Do you mind if I stalk you? [open to 1] [Seriously if you join this thread you may end up with a stalker for a long time.] [Just a warning.]

Finally! It had taken hard work and a lot of time but it had all payed off. She had made it. Spring had been accepted to Syne academy. Sure she wasn’t that great with dust yet, but she had a talent for disappearing so it seemed that what she lacked in outright fighting skill she could make up for with stealth. Originally she was supposed to show up early in the morning before classes started, but when she got close she found that there had been a lot of people out at that time. Extremely nervous she had decided to hide in a bush and wait until there weren’t as many people out. She had sat their for almost an hour watching as people walked by. They were all so interesting and different. She knew that a lot of them didn’t come from Bellmuse which made them even more interesting.

Once it seemed like the density of people was low enough she crawled out of the bush and began to nervously walk the halls. Attempting to make herself as unnoticeable as she could without using her semblance she kept her head down and shoulders in. Hopefully she could find where she was supposed to go without any incident. From what she knew she had to meet with an instructor or something first before she would be assigned any classes.

Humming a wordless tune, James took his daily walk around the campus. Nothing too big really, just enough to get a good start in the morning before class started. His mind thought back to the past few days which, truth be told, were a blur. Hell, he could not even remember what he had eaten for breakfast! A small, mirthless chuckle escaped his lips as his mind strayed into more darker issues.

A nudge on his shoulder drew him out of his thoughts as he fell to the floor, colliding with the concrete walkway. A gasp of shock was heard over him and he watched the offender panic and apologize profusely before offering a hand to help. With a small grin, the fox-boy took the appendage and hoisted himself upright. He waved off the apology and apologized himself for not watching where he was watching. The two students shared a laugh before bidding each other a good day and separated off into their own directions.

A soft sigh and a glimmer in his eyes, James resumed his walk and tune with renewed energy, more positive thoughts coming to the forefront of his mind.

It was kid of strange. This was nothing like a normal school. Not all the students had classes as the same time so it seemed like no matter what time of day it was that there were students and teachers about. Luckily it wasn’t so much anymore as to make Spring want to hide, no just enough to make her really really nervous. Just as she turned a corner she was startled by the sound of something hitting the floor not too far from her. Searching for the source of the disturbance she found that two students had collided not to far from her. One was rather normal, but the other one caught her attention. He was a white haired fox Faunus.

It was hard to tell what caught her eye, be it his fox features or his attire or simply nothing at all. IN any case she decided to follow him, at a distance. After all who better to show her around the school than a student? Of course any normal person would have walked up and asked to be shown around, but to Spring this seemed to be the most logical option. Making sure to stay out of his sight she watched the white fox boy.

Blissfully unaware of the one on his tail, the snow fox continued down the hall, making his way to the cafeteria via the large courtyard within the school; honestly, the boy's spatial awareness is quite lacking in the morning whilst on campus. A spot of breakfast and a hot cup of tea would do him well. The faunus waved to the few students passing by with a graceful smile, greeting them morning.

As it were, a small breeze entered the yard, the cold sting of air doing its job of further waking up the fox boy. His senses now sharper, his ears twitched as very faint, almost non-existent, steps were heard. Putting the sound to the back of his mind for now, he continued onward to his destination! Opening the large doors to the mess hall, James noticed the distinct lack of the usual energy - possibly due to the lack of students choosing to indulge themselves for this morn.

Though the volume of the hall was rather muted, a considerable line was still hindering the fox from the most important meal of the day. His ears fell in slight sadness before perking right back up. His tail coiled around his waist as he stuck up a small conversation with the student before him, a second-year he looked to be. Thinking back, he idly wondered where those footsteps came from.

Spring was careful to keep her movements quiet as best she could. She didn’t know a whole lot about the Faunus so she didn’t know if those big ears on the fox’s head would help him hear any better than normal. Best to be cautious for now. If nothing else it seemed like the school wasn’t too packed right now so that was good. She didn’t know where she was being led to but as long as it was somewhere it seemed like this would be worth while. A few students passed the fox Faunus and Spring took care to avoid them.

