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Post by Headmistress Charlotte Burke on Jan 7, 2011 20:23:36 GMT -6
-- Charlotte was excited for the annual bonfire she and the other teachers put on at the beginning of the year. It was a chance for everyone to get to know each other before they started school. It also gave the freshman a chance to get to know each other before the classes officially started, and to get to know the upperclassmen. For those students who returned home during the summer, it gave them an opportunity to get back in touch with their friends from school. All students were welcomed to stay at the school during the summer months, and were allowed to stay on school grounds and in their dorms. Even the freshman were allowed to stay during the summer before they started classes, and she was always surprised how many students did this, whether it was up to them or their parents, Charlotte didn't know. It made her sad to think some of the children's parents thought they were weird or were scared of them. They just needed some guidance on their powers, but one too many children had been practically banished from their home because of what they were gifted with.
-- This was also her favorite time of the year, everyone was nervous and excited about the new year ahead of them, and she loved meeting the new students. Charlotte wasn't really your average Headmistress, she was a frequent visitor to the cafeteria and the classrooms, just to say hello. Her office door was always open, and many students came to talk to her. It was evident that she loved the school and everything it stood for. Charlotte was wearing casual clothing, something that she hardly ever did, as she was always working! She wouldn't have it any other way though. A smile was plastered on her face as she ran around and got the hot dogs and s'mores ready for the students to cook over the bonfire.
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Post by Brandon Bailey on Feb 3, 2011 14:40:15 GMT -6
Brandon smiled, walking toward the beach with a straightened clothes hanger in hand. His four favorite things would be all in the same area and that was good.
1. Marshmallows and hot dogs.
Who didn't love marshmallows? Especially the roasted kind, and especially when it was with chocolate and graham crackers, and hot dogs? Eating hot dogs next to a fire was fuckin as American as it got, and Brandon was nothing but a true patriot of his country.
2. Fire.
This one was simple. Brandon had pyromania, and this was caused by his ability to burn things at will.
3. Water.
He loved the ocean; it was nothing if not the biggest weapon he could play with, and there were several people that could be impressed by his abilities of water control and Brandon did enjoy being the center of attention.
4. Females.
Hey, as chivalrous of a young man as he was, he was a young man. He had a healthy appreciation of the female figure.
Brandon chuckled at his own perversness, and saw the pile of logs that would soon be on fire and a brunette older woman wandering about the rather empty beach area, preparing.
"Whoops. Guess I got here too early." The element user sighed, before heading towards what would be a party in a few hours, he supposed.
"Hello, Professor Charlotte!" He waved his empty hand in greeting, and smiled warmly, already feeling the ocean's calming presence in the back of his mind. He already felt stronger as he grew closer. The thing with these beach bonfires is that they made him feel nearly invincible.
And who doesn't like feeling invincible?
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Post by Sacha Destin on Apr 10, 2011 22:48:17 GMT -6
He was disgusted with himself, really he was. He had arrived early to a party. A social gathering. A meet-and-greet. One of the things he hated most about school life, with its pleasant chatter and forced smiles and painfully awkward introductions. No upperclassmen ever talked to freshmen, anyways, so what was the point?
He ran his fingers through his hair with the distracted by thoroughly put-out air of someone who has better things to be doing. Though he had been forced to leave his headphones in his dorm room by his roommates - who seemed to be oddly concerned with his welfare, considering that Destin wasn't in the least concerned with theirs - he had by his side a black satchel, and, concealed beneath a layer of swim clothes that he could use to justify bringing the satchel, was a thin, streamlined shape that gave him warm shivers to look at.
Settling down on the sand and avoiding eye contact with the headmistress and another student who were just a ways away, Destin reached inside his back and ran his long fingers over the surface of his laptop. He cracked it open half an inch and both the screen and his face brightened.
