Clockwork Academy discussion

In the middle of the forest, the river runs down into a lake.

Stella wandered around the forest for a while until she found a pretty lake.
"This seems nice." She murmured to herself.

She sat down against a tree and soaked up the sunshine. There's nothing better than relaxing outside.

Stella looked up and saw a guy who looked a little older than her with a book in his hand. "A book... reading... I wish I had a book." She thought as she stared at the boy.

"Hello there!" Stella smiled at the boy.

Stephs bright hair, the color of red velvet cake, was not exactly subtle, so she already had that going against her. Her short denim shorts, red tanktop and grey one shoulder tshirt had held up pretty well, but her flip-flops were not very good outdoorsy gear. She gripped gyps leash tight in her hand as the young dog bounded forward, half dragging her owner along behind her. Steph knew it was all her own fault for putting Gyp on a leash and not her harness. The harness meant work, leash meant play, and the border collie was having a grand time out here, oblivious to her owner. Steph yelped and stumbled over a log. Again. She didn't know there was anyone else here because of her blindness, so she wasn't bothering to look down. There was no point. Her fashionable sunglasses that completed her fashionable and gorgeous look were slightly askew, and she readjusted them as she followed Gyp. "Gyp, come on." she pleaded, but since she didn't use 'the tone,' the dog ignored her, plunging happily into the water. Steph had the leash set short enough so that by the time she heard the water, she was already knee deep on it. And had tripped over a rock, sending her tumbling to the ground and sitting in the lake.

"I don't believe so." Stella responded. "My name is Stella. But before we continue this conversation, maybe we should help that girl over there? She seems like she needs some help."

Stella pointed over to the girl with red hair that was sitting in the lake. She felt bad that she hadn't gone over and helped her yet, but she hadn't wanted to be rude to the boy. "Why does this always happen to me?" Stella thought in her head. "Too many people to meet, too many people to help, it's impossible to do everything."

Normally it would have been easy for Steph to hear them, but she was too busy keepin up a steady stream of curses at the lake under her breath. "Oh come on!" she said in a normal tone at Gyp, who stopped her splashing to study her owner. "Couldn't I remember the harness when I needed it?" Gyp splashed over to her, concerned, and Steph sighed as she hugged the collie, not turning to face her though. "Eh, I'll live. Water never killed anyone, right girl?" she said cheerfully, though she sounded strained, as if she had to force up the wall of cheerfulness way too frequently for her liking.

((Pretend that was right before Fuzzys xD))

((Okay haha.))

"Um, hello?" Stella quietly asked. "Are you okay? Do you need any help? You must be freezing. Here, you can have my jacket if you would like it."
She took off her jacket and held it out to the girl. She knew that the jacket wasn't the warmest, but it should still help warm the girl up after falling into the lake.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Steph told Ryddin, forcing a brave smile onto her face as she staggered to her feet. "Thanks, but I'm alright." she told Stella, just barely remembering to turn her face toward the girl. Blind people didn't need to see the person's face, but she wanted as much normalcy as possible. She didn't want her disability advertised. "I grew up in Alaska. I'm used to cold." she laughed lightly. She glanced in the direction of the newly arrived boy. "Besides, you smell like cheetoes." she grinned, then snapped her mouth shut, realizing too late that no normal person could have smelled that unless they were a lot closer to Noah. Well, so much for not letting on she was different.

Stella was surprised that the girl wasn't cold, but replied "Okay, if you're sure."

She then crossed her arms and surveyed the situation. There are two guys who seem to know each other well enough to give each other death threats and there is a girl who just fell into the lake. She studied the two boys for a moment and came to the conclusion that they must be siblings. Irregardless, she knew no one's name which made her feel very uncomfortable.

She turned back to the original boy and the girl and said "Let's try introductions again. My name is Stella. What are your names?"

"Ummmm." Stella muttered. She started to feel uncomfortable. The original boy seemed nice, but his brother seemed like a jerk. And everyone was ignoring her. Since she didn't know what to do, she just stayed silent and waited to hear where the rest of this conversation was going.

