Settling In (Bryan Rixon)

[Edward Davenport]

It was but his second day on the job, the first was just getting to walk around the school and become familiar with its layout and faculty, something he had not yet had a chance to do. Though he was familiar with the old Hammel Institute, many things have changed. Several new wings were formed, the sports field redone and an many of the faculty members have changed in the past twenty years he had not been there.

Edward just placed the last box on the oak desk that set in the back of his small office. It wasn't much of a space, but with a little work, he would make it his own. He pulled out the black wheelie chair and plopped down, glancing around at all the boxes that littered the room.

"I knew I should have just taken what I needed, not what I wanted." The man said to himself under his breath, a bit hesitant to begin unpacking all of his things. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table while clenching one fist inside another. He just stared at the door for a few minutes before sighing and standing back up.

He walked over to the bookshelf at the side of his office and ripped open one of the many boxes sitting on a small table in the corner. The box was filled with many books, ones that he started quietly filing away.

He had finally come to the bottom of the box, where a leather bound book was sitting. Edward stared at it for a moment before reaching into the box and carefully pulling the book out. It was larger than most of his other books, more worn and used than them as well. It wasn't a psychology, biology or physiology book like most of the ones now sitting in the shelves, but it was home made. The binding was amateurish and the papers inside were off center. The words were all hand written, in beautiful handwriting, instead of being typed and printed out. It was Edward's pride and joy, it was his Meta-Encyclopedia. It held the knowledge of over ten years of research and work.

With a nod and a small smile, Edward carried the book over to his desk and placed it lovingly at the center. He sat down and started to peruse its contents, joyfully reminiscing about his past studies and all the future studies he can make on campus. This also proved a great opportunity to gain the P.H.D.s he wanted in both Psychology and Physiology, but only once he had settled into his new environment.

[Bryan Rixon]

Bryan was so not going to wait until this new guy had settled in before he asked him all of the questions that were in his head. He had a bunch and there was no way he was waiting.

Bryan walked up and knocked on the door to the office. He was in a rush and didn't wait for the door to be opened for him. He barged into the office with a smile on his face. He looked around the office. It hadn't been unpacked yet and was almost as cluttered as Bryan's room at the moment. " Umm sorry for barging in." Bryan was in no way sorry but he could at least say the word.

Bryan's left hand was already made of metal from touching the doorknob to his room. He had one of his gloves on and the other one in his back pocket. His metal hand had started hurting immediately. He held his hand up to the already surprised man. " Why does it hurt?" He had already tried out some of what his powers could do but there was always more and he didn't want it to hurt anymore, not that it was going to stop him.

[Edward Davenport]

Edward had just flipped the page of his book when a loud knock echoed through the room. He opened his mouth as he was about to tell the person to come in when they barged in anyway. It was a young boy, no older than he was when he had first discovered his own ability. The expression on his face was one he was all to familiar with, the boy looked like he was in pain.

"Why does it hurt?" The boy asked him in anguish, holding up his left hand. The hand was completely silver and reflective, metallic looking.

"What have we here?" Edward asked, intrigued by the sight before him. He closed his book and stood up.He walked out from behind his desk and slowly made his way toward the young lad.

As he neared he could see that the hand was indeed metal, but what kind, he was unsure. Edward squatted down so that he was at the same height as the boy. This usually helped calm the younger children down a bit as it made him seem less intimidating. Edward reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a pair of square framed glasses and placed them on his nose.

Edward actually had perfect vision and didn't need to wear glasses to see, but he chose to wear them regardless. He had two reasons for doing so. The first was that it was his own way of dealing with the side-effects of his own power. He felt that with them on he could filter out the difference between reality and imagination. The weren't special glasses or anything, just a simple frame with a pane of ordinary glass in each lens. Though, mentally, it helped him a great deal. The second reason for doing so is similar to the reason why he squats down when looking at someone, it helps make him less intimidating to the younger children.

"Is this aluminum?" Davenport asked as he inspected the boy's arm further. The metallic substance slowly transitioned into the wrist and arm and eventually back into flesh. He had seen other cases similar to this, but all with older people who had good control over their ability. "Tell me -" Edward paused as he looked up from the boy's arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." To be formal he smiled and gave his own. "My name is Edward, Edward Davenport."

[Bryan Rixon]

" I have no idea what materiel it is. I touched my doorknob without my gloves on." It was Bryan's own fault but he didn't care. It hurt every time he changed and that wasn't going to stop him from touching everything available to him but it was annoying and painful.

" I'm Bryan. Bryan Rixon." His last name made all of the difference. His brother's reputation was not a good but how was Bryan supposed to know that. He just wanted be ninja like his brother and wanted to prove that he was connected to that, in his own mind, awesome person.

