Heat Index

It was early evening and most students had begun to leave the main campus to settle for the night. Not Vela. She had work to do that would not allow her mind to rest until she had at least jotted down a few key focus items for the draft of her thesis. Physics and the sciences surrounding this area of expertise were her choice of subject matter. The young woman took her schooling incredibly seriously and so it was never a surprise if one found her pulling late nights in the main library of the campus...just as she was doing now.

Vela was confident that she was onto something. There were now countless pages of notes containing her observations of the lamps that were installed across the Abnhainn Campus school grounds. The flames that glowed brightly within them lit the pathways for students. Oh, but she knew that those tiny flames were much more than that.

They not only provided light, they provided heat. How much heat, though? That was part of what she was trying to determine. It would need to have an established rule of measurement and of course, some sort of tool to provide those results. Vela sighed, resting her chin on her paw, clearly perplexed by this phenomena.

@Gwydion or @Tae (pick your poison)

Gwydion had taken to keeping to his studies as of late. When he wasn't doing that he was keeping an eye out for his nephew, who had disappeared. Nobody knew where he'd gone off to but Gwydion suspected he was just doing his own thing now that he was over a year old. Though it was strange he had not told anyone where he was going. Neither had Gwydion at his younger age, but he'd returned home after the war along with his father. Things were good, or as good as they could be, and he just delved into his studies to keep himself busy.

He made his way to the library where he was going to attempt to read yet again and that was when he saw her. She was resting nearby and he had not started on his studies so he figured he would introduce himself. She was pretty, and perhaps striking up a conversation with someone might do him well. He just hoped she was nice, too. "Hi," he offered as he walked up to her, a smile on his face. "Name's Gwydion, hope I'm not being a bother..." he added a bit sheepishly.

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Flame also had the tendency to rise, dancing upward rather than spilling downward like water or earth. This gave her the impression that the element of air was more closely related to fire. Granted, she had yet to come into close proximity with the golden orange flicker of heat...perhaps that was the next step.

Vela began to ponder on various methods for conducting her experiments, listing out several hypotheses to explore A low muffled tone settled over her ashen ears causing them to flick lightly, but she remained focused, dedicated to her tone. It wasn't until she took an upward glance that she noticed someone standing there.

The student blinked in surprised, staring blankly for a moment before she realized that the deeper sound was likely this young man's voice, seeing as he was standing there somewhat expectantly. Vela shook her head to clear it as she sat up a bit taller, tilting her head slightly as she regarded him. “My apologies...did you, ehm, say something? I can take my things and move if this is your seat." She added, having had that experience a couple times before with the other students during the daytime hours. Another reason she preferred to crack the books open past midnight.

@Gwydion

"Oh no, you're fine!" he said, his tail swaying behind him. She'd been too engrossed in her work to notice him at first and now that she did she didn't realize he'd been trying to talk to her. He let out a small chuckle. It was endearing, and not at all offensive to him that she was so entranced in her work that she didn't seem to have much time for anything else. "I was just introducing myself... I was... I was trying to talk to you," he said, almost a little shyly.

I'm Gwydion," he offered again, fishing for a name to match to this pretty face. He swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down, hoping he wasn't annoying her or anything. "And I can go if you're too busy, I don't want to be a bother." he added.

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Vela simply stared at him from her seat, having made no move to leave quite yet. When he insisted that she was fine as she was, she gave a curt nod. Glowing citrine eyes flickered downward towards her notes intending on continuing her pondering, but they immediately returned to the lingering presence as he continued to speak. The young man with the coat of ember explained his approach had been meant to introduce himself and to...speak with her?

This male, Gwydion, he called himself, took a seat decidedly before he considered that he might be bothering her. Vela's nose twitched and she instinctively, yet with the grace of a monarch, maneuvered her paws to reorganize papers and close her study journal. There was She drew in a breath and then turned to promptly face him.

“Gwydion..." She began, her tongue tracing over the letters of his name, as if she were practicing calligraphy, committing it to memory as one might document ink to paper. Her gaze instantly became sharp and calculating as she did her best to be polite given the circumstances by which she was clearly being solicited. And while she had not seen him around the others brutish boys...she could not be certain that he was not their last ditch effort...


“I have no interest in sharing my class notes with you. If you had the desire to enroll in this Institute for Higher Learning, then surely you have the desire to apply yourself. And, no, I am afraid that coin will not persuade me as our other so-called colleagues have offered. Knowledge is far more valuable than any material sum and we as students, should do well to remember that." Her defense was eloquent, but it was giving the impression of having been rehearsed previously. And it certainly had been! After consistent barrassment by her peers, she was practically forced to developed a response to their adamant advances.

