Whatever: Wanted or Unwanted Company

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

Tag: O P E N

She tossed and she turned on the bed. Her eyes opened and Lara Jean stared up at the ceiling. It was the same ceiling she had been staring at the past hour. She took peak at the digital clock on her beside table and realized she had been up for over three hours now. Oh boy.

A little more than frustrated, the seventeen year old got out of bed. Slipped on her sneakers and pulled a coat over her pjs. Knowing she was not going to fall asleep any time soon, Lara Jean quietly walked out of her dorm. She shut the doors slowly and tiptoed across the hall to the staircase.

She walked up and got out of the door to the rooftop. Maybe it was crazy for her to be out there in the middle of the night. Maybe it was even crazier she saw someone else there too doing whatever it was they were doing. Whoa. It seemed like she was not the only one to have the idea to go out on the roof at this hour.

"I'm sorry, but I hoped you didn't plan to be alone because... Well I'm here."

[Taylor McCarthy]

It wasn't a stretch to say Taylor had been distracted as of late. He'd left the US over nine months ago and had barely any contact with the few people he'd gotten close to. Between carrying the burden of the reasons that caused him to return home to Ireland and coming back to the States to find the life left behind to be nothing like he remembered, Taylor already needed a break.

Bellefonte's biggest problem, according to Taylor, was a simply lack of places to go where one could truly feel alone. Everything often felt so cramped and suffocating it was almost enough to drive him insane. If there was one thing he hadn't missed during his time in Dublin it was the sense of freedom.

Taylor couldn't be sure if it was the desire to be alone or the exact opposite that had drawn him up to the roof. Even places like this that seemed to attract so many who wished to be alone didn't truly offer isolation. There were too many who knew about it and too many who opted to make use of the false sense of solitude. It was this self awareness that kept Taylor from so much as flinching once he heard the door open behind him. He had been leaning out over the edge of the roof, looking out to the darkened sky.

"If I wanted to be alone I wouldn't have come here." Taylor replied without missing a beat. He didn't bother looking over his shoulder. There was something oddly comforting about the presence another restless soul wandering around at night when most others were fast asleep. Instead he simply continued gazing at the horizon. "Rough night?"

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

Did she want to be alone? If anything, Lara Jean was not expecting anyone else up out on the roof too that night. Well at least the boy did not seem fazed by her appearance. By what he said, she wondered if he was waiting for someone. Maybe, maybe not. Lara Jean did not make a move to leave.

She leaned against the door. "Rough? Yeah..." She took a deep breath of fresh air and relaxed. It felt good being outside. "The usual, trouble sleeping. Nothing I'm not used too," she muttered the last part under her breath. It was more for herself. Lara Jean looked up to the sky and waited a couple seconds then before asking, "You look at stars often?" There were stars she saw, but she was pretty sure they were not the reason he was out there.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor could almost feel the uncertainty melt away from the girl the longer she stood out in the cool night air. He didn't take his eyes off the horizon, though, nodding faintly as she spoke. He hadn't been the only one seeking some sort of refuge atop the roof of the Academy even if it didn't seem as though either of them were all that willing to divulge their troubles.

"I didn't used to." Taylor replied, his voice calm and thick with his Irish accent. He gave a bit of a shrug before glancing down to the barrier he'd been leaning against. Casually he flicked a stray bit of dirt from the stone, sending it drifting to the ground below. "Lately I guess you could say it's becoming a bit of a hobby." He smirked then, turning around so his gaze could settle upon the girl standing behind him. "You come all the way up here to stand in the doorway?" He chided, the smirk on his face never wavering. "Come on in, have a seat, make yourself comfortable." Taylor lifted his eyes back up to the horizon.

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

She gave a small wave then when he turned around. Despite him saying he had not been seeking some alone time, Lara Jean thought she perhaps could stay out of his sight so he could ignore her and at least pretend he was alone. But that was not happening because after hearing what he said, she laughed softly to herself and pushed herself up and slowly walked over to where he was.