To connect to the Interface, as he called it, required a great deal of concentration, especially if he hadn't done it in a while, though it took no effort at all to stay online. There was a web, a series of interlocking servers and systems that spanned the world. In cities, the threads were woven so tightly that it was almost unbearable, but in isolated areas, Destin could maneuver his way around the web easily, grabbing on to and pulling himself into whatever server suited his fancy. But there was a current in the Interface - data moving back and forth caused waves, and if he wasn't careful, he could end up accessing the wrong computer, and that wasted time that he didn't like to spare.
But with his own computer, with which he had a very close connection, he didn't need to think so hard. Closing his eyes, he reached out and slid himself into the Interface, feeling the familiar wash of data over his mind. Almost affectionately, he began sorting through it, gently positioning data he needed in one corner of his mind and data he didn't in another. Destin's eyes glassed over and his mouth went slightly slack; he hoped no one came to interrupt him while his attention was on the Interface. That had happened before, and the results were, to say the least, embarrassing.
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Post by Alexander Mason Worthington on Apr 11, 2011 10:34:28 GMT -6
Mason pursed his lips as he walked out onto the beach. This was his last time he'd be at these annul bonfire. As a student, anyways. He would have rather stayed a few more days vacationing in Italy. But these were practically mandatory. He gave a friendly wave toward the Headmistress but kept his distance. Brandon had walked up to the professor to try and make small talk with her. He gave him a nod in greeting.
He set himself opposite the fire. Running his hands threw the fire, just to see his skin burn and regrow, he looked at the boy with the lap top. The boy's face indicated that his thoughts were miles away. The freshman, he'd guessed, would be left alone. Why must he always come early to these things? He'd lost interest in meeting freshman ages ago. Unless they struck his interest, he'd let them run in their own little circle.
He'd never once spent his vacation at the school. He couldn't imagine what it would be like. Tedious and repetitive, he supposed. His father always insisted on going to a different country every summer. He didn't mind it much. It gave him a chance to meet foreign men and women. Who would argue with that?
His stomach started to rumble a bit. Smores. Professor Charlotte always has smores at the bonfires. Perhaps he was just a bit too early this time. He looked over at the boy with the laptop. "You're drooling, you know," he called out to the boy.
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Post by Sacha Destin on Apr 11, 2011 18:17:18 GMT -6
To Destin, lost in the Interface, hearing another person talk to him was like a flash of lightning in the dark. He jumped two inches, hand flying to reassuringly touch the metal of his laptop. He could ignore other conversations while linked in to his computer, but for some reason that he had never understood, it never worked if he was being addressed specifically. Glaring and rubbing his mouth with the back of one hand, Destin turned to look at the person who had interrupted him, eyes barely processing one fact before moving on to another, reasoning skills kicking in.
Senior. Young - 17, perhaps 18. Tousled hair; so he's self-confident. Cocky, maybe, too - doesn't care what I think of him.
That last bit of information interested him immensely: it decided how he acted towards this new boy. Since there was little chance he, a freshman, could make a good impression on this senior (and anyways, did it matter? The boy would be leaving the Academy next year) he cocked his head to the side impudently, drawing the laptop unconsciously closer to him.
"Was it bothering you? I'm sorry. I didn't notice; I was busy." Though he made his tone sincere, Des grinned inwardly at the empty words.
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Post by Headmistress Charlotte Burke on Apr 12, 2011 18:46:27 GMT -6
-- A couple other students arrived early, although it was getting closer to the time when most of the students showed up. When Charlotte had started this, she used to get worried when only a few students showed up on time, but the longer she had the job, she realized that teenagers always showed up late. She would never understand them, but she just got used to their habits. She had everything set out and ready to go, now it was time to socialize and just relax. Tonight would be the only time she would be able to do this. Actually, she did have paperwork to finish, but it was always tradition for the Headmaster or Headmistress to put aside all duties to have a good time at the annual Ashburn bonfire.
