Detailed Roleplayers discussion
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Isis X Morgan 3.0
"Nice try, professor, but no," Ava replied to him, obviously not knowing he was any kind of teacher at all. Looking him over critically, Jay added, "And you never told us your name, oh so responsible adult."
The two kept their distance from him, not wanting to create some accident contact that lead to a break in their will. Much more, they knew, and they would be begging him to take them as his mates. Jay and Ava were already bonded without him, but they didn't have quite the same desire for each other since they had been together since birth, but they felt it spark up when they were around this guy, whoever he was. They couldn't even deny that he was their mate at this point, but they were also drunk and stubborn. Not to mention the fact that he seemed not to want to be their mate anyway.
As she called him professor he also had to wonder if he'd explained any of his own background. From what he could remember their interaction was brief, but he was sure none of them had gone into the details of their lives. Unless of course he was missing something here. "Of course, I was just testing you. Got to keep the young people on their toes." Derrick told them, pursing his lips as though in thought, "It's the exquisitely beautiful Ava, and the ever charming Jay, now, isn't it?" He asked dryly as his fingers strayed momentarily to his pocket where he was reminded of his empty flask. With confirmation he hadn't told them his name he wondered if he should before deciding to hell with it. After all it was just a tiny detail, nothing life-changing. "Derrick," He came to a halt before continuing. "Derrick Victor Clarke." Nodding his head he started walking again, aware of how the two were keeping their distance. It seemed to be a bit much, but he didn't mind. He was just there to make sure they safely got home, though where'd they'd actually go once they called a cab he was unsure.
"Ava and Jay are just fine, without the theatrics," Jay replied to him just as dryly before he halted as well, not wanting to get any closer. Ava, however, was just a little bit behind in her cognitive abilities for the time being and kept going. With her arm still locked in Jay's she was sprung backwards and then started to fall. Jay caught her before she could get a nasty bruise on her tailbone, but she wasn't to happy about the fall anyway. Ava ripped her arm away from Jay's and crossed both of her own across her chest as she was righted. "Lets just hurry this along," she mumbled under her breath. She was starting to lose some of her buzz, which meant that she was going to get less and less bubbly. She was an extremely happy drunk, but a very cranky girl with a hangover.
Jay sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you know, we can make it back on our own. If you need our help we can help, but otherwise we're not a couple of random young people you need to help out. Ok? If we pass out drunk in a ditch, it's really not of your concern, Derrick Victor Clarke." The name rolled off his tongue like butter, but he tried not to show how much he liked it. Mates or not, he wasn't going to be the one to beg this guy to admit it all.
"Alright, cranky Jay, I'll make sure not to use them next time." Derrick said, eluding to a next time though he was pretty confident at this point there would be reason for seeing them again. Yet he'd also been sure he'd never see them again after the party so maybe they were fated for awkward semi-hostile conversations each time they met. Warily he watched the next events play out in practical slow motion, and he kept his hands shoved deep within his pockets to stop from reaching out to help them. Besides they could take care of each other, as they so obviously pointed out. He was surprised though when Ava joined her brother in the attitude department as he didn't see that one coming at all. She'd appeared to be the sweeter of the two, but maybe that wasn't the case. Perhaps they were both on the same level of crankiness. Great.
Yeah you're right, you're my mates, the thought surprised him and it took all of the little control he had left to not say that. It meant nothing whether he said it aloud or not. Still, he couldn't exactly call the two perfectly random strangers- even if all he knew was their names. "Well, I do really need help finding my way back. This is only my first week here, and it probably wasn't a wise decision for me to take a stroll back to the complex through the park, but now I'm lost and I need your help. To be honest I probably couldn't find where the hell I even parked my bike." Derrick didn't even have to lie about that part. Sure he'd eventually end up near the clearing and he might have some chance of finding it, but it would take a while with his less than clear thoughts.
"Ah, so he finally admits he's not here to help us," Jay replied, something that was almost a smile touching the corner of his lips. "Well, Ava, what do you say, do we help this poor old bastard?" He looked to his sister, eyebrows raised. Ave pretended to consider this, chewing her lower lip as she thought. "I suppose we can't leave him out here to wander around. Such old men shouldn't be left alone, after all." She smirked.
Of course he wasn't that old, but he seemed very willing to act like they were children so much younger than himself that they had already mentally agreed to act the same way towards him. He certainly was attractive though, which made calling him old a little bit harder to do. The fact that their brains were still so muddled didn't help much either. He could only be appearing so incredibly hot because they were drunk, or because of that rather annoying pull that they were both feeling toward him. Thus, the continued to keep their distance, just in case. Any accidental touch or bit of eye contact could lead to their demise, or at least someone's clothes getting ripped off. The twins did, after all, have a tendency to get naked when they were this drunk.
