Pinky Swear? (Emma)

[Emma Hayes]

“Sneak out?” Emma questioned, not sure what to think of Lani teaching Jared such a skill. It least she could believe that Jared wouldn’t use those skills to abandon Hammel altogether. She was still worried that was what Lani would eventually do. “I won’t say anything, I already knew Lani knows how. But if I were you, I wouldn’t mention it to anyone else. You both could get in trouble.

Emma was mildly surprised when Jared began steer her towards a table. She wasn’t someone terribly used to such a gentlemanly act, and had to bite back a smile. She didn’t comment, not wanting to deter the boy’s fun. “Oh, thanks.” She said, distracted as she watched him signal a bubbly waitress for menus.

“It would be hot, but there are light helmet options. Breathing, I didn’t really take into account. I‘d have to look into it.” Emma remarked, a tad embarrassed to have left out the important criteria. As he kept going, obviously ready to throw out the idea, she gave up on trying to think of a better solution. Instead she made herself comfortable, cradling her chin in her hand and not letting it cross her mind that in polite society, elbows were not to be on the table. “Don’t worry, I didn’t think that one through anyway.”

Emma smiled at his new suggestion. “The Hatter and Alice. I think that sounds wonderful. I‘ll do it if you will” She titled her head, already going over designs and the mechanics of creations. The costumes would be hard to put together and they had plenty of time if they set to it. She could probably get them done with time to spare. Besides, she was a little excited to have a reason to dress up with friends. “So slightly based off the newer movie? I think it would be a big hit, if there is a party or gathering.”

She took the poke with a laugh, shaking a finger at Jared. “Copying is bad.” Emma mock lectured, grinning all the while to let Jared know she wouldn‘t care a bit. “Mr. Hornsby’s work is tough, I’ll agree. So perhaps I’ll make an exception.” The waitress reappeared with the menus and a pad for taking drink orders. Emma took the menu and propped it against the table, telling the women she just wanted water.

As Jared ordered, Emma turned to the window and trained her eyes on the people walking past the restaurant. She watched a couple stroll past, a little girl skipping between them. The parent’s were laughing and holding hands; the little girl’s red curls bounced with her hopping from crack to crack on the sidewalk. Emma’s expression turned into something not quiet cold or annoyed, but a degree in between. Since she was young, seeing happy family’s like that made her a little put out. Emma wouldn’t go so far to call it jealousy, she didn’t want to believe she was that childish, but didn’t like that way it made her think of her own family. With the recent news of her mother’s impending wedding, the little redhead and her parents felt like a shot at Emma.

(OCC: I'm sorry this is terrible and took so long! Emma's not cooperating.)

[Jared Park]

“Yup. I haven’t tried it out my whole life. Since Lani says he’ll try and teach me how, I don’t see why not,” he smiled as he explained his situation to Emma. Apparently Jared failed to sense the worry that is written on the girl’s face, may it be for him or for Lani. Probably because unlike Lani, Jared never really thought of running away from Hammel. Whatever sneaking out skill he’s learning, it’s more for those forbidden midnight trips to the nearest 7/11 to buy snacks or go partying. Never really that serious. That and Jared has no idea about Lani’s secret life anyway. Lani’s a nice older friend figure to Jared, he’d never think he has that side to him. Sure he seemed shaken that he was suddenly taken away from his parents and his community, but Jared figures he’ll adjust, someday. Not everybody has the same pace in anything anyway. “Yey. I don’t want to get Lani in trouble because of me again. Really. I’m the one who forced him to teach me. Though I’m not that good a student,” he laughed, remembering the number of times he’s failed to scale a wall that Lani told him to. Apparently mild-mannered (relatively) Jared still has a lot to learn. “I don’t understand though. What do you mean you know Lani knows how?”

