---

---

Peaceful. That was how she felt in this sutation. The water moved around her body softly and she felt lightweight in the very moment. Her thoughts drifted far far away. And then a strong arm wrapped around her and a second later she found herself being back on the air and sitting on the poolside. She was confused for a second.

"Seriously, if you're going to just lie at the bottom of the pool then at least put on some swimming gear. Anyone would think you were trying to drown yourself." A blonde guy with piercing green eyes sat next to her. He laughed.

"I'm Arthur. What do they call you, Miss Mermaid?" Did he just call her mermaid? "I'm Myriam", she answer and couldn't help but grin at him. "Sorry if I freaked you out."

Only moments later a girl walked in. “If it is attention you seek, you should try screaming out loud the next time.” Sorry the fuck what?! “Or perhaps sing opera at the top of your lungs.” On that note, she bursted out a note that made Myriam cringe. Is she insane? “See? Much more pleasant and less troublesome for everyone involved.”

To add to her rude infiltration of what could have been a nice and light conversation, her extremely inappropriate comment and her insane sudden singing, she suddenly eyed Arthur up and down as if he was some sort of meat. Myriam blinked in irriation and felt strongly turned off by this girl. She wished she would disappear.

"Or.... you could have just let her die." What the heck is wrong with all those people here? Now they wished she had died? "You guys think very loud, did you know?" Think loud? What did that mean again now? Maybe that their thoughts were written all over their faces?

Myriam turned her attention to the first girl, the one who had red hair and a French accent.

"I wasn't drowning, neither was I trying to kill myself. I was diving. And it is by far not very nice to barge into a conversation and just insult someone to seek attention, considering you didn't even see any of what happend whatsoever, and when clearly you are the one who does seek attention right now, given that you are interrupting a conversation here and looking my new friend up and down like you're dying of thirst and he is the last glass of water on the planet." She took a deep breath. "On that note, I hope we can look over the rather troublesome first impression and get along, at least of some sort."

Myriam breathed out some air and wiped the sticky wet hair away from her cheeks. She was really sad that this girl had interrupted them, she had only heard him speak two sentences but already smiled. That was a good sign in her books. Though she hoped that her and the girl would be able to get along, she really didn't need any trouble with meanies and fights around here. They should all try to stick together as best as they could.

@KahleenCuthald@Lillium@wolverbells



The situation went from slightly odd to downright bizarre. Not to mention hostile. Having spent much of his recent life in all-boy's boarding schools, Arthur was not as well versed with the other sexes as he would have liked to be. Conflict resolution was, however, something he was better at. Well, at least when there was violence involved. In that case there was always the fallback of beating both sides down.

As such, Arthur chose to ignore the very obvious ogling of his relative nudity by the girl with the French accent. He felt little embarrassment, after all he was the only one suitably attired for the room they were currently in. It was how, however, difficult to not respond in kind but doing so would have been highly inappropriate by most people's standards.

An eye for an eye and all that...

Myriam defended herself and tried to mend some bridges. While some of her logic was a bit naive, Arthur was impressed by how she hadn't risen to the barbed comments as much as he had expected her to. Pulling himself to his feet, Arthur rolled his shoulders and let the exertion of the swim wash off him. With his patented charming smile, he gestured openly to the three.

"I think we may have all gotten off to a bad start. Considering our circumstances that's understandable... and ill-advised. You never know who might prove useful to one another in here." He turned with interest to the second of the pair who had entered. "You're a telepath, then? That's an interesting ability. I'll try and keep my thoughts in order for you, then." Closing his eyes, Arthur exhaled slowly and lightly, letting the interruption of the unneeded rescue that had disturbed his relaxation fade before opening his eyes again with a soft smile.

"There, you shouldn't have much unintended noise coming from me now, I hope."

Now begged the question of what to do now? Now that his activity had been interrupted he no longer felt that continuing it would be as relaxing as before, especially with spectators about. A thought occurred to him as he glanced at Myriam, remembering how she had been closely attached to another girl who had looked to be far younger than the rest of them. Also a lot smaller.

"Myriam, wasn't there a girl you were with? The small miss? By the looks of it we're all out of our first sessions so maybe it might be wise for you to find her. She seemed to be coping with this whole situation less well than the rest of us and she seemed fairly attached to you." He sighed, his mind drifting back to their 'situation'. It would be unusual to cope with this situation well but, then again, Arthur felt even the negative emotions like fear far less acutely than others. "God knows, we could all do with someone or something to lean on at the moment."

He took a mock bow to the three, smiling somewhat impishly.

"I'm thinking I might go the cafeteria and find some proper food to eat after my swim. First, I better attire myself a little more... appropriately." He glanced at the young French miss and smiled in a ever-so-slightly cheeky manner before heading to the locker rooms to be true to his word and put on something better suited to company.

Lyra froze in her bed as someone knocked on the door. For a moment, she feared it would be Nathan, or another of the sickos responsible for keeping her here. Her worries were dispelled when she heard her visitor's voice. Stasya.

She wiped at her eyes with her blankets and propped herself up with her elbows, pulling taut the restraints connecting her to the bed. "Stasya!" she said warily, "They took you away! I was worried." She bit her lip at the lie. In truth, she'd had no time to spare worrying about anyone other than herself. She was a coward to the core.

"What happened to you?" she asked as tears continued to trickle down her cheeks. She was a mess. "They took you away, then they took the rest of us, and he locked me up here and gave me a letter and..." She hesitated midsentence, vaguely aware that the other girl wouldn't understand a word she said. But she had to talk to someone. If she kept it bottled up inside, it would only get worse.

"My parents... they betrayed me. Sold me to this place. They're probably among the investors who paid for us to be kidnapped. I hate them! Because of them, there's no point in running... no one loves me... I should lie in this bed and refuse to eat until I die! I..." She trailed off as she dissolved into outright sobbing. Helpless. Unwanted. Worthless. Crippled. What was the point in going on?

Stasya barely noticed the other girl waving from beside her. Instead, her concern was entirely focused on Lyra, and the fact that a pair of cuffs were locking her to the bed, and she was sobbing. Cold anger boiled in her gut, her nails shifted into claws, and her teeth sharpened as bone spikes split through the skin of her forearms and down her spine. She can't even walk, but they think they need to chain her up? What the hell do they think they're doing!

For a moment, she allowed herself the luxury of seething, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to be angry. Right now, Lyra was crying, and while she didn't understand what the girl was saying, she could guess that it had something to do with her, their, current circumstances. The spines and claws melted back into her body, and Stasya slipped into the bed beside Lyra, hesitantly placing an arm around her shoulders and gently pulling the weeping girl into her chest. "Не больно, не плачь. (No hurt, no cry,)" she crooned, rocking slightly from side to side to reassure the girl, one hand running through her hair.

As she held her, letting her cry, Stasya gave the bedroom a cold look. She no longer cared what sort of 'facility' this place was, if this was how they were going to treat a cripple. She needed to get them both out of here, as soon as possible. Of course, she couldn't tell Lyra that yet, but that wasn't the point. Eventually, she could, and that was promise that she was going to keep.

