Gardens

[Lady Warlock]

DWMA: Gardens

The gardens at the DWMA are quite beautiful and the academy staff take great pride in keeping them that way. It’s something that can draw even common people into the academy’s walls. Students can use it as a hang out area when the weather is nice and it is also a great and nearby place for students to pursue romantic interests. It’s also a good study spot. Students should note that fighting is strictly forbidden in the gardens.​

 

[Lady Warlock]

Alexis “Lexie” Traynor

Considering everything that the past few months had put her through, it would have and should have seemed like the DWMA garden was the absolute worst place for Alexis Traynor to be wandering because logic said that it was the place associated with the most memories that would throw her into a rather unstable state. She hadn’t thought about that at all when she arrived at school that morning and realized she didn’t exactly have anywhere to go. In fact, she hadn’t really thought about where she was going at all. Alexis had just allowed her feet to carry her somewhere and the garden was their location of choice probably because it was a familiar place to her.

It was a warm enough morning so she didn’t have to worry about the fact that she’d left her cardigan in her locker. It was, after all, only very very early autumn. There weren’t even any leaves shifting yet.

Once Alexis got there, though, she quickly realized the dangers. This was the beautiful place that she’d tried to show her brother more times than she could count even though he’d never been interested in beautiful things. This was the place she’d always run to whenever her brother had taken it upon himself to hit her - it was something that now would never happen again because he was gone. This was the place where she’d had her first date with the boy who had stolen her heart and then been stolen away from her before he could fully give it back. All of these things made it break her in more ways than one to even be gazing upon the flowers in full bloom, but she stayed.

Leaning against a fence of the garden, Alexis stayed.

Perhaps the breeze was helping to take away the pain that came with this place. Perhaps the sound of the sprinklers watering everything reminded her that even in a drought, everything continued to grow. Perhaps Alexis realized that it was time to stop wilting herself. Whatever it was, she was content to sit in the gardens just a while longer.

She did have until noon, after all. Then she’d have to choose a class and the day would go on. Just like the flowers would keep growing, the day would go on.

Softly, and to herself, Alexis began to hum a song that lived in a memory of hers. It was something her mother sang, so long ago that Alexis and Xander had both been little and innocent, and that neither one of them had ever believed a place like the DWMA could possibly be needed.

Gardens: Friday of Week 1

 

[Exanis]

Jason A. Daniels​

'It's a nice day.'

That was the only thing really on Jason's mind as he did something he hadn't done in a long, long time. Take a nice walk, hands in pockets, eyes half-lidded, looking upwards and watching the clouds pass, during the day instead of his usual nighttime strolls, and just... Relax. Considering how hectic things have been, from a concert turning into a haunting, then having to deal with not one madness influenced jerk, but two of them all within the same night can really get to a guy. Not that it affected him all that much or that he showed what little bit that did affect him, namely that he had almost killed an innocent girl that was just being used by her brother for his dastardly plans. Just thinking back to that made him grimace and nearly spark with Soul Force. He'd be damned if he ever even mentioned this aloud, but stuff like that brought out his overprotective side in a split second, just because the inkling that it could happen to Sel back home made him want to writhe in fury. Jason took a quick breath to calm down and began absently fiddling with his rings in a practiced motion of stress relief. After that mess, he just had to go on a mission, hopefully find some properly evil people to annihilate. And he did find such a person, but of course everything leading up to that mission would go sideways, from his designated partner for it simply disappearing, to Warren of all people stowing away and joining only to do literally nothing, to the Sandman just knocking them all out and leaving.

At least the mission was a success. Sorta. Honestly, Jason was dreading if he ever got called in by Lord Death about the mission. Oh well, he'd deal with that when it came.

So clearly, there was a reason for him to want to finally relax, unwind, de-stress, all that good stuff. And where better than the garden? Well, outside by the ocean in the middle of the night while it was raining would be his immediate answer. But considering that none of that was even remotely possible at this point, and that he did want to be a semi-functional human being that wasn't weighed down by lingering emotions, the garden with it's serene beauty was a close second to what he wanted. And so as Jason let himself drift away in the peace of nature that was the garden, did he hear a soft tune that immediately caught his fancy. Lazily tilting his head in the direction of the source, he had to stop and blink at what he saw. The source of his previous near crackle fest was in the garden, alone, and humming a soft tune to herself. Jason frowned. He had a choice here, and what he did would either help or harm, no matter what. And even before he 'officially' decided on what to do, he already knew his course of action. Moving leisurely to stand a few feet away from Alexis, Jason spoke his first words of the day.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Lady Warlock

 

[Lady Warlock]

Alexis “Lexie” Traynor

There was no reason at all for Alexis to believe that no one else would be in the gardens on the particularly nice morning that had greeted her today. In fact, she should’ve been shocked if she found the gardens to be completely empty. Even though the DWMA was full of hard headed students who all sought out fights far more often than they should have, Alexis was still smart enough to know that at least some of them would know how to enjoy a nice day as well.

