Storm (Open)

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What was Kodi doing down here? Normally when he got into one of these moods, these dark, depressive moods, he'd hole himself up in his room and abuse his stash of alcohol, until he felt better or passed out. For some reason, today he hadn't made it up that far - he'd flopped down on one of the couches on the first floor of the dorms, staring blankly at the television playing who-knew-what; he wasn't paying attention, too far into his own thoughts to be conscious of what was going on around him.  There were vague noises of other students milling around, but none had approached him, which wasn't a surprise.  The rumors about him alone were enough to keep most people away; no one wanted to mess with someone that might snap at any second.

He wasn't in a fighting mood, though.  Even if someone else started something, he'd likely just sit there, staring at them vacantly, apparently apathetic.  And so he continued to sit in silence, having taken the spot on the couch farthest away from most of the traffic that ran through the room, in the corner.  Kodi's expression betrayed little, even though his mind was whirling, spinning with activity, most of it about his past, his parents, the person he was and the person he had been.  Add to it his own imagination, and it was a frightening place.

Kodi finally shifted, tucking his legs up underneath him, and closed his eyes, faint creases appearing between his brow and around his mouth.  To anyone nearby, he might have almost appeared asleep, except for the obvious tension in his muscles.

[Appoline Meian]

It wasn't very often that Appoline mingled in the dorms. She didn't live there like the other students, after all, so really her business for being there at all was limited. However, today she'd wanted to go up and say hello to a few friends (oh my goodness, she actually had friends now!), and the appearance of a few people she'd wished to avoid had hidden her until later in the day.

It wasn't that she was... well, okay, she was afraid. Very afraid. Those twins still made her shudder every time she saw them in the halls, made her wish that Mia or Cassi were around. Or... someone, at least.

So, after lurking a bit in the stairwell until they had passed by, the small Japanese girl had tiptoed out and looked around until she found the clock on the wall. Not late enough that it would cause worry for her to stay, not early enough to catch the last minutes of the newspaper club. Oh well. She could take a moment to sit and let her heart-rate calm down.

There was already someone sitting on the couch, but he had tucked himself up leaving a bit of room at the other end. At a tiny 5'1 and very delicately built, Appoline was rather certain that she wouldn't take up much attention from him even if she sat noisily. But, being courteous (as it looked like the other student was asleep from where she stood, though maybe having bad dreams), the slight girl placed herself down gently, smoothing her long skirt free of wrinkles and resting her sketchbook in her lap. She might draw, if she could calm herself enough, but for now she only waited a few moments.

Relax, be calm. Don't worry about the pair just upstairs. Just... wait.

[Deleted]

Kodi's eyebrow twitched as a particularly violent image made its way into his head, and it took him a moment to realize that someone was nearby. He'd been successful at ignoring passers-by until now; he'd hoped his reputation would be enough to keep most away.

But apparently that was not the case, as he felt someone sit next to him on the couch. One eye squinted open to see who it was - maybe Oriel had decided to come bother him, or something? He doubted the boy would be that quiet, though, and found he was correct when he peeked at the tiny Asian girl that was now sitting next to him, looking the perfect image of innocent and timid. Who the hell was she? And was she stupid, or did she not know who he was?

"Wotcher, tiny," he let out a small growl, though it was more resigned than feral. "Whadaya think you're doin'?" He opened the other eye, which held very faint traces of an old bruise, and stared at her. Had Kodi known this was the daughter of the trainer he'd gotten on the bad side of not too long ago, he might have responded with more snark... Or more wariness. As it was, he was just more bewildered than anything. "Ain't anyone told ya I have a reputation for bitin' girls?" Not that he was in the mood now... And she seemed way too soft to be able to handle something like that at all.

[Appoline Meian]

Having been hoping not to disturb the apparently sleeping teen, Appoline jumped at the growling voice, her dual-toned eyes startled as they settled on him. She hadn't thought she'd been loud, or maybe she made the mistake of thinking the boy was asleep, or...

"I-I'm so sorry," she apologized, bringing her sketchbook to her chest in a defensive and shy gesture. "I d-didn't mean to dist-turb you."

It was true; the petite artist really didn't have any reason to be here, and she only wanted to take a minute to relax. She hadn't meant any harm... Eyes averting, her slim fingers toyed with the spiral wire of the artbook, her black hair shielding her face. He sounded gruff, but maybe it was more that he was tired. Or confused.

"I j-just... I wanted t-to sit f-for a moment," the Japanese girl stammered quietly. "Um... I'll... I'll go, if I'm b-bothering you."

Appoline hadn't met Kodi, nor had she really heard much about him. She tended to stick to the sidelines, not get involved in rumor or conversation outside a small circle of people. Preferring to draw and keep her head down than attract attention. The perfect wallflower, if there ever was such a thing. Therefore, she hadn't heard of his exploits, nor the teachers he may have wronged, and her gaze had dropped so quickly that she hadn't even noticed the bruise on his face.

[Deleted]

As soon as the other girl jumped and began to stammer, Kodi's features relaxed a little bit, though he was still wary. While he was a bully to many people and enjoyed tearing strong people down to their cores when he could, he didn't get very much pleasure from torturing people that were so obviously shy and meek already. If anything, they reminded him of himself when he was younger, when he was the victim.

