Nick walks down the hall towards his locker, thinking about some problem in his latest lab results. Barely paying attention to his surroundings, he glides around people on the way to his locker. "Was the detector misaligned? Should I have made that .02 micrometer adjustment? The calculation said it was wrong but it seemed needed anyway."
*BUMP*
"What? Oh! Hi Tiffany! Sorry, I wasn't looking, I didn't mean to bump into you." His face blushes, words coming out as one hurried breath. "Are you ok?"
"Hey, I'm ok. I wanted to ask you something anyway," she says, grinning at him.
As far as Nick was concerned, her grin could light up a city block. "Uh, sure. Go ahead, shoot."
"I need to pick up stuff for the quad. I could use help carrying it. Would you go to the Paragon Price Mart with me and give me a hand?"
"Sure!" trying not to sound too eager, "When did you have in mind?"
"How about Saturday afternoon?" she says.
"You got it!" He might have to shuffle some things around but it was a chance to hang out with TIffany. "It'll give me something to do."
"Great! See you later, I have to get to class," she says with a smile and heads off.
To himself, Nick says, "Price Mart, huh? I can't believe I just agreed to go shopping." He couldn't see it but there was still a smile on his face.
Interludes (NO COMMENT POSTS PLEASE)
Moderator: Student Council
A stack of mail laid on Kali's bed when she returned from class.
College advertisements mostly. Places she had expressed interest in over the last few months.
She flipped through them quickly until she came to a letter that caught her eye.
the neatly prnited address and name in a handwritting she knew.
She opened it carefully. Taking care not to hurt the envelope anymore than she had to.
Pulling the paper from inside she read the words.
It had been carefully written. Carefully worded.
Half way through she sat on her bed.
the twins wandered in but she paid no attention.
She reread the letter again , still not understanding what had been expressed so clearly.
She wanted to cry and couldnt. She wanted to scream but couldnt do that either.
She wanted to call Him and ask why.
But the why was on the paper in front of her.
The whole world seemed to move around her in slow motion as she sat staring out her window.
It would be several days before she said anything to anyone at all.
Finally she became angry. She tore the hearts off the wall tearing them to pieces and throwing them away.
Pictures near her bed she pulled from frames and pushed into a box beneath the bed
Going to class and just walking through the crowded hallways became almost unbearable.
She heard the others talking around her. She heard the whispers as she passed.
Poor Kali , did you hear?
On the third day , she picked up the fliers she had tossed aside previously and dialed the phone.
Admissions office please.... thank you
College advertisements mostly. Places she had expressed interest in over the last few months.
She flipped through them quickly until she came to a letter that caught her eye.
the neatly prnited address and name in a handwritting she knew.
She opened it carefully. Taking care not to hurt the envelope anymore than she had to.
Pulling the paper from inside she read the words.
It had been carefully written. Carefully worded.
Half way through she sat on her bed.
the twins wandered in but she paid no attention.
She reread the letter again , still not understanding what had been expressed so clearly.
She wanted to cry and couldnt. She wanted to scream but couldnt do that either.
She wanted to call Him and ask why.
But the why was on the paper in front of her.
The whole world seemed to move around her in slow motion as she sat staring out her window.
It would be several days before she said anything to anyone at all.
Finally she became angry. She tore the hearts off the wall tearing them to pieces and throwing them away.
Pictures near her bed she pulled from frames and pushed into a box beneath the bed
Going to class and just walking through the crowded hallways became almost unbearable.
She heard the others talking around her. She heard the whispers as she passed.
Poor Kali , did you hear?
On the third day , she picked up the fliers she had tossed aside previously and dialed the phone.
Admissions office please.... thank you
“Stasis Kiss: Sometimes you just have to do something drastic and shake things around a little. ”
The bass was pounding as Bryan got on the dance floor. Pocket D was always crowded on Friday nights. It had been a rough week, he needed to go out and have some fun.
He looked at over the dance floor and spotted one of the girls. Kalie was dance amongst the gathered revelers. Bryan went up to her and greeted her. They danced together for awhile, until Kelly came by to join the party. Bryan and Kelly smiled at one another, he asked her to dance and she agreed. The night worn on and eventually Vesper made an appearance as well. They danced a few songs together too.
At one point, Bryan danced with the three girls all at once. He looked around himself, smiled widely, and thought "This is so much better than public school."
Then he saw Drix, who was staring at him from across the dance floor.
He looked at over the dance floor and spotted one of the girls. Kalie was dance amongst the gathered revelers. Bryan went up to her and greeted her. They danced together for awhile, until Kelly came by to join the party. Bryan and Kelly smiled at one another, he asked her to dance and she agreed. The night worn on and eventually Vesper made an appearance as well. They danced a few songs together too.
At one point, Bryan danced with the three girls all at once. He looked around himself, smiled widely, and thought "This is so much better than public school."
Then he saw Drix, who was staring at him from across the dance floor.
Bryan Baxter (Codename: Gravwarp)
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
-
Stasis Kiss
- Supreme Commander of teh Intarwebs
- Posts: 2403
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 1:24 pm
- Location: just left of center
- Contact:
How cold can you get?
The truth is, she doesn't know.
It was a silly question and she'd said something flip back, something like as cold as I want but she's not actually sure. Just how cold is cold? Sure, she'd sat and daydreamed her way through in Mr. Azumio's Non-Equilibrium Energy Dynamics course, the one that everyone sniggered and called Screwing Up and You but most of it had been so far over her head it might as well be sucking vacuum. As long as she could prove she could control herself, that's what counted, right? It's not like it really made a difference how her mutation worked.
But still, just how cold could she get? Suddenly it was this major question and it made her brain twitch.
So after biology class, with everybody packing up their books and Roger making a big production with his astronomically huge backpack, she slunk to the door and ever so casually lifted the old mercury thermometer off the wall.
Really, it was one of her more clever moments. How else did you measure temperature, right? She'd freeze the thermometer and then she'd know exactly the next time somebody asked. She did it all in one motion, grabbing the old relic and slipping out of class, stuffing the evidence under her jacket. As soon as she could she transferred it to her inside pocket. Nobody said anything or seemed to notice, the teacher didn't come charging out yelling, the hall monitor didn't arrest her on the spot. Step one was complete.
She spun the combination for her locker, banging the door a few times so that it looked good. She tossed her gear at the bottom and thoughtfully toed the bottom metal plate out of habit. It was gonna come loose sooner or later, maybe more sooner than later. She gave it a good luck kick and tried not to look like she was in a hurry, down the hall towards the main double doors. Butter not melting in her mouth, no sir.
She had this hazy thought that if she got caught, she'd claim it was an experiment. She really ought to get extra credit for it too, she figured. That gear they hooked her up with in the testing rooms didn't mean anything, with the little monitors and things. This was something she'd be able to see with a real number.
Outside finally, Stasis made a staggered beeline for the edge of the field and the scrubby trees that cushioned the view down towards the driveway and the stone gate. Once there she pressed her back to the nearest bole and breathed a sigh of relief. Step two, the getaway. Check.
The thermometer looked at her accusingly but she ignored its silent plea. She held it gingerly at the bottom, near the bulb of hazy silver then realised that wouldn't work. The level would go down, not up and she needed to be able to see the low settings. She transferred her grip to the top instead. Okay, now to go about getting cold.
