Lost in the Trees (Declyn)

[Aiden Harris]

For someone who hated to stay still and who loved being off the ground, trees were amazing. And for someone who could move like Aiden could, they were a veritable playground. His bright red Under Armour shirt was a streak as he bounced from branch to branch. More than once, his over-sized sweatpants got caught on a random stick or two. And more than once, he'd fallen face first into the ground. Slowly, he was learning that his agility didn't let him make completely impossible jumps. At least his durability kept him from getting hurt when he failed.

He landed on a thicker branch, his gloved hands gripping it tightly for extra balance. His breath was ragged from the almost manic running he'd been doing. But it just felt so good! Most of his life, he'd loved climbing. Whether it was rocks, trees, or their unusually tall uncle Raymond, he and his sister had always raced to the top of anything and everything. Now, he was moving through the trees like he belonged there. A grin formed on his face as he thought about it. If only he could run loose in Purgatory Chasm again. That would be a real thrill.

His exhilaration soured a bit as the chill in the air suddenly hit him. The weather wasn't all that different from what he was used to in Massachusetts. But the lack of shoes on his feet didn't help. And he was slowly realizing he'd lost his hat at some point during his run. With a slight frown, he untied the laces holding his shoes around his neck. Shoes. They were wicked, evil things. Then again, so was frostbite. His hands froze mid-tie as a sound caught his ears. It almost sounded like talking...

[Declyn O'Callahan]

It seemed that recently the only way Declyn had been seen around campus was either out of wits or tipsy. Sometimes it was both since alcohol typically fed into his hallucinations. Which explained the constant dreamy haze that was surrounding him. He preferred it that way now because it numbed the nagging ache still left around the hole that Cameron had punched through his heart. He wasn't complaining though. There was no point.

Heading towards the courtyard because that had become a usual sulking spot for him, he had his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The closer he got to his designated tree, the more he relaxed. Socializing hadn't really been his thing for the past month or so and every time he ventured out of his dorm he was worried he'd be forced to make small talk of some form. His luck had screwed him over on Valentine's day and ever since he'd been even more of a wreck.

He sat under the tree and stared absently. On occasion he would see glimpses of random things, random people. The usual unicycling monkey was riding around and he frowned, "Would you just go away? Bloody hell I can't stand it anymore. Is it too much to ask to be left alone?"

[Aiden Harris]

Aiden could feel himself tense up as the voice seemed to be yelling at something. Whoever it was sounded angry. And more importantly, they sounded like they were sitting below the tree he was perched in. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off some person he didn't know. Especially since at this school, that meant possibly angering someone with laser vision or the like. For a moment, he considered his options. Sneaking away was probably the safest bet.

He crossed his ankles and swung backwards, hanging upside-down as he plotted the best course. Preferably one that took him past his lost hat. And preferably one where the branches didn't make the odd, creaking noise the one he was hanging from was currently making. Before he could put his finger on what exactly bugged him about that thought, the branch gave out and snapped.

If anyone asked, Aiden would deny it. But as soon as he realized he was falling, he froze. True, he could have grabbed another branch. Or even twisted mid-air to land on his feet. But instead, he tensed up and prayed that there were no pointy rocks below him. He hit face-first, body standing ridged for a moment before flopping over almost comically. At least he'd landed a few feet away from the guy under the tree.

He stood shakily, thanking any deities who would listen for his durability. As his hands brushed the dirt from his clothes, he smiled weakly at the boy in front of him. He was cute, though he had a look on his face like someone had just kicked his dog. "Um... Hi." he said, waving slightly. "I wasn't like eavesdropping or anything. And have you seen a hat around?"

[Declyn O'Callahan]

To be honest, Declyn was extremely pissed. His power was a real pain in the ass when all he wanted was to be normal. To deal with things in a normal fashion. But no, instead his power had to screw with his mind and make him a hallucinating nutcase. Everyone that hated him thought he was crazy. Hell, he thought he was crazy. Constantly talking to himself, constantly looking around at the random things he sees; all of it made him insane. Not to mention the constant stress that he felt, only a few people knew what that was though. His brother. Cameron. They were the only ones who knew what was pressing down on his shoulders.

Hearing a branch creak and groan in protest, he glanced up just as someone was falling out of the tree. His first reaction was to be alarmed, honestly until the boy moved, he was. As he flipped himself over though, that alarm turned to suspicion. Why would someone be hanging about in a tree and when did he get there? Had he heard Dec talking to himself? All of these questions filled his head, but he kept quiet.

The boy stood and Declyn was a little shocked by his looks. The kid, a few years younger, was quite attractive. He seemed like he worked out quite a bit and it made sense considering how he'd been so high up in the tree. Mentally shaking himself, Dec tried focusing back on his questions and the words the boy was speaking. One question answered, he wasn't eavesdropping. And the next question had Declyn looking around.

Once he spotted what he thought was a hat, he nodded in the general direction, "Aye, it's over there I think. How'd ye lose it way o'er there when ye were climbing 'ere?" His accent was a little thick and he blamed it on the fact that he hadn't spoken to anyone outside of his parents in the past few weeks or months rather. Not to mention when he was drinking he was pretty hard to understand.