Emotions Keep Spinning Out [Noa]

[Kimmy Abernathy]

She had thought the mall would be a good place to explore on a Friday evening. She should have known better.

Kimmy desperately shouldered her way through the throngs of people, not really knowing where she was going but wanting to leave. She kept getting little flickers of emotions from everyone she passed - a bit of joy here, some boredom there, desperation, contentment, sorrow, fatigue - and the whiplash was exhausting. She had only been in the busy building for half an hour, but that half hour was quite enough.

Ze had thought that, with all the emotional background noise, ze could effectively tune everything out and explore on zir own. Ze had been eager to explore the town of Pilot Ridge, as it was zir first exposure to the United States - or any continent outside of Europe, for that matter. In retrospect, ze didn't know why ze hadn't just walked around the town, where it would have been much easier to walk off into the nearby woods had ze become overwhelmed. Going to the mall had left zir feeling overwhelmed and insecure in zir inability to control zir power.

She forced herself to stop, barely noting the person behind her who cursed and bumped into her back. I need to calm down... is there a place to sit down near here? A glance around revealed no benches in sight. Kimmy made her way over to a wall and leaned against it, bridging her nose and closing her eyes in a futile attempt to shut everything out. Okay... Is there any emptier place nearby? She looked up to see a nearby clothing store, empty except for a few patrons.

Kimmy slipped inside the nearby store, gravitating toward a nearby clothing rack and riffing through the clothes. Ze probably stuck out quite a bit between zir icy pink hair, handmade cream lace minidress, purple tights, and utterly confused manner. However, the familiar feeling of fabric in zir hands helped zir calm down slightly. Ze tried to focus zir mind on identifying the different types of fit and cloth present on the racks, beginning to tune out the mess of emotions present in the building. Between all that, ze wasn't particularly watching where ze was going...

[Noa Reese]

Ok, yes, Noa didn't have to go to the Pilot Ridge mall to do her shopping. But she did if she wanted to go to this particular clothing store, which had become a favorite of hers when she went to Hammel - plus, since fall was coming, there were some great things on clearance. And yes, despite being able to afford thing full price if she really wanted them, she still by far preferred bargain shopping. Especially cause she could simply buy more. And she loved clothes. If she hadn't been interested in psych and sociology so much, she would've wanted to study fashion design.

She had been happily zoned out, a soundtrack of Marina and the Diamonds funneled into her ears via earbuds, combing through the clearance rack with a discerning eye, crimson fingernails dancing along items as she skimmed through, when someone suddenly bumped into her from behind. She quickly tightened her grip on her armful of garments, one earbud popping out, even as she turned, slightly miffed by the jostling, but also curious as to why she'd been bumped. And for a fraction of a second - the time it took her to take in the poor girl who'd bumped her - she was absolutely speechless.

The person was gorgeous, for one. And while thinking that made Noa feel a little shallow, she didn't doubt that it was true. She always had a secret envy and admiration (and attraction) to people who had the guts and self-assuredness to dye their hair unconventional colors, and this girl was no exception. And beyond just her (absolutely gorgeous) hair, her face was exotic and her style unique, and she was just... "Stunning."

Wait. She'd said that? She laughed a bit at herself, not one to try to pretend she hadn't said it, and smiled, removing her other earbud and putting away her iPod as she added, "Sorry, I think I meant to say 'sorry.'" She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, as she added, "But you are stunning. I absolutely love your hair. ....Not that that's a creepy thing to say or anything." She added with a wry smile, incredibly aware that she probably seemed a little too open, but hoping her honesty would make up for it. Besides, if the girl reacted badly she'd just chock it up to a lack of meshability, and shrug it off. But she kinda hoped the girl found her charming and entertaining, cause she had to admit she was probably going for that (at the very least on a subconscious level), and she was curious about this feminine beauty.

[Kimmy Abernathy]

Kimmy was beginning to calm down, the familiar textures and patterns providing her with something to focus on to get her mind off of the conflicted storm of emotions surrounding her. Her eyes scanned the racks, and she noticed some intriguing dresses hanging on the opposite wall. I've never seen that cut before, maybe I could replicate it? She began to make her way over, eyes and focus locked onto the clothes-

BUMP

The abrupt contact jostled her out of her headspace and she stumbled backwards a few steps, a deer-in-headlights expression on her face. The girl she had bumped into turned abruptly, an earbud popping out of one ear. Kimmy floundered for a moment, mouth opening and closing, the ambient roar of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. She managed to stutter out an apology in a thick Irish accent: "I- sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going, I-"

"Stunning."

