February Air (Open)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

The winter still hung fresh in the air, there was snow in the mountains and some in the air, but it was fairly warm outside. The sun was up and Erika sat by herself on the outskirts of the training field. As the cheerleading captain, she had to come up with a new cheer for the next semester of games. The brunette pulled her coat tighter around herself and sighed. She clicked the pen against the empty notebook in her lap and turned to look over her shoulder. 

She loved sitting out here, watching the groups of teenagers work out. People were so different when it came to the social ranks inside the school, but out here? Here they were all the same. Every single one of them was their own person. It didn't matter who you were. Well, at least that was what Erika thought. Which in fact was quite hypocritical of her, seeing how she walked around acting like the queen of the school. It was rather pathetic really, and she was starting to wonder why she even bothered. Especially during times like these.

She stood up and brushed her brown locks away from her face before clapping her hands together, ''Watch out, step back. The Tigers are on the attack! We're strong, powerful, dominating and bold! Warriors remember, only champions wear gold!'', she mumbled to herself as she repeated the steps she and Ellen had made for the cheer. ''Okay, sounds good so far.'', she mumbled again and dropped back to the ground, scribbling the lyrics onto the notebook before leaning backwards, closing her eyes as her head hit the ground.

She didn't open her eyes again until she felt a cold prickle against her cheek. She looked upwards at the sky, a faint smile forming on her lips as she watched the snow dance around in the gentle breeze. The snow melted before it could reach the ground, but it was so pretty, it almost took the brunette's breath away.

''Wow...'', she whispered and sat back up. It was like being a little kid again, sitting in her backyard back home, watching the first snow fall. Except, she wasn't a kid anymore, she wasn't home and this certainly wasn't the first snow of the season, but she didn't mind. It was still pretty, and surprisingly enough, she appreciated the view, the silence and the breathtaking serenity.

[Everett King]

With no motivation to do anything but wander the grounds, Everett was understandably quite bored and quickly tiring of his own company. Sometimes on quiet days such as these, all he desired was some semblance of normalcy, or in the least, privacy. While he found the repetitiveness of his day-to-day existence slightly tedious, there was a meditative feeling associated with his daily cooking regime, and he wouldn't trade either experience for all the world. Even so, when the opportunity for a reprise appeared, like a splash of colour on an ordinarily black and white canvas,  he would snatch at it with slightly embarrassing desperation. Today was one of those days.

Ever had walked with no destination in mind or time limit restraining his stride until a single cold touch to his forehead made him pause. Tipping his head to the sky he searched for rain, annoyance in the curve of his mouth as he smirked. Yet instead he found snow, drifting silently from the clouded sky. It seemed almost ethereal compared to the ordinary surroundings, and the silence of the falling flakes unnerved him. Still he took the opportunity to continue his wander. Rain would have stopped him, snow only made the experience brighter.

The Training Field faded into existence around him, though Ever didn't give it much attention as he continued on his ways. Perhaps there were students out there in the chill, perhaps not, he'd never taken to knowing the affairs of students. He worked, and went home. In terms of social skills, Ever was a flat out 0 for any and all motivation and talent.
So it was that he did not notice his company until he'd almost fallen over her lying form. Instead, he madly pinwheeled his arms and rocked back onto his heels, stumbling a few steps before he was able to maintain even a shred of his composure.

There was no real excuse for him having missed her. For God's sake, she wasn't even lying down! His peripheral vision was clearly lacking these days.

"Chose a hella spot to park yourself, didn't you girly?" Everett grumbled, running a hand through his choppy hair awkward, unable to apologize, yet not desiring to simply leave without a word either. However in retrospect, perhaps it would have been wiser to have kept his mouth shut.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

The beautiful silence with the white flakes dancing around in the air was cut short as something - someone almost fell over her. Granted, she had been too busy, too caught up in her own world to even have noticed the tumbling shadow now backing away from her. In a moment of confusion, the brunette frowned, narrowing her eyes as she looked up, her eyes shifting before they finally settled on his face. For a second, still dazzled from the earlier view, she was left unable to speak. She simply sat there, blinking like an idiot.

Well, at least until he spoke. And boy, did he speak. In a swift moment, Erika stood up and turned to face the oh so pleasant young man in front of her. She pursed her lips and rested her hands on her hips before cocking her eyebrow at him. ''Got a hella good sight there, don't you boy?'', she responded with the same tone he had. She knew she couldn't really blame him since in fact she hadn't seen him either, but that didn't give him an excuse to word himself like that.

