icarus falling

Samuel Ryle, "Sam" 28 years old, Drama teacher Magical Engineer, "Psychic" au/oc rp account -- mun is of age (21+)

[zitao-ia]

Wrapped issues { Zisam }

[samuel-ia]

zitao-ia‌:

It was something that had started in early childhood and never really left or changed. No matter what Emilia did or was she would always be someone Zitao admired and saw as a rolemodel. She was the strongest person he knew and ever would know but she was also soft in other ways, ways she usually did not show anyone. He loved her and he loved to hate her as well whenever she showed some extreme cruelty. He hummed about it before Samuel continued on a road that was very dangerous.

Zitao’s dark eyes returned to the lighter ones of the drama-teacher. “She would never stay here indefinitely.” The alien answered in a soft tone of voice. “Most of us don’t, we go here, we do what we came for and then we leave again. Even if we are perfectly able to live our whole lives on spaceships, nothing is the same as returning home and see the azure skies of Ixtab Prime again.” He smiled sadly at Samual as he shrugged and looked at his hands. “Jamie and Emilia will leave when her mission is completed.”

Which implied…

He scratched the label off his drink as he frowned slightly. “I don’t know when, she has never been really open about it to me or Jamie, as far as I know. Well, it is because I am a traitor and Jamie is sleeping with a traitor I suppose. I don’t know why she came to Earth or why she is staying. I have no idea what her mission is aside from the usual. Kidnapping, information collection, annoying the Naum, the usual.”

Kidnapping. He could do it, he thought as he looked up at the handsome man again. He did not think he would ever lose the unique skillset that came with being an Ixtab, to lift someone from their bed without them noticing it, only to have them open their eyes when it was too late. When escape was no longer an option and the only thing they could hope for was to be released.

What Zitao said, made him feel .. small, oddly enough. Small and insignificant and human, because these were all troubles so far out of the scale of what even Sam could imagine, that it seemed like he couldn’t give the alien any genuine comfort no matter how much he wanted to. He didn’t know how it felt to be light years away from home, much less how far that distance actually was, or to yearn for a place you could never go back to. Betraying everything Zitao had ever stood for to join up with the enemy was a problem on an entirely different level than his own days of fraud and picking up new identities. But what he did understand was the sadness mirrored in the other’s smile and it pulled him out of his chair with a soft sigh, just in time with Zitao lifting his gaze again.

Fortunately, he remained oblivious to the thoughts of kidnapping and yet a similar kind of selfishness as the one Sam himself had felt mere moments ago -- and it allowed him to cup the other’s hand, gently guiding his fingers away from where they scratched at the bottle he held, while his other arm came to rest around Zitao’s waist. “Shouldn’t have asked, huh?” A small, apologetic smile ghosted over his lips as he tilted his head a little, aiming to catch the other’s gaze again in case it drifted off. “What I do get from all this though, is that it’s out of your hands for the moment; that there’s a time and place to worry, but doing so now won’t change anything. And that you have time to figure out what you want.”

Releasing the other’s hand, he brushed two fingers over his cheek and down behind his ear, half-cupping Zitao’s neck while rubbing small circles into the soft skin there; the side of his finger scraping lightly against some of the earrings adorning him. “And for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here right now.” Even if the beginning of their conversation had been tense enough to suggest otherwise, which was another reason why Sam wanted to express it. 

[samuel-ia]

There are three packages to Samuel delivered: Gucci sunglasses, a Dolce & Gabbana jacket and a golden pen. 

“Dear Samuel, lets meet up more next year?  Zitao." 

He barely needed the note to know who these gifts were from as soon as he unwrapped them -- and god, weren’t they both terrible for their love of expensive brands, with the only difference that Zitao could afford them regularly --, but the note itself still sent a little pang of guilt through him. They had barely seen each other this year, both too busy with their own things it seemed and Sam had allowed himself to get carried away as he tended to do, when tackling new projects and experiences in life. That Zitao was still fond enough of him to send him presents was all the incentive he needed to make up for it in the following year, that much he knew.

And as a start, the alien would receive a text later that same day.

  [to: Zitao] “I could thank you here for the gifts, but I’d rather do it over dinner sometime? Are you free this week? x”

[samuel-ia]

Eared Robin: Brod  Eared Robon birds, with floppy dog-like ears. That’s it. They are birds, with ears. Do what you want with this information. 

- Is a honorary member of Scientology - Collects peanut shells - Once saw a two-headed crab

Oh god. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he opened the mysterious box left in front of his door but the flutter of wings hadn’t been it. Nor the droopy ears attached to the bird that hopped out onto the floor of his room, making Sam crouch down with a small noise in the back of his throat. “Well hello,” he cooed, unable to hold back a grin as the sound of his voice made the bird tilt its head towards him. “Aren’t you adorable ... Brod?” A questioning glance towards the card in his free hand confirmed the name and Sam finally took a moment to read over the other given information as well.

