In Desperate Need of a Friend (Xeryth)

[Xeryth Varson]

"It's... it's definitely... different..." Xeryth began in reply as Phae stretched out, making herself more comfortable upon his bed. Working his mouth around, as if trying to force out the correct words, Xeryth thought a bit before continuing.

"Well... yeah. It's... it's nice. You see, 13 years of my life... more or less... were spent all by myself because of my powers. I was isolated... isolated and developed into some sort of weapon... Now, though, instead of being isolated by my powers.... I'm... welcomed because of them. Having these abilities... it merely makes me... part of the group. I... I suppose everyone wants to be accepted, in the end..."

Xeryth shrugged quietly, his eyes meeting Phae's from across the room.

"I could have been a weapon, Phaedra... but instead, I get to simply be... a person. For that... I couldn't be happier."

[Phae]

Phae looked over when he spoke the quiet friend she loved so much like a little brother was so strong in so many different ways. She looked at him and listened intently she knew a bit about Xeryth mostly from Junpei but some from his own mouth and she knew that his life had been hard.

"I'm glad you came here Xeryth. You are like a little brother to me. I've never had one and you are the sweetest boy I've ever met. You just remind me of my ideal little brother." she told him confidently. "I hope you don't mind but it's what I think of you. You are so sweet. So kind."

She continued looking in his eyes hoping she hadn't scared yet another friend off. But it was true since meeting Xeryth and getting to know him she thought of him as nothing less than a brother.

[Xeryth Varson]

Upon listening to Phae's words, Xeryth could only smile meekly, a slight blush brightening his facial features. He wasn't sure what to say, no one had ever said anything like that to him before. His friends were few, Onira, Junpei, and now her, and while Junpei may have considered him as a brother, it was never something he expressed to the young boy, and Onira, well... Onira was Onira, that's all Xeryth could think when it came to that student. Phae, however, was different from both, aside from the obvious difference in gender. She was sweet, and usually so happy and caring, it was definitely a breath of fresh air in Xeryth's mind.

"...uhmm... well... thank you," he finally stammered, still rather unsure of what kind of reply was to be expected. "I... I'm glad you could find... find family in me. I've... never had much family... so... I... I would be honored... to consider you like.... like a big sister, as well.... if you don't mind..."

Xeryth smiled meekly, seeming to sink into himself as he said it. He, as usual, was worried about something going wrong, and wasn't exactly the type who had any idea how to hide such misgivings as these.

[Phae]

Phae smiled weakly as he said he wanted to consider her a big sister. Now she got up and gave him a gentle hug. Not one of the happy hugs she had given him in the grocery store but it was one full of love and caring. She squeezed him gently her thin almost sickly frame hugging him and then she moved back to the bed and lay back down.

"What are you reading?" she asked looking over at him.

She needed to talk had to talk or else she would forever lose herself to the darkness. She hated her life at this exact moment and for the last several days. She felt as though nothing was going to happen that would ever turn her life back around.

[Xeryth Varson]

When Phae got up to hug him, Xeryth's hands came up and returned the hug almost immediately. It was if his returning of the first hug had set off some sort of synapse in his mind, bringing back to the front of his mind some sort of memory, perhaps even not his own, but of the human collective unconscious, of what to do in the situation. Or perhaps he just began to enjoy her presence that much.

She sat back down on the bed, and Xeryth assumed that the hug was her way of agreeing to his little request. She casually asked him what he was reading. Xeryth, a little confused, answered her.

"Just a history book. 'The Origins of Magick and its Subsidiaries' to be exact. It... it explains how magick came into being, and it has a few theories on why. I... I want to see if... if my... if my own abilities are listed in here... I want to see how psychic power is related to... to magickal power."

Though Xeryth was a VERY smart boy, what he had in book smarts, he lacked in street smarts and, more importantly, understanding people, in their gestures, and tones of speech, or general purposes in life. It was hard to blame the boy, however, considering his general lack of interaction with mankind in his life.

"I... I like to read. It help me... understand things... things I've never experienced in the world... and it's... a tad easier for me than speaking to people, hehe..."

Xeryth let a little giggle escape his lips, as he smiled a bit and went back to his book. He wasn't sure where to go or what to say from there, but he hoped that Phae's asking of more casual questions meant she was on track to recovery.