Plus, Lyra's family life was probably better than her own. Maybe some place to go, once she had gotten Natali. "Я здесь, не плачь. Я буду ухаживать за тобой, я обещаю, (I'm here, do not cry. I'll look after you, I promise)" she whispered, pressing her lips against the top of Lyra's head. Leaning back a little, Stasya gave as reassuring and warm smile as she could. "Lyra."

@Airalin @HecateProxy

Abel and Ezra were finished a half-hour later. The man had taken a swab of DNA and now moved to leave. Abel stood up, frustrated from the berating questions and evaluations. "So you're just gonna leave me here? When can I go home? What kind of "tests" will I have to go through?" He demanded in an angered tone.

"You'll find out the answer to every one of those questions when it's the right time." Ezra said, then turned went through the door. Abel reluctantly acknowledged that the stubborn jerk wouldn't give him any more information, so he gave up, but then called to him again.

"Hey!" A moment passed and the large man filled the doorframe, his eyebrows raised. "I... I need clothes..." He said, momentarily glancing to his bare chest.

Ezra smiled slightly, and hefted a short laugh."The wardrobe in your sleeping quarters is fully stocked." He answered and disappeared into the corridor.

Abel waited a moment, pacing a few steps, then dashing into the hallway, hoping he wasn't too late to follow Ezra. He was, however, too late. The massive man was nowhere to be seen. He swore under his breath, shaking his head lightly.

Defeated, the young man returned to the room he'd woken up in. He crossed the room to the closet, slinging it open. His eyebrows creased as he observed the contents of the wardrobe. It was stocked with everything he would put in his closet. Jeans, soccer pants, henlies, long-sleeved shirts, boots, running shoes... This was weird... They apparently knew how he dressed as well.

He sighed, stepping out of his sweat pants, which he felt he'd been wearing for a week. He grabbed a pair of well-fitting jeans and slid them on. He took a blue henley shirt and slid it over his torso, pulling the sleeves to the base either forearm. After stepping into a pair of low-cut boots, he laced them, then sat down on his bed. He breathed a slow and relaxed sigh, an awkward sense of comfort coming from being properly dressed.

He swallowed and stood, exiting the room. He wound the hallways, looking for some other people - preferably Irina or Nikolai or both. He stopped at a door that opened to a gym with weight machines. He swore as he saw a guy, pressing an unholy amount of weight on a bench. "Jesus Christ... I assume you've got super strength?" He asked, stepping into the gym, but leaving distance between himself and the other guy.

@Gonzo

Irina had remained silent after making her sarcastic comment towards what had happened regarding the girl and the pool. She had inwardly sighed and rolled her eyes slightly at the sound of the young girl snapping back and then trying to make amends. 'Some people just can't take a joke', thought Irina as she looked over at Arthur, who quickly cleaned up the situation. He was even kind enough to have attempted at making his mind more 'quiet', which pleased Irina tremendously, although she didn't let it show. She simply smiled at Arthur in a form of a thank you and let him go on his way.

'What a nice guy...' Irina had made a note of his min case of any future need of assistance. Maybe she'd need someone calm around her to keep her from going mad.

Her attention was once again brought back to the other two girls that were there, whatever they had said had flown right over Irina's head and she now awkwardly moved around as she realized her skin had become sticky from the sweat.

"Eating sounds like a good idea... See you all around." With a quick flash of her pearly whites, in an effort to seem friendly, Irina turned on her heel with no effort and made her way out of the pool room. 'These people can probably smell me by now'. Irina had made sure to quickly retreat to her room and shut the door before turning and digging through the dresser for something to wear. She didn't find just something though. She had found clothes that nearly matched everything she had back at home. "What the hell?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke to herself, letting her hands feel the fabric of the clothes before picking out a random black, long sleeved shirt and some light blue shorts, along with her under garments.

The young woman had never been one to take long showers. Ten, sometimes fifteen minutes tops where the length of the showers and maybe five minutes more to brush her hair. Not being a fan of make up, she didn't need nearly half as much time as probably any other girl her age. So within ten minutes, she was out of the shower. Paranoia had also taken part in the reason that she pretty much hopped in and out. There surely had to be cameras everywhere. Even Abel had said so before the meeting. Irina couldn't stand the image of people watching her as she undress and showered, so she quickly dried herself and dressed in the clothes she has picked out. "Perverts," she muttered as she walked over to the vanity in her bathroom as she towel dryer her hair.

"This is nice." Her attention and direction of thoughts had been completely changed after she ran her finger tips on the smooth white surface of the counter. She had never been somewhere so clean. So pristine. Every hotel and apartment she had found herself in was either moldy or had insects of some sort. Especially after her mother lost it all. It didn't do her well to dwell on these thoughts though. Irina quickly turned away from the direction her thoughts were once again headed in and she focused on brushing her damp curls thoroughly after brushing her teeth.

What if these people did mean well?

What if they actually wanted to help?

As Irina stared at her green eyes in the mirror, she couldn't help but not to think these things. In a way, she wanted to hope that it was true.

She let out a loud, exasperated sigh as she set the brush down in its rightful place. She wanted to think more. To let everything sort of sit and simmer in her head, but as she began, her stomach began to growl enough to make her hand go up and touch it. She had been so caught up in the moment and stress of the situation that she had not stopped to think or ask how long she had been asleep for. When the last time she ate was.

Another growl.

Irina slightly groaned as she thought about heading out to the semi crowded rooms again. In her bathroom she had been fine. She has guessed that her ability must have suddenly "turned off" as she showered and relaxed. Still, she had to go if she wanted to shut her stomach up. So, begrudgingly, Irina walked out to the room and slipped into her maroon chucks before making her way out of there and into the hallway.

URIEL ATTICUS - LOCATION: GYM

“Oh… I like pain.. It helps with whatever is wrong in my head.”

Uriel paled slightly and forced out a nervous chuckle. This was something he’d rather avoid delving into during his time in this place. He’d never been the best person to turn to for these sorts of things.

“Oh, uhh… I see! Well, if you’re into that sort of- I mean, as long as you don’t hurt yourself beyond repair I guess it’d be fine.”

Luckily she diverted the topic of the conversation towards the other occupant of the room. The tall, muscular (what was it with the handsome muscular guys in this place?) Hispanic looking guy who had quietly greeted them earlier was bench-pressing. Bench-pressing A LOT. Uriel wasn’t an expert in weight training (he was more of an endurance building guy himself) but he was 80% sure that no teenager should have been able to lift THAT much.

“If he continues with this, he’s going to fuck up and kill himself.”

Uriel nodded, dazed and not at all turned on by the guy’s feat of strength. Uriel returned his attention to his exploration of the gym. The girl had left already, claimed that something was going on outside. Crap, he forgot to get her name. She had yet another accent to add to the list, the list that prompted the question of “Where In The World Is Uriel Atticus?”. But back to the matter at hand. That much weight could not be good for the dude. He was going to speak up when-

"Jesus Christ... I assume you've got super strength?"

