before the storm begins {open}

[Milo Thatch]

How many times was he going to do this? How many times was he going to tell himself that everything was going to be just fine, go through the whole ceremonial process of turning over a new leaf by getting rid of everything that reminded him of Kida (which was difficult, because he had a tattoo from her homeland and all - although that hadn't been for her, it had been for him, and he didn't regret it, he just...kept having to tell himself that his connection with Atlantis ran much deeper than his affection for its princess). He dragged out all the little photos he'd taken of her in random places in the school, and had locked them away deep in a box in his closet. He had even stopped wearing the Atlantean crystal around his neck, putting it in the same box.

And yet, somehow, it always came back to her, because whenever he had almost gone a day without thinking about her, he'd come across a page in his notebook in which he'd written something about her - sometimes it was just a little note to remind himself to tell her something - sometimes it was one of those embarrassing letters he'd written to her (but never intended to send) telling her how he felt about her.

Something was always there to remind him of her, and he was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that he would never really get her out of his mind and heart until he found something to replace her.

He had options, it seemed. Risky ones, though. Egeria....she wasn't even human, she was...really terrifying in a dazzling sort of way. Apollo...there was a shot in the dark (sort of)...Milo wasn't stupid, he knew of the exploits of the gods from myth and legend, and in spite of that fact, every now and then when he did something he was proud of, Kida's approving smile in his mind (the one he'd always longed for) was inexplicably replaced by a flash of golden hair and a blinding grin.

He was deep in thought, contemplating all of these things, his mind wandering a million miles away from the history he knew by heart anyway, and when the class ended, he didn't even realise it. He stayed in his desk, head resting on his hands, and stared blankly at the space in front of him.

[Deleted]

It felt like a lifetime ago, but it was really only a year ago since Alyss was sitting in the exact same spot that the man who was probably around her age. She had been staring off into the distance too, actually, and was looking just as sorry for herself. She remembered it so clearly, the way that thoughts of Dodge and Della, as well as the feeling she would fail Dodge because she was so very far from the girl he had known, and would’ve been useless…Professor Cazaril had been there for her, and admittedly, she had been looking for him for quite some time in hopes that she could thank him. Instead, however, she found herself in a similar position as Cazaril had been, because this young man here seemed to have it down to even the somewhat lovesick look that she was no doubt sporting a long time ago.

Well, that was as good of a way to show her appreciation as any, or at least a good way to level off her karmic debt for the moment. Quietly approaching, she settled down in front of him, her own hands folded in front of her.

“I don’t think I remember seeing you in this class before,” she pointed out with a gentle smile. She knew that some would’ve probably brought up his “long face” at the moment, but she never saw the point in that. Why would addressing how miserable they appeared be of any help at all? It was far better to be subtle about it, if you asked her. What could be more subtle than an introduction?

“I’m Alyss…so did you feel like arriving early or…?”

[Milo Thatch]

Milo had good days and he had bad days. He didn't have days when he didn't think about the bad stuff at all, but he had days when the good things seemed to outweigh the bad things, when he was able to forget the wrongs he had done and had been done because there was either enough happening to distract him, or something else was too heavy on his mind for him to focus on the bad things that had already happened.

It was at its worst when he was in classes that didn't hold his interest, though. It might surprise people to know that there were classes Milo wasn't interested in; he was so obviously the academic type that a lot of people would have assumed he just enjoyed all his classes. The truth was, he knew ninety percent of what they were teaching in this class by heart. Which evened out in the end because of the mathematics he was struggling badly with, and the...

Someone was talking, in the middle of...wait, no, class seemed to be over. Milo drew his head up with a start, looking up at her quickly because he seemed to be awkwardly at eye level with her general bust region.

"Oh," he said, "No, I...this isn't my class. I'm Milo, I didn't feel like arriving, but apparently I didn't feel like leaving, either, I just...sorry, my mind was somewhere else. Sorry, is this your chest? Chair! Is this your chair?"

[Deleted]

It didn't really surprise Alyss that the boy was shocked at her sudden appearance. She even smiled a bit ruefully as she saw the way he nearly jumped out of his skin upon realizing she was addressing him. It probably could have been mistaken for a smirk if she hadn't had sympathy in her eyes. "I thought as much, I just thought it better to not assume," she admitted. "Either way, pleasure to meet you." Even when he was so very flustered, it seemed that her manners refused to fail her.

She almost found it funny that Milo had, for whatever reason (she hadn't quite realized what a, ahem, view Mili had had), gotten his words mixed up. She simply assumed that it was just another side effect if his previously wandering mind. "Oh, no need to worry about that, I could always sit somewhere else. There are some people who take regular absences. I'm sure I can steal their seats," she assured him, letting out that chuckle she had been suppressing there. There, now she wouldn't cause him any more unnecessary embarrassment.