Huh.

A peanut-obsessed honorary member of Scientology. Where other people might have been weirded out, Sam could only laugh as he glanced up from the paper again. “Well then,” he added as he eyed the bird hopping around and exploring his surroundings, “we’re gonna find you a place for your weird collection too, won’t we. You’ll fit right in.”

[zitao-ia]

Wrapped issues { Zisam }

[samuel-ia]

zitao-ia‌:

Jamie and Samuel would have a lot to talk about when Zitao took Samuel with him if he ever returned to the Ixtab homeworld (the fact that it was even an option by now was worrying to the alien who had sworn his alliance to the Naum rather than Ixtab). 

Of course this backfired and Zitao’s eyes shot up when Samuel implied… “How I feel about Emilia has nothing to do with her looks.” He shot back, cheeks even more red now. Then he laughed and shook his head “She… She was the coolest one we knew you know, when we grew up me and Jamie. She was the one we looked up to, always and wanted to become like her.” He admitted, cheeks red but smiling nostalgic. 

“She’s a piece of work but she is Emilia, there is no one like her in this entire universe. She is the strongest creature I know with the most dedication I have ever seen, she is a captain worth following if she went where I was going.” 

He felt weird about Samuel sleeping with her and he didn’t know exactly which part unsettled him. That Emilia had laid hands on his Samuel or that a human had touched the untouchable Emilia, creature of strength and power. Almost like a Goddess Zitao referred her. “Maybe even if I don’t like the destination.”

Somehow the mood between them seemed to change rapidly, back and forth, as neither of them seemed to know where exactly this conversation would take them. So far, despite the turbulent road they had taken with each other in the past two years, they managed to avoid talking about certain things -- depths in their personal history that remained buried not for a lack of trust, necessarily, but because neither of them felt comfortable dragging it back up to the light. Or, in this case, because certain questions had never occurred to Sam to ask before. His smile grew and then faltered along with Zitao’s words as he managed to both explain his view on Emilia and defend himself from the teacher’s implications at the same time, a reaction that told the latter all he needed in return.

Zitao idolized her, that much became obvious very quickly and from what Sam himself knew of Emilia, he could see why. She had an aura and willpower few managed to match and while that did not make Sam want to throw himself at her feet and mercy, he understood why someone younger and more impressionable might have grown into an infatuation with her back in the day, simply because of all she stood for. But then Zitao said something, added it almost like an afterthought, that made Sam pause.

“The destination?” His head tilted in curiosity, any other emotion carefully masked as he watched the other. Of course the future remained uncertain, both on his and on the alien’s part and neither of them ever made a secret out of it when they entered into this ... bond of non-commitments and yet undeniable feelings for each other. For some reason it had just never occurred to Sam to really think about what he wanted to do after the academy, when and if he left someday. That thought in itself sent a small pang of unrest through his body, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he shifted on his seat. Never settling, always searching for new things, new experiences, new people -- and now he felt so content in this place that he did not even consider where his journey might take him next? What happened?

Well, Zitao had happened among other reasons. And as he looked at the alien still standing in front of his desk, a few things suddenly clicked into place. “You mean that she plans to go back someday? To her home?” His voice had softened a little bit, Sam carefully avoiding to bring Zitao’s own intentions and feelings into it. Despite them talking about some of the details he knew little, so little he realized, about his past and his future plans or whether the alien still considered it his home, too. And the worry ghosting through his eyes, while not of an entirely unselfish nature, was mainly summoned by wondering how the other’s feelings towards the academy, Earth, him stood in relation towards the pull home and the people he clearly still adored so much. Did he feel torn about it? Or would he follow her, Jamie and his people even if it made him unhappy?

[zitao-ia]

Wrapped issues { Zisam }

[samuel-ia]

zitao-ia:

Oh, it wasn’t blackmail but curiosity that went with the message that Emilia had told Zitao to give onto Samuel. Emilia still had not totally forgiven Samuel for what the human had done to Zitao. She also just liked teasing him and making things a little harder for him and a lot harder for him and Zitao. 

Zitao didn’t look very amused. “I can’t believe you fucked Emilia.” Zitao mumbled as he looked… irritated almost. “Does Jamie know?” He asked and assumed no or Samuel wouldn’t be in one piece. “Emilia torments everyone she sleeps with, just look at mmmm-” Zitao paused, his cheeks reddened slightly. “men around the campus that do anything for her.”

Nice save ZItao (not). 

While avoiding  the talk about his own brief history with Emilia, Sam had also effectively avoided any conversation about Zitao’s much longer history with her -- and given the flicker of annoyance that he spotted on the alien’s face now, part of him almost regretted never asking for details there. If Zitao had feelings for her, it wasn’t his place to judge but he would judge the implied clusterfuck of being -- sexually? romantically? -- involved with his best friend and said best friend’s sister at the same time. “No, I don’t talk to Jamie,” he replied instead however, his voice relaxed and soft and thus not sounding like the accusation it might as well have been otherwise. Truth be told, Jamie also didn’t talk to him, but Sam had never made the conscious effort to approach the blond alien -- they had very little in common aside from Zitao, which did not make Sam dislike him, but also didn’t motivate him to invite the other over for coffee.

