Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own [Ruth]

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt sighed, dropping the phone back on its bed. He’d been making calls all morning to various other firms and associates across the state. The problem with living in Pilot Ridge, he decided, was that it was so relatively quiet that there was essentially nothing for him to do. Well… nothing involving his actual job anyway. The amount of extra dramatics and stress that he’d been involved with since moving back to the small town was ridiculous, but none of it had to do with his work. So, to avoid going bankrupt, both he and Leila had taken to outsourcing their time to other places. Cobalt may not have made any friends during his time at law school, but he wasn’t so stupid as to not make connections. He and Leila both were spending most of their time on the phone or out of the office, acting as consultants, working cases outside of town, or generally keeping busy. It was annoying, but necessary.

It helped that Cobalt was in a relatively content mood. The time at the holiday party hadn’t been a complete disaster, he hadn’t mucked things up socially too bad all night, and his friend had had a good time.

Well. Relatively.

The holiday party had opened some more unsettling questions about the goings on of Pilot Ridge, particularly the couple that had upset Elaine so much. Cobalt figured that there were simply some people who were evil, and that sometimes maybe they wanted to go to parties. It was probably all relatively benign. But still. Something about the timing between Josh’s attack and then the appearance of this couple set off the “not good” alarm in the back of Cobalt’s mind. But there was nothing he could do about that now. What he could do now was keep an eye out for his friends and, as per his agreement with Leila, allow them to keep an eye out for him.

That last part was going to be a little hard.

Stretching, Cobalt contemplated going and finding some lunch or something. He’d sent Leila out of the office to go and eat, and since Josh was still not feeling a hundred percent, Cobalt was going to be eating by himself. Which was less fun. As he was rummaging through his desk drawer (he figured he had a granola bar or something somewhere in there…), a thunderous crashing noise sounded overhead.

Shouting in surprise, Cobalt leapt to his feet. The window (the one he’d smudged on his first day here, had that really been only a few months ago?) was shattered and in the middle of the broken glass sat a bewildered looking teenage girl.

Cobalt blinked. There was a teenage girl sitting in the middle of his office. One who had apparently just run through his window. Thank god the window was cheap and thin, or she might have really hurt herself. “Wh— who…? Are—are you okay?” Cobalt sputtered, feeling a little out of his depth. He looked up at the ruined window. “Oh hell,” He muttered under his breath, “Leila’s gonna murder me.”

[Ruth Edwards]

Ruth had had a frustrating day. It was the end of the semester and classes were wrapping up with finals and whatnot, which stressed her out that much more. Besides, it had just been one of those days. Having to walk through the snow and cold to take a final hadn't been a good way to start the day. The test hadn't really been that hard, but this semester had been hard for some reason. Ruth had felt emotionally drained and shied away from studying like a scared horse. Even though she'd managed her way through the exam, she came out of it with a headache and got home to find Isaac and Trevor playing video games in the suite and the noise was just too much. She thought about calling Estelle. Dr. Neville would probably approve of that, saying she needed to be social and talk about her problems or something like that. But really, she didn't think she could handle how light-hearted her friend always was at the moment. She just wanted to be alone.

Ruth grabbed her favorite, close-fitting black leather jacket before leaving the dorm. She didn't really have a plan for where to go, so she just sort of wandered through campus. Maybe she'd go get some coffee in Pilot Ridge. She'd been to the little town a few times before, usually in similar situations. Ruth had been told that she tended to run away from her problems. Of course, those had been people who didn't know about her power. They didn't know how right they really were. She headed towards the town, hoping to escape for just a little while. As she walked, her heart started to pound and she ran, ignoring Edie's motherly advice not to run in the snow. Sure, her feet slipped every now and then, but it felt good to run.

She ran into Pilot Ridge and towards the coffee shop, thinking maybe she'd get some chocolate, but decided to take a different street. She'd never been down this street before (there seemed to be a lot of offices) and she tried to get a good look at the buildings as she ran by. One storefront in particular caught her eye and as she turned to get a better look, she slipped on a nasty patch of ice. She tried to catch herself, thinking that super-speed flailing must be hilarious to watch. After a moment or two of being an embarrassment to life, Ruth got her feet back under her and started to run again. But she realized too late that her ice adventure had turned her straight towards one of the offices and before she could even finish reading the sign (Blue something, she thought), she smashed right through the window.