Looking ahead, thanks to her eyes she could see the trees down below and roughly estimate how high up they were. "Well, good thing you came for the stars then because I'd hate to think you came up here to jump down or something," she blurted out. Okay, that did not sound...nice. "If you are I mean then well, uhhh can't say this isn't a cliche spot to do it, ya know." That did not sound any nicer. Maybe she should just stop talking.

[Taylor McCarthy]

The longer the young lady spoke the more amused Taylor became. The smirk on his face slowly grew until she finally fell silent. His eyes flicked to the side where she stood and he couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped. "Easy there." He said, lifting a hand in a sort of 'slow down' signal. "There's not going to be any jumping off roofs anytime soon." Taylor assured her with another light laugh. No, Taylor wasn't anywhere near the 'depressed' end of the spectrum and even then he usually didn't respond to such emotions with desperation.

Taylor fell silent for a moment, letting the calm of the night settle over the both of them. He turned his smirking gaze away from the girl and back out to the stars that seemed to be getting far more attention than he imagined they were used to these days. Not one to allow the quiet to linger for too long, Taylor shifted, turning to face the girl, giving her his full attention.

"So." Taylor started, his dark eyes gleaming in the dim light as he studied Lara. "What is it about up here..." He waved a hand about, gesturing to their surroundings. "That draws you to it on a restless night?"

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

“That’s good to know,” she replied with a small laughter. No one was dying from jumping of the school’s roof. That was obviously good to hear. Why did she think he was going to jump? No idea, just the fact that Lara Jean tended to blurt whatever that came to her mind first and really this was just proof of how bad she was at conversations sometimes.

In the silence, following the boy, she too looked up to the stars. Knowing that they were both looking at the same thing and seeing the same thing was a nice and comforting thought for the girl.

She took a few seconds before bringing her gaze down to answer the boy’s question. “The simple fact of being outside. Trees,” as soon as she said it she pointed to the trees on the ground, “those I can handle. Stars, sky,” she pointed up, “The best things to look at. I have powers where I basically don’t see things like you would. But up there...too far for my powers to reach.” Lara Jean shrugged simply and smiled.

“So what’s your secret?”

[Taylor McCarthy]

A thin smile touched Taylor's lips as the girl spoke. He didn't know her and up until about a minute ago hadn't cared to. Her story, her plight, the reasons she made her way up to the roof; none of if really mattered in the grand scheme of things. More than likely this rooftop excursion would remain a disposable interaction. Just two ships passing in the night on the way to their respective destinations. Or something like that. Taylor wasn't nearly eloquent enough to wax so poetic. "How do you see things, then?" He asked curiously, allowing the brief explanation to distract him from his own problems.

"My secret?" Taylor smirked a little at the question. He had quite a few of them these days. Far skeletons were following him around, rattling their bones at the worst possible moments than he ever cared to admit. "Well, if you mean the reason why I'm here." He gestured out to the Academy courtyard that spread out before them. "My brain works a little too well." He answered cryptically, tapping a finger against his temple before shrugging and promptly advancing the conversation. "If you're asking why I'm here." He then waved a hand behind him toward the roof the two of them were standing upon. "I just got back from a stay in Ireland and I guess I'm not used to being around so many people."

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

She should have expected him to ask that. Almost everyone did. "You ever seen the anime Attack on Titan?" she asked, not missing a beat. "Something like a colossal titan." Lara Jean looked at the stars for a couple more seconds before bringing her gaze down to look at the boy. Chances were, he did not understood what she was saying.

"I see your tissues, bones and all that's inside there," she explained, gesturing to all of him. Of course, she kept her eyes up, not bringing it anywhere to below the waist. "I'm seeing it now. Can't turn it off." Since he knew how she was seeing him, Lara Jean did not feel as uncomfortable about it as she usually did when faced with others.

She wasn't sure what she meant when she asked that, and just left it at that to let him make his own conclusion with it. "What, did you stay somewhere remote in Ireland or something where there aren't a lot of people to be around?"

