Of People and Starting New Chapters [Alex]

[Candence Waterson]

He was finally gone.

Candence breathed a sigh of relief. Really. Her brother meant well, but he was also the biggest worry-wart she knew. And not just the normal kind, either: suffocatingly so. Emrys had picked her up from the airport, helped her drag her suitcases and bags into her room, and shown her around the school as well as the town, all while reminding her that if she needed anything she should call him because he was right down the road. Though he was a welcome change from the escort her parents had sent along with her, she'd still punched him in the shoulder and told him to chill out.

Thank God he wasn't staying on campus anymore. And thank God he'd just dropped her off at the school when he was done giving her the town tour, despite his protests that he could walk her in. Goodness, she was perfectly capable of finding her way around! Jeez. It wasn't like the cafeteria or the people in it were going to eat her, though she couldn't be as confident about the food. Good old cafeteria food...

She scoped out the place, tray of food in hand, debating where to sit. It was lunchtime, so there were plenty of people around. Enough that she was finding it difficult to find a place to eat by herself. However, after a few more moments of hesitation, she spotted a free table and made a beeline for it. As she approached, she noticed someone else heading in its general direction as well. She gripped her tray more tightly, hoping it was just a coincidence. She didn't feel like socializing yet. The airplane ride, airport chaos, and fussy Emrys, had seen to that.

Then again, if she did socialize with someone a little, she'd have something to tell her parents when she called later. Phone calls with parents were so awkward and annoying. But they'd made it very clear they wanted her to call after she arrived, to make sure she hadn't spontaneously burst into flames or something. She hadn't called them yet, of course. She'd been much too busy, and they hadn't said how long after she arrived she was to call, anyway.

But still. When she did call, she'd have the unbearable, "So have you made any friends yet?" question. Of course, she could lie, she'd become very good at that over the years. But she didn't really have the energy to put together a convincing story at the moment. That in mind, she set her tray down with a thump of finality, brushed a gloved hand over the table to clear any lingering crumbs, and sat. Whether the other person was bound for this table or not, she'd make the best of the situation.

[Alexandra Patterson]

With headphones in to block out the rest of the world Alex impatiently waited in the line for lunch. She didn't really like lunch anymore since she didn't get any of her friends in her lunch period. This always her in a sour mood when entering the cafeteria. She just wanted to eat and get this period over with so she can go to her next class. Or for that matter maybe skip and visit her college friends. She wasn't to sure which one though she was leaning to the second choice.

Heading to her normal table Alex noticed a younger, well younger than her at least, girl sitting down at her table. As she reached the table she took out her headphones and set her try on the table. Everyone for the most part knew that Alex sat her everyday. So she was trying to figure out if the girl confused or did she sit here on purpose?  Like she always did around strangers Alex crossed her arms, which always means she is in her closed off and defensive mode.  She didn't speak for a second and just stood looking at the girl trying to match her face to a memory but came up short. "Who are you?" Alex asked finally with a unreadable expression on her face. Depending on the girls response she would see how she played the situation she decided.

[Candence Waterson]

Well, it looked as if the other girl was, in fact, bound for this table as well. Candence stifled a sigh. Of course. She just couldn't get away from people today. She kept her attention on her food, poking the various portions and wrinkling her nose at them. If she made it clear she had her focus elsewhere, maybe the other girl would just sit down and not bother anyone. It wasn't as if either of them were really projecting the "I want to socialize right now" feeling. Surely it wasn't too much to hope for...

... or maybe it was. Candence glanced up as the girl took her headphones out and crossed her arms, taking on a stance that raised Candence's hackles almost immediately. Sure, she might have been new, and sure, she had no idea who this girl was, but she had a feeling she was far from the warm cuddly type, possibly quite the opposite. Which honestly, Candence didn't really care about (she herself was hardly the warm cuddly type), so long as the prickly person didn't bother her. Or bully anyone. Either of those would earn retaliation.

