You Are So Hot

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau hummed to himself, plucking at the strings of his guitar. The battered thing had been with him longer than he'd been at Hammel, which probably made it the oldest thing he had at the moment. It didn't help that things around him had a tendency toward not lasting. Clothing got shredded for whatever reason, and the accidental flare-ups of various powers. Whatever. He wasn't thinking about that right now. He was busy thinking about playing, coaxing the music out of the instrument. He thought he was doing pretty good too.

Then he felt something prickling at the back of his neck. He paused, feeling his fingers get a little... sticky. Beau recognized this all too well: he was picking up somebody's constant power ability. Worse, it was one of those that meant his fingers were being affected. Definitely not good, not with the instrument in his hands.

Without thinking, Beau leaped from the chair, crossing the lounge in a few steps. He held his guitar over his head, figuring that would be the best for the moment. It wasn't until he stopped, several feet from where he had been, though he couldn't say if he'd really moved that far away from sticky fingers, that he actually looked around. He'd nearly hit the entrance to the lounge, one that he thought led to the girls' dorm, though he wasn't the best when it came to that geography. He couldn't help but notice that he'd practically plowed into a blonde.

A cute blonde.
A cute blonde that was literally making Beau feel warm.

"Wow, you're hot," came out of his mouth before he could stop it.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy's head was in the clouds as she was wrapped in the book she had been reading the past two weeks about a boy who got lost in the woods and his uncle is sent out to look for him. But the clues leading to where the boy could be found were sketchy and was painting it out to be the uncle's doing.

It had so many rich characters and extensive background that hasn't swayed Sammy from reading through, something she thought was an amazing feat simply because Sammy did not like long-winded explanations and backgrounds in anything she read.

So buried deep into Alex Colliard's world was she that she didn't even realise the heat she was emanating from her excitement and intrigue and was giving it off to someone else. Someone who was feeling the exact same thing she was.

Only glancing up when she heard a voice, Sammy's green eyes stared at the boy before blinking into realisation. She had actually forgotten where she was in a split second. And then she realised what the boy had said and her cheeks started to heat up. "I...uh...um...you too...?"

[Beau LaRoux]

Wow, and she was getting hotter, literally and figuratively. Okay, so she'd been reading a book, but Beau didn't think there was anything wrong with books in the broad sense. Just because he didn't like spending his time reading didn't mean everyone else who did had issues. Plus: hot, and hot covered up a lot of those initial flaws.

"Thanks, hun," he drawled, smiling his most charming smile. He extended an arm up against a wall, attempting to lean in the most casual way possible. This, fortunately, Beau had a wealth of practice with. He easily positioned himself in a comfortable manner and looked as though, well, as though he practiced leaning with one arm against walls to attempt to impress girls. "I don't recall if I've seen you 'round here before. Pretty sure I'd remember someone look as pretty as you," he nodded to her. "Name's Beau, by the way, Beauregard LaRoux," because Beau knew full well that his full name worked better with some, and he was gambling on this girl being one of them. He hesitated for a moment, then decided why the hell not and extended a hand.

He was pretty sure, judging by the increase in body temperature he was feeling, that she was a pyrokinetic of some kind. Either that or she burst into flame or turned into a flame creature. Either way you handled it, that had to be better with touching. Of course, Beau had momentarily forgotten that he still had his guitar in one hand, which would of course be the hand that was oh so casually placed against the wall for leaning purposes.

Well, at least it was out of the way...

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy was still getting used to the idea of being flirted with. And though she'd definitely done her fair share of that, she was far used to having it doled out by people she knew than people she didn't know. Especially when that person looked like he could have stepped out of a modeling catalogue.

And when he braced himself against the doorway, Sammy forced herself to look away, busying herself with marking the book with a her self-made bookmark. She couldn't help the breathy giggle she let out when the boy introduced himself and gave her what she personally thought was an empty compliment. Why did she have to be so blatantly a girl when it came to flirting?

The name didn't actually ring any bells for the blonde but she liked it. Tucking a lock of flyaway hair behind an ear, she looked back up at him and introduced herself. "Sammy Wilder. I would think compared to the other girls, it's much easier to overlook me." She replied without an ounce of self-flagellation. There were some ridiculously beautiful people in Hammel and none of whom Sammy thought she could compete with at any level.

When offered his hand, Sammy took it after a moment's hesitation and felt a current pass through her. "Oh shoot." She whispered and pulled her hand back immediately, knowing the telltale signs of her abilities about to flare up. "Um...sorry I..." she gave a short chuckle and looked away, clearly embarrassed by what had happened.

