âThe tongue weighs practically nothing,
But so few people can hold it.â ~African Proverb
Speech Code ~ #B43104 |
Thought Code ~ #FE9A2EPhoenix Speech Code ~ #FF0000 |
Phoenix Thought Code ~ #DF0174
It would be a lie to say that she had missed the conflicting emotions flashing through the boyâs eyes, but before she could pinpoint what exactly those feelings were, Kazutora had averted his gaze, making it blatantly obvious that he was looking everywhere
but at her. This caused an eyebrow to arch in interest -
Why was he refusing to look at her? Did he find her that hideous and awful to look upon? Velonix shook away the thought, distracted by the warmth of his hand slipping into her own. His grip was firm but soft, and his palm was slightly callused, the little scars of his life experiences faintly dotting his pale skin - hands that belonged to someone who had seen the true difficulties of life. For a moment she felt a small rise of curiosity, and a fleeting thought to simply remove her gloves and
force him to reveal his memories, albeit unbeknownst to him, flashed through her mind.
Do it. You know you want to know. She winced a bit at the voice that spoke to her, one so similar to her own yet so vastly different in inflection and tone. She couldnât focus on such a toxic inner voice; it could so quickly lead to her downfall. Instead she returned her focus to Kazutora, who was still making a drastic effort not to meet her stare, and she almost seemed to make it a game of sorts. When he looked one way, she leaned in that direction to meet his gaze - when he looked quickly to another direction, she would hop slightly to the side so that he had no choice but to meet her eyes.
After a few changes in direction, he seemed to give up, at that point his face turned somewhat to the ground as he peered down at it, almost as though he were intently counting each blade of grass.
"Kazutora...Miyato. Just...Kazutora, is fine." Velonix couldnât contain her smile and she beamed up at him, clearly pleased with his introduction.
"Thanks, for getting Mr. Iwao off my back. Sorry, about everything else."Now it was her turn to be confused over his words, for why in the world was he apologizing to
her? If it werenât for him, she would still be dealing with the disgusting excuse of humans that had been harassing her, and if it werenât for her, he never would have gotten hurt or been at risk of punishment by the administration. Her confusion evident on her face, she quirked a brow and tilted her head a bit, tapping her chin inquisitively with her index finger. She studied him for a moment, a million thoughts flashing through her mind in record time. From his mannerisms to his words, it was clear that the boy was troubled for some reason - but, why? It wasnât like she had done anything to him, but his weariness was clear in his features and the way that he held himself. She took a step closer and peered at his face, her own expression intent and serious as she studied his features.
Hehe, cute little pup, isnât he? You should make a move - I know weâd both enjoy a little toy like him, especially when it comes to playing with his mind.Velonix visibly blanched as the words slithered through her mind. It was true that the young man that stood before her wasnât lacking when it came to his physical attributes, and he was clearly more than capable of holding his own in a confrontation. What Phoenix had said was at least a partial truth - he
was attractive, physically. His actions, though, made her instantly nauseous at the thought of doing something to cause this boy pain, whether directly or not, and she couldnât contain the broiling anger in her chest at the mere mention of it.
You know nothing, Phoenix - I could never do that to him. Go away!The only response she received was a low giggle, one that held the promise of something unpleasant in the future. The sense of foreboding that she felt over this internal laugh gave her a dreadful feeling, and as she withdrew her hand from Kazutoraâs, she absently rubbed at the goosebumps rising on her arms. At that moment, her siblings spoke up, informing her of their intent to turn in the remaining delinquent to the Headmaster for her before returning to their own classes. She watched in amusement as Natsuo seemingly flashed to the boysâ side, sword withdrawn, and mulled over the fact that while her brother was a bit of a stick in the mud, he was still protective and loving towards her and their siblings. He would definitely make an amazing husband to his future wife. A grateful smile crossed her lips and she stepped over to them, wrapping her arms around them both at the same time in a small group hug.
âThank you so much - truly. I have no idea where I would be without you both and Yuki,â she spoke softly, and she released them just as gently. Once they had left with protesting troublesome boys, Velonix turned back to Kazutora once more and gave him a smile, despite her inner thoughts, and almost seemed to radiate sweetness to the point of tooth decay.
âMm, I believe it to be only fair that I extinguish the flames that I helped to create, no?â she asked, referring to helping with the teacher, who she now knew as Mr. Iwao - she would have to remember his face and name for later, should he continue to cause any trouble for this boy that she was quickly considering to be a friend, her first friend on Earth, if she was being completely honest. She peeked up at him through her lashes at that thought, remembering something that Phoenix had said, about his âcuteâ features. Her alter ego was not far off, but if she were to pick a word to describe the boy before her, cute would be an understatement. She studied him, taking in his porcelain complexion and blond locks that were so vastly different from his intense, dark eyes. His face was narrow but not unhealthily so, and a darkening spot on his cheek gave her a harsh twinge in her heart that she couldnât quite explain. Was it pity, guilt, regret - or something else? He was lean and not necessarily muscular, but certainly was not lacking in his build.
