Power Swap: Mental Zoo and Lots of Water! (Junpei)

[Zac Stanson]

Zac woke up that day with a zoo in his mind. No, he hadn't had that recurring nightmare about bring stuck in a zoo full of walruses (walri?). No, he was pretty sure there wasn't anything slipped into his dinner the night before. It wasn't really a zoo at all. It was just lots of little different coloured buds bobbing around in, what Zac could only describe as, enclosures inside his head. He figured he must have been dreaming still.

It was Thursday, so he had three whole hours of bobbing rainbow colours before lunchtime. When the time finally came, Zac went outside, passing lots of people he knew and more that he didn't. Each and every one of them said hi and waved with smiles on their faces. He could've sworn some of them were flirting with him. The strange thing was, each time he passed one of them a little green guy escaped from his mental zoo.

Eventually he made it to the Pond where he was trying to get to. He liked sitting and paddling in it's cool waters, the koi sometimes stroking his feet and turning his skin, rather embarrassingly, into scales. But, while the koi did tickle his bare toes, no mimicking occurred. He even tried to force it once, but still nothing happened. Zac just put it down to not being in control.

So there he sat for a bit, confused and, honestly, a bit worried.

[Deleted]

The day had been mostly pretty normal. Junpei had gone to classes per the normal, he didn't have club activities today, and he watched Yue for a short time on the track before he decided to head off by himself to practice his power like he normally did. The only part that didn't seem all that normal was a unnamable knot of anxiety in his stomach, which he simply dismissed as indigestion. Or maybe he was homesick? Not for his family, but definitely for Japan.

But despite the knot, Junpei was a man of habit and cared more about learning to more effectively use his powers than about studying like he should have even though this language barrier was crippling him even more in his studies.

Sigh.

As he approached the pond, Junpei noticed someone else sitting at the edge with his feet in the water. Nothing too strange, Junpei had seen other people around the pond area before and knew that all he had to do was go a bit deeper into the wood to avoid getting an audience he didn't particularly want, but as he passed behind him, Junpei felt compelled to stop. There wasn't any reason why, just….he looked again at the boy with his feet in the water sitting all by himself. Suddenly it just seemed like a much better idea to hang out with this lonely looking guy than it did to practice. The water didn't look so bad either. Of course, at this point, Junpei didn't think it was strange, and chalked it up to him just wanting to be friendly, which wasn't unusual at all for Junpei.

"Herro!" he said as he got closer to the boy. "You are alone. I think, why?" Then he looked down at the pond. "Ah! Wakatte'ru. You want to catch fish with toe, yes?"

[Zac Stanson]

The silence was broken by the Asian looking boy who walked over. Zac wasn't completely sure if he was dreaming or not, but if he wasn't, then something weird had happened. People don't usually wake up with a load of weird things bobbing up and down in their mind's eye, right? But then, not many people turned into metal at touch.

Zac brought his attention back to the boy. He couldn't really understand a lot of what he said. "Oh, err. I'm just chilling. It's peaceful." The real reason was the fact that he didn't want people being so friendly to him. It was weird. He guessed that it was to do with the zoo, but he didn't understand it and so didn't like it.

As the boy looked down at the koi he said something about fishing with toes. "Er, yeah. I guess I am." An idea sprouting in his head, much like the green bud that was also there, Zac decided to play around with his new power, even it it did only exist in his dream. He released that green bud and smiled. "I'm Zac."

[Deleted]

It was pretty compelling to want to talk to this guy. Not that there was anything special about him, but in Junpei's eye he looked rather pleasing...but that didn't mean anything, right? Junpei was just a naturally friendly person, even if he was particularly bashful at times. Though this time, that bashfulness seemed to have disappeared in nearly an instant. Usually, Junpei was hesitant when speaking to a new person, especially considering how poorly he spoke English, but he wasn't feeling awkward at all speaking to this boy who probably couldn't understand a word the Japanese boy said.

