Blending In

C

creatiflux

Guest
Original poster
She pulled an outdated MP3 player from her pocket and pushed her headphones into her ears. Jordan Buchanan wasn't paying attention to the people passing her. For a student at university, she hadn't really found her 'group', and that left her being the weird girl that had no specific set of friends. She was on her way to anatomy, a class she'd wound up taking to fill her schedule on a whim. She was going to be a teacher, so she didn't really need the class, but she was curious. You never knew when someone would as you where the radius was.

The blonde crossed the lawn, ignoring the signs that directed her toward the sidewalk. A shortcut was necessary in her mind. As she reached the building, she pulled the earbuds out and grabbed the door, pulling it open and holding it behind her for the person that had come up from behind, casting a friendly smile over her shoulder.


(A bit short, sorry! They'll get better. Let me know if you don't like this opportunity for them to meet, we'll do something else)
 
Aodan had never enjoyed the opportunity to socialise among his own kind, as the fall had occurred many years before his own birth. He was among the last of his kind, and so he hid. All of them did, for they feared entire extinction. As a result of this, he had spent the last few hundred years ingratiating himself in various human societies, always moving on before they caught on that he was not normal. He was by no means immortal, but he aged so slowly that he could only ever spend two decades (at a push), in a single area.

Today was his first day attempting to fit in as a student, and so far it was going well. Of course, he was only a few minutes out of the starting blocks, but so far no one had paid him too much attention, other than the odd comment about the stoic and rather intimidating demeanor he posessed. His human body was tall and well built, and that, coupled with distinctly amber eyes that posessed little warmth, it wasn't surprising that some found him a bit scary. He had the look of someone who didn't care about the world, particularly when one looked at the deep brunette hair that was the definition of a birds nest.

Despite all this, when a girl so kindly held a door open for him, he did offer her a small smile. "Thanks." It wasn't much, but he did at least know how to be polite. It turned out that the two of them were heading in the same direction, which was slightly awkward. Aodan attempted to make some sort of conversation, "So, where are you headed?" He was taking anatomy too, as it turned out, as he was always trying to increase his knowledge of the human body. He needed to, as he could never visit a doctor, and so the ability to treat his own illness or injuries was paramount.
 
She had managed to hold the door for one of the more intimidating members of the student body. Who was she to judge, though? It wasn't as though people never were different than they looked. What was the phrase? Never judge a book by it's cover. Jordan wasn't surprised when he did smile back. One couldn't believe all that they saw and heard, otherwise life would leave nothing to the imagination. The girl was a genuinely friendly person, so if this guy was as decent as she decided to expect him to be, she aimed to befriend him.


He wasn't terrible to look at, and he was a good five or six inches taller than her. She tuggeed on her ponytail lightly, a nervous habit she hadn't outgrown in middle school. Better that than a nailbiter, she'd reasoned. Green eyes and fair skin made up for her lack of perfect looks. She couldn't help but notice that the boy didn't seem to have that excited spark that most did on their first day to classes, before it wore off and you realized you were paying to read books, which you also had to pay for.


"Anytime!" She said, shifting the strap of her bag on her shoulder and glancing over at him, figuring they'd be parting ways. One step, two.. They were still walking in the same direction. She commended him on not making the situation pointedly awkward, and he even tried to start a conversation. "Anatomy. You?" She asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him, and then at the numbers on the wall as she passed, waiting for her classroom to come up. "Have a name?" She questioned easily, never one to hold back her curiosities.
 
He had to admit, that this was probably one of the most uncomfortable things he had done. Even moonlighting as a government official, back in the good ol' days of Queen Vic had allowed him to feel more at home. The problem here, was the fact that all these new and potentially bright sparks were just that, but he was an old and wizened character. He was already tired with life, whereas those that milled about him like insects were still fresh and prepared to change the world in their own unique way. It was this distinct disparity in attitude that caused him to stand out like a sore thumn, far more than anything else.

But, it seemed that one human was at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Happy days. And it turned out that this young lady was also filling her time with learning about the body in which she lived, though it was more than likely that this was for far more frivolous reasons. "Ditto." Aodan responded, offering a wan smile that was hardly befitting of one of his stature. Although old, he had still got a lot of learning to do about the modern world. It had taken him a long while to adjust, and ever since the second great war, he'd been playing catch up with the runaway pace of modern life.

"I'm Aodan. And yourself?" As he spoke, he ran a hand through his mess of dark brown hair, not that it really helped matters. In truth it was just something to do, if only for a second or two. At least soon they'd have to shut up and pay attention in class, which would undoubtedly be taken as wool gathering time on the part of the phoenix. He'd listen as best he could, of course, but it was far more important to continue his adjustment to life as this student persona he had taken on.
 
