Throwing pebbles (OPEN)

[Anita Wiley]

The harsh winter wind slapped snowflakes in Annie's face, making it sting. She buried her nose deeper into her red puffy scarf and wished she had left her hair down over her ears instead of braiding it. She didn't need to see them to know they were red. She also wished she had found her leather gloves and didn't have to wear her old, frayed, fingerless ones. However, in spite of her freezing ears and fingertips, she was enjoying herself immensely - she loved cold weather and the quiet, white landscape of winter.

Her last bout of illness lasted longer than the other ones this season so this was the first time she really went out of the buildings in about two weeks. She didn't want to get sick again so she only planned a short walk around the pond for today. The snow and ice crunched under her thick soled boots and the song she listened to blared in her earbuds. She wouldn't hear it if anyone called her, but that was okay. The wind whipped her loose strands of hair harshly around her face as she kept moving to try and stay warm. She stopped at the edge of the pond and bent down to retrieve a handful of pebbles from the ground. Her hand came out all red and frozen since she had to search under the snow for them and she cursed inwardly. Then, she made a game out of throwing them in the icy water, trying to break the ice.

Even if she couldn't hear anything except for her song, she sensed a change around her and whipped her head to check. There was someone standing beside her and she had to stifle a small scream.

[Bobby Castellano]

Bobby had been contemplating leaving the dorm for a while now but he hadn't been able to move an inch from his bed because oh my God it was so cold! But he had been cooped up in his form room for days, only leaving for classes and training, and even then, he would be bundled up so thick, all anyone could see were his skinny legs under a pile of overcoats.

But he decided enough was enough. He had to leave the room. He had to venture out and socialise! It was silly of him to continue being a hermit just because of the weather. So with two thermals on, he started to wrap himself up with scarves and overcoats and hoodies and jackets until he was satisfied with how warm he was.

Jamming a knitted cap over his head and hiding his ears with a scarf, Bobby left the room and trundled down to the courtyard to find anybody to interact with. Finding his attempt to be in vain, the Australian shrugged and walked over to the pond where he saw a redhead by the water. Clearing his throat, he approached her and stood beside her, watching her throw pebbles into the water.

"Bad weather we're having." He announced suddenly.

[Anita Wiley]

"Oh!" Annie squeaked at the sudden appearance of the young boy, after which she let out a small laugh, her breath vapors curling in the air. She removed the earphones from her ears.

"What are you talking about, it's snowing! In my opinion, the weather can't get any better than this." she said, gesturing at the frozen white clusters of trees around them. As she threw the last little stone in her hand she realized she couldn't feel her red fingers at all now and relented. "Okay, maybe it's a little too cold." she sniffled.

She began jumping from one foot to another in a last ditch attempt to warm herself up and extended a hand to the boy. "Annie. What are you doing outside then, if it's such a bad weather? Your eyebrows are frozen." She laughed then realized again she didn't have a cap on and that her whole braid was frozen solid. She tried to move it away from her face and the ice in it crackled so she left it alone and stuck her hands in her pockets.

[Bobby Castellano]

Staring at the redhead with blinking eyes, Bobby wondered briefly if this girl was high on helium, messing up her brain and stuff with this good weather nonsense. It was only when she finally conceded to how horrible the weather is did Bobby waddle closer to her and extend his hand out.

"Bobby." He responded to her introduction before chuckling to himself. "I'm right now asking the exact same thing." The Australian said quietly before turning back to the girl. "My eyebrows aren't." He demanded, trying to get to his eyebrows but the extra layers encumbering him just a little.

"Ah fuck it." He hissed before clearing his throat. "I'm meant to be socialising." He finally replied. "Although, not many people are outside. Good call on their part. Why are you skipping pebbles in the middle of this blizzard?" He asked, though the sky was clear and there were just occasional drops of snow every ten minutes or so.

[Anita Wiley]

"Oh yes, damned blizzard, can't even see you through all these snowflakes." she said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "Well I've been sick for like, the last two weeks, coughs, high fever, the whole package. Had to skip a few classes, too, so I didn't even get out of bed most of the time. It was torture watching it snow from the windows and seeing the kids play in it. So." she explained, raising her shoulders. "I couldn't resist."