Ruth was glad she'd put on her leather jacket and started wiping little drops of blood from her face even as the skin started to heal. Someone shouted and she looked up from the floor, realizing she wasn't alone. The man standing by a desk didn't look familiar, but that wasn't too surprising. He looked confused and concerned, trying to ask who she was and if she was alright at the same time.

"My name's Ruth Edwards," she said as she stood up, little bits of glass tinkling to the floor. "Uncontrollable super-speed - lame, right? I'm a student up at Hammel." Disdain dripped from her words. "Who's Leila?"

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt hastily stepped out from behind the desk. “Oh, shit, you’re bleeding,” He muttered, reaching back into the still-opened desk drawer to pull out a small first aid kit. He knelt down next to the teenager, ignoring the broken glass, “Here, there are some band-aids in there.” He handed her the little case, noting that the majority of them appeared to be closing up. Either the girl had gotten extremely lucky and the cuts weren’t that deep, or she had some kind of accelerated healing abilities.

When the girl introduced herself, Cobalt nodded. “Ruth Edwards. Cobalt Weaver.” He glanced at the window, then back at her, “Uncontrollable super-speed, huh? Not bad. I bet when you get it under control, you’ll really be something. But at least that answers my question about why you ran into my window. You sure you’re okay?” He raised an eyebrow at her tone. “Well, I’d ask, for the sake of polite conversation, how you were liking school up there, but I can already figure the answer to that.” He carefully pushed himself to his feet before reaching down to help Ruth up, “Though I have to say, if it’s just because you’re classes are a little hard, I’d end up telling you something distasteful like ‘it’s for your own good’ and I really hated it when adults told me things like that when I was a teenager.” He stared at the mess on the floor. “I’m gonna go get a broom, be right back.” He limped into the back room, shadows spinning at his heels.

“Oh, Leila’s just my intern,” He called over his shoulder, belatedly answering Ruth’s other question, “The state of that window has kind of been a running joke between us, I suppose. She’ll be a little sore it’s broken, but don’t worry about it.” Cobalt brought the broom out, and began to sweep up the broken shards of glass. He glanced up at the teen, who didn’t seem like she had anywhere to go. “You can feel free to make yourself at home here, if you want.” He nodded towards one of the chairs, “If you don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“So if you don’t mind my asking,” Cobalt said, keeping his voice light, “What brings a teenage girl crashing through a law office window this snowy afternoon?” He was really looking to ensure the girl wasn’t in trouble or needed some kind of help, but he decided to let Ruth tell him herself.

[Ruth Edwards]

Ruth accepted the first aid kit, though she didn't think she really needed it. The leather jacket had mostly protected her, and she'd managed to duck her head a little. The cuts weren't that bad, and they were already healing, even as her heart rate slowed and she felt a little more normal. Besides, she ran into things a lot and was pretty used to stuff like this.

She looked up at the man and smiled a little, thinking that Cobalt was a nice name. "Yeah, I've never been able to control it. But I'm ok, really. I'm used to injuries like this, since running into things seems to be my worst side effect. I heal fast anyways." Ruth took his hand to stand up, slightly bemused by the fact that she was taller than Cobalt. "It's not classes. I'd be getting A's if I wanted to. It's just...I've been at Hammel for two years and I still feel like I don't belong here. I'm not making any progress with my power and I'm tired of people telling me how to live my life." Cobalt had gone to get a brooms and Ruth called after him, "Sorry about your window, Mr. Weaver. I can pay for a new one if you want." She watched his shadows interestedly, wondering what he could do with them.

"I really don't have anything to do. I just needed to go for a run. Stressful day at Hammel. Finals and whatnot." She sat in one of the chairs Cobalt had pointed to, as he swept up the mess she had made and Ruth wondered if she should offer to help.

Cobalt seemed genuinely interested in her story, which somehow made him both terrifying and endearing. "Honestly, I didn't know it was a law office. It's hard to get a good look at things when I'm running. Anyway, I slipped on some ice in the street, and now here I am. I'm sorry Leila's gonna be mad. Really, I'll pay for a new window. Is there a place to get windows in town?" Ruth really hoped Cobalt wouldn't notice the slight tremor in her voice. Nobody except Estelle had ever really been interested in her like this she came to Hammel.

"Hey, have you eaten, Mr. Weaver? I'm starving."

