I will not waste chalk (Carter)

[Miriam Cohen]

Vermont had a very different climate than that with which Miri was familiar. Mostly, it was cold! The unfamiliar chill gave her a jolt of excitement: in spite of herself, Miri found herself liking something about this school. It provided an opportunity. She had experienced all sorts of heat. She knew humid, oppressive heat and dry, arid heat. Cold was new. Cold was special.

Cold was the reason she headed outside once classes were completed for the day, eager to try out this unfamiliar sensation. Cold air! If there were such a thing as taking a shower in it, Miri would. She would envelop herself in dry cold. She would douse herself with it.

She would settle for finding a nice spot under a tree and sitting quietly in it, and since that one was actually possible, that was what Miri did. She placed her backpack beside her and took out her math book, ostensibly reading ahead for tomorrow’s class.

The appearance of studiousness was rather spoilt by the way she gazed about her, simply fascinated. The air even tasted different and the colors truly were a beautiful and surprising array. Somewhat grudgingly, Miri admitted to herself that if she had to be sent away, she could imagine no lovelier place than this.

[Carter Chevalier]

Classes were out and for the most part it was time to get out of there. Carter had been stopped in the hall to talk quickly with his twin brother before he left. They were basically exchanging plans for the rest of the day, and Carter had promised to meet with him later and head out for dinner.

Leaving the sanctity of the indoors, Carter went outside. It was easier to cross through the courtyard to get anywhere as opposed to trying to hide indoors. He was very used to the cold. More to the point, he was used to colder weather and found the slightly upbeat temperature of Vermont to be refreshing. Still, he wore a fitting black jacket and a scarf around his neck because he wasn't interested in getting sick. That was when he saw the girl, and what she was doing.

Well, that was a little strange. If Carter were to ever use the word, that was.

With a mental shrug he pushed off and walked in her direction, chuckling to himself as he drew near. "Climatising, are we?" He asked lightly, intrigue evident on his face.

[Miriam Cohen]

“You know, I suppose I am!” Miri agreed. “It’s really beautiful here.” She would have called it admiring. The scenery certainly deserved it. This place was absolutely stunning. Still, now that he mentioned it, she was getting used to it. A part of her hoped she never would. What if, every day, she could appreciate this place? There were a lot of things to enjoy, after all.

She looked up at the boy for a moment, staying in her place on the ground. He looked to be close to her in age, give or take a few years but probably a student. And what could he do? She found herself wondering with every new person she met, though she did not yet know if it was a polite question to ask.

She set aside her math book and stood so that he did not have to look down and she did not need to crane her neck looking up.

“I’m Miri. I just got here yesterday.” At least, she thought, it was possible to say so here. Back home she had not mentioned at all where she was going, had not wanted anyone else to know. She did not offer her hand to the boy. She had learned that, like objects, people carried accessible memories and she did not want to pry. Instead she smiled and waited for his response.

[Carter Chevalier]

"It is." Carter replied, rounding the statement off with a smile. He watched as she stood up, his eyes glancing to the book she'd placed down. He took on her name and the rest of the information given, curious as to why she didn't offer a hand. With a mental shrug, the French descendant extended his hand.

"Carter, I've been here for years." He figured it was only fair since she offered the same amount of information. Further to the point, the offer of contact was out there not. Carter worked best when getting a physical feel for the other person.

[Miriam Cohen]

Miri looked at Carter’s hand for a moment, uncomfortable with saying no, but also uncomfortable touching him. She shook her head a bit tensely. “I… I don’t…” They told her she had what was called a voluntary ability, that once she controlled it, those flashes would not happen without her wanting them to. She could not control it yet.

She swallowed. “I can’t touch people. I don’t… mean to be rude, I just… can’t. Sorry.” She truly was sorry. It was rude, and she had probably made him feel awkward. The weather being cold as it was, she could probably wear gloves without arousing suspicion.

“So, do you like it here?” she asked, trying to change the subject. She knew she was being blatant, but accepted that. “You must know it pretty well, having been here for so long.”

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter turned his head to the side slightly, completely out of curiosity. He looked down to his hand; was there something wrong with it or something? Slowly he drew his hand away again, allowing it to fall back into place in his pocket. "Not everyone can, I suppose." He replied lightly. A shame. Skin to skin contact was so very crucial in life. But he knew about people who weren't comfortable with it, and even those who's abilities made it too dangerous.

"The school? Or Vermont in general?" Carter asked, knowing how to easily tag along in the conversation. He wasn't going to allow it to remain awkward; there was no point in that.

[Miriam Cohen]

Miri had meant the school, but she was new to the state, also. “Either one, I guess!” Truth be told, she only knew as much about Vermont as she had seen in movies or on tv, and it was not one of the states they liked to portray in movies and tv. Even though she knew they were quite different, she often confused Vermont and Wisconsin.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter's smile radiated amusement when she replied. He took a few moments to think about what to say. Or rather, how to appropriately articulate what he was going to say.