Derrick rolled his eyes at the two as they spoke about him as if though he weren't even there. Nevertheless he managed a slow pace behind them, glancing down towards the pocket that held his phone. Maybe he could consult Siri for directions. It may not go so well but it would be a step up from this situation. Still something in him wanted to make sure the twins got home safely, even if he had to assure them their guidance was purely for his benefit alone. He did find it odd though at how unconcerned they were of actually ending up in a ditch for the night. Had that happened to the two before? Shrugging his shoulders he edged a bit closer to them as the path got narrower and the light from the moon dimmed. Sure he had excellent night vision but one could never be too confident. "So are we almost there?" Derrick asked after a minute or two of silence had passed with only the sound of their footsteps being heard.
"Yes, almost there and then you never have to see us again," Ava replied then let a soft sigh slip from her lips. She wanted that, to never see him again, but she also very much wanted to see him all the time, forever. It was very confusing, to say the least. She had thought that finding her mate would be very different. The twins had known it might be a possibility for them to mate with the same person, since they were so close, but they had both had their own ideas of how it might happen. Ava had thought it would be a blind attraction on both sides that no one could ignore whether they wanted to or not. She had assumed they would come crashing together and they were basically never separate. Jay had been on the more conservative side, assuming that it wouldn't be quite so obvious or quite so passionate, but still plain enough for all parties not to deny.
They had both been very wrong. If this guy, Derrick, was their mate, then they were probably never going to actually be with him. He was unwilling, they weren't about to beg even though they both wanted to, deep down. It was much more confusing than either of them had expected, to say the least.
Something in Derrick didn't exactly connect with the words she was saying, and it left him kind of numb. Why would he care though? Humming thoughtfully he took a few steps forward till he was casually walking beside them even though he had no idea where they were going. Without preamble he easily looped his arm with Jay's leaving enough room for him to pull away if he wanted. Which would be fine with him- he was sure. Nevertheless without thought he spoke, "I mean if you two gave me one good reason why being mates would be a fabulous time I might reconsider the whole thing. Though I have to say drunk nights in the park don't exactly put the whole thing into positive lighting," Derrick teased, before continuing, "Besides wouldn't it be nicer to find a nice younger man- or women? I bet you don't want to end up with such an older man anyways." He told them trying to remain with a positive upbeat tone. After all there had been cases of werewolves falling for people who weren't their mates. Or just never meeting their mate in general. Sometimes they even found a second mate- which was usually after their first one was deceased, but those were just details.
Jay and Ava stopped walking, perfectly in synch, and stared at the other man in utter confusion. Jay didn't even pull his arm away from Derrick, because it didn't occur to him, because it didn't feel remotely strange compared to what the guy was saying right now. "Ok, one," Ava started, "You're sexy as hell, so your age is unimportant."
"Two," Jay picked up, "If you're our mate, its because we very obviously do want to end up with an older man. So, you ought to stop being ridiculous on that count."
"Not to mention," Ava continued, "That we should have to give you one reason is ridiculous too. Look at us, young, very attractive twins. What more would you need? Of course, if you're not bisexual that's a little awkward, but something tells me you are."
"Plus," Jay sighed, "We're not even asking you to reconsider. If you don't want to be our mate, we're not going to force it."
Neither of them spoke with his forced upbeat tone, and the last bit certainly hurt to say, but Derrick was fishing pretty hard.
Derrick's legs were moving a bit faster then his brain so he almost ended up unbalanced before catching himself. Hearing their supposed reasons he coukdnt help his sideways smirk. "I'll have to agree on the account I'm sexy as hell," he said, perhaps a bit too smuggly- it certainly isn't something he'd say had he been sober though. "Alas you're the ones who called me an old incompetent man." Incompetent in directions to places he's never been before, but still. "And I promise in just a few years the gray hairs will start coming in. Then there's the adult diapers in five." Okay, maybe he wasn't presenting an accurate time line here, but Derrick was positive he was making a point. Still as Ava spoke he couldn't help but to take the chance to look them over. They certainly were good looking, he couldn't really disagree with that. "Ah three overconfident, drunk mates." Derrick said with a emotionless laugh before shaking his head. Slowly he unlooped his arm from Jay's, and he took a step forward. "Lead the way." He said, figuring they could now return to silence.
"You're, what, early thirties?" Jay asked, "Great, we're about ten years apart. Who really cares? Also, we called you old because you seem to think we're children who can't take care of ourselves." He rolled his eyes and just let Derrick keep walking for a moment before he started up too. Obviously, this wasn't meant to be. The whole mate thing was overplayed and irrational. Ava sighed softly and looked at her brother. "Probably for the best," she whispered to her brother, knowing Derrick could hear but not really wanted to broadcast it all any louder.
