How to "Business" (ft. Aidan&Azalea)

[NyxNightmare]

[SIZE=18pt]Scenario: Everyone just loves flashbacks into the past right? Well let’s take it back to Aidan and Azalea’s young teen years. The results of a test has just been passed out in their business etiquette class, because every heir to a business has to attend one. It's like a summer camp, except you are trapped in a fancy building for the entire summer instead....so fun. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=18pt]Time: Back into the past before Aidan or Azalea join the Tigers. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=18pt]Location: Northern District/Business etiquette academy [/SIZE][SIZE=16pt] [/SIZE]









@BlueInPassing

 

[NyxNightmare]

Azalea had always been the top of her class. She had always been the most beautiful, most revered person. That is, until he showed up. The fucking white haired beauty that seemed to draw in everyone's attention. Now, she could deal with the attention drop, as it was no concern to her. She actually found it easier to study without being stared at by other students. But what she couldn't stand, was that he was actually better. Nobody had become quite a challenge before his entrance. It wasn't the act that she wanted to become better, but she desired to know how. So proper, so...so FAKE. His manipulative ability strung high.That's right, she was downright onto this man. Looking down at her test, a 99.99%, she didn't even bother to look over her enemy's shoulder to know his grade. An undoubtful 100%. She had pondered a theory as to why he was so good at everything, and she would confront him about it today. So she waited, until the end of the day when everyone was preparing to leave. She waited outside the door, until he pased through, in which she called, 
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"Aidan Weiss."
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Her voice full of conviction, but somehow there was an alluring gentle tinge when she spoke, natural because of her chi. She thought she could figure out everyone in this school. Nobody was like her. But this boy...she was almost sure of it. The only way he could be worthy being a competitor.
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"You posess a chi ability don't you?" 
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@BlueInPassing
​

 

[hosaki]

A palpable excitement hung in the air, contained only by basic classroom etiquette. Aidan could see the tension in his classmates' stick straight postures, their necks craning to get a peek at their neighbors' papers. As soon as the teacher's customary "Take care, class. You are dismissed," left his lips, out burst the usual chatter: "What did you get?" "Hahaha, I didn't study, but I managed to pass!" "How'd you get a better score than me?" Everywhere was the shuffling of papers, and though it was easily drowned out by the raucous conversation, Aidan believed he could still hear it. He hated the sound. It called to mind Father's way of tidying his documents, his annoyingly curt way of saying "I'm busy at the moment."


A shadow of a frown passed over Aidan's features. Enough with school, it was time to go home. With graceful ease, he slipped out of his seat and prepared to leave. Out of courtesy, he gave a wordless smile and a nod to the girl sitting next to him, though he wanted nothing more than to never see her again. She'd been staring at him all day and hadn't even bothered to pretend otherwise. Not only did the attention leave him feeling more constrained (every expression of his was subject to her scrutiny), it also left him feeling more agitated than usual. This did not show in his even stride, but he nearly missed the awaiting Azalea as he exited.


Her voice, seemingly materialized from nowhere, caught him off guard; if he had any less self control, he would have jumped in surprise. As it was, Aidan merely jerked his head back slightly. His facade was already slipping back into place, but then her question caused his facial muscles to freeze up. Chi. He'd never thought the word would be mentioned anywhere outside of the accursed training room. It took effort to plaster back on the usual Aidan look: kind, accepting, with a hint of paternalistic superiority. He turned to face Azalea with a clueless smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And what makes you believe that?"


So the person who'd called out to him was Azalea Hyatt. Father had told him to keep an eye for her, but Aidan always thought it was just the man's typical overcautious nature speaking. The heiress was not anything special, not according to Weiss standards. Now, evidently, he had cause for a reevaluation. 


@NyxNightmare

 

[NyxNightmare]

The boy's reply more or less stood up to her expectation. The collected way Aidan held himself could only be reflected in such a way. Azalea had been naive to hope for anything more. His smile that would charm most, merely taunted her. There was something this boy was hiding, she was so sure of it. She just needed evidence. Her eyes looked him over, for probably the first time. She had never bothered to be this close, or to engage in any conversation really. Conversations among classmates that weren't necessary were pointless; a hazard to her studies. Deciding to meet his smile with a short sigh she crossed her arms. Her sweet voice laced with vexation, "Don't worry, I'm not one of your fan girls. You can drop the act."  


