Shine bright like a diamond!.. (Marnie)

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Maybe it was because she hadn't exactly been getting the best of sleep lately, or maybe it was because she didn't have the habit of taking vitamins. She wasn't sure. Well, the season kind of brought on things like this, so that might have done it. Of course, the fact she almost always had her arms and legs bare.... Okay, the list was growing and Anthy had to admit to herself that it really wasn't all that surprising that she was finding herself fighting something off. In fact, it was more surprising that this didn't happen more often.

Now normally, she wouldn't have minded that she was battling a cold, especially since it was just at the sneezing and slight sniffling stage rather than one of those deep down in the chest laid up in bed with a fever kind... But the fact that she went off like a strobe light every time she sneezed? Oh, that was embarrassing. Very much so. So much, that even while she was out on the field trying to do some recharging from the quicker than usual deplete going on due to the flash effect, she was thinking of ways to try to get out of class if this wasn't over by the end of the weekend.

A sneeze, almost mouse-like in sound. Anthy covered the lower half of her face with the crook of her arm as it happened. Okay, she didn't flash that time. Maybe she was getting more of a hold on this! Nice!

Nope.

Just as she was lowering her arm and wriggling her nose from side to side a little to get it back to normal, she was struck with a sneeze-attack. Flashing, flaring, blinking bright light, she had to have gone off a good five or six times sounding like a bit of a ticked off chipmunk while at it. Her imaginary friend was laughing at her. Laughing, and possibly pointing. Luckily, there was likely no one else around to see her blushing from it.

Anthy was cautious about lowering her arm, so she paused in that position for a moment before finally letting it down. A soft sigh of relief came and she shook her head before pulling a tissue from the fresh pocket and blowing her nose. Just as she was finishing up and tucking the tissue into the unfresh fanny-pack she had worn for just that reason, she heard footsteps approaching. And, felt another sneeze coming on.

The blond turned, trying to warn the person to cover their eyes, but it was too late, she was sneezing sharply into the crook of her arm again and flashing like an 80's anime.

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie had chosen to stick to the track that morning for her solo run, instead of a route through the woods or in town. The track's length was static, and thus better for measuring lap times than any of the varying paths she took throughout the week. There was a meet coming up, and she wanted to be prepared.

But as she rounded one end of the track, something off on the grounds - something flashing, at an irregular tempo, bright enough to be seen all the way from here - caught her eye. As she ran, Marnie squinted and craned her neck, hoping for a better look. What on earth could be doing that? When it become painful to turn her neck that far around to look, she tried to ignore it and focus on her run time.

After turning the other end of the track, though, she had a much better angle, and couldn't help watching the strange flashing. Her curiosity was piqued; should she run up and investigate?

No, be sensible - now was practice time, did she really need to go chasing after every unusual sight on campus?

...Apparently yes, Marnie decided, veering off the course and feeling very much like some kind of silly magpie. She didn't stop to retrieve her belongings on the way; in all likelihood, she'd be heading back to the track soon.

As Marnie approached, at a much lighter pace than she'd been pushing on the asphalt, the flashing figure took on a more human appearance, which only served to interest her further. That was a person blinking? It was the first time she'd ever seen such a thing, but not the first she'd ever heard of it.

Then the person - a pretty blonde girl - turned, and Marnie was about to raise a hand to wave when the girl went off in a series of rapid-fire sneezes and she was forced to shield her eyes instead.

"...Bless you?" she offered tentatively, when the sneezing subsided. "Are you okay?"

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Flashing was obviously more intense than just glowing, especially since when it came to those bright flashes, It usually was produced by Anthy's whole body rather than just at parts of her like the glowing tended to stick to. So, it was no surprise to her that her skin was hot all over after the last round of cluster-sneezing she had done. It also wasn't a surprise that she was feeling tired afterwards.

Even as the brunette was giving her a "bless you" and asking if she was alright, Anthy was leaning forward a bit, her hands lightly resting on her knees as she gave a somewhat tired breath out. Biting her lip, she lifted her head with a sheepish look on her face and a blush on her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Th-thank you... I'm... I'm alright, I just... well... get a little tired when I've let out too much light... I was more worried about you." She said before managing to stand up properly.

Luckily, this round had been more dry sneezing than wet, so she didn't need another tissue just yet. Though, she did feel like she wanted to sit down for a bit. The blonde didn't though, not wanting to cause more concern and also feeling like she could hold out a while longer.

"I didn't blind you.. did I? Sorry if I did. As... as you can see I don't really have much control." She said, that sheepishness making it's way further into her tone.

Well, the other girl wasn't freaking out, so there was something of a plus. But then again, she might just have been good at keeping things together.

[Marnie Sullivan]

It would be lying to say Marnie didn't find the whole sight a little silly. She couldn't help imagining a tiny cartoon firefly with flushed cheeks and a stuffed-up nose, and it was difficult to maintain a straight face. But the blonde girl looked embarrassed enough as it was, and besides - how often had she changed color at inopportune times herself?