[Phae]

Phae listened her eyes blank as she looked over at Xeryth her now seemingly younger brother. She still was lost but after her talk with Xeryth she at least felt a little better about the Junpei issue. But she still missed him it was as if her heart ached every moment for him and he wasn't there. She ached for his touch and his voice. To hear him call her by the name only he was allowed to use. Phaedra. She could almost hear his voice in her head calling her that and her lower lip trembled momentarily before she called it back under control.

"Xer..." her voice broke. "I mean Xeryth."

She swallowed hard she turned her head to face the ceiling as the tears leaked out of her eyes. She blinked hard trying to calm herself back down.

"There's one thing I haven't told you." she whispered the tears leaking from her blue eyes as she stared wholes in the ceiling. "Onira..."

She broke into tears again. But she didn't look at the boy she couldn't look.

"He's gone. He jumped...." she broke into sobs once more. "I tried to stop him. But he ran... right off... off... in... in front of me." she began to sob hard and silently her body shaking with the force of each sob.

[Xeryth Varson]

~"Xer... I mean Xeryth."~

Xeryth's head again popped up from his book, and he cranked himself around in his chair to look upon Phae, his eyes doing all the questioning of what it is she wanted/needed. From the tone in her voice, she sounded very upset over something, but this wasn't anything new for the evening. Regardless, Xeryth listened intently to what it was she was about to say.

Upon hearing it, however, his eyes nearly leapt out of his head, and he quickly got up from the chair, moving back to the bed, sitting next to Phae and gingerly putting his arm around her shoulder, his eyes full of fright, concern, and general worry.

"He... he did what? Onira... he leapt? Oh... oh Phae... that must have been... I-I can't even imagine... oh Phae..." Xeryth was at a loss for words, which, while it wasn't anything spectacular in its own right, the gravity of the situation made it all too abundantly clear that things were going downhill in Arcane Academy, and on a very steep incline, at that. Shaking his head, Xeryth did his best to calm Phae down. However, his own nerves were shot. He could hardly believe that Onira, one of the few people around he was able to call a friend, had taken his life, all over this simple mistake. While he was shot over it, though, Xeryth knew that, deep inside, he would be fine. His mental strength, after all, was one of his strong suits, and it meant more than just being able to lift things with his head.

"It's... it's never a good thing... but we have to be strong... be strong in his absence."

[Phae]

Phae leaned into Xeryth as she cried thank ful for him. She was so tired. She tired of life. Her body was tired. Her mind was tired. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. She couldn't remember much at all. She wiped her tears her hands shaking uncontrollably. Her whole body began to tremble.

"Xer... I got ... got...gotta. . get som...something .. t..to ea...eat." she said her whole body shuddering.

She stood up and turned to him nodded gently her whole body shaking as if she was walking in some kind of frozen land. The girl had absolutely no fat on her body what so ever now. Eaten..yeah right. All she did was work out these days.

"Th-than-thanks Xer." she trembled out. She walked two steps into the center of the room and collapsed.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and she hit the floor hard her body falling to the floor. Phae had reached the end.

[Xeryth Varson]

"Phae... wait..." Xeryth said as the girl got up, extending his hand out towards her. From the looks of things, she really did not need to be trying to move on her own. "I... I can get you..."

Thud.

"Ph...PHAE!"

Xeryth leapt out of bed and landed next to the prone form of Phaedra, his eyes wide and his heart racing. This was all too much for the young boy. First news of Onira's suicide, and now Phae? Xeryth shook his head, kneeling beside the girl, quite unsure of what to do.

"S...speak to me... Phae..."

Taking her by the shoulder, Xeryth began to roll her over, putting her on her back. From there, he could see that her chest was still rising up and down rhythmically, but just barely. The girl was in dire need of medical attention. She had been starving herself, overworking herself, and just generally been in rather bad health ever since this incident began. Xeryth knew what he would have to do.

Closing his eyes, Xeryth entered Mind's Eye View. Taking Phae by the arms, he lifted her physically, while attempting to lift her telekinetically, using his mind to lighten the workload. His telekinetic skills were not so developed that he could lift entire people too easily at all, and thus, it would take a lot of concentration to continue to do so. However, since he was physically lifting her as well, it would not be as hard as if he were doing it all by mind. Lifting the girl up over his shoulder, the young boy began what would be the long, hard trek to the Recovery Wing.