Jared quickly going from one idea to the next is just proof that his attention span really is slow. And the fact that his previous one (Jack Skellington) presented him with a rather hard problem to solve and his possible back-up (MadHatter) seemed easier and he’d even have a sidekick (Emma as Alice) only solidified Jared’s decision to scrap the whole Nightmare idea and go Wonderland. They’re both Tim Burton’s anyway right (or something to that extent)? “Then it’s settled! We shall go as the Hatter and Alice!” he said with much enthusiasm and energy. “And yes, based off the new movie. So we’re not all rainbows and butterflies.” Jared could see how awesome their costumes will look like now. “Oh I do hope so. I mean, it would be a waste if people can’t see our awesome costumes.” Oh yes, he’s talking about them as if they’re done already. He stopped abruptly as a thought came to him, grinning widely as he turned to Emma. “Err, can you help me make my costume? I have virtually no skill when it comes to possible sewing and stuff,” he asked, turning on his cutesy charm to levels not so much cute but more of annoyingly greasy already.

“Pshaw. Copying shompying. He wouldn’t know.” Mr. Hornsby isn’t a retrocognitive so there’s not much he can know from Jared’s homework aside from his answers anyway. “I was just joking. Jasper will kill me if I just copy my way through class,” he chuckled, “But really, I need your help with Math. Those equations are killing me.” Jared was never one to make friends just for their benefits, but that doesn’t mean he’s won’t ask for their help at times.

Jared ordered a glass of iced tea then politely told the waitress to simply come back when they’ve decided what to eat. As fate would have it, Jared saw the same scene too, and felt a bit envious too. His mind briefly went back to the days when his parents didn’t live overseas to work. While his situation isn’t that serious as Emma’s, he did feel a pang of sadness too. “That girl probably just had her parents by her candy. I know I would jump and skip like that if they would,” he said, noticing that Emma was looking at the girl too, “So, what’s up with Miss Emma Jane Hayes’s life nowadays?”


ooc:
Sorry for the delay Kiki. RL has been hard on me lately. >.<
-Jam

[Emma Hayes]

"That sounds like fun." Emma commented, covering her slight worry with a smile. Emma had never had the need to sneak out much as kid. She had on a few rare occasions, during the divorce period, but overall she came and went as she pleased. It was a perk of being an only child with distant parents. She was trusted with everything. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it with time."

Emma flushed slightly when she realized that she may have said to much. She shouldn't have let on that Lani was an expert in escaping. She cursed her slip of the tongue, but seeing as there was anything to do about it, she just went with it. "He talked to me about it. Not in very much detail, but he seemed to know what he was doing." Which was true, Emma didn't know how Lani managed to get in and out of the school, or even how he knew to do these things-she had suspicion that he would be able to escape without powers-. All she really knew was that he had before and probably would again.

Emma didn't mind Jared's bouncing from one topic to another and wouldn't, as long as she could follow. And she found the current discussion about costumes amusing. "Right then." She agreed, deciding she'd have to pick up a copy of the movie for reference. She'd also need to look for fabric soon. "I'm sure that there will be party. Maybe not officially, but I can't imagine all the teens at Hammel passing up the chance to let loose. " She reassured. There was no way someone wouldn't want to party, it was the law of having more then two people under eighteen under the same roof.

She laughed slight, nodding cheerily. "I'll help. Don't worry about that." Emma had mended work uniforms, made dresses for her cousins, and stage costumes for school plays. A Halloween costume wouldn't be that hard. "I could teach you a few things along the way."

She grinned at him, eyebrow raised. "I'll be much happier to help rather then let you copy. As long as you don't ask for help in history." She was not a fan of history, no matter how interesting the teacher tried to make it. But math was much easier to her and she'd helped tutor kids back home.

Emma glanced over as the waitress left, then turned her attention back the the window. She looked back when Jared started talking, commenting on her vacant stare. She smiled, covering up the anger and sadness expertly. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it. They look very happy." She tone came out flat.

"Not much to praise about. I might be taking off in a while for a few days." She said, fiddling with her menu. She looked down as she said it, then popped her head back up. She smiled at him to change the subject. "And you Jared? What have you been up to?"

[Jared Park]

Jared was amused, albeit a bit surprised, at Emma’s support/approval of the whole sneaking out venture. He saw her as this motherly friend, which meant he expected her to be at least a wee bit negative about the whole thing. Guess he was wrong. “I see. Guess he isn’t so secretive about his magical skill after all,” he laughed as Emma told him how she found out about Lani’s secret hobby. And while talking a story of a person about his sneaking capabilities may sound weird to some, seeing that it was the same way that Jared found out about Lani’s abilities, and that he trusts Emma so much, the not-so-believable story became believable. It’s not like Lani’s gotten himself into some kind of trouble and Emma became an unwilling witness right?

