Advanced Architecture [Request/Inv]

[Xander Amzina]

The nights were always long without sleep. 24 hours a day, every day. 8-10 hours a day where he was almost always certainly alone. It made the small amount of sunlight that rose from the horizon a beautiful sight that made Xander pick up in spirit. Xander mostly was working during these hours, writing down budgets, or proper resource allocations. Even if he didn't have work, he often challenged himself with inventory control problems, or different ways to reduce taxation on imports of goods. Although this always didn't mean he was doing this strictly for his work, but instead to better himself as an individual. 

Xander enjoyed the feeling he got when two people fought over him, especially when it was potential employers wanting someone they knew would improve their facilities profits. He was loyal to his current provider though, he got housing, pay, and even food if he needed it. 

Xander put on a new set of clothes before the sun rose just high enough to light the grounds for him. He then immediately began using this valuable time. For Xander, light hours were the most important. Getting out and about as soon as possible was always the goal, because eventually he would be alone in the dark again, and making the time he had last was the most important thing. 

People socialized during the daylight, talked to one another. Being technically dead changed a few things for him, and one was his constant search to feel alive. Whether through academics, work, or social interaction, Xander needed to feel as though there was a reason he was still alive, and everyday he searched for something that could make his heart race, or make him laugh, chuckle, and or cry. Anything that reminded him that he was still alive, whether that meant helping strangers, fighting, dancing, or competing, Xander was always active and on the move. 

He made his way into the library, a small sigh escaping his lips. Despite enjoying the library, the 'fun' of it all was sucked away when he realized that regardless he would most likely be leaving with a bored expression on his face. He found the book he'd been reading for the last couple of weeks, and sat down at an open area, and began reading. The title read, "Advanced Architecture," Xander also had a stack of a few other books which he has been looking into. "Importance of Foundations", "Long lasting wood structures", "Structural Integrity" Were a few of the large stack that sat beside him. 

[Sage Foster]

Sage's day seemed to drag on for some unknown reason. She hadn't had too many students to counsel that day. Her most interesting case being two students who decided to spit fire at each other, literally. But, she didn't have anything to deal with that was out of the ordinary. In fact, her day was so uneventful that she fell asleep at her desk filing paperwork. She woke up to a puddle of drool hanging from her lip and her glass of water knocked over on the floor, unbroken. She hadn't got much sleep the past few days. The nightmares had been keeping her awake. She dreamt of finding her parents, mom in the rafters, and her father's head at the end of a sword that he'd been crafting in his shop.

Sage shook off the thoughts and began to look around her desk to see where she had left off while filing. She found the last file and began to write what happened to the student and why he came to visit her that day. She took her writing utensil between her teeth and thought for a moment, recalling the incident. The student had been being bullied by another student. The usual name calling and all that jazz. She calmed the student with her tranquility spell and told him that ignoring the situation would be the best advice. She wasn't sure whether or not she made the right call on that one, but because their was no physical harm done to the child, there wasn't much more that the student could do.

Sage finished writing up the file and decided to travel to the library. She was off tomorrow, so the journey wouldn't interrupt her sleep schedule too much.  The library was her place of choice because she loved to lose herself in an adventure in a book since she had never gone on any actual adventures herself. She could also learn things about herself that she never knew before, like the fact that she was fascinated with romance novels and what type of things could be done to another person and to herself. She was a virgin so she had never experienced the touch of another man.

Sage found herself in the romance section and picked a random book off the shelf titled, "Hearting to Fall". She was wearing a similar outfit to the woman on the cover of the book, a purple and grey dress with a corset on the back. The dress flowed out at her waist and draped over her feet. She sat down and began to read when out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpse of a man reading in the same area as she. "Oh, I am sorry. I didn't realize that there was anybody else in here." She stood up to get ready to move to another area. "I can move so I don't bother you."

[Xander Amzina]

Xander found himself slightly interrupted by a fair looking woman. He looked up at her curiously. His eyes showed an anger that rarely anyone stirred up in her. His eyes glowed fiercely, as if he was hunting some sort of prey. Xander wasn't hunting the fair woman, no, he was hunting knowledge. She had the disastrous idea to come up and interrupt him?! Xander's anger seemed to show no end. 

