Enter The Shadows (Open.)

[Appoline Meian]

It can always get worse. Even though that was her first thought, Appoline held her tongue in the face of his assessment. It was not her place to argue with his perceptions, even if she did not agree with them. Besides, as she thought of it, it probably wouldn't have helped anything anyway. So, she merely ducked her head a little and said nothing.

The mention of social interaction made the younger student fidget slightly. She wasn't an extroverted person, even more sequestered in herself than either of her parents, and the thought of being engaged in any concept of a social life made her very strongly uncomfortable. It was one of the reasons that (despite the all-ages promise) she hadn't gone to any of the school dances yet. It was something she didn't really enjoy, though she knew that Cam probably did... when he wasn't feeling like this. "I'm not a very sociable person," she murmured softly. "This is... pretty much as 'social' as I get. Sorry."

His smile made her smile a little - it looked like he was feeling a bit better emotionally, even if it wasn't because his problems were being solved. However, at the mention of Chester, she jumped slightly, eyes wide in shock. She hadn't known the boys ran in the same circles, let alone were friends. "Ch-Chester?" she asked, hoping not to confirm her information. "I... oh my..."

This just became more complicated.

Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she looked back to the drenched boy. "Yes, I do. But, um... you should warm up before you do anything else. I can, ah, brew a pot of tea while you shower and dress, if you don't mind." Though she blushed thoroughly at the idea of being anywhere near somewhere where a boy was going to be unclothed, Cam was sick; staying in freezing, damp clothes was only going to make it worse. She could be discreet for a bit so that he could be more comfortable.

[Cameron Osiris]

Cam waved his hand a little at her apology. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. She didn’t expect everyone to be like him, and it was times like these where he got the chance to get to know others better, when he wasn’t surrounded by other loud people such as himself.

Cameron sighed, looking away at her sigh. Why did people always react that way when they found out they were the best of friends? “Why does everyone act like he’s some kind of monster?” It didn’t matter what he had done, Cameron would forever defend him, even if it wasn’t for his best interest. He was definitely in love with the cad.

“If you don’t mind,” he said, sniffling a bit as they walked into his dorm. There was a small spot for a few kitchen appliances, and he walked towards the area. “I have some snacks around here somewhere...” He was saying, pulling down some instant noodles, chips, and hot chocolate. “Help yourself.” Then he neared Appoline and took one of her hands, squeezing it instead of giving her a hug like he wanted to because he didn’t want to get her wet. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

Cameron made to get into bathroom and shut the door before getting into the shower. It was where he leaned against one of the walls, and just stood there. He let the tears come again, feeling like nothing could fix the brokenness he felt now.

[Appoline Meian]

The statement that was obviously meant for himself rang a chord in Appoline. Why did she act so scared of him? Because he was a forceful person? Because he spoke as if he owned the world and no one else realized it yet? Because he could read her mind and see through her timidness? Most of his qualities should have had her wanting to be closer to him, and yet she fretted over the next time she'd see him on campus. She even still carried a bit of cash on hand in case the redhead's comment about paying him for being a model wasn't a joke.

"I... I'm sorry..." she whispered quietly. "I didn't mean..." How troublesome.

Thankfully, they had entered the room, and the Japanese girl was surprised to see that it was much like Amos' dorm, if a little cleaner. When he motioned to the small kitchenette, she found the supplies easily and nodded. "I'm sure I can find something," she replied, giving him a very soft smile. Her expression shifted to surprise when he grabbed her hand and held it, a blush forming over her pale features yet again from his forwardness. She was so startled that she didn't say anything in response, merely watched him head for the shared shower as she held her hand to her chest.

Shaking her head, Appoline turned to the kitchenette, removing her jacket and placing it carefully over the back of a chair so not to get anything wet. Off came the long boots (which stayed by the door) and her scarf (joining the jacket), and the shy girl pulled her long hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of the way, the strands of white apparent over the cinnamon-black of the rest of her hair. She rolled up the sleeves of her blouse slightly, exposing her tiny wrists, and she set about finding what she could use to heat water for tea. Finding a pot and setting it with water on the stove for some of those instant noodles (which were pretty much the only thing she could cook anyway, and she read the instructions three times to be sure anyway), the gymnast eventually settled on the small coffee pot for the source of tea water and poured water into it to set it going.

