Zac's Little Glowworm {Stella}

[Naomi Green]

The Rumor had spread. Naomi had been among those to comment on it, in fact, relying on her new pet liaison. Poor Albert really didn't have much of a spine, though Naomi figured that all she really had to do was bat her eyes and pout out her lips a little. Still, she found threats worked better, especially in these cases. It had certainly uncovered the truth now. Zac was apparently in a relationship with Stella Pinyin, a girl that Naomi had only heard tale of, not yet met herself.

So the Brit decided that she needed to remedy that. It wasn't too difficult to get a hold of the student room numbers, since it was fairly common knowledge. Naomi didn't even have to put on her "Hermione" disguise; she simply had to look them up in the directory. As for a reason, she had quite a good one: a "gift" of beautiful flowers. No need to say who they were from, leave that to the imagination. It was more of a pass to get into this section of the dorms anyway.

Which proved almost unnecessary, as Naomi discovered that their rooms were in the same hallway. Still, she knocked on the door, barely waiting for the slightest opening before walking into the room, counting on surprise and overwhelming to carry her through. This was an interrogation of sorts, after all. Naomi simply had to know what made Zac tick, and she wasn't quite willing to believe Max's and Emma's explanations.

"Miss Pinyin?" she called, turning to look, hoping that the very girl had been the one to open the door. How hard could finding someone that glowed be anyway?

[Stella Pinyin]

If classes were over, the chances of Stella being in her room were good enough to place money on. Still, despite the visits of Zac and now Misato, the reclusive girl was still not very used to visits. Alice usually wanted her to meet somewhere else away from the dorms, but she was the exception to most of Stella's rules because, well, it was Alice, who Stella could not help but trust.

She really could not help it.

Still, the door simply opening and someone who the pale girl was very sure she did not know entering was a shock. And Stella did not think she'd been called Miss Pinyin since she'd started at Hammel. "Ah, hello?" she replied somewhat quietly as she rose to her feet and quickly tucked her white hair behind an equally pale ear. "Can I help you?"

[Naomi Green]

"Hello," replied Naomi, smiling peacefully. A smile did so much to disarm. Though, really, looking at this girl caused a slight stirring within Naomi, a strange urge. Who would do something to this strange little thing? No, wait, she couldn't think such thoughts. She needed to focus on her task at hand.

"Actually, I brought you these," said Naomi, holding out the flowers. "Though I would hardly say they're reason in themselves. To be wholly honest, we have a mutual friend, and I felt like a meeting would be beneficial to us both."

Because Naomi's curiosity had simply been too piqued. Who would possibly engage Zac enough to distract him and bring out such defensive aspects? That showed such weakness, made him so easy to control. Worse, the first thing that Naomi thought upon seeing Stella, besides the very simple "she looks like someone I would want to defend," was that she wasn't earth-shatteringly attractive. Oh, cute, to be sure, and striking, but Noami fancied herself to be more physically appealing.

So one could likely rule sex out.

"May I come in?"

[Stella Pinyin]

Inhaling the perfume of the blooms, Stella's eyes widened and she took the bunched hesitantly. "For me? Are you sure?" she asked slowly, slowly beginning to smile as she held the flowers to her nose. "They're beautiful! Thank you very much!" There was red and white and yellow and they smelt heavenly.

The second part of the speech took a moment to sink in, and the pale girl raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Ah, beneficial? Who is our mutural friend?" Even as she was speaking though, one white hand was pulling open the door and Stella quickly moved back to give Naomi room to come in. "Oh yes, of course. Please be comfortable."

Retreating instinctively to her counter, the glowing girl managed to find one of her water containers to put the flowers in. "Ah, can I get you some tea?" she finally asked, looking up towards Naomi. Given she was now over a meter away, the best her violet eyes could manage was to find her visitor's general vicinity. "Or a cookie?"

