The Wandering Glowbutt. (open)

[Anthy Blacksmith]

It had been what, two years now? Yeah, around that. Anthy was still getting used to her life here. But, in her defense, there was a lot to get used to. All these people, for one. Another, all the powers they had. As shy as she was, and as timid, she hadn't really interacted much with anyone besides the requirements and all. She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach, a small blue teddy-bear held in both hands as she looked it and sighed.

"Well, it's not like I can really start being social now, is it? I mean, I've kind of already given the impression to everyone that I like spending time by myself and stuff, right?" She said to the bear.

<Well, there's no telling for sure until you get out there and mingle, Glowbutt.>

Anthy lowered her head, mushing the bear's head against her face some as she gave a groan of frustration at the on and off imaginary friend piping up the way she had. Anthy reeaaally hated that nickname.

<If I'm so imaginary then why do you keep acknowledging me?>

She sighed and moved the bear's head away from her face a bit.

"Because I'm lonely, and I haven't found a way to let you go yet." She replied.

She knew she was only encouraging herself to continue with this behavior, but it wasn't like anyone was listening. She only had these conversations when she was alone. Well, only participated when she was alone. She heard her friend off and on randomly.

<Get out there, or I'm going to start listing off all of the things that make you squirm.>

With a sigh, she put the bear down and got up off of the bed before leaving the room.

"It's almost the middle of the night. Who's even going to be up and about right now?" She muttered softly.

There was silence. Of course there was. Biting the corner of her lip, she began her way down the hall and towards the kitchen. Well, she might as well grab a little snack while she was out of her room...

The cafeteria. That was what she had to pass through to get to the kitchen. And even after it having been a couple of years, she still felt like it was a bit eerie at times like these. But then again, it was after curfew, so she should have expected the silence and emptiness. Still, she hurried through it and into the kitchen. Once in, she smiled and ran her fingers through her hair.

[Koty Hura]

Who else would be up and about? Well.. there were at least a few other people.. a catgirl, a pixie (who was technically sleepwalking, so maybe not 'up' but about), and a certain tactile telepath. Or.. it would probably have lead to a significantly different situation if the telepath had been 'up' instead of sitting down.. but that's just how these stories tend to go.

Koty Hura was also in the kitchen.. though for different reasons. He didn't come here very often to get food.. He bought most of his own food and preferred to cook in the less-traveled home ec classroom if he needed to. No, on nights that Koty couldn't sleep and needed a break from the sameness of his room, he often came here. Why? Because it was clean, it usually smelled nice, it was cool and still, and very, very few people came here after curfew. Koty had been sitting against one of the double-doors that lead into the kitchen.. conveniently enough not the one Anthy had entered through. He'd been meditating at the time, and blinked an eye open to find a light-skinned blonde girl in shorts and a t-shirt standing next to him, running her fingers through her hair. It seemed pretty obvious that she had no idea he was there, and Koty certainly didn't want to get stepped on.

So, figuring that a gentle mental nudge would be less jarring to the girl (who thought she was alone), Koty simply reached out a hand and lightly touched one finger to the girl's exposed shin, assuming she would remain still for the instant required to receive the impression that she should not step to the side, along with an image of Koty so that when she looked, she'd know what to expect... Oh, also a general feeling of calmness that was basically meant to help keep her from freaking out at 'suddenly thoughts in my head that aren't mine'.

Then again.. everybody reacted differently to telepathy.. and those reactions were often exaggerated with touch-telepathy.. especially when it was a surprise.... why had this seemed like a good idea again?

[Anthy Blacksmith]

So occupied with her thoughts was she, that she completely missed the fact that anyone else was there in the kitchen. So, when she felt something touch her, and with how light it had been, the thought "SPIDER" instantly popped into her head. A gasp came from her and she flashed briefly but about a split second after she found the freak-out reaction thwarted on seeing that it wasn't an invasive arachnid but rather a person. Though, even if the shrieking and longer lasting brightness of the sudden flooding of light in the area was averted, she still quickly stepped away looking very flustered.

"Oh! I..." She blurted out.

But, she didn't continue on with that, seeing how she didn't even know what she had planned on following that up by. She wasn't feeling overly apologetic, seeing how it wasn't like she had stepped on him or anything. But, then again she might have possibly blinded him for a second. So, there was that... Alright, she'd go with that.