Jay nodded and reached up his hand to gently run it over her messy, drunk hair in an effort to comfort her. This really wasn't the night they had been planning. The situation seemed worse now too, since they had acknowledged the elephant in the room and had been rejected to their faces. It was insulting and depressing, but they'd get over.
"Exactly, now you're on the right track." Derrick said with a snap of his fingers as he was easily able to here Ava. He let out a heavy sigh, brightening up a bit when he finally saw the lighted path ahead. Clearly they were getting closer to some sort of civilization. "How long do you think it'll take for a cab to get here?" He asked thoughtfully as his stride picks up a bit and he passed them. Soon enough he saw the road ahead of them. For a moment he paused before he took a seat on one of the multiple empty benches, figuring he'd wait here for a cab to show up and ensure they safely arrived wherever they were going. Squinting a bit he could see the campus in the distance, which assured him he had some direction to where he was going.
"Yeah, you're not waiting here with us for our cab," Jay replied, "Being around you is hard enough without you pretending like you care, so do us a favor and just get yourself home. We can take it from here." "You should probably call your own cab though," Ava growled quietly at him, "Because you're just as drunk, you asshole." She rolled her eyes before turning to walk down the sidewalk away from him. As much as she wanted to make sure he was safe she wanted to be away from him more. It really was difficult to be around him knowing that he had no interest in their connection.
Jay followed behind her and sighed softly. He looked back once at Derrick and shrugged as if to say, oh well. This couldn't work, after all.
"Well it's not like you can get rid of me." Derrick said with an easy smile. The expression soon faded away though as he saw the two walk away. "Hey, come on." Wait what. Getting to his feet he started after them before his willpower finally made an appearance and he fell back towards another bench. Whatever. Even with his thoughts he wouldn't be stupid enough not to be aware he was convincing himself that nothing in this situation mattered or pertained to him. Still his wolf didn't seem to be pleased with him- claiming he was being an immature little brat and obviously the three of them wouldn't end like his parents. Derrick just refused to accept the entirety of the idea as he crossed his arms over his chest, closing his eyes with a sigh and throwing his head back.
"We don't have to get rid of you, you're determined to do that for us," Ava replied without looking back. A ways down the sidewalk they found their own bench and sat down on it while Jay dialed for a cab. They could probably walk home at this point, it was only about a mile and a half, but the alcohol was starting to give him a real headache. He'd be drinking at least a gallon of water when he got home.
Ava ran her hands through her messy hair and just wished that they had stayed in their spot, drinking until they had passed out. It certainly would have been more fun than sitting on a bunch a hundred feet away from the mate that they would never have in their lives. Now, they would have to live knowing that he was out there not wanting them. It would have been easier to bear with some more booze.
Distantly he heard Jay make a phone call, but he stayed where he was until the silence began to suffocate him. Annoyed he looked around wondering where the hell the cab could possibly be. Never mind the fact it had only been ten minutes, but really how many people did they have to pick up at this hour? Eventually he straightened on the bench, sitting on the edge as he bent over. Shit. Feeling a bit queasy he gathered himself to his feet before stumbling over towards a trash can and discarded whatever he'd consumed earlier. Ah, the stages of a drunk Derrick. To be honest he was surprised it has taken so long or that there was anything at all to throw up. Assured he was safe from making a mess of himself he straightened up from his position over the trash and was lucky enough to find a napkin in his pocket to wipe his mouth. Unfortunately the best he could do after that was a fruity piece of gum, but in these situations beggars couldn't be choosers. After collecting himself he turned back down the sidewalk towards campus, knowing very well his irritable moody stage would be next. Hopefully it could be avoided altogether and he could just fall asleep peacefully. Ahead he saw the twins- dimly lit by the street lamp. For a moment he shifted on his feet before grabbing two twenties from his wallet and pausing just beside their bench. "I think this should cover your fair. Make sure you get home safely." Derrick said, feeling like a broken record. Feeling that wasn't enough he offered a muttered sorry and continued on his way.
And with that, Ava snapped. She stood up off the bench and turned toward him, practically snarling in a way that showed the wold she could be. "Stop pretending that you give a shit and just leave us alone! If you don't want anything to do with us, fine, but grow the balls to actually leave us alone. We don't need your help. We don't need your money. We don't need you. It doesn't matter what our biology says, obviously, so stop wasting our time." Jay stood but too slowly to stop his sister from exploding on the man. He would have liked to blame this outburst on the alcohol for her, but this was more her personality than anything. When someone got her mad enough, she exploded. He was surprised, really, that it hadn't happened soon. In any case though, he pulled her back a bit and tried to calm her down.