He however remained calm, and his stare seemed to soften. He exhaled softly. 

"No, It's quite alright." Xander didn't like showing his anger, he made a logical choice, and she didn't seem to want to cause any trouble of course He was defensive when it came to his books, and he was picked on for reading when he was younger. When people came up to him while reading he half expected them to start throwing insults. Xander was much more confident and bold now, and when people came to pick on him, he fought back. 

"This space is for anyone that wants to read, whether for pleasure, or in pursuit of knowledge." Xander looked up at her, enjoying the pleasant look on her face. 

"Your more than welcome to sit down, as long as you can tell me what book your reading?" 

Xander could only see the back of the book, and his curiosity increased.

His new lifestyle often meant he was hanging out with a whole different sort of people. This has changed him profusely, his desires, and interests were much different from his past life. 

Looking at her reminded him of a past version of himself, and he was interested in a way to learn more about her. What type of book was she reading? It was a personal question too many that read books, he was sure that perhaps even at least once she was embarrassed for reading something someone else didn't like right? Did she have a personal connection to this book? Would she be embarrassed? Xander's questions would reveal a lot by her reaction.


Before Xander didn't read too deep into someone's response, but when everything else became so boring, it became an addiction to him to learn from others experiences, and relate, it made him feel human again.  

[Sage Foster]

Sage grew fearful at the look in the man's eyes. She didn't mean to anger him, she was only trying to politely ask if she was bothering him. She froze where she stood, gripping onto the book in her hands for dear life. "I..I.." She couldn't get any words out of her mouth. She was a statue of fear.

When the man's eyes softened and he exhaled, she practically fell to the floor. She quickly got back on her feet and dusted herself off.

As the man spoke, he seemed quite normal. It was almost as if he were never angry at all. Sage had never met someone that could change their emotions as quickly as he did in front of her, almost in the blink of an eye. Sage thought about using her tranquility spell but she'd already used it once today and she didn't know if she would need it again. Besides, the man seemed to be calmed down.

"Well, thank you. I just got off work and I really wanted to get into a good fantasy before heading off to bed." Sage extended her hand towards the stranger. "I am Sage. I am a counselor at the Arch." She gave him a weary smile, still unsure if he was stable or not.

Sage took a seat as offered and looked at the cover of the book. "Hearting to Fall." She hadn't really begun to get to the good parts of the book yet. "I like romance novels. I get to be a different girl with every book." She smiled warmly, slightly distracted by her thoughts.

She soon became more focused and looked at the stranger, studying him a little more closely. He was a really handsome looking man, but definitely a little scary. He didn't give her a good first impression, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She tended to get along well with personalities that most people found annoying, part of what made her such a good counselor. "So, what's your name? And what are you reading, if you don't mind me asking? I mean, it is only fair since I told you the title of my book." She laughed softly.

[Xander Amzina]

Xander looked at her confused. He didn't come off that mean did he? Sure the start was a bit salty, but nothing to cause severe fear right? 
"I apologize If I startled you, I sometimes get deeply involved in my studies.." Xander looked at her admitting honestly. 

He had no intention of scaring her. She seemed quite jumpy and perhaps naive? Xander wasn't quite sure, but he was glad to see no fear from sharing the information on her book. 

Fantasy? Xander often liked reading fantasy books as well. 

He eyed her curiously. "Counselor?" She seemed to be lacking in confidence, but she may become more strong willed during work hours? 

What kind of advice did she give? She didn't seem to be the most skilled person. He nevertheless Xander was interested in learning more about her. Her skin complexion was very fare, it was rare to see someone with such beauty.

Xander looked at her and couldn't help but see an overabundance of innocence in her, at least more so than he was used to. 

"Hearting to fall?, I don't think I have heard about that one before." Xander had a sweet spot for fairy tale love novels, not that he had to let this woman know about though. 

"Wait a minute, " Xander paused curiously hearing something he found slightly concerning. 