"If you're tired, I could help you to the nurse's office," Marnie offered. It didn't sound more serious than a common cold and she didn't expect to be taken up on the offer, but how mortifying would it be if she just left the girl there and she ended up passing out or something?

Although if the firefly did want help, Marnie would have to scrub herself down with hand sanitizer or something. Colds were a pain, even without the sneezing or fevers; it was certainly harder to keep from blending when so much of her energy was already drained.

"I'll probably be fine once I stop seeing spots," she joked, hoping her light tone came across correctly. Sure, there were a few weird shapes lingering at the edge of her vision from the flashes, but it was nothing serious. Nothing she hadn't seen after being dumb enough to look at the sun, anyway. More importantly, the girl was radiating self-consciousness; even if Marnie didn't have to carry her back up to the school, at least she could help put her more at ease.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

When the brunette offered to help take her to the nurse's office, Anthy smiled gratefully at the gesture but then shook her head.

"Actually...I'll.. I'll be better if I... well... just sit outside for a bit. Art-artificial light... does still help me charge up but.... but sunlight's the best thing for it. Thank you though, that's really nice of you to offer." Anthy explained.

When the other girl mentioned being alright after she stopped seeing spots, Anthy blushed and smiled a bit sheepishly and went to rubbing the back of her neck as she stood up straight again.

"S-sorry about that. The flashing does get a bit.... well... bright as you saw."

Her eyes widened and she quickly brought her arm up to cover the lower half of her face. As the sneeze went to build up, her skin flickered briefly bur she managed to hold the sneeze back and gave a soft sigh of relief.

"I'm.... I mean... My name's Anthy. Nice to meet you." She said once she lowered her arm again.

[Marnie Sullivan]

'Charge up?' Like a battery? Or more like a solar panel, given the circumstances. How weird! Well, definitely not the weirdest that Marnie had seen at the circus that was Hammel, but neither was it a power she got to see everyday.

Although she was certainly getting plenty of chances now. When the girl moved to cover her face for another sneeze, Marnie clamped her eyes shut, wincing involuntarily. A sneeze meant a flash, she had that much down.

"Same to you, I'm Marnie." Out of habit she stuck a hand out to be shaken - first meeting and all that - but with an awkward smile she remembered that shaking hands with a sick person wasn't the best idea, and pulled it back. "Um, 'Anthy'? That's a nice name, is it short for something?"

Nice save, Marn. If her inner voice could roll its eyes, it was certainly doing it.

"Can I ask, uh, is flashing all you do? Or can you, like, hold it? Maybe if you're 'charged up'?" she asked. "It's just that, uh, I think I have an aunt who can do the same thing." Which was technically true, but not the real root of Marnie's interest. Truth be told, if Anthy charged in the sunlight and glowed at will, it meant she had the same power as the main character in the book series she'd just finished... but an actual real life relative made the question sound less dorky.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Anthy was glad that the other girl seemed to have been prepared, as she hadn't been able to get out that she felt like she was going to sneeze. Once it passed and they both were able to relax their guard from the possibly flashing, Anthy gave the brunette a bit of a sheepish smile before they ended up trading introductions. As Marnie went to reaching out her hand, Anthy hesitated as she thought on if she had brought some hand sanitizer with her. She had, but before she went to reaching for it, the other girl had brought her hand back again.

As she was asked about her name, Anthy gave an amused smile, remembering the last person to ask her that. Piper. Though she had been a lot more.... energetic and free-spoken than the teen before her now.

"No... it's.... it's just Anthy." She told her, still smiling.

When she was asked more details about her power, she became a bit more shy. That was, until Marnie brought up a possible aunt who could do the same thing that she could do. Then there was the look of interest in her eyes and curiosity written all over her face.

"Um.... I'm not really sure if I can hold the flash... I haven't really tried to do much with my power except mostly to... well... try to get it to behave. It usually just does glowing, but when I'm startled or... well.... sneezing, the flashing happens." Anthy said, trying to answer the question first.

"So... so you know someone else that.... well.. lights up? I was pretty sure there had to be someone else who has bioluminesence as a power but... but I just hadn't met any myself."

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie listened with visible interest, not only out of genuine curiosity but also to possibly put the girl at ease. Maybe she wasn't used to being asked about her power? That might explain why she looked so nervous, and the thought made Marnie feel a little guilty for asking. But this was Hammel, after all. There was no "meta or non-meta" to bother with here; everybody liked to move right on to "so what can you do?"

As Anthy described the limits of her power, Marnie felt herself nodding along. Camouflage wasn't the same thing, but she was familiar enough with having to focus on keeping it from popping up involuntarily rather than actually using it. Turning green wasn't quite as obvious as flashing like Anthy did, but it was still pretty embarassing.

