Just Counting The Stars... (Trevor)

[Serena Varsair]

23 hours, 25 minutes since Serena woke up. 23, 26. Serena laid down on the soft grass of the courtyard and looked at the nightsky. It had been watered just a couple hours before she had come out, and she could still feel the moistness of it. It was refreshing after the laps around the campus she had just run.

Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on her breathing, which was always a little faster than it really should be. She had learned at Kocher that slowing down her breathing also helped slow down the hyper-focus of her mind a bit and just let her enjoy the moment. 23, 28...she used the mental clock as a way to relax a bit. But it was only 9:31. Just because she had slept from 8 pm to 10 pm the night before didn't mean she'd be as lucky tonight. And she wasn't.

Serena sighed and rolled over, feeling a brief chill run through her as her slightly wet back met with the open air.

Serena was wearing a black training tank top (exposed stomach/waist; tight [but somewhat covering] around cleavage) and grey training shorts with white sneakers. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she was wearing contacts instead of her glasses. She still had makeup on from earlier in the day, but she knew some of it had sweat or worn off from exercising. (No streaks, though)

Shifting position again, she sat up, pulling her knees closer to herself and just stared up at the stars. When she was younger and first experiencing the insomnia her powers gave her, she had determined to herself that she would count every star she could see.

Serena laughed to herself. Even at that age, she got bored with the action. But she still liked looking up at the stars, wondering what mysteries they hid and seeing if she could spot any constellations that she knew.


(OOC Note: I'm marking this forward one day to Friday night, so as there is no curfew problem)

[Trevor Wallace]

TGIF. Trevor had a lazy smile on his face as he wandered around the courtyard, staring up at the sky. He was walking a route he took often, there was in fact only one 'best' place in the area to stare up at the sky clearly and he made it a point whenever he had the time to do just that. Shorts, T-Shirt, Sneakers... his wardrobe wasn't exactly vibrant, but for the weather it was comfortable and that is what mattered. He wore his glasses, after something caught his eye a mile or two away. Turned out it was a deer. Regardless, that was lunchtime.

It was dark now, and as he approached he noticed that someone else had already been occupying it. While not exactly quiet, he wasn't the noisiest of walkers so he took a moment to look the person over. She looked normal enough, though the hair stuck out. Pretty. Trevor realized he'd seen this girl before, though she probably didn't see him. He had been in the dorm when she moved in, but kept to himself the whole time. He'd glanced up briefly though was otherwise distracted with the Skype call to back home.

"Hey," he said in an attempt to not startle her. "Room 208, right?"

[Serena Varsair]

Serena had picked out three constellations in the sky so far. Playfully, she had one eye closed and a finger up at the sky, just gently tracing them. It was a nice way to keep her mind off of things. Like the fact she hadn't yet two of her roommates despite being in school for a few days now; or the fact that she already had a handful of friends and was trying to keep up with their names. Maybe the fact that she hadn't gotten it on in-

Her thoughts were immediately gone and replaced with a 'What was that' when she heard footsteps. Leaning her head back slightly she saw a boy standing not very far from her. He hadn't startled her (at least in the negative, surprise(!) way), but she probably looked if she had been, "Hey there."

She immediately sat up, very happy to see another person out here at this time. She was worried she might be alone for the night unless she was lucky enough to find Jasper awake by the time she got back to her room. "Yeah, I'm the new girl in 208. Serena Varsair."

Though she had mostly adjusted back to a lightly-French-tinged American accent; the more solid French accent still blended occasionally back in; especially when she said her name. It hadn't gone away quickly when she asked, "So, what are you doing out here?"

She took that moment to look at the person before her. Probably 16 or 17, maybe 18. Cute, not classically handsome, but there was definitely something there a girl could like. Pretty normal clothes, though really, she was the more unusual one here, looking like she just came from an track meet. Definitely not normal night clothes.

[Trevor Wallace]

Trevor nodded as an answer to his question was given. He sat down on the dewy grass a few feet away and looked up to the starry sky for a moment or two.

"Fridays are the best night to do some stargazing since curfew is later." He looked back toward her. "Oh, I'm Trevor by the way." He retained that same lazy smile. "I'm in 208 as well, mine is the room next to Jasper's." Trevor hoped that Serena would know who he was talking about. The chances were high enough since Jasper would talk the ear off of anyone who would listen.

"Nice to actually meet you," he finished.

[Serena Varsair]

Serena didn't move when he sat down. She didn't really have personal space problems, in fact she would often sit too close for most people's comfort. So the few feet of space was perfectly fine for her.

Easing herself back down to be just about laying flat (only really using one of her arms to prop her on her side slightly so that she was somewhat leaning toward the person she was speaking to), "Yeah, I would do this a lot back at Kocher. I'm a transfer from there."

As soon as he said his name and room number, her cheeks heated up a bit. She hadn't really sought out the other two roommates yet because she hadn't been spending much time in the dorms in general. Now she felt embarassed, "Oh, it's great to meet you. I'm so sorry for not introducing myself. I've just..."

