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Post by James Adler on Jul 12, 2011 23:59:51 GMT -5
James sat in a arm chair in a isolated room off to the side of one of the classroom wings. It had been a few days since he had arrived, and yet he hadn't went out of his trouble to get to know anyone...he just didn't want to disrupt their routine..or maybe he was just too scared and didn't want to admit it to himself.
James found himself at odds with his situation. It was ironic...somehow coming here had made him feel more out of place the last few days then he had possibly ever felt in his life. Sure, people were friendly, the atmosphere was pleasant, and mutants were free to 'be themselves' I guess but that was never really a problem for James. He didn't have any sort of power that got in the way really, sure there were a few embarrassing hiccups here and there as he learned to control his abilities, but in general he had stayed smart, learned in secret, out of peoples way.
Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't an outcast out there in the normal world that made this place seem so perplexing. He had been pretty popular in High School, he played varsity basketball, he had been to a fair amount of parties.
It wasn't until he graduated that the weight of the world seemed to hit his shoulders. Faced with the ever growing 'mutant crisis' and the realization that these powers were his, not just for now, but for the rest of his life he had felt a sense of responsibility. It gnawed at him until he simply found himself in a funk.
And, now that he was finally out of his funk and doing something, he just felt...weird.
It was like he was hanging around a high school with no responsibilities, and no sense of belonging. He was a stranger in a strange land, for quite possibly the first time in his life. And he just didn't know what to do about it...
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 2:18:38 GMT -5
Alice hated the school sometimes. Specifically, she hated the schedule they liked to keep her own. A few X-men believed that some of the more... Nocturnal students should learn to adapt to normal sleeping patterns, to prepare themselves for when they rejoined society. All this did, was leave Alice irritable and venomous.
She wandered the school, each area she moved to dimmer then was normal, and lighting back up after she'd passed. She couldn't stand light. No one seemed to realize that if she didn't dim the light around her during the day, she could actually blind herself! They just thought her eyes were sensitive and needed longer to adjusted. All she had to say to that was tell them to look at the sun until they see spots, and they were half way to what it was like when any amount of light met her head on. Stupid, misunderstanding normals....
The girl froze from her menacing patrolling of the school, having spotted something a little odd. An adult man, who she didn't know, just sitting in the room all by his lonesome. She could imagine him twiddling his thumbs, obviously bored. She didn't say a word, the girl just staring at him curiously, not even bothering to hide her blatant staring.
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 3:21:14 GMT -5
It took a few moments for James to realize that anyone was in the room with him. He was busy contemplating the theory put out by certain sociologists that the civilized world should in fact divide itself into two separate and distinct societies in the face of the Mutant Crisis.
It was only when he looked up for a moment see what kind of books they stocked in here that he saw her. To say that her presence was a bit unnerving would be an understatement. James was surprised that he hadn't noticed her before this moment, as the intensity of the stare she gave off was not something that could go easily missed.
Despite the heavy atmosphere in the room, James knew better then to irrationally fear anyone, at least externally that is. This was probably especially true here. Besides all teenage girls were scary anyway, anyone who had been to high school could tell you that.
James casually raised his hand in greeting to the girl " Hey how's it going? You know any good books around here?" he said as he got up to search through the shelves. "All I see is textbook, textbook, textbook, crappy magazine, textbook."
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 12:18:06 GMT -5
It was normal for people to often overlook Alice's presence. She was a sneaky little bugger to begin with, making little sound when she moved. Even worse, was she never announced her presence, never being the first one to speak. It was eerie, even she'd admit that, just how strange she could be.
Oh, he should be afraid of her. Most X-students should be given some wariness, all because you didn't know what they could do. Some were relatively harmless. Alice definitely wasn't one of them.
His greeting was responded by only a slow, wary, blink, her mind trying to decide if he was worth talking to. It was almost as if you could see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to come to some conclusion. Finally she smiled, and if it'd been on anyone else it'd be sweet. With her? It just looked off. Even more unnerving then her stare. "There's a library, you know. You won't find anything worth reading here, this is where most parents meet the staff. They seem to think the humans will care about the reading material." There was a little distaste in her voice when she said 'humans', but that wouldn't be to bizarre. Quite a few mutants blamed the entire race for the mistakes of only a few.
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 18:16:16 GMT -5
James stared at her for a second, thrown off by her disturbing demeanor, but soon his expression returned to the carefree smile he so often wore."Oh ya? Is there anything good? Or is it even worth my time?" he said looking at her.
The girl was clearly not the model student type, or at least that was a fair assumption. She was a little strange there was no denying that, but given the circumstances it would be foolish of him not to expect that. In reality she was just a teenage girl with mutant powers that made her stand out from the rest of society. It wasn't surprising that she would be antisocial or anti-establishment to adapt to that. Further still, if humans could continue to blame mutants for all of society's problems, why couldn't mutants do the same to them? James had been looking for a chance to enter in to this strange society, and here was an opportunity to do just that. He should seize it well he still had the chance, and the courage for that matter.