-- She said hello to Brandon, and he too scampered off to join some of his friends. Charlotte recognized a senior boy, Alexander, who went by Mason, and a freshman who's name escaped her. Charlotte was going to change this. She walked up to the two boys, and realized she must have walked into a conversation. Charlotte hoped they were getting along. Sometimes the seniors could be a little...intimidating to the freshman. Not that she blamed them. She had been a freshman here once. Any freshman who said they weren't intimidated by the seniors were lying.
-- "Hello! Mason, it's nice to see you back here. You must be an incoming student. Nice to meet you. I'm the Headmistress, Charlotte Burke." She offered a polite smile. Most of the time, headmasters extended a hand, but you never knew whose power involved contact, so it was better to be on the safe side. "Everything is ready if you guys want to go ahead and eat." Charlotte said graciously. This as going to be a great year, she could just feel it.
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Post by Bryn Dolecki on Apr 16, 2011 12:10:36 GMT -6
Bryn made her way down to the beach, where the beginning of the year bonfire was going on. She was partially tempted to fly down in her falcon form, but she only had directions to the beach from the ground. It wouldn't be hard to find, but it would be strange to drop in on a group of people she didn't know as a falcon. She saw the orange glow of the fire ahead of her. Human shaped silhouettes surrounded it. The faint sound of voices reached her ears, even though she was still fairly far away. She walked slowly, enjoying the stars and the cool of the night on her skin. When she stepped onto the beach, Bryn took off her shoes. The sand between her toes felt amazing. As she got closer to the fire, the churning in her stomach got more strong. She hardly knew anybody at the school, and that meant she probably wouldn't talk much through the whole bonfire. 'Remember what you promised yourself.' she thought to herself. 'No more of this shyness. You're gonna talk to someone.'
When she got to the bonfire, the first thing she noticed was the kid and his laptop. 'Why would anyone bring a laptop to the beach?' she thought, very confused. Bryn ignored it. Maybe it was part of his gift. A breeze blew in off the ocean. 'What I wouldn't give to be flying right now...' she thought, as the wind swept through her strawberry blonde hair. |
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Post by Sacha Destin on Apr 16, 2011 22:20:19 GMT -6
There were entirely too many people around him for Destin's liking, but he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to drift away into the interface. As tempting as it was, it would be the equivalent of committing social suicide - one did not ignore upperclassmen, and one certainly did not ignore the head of school. So he drew his hand back from the laptop, trying hard not to look as unfriendly as he felt, and looked around him. Maybe if he was nice they would go away.
"My name," he said in a soft, singsong voice that people usually preferred to his typical staccato tone, "is Sacha, Sacha Destin." He didn't care what theirs were, really, but he got them anyways - the headmistress was one Charlotte Burke, and the upperclassman who had so rudely interrupted Des' business was called Mason. There was another girl, too, but she seemed... aloof. Shy. Separate. Destin hoped she kept it that way and that she wouldn't join in the growing crowd around him.
He continued, "I'll pass on the food." Glancing derisively towards a few other students who had also arrived early, the freshman sunk his chin into his hands, waiting impatiently for someone else to think of something to say. One of his many pet peeves was having to carry on a conversation by yourself, and Destin got the feeling that he would have sufficient cause to be annoyed by the time the night was through without having to talk to himself the whole time.
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Post by Alexander Mason Worthington on Apr 17, 2011 21:56:33 GMT -6
Mason pursed his lips at the boy. "No. You looked like you were losing you were losing your mind." He looked at the laptop. Leave it to a freshman to bring a computer to the beach. About to continue the conversation, he was interrupted by the happy sounding voice of the Headmistress.
"Hello Charlotte, I see your looking as lovely as ever," he grinned cheekily at his Headmistress. He took a peak at the food. "Let me work up my hunger, then I'll have something." He narrowed his eyes at the boy as he introduced himself. He took a quick glance at the girl that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Bryn. The animal girl.
