[IC] In Enemy Territory

[Midna-Phobia]

The sun began streaming in through the window, the light hitting Grace in the face and causing it to scrunch up before she opened her eyes reluctantly and rolled over, lying on her back and placing her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. Today was her first day of high school. It was still taking a little while for that fact to sink in, it seemed like just yesterday her and her mother were moving in even though it was more like ten or so years ago now, right before she’d started primary school. Truth be told she hadn't thought about it much until now. Glancing over at her clock Grace sighed, realising she had a lot of time to fill before school was even close to starting now. Sliding out of bed she walked over to the large fish tank in her room, kneeling down and watching the small collection of guppies swimming around. “Morning guys.” She said, still staring at them. After a few moments, however she sighed and stood up. “Still not talking to me hu?” Grace had always been slightly hopeful that, along with her water powers, she would have developed the ability to talk to marine creatures. To this day she’d had no such luck. Walking into the bathroom she also checked her neck for gills, another hopeful wish of hers. Though she was aware by now she’d probably developed all the powers she was going to she still liked to hope. She took a fairly long shower, seeing as she had a lot of time to spare and then went back to her room. She quickly closed her blinds and got dressed before heading downstairs. The house was quiet and still; meaning her mother still hadn't gotten back from her most recent crime fighting endeavours or she had gotten back rather late and was just asleep upstairs sleeping. Grace set about making herself some breakfast and sat down in the living room, turning on the TV and flipping to a channel that had cartoons. She did pause briefly on a news channel where her mother was fighting off some crazy bug lady. Obviously the result of last night’s call out. However it was quickly over and she flicked over to cartoons. It wasn’t that Grace was an overly childish person, she just enjoyed watching cartoons, mostly anime, which was often directed at an older audience anyway. They often had better plot than anything else that was on anyway.

[TimasheTiger]

A void surrounded him, emptiness, nothingness, then something. A bright flash, the laughter of children, a lover's whisper. The elements sang, sang hymns of nature and solace, of war and chaos. Water and fire danced with one another, swirling in the emptiness, blissful. The elements were speaking to him, but he could not understand them, their words were blurred by the inferno suddenly engulfing him and then- "Master Parker," the unnaturally deep voice suddenly forcing him back to reality, broke the trance he was in, but the void remained, blackness enveloped his world once more. "Master Parker, it is time to wake and begin preparations for the day ahead." Kyle had already been awake for quite some time already, he had actually taken upon the opportunity to meditate and reflect upon the universe a skill he was taught early on by his father. Though Kyle knew how to project himself, his father knew that and more, even telling tales of delving into the far reaches of the astral plane, where only the pantheons would know what damnable beasts lurked in that darkness. That, however...was a story for another time. "Can I not be allowed five minutes more of silence to explore my mind further?" Kyle asked calmly. "Your father has expressed...great interest in your activity today, he would be most displeased to learn that you did not attend for...unjustifiable reasons." One of his father's creations, a soul bound to an autonomous being, a rather large thing, but with the patience and class of a professional 'care taker'. Supposedly it was made to look completely real, though the one time Kyle had looked upon his caretaker he was overcome with an insatiable rage and woke up hours later in his bed. Truthfully, he couldn't really make an opinion of it even if he wanted to. That being said, the automaton was completely right, though the activity mentioned was really just day one of a four year trip through high school; he wasn't looking forward to it. "I suppose you are right," he sighed, unfolding his legs and lifting himself up from the cushion he had chosen for his session. He moved forward, each step carefully memorized, he easily navigated his way over to what he knew was his mirror. He stared into what he knew was his reflection and it stared back, both completely unknowing as to what the other looked like. His eyes were closed, forced shut really, though it felt completely natural to Kyle at this point it was a side effect of the seal placed upon him. The seal was there to keep the curse at bay... "how many years has it been?" The thought echoed ".... Since birth, that's right," he'd nearly forgotten. The curse was something he was born with, it made it so that anything he looked upon would send him into a blinding rage, his powers improved drastically, but the destruction was...absolute. The seal was there to prevent him from destroying anything and everything, and so he stared into nothingness, emptiness, the void. He breathed in deeply, he had always dreamed that he would be able to open his eyes and see something without the rage overcoming him. Slowly as the years passed by, he realized that such a dream may never come true, it was something he had accepted, though hope flickered from time to time. Ah well... c'est la vie. He turned his head towards the automaton, "Prepare some breakfast and set out some clean clothes, I'm going to take a shower." "As you wish, Master Parker," the large creature stepped back into the hall closing the door behind him. Kyle turned his head back towards the mirror, he stared into the void, and it stared back.

