Under my Umbrella (Howell)

[Sage Ersilia]

It was a cold, rainy evening at Hammel, and Sage sighed a bit sadly. He had been hoping to go out tonight and watch the stars, but of course that always relied completely on the weather. Rainy evenings were simply too dark for his liking, and so he was forced to dwell indoors for a night. Sage relaxed on the couch in his new dorm room, and the soft tapping of rain against the window was somewhat soothing even though he wished the weather was clear.

However, for the first time, he was actually not in the mood to read. This was a strange occurrence, since he hardly ever shot down an opportunity to read a book, but tonight there was a strange feeling in the air that he needed to try something new. Fortunately, new things were incredibly possible since he was already in a new place with new people. The blond boy looked over to his roommate, who had just entered the dorm, and he smiled at him.

“Welcome home, Howell. Did you manage to stay dry? What do you do on rainy days?”

This seemed like a good opportunity to get to know his roommate a little better, and he was looking forward to it.

[Howell Chilton]

Okay, so maybe lying down under dark, cloudy skies was not the best idea. Maybe it was an even worse idea to do so in such an obscure place, surrounded by bushes. He promised himself he wouldn't fall asleep; he was just resting. Two hours later, the blonde was awakened by a raindrop falling on the tip of his nose. Eyes fluttered open, only to be shut once more when another drop pelted him square on the forehead. It was... raining! Howell bolted up and began bounding towards the dorm. The rain would not wait for him, though - turning from a dribble into a downpour.

By the time he got under the roof, he was absolutely soaked and shivering. Pausing to make sure that worm got off the sidewalk safely was probably bad idea number two, but that was an epiphany too little too late (and one too unfair to the worm). It didn't seem to deter his attitude, though. The journey back up to his room was accompanied by the humming of the song "Singing in the Rain." Howell walked in to find the only other male roommate, Sage, sitting on the couch.

"Oh, hey Sage!" Dripping wet, he only grinned at the first question, figuring it to be a joke. The second one, though... Usually, Howell just let the pitter-patter against the window lull him to sleep, and entertain himself with the dreams of other students throughout the night. But that tactic obviously wasn't going to work here. The teen fetched himself a change of clothes and a towel from the bathroom, making some effort in drying off his hair before simply letting it lie there atop his head. In the meantime, he finally had an answer for his roommate's dilemma. His face was beaming as he began rearranging the furniture in the room.

"Fetch all the pillows and blankets! We'll build ourselves a huge fort. I'm sure the others won't mind if we borrow some of theirs. It'd make for a pretty lousy fort otherwise..." While situating the chairs and couch around, the merry little tune of "Little April Shower" was being quietly sung by the dreamwalker.

[Sage Ersilia]

Howell came in drenched in water, and Sage was about to grab a towel for him before the boy beat him to it. He came back into the room after changing into dry clothes and the soft towel lay limply over his wet hair. After a few minutes of thought, Howell came up with a brilliant idea to spend their rainy night, and Sage excitedly moved to grab whatever pillows and blankets he could find. He had not made a fort since he was a little boy, and he and Stella used to play under there for hours, whether it was just a board game, or maybe even storytelling. It was a special, private place they could play amongst themselves without fear of being disturbed.

Howell moved the furniture around, and Sage nearly tripped over his own feet as he carried the bundle of blankets in his arms. He could not see over the mountain he had been holding, but at least if he fell, it would be in a fall of fluff. With the chairs finally prepared, Sage draped the sheets over and placed pillows around the edges as if it were a wall of protection.

“What do you think, Howell? I haven’t made a fort in a long time, so I’m not sure how effective it is. Hold on, maybe I can test it”

The boy got down onto his knees and crawled into the only opening, his body glowing bright like a candle behind curtains. He poked his head out after inspecting it thoroughly before he beckoned Howell forward.

“Come on in! It’s great!”

[Howell Chilton]

Howell watched on, visibly growing more excited as the blankets and pillows were all propped up in masterful form. He would occasionally build forts with his parents when the weather refused him any other fun. Of course, it was never done with other kids, but his parents built the best ones anyway. Suffice to say, this was an entirely new experience for him, as Hammel had a habit of giving to pretty much everyone here.

At long last, the idea was given fruition. Howell stood by, soaking in its magnificence. Even at his age, he could still appreciate the beauty of a well-built indoor fort. It was large enough to encompass most of the room, and tall enough to fill half its volume.