Somehow, despite all of logic’s implications, Alexis was still surprised when there actually was someone else in the gardens that morning because she usually didn’t notice other people exploring them while she happened to be there. Of course, there could be multiple reasons for that as well; maybe on other mornings, she was too lost in her own thoughts to notice anyone else wandering through or maybe they happened to be the kind of people who wanted their own space and thus never got close enough for her to notice them. Both made equal sense.

A small part of her wanted to walk away as Jason approached. Another part of her knew, though, that if she wanted to try to get herself back into a normal routine at the school, she had to start talking to people again and she needed to make sure she could do it without crying every time.

“I don’t think I need a penny,” she commented with a chuckle. It took her a moment to truly collect her thoughts, though, and find the proper words to accurately describe them.

When she had them, though, Alexis couldn’t think of any reason not to share them. “I was just… surprised to run into someone else here. Usually when I’m here, no one else is. Or it could be that I never notice them.” Briefly, she shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of the fact that she was easily distracted at times. “And I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to talk to someone this morning. I haven’t felt like talking too much over this past week because there’s too many ways that talking could go wrong.”

If there was any one thing that was clear in Alexis’s statements, it was that she was being honest.

Exanis

DWMA Gardens: Friday of Week 1

 

[Exanis]

Jason A. Daniels​

Jason hummed in response to her and tilted his head to the side. He could definitely understand where she was coming from, heck he was a bit leery of starting a conversation with her for the very same reasons that she had just spoken. Still, this was a chance for the both of them, and it was one he wasn't really willing to blow sky high just yet. He did have a heart no matter how much he hid it behind sarcastic smiles and a mile-wide bloodlust streak. Alexis was in need of a friend or at the very least an outlet for her emotions and considering the role he played in recent events that lead to where she was now, he had a small obligation to himself, and to her as well, to do what he could to make her feel better.

"Well, that's good that ya don't need a penny, cause I kinda don't have any on me. An' I can definitely understand the feelin' of havin' trouble talkin'. Still though, ya got yerself an open ear right now. An' if ya still ain't feelin' the talkin', I'm more than happy to leave ya be so ya can enjoy the garden." Meanwhile, Jason was nodding on the inside on a well worded statement. He didn't really want to walk on eggshells around Alexis but it was pretty much necessary right now with what he knew of the girl and what she'd been through recently. He could only hope now that she was willing to open up to someone, whether it be him or a proper friend of hers. Or, you know, continue to enjoy the garden to calm her mind and bring her a semblance of peace after all these troubling times.

That worked too.

Lady Warlock

 

[Lady Warlock]

Alexis “Lexie” Traynor

There was something special about actually being able to say what was on her mind even if she wasn’t sure whether or not she truly wanted to talk to someone right now. The truth was more honest when spoken aloud. At least, that was the way things were seeming for Alexis at that moment and she was kinda glad for it.

“I don’t really think I need to be left alone,” she commented to Jason, reaching out a bit as though she thought he might wander off on her. She pulled her hand back before actually touching him, though, because that would’ve really made the situation a bit odd. More than a little odd, too. “I feel like everyone’s been very careful around me ever since the concert and I think… I think that needs to stop soon if not now. It… I don't think it’s good for me.”

Although she’d been rather quiet and reserved, Alexis still remembered. She remembered that she used to be the kind of person who could talk to everyone and she remembered that she also used to be the life of the party whenever there was one… at least, until Xander showed up. She had been able to have fun and she’d had friends and she’d done her best to work towards being a death scythe. For her, being a death scythe was what she thought would truly give her the freedom she’d always sought after. Alexis had a feeling it was time to head back towards seeking that goal. Maybe, if she achieved that, it would free her from the guilt of what her brother endured.

“Would you agree that there comes a time where someone’s just been sulking for too long?”