[Midna-Phobia]

Stretching out with a yawn and a small sigh Grace stood, taking her bowl over to the sink in the kitchen and rinsing it out before placing it in the dishwasher. Looking out the kitchen window she thought for a moment she saw some movement in the house next door, but by the time she looked it was already gone. It was always so dark over there, the curtains always drawn. Compared to her own house, which was always open, bright, warm and airy it seemed a sad way of life even though she had been taught never to judge someone without knowing their story. She didn’t even know who or what kind of people lived there. Going around the house Grace made sure that everything was closed up and locked before she gathered her bag and her house keys, locking the front door behind her she began making her way down the street to the bus stop. It had rained last night, so everything was glistening with water and puddles covered the ground. She reached out, letting her hands brush against the plants as she passed, small water droplets transferring onto her hand or falling onto the ground. She always loved the smell of everything after it had rained. It smelt fresher, cleaner. Gray clouds still hung overhead, meaning they may even get more rain later. The girl felt, needless to say, most at home when she was surrounded by water. Smiling to herself she jumped up onto a small brick wall that was the fence to someone’s yard and began walking along it with her arms outstretched to the sides. It was only a short walk to the bus stop, but she always tried to enjoy it as much as possible. If the school had been closer she would have been happy to walk or even ride a bike. The bus itself was not the most pleasant of places. Kids there were always so crude. She herself had been called immature plenty of times, but at least she still acted intelligent, she just enjoyed childish things. Whereas most people her age acted like idiots most of the time and she highly doubted it was out of choice, believe they truly didn’t know any better. Up ahead there was a large puddle and Grace smiled, running a short ways before jumping off the low brick wall and into the puddle, splashing water in all directions and giggling happily to herself. There was just something about jumping in puddles that made her laugh.

[TimasheTiger]

He turned the water knob, the hot one only, and steaming water came running out, as the tub filled he removed his clothing and when it filled he tested the waters. A small smile made its way upon his lips, the temperature would have been way too hot for anyone else to handle, but to Kyle this was just right...though it could probably use a little more heat. He stepped into the water, and lowered himself in, calling upon his mana he breathed in deeply and exhaled, allowing his body temperature to heat up the water from scalding hot to boiling, literally. Easing himself in, he sighed, his muscles greatly enjoyed the intense heat and his lungs filled up with the steaming air. To him, this was Nirvana, and he would take as much time as he could to enjoy it. Time passed and after feeling satisfied, he stepped out from the water, drained the tub and toweled off. He made his way back to his room and towards his bed... his clothes were there, perfect. Dressing himself, he wandered near the window and pulled back the curtain ever so slightly and stared in the direction of the house next to his. He didn't know what it looked like, but every so often he'd... sense, the vibrancy of the house, a latent talent to having a mana source, a form of innate six sense. He couldn't identify what an object was or who a person was, but he could sense the presence of the being, the movements being made and the emotions being felt. There was always something about that house that felt...different, like it was lighter in comparison to his own, maybe it was the presences he felt inside, but there was usually a sense of joy coming from that house. Speaking of which, a presence made itself known, he couldn't tell what it was doing exactly, though it was something with their hands based on the movement. A glimmer, the presence shifted where it was looking and Kyle receded back from the window, he didn't want to provoke unwanted attention, especially with the kind of person his father was. A smell wafted its way into his room, finishing dressing he made his way downstairs to eat his breakfast, then afterwards his caretaker would drive him to school.

