☾ Katmere Academy ☽ discussion

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Max walked in, she didn't know where she was going and somehow she ended up here

Lakari browsed in the corner for a new book, needing a different choice for her literature assignment. She had already tried it with the current book she was reading and it was not going so well. She hummed as she searched, finding peace in looking through the books. She was lucky to get the day off from the Cafe, as there were less volunteers this year than last, something she found sad. It was better having it manned by the students, the options for different food and drinks much more accessible that way. She moved down the self, lost in the journey.

Mac was... kinda looking for something to read? She wasn't entirely sure. Her brother told her that reading could be calming and relaxing, but she didn't believe him. Still, she figured there could be no harm in it, it's not like her brain would rot from reading a book. However, she had no idea what she was looking for, the only time she ever really read a book was when it was assigned to her in class, and even that was rare. She found herself daydreaming, thinking about the next project she had to work on for Art Club.

Lakari glanced over, catching wind of the other girl in the room with her. She couldn't tell if she needed help or not, but she didn't see the harm in asking. Most people went to the library for books, but the media center also had a small selection that was more work and studious. She went over to the other girl and smiled. "Hey, do you need help finding something?" It was natural for her, being in the volunteers, to approach someone and ask, not ever afraid to interact. This made it easy to do any of her jobs, despite her president, but she never sought out the position either.

Mac was mumbling the blurb of a book to herself and hadn't noticed the other. She jumped, blushing in embarrassment. She should have noticed the other girl was there, but she had been so distracted. With a sigh, she put the book back on the shelf and turned to Lakari. "Oh... Uhm... Yes? Well... I don't really know what I'm looking for..." She admitted, looking down at the ground for a minute before making eye contact with the other girl. "God- I'm a mess..." She muttered under her breath, clearly annoyed with herself.

Lakari frowned and chuckled lightly, waving her hand in dismissal. She didn't miss the flash of embarrassment from the other girl or her apparent confusion she exhibited. "You're fine. No need to stress. Is there something you particularly like in a book? Or is this for something else?" She kept her gaze on her, head tilted slightly as she did. "No need to feel pressured either, it's alright if you don't know," she added, eyes curious.

She laughed, although it was rather forced. "Uhm... I've never actually read a book on my own before... I only ever read the ones assigned for class and such... I don't like reading very much..." Mac laughed again, this time a real one. She seemed to relax slightly, her tense nature receding as she spoke. For some reason, she felt at ease with the other's words, they reassured her that there was nothing for her to be nervous about.

Lakari thought for a moment, wondering where to start. She noticed the relaxation in the other girl's stature and smiled. "Well, if you don't like reading, but are looking for something to read, that can be hard." She braced her hands on her hips and sucked in a breath before snapping her fingers. "Do you like a certain genre in say, movies or TV shows?" She raised her brows in question, her smile not wavering.

She laughed. "Uhm... Not really? I guess... horror?" Mac thought about it, and the more she did, the more she realized she didn't watch TV much either. "I honestly just draw and listen to music all day so..." She admitted, staring at the shelves again, nothing really seemed interesting. Did she even have the time to read a book? With a sigh, Mac resolved to give up if Lakari couldn't help her. She understood not being able to help herself, but if someone who actually read for fun couldn't helper her, then she figured there was no hope for her.

Lakari took in the information, running it over in her head. She walked over to the small horror section in the back corner of the room, coming back with a few recommendations. "And you like listening to music and drawing?" She breezed over to the realistic-fiction, choosing a few art and music related stories and some in the fantasy as well. She came over to a nearby table and stacked the books there, glancing at the girl. "There's a few I can think of. If you like any of them. Oh! I never caught your name? I'm Lakari." She held out her hand, her smile wide and genuine.

Mac watched as she collected books, staring in astonishment at the pile of books the other girl had found. Mac looked at a few of them before she settled on one. For a moment, she was silent, not paying attention to what Lakari had said, then once she had realized what had been said, she looked up. "Oh- Sorry... My name's Mac." She blinked, bringing herself back into the moment.