[Taylor McCarthy]

"Uh, no, not really." Taylor replied with an almost apologetic shrug of his shoulders. "Was never much an anime kid growing up." Nor did he find it later on in life. He had no idea what an attack on titan was or why it was relevant until the girl elaborated. He nodded then, getting more insight into her plight. Part of his mutation resulted in an often messed up way of seeing the world around him too. He could at least relate to that. "Sounds like the kind of thing you don't get used to easily." He commented idly. "Does it ever turn off?" He didn't know how detailed or personal she wanted to get but he let his curiosity get the better of him.

"Not quite." He said with a laugh. "But at least back there when I went home I didn't have three other people sitting around making noise." It really was the dorm life that irritated Taylor the most. He could handle people with no problem but when he wanted peace and quiet he found it difficult to find within the crowded confines of the Academy. "But the dorm's only temporary until I can find a place."

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

His comment was spot on. He was right. “It’s definitely not easy. I’ve had it for about… Five years now. I don’t get so freaked out by it like I was in the beginning but for lack of a better word, it’s still weird. Especially erm when you’re in a room full of people. Everyone almost just looks the same.” The sight would overwhelm the girl and it was why Lara Jean preferred to not attend events like parties or concerts.

“Unfortunately, no. It’s 24/7. Another reason why I’m here actually. The trouble sleeping? When I close my eyelids, I’ll just see right through them,” she replied, a laugh made its way out. Just saying sounded messed up like it already was.

It was hard to get the ideal dorm mates. “Can’t say I can relate, but I would hate that - loud and noisy roommates,” she said. In a way she supposed she was lucky because she and her sibling were sorted into the same dorm together and their other two roommates were the kind who kept to themselves too.

”Oh yeah? So how’s that going for you?”

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor frowned, the first thing popping into his head was how horrible the girl's power would be during sex. Few things would kill a boner like staring at your partner's muscle tissue as they flailed around. The image alone was enough to make him have to stifle a wince before he shook it off and and returned his focus to the girl nearby and not the grotesque thoughts or problems she had sleeping. Taylor assumed there were probably about a hundred different topics she'd rather discuss.

"It's... not." Taylor answered with a self-deprecating laugh. Progress had been slow since he'd hit the reset button on his life twice within a nine month span and even things that should have been simple, such as finding an apartment, seemed to be marred by the most unexpected of complications. "I found out most places that will let you live there require that thing called 'money'." Yes, sarcasm often eased the feelings of futility. "And given that I recently bought a plane ticket from Ireland to the United States, that's the one thing I'm lacking at the moment."

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

Lara Jean snorted with laughter at his answer. "Oh right, totally. To be honest, I don't see why they don't now accept like a herd of goats like back in the good ol' days, ya know. One room? I'd say it'll perhaps cost you five goats," she replied with the same level of sarcasm.

"How about showcasing whatever hidden talents you have to earn some cash?" She looked at him and arched a questioning eyebrow. "Cardistry? Juggling? Do you juggle? You seem like a juggler. Can you juggle?"

[Taylor McCarthy]

"I know, right?" Taylor threw his hands up in mutual frustration. "Goats should be a legal form of currency." Though Taylor would leave out the simple fact that he wasn't exactly up to his neck in goats either. He suspected he could probably steal a few from this ranch on the outskirts of town he'd passed by a few times but if he were to go that far he'd be better off just knocking over a gas station or something.

An almost embarrassed exhale of breath followed the question, sending a puff of mist shooting through the chilly air. "Yeah." Taylor said with a shrug of his shoulders. Such feats of manual dexterity were painfully easy for him. The only reason he knew he could juggle stems from the day he'd tried it out of sheer curiosity. It wasn't a learned skill he'd spent time on. "What's the market for jugglers these days?" He asked with a hint of genuine curiosity touching his voice. It may have been a random question but one he wouldn't mind knowing the actual answer to. Not that he'd use that information to his own benefit so much as he was now succumbing to the ease in which he could be distracted. "You think you need any post-graduate work for that or is it a field you can just walk into?"