A touch of red [Amber]

[Lucas Blacke]

A good few weeks had passed since he had met his parents for the first time. Obviously he knew who they were but because of personal reasons they had always chosen to push him away instead of draw him in, and that would be good if not for Lucas' hate towards people who did that. While some might call him a hypocrite for hating people who did what he did it failed to change the fact that he did. Still, they gave him a house and enough money to go to college for about sixty years.

So he ended up at the mall once more, this time to find a gift for his parents or something, though that idea was holed up somewhere in the back of his mind. In reality, Luke had been so used to never hearing from his parents that he failed to even think about them in his current situation. Of course every morning he awoke he would think about his parents, but when he left the bedroom he would start thinking about other stuff and not even know his parents existed. Still they should know he was eternally grateful.

As a kid with too much money he was stuck deciding where to go first as he didn't really know what to buy. Maybe some simple browsing of random stores was in order. Who knew what could happen? Soon after that idea he reminded himself of working out, something he hadn't done in a bit and should do if not for his broken dummy and no real running partner since that Serena kid. He still felt she practically pushed herself on him.

Enough of that. He was at the mall, had money to spend, and by god was he going to buy away the (minor) hurt he was feeling.

[Amber Ignis]

Amber contemplated as she looked through the glass wall of the Pet Store. This was most definitely not her mission in coming to the mall today, but she was always a sucker for cute animals. This school year began Amber’s 4th year at The Hammel Institute, and her first year living off-campus at Pilot Ridge. She has been back from summer break for about 3 weeks now, but has yet to decorate her new apartment.

In some ways her barren apartment reflects how she’s been feeling…empty. She thought this summer would prove effective in mending fences with her twin, Jonas, but to her dismay nothing has changed. Jonas has not been the same since her powers manifested…well since she almost killed him while discovering her powers. She loathes the fact that she has been on this meta-human journey without him, and he resents her from something she cannot even control.

Alas…Amber stared into the eyes of a little boxer pup. I bet Pickle would love him, she thought.

Not the she actually even knew what her 5-year-old ball python was ever thinking. But I guess the fact that he has never bit her is a good sign, right? Pickle has been the only relief Amber has found since moving to Vermont. And with the winter months ahead she knew life was about to get tough. She turned around and slid down the wall with a thump as she sat on the floor against the puppy wall. Not exactly a good resting place, but Amber suddenly found herself lost in thought.

[Lucas Blacke]

''A new In Flames album?'' He found himself thinking as he passed by the record store he once met Zoelle and pretty much forced her to be his girlfriend, which ended up badly and almost leading Luke to give up the few albums of the band he loved so much because he had bought them when he was with her. Thank god he decided not to destroy those albums as he listened to them every day, in his car, bedroom and living room. And while working out. Which was now still a subject left nagging at his mind. Mentally the Texan shook his head with a smile directed at himself as he knew he owned all of the albums In Flames had ever released.

Walking onward and focused on his thought more so than what lay in front of him on a physical level he quickly found himself nearly walking into a wall, the only thing keeping him from doing just that was his ability to automatically move without thinking. Not that it'd hurt, but it would look silly, he supposed, and he looked around briefly to see if anyone saw him. There was likely someone who had seen him. Bugger.

Maybe he needed to buy some doodads for his car, or a new television for in his house or something. Bah, having money sucked balls when you had enough to buy what you wanted. Maybe putting it all on the bank would turn out to be the best idea, but the small amount he kept as spending money still irked him, like he needed to spend it as soon as possible.

Still trying to make up his mind he passed the pet store, maybe it would be fun to have a dog or something, he knew he could use that as a running partner. Lucas loved getting out, so walking the dog wouldn't be an issue. But if he did, what kind..? One thing he did know, bigger was better. Almost as if he was compensating for something.

Yet again he failed to see he was moving towards a wall, mainly because it held glass which wasn't really that obvious aside from a sticker on it that was barely visible. Only barely did he avoid the glass as he put one hand up to the glass and instantly the puppies in the store tried to sniff it as he then proceeded to almost crash into a girl sitting against said wall, which Luke found kinda odd, but shrugged and got down beside her.

