A Positive Influence (River)

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Sometimes AJ liked to imagine she was on the swim team. If there was one thing besides reading and writing (creating your own world and delving into someone's else's) that made her feel free, it was the water. Gliding through it made her feel weightless and alive, but she wasn't on a team because people...weren't her thing. Not anymore. It was a shame too, because she was a talented swimmer and her heart was in it, but she settled for setting out to the lake in Pilot Ridge on a summer day and swimming her heart out.

Besides, it helped with just how overly emotional she'd been feeling lately--coming across an empath in the commons and a total jerk in the courtyard had both contributed to that. Of course, she was sure it was obvious she was a wreck already anyway.

She shed her t-shirt and shorts by an oak tree along with her bookbag and sunk into the water, closing her eyes.

[River Tseung]

River missed his Canadian rivers. He had spent a lot of time in them as a child, and now that he was in Pilot Ridge, he had had to settle for other bodies of water. The most convenient was the lake, and while the boy was more used to running water rather than still ones, it was still a good place to go for a swim on a hot day.

And so, he found himself heading towards the water's edge, stripping off his t-shirt and tossing it near a tree while shedding his shoes as well, leaving him in a pair of bright blue swimming trunks. Before he could hop in, however, he noticed some other clothes and a bag by the tree, and glanced in the water. Ah! There was a girl here already. Always eager to make new friends, he put on a bright grin and strode out into the water, until he was about waist-deep.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" he asked her, looking up at the sky. He hoped he didn't startle her; she looked like she had her eyes closed, anyway. "It's a great afternoon to be out on the lake." River paused, letting out a small chuckle. "Sorry, I hope I'm not disturbing you, sweetheart. You looked so peaceful, I just wanted to say hello."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ had heard the ripples in the water as somebody else entered the lake, but most of the time people didn't try to approach her, so she just kept her eyes shut and floated on her back. She flinched a little at the sudden voice as it seemed close and her eyes fluttered open to see a boy looking up at the sky as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Uh, yeah...it is a beautiful day." The sun was shining and it was about eighty degrees. Although any time was perfect for her to be in the water. It made her feel a bit more sane. "Oh...you're not." He was polite too. Her lips perked up in a slight smile. That might have been the first time anybody had said she looked peaceful. She moved off of her back as it was awkward for making conversation and floated there in the water, moving wet wavy ringlets out of her face. He looked familiar and she realized she'd probably seen him around at some point.

[River Tseung]

River glanced down at the girl as she spoke, a soft smile touching his face. "Oh good, I'm glad." He stretched his arms above his head as she righted herself, letting out a content sigh as his sore muscles pulled. Track and field was starting to get more challenging, and he had been swimming the past couple days in the gorgeous weather. He looked at her more closely when she was floating upright, and he realized he had seen her at Hammel before.

"I've seen you at school," he told her, cocking a curious eyebrow. "Hammel, I mean. Oh, sorry, I'm being rude. I'm River," he added, quickly offering a damp hand and another bright smile. "I'd recognize that gorgeous dark hair anywhere, I'm sure." It wasn't like he knew her well - she had just caught his attention, like many people at Hammel did. He loved watching people, and it was a good way to start conversations sometimes when he randomly bumped into other students like this.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ was trying to think of something to say so the conversation wouldn't die out when he'd already began speaking again. "Oh...yeah. I've seen you around as well," she commented. How could she not notice him? She thought everyone took notice. River had such a bright personality that was hard to miss because it made him stand out. He was nothing but kind to everybody he met and although she'd never spoken to him before now, she knew that because she may not talk to many people, but she watched them. People watching was how she got to know who people were, because not many dared to approach her, especially if they knew her power.

"Don't worry...it's not rude. I'm AJ," she told him, clasping his hand for a moment, a bit nervously. She didn't normally introduce herself as Amanda Joy, simply because it was a mouthful. "And...uhm, thanks." She subconsciously ran a hand through her hair after she'd shook his hand. It wasn't very gorgeous right now, she was sure. "You swim?"

[River Tseung]

River did have quite a reputation around school, even if he didn't mean to, or really care. He just liked to make people happy, and apparently it was so rare for high school-aged students to do so that people took notice. He did try to socialize as much as possible too, so a lot of people did know him by name. But AJ wasn't one of those people, and he was glad he was getting the chance to meet her now, because she seemed very sweet.

"A pleasure to meet you, AJ," he replied, giving another dimpled smile. He gave her hand a gentle shake, before letting go and dipping it into the water once again. "Ah yeah, I love to swim," he bobbed his head. "Back where I'm from, I used to spend time in the rivers a lot." He chuckled. "A bit ironic, I know." He pulled his hands through the water for a moment. "What about you? Are you on the Hammel swim team or anything?" He had looked into it himself, but had decided to do track instead, for the present.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ dropped her hand from her hair to back into the lake water. She laughed a little, a soft giggle, to the irony of his statement. "Where are you from?" she asked. It couldn't hurt to make conversation with River, right? Manipulating him would only make him happier, and it's not like someone could explode from happiness.

"I love swimming, but...I'm not on the team." That would be torture for her and everybody else, even if a part of her would love to be on that team. She was actually good at a few things, swimming being one of them. "I'm not so good with people," she admitted. "Although you probably knew that."

[River Tseung]

"Quebec!" River replied, smiling fondly at the memory of his hometown. "Saguenay, to be more precise. It's actually not too far north of here. What about you?" He was always curious to learn more about people - where they were from, what their abilities were, and whatnot. He couldn't recall if he had ever heard what it was that AJ could do, but he didn't want to bombard her with questions so soon after meeting her.