The first couple of times were a disaster. As soon as she tried, everything froze up, the air started to shiver and crystallise and she couldn't read the little writing through the haze in front of her eyes. She held the thing up to her face but the facets of ice blocking her view made it just impossible. After the third attempt she let it all go and blew mist between her lips in frustration. The little glass tube looked at her smugly.
Maybe she should have paid more attention to Mr. Azumio instead of thinking about Jai. She knew sort of how it was supposed to work but she'd never tried to narrow it down like this before. She could force it away from herself, she'd proved that, making distance between her body and the transmutation but that didn't much help at the moment.
Her cheeks heated at the memory and she shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Thinking about that wasn't helpful at all. She didn't want to make something three feet away cold in a desperate bid not to freeze herself at a bad moment; she just wanted to make the thermometer all icy.
She frowned, pale brows drawing together and focused on her hand. Cold. She just wanted her hand cold, not everything.
It kept trying to turn into force, the slippery grip of power trying to stick itself to her skin. She concentrated fiercely, willing cold, willing ice, willing the shift from potential there to reality here. It was giving her a headache; no matter what she tried it kept sliding into the vortex of building pressure, light rising and falling between her fingers. It made her skin crawl because she wasn't discharging it and it kept trying to crawl up her arm like snakes.
Finally, in desperation she thought of scales, balances, the different sides of those stupid math equations she was supposed to be working on this afternoon. This had to equal that or it was wrong and then she felt it click into place like something finding a home.
One hand was cold, negative, stripping energy from the valence fields in an exponential stream, faster and faster and it had to go somewhere, be something so she caught it in her other hand, charging the air higher and higher, forcing it to shed as much light as she could because that was safe, light never hurt anything. She could actually feel it runnning through her body, making her heart feel weird in her chest. But then the hand around the thermometer froze so suddenly it caught even her by surprise. The lattice burned itself into her eyes for a second before the ice crawled into the now empty spaces and she was left with a baseball sized diamond around what used to be her fingers. Even better, the thermometer was utterly visible through crystal, with ice so clear it might as well be glass.
She yipped with excitement. Awright! Experiment successful! She raised her arm up, curious to see what the reading was.
The mercury hadn't moved anywhere inside the glass. She shook it but it didn't so much as budge, steadfastly remaining at the level it had been before she'd even started. Say what? Oh, this totally wasn't fair! The only thing she could come up with was that she had a bum thermometer, is what. She cursed under her breath, trying to think of every word she'd ever heard Mis use. She shook her hand again. Still nothing. The mercury didn't move an iota.
Without thinking about it, she ran power back through the ice along its seams and the diamond fell apart in a dozen facets. She'd pulled enough that her other hand was still glowing though and she discharged it, mock punching the air to spread it out. She shook her fingers absently with the tingle. She glared at the thermometer, feeling betrayed. All that work for nothing!
She narrowed her eyes and sighed. Well, okay. She had the trick now. She'd just have to get another thermometer, one that functioned as advertised and she'd try again.
She started to throw it away but halted, one eyebrow twitching. She looked at it again. The quicksilver stared back at her, worried.
Mercury was pretty neat stuff. The one time in science class that Mrs. Engerland had showed them how to make a mercury amalgam, she hadn't let any of them all that close, saying it was all dangerous and stuff. The thermometer was wrecked anyways so why not goof around?
No sooner thought than put into action. She looked around and then laid the thing on a convenient rock. A second stone came pretty quickly to hand and she hunkered down on her heels. She lined it up and then whacked it near the base, breaking the tube as cleanly as she could. She shook it carefully to get rid of any glass chips and tilted it over her hand, palm cupped to catch the liquid quicksilver.
Except nothing happened. She waited but it didn't pour. She shook it carefully. Still nothing. Say what? She glared at the little eye of metal which just stared back mutely. It stayed determinedly in its little home, totally unwilling to come out.
Finally the truth occured to her and she blinked with astonishment.
She'd frozen the mercury so fast it hadn't had time to react. It had become solid in the tube.
Awesome!
She crowed out loud and looked at the bottom reading possible - negative fifty. Obviously mercury could go down something around there so if she'd frozen the stuff that's how cold she could go. Colder, even! That was utterly amazing.
Neg-a-tive fif-ty. She was one cool customer all right. She grinned at her own silly joke. The next time somebody asked she'd roll that baby off her tongue and look nonchalant about it. Why, that was so cold it might as well be Antarctica or something.
She gave the thermometer a hero's burial, patting the ground over its remains and planting a twig for its gravestone. It had done well.
It didn't occur to her until she was out of the trees that she owed Jai an apology. He'd totally been right to be worried.
Negative fifty was nothing to sneeze at, even if you could dodge bullets.
The truth is, she doesn't know.
It was a silly question and she'd said something flip back, something like as cold as I want but she's not actually sure. Just how cold is cold? Sure, she'd sat and daydreamed her way through in Mr. Azumio's Non-Equilibrium Energy Dynamics course, the one that everyone sniggered and called Screwing Up and You but most of it had been so far over her head it might as well be sucking vacuum. As long as she could prove she could control herself, that's what counted, right? It's not like it really made a difference how her mutation worked.
But still, just how cold could she get? Suddenly it was this major question and it made her brain twitch.
So after biology class, with everybody packing up their books and Roger making a big production with his astronomically huge backpack, she slunk to the door and ever so casually lifted the old mercury thermometer off the wall.
Really, it was one of her more clever moments. How else did you measure temperature, right? She'd freeze the thermometer and then she'd know exactly the next time somebody asked. She did it all in one motion, grabbing the old relic and slipping out of class, stuffing the evidence under her jacket. As soon as she could she transferred it to her inside pocket. Nobody said anything or seemed to notice, the teacher didn't come charging out yelling, the hall monitor didn't arrest her on the spot. Step one was complete.
She spun the combination for her locker, banging the door a few times so that it looked good. She tossed her gear at the bottom and thoughtfully toed the bottom metal plate out of habit. It was gonna come loose sooner or later, maybe more sooner than later. She gave it a good luck kick and tried not to look like she was in a hurry, down the hall towards the main double doors. Butter not melting in her mouth, no sir.
She had this hazy thought that if she got caught, she'd claim it was an experiment. She really ought to get extra credit for it too, she figured. That gear they hooked her up with in the testing rooms didn't mean anything, with the little monitors and things. This was something she'd be able to see with a real number.
Outside finally, Stasis made a staggered beeline for the edge of the field and the scrubby trees that cushioned the view down towards the driveway and the stone gate. Once there she pressed her back to the nearest bole and breathed a sigh of relief. Step two, the getaway. Check.
The thermometer looked at her accusingly but she ignored its silent plea. She held it gingerly at the bottom, near the bulb of hazy silver then realised that wouldn't work. The level would go down, not up and she needed to be able to see the low settings. She transferred her grip to the top instead. Okay, now to go about getting cold.
The first couple of times were a disaster. As soon as she tried, everything froze up, the air started to shiver and crystallise and she couldn't read the little writing through the haze in front of her eyes. She held the thing up to her face but the facets of ice blocking her view made it just impossible. After the third attempt she let it all go and blew mist between her lips in frustration. The little glass tube looked at her smugly.