"So, what's with your laptop? It's not something one would usually bring to a beach," he asked shamelessly, knowing Charlotte wouldn't. Besides, it was always good knowing who would be a good ally or a greater enemy.
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Post by Sacha Destin on Apr 18, 2011 15:31:18 GMT -6
Destin almost growled at the senior and ran his hands through his long hair to distract himself. Apparently this was one person he did not want to get on the wrong side of - Mason could certainly bite back. Most of the other people he had met would only ignore him, but this boy seemed interested, if only for practical and not personal reasons. Wondering whether he should reply with more sarcasm or indignation or feigned offense, Des was saved by the senior as he greeted the Headmistress perkily.
'I see you're looking as lovely as ever', he thought derisively. What a suckup. Why do you need to complement the Headmistress, of all people?
Mason asked another question - Nosy blighter, isn't he? - about the laptop and Destin nearly rolled his eyes. It was just a little bit too weird to be coincidence that he had run into the only senior who was actually concerning himself with the abilities of a freshman. Most of them, Des hoped, would simply pass him by without a second glance. But, this Mason, he was rude and he was curious. A bad combination. After a moment, the freshman rested his chin on the heel of one hand and pressed the other palm to his laptop, wondering whether he should reply. It can't hurt, he told himself. He might be useful, later...
He dropped the pretense of friendliness, however. In his typical, short, staccato voice, Des replied, "Technopathy. I keep it with me. If your ability concerned wind, wouldn't you love a windy day? Why should it be any different with me? The knowledge that I can, at any given time, access the Internet and any harddrive nearby, makes me feel as..." he waved a hand, looking for the word. "...as good as the wind would for you, if you had that gift."
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Post by Brandon Bailey on Apr 18, 2011 16:45:09 GMT -6
Brandon had mingled with a few people and eventaully ended up close to the fire, relishing the immense warmth that flowed through him, a feeling that he felt in his very soul.
The junior had eavesdropped on a few conversations, nothing really interesting. Mason, a senior he had known from a few classes was...actually....hitting on Professor Burke.
Lord have mercy.
Brandon scoffed and rolled his eyes and continued listening in to other people's interactions. He was as nosey as he was curious; after all, eavesdropping was just one more way of gaining information.
A kid that he didn't know, probably a freshman or a sophomore was conversing with Mason. The younger man looked rather annoyed to be here, and listening to what the younger boy said his gift was, then it was obvious why.
"There's no wifi on the beach." he thought with a silent chuckle.
Brandon loved the dualness of his gift. Heat and moisture were everywhere he planned on going. He imagined that a trip to the Sahara Desert at night would be miserable for him, but right now, he was on a tropical island with a fire ten feet in front of his face and a beach right within spitting distance.
The junior thought it funny how so different his Gift was from... Sacha Destin, he believed... at the moment, Brandon was totally in his element while the younger man was totally outside it, save for the laptop.
He stopped caring about the conversation as he scanned the crowd for a more familiar, less masculine face. Bri usually wasn't late to these kinds of things, but it was still kinda early.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a fellow junior. Bryn, he was sure. He didn't really know her outside of class, but dammit, these things were for mingling and mingling was what he would do! With that in mind, he approached her with what he considered his friendliest grin.
"Hi Bryn!"