"I'm Candence," she answered in guarded tones. She couldn't tell by the girl's expression whether or not she was being hostile, or just equally guarded. One thing she knew was that she wasn't scared of her, not matter how much she crossed her arms and looked down at her. But she also knew that she didn't want to intentionally provoke anything if this person really wasn't looking for a fight. If she was looking for a fight though, Candence was ready to oblige. She had enough pent up energy from the trip to cause quite a ruckus if pushed too much.

Then again, getting into a fight on her first day was hardly something she wanted to get back to her family. Yeah... that wouldn't be particularly good. Unless it was very clear everything could be pinned on the other person. She sighed and returned her attention to her food, mumbling a return question at the girl as she stabbed a carrot, "And who are you?"

[Alexandra Patterson]

Alex postir went a bit more relax as she made the conclusion that the girl had to be new and probably didn't know."Alexandra Patterson but I prefer people stick to Alex". She gave a girl a small smile and sat down across from her. She could use the company right now so why not be nice to the little girl. At least she seemed okay for now. "So i'm assuming your new Candance" she stated more than asked. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and started to eat. "Otherwise you probably wouldn't of sat here. So how long have you been here"?

[Candence Waterson]

Well, the other girl had calmed down a little at least. Maybe there wouldn't be a fight after all. Candence nodded in answer to the girl's introduction. Alexandra... Not a bad name, but a mouthful. Alex was much easier on the mouth, even if it was a boy's name. Alex sat down across from her, and Candence shifted her own posture a little to be a little less hunched over and closed. Might as well make a good first impression here.

"I'm assuming you're new, Candence, otherwise you probably wouldn't have sat here..."

Candence scrutinized the other girl as she said this. Oh yeah, and why's that?, she wanted to ask. She was wondering if this girl was bully material, but she'd assumed a somewhat friendly front now, so possibly not... Candence was still suspicious though, and still wouldn't have put it past her to bully. Then again, perhaps she was just antisocial. And there was nothing wrong with that, as Candence had already established.

"Just arrived this morning," she answered. "And why wouldn't I have sat here if I were not new?" she questioned in return, being sure to keep her tone civil, if somewhat stiff. Making new friends wasn't exactly her thing, though she knew she would have to get better at it since she didn't know anyone in this freak school. It was a brilliant system, really. Take a person going through an the already tough time of manifestation and uproot them no matter where they were from and transplant them to a completely foreign atmosphere full of strangers. Candence fumed internally, though keeping her exterior carefully calm.

[Alexandra Patterson]

"Well i'm never in that good of mood come lunchtime and sometimes I can come off... a bit rude I guess you can say". She shrugged her shoulders. "I have to admit I do have my mother's attitude sometimes. Even though I like not to claim anything that resembles her. Anyway changing the subject you just came in this morning wow. Your like fresh fresh meat". She looked up at the girl making sure to give her eye contact while talking to her.  It was a small thing she did to sort of test people. If they didn't look back or couldn't hold eye contact a good five out of seven times they were weak or insecure. "Here a friendly little tip, your next four years or so can be either extremely good here or like hell depending on the friends...or the enemies for that matter you make here. Especially if you make a particular powerful enemy". Of course Alex wasn't necessarily talking about herself. She would never admit but there was people her she wouldn't even try. "Yeah it's like regular school in away but you have to think we are all metas. It makes the playing field a lot more intense sometimes".

"So Candy what's your power? Me myself I have the power to duplicate myself. Make little me copies".

[Candence Waterson]

Were she in the habit of doing so, Candence would have smiled at the "can come off at a bit rude" comment. No, really? This girl came off as the essence of goodwill and peace on earth. Despite this, she'd almost decided that Alex wasn't bad after all. Until Alex referred to her as fresh meat. This caused Candence to bristle somewhat, though she still maintained a mostly calm exterior. Who called any new kid "fresh meat" unless they were looking to cause trouble?

Calm down, she told herself. Just get through lunch and go find the gym or something. Don't let a comment knock off your cool. Despite the internal directing, she still felt her irritation still bubbling in a barely maintained simmer. She maintained steady eye contact with the girl, doing her best not to convey the irritation she felt, as Alex went on to talk about how the first years could be difficult depending on the friends and enemies made. She found herself fiddling absently with her fork, almost unconsciously sizing the other girl up as she did.

