Reflection [Chamber]

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie had been thinking an awful lot lately, and had been concentrating with every fiber in her body to control her powers. She found herself wishing that she hadn't been cursed with this, that she didn't have to be pulled from her school only a couple of years prior due to her powers, that she didn't have to come here. Sometimes, she wished she hadn't had to wait to come here, that she could have learned her control sooner, that she could have lived out a normal life amongst normal people regardless of her mutation.

Then again, this was such a wonderful learning experience, and it was beginning to drag her out of her shell ever so slightly. Only a couple of days prior, she had actually held a conversation with a nice young man in the common area. It was a giant leap for her, and it helped her to beat down that horrible social anxiety she'd felt for so very long.

Today was a day of reflection, however, it was a day to sit by the side of Breakstone lake and ponder. On life, on stories, on limericks and puns and question the very meaning of existence, introverted and quiet. Graceful. Today was a day for meditation.

So Laurie, the quiet girl that she was, sat by herself staring over the gentle waves of the water, basking in the heavy scent that of course accompanied the dense vegetation that surrounded the water's edge. listening as the gentle sound of birdsong floated on the breeze.

It was a little bit late in the evening, the sun was just beginning to sink in the sky and a fog was hovering over the surface of the lake, the bugs were beginning to come out and it was only about a half an hour until the bats would come flying through the air to catch their winged dinner. That quiet time just before the twilight, that moment where everything seemed just perfect, that there was, indeed, some sort of divine spirit, some sort of greater plan.

That moment you just wished would last forever.

And so, Laurie sat, cross legged upon the ground, wearing a grey knitted sweater that just covered her bottom and black tights that cut off midway down her calves and black ballet flats. The sweater itself hugged her body comfortably and was incredibly soft. It had a low v-neck that just exposed the top of a white camisole with delicate lace adorning the top.

The stance she held might not have been particularly inviting, but it wasn't exactly discouraging to onlookers. She wasn't trying to be social or pushing herself to do anything, she was simply existing; her peaceful pheromones were leaking steadily into the air around her.

At the very least she knew that nobody around her would behave negatively right now. Any visitors she had would be pleasant and peaceful.

[/justify]

[Jonothan Starsmore]

Jono was getting sick of the inside. He had been in class most of the day, and he was getting sick of being stuck inside. He stepped out of through the large wooden doors, revealing the even larger grounds of the school. He wasn’t big on gardens or at least not right now. It’d be worth checking out later, and maybe he might take some photos to send back home.

He noticed the memorial for Charles Xavier, and he really had no idea who that was truth be told. He figured he’d need to google that later before he stuck his foot in his mouth about the bloke. He made his way aimlessly through the backyard randomly walking around passed the memorial, and passed the garden maze. It had an in ground swimming pool, but Chamber wasn’t the type to swim. He was enjoying the summer in New York as compared to his home in England where it rained ALL the time.

He was wearing a black Breaking Benjamin t-shirt with his usual undershirt that had been specially made for him by Forge. The shirt was like a compression athlete shirt, but the neck went all the way up to cover the lower half of his face. It allowed him to be able to talk effectively if not sounding a bit muffled. He had on a regular pair of blue jeans that had rips in the knees and were really faded. He had on flip flops, and various wooden bead bracelets. He wore sunglasses to block out the very bright sun as he lazily walked down to the lake.

The lake was beautiful, and this was a great place to vacation. He kind of dreaded the idea of living here though, it was going to be amazingly boring. He noticed a girl off the way. She was a pretty thing sitting on the grass near the shore. She wasn’t far off from the water. He looked around noticing she was the only one out here. ”I guess everyone is still inside.”

He said walking over her way. ”Would you like some company or were you enjoying the silence?” He said standing not far from her. She was a cute girl if not a little preppy looking. He wouldn’t hold that against someone though he had all kinds of friends. As long as someone was willing to be civil so was he.