“I know right! I can’t wait to just join a party. I do hope we get an invite if Hammel isn’t holding an official one,” Jared nodded in anticipation. He hopes that Hammel will indeed hold one, seeing as it facilitated an Autumn dance just a month ago, but then if Hammel doesn’t, he hopes his not-so-wide friendship net will be enough to have them invited somewhere else. He’s a bit worried that he might not get news of anything happening since most of his friends and acquaintances are of his class and he figures parties would most likely be organized by an upperclassman, but still he hopes. “And if we don’t get invited to a party, we can still trick or treat with the costumes right? It’s not like we’re too old to ask for candy,” he chuckled, “No one is too old for candy.”

Jared clapped his hands in delight. Being too dependent on others is really Jared’s problem. As the youngest, he’s used to having people around him offering their services and expertise readily. There was never a real need for Jared to learn real-life skills such as sewing and cooking as his siblings and grandparents were more than happy to help Jared, even take over his work, whenever they see him struggling with it. “Thanks a whole lot. I really am an idiot when it comes to needles and threads.”

“Meh. I guess that means I really have to do my homework the hard way, right?” he joked. While he really would like if Emma could just let him scrape the answers off her homework, so to speak, having her teach him isn’t such a bad idea either. He just hopes he musters enough focus and determination so as not to waste her time. “No history? Seriously? Gosh. And I thought you were Miss Smartypants. Tsk tsk.” And while name-calling might sound bad to some, it’s actually Jared’s way of complimenting people and telling him that he feels comfortable with them. The more insulting and unique the name is, the more he likes that person.

“You sound jealous of the kid. No worries, I’ll buy you candy later,” he teased. While Jared caught the flatness of Emma’s response, he had no idea that her envy is a lot deeper than just simple candy craving. “Taking off a few days? Why? Are there any holidays I should know about?”

“Me? Nothing much. Flunking gym, doodling instead of taking notes during Science, struggling to finish the book review in English. What else is new?” Jared is really never the epitome of the good student. And without Jasper’s constant nagging, this new level of helplessness is only the beginning.

[Emma Hayes]

Emma, despite all her worry worting and responsible actions, was still only fifteen. Things like sneaking out still held a mysterious allure, though she'd die before admitting it. She could only smile secretively at Jared. She didn't want to continue lying about what she had seen so she thought it best to simply stop talking. Emma trusted Jared, but she had given her word and that's something she would always stick to.

"I'm sure something will come up." Emma assured. She was certain if it was happening at Hammel, news would spread like wildfire. All they had to do was keep an ear to the ground. An invite didn't worry her as much. Emma had a belief that Jared, as friendly as he was, would know most of the students already. A mistake on her part, but seeing as how she was use to small town life, it was perhaps forgivable. "Trick or treat? That sounds like fun. They don't have an age limit here?"

If being dependent was Jared's problem, then being too dependable was Emma's. She was used to doing everything for others and taking on jobs by herself. It's not that she couldn't say no, more that she never wanted to. She was addicted to being 'helpful'. "It's no problem. Not everyone has to know to sew. But it's not that hard, believe me."

"Unfortunately, yes." Emma laughed. Though she was joking, Emma was very against copying. She didn't think people should get by in life off of another person's hard work. It didn't help that she'd known people who had only been nice to her to pass classes. "Sorry, history has never interested me. I can't focus on it well." She shrugged, still smiling to show the name didn't bother her a bit. "But I think everyone's like that with at least one subject. Is math yours?"

Emma smiled tightly at Jared, letting him believe that she just wanted some candy. Though even Emma couldn't turn down chocolate, she didn't really like sweets that much. "No holidays that I'm aware of. I'm going to be in a wedding soon, so I have to get fitted for a bridesmaid dress back home." She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, looking back out the window. Emma felt the need to at least warn Jared of her future disappearance. Mostly because he was one of the few people here she knew, and she wanted someone to know she was gone. "I should only be gone two or three days at the most."

