First Day Jitters (open)

[Dakota Muller]

She was cute. Adorable even, this tiny little mess of a girl. It was so adorable how she got all flustered and awkward, and yeah, it did help that when DK approached her, it was almost as if the girl flinched. If DK had been more of a cruel person than what she already was - or pretended to be in most cases she'd totally let her playful side have at it. But, it was nor the time or the place for something like that, and DK didn't really want to be mean. She felt more like hugging her and telling her it would all be okay. But that would be weird, right? Right. ''My pleasure, hun.'', she replied with a grin and chuckled.

The good part was that the boy, Travis or something seemed to be feeling better. Maybe not perfect, but it was better than him sitting on the floor staring at his own crotch. Which was awkward on its own. But hey, maybe he was hiding something shiny and pretty inside? Ok, bad joke.

DK took a step back and nodded with a smile. Her work here was done, and it seemed like these two lovebirds needed some time alone. ''Well. You two look like you have a lot to....talk about, so I'll get out of your hair.'', she wrote something down on a piece of paper she dragged from her pocket. ''Ever need me, for whatever reasons... Here's my number. K? Ok. Ciao~'', she said with a cheerful tone and gave them both a bright smile, before she turned on her heel and leapt up the stairs. ''Oh! Before I forget, my dorm room is 211, if you guys ever feel like jamming some music or anything. And... It's cool too, if you just wanna stop by for a chat.''

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Well, I think that the x-men is a lot more exciting..." AJ began, just as DK began speaking. Before she knew it, the girl had given them her phone number and her room number, which was nice. It was awfully nice to be wanted and know that somebody wouldn't mind her stopping by, although she was a bit nervous for DK's departure from the room.

Her and Travis were like two ticking time bombs and DK was there to defuse them...but maybe she had already and things would be alright, right? So she nodded at DK. "Thank you. That means a lot." Which it truly did. She'd been a bit wary of DK because of her harsh words earlier, but she'd only been trying to help which AJ could appreciate.

Do we have a lot to talk about? I guess I should at least tell him about my power...at least then I look like less of a mess....at least I'd be a mess for a reason.

"It's, uh, pheromone manipulation," she began explaining. "I don't have very good control over it...I don't even want it, actually." All it did was mess things up for her-- making friends, being normal, doing what she loved. "I amplify....emotions....I guess. On accident, most of the time. It's kind of gross. I can like exert chemicals and they can manipulate how people act and feel."

[Travis Morgan]

DK was bowing out of the conversation. That was fine, except that now he'd be by himself with another person. Which was, in some ways, easier. Less emotions to filter. But Travis really preferred to acclimate to new people by standing quietly next to them while they talked to someone who.. wasn't him. The conversation was in his hands now, and he was slightly concerned that he'd drop the ball.

He was bad at thinking of things to talk about.

But DK left her information and flitted away, insisting that he and AJ did, in fact, have a lot to talk about.

"It's, uh, pheromone manipulation...". Fortunately, AJ remembered to answer his question. Pheromone manipulation was.. interesting, if not a little concerning. Enhancing the emotions of the people around her? This information make him wary. Like maybe he shouldn't hang around her, if she had a tendency amplify things that way. But then.. She probably got that a lot.

There was a certain amount of validity in his urge to look out for himself, but there was also the sense of utter worthlessness he got from her. If he decided to just not associate with her.. well, he knew how she would feel. He knew what she would think. She wouldn't blame him for it. She'd just decide that she wasn't good enough to associate with people.

And Travis knew what that was like. He wouldn't do that to someone.

"But that's sort of.. cool, isn't it?" He said, smiling to hide his apprehension. "I mean, if you learned to control it, you could use it to, um.. chill people out. I think."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

DK leaving had thrown AJ off balance, considering she was now alone with Travis to associate with him and she knew the moment she'd told him about her power, he'd realize what she was capable of and make up an excuse to bow out of the room as well. She expected it. After all, she didn't go out of her way to usually try and make friends because of her power. Most wouldn't want to hang out with her anyway and she couldn't lie about who she was.

She saw the look on his face and could only imagine what he was going to say, mentally preparing herself for him to walk away. She wouldn't blame him. It made the most sense. In fact, he probably should. "It's okay...you know," she said, before he could speak. "It's probably best if you don't hang around me." Maybe if she could control it, she could actually have friends, but just after she'd said it, he said something she hadn't expected.

But that's sort of... cool, isn't it? I mean if you learned to control it, you could use it to, um... chill people out. I think."

She could tell he was kind of having trouble knowing what to say, but the gesture was sweet. He hadn't said anything negative about her power or about her and he hadn't walked away. "Well, yeah...maybe. But I'm sort of bad at controlling it and I'm still looking for a trainer... I'm fairly new here." She wondered who would even want to take her on as a pupil. "...But thanks." She flashed him a small smile.

