Caught in a Storm (Rhett)

[Juniper Birdsong]

Maybe it wasn't the best of ideas, practicing aerokinesis by herself out by the lake, but the day had been clear earlier, Juniper had finished her homework earlier, and she just wanted to get out and get in nature for a while. She hadn't expected the storm to start blowing through, and since she didn't have a ride back to Hammel until later, she was sort of stuck there for the time being.

With her hair tied back in a loose ponytail, Juniper balanced precariously on a stone jutting out of the ground several yards from the edge of the water. The clouds above were getting thicker and darker, but it hadn't started to rain quite yet, and she was determined to get in as much practicing as she could. She was pushing the wind around her back and forth in an attempt to keep herself balanced on one leg, trying to see how long she could concentrate on keeping the air under her control before she lost focus (and probably her balance).

She was in a pretty remote area, and didn't think she'd run into anyone, especially with the oncoming storm. Fortunately, she had found a large pile of rocks nearby that covered a small but comfortable covered area, which she figured she could take cover under once the storm began.

With a flick of the wrist, she created a miniature whirlwind from her hand, but she misjudged how sturdy her position was; the movement caused her to lean forward too far, and to compensate, she bent backwards, losing control of the wind and nearly falling on her butt in the process.

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett liked lightnings. He loved to watch the electrical discharge go between clouds in the sky or descend to earth. It always amazed him the amount of light they emanate and the beautiful shapes they make in the air. It made him antsy and it made him feel tickles in his stomach. That's when the thunders were heard, which he loved as much as lightning. They were the perfect ending for a the most beautiful nature phenomenom he had ever seen, as it made him vibrate in a rather strange way inside, which countered the effects of the ray of light in way that he loved far too much.

Back when he lived in Hammel, and also back when he did in Kocher, Rhett had to contain himself from leaving the premises to watch storms up close to see the lightning discharges, which sometimes made him miss most, but living alone as he did now, provided him the liberty of moving up close to storm chase. Of course, he unusually went too far from Pilot Ridge, but due to the quantity of Weather controllers living in Hammel, he didn't need to, as storms brewed up easily around the town within frequent basis.

This time, by watching the storm form up from his balcony, Rhett figured the best spot to observe it was a small hill near lake, so he found his way there quickly. It didn't took him long to find a comfortable place to watch the storm, and he did so for about half an hour, enjoying the dark clouds, cold breeze and lightnings in the distance. But the storm moved. It surprised him, he was no weather expert, but he had chosen the lake as a place to watch the storm because he knew the storm was going to move in the opposite direction. Clearly, he was wrong, and he found himself feeling raindrops fall on him as he started to walk his way towards the road, hoping he could call for a cab before it started to pour.

He couldn't. He had to find shelter, but, thankfully, due to the amount of time he had spent in the vicinity, Rhett knew the perfect spot.

"What are you doing here?" Rhett said as he entered the small cave while shuffling his hair, surprised of seeing a girl inside.

Apparently it was an afternoon of surprises.

[Juniper Birdsong]

After a few more minutes of slowly losing more control of the wind (the storm was really making it harder, and she had already been practicing for a while), Juniper decided to call it a day when she felt the first drops of water hit her skin. She hopped lightly off of the rock, grabbed her jacket that she had placed nearby, before pulling it on and making her way towards the small cave. She wasn't a huge fan of small places, but it wasn't that deep, and there was plenty of room for herself inside.

She ducked inside and settled against a wall, watching with wide eyes as the clouds began to pour down. Lightning was striking some distance away, and though Juniper didn't mind thunderstorms all that much, they were definitely scarier when you were somewhat exposed to the elements. Mother Nature was incredible.

Before too long, as she gazed up at the purple-gray sky, a shadow was cast across the entrance, and Juniper blinked as a boy's face came into view. He looked familiar, but before she could say anything, he was asking her what she was doing there. Always ready to make new friends, Juniper smiled brightly up at him and replied,"Just getting out of the storm. It's getting pretty intense out there."

She studied his face a moment longer before snapping her fingers and pointing at him. "You're in one of my classes. Rhett, right?" Always one to be social, Juniper made an effort to remember as many of her classmates' names as possible. At this point she gave a friendly little wave, scooting over slightly to give him some more room. "There's plenty of room for both of us!" she chirped, pulling her skirt closer around her legs as she folded them underneath herself.

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett nodded at girl's initial sentence. It was indeed getting more intense out there, and Rhett had a knack for getting sick easily, specially when about catching colds, so he definitely preferred to pass the time in a small cave with what looked like it was going to be an obnoxious girl than out there getting himself wet and causing himself to be a mess of nose fluids by the next day's morning.