"Yeah, my Aunt Roz does," Marnie answered. "I mean, I haven't seen her do it - I don't see her much at all actually - but when I got sent here she told me she was a meta, too." That had been a bit of a chock, finding out there was a meta in her family after all.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

As she was told that Marnie's Aunt Roz had the ability, Anthy smiled. Even if the other girl hadn't seen it in action, just the fact that she now knew of someone else that had her ability made her feel happy for some reason. Maybe she felt less alone? She didn't know. Anthy didn't even know the woman, so she wasn't sure on why she felt the way she did or what exactly it was. And yes, those thoughts were going in circles in her mind.

"What about you? What ability do you have? That is... well... if you don't mind?" She asked.

She bit her lip and fidgeted with her feet some before speaking again.

"So-sorry... I'm... well... I'm kind of... like this with... I'm kind of like this when I meet new people." She told Marnie.

Anthy was getting more used to meeting new people now though, so she managed to remember to try to tell people about her nervousness so not to worry them too much. It was only the polite thing to do, right?

[Marnie Sullivan]

Well, that seemed to cheer Anthy up. Progress!

“It's fine, it's only fair after all,” Marnie assured her. “Technically it's called camouflage, but... here, let me show you.” Hey, she'd gotten to see Anthy's power, might as well return the favor, right? As Marnie concentrated, she felt a familiar tingling in her face as the change started, similar to the sensation of a limb falling asleep. Each moment felt the tingling spread, but she didn't wait for it to fully cover her the way she might during training.

“So basically I'm supposed to be able to blend in the backgrounds,” she explained; her face had taken on a deep green similar to the grass beneath and treeline behind them, “but it's not all that useful because I can't use it on my clothes, just myself.” Sure enough, where her neck met the collar of her shirt, the black and purple fabric was as obvious as if she hadn't changed color at all. And then the show was over; the tingling receded, and Marnie's skin faded back to its usual hue.

“Are you new here or something?” she asked, once Anthy decided to explain her shy behavior. “I was like that too when I first got here. Most of the people I've met are really nice, though.”

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Anthy smiled when Marnie agreed to telling her her power but then as she went to saying she would show her the camouflage, the blonde tipped her head a little to the side out of curiosity. That was, until the other girl's face started turning green, then her brows rose and lips parted a little. Though she was in a school of Metas, Anthy still hadn't seen everyone in action, so the color shifting was still something that she found was pretty impressive.

When the darker haired girl went to telling her that the ability wasn't very useful due to the fact that she couldn't change her clothes, Anthy nodded as she could see how that could be a problem. But then, she tried to think of ways that could be worked around.

"Well... if you really needed to.... maybe you could carry around some of that tape that models use sometimes? And.... maybe cover the tape with your hands?" Anthy suggested.

That would leave a lot of skin exposed while covering the important parts, right?

"Or one of those bikinis with.... with the clear straps?" She added.

Anthy blushed some when she was asked if she was new and bit the corner of her lip a little with a sheepish smile when Marnie told her about having been like she was when she had first come to Hammel.

"A-actually, I've... kind of been here for about two years." She admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"I just.... well... I just kind of hid away for the most part because I couldn't get myself to... well... be social up until earlier this month."

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie gave a scandalized laugh as a green flush crept back into her cheeks – another side effect of her power, rather than the standard pinkish sort of blush. Honestly, her running around in nipple tape or a near-transparent bikini? Even if it was the only way to make any real use of her power, she'd never have the guts to try something like that!

“Well, I'm not really planning any bank heists or anything, but I'll keep that in mind,” Marnie replied, stifling further giggles. God, what a mental image!

“But, y'know, I don't wanna push or anything,” she went on, once she got herself under control again. “It's just, I didn't really start hanging out with other people or, like, being social until after I moved into the dorms... but something that really helped was joining a couple of clubs. Are you in any?”

[Anthy Blacksmith]

As the brunette went to greening and laughing in what almost seemed like embarrassment, Anthy blushed and smiled a bit sheepishly. She hadn't meant to make the other girl uncomfortable. Though, Marnie seemed to find amusement in things also judging from her giggling and the humour in her tone as she joked about not planning any bank heists. Anthy ended up giggling along.

When Marnie went to speaking about how she had been a bit of the solitude type herself and hadn't socialized until after having moved into the dorms, Anthy tipped her head a little to the side. But then, she mentioned club joining and asked about if the blonde had joined any and Anthy went to shaking her head.

"Oh.. I... I never joined any. I don't think I'm quite.... well... I don't think I'm quite ready for that big of a step yet." She told her.

"Oh! I'm about to.."

She had felt the sneeze coming on and tried to give the warning before covering her mouth and nose with the crook of her arm. A few sneezes came, each paired with a pretty blinding flash of light that was sent out from her entire surface even if some of the clothes blocked it out in areas.