étoile

19 | sophomore | art major

[missmoonblast]

are you fluent in the language of love? // open

[missmoonblast]

"World History…ohhh, right, we do!" Serena took her attention away from the textbook, looking at Caitlin with eyebrows slightly arced, indicating something of an ‘a-ha!’ moment. She knew she’d seen the other girl before; now that she was speaking with her face to face, Serena found it hard to find Caitlin unrecognizable—with her clear skin and clearer eyes, the delicate waves in her honey-toned locks, and poised composure, the younger student realized her classmate was quite noticeable.

"No, no, it’s alright. That kinda happens in classes, but it’s nice to have the chance to talk now, I think."

Serena gulped.  

At the question of her studying, she shrugged and flipped through the pages with attempted nonchalance. Oh, you know, fourty-five minutes, an hour or so—

"Uh, maybe five or ten minutes ago? I had some time to kill and saw that the room was empty, so I stopped by."

She paused. 

"Do you come by often? To study before class?"

[ophelieurs]

Caitlin didn't have to be psychic to pick up on Serena's feeling uncomfortable, although it certainly didn't hurt. She turned in her seat, facing Serena slightly, and propped her chin against laced fingers. A small not-quite-a-smile remained on pink lips, and she gave a quiet hmm.

"I try to arrive early whenever possible," she admitted with a small shrug. "I'm afraid I seldom get any studying done, though. It always becomes much too tempting to simply take a nap." Her expression turned sheepish for a moment, and as if on cue, she yawned.

"Luckily I never find terribly much need to study, but I suppose that's natural. To tell you the truth, I've spoken French since I was small. I'm only taking this course because the credit is required."

Was that too smug? Probably. Not that Caitlin noticed, or even particularly cared.

"What do you think of the course so far? The professor is very handsome, I think, but unfortunately a bit of a pushover." She wrinkled her nose slightly, sighing.

[ophelieurs]

Cohabitation? [@may]

In nineteen years, Caitlin had possessed many things. It simply came with being the heiress to a wealthy family; she had been handed everything she ever asked for, and was seldom ever expected to share. With this in mind, it's not particularly difficult to imagine her hesitance at the daunting situation at hand: cohabitation. Adjusting to new environments had never been a strong point, and to find herself facing not just a housemate, but a roommate was intimidating, and exasperating to boot.

Regardless, she stood lingering quietly outside of their suite, in the shared communal dorm, waiting. It was nearly the designated time that she and her roommate had agreed upon to meet, and Caitlin was one part nervous and two parts ready to simply get the entire thing over with. People were not her forte; new people were even more out of her realm of competence, especially when faced with the knowledge that whether they got along or not, they would be sharing a cramped living space for the rest of the semester.

She rubbed her temples quietly, attempting to fight off the vague beginnings of a headache, and waited. It couldn't be so bad--staying optimistic in these situations was important, she reminded herself. No matter what happened, she just had to remember that things could always be worse.

[ophelieurs]

mayflora replied to your post:[Text:] hhhey is this caitlin? i'm haruka, your suitemate, got your number from the directory! wanna grab dinner and get to know each other? :-)

[Text:] there are a bunch of cute cafes around town!!!! if you like thai i know a good place on estival… meet at the dorms at 6?

[Text:] That sounds lovely.

[ophelieurs]

dorksenpai replied to your post:I once saw a television show where people turned...

Not zombies, just ghosts.

I suppose I would rather it be ghosts than zombies. Perhaps they're friendly.

[ophelieurs]

I once saw a television show where people turned into snow zombies after they died. Certainly something like that couldn't really happen, though...

[ophelieurs]

[Text:] hhhey is this caitlin? i'm haruka, your suitemate, got your number from the directory! wanna grab dinner and get to know each other? :-)

[Text:] Oh, hello! I would like that. Did you have a time or place in mind?

[missmoonblast]

are you fluent in the language of love? // open

[ophelieurs]

missmoonblast:

"Oh! Bonjour.” 

At least she knew that much. 

"I thought it’d be a good idea to come in and look over the section we’ll be covering in today’s lesson. The room was empty, so I assumed it’d stay that way for a while."

