Research topics [Alfred ; Library]

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Nothing had been right since that evening. Despite his growing uneasiness he still refused to see a doctor because the problem seemed to be his head, rather than his body. Imagining things that weren’t there and some kind of instinct that wasn’t there before. Eduard didn’t know how to put it into words, so there didn’t seem much point in seeing a psychiatrist. He didn’t particularly want to be told there was something wrong with him anyway. He’d always been right.

While he hadn’t had any big incidents with the arms again he still seemed to catch glimpses here and now. Strange growths on his side that disappeared the moment he tried to look in the mirror or a sixth finger suddenly sprouting as he typed. Again and again he’d count the digits until it was the right amount again. Was he going crazy? School wasn’t that stressful, he was easily the top of his class. Maybe it was homesickness, although he wasn’t sure why homesickness would manifest itself in such a strange way. He’d been eating and sleeping properly, the only thing he could think of was the shock from the circuit but an electrocution would affect his body more than his mind, right?

The uncertainty made him anxious. It was something he should know. While the internet was the easiest resource he hadn’t been able to get his computer working right since the storm. It would turn off and on randomly and sometimes the screen wouldn’t correspond to the function executed. In the end he decided to leave it and wait until he had the time to take it apart and see what the problem was.

The library was the next call of research. It would probably do him good to get out of the apartment for a while. A light rain chilled the streets and Eduard made sure to wear a good coat. If his body started to change again, hopefully it would hide it. Not that anyone else could see of course since it was all inside his mind.

At least he hoped.

The library, naturally was quiet and seemed to be full of student shuffling around for the first assignments of the term. Shaking off the umbrella he’d bought to shield himself from the rain he hurried over to the physics sections, flicking through the books until he found on that details electricities effects on the human body. With a small pile accumulated he looked around for somewhere to sit and read. It had been a while since he’d just engrossed himself in a book, it would be a nice change. The library wasn’t exactly empty though, and all the tables had at least one person sitting at them.

“Excuse me, is it okay for me to sit here?” he asked as he approached a tall boy, probably around his age with an unruly stand of hair sticking up from his head.

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:17 am

Something had changed on that night. He could feel it in himself that something was not quite right. These random bursts of strength, these little tidbits of information out of nowhere, the weird voices in his head... Alfred didn't want to go mad. He didn't want to be schizophrenic or delusional and get locked up in a mental hospital. He wasn't crazy!

Someone once said that the first step towards madness was denying it. Alfred shook his head. Where did that come from? From a TV program I was only half-listening to two weeks ago at 8:13 pm. This was starting to get scary.

He couldn't understand it. The other day he was just trying to move his TV to the side so he could play video games from his bed and the next thing he realized was that he was holding the heavy mess of cables and plastic in one hand without even realizing it. Needless to say he needed a new TV now.

And, since the Internet was still pretty much useless after that storm, Alfred had to go to the library to use the Internet or, if he couldn't find anything useful, he might try to find a helpful book.

He told himself he was running towards the library because of the rain, because he forgot to bring an umbrella again, not because he was desperate to finally find out what was going on. And that was the reason why he burst through the door, shed his coat and immediately grabbed a seat at the only empty table in the room. He didn't really want anyone seeing his research. He left his laptop there to signal that the seat was taken and left to find a useful book.

As a student who secretly adored Biology and all sciences, Alfred first guess was that the problem probably had to do something with his brain. He found four thick books on the nervous system, most of which were centered around the central nervous system and the brain. These would be a good start.

He walked back to his table and sat down, opening the book on the top of the pile. Before he could start reading, however, he was interrupted by someone asking for a place to sit. He looked up at the guy, who looked to be around his age with a pair of specks on his nose. "Yeah, yeah, sure, make yourself at home!" He sent the guy a friendly smile and turned back to his book, finding his strange problem to be more urgent than making friends.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Eduard gave a small smile to the other boy, he hadn't expected such a friendly response. Just an okay would have sufficed.

