scented paradise [open]

in reality, theodore massinger was a bit of a coward... but also a strangely stubborn one at that. then again, who would actually admit that they were scared when a cute girl invited him to the technology club horror movie marathon? the result to it, of course, was that the sixteen-year-old had now fallen into insomnia.

with a twitching brow and bloodshot eyes, theodore was quick to push himself up into a sitting position, "cordelia!" he blurted out the first name that came to mind: the maid he'd brought to laguna creek to serve his every last need. "cordelia, the light! i can't see a thing! you're certainly succeeding now if you're hoping to drive me out of my mind!" he yelled, though quickly remembered that he had allowed the woman some free time to visit her friends outside the school, "ugh, you're going to be the death of me someday." he grumbled with a huff.

hurriedly, he got out of bed and shuffled his slippered feet into the bathroom (which took awhile as he would continuously glance over his shoulder: to check whether cordelia was back, duh, because why else would he do such a thing?). with nervous shaking hands, he cupped and splashed some sink water onto his face but... funny, the perspiration was endless. something was churning in his stomach, and different shots of the child's corpse in the movie continued to flash through his mind.

there was a sudden rattle somewhere in his bedroom. his pupils shrunk.

drawing in a sharp breath, the brunet sprung back around and rushed into his room again. picking up a jacket, he flung it over his own shoulders and was out of the door within seconds. as he rushed down the dorm stairs (too startled to take the elevator), the junior could only mumble curses under his breath; curses that involved making her last year as miserable as possible if this happened to be his sister's doing.

steps slowed down as he neared the greenhouse and, whole-heartedly believing that the plants would help to sooth his nerves, theodore pushed open the door to allow himself entrance. he regretted it as soon as he was inside; there was a shadow of sorts flickering from one plant to the next. but, he couldn't quite make out the details. that was when the junior found himself almost angry with cordelia and lizvette for distracting him; he would've brought a flashlight with him had he not been thinking of them.

slippered feet shuffled back to the exit but, much to his further anger, his fingers seemed unable to locate the doorknob. eyes widened and he could feel a chill running down his spine, his mind drawing back to the freshman girl who'd invited him to the horror movie marathon in the first place. maybe it was a prank. maybe, she was just jealous of his good looks and was secretly upset that he would never actually date her.

teeth grinding, he continued to blindly search for the doorknob, his gaze remained fixated on the moving figure; he had to get out of here before that monster noticed him. but in the process of his doorknob-adventures, his fingers accidentally brushed against a nearby broomstick that just so happened to, conveniently, be next to him.

he could've fainted then, when the cleaning tool hit the ground with a noise so loud that it could've awoken the dead. but, he didn't. he didn't faint. even if he did feel like he may have accidentally peed a little. frantically, he crouched down to pick up the fallen broom, which he then secured between his hands like it's a weapon. narrowed eyes flicked back to the shadowy figure, "take another step closer and it'll be 'off with your head!' this broom is a vicious one, you know? the worst of its kind that you'll ever see in your entire, pathetic, commoner lifetime!"

a cuss word came and the sixteen-year-old quickly snapped back, "excuse me? mind your manners, peasant!" he said, instantly deciding that maybe this 'monster' was nothing to be so fearful of, after all; not if they didn't know how to behave properly in front of the king. conveniently, the clouds that masked the full moon drifted slightly at this moment. the dim light served as a torch of sorts and the panic that theodore was feeling earlier, dissipated.

the other figure had a shadow, he was quick to notice, and... he wasn't howling either, which could only mean one thing: "so you're not a werewolf. excellent."

one hand pried itself from the broomstick to press against his chest, theodore couldn't help but roll his eyes when the other brunet told him to 'shut up' and 'calm down,' "ah, yes. of course. but shouldn't you be kneeling down to even think of asking for a favour from me?" lips pursed slightly, the junior threw his free hand on his hip as his other jabbed the stick end of the broom at the ground before his feet, "right here. this is where you may place your forehead." he instructed arrogantly, head tilted to one side as did the overall weight of his body.

"the greenhouse is more mine than yours, anyway, so consider it generous of me to let you stay here so late at night." because, you know, his parents were obviously the only ones that actually donated to the school for the sake of their children's success. right. "you're not thinking of causing any trouble, i hope. the student council is nowhere near as forgiving as myself."

"please, feel free to save your doubts. i'll have you know that i've never been wrong." more like no matter what anyone said he would never fully admit to his own faults. but what could you do when you grew up being convinced so?

as the non-werewolf (though he could very well still be non-human) further spoke, the junior arched a brow, "clearly my words had fell on deaf ears. or perhaps my voice was too captivating for you to pay attention to those words, because i do believe that i'd stated my ownership of this greenhouse. should you require my assistance to make sense of said statement: it means that i am allowed to do anything and everything i want here, so long as i desire it. why, i could tear down the place by morning with a mere snap of my fingers. would you have preferred that?" not that he would. tearing down a structure such as the greenhouse was much too barbaric for someone like him. he was a sophisticated socialite and, much unlike his sister, he had absolutely no intention to dishonour the family name in such a way.

he was the only son of the massinger family after all and was, therefore, the only heir. or so he told himself, anyway. he was an investment to his parents and with any amount of money they gave him, he could only repay them by behaving in line... or, as 'in line' as a stuck-up little prince had to be, that is.

swinging the stick like a baton of sorts, the junior looked to the other brunet's direction with a slight pout, "oh dear. do you not watch movies? that's what the main characters use to beat up the villains; go educate yourself, you uncultured swine." he said, following the insult with a dismissive snort. for a could-have-been monster, this guy sure wasn't very frightening... or intelligent. "still beside the point, though: what is your business being inside my greenhouse at this hour? because i would very much like to view these plants without a creep within a five foot radius of my personal space. terrible enough as it is to know that i'm breathing the same air a lowly commoner."

the other guy was talking again which, for one reason or another, made the brunet feel just a bit more relaxed even despite the seemingly endless bickering. and somehow, it was also starting to make him sleepy which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing. "know your place, peasant," theodore said, sounding almost lazy through his huff, "blame yourself for trespassing through someone else's property without written permission. at least i'm generous enough to not insult you." unless he considered the fact-sprouting as 'insults' then, in that case... well, he was about as stupid as he looked.

maybe? grey eyes gave a slow blink as the junior finally, for the first time since their encounter, gave the senior a once-over. "could've been a lot better," he said aloud, both in regards to the male's appearance and to the half-hearted 'apology' of sorts. "and if you were actually 'sorry,' you might want to do something about that face of yours. and that hair. ugh. ever been to a salon that's actually run by humans?"

still with the broomstick in one hand, theodore proceeded to move slightly closer to the other male. or more specifically, where all the plants were, "i reckon that you're ready to tell me a little about yourself? since you're supposedly not a werewolf or a vampire who's after the the flesh and blood of beautiful teenagers like me." he said, gaze briefly lingering on the closest shrubs of pansies; as though he was really that interested in viewing the plants still; as though he had no reason to be curious about this weirdo stranger that was in a greenhouse so late at night (much like himself). and of course, somewhere in the back of his mind, there still remained some sort of suspicion towards the stranger. he was ready to flee and call campus security the moment something felt wrong. again.

"we'll start with your name and grade and other such information. and maybe what you know about this school as well: its name, any bits and pieces of history that you've read off of the student manual, and so on." quirking a brow, his gaze slipped to the other brunet, "come on, out with it. i don't have all night, peasant."