[Midna-Phobia]

Standing on the street corner Grace waited for the bus, her hands clasped behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels, humming to herself. An odd bubbly feeling in her stomach made itself known. Nerves. Butterflies beating themselves against the walls of her gut. Of course she was nervous. During primary and middle school she had been attending with normal humans. All her friends had been there, since most other like her had been… well like her and kept their abilities hidden from others. Now she was entering this new school with people she didn’t know all with super powers like her. What if she didn’t match up? What if they laughed at her? What if no one liked her? Reaching into her bag she took out her water bottle and took a long drink, the water usually helping to calm her nerves. She noticed the bus approaching and raised her hand to signal for it to stop and quickly climbed aboard. Looking down the aisle she quickly selected a seat with no one currently occupying it and made a beeline for it, sitting down and keeping her vision straight. If she didn’t look at anyone then she couldn’t offend. If she didn’t offend no one would be tempted to beat the snot out of her. The reasonable and rational side of her tried to assure her that no one was going to beat her up because she looked at them funny. But the side of her that watched too many teenage movies told her to fear everyone and everything. The ride was only short, luckily, and no one decided to sit next to her. Grace was certain she looked as scared as she felt. It was strange too because she wasn’t usually one to be so nervous. Once the bus arrived at the school she sat patiently, waiting for everyone else to get off before she did so as to avoid getting in anyone’s way. Picking up her bag he quickly disembarked and stopped for a moment, looking up at the building. It looked just like any other school really. As she stood there she felt a small drop of water, then another and another before the heavens opened up and started raining down upon them. It was a light shower really, but it made her smile and giggle as if the water washed away all the worries she’d had.

[TimasheTiger]

At the door Kyle tied up his shoes, standing he went to retrieve the two things that openly signified his blindness, his sunglasses and his cane. This was probably the one thing he detested the most, not because he was embarrassed to use them, but because it gave the wrong impression of him. His father encouraged the misinterpretation, he told him it was a weakness he could exploit. Begrudgingly he put on the sunglasses, the frame and lenses wrapping around his head so they completely blocked out his eyes and picked up the cane. Turning and waiting patiently, the caretaker approached and opened the door leading the way for Kyle as he followed behind, before being ushered into the backseat of the car. The car's interior felt nice, smooth leather, with the kind of work his father did, Kyle knew he was well off, more so than most others. The car ride itself was pretty uneventful, the caretaker spoke only when he needed to and never made conversation, though Kyle more than preferred it this way. Quiet was a great escape for him, it brought him back to the void of his mind where he could project himself, explore himself, think and drink deeply from the fruits of knowledge. It was the subtle pattering of rainfall that brought him out of his thoughts once more and he stared in the direction of the window, facing the moving world. Everything he sensed was nothing more than brief flickers, he had no idea what was going on out there, only that something was happening. The fast moving world suddenly slowed though and the car brought itself to a stop. "Wait one moment, Master Parker," The caretaker spoke, slow and deep. "That won't be necessary, caretaker," he replied reaching for the door handle. "Your father insists upon it..." Kyle's hand falters for a just a moment before retreating back into his lap, "Proceed." The caretaker nodded to Kyle so slow, he wasn't sure if the caretaker had moved at all. Exiting the vehicle, the caretaker made his way around the car to open Kyle's door, stepping aside so as to let Kyle pass through. Sighing to himself, Kyle exits the vehicle.

[Midna-Phobia]

Out the front of the school Grace was contently standing in the rain, getting absolutely saturated, kicking at puddles as others hurried inside. She paused for a moment as a fancy looking car pulled up but quickly turned away, hurrying up onto the stairs that were covered and took out her water bottle, taking another big gulp she then proceeded to clear herself of all the water on her and filled the bottle up with rain water, which always tasted a lot better than tap water. However sometimes if she concentrated enough she could sometimes separate the bad stuff from the pure water. She didn’t attempt this often though, because it gave her an awful headache. Collecting rainwater this was just a lot easier. Turning to look back out at the fancy car Grace found herself curious, especially when she noticed the driver get out and open the back door for the car for the passenger. She heard herself gasp slightly and then immediately felt horrible for doing so when she realised he was blind. Nibbling on her lip the girl gave a small wave of her hand and the rain parted for the boy, although it still fell it now feel around him instead of on him, kind of like if he had an umbrella. Grace was sure if her mother saw her doing this she would disapprove. She had always been taught not to use her powers unless it was absolutely necessary. However she supposed it was guilt at the way she had initially reacted… and now she was only making it worse. She’d never met a blind person… but she was certain they’d want to be treated like everyone else. Only now she couldn’t stop diverting the rain away from him could she? She’d look like a jerk, like she had been playing some kind of trick on him. Grace groaned, wondering how she got herself into these situations.