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie had been staring out at the water so intently that she hardly noticed when she was approached. The only thing alerting her to anybody's presence was the soft sound of his slightly muffled voice. She looked up and away from the water, and up at Jonothan's mostly covered face, smiling invitingly. Taking a deep breath and gathering what little control she did have over her powers, she would eventually open her mouth to speak.

"Not particularly looking to be alone, no,

[/b]" she said, gently patting the ground beside her. "Simply reflecting on all that has happened and lead me, and perhaps all of us, here to this place. Have a seat, stay a while and forgive me any awkwardness; I am not yet acclimatized to the social nature of this place. Until recently my powers have not allowed for much social activity.[/b]" She suddenly felt like she was talking far too much, so she stopped and looked back out over the water, the slightest blush settling upon her cheeks.

The dying light of the sun was dancing along the surface of the water, seemingly making the entire world sparkle. The wind, heavy with the scent of the flora in the area, was making her loose hair dance about her face and tickle her cheeks. After only a few seconds Laurie ran her hands back through her hair and tied it in a loose pony tail at the base of her skull, her loose blonde curls hovering just between her shoulder blades. It was a very perfect evening; the air was cool without any bite, there was just enough wind to keep the biting bugs away but not enough to take her breath away, the sky was beginning to turn brilliant shades of pink and orange with the dying light of the sun and she was pondering quietly on the new life she would lead here with these other students, these other mutants. It was an interesting life experience.

Laurie was mildly curious, but wouldn't dare ask about Jonothan's strange shirt, she figured if he felt like sharing then he would. Personally, she didn't mind being asked about her powers despite how much difficulty they'd presented in her life but she knew, or at least assumed, that others were sensitive on the subject. She'd seen some pretty strange mutations in her short time here.

A learning experience indeed.

After several more moments she realized that she was actually being quite rude as she had not introduced herself.

"Pardon me, but I've forgotten my manners,[/b]" her speech polite as ever, being well read and undeniably intelligent, it was obvious that she hadn't enough exposure to many others her age to have adopted more modern speech patterns. She was very much attached to proper English. "My name is Laurie Collins.[/b]"

Once more, she was looking at him but wasn't sure whether she should be offering her hand for him to shake or not, whether he'd take it or if his abilities would even allow. [/blockquote][/justify]

[Jonothan Starsmore]

He took a seat next to her, and looked out over the lake as she told him as to her current plans for the evening. She was reflecting and that was not something he did very often. He was very vested in the present and spent little time wondering about the future or past. He didn’t want to reflect at least not on what had happened when his powers triggered. He knew it was best to keep his thoughts on making every day a better day.

“Names Jonothan Starsmore. Friends call me Jono.” Despite the muffle of the shirt his British accent was very easy to pick up on. He felt like he was smiling but he wondered if he ever came off as inviting. So many people were reliant on facial expressions. He lacked the lower half of his face to present a smile that won him the affections of many young ladies.

”Sorry about the muffle. The shirt is kind of required to hold back my powers. Apparently some kind of super nova or somethin’ where my chest and mouth should be. Bad things happen with it left unexposed. But I can certainly tell you that I feel like i’m smiling.” He said with a chuckle. He was growing accustomed to the powers with each passing day. He spent years repressing them with “Cure” but he didn’t want to spend his life using it.

”So, how’d you find out about this place?” He was doing his best to rely on small talk to keep him in her presence. She was a beautiful girl and he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be out in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t like being in another country either. He was away from his friends and away from his own culture. At the very least the school seem to have a very strong diversity of kids from all over the world. He wrestled his eyes away from the lake and rested them on Laurie’s portrait like face.

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie smiled at Jono invitingly as he apologized about his muffled voice. "No worries, Jono,

[/b]" she said quietly, smiling a little bit wider when he mentioned he felt like he was smiling. "Believe it or not, I can see your smile in your eyes. You look quite content. I'm sorry your powers are also difficult to cope with, it mustn't be easy having it so much more prevalent.[/b]" Laurie had not been fortunate enough to hear of the cure, having hidden nearly completely in her books for so long, not that it would have made a difference for her, it was doubtful that she would have utilized such a thing. She was more of an introvert than anything else and her powers were a decent excuse to stay away from her peers.