[Travis Morgan]

"I would expect that.. most of us are pretty bad at controlling our shit. That's why they brought us here, right?" It was only sort of a rhetorical question. There was plenty of speculation in comic books and science fiction films about this sort of thing, and not all of them thought that rounding up mutant kids and corralling them in a school was entirely innocent. It was a short leap from "we're doing it to help you," to "we're doing it to protect you," to "we're doing it to protect non-mutants," then finally to "actually, we really don't like you, and we'd just like you to go live in that cage now, if its all the same to you."

Maybe he read too much science fiction.

"But hey, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. The whole thing is still pretty unreal for me," Travis said and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I just got here--" he checked the time on his phone, "like, five hours ago. I'm.. still trying to pretend that this isn't happening to me. Y'know?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ shrugged. She supposed that Travis was right. They were brought here to get better at control and develop their powers; however, she still felt inadequate, like everyone else was ten steps ahead of her. She'd read so many science fiction novels, but she never really thought she'd be a part of one. That's what it was beginning to feel like at least. Her favorite books coming to life...in the worst way. It wasn't as fun to live it as it was to read it.

"Wow..." she mumbled. "Only five hours ago?" She awkwardly scratched at her arms. "I've been here for...a few months. I finished my sophomore year here...but I sort of felt like I was thrown into the washing machine when it was on spin cycle. I'm still dizzy... so I understand where you're coming from. Oh and it's nothing personal...just when I tell people about my power...it tends to make them...wary of being around me." More like run in the other direction.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well.. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous. But.." Travis trailed off, staring at the space above AJ's left shoulder. Thinking. There were things he wanted to say. To share.

I just met this girl. She doesn't wanna listen to me ramble. But it's relevant to what we're talking about... And it might help. And this is how you kill conversations. Every single time, man. Just talk.

"I.." He seemed to be searching for words. "Y'know, I felt it when my family learned that I was a mutant-meta-whatever.. thing." While he spoke Travis took slow, meandering steps toward the couch AJ had been sitting in before. "It was.. sort of awful," he laughed when he said this. There was nothing remotely funny about anything he said. "They were worried about me, and they felt guilty about having feelings whenever they were in the same room with me. But.. they were also.. sort of.. scared. Of me."

Travis sat down heavily on the couch and folded himself against one of the arms. "It was kind of shitty," he said, looking up at AJ. "Like, suddenly I was this weird thing. Like suddenly they didn't know how to act around me. They seemed sort of.. relieved that I was coming here. That I wouldn't be around them. And I get it. I do. But understanding it doesn't make it hurt any less." If AJ hadn't sat down on the couch yet, Travis would make a silent gesture with his head for her to do so.

"I feel like.. normal people are going to be afraid of us, and its really.. silly, I guess, to waste time being afraid of each other." He chewed on his lip, feeling anxious about having said so much.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Of course she made Travis nervous. Who in their right mind wouldn't be nervous around her and her...curse?

But...

There was that word. What was he going to say. It sure meant he had to say something else. She waited patiently, as his gaze slipped to the left of her and AJ suddenly felt awkward looking at him and moved her gaze to the floor and her ballet flats.

And then he started, slowly but surely speaking as he moved gingerly towards the sofa she'd been lounging on before this whole thing started. His family knew what was going on with him? "You told your family that you're an empath?" she asked curiously. "I...I never even wanted to tell my parents about what was happening with me. Those few weeks after it manifested before I was brought here...those were the worst." She'd felt so alone and like nobody could possibly understand. Not to mention, she'd finally had a guy take interest in her and ask her to a dance and she'd amplified his feelings for her by a ten fold. Things had gotten quickly heated after that and she had to shove him away. She still had the dress in her closet at home...sitting there, collecting dust. And it wasn't even a night to remember.

"I...I didn't want them to be afraid of me, that's why I didn't tell them and now...everyone here is afraid of me. It's like...you know that it's rational for them to be...afraid, but it still hurts, no matter what you do." And it was true. AJ couldn't stop the hurt, even when she knew why people shrugged her off was for a good reason. "My parents only found out when I was...whisked away. Even then I saw the looks on their faces. A sort of 'what has my daughter become?' look." It was still embedded into her mind.

She found herself taking small steps, making her way towards the sofa, and bending down to pick up her fallen book before sitting down on the plush seat as well. She let out a breath, pushing a loose curly strand of hair out of her face. "I guess people just don't know how to react to us. I can't blame them. But why does it have to hurt so damn much?" She stared forward at the wall across the room, feeling tears threaten to fall. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop them. She'd cried enough since her power manifested itself.