Exanis

 

[Exanis]

Jason A. Daniels​

Jason glanced at her for a moment and hummed a little tune to himself. He supposed he could count himself guilty of treating Alexis carefully after what happened, even though he honestly hardly ever interacted with her. And he could see the problem with that. If it was Selene that had instead gone through all that he would have been at her side immediately and fought the whole damned world for her. He wouldn't have let her feel bad because he would have taken the weight of everything on his shoulders. From what he saw, Alexis didn't have anyone to do that for her. He sighed.

"I guess so. Still, people, includin' me, shouldn't have been tiptoein' 'round ya. It ain't really helpful when ya have no one willin' ta let ya vent and really talk to ya. Suppose what I'm tryin' ta say is it ain't yer fault." Jason shrugged and gave her a small, lazy, lackadaisical smile. "So, why don'tcha vent at lil' ol' Jay? Get some o' that weight offa yer chest and onta my shoulders?" Even with his seemingly carefree smile, it was clear from his tone that he was genuine in his desire to help her out and try and make her feel better. A bit of a contrast to what he normally acted like, but there were times for exceptions to be made from the usual sarcastic narcissistic routine. This was one of them.

Because he may have messed up in not actually helping her the way she had obviously needed it before, but damn if he wasn't going to at least make up for some of the ails he caused. Especially when such a chance was right in front of him like this.

Lady Warlock

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Jack Trinity

Jack really did plan to go to the library as Rudolf assumed. He just decided to take a ‘shortcut’, cutting through the gardens to do so. Why you ask? Why does Jack decide to do anything? It was because his die told him so. He also needed some time to think about Kalin’s response to his question. Kalin said, in his reply-text, that he was considering the position of Deathscythe. That he wanted to get started on it.

…What did that even mean?

What were the exact procedures to becoming a Deathscythe?

It had something to do with eating souls—Ella implied as much. Eating Kishin Eggs. Jack eyes were downcast as he tried to recall what little he knew about the Kishin…which wasn’t much. All he knew was that the school was built to prevent its awakening as was written in the school handbook. If one were to take the words literally, a Kishin Egg would be the embryonic form of a Kishin. A baby Kishin? He’d know for sure once he got to the library and borrowed a book or two on Kishins…and Deathscythes. Of course, Jack was more interested in Witches (and he still is), but if Kalin had interest in being a Deathscythe, Jack intended to help him. That’s what good partners did, right?

The memory of Kalin jumping out of his weapon form to shield Jack from the gremlin’s mischievous prank flashed in his mind. It wasn’t really Kalin’s fault. Jack had put himself in a position where Kalin felt he needed to risk his life to protect him. There was also the matter with Xander. If the EAT meister and his whip hadn’t showed up, Jack wasn’t sure how long he would’ve lasted, let alone gotten close enough to touch Kalin to the black-infected staff.

Jack sighed, putting his hands into the pockets of his blazer. “I guess this means I can’t be slacking off…”

So distracting were his thoughts, Jack almost missed the couple flirting near the fence. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve continued walking right by them. It wasn’t any of his business what other students did. But one of them happened to be the girl Kalin risked his life to help. The other was the one who shot at Xander. Repressing the urge to sigh again—multiple sighs were depressing—Jack pulled his right hand from his pocket and flicked his die so it spun in the air. Catching the cube, Jack opened his palm to reveal the number four. Even. The number that matched him with Kalin.

Well, that settled that.

Approaching the EAT students, with a smile on his face, Jack nodded to the both of them in greeting…though he mainly addressed Alexis Traynor. “Unless you put a smile on your face, my partner will continue to believe he failed in saving you. It would be our loss then.” Pausing, he straightened his checkered patterned tie. “Fair damsel, there exists a light at the end of every tunnel. A winning option in every game! Bad rolls will come up. Wrong turns will be made--such is life. But the absolute worst thing to do in that situation is to stop rolling.”

It was no secret that Alexis Traynor had been…withdrawn…ever since the concert. He couldn’t blame her given the death of her partner. He didn’t even know her well enough to know if she was normally without friends or not. However, with his glasses no longer working as they should and her soul bared out in front of him, there was no denying it.

The girl was depressed.

“Also, your lucky number for the day is a four.” That said, Jack swung himself over the fence Alexis leaned on and continued towards the library after tipping his hat farewell to both EAT students. "I apologize if I had interrupted anything."

That was all he wanted to say. Jack wasn’t good at comforting people. He didn’t even try too hard since he knew that the only one who could get Alexis out of the slump was the bo staff herself. The same thing happened to Ella when Jack had first met her. He hadn't really done anything. Perhaps Kalin could do something. The guy's soul was warm. Soothing. Jack didn't really know how else to describe Kalin's wavelength.