She was just finishing making sure the noodles were ready and pouring the soup carefully into a bowl when she heard the shower stop. However, she did not turn her head, merely busied herself with making sure that the tea was steeping and the instant dinner wasn't spilling everywhere. Privacy would be something that she respected greatly, and Appoline wanted to give Cam his if he needed it. Even if she had made his bed and his dinner for him.

[Cameron Osiris]

Appoline was very attractive in her own way. She was so very different from anyone else Cam had ever met, and he felt extremely drawn to her. She would be happy to know that he couldn't read minds and wasn't as harsh as Chester, though in the current state he was in he had the capability. He stared at himself for a few moments in the washroom mirror, towel dried his hair and then wrapped the towel around his waist before heading to his room without a sound. There he changed into jeans and a simple white t-shirt. He ran the towel through his hair again before it ended up in a mound on the floor in his bedroom.

Leaning against one of the walls, Cameron watched Appoline move around the kitchen, her back to him. She was just so... graceful. It was like she knew exactly what she was doing, where everything was, and everything was intentional and perfect. "What's your power?" He asked out of the blue, since he couldn't remember if he'd asked already and he thought maybe her movements had something to do with it. He hadn't meant to startle her.

Not really wanting to let her do everything, Cam approached and looked over everything. It was all pretty much done. He covered his mouth to sneeze into his elbow. "Ick," he said, sniffling, "sure you want to be around me still?" He laughed and sniffed again, turning on the spot to look at something else, his face falling into sullenness.

"You'll have to let me repay you for this some how," he said, a finger to his face in contemplation. "What's your favorite thing to do?"

[Appoline Meian]

Appoline had never thought of herself as beautiful. She was too small, looked too mixed in her ancestry, and had too many flaws to be considered beautiful. Her eyes were different colors, her mostly black hair had a white streak from infancy, she was almost completely deaf... too many things, not enough benefit. She supposed someone somewhere would think of her in an artistic sense, but only her father ever called her "beautiful", and she never believed him. He was her father - he was supposed to say things like that. The idea of being considered attractive crossed her mind so infrequently that the Japanese girl would have become rather startled if she knew what Cam thought.

However, she didn't, and her focus was great enough that she didn't realize Cam was behind her until he spoke. Fortunately, the pot had been rested back on the stove by the time he did, so the inherent jump and whirl about that the gymnast did was largely uneventful. She stared at him for a moment, uncomprehending until she realized he'd asked a question. Almost immediately, she averted her eyes and began fidgeting with her hands. "I... It's... um, enhanced reflexes," she murmured, looking away. "I... well, I react faster than people should... than people do."

She'd made the correction for him, rather than herself.

Stepping away slightly from the small kitchenette, Appoline chewed her lip nervously as Cam surveyed everything. She wasn't the best cook (second only to her mother in terms of inadequacy), but at the very least the instant noodles were completely cooked and still soupy and the tea was steeping and hot. It was the most anyone could ask of her cooking skills, really. His sneeze made her jump, but since he didn't say anything about the state of the food, she laughed as well, albeit more quietly. "Sure. You, um... you shouldn't be alone when you're sick."

The idea of repayment made her face fall a little, and her skin paled visibly before she blushed and turned away, shaking her head emphatically. "N-no, that's all right," she stammered. "I'm... I mean, I don't... well... you don't have to do that."

[Cameron Osiris]

"Oh, well that explains a lot," he nodded a couple times, "it shows." Maybe this wouldn't be the best explanation, but it made sense in his head now and that was all that mattered. He didn't think she would be embarrassed by her own power or anything. "You move around gracefully, like water." He said, voicing his thoughts from before. What? He was only slightly hitting on her, and it was more of a compliment anyways.

Cam wouldn't complain if anyone cooked for him. Besides, his taste buds were pretty off and anything that was hot hot hot would do the trick. Picking up one of the bowls, Cam let the steam roll over his face pleasantly. "I don't like being alone, ever." He shrugged, the action making the liquid stir and he moved around a little trying to make sure he righted the bowl before it could spill. Carefully he took a sip, sitting on the couch in the room and waiting for her before he had any more.