"Umm..." Rhett hummed as he tried to place the girl in his mind. "Yeah, Rhett."

He couldn't quite remember her. It usually meant one of three things, she either was obnoxious and the type of person Rhett's mind preferred to ignore in all circumstances, she was a wallflower that managed to hide herself from Rhett's keen senses, and ability, or plainly, she didn't actually know him and had heard of him for somebody else.

The fact that she offered him, in a very friendly way, a spot just next to her to sit made Rhett lean towards the first possibility.

"Here is fine enough, I'd believe." He said as he sat some steps away from the girl. "Remind me, which class again?"

[Juniper Birdsong]

Juniper wouldn't have liked knowing the boy thought she was obnoxious, but, since she didn't know, she was all smiles and friendliness. Really, even if she did know, she would probably still act the same - it was in her nature to see bright sides to everyone.

"Oh, good," she replied, beaming. "I'm glad I didn't get it wrong." It had been unlikely, considering how well she remembered names, but it was always a possibility.

A cold blast of air made its way into the cave and, narrowing her eyes, Juniper pushed one of her hands outward; the gust halted immediately. "That's better," she murmured, half to herself. Aerokinesis definitely came in handy in these sorts of situations.

She blinked at Rhett as he made to sit a distance away from her, and shrugged. Some people didn't like closeness, she understood that. She was just one of those people that would hug someone within five minutes of meeting them if she got a good vibe from them. Juniper was thinking Rhett was not one of those people. But, to each their own.

"Oh! Um, English," she replied, smiling. "I think we might've had something together last year too." She vaguely remembered it. "I just like to get to know the names of people in my classes," she explained, leaning back against the side of the cave. "It makes it easier to schedule study sessions." Ah yes, she was a very dedicated student.

[Rhett Goddard]

A cold breeze started to reach Rhett from outside when suddenly, air seemed to explode from the direction of the girl and out. Her extended arm made it easy for him to guess that she was the cause of it. It had been a time since he last met an aerokinetic, specifically, the last he met was Odion's friend, Avi. Another obnoxious girl. He rolled his eyes and wondered if they knew each other.

"Right, English..." Rhett said as he tried to remember her, but still she wasn't coming into his mind. "Yeah, I don't do study sessions." He shook his head. "Not a groups person, nor a people's person, as a matter of fact, if we're getting into that."

The blonde studied better by himself, if he did study at all. Most of the times, he just did a quick read before exams and attempted to do them mostly by what he remembered from class. It was a system that actually worked quite good for him. He happened to have quite a good selective memory that seemed to save him from failing exams most of the times. Almost as if luck or his ESP doing him favors, but he doubted it actually worked liked that.

"So you were practicing your thing when the storm hit." Rhett affirmed. "You're not so good, are you?" He asked rhetorically. "That storm should not have moved in this direction, this is a wild guess, but I'm thinking it is your wind that brought it here." He barely had any evidence to support his thought, but he had seen meta-kids do worse thinks and he still firmly believed the storm should have moved the opposite direction. "If you did, you should be able to shoo it away too." He hinted. "Would you kindly? I had other plans later on."

[Juniper Birdsong]

Juniper smiled over at Rhett as he spoke, completely oblivious to his thoughts. "That's fine," she told him; not everyone was as friendly or bubbly as she was. It was just in her nature - she knew not everyone was so open. "I just like making friends, really. Some people are just harder than others." In her opinion, every time she met a stranger was the opportunity to make a new friend. Rhett was no different, even if he wasn't particularly friendly.

She tilted her head at his question, a small frown crossing her face. "I was practicing, yes, but not with the winds that were controlling the storm. Just smaller breezes." Her comment about her not being good made her smile slightly. "I'm still learning. I mean, I'm getting better, but I don't have complete control over it yet. I'm sure I'll still be working on it even years after I graduate." The air was a funny thing, and the fact that she saw it in colors definitely made it quite complex. She pondered his theory, pressing a finger against her mouth. "I mean, I suppose it's possible, but I don't think I'm quite that powerful," she mused. "It would take a lot of power to be able to control that much air.

His request for her to shoo the storm away made her chuckle softly. "I wish I could. And I suppose I could try - but don't expect results. I can give the air suggestions, but I can't warp them completely." She scooted closer to the entrance of the cave, concentrating on taking several deep breaths before slowly pushing her hands out. She was met with great resistance - she was working with masses of air much larger than she was used to. After a few minutes, the storm looked like it had maybe moved a little, but not a lot. "I think that's the best I can do," she told Rhett, looking back over at him. At least the rain had lightened slightly. "Sorry!"