She paused, forming a polite enough question in her head before opening her mouth once more. "I don't mean to pry, but what's on your mind? Most people around here would leap at the chance of getting out of here early, nevermind late." She then offered the same kind smile that she certainly would have liked to see during her numerous low moments, and had with Professor Cazaril. "You dont have to talk about it if you don't want to, I'm just curious."

[Milo Thatch]

Milo tried to calm himself. He really needed to learn how to handle these situations better. She was just a girl. A pretty girl, but one that he wasn't interested in dating or anything, there wasn't any reason he needed to be acting like he was completely mental around her. It was just an awkward moment, that was all. Embarrassed, yes, he could be embarrassed without being a complete spazz.

She was nice enough about it, though. She even asked what was wrong with him, which made him feel a little uncomfortable, not because he minded talking to a well-meaning stranger, but because he didn't want to think about it anymore. But...it was nice to see that someone cared. Apollo and Egeria both seemed to have their own personal sets of motives, and while Milo was completely unsure what those might be, he was pretty sure they didn't involve helping him deal with his emotional problems.

"Just things," he said, vaguely. "Things that...people. People leaving. I used to have friends, you know? Okay, so I didn't really have friends, I had some close acquaintances, and we were...we hung out, and there was a girl. And then they all left."

[Deleted]

It was becoming very clear to Alyss that herself and Milo were, in at least this way, cut from the same cloth. What was troubling him was the fact that people had left him. She had sort of latched onto that, especially upon realizing that it was his girlfriend and what few friends he had that had left. It was quite the coincidence, really. After all, Dodge qualified as…well, not quite significant other, much as she had wanted it to be so, but he was her best friend…although it was becoming more apparent that Della was filling the latter position, considering how much the girl had been there for her, even though she certainly hadn’t had to. But yes…it seemed like, for whatever reason, both Alyss and Milo had been left behind, and the princess’ heart ached for the boy.

“Oh…I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t wish that sort of thing on anyone…” How she hadn’t gone back down the rabbit hole (and oh how she loathed that metaphor after all these years, but it was the best thing she could think of) of deciding that you just couldn’t let people get close to you, because it only led to heartache, she had no idea. Perhaps…perhaps it was because Della had been there for her…which just meant there was only one thing to do for this poor Milo fellow. He seemed a bit shy, perhaps, but she saw no reason why this couldn’t work.


“Actually…I’m in a similar situation myself…” Now how does one really use that as an opener for friendship? Did you say that perhaps you should help one another? No, that seemed far too forward for Alyss. Just approaching him was beyond her typical comfort zone in forwardness…perhaps she would just let the statement speak for itself. With any luck, the conversation may very well bring about at least something resembling a friendly acquaintanceship. She shrugged a little, resting her chin in her hands.

[Milo Thatch]

"Well," Milo said, shrugging, as usual trying to find some sort of bright spot in the middle of all of this. "I wouldn't wish it on anybody either, but you know, I guess it's not a matter of who wished what on whom, but more sort of...who drew what cards from the deck. I've never been good at cards. What I mean is...I don't think anybody did this to me. People...y'know, they leave, but...sometimes it's up to them and sometimes it isn't."

She was offering her own experience, and Milo, even socially awkward as he was, appreciated it and recognized that it just might make him feel better. It was a nice thing to do for someone; talk about something that wasn't really the most comfortable situation in your life, just to make someone feel better that you didn't even know. Milo decided he liked this girl.

He figured he ought to really give her back her seat, it would be polite, but he found that he was perfectly happy to keep sitting there chatting with her. It was refreshing...she didn't know him, he didn't know her, they weren't burdened by weird friendship triangles or love issues or whatever between them, and it had been so long since he'd had anyone he could just talk to without having to worry about his feelings for them getting in the way, or vice-versa.

"Maybe I'll stay," he suggested. "Is the class any good? Milo Thatch, by the way."

[Deleted]

It was a depressing sort of topic, not exactly the optimal sort to start...whatever this could be with. She was leaning towards friendship, but would easily settle for just being acquaintances for the time being, if that was more comfortable for Milo. That being said, the card metaphor was actually...she almost wanted to think of it as pleasant. Which was strange, seeing as cards were so heavily associated with Wonderland, a word that once caused her seering pain. She was still getting used to the idea that perhaps, just perhaps, she seemed to be healing from her traumas at last. She wasn't at all sure of what this meant to her country, but she supposed it was about time she tried to work on herself. For real this time. No guilt, just...starting over and enjoying it. It was turning out to not be as difficult as she imagined it would be.

"Yes....that actually makes a lot of sense," she admitted. She was beginning to see that there was a very good chance that her notions that everyone would just leave her, that no one could be trusted were...perhaps a bit childish. A part of her would probably always be fearful of that, but she could talk herself down from such thoughts on her good days...she certainly thought it a step in the right direction. She smiled a bit. "You're certainly handling this better than I did."

