A Fallen Star [1x1] (LynxAmelia x Vizzy) [Inactive]

"Huh, the case?" she asked. Hayley couldn't recall the last time she actually used the case. Fumbling her hands on the night stand, she finally found the case and picked up her glasses. She lifted the edge of the shirt she wore to wipe the lenses of the glasses before wearing them. "I can see, I can see," she squeaked happily before realizing how silly she must've looked. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I didn't mean to step and fall on you or wake you up. How did you sleep anyway?" she asked, getting to her feet and padding to the bathroom. "One sec," she said, picking up her toothbrush and smearing some toothpaste on it. She winced a little hearing the rather audible pops, "That, that is why I asked you to sleep on the bed," she stated triumphantly, "Let's face it, I'm always right." Then she shut the door behind her for a few minutes to attend to the nature's call. When she reappeared from the bathroom, she walked to her closet to pull out her uniform, "The world would be so much nicer if people actually listened to me," she said, and disappeared into the bathroom once more.
 
"Oh, this? This is nothing compared to those damned spider-holes. After an hour of going through'em you'd half expect your back to break when you stood upright again" Walter mumbled as he sat down on the bed, and picked his pillow up from the floor. He'd slept in much worse places, but that had to have been the hardest by far. Maybe it was just the side effects of 'being alive' again that had made him go soft in the stomach or something. "Besides, I've never shared a bed with a woman, not about to do so before I'm married or have a job." Walter called out as he flopped back onto the extremely comfortable bed and let a sigh escape his thin lips. He propped himself up on his elbows and tilted his head back "How long is this test of yours going to be?" Walter asked aloud and pushed himself forwards and straightened out the wrinkles in his already skin-tight white shirt.
 
"A couple of hours," Hayley said as she stepped out of the bathroom rather quickly. She had been used to leaving before her brother woke up and she wasn't going to bump into him in the morning of her exam especially with a girl he had probably been sleeping with. Hayley currently donned a thick towel around her torso, reaching upto mid thigh. But before there was enough time for anyone to get a good look of her, she stepped into her corner once more and pulled the screen around her. "If you don't mind waiting, I could go shopping with you. I know for a fact that 25 bucks won't be enough for you to buy even a shirt and I don't wanna leave you embarrassed." When she reappeared, she was back in her school uniform. Then she headed to the bed to wear a pair of little white socks. Her wet hair was pulled off her face by a bright blue hairband. All this while, she had her book propped open on the bed beside her, her eyes scanning the various formulae behind her glasses. Once she was done, she picked up the book and headed to the door, "Come on," she called out, nearly running down the stairs. Once there, she slipped on her shoes while saying, "'Morning mum, 'morning dad. Wish me luck."
 
Hayley's routine seemed tighter than a military boot camp's, and he fell in line with the break-neck pace she set with ease. $25 wouldn't buy him a shirt, eh? Walter shrugged and the thought. "I wouldn't know the first place to go to get clothes, I'd be lost without you." Walter non-nonchalantly stated as he took the bills out of his pocket and sucked his teeth "I guess you're right about cash too, lots has changed since I was last around...". Walter cleared his throat and let a silly grin spread across his face "Like unwed, unrealationshipped women undressing' in the same room as a guy, and even offering to sleep in the same bed." , Walter snickered and gave a small salute to the direction of the picture as they moved along out of the house and outside. If only she knew just how different all of this was for him, maybe then it's be a little easier to come to terms with how he acted and what he said. He also grimaced, at the thought of money again. Just who in the hell decided that $25 wasn't enough to clothe ones' self, stuff like that was a necessity.
 
Hayley was rather lost in the book of numbers that she didn't even hear half the things Walter said. "Uh huh, great," she said, still staring at the book, "Shall we go?" she asked, nearly jumping on the spot. Locking the door behind her, Hayley walked onwards, staring at the book and still with tremendous poise. She only seemed to lose it when her glasses were off. She dodged oncoming pedestrians and traffic at the nick of time before pushing into a cafe that she visited regularly. "The usual, Mary," she called out to the waitress as she settled herself down on a table that overlooked the road. All the while, she only expected Walter to follow her. She glanced at her watch, her temper flaring up a little, "Goddamn it!" she muttered under her breath, "Why the hell did I fall asleep last night? Why?"
 
