fly away, lead me astray [Faye]

[Riordan Shonski]

Rio shifted his arm in its sling, glad that the plaster was beginning to loosen. At least he could now move his wrist around a little, although it hurt to do so. He scratched his neck, bending his head to the side and feeling the click as his neck realigned itself. He'd only just woken up, and it was far too early to be going to class. He was just bored, and had decided to go for a walk. He made his way around the outside of the school, to the meadows out behind, heading towards the stream.

When he got there, he sat on the bank, stretched out his legs on the soft grass and leaned back, putting his good hand behind him and leaning on it. Downstream, there was a small figure, a girl with long dark hair, staring intently into the water. She wasn't of much interest to him, so he simply leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing himself to unwind.

A splash caught his attention, and he jerked upright, pulling his legs in instinctively. Staring around, he realised the girl from earlier was now in the stream, flailing around wildly. She couldn't swim, apparently. He got to his feet, debating his situation. On the one hand, he could leave her, claim he tried but his broken wrist hampered him if she was injured. On the other, he could pull her out, play the big hero, get some credit for it. The second one appealed marginally more, so Riordan ambled down to where she was splashing in the water. Crouching by the stream, he outstretched a hand, caught one flailing arm, and dragged her onto the bank. She was young, he noticed, smaller than most of the other girls here (with the exception of Laura and the little redheaded one). He lay her down gently on the bank and crouched beside her. She was breathing; that was good. "Hey, are you OK? Looked like you were in a bit of trouble there."

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

A Faerie! Faye had been watching the water, wondering if she'd see one, and she'd been lucky. As soon as she'd seen it, she jumped into the water, sticking her head under the surface in an attempt to get a better glimpse. It was...painful. Made her stomach ache, but it was worth it if she could just see the Faerie... Despite the uncomfortable feeling, she opened her eyes under water and looked around desperately. He had been such a beautiful blue, and if she could see him, it would be a sign that she was doing well. Laila had told her; the Faerie Queen sent Faeries to let Humans - and in her case, Changelings - that they were doing well, if their ambition was to become a Faerie.

She couldn't see it, and her lungs were starting to ache. As she tried to surface, however, she realized that she wasn't too sure which way was up. Her eyes were blurry and aching, and it took a moment before she realized that she was upside-down. Interesting. Pushing herself up, she broke through the water and sucked in air, only to find that she was sinking again. Her clothes were so heavy... Faye began to panic slightly as she went under the water again, and thrashed her arms, trying to keep herself afloat. Sticking her left hand in her pocket, she felt around, trying to find her protection crystal. Rose Quartz; what if it had fallen out? Oh, Faerie Queen, it had.

As she was about to force herself under, she felt something grab her wrist and screamed, twisting around as she was pulled from the water. For a moment she was stunned; wondering if a Faerie had saved her, before she saw that it was just a Human boy. Faye ignored his words and jumped up again, kicking at him violently when she felt him grab her arm again. He released her and she jumped into the water, probably splashing him as she flew in. She didn't care; later, she would hate herself for upsetting him, but at that moment she needed her crystal. She couldn't see the deep pink anywhere she looked, and knew that she was crying (or would have been, had she been out of the water). Pushing up, she desperately looked around for the Human that had saved her before. " Please please please help me I dropped my crystal and I need it please! " Her voice was almost hysterical, but she couldn't make herself care. If she lost the crystal that Laila gave her...

[Riordan Shonski]

Rio swore as she kicked him, catching his bad wrist hard with her foot. "Shit!" he snarled as she disappeared back into the water. Fucking loony. He hugged his wrist to his chest and brushed water off his face and out of his hair, glaring at the girl as she surfaced again. Ungrateful bitch, he'd saved her, and she'd just kicked him and dived back in. He shook his head, and water sprayed everywhere. She reappeared; she seemed hysterical, screaming something about a crystal. Would he get it for her? For a while, he considering telling her to go to hell. There was a long pause while he debated. His wrist hurt, he was sopping wet, and she was insane.