Wait, what? Kimmy blinked in surprise. The woman... had been checking zir out, hadn't she? Ze hadn't noticed because ze was too preoccupied with the clothing and attempting to control zir Empathy, but she had been silently looking at zir in the time that ze had been stumbling over zirself in an attempt to apologize. Well, that was.... unexpected. Flattering - especially considering how attractive the woman herself was. Her outfit was simply and elegantly put together, and flattered her body extremely well. The skirt emphasized her hourglass shape and long legs, and the fit of her button-up shirt was, ah... quite flattering.

"Sorry, I think I meant to say 'sorry.'" The woman laughed and rolled her eyes, adding, "But you are stunning. I absolutely love your hair. ....Not that that's a creepy thing to say or anything." Kimmy's cheeks blushed, a red slightly deeper than the pink of zir hair. She came across so confidently, laughing at herself but not apologetic or self-conscious... it was a flavor of confidence that ze particularly liked and found attractive, and this woman wore it well.

"Wow, thank you," she said softly, offering her a friendly smile. With her focus on the woman in front of her, the storm of emotions surrounding her began to fade into the background. "I would say the same for you, and you know how to dress to flatter your shape... if I may be so forward?" She didn't want to make her uncomfortable, though judging by how forward the woman herself was, she doubted she would.

Despite desperately trying to leave just a few minutes ago, Kimmy now found zirself wanting to stay.

[Noa Reese]

Noa refused to allow herself to feel awkward. Or, at least, she refused to let that awkwardness stick around for very long without pointing at it and say, 'hey, look, that's Awkward.' That quality had helped her many times in the past, and had become second nature by now. So, even though she had initially entered the store in an introverted state of mind, she let that part of her coax out her extroverted side when she was confronted with face-to-face interaction (her aggressive personal soundtrack of the moment didn't hurt, either, giving her a little bounce in her step pre-bumping).

She was very glad that they had bumped, actually, because otherwise she wouldn't have done more than admire the stunning girl from afar. But, when put on the spot, she rose to the occasion. Which was why she gave a light laugh at the girl's compliment, intrigued by her accent, and a little shrug as she added in a casual mockery of arrogance, "Well, y'know - I try." She rolled her eyes a bit at her own antics, but gave the girl a genuine smile. "But really, thank you."

She found it amusing that the girl didn't want to be too forward. "Forward is good! If I hadn't been forward a second ago, we probably wouldn't be talking," she pointed out. "I like forward - it has served me well so far." She nodded, looking as though she were contemplating her history with the approach. Turning down the cheese-o-meter, she added, "Sorry if I'm putting you off - I joke a lot. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. I sometimes babble on a bit when I'm around attractive people."

There was a hint of mischief in her smile, well aware that she was flirting with the stranger, though she didn't really expect much to come out of it. For one thing, most girls were straight. But if it did go downhill, she rationalized that she wouldn't exactly be running into this beauty on a regular basis, as she didn't live in Pilot Ridge. It was risk vs. reward, and Noa didn't find the risk all that high. Plus, the girl really was highly attractive. The blush only made her more so, and caused a slight flush to raise on Noa's own cheeks without her realizing it, a mix of excitement and pleasure.

[Kimmy Abernathy]

The woman laughed lightly - a light and bubbly sound that made zir heart feel buoyant and fizzy. ”Well, k’now – I try.” She gave zir a smile, and ze could feel the genuine happiness behind it. ”But really, thank you.”

Now that Kimmy was focused on something outside her own mind, the busy mess of emotions was thoroughly in the back of her head and she could somewhat read the emotions of the woman in front of her. It still wasn’t the clearest image – like listening to music on a crowded street, the ambient noise still drowned her out somewhat – but she could determine the woman’s general emotional state. Focusing on that helped her calm down, especially in the given context where she was already quite enthusiastic about talking to the stranger. Hopefully she wouldn’t be a stranger for long – if nothing else, Kimmy loved to make new friends, and particularly needed them when she had just moved to Vermont.

”Forward is good! If I hadn’t been forward a second ago, we probably wouldn’t be talking. I like forward – it has served me well so far.” Kimmy smiled – indeed it has. It was, in part, her forwardness that made zir attracted to her, since it belied her confidence. Also, it was indeed her forwardness that started the conversation in the first place, which ze was quite glad for. Sorry if I’m putting you off – I joke a lot. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I sometimes babble on a bit when I’m around attractive people.” Her slightly mischievous smile and flush on her cheeks only emphasized her features. She had a very pretty, expressive face.