Walter lagged behind, often bumping into those that Hayley avoided and apologizing accordingly. She was surprisingly coordinated when she wanted to be, more so than himself. Walter thought that he had lost Hayley for a bit there, standing in the stream of the crowd. Until he saw her sitting at a table in the Cafe and rushed in, it was possibly the most terrified he'd been in a while. Everyone seemed to talk to themselves, and pound on mirrors as if they weren't working right. Something was seriously wrong with the people out there, and the only sane one seemed to be Hayley. Upon taking his seat, after already waving off the hostess , he cleared his throat and gave her a questioning glace. "If you study too hard before a test, you'll end up forgetting something else because you'll be too tense" Walter mentioned as he ran a hand through his golden locks trying to keep the wild hairdo from making him look scrubby.
 
Gulping down the coffee that had arrived, Hayley retorted, "That is better than not knowing something at all. I'd rather be burned out, Walter, than regretful." Then she picked up the sandwich that had arrived with her coffee and held half of it out to Walter before standing up, book in one hand and sandwich in the other, turning to walk out of the door. "We don't have time," she called out over her shoulder as she set off in the direction of the school. Hayley preferred being half an hour early, and she was. She sat down on an empty bench in front of a large fountain in the courtyard of the school, dusting her hands to get rid of the crumbs from the sandwich before flipping through the books frantically.
 
Once again, she was on the move and Walter was holding the sandwich given to him with a dumbfounded look upon his face. It took him a moment but he got up and folowed to the best of his ability, but walking and eating weren't his forte and he ended up dropping the food sometime along the way. He brushed the crumbs off of his lips and patted down his shirt. Walter was keeping up, he just was several feet behind her and was getting evermore tired of so many people being out on the street and simply bumping him as if he were only an obstruction. "Sheesh, don't people have manners anymore!" Walter called with a look of disgust as he began strolling up to the bench at which Hayley was seated. He plopped down next to her and peeked over at the book in which she was reading. "Either you really love studying, or you really just want to forget about something." Walter commented as he tilted his head back and gazed at the morning sky "People tend to think working away pain is a good idea, it only ends up causing a breakdown later on.". Walter almost had to smile, he sounded like the shrink from his platoon, the man couldn't do shit with a rifle, but helping people cope was his thing. He missed that old coot, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he was long gone; considering Walter was the only one willing to watch his ass. "This uhh, library..It got military records? Old ones?" Walter asked as he lifted his head back up to look over her shoulder.
 
"More than likely," Hayley said, "It's almost a century old." Finally, she shut the book and leaned back against the bench, "I'm done," she said, not as a sign of defeat but one of completion. She let her eyes close for a moment. She had time, she didn't mind taking a very short nap. Her head rolled to one side and she told herself not to fall asleep, no matter how tempting it was. Not in public and not before an exam. She opened her eyes and looked at Walter sleepily. "You've got to tell me what happened to you," she said before pulling her glasses off and rubbing her eyes. "And why are you interested in old military records?" she asked, "I know you were in the military and all.. Ah, you're looking for stuff on your dad or your grandpa, aren't ya?" She didn't have time to get a reply as a shrill bell rung out. She scrambled to her feet and stuffed the book into her bag and hurried off, but not before calling out, "Stay right there. Don't get lost. I'll be back in 2 hours," then she waved to Walter with a cheerful smile and ran off into the exam hall.
 
That's just the thing, Walter needed both his file, and that of a platoon member. It was the only proof he could provide that would make her vaguely believe him. "I'm a solider from the Vietnam war, who took a sniper round to the noggin, went to heaven, and was tossed out for god knows what." just didn't seem like an explanation she'd accept without viable proof. Walter's brain pounded against his skull in timely beats, and it honestly felt worse than the bullet. Seeing as this pain lingered. Walter closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded off into a deep sleep..."WALTER!?" the sound of a grenade going off somewhere to his left cased Walter to spin around and stick his back against the barricade that shielded him, his eyes drifted over to where the explosion had gone off and his eyes watered and widened. "WALTER?".....Everything went black and Walter awoke screaming, something he only ever did when forced to sleep in a jungle pit. Thankfully Hayley didn't seem to be back yet, but the pour of young people from the building told him that it was indeed over. Most people who had heard him make such a noise gave him odd looks. Not the kind or empathetic ones that Hayley often gave. That being said, Walter was surely meeting those looks back with a glare only known to those who faced another ready to pull the trigger. After all, it seemed this place was ruled by the rude, why not join in their game?
 