He scowled at her. "Get out of the way. I'll get it." he'd find a way to make sure it was worth it in the long run. Carefully, he untangled his aching wrist from the sling, then pushed her out of the way and waded in. The stream was deep, coming up about his chest, but it wasn't cold. Carefully, he looked down, searching for the crystal. He wasn't spending any more time in the water than was necessary. A glint of pink caught his eye, and he took a deep breath and dived. He kept his eyes open, and caught it before his lungs even started to ache. Rio surfaced, dragged himself onto the shore and kicked back from the water, lying down on the grass and scowling at the sky.

He held up the crystal to her without sitting up. "There. Don't lose it again, I'm not diving in there again for you." He replaced his arm in the sling, turned his head so his cheek was against the cool grass and he could see her, and growled, "A thank-you would be nice, love. You realise I'm going to need at least a double dose of painkillers after this? When you kick people, try not to aim for their broken bones, if you don't mind."

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

In the pause before the Human male dived in, Faye thought she was going to be sick. What if he wouldn't help her and she couldn't find the crystal? Just as she was about to beg him to help her again, she heard him tell her to get out of the way. Of course she would. Flailing her arms, she noticed that if she faced a certain direction and made her arms go a certain way, she would move in that direction. Interesting. Moving towards the bank, Faye managed to climb out by herself, which she was quite proud of. Curling up on the grass, she watched anxiously as the Human jumped into the water, went under and came up again very quickly. For a second, she was worried that he hadn't got the crystal; and then she saw the familiar brightness in his hand.

She could barely resist snatching it out of his hands; but that would be awfully rude. As she relaxed, Faye realized what she had said to him before, screaming at him to get her crystal and wiped her eyes. She was such an awful Changeling. If she kept treating people like this, she knew, she'd never become a Faerie. Twitching slightly, she managed to stop herself pouncing on the Human as he lay down, glaring at her. He didn't look too impressed with her. She wouldn't be impressed with herself, if she was a Human and allowed to not be impressed with people. And he was giving her the crystal... Faye didn't notice his glare, just took the rose quartz and cupped it in her hands, rolling it around. Soaked, but it wasn't damaged.

When he spoke, Faye blushed. How had she forgotten to thank him? " I'm sorry! I just...it's a protection crystal, I'm sorry for causing you trouble! And about your hand... Can I do anything to help you? Anything? " She sounded desperate again, and she was. Had she hurt his hand? She couldn't remember that. Stroking the crystal protectively, she wondered what the strangers name was. Quartz, she decided. It wasn't a flower name, but a crystal, and he had protected her by jumping in. " Quartz... " She muttered his name aloud. It didn't seem to fit this dark haired boy. " Black Quartz. "

[Riordan Shonski]

He pushed himself upright into a sitting position, crossed his legs and watched her as she stared into the crystal. She seemed transfixed by it, staring into the dark pink piece of rock like it was sacred. Then again, it probably was to her. You got all sorts here. His comment seemed to snap her out of her reverie, though, and she seemed panicked. He forced himself to smile at her, through the pain of his broken wrist and the discomfort of his soaking clothes. "Don't worry, everyone's got something that's special to them." Like you and your looks, thought the snappy part of him that sometimes piped up with useless sarcasm. He ignored it, and added, "Haven't seen you around much. Do you normally jump into streams, or are you just that bored?"

He ignored her last comment. Black quartz? It looked kind of pink to him. He wondered if that was what she was talking about; he'd been looking at him as she said it. Oh well. He'd find out sooner or later, he supposed. The throbbing in his wrist was slowly fading now, but it was cold, and wet, and the plaster cast was melting or disintegrating or something around his arm. He tried blowing on it to dry it, but it didn't work, and he soon stopped. Resting it in his lap, which was no drier than the cast, he watched her curiously, soaking wet hair falling across his face, dark clothes clinging to his body.

What the hell had she been thinking, diving in like that? Maybe she had hallucinations or something. Maybe she was suicidal. Looking at her, he thought probably the first one. And... protection crystal? That was new. Rio hadn't really registered that until now, but now he thought about it, it seemed she might be delusional. Maybe she thought something had dragged her in and she needed her crystal to protect her from those things? He frowned, wondering what could prompt this girl to dive fully clothed into a deep stream when she obviously couldn't swim.