Maybe she should have paid more attention to Mr. Azumio instead of thinking about Jai. She knew sort of how it was supposed to work but she'd never tried to narrow it down like this before. She could force it away from herself, she'd proved that, making distance between her body and the transmutation but that didn't much help at the moment.
Her cheeks heated at the memory and she shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Thinking about that wasn't helpful at all. She didn't want to make something three feet away cold in a desperate bid not to freeze herself at a bad moment; she just wanted to make the thermometer all icy.
She frowned, pale brows drawing together and focused on her hand. Cold. She just wanted her hand cold, not everything.
It kept trying to turn into force, the slippery grip of power trying to stick itself to her skin. She concentrated fiercely, willing cold, willing ice, willing the shift from potential there to reality here. It was giving her a headache; no matter what she tried it kept sliding into the vortex of building pressure, light rising and falling between her fingers. It made her skin crawl because she wasn't discharging it and it kept trying to crawl up her arm like snakes.
Finally, in desperation she thought of scales, balances, the different sides of those stupid math equations she was supposed to be working on this afternoon. This had to equal that or it was wrong and then she felt it click into place like something finding a home.
One hand was cold, negative, stripping energy from the valence fields in an exponential stream, faster and faster and it had to go somewhere, be something so she caught it in her other hand, charging the air higher and higher, forcing it to shed as much light as she could because that was safe, light never hurt anything. She could actually feel it runnning through her body, making her heart feel weird in her chest. But then the hand around the thermometer froze so suddenly it caught even her by surprise. The lattice burned itself into her eyes for a second before the ice crawled into the now empty spaces and she was left with a baseball sized diamond around what used to be her fingers. Even better, the thermometer was utterly visible through crystal, with ice so clear it might as well be glass.
She yipped with excitement. Awright! Experiment successful! She raised her arm up, curious to see what the reading was.
The mercury hadn't moved anywhere inside the glass. She shook it but it didn't so much as budge, steadfastly remaining at the level it had been before she'd even started. Say what? Oh, this totally wasn't fair! The only thing she could come up with was that she had a bum thermometer, is what. She cursed under her breath, trying to think of every word she'd ever heard Mis use. She shook her hand again. Still nothing. The mercury didn't move an iota.
Without thinking about it, she ran power back through the ice along its seams and the diamond fell apart in a dozen facets. She'd pulled enough that her other hand was still glowing though and she discharged it, mock punching the air to spread it out. She shook her fingers absently with the tingle. She glared at the thermometer, feeling betrayed. All that work for nothing!
She narrowed her eyes and sighed. Well, okay. She had the trick now. She'd just have to get another thermometer, one that functioned as advertised and she'd try again.
She started to throw it away but halted, one eyebrow twitching. She looked at it again. The quicksilver stared back at her, worried.
Mercury was pretty neat stuff. The one time in science class that Mrs. Engerland had showed them how to make a mercury amalgam, she hadn't let any of them all that close, saying it was all dangerous and stuff. The thermometer was wrecked anyways so why not goof around?
No sooner thought than put into action. She looked around and then laid the thing on a convenient rock. A second stone came pretty quickly to hand and she hunkered down on her heels. She lined it up and then whacked it near the base, breaking the tube as cleanly as she could. She shook it carefully to get rid of any glass chips and tilted it over her hand, palm cupped to catch the liquid quicksilver.
Except nothing happened. She waited but it didn't pour. She shook it carefully. Still nothing. Say what? She glared at the little eye of metal which just stared back mutely. It stayed determinedly in its little home, totally unwilling to come out.
Finally the truth occured to her and she blinked with astonishment.
She'd frozen the mercury so fast it hadn't had time to react. It had become solid in the tube.
Awesome!
She crowed out loud and looked at the bottom reading possible - negative fifty. Obviously mercury could go down something around there so if she'd frozen the stuff that's how cold she could go. Colder, even! That was utterly amazing.
Neg-a-tive fif-ty. She was one cool customer all right. She grinned at her own silly joke. The next time somebody asked she'd roll that baby off her tongue and look nonchalant about it. Why, that was so cold it might as well be Antarctica or something.
She gave the thermometer a hero's burial, patting the ground over its remains and planting a twig for its gravestone. It had done well.
It didn't occur to her until she was out of the trees that she owed Jai an apology. He'd totally been right to be worried.
Negative fifty was nothing to sneeze at, even if you could dodge bullets.
"So pay attention to me; I don't talk for my health."
"I want you on my team."
"... So does everybody else."
"I want you on my team."
"... So does everybody else."
-
Persiflage
- Posts: 601
- Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:20 pm
Of course, the man she bought the car from looked sad to see it go. He had the look of an aging hippy; he wanted to send his old car off with a story. she listened as he talked about driving the 1973 Saab over the Mother Road, Route 66, from New Mexico to Chicago, in the early eighties.
Nennya laid her hand gently on the fender. "That was the year I was born," she said, smiling, lying, but wanting to give comfort as she took away this relic of his past. "I will take good care of her. I promise."
"Take her for a spin, then, and we'll sign her over."
Nennya opened the door, which made a squeaky miowing sound. She grinned, smelling the cooked dust puffed up from the seats. The engine was sound; that was the most important thing, but the car needed work. It needed attention. It needed love. The ignition turned over with a chuckling grumble; the starter needed work, maybe a new battery, possibly a new alternator. She'd know for sure when she got it to the garage and began taking the grease-caked innards apart. The engine hitched into life.
"You can drive stick, can't ya?" asked the man. Nennya grinned out the window and shifted into reverse. The exhaust system blatted; the vents blew out hot air; couldn't be turned off. It was like a wounded thing, limping. But a solid transmission. The gears were in such good shape she could almost feel their chunky solidity and she shifted into drive and drove the car around the block.
You are a gorgeous piece of work, she thought, her hands caressing the leatherbound steering wheel. You want to go, and go fast. You are a racing car. And he loved to drive you. Don't worry, baby. I will help you go fast again. I will love you too.
She parked the car and got out, nodded at the man. They exchanged money for the pink slip, the keys.
"You take care of her, hear?" the man said, his voice wavery and uncertain. Nennya hugged him suddenly. "Yes. I will, I promise," she said. She wrote down the address of the garage where she had rented mechanic's space. "Come see her in a month. You'll be pleased."
She got back in, unrolling the windows, making careful adjustments to the mirrors. The didn't want to move; they'd been in the same position for decades. It was enough to see the man's reflection as she drove her car away, saw him waving goodbye.
She took the tunnel out to Faultline, swerving around human obstacles carefully. It was no wonder the speed limits in the city were set at a hard fifteen miles an hour; less wonder that so few people chose to drive. She went very carefully; the plates had been in date five years ago and she didn't have a States license.
She found what she was looking for, the giant fiberglass donut like a beacon. She parked the car carefully and climbed the fire escape, saw Bryan and Kai and Stoned and Vesper there on the roof.
"Hey, Nya!" said Bryan. "So, where's that surprise you were talking about?"
"It's there," she said, pointing proudly down at the parking lot. "I bought a car."
Nennya laid her hand gently on the fender. "That was the year I was born," she said, smiling, lying, but wanting to give comfort as she took away this relic of his past. "I will take good care of her. I promise."
"Take her for a spin, then, and we'll sign her over."
