It starts with a Hi (Open)

[Aaron Hale]

Upon waking up, Aaron had found that he had a distinct kink in his neck. After rolling out of bed and attempting to alleviate this annoyance with a rhythmic popping of his neck, he threw on some clothes. Mostly because walking around the grounds in nothing but your boxers is most likely looked down upon, not to mention that it was illegal if that law still stood. A text message received notification had come across his cellphone screen, though he was unsure from whom.

Pulling the simple white shirt over his head, Aaron pressed a button and let the message display across the screen. He knew in an instant it was something that he would not be interested in.

More of Brandon’s talk about how he...got some last night. For a fifteen year old, he sure did act pretty loose. Typing in a quick message, he stuck the cellular device into a pocket of his sweat pants and let out a yawn before stretching. Maybe he could take a walk around the courtyard before getting properly dressed and going out to eat. There were many good places to eat at, he was sure of this and he was craving fast food. Slipping on some socks and his converse, he also didn't forget his favorite jacket and wool hat. It was chilly that day and Aaron didn't want to get cold.

Making sure not to forget, Aaron grabbed his pencil and sketchpad. Never know when inspiration might hit.

In a matter of moments he found himself in the courtyard. It was a nice place with green grass and a few trees to sit under whenever he found the urge to do so. A cool breeze breathed down his neck, sending a shiver down his back and raising a few hairs as well. “Maybe I should have just stayed in bed.” He muttered to himself, before taking a few more steps forward. Sitting under the shade of a tree, he opened the sketchpad, flipping over a few pages that had some detailed looking artwork in it; until he reached a blank page and began to work over it with the mechanical pencil.

[Madison Bane]

Madison was wearing a pea green trench coat, wrapped tightly at the waist as he made his way across the grounds. His room was starting to smell bad with everything he had been collecting recently and he just needed to get out. The Febreeze could only do so much and it was only a matter of time before the stench began to bother his roommates. He would clean eventually, but he just didn’t have the time for it now. And he really didn’t feel like it.

Pushing his oversized glasses further up his nose, he noticed that no one was in the courtyard save for a blond boy sitting under a tree. Madison didn’t go near the other person, uninterested in who they really were and interested only in who they might become on paper.

Taking out a notebook of his own, Madison sat on one of the courtyard benches and went to work. He was so engrossed in his writing, he became lost in it, often running a hand through his hair or madly scratching out a sentence or two. Usually he would have his laptop with him for writing purposes but its battery was dead and there weren’t any plug ins outside.

If I could be anywhere in the world right now, it would be with him, wherever he is...

The story began from the perspective of a love struck female, and Madison kept glancing at his subject to get the story right. Once in a while he would just stop to observe without being caught and ruining the magic. It seemed like the blond had a bad crick in his neck, so the character, Leonei, would have terrible posture and probably end up having a hunchback by the time he reached the age of forty two...

[Aaron Hale]

Slowly but surely his sketch began to take shape. It was one of the many characters he had made up, also one that was in his recent story he was brainstorming. There was no harm in bringing it to life with his pencil. Currently he was dead to the world and focused upon his art, each stroke had to be perfect or they would be worked over by a thick eraser. It started with a female looking head, the white hair falling down onto her shoulders and fierce looking eyes that held a killing intent. While he was not very good at drawing a female form, the character was not fully curvy as one would expect from an anime style drawing.

Aaron let a sigh whistle through his lips, examining what he had done so far. The head seemed to capture the characters intensity and all in all looked well enough. Still he guessed he could do better, but then came the part that he would find the hardest to render in a form. First came the neck and then the body itself, which was muscled but also had a certain shape that he could not get done.

After around a minute of frustration he managed to grasp the concept, or at least felt confident enough with the drawing to continue. Next he began to sketch the combat armor, a metallic looking but scant outfit that just seemed necessary to cover her; as well as going slightly beyond that.