"Oh, definitely," nodded the blonde. "This would keep out, like.. the Huns! Or at least an army of moths, until they got hungry. Though what they'd be doing in here, I have no idea..." Sage's invitation stopped his drifting pondering short. With a wide, dimple-decorated smile, Howell sunk down and crawled in to join Sage inside.

"I don't know why anyone would say glowing's a dumb power - I mean, look at it now!" The light emanating off the him provided a sort of wonder to the inside, and Howell spent a few moments to be dazzled by that as well. At last, when thoroughly satisfied with a job well done, he perked back up to his fellow occupant. "Okay, so we've built our fort, and the enemies are at bay (if we had any). Nowww.. what?" It wasn't that he had run out of ideas. It was just that he'd already contrived the fort idea. Now Sage was up to bat. Howell glanced at the TV under the covers with them as well, a stack of movies under it in waiting. He peaked through the crevice of the entrance, where in view was the kitchen. Finally, he looked back at Sage, who undoubtedly could provide his own source of entertainment.

[Sage Ersilia]

Sage laughed lightheartedly at the compliments to his fort, and he dimmed his light even further, though he tried to maintain the wonder that Howell liked.

“I guess I should try to keep the light down, so I don’t attract the moths! They’ll eat us along with the fort!”

Howell joined him inside the tent-like structure, and Sage kept the area well lit for them. He was already having so much fun, since he was beginning to feel like a kid again. He really liked hanging out with Howell. He was like the best friend he never had, and now they were huddling together in their own palace. The other blond asked him for ideas of what to do now, since they were sure there was no danger to come to their creation, and Sage pondered, his hand cupping his chin in thought.

“Hmm…Oh! I have an idea!”

Using his light to shine on a specific spot on the sheets, Sage hovered his hand in front of the beam of light and smiled at the shapes they created along the wall.

“Look! Shadow puppets!”

The boy bent his right index finger into his hand and extended the other fingers, making the shape of a fox/dog in the light. He made the shadow puppet bark and giggled, looking back to Howell and hoped that he didn’t think it was a bad idea.

[Howell Chilton]

Shock and alarm lit up the dreamer's expression. Moths were eating people now?! His mind was racing for an explanation for this terrible plight. Maybe someone over in the science department had mutated them - accidentally, but it had gotten out of hand. The school could have been covering up any incidents thereafter, for the sake of not raising alarm. Howell finally came to the conclusion that leaving their fort was not a good idea, and so was here to stay.

But his worries were cast aside (as they were prone to do) at the activity Sage picked out. Howell looked over at the spectacle, his grin growing wider if that were possible. Now this was a game he was familiar with. Scooting closer, his hands came in to join Sage's in the spotlight, knuckles pointing out and situated to take on the silhouette of a face. "I think," the face 'spoke' along with him, "If I had to pick any other ability, I'd wanna turn into a butterfly." His hands spread out as he laughed, thumbs side by side and fingers pointed outwards to give the display of the winged insect, flapping merrily around Sage's dog. "So I culd just flutter around at my leisure, and not have to worry about any moths eating me."

"What about you?" He peeled his eyes away from their little show long enough to examine Sage, curious to see what his answer was. He was quickly taking a liking to the new roommate - not to say that he didn't do so with everyone, but the illuminator was much quicker to jump at the chance of senseless fun than most others, a trait that Howell was naturally entertained by.

[Sage Ersilia]

Howell seemed very interested in the shadow puppets, and Sage was relieved that he liked the idea. He even participated and made a magnificent silhouette that spoke along with him, causing the boy to clap in amusement. Howell was a talented, different kind of person, and Sage liked that very much. He was so unique and fun, and he had yet to find anything to dislike about him. Then, his hands created the form of a beautiful butterfly, and Sage gaped in awe.

“Beautiful…”

He whispered and smiled as the blond went on about how he wished he could be a butterfly. It was true that they were so free and lacking in worry, and Sage stroked the shadow adoringly.

“Howell, maybe you are a butterfly. You could be a butterfly dreaming that you are a man”

He smiled again, laughing lightly about the moth comment and glowing a bit brighter before he thought about the question Howell had asked him. If he could have any other ability…it was a lot to think about, really.

