Can you feel it? (Travis)

[Travis Morgan]

"I just feel it," he said, "sometimes.. well, most of the time I can't tell the difference, y'know, between what I'm feeling and what someone else is feeling." Travis turned to face Aradryn, folding one leg in front of him on the rim of the pond. He breathed slowly for a second, concentrating on feeling calm.

"I'm still figuring it out," he continued, "it's pretty new to me. From what I gather, the meta thing usually kicks in before my age.. guess I'm a little late." Travis shrugged. "Story of my life."

He always seemed to be a little behind his peers. He didn't understand the world at the same pace. He didn't understand their obsession with pop culture, and teen idols, and reality television. He was never interested in parties, or rebelling against his parents, or breaking the rules. The only thing he ever did that might have been considered risky was fall in love with another boy, and his parents turned out to be cool with it (Michael's parents, on the other hand, still didn't know).

He tried not to care, but it bothered him a bit that he generally felt alone in a crowded room. Sure, he could feel everyone, but he didn't have anything in common with them.. and even if he did, it's not like he'd ever talk to any of them. Even now, he was only talking to this girl because his boyfriend pushed him into it. And how whipped do you have to be to get pressured into something by a person who isn't even here? I could have just told him I did it. He wouldn't know.. except that I hate lying... And I suck at it.

Travis blinked and put a smile back on his face, pushing away the melancholy feelings. There was no question that those belonged to him. "So.. you can see emotions? I didn't know that was a thing. I guess it really is different for everyone."

[Adaryn Breslin]

"I think that is a problem with all of us Empath's," Adaryn mumbled, eyes still trained on the floor. Her heels were digging into the ground as she tried to bite back the anxiety, but him speaking was actually helping a bit. It allowed her to get her mind off of the dream, and she actually enjoyed not being alone in times like this, even though her attitude would imply otherwise. "I mean, half the time, I can't be in large crowds because my emotions get influenced really easily."

That wasn't the only reason she stayed away from crowds, really. But it was a good enough reason for the time being. She didn't need, nor did she want to, explain her fear of people to Travis. Really, it wasn't a necessary conversation at the moment.

"I do. They appear as colors," Adaryn continued, forcing her gaze back to Travis, her heart slowing down slightly at the sight of his smile. So he wasn't bored with her yet? That was a good thing. "Like, I see anger as red. The shade changes depending on the level. For example, annoyance is a very soft and almost translucent red. While fury or hatred is an opaque scarlet. If that makes any sense at all."

[Travis Morgan]

"Yeah, that makes sense," Travis mused, tilting his head to the side. "What.. does it look like though? Like.. does it have a shape, or is it just sort of.. amorphous?"

Travis was far from being bored with Adaryn. He was fascinated by the other empath. He didn't feel quite so alone sitting with her. Granted, they were both incredibly awkward, and sort of bad at communicating, but that didn't really matter. They had something in common. Something really important. Something that no one else could really understand. No.. someone else could understand it logically. They could comprehend the power. How it works. What it means. But they could never know how it feels.

It was important, Travis thought, to have people in your life who know how you feel. Without that.. well, life would be terribly lonely. And it was exciting, in a way, to meet someone who knew a thing of two about empathy. Travis felt like he was on a roller coaster most days. Up. Down. Head spinning from sudden changes in mood, never knowing where he was going next. He wanted to learn more. Even if it didn't work exactly the same way for Adaryn, self-discovery often happened while comparing differences.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn shook her head. "I wouldn't say 'amorphous', really. They just look like waves radiating off of the individuals. Sort of like an Aura. But there are times when those emotions can take some sort of shape. It really is difficult to explain. Sometimes they can look like ribbons wrapping around the body of the person feeling it. It all depends." Everything she saw all depended on the intensity of the emotions being felt, and years of schooling taught her what meant what. "So you say you are newer here?" Adaryn asked. It must have been even worse for him then. He had no understanding of how to control it.

The anxiety was practically almost entirely gone now, and she was actually smiling again. It wasn't a wide, toothy grin, but her lips were curled up at the edges. Adaryn wasn't a girl who really felt at ease in the company of others, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. She had finally met someone who could understand the hardships she had to go through every day. Everybody claimed to understand, but they merely sympathized. Nobody empathized with empath's, unless they were one.

"So you can't see them, but you can feel them. How exactly does that work? Because when I'm feeling something, I can sometimes get confused. The colors help me identify. Red for anger, blue for calm, yellow for happiness. Really, it's what anybody would expect to see when they imagine those emotions as a color." Adaryn was rambling, and even though her pauses had not stopped, they were becoming less frequent. She doubted she'd be completely comfortable with him by the end of their meeting, but maybe a few more would do the trick. Addie had a feeling they could be wonderful friends some day. She'd just have to avoid screwing it up.

[Travis Morgan]

"Yeah, I'm pretty new," he confirmed. "It's been.. almost a month now I think. I'm.. still getting used to it. Doesn't feel like home yet. I feel like my life just exploded, and I'm still waiting for the fallout to settle."