"Honestly, I don't care what I do. It's just so fricken boring around here ya know? What do you guys do all the time anyway?"
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 18:41:23 GMT -5
"If the Librarian doesn't hate you, it isn't terrible." Sadly, Alice was one of those students. Well, it wasn't that she was hated, people were just very cautious around her because of her.... mental situation. Apparently, he wasn't following his gut instinct. Usually people's danger alarm went off when she was around, the body reacting to the presence of a predator. Like a Zebra that could smell a Lion nearby.
Humans. A touchy subject with Alice. Of course she hated them. They'd done nothing but make her life miserable. She'd never even associated with one that had treated her somewhat normally. Humans seemed to pick up on the potential danger she was far quicker then other mutants. Probably because humans were easier targets then mutants...
Alice continued to stare at him with that same unnerving intensity as before, all traces of that smile gone, with absolutely no warning. "...... You mean... for fun..?" The look on her face was odd, as if trying to figure out just what that word meant. She really didn't understand the question. At all. The idea of 'fun', was a completely foreign concept to the girl, and she didn't bother trying to hide the fact.
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 19:17:24 GMT -5
James tilted his head to the side a little and chuckled a bit at the response. "Ya I mean what do you do all day? What is the least annoying activity for you?" James found her response amusing, as if she had never had fun before...he supposed it was a possibility, but if that was the case rather then have pity for her, why not help her with something so easily fixed?
"I mean your day can't be all bad all the time right? there has to be sometimes that aren't as bad as others, when is that?"
It's true that something was nagging at him in the back of his head telling him to become invisible and get away from her, but he ignored it, if he allowed that fear to control his actions he would never belong here. There were and are ( he assumed) mutants that had impossibly powerful abilities and if he ran away any time he saw one, how was he going to be better then any of the ignorant masses. The answer to all this was quite simple, treat people as he would like to be treated, if he did that he was sure that things would eventually work out.
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 19:51:26 GMT -5
Alice stared at him with that same, misunderstanding look as before. His rewording it helped a little. But still... The fact that he meant it as 'fun', still threw her off. "...." she slowly blinked, finally starting to put some thought into the question. Finally, she spoke up. "Sulk until the sun goes down. Then wander." Really, that was her daily routine. Most people would call that boring, but it worked for her. She was a more thought oriented person, anyway.
Alice didn't seem to care that her daily routine rarely involved interaction with other people. As was already obvious, she was severely anti-social. She wouldn't even talk to him until he said something! "If I was having a bad day, you, and everyone else in the school, would know it." The way she said it.... It wasn't quite a threat but it wouldn't be that strange if someone jumped to that conclusion. She had basically just admitted that very bad things would happen if she was having an off day.
If she were to have a bad day... It was unlikely you would see her wandering the school. The girl wouldn't even leave her room at these times unless she absolutely had to.
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 20:41:11 GMT -5
"Hmm..." James responded putting his hand to his chin..."So you wander eh?...nothing wrong with that I suppose, I do a fair bit of wandering myself from time to time. I guess you could say my wandering is what got me here in the first place."
James thought for a second, poor girl had no real social experience, that explained a lot about her current demeanor...Not that he pitied her of course, no pity was far too strong of a term, far too condescending, left only for those who believed that they were better then others. No, more then anything he found the girl interesting, maybe it was just that he was insanely bored, or maybe it was just his natural curiosity that drove him to her, but nonetheless he somehow felt invested in her to some extent.
"Tell you what I really don't know this place, and could go for some wandering myself, how bout tonight I wander with you, not talking, not being annoying, just wandering, I don't even have to be all that close by...What do you say?"
Considering how antisocial this girl seemed, it was still a long shot, but honestly he couldn't help someone if they didn't want to be helped so this was the best he could do.
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 21:04:36 GMT -5
Alice couldn't understand his curiosity with her. She wasn't all that curious about him, after all. She just didn't have anything better to do at this time of day. Still... What was so interesting about a psychopath like her? "I wander because I'm not welcome. Very different." She always thought it was weird when people tried to relate to her. Why did normal people have to do that? It was bizarre, and irritating when they really couldn't. Thankfully she wasn't irritated this time around.
His offer to join her was met with a completely blank, unreadable expression. She wasn't exactly sure what to think. No one offered to join her! It was unnatural! "Isn't your judgement telling you to get as far away from me as possible, though? Who knows, I might lose control tonight and try to kill you. Are you willing to risk that?" She was silent for a moment, realizing he just might try and say she wouldn't succeed. "And if that happened, I can't promise it'd be a peaceful death either. You'd be likely to suffer." She didn't deny his company though, just waited for him to decide for himself.
