school: caleb

[shaft]

tbc

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week 2, sunday, dorms

[shaft]

[ Claude is wandering back to the dorms after The Spectacle, but not without tiredly greeting Caleb when he spots him. ]

Caleb. On your way back to rest and recover?

[katzepaw]

Hello, Claude.

[He is on his way back, a little hunched and grim, bundled up from the cold. But he'll nod at Claude.]

Not so much resting and recovering to do. Too much in my head for that.

[shaft]

[ Not surprising. ]

That's... to be expected, I guess. [ He shakes his head. ] Considering how much you just suffered on Thursday.

[katzepaw]

Ah. [He looks a little uncomfortable at that.] Not so bad, either. I have been injured before. As you know, those things are difficult, but. . .

[shaft]

I imagine having your throat cut open is still harrowing, even after many battles.

[ But okay, he'll might. ]

Want to share what's on your mind? I won't be offended if you say no.

week 3, tuesday, outside

[shaft]

[ Claude is very stealthily making his way across the campus, because he's incredibly hungry.

It's not too crowded, and he's feeling fairly confident, until he turns a corner and Caleb is right there. He turns to make one of his signature strategic retreats, but his foot catches on a patch of ice and he ends up wiping out instead.

Graceful. ]

[katzepaw]

Ah - Claude, are you alright?

[He will hurry over to Claude to try to reach down and extend him a hand to help him up. But as he does so, a memory will play.]

[shaft]

[ Claude gasps for a second, having been on his way up, and falling back onto his butt, hand going to his throat in a second of panic before he remembers.

He looks dazed, lowering his hand and glancing over at Caleb, troubled. ]

... Well. That looked unpleasant.

[katzepaw]

[He also brings his hand to his throat, absently, blinking away the memory.]

. . . No, not good.

[shaft]

[ Even now, no longer a nosy, bratty child, Claude can't quite quell his curiosity or the need to understand what he'd just witnessed.

But he knows better than to dig into painful memories. ]

I'll forget I ever saw it if that's what you want.

week 5, monday, FAND 700

[shaft]

[ Claude is staring at his paper, mystified by this class. ]

I feel like I'm missing something.

[katzepaw]

[He's reading back over his notes with a furrowed brow.]

. . . Which one is Dean? Apparently, he is typically portrayed as an alpha.

[shaft]

Isn't he the short one? I thought typically alphas were the taller of the pair?

[ He looks over the diagrams again. ]

[katzepaw]

You're right, that's a discrepancy. I can't make sense of it. But the materials say an omega is often reserved, timid, or 'tsundere.'

[shaft]

I suppose it's not a one shoe fits all type situation.

[ Hmm. ]

Do you think Sam is a bigger tsundere than Dean?

week 5, friday, outside

[shaft]

[ Claude looks pretty tired already, and it's barely noon. When he spots Caleb though, he'll pause his quest for a nap and give him a concerned look, remembering the CYOA from yesterday that I missed. ]

Hey, how're you holding up?

[katzepaw]

[Not great, Claude. Not great. He's healed, mostly, though he has some ugly bruises around his neck peeking out from under his scarf. Mostly, though, he looks a little drunk and a little tired.]

. . . Well. I have had better days.

[shaft]

[ Normally Claude would laugh, but all he manages is a quiet bark as he shakes his head. ]

I can imagine. It's been a rough couple days for you. [ ... ] And certainly for Beau.

[katzepaw]

It has been a rough couple days for both of my dear friends, and that troubles me more than anything else could.

[He wishes he was just recovering from a CYOA.]

[shaft]

I definitely don't envy you. It's... going to be a rough day tomorrow.

[ Resisting the urge to sigh again, he jerks his head toward the Summer dorm. ]

In the meantime, want some tea?

week 6; friday

[katzepaw]

[So, Caleb probably wouldn't seek Claude out, knowing how painful this likely is. But he happens to be out walking between the dorms, so easy enough to stop and talk to him.]

[shaft]

[ Claude looks okay when he runs into Caleb, a little more tired than usual, and a little less convincing when he smiles, but not as spooked as he was the day previous. ]

Caleb. Were you among those who found something today?

[katzepaw]

Ah.

[That's one way to do it. He thinks that to himself, but then decides to respect it and just answer matter of factly.]

Rita and I were at the garage. There was a car missing. And some flowers picked in the garden, as well.

[shaft]

[ He takes a bit longer than usual to digest this information, nodding to himself. ]

Were you... [ He stops for a second. ] Oh, I didn't even say hello before interrogating you, did I?

[katzepaw]

[Dryly - ]

Hello. Interrogate away, I don't mind it.