Junpei laughed, completely amused at the thought that one might be able to fish with their toes. "I am Junpei. Are you a student?" Of course he was a student, but Junpei just wanted to confirm. He plopped down in the grass next to Zac, smile beaming as he anticipated making a new friend. "Where are you from? How old are you? What is your power? Do you have other family here? Do you have hobby?" he suddenly rattled off a barage of questions at his new friend(instantly upgraded!) a little too forcefully, leaning in into what could only be called Zac's personal bubble. His eyes were bright and expectant as he awaited the answers.

[Zac Stanson]

The boy's eagerness may have annoyed others, but it amused Zac. It had been such a strange day, he half expected the boy to turn into one of the Koi or something. Besides, he was pretty sure the eagerness was his fault, so he could hardly criticise. The boy was like an excited child, Zac just couldn't not indulge him.

"Woah, woah, easy boy. Slow down, one at a time. Yes, I am a student. I'm from Toronto, Canada, a bit west of here. I'm 16 years old and I'm a Substance Mimic. Watch." He stroked the fish with his feet, trying to let his power sweep him away, but he felt nothing. Ah well. "Sorry, it's pretty unreliable. Basically, it means I can turn into whatever I touch, but today it's not working. Anyway. No, I'm an only child. I play bass guitar and I play ice hockey and a lot of other sports like football. But hockey's the best."

Perhaps the boy was being a little too eager. He seemed to be leaning into Zac and invading his personal space slightly. Maybe he had given him a bit too much green. He experimented with another colour in his head. There weren't as many of this than green, and Zac was pretty sure he knew what it did. Only one way to find out, though. He sent a little blue bud the way of the boy.

"So, enough about me. What's your name? Introduce yourself." Zac watched, amused, as the boy began to speak.

[Deleted]

Even Junpei thought he was being a little too eager, but he couldn't really help it. He was just really excited about having a new friend. It wasn't like he needed more friends, but Junpei was still relatively new at Hammel and sometimes still felt like the odd one out. No, Junpei wanted to be friends with everyone he met, and why shouldn't he start with this one, this person who had caught his eye and looked particularly enjoyable to be around.

"Ah! You are older? I am 15 years old. I am from Japan, and I have power for making energy." That last part may have been a mistranslation, because Junpei still hadn't quite figured out how to explain his power easily. He was however a little disappointed that he could not see what Zac's power was at the moment. But that was Ok, Junpei could continue telling Zac about himself.

"Eh tou… I like skateboard, and sometimes draw," he started to list off his interests as he put a finger to his bottom lip. "I like history, and myth." Those were things he went out of his way to learn. What else was there? The more he thought about it, the more Junpei started to realize that a lot of the other things he did were just because his family made him. Like tea ceremony, or kimono-dressing….heck, Junpei didn't even realize until he got to Hammel that he didn't even have any useful life skills, things as simple as cooking or doing laundry.

Junpei's face dropped as these thoughts started to take over, though he kept a small smile as he tried to keep himself optimistic. "I do not have many thing to do good." His grades weren't even up to his family's standards.

"What is Canada like? I have not been before," Junpei asked of Zac with a smile that showed how he was trying to divert the focus of the conversation back to Zac.

[Zac Stanson]

Another Ergo? They seemed to be everywhere. His old roommate, his new roommate and now this guy. Okay, fine, that was only three, hardly everywhere, but still. Although this latest addition might not actually be an Ergo. He was quite vague about his power.

When the boy got to his hobbies the bubbly happiness was relaxed by an optimistic sadness. Zac smiled inwardly: his experiments had proven fruitful. Chuckling at his pun (the zoo of colourful flower buds, fruitful. No?), he leaned in slightly.

"I'll tell you a secret: it's the same as here. Vermont is almost exactly due East from Toronto, so the weather is extremely similar. They just don't have as many moose in Vermont. Or Canadians. So Vermont is exactly the same as Toronto. But Japan is definitely not. What's that like?"

Zac felt sorry about his little blue bud, so he tried to take it back. It wasn't working. Instead, he added one little bud of green. Or, atleast, he meant too. In actual fact he accidentally let quite a few not-so-little green buds. Oops.

