Alan Southern and Adeline Wilson
Location: The Front Gates; The Academy.
Interacting With: Each other.
”So, have you already gotten your schedule and everything?” Alan asked, having taken note that she had no luggage with her save for a small white and pink handbag she kept slung over her shoulder. He hated to ask, so he just had to assume everything had already been sent ahead for her - really it was the least her parents could have done since they seemed to have just dumped her at a school with no one to help her out.
He had worked with a blind woman once at the circus - but she had been a much older lady (probably cataracts), and yet still the best damn fortune teller he had ever come across. He didn’t interact
with her much, but there had been a time or two when she had asked him to help her to her trailer. He didn’t mind - she really was a sweet, old lady. And Adeline… well she was even sweeter. Perhaps he got that from her youthfulness and sense of naivety - either way, he was more than happy to help,
especially when others wouldn’t.
“..m-my schedule..?”Panic flickering across her gentle features, her eyes widening slightly; Adeline’s heart sunk in her chest. Had they not read the letter properly..? Were classes meant to be picked out
before students went to the academy..?
“..I-I didn’t realise-... I-...” Her head dropping, body pressing slightly closer against his, almost as though she were trying to hide herself behind his arm, she slowed her pace, her focus instead turning to the thoughts running through her mind, rather than on where they were going,
“..I-I don’t even know wh-what classes there are…”Eyebrows raising in surprise as he felt her shift, Alan turned his head to the side, slowing his own pace down so she wouldn’t feel like he was forcing her along.
”Hey, no worries. I don’t have mine either. They gave me the option to have it picked out before I got here, but I needed a little more time to decide on a few things before I did.” He didn’t mean to alarm her - he tried giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
”We can get them done together. Soon as they open the gates.”“..r-really..?” Lifting her head, her soft lips parting ever slightly from one another, Adeline couldn’t stop the flush of her cheeks at the simple act of him squeezing her hand like he was; calling for her attention, and helping her to barely notice the way the leash was being tugged continuously as the whimpering dog tried his best to search about the all new surroundings of the academy,
“..I-... I didn’t even know that was an option, I-...”Biting down and nibbling a moment on her lower lip, visible relief flickering over her delicate features, she seemed to relax. She wasn’t behind… or, at least, she wasn’t behind Alan in the sense that she still didn’t know what she wanted to do class wise… maybe they should have read through everything again before she’d had to leave,
“..I think we have have missed some information in the letter… my parents didn’t even want to send me here- something about my grandfather… but I don’t know why; I-... I’ve never met him…””Your… grandfather?” Alan quirked an eyebrow. How did
that even make sense? Then again, both his mother
and father didn’t want him and left him to be raised by carnies - who was he to judge?
“..Slade Wilson..? At least, that’s the name that daddy uses anyway…”Slade Wilson - she shared his last name, and the name itself tickled at the back of his mind a bit. He felt like he should know it; a name he had read somewhere in school, maybe?
”He kind of sounds familiar, but I couldn’t tell you why…” Alan admitted, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck for a moment.
”But yeah, Professor X- uh, Charles Xavier - one of the teachers here helping to fund the place - I was at his school for mutants when I got the letter explaining the academy.. Maybe he was just helping me out, or something by trying to get me my schedule early? I dunno.”Xavier…
A soft frown crossing her features, Adeline fell silent as she listened carefully to what he was saying. Charles Xavier… that name; it sounded familiar, but then she wasn’t exactly sure. Apart from those living in, or visiting the Teen Titan tower, there weren’t many other supers that she knew too much about,
“..I’m sorry… I-... I don’t think I know him… but he sounds like a wonderful man…””He is. He had a school a lot like this, but was directed towards mostly mutants instead of supers and everything in between.” He paused.
”But he helped me through a lot in just a year - I owe that man a lot. I’m just happy that he’s still a part of my life for now.”“..I-... I wouldn’t know what that’s like… I’ve never really had anyone outside of the Teen Titans…” Her mind wandering, she turned her head away, her ever unseeing eyes gliding over the scenery around them with a glazed look,
“..my, uh… my family aren’t very close… and I don’t exactly have friends outside of the tower… or really at all, so…”Alan’s heart wrenched at her admission. Admittedly, he didn’t have a whole lot going for him either - even in the circus. But Xavier’s school changed his life. He knew that if she tried, if she wanted, the academy could do the same for her.
”Well we’re going to change that. You being here is going to change that a lot. And look, you’ve already got me!” Despite her not being able to see it, he smiled.
She-... she had him..?
A gentle blush creeping out over her cheeks at his words, honest surprise written across her features, Adeline turned her attention back towards the sound of his voice, her mind lingering on his words. She-... she had a… a friend..? Distracted by the thought, her grip over the leash relaxing further, she blinked, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.
Aside from the supers who called the tower their home, she’d never had a friend that her parents hadn’t met; that they hadn’t approved of… one that they knew nothing about… This-... this was all so new,
“..I-... I-I have you..?”Alan laughed. It really was cute when she said it like that.
”Why not? You haven’t given me any reason to not want to be your friend. I think you’re a wonderful person, Adeline, and I’d love to learn more about you - weird family and all.”“..r-really..?” A gentle sparkle filling her dull eyes, her soft pink lips turning up in a still rather shy smile, Adeline’s heart fluttered lightly in her chest. She-... she had a friend..! Someone she could spend time with; that she could get to know better-...