Did...did he just introduce himself again? In spite of herself, she let out the slightest chuckle, but quickly stifled it with her fingers, although a smile that could almost be seen as puckish remained. "Pleasure," she stated. After all, why draw attention to his mistake? That could easily take this pleasant conversation into the wrong direction. "And the class it all right, I certainly can't complain. I somehow doubt anyone would hold any grudges over you staying. I certainly wouldn't."

[Milo Thatch]

Milo, while he never really considered himself popular to begin with, was definitely running low on friends lately, and had even begun to find himself hard-pressed to locate a lot of acquaintances. There was Apollo, although that...well, it wasn't an unpleasant interaction, and actually it was rather nice, but it was definitely a little stressful because he was always thinking about what he should or shouldn't say, and whether Apollo might have just been staring at places other than Milo's eyes. Then there was Egeria, and she was just all out intimidating - again, not in a really bad way, just in the way that made it really difficult for him to relax around her. Friends...you were supposed to be able to relax around friends. And this girl, Alyss, she'd said, seemed...normal. Like he could talk to her without worrying about her turning into a tree or asking him if she could rub lotion onto his body.

He should try to befriend her, he decided, because friends were a good thing to have, and she looked like the sort of person who could listen and offer advice if he was having trouble with someone or something, and...

Well, maybe that was just wishful thinking, he wasn't so good at judging people at first meetings. That much had been made clear by his past experiences.

He was a breath away from giving her his name again when he remembered that he'd already done that...had he done it twice? Ugh. Not the first time that'd happened.

"I guess I might stay," he said, although that might have been an odd decision to make, considering the fact that this really wasn't a class he was enrolled in. "Thanks for being so cool about this, by the way. Hey do you wanna get lunch after this? I haven't eaten yet."

[Deleted]

While Alyss had no way of knowing just how intimidating Milo's remaining "friends" were, she certainly would have related to that entirely if she had. She could count her friends on one hand, and that was actually an improvement from before she had arrived at school, because the people back in London...well, they didn't know who she really was, wouldn't have accepted it. Besides, that was when she had decided to not get emotionally close to anyone. Yet once she had arrived here, she definitely had people she could call friends...but apart from Westley, the ones she had were rather intimidating. There was Dodge, of course, and that required very little explanation of why that would intimidate the young princess, and then there was Della. Of course, now hers and Della's relationship had been mended after Dodge left, but it was still interesting, really, how much Alyss probably would have understood if Milo had told her what he was going through.

Instead, she merely found his apparent gratitude endearing. Perhaps the slightest bit silly, but endearing. "Oh of course, why wouldn't I be?" she responded with a smile. Admittedly, said smile broadened the slightest bit when he suggested they go for lunch. Truthfully, Alyss hadn't been out with a friend in quite some time...well, apart from Giselle, but that hadn't been planned, and besides, that was breakfast. "Well, why not, that sounds like a lovely idea."

[Milo Thatch]

It might come down to it, at some point, Milo explaining his past to Alyss. From an objective point of view, the two of them were well-suited for one another's friendship, but from Milo's perspective, he had only just met her, and while she wasn't nearly as terrifying as the people who'd been inhabiting his space lately, she was female and she was a new person who wasn't dead for two thousand years (Milo had actually had some interesting one-sided conversations with skeletons in the past - mostly because talking out loud helped him work things out, particularly when he did it in languages not his own).

Why wouldn't she be cool about it? Well...Milo wasn't sure. He just generally assumed that people were going to be disagreeable about things that were different. People liked their routines. They liked their comfort zone, and when that was threatened or disrupted, most people didn't react positively. Having a random kid show up and take your desk was a disruption. But she seemed to be handling it pretty well, Milo thought. Before he had time to focus on that, though, she had agreed to the lunch thing, which made him do a little gulp thing in the back of his throat because this was uncharted territory. They hadn't established the boundaries of this new relationship yet. That was always an awkward period in a relationship, when you hadn't quite yet said 'this is just a friendship' and while Milo was decidedly not looking for any sort of romantic anything, he had no idea what her frame of mind might be. He'd have to be careful about it, that was all.

Not that people had a history of falling head over heels for him or anything.

"Great!" he said, enthusiastically. "Uh, so, what have you guys been studying in here?"

[Deleted]

Seeing as she didn't really have all that much else to focus on, Alyss was able to gauge a thing or two from Milo's body language, even the way he seemed to tense up a touch when she said she would like to have lunch. Well that was slightly peculiar. Sure, she could understand a bit of apprehension at the prospect of spending time with a new person, but she did hope that he didn't regret inviting her. That certainly would have been awkward.

