trying to keep warm through the cooling mud, Logan nodded gratefully as she entered James bathroom, laughing lightly at the thought of rumors. There were plenty of them about both of them, that honestly, any more couldn't possibly do any harm. At least not to her. She didn't know about him. Shrugging the thoughts away, the raven-haired woman peeled off her clothes trying to drop them together in one spot before stepping into the shower.


Quickly washing her waist length hair with his shampoo and lathering it lightly with conditioner, she rinsed it out before grabbing the hair tie she had on her arm and pinning all her hair on top of her head so it stayed out of the way. Following her actions, she quickly scrubbed any mud off her skin before just standing still, enjoying the hot water. Sighing a few moments later she turned off the water, not wanting to use all his hot water, Logan grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her body before stepping out into the steamy air.


Opening the door a crack, Logan poked her head out. "James?" she called out, making sure her voice wasn't too loud.

 

[That Lass Over There]

James entered his room, fishing a set of clothes he judged to be Logan's size out of his dresser. He backed up to the door and held the clothes out, and without looking asked "Need anything else Logan? It looks like those idiots had a party, and I don't trust them drunk within hurling range of one of my throwing knives. I have a different way you can leave or we could wait until they're all asleep."

 

[izayoiix]

Accepting the clothes gratefully, Logan closed the door and got dressed. "No I'm good thanks," she called out, taking down her hair and hand drying the length with her towel. Once she was satisfied she hung the towel on the shower rail and combed through it with her fingers, not wanting it to be knotted for very long. Brushing it straight back so it was out of her eyes, she pulled her hair over her right shoulder and stepped out into James' room, grabbing her muddy clothes in a ball.


"Oh, I don't mind waiting if you want to avoid rumors and things. I've got nowhere to be." she explained. "Uh, do you have a plastic bag or anything I can put these into?" she asked, lifting her arms up a bit, trying to gesture to the clothes held in them.

 

[That Lass Over There]

He flushed a little as he took the clothes and put them in a recyclable bag. "Actually I was saying that because I didn't want you physically hurt. They're... well... drunk young adults, you know? You've already stated you don't care about the rumors, and I only care about ones that will hurt my job like those dark mage ones." he handed her the bag, flush still present as he turned sideways and looked away. "Return the clothes as you like." He opened a cabinet and grabbed a bottle of wine that was half empty along with a glass. Before he sat down at a side table he fished a silver dagger out of his back pocket and threw it at a dartboard next to Logan, the blade thrumming as it hit the bulls-eye. "If you're going to leave now take that with you, in case those hormone driven idiots do do something."

 

[izayoiix]

Logan grinned at his embarrassment and took the bag from him. "Thanks then." she said. "I get that," she said, talking about the dark mage rumors. "I'd feel the same if I had a job, I'm sure." she responded before looking down at his clothes, blushing slightly. "Ah, yeah. I'll get them back soon, I promise."


Watching as he grabbed some wine and a glass, Logan lifted an eyebrow before shifting her gaze to the dartboard beside her head. "Nice moves," she complimented, grabbing the dagger and pulling it out of the board. Bringing it close so she could look at the item, she looked impressed. "Did you make this?" she asked, turning the small blade over in her hands.

 

[That Lass Over There]

James looked surprised as he took a sip of the wine. "Yes, I did. Half of the metal pieces on campus, decorations, weapons, and other objects were made by me. I take student requests too, fairly cheap, if you are ever interested. Although, everything in this room is made by me." he took out another four identical daggers and took aim, making a cross on the board. "These are just basic daggers, but I find they are much more effective than any self defense pistol because bullet-proof armor doesn't do much against them."

 

[izayoiix]

Logan nodded appreciatively, finishing her examination of the dagger. "Impressive." she grinned, thinking of some of the creations she'd seen around. "I'll be sure to stop by someday," she said with a smile. "Your stuff's really good." she complimented him. As James pulled out a few more daggers, Logan moved closer, placing the one she'd been holding down on the table, so she could watch from a better angle as he threw them. Whistling impressively at the cross he'd made, Logan looked over at him. "Nice aim."