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

Faye watched Quartz - as she called him in her head for short - seemed a little less mad at her , which was good. Meant her apology had done something to placate him. He still didn't look happy, but she supposed that she wouldn't be too happy if someone kicked her broken wrist. No, that wasn't right. She'd be happy if that happened. She was always happy, or at least tried to be. Faeries always were.

She smiled as best she could. "You're right... What do you have that's special to you? " It was a question with genuine curiosity behind it. She smiled at his other words, wondering what to say. She didn't usually jump into stream, no. She hadn't ever been in water that was deeper than a bath before. Laila hadn't liked public swimming pools, and it wasn't like they'd take a trip to the seaside, where Humans were everywhere.

" I thought I saw a Faerie... But it flew away when I jumped in. " She smiled at Quartz, happy at the memory. " I haven't been in water before, though... It's sorta wet. " State the obvious. Faye blushed slightly. " Are you new here? And um, what happened to your arm? " It looked painful. Why was he blowing on it? To make it hurt less? She assumed it was some odd, Human thing, forgetting the water that soaked the material encasing his arm.

She couldn't resist asking. Before he had a chance to speak, the words were out of her mouth. " And...um, what species are you? " Apparently, Humans thought that was an odd question to ask, but she had to know. Although the boy didn't look like a Faerie - and she couldn't see the distinctive mark of a Changeling - she had been wrong about things like that before. Laila would point people out on the street that were Faeries; and Faye would always get it wrong. She smiled almost desperately at Quartz this time, hoping that she had been wrong about assuming his species. It would be wonderful to have a Faerie at her school.

[Riordan Shonski]

She didn't look happy. Kind of terrified, actually. And a little desperate, still. What did she want now? He'd saved her precious crystal. His arm throbbed, and he winced. Fuuuck. This wasn't a good start to the day. Rio rubbed his hand down the cast, knocking off loosened bits of plaster here and there. In one place, his golden-brown skin showed through the layer of disintegrating plaster, and he scowled. Now he'd have to go to the medical room and get it fixed.

But first, the girl. "That's special to me? My arm, for starters," he wondered if she'd catch the reproach in his words. Probably not, most people here weren't exactly adept at reading emotions. Well, that was all the answer she'd be getting now. His hair dripped in his eyes, and he pushed it back. It had dried enough now that it simply stuck straight up, and he sighed and ruffled it carelessly, before taking his hand away and telling himself to stop fiddling with his hair. It could sort itself out.

He next words surprised him, to say the least. His face remained a mask of quizzical good humour, but if he'd had his way, he'd have been... laughing so hard he clapped like a retarded seal, most likely. And that wouldn't be good for his image. The girl would probably run away. Which would be ironic. "Really, a Faerie? That's... good. And yeah, one of the things about water is that it tends to be wet." A fucking fairy. She saw fairies. This could be interesting, very interesting.

"Nah, I've been here a few weeks. You're new, though, right? I haven't seen you around much. And my arm got broken. Long story, it was my fault. I, ah, upset someone." Slick. Upset, huh? You're lucky Hudson didn't break more than your arm, the state he was in. Strange, he seems the type with a long temper. Ah well, Jo seems to inspire protectiveness. "Species? I'm a human... sorry, what's your name? How come, what species are you?"

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

Faye watched his arm. It seemed to be flaking, which would have been gross if it had been his actual skin. She thought it was the cast, though. If it was his skin, he would have been more upset. Probably. You did get some weird types here. Maybe he was a skin picker! She giggled to herself at the thought, and then tentatively stuck her hand out, scraping off some of the plaster gently, careful not to hurt him. She'd never be a Faerie if she managed to hurt Quartz twice in one day. " Um... You might need to get that mended. It looks...does it hurt? " Obviously, it hurt. God, she could be stupid sometimes.

At his words, she winced, biting her lip. " I'm really sorry... Can I help? I'll do anything..." She hoped that he wouldn't take that too literally, and then she remembered that that was bad. She had to help other people, any way she could. Even if those ways hurt. She chewed on her lip a little harder, looking around, and focusing on the river in case the Faerie came back. She hadn't seen it yet, but it might appear soon... It'd be nice. A sign that she was doing something right.

