Gentle Not-so-giant (Axelle)

[Koty Hura]

Sunday.. midday.. overcast.. Downtown Pilot Ridge.

A typical day for one Koty Hura.. as so many so often were. If they weren't, how would they be typical? Either way, Koty was in town. He'd planned to head here today to pick up some ingredients for the meals he would make over the coming week anyway, but his trip had become a more dangerous one earlier in the day.. Ordinarily when Koty went out, he wore long sleeves, pants, and gloves.. The problem with wearing gloves every day was that in order to be cool and leave him with some sensation in his fingers, they had to be cloth and they had to be thin.. which made them somewhat fragile. Today Koty had, for a reason that was, in hindsight, completely beyond him.. decided to do some pullups... and had completely forgotten to remove his gloves until he felt the delicate fabric give against the cool steel of the bar he'd been using.

He'd managed to mostly avoid being around people since... and kept his hands firmly in his pockets on the bus into downtown.. and maybe if he'd been less worried about keeping his hands in his pockets he wouldn't have found himself in the situation that he would up in.. but then he'd have had an uneventful trip and many say that life aught to be about the journey rather than the destination. No events, safe and boring journey, no opportunities to learn or assist or grow. So despite the nervousness and anxiety brought on by walking around effectively without protection, Koty would later chalk today up as a good day.

The 'event' that has been hinted at and avoided was one that someone with Koty's training and grace should never have been a part of.. Put very simply, he tripped. Ordinarily, tripping would require a person to run for a step or two to catch their balance.. or to hop once to regain their proper footing.. But Koty's hands had been in his pockets at the time, and so he had no means to balance himself while he recovered.

More specifically, Koty tripped after he'd jumped sideways to avoid a cat that seemed to be in a rather large hurry going the opposite direction he'd been going in.. and as he'd turned to look at the cat his foot had caught a curb. He had, of course, tried to jump to gain his balance a gain, but a most inconvenient bit of gravel had foiled his plans.. and in the time it took to get his hands out of his pockets, Koty's unceremonious meeting with the concrete sidewalk had been deemed unavoidable..

Or, unavoidable without intervention.

Or, in short.. A Japanese boy was walking through town with his hands stuffed in his pockets, sidestepped to avoid a runaway feline, tripped on a curb, and instead of slamming into the unforgiving concrete, was caught by a pair of surprisingly strong arms..

Not a huge deal, except that the person doing the catching had.. more than a little anxiety in reference to those arms and other humans.. and Koty's hands had come free at just the right time to find those arms.. ungloved. And every spec of anxiety and terror his savior felt crashed into his mind like a load of bricks.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle should have been in the sweltering garage helping her father and grandfather with the cars, but they'd kicked her out after an hour claiming that this was technically her last summer vacation as a high school student and that she should be outside enjoying the weather, not sweating in the family garage. She'd protested of course but had been overruled. She'd leave the house and have a good time...end of story. After showering a bit more vengefully than intended and getting dressed before announced that she was leaving (and not going to enjoy the great outdoors) she left and stomped down the street.

She had gone and eaten ice cream, wandered through all the back ways and clumps of trees she remembered visiting as a child, tried to catch a few frogs and only succeeded in soaking her shoes before she gave up and decided that window shopping was a better option. If she found something she could wear on the first day of school that would be wonderful! She needed pens and paper and stuff like that...well maybe just paper, she usually got other stuff from the school because anything not specifically built to withstand her strength usually got broken immediately. She didn't want to think about that one really expensive shirt she'd covered with ink when she'd started at Hammel when she was thirteen.

As she was walking down the street and window shopping she contemplated everything that was going on in her life at the moment. There had been that awesome make-out session with Benji and then sparring with Lucas and that still rather embarrassing break down that Marcus had walked in on, but she had made new friends so she supposed that everything worked out for a reason. Kam had graduated this year, her best friend wasn't going to be around all the time anymore and she was sad about it damnit...why did Kam have to go first?! Not that Axelle was going to be able to graduate from the school this coming year...er, well, not from training at least. She'd be able to get her diploma and go to college but....yeah, still training...yay. Frowning as she tried to turn her thoughts around she began heading towards another store, moving out of the way preemptively as another boy approached she was momentarily startled by a streaking feline from behind. She let out a squeak and looked up in time to see the other boy falling.