So he simply rolled his eyes and settled down a little more, crossing his arms over himself. "Eh, whatever. There's enough room for both of us, teeny." He closed his eyes momentarily again before peeking at her once more. "Not disturbin'. Just thinkin'." If he'd actually been asleep, he might have been snappier. As it was, he was almost... Relieved for the distraction.

His gaze slipped down to the sketchbook in her hands, and he tilted his head to study it. Kodi was jealous of artistic people - it was something he'd never really been able to do. Well, he tagged things sometimes, but that was hardly art. He wondered vaguely if she was any good.

When she started stammering again, he shrugged and waved a hand, apparently apathetic. "Nah, don't worry 'bout it. Sit all ya want, I won't bite... Probably." Unable to stop himself, he shot her a sideways smirk, showing just a peek of a sharpened tooth. He assumed by now, of course, that she hadn't heard of him - someone as obviously meek as her, she'd surely have fled at the sight of him, right? "What's yer name, shorty?" he drawled, leaning a bit closer. Curiosity was getting the better of him. "Got any pretty pi'tures you wanna share?"

[Appoline Meian]

The dismissal of her apology was something Appoline was used to; not because Americans did it all the time (though, they really did), but because most of her apologies were to people who either didn't care for them or didn't need them for a variety of reasons. So without arguing, she shut up and fidgeted with the spiral-bound papers again, short nails flicking one of the metal circles nervously.

Considering that her face was down, there was only the briefest glances up before the two-colored gaze dropped back to the blank paper. Him, bite her? He was probably only teasing. Right?

"Appoline," she stated softly, clearing her throat before looking up again. "It's... it's Appoline. What... um... what's your name?"

What was with everyone wanting to see her pictures? Really, hardly anyone read the school paper, so it wasn't like he'd seen the sketches there. Or was it just something about a person with a notebook that made people want to see what they were hiding? But despite the lack of formality, the boy seemed... genuinely curious. Not obtrusive. It was a refreshing change. "Um... sure," she murmured, handing over the book carefully. "Not, um... not everything is f-finished, but... you c-can look, if you like."

Mostly, it was just pictures of classmates and tattoo designs - two very different styles, as one was realistic while the other had clean-cut lines and definitive shapes, but both showed great skill and talent.

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Being nosy, Kodi leaned in slightly to get a better look at the young woman's face. He thought he'd seen something... Strange. "Are you missin' a contact or somethin'?" he asked, peering close enough to catch the different colored eyes. It was... Strange. But kinda neat. "Huh... Looks pretty sick. Maybe I'll have t'get one blue contact too." He wore them when he didn't want people to know that he needed glasses... Which was all the time he was in public.

He leaned back after a moment, though, and gave the girl a bit of space. "Appoline," he repeated, his drawl making the otherwise pretty name sound a bit... Strange. He glanced back over as the question was shot back at him. "Kodi," he replied simply. "I think I'll call you Lin for short." He didn't ask if this was alright; he enjoyed nicknames, they were easier to remember.

Kodi took the sketchbook with surprising gentleness for one of his gruffness and violent nature; his hands, though calloused from lifting weights and throwing punches, were also delicate enough to flip the thin pages of his precious books for hours on end. He began peering at the images inside, his darkly lined eyes scanning each with obvious interest. "These're pretty good," he finally said after a few minutes. "Are these tattoos you wanna get or somethin'?"

It spurred an idea in him, and he glanced back up at her. "Do you take requests?" he asked. He'd been wanting to get another tattoo... But he was shit at making his own ideas. The only one he currently had was just words. Maybe, if he asked politely, she could make him something cool.

[Appoline Meian]

The sudden intense staring at her face made Appoline lean away, eyes widening first in surprise before darting to the floor and almost shutting. Her eyes weren't pretty, or interesting - they were a fluke of nature, a product of her defunct genes. Maybe she should wear contact lenses, and dye her hair. Her parents wouldn't say no... maybe...

But she still wouldn't just let him think otherwise. Even if she didn't know Kodi, it'd be wrong for him to have a false assumption of her... trendiness? "N-no," she stammered, her voice soft and quiet, almost like a squeak. "I... I d-d-don't wear c-contacts. It's really not... not that..."

Her face flushed crimson. This wasn't going well.

Nodding in response to the name, she was surprised to hear her father's nickname for her drop from this stranger's lips. Huh - apparently her dad wasn't the only person who thought they were that clever. But having a nickname made it seem a little more... she didn't know. Appoline had always seen her full name as something a little presumptuous, even if she liked the way it sounded. It was too... regal for someone like her. "It's n-nice to meet you, Kodi."

"N-not really." Truth be told, the idea of getting a tattoo was terrifying. Pain was something she could get used to, but why make herself more of an outcast than she already was? But the idea... actually thrilled her. A little. Having her art permanently etched into her body... wow. "I just, well, it's one of m-my styles."

"Requests?" The artist was so shocked with the idea that the repetition just slipped out. She hadn't thought of doing requests, save for the newspaper (though those were for extracurricular credits more than anything). "W-well, I th-think I could. What... what would you w-want?"