"Be a different girl every book? I suppose I can relate somewhat, but what's wrong with who you are?" Xander asked her curiously, seeing nothing wrong with her body, or her personality thus far. 

It was clear she must be looking for something she was missing here? It least that seemed logical to Xander. 

Xander paused momentarily at the mention of his book.

"This is a book on Advance Architecture," Xander closed the book, feeling as though his study time was done and over with now. He had someone to talk to, which was a little more distracting, and engaging than the book. 

"My name is Xander, It's a pleasure to meet you Sage."

Despite Xander's attitude being quite friendly and welcoming, there was an air of stiffness in him, which could be easily read on his face. His facial reactions lightened up when he spoke, but he retained a depressive somber stare as if looking past her. 

Xander scratched his head, a small yawn escaping his lips. "Would you mind reading me the introduction to the book your holding? Perhaps it might be something I'm interested in." Xander stared, his golden eyes stared at her with a curious passion. She seemed like she may read a good amount too, and what was it he was getting himself into reading, 

[Sage Foster]

Sage thought for a moment before speaking. She didn't expect Xander to ask that question and she wanted to answer it right. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the person that I am. But, there are some things that I have never experienced before, and it's kind of nice experiencing them mentally through different people's point of view."

She didn't know if Xander understood what she meant, but she felt she gave enough hints away for it to be obvious. Sage had never experienced sex before. She hadn't even kissed a man before. It wasn't because she didn't want to, she had just never felt any type of pull towards a person strong enough that would make her want to do anything but have a conversation.

"That sounds interesting, though not something I would read." Sage wasn't really into architecture. If she wanted to learn about anything, it was emotions. Her powers had to do with people's emotions and she wanted to eventually be able to do more.

Sage blushed. "The pleasure is all mine."

Sage noticed that Xander's face was that of a zombie. Only reacting when he spoke. "Are you okay? You seem a little down." Sage didn't mean to sound rude, she was truly concerned that there might be something wrong. She wanted to help in any way that she could.

She smiled warmly as he asked her to read from her book. "Well, I haven't gotten to any of the good parts, but sure." Sage opened the book and began to read the introduction about a girl who was dying because her heart was too weak. "This book is kind of dreary. I kind of just plucked one off the shelf. But, the part I like is when the man gives the woman her last dying wish, a night of passion that she had never received before. She didn't want to die a virgin." Sage knew she was getting kind of personal with the stranger in the library, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.

[Xander Amzina]

This girl confused him. In Xander's mind he couldn't really call her a woman, because a lot of things about her screamed immaturity. Perhaps he was judging this too soon, but her words, the way she seemed to carry herself, and of course her book. Xander felt there was nothing wrong with her, and hoped she would change a lot of the views he carried. She seemed bright of course, there was a lot of positivity. 

"I am glad to hear there is nothing wrong, and I slightly understand experiencing things through literature." 

Xander elaborated. 

"However, I believe that type of thinking will make it so you won't experience as many things. You can't experience sound, taste, or touch through words. You can't experience the beats of music, or the rhythms of your own body trying to force you to the dance floor." 

Xander didn't pick up on a few things, perhaps being oblivious to it all. 

When she blushed, Xander couldn't help but smile lightly. 

"Oh," Xander looked at her when she asked about his condition. 

"I'm completely normal, I just seem to have difficulty fully experiencing life." Xander looked at her, shrugging. 

"Very few things make me feel an emotional response lately, I just feel like it's phase." 

Xander of course was lying, but she didn't need to know that. 

When she began to read the introduction to the book Xander looked at her and scowled slightly.

"I think that's an interesting love story, but it's not one that I think truly incorporates what romance should be. Her last dying wish was for a night of passion, because she had never received one before.." Xander could see some romance in it, but the romance was only drowned out by sorrow of the story.

"I feel bad for her passionate lover, " Xander stared at the book somberly. "He will experience the passion of love right? I mean she wouldn't want her first time to be with someone completely random, and I assume would now them very well." Xander was now more intrigued by this book.

