Invading the Bubble - Open

[Jude Shepherd]

If there was one thing Jude was well aware of, it was that no matter how little you care about your roommates, a little courtesy went a long way. Because Jude never played his guitar in the dorm room, his roommates were pretty quiet whenever he wanted to study. It was a win win situation.

But it did mean he had to find some place else to do it. Jude was the farthest away from being an exhibitionist, and he disliked people listening to him play. And apart from Daisy, nobody else even knew he had the little hobby. It was actually the only hobby he had that didn't include studying.

It was late at night that he usually played and there was a corner in the auditorium where sound didn't echo. It was his little soundproof pocket from the outside world. It also let him avoid being heard so he had all the privacy in the world.

Tonight, he was feeling a little jittery as he went to the auditorium. He had gotten a burst of inspiration in the middle of the day to write a new song and he couldn't wait to compose it. With his guitar hugged tightly against his chest, Jude arrived at the auditorium and set his things up.

Making sure that nobody else was around, Jude took out a piece of paper and a pencil and started jotting notes down, playing as he wrote. It was coming along nicely when the door to the auditorium opened. Jude was a little lost in the music that he didn't even realise he had company...

[Olivia Delmore]

It was quite late at night and Olivia still could not manage to sleep. She was exhausted, but couldn't manage to get comfortable. All of this tossing and turning was bound to annoy someone...so she lifted herself out of bed and changed into a brightly colored purple T-shirt and some sweats. Nobody would be up anyways, no sense in dressing up. She was hoping to go run some laps in the gym. For a moment she considered coffee, then wrinkled her nose in disgust because the taste repulsed her. It was far to bitter for her liking, even with loads of sugar and creamer. Yuck.

She made her way quickly down the hall, running her hand through her dark hair along the way. It must be a bit of a hot mess up there. She gave up on perfecting it and pushed open the door. The air was chilly and made her shiver, but she couldn't risk turning back to grab a sweatshirt and waking her roommates. She practically ran to the other building and thankfully entered. She was just about to head into the gym when she heard a noise. It was so faint that she just barely make it out. Not a voice, no. An instrument, maybe?

Olivia gently pushed open the door to the auditorium, being as quiet as possible. Once inside she saw that she had been right. A boy sat in the corner, she thought that she might have seen him around before, but his name slipped her mind. She slowly walked forward as he played, amazed at how good he was. She had never been able to play the guitar well, or any instrument for that matter. Just the piano. She now stood a few yards away, watching curiously. This may be an invasion of privacy, but she didn't care. He was good.

[Jude Shepherd]

It wasn't until the girl was practically on top of him that Jude looked up. His eyes widened and in an instant, his guitar fell from his hand as his whole body broke down into smoke. His clothes lay in a puddle right below him as he floated away.

It was a good thing the windows were closed so the only place he could ever go was in the auditorium. However, it also meant he was going to reappear in his solid form, completely threadbare, in front of a really pretty girl.

True enough, not a second later, Jude slammed down on the ground, gasping as the cold floor bit into his skin. He looked up and was glad he landed in a shadier area where the girl would probably not see anything. Probably.

"Uh...could you...um...throw my clothes over here, please?" His voice rang in the empty hall.

[Olivia Delmore]

From the moment he saw her Olivia knew that the boy did not want her there. He was embarrassed. She jumped back a little as he saw her, then raised an eyebrow curiously as he...turned to smoke. From force of habit she soothed the mood in the room a bit, not enough to completely calm him but just enough to at least stop the panic.

It didn't surprise her as much as it should have when he changed, blowing past her and leaving his clothes behind. She heard a loud thump and looked over to where he landed, bare naked. Olivia looked away out of respect, although she couldn't really see anything. When he spoke she smiled sweetly. "Of course, sorry to startle you like that. It wasn't really any of my business to be here."

She picked up his clothes and carried them quickly over there, figuring he must be cold. It was winter after all, and insulation on buildings were never perfect. She turned her back and pretended she hadn't seen a thing. "You're really good, wish I could play like that. Where did you learn?"

[Jude Shepherd]

Jude felt oddly calm as he pulled his clothes on, shivering a little at the cold stone underneath. He looked up as she spoke, blushing a little at the compliment. He was glad for the darkness to be sure. A lot of it had to do with the fact that he was standing naked in front of a girl and not by his own volition.

Not that he would ever do that on his own volition either.

After pulling his pants up, he moved towards where his guitar had dropped and picked it up, looking it over for any scratches or damage, smiling in relief when he saw none. "Uh...self-taught." Jude said in reply. "What are you doing up so late?" Jude asked, not exactly thinking of how he was out late as well.

