Mad As Rabbits [Junpei]

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He may have a point, Junpei thought to himself. Even Junpei, being a part of a large meta-family, had yet to come across someone who had had a positive experience in the manifestation of their powers. His own uncle never shared the story of how he'd gotten his power, but Junpei's grandmother felt it was necessary for Junpei to hear hers and her brother's. Every story he'd heard had been filled with strife, crisis, anger, fear.... While Junpei was more comfortable with using his power now, he would be lying if he said they didn't disturb him. "All life has hurt. All life has fear. But all life also has love and kindness. For all thing bad there is same number of good." Which was supposed to mean that despite the fear and hurt that being a meta caused, that only meant that the potential good it could cause in the future would be phenomenal. Junpei chuckled again and looked down at his feet, a little sheepish of his little sermon. He was just reciting the things his grandmother told him. "This is thing Obaa-sama say always. But I am still learning."

Learning how to not be scared. Learning how to accept his power. Learning how to control it. Whenever Junpei was in doubt about himself and his powers, he usually turned to his grandmother and she always had words to give him. Junpei nodded and looked off to the side with a nostalgic smile. "She is...very wise." Junpei hoped that one day he could have as much enlightenment as she did.

While it was common for students to inquire about each other's powers, Junpei did not expect Sebastian to ask about his. And of course, it was an area where Junpei's English usually failed him. "My power is.... ehh-to... My power is more easy to show. Not so easy to tell." Junpei shifted to step away but then turned back to Sebastian with smile of reassurance. "Sebastian will watch?"

[Sebastian Bolstad]

Sebastian listened attentively as Junpei spoke, internally weighing up the words. On the surface they did make a lot of sense – you could not have evil without good to balance it out. On the other hand, when Sebastian thought of just how much wickedness and evil there was in the world, was there really enough good to back it up? The town where he had lived all his life was thankfully mostly peaceful and quiet, but his trips to the library had turned up stories of mass murders, thievery and devastation all across the globe. How many of them had been committed by people with these curses? Where were the freaks like him preventing all this hurt and chaos?

“You and your grandmother may be right.” Even he could hear the doubt in his own voice. “Obaa-Sama” Sebastian said, trying out the word “is she a fr- … Uhh... is she meta too?” It would no doubt take a very long time for Sebastian to become used to referring to people like him as anything other than freaks or abominations, just like it would take anyone else a long time to start referring to a pig as a kitten. It felt wrong to him, both on his tongue and in his mind.

The blonde listened to the boy's attempt at an explanation of his powers – or lack of ability in being able to explain them, anyway. Sebastian was afraid of the prospect of what Jun's ability could be, anyone would be able to see that, but after a long moment of chewing his bottom lip he gave a small nod of his head. “Yes, I will watch.” Blue eyes glanced at the door, working out how long it would take him to bolt there if this all went horribly wrong.

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"Hai," Junpei said simply with a slight nod. "Many in my family have power." And they had for a long time, at least according to the history they tried to force the boy to learn. As a relatively new addition to his own family, it had taken some time for Junpei to readjust himself into the life of being a meta and being consistently around those who were as well. Prior to that, he wasn't sure what he felt towards them, but after his manifestation, Junpei had to admit that there was a certain fear present, especially considering he didn't remember what happened when he manifested. However, he had a distinct, overbearing feeling in his gut that it was....terrifying...

Perhaps Seb's own manifestation was as traumatic as many other metas? While Junpei could easily be sympathetic and think of many scenarios to explain Sebastian's unease, he had little idea of the environment that the blonde had grown up with. That even Junpei and all other metas who would be Sebastian's friends were considered abominations in his eyes was the furthest thing in his mind. Even so, anyone could see the hesitation in this boy's eyes, the nervous gnawing upon his lower lip, and that left Junpei wondering what kind of horror this child had seen in his short life to become so visibly frightened of meta-powers he had yet to see.