"Thank-you," he murmured, setting his books on the table and reading through the first one. Most of the effects seemed like this kinds Eduard already knew about; burns, heart fibrillation, and the neurological effects were ones that he hadn't been afflicted with. He wasn't in bad physical condition, it can't have been that strong of a shock, so why on earth had he lost consciousness that night? More importantly, it didn't account for the hallucinations he'd been having.

Through each line of text Eduard just found himself becoming more and more frustrated. He wasn't getting answers so there was no point in wasting more of his time. Before setting the books back on the shelf he took a moment to glance up at the boy opposite him and the biology book in his hand. Somehow, Eduard didn't really peg him as a biology student, more like a sociology or cultural studies person. The thoughts mulled through his head and somehow it calmed him down to think about things other than electricity and what may or may not be a teratoma.

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:35 am

He just nodded at the guy, some chapter titles catching his attention almost immediately. Enzymes, hormones, neurosecretum, different parts of the brain... They all seemed very promising. If he recalled correctly, something that tended to happen much more frequently now, they all had a connection with each other and they had to do something with the way the body worked.

He paused for a moment. Lifting the TV was weird, that was true. But that wasn't the only strange things happening to him. He had never been exceptionally interested in Biology, interesting as the subject was. He had always preferred Physics and Chemistry. These words, these facts about the brain shouldn't seem so familiar, like he already knew them and he was just having troubles bringing them to the surface. Was this what people called deja vu? Not exactly. He pushed the definition of deja vu out of his mind with a small groan. He had to find out what was going on with him or he might go mad.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

He caught himself just before he zoned out completely. On the others face he noticed that he seemed kind of troubled.

'Probably having trouble with the material' Eduard smirked internally to himself. Biology wasn't his strong point but he was still an A grade student none the less.

"Do you need any help?" he offered, speaking in a hushed tone so as not to disturb anyone else in the library "I could probably simplify the material for you." It made him feel good to help other people, there was always something satisfying in knowing that you made someone's day easier. Of course it made him feel better to flaunt his intelligence around other people and that was probably the real reason.

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:48 am

He looked up at his table mate. "No, th-" And then he said that. Was this guy saying that Alfred couldn't understand this stuff? He twitched slightly. "I don't need simplifying. I think this material would be a bit too rough for you. No offense, dude."

Damn it, he wasn't stupid. He could easily understand the stuff written here, he just couldn't link it to his little problem. That was all. He had no idea why this guy thought he couldn't understand. Tch, he must have been some kind of know it all nerd. And yes, Alfred knew he was being a hypocrite. He was a nerd as well, he just liked to hide it. And the fact he was pretty smart as well. But when someone said or implied he wasn't clever enough, he had this urge to prove them wrong.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

If his image wasn't enough then his attitude confirmed Eduard's suspicions. He had a kind of jockish feel about him and that's why Eduard thought he might be struggling, the boy's over confident attitude only confirmed it. Not to mention, as much as he tried to not stereotype people he'd heard a clear American accent and subconsciously that probably influenced his opinion.

With an annoyed frown on his face he raised an eyebrow.
"There's no need to be rude," Eduard scolded, still keeping his voice down. "If you didn't want my help you only had to say so." Maybe he was feeling a little embarrassed at being so viciously rejected but it wasn't his fault if the other boy had such a low self esteem about his abilities that he had to insult someone else's abilities to make him feel big. As much as he wanted to, Eduard was careful not to get angry. If there was going to be conflict he wanted to take the high road.

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Sat Jan 28, 2012 8:39 pm

He wasn't being rude! The other guy started it by thinking that Alfred was stupid! He hated it when people thought he was stupid just because of his jockish looks and love for sports, although the guy had no way of knowing about them. He especially hated it when people thought he had a lower IQ than them because he was American! He scoffed. Americans were the ones who invented airplanes and all the cool stuff, so haters could suck it.