So into her study was she that it wasnât until she looked back up at his gaze that she realized how long she had been eying him down. Almost instantly she turned a bright, crimson red, and she quickly turned her face away from him, digging through the bag at her waist as a coverup for why she looked away so quickly. When she removed her hands once more, it was to reveal an instant cold pack, which she crackled quickly before it was held in Kazutoraâs direction with a dainty, gloved hand. Her expression bespoke her remorse over him being injured because of her, and before he could refuse the pack, she gently took his hand once more in hers and slid it into his palm which still held her hanky. She closed his fingers around the items before pressing his hand to his abdomen insistently, somehow knowing that he would be the type to reject them.
âPlease, make sure to ice your face well. It looks quite painful, and is already bruising and swelling a bit. You should visit the nurse before class,â she advised, her concern evident in her eyes. She was nothing if not the type to wear her heart on her sleeve, and she refused to change that fact about herself.
Ri-ii-ii-iing.Jolted from her thoughts, Velonix felt panic rise up inside of her. They had been so distracted by everything that she had lost track of time, and now the warning bell was chiming, signaling that they had five minutes to get to class before they would be marked tardy. Unfortunately for her, she didnât exactly know where class
was.
With a slightly panicked look at Kazutora, she bent at the waist once more before quickly breathing out,
âIt was nice meeting you, I hope we can become close friends!â before she was off, not waiting for a response. She did, however, cast one last glance over her shoulder back at him, unable to resist a final glimpse of the boy that had saved her -
Kazutora.
The name stuck in her mind as she searched for her class, and the events that had brought them to meet played behind her eyes as she jogged. The second bell eventually chimed, signaling that students were to take their seats and prepare for homeroom, and it was then that she finally found her room - 3C. The homeroom
teacher was just about to step through the doors when she noticed her approaching somewhat out of breath, and an amused smile crossed the womanâs lips as the teenager came to a stop before her, attempting to catch her breath as she scrambled out an apology for being late.
Mrs. SatĆ simply smiled down at her reassuringly, giving her a light pat on the head.
âItâs okay, donât worry - todayâs your first day, so itâs understandable if you got a little lost. Just donât let it happen again, okay?â she told her kindly.
âIâll be your homeroom and History teacher, Mrs. SatĆ, so feel free to come to me if you have any troubles.â She slid open the door a bit further, still speaking as she did so.
âJust let me tell the class that youâre here and Iâll introduce you.â With that said, she disappeared through the door, sliding it almost completely shut behind her.
A few moments ticked by as Velonix stood in silence, listening as Mrs. SatĆ gave her morning greetings and began to introduce her as the new student. She couldnât help but wonder where Yuki was - he shouldâve beaten her to class, seeing as his meeting with the Headmaster had been before hers. He must have run into some trouble along the way, and at the thought of that, she sent a quick prayer to her parents that he was safe.
When the introduction had finished, Velonix plastered a smile on her face that didnât quite reach her eyes, her concern over her brotherâs absence too difficult to entirely cover, and with a slide of the door, she easily entered the room. Her heart hammered in her chest, thundering in her ears as she moved, an entirely unfamiliar feeling for the young goddess. Was this ... Nervousness? She had never had anything to feel nervous about, so the emotion was foreign, but from what she knew, the closest thing to explain the feeling would be either anxious or nervous. Soft whispers floated across the room as her new classmates gossiped amongst themselves, and her slightly superior hearing easily picked up the words, which ranged from praise to disdain towards her appearance. They say that it only takes 27 seconds to make a first impression, and to her that seemed a bit of a disappointment, as it was clear most people made their decisions on their views upon one another based entirely on physical qualities alone. Things like,
'What a babe',
'Wow, what a tryhard skank' and
'She's so pretty!' slithered through her eardrums, and she felt a bit of hurt mixed with embarrassment over their words. What a fantastic first impression she'd made.
Velonix was jerked from her thoughts as her teacher began to speak, lightly touching the girl's upper arm as she introduced her.
âClass, please give a warm welcome to Miss Velonix Orako. Her brother is the other new student that you all have heard about and Iâm sure that heâll be joining us shortly, but as for now, Miss Orako is the only one here, so please make sure to be kind and helpful to her as she adjusts to our lovely school,â the teacher said, and Velonix was impressed by the womanâs ability to speak so much without taking a single breath. It was clear that the woman was well-practiced in public speaking, sheâd give her that much.
A bow and a smile, and Velonix straightened once more to face her class, giving them that same cheerfully false smile.
