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[right][color=708090][u][b]Interactions:[/b][/u][/color] Talía [@Aviaire]
[color=708090][u][b]Mentions:[/b][/u][/color] None
[color=708090][u][b]Location:[/b][/u][/color] Training room -> Cafeteria -> Lounge[/right][hr][hr]
Alex hadn’t properly flown for a week now. A whole [i]week[/i]! All because that sadistic vampire bitch had set him yet [i]another[/i] challenge to [color=708090][i]focus completely and wholeheartedly on ways to cover for your arse and survive whenever your only decent asset is useless,[/i][/color] he mimicked mockingly - not out loud, because he didn't have a death wish. She was just baiting him, the fucker, and he wasn’t even mad about it. [i]Not reaaally.[/i] Just exasperated. Maybe a tad put out, because in all his years at the academy, he’d completed several hundred missions (granted, they’d been the practice hologram-filled ones, but still), and according to Lady Blackstone, he still defaulted to relying on his wings too often. Of-fucking-course he did, he was a goddamn Dragon-kin, and four years of gen-ed wasn’t able to overcome the previous sixteen years of being encouraged to polishing his best advantage so easily.

Then again, these challenges had definitely polished his combat abilities on the ground, and were effectively developing an instinct to respond swiftly and appropriately to any given situation. That certainly was one reason he went along with Blackstone’s “requests”. The other was that one time three or so years ago, the madwoman had [i]literally[/i] ripped the wings off his back to get her point across. The reminder of those hellish two weeks was certainly a good incentive to be the [i]good little soldier[/i] for the vampire. Sometimes, what he hated the most about the whole ordeal was the fact that he was actually [i]grateful[/i] to her. Questionable methods or not, but damn, was she an effective teacher! Probably why there was usually a queue to get a private lesson from her – even though the suicidally lazy majority of the student population avoided her like a newbie should a triple-S difficulty mission, he and his fellow training maniacs were more than enough to take up a decent chunk of her time.

But to get back on track, today he was [i]finally[/i] free to fly more than half-an-hour per day (that much Blackstone usually acquiesced, since she’d seen how stir crazy he’d go otherwise, and an unstable mental state certainly wouldn’t be conducive to the whole overcome-your-weaknesses training regime), which is exactly what he’d take the time to do after some lunch, stretching, meditation, etc. to cool down after the lesson-packed morning he’d had. They certainly weren’t a necessity, him being a fifth year, but definitely a good practice he intended to uphold. Anyhow, food first, the rest of his plans later. Though he had the choice of fixing up something on his own, he usually went for a pre-made cafeteria meal, and this time, he picked a variety of tacos (beef, chicken, shrimp) alongside a bowl of mixed salad. He wasn’t too picky of an eater, but he was still glad the food served was of a relatively good quality as well as quite diverse.

Seeing as he’d been all by his lonesome, Isaia had eaten swiftly, no mundane chatter to distract him. Before moving onto what was truly important in life (flying, duh), he’d have to give his body some down-time to digest the meal properly. He sauntered to the lounge, for once content now that he’d eaten and with the afternoon free to do with as he pleased for once. One of his favourite spots for meditation was the gardens, since it was also one of the rare locations (besides his own dorm, but that got stuffy fast) that was quiet and serene. Besides, the smell of nature in the middle of New York? Not something you got beyond artificial little spots like these. He settled on a patch of grass cross-legged, closed his eyes, deepened his breathing, and spent the next hour not thinking much of anything.

When he was done, he felt refreshed and energized. As he was exiting the garden, his gaze happened to lock with some other girl’s, who was just sitting there…and staring? Vacantly looking from student to student? Alex spent the next ten minutes stretching his body, observing the girl in turn, ascertaining she wasn’t just waiting on someone. Which might still actually the case, but…there was no [i]expectancy[/i] about her. Not a creepy stalker either, he didn’t think, since there was no specific person she was fixated on. Well. How fortuitous he could offer her something much more engaging to do. He walked up right to her, with all the nonchalant confidence he could muster, which actually might have across as more predatory and bully-esque than he’d liked. But as was said, you work with what you have. And intimidation was his forte. (Or so he chose to believe.) 

[color=708090]“Hey, Feathers,”[/color] he called out to the harpy. [color=708090]“How about instead of sitting here all wide-eyed like some clueless human you come for a flight with me, hm?”[/color] He stretched his wings a bit and gave them a single flap to demonstrate. [color=708090]“Bet ya it’ll be better than this pathetic gawking of yours,”[/color] he drawled, his smile showcasing his fangs in an obvious challenge. [color=708090]“Think you could win a race? Or maybe you’d rather a proper areal battle,”[/color] he added with an excited growl, his eyes glinting in pleasure at the idea of getting a training-partner to face off against. And how could she refuse when he’d made the perfect invitation? [i]If[/i] she did, she’d have been useless to fly with anyway, and if she didn’t, his plan to incite her into combativeness and get her to accompany him would be proven to have worked as intended. Sometimes, he was surprised by his own insight, and it had occurred rather helpfully in relation to a social interaction wherein he’d had to [i]play nice[/i] for once.