The chosen pessimist (open)

[Lucas Blacke]

''Don't believe the mask.''

Luke muttered under his breath as he scribbled down the lyrics to a song he was loving to death. In fact, he was loving the entire album and wanted to memorize every word of every song. And the best way for him to do so apart from reading over the lyric book and listening to the entire album time and time again was to write it down. His ability would remember the movements he made while writing and he would be able to fill in what he wrote.

''It adapts to any lie.''

He wrote it down in the empty book he had gotten from his uncle, and he treasured it dearly. It was a reproduction, but it still looked cool, he thought. It was bound in dark red leather and bore a pentagram on it in mosaic. It had double locks on the front that originated in the victorian era, and the contents of the book were blank pages that looked more like parchment than anything they used in the current time.

''A perfect ten.''

For some reason as he continued writing he could find more and more of his own life in the music. The way he hid behind a mask, so to say, and seeing himself as in control as long as he kept hiding behind the mask..

''When reality caves in.''

There was only one person on campus in this moment that could make him smile without him hiding behind anything, he knew. He needed to change this, and was doing just that. But it took time, right?

[Rylee Vasquez]

Rylee was new at Hammel and bored, which meant she'd been exploring campus. The student lounge was one of her first destinations. She tossed her backpack and skateboard onto the floor and plopped down in an arm chair, taking notice of a dark haired guy leaning over a notebook intently. He looked intense and Rylee was wondering how he happened to be the only person in the room. She flicked on the television and started going through the channels, boredly, turning the volume up from the quiet volume it'd been on.

She knew she should try and talk to as many people as she could, but she wasn't sure if she was in the mood, or if this guy was for the matter.

[Lucas Blacke]

''Don't tell me.''

Luke was silently mumbling the words under his breath now as he noticed some girl enter the room. From the swift look he gave her she didn't look half bad, he might just have given her the time of day were he single. But for nown she'd just have to make do with acknowledgement in the form of a slightly lower volume from his part.

''Tell my ghost.''

He was able to keep writing and look around the room, and more presicely, let his gaze follow the girl as she plopped down in a nearby chair and grabbed the remote to the television before turning it on. She also increased the volume on it quite a bit, forcing Luke to almost do the same just to hear himself.

''I blame him for all I don't want to know.''

After he had scribbled the last part down he sighed and closed his book, putting on the two locks on the front and looking at the pen in his hands before looking at the tv and finally gazing to the girl in the couch. He sighed again and took the pen, aiming it at the girl. He smiled a bit and threw it in her direction.

''Hey!'' He said. ''People are working!'' He lied.

[Rylee Vasquez]

Rylee would have heard the dark haired boy close his book had she not been so wrapped up in the television and the passing channels. Besides, she volume was loud enough to drown out people around her, just how she liked it. That and her music. She did, however, pay some attention to the other person in the room when a pen hit her in the side of the face. She turned her head to look at a slightly smiling face, a slightly coy look.

"You're working?" she asked in disbelief. She hardly believed it. "You looked way too committed to whatever you were doing for it to be homework." She picked up the pen from where it fell on the sofa, twirling it in her fingers.

[Lucas Blacke]

He eyed his book and brushed his hand over the front of it briefly, almost wishing his thoughts were somehow being transcribed on paper. That would be awesome, Luke figured. And now even more since he was foolish enough to throw his pen at the girl, though there wouldn't be much writing anyway since the television was way too loud for the boy to concentrate.

''Hey.'' He replied, this time in a defensive tone with the same smile plastered upon his face. ''I said people were working, not that I was.'' He threw imaginery confetti her way as if making the most terrible joke in existence, which he probably was.

The girl picked up the pen Luke had thrown her way and started twirling it around in her fingers. ''Oh sweet!'' Luke figured. ''I know how to do that now!''

''So,'' He began at the sight of his lost pen. ''throw it over here, or are you going to make me come over there?''

[Rylee Vasquez]

His tone even turned defensive, but he still had a smile on his face. "That's creepy, you know," she commented. "And also doesn't really do much to make me think that you're being serious. You should probably work on that." It was only slightly confusing, but Rylee liked to mess with people sometimes, as long as it was harmless. She looked around, as if looking for all of the people in the room, which there weren't many. "No one's complained to me yet." There was only a girl in a corner reading a book and she seemed to immersed to care, and someone else with headphones in. "It's not even that loud." She rolled her eyes.