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett almost said that he was among the "harder to befriend" group, but he decided not to. He thought it was already obvious and not worth wasting his breath in saying. Then the girl went on about how she was not powerful enough to be able to be the cause of the storm and Rhett rolled his eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time since he arrived at the small cave. At that moment he knew that she wasn't the cause and that she could not fix the problem. Nonetheless, she said she'd give it a try and Rhett appreciated the effort.

"Oh, I'm not expecting any." Results, that is.

The blonde looked at the girl as she did her thing and wondered if she was actually doing something. He looked out, at the storm, and couldn't see nor feel nor hear anything different. After a few moments the rain lightened and Rhett looked back at the girl.

"Nothing is the best you can do?" He asked. "Well, at least you're sorry."

Rhett was getting a bit annoyed now. He liked watching storms but he didn't like actually being in one. It made him feel trapped and it made him want to run away, and if it weren't because he knew he'd surely catch a cold, he would. At least a couple of lightnings were striking and even if he couldn't see them, he could hear the thunder. It soothed him.

"So," He said while looking out at the rain. "you come from a hippie family?" He asked. "I doubt Juniper Birdsong is a popular name, not that mine is either, but mine doesn't sound like out from a Harry Potter book."

[Juniper Birdsong]

Juniper quirked an eyebrow in Rhett's direction. Thanks for the vote of confidence, she thought in amusement.

She really had tried - this was just out of her abilities. Rhett's comment made her shrug, motioning toward the slacking rain. "I think I might have nudged it west a bit. But I have no idea how much air I was really trying to move. It's like..." She tried to think of a comparison. "Like trying to push through Jell-O. There's quite a bit of resistance, but it does have a slight give if you know where to push it." She wasn't the best at explaining things, but she wasn't quite sure how else to put it without going into the details of the different colors of air she saw and how difficult it was to get them lined up in a way so they cooperated.

She looked up in interest at thunder boomed in the distance. "I have a blanket it my bag, if you're cold," she offered, remembering it just then. Juniper pulled it out - she normally used it for picnics, so it was an item she almost always kept in her messenger bag. He looked like he had gotten pretty wet before he had got to the cave, and she figured it was worth the offer.

Juniper smiled lightly at his question. "Yes, you could say that," she told him. She didn't particularly like labels, but she figured if her family was put into a category, that would be it. Laughing at his comment, she tucked her knees closer to herself. "I've always liked my name because it's so unique," she admitted. She vaguely wondered what house she would be put in if she went to Hogwarts. "Rhett's cool too, though. I haven't met anyone named Rhett before."

[Rhett Goddard]

"Yeah," Rhett said confidently. "no, you didn't."

Rhett was sure that Juniper hadn't affected the storm at all. He did so thanks to his ESP. Useless. He visibly rolled his eyes away from the girl as she started explaining how her power worked. He definitely didn't ask for an explanation and he didn't want it, he disliked kinetic powers. As much as he loved his ability, he envied the prowess kinetic-related metas have when controlling their abilities, whereas Rhett had little to no control over his own. It sucked, having so much potential to learn anything he wanted from any person around him, and not being able to easily do it unless whichever god that controlled what he learned or not decided to allow him.

"Thanks." Rhett shook his head to the blanket offering. "Ravenclaw."

He answered the question Juniper was asking herself which sprouted inside Rhett's head almost immediately. Great, another one that will think I'm a mind reader. Rhett sighed a bit, thinking that they should start a club and hoping that a new Harry Potter comment wouldn't ignite a Harry Potter conversation nor the thought that he could be a fan of the book series. And he was, but he wasn't anywhere near ready to admit it out loud.

"Buttler?" Rhett asked curiously. "Rhett Buttler?" He shrugged. "Well, someone doesn't read old romantic novels." He nodded. "Good, they're boring, specially that one." He looked away as the words formed in his mouth. He didn't want to say it out loud as he found the subject a little too close for comfort, but he took a breath and did so anyway. "Rhett and his lover don't end up together."

[Juniper Birdsong]

Juniper paused a moment, then laughed at his reaction. "Okay, fine, maybe I didn't," she conceded, if only to make him happy. Or perhaps not happy, but just less... Grumpy.

She knew he hadn't asked about her ability but, well, she was talkative, and she felt the need to explain. If he didn't want to listen, then... She supposed he didn't have to! She caught his rolled eyes look and simply smiled, unaffected. Juniper loved her ability, but if Rhett was disinterested, she would stop talking about it. No need to push an unwanted conversation.