She was close enough to catch him and she'd have felt bad if he'd landed because his hands seemed to be stuck in his pockets so she did what she did best and reacted. Her strong arms didn't even tense as she caught him. He was light enough that it would have been like catching a stuffed animal...filed with bones and organs....delicate things. Panic swamped her as she carefully closed her hands around his arms and as gently as she could pushed him to his feet. "Hey," she said shakily when she noticed that he looked...odd. Like he'd been punched in the gut....oh shit she hadn't hit him had she? "a-are you okay?" she asked with a bit more panic than she mean, arms raised in case he collapsed or something.

[Koty Hura]

Panic. Anxiety. Terror. Fear. A hundred situations in which completely by accident people got hurt. A hundred different ways that a damnable meta ability destroys a life or a relationship or first impression. Good intentions paving a gilded path straight to hell, being tickled and breaking someone's jaw or neck, never being able to hold one's own newborn for fear that even the most gentle of touches could cause it pain.....

Koty was upright but unaware.. His body kept him that way on instinct, but his mind spent several seconds reeling, trying to comprehend the wave of thoughts that had bowled him over like a toddler in the ocean. He hadn't been prepared at all, and his own anxieties and panic did nothing to make this girl's easier to sort through and understand... But a few seconds was all it took for the deafening roar to become a manageable static and Koty blinked several times before glancing over at his savior.

Of course, he then raised his left hand to his temple and winced, his eyebrows twisted up a bit and looking like he'd suddenly gotten a healthy headache. He gestured with one finger in what was generally understood as 'give me a moment' and rubbed at his head. It was only a second or two before Koty blinked hard againi and dropped his left hand, slipping it quickly back in his pocket. So this girl was a meta.. with some relatively severe anxiety related to her ability.. Super strength and durability.

Without missing any more beats, Koty offered a hand to the redhead and adopted a hopeful look. "Koty Hura. Thank you."

The moment she took his hand to shake it, though, Axelle would see images in her mind's eye.. understand that Koty was also a meta.. that his ability was tactile telepathy.. and if she seemed receptive to this form of communication and didn't completely spaz out, he would then transfer to her his memory of being caught.. Cat, slip, arms.. Arms that were stiff, but still much softer than the concrete below. A grip that was firm but that was not going to leave a bruise. Then a swirl of anxiety and panic. One that aught to be familiar.. because Axelle had just felt it a few seconds ago.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle waited with baited breath as the boy in front of her took a moment to compose himself. He wasn't screaming or crying...or bleeding so that was a good sign. She was further relieved that when he extended his hand to shake and introduced himself. Oh! It was that guy...she'd heard his name before during role call but couldn't remember what class she'd been in at the time. Probably something she wasn't good at. "I'm Axelle Flint." As she reached forward to gently close her hand around his in what she had long ago determined was the right amount of pressure to shake a hand....after months of practicing she jumped a bit as their minds were linked together.

She could feel her hands on arms (that weren't hers but were now somehow), how they cushioned a fall but didn't hurt in their wake and then her own feelings sent back at her, how afraid and worried she was all the damn time about everything. It was wonderful and horrible at the same time. She pulled her hand away from his and stood there for a moment as her brain reset itself. She'd started crying without realizing it. When she snapped back into reality a moment later, and realized that she had seen the even through Koty's eyes she furiously scrubbed at her reddened eyes. "Sorry, oh my god how embarrassing," she sniffed as she fumbled for a tissue out of her bag and blew her nose. "I've never...well people say all the time..." she floundered for her words before taking a deep breath and starting again. "People tell me they're fine all the time but I never believe them," she admitted. She wanted to change the subject because she was embarrassed, something that was obviously given her lack of eye contact and suddenly timid body language. "Um so...you're a telepath?" she asked more shyly than she normally would, trying to piece together how he could have felt all of those emotions lurking just below the surface of her mind every waking moment of every day since she was thirteen.