[Cobalt Weaver]

As he swept the floor, he listened to her talk about Hammel and her life with little to no prompting by Cobalt himself. He glanced up at her, watching her talk. She must really need someone to talk to, the way she was spilling out her life story like it was ready to come bursting out of her. “Well,” Cobalt began carefully, not wanting to condescend the girl; he understood where she was coming from, “There’s one important thing to understand about your situation: you are not alone, the way you feel right now, about school and feeling out of control of your life. I mean,” He pressed a hand to his chest, “I’ve been there, a lot of people have. I know how isolating it feels, to be unhappy in a school where the majority of the people there think it’s a godsend.” He leaned against his desk, “You feel like you’re missing something important that everyone else has.” He peered at her, trying to gauge her reactions, “Am I close?” He smiled at her, before turning back to his cleaning, “And if you want my advice: the better you do in school, the faster you get out, with more opportunities open for you when you get out.” He let it go at that. He didn’t want to lecture the poor kid, especially when he knew where she was coming from. Lectures never sat well with him when he was a teenager either. Though he sincerely hoped that Ruth was better adjusted than he was at sixteen or seventeen; however old Ruth was.

At Ruth’s offer to pay for a new window, Cobalt snorted, “No you will not pay for a new one. It’s fine, really.” He smiled at her, “It’s just a window.” He kicked the dustpan out from under Leila’s desk and knelt down to sweep up the shards into the dustpan. “That’s fine,” Cobalt nodded at Ruth’s confession of not having anything to do. He pushed himself off the floor with some difficulty, his knees complaining, “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want.”

Cobalt looked up, startled at the wavering tone in the teenager’s voice. He sincerely hoped she wasn’t going to cry; it really was just a window, it was no big deal. Instead, she was looking at him like he was simultaneously the kindest, yet terrifying thing she’d ever seen. It was a little disturbing, and more than a little heartbreaking. “Ruth.” Cobalt waited until he had her full attention before continuing, “It’s fine. It’s just a window, there’s no need to get upset over it. Leila will get over it, she’ll probably just be kind of amused, to be perfectly honest.”

At her change of subject, Cobalt grinned, putting the broom and dustpan away. “You know, all my previous company for lunch has gone elsewhere, and I would appreciate not having to eat all by myself.” He pressed a few buttons to make the computer fall asleep and then reached for his coat. “You in the mood for something in particular?” He asked as he switched the sign on the door. "Oh, also," Cobalt added, "You can call me Cobalt. 'Mr. Weaver' always sounds weird to me."

[Ruth Edwards]

Looking down at her hands to hide the beginnings of tears in her eyes, Ruth worried what Cobalt must be thinking of her. He probably thinks I'm stupid and immature. I know it's just a window, but that's not why I'm upset. Should I tell him? She blinked a few times before she stood up. "I eat by myself a lot too. Well, whenever Estelle's not trying to make me be social. Do you know someplace in town that's good?"

Feeling a little more calm as they walked down the street, Ruth decided to find out more about her new acquaintance. "So, Cobalt. Where'd you come from? Did you go to Hammel too? What can you do with those shadows? Does your family have powers too? Do you like cheese? What kind of lawyer are you? Do you sue people? Could you sue somebody for eating cheese?" Ruth had stopped walking as she talked and stood on the sidewalk waiting for a reply.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt suspected that there was something more going on with this girl than just having one crappy day at school and the embarrassment of breaking some stranger’s window. But he decided to let it slide for now. Lord knows it wasn’t actually his business, broken window or no, and sometimes even the best-intentioned questions can drive someone away. So he opted to keep his questions to himself. At her confession that she usually ate alone, Cobalt nodded, beginning to get the idea of Ruth’s life, socially and emotionally. “Well…” He sighed, racking his brain for a good place to take the teenager. “Oh!” He snapped his fingers, “Duh. Here, there’s a Chinese place I go to… quite often.” He grinned, “It’s pretty good. How do you feel about Chinese?”

The sudden barrage of questions left Cobalt bemused and at a loss for words. He watched her rattle off the questions, standing on the sidewalk and suddenly, he felt as though he could imagine what she must have looked like when she was five: small and inquisitive, and asking insane amounts of questions all at once. It was amusing and endearing. Cobalt let out a chuckle when she was done. “Well, I have to say, I have never had the occasion to sue someone for eating cheese…” He grinned at her, “I’m a civil rights attorney, so I get involved with cases that usually involve issues like ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or identity, age, disability, and any other feature that may make one person different from someone else. Metahuman rights being one of the most recent.” He continued walking down the sidewalk, “When civil rights are denied to someone due to one of these factors, then I typically become involved with a case.”