Whoever claimed Erika Bellefonte wasn't one to speak back was clearly and sadly mistaken. That was one of her flaws, always speaking before thinking which usually lead her into more trouble than what it was worth. Then again, she was also known for not having a brain at all, and well, she wasn't quite sure how to answer to that one.

''I'm sorry about your poor eyesight. You should probably get that checked out.'', she said, her voice less hostile as a faint smirk crept its way to her lips. ''You might end up hurting someone.''

Well, this clearly could have gone a lot worse, right? Right. At least they weren't clawing e- actually, she wasn't clawing his eyes out. Which was a good sign, considering the peer pressure of being a Bellefonte should have sent her to a mental hospital years ago. Oh, and the fact that she was this self-obsessed insecure teenager with a abusive best friend whom she loved to death. Yep, mental hospital was probably the thing.

[Everett King]

Everett leaned back as the girl stood, automatically shuffling a step away at the close contact. His hands were automatically shoved into the pockets of his black pants. Ever was just the sort of person that needed something to do with his hands at all times, if they weren't in his pockets they'd simply be twitching and fidgeting in the most awkward way. And this conversation was becoming uncomfortable enough without that.

He cocked a grin at her snarky reply, resiting the urge to laugh full-out. "Don't get your panties in a twist now girly, not my fault you're too short to be seen," he scoffed with a brief chuckle. He certainly wasn't making the situation any better with his attitude, but the adorable display the girl was putting on was simply too amusing to pass up. Because really, she'd put her hands on her hips like a five year old. Who could just walk away from that?

"I'm touched by your concern, dove. Don't worry, I'll put it in my planner," Ever grinned with bared teeth. "Aye, and we wouldn't want that."

Worrying his lower lip Ever fell silent as he scrutinized the girl. The most logical assumption would be that she was a student, though he could be wrong. In any case there was a vague familiarity about her, though he'd never bothered to learn the faces or names of anyone in particular. It would be too much of a pain.

"What are you doing out here. It's snowing, don'tcha know? Aren't you cold?" he asked airily, lifting his gaze to the sky again in a casual movement, though his voice was sharp, betraying his curiosity in the matter either way.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Granted, it was very unneeded and unfit for the young lady, especially considering her last name. Her father would have scolded her for behaving this way and her mother probably would end up having a heart attack. No, in Erika's world, behaving like a real lady was the most important thing, and they didn't care whether or not she agreed. But her family wasn't here now and Ellen always told her how she had to learn to stand up for herself, so why not start now?

''Oh, don't worry, love. My panties wouldn't twist at someone with such a lame vocabulary of insults.'', she said and put on her sweetest, most sarcastic smile. Well, if he really thought she'd feel offended by someone commenting her height he was sadly mistaken. That was not something she had ever felt insecure about, thus it didn't hurt. And when it didn't hurt, the insult was invalid. At least to her.

She kept her hands on her hips as the boy continued to speak and cocked her head to the side, tapping her foot soundlessly against the ground. She could feel her ability growing restless under her tight constrain, but she tried her best to brush it off. ''That is wonderful!'', she said, ''Who's a good boy? Oh yes, you are!''

Erika couldn't remember seeing the boy before, but then again, she didn't exactly know the name or face of everyone who belonged to the school. It was usually the other way around, and she rarely had to give it much thought. But in this case it didn't really seem like the boy had any idea who she was and she knew it should have annoyed her, but strangely enough, it was oddly refreshing. She was so sick of people clinging to her every breath just because of her last name and the numbers of zeros in her bank account.

The brunette silenced at his words as her gaze followed his upwards, her eyes flickering across the sky. The snow was still falling and even if she had been so rudely interrupted, it was still a beautiful sight. ''Not really.'', she said with a shrug and pursed her lips. ''I like the snow. It's the rain I can't stand-'', she said and her eyes dropped back down, ''-Besides, it's not that cold.'' She could survive snow and the cold, and she could survive intense heat. But rain? She hated it. She despised it more than anything. Heck, she'd take thunder and lighting every day just to get away from the dreaded rain.

''You know, if you were a little nicer, maybe you wouldn't be out here all on your own.'', she said with a smirk as she kneeled down to pick up her notebook.