Hayley was probably one of the very few who'd left the hall before time. It had never been her habit to sit till the last moment as it made her go really crazy. She was rather cheerful and practically skipped her way out of the building, partly because the exam was over and partly in eagerness at starting classes soon. She looked around, trying to spot an older blonde man with a skin tight shirt whom she had come to know by the name of Walter. And she spotted him, rather wide awake, staring at random people who seemed to be staring back at him as they passed by. Not a good sign. Hayley almost bounded towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked, "They didn't pick a fight with you did they?" Her eyes were fixed on a group of rather bulky boys who looked as though they were on steroids. Hayley often hypothesized that they probably were. Then she turned back to Walter and inspected his form for any cuts or bruises, her eyes filled with concern. It seemed to escape her mind that the man before her had been a soldier, no matter how short a period it was. "What happened?" she asked, sitting down on the bench beside him.
 
"Nightmare." Walter replied with a gruff shrug and took his own head in his hands and shook it. "More like a memory." He muttered under his breath and sat up straight "Anyway, where to first?" Walter asked as he rubbed his hands off on his pants and stood up. He wasn't paying much attention to anyone else once Hayley came by, and he seemed to just block everything out and slowly come out of the funk he created around himself. Call him crazy, but he was starting to see these people as enemies. Now, he just had to think of a way of explaining why his picture was in a file over four decades old, and why he knew a solider by name and rank without ever seeing the file. "I was thinking we'd do this clothing thing first." Walter suggested as he pulled out the twenty-five dollars from his back pocket and held it out to her "You might want to hold onto that, since I have no idea what I'm doing anymore.".
 
Hayley had remained seated as she watched Walter stand up. She waved off the money as her brows furrowed in concentration. Something seemed... off about him now. "What's wrong?" she asked, standing up. Though she usually thought and projected herself such that her height was overlooked, right now, at this close proximity, she was forced to look up at Walter. She felt rather small, perhaps she always would be so.. She shook away the train of thought as she spoke up again, "I know you're thinking about something but I don't know why you want to hide it from me," she shook her head again, "Nevermind, you don't owe me answers anyway." Then she stood up and straightened her clothes. "There is a second hand shop nearby, I get all my stuff there. Would you like to take a look there or would you prefer newer clothes?" she asked. Almost immediately, she became embarrassed at her statement. Walter would probably have a bad impression of her, now that he knew she could only afford second-hand clothes.
 
Second hand? She was kidding right? It was cheaper, and you could generally find some decent clothing. Besides, he was used to getting hand-me-downs from aunts and uncles whose children were much older than he. Although, he couldn't really bring himself to exude the joy he wanted to, something held him back, a nagging feeling in the recesses of his mind. Walter planned to work hard, mostly in the garage if he could. So, second hand clothing was most likely the best idea for a grease monkey. "The second hand shop. New clothing would make me feel bad if I got it dirty at work." Walter mumbled as he lifted a hand to his face and wiped his forehead. He wanted to answer her questions, tell her the reason why the next time he closes his eyes he might end up attacking her. Complete honesty is what he wanted to give, but at the time it'd only leave him alone. "Then straight to the Library, right?" Walter asked as his eyes drifted back towards Hayley, the remnants of a smile traced on his lips.
 
Hayley shrugged a little, though her demeanor had turned rather reserved by this time. She was embarrassed beyond belief and not in a good way. "If you want to," she said, her eyes lowered, "Perhaps we could get lunch on our way. You probably are still hungry." She began walking, but her pace was rather slow now. She couldn't help but feel inadequate in the face of this man, she felt that she couldn't provide for him to the best of her abilities. Sure she wasn't as rich as the other kids were, sure she was too much of a nerd to care about her own clothes. But this was someone else that she was talking about. She knew he probably agreed to buying second hand clothes only because she couldn't afford it.. She turned around and looked at him squarely, "Let's get you new clothes," she said determinedly, mainly to satisfy her own self. She didn't want him thinking ill of her, as 'the girl who bought him used clothes because she couldn't afford nice new ones'. She took to biting her lip softly as she waited for a response.
 