The old him would instantly try to cop a feel after saying she looked hot and exclaiming the word 'red', but the new him would try to befriend people first as he would keep on telling himself he wasn't interested. Because of reasons.

''Pretty sure yer gon' sit more comfortable on a bench, m'lady.'' He offered. Goddamn was he interested.

[Amber Ignis]

Amber tried to put the thoughts of Jonas out of her head. No reason to worry about that while they were hundreds of miles away from each other. Maybe their physical distance will bridge this mental distance... Wouldn't that be nice.

All this thinking was making Amber thirsty... Maybe that's why she sat down. The ground is physically stopping her from going up to the closest older man and slipping him a twenty for a bottle. Her thirst wasn't something water could quench. The old Amber craved something a little stiffer.

With Hammel's strict rules she had to try and put her rebel teen vices behind her, but this new apartment opened doors for a little reckless behavior...at least that's how she's justifying her urge to get wasted.

She stared down at her combat boots and realized that one was untied. Ironic, huh? If she kept walking she would have quite literally fallen flat on her face. Just as she was about to reach down and tie her shoes, she felt someone sit beside her.

Pretty sure yer gon' sit more comfortable on a bench, m'lady.

The first thing she noticed was his accent. Charming. Next she noticed his eyes.

"But down here I can see up all the ladies' skirts," she said slightly mocking his accent.

She's not quite sure why she said that or why she mocked this very...handsome boy. She calls it 'foot in mouth disease.' It happens when her mouth moves faster than her head can remind her to shut her trap.

She smiled charmingly hoping he realized it was a joke. She figured it was better to not saying anything else. Now all she was thinking about was how cute he must be when he smiles.

[Lucas Blacke]

His eyes scanned over her when she obviously checked him out. Yay for talking first, he supposed as he listened to her trying to mimic his accent. She was so not from the south, and the mere thought of that paired with what she said and how she said it almost brought a smile on his face when he just took to looking at passing by women to see if she was just saying stuff or was actually seeing some goodies. Although.. he shouldn't.. and he quickly averted his eyes as his head turned sideways to face the girl.

Was this the moment he scared her off? He wouldn't be surprised if it was, after all, how many cute girls remained in his life? Well, aside from that one.. and this one.. he had only seen her once, however, and wasn't sure if they would meet again. Lucas hoped they did though as she looked cool enough to hang around as a friend. There lay his downfall though, he was always thinking of girls as romantic partners, and how many times had that been working out for him? Exactly zero times.

Catching his gaze was her smile though, and instantly he felt himself smiling back even though his smile was almost never real. Who cared, right? A thought went through his mind as he shook his head finally. ''Ya should try a bit harder, doll.'' He jokingly replied.

Now why was it that around people he didn't know he got dark? Was it because he knew it would end up going down the drain or just self-sabotage?

''I'm sure a Texan accent'll suit ya jus' fine though. But it needs work.'' He stuck out his hand for her to take and shake. ''Name's Lucas Blacke.'' He said followed with a few words that just shot out of his system before he knew he was even thinking of them.

''At yer cervix.''

[Amber Ignis]

Normally when Amber laughs she feels a bit of insincerity behind the gesture, but on rare occasions she finds herself laughing out loud before she even knows it has happened. This was one of those times. A quick burst of laughter came out of her mouth like a shot, and she decided that this ‘Lucas Blacke’ was an all right guy.

It was sad to say, but this was starting to be one of the most interesting things to happen to her since coming to Vermont. She thought her dark clothes and combat boots scared off potential friends…boyfriends? But maybe she scared people off on purpose…and with that thought she remembered she needed to tie her shoe. She leaned forward to grab the laces as she replied.

“That,” she said, “was solid.” Though she was enjoying this encounter, she felt a slight bit of tension in the air between them. It was probably just the awkwardness of talking to a new person and she did not dwell on the thought. She realized she should introduce herself, too. “I’m Amber Ignis.”

It’s funny he mentioned Texas. Strangely enough, Amber was actually born there, but she did not stay long enough to remember anything. Besides, she has always prided herself on being a Jersey Girl through and through. The state had a bad name for itself, but as a true resident, Amber knew it had its hidden gems.