Emma giggled at his description, shaking her head. "The Science and English I can lend a hand with if you need it." There she went trying to take over again. "But surely you're not that bad in Gym? Have they got you playing sports or something?" Emma wondered if Jared didn't know all the rules to basketball or something and that was the cause of him not doing well. It didn't occur to her that some people didn't like exercising or weren't as physically fit as she expected.

[Jared Park]

“Age limit? What age limit? Candy is candy Emma!” Jared laughed, finding Emma’s question extremely absurd. Growing up has never really gone into Jared’s mind, which means Christmas and Halloween are the best times of the year. All-you-can-eat-candy and tons of gifts, what more can you ask for? “And once they see our magnificent costumes, I highly doubt they can still say no.”

“Not that hard? Surely you haven’t seen me sew.” Jasper and his grandmother did try to teach the kid how to sew. They even bought him all sorts of colorful supplies, like pumpkin pin cushions, smiley face emery bags, a bright yellow thimble and other sewing equipment. But no matter how hard they try to teach the kid, he just won’t learn. Just getting the thread through the head of the needle takes up half an hour already, if he doesn’t give up in the middle. For all his prowess in the dance floor, getting a thread done is Jared’s waterloo. “I mean, I have a hard time putting the thread through the needle, much less create an even and straight running stitch. I tell you Emma, I’m helpless when it comes to needles,” he chuckled, “That’s why I’m so happy I’m not required to take home economics anymore. Or are we?”

Jared made quite the sour face, making his eyebrows turn into a unibrow and his pouth extend into one akin to an anteater’s snout. “Seriously? Fine. There’s really no convincing you is there? I am a stubborn child.” Until his dying breath, so to speak, as long as there’s a gleam of hope that Emma would simply let him copy instead of making him suffer by tutoring him, he’ll hold on to it. “Glad you used the word “at least”, cause if you didn’t well a huge contradiction is laughing in front of you right now,” he laughed, finding the idea of him excelling at anything extremely comedic. “I suck at my required subjects. I don’t fail, but I highly doubt I’ll make it to the honor roll this term, or any term for that matter,” he nodded, “PE sucks too, but since we’re getting into games now, it’s slowly getting better, I guess. Thank God for electives really.” It’s not that Jared’s a dumb kind; he really just doesn’t have the focus and drive to be exceptional.

“Aww, that sucks. I want a holiday real bad.” And yet during the summer time he was caught saying he wants classes to start already because he’s got nothing to do at home. Fickle, fickle, fickle. “A wedding? And you a bridesmaid? Must be lovely,” he smiled. Jared loved weddings. Granted he hasn’t attended a lot (around 5 or 6, 10 at most, mostly his cousins or church acquaintances), but those he attended were truly wonderful, and even though he has no intention of finding his ‘the one’ yet, he does have dreams of having an extravagant yet extremely touching ceremony when he grows up. Is it weird for a guy to have fantasies like that early on? He could care less. “Who’s getting married?”

“Sports are just not my thing. I don’t fail miserably, but I am quite the black hole,” Jared laughed, putting his menu down. “Are you ready to order now?” His eyes already had their fill, guess it’s now time to make his stomach bloated too.

[Emma Hayes]

Emma laughed, deciding not to point out that several town's put caps on the ages of trick-or-treaters. Instead she just nodded, agreeing to go along with Jared's plans. "I suppose you're right."

Being someone who did sewed frequently since childhood, Emma found it hard to believe Jared would have that much trouble with it. "Even the most experience seamstress has a little trouble threading needles. And I've got plenty of tricks to help with those stitches. But don't worry, I'll get it all done it time, even if you can't sew well." She blinked. "I don't think we have required home ec, but I'm not sure."

Emma grinned but stood firm in her stance. As much as she liked the boy, she wouldn't let go of her morals. "Sorry, but I cannot be swayed. You'll just have to settle with a little help, if you'll take it." No matter how the boy tried to get her to do otherwise. "Honor roll isn't the most important thing in life. People get by just fine without it. But it's a little early to say you'll never make it. You've got some years to go."

