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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 16:48:08 GMT -5
Mr. K knew he would have to remember that now. He couldn't go back on his word, so he would have to avoid coming out to this particular area to find Clary until he was ready to make a fool of himself in front of her. Not so horrible of a fate, but unpleasant all the same. "Only your future waiting for you to find it." He replied with a teasing smile, not meaning it aggressively in any way, just a gentle prod from a friend. Which is what he considered himself, at least in principle. He knew he was one of the few people Clary spoke to, so he allowed himself to take on the role as her confidante.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 16:52:52 GMT -5
"Future, eh?" She asked skeptically. She let her tail grow, swishing it in the air for a moment, before she swung down so she was hanging on the branch. She glanced down to see how far the drop was to the next one, and let go. She landed somewhat gracefully on the other one, resting her hand on the trunk and flicking her tail to gain her balance. She blinked. "Have to work on that," She muttered under her breath. She looked back at Mr. K, whom she could still look down at due to the branch and her own height. "And what is in my future? Homework? Lessons? Detentions?" She rested the palm of her hand against the rough bark, allowing her nails to turn to claws to grip it better.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 17:03:36 GMT -5
Mr. K sort of cringed as Clary so effortlessly dropped from one branch to the other. Even though he knew she was capable of it, just seeing someone do something he could never do, was a bit unnerving. He was impressed by her athleticism, though, not exactly out of shape himself, but he was no gymnast.
"Perhaps..." He began, returning to the general smile he always wore, "It all depends on how you play it, Clary. I was referring more to control, graduation, a life outside of the academy. Doesn't that appeal to you at all?"
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 17:08:10 GMT -5
She saw him cringe and felt some dark satisfaction. She quickly brushed the feeling away, not wanting to know where it came from. She shrugged. "Life outside the academy? I don't know. I mean, I guess I'd get to see the world and stuff, but people like us don't fit in. Isn't that why there's a special school for us, the gifted?" Truth be told, she didn't have any idea what she would do after she graduated. She was just getting used to the school, and getting comfortable. She wasn't sure she'd want to move so soon. Her tail flicked again and she glanced up at the tree and its green leaves. It stood there forever, not minding if she swung down on its boughs or climbed it with her claws. The tree was patient with what she did, tolerant of her relaxing in it. The world couldn't hold that still. Time was always moving and turning, sometimes going to fast for her to catch up. She wondered if she was the only person that felt this way.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 17:17:45 GMT -5
"Sometimes, yes, that's true." Mr. K replied, taking on a bit more of a serious tone as such a crucial topic arose. It was one he spoke to students about often, and even related to personally. Just about everyone at the academy had a story to tell, of someone who treated them wrong outside of the academy because of what they were. It was a painful and tragic reality, but one had to be careful not to assume it as true over all else.
"There are plenty of people and places that see us as no different from anyone else, or even appreciate the skills we can provide. The medical school I attended provided me a full scholarship because of what I am." It wasn't necessarily something he would brag about, he didn't even need the financial aid, but it was simply a means to reassure Clary that the world wasn't closed to them, not everywhere.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 17:24:43 GMT -5
She glanced at him, half not believing him because of her personal experiences and half wanting to believe him. "And there are those that fear us, avoid us. They try to do anything to stay away from you. If you walk into the room they fall silent and may even come up with some stupid excuse to leave. They don't talk to you, and sometimes try to pretend that you don't even exist. If you look at them, there is fear in their eyes of what you could possibly do to them. If you speak to them they cringe as if you was bestowing some dreaded curse upon them." Her words became more and more harsher as she continued, and she didn't even realize she was dragging her claws down the trunk of the tree. This was one of her more touchy topics, and the bad memories of her life with her former family were brought back. After they discovered her ability. She was describing what had happened to her when she had lived in the mansion, how she had been seperated from the family after her accident. Dark anger filled her, along with pain and misunderstanding. It took all her will not to shift and lose control.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 17:33:42 GMT -5
Mr. K's expression softened into one of sympathy and concern, but also retained the calm understanding of a doctor. He knew there were many skeletons to be found in any student's history, let alone the staff. It was a double-sided coin, some were luckier than others, but no one was perfect. Mr. K was one of the luckier ones, and while he came from a strict entrepreneurial family, they accepted his gifts and supported him. The same couldn't be said for everyone.