Maybe having this conversation was dangerous, with all of the emotions in the air, but it felt good to let it out and AJ almost felt selfish for feeling that way.

[Travis Morgan]

"It's.. natural, I think, to fear things you don't understand," Travis said. There was a deep sadness setting in, and this time he knew that it wasn't just him. AJ was in pain. Travis was in pain too, and he was tempted to just push it all away. Shove it down beneath the surface and ignore it for another day. But that wouldn't solve anything. That never solved anything.

"But just because you can justify it doesn't.. that doesn't mean it's okay," Travis spoke softly, feeling tears spring to his eyes again. "It hurts because they're your family, and they're supposed to love you no matter what." He sniffed, and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. "I don't really know what else to say."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I agree..." AJ trailed off with a nod. That's why most people feared her immediately. They didn't understand what exactly it was that she could do and why she could do it. That would frighten anybody. Especially since it was something that seemed like it was out of a sci-fi novel.

She swallowed, trying to concentrate on his words and not end up manipulating him, although she knew her emotions had to be driving him crazy, but sometimes the pain was too much to bear and she just needed to let it out. "I guess...I guess most families just aren't...prepared for such special circumstances." But he was right, justifying it didn't make it okay. "No...it's not okay. It hurts." She usually didn't admit how much it hurt to people. The tears were filling her eyes quickly and she finally let them fall.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis didn't speak for a while. His heart ached. For several long minutes he just sat and let tears stream down his face. Thoughts spun around his head, none of them complete or offering any comfort.

"Hey," he said finally, wiping his face on his sleeve again and looking over at AJ, "are you a hug person?" It was the only thing he could think of that might make anyone feel better. He didn't have any clever things to say. No insights. He could just share her pain, and maybe that was good enough. Maybe that would help.

Maybe it would help both of them.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ soaked up the silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable one that she was used to, it was actually like they were just understanding that they each needed a moment. It was mutual, not awkward. The tears started to flow and she let them fall down her face, not even trying to catch them or wipe them away. Tears were natural, tears were human and for some reason she had to keep reminding herself that that's what she was.

When Travis finally spoke, she looked over at him, her brown eyes wet with tears. She didn't say anything, but merely stared at him for a moment. She didn't remember the last time she'd hugged someone, or really had any human contact. Okay...so she shook DK's hand a while ago, but before that...she didn't know. She was so used to just being alone and that was just how things were, but she nodded her head at him. There was nothing dangerous about it after all. She just had to keep telling herself that, because if she didn't, she would have walked out of the room minutes ago. But there was an understanding between her and Travis and...it was nice.

[Travis Morgan]

So, AJ was really cute.

Travis scooched over on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. The feelings were more intense like this, but he didn't pull away. He held her tighter.

It felt like spiraling out of control. Like his chest might burst from the weight of it. He squeezed AJ tight, like he hadn't touched another person in a very long time. He held her like she was the only thing that mattered. Like, for this moment, nothing else existed.

He fell into her sadness, tears falling rain, letting the waves crash over him. He felt like he knew her. Like she had been a part of him all along. Travis had never done this before. He'd never sunk into someone. Not even Michael.

They'd barely touched before he left. Travis had been too frayed at the edges. Being close to him hurt. Michael had been so upset that he was leaving, Travis couldn't stand it.

I'm such a freaking idiot.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ felt a bit jittery as Travis moved over towards her and then wrapped his arms around her. Slowly, she reached her own arms up to wrap them around him in return, her head on his shoulder. Being this close to someone was a feeling she'd forgotten and it also made her nervous, like if she accidentally manipulated him, it'd be a lot easier like this, but a hug was a simple gesture she'd forgotten about and well, it was comforting.

As she felt Travis' grip around her get tighter, she closed her eyes. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling from her whirlwind of emotions, but she couldn't stop. The sadness was too potent and too real to just push away. "Sorry," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I'm trying to...calm down." But then she felt stupid for even speaking and just pulled him closer as the feelings washed over her. All the sadness she felt was seeping out of her pores, but it was different. She wasn't alone crying in her dorm room, she was with another person who could understand her.

[Travis Morgan]

"Don't," Travis said, clinging to her even tighter, "don't be sorry. You're aloud to feel things. It's okay." I love you.

He was a little startled by that last thought, and he knew better than to say it out loud. He didn't mean it in a romantic way, as was the most common interpretation. It was a pure sort of love, in this moment. He could feel her loneliness, and through it they were connected.

Travis pulled back to look at her. His face was wet with tears, and his eyes were red and swollen. "You're a beautiful person," he said, and he wasn't talking about her appearance, "don't hide it."