[Everett King]

Unable to hold it in, Ever tipped his head and laughed brightly, exhilarated by the fire within the youth. There weren’t many things that could coax him to this level of engagement, but he was now definitely enjoying himself. “That’s good to know, dove.” He breathed, eyes glittering with mirth. “Not wearing boxers, are ya?” he questioned. Just to make sure.
Perhaps if he’d given a crap at school he’d have done better, but that wasn’t him reminiscing, It was a passing thought that he hardly glanced at.

Her mocking amused him and he found almost oddly proud, pulling a hand out of his pocket to rub his head ruefully. “Deserved that one, did I?” Everett chuckled warmly. If he was going to bite, he should have expected a bite back.

A cook counted as a teacher of a sort, right? Apparently as part of the school faculty Everett was somewhat responsible for student health and care. Well, this was true enough in terms of his cooking, and though he didn’t speak of it, his room was filled with various recipe and health books to help him devise the most nutricious meal possible for growing adolescents. Regardless of their annoyances, he took his employment quite seriously.

And so despite the girl’s assurance that she was fine, when she knelt to pick something off the ground he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it at her grudgingly. “Please wear it. It’ll be a pain if I need to cook different food for you, just because you were acting tough and got yourself sick,” he grumbled somewhat awkwardly, looking away.

However his eyes quickly darted back with interest to what she was picking up. “You draw?” he asked eagerly, bending over to see better.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika found herself being surprised at the sudden change of... Mood. At first glance, the boy had seemed like a grumpy, old fart just looking for someone to bash on and now... Now he was laughing? Well, heck, she wasn't going to complain. At least that beat her kicking his ass. She chuckled at his comment and rolled her eyes, a smirk replacing the confused expression, ''Wouldn't you like to know?''

Erika let her hands drop from her hips and shifted her weight over to her left foot. His comment was met with a broader smirk and a faint chuckle, ''Oh yeah, you bet.'' This was amusing, even she had to admit that. Erika wasn't one who normally retorted to sass or sarcasm, but she found herself enjoying it quite a lot. It beat being a pushover with a mile. Or a billion.

As she knelt down and felt the weight of the boy's jacket on her weight, she flinched. She looked up with a confused stare before her eyes shifted to the cloth now hanging over her shoulder and blinked. Erika narrowed her eyes as she stood back up, pulling the jacket over her shoulders and nodded, scanning his face. She didn't really know what he was up to, or if he was simply being kind, but from what she had learned, guys rarely did things like these without expecting something in return, yet... He was being so.. Almost gentle about it, it just left the girl even more confused. ''Uhm, thank you.'', she said as awkwardly and she too looked away, fixating her gaze on the notebook in her hand.

Wait, what? Cook? Was he part of the cafeteria staff? Well, damn, she would never have guessed, that much was for certain. Not that it really mattered anyways. Wasn't women supposed to love a man who could cook? Well, in that case this one was lucky in more ways than one, but it wasn't like she was going to admit to something like that. Nope.

His question brought her out of her little bubble of obliviousness and she peeked back up at him, ''Well, yeah-'', she began with a smile. Her mother had been very strict with the way she had raised her daughter. Old fashioned. She had to learn how to draw and paint from an early age, and even if it wasn't something she showed off, she was quite good at it, ''-But this is something else. I'm trying to work on something for the cheerleading squad. We're in need of a new cheer.'', she said silently and shrugged. ''But I haven't had any epiphanies yet.''

Erika brushed her hair behind her ear and smirked, ''Won't you be cold? What if you get sick too? I wouldn't want to leave the school to starve if I were you. I mean, this is a school filled with superheroes after all, might get your ass kicked when you least expect it.''

[Everett King]

His eyebrows furrowed and drew together as Everett smiled broadly. He held his hands up in something of a ‘peace’ gesture and shrugged. “Never let it be said that I peek up girl’s skirts, thanks. I do have some class,” he muttered grudgingly, shaking his head as if in disbelief. “You keep your panties…boxers, whatever to yourself.”

His gaze was grateful as she shrugged on his jacket, and he could only smile at her somewhat uncomfortable appearance. Lending it out was so much easier than preparing some sort of ridiculous soup or what not for sniffling teenagers. Being sick was incredibly gross, and unhygienic, it was in the job profession to despise sickness.