"Ah." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck and looking down. " Yeah, it should be something. It's my mother, she's getting remarried soon." It felt odd to admit, in a roundabout way, that her parents had divorced. Odd, but it didn't make her feel as bad as she thought it would. "She asked me to be in it, so I figured I might as well."

"I'm afraid we're a bit different on that point. I'm not a jock but I enjoy playing." Emma said, lightening up. Really, if there was a girl's football team around, she'd be interested. She may not look the type, but she did love sports season. "Yes, I'm ready." She agreed, putting down her menu and looking around for the waitress. Signaling her, Emma waited to order.

[Jared Park]

Jared’s eyes widened in excitement with Emma’s assurance to help him in every step of the way, even going as far as taking over whenever she deems necessary. “Yipee,” he said in glee, almost jumping out of his seat, “Thanks a whole lot Emma. Halloween would still be a fun event for me then.” When he first transferred to Hammel, missing out Halloween was one of the major things in Jared’s mind. Like what was previously said, he pretty much loves the holiday of candies, but what he doesn’t like is buying costumes off stores and wearing them as is. He wants to be unique and buying something off the rack means the possibility of meeting someone who bought it too, which is definitely not good. Same dresses in the same party can mean disaster for those involved, logic suggests that it carries on to costumes too, right? “You think we can add window shopping for possible materials to our itinerary Emma?” It’s not like they have a fixed plan anyway (Jared’s not the type of person to think much ahead of time) but he figures it’ll be rude to simply drag the girl in whenever they stumble upon a clothes store. And maybe the girl had other plans too, so better ask than be sorry later.

“Fine, I’ll be under your loving wing from now on,” he smiled, like a child finally submitting to his mother after a long and fruitless struggle. “Let’s just help each other in History,” he added, remembering how Emma said she’s a bit off when it comes to the ancients, “But I think you’d still be the one to provide coherent information whenever we have some sort of brainstorming about that.”

She didn’t have to say it out loud for Jared to pick up that her parents got divorced. Well, if she just told him that without him seeing how her face and gestures had betrayed her, he would’ve thought that she’s an orphan and is now getting a step father. But her awkward neck-rub and downcast eyes told him the real story. Despite not being an empath, he was a bit adept at reading other’s emotions, and hers was definitely not of glee. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked further,” he said, reaching out to give Emma’s hand a sympathetic squeeze, “Just imagine me in a pink ballerina dress and your worries will go away.” The joke was a rather weird and out-of-the-blue, but that’s the best he could think of at the moment. He wanted to ask Emma why she’s sad but then again, not everyone’s as open as him and the situation seems to be a bit of a private matter, so it should be up to her if she wants to tell him or not. Pressuring someone is never really Jared’s way.

“Hmm. Can you please get us two orders of sushi plate A?” Jared asked as the waitress came over, “And maybe one order of salmon sashimi. And please don’t be too stingy with the wasabi.” Despite its rather repugnant taste, Jared simply can’t eat sushi without wasabi. He claims the ‘high’ he feels just isn’t there without it. “How about you Emma?”

[Emma Hayes]

Emma let Jared have his moment of excitement, wondering if the holiday was really such a big deal or if it was just within her friend's nature to be enthusiastic about everything. Either way, she felt herself looking forward to the holiday with almost as much energy as Jared. Talking about parties and holiday events made her feel accepted and already a part of the school. She had came here thinking that moving to a new place would be lonely, but Emma was relieved to find people like Jared who made the new life less frightening. "That's fine with me, I didn't really have anything special for today in mind. And it's a good opportunity to find things so we can get to work on them."

Emma couldn't help grinning when Jared submitted to her suggestions. While she tried very hard to be mature, she still enjoyed small victories. "Alright then. Its settled." She was glad, Jared would be helping a with History. Finding information was easy enough, but keeping interest and on track was difficult. Hopefully Jared would remedy that.

