It's Just General Interest (closed)

[Anastasia van Drakke]

There wasn’t a meta college. Well, not officially. After high school they were supposed to be on the same level, which was of course nonsense. Metas would never be as low as humans, and attempting to mainstream them would do nothing but cause isolation and frustration.

That was perfect, really.

There were a few recent graduates from Anastasia’s old school that had potential, and between herself and Ivan it had been easy to figure out how best to arrange an accidental meeting or two.

Never one for leaving the harder tasks till the end, Eva nodded to Ivan to let him know it was time for the interception. Mr King, telepath (good) and deaf (bad but acceptable) seemed to enjoy jogging. So did Eva, and so did Ivan. And the lake was lovely in the fall, after all. Even if Eva hated what running did to her hair.

Ivan cut a path through the morning joggers to pull up alongside the target, even as Anastasia sighed and pulled her hair into a ponytail and started towards him in the opposite direction. Pulling forward, the russian man turned and ran backwards to catch Jonah’s eye, then jerked his head and Anastasia took her cue and, careful not to touch him (who knew how good his control was yet?) sent waves of <curiosity/trust/whatcouldbetheharm> to encourage the recent graduate to pull up and talk to the heiress.

Waving gracefully, Eva beckoned and smiled as she jogged, even as Ivan fell back to run beside the target again.

”I would like to talk to you?” Anastasia said slowly, mouthing carefully.

[Jonah King]

Jonah had never been one to visit a gym. Why would you want to be inside, surrounded by machines and other people, breathing recycled air, when you could be out on a beautiful autumnal morning like this one? It was chilly but the sun was shining, and the leaves had started to turn. Just the kind of morning Jonah loved to be out on, and today he had emerged for a jog between his morning lectures and the time he had designated for study.

He was doing surprisingly well. He’d taken to the practical side like a duck to water, and as he classified as a disabled student he was getting the help he needed when it came to interpreting the lectures themselves. He was doing a rare course, and the government was giving away bursaries to those who wanted to take on a trade, in an effort to encourage more people to do the same. With all the financial help he was getting, he was managing to just about keep his head above water, which was ideal. The college was also used to receiving students who were meta humans, which made things easier than Jonah had thought they would be. He just kept his head down and didn’t mention his telepathy, and things were going swimmingly.

The only trouble he could see would potentially come in six months, when he would take on a placement in a garage somewhere: whether or not they would want a telepath would be an interesting question.

But on beautiful days like today, Jonah didn’t feel like worrying. Instead, he watched the world as he jogged past it, completely content for half an hour – running always had that effect on him, enabling him to clear his head and focus only on moving his feet.

So absorbed was he in the scenery that he failed to notice any of Anastasia or Ivan’s stealthy movements – finally coming up short as the man indicated that the woman was trying to get his attention. Running and lip-reading was impossible so he came to a stop on the rough path, turning to face her in time to see what she said to him.

The man had come to a halt, as well. Jonah started to have a bad feeling about this – why would two people he didn’t know stop him in the middle of nowhere, just to have a talk? – but he decided to keep an open mind. He was by no means defenceless, after all. And they might not mean any harm. Suddenly a little calmer, he looked at Anastasia with a curious frown (she was talking so slowly and carefully, she must know he was deaf), trying to place her. He couldn’t recall ever having seen her before, but he didn’t always have a perfect memory.

‘Have we met?’ he asked mildly, an apologetic smile crossing his face.

[Anastasia van Drakke]

The empath shifted her feet slightly, feeling the <defensive/suspicion/confusion> and letting her mind channel it a little. Always best to be defensive around Telepaths, even if she was much more excited then defensive. "No, but I've heard a lot about you," she smiled, trying to figure out if offering to shake hands was a good idea.

Ivan was restless, aware that having anyone look in his head was a bad idea. Even with Eva keeping him <calm/relaxed>, there was always the red rage that burned under his skin. Telepaths tended to react badly to that. Anastasia was less worried; there were cracks, of course. Much less noticeable though, she had learned to bury them under layers and layers of pleasantness.

"I'm Miss van Drakke," she went on, "And I've started a scholarship program with Greenview, for metas. I'd like to talk about it with you, if you wouldn't mind. I know this seems a bit, well, odd," with a tilt of her head she indicated the running gear, letting him be <amused/flattered> rather then worried, "But I tend to work outside the school board. I dislike giving money when half of it disappears into the school board, you see."

This was the tricky part. "So maybe a private sponsor is a better way to put it."

Be excited, young man. Here, let me help you.

