Time for a change ,* [Sam C]

[Deleted]

Sam Caraway.Blue eyes scanned the name that had been scrabbled upon a piece of paper. Mr. McQueen had given it to her, along with the location as to where to find this man. Kiara often struggled with her ability and the fact that no one else at school came with the same power as hers, it was rather frustrating to find a solution to her problems. Of course teacher could offer advice and there were trainers to help out with this, but for some reason she had opted to travel down to Pilot Ridge instead. It wasn’t abnormal for the blonde to regret it the moment she stopped in front of Kali’s Kafe. Had she really allowed an amount of impulsiveness to take over? Was she really that desperate? Kiara didn’t know a single detail of this stranger, other than the fact that probability manipulation had also manifested itself in his case.

”You can do this, Ki.” She mused to herself in a mumble as her hand reached forward to open the door. The smell of coffee immediately reached her nose – how she hated it. Either way, she could not let that be an excuse to turn around and to head back to Hammel. Kiara had gotten this far; giving up shouldn’t be an option, yet sadly enough it was. Once inside, however, her train of plans came to an end and she realized that, hey, she had no freaking idea what this Sam person looked like.

Light optics scanned the surroundings in search for a familiar face in the hope that someone could help her out… and that was when a customer rose his hand. He must have been a regular for he called Sam’s name. The check had been paid already, but it was merely his way of drawing the guy’s attention, nodding to the tip that was left upon the wooden surface of the table. When the one she looked for moved over, assuming he was going to clean the table in case other customers shower up, Kiara remained standing on the exact same spot as before. Hands fumbled with the note in her hands, briefly catching the man’s eyes before his attention went to the tip.

This was not going to get her anywhere if she did not step up.

”Um, Sam? Sam Caraway?”

[Sam Caraway]

Waiting tables was the only honest job Sam had ever taken part in, and in a way it was good to be back to doing it again. He liked people, and he liked being able to have good conversations with people – and during the day, when Kali’s Kafe was buzzing with customers but without the constant thump of loud music which filled it at night, Sam could always be relied on to have a good chat with the regulars. It was something he prided himself in. With his excellent memory for faces and names, he could make someone feel special when they came back for a second or third visit – it was one of the things which kept them coming back.

He was back on his feet after the accident a few weeks ago, although he could only manage a few short shifts per week at the moment – anything more and his broken ribs started to protest loudly. But he’d been climbing the walls without anything to do, and something was better than nothing. Sam called his thanks to the customer who had just left, heading over to the table to pick up the money he had left on it.

There was a girl standing near to the table. Sam had noticed her when she’d entered (because he was only human after all, and what guy doesn’t register the presence of someone who looks like Kiara?), and he noticed that she hadn’t moved in the minutes she’d been standing there. He looked over at her inquisitively and that seemed to be the cue she was looking for – she fiddled with a piece of paper she was holding, and said his name.

Like a camera zooming in, Sam’s gaze sharpened on her. A pretty blonde who knew his name but didn’t actually know who he was – very pretty indeed, but shy, and obviously too young to be of any real interest in that sense. But how the hell did she knew his name? Not bothering to conceal his confusion, Sam made his way over to her, pocketing his tip as he passed the table. ‘That would be me,’ he told Kiara – his expression was friendly, but he wasn’t smiling yet. After all, given his record, it paid to hold back until you could see more of the picture.

In Sam’s experience, when people who you had never met knew your name it was not a positive beginning to a conversation.

‘Can I help you?’ Sam asked, refraining from turning on the charm – he kept it casual and interested, regarding her with his level blue gaze.

[Deleted]

As Sam moved over, despite her having being the one to initiate the conversation, Kiara felt slightly intimidated. Her assumption had been that Mr. McQueen might have informed his friend about this, but based on the facial expression this was not the case. Either way, the small note got shoved in the pocket of her coat for it seemed to be the only way for her to stop fumbling. ”Hi”, she said rather sheepishly, able to settle blue eyes upon his for a split second before she caught a couple standing up on their right. The blonde took a miniscule step backwards to grant them enough space between them to make it for the exit. A weak smile tugged at her lips as a polite nod in greeting got thrown into the mix, only for her to exhale a deep breath afterwards and to focus on Sam once more.