"But, my point is. If I was the one asked to be the passionate lover, I don't think I could say yes. I think that maybe many people could agree.. I mean, would you want a passionate night with someone only to have them fade away? She may not want to be a virgin, but honorable, and trustworthy men should want more than one night right? Wouldn't it be difficult to agree to? Knowing that would be last time, and the one and only time. It's conflicting.."

Xander looked at the book now with a explosive interest. His eyes opened up filling with life, he didn't look so dead anymore.

"I wonder what's actually going to happen..'  

[Sage Foster]

"I guess I understand where you are coming from. I would rather be dancing than to read about dancing." Sage would rather have a night of passion than to read about other girls experiencing the same thing. Sage wasn't really sex crazy, she just liked to think about it sometimes.

As Xander smiled, Sage turned a darker shade of pink. "You have a really nice smile. You should smile more often."

Sage didn't believe him when he told her that he was normal, especially because that wasn't what she asked. Normally when asked if she were okay, she would respond with 'I'm fine' or 'I'm okay', not 'I'm normal'. She knew something was up and decided to be brave and walk over to Xander. She placed a soft hand on his cheek and tried to feel what he was feeling with her empathy link spell. She began to feel emptiness. In fact, she felt pretty much dead inside. As she took her hand away, she fell to the floor, passing out from the amount of power she used for the spell.

Sage wasn't out for more than a few seconds. She quickly got back up to her feet and steadied herself. "You're lying." She had a serious and confused look on her face. She had never felt anything like what she just experienced. "But that's okay. I won't pry." And she meant it. She understood when people lied, it was often because they were scared of the truth, or they didn't want to embrace it.

Sage continued on as if nothing had happened and continued to discuss the book. "It is a very dark book and I probably wouldn't be able to do what that man did, but, in my opinion, that man is noble in doing what he did. He loved her and didn't want to see her fade, but she let her live every last moment of her life to the fullest." Sage closed the book and walked over and sat next to Xander. "I think that's enough reading for now. I'd rather just talk about life or something else. Let's just change the subject before my mind wanders elsewhere.."

[Xander Amzina]

Xander couldn't help but feel like this place was becoming boring. Xander had probably been in here much longer than Sage, and perhaps his excitement for knowledge has died down.

He found himself slightly shocked at her words. He averted his eyes from her in silence as his cheeks gained a small hint of red. 

"Thank you," Xander kept himself from looking, because whenever someone pointed out that he smiled, he found it much more difficult to avoid doing so. 

His moment of being caught of guard didn't last very long, as his body shifted back to it's regular 'dead' self. 

He shrugged as she continued to pursue him not being 'normal'.

When she placed her hand on him, Xander could 'feel' some sort of spell being cast. He didn't care too much about whatever she was trying to accomplish. Whether she tried to hurt him, or put him to sleep, the honesty is Xander would like those things, it would make him feel alive.

She called him a liar? He was slightly concerned about her, but she seemed fine? Xander wasn't quite sure if this was normal for her. 

"Personally I think your reading too much into it. At the end of the day I DO still feel emotions. I sleep, eat, and breath." 

Xander of course was lying through his teeth, with the exception of emotions, not that Sage would know it. Xander had gotten pretty good at lying for his own benefits. 

"I believe it's just depression," He wasn't exactly sure what she had done with that spell, but hopefully this would provide an answer for whatever it was that she saw. Xander could deduct that she had done something, seen something, but what? 

She walked over beside him, and Xander felt an odd tension. It wasn't by any means bad, but she seemed to carry an almost uplifting aura, which wasn't uncommon with the people he chose to socialize with. The honest truth was that if he found you boring he would walk away from you, so everyone had to have some sort of draw in order for him to even care about the conversation. Whether it was sexual tension, excitement, curiosity, etc. Xander only spoke to those who truly compelled him to think about 'who' they are, and if they couldn't do that they would have to try a lot harder to get his attention. 

"Talk about life or something else?... Well Sage, for someone who's looking so deeply into romance novels, have you had any romances yourself?" 