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Post by Bryn Dolecki on Apr 24, 2011 10:04:25 GMT -6
Bryn folded her arms and watched the fire. It's warmth reached her even from a distance. The animal instincts she had gained the first time she changed were screaming at her that fire was bad, and to step away from it. The cockroach part of her, however, didn't care, and that was enough to keep her close to its warmth. She let out a disgusted snort as she heard Mason compliment Professor Burke. She hadn't ever really talked to him, and she didn't really want to. He seemed like he would be a total jerk. When he looked her way, she averted her eyes. She hated making eye contact with anyone. It made her feel like they could see what she was thinking. Bryn turned her focus back to the fire. Its glow bathed her in a reddish-orange color, making her hair seem bright red. She watched the conversation between the freshman, whose name she overheard was Sacha Destin, and Mason. Technopath? Sounds weird, but pretty cool. she thought. Nothing like being connected to nature though. Nature was always there, even in the most busy cities. There were always birds singing, or dogs barking. She glanced around the fire quickly. It was still early, and not many people were there yet. She quick eye contact with Brandon as he said hi. She walked over to him. “Hi Brandon. How was your summer?” she asked, trying to strike up conversation. |
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Post by Brandon Bailey on Apr 27, 2011 5:51:55 GMT -6
Glad to see that she was returning conversation, Brandon grinned even wider and nodded.
"My summer was all right. I spent it here for once. Most of the time, I go back home but it was too expensive this time. I guess the poor economy even reaches here, doesn't it? "
The young man looked at the flames, comforted by the warmth.
"Not that there's anything wrong with here. It's more of a home than home is for me. I mean, I spend most of my time here anyway!"
He and Bryn had never really spoken before. He remembered someone mentioning that she could turn into a bunch of different animals as far as powers went, but as far as he could remember, she'd been a bit shy for most of the time they'd had any classes together.
"Just because a person doesn't talk to you with every breath they take doesn't mean they're shy. Just quiet." he thought, chastising himself. He tried to not ever get the wrong first impression.
"How was yours?"`
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Post by Bryn Dolecki on Apr 28, 2011 19:24:07 GMT -6
Bryn stared into the fire as she listened to Brandon. She knew he could control fire and water, so he must feel right at home at the bonfire. She had honestly never talked to him outside of classes before, but these get together's were for meeting new people, so she might as well socialize. Beside, Brandon seemed like a truly nice guy. She could definitely tell he wouldn't tolerate crap from anyone.
“Yeah. Money was tight this year. I had to buy my own ticket. Usually my dad pays for the flight back here, but he needed to pay the bills, so I got a summer job.” she explained “I would have stayed here, but my I kinda felt homesick.” Back at home, Bryn had a twin brother. She knew that Nikolai would eventually develop powers. She could feel it. It was only a matter of time.
“Mine was good. It was great to see everyone at home.” She smiled at the thought of playing with her four year old half sister, Fiore. She was a good kid. Bryn's dad had made a good choice in marrying Kamelia. She cast her eyes downward to look at her forearm. She smiled as she read the tattoo there. For her sixteenth birthday, he had agreed to let her get the lyrics to Seasons of Love from the musical Rent tattooed on her arm as a tribute to her mother. Before the musical had closed on Broadway, Bryn and her mother had gone down once every summer to see the show, and her mothers favorite song was Seasons of Love, so when she asked her Dad about it, he had agreed. She didn't regret the choice at all. She turned her attention back to the bonfire, getting her head out of the past. [/blockquote] |
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Post by Brandon Bailey on Apr 28, 2011 19:47:18 GMT -6
Brandon's curiousity got the best of him- as it usually always did. Brandon was cursed with a desire to know everything. On occaision, some people would consider him pushy. He looked at her arm when she stared.
He snapped his fingers. The lyrics sounded familiar to him.
"OH! That's umm.... crap... uhhh... Season of Love? Uh.... was that Mama Mia, Wicked, or Rent? I had a girlfriend a few years ago who was big on Broadway muscials and made me listen to a bunch of sound tracks. I only liked Avenue Q and a few songs from Wicked. Hahaha..."
The water user winked afterwards.
"A tattoo, though. Hot stuff!" he said in a joking manner, figuring it would bring about a laugh.
The young man sighed.
"I guess I might look up a part time job or something. I wanna go home for Christmas since I didn't go home this summer, ya know? Normally I stay here, but... I miss my siblings. I got like five hundred of them. Haha. Nah, I only have three. Two of them are twins. It gets hectic with four of us."
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over on Caution 2.0