Nennya opened the door, which made a squeaky miowing sound. She grinned, smelling the cooked dust puffed up from the seats. The engine was sound; that was the most important thing, but the car needed work. It needed attention. It needed love. The ignition turned over with a chuckling grumble; the starter needed work, maybe a new battery, possibly a new alternator. She'd know for sure when she got it to the garage and began taking the grease-caked innards apart. The engine hitched into life.
"You can drive stick, can't ya?" asked the man. Nennya grinned out the window and shifted into reverse. The exhaust system blatted; the vents blew out hot air; couldn't be turned off. It was like a wounded thing, limping. But a solid transmission. The gears were in such good shape she could almost feel their chunky solidity and she shifted into drive and drove the car around the block.
You are a gorgeous piece of work, she thought, her hands caressing the leatherbound steering wheel. You want to go, and go fast. You are a racing car. And he loved to drive you. Don't worry, baby. I will help you go fast again. I will love you too.
She parked the car and got out, nodded at the man. They exchanged money for the pink slip, the keys.
"You take care of her, hear?" the man said, his voice wavery and uncertain. Nennya hugged him suddenly. "Yes. I will, I promise," she said. She wrote down the address of the garage where she had rented mechanic's space. "Come see her in a month. You'll be pleased."
She got back in, unrolling the windows, making careful adjustments to the mirrors. The didn't want to move; they'd been in the same position for decades. It was enough to see the man's reflection as she drove her car away, saw him waving goodbye.
She took the tunnel out to Faultline, swerving around human obstacles carefully. It was no wonder the speed limits in the city were set at a hard fifteen miles an hour; less wonder that so few people chose to drive. She went very carefully; the plates had been in date five years ago and she didn't have a States license.
She found what she was looking for, the giant fiberglass donut like a beacon. She parked the car carefully and climbed the fire escape, saw Bryan and Kai and Stoned and Vesper there on the roof.
"Hey, Nya!" said Bryan. "So, where's that surprise you were talking about?"
"It's there," she said, pointing proudly down at the parking lot. "I bought a car."
"Caveat Emptor"
Toby poked his head into the classroom. It was empty, and he was late. Either Dr. Merchant was running later than he was, or he'd arrived too late and Dr. Merchant had already left. Great. Toby stepped into the room and decided to wait.
A few moments later, Toby nearly jumped out of his skin when Dr. Merchant abruptly materialized at his desk, holding a small box labeled "litmus".
"Ah, there you are, Toby. Sorry to have startled you." He plopped the box down on his desk. "I decided to visit the supply closet while I waited for you."
Toby piped up, sounding quite sincerely apologetic. "Dr. Merchant, I'm so sorry I'm late, I--"
"Enough, enough." Dr. Merchant waved a hand dismissively and smiled mildly. "You're here now, and I needn't find time later to look for litmus. Let's focus on your powers, hm?"
Looking appropriately sheepish, Toby nodded. "I've been practicing the things you suggested. My telekinetic bubbles are working better, and I've developed enough strength to start lifting larger objects more easily."
"Well, let's see what you can do, shall we? Over here." Dr. Merchant led Toby over to the somewhat dilapidated standing scale in the back of the room. Perceptive students sometimes wondered why a chemist would need such a large scale, and rumors occasionally floated about him needing to measure out large quantities of this or that illicit substance. Toby found it a bit amusing that people didn't seem at all interested when he tried to tell them what it was really for.
Dr. Merchant slid the balance weight to 100 pounds. "Alright. Give it a go."
Focusing on the small platform where you were supposed to stand, Toby mentally pushed, exerting telekinetic force. After a very brief moment, the scale tipped. Toby smiled. He could hardly believe that he'd struggled to do that a mere month ago.
"Good, good." Dr. Merchant slid the weight over to the right further, positioning it on the 400 pound marker. The scale tipped back again. "Let's see if you can manage that."
Toby reflected that four hundred pounds was probably about the same weight as two or three people. He could move a few people at a time, with some difficulty. He could do this. Frowning in concentration, he tried to push as hard as he could. At first the scale didn't budge, but after several very long moments it started to sway a bit. He rallied himself to push even harder and the scale straightened out for a moment, then finally tipped to the other side. Toby grinned triumphantly. "There!"
"Excellent job." Dr. Merchant smiled genuinely. "Continue practicing, though. In time, I suspect that will become much easier for you."
Toby stopped exerting pressure and the scale tipped back over again. "It seems easier each week. And with really small stuff, it hardly takes any effort at all for me to move them now."
"I'm glad to hear that, because there's more to telekinetics than brute strength." Dr. Merchant walked back to his desk. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a small box with about half a dozen ping pong balls inside. "You're going to learn to juggle."
"Learn to... juggle?" Toby looked at the ping pong balls, then back at Dr. Merchant. He wondered if this was a joke of some sort. Dr. Merchant's sense of humor wasn't always what one might expect, after all.
"That's what I said." Smiling very cleverly, he set two balls near the edge of the desk in front of Toby. "Grab them and toss them up in the air. When they've dropped back down, grab and toss again. This is juggling, so don't just hold on to them as you move them up and down. Toss and grab, hands free. Give it a try."
"Uh... Okay." Toby regarded the balls skeptically for a moment, then did as he was instructed. He mentally reached out grabbed both balls and tossed them straight up into the air. As they were falling, he tried to reach out and catch them... and missed. He frowned at himself. "They're too small, and they're moving too fast." He mentally grabbed them and lifted them back up onto the desk, then looked back up to Dr. Merchant with an inquiring, mildly frustrated expression.
"A skilled telekinetic has precision and can deal with multiple moving targets." Dr. Merchant put the two balls back in the box and handed it to Toby. "You've grown much with your powers, Toby. It's time to refine them some more."
Toby took the box and looked at the balls with mild apprehension. "And I'm going to refine them by juggling."
"Exactly." Dr. Merchant smiled with a trace of amusement. "Once you get the hang of it, it's quite fun. Did you have any questions?"
"Uh... No, I don't think so." Toby had a suspicion that he'd have all sorts of questions as soon as he left. He'd figure it out, though.
"Splendid. Then I'll see you tomorrow in chemistry. Good day, Toby." Dr. Merchant nodded pleasantly, then sat down at his desk.
"Good day, Dr. Merchant." Toby smiled a bit awkwardly, then scuttled out the door with his ping pong balls. He hoped he could find someplace private to practice until he figured out how to keep them in the air past the first toss.
A few moments later, Toby nearly jumped out of his skin when Dr. Merchant abruptly materialized at his desk, holding a small box labeled "litmus".
"Ah, there you are, Toby. Sorry to have startled you." He plopped the box down on his desk. "I decided to visit the supply closet while I waited for you."
Toby piped up, sounding quite sincerely apologetic. "Dr. Merchant, I'm so sorry I'm late, I--"
"Enough, enough." Dr. Merchant waved a hand dismissively and smiled mildly. "You're here now, and I needn't find time later to look for litmus. Let's focus on your powers, hm?"
Looking appropriately sheepish, Toby nodded. "I've been practicing the things you suggested. My telekinetic bubbles are working better, and I've developed enough strength to start lifting larger objects more easily."
"Well, let's see what you can do, shall we? Over here." Dr. Merchant led Toby over to the somewhat dilapidated standing scale in the back of the room. Perceptive students sometimes wondered why a chemist would need such a large scale, and rumors occasionally floated about him needing to measure out large quantities of this or that illicit substance. Toby found it a bit amusing that people didn't seem at all interested when he tried to tell them what it was really for.