Regardless of the love she felt for her home, she did not mind making fun of herself. “Would it surprise you to find out I’m from New Jersey?” She quickly decided not to mention their Texan connection. Maybe it could be a fun secret to keep for a while. Amber always had this strange fear of running out of things to talk about, so if she does see Lucas again she knows she will have something to say.

[Lucas Blacke]

When he got her to laugh he felt joy, and perhaps a bit too much of it but failed to really care about it even if it was wrong, making people laugh was a good thing, meant they could at least laugh about what he had to say. That and a laughing girl was actually kind of cute no matter who it was, and this one.. he didn't know, something about the way she looked made him enjoy himself more than she should and in a way she was able to, like other girls he had met, make everything she did look cute. Like leaning forward to grab the laces of her untied boot. Which, being a combat boot, only really added to her exterior.

''I'd hope so.'' He responded when she said it was solid. ''I'd hate fer me words ta be a liquid.'' It was good to know that even being as negative as Luke was he could still joke around with the best. This one was fun, and that was plain to see, and frankly she wasn't bad to look at either though he had told himself not to look at girls in that way anymore. Old habits die hard, he supposed.

Ever since he had left Hammel he wanted to change into a more.. worthy guy. His past hadn't been exactly awesome both with his home situation, which turned out to be no situation, and the way he dealt with girls. Lucas was sure that if she knew his history she would think twice about even looking at him. Wait, that implied there would be a next time. Would there be? Did she go to school or college? Or was this just a family outing? However, if she went to college he would have seen her around, and he failed to see any relatives of her. Not that he knew how they looked, but still.

''Ya meet people of all places.'' He said with a shake of his head to let her know that, no, he wasn't surprised to hear where she came from. If she was from Texas it would be that much more fun, but he already dated someone from there. While he was a born and raised Texan he didn't, apart from her, want to ever date a girl from there again, religion and all that. It made him do nasty stuff, like cheat. But he deliberately forgot to mention that whole thing about who he dated because he knew that to mention relationship status in front of a girl, especially one you just met and looked as hot as this one, was like shooting yourself in the foot. Not that he'd be able to say he was taken, mind you.

Which begged the question why he was thinking of her like that already. It was a curse, he figured.''Say, ya look too cute ta be wanderin' 'round 'ere by yerself,'' He began, and why he started like that he had no idea as it had a bit of a self destructive vibe to it, it also reeked of the thing he swore he wouldn't do anymore. ''Where's yer boyfriend?''

[Amber Ignis]

Once again she felt that uncontrollable burst of laughter. Not quite so loud this time, but just as genuine. She was almost laughing at herself. Boyfriend? That was...rich. She has barely made so much as a friend let alone a boyfriend. Even back home having a boyfriend was not Amber’s cup of tea. She had flings, but nothing serious. Except the one…person…but that was an act of defiance – experimentation. She continuously has to remind herself – She is a new Amber. What’s past is past and she does not have to define herself by her choices.

She vowed that in coming to Hammel she would focus on her studies and training. That was the most important thing. Making friends…well…that could just be too dangerous if her emotions got the better of her. Every time she almost got close to someone, her guard would come right back up and she would remind herself that she has the power to kill someone. Whether she wants to or not. It seems extreme, but one close call is enough to shut a person down.

Even though her training is going so well, deep down she still needs her brother’s approval before opening herself up to another person. But talking to Lucas…this was just innocent banter right? Regardless, she felt herself giving it and wanting more. “Careful! If my boyfriend hears you calling me cute, he may have to take you out.”

She felt one of her eyebrows flirtatiously twitch upward as she responded. Amber was a shameless flirt even when she did not mean to be. She could not resist a cute boy’s advances. She was not sure if Lucas caught her joke so she followed by saying, “No, I don’t actually have a boyfriend…too focused on studying and…stuff.”

She was not sure if she wanted to tell Lucas she was at Hammel, not unless he brought it up. Since she had never seen him before there was a chance he was just a normal person, and she had convinced herself that normal people hate meta-humans. But the fact that he was so far from home made her hopeful that he was just like her.