“Welcome dove,” he muttered. “Though perhaps bring your own from now on, hey? I don’t make a habit of lending out clothes” The wind was slowly becoming chillier as the day deepened, not enough for him to be uncomfortable yet, but it was coming surely soon. Already he could imagine a pair of warm socks and a jumper waiting for him back at home. Above all else, Ever loved his socks. And cooking. Cooking and socks.

His smile brightened, almost akin to a child’s excited grin as she confirmed that she did indeed draw. Despite himself, Ever was never able to hold in his enthusiasm when he met a fellow artist. True his art was going to be different to everyone else’s, but it was something of meeting a long-lost family member when he discovered someone similarly gifted in the art. Unfortunately as she continued, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to observe any of her drawings after all. Instead he could only slump a shoulder in a half slump.

“Ah, a cheer? That I can’t help you with.” He sighed, though his smile was that of a humoured man. He wasn’t even surprised that she was part of the cheer team. He waved off her concern easily with a cocky grin. “Never fear, dove. I don’t get sick, ever.”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika cocked her eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes, ''Yeah, uh huh. Only someone feeling guilty would ever say that they don't do those kind of things.'', she replied with a playful smirk. ''Yeah-'', she said with a nod, both her eyebrows arching upwards, ''-I was planning on it.'' It was a little weird though, whenever Erika talked to someone of the opposite sex and he was attractive, which in this case, he was, she would usually be a hot mess of flirting, bashing her eyelashes and throwing herself out there. But to her own surprise, she wasn't. She was... Being herself, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Apart from feeling herself, with the confusion, a hint of insecurity followed. She wasn't quite sure what to make of his gestures or what to make of the way she reacted to them. And that only lead her to being even more confused, which just.. Well, whatever. She could just go with it, it wasn't like she was going to go on a ramble fit and- Well, okay, she probably would at some point. She always did. When given the chance, Erika could probably talk for hours straight without ever shutting up. She loved talking, especially when there were other people involved.

Erika nodded in agreement, ''Deal.'', she said with a smile. Though, she probably wouldn't. Erika wasn't exactly the kind of person who thought ahead that far when it came to smaller details. The weather had been fairly warm when she headed outside and the thought about it getting colder never once crossed her mind. It rarely ever did. But Erika enjoyed life that way, always running straight ahead without knowing where to go or having everything figured out. She loved to be surprised, whether or not it was pleasant, or bad.

The boy seemed to lose his interest in the notebook as she mentioned what it really was and it peeked at her curiosity. ''Yeah, I figured as much. You don't exactly strike me as the... Cheering type.'', she chuckled. ''You say that now,'' she pointed out with a smirk as she turned around to face him, her notebook firmly pressed against her waist. ''Do you happen to draw? I couldn't help but to notice that nosy interest you had a little while back - which reminds me, it's not nice to peek.'' Not that she really minded it or anything, but he had already started the sass-engine and it wasn't exactly easily lost on her. Things rarely ever was.

Without giving the boy a chance to reply, she opened her notebook, pulled up a pen and scribbled down an address. ''Because if you do - you should probably check this place out. They have the coolest equipment. Everything from how to's to top quality pencils made of goat hair.'', she said as she ripped off the piece of paper she had just written on and handed it over with a smile. ''And they have these really cool meetings every friday where they hold free sessions with this teacher from England. You should check it out.''

[Everett King]

"Oooh, that hurts," Ever winced with a chuckle. He hadn't ever taken to leching on a girl, but it didn't seem like an important fact to deny. He didn't mind being teased, and f she wanted to believe it she would, nothing he said would change it. Sometimes he was glad he was so amiable by nature, even if it did make him a pushover. 

Cocking a crooked smile, Ever nodded. "Deal then. I'll hold you to that, little missy," he promised with solemn seriousness in his tone. He was always meticulous in his planning, it perhaps came from the habit of following recipes from day to day. He perhaps didn't show it often, but Ever was quite the careful soul. He liked to know exactly what he was getting in to, whatever he did.

His face turned indignant, though jokingly so, at her comment. "I could cheer if I wanted to, dove. I just don't think I've got the right body for those tiny skirts you all toddle around in. I'm very self-conscious you know." he quipped, on the verge of laughter but managing to hide it behind a smirk. H spread his arms with pride in the face of her doubt. "Not a day in my life, and not a day to come. My body and I are pals, you see, it wouldn't let me down like that."

