Show Me The Sun (open)

[Lorelei Wuornos]

This time of the year it was much too cold to stay outside for very long, but the scenery was beautiful. The grounds were often covered with at least a layer of frost, if not thick snow, and everything seemed to sparkle. As pretty as it was, it wasn't her favorite season. Lorelei much preferred Summer, Spring, and Autumn.

But seasons were part of nature and Lorelei could appreciate that. The sun was shining above but didn't offer much warmth. It was getting later in the afternoon and the temperature was dropping, but it was the first time all day that she had had a break from her activities and classes so she wanted to spend some time outside before it got too cold for her to enjoy. She'd wrapped up in multiple layers of clothing, a pair of blue jeans and a green sweater on the outer most layer being brought together with a pair of thick brown hiking boots, pulled a brown beanie over her long hair and grabbed a bite to eat and some hot chocolate on the way out the door, swinging her backpack over her shoulder as she did.

The courtyard was frosty, as expected, and thick clouds of vapor formed in front of her face with every breath she exhaled. Still she smiled, walking out to the middle of the courtyard and finding a comfortable seat at a picnic table under a big tree and plopped all of her things down on top of it.

Out of her backpack she pulled a small radio and flipped it on, turning the volume down so she wouldn't bother anyone, even though no one really seemed to be hanging out outside. Then she pulled a notebook out and a sheet of paper explaining the rules of the essay she had to write for English, and began reading it over and making notes in the notebook. The radio played a country song she knew and she began to hum along, her eyes focused on the school work in front of her, due tomorrow. Absently she pried open a container with fresh pineapple and strawberries cut up into squares and began picking at them with a plastic fork, occasionally sipping at her hot chocolate.

From some distance away she felt footsteps covering the iced over grass and heading toward her. She wouldn't feel every persons footsteps who walked across the courtyard, of course, but something - maybe intuition or instinct? - told her that someone was coming her way. She kept her head down, chewing on a piece of pineapple, as the person approached and sat down at the picnic table, just across from her. It wasn't until then that she looked up and gave them a friendly smile.

"Hello," she said.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Winter was often too cold for people who weren’t graced with such a pleasant ability that thrived in the cold weather. Lucah was lucky like that. Cryokinesis had its downfalls in the summer and spring because of the constant heat waves, but as soon as the seasons changed to late fall and into winter, he was less agitated. He wasn’t as grouchy and generally he was more fun to be around. Well, as fun as was possible when coming to the Romanian boy.

Lucah was just on his way to Hammel to surprise Callie. He fully intended on taking her to go do something fun while he was in his element. The problem with winter was that it affected Callie’s powers and made her uncomfortable so he couldn’t really keep her out too long, but he had layers in his car if she needed any more warmth. Clearly he couldn’t offer it to her because naturally his skin was cooler than everyone else’s. Another downfall to being a cryokinetic. But hey, opposites attract and he was doing everything in his power to make this happen. At this rate, he wasn’t sure where he stood with her though. Gosh, if only he could read the minds of women, it’d come in handy big time.

As he began walking through the familiar courtyard, he had his hands shoved in his jean pockets, with a simple black thermal shirt on. He didn’t need it per se, but he wore it so that he didn’t exactly stick out like a sore thumb. Though, being over six feet tall, he tended to stick out anyway. His shoes crushed the frosted grass and he whistled to himself a song that he’d been singing a lot lately. Every time he skyped his little sister, he listened to it. Jezebel loved the song and it made her tear up every time they listened to it, but she was always smiling. The song brought her face to mind and he smiled faintly.

He looked around once to make sure he wouldn’t collide with anyone and he caught sight of a girl sitting at a picnic table. Luc took a closer look as he approached the table and his smile widened when he realized who it was. Speaking of little sisters. He strode over towards the table and slid into the seat across from her. Callie had class for a couple more minutes, he could spare some time.

“Is that all I get? Hello? I’m hurt Lor,” He said with a smile. “How have you been kid?”

[Lorelei Wuornos]

When she'd looked up she hadn't recognized him at first. He'd looked like a guy trying to stay warm, and that wasn't the type of person who was sitting in front of her in all actuality. At full realization of the cold natured one in front of her, her smile widened and she noted that he sat comfortably at the table. The extra layer of clothing he wore was simply to blend in. Even for kids at a school for meta-humans, blending in was something to be desired. It made them feel normal in a world that considered them, more or less, freaks.

"Sorry Luc, I didn't realize it was you at first. What with the warm clothing and all, I thought it might be one of us sun-walkers," she joked. She and Luc were very different people with very different abilities. While nature was beautiful to Lorelei nearly every day of the year she loved a warm, sunny day above all others. Laying in the grass with the sun beaming down against her face was an ideal way to spend a Summer afternoon for this teenager, but Luc was different. Warm weather didn't really cooperate with him, so days like these made him feel more comfortable. It made her happy that she'd run into him outside, in his element, instead of somewhere warm where he might be less comfortable. She reached over and turned the radio off so she could concentrate on their conversation.