Out of his peripheral, Aaron caught sight of someone but they didn't really catch his interest enough to distract from his work. Next came the boots and weapons hanging off her belt, though she may have seemed like a shonen style anime girl; the clothing choice was far more than just eye candy. One more detail could be added and then he could do the coloring later, maybe even attempting to color it with that fancy editing software on his laptop that Brandon suggested.

Once he thought he was done, he allowed his gaze to avert from the page to the person that was sitting and drawing like he was. Who was he and why did Aaron feel like he had seen him before? Sure he knew very few people around here but he should start to learn peoples names, avoid seeming rude and all that.

[Madison Bane]

Leonei had fallen madly in love with Marcia, and although they never got married, they had a family. Besides, they didn’t need a piece of paper to prove their love, and though the babe was born out of wedlock, they were happy and that’s what mattered. Until Leonei found out he had cancer in his neck and died.

Madison sighed and adjusted his glasses, drawing a huge ‘x’ across the paragraph. That kind of story would never do. He studied the paper and wished that he could bring to life the stories in his head as easily as he could animate his drawings.

With a twitch of his eyebrow, the letters and words in the story were undone. This happened a lot when Madison became frustrated, and his power was trying to tell him everything was okay. It was like his power wasn’t an extension of himself, a sixth sense, but rather a whole other being. Slowly but surely, the words rearranged into sharp lines and edges, positioning themselves to make a rather pretty sketch of the boy he had been viewing, only older.

The man on the page had the same basic hairstyle, and as what Madison had imagined in his head came to life, he began to take ownership of the work and feel better about himself. His eyes swivelled across and around the page, adding more lines in certain places for shading and near the eyes. The added lines of the face made subtle wrinkles, and though the man was older, he was still handsome.

Madison didn’t really know anyone around here, despite how he’d been part of the Hammel furnishings for some time now. He stuck to his room, where his treasured books, movies, and internet lay, and contacted only Mat. Something about people both unnerved and betrayed him as a writer. Well, that’s what he desperately wanted to be but it always came back to this: animations.

Looking over the grass again, Madison made eye contact with the person he had been studying. His glasses fell down the bridge of his nose slightly, and he smiled a wicked smile that told he was up to something. The lines were still dancing across the page as they formed, and now his new character was smiling and winking constantly. The animation didn’t just stop; it was lifelike in every way.

[Aaron Hale]

As soon as their gazes met, Aaron felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was something that gave him a sense of dread. It was that expression the male wore and how he looked back that made Aaron quickly return his eyes to his sketch, pressing the lead extra hard against the paper as the tip snapped. Upon realizing his mistake, Aaron let out a muttered curse barely audible to himself, an indent probably three pages deep now present upon the paper. Being the perfectionist towards his art as he was, this was going to be another scrapped piece of his as well as more wasted paper. It seemed like Shayla Ashford would have to be drawn another time.

There was always time for him to try another drawing, if he could think of what to sketch. That feeling that the guy was up to something still bugged him, to no end actually and the smile also was a contributer to a certain creeping paranoia. Running a finger over the sketch once, he turned the sketchpad three pages forward and drew the beginnings of another face with a renewed intensity.

“Don't stare back, he's probably just another student that’s enjoying the air. A fellow artist that’s all.” He thought to himself. He wasn't the type to stare but damn was he curious and curiosity killed the cat as the old saying goes.

Finally after a brief moment of silence he would speak up. “See something you like or are you just the type to stare?” It was something uncharacteristically unfriendly but the guy gave him a strange feeling by just glancing at him. Plus the glasses gave him a certain nerd appeal but he wouldn't point that out. With that said he continued drawing a male face, with a square jaw and what was beginning to look like deep black hair that reached the nape of the neck.

[Madison Bane]

Madison smiled a little softer as the blond looked back to his work. The older boy liked being in control, having it, breathing it in. It was why he liked creating characters he could control, his own little universe that made sense because he said so and had breathed life into it. Vain and vile though Madison was, it wasn’t his intention to ruin the other young man’s work due to his staring. In fact, the blond should be honored, it wasn’t just anyone Madison wrote about, er, drew.