[Lucas Blacke]

The people passing by were being watched on pretty much a constant basis by one of the two sitting against the wall of the pet store, slight sound of happy pups behind them with a hint of cash going in and out of the register. And of course the random banter of people passing by. Some of them even shot the grounded duo a disagreeing look, but that was simply shrugged off by Lucas, and he wasn't even sure Amber noticed it. She seemed to be too busy finding the joy in the situation, which was odd since Luke didn't think it was all that funny. His response about his words being a solid instead of a liquid.. not all that hilarious. Still, it was funny she thought it was funny, and laughing was addictive and infectious.

Luckily his ability didn't fail him this time in making sure he kept a straight face, last thing he wanted was to make her think he was one of those dicks who laughed at his own jokes. Because he wasn't. Usually other people did the laughing, and mostly at him instead of at his words. Wait, was she mocking him still? He couldn't tell.. until she uttered those words about her boyfriend with a bit of a tell in her face.

''Y-yeah..'' Lucas pretended to look around him for big burly guys and swallowed silently. ''I-I'm sorry for disturbing you, please don't hurt me!'' He said, dropping his accent, which was the only thing he could do to tell people he was joking, though he assumed Amber didn't know that because they had just been around each other for, what? Ten minutes? Getting up he tried walking away when she said it was a joke and almost instantly Lucas dropped back on the floor as she said she was too focused on studying.

He bumped into her shoulder with a smile. ''As said b'fore, ya should try harder.'' Lucas replied as he winked at her. ''I'm th' king o' straight faces, doll.'' The Texan added as he then pointed at his face with his thumb as he inched his face closer with a smile. ''Abilities do that, aye?'' Pretty much just reaching the assumption she was attending Hammel was enough to mention abilities. He never thought about what would happen if she ended up hating people with an ability.

''Oh an' I like stuff too.'' He added. ''Th' ominous shit, ya know?'' Then a small laugh as he shook his head. ''Naw, me life is pretty bland. Jus' studyin', an' instead of stuff I 'ave shit.'' Studying and shit. Clever.

[Amber Ignis]

Amber started to notice Lucas watching the people around them. Sitting in such an odd place was bound to attract a few stares, but Amber just didn't care. She was much more self conscious around people who knew her rather than people who didn't. If someone who knows you judges you, it's warranted. They took the time, got to know her, and chose to think negatively...like her brother chose to do. But a judgmental stranger? What do they know, right? Maybe she's just discovered why she chooses to be a loner.

Amber felt she was being slightly obnoxious with Lucas. She was just telling cheap jokes out of awkwardness and insecurity. And though she was enjoying herself, and he seemed to be too, this was no way to get to know a person. And with the new leaves Amber was turning over, it was about time she made a friend. No more jokes, she promised herself.

She almost felt sad when he pretended to get up and leave. Though she knew it was a joke, for a moment she felt that emptiness creep back inside her. She didn't even realize it had left. It's scary how negative feelings start to feel normal to a person - loneliness, depression. Those were feelings Amber knew all too well. But that's what the meds are for! God...imagine if she said everything she was thinking? She'd sound as crazy as she felt.

When he bumped her shoulder, a jolt went through her chest. It's like the first time she kisses someone and she feels butterflies every time she thinks about it. The first time she makes physical contact with someone, it's another barrier breaking down. His mention of abilities was a barrier, too. "Ahhh, so you're a freak as well?"

Shit. Just after she promised herself no more jokes. "Sorry, obviously I'm just kidding. I just wasn't sure if you were a Hammel student, too. I don't think we're freaks. Just different...and shit." As she tried to explain herself, her heart started racing with anxiety. She stopped herself before the rambling continued. "What can you do?"

[Lucas Blacke]

''Lotsa shit.'' He responded when she asked what he could do, and really, he could. As long as people without abilities were capable of doing it so was he, down to the most unimportant move of the muscle. Like he was doing right now, reading the minute movements in her face as she talked to him, asking him if he was a freak as well. At that point he hesitantly nodded when she quickly went to blabber on about not being freaks and instead just shit. Or maybe he had misunderstood that part, but Lucas wasn't complaining. He kind of was shit. Amber on the other hand.. she didn't look to be so he shook his head at the mention.

''I'm sure ya ain't shit.'' He assured her. ''As said, ya look cute.'' A slight turn of his head to make sure there were no boys around to line up and say that to her, for most girls that would be just fishing for compliments. Something Lucas would gladly give out though he was quite out of it right then. She said ''as well'', so did she have an ability? Sure he had his hunches but he wasn't 100% sure yet, and here she was basically confirming it!