Serena could recognise the petite blonde; weren’t they classmates? Right, right, they are—and she seemed capable enough to snooze through the class and still earn an ‘A’. An ‘A+’, at that. Great, she lamented, slumping down in her seat a little. Caitlin’s presence negated the whole purpose of the freshman’s solo study session: freedom from embarrassment.

"Caitlin, right? Je m’appelleSerena … I sit in the second row? Kind of close to you, but uh. Not really, ahah.”

What a fine attempt at humor.

The sad truth of the matter was that Caitlin seldom paid any mind to her classmates, and had only a vague recollection of Serena's appearance simply because they shared not one, but two classes. Fortunately, World History was a subject that required significantly more awake time, and after a moment of puzzling to herself with a slightly-tilted head, she smiled in recognition.

"Oh, yes. We take World History together as well, I believe?" She slid into the seat she had approached, resting her bag on her lap and withdrawing the needed textbook; it was placed primly on her desk, and she took a moment to flip through to the proper chapter.

"It's nice to finally speak to you. With two classes together it seems a shame that I haven't done so before." Strictly speaking, she had never felt a need to before, or found herself in a situation where it would become awkward not to instigate some sort of conversation. Even Caitlin couldn't justify being alone in a room with just one other person for an extended period of time and not speaking.

"I'm terribly sorry I've interrupted your studying, though. But if you don't mind... how long have you been here? It's still quite early."

[ophelieurs]

no time for a nap

[fleurde-lis]

"Hmm, the ‘name’ argument, of course you’d take that route," Lysandre crossed his arms and sat down. He eyed the girl for a brief moment before sighing and taking out a cigarette. He lit it and took one hit before returning his attention to the girl.

"Better than making you guess why a man was looming over your shoulder, isn’t it?" Puff puff. "And it’s not very safe to be sleeping outside—on a picnic table no less—especially when you should probably be in class right now.

"But that’s not really any of my business."

[ophelieurs]

Thin brows furrowed as he invited himself to sit, and with another quiet yawn, Caitlin drew herself up, sitting straight. She took a moment to straighten her dress, prim and pink with an abundance of very expensive lace details, and smooth down a few bouncing flyaway curls.

"It's a fair assertion," she replied. "If you intend to be so territorial about public property, putting your name on things would be a wise idea." A dry smile crossed her lips, but quickly dropped at the sight of the cigarette. It wasn't surprising that he would be rude enough to smoke in the presence of a lady, as he had already roused one from a nap on bogus grounds of picnic table ownership, but the look she gave him was no less disdainful for it.

Her nose wrinkled at the huff of smoke he exhaled, and she swatted a hand before her face to disperse any of the stuff that happened to come near her. "If you wouldn't mind not smoking, if you insist on sitting here, it would be most appreciated."

Now--was he scolding her? That certainly wouldn't do; whoever he happened to think be, or think he was, Caitlin was not the type to respond well to any sort of chiding, no matter how offhand it happened to be. This instance was certainly no exception.

"You're quite right: it isn't any of your business. I was perfectly fine until you felt the need to wake me, and it's hardly your place to presume that I'm skipping class!" Disdain had turned to indignation on her features; if looks alone could kill... Well. Fortunately for Lysandre, that wasn't the case.

Honestly. The nerve of some people.

[missmoonblast]

are you fluent in the language of love? // open

You’d think after living in Kalos for several months, Serena would’ve picked up some French. Now, learning a new language certainly isn’t easy, especially at eighteen years old, but she at least could’ve learned some of the basics—how to ask for directions, how to order from a restaurant, elementary phrases to express her feelings or describe herself.

Yet Serena’s grasp on the romantic language was admittedly pitiful; she knew little beyond simple salutations and titles. At least she could address Monsieur Sycamore correctly during class, right…?

So there she was, hiding in the empty French classroom nearly an hour before class starts, speaking to herself in an honest attempt to make some sense of the material that would be covered in the upcoming period.

[ophelieurs]

There was no such thing as being over-prepared, Caitlin reminded herself. Hard-work and diligence are fundamentals if one hopes to achieve anything, and if that meant arriving early to each and every class was what it took, then so be it. It was important to make a good impression on one's professors, so tardiness was absolutely not an option, and it would only make her look better to arrive so early to begin preparing for the lesson.

