08/14 Instance: Just Say No

[Starfish]

Timeline: Current (takes place after the 4th part of Time's Fool).


Selene: Selene followed the footpath leading from the nearby woods back to the Xavier's mansion. It was still early, before classes at the school would start. She preferred being out there at this time of the day. Not only was it calm and peaceful, but also refreshing in various ways. Digging her hands into the pockets of her coat, she approached Remy's house.

Selene: She walked by his place every time she took this route. He had said that he wouldn't be home for a while, so Selene had to suppress her curious urge to walk in and explore his home in his absence. No, that wouldn't have been polite. Suddenly, she slowed her pace and stared intently at the empty house. Presumably empty. Had she seen someones shadow through the window?

Raya: Raya ducked away from the window where she'd been sitting with a borrowed book off the shelf; it had startled her to see someone walking by. Not many people would take a walk along the far side of the lake in the cold, or so she'd thought; apparently she was wrong on that. She rubbed the shin she'd smacked on the chair, sitting down heavily when Tante called up wondering what she was doing.

Raya: After a few days of not seeing anyone, the random silhouette had frightened her enough to lose her balance. "Who would be walking outside in this weather?" She wondered, mostly to herself.

Selene: Selene frowned and tilted her head sideways as she curiously looked at the house. Remy probably had charged someone with looking after his home while he and Johnny were away. That would be the most likely explanation. Still, Selene believed to sense more than one living person inside. And there was also the possibility that it was someone who Remy would not have wanted to be there.

Selene: While Remy would certainly disapprove of her snooping around his home uninvited, he would definitely have wanted her to check on his home, just in case anyone would want to steal from it. Only one way to be sure. Selene stepped over to the door and knocked.

Raya: Raya watched as the person--she was sitting in the second-floor window, and was too far away to see whether it was a man or woman--make their way to the door and disappear under the covering of the front porch. Hopefully Tante would tell them Remy was away with Johnny and she wouldn't have to see them. Hopefully.

Selene: Selene glanced down at the woman opening the door. She remembered Remy having said something regarding his housekeeper before. This was most likely her. "Good morning," Selene replied after the older woman had greeted her in a friendly manner.

Selene: "I'm sorry for disturbing you," Selene continued. "However, I meant to check on you and make sure that you're aware that there's most likely a burglar in your top floor." The housekeeper looked back at her, the slight confusion at her words apparent in her expression.

Raya: Raya crept down the stairs, avoiding the one that creaked if she stepped on it. Ah. Selene was here. She could barely see the top of her head and her arm from her spot behind the wall.

Raya: Giving a small sigh as Tante started to tell Selene who was there, she stepped out so she could be seen. "You didn't see a burglar, Selene. You just saw me in the window." It was mildly embarrassing, being found out when she really didn't want to.

Selene: Selene leaned to the side, looking past the housekeepers head, at Raya coming down the stairs. Now the confusion was apparent in her expression. "Raya? Oh, that's good. Much better than a burglar, I presume." She paused, sea-sawing back and forth on her toes. "However, I'm still surprised to find you here."

Selene: "I had no idea that you moved from your room at the school to Remy's house." Selene gestured in the direction of the mansion. "With leaving all your things behind, no less."

Raya: "I didn't move, really. I'm just...not staying at the school for a little while." She twisted her fingers together as she came down the last steps, hoverng near the newel post. "I just didn't want to be there."

Selene: "Oh, I see." Selene nodded slowly and glanced sideways. The housekeeper stepped aside and let her inside, then closed the door to not let all the warmth out of the house. "I should have guessed, seeing that it seems to be a common habit at the school to simply leave without telling anyone."

Selene: "I didn't see you at the school for a couple of days, but presumed that you were hiding away in the art room." She paused. "Why did you leave?"

Raya: "I just didn't want to be there." Raya nodded at Tante, who gave her a questioning look as she sat down on the bottom step. "That's it, really." She swallowed nervously, tugging on the end of her bare braid.

Selene: Selene thought about Raya's answer for a couple of seconds, feeling not any smarter than before. "If you say so," Selene commented eventually. "I wonder, is it the place itself, or the people living therein that made you not want to be there. Because if it's the latter, I could leave now and not disturb you further."

Raya: "It's neither." Raya answered honestly, if quietly. Truth be told it was netiher the people nor the place that made her so jumpy, but neither much made a helpful impact on her frame of mind. "I just don't want to be there. It makes me nervous...and I don't really want to be around a lot of people," she finished lamely.