[Olivia Delmore]

Olivia kept her distance as he dressed, not wanting to make the situation more uncomfortable than it already was. Once he was fully clothed she looked at him. He was cute, from what she could see in the dimly lit auditorium. She smiled as he spoke, simply out of kindness. "Well, you're really good. You should do shows." She pulled a hand through her dark hair and leaned against one of the chairs.

"I could ask you the same question." Olivia said with a soft laugh, eying his guitar for a moment. It was a nice instrument. She didn't know much about them, but he obviously took good care of it. Her gaze lifted to his face and she shrugged, "I was just going to do a few laps around the gym. Couldn't sleep."

The realization that she was still using her power was quite abrupt as she felt a pain in her head. Not to horrible, but unpleasant enough to make her stop. Normally she wouldn't have side effects from using it so lightly, but her mind was tired even when her body wasn't, so they came quicker. She looked to him and tilted her head slightly, "What about you? Why do you play alone?" Then she added, "Oh - and neat power by the way. Except for the clothes part, that must suck."

[Jude Shepherd]

Jude dusted his guitar off as the girl complimented him more. It was making him even more comfortable than being barenaked in front of a really cute girl.

"Shows? No." He said shortly. "Nobody knows I play." He admitted before waving a hand in her direction. "Except you."

He looked up at her when she mentioned her difficulty in sleeping. " I know what you mean." He felt the calmness from before suddenly disappear and fear of being caught came back to him. "I thought I was alone. I didn't think I was being too loud." He explained.

"I didn't want my roommates to think of me as that guitar boy." Jude shrugged and frowned slightly in embarrassment when she commented on his powers. "I still haven't been able to master that yet...what are your powers?" he asked, curious as to whether she was responsible for the emotion dulling.

[Olivia Delmore]

Olivia knew he was uncomfortable, and she hated awkward situations like this one. But there wasn't much she could do but try to brush off the fact that she had just seen a stranger naked and try not to feel bad for busting in on him. She smiled softly, her gaze falling to the floor before lifting back up to the good-looking boy before her.

"Well you should change that. Talent like yours doesn't come around often, take advantage of it." She shrugged and yawned, but still knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep even when she tried. "You can't sleep either?" She asked, already guessing the answer. When she released her power she could sense that he tensed back up and felt even worse. "Sorry, I shouldn't have came barging in. You weren't loud, I'm just...curious."

At his next comment she laughed quietly, "If it helps, I totally think guitar boys are hot." She half teased, then her expression grew a bit more serious, then she gave a guilty smile. "My powers? Oh...um, well. Empathy. Nothing special."

[Jude Shepherd]

Jude noticed the yawn and briefly wondered why she was still awake but shrugged it off when he realised it wasn't his problem to deal with.

"Thanks but I don't think I'm quite cut out for the public." Jude shook his head, laughing a little at her guess. "Yes. I had this stuck in my head the whole night. Had to get it down somehow." He shrugged when she apologised. "Don't be sorry. This is public domain."

When she implied how she thought of him, Jude couldn't help but blush even though his looks never really occurred to him so far. Sure, he knew he was blessed [his parents both did him good by giving their good genes to him] but it wasn't a thing he concerned himself with. "But...empathy is a hard power to control. Surely you don't think it's not...special." Jude frowned slightly at her talking down about her powers.

"Uh...I'm Jude by the way." He moved closer towards the girl and offered his hand.

[Olivia Delmore]

She shrugged, deciding not to lecture him on the subject anymore. Maybe she could get him to sing for her someday, if they became friends. He seemed very nice. Shy, but nice. "It was good. Sorry for the interruption." She apologized yet again and then laughed, "I am sorry, though. I suppose you aren't used to people being out this late." Her green eyes glanced around the empty auditorium. It was kind of creepy.

"Yeah I suppose it's hard. I don't like to use it often, just when people are sad or awkward or angry to lighten the mood. Plus it gives killer headaches." She hated pain, therefore she hated the side effect of her powers.

Olivia took his hand gently in hers shaking it lightly before giving a grin and raising an eyebrow. "Well I could leave you to work on your song. Or we could get out of here, since we're both up we might as well enjoy it." She was leaning toward the second option, not really wanting to be alone but not wanting to push him into something anything. Although they had gotten past the point that most people in romantic relationships feared: seeing each other naked. Even though it only went one way and they were only acquaintances. She laughed a little at the thought, but then brushed it off. It was rude to be thinking about it. "Oh, I'm Olivia. Nice to meet you."