This whole experience was still pretty surreal for him. Everything changed so suddenly, he didn't have any time to sort through what was happening. And now he was here, and there were so many new things. He met a girl who could manipulate people's pheromones. He met a telepath. And there was that guy in his dream that one time... It was like living in a circus!

"It's just like... I mirror the emotions around me. But sometimes I also just know things about people. Um," Travis chewed his lip, trying to figure out how to answer her question. This was hard to put into words. "Not, like.. specific things. More like.. ugh. For example.." His eyes darted around while he spoke. He felt like he was grasping at straws, trying to find a way to explain. Now his eyes flickered back to Adaryn's, trying to gauge how she'd feel about being used as an example. "I can tell that you're a really guarded person. It's hard to tell exactly how you feel, because right now you're just giving off this sort of.. vaguely tense static."

He scrunched his mouth to the side for a second then rubbed the back of is neck (praying that calling her guarded didn't offend her). "I don't even know if I followed what I just said. This is hard," he laughed.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"It does take a while to get used to Hammel, I admit." Adaryn had come to Hammel when she was 12, but she hadn't started living in the dorms until her freshman year. It wasn't that long ago, really, considering she was heading into her Junior year. Addie was turning 17 in December, but it felt like just yesterday she was being shipped away to live in the dorms, even though her parents lived on the other side of town. Honestly, she didn't ever think she would consider this place to be home. But it was as close as she was going to get, since the place she considered to be home was not available to her any longer.

Adaryn listened, making sure to keep quiet, as he continued explaining his power. He knew things about people. At this, she raised a brow, obviously confused. The only thing she ever knew about anybody was how they felt. Addie had no extra sense to figure out why they were feeling like that.

When Travis elaborated, relief and discomfort spread through her body. To hear that he couldn't quite pick up any emotions from her was good, but it slightly bothered her that he realized right off the bat that she was closed off. Not that Adaryn would say anything to him about that, considering it'd probably shut him down a bit. Addie knew that the minute she did something wrong, or upset someone, she went quiet and always attempted to leave. Yeah... let's not do that. She told herself.

Instead, Adaryn gave a soft laugh, covering her mouth to hide it. Covering her mouth had always been a habit whenever she did something that showed her teeth. She didn't like her smile much, so she hid it. Just like her arms. " I slightly grasp the concept, Travis." She said kindly, "It's just nice to know I'm not alone in the whole 'empathy' department. It sucks feeling isolated all the time."

[Travis Morgan]

Travis laughed quietly and bowed his head when she said she sort of grasped the concept. That was good, because he wasn't too sure about it yet. He nodded in agreement at her next comment, but couldn't think of much to say. Damn.

"Hey," he said after a short pause, "d'you ever draw people?" He was trying to keep things pleasant, since the only vibe he was getting from her was just that static tension. It actually made it a little difficult to think, which was interesting. He hadn't yet come across a person who was guarded in this particular way.

There were people who guarded themselves by lashing out and hurting the people around them. There were people who guarded themselves with denial. There were people like Travis who just didn't try very hard to be noticed. Adaryn was.. well.. she was different. Maybe because she was an empath.

[Adaryn Breslin]

There was an awkward pause that made Addie a bit uncomfortable. Did she ruin it already? Typical Addie, always making everything hard. It wasn't her fault, really. She just sucked at conversation. After a few moments of silence, he seemed to find words to say, and it was right down her alley. Drawing. It was something she adored--a remedy to her anxieties and fears-- and did on a regular basis. "I do," She said simply. "It isn't often that I am able to because models are scarce. I can always draw by memory, but it is a bit more difficult."

Addie had a really good memory, making it hard to forget even the harshest memories. But that also meant she was able to pull pictures of people at an almost photographic quality. Almost. It still required a lot of concentration just to pull that image to the surface, unless the encounter was recent. It wasn't another power, it was just a really good memory. Which could be a curse or a blessing.

"That's why I usually just draw scenery. But don't get me wrong, I love drawing scenery. The Koi pond is so beautiful and peaceful. But sometimes I wish I could have some new material. I'm too shy--" She rubbed the back of her neck "--to ask people if they would model for me. I'm afraid they would snap at me or tell me to screw off or something. I don't know.."

If only she could be extroverted, life would be so much easier.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis grinned at his cleverness, pleased that he's said the right thing. And now the next thing was fairly obvious, and sort of exciting. "You should draw me!" He was unable to keep the enthusiasm out of his voice. Modeling sounded fun, and then.. Well, there'd be a drawing of him, and how freaking cool is that?

It also gave them something to do where talking was not necessary, but possible. If he was sitting still for her, and she was busy drawing, it would make their awkward stretches of silence totally acceptable (and therefore less awkward). All in all, Travis was pleased with the idea, and a little proud that he'd come up with it.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Addie raised a brow in confusion, but the expression quickly turned into one that was much lighter. His enthusiasm was pouring out of him at an almost alarming rate, since he had been a bit nervous not too long ago. It was bright and comforting, causing his entire body to be surrounded by bright layers of light. It was registering with her now due to the close proximity of the two. "Alright," She laughed softly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'll draw you."