Lakari smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Mac. If you need anymore recommendations, don't be shy." She went back to the wall briefly, grabbing a few books for herself. She came back to the table and smiled again. "Can I sit here with you?" She waited for her to respond, not wanting to intrude on her search for her nook to read as well. She had a small stack of books, all in relation to her assignment and something she could work with for the paper.

Mac had sat down in a comfy little nook, opening the book she had chosen. She looked up at Lakari, momentarily surprised. "Oh... uh, sure? Go ahead." She made sure there was enough room for the other girl to sit.

Lakari smiled and settled down beside Mac, picking up her first book. She began to skim the first few pages and determined it not interesting enough to keep her attention, much less write about. She had this same process for a couple more books before she found one remotely interesting. She glanced over at Mac. "How's it going? Anything catch your eye?"

Mac took a long moment before she replied, looking up at Lakari, a smile growing on her face. "It's great. I really like it so far... It's immersive." She laughed, as she spoke she realized just how much of a nerd she sounded at the moment, her face reddening slightly at the realization. "I-I mean... It's okay, I guess." She tilted her head now, glancing at the pile of books Lakari had. "What about you?"

Lakari chuckled at her embarrassment, finding her reactions to be adorable. "That's good. Hopefully you'll find something to start on," she encouraged. She glanced at her stack of books with Mac, sighing. "Not as successful. These books are too boring to write about and I can't do this project if I'm not at least the tiniest bit interested in it, you know?" She flicked her eyes back to Mac, setting the book she found especially dreadful in a pile off to the side.

Mac moved a bit closer, looking over at the books. "What are you writing about?" She closed her book on her finger, keeping her spot as she leaned over Lakari's shoulder. "Maybe I could help... I may not like school, but... I'm not exactly dumb." She laughed, smiling at herself. For some reason, she felt okay about this interaction, usually she would be against even speaking to someone like Lakari, or at least the idea of someone who actually worked hard in school, but she felt alright with this. Mac's perceived idea of a "smart girl" was not like Lakari at all.

Lakari shifted in her spot to properly look at Mac. She smiled and nodded, setting her other books aside as well to explain. "I have to write a paper on how a realistic fiction novel can relate to a similar example in a nonfiction version of it. Basically comparing a similar count of the same thing but one is labeled fiction and the other nonfiction," she elaborated, waving a hand to her pile of failures. "But none of these are good enough. I don't want to write about depressing values and that seems to be the only thing I'm finding."

"So what parts of history do you like the best? Like... Have you learned anything in History lately that you think is interesting?" Mac asked, looking at the discarded books with an amused expression. "If you find something you like... then maybe you could enjoy learning more about it through non-fiction and realistic fiction." She shrugged, unsure if she was really any help with this. If she were to be honest, she hadn't done a research paper for a while, at least, she hadn't finished one when she was supposed to.

"Not really. I don't want to do a recount of any of the great wars. I despise them all. They were pointless." Lakari thought for a moment, going through all the different history lessons in her classes. "Nope, paranormal history is dark and not something I'm up to writing about." She snapped her fingers. "Though a life lesson would be something I could attempt." She smiled at Mac and braced on her knees, getting ready to go look among the selves again.

Mac listened intently, nodding along with her. "Life lesson?" She asked, a slight tilt to her head. She backed away a bit, sitting on the edge of their little nook. "What kind of life lesson?" Almost like a puppy, she wanted to follow Lakari, to see what she was doing.

Lakari stood and smiled at Mac's show of ambition. She didn't mind having someone to tag along with her. She was usually alone anyway. Despite being mostly kind to people, she didn't attract too much attention. "Hm. Maybe something about love or mistakes. Possibly something about... Mates? Everyone seems to avoid that subject." She strode over to the bonds and magical bindings information section, mostly nonfiction but there were some stories in relation to the subject as well. If she was willing to find it.