Or, perhaps, .the one she'd been talking to, the meister that shot down her brother, would be the crutch the bo staff needed to move forward. Ironic, but oddly fitting. The two seemed to be on friendly terms at least.

Either way, it was a game Kalin started and games shouldn’t be left uncompleted. As Kalin's partner, it was only right that Jack helped out a little. Smiling to himself, the fifteen year old meister shook his head as he thought of his NOT-mate’s gaming skills. Absolutely horrid. The boy had no self esteem. No confidence. And yet he considered the possibility of becoming a Deathscythe—a weapon strong enough to be wielded by a Grim Reaper. Even if Jack weren’t his partner, as the die dictated, Jack decided that would want to assist a guy who would willingly put himself at risk to protect Jack from a fake bomb.

After all, that sort of friendship was nothing he, in his 15 years of life, had ever experienced before.

Lady Warlock , Exanis

Mentioned: Deadeyelee

 

[Lady Warlock]

Alexis “Lexie” Traynor

It was hard not to smile just a little at Jason’s words simply because there was (and is) something wonderful about human interaction. It’s capable of brightening a day even when it seems nothing could possibly make it glow any brighter. That was exactly what it did for Alexis, too.

“I… well, I’m not really sure that I need to vent. I just need to stop letting myself be sad all the time. I feel like that’s a decision I’ve been needing to make - the decision to actually be happy for once - and then everything else just might be ok after that,” she tried to explain to him. It really wasn’t an overly complex thing in her mind, but she wasn’t sure if it sounded as simple as she felt it was or not.

The more she thought about it, the more good she was actually able to find without too much difficulty at all. “Maybe if I stop being so sad all the time, then I’ll actually be able to learn something and start being a weapon worth wielding.” Her sadness had kept her from focusing and all of her grades had been suffering because of it. “Maybe I could actually learn what it means to resonate with a partner.” Given that she’d only ever successfully worked with her brother, Lexie had never actually learned to resonate because they’d been a bond meister and weapon pair; resonance wasn’t possible there.

Truthfully, Alexis wanted to go to the resonance seminar. However, at the moment, she didn’t have a partner. She’d been too sad lately to try finding someone to work with and she doubted many would resonate with such a sad soul.

As she was thinking about the situation more, though, and about what things would be good for her, someone else walked in and offered their own words. Alexis froze because it wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting to hear and then she remembered that someone had saved her from… from whatever it was that her brother had been doing. She couldn’t remember ever thanking them for it, either. Although Alexis got the gist of what he was saying, she couldn’t say that she knew much about Jack and she couldn’t say that she thought a dice analogy was necessarily the best. Nonetheless, it worked.

Smiling a full smile at last, Alexis found herself waving goodbye to Jack as he walked off and calling out to him, “Thank you!”

Looking back to Jason, she decided continuing that conversation they’d been having might actually be good for her. “Have you decided which seminar lesson you’re going to later today? I hadn’t quite decided yet and I think it’d be nice to go with a friend.”

Exanis QuirkyAngel

 

[Exanis]

Jason A. Daniels​

Jason himself could only crack a small smile at Alexis' declaration of how she wanted to choose her own happiness, and that everything past that would simply follow. He understood what she meant, even if he himself had never been in that exact position. Yet, as she continued on about how she was apparently not a weapon worth wielding, nor her being able to resonate with a partner, Jason opened his mouth to dissuade that train of thought lest it cause all the progress she unknowingly made just then to disappear.

Before he could, however, Jack had strolled by the two of them, and gave his own little words of wisdom and comfort to Alexis'. Jason could appreciate that, he really could. It also served as a reminder to thank Kalin for saving Alexis in the first place, given that at that time Jason had been riding the bloodlust high. Once again at that thought Jason had to fight back the frown that threatened to overcome his lazy smile, the barest of a twitch at the corner of his lips being the only indication that anything had even taken place. As Jack continued past the two of them, Jason gave him a lazy wave in lieu of an actual verbal response to his words and departure.

Turning back to Alexis, Jason managed to catch her question as he dragged himself out of his own thoughts. What seminar he wanted to attend indeed... Absently twirling his rings, he responded. "Ta be honest, I was thinkin' of just goin' ta the fitness seminar. I ain't really sure if ya happen ta know this or not but..." Jason took a moment to gesture at himself, Soul Force just barely sparking around him to compliment the continuation of his statement. "I've been here for 'round five years now. I ain't ever had a partner longer than a month or two. Made me real good at bein' a utility meister, havin' that many partners over the years, but beyond just needin' ta be an extra body in a mission?"