"Ooh, you should look into it," River told her. "I have some friends on the team, they really enjoy it." He didn't realize her reasoning, though, and tilted his head as she admitted she wasn't good with people. "Really? You seem like you would be," he told her. At least, from how nice and friendly she was being with him so far. "I wasn't aware! You're very sweet, I would think people would love to spend time with you."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Oh, so he was from Canada. And he seemed to like thinking about it. And then he'd asked about her hometown and AJ fell into memories of long winters and summers that didn't even seem to last that long. "I'm from Minnesota," she told him, biting her lip. Thinking of home made her think of her parents and the disappointment they must have felt finding out that their daughter was less than normal.

"And...I don't know." The swim team? There were so many people! What if somebody was so desperate to win that she amplified that and they went absolutely nuts? AJ thought about these things; the what-ifs. Although they were mostly what kept her up at night, tossing and turning and staring at the blaring numbers on her digital alarm clock while her roommates were fast asleep. She almost laughed at what he'd said, as it was sweet that he thought that. "It's really hard to explain, but thanks." Her cheeks turned a faint red at the compliment. "I don't think it's my personality that's the problem though."

[River Tseung]

"Ooh, Minnesota," River repeated, humming. "I can't say I've ever been there. What's it like?" He wanted to travel more, he just hadn't had the chance yet. All he was able to do for now was visit home a couple times throughout the year; maybe, now that he got a job, he would be able to afford to go somewhere this year.

"I mean, no pressure or anything, but it's definitely a great way to make friends," he smiled. River was already pretty good at meeting people, but being part of a club at Hammel made it even easier to get to know other students. He didn't know about her concerns, though. That definitely made things harder. "You can tell me if you'd like," he told her quietly. "But I totally understand if you don't. I mean, I'm pretty much a stranger still, huh?" He chuckled, sinking a bit deeper into the water. "Anyway, if you ever just want to swim around with me, that's cool too. I love making new swimming buddies!"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Well, there's lots of forests and it's cold," AJ said, which pretty much summed it up. Although she supposed Canada probably wasn't that drastically different. And she knew he wasn't pressuring her about the swim team, it was just something that AJ felt she wasn't ready for. She struggled making friends and not because she wasn't friendly, but because she didn't want to mess anyone's lives up.

"I don't really want to get into it right now..." she said softly. "Let's just say I'm not really the best at being a meta-human." She lowered her voice on that last part as she watched River sink into the water. He was just so...cheerful. He radiated sunshine. "I wouldn't mind having somebody to swim with. Have you ever thought about joining the team?"

[River Tseung]

"Sounds kinda like Canada," River replied with a laugh. They really weren't all that far away, climate-wise. River would never try to pressure anyone into doing anything they didn't want, but he did like to encourage people to chase after their passions and not let fear or discomfort get in their way.

"That's absolutely fine!" he assured her, smiling. "Sorry for prying, I didn't mean to." He cocked his head curiously as she spoke, realizing she meant it had something to do with her abilities. "Ahh. Well, that's why we're at Hammel - they're there to help up get through this rough patch in our lives and move forward." He grinned brightly. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll get better!" He saw a small fish in the water and, distracted, hummed at it - as if on cue, the creature swam closer and halted right in front of him. He hadn't expected it to work, so he let out a small sound of excitement before turning back to AJ, realizing she was speaking. "Sorry, I get distracted easily," he mumbled with embarrassment. "But yeah! We can totally swim together whenever. I've thought about joining the team, but I'm already on track, so I figure I should probably just stick with one for now." He shrugged. "Maybe I'll switch next year!"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"That's why I wasn't sure you'd want to go to Minnesota. Most people tell me I even sound Canadian," AJ told River. "And you weren't prying! Don't feel like you were." She knew what prying was. That's what her parents tried to do when her power manifested before she was taken away. He was so sure that things would get better, but she wasn't so sure it was a rough patch--more like her life was rough.

She watched the fish swim close to River and smiled at it. "What's your power anyway? It has something to do with fish or music...or both?" She felt ridiculous asking it and felt her cheeks redden. "But yeah, I'd love to have somebody to swim with." Maybe River could convince her to even join the team eventually or something.

[River Tseung]

"Now that you mention it, I can hear the similarity," he chuckled. He didn't have much of an accent himself, so he usually didn't notice it much in other people. He smiled as she assured him he wasn't prying, splashing a bit in the water again. He was glad she hadn't taken it badly; he really meant no harm or disrespect at all whatsoever.

He looked back down at where the fish had been when she asked about his ability, letting out a little laugh. "Sorta both," he told her. "Melodic animal manipulation." It wasn't a ridiculous question, mostly because it was true. "I can make animals do stuff by creating a melody," he explained. "Fish are usually kinda difficult though... I'm not sure if it's because they can't usually hear me, or their behavior is just hard to control." He shrugged, smiling happily. "Sounds great!" He looked out at the water, then back at AJ. "I think I'm gonna go for a swim now, so... Keep up if you can?" His smile widened into a teasing grin, and he stepped out deeper into the water until only his head and shoulders were above the surface.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Yeah, I wasn't really that far from Canada," AJ said with a shrug, beginning to wade in the water once more. She was starting to itch to really swim again. Every once in a while on her own, she'd do a few intense laps and pretend she was racing somebody who wasn't ever there. She'd never timed herself, but she was sure she was pretty fast. However, it was mostly a talent that would go to no use, like her writing, because she was too shy.

"That's cool," she said genuinely, smiling lightly. What a simple, fun power. She almost envied him for a second. His smile, his harmless power. She didn't have much time to think about it though, because River was practically challenging her before he was heading out towards deeper waters. She pushed her thoughts away and followed suit, diving under water and resurfacing next to him.