Mac laughed. "I'm sure the humans have plenty of adaptations about mates. I've heard a lot about that kind of thing from my brother..." She stands up, following Lakari and skimming over some of the books as she went on about her brother. She found a few things that seemed sort of interesting, but nothing that really appealed to her directly. "I wonder why people are so iffy about the subject of mates..." Mac blurted, a small sound compared to when she was talking about her brother. "I mean, who cares, right?"

Lakari listened intently as Mac spoke, nodding every now and then as she retained the information Mac fed her. She found a few books, reaching out and pulling out the book by the binding with a finger on the top. She would skim the back of the book and the synopsis before either putting it back or racking it on her arm. She haulted when Mac blurted her wonder. She hummed in curiosity, slowly moving forward with her investigation. "Well, I would assume it's because it's a strange magic. With the least but of understanding. No one has been able to find out what the basis and cause of a mating bond is and what makes it so strong. All they know is that if it ends with one dying before the other, it breaks a person's soul and that it snaps into place when both people accept it upon first touch." She glanced back at Mac. "Most people care because they don't want to be the few people who never experience a mate."

Mac blinked at Lakari, stuffing her hands into her pockets, trying her best to cover up a blush as she looked away. She felt kind of embarrassed for asking such a question. It was something she told herself she didn't want, that she didn't expect to ever find, but there was still that small hope in the back of her mind. "I guess... I guess I never really paid a whole lot of attention to that... I should have, though. It sounds like an important thing to understand." She absentmindedly picked at her cuticles, staring down at the ground now

Lakari still spotted the slight blush on Mac's cheeks, taking yet another book off the shelf. She smiled to herself and glanced at Mac for a moment longer while she spoke before setting the books down on a nearby clear self. "Understandable. But at the same time, this phenomena takes time, unless you're lucky and discover your mate earlier in life." She watched her pick at her nails and leaned against the bookcase. "I know most people won't admit their curiosity on the subject but it is, and would be, nice to know. Exactly why I think it might be interesting enough to write about. Give some teenagers heart attacks about their love lives." She smiled softly at Mac.

Mac laughed, a small smile on her face as she looked down at her hands. "It would be kinda funny to see their reactions as you explain to them that their relationships aren't going to last very long." It was definitely an amusing thought. "I guess I've always kind of wondered who my mate would be... Would it be someone I know? Or would it end up being someone new, someone I know nothing about... Or if I even have one... I think I just figured I wouldn't have one." She leaned against a table and thought about it a while longer, falling into a small daydream.

Lakari winked. "My point precisely. They know it won't work anyway if they aren't mated. Those are insignificant compared to the forever a mate promises." She watched Mac contemplate the idea of her own mate, finding it amusing and admirable. Lakari never thought about it much, as she had struggles fitting in before Katmere with her duel heritage. Especially being made vampire, as that wasn't much admired where she came from. "It's rare that you never find your mate. It just takes excessive amounts of time. They say on average most don't find their mate until almost 100-300 years into their lives, based on whatever species they are." She stood up on her own accord, leaning off the self. "You never know when it can happen." She shrugs. "I never thought about it myself to be honest. I just felt it is what it is. Not to mention romance isn't entirely my thing. " She laughed lightly, inspecting Mac from a distance.

Mac followed her, standing up from the table. She frowned. "Oh... well, I guess I have a while to wait then, huh?" She tried to be light-hearted, but it honestly kind of hurt to know. The only thing she could look forward to was that it would happen... But then another thought crossed her mind. "What if my mate died before we ever bonded?" She asked, following Lakari with the same curiosity as a puppy. It was a rare thing for her, to find somebody she actually enjoyed talking to. In her mind, she laughed a little at herself, but she never fully grasped what she was doing as she did it. "Cuz if that's the case... then wouldn't I be alone forever?" The question was grim, but she didn't exactly say it in that manner, more of just a general curiosity. However, after a moment of realizing what she had asked, her frown deepened.