"She's right. If you're not wanting to be a part of this whole mate thing, then that's fine but you should go. It's harder for us the longer you're around. OK?" Jay's eyes pleaded with the man now. They needed to move on already.
Derrick was content with his silent departure, but it didn't seem to last as Ava's temper seemed to reach its boiling point. This time he didn't bother to respond, figuring what he said would contradict the point that he didn't care. Even if he couldn't face their supposed biological connection he didn't want to hurt them. Or hurt them more then he already had. He was starting to regret then entire night. He should've never went to the party in the first place. That or he could've left them to have their buzzed fun in the woods without his interference. Derrick didn't want them to be mad at him, but at the same time he couldn't help but to be angry with himself. Why was he like this? Nodding his head in reply he pressed his lips together before continuing down the sidewalk. The further he got away the more his shoulders relaxed and he grew quicker. Something in him wanted to just run away from this entire situation, and not just figuratively. Soon he found himself traveling at a small job until he finally reached the edge of the campus where the teacher's apartments were. (view spoiler)
Ava and Jay were just coming back to lunch, just about ready to part ways and go to their respective glasses. They were generally on the same side of campus, but surprisingly not in the same major. Both artsy, but in different ways. School, really, was the one place that they separated and just relaxed a bit. At least, that was how it normally went until they both simultaneously saw the one person that they wanted to see least (or most?) in the world.
"What is he doing here?" Ava asked under her breath. "Is he stalking us?" As she said it though, she noticed the briefcase that he held.
"Oh he cannot be a teacher here," Jay said, basically speaking her thoughts. "This has to be some kind of cruel joke."
They looked at each other then they looked over toward Derrick. Already they were feeling the pull toward the man, but they pushed it away.
They were a day into syllabus week and Derrick found the lively campus to be refreshing. It wasn't a private college so the students here seemed more open to conversation, and they weren't so self entitled as to tell him how to do his job or run his classroom. He'd only had two classes so far though so he was going to remain on the side of skeptical. Currently he was just heading to lunch, it was a little later then intended but he got caught up with another English teacher- Mr.Fulkerson. The man looked to be well in his fifties, and he was certainly wise for his age. Derrick figured there was always plenty to learn from his superiors so he'd maintained a conversation before eventually having to excuse himself in order to grab a bite to eat before his next class - The Science of Writing. The class name was a bit ironic, and it wasn't the literature classes he preferred to teach but he wasn't going to complain. Thankfully most of the lunch crowd wasn't near the dining hall he'd decided to go to. Looking over the options he settled on a chicken salad, wanting to keep it light. Once he paid he made his way outside and placed his things down. Only then did his fingers tighten on his briefcase before he turned his head to the side to see two familiar faces. Realizing his grip he calmly set his things down while wondering what the hell they were doing here before recognizing the backpacks slung across their shoulders. Students- great. Derrick briefly gave them a smile of acknowledgement before he took a seat and opened his salad.
As much as they wanted to turn and run the opposite direction, they couldn't. They were both headed in the direction that required them walk right past the table in which he sat. So, they both took in a heavy breath, looked at each other, then started forward. They weren't their usual arm in arm, since they didn't like to weird people out in a setting where no alcohol was involved, but they walked fairly close to one another. They didn't look at him as they passed, in fact, went out of their way not to look at him. If they happened to make eye contact then they would be putty on the floor and they couldn't have that. They had classes to get to. Jay had American Art History and Ava had some Science of Writing, both sounded incredibly boring, but they still had to go.
Derrick tried keeping his eyes glued to his food, but it didn't last for long as he sensed them passing by him. Briefly he looked up, only to find their gazes were avoiding him entirely. Wonderful. Taking a large bite of salad he watched as they passed right by him while simultaneously hoping he'd never run into them again. With a total number of ten thousand students it could be done, but by the way fate seemed to keep bringing them all to the same place he believed it was easier said then done. While he'd originally planned on enjoying his lunch with the time he had lunch he found himself finishing up quickly before throwing his plastic container into the recycling bin nearby. Derrick headed off in the opposite direction in order to get to his new class, finding it rather inconvenient he had to go to an entirely different building. He was only teaching English classes- why did it even require a new room. Then again the Science of Writing as a lecture class. Having never taught a lecture class he found himself to be a bit nervous as he entered the empty classroom. Calmly he set down his briefcase, pulling out his laptop as he looked up at the rows of empty seats that were sure to be filled in the next half hour. Grabbing a piece of chalk he began to write on the board- finding the action to be rather therapeutic he wrote down his name alongside the name of the class, some of the objectives and the time in which they'd be meeting. One thirty till three thirty every Tuesday and Thursday.