There was something about the slight blush on Zitao’s cheeks that made him rethink his following words before they could pass his lips; a previously soothing and semi-defensive reaction towards ‘I can’t believe you fucked Emilia’ -- and why not, really? -- now rephrased into an echo of the alien’s last words. “Men that do anything for her?” His brow quirked, amusement flickering over his face as he pointedly glanced towards the wrappers on his desk and then back at Zitao. “Like you, you mean?”

Two could play that game.

[mysterox]

The insanity defense { Sam & Julian }

[samuel-ia]

mysterox:

◎          Julian smiled, it was a willy-wonky smile that revealed a small part of the way his brain worked- or rather didn’t work. He ran a hand through his auburn locks of hair that always seemed to look fine as hell. People liked to touch it, he didn’t like it when people did that. Not at random at least, just imagine people randomly in line for the McDonalds touching your hair- yeah he hated that. 

What the man did not hate was the guy he had been eyeing from a small distance in the coffee corner, another foreigner. The man was an oddity, usually the foreigners here in Seoul were hysterical, overweight girls that were in the city just to chase their oppar and couldn’t chill out for a single second as they screeched about being impregnated by young men half their age. 

The time traveler sipped from his peppermint tea as he observed the other man, he seemed a little older than most people in the shop but not old-old (not that Julian had the right to judge since he had avoided the idea of getting older by avoiding his date of death and thus, in theory, becoming immortal, fuck you death). He got up, holding the cup of tea, and sat down at the table of the stranger. 

“Hey what up, didn’t I see you on the Boob tube sometime man? You look, like, way decent. You new here?” He asked and eyed the other expectant. One should note, really should, that Julian never lost the way he spoke in his home-time. Which was, obviously, the roaring seventies, the crazy times. Dy-no-mite. 

@samuel-ia​

Unless something very specific -- or someone very specific -- gave him a good reason to stay, Sam’s weekends were usually spent outside of Insolitus’ borders without fail. It wasn’t that he disliked the academy, quite the opposite; it had been a safe harbor for him for the past three years now and he wasn’t planning on going anywhere -- but Sam craved new things in every aspect of his life and there was only so much he could do at a school he knew every nook and cranny of by now. And new curiosities, in most cases, also included people.

While sipping his coffee and scrolling through one of the never-ending daily news feeds on his phone, he’d noticed the other man from the corner of his eye a couple of times already and was, as such, not overly surprised when he saw him sliding onto the seat across him from a few minutes later. It did not exactly feel like a victory, because Sam wasn’t looking for people that way, but he still felt pleased whenever people took an interest in him and went out of their way to strike up a conversation -- flattering the magical engineer had never been difficult, it was everything that came after that proved to be a challenge.

What the other said, however, threw him off for a moment. Boob tube? Well, he could work with it, even if it was a little weird. Then again, it took a lot, lot more weirdness to scare him off. “Sorry, where?” He asked first, a light laugh on his lips and brown eyes twinkling in an amused, not an unkind manner at the confusion. “Not exactly new, no, but it’s a big city,” Sam then added and took another sip from his coffee. “Otherwise I’m pretty sure I’d remember us meeting before.”

[minwoo-ia]

In the hay - Samuel & Minwoo

[samuel-ia]

minwoo-ia:

location:  an uncanny farmhouse with a ‘ ROOM FOR RENT ’ sign

Minwoo was not sure how he ended up in the middle of the land with the theater teacher next to him as the rain poured down on them and… wait a minute he did know. They had been in the theater together and Minwoo had been trying to talk to the other about Zitao (trying to make him uncomfortable, that is) when they found a spellbook and one of them read a few lines from it and they were transported to the middle of nowhere. 

“You go ask for that room, I don’t have my lenses with me and I don’t think red eyes will make humans rent out their room to us.” he ordered, pissed off and cold. 

There was something uniquely disturbing about the dark, old farmhouse rising up as the only building far and wide among the land -- and if Minwoo wanted to make him uncomfortable, or so he thought in retrospect, he should have just gone for this option right from the start. Getting a rise out of him about Zitao had stopped working roughly a year ago, if not longer. Now Sam simply deflected any question about the alien with polite professionalism, knowing how to toy the line between each and every of the other’s friends apparently being aware of their arrangement while at the same time not giving out enough proof to get in trouble for it.