Walter kept pace, but as usual lagged behind. His mind was in a fog, and he couldn't think clearly. Which was why when he almost bumped into Hayley, he had no clue as to what was going on. She was biting her lip, which was more than enough to melt someone in the blink of an eye, and the determined look was just about enough to give someone the idea she had just confessed her love for someone. Of course, Walter having been completely oblivious to what was going on, gave her an odd glance which slowly strayed towards the apologetic. "Thanks, but I can't accept that, not until after I explain myself." Walter stepped up to Hayley and let his large hand rest atop her head "We'll work something out, let's just get to the secondhand shop.". Walter felt the pit in his stomach grow three sizes larger, he couldn't believe how cold he'd been with shutting her down. It wasn't even gentle. "It'll be worth the wait, and hopefully you have an open mind when I tell you." Walter mumbled before letting his hand fall from her head and slip into his pocket "Lead the way."
 
Hayley just gulped softly. Maybe he did already think she would be unable to afford clothes for him. After an odd sniffle, she shook her head and blinked away the tears of embarrassment in her eyes as she turned around. The shop was almost empty but for a little old lady behind the front counter of the shop. "Ah Hayley dear, brought your little friend along this time?" the lady asked, eying Walter a little, "Rather old, don't you think sweetie?" "Hello Mrs. Taylor," came her almost tiny voice as she headed towards the back of the shop where the men's section was. "Pick whatever you like and let me know," Hayley said as she sat down on a stool in the far corner of the shop, "The changing room's there," she pointed to a curtained off area of the shop, "I'll wait here."
 
Those looked like tears. He had made her cry by turning her down. Walter felt beyond sick, she was trying to help and he just denied her feelings for him. He followed her in silence. It was the least he could do for her. But, he didn't totally reject her, he just told her to hold off. So maybe they were tears of joy? Walter shook his head and came back to earth just as they walked through the doors to the shop, he greeted the old woman with a nod of his head and a plastic smile as he followed Hayley to the back. Walter nodded to acknowledge what she had said and went throught the clothing on racks and shelves. After some searching Walter found some older jeans which were large but came with a belt and cost less than four bucks, a short sleeved white polo, which was missing the two buttons, but who used those? It was a little more costly at around fourteen, but Walter shrugged and put it over his arm along with the pants. He headed towards the stool, flashed the clothing to Hayley before vanishing into the changing room and slipping into the clothing. Which surprisingly fit perfectly, although the jean's olive drab belt clashed with the semi-formal polo which he had on top, but it worked. Walter had the old clothing over his shoulder when he emerged from the dressing room and once again T-posed and spun for Hayley "What do you think?".
 
Hayley nodded a little before standing up. "You might want to get a couple more of those," she said rather stiffly, "Unless you intend to never wash your clothes." And with that she walked back to the front of the shop. The whole place seemed to depress her now, though much earlier, it tended to be a source of joy. She'd liked the place so much that for her high school prom, which took place after her parents had died, she had gotten a nice little blue dress in that very shop. But now, it just seemed to hit home the fact that she was just a silly little girl with larger than life dreams who shopped in a second hand shop. She had never taken to heart all the ridicules the other kids threw at her often when they saw her make a rare appearance at a party. They would even take a picture of her and put it up on various websites to attract negative comments. "Where's that young man that came with you, Hayley?" a shaky old voice brought her back to reality. "He'll be here any minute, Mrs. Taylor," Hayley said, not looking up from her worn out canvas shoes.
 
What Hayley said didn't hurt, it was how she said it. He could only nod dumbly and go back into the changing room to swap out for the old clothing. He picked out two more outfits. Plain shirts and jeans, nothing special. Walter brought them up to the front of the store and stood next to Hayley, he didn't mind the old woman, it was more or less him just being taken care of that bugged him. Walter placed the clothes on the counter and placed his hand on Hayley's shoulder "I promise, I'll tell you everything once we get to the Library...I need those files first." Walter whispered and put his hand back atop her head, ruffling her hair a bit. "Walter Klein, Draftee, 34059000." Walter mumbled under his breath so that the old woman at the counter would hear "It's about the only thing this world has to remember me by.". Walter's eyes fell to the floor and he took a deep breath "Hayley's helping me out..I kind of lost my home and have been sleeping in the woods. She's a good girl, you don't need to worry ma'am, I don't plan on harming her. I also plan on giving her every penny, and then some back.".
 
