Randimaxis

Oh, don't you worry one bitty-bit, my dear friend! Even if they toss me out for a bit, rest assured I'll be using that time to practice my lines! (Which means no dice - you STILL gotta sing, me bucko... but nice try.)

*reaches out with a single finger* Boop. Touched.

He purposely tried to look anywhere but at her, embarrassed that this numbskull had gotten to him so much, he'd not only cried, but he'd actually let some of himself out - something he had NEVER done before. Not to ANYONE, not like that. Great. Wonderful. Awesome. The numbskull wins, I lose, end of line. I just can't... I just CAN'T... Feeling as though he'd already lost whatever kind of fight this was, he just gave a single, sad nod as he sniffled. Way to go, Deuce! NOW, you're a crybaby AND a loser... just great. Why don't they keep rocks in the library; then I'd have someplace to crawl under and die from this... this... It was the hug that stopped his thoughts cold. Whu, uh, what? WHAT? Why... w-why is she touching me? And... not to HURT me? But... but... why? I don't get it - why? His head jerked up, and even though the tracks of tears were now fully visible to anyone who looked at him, he suddenly found that didn't care. All his life, he'd been the one on the receiving end of bullying, and he'd never had any real friends, so to speak, so he never knew what it was like for someone else to get bullied in front of him. The bullies had always focused on HIM; they never went after anyone else, as far as he'd seen. But something inside him did NOT like this new situation. Not. One. Bit. Nope. Not one bit. Deuce stood up and, with a keen stare at the interloper, he spoke softly and slowly... almost so softly, it could barely be heard. "Stop it." He had no idea what he was doing... but for some strange reason, he simply felt like there was no way he was going to let any harm come to this girl - no idea why, but it felt... right... to protect her from the sort of things he went through every day. His eyes narrowed as he looked directly at the other girl, and he stepped slowly in front of Emerald to stand between them as he said it again. "Stop it."

Hmp. Well, at least she does know a bit. Good; it'll make this easier for both of us. He looked up at her for the first time since sitting down. "That's a start, yes. If you can get that, then I'm fairly certain you'd be able to follow the rest, if it's put into a more..." Look, don't set her off again - be nice. "... simple manner. Something easier to wrap your head around; sometimes, people don't get certain concepts in the typical way, so you have to figure a way around that problem. Like, Einstein had trouble with math, too - not because he was an idiot, but because his sense of logic saw things differently." Hmmmm... I'm starting to think that this might not be so bad after all. His eyes narrowed at her a bit, and he looked back down at his green notebook. How do you like THAT? I'm really trying over here, and she just throws 'why are you such a jerk' at me? "Look, you don't know me, okay? You have no idea what it's like to BE me, and you've never walked a mile in MY sneakers, okay? As pretty and popular as you are, I'll bet you've never known what it was like to be shoved into a locker and have it slammed shut on you, or being dumped into a trash can, or having to endure a swirly in the restroom - you know nothing about me, and all you can say is 'you have a jerky attitude'?" He gripped the sides of the notebook hard enough to bend the spiral wire, but his voice never went loud enough to disturb anyone else around them. "I've had countless people, just like you, who've acted all sweet and stuff to try to play nice with me... until they finally reveal themselves to be a sham, a setup, just to get at me and HURT me. And people who would harm me, then act like it was all an accident so they wouldn't get in trouble for it. But it never stops, no... it just keeps going on, and as far as I know you, YOU might just be a part of it too." Now he looked up, and his soft blue eyes held tears that he was hoping wouldn't actually fall. "So don't come at ME asking why I have a jerky attitude, when it's everyone else that made me this way, okay? Now, open your book to page 73, start reading, and stop judging me!" He looked back down at his notebook and angrily jerked his hood low enough so she couldn't see his face... but two small drop stains appeared on the sleeve of his hoodie beneath him.