This friend, however, was one Sam hadn’t dealt with often yet -- seen him across the hallway at most, given how the bright red eyes were not the only thing that made the other stand out in a crowd. And despite having been the person who pulled out the Book of Doom, as the teacher was going to call it from now on, Minwoo seemed to be in an even worse mood about their accident than he was. “What makes you think we’re still in a realm that deals with humans,” he replied without missing a beat, a small huff under his breath. Sam had been at the academy long enough to learn about the supernatural world in its details and while a large part of him felt curious to explore it all, he wasn’t too keen on getting skewered by possible darkspawn creatures just for the sake of a new experience. “You’re coming with me.”

And that was just as much of an order, plus an excuse to get out of the pouring rain. Sam didn’t feel scared, exactly. Approaching the farmhouse simply made him wary of anything that might jump out at them, but even after years at the academy -- and without ever experiencing true fear of death or terrible threats in his entire life --, he remained somewhat detached from the self-preservation instinct that most people had, when dealing with the supernatural world. Not to mention that if things went sour, he had a demon by his side who could hopefully do more than just glare and look like a pissed off, wet cat.

The door creaked when he pushed it open, because of course it did. Atmosphere was not something this place lacked and the inside of the hallway they entered seemed just as dark and gloomy and old as the facade of the house. And, more importantly, it looked half-abandoned. No noise, no movement anywhere to be seen; only the lack of dust and cobwebs hinted at a presence occupying this space. “.. Hello?”

[samuel-ia]

An anonymous box of cookies and roses is delivered to Samuel by a group of singing sirens who sing shape of you. Publicly, during class. 

The public humiliation is obviously part of the plan as the sirens don’t stop singing until they are done. 

When the door to his class first opened -- the boring, dreadful theory part he was required to do once every two months or so and of course it had to be on Valentine’s Day this time -- to reveal a group of sirens walking in, Sam assumed that they were making rounds for the students. What he did not expect, was the straight beeline they made for him instead. In front of a room full of students. And everything could have been fine still at this point, if they hadn’t started singing; the group of sirens big enough to fill nearly the whole space in front of the class at this point and Sam groaned under his breath, the sound ebbing away in a short, almost desperate wheeze of laughter as he leaned back against his desk and rubbed at his eyes.

Oh, the humiliation paid off. Especially given that he made several attempts to ask them to stop and they simply kept ignoring him, making it harder and harder for Sam to keep a straight face -- he knew with one glance across the classroom and to the very back of it, who had timed this surprise and he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of getting flustered in front of the entire class. And as the sirens set out to the third verse, he took a long long moment to stare at the alien sitting there -- not obvious enough to arouse suspicion, but enough to convey the feeling that, if @zitao-ia had the nerve to burst out laughing right here and now, he wasn’t going to let him touch him for a whole damn month. 

“... thanks for that and please do not come back until next year,” he offered once the group thank-fucking-god fell silent eventually, one of those practiced, brilliant laughs masking the pain he held inside to anyone but those who knew him well and would see that he was close to putting dents into the box of cookies from how tightly he gripped it. He stared them down until the sirens left, clearing his throat as both cookies and roses were delicately pushed to a corner of his desk and he flipped to the next page on the whiteboard projection instead. “Anyway--”

[zitao-ia]

Wrapped issues { Zisam }

[samuel-ia]

zitao-ia:

Zitao put the empty wrappers on the desk of the other, with a small smile. They were all from food that Samuel had found… missing in the past months, neatly folded (and cleaned? Were they actually cleaned?) and stuck together with elastic bands. It was a whole box of them and the alien looked a little uncomfortable as he cleared his throat.

“So, I love you, but Emilia made me do this so, here are all the wrappers and packaging of the food she says she deserves because the ‘sex was bad’.” He stared at Samuel, judging him. “She also wants you to know that she will continue to take your food and that you need to stop being so cheap with what kind of cheese you buy because it is disgusting.” He deadpanned the other.

“When did you sleep with the sister of my best friend?”

@samuel-ia

The rustle of plastic first drew Sam’s attention away from his phone, just in time to see Zitao walk through the door of his office. As usual, when they were alone or at least not under much scrutiny, he allowed a small smile to tug on the corner of his mouth at the sight of the alien -- a smile, which fell short this time however and had to make way for a frown as soon as his eyes fell onto the stacked wrappers that the other now placed on his desk.

That-- wow. That was a new low even for Emilia.

His brow arched sharply and stayed there while Zitao spoke and Sam couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of blackmail the astronomy teacher held over him, if she could make him do this. Or, hell, maybe Zitao actually enjoyed it. But then the last question dropped and suddenly he had a very different idea as to why the other might have come by to deliver these personally after all. It was true that they’d never really touched that subject -- for multiple reasons, as far as Sam was concerned -- but he’d always thought that Emilia would have mentioned it at some point given how close the two aliens seemed to be.