Xander felt like he knew the answer already, but by asking her he could see exactly how embarrassed she may be. Whether or not she answered the question he would be entertained by her response. 

[Sage Foster]

Sage noted that Xander's cheeks had turned red when she had mentioned that his smile was nice. "You're welcome. I didn't mean to embarrass you by saying so. I just think that when you smile, it makes you look alive. That is how you want to feel isn't it?" Sage smiled at him softly. "I know that because I can tell exactly what you're feeling just by touching your skin. I know you sometimes feel the hint of an emotion and want to feel it more when you experience it. I know that you are alive, but aren't at the same time." Sage decided to be brutally honest with him. She felt that she was getting nowhere dancing around the truth. "You can lie to me all you wish, but I already know the truth. It might not be the whole truth, but I know how you feel inside."

As Sage sat next to Xander, she thought about the question that he had asked her. Had she had any romances? No. Not even close. "I have not. In fact, I've never even kissed a man." Sage looked at Xander's lips as she spoke. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He was extremely attractive and Sage found him to be very interesting. Her gaze shifted from his lips to his eyes. "I haven't really had time for romance. When my mother and father were still alive, I helped them around the house a lot. After they passed, I grieved for a short period of time before becoming a counselor for the children of Nova that lost their parents." Her heart began to race as she spoke of her parents. They hadn't passed very long ago so she was still sensitive about it. "I decided that I wanted to be a counselor as a profession so I became one at the Arch."

[Xander Amzina]

Sage was really an interesting lady, and Xander couldn't help but listen to her. She could feel his emotions? Xander had mixed feelings on this. "I'm not really sure how I feel about having my emotions 'read'" Xander admitted with a slight harsh tone. 

"Would it not feel a bit invasive if I was able to do it to you?" Xander was very sensitive about his 'condition', and wasn't really happy with her being able to figure out so much. Although she didn't know he was the walking dead, she still knew enough about his mental condition to know at least he wasn't fully mentally okay right? Xander hated that, he wanted others to see him almost as perfect, and the fact that she pretty well got an open window view to his imperfections pissed him off. 

Despite his anger his faced remained relatively calm, he wasn't going to let his anger out twice. Remarkably though, he liked that Sage was able to get such an emotional response from him. 

He was a little confused to her response, which didn't show any hints of being embarrassed. Most people were embarrassed by admitting that weren't they? Xander scratched his head curiously, but kept his entire body engaged in the conversation long enough to catch her eyes trail to some other section of himself, though he wasn't quite sure where. 

"I'm glad to hear that you were able to turn your misfortune into something positive though, I'm sure because you are someone that has experienced the same thing, you must relate quite well with the children. 

"Sage, I apologize but I'm not sure how much longer I can stay here." Xander added. 

"There is only so much daylight, and I have quite a packed Itinerary. You have already made me off schedule." Xander's eyes darted to the windows, gauging time by daylight. 

"I would very much like to talk to you again though, if stopping by where you work just to chat is okay." Xander wasn't sure where and when he'd visit, but he was curious to learn more about her. 

"I hope we can become more than acquaintances some day, if possible."  

Xander was confident, but he wasn't going to assume she enjoyed talking to him as much as he enjoyed talking to her. 

[Sage Foster]

Sage was taken aback by Xander's reactions. She didn't mean to offend him or make him uncomfortable in any way, she only meant to better understand him as a person. She looked down at the ground, turning red from embarrassment. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to be invasive, I was only trying to understand."

"To be honest, if everybody knew what everyone felt all the time, the world would be a much simpler and happier place. So, to be totally truthful, I wouldn't mind if you were able to read my emotions because if you knew how I felt, you'd probably be a little more at ease talking with me." Sage snapped her gaze and fixated on his eyes. She wanted him to know that she meant what she said. "In fact, just so we are on even playing field, I will tell you exactly how I feel right now. When I walked into this building, I didn't expect someone else to be here. When I realized you were here, I offered to leave and you got angry and scared me a little. I haven't slept in days because I keep having nightmares. I find you attractive, but also don't know you at all, so that scares me a little because I have never thought of someone that way until just now. I am sad, and I am bored. I tried to keep my mind busy with a random romance novel." Sage was surprised at herself for how much she just told Xander. She wasn't one to lay her feelings on the line to a stranger. In fact, she was the one who usually just listened when someone needed an ear.