[Koty Hura]

For an instant, Koty was genuinely worried that he'd been the one doing someone harm. He wasn't entirely sure where Axelle's tears had come from.. and it was quite possible for even a low-level telepath to cause someone psychological trauma if they were too forceful. Koty could relate to Axelle's situation... but his worried vanished quickly as the girl regained her senses and immediately tried to hide her reddened eyes. She was relieved.. and immediately apologetic.

Koty just stood silently with a neutral face and a hint of a grin on his features. He was sure there was a followup.. and when it came and wasn't clear, he was sure there would be another.. and it came as well. Westerners could be remarkably cute sometimes. His hint of a grin had turned into a very real one by the time Axelle confirmed what he had non-verbally 'told' her.. and Koty gave a small bow. "I am. Forgive me for not first asking permission.. And please do not hold this against me."

Koty reached gently forward and touched either her forearm or the back of her hand again, whichever was easier and least awkward.. and Axelle would see herself for the second time today.. the tears in her eyes and then quickly trying to hide and remove them.. The reason being that as she saw herself from Koty's perspective, she would understand Koty's perspective as well. She wouldn't get the impression that she was embarrassing or to be shamed, but that it was actually quite heartwarming that something Koty had hoped to be merely reassurance had instead been something that meant very much to Axelle. She would also see herself as being very cute all the while.. because westerners could be really cute sometimes.

"I am under the impression that you are in the habit of being.. very critical of yourself, Miss Flint. You have nothing but my gratitude and my sincere hope that a bit of proof from one person may be enough to ease your worries about many others. And please, do not be embarrassed on my behalf. I could not be more happy to have been of service. Is there any way I might repay your kindness?"

[Axelle Flint]

He spoke really formally. It was a little intimidating actually. "I-it's okay, my barriers aren't very good, I should practice more," she admitted, because she couldn't let him take all the blame for the fact that she should be able to push out some unwanted people if she just practiced a little. She just did better with the physical things was all. She flushed and felt like crawling under a rock when he mentioned her...anxiety and only just stopped herself from running away. She didn't want to talk about this.

She fidgeted uncomfortably as he reassured her that everything was okay and that he was fine and grateful and "god-just-please-stop-talking-about-this-I-hate-talking-about-this-I-talk-about-it-all-the-god-damn-time." She waved her hand at his offer. "N-no, I'm fine thanks I like helping people is all," she looked around for a way to change the topic of conversation, happy but uncomfortable with discussing her insecurities with someone who was still somewhat of a stranger. "So, um...what were you doing around town? Getting ready for school to start soon?" she asked, clearing her throat of the still rather teary way her voice sounded. She rubbed her eyes again and, true to Axelle form started her bounce back. "Cuz I was doing the same thing if you wanted to join me?" she asked curiously.

[Koty Hura]

"My barriers are strong enough for the both of us... I simply do not use them. I have little to hide and much to gain from leaving them down.." Not to mention that given the physical connection, tactile telepathy was inherently powerful.. and thereby that much more difficult to block out without literally breaking said contact... which Axelle could easily do. Six Kotys couldn't hold Axelle down, let alone the one.

Koty's grin faded noticeably when Axelle very quickly waved off his offer and insisted she required absolutely nothing... He'd been very much hoping the girl would say something silly or impossible.. that he would then somehow make happen. Not only was a super strength friend good to have for... many, many situations.. but a cute one to whom he owed a favor or who owed a favor to him... --Wait. Wait, seriously. Why such emphasis on cute? He'd thought it several times in the past few minutes now.. Koty didn't think about how cute girls were. He didn't bother thinking about cute at all.. Ever. Why now?

..Maybe it was the hair.

