Starlight, Starbright | Stella

[Aki Welland]

Aki had been looking for the girl for quite some time now, and wasn't sure how she could miss her. The girl she had seen in Alice's visions and thoughts simply glowed. Not imagined glowing, like the blush of cool air on someones cheeks, but glowing like the stars. Someone surrounded by a halo of soft silver light, who was the color of starlight. Aki had no idea who she was, or what her name was. She did know this girl was pretty shy and reclusive. She hadn't found her in the library or lounge, or any other place she knew shy people were wont to hide. Then again she wasn't one of those shy people so maybe there were secret places she was missing.

So she just simply went to the courtyard hoping her luck was up today. And it seemed to be. A trail of thoughts was there, and they sounded more like music than thoughts. Bright, ringing like bells. It was strange because she had never heard thoughts like that, so wonderfully chiming and bright. But they matched the girl that was there. She was glowing slightly, her skin oh-so-pale and the whole of her looking ethereal. She had sort of an airy quality about her Aki couldn't quite match to anything else but starlight. It made her pause, just long enough to compare herself to this girl. Where the girl was pale, she was dark. Where the girl was petite like a china doll and pale as the moon Aki saw herself as small with a a large presence, coppery like the sun.

Opposites in every way. Alice, you sure have some taste in people don't you. She thought wryly, only now seeing that Alice had picked not only for special qualities and connections, but for beauty too. For an individual look that couldn't be matched in other people.

Aki wasn't one to stand on ceremony, not with the way she went about things. Even so she felt that a little niceness was due here. Shy people were hard for her to deal with. She didn't understand them. Someday maybe, when she could understand everyone, but not now.

" Hello?" She called, trying to see what the star girl was doing.

[Stella Pinyin]

The stars were out, and Stella had wrapped up in one of her lighter coats to go and look for a little while. Her dorm was near the court yard, and there was a particular tree with roots that had grown into a raised V that fitted her perfectly when she sat down and hugged at her ankles. Beside her, folded up, was her cane for while she knew the way now, there were stil hazards she could miss that would end in a nasty fall.

The pale girl was meditating quietly, straightening her spine and focusing on the physical sensations the brisk evening brought to her before moving to her breathing. Her power trainer had suggested meditation to work on power control, and it was something the albino had embraced whole heartedly.

She concentrated onto her energy levels, exploring the flow of energy and light in her body that followed her breath, slowly inhaling and exhaling as she concentrated on the light she felt in her centre, It was always easier for her to do this at night, when the light didn't hurt her eyes even behind pale eyelids. Sometimes, though Stella suspected it was in her head, it felt like the stars were pricking her skin.

When someone called though, her eyes flew open as her concentration shattered, and her skin glowed brightly for a moment before returning to it's usual luminescence. "Hello?" she asked quietly, unable to see anything until her eyes adjusted. "Who is it?"

[Aki Welland]

Aki had to fling her arms up to cover her face when the light flared. She hadn't meant to startle the other girl into making such a light, kind of like the sun shining right in your eyes, but white. She took a moment to try and have her own eyes adjust to the darkness, but there were little spots dancing across her vision now. She silently cursed her own stupidity as she stepped forward to greet the star girl, the sort of unofficial mind name Aki had given to her because she didn't know her name yet. The girl had apparently been meditating, and she felt bad for interrupting. Not because she knew what it was like [Aki didn't have the needed patience to meditate] but because the other girl was so....peaceful. A mind like music and water and... Aki didn't know how to describe her other than she was just sort of amazing. Everything harsh Aki felt just sort of drained away into a pool of nothingness where there was only soft light. Once she stepped around the tree Aki saw that the girl was glowing slightly, the perfect image of the person she had seen in Alice's mind. This had to be her.

"I'm Aki. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just sort of wandering around." Which was half the truth. Aki had been wandering around looking for her. Saying she had just been wandering around sounded less creepy stalkerish and more by chance. So that was what she was going to go with. She let herself follow the musical mind sounds and come into the clearing to where the other girl could see her.

" What cha' doin' out here anyway? It's dark and..well... ya it's dark." She wasn're really sure how to approach the situation yet, so she came within just a few feet of Stella and sat on the ground.

[Stella Pinyin]

"Oh, ah, Aki," Stella repeated, the name sitting oddly on her tongue. The name was not familiar, and Stella drew her knees closer to her chest instinctively. It wasn't Alice, though that was the first name that had risen to her head when someone had called out.

It didn't make sense, and so she did not share it, but that girl made Stella feel... trapped, whenever the tall blonde came to talk to her.

"I am Stella, I didn't mean to, I mean, ah, my control is," slowly, as her eyes adjusted, the pale girl could make out the shorter figure of Aki in the gloom, "I hope I didn't hurt your eyes." Her bone white face followed the movement as Aki sat near her.

Managing a small smile, she nodded and raised her eyebrows apologetically. "I like the stars," she admitted, "and, and the dark is easier on my eyes," Resting a hand on the tree root near her, Stella glanced at her hand. "And, I, ah, I have light with me."