Was she wrong in accusing him? No, she was too certain of it. But if she WAS wrong......she would just have to play this game of risk. How much would it take to provoke him? Stepping closer, her right shoulder almost grazing his right, her lips in line with his ear she whispered, "Am I wrong? You're so....good Aidan. Which leads me to believe...you're just as bad." Azalea would be lying to herself if this was all about finding out a secret of her opponent. If he did posses a chi, he would be the first person she met that was, more or less like herself. Her current lifestyle had shielded herself off from the ganglife rumored to posses powerful chi. That world was unknown to her. The school was clearing out, and the halls became more empty as seconds went by. The teacher came through the door, and Azalea backed up from Aidan. A slightly disapproving glance towered over them with a curt "Don't linger outside doors, class is over."  However the teacher soon lost interest and left, assuming they would follow back into line after his warning. 


Finally averting her eyes, she watched as the teacher left the scene. Was she coming off too unfriendly? Well, there was no helping that. She simply couldn't bring herself to pretend to be someone she wasn't in the face of this boy. @BlueInPassing

 

[hosaki]

Aidan shivered at the sensation of her breath against his ear, his eyes hardening into a withering look that was eerily similar to that of his father's. How dare this girl speak as if she knew all about him, when they hadn't even exchanged pleasantries in the hallways. Good or bad… such a dichotomy had never even crossed his mind. At the teacher's admonishment, Aidan gave an uncharacteristically curt nod of apology, but made no attempt to fake his usual 'Have a nice day. See you tomorrow, teacher.' 


"Don't worry about us, we were just leaving." Even this reassurance was strained, hollow of the warmth he usually injected into his speech and his mannerisms. He watched the man leave. Only when he was a distance away did Aidan speak again. 


"So? Are you proud that you've figured out my little secret?" He spoke mockingly, cold gaze skimming along his pale lashes as he stared down at her. His head was thrown back slightly, as if he didn't care, as if he was too above it all to care about the blood, sweat, and tears he'd shed to cultivate his chi. "Do you want me to compliment you on your cleverness, your perception?" He crossed the distance between them in one stride and leaned in to tilt Azalea's face up, seemingly for his inspection. Yet he wasn't looking into the amethyst eyes, at the sloping nose, or even at the soft lips. His hand had formed a shadow against her neck, and suddenly, he felt the urge to move lower, to press into the flesh with his fingers of ice. A long moment passed, and the urge faded. His arm dropped to his side. 


"You did well to find me out. Good job." Aidan was smiling again. It was as if he'd never let anything slip in the first place. "I suppose you're one of them too. The special ones." His head turned to look out the long window stretching along the school corridor. Rays of afternoon light were filtering in, setting the gold leaf gilding alight. The clouds moving slowly against the blue sky set a deceptive atmosphere of tranquility.


"It's such a beautiful day out. Too beautiful to stay inside," he threw out as a light aside, maybe more to himself than to Azalea.


"Is there anything else I can do for you?" 


@NyxNightmare

 

[NyxNightmare]

Azalea should have felt proud, beyond happy even at her successful accusation. He was hiding himself, much more than she had first thought. But somehow, the accomplishment was short lived. A mere blissful moment that seemed to pass by all too quickly. Was she not satisfied? She had been correct hadn't she? As she was met with his cold gaze, her own eyes widened ever so slightly. She should have been prepared for such, but she wasn't. So he was capable of such a look after all. Aidan's presence grew closer, and Azalea braced herself for the uncomfortable lack of distance that weren't on her terms. The touch tickled her skin, a little too cold to her surprise. The gesture was packaged along with an uncanny aura that resonated from his eyes. Despite his age there was a mature air about him. His mocking attitude cut like ice, but no wound was too deep for Azalea. She held her tongue. After receiving many compliments from her father each day, she'd rather be yelled at honestly. 


Moments passed, and soon his hand left her skin, leaving her slightly perplexed. What was that just now? She thought she had all the answers, had him all figured out. But perhaps that wasn't the case at all. His faux pas praise didn't appease her. He was back to his "usual" style once more. Was all this part of her imagination? Though his next line of speech shot down her doubts. He was the real deal. Just what was his forte? Following his gaze out the window, she allowed herself to release the tension that had formed in her muscles. Though his question caused her to bristle. Anything else he can do for me??? What ever has he done for me in the first place? Made me second instead of first, inflicted emotional distress upon me? Oh believe me Aidan Weiss, I would rather be doing lots of things other than fill my mind with thoughts of your demise. Do anything else he says...hmph! Just die or something!! Azalea blinked at the severity of her thoughts. Did she really want him dead? For once in her life she was challenged. Was that necessarily so bad? 