Well it would seem that this Faunus was going to the cafeteria for some breakfast. Actually Spring realized she could probably use some food too. But of course there was a line, which was not good. A line was just a crowd in a row and Spring did not like being in crowds. Instead she found a table where she could be alone and still watch the silver fox and sat down.

Minutes passed, minutes that felt like a century to the hungry fox, and the young hunter began to walk to an unoccupied table with a tray of an assortment of food. Eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage, tea, and pancakes. A wonder of a meal for so early in the morning. Eyes glimmering, the once coiled tail now wagged in excitement as breakfast began.

Between bites, the mind tends to wander. In this particular moment, the faunus's thoughts were on the footsteps he had heard earlier. While unlikely it was that someone was following him, he had the sense that that was the case. The steps followed him into the cafeteria but then seemingly vanished among the sounds of quiet chatter. There wasn't a person behind him in the line, so the probably follower had to have seated themselves somewhere.

Off-hand, he wondered if they had anything to eat. Most students do not necessarily bring their own meal since the school provides everything for them. He played with the idea that there is indeed someone out there that is hungry and allocated a small portion of his meal to a separate plate: one egg, a strip of bacon, a single sausage, and one perfectly made pancake. Even if no one should eat it, the staff would take care of these leftovers.

James actually felt a tad foolish at his current action, chuckling to himself at the interesting situation he may or may not have gotten himself into.

After finishing what he had left for himself, the fox sat at his seat, digesting what he had just consumed. He smiled at the passerby, a nod of acknowledgement to those that acknowledged him first. He took a brief moment to look around the cafeteria for the person who might be following him. He didn't mind at all, and was a little flattered if he was so inclined to indulge. He wouldn't mind to getting to know them at all.

His eyes passed over a lone student sitting at a far table. The distance may have been great, but faunus do have better senses all-around so he noticed the student, if barely. They seemed to be looking in his direction, but he could not really tell. Smiling slightly, he nodded over to the plate he left on the table before leaving to use the restroom, leaving his backpack to show his return. He wondered if the food would be gone by the time he came back.

Quietly and perhaps a bit nervously Spring waited at her seat. The line the fox Faunus was in was pretty long so it took a little while for him to get his food. As he waited in line she scanned the rest of the cafeteria. It was pretty big, maybe large enough for at least a thousand people. The thought of the place packed with so many people made her even more nervous. But as it was the place wasn’t that bad. Sure she preferred smaller places, like a good closet or underneath a bed, but it still wasn’t bad.

Finally the fox got his food and found himself a seat. It seemed like while he was friendly to everyone he passed he didn’t really seem to talk to anyone. It made Spring a little sad to be honest. She didn’t like it when people were lonely. After all everyone needed at least one friend. Spring really hoped that this white Faunus had some friends.

Okay… what was he doing now? Was he making a second plate from what he had? That was a bit odd. Maybe he did have a friend and they were going to show up soon. That made sense, if Spring had a friend here then she would probably have done the same thing. After all friends are supposed to take care of each other.

And that was when he looked over at Spring. No. He couldn’t be. There was no way that he was looking at her… right? Nope, he most definitely was. A deep blush came over her face as she tensed up. This far away she didn’t have to worry about talking to him so that was good. When he nodded to the plate and left the table Spring almost jumped in her seat.

He just offered her the food? Did that mean that the food had been left out for her and not some friend? Did he know that she had been following him this whole time? All these things swirled through her head as she stood up and scurried over to the plate. She grabbed it and the silverware that the fox had been using.

Just as she was going to leave she paused. She couldn’t just take the food. No she had to show her gratitude to the fox. Putting back down the plate she reached into her bag and pulled out a pencil and some paper. After scribbling for a few seconds she left the note under the empty plate that the fox had been using with the corner poking out. On the note was written “Thank you for the food” in very neat handwriting and hearts for the O’s

With that done she grabbed the plate again and quickly made her way back to the same table she was at before. The food actually smelled pretty good. Using the silverware she had taken from the fox she began to eat. It was actually pretty good. Better than what she was used to that was for sure.