“Before we met,” was the first, drawled out response leaving his lips. “I was new, we met in Vighulir, she’s been tormenting me ever since--” Sam used a slight sing-song to recapture the events, adding a light and idle undertone to them, in hopes of dissipating any awkwardness before it could arise. His eyes, however, were still warm when they glanced back up to the other now. “Are you giving me that look because of that or the gift she made you deliver?”

[samuel-ia]

❝ light it up  — zisam au

A cold wind nipped and bit into his skin wherever it could and Sam had stopped feeling his fingers about half an hour ago already, yet continued to balance just as undeterred as ever between keeping one foot on the balcony’s ledge and the other on the ladder that brought him all the way up here in the first place. His mission for the day were christmas lights, having finally unearthed the boxes from the basement just yesterday and a little snowfall would not keep him from putting them up outside on the windows and against the roof. Or so he’d told himself, up until ‘a little snowfall’ turned into ‘heavy snowfall’ and then added a strong breeze into the mix, just as he’d managed to hang up the first batch of lights. After that, Sam simply could not leave his work half finished.

Occupying the maisonette apartment that stretched over the second and third floor of the building gave him free reign over holiday decorations on here, and just because he had no idea whether or not his new downstairs neighbor had any issues with feeling the Christmas spirit himself, given how blank his windows still were in the first week of December, he wasn’t going to let that interfere with his plans.

Unfortunately, halfway through the second chain of Christmas lights he stopped feeling his legs, too. And as these things went when the holiday spirit was at stake, Sam realized this only when he shifted his foot on the ladder a little too far to the left and suddenly felt nothing underneath him -- a few, comical seconds before his entire balance shifted and he felt himself slipping, then falling with a startled noise carrying across the yard below. A heap of limbs and colorful light bulbs came raining down into the snow on the ground, its layer fortunately thick enough to soften the impact, but there would still be bruises and not just to Sam’s ego, that much he knew as he lay there, surrounded by snow on all sides and lights on top of him; a quiet “Ow” muttered into the silence.

Well. That had gone terribly. 

@zitao-ia

[thomas-ia]

Cashmere & other valuables || Samuel & Thomas

[samuel-ia]

thomas-ia:

The witch was not sure how to react, feeling grateful towards Samuel was not on his bucketlist but for the first time in days his shoulders relaxed a little and his hands that had balled into fists again without him noticing, relaxed a little. Hazel eyes wandered back to Samuel after looking around suspiciously. There was something weird going on here. 

“Oh.” Was the not very elaborate reply from the stressed witch. He exhaled as he suddenly stumbled forward to the chair and crashed down, leaning his head on his arms as he rested against the wood. His shoulders slumped as his breathing was barely noticeable but there definitely. “He’s furious and I think I sense him trying to come up with… plans. He seems… stubborn and determined.” Thomas mumbled before sitting back up again. The witch looked even more exhausted now with messy hair and the white lines making the dark bags under his eyes even darker by contrast. “don’t tell Kyungsoo about this.” He mumbled “About Suwoong.”

A pause.

“I’m sorry about the thing with Zitao, about him loving… well, you know.” He shrugged “Suwoongs anger influences me.”

Sam blamed exhaustion more than genuine regret for his apology, especially after casting a long glance towards the witch’s slumped form in front of his desk, but he was not going to keep fighting that battle with him tonight. His hands lifted in a mock-defensive gesture to convey as much. “While I accept the apology of you being an asshole about it, you weren’t wrong. About Zitao, I mean,” he then replied, shrugging as he sat down in the other chair and stretched out his legs. The sun would rise in the west before he ever opened up to Thomas about his personal feelings or his love life, but given how much he was involved as Zitao’s friend already, it seemed ... right to let him know as much.

“We’re not the exclusive love of each other’s lives all of a sudden, and we’re both aware of that.” The only difference being that Sam currently did not have feelings for anyone else, but that was, on the other hand, fine too. He did not need to be the center of someone’s entire universe to know that love could still be genuine. “And hell, I’m not going to meddle with yours,” Sam added after another glance at the witch’s face, exhaustion creeping across pale cheeks and emphasizing the dark bags under his eyes in a way that would worry him far more if Thomas were a friend. Instead, a wry smile ghosted over his lips. “I do recommend getting help though, or you’re not going to be able to keep this a secret from your boyfriend of all people for much longer. Not while you look like that.”

And Suwoong, he knew, was a vicious enemy to have. Later it would worry him -- the possibility of having angered the geist once more by offering Thomas safe harbor from his schemes for a while, but right now he rather gave in to the small triumph this brought along. “I’m honest with Zitao, too. Whether you believe me or not, but I know you worry that I will lie and hurt him and it’s part of why you dislike me so much,” Sam then continued, calmer now and if Thomas managed to sense his emotions through the swirl of chaos in his mind, he would be able to tell that he spoke the truth right then. “Isn’t it?”