That being said, Caitlin was already quite fluent in French; with a paternal line of family born and bred in and around Lumiose City itself, she felt rather proud in her abilities with her second language. This class was a formality; a necessary credit, and one she could easily shine in at such a basic level. She would not be learning much, if any, new information, but she would be securing an extra, assured boost in her GPA, and that was certainly good enough.

As such, she was rather surprised and moderately taken aback to find another student had trumped her punctuality. She double-checked to be sure that she had the proper classroom, and entered in such a way that was sure to disturb the preoccupied girl. Was she muttering to herself? Oh dear, she certainly was. Her accent was horrendous--perhaps later on Caitlin could offer to tutor her. That would surely make a good impression.

For the time being, she granted a smile, and approached a seat that was near but not directly beside her fellow student. "Bonjour. It seems that I'm not the only one who had the idea of arriving so early."

[ophelieurs]

no time for a nap

[fleurde-lis]

The weather was beautiful outside, that was for sure. What was unfortunate, however, was the influx of students towards every which direction. If they weren’t his students, who was he to care, he just wanted to get where he was going.

While walking through, he passed the same picnic table right before his lecture hall. What was odd about this time was that there was a student already resting on it. Dear Arceus, these children never learn, no work ethic to them at all.

He releases a scoff and heads towards the table. Now it was unfair of this child to take up his only acceptable spot for lunch. Perhaps it was his appearance, but do not be fooled—he enjoyed simple, quiet lunches outside in beautiful weather.

But a girl was in his way.

"Excuse me, this is my table."

[ophelieurs]

Fortunately--or perhaps unfortunately, depending on one's perspective--Caitlin had not been resting long, and her sleep remained light enough still that the voice of another roused her with ease. It took a moment, but she lifted her head from the fold of her arms, expression bleary and half-asleep. A dainty hand languidly rose to cover her mouth in a yawn, and a look of tired disinterest crossed her face as she scrutinized the outlandish man standing before her.

"Your table?" The question was soft, punctuated with a yawn, but poignantly irate nonetheless. "Student orientation failed to mention picnic tables on campus being private property; I don't believe I see a name on it anywhere."

She looked him up and down, from the absurd red-orange hair to the frankly questionable choice of outfit--it was clear that he was her elder, and evidently domineering enough to take issue with someone resting at a public table. Definitely a professor; hopefully not one of her own.

A small smile, excessively saccharine, crossed her lips, and her brows raised slightly. "As it happens, I was here first, and it's very rude to wake someone from a nap in such a brusque manner."

[ophelieurs]

no time for a nap

It was early in the afternoon, just before the start of the semester, and campus was understandably flocked with new arrivals and returning students rushing to settle themselves before classes began. It made navigating most places an absolute hassle, and everywhere one turned there was a crowd of students and a loud rumble of voices.

These exact characteristics one new student in particular found to be exceptionally annoying--in theory, it shouldn't take fighting one's way through a crowd at every turn to get anywhere or accomplish anything, and there was beginning to grow a mild throbbing at the bridge of her nose and the crease of her brow. A headache now would be a problem, and when the first yawn escaped her small pouting mouth on the trek to the student housing facilities, Caitlin knew she was doomed.

The physical strength to carry her own over-packed luggage was decidedly lacking, and with every other imaginable source of stress conveniently present, even hauling her belongings along via telekinesis was becoming a terrible strain. The migraine was getting worse, and despite her best efforts, she could feel her eyelids drooping defiantly. Why had she insisted that she hadn't needed any help? I can do it myself, she had snapped at the valet who had seen to her arrival in Lumiose; I don't need to be looked after like a child.

By now it was increasingly clear that she was not going to make it without either a breakdown or a narcoleptic fit, and nineteen years of experience had taught her that the latter was always the lesser of two evils.

Stopping at a nearby picnic table couldn't hurt. It was quieter in this corner, conveniently placed beneath a tree that provided adequate shade, and yawning all the while, Caitlin set her baggage beneath the table and settled herself, arms crossed and head resting atop them, for a brief rest.

[ophelieurs]

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Not long ago I would have said Kalos in response to this, but seeing as I am currently in Lumiose City, it doesn't really apply now, does it? I've yet to see Parfum Palace, however, and I would very much like to do so.