[Naomi Green]

"Quite," said Naomi. Her face hardened into that smile now, the expression seeming almost stiff and painful. The Brit watched as Stella moved about, trying to lose closely at the girl, to figure her out. Such an intriguing puzzle, to attract so much attention. What was the appeal here?

Beneficial. "Yes, quite," agreed Naomi, nodding. "As for our mutual friend, that would be Mr. Zac LaRousse. Actually, Rumor has it that you two are quite close."

Naomi saw no reason to beat around the bush, not at this time. Something about the girl was already unnerving Naomi. For some reason, that silly urge to protect was still rising up. Perhaps that was Stella's meta-power? To instill in other people the urge to protect her? If so, it was a remarkable gift, and one that would do quite well for someone in her position.

Tea. Biscuits. "I'd certainly enjoy a cup of tea with you," said Naomi, her accent making the statement sound so stereotypical as to be painful. "But I'm afraid I'm not interested in any biscuits at this time."

She'd wandered into the common room, looking about and examining the various rooms. "Which one of these rooms is yours?"

Perhaps that would start providing information...

[Stella Pinyin]

Stella's eyesight did not make using computers easily, and even if the lily white girl had managed to be able to use a laptop it was highly unlikely she'd ever had checked the school gossip blog. "Rumor? About me and Zac? That seems highly unlikely, I mean, why would people bother talking about me?" she asked, even as she opened the door to her room.

It was obvious upon entering what Stella's heritage was; there were calligraphy hangings on the walls and the furniture was arranged to optimise her qi, and there was no chance something could trip her unexpectedly. "Please, come in,"

Tracing her hand over the bench to find her tea cups, the albino peered up at her shelf and ran her finger pads over the containers. "Ah, black or green?" she asked, filling her kettle and turning it on. "You want to talk about Zac? Is he alright?"

[Naomi Green]

"It's quite likely, I'm afraid. It has more to do with Ru--LaRousse than you, however," said Naomi. Truthfully, it was more or less split, though Naomi saw no reason to divulge that. It appeared as though Stella hadn't read the blog herself. Odd, considering how very many students read that or reported upon it. Naomi knew that if her name had come up, chances were that one of her roommates would have mentioned it.

It was certainly something that Naomi considered as she followed Stella's direction, stepping toward the room. Yes, it was quite evident what Stella's heritage was, with the classy wall hangings which Naomi naturally politely commented upon, nodding toward those. She didn't know enough Chinese to actually read them (please lord let me have gotten that right), but she knew enough to recognize the language itself. There was a tasteful arrangement of furniture as well.

"Green would be perfectly fine," said Naomi. She turned to face Stella, having already learned what she wanted from the room. Focus would be important to sway the girl. "As far as I know, Zac is doing quite well. Of greater concern, however, is yourself. Rumor is dragging you into the light, Miss Pinyin."

A pause, and Naomi looked slightly over Stella's shoulder, as if considering the wall. What all should she say? It hardly seemed fair to do anything overtly harmful to this girl; she could prove useful. Plus, she was a meta, ergo someone deserving of some respect and protection, so long as she didn't start espousing some silly pro-human view. So what to do, what to do?

[Stella Pinyin]

Spooning the leaves into her teapot, Stella topped it up with the boiling water and let it steam for a few moments before fitting on the lid. Patting along the bench, her fingers groped for an extra cup. Entertaining company was a rare enough event that the badly sighted girl was not yet in the habit of leaving more than one out. "Please, take a seat, be comfortable,"

This was getting more confusing, and as Stella knelt at her table and poured the tea, she glanced in Naomi's direction. "What rumor? And I'm not, ah, that is I am, ah, I am very happy without light...."

It was a little unsettling, having this stranger in her room telling her how Zac was doing something. "So, so Zac is ok?" That was the real concern here, because while the chinese girl might not fully understand what exactly the rumor was, or why anyone wanted to bring her into the light (and what that meant was another question too), and given how worried her friend had been when he's visited, it stood to reason that 'Zac is in trouble" was her first reaction.

