Tamara and Nolan - Backdated
Oct. 20th, 2017 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainIn which Tamara decides that Nolan and she are now friends, after a somewhat rocky start.
It had been a busy day for Tamara. Classes, flying practice, a danger room session to play with her electricity, then a shower and finally dinner. After eating she’d taken a detour back to her room to freshen up her makeup and check her outfit, and was now on her way to the boys dorm to meet Shinobi. He’d been helping her practice French.
Well, and other things, which were all but begging for a ‘frenching’ joke, which made her smirk.
Not that she didn’t enjoy learning and practicing French, because she totally did, but who didn’t like making out more than homework? ...well, probably Ace people, now that she thought about it, but whatever. At any rate, she wasn’t really feeling like homework tonight.
Still smirking a little, she knocked on Shinobi’s door.
Nolan opened the door, eyebrows raising at the first thing he noticed - bat wings. Huge bat wings on that tiny girl, the budding YouTube celebrity Shinobi was so fond of. His gaze dropped to her face and he smiled, a little perplexed at her presence here. "Hello. Shinobi's out, I'm afraid."
He was almost dressed down today, in a white blazer over a black button-down hoodie, and some dark gray trousers to complete the look - his own version of a callback to the many, many hoodies he had once worn as key elements of his wardrobe. If his Zuckerberg period could even have been called a wardrobe.
Tamara blinked up at him in surprise - Shinobi’s roommate was out so often that she’d almost forgotten the possibility of running into him - and raised an eyebrow back as he stared at her wings.
Still, she smiled up at him. “You must be Nolan. I was starting to think Shinobi made you up.”
"He does have an impressive imagination," Nolan replied offhandedly. He was tempted to tell her to come back later, or that he would tell Shinobi she'd stopped by. He'd just had a long day and was only just beginning to come down from it. But he could make an effort, since Shinobi liked her that much. She was bound to be interesting, beyond the public persona she displayed online.
He stepped out of the doorway. "Would you like to come in? I can text him that you're here."
Tamara had planned to invite herself in anyway - hiking back to the girls dorm just to come back again? No thanks - so she grinned and stepped inside. “Already on it,” she told Nolan, phone appearing from one of the back pockets of her low-riding black jeans. It barely took her a second to fire off a teasing text, then she was smiling up at Nolan again. “Bet he won’t be long, he’s supposed to help me with French.”
Then she helped herself to Shinobi’s bed, flopping comfortably on her stomach and letting her wings relax on either side of her. Much better. Her wings and back were killing her from all the exertion today. And if it left her bare back and wings on ready display, well, all the better. Propping her head in one hand, she looked curiously over at Nolan. “So you’re really the Nolan Ross then?”
Nolan had closed the door after her, and was now looking at her a little quizzically. "Please, make yourself at home," he dryly stated, then moved to lean back against his desk, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I'm the most famous iteration, anyway," he confirmed.
"Thanks," she replied equally flatly, though there was a playful smirk at the edge of her lips. "My wings kill, and Shinobi won't mind," she offered by way of explanation.
Well, if Shinobi didn't mind. But it was his roommate's bed, and Nolan had no call feeling defensive about it. Instead, he focused on - in his opinion - the better reason to giver her a pass. "I never thought about how painful wings must be."
That surprised Tamara a bit, because it was actually kind of thoughtful. “It’s way better than when they first came in, that was torture.” She’d managed it with drugs and determination at the time, but looking back? Yeah, being constantly in pain all summer had sucked. But with her scars on her back also visible, deep pink skin along the join of her wings, she didn’t think it needed more explanation. “Now they’re done growing, so it’s just working them out so they’re strong enough to actually fly.”
Whether it needed more explanation or not, Nolan was hardly going to prod - about her words, or about the state of her back. He was, in fact, doing his best to only look at her face. She was lying like this to be comfortable, not to display her scars to him, as far as he was concerned. "And that day cannot be coming soon enough," he inferred.
He wondered whether Warren had gone through the same ordeal. How long had the Avenging Angel have to wait until the pain subsided, and his wings were flight-ready? No wonder he loved flying so much.