James walked out of the restroom feeling completely refreshed. Relieving oneself and the proceeding washing of hands was a necessary and much needed action. With that done, he returned to his seat. He eyebrow raised in amusement as he noticed the second plate missing. He hazard a glance towards the student he targeted and was pleasantly surprised to see that they indeed took the plate and was now indulging themselves.

A moment had passed before he blinked, just now realizing that the utensils he had just used were missing. A small blush crept on his face upon the implications of such discovery. Though, this embarrassment was not for long. A piece of paper sticking from underneath his cleared plate drew his attention and he removed it from its entrapment. Reading the words written, a gentle smile adorned the fox's features and he placed the note in his backpack, noting that the student's penmanship was pretty, most likely female - a breath of relief that he didn't know he held escaped his lips.

Taking out his own piece of paper, he wrote down his own message.

You're very much welcome. Anytime. Whenever you feel comfortable, you can always come to me. I can wait. I would love to get to know you.

Finishing off the message with a chibi-drawing of himself making the peace sign and holding a sign with a heart on it and his scroll number, he folded the paper into a plane and expertly tossed it towards the young girl. He watched as it glided through the hall and landing right in front of her plate. He mentally cheered that it did not end up in the food.

With that done, he checked his scroll for the time, and noted that he still had a good amount of time to lounge before class. With that in mind, he decided to hit the library for a bit. He stood from his place and decided to be on his way. He idly wondered if she would be tagging along, as well.

Spring happily and slowly at the food in front of her. Due to her left hand not working properly using both a fork and knife was kind of hard. She had to be careful and take it nice and slow. It didn’t bother her much that she couldn’t eat fast, she had never been a fast eater anyway. As she ate Spring kept an eye on the seat where the fox had been. Eventually he came back.

When he looked over at her she blushed and looked down at her food. This was kind of weird to her. She didn’t know what it meant or even who he was, but at least her first day at Syne wasn’t going bad. In fact she would dare say that it was going well. Looking back up Spring saw that the fox was reading her note. It wasn’t much but she was glad that he knew she didn’t just take his food without a proper thanks.

Then he pulled out his own paper and began to write. Was he going to leave her a note? Spring was slightly confused as to why he would do that, but at the same time she was intrigued. What happened next was what really surprised her. The fox folded the note into a plane and threw it at her. As it flew Spring’s eyes never left the paper’s graceful flight.

When it landed she immediately picked up the note and opened it. What was inside caused a deep blush to work its way up her entire face before escaping out the top of her head in a proverbial burst of smoke. Immediately following this; however, she slumped over a little bit. At this distance he probably didn’t know what she looked like. He probably thought she was just some cute girl who needed some time before talking to anyone.

Neatly she folded up the note and placed it in her bag, not before putting the number in her scroll. For a moment she pondered sending him a message, but decided against it for now. Looking back up she saw that the white fox was leaving. Quickly she finished what was left of her meal and scurried out of the cafeteria after him.

A light smile graced the face of the snow fox. The soft, familiar sounds of footsteps followed him from a distance and his ears twitched upon the entrance of said sounds. He only spared a glancing look behind him to confirm that indeed the girl was following him. He wondered if maybe he should take the time used in the library to get to know this enigma. She was probably new to the school, never having seen her around before. With that thought, he quickly got out a pen and paper, wrote a message, before unceremoniously dropping it to the floor.

If you're willing, meet me on the second floor of the library. Left gallery, table in the far corner. Relatively secluded so others won't bother you. Ghosting me can only do so much. I would like to meet you face to face, at least once, before we continue.