[Deleted]

Yes, another Ergo, though if Zac had said that out loud, Junpei wouldn't have understood. And again, it was nowhere near the same kind of energy manipulation that his roommate had. One of these days, Junpei would know enough English to be able to explain it properly.

And Junpei…was completely oblivious to his sudden moodswings. He was pretty oblivious to a lot of things, actually, like how incredibly invasive he was being by leaning in so far into Zac that he could see his….dazzling grey eyes. Wow! They sure didn't have eyes like that in Japan.

So Toronto was pretty much the same as Vermont? That was pretty interesting! And Junpei was about to say so when Zac asked Junpei about his own homeland.

Oh JOY! He wanted to know more about Junpei and the land he grew up!

Junpei's smile only got brighter(as if it wasn't blinding enough) as he immediately started to rattle off facts about his homeland to his BEST FRIEND. "Eh, tou. Japan is small island, but too many people. Japan is very tall. Building is very very tall. Road is tall. All in city Kyoto and Tokyo. I am from Kyoto. Kyoto is old city. Have many tradition. Every spring there is hana-mi. Sakura is very pretty. Fall has red and gold in trees. Is very pretty…." Now Junpei realized that there was just too much about Japan for him to explain in just a mere conversation.

"We go to Japan together and I will show!" After all, it was just a few hundred dollars for a ticket, Junpei was sure he could get Obaa-sama to agree.

[Zac Stanson]

Jesus. If the guy was over the top before, then he was over that now. He was climbing higher than the clouds, he was so far over. Maybe just add a little of something else to help calm him down. Not blue, that was kinda bad. Zac looked through his zoo of buds. Perhaps red would be right. That would be anger or frustration, right? He sure hoped so, because a couple had been sent Jun's direction.

Red isn't anger or frustration at all. Red is lust. But, of course, Zac dudn't know that.

"You know, we should definitely go see Japan, but maybe not right now. I have... Well, school. And my mom kinda wants me home at the holidays, so... Yeah." Zac had a feeling that, if given an opportunity, this Jun guy would knock Zac out and swim to Japan with Zac on his back. Zac was starting to get a little worried. Maybe it was time to backpedal slightly.

[Deleted]

Yes! This was the best idea! Junpei and Zac could totally go to Japan together tomorrow, wait, tomorrow wasn't soon enough! He wondered if there were any flights left out? But first he had to call Obaa-sama.

Junpei pulled out his phone. "I will call Obaa-sama now and ask."

But then Zac had declined his invitation. Which honestly made Junpei a little(or a lot) disappointed, but it was probably Ok. "Hai!" he said, with a touch(and only a touch) less excitement than before and he looked over at Zac, sending him a bright smile to show there were no hard feelings over refusing. They could always go over the weekend! (as if!)

Junpei nodded and matched his eyes with Zac's. Those pale-grey-ish eyes that seemed to capture Junpei's attention. He could feel his face turn red with embarrassment, but….was Zac always this good looking? Like he could just be eaten up? Junpei could see it in his mind just how good Zac might look in a summer yukata of blues and tans, with the collar half open and fanning himself with his free hand as the summer heat made his toned flesh shine with a thin layer of sweat…..

GOOD GOD WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH HIM WHERE DID THAT FANTASY COME FROM?

Yep, this was the point where Junpei was finally beginning to catch on that something terribly wrong was going on, especially since there was no way he wouldn't notice the terrible wrong that was starting down in his pants. Junpei's face turned a beet red as he was trying to process what was happening(and for a man of all things), and why he couldn't stop it and that was just spiraling his own emotions of shame and panic and anxiety out of control.

And then the pond exploded.

[Zac Stanson]

Well, that didn't seem to work. Now Zac isn't the brightest bud on the branch, but he's also not a complete idiot. He was already running through the reasons in his head why the boy wasn't atleast a little bit annoyed with him. First of all, he might not have given him enough. He could always try a few more, but then Jun might try to drown him or something. The second reason was that red wasn't anger. Zac reckoned that was it. But the only other thing red could be was romance or love, or something similar.
Shit.