GAH, Muscular Shirtless Guy. Who now unfortunately had a shirt on. Play it cool, Uriel, get a hold of yourself.

“Haha yeah, it’d probably take four of us to spot him properly, amirite?”

Nice save.

Nikolai finished singing his song, and then proceeded to turn off his shower. His hair was hanging loosely beside his head, he wondered if it would be too much to ask for some gel to hold it up. Maybe one of the girls here had a hair tie he could use, just to hold it away from his face. He dreaded having to ask for a hair tie, he really didnt want to ask for anything. He stepped out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror again, he stood posing like Arnold Schwarzenegger had when he was a body builder. He changed position to flex his chest and as he tightened his muscles then was immediately elsewhere. He saw people. They were at the edge of a pool, lower than where he was. He had an instant to hope he was on a diving board before he felt gravity kick in.

"Oh fu..." He attempted to shout. His body rocketed downward and he felt the cool water encompass his legs then his chest and head. He reached up and brought his arms down to his sides pulling himself towards the surface. As his head broke the water he ran a hand through his hair and made sure it was out of his face. He sat there, treading water for a moment as he tried to place where he was. He looked at the people on the edge of the pool, they looked familiar. He slapped the water in frustration, his power had moved him only within the facility. He looked towards the end of the pool and looked at the two women, a small blond girl and a slightly taller red headed girl. Nikolai understood his predicament clearly now, he looked down into the water and confirmed his concern. Thankfully he'd been in a hot shower.

"А также, выглядит как они есть бесплатное шоу," Nikolai said resignedly.
(Well, looks like you got a free show..."

He continued to tread water as he tried to figure out what to do. He wasnt sure how the people around here would react to him just getting out of the water, scientists and subjects alike. He was close enough that they could see his facial expression, one of utter annoyance. He decided the easiest thing to do would be to play off that he didnt care, so he continued to tread water.

"Whats up?" Nikolai asked as nonchalantly as possible, "One of you wouldnt happen to have spare polotentse?"

He was struggling with the English word for it, "Like big cloth?"

---

---

Myriam was very relieved that Arthur inferred in the conversation that was starting between her and that other girl. She really didn't feel like starting a fight, she was just being very sensitive. But under the circumstances - not only the kidnapping but also her private ones -, she thought it was understandable. Nevertheless she would rather try to not start a war.

The second girl, the one that had only spoken two sentences being something along the lines "let her drown" and "you think very loudly", has already disappeared through the door again. Maybe the pool wasn't exciting enough for her? Or maybe she needed some space? Wait, didn't she say something about getting food? There was a cafeteria, if she believed Arthur. That sounded very school-ish to her. Would there be a couple of people serving them some food onto their trays?

Myriam didn't really have the time to think about such minorities right now. She had a couple of things to do. First, apologise to the red-head and hope for a new start. Secondly and very important - find Mayuri and make sure she is okay! And ask her about the weird look she had on when she got called out by her coach. And thirdly, or maybe rather do this as the second one?, get into some dry clothes. Wait, are there even clothes for her? There has to be. Why didn't she think of that before she drowned-- ehh dived!! into the water fully clothed? Well she did not spend a single thought on anything in that moment. She had too much on her mind.

"Oh fu..." Waving arms and a butt naked body fell into the pool with a loud splash. The water hit Myriam, who was still sat on the side of the pool, full on but she didn't care. She was fully wet anyway. A frown crept onto her forehead. Did this guy just fall from the ceiling all of a sudden and butt naked?

"А также, выглядит как они есть бесплатное шоу," the boy spoke calmly in a language that Myriam didn't understand.
("Well, looks like you got a free show..." )

He had a decent body and a couple of tattoos, his hair was hanging weirdly to the side and looked as though it was missing about half of it - only then did Myriam realize that this was the guy that had his hair stand up with gel when sitting in the auditorium. She didn't really pay much attention to him, or anyone beside Mayuri for that matter, but now she recognized him.

"Whats up?" So he did speak English, apart from the 'oh fu-' he let out while falling. "One of you wouldnt happen to have spare polotentse?" A what exactly? Myriam was confused for a bit until - "Like big cloth?" A towel? Riiight, of course this gorgeous boy wouldn't want to stay in the pool naked. Silly.

"There's a ... locker room", her finger pointed towards the direction Arthur had went to when announcing he would get into some other clothes. "I would guess they might have a couple of towels there." Something about this guy was just... gorgeous. She couldn't quiet tell.

"Did you..." She waved all over him in an attempt to gesture to his nakedness. "Did you accidentally leave your clothes behind when doing your special trick?" She was curious on how his power worked and if leaving his clothes behind might be a happy side effect.

@Thundercrash

Lyra wept all the harder as Stasya wrapped an arm around her like the mother who had abandoned her once had. She whispered comforting words, none of which Lyra understood but her own name. She shivered when she heard that name. The one her parents had given her. It was a reminder of where she came from... of who had betrayed her. She had trusted them, and they had used her. She wouldn't repeat that mistake. Not with them and not with the girl who was at the moment the only thing between her and complete despair. No one could be trusted.

"I want to leave. Now," she said between sobs. Of course, she knew that her companion couldn't grant that wish. She, like Lyra, was only a child. She weakly tugged at the restraints connecting her to her bed. Of course, they gave no avail. Not to her. She was too weak. But Stasya might not be.

"Those claws," she said, forming imaginary ones with her own fingers to illustrate the point. "I don't know what fabric the cuffs are made of, but I bet you could cut them up. Break them and escape with me. If you can get me somewhere dark I won't be a burden... we can travel at night and sleep during the day. Please. If you don't, I..."

She flexed her fingers helplessly. She'd never been very good at tying a knot. It would be difficult to hang herself with her bed sheets - and if she failed, her arms would probably get locked up, too. But what other choice did she have? She had to get out, one way or another. She was no longer living the coddled life she had been only a day ago. Sometimes, it would be necessary to take risks...

If this girl hadn't wanted an audience she should have picked a less public venue for her little charade. Perhaps somewhere like her room. They were all assigned rooms, after all. And perfectly nice ones, too. But of course that wouldn't have served the required purpose of getting the attention she so obviously needed. There wasn't much point in putting on a woe is me act if no one was around to see it.

All that fake drowning had obviously addled her eyesight as well as her brain, for she pretty much demanded that Lucie not talk about matters she hadn't seen. The girl found herself rolling her eyes at the stupidity of it all. Of course this drownee was upset at having her moment stolen. The girl's comments about the red head being 'thirsty’ - a word people on the internet used when they wanted to seem edgy, she remembered - more than likely stemmed from the fact that her cute little bonding moment with her savior hadn't gone as planned. For someone who thought she was making a clever comeback, she droned endlessly and incessantly.

“You tried to drown - wait, my bad, fake drown - yourself but I'm the thirsty one?”

Lucie laughed then, amused by it.