"Well," she finally said, tone cold, "Since we're all metas, it means we're all the same, which makes it essentially the same as normal school, now doesn't it? If everyone's a freak, then no one is, and if everyone has a power, then everyone is equally dangerous. Right?" She tapped her fork on her plate, still not looking away from Alex. "And my name is Candence, not 'Candy'. I don't appreciate familiar, presumptuous nicknames with kids I just met." Sure, Candence had no idea how old this other girl was, and had a feeling she had no grounds to be calling her "kid", but she'd been riled enough that she didn't really care.

As for her power... Candence had no intention of sharing it with anyone yet, let alone "fresh meat" girl. In the back of her mind, she knew that if her brother had been there, he would be admonishing Candence about behavior and jumping to conclusions. Hypocrite. Anyway, she'd decided that this was the best way to see if this girl really was trying to cause trouble, or was just antisocial and not good at the whole sociability thing. She could see if it was more than Alex "coming off as rude" at lunchtime. At least, so her thoughtline went.

[Alexandra Patterson]

Alex shook her head at the comment. "Their many different levels of danger" she said as she stuffed some food in her mouth. "You have to think about the powers of course. A kid lets says who has ink manipulation wouldn't be as dangerous in a fight with a kid who has super speed. A kid who has the ability to see emotions couldn't do anything to a Gestalt pair".

This girl had spunk and she was actually holding eye contact. Plus she was giving of this I'm not scared of anything vibe. Alex mentally applaud the girl. It was her first day in a strange day and she didn't even seem like it. She was either brave or it all didn't sink in yet. Either way Alex found her to be interesting so far.

She chuckled at the girl "kid" comment amused. Me a kid? This girl probably just hit puberty this year. "Kid? Sweetheart i'm probably like four years older than you" she said with amusement in her tone. "Calm down hun it's just a nickname. I nickname everyone I meet because i'm bad with names. Don't get your panties in a bunch over nothing". 

[Candence Waterson]

"There's many different levels of danger."

"Yeah, yeah," Candence muttered. "Well, I don't really need to worry about your 'danger', so stop with the lecture." She paused. "What is a 'Gestalt pair', anyway? And 'ink manipulation'? Is that like being able to make super drawings or something?" Though she did her best to keep an uninterested air, she didn't do the best at it. All this stuff was still pretty new to her, so she had a lot to learn. Not to mention she was curious about all the different powers there could be. Of course, she knew about some of them, but still...

She poked at her food, finally looking away in favor of taking a few bites as Alex went on. So she was bad with names? How were nicknames going to help at all then, wouldn't she just forget those too? Despite Candence's mental grouching, she did manage to calm herself a bit more than previously, and actually managed to eat some of her food without stabbing it within an inch of its life.

"My panties aren't in a bunch," she finally said, tone somewhat less icy than earlier. "Just had a long day, okay? My brother's a worry wart and drives me nuts." She glanced up briefly. "How old are you, anyway? Twenty something?" Though she had a pretty good idea Alex wasn't quite that much older than herself, she half wanted to get on the other girl's nerves, as "payback" for her getting on Candence's own nerves.

[Alexandra Patterson]

She put up her hand in defense. "Hey just trying to warn you". She smirked as the girl asked more questions though. "You have much to learn young grasshopper" she joked. "Gestalt pairs are like super twins. Think if superman had twin children. They have all these special ability's and ink manipulator can do just that. They manipulate ink. You know like tattoos and stuff".

"Ah see thankfully i'm the only child. Well I would offer you a smoke or a drink but you don't seem like the type to do either. You know if your really stress you could always skip next period with me sense I was planning to leave anyway". That's Alex for you. The ever so good role model to kids everywhere. "I mean you could come if you want slash aren't scared" she said nonchalantly. She honestly didn't care either way. "I'm planning to go do something and release some stress. Oh and i'm only 17" she said sightly offended. "What are you like eleven"?

