The Day After

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Y'know what? I really hadn't thought about that. *shrug* Oh well. About the burning to a crisp, I didn't really say that in all seriousness.</td></tr></table>


<span style='color:FF6600'>"No problem. I figured that something of the sort had happened, I decided to just you a little time."</span> Really, he hadn't thought any of the sort, but he had decided to just give Tamay some space and, in time, they'd be better off as friends. So it wasn't a total lie.

Ryth turned back towards Jyta. <span style='color:FF6600'>"My boots? Oh, these are old. I think they were... my dad's? No, that's not right... Mighta got them in some shop a long time ago... Yeah, that musta been what happened."</span> Ryth shrugged. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. But that was a useless train of thought. It was just a pair of boots, after all.

Ryth yawned at streched in his chair. <span style='color:FF6600'>"Well, I feel much better, aside from the occasional headache. What about you guys?"</span>

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Sounds good to me, so let's do it.</td></tr></table>

Jyta smiled at her friend. <span style='color:#660000'>"All right. I don't think I'm doing anything today, really. We can go watch some movies or something later."</span> Jyta remembered that Tamay had brought some home the night before, but hadn't been able to watch them because of the party. Jyta felt bad about it, since she'd been ignoring her room mate as of late. She made a mental promise to make it up to her, somehow.

Finished with her food and napkin, Jyta stuffed the remains into a wad and put them on the plate. She poked Ryth, simply because she liked to annoy him. He was staying in her and Tamay's dorm room, so he couldn't really retaliate. <span style='color:#660000'>"You done? I'm going to go toss the trash, so put what you're not gonna eat onto the tray. I'm not going back."</span> Jyta wasn't lazy, she simply liked to conserve energy. That was it.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>No problems here. I just realized that Ryth and Jyta's name are so close to being the same. That's kinda odd. I think Ryth is Vash put through the translator mulitple times. I can't remember what Disagin is...</td></tr></table>


Ryth tossed his trash onto the tray. <span style='color:FF6600'>"Yeah, I'm done."</span> He looked at the retreating Tamay. <span style='color:FF6600'>"So, ready to head out?"</span> He paused for a second. <span style='color:FF6600'>"I'll be back at the room, just catch up, m'kay?"</span> He just needed some time alone.

Upon hearing no protest, he walked out the cafeteria doors and headed up the stairs, and in his pockets.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>I don't mind (Jyta might, but I don't), but if we mess with the issue it'll have to be in a later thread. If one of you two wants to start the next one (or if you even want to have one...) feel free. Sorry for the short post.</td></tr></table>


Jyta smiled and nodded at her friend, unaware of her thoughts. <span style='color:#660000'>"Sounds good. I've gotta go catch up with Ryth, but we can do something in a while."</span> Jyta grabbed the tray and brought it over to the appropriate trash-disposal area, where she dumped it and stacked the tray before exiting out of the doors that Ryth had taken. She was whistling, albeit not particuarlly well, as she left. Jyta was content, since she was unaware of what went on with those around her.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Hm... I wonder if I should bring http://shadowlack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2575&st=0&#entry31506Skon</a> here right now... Probaly not. I was looking for a picture of Captain Bernadette from Hellsing ('cause that was a big influence on making him in the first place) but I can't. So http://www.soularized.com/plume/oldentries/hellsing004.jpghere's</a> the scan from the manga. Bernadette's the one with the nose strip thing and the braid wrapped around his neck. Sorry it's so big. I'm lazy and don't wanna fix it. Also, this post might cramp Jyta's style a bit. but hey, what can I say? I'm mean. And no, DJ, that isn't bothering me. Be brave! Post where no poster has posted before! Huzzah! ...Is this going to be another one of those posts where my OCC is bigger than my IC? Yeah, probably. *sigh* Might as well make this box huge. First, I needed a char that had given Ryth the boots, so that meant someone in the military. But I liked the idea of a merc that was strict about his time. So Skon was born. I listed Ryth as his half-cousin, but I'm thinking that's more of an honorary title than anything. Now I wanna use him here. *whines* Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease? PLEEEEEEEEEEASE? (I'm just hoping that Ryth isn't killed by Jyta in retaliation for what I'm about to do.Because you were going to do this.)</td></tr></table>


Ryth pushed open the door to the room. He collapsed on the couch. <span style='color:FF6600'>"I need something to do with Jyta..."</span> Ryth sat and though for a while and came up with an idea. <span style='color:FF6600'>The lake. WE could go to the lake. Maybe not today, but some other day. Yeah, I'll mention it to her.</span>

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td> o.0;; Now that is a big OCC box. And a really small post. RUN! It's Godzirra! *speared* *sworded* *ICE-CREAM TRUCKED* Okay, I'm hyper. Someone should stuff me into a hat and feed me milk and cookies, like that one chick did with Zeva. Speaking of that... I need to talk to you about that, 'Tari-chan. ('Tari-chan. I like it.) http://www.soularized.com/plume/oldentries/hellsing005.jpgAnother</a> scan of Bernadette, t3h 3V1L style!</td></tr></table>

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Sure, Dun-kun. Just cut down on the OOC stuff, please?