The blonde girl's comments about friendship and love and peace were obviously full of it. Nobody sincere or sane turned a total personality 180 like that. Lucie decided then and there that the whacko was best avoided. She was beginning to agree with the rather harsh statement made by the outspoken brunette. Which then led to more troubling matters.

This girl could read minds? That was creepy and potentially awkward for everyone involved.

“I do not envy you that.”

The rescuer had beat a hasty albeit polite retreat. The foreigner left as well, presumably to get some food. Lucie considered offering to join her, but then reconsidered as the thought of food made her stomach churn unpleasantly. Before she could leave, however, something entirely unexpected happened.

The teleporting guy appeared out of nowhere again and fell into the pool.

A muffled shriek left her lips and she jumped back, nearly tripping over her own feet as the guy landed with a splash. She was still splashed with water, though. It took her a few seconds to properly grasp the fact that he was naked. Random teleporting had been more shocking than nudity, at that point. The guy then proceeded to act as nonchalant as possible, no small feat considering the hilarity and the absolute awkwardness of the situation he was in. She had to admire that little fact, at least.

“Just a moment. I'll get you a towel.” Lucie attempted to keep her voice neutral and not burst into laughter. She was probably going to break a rib for her efforts.

It seemed like the extremely un-thirsty girl wasn't going to do anything more than ogle the poor fellow - attractive enough that he was, but still. She would have reacted horribly were she in his place. Probably started screaming and thrashing around.

The girl hurried over to the girl's locker room and found a large, fluffy white towel and hurried back.

“Here you go.”

She tossed it at him, taking care not to lean too far and fall into the pool. Just looking at the water was enough to make her feel uneasy. At this point, a noticeable flush had stolen along her cheekbones.

Feeling decidedly unsettled by the pool, Lucie muttered a hasty farewell and left the area.

@KahleenCuthald @HellHoundWoof

Nikolai was caught off guard by the blonde girls reaction to his "special trick", she hardly seemed phased by his apparent nudity. She also decided to tell him where the towels were, as if she expected for him to just walk his naked ass out of the water and grab one. But thankfully the redhead offered to grab him one, her face was flush and she seemed to be fighting laughter as she walked away to grab a towel. Nikolai watched her and noticed she had gotten a bit wet, as she passed him the towel she seemed sensitive to being close to the water. She was cute, her hair was something that drew attention to her and he had an affinity for drawing attention. He enjoyed it, maybe she did too. He held the towel above his head and kept it above water as he approached the edge of the pool. The girl began to leave and Nikolai didn't want to leave her without a show of his gratitude.

"Thank you," He said with the 'th' sound behind replaced by a 'ta' sound. He looked at the girl on the edge of the pool and smirked at her, she was soaking wet for whatever reason. He had only the assumption that she was pushed in the water, which seemed funny. Perhaps she and the redhead were friends. Nikolai decided to address what the blonde girl had said. He gestured to himself and began to speak.

"Special trick happened while I was on shower…" Nikolai said as he put his hands face down on the edge of the pool, preparing to lift himself up. He looked at the girl expectantly. She didnt seem to process what he meant and he decided to shrug it off. He pulled himself up and out of the water then wrapped the towel around his waste. It hung low, down past his knees. He smirked at her as he fastened the towel around his waist. He looked her over and took into account that she was soaking wet.

"You need towel too," Nikolai said with a cheeky smile spreading across his face, "I'm Nikolai, pleasure to meeting you."

---

---

Frowning as Lyra tugged at her restraints and pantomimed something, Stasya leaned over to examine the straps. They seemed to be simple nylon, tough but not unbreakable, secured by buckles. She didn’t see why they had been necessary, or why Lyra didn’t simply remove them herself; it was obvious that she wanted them gone. The buckles seemed simple enough, if a bit stiff. In seconds, her new friend was once again free. “Там мы идем. Лучше? (There we go. Better?)” she said soothingly, giving Lyra a thumbs up.

Lyra bit her lip, eyeing the door nervously as Stasya took off her restraints. It took the girl only a matter of seconds to release her. Once they were off, she sighed with relief, nudging them away with her foot. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe they would stay off for long, not if they stayed.

“We have to get out of here,” she said, looking Stasya in the eyes and pointing toward the door. “If Nathan comes back, he’ll just put them back on, and maybe he’ll lock them properly.” A feeling of dread descended upon her; she had no idea how they were going to escape, especially give her disability. But she would not let them lock her up again.

Stasya followed the girl’s gaze to the door, then back to her, repeating a couple times. Does she… want to go somewhere? A strange feeling entered her chest. Or… does she want to leave? Thinking to herself for a moment, she came to a decision and pressed a finger to her lips. “Shhh.” She pointed up at the ceiling, then towards her own eyes and ear. They’re watching and listening.

She didn’t know for a fact that the scientists were, but she didn’t trust them not to be.

Slipping off of the bed, she walked to the stack of drawers across the room and began pulling them open.

Lyra’s blood froze in her veins as Stasya pointed upward, and her eyes darted to every corner of the room, searching for cameras. She couldn’t find any, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. She shifted uncomfortably on her bed. If they were being watched, she didn’t have a chance. They would be captured again for sure.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, watching her friend search her drawers. “I don’t need to change clothing, it’s not like I can do anything on my own.” Saying that out loud made her cringe with shame, even though she knew her companion wouldn’t understand. “We need to go, now, or we’re both going to be in a lot of trouble.” Were those footsteps coming from the hallway? Or was she just hearing things?

A few of the drawers were filled with clothes, but most seemed to be empty. Gathering up a few, Staysa returned to the bed, gently directing the other girl towards the headboard. When she had room, she pulled back the sheets and threw them over the pair, leaving just enough of an opening that they could see each other.

Holding up a pair of socks, she pressed them into Lyra’s chest. “Lyra,’ she said firmly. She set them down and picked up a second pair, pressing them to her own chest. “Stasya.” Moving to a folded shirt, she pointed upwards and made a circular motion, patting the shirt and hoping that Lyra would understand what she was trying to convey. “Вот. (Here.)” Placing the two pairs of socks on top of the shirt, she braced herself on her elbow and made a thumbs up with one hand and a thumbs down with the other. “Да? Нет? (Yes? No?)”

For a moment, Lyra stared at the clothing in confusion, wondering whether Stasya wanted her to put on the socks. But then she recalled the circular motion Stasya had made with her finger. “Is that shirt, supposed to be… this place?” she asked. She shook her head vigorously and yanked the socks off of the shirt. “No, no, no!” she said, more loudly than she intended. “I want to leave! We don’t have much time…” She laid the two pairs of socks next to each other and moved them farther away from the shirt in a series of small steps. Then, she dropped them and held her hands together as if in prayer. “Please?”

Noting the movement, Stasya screamed internally. Yes! She wants to leave! Instead, she pressed her finger to her lips again. “Shhh.” Again, she mimed that the scientists were listening. Thinking how best to convey the next part, she bit her lip and placed the socks back into the shirt, then moved them again to where Lyra had placed them. “Оставлять. Lyra, Stasya, oставлять, (Leave. Lyra, Stasya, leave,)” she said firmly. Looking about again, she began tapping her wrist, where one might wear a watch. “Время. (Time.)” Again and again, she repeated the word, hoping that Lyra understood the meaning.