Selene: "Ah, in that case, I know exactly how you feel," Selene answered with a determined nod. "I often feel very much the same way. Groups of people always unsettle me and make me feel restless and nervous. Truth be told, it was a lot worse before I came here, but I still prefer one on one social interactions."

Selene: "It's much easier to focus on your counterpart that way." She didn't want to admit that group interactions still tended to confuse her at times. "If you're anything like me, it's something that will take its time to get used to."

Raya: Raya listened to that and digested it, leaning her shoulder and head against the thin spindles on the banister rail. "It's not that. I'm usually fine with lots of people, but...this time is different. I just have a hard time being around the people at the school." She left out the part about getting an engagement ring and a letter that assured her everything would be fine. "I just wanted some time not there." But I can't go home...not yet.

Selene: "This is something I can relate to," Selene replied. She stepped over to the stairway and sat down slightly below Raya. "I usually go for an extended walk or spend my time in a less frequented part of the mansion when I don't want to have people surround me." She paused, looking at the other girl. "But would you want to explain why you're having a hard time being around the others?"

Selene: "There has to be something that's different now, I'd say. Either with them, or with you."

Raya: Raya stiffened as she heard that comment, turning her head as if struck in slow-motion. The words had hit deep, even if she didn't want them to. "I, um. I...I really don't. There are people all over the mansion...they never really stay put for long."

Selene: "Of course," Selene replied with a nod. She could understand Raya, seeing that she disliked being probed for answers, as well. "Please excuse my curiosity. It's not my business." She paused for a couple of seconds. "Considering that you don't like being around the people from school, would you prefer if I left now?"

Raya: "It's fine if you want to stay for a little while. I don't mind...Remy said I could stay, so I don't think he'd mind if you did too." Raya sighed, brushing the tiny braid that held the wisps of hair near her eyes back. "It's been very quiet here. No one but Tante and myself. It's almost nice to hear someone else speak." At least she wasn't stuttering again. Raya had that problem when she got nervous, which lately seemed like every ten seconds.

Selene: Selene watched Raya for a couple of seconds. She was fairly certain that the other girl was sincere and not only polite. "Very well," she eventually replied. "I still have plenty of time before my first class starts today, so I can stay for a while longer."

Selene: She looked around the hallway. "But I'd suggest that we move elsewhere, don't you agree? I think there are more comfortable places to sit and talk than a stairway."

Raya: She'd been sitting on the stairs as it left her a convenient and fast escape to the guest room on the second floor, whose door locked. But she got up anyway, leading Selene to the living room where there was a couch and low table against the windowed wall. "I'm sorry if I've caused you worry by leaving. I didn't intend that."

Selene: "No need to feel sorry," Selene replied, taking off her thick coat and draping it over a nearby chair. "I leave without telling anyone whenever I want to be alone, as well. Otherwise, you just end up getting disturbed in the end." She sat down on the couch. "Besides, you give me the impression that you're able to take care of yourself."

Raya: She really didn't know quite what to say about that. She'd never thought she was the type to give off that vibe.... Raya licked her lip, catching it in her teeth lightly and sighing. She was uncomfortable with Selene getting close to what made her nervous besides this marriage. Idly she wondered if she'd noticed she never sat with her back to a window. "Um. I guess... thanks?"

Selene: "You're welcome." Selene nodded her head slightly, giving Raya a small smile. "The reason I'm saying this is because I often see you all by yourself. You don't seem to rely on anyone else for support. To me, that appears as someone who knows how to get by. Before I came here, I had to do the same. And even now I aim to not become dependent on anyone but myself."

Raya: Raya squirmed from her seat on the couch. "I don't really have a lot of hidden history. I'm pretty simple, I guess. Just a normal city girl." She reached up and rubbed on her shoulder, just behind where it met her neck. The muscle had a tendency to cramp when she was nervous, much like it ws doing now. "A lot of people pair up, and...it just makes me feel like a burden when I'm around them."

Selene: Selene let Raya's words settle in, thinking about their possibly meaning. "So is this the reason why you're feeling this discomfort around them," she asked, curiously looking at the other girl. "Everyone pairing up to form neat couples? I wonder why this bothers you that much," she partly stated, partly inquired. "Do you feel left out by them?"

Raya: She debated whether or not to answer that. "Yes and no. I don't...I don't really need a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, but at the same time it's lonely to be by yourself when everyone else isn't."