"I do like Hammel. It's full of... Interesting people." He replied initially. And that was true. Given why everyone was brought there, it made sense that everyone was special and quirky in their own way. "You'll probably never be in an environment like it, so it does take a little time to adjust." He pointed that out too, trying to be helpful. All in all, he was trying to be positive about the situation despite its shortcomings.

But Vermont, was different. "As for Vermont, well... I prefer winter in France." He did carry a slight accent from his time there, but it wasn't exactly his home. "Or Maine, which is where I suppose I grew up."

[Miriam Cohen]

Miri nodded. She had thought Hammel might be the sort of place where people felt united by a similar threat. After all, even she knew that metas were not always well accepted by the world at large. That could make them feel a kinship to one another. Her first interaction with another student ended with the words changed in her history book. She still did not understand why.

“What’s the difference?” she asked. It was a question meant to be polite, she was showing interest in him, but it was also a question of curiosity. Back home, winter just meant there were fewer hours in the day during which you were likely to get a sunburn.

“I mean… is it colder, or…?” Honestly, she knew next to nothing about winter beyond the fluffy cotton with plastic reindeer she had seen in department store windows.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter took the time to think of his answer. The differences were dependant on the person involved. Dom would likely say he hated everything about Vermont and wanted to spend more of his time overseas as opposed to being stuck in America. "Originally I suppose I'm actually from Maine. Though, we didn't live in any specific place for long enough." He explained. Really, Europe was where he preferred to be were it not for his mother.

"Around this time it isn't really as cold. That might sound strange, I know." He was still getting reports from his mother as she kept asking him to come and spend the holidays with her instead of with their father and uncle. "It's just much more festive to me. And inviting. While people normally like to keep to their own business, everyone seems open to celebrating together when the winter holidays come around." He explained, though he knew that his explanation probably wouldn't make sense to another person.

[Miriam Cohen]

Miri could not help smiling at that. “Not as strange as you might think,” she assured him. Back home, it was probably eighty-five degrees today. She had spent most of her life in the desert. Even when her family went on vacation, more often than not they had spent a large portion of the time in a desert. So hearing Carter say his home was not cold did not sound strange to her at all.

Actually, none of his explanation sounded strange. “Is there like a community event, or just how people treat each other changes? Like how people say ‘Merry Christmas’ here—only if they actually meant it.” She kept her necklace tucked under her shirt most of the time. Now it meant a skipped chat about ‘but do you celebrate Christmas?’

She did celebrate Christmas, but that wasn’t the point. She had pride, she just didn’t like making other people’s merry Christmases awkward. When it was merry. No one in the shops seemed to mean it; she knew saying so was a requirement.

[Carter Chevalier]

"Something like that. The misconception is that French people are reserved and arrogant all year round." Carter replied, laughing at the thought. "One of our holiday traditions is a set of huge outdoor markets around Paris. It tends to be full of cheer and Christmas tidings. Strangers become friends, coming together under the union of the holiday." Plus the food and wine was particularly amazing, but he didn't need to specify like that.

He glanced at her curiously then, her words sinking in more than he thought; "Do you find the obligatory 'Merry Christmas!' to be a little... Off-putting?"

[Miriam Cohen]

Miri could have provided him with a few more clichés about French people, having watched plenty of TV, but knew that was hardly the point. Outdoor markets, though, that she understood. Well, she understood it with haggling and crowds and bags of spices in heavy burlap sacks, but that wasn’t the point.

At the question, she shrugged. “I guess I might if Christmas meant much to me. It’s not genuine, not usually.” American culture in general seemed phony to her, but that was rude and Miri kept it to herself. “I’m Jewish, so, it’s just kinda weird when people start to say it and then look at me funny.”

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter nodded his head a few times, understanding what she meant. Religion wasn't something he took very seriously in his own life, but he had nothing against people who did. Intrigue played its way onto his face, and he couldn't help but ask a few more questions to calm his curiosity. "So what do you say when people say it to you?" Carter asked lightly, "Do you say it back, or do you correct people? Or maybe just smile and nod." He shrugged. Sometimes it was just easier to let it slide and not bother making a huge deal about it. But he supposed it all depended on the person.

[Miriam Cohen]

“Usually I just say ‘thanks, you too’. It’s not like I’m not used to it, and anyway, no one ever says ‘Merry Christmas’ meanly, you know? Either they say it rote, usually they do, and then it doesn’t matter, or they mean it. How often do you get that in this country, someone genuinely wishing a stranger well just ‘cause?” She was not going to mess with Christmas cheer. It wasn’t her culture, but so what? It made people do nice things for each other. “Like you were saying, it may be eighty-five back home but there’s something to be said for the Christmas spirit.”