Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 20, 2012 19:37:30 GMT -5
Sora could ice-skate fairly well, better than most in the rink right now. As a child, she'd taken figure skating lessons, and she's loathed them simply because the only thing she ever wanted to do in ice skates as a little girl was go as fast as she could, not skim about the ice in pretty circles.
The ice-skating rink in Rockefeller Center was really not the sort of place to speed skate--so she didn't. That didn't stop Sora from gliding across the ice with an abandon that just might be considered reckless. If there was a clear space, free of small children, to put the pedal to the metal--to the blade to the ice--Sora seized the chance.
That being said, she wasn't here alone, and all frolicking across frozen water aside, she was content to spend most of her time at Taj's side. "If only it were snowing. That'd be perfect,"
[/color] she said.
( this is a horrible starting post. i would be sorry, but i'm not. )[/justify][/blockquote]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 5:19:21 GMT -5
The ice shone under the lighting of the skating rink, and Tajvar hadn't moved an inch since he skated to the opposite end. He leaned against the edge of the rink, reading something half-interestedly on his phone. A finger flicked across the screen, and the data on it updated accordingly; the young man raised an eyebrow, more interested than before, but still kept an eye on his sister and what she had to say.
It wasn't everyday that he had the chance to go somewhere with Soraya. Or his brother, either. Being a medical student meant that he was busy, and being busy meant spending less time with family. He glanced up from his phone, slipping the device into his pocket.
"I can't make that happen," said Tajvar, laughing quietly as he surveyed her skating, "I would, if I could."
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 6:01:14 GMT -5
God, was he really more interested in his phone than anything else? Rude. Unsurprisingly, though. Sometimes, Sora wished he'd never chosen to go to med school, even if it meant they were going to university together. She took back that thought--they wouldn't even be here together if he'd decided to go off doing… whatever it was that he did.
"It's the thought that counts!" she replied cheerfully. "You better remember that when the holiday gifts come in. You're so hard to shop for."
[/color]
She looped a circle around him, just to be annoying. "Sooo… you gonna skate? Come on, it'll be fun. When was the last time you had fun?"[/color] Sora offered him her hand, very slowly gliding backwards. (There were no people behind her. She checked.) "And a study date with books don't count. It doesn't count unless the books talk back--and if they do, it's time you see a professional about that, Taj."[/color][/blockquote][/justify]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 6:28:10 GMT -5
"Me? Hard to shop for?" Tajvar found it hard to not add emphasis on his words, but kept his volume at an acceptable minimum, like he always did around family. "You always speak so highly of me," he said, glancing at both their blurry reflections on the ice. For some reason, he preferred being around his sister than anyone else.
For one, she didn't judge him by appearance and wasn't like their parents. Secondly, even though it was just a matter of assuming the appropriate role for a situation, Tajvar found it easier than most other situations he had to handle. He found it hard to play the role of the patient tutor to an idiot student, but he managed it anyway. Caring, responsible older brother was a piece of cake compared to that.
"Iunno."
His bottom lip disappeared under teeth and a thoughtful look. "Last week?" He glanced at her, vaguely remembering uncorked bottles and a lot of noise before he had to pull two classmates away before things got ugly. "Wasn't a book date," he said, the edges of his mouth quirking into a small smile. Tajvar took her hand and moved along, easily towering over her when he came close and spun her around.
"You probably have fun every day. You've got lots of friends, haven't you?"
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 6:41:47 GMT -5
"Hardest!"
[/color] she exclaimed. "Like, I go to Macy's, credit card ready, and I just think 'What does Taj need?' and all those answers are boring, so I think, 'What does Taj want?' I don't want to just get you a gift card to Barnes and Nobles. That'd be so… impersonal. That's probably what all your tutoring kids give you."[/color]
Last week? Last week wasn't so bad, actually. "If I'd known you had time to spare last week, I would've dragged you out. Could've bought me drinks!"
Her face split into a happy smile as he spun her on an axis. She angled onto her heel, regaining her balance partly through her own effort but mostly just by laying claim to Taj's arm.
"Not every day. I do have classes, you know--sometimes I even go to them, whaddya know!"[/color] She considered his first question--specifically, she considered ignoring it, but instead Sora gave an answer, her voice softer and more somber than before. "...Yeah. Yeah, sure, I have a lot of friends."[/color]
She didn't sound like she believed it.[/blockquote][/justify]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 7:01:04 GMT -5
"Why not just ask me to go shop for books with you?" It sounded like a natural progression after the fact that Soraya wanted to buy him books, and didn't know what to get him -- might as well ask him to go. Tajvar saw nothing against it, even if it meant being dragged to some place (like here) to do some sort of activity he excelled at, but didn't really enjoy (like ice-skating).
