Her lips pursed and she narrowed her eyes a moment and threw a glance at the notes in her hand, peeking at the page and thinking hard.
Umm.
She lowered the book. "I-I could use a quick refresher on the--the bonds," she admits, sheepishly.
While Harold made with the tutoring, Astrid patiently and attentively listened to every piece of information fed to her, mindfully tacking on more notes on paper as needed. But over time she would lean forward, resting her elbow on the table, palm her cheek, and her attention inadvertently drifted-- particularly on Harold.
Or rather her attention fixed on his leg... namely focused on his prosthesis leg.
Granted she has never actually seen his prosthetic leg, but...
Completely unaware she was staring, squinting, as if concentrating on it. Trying to... figure it out. That... that something wasn't right with it.
Yeah, he noticed that, and after finishing one of his explanations, he segued off into a brief silence, and said, "You know, my leg's not going to be on the test."
Eek. His quip snapped her out of it and she blushed faintly in embarrassment, frantically shaking her head with eyes tightly shut.
"--Ah! No, no. I didn't mean to-- I wasn't thinking-- I just... just...," she stammered with her head lowered before ultimately throwing her hands down on her lap and trailing off in awkward silence.
Hopefully she hadn't haphazardly made him feel alienated now.
"It's weird, I know. People always just-- I mean, it's a thing. Most people don't even know, when it's covered, and some people don't care, but sometimes, it makes people curious or weirds them out, or they pretend they're not weirded out, but they are..."
He sat back in his chair a little, seemed to decide something, and then pulled his pant-leg up.
It really...wasn't that bad. The foot part was covered in a sock and in his shoe, and the rest looked like just...a fake leg. Made of metal and plastic. The stump was hidden by the prosthesis and all wrapped up in a special sock.
"Look. Shocking, gross, and your brain is telling you its not what's supposed to be there, I know, but it is what it is. It's not really a big deal. It's only a big deal when people make it a big deal."
He wasn't talking about you, Astrid. He was talking about other people that used anything they could to make fun of someone.
A part of her wanted to recoil at the sight, though the girl didn't even grimace when he showed her the severity of what he carried. Instead, her expression visibly looked surprised. She honestly expected something... heavier. That's how she would describe it, at least.
Not what's supposed to be there. He must...he must mean a flesh and blood leg? That can't--
Well, Astrid didn't intend to make it a big deal. She swallowed and nodded, simply respecting the matter and placed her hands on the desk, directing her eyes to their work.
However, the pencil was fumbled anxiously in her grip. Soon enough curiosity won over and she steered off the task of studying once more.
"What happened? If you don't mind."
If it was too intimate a question, she'd understand.
It wasn't a bad thing if it meant she'd get over it, and he kinda wanted to be her friend, so if there was any possibility of that happening, it had to not be A Thing.
Hiccup quickly covered his leg up.
"I don't mind--I don't even really remember it. Car accident, when I was seven. I took a good knock to the head, too, so I wound up with retrogade amnesia. Don't remember the accident, don't remember anything before the accident--don't even remember a time I ever had two normal legs. I woke up in the hospital and...just...started from there."
What was this feeling. She felt an odd desire to share something that has always bothered her. Troubled her, even. A source of her unease for quite some time and one she hid from everyone... up until now. "You can't remember what happened to you, too."
There was a glance around them and assured no one overheard, she touched her bicep, releasing a soft sigh. "I have these scars. One day I noticed they covered a wide range of my back mainly. ...I know it's silly to worry about something as insignificant as marks on my body when others have much worse... but I can't seem to recall how I got them. I think--I think that is what disturbs me the most."
"I'm just glad my swimming practice this season is over, to be honest," She offered a sympathetic smile. "I prefer no one see them. I don't like them. They're... a little unsightly."
She winced. "I don't think I want my mother to know. But I'm comfortable telling her anything besides that."
It doesn't make sense to her either, Harold. However that extends to just about anyone in Fairplay. Except Harold now, though he is a different case, apparently. Astrid got the feeling he was more accepting.
Her eyebrow raised and she took a lean back in her chair. "One day," she repeats, almost defensively this time, sort of reluctant to get into detail of exactly where she was and what she had been doing at the time when she first became aware of the scaring. It did involve her nude at some point, obviously, and she couldn't tell him that so openly.
"Uh, my memory is a tad hazy, though to be more precise, I'm--I'm pretty sure it was a week ago."
Astrid fidgets uncomfortably for a brief moment, looking hesitant.
The mention of weird dreams got a reaction. Astrid's eyes widened and after a blink, the flicker of surprise vanished from her face and she gave him a firm stare, debating telling the truth or a lie.
This guy...
Submitting to his questions, she brought up her hand, delicately touching her temple, eyes shut and brow furrowed, trying to visualize. "Mm, yeah. Some nights when I dream it's a.. little boy. A child I can't recognize. He seems sad. I don't understand why, but I feel... responsible. My fault. I feel angry thinking about it, but I don't--I don't know," she slowly divulged the honest truth, eyelids squinting tightly as a headache began to surface.
"These scars. I really wish I could say they just appeared..."