Looking at the boy, Junpei felt an overlap of him trying to ease Sebastian's anxiety to be as similar to how Sebastian was trying to comfort and coax his gerbil, Dust(where had that little guy gone anyway?). But when the unsettled blonde finally agreed in no uncertain terms that he would watch the demonstration, Junpei broke into a smile. "Come," he invited Sebastian towards the kitchenette. Junpei looked around for something which would work easily and quickly. He plucked a napkin from the holder and began folding it. It didn't work very well, but in a matter of minutes, it was folded into a paper, or rather napkin, crane. "Hora," he said, holding it up for Seb to see with another smile and slight nod. With that, Junpei covered the crane with his other hand and he concentrated. There were no flashes of lights or thunderous noises to accompany the use of Junpei's power, but his hands did feel slightly warm as the energy passed through them and into the little folded napkin. Then Junpei lifted and released the paper crane into the air as if he were releasing a dove to the sky, where it floated above the heads of the two boys, twitching and fluttering about as if it were really flying. "This is one thing I can do," he said as he watched the little bird.

[Sebastian Bolstad]

Sebastian gave a small nod as the boy spoke, feeling something akin to pity towards him. Having one freak in the family was bad enough, but to have many of them? That was horror beyond words, and the look of fear on Seb's face became edged with sympathy. His entire family had been meta-free before he had ruined that, and he'd only ever encountered a meta human a very small handful of times before. His parents had seen to that. The thought of having the curse to prevalent in the family was a sad one, and Seb's lip twitched into a (hopefully) understanding-seeming smile.

Tucking a long blonde strand of hair behind his ear, Sebastian stepped out of the corner and slowly walked back towards the couch. “No one in my family has any... ability. I am the first.” And, with any luck, the last. As he got near the couch a sandy-coloured gerbil leapt out from underneath it, but he was quick enough to lean down and scoop up the rodent before it could bolt again. Dust wriggled and squirmed in agitation, but after a few long moments she slowly began to settle.

As Junpei fidgeted with the napkin Sebastian gently petted Dust, letting her calm down a little in his hands before he tucked her into the front pocket of his thin jacket. The pocket was warm, slightly dark and soft and it didn't take long for the gerbil to relax and start nesting in there. Once the other boy turned around Seb watched him intently, ready to bolt should anything untoward happen. When the little bird was released blue eyes were locked on it and Seb flinched back as it neared him, clearly uncertain about the faux-creature. However, as it continued to flutter around harmlessly, some of the fear melted and started to be replaced by a soft curiosity and wonder. Very quiet, almost a whisper, Sebastian said “It's pretty.”

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Junpei wasn't sure what his feelings were about being from a meta-family. He wasn't sure if they should be pitied or glorified or anything like that. The only thing he knew for certain was that he and his family had powers, that was fact and unchangeable, and that they somehow used that fact to their advantage. He couldn't even say it was normal, just that it was reality.

"No one in my family has any... ability. I am the first."

Hearing that, Junpei couldn't say he was surprised. For him to be so frightened of Junpei's power without even knowing what it was, living with the fear that someone might use their power unexpectedly against him to the point that he flinched and cowered as easily as a rabbit at the slightest hint of unfamiliar disturbance, it was obvious that he was unused to being around those with power. Junpei didn't know what to say outside of, "I am sorry."

Oh! The gerbil! In all the excitement, Junpei had completely forgotten about that. Him. Her? Junpei had already forgotten which gerbil this was, Dust or Storm.

Junpei would be lying if he said it wasn't adorable to see Sebastian flinch slightly at the little flying crane. But watching as his anxiety turned to awe, Junpei couldn't help but smile. It really was pretty. So simple, an easy trick, and one of his favorites. But also not even close to the full extent of what could be accomplished with his energy transfer. "Hai.." Junpei agreed with Seb in an equally small voice as the little crane started to gradually descend right back into Junpei's open hands. "There are many more thing I can do like this. Too many thing to show." He laughed a little to himself, thinking back on some of the creative things he'd figured out to do. "I want to do many more thing. To make use."

Since they were sharing, now Junpei was curious. "What is Sebastian no power?"