"I'm Steph, and that's Gyp." Steph pointed in the direction of the border collie who was still splashing around happily, the leash having slipped from Stephs grip when she fell. "Nice to meet all you guys." she smirked slightly. She hadn't been going to say anything, but this was the perfect opportunity to maybe embaress Noah a bit, or at least lower the arrogance. "and what happens when a girl can't see that 'sexy bod'?" she made air quotes with her fingers.

"Nice to meet you Steph. Gyp is adorable! I love dogs. Is he a border collie?" Stella answered excitedly. She could talk about dogs for hours.

She decided to ignore the boy drama between Riddyn and Noah. They were brothers, they could handle it themselves. She had a feeling that she would be seeing both of them again so she could use her wit at another point. Most people don't realize that Stella is very sarcastic and so Stella tends to use it as a hidden weapon.

Even still, Stella was impressed at Riddyn and Steph. Steph seemed to have no qualms to butting in between brotherly rivalry. And Riddyn, well first he was reading, then he helped rescue a damsel in distress, and now he seems to have a good head on his shoulder. Pretty impressive for a high school guy.

Steph made a small, choked growl of frustration. "Fine. If you're all going to be like that, then I'm gone." the beautiful girl threw up her hands as if in surrender before turning and starting off, one foot in the water so she woulsnt get lost. "Gyp! Get your furry tail over here!" she yelled and the dog ran over to her. Steph never looked down as she bent over and picked up gyps leash. "Stella, you're welcome to join me. And boys, you are too. After you learn to be a bit less mean to the blind girl." she called over her shoulder. It may not be fun to Have, but it certainly was the best trump card in the deck.

Stella cocked her head in puzzlement. "What just happened?" She muttered to herself. And yes, Stella talks to herself a lot. She then noticed that Steph didn't look down when she picked up Gyp's leash. She continued to watch Steph and realized that something must be wrong with her eyes. No matter what her problem was, her dog was really cute. And then five seconds later she heard Steph say "blind girl". Ahh, that explains it.

While she was thinking all of this, she suddenly saw out of her peripheral vision the boy named Noah rolling up his sleeves like he was going to fight. Stella started to back away and walked with Steph away from the boys. She really didn't want to get in the middle of a fight.

Stella curiously watched the two boys getting ready to fight each other over nothing. Literally, nothing had happened. At least, nothing of which she was aware.

She remarked to Steph, "Sometimes I just don't understand boys."

Steph sighed in frustration and tightened her grip on the leash as her body tensed.. "You really don't want to fight around me, boys. Trust me." she grinned dangerously. "And Gyp isn't just a normal young dog. She's trained in more ways then one. So she'll take ya both out without a problem." she spoke a low command and the sweet, friendly border collie bared her teeth and began to growl. She turned to Stella with a faint grin so the boys couldn't see it. "I blame testosterone and our own sexiness." she giggled, poking the other girl in the shoulder as her cheerfulness returned and most inhibitions dropped. Steph was a girl who wasn't afraid to tell a dirty joke or say a bad word.

Stella smiled and laughed. She had a feeling that this was the beginning of a good friendship between her and Steph.

Stella was amazed at the control that Steph had with Gyp. "Wow, for how long have you had Gyp? He seems to understand you when you talk. Not that that's uncommon. Many dogs are smart. My dog at home is smart too. But she isn't here now."

Suddenly she realized that she was babbling away and barely making sense. She blushed and stopped talking.

She whispered to Steph, "Wow, that actually worked. I'm surprised that Noah is afraid of a dog. Especially such a cute one like Gyp!"

Steph smiled, a trifle sadly. "I've heard she's adorable." she said fondly, ruffling gyps ears and speaking another low command. The growling stopped instantly. "I got her about three months ago. But when you-" she sighed. "When a dog is your seeing eye dog, you need to trust them, and it needs to be mutual. We bonded pretty fast, and she was extremely well trained when I got her. I had her mother as my dog for the whole rest or my.... Issue, but she got old, so we retired her." Steph explained. She raised her voice to call to the boys, "You are welcome to join us now. I don't bite, and Gyp won't unless you do first."