Emma looked surprised when she felt his hand on hers, and she looked up with a jerk to stare at him. Slowly a smile spread across her face, and Emma squeezed his hand back in a grateful gesture. "Its okay. I'm the one who brought it up. I don't really mind telling you." She had to remind herself that this wasn't back home, her family wasn't the shame of the town, and that people here wouldn't be as likely to look down on divorce. She laughed at Jared's attempt to cheer her. "Thank you." She said simply, happy that he was trying. She looked to the window and back nervously, feeling bad for bringing in a sad topic. "Sorry to mention something so negative."

After Jared placed his order, Emma took her turn. "An order of Philadelphia rolls, please?" She ordered the item with the a name she recognized, mostly picking a random. She figured she'd eat it either way. Emma handed her menu back to the waitress with a thank you. She turned back to Jared, still looking a bit embarrassed for the previous conversation. "So, uh, anything on a more happy note to talk about?"

[Jared Park]

If Jared heard Emma’s hesitation about Halloween being an important holiday, he would’ve been very upset and would try his very best to brainwash convince her that Halloween is a holiday worth celebrating. The chance to forget his worries for a while and simply enjoy the night is an opportunity he would never want to miss. And now that he knows she’s going through something, he’d try his best to make this Halloween for her one of the best she’s experienced. “Though I have one problem though,” he said, tapping the table with his fingers, “I have no idea if this town has costume shops. Or cloth shops for that matter.” [c Being a city kid, Jared was sure everything that was everything can be found within a few blocks. “I do hope they have one. Even if it’s just a small one.”

Jared laughed under his breath as Emma rejoiced over her victory. “It’s not like you gave me a choice anyway,” he mumbled, giving her another childish face of mock anger. Sorry to burst Emma’s bubble, but keeping focused on the task on hand is never really Jared’s forte. He’s actually hoping Emma would teach him some of her study techniques. Hopefully he can somehow assimilate them and get Jasper off his back (he loves his nagging, but since it’s usually more than his dad and mom combined, it does get extremely irritating).

He smiled ever so brightly when Emma said that she actually didn’t mind telling Jared about her situation. To Jared, it means she sees him as someone she’s really comfortable with, someone she can really trust. It somehow made his heart swell that Emma sees him as a worthy friend, much like how he sees her. And people tell him off for being too trusting. “Hey, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s hard bottling emotions, negative or otherwise,” he told her, giving her a reassuring thumbs up, “I know if I were you, I would’ve burst to tears already. I wish I had your strength.” And with that, Jared just received his latest mission.

“Thanks. That’ll be all, I guess,” he said, giving the waitress his menu along with a slight bow. “Hmm, happy, happy, happy…” Jared repeated absentmindedly, trying to think of a better thing to say. He was just going to tell her the good news about his parents and siblings going to Vermont to pick him up for the holidays, but then her not-so-pleasant story came up so he decided it’ll be best to keep it in for later. “Ah! I got it,” he said, “I finally got my schedule for powers training. Yey! And I got a raise in my allowance. Haha.” It wasn’t really that exciting, seeing that he’s placed in a general class and had not a personal trainer yet, but it was better than his previous one.

[Emma Hayes]

"Well, we can look for one." Emma reasoned. "But if we can't find a costume shop or fabric store, we can always look for a thrift store or Goodwill. Second hand places have cheap clothes that we could use for fabric or to build on." It might serve for good inspiration to hit up thrift shops anyway. You never know what you'll find in those places.

Emma giggled at Jared, waving her hands in a mock defensive gesture. She was rather glad he'd seen it her way. She liked helping people with their studies. It made her feel important. And she liked seeing someone she'd helped make their goal and do well.

Emma nodded, grateful for the kind gestures. She was happy to have someone to talk to, even if only for a moment. Sometimes she just had to tell someone, just talk about it. "Its not strength. But thank you all the same." She didn't think she was being strong, she was just dealing with it the only way she had been taught to. It was how her family had always dealt with her mother. you didn't talk about it, ignored the signs, and generally pretended everything was fine. But sometimes, Emma couldn't pretend anymore and she was glad that it was o.k. to break the cycle every once and a while.. After a moment of biting her lip, looking pensively out the window, she continued. "I think it takes more strength to cry freely rather then show a 'brave' face."