She continued twirling the pen in her fingers absentmindedly as she turned her gaze back to the tv to continue flipping through channels. "What are you doing over there anyway? Writing morbid poetry?" It was a joke and she sincerely hoped he wasn't.

And she kept her eyes on the television until he spoke about his pen. "This was your only pen and you chose to throw it at someone who has a serious history as a kleptomaniac? Definitely not your best decision." Of course she wasn't actually a klepto. She didn't even steal things. "I don't know, dude. I think you should just get a new pen."

[Lucas Blacke]

Luke raised a single eyebrow and sat up, hunched over with his elbows on his upper legs. ''Y'know, doll, doesn't have to be loud to annoy people.'' He pointed at his ears as if saying he had super hearing which, of course, he did not. And he was sure the girl would pick up on that lie sooner than later. He looked around the room as the girl did and chuckled lightly, pointing at the boy with the headphones. ''Like, he is currently listening to Sun Tzu's art of war.'' He said, trying to hide his smile.

He raised both eyebrows in surprise when she asked him what he was writing, and kind of shocked she would even begin about morbid poetry. He'd never do that! ''Nonono.'' He defended. ''Morbid poetry is better left to the undead among us.'' He replied with a smile. ''I was writing some lyrics to a song I like, doubt you'd like it though.''

The boy eyed the pen in the hand of the girl and nodded without hesitation, only to give an answer that completely ignored the nod. ''No. Not my only pen. My only pen right here.'' A small cough. ''There.'' He corrected as he got up and walked over to the girl, sticking out his index finger before starting to poke her in the shoulder.

And again. And again. ''I'm going to continue poking you until you give me my pen back.''

[Rylee Vasquez]

What Lucas said made Rylee think he had somesort of super hearing power, although who was she to peg what power he had? Besides, weather he wanted to divulge that information was his decision. When he declared what the guy with the headphones in was listening to, she looked at him in disbelief, crossing her arms, finally stopping twirling the pen. "You totally could have just made that up," she pointed out. Besides, he smiled so much it looked like his face was going to fall off. "Well, sorry, you just looked so involved in what you were doing. Aren't teenagers all angsty around here? Even more so, because they have powers?" Sure, it was an assumption, but oh well. "And how do you know I wouldn't like it?" She was somewhat offended at his assumption.

She rolled her eyes at his comment about the pen. Such a guy, but then again, she imagined if she was a guy, she'd probably make jokes like that all the time. After all, she did like hanging around guys more for the most part. And then he'd finally gotten up and walked over, insisting on repeatedly poking her in the shoulder. But she only turned herself slightly and started poking him back.

[Lucas Blacke]

The age of poking had begun. It seemed the mighty warrior known as Lucas Blacke had found a match worthy of legend.

That would be what people would remember if poking people with your finger was anything resembling a threat. The boy was sure he'd win their little poking competition hands down due to his muscle memory, and because the girl was now poking her back he could just copy her instead of actually doing something. Which gave him time to answer some questions she posed as the poking intensified from both sides.

''What do powers have to do with anything?'' He replied to her comment about angsty power riddled teenagers. ''Their fault for not coping, really.'' He added with a shrug and a roll of his eyes as he continued to poke. Like, oh my god Luke! You're such a hypocrite!

When she dropped the bomb about why he was so sure she didn't like it Luke paused his poke for just a second before returning to the poke-off. ''D- You.. I-'' He stammered. Why did his mind insist on jumping to dirty conclusions?

''Eventually you'd like it.''
They meant music, right? They were talking about music, right?

[Rylee Vasquez]

Rylee had no idea what his power was, even if he'd hinted that it was enhanced hearing of some sort. That didn't mean that was it. People lied all the time, messed with you all the time and that included Rylee. So she didn't take anything seriously. Especially when it was only insinuated and not flat out said. "Just saying that teenagers are angsty enough without telepathy or tactile anthesia," Rylee offered with a shrug. "Gives them just another thing to worry about in their miserable lives." She smirked at him, even s he continued to poke her.

And then he seemed to miss a beat. He stopped poking her for a second and he actually stammered. There was a lull in him speaking. She'd only known him for a few minutes and it seemed like he didn't shut up, so what was urking him? "Not really sure what you just tried to say, but okay." She laughed, continuing to poke him. She wasn't giving in.

His response made her raise an eyebrow. It didn't really make sense. He said he wasn't sure she'd like the music he listened to and then she'd called him out on it. After all, he couldn't have known what music he enjoyed and then he got all weird. "Eventually?" she asked. "What's your deal?"

