Teacher And The Student

[The Helper]

".........."

Quietly, he stepped, boy in his arms, heading over to the Recovery Wing. He had to be fast. They were both losing plenty of blood.. The drips that followed after every foot step was testament of this. Every drop... falling from the young half elf, cocooned inside Felodar's cape. Had he made the right choice in his actions? Was this boy really ready to use Judas's Spear? He could not step much faster then a moderate pace, afraid to slip on his own blood. Prints of crimson lifesource being left behind with every step. The boy.. no... Roy. He was still warm. Still alive. Had he beaten him too severely...? Thoughts dragged on.. even without his own knowing, until the familiar warmth of the blinding lights opened the doors to him.. and he was inside. The Recovery Wing. Just outback, behind him.. it had begun to rain.. Gripping Roy more tightly to himself, he walked over, nodding to one of the nearby nurses, who was hurrying by, whom, by the mere sight of the two.. nearly dropped her clipboard. "..My God.. what happened?"

"..A successful class."

Rain..

It was only at times like this.. on these rare, yet strangely wonderful, if somewhat saddening days of weather.. that he ever got close to crying in these past hundred years. For something that could not.. this was as close as it got.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Being led up the stairs, the nurse looking back at the haggard looking teacher, afraid that he too would collapse, before they got to their destination, finally passed through a corridor on the fourth floor, and walked to Recovery Room 436. Inside.. was a rather empty room, with a window to the outside, but from the light coming from the ceiling.. it felt warm. Standing at ends with one another, the two faculty members looked at each other, and almost begrudingly, Felodar unrolled Roy into the nurse's arm. She sighed gently, as blood stained her white apron. Couldn't be helped. With a woman's touch, she lightly lowered him down onto the rather soft bed. Was rather suprised when even half-concious, he still had the will to hold onto that rather ugly looking, black spear.. but, with a few tugs, it came loose.

Attaching an I.V. to his arm, as she laid him out properly, undressing him, sometimes with the use of a scalpel knife to make sure he was completley bare, muttered something incoherent, mending the clothes, and began folding it, at the edge of his bed. Felodar himself resigned to sitting on the resting chair besides the bed.. looking against the wall.. somewhat weakly, as the nurse hummed a gentle tune.

"..Hey... Roy... you awake?"

[Roy Atenwood]

"Yeah...I'm awake."

Roy sat up, his body aching. He needed to mend his clothing, which would be rather easy. All an inoan warrior had to do to repair his clothing was speak a simple command word. He would wait, however, since he was utterly drained of energy for now.

He let out a small, almost melancholy laugh, and spoke again.

"Are you alright? I'm suprised I even hit you at all. You were holding back, weren't you?"

He felt weak. He felt worthless. His self-esteem was at an all-time low. A teacher had beaten him this soundly, and had held back. He had to hold back. If he haddn't, Roy would have been killed.

"What made you hold back? When I shouted about vampires...you stopped moving for a moment. Why?"

[The Helper]

"...A Successful Class."

"Yeah...I'm awake."

Felodar smiled weakly, acknowledging this. Quite the hardy fellow.. still concious, even though this had only happened just a little while ago.. or.. was it.? He wobbled precariously in his seat.. staining the chair with his own blood, even as he sat. His eyes were getting unfocused, as he looked at the nurse. "..A little blood here please.. preferably AB+." he said, just barely above a whisper. But, bless her age, she looked at the old vampire, and nodded quickly. Did she even recognize him? Or was she just always this kind? His eyes turned back to Roy, just in time to see him in thought over something, eyes staring rather focused at where his clothes remained, but Felodar said nothing, as the dainty steps and the shutting of the door indicated the leaving of the nurse.

His ears perked up.. why such a sad laugh?

Turning his face, he looked at the young man.. "Are you alright? I'm suprised I even hit you at all. You were holding back, weren't you?" The hopelessness in his eyes.. almost made him want to click irritably at it. What had the lesson been for? His brows furrowing.. as.. "What made you hold back? When I shouted about vampires...you stopped moving for a moment. Why?"

...

Hesitation.

Again.. he touched that reminiscient spot in his mind..

A larger smile came, though mouth still closed. His eyes looked into the empty spaces of the room.. almost in a daze. "Before I say anything..."

The smile dropped a little, a more serious look coming into his eyes, as he looked back at Roy.

"..Recall our class session... and remember the lessons. I did not say those things just for it to enter one ear and pass out the other."

That did not however, stop him from stirring uncomfortably, after the seriousness in his face relaxed, and he looked again, towards the floor.

"..But yes.. though it should not be of your concern, I did hold back. It's the job of the teacher to teach, not to brutalize, though, obviously, I did both in this case.." Starting up uneasily, he sat back down before he even got all the way up, breaking into a serious fit of coughs, bringing his right hand, fisted, up to his mouth. A almost ashamed smile came onto his lips, as he opened up his shirt, revealing the many blows, and bleedings, as he leaned so that Roy could see it all. "..I have suffered quite the amount of damage from you, however... so let it hearten you. It means for those that are of about the same level of power as yourself.. you should be able to handle them very easily. Provided... you don't let your courage falter on you, as it does now."

A little friendly smile..

"..Half-Elf, you do your people proud. Putting it quite simply..."

The little smile seemed pained for some reason, as he put his hand over his chest, clutching it..

"..I'm dying right now. Either I was excessively careless, and let you hit me with too many powerful blows, or else.. your a lot stronger of a fighter then even you yourself take yourself for."