"Sorry... it's... un... a reflex." She said, hoping that it hadn't been too much of a gap in between her first part of speech and the second.

"Wh-what are you doing on the floor? Do you... need help up or something?"

Well, she did still have some manners. Even if she felt that shyness creeping in. Her hair was glowing. Oh great, her hair was glowing. She smoothed her hands over it self-consciously.

[Koty Hura]

When the girl finally looked down at Koty his arm would be covering his eyes and his brows would be heavily furrowed.. He'd learned the hard way that this chick was bioluminescent or.. a living flash bang.. The lights in the kitchen were pretty dim this time of night.. This girl? Not so much. Holy crap. He didn't see her move, but he did hear it.. followed by her explanation and query. "No apology necessary.. I startled you, you simply returned the favor.."

Slowly rubbing his eyes, Koty leaned back against the door again and let out a heavy sigh. "I was meditating.. I was unable to sleep. I was fine but now I seem to be temporarily blind. You are..very bright, Miss..?"

Given the girl's name (if she gave it) Koty would stare up at her blinking wildly, offering her a now-gloved hand. "I am Koty Hura. Might I repay you for surprising you? Did you come here seeking food? If you simply came here to be alone, I would be willing to leave once my vision has returned to it's full capacity." Seriously.. even if Anthy hadn't been that bright, even staring into a candle when in a dimly lit room .. eye pain and blindness.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Oh she had blinded him! Of course she had. Because, it would just be too convenient and nice for her to have made a normal first impression. No, instead there was possibly the thought of "GAH MINE EYES!!" going through his head. She was amazed that her friend wasn't teasing her right now. No, in the place of poking fun, there was still silence. And now she was trying to cover more of her hair with her hands even as the poor guy went to more or less telling her it'd been a mutual startling.

He was rubbing his eyes next, sighing out and causing her to be both nervous and relieved at the same time. He hadn't seemed to be too put off, but at the same time she couldn't tell what kind of sigh that had been. She needed to relax. It wasn't like she had accidentally burned him or anything, right? Right...

"Anthy. I'm... I'm Anthy." She told him, filling in the blank he had left for her in his introduction.

"Sorry again... I'd say I don't usually do that but... well..." She added, wishing that her power would just calm down already.

She took the hand he had reached out, even if hers was trembling from nerves. Then, after the shake, she drew it back and went back to trying to cover up at least some of the glow light that was being given off from her hair as she listened to him go on to introducing himself. Before thinking it through, she shook her head when he spoke about leaving if she wanted to be alone. But then, she remembered about the whole having blinded him momentarily thing.

"I.... I was actually... that is.... um..."

Her attention shifted.

"Would you please stop already?!" She whispered to herself.

Of course, she couldn't catch herself before she had done it and Anthy quickly went to trying to clear things up even as her hair went back to normal.

"I wasn't talking to you.... with the stopping thing. I just... It helps sometimes." She explained.

"Um... I.. I actually came because... a combination of things. A snack maybe, if there's any peanut-butter cookies or something.... and maybe to see if anyone else was up..." She told him, her voice getting a bit quieter at the end almost as if she was trying to keep from letting that out.

[Koty Hura]

"You are welcome to stop apologizing. I hold no ill will toward you. If anything I am glad that I was no longer touching you when I was blinded or I may have transferred the rather unpleasant sensation to you. One cannot combat instinct without years or training and discipline.. You simply have not yet had that training." Koty pushed himself to his feet, still seeing a human-shaped blob of purply-yellowness in his vision, but otherwise basically able to see again. Though, she then whispered to herself and Koty blinked and stared, unsure if he'd been the intended recipient.

Her hair faded back to non-glowing and Koty nodded in understanding as she explained the situation. "I seem to have more success with internal monologue, but if voicing your desires helps you to fulfill them, I would not fault you for it, Anthy. I do not know of any peanut-butter cookies.. but I know of peanut-butter, jelly, and bread. I would be happy to toast some if you would like." He didn't bother waiting for her to respond positively before he was reaching into a cabinet and withdrawing said peanut-butter.

"Tell me, if you would.. Why were your hands shaking? You do not seem upset or startled enough for that to be the cause.. And I can assure you I am neither angry or off-put by your presence. Do you suffer from arachnophobia? All I received from the link I had was 'spider' before I withdrew my hand to shield my eyes."