But Madison didn’t know about that as the other boy seemed to carry on with a different project. Tilting his head up to look again, Madison was happy to note that his sketch was nearly done. He could add colour to it later, dark hues to make his drawing look wise and knowledgeable. It would be great, and if it was great enough, he would hang it up on his wall somewhere. If not, he would stuff it into his closet somehow, there was always more room for stuff.

Eventually the other would stare back at him again, and now Madison was looking at his sketch, lost in the curvature. “Am I only allowed two options?” Madison asked smartly, holding the notebook with two hands as he watched his lines tango and twist. The other boy was attractive, there was no denying that, but there was no reason to pursue it either. But Mads also liked to stare – it gave him ideas and muse.

[Aaron Hale]

The obviously older males reply was interesting, causing a single blonde eyebrow to elevate slightly. While he could think of a few more choices for him to sarcastically choose, this was not multiple choice. Well it was but that was not the point. The fellow artist seemed like the witty type, able to come up with remarks easily enough. “No.” He answered simply smirking to himself.

“You could also be contemplating how to kill me, maybe by trying to cause my skull to implode, I’m no mind reader.” Who knows if there was someone that could actually cause skull implosion? He had never really thought of that and had no intentions of testing if his own gift could attain a result like that. It was too morbid and time consuming for him to even try. Nose bleeds and headaches could also prove to be quite the....headache. Continuing where he left off before turning his attention towards the strange male, Aaron began the formations of a male face.

While self insertion was frowned upon by most self proclaimed writers that he knew of in New York, he was attempting to draw himself. Maybe he could try a comic, even if he lacked the know how to do that. It didn't seem too hard and there was no harm in trying. First was drawing his jawline and working off of that, defining the cheeks and all of that stuff. The eyes would be the hardest for him. He had to make sure that they were around the same size and not crooked, didn't want the piece to look retarded.

[Madison Bane]

Madison smirked a bit. “You could be a mind reader, we’re at a school for metas,” he replied, but there was something to fear. His attention went back to the drawing, ebbing and flowing, now complete and smiling at him. The lines were a little strange, since they had been made up of many smaller lines from all of the words he had written before. And he didn’t like how the paper was lined. Oh well, he could use a broader pencil and some colour later.

Quite content to leave the conversation go flat, Madison dropped his notepad in the grass, abandoning his spot on the cold hard stone for a softer one where he got to lie on his belly. His eyes flicked over to where the other boy was, and he thought he looked vaguely familiar. Huh, maybe Matías knew him somehow, since Madison didn’t care to know people. A little closer to the boy now, Madison readjusted his glasses and took a peek at what he was drawing. It looked like a comic, and now Mads was critiquing the other in his mind.

“Let me guess, drawing?” It left a lot of room for the other male to sass him, but Madison didn’t mind. He wasn’t looking for a fight, but the blond had started talking to him and they were in the same vicinity. He didn’t want to bond, but that silent barrier had now been crossed and he would no longer been ignored. The lines on his paper continued to move about as he made adjustments, without a pencil or pen in hand.

[Aaron Hale]

“Point taken.” he ceded, finishing off the rather annoying eyes. He had managed to make them symmetrical enough, adding a sort of depth not to make them seem painfully plain. “Sadly I don't have anything that cool.” Aaron would have preferred something like reading minds, but moving things with his would have to do. With the eyes done he could begin on the hair, which was wavier than his own and slightly longer. This was mostly a self portrait plus a few things that he wanted to add in, improve the image as he would call it.

The sound of the other males voice seemed to catch him out of his drawing trance once again. This time it seemed like he was guessing at what he was doing and he was spot on, since it was not easily misconstrued. “You guess right. I'm drawing up some concept art for a few characters in something I’m writing.” he said this while trying to return his attention on what he was doing, but that barrier of silence had already been broken. It seemed they were having a somewhat awkward conversation but these tended to break the boredom.

