Now look here......

[aclockworksmith]

Date: Tuesday, September 6th
Time: 2:10pm
Week Number // Name: 001 / The New Beginning
Characters Open To // Involved: Aleida / Tristian & Aleida
Reason: FRIENDS. You should try them....

Comments

[aclockworksmith]

The three of them, that is to say, Clockwork, Kas, and Phoebe, just had minds that thought alike. After all, all of them were in the mental PC class together, so they had that much in common. Plus, they had stuck together since they had first met, and after all those years together, they were bound to start thinking alike. So yes, banning together wasn't the right word for it at all.

He looked at her, his smile still in place. "You're welcome." He knew that Kas wasn't lying; she'd never lie to him, it was just hard to believe that this was the girl that she'd had an arguement with. Perhaps she was just feeling awkward, and she thought Kas had came on to strong. At least, that's what he hoped the case was. He hated to think that someone didn't like Kas. He was protective like that.

Tristian frowned slightly when she said that Xavier's was 'nice.' He knew that a lot of people came here as a last result, and where unhappy, which made him pretty downhearted. They were missing out on exactly how great of a place the school was by not enjoying it. He was sure that Alieda would like it more if she actually took the time to get to know the place.

But, he couldn't keep the frown long, just in case she thought he was frowning at her. He quickly pulled it back up into his infectious smile.

Ahhh, awkward silences. It certainly wasn't something that Tristian was used to. After spending so much time with Dazzle and Kas, it was hard to stand in a silence such as this one. When she shuffled her books, he asked rather stupidly, "Uh..those look heavy."

Tristian groaned inwardly. No wonder he had been called 'Mr. Obvious' on more than one occasion.

He laughed. "Leave it to Dazzle to make you feel welcome. She's great. Helpful and all that." He nodded, and took most of the books from the girl's hands. "Sure, I'll help you, if you lead the way to where it is that you want to go."

He was going to somehow get to the arguement, but, just not yet. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him. He didn't want to come on too strong.

He wanted to be her friend.

[abrasivealeida]

Aleida noticed his manners, smiling inwardly to herself. Now, a boy with manners. Wasn't this a rare find! Perhaps where ever he was from that was what they taught boys, manners. Aleida had to keep from scoffing at the thought of the boys from her hometown. From the age of eleven to the day they died they thought their towns name was hilarious and made a point to constantly make jokes about it. Moreover, they all had foul mouths and if a "thanks" ever issued from them it was doused in sarcasm.

In all actuality, Xavier's had not been the last option for Aleida. She could have stayed home, perhaps unhappily, but home none the less. She had come here in hopes of making her time at home perhaps a bit less miserable. And honestly, she had only been here for three days, she had not yet handed down her final verdict! Yes, her first impression of the school was not the best, but she of all people should've known that first impressions were not everything. Minds can be changed, even hers.

Aleida looked up when he mentioned the weight of her books. She eyed him carefully, a smirk hiding the small laugh that was creeping into her throat. Her expression transformed, looking very serious and honest. She shook her head, "Oh no," she started in a whisper, leaning in secretly, "all these books have the insides cut out and I've stuffed them with chocolate." By the end of her little ruse, she was nodding knowingly, and it was this alone that gave her away - perhaps the chocolate bit might have if Tristian knew her better, as Aleida loathed chocolate. And then, miraculously, she laughed. It was short, and stifled, but no one could dispute that it was, in fact, a laugh. She couldn't help it - she couldn't think of any other way to show him that she was simply kidding. So laugh she would.

Aleida quirked a brow at him as he used Phoebe's alias. She had heard these names all over the school, but she had yet to understand why they used them. Was "Joe" not befitting enough for them? They had to go out of their way to find another name to be called by? She really thought it was awfully silly, but she couldn't exactly say much about it. She folded every article of clothing she owned, and that was a bit silly.

"Phoebe is nice," she said thoughtfully, this time practically meaning it. After all, that girl had gone out of her way to help her out, even if her ways were unorthodox. "Oh thanks," she said as he took the books from her. She hadn't expected that he would just pick up practically all of her books; one or two would've been fine, but she wasn't complaining. Nodding down the hallway, she directed him, "I ought to put them away in my room." And so, she started walking.

"Have you taken chemistry?" she blurted, looking over at him. Well, it seemed curiosity was getting the better of her a lot now.

[aclockworksmith]

Tristian's mother was a good, southern lady. She'd been taught manners at an early age, and had done the same with Tristian. For as long as he could remember he had been told to use 'Yes Ma'am' and 'No Ma'am.' To him, if you didn't have manners, you actually didn't have very much. He didn't know about her hometown, but even if he did, he really wouldn't find it all that amusing. A name is a name.

He raised an eyebrow when she joked about her books. Well, that wasn't the response he had been expecting, but it was certainly the one that he was hoping for. He'd been looking for some sign, any sign, that she could loosen up. Apparently, he'd just hit it. While he was laughing, he realized that he had never actually answered her question about his powers. "Nice to see you have a sense of humor. But, um, my power? It's pretty simple, actually. I can slow down or speed up time in my environment or on myself." He shrugged. It was an okay power. Not the best, but, okay.