As he spoke, Koty had found a toaster and popped two slices of bread into it.. He was currently searching for a butter knife and a paper towel. "Do you prefer your bread toasted light or dark?"

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Her cheeks reddened already when he had told her she could stop apologising, but they burned a bit more from the blood rushing into them when he mentioned the part of the whole years of training and discipline thing. Yeah... she'd been at Hammel for about two years now. And she was still having these slips. Often, at that. Sure, it wasn't as often as the beginning of her "bright" future, but it was still pretty bad. She wasn't going to bring that up right now though, having embarrassed herself enough already for one night.

Well... at least it wasn't as embarrassing as it could have been, she supposed. After-all, his reaction could have been a lot different. Koty was actually pretty laid back about the whole thing. Which was helping her not to be as tightly strung herself. Even while he was talking about the differences between how he dealt with his powers and she dealt with hers, he was... really understanding about it.

He brought up making some toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Anthy was about to tell him he didn't need to do that, but he as already in action so she kept silent about it. That silence extended a bit past the time he asked her about her shaking hands. But, that was because her shyness had been stirred up again and it had muted her for the moment. She placed her hands in her shorts pockets, self-conscious of them even if they weren't trembling anymore. She then shook her head to answer a little before she spoke.

"It.... it's not because of fear... It's... I'm just..... I just get.... a little nervous when meeting new people." She told him.

She especially got nervous around boys, but she didn't mention that part. Anthy didn't want him getting the wrong idea even with how casual he seemed to be.

"L-light, please.... no pun intended." She said, smiling shyly.

[Koty Hura]

Silly Anthy.. When Koty said 'years of training' he really meant more like 'decades'.. Two years was only one more than one.. which, really, considering someone's life expectancy, wasn't very long at all. As for being laid back.. Of course Koty was. It was like.. after midnight. And he'd been meditating. Though, realistically, he was a fairly laid back person in general.. Fairly stoic, not quick to laugh or to anger. Some would say he was boring, but then they'd never actually made him laugh or made him angry..

Koty paused rifling through drawers to twist the knob on the toaster from the setting on the middle, to the setting on the left.. which he took to mean a lighter toast. If not.. well.. he'd eat them and try the other way for Anthy. Or if they started to toast too much, he'd just end the cooking cycle early.

"I suppose I am lucky in that I have never had that problem. Or, more correctly, I feel lucky that I have never had issues with nervousness or anxiety meeting people my own age. I am still, to this day, somewhat intimidated by male authority figures.. If you will pardon my 'overshare', as they say, I believe that particular anxiety has to do with my lack of a father figure growing up. Would it help you at all if I was to give you my completely honest, unfiltered, subconscious reaction to your presence? I would be happy to. One's subconscious cannot lie, and I do not mind your presence in the slightest."

Click.. Toaster done. Fortunately, the drawer Koty had stopped rifling through had contained the knives, he'd already found the peanut butter, and the jelly was surely ... yep, in the fridge. "Also, would you like banana? I have heard of a peanut butter and banana sandwich but never tried one.. and there are bananas here.."

[Anthy Blacksmith]

While Koty went to seeking out the different things that would be needed for the snack, Anthy went to taking a seat on the counter. Well, it wasn't as if anyone was going to fuss about her sitting there. She wasn't in the way, and the shorts she wore didn't have dirt or anything on them.


As he spoke, she watched him, paying attention and showing that she was listening. One might think those two were one and the same, but they really weren't. But yeah, she was being attentive, just not to the point of seeming like a stalker about it. She shook her head a little though after he was done speaking. Not about the unfiltered truth or anything like that, no it was more towards... well, she would just speak it out rather than keeping it in her head.

"I don't think you overshared." She told him.

"I... actually don't feel much is oversharing. I mean, if you feel comfortable about talking about something, then I'm comfortable listening to it." She said, even if a bit of shyness still touched her tone.

"And... And just talking and interacting should.. should help. With my shyness, that is... I... I'm not even sure on why I get like this. I can't remember when it all started." She commented before smiling a little and tucking some hair behind her ear.

She really couldn't remember. It might have been some time after she had changed schools, but why would it have just surfaced then? Well, she was trying to get over it now, so that was what counted, right?

"I... I might actually try that. The banana thing, that is."