"I've been doing very well. I admit, I'm ready for warm weather again, but we've got the whole winter-wonderland scene out here, which is beautiful isn't it? How've you been?" she asked, genuinely interested. She hadn't seen Luc in a few days due to scheduling differences in classes and such, and it wasn't often they went very long without hanging out.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Her words drew out a laugh from him and he nodded his head, "Makes sense I suppose. You know even us cold-skinned weirdos want to fit in with everyone. Hence the reason for a thermal, though it's rather uncomfortable when indoors." Especially if the building was heated. One thing about winter that Lucah couldn't stand was the fact that everyone heated buildings until he was practically suffocating from it. Sure, he understood that people that weren't pyros or cryos had to stay warm somehow, but that didn't mean they needed to set the room ablaze with heat. The benefit of sharing a dorm with a 'normal' person was that Lucah could cool off the room without much effort and freeze his roommate out. Andy didn't particularly appreciate it, but it was good entertainment.

Shaking his head mentally, he focused back up on the girl across from her. It had been a few days, nearly a week since they last talked and even saw each other which was odd since they often spent every other day at least texting. Luc tended to be a bit protective of her, especially now that Jezebel was gone and he had very few people to be so overbearing with. Kiara didn't put up with it from him, but he was glad that Lorelei didn't get to fed up with him due to it. Or she did and just never voiced her agitation. He listened to her talk, scrunching his nose at the warm weather mention and then nodding in agreement with the beauty factor of winter.

"Warm weather lasts far too long for my taste. Honestly, is it necessary to have three seasons for people who like warmth and only one for people like myself?" He shook his head in frustration. It hardly seemed fair. "Of course I can't say that those seasons don't have their own sense of beauty, but I'm quite partial to the winter landscapes. Probably due to my upbringing near the mountains that were always covered with snow." Sometimes he missed the mountains in his home country, but Vermont's mountains offered him some comfort. "I've been decent, college still isn't my favorite, but it'll have to do for now. The highlight of my day is always messing with my roommate," He said with a smirk.

[Lorelei Wuornos]

"You know Lucah, the Earth didn't decide to have three warmer seasons just to inconvenience you," she said after some thought. Lucah always knew how to make her laugh, even by just being himself. She understood his plight and his annoyance with weather. Lorelei was lucky enough that her ability didn't really affect her physically, even though she did feel much more energized on warmer days. It was different for Lucah. She'd known him for a few years now and had gotten to know him, maybe better than a lot of people did. He was like an older brother to her and sometimes she felt badly for him. It was hard for him to be comfortable during Summer or Spring because it was much too warm for him, and if he wanted to look like a normal person during the Winter months he had to wear warm clothes, even though they kept him warmer than was comfortable.

Still, he managed to deal with it with some humor. He even found ways to make it amuse him and that was a lot more than some people could do with their ability. "Poor Andy," Lorelei said with a smile, "I'm surprised he hasn't moved in with someone else by now."

That gained a nod and a little chuckle from Luc, and Lorelei gazed at him with a smile. She liked to see him laugh and smile. Lucah hadn't had the easiest time. He was hard to get to know and because of that he didn't get to know a lot of people, didn't have a lot of friends and even if he seemed like a hard person, he wanted people to know him. He wanted to get close to someone. College had to be difficult for him. A lot is expected of you, at least from what Lorelei had heard and what she had seen on TV. There's a lot of changing - people coming in and out of classes as they please, no real routine. At least in high school you know you're going to see the same people over and over again, you have some sense of stability and familiarity. You don't get a lot of that with college and she'd been wondering if it was getting any better for him.

"Just give it some more time. It'll get better. It has to, right? I mean if you can't be in college and make something good from it, what hope is there for me?" Lorelei said somewhat jokingly - but was she really joking? Much like Lucah, Lorelei was hard to get to know. Not for the same reasons, exactly, but mostly because she was too shy to approach people and become good friends with them. It took her time to build up the courage to talk to someone, and if people were already coming in an out of class as they please...never sure if you were going to have another class with them. Yeah, Lorelei had a lot of doubt about college. If Lucah couldn't do it...did that mean she would have a hard time, too? "So basically you have to like it whether you like it or not. You know, for my sake." She said with a smile and offered him some of the fruit she'd brought along for a snack. It was still nice and cold out of the fridge, and she thought he might appreciate it.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

“Why wouldn’t it? I mean everyone else is out to inconvenience me, why would the Earth be any different?” He said with a slight laugh. Sure, he sounded bitter and mean as if everyone was out to get him, but sometimes it felt that way. Very rarely did it seem like he had people who weren’t trying to screw his world up a little more. It had all started with Ravyn and he was waiting for it to end with Callie. No, he had no reason to believe that Callie would be the same as all the others, but that was just it, there were so many others. Winter may have had a good effect on him, but it was a dark season filled with no warmth and though it made him feel better, it also made him even darker than usual.