The wind suddenly picked up, and Alan had to look up at the sun to see where all the sunlight had suddenly disappeared to. Thunder rumbled as clouds began to circle over the heads of everyone at the academy, leaving Alan completely speechless for a few moments. Just what-?
Eyes widening, her body stiffening as the sudden crack of thunder filled the air; the sound had her moving without second thought. The leash dropping from her hand, her arms lifting, seeking out and wrapping quickly around the back of his neck, Adeline shut her eyes, her body trembling lightly against his,
“..A-Alan…”The physical contact, though not unwelcome, came as a bit of a surprise to Alan, but the basic instinct of protection won out in the end. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, shielding her from the wind just as a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, making the entire campus shake slightly. His eyes looked around, colors that meant nothing to him flashing from person to person until two figures both illuminating a very bright white color seemed to just appear where the lightning had struck.
White? He had seen people glow blue and red before, but white has something entirely new… and it perplexed him.
The wind died down and slowly the sun began to peek out from the dissipating clouds. He shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. Trying to sever the connection between his vision and whatever ability he had been born with to see people and objects as colors, the two people he had been looking at slowly returned to normal, the white “aura” eventually fading entirely.
”Wonder what that was all about…”Fingers curling lightly, her shoulders hunching as she sought to press herself closer against his chest, Adeline dropped her head, burying it into the nape of his neck. First there were fireworks; now there was lightning storms… did she really want to know what was next..?
”I… I think it’s over…” Alan told her gently, his eyes still looking around, watching as the other students seemed to be just as confused as he. Then, some young girl started squealing about Thor and ran up to the two men he had seen radiating the white color beforehand.
”Thor?” Alan asked, more to himself. What would the God of Thunder be doing here?
Thor..?
Her body still shaking against his own, Adline lifted her head slightly, her delicate features showing her confusion,
“..w-who’s Thor..?””A God.” Alan said, drawing his attention back to the small girl curled up into him for safety.
”The thunder God, actually. He fought alongside Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, the Hulk and Captain America in New York when there was an alien attack, or something. Which, I think was pin-pointed to be Thor’s fault to begin with? I’m not really sure, the details are a little fuzzy. His brother Loki had something to do with it too - or at least that’s what the media says.”“..you-... you don’t like… aliens..?””What?” Alan had to think back on his words, trying to figure out where she might have come to that conclusion.
”Oh! No, well I mean, I don’t particularly care for ones that try to destroy cities and hurt people. But that goes for mutants, supers, magic users, humans and all that, too. I’m… just not a huge fan of violence.”“..o-oh…” Worry filling her heart, Adeline once more lowered her head. She’d only just made her very first friend; she couldn’t lose him now… she couldn’t…
”You okay?”“..I-...” Biting down softly upon her lower lip, Adeline hesitated. She didn’t want to upset him, but then… she didn’t want to keep anything from him either… He was being so nice to her- opening up about everything, and answering any questions she asked… the least she could do was extend him the same courtesy…
“..my-... my mother is an alien…”Well that wasn’t something you heard everyday. And he lived with mutants for a few years.
”Did… did she ever try to take over a city and hurt a bunch of innocent people?”Remaining silent, her fingers curling further over the back of his neck, Adeline shook her head. Her mother hadn’t done anything wrong… at least, not that she knew of anyway. The most she knew was that her father had saved her, and that was how they had met. Ever since then, they had been active members of the Teen Titans,
“..n-no… I don’t-... I don’t think so…””Then I’m glad that both you and her are on my side.”He-... he was glad..? Body shifting slightly against his, her arms moving to wrap tightly around the back of his neck, Adeline’s eyes closed, her soft lips brushing gently across his jugular as she nestled her head comfortably into the crook of his neck, her arms working to pull herself closer against him. She hadn’t lost him… he was still there- she still had him…
“..t-thank you… thank you for not leaving me…”He chuckled, using his hands to pat her back gently as he hugged her back.
“You’re very welcome, but Adeline… I think you let Ce-Jay loose…” Looking over her shoulder, the dog had indeed gotten free from Adeline’s grasp, possibly from when she had jumped into his arms at the sudden storm. Continuing his little chuckle, Alan slowly pulled himself from her and put both hands on her shoulders.
Panic filled her heart. Ce-Jay was gone… he was gone… Arms breaking away from behind his neck, her body pulling from his, Adeline’s features filled with worry, her head moving on a swivel as she strained her ears, listening out for that familiar bark until the gentle and reassuring touch of his hands upon her shoulders caught her attention.
“Here… just take a seat-” Alan helped her back up a few steps before coming to a bench, doing everything that he could to help keep her calm,
”-and I’ll go and get him.”“..o-okay…” Reluctant, her head nodding lightly, she let herself be led back, each step slow… careful; until the feeling of stone against the back of her knees had her sitting down on the bench he had guided her to,
“..I-... I’ll wait here…””I’ll be right back with him. I promise.” Giving her another smile, completely ignoring the worsening headache, Alan pulled himself from her completely before running off in the direction of her dog.
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