She watched Quartz fiddle with his hair, wondering what he was doing. Maybe he just liked to stroke his own head. It might be comforting... Faye tried it, touching her head that way he was, but didn't find it very relaxing. It just hurt her head when she ruffled her hair up. Each to their own, she supposed.

She smiled happily at Quartz. He looked slightly confused, but most people were when she first told them about Faeries. And he wasn't laughing at her, which was good. It was embarrassing when people laughed. They'd done it a lot at her old school, and then flapped their arms and ran around, pretending to fly. And then laughed more when she told them that Faeries didn't flap their arms to fly, they flapped their wings. That hadn't been fun. " Yes... A blue one. A water Faerie. She was pretty... I hope she comes back. " She decided to ignore his comment about water. She'd already blushed a lot.

Nodding, she took her hand back from absently peeling off layers of plaster from his arm, realizing that she'd been doing it for quite a while. " Yes, I'm new. It's my second day... " She smiled again. He obviously didn't understand what Faeries were, but still, he wasn't laughing. " Oh, I'm Faye. Or Faerydae, but Faye is easier... And I'm a Changeling. I thought you were a Human, but I was hoping... I mean, wondering. Just in case. You look sorta Faerie-like. " ' Okay Faye, stop babbling now... '

[Riordan Shonski]

He grinned as she started stroking his arm, and held it out slightly so she could reach it more easily. "A bit. I'll get it fixed later, no rush. And don't worry about it." Rio gave her a friendly smile. He could see great potential in this one. Anything? That was the kind of apology he liked to hear. Leaning back on his free hand, he watched her for a few minutes. She seemed a little nervous, eager to please. Well. He could work with that, definitely. "So, Faeries, huh? Can you tell me about them?"

His voice came out completely sincere. His smile faded, leaving an expression of intense interest that was not, for once, feigned. He wanted to find out about this girl, see what she meant. How her mind worked. Delusional, obviously. Quite possibly dependent personality. "I mean, you say I look like a Faerie. What do they look like? I've never seen one," he asked, genuinely curious. "Is there a special knack for seeing them, or do you just have look in the right places, at the right time?"

None of the other students at this school had grasped his interest quite as strongly as Faye had, he had to admit. She fascinated him. But then, what other students here could claim they were Changelings and jumped into streams to see Faeries? He tilted his head to one side, examining her. Delusional, definitely. Dependant, probably... or self-defeating? She did seem a little too eager to please, a little bit too self-sacrificing. And far too apologetic. That sounded about right. Maybe post-traumatic stress? It might explain the delusions. Rio made a mental note of those things. Delusional, traumatized, self-defeating. Wow, but I can have fun with this one.

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

Faye beamed happily at Quartz. She loved it when people actually cared about Faeries. He didn't seem like the type of person that was going to ask and then just laugh at her or anything; he seemed genuinely nice. After all, he'd jumped in the stream to save her crystal, hadn't he? He must be nice. She wondered where to start; how to introduce Faeries to a non-believer. It would be tricky, she thought. She knew that she and her family could sometimes sound insane. Just like those really religious people that did crazy things. The difference was, Laila was right. Other religions were wrong. No - not wrong. misguided.

" Well... It's quite complicated. Basically, though, Faeries are Humans - or another species, although it's rare - that are so wonderful, the Faerie Queen decided to make them into a Faerie. They're...immortal beings, and each Faerie is a Faerie of something - so the Faerie I saw earlier was a River. " She wondered if she was boring Quartz, and hoped not. He seemed nice. And boring people was a sin, most likely.

Hmm, how did she describe what Faeries looked like? " Well... They look... Unearthly is the best word. Like they come from a different place. I often get it wrong though...say that Humans are Faeries when they aren't. " Faye paused. She wasn't sure if there was a knack for seeing Faeries, or if she was just lucky and could. " I think...to see a Faerie, you have to believe. Although I'm not completely sure... But there are Faeries everywhere. All around us. They choose to show themselves as a message from the Faerie Queen - if a Human, or someone that wants to become a Faerie, is doing especially well. Like, if they're doing good. Or pleasing people. "

[Riordan Shonski]

Damn, but he'd just made one little girl very happy. Simply by asking about her sad little delusions. Jackpot! Rio returned her smile, and sat back to listen. This would be interesting. "So... you have to please people? And anyone could become a Faerie?" He could really work with this. Spend some time with her, gain her trust, and he could have a field day, smashing her silly little dreams.