With that done, his pace increased only slightly - to avoid the weird looks he got from the people around him for dropping paper without any particular reason. He laughed sheepishly as he entered the library and went to the aforementioned meeting place. Even if she stayed her distance, he hoped she at least messages him.

This time as she followed the fox Spring made less of an effort to hide herself. As well she followed closer to him. She didn’t know what it was about him that drew her but she did know that she just had to follow him. When he looked back at her, her entire face turned bright red and she froze in place. As he pulled out some paper and began to write another note she could feel her heart beating faster with her nerves on end. Once the fox was away from the paper he had dropped she scurried over to it, picked it up and read it.

Once again her face blushed deeply. He… he just asked to meet with her. A few people gave her strange looks as she folded up the note neatly and tucked it in her bag with the other one. When she noticed Spring ran off after the fox. In the library she considered taking him up on his offer. Instead she pulled out her scroll and wrote a message to the fox.

“Uh… um… hi. I… don’t think you really want to meet with me. I’m sorry.”

Beep. Beep.

Ah, the default tone of a message being received. A eyebrow quirked in response to the sound going off. While not unexpected, he was a tad surprised at the speed to which the message was sent. The fox barely had time to settle down into his seat. Taking his scroll from his pocket, he read the message sent to him and a frown marred his cheerful face. Just from the message alone, he can garner a small amount of self-loathing. His fingers drummed on the table, his face set in deep thought as he thought about how to word his reply.

His drumming stopped.

Leaning forward into his seat, his fingers blurred on the keyboard.

Hey, don't say that. I really do want to meet you. You got my attention and I intend to know just who you are. I'm sure you are someone incredibly sweet and I would be honored to be in your presence.

Satisfied with his short, but concise message, he hit send and lowered his scroll onto the table. He had done his part and he hoped the girl would take him up on it. Leaning back, the chair tilted backwards as he balanced himself on the back legs of the seat. Staring up into the ceiling, his mind reviewed on this interesting morning. He softly chuckled, never thinking his daily life would turn into this.

Even after she had sent the message Spring didn’t put away her scroll. Instead she waited for a response with a half held breath. She didn’t know what he was going to say. Or if he would even respond at all. Probably he wouldn't believe her. She stared at the screen waiting for a response and when it finally came she jumped a little. Reading it over she saw that her presumption was correct. Of course she knew that the only way to get him to believe her was for him to see her so…

Putting away her scroll Spring made for the spot where the white fox was. Due to his spot in the corner it was all but impossible to approach without being seen. For a moment Spring considered using her semblance, but decided against it. It would be worse if she just suddenly appeared in front of him. Taking a deep breath she began to walk towards the table. The closer she got the more her nerves began to tense. Something deep in her gut told her this would not end well.

Humming to himself, the fox simply laid back and waited for any indication that the girl will provide. He really hoped he wasn't that intimidating to approach. He wanted people to feel welcome when they are around him. He frowned thinking about the possibility of scaring someone away from him before shaking his head from those thoughts. No need for any useless thoughts. The outcome is not yet decided, so thoughts can be formed then.

The sounds of those footsteps he's been hearing all morning entered his range of hearing and he leaned forward into his chair, anticipation in finally meeting the one following him. Soon, that familiar head of hair entered his field of view and a large grin adorned his face, happy that she decided to take him up on his offer. However, as the girl got closer, it became readily apparent why she kept her distance and replied the way she had.

Burn marks. Scars adorned the entirety of her left arm, rising up to her face where her eye was covered by an eyepatch - no doubt to hide her disfiguration. The grin he had softened and a gentle glimmer sparked in his eyes as he watched the scarred girl face her doubts to come to him. The girl certainly had a charm to her, a beauty unmatched by others. Standing from his seat, he moved over to the only other chair present at the table and pulled it back, offering her to sit at said furniture.

"Hello, miss. I'm honored to meet you in person, especially someone as cute as you. Please, sit, and we can get to know each other."