Lyra smiled when Stasya repeated her gesture of moving the socks off of the shirt together. She ignored the twinge of guilt that pricked at the back of her mind; if she was honest with herself, she knew she would be a burden. Stasya would be more likely to get caught if she was lugging a cripple around. But Lyra had no choice; she couldn’t save herself, so someone else had to do it for her.

Her smile melted into a frown when Stasya indicated toward where one would wear a watch. “Are you telling me that we have to wait?” she asked. In a panicked attempt to convey the question, she frantically pointed at the shirt, then tapped her own wrist a few times before pointing away. Once she was done, her arms fell heavily into her lap. She wasn’t built to hurry. Maybe Stasya was right… she couldn’t go anywhere on such short notice. But then she would have to endure captivity for a while longer, and if the scientists had been watching them, they would know Stasya had removed the cuffs and would replace them were something more secure. “Please?” she repeated, tears flowing anew.

Stasya heart cracked when she saw the tears beginning to fall again. No, no, no! Please, don’t cry! Reaching out, she gently brushed them away with her thumb and pressed her lips to the girl’s head. “Не плакать, не плачь, пожалуйста. (No cry, no cry, please)” She grasped the girl’s hands in her own and brought them up to her face, pressing her fingertips against the scales there. “Более того, мне нужно знать больше. (More, I need to know more).” Pushing herself up, Stasya raised her arms and bent her fingers, as if she was a monster rearing up. “Raawr,” she mock growled. Then she tapped her wrist once, moved the socks back and forth again, and brought her fist down hard on the shirt. “Затем, Lyra, Stasya, уйти. (Then, Lyra, Stasya, leave).”

Lyra blinked as Stasya approximated kissing her forehead. She didn’t understand. What had she done to earn that kind of reaction? She’d never helped Stasya in any way. She was nothing but a burden.

With one last, defeated sob, she suppressed her tears for the time being. She would have hours and hours to cry alone later; if Stasya was really going to try to help her escape, she could do that one favor for her new friend. Quivering, she moved her ankle toward the cuffs still lying on the bed. “Put them back,” she said, voice dead, “Maybe, if they weren’t watching, they won’t replace them with something harder to remove.”She met Stasya’s eyes for only a moment. She understood what the other girl must be going through. Those scales… she viewed herself as a monster, didn’t she? Maybe she wanted to find a cure before escaping. If there even was one. Lyra had stopped hoping to be healed of her weakness long before her parents had given up on her.

“I’ll wait until you’re ready,” Lyra said sadly, “But I hope it doesn’t take very long. I don’t think I can take this much longer…” She glanced at the sheet in her hands and twisted it until it resembled a rope. If nothing else worked, she could always try… that…

Following Lyra’s foot, Stasya’s eyes widened, and she violently shook her head. “Нет, (No,)” she said firmly. Clasping the girl’s hands in her own, Stasya pointed towards her. “Lyra.” She bit her lip, then mimed a talking motion with her hand. “Расскажи. (Tell.)” She pointed up towards the ceiling. “Их. (Them.)” She spat the word out, putting as much venom into it as she could to convey her disgust of the people keeping them captive. “Lyra, нет, оставьте. (Lyra, no, leave)” She put her hands together over her chest, making a pleading motion as the other girl had once done, and pointed upwards again. “Lyra, обещание, их. (Lyra, promise, them.)” Then, she crossed her index and middle finger, visibly placing it behind her back and winking. “Lyra, ложь. (Lyra, lie.)”

Lyra hesitated at Stasya’s refusal to replace the restraints. Her best guess was that her new friend wanted her to ask not to be locked up, to promise her captors that she wouldn’t try to run. “Do you really think that will work?” she asked. She would have dismissed the possibility offhand, except… well, Stasya wasn’t being locked up. Was she the only one? If the others couldn’t escape even with the freedom to move around, she didn’t have a chance. “Fine, I’ll try,” she said, slowly wiping her cheeks with her palm. “But if they refuse, I hope your claws are sharp enough to break through whatever they put on me instead.” She repeated her earlier claw motion with her hand.

“I’ll see what I can learn… if I really do have any special powers.” Her mouth twisted into a scowl at that word. “Maybe there’s a way I can actually be helpful.” She slightly bowed her head and wrapped the two socks around each other. “Thank you,” she said, “And, please, remember… we’re in this together.”

Smiling proudly, Stasya cupped the girl’s face in her hands and kissed her forehead again, hugging her tightly against her before clasping the socks in Lyra’s hands. “Lyra, Stasya, уйти. Вместе. (Lya, Stasya, leave. Together.) She pressed her hands together again in the same pleading motion as before. “Oбещают. (Promise.)”

A thought occurred to her, and she nervously bit her lip again. Did she dare tell Lyra? To ask? She seemed to have gone along with everything that Stasya had asked so far. She looked away for a moment, wondering.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lyra, watching her friend’s face. Stasya looked thoughtful, as if she were debating something. “Did you think of something? A problem with our plan? Or… something else? I can keep a secret, I promise!” She pointed to herself then ran two fingers across her lips, as if zipping them shut.

For a moment, Stasya hesitated. Then, she pulled out a third sock from where it had laid beside her. “Natali,” she said, her voice full of worry and fear. She pressed the sock to her lips, then to her chest, trying to impart the importance of that name.

Lyra’s eyes widened when Stasya introduced a third sock. She wanted to bring someone else when they escaped - someone she cared deeply about. Someone Lyra couldn’t trust.

Yet she was in no position to be making demands. If they wanted, Stasya and her friend could try to leave without her. They’d have a better chance of succeeding. So she nodded and smiled. Perhaps the two of them would find it easier to carry her around if they were taking turns.

Stasya shook her head. She wanted, no, she needed Lyra to understand how important this was. She picked up the two intertwined socks and placed them on the shirt. “Lyra, Stasya, bот. (Lyra, Stasya, here.)” Picking up the third sock, she placed it away from them. “Natali, там. Natali… (Natali, there. Natali…)” A slight tremor entered her voice, and tears began pooling in Stasya’s own eyes. “Главная. (Home.)”

She looked around again, her heart thumping. She picked up the third sock again. “Natali…” Screwing her eyes closed, Stasya dropped the sock and slapped the back of her own hand, hard, and the tears began to spill down her cheeks. “Причинить боль. (Hurt.)” She clasped her hands together, touching them to her forehead, pleading. “Пожалуйста. Пожалуйста, (Please. Please,)” she sobbed.

“Your friend… is somewhere else?” asked Lyra, shaking by the fact that her friend was crying. She put a weak hand on Stasya’s arm, ignoring the odd feeling of the scales, in an attempt to comfort her. “Do you want to return to them… or rescue them?” she asked, unsure how to convey her meaning. Regardless, it was more than obvious that whoever Stasya was talking about was very, very important to her. Lyra nodded quickly. “We’ll find them,” she said, cheeks growing warm. She wouldn’t be any help. But she had to do what she could, didn’t she?