She suddenly remembered shaking hands with Bobby and said sheepishly, "Oh, by the way, you should maybe wash that hand, I'm not fully recovered. Though it's so cold I bet even my germs are frozen." she said with shake of her head.

[Bobby Castellano]

Bobby gave an exaggerated giggle at the response he received from the redhead. Did he just find a new friend? Yes. Yes he did.

Poor Annie.

"Eugh. I think I might be catching a cold." He pouted, wriggling his nose and sniffling. "I do declare, my fragile body just can't take the horrid weather." Bobby impersonated a Southern belle, adding a little coy simpering with a hand over his mouth.

Her announcement made him look at her in complete horror before shrugging. "Maybe that'll get me out of class so I can be a permanent hermit for two whole weeks. That's the dream." He nodded. "Breathe in my face, lover." He breathed out and placed his face close to hers.

[Anita Wiley]

She laughed at Bobby's southern accent, her deep voice husky from the past few weeks of torture. She gave it a try herself. "Bless your heart! Careful or you might get blown away by the wind." she said and she gave him a gentle push to demonstrate.

"Aren't you the optimist!" she exclaimed. "It's not that fun, you still have to have your assignments ready when you go back." she sighed. When he put his face close to hers she recoiled and laughed again, a laugh that transformed into a short coughing fit. Being outside had a quicker effect on her recovering body than she expected. "Shit!"

Gasping for air when the coughing fit was over she gave a hoarse laugh and said, "Oh, dude, how could I forget! What's your power?" She slapped him gently on the arm as she remembered. "That's normally the first thing I ask, I must be really out of it!"

[Bobby Castellano]

"Oh! Oh! The wretched wind will surely be the death of me." He continued with the impersonation, pretending to actually be swayed by Anita's pushing.

The redhead's exclamation made Bobby beam, even going so far as to actually show Anita his pearly whites. "I'm not called Sunshine for no reason. By nobody. Besides myself." He narrowed his eyes and looked far away. "Could you not? Let me have my dream. Am I killing any of yours right now? That's right, no I am not."

When she started coughing, Bobby flinched and started patting her back until her coughig subsided. "This is awkward...I only make people choke when they're-" he paused and realised he was talking to someone who probably wouldn't appreciate a crude...very crude joke. "Eating the food I cooked. Yeah, that sounds legit." Bobby said slowly before nodding firmly.

"Uh...lemme try and remember what my sexy recruiter told me. It's so hard to remember since I was way too focused on how his stubble would feel against my th - wow what is wrong - whatever no. Me...copycat? Precision copycattery." He shrugged. "I can do something I may or may not have done before with just one look. It's all so scientific I cannae be fucked to remember." He waved his hand dismissively before turning to his companion.

"What's yours? The ability to gorgeous?" He fluttered his eyelashes in her direction.

[Anita Wiley]

There was a moment of silence after Bobby tried to change the course of his sentence, in which Anita gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise. She didn't exactly expect it from such an innocent-looking young boy. But then, she thought, why shouldn't she? He was a teenage boy after all. The short moment was over and she burst out laughing as Bobby offered an alternative explanation. "Alright, if you say so." Annie shrugged.

"Oh my, a sexy recruiter with a stubble?" She wiggled her eyebrows then continued with an exaggerated sad look. "That definitely wasn't mine. Or maybe it was, I was kinda young to notice anyway," she mumbled, her voice drifting.

"That's cool! So whatcha get from it, muscle soreness?" At his compliment, she gave him an exaggerated, bashful look and fluttered her eyelashes in response. "Oh, stop it, you! Hah, no, I only heal people." she said with a wave of her hand, as if dismissing her ability.

[Bobby Castellano]

At least Anita didn't look too offended even if she did catch what he was trying to say. He was liking the older meta more and more.

"Yes. I dream of him still sometimes." Bobby gave a faraway look before turning back to Anita and frowned slightly. "You couldn't have been any younger than me, could you?" He asked. "I will forever remember Mr Pant Suit." He cupped his hands together and swayed from left to right.

"Uh...I pass out. I haven't actually done much with it. My training has been a little light." He explained before chuckling at her reaction to his teasing compliment. "Only? There's nothing only about being able to heal people. You're like a pretty girl Jesus." He exclaimed before asking his next question. "You've obviously been here longer than me, what are your limitations?"