[samuel-ia]

❝ Craving The Unknown — Key&Sam

[samuel-ia]

key-ia:

Kibum snorted slightly “Hmmm. One person from the academy, or well person…” Kibum pondered for a moment before looking even more amused “And an ex member of the academy, you know, those that moved higher up and some other… creatures.” Vague by design he answered and he would have told Samuel that playing Monopoly with princes of hell and Deities was far from boring. Not when the stakes were the souls of those mortal.

Kibum side-eyed Samuel curiously, a frown appearing on his face when the other changed direction in his story so suddenly and he made a small amused sound. There was something odd, something strange he decided. He sensed something but he couldn’t really put his finger on what he sensed. 

“You identify as a psychic, right? A medium of some sorts?” he asked as he eyed Samuel intensely. “Do you think this is something a medium would do?”

This time, it was Sam’s turn to frown. “I identify as human,” he corrected the other’s assumption, not without an undertone of confusion in his voice as to what exactly Key was aiming at. “A gifted one. Those gifts, however, don’t dictate my everyday actions, nor do all my hobbies revolve around spirits and giving guidance to others. By that logic, I shouldn’t be teaching Theater either and yet here I am.” He shrugged, his mind slowly clearing up as his focus was drawn away from the feeling of nausea and the lingering effects of the artifacts began to dissipate.

“You’re an elf, but you enjoy playing cards and gambling -- is that something you should do, if your entire being is supposed to only be interested in one thing? Building these things is something I like to do in my free time,” Sam added, for once absolutely honest about what he believed to be the truth. “Nothing more.”

Studying the other teacher for a few moments longer, a small smile began to appear around the corners of his mouth; knowing, amused. “And yet you still don’t believe me, do you?”

[thomas-ia]

Cashmere & other valuables || Samuel & Thomas

[samuel-ia]

thomas-ia:

Thomas’ head snapped back to Samuel when the filth dared to speak to him; his anger was rising, picking up more and more. The thing with having a poltergeist pup hanging out with you was that Suwoong was basically one big ball of anger and malicious intent which rubbed off onto the witch who was less than amused about this whole situation. “I don’t need your help.” He snapped. The white veins were pronounced now and the ground under Thomas’ feet was coloring grey, as if there was a Instagram filter projected onto the ground. He wheezed. “I don’t want to come with you, pervert.” he mumbled but did so anyway. Suwoong was exhausting. 

“I’d invite you to try.” The witch murmured, while he was never friendly around Samuel it should be obvious that there was a certain edge of anger and darkness to the witch that was usually not there. He followed the other into the room and dead panned him. “Is this the moment where you are going to tell me you have fallen deadly in love with Zitao and you are going to marry him? Because I know and as sickening as it is he loves you too, but he loves others more.” He shot and crossed his arms.

Then there it was.

Silence. 

Thomas blinked once, then twice. “He’s not here.” he mumbled and looked around, frowning. “He is there but not here, I sense his emotions but not his… I can’t hear him or feel him trying to take me over.” He turned back to Samuel, suspicious. “What the hell did you do.”

“Not what I was going for, no,” Samuel replied without missing a beat or sounding bothered in the slightest, his eyes still focused on the witch to catch even the smallest change in his behavior or expression. Zitao was a secondary factor right now -- not that he had any intention of telling Thomas about his love life, although the younger seemed to have quite the opinion about it already -- and he did not have to wait long to find what he was looking for either. While the other still blinked in confusion, undoubtedly noticing the lack of a poltergeist on his shoulder, Sam couldn’t help the smug smirk that ghosted over his lips at the same time.

So it worked. Since he tried to avoid Suwoong and malicious spirits in general these days, he hadn’t gotten a chance to try out these safety measures before and that would have been a bit too much of a gamble even for the false psychic in a real emergency situation. And while the temptation was huge to make Thomas believe that he was personally responsible for banishing the poltergeist, albeit temporarily, Sam knew that his ruse would never hold up long enough to not backfire terribly. He’d learned that much during his stay here. “I didn’t do anything, strictly speaking,” he answered instead, still sounding more satisfied than the situation would warrant normally.

“He can not enter here, which is why you can feel his presence close by but not right next to you. Thought this might give you a moment to breathe; you looked quite on edge out there.” A short pause followed, in which Sam’s gaze flickered past the witch’s shoulder over towards the door. “You said you can sense his emotions, right? Is he... angry about this?” 

[hyungwon-ia]

Dancing Kings ~ Sam!Hyungwon

[samuel-ia]

hyungwon-ia:

A shame to miss something this big. He’d bumped into someone who enjoyed these social gatherings and had it not been considered rude he would have groaned. How were there people that truly enjoyed these things? It would always amaze him.

“All of it,” he admitted with an expression that seemed to be struggling between a smile and a grimace. “I prefer the silence of my apartment and the color black. To be honest,” something he rarely was. “I only came because the fliers said there would be a feast, but I see no food.” And it was obvious by the frown that pulled his lips back that he was quite upset he’d been lied to.