"And you didn't have to do this," he said, setting the bowl down and looking over the back of the couch at her. "Come on, you're really gonna deprive me from my own true wish of wanting to do something nice for you?" He smiled broadly, so glad for this distraction. She really had no idea. "If you don't tell me, I'll just have to write you a song." There, that would be plenty good enough. "You know, when I'm not sick."

[Appoline Meian]

Graceful? Me? The thought made the teen blush deeply, embarrassed suddenly. She didn't have terribly good control of when or how her powers reacted - they were largely subconscious and moved faster than she could process information anyway, so anything that was graceful about her came from years of gymnastics and diligently not tripping over her own feet. Did that make it... something good about her? or was it just her ability, this unnatural thing that made her different from others?

Honestly... she didn't know.

"Um... th-thank you..." she muttered softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Compliments were rare, despite her talents. "I... I don't think I'm that fluid, but... thank you."

A slight smile came to her face as he admitted his own dislike of loneliness, and Appoline nodded. "You usually seem to have a lot of friends around," she added. "I... well, I don't know if I could do that. People... make me nervous." Bullying tended to do that to people. "So, I like being by myself sometimes. But... being around friends... sometimes... is nice."

Tucking her bangs back behind her ear nervously, she looked over at the blonde, torn. No, she didn't have to, but it was the right thing to do. She didn't want repayment or anything like that - he just looked miserable, and miserable people sometimes need a boost. Even from someone timid, that little hint of kindness is almost always what it takes to make them feel better. Just like now. There was really no reason he should pay her back at all, but when he insisted like that...

And then, there was the idea of a song. That concept was new to her, and while she was curious about what it would sound like, it made her blush even more furiously. She really didn't want this much attention. "N-no, that's all right," she stammered, looking down meekly at the floor. "I just... you were... It was nothing, I p-promise. You don't have to. Helping you... it was enough, I s-swear."

And her mother wondered why her father was so placid about the idea of her dating.

[Cameron Osiris]

"Oh you're just being modest," Cam pointed out, waving his hand around her frame, "I mean look at you. You're elegant, I know girls who'd give up a whole lot to have your body." And probably a few guys too, but he wasn't trying to get to that point.

"A lot of people are just as nervous as you are," he said, and those were the ones who tended to shy away from the crowd, those he never got the chance to know, except like this. It didn't mean he liked crowds always, just as she didn't always want solitude. "I really like all people," he said reassuringly. Just because she wasn't his usual cup of tea, didn't mean she had to go disappearing on him, or never say hello again like this was some kind of one time thing.

Seeing her blush only encouraged him. "I'd sing it live for everyone on YouTube..." he mused, apparently sweetening the pot. He laughed at her reaction, but not at her. "Don't worry, I'm just teasing." But he'd have to write her a song now that he'd mention it, but it wouldn't be live. She'd know when it was ready.

"Come on," he said, waving her over to the couch, "the food's gettin' cold!" Turning back to face the little coffee table where his soup sat, Cam hunched over it, watching the noodles bob. They looked as sad as he felt. "So," he said, forcing on a smile, "you want to watch a movie or something? I've got tons."

[Appoline Meian]

The blush extended further, and for a long moment the small girl thought about pulling her hair from its ponytail simply to hide behind it. Elegant? Graceful? No, that couldn't be right; she could hardly keep from making a fool of herself on a daily basis. He must just be trying to be nice. "W-well... um... th-thank you," she stuttered, breaking eye contact in her embarrassment.

"Yeah, you do," she agreed softly, shyly looking back up. Cam was one of the friendliest people she'd ever met - Appoline was sure that even if he met the world's biggest jerk, he'd smile, introduce himself, and they'd be friends in less than a week. It was just what the blonde did. "It... it suits you. Being around people, I mean."

The blush of embarrassment turned almost instantly into horror as he mentioned the idea of making a video of such a thing. Considering that she'd never had a song written about her (or anything at all, really), in addition to the fact that she believed art in all forms to be private and for the artist only, the concept of having something so personal broadcast over the internet... well, it was frankly a little terrifying. Fortunately, the blonde immediately followed with a grin and a statement that he'd been joking. The Japanese teen sighed heavily in relief, laughing very weakly. "O-oh, I see. W-well, that's okay, then..."