”I, um, have been told you could help me.” Perhaps it would be more beneficial if she could spill some more details. Or even her name to begin with. ”By Mr. McQueen.” Her voice was being kept down ever so slightly, but this was not being brought on by her trait of being shy. Instead she preferred to lower it, knowing curiosity might get the best of others and that would lead to eavesdropping. The mere thought freaked her out.

Shifting weight onto her other leg, Kiara smoothed a blonde curl behind her ear, once more allowing her gaze to scan the coffee shop until it travelled straight back to Sam. ”I hate my power. It isn’t working decently. Like, it hates me, too, or something. Whenever I want something, it refuses to have a positive outcome, yet it does work when it comes to mundane events.” She shook her head after that ramble, soon shooting quite a desperate look up to the man in front of her.

”Can you teach me how you do it? The probability manipulation? Mr. McQueen was convinced you could.” Being nervous led to words flowing from her mouth without too much thought being put into them, but the hopeful tone in them remained.

It was at that point that something hit her though. She quickly offered a hand as a dark shade of pink settled upon her cheeks. ”I’m Kiara.”

[Sam Caraway]

Mason. Of course. Sam felt himself relax, even though he didn’t know exactly what the girl thought he could help her with. If Mason had given her his name (and Mason knew better than to send pretty girls Sam’s way unless he really had a reason to), then she wasn’t any kind of threat to him. Still, she was speaking very quietly – Sam leaned forward a little, then realised that this wasn’t ideal. He moved to the nearest table and sat down, indicating that she should take the seat opposite him. ‘Go on,’ he told her, watching her as she looked every which-way around the place – evidently she was nervous about something, and Sam looked at her curiously.

Her power? What was she…? Sam listened carefully as Kiara spoke, waiting for her to finish what she was saying before he asked her any questions – evidently she had been thinking about what to say carefully before coming here. Her words had the air of a rehearsed speech, and Sam did his best to look encouraging.

Then the penny dropped. Probability manipulation! Of course! Mason would have seen her difficulty and recommended that she come to an expert on the subject: Sam himself. Satisfied that he had achieved this clarity, Sam smile properly at Kiara, reaching out to shake her hand warmly when she offered it. ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ he told her with a bright grin, deciding that honest friendliness would be the best way to put her at ease. ‘I’m sure Mr McQueen meant to let me know about you, but – between you and me – he’s not always as good at remembering things as he thinks he is.’ Sam’s smile turned conspiratorial, and he settled back in his chair. The café was quiet, and he wasn’t the only member of staff on duty – he would get up if he needed to, but for now he could talk.

It wasn’t a common ability, and when Sam had been at Hammel he had pretty much made up the rules from scratch, with help from various trainers with mental abilities. ‘So, you’re having difficulty with your ability?’ he asked, expression turning thoughtful as he considered her problems. ‘I had a lot of trouble, too,’ Sam told Kiara, a rueful smile crossing his face as he remembered all of the misery he’d put himself – and his room-mate – through while he had been trying to get a grip on it. ‘Fires, explosions, you name it. Mason – Mr McQueen – was my room-mate at Hammel, and the teachers got so tired of us turning up late for things because I’d made something go wrong that they stopped trying.’ His blue eyes were bright with fun, inviting her to smile.

‘Here,’ Sam rummaged in his pocket and brought out a coin. He slid it across the table to Kiara, and gave her an encouraging smile. ‘Just show me what you can do – make it come up heads when you toss it.’ It should, theoretically, be the easiest thing. The chances were 50/50, and it was simply a matter of nudging things in the right direction.