I think the thread's close to done. Introduce your char, Jyta meets him, Tamay does whatever, and we split to a different thread at some later date.</td></tr></table>

Jyta strode down the hall to the shared dorm room, hoping to have some time alone from Ryth and Jyta now. She could just lock her door, take a nap, and then get up and have a nice shower. Heaven! Jyta walked in the room in time to hear Ryth thinking aloud. She rolled her eyes, and sighed a little. <span style='color:#660000'>"You're nice, but no. I'm taking a shower, and then I'm going to sleep."</span> Jyta walked by and flicked him on the nose, simply for cruel amusement.

<span style='color:#660000'>Perhaps I should be worried about the fact that I'm taking a shower in the same room as a random male? ... ... ... Nah.</span> Jyta walked into her room, grabbing her robe from the pile that was forming on her bed, which by this point was mostly a nest of pillows. With it slung over one arm, she went to the bathroom and turned on the hot water for the shower stall.

The robe went over a peg on the back of the door, and Jyta stripped down, tossing her clothes on the floor in a pile. <span style='color:#660000'>Wait... Ryth doesn't know where our food is, really. Curses.</span> Jyta stepped out of the bathroom, walking over to where Ryth was to tell him that the cups were in the bottom drawer of the fridge, 'cause of a long story that she didn't want to recount at the moment.

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Um, yeah. This'd be a nice point at which to introduce Skon. Just for my own personal amusement.</td></tr></table>

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Okay, that was mostly just for fun. Skon likes to make a big appearance.</td></tr></table>


Skon wandered the halls of the dormitories, hoping he could see someone he could ask. He hoped he could find Ryth's room. But he wanted to surprise him.

He looked in the next open door and stopped in his tracks, not beliving what he saw. He closed his eyes for a second, then re-opened them, hoping the scene would change. But of course, it didn't. He moved silently and closed the door without a sound. Then he proceeding to bang on the door, with a yell of, <span style='color:CC9966'>"Open up! I'm not going to ask again!"</span>

Ryth recognized the voice as well as the execution. Skon had pulled this kind of trick on him a couple of times before he had caught on. But, for Jyta's sake, he decided to play along. <span style='color:FF6600'>"Wh- who is it?"</span> he said, struggling not to laugh.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>0\/\/|\|3d.</td></tr></table>

Jyta rolled her eyes, seeing that he was trying not to laugh. It wasn't obvious, but she was a Seductress. One of her skills was reading body language, which was only enforced by Nurano's occasional lessons in such matters. There were advantages to having a cousin who was a Spy. <span style='color:#660000'>And Jyta doesn't like being tricked... let's have us a bit of fun, ne? There's not any knives in a handy place, so plan b it is.</span>

Jyta sauntered over to the door, taking a quick peep through the window in the top to find her target. She swung it open, had a moment to revel in Skon's somewhat shocked face, and pulled the slightly surprised (but not entirely unwilling) male into a rather deep kiss. Righting herself, she strode back to Ryth and smacked him on the head. <span style='color:#660000'>"It would do you well to remember that this is my room, not yours. Don't annoy me unduly. Care to introduce your friend?"</span> She raised an eyebrow, back to her usual off-kilter self. She scanned between Ryth and the newcomer, and she seemed not to have miscalculated. They did seem to know each other. She hoped.

 

The first thing Skon noticed when the door swunk open, was that he had a armful of female in his arms and a mouthful of her lips. Ryth flinched as the female hit him on head, and Skon felt pity for his half-cousin. He had never competed with Skon when it came to keeping cool. Skon had always been the cool and collected one, but he and Ryth had become fast friends anyways. Skon leaned against the doorframe and lit himself a cigarette.

Meanwhile, Ryth was marveling at Skon, wondering how he could keep such a mask after what he had just happened to him. <span style='color:FF6600'>How did Jyta know we knew each other? There was certainly more to her than meets the eye.</span>

Skon walked over to the couch where the female and Ryth were sitting. He positioned himself next to the femme and put his arm around her.<span style='color:CC9966'>"What's your name?"</span> he said in a low voice.