...Okay, that was a bit off topic now. "Look, sorry, I just hate it when people think they're smarter than me." He offered the other a tight smile. Alfred forgave easily, that was true, but he still felt a little indignant. His smarts and his weight were two very touchy subjects. Although, if the guy told him he was fat, he would have definitely punched him in the face.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Eduard reluctantly accepted the apology, even if he was still a little peeved.
"I was only trying to help, but you shouldn't insult people's intelligence if you dislike your own being insulted," he scolded just a little. As much as he wanted to affirm his superiority over the boy he just kept telling himself that being passive aggressive would get him nowhere and he was probably smarter anyway.

Not wanting to drag on the conflict any longer he tried offering casual conversation instead. Sure he could just get up and leave but it left him with a bad taste that he's rather not have.

"So... Are you a biology student?"

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:22 am

He shrugged. "Offense is the best defense. Or something like that. Really, I apologize." This guy should be glad Alfred swallowed his pride and apologized twice. He wasn't one to admit he was wrong. Like, ever.

Subject change. A wise choice, although it kind of seemed like running away from conflict, a thing he found cowardly and repulsive. But he wouldn't argue if the other didn't want to. He knew he was the smarter one, there was no reason to burst the other's cute little pink bubble. "Nope, I'm still in high school. I'm a senior. You?"

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Eduard didn't react much to his reasoning, but it felt like the more he spoke the more he confirmed Eduard's opinions on him. For a moment he had to consider what was said, he wasn't familiar with the American style of educational structure since he didn't get to experience it like he so sorely wanted.

"That's... year twelve, is it?" he questioned, trying to sound more like he was correcting him rather than asking if it was right. "You could still be studying biology in class even if you don't specialize in it."

He just couldn't imagine the person opposite him reading them out of his own interest.

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:50 am

He blinked. "Yeah, I think Brits call it twelfth year. It's the last year in high school. Umm, I think that's secondary school for you Brits...?" He wasn't really sure. He was American, therefore he was going to use the American terms, end of discussion.

...What of it? He didn't understand why the guy was so adamant about Alfred studying biology. Well, okay, he was reading a biology book, but he could be reading it entirely for his own pleasure, like he was doing right now. "Yeah, I take Bio. We're studying respiration right now." He held up his book, showing him the pretty obvious The Anatomy of The Nervous System on the book. He was a bit smug, truth to be told. This really was advanced stuff, written for Medicine students and all that jazz. And he was proud to say he understood everything, although he hadn't figured out how to apply it to his own case yet.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

"Well, it all depends on the region. Some use the two tier system of primary and secondary, others use a three tier system of lower, middle and upper," Eduard explained, flaunting the random factoids he'd learned while looking for a school to study at in England. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the boy lumping him in with the British, for a long time he thought that his eastern European accent was quite thick in comparison. Maybe picking up the native language had left him with a bit of a London twang to his accent that was hard for foreigners to pick up on. Either way he didn't question it.

As he raised the book, Eduard couldn't help but snicker to himself at the dissonance between the book and the statement.
"Ah, really? It's pretty interesting isn't it?" he smiled. While he wanted to be friendly he was dragging it into the realms of passive aggression and was obviously humoring him.

Subject: Re: Research topics [Alfred ; Library] Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:30 am

Alfred just nodded, not really listening to what the guy was talking about. The brain was much more fascinating than the English schooling system could ever hope to be. He knew he was being rude, but come on, even the guy had to know how boring he was. "Mhm, you're right." He sure hoped the guy was done with his mini-lecture and not just taking a break. That would be embarrassing.

He grinned. "Sure is! Respiration isn't all that complicated, but the Nervous System is fun! I like the brain!" Looks like they found something they had in common. Really, the nervous system was such a cool topic. And, as his ego so graciously reminded him, there was no way this guy knew the brain, spinal cord, etc. better than him, which was a definite plus.

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