32nd Howl [Action | OPEN]

[professorwolf]

Who: Randall Lyall, various versions, and OPEN
When: All week
Where: The high school, his house, and around the city
What: Catch-all log for the week

With school back in session and the full moon for the month behind him-- and four transformations, to go with it, to his dismay and annoyance-- Lyall is trying to get something of a routine going again. Difficult, what with everything still a mess downtown and rumors still flying, but he's trying. At least he has school again, and his students, even if half of them are sure he has something to do with everything that went down, and the other half are busy laughing at the half who do.

Also difficult, when he's tempted to experiment with wolf shape, now that he can. Midway through the week, he gives in, but at least he does is responsibly: he calls some of his usual guards for the full moon to invite them to keep an eye on him. Just in case he loses it. And then wolfishly begs them to let him out of the house, once it actually works and he's himself again, inside the wolf body.

Wandering the city as a wolf, for half the night, is probably not a great way to keep those students from thinking something's up, when he comes in the next morning yawning... but it was still exciting. And this time, he can be sure he didn't bite anyone!


((feel free to run into him at school or around the city, visit his house, or meet the wolf :3 only problem with the latter is, he doesn't know how to change back yet ;) so it'll be animal pantomime time!))

Comments

[professorwolf]

This is a situation which has Lyall tilting his head and trying to get a better look at that book, instead of eating his lunch like he should be doing. That can't be math homework he's doing... can it? Since when does Bakura do homework, period, let alone math?

"Found something interesting in math class at last?" he asks, coming over to see how Bakura is doing.

[shiromadoushi]

"No," Bakura scowled. "Like anything in math ever would be..." he muttered. "Chris isn't even around any more to even tutor me even if she still was, which she stopped doing months ago and she was the only one who made this crap make any sense!"

[professorwolf]

Lyall very nearly asks "then why are you doing it", but he manages not to. Because that would be the silliest question, when one is a teacher. Instead, he comes to slide into the desk beside him and have a look. "Maybe I can help," he offers. "Science isn't that far off from math, you know."

[shiromadoushi]

And one that would set off the scowling teen something horrible.

"Tch..." Bakura scowled. "Far off enough to make one fucking insufferable and one only mildly annoying..."

[professorwolf]

"Math is a tool science uses," Lyall reminds him gently. "There are plenty of things we do in biology that need statistics and algebra. What's the trouble, this time? Without the swearing this time, if you please."

[shiromadoushi]

The teen ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "None of this makes any goddamned sense that's what the fu--- friggin problem is," he returned. "They never friggin' explain any of this crap in any way that makes sense to humans and then expect us to do pages and pages of the same crap we didn't understand in class for homework like that somehow is going to help! Pisses me off...."

[professorwolf]

"And yet here you are, attempting it," Lyall points out, still patient and a bit more careful. "There has to be something interesting about it, even if it's just the challenge." He also reaches over to gently take the book from him and scan the page, to try and work out just what Bakura's class is working on.

[shiromadoushi]

"There's nothing interesting about it!" Bakura snapped, slamming a fist down on the table where the book had been before giving a sound of utter frustration, his face falling forward so that his forehead connected with the table, shoulders going slack.

finally noticing you're using past tense...

[professorwolf]

"I think this is bothering you more than just annoyance with some algebra." Lyall set the book down again, this time on his own desk, and asked evenly, "Want to tell me why?"

It's kinda my default ^^;;;

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura didn't look up. "Chris left, I haven't slept more than 3 hours any night since that whole fucking wreck and I've been doing homework. I hate everything," he answered, voice slightly muffled by the curtain of his hair.

it used to be mine, until DW rp happened >.>

[professorwolf]

Chris leaving made perfect sense, and didn't really require further questioning. He focused on the lack of sleep, first. "Bad dreams, or just restless?"

Heheh

[shiromadoushi]

There was an unhappy moment of quiet. "... if I don't sleep, I don't have the nightmares. So I stay up."

[professorwolf]

"Oh, Bakura...." Lyall sighed. Part sympathy and understanding, part general unhappiness. He had to ask, though he tried to do it gently: "Every night? Of the snake, or of something else?"

[shiromadoushi]

There a long, unhappy pause. "There were a lot of people..." he pressed his lips together a moment. "A lot of people who didn't...."

He trailed off before shaking his head, finally lifting his head off the table to rub at his eyes.

[professorwolf]

"I know." He'd found a couple of them, himself, past the point of being saved. He was quiet for a moment before offering, "If you'd like to talk about it at all... I know it's difficult." He'd seen cadavers before, in college, and he still got nightmares now and then from when his fellow teacher attacked his house and died in the process.

[shiromadoushi]

The teen was quiet a long moment, idly poking at the scar on the back of his hand. "Talking never fixes anything..." he finally spoke, voice soft. "I just... want to not remember that any more... don't want to think about it any longer... any of it. It's too much like..."

He trailed off, eyes only half focused as he looked down at his hand. The implication was clear enough, after all.

[professorwolf]

"Talking might not fix anything, but it does sometimes help it feel a little more distant," Lyall suggested, wishing he could lean over and touch Bakura's hand-- but he was in school, so that really wasn't appropriate. Look at what being all huggy with him at his place was making him do, Bakura. "Separate from you. You won't ever forget, I think." He didn't want to make the boy think that he would and then feel let down. "But you can think of it as less a part of you."

[shiromadoushi]

"Of courseI can't forget! If I could I would have already!" Bakura snapped, shoulders hunching as his fists clenched. "Talking only bring this shit closer! Not thinking about it at all makes it farther!"

His fists slammed down on the table before he forced them to flatten, pressing them against the painted wood as he exhaled.

"...sorry..." he half mumbled, not looking over.

[professorwolf]

Lyall sat back in the desk he'd chosen for himself at the shout, and took a minute to reply after the muttered apology. Finally he said: "I can leave you be, if you'd rather."

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura was quiet a moment, still not looking at his teacher before shaking his head.

[professorwolf]

"All right." It still seemed like a good idea to change the subject to something a little less volatile. "Then if you don't want to talk about that, why don't you tell me what about this math problem is making you so frustrated, and we can work out how to fix it together. Hmm?"

It was something of a peace offering, and definitely a desire to help. Maybe that'd actually help, who knew?

[shiromadoushi]

"Every goddamned thing about it..." the teen half muttered, half sighed, his shoulders slumping. "....and that I'm even doing it at all..."

[professorwolf]

"I, ah, was a bit surprised by that, yes." Because when does Bakura, of all people, do his homework? Much less homework in a class he hates? "Dare I ask why exactly? Not that I'm complaining, mind."

[shiromadoushi]

"If I fucking knew..." It was a tired complaint. "Since school started up again... I just..." he trailed off unhappily. "Something must have changed.... I don't like it...."

[professorwolf]

"I do," Lyall pointed out with a little smile, trying to get a little of that dark mood to lift with some gentle teasing. "Too bad it didn't happen while you were still in my class. But for now, I can probably work out the worst part of this problem with you. If you want."