[TimasheTiger]

The rain pattered on Kyle, only for it to instantly evaporate on contact with his skin, rainwater wasn't really a bother for him, though it was unusual for rain to suddenly stop in one spot yet continue everywhere else. Looking up he sensed the water sort of...just sliding away from him, not hitting anything, just moving away from him, as if they were curtains parting open for him. Kyle looked to his caretaker, who had already worked out Kyle's distress. "A young girl Master Parker, I believe she is the cause." "Hm..." he looked up at the sliding water then towards the energy of the girl, there was activity, "water manipulation?" "That would be the most plausible assumption." Unusual that someone would just go out of their way for some complete stranger, it made Kyle feel somewhat paranoid, "The question is...what's her angle?" "You are asking me a question as to speculate upon a specific situation, this is something I cannot do." "I'm more than well aware, caretaker..." he calmly stated before beginning to ponder thoughtfully on his situation. "However..." the caretaker spoke, taking Kyle slightly aback, "if any word were to be used to describe her actions, it would be kindness." "Kindness? ...heh," that wasn't a word he was used to, it was...unusual that someone would just go out of their way like that simply just out of a sense of kindness, but the words the caretaker uses are always thougtful, the caretaker contemplated it deeply to even have had a sense of a word. To pick kindness though... "Very well then, I think that will be all caretaker," Kyle nodded slowly and the caretaker did so back before they parted ways. Kyle's cane scraped along the ground, tapping here and there to identify obstacles that were new and unusual to him. That being said, he really didn't ever need to use the cane, his sense abilities were already more than enough to compensate, but the cane was for appearances. After all, who knows, maybe a girl who would do something out of kindness, completely at random, could be used to his benefit. That...however, would have to be determined later down the road, if she was to even follow him down that road at all. As he moved, he couldn't help but notice the manipulation area move along with him, until it dispersed as he made his way underneath the covering. He stood in front of the girl, though he couldn't see what she actually looked like, he could sense that she was...vibrant. Kindness....perhaps the caretaker's words do hold true. Kyle looked in her general direction and smiled, "Thank you for helping me out there, that was nice of you," then he introduced himself, "my name is Kyle, Kyle Parker."

[Midna-Phobia]

Grace waited until the boy got under cover and was about to turn and leave, in quite a hurry, she may add. However stopped for a moment when she looked at him properly. It almost looked like he was looking at her… but that made no sense. It was only in her general direction but it was her general direction! And he smiled at her! He was blind… how did he know where she was? And then it occurred to her that she was at a school for people with powers. She wasn’t sure what his were exactly, but they were helping him to navigate whatever they were. And then he thanked her and once again she was thrown into a nervous confusion. How did he know? Maybe he could red minds. Maybe he was reading her mind right now and was thinking how much of an idiot she was. Regardless it would have been rude of her to not say anything at all now that he had introduced himself. “G-Grace.” She stumbled for a moment, her voice a little shaky. Grace was kind and bubbly in her own right, but she was also very shy and nervous around people she didn't know. “Don’t mention it, with the water thing, really. I’m sure mostly anyone would have done the same thing… maybe.” She once again nibbled at her lip and took her water bottle out again, taking another sip. It was a nervous habit of hers, since water always seemed to have a calming effect on her and it wasn’t like she was able to just take some water out and start playing with it to calm herself down. Well not until now that was. She wasn’t sure on the school’s policy about using powers for personal reasons during class. “I um…” As if it had read her mind and had swooped in to save her the bell rung and she let out an internal sigh of relief. “I have to go, sorry. Class and… and stuff. Don’t want to be late on my first day.” She turned and walked away for as long as she thought she could get away with before picking up the pace to a run, taking off down the hall, which was rather wet and slippery. Instantly the playfulness came out in her and she moved to freeze the water and began sliding along the hall, making sure to return it to the less dangerous water state behind her.