[Candence Waterson]

Young grasshopper. Yeah, very funny.... this girl was quite the comedian. Candence pushed a few sarcastic thoughts from her mind, deciding they were less important than listening to Alex's explanation of the powers she'd mentioned. Superman twins... well that would be interesting. Ink manipulation though.. that just sounded weird. "And you can duplicate yourself," Candence mused. "How many times? And is it an actual duplication, where the other you is flesh and blood, or is it like a hologram or something like that?" Sure, she had found the other girl pretty darn irritating at first, and she still wasn't completely sure Alex wouldn't be totally not irritating, but hey, Candence had found that connections were important things to make, even if one didn't always get along with them.

A smoke or a drink? Candence gave Alex a skeptical look. She was joking, right? Had to be. Or maybe she was just trying to get her in trouble. "What were you planning on doing?" she asked cautiously. Since she'd just arrived, she didn't have classes until the next day anyway, so she didn't have to worry about skipping out on classes. However, she couldn't help but feel somewhat suspicious of what Alex was up to.

Seventeen years old? Yeah, Candence felt all the more sure that she hadn't been serious at the earlier remarks about drinking and smoking. She wasn't old enough for either, so unless Alex had been being really open about her illegal life... Candence shook her head. Maybe this place was weirder than she'd given it credit for. She gave a snort of derision when Alex threw the "what are you, like eleven" question. She gave a mild glare before replying with, "I'm fourteen."

[Alexandra Patterson]

"I can make up to five copies of myself that are flesh and blood. Only the more copies I do the more energy and stamina is taken from me and put into the copies. When I run out of energy my copies come back to me automatically and I absorb their memory's. Which I tell you comes in handy when i'm somewhere I don't want to be".

Alex drummed her fingers on the table thinking for a second. "I'm thinking maybe go to the mall and shop and eat a little. Then chill at a friends house".

[Candence Waterson]

That did sound pretty handy, Candence had to admit, begrudgingly or not. It would almost be like mental manipulation or something-- being able to absorb or explore another person's memories. Two in one power. Seemed handy enough to her. "Sounds cool," she said, still keeping her tone somewhat neutral. "I'm just a dreamwalker." She had no intention of adding the whole "tactile anesthesia" thing. Not only did it sound fancy and convoluted, she also figured it would creep people out. It had made her parents nervous, anyway.

"Sounds fun," she said to Alex's explanation. Though she wasn't generally one for the whole shopping and hanging out with people for long periods of time thing, she figured tagging along would probably be best in the long run. Because then she'd not only have something truthful to report back to her parents, but also someone to claim as a "friend" in case Emrys started getting uptight about her level of socialization. Anyway, the gym would probably have people in it too. You just couldn't get away from people these days, it seemed. "When you planning on going?"

[Alexandra Patterson]

"Ah dream walking is pretty cool to. I mean as long as you can control it and not just automatically go into someones dream when they fall asleep in the same room as you. That could become annoying seeing how people are going to sleep in a school. Oh and god forbid if someone has a wet dream or something. Can you say awkward"?

She took out her phone and started to text. "Well lunch gets out in two minutes so then. All I have to do is go to the bathroom to duplicate myself so I won't be missed and we can go. The ride is pulling up now". She looked at her raising a eyebrow. "So you in short stuff or are you too scared? I mean it's understandable if you are".

[Candence Waterson]

Candence shrugged. If she didn't enjoy escaping her own dreams as much, she would have thought dream-walking a major nuisance, truth be told. As it was though, she could truthfully shrug and nod in agreement to Alex's statement about it being pretty cool. However, she made a face at the last bit. "Yeah. Or if someone dreamed they were being gutted by wolves," she threw out flatly. "If you want to talk about dream-walking gone bad." Really, why did people do that? Not just Alex, but everyone it seemed. It wasn't as if she hadn't ever thought about it before, or what was more, experienced dreams like that before. So why did people have to bring it up as if it were some kind of joke? She sighed.

All the same, she started shoveling the last of her food into her mouth at a quicker pace when Alex said the ride was pulling up. "I'm in, Granny" she stated as she set her fork down and wiped her mouth. "Must be nice to be able to use your power to skip out on classes without being noticed." And absorb the memories, she reminded herself. Now that was a handy power...