"I'm not going to buy you drinks, Sora," Tajvar said, squeezing her hand a little tighter. Names were usually reserved for occasions when he meant what he said. "You have friends who can do that for you. I know you do."
He laughed, the same, quiet laughter rising from his throat. "Sometimes means not all the time," he pointed out, but didn't pursue further. He wasn't a punctual student nor one who attended all classes. He came and went as he pleased most of the time, but seeing as his classmates and lecturers this semester enjoyed having him around, he stayed.
Tajvar exhaled softly, looking away and letting Soraya's hand fall from his. "I'm glad." He had none, but if she had many, it sufficed.
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 7:13:20 GMT -5
"Your gift is supposed to be a surprise! That's why they're gift-wrapped. Or--I don't know--I want it to be a surprise? I can't just bring you along. Isn't the point that I ought to know enough about you to buy something you might like?"
[/color] she protested. Sora halfway agreed with him though. As much as she'd like for his gift to be a complete mystery, she also wanted Taj to be able to find some use for it.
"I like you better than them though. The only reason they buy me drinks is because I have to be drunk to like their company--and they know it! I'm here with you now, see?"[/color] she said, spreading her hands, now free, to present herself as Exhibit A. "And sober, because you're the bestest."[/color]
She skated a distance, pulling a tight figure eight--half showing off, and half just enjoying herself. "What about you? I hate bothering you when you need to study, but you know I'll always make time for you if you're free, right? Screw my friends!"[/color][/blockquote][/justify]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 7:21:02 GMT -5
Tajvar paused. He had a feeling she would choose to say something along those lines, and had a reply ready. It wasn't like she was particularly hard to read, having grown up alongside her. "I could pick out some books, and you choose one to give me. I won't know which you bought," he said, taking care to phrase himself slowly, as if providing a solution to a particularly nasty maths question.
As for his sister's drinking habits, he pursued no further. The less he had to think about it, the better. "Sober's good. It's great," he added, "Me? What about me?"
The phone in his pocket vibrated, but he made no move for it and instead, crossed his arms and waited.
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 7:29:23 GMT -5
"…You could. That would very, very helpful. I'm just saying. Maybe an amazon wish-list! But, maybe try to keep it to leisure reading? I'd have mixed feelings about getting you some big ol' textbook."
[/color] Then again, sometimes Sora thought Taj considered his textbooks leisure reading.
She frowned. What about him, then? Taj could take care of himself. Hell, he could take care of himself a lot better than she could take care of herself--and certainly better than she could for him.
It's just that sometimes she wondered, if he was so busy taking care of her and her brother and who knows who else too, how did he find time for himself? Who took care of him?
Sora pursed her lips before saying, "Like, your friends. And your spare time. Or I don't know, any time that's not someone else's time. People you hang out with for fun!"[/color]
No, that was obtuse. She tried again, speaking as slowly and clearly as he did when presenting his gift solution: "I want to spend time with you--but I don't want you to spend time with me because I want to spend time with you. I just want to see you happy. More often than I do now."[/color][/blockquote][/justify]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 7:43:58 GMT -5
"Oh." His smile cracked into a grin, his mismatched eyes crinkling at the edges to match the image of a sincere smile. "I do hang out, and I do go places with my friends." Tajvar moved backwards, slightly. Was this worry? Was Soraya worrying over him? He wasn't sure, but at the same time, he felt that he didn't need to know the answer.
Being a big brother meant that only he did the worrying, and no one should worry for him -- not even his little sister, who should be caring the least out of everyone. If her likes on Facebook was anything to go by, she had popularity down pat; it didn't matter if he had none of that. It wasn't important to him, never was, never will.
"I look unhappy?" he said, blinking. Tilted his head, too, for good measure. Tajvar wanted to avoid the direction that the conversation was going, but at the same time, he wondered if he really looked sad, or even tired. (That was the last thing he wanted to present himself as, honestly.)