Dr. Merchant slid the balance weight to 100 pounds. "Alright. Give it a go."
Focusing on the small platform where you were supposed to stand, Toby mentally pushed, exerting telekinetic force. After a very brief moment, the scale tipped. Toby smiled. He could hardly believe that he'd struggled to do that a mere month ago.
"Good, good." Dr. Merchant slid the weight over to the right further, positioning it on the 400 pound marker. The scale tipped back again. "Let's see if you can manage that."
Toby reflected that four hundred pounds was probably about the same weight as two or three people. He could move a few people at a time, with some difficulty. He could do this. Frowning in concentration, he tried to push as hard as he could. At first the scale didn't budge, but after several very long moments it started to sway a bit. He rallied himself to push even harder and the scale straightened out for a moment, then finally tipped to the other side. Toby grinned triumphantly. "There!"
"Excellent job." Dr. Merchant smiled genuinely. "Continue practicing, though. In time, I suspect that will become much easier for you."
Toby stopped exerting pressure and the scale tipped back over again. "It seems easier each week. And with really small stuff, it hardly takes any effort at all for me to move them now."
"I'm glad to hear that, because there's more to telekinetics than brute strength." Dr. Merchant walked back to his desk. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a small box with about half a dozen ping pong balls inside. "You're going to learn to juggle."
"Learn to... juggle?" Toby looked at the ping pong balls, then back at Dr. Merchant. He wondered if this was a joke of some sort. Dr. Merchant's sense of humor wasn't always what one might expect, after all.
"That's what I said." Smiling very cleverly, he set two balls near the edge of the desk in front of Toby. "Grab them and toss them up in the air. When they've dropped back down, grab and toss again. This is juggling, so don't just hold on to them as you move them up and down. Toss and grab, hands free. Give it a try."
"Uh... Okay." Toby regarded the balls skeptically for a moment, then did as he was instructed. He mentally reached out grabbed both balls and tossed them straight up into the air. As they were falling, he tried to reach out and catch them... and missed. He frowned at himself. "They're too small, and they're moving too fast." He mentally grabbed them and lifted them back up onto the desk, then looked back up to Dr. Merchant with an inquiring, mildly frustrated expression.
"A skilled telekinetic has precision and can deal with multiple moving targets." Dr. Merchant put the two balls back in the box and handed it to Toby. "You've grown much with your powers, Toby. It's time to refine them some more."
Toby took the box and looked at the balls with mild apprehension. "And I'm going to refine them by juggling."
"Exactly." Dr. Merchant smiled with a trace of amusement. "Once you get the hang of it, it's quite fun. Did you have any questions?"
"Uh... No, I don't think so." Toby had a suspicion that he'd have all sorts of questions as soon as he left. He'd figure it out, though.
"Splendid. Then I'll see you tomorrow in chemistry. Good day, Toby." Dr. Merchant nodded pleasantly, then sat down at his desk.
"Good day, Dr. Merchant." Toby smiled a bit awkwardly, then scuttled out the door with his ping pong balls. He hoped he could find someplace private to practice until he figured out how to keep them in the air past the first toss.
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Vesper Fiend
- Student Council
- Posts: 2756
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 12:24 am
- Location: Here and there.
4:00 AM. Who snuck into a school at 4:00 in the morning? Early Saturday morning, no less.
She was fairly good at sneaking in and out of places she wasn't supposed to be, but this was definitely a first for Ves. She checked the hallway carefully to make sure there was no one around. “Like anyone would be around at this time!” she thought. She approached the locker and pulled from her pocket a flat object wrapped in a folded piece of paper. She thought this was the right one… Maybe this wasn’t the best way to deliver this? Then again, it wasn’t ready earlier, and she might not be on campus over the weekend. She had no idea what quad he was in. Did he even live on campus? Yes, he had to, since he mentioned returning to campus at night. Of course, sneaking into the boys’ dorm at 3:00 AM, not even knowing where she was going didn’t seem like a great idea either. Consequently, she wasn’t sure of a better way to deliver it at the moment. Maybe if she thought about it…
“Nuh-uh! If I think about it, I won’t give it to ‘im at all!” the voice in her head reminded her. It was a trifle, really, a gift to a friend. Gifts weren’t exactly a new thing to Ves, but she’d hardly ever given anyone a real gift before, one she’d thought about and tried to match specifically to the recipient, and then only once recently. She’d certainly never given one she’d put any effort into making.
She had scoured the Internet trying to find what she wanted. Well, scoured was terribly subjective in this case. After half the afternoon, she had found only half of it. Maybe she should take Nick up on his offer to teach her how to use these blasted computers? So... what about the other half? She had a few things to do before the party Bryan had planned that night, and she certainly didn’t want to miss that. Maybe she could create the other half? “No way!” she had said to herself. “What in the world are you thinking?!?” Once the idea was there, however, no matter how stupid it sounded, it stuck. It took an entire twenty minutes to get up the nerve to give it a try and the rest of the afternoon to figure it out and do it. In the end, it didn’t seem nearly as bad as she’d imagined, though she hadn’t had time to let it finish before needing to leave.
Ves held the paper up to the vent in the locker and slid it in halfway. The uncertainty in her whispered in her head, “What if he doesn’t like it? What if he just thinks I’m totally nuts! I mean, could this be any more off the wall?” Her hand started to pull it back, then stopped. The confident, inner voice piped up again, this time bringing a grin with it. “If anyone can appreciate this, it’s gotta be him. Besides, you already told him it’d be there.” Before she could change her mind again, she shoved the paper and its contents in and let them go. Hearing the quiet thunk, she stood there for a moment more, letting her fingers linger on the cold, smooth door. Turning away and grinning to herself, she padded out as quietly as she had entered and made her way back to the girls’ dorm and her waiting bed.
She was fairly good at sneaking in and out of places she wasn't supposed to be, but this was definitely a first for Ves. She checked the hallway carefully to make sure there was no one around. “Like anyone would be around at this time!” she thought. She approached the locker and pulled from her pocket a flat object wrapped in a folded piece of paper. She thought this was the right one… Maybe this wasn’t the best way to deliver this? Then again, it wasn’t ready earlier, and she might not be on campus over the weekend. She had no idea what quad he was in. Did he even live on campus? Yes, he had to, since he mentioned returning to campus at night. Of course, sneaking into the boys’ dorm at 3:00 AM, not even knowing where she was going didn’t seem like a great idea either. Consequently, she wasn’t sure of a better way to deliver it at the moment. Maybe if she thought about it…
“Nuh-uh! If I think about it, I won’t give it to ‘im at all!” the voice in her head reminded her. It was a trifle, really, a gift to a friend. Gifts weren’t exactly a new thing to Ves, but she’d hardly ever given anyone a real gift before, one she’d thought about and tried to match specifically to the recipient, and then only once recently. She’d certainly never given one she’d put any effort into making.