“I’m getting there,” she replied brightly. “I can get airborne now, but wings like this,” her wings fluffed themselves on the bed, “are precision instruments, y’know? Takes a lot of practice to figure them out and, y’know, not crash.” Noticing that he was keeping his eyes away from her wings almost dutifully, Tamara raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s okay, you can look.” She was practically on display on the bed after all. “I’m pretty used to being an anatomy lesson these days.”
"And I'd rather not treat anyone like that if I can help it," Nolan replied nonchalantly. It was his default tone, but he meant every word all the same.
Surprising again, Tamara thought. “Thanks, then.” Her phone buzzed, a text from Shinobi. “But you’ve got permission all the same.” Or maybe he was freaked out by them? She hoped not. Her phone buzzed again as she unlocked it.
Text from Tamara: Still on for French tonight? Nolan let me in. He *is* real! :P
Text from Shinobi Shaw: He IS. I mean, my imagination is vivid, so I understand your doubts, but the reality is even more amazing than I've said.
Text from Shinobi Shaw: I completely forgot about French tonight! I'm so sorry, belle, but I won't be back at school for another hour or two.
Text from Shinobi Shaw: I'm running a little errand for Warren in the city. So sorry! Will make it up to you. ;)
One perfect eyebrow flicked upward in surprise - running an errand? - but she filed that away to puzzle over later. For now, she pouted at her phone. “Aw, he forgot about me...”
"I'm, ah, sorry to hear that," Nolan told her. He hoped she wasn't about to get angry at Shinobi; he wasn't sure how to deal with a woman being angry with his friend.
“It’s no big deal,” Tamara replied, smiling at Nolan again. “Besides, he says he’ll make it up to me.” Always a rewarding promise from Shinobi. “Any idea what ‘errand’ he’s running?”
"None," Nolan replied honestly. He was a little nonplussed that she did not seem to be getting off Shinobi's bed, but he was not letting it show. "I haven't seen him since this morning."
“You’re no help then,” Tamara told him playfully, texting Shinobi back. She could tell Nolan was hiding something behind that mask of rich-boy-politeness (she’d become way too familiar with that lately), but whatever. Turning her attention back to Nolan, she asked curiously, “So how come I almost never see you around? Do you go into the city during the day or something?”
"Contrary to popular belief, a multi-billion-dollar company does not run itself," Nolan answered, beginning to wonder if he should offer her something to drink. At home, he would have, in a heartbeat. But here, where getting kicked out could have lethal consequences, and with her looking so tiny a single glass might do the trick... Never mind that he had as good as quit drinking on account of his treatment, and that she had invited herself into his room...
The amusement fell out of Tamara's face in an instant. "Right," she replied, tone verging on acid, "which is why I thought maybe you went into the city to run it." She was poor, not stupid. "But pardon me for not knowing how multi-billion-dollar companies are run."
This was why Nolan didn't interact with people his age very much. He always found a way to say the exact wrong thing, somehow. It was very brief, but for a second there, he had clearly looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I only meant I'm busy," he answered warily, unsure whether this would set her off again. "That's why you don't see me around."
It was that second of terror that mollified Tamara (a bit, anyway). This was gonna be Simon all over again...
"Look, it's great that you're in charge of this huge company and all," she said, absolutely talking down to him from her place sprawled on Shinobi's bed. "I'm all for mutant geniuses making bank, but it doesn't make you better than any of the rest of us here. Some of us are dirt poor, in fact, so maybe you wanna think twice before showing off how much money you've got like that. It's not impressive, it's rude, and it might make some people feel like shit, and they don't deserve that."
It was only by the end of her speech that Nolan finally understood what the problem was. Although he had to wonder how she ever hung out with Shinobi, who had made flaunting money into an art form. "Duly noted," he assured her. He never actually wanted to be rude, or make people uncomfortable (not unless he meant to, anyway), and this was something he'd never considered, despite not always having had this much money, far from it. But he'd never been dirt poor either, so what did he know? "I'll be more mindful in the future."
'That said, in the spirit of not being rude, would you consider vacating my room?' There was no way Nolan could phrase this that wasn't, in fact, rude. He managed to stifle a yawn, only just. It was a skill he'd had to acquire lately, with how sleepy his treatment could make him, and the many video conferences he had to be on top of.