"No problem," she replied, instead wrapping the blanket over herself. She wasn't totally cold, but it was nice to be a little snuggly during the storm. His Harry Potter label made her chuckle, and she though about if it was accurate. Yeah, actually, it was. It was perfect. "That's definitely me," she agreed, but didn't press on the subject. Juniper opened her mouth to see if she could ask what his ability was, but, judging by the path of their earlier conversation, she didn't think that would be something he would want to give up. She would let him go at his own time.

Juniper shook her head at the mention of the name, having not heard of it before. "I'm more into modern works and fantasy," she admitted, although there were a few old classics she loved, like The Lord of the Rings and Frankenstein. Neither of those were even close to being romance novels, though. "But maybe I'll look into it," she added, then frowned as he continued talking. She wondered what the significance of his last sentence was, considering his reaction. "Poor guy. I hate those kinds of stories. I take back what I said." Nope, she liked stories with happy endings.

Juniper watched him in concern for a moment. "Are you alright?" He looked upset.

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett found it strange that she simply laughed at his rather hurtful words. Is she for real? He knew he was being a jerk, most people would have reacted bad at that, but she took it with a smile as if nothing had happened. And granted, nothing had actually happened, but people, and specially women, are usually more sensitive than this. She either was smarter than he had initially thought, or she was simply one of those person that are so happy about everything that are impossible to bother in anyway.

Through his mind, a small thought passed: what would take to bring her down? Rhett tried to shoo that small voice in his head. People like Juniper were the reason why it was so damn hard for Rhett to be a good guy.

"I know." Rhett said, wondering just how many times he says that through the course of one day.

As with much of what Juniper was trying to share about her, Rhett was uninterested in knowing she preferred modern literature, specially as he detested it and preferred the classics instead. It was a subject he decided he was not going to discuss, but as she asked her next question, he decided to reconsider his decision. Anything was far better than talking about the reason of his previous frown over Rhett Butler's sad ending in Gone with the Wind.

"I am." He simply lied. "You're named after a plant and you adore nature a little too much." He laughed softly. "I guess people can't escape their names, and I was named after a heartbroken guy." He laughed a bit more and shrugged. "Bad luck."

[Juniper Birdsong]

Juniper was definitely intelligent, but the fact was that, though Rhett was obviously trying to be rude, it just... Didn't bother her. She figured she had two choices - take what he was saying to heart and let it hurt her feelings, or shrug it off and just assume he had some personal issue that made him act the way he was. She liked to believe that everyone had a reason for acting the way they did; she just liked to live by the rule to treat others the way you wanted to be treated, even if they weren't treating you the same way. For all she knew, she could help make a positive impact on someone's life just by being her bubbly, happy self.

Another gust of wind made its way into the cave, a bright, cold white, and Juniper frowned and pushed it away again. She stared outside for several long moments; the rain appeared to be lightening still, and hopefully soon it would let up. Or at least, long enough so they could get back to Hammel.

She looked back at Rhett as he said he was fine, but from the look on his face, she assumed he wasn't. Still, she didn't want to press the issue, even though she wished she could help in some way. Her eyebrows rose as he continued talking, and a small smile crept up the side of her face. "My name fits me," she nodded, leaning back against the cave wall. Nature deserved to be loved. She tilted her head curiously. "Why were you named after a heartbroken character?" she asked curiously. It seemed an odd way to name your child.

[Rhett Goddard]

"I don't know." Rhett shrugged. "And it's beside the point, anyway."

The blonde wondered if Juniper was not understanding what Rhett had said. It was not about Rhett being named after Rhett Butler, but about what that meant. It was a rather loose link, but just as Juniper was named after a plant and she loved nature, then if Rhett was named after a heartbroken guy, maybe he was meant to be heartbroken as well. Maybe, as Margaret Mitchell's character, Rhett was not meant to have a happy ending with the person he wanted to, with Odion.

But maybe it was better if she didn't understood. Rhett didn't feel like explaining anyway.

"Soon we'll be out of here." Rhett kept looking away to outside the cave, noticing it was lightening more.

[Juniper Birdsong]

If Juniper had understood what Rhett was getting at, and if she knew his situation, she would have felt quite awful for him. Being heartbroken, she was sure, was a terrible thing, and though she hadn't experienced it herself, she had heard about it from those that had. Even the strongest of people could be thrown into darkness because of a broken heart. She hoped she would never experience it.

"Yeah, I think we will!" she agreed, peering up at the clouds. A few moments later, the clouds began to break apart, and the rain subsided to a very light shower. "What do you think? Is it over?" She stepped outside for a moment to test the air, nodding decisively. The winds could tell her everything. "It's gone. We can go!" She went back inside to grab her bag. "It was nice meeting you, Rhett!" she told him pleasantly. Maybe they would bump into each other again sometime, and maybe she could work on making him not quite so grumpy!