And Yet Trouble Finds Me (Zoelle)

[Killian Delany]

Killian's day had been fairly uneventful. Most times uneventful meant boring, and boring meant that he was going slightly mental twiddling his thumbs while waiting for something to happen. Most times Killian was an instigator in such manners but today he just did not have the energy to go about causing his usual levels of mayhem. Were he more awake he would have had the energy to be shocked and probably disappointed in himself. But after a restless night of bad sleep he was exhausted.  

Killian had been on his way back to his dorm, but had taken a few slight detours in the process. A nap sounded nice, no doubt about it, but it was a nice day--the kind that were meant for wandering aimlessly and thinking about nothing in particular. Which was exactly what he found himself doing. Killian began whistling an old Irish lullaby his mother used to croon to him when he was younger, putting one foot in front of the next and moving with no particular haste back to his dorm where a warm, soft bed awaited him.

That was when he spotted Cassy. Cassy had been one of many flings he had had since his arrival at Hammel, but she had also been one of the most bitter and vindictive of his exes. Hammel was a large place, but even so they had managed to run into each other more times than either of them was comfortable with. As luck would have it, he hadn't been spotted just yet, but she was moving closer--it was only a matter of time until she saw him. 


Killian looked around quickly and stepped over to the nearest girl he could find. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Sorry about this love, just play along for a moment," he said quietly, trying not to attract undue attention to himself.  


From where he was he could see Cassy from the corner of his eye, passing closer to him and his partner in crime. As she passed by he let out a rich, warm, and quite loud burst of laughter--enough to get his ex's attention. She turned and glowered at him, and Killian responded with a winning smile. Cassy huffed and then stormed off to some other destination.  Killian removed his arm from the girl he had roped into his scheme and took a step away.

"Well, tha' was fun," he said, " 'preciate the help. Sorry fer ropin' ya in like tha' di'nt have much of an option. Heat of the momen' an' all. Name's Killian, by the by, though' ya'd like to know." He said, his Irish accent as thick as it was when he had stepped off the plane onto American soil several years back.

[Zoelle Heroux]

It had been a very boring day all in all. Jen was busy with college or some guy or who knows what, which meant that Zo was on her own for amusement. So she was just lurking around the campus looking for something to entertain her. So far, she had been unsuccessful, but there was still time to change that. That's what had led her to loitering in the courtyard, looking around aimlessly for some form of entertainment. At this point she'd take nearly anything.

Then the next thing she knew, some random guy had his arm around her waist. "What the -" she hissed, winding back for a punch when he spoke. She lowered her arm and simply gave him a look, one eyebrow raised. Now she was curious. She didn't particularly like how touchy he was getting - and what was with calling her love? Not to mention, why did he look so familiar? But aside from all that, she knew that when someone said to play along, it usually meant some form of interesting.

What was the harm? She'd play along... for now.

The way he glanced to the side told her everything she needed to know - he was putting on a show for someone. If that show required her and holding her this close... he was making someone jealous. Well she could do that. It was one of her favorite roles in fact. It was such fun to see the reactions.

Her body relaxed into his hold then and she leaned in close, like she was whispering something in his ear. He took the cue and began to laugh, drawing attention to them both. She pulled back enough to see his face, laughing along with him. It seemed they had caught one particular girl's attention. He turned to offer a smile. Meanwhile Zo offered a smug smirk, rubbing some salt into the wound, as she draped her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, pulling him closer, as if saying, that's right, he's mine now.

Zo did love putting on a show - and it would be nothing without a little drama added to the mix.

She watched with a genuinely smug smile as the girl stormed off. Once she was out of sight, the boy removed his arm, and stepped back. Even better, she wouldn't have to shove him off. They stepped apart then and she finally got a decent look at him - why did he look so familiar? Then he started to speak, and it was the thick accent that made it click. "Oh, right, you," she said with a nod as he introduced himself. She hadn't remembered his name initially anyway. "Roommate, remember?" she added. Not that he was likely to remember. She hardly spent any time in her dorm if she could help it, and she didn't exactly socialize with her roommates.

"But yeah, no problem. It's always fun getting a reaction outta people," she said with a shrug.

[Killian Delany]

"Oh, aye," he said as the girl mentioned being his roommate. What had her name been again? Z...something or other, wasn't it? Zoe was the first actual name that stuck, that he knew of that started with a Z. Z was a weird letter, even weirder when applied to a name. At least in his mind. But who was he to judge? Besides, what use was a name when one looked the way his apparent roommate did. Her name was certainly not the first thing about her that he had cared to think about.

"Fun a' other people's expense is always the best kind," he agreed. "Well, 'preciate th' neighborly help, roommate," he said. How had he not remembered a roommate like her? Killian wasn't exactly in the business of forgetting a pretty face, and not one in such close proximity to his own room. What kind of Catholic would he be if he overlooked the Lord's fine blessings on such matters. As his father had often told him 'God helps those who help themselves'--and Killian was more than happy to help himself in this matter.

'So, ah, Zoe, right? Sorry for grabbin' ya like tha'. if'n I had a choice I'd have thought of something else. Hopefully Cassie leaves you be, big school an' all that. But off chance she gives you any trouble you just tell me, I can handle her. Though thinkin' 'bout it, handlin' 'er's exactly what started this whole mess," he trailed off on some tangent thought.

It was a roll of loud thunder that pulled him back to his senses and away from memory lane. The sky had darkened to a dark charcoal in the time that events had transpired. "Aw shit," he cursed "looks like some more of that Vermont Fall rain is due soon. We'd probably better get back inside, nice and dry and out of the cold rain. Aye?"

[Zoelle Heroux]

She didn't really know much about her roommate truth be told. He stuck out a bit because of the accent - it was still fairly thick which made it impossible to not notice - but beyond that, he could have been anyone as far as she knew. Which truthfully didn't bother her in the least. Close proximity meant there was a potential for bonding and she was certainly not interested in that. Still, he was fine to look at. Zo did love to treat herself to eye candy.

"Yup," she agreed succinctly. She pretty much only had two methods of fun - tormenting others or treating herself. "Right, neighborly. We'll go with that," she said dryly. She didn't much care for small talk - already her eyes were searching the crowd, looking to see if there was another option that involved less silly chatter and more amusement.

However, her head snapped back to look at him as he addressed her. "Zo," she correctly sharply. No one called her Zoe. She hated that name. It sounded too girly and sweet and Zo was anything but that. She shrugged slightly, at his apologize. "Don't worry about it. Besides, trouble is my game. I live for it. If she wants to try and take me on, then let her, and I'll just have to make her regret it." A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She almost hoped the girl did try to get even with her. Now that had the potential to be really fun. Still, she rolled her eyes as he drifted off into what she was sure was a rather graphic memory. Boys.

The sound a thunder distracted them both for a moment. Lovely. Being trapped indoors severely limited her entertainment options. Still, she didn't exactly want to get drenched either. "Yeah, let's get out of here." He may not be much, whats-his-name, but it was still better than nothing, right? That in mind, she focused on heading towards the building at a brisk speed, hoping to avoid getting wet at all.