"So, provided the nurse doesn't come back in time, I'll have to excuse myself, and maybe leave the room. I'm a vampire, after all.." He looked off, towards the door... somewhat impatiently, even. All pretenses of not being in pain being short off..

"Ah, the vampire comment yes. You did notice that, didn't you?"

"..A vampire.. yes. You caught me off-guard with that. After all, I was human once. ..But that was over four-hundred years ago. I still think of myself as human at times, actually.. but then, all friends around me die, while me and my precious love keep alive, especially at the Headmaster's discretion, as he provides us our.. 'meals' daily. Blood donations at this school aren't just for blood transfusions, ya' know." He gave a quick wink, and shook his head, almost ashamed.

"I guess it's just... the way in which I turned into a vampire, and the mentality I kept that made your comment rather.. effective.. Pardon me, if my ramblings seem excessive... but... it's a bit of a story in its own. And I'd much rather hear about you, yourself, as it's only polite."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Footsteps... coming up the stairs... as the young woman, her brown wavy hair bouncing, the blood stains still on her, as she carried a packet of blood down the hall..

"..We need more donations.. I swear.."

The same 'click-clacking'.. just going down the stairs.

[Roy Atenwood]

Roy nodded. He understood what the vampire, no, the man was saying. He DID tend to dump on himself a lot, and really had no backbone to speak of.

Also, Felodar was suprisingly human. He felt regret, he felt pain, and he felt sadness. He truly wanted to help Roy, for some reason. Roy's eyes were still the same, hopeless shade of grey, but his mind had been strengthened considerably.

The last few things Kindfang said caught him off guard, though.

With a small groan, Roy shifted, and got to his feet. He walked over to the window, holding his side, as his knee throbbed.

"Why do you want to know about me? Nothing much about me is interesting. I'm just your average outcast half-breed. Been traveling most of my life because no village wants me around. I can't liev among humans, because it's impossible to hide my ears without magic that I don't know how to use, and the one place that's ever offered me a home is being menaced by a demon."

Roy let out a small laugh at this, thinking it was rather funny, and then spoke once more.

"Although my childhood was a lot more interesting, if that's what you meant."

[The Helper]

Telvus

With some unease, Felodar watched as the young man got up.. the nurse wouldn't be happy with this. But he smirked anyways, probably because.. it reminded him a lot of himself. Stronger determination was in the boy's voice. A good sign. He would grow strong. That was enough.

His cravings grew.

Bending over, he growled within himself, yet, still audibly enough for it be heard in the entire room. A blessing it be, that the nurse came in at that moment. Seeing Roy, she strode right in, walking with a certain mannerism, tossing the packet of blood at Felodar, who fell over to the side of it, as it hit him square on the nose, caught by suprise.

"...You should really stay in your bed... 'Mister'!" she said, suddenly gripping both his arms, not quite knowing what to call him, since they appeared to be around similar ages.. stopping for a moment. A quiet laugh came from the corner of the room. As if he could tell what she could tell. "..Nurse.." She snapped at him, her pink skirt flailing about her knees. "..You're just as bad as him! Just drink it now!" Shrugging, yet still smiling at being scolded, he promptly bit into it.. draining it slowly.. an instant feeling of relaxation filling his entire being, as he slunk down into his chair, taking his time.. It was goooooooooood...

"..Anyways.." she shook her face. Was it growing red? "..Sit.. down.. bed... is always good.." she struggled, trying to push him back into the chair, careful not to accidentally move out the I.V. that was in his vein.. but.. she immediatly noticed how she was only just barely moving him.. he should be in a fairly weak condition.. and she was a complete wimp.. unless..?

The laughing wasn't gone, as the packet fell to the floor.

Empty.

"..Let him go. Let the boy stand on his own two feet.." said Felodar, as he stood on his own two feet, apparently revived. But.. he almost broke into a fit of laughter at the sight of the ineffective pushing. "..and Lorraine.. his name's Roy, if you must call him anything. 'Mister' is lame, even for you." Nose in the air, she promptly removed her arms from his, but.. not.. before giving it a very subtle squeeze that she hoped he wouldn't notice, and sat beside the Professor, looking away, Felodar sitting back down himself, almost falling to the floor, laughing.. but stopping gradually, as it grew more and more hollow. Turning now.. to Roy.

"..But yes, Roy. Anything that you'd like to talk about of your past. If your childhood will help me know more about you.. tell me it, from your heart. The racism you have faced.. still facing.. is not unknown to me. I've had to make my fair share of dealings with normal people, and usually not under most pleasant of circumstances, in these past few centuries.."

He looked away, looking at the nurse, his eyes flashing for a moment, not angrily.. but.. she got up, going to the door.. looking back at Roy one more time.. and then walked out.

".. But we're not in class right now.. so.."

"..Call me.. Telvus."

[Roy Atenwood]

"Alright, Telvus."

Roy stretched slightly, irritated with the nurse, wondering why she had given him that almost imperceptable squeeze on the arm. She had also looked back at him, seeing him as he began stretching.

He was quick to get back on his feet. It was honed skill, not a gift.

"Well, my childhood was uneventful, for the most part. I lived in a small village called Inoa, and nothing much happened. I diddn't have to deal with Racism as much as I would have elsewhere. I just had crappy parents. My mother was weak, and just rolled over and let my father beat me."

Roy's body had nearly recovered, other than his knee. He took off his jacket, and tore the left sleeve from his white shirt. Afterward, he wrapped it around his knee, to bandage it.

"After that, I studied under an elementalist, Reydan, but he was just as bad. I ended up accidentaly killing him with one of his own spells."

Letting out a sad laugh, he continued to stretch, and spoke again.

"Bastard deserved it, too."