[TimasheTiger]

Kyle's eyebrow raised itself slightly, her vibrancy was changing, almost shaking, was she frightened? Her voice finally responded after a long moment of hesitation, "G-Grace." Ah, she was nervous, that was...completely understandable. She accepted his thanks timidly, even though his ears were used more than his eyes, he actually had a hard time catching the last bits of it as it drowned out. judging by her voice, she sounded young, around his age, along with her 'demonstration' she had powers, meaning she was some kind of super, like him. The sound of a water bottle being opened, sipped, then closed brought him out of his brief thoughts. "I um..." she started, before the bell rang and she quickly excused herself before walking, then running into the building. Kyle stood standing there, staring at the direction she ran off too, somewhat confused at the sudden departure. Perhaps he had frightened her unintentionally....right the blind thing, and yet he knew exactly where she was to begin with, that wasn't his fault...his caretaker told him about her to begin with. He shrugged, really he couldn't be bothered with this, it was a first chance encounter and it didn't end exceptionally well, end of story, move on. Out of everything said, the girl had at least one bit of useful information, it was time to get to class and NOT be late on the first day. Whistling ever so softly he began to move forward, tapping his cane against the wall every so often as he began memorizing the layout of the building whilst making his way to his first class.

[Midna-Phobia]

Grace managed to find her way to her first class without much trouble, the building was fairly well set out, and there was a map attached to the back of her schedule. As she moved to sit at a desk a thought occurred to her and as she sat down she slammed her head onto the table. She was an idiot. An absolute total ditz. She’d just left a blind kid on his own to find his way around. This was not the best way for her to start the year. She tried to reassure herself that maybe it would be alright. She had no idea who that kid was; maybe he had already been here before and was in a year above her. Either way she felt sick again. Maybe someone here had time powers and could take her back to this morning before she got on the bus so she could do everything over again. That’d be perfect. A woman walked in, looking slightly flustered and busy and Grace smiled despite herself, glad the new year wasn’t hard on just the students. “Good morning class, good morning. This is home room, my name is Miss Glimmer… I’ll be your home room supervisor. I’m also the head of the arts department.” She set some papers onto the desk and skimmed through them. “Oh yes, freshman need to go to the gym for specialised class assignments.” Grace frowned slightly, not sure what exactly ‘specialised class assignments’ were. But she figured she’d find out what it was all about when she got there. Standing along with a dozen other confused looking students Grace followed along, checking the map on the back of her schedule again to make sure she was going the right way. Meeting up with the rest of her year she stood just on the outskirts of the group, waiting for something to happen.

[TimasheTiger]

The bells resounded throughout the hall before falling silent once more. "Damn, guess I am going to be late," Kyle thought, a dry chuckle erupting from his throat. Ah well, he knew damn well he could get away with it this one time, he was, by all legal definition, blind. His right hand ran along the wall, and his cane skittered across the floor, tapping the wall every so often. Often times the walls were bare, but he'd come to a row of lockers or a room door, his hand brushing against the room number and the tiny indentations in braille. He'd already memorized which side had even numbers and which side had odds, so all he had to do was find the right floor, the right side, then he'd be golden. It wasn't too long after the second bell that he found which room he was assigned for homeroom. The door was closed and he tapped on the window pane in the door, requesting that he might enter, a voice replied from the other side, signalling him to enter. "Can I help you, young man?" The voice was male, older, sophisticated, something Kyle could work with. "My name is Kyle Parker, sir, I'm assigned to this homeroom." The sound of papers shuffling preceded the response, "Ah yes, Mr. Parker, thank you for finally joining us, I trust your tardiness won't happen often?" "Of course not sir, just need to memorize the building first," he smiled. "Very well then, as for introductions my name is Dr. Barthandulus, I am the head of the science department as well as your homeroom teacher. You can remain standing Parker, we'll find you a seat afterwards." "Afterwards?" Kyle thought. Papers shuffled once more before the teacher spoke, "alright class, everyone is to head to the gym immediately for special class assignments, let's go." The sound of chairs sliding out from under desks resonated throughout the classroom as the dozen or so students, Kyle included, all made their way to the gym. The Doctor asked Kyle if he needed any assistance, but was met with a smile and a head shake no, stating that he was perfectly fine. This was good though, something his father would have expected of him, he smiled somewhat devilishly, but quickly masked his expression as they approached the gym. When inside he stood towards the back of the group and waited patiently for their 'special class assignments', whatever that entailed.