“Uh… what were the other questions? Oh yeah,” Cobalt grinned at her, “So, yeah. I went to Hammel.” He gave her a wry grin. He didn’t know how much he should tell her, and really how much she actually cared. But she seemed lonely, and he wanted to reassure her that regardless of how isolated she felt, there were people who felt or had felt the same way. “I didn’t… have the best time, so I really do understand what it’s like to have a hard time over there. I’m originally from New Jersey, but I haven’t been back there since I left.” Cobalt glanced over at her, “But really, it’s better to at least put your effort in your schoolwork; it’s always smarter to leave school with a higher gpa. Do you have any plans for what you wanna do when you graduate?” He smiled kindly at her, “School doesn’t have to be all bad. Do you have a favorite subject, or favorite teacher? Building relationships with teachers is really helpful when you feel overwhelmed.” He certainly wished he’d done that as a student.

“Oh,” He waved his hand dismissively, “My ability is called shadow manipulation. It’s disappointingly low-key. Basically…” he flicked his wrist and shadows sprang up from underfoot and coiled around his fingers, spiraling up his arm to rest in his hand. “It’s that. Interestingly enough, the gene coding for shadow manipulation has its variations: there was a girl a year above me in Hammel who could make shadow people. You know, like in Peter Pan? I’m pretty sure they were tangible and everything. I can’t do that. Most shadow manipulators can use their shadows to create a kind of front to fill a room with pitch black or blind an opponent. I can blind someone one-on-one for about thirty seconds, but filling a room is too strenuous for me.” He grimaced at the memory, “Last time I tried, I was…what? Fifteen? I passed out and woke up in the hospital a day later.” He made a face. “Anyways. I’m really interested in your ability. I’ve never seen your type of superspeed. Since you can’t control it, is there some kind of warning when it comes around? Is it just muscular speed, like running, or do you think faster and breathe faster when your ability comes in?” Cobalt hoped he wasn’t making her feel awkward, but he was a researcher at heart, and he was genuinely fascinated.

He glanced sidelong at Ruth, wondering why she wanted to know all these things about Cobalt, and trying to figure out how much would be too much information. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but he didn’t want her to think he was in any way offended with her questions, because he really wasn’t. Finally, he made the rare decision to give her the full disclosure. “Ah. I don’t have any information about my parents. I grew up in a children’s home before I went to Hammel. And back then, there weren’t too many programs for children wanting adoption. I imagine that’s changed now, but I haven’t looked.” He cast about for a change of subject, “So… I can tell you don’t like Hammel. Do you miss your family? How are they coping with you being here? Unless they live out here?” The Chinese place was at the end of the street and he could smell the food. He was hungrier than he thought. “You mentioned someone named Estelle. She your sister? Friend?”

[Ruth Edwards]

Ruth smiled at Cobalt's suggestion. "I like Chinese."

Listening to Cobalt talk, Ruth thought that civil rights must be really important to him. "I guess I never thought about there being such specific kinds of lawyers before. Lawyers were always just... lawyers. Is that why you came to Pilot Ridge?" She'd wondered what made people want to live in the little town. She nodded at Cobalt's comments about Hammel, feeling just slightly better that someone actually knew how she felt. "Is it nice in New Jersey? I've never been there." Then Cobalt started to lecture her (well, sort of lecture - it was nicer than that) about school. She couldn't help but grimace. "I really have no plan for what I want to do. And what good is a high GPA when I can't make any progress with my power? I don't really like my classes and I haven't talked to my teachers really at all."

Ruth gasped as Cobalt's shadows moved along his arm. "They're so pretty. I think that's better than being able to blind people and stuff like that. I mean, really, you'd never be bored." Ruth smiled at Cobalt as he talked about the the science behind his power. It was actually kind of interesting, for some reason. Then he asked her about her power, and she sighed slightly before answering. "The only warning I really get is that my heart rate starts to speed up, but it comes on really fast. It's not just muscular, which I guess is actually lucky. That would make classes really difficult... The speed actually affects pretty much everything; thoughts, breathing, healing. I can usually hide it during classes, but it's hard. Usually, it makes me seem hyper." She didn't want to ramble on and didn't really know what else to say. For a few moments, there was silence between them as they walked.

