My Sad Return on Cascade Hall

Nikki Ramirez

July 08, 2007 10:57 AM

My Sad Return by Nikki Ramirez

Nikki walked into the Cascade Hall with her head low. She pulled her cloak closer to her body, clad in all black, as she walked to an empty table. She didn't have the spirit to look for her friends just now. She sat down and stared at the empty plate in front of her. There was no way she could eat just now.

Nikki just hoped one of her friends would come in and find her and ask her what was wrong. Preferably Gil. He always had a way of cheering people up when they were sad. She thought of the twins and wondered if they knew what had happened. She hadn't written them, or anyone in America. She was just getting over the denial.

0 Nikki Ramirez My Sad Return 0 Nikki Ramirez 1 5

Leo and Gil

July 08, 2007 3:57 PM

An unexpected surprise by Leo and Gil

Leo watched as Cisco stalked off, apparently having had enough of Gil's teasing about his lack of a girlfriend. He frowned a little, really more of a downward twitch of his lips, and punched his brother lightly in the upper arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Gil demanded.

"Don't be such a baby. And that was for running Cisco off. He's having a hard enough time being here!" When they were being homeschooled on the ranch, it had been easy enough for Cisco to avoid or make up the work that involved wands and spells--after all, everyone there was aware of what Cisco self-deprecatingly called his "near-Squibness." Here, though... well, Cisco didn't want anyone to know about his lack of magical ability, but it was really only a matter of time before it came out.

"Me?" Gil asked, narrowing his eyes and punching Leo's arm--much harder, in the older boy's opinion, than he'd punched Gil. He winced and rubbed the spot. "You were making fun of him too!"

"Instigator."

"Sheep."

"...What?"

Gil looked at his brother, cocked his head, and wrinkled his nose with silent laughter. "Never mind. I'm starving." He put an arm around his older brother's shoulders and they walked, grinning and exchanging amiable insults, into the Cascade Hall.

Gil was just pointing out a few first year girls he might set Cisco up with (why, Leo couldn't fathom) when Leo stopped dead in his tracks. Gil stumbled and swung back around to look at his twin, perplexed. "You okay?"

"Nikki's back."

Just as suddenly as she'd disappeared, Nikki Ramirez was back--and looking incredibly unhappy. She looked unusually pale wrapped up in all that black cloth, and wholeheartedly miserable as she stared at her empty plate. The twins exchanged a look and headed over to her table, taking seats; Gil was closer, Leo sat directly across from her, watching her with keen eyes.

"Hola, Nikki. Que tal?" Gil asked, his voice carefully cheerful.

OOC: "Que tal?"--"What's up?"

0 Leo and Gil An unexpected surprise 0 Leo and Gil 0 5

Nikki

July 08, 2007 6:49 PM

Reasons by Nikki

Nikki heard footsteps but she had been hearing many of them since she'd entered the Cascade Hall; she didn't realize they were coming towards her until they were right next to her. Two chars pulled out at her table and she looked up from the plate to see Leo across from her and Gil next to her.

She was still wondering whether or not they knew what had happened. Given the history between her family and theirs, one wouldn't be safe betting either way.

Then when Gil spoke, she knew that they had no idea.

'Hola, Nikki. Que tal?'

He said it just like he always would have, his voice and his choice of words both so casual, his face plastered with the usual cheery smile. Nikki looked at him, feeling the now familiar sting in her eyes that came just before the tears fell. When she spoke, it was a single sentence that she was sure carried the reasons for everything, her sadness, her black clothes, and most of all her absence.

"Mi abuelo se murió"

OOC: Mi abuelo se murió = My grandfather died

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Gil and Leo

July 14, 2007 3:45 PM

Sympathies. by Gil and Leo

The brothers looked at each other, eyebrows raised and mouths open a little in perfectly matching expressions of shock. A moment later, Gil had inched his chair closer and put and arm around Nikki, pulling her into an impulsive hug and patting her blond hair affectionately. Leo sat back in his chair, a troubled look on his face, and inspected the table in front of them.

Nikki's grandfather was dead? Did Abuelo know? Perhaps this would be good--perhaps the family rivalry would die with him--no, no, that was a horrible thing to think! Leo was acutely ashamed of the rush of relief that followed that thought. How could he be happy that Nikki's grandfather had died? Still, their grandfathers didn't like each other, so maybe if one of them was dead... and Abuelo was getting old, and had been suffering from a severe cough for several months now...