[Midna-Phobia]

Grace wondered how long they had been waiting, though honestly it could have only been a few minutes. Finally a figure walked in, a woman though she looked very different to her home room teacher. This woman seemed powerful; she walked very upright with her shoulders held back and her head high. Her hair was dark brown and tied in a tight bun behind her head and she carried a clipboard in her arms. “Good morning students, my name is Principal Nightingale, I know, it’s a bit of a mouthful. That aside, some of you are no doubt wondering what you’re doing here.” She smiled and Grace decided she liked her; she seemed like a gentle person. “Well, our school is obviously not like a lot of other school in the district. You’ll find some normal classes but we also have a range of classes specifically aimed at our unique conditions. However with the wide variety of powers we encounter amongst our students we have learnt it is best to divide you into classes with those most similar to you, so as to specialise the class so that you may gain the most out of the experience.” She paused for a moment and just looked at them. Grace wondered what she was doing before she looked back to the clipboard. “So when I read your name please move off to your corresponding teacher who will have an ability similar to your group. During your enrolment we were informed of your powers, so as to have time to plan what groupings would work best with your year, however if you feel like you may be better fitted in another power grouping feel free to come speak with me after everyone has been placed.” And with that she began reading off names, in alphabetical order which made Grace sigh. She would be one of the last to be called. Stupid alphabetical order. “Kyle Parker, elementals.” Just over half the group had been divided but Grace perked up when she heard that name. She knew that name. Looking around she noticed the boy from this morning. Elementals? He was like her? Or at least like enough to her that they should be paired in the same group. The main group continued to get smaller and smaller and her name was finally called, second last. “Grace Whyte, elementals.” Standing the girl walked over to the group, once again standing on the outskirts. Looking over at Kyle she smiled and waved shyly, a small gesture to hopefully show she felt bad for running off on him this morning.

[TimasheTiger]

Running his finger over the indentations in his watch, Kyle determined a little bit of time had passed since they first arrived in the gym. Personally, it didn't entirely matter how long it took, time was something he could work with and patience had become one of his best virtues. Suddenly voices lowered as the loud tapping of heels to wood echoed through the gym. Perfect timing, he closed his watch and listened intently as the heels came to a stop. “Good morning students, my name is Principal Nightingale, I know, it’s a bit of a mouthful." A bit of a mouthful? Just how low were they setting their standards here? "That aside, some of you are no doubt wondering what you’re doing here.” He put a finger to his chin and thought over her words carefully, she sounded powerful, confident, informative, everything that a good principal would need, even in a school of supers. As she continued on, she explained to the students about what they were doing here, what the school was trying to accomplish, and of course, what their 'special class assignments' were. So they were grouping students into categories, well he was the literal definition of an elemental, so he'd most likely be grouped there, he wondered... "Kyle Parker, elementals." Speak of the devil... He made his way over to the group of students classified as elementals, most of them were conversing among other, either with close friends who were grouped with them or new students introducing themselves to others. Kyle of course, remained away from the group, closer to his silence, he wasn't exactly here to make friends. "Grace Whyte, elementals." He thought as much, her earlier display would make her an avid candidate in the elemental category. He sensed as her aura approached, well...he could only assume, but the vibrancy of it was soft, not nearly as timid or nervous as it was earlier. He sensed movement from her, just from one spot on her body, back and forth, was she waving. Looking in her direction he smiled a little to acknowledge her, "Nice to see you again, especially after such a long time," he grinned a little, a bit of teasing never hurt anyone and it might actually help her relax a little if she was still nervous.