[Deleted]

Sam’s wordless invitation for her to smile wasn’t exactly effective. While the little anecdote was rather amusing, it didn’t make her feel much better about the power that had been unwillingly granted to her. Kiara had yet to encounter such dramatic situations, but it did get her concerned nevertheless. Fires? Explosions? She didn’t even want to imagine it. Guilt and bad feelings would completely consume her. So instead a slightly forced smile settled on the girl’s lips, merely indicating that she had been paying attention, before her focus fell to the coin on the table. Both hands, which lay upon her lap, were brought into view again as she reached over for the money. Her thumb, index and middle fingers of each hand held onto it, observing it as if a riddle were written on it somewhere.

His ability was also probability manipulation. What if he didn’t genuinely want to help her? What if he rather got a good laugh out of this by influencing the chances himself? Sam did look like a trustworthy person… but he was also pretty cute. And if there was one thing Kiara had learnt during the few times that she watched television, it had to be that good-looking guys hardly ever came with a decent personality. Then again, Mr. McQueen had advised her to do this. Surely he only looked out for her. So with that in mind, leaving as much reluctance behind as possible, the blonde shuffled back on the chair and tossed the coin. Blue eyes followed it tumbling down again and she caught it before placing it on the back of her left hand.

Heads.

”That wasn’t exactly difficult”, Kiara concluded with corners of her lips finally curling into a meaningful smile. She shoved the coin back to him for it was his and then tucked hands out of sight again. Being more specific might keep him from slowly increasing the level of difficulty. Of course Sam could still test her if she pleased, but giving him more information could help, too.

”It just… I don’t know. Whenever I really want something, it fails on me. Almost as if it doesn’t work because I want it too badly.” Ironically enough there was only one example when it came to this problem, but it was also the one thing which bothered her most. ”Did that ever happen to you? Instead of it doing a lot of things wrong, just doing nothing at all?” Curiosity made her less uncomfortable. She really wanted to make some progress here – if Sam could help her of course. Her head was tilted to the side, observing the man seated across from her. There was so much she wanted to discuss with her really, but there were priorities right now. He also had a job, so Ki couldn’t expect him to be able to make a lot of time for a problem that wasn’t his.

[Sam Caraway]

If Sam had been privy to Kiara’s thought that he ‘looked trustworthy’, he would have laughed out loud. Not many people said that about him – he gave it half an hour before she decided to revise her opinion. He sat back and watched as she influenced the coin, raising an eyebrow at her words. ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ he replied dryly – if she’d had difficulty making a coin do what she wanted, she would have been in a lot of trouble. Sam took the coin back when it was pushed towards him, but left it on the table. He might need it again.

‘No,’ Sam admitted when she asked him her last question, shaking his head. ‘I always made something happen, regardless of what it actually was.’ He smiled. ‘But believe me, there were times when I wished nothing would happen at all, rather than all the mistakes I made.’ It was becoming evident to Sam that, while he and Kiara had the same ability, they had different strains of it. Well, that was interesting to know – all he knew about probability manipulation was what he could guess from his own power. Maybe he would learn something, too. He frowned in thought for a moment, before he looked up and met Kiara’s gaze. ‘It’s not as simple as just wanting something to happen,’ he told her. ‘At least, it isn’t for me. There’s a whole cause-and-effect thing.’

Sam paused, trying to work out how best to explain what he meant. ‘There are two ways to come at it,’ he began eventually. ‘Imagine I want to – I don’t know – win at roulette.’ He was really going to have to think of some examples that didn’t involve illegal activity. ‘I’ve got two options: I can influence the wheel, or I can make a lucky guess. If I pick the first one, it takes a lot. I have to focus on whoever’s spinning it, I have to throw a lot at the wheel itself, and then it comes up with the right number,’ Sam was leaning forward in his chair now, eyes bright. This wasn’t a subject he got to talk a lot about, and he found that he was rather enjoying it. ‘Or, the easier choice – I let my ability guide me, and pick the lucky number. I can make sure the book I want to buy is in the store, or I can just luckily arrive on delivery day. External, or internal. It’s always easier to pick the internal option.’