The Hammel student comment though.. that one brought on mixed feelings. Hammel was kind of his alma mater in a way, but then again there was also that one girl who tried bridging the gap from Hammel to college, and that worked out perfectly in the end, causing Lucas to lose yet another girl to pretty much nothing. Maybe he had to stop trying, stuff would crash and burn anyway. He coughed then and looked at Amber with a weird feeling in his gut.

''Assumed muscle memory.'' He answered, though that was not the question he figured it best to tell her the name of it before anything else. ''It allows me ta copy movement. Fer example, as th' old me would say, I'm a god in the sack.'' He smiled as he turned his head away from her just to avoid eye contact for a while, what if she took that one as more than a joke?

''Kinda don't 'ave another example yet.''

[Amber Ignis]

Amber felt the conversation suddenly turn more serious - deeper. They weren't just strangers having a mundane discussion anymore, but they were actually learning something important about each other. Something about him also having abilities made her feel an instant connection. She knew that for all her flaws, he might be able to see past them, because in some way they were the same.

Amber thought that Lucas may think she was ashamed of her abilities when he repeated the fact that he thought she was cute. It was as if he was reassuring her. It wasn't that she was insecure about her ability, it's just that she was afraid of it. Sometimes she wished it didn't even exist. Especially because she could be such a loose cannon. With emotions that strong, who knows what could go wrong? She's been under pretty good control since starting her training, but this new relationship could end up being problematic. Boys add a whole new level of emotions and insecurities that she was not sure what could happen. Wait... She was getting ahead of herself. Amber was thinking too much; she was playing out this encounter like it was going to turn into something epic. She tried to remind herself not to get too excited, but she just wasn't listening.

Amber felt those butterflies again when he made the "God in the sack" comment. Suddenly she was picturing what that would be like in her head. No, no, no. Keep it together, she kept having to remind herself.

"You'll have to show me that sometime."

Well, that could have gone better. She managed to shoot him a quick awkward smile. "Sorry... I'm pyrokinetic. Yours sounds cooler." Amber's ability was not a bad one, but she felt it could be much more dangerous than Lucas's. His sounded so cool. She imagined all the things she would love to learn with that ability. "I bet I'd be a much better guitar player with an ability like yours."

She kept talking in the hopes he would forget the sex comment she just made, but she could not stop thinking about it. She had literally just asked this guy to show her some of his bedroom moves... How absolutely mortifying. But maybe part of her wasn't kidding. God, that drink she was itching for earlier sounds amazing now.

[Lucas Blacke]

Oh. She- oh. Lucas' smile died down a bit when she reacted to his example with that he needed to show her, this was what he was trying to avoid and now his own words had been pretty much an enabler for him. Which.. he supposed would be a good thing if he was going for that, which he wasn't anymore. Not unless he was sure it was the one or at least someone he'd be with for at least a year or three.

Quickly he tried to change his thoughts though, and as he turned his head he saw her throw him an awkward smile of sorts, as if she knew what had happened. His mind fucked up things when his words failed to do so, which they succeeded in doing in record time right now. On top of mentioning sex to this girl, he mentioned sex to a girl he wasn't even sure was single. And on top of that he would have to start defending himself if it turned out she had the same thoughts!

''Uh, yeah.. well-'' He was ready to bring it to her gently it was just an example and not anything else, but boy did she take it like a champ. Bad choice of words, Luke. When he began though she was already going on and trying to wave that comment away, which the Texan felt no qualms with in the slightest! His hand reached the back of his head and he scratched a few times, closing his eyes and shooting Amber what he tried to make look like a surprised smile. ''Guess I'm not as hot as ya in that case.'' He lamely replied.

Her being hot was not meant in the way she would likely take it, but it seemed kind of fitting for someone with an ability like that. ''An' everythin' is cooler than fire.'' He joked. Oh god did he hope she ended up seeing it as a joke.

The guitar comment threw him a bit off though, but in a good way. She played, he assumed from what she said, so she had to love music in one way or another. ''Dude!'' He exclaimed, not really sure why he called everyone dude other than it just sounding cool and being easy on the mind, having a collective name for everyone. ''That's exactly what I'm usin' it fer!''