She searched for an excuse and as she stated it, her accent fell apart again from her slight embarrassment and nervousness, "Been so excited to explore the campus and meet people, I kinda forgot to say something."

He may have been smiling, but she was frowning. What an awkward moment. Here was a roommate and she just now met him. Serena resolved to say something to the other roommate as soon as she possibly could.

[Trevor Wallace]

Trevor couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle since Serena ended up so flustered. He shook his head and made motions with his hands to signify it was okay. "No, no, it's cool!" he told her in attempt to assuage her embarrassment. "I could have said something when you moved in, but I was talking to my family back home so..." He trailed off and looked back up into the sky so he didn't end up rambling.

"It's cool you're a transfer student, Kocher's always sounded like a neat place." T let himself be quiet for a time and would listen should Serena say something. He was actually busy trying to place the slight accent she had. French maybe? He wasn't 100 percent certain and thought it might be rude to ask. So he didn't, opting to enjoy the company of his new acquaintance and try not to make a fool of himself like he had a small tendency to do sometimes.

[Serena Varsair]

Serena shifted her arm to allow her to be flat on her back. She just looked up at the sky and waited for her face to return to its normal coloring. Sighing, Serena just hated the fact that she kept messing up or screwing up at this new school. Yeah, it may not seem like much to anyone else, but she wanted so desperately to fit in and be known as someone good to talk to...

It took her that many moments to realize that her breathing rate had gone up once again. She hated that aspect of her and her powers, her body trying to get more oxygen to her more quickly she had always supposed. It made running for long periods a breeze, but it was annoying when it occurred at other times. She slowly calmed down and just stared at the stars.

After a bit of time had passed, she spoke, her accent finally having shifted back to the French-tinted American accent she preferred to have, "Well, I'm sorry for not saying something anyway. So, Trevor, what's your powers? With Jasper I gotta be worried about hitting or doing anything so as not to give him to much of a surprise."

She said this with a smile, hoping that he took Jasper's powers with as much humor as she had when she had found out.

[Trevor Wallace]

Trevor looked at his roommate curiously only for a moment before turning his attention skyward. The silence of the warm evening was nice, compared to the usual hustle and bustle of the day. Even though neither of them were speaking, just being nearby brought on a sense of friendship and bonding. T could guess that Serena was still adjusting to Hammel and would let her do just that. He knew he needed it when he first moved here.

By the time Serena spoke again, Trevor had lay back with his legs in front of him while resting on his elbows. He looked her way again and thought about how to answer. "Well, I can change how focused my eyesight gets. All the way down to like looking through a microscope. Or telescope. It depends." With a soft laugh, he tapped the edge of his glasses. "It's actually why I need these. My eyesight's great till I use my power."

Trevor's smile had returned, though he looked back up at the stars. "It sucked for Jasper the first year I was here 'cause I'd get these massive headaches and then he'd get them and it wasn't really fun for anyone." He sighed. "Doesn't happen as much anymore."

[Serena Varsair]

Serena put her hands behind her head to lift it up off the ground slightly (and to absent-mindedly fiddle with strands of her hair). She waited until he finished explaining his powers before speaking again. Eyesight problems aside, they sounded like really neat powers. Though, if Serena was honest, she had eyesight problems anyway, unrelated to her powers, so maybe that downside wasn't as bad to her. She replied, "Well, I'm wearing contacts right now, but if I weren't, I'd be wearing glasses like you. Farsightedness."

She paused, though only a moment, remembering a time when she didn't need to worry about that, almost 10 years ago. She had pointed out a eagle while she was hiking with her mom, and her mom was so surprised that she could see it, having to use binoculars herself. She would call Serena "Eagle Eye" for awhile after that. At least until Serena couldn't see her mother despite her being only a few meters away...

"Do your powers always cause the same eye problem, or do you, like, have to wear different glasses?"

She had looked to see if he returned the smile, and she was satisfied when she saw the brief glimpse of it before he had turned back to the sky. "Well that's good, I'd hate to be in the dorm trying to do something with you two moaning and groaning."

Serena felt another chill crawl up her body from the wet grass and she moved her hands from behind her back and decided to sit up and stretch her upper body a little bit. She was dressed much less well for nighttime sitting with wet grass and the slightest of breezes than her new friend was.

[Trevor Wallace]

Trevor took a moment to readjust, and pushed himself up so he was also sitting. He crossed his legs and stretched his arms up and over his head. There was also a silent yawn. "Well," he told her, putting his arms back down, "it depends. Depending on what kind of sight I go with changes it." He let out a bit of a laugh and shook his head. "I've got at least eight pairs back in my room 'cause how severe it gets changes too." He flashed her a bright grin. "Lucky me, my mom's an eye doctor."