“I think…the weather. I would make it nice outside all the time…or snow. Snow is nice too”

Sage laid back over the pillows strewn on the ground, staring up at Howell with bright emerald eyes.

[Howell Chilton]

There was a pause in Howell's fidgeting, a sign that he was searching his memory for something or another. "... Zhuangzi!" he suddenly exclaimed, realizing what Sage was referencing. He'd once delved into philosophical works, and came across that particular poem. Suffice to say, it had quickly become a favorite of his. Of course, he'd also taken it too literally, and was caught up in the dilemma of if he really was a butterfly for months. His mother finally resolved the whole affair by bringing up the fact that if he were a butterfly, he wouldn't be able to add two and two together, since they were so horrible at math.

The boy nodded approvingly at Sage's pick. He was always amazed by the very idea of a person being able to control the weather, and wondered many a time how they went about doing it. He really had not had the chance to meet one yet, but in this school it was only a matter of time. Howell joined Sage down on the pillows, looking up at the sheets overhead and how the light decorated them with shadows and recognizing what shapes they made much like a kid would with clouds.

"But I think I'm happy with what I've got, and yours fits too!" The next few moments were spent in silence. Then finally, little more than a whisper was spoken, his eyes still held by their makeshift ceiling.

"Do you sometimes think that, maybe, we're still dreaming? Like, those really awesome moments in life, and you think that it can't be real - stuff like that."

[Sage Ersilia]

Sage was glad that Howell understood the reference he had used. He had found that philosopher very insightful, and he knew that his roommate would appreciate such a phrase. Being a dreamwalker, it probably meant a lot more to him. He also seemed to approve Sage’s pick of an ability he would want other than his own. However, they both knew that the ones they had now were the perfect abilities for them, even if they were not always convenient or useful.

“I wouldn’t change a thing…sometimes I wish I were stronger though”

Sage smiled at Hammel beside him before gazing back to the lit up ceiling, admiring the shadows that were cast like clouds. Then, silence overtook them. It wasn’t a bad silence or anything. In fact, Sage found it quite special. It was a moment of unspoken bonding between them, simply laying in their childish fort illuminated by his light. Sage thought about Howell’s question, and he sighed a bit, his emerald eyes keeping contact with the ceiling.

“I think it would be sad to wake up and find out everything was a dream…the best moments are even better when you know that they are real…”

The boy took a pillow and hugged it to his chest.

“Like…us lying here right now, doing nothing but having fun indoors on a rainy night…I would be sad if I woke up and it was only a dream”

[Howell Chilton]

"Yeah..." The reasoning was absorbed in silence, until Howell finally figured he could agree with that. Maybe it was better to just believe that these sort of moments were real, rather than always worrying that he was going to wake up the moment he felt happiest. The other boy really did live up to his name, despite his otherwise naive appearance. But then a previous confession was remembered.

"Stronger? Like, with your power, or.." He curled his arm, using his other hand to pretend that his biceps were bulging out. " 'Cuz that's what we're here for, right? Getting better at what we do. Maybe a couple years from now, you can light up the whole school if there's a power outage, or maybe even the whole night! Or make lil' balls of light to help people around, or be a beacon when we all have to escape from the government conspiracy trying to kidnap us all for their own evil purposes."

And now he was going off on another fabricated scenario, his hands dancing wildly in the air above him in his elaborate fantasy. "Temporarily blinding the Nazi moth soldiers when they come storming in and saving the whole school from being captured! I don't know, what do you think you'd do?" Again he turned towards Sage, delaying his story long enough to let the poor guy get a word in edge-wise.

[Sage Ersilia]

Sage giggled at Howell’s question regarding the strength he wished to obtain. Both would have been nice, but as long as he could protect the people around him, he was fine with that. It was true that he was in Hammel to learn about his powers, but it had no real use in combat other than lighting the way. However, Howell had made him feel better about his powers and he smiled at the man different scenarios that were given in which he could help.

“That does all sound nice. I hope I could be a beacon for someone…”

Sage laughed again at the crazy fantasy the other blond described, and he rolled onto his side, still hugging his pillow.

“I think…Hmm…I think I would save whoever I could and bring them to this fort for safety. Those awful Nazi moths can’t get through here”

He grinned, but his leg accidentally kicked over one of the chairs supporting the sheets above, and the cloth came tumbling down on them. Sage cried out in surprise and flailed around like a ghost, his light sparkling through the fabric.