Lucah snorted, “Poor Andy? Oh please, I wish he would move in with someone else. All he does is whine about how hard his life is.” And he had no idea how hard his life could be. If anything, Luc took it easy on him, though everyone else would beg to differ. It wasn’t like Andy had nearly as many problems as he did.

College was a disaster. He had no friends. He hated his classes. All he wanted was to be done with it and figure out what he was doing with his life. “More time? I’ve got four more years. If it doesn’t get better, who knows if my sanity will last!” He said with a laugh, though the humor didn’t really reach him. At least in Kocher and Hammel he had people he knew and saw on a regular basis. Whether it be someone he hated or someone he was close to. It was a constant and he had very few constants in his life. And the few that he had were slowly fading away.

Lucah took a piece of fruit and sighed, “You’ll do fine Lor. You’re much more likable than I’ll ever be.”

[Lorelei Wuornos]

Lorelei frowned at Lucah for a moment, taking in his image. He joked about how much he hated his life. He always had. It was a way of coping, for him, she guessed, but it never seemed to help much. He was a good person inside and out, with a great smile that she could never see enough but that he very rarely shown. Not his genuine smile, anyway. He faked smiles all the time, but it wasn't the same. On a get-to-know basis Lucah was fun, smart, interesting, and gentle. But not a lot of people saw that in him and Lorelei understood why. On the outtermost layer on Lucah's skin he seemed hard and bitter like fruit picked from the tree much too early. He was lonely in college and she understood because even though he considered her a likelable person, she didn't have very many close friends of her own either.

"Oh Lucah," she said with a sad smile touching her lips. "Big brother you've got to let some of the anger inside of you go. I can practically feel it, it's so strong. Bad things happen to good people all the time and it's unfair, but you can't let it shape who you are."

She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling it across the table and wrapping it with both of her own hands. His skin was cold, even colder than the frost that had covered the table before she'd wiped it off and sat down, but it didn't bother her. She took his hand in hers and pulled it up to her face, touching it to her cheek and smiling.

"You're one of the kindest guys I know, Lucah. Some day people will see that about you, but you have to let them. Callie seems to be a good fit for you, just try not to push her away because you're scared or don't want to be hurt again. Being around people, coping, it's all about understanding. Not just understanding other people, but understanding yourself. I know it's hard, but you just have to let some things go. Like this thing with your roommate. Just because his problems don't seem as inimical as yours doesn't mean he isn't suffering or that his problems aren't a real issue in his life. Some people's threshhold for pain and suffering aren't as strong as yours may be."

Finally she pulled his hand away from her face and, while still holding it, resting it on the table. Her cheek was cold and had to be somewhat pink from where his hand had been touching it, but it didn't bother her. It was simply part of nature, part of him.

"My aunt used to tell me all the time, when I was still having trouble with my parents abandoning Emery and I, that people will come and go in life. Sometimes it's people you hardly notice, sometimes it's people that might leave you feeling lost once they're gone. But they're gone for a reason and that reason is that...you're better off without them. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how long it takes you to realize it...you're better off. You're stronger, you learn from experience, but you have to let them go. You can't let people that have gone from your life keep you from living fully the life you have now."

He looked away from her and seemed somewhat annoying, so finally she let his hand go and placed her hands back in her lap, trying still to smile.

"I don't mean to lecture you, Luc. I just want you to be happy and I can see very plainly that you're not. Maybe when you spend time with Callie you are, but you can't be with her twenty-four-seven, and I want you to be happy all the time. Trust me, I know it's a feat to overcome. I'm still working on it and it's hard and sometimes it's much easier to give up and sulk over how much life sucks," at this she touched a strand of her hair and curled it around her finger, sighing, feeling as though she were being hypocritical. Lorelei herself had had a few hard days, feeling somewhat lonely and forgotton and invisible. She could only imagine how Lucah must feel in this weather and being forced to pretend to be something he isn't. But at least he had Callie to go to, to feel normal and accepted. Lorelei wasn't sure she had someone like that, other than Lucah himself, but she didn't want to bother him with her petty problems when he had so much to struggle with already.

"But you deserve happiness and you should allow yourself to have it. That's really what it takes, I think, deep down. Allowing yourself to let go of all the pain and anger inside, a little bit at a time, and allowing yourself to finally breathe from under it. Like a big weight has been lifted, ya know? Just...try to think less of all of the pain you've suffered in the past and try to think forward to all of the life you still have left to live. You're still young, very young for people like us...there's a lot of life left. Don't live it in the dark, big brother, you deserve so much better."

Feeling as though she had said enough - maybe much too much - she stopped speaking and stuck her fork in a piece of pineapple, popping it into her mouth and giving him a smile, hoping that he wouldn't simply get up and walk away after the rambling lecture she'd just given him. She hoped he'd understand that she only cared for him and wanted him to be happy, but until just then she hadn't thought about how disrespectful it might have been to speak to him as if she were older than he was, when she was actually a few years younger. Sighing, she lowered her head and looked away from him, popping another piece of fruit in her mouth and chewing nervously.