 

Though Jyta was outwardly responding to Skon, she was thinking. She'd mastered the art of doing two things at once long ago. <span style='color:#660000'>I'm a multitasker!</span> She would have grinned, had she not been attempting to meld her skin to Skon's. He seemed to be receptive to the advances, like any heterosexual male would be, but Jyta had no doubt that his brain was working just as hard as hers. He seemed to be (outwardly, at least) more subtle than Ryth.

<span style='color:#660000'>How are they related? They're the same age, not brothers (not enough teasing for that), but close enough that he didn't question his appearence... Not friends, for the same reason as brothers... oh! Cousins, maybe?</span> Jyta's only reason for choosing cousins was because the relationship dynamic between the two seemed similar to that between herself and Nurano. Interesting.

Now that Jyta had a guess as to the male's identity, she answered his question in as seductive a whisper as she could manage without sounding like a "lady of the night". <span style='color:#660000'>"Jyta... and you are?"</span> She remained fairly neutral for the moment, since she didn't know what Skon thought of her. If he thought she was just a dumb female, she wasn't going to prove him wrong. Yet.

Males (and 'dragons in general) were easier to manipulate if they thought you couldn't put two and two together. However, Jyta didn't think that the other considered her dumb. <span style='color:#660000'>Probably going through the same set of deductions as myself. Lovely.</span> She wasn't seriously considering taking up with this male (at least not for anything emotional, physically it was a different story), since Ryth was still in the picture. She liked him enough to tone down the normal innuendo-laden speech she would have given in this case. For now, at least.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Um... "I felt that there was no need to compromise my quantity and quality of my work over something as trivial as time." That's why I didn't post last night.</td></tr></table>


<span style='color:CC9966'>"And I'm Skon. Ryth's 'half-cousin'."</span> It was down to whispers in ears now.<span style='color:CC9966'>"But I'm sure he already told you that, didn't he?"</span> He winked at Ryth, who was in shock. <span style='color:CC9966'>"So you're a Seductress, huh."</span> It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Skon slid his hand lower down Jyta's back and relaxed. He wasn't on duty, so he could. <span style='color:CC9966'> Relax, that is. Correction. I need to.</span> <span style='color:CC6600'>"Um... Skon... I-"</span> jolted him of his thoughts. A single glare at Ryth was all it took to make him change the course of his sentence. <span style='color:CC6600'>"I need to go... to go to the bathroom."</span> and nearly bolted out the door, ignoring the simple fact that the bathroom was right there.

Skon pulled Jyta closer to him when he heard Ryth's footfalls disappear. <span style='color:CC9966'>"That's better. Now... what was going on?"</span>

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>Just remember, he has to remain not-angry enough to take her to the lake. And Jyta does like Ryth... Anywho.</td></tr></table>

Jyta felt slightly uneasy. The older male was, though attractive, somewhat unsettling. <span style='color:#660000'>Perhaps it's because I was just, oh, about to sleep with his half-effing-cousin? Or the fact that he just walked in here whilst I was wearing a bathrobe and started feeling me up? Or that he just chased Ryth out of the room...</span> Jyta forced her muscles to stay loose, and not shrink away as they quite desperately wanted to.

<span style='color:#660000'>"Well, before you rether rudely entered my dorm room, I was going to take a shower and Seduce your half-cousin."</span> She snorted quietly to herself. <span style='color:#660000'>Seduce with a capital "S", dears.</span> Well, this was certainly turning out to be an interesting evening. Jyta actually felt bad for Ryth, seeing as he had just been led on for a while with the thought that he would be sleeping with a Seductress fairly soon, only to have that messed with by none other than his cousin. Amusingly enough, the male seemed to be almost servile in attitude towards his cousin. He hadn't seemed that way with her, really... Interesting.

Jyta scooted herself away from the male's grabby hands. <span style='color:#660000'>"And, if you don't mind, I'm going to be continuing with that same plan. When Ryth comes back, either make nice with him, or, better yet, quit feeling me up."</span> His arm was now around her, but not nearly as close as before. She stood up, going to the fridge and getting herself a glass of water. Her senses were hightened, just in case Skon got any ideas about coming to get her.

 

Skon was surprised. <span style='color:#CC9966'>I guess I had her all wrong. No problem, anyway. "You're right. I should be easier on Ryth. I'll leave you to together."</span> He paused, thoughtfully, something rare for him. <span style='color:#CC9966'>"I do need to develop some kind of medium gear. I either am off on duty, or off partying somewhere."</span> He didn't know why he was telling her this, but it didn't matter. He was, and not a whole lot could stop him.

