Room for reflection

[alice]

Alice was just staring at him, completely and totally flabbergasted. She was, quite literally, at a loss for words. For two reasons. She wasn't to sure how to respond to that. And second.... She felt like her ears were getting talked off. WAY to much socializing then she was used to, in one breath.

She blinked as reality slowly returned, still in her stunned state. Still, no words came to mind that could be used as some sort of response. The only thought in her mind, other then that speech of his, was that this guy.... His out look on life was polar opposite of hers. Now she understood what people meant by there being an 'emotional' light. "You talk a lot..." For some reason, she felt almost obliged to respond, just so he didn't think he'd completely traumatized the girl.

Finally she chuckled softly, the sound barely audible from lack of use. Laughing in any amount was a rarity for Alice, and the fact that his mad speech had made her chuckle.... Well it was quite the accomplishment. It only lasted a moment, because as soon as Alice realized what she was doing, she shut up, deathly silent. "You can come. Just no more speeches. You'll talk my ears off otherwise."

[/justify]

[James Adler]

James simply nodded in response an ever present smirk on his face, not one of triumph, or self-congratulation, just an ever content smile, it took an awful lot of stress to ever tear it from his face.

He decided to simply watch her and wait for her to make the next move, primarily for two reasons:

1. He pushed awfully hard to get her to break down and let him come with, honestly he didn't think he could have pushed any harder. If it wasn't for her breaking down at the last moment, he would have gave up and called it a day then and there. Considered her, a lost cause for the moment and moved on content that he did everything he possibly could. Honestly, his intent was never to drive her insane, but to simply get her to take a step, if only a small one, toward socializing and relating with other people.

To be honest, with all the speeches and persuading he was really starting to second-guess himself here has it was. He definitely felt that he may have overstepped his bounds, and while to some this would seem obvious, he felt that he was honestly doing what was best for the both of them. Now most importantly he had to tone it way down.

2. If he didn't speak this would force her to speak thus initiating a conversation, or at least some form of contact, something that he doubted she did very often. It made him wonder...why did she come into this room in the first place? though indirect it was most definitely a form of contact, possibly even a way to get attention, well putting his amateur psychology aside, he decided that it wasn't his place to pry any further. He was content with this, and if she never wanted to open up to people any further, at least she got some socialization out of her day.

[alice]

The fact that he had absolutely no real reaction was completely ignored, the girl seeming to wait herself for some reaction from him. You could call it a staring contest of sorts, each one waiting for the other to do something interesting. He might not realize it now, but she could definitely win this game. The girl could get so caught up in her own little world that reality was a foreign concept. So, while she'd be completely content to silently stare at someone, that person would finally get so fed up they would break the silence.

Still, for some reason Alice was the one to break the staring contest, but it wasn't because of something he did, or in this case didn't do. It was the sudden realization that the light from the window was dimming. Normal people wouldn't realize it yet, but the girl spotted the change instantly. Her gaze shot to stare at the closed blinds. "Sunset...." If she'd sounded disconnected to reality before, it was to the point of having no recollection of him or their previous conversation.

It was a little creepy how easily this girl seemed to 'forget' people. She could be having a conversation with them one minute, and off in her own little world the next, the person completely forgotten, which was exactly what happened here.

With out any warning, the girl turned and bolted, running from the room. If you didn't know better she actually looked... eager? It was probably because she could go outside soon.

[/justify]

[James Adler]

James ran after her, just trailing behind her quite easily, this girl was definitely interesting to say the least. It surprised James that the school wasn't looking after her more. Probably because she wasn't enough of a threat to worry about....or maybe because they were scared of her themselves?

James wiped the idea from his head that was absolutely ludicrous, he was sure that whatever her power was, whatever her problem was, the school had dealt with bigger and badder threats...if she was really such a threat to everyone's safety people would know it and precautions (whatever they might be) would be taken.

Nonetheless James took comfort in having a key-chain flashlight attached to his keys in his pocket It was actually something he had long before he had his powers, or his car for that matter, back when the only thing he had a key for was the lock to his bike.

James focused on running, being careful to keep stride with her. Even if the night ultimately turned out to be uneventful at least it gave him something to do. As he ran he watched the setting sun as it began to dip over the horizon, and he wondered, if only for a moment, if this could be the last one he would ever see.

[alice]

Alice had completely forgotten about the older man, his presence forced out of her mind upon realizing she could go outside soon. She didn't even realize he was following her, or that anyone that was in her path instantly got out of the way when they saw her. Perhaps he'd notice how just about everyone they ran passed gave her a wide berth.

Suddenly... Alice came to a complete stop. Right. That guy. She'd forgotten.. He wanted to come out with her... She turned, intending on going back to the room he'd been in to get him, when she realized he was right behind her. Instead of jumping in surprise though, she just stared at him with that calm collection as before.

"... You followed me?" She didn't admit that she'd completely forgotten about him, or that if she hadn't suddenly recalled his presence, she probably wouldn't have remembered anything about him for the rest of the evening. Why had he followed her? Did he know she might have left him? Or had he thought she was going outside right then and didn't want to fall behind? Either way, she couldn't figure out why he'd kept up behind her.