This guy seemed amusing enough, though perhaps that wasn't the right word. Even from his first word, it could be told that his personality was a distinctive one. Aaron mentally cursed as he botched part of the hair and went over the mistake with an eraser before trying again.

[Madison Bane]

With his luck, this other boy probably would end up being a telepath. In any case, it was what Madison added to his head cannon of who this blond boy was. So far so good, but now he would have to adjust his drawing to reflect this. “What lame power do you have?” Mads asked then, looking blatantly at his subject and nowhere else. Madison had deep brown eyes, nearly black. Most of the time they looked mischievous even though he had never hurt a soul, only in his writing. It was just his look, like he was constantly up to something. In his mind he thought he was quite clever, so yes, he was always up to something.

“Hm,” Madison said, looking back to his work and studying it. Sometimes when you came to a block, you simply had to stare at it a little longer. And in that moment it hit him. The drawing was lifelike, but at the same time didn’t feel lifelike. It was because he didn’t know the subject too well, and he knew he would have to have more study sessions. They were both writers, but Madison’s paper didn’t look like he was drawing at all.

Not wanting to be a subject himself, and unable to sit still, Madison sat up again, only this time he turned his back on the other boy. Now he wanted to concentrate on the story in his mind. Flipping the page, he so wished he had brought a different kind of paper. He tried to remember if the art room had a thicker stock he could use for painting, but the school didn’t seem interested in much other than developing powers, not anything Madison was interested in anyways. Putting his pencil to work on a new page, he hadn’t put much for into it when it broke clean in half. “Cheap, stupid thing...” Madison muttered to himself. So much for getting more out on paper.

Looking over his shoulder, he interrupted the blond once more, nearly calling him Leonei. “You wouldn’t have a spare pencil on you or something, would you?”

[Aaron Hale]

“My lame power is telekinesis. Its pretty cool I guess, but telepathy sounds so much cooler if you ask me.” His eyes were like pits almost, a deep brown that bordered upon black but was not quite there yet. The starkly contrasted his eyes, which were a deep emerald color. They always held a certain contained curiosity, always questioning things they saw.

Turning from his brief mental examination of the strange male, Sean found himself back to work on his self portrait, though it wasn't going to well in his mind. He couldn't really get the lips right and he kept drawing the jaw a little too square. Running the white eraser over the jawline, he redrew it until it was the proper shape for him. Then after that came the neck, which would be much easier than correctly drawing facial expressions for him.

The next thing the guy said after turning his attention from him was if he had a spare pencil. Aaron raised a blonde eyebrow almost out of habit, feeling through his pockets to see if he did have one; sadly he did not. “Sorry can't say that I do.” He said simply. Even though the guy was being cryptic at best, Aaron didn't really enjoy saying he didn't have a pencil for the fellow artist to use in performing his art.

[Madison Bane]

Peeling his eyes away from Leonei, Madison thought to himself. "Aren't you going to ask what my power is?" Not that that world revolved around him or anything, but he was surprised the question didn't follow the answer like it did in his head. He was all ready to answer it too. He did more talking than actual listening and would probably forget this boy's real power and make up something else that made more sense in his head.

Unsure if the other was lying or not, Madison sighed. "Not my day I guess," he said, pushing his glasses up again before standing. He fanned his coat around his body, closing the notebook and glancing around the grounds for a moment. The fastest way to the mall on foot was to the East. Now he didn't want just a pencil, and his craving for creating wouldn't be satisfied until he got his hands on something a little more, high quality.

His eyes wandered over to the blond boy again, wondering if they would cross paths again. Madison was reminded of his sketch and he smiled knowingly. "Bye, hero." It would be a good long walk to the paint shop, and he could think of the story on his mind all the way there, while he bought paint and charcoal, and all the way back to his room. Maybe it wouldn't smell as bad at that point.