Logs:Mo'o

Mo'o
Dramatis Personae Harm, Nanami
In Absentia	2020-05-05 "Sounds kind of fake, but I'm giving it a try, you know?"
Location <XAV> Lake - Xs Grounds
Bright, bright, bright; the lake glitters wide and expansive here, stretching off into the distance. Sunlight, moonlight, starlight, it catches them all. Lapping at the rocky shore, its deep waters are frigid in winter and cool even in summer. A stone pier stretches out a ways into the water, wide and smooth, though often icy in winter. The water teems with life nevertheless, home to myriad species of fish that provide for ample fishing or just lazy watching on a slow summer day, for those who want to take a boat from the boathouse out to the center of the lake, or perhaps lounge on the pier and try their luck. It's sunny outside but kind of a lie, not much warmth in the cheerful bright afternoon. Down by the lake there's an additional chill here in the breeze coming off the water; the slight teenage girl who has made her way down to the shore and is carefully picking her way around the rocky lakeside looks grimly determined to ignore her evident discomfort, though. She's wearing a light cropped jacket --too light, really, for this weather -- of sky blue trimmed in black lace over a lapis empire waist midi dress, black tights, and black ankle boots. Her arms have crossed across her chest and though her hair is tied back in a long braid several wisps have come free and blow against her face. The scrunch of her eyes up against the flutter of hair in the breeze only serves to add to her overall look of -- if not disgruntlement, well, she is certainly far from gruntled. Harm looks far better prepared for the chill as they make their way down the hill toward the path into the woods, a green-blue-purple knitted shawl draped around them, beneath this hip-length green ombre sweater, brown wrap pants that flutter in the breeze as they move to reveal long heather green long socks, and dark green ankle boots. Their hair is a ambiguous length that is beginning to push the bounds of emo flop, falling at times across their eyes. Their steps slow as they spot Nanami, and then they re-route toward the lake shore, waving tentatively at the new student. "Hi," they say when they're near enough to do so without raising their voice, "welcome to Xavier's." Their friendly smile wavers a little now, and they add uncertainly, "Sorry if I'm intruding..." Nanami's arms curl a little tighter, fingers clenching at the crooks of her arms. She looks up, studying Harm as they approach. Eventually lifting one hand to brush at a stray wisp of hair and tuck it behind her ear. "Intruding on?" She looks around them with brows raised, eyes sweeping the lakeshore. "It's a big pond. Are you." Her words cut off, clipped, lips pressing delicately together. "You go here." Harm shrugs their skinny shoulders, looking out over the water, cheeks flushing just a touch pink. "Maybe you want to be alone with -- the big pond." They push a fall of glossy black hair aside so they can at least temporarily see out of both eyes. "Yeah, for a few months now, though it feels like years. I'm not like, a 'student ambassador' or anything, but if you have questions..." They bite their lower lip. "Well, I might not know, but I won't bullshit you." "Student ambassador," Nanami repeats, mouth twitching just a touch. "Had one of those already. Don't think they were any more interested in the tour than I was. I'm gonna guess you all have gotten -- pretty sick of looking at those walls." The slight tilt of her head is vaguely back in the direction of the mansion distant. She twists a toe against the ground, shifting rock against rock with a soft crunch. "Of course I have questions." Her cheeks puff out; she expels a sharp puff of air as she looks back across the water. "Does anyone just. Show up at -- at." There's a hesitation. Another small press of lips. "At this school without a million questions? I -- wouldn't know where to start." "I don't know why anyone ever volunteers for that." Harm shakes their head, bangs falling back down over their left eye, though it can't quite hide their cringe. "Gods, I try to look at those walls as little as possible. Did even before the quarantine." They rock slightly forward onto the the balls of their feet. "Probably not many, but actually we just got a new kid last month who was pretty blasé about all this. His mom went here, so..." They shrug again. "They told you the basics, though? Safe place to learn how to control your powers and be a Good Respectable Mutant citizen. Unless you can't. All that?" "Wow." Nanami's brows hike up, if only briefly. "Like, a legacy student. That's -- exactly the kind of person I pictured at a posh boarding school, honestly." She combs her fingers lightly through the loose ends of her hair where it's tied off at the tail of the braid. "I got the spiel." The brief pass of her tongue across her lips renders her soft pink lipstick even glossier. She fixes a thoughtful gaze on Harm before asking, abrupt: "Are you?" "Yeah, and there's a few rich kids who probably grew up in houses that looked like that." Harm waves an arm along with a drape of their shawl toward the mansion. "But mostly not. It's kind of a weird place with a jumble of very, very different people." They blink, dark eyes wide, blushing deeper. "I'm -- a mutant," they reply, a little hesitant. "Not sure about the good citizen part, but I guess the teachers think I'm fine because I don't...accidentally mutant. At people?" "Oh." It's short and clipped. Nanami's arms fold back over her chest. "And you said you've been here just a few months?" Harm pulls their shawl more tightly around themselves. "Yeah, but -- I didn't before I came here, either. Kids end up here for a lot of different reasons. Like the legacy student." They frown, licking their lips. "I think for the ones who have to learn control -- it takes a while." "Oh." A little heavier, this time. Nanami's shoulders start to sink for the briefest moment before tightening. Her eyes turn back towards the water; she takes a half-step closer to its edge, though she keeps the toes of her old but polished boots clear of its lapping waters. "Why would you come here, then. I mean, no offense but you look --" A half-slipped glance in Harm's direction. "Kinda normal. If you're not gonna light it on fire, couldn't you just go to a kinda normal school?" "I get that's probably disappointing news. I think...a lot of us would rather not be here." Harm bows their head slightly. They smile suddenly -- it seems to catch them by surprise -- at Nanami's question, stifling a chuckle. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, it's just...I don't really think anyone's ever described me that way." The mirth fades quickly, though. "I probably could, if I hid what I do. But I didn't before, and both of my homes, both of my -- communities? Kept pressuring me to use my power...more than I could. It got ugly." The look down further, fingers plucking at the decorative edging of their shawl. "Ms. Grey said people here would understand, and I could get better at it and...help people. On my own terms." They give an exaggerated shrug. "Sounds kind of fake, but I'm giving it a try, you know?" "Pressuring you to use your power?" Nanami turns, eyes suddenly wider and a sharp chuff of breath edging her words with incredulity. "What you do, turn straw to gold?" Harm looks a bit taken aback by this response, though they manage not to physically back away. "N-no. Though if I did, I might have felt less terrible about not doing it enough." They chew their lower lip, studying Nanami thoughtfully for a moment. "I heal people. But it's hard, and...it hurts me." Nanami's brows pinch together, pulling slightly upward. "Sucks," she finally says, arms crossing back over her chest. She takes a slow step back from the water, nostrils flaring as she exhales hard. Looks back over her shoulder and across the grounds. Towards the lake again, but only briefly before she turns to start a slow trudge back across the grounds. "Shoots den. Guess I better give it a try."