As she grew closer Spring brought her right arm up to her left and began to run it up and down over her scars. She knew she should have worn her bandages today, she just knew it. Surprisingly the fox didn’t freak out or even give her an awkward look once she got close enough for him to see her scars. Of course she could tell when he noticed them She could always tell.

Now what surprised her even more was when the fox stood up and pulled out a chair for her to sit in. It was like something out of an old movie where he was a knight and she the princess. It made her heart skip a beat. Carefully she took a seat at the table. It felt like her nerves were going to explode at any moment and she would pass out right here and now. How was she supposed to start this conversation? She had never really made any friends before, besides Melody.

Nervously she brought up her hands and began to poke her index fingers together while looking down at the table. Suddenly she stopped and gasped before darting her left hand under the table. She knew how bad her hand looked and it wouldn't be good for that to be one of the first things he sees about her, of course it wasn’t like her face was much better.

Inwardly, James released a sigh of relief when the girl sat down in her chair. The fox boy maneuvered himself back into his chair. Once seated, he gave the girl before him his undivided attention. For a few moments, no words were spoken, an awkward silence permeating through the air. His grin still in place, he found amusement in how the girl poked her index fingers together, avoiding eye contact by looking at the table.

Was that something all shy people do? He remembered how some fans during meet-and-greets would do the same. This time however, he found it to be infinitely more cute - possibly due to his current company and that it was he, himself, instead of his alias.

His grin dipped slightly upon the girl's action of hiding her hand. Evidently, she was quite ashamed of the scars adorning her body. Understandable, really. There was obviously some trauma revolving around it.

Considering his next action, the fox laid his right hand on the table, his palm open to the sky, an invitation for her hand. Rather than a grin, a light smile graced the hunter's face while mirth and care danced within his eyes.

"Please, do not hide away. If I am to know you, I would like to see all of you. Scars or not, you are still a gorgeous young woman - one I feel blessed to be seated before."

His tail waved behind him, a lazy sway in its movements.

"My name is James Luclare Gray, but you can call me James. May I know the name of the princess before me?"

There was no way this was real. Maybe it was a really really vivid and nice dream. After all something as big as getting in to Syne and then the same day finding an interesting, and not to mention handsome, fox boy had to be something out of a wild dream. In all her days Spring would have never even dared wish for something like this. She knew that she didn’t deserve this and that this was practically impossible so it had to be a dream.

Spring watched in confusion as the fox put his hand on the tale. What was that supposed to mean? Was it… no… it couldn’t be. An invitation for her to hold his hand? For half a second her right hand reached forward for his before quickly joining the left under the table. Her eye nervously watched back and forth between the table before her and the fox boy.

“Oh… th… th… that’s r… really sweet, b… b… b… but you d… don’t have to… lie to me to… m… m… makes me feel b… b… better,” Spring said in what was not much more than a whisper.

“It… it’s n… n… n… nice to meet you… mister James… me? Oh… um… my name is… it’s… uh… Spring… Spring Plumb,” She said nervously rubbing her hands together under the table.

Her hand twitched forward, and his smile grew slightly wider. A step forward. Progress has been made. He idly wondered how her hand felt, predicting it to be like a sheep's wool - warm to the touch, and soft to hold. Unfortunately, in a flash, two steps back. The girl, as swift as bird, ducked her hand underneath the table - sharing space with her other.

Her mouth moved and her voice was heard for the first time, barely caught by his ears as she spoke softly. A light and melodious voice, the fox thought. A hidden strength, shrouded in doubt and fear, bellied her words. The girl needed to have more confidence in herself. If she won't make the first move, then he will; he just hoped he was right.

With that, he leaned forward.

Reaching out with his right hand, he gently took hold of the scarred girl's chin between his thumb and index, tilting her head slightly upwards, to meet his own gaze. His heterochromic eyes looking intently into her revealed one, refusing to break eye contact. Considering his words, the hunter spoke.

"A lovely name, Spring. One suited for such a gentle soul, bearing a soft warmth. I ask of you, do not doubt my words. I speak nothing but the honest truth, for a beautiful princess is before me. It would do me dishonor to make believe."