[Koty Hura]

Anthy's lack of issue with Koty's (what he considered) oversharing and rambling was refreshing.. as his outlook was quite similar to hers. Generally when people said too much it was because they needed to get out the things they were saying.. and.. if he had the time to listen, it was probably better for them to have a stable, nonjudgemental audience than one that would point, laugh, and gossip.

He'd nodded as she'd continued talking while he took the jelly and grabbed a banana.. bringing it to the counter and quickly chopping it up into even slices.. Preparing sushi as often as he did had left Koty rather skilled with a knife, after all. Bananas were child's play compared to fish or zuchini. He also put another two pieces of bread in the toaster as he made the first sandwich, spreading a healthy (if not messy) amount of peanut butter on the bread and laying the banana slices evenly across it.

"I may be able to help you with that as well if you are honestly curious and believe you may be able to find some sort of cause.. Given the way that I can interact with your thoughts and memories, I may be able to help guide you to when your shyness first started in a way that not even a psychologist could." He paused as he put the other slice of bread on top, then neatly cut the pieces of break on the diagonal, sliding them aside and leaning back against the counter with his attention now refocused on Anthy.

"Alternately, if you would prefer that a stranger who meditates in the kitchen at all hours of the night stay out of and away from your head, I would not blame you in the slightest. In which case I would also offer to assist in any other way you think may be beneficial, even if it is only speaking on occasion.."

Click.. the other toast was done. It was peanut-buttered and jellied in no time and also cut on the diagonal. He placed one PB&J half and one PB&B half on a paper towel and offered it to Anthy. "Half of each for us both.. on the chance that banana and peanut butter are not to our liking."

[Anthy Blacksmith]

He... he was offering to help her with it? If Anthy were to be honest with herself, she wasn't sure about how she might feel about that. Would it be help, or would it be cheating? Would she just be copping out? Taking the easy way out and not earning it? She... she didn't know. But how would he feel if she declined? Yes, he seemed laid back. Super calm, actually, so he might not get offended.... Still, there was the chance he might somewhere in there. That, and if he was offering then that meant he was caring enough about the situation to want to help her. Would it be inconsiderate to not accept said help? But....

Oh now she was just thinking in circles. And during this mental adventure, a silent moment had grown as Koty had finished speaking a little while ago and was holding out the plate of half and half sandwiches. Well, it was half of two sandwiches but still. Anthy bit her lip a little and accepted the plate with a small smile after releasing her lip again.

"Th-thanks." She told him.

She didn't start eating just yet though, still working the situation over in her mind a bit.

"Koty.... Um.... It's... it's not the stranger thing. I.... I'd just like to think over your offer for a little while if that's okay with you... I mean.... It's... it's a really nice idea, and it'd... it'd probably help me make some friends... But I'm at a crossroads on what to do." She told him.

Hopefully she didn't sound too ungrateful.

[Koty Hura]

If only Koty had access to Anthy's internal monologue, he would have commentary that would hopefully put her more at ease. The problem with overcoming this sort of difficulty was the tendency to think in circles exactly as she was doing. One had to be there basically live to cut the circle as it stood, straighten it out, and point the circular logic in a direction solidly aimed at something. Some people could unwrap things, some couldn't.. Hence Koty's offer. Find the thing worth pointing at and it was often far easier to unravel the paths that made the circle.

Her appreciation was met with a calm nod. It's not like making a toasted PB&J was a big deal. "You are welcome to take as much time as you need and you are also welcome to refuse. My offer was merely that. An offer. Not a request, far from a demand, and only given if you were fully aware of the option to refuse. I feel that I should clarify, though, that my abilities do not seem to extend to.. actually forcing change in another's mind. I cannot modify memories or thoughts directly. I am simply able to exchange ideas and insight on a deeper level than speech.. to search through your memories more directly and to understand more completely what it is you would otherwise be trying to describe. It is an open offer and will remain one while I am a student here."

Nope. She didn't sound ungrateful. Someone offering to comb though your mind and help you sort out issues that had been plaguing you for literally years was kinda a big deal and Koty didn't blame Anthy or anyone for being reluctant to accept his offer or wanting to sort out their issues on their own. "I also cannot guarantee that I would succeed in helping you with more than understanding the difficulties you have faced.. but often understanding can be a weight lifted from the shoulders of those who have suffered from anxiety."