"Are you speaking from personal experience, Clary?" He asked, his tone gentle and relaxed, not speaking in a way that may demand a truthful answer, moreso an offer of someone to speak to if she so desired. He could tell that these memories plagued her, from her sudden change in demeanor alone, not to mention the harshness of her words.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 18:08:56 GMT -5
Clary saw his expression soften, and half felt grateful while the other half grew more angrier still. Part of her felt like she didn't need his sympathy, while the other part wanted it. She was stuck between what to say, whether to snap at him or to answer truthfully. She remained silent for a few more moments, fighting the internal battle for control within her. Her stance became less predatory, and she hesitated in the clawing of the tree. Her tail still lashed as the memories attacked her. Scenes of Freddie's mauling returned, pictures better left undescribed, buried. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself before she looked back at Mr. K. "Yes," She said hesitantly, wary once more. Her almost loss of control had shaken her. She had thought she had controlled the majority of her power, thought she understood her limits. But obviously not.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 18:24:34 GMT -5
Mr. K didn't have to wait for Clary's answer to know it would be yes, it was simply his way of asking permission to pry a little bit. He'd waited patiently as she battled with herself, noting the twitch of her tail and the somewhat loosened aggression of her stance. Anyone would be able to tell that she was speaking form personal experience, she would not be having such an obvious reaction otherwise.
"Were these people your family?" He asked, risking another gentle prod into her personal bubble. If she resisted, he would back off, but if she really wanted to get these feelings off her chest, he was willing to be there for her. In a way, this was his way of having perfect balance. He was always prepared in dealing with situations like these, he understood the kids.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 18:31:39 GMT -5
OOC: haha she has a personal psychiatrist IC: She glanced at him, head tilted slightly, curious as to why he was asking these questions. Couldn't he look them up somewhere in the school records or archives? She was in control now, having one that battle, but she knew there would be more. She hesitated, wondering how much to give out and how much she hadn't told. She wasn't sure about the limits she should have about telling her past. Sometimes it felt good to rant about it, but she didn't know when it might be used as a tool against her. She decided that she'd supply him with this answer - he seemed trustworthy - and see what the questions were. If she didn't like them, then she wouldn't answer. Back to what the simplicity of the world could be. "Yes. They were. They aren't anymore."
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 18:43:02 GMT -5
((Oh yes, Mr. K's the like pocket-knife of psychiatrists =P ))
At this point Mr. K was observing Clary carefully, making note of her behavior, every move she made, her expression...anything to help him in his efforts to help her. Regardless of the files he'd read, and the background check done by the academy when she first arrived, he preferred to hear the information from her. That way he could tell how she felt about her experiences, and thus determine they affected her now, and affected her powers.
"Aren't they?" He was somewhat intrigued by that choice of response, momentarily considering whether or not to pursue the topic further. She seemed calm, for now, so he decided to ask another question, "You ran away?" He already knew that was fact, from the background check done on her, but wanted to hear it from her.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 18:54:14 GMT -5
She turned to face him full on. "What else could I do? Live a life where everyone was afraid of me? Where no one would understand or even try to understand? I was brooding in my room 3/4 of the time." She replied, trying to keep her cool. It appeared to her that though he might have heard stories like hers, he had never experienced them himself. He couldn't necessarily relate to her. Her tail flicked in annoyance. "Family consists of people who love you and care for you, no matter what. My old family wasn't like that. A real family would have tried to understand, get an explanation and help. They just avoided me like I was someone diagnosed with a deadly disease."
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 19:30:51 GMT -5
Mr. K could sense the distance in Clary's tone, suggesting she didn't feel he could understand her. Another thing he encountered often, and couldn't exactly dissuade, considering it was true, there were things he never experienced, but that didn't mean he couldn't understand. Or at least conceive of a situation and how one would react to it. He could hear a bit of harshness developing in her tone again, so he relaxed his approach, not wanting to push too hard for risk of pushing her away.
"Do you believe that?" he asked, deciding to focus on a particular point in her words, "That what you have is a disease?"
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 15, 2009 7:01:27 GMT -5
She shrugged. "I don't know. If my cat gave it to me, he bit me, then in a way, I do. If I was born with it and it just needed to 'manifest' or whatever it's called, then I guess I don't. It's not deadly, otherwise I'd be, well... dead." She glanced down at him, and decided to ask him his own question. No one said that she had to be the only person giving out answers. "What about you? Do you think that your ability is a disease? Do you hate it like a curse or embrace it like a friend?" The last question had come out of no where, but she was curious all the same to know his answer. Seeing as it got him through medical and doctoring school, he probably liked his ability, an almost free scholarship. And a job working with other messed up people. She leaned thoughtfully against the tree trunk, waiting for his reply, seeing if it would confirm her thoughts.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 15, 2009 12:56:13 GMT -5
Mr. K figured he couldn't expect much better of an answer from Clary at this point, a response that didn't really answer his question, but at least it gave him some idea of how she felt. He wasn't sure how much he appreciated her turning the conversation back on him again, but went along with it for the sake of being fair. He was never ashamed of talking about himself if that was what needed to be done.
"Like anyone else, it's a matter of control." He began to explain, looking up at her in the tree, "My abilities were frightening to me when they first manifested, because biokinesis isn't only about healing. It comes with the opposite of healing, the destruction and distortion of biology...and also the hunger to learn and discover. It took me time to control it, but I was determined, and now that I have control, I do embrace it. In fact I wouldn't be very much without it."
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