Jay's class started earlier so they walked there, said goodbye, and then Ava backtracked to go to her class. She followed the other students that were starting to file in. She walked toward the front of the room, as was her usual place. She sat in the second row and started to unpack her things before she finally looked up at the board. Immediately, she felt the blood drain down to her toes and she let out a heavy sigh. Of course he was going to be her teacher. She would be spending an entire semester, two days a week with the guy who was supposed to be her mate but didn't want to be. There was also the fact that she was alone in this, without Jay to be her comfort blanket. She was screwed and she couldn't take her eyes off of him.
As students filed into the classroom it became a bit more daunting. He was going to have to speak in front of this many kids twice a week? Already he was missing his smaller more intimate reading classes as he set down the piece of chalk after underlining his name as thought to highlight the importance. Derrick clapped his hands together to silence them, and the response was immediate as all of the undergraduates turned in their seats to face him and fell out of conversation with their peers. Maintaining a pose of confidence he leaned back on the edge of the desk consulting his computer for a moment, "Good afternoon class, in a moment I'll be passing around a paper for you to write your names down, just to be sure who's here." Humming softly he scrolled through the class list before his eyes flickered directly towards the name at the bottom. Ava Wallace. Not his-? He didn't have to wonder for long though as he looked up and found her directly in the front row. Grabbing a fresh sheat of paper from his folder he walked up a stair before looking at the empty first row. "Come on now guys, there's no need to sit so far away," he said in a lighthearted manner as his gaze flickered towards the majority of the students crowded in the back. "Thursday I expect more of you up front- I promise I don't bite." Flashing a smile he held out the paper, "Ms.Wallace," he said, setting it down before returning to the front, "All right so a few things about this class. We'll mostly be writing narratives, personally I feel at this point you should all be pretty good at research essays, so I find no reason to dull you down with that extensive process- especially as I'm sure you'll have plenty of homework from other classes. That doesn't mean this course will be easy..." The more Derrick spoke the more at ease he grew with the large number of students. Every now and then his gaze would flicker towards Ava, but he was sure not to make it obvious as he handed out the syllabus and began going over plans and due dates for the next semester.
Ava's eyes very briefly met Derrick's as he handed her the paper for attendance, but she ignored the shiver that ran down her spine. She wrote her name in her tight, neat handwriting, then passed it on to the next person, who wasn't the least bit close to her, since she was one of the only people near the front. She wasn't about to move now though, even if she was in full view of her professor, and mate, at all times. She tried not to stare at him through the whole class, but it was increasingly more difficult to do. He was a surprisingly engaging speaker and she was thrilled at the idea of narratives instead of research papers. So, the class might not be so bad. However, it was very difficult not to just stare at him the entire class, especially when she caught him looking back a few times. He was incredibly handsome and her wolf was chomping at the bit to get to him.
Derrick was pretty adamant about not having a mate in his life, and so far it had worked out for him quite well. Clearly he hadn't even known a fraction of the restraint it took not to give into that wolf part and just accept it. Now fate just continued trying to push him towards the twins, and he wasn't neccasarily a fan. He couldn't lie to himself though. Having Ava there, just in his classroom, it made him oddly happy. The feeling was unexplainable but he wasn't going to question the complexity of it. "And then for the final we'll be doing a project as well." He told them before setting his own copy of the syllabus. "Then, once that's over, make sure to sign up for The Science of Writing part 2." Derrick gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Now for homework just think about what you want your first narrative to be. You have free reign. I want the proposals by next class. Also the few people on the wait list who showed up today can come talk to me. I'm sure accommodations can be made." Derrick looked back down at his paper, "My office is also in the Gilinski building, number 234 on the 2nd floor if anyone wants to visit or has questions about assignments or the course, and my hours for when I'm free are also on the syllabus. Alright," he said by way of dismal as he began to pack his things back into his briefcase.
Ava started to pack up her things, though she took maybe a little too long because her eyes were very much glued onto Derrick. She kind of didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay here and at least be in the same room with him, because it made her feel a little less empty. Alas, she started to pack up her backpack and then she slowly pulled it onto her back as she stood. She whimpered very low under her breath so that no human ears would hear and then she started toward the exit with the last few stragglers of the class. Seeing him made her wonder why she wasn't good enough. She knew she could be a good mate. Or, at least she wanted to be. It was going to be a long semester thinking those things though, so she pushed them to the back of her mind where she wouldn't have to deal with them. He didn't want them, and that was that.