Emma brightened at the change in pace, slightly leaning over the table to beam at Jared. "That's great! I bet you're really excited." She congratulated him, sweeping in his small victory with a flourish. "I told you, you'd get a trainer soon. And a raise is great too. Who are you working with? Have you started yet?"

(OCC: Its short. So short and not good. I apologize, Em's not wanting to work tonight.)

[Jared Park]

“Great! It’s a good thing I dragged you out really. I’d be incredibly stumped if I would’ve done this by myself and be forced to buy those ugly generic costumes in stores. Or have an expensive one shipped if I’m so desperate. Which I’m not.” Jared couldn’t help but laugh at his combined thank-you speech and little town rant. He made it seem like finding the perfect costume is everything. While it was to him, he highly doubts Emma feels the same way too. (Which, in his opinion, makes their ragtag partnership even more adorable).

Jared simply smiled at Emma. While he would like to argue that keeping a brave face is indeed stronger than bursting in tears the moment the problem sets in (which, if it was Jared, would be almost the whole day for the first two weeks and at random intervals for the weeks that’ll follow), he told himself that this is not the time. Screw ideals for a bit, Emma’s in pain. It would be very inconsiderate of him to impose his thoughts on her, especially on something as trivial as crying when faced with adversity. “Fine, they’re both marks of courage and strength,” he chuckled, asking for water refill from the nearby attendant. He feels a bit dry and with such a sensitive matter at hand, he thinks Emma would want one too. He knew he would it if was him. “Nonetheless, you do know you can tell me anything right? I seriously believe people need to release their strong emotions else it’ll just rot inside of them. And it won’t be wonderful when it comes out later.” He smiled, pinching his nose and waving his hand as if fanning the smell away. He does hope she gets the joke, no matter how obscure it is. “I can be the teddy to talk to if we need one. Oh wait, that’s it! We’ll buy you a stuffed animal to talk and hug to! So that even if I won’t be with you all the time, I can still bug you and tell you to smile,” he clapped with such delight as the idea hit him, “I think they have a Build-a-Bear store in the local mall. Let’s check it out later.” Good thing they didn’t plan anything for today as it would’ve been a complete waste of time, given the number of things they’d like to squeeze in.

“I’m working with Mr. Atkins. He’s a PE teacher too, he says. He’s so nice, I wish I had him instead of Mr. Fjiki,” he said, adding a forced shudder to illustrate how horrible his experiences are. “They put me with him as he can turn invisible to the naked eye, so they think he might be able to shed some light on my recent flops. We’re only in meditation as of now, and that is really hard since I can’t help but fall asleep almost all the time.” He took a quick sip of his remaining water, hoping the refill would come soon. “How about you, having a fun time with training?”


ooc:
It's fine Kiki.^^. I like it actually. :3.
-Jam

[Emma Hayes]

Emma grinned back at Jared, glad to have been of service. She sobered when her comments were brought back up, taking him up on some water. She needed something to do with her hands. "I am grateful that you'd say that." She started slowly, looking Jared in the eye and trying to communicate her sincerity. "People usually don't to hear about these things. Negative things. Sob stories. It ruins their fun. I can't say I'll always want to take you up on it, but thank you for giving me the option."

Emma had to smile to the teddy comparison. She could she it. Both were quiet 'fluffy' in nature. "A teddy?" She hadn't kept a lot stuffed animals as a child, and certainly didn't keep them past her preteen years. But the gesture was kind and caring, and Emma couldn't say a thing about that. "Okay. We'll put that on the list." The thank you was left unspoken. Emma was going to have to find a better way to show her gratitude for Jared being so nice.

"I see. That's a good thing, his power really isn't that far off from yours." It kind of was, but Emma figured that Jared was just as excited to be finally training. And it should help, the people at this school should know how to help. "You'll get used to it. Clearing your mind can be hard, but I'm sure there's some kind of trick to it. Maybe practice it more on your own? And once you get it, you'll be able to move on to better exercises."