[Sebastian Bolstad]

Sebastian gave a small sideways twitch of his head, almost a shake but not quite. “Please, do not be sorry. My family like it that way... this was not supposed to have happened to me.” Despite his efforts to keep his voice neutral, there could be no mistaking the edge of sadness and bitterness that crawled into Seb's words. He was from a good, kind family that did everything they could to keep pure and human. This was a disease he never should have been able to catch; he was the black mark on the family name.

For as wary as Sebastian was of the fluttering napkin-bird, there was a touch of awe to his look too. It was hard to deny that it was a pretty sight, so elegant and graceful that for a moment he actually forgot that it was wrong and evil and corrupt. How could something so seemingly peaceful be so wrong? As it neared him Seb very tentatively nudged it with a finger, watching it struggle against the shifting momentum before fluttering back to Junpei's hands. “I do not understand, though.” Sebastian's voice was quiet and distant, eyes flicking from the crane to Jun's face and back again. “Why would you want to do them? To make use? Do you not want this to go away?”

Junpei's question should not have taken Seb by quite as much surprise as it did, and the blonde was quiet for a long moment as he tried to figure out what to say. Politeness and good manners told him he should be honest, but at the same time he feared what the other boy might say if he knew the truth. After an internal debate, manners won. “I can see the future. Sometimes. Well, little pieces of it anyway.”

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Junpei wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, other than to continue to express his sympathies. He himself wasn't sure what dictated the emergence of the meta-gene in people. He wasn't sure if it could be suppressed or avoided. He couldn't even argue that he knew how the genetics of it worked, because he didn't. All he knew was that it manifested in some people but didn't in others. "Gomen…" he said again.

Junpei thoroughly enjoyed watching Sebastian view the little crane with his cautious look of awe. He wondered a moment what that pretty, porcelain face would look like with a smile on it…..pretty. No, that's not right. Well, he was pretty. Quite beautiful actually, but…..no, that's not right. Junpei blinked in confusion as the crane descended into his hands and Sebastian spoke his inquiries.

"Even if I want power to go away, it will stay. Because I will always have power, I want to make use. To help. If I can help, I want to help." It was a very simple answer and Junpei would have given it even if he didn't have power. If he could do something to help out, to make himself useful in the world, even if it only made one person happy, then he wanted to do it.

Junpei, however, did feel bad about bombarding Sebastian with such a personal question. He didn't think it would be such a big deal, especially since Sebastian asked to know Junpei's power first. After a long pause, Junpei was about to take it back when Sebastian finally answered. Junpei's smile brightened and beamed in excitement, not just because Sebastian decided to share his power, but because it was a power the Junpei was very familiar with. "Wakkaru! I know this power. Obaa-sama have same power." It was all he could do for Junpei to contain his excitement and not immediately glomp the poor, shy, pretty, blonde boy. Though he was visually bouncing with glee.

[Sebastian Bolstad]

“Gomen.” Seb repeated the word quietly, trying to remember it. He wasn’t really sure what it meant but from the context he supposed it could be ‘sorry’ or something similar. Language had always interested him and even though he only understood English right now, he didn’t want it to always be that way. Even knowing only a handful of words in any other language could only be beneficial.

When Junpei spoke Seb could kind of see the sense in his words, even if that was a fact that was quite hard to admit to himself. Seb was still operating on denial; this power wasn’t permanent, this was all just an ugly mistake and some day it would all go away and he could go home again. Well, maybe not home, he doubted his parents would take him back now even if this freakish ability did go away, but he could go away from this place.

“I can understand wanting to help.” Seb spoke as clearly as he could, eyes flicking from Junpei’s face to the now lifeless napkin bird in his hands. The other boy seemed to be in far greater acceptance than he was, probably because he’d been brought up around a whole family of cursed people. It was a shame, really. Jun seemed like a nice person, he shouldn’t have to go through that. “I want to help too. Just… not like this. Are you not afraid it might become dangerous?”

That was of course Sebastian’s greatest fear through all this, that he would be consumed by the ability as he had been taught so many were. He was a very peaceful soul and the thought that one day he could lose control and become a weapon of chaos and hurt both terrified and saddened him greatly. The excited bouncing that his admission brought was unexpected, and Sebastian looked at Junpei with utter disbelief and bewilderment until he explained. Then it was replaced by a look of realisation and Seb asked, very quietly. “Your Obaa-Sama… Is she still a good person?” If one person with this particular ability could remain good despite the odds stacked against them, maybe there was a smidgeon of hope left.