He smiled at her, curiosity overtaking him. "So, what about yours?" He looked at her, waiting for her answer, and then she said she had to put away her books. He nodded, following her lead, walking toward her hallway.

"Oh yeah, two years ago, actually. When I was fifteen."

[abrasivealeida]

Aleida would not believe it unless she saw it: a boy who did not think the word "intercourse" was hilarious, let alone that it was the name of her town. Actually, even then she would not believe it; many boys were exceptional at hiding their laughing, simply saving it for later when they told all of their friends. After all, why laugh when there is no one to share the hilarity with?

Aleida was relived to see that he was laughing, if only because it would've been a horrible, awkward walk back to her room if he had given her nothing but a straight face. Well, he seemed easy enough to joke with. However, that was not even the amazing part; the amazing part was that Aleida was the one who was actually joking around. Tristian didn't even her that well and he could already seem to tell that light-hearted was not a word that properly described her. In fact, she was surprised to hear him mention her sense of humor. She too found that rather funny, and she nearly laughed out loud, but that would've been disastrous. How could she listen to what his power was if she was laughing rudely?

Her interest had possibly never been caught as effectively as she listened to him. My, she thought as he finished, that isn't an imposing power at all!. She had been expecting something sinister(as she assumed by default that all the students at Xavier's had horrible, uncontrollable powers), or at least more sinister than slowing and speeding time! She tucked that bit of information away, right next to his name and his alias. Ah, and now that made sense! She smiled to her own good memory, but it was just as well if he thought it was for him.

Somehow, Aleida had managed to overlook the fact that he would probably want to know what her power was, and so prepared she was not. "My-mine?" she asked rhetorically, stumbling over her words and attempting to regain her footing. "Oh, well," started dismissively shaking her head vaguely. "It's nothing...nothing special. Just a little," that this point Aleida dropped her voice, "dissolving is all." She finished secretively, hoping that he hadn't heard but wouldn't be asking. At the very least, maybe he would catch that she was trying to hide it.

Ah ha! Aleida's eye's brightened when he proclaimed that he had taken chemistry before (naturally she noted that he was seventeen at the moment, but that was entirely besides the point!). "Well, then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I asked you a question or two?" Aleida didn't wait for an answer. "What sort of experiments do you do then? Do you test chemical reactions? Do determine the reactive qualities of sodium and water? I've always found it interesting how it doesn't react as table salt, though." Aleida nearly lost her train of thought as her brain traveled down the road of science. However, she managed to snap back (with the help of nearly dropping her books), and turned back to him sheepishly. "I don't mean to be intrusive," she said feeling slightly embarrassed by her barrage of questions. She looked down at her books bashfully, rearranging them to rest against her hip.

[aclockworksmith]

Tristian just wasn't that sort of person. He wouldn't laugh about it later if he knew, he wouldn't even mention it. No big deal to him, really. Maybe he was more mature to most boys, and the boys in her town might have just been more immature than the rest of the world.

Well, if no one had told him better, Tristian would have thought Aleida had a great sense of humor. But, judging by what he had heard from Kas, this seemed to be a rare occurance. He took it at face value, and didn't analyze it any more than he needed to. It was joke, a funny joke, and he laughed. Simple as that.

When she smiled at him, (or so he thought) he smiled back. His powers weren't really that impressive, but according to professor Xavier, he had loads of potential, and he just had to tap into it. That was the reason he had asked him to be on the training squad. Speeding and slower down time could come in handy sometimes. At least it wasn't something useless, like, changing his eye color at will....

Dissolving. That was a very interesting power. He'd always been fasinated by those who could control their powers through the tips of their finger tips. Dazzle, Kas and him were all in the mental class. It was always very interesting to meet others from different groups.

He thought about it for a second, and then answered her. "We actually did quite a lot of things in there. We did several crystal labs, and things like that. Properties of rust and ways to cause it. Oh, and you have to memorize the Periodic Table along with their sign, electron configuration and things like that." He racked his brain for more information, but came up empty handed. "We did a lot more, but I'm drawing a blank right now."

[abrasivealeida]

(I'd like to finish up all my week one threads, so perhaps Trissy can finally mention something about Kase or sommat?)

Though it was a bit of an obscure topic, science was one of the few things that Aleida was passionate about. And this was no small feat, considering she normally had no strong reactions to anything. So naturally, when Tristian began listing the things they had done in chemistry, Aleida's entire face brightened. Her eyes twinkled with interest and she listened to him attentively, lest she miss the most important thing he had to say.

By the time he was finished, her mouth was drawn up in a smile. "Oh. Phew." She started, looking rather relieved, but her pleasant demeanor hadn't managed to vanish just yet. "Phoebe showed me around the rooms yesterday and I was a bit concerned that the class would have little content."

