The Gifted

[3Dog]

"I'm a black mage... and a pretty good one at that." said Kyo immodestly, polishing his knuckles on his coat in a jocular manner. "That didn't stop me from getting my arm torn out today, though. Black magic is my specialty, but I'm also a telekinetic. Telekinesis is my go-to power because it's got a lot more secrecy to it than black magic which is just a blatant giveaway of being Gifted. I've been into hand-to-hand combat for a long time and it's quite easy to mix my telekinesis into that. Throw a fireball at a hume and they'll know what you are, but punch 'em a little harder than normal? They'll never tell. You gotta be careful with it, telekinesis can be just as destructive as black magic."

[Willard]

'You don't have to tell me twice! My sister is telekinetic as well, sparring with her always hurts! She sure takes after my dad... but I've never seen either of them do what that guy did to your arm. Was that telekinesis? I'm more of a manipulator than a direct fighter, so I tend to avoid most attacks of that nature. You'd be suprised how hard it is for most people to hide their emotions and thoughts while they're fighting. It's even easier to read them when they're angry or scared.'

Zenith massaged his scar through his coat. The pain hadn't quite faded completely yet. 'That doesn't stop me from being hit every once in a while, though. Maybe I should get some practice in with you too, if you're as good as you say.'

[KuiKarasu]

'Sparring?' Finally, the first interesting thing she'd heard all day. A loner like herself didn't have many friends to begin with, even less, any friends that would be interested in sparring. Strength was something that needed to be honed, and for a summoner like her, time was precious. She'd been steadily working towards cutting down the summoning time, but nothing worked quite as well as the actual feel of battle. Of course, with her paranoia, she'd never approach first. Even as she wanted to ask and be welcomed, her throat very nearly closed up from fear. Fear of drawing attention to herself. Fear or rejection. Her hands grasped the hem of her shirt tightly, head bowing down so that she was staring at her toes, peaking out from the sandals.

[Savi]

Aqua heard the girl getting excited. She turned her head and saw the fear rolling off of her. She knew how that felt. She didn't make a move, though. These people clearly don't like her. She messed up, but she didn't feel like saying something was the right move. She felt so conflicted and confused. She wasn't used to the change from her tortured life. Maybe that's why she pushed people away. She just didn't want to get hurt. She sighed in defeat and looked back out the window.

[3Dog]

Kyo tilted his head to the left and looked up at the ceiling, his arms folding as he wondered if sparring after such a traumatic incident was a good idea.
"Sure, why not?" he said after a long pause, relenting from his apprehension and deciding that sparring would be a great confidence-booster. "We could probably teach each other a thing or two, I guess I need to work on my defenses. The guy in the slums was the most powerful telekinetic I've ever seen so I'm not gonna lie, knowing that someone with his ability exists and is likely on the wrong side... that makes me really, really uneasy."

[Willard]

The wrong side? Could Zenith's father be right? Civil war... there certainly would be those who would benefit from the eradication of the Gifted... or the subjugation humans, for that matter. Zenith shuddered inwardly, thinking that he'd need as much sparring practice as he could get.

'Sounds good... Yeah, that guy was a monster.'

Looking over to the back, Zenith could feel Daiyu take interest in what they were saying. She looked fairly lonely; avoiding eye contact, she stared at her feet, as if anxious to remain invisible...

'Although,' Zenith began a little more loudly, 'We could use some other partners, so our techniques don't become stale!'

Zenith thought he saw the girl look up quickly, but he couldn't be sure. As a Psion, he knew what it was like to be lonely... and Zenith was quickly learning to like having someone to talk to. Turning back to Kyo, he noticed his folded arm was positioned a little stiffly against his chest.

'Maybe you should go see someone about getting your arm healed more fully before we start fighting eachother though..'

[KuiKarasu]

'Damn telepaths.' Daiyu sighed, raising her arms to cross over the back of the seat in front of her, she rested her chin on her arms and spoke, never once looking over to where the two guys sat, "I've been discovered, haven't I." A statement more than a question, she rolled her eyes and finally glanced their way. "Can I take it as an invitation to your sparring group?" At the very least, even if more emotional bonds weren't formed through this she would have a way to train. More than anything she needed to become strong. She had a goal, a dream, and it was something that required great power. Power that was currently beyond her reach.

[Savi]

Aqua looked at the group and felt a tinge of jellousy. She didn't understand it, so she shrugged it off and went back to thinking. She couldn't help but feel happy for the girl. She wasn't rejected like Aqua had so many times before. She remembered her parents say she was worthless and a demon. She still had the scars to prove her parents hatred for her. She was happy she got out of there, even though it made her all screwed up in the head. She felt bad for being so rude to Kyo. She didn't know what to feel about the strange girl. She scooted closer to the window.

[3Dog]

Kyo grimaced at Zenith. He must have been mistaken when his first impression of his new friend was 'awkward', for he seemed to be quite the ladies man.
"Sure, why not?" he said once more, chuckling at the deja vu. "Don't worry about me, Zenith, I'll get my arm fixed before I spar with anyone... I'm not stupid you know. Hot-headed, yes, but stupid? I like to think not."

[Willard]

'I know you're not,' Zenith smiled widely, 'I just want to fight you at your full strength!'

Turning to Daiyu, Zenith noticed that she appeared somewhat resigned; she did not move closer, nor did she keep prolonged eye-contact. That was fine by him.

'Of course! My name is Zenith, and this is Kyo,' Zenith gestured towards his new friend. 'It's weird, but for as long as I've been at the Academy, this is the first time I've really talked to other students for more than simple directions or the like.'

The rocking of the bus was gradually smoothing out as the distance between the group and the Slums increased; the roads were more freshly paved, the people on the streets were better dressed, the buildings more clean, sterile. Being reminded of how unfair the whole Gifted situation was, Zenith's smile faded, if only slightly. But this is what we're here for, he thought to himself, gazing at his fellow students. To even the playing field. If we can control our powers more efficiently, perhaps we can make ourselves seem less threatening to regular people.

I wonder what it's like to be regular, normal.