<span style='color:#CC9966'>"I'm going to go get Ryth and explain to him what I'm going to do. Be right back."</span>

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class=ooc><tr><td>I see no need to re-type all that above there, so just imagine what Skon said. :b</td></tr></table>

Ryth walked back into the room and sat on the couch, while Skon (thankfully) sat on a separate chair. He winked at Ryth and Ryth rolled his eyes. <span style='color:#CC9966'>It was funny, looking back on how Ryth acted. By himself, he was never bashful and always ready for something else. But once he got wind of someone more powerful/stronger/smarter than him, he allowed himself to be cowed instantly. Usually, it was me doing the cowing, even if it was unintentionally.</span> He vowed, right then and then, in the chair in Ryth's dorm, that he would never take advantage of his younger cousin.

 

Jyta smiled ruefully at Skon's comment about a medium gear. <span style='color:#660000'>Good advice, eh? I'm not young enough to get drunk every night and not have it show... I'm a Seductress, for hell's sake. My looks are my career, for all intents and purposes.</span> So, following the same path as Skon had, she made a vow to herself not to contiue messing with her body in such a way as she had. Even the best-prepared female could only take so much. When Skon left, Jyta turned to look at her reflection in the bottom of the sink. Hearing the two males returning, Jyta walked back over to the chair (she'd dropped the saunter by this point) and sat down a fair distance away from both Ryth and Skon. She was tired.

Seeing Skon revert the the playful, immature behavior that showed everything was going well, Jyta smiled to herself. She gave a deep, half-wistful sigh, and stood. <span style='color:#660000'>"I don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to take a shower..."</span> She was fairly sure that Skon would take the hint. He didn't seem that thick.

 

<span style='color:CC9966'>"Well, I suppose I better go. See you later, Ryth,"</span> Skon said as he pushed himself out of the chair. Ryth said some appropriate return phrase, but Skon didn't hear it. He was already out the door and in the hall.

<span style='color:CC9966'>It's nice to know that Ryth's in good hands,</span> he thought, glancing back at the bathrobed Jyta. <span style='color:CC9966'>Who am I kidding? I'm just jealous. First full day at school, and he's landed himself with a Seductress? I must have taught him better than I thought.</span> He grinned and shifted the cigarette to the other side of his mouth. <span style='color:CC9966'>I never did have a chance with her. Wish someone had told me that... Wait. Ryth tried to tell me something, but I made him shut up. Guess that goes on the 'Skon's a big meanie' list. Groan.</span>

He hadn't been paying attention to where his feet were taking him, and he was already in the main foyer. <span style='color:CC9966'>Guess I'm more relaxed than I thought. Need to get my head back in the game.</span> Skon walked out the front doors of the school.

Meanwhile, Ryth curled up on the couch, trying to figure out what had gone on today. <span style='color:FF9900'>I've been here all day, but I think everything went right over my head. I'm going to go to sleep, and hope it never really did happen. I'm going to wake up, it's going to be sometime in the late morning, hungover, and I'm going to be on top of Jyta, or something silly.</span> As much as he wished that, it wasn't true. This really had happened, and he was going to have to live with it.

Ryth slept.

 

Jyta waved good bye to Skon, make all the polite nothings of conversation that were to be expected. She was running on auto pilot, mostly so she didn't begin banging her head against a wall and screaming. Things were not going as she had planned. As Skon shut the door behind him and Ryth curled up on the couch to sleep, Jyta was able to make it to the shower before breaking down. She was glad for the private (albeit cramped) shower in her dorm room, it was an unusual luxury. She turned on the water (hot), hung her bathrobe over a nearby door, put her back to the door and her head on her knees. She pressed her forehead against her scales as hard as she could, with her arms wrapped about her knees in a fetal position. Her legs and back were cold, but she didn't care. She was alone. No Tamay, no Ryth, no Skon.

Jyta didn't know why she felt so bad. She just felt... stretched, was as close as she could get to it. Her mind, her body, and her bloody heart was in too many places in too many times with too much alcohol to cope. <span style='color:#660000'>Take a shower. Curl up in your own bed with your own sheets, and go to bed. Even if nothing's better in the morning, you'll feel like it is.</span> Jyta knew she wouldn't, but she'd try anyway. The red femme moved back to auto pilot, near-burning her skin with the near-boiling water, before toweling off and slipping back into the robe. She trotted downstairs, to her bed. She pulled back the nest of pillows, glad to see the crisp, clean white sheets. She crawled into bed, feeling like a little girl again. The covers and pillows went over her head, and it soon became near impossible to tell that she was there. She finally fell into a deep, somewhat dreamless sleep.