Well, at least he seemed enthusiastic when he said that it was great. While Alyss knew better than most how easy it was to cover up true feelings, she would admit that it was rather difficult to feign enthusiasm...besides, honestly, she was probably being paranoid. That was odd, she never thought of herself as paranoid before...then again, had she had to really work to make friends lately? She met Della through Dodge, and while yes, she met Westley prior to rescuing him, saving a man from dying was the sort of thing you couldn't do without coming out as friends. This was more of going about friend-making the old fashioned way, and while she would count Giselle as a potential friend, the girl spoke enough for the both of them. Milo seemed to be a quieter type, which was certainly fine. Just meant it perhaps would take more work.

Well...Alyss was hardly one afraid of that, now was she? And Milo was offering the perfect opportunity.

"Oh, just some Edgar Allen Poe, I actually think the professor's doing this partially in preparation for Halloween," she explained with a light laugh. "Not quite my genre, but I see his merit, certainly. My roommate's obscenely jealous, apparently."

[Milo Thatch]

Milo wasn't very skilled at lying or concealing his actual feelings in situations, which had been the source of a lot of embarrassment for him in the past. He could try to lie, could say something that wasn't true, but anybody with half a brain could probably tell when he was doing it, because usually he blushed horribly and stuttered and often substituted words for similar-sounding ones that were not only the wrong words, but were usually alarmingly inappropriate - like his chair/chest mixup earlier in this same conversation.

"Poe, eh?" he repeated. Well, his life was plenty depressing enough to warrant a little Poe. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to do this - sit in on a class that he wasn't even enrolled in, but here he was, and it wasn't like he was doing it to avoid embarrassment...she already knew he wasn't supposed to be here. It was just...something told him that staying would be a better idea than running away and pretending that he hadn't made the awkward mistake of zoning out so badly that he didn't even notice when his own class ended.

"What genre is your genre?" he asked, hoping against hope that for once in his life, the fates would find it amusing to provide him with an answer like "culture of ancient histories and the impact religion had on pre-Roman architecture" instead of what people usually said when he asked them about their reading habits...which was usually "oh I don't read" or "something with romance and fast cars!"

[Deleted]

Was...was it odd that Alyss was actually excited that someone (apart from Della, and that wasn't even an intentional question, just the natural progression of a conversation they once had) had asked her about what books she liked? She supposed most people weren't all that interested in what she had to say on certain matters anyway, so the few people that did seem to be were ones that actually made her smile a bit.

"Well...I'd say that Dickens is actually my favorite, personally. I mean, I can see why there are those who groan at the mere sound of his name," she answered, managing a laugh there. "He was a bit wordy, but that was just the style, you know? People's attention spans aren't made for that nowadays, I suppose." Which was really a shame. Dickens really captured the worst parts of Victorian England, all that parts that everyone wanted to turn away from, but honestly, how could you? How could you, in good conscience, just pass that sort of thing by? Perhaps it was just her queenly instinct...but no, there was many a monarch that disregarded their poorest. Those were the ones more likely to fall or at least be besmirched in the history books, of course, but they existed.

She supposed it was just...well, she did have the risk of being something of an Oliver Twist herself, didn't she? She knew the pain of being orphaned and alone on the streets of London, so Dickens had struck a chord in her, and...she knew, if she survived to her throne, she wasn't going to let that sort of thing pass her by. She'd do something about it, as someone with her power ought to.

Still, probably best to not go quite that far, mentioning that sort of thing. She didn't want to overload the poor boy with her hypothetical plans in ruling Wonderland. Instead she just asked, "What about you?"

[Milo Thatch]

Milo's eyes widened, and he found that he was suitably impressed by her answer to that. She hadn't given any of the usual answers people gave him when he asked that question, and as a result, he sat up a little and leaned forward on his desk in interest as he pressed on in the conversation.

"That is a great answer!" he said, lighting up a little. "I mean, his stories, they're great stories, but they also say so much about the state of the culture in which he wrote them, you know? People always try to go at a book and just read it for the story and don't think about the context the author was coming from."

Of course, as soon as he blurted all of that out, he realised that maybe she really did just like the stories for the stories and maybe she wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about and she'd feel bad about him saying all of those things. He immediately felt awkward again. Milo had to learn to converse with people on an individual basis - he had no tried and true formula for these things that could apply to everyone. It was usually like a two steps forward, one step back kind of thing. He'd bonded with her just a little over the books, then felt awkward because of his blathering mouth talking about said books.

But she'd given him another chance, and he could take this opportunity to repair some of the damage he had done. Except...she probably wouldn't actually like the kinds of books he read, so it would be even worse if he told her about all the ancient greek and roman and egyptian culture stuff...

"Um, I like, uh, books about...you know, vampires and stuff. Twilight. I like Twilight. And Jules Verne."