Koty snapped back to attention and his face went fairly neutral she she asked her questions. He was prepared to answer when she.. basically gave him the 'in' he'd been subconsciously seeking. A way to spend a bit more time with her. "Actually, I was. Ordinarily I wear gloves and long sleeves.. Prevent accidental contact, prevent accidental telepathy.. But I ripped my gloves this morning. I'd be happy to walk with you, even buy you something you like.. but with or without your company I do need make a stop at a high-end clothing store for another pair of gloves before I find my way back to Hammel. Were you looking for anything in particular? I would imagine your ability makes it somewhat more difficult to get.. 'the little things'."

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle was completely oblivious to whatever was going on in Koty's head. That tended to happen a lot, but she thought it might be something because he looked really focused for a moment before he answered her. She thought it was a shame that he wore long sleeves and gloves all the time. His arms had the kind of definition to them that made her stop and stare at people in the public gym space from time to time. She liked muscles; she wasn't going to apologize for it. "Oh, that sounds hot," she commented, thinking about her own shorts and t-shirt. She couldn't imagine him walking around like that all the time. But, looking at him, he didn't seem bothered by the heat so she refrained from saying anymore.

"You don't have to buy me anything," she insisted, perhaps a bit more stubbornly than intended. "It's really okay..." she trailed off when the words 'high end clothing store' registered in her brain and she looked up at him with eyes a bit wider than perhaps necessary. "Can I go with you? Is it okay?" she asked. She almost never walked into the expensive clothing stores in town unless she absolutely had do or was trying to keep up with fashion trends and couldn't see through the window well enough. She wanted to see what might be more fashionable in the approaching fall so that she could be ready. She tilted her head in confusion when he mentioned "the little things".

"Eh? What do you mean? I have more control than that, I just panic all the time about it," but before she could get angry her mind switched to something else. "Unless you mean like pencils and stuff, gosh i hate those things. I have to get all that stuff from the school on a special order because I break anything that's not specially made. But I could do with a new notebook, my journal is about to run out," she said, completely forgetting about his earlier comment hitting a small nerve.

[Koty Hura]

"Of course it's okay." Dammit, that was two contractions now. "I would not mind in the slightest. I would not have offered if I had no intention to follow through."

Of course, what Koty had meant by 'the little things' was, in fact, things like pencils, pens, staplers, erasers.. but before he could explain himself, Axelle both forgot that she'd seemed a little offended and also completely agreed with him. "Yes, exactly what I meant. I am surprised that you have no issues with standard paper. You must be better at moderating your ability than you give yourself credit for." One would think that.. if she snapped pencils and pens like brittle twigs, it would be just as easy to tear through paper. Hm.

"Your journal? A diary? ..I believe there is a stationary shop near the one I need to visit. You are welcome to look there either before or while I am procuring a new pair of gloves." What Koty didn't mention was that this stationary shop.. next to a fine clothing store.. was also really expensive.. But then he didn't mention that he planned to see what she was looking at and buy it for her whether it was necessary or not. Why? ... Well, to be honest he wasn't sure. It just felt like the right thing to do.. and while Koty wasn't often the type to get or follow random feelings, he was willing to indulge in them on occasion.. and perhaps Axelle would appreciate it.. after she got done insisting that he shouldn't have done it.

But since she'd seemed excited about visiting this place, he ushered her in the direction he'd been heading to begin with. It shouldn't be more than a ten-ish minute walk. Plenty of time to get some small talk out of the way. "So, Axelle.. What are the extents of your ability? Super strength.. but.. just how strong are you? No doubt you could lift me.. but, a motorcycle? A car? A tractor-trailer?" Chick had to be strong-strong if she was genuinely worried about hurting someone just catching them.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle didn't like calling it a diary, it sounded way too formal for something that was actually rather laid back and filled with newspaper clippings and stories from her day. But she didn't realize there was a stationary store so nearby, she really needed to pay better attention to her surroundings. Unless the store was expensive, then chances were that she had never even bothered to entertain the idea of going inside. If Koty was willing to drop money on "high end" gloves, then he probably didn't blink spending more than $5 for a notebook either. He liked to use big words, and he spoke really properly...he was probably rich. But he seemed like an okay guy so far, so she was looking forward to getting to know him better.