Gil looked up, still murmuring comforting apologies to Nikki, and could see the wheels turning in Leo's mind as various emotions chased each other across his face. Relief, anger, pity, something frighteningly close to happiness--Gil bit his lip and continued to speak softly in Spanish. It wasn't Leo's fault that he thought of everything in terms of politics. Really, it wasn't. It was his fault that he never tried not to. Gil sighed.

"Is there anything we can do?" Leo asked gently then, leaning forward and leaving his thoughts behind.

0 Gil and Leo Sympathies. 0 Gil and Leo 0 5

Nikki

July 14, 2007 7:02 PM

Kidneys, Ears, and Shoulders by Nikki

As Gil embraced her, Nikki returned the hug, letting her tears fall freely on her friend's shoulder. He began to pat her hair and it comforted her somewhat; she had always felt that this particular gesture was a sign of protection and loyalty, and that was what she needed right now.

'Is there anything we can do?' Leo asked her, sounding genuinely concerned.

"No," said Nikki sadly. She lifted her head from Gil's shoulder and looked at his twin. Composing herself the best she could, she began, "It was his kidneys, they just kind of shut down all of a sudden. He wasn't on the waiting list so he couldn't get a transplant right away. They said that Julio was the only one his body would accept a kidney from, but they wouldn't take a donation from anyone under eighteen. They had him on dialysis, he held on for a long time, but...I guess he just couldn't make it." She sniffled, "There's nothing you could have done."

Nikki knew the story first hand and had heard it multiple times, told by the adults in her family. However this was the first time she had relayed it. Telling the story to the Idoya twins brought the pain of losing Abuelo back in another surge. The heavy feeling in her chest returned as did the tears from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Gil again as they fell, grateful that she had friends in her life that would offer a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

"I miss him." she whispered into Gil's shoulder.

0 Nikki Kidneys, Ears, and Shoulders 0 Nikki 0 5

Leo and Gil

July 14, 2007 9:14 PM

And tear ducts, it would seem. by Leo and Gil

Now remorse really gripped Leo. Nikki was crying, and a minute ago he'd been practically celebrating the old man's death. Sure, he had nothing against Sr. Ramirez--but really, the Capulet vs. Montague thing the Ramirezes and Idoyas had going was old-fashioned, unnecessary, and just plain ridiculous. His ears reddened suddenly as he looked at Nikki with her arms around his brother. Not that he should be comparing them to Romeo and Juliet or anything. He had absolutely NO intentions of scaling a balcony or fighting her cousin for her. Nope, none at all. He couldn't help but get all of his cousins' teasing about Nikki out of his head, though.

"Lo siento, Nikki," he said in an unusually gentle voice; Gil looked up and nodded a little as his older brother fidgeted and then moved around to the chair directly next to Nikki on the other side. Gil seconded the sentiment, and then carefully pulled away from Nikki, offering her a small, remorseful grin and patting her hair again, pausing to brush a tear away from her cheek.

"Sorry," he said. "I smell bad; played Quidditch all morning. You won't stink afterward if you hug Leo, and he gives better ones anyway." Gil was amused to see his older brother blushing a little bit, but gratified to see him open his arms to the blond girl with little more hesitation than he would have had for Cisco or Mercedes.

0 Leo and Gil And tear ducts, it would seem. 0 Leo and Gil 0 5

Nikki

July 16, 2007 7:39 PM

Deny thy grandfather by Nikki

Nikki didn't care just then if she was stinky, and she wasn't sure if it was true that Leo gave better hugs, but she smiled slightly at Gil's words and moved to the older twin anyway. As she wrapped her arms around Leo, she had a suspicion that Gil was trying to play matchmaker. She blushed slightly at the thought but her face was red from crying and the blush was hidden well.

She could just imagine what Julio would say; her brother was trapped between teasing her about her friend and being mad because he was an Idoya, but most of all he had the protective older brother attitude. But why did Julio's reaction matter? Leo was just comforting her; they were just friends. Abuelo had just died for Merlin's sake.

She buried her face in Leo's chest and started to cry again, feeling guilty about her thoughts.

0 Nikki Deny thy grandfather 0 Nikki 0 5

The Twins

July 22, 2007 2:19 PM

But would <i>you</i> refuse your name? by The Twins

Leo instinctively stroked Nikki's blond hair as she cried into his shoulder, shooting the odd obligatory (yet half-hearted) glare at the younger twin over her head. Still, he had to admit that he was impressed; perhaps Gil would make a true Idoya yet, using this situation to his advantage.