[Aki Welland]

Aki smiled shook her head. She knew that not everyone had control over their powers. Heck, she didn't have perfect control over her powers, which showed in the way she let the girls mind music wash over her. Which even though it sounded a little strange was only just for now. [Right?] The Star girl reminded her of Leo, which made her instantly likeable. It also put her under the same window of protection that reserved Leo from falling victim to any of her normal triccks or the harshness of her personality. Although Aki would probably still be a bit abrasive seeming to the other girl it wouldn't be as bad as if she were her normal, sarcasm flinging self.

" The stars are nice. They're constant in a way, and can't betray you or look at you funny. They'll always be a comfort." She looked up, green grey eyes glancing at the motes of light. How many times had she done that and wondered who else was staring up at those same stars thinking similar thoughts. Hundreds of times probably. When Stella mentioned having her own light Aki had to smile. She was a glowing person. It would seem to be impossible to go anywhere without having your own light. Aki was actually kind of jealous, seeing Stella's powers as something beautiful. Her own were just....intrusive really.

" You have bad eyesight?" She asked, wondering if that meant the girl needed to wear glasses. Aki had to think of her contacts, and her own glasses hiding away in her dorm.

[Stella Pinyin]

Blinking up at Aki, Stella directed her eyes towards Aki. Pink pupils blown wide in the dark, flickering as she tried to focus. "Yes," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment. "It is part of albinism. I had surgery so it is better but I am, ah, night blind?" Slim shoulders shrugged and, knowing people often found her eyes disconcerting the chinese girl looked up again.

"I thank my ancestors ghosts every day for the stars," she went on, smiling more to herself then her companion. "But, ah, Aki?" The name caught on her tongue with the hard k sound, "I can try to dim down so you can see better?"

[Aki Welland]

When Stella looked at her her pupils were very wide, flivkering back and forth quickly. At first it suprised her and really kind of unnerved her, but the move she watched the more interested she became. Aki hadn't ever seen anyone else flicker thier eyes like that and wondered if she could do it herself. She decided to wait until later when she was alone and didn't have to bother with anyone asking her questions.

" Night blind. That really stinks. I have a friend who's nightblind. He hates it." When Stella smiled her glow got slightly brighter. While it wasn't enough to blind her again it was a slight bother. Stella offered to dim it so she could see better, which was greatly appreciated.

" That would be great. " She said, then quickly after " Not that I don't like your glowy-ness. It just makes it harder to see." Aki thought maybe she should mention her reason for coming out here to look for Stella now. It seemed like a good time anyway since Stella wasn't quite as jumpy as she had been earlier when Aki had come over.

" Anyway. I had really just wanted to meet you. I'm a friend of Alice and she sort of mentioned you." Not really but seeing that sounds better than saying 'ya, I saw you in a sort of vision Alice showed me and I wanted to meet you.' She fidgeted a bit, not being one to sit still. At least not when she didn't really want to.

[Stella Pinyin]

There was a visible change in Stella's physicallity at Alice's name. The slight tension in her shoulders melted like snow in summer and a smile curved her mouth. Alice was her friend. There was nothing to be worried about with a friend of Alice's. Even the thought of someone talking about her, even if it was her friend, didn't phase her.

That being said, as a telepath it was possible Aki would pick up the planted synaptic responses in Stella's mind. Hypnosis let traces, always.

"Oh I see," she smiled, even as she drew her light back to pool under her skin. "Alice is rather wonderful, I think. It is so nice to meet one of her friends." Her palms had begun turning, her body language slowly showing her dropping defence. "It was kind of you to seek me out."

[Aki Welland]

When Aki said Alice's name something happened, something she really hadn't expected. As she had been talking she let what she was calling Stella's wonderful "mind music" wash over her. But it chaneged. Aki couldn't really describe how, but Stella's change had an effect on her whole mind. It was like it wasn't something natural, but a planted suggestion. That was something only a meta-human with a mind power could do. Aki couldn't, and she could only think of a few other people at the moment who she knew should be able to do something like that. Chase Campbell had mind control, so he could. Dr. Neville was a telepath and a little more, he might ee able to. But both of them were adults and worked at Hammel. They wouldn't mess with a students mind. So that left any locals who had mind powers [and she didn't know if there were any] or another student. [i That's something to check out

[/i]

" Ya, Alice is a pretty cool person. She seemed pretty interested in you so I wanted to meet you. The old 'a friend of my friend' kind of thing you know?" She replied. She really did want to figure out who was tampering with this girl. She seemed so innocent, and Aki didn't like the idea that someones mind was being invaded like that. Even though she was in people mind's often enough she didn't try to control them. She just ended up learning more than she wanted to all the time about the people around her.

" Hey, uh, you want to go in and get some hot chocolate or something? We could go to the litle kitchenette in the student lounge. Or my dorm. I may not look it but I know a little bit about cooking and hot chocolate and stuff like that? Besides, it's probbly going to get colder soon." Aki also wanted to see if she could find the sort of mind touch signal thing of who had messed with Stella. A little bit of prolonged contact might be able to give her an idea of what she was dealing with. And who the culprit was. What am I becoming? This is exactly what I didn't want to do with my powers. Delve into other people's minds like this. But maybe...... ugh. Maybe the path of the monster is the only path left for me to follow.