Having no idea if he was explaining well at all, Sam stopped and offered Kiara a brief grin. ‘Does that make sense?’ he asked. Regarding the girl with interest, Sam raised one eyebrow quizzically. ‘What have you tried to do that didn’t work?’ he asked. ‘And what has worked? Maybe we can work out what you need to do.’ The fact that he had a job somewhere that he should probably be doing was all but forgotten – this was far too much fun.

[Deleted]

Some progress was being made here. While Kiara still felt horrible about the fact that her power failed her whenever she needed it, at least her list of mistakes was rather limited. Listening to Sam, she had no reason to complain about that aspect of the ability. Heck, he even got a soft genuine smile to settle upon her lips. This was a feat, especially since it wasn’t the most pleasant topic for her to talk about. When it came to his whole explanation about how one change influenced the other, she was very much aware of this and usually thought everything through before even trying to put her magic onto the scale of luck and bad luck. Sadly enough none of this mattered when it came to her problem. After all, the only person who she would have to focus on was herself. It had nothing to do with other items or human beings; all that mattered was her lack of courage. So yeah, while everything he said made sense, it didn’t exactly help Ki any further than acknowledging that this problem wouldn’t be wiped off the table in one, two, three. Unless he saw it differently.

With a small nod to begin, indicating that his explanation did make sense, a slightly frustrated sigh escaped and the young blonde sat back in the seat, only to shuffle a second later and to lay folded arms upon the table as her gaze fell upon the coin. ”It’s… something really silly. I just want to be courageous enough to step onto a stage and to perform, you know? That has nothing to do with influencing other aspects involving such event. The problem is me.” And the fact that Kiara kept telling herself this might not benefit the cause. ”It just… I don’t know, seems unfair that I can make things happen for others, but it doesn’t work like that for me.” She tend to care about others, hardly ever placing herself on the first place, so this had nothing to do with greedy behavior. All she wanted was this one thing. She wouldn’t even benefit from it like others might when it came to her luck; it would simply be a step to prove to herself that she dared something like that.

And, well, a lot of things work. Sometimes even when I don’t want it to.” It definitely wasn’t the same as the problems caused during his school years. ”When I hug someone, it’s enough to unintentionally transfer some luck on the other person. All he or she seems to be required to do is think of what they want.” A weak sarcastic smile followed and blue eyes flew up to make eye contact, no matter how briefly before they fell to the coin again. ”I can feel it later on. A loss of energy and a headache.” Kiara shook her head, somewhat frustrated with herself about this. ”I don’t have to focus on any of that and still people manage to take advantage of my ability.”

As for going back to things that did work… all mundane events and mostly anything her mind was being put on. So many examples could be given. If Sam wanted her to be more specific, surely he would ask. She hoped, however, that enough information had been provided so far for him to dissect the problem.

[Sam Caraway]

Sam’s expression softened when Kiara confided her real ambition to him. He didn’t want to upset this girl, but it looked like he was going to have to tell her the truth. ‘Darlin’, that’s not something you can solve with luck,’ he told her, shaking his head to emphasise his point. There was no ridicule in his smile, no judgement – only sympathy for her plight. ‘Stage fright is a solid fact – the only things you can change with our ability are things that aren’t concrete.’ It was impossible for him to imagine being shy in the way that Kiara was: Sam had never had a problem with doing anything like that. He wasn’t a performer when it came to acting or music, but he regarded them as being similar to demonstrating the kind of tricks he liked doing in front of people.

Searching for practical advice to give Kiara, Sam shrugged his shoulders. ‘If you wanted to pick a night where everyone else onstage was awful, so you looked amazing, you could do that. Or if you wanted to make sure that your audience was going to be friendly to you, you could make that happen. But you can’t use probability manipulation to change anything about yourself.’ Tough love, maybe, but Sam couldn’t think of anything else to say. He’d never been one for dancing around something when it needed to be faced up to.

Except within his own personal life, of course, but that’s a matter for another day. Do as Sam Caraway says, not as he does.