She was surprised to hear about Cobalt's background. Neither of them had a family, which endeared the little man to her even more. Cobalt had never even known his parents, or even any parents at all, and Ruth felt a pang in her heart for him, as well as a bit of self-pity. She didn't really miss her parents very often. Instead, she missed the idea of a family. Her parents had never seemed to actually care about her that much and even when they were alive, she had often longed for a more loving family. She hoped that Cobalt wouldn't see the distress on her face as he asked about her family. "Umm... My parents... Died. When I was fourteen." Her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't look Cobalt in the eye. Searching for something else to talk about, Ruth realized she smelled Chinese food. "Is that the restaurant up there? Oh. Umm. Estelle's my friend. I don't have any siblings."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt laughed a little at her descriptions. “Well, yeah. Lawyers are pretty much just lawyers. We just like to pretend that our section of law is more important than the others.” He grinned, lightly poking fun at himself. “Ah, no. I moved back to Pilot Ridge because I used to live in Chicago and it was getting a little too fast-paced for me, as much as I hate to admit that. Leila’s actually interested in specializing in metahuman rights, so we decided that moving back would be a good idea.” He shrugged, “It’s certainly far more… social here than in a larger city, I think.” His eyes shifted out of focus at her question about New Jersey. “You know… it’s been years since I’ve been there. Since I was eleven, I think. I don’t remember a whole lot about it, but I do remember being fairly happy, so it probably wasn’t that bad.” He listened to her talk about school and her frustrations with her power. Cobalt considered his next words. He understood what she was feeling; he’d been there himself. He’d never been without a goal though, even in his youth. “Well…” Cobalt shrugged, careful to keep his voice light and unassuming, “I didn’t like Hammel either. Or the teachers. And…I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t like me.” Cobalt had the distinct memory of being extremely unpleasant when he was a child. “But see, it’s always better to have more options open to you than not.” He looked over at her, “Your power is tricky, and I’ll confess that I’ve never been in that kind of situation with my power. It’s always been relatively easy to control. You could speak with a power trainer.” He suggested, giving her an understanding look. He didn’t expect her to take his advice; he wouldn’t have, if he were a teenager in Ruth’s position.

Cobalt matched her grin, flipping the shadow over his hand. “Thanks. Yeah, I guess they’re nice, just not very useful.” He grinned wryly at her. He was rather fond of his shadows; even though he didn’t have the larger things mastered, he was always very adept at the detailed work. Secretly, he thought the shadows were rather pretty, but he wasn’t about to admit that. He listened intently to Ruth as she explained her powers. Interesting. “And how severe are your side effects?” Cobalt asked, concerned. If he had to hazard a guess, he would say that muscle cramps and headaches would be pretty high on her list. “If they get in the way of your work or are particularly painful, you should go see Dr. Prideaux. She’s a very nice woman who specializes in side-effects.” He didn’t want to push, but it worried him that she was coping with things she didn’t need to.

Cobalt turned to look at her, brow furrowed at her confession about her parents’ deaths. “I’m so sorry.” He said simply, knowing that even those words were really useless. Apologies didn’t really help in this kind of situation. “You were fourteen?” Cobalt bit his lip, a situation forming in his mind, “Do you mind if I ask you what happened? If you don’t want to talk about it, you absolutely don’t have to. We can drop it.” Cobalt looked more troubled when Ruth told him she had no siblings. From the sound of it, this kid had no one. Cobalt sincerely hoped this Estelle girl was a good friend.

[Ruth Edwards]

Ruth sighed a little. Her power was so...exasperating sometimes. "I don't know if a power trainer'd actually be able to help me. I mean, you even said you've never seen anything like this before. What would they know?" Ruth walked a little faster, feeling frustrated.

"I guess I could go see Dr. Prideaux," Ruth started uncertainly. "I just... really don't like offices. Or the people in them, usually. Estelle's making me go see Dr. Neville." She scowled a little at the thought. "She's been wanting me to for ages. She's probably gonna end up dragging me there. Or at least she'll try." Estelle may have been able to drag her out into the snow war, but going to see the school psychiatrist was a completely different kettle of fish.