 

[That Lass Over There]

James nodded idly as he took another sip of the wine and pulled the four daggers he threw back by chains that were attached to them. "Thanks, but this is all I'm good for." he put away three of the daggers and spun the last one around his index finger. "I thought you said you were going to leave?" He took another sip, the wine having no evident affect on him.

 

[izayoiix]

Logan shook her head, disagreeing with him. "Sure you are," she said sarcastically before grabbing her things with a grin on her face. "Alright," she laughed. "I need to go any way. Got some stuff to do before going to sleep anyway." she told him. Grabbing the dagger that'd she'd placed on the table, Logan started towards the door. Before she opened the door, she turned back to James. "Thanks for the dagger and the help earlier. Let me know if you want it back." she told him before heading out.

 

[That Lass Over There]

"Logan is pretty interesting... and so is this wine and my bed." He said to himself before downing the entire glass and putting up the bottle. "It really sucks that one of my side effects keeps me from getting drunk, forgetting that mess for even one night would be worth every fortune in the world." James laid down on the bed, not bothering to get under the covers. "Goodnight, random people I'm sure are eavesdropping somewhere out there."

 

[izayoiix]

Logan sighed as she stepped out of the boys dormitory, the silver dagger clutched tightly in her fist. Taking a deep breath she loosened her grip before hurriedly starting towards her own dorm. She had to finish some work for her next class, bur she also needed to calm down before she went to sleep. And possibly some laundry, she thought glancing down at the bag in her hand. Shaking her head slightly, Logan picked up her pace, wanting to get to the safety of her room.


Upon entering the large building, she jogged up the stairs, quickly becoming impatient. As she reached the third floor, she hurried down her hall and entered her room, feeling like she was able to breathe now. She hated feeling like this. Super charged. On edge, like if something happened she might explode. Letting out a shaky breath, Logan knew she was working herself up. Shaking her head she forced herself to walk calmly to her closet and dropped her dirty clothes in the hamper inside.


Sitting down at her desk, the raven-haired woman stretched out her fingers before grabbing a nearby pen and started writing on the assignment already laid out. She needed something to preoccupy her before she could sleep.

 

[That Lass Over There]

(I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry about how long it took me to reply.)


James sat down in the classroom's back window seat, watching a red robin that had made it's nest in a tree nearby. Calculus three, even, wasn't enough to challenge his brain. He sighed as the memory of his father telling him to become a big league mathematician, to abandon the forge returned. We were naive back then, both of us. Even now, it pains me to remember our errors spawned from naivety. His head turned back to his desk where detailed, elaborate drawings of weapons were. I suppose I'll just have to make the most of my remaining time in this cruel world. The corner of his mouth twitched as one of the drawings seemed to come into existence for a moment. But nobody will take from me again.

 

[izayoiix]

Running a hand through her raven colored hair, Logan yawned, resting her head on her arm, closing her eyes briefly. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, having been too wired. She yawned again before sitting up and shaking her head harshly, trying to wake up. She'd probably gotten two hours of sleep after her tiring day, and the worst part was that even now she still felt a bit wired. Like she could still explode everywhere.


Sighing, Logan looked down at her Calculus notes before letting her head drop. She had no idea what she was doing. Normally she was okay in math, but obviously today was not her day.

 

[That Lass Over There]

James smiled down on the sleeping Logan, thinking of millions of evil things to do before just poking her arm once and going back to gather his things. "Time to wake up sleepy head, school is over. You slept through two classes and I had to bring you to the nurses office. You should have seen the look on the professor's face, he thought you were in a coma." He sat down next to the bed, the only noise was of one of his daggers cutting through the air, even the chain silent as it's dagger went up and down, spinning in a windmill.

 

[izayoiix]

Groaning slightly at the noise around her, Logan tried to turn on her side to go back to sleep, it wasn't happening. Firstly, she couldn't turn over and the noise didn't seem to be stopping any time soon. Tossing her head slightly, her eyes slowly started to blink open. Sighing, Logan stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Wha..." she mumbled, confused. Where the heck was she? What happened to her? Last thing she remembered she was in class.