”Not at all – like you said, forward has served us well so far, right?” Ze said, smiling. ”By the way, what’s your name? It wouldn’t feel right to call you ‘the beautiful woman over there,’ accurate as it may be.” A friendly twinkle entered zir eyes.

There was often an insecurity in the back of her mind that people who looked at her were doing so out of disgust or just to humor her. It elated her to talk to someone who was obviously flirting out of genuine attraction, especially when she took so much pride in her appearance and hoped to have it noticed on some level. Flirting was fairly new to her, so despite her emotional perceptiveness, there was always the possibility that she was missing some significant cues. She hoped she wasn’t making a huge fool out of herself, though so far the two of them seemed to be getting along very well.

[Noa Reese]

”Not at all – like you said, forward has served us well so far, right?”

Noa thrilled a little bit as the girl flirted back - she loved playful banter, and it was only made better by how easily it had happened.

”By the way, what’s your name? It wouldn’t feel right to call you ‘the beautiful woman over there,’ accurate as it may be.”

Oh, flirting... it was the best. Of course, this was assuming that this was flirting. She liked to think that it was - especially given the truthfulness to the girl's statement - but she was careful not to assume too much, since - y'know - straight people (although women did tend to be more fluid in terms of sexuality).

She tended to be a little more reserved (during the day at least) when flirting with girls, just because she hadn't had as much experience with them, and it was harder to tell when a girl was being flirty by accident (if she was just flattered, and was complimenting her), or if she was truly interested. There were definitely straight girls she'd met that had made Noa feel like an idiot for assuming they had been flirting - though she'd never admit to feeling that way.

Noa put on a wry smile, and answered, a little sarcastically, "Right - names. They're kind of important, aren't they?" With a chuckle, she freed a hand to hold it out to the girl, "I'm Noa, hi. And as much as I'd love it if your name really were Stunning, I have a feeling it isn't."

[Kimmy Abernathy]

"Right - names. They're kind of important, aren't they?" the woman responded with her sexy wry smile. She held a hand out to Kimmy and said, "I'm Noa, hi. And as much as I'd love it if your name really were Stunning, I have a feeling it isn't."

Kimmy laughed lightly and grasped Noa's hand, perhaps holding on a moment longer than strictly necessary. "You have a lovely name, Noa. I've never heard of Stunning as a name, especially not for myself, though I'm sure it exists. I'm Kimmy, it's wonderful to meet you!" A bit of her characteristic bubbly excitement entered her speech, and she gave Noa a wide smile.

It occurred to Kimmy that ze was probably the only one with Empathy between them. It was possible that Noa had it, but not likely - often when two Empaths met there was a sort of mirror effect with their emotions, and Kimmy didn't think ze detected that here. Then again, the mall was still somewhat crowded and emotionally noisy, so it was hard to tell. Regardless... straight people existed, yeah. That was a thing, though ze liked to pretend it wasn't - in zir headcanon everyone was assumed pansexual until proven otherwise. Ze could tell that Noa was interested in zir, but she probably couldn't know for sure unless ze came out and declared zirself as someone who does, in fact, like girls... though ze had trouble thinking of a subtle yet unambiguous way to do so.

She didn't have much time to think about it before an overzealous store employee walked up to them. "Are you girls finding everything okay? I can show you to the dressing rooms if you'd like!"

Kimmy looked curiously at Noa. "Did you want to try anything on?" she asked, realizing even as she spoke the implications of that question. Yes, maybe she did want to see Noa in the dressing rooms... "...Not to come onto you or anything," she said with a shy yet slightly mischevious expression.

[Noa Reese]

"Kimmy," Noa repeated, with a nod and a slightly mischievous smile - wonderful to meet her? "Mutual, I'm sure," she purred, part of her mind letting out a melodramatic chuckle and another laughing at her for referencing White Christmas of all things. She wasn't even sure if the girl would get it, but either way she was amusing herself.

She glanced to the salesclerk, slightly annoyed at the interruption, but then reminding herself that this was the girl's job and she was actually doing it well, so Noa shouldn't be annoyed. Plus, she'd just offered them both the opportunity to imagine each other changing clothes. As is, in their underwear. So she should really be grateful to the salesclerk.

"Did you want to try anything on? ...Not to come onto you or anything."