Sage nodded. "The kids seem to like having someone to talk to that understands what they are going through."

Sage watched as Xander looked outside. Mentioning the time, she took a look for herself as well. "I understand. I should probably be heading home anyways. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

Sage began to stand up and collect herself when Xander mentioned speaking to her again. She looked up and arched her eyebrow, confused because she thought Xander didn't like her much from the way things went. She smiled, relieved that her first notion seemed to be false. "Of course, I'd like that. If you have an issue locating my office, just ask around. Someone will help you find it." Sage thought for a moment and then added. "You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can trust me. I won't judge you or try to tell you how to live your life. I am only here to understand."

Sage smiled at the notion. "You can consider me a friend if you'd like." She thought to herself what it'd be like to be more than friends with Xander. She then soon shook the thought out of her head. She needed to get to know him better before trying anything like that.

Sage was a little weary when it came to Xander, but she quite enjoyed their conversation.

[Xander Amzina]

Xander looked at her curiously as she began to 'spill her beans' so to speak. It wasn't as if he was royally pissed at her, but she had to have known that some people might not like having their emotions read so easily. It may be true that if everyone understood how others felt then the world could be a lot happier place, but the world didn't work like that, and whatever she was doing was 'special' in a sense. 

People hid their true feelings and intention for many reasons, Xander was not the first. 

"Well Sage I can't say that I don't respect you for spilling your guts like that, it probably took a lot of courage." Xander's face was oddly blank for a reason before changing to a more normal tone. 

"I may not wish to share everything about myself to you, and I may never choose to tell you. If you decide to become my friend, understand it may never mean knowing exactly who I am. Regardless if I am attracted to you or not, Sage, I will probably use you for my benefit at some point, as horrible as that is..." 

Xander used others for various reasons, and Sage would be no different. 

Sage was able to bring up the confidence to admit a lot about herself, and so Xander felt that she deserved the same, and everything Xander tried to hide was the shitty things he tended to do to keep himself from feeling sadness, depressions, etc. Everything he seemed to do was temporary fixes, but he still kept doing them, almost like an addiction. 

Xander slowly stood up to indicate he was preparing to leave. 

"Do you think you could handle a friend like me? If I can consider a friend like you?" Xander asked her curiously. 

[Sage Foster]

Sage looked at Xander in complete awe as he spoke. "Well, who's to say it isn't I who will be using you to my benefit at some point?" She arched an eyebrow and let out a small laugh before speaking again. "As far as me being courageous goes, I was just being honest. I wish more people were honest about how they felt."

As Xander rose to leave, Sage stood as well. "I think that I can more than handle you as a friend. It was very nice to meet you Xander and I hope that you have a good night." Sage collected her items and prepared to go home as well. Exhausted from the day that she has had.

[Xander Amzina]

Xander turned briefly after Sage spoke. His eyes averted their gaze from his usual duties. Instead they locked onto Sage's eyes. Xander was looking at her differently now, his eyes filled with more passion than before. "She's going to use me?" He thought to himself.

If there was something Xander liked, it was a woman who knew what she wanted, and took it. Sage was less innocent than he previously had thought wasn't she? Xander couldn't help but look at her differently.

"I hope that you will get everything you want from me then." Xander's voice was calm and alluring, his eyes inviting her own eyes to gaze into his.

"I hope to see you soon," Sage had clearly caught his attention. She had some desires and she was going to use him to obtain them? Xander was intrigued, and she showed both confidence and resolve. The way Sage was acting then was more than enough to make Xander notice the desires that seem to linger under that dress of hers.

He eyed her down, looking at her figure once again and not hiding it from her view. If she truly felt he was attractive she would now know that he was more than interested in her body, and her desires.

Xander made a note to see her again, at her work? it was the only place he knew to meet her. (Thread-Exit)