Another idea popped into her head as she grabbed her pencil and adjusted to fully face him. He wanted her to capture him in a photo, so she would. But she'd also capture what she saw around him, so he could understand what it looked like! Adaryn knew there were very few people could see what she could, and it'd be nice to show someone what her eyes picked up on. Plus he looked quite nice with a veil of happiness surrounding him.

"But you have to promise me something, Travis."Adaryn started, pulling her hair back so she wouldn't have to constantly pull it away, "You'll maintain your joy. I want to show you what I see, and at the moment, you're absolutely glowing."

[Travis Morgan]

"Am I?" Travis blushed and his head dipped briefly, resisting the strong urge to apologize. It was a stupid thing to apologize for, being happy. He composed himself again, still grinning, but mostly not blushing or trying to hide or anything. "Okay, I think I can do that," he said.

He was actually a bit more excited now that he knew she was going to draw his aura too. He felt so privileged to share art with Adaryn like this. She was going to show him something that only she could see, and he was feeling pretty flattered.

It shouldn't be too difficult to hold onto this feeling while she drew. He was excited to see what his emotions looked like, and the anticipation alone would help.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn blushed in response to his own reddened cheeks, though not entirely sure why she reacted to him in that way. She never had made anyone really blush before, since she never really spoke to anyone. So this was definitely a first. It's a first for a lot of things, She told herself. "Perfect. Do whatever feels natural for you. And by that, I mean choose a comfortable pose and stay there." Adaryn stuttered a bit at the end, not sure if she was coming off as bossy.

When he got comfortable, and he gave her the sign that she needed to start, she did. Adaryn only had a pencil, so it would have to be shaded to reflect the aura, but she didn't find that to be too hard. She focused on drawing him first just so she could be sure to capture the glowing light that was radiating from his body. Adaryn smiled softly and when she looked down at the page. He was merely an outline at this point, but she was finding she really did enjoy the company, silence and all. Maybe it was the infectious happiness, or maybe it was the simple fact that she was around someone who may have actually wanted her there, but her smile was not fading. That in itself was rare, and Travis should consider himself lucky for causing it. After a few minutes of silence, Adaryn spoke.

"You must really be excited," She said shyly, not used to giving compliments, if that was what you would even call her next statement. "It really does show, and it hasn't even wavered. I can't wait for you to see it."

[Travis Morgan]

Travis shifted around a bit, then settled into a position. He was facing her, resting his gaze over her right shoulder so that he wasn't staring at her while she worked. His leg was still folded in front of him on the ledge, and he placed his hand on his knee.

He didn't mind being told what to do. In fact, he was generally more comfortable when he had clear instructions. So once he settled, he remained perfectly still. Being still was easy. He had a lot of practice not moving, since he spent the majority of his time trying to be invisible.

When Adaryn commented on how excited he was, his smile regained some energy that had begun to fade in his endeavor to be still. "I can't wait either," he said, careful not to move anything but his lips. Not only was he excited about the drawing, but he was enthralled by the idea of making a new friend. This was going surprisingly well, considering that they started out by scaring the ever loving crap out of each other. He was both surprised and overjoyed by how things were turning out.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"You know, I've never done this before." She admitted as she sketched, her eyes constantly moving from his body to her page. Typically she'd be incredibly nervous having a guy practically staring at her, but he was merely a model in her eyes. He wasn't looking directly at her either which she appreciated greatly. If he had been staring at her, she probably wouldn't be as comfortable as she was now.

Biting her lip, she continued her work, not saying much as she did so. She wanted to get him entirely perfect, down to the loose strands of hair that fell in his face. The aura was a more difficult part, because it was darker at the ends where the aura reached it's farthest and dissipated. If she had colour pencils, maybe it would have been a bit easier, but she managed, using the shading techniques she learned to get the aura perfectly. The scene looked so magnificent in her eyes, as the yellow seemed to curl around the edges every so often.

"Just out of curiosity..." Adaryn asked quietly as she began to sketch in the details of his face, "What do you think it'll look like. The emotion, I mean. I've never asked what anybody pictured I saw."

[Travis Morgan]

"Uum," Travis thought for a moment, "I imagine it being sort of.. swirly? And, like.. tendrily.." He suppressed a laugh, not sure if "tendrily" was a word. He bit his lip for a second before making his expression be still again.

It was hard to keep still when he was so happy. He felt bouncy, and like he wanted to peek at her drawing. He was so curious about what she was doing. His own life drawing attempts were always sort of lackluster, and he was a little jealous of her skill. Not in a bad way, though. He didn't like jealous people, and he found it to be an uncomfortable emotion, especially when it was directed at him. This was sort of a happy-jealous. Like, he appreciated and respected her talent so much that wished he could have it... In a totally friendly way, of course!