Idly, he wondered whether he could get a shag out of her. She would, if he asked, but that probably wouldn't be as good as what he had in mind for her. No, stick with friendship. Make her think you want the same as she does. I could probably help her 'help' people, actually. Point her to people who need work doing and shit, I'm willing to bet she'd like that.

He brushed more flakes off his arm. The cast was more or less gone now, just little streaks of white dappling his arm. The majority of plaster was on his lap and the grass around him, leaving grey marks on his black jeans. Sighing, he pushed himself upright, brushed the marks off as best he could- apparently, wet plaster stained-, and sat back down on a cleaner patch of grass, nodding at Faye to continue as he did so. He thought about how long he'd last before telling her. A month, two months? About two, he decided. He was patient. And the longer you waited, the sweeter the rewards. Good things come to those who wait, right?

"And also..." he began, delicately picking a blade of grass and shredding between his fingers and thumb, "Does it work the other way? What if someone's really bad, so they turn into a... Dark Faerie, or something?"

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

Quartz was nice, Faye thought. He hadn't laughed at her name, he hadn't laughed at the mention of Faeries, and he was actually interested in them! Plus, he had rescued her crystal. He could probably become a Faerie if he wanted... Lucky. He was naturally nice; she really had to work at it, just because the stupid Changelings had made her into one of them. No, it was bad to think like that... She pulled her hand back from brushing the plaster off his arm and sat cross-legged, her hands in her lap and her head hanging as she sent off good thoughts to make up for being horrible. Hopefully, it would work. Sometimes she had to send off good thoughts for ages; Laila would always tell her when she'd sent enough. The longest had been for seven hours non-stop, after she'd looked miserable by mistake.

" Yes. Well, you have to help people, make them happy... Anyone, theoretically, can be a Faerie. It's harder for some, though. I'm a Changeling, so I have to try extra hard not to be horrible. " She sighed quietly. She could be a bitch at times. She sent off another few good thoughts - Quartz's jeans looked nice, thank you Fabric Faeries, the tree over there is really pretty, thank you Tree Faerie, I'm learning at this school, thank you Changeling Faerie for sending me here. That was hopefully enough.

Faye stared at Quartz looked scandalized at his question. Dark Faeries? Never! Anything evil would never be called a Faerie. Never ever ever. They were called Changelings, or if they were really evil, they were called Demons. She shuddered at the thought. They were so unspeakably evil... They always enjoyed inflicting pain; lied, cheated, everything bad that a Faerie would never do. They were less likely to ever become a Faerie than she was. " No! " Realizing her voice sounded harsh, she tried her best to soften it. " I mean... You get Changelings, like me, which are basically evil people that replace Human babies. And you get...Demons, which are pure evil. And they disguise themselves as Humans. " She felt sick just thinking about it.

[Riordan Shonski]

She was falling for it, Rio could see it in those big brown puppy eyes of hers. She thought he actually cared, poor girl. He lay back down on the grass, staring up at the sky. It was clear, bright blue, with tiny wisps of cloud hovering here and there. It was quiet and warm, and there was very little wind. It was a lovely day, and Rio felt very peaceful, which was in itself unusual. Not that that was bad: peace wasn't really his thing. Chaos, now there was something he enjoyed, especially when he'd caused it. But he was letting his thoughts ramble now, and he tugged his thoughts back to Faye and what she was saying to him.

Rio opened his mouth to apologise for upsetting her, then thought that through. She'd probably kill herself. "But you're not irredeemable, right? Whereas Demons are. That's... well. I guess you'd have to be a really nasty person to become one of those." He chewed on his lip, staring up at the sky, and stretched lazily. "So you can accept help? I mean, if I were to help you... help people, would that count, or would the credit all go to me? Or would it count if I pointed out people who I thought needed help?"