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Hearing Sebastian repeat Junpei's word of apology did coax a smile out of him. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would express that he while he was sympathetic to Sebastian's view on powers, he wasn't about to let that keep them from being friends. Because by this point, Junpei was very much wanting to be friends with this person.

Whatever acceptance Sebastian thought that Junpei had was in was due in part to his Obaa-sama and his religious practices. However, a large amount of it was probably due to his naiveté. His desire to be optimistic about all things. His foolish ideals. But if Sebastian thought that Junpei wasn't afraid…. "Chigau…" Junpei said lowly, dipping his head to look at the floor. He hesitantly licked his lips and rose eyes to look at Sebastian again, shaking his head. "I am afraid." He, just as much as any of the other children here, didn't know where he was going or what could happen with his powers in the future. Junpei broke another small smile, "This is why I learn how to use."

Junpei had learned so much from his Obaa-sama in the few short years he had entered into the main family, and while her words were reassuring and he fell back on them for his own comforts frequently, it was a long and hard conditioning to make those words his own beliefs and not just words he referred to. "Hai!" he said with a deep nod and nostalgic smile. "Obaa-sama is very kind." And he missed her greatly. And it showed. Junpei was quickly becoming homesick thinking of her.

[Sebastian Bolstad]

Junpei's smile coaxed a small upward turning of Sebastian's lips, not quite a smile but a hint of one hiding under the surface. Despite his rather strict upbringing Seb tended to be a happy soul and took delight in many things, but in the weeks he had been it Hammel it had been incredibly difficult for him to find any kind of enjoyment, even in the things that he loved. Besides his gerbils, everything here seemed tainted and wrong. Junpei seemed to be more like him than most, though. One good soul amongst all the damaged ones. It was a reassuring thought.

The other boys admission of his fear was something of a relief to Seb. Whilst he didn't want the other boy to be afraid it was comforting to know that he wasn't the only one. So many of the others seemed to adore their abilities and took a strange sort of pride in them, so Seb was relieved to know he wasn't the only one scared of what might happen. He gave a small nod as Jun spoke. In a way what he said made sense – if you practice at something it gets easier. “That does make sense. The more you use it, the better you will get at controlling it.” But at the same time the blonde was still functioning with the belief that if he ignored it enough it might just go away.

Sebastian thought he recognised Junpei's smile as he spoke of his grandmother. He thought it must resemble the one that crept onto his own lips when he thought of being back home. Even though he had been abandoned by his family the moment his power had reared its ugly head, he missed them deeply and was desperately homesick. He would have given anything, literally anything to be able to go back to them. With a few slow steps Seb closed the gap between him and Jun, and he very gently rubbed his hand on the other boys arm in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. “You miss her. I know... I miss my family too.”

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Junpei would never agree that he himself was a good soul, or that any of their souls were better than others, but he did think that Sebastian was a good person. He was far more open and preferred to believe that people were good, no matter their circumstances, until they proved themselves otherwise. But that was just Junpei, and it was that kind of naivete that would get him taken advantage of by others.

"Hai." Junpei nodded in agreement. He practiced so that it would be easier to control his power. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less dangerous or scary, especially for someone who seemed so uncomfortable with it as Sebastian was. But at least Junpei knew better than to show off his power like it was some medal of honor. However, he had to wonder just how many other children at Hammel were afraid of their own powers, just as Sebastian and Junpei, but just didn't say so? And tried to cover up their uncertainties with those bravados?

Junpei wished he could understand people better, as his Obaa-sama did.

"Hai," he said again. Really, Junpei had only just left home, a place that he was more than sick of and couldn't stand, but he was already homesick if only for Obaa-sama. Junpei nodded and smiled in response to Sebastian's attempt at comforting the boy. "Sebastian and Junpei both miss home." That coaxed a short laugh from the boy. "Arigatou," he said with another nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you."