Cobalt was understandably curious about her past- who wouldn't be? But Ruth suddenly realized how much she had shared with this man without even thinking about it. It scared her more than a little. She didn't even open up that quickly to Estelle. Heck, Estelle didn't even know the whole story. Ruth didn't know why, but she was starting to trust Cobalt even though they'd just met. Part of her really did want to tell him - tell him everything and not feel so alone anymore. But she couldn't do it.

"Is this the restaurant? I'm starving."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt glanced over at Ruth, understanding her frustration, but not really knowing how to help; his powers had always been so easy to control that the majority of his power training was pushing himself to try new things with his power. His shadows rarely interfered with day-to-day life. “Well, I’m no expert on powers.” Cobalt replied gently, “Maybe there’s someone at Hammel who is. That is their job, you know.” He grinned at her, nudging her shoulder with his, trying to tease a smile out of her.

Cobalt huffed out a quiet laugh at Ruth’s dislike of offices. “Yeah, I hear that. Really, I do.” When she told him of her plans to go speak to Dr. Neville, he glanced at her, trying to gauge her expression. His feelings about Dr. Neville aside, he was pretty sure that seeing the psychiatrist would be a good idea. Just as long as Sean didn’t do what he inadvertently seemed to do with Cobalt and, to some extent, Josh: make them feel useless. “Well… it certainly can’t hurt.” He decided on, finally. He wasn’t about to encourage disrespect from a teenager to her instructor and elder, but he was pretty sure Ruth wouldn’t get a whole lot out of a visit with Sean; though he certainly hoped she would. “But I hope you remember,” Cobalt added, looking over at her, “that just because you’re in a psychiatrist’s office does not mean you are broken, messed up, or that there is something wrong with you. And that nobody has any right to make you feel that way, no matter who they are. Okay? As far as I can tell, you are an articulate, intelligent young lady who just so happens to have a difficult power. There’s no reason you won’t be able to figure it out.” He smiled at her, hoping she would take his words to heart. Sometimes all you needed was a little encouragement.

Cobalt watched the conflict on Ruth’s face as she debated whether or not to tell Cobalt of her parents’ deaths. He said nothing, not wanting her to feel pressured or uncomfortable. When she changed the subject, Cobalt was careful his face showed no disappointment; he wanted her to not feel so isolated, but she didn’t even know him. He’d had no expectations of her, and didn’t want her to think that he did. “Yup, this is it,” He pushed open the door, holding it open for her, “It’s one of my favorite places.” He gave a little wave at the person behind the counter, who returned it. “Go ahead and order whatever,” Cobalt instructed the teenager, “They already know what I’m getting.” He grinned at her, hoping she was feeling better.

[Ruth Edwards]

Ruth considered what Cobalt said about the trainers at the school and thought she might look into it. But she couldn't help feeling that Cobalt would understand her better than any "professional." Cobalt nudged her, and she could tell he was hoping for a smile. Despite herself and all of her frustration, she obliged him, a small smile turning up one side of her mouth.

When she mentioned Dr. Neville, Ruth thought she saw something in Cobalt's eyes, just for a split second. Was it possible that he didn't much care for the school psychiatrist? But the look was gone before she could decipher it and Cobalt tried to encourage her. She flinched a little; he seemed to guess how she was feeling spot-on. Ever since the night her parents died, Ruth had felt like she had no place in the world, like she was different, wrong, broken. And somehow, Cobalt knew that. The thought actually warmed her a little and she gave him a small, sad smile and nodded at his advice.

Glad that he had let her change the subject, Ruth stepped into the little restaurant, feeling better just smelling the food, although she was still famished after her run. The staff seemed to recognize Cobalt. "Come here often?" Ruth asked, more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice. But she smiled at him, grateful for the company and the food. She sat down and ordered enough food to feed at least two teenage boys. "Thanks Cobalt. I'm always starving after a power trip, and I usually have a protein bar or something in my pocket just in case, but I forgot one this morning."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Now came the sticky subject of what to talk about now. He didn’t want Hammel to dominate the conversation because the subject seemed to frustrate Ruth, and he was pretty sure both of them weren’t too keen on sharing any more about their lives than they already had. What mutual luck, he thought sarcastically, that two very private people should be having lunch together. He glanced at the teenager, and decided he’d try to get to know her and her situation better. With the knowledge that she could ask him any questions right back. Well, he supposed he could sacrifice some privacy to help Ruth.