He listened with interest as Kiara recounted her experiences of making her ability work, and his brow creased slightly in a thoughtful frown. ‘You don’t have to think about it at all?’ Sam tilted his head to one side. ‘What’s the timeframe for that? Do they have to want something as the contact is made, or within five minutes, or does the luck carry over all day?’ All of this was making him realise just how little he knew about his own ability. Sam had been making things up for years, never considering that someone else would need him to help them one day with the same problem.

Sitting back in his chair, Sam started to idly turn the coin around in his fingers – he always had to have something to do with his hands. ‘I can make good things happen for people,’ he told Kiara. ‘But it’s something I have to concentrate on. I only use my luck involuntarily for me.’ Sam chuckled, trying to coax another smile out of this strange girl. ‘Looks like we have the opposite abilities. Together, we could rule the world.’ His eyes were warm: jokes aside, Sam really was trying to make Kiara feel more comfortable about herself.

‘Okay – let’s work this out.’ Sam scanned the bar quickly to make sure that nobody required him, and turned back to Kiara. ‘You need to remember that you can only influence events,’ he told her. ‘Not yourself. If you want to influence a person, you need to influence the events in that person’s life.’ For a moment, Sam wondered if Mason would approve of him saying things like that – Hammel was very keen on morality, after all. But morality was not always on the cards when you were a probability manipulator – and as far as Sam was concerned, that was just a fact of life. ‘It’s the same with yourself. You want to be more confident. What would make you feel more confident about yourself? Or is it your performing you’re not confident about?’

[Deleted]

Awesome. When Sam made that conclusion, her first thought was that all of this was nothing more but a waste of time. Why had she even bothered on coming here? Had she really expected that approaching a stranger would solve all her problems? Obviously, given disappointment easily took over. His advice wasn’t overly helpful either. ”I just… want them to like it.” It being the music. ”Not by cheating. Not by influencing their opinions or the circumstances to make sure I make it out without too many mental bruises.” Therefore none of this would make a change to her problem. Kiara was a fair girl. Sure, her ability did come in handy every now and then, but she did not want to use it to have herself get something she did not deserve. Maybe the blonde did deserve an applause for her musical skills… but how could she find out if she there wasn’t enough courage to perform in front someone? Without cheating for that matter.

When it came to the topic of her unintentionally transferring luck onto others, a brief shrug followed despite her knowing the answer and giving it to him. ”They have to want something as the contact is made.” Eyes momentarily drifted to an older woman passing them by, giving her a friendly smile while in the meanwhile listening to Sam’s words. The smile was still upon her features as her gaze settled on the man in front of her again. His little attempts to make the ice melt were starting to pay off and she came to conclude that complaining would not lead to any progress. Instead she was bothering this guy who did not struggle with the same problem. At least he seemed willing to help though, despite her request being an impossible one.

Eyes fixated on the coin being twirled in his fingers. ”Confidence in general.” Kiara replied. A sarcastic chuckle followed without her having the intention of it coming across as rude. ”And I don’t know how to gain it. Otherwise I wouldn’t be wasting your time, mh?” Based on that answer it was obvious that the girl did gain some courage during brief moments. She was also more open during the conversation, no longer sitting across him all tense and whatnot. ”It’s just… I don’t know. I’m happy like this. I just wish I wouldn’t have the stage fright.” Yet another shrug followed as the blonde lay folded arms upon the wooden surface of the table, gazing around.

”I don’t want to change myself to reach that goal.” Unless it wasn’t too severe. Gaining some confidence would be alright. "Thank you though... for the attempt to fix my 'problem'."

[Sam Caraway]

Sam almost felt bad. He’d spent most of his life influencing the odds so that they were in his favour, and here was this girl telling him that she had more moral code than he would ever, ever have. Until now, he would have been willing to bet that anyone else with his ability would have used it to gain the upper hand – unfortunately, he now knew that this wasn’t always the case. But then again, this was just who he was – and he never intentionally did anything which had a negative outcome for anyone else, so where was the harm?