The second conclusion Zac made was that this new power had replaced his old one. He had no idea why and he had know idea if it had happened to anyone else aswell. The strange thing was, he disn't really care. This new thing, this emotion changer thingy, was ich more interesting, let alone fun, than being able to become like a brick whenever he touched one. So Zac just let it be. For know, besides, he had bigger problems.
Like water exploding outwards from the pond infront of them.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell was that?!" Zac shouted, scrambling up. His heart was racing and he was drenched, from sock to hair.
"Did you do that? I thought you said you were an ergokinetic!" He asked Jun, his voice lowering slightly, but his heart still pumping as fast. Then the penny dropped. The pieces slotted together.

"You've got a new power, right? So have I - I used to be able to change into any object I touched, now I have a zoo of little buds that seem to change people's emotions in my head. This is really weird. Erm... Can you dry me? I think a hydrokinetic can do that..."

[Deleted]

Junpei was just as surprised as Zac was at the explosion of water. He had no idea what was going on, his emotions weren't stable, he wasn't really paying attention enough to understand what Zac was saying…the only thing Junpei knew for certain was that he caused the pond to explode. Junpei didn't know how he knew, he just did. He could feel it somehow.

Which did absolutely nothing to calm the boy down.

"New…? Why…? Wakka'nai'nda!" he whimpered out, completely confused and looking out between the still rippling water and the wet boy in front of him asking him questions that Junpei didn't even know the answer to. As it was, he was on the verge of a panic attack. His breathing was sharpened and shallow, his face was red and his brows furrowed. He felt like his hands were shaking, and they might have been, but there was no way to tell if that was from the anxiety or from the chilling water. "I….I don't… What is happen?" he questioned Zac fervently.

Dry? Could he? It took more than a few seconds of panicking and hyperventilating before Junpei could process what Zac had asked him, and he nodded slowly. "Hai…dekiyou to omou…" It was stupidly strange and uncomfortable for Junpei to be actively trying out this new ability that he knew he could do despite having never had it before. But with just a flick of his wrist, he could feel the water sliding off both himself and Zac and drop back into the pond beside. It was so easy.

But Junpei still felt like crying.

[Zac Stanson]

Zac say down. He was confused and a little worried, but atleast he was dry. "Right, so. We both have new powers. It'd be one hell of a coincidence if it was just us two and I don't believe in coincidences, so I reckon more than two people have woken up today with different powers. Do you think maybe I got someone's power and they have mine? Maybe it's like a swap." Zac smiled at the thought of someone waking up and pulling off their matters to find their legs have turned into duvet cover. He was just thinking out loud, rambling really, but he looked up after he was finished. He saw Junpei looking sad and let off a green bud, but was very careful with it.

"Here, don't be sad, it's not your fault your powers are gone, or even that you got me wet. We should probably go find some other people, though, and splashing them might not be the best thing to do."

[Deleted]

Junpei wasn't sure he understood what was going on, no, he did understand, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

It was a new power? His power was replaced by another one? One that he apparently knew how to use for whatever reason as if he'd had it all the while. But still, Junpei felt so...empty inside. Like he was missing a piece of himself. He'd be the first to admit that his own power could be a little scary at times, which was why he went to such great efforts to practice and keep the things he did light-hearted, but he'd grown attached to it over the years. And having a completely new power just made it scarier, oh, maybe Seb was right and this was all just a horrible curse, oh, Junpei wanted to cry.

Junpei's face was red with distress. If Zac had sent him a green seed to make Junpei happy, it wasn't working much. There was little there, if anything at all, for the little bud to attach to and enhance. Because all the excitement that Junpei had before about making a new friend had been completely forgotten once he realized his power was not what it used to be. Still, Junpei nodded, "Hai..." he said quietly. As depressed as he was, he did want to find out if this was a school-wide thing or just with them. Then they could figure out what was going on from there. "We can look," he relented and started to stand, feeling just a little more positive about the situation. Maybe that bud had something to latch onto after all?