Turns out that would have been a better example now that he thought about it. ''Guitar, drums, violin, bass, bagpipes. Ya name it an' I know how ta play it!'' He purposely avoided naming the piano despite loving it, but that was the only instrument he could play without the use of his ability. ''We should totally play together sometime!'''

''Er.. music, I mean. Not th' other kind of play.'' Shut. Up, Luke.

[Amber Ignis]

She definitely almost lost him by reacting to the sex comment. She could tell - he felt weird. But maybe it's something they'll laugh about in the future, right? Oh god, more of this future talk. Amber was always planning and thinking ahead. She needs to know what will happen next instead of just living in the moment. Really all she needed was a friend without any of this sexual tension building up between them.

She was not even sure if this guy was available, or interested, or a total player. Not that she would mind about the last one. Something casual would probably be more fun. Amber was able to do casual really easily, but it never stopped her from caring about her flings even if she didn't want anything serious. But guys always misread that and got scared off.

"Trust me, I'm feeling a little hot right now." She meant that she was embarrassed, but she wasn't sure if that came across. But all he'd have to do is take one look at her face to see how flushed she was. "But, hey, at least with fire I can survive if I ever got stranded on a desert island. So that's an ability perk!" She tried to look on the bright side of her power, but something like assumed muscle memory seems much cooler. Amber bet that Lucas could almost pass as being normal.

Amber couldn't believe he was also a musician. She started imagining to two of them playing together. Nope. Stay in the moment, Amber. "Damn, that's amazing. I've been playing guitar almost my whole life, but I don't think I'm as good as I could be. I love singing though. And writing." She felt a burst of insane envy for Lucas's ability. That flush in her face moved down towards her hands and they began to feel hot. Uh-oh. She took a moment to breathe. Maybe he didn't notice. Sometimes an intense emotion brings on her ability, but this time she quickly calmed herself and moved on.

"Uh yeah... We definitely should play together...music that is." She laughed. This guy might be more awkward than she is.

[Lucas Blacke]

This one was fun to talk to as she seemed to be almost equal in terms of awkwardness, though most of it from Luke's side was intended. Save for the innuendo of course, though he supposed his brain was trying to tell him something. But even when it maybe did that some other part of him was trying to hold back with an effort in order to make this a girl friend instead of a girlfriend. Maybe she was like Serena and she was just a bit more subtle about it instead of instantly wrapping around his body and told him she'd give him a fuck if he wanted one. Gods if she turned out to be like that he would tell her the same he told Serena; that they had needed to meet sooner and that he wasn't that guy anymore.

He could tell her plenty of things he could do with his ability though, but didn't really have the heart to do so as she seemed to be quite scared of her power, or so he thought. He wasn't exactly sure what people thought, his hunches were just that much more reliable than the ones of other people. ''Not hot fer me, are ya?'' Lucas joked, and the words he uttered himself only reached his own ears a moment later and instantly he wanted to take those words back, though he also had no need to look like a scaredy-cat in front of her, not anymore that he already was at least. ''Anythin' I can do ta help?'' Words meant as a friendly thing, but infinitely weird when paired with the things they had both said.

He began to feel like he needed to hit something as his hand reached the neck of his shirt and hooked in a bit, pulling it out to give him some more space as he swallowed. He knew what she was hinting at and totally seemed to ignore it, he just hoped she could see it for what he meant.

''Changin' th' subject of that.. slight awkwardness,'' Lucas began as he lowered his hand to fall flat on the ground a slight bit closer to Amber than he had hoped, but he knew there was no taking it back now out of fear she'd see it as a sign of him being disgusted, or worse. ''D'ya know 'ow often I wanna change abilities with someone?'' He asked. ''Havin' a memory that remembers movement is pretty sad. Sure I can learn a new instrument in 'bout an hour, but it ain't stoppin' there.''

He sighed a bit as he delved deeper, digging up what he hated. ''I still vividly see my hope bein' crushed by people time an' time again. People leavin' me fer th' most stupid reasons.'' A sigh once more. ''I ain't jus' remember th' good, I remember th' bad as well. An' sadly better than I'd wish upon anyone.''

''Hot or not.''