"So you play the guitar?" Sammy asked, wanting desperately to change the subject. "I play the ukelele myself." She added with a small proud grin.

[Beau LaRoux]

"What? Naw," said Beau, waving a hand. "Some girls spend too much time thinkin' they need to plaster themselves with crap. I'd rather have a girl whose more naturally pretty," it all flowed a little too well from Beau, and he sort of knew it. Part of him hated relying on his nearly rehearsed lines, even if he knew all too well that they worked almost too well. Heck, the guitar was usually enough to set a girl giggling, let alone actually having to say something.

Of course, he did miss commenting on her name, though of course he caught it. Sammy? Sounded kinda like a boy's name, but it probably meant that her name was Samantha or something like that. Beau could work with a Samantha who called herself Sammy. The handshake wasn't bad either, though Beau thought he felt something tingle at the touch. Definitely heat, and Beau did glance at his hand for a few seconds, wondering which version she had. "Nah, don't be sorry, be Sammy," he drawled. He flicked his hand, praying to God that she had a version that he knew. Sure enough, a little bit of flame spouted from his palm, bursting into the air before pretty well whooshing into non-existence.

He grinned at that, then looked at Sammy with a wink. "Guitar ain't the only thing I can do," though he wasn't sure he really wanted to use his meta ability to impress a girl. He was already kicking himself for that. He lowered the guitar, figuring that maybe he could take her lead and just refocus on that. "Been learnin' for a while. Ukelele's nice though," he butchered the name, making it sound like "uke-lee-lee," but he still nodded.

[Sammy Wilder]

On the one hand, Sammy completely agreed with Beau. Girls were pretty already, make-up sort of ruins the image. But at the same time, girls were pretty either way. She suddeny felt compelled to defend the girls who wore make-up, even though she herself avoided it until it was completely necessary. "That's very sweet of you. How many girls have you caught with that line?" Sammy asked, tilting her head a little to the side. A bit bold, but she figured, if it made her feel less nervous around this cute boy, she was going to allow it.

She couldn't help but chuckle at his response to her apology. "Sammy is sorry." She replied, hugging her book close as Beau did his neat little trick. Her jaw dropped a little before she looked up at the boy. "Are you a pyro too?" She asked in wonder, wondering why she couldn't already do that trick herself. He couldn't be that much older than her could he?

Pursing her lips, she held back the affectionate smile she originally wanted to let loose when the boy mispronounced the word for the small musical instrument. "It's definitely easier to handle." She smiled and nodded, scratching the back of her head. "So um...I wanna go into the lounge...uh you're welcome to join but, you were heading out, weren't you?"

[Beau LaRoux]

"Aw, man, ya caught that? Darnit all, I'm usually better. Guess ya just threw me off, with that smile and the book an' all," drawled Beau, gesturing toward said book in question. Part of him was almost relieved that Sammy saw through the lines; it let him get down to the core of things. His core was much more attractive than any lines he actually had to throw out. Plus, there was something a lot more appealing in giving a girl compliments that weren't mass-produced in some dude factory.

The trick worked though, so there was that. Beau didn't like doing that sort of thing, and he wasn't sure that he could replicate it if pushed. His ability was... weird. Sometimes he could do stuff that the person he drew from couldn't, but he never seemed able to do it more than once, and he always seemed to mess up compared to the other person. This, this was precisely why he didn't like messing around with the stupid powers in the first place. If he hadn't been so willing to show off...

"Nah, I jus' borrow people's powers for a bit," said Beau, shrugging it off. "Actually, that's why I was headed outta here. Was pickin' up somebody with some sticky fingers, an' I didn't want to mess up my daddy's guitar again. Done that once an' it was a pain gettin' it back together," hey, honesty in little busts worked too. Beau lowered the guitar, getting it into a more comfortable position. He tossed the strap over his shoulder, wanting to get it over the way and figuring he could hold it better there. Pyrokinesis wasn't one of his favorite abilities, but Beau was getting the feeling that he wasn't going to get much more than warm around Sammy.

And lets face it: that was gonna happen anyway.

"So I would love ta sit down with ya an' talk about the uke," said Beau, nodding toward the lounge. "Always fun ta see if the person inside is as pretty as the outside, right?" he winked and took a few walks deeper into the lounge, pausing only for a moment to turn back and give Sammy a grin that bordered on goofy now.

[Sammy Wilder]

Sammy looked at Beau incredulously, even as her lips were pursed to stop a smile from exploding on her face. This boy was too much. And yet, she stayed where she was, still hugging her book to her chest and not walking away, which she should have done two minutes ago.