"Not really." Emma had popped into a few group training sessions, but hadn't made any progress. She could make things in the shapes she wanted and could keep the images up for a pretty long amount of time. But she still got the terrible headaches and she still had to keep vigilant to stop the images from appearing all the time. They still came when she slept, loud and violent with her nightmares. "But maybe it will get better, hmmm?" The water came and she took the glass between her hands, staring into it. " At least there's years of this to look forward to. I wonder if everyone has troubles when they begin training?"

[Jared Park]

“At the risk of sounding too cliché, that’s what friends are for Emma.” He was actually a bit apprehensive a few minutes earlier, a bit scared that Emma might just see him as a simple acquaintance rather than a friend friend, but the recent turn of events, namely her voluntary confession of her rather serious problem and acceptance of his not-so-comforting (in his eyes) words, flushed his fears away. He was happy actually. He could see Emma as a indispensible friend, the one he can turn into when he needs logic and rationality in his impulsive life. “Since I don’t have a phone at the moment (Jasper says it’s too expensive to have one, and I can’t really call them because of my ‘condition’), you can simply leave a Post-it note by my dorm door something whenever you need to find me,” he said, “And don’t worry about it. I find it more fulfilling if I can help someone solve their problems. Problems aren’t usually meant to be faced alone anyway.” That’s what his mother always tells him.

“If you don’t want a teddy, I think they have some other choices,” he answered, rubbing his chin, trying to remember the choices the store has. The last time he went to a Build-a-Bear store was around a year or so ago, for Jeraiah’s birthday. The brothers both know that their sister doesn’t like stuffies that much, so they gave her one just to tease her. “I think they have a giraffe, penguin, flamingo and elephant too. Though the giraffe’s neck isn’t that long. A bummer really.” Jared loved giraffes. Not too much to obsess over them, but enough to have several shirts and pants patterned after their hide. Not to mention a huge giraffe stuffed animal his father gave him for his fourth birthday back home. “I think they have other animals too, but I can’t remember everything exactly.”

Jared couldn’t help but laugh when Emma said keeping his mind blank is a hard task. “Hardly Emma. My mind’s already empty. The hard part is keeping itself focused,” he explained, “Tried practicing in my room, when I open my eyes it’s already time for school.” He did manage to wake up earlier and earlier as he practiced more, but the fact that he can’t help but snooze still keeps on bugging him. “I don’t think anyone doesn’t get a hard time in training. I mean, isn’t that what we’re here for? Wouldn’t they be left alone if they’re perfectly capable already?”

Jared’s eyes widened as he saw the waitress holding the tray with their orders. He involuntarily smacked his lips, rubbing his hands in anticipation. “Hope I don’t seem too hungry,” he chuckled.

[Emma Hayes]

Emma nodded, looking embarrassed and pleased. She did consider Jared to be a friend, otherwise she wouldn't be here, telling him about her hardships. But to be called his friend in turn made her happy. She had been worried about making connections here and it was a relief to find those fears unfounded. "I'll remember that. And the same applies to you. I'm not the best at helping with problems, but I'll listen and do what I can. Leave a note at the door, or track me down, and I'll be there as fast as I can."

"A teddy is fine. But I'm curious about this place." Emma started, looking mildly confused. Sure she had seen an ad or two about the store, but giraffes? "They have animals of all types there and not just bears?" Emma, along with several other 'important' things, had never stepped inside a Build-a-Bear. Or a Toys-R-US or any staple of childhood. Things like that tended to confound her.

Emma had never had trouble focusing. Clearing her mind was much more difficult since she was so used to thinking about everything, but luckily she had enough focus to keep her powers in check during her waking hours. "Well, maybe you need to try a different thing to focus on. If you find something really motivating to think about then you won't fall asleep." She offered, not really feeling qualified to give out that kind of advice. It was mostly the fear of her own power that kept Emma's concentration so spot on. Jared, of course, shouldn't fear his power and nor did Emma want him to. But maybe she could help him find something beneficial to use as his drive.

"You're right, of course. Wouldn't be much use in sending us all here if we could do it on our own." She smiled at the waitress and food being placed on their table. She studied the sushi with an appraising eye, taking one and raising it to her face. "Well, bon appetit."

She chewed thoughtfully, smiling after a moment. "This is good. I'm glad you suggested the place."