Koty stealthily had put the banana sandwich on top of anthy's PB&J sandwich.. and his own PB&J on top.. because he really didn't know what the former would taste like and kinda wanted an opinion on it before he dug in. Either way, nom.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

She found herself relaxing more, not being as nervous even if the shyness was there. why? well, because Koty just seemed to have the ability to know all the right things to say to her. Even if some of what he said might have seemed over explanatory to some, she found it to be just right for this situation. And the fact that he didn't claim to have all the answers helped too. It made her feel like he was honest enough to let her guard down a little more. Anthy hadn't even realized she had had her guard up in the first place until she felt those walls lowering and felt herself beginning to open up.

"May.... maybe one day then." She replied with a friendly smile.

It was something to consider. But like she had thought to herself before and somewhat expressed to him, she needed a little time to work this out to know just where she stood with this idea.

Anthy kind of wished that if she had to have had a power, it could have been something as useful as Koty's. His seemed to actually have a point to it rather than being something that was only useful when no one had a flashlight or something. Glowing wasn't very impressive. And flashing was just dangerous.

She tried to put those thoughts out of her head and just went to taking a bite of the sandwich. Silence was there as she chewed then after she had swallowed and her mouth was completely empty, she spoke.

"This.. This is actually pretty good. I think I might actually like it more than the usual peanut-butter and jelly. Who knows, it might even be a new thing for me." She said, giggling a little at the end before continuing to eat.

[Koty Hura]

Oh, the grass was always greener on the other side, wasn't it? If Koty had a choice about his power.. maybe he'd stay where he was, but there was also a good chance that he'd have chosen something comparatively harmless like Anthy's own. Besides.. Her power could be quite useful. With how bright she could get, she could be an extremely bright signal.. could help guide a person out of a building that had no lights.. could always find her way in the dark of night.. could .. direct traffic or maybe with practice even manage to send morse code signals via light to communicate with others. Her power didn't put her at risk like Koty's did.. It didn't make her believe she had some self-sacrificial mission in life that would most likely end with far more pain that success. That had been Koty's coping mechanism.. He was meant to save lives at the expense of his own. He believed it.. and he risked his life and sanity every day to try to keep to it.

"Oh? Well then." Koty dug into his PB&B sandwich, chewing thoughtfully and swallowing.. staring upwards for a few moments before shrugging. "Not enough saltiness for my taste.. but most certainly edible. I was raised on Japanese cuisine.. I make my own sushi and cook the majority of my own food. Perhaps I have become somewhat complacent in the tastes I have come to enjoy." After all, when more than half of one's meals were served with soy sauce and wasabi paste, eventually those tastes were going to be what one searched for in new things.

That having been said, Koty would be more than willing to keep with Anthy and make more of these sandwiches if it encouraged her to be less anxious around what was still a comparatively new person. A little confidence could go a long way where social anxiety was concerned. "Do you come to the kitchen for late-night snacks often, Anthy? I would not be opposed to the idea of meeting on occasion. It it not entirely uncommon that I am unable to sleep during what have been deemed 'regular hours'."

[Anthy Blacksmith]

"I've.... I've wanted to try sushi before. I just... well, just never got around to it." She commented when he brought up the topic.

There were plenty of foods she had wanted to try one day and never got around to, but yes, sushi had been one of them. It just looked so colorful and interesting. She hadn't actually ever seen it in real life, but she had seen different dushi dishes in magazines and on television. And the people eating it always looked like they really enjoyed it. Of course, Anthy was fully aware of the fact that they might have just been acting or posing, but still... the curiosity was there. She just hadn't had the opportunity as she didn't really get out much.

As she thought about his mention of japanese cuisine, she realised that the "tempura" stuff she had read about once, was sometihing she might have been interested in trying too. Though, she couldn't imagine ever trying anything fermented even if she'd read about something like that. Anthy supposed she'd give it a try at least once, but she was a little cautious about the concept. These thoughts ran through her head as she continued to eat.

As Koty asked her about her midnight snack habits, Anthy took the time to finish chewing her food and emptying her mouth with a swallow before speaking. Manners were still ingrained in her, after-all.

"Well, I don't do it too often unless I have trouble sleeping or get an urge for peanut butter cookies... But.... But I could pop down sometimes if... if you wanted to talk or... maybe make friends?"

Was she trying too hard? Did she seem too needy for friendship? Well, he'd been the one to invite her, right? So maybe she was in the safe zone still?