((I have to go in a couple of minutes))

Stella realized that she had hit a touchy subject and felt really bad.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask that personal of a question. You are very lucky to be in the hands, or in this case the paws of such a great dog."

Stella paused for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. She was social up to a point, but after a while she had trouble figuring out what to say.

Steph smiled reassuringly. "it's fine." after a long awkward pause, she cleared her throat. "What does she look like?" she asked softly. She had begged people to tell her dozens of times, but it never got tiring hearing about Gyp's one blue one brown eye, silky fur, and lopsided ears- one always up, one always down. Suddenly she stopped and gyp growled again. "HEY!" Steph yelled sharply, turning to face the boys. She slid her sunglasses up her head and glared at them. Blindness hadn't robbed her slightly white tinted chocolate eyes from showing emotion, and they flashed angrily. "I said, no fighting."
((aw. ): ))

"Well..." Stella started, "She has floppy hair and one bright blue eye and the other a chocolate brown eye. You can tell by looking at her eyes that she is a cheerful and intelligent dog. One of her ears is folded up and the other is folded down. Her hair(fur?) is part white and part brown. Truly, she is a beauty."

Stella imagined herself never being able to see and shuddered. She felt really bad for Steph. She couldn't imagine what it was like to not be able to see the beautiful landscape of a beach, or to see the pretty fauna in a rainforest, or even to see her own dog.

Steph slid her sunglasses back down and smiled as she listened to Stella's description of the dog. She bent down to hug Gyp, who barked happily, making Steph laugh lightly. "Good girl." she praised, standing and fishing a treat out of her small messenger bag style purse. She tossed it up and the air and smiled in satisfaction when she heard Gyp snap it up before it hit the ground.

Stella realized that all Noah wanted was attention. How mature of him...not. She ignored him and fussed over Gyp instead. "Wow, what a good puppy you are! Good job! You're so smart."

She asked Steph "May I pet Gyp?" She hoped the answer would be yes.

((Is gyp a boy or girl?))

((girl))
Steph turned to face the boys, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Go ahead." she told Stella easily before calling up all the snippets and scraps she'd heard the boys say. "I've known you for barely five minutes and I already have a pretty good picture in my head of both of you. Noah. You're an arrogant jerk who sleeps around and breaks girls hearts. And enjoys it. You like that you have that power over them. So you're probably pretty hot, but nowhere near as sexy as you imagine yourself. Actually, no one could ever be as sexy as you imagine yourself. Ryddin. You sound like a smart guy, but you also let anger get the better of you. You're probably a looker too, but whereas Noah brags and utilizes his looks, you really don't care about yours. I'll bet you don't date much, because you want a long lasting relationship, not some quick fling. But both of you aren't as conscious of your surroundings and other peoples emotions as you should be." she summarized thoughtfully. "So! Am I right?" she smirked. "And If I'm not, then you'd better do something quick to change my mind."

Stella's jaw dropped at Steph's confidence. How Steph had that confidence without being able to even see was outstanding. Stella thought to herself, "I could never say that out loud. But I agree with Steph. Except, I don't think Noah is that hot. His brother seems nicer. Then again, I never think obnoxious guys are hot."

She bent down and started petting Gyp. Dogs always put Stella into a good mood. She played around with Gyp for a bit while waiting for one of the boys to respond to Steph.

Stella decided to continue petting Gyp. She really didn't want to get in the middle of a fight. Even so.. She wondered why Riddyn hadn't dated anyone yet. He was decently attractive and seemed to be a good guy. There must have been some girls who were interested in him. It's strange. But then again, she thought, I haven't dated anyone either so I shouldn't be judging. I mean, I've had crushes on people before, just no official dates. It's pretty pathetic. But I still have the rest of my life to go on dates.

She realized that she was over analyzing someone that she didn't even know which is kind of rude. She switched gears in her brain and focused on the beauty of the lake and forest surrounding it.

