Unexpected Plans in Unexpected Places [Naomi]

[Annabelle Coronova]

Picking up her satchel from the picnic table, she swung the tan bag over her shoulder, slipped on her sunglasses, and headed towards the courtyard. Anna had grown tired of being the flimsy, weak person that everyone believed her to be. Who she even started to believe she was. This was going to change, and it was going to change now. A lot of the time, when people went to make resolutions, they waited until one big day, like New Years' Eve, or their birthday, the beginning of a month, etc., but she wasn't looking for anything sentimental, because that meant that she'd have to wait to become who she wanted to be, and that wasn't going to happen. Today was the day.

She had heard through the grapevine of whom she might be able to talk to, as the whole school talks, and even if you don't want to hear about something, you will by the end of the week. There was a girl, Naomi, Naomi Green she believe the girl was called. The girl didn't particularly have the most positive gossip about her going around but from what Anna had heard, the girl was really big on pushing people to understand the importance and significance of their powers, maybe a bit too strongly in certain people's opinions, but what she had to offer was exactly what Anna was looking for, and she knew exactly where to find her. In fact, the girl was just a couple hundred feet away from her.

Diligently, Anna walked up the hill towards the courtyard where Naomi was standing, currently not talking to anyone. This proved to be the perfect opportunity. Once Anna reached her, she decided to speak up instead of waiting for Naomi to recognize her, and said, "Oi, you're Naomi, right? Naomi Green? I was wondering if you could help me out with some stuff about my powers. Basically I'm under the impression that retrocognition is good for nothing, and since you're so hyped in the whole significance of powers and stuff, I figured you might be the right person to come to, you know, if you don't mind and I'm not bothering you."

Well, the whole speech wasn't too painful. At least she got everything out on the table, right?

[Naomi Green]

Naomi was actually working on schoolwork, an English assignment to be wholly accurate. They were to people watch, and come up with explanations for the behaviors they'd seen in something of an essay. It was fascinating stuff, really, and not too far off from what Naomi did all too often in her free time anyway. It certainly wasn't anything she wanted interrupted.

Nor did she recognize the student approaching her. The girl spoke, and Naomi arched a brow. So, Rumor was as busy as ever? Or was this "rumor" with a lower case "R," the commonplace babble that students were apt to share. It hardly mattered, considering that this girl had still sought out and approached Naomi, not even bothering to catch her in her room, but out in the open.

"I'm afraid you have me mistaken for a power trainer," she said, her English accent clipping each of the words. "If you're so keen on developing your abilities and getting a better handle on things, that is where you should start, not with another student."

Retrocognition; a fascinating gift, to be sure, but Naomi could see why someone would consider that to be useless. It wasn't as overt as hurling lightning bolts or Naomi's own gift of magnetokinesis. Yet surely you could figure out why such a gift would be a blessing; added knowledge always worked to one's benefit.

"Besides," continued Naomi, "I am hardly a motivation speaker of some sort. Merely a transfer student."

Who happened to be a slight meta supremacist, but that really was splitting hairs, wasn't it?

[Annabelle Coronova]

No one said this was going to be easy, and by what the students had been murmuring about her, it seemed that she was truly rough around the edges and even a bit sassy. But Anna wasn't going to pack her bags and just leave, no, she wouldn't make it that easy for the girl. The old Annabelle, maybe, but the new Anna, not so much.

Still trying to be sweet and down to earth, she pressed the girl a little bit more. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly interested in testing my skills like that just yet. See, in my mind, they're still pretty useless, and I don't even know how to use them, other than physical contact, hence these." Annabelle held up one hand that revealed her black lace gloves, of which she wore on a regular basis, since she practically had no control over her powers whatsoever and would trip out into some sort of coma into someone's past. Sure, it might help to see a trainer, but she wanted to get a grasp on her skill first, or her 'power' if that's what you wanted to call it. "And from what I know, you're mighty great at knowing all sorts of stuff about all sorts of powers. I think you and I both know there's more to you than a mere transfer student. I'll get help from a trainer later, once I grasp the concept of all of this stuff I've been ignoring for two years. I don't usually come to people, but I came to you, the girl who most people here don't like, because I think there's something about you that others miss. You may be rough on the outside, but there's more to you than that. I'm seeking your help. Can you help me or are you still stuck to your guns and insisting that I 'train' all of my issues out?"

