(Untitled)

[red_ponytail]

Once Bill had discovered people had woken up with powers they'd not had yesterday, he'd not been able to help the surge of excitement as he dug out his wand - it had been so long, he'd long since stopped carrying it. When it proved to still be in effect a rather useless, albeit nice-looking, piece of wood, he'd shoved it back in its place in

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[makeafairfight]

Cameron's loaded up on food and found a table to himself in a quiet corner, watching everyone else warily. Something intensely strange has been going on the last few hours and it's more than enough to weird him out. So far he's weathered being in this place about as well as anyone can be expected to do, but this is harder to ignore than people suddenly changing ages and sexes. At least then, they're still just people. No one's a giant, no one has magic growing hair, no one shoots fire or turns into a merman - Cameron's read comics, albeit not many, he's not unfamiliar with the idea of all this, but being faced with a sudden profusion of abilities, he's more than a little bewildered.

[notverywise]

Why she thought the kitchen seemed like the safest place to go, Jenny doesn't actually know. What she does know is that, from the time she woke up, everything seems to have gone all mad. First, Santana was spouting eloquent bursts of knowledge that sounded like they could have come from textbooks, and if that weren't bad enough, the next thing she knew, there were rumors of mermaids, and she's pretty sure that the rec room was filled with a good half-dozen copies of the same person when she passed through it. Whatever's the cause, she both wants to steer clear of it and wants to find out what's going on; she's settled instead for one place she thinks she can lie low without doing something silly like hiding, as if there'd be any need for that. Heading over at the sight of Cameron is instinctive, though she doesn't realize as she slides into the chair next to him that she's holding her breath until she goes to speak, voice kept slightly lowered as if she doesn't want anyone else to overhear. "Are you normal?"

[makeafairfight]

"I think that would depend on who you ask," Cameron says, though he smiles a little at seeing Jenny join him. Sipping his coffee, he shakes his head. "If you mean can I suddenly break glass with my voice or talk to dinosaurs, then no, I can't, which is perfectly alright with me. What about you?" Admittedly, he hasn't seen any dinosaurs today, so there's every possibility he's wrong, knowing this place. He just also has no interest in testing it out. Whatever abilities they may have, it's bizarre and, very likely, will all be gone by the following week anyway.

[notverywise]

"Nothing," Jenny says with a shake of her head, visibly relieved, and more for his sake than hers. Though she's a girl who's always prided herself on being independent, that was a lot easier to hold to when she wasn't virtually on her own; here, Cameron is easily the closest friend she has, and something like an anchor for it. If he were suddenly breaking glass with his voice or talking to dinosaurs or any one of God knows how many other things that have afflicted people today, she isn't sure what she would do. Now, knowing that she would have him to depend on, she doesn't have to depend on anything. "Nothing that I've seen yet, anyway, which is promising so far."

[makeafairfight]

"You might yet discover something," Cameron teases. "The ability to speak to animals, maybe. Or communicate with stars." He doesn't even think that's a real superpower, but then, he wouldn't have thought the ability to turn children blue was one either. For all he knows, the first thing to come to mind makes more sense than half of what's really happening. "I don't know how anyone's lived here five years with things like this happening every month."

[notverywise]

"God, neither do I," Jenny says seriously, with a quick shake of her head, though a smile plays at one corner of her mouth after just a moment. She can't help it; ludicrous as it might be, the subject matter isn't actually amusing at all, but he has that kind of effect on her. "Communicating with stars, though, that would be a new one. At least more easily ignored than some of the others." She's seen things now, heard stories, all of which seem impossible, except she can't bring herself to disbelieve them. "But since I've yet to… I don't know, grow scales or start magically speaking in foreign languages or - or making objects move with my mind, I'm hopeful."

[makeafairfight]

"Well, so am I," Cameron says, reaching briefly over to touch her hand before picking up his coffee mug for a sip. If he gets stuck with something odd, he can deal with it - perhaps even enjoy it, depending on what it is, and he has to admit he's curious what it would be. He doesn't want Jenny to have to, though, so he's more hopeful for her sake than his own. "Although I'm sure you'd manage to look lovely even with scales."

[notverywise]

For just a moment, all Jenny can do is smile, struck speechless and feeling foolish for it by both the compliment itself and the brush of his hand, warmth lingering on her skin even after he's reached for his mug again. It means nothing, of course - it has to, when she can't even let herself begin to entertain the notion that it might not - but she likes it anyway, the way it makes her feel like they're the only two in the kitchen, or like she really could be the kind of girl to whom he'd say and do these things with intent, rather than someone with a past like her own. When she's spent far more time thinking about him than she ought to, there's no way she couldn't enjoy it. "Oh, I doubt that," she says, self-deprecating but undeniably pleased, gaze remaining on him even as she ducks her head. "Besides, even if I did, you'd never know it. I don't think I'd be able to make myself leave my room."