[Anita Wiley]

Anita thought for a second, frowning, then said, "Uh, I think I was about twelve. I guess I was just more interested in wandering around town wreaking havoc with my best friend than sexy guys at that age." She smiled fondly at the thought of her childhood and friend.

"Aw, poor thing." She made puppy eyes and shoved some snow with her foot in his direction. "Yeah, well, I usually only get to cure cuts and bruises around here, usually nothing serious, maybe a few colds and fevers." She then added quickly, "Not that I wish our kids got sicker than that, but soon I'll have to learn to cure actual diseases." She thought for a moment and perked up. "Maybe I'll get to travel!"

"Ooh, limitations. Well, I can keep going for quite a while, especially now after all these years. I don't pass out or anything, but I do get weak and more vulnerable, thus my almost uninterrupted fevers and colds." She rolled her eyes. "Though I do still have trouble keeping what I heal away from my own body." She shrugged. "Still learning."

Annie looked up in the distance, pondering. "When I was recruited I was so excited. I thought we'd be like the X-men." She laughed. "I guess we kinda are, but I imagined and hoped for missions. Danger, excitement, you know?" She kicked at the snow. "Damn."

[Bobby Castellano]

"I like wreaking havoc too. But I don't have a best friend. Yet. 'M lookin at you, Gingey." He wriggled his eyebrows at Anita and decided his legs were getting stiff so he dropped down to the ground beside the redhead and bounced over to her.

He gasped at the snow being kicked in his direction. "I am cold, you crazy person!" He shook his feet of the snow before listening to her explanation. He thought it was pretty incredible. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for him. If she could do it, hell, with his abilities, it was a sure guarantee, wasn't it?

Agreeing to the X-Men comment, the Australian nodded. "Am I right? Jeez. Or Heroes. Have you ever watched that one? That one was intense. But I have one of their powers." He nodded. "Well, you should totally just go to a war zone or something when you get out of here. This place is very...mellow so it's not gonna give us assignments or whatever. At least I don't think. Or," he paused and grinned. "We could make our own."

[Anita Wiley]

"Sold!" Annie grinned at Bobby as he wriggled his eyebrows. "Aw yeah, Heroes. I've only seen the first few episodes. I'll have to do a marathon when I have time." She elbowed him in the arm expectantly. "That'd be so awesome, a life full of glory." she said dreamily and then tilted her head and gave him a half-smile. "But then, what will you do without me?"

She looked at Bobby and returned his grin. "Yeah, we could. We'd have to go on some recon missions outside campus first." She removed her hands from her pockets and began rubbing some warmth into her fingers, thinking. "We could take a stroll one of these days, it's weekend." She waved her hand, dismissing the idea. "I'm getting ahead of myself. But I'd love to break this stupid routine!"

[Bobby Castellano]

"Tell me I can marathon it with you." Bobby shamelessly invited himself, even though he had already seen the whole series three times since it came out. "Of course, you're gonna have to deal with me pointing out how unrealistic some of the shit is but I'm sure you will see it too."

Bobby gave the redhead a look of realisation before he shrugged. "I'm gonna just have to follow you all around the world then. Obviously." He said matter of factly. He was glad the girl was so easy to get along with and she didn't seem too bothered that she was basically babysitting a fourteen year old who had a penchant for drama and inappropriately adult humor.

"Are you kidding me? Totally!" Bobby enthused before realising that that meant he had to venture out of his dorm room and...the outside world. "Err...can we do baby steps? Like um...roam the halls or something first? I mean...I don't even know where my math class is." He winced a little.

[Anita Wiley]

"D'oh." She took a deep breath and calculated. "We'll have to agree to a minimum of three episodes per weekday and ten per weekend."

She clapped enthusiastically, like a child. "Yay! I don't think I could travel the world on my own, I'm notorious for getting lost wherever I go." Annie would have never in a million years thought that a simple, quick walk around campus could result in meeting a kindred spirit. Age didn't seem to stand in the way, either, she had a pretty strong childish side herself.

She laughed. "Sure, that way we may be able to leave the campus in spring." She pondered the idea more. "Yeah, it wouldn't be wise to throw ourselves out there in this freezing weather anyway. Plus, I for one wouldn't even know where to start." She looked around toward the buildings and then back at Bobby. "We could start by listening in on the other kids, gather intel."