Lakari heard the deeper meaning behind her words and gazed at Mac. "It depends, really. No one truely knows and it all can happen spontaneously." She listened to her question and tried to recall he knowledge from when she was younger. Gargoyles are very in touch with bonds due to their natural connection to each other and the sources around them. Ok plus, Lakari could tell this was something of significance to her and was happy to provide any information she wanted on the subject. She wasn't scared to share it. "Well, then the magic usually restores you another mate, I believe. If it happens. I know you can have more than one mate if you outlast yours, but most choose to bond with their mate for life and die with them," she explained, eyes resting on Mac. "I know plenty of people who have spells done to make it happen," she added. She watched her frown and turned to face her fully.

"Oh..." Mac fell silent, thinking it over for a long time. "Are there spells to... find your mate?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Her face reddened again as she asked these questions, making her look away. She wasn't sure why she was so interested in the topic as of late, maybe it was because the prospect of having a mate had newly come to her attention? Or maybe it was just because she liked talking to Lakari.

Lakari shook her head. "Yet another reason why the magic is so mysterious to everyone. You can't track it or change it. Manipulate it. And if you did, you'd have to be god. Which, obviously, no one is." She chuckled at her small joke and laughed more at the pink on Mac's cheeks. "Does this conversation make you uncomfortable? You sure do blush at some of these questions you ask," she observed, lips in a soft smile. Again, she hardly minded, it didn't bother her at all. It was soothing, she guessed, to talk with someone so easily about anything, much more, this topic.

Mac blushed more as Lakari pointed it out. "Oh... Uhm..." She stuttered, looking at the ground. "It's... no?" Her words didn't seem to make much sense, but she tried her best. "I... It's weird for me to talk about this kind of thing, I guess... I never really got to talk about anything with my parents and my brother has his own things going on and I don't really have a whole lot of friends..." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "I guess... I'm uncomfortable that I keep asking questions, if that makes sense? It's weird for me..." She looked up at Lakari for a moment before looking back down at the ground.

Lakari laughed genuinely at her confusion to her own answer, once again finding it adorable coming from Mac. "I get it. Most people hate this subject. No need to be embarrassed asking. I'll share whatever I know and can from your questions." She frowned and went closer to her at the comment of not having too many friends. "It's alright. You gained a friend already." She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. She assessed Mac for a moment before speaking again. "Besides. I might not be a love expert but I have some knowledge just about magic in general," she offered.

Mac's smile returned as Lakari spoke. "It's also not exactly... normal for me to talk to people I don't know about things that would normally be considered... more private, I guess." She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck again. At the notion of Lakari being her friend, Mac lit up. "Really?... I mean- Uh... cool..." She laughed at herself, running a hand through her dirty blonde hair. What she said next had been carefully thought through for a long moment before she said it, unlike everything else she had said since Lakari had walked up to her. "It's nice to talk to you."

Lakari smiled and chuckled mildly. "I hear I have that effect on people. Usually because I don't give a fuck what I say. If it offends people, they won't talk to me. I also find these conversations to be more beneficial than say imaginary significant others." She joked, laughing a little. She watched Mac's nervousness and waited, not wanting to pressure her. She nodded at her response to being called a friend. "No need to act chill. It's good. It's cool to be your friend too." She smiled wider at the statement. "And I definitely find it nice talking to you. It's just natural." She shrugged and went back to her self, grabbing her books.

"God- I'm such a mess..." She muttered, running her hand through her hair again. Her eyes never seemed to leave Lakari. If she wasn't actually following the other girls, she was at least following her with her eyes. "I'm... glad you like talking to me too..." Her voice was small as she spoke, not as confident as usual. Lakari seemed to have that effect on her, she made Mac feel nervous. It was hard for her to really place why though. As she fell silent for a long moment, she picked at her cuticles again, thinking deeply.

Lakari laughed lowly at her statement of being a mess. "It's okay, it's a cute mess, so it works in your favor," she said bluntly, inspecting another book off the shelf. She glanced over at Mac's change in voice and set the book she picked up back in his previous spot. "Well, I don't see why I wouldn't like talking to you, really." She smiled and was aware of Mac's nervousness, more so with her lapse of silence. She frowned a little before making her way over to Mac. "Something wrong?" She assessed her with a small amount of concern.