Hayley pulled out her hairband and smoothened her electric blue hair which was a tangled mess after his ruffling. As she put it back on, she could hear Walter talk to the lady at the counter. What surprised her was her response, "You've got yourself a fine catch there Hayley. Don't lose him." It was evident in the way her big blue eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open a little as she looked up at the cashier. "Sixty dollars, dear," the cashier said before Hayley could say much else. She dug out her wallet and placed a few bills on the counter before picking up the bag of clothes and handing them to Walter. Mrs. Taylor was usually the one to tell her to be careful around men. Yet here she was, telling Hayley not to lose Walter even though he was jobless and homeless! "To the library next hm?" she said, half to herself as she pushed the door open to leave the shop and began walking in the direction of the library, lost in thoughts and wondering about the implications of the old lady's words.
 
Walter took the bag, and gave the old woman a fairly genuine smile before nodding his thanks. He took off after Hayley, once again becoming her shadow and following her to the library. There was no doubt she was completely baffled by his situation and why he refused to tell her, until after the trip to the library. Either way, he just hoped he didn't lose her after hearing he was an angel. Not believing in a god and all, she must think the idea to be beyond absurd. The look on Hayley's face when the old woman told her to keep him was priceless, it kind of made him chuckle to think about it. Walter liked to see the emotions that Hayley showed him once in a while. Whether it be a smile, or a tear in the eye. She just seemed so alive compared to the mask he wore to face the war. Sure, he laughed and joked, danced and made a fool of himself. But that was when he had people around him who shared his burden, and accepted it because their fate was the same. Walter shook the thoughts from his head, the Library could be seen off in the distance and he quickened his pace to catch up with Hayley. "I love the clothes, Hayley. Thank you." Walter stated as he bumped her with his shoulder "You going to be alright with me pulling out two files, instead of just one?" Walter asked and switched the bag to his opposite hand.
 
Hayley's little form was nearly knocked over by that little bump. "It's fine," she said in response after steadying herself, "And I'll be fine with it as long as the librarian is." Soon enough, she was pushing at the large double doors that lead into the library. She deposited her library card at the front desk. After eying Walter, the librarian said, "Please deposit all bags in lockers. We do not want stolen books." "We would like to access the records of the American army," Hayley piped up. At this the librarian stood up, "This library prides itself in its voluminous collection of records and diaries and journals of the members of the armed forces," came the booming but monotonous voice. In the meantime, Hayley took Walter's bag and her own and put it in the locker and followed the librarian, indicating Walter to remain silent by pressing a finger to her lips.
 
Walter furrowed his brows at Hayley when he was silenced, he may have been gone for some time, but knew how to behave himself. Walter cleared his throat as mutely as possible, even going as far as placing a fist over his lips to muffle it "We are particularly looking for files on the 'Nam event. 1959-1969. Soldiers mainly drafted from Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. These boys would have taken part in the battle of Saigon, and no less than 20-30 years old. Service numbers, if needed I can provide." Walter rambled on as he whispered to the librarian that led them. "Mostly looking for journals, paper clippings, photos, and interview with one Klein, Walter. Draftee from Florida, Service number on the issued tags should be 34059000." Walter hadn't even bothered to hide his determination as he strode forward, his eyes placed dead ahead. "Photos of his platoon member George Little, an old shrink drafted and sent for the front lines. Service number; 34739794" Walter rattled off information like he'd had it drilled into his brain since birth, thing was, during rough times like that you process and keep everything. Walter couldn't hold the burden of looking to see how Hayley reacted to him overstepping her order of silence, given he still kept remotely quiet.
 
Hayley's ears almost began ringing at the information Walter seemed to be giving. Vietnam war? Walter was in the Vietnam war?! Hayley froze on the spot and lifted a hand to cover her gaping mouth. Then instinctively, she reached a hand forward and grabbed his hand but was forced to let it go when the librarian turned around. "There will be silence in the library at all times," she declared as she punched in a code that forced a pair of glass sliding doors to open. "Let me know when you are done with your research," she called out over her shoulder as she returned to her desk.


In the meantime, Hayley looked at Walter as though she'd seen a ghost. Her voice was rather loud when she said, "What the-" that rang out through the library. Then she put a hand over her mouth before continuing, her voice squeaky from her attempt and lowering her voice and still having an outburst, "What the hell is going on here?! Who are you?"
 
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