She hadn't really expected to eat dinner there, but she was just so glad that this odd little display of gratitude wasn't going to be voiced to the entire world that she merely stepped around to sit on the furniture with her host. The gymnast's slight weight sat lightly on the edge of the cushion as she placed the second bowl of soup gingerly down on the coffee table. Her two-toned eyes flicked up to Cameron's face meekly shortly before he spoke, allowing Appoline to catch the slightly dour look just as it turned into a forced smile. He's still upset... I really shouldn't stay, but... I can't leave him like this. I'll call after the movie. They'll understand... I think.

Giving a slightly embarrassed smile of her own, the younger student nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun," she answered softly. "Um... do you have anything... anything silly?" If not, she was sure she could find a way to stream something really silly and sugary sweet from the internet. Ponyo would probably be out because it was about two young kids falling in love (not something Cam needed now), but there were other things that were equally amusing that she knew of.

[Cameron Osiris]

Cam didn’t think he was a jerk, all he knew was that most people seemed to absolutely adore him. And what was so bad about that other than making a load of friends? “I think you’re right,” he said, knowing full well that he felt being the center of attention in a crowd.

He leaned a little closer to her. “You’ll have to get used to my jokes,” he said, implying that they should definitely see each other again, and when that happened, he didn’t want to scare her off. Half of the things he said were tall tales or jokes, she had simply happened to catch him on a bad day. She knew more about him now than a lot of his friends did. Sometimes you just needed to tell someone totally unrelated to the situation in order to get through it.

He hadn’t really been paying attention before, but that was probably because she hadn’t been looking him in the eyes for some reason. Maybe she was just shy? Well, whatever it was, he was surprised at what he saw. Her eyes were two different colors, and it just made him feel all the more enchanted. There was something soft and delicate about her that made him want to have her around more often. But he also didn’t know just how bare he was around her.

“Yeah, lots of silly. What do you like? Comedy, Disney...” he kept on listing different things as he got up from the couch. He began listing some movies, glancing back at her every so often and making a face if he really didn’t like what he had suggested. What? He was only influencing her decision only slightly. “Oh, I’ve never seen this one,” he said, talking away. The title said ‘Road to Eldorado’, and there were two guys on the cover looking like they were having a great time.

“Wanna try it?” He asked, really just ready to go back to eating and forgetting everything on his mind. Cam was going to make some kick ass hot chocolate for them later.

[Appoline Meian]

Appoline leaned back instinctively from the motion. It wasn't that Cam bothered her, nor that he smelled bad or anything like that (he had just showered, after all) - the elder Meian girl was just introverted and had a bit of a large bubble of personal space. The distance she sat from the blonde was about as close as she could be without being totally nervous; him moving closer, even for a moment, was nerve-wracking. Still, the female cracked a weak smile at the idea of seeing the young man again... or, more accurately, at being subject to his idea of a joke again.

It could be worse. He could have had her mother's sense of humor. "Y-yes... I suppose I will."

Catching Cameron staring at her made the artist fidget slightly, and she glanced away to the movies he was indicating to keep from becoming too restless. "Oh, well... I like all sorts of movies," she answered, though somewhat lamely. When he got to The Road to El Dorado, her expression perked up slightly. She hadn't seen it either, but she liked animated films regardless and always enjoyed comedies. Plus, it had been well-reviewed.

"That sounds like fun," she agreed, smiling slightly in relief. "I... um, I heard good things about it."

[Cameron Osiris]

Cam didn’t know what personal space was, and he didn’t notice when she leaned away. And he wouldn’t have minded either, because he didn’t like making people uncomfortable, but some people would always be no matter what he did.

“Great!” Cam took the movie off the shelf and popped it into his laptop on the table. It was all he had, and hopefully she didn’t mind. He ate the rest of his soup quickly and sipped on his tea throughout the movie. He laughed loudly, and asked a lot of questions about the plot instead of just paying attention. When it was over, he grabbed all their dishes and brought them to the small sink provided by the institute.