@Gwydion

It would seem he'd annoyed her by taking a seat and he wondered if he should just leave her to her studying. He had thought that perhaps she'd like a break and some interaction with others but clearly he'd assumed wrong. His dark brown ears twitched back slightly at her groan and he lifted a paw to the table as she closed her book. It was then that she gave him what seemed to be a rehearsed line about not sharing her notes with him and his lips curved into a small smile. She must get bothered a lot about it, he gathered. "I'm not here for your notes, I just saw you and thought you'd like to... take a break." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Now that she had spoken more than two words to him he was figuring that she was the type that actually preferred her studies than communicating with others. While he was working towards his own classes he often took breaks and chatted with others whenever he could to refresh his mind. If he studied too long he grew bored and unable to focus. He wasn't sure why, it just happened.

He paused for a moment, looking at her curiously before his ears perked back up and he offered her another smile. "What's... your name?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't mind giving it to him.

She was unlike anyone he'd met before at the school -- there were busybodies yes but she seemed dedicated and that was something to admire. He wondered if this would be how his brother would behave if he had enrolled in school, far too serious and meticulous for his own good. What he really needed was to just relax some.

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“I'm not here for your notes..."

Vela's eyes narrowed, tuning into his expression and watching his every move, but he smiled and gave a shrug. She blinked at him rapidly, her mouth forming into a thin line, ears laying back as she realized she certainly misjudged the intentions of the male. “Take...a break?" She repeated back to him slowly as though that were the most absurd thing she'd ever heard in her life. Citrine eyes withdrew from him momentarily as she looked about the library, down at the book beneath her paws, then to him again.

“Is that what you're doing?" She asked with an intensely curious gaze while trying to understand this whole...social interaction. The lad, Gwydion, now directly asked for her name with another smile. She stared, still not entirely sure why he had even began a conversation in the first place if he was not going to seek to gain something from her. Finally, her voice cut through the silence as she replied curtly,
“Vela Grier."

@Gwydion

It was like he was speaking a different language to her and she was not quite comprehending. Gwydion might've found this amusing had it not reminded him of a friend long gone. His lips curved into a slight frown before he could catch them and then he quickly switched to a more upbeat expression, trying his best not to bring the situation or himself down. He had realized in that moment that he was kind of... lonely. He'd had many friends but most were gone or unreachable at the moment. His mind flashed their faces across his vision but when he blinked all hew as was Vela, who was finally introducing herself.

"Yeah. Breaks are good for you. Helps refresh your mind and what not," he said, his tail swaying slowly behind him. His lips thinned into a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Vela." he added. Was it, though? She didn't seem to want anything to do with him and he couldn't blame her. He was just some stranger come to sit and bother her in the middle of her work. Perhaps he... should go. He didn't want to be a bother, after all. He hoisted himself out of his seat and turned away from her slightly as he made to leave. "Sorry for bothering you," he said softly before taking a few steps away.

exit gwydion unless stopped

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{“I've...never taken a break before...” The girl murmured thoughtfully to herself more than directly to him, her brows furrowing as she tapped her chin with one of her paws. This Gwydion lad claimed it benefited him to do so to refresh his mind for his studies. She was contemplating how she might implement that herself when he dipped back into formalities. Vela blinked, giving him a little nod of acknowledgement, “Yes, I suppose it is." She then realized that was not the best response and quickly began to try to recover, adding, “And it is nice to make your acquaintance, as well."

It was then that he stood from where he was seated, turning away to begin leaving as he apologized to her for being a bother. Vela stared after him silent for a moment before looking down at her study materials that she'd already mostly packed away. There wasn't a point in pulling it all back out now, especially now that her mind was elsewhere.

She glanced up at where he'd disappeared and then grabbed her things, moving to catch up with him. “Gwydion!" She called to him in case he'd gotten to far and when she caught up with him, she gestured for him to continue walking as she joined him. “I am done studying for the evening and am going back to my living quarters. Do you live here on campus?"

@Gwydion

His ears twitched as he caught her murmured words, but said nothing. Never taken a break? He couldn't imagine that. At her next comment, he smiled a little in amusement before she offered the same sentiment. It seemed she was not accustomed to talking to others as much as he was, but then again he wasn't the best with his words either sometimes so he couldn't really blame her. He felt bad for bothering her though but was surprised to hear her call after him as he went to leave.

He turned his attention back toward her as she told him she was done studying and would be heading back to her living quarters. His brow furrowed as he wondered what that had to do with him, unless she was inviting him... back with her? His cheeks heated slightly and he swallowed, then she asked if he lived on campus and he was glad for the distraction. "No, I live in Perth with my family," he said. The travel was hell and sometimes he crashed with friends instead of going back home but he didn't say that.

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