Derrick had just finished chatting with a student when he saw Ava disappear out the door. Having already packed up his own things his feet worked on their own accord as he lifted his briefcase from the desk before also exiting the room. From there he could easily see her down the hall. Don't do it- she obviously doesn't want to talk to you, nevertheless he didn't find himself coming to a stop anytime soon. Due to the crowds around the hall from classes that had just been released he found himself by her side in seconds. "Hey Ava," Derrick started with a casual smile in her direction as he slowed down his pace in order not to bump into the person just ahead of him. "So what brings you into the fascinating world of The Science of Writing?" He asked her, slipping into small talk as he was a bit wary from their last interaction and the outburst of which he could remember. Most of the night was a bit of a blur, he was surprised he'd remember her name. No, he couldn't exactly forget that- even if he wanted to. Either way his latest class wasn't exactly a general education study, so it wasn't on the list of required classes to choose from. Due to that he was still surprised at the turn out, but he wouldn't complain.
Ava sighed softly under her breath as Derrick approached. She had felt him coming, had even smelled his scent, which had been haunting her since their last interaction. She glanced at him only briefly as he began speaking and then rolled her eyes. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?"I plan to be a novelist, if you must know. I like to take all the writing classes that I can so I can perfect my art. The class sounded boring but it might be helpful in the long run, so I signed up," Ava told him, just looking straight ahead and continuing her walk. She had only one more class for the day, a Russian literature class. It wasn't for another hour though.
She glanced at him once more when they had surpassed the crowd and were more alone. "If you don't want to be involved with me, us, then why are you insisting upon following me and speaking to me? It's hard to even be in the same room with you, so I really would prefer you leave me alone. If you're interested in pursuing this whole thing, just come out and say it. If not, please keep your distance," she told him a very calm, serious tone.
"Boring? With me teaching? Never." Derrick said with a bit of a grin, "Though I have to say it'll probably be my least favorite subject to teach though, especially having to give lectures." He already had his plans and powerpoints set out, but that didn't make it much better than the fact he had a plan in mind and some structure. "A novelist?" Derrick asked in interest as he looked her over for a moment. He could see it, for sure. "What about Jay-" He was saying just as she called him out for his behavior. Inwardly he sighed before adjusting his grip on his briefcase. "It's essential to get to know my students." Which was true, but he was sure out of that entire classroom he'd know their names eventually, but that was about it. In his smaller, more intimate classes he was sure to get to know a bit more about his students. He bit his lower lip before continuing, "And it makes me happy to be around you," Derrick said, keeping his teasing tone at bay so she wouldn't be skeptical of him. It was the truth though.
Ava rolled her eyes over the student comment but had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile over his latter confession. She took a moment to respond just to make sure that none of her joy, or the fluttering of her heart, came through. "It doesn't matter if it makes you happy, or me happy, if it's not going to lead to anything. My wolf just gets more broken when you leave again. It's not fair." She bit her cheek again trying to keep from saying too much, being too open. "Jay's an art major. Painting is his passion. I think he'll probably end up working in a gallery as a director, but he hopes to actually get his work into one eventually. Now you know everything you need to know. So, I'm...gonna go." It was hard to say, but she knew it was necessary. She couldn't keep being this close to him.
Derrick's eyebrows knitted together as he glanced over in her direction, wondering whether or not he'd said something wrong as he watched her. "I mean..." He had no argument against what she was saying. Sure he wanted to be around her- them, but his opinion wouldn't just change overnight. That would be a lot of mental conditioning to only be broken in one day. "If it makes you happy too then why can't we just... talk more?" Be friends, he was about to say before he realized just how much more pathetic he would sound by suggesting such a thing. Hearing about Jay he nodded his head, wondering what exactly he did paint. He didn't get much of a chance to get an answer though as she was suddenly trying to leave. Derrick followed after her before opening the door the exit of the building and holding it open for her.
"Are you really suggesting to me that we be just friends? That's pretty insulting. I don't know who damaged you to the point where you can't accept your mates once you've finally found them, but damaging Jay and I isn't going to help. This isn't what I wanted. Finding your mate is supposed to be a good thing but I've felt nothing but pain since we met you. I though I'd find my mate, man or woman, and they'd feel the same way for me that I did them. I thought I'd be ecstatic. I thought it would be passionate or sweet or just something. At the very least I figured we'd date, or have sex. I mean, whether Jay was involved, which I figured he would be because I think we've been mates, or something similar, for a long time, or not, I thought I'd be happy. Instead, I've been fully rejected more than once and my mate doesn't even seem to understand why I'd be hurting at all. Not to mention that he just wants to be friends because it feels good to be around me. Of course it fucking feels good, we're bloody mates," Ava gritted her teeth, well beyond the door that he had opened for her now. She ran a hand up through her hair, a nervous habit.