She had scoured the Internet trying to find what she wanted. Well, scoured was terribly subjective in this case. After half the afternoon, she had found only half of it. Maybe she should take Nick up on his offer to teach her how to use these blasted computers? So... what about the other half? She had a few things to do before the party Bryan had planned that night, and she certainly didn’t want to miss that. Maybe she could create the other half? “No way!” she had said to herself. “What in the world are you thinking?!?” Once the idea was there, however, no matter how stupid it sounded, it stuck. It took an entire twenty minutes to get up the nerve to give it a try and the rest of the afternoon to figure it out and do it. In the end, it didn’t seem nearly as bad as she’d imagined, though she hadn’t had time to let it finish before needing to leave.
Ves held the paper up to the vent in the locker and slid it in halfway. The uncertainty in her whispered in her head, “What if he doesn’t like it? What if he just thinks I’m totally nuts! I mean, could this be any more off the wall?” Her hand started to pull it back, then stopped. The confident, inner voice piped up again, this time bringing a grin with it. “If anyone can appreciate this, it’s gotta be him. Besides, you already told him it’d be there.” Before she could change her mind again, she shoved the paper and its contents in and let them go. Hearing the quiet thunk, she stood there for a moment more, letting her fingers linger on the cold, smooth door. Turning away and grinning to herself, she padded out as quietly as she had entered and made her way back to the girls’ dorm and her waiting bed.
- All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others. - Douglas Adams - The Salmon of Doubt
- Never fear shadows… That always means there is a light shining somewhere. - Lactantius
- Never fear shadows… That always means there is a light shining somewhere. - Lactantius
-
Null Device
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 2:29 am
Do Electronics Dream of Polygon Sheep
It began like any other day at tranquil SJS. Students clamoured back and forth between class. Each of them caught up in the normal meanderings of the routine school day. Little did they know that something was coming something... phenomenal.
The students piled into the the computer lab for the 2 o'clock workshop. Assignments were due and still being worked on as the teacher was issuing another. None of them noticed the small yellow sparks that occasionally popped from the outlet on the wall. None of them noticed until it grew larger and started to make loud popping sounds. Then, rather unexpectedly, it stopped. They gathered around the outlet, each of them curious to know what it was and if it would happen again.
"What was that professor?" asked one of the more curious students.
The Professor stood there a moment. A perplexed look on his face "well... I'm not really sure Michael. Bad wiring perhaps?"
Suddenly and without warning there was a loud clap of electricity, as if somewhere within the wall a large circuit was opened. Bolts of electricity flew forth from outlet. Students scrambled for safety, the professor quickly dove behind his desk...much quicker than anyone would have assumed a man of his shape and age could move. Strangely the bolts struck no one, they seemed to move with purpose. Instead they darted around the room and each connected with one of the computer terminals. Another loud POP! sounded, this time the noise was accompanied by another sound.
"RESET!" A mysterious voice cried out over the crackling of the electrical storm. Then all was silent. The computer lab lost power, the lights flickered and went out. The only sound that could be heard was the confused students and the cowering teacher as they waited and after a moment slowly emerged from their hiding places. Then in the darkness of the classroom the computers beeped as power returned to them. The pale light of the monitors was the only source of light. Each computer had an empty screen, the cursor pulsing in the upper right-hand corner. Then came the words...
Rebooting Program...
Initializing...
Interface Achieved...
Awaiting command...
The students stared in amazement, the teacher just as curious and confused stared as well. As they stood there gawking, jaws opened, they again heard the voice. Its was small and distant, it floated above them as if the electrified molecules in the air were speaking and all it said was...
"...zounds..."
Something was coming, something... phenomenal.
It began like any other day at tranquil SJS. Students clamoured back and forth between class. Each of them caught up in the normal meanderings of the routine school day. Little did they know that something was coming something... phenomenal.
The students piled into the the computer lab for the 2 o'clock workshop. Assignments were due and still being worked on as the teacher was issuing another. None of them noticed the small yellow sparks that occasionally popped from the outlet on the wall. None of them noticed until it grew larger and started to make loud popping sounds. Then, rather unexpectedly, it stopped. They gathered around the outlet, each of them curious to know what it was and if it would happen again.
"What was that professor?" asked one of the more curious students.
The Professor stood there a moment. A perplexed look on his face "well... I'm not really sure Michael. Bad wiring perhaps?"
Suddenly and without warning there was a loud clap of electricity, as if somewhere within the wall a large circuit was opened. Bolts of electricity flew forth from outlet. Students scrambled for safety, the professor quickly dove behind his desk...much quicker than anyone would have assumed a man of his shape and age could move. Strangely the bolts struck no one, they seemed to move with purpose. Instead they darted around the room and each connected with one of the computer terminals. Another loud POP! sounded, this time the noise was accompanied by another sound.
"RESET!" A mysterious voice cried out over the crackling of the electrical storm. Then all was silent. The computer lab lost power, the lights flickered and went out. The only sound that could be heard was the confused students and the cowering teacher as they waited and after a moment slowly emerged from their hiding places. Then in the darkness of the classroom the computers beeped as power returned to them. The pale light of the monitors was the only source of light. Each computer had an empty screen, the cursor pulsing in the upper right-hand corner. Then came the words...
Rebooting Program...
Initializing...
Interface Achieved...
Awaiting command...
The students stared in amazement, the teacher just as curious and confused stared as well. As they stood there gawking, jaws opened, they again heard the voice. Its was small and distant, it floated above them as if the electrified molecules in the air were speaking and all it said was...
"...zounds..."
Something was coming, something... phenomenal.
Bryan sat alone in the quiet cafeteria. It was Sunday morning, most students were attending services or still asleep. He was tired, he didn't sleep last night. He was worried. Bryan was afraid it was going to happen again.
He toyed with the soggy flakes left in the ceramic bowl. Bryan replayed the scene over in his head. They were all sitting in a grassy area in New Overbrook. Sammy, Nick, Erika, Ves, Kalie and the two new kids Lillian and Gabe. They had all been just chatting about the convention, chess club nerds, coed twister; just average idle chit chat and gossip.
It was a cool moment, where he was at ease with his friends; until Mana came. Bryan was at a loss upon seeing him, the android kid that was once a really close friend had changed again.
Bryan remembered the last time Mana changed his body. He had done it to try and fit in. To look more human. The boy scoffed at the memory and tossed his spoon down on his tray. Bryan knew he had done it so that his apology for "the incident" would go better, so that the people who no longer trusted him would see the android in a new light. It was the same with his name.
Before he had hurt Joni, he started acting differently. He changed without knowing why, Mana had said. Now it was happening again.
Everyone knew he had a huge crush on Kalie, it was embarassing at times to be around the two. He practically spoke to her with his tongue hanging out. Now, suddenly, Mana was changing again. Physically this time and he admitted to the group out on the grassy patch that he didn't know why it was happening.
Bryan's stomach knotted. He clenched his fist and swallowed that ache. Pushing it down past his belly until it was just a passing moment of pain. He stood up and returned his tray to the kitchen. As he walked past the opening to the dishwashing area, a blast of rancid steam hit him in the face. The hot smell made him want to puke; but as the fog cleared in front of him, Bryan's spine stiffened.
If this was going to happen again, he was going to be ready this time. If it did happen again, he wouldn't be caught unaware. If he lost control again, there was no way he was coming back to school again. Because if this was going to happen again, Bryan was going to do whatever he had to in order to make sure that no one would be able to piece that machine back together again.