He'd have to tell his grandfather, too. Abuelo was growing more unpredictable with age--sometimes he seemed softer, sometimes he was even more intractable than Leo remembered him being as a child. Either way, there was as good a chance that Abuelo would use this as an opportunity for making amends as there was that he'd laugh and coldly keep his grudge. It was worth a try, in any event. It would be nice not to have to keep his friendship with one of the youngest Ramirez' a secret; as it was, his cousins had wheedled it out of Gil, and now used it as blackmail. And was it his imagination, or had Tia Clemencia been eavesdropping on Leo, Cisco, and Natanael when they'd been discussing Nikki? Cisco didn't trust Tia Clemencia at all--avoided her whenever possible--and Leo's esteem for the younger boy's instincts made him uneasy around her.

He shook himself out of his thoughts abruptly and hugged Nikki a little tighter, surprising himself at the unwontedly protective surge that ran through him. So what if he was the Idoya heir, and the Idoyas and the Ramirezes didn't associate? He was just clever enough to see that it was all a pointless vendetta. He'd make sure nothing happened to Nikki, and he'd talk Abuelo into making amends if it was the last thing he did.

"I'm going to go clean up," Gil said softly, touching Nikki's shoulder. "If you need me, owl me, si?" He nodded once to his brother, and then made his way off out of the cascade hall.

Leo bit his lip and looked down at the blond girl, unnerved as he realized that he was, for the first time in a long time, alone with her. "Nikki..." he said, then bit his lip a little harder, not wincing when he drew a few drops of blood in an attempt to summon something not stupid to say.

"You look good in black."

Leo winced inwardly. Merlin's saggy left testicle, had he really just said that? Sure, it was true, but--oh dear. What would Nikki think. He continued patting her hair uncomfortably and waited awkwardly for her response.

0 The Twins But would <i>you</i> refuse your name? 0 The Twins 0 5

Elly Eriksson

July 22, 2007 5:31 PM

Following Gil (in a strictly non-stalker sense) by Elly Eriksson

It had been yet another wonderful day, and that was simply one of the thousands of fantastic things about Sonora – the weather, more often than not, behaved itself rather well. Elly hadn’t had time to appreciate it today, not yet. She’d been finishing up on her homework all morning, suddenly realised that lunch was almost over, and run down to the Cascade Hall in a frenzy. That, she supposed, was one of the disadvantages of doing homework in your dormitory, where there weren’t often people around to remind you to eat.

Having hurriedly gulped down some baked potato, singeing her throat a little as she did so, Elly calmed down a bit as she washed down her meal with a glass of apple juice. However, she still had to finish her potions essay before she would allow herself to enjoy the sunshine, so Elly soon stood up again to leave.

Striding quickly back the way she had come, Elly did a double take as she passed one of the tables. She was sure she had seen that blonde Mexican – Nikki – sitting with an Idoya. Nikki hadn’t been in lessons recently, and nobody had known why. Not having stopped her hurried exit, Elly looked back to face the direction in which she was walking, so as to avoid bumping into anyone, and saw Gil up ahead. Curiosity got the better of her, and Elly quicken her pace a little.

“Hey Gil,” she called out, now familiar with the pronunciation, which at one time had seemed so unusual. “Was that Nikki?” Elly asked as she caught up. “Is she okay?”

0 Elly Eriksson Following Gil (in a strictly non-stalker sense) 92 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Nikki

July 28, 2007 3:29 PM

Depends on what it changes to by Nikki

Leo stroked her hair, and she wasn't sure, but Nikki thought she felt Leo's arms tighten around her. She found herself subconsciously agreeing that Leo did give better hugs.

Gil stood on her other side, told them that he was going to 'clean up,' and touching her shoulder comfortingly, told Nikki to owl him if she needed anything. She nodded, her head resting against Leo's shoulder. Gil turned and left, and Nikki was vaguely aware that she and Leo were alone.

After a few minutes, Leo spoke, 'Nikki...' he began. There was a pause, as if he was trying to find something to say. 'You look good in black.'

She looked up at him and saw embarrassment and discomfort on his face. Somehow she knew it was because of what he had said, not because of her.

"Wish I was wearing it under better circumstances." she said, half jokingly. She allowed her face to take on a sad smile, although the tears continued to fall. Then she noticed Leo's lip.

"You're bleeding." she said. She grabbed a napkin off the table and blushing crimson, she held it up to his lip.

0 Nikki Depends on what it changes to 0 Nikki 0 5