"But if you'll give me some credit," he added instead, wondering if he was about to say the wrong thing again, "please trust that I don't look at money to know the value of people."
Or perhaps only in the sense that wealthy people were more likely to be sharks.
...that had gone way better than Tamara had expected. Nolan was one surprise after another.
"Alright, good," she said, clearly relaxing again. She even offered him another smile. That last part probably explained why Shinobi liked him. Although, "...wait, are you just being nice about it because Shinobi likes me?"
It was mostly a joke to clear the air again, but she was also kind of curious. Neither answer would get him in trouble or anything, she just wanted to know.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," Nolan confirmed dryly. Soft-spoken snark was the way he went through life. He'd had to develop it over the years of being bullied. "I don't actually have a soul, or feelings to speak of." He almost made it a crack about rich people, but that would mean drawing attention to his wealth again.
It pulled an approving smirk from Tamara. "That's lucky, really. I'm told I can be kind of abrasive when I'm mad."
"'Kind of abrasive' I can deal with," Nolan replied easily. "It's all out vicious I find I can't take."
"Was I vicious?" she asked, kind of surprised.
"Were you mad?" he asked in return. He had been talking in general, not about her, or this situation.
Tamara frowned thoughtfully before deciding, “I was thinking about it, but then you weren’t a dick, so no.”
"I'm - glad I passed that test." Especially since she had needed to think quite that hard about it.
Not entirely sure if he was being sarcastic or not, Tamara decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment at least. "Me too," she replied with a smile. "Alright, looks like Shinobi isn't gonna be back soon," she said with a little sigh, sliding off Shinobi's bed, careful of her wings. "Guess I'll clear out."
Nolan wasn't sure whether her phrasing was designed to make him ask her to stay, but either way, he pushed off from the desk and stepped to the door to open it. "Anything you want me to pass on?"
“He knows how to find me,” Tamara replied, smiling at that weird politeness as she tucked her wings in so she could actually fit through the door. “Thanks for letting me crash - see you around?”
"Most likely," Nolan confirmed with one of his usual tight smiles.
Safely through the door and in the hallway, Tamara turned to give him one last quizzical (and amused) look before waving and heading on her way. "Night then!"
It had been a busy day for Tamara. Classes, flying practice, a danger room session to play with her electricity, then a shower and finally dinner. After eating she’d taken a detour back to her room to freshen up her makeup and check her outfit, and was now on her way to the boys dorm to meet Shinobi. He’d been helping her practice French.
Well, and other things, which were all but begging for a ‘frenching’ joke, which made her smirk.
Not that she didn’t enjoy learning and practicing French, because she totally did, but who didn’t like making out more than homework? ...well, probably Ace people, now that she thought about it, but whatever. At any rate, she wasn’t really feeling like homework tonight.
Still smirking a little, she knocked on Shinobi’s door.
Nolan opened the door, eyebrows raising at the first thing he noticed - bat wings. Huge bat wings on that tiny girl, the budding YouTube celebrity Shinobi was so fond of. His gaze dropped to her face and he smiled, a little perplexed at her presence here. "Hello. Shinobi's out, I'm afraid."
He was almost dressed down today, in a white blazer over a black button-down hoodie, and some dark gray trousers to complete the look - his own version of a callback to the many, many hoodies he had once worn as key elements of his wardrobe. If his Zuckerberg period could even have been called a wardrobe.
Tamara blinked up at him in surprise - Shinobi’s roommate was out so often that she’d almost forgotten the possibility of running into him - and raised an eyebrow back as he stared at her wings.
Still, she smiled up at him. “You must be Nolan. I was starting to think Shinobi made you up.”
"He does have an impressive imagination," Nolan replied offhandedly. He was tempted to tell her to come back later, or that he would tell Shinobi she'd stopped by. He'd just had a long day and was only just beginning to come down from it. But he could make an effort, since Shinobi liked her that much. She was bound to be interesting, beyond the public persona she displayed online.
He stepped out of the doorway. "Would you like to come in? I can text him that you're here."
Tamara had planned to invite herself in anyway - hiking back to the girls dorm just to come back again? No thanks - so she grinned and stepped inside. “Already on it,” she told Nolan, phone appearing from one of the back pockets of her low-riding black jeans. It barely took her a second to fire off a teasing text, then she was smiling up at Nolan again. “Bet he won’t be long, he’s supposed to help me with French.”