The girl's voice grew progressively shaky and she strained her mind. Although a blurry image, the abysmal figure who found it's way in her dreams, as if haunting her day in and day out, unsettled her immensely. Frightened her, even. "How should I ask this. Can dreams be... invaded? I know, I must be going crazy, but... that thing."
Drawing her arms close to her, she loosely hugged herself, unaware she's rambling too low, "--Always showing up. Won't leave me alone. Black. Wings..."
Slanted large, animal eyes... striking as a hot green blaze.
"Green eyes. Like a cat's," he said tonelessly, but for him the imagery held no horror at all. It was a welcome thing. Whenever he had the dreams, he was somehow reminded of his cat.
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no subject
Her lips pursed and she narrowed her eyes a moment and threw a glance at the notes in her hand, peeking at the page and thinking hard.
Umm.
She lowered the book. "I-I could use a quick refresher on the--the bonds," she admits, sheepishly.
While Harold made with the tutoring, Astrid patiently and attentively listened to every piece of information fed to her, mindfully tacking on more notes on paper as needed. But over time she would lean forward, resting her elbow on the table, palm her cheek, and her attention inadvertently drifted-- particularly on Harold.
Or rather her attention fixed on his leg... namely focused on his prosthesis leg.
Granted she has never actually seen his prosthetic leg, but...
Completely unaware she was staring, squinting, as if concentrating on it. Trying to... figure it out. That... that something wasn't right with it.
Different.
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no subject
"--Ah! No, no. I didn't mean to-- I wasn't thinking-- I just... just...," she stammered with her head lowered before ultimately throwing her hands down on her lap and trailing off in awkward silence.
Hopefully she hadn't haphazardly made him feel alienated now.
no subject
He sat back in his chair a little, seemed to decide something, and then pulled his pant-leg up.
It really...wasn't that bad. The foot part was covered in a sock and in his shoe, and the rest looked like just...a fake leg. Made of metal and plastic. The stump was hidden by the prosthesis and all wrapped up in a special sock.
"Look. Shocking, gross, and your brain is telling you its not what's supposed to be there, I know, but it is what it is. It's not really a big deal. It's only a big deal when people make it a big deal."
He wasn't talking about you, Astrid. He was talking about other people that used anything they could to make fun of someone.
no subject
Not what's supposed to be there. He must...he must mean a flesh and blood leg? That can't--
Well, Astrid didn't intend to make it a big deal. She swallowed and nodded, simply respecting the matter and placed her hands on the desk, directing her eyes to their work.
However, the pencil was fumbled anxiously in her grip. Soon enough curiosity won over and she steered off the task of studying once more.
"What happened? If you don't mind."
If it was too intimate a question, she'd understand.
no subject
Hiccup quickly covered his leg up.
"I don't mind--I don't even really remember it. Car accident, when I was seven. I took a good knock to the head, too, so I wound up with retrogade amnesia. Don't remember the accident, don't remember anything before the accident--don't even remember a time I ever had two normal legs. I woke up in the hospital and...just...started from there."
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What was this feeling. She felt an odd desire to share something that has always bothered her. Troubled her, even. A source of her unease for quite some time and one she hid from everyone... up until now. "You can't remember what happened to you, too."
There was a glance around them and assured no one overheard, she touched her bicep, releasing a soft sigh. "I have these scars. One day I noticed they covered a wide range of my back mainly. ...I know it's silly to worry about something as insignificant as marks on my body when others have much worse... but I can't seem to recall how I got them. I think--I think that is what disturbs me the most."
"I'm just glad my swimming practice this season is over, to be honest," She offered a sympathetic smile. "I prefer no one see them. I don't like them. They're... a little unsightly."
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It doesn't make sense to her either, Harold. However that extends to just about anyone in Fairplay. Except Harold now, though he is a different case, apparently. Astrid got the feeling he was more accepting.
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no subject
"Uh, my memory is a tad hazy, though to be more precise, I'm--I'm pretty sure it was a week ago."
Astrid fidgets uncomfortably for a brief moment, looking hesitant.
Yes, and there was more to it than that.
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This was getting a little odd here.
"Have you--have you seen anything lately? Anything odd around the town? Or had...I don't know, weird dreams?"
no subject
This guy...
Submitting to his questions, she brought up her hand, delicately touching her temple, eyes shut and brow furrowed, trying to visualize. "Mm, yeah. Some nights when I dream it's a.. little boy. A child I can't recognize. He seems sad. I don't understand why, but I feel... responsible. My fault. I feel angry thinking about it, but I don't--I don't know," she slowly divulged the honest truth, eyelids squinting tightly as a headache began to surface.
"These scars. I really wish I could say they just appeared..."
The girl's voice grew progressively shaky and she strained her mind. Although a blurry image, the abysmal figure who found it's way in her dreams, as if haunting her day in and day out, unsettled her immensely. Frightened her, even. "How should I ask this. Can dreams be... invaded? I know, I must be going crazy, but... that thing."
Drawing her arms close to her, she loosely hugged herself, unaware she's rambling too low, "--Always showing up. Won't leave me alone. Black. Wings..."
Slanted large, animal eyes... striking as a hot green blaze.
no subject
"Green eyes. Like a cat's," he said tonelessly, but for him the imagery held no horror at all. It was a welcome thing. Whenever he had the dreams, he was somehow reminded of his cat.