[Midna-Phobia]

When Kyle looked over to her and waved back Grace blushed slightly at his words. “I’m sorry for running off on you earlier. I was… surprised a little I guess. I hadn't expected you to know I was there…” Maybe that was why she’d done it in the beginning, it had been a nice thing to do and she hadn't thought anything would have come from it. So when she had been forced to interact with someone it had caught her off guard. But now that she had a better idea of what to expect he wasn’t nearly as intimidating especially since now she was fairly sure he couldn’t read her mind. Once again her mind wondered to what exactly his powers may be, that allowed him to see her without sight like she had. Asking would have been easier, but it seemed a rude question to ask someone. Perhaps he had earth powers, or air could possibly work, either could be used to an extent to assist in sight. She supposed she would find out eventually regardless. The girl moved to say something else when the man whom they had been assigned to spoke up. He was a large man, tall and muscular. Grace thought he looked a little intimidating, but then again she felt that way about most people. In a way she was very much like water, preferring to move around obstacles instead of taking on things head on. “Alright Elementals. First off if anyone believes their placement was incorrect you should go and take it up with Nightingale now.” His voice was loud, maybe a little too much so. And deep. It almost boomed really. Looking around Grace noticed no one seemed to have any arguments. Then again she didn’t think this was a particularly hard group to place. “Very good. I am Mr Steele, I’ll be your group advisor, so if anyone ever has any questions or concerns regarding powers I will do my best to help you. I’ll also be your teacher for Power Theory and Practical. Practical will take place in the gym, Theory will be in room seventeen. Make sure to write it down on your schedules. Do we have any questions?” He looked out over the group and Grace lowered her eyes for a moment, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to herself.

[TimasheTiger]

She seemed much more relaxed now than his first interaction with her not even twenty minutes ago, to Kyle, this was good; however. His brow crinkled slightly at her response, so he had startled her, he actually felt kind of bad for that. For what reason though? The whole thing was so inconsequential, and yet here he was feeling guilt for causing such a minor thing to escalate...well not escalate that might be taking it somewhat dramatically; regardless. "I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you with that. Knowing a person is there when I can't see them is just something that comes so naturally that I sometimes forget about it," he pondered this a bit, his finger rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "I suppose that's not really good, forgetting things like that," he smiled a bit weakly at that, but returned back to more a normal expression. She moved to speak once more until the rather large aura began to speak. His voice was loud and thunderous, actually it was a bit deafening, Kyle found himself digging in his ears afterwards to check his hearing. He told them what their classes were going to be, where, etc. all part of the orientation. When he asked for questions, Kyle remained silent as other students asked their general questions. He pretty much had an idea of what was to go down, but in all honesty, he just didn't care to ask any questions he never felt he needed to, everything else he'd find out eventually. Looking over to Grace, her aura had changed again, back to a nervous frequency. He sighed internally, this girl, how she could be so skittish knowing where she was going... No he couldn't judge her based on that, not everyone was like he was, cool, in control... Maybe it was time to return the favor, keeping his senses open and alert he used his cane to gently tap her foot. When he got her attention he gave her a reassuring smile, as if to say, "don't be nervous."

[Midna-Phobia]

Feeling something tap on her foot Grace looked up to see Kyle smiling at her and she smiled gently in return. She knew she was too timid, people had often told her but she couldn’t help it. She had always viewed attention as bad; because of the fear her powers may be discovered. However things were different here and she needed to remember that. There were probably other fears she could have in this new environment however she thought that the less thought she gave to them the less they’d bother her. Mr Steele suddenly spoke up again, catching her by surprise. “Alright then, you’ve got about ten minuted before your next class is supposed to start. Stay in the gym, but have some free time.” “Can’t help it.” She whispered back, feeling safe in speaking now that they’d been dismissed. “I mean… what if I don’t hold up against the others?” What if she was labelled the weak link? Smiling despite herself she shrugged slightly. I didn’t really get to practice my powers a lot when I was younger… I guess I’m not that confident in myself.” She shrugged slightly, thinking maybe she had said too much. Grace was aware that she sometimes spoke too much but smiled despite herself. “Sorry,” She shrugged slightly. As before she found herself curious as to how his powers worked, how he saw and things like that but was much too polite to ask. So she instead chose to ask something else since she really didn’t know much about him. “So do you have any siblings?” She paused for a moment but decided not to ask about his parents, since it could sometimes be a sensitive subject for people, especially people like them. “I don’t have any myself, but I kind of always wanted one. It wouldn’t have been as quiet growing up.”