She walked easily beside him, her legs trained for long strides to keep up with all the other tall people in her life so she easily caught his question about her strength. Lots of people seemed to be asking that lately. "Um well, I can lift a car over my head pretty easily and throw it across a football field," she supplied helpfully. "But that just sorta comes naturally. A lot of my training focuses on controlling all of that so that I can do small stuff like write and eat with utensil's like a civilized human being," she laughed. "I'm tough too, like, I don't get hurt easily, I haven't bruised in years," she explained. "One time, I was trying to make a point and I tried to staple my chest but the staple just fell out all broken and stuff...and it was like one of those really big industrial ones they use when you have a lot of paper."

[Koty Hura]

Internally, Koty was making the O.O face.. Externally, however, he just nodded. So he'd been saved and was walking next to an earthbound superman with boobs and pretty red hair. Of course he knew that people who could do things like that existed.. and probably existed at Hammel.. but he'd never knowingly met one of them, and he'd never considered that a girl who looked .. so very ordinary.. could be one of them. But then.. a super strong friend was always good to have. No doubt, Axelle was one's best friend when it came time to move. If she could juggle cars, she could likely carry three or four couches down a flight of stairs at the same time. On her own.

Of course, he then considered her situation.. and felt a bit guilty. "I am sorry that such great power must come with so much responsibility. I feel that I was.. very lucky. All I must do to avoid using my own ability is.. wear gloves. Avoid skin contact. I worry much more about breaking myself than breaking others. I am sorry you were given such a heavy burden." Comedic irony.. Here, the girl who would lift such heavy loads was cursed with one that all the strength in the world wouldn't make feel any lighter. Poor girl.

It made sense that she would be durable, though. A normal person could punch a wall and bruise or break bones. If Axelle could lift cars, the forces involved with just her hands, let alone her ligaments and the cartilage in her joints would be astronomical. Even solid steel wore out rather quickly under those kinds of stresses..

And then the superman image kicked in full swing.. "I am curious.. In how many ways are you durable? You are clearly impact-resistant.. but what about extreme heat or cold? Could you stand in fire or be frozen in ice without harm?" Koty was imagining Axelle smashing through brick walls in a burning building, gathering up survivors and leaping several stories to the ground below.. a-la superman. "I would welcome you to ask any questions you like about my telepathy - and you are welcome to if you wish, but it is so often a much simpler explanation. One has it and understands it or one does not.."

[Axelle Flint]

"The way you talk...it's really formal," Axelle said suddenly then regretted it. "I mean it just...it's not bad, but it's...you sound..." she flushed. "You sound like you should be a prince or something," she muttered with a frown. "Or a robot, but mostly a prince," she added with a critical look at him out of the corner of her eye. "You..aren't a robot are you?" she asked. There was awkward silence between them until Axelle realized she had yet to address his other question, which was kind...probing. Axelle wasn't used to questions of that nature. People got as far as "So how strong are you?" had had made some excuse to run off after she had answered...either that or made some sort of comment about doing some manual labor.

"Why thank you, I live to serve master, how may I serve you and your moving/throwing/demolition needs today?" ~ No thank you.

"Just impact. I can still feel extreme temperatures. Well, shit I get cold easily and have to wear a lot of layers in the winter," she shrugged. Since he had opened up the floor for questions about his own power she decided to head straight into those because she didn't want him comment on the fact that she had likened him to a prince because that was embarrassing and she wasn't completely sold on the idea that someday a "prince" of any sort would come along and whisk her off her feet. "So like, do you have to always be touching someone for your powers to work or can you just leap into someone's head?" she asked.