Raising her head, Stasya nodded, her lip trembling. More than anything, she needed Lyra to understand who Natali was. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Stasya, девушка. (Stasya, girl.)” Reaching across, she gingerly placed her hand on Lyra’s chest, careful not to touch her… inappropriately. “Lyra, девушка. (Lyra, girl.)” Holding up the sock, brought the index finger and thumb of her other hand close together, but not touching. “Natali, малышка. (Natali, little girl.)” She clasped the sock to her chest again, struggling to hold back her sobs. “Natali, моя сестра. (Natali, my sister.)”

Lyra chewed at her lip, trying to figure out what Stasya was saying. The person she was talking about was like them, so probably a girl, but short… a child? Her eyes widened. “A younger sister?” she asked, slowly stroking her friend’s shoulder. She nodded. “Once we escape, we can find her. Everyone here is a teenager, so she wouldn’t have been taken.” Lyra paused worried. Had something bad happened to Stasya’s sister? She dared not ask out of fear of upsetting her even more…

The dam didn’t break, but it did start to let off some pressure. In an instant, Stasya had wrapped Lyra up in a tight hug, pressing her face into the girl’s neck as her shoulders shook. “Спасибо. Спасибо. (Thank you. Thank you.)” she wept, the fear and confusion of everything that had happened since she had first woken up in this strange place overtaking her.

Lyra nearly panicked as Stasya wrapped her in her arms. She was so strong, so healthy; it had been years since Lyra had last been held like she was being now. She maneuvered her feeble arms around Stasya and offered a weak squeeze in return. It was an odd feeling - scary, yet strangely comforting. Stasya could crush her if she wanted, or reveal her plans to the scientists and see her locked up forever. The thought made Lyra’s heart race faster. She was a fool - already she was trusting again - but what choice did she have? On her own, she was too weak to do anything. Her only chance of escaping was to trust in another and risk the worst.

Withdrawing, Stasya wiped the tears out of her eyes. Having to deal with all of this, being kidnapped, getting a partner in her plan to escape, the relief of knowing that Lyra would help her get to her sister, it was exhausting. Smiling wearily, she laid down beneath the bed sheets. “Спасибо, это очень много значит для меня. В этот день было ... ужасно. Я рад, что встретил тебя здесь, хотя. (Thank you, this means a lot to me. This day has been… awful. I’m glad I met you here, though.)” She raised herself up on one arm, her expression questioning and uncertain. “Это ... хорошо, если я останусь здесь? На данный момент? (Is it… alright if I stay here? For now?)” Thinking for a moment, she patted herself on the chest, then the bed, making a thumbs up/thumbs down motion. “Stasya, здесь? Да? Нет? (Stasya, here? Yes? No?)”

Lyra blushed as Stasya made gestures unmistakably asking whether she could sleep in her bed. After a short hesitation, she gave a timid thumbs up and smiled uncertainly. Being an only child, she had never slept in the same room as someone of around her age before. She had always been far too weak to make friends, and have never partaken in the sleepovers that children often asked for. Lyra crawled to one side of the bed and laid on her side, then gently patted the other side. It would be better if she wasn’t alone when Nathan found her free from her restraints. Maybe, if she could show him that she had a friend, he would feel more confident that she was adjusting to her new situation.

Stasya smiled happily, moving so that she was still giving the other girl her space, but would still be within reach. Shly, she reached across and took hold of Lyra’s hand in a gentle grip, murmuring, “Спасибо, (Thank you,)” as she closed her eyes.

Christian Garcia

…Two hundred and nighty-nine, three hundred. Three hundred and—

Christian could have continued, but a voice had pulled him out of his headspace. The boy placed the bar back on the bench and slowly sat up to find the source of the noise. Just a couple feet in front of him, there was another kid who looked to be about the same height as Christian. He was muscular, but not anywhere close to Christian; possible benching partner, for sure.

Super strength. Again with the powers. Jesus fuck.

He blinked, sighed, and almost asked the kid what he said, before another kid piped up – the same one that he had said hello to when he walked into the gym. Christian’s eyes shifted to stare directly into the kid’s brown eyes. He gave him a polite, but obviously fake, smile and rolled his eyes. He lifted his t-shirt and wiped the sweat off of his face with the small dry spot on the bottom. He stood up and slowly ran a hand through his wet hair.

“I don’t have super strength. I just lift a lot. I have been for years. It’s a bit unnatural that I lift double what I weigh, yeah, but that’s just because I push myself that hard. I don’t care what any of those people say. They made a mistake bringing me in.”

Christian wiped his sweaty hand on his jeans and extended it out, not really caring who was going to take it first.

“Sorry. Don't mean to be a downer, or seem like an asshole. Since I really have no choice in being here, though, might as well make the best of it. The name is Christian. What about you two? And what ‘powers’ do you guys have? Also, I’m hungry. Any of you two hungry as well?”

URIEL ATTICUS - LOCATION: GYM

Ah dang, they interrupted his lifting streak, or reps, or whatever they’re called. Was a shame, dude looked like he was on a roll. The Hispanic guy sat up, glanced at Formerly-Shirtless Muscular Dude before making eye contact with Uriel himself. He was much taller and much bulkier than Uriel had originally assumed, standing at about the same height as Mr Shirtless. Hazel eyes looked directly at Uriel and gave an obviously fake smile, the falsity of which Uriel immediately shrugged off. At least he put in some effort in being polite; despite it being a rather meagre amount. And then, oh god, Uriel suddenly took a VERY large interest in the exercise machines as the guy wiped his sweaty face with his shirt, which gave Uriel an incredibly gratuitous view of the guy’s rock solid bod. Even out of the corner of his eye, Uriel could tell that they guy was unbelievably ripped. He once again cursed his feeble sexuality and attempted to do some kind of stretch-yawn manoeuvre to give himself a reason to shut his eyes momentarily. But it didn’t end there! No, the guy ran his bloody hand through his hair. It seemed to happen in slow motion and all Uriel could do was watch in horror. Jesus Christ, what kind of bullshit Abercrombie and Fitch commercial was he sitting through? Uriel mentally flipped the bird to whichever god decided to put Uriel in the presence of these two dudes.

I already know all queers go to hell, why do you need to punish me even more like this, you celestial asshat?

The guy’s voice brought Uriel out of the fervor.

“I don’t have super strength. I just lift a lot. I have been for years. It’s a bit unnatural that I lift double what I weigh, yeah, but that’s just because I push myself that hard. I don’t care what any of those people say. They made a mistake bringing me in.”

Ah, the sweet scent of denial. Uriel was no bench-pressing expert but even he could tell that it was a stupidly large amount.

”The name is Christian. What about you two? And what ‘powers’ do you guys have? Also, I’m hungry. Any of you two hungry as well?”