[Lucas Blacke]

''You looking down on other people?'' Luke replied as he kept on with his poking streak. He wasn't going to stop if she wasn't, despite getting a bit of a bruise. Her use of the term 'miserable lives' made the boy think twice about staying around this girl. He didn't have the most spotless history, his life had been pretty miserable. Beyond what she could see, the act in front of her, she managed to step on quite some nerves.

Now he wouldn't deny he did his fair share of looking down on people when he was younger, but that was only because they were physically below him.

''My deal?'' Luke replied with a scratch to the back of his head. She meant music right? He was sure she meant music. Why would she mean anything else? Besides, she looked a bit young. Luke already had young. ''Well, isn't it like a rule that if you constantly listen to something you'll begin to like it?'' He managed to say with a straight face. Though somewhere in the back of his mind that thought he had earlier began to dig its way out..

Suddenly he stopped poking and caught the finger of the girl as it went in for another poke. It was in no way a strong hold and she could have easily had seen it coming and prevented it, but it was more of a reflex to make her stop poking him as his face turned serious and his eyes turned sad.

''Tell me how you feel about people, please. If it's true what you say about most teens seeming angsty to you and leading miserable lives I'd best go.''

[Rylee Vasquez]

"Was that a joke at me being short, or were you actually implying that I look down on others?" Rylee asked, a little confused. How had he gotten that impression? She was making jokes for the most part, didn't he get that? He'd initially seemed like the kind of guy that would. After all, she usually got along better with males, but so far things didn't seem to be going too well.

"Yeah, your deal. I didn't know that was a rule of music. I mean, I think the song can get stuck in your head, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you like it." She shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't sure what he liked to listen to, but Rylee loved music, singing was a strong point of hers and she wasn't too shabby at the guitar.

He'd moved and it was like Rylee knew what was going to happen before it did. He stopped poking her and grabbed her finger, which she could have avoided very quickly if she wanted to, given her power, but it was just as easy to pull out of.

He seemed suddenly incredibly upset, a huge change in his demeanor and it hadn't dawned on Rylee that she'd been making him feel that way. She'd been joking around. "Sure, teenagers are naturally angsty. A lot happens in these years. Jeez. I just don't like when all people do is complain about their lives. Life sucks enough. Why is that such a big deal?"

[Lucas Blacke]

He chuckled as he ignored mostly everything said by the girl in reaction to him except for the part about her not liking it when people complain. Who was she to complain about not liking people who complained? Wasn't that a bit contradictive?

And it wasn't like Luke had a complaint free life either, so when he came across someone who looked at people who did that in the way this girl did he tended to become a bit hotheaded. Maybe it wasn't justified, and lord knew he wouldn't be able to justify even if he tried. Fact of the matter was that she seemed to Luke to think less of people who complained about their lives and that got him a little bit pissed.

Luckily, or not so luckily depending on where you stood, she generalized and had said that teenagers are angsty. Luke should have figured out by now that she was in no way talking about him, no matter how spoken to he felt. And maybe she had some kind of personal deal with it, like her life being a mess or something.

Lucas was able to calm himself down over a mater of seconds and let out a sigh. ''It isn't a big deal though. Not really.'' He replied. ''Some people just tend to make a big deal out of it.''

''And it's most teenagers, not all. Not everyone is without some reason for complaint, but not everyone decides to throw it out there.''

[Rylee Vasquez]

He didn't say much at first. Was he psychoanlayzing her or something, questioning her as a person? She raised an eyebrow, watching him. "Sorry for making a generalization," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But you have to admit that a majority of teenagers act like these years are the end of their lives...and powers only make it more complicated." Oh, she most certainly could complain. About how she couldn't play sports anymore without being a cheater. But she didn't. She only complained in her head and somehow that was good enough.

"Sorry I got you so heated. Just throwing my opinion out there."

[Lucas Blacke]

Luke let out a sigh in agreement on the sorry part. He was a little too quick on the draw there. He didn't like what she said, but it wasn't directed at him or even said with the knowledge of him having had a complain-worthy life.

''Yeah..'' He started as he scratched the back of his head, finally having cooled down fully. ''I'm sorry too. Got a bit carried away there. Sorry.'' He finished as he quickly put his gaze on his own pen in her hand again to try and change the subject.

''I remember poking you.'' He said with a forced smile as he returned to poking the girl in the shoulder, who hopefully now also embraced the change of their topic.

''Think it had something to do with my pen.'' He said as he looked at her with a grin. ''Or maybe I just like poking cute girls.''