The girl's expression boosted Noa's confidence in her interest up to a solid 70%. And she returned the expression but with a brazen smirk. "You can come onto me all you'd like," she purred, emphasizing the double entendre and feeling slightly slimy for saying it, but laughing a little at herself, her eyes still alight with interest. "I did have some things I wanted to try, actually..." She rearranged the clothes over her arm, picking out the pieces she wanted to see off of the hanger.

[Kimmy Abernathy]

"You can come onto me all you'd like," Noa purred, causing Kimmy to blush and hide her face in her hair as she caught the double entendre. The store worker began to look slightly uncertain, and glanced around awkwardly. "I did have some things I wanted to try, actually..."

"Come with me," the worker said, heading off rather quickly to the dressing rooms. Kimmy walked alongside Noa, brushing slightly against her arm as ze moved. The not-so-incidental touch sent little chills up zir spine. The worker led the two of them into a small hallway in the back with four locked stalls, one of which she unlocked and held open for Noa, looking at Kimmy pointedly as if to warn zir against following her into the stall.

"I'll wait out here," she called to Noa, standing next to the large mirror at the end of the hall and still blushing fiercely. Her mind had certainly followed Noa into the stall...

[Noa Reese]

Noa quite liked making people blush. She also quite liked being made to blush, though it didn't happen often in these situations. Still thrilling with the delicious chemistry between them, Noa felt her skin prickling with goosebumps as their arms brushed, and she kind of hoped the pink-haired girl wouldn't notice. She slipped into the dressing room quickly, feeling all pleasantly jittery with the brief contact.

She had to resist the urge to do a little dance. There was just something so fun and exhilarating about flirting - and for some reason, even more with this girl, who had cause Noa's lips to remain in a constant smile as she changed. God, she couldn't even tell what it was - was it just the physical attraction? She loved the little dynamic they had going, she really wanted it to continue...

Oh, right, she was trying on clothes, wasn't she? She hadn't grabbed much, just a dress, top, skirt, and a few jackets (it was getting into fall, after all). As she slipped off her clothes, she called out to Kimmy. "So, Kimmy, what were you up to today? Before I snatched you away to be my personal shopper, I mean." She said that with a smile, even though she knew the girl couldn't see her.

[Kimmy Abernathy]

"So, Kimmy, what were you up to today? Before I snatched you away to be my personal shopper, I mean." As she spoke, the tops of her arms flashed in the crack above the door, and her shirt slipped off over her head. Oh, my... It was a rather titillating site, and Kimmy couldn't get zir wits about zir enough to answer her question for a moment. What was I up to today? The day so far didn't have anything on what was happening now.

"I was just looking around town," she began. "I just moved to the United States for school, I'm attending the nearby high school - Hammel?" It occurred to her that she wasn't sure if it was widely known in Pilot Ridge that Hammel was a school for meta-humans, or what the political atmosphere of the town and its residents was. Ah, well - if Noa disliked meta-humans, it was best to know sooner rather than later, right? It was even possible that she had attended or was currently attending Hammel, though it was statistically unlikely. "You can probably tell I'm Irish," she added with a wry smile, referencing the strong accent that touched everything she said. "What about you? Do you live around here?" she asked, eager to learn the answer.

In addition to zir own feelings, it was wonderful to detect Noa's positive responses to the words ze said and the zir subtle touches as their arms brushed together. It was the kind of emotional feedback loop that left Kimmy feeling higher than anything else did - being happy from the interaction, and knowing that it made Noa happy, and feeling that happiness vividly zirself. It took on a slightly different energy with flirting, and ze found that ze really liked it. Ze wasn't sure where the dynamic would lead, but ze knew ze wanted it to continue, whatever form it took.

[Noa Reese]

"...I'm attending the nearby high school - Hammel?"

Noa's ears perked at the name - how very intriguing! - but she was in the midst of changing clothes, so she didn't want to-

Nope, she just had to say something.

Topless still, she held the curtains together and peeked her head out between them, her face a knowing smirk as she raised her eyebrows, "Hammel, huh?" That was all she said before poking back into the changing room, just making it clear that she was aware of something while not clarifying exactly what. She was curious, though. She wondered what Kimmy's power was, but felt like it was so cliche and distracting to swap power stories right after meeting someone.

"You can probably tell I'm Irish," (she could; the accent was interesting and very attractive) "What about you? Do you live around here?"

