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Date/Timing: ~August 2016, end of the first trimester of Winter Jaeger Academy
Setting: near and on the Jaeger Academy campus; Kodiak, AK, United States
Inspiration: a Tumblr prompt from Gotham
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Yancy chucked him out of their dorm room—"I need to study for this final and you're distracting me, bro."—so Raleigh pouts down to the water's edge.
He sighs, searches the ground for a perfect skipping stone as the end-of-summer sunshine soaks into his skin.
Aha! There's the rock.
Raleigh plucks it, wings it across the water.
/Plish plish plish plish ploosh
Four skips. Not bad, but he's rusty.
A flash in his peripheral draws his eye.
Another person—another student, by their clothes—on the beach, watch catching the light.
They're not paying any attention to Raleigh, so he checks them out.
They've claimed a spot of scruffy grass and sit, hugging their knees, eyes closed against the light, earbuds tucked in their ears, knit cap pulled snugly over their head.
Raleigh sighs.
Not much chance of conversation there.
He glances down and another skip-able stone greets him.
Away it goes!
/Plish plish plish plish ploosh
Four again.
Huh.
Motion at the edge of his vision.
The person unfolds themselves, stretches arms over head, points toes, sighs hugely, pushes up—spots Raleigh and startles.
"Sorry!" Raleigh ducks his head.
Person waves, 'no big deal,' plods in the direction of the Academy.
As they pass, Raleigh notes the dark circles around their eyes and just how tightly they're folded in on themselves.
"You okay?" Raleigh asks.
Person doesn't respond, trudges on.
Raleigh hesitates, then jogs to catch up and falls into step.
Person side-eyes him, retreats even deeper into themselves.
Raleigh can't hear even a whisper of music from the earbuds, idly wonders what the person could be listening to so quietly.
They walk in silence the rest of the way to the dorm complex.
The person peels off at the path for the first building without a word or gesture.
Raleigh stops, watches them go. He sighs and sets out for the rec. Maybe someone there will want a game of chess.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Raleigh
Category:Raleigh (ficlet)
Category:Yancy (mention)
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Pietr (wardrobe)
Category:Jaeger Academy (setting)