"Is the, ah, tea alright?" she mumbled, looking down at the table as her pupils skittered back and forth.

[Naomi Green]

"I think I shall, thank you," said Naomi, taking a seat on the bench. She tilted her head, studying the other girl closely, trying to get a better read on her. Just how much did Stella know, or not know, as the case may be? Was she some delicate flower that Zac kept locked away from people? That hardly seemed likely, as they were in the girls' dorms. One would think that Zachary LaRousse could handle his women better.

So what was Stella to him? Obviously she cared, with her words, and that got Naomi's interest, as did her comment about the light. But how much to share? Well, things would likely get to Stella anyway, and Naomi was fairly convinced that if she didn't, others would. Besides, the only way that Naomi would be able to get her answers was to prod a little.

"Rumor is the name of a rather vulgar blogger who likes to splash the private lives of the residents of Pilot Ridge onto the internet, apparently," said Naomi. She'd had to see printed screenshots and hear it secondhand, but she had little reason to doubt the veracity. "He, or she, has recently been releasing information stating that LaRousse has been spending time with you. I know him, and felt that I should see how true these rumors were, and possibly to keep you informed."

Also quite possibly to test the waters and cause some mischief herself. Truly though, Naomi wanted LaRousse as an ally, and befriending this girl seemed a likely way to get it. The Brit sipped on her tea, using the silence both as an aid to contemplation and as time for Stella to digest.

"The tea is quite lovely, thank you."

[Stella Pinyin]

"Oh!" Stella exclaimed in understanding, then her face fell. "Sorry, I don't know that word. Blogger?" It sounded like maybe an illness, or some sort of slang for a nationality she didn't know? In fact, it didn't even sound like a real word when the Hong Kong native sounded it out in her head. Blogger. Blog-ger. Bl-ogg-er.

And why would some undefined person care about what Zac did? It was clear to Stella who the focal point of interest was, and it was not a quiet albino who kept to her room between classes for fear of running into someone or something.

"Zac is my friend," she finally pointed out. "Why shouldn't we spend time together? It's not abnormal." Because Stela had a pretty good grasp on abnormal. "Why would someone find that interesting?"

Why did Naomi find it interesting?

"Thank you," Stella managed, sipping her own momentarilay forgotten cup. What was this all about? "Did I do something wrong?"

[Naomi Green]

And Naomi thought she was behind the times. "A blogger is someone who writes blogs, which, apparently, are nasty little collections of writings that are posted on the internet. Rumor specializes in sensationalism."

Which had apparently hinted at Naomi as well, not that she particularly cared. So long as Rumor focused on inane details, such as the students' love lives and the scandals among the faculty, than she had nothing to worry about. The moment Rumor started revealing information about her suspicious behavior, well, Naomi had discovered that she could deal quite a lot of damage to a computer in a relatively short period of time.

"Friends spending time together is hardly abnormal," agreed Naomi. "It is, however, the fact that you are one of Zac's few friends, that has everyone's interest. It certainly only adds to things when one examines the lengths he goes through to protect you."

Naomi took a deep sip of her tea, nearly sighing. "You're an adorable girl, aren't you?" she said. it wasn't fair, that someone like this should be where she was, locked up. Such an innocent creature, and apparently one that could actually influence Zac, of all people. Naomi was doubly impressed, and almost as determined to see if she could help.

Perhaps manipulate Zac a bit as well. But how could Naomi not be in favor of a relationship between two metas? It served to showcase everything she stood for.

[Stella Pinyin]

"Sensation-al-ism?"[/b] Stella sounded out under her breath, really wishing Naomi wouldn't talk so quickly with quite so many strange words. Her english had improved vastly since she had started at Hammel but the english accent threw her off. Wasn't sensational a good thing? How was someone a goodthing-doer?