“We’re under attack!”

[Howell Chilton]

"Oh, yeah! We could hide everyone in here! And then-"

Whatever further planning the spazz had was cut short when their precious sanctuary came tumbling down around them. A small yelp escaped the sophomore before he began flailing around in the sheets. "Light the way, Sage!!" he cried in mock alarm.

Using his friend's illumination to guide him, Howell would find his way out of the trap, though his towel would be lost in the struggle, leaving his damp hair exposed and clinging around his face. He was in a fit of giggles by the time he emerged, sobering up long enough to put on a solemn face. "A moment of silence for Towely, lost in the line of duty."

A quick once-over was given to the destroyed fort. It would've been easy enough to just pitch it up again, but Howell wasn't the type of person to return to any project once it was done once. So instead he picked himself up out of the ruins and strode into the bathroom, picking up various items with reflective surfaces on them: pressed powders (surely Fifi and Gia wouldn't mind), hand mirrors, the lid off the coffee jar, and even a cake knife were all gathered. He then went around the room situating them in various spots and angles, but all were at least facing towards one other object in the collection. The boy stood back, nodded at his work, then turned the light off, leaving the room in darkness, sans the light Sage produced. Already, the items were giving off their own shine, making an enchanting little spectacle. But that wasn't Howell's intention.

"Hey, can you concentrate your light? Like a laser or flashlight. Point it at one of them!"

[Sage Ersilia]

Upon Howell’s command, Sage lit up brightly, the light seeping through the threads of the fabric before he dug his way to safety with the other boy. He panted from the wrestling he had with the sheets, and he frowned at the collapsed structure. He was so clumsy! However, his mood was quickly changed by the moment of silence for the towel, and he could not help but giggle and pretend to solute a fallen soldier.

“Rest in peace, Towely”

He was all smiles again, and he blinked when his roommate suddenly ran off to the bathroom and began to grab several different items. At first, he tilted his head in wonder, curious as to what Howell meant to accomplish through this, especially after he turned off the lights. But after all the objects were placed and the request for light was made, he became aware of what was intended. Sage nodded and closed his eyes in concentration before directing his light as best he could towards the objects in the room.

“How’s that, Howell?”

He did not open his eyes yet, trying to keep focused as best he could. He did not want to let him down after he had destroyed their special fort.

[Howell Chilton]

The instant Sage created the beam, it richocheted off the little mirror of the pressed powder, travelling to the kitchen knife, only to be reflect off its surface towards the small handheld mirror. That in turn bounced the light off and onto the coffee lid. Soon enough the light ended up making a complete circle around the room, continuously creating a ring of light so long as Sage continued to keep it going.

"Open your eyes, Sage!" Howell's voice was excited, and the pride in his work could not have been more blatant.

Hands intertwined behind his back, rocking on his heels, the curly-haired youth was getting the jitters from the display. He hoped Sage would appreciate the effort, anyway. Sooner or later, though, he'd have to put everything back in their proper place. There was no telling how Fifi would feel about her own personals being raided just for the sake of some temporary amusement. Then again, if she or Gia got the chance to see this, Howell was pretty sure they'd be less inclined to strangle him (then again, he'd been wrong innumerable times before).

"You know, we need to go to a house of mirrors sometime, and do the same thing! Or say 'Bloody Mary' three times, and see what comes of that. An army of Blood Mary's would probably stand a chance against Nazi moth soldiers..."

[Sage Ersilia]

Sage’s eyes opened, and the boy gaped at the scene he and Howell had made together. He was surrounded by a beautiful ring of light, almost like a barrier. Perhaps if their roommates had walked in then, they would have been more awestruck by the beautiful light rather than the fact that all their things were strewn about the room.

He smiled widely at Howell, staying in place as to not disrupt the delicate balance of light. However, he was starting to feel the effects of using his powers so much in one evening. He was not to the point of exhaustion, but he felt fatigued and slightly tired. Sage laughed, enjoying Howell’s imaginative mind.

“I can’t remember the last time I went to a house of mirrors. We wouldn’t get lost, would we? And Bloody Mary is scary! Are you sure we want to let her out? She could be worse than the Nazi moth soldiers!”

Sage's light dimmed a bit, but he playfully twirled around, loving the effects that the motion had on the illuminations in the room.