"I'll betcha he's waiting for 'the girl.'" Steph said, making air quotes around 'the girl,' turning to face them and grinning a little sarcastically, but not mean. "And I'll tell you one thing, ryddin. If you don't look for her, you might never find her, or by the time you find her it'll be too late." She warned. "So you'd better at least try to. And Noah, eventually one of those hearts you break will break your ass." She said sweetly.

Fast as a snake, Steph shot out her foot, hooking it on the back of his knee and pulling her leg back towards herself, sending him tumbling to the ground. She leaned over him with a smirk. "Yeah, you totally out ran me. And I'm blind. Trust me, if I can get you that easily, any girl who really wanted to would have no problems."

"Stephanie Kastle, but call me that you'll be on the ground again. I'm Steph." Steph said firmly, standing straight, only to change her mind and sit down on the ground, sweeping an arm across it to clear the ground before sitting cross-legged, leaning against a tree and closing her eyes.

"I'm Stella Darlet." Stella replied in between laughter from watching Steph trip Noah. That was actually very amusing. She thought, I wish I had the guts to do that with someone I just met.

"Nice to meet you Riddyn and Noah!" Stella cheerfully said. She was about to tell them her age, but then she decided on something else.

"Hmm, give a guess. How old do I look?" Stella said that half to be funny but also because she was curious. Most of the time people thought that she was older than she actually was.

"I'd guess your ages, but i have nothing to base it off of." Steph said blandly, turning her face up at the boys. "How old do you think I am?" She challenged. She knew she looked younger than her 18 years, but she acted way more mature than them, so she wondered what they would say.

"Very good!" Stella slowly clapped her hands. "I'm 15 years old and a sophomore here. But this is my first year here."

Stella decided to ignore the second part of the conversation. She also decided to let the boys guess how old Steph was. She had a feeling that Steph was 18, but she wanted to see what the boys thought.

((Anyone?))

"Close, but no cigar." Steph grinned. "18. Glad I can at least keep some people one their toes and guessing." She shifted to cross her legs underneath her. Gyp immediately bounded over and sat next to her, leaning on Steph's shoulder. She laughed and pet the dog.

Stella was excited about guessing right, but didn't show it. No one would believe her even if she said it. Instead she settled for saying "So anyways, now that introductions are over, what do you guys want to do?"

"Come ON! Let's do something!" Steph insisted, shifting on the ground. "I'm bored." she complained.

Haddie walked along the shore, soon seeing others. She smiled and kept walking.

"I agree with Riddyn. I'm game for most things but stalking people is not one of them. Hey, look there's a new girl over there. Maybe she has some idea of what to do!" Stella answered excitedly

Haddie soon came to the group of others. "You guys stalk others?" She asked, confused. I've seen weirder, she thought, shrugging.

Steph raised her hand. "I don't!" she protested, though her tone almost sounded like she was volunteering for something. "But I'm not game for nearly anything. Not being able to see whatever you're doing, kind of makes it hard to do a lot of things."

Haddie looked at everyone for a bit, then looked down at her feet. She wondered if she was bothering the others. She was never really a socialized person.

Haddie smiled. "I'm Haddie, pretty much the schools weirdo," she told the others, then frowned at how that sounded.

Haddie looked away. "That's because you don't know me."

"You guys are weird," she said, but couldn't help smiling. "As am I."

Steph raised an eyebrow. "How come she gets called 'babe' but I don't get called anything nice at all?" she challenged, leaning back against the tree she was sitting in front of and closing her eyes behind her sunglasses with a faint wince. She could just make out light and dark, and after a while that always gave her headaches.

"Maybe I'm just naturally amazing," Haddie joked. She wondered why these kids were being so nice to her when everyone else made fun of her.

"Hey! What about me?" Stella put her hands on her hips. She didn't want to be called a babe, but anything was better than being ignored.
"And believe me, I think everyone in this group is a little weird."

Stella sighed as she was ignored yet again. It seemed like all Riddyn and Noah did was fight. It seemed off... as if there was something that was bothering both of them and making them both easily angered.

"Well, that's good to know." Stella said. "Because I would kick your butt if you ever tried following me."