He toyed with the soggy flakes left in the ceramic bowl. Bryan replayed the scene over in his head. They were all sitting in a grassy area in New Overbrook. Sammy, Nick, Erika, Ves, Kalie and the two new kids Lillian and Gabe. They had all been just chatting about the convention, chess club nerds, coed twister; just average idle chit chat and gossip.
It was a cool moment, where he was at ease with his friends; until Mana came. Bryan was at a loss upon seeing him, the android kid that was once a really close friend had changed again.
Bryan remembered the last time Mana changed his body. He had done it to try and fit in. To look more human. The boy scoffed at the memory and tossed his spoon down on his tray. Bryan knew he had done it so that his apology for "the incident" would go better, so that the people who no longer trusted him would see the android in a new light. It was the same with his name.
Before he had hurt Joni, he started acting differently. He changed without knowing why, Mana had said. Now it was happening again.
Everyone knew he had a huge crush on Kalie, it was embarassing at times to be around the two. He practically spoke to her with his tongue hanging out. Now, suddenly, Mana was changing again. Physically this time and he admitted to the group out on the grassy patch that he didn't know why it was happening.
Bryan's stomach knotted. He clenched his fist and swallowed that ache. Pushing it down past his belly until it was just a passing moment of pain. He stood up and returned his tray to the kitchen. As he walked past the opening to the dishwashing area, a blast of rancid steam hit him in the face. The hot smell made him want to puke; but as the fog cleared in front of him, Bryan's spine stiffened.
If this was going to happen again, he was going to be ready this time. If it did happen again, he wouldn't be caught unaware. If he lost control again, there was no way he was coming back to school again. Because if this was going to happen again, Bryan was going to do whatever he had to in order to make sure that no one would be able to piece that machine back together again.
Bryan Baxter (Codename: Gravwarp)
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
Eshva hardly moved. Not from that spot anyways. She lifted her head up from her knee’s and looked down below. The transparent floor she could see rocks floating weightless in there own little orbit. She turned her gaze to the floor of the beam that she was neatly perched upon. A little fidget formed as she started to play with the ring on her finger. He entered her mind. His smile, warmth and odd jokes flashed in her mind like he was there. But he wasn’t
She knew she missed him. She was tempted to follow him again but if she did she would have missed too much school in order for her to pass her first full year at school. It hadn’t dawned on her that she’d been there for so long. It didn’t feel that long. Everything seemed rushed. Too, and Crono all graduated already. She felt left behind. She had so much to learn.
I’m I slow?
Eshva tiled her head and purple strands of her hair dangled in front of her. All her dear friends leaving and growing up. She had made new ones true. In fact she knew that at one point she was one of the most popular girls in the school and now… not so much. The music that thundered around her offered her it once was to her. A escape from everything. She listened and drifted off into her thoughts once again.
She knew she missed him. She was tempted to follow him again but if she did she would have missed too much school in order for her to pass her first full year at school. It hadn’t dawned on her that she’d been there for so long. It didn’t feel that long. Everything seemed rushed. Too, and Crono all graduated already. She felt left behind. She had so much to learn.
I’m I slow?
Eshva tiled her head and purple strands of her hair dangled in front of her. All her dear friends leaving and growing up. She had made new ones true. In fact she knew that at one point she was one of the most popular girls in the school and now… not so much. The music that thundered around her offered her it once was to her. A escape from everything. She listened and drifted off into her thoughts once again.
Eshva 
Dearest Heavenly Father;
I know your awfully busy right now,
But all I ask is for one small thing now,
Please Heavenly Father,
Please take care of my friends at this time.
Dearest Heavenly Father;
I know your awfully busy right now,
But all I ask is for one small thing now,
Please Heavenly Father,
Please take care of my friends at this time.
As Serge pulled the Orange foam off of the young man's skin, Bryan winced in pain.
"Is this stuff supposed to burn?" Bryan asked as the muscled arm peeled away from his skin. As it was removed, Serge grimaced. "Pardon me, Mr. Baxter. Did you do a test patch on your skin as I instructed you, before donning this full body suit?"
"Umm... no. I guess, I just forgot to." Bryan replied. "Why is there a problem?"
"Well, yes. It seems you have a mild allergy to latex."
Serge turned the young man to face the mirror in front of the chair. Bryan saw the skin on his one exposed arm and nearly fainted. "I think I should go to the hospital."
"That may be for the best, Mr. Baxter." Serge motioned to a young lady behind the counter. "They should be arriving soon."
"Is this stuff supposed to burn?" Bryan asked as the muscled arm peeled away from his skin. As it was removed, Serge grimaced. "Pardon me, Mr. Baxter. Did you do a test patch on your skin as I instructed you, before donning this full body suit?"
"Umm... no. I guess, I just forgot to." Bryan replied. "Why is there a problem?"
"Well, yes. It seems you have a mild allergy to latex."
Serge turned the young man to face the mirror in front of the chair. Bryan saw the skin on his one exposed arm and nearly fainted. "I think I should go to the hospital."
"That may be for the best, Mr. Baxter." Serge motioned to a young lady behind the counter. "They should be arriving soon."
Bryan Baxter (Codename: Gravwarp)
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
"Hey, Roger, it's Jason...Yeah, hey, did the CD press yet?...No, good." Jason chuckled a bit, "Yeah, I've got an addition to it. Hmm? No, it's something with an R&B/Soul sound to it" He laughed, "Nah, I don't think I'm going Motown, but it works. Take a listen, and then let me know if you think we can produce it and add it." Jason put the cell phone down with the speaker turned on, and played a tune with a driving jazz/soul sound.
~Where do I belong, where do I fit in?
I thought I knew, felt comfortable at last
But you pulled the rug right out from under me
And I'm back on shakey ground.
Fame, Bright Lights, make it hard to see
What I do does not define me
The real me you never thought you knew
Or did you just never see true
I'm so much more than the star I'm gonna be
Time to move, redefine, reinvent
Step over and let everyone see
The star and more isn't spent
There's more to be seen inside of me
Fame, Bright Lights, make it hard to see
What I do does not define me
The real me you never thought you knew
Or did you just never see true
I'm so much more than the star I'm gonna be
How do we really know where we need to be?
Lose it all, get it pulled away
The emptiness will let you clearly see
Where you need to go, how to find your way
Fame, Bright Lights, make it hard to see
What I do does not define me
The real me you never thought you knew
Or did you just never see true
I'm so much more than the star I'm gonna be~
The song ended on soaring notes, and Jason's voice defiant and strong finished. He picked up the phone, taking it off speaker.
"Well, what do you think?" Jason waited and smiled softly, "Yeah, I think I can make it to the studio today. Not much keeping me around here today." Jason smiled listening to Roger, "Yeah, I think we may have found the first release too."
~Where do I belong, where do I fit in?
I thought I knew, felt comfortable at last
But you pulled the rug right out from under me
And I'm back on shakey ground.
Fame, Bright Lights, make it hard to see
What I do does not define me
The real me you never thought you knew
Or did you just never see true
I'm so much more than the star I'm gonna be
Time to move, redefine, reinvent
Step over and let everyone see
The star and more isn't spent
There's more to be seen inside of me
Fame, Bright Lights, make it hard to see
What I do does not define me
The real me you never thought you knew
Or did you just never see true
I'm so much more than the star I'm gonna be
How do we really know where we need to be?