[/justify]

[James Adler]

James smiled, this time genuinely pleased, whether she realized it or not she had just spoken directly to him initiating the conversation. One that, might he add was entirely unnecessary as simple body language could easily have communicated her complaint.

Maybe he was looking too far into it, but he didn't really care, you take the small victories where you can get them, whether they ring true or not does not ultimately mater.

James quickly made up the distance between them.

"I'll answer your question with another question: Why'd you stop and turn around? I mean...I was at least ten...no probably closer to fifteen feet behind you...and this hallway...though oddly divided" he said looking at the groups of students walking on the edges of the hallway actively avoiding his gaze "is full of people. (probably do to supper being soon he suspected) So its fairly implausible that you knew I was behind you. So why did you stop?"

James couldn't help but be fascinated by this girl, he just couldn't figure her out, and that didn't happen all that often. I mean sure on some level her actions were pretty easy to figure out, she tried hard to seem more complicated and more uncaring then she really was, though James wondered if she even realized that herself.

No the hard part to figure out was her introverted seemingly antisocial personality. Here of all places, there should be a caring and supportive environment for her, but from what he had both observed and inferred from the situation she was the social pariah of the school. Was her personality a defense mechanism against these sort of tactics, or was the personality the cause of them? Neither of these options made much sense. There must be dozens of kids in similar situations, so what made her so different?

It clearly didn't have anything to do with 'fitting in' or 'being a freak', just across the hall there was a guy with slugs? no, Leeches for hands, and next to him was some green?purple?Ora- some chameleon rainbow kid. No that clearly wasn't her problem. So what was it?

[alice]

Alice blinked, a little surprised that he'd evaded her question by asking his own. Why did people do that? "......" Wasn't it obvious? It was impossible for him not to have noticed her moments of complete oblivion. "I just remembered you wanted to come.... So I was going to go back."

She stared at him blankly, much like she had when they first met, her thoughts focused on trying to solve the mystery of his presence. Most people stayed clear of her. Yet, this older man was determined to stay, even when his senses told him otherwise.

Not only that, he should have picked up on her... instability by now... right? He had to know something was off about her! Not only that, he could see how other students acted around her. Even the obviously different were wary of her! ".... You do know I'm different, right? Then the rest of them..." Maybe it was a last ditch effort to make him decide his own safety was more important then coming with her. Or maybe she was just making sure he was absolutely positive he wanted to come... Maybe she was even just reassuring herself that he wasn't like the rest and would still come, no matter what she said. Either way, this would be the last time she tried to warn him... Unless she felt like she was losing control.

[/justify]

[James Adler]

"I just remembered you wanted to come.... So I was going to go back."

James grinned broadly in response "And so here I am, saved you a bit of trouble eh?" he said raising his arms a bit for emphasis. " You know I'm glad you remembered me....I might be wrong, but I'm guessing its rare for you to think of others, its a good thing, shows you care."

She would probably blow this statement off like all the others, he knew. And why shouldn't she? from her perspective she was simply herself, her existence so encased around itself that James doubted she could even fathom a world outside of her own. Maybe he was in over his head,('maybe' was most likely a gross understatement), but when he looked at her what he saw was a lost little girl crying for help, and he couldn't possibly ignore her.

The initial fear and uneasiness that he had felt when he first met her had long since passed. This girl wasn't scary or inhuman not by a long shot. Her power of course, was still something he had to pay attention to because it was most likely dangerous and far beyond her control, but wasn't that essentially true of every student here?

James watched her as she turned back around hesitating for a moment: ".... You do know I'm different, right? Then the rest of them.."

"I know..." James answered as casually as if she had asked if he knew the sky was blue. It was a fact though it didn't bother him there was no hesitance in his answer, no conceding tone, no reconsideration, just acceptance.

[alice]

.... Care?

Alice was completely dumbfounded, unable to comprehend why he'd think such a thing. ".... I don't care about people." She didn't sound to sure of herself, but more because she wasn't sure what caring actually implied.

She was still puzzled about how he came to the conclusion that she cared in some way, her mind trying to come up with a solution to this new dilemma. She didn't act on her confusion though, acting as if she'd completely forgotten about it (as he expected).

She waited for his answer, his final answer really, on if he'd leave her be or come along. She didn't know what he might say, he was acting differently then most people after all! Would he take the hint and decide to leave alone, or would he stick by his belief that she needed a companion for the evening.

Hearing what he said... Well, it wasn't what she expected. Sure, he hadn't known what he'd say, but he was so... blatant about it. He wasn't worried in the least? Why?

After a few moments, she sighed. "Just get away if I tell you to..." She wasn't sure if she'd lose control at some point tonight, but there was always a chance. With out explaining to him why she said such a thing, she turned back to the door, not running this time as she stepped out into the fading day, flinching when the last traces of sunlight hit her eyes. She didn't let it stop her though, the girl squinting as she wandered outside, stopping to wait for him.