Bryan let his arm be inspected as the metal slowly turned back to flesh. It happened faster than it usually did but Bryan couldn't control any of that. He didn't even know any of his limits. The only one he did know was that he didn't absorb wood. " Why does it hurt afterward too? Why doesn't it work on wood?" Bryan blurted out his questions with new ones forming in his head. This guy had to know all of the answers right?

Bryan inspected the room. There was a lot of boxes and other stuff unpacked. "Welcome to Hammel!!!!!!" Bryan added with a smile.

[Edward Davenport]

Edward only nodded as the young boy spoke. He watched, intrigued, as the kid's arm slowly started to return to normal. The boy introduced himself as Bryan Rixton and welcomed the new professor with a big smile.

"Thank you Bryan," Edward responded with soft hushed words, his attention still on the boy's arm. "So wood has no effect then?" He asked again, before turning around and grabbing a pencil from his desk. Edward took the pencil and gently rolled the wood part across the boy's fingers. "Interesting."

The professor nodded as he withdrew the pencil and placed it into his shirt pocket. "Well the pain won't be hard to get over." Edward said softly, looking up at Bryan. "It's mostly a mental thing and can be overcome with repetition. Just have to practice your ability often and consistently. Make sure not to take any pain medication though, it is far easier to become dependent on it than you think."

Edward stood up and walked around to the other side of his desk. He pulled out his chair and sat in it, carefully pulling it in behind up. "Please Bryan, have a seat." Edward motioned to the firm black chair opposite him and on the other side of his desk. As he waited for Bryan, he took off his glasses and placed them onto his desk. He rubbed his eyes with his hands before looking back at Bryan. "I do have a few questions, but first, why don't you tell me about your power a bit more. More specifically, the side-effects that your having to deal with."

[Bryan Rixon]

Bryan let Mr. Davenport roll the pencil across his hand with no change happening. The wood now made Bryan frustrated and more confused about his power.

Bryan hadn't even thought about pain meds until Edward brought it up. " I don't think I could get addicted but whatever you say." Bryan really didn't take any warnings very seriously but kept the warning in his mind anyways.

" I don't know much about it. Well actually.... I kind of passed out when I turned into cement, but other than that I know nothing other than wood doesn't work. " Bryan really didn't know much because his powers were to recent. All he had done was touch things, absorb them, and then see what he could break while the change stayed.

[Edward Davenport]

"It even goes as far to make you pass out too? Hmm..." Edward repeated to himself, speaking into his balled up hands that he had placed in front of his mouth. "Interesting."

Davenport grabbed a writing pad from one of his desk drawers and started jotting a few things down.

Subject Name: Bryan Rixon

Power: Material Absorption

Description: Subject is able to absorb any material he touches with exception to wood.

Edward paused as he came upon a question in which he was intrigued to hear the answer. "So tell my Bryan. Is it only through the hands that you absorb these materials or is it it absorbed through any part of the skin?"

[Bryan Rixon]

" Umm I absorb everywhere but I don't absorb my clothes for some strange reason. A plastic cap hit my shoulder and changed it." Bryan shrugged. It was nothing new to him. "Can you do anything?" Bryan was impatient but was pretty distracted by showing off his awesome power and explaining how cool it was to Mr. Davenport.

" What are you writing?" Bryan was full of interest in this small room talking about his ninja powers. To think his powers might top his brother's.

[Edward Davenport]

As he listened to the young boy, he nodded and continued his notes.

Subject Name: Bryan Rixon

Power: Material Absorption

Description: Subject is able to absorb any material he touches with exception to wood and the clothes he wears. Absorption is not just limited by hands, but by contact with any bare skin.

Issue: Subject feels fatigued upon use of powers and even gets headaches and when strained it Can even cause him to lose consciousness.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, how rude-" Edward paused when he looked up at the boy only to see a colorful green and yellow parakeet sitting on the boy's right shoulder.

He sat in silence for a moment as his eyes fixated on the bird's narrow face. He placed the pen down on the desk and retrieved his glasses. With a small sigh, he closed his eyes and placed them on the bridge of his nose. He opened his eyes to see that the parakeet was gone.

Side-effects are not something that can be cured or erased, they are only something that can be controlled and managed. For himself, he constantly sees things that are not actually there, he's not an idiot by any means, but his mind has long since lost its grip on reality. The glasses aid him in his endeavor.

"Ah-hem," Edward cleared his throat to break the silence the fell upon the room after his sudden pause. "I apologize again. I am only taking notes. Looking at words helps me think. It may also help in the future, if I run into someone with similar abilities."

The professor leaned back in his chair as he pondered a way to help the young boy control his ability. A few ideas came to mind, but the child was too young and they were too ... extreme. He was also a teacher now, he couldn't put any of the student's lives at risk, which was unfortunate since that was the most effective way in understanding a person's abilities.

"The first thing we must do Bryan is to understand how your power works and then learn to control it. Only then can we control, the side-effects your ability produces. I'm not promising this will be quick or easy, but I will help you if your willing to help yourself."