The other blonde's response to Sammy's question about his powers had her nodding before looking up at him with a curious frown. "I hear ya." She sighed softly, looking down at her shoes that still had little bubbles where she had melted it and some blackened areas.

She'd heard of his powers before. Power mimicry was a tricky thing to maintain. It had to be a major bust if you accidentally mimicked a power the meta themselves have no control over. Just the thought made Sammy shudder.

"Okay!" The blonde pyrokinetic smiled, her book forgotten for the moment. His next sentence had her snorting accidentally. "Uh...whoops." She laughed nervously before following him inside. She took a seat in one of the bigger armchairs and tucked her feet under her. She was still rather unclear as to why Beau was so insistent on being flirtatious with her but she couldn't say she didn't like it.

[Beau LaRoux]

The hear ya had Beau nodding, and his gaze followed Sammy's down, noting the shoes. He winced. At least his power problems only came in little bursts. He could even have moments where he could pretend to be normal. someone like Sammy didn't have that option, and it galled Beau just to think about it. Part of him wanted to immediately ask if there was something he could do to help. But he wasn't exactly a meta expert, and he'd much rather talk about something, anything else.

Fortunately, she'd followed him toward the chairs anyway. Beau kept her close enough so that her power would overwhelm the rest. He had to admit, the little heat buzz he was getting from being close to her was definitely one of the more pleasant side effects. It certainly beat the heck outta having bones suddenly jut out of his skin. He'd lost at least one t-shirt to that.

Beau gestured to the seat, waiting till Sammy sat before carefully sitting down himself. He had to readjust his guitar's straps to get a good grip, then he tested his slightly elevated temperature by touching the strings. After a few seconds of having nothing bursting into flame, Beau felt safe enough to let his fingers roam just a little.

"So you really play the ukelele?" he asked, looking at her with raised eyes. "Not that I'm callin' you a liar. It's jus' you'd be surprised how many girls pretend ta play somethin' when they don't know a chord from a tater." he plucked a string to let out a weird note, figuring that would work as a solid punctuating mark to his little statement.

[Sammy Wilder]

When Beau started playing his guitar, a smile formed on Sammy's lips involuntarily. She almost missed the fact that Beau had asked her a question.

"Oh yeah no. I mean I do play. But...I don't actually read notes or...know anything much about music." She admitted, not seeing how necessary lying was to someone who clearly had a passion for his music.

"I can play a little bit of...a couple instruments. Like, I can play Chopsticks and Heart and Soul on the piano and my brother taught me how to play Stand By Me on the guitar. But I never took lessons or anything." She shrugged.

She looked back up at Beau and smiled at him, curiosity filling her eyes. "I bet your dad taught you how to play the guitar."

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau kept playing, waiting patiently and lingering on Sammy's words. By now, he could play without even having to really pay attention, especially when he was just coaxing noise out of his instrument, which he did now with a relaxed sort of ease. When she admitted to not actually knowing much, Beau's opinion actually raised a little. Honesty went a long way. It was weird though; she seemed almost awkward. She must've spent too much time buried in those books.

Beau could fix that.

He smiled and nodded at her guess, his grin showing teeth. "Got it in one. Daddy taught me the guitar; he used ta play in a band. Sold a few records," went Gold, technically, but Beau didn't need to rely on his dad's fame to get girls. Not any more. "An' I can play the piano too; that was Ma's idea. She wanted to make sure that at least one o' her boys got some class in him," Beau smirked at Sammy, "let you be the judge if'n that took any. If ya want, I could even try an' brush ya up some on th' piano. 'course, if you'd rather read some more of those books, wouldn't hold it against ya," he tapped his guitar again, seeming to consider something. "What book were ya readin' anyway? You looked real interested in it," he wanted to point out that she'd been interested enough that she'd been able to ignore him, but that seemed just a tad egotistical. True, but egotistical.

[Sammy Wilder]

A child-like look of pride came to her face and she grinned. It was a very distinct trait that Sammy had, feeling proud of little accomplishments. Even if it was pretty obvious to begin with.

"Oh..." the pyrokinetic nodded with interest when he mentioned that his dad used to be in a band. But she didn't ask any further. She didn't want to seem impolite. He probably didn't like being known as the son of a band member.

The idea of spending time with Beau at any capacity intrigued Sammy, which only made her think of Callie before she shook that thought out of her head. It wasn't like Beau was asking her out on a date. And it wasn't like Sammy and Callie were...no they were just friends. Nothing else could come of it, right? Right.

They really did need to talk first though...