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 7:56:46 GMT -5
"Not… really. I don't think you need medication or anything--nothing like that,"
[/color] she replied. That much was true. Taj was stable like a rock, or she always thought he was. "I just think you're under a lot of stress. School, family, work, all that stuff. You're always looking out for me, so I want to look out for you, okay? It's only fair!"[/color]
Maybe that wasn't fair, actually. He was older, and he was the responsible sort. Lord knows Sora would only recognize responsibility if it wore a name tag and maybe carried a sign too. But a sister's allowed to worry, she thought, because she knew him best. Alright, dad knew him best, and then probably mom, but that wasn't fair because they birthed him.
Sora skated forward, closing the distance between them. She reached out to take both his hands into hers. "Just promise me we can spend more time together, okay? When you want to. Unless I'm just you're obnoxious little sister forevermore, then maybe not!"[/color] She grinned, teasing.[/blockquote][/justify]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 7:59:55 GMT -5
Tajvar shifted awkwardly in his skates, moving a few inches involuntarily before he caught himself and looked her way. "No, you don't look out for me. You look out for what to gift me for Christmas, okay?" His smile had previously faded, but regained its radiance as he accepted her hands and started moving across the ice, gaining speed as they went.
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 8:05:55 GMT -5
…She had better get that Christmas wish list soon if she wanted to make Christmas on time for him. "Ugggh, but it's easier to just worry about you! Not the impossible task of divining your most wanted books. You get that list of books you want to me asap, Mister, or you can't blame me if your gift comes looking like I wrapped it in two seconds."
[/color]
They glided across the ice, both of them confident skaters. Some people said disparate ice-skating skill levels was romantic, but Sora had gone to this very rink on unsuccessful dates, and she'd always had more fun with someone that could keep up.
Honestly, she always had more fun with someone that could keep up.
"Nothing happened, you still need a life! That's why I want to spend more time with you. Regular check-ups to make sure you're life getting![/color] she said flippantly. It was a joke, but seriously, she wouldn't mind seeing him regularly just to make sure he was getting enough R&R.[/blockquote][/justify]
Post by tajvar fereydun on Dec 21, 2012 8:12:16 GMT -5
"Anything medical, or related to psychology that I don't already have. I don't mind if it's not wrapped; it's the gift that matters, anyway. Or the thought, but I'm not as open-minded yet."
Having Soraya for a skating partner was always fun, and feeling the cold, icy air whip past his face and around his neck was better than simmering in the cool atmosphere. He didn't mind going to the rink, and neither did he mind going with a poor skater -- but it was only human to enjoy something that could play on his level, or so he'd like to think.
"... are you sure this isn't a trick to get me to spend more time with you? After what you said just moments ago ..."
Post by SORA FEREYDUN on Dec 21, 2012 8:22:33 GMT -5
That was pretty open-ended. She didn't know every title in his library, but she could always get one of those huge medical encyclopedia series, or those annual journals. He didn't have as many of those as he did basic books on the subject that the school put on the reading list. "I said leisure reading, but if you insist… I'll add to your incredible library of medicine. But only because you asked so nicely!"
[/color]
"It might be a trick,"[/color] she admitted. "See? This is your world turned right-side up again. I'm here being all self-serving, and you can give me what I want. I present you: the status quo!"[/color]
She skidded to turn to face him, catching her long hair with a hand and brushing it back just before it whipped into her face. "So, what're you up to next week? Don't say studying. Or tutoring. Or working. Well, you can say that, but maybe some extra stuff thrown in too? Like me?"[/color] She batted her eyelashes outrageously.[/blockquote][/justify]
HIDDEN in plain sight is a modern-day supernatural noir game set in New York City and sprawling the rest of America. Magic is real, and so are angels, ghosts, gods, vampires, and witches. It doesn't matter if you believe in them, because they're coming for you either way.
( TOSKA ) - Head admin, your go-to for anything HIDDEN related
( MURK ) - Ad mod, resident cutie pie. Keep it in your pants or Toska will cut you.
( VERTIGO ) - takes no math classes.
( TSUNDERE ) - Not actually staff, but has residual staff powers from v4. Feel free to pester with questions.
SPOTLIGHT
HIDDEN's spotlights give kudos to anything awesome. It can be a character, a member, a thread, or even a cool plot!
( SPOTLIGHT ) - Lorem ipsum character stuff goes here.
( SPOTLIGHT ) - Lorem ipsum character stuff goes here.
( SPOTLIGHT ) - Lorem ipsum character stuff goes here.
CREDITS
( ORIGINAL SITE BY KATYA ) - Original site, templates, skin, ideas, and system all by Katya. Other ideas belong to their original owners