Christian extended his hand, which Uriel hastily shook. Urgh, sweaty. At least he was able to use the Businessman’s Shake. Dad always said that a man’s handshake was as much an important part of the first impression he gave as the colour of his teeth. Uriel discreetly wiped his hand on the back of his shirt.

“Name's Uriel. Flashy name, I know. The coach said I could manipulate the way peeps feel pain, like give people headaches and such. It’s real funny ‘cos my Legal teacher would say that I always gave her a headache too, way before I accidentally made my whole class flunk their Maths test. Apparently, it can go off when I don’t really want it to, the “powers”, that is. Actually, now that I really think about it, a lotta people would say the exact same thing. I remember one time…” Uriel rambled on for a bit, launching into his extremely riveting story about how he almost got murdered by the boys hockey team because he handed out vuvuzelas to the crowd at the State Finals (he thought the vuvuzelas would help cheer the team on!). He went on for a while before remembering the last part of Christian’s questions.

“Oh yeah, I ate earlier but there’s always room for more! This stomach’s like a vacuum cleaner! You'd think there'd be some logical limit to how much it can consume but it just never ends!”

@Gonzo@banjoanjo@HellHoundWoof@Lillium@Airalin@KahleenCuthald@Thundercrash@SheriffLlama@wolverbells@HecateProxy



"Good evening all! This is your favourite team leader Elisa with another public service announcement!"

Through the halls of the facility the bubbly scientist's voice echoed through the intercom, interrupting conversations and the introspection of those alone. There was a pause but faintly in the background the sound of some pop music could be heard. Clearly Elisa was not one to make entirely professional announcements.

"And so, after your successful first round of sessions, the kitchen area has now become properly available to you in the cafeteria! For tonight you can prepare your own food from the resources provided and the various appliances and equipment inside is at your disposal." Those near the cafeteria would hear the distinctive sound of something unlocking and the clunky sound of metal security shutters rising.

"Oh, and one last thing. If you wish to order your food, rather than prepare it yourself, there's a board in the kitchen area with your names all written on it. Please write what you'd like to eat next to your name for the appropriate meal and we will do our darnest to get it ready for you! That will be from tomorrow morning though so please see to your own provision for tonight. Later on we'll announce lights out so don't wait around too late!"

A click, a long beep, and the sound cut out.

---

"Well, that was more eventful a swim than I had hoped for." Having showered to wash the chlorine water off of him, Arthur was drying his hair while muttering to himself. He had been planning to relax and clear his mind to plan a long term plan to gather information about the organisation running this place but now his mind felt just as jumbled as before.

The not-drowning girl had been the first interruption while the second act in the meddling of his be-by-myself time had been the near-fight between the three young women. He hoped he had diffused the situation sufficiently, although he had excused himself at the earliest possible opportunity so ultimately it could have gone either way and he would never have known.

Not really my problem though, in all honesty. Maybe everyone getting their frustration out, even if its on each other, might help in the long run.

A quick change and Arthur was ready to leave the pool area. The announcement was a timely reminder that, thus far, he had only eaten a bag of crisps since coming to this place. Even before considering hydration, it was important to replenish one's blood sugar after blood was taken even if it was just measures and not an entire blood donation. Not to mention he had worked up quite a hunger after his swim.

"I suppose I'll go and see what they've got then." With no real plan, or particular dish in mind, Arthur left the pool area and nearly bumped into the redheaded girl from the Near-Battle-of-the-Pool such was his preoccupation with the thought of a good dinner, or what a good dinner might be under the circumstances.

"Ah, hello again. Comment allez-vous? Ah, sorry, I noticed your accent earlier although my French is... shall we say about as fluent as your average professional footballer is in his native language?" It occurred to Arthur that this young lady may not get the reference, such was the hate certain cultural groups in Britain had for the footballing profession that was unlikely to be matched in other nations. Aware that he was entering the dangerous territory that was waffling on a tangent, Arthur forced himself to bring up something a little more relevant.

"In any case, I was considering the wisdom in following the advice of our overly-excited Chief Scientist and scouting out the supplies in the kitchen area. Might you be, per chance, thinking of doing the same? Oh, and, where are my manners? My name's Arthur, I'm not sure I ever got around to properly introducing myself earlier."

The fact that Irina had the same train of thought as the so called scientists of their newly found prison made the young woman want to gag. Or maybe she didn't have the same train of thought but had reminded them that they were also human and needed food to survive? Regardless of whichever it was, Irina found herself standing in the large dining area, listening to the announcements as they went on. She had already began braiding her hair, having not seen any people that served lunch, and had planned to walk on over to make herself something to eat. Nothing fancy, but something with good sustenance so that she would not find herself arguing with a growling stomach.

By the time the announcements were over, Irina was already in the cooking area. Her emerald eyes scanned the area as she slowly walked through it, picking a few things here and there. She felt like eating breakfast, which might have been strange for the others but for Irina it was quite normal. She could have breakfast at any time of the day and not be upset.

"Eggs, cheese.. I'll go with pepper jack. Sausage links? Okay."

Irina was actually having a pleasant time talking to herself as she selected the following ingredients. She smiled to herself as she enjoyed the quite not only in her head but in the room. Not a single sound. That was until two different tones of voices echoed down the hall. Irina's head shot up as she listened in closely. Nothing but her own inner monologue filled her head. 'Thank god.'

It sounded like the French girl and Arthur from back at the pool. More noises resonated through the hall. Male voices. From where Irina was at, she couldn't distinguish them, so she decided to ignore them and continue making her concoction.

The anouncments crackled right through her musical montage freezing Mara on the spot as the familiar voice shattered through her illusion. Another flush of embarrassment crashed through her body as she looked at the now abandoned pool table; balls still scattered across the top as if mocking her poor aim. Sighing heavily Mara flicked the empty bag of pretzels. Though her stomach no longer vocally berated her she supposed it wouldn't be a bad idea to eat something more substantial. Plus, the salt had left her throat dry once again.

Hesitating her eyes darted around the room; there didn't seem to be any trash cans tucked away, at least none that she saw, in fact the more she looked the more part of her resolved to just leave her mess there. Let them deal with it. Mara knew it was pettiness that bubbled up her spine. Just because her mother had readily agreed to this didn't mean she'd have to be a model citizen.

Though hearing the woman's sugary tone over the intercom had dampened the mood Mara had managed to pull herself out of her funk, at least for the moment. She trodded with an almost happy gate, bouncing on the tips of her toes, as she rounded the corner and headed past the rooms once more. She wasn't alone though. A boy and girl seemed to making their way down the corridor. The bounce fell from her steps as the boys voice echoed softly. 'Another accent?' Mara idly wondered. Was this facility even in the states? From all the strange voices she had heard over the past few hours Mara had her doubts. At least he was speaking English though.