Raya: "I don't know if you've heard...probably have, since news seems to travel pretty fast at school." She moved restlessly, pulling her legs up on the couch. "I'm engaged, supposed to be married in a few months. It's not something I really want to do... but I don't really have the power to break the agreement."

Selene: Selene looked at Raya with a slightly awkward expression. "Yes, I've to admit that some of the other students have been discussing this and I've overheard them talking about it." She fleetingly bit her lower lip. "To be honest, I just assumed that you simply felt neglected because a lot of people at the school seem to only concern themselves with their significant others."

Selene: She paused and took a deep breath. "But I guess that I'm beginning to get an idea of what really has to be troubling you." Selene ran a hand through her hair and kept her gaze locked on the small table in the middle of the room. "I'm afraid my only knowledge concerning marriages comes from things I've read. I never even got to the point to plan Rahne's."

Raya: Raya made a noise in her throat that might have been a laugh at some point. "That part doesn't help a lot. It's just...I don't want to look at everybody being so happy together when I can't be." She sighed. "I know when she left it must have been difficult for you. You were close to her, weren't you?" She finally looked up, braid sliding off her shoulder to hang beside her face.

Selene: Selene waited a couple of seconds before replaying, tapping her fingertips together. "She is a very good friend," Selene eventually admitted. "Along with Lizzie one of the first I've ever had. At first we didn't get along at all, but you could say that we soon developed a mutual respect for each other. I've heard she's back, but so far, she's been mostly keeping to herself."

Selene: She shrugged, looking back at Raya. "You said that you don't like to see other people being happy when you can't be. What is keeping you from being happy, if I may ask?"

Raya: "I'm engaged and I don't want to be. I can't have a boyfriend, or...a lover or anything. It feels like I'm just stuck here until someone else decides what I should do." The warm air in the house felt sticky in her lungs, making it hard to get a full breath. "I'm no fun at parties or bars, really. I usually don't even go. It just makes more sense to just get away for a while than try to fight all that." She was full aware that she sounded sorry for

Raya: "I don't mean to sound this pathetic. It's not an easy time."

Selene: "I see," Selene replied, folding her hands in her lap. "Well, you're not alone with being no fun at public places. Neither am I. Usually, I try to avoid drinking alcohol." She made a slight face. "Concerning everything else, I have to agree that you indeed sound somewhat pathetic. So you're engaged and don't want that. What's the deal then? Just say no."

Raya: The words sounded so very easy. And she could theoretically do just that. She thought quietly for a moment, thinking of what to say that would convey what she wanted to avoid. "I don't want to hurt the people I love back home. And if I refused outright I would do just that. I have very little family, but I want to keep them close to me."

Selene: Selene sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Ah, yes, I can relate to your dilemma, I think." She made a face. "I know very well what it feels like when you don't want to let down the people that mean something to you." Selene was reminded of her own situation with Amara and Warlock, and how she had avoided having to think of a resolution so far.

Selene: "To me, this looks as if you're stuck in a situation where either option that you could chose will result in making you unhappy eventually," Selene concluded. "The most obvious choice would be to go for the one that will make you less unhappy. Or, to go with my favourite option, find a way to sneak out of everything and have someone else bear the brunt of the blame."

Raya: As much as she didn't want to, Selene's answer made her smile. "I wish I knew a way to do that. If I did I might take that option."

Raya: "As it stands I've got a little while to tell people. Before I'm supposed to go back to Syria and presumably stay there."

Selene: "Oh, that's not as hard as it sounds," Selene gave Raya a sincere look, even though a small smirk played around her lips. "Never forget that you have fellow students at this place who would help you out." She chuckled. "I'd gladly help you, simply for the amusement it might possibly entail."

Raya: She chuckled. "I bet you would. Give me a little while to think on it and I'll hopefully figure out what you can do."

Selene: "Excellent." Selene nodded, still wearing the smirk. "If you need suggestions, allow me to help you out. How about I convince your betrothed that he'd rather elope with someone else? Or I could have your family forget about the arranged marriage and still like you. There are plenty of possibilities. I think I'd be capable to help you with my abilities."

Raya: Raya shook her head at Selene, standing and walking her towards the door she'd come in. "You should get to your class before you're late. I'll see you later." She stood for a moment at the door, leaning on the jamb, before turning and heading back up the stairs. She needed to think.

[Love das flockige]

hmmm....is raya (dun dun duuun) plotting??