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 21:35:02 GMT -5
James smiled at the response "I'll take my chances...though I appreciate the warning." Maybe it was hubris that made James take her warning so lightly, believe that he had mastered his powers thoroughly enough to avoid death from inexperienced mutants. It was true there were few hypothetical scenarios he could come up with that he couldn't deal with, but in reality he was most likely just being a fool.
Maybe it was because he didn't truly recognize her as a mutant threat, and instead chose to see a troubled teenage girl who needed someone to reach out to her. He didn't even really factor her powers into his mind instead simply seeing it as an act to try and push people away to avoid becoming hurt.
Most likely, however it was simply his lack of experience that attributed to his lack of fear. Sure, he had heard a lot of stories about mutants who had ridiculous and incredible abilities, and he assumed that at least some of them were actually true, but there is a difference between intellectually knowing something to be true, and knowing something through life experience. He did not realize the realities of what he could be stepping into, and thus with naive foolishness he brushed the warning away without a second thought, unaware of what dangers were to come.
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 22:03:04 GMT -5
Alice slowly, very slowly, blinked, surprise on her face. Really? No fear at all? Great.... Someone who didn't think she was being serious.... The people that didn't believe her were always the one who fell victim to her power...
Actually, he hadn't seemed to realize that she was using her power now, darkening the area around her just enough that she wasn't having to squint. Maybe it was because it was getting later in the day, and none of the blinding lights were on yet? Either way.... He was already ignoring early warning signs.
".... You don't even want to know what I can do? You're willing to risk your life, with out knowing a single thing?" Okay, this was proof that people were weird, and she should give up trying to understand them. Did he think he could save her from herself, like so many before? Did he think she was just exaggerating? "I think you are underestimating me." She frowned a little deeper, not liking the idea. All it did was put him at greater risk. If he didn't take her seriously, he can, and would, be killed.
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 22:38:12 GMT -5
"Well yeah...I'll be around you without knowing your powers...whether or not you want to tell me about your powers is your choice...your powers are part of who you are, but they aren't all of who you are...they are simply a part that makes a whole. Your powers do not define who you are, you do."
James looked down at the ground for a minute "Or at least that is how I see it...I have never told anyone what my powers are...and I don't know when I will..."
"And I'm not underestimating you...you told me clearly that there is a possibility that I could die, and I honestly believe you...but, I imagine as long as I stay here this won't be the only time my life will be in danger, and this won't be the first time I meet a dangerous 'mutant'" He choked out the word with some obvious disdain as if he had used a racial slur. "As far as I can see if we are going to do anything at this school, we are going to have to trust each other." he said raising his head now to meet her eyes. "And I trust you even if you don't trust yourself."
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Post by alice on Jul 13, 2011 22:53:13 GMT -5
Alice started at him, and if she hadn't caught herself, might have gapped. He made is sound so easy! He had absolutely no idea what he was saying... "You make it sound like all powers have good intentions." No, powers could corrupt people... It could twist and distort your personality.
Okay, she felt like she might get wipelash trying to keep up with this guy. How could he already trust her? They'd only talked for, what, ten minutes? Really? People were crazy... "You shouldn't trust me. You make it sound like I'd be able to stop myself if it came to that point."
She was silent for a few moments. "I'll only tell you my power if you ask. Ask if you're curious." She wouldn't tell him unless he asked. Otherwise she'd keep her secret. She didn't add that there was a reason people avoided her. Why it would be wise to just start ignoring her like everyone else. But.... She was sort of interested to see why he seemed to have so much trust in her. Why he didn't think anything bad would happen...
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Post by James Adler on Jul 13, 2011 23:36:07 GMT -5
"Well...you are a student here so it would be foolish to think that you have full control of your powers, so no I don't know if you could stop yourself. As for asking about your powers, your powers are your own and I have no right to ask, if you think it is important to tell me then you can do so, but I am not going to pry."
" I trust you because...if I can't trust people here, then I really shouldn't be here...if I start to doubt that people with powers are people too, then what does that mean for me?"
"As to why I trust you as a person..." he said scratching the back of his head and thinking for a moment. "I guess you could say I'm an optimist, I believe that people inherently have the best of intentions....sometimes they may simply be misguided."
"I am making an assumption that you as a person....That's you as a whole person mind you, not simply your powers, do not want to kill me. Now if my assumption is wrong and you do in fact want me dead, well I made my choice, and I am prepared to live with the consequences..."
If your powers grow beyond your control, and you happen to kill me, well then I was fully aware of all the risks involved, and since you warned me you have no responsibility....If you want I will even sign a letter to that affect so no one can think otherwise....."
"Of course if you don't want me to come because your scared you might kill me, I would understand. There is nothing wrong with being scared..."
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