His wrist was getting less painful, but the incessant throbbing remained. He bought his other hand up to where it rested above his head, rubbing it gently, wincing every now and then. The girl had one hell of a kick, he decided as pain lanced up his arm. He'd need the cast replaced, probably more painkillers, and almost certainly more time in the cast, which was a pain in the arse. The novelty had worn off by now, and he was simply sick of being unable to do anything properly.

[Faerydae Lily Elfe]

Faye was unsure what to do when Quartz lay down. Was she expected to do the same? She decided against it, and sat, her legs crossed over one another and her hands playing with the grass. It was pretty here, she thought. A little meadow. It'd be nice to paint; especially at night, with Faeries flying around. She started to picture the scene - it'd be sunset, or just after, so the field would be in a deep, shadowey blue. The stream would be at the side of the picture, winding in and out of the right hand side of the canvas, and she'd only use one of the three or four trees that were scattered around. That would go more in the centre of the picture; it could be the home of all the local Faeries, and they could be drawn, flitting in and out from the tree. She loved drawing Faeries; they were always in a pale light, with different colours depending on what type they were. A tree Faerie would be in a light green, for example.

She thought about what Quartz had said. You'd have to be an awful person to be a Demon, that was true. But they weren't Demons because they were awful people - they were awful people because they were Demons. There was a difference, but it would probably be hard to explain. She decided just to leave it, and hope it wasn't a sin. She wasn't lying to him, was she? A lie of omission... Faye decided to explain. " Well, you don't just turn into a Demon, thankfully. You are a Demon, or you're not. And they are everything that's evil in the world. "' He was right about the other thing though; she wasn't irredeemable, if that meant what she thought it meant, which was irreversible. " I - and all Changelings - can be Faeries, if we try really hard. But it's difficult. Being nice - or at least, not evil - doesn't come naturally to us. " Which was a pity.

Faye looked anxious when she saw him rubbing his arm, looking like he was in pain. That was her fault, wasn't it? Maybe if she tried being extra helpful to him, for a long time - like, eternity, judging by the amount of pain she'd caused him - she'd make up for it. Or maybe not. She didn't know if you could take back evil things, even if you hadn't meant to do them. " Well... " She hesitated, unsure. " Laila always used to point out people that needed help to me. So, I think that counted for both of us, because she was helping me become a Faerie. " Did that mean that he was going to help her? Faye hoped so. She wasn't very good at pointing out people who needed help; she often got it wrong, and annoyed people by asking, or she'd ignore the people that needed the help most. She wasn't sure how exactly she asked if Quartz was suggesting a hypothetical situation or if he meant that he'd help her, and couldn't think of a polite way to ask, so she left it. He would be sure to explain. And if he did want to help her, maybe she could do him a painting in return.

[Riordan Shonski]

He nodded, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead. "Well, that's good to know. Shame about you having trouble not being evil, though. I'm sure you'll manage it eventually. You've been very nice from what I've seen of you." He thought idly about how long it would take her to come to trust him. Maybe she was one of those people who believed everything they were told, like Leah and Jess. Quite possibly: the Dependant personality disorder would see to that, provided he was right about it.

"Maybe I could help you, then. That way, I could help us both, right? I'd like to do that," he lied, sending her his sweetest smile and hoping she'd accept his offer. He'd have a lot of fun with this one, and he could probably use her to get credit with the other pupils, which would put him in good stead later on during his time here. Pushing himself upright again, he winced and rubbed his arm. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go and get this sorted out. I'll talk to you later, OK?"

With that, he sent her another smile, pushed himself off the ground, and sauntered away, smirking to himself. Oh, boy. This place was even better than his old school. Higher stakes, better rewards... On the one hand, the kids were precious, just waiting for the right kind of attention to push them off the edge. On the other hand, if they knew who gave the push, he'd probably be locked up for the rest of his time here, something that didn't at all appeal. He wouldn't be able to make the most of the world of opportunities this school provided for him.

As he walked, he wondered what he was going to tell the nurse. He'd probably say he was trying to save the girl, and not mention the conversation they'd had afterwards. Hopefully, they wouldn't go to Faye and ask her. If he said he didn't know her, it would be fine, though.