âHello, I am Velonix Orako. I enjoy books, the arts, and sweet things. I am so happy to meet you all, and I cannot wait to become friends with everyone here. Please, treat me kindly,â she introduced herself sweetly, ignoring the odd stares that she was receiving from the other students - a mixed pool of piqued interest, jealousy, and lustful gazes littered their features, and none of those things really sat well with her. Their auras clung to them desperately in an attempt to not meld with the sheens of auras belonging to the others; there were far too many people in the one area for her to be able to make out the individual hues, and doing so would undoubtedly cause her eyes to hurt. She would have to tread carefully with these human students - who knew what type of things that adolescents were capable of?
As she glanced over the group of her new peers, she idly heard the teacher saying something about where she could sit, and when the woman pointed at the three empty desks surrounding a rather familiar individual, Velonix felt her heart quicken a bit - this time she knew it was due to excitement though. Before she could stop herself, a genuine smile bloomed across her face.
âKazutora!â she called cheerfully, giddiness obvious over seeing the boy once again. So involved in her enthusiasm was she that the expressions of her classmates were entirely missed by her eyes; how they changed from interest to mixes of confusion and disdain over the mere mention of the boyâs name. Before the teacher could say anything else, Velonix had slipped through the desks and begun to approach her blond savior, when she was suddenly stopped by a hand tightly gripping her wrist through her sleeve. Surprised, her head snapped to the side, her eyes settling on the
boy who held her in place.
âExcuse me, but I do not believe I gave you permission to touch me,â she said coolly, her voice sugary sweet but holding dark undertones. The boy simply smirked at her, his eyes showing an underlying hint of malice. A pause as he almost seemed to eye her up and down, and she felt her skin crawl a bit under his gaze. Despite the mesh of auras, she could instantly pin point the darker hues swirling around him -
This is someone I have to make sure to avoid.
âHey, hey, hey, no need for the hostility. I was just trying to help a new classmate out. Trust me, you definitely do not wanna sit by that ⊠thing over there,â he warned, tossing a thumb with his free hand in Kazutoraâs direction. At the boyâs words, Velonixâs expression visibly darkened. As he moved, his finger idly brushed across her bare wrist, and before she could control it, a barrage of images flashed before her eyes. It happened quickly, almost instantaneously, and she felt an instant pain flash through her skull at the onslaught of moving pictures and sounds. Snippets of interactions between the boy and who he assumed were his parents, giving him money as though it were the most normal thing in the world; the boy smoking cigarettes behind buildings and joking around with his friends; and finally, him looming over a
very familiar blond male, foot connecting repeatedly with the downed boy as Kazutora laid curled on the ground before him, his friends more than happy to help him in the beating. The sight wrenched at Velonix's heart and before she knew what she was doing and the boy could react, she tore her wrist away from his grip and rubbed at her skin, as though attempting to get his disgusting touch off of her body, and fixed a revolted glare on him.
âI appreciate the advice, but maybe you should learn to mind your own business,â she bit out, her eyes narrowed and hard. She glanced around a bit, noticing that almost all of the other students had similar expressions to the boy who had stopped her. They were staring intently at the interaction, as though it were their entertainment for the day. Their teacher ignored the drama between the students as it was common for teenagers to have spats, instead focusing on preparing for their lessons. Another boy who sat beside the first leaned over in his chair, looking up at her earnestly.
âSeriously, he isnât joking - that guyâs a real monster, so youâd be smart not to go near him.âAt that, Velonix took a step back from the duo, a look of awe and repulsion on her face.
âIâm sorry, but last I checked, I had a mind of my own that was perfectly capable of making its own decisions and judgements. The last thing that I need are a couple of simple-minded children whose intellect is on par with that of a Neandrethal telling me who I should or should not associate myself with. Perhaps next time, you should think carefully before speaking, lest you publicly embarrass yourself any further by judging another person without getting to know them first,â she snapped out - her voice was cold, entirely different from how it had been a mere few moments before when introducing herself, and she made her anger over the boysâ words oh-so-very-clear.
With that said, she made her way to the back of the room and rather matter-of-factly dropped her bag onto the floor beside her chair, a loud
thud sound reverberating throughout the space, having chosen a desk directly beside Kazutora. The other students stared at her in a mixture of shock, surprise, and awe at her boldness, to which she met each gaze firmly, ready to bite out another retort at their rudeness, but before they could begin whispering amongst themselves, Mrs. SatĆ cleared her throat and called for their attention, slipping easily into their first lecture of the day. Velonix withdrew a notebook, pencil, eraser, and her textbook, smoothly flipping open to the page written on the whiteboard. As she settled into her seat and parted her notebook to a blank page, she cast a sideways glance over at Kazutora, a small smile on her lips, and she gave him a small yet clear wink, already beginning to take notes as their teacher spoke.