"Um, book yes." Sammy snapped out of her thoughts and showed Beau the title of the book. "It's about an uncle I think, trying to clear his name of this nephew's disappearance but all the evidence is leading to him and I'm just like, no! The uncle's so nice though!" She explained the plot with a slight frown at how it's progressing. She actually did like the main character Alex Coliard but the book had so many twists and turns, she's just so confused as to who exactly was the good guy.

[Beau LaRoux]

Oh, wow, book girl. Beau looked to Sammy as she talked, listening as best he could. He couldn't help but let his mind wander just a bit though, mostly because now she looked really excited which made her cuter than she'd been a few seconds ago. I reckon I don't like books much, but I kinda like watchin' her talk about 'em. Even that little frown at the end was cute. Beau's manners kicked in though, and he was reminded of the times he had to feign interest in something that one of the ladies in his church was interested in. That comparison sent a little pang of guilt through Beau: he really didn't want to be faking it as much. He forced himself to look at Sammy's eyes, figuring that would help.

"That actually does sound kinda interestin'," he managed. He shifted, his mental discomfort translating a little. Okay, this was easier when a girl was giggly and he was pretty sure he was the smart one, not the other way around. "So it's one of those murder mystery things, right? I've seen shows an' stuff 'bout stuff like that," he chuckled, raising a hand up to rub at his head. "Sorry, but I ain't really much for readin'. I do it for school an' stuff, an' I read some magazines an' stuff. Mebbe I ain't jus' found the right books. That one sounds good," he gestured toward the book. "So, uh, you do a lotta readin'?"

Did he ask that? He couldn't remember if he'd asked that. He'd asked about the book, but he really couldn't remember if he'd asked if she did a lot of reading. He didn't want to be all like "you do anything besides reading," cuz, well, for one thing, that was just rude, and for another, she'd already told him she played an instrument. Instrument: Beau's hand went to his guitar for a bit. Maybe if he went back to playing he'd get some of his mojo back. It had to be the stupid heat thing. He'd had a few years to practice with the girls around here; he should have a better knack for this by now.

[Sammy Wilder]

She would have felt a little silly talking about the book so enthusiastically if she knew she was doing it to someone who wasn't even interested in books. But she didn't know, so she just started blabbering about it like he was. She did feel a little bad when she saw his eyes glaze over.

His reassurance made a small smile appear on her face. At least he tried. "Yep. Although I don't know if it's actually a murder involved." She paused before looking up at him a little worried. "I hope not." She pulled the book back to her chest and shrugged. "I guess it's not for everyone. I love a good book every once in a while." She said, inadvertently answering Beau's next question.

"Uh...well it's not like I pick up another book once I finish one but yeah, like I said, every once in a while, I kinda like to curl up in a corner and disappear into another world." She smiled dreamily. "Don't you do a lot of day dreaming?" She asked, her eyes directed back at him.

Scratching the back of her head, she laughed lightly and shook her head in embarrassment. "I talk too much. Um...how about you? What do you do in your free time? Besides the guitar I mean."

[Beau LaRoux]

Ok, so the book did sound halfway decent. It certainly sounded more interesting than most of the books Beau had to read for class. He figured that if he had to, he could read something like that. Fortunately for Beau, he didn't think that would be a problem, at least not anytime in the near future. Sammy looked about ready to collapse into a fit of giggles with a smile; he wouldn't have to try anything. Urgh, trying anything felt wrong though. It would be like talking a kid into giving you his lunch money so you could buy him dirty magazines; it might give you a momentary thrill, but ya still know you done messed up.

"Ain't really much for day-dreaming," Beau had to admit. He leaned back for a bit, then tried a grin, "I used ta, back afore I kinda got used to bein' around here. You know, thinkin' about home an' stuff like that. Guess I dream about some stuff some times..." girls, mostly, with quite a bit of music thrown in, but most girls didn't want to hear that you enjoyed daydreaming about pretty girls, even if said dreams were nearly Disney-chaste.

At Sammy's admission to talking too much, Beau chuckled, "Ain't too much till I say so, Sammy. If I didn't want to know, I wouldn'ta asked, or I woulda got up and walked out. I swear," he pointed at his legs, "they work jus' fine. But yeah, free time," he chewed his lip, looking up at the ceiling for a few moments, "gosh, free time. I, uh, like to go out sometimes. You know, paint the town red, hang out with friends an' jus' sorta have a good time. I used to do some four-wheelin' an' other backwoods stuff. I'm from Louisiana, an' it was sorta 'make yer own fun or drink a lot,'" Beau shrugged and then smiled at Sammy. "I ain't much for drinkin', least not outside of social occasions. I'd love to spend time with you," he ended, meeting her eyes. "I know we ain't got a lot in common, but I'm sure I could show you some fun."