It had been the singing he'd picked up on. He'd been out in this particular part of the forest, seeking some of the more elusive flora for his studies, when he'd first heard it. He'd heard the tune before - his father had done a rendition once, back when he could sing - yet this wasn't what drew him... it had been the sheer emotion in the voice, the sorrow and pain, fully evident in each syllable, every phrase, and all the notes. It was the sound a soul makes when the spirit is stretched to the tearing point, and it cries out with the pain of the world. It was why, when the Kirin had been searching for something else entirely different, he had instead discovered this heartbreakingly sad scene. And as a fan of soulful singing, he naturally had made his way carefully towards the source of the sound. But when he had gotten close enough to see the source..? This most certainly wasn't what he had expected to find... in fact, he had never quite witnessed such a creature before. And THAT had most certainly made him even more curious, as he was intent on learning as much as he possibly could. To him, the creature was a learning experience, waiting to happen. All he had to do was approach and speak. Yup, approach and speak. Motivate oneself to come forth and apply vocabulary. Go over and say hello... ... but that's where it got tricky. See, this particular Kirin had... issues... about knowing what to say. He didn't have any problems with others, oh no, he just wasn't sure how to approach THIS situation, was all. One could simply come up and speak, but after such a tragic moment? What would be appropriate to say? Would it be within reason to comment on the creature's most fascinating design, or perhaps a slight mention of how some of those markings resembled some of the darker magic runes he'd come across ensconced in some of the more unsavory tomes he'd tried to study, or mayhaps it was best to simply approach the logic of the situation and appeal to the... Oh BUNK, why not keep things simple? "Whatever the particulars of your personal agony may be evidencing," he spoke softly, "you most certainly possess my sincerest of condolences."

"'Ey, I remembah dat fella; fine guy, dat one - o' course, when somepone does what HE did fer da folks heah, den y'figger he's a good egg, so ta speak." Chuck smiled, and it made him look much more friendly, "Nice ta meetcha, dere... awful polite, ain'cha? But dat's good - shows ya gots class." "Wha..?" Chuck then glanced down at his clipboard and gave a chuckle. "Nah, nah... dat's Silvah's woik; she's da one who builds a lotta da stuff 'round heah, an' she's a gee-knee-us, ya know? Built mosta da equipment we use heah, as well as stuff she does fer fun. She's a sweet kiddo, dat one - you ain't met 'er yet?" Chuck looked over at Dax, "You showin' yer lil' marefriend around, dere?" The snarky smile he wore said he was gonna enjoy this. Dax's blush lit up like a red light. "I-uh... wha-... um, I j-j-just... uhm..." Chuck's grin redoubled as he gave Mystic a knowing grin. "Yeah, uh huh, dat's what I figgered. So, Miss Glow - whatcha thinkin' so far 'bout da quarry?" "Oh, it's okay," she smiled sweetly, "I tried experimenting with those ingredients from yesterday, like you suggested... and I think I managed to make it work; the jelly isn't exactly perfect, but well..." She set down her broom she'd been sweeping with, and took a small jar from the shelf she used for her own things. She brought it over and unscrewed the lid, and the smell of mint almost instantly flooded the room. "... i-it DID turn out to be pretty sweet. Here, take a taste..." The sweet thing had been trying out a number of recipes while she'd been here; most of them had turned out okay, but there were a few that hadn't sat well with Crescent. One example that haunted him to this day was when she tried to make applesauce-basted beets; he'd ended up with a horribly upset stomach, and had very embarrassing gas for the next three days. Since that time, there was cause to give anything she made him a second look. All in all, she was merely trying to be helpful... and when she DID make something correctly, it tasted great. "... please?" She held the jar in front of him and wiggled it a bit as she smiled hopefully. "Are you kidding? I'd LOVE to see the look on his muzzle! I'll bet he'll be so surprised you're working for the quarry now - and you actually made his father smile! Won't he be surprised to hear THAT little nugget? Ooooooooooh, we have to go look for him right now!" Silver turned and began to dash towards the path leading away from the blasted mountaintop... again, the massive crater stood there as a testament to exactly the kind of POWER Blitz was capable of when someone believed in her, whether it was a sweet and intelligent handimare, or a dour but kind mine owner... Or, as it had been in Blitz Boom's case, both. "C'mon!" Silver hollered over her shoulder, "I'll race ya back to the quarry! First one there gets ice cream!" [Hazard Time's OCs are currently NPCs, so we'll just assume The Twins continue to fortune-tell for now, unless someone wants to interact with them as well (just have your character go to the cart - it's still there); Low Key and Carnelian are currently busy with their own plots/schemes, and will show up as part of the narrative as necessary.] "Ooooooh, big fella..." The mare was sort of slinking in his direction, a sweet and tempting smile on her muzzle as she sauntered over to him. She was lovely; she had an aqua blue coat that was well-kept and neat, a soft pink mane and tail with eyes to match, and a fit and trim figure that she accented by moving with a swinging swagger to her gait. The smile on her face was inviting, and the way she looked at him when he came close was the look of somepony who'd been searching for water and finally found a lake. "... I'll bet you make ALL the mares blush, don'tcha? You sure look like the type to do a fine, fine job, hmmmmmm? Oh, YEAH you do..." She admired his form and figure, her eyes not lingering too long on his blanketed back. She redoubled her efforts, and gave Clod a dazzling smile. "I was wondering if a big, strong stallion such as yourself would have the time to give a sweet and appreciative mare like myself a helping hoof? I'd need a STRONG stallion to help me out here, and you look like you fit the bill, sugar... though I could probably look all day long at you... but still," she sighed, "duty calls, right? So... would a sturdy buck like you be interested in giving this little mare a bit of help? Hmmmmmmm..?" She smiled up at him, fluttering her long lashes as she waited for his response.