Lose it all, get it pulled away
The emptiness will let you clearly see
Where you need to go, how to find your way
Fame, Bright Lights, make it hard to see
What I do does not define me
The real me you never thought you knew
Or did you just never see true
I'm so much more than the star I'm gonna be~
The song ended on soaring notes, and Jason's voice defiant and strong finished. He picked up the phone, taking it off speaker.
"Well, what do you think?" Jason waited and smiled softly, "Yeah, I think I can make it to the studio today. Not much keeping me around here today." Jason smiled listening to Roger, "Yeah, I think we may have found the first release too."
Bryan opened the Quad door with a yawn. Things had been so crazy this last week, he had no idea where the time had gone.
The room was dark and quiet. The other guys were out again, it wasn't too much of a surprise. Bryan often joked that he just roomed with Jake and Jason's stuff.
Bryan sat his back pack down on the floor next to his desk, he took off his letterman's jacket and hung it up on the back of his chair. He flipped on the swingarm lamp.
The white light from the bulb fell down onto the immaculate surface of his desk. Immediately Bryan's attention was drawn to a letter placed there. The envelope sat perched atop his copy of "A Brief History of Time", placed carefully so that it would grab his attention. His name was written in Jason's very recognizable handwriting.
Under that single sixty watt bulb, burning in the darkness; Bryan read Jason's letter three times. Each time he stopped and thought, as if trying to figure out a puzzle or trying to remember a mistake he could have prevented.
Bryan placed the letter in his desk drawer with care. He sat in the quiet room, listening to the barely audible bass from the television nextdoor. He remembered the advice he had given Sam earlier that week. He recalled the sound of her voice when she talked to him.
He removed his organizer from his backpack and jotted down the phone number Jason had left him. When he had finished he closed the folder, turned light off and looked to Jason's corner of the room. His stuff was still here, hopefully he would still get a chance to talk to his friend.
The room was dark and quiet. The other guys were out again, it wasn't too much of a surprise. Bryan often joked that he just roomed with Jake and Jason's stuff.
Bryan sat his back pack down on the floor next to his desk, he took off his letterman's jacket and hung it up on the back of his chair. He flipped on the swingarm lamp.
The white light from the bulb fell down onto the immaculate surface of his desk. Immediately Bryan's attention was drawn to a letter placed there. The envelope sat perched atop his copy of "A Brief History of Time", placed carefully so that it would grab his attention. His name was written in Jason's very recognizable handwriting.
Under that single sixty watt bulb, burning in the darkness; Bryan read Jason's letter three times. Each time he stopped and thought, as if trying to figure out a puzzle or trying to remember a mistake he could have prevented.
Bryan placed the letter in his desk drawer with care. He sat in the quiet room, listening to the barely audible bass from the television nextdoor. He remembered the advice he had given Sam earlier that week. He recalled the sound of her voice when she talked to him.
He removed his organizer from his backpack and jotted down the phone number Jason had left him. When he had finished he closed the folder, turned light off and looked to Jason's corner of the room. His stuff was still here, hopefully he would still get a chance to talk to his friend.
Last edited by Gravwarp on Wed May 23, 2007 10:30 am, edited 2 times in total.
Bryan Baxter (Codename: Gravwarp)
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
Gravity Control / Force Field / Fire Mastery
Global: @The Troll
Fight My Brute!
Sleepy...So very sleepy... Why? Why? Why am I so sleepy? I shouldn’t be sleepy but I am. How come? Maybe if I just sleepdream for a little while before class...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Running to her room she falls onto her near ten-foot long bed and is quickly sound asleep. As she sleeps some strange white thread appears around her body. Covering her from head to foot and sticking to the blankets and sheets. As minutes pass into hours and hours into days she wakes briefly from time to time never fully becoming conscious. Her body is changing during this slumber. Some pain is felt but is quickly forgotten in the haze of white blanketing her. What could be happening?
Stretching wide and yawning deeply she awakens into the world once again. "Wow I feel...different!" she exclaims. Climbing out of her bed she finds herself caught on the strange white threads and something is grabbing her from behind. "Hey hey hey??? What's this? Oh my my my!! I haven’t seen this before!! No I have not!!". Quickly working to untangle herself from the cloth and find what is on her back she turns in her mirror and freezes. For the first time in her life since coming to this strange new world she is speechless.
She has wings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Running to her room she falls onto her near ten-foot long bed and is quickly sound asleep. As she sleeps some strange white thread appears around her body. Covering her from head to foot and sticking to the blankets and sheets. As minutes pass into hours and hours into days she wakes briefly from time to time never fully becoming conscious. Her body is changing during this slumber. Some pain is felt but is quickly forgotten in the haze of white blanketing her. What could be happening?
Stretching wide and yawning deeply she awakens into the world once again. "Wow I feel...different!" she exclaims. Climbing out of her bed she finds herself caught on the strange white threads and something is grabbing her from behind. "Hey hey hey??? What's this? Oh my my my!! I haven’t seen this before!! No I have not!!". Quickly working to untangle herself from the cloth and find what is on her back she turns in her mirror and freezes. For the first time in her life since coming to this strange new world she is speechless.
She has wings.
Last edited by Alice on Wed May 16, 2007 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When you fight for those you love you will truly become as strong as you must be in order to protect them.
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Persiflage
- Posts: 601
- Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:20 pm
Of course, there was very little time for her to get it done, but it was an important thing. She'd grabbed a recipe from a women's magazine, gone to an all night Piggly-Wiggly, and picked up the ingredients.
Cooking was a mechanical process, and she'd had some success with it in the past, but there was a certain element of artistry to the process, and she knew she was too snub-headed to grasp it. Still, food was food. A pound of frozen strawberries, pureed. Flour, eggs, salt, sugar. Baking soda. She was amazed at how the layers of pastry rose up fluffy and soft in their aluminum pans. And the sauce. She clapped the layers together with matrix of strawberry jam, gave it an integument of lime sauce that firmed and hardened. She consulted the luscious color picture, musing for a second on the pornographic possibilities of cakes and pies and brownies and petits-fours laid out in voluptuous display, edible odalisques, and placed tiny garnishes of sliced, sugared strawberries around the perimeter.
And then, writing with a green tube of ready-squeeze decorators' frosting, she wrote,
"Happy 50, Bryan!"
She paused a second, wondering if she was becoming unsuitably domestic. And then shrugged. Everyone liked cake.
She'd bring it to the party.
Cooking was a mechanical process, and she'd had some success with it in the past, but there was a certain element of artistry to the process, and she knew she was too snub-headed to grasp it. Still, food was food. A pound of frozen strawberries, pureed. Flour, eggs, salt, sugar. Baking soda. She was amazed at how the layers of pastry rose up fluffy and soft in their aluminum pans. And the sauce. She clapped the layers together with matrix of strawberry jam, gave it an integument of lime sauce that firmed and hardened. She consulted the luscious color picture, musing for a second on the pornographic possibilities of cakes and pies and brownies and petits-fours laid out in voluptuous display, edible odalisques, and placed tiny garnishes of sliced, sugared strawberries around the perimeter.
And then, writing with a green tube of ready-squeeze decorators' frosting, she wrote,
"Happy 50, Bryan!"
She paused a second, wondering if she was becoming unsuitably domestic. And then shrugged. Everyone liked cake.
She'd bring it to the party.
"Caveat Emptor"