She was pretty good at avoiding people in the relatively crowded hall. Jordan stepped away from her new found acquaintance to avoid being trampled by someone that was far too tall to expect to go around her. She slipped her hands into her pockets, resuming her counting on the walls. She preferred the days following the first, mostly because there was a little less misdirection and wrong turns and more learning and becoming more acclimated to this new world. It was like figuring out high school as an incoming freshman, but far, far more intimidating. She glanced at the brunette for a moment.

She didn't quite know why it seemed like he wasn't like the rest of the group. Perhaps he was older? Maybe he'd done this before? She didn't know, not yet, but she was hoping that she could figure out what it was eventually. It wasn't as though she could just say 'Hey, where's your excitement?' like it was a totally normal thing to do. When the man smiled, she smiled back and then pointed a finger at the room three doors down. "That's where we need to be." She told him with a confident nod.

"I'm Jordan. Nice to meet you." She told him, figuring that was as good a way as any to make it known she was actually not minding his company. If he was anything like her, he wouldn't know whether she was humoring him or actually cared, and that was an avoidable thing with a few precautions. She had to hide a smile as his hand ran through his tangle of hair. Something about him was interesting, She turned the handle on the door, and much like how they met, held it open for him behind her. Jordan walked into the classroom, seeing that they were just on time, as there were still some stragglers wandering in.
 
The hustle and bustle of the first day of the semester was more of a brawl, but it was nothing compared to war - so at least one person was fairly well prepared for the jumble of barely adult men and women that seemed to suddenly think that they owned the hallways. Obviously, this person happened to have the advantage of having lived a considerably longer life than the others destined for their classes, not that he planned on letting on about this. Aodan managed to navigate the halls with relative ease, just about keeping in stride with the first acquaintance of the year. She seemed like a nice enough girl, so maybe he'd befriend her. He wasn't one for close relationships, as his lifespan was not conducive to things ending well. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't have casual friendships.

As they arrived at their class, Aodan smiled once more, "Good luck. Hope you can handle it." He winked, though he immediately regretted such a silly gesture. He was aware that it didn't make much sense, but it was done now. Perhaps he wasn't as good at this whole human thing as he had first thought. But, no matter. He deliberately took a seat a little way away from Jordan, feeling that he should at least allow themselves some opportunity to make other acquaintances. There was no point in only befriending one person. That wasn't the point of college, or so he had been led to believe. In any case, there was not much chance to talk during the class, as Aodan happened to take these things quite seriously. He listened and took extensive notes, writing in an elegant hand that was almost calligraphy. He had learnt in a time where this was the common hand, though perhaps it was a little extravagant nowadays.
 
Since the beginning of her kindergarten year, Jordan had a knack for picking out the odd one out. Generally, this was a point of concern for her mother and father, who had always just wanted a normal, happy child that wasn't absolutely strange. They wanted a kid that would go out for a sports team rather than creating a club for history buffs. Alas, they were setting out to be disappointed by her performance in their book. So she had to wonder if she'd pulled it off again. Her first acquaintance was the intimidating guy with no spark. Fourteen years of school and counting, she was mildly impressed with herself, if he proved to fit the bill. His words and wink made her laugh. "I could say the same to you."

Of course, when they reached class, she went in her own direction, placing herself besides a friendly faced boy that looked to be a freshman as well. Their strange conversation ended abruptly when the professor walked in and seemed to be going directly into teaching. No disinteresting autobiography from him. This was like a high point in her day, because she knew better than to expect the same from all of the other instructors. She got out her notebook and began to write as soon as he began on the topic. When he'd pause or go into an example of why this bone was important, she would listen and doodle in the margins, waiting for class to either end or the note taking to resume once more. She really did need to brush up on her skills with passing a class that was actually going to be a challenge, as at the rate she was going her notes were sub-par, comparing herself to the man beside her.
 
The class wasn't exactly challenging, which was perhaps a little disappointing. He'd spent so many years studying the human body and its inner workings, that in places he was even making notes ahead of the professor, able to predict which words he was approaching, and of course - which would be the salient points that he might need to remember. Despite already knowing most of what was being taught to him, Aodan still paid close attention, wanting to at least appear as though he was making an effort in this class, much like any other student. He sseemed to be managing relatively well, as throughout the class no one around him seemed to be paying much attention to him. Wonderful.

By the end of the class, many of the new students were flagging, but Aodan was still going strong. He didn't stop his note taking until the very last sentence, snapping his book shhut - hiding the quite obviously arcane hand in which he wrote. He was old fashioned by anyones standards, as was his handwriting, not that many paid that much attention to such things. No one did today, anyway, leaving Aodan free to go about his business. He headed to a cafe, feeling that he'd do the usual thing of coffee. Why humans fawned over the drink so much, he would never know. He was partial to a cappucino, but he certainly wasn't a coffee buff, unlike so many of the people around here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back