Biting her lip in frustration to keep her cool she composed herself and replied, "Actually, there is. Accompany me for a walk." She left no room for rejection as she began walking towards the back entrance. "If your guards are as strict as my own, then there is probably a ride already waiting for you outside I recon." Being the next successor of a business, guards may as well be a daily accessory. Turning her head back over her shoulder she gave a mischievous smile. "We're going to give them the slip. Hurry up. It's rude to make a lady wait." Her words were anything but lady-like. As she slipped out the door at the end of the hallway, the sun immediately blanketed her. She wasn't asking Aidan for a walk walk, she wanted to take a peek at his chi ability. It occurred to her just then that she hadn't confirmed nor denied his own assumption that she possessed a chi ability. Well, she figured it mustn't be that difficult to conclude at this point. 


@BlueInPassing

 

[hosaki]

Then, I'll be taking my leave. The words hung on the tip of his tongue, ready to tumble out at a moment's notice. Waiting for Azalea's response to his question was but a formality; he had no doubt that she would leave him alone now, after having gotten what she was after. "No. That's it. Nothing else." Then he'd go home and the two of them would never speak to each other again.


"Actually, there is. Accompany me for a walk." "Th-" Wait, what? Aidan had expected all different expressions of the negative, but not... this. For the first time in a long while, he was at a loss for words. It showed too: his lips were half parted as if he had been in mid sentence, and confusion dulled the usual sharpness of his gaze. She was no fan of his, so what more did she want from him? He didn't want to accompany her. He found her company unpleasant (though he found most company unpleasant), and he was sure she felt the same.


Yet with all this in mind, Aidan's mouth could only manage to open and close wordlessly before he pressed his lips together. Why was he in such a hurry to go back? What was waiting for him at home? Nothing. Only the Weiss mansion, cold and empty in its pristine brilliance. And all at once, he felt strangely tired -- silly even. Why not? Why not give his guards the slip? Why not take a walk with this classmate of his, the first who'd openly confronted him about his hypocrisy? He trailed after her, hardly conscious of his own movement. It was as if Azalea had strung up his limbs and her voice was the puppeteer, gently tugging him towards the back entrance with every word uttered.


"Let's go then, my lady." It was fully intended as a jab, but lacked any real venom. "Where to?"


@NyxNightmare

 

[NyxNightmare]

Azalea is a confident soul, so she would have liked to say she had absolutely no doubts about Aidan following her. Only, a small part of her appeared to hang on his every word, every action since a few moments ago; much like the feeling one gets when reaching the climax of a mystery novel. She wanted to know more, see more, of the "man behind the curtain" of Aidan Weiss. She welcomed his comeback with amusement. It was a rarity for her to receive such jagged treatment, she had no choice but to find a bit of joy in it.  However, she also couldn't deny how much she still despised him. They were rivals by blood, and being caught on a stroll would ignite some unnecessary drama and rumors. Though Azalea hadn't planned for this moment exactly, their destination had been set ever since she stepped through the back entrance. Without slowing her pace or tossing her head back she replied a little absently, "The woods at the edge of Eclaire Park." 


It was quite deserted at this time of day, save for some mothers and their young children. Rarerly did a soul venture deep into the woods that resided past the main park attractions. Nobody went to the park for the nature these days. It was all about the fountain in the center along with other scenic statues and the observatory off to the far left. Good. A place to be more or less alone. Though she didn't voice it, the only reason she knew about this place was due to the fact she herself escaped to the enchanting forest often. The trees offered coverage, thin strings of light seeped through the leaves, and the dirt path was smooth and inviting with a tint of allure. Stopping a little ways into the forest, Azalea turned around to face Aidan for the first time since they set off. "Isn't it sort of peaceful here?" Her eyes seemed to reflect a bit of a softer gaze. However, they quickly resumed their edgy glisten as she crossed her arms, shifting her weight to her right hip. The reason she brought him here. She figured he must have already been questioning her motives. 


" Why don't you show me what you can do?" Her voice for once lacked the commanding authority it usually held. Instead, a strong sense of curiosity could be depicted from it. It wasn't as if she were trying to befriend him, but this was the first time she had met someone with abnormal abilities such as herself. This was pure science. And she would use any means necessary if he weren't to comply. Oh no, Aidan would not be escaping from her clutches today so easily. It was going to be go big or go home for her with this monumental discovery. @BlueInPassing