[makeafairfight]

The lovely thing about her is, he believes her. Not that Cameron's the kind to disbelieve readily - he gives the benefit of the doubt too easily for that - but so many girls say those things for the pleasure of hearing themselves denied, of the surfeit of compliments sure to follow. It's disingenuous, unattractive, overly coy. Though he'd like her to know how pretty she is, there's always something charming about girls who don't realize it. Not that he should be thinking about that, not about her or anyone else, though the women on the island make it difficult not to be tempted to stray from his self-imposed intention not to pursue anyone when he's so intent on going home

[notverywise]

"Of course not," Jenny replies immediately, instinctively, and then it's an effort not to blush at the thought of it. It isn't even just the idea that he would go out of his way to check on her, to bring her food and make sure she was alright, but the thought of him in her room that she can't quite wrap her head around. Innocent though it would be, those rooms are small, and she's sure it would drive her nearly insane. (Technically speaking, it would only be proper for her to leave him in the hall, but she cares about as much about propriety as she did when she gave up her virginity before marriage. Unable to take that back, there's no reason to overcompensate.) Then again, she would have scales in this hypothetical scenario, so it isn't as if it would mean anything, probably about on par with him coming to visit her if she were sick or injured and in the clinic. Ducking her head, conceding his point, she lets out a breathy little laugh. "So I suppose you would see after all."

[makeafairfight]

"Well, there you go," Cameron says, hypothetical point proved, though he's almost forgotten what it even was. There's a bit of color in her cheeks, and if it means anything, he misses the point. He just knows it's flattering on her. "Anyway, I guess the point is moot, since that doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon. Just try to stay out of the line of fire if things get crazy, won't you?" She may not be able to help it, but he hopes she'll try. With a bunch of newly discovered superpowers running amok, they'll be lucky if no one's injured this weekend.

[notverywise]

"Oh, I mean to," Jenny says, entirely serious as she nods. A curious girl she might be, eager to see and experience everything possible, but this place has changed that; there's just as much that she'd readily steer clear of, and any potential dangers caused by an inexplicable magic are among those things. Acting purely on a whim, she reaches to rest a hand tentatively, briefly over his, all but forgetting that she's meant to be embarrassed when she knows she doesn't actually have reason to be. "And you also. Not that I don't think you could hold your own, but it's different when it's magic, and I wouldn't want anything to happen."

[makeafairfight]

Cameron turns his hand to catch her fingers for a moment, wanting to touch her wrist or to pull back entirely and willing himself to do neither. He's never in his life lacked for love, not before this place, but it feels good to have someone here to care about him, maybe even worry a little. He can hold his own, she's right, but he still likes to hear it. "Well, this is a conversation I never thought I'd have," he says lightly. "I promise I'll be careful." He pauses a moment and smiles. "You're very sweet."

[notverywise]

Jenny stays quiet for a moment, expecting a but to follow, like she's somehow made herself too transparent and has to prepare herself for a rejection. It doesn't come, though, the statement standing on its own, and while maybe sweet isn't exactly what she would have liked him to think of her as, it's still better than many alternatives. Besides, the moment where his fingers curl around hers is enough to hold her over for a good long time yet. "Well, I don't think anyone could have thought people would suddenly have strange abilities like this, either," she points out, a way of deflecting just a little. "I just wouldn't want to see you hurt. You still owe me a dinner, after all."

[makeafairfight]

"Ah, I see," Cameron says, smile growing broader at the reminder. He does, at that, and it's nice to think she recalls, that she wants that. "Your kindness is purely mercenary. Well, you're right, I do. How about next Friday? Eight o'clock?" There's no need here to plan so far ahead, but it feels right, more like home, and while he's aware it does neither of them any good to continue the pretense of a normal life when here they lead anything but, it also does no harm.

[notverywise]

"Not purely," Jenny protests, though she can't help smiling as she does, grateful for the levity. Even with everything gone so mad, there's no reason to stay on the subject of the possibility of something happening to either of them. This is much better, and not just because of the way she feels her heart start beating a little faster with a day and time decided on, making their plans no longer hypothetical, but something actually happening. She can ignore the part of her that feels too dishonest for just a while longer. "But next Friday at eight it is. I'll be looking forward to it."