His piece said, he released his hold and leaned back into his chair. Throughout the exchange, a soft grin played upon his lips and the sunlight danced across his eyes.

She didn’t know what exactly she expected when she finished speaking. Maybe a shout or laughter or even just silence. Though none of those came and instead what came was a hand on her chin. As her head was raised her face filled with a deep blush. When her eyes met those of the fox she stopped in place. Not a single muscle moving. This had to be a dream it just had to be.

With every word he spoke it seemed like a flight of butterflies flew through her chest. For a moment she forgot about herself. What she looked like, what she had done. And for a moment she imagined herself as a beautiful princess. And then her dream shattered.

In an instant she was back to the real world. James had let go of her and she could feel that her entire face was red. Her embarrassment boiled over and she slumped down under the table almost as fast as her hands had gone. “Oh wow he’s so nice. Why is he so nice to me? It’s not like I deserve people being nice to me and who would want to be nice to someone like me anyway or even talk to me I mean look at me I’m not pretty or anything and I’m not strong I’m just weak and broken like an old house that needs to be torn down.”

Oh dear. It seems I have embarrassed the poor girl.

A mute chuckle escaped the lips of the fox, a twitched smile and eyes scrunched in amusement. Spring certainly was a cute individual. There was a certain aspect to her that made his heart race. What that is, he cannot say. Be it her personality, her looks, her mannerism, or her voice, they all melded together to create this gorgeous person before him.

Or well..under the table.

He blinked. Under the table? He looked to where the girl was sitting and indeed, she was missing - only a blinking outline of her figure remaining. Looking down under the table, he found her curled up and muttering to herself it seemed. His ears strained to pick up her words, and he smiled when he comprehended what he heard.

Joining the girl under the table, he gently placed his head against hers and tentatively held her hands in his. Huh, seems he was right - her hands were very soft. He brushed his thumb across her scarred hand before tightening his grip.

"Silly girl.. You deserve all the kindness in the world. You are breathtakingly beautiful, a sight I want to continue seeing. You say that you are not strong, that you're weak and broken, but I think the opposite. Someone weak would shy away from the world, but here you are in front of me. If you feel that you will fall, I do not mind being your pillar. I could be your support."

It seemed like as soon as she stopped talking Spring felt the presence of someone else under the table. Before she could even question who it was she found her hands in his. ‘No don’t do that. It feels gross and weird’ she thought as he ran a finger over her scars.

As James spoke tears began to well up in both of Springs eyes. Why was be being so nice to her? Did he really think she was beautiful? Besides that he barely even knew her. He didn’t know what she had done, what she could do. How dangerous she was.

“I… I’m sorry,” Spring said as her face fell into her knees, crying silently. She wished this dream would never end, that she could believe that his was real, but there was no way, no way that this was actually happening. But… if it was real…

Suddenly Spring darted out from under the table “I’m sorry,” left her lips as she ran from the library in a full blown sprint.

[exit]

Seeing the tears forming in the girl's eyes, the snow fox frowned and mentally berated himself, wondering if he took things too far. Before he had the chance to apologize, Spring took the words right out of his mouth. Too shocked by her own apology, he wasn't able to get his voice out when the girl dashed out of the table and exited the library.

Sighing, the youth removed himself from beneath the furniture and sat down in his seat, staring between the once-occupied seat and the entrance of the building. Drumming his fingers on the table, he considered what his next action was.

Follow her? Leave her alone for now?

Once more, a sigh escaped from his lips as he decided to give her space for now. They had each other's scroll number so they can message whenever. Still, he couldn't help but feel that he scared her off. He truly did want to get to know her.

Taking his scroll in hand, he typed a small message.

I'm sorry. I must have scared you off. If you ever feel like talking, I'm always available for you.

With that done, the boy stood from his seat and made his way out of the library. Hopefully, they would cross paths again.

[exit]