Then she helped herself to Shinobi’s bed, flopping comfortably on her stomach and letting her wings relax on either side of her. Much better. Her wings and back were killing her from all the exertion today. And if it left her bare back and wings on ready display, well, all the better. Propping her head in one hand, she looked curiously over at Nolan. “So you’re really the Nolan Ross then?”
Nolan had closed the door after her, and was now looking at her a little quizzically. "Please, make yourself at home," he dryly stated, then moved to lean back against his desk, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I'm the most famous iteration, anyway," he confirmed.
"Thanks," she replied equally flatly, though there was a playful smirk at the edge of her lips. "My wings kill, and Shinobi won't mind," she offered by way of explanation.
Well, if Shinobi didn't mind. But it was his roommate's bed, and Nolan had no call feeling defensive about it. Instead, he focused on - in his opinion - the better reason to giver her a pass. "I never thought about how painful wings must be."
That surprised Tamara a bit, because it was actually kind of thoughtful. “It’s way better than when they first came in, that was torture.” She’d managed it with drugs and determination at the time, but looking back? Yeah, being constantly in pain all summer had sucked. But with her scars on her back also visible, deep pink skin along the join of her wings, she didn’t think it needed more explanation. “Now they’re done growing, so it’s just working them out so they’re strong enough to actually fly.”
Whether it needed more explanation or not, Nolan was hardly going to prod - about her words, or about the state of her back. He was, in fact, doing his best to only look at her face. She was lying like this to be comfortable, not to display her scars to him, as far as he was concerned. "And that day cannot be coming soon enough," he inferred.
He wondered whether Warren had gone through the same ordeal. How long had the Avenging Angel have to wait until the pain subsided, and his wings were flight-ready? No wonder he loved flying so much.
“I’m getting there,” she replied brightly. “I can get airborne now, but wings like this,” her wings fluffed themselves on the bed, “are precision instruments, y’know? Takes a lot of practice to figure them out and, y’know, not crash.” Noticing that he was keeping his eyes away from her wings almost dutifully, Tamara raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s okay, you can look.” She was practically on display on the bed after all. “I’m pretty used to being an anatomy lesson these days.”
"And I'd rather not treat anyone like that if I can help it," Nolan replied nonchalantly. It was his default tone, but he meant every word all the same.
Surprising again, Tamara thought. “Thanks, then.” Her phone buzzed, a text from Shinobi. “But you’ve got permission all the same.” Or maybe he was freaked out by them? She hoped not. Her phone buzzed again as she unlocked it.
Text from Tamara: Still on for French tonight? Nolan let me in. He *is* real! :P
Text from Shinobi Shaw: He IS. I mean, my imagination is vivid, so I understand your doubts, but the reality is even more amazing than I've said.
Text from Shinobi Shaw: I completely forgot about French tonight! I'm so sorry, belle, but I won't be back at school for another hour or two.
Text from Shinobi Shaw: I'm running a little errand for Warren in the city. So sorry! Will make it up to you. ;)
One perfect eyebrow flicked upward in surprise - running an errand? - but she filed that away to puzzle over later. For now, she pouted at her phone. “Aw, he forgot about me...”
"I'm, ah, sorry to hear that," Nolan told her. He hoped she wasn't about to get angry at Shinobi; he wasn't sure how to deal with a woman being angry with his friend.
“It’s no big deal,” Tamara replied, smiling at Nolan again. “Besides, he says he’ll make it up to me.” Always a rewarding promise from Shinobi. “Any idea what ‘errand’ he’s running?”
"None," Nolan replied honestly. He was a little nonplussed that she did not seem to be getting off Shinobi's bed, but he was not letting it show. "I haven't seen him since this morning."
“You’re no help then,” Tamara told him playfully, texting Shinobi back. She could tell Nolan was hiding something behind that mask of rich-boy-politeness (she’d become way too familiar with that lately), but whatever. Turning her attention back to Nolan, she asked curiously, “So how come I almost never see you around? Do you go into the city during the day or something?”