“So,” He shifted in his seat, “What do you like to do? We’ve spent this whole time talking about things you don’t like; I imagine that this conversation has been a little depressing on your end. And it’s important to remember what you enjoy. It reminds you that you aren’t as stuck as you think. That was certainly true in my case when I went to Hammel.” He remembered how miserable he was before he befriended Elaine and Morgan. All he’d needed was friends to pretend he had a family. He suspected it was a little different for Ruth, but the teenager was obviously looking for something or she wouldn’t have accepted his invitation to go to lunch. He just wished he knew was she was looking for. “And of course,” He added, with some reluctance, “You’re welcome to ask me anything you like.” It was a dangerous thing to tell people, especially a teenager he barely knew, but he supposed it was only fair that she know about the person she was having lunch with. It seemed to be mutual sharing hour between the two anyways and he suspected that she was just as leery as he was at all the information they had shared.

[Ruth Edwards]

As the two of them sat waiting for their food, Ruth couldn't think of anything else to say. She figured Cobalt couldn't either, as their was minute or two of slightly awkward silence before Cobalt asked her what she liked to do.

"I..." she started before she realized that she didn't really know how to answer. "I don't really know. My life has never really been mine, or at least it wasn't before I came to Hammel. I like to eat, but I think that's cause of my power. Umm... I like... reading books. I guess. I read Around the World in Eighty Days once, and it made me wonder how fast I could run around the world. I do yoga sometimes, cause it helps keep my muscles from hurting too much when I run. I like climbing trees and stuff, especially when Estelle drags me out into snow wars. Trees are safe."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt let out a brief chuckle as Ruth explained herself, then hastened to explain it. “Don’t think I’m laughing at you! It’s just… geeze…” He shook his head, “Aside from the yoga, and the fact that you probably have infinitely more friends and social graces, we had a very similar childhood. Do you know about—god, I don’t even know if that thing’s still around, it was old when I was in school—there was this big oak tree a little ways off of the training field that had a perfect place to sit if you could get up high enough. I was up there a lot when I was a kid.” Cobalt paused at Ruth’s mention of the snow war. It took him a second to remember what she was talking about. Then, it clicked. “Oh yeah! Man, I remember the snow war. Wow, they’re still keeping that up?” He shook his head wryly, “Man, I hated the snow war. I have to say, it’s really hard to maneuver through snow that comes up to your waist when it came to everyone else’s knees.” Okay, so that was probably a little but of an exaggeration, but still. Cobalt was a short adult who had been, unsurprisingly, a tiny child. Snow was not his friend. Especially when he was trying not to get hit in the face with flying snowballs. “I think I only did that one year when I was probably thirteen.” The years before that were too full of homesickness and anger and the years after were too full of schoolwork and eventually, Elaine and Morgan. “But how’d you do in it?” He asked her with a grin, “I imagine you didn’t do so badly, having superspeed and all. Did you have fun?” He decided that this Estelle was probably a good friend, if she would drag Ruth to snow wars and try to ensure that she have a good time.

“But I understand how you feel, about feeling like your life isn’t your own.” Cobalt looked at her seriously. She was a sweet girl, and very obviously lonely. His heart went out to the teenager, since he knew how hard it could get, being alone. He’d gotten relatively used to it, but that didn’t mean he wanted the same for anyone else, and certainly not someone with as much potential and heart as Ruth. “I know that you’ve had people saying that to you since you got here. That a lot of people feel this way, that it’s just a phase, that once you make some friends, things won’t be so hard.” He shrugged, “And yeah, maybe they’re right, but nobody ever says how hard it can be to open up enough to make friends. Especially since you’re in a place you didn’t ask to be in, with people who act like you should be grateful to be there. It’s hard, it hurts sometimes, and it can make you angry. Please tell me if I’m wrong, but I think… you’re feeling a bit cut adrift because it’s hard to connect to people. But you’re not alone in this.” He smiled at her and pressed a hand to his chest, “I’m physical proof that you’re not alone.” He shrugged, picking up his chopsticks, “Sometimes that’s all you need to hear. But if you ever feel overwhelmed, or if you need someone to talk to, my office is always open to you.” He didn’t know if she’d ever actually need him, but he felt like he should offer. He would have liked an ally during his time at Hammel.