Then he paused, a thought flashing across his mind as he recalled what Alexis had said before Jack had strolled by. She had talked about wanting to learn to resonate, and given that there was a whole class based on that, it didn't take much for Jason to figure out what she likely wanted go to. Topped off with how most people had been walking on eggshells around her recently, and the whole thing with, you know, needing two people to resonate, and a decision was cemented in Jason's head before he had a chance to even dissuade himself with going through with it. "Still, I guess it's 'bout time for me ta mosey on up an' figure out this whole resonance thing..." He looked over at Alexis and flashed her a smile. "What say ya? Feelin' up ta figurin' out this whole resonance shtick with the magnificence that is me?"

Lady Warlock QuirkyAngel

 

[Lady Warlock]

Alexis “Lexie” Traynor

Listening as he talked through his situation, Alexis found herself becoming just a little bit hopeful that maybe things were going to actually come out of this whole conversation that would stretch more than just the course of a day. Here, to her great luck, she was talking with a meister who didn’t have a partner! Alexis would’ve never imagined she’d get so lucky before today. She’d never had a life situation that really facilitated lucky happenings at all.

One thing he said surprised her, though. He did say he had partners before even if they’d only lasted a brief while. In all that time, had he never found one to resonate with? Alexis wasn’t sure if that was a safe question to ask or not, but it echoed in her mind. Her reasoning for not knowing how to resonate was simpler. Until recently, she’d been paired with her brother and they’d been a bond pair. Bond pairs simply weren’t capable of such things. There was one benefit, though. Alexis had never had to try working with anyone she was absolutely incompatible with. That was a plus.

Unless you counted Xander as someone she was absolutely incompatible with. Their souls weren’t incompatible, though. That was proven every time he’d wielded her.

She was excited about his offer, though. “Definitely!” she exclaimed with exuberant enthusiasm. “That’s… that’s more than I’d ever imagined being possible today and I’d absolutely love to!!!” It was clear that he’d just absolutely made her day. More than anyone else had in a long time. Actually… since Aeryn.

Alexis didn’t need to be thinking about Aeryn right now, though, so she quickly shook those memories from her mind.

“Yes, that sounds like a plan. Thank you! Hopefully we can figure this thing out together, and if not, we can both be nubes together.” Some of her former cheerful and conversational self was returning to her and she could feel it just as much as she was sure other people would see it. Then a thought came to her. “Actually, though, I should probably go eat breakfast first if we’re really going to try this. I can meet you there, though. That work?”

Exanis

 

[Exanis]

Jason A. Daniels​

Jason instantly knew he had made the right decision the moment the pure unadulterated joy showed on Alexis' face. For a brief moment he flashed back to seeing the same look show on Selene's face more than once when he had done something to surprise her that she enjoyed while she was feeling down. The look showed you couldn't believe something so good was happening, but you would treasure it anyway. It was something that he took a secret joy in being the cause of. So, of course, seeing it appear at this moment, to someone who he had unknowingly wronged while trying to do his duties, and then not helping before now, eased some of the lingering guilt that he didn't even know was weighing his heart down. He hadn't even noticed it, but his hand had been raising to grasp the necklace hidden underneath his shirt, though he had brought himself back to reality before he could.

With a shake of his head he turned his full attention back to Alexis. Half-smiling back at the excited girl, he gave her a small nod. "I'm glad yer happy 'bout this. Honestly, I'm glad yer excited at all, ya needed some sunlight in yer life." He shakes his head and moved to lean against the fence, gazing off at the beauty of the garden for a moment before turning his head towards Alexis and speaking up once more. "Still, I shouldn't be holdin' ya here if ya haven't eaten yet. Yer gonna need that energy, y'know? Mosey on along an' grab some grub. I'll be waitin' fer ya at the classroom, swear on ma' life. Till then I think I'ma just enjoy the garden's peace an' quiet for a bit, yeah?" That said, Jason turned his head back to the scenery and took a deep breath in, his mind already wandering to what exactly he promised, while also wondering how in the blue sky he was going to figure out resonance now of all times, considering he had all but given up on it after never finding someone that he could properly resonate with over the years. Still, he promised, and if it was to bring that look of joy on Alexis' face, as well as pay back the hurt he had caused her, well... Jason was just going to have to suck it up, be a man, and face this head on like he did everything else.

Only, y'know, with less punching involved. Probably.

Lady Warlock