Cryptic comments and misunderstandings hurrah

[helpthehurt]

"The uniforms...sing. Supplication and sundering, stout and steady...many hearts come through these halls but they all turn the same way in the end. The learning is less important than the feeling."

...Is the kind of thing Cole mutters as he wanders the halls, following people around with a look on his face like he's about to spill a really personal secret about whoever he's looking at. Someone should probably collect him.

((OOC: Cole has a form of limited mind-reading which basically amounts to him saying extremely vague things about someone's personal pain because he wants to help heal it. Let me know if you ain't cool with that!))

Comments

You do love your uncomplicated squeaky-clean innocents

[helpthehurt]

"Oh, no, I don't have to think about doing most things anymore. I'm used to this shape now."

Kiyotaka is nice to think of helping Cole do things he doesn't have to think about anymore, like standing or smelling, but it's not necessary. His soul burns bright enough to catch Cole's attention, which he expresses by staring wide-eyed at him. Unblinking.

[forgetbeam]

"What--"

Ah, wait. Asking him to clarify is useless. By the look in this guy's eyes, there's no doubt about it. This guy has definitely been... what's that phrase going around... blazing it? He's blazed so much meth. Except for the crazy drugged lollipop fiasco the other year, Kiyotaka hasn't had much experience at all with dealing with people high off their asses but he is pretty sure that one wrong move could result in him getting stabbed. Like hell is he going to back down, though. He stares right back.

"Come with me. I'm escorting you off school grounds at once!"

[helpthehurt]

Cole could make Kiyotaka forget him of course, just wave his hand and vanish...but his pain was shining like a beacon, a giant rock tied around his neck and this is exactly the thing that attracts Cole rather than gets rid of him.

"He thought you were stronger than him, but...the despair made things brittle. He hadn't meant to do it -the bear made him- but that couldn't change anything. He didn't want to admit it couldn't."

[forgetbeam]

For the first few words, Kiyotaka's ready to pass it off as more inane nonsense. This guy sure is the talkative sort, but it's better he loses control of his words than losing control of his temper or something. But certain words in the rambling stick out to him - despair and bear in the same breath never have a good association - and Kiyotaka withdraws his hand, fingers curling into an uncertain fist.

"How do you know about something like that?" He can't. Or else it was that broadcast he's been told about. It doesn't matter anyway. Kitty struggles enough to broach the topic with people he's close with or people who were there, he doesn't want some stranger to start this. "--Never mind that! If you don't follow, I will have to use force!"

Not by beating him or anything. More like grabbing his arm or pushing him from behind or something. Whatever ends up being easier.

[helpthehurt]

"I see hurt," Cole says, casually, like he's pointing out an unusually colored tree, "it burns like fire in you...all heat and no warmth. It scalds, scars, sears...hope turning to ashes."

Cole is able to see that, but not that Kiyotaka is about to get physical with him, so he takes a step forward. He's sure he can untangle this for him.

"I want to help."

[forgetbeam]

Suddenly his resolve is a little... shaky. Which is a thing he normally hates, but this is not at all a normal situation. People have all kinds of freaky powers in this school, so does that mean this guy has some of those? Seeing hurt... Kiyotaka can't pretend he doesn't have an abundance of it, but he can choose to ignore it most of the time.

"...There's nothing to be helped!" And it's true, as far as he knows. It all happened so long ago, nothing can change any of it.

[helpthehurt]

"It lurks, lingers, languishes in the deep parts where you don't let anyone else get to it but it's still there. It keeps forever, even if you bury it."

Maybe he's fouled things up somehow or maybe he just has to push harder to get Kiyotaka to give? Humans are hard: for some reason they never seem to just let you help.