< excitement/anticipation> but not enough to drown out suspicion. It was too easy, after all, and if he had an ounce of intelligence he would be wary. "It covers your tuition, books, and I provide room and board," Anastasia went on slowly, smiling. It wouldn't hurt if he liked her, either.... <attraction/interest>, but just a touch. Couldn't have Ivan getting upset. That never ended well.

"And I can guarantee you an internship almost anywhere," she added finally. "I have a few strings I've been looking for a reason to pull." Another easy smile as Anastasia tapped one toe on the ground. "Let's talk, Mr King. It won't take long, I promise."

[Jonah King]

There was something strange about this woman. Jonah could feel it in his gut, even if he couldn’t quite work out what it was. The hair on the back of his neck prickled when she said that she had heard a lot about him – what exactly had she heard, and who had she heard it from? Jonah didn’t think he was an especially conspicuous person (he had spent most of his life keeping his head down, after all), so where had she heard about him?

He could see what she was saying, but there was something else as well – something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was almost the same feeling he’d had when Honor Sayers had used her tactile hypnosis on him. The sensation of something trying to slip past his defences, and put things into his head which didn’t belong to him. It made him feel edgier than he’d ever felt before, but he did his best to hide it, hoping that he didn’t look too nervous. There was something very wrong going on here, something which made his stomach turn.

The only trouble was, Jonah’s currency was in thoughts, while Anastasia’s was in emotions. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

Operation Suicidal Insanity felt like a lifetime ago – the name van Drakke didn’t ring any bells in Jonah’s head (perhaps because he had only seen it written before, not said aloud), so he just accepted it as another piece of information. But as she spoke, something was warring within him. He wanted to feel flattered by her attention, but he also felt even more on edge. His telepathy was picking something up, but it wouldn’t block anything Anastasia was doing. It would just let him know that something wasn’t quite right.

But what she was saying to him soon overtook any other puzzling – a scholarship? After an initial wave of excitement, Jonah fixed her with a look of flat curiosity. This strange, unnerving woman had a lot of questions to answer, and Jonah had never been one to talk a million miles a minute.

The money would be helpful, but Jonah knew that he didn’t need it. He was getting what he needed without accepting charity from someone. But the idea of a guaranteed placement…he sifted through all the questions he wanted to ask, settling on the most important. ‘Why me?’ he asked after a pause, still uncomfortably aware of the man standing behind him. ‘I have government funding.’

Not a free place in accommodation, though. And no reassurance that anywhere local would take him on. Jonah could feel the misgivings beginning to settle in.

[Anastasia van Drakke]

Why did people have to look a gift horse in the mouth? Ivan's features flickered as he curbed the urge to grasp the gangly teenager by the scruff of the neck and shake him until his teeth rattled in his disagreeable head.

Not that Ivan wanted Jonah to speak, particularly, but he knew it was important for Anastasia, and he knew what she was trying to do, and this little, if tall, nobody was making harder for her, he would very much like to snap a few finger bones. Just as an encouragement, to help him co-operate.

"Oh, of course," Anastasia smiled, trying not to show her own irritation (not just at the questioning, but the <suspicion/defensiveness/curiosity> that made her teeth stand on end) "Mr King, I admit people do not often turn down my sponsorship, so I am a little at a loss of what to say,"

<enthusiasm/anticipation/happyness>, was it so much to ask? A little more of a push, then. "From what I could gather, my sponsorship is somewhat more significant," she suggested, twisting her ponytail with one hand. "I can show you the selection process if you want, it has to do with distance from family, support from family, situation financially, what you're studying as well as your chosen courses..."

This was a little trickier than Anastasia had expected it to be; people usually loved being given something for nothing. "Maybe we should sit and and talk about your plans for the future? That will give us both some idea of how I can help you, or if you need my help at all. How does that sound?"

[Jonah King]

The sudden flash of aggression from Ivan caught Jonah’s attention – goosepimples sprang up on his forearms, and he hoped that neither of his new acquaintances would notice. He had a feeling that Ivan was a lot more dangerous than he seemed, and there was no way Jonah was going to attract his attention.

Mia would have bolted at the first sign of two people closing in (she would no doubt had refused the offer directly, as well – why did she need help when any intelligence organisation would be queuing up to recruit her?), but Jonah hadn’t been quick enough. He berated himself for stopping to talk, but then paused. Maybe he was being unfair. This woman seemed genuine enough, even if he couldn’t work out what her motives were.

Clearly she wasn’t used to dealing with people as suspicious as Jonah.

You could read her mind, a little voice hinted. It would be so easy for him to just reach in and find out what was going on in her head, what she was really looking for in this situation. But he couldn’t. He felt ashamed for even thinking that it was an option. Someone was offering him something out of kindness, and he was being a rude and ungrateful teenager about it.