"I do - a little closer to UVM, actually." Pulling on one of the jackets she'd picked out, Noa nodded to herself in the mirror - she liked it - before opening the curtains to the dressing room. "Et voila!" She did a little melodramatic flip of her hair, that same playful smile on her face. "You like? Cause there's another look comin'."

[Kimmy Abernathy]

"Hammel, huh?" Noa peeked only her head out of the curtains and spoke with raised eyebrows and a smirk that suggested she knew something. She popped back into the dressing room, leaving Kimmy wondering what she knew and how she knew it. Ze was also left vividly imagining what she looked like behind the curtain. "Oh, you know Hammel?" ze asked, giving Noa an opening to elaborate if she so desired.

"UVM?" ze asked. Being new to the country and certainly new to the state, ze didn't know what all these acronyms stood for... Perhaps it was a public building? A university? Ze didn't have much time to ponder before Noa exited the changing room with a flourish and a cute flip of the hair. "You like? Cause there's another look comin'."

Yes, like was certainly a word one could use for Kimmy's feelings on this outfit... It emphasized her fantastic legs, the jacket was an intriguing design and flattered her form very well, and Kimmy was particularly fond of the color combination and mix of textures. Not to mention those legs. Ze was sure that ze was blatantly staring, so ze tried to refocus zir eyes on her face as ze spoke. "Wow, that is quite the combination. I really like it. Forgive my blatant staring, but you know how to flatter your figure." Try not to sound like a straight girl, will you? Ze hoped zir attention to detail and fit wouldn't detract from her perception of zir interest. In zir mind, it didn't - her style was part of the reason ze had noticed her and found her attractive in the first place, other than the whole bumping-into-her thing - though ze knew that, to some people, it would seem that way.

[Noa Reese]

"Wow, that is quite the combination. I really like it. Forgive my blatant staring, but you know how to flatter your figure."

Noa ignored the questions of the girl for now, instead thriving on the pure attention. God, this was just so much fun, wasn't it? Her grin gave her away as she lingered a moment longer outside of the dressing room. "Why thank you - I would be staring blatantly as well if these curtains weren't in the way." She jiggled one of the curtains, and then disappeared behind them again, doing a little victory dance.

She fed off of attention, and she liked to give others attention too, and this lovely loop that was going on was almost addictive. Delightful. It was delicious. She couldn't even find the words to describe her pleasure with her current situation.

As she changed again, she called back past over the curtains. "I went to Hammel, actually. I graduated about a year and a half ago, just starting my second year of college now - UVM is the University of Vermont, by the way."

She jiggled a bit, adjusting the top of what she would now consider her new favorite dress (for today, anyway), and let out a somewhat sexual groan of pleasure at the fit. "Oh God, this is magnificent. I am so getting this." She spoke mostly to herself, but she wouldn't have said it aloud if she'd been alone. She was really saying it for Kimmy's benefit, 'cause whetting the girl's interest gave Noa a thrill. She pulled on a sweet jacket to raise the badass level of the outfit, and smirked to herself in the mirror. "God, I feel like a 50's girl gang member," she mused aloud as she opened the curtains again. "Either that or the girl from Sleigh Bells."

[Noa Reese]

"Wow, that is quite the combination. I really like it. Forgive my blatant staring, but you know how to flatter your figure."

Noa ignored the questions of the girl for now, instead thriving on the pure attention. God, this was just so much fun, wasn't it? Her grin gave her away as she lingered a moment longer outside of the dressing room. "Why thank you - I would be staring blatantly as well if these curtains weren't in the way." She jiggled one of the curtains, and then disappeared behind them again, doing a little victory dance.

She fed off of attention, and she liked to give others attention too, and this lovely loop that was going on was almost addictive. Delightful. It was delicious. She couldn't even find the words to describe her pleasure with her current situation.

As she changed again, she called back past over the curtains. "I went to Hammel, actually. I graduated about a year and a half ago, just starting my second year of college now - UVM is the University of Vermont, by the way."

She jiggled a bit, adjusting the top of what she would now consider her new favorite dress (for today, anyway), and let out a somewhat sexual groan of pleasure at the fit. "Oh God, this is magnificent. I am so getting this." She spoke mostly to herself, but she wouldn't have said it aloud if she'd been alone. She was really saying it for Kimmy's benefit, 'cause whetting the girl's interest gave Noa a thrill. She pulled on a sweet jacket to raise the badass level of the outfit, and smirked to herself in the mirror. "God, I feel like a 50's girl gang member," she mused aloud as she opened the curtains again. "Either that or the girl from Sleigh Bells."