[Koty Hura]

Koty raised an eyebrow when Axelle blurted out what.. several people had said in the past. He spoke too formally. As she simultaneously backpedaled and elaborated, he face adopted yet another grin.. which turned into a smile.. and actually got a real, honest chuckle out of him when she asked if he was a robot. She was apparently only durable in the impact or crushing force areas. Excessive cold and heat were still no fun.. Koty couldn't help but think that covering up with so many layers seemed a bit of a shame. Axelle was very pretty like this.. She looked normal enough, she was reasonably attractive, and her hair made her stand out. Her skin seemed fair, her face expressive and expressions genuine.. Yeah, it seemed like a waste to hide it all beneath a bunch of layers.

But Koty hadn't said anything since Axelle had started talking, and his face transitioned slightly back toward serious when she asked him another question. "My ability is based solely on touch. I cannot use telepathy in any capacity without skin-to-skin contact. Hair does not work as a medium for my ability, neither does clothing. At any point during telepathy, if a person was to s imply break contact with me, my link would be lost. Depending on the effort I was exerting, there may be .. notable backlash." This was why Koty tried his best not to dig too deep, even with people he was familiar with. He was extending a part of his consciousness through a doorway into another person's mind... the more he extended through that doorway, the more it was likely to hurt if the door suddenly slammed shut.

"On the issue of my speech.. I was raised in Japan. There is a very different culture. Directness and conciseness is more appreciated.. more expected." His tone adopted an air of sarcasm as he continued, doing a rough imitation of a southern accent that sounded completely foreign and likely hilarious coming from the otherwise unnervingly proper asian. "But if ya wunt meh tuh talk like I gawt thu eye-kyuu uv a frawg, I can trah tuh akom-date cha."

Koty's face scrunched up a bit and he lightly stuck his tongue out as if he'd bitten into something bitter. "I believe I may have offended my tongue..."

[Axelle Flint]

"Oh that sounds interesting," Axelle's head ached a little from trying to follow his speech pattern. What she did get out of it was that he couldn't really touch anyone without his ability mucking it up for him. In that way they had a lot in common. Except Axelle could at least control how much strength she used on someone, it just took a lot of effort on her part. She would really hate to have a power that was more or less triggered by touch and not being able to shut that off. No wonder he walked around so protected, even in the middle of summer.

She wasn't surprised to hear that he had come from Japan originally, they were lots of international students at Hammel and a lot of international residents in the town too and well, he looked Japanese so chances were high that he was. She drew her eyebrows in nothing close to amusement. “Frogs are smart!” she argued immediately. Then realized she was getting angry about something totally strange when she had literally just asked him if he was a robot. “Anyway, I’m not that good with big words, but I’m not stupid!” she added quickly. “I don’t think I am, but I don’t know a lot of big words and you don’t use contractions so…BESIDES, lots of people from the South are smart….frogs too,” she added again with a small pout because she’d observed enough frogs in her youth to know.

[Koty Hura]

When Axelle reacted in quite possibly the worst way she could have reacted to Koty's attempt at humor, he dropped his head and there would be an audible clap as his palm met his forehead. He just stayed that way for several long moments before heaving a great sigh and resuming his normal posture. "I assure you I meant no offense to either frogs or those who speak with a southern drawl. I was merely failing miserably at imitating an accent I observed on a television show some time ago. It was, as many non-Americans would say, very stereotypical. If you wish for me to consciously include contractions and.. attempt to refrain from using less-common words, I am willing to make that attempt if you would be willing to forgive me for something I did not realize would offend you."

...Er, there hadn't been any overly big words there.. At least not ones that were uncommon. He's thoroughly noted to himself to never, ever, ever attempt to recreate any sort of southern drawl again.. Not even for laughs. Apparently it wasn't funny. Neither was implying that frogs were unintelligent. Apparently. He wasn't going to argue, though. No, Koty was just going to stand for a moment, then give Axelle the choice to forgive him, or forget him.. and if she hadn't said anything in about three seconds, he would simply turn and start walking at a brisk pace.. She could choose to pursue him, or she could simply turn back in the direction she'd been headed to begin with and pretend that she'd never come across him.