A small frown creased Stella's paper white brow and she shook her head. "Zac is a good boy," she said with a shred of determination. "It is strange how people do not think so. I have been told to, ah, be a guard to myself?" That sounded wrong and Stella sipped her tea to hide her chargin. "But Zac will not hurt me or make me sad. I do not think he means to hurt other people. And he does look out for me."

That was maybe the longest speech Stella had made to a stranger in, well.... possibly ever. To make up for it, the shy girl busied herself with her tea cup and let the fragrent steam clear her head.

Her head shot up at Naomi's comment/question and the glowing girl looked extremely uncomfortable, as if she had just realised there was a large elephant shaped thing in the room and if she looked at it, it might say something embaressing. "Oh, ah, thank you?" she managed to mutter, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "I mean, I don't, that is, ah, why?"

It was a really strange thing to just, well, announce to someone, wasn't it?

[Naomi Green]

"Sensationalism," repeated Naomi. "Making something out of nothing, mostly for attention."

It had never occurred to Naomi that she might have to hold a conversation with someone who didn't quite understand English that well. If she had known of Stella's position in that, she likely would have talked slower, enunciated more. Lack of communication was hardly beneficial to her, especially now.

Then came a very clearly communicated idea: that Zac was, in fact, worth defending. Naomi's eyes widened as Stella passionately defended her friend, speaking almost as much in a few seconds as Naomi had heard from her in the entire time they'd been together. Will not hurt, will not make sad, will protect Stella. As if Naomi needed anything else from this little meeting.

Just as Naomi had been thrown off balance, so had Stella, for completely different reasons. The Brit found herself shaking her head, chuckling to herself. "Forgive me. I truly did come to tell you of Rumor's tales of you, but I also wanted to see you for myself. Zac speaks quite highly of you, after all."

No reason to hide that card, not now.

[Stella Pinyin]

Well, that made a lot more sense. Stella repeated it to herself softly to fix it in her mind, and add it as well as the clearly worded definition to her ever expanding english vocabulary.

"Zac says silly things," Stella sighed, even managing a small giggle as her eyes partially closed with her smile. "You should not listen, I am sure it is all lies." The softness in her voice spoke volumes about her affection for her, affection even the quiet girl did not know the depth of yet. "He must be an important friend, for you to, ah, introduce yourself for him."

That Miss Green was introducing herself over Zac did not surprise Stella; it had happened enough by now that it seemed as good a reason as any to come into her room. Strange, how association with the infamous boy had expanded her social circle so.

With careful hands, Stella reached forward for Naomi's cup, the level of warmth a much better indicator then her poor eyesight as to if she needed a refill or not. The sound of pouring tea was always relaxing, though her uncle had expressed a wish sometimes that she be so obsessed with something a bit more american.

Miss Pinyin could make excellent apple pie, as a result.

[Naomi Green]

"On that, we agree," said Naomi, smiling slightly. Stella's next words made the smile slip. Naomi must... care about Zac? No, that was simply nonsense. Wholly untrue. This was to see if she could manipulate Zac, use this affection against him. It certainly wasn't so she could get closer to him, or discover her own affection for the blind girl. That was simply ridiculous; impossible to even think about.

Hands reached for Naomi's cup, and at first, she didn't notice. When she did, her own hands extended, fingertips gracing Stella's. Naomi's brow furrowed, and she ducked her head down slightly, studying Stella more closely. She didn't have a great amount of experience with disabled people, but this seemed to be hinting toward something that was fairly obvious, even to Naomi.

"You can't see, can't you?" she asked, her voice making the words soft, for some reason, instead of the icy harshness that they usually had. Lighter, like snow instead of ice. "Or at least, not very well."

How ironic, a girl that made light but couldn't see it on her own. Or was that the price her gift paid? Sometimes these things were Janus-faced, dealing as many struggles as they did successes.

Yet it was just one more thing for her to take note of, to add, and again, Naomi found a slight part of her rise up, wanting to protect.