The library door opened, and Deuce shuffled his way in. He glanced over the light crowd, his eyes focusing on Emerald... and his expression, though already low, fell just a touch more. Great. I didn't think she'd be serious when I sent her the time and location; guess I have to do this after all... As he made his way over, he mentally gave a big sigh. Well, look - she IS here, anyway. That means that, at the very least, she cares enough about her grades to do the work... and that shows something of a scholastic ambition. Maybe just enough to squeak by... but her actually being here, at least she's trying, right? He made his way over to the table and sat down across from her, sliding his bookbag onto the space between them like a small barrier. "Okay," he started, opening and digging in his bag looking for the green notebook, not looking up at her, "in order to actually give you the help you apparently need, you've gotta tell me where your strong points and weak points are; there's no sense in trying to teach you EVERYTHING in math again, so we have to get a grip on where your problem areas are." If she actually looked at him, she'd notice the left arm of his glasses was attached with duct tape... and when she saw him last, his glasses (though thick as glass soda bottle bottoms) were fine and unbroken. "I'm gonna assume you already know addition and subtraction," he raised an eyebrow, "so we can move on into the other aspects; multiplication, algebra, geometry, trigonometry..." PLEASE don't say 'all of the above', numbskull... "So, you tell me - where do we begin?"

*chucklesigh* @Emerald Heart, you're just dead-set on naming him Dean, aren't you? deuce /d(y)o͞os/ noun NORTH AMERICAN the two on dice or playing cards. I named him such to reflect both his 'loser' status, and to act as the perfect opposite to the Ace, since it is considered by many to be the highest ranking card. Hence, he reaches both ends of the deck, so to speak. And no, I'm not mocking you - I'm giving you my reasoning, so it could better help you remember. I've had to re-learn stuff because the way I knew it wasn't correct; I understand and I'm not at all upset. Little stuff like this happens. You're STILL awesome in my book, EmHar.

*wakes up bleary-eyed* *logs onto forums* *sees @Snow's post* *scrolls to top* *nearly spits out morning tea* ... y'know, I leave for a few hours...

A soda from back in the 90's called Josta; best damn thing I ever tasted. And OF COURSE, they stopped making it. If the world was about to lose ALL music since the beginning of mankind, what FIVE ALBUMS would you save?

I see an RD/AJ relationship here...

"We're sorry, but the election you're trying to rig is currently rigged; please try again later, or if you need help, dial your senator." *dial tone*

I met a guy while I was staying with a friend in South Carolina for a few weeks, as he was staying there too. He went by the nickname 'Ogre', and it kinda fit; he was a LARGE fellow, had jutting lower teeth, and had a rubber eyeball he used to remove at parties when he got drunk. He was scary-looking... but he had the heart of a child and the kindness of a saint. He was always finding ways to make me laugh, and I always found ways to make him think. We carried on for the rest of that month, until he spent his rent money on something OTHER than rent; he was kicked out three days later. When he left, he accidentally left his little notebook behind... which I promptly claimed, as I wanted to remember him. This was all the way back in 1998, mind you; I was 21. About three years ago (at age 39), I found out from a friend of a friend that Ogre had overdosed on painkillers three weeks earlier; it broke my heart, and I actually cried for a bit for the big guy, and spent a good while just thinking about the fun we had together in that single, precious month... and I smile through those tears as I hear him making some dumb joke or dropping his eyeball into someone's drink for a laugh. Folks, people come and go like busboys in a restaurant... but the memories we make are what we end up taking with us as we surge on ahead in life. Cherish those moments, as you never know if they will ever come again.