As a couple brushed against him the hunter against flattened himself into the wall, his frown growing larger at the brief moment. “So many people, I didn’t know the academy had this many people.” Perhaps that was cause he rarely went to his classes that didn’t involve fighting, or because he spent most weekends off campus. Either way he did not enjoy this.

To be fair, Sam knew how exhausting he could be, it just didn’t stop him from being social and eager to meet new people. Snorting quietly at the betrayed tone of the other’s voice upon mentioning a lack of food and his love for silence, he bit down on his bottom lip to keep the smile on his face from growing too wide. “Oh, you’re definitely in the wrong place then. But now that you already went through the effort of dressing up and coming here, why not try to enjoy it?” While he spoke, the teacher turned back just in time to see the other back away and almost press himself as close as he could against the wall in order to avoid another pink-and-white couple from invading his personal space. Hm. He would make a mental note of that and the apparent discomfort oozing off of the other prevented him from reaching out to tap his arm.

Instead, Sam cleared his throat loud enough to get his attention again and then offered him another smile; friendlier this time. “Maybe it’ll cheer you up to hear that I know where the food is. Want to join me? My name is Samuel, by the way.”

[hyungwon-ia]

Dancing Kings ~ Sam!Hyungwon

[samuel-ia]

hyungwon-ia:

“Time to put on a dress or suit, dress code: pink and white.”

Staring at the sign as he sipped from his black coffee the hunter wrinkled his nose at the last sentence. Why did the events at this place always have to have some kind of ultimatum? What would happen if he showed up in blue? Or grey? Were red and grey makeups of pink and white? Did he even own any white clothes? It wasn’t exactly a color on his favorites list. He’d have to see.

And see he did. Standing at the entrance to the event his jaw dropped at just how vibrant everything was. It was if someone had thrown up pink and white covering every single surface. And the guest? The brightness of all the white and pink would surely burn his retinas by the end of the night. He too was in white, a collared shirt and pressed white pants from his time infiltrating a cult; he’d hated wearing the color then as well.

 "The food better be worth it,“ he mumbled to himself as he slid into the hall with his back against the wall observing everyone. "If its some pink and sugary concoction I’m setting someone on fire.” Brown eyes landed on another person he’d seen in various classes on the ground sand when a hand was lifted in a wave he returned the gesture. “Here for the excitement eh?”

@samuel-ia​

Sam loved every single thing about this feast. Less because of the excessive amount of glitter and pink, which would undoubtedly stick to him for days after this night, but more due to the lively energy surrounding everything. The hum of people’s conversations buzzed in his ears, as he tugged the sleeves of his suit down -- white just like the dress code commanded, but the teacher didn’t have any issues finding one in his closet. And, truth be told, he had been starved of moments like this, social gatherings where a mass of different people came together and he had the opportunity to meet new faces and hear interesting stories.

It was under this aspect that Sam did not hesitate long to offer a greeting to the male who had just entered the building, looking like he felt half tempted to just turn around and flee before he’d even properly arrived. Nothing more than a casual wave and a smile on his end, yet met with a wave in return that made it clear he was allowed to approach; an amused sound escaping him at the question of the other male. “Always. It’d be a shame to miss something this big,” he agreed, briefly studying the stranger in front of him. Sam could not recall seeing him before but that meant precious little given that his attention span resembled that of a hamster on drugs more than often enough.

“You look like you’re still questioning whether you should even be here, though,” he commented in a lighthearted tone, not meaning it in any negative way but as a simple observation. “Not a fan of social gatherings or is it the amount of pink and bright colors that’s off-putting?”

[thomas-ia]

Cashmere & other valuables || Samuel & Thomas

[samuel-ia]

thomas-ia:

Birthday parties and social gatherings of Zitao were going to be a blast when both of them were going to be invited. Oh man. Thomas had no idea of the previous meetings of the mentioned poltergeist and the professor and even if he had, the witch had his own issues with the geist and he couldn’t care less what Suwoong had done or would do to Samuel. He eyed the sweater again and then glared at Samuel when the fucking bastard wasn’t giving it to him. What the fuck was Samuel on and why wouldn’t he just give the sweater so Thomas could go. 

Zitao really didn’t have to worry about ghosts and stuff since they were all focused on Thomas and would care less about the alien. Thomas knew that, Zitao knew that, Samuel would know that very soon (or should know that already had he been, as he pretended, a real medium). 

“Are you fucking kidding me, Zitao is going to throw such a hissyfit when his stupid boytoy teacher won’t give his fucking sweater back. What are you going to do, sniff it until Zi returns? Give it back.” Obviously, the witch had issues with his nerves and boiling point. “Yes, Suwoong has been trying to possess me for three days now and he won’t let it fucking go I told him a million times already I don’t want him in my body again and I WON’T TAKE THE CHARM OFF YOU ASSHOLE GHOST.” he nearly screeched at a corner of the room. The fun thing was that Suwoong was showing Thomas short illusions which was how he communicated without Samuel noticing it. 