He couldn't help but laugh a bit at the dorm comment and let out a sigh. "Well, yeah. It got pretty bad. Especially when I'd mess up with my eyes and fall out of chairs or run into things or... well, I think you get the point. It sucks." Trevor leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "But, how's Hammel treating you so far? No one's been too bad, have they?"

[Serena Varsair]

Serena felt sorry for Trevor, to be honest. Eight pairs. He may get the joy of not always needing glasses, but when he needed them, he really needed them. Since they were talking out here, and curfew was coming soon, Serena imagined that she wouldn't be running much more tonight. She reached up into her hair and undid her ponytail, pulling out the band she had been using (shoving it into her pocket with her phone). She shook her hair out, pulling it a bit with her hands to get it out neatly.

"Hammel's been nice so far. It turns out I have two nice roommates..." She gave him a smile, before she continued, "Made some fun friends. That one boy, Oriel Vanguard, hasn't been too kind, but I'm not his only target."

Serena sighed, twirling a curl she had been trying to straighten out (the twirling obviously meaning she had given up), "The only big issue I've been having is no dates. I mean, how hard does a girl have to try? Back at Kocher I had to have a calender. Then again, I guess everyone knew how I..."

Serena paused realizing she might be sharing a bit too much information. She didn't want one of her new roommates going all weird on her.

[Trevor Wallace]

Trevor returned the smile, accompanying it with a nod. He could say the same thing back to her. He was glad that Serena was adjusting well enough, though he wondered who else she'd met. "Yeah... I really only know him by reputation." Trevor sighed, shaking his head. Truth be told he had a lot of friendly acquaintances, just not terribly many deep friendships.

He went quiet when Serena went a bit into her own personal life, letting her trail off into a slightly awkward silence. He looked down at the ground and rubbed at the back of his head. Trevor wanted to say something, but everything sounded super weird in his head. Eventually, he picked something. "Well, it's been what, less than a month, right?" He asked, looking to her with an awkward grin. "You gotta meet people first."

Trevor was at least attempting to not make it worse.

[Serena Varsair]

"Well, all you need to know is he isn't nice and I hope he gets everything he deserves," Serena replied. Overall, she liked the people here. Americans (as they largely made up Hammel, outside of a surprisingly high Asian(/Asian-American) population) were a bit different to experience then the barrage of different European cultures. She decided to say as much, "It's weird only having to deal with English after having to speak French, German, and Russian in one conversation."

Switching from her lightly-French-tinted American accent to a horrible pigeon-Russian accent in a joking way, she added, "Granted, my Russian was terrible."

Her breathing and visual face color took a moment to normalize after she had basically announced her sexual frustration to the (essentially new) roommate she had only known for less than an hour. Not her best. "Yeah, I know. Believe me, meeting people isn't the problem. Maybe it is American conservatism. Or am I not pretty enough for them? I don't know."

Honestly, it was probably a combination of the more open nature of continental Europe and the fact that she had been at Kocher a few years before being more...active.

Serena knew she really shouldn't be sharing this with him right now, but she hadn't gotten the chance to get much off her chest since getting there.

[Trevor Wallace]

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think you're pretty."

The words left his mouth before his brain processed what it was he was saying. Instantly his face flushed as scarlet as humanly possible. He caught himself staring off into the distance before looking straight back down at the ground. Trevor attempted to stammer words out, but he was at a loss. The (mildly) awkward senior couldn't believe he had just blurted that out.

He had to admit to himself that yes, Serena was rather attractive. Trevor also chastised himself mentally because YOU CAN'T JUST BLURT THAT OUT TO A GIRL YOU JUST MET. Either way he waited a bit and let out a rather long sigh. After the bout of terrible awkward passed, he looked back at her and smiled. It was honest, but also nervous. Compliments were definitely do, though he didn't quite think there was anything to his comment but the (at least to him) obvious observation.

[Serena Varsair]

Why was it that she could be told 'you are goddamn sexy' while stripping for the meta son of a Russian high class businessman and not even blink, but when this adorable American senior said she was pretty, Serena blushed like crazy.

Well, he had said it, acted adorably embarrassed, and Serena's cheeks were pink and smile huge. She couldn't help but laugh softly and put a hand in her hair, "Well, thanks. You're pretty cute yourself."

Serena caught herself wondering if Trevor had ever dated or been with a girl. She imagined so, he seemed confident enough, but maybe not. Way too many factors to consider there to know for sure, and Serena certainly didn't think this was the right time to ask.

What Serena did find herself doing (though not initially noticing) was moving herself a bit closer to Trevor. There was her brain again, processing things faster than she sometimes wanted. As if on cue of her brain realizing it, words soon left her mouth that she somewhat regretted, "If you...wanna see my room...or do something...some time, it'd...probably be fun."

See her room. Wow, Serena's subtlety must've fallen into the Atlantic Ocean during the flight to America. Giving him the best smile she could, she hoped he wasn't too offput by the statement.