[/justify]

[James Adler]

James followed her quietly still smiling, but he was distinctly aware that the time for teasing, and fooling around had passed. Hopefully this would simply be another midnight stroll, one of many that he had partaken in, in the last few years. James loved the night as much, or possibly more then he loved the day. Those who knew his secret (of whom there were none) would have probably guessed that James hated the night, but that was far from true. Sure the day did afford certain securities and comforts, but the night, the night held beauty that was not to be believed. That alone was always worth the 'risk' involved.

James kept a considerable distance between himself and the girl, staying between five to ten feet away at all times. To him this felt a little awkward, but he could safely assume that the girl was not someone who really enjoyed close company, and that to her this was the equivalent of a casual distance.

"Hey..." James said half at a shout and half at a whisper "Before whatever happens...happens we should at least properly introduce ourselves. I'm James, James Adler" he said raising his hand in confirmation. "And you are..."

[alice]

For the moment, there was nothing to worry about. Alice hadn't felt the usual warning signs of losing control in a few days, so the chance of it happening was, logically, low. Sadly, there was still a chance that there wouldn't be any warning before her power got the better of her. It was the only reason why she was wary, you couldn't always predict what might happen.

The sun was out of sight, the sky red from it's afterglow. Ah, sunset. If she had her way, it would be this hour she'd be waking. Sadly, society dictated that she be just like the rest of them, sleep at night and be active during the day.

She was yanked out of her thoughts when she heard him speak, quickly glancing over her shoulder at him. "I didn't say something would happen. I just something might happen." None the less, he'd asked for her name, giving his own, probably to convince her to share hers. ".... Alice Holmes." She looked away once more, back to the fading sunset. It was dark enough now that she didn't have to worry about blinding herself.

[/justify]

[James Adler]

"Alice huh? hmm" James responded as he glanced toward the setting sun "What a perfect name..." he said more to himself then to her.

If it wasn't for the atmosphere so quiet and somber for the moment, he would have laughed. The name was just too perfect, Her name was Alice, and he was about to go through the looking glass right alongside her.

thinking about the setting sun he started to notice how strange everything was right now, the atmosphere wasn't ominous, nor was it foreboding, like he might have expected, instead the world was just eerily beautiful. Very serene and yet very sad. It seemed very fitting James noted, but he couldn't help but to feel on edge even as he was captivated by its beauty.


After what felt like a long drawn out moment James pulled himself out of his trance.

"And what is that I heard you say? Something might happen now? all but a few minutes ago, you were sure that I was going to end up dead....do my ears doth deceive me? Or do I detect you caring again?"

[alice]

Alice didn't hear his comment about her name, instead giving him a strange look, trying to figure out why he seemed deep in thought over just her name. This was why she didn't get people. They did strange things, like ponder her name for some unknown reason.

The darker it got, the more eerie things would get. Mainly, just the hairs on the back of your neck raising when you were near Alice. She wasn't losing control though, she was just a creature of the night, so her usual hair raising demeanor was even stronger as soon as the sun set.

Again, he used that word. Caring. She fixed him with an almost stern look. "You'll see how caring I can be if something happens." It was almost a threat. Another reminder that she couldn't feel sympathy, especially towards other people.

Finally she sighed, heading for her usual route. The tended to circle the school grounds. There was plenty of land after all! "If you're coming you need to keep up. I won't wait for you." And just to prove her point, she picked up her pace to a normal walk, not even looking back to see if he would come or not.

[/justify]

[James Adler]

James stayed content just to follow her has they continued to move around the grounds. He'd said enough for the time being, there was no point in irritating her for no reason.

He simply followed behind her,as he watched her and his surroundings. He made a point to pay attention to land marks and any source of light...It wasn't the perfect night for stargazing but the stars were definitely out, and that was always comforting. The air was fresh and cool, a refreshing change of pace from the hot humid days the school had been experiencing lately. It was undoubtedly a good night to go for a walk.

As they walked James found himself somewhat unconsciously closing the gap between Alice and himself. Maybe it was because it was getting hard to see, or maybe it was because she took up the majority of his focus, either way it eventually got to the point where he was almost walking right next to her, his silent companion in the dark.

He must admit, that to a certain extent he was getting a little antsy. He was a pretty social guy after all, and Alice of course was not. Not that this bothered him too much, he had enough to think about to keep him preoccupied.

[alice]

James probably wouldn't agree, but the silence between them was comfortable. Actually, any silence was comfortable to Alice. Unless she was having an off day... Those were the time she was most likely to hallucinate. So far though, there were no issues with her power. And thankfully they would stay that way.

She didn't seem to realize he was right next to her, when she suddenly saw him out of the corner of her eye. She almost smiled, amused that he was so bold to get that close.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. She knew it was to good to be true... To not have at least a few issues. It was by no means bad, yet... Just enough to make her wary. He'd have to play close attention to see what was happening, the shadows around her feet actually crawling up to her ankles. "Sorry, just... need a minute." She took a few deep breaths, trying to get the shadows under control as they climbed up to her knees... It didn't look like they were any threat to the girl, more like... embracing her. Trying to lull her into it's impregnable depths....

[/justify]