“So, what’d you think?” He asked from where he was, filling the sink with soapy water. The two main male characters, reminded him of how he and Chester had been, and while the movie was fun, it was also bittersweet. “Can I ask you something,” he said, not really looking for permission, “do you have a cell? ‘Cause I’d love to have your number.” He was eager to see her again.

[Appoline Meian]

Watching a movie on a laptop was not a foreign concept to the Asian girl, and she leaned a bit closer in order to see the movie clearly on the screen. Though Cam was loud and very inquisitive, Appoline didn't mind much, pointing out details in the plot he'd missed and laughing quietly in certain spots as well. Mostly she pointed him back to the movie and just let him have his fun - after all, it was what he needed, and she could at least give him that much.

After it was over, he'd grabbed up the dishes so quickly that she had little opportunity to help out; and what with the sink being so small, she settled back on the couch and watched him instead, answering his question with a soft smile. "I like it. It's... it's really fun. They looked like great friends and... I think that it's nice that their friendship worked everything out. Eventually, I mean."

His asking for her number was a bit of a start, and the girl turned away, her face flushing darkly once more. "Um... well, I..." she stammered. "Y-yes, I do... but... well, it's mostly for family things, and... well, we have classes together..."

Suddenly, her blood ran chill as she looked at the clock. It was well after her curfew and she hadn't called. What's worse, her father hadn't called her, or if he had then she hadn't heard the call over the movie. Either way, she was in trouble when she got home. Jumping up in alarm, Appoline raced over to her jacket and pulled the small flip phone out, checking its screen for a message. There were none, though the time seemed to stare at her on its facing. She was in so much trouble.

"Um... C-Cameron, I'm s-sorry, but I... I really have to.... to go," she stuttered, looking back to him. "My dad... he's got strict curfew and... I need to..." Gesticulating with the phone, the gymnast bowed deeply and suddenly. "I'm so sorry! I should have thought..."

Once again, thought trains going too fast for mouth to process.

[Cameron Osiris]

Most people just told Cameron to shut up during movies, or commented later on how he didn’t know how to shut up. It was nice not to be ridiculed for something he really couldn’t control, even when he tried to.

“And,” Cam said over his shoulder, “he got the girl. How cool is that? Best friend, and the girl...” Now he was just blabbing and he wasn’t sure what else to say that was worth listening to. He wished real life was like the movies sometimes. Where things worked themselves out for the better and nobody got hurt. Cam worked on rinsing off the dishing.

Moving around the kitchenette, Cam found a tea towel and set to work drying the dishes. He had roommates who wouldn’t be too impressed if he ended up being a pig. Well, more of a pig than he already was. “Oh. Right.” Cam said – he could tell when he was being rejected. He smiled to himself, wondering how anyone could be so shy.

Glancing towards her, Cam wondered if Appoline had seen a ghost. She looked like she would like nothing more than to disappear into the floorboards. He dried his hands as she panicked. “Hey, it’s cool, I understand. Do you want a ride home?” It was the least he could do after everything she’d done.

[Appoline Meian]

Appoline, paused for a moment, then added a little cautiously, "Sometimes, things just seem to work out like that." She didn't want to point out that it didn't always end up like that in real life; the movies were to entertain, after all. No one ever said they were ever completely true.

Despite the fact that she was completely justified in her reasons for not giving him her cellphone number, the artist felt a little guilty over it, too. She supposed that she'd given a certain impression, but it really was just for family use. Which, speaking of that... he'd offered her a ride? Really? She didn't know the older boy drove, let alone had a vehicle of his own. Staring at him mutely for a moment, a sense of relief dawned over her face as she bowed again. "Th-thank you so much! I would be very grateful!"

Very quickly, the diminutive girl gathered her things, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything. Jacket, phone, wallet, backpack, umbrella, scarf... that seemed like everything. Was there anything she was missing? Her brain was too scattered now to think about it, but she figured that if she remembered something later, she could always ask Cam for it back after class. After assembling everything and bringing it to the door, she pulled her tall boots back on and looked to the light manipulator apologetically.

"I'm... I'm sorry to drag you out like this," she said, her expression sheepish. "You just got back to being warm and dry..."