He didn't have to say anything for Ava to get his apparent underlying message. Resisting the urge to interrupt her or roll his eyes at her long speal about all of the things she'd been expecting for a mate. It was to be expected though for one so young, and naive. Okay, she wasn't that young- but clearly she wasn't damaged, as she so fragily put it, but he didn't want to be the reason she was hurting. That was never his intention. Derrick could explain himself and say he'd given up on the idea entirely just about the same age as them- but that wasn't exactly positive news. He didn't want them to become bitter towards the idea of a mate or love in general. "I understand," He said quietly, "But it's not like I want to hurt you," And yet he was, "I do want to get to know you though, and Jay. And I know that sounds half-hearted and like I'm not even trying to make things work, but trust me I am now." Derrick told her. Ever since he'd met the two he had been missing them- his wolf that is, and he couldn't stand it. The feeling was driving on his patience big time and he just wanted it to go away. So it appeared the only avaliable antedote was being around them. Or just living in a near-constant drunk state, but that wasn't exactly an appeasing way to live.
Ava was practically chewing off the inside of her cheek, apparently another nervous habit. He said he wanted to try, which was a step forward, but she didn't know if she should trust him. It was going to be very hard to be around him without wanting more, wanting everything. Of course, she didn't have much choice in the matter. Her wolf was screaming at her not to let him get away. So, with a reluctant sigh she nodded and took out her phone. "Give me your number and I'll discuss the matter with Jay. Don't expect anything. Jay is pretty certain that your a jerk not worth our time. He's not so quick to admit that it hurts him too."
As Derrick saw her pull her phone from her pocket his eyes lit up a tiny bit. Quickly he recited his number to her before sliding his own out from his suite. "And yours?" That wasn't to say he wasn't unsure if they'd actually contact him. Even then, he'd be sure to see them on campus, but he wanted some sort of reassurance in the fact he'd be able to reach them if need be. At the mention of Jay's opinion of him he snorted a bit- that seemed to be expected from what he could remember. The other twin seemed a bit more hostile and reserved, and while the twins were similar in many ways Ava seemed to be more open and accepting. That's probably why his wolf wasn't doing all of the convincing in the matter. Derrick saw her as a bit of a sweetheart even though he barely knew her. "If you both come to the consensus that I'm the biggest jerk in the world and not worth your time then just..." He hesitated, not wanting to get his wording wrong, "Then just text me." He told her, knowing that was much better than saying no worries. Even giving her something as simple as his number he felt a bit of his built wall chipping away- he was just uncertain whether it was going to be a good thing or a bad thing.
Ava hesitated before giving a soft sigh and then reciting her number. She wasn't sure she wanted him to have that link to her, but her wolf certainly did. And really, it couldn't hurt much. He didn't seem like the type to make first contact. "Alright, I have to go see Jay before my next class. I'll um, see you in class at least," she said, very briefly turning her eyes up to meet his. She felt that familiar shiver go down her spine but chose to ignore it as she turned and walked away from him.
Soon she was walking up to Jay and pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm so confused," she told him before relaying the events of the past half hour.
Jay hugged her back, quite concerned and only growing more so as she explained. He didn't know what to do here any more than Ava seemed to. "I guess we have a lot to talk about tonight."
Derrick watched her go before turning towards the building that had his office. Luckily enough for him he had no more classes until later in the evening, so the next few hours were his to enjoy. As for what the hell he was going to do to preoccupy his time he had no idea. It wasn't like he had any friends that were teachers and he couldn't exactly go up to random students and make relationships with them. That was just too strange. So eventually he ended up in his office alone, going over tomorrow's schedule where he luckily only would be teaching two classes. It would be a much more relaxed day then this one had been. Sighing he rested his feet on his desk and leaned back in his chair as he analyzed what had happened earlier. Derrick didn't want to read too much into it, but it seemed like Ava was going against her own internal judgements when she gave him her number. Not only that but she said at the very least she'd see him in class? What was that? After mulling it over for a bit he decided he wouldn't dwell on it, but would instead wait to see what would happen.
After much deliberation, Ava and Jay decided to give Derrick a chance. If he turned out to be a great guy and they all started some kind of relationship, that was fine. If he was jerk they would ignore their wolves and move on. They might be able to find a new mate later in life. However, his conclusion took a little convincing from Ava because Jay was certain they could find someone who wanted them even if it took years. Ava was less certain on that front and her conversation with Derrick earlier had been almost nice. Thus, while they were laying together in her bed later that night, she pulled out her phone and sent a very simple text. "Fine, we'll get to know each other."
It wasn't much and it certainly wasn't enthusiastic, but it was something. He could either be happy about it, or move on.