She liked having this excuse.

Jono went ahead to ask how she'd heard of this place and smiled. "Well, I suppose my father was a mutant and provided my mother with some very useful contacts within the society, though I've never met him.... How did you hear of Xavier's?[/b]"

Her curiosity was genuine, she was actually interested to know more about Jono. Where he was from, how his powers manifested. That super nova thing drew her in an incredible amount, her curiosity at this point nearly insatiable. Surely, eventually she would know enough and leave him alone, but right now as she gazed at him, for once, instead of out at the water as the world began to darken around them.

It was a wonderful time of day, and she was very glad indeed to have someone to share it with.[/blockquote][/justify]

[Jonothan Starsmore]

He leaned back his eyes resting on the clouds as they passed over silently as they had always done since the beginning of time. ”Same as you. My Dad is kind of rich. So he knew Warren quite well as he was friends with Warren’s Dad.” He took a moment to think about his Dad. They weren’t exactly on speaking terms anymore. Not since his son was discovered to be a mutant.

He put the thoughts out of his mind as put his arms crossed behind his head. He could only live his life. It was hard to put someone elses insecurities above your own when your problems included a nuclear power plant for a torso.

”So tell me about ya self lass. Where are you from? What ya like to do besides sitting by lakes?” She seemed like a nice down to earth kind of chic. She was actually like nothing he really had ever really gone after but he was enjoying himself. This was the first person he was meeting at the school after all. He might as well take the opportunity to get to know her. It’s not like she wasn’t just one of the most beautiful girls around.

”And what about your powers? Ya never told me about those yeah.” In their back and forth he had forgotten to ask about her powers. He felt like such a sod for not being so considerate as to ask her after complaining about his. ”And thanks for the compliment.” She had even complimented his eyes essentially and he had been completely oblivious to it the entire time. He really was a sod.

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie listened intently as he spoke, his accent not being particularly difficult to follow but different nonetheless. She liked it, it had a certain lull, a draw. He explained that he came from a higher class family, that his father was close with the father of the owner of the school, which she thought was a little bit neat, if a little privileged. Not that there was anything wrong with that, she just came from humbler beginnings.

Where her mother had always struggled to keep everything together and parent, she understood that a lot of households were not run in the same manner. Her powers aside, there was always something, had always been something that set her apart from her peers. It wasn't such a difference here, most people seemed to be on level footing. Most had been abandon or cast out by their families and friends and shipped off to a boarding school for freaks. At least everyone knew where they stood.

Jono went on to ask about her, and another very subtle blush settled over her cheeks. She wasn't sure how to proceed, so she just answered his questions as truthfully and directly as possible.

"Well uhm, I'm from Connecticut where I lived with my mother for my entire life, no father to speak of that I've met,

[/b]" she began, not sure how much information was too much. "I love the outdoors, but not camping, I feel the need to make this very clear. Nothing is better in my mind than a comfortable couch or bed and a good book. I've very much been living under a rock my entire life, I don't understand the necessity for garish details or displays and I prefer to ignore the current state of the human race and anything linked to pop-culture. There are many rude and disgusting things happening now that I'd sooner turn a blind eye to, as much for my own sanity as the safety of others.[/b]"

Jono went on to ask about her powers. Well that was a little bit more difficult for her. "Well, I'm a pheromone manipulator, however I do not have much control over it yet. I've just barely learned how to keep them to myself and until recently, anybody within a ten to fifteen foot radius around me would be feeling exactly what I was feeling...I look forward to gaining some more control, if it is at all possible.[/b]"

And thanks for the compliment.

Oh, so he'd caught that had he. "Well you do have wonderful eyes,[/b]" she said sheepishly, blushing just a tiny bit more. "So, what do you like to do aside from approach young ladies by the sides of lakes during the twilight hour?[/b]"[/blockquote][/justify]