"Contrary to popular belief, a multi-billion-dollar company does not run itself," Nolan answered, beginning to wonder if he should offer her something to drink. At home, he would have, in a heartbeat. But here, where getting kicked out could have lethal consequences, and with her looking so tiny a single glass might do the trick... Never mind that he had as good as quit drinking on account of his treatment, and that she had invited herself into his room...
The amusement fell out of Tamara's face in an instant. "Right," she replied, tone verging on acid, "which is why I thought maybe you went into the city to run it." She was poor, not stupid. "But pardon me for not knowing how multi-billion-dollar companies are run."
This was why Nolan didn't interact with people his age very much. He always found a way to say the exact wrong thing, somehow. It was very brief, but for a second there, he had clearly looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I only meant I'm busy," he answered warily, unsure whether this would set her off again. "That's why you don't see me around."
It was that second of terror that mollified Tamara (a bit, anyway). This was gonna be Simon all over again...
"Look, it's great that you're in charge of this huge company and all," she said, absolutely talking down to him from her place sprawled on Shinobi's bed. "I'm all for mutant geniuses making bank, but it doesn't make you better than any of the rest of us here. Some of us are dirt poor, in fact, so maybe you wanna think twice before showing off how much money you've got like that. It's not impressive, it's rude, and it might make some people feel like shit, and they don't deserve that."
It was only by the end of her speech that Nolan finally understood what the problem was. Although he had to wonder how she ever hung out with Shinobi, who had made flaunting money into an art form. "Duly noted," he assured her. He never actually wanted to be rude, or make people uncomfortable (not unless he meant to, anyway), and this was something he'd never considered, despite not always having had this much money, far from it. But he'd never been dirt poor either, so what did he know? "I'll be more mindful in the future."
'That said, in the spirit of not being rude, would you consider vacating my room?' There was no way Nolan could phrase this that wasn't, in fact, rude. He managed to stifle a yawn, only just. It was a skill he'd had to acquire lately, with how sleepy his treatment could make him, and the many video conferences he had to be on top of.
"But if you'll give me some credit," he added instead, wondering if he was about to say the wrong thing again, "please trust that I don't look at money to know the value of people."
Or perhaps only in the sense that wealthy people were more likely to be sharks.
...that had gone way better than Tamara had expected. Nolan was one surprise after another.
"Alright, good," she said, clearly relaxing again. She even offered him another smile. That last part probably explained why Shinobi liked him. Although, "...wait, are you just being nice about it because Shinobi likes me?"
It was mostly a joke to clear the air again, but she was also kind of curious. Neither answer would get him in trouble or anything, she just wanted to know.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," Nolan confirmed dryly. Soft-spoken snark was the way he went through life. He'd had to develop it over the years of being bullied. "I don't actually have a soul, or feelings to speak of." He almost made it a crack about rich people, but that would mean drawing attention to his wealth again.
It pulled an approving smirk from Tamara. "That's lucky, really. I'm told I can be kind of abrasive when I'm mad."
"'Kind of abrasive' I can deal with," Nolan replied easily. "It's all out vicious I find I can't take."
"Was I vicious?" she asked, kind of surprised.
"Were you mad?" he asked in return. He had been talking in general, not about her, or this situation.
Tamara frowned thoughtfully before deciding, “I was thinking about it, but then you weren’t a dick, so no.”
"I'm - glad I passed that test." Especially since she had needed to think quite that hard about it.
Not entirely sure if he was being sarcastic or not, Tamara decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment at least. "Me too," she replied with a smile. "Alright, looks like Shinobi isn't gonna be back soon," she said with a little sigh, sliding off Shinobi's bed, careful of her wings. "Guess I'll clear out."
Nolan wasn't sure whether her phrasing was designed to make him ask her to stay, but either way, he pushed off from the desk and stepped to the door to open it. "Anything you want me to pass on?"
“He knows how to find me,” Tamara replied, smiling at that weird politeness as she tucked her wings in so she could actually fit through the door. “Thanks for letting me crash - see you around?”
"Most likely," Nolan confirmed with one of his usual tight smiles.
Safely through the door and in the hallway, Tamara turned to give him one last quizzical (and amused) look before waving and heading on her way. "Night then!"