He gave Kiara a rueful smile. ‘If you’re good, I’m sure they’ll like it,’ Sam told her, trying to work out what she wanted to hear – he had always been very good at mirroring people back at themselves, after all. ‘If not…’ he gave her a shrug, and a teasing smile: ‘…Just play for people who won’t tell you what they really think.’ It had taken him a while to work out what was luck and what was just life, as well. If he could help this girl with that, then he would – he only hoped that she wouldn’t get her hopes up too high. It wasn’t always easy.

Interesting. Sam tilted his head thoughtfully, considering Kiara’s predicament. Then she spoke again and he found himself smiling at her – she was much better when she talked back to him, and Sam realised that she had relaxed considerably. He let her vent for a few moments, realising that she probably didn’t have anyone else to complain to. It was difficult for other people to grasp the problems you had with an ability which was almost universally seen as being enviable. When people thought that you were the luckiest person in the world, they didn’t like to listen to you when you tried to change that impression. Well, if she knew what he problem was, she was halfway to solving it. Sam had always been of an optimistic disposition. ‘I’m just sorry I can’t do more to help,’ he told her. ‘If it makes you feel any better, you’ll get more confident. I know everyone says it, but it’s true. Life has a way of doing that to you.’

There would probably come a moment when Kiara would realise just how pretty she was – but until then, Sam suspected she would be in resolute denial.

‘Hey…’ There had been a slight pause, and Sam looked over at the girl in front of him with the beginnings of a plan. ‘How’d you like to test how much you can do?’ He was wearing the same smile he wore when he wanted Mason to go along with one of his schemes – full of the promise of fun. ‘You’re thinking too big – that’s your problem. Like I said, you need to start small. Come out for one night, and see what you can do.’ Sam gave Kiara a conspiratorial smile. ‘Probability manipulation can be fun, you know. You just need to know how to use it.’ It was a chance for him to show her the fun side – he just hoped she wouldn’t run a mile at the idea of spending more time with him. Unbelievably, Sam was asking a girl out with no hidden agenda whatsoever. ‘What do you say?’

[Deleted]

Confidence – it sounded like a word that only existed in legends. Kiara did have it though, but only around people who made her feel at ease and of whom she was convinced they wouldn’t judge her for who she was. Even then, however, her level of confidence wasn’t high enough to make a change. Aiden always gave her the feeling of being on top of the world, of being able to handle anything thrown at her, yet she did not have enough courage to acknowledge her feelings had long surpassed the platonic level, let alone to act upon this. Would this ever change? She didn’t know. According to Sam it would. While she was an optimist too, perhaps he was it a little too much. The blonde wanted to mumble that even her ability could not provide such amount of luck, but she didn’t want to be a party pooper and simply kept that remark to herself. Perhaps she should give his words a chance instead of immediately breaking them down.

When it came to his sudden suggestion, Kiara couldn’t help but frown. How would going out help her discover just how good she managed to control her power? Of course merely pondering about it wasn’t going to give Ki an answer. There was only one way to find out. Besides, it did sound tempting to discover the fun side of it. The only problem was the fact that the young woman tended to hide in a shell and would blend in as a wallflower during parties and night outs. She wasn’t too sure if she was comfortable enough to have him keep her company either. But where would she get if she were to point down all his ideas? Right, nowhere. With that in mind she accepted the plan, making herself shake his hand in agreement to seal the deal. ”One night.” She added, just to eliminate any indecent idea that might be in that head of his.

Kiara took a napkin from the table and then a pen out of the pocket of her coat. It was just so damn easy to at least carry one with her at all points. She noted down her e-mail and cell phone number, if only to discuss more details through that. The blonde was grateful for the time he had already wasted on her; she didn’t want to occupy much more of it. ”So, um, I’ll let you work now.” She decided with a soft smile. The fact that multiple customers had entered during the last five minutes might have contributed to that decision. Anyway, Ki rose and tucked her pen in the pocket again. For a moment she wanted to reach a hand forward and shake Sam’s, but that would only be awkward. So she just gave a soft smile and slightly rose her hand in goodbye while taking a miniscule step backward from the table. ”I’ll… hear of you soon then? Bye.” With that the blonde spun around, headed outside and exhaled deeply. That wasn’t too bad.