[Jude Shepherd]

Glad she was dropping the matter, Jude actually smiled a little, relief washing over him that the girl seemed to take the hint. 'It's okay. It's not like you did it on purpose." He replied frankly. His gaze followed hers around the auditorium and decidedly thought the same thing. It was pretty creepy at night. He hadn't realised it when he came in, much more focused on getting the chords down.

Good thing he was realising the creepiness with someone in the room with him.

"I can imagine why." He nodded shortly at her difficulty. But realisation dawned on him then as he recalled the sudden calm he felt earlier. "Did you use your power on me earlier?" Jude asked, a little angry. Not at her but at his slow realisation.

Her invitation was met with a shrug. "I'm good here actually. But if you want company, I don't see why I can't lend a hand."

[OOC: Thank you muchly for being so patient with me ]

[Olivia Delmore]

When he smiled she felt accomplished, maybe finally getting him calmed down enough to feel comfortable around her. But when he turned angry, she automatically thought he was mad at her. This was usually how people reacted when they figured out she had used her power on them. Nobody liked being controlled, and she could understand that, but sometimes it was just instinct on her part.

"Yes...I'm sorry, sometimes I do it and I'm not even conscious of it. I shouldn't have. I won't do it again..." She was convinced he was angry at her and her hazel gaze dropped to the floor.

At his response to her invitation she was a bit taken aback, not used to people just shrugging off her attempts to become friends. Not because she was cocky, but because...it just didn't happen. Unless the person really didn't like her.

"Well, it's your choice. I'm not staying in this creepy auditorium. Good luck on your song." She wasn't about to force him to do something he didn't want to do. She walked awkwardly toward the door, pushing it open and shivering in the cold breeze. Olivia had not dressed for this weather, in only a T-shirt.

[Jude Shepherd]

This was the part that always confused Jude when it came to girls. The sudden drop in the voice and apologising for themselves. Sure, he was pissed but it wasn't at her. Why can't girls read subtlety? Jude thought to himself, even though he could very well see the irony in that.

And then she was leaving and Jude growled angrily to himself. He couldn't very well let the girl roam around alone. Creeps were hanging around every here and there in the hallways with better control over their powers than her. What if there was a nightmare conjurer lurking around, waiting to pounce on sweet innocent girls such as herself?

No. Jude was not letting that happen.

"W-wait. Let me follow you." He would probably regret this the moment he was out of the auditorium but for now, he was going with his gut. She needed the company.

Sure, that was why Jude was hastily packing his guitar up and following her. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was pretty. Nope.

"Do you often run by yourself in the middle of the morning?" Jude asked, indulging in small talk, funnily enough.

[Olivia Delmore]

Her worst flaw had to be apologizing. It annoyed many people, even her family. She would say sorry until she was absolutely one hundred and three percent sure that you forgave her. Of course by that time, after all of her apologizing, whoever had been angry at her had most likely forgotten why they had been mad in the first place.

She walked away, slower than usual, not that she would ever admit it. Just as she stepped out into the hall and started to walk toward the gym, she heard his voice. With a small smile she turned back, holding the door open for him. "Follow me? What's the worst that could happen in the halls?" She asked with a bit of a laugh. Maybe he was claiming in his mind that this was for her safety, but she was almost certain he wanted a little bit of late-night company for himself as well. Even if he didn't know it yet.

It surprised her when he engaged conversation. He seemed to be more of the shy, quiet, loner type. Not that she was complaining. "Surprisingly yes. I like to jog at night, when there's no one in the gym. I tend to be...well, I would say clumsy but that would be an understatement. I run into people a lot...and trip over...myself." She had always been uncoordinated. Which is why she avoided dancing, hurdles, skating, and anything else that involves sharp objects or the requirement to be graceful.

"But every morning I'm reminded that staying up so late wasn't a smart idea."

[Jude Shepherd]

It made Jude feel genuinely bad when Olivia left a bit crestfallen, hence the following her around. It was a curse for him really, being so aware of how he came across to people and being genuinely concerned of how people took to him. And Olivia; though he knew quite well that just because she looked it, she was probably not the fragile type, gave him that sense of...responsibility over her. That every sadness she could potentially feel was all on him.

This was the dangers of talking to people, Jude thought grimly to himself as he followed Olivia like a lost puppy.

"Well," he started, though feeling stupid for getting caught. "A...uh...an angry shapeshifter could be lurking around...and pounce on you. You never know." He blurted out in a rush.

When she revealed her flaw, Jude gave out a small laugh. "Ouch." He breathed and shook his head at her confession. "Sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you." Jude gave her an awkwardly apologetic smile before turning to where he was walking. "Are we heading to the gym?" He asked, trying to remember the last time he went there.