[TimasheTiger]

He could feel her smile, but her aura remained almost entirely unchanged; what a timid girl. It wasn't too long after that Mr. Steele fired off again and Grace began to speak to him once more. “Can’t help it.” She whispered back, “I mean… what if I don’t hold up against the others?” Oh man, her confidence was staggeringly low, "I didn’t really get to practice my powers a lot when I was younger… I guess I’m not that confident in myself. Sorry”She paused for a bit before asking another question, “So do you have any siblings? I don’t have any myself, but I kind of always wanted one. It wouldn’t have been as quiet growing up.” "No I...don't have siblings." His brow crinkled, something was eating him, she was changing the subject because she wasn't confident in herself. Damn it, he felt bad for her again, this girl was doing things to him, messing with his head, but that couldn't be the case, because no one could actually be that...that...shit... "Grace," he began, this was going to be a long one, "speaking honestly, I don't think you need to worry too much, I can guarantee you that most of the students here probably haven't had a lot chances to use their powers either, probably for safety reasons. You'll have your shining star or two, but from what I can gather already your water powers already seem to be at a good level. The thing you did earlier today, shielding me from the rain, it may not seem like much, but it was a lot of fast moving droplets of water, constantly showering an area, yet you were moving them out and down away from me consistently without faltering. Even as I approached you remained in the same state, not once did you try to catch your breath. Just based on that initial observation, and for what its worth" he leaned against the gym bleachers, nicely folded up for the school day activities, "I think you're going to outclass a lot of these chumps."

[Midna-Phobia]

Grace looked to Kyle in surprise as he changed the topic on her again. However his words made her smile and a blush spread over her cheeks and she glanced down slightly in modesty, glad he couldn’t see the red in her cheeks. “It… it was nothing really. I’ve done things like that tones of times before. I…” She took a small breath and looked up at his face still smiling gently and nodded slightly. “Thank you.” No one had ever really said something like that to her about her powers. Then again there hadn't been much chance to now she thought about it. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to stop worrying so much. “But now you’ve got me a little curious. It was something I’ve been wondering for a little bit now, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But I was kind of wondering… what your powers were? And how you can see without really using your eyes like a lot of us have to.” The girl dared to ask. She wouldn’t hold it against him if he didn’t want to tell her, but he just seemed so confident, despite everything. It gave her hope in a way; if he could be so sure of her then maybe she’d be able to be surer of herself too. She had never really thought her powers were anything special, but that was comparing herself to her mother and other supers… maybe her problem had just been that she’d been setting unrealistic goals and expectations of herself. Either way she decided there that she liked this guy, and could see being around him very beneficial for her. Hopefully he didn’t mind if she hung around him.

[TimasheTiger]

A wave of emotions flooded her aura, but the one thing he was really looking for, was for her to relax and that mad him smile; even more so when he could feel the heat from her cheeks. She tried to be modest about it at first, but eventually thanked him. He couldn't help but smile a little, for some reason, her smiling made him smile, it was...a good feeling, not one he felt often. It seemed like whatever he said boosted her confidence a little and made her relaxed enough to start asking about him and his powers. "Ah, I was wondering when that was going to be brought up," he raised his head up," ahhhh now where to begin... ok, so you know that most supers get their powers through genetics, via some form of mutation in them right? I'm something a little different, a little more wild so speak, but that might just be me being dramatic. My powers are the direct result of being a descendant of a fire elemental, in other words, I can control that element, produce it and extinguish it at will. As for my sight, because of my inherently magical nature, I have access to what's known as a 'mana source' and a power called 'mana'. Mana is a source of energy for all life, it flows and ebbs through everything, but is completely invisible to the naked eye, because of my source, I can sense that mana. While you might see me for what I am, whatever that may be, the way I see you is as this constantly flowing and waving source of colors. I can sense exactly where you are, what actions you're doing and," he smirked at this, "honestly your fiery red cheeks."