Y'know what? This gets more interesting as it goes. As far as I'm concerned, sure - dogpile on the loooooserrrrr!!!! Seriously, though - an interesting idea; I'm okay with it if @Emerald Heart is.

Done and done, fam:

All good - it was a decent point to shift to someone else, and I don't want to take up the whole RP.

Whoa... tears? I... I didn't mean for her to start crying, for Pete's sake! Deuce wasn't really a bad person; he just was honestly under the impression she'd done it on purpose. But... had he been wrong? Maybe... I should apologize, he thought, I mean... geez, tears? NOW I feel like a heel. I think I shou- Never mind; I'm no heel, and she IS a numbskull after all! Very fun, my narrow butt! He took the paper from her with a quick grab, jamming it into his hoodie pocket before muttering. "Yeah, fine, whatever." What was WITH this moronic girl!? One minute she's being weepy, next minute she's snarky, and now she APOLOGIZES!? He stared after her for a moment, standing there with a blank expression before he growled, "RrrrrRRRRRRGH! Stupid NUMBSKULL!" With that, he turned and made his way towar- >KA-THUMP!< ... towards where the next bully in line had tripped him up, sending him sprawling and losing his glasses. He lay there for a moment, trying hard not to just cry in frustration and pain. "Hey, Deucey... have a nice trip?" Just let them get it out, he said to himself as laughter surrounded him, and I can get away. This day CAN'T get much wor- >snap< "Oooooops! Guess I shoulda watched where I was walkin', hunh?" ... never mind; it just did. Amidst the laughter, he scooped up his glasses and the broken left side arm that had been snapped off, and he quickly hustled himself outside, where he plunked down behind the thick hedges he learned about his first year here, and angrily began to silently shed tears. Stupid bullies. Stupid school. Stupid NUMBSKULL... He sighed and covered his mouth to muffle the sobs that tried to escape. ... stupid ME...

Uhhh... ex-SQUEEZE me? Baking powder? The Great and Powerful Randi does NOT like being called a 'non-true fan'.

Hmmmmmmmm... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Hey @Bas... if two songs TIE... should we do them BOTH?

Am I doing okay so far? Animosity and all? Even figured it'd be funny when they think just about the same thought while passing in the hallway. And I figured Numbskull would be a good nickname for her... at least until they get over themselves, of course.

Wow, not even anything about education being important or anything. Best I should just do what I gotta do; if she isn't TOO stupid, maybe she'll actually pick it up quick... then, we can go our separate ways, and we'll BOTH be better off. He sighed with resignation as he simply jammed his hands in his hoodie pocket and sulked. He gave another sigh, then unzipped his backpack and took out his green binder, flipping to an open page and grabbing a pencil from his bag as he shouldered it, and made his way out into the hall. He gave her a seething look as he moved only close enough to speak without anyone else overhearing what he was being forced to do. "... okay, look," he began, "you're obviously not thrilled with me, and I'm not too crazy about you, either... so let's just do this and get it over with as soon as possible. Then, you go your way, and I'll go mine. Just try not to knock me down again, and I'll try to keep from calling you the numbskull you obviously are, got it?" Stupid bratty brat-brat moron NUMBSKULL, he thought. I hope you pick this up lightning quick! "So what do you need to learn about, and what's your schedule?" he grumped.

Y'know, that works well for me. I like both the OCs, and I'm also humbled and flattered that you're allowing me to play in your world; most folks just come to mine. *chuckle* Sounds good - just give me a mention in the initial post for me, and I'll be there with bells on. Like, LITERALLY - I have bells; I'll put them on if you want.

"Me? What are YOU doing here?" Great. Juuuuuuust great. The principal had called his dad and said something about tutoring; as his father was a single man, him having lost his mother years ago to a car wreck, he doted on Deuce quite a lot. He was always so proud of him, even though he didn't understand what sort of target it made his son to be known as a brainiac. But, he wasn't going to tell his Dad no, so he'd shown up at the principal's office on his own - there was NO WAY he'd live it down if they announced his name over the intercom, so he just beat them to the punch and came of his own accord. Besides, he'd thought, maybe it'll be someone who I can try to make friends with. But no. It was HER. Oh the friggin' humanity... Deuce turned to look at the principal. "Do I HAVE to? I mean... do I really HAVE to!?" Of course, he knew how grownups were... of course, he'd have to. Just watch, he thought. I'll bet they give me the ol' chestnut about how 'every student's education matters', or some rot like that.

Pssst, @Emerald Heart... it's Deuce, not Dean.