‘OK,’ Jonah said, despite himself. ‘Let’s talk.’ And then, because he was aware of how abrupt he probably seemed: ‘Sorry. I don’t speak much.’ He didn’t want her to think that he was being deliberately impolite. Why he should care what she thought about him, he had no idea – all he knew was that, for some reason, he was starting to feel more warmly about her. Even if the solid man at his back didn’t make him feel any less nervous about the situation.

[Anastasia van Drakke]

(ooc: again, i swear i had replied to this >_>)

Anastasia could not see any goosebumps, but the spike in <fear/concern> caught her attention. "Вы пугаете телепата, мою любовь*" she said softly, making sure her own thoughts stayed calm which was easy enough as she let the <calm/relax> threading through Ivan's agression flow back into her. Ivan only had an inch on this boy but he more then made up for it in the wide of his shoulders. He filled his coat out so well....
*you're scaring the telepath, my love

But Eva was letting herself get distracted. It felt as if she was not the only one getting lost in thoughts. The pattern of < suspicion/doubt> was broken by a strange mixture of <affection/admiration> that was clearly not directed at her. Still, her influence was finally paying off; the suspicion was lessening.

I just want to help you,[/b]

It was easy enough to keep one thought at the top of her head, she had had a lot of practise with telepaths and keeping her mind to herself. "That's quite alright, now," Anastasia sat carefully, patting the grass before her. It might be prudent to learn ASL, it would create a good impression. All she knew was thank you, and she signed so with her fingers under her chin brushing forward as Ivan sat down next to her, warm at her back.

"The scholarship covers the rest of your time studying, as well as a three year internship. Do you have any questions, Mr King?" Crossing her legs under her, Anastasia tilted her head and felt her ponytail hit at her neck. "Any questions I can answer? Appart from why me, I hope?"

[Jonah King]

Jonah had no idea what language Anastasia was speaking – but he guessed that she was saying something to the man behind him. Warily he half-turned, watching to see if it had been a command of some kind – but Ivan didn’t seem to be moving any closer to him. When he turned back the strange woman was sitting on the grass, and while it was clear that ‘thank-you’ was the only sign she knew, Jonah appreciated the gesture enough to sit down beside her.

She clearly didn’t want to tell him why she had picked him for this mysterious grant, and it was that more than anything which kept him on his guard. He didn’t have enough information for his joining-the-dots trick yet, however. She was giving money to metas, and he was a meta. That was all he knew so far. But nobody gave you something when they didn’t want something else in return – it was a lesson Jonah had learned the hard way. Only Mia didn’t ever try to get things from him, and even she liked to drag him on wild escapades.

Well, that seemed as prudent a topic as any. Jonah knew enough not to come out and ask exactly what she would be getting from all of this – he needed to couch it in more tactful words. That was one of the good things about the English language – you could hide your meaning in so many words that nobody would ever know what you really thought. It was very difficult to do that in sign.

‘I don’t want to sound…’ Jonah hesitated, as if reaching for the right word. He’d never been much of an actor, but he was exceptionally good at playing dumb when he wanted to. And from the way this woman was talking so slowly to him, she probably had doubts about his intellect anyway – a lot of people associated poor speech with a poor mind. ‘…ungrateful – but I don't like taking charity.’ He gave her a rueful, apologetic smile, as if saying sorry for asking her such a rude question: ‘How could I ever pay you back?’

That was it: overawed by the offer, and tempted despite himself. Until he had a better act, he would go with that one.

[Anastasia van Drakke]

He was a sharp one, this man. Anastaisa had honestly expected to be nearly overwhemled with gratitude; this was not the reaction to expect from someone who had had to, if her soruces were correct, take care of himself since he had started at Hammel. She had thought he would be eager for someone to take him under their wing, make things easier,

Instead there was the steady irritating buzz of <unease/determination> that had the fine hairs on her arms rising like he was static. "Mr King," she said slowly, steadying her thoughts to bury her frustration, "I'm offering you this because you've proven to be a young man who has a lot of potential that, due to circumstances outside of his control, he has yet to realise."

<guilt/anticipation/hope>. This is a chance to improve yourself, after all.

There. That was sincere yet vague enough to hopefully stop the rather tiresome "why me?" nonsense. Anastasia looked up at Ivan and smiled, feeling the usual rush of <affection/love> that they shared and then sighed.

"I have a lot of money, Jonah. And seeing talents like yours squandered due to the ignorance of others is something I find hard to swallow. Do your part to show others that being a meta does not mean we shirk from what they consider normal, and we can call it even."

ooc: crap post is crap. sorry