Mac blushed, not lifting her face to look up. "Cute?!" She seemed almost startled by the word, laughing to herself about it. Her nervous habits were always very annoying to her, like a little itch that she couldn't get rid of. "I don't know... People just don't normally like talking to me... I guess I come across as rude sometimes just because most of the time, I don't really want to talk to anyone, but you seemed genuine and I didn't mind talking to you." She finally looked up as Lakari approached. "Nothing- Nothing's wrong... I guess I'm just... trying to figure out... why I feel so nervous right now..." She admitted, looking away from Lakari for a moment, her face still pink with a soft blush.

"Yes, cute. Easily flustered." She smiled genuinely and crossed her arms over her chest, pressing the books close to herself. She listened to her intently and frowned slightly before smiling again at the comment of not minding talking to her. "I get that, same here. But I don't mind talking to you either." She chuckled at the soft blush on Mac's face, finding the reaction just as cute and adorable as earlier. She leaned closer and lifted a brow. "Do I make you nervous or is it something else? Maybe I can help you figure it out?" She said it in a genuine tone, nothing snide or teasing towards her confusion about being nervous. She wasn't annoyed by Mac and she felt comfortable helping whatever it was.

Mac found herself at a loss for words. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, as if she was going to say something but then couldn't. Her blush only seemed to grow as Lakari leaned closer. When Mac finally found her words, the came out stuttered and rushed. "U-uh... I-I guess... You do... make me n-nervous..." She looked down at the ground, unable to hold any form of eye contact. As she became more and more flustered, her heart began to beat like a drum.

Lakari smiled and lifted Mac's chin gently to get her to look at her. "It's okay. There's nothing to be nervous about, I promise." She let go of her chin and pulled back a bit, feeling the elevated spike in Mac's nervousness than before. She wondered what more could cause it, considering they were having a great conversation minutes before. She internally wondered what she did or said, but didn't jump to conclusions, she simply raised a brow at Mac for a moment.

Mac's eyes grew wide, her face instantly becoming as red as a tomato. She stuttered from a moment, blinking at Lakari, then she mumbled a few things under he breath and looked at the ground, running a hand through her hair. For a moment, Mac just stood there, willing her blush to disappear.

Lakari kept a raised brow at Mac's mumbling. She let her take a moment to recover and internally was unable to drop the thought of Mac being adorable. Her steady blush and mess up of her hair from running a hand through it. She shook off the sprout of thoughts and leaned back. "Are you okay, Mac?" Lakari shifted a bit, a questioning look in her green eyes.

"Uhm... Not... really? But also- like... never been better?" Mac explained... well, more so asked. She groaned, leaning her head back and looking at the ceiling. "God- why are you making me so flustered?" With a sigh, she ran her hands down her face, blush calming slightly.

Lakari laughed and gave her a mischievous look for fun. "Are you sure you're not crushing?" She chuckled and frowned at her distress. "It's okay, again, I find it adorable and cute so take the time you need." She smiled genuinely and went back to their previous spot and sat. She patted the space next to her and waved Mac over. "Come on, maybe you just need to sit down."

It takes Mac a long time before she is confident enough to walk over and sit beside her. "Crushing?" She asked, looking away. "I don't know..." She fell silent again, staring at the ground as she fidgeted with her hand. As she took a few deep breaths, her heartbeat began to slow a little bit, but they never really went back to normal.

Lakari had waited for Mac to calm down, skimming through some of her books until Mac came over. She nodded. "It's a valid explanation for being so flustered and nervous. Unless there is something else?" She glanced over at Mac, watching her okay with her hand. She finished the book she was on and set it in her 'not-interesting' pile.

Mac cursed under breath, thinking in a long moment of silence. She chewed at her cuticles now, wincing when she pulled off too much skin and her finger started to bleed. "Maybe... maybe I am... crushing... on you..." She stuttered, staring down at her finger.