“He is the most annoying geist I have ever met and also one of the stronger ones, sadly and very obsessed with possessing me and then making me jump off a building to see me heal my bones.” Thomas squinted at the air around him. Not sure where the geist was. “He is like a very annoying, ugly, pupp- JUST BECAUSE I AM EASY TO POSSESS NOW DOESNT MEAN YOU SHOULD. GO POSSESS SOMEONE MORE DIFFICULT.”

While Sam doubted that anything would ever make him like Thomas in any capacity, he did believe in the saying that a common enemy could make two people temporarily allies. Hearing the name Suwoong and what he had done to the witch so far was enough to flip that switch for him. His eyes drifted down to where he assumed this charm  to be hanging from a necklace, the sweater forgotten as he squinted a little. Since his own encounter with the poltergeist, Sam had done quite a bit of extensive reading about his kind and most importantly how to make sure they couldn’t do any harm -- which would not only help his disguise of being a psychic able to communicate with spirits in the long run, but now also had a far more real aspect to it.

“Do you need help?” The words were out before Sam could think twice but that didn’t make them any less sincere in that moment; the teacher’s arms now folding in front of his chest, the sweater tucked between them in the same motion, as he leaned back against the wall. “With him, I mean? I don’t say this just to insult you -- although I gladly take any chance I can get under normal circumstances -- but you look like this has taken quite the toll on you already.”

God, wouldn’t Zitao be proud if he could hear him right now. Mentally grimacing at the idea, Sam dismissed any further thoughts about the alien until his presence was more convenient than distracting in his mind. “Come with me for a second.” Pushing himself away from the smooth surface in his back, the teacher turned and headed down the hallway towards his makeshift office; pausing halfway to glance back at Thomas with an expectant gaze. “If I wanted to stab you, I wouldn’t do it where it’s the biggest pain to clean up all the blood later.” A macabre joke, sure, but cynicism meant to ensure safety in this case.

What he did not tell Thomas, mostly because the poltergeist still seemed to be around somewhere and could listen to their conversation, was that after his own last encounter he’d gotten help to construct something akin to a panic room -- ghost-proof for the most part, or so he had been told; creating an effective barrier which no poltergeist or spirit could breach unless he got creative. And going by the fact that Suwoong seemed to be after his own personal amusement more than anything, Sam thought this to be worth a shot. There wasn’t much fun in waiting outside a room for someone to come back out, after all.

“Do you feel any different?” He asked a few moments after entering the room.

[leejieun-ia]

Lullaby ~ Samuel x Jieun

[samuel-ia]

leejieun-ia:

“Samuel…. I knew a Samuel once.” She spoke with an amused smile rising on he lips.  "He was a handful,  but also very wise.“ Of course this had been quite a time ago,  in quite a different time but still. He was right this name was much easier to say and one she wouldn’t forget. Together they began to move at a slightly faster than snail pace, her crutches finding a steady rhythm.  She was slightly more stable now that she wasn’t so still. 

"What happened to me? Ahh, it’s not prying. I stepped into the street and was hit by a car.” It was said as easily as if she had told him her favorite color or food. “Have you ever flown before? Not in a plane but just your body elevated through the air? It was like that, so freeing and I felt so light.” She sighed at the memory.  "Until I hit the back of the car,  and then the ground and then the ground again. I spent a few weeks in the hospital, hypnotised the doctor to release me and now here we are.“ 

The hardest part had been leaving the morphine. It wasn’t that she needed it,  but the pain of the injuries did make it hard to function and sleep hence the deep bags under her eyes.  "And you,  how did you come to the academy? ”

“Is it a bad thing that I sometimes can’t tell if you’re joking or not?” The question came out somewhat humored, yet sprinkled with disbelief at her story. Or rather, how easy she took it. Something like a car would have probably been able to cause injuries like these, Sam figured, but her way of brushing off the consequences felt .. off in ways he couldn’t determine aside from knowing that he was usually better at reading people. “I’m,” a breath of air rushed past his lips as he exhaled, “sorry--obviously--to hear that. Although it’s a good sign you were strong enough to kind of break yourself out of the hospital after only a few weeks?”

His brow lifted in question as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes; her body looking tired and small and yet somehow incredibly stubborn despite it all. All judgement for leaving the care of a hospital far too soon aside, he could respect that strength. “Me? Ah, I just heard about this place from a friend of mine. You have a theater here and yet never really used it for more than events from what I gathered, so I thought it’d be a nice idea to give it more purpose. That, and I was really curious after hearing only good things about the academy.” He offered her a light smile, shrugging as if to dismiss his own response in a way.

That Insolitus had turned out to be so much more than he bargained for in many ways was something Sam still had to come to terms with himself and therefore of no concern right now.