Since her arrival, Aleida hadn't been able to properly focus on anything. Her thoughts strayed no matter how hard she tried to concentrate, and as her eyes fell upon open doors in the hallway or certain plants she couldn't help but lose her attention. "This school is so odd," she said absently, as if it had been a thought she accidentally said out loud. "Couches, and dorm rooms, and....well I suppose that we're all mutants," she chuckled quietly as she finished, looking down the hall at no certain point.

However, as she turned to look at him, she realized that she had been speaking aloud. She swallowed, looking around for something to busy herself with. She did not make a habit of spreading her thoughts about, and she hoped this occasion would be one of the last where her swirling mind got the best of her. Between classes, having her head probed (which left her at even more of a disadvantage as she tried to reorganize each memory), being randomly surprised by bouncy blonds, and meeting her new roommates, Aleida hadn't really had a chance to process all of her thoughts. Now, she realized, she ought to get on that or she would just be spewing words all over the place. However, one thing she hadn't noticed was she had said "mutants" without wincing or even the slightest hesitation. Perhaps something Kase had said had gotten through to her. Perhaps not.

Before long, Aleida's room was in sight. "It's right up here," she warned so he wouldn't be surprised when she abruptly stopped. As they reached it, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, disappearing into the room for a moment before turning, her arms empty. She smiled at Tristian thankfully, holding her arms out. "Thank you," she said, expecting him to give her the rest of her things. Waiting, he failed to realize that Tristian had caught up with her for no apparent reason, and had simply helped her carry her books back to her room. This didn't strike her as odd, and she had yet to make the connection between Kase and Tristian. How naive Aleida was beginning to seem.

[aclockworksmith]

He smiled at her. He wasn't really big on science, but he thought it was great that some people were passionate about it. After all, he was pasionate about English, so of course some people would love science. It made perfectly good sense.

Tristian laughed. "Yeah, it does take some getting used to. I remember when I first came here...I was just seven and I'd never been away from my mom for more than a week. But, I also knew that she would only do what was right for me, so I didn't really object to coming. I fell in love with the place after about two seconds being inside. I'm sure you'll warm up to it, too." He laughed. "Yeah. we're all pretty much in the same boat here."

He nodded and followed her to her room, now looking for the perfect opertunity to mention Kas. "Oh, you're just fifteen. I thought you might have been on Kas's hallway. You've met Kas, of course." There. Absently through it out there. Good diea.

[abrasivealeida]

Aleida listened to him as they continued to walk, smiling vaguely as he talked about his mum and his experiences at Xavier's. She was more interested than usual, and actually took the time to listen to him, storing away bits of information as they came. However, when he mentioned that everyone was in the same boat, Aleida wasn't exactly sure she agreed. Was Tristian afraid of himself?

Aleida opened her mouth to mention that she was actually going to be turning sixteen very shortly, but then he mentioned Kase and her entire face fell. Any interest or perhaps enjoyment she had sunk away and her heart fell. So that was why he was talking to her? Because he was one of Kase's little boys who had been dispatched to "take care of" the new mean girl? Aleida decided that her emotions must be anger. After all, why would she be upset that Tristian hadn't wanted to talk to her just for her? Swearing that she had called this (she knew he must have some ulterior motive), Aleida's stone expression washed over her face as she looked at Tristian.

"I have," she said flatly, her voice suddenly devoid of any emotion that had once been there. She took her books from him, not waiting for him to give them to her. She held them at her side, looking very unfriendly and especially steely. That sense of humor Tristian had thought she had? She hid it once again, now almost officially convinced that humor was for suckers. Staring at him got rather old, so she looked around, still looking very unimpressed, waiting for him to keep talking.

[aclockworksmith]

Tristian nodded, not really knowing what to say now. Her answer had been short and sweet and that was the end of it. He figured she probably didn't want to talk about her confrontation with Kas, and he couldn't really blame her. He looked over at her and saw the noticable change in her expression.

Oh dear. Perhaps she thought this was the only reason he was talking to her? Well, that wasn't true. He wanted to be her friend, but he did want to work everything out as well. He smiled at her, thinking of what to say next.

"Well, I'm sure you'll love the others your age. Who is your roommate?" He decided he would let the subject of Kas drop. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, and talking about her made her just that. He wasn't about to make her angry at him, after all.

[abrasivealeida]

As good as Tristian's intentions were, they would be lost on Aleida. She was rather stubborn once she had made up her mind, and she already had. Anything he had left to say would have been irrelevant; to her, he was here for one reason and it certainly was not to be her friend.

Aleida rolled her eyes at his comment about people her own age, already past being annoyed. She wouldn't love anyone, her own age or otherwise. Especially if they were all ham like him. At his next question, she couldn't help but answer him, something making her be at least mildly courteous. "Paige," she said coldly, thinking almost fondly for a girl for the moment. At least she didn't go out of her way to make friends with her, Aleida.

Looking around uncomfortably, still rather upset (and still arguing with herself that she was angry). Finally, looking back at him and offering perhaps the weakest smile ever seen, she said, "I have to study, or something. Goodbye." Promptly shutting the door, Aleida heaved a sigh, leaning against the door as she thought. Perhaps Kase had been right. Perhaps she shouldn't be there at all.

[Aleida out!]