He fell silent, snorting a little when she scolded him for peeking, but otherwise just content to listen and not answer her questions. Still, when she began speaking with such interest about a drawing program, he had no choice but to take the offered piece of paper silently. He looked at it for a moment with something akin to regret in his eyes, then smiled softly and tapped the girl on the nose with the corner of the paper. He pocketed it. "Ah no, I don't draw, but I'll gladly take the advice."

In reality he was almost drooling inside from the mere mention of such a place. It sounded like heaven. But he didn't draw unless he was certain that it was completely safe to, and the less people the new the better. Whether this was just his secretive nature, or paranoia, he could not say. Either way, it was better this way.

While he wasn't wonderful in any sort of social situation, he seemed to be doing adequately enough this time around. Still Everett was holding his breath, waiting for his luck to run out. While he held no particular fondness for the girl (at this point still only just having met her) he had no wish to subject such a lovely creature to his socially awkward self. Shuffling his feet in mild hesitation for a moment, Ever made a decision and began backing up the hill. Cocking his head, he gestured away. "Jacket or no, this weather ain't good for anybody right now. You'll do no good to yourself standing out here in the chill," he instructed gruffly, more or less inviting her to walk with him, to where he had no decided. Logically, it'd be back to her dorm where he could drop her off safely and retrieve his clothing, if the snow got heavier, then where was closest. He had that duty of care thing to follow, after all.

"You haven't told me your name yet, either. Planning to? Or are you that fond of me calling you 'dove'?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Whatever it was, or why, Erika enjoyed this little throwback of bickering and laughing. It was nice, and the brunette didn't get such a chance very often. If it had been any of the jocks calling her 'dove', she would probably have smacked their face already, but no matter how she twisted or turned it, the 'nickname' didn't come off as hostile to her, but then again, she was also known for being naive. And hopeless. And well, gullible.

''Little missy,'', she repeated and rolled her eyes at him. ''You know, you should be a little more careful, wouldn't want to get your ass kicked by a 'little miss', now would you?'', she said almost daring him with a smirk. Nah, she wasn't going to kick his ass...Okay, maybe. If he dared her to, she probably would. Or try anyways. Her power was very handy that way. Well, kind of.

Erika couldn't hold back a laughter at what the boy was saying, and needless to say, just picturing it made her laugh even harder. ''Oh boy, I did not need those images, thank you very much,'' She responded as soon as her laughter stifled and was replaced with a grin. ''And don't even try to deny it, you love those tiny skirt, puh-lease.'' Then again, what boy didn't? Oh right, gay ones. ''Pals, huh? Well, hey, from the sound of it at least you don't have to play alone anymore.''

Whatever insecurity or regret the boy displayed was completely lost on the brunette. She was usually pretty oblivious to small hints such as those, not because she didn't care, but because when she first got her mind on something, in this case, the drawing, she was hard to de-focus. She became completely wrapped up in her own little world and completely and utterly failed to look at the smaller pictures.

''Yeah? Well, that's a shame then.'', she said with a smile and shrugged. Well, hey. She couldn't win 'em all anyways. But at least he seemed somewhat interested, so maybe he had some deep, dark secret of wanting to learn? She had no clue, but she wasn't going to pry into it anyways. At least he was polite enough to stick the note into his pocket.

Her eyes flickered slightly as he started to move and the boy was met with a roll of her eyes as he instructed her to follow him. She raised her arms as if she was admitting defeat and shook her head, ''All right, all right. You win.'' She didn't really give it much thought. After all, even though he said he never got sick, it was still cold and she was wearing his jacket, so she couldn't exactly blame him for wanting to get back inside. She probably would have to if the situation was reversed. Even so, the entire thing made her feel somewhat awkward. And if there was one thing people didn't accept about her (Ellen especially) then that would Erika Bellefonte being an awkward teenager. She was supposed to be cool. A real diva. Sheesh, how lame.

For a second, she thought about not telling him since her name usually made people look at her another way after hearing it, but it couldn't be helped. They always found out in the end. Not that she expected to see him again or anything, but if he worked at the school, it couldn't really be helped. Well, if anything, she could always simply leave out her last name. Good plan. ''As much as I love that creepy nickname, I'm Erika.'' So far, so good. She should have gotten a prize or something. ''And whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to this fine day? You know, since I've already gotten your clothes off