After his final lesson of the day Derrick had waited almost all night for a text. A few times he'd even debated messaging her himself, and his fingers pressed over the call button more than once. But eventually after a longer than needed shower he fell asleep with his freshly cleaned sheets. He woke up earlier then he needed to, and that's when he saw the message. It wasn't much, but what could he possibly expect after their time at the park. A proposal of everlasting love? Not. With that he went through his morning routine, opting for a more casual outfit- trading in his suite attire for a black button up and dress pants. Once finished Derrick returned to his phone to send her a quick message. Sounds great ;) hope you two have a wonderful day. See you tomorrow in class. For a few seconds he'd debated on whether or not asking them to meet up today was too much, before he'd ultimately decided against it. It had been easy enough to talk to Ava, if not with some awkwardness and hesitancy on both ends, but he wasn't sure what he'd say to Jay. He traded in the briefcase for a backpack as he made his way down towards the bike rack where he found his mountain bike, after all it wasn't sustainable to only be driving around his motorcycle. He'd brought it back to campus too, but so far it hadn't really left the staff lot that was just a little ways from his complex. Rolling up his sleeves he adjusted himself on the bike, it would be a little awkward pedaling with dress shoes, but it hardly mattered as long as it got him from point A to point B in less time then walking ever would.
Ava knew it was late but she was still a little disappointed that she didn't get a text back. Immediately she thought that she had convinced Jay for now reason. She hated being wrong and she hated leading Jay in the wrong direction. Sure, Derrick could just be asleep but it was still a concern that weighed heavily on her mind. Jay, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. He consoles her and agreed to stay the night in her room instead of his own, but didn't dwell on the idea of Derrick. It would work out or it wouldn't and that was the end of the matter.
However, when they woke up in the morning Ava couldn't help the slightly too big smile on her lips when she read his message. "He even added a winking face. How weird," she commented, even though she didn't think it was that weird at all. She liked it.
Jay just shrugged and proceeded getting ready for the day. He didn't have any classes so he planned on spending the day painting at a workshop. It was one of those living art, nude person, painting workshops...and Ava was going to be the model. She actually modeled quite often for them, but never one in which her brother would be painting her.
Ava wasn't the least bit nervous though. She was very comfortable in her own skin and might even have been a nudist in another life. Jay, too, lacked the nervousness he probably should have had. It didn't matter, he'd seen her prancing around the apartment enough times without clothes on.
In any case, they got ready and Ava refrained from sending another text to Derrick. She'd see him tomorrow.
(view spoiler)After trecking all the way across campus, in a relatively short time, Derrick found himself outside of the Mosley art center. He wasn't much of an artist, but he'd made a friend in the art department and been told about some class he had to attend. Apparently it was a life art thing? They'd be drawing some model or whatever. Because he had zero friends and no semblance of a social life on campus he'd decided why the hell not. Besides he didn't have his first class until 11:30 which gave him about three hours, give or take. That and he was sure very few students would be there so he wouldn't have to feel any sort of awkwardness. After making sure his bike was secure for the third time he walked inside. Having never been in the building before he was glad for leaving a bit earlier then the scheduled event as he found himself to be lost a few times. Eventually with the help of a student he did find where he was going. Entering the room he saw a bunch of easels set up. Uncertainly he took one towards the back, slipping his backpack off his shoulders and squatting down to remove a few of his shading pencils. Beyond that Derrick didn't have all that many materials, but he was told he could get whatever he needed from Carson- the person he'd met yesterday who was in charge of this event.
(view spoiler) Ava and Jay arrived very close to the starting time, a few minutes after Derrick, unbeknownst to them. When they entered the classroom they both felt a strange tingle at the base of their spines but both chose to ignore it. Ava had to wiggle her nose though because she swore she could smell him, Derrick.
However, this was soon forgotten when she spotted who she really came here for. "Carson!" she grinned and walked straight to him, pulling him into a hug. "Thanks for asking me back, again. You know how I love everyone trying to paint and sketch my flat ass." She laughed lightly then skipped off to the back to get ready.
Jay rolled his eyes at Ava's theatrics and went to take his seat, right near the front next to the stage as Ava had requested of him. He gave Carson a light wave, but didn't bother with all the hugging and nonsense. He wasn't going to make a scene like Ava. Of course, he wouldn't stand naked in front of people either.
A few minutes later Ava appeared from the back in nothing but a silk robe, black in color. She stepped up onto the small stage, pulled her hair back into a pony tail, and then untied the robe. It wasn't a strip show, she didn't do it sensually, but she saw a few of the regular guys who came to "paint" when she was modeling. She didn't mind. She let the robe slide down onto the floor in a puddle around he feet.
Derrick just nodded his head at Ava. I'm sure. He though to himself, wondering if this was an usual for them- going to parties and then ending up at the park plastered.