Her steps thudded softly as she slowly started to catch up to the duo. As always, there was that small seed of fear that came with approaching others. Mara could feel her facal expression drop and fall flat. She had become decent at hiding her anxiety in front of others. Masking the jittery feelings that would crawl up from the pit of her stomach and settle in the back of her throat. Of course she'd have to get over it eventually. These weren't just any strangers. They were captives just like her

Soon she was on par with their strides, her frame small in comparison. Mara felt her face flush once more as she eyed the pair.

Stunning.

There was no other words really to describe the two. He was boyishly handsome while she had a cool, almost demanding grace to her.

It took her a moment to realize she was openly staring at them both. Her eyes fluttering as her mind frantically searched for something to excuse her rudensss. Hastily Mara flashed them a kind smile, not unlike the one she had given the scaled girl earlier, and picked up her stride. 'You can't just stare at people, Jesus christ.' Mara's conscience chided at her once again. Her eyes rolled in response. If she could scowl at the voice she would've.

Mara quickly made her way to the cafeteria putting the awkward moment behind her as smells started to drift towards her. Was someone already in here? Elisa had mentioned there was two options available to them; cook or order. Eyeing the board she made her way back into the kitchen. It was an alluring option though. Her body still sagging with stolen strength.

As she stepped in Mara felt herself freeze, there was someone else in here, "Oh!" The word came out before Mara could think twice. She recognized her, the girl was the first to stand up and call out the scientists for what they were kidnappers. It was her courage that had inspired her own outburst though Elisa was less than kind towards the girl.

Mara moved as silently as she could to a corner of the kitchen, giving the girl a half hearted wave. She enjoyed cooking but cooking around other people always made her nervous for some reason. Sliding up to the refrigerator she poked around inside of it until she found a thawed package of chicken breasts. Mara quickly seized her prize as she plucked round a soft white cheese from an upper shelf. As the eldest she would often cook when her father was too tired. When he had passed she tried to cook almost every night. After several burnt and almost inedibe dishes she had actually gotten pretty decent. In fact she found out really enjoyed the whole process.

Cradling her goods in the crook of her arm Mara plucked out a small can of mushrooms from the pantry. She teetered towards the sink, dumping her armful onto the counter with a loud crash. "Ok, I can do this." she muttered softly to herself. Stuffed chicken was easy and a fan favorite but she could feel her fingers fumble and slip as she moved around the kitchen. Trying to avoid invading the girls space while feeling her gaze keep sliding back to her. She was curious as to what she was going to make. It looked looked like breakfast, something Mara enjoyed as well. She wanted to say something; anything to ease the tension she felt prickle at the back of her neck.

Irina's mouth had began to water as she watched the eggs nearly finish cooking and she prepped the cheese to be added in. The only reason she had even looked up was because the voices in the hallway had faded but the voices in her head had begun. Quiet, but present. A sigh escaped her barely parted, full lips as she looked towards the door. It was a small girl with hair like Irina had never seen before. Irina's mouth had fallen slightly open as she stared, but she caught herself quickly as she remembered something that the girl had told herself in her thoughts. Staring, indeed, wasn't a good thing to do. Luckily, the girl had not seen Irina, so she went back to focusing on her cooking, only looking back up when the petite young woman walking in to the cooking area. She smiled at her in response to the small wave, not being able to use her hands as she was placing the food on a plate.

'What's she going to make?'

Irina had deliberately began to move slower to be able to snoop in on what the girl was doing. She seemed a bit nervous. Through her thoughts, Irina was able to pick up on things here and there which made her smile. Mainly the giant 'awkward' sign above both of their heads. In an attempt to make things seem less awkward, Irina decided to finish up her cooking and turn to the girl. "Hello." Irina flashed her pearly whites at the cute girl and walked over a few steps to get a good look at her choice of ingredients. "You backed me up very nicely in the auditorium. Thank you.. For not making me feel or look like a fool... I'm Irina" Her Spanish accent and nervousness caused her to be more awkward than she thought she would be. 'So much for easing the tension.' She drew up several blanks as she spoke to the girl, which made Irina want to go jump off a cliff. She wasn't like this with Abel or Nikolai. Probably because she kicked the crap out of Nikolai and Abel had to stop her from nearly punching him right after. That was one hell of an ice breaker. "So, um, what are you cooking? You need help?"

Was she slowing down? Mara had completely lost herself in watching the girl transfer some delicious looking eggs to a plate. The whole room smelled warm and Mara could practically taste the fluffiness. Eggs were such a rare treat in her house as her younger sister had a severe allergy to them. A few times she had forgotten and left a few dishes still dirty with egg pieces laying about. Of course, her sister still being fairly young had grabbed the remaining bites and popped them into her mouth landing her in the hospital. After that Mara had stopped buying them all together just to avoid accidents.

"Hello." Irina flashed her pearly whites at her before moving across the room. The inside of Mara's head exploded with nerves as questions popped off and faded at a rapid pace. 'Come on, get it together!' her conscience piped up once more while Mara mustered a slightly frazzled smile. "You backed me up very nicely in the auditorium. Thank you.. For not making me feel or look like a fool... I'm Irina" Her Spanish accent trilled as she spoke, giving her words a faint spark to them. 'Irina.' Mara mentally repeated trying to draw out the syllables with the same accent and simultaneously failing.

There was a thick pregnant pause between the two girls. Both looking rather sheepishly as silence filled the space where words should be. "So, um, what are you cooking? You need help?" Irina inquired, drawing Mara back to the mess she was creating.

For a moment she stared at her hands, each coated in a slimy film as salt and pepper caked beneath her nails. "Uhh," she managed to squeak out before bursting into a fit of laughter. She was sure Irina thought her to be mad but Mara couldn't stop herself as her cheeks squished into wide smile. Her laughter echoed off the walls, a surprisingly loud sound from someone so small. "I'm sorry, sorry," she giggled between the words. Physically trying to quell her outburst.

"It's just been one hell of a day." She smirked back at her companion before her face settled back into an almost neutral expression, "And don't worry about the auditorium, I'm glad you spoke up. What they did was wrong and they know it." There was venom in her words now as heat laced her darkened eyes.

Mara stabbed into the chicken breast with force accidently cutting through the side and slicing into her finger. "Oh, frick." she almost whispered as she held up her finger, watching the blood pool up and slip down her palm. Panic settled in a moment later as her eyes widened with shock as pain blossomed. The salt and grease on her hand stung as they made their way into the wound. "Oh crap! Oh crap!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to the sink trying to avoid dripping blood everywhere. Bumping the faucet handles Mara quickly stuck her finger beneath the running water.

"Well," she turned back to Irina with embarrassment written clearly across her face, "That could've went better." she offered a bemused chuckle as her eyes trailed the ground. 'Stabbing yourself is also not how you make friends.' her inner voice chimed in with a tinge of cynicism. 'Oh really, I had no idea.' she irritatedly spat back at it.

Mara could feel the scowl that had painted itself across her lips as her inner monolog waged war inside her head. Looking back up the girl with a rather apologetic smile Mara tried to brush off the situation, "I'm Mara, by the way and apparently today I'm also accident prone."

'Smooth.' the voice quipped while she shot it another mental glare.