That monologue was a bit surprising once she'd got to the end of it. Even for Anna, that was like, 'woah, look at you go'. She smiled inwardly at the sheer fact that she had found the guts somewhere in her to talk to this girl like that. Especially a girl she'd never yet talked to, or interacted with. Go her.

[Naomi Green]

So very many words there. Naomi's brows rose as she listened to the girl outline things. The frustration with her power, with the apparent uselessness of it. What were they teaching here, that so many didn't realize that simply having powers made you far greater than most of the pathetic air-breathers on this God-forsaken rock? Yet Annabelle continued, laying out some of Naomi that she often fought to keep hidden. Not very well hidden though, as Naomi wasn't exactly quiet when it came down to things, and Rumor happened to find her a succulent target.

"Quite an interesting little speech there," she drawled. "Did you rehearse that, or was it all off the cuff? No, excuse me, I'm being a little rude," she rose a hand, then nodded. "I think I understand your predicament, to some extent. Your power, it's some kind of mind based, memory retrieval? Based around your hands?"

She pointed at the digits in question, pausing to think. She'd heard of this sort of thing before, and it could actually be quite useful, if trained properly.

"What exactly are you expecting from me?" she asked, not looking up from the hands. "A pep talk on how special you are? You're a meta, one of those few gifted with something above the normal humans. You can do what others cannot, and are therefore superior for it. That is how it has always worked."

She paused again, this time rearranging her homework. This was far more interesting than an English assignment anyway. "What you need is control. Someone such as you can learn so much about a person with the barest touch. Think of what you could accomplish with such a gift, instead of fretting about the drawbacks. You certainly don't see me moping about being unable to carry an iPhone on me."

She waved, then paused, waiting to see what Annabelle thought of the first return volley.

[Annabelle Coronova]

This girl's attitude was getting to Anna. She was so used, or you could say, she was numbed to be such a pansy, floating away with the wind in whatever direction it pointed her, but when people were downright rude for no reason at all, that's what bugged her. Maybe today just wan't her day, but that didn't mean she could treat anyone she felt like treating like crap. It was just a small step away before Anna went off on her. Giving her a warning, she sternly commented, whilst ignoring her other snide remarks, "You know what, you don't have to be a jerk to anyone you come by. Its amazing people still talk to you without risking their head getting bitten off." She adjusted her bag on her back, reconsidering why she had even come to the girl.

Anna wanted to give the girl a fair shot before she went about making her own judgements, but despite what normally happened, what everyone had to say about her was true. She normally blew them all off and thought that they were just mean and overreacting, but seriously? This girl just really got to her. And unfortunately, Anna didn't have that strong of a personality to combat against her. It was fight or flight, back to generic old human nature, and although she wanted a straight and solid answer from Naomi, or just a bit of direction, it seemed highly unlikely that she was going to get what she wanted from her today...or ever.

As a result, and with a change of character, almost resigned but not pathetic, she shrugged her shoulders, cocked her head, and with one final look at the girl, responded, "Whatever, I was just looking for some direction, someone who claimed to know their stuff. But it seems like you keep everything locked up about you, maybe that's why you're so bitter to everyone. But that's your problem not mine. You probably should see someone about that, though, that could escalate to something much bigger, unless of course, that's what you want... I'm out. Sorry I bothered you in the first place, I should have saved my time." Turning away and walking back towards the institute, Anna thought to herself, pinching a finger of the glove on her right hand. With only a touch, she could see what that girl was all about, her past, what she'd been up to, every single thing that she tried to hide from the rest of the world. Maybe she'd even see what was causing the girl to be such a biatch. Would that be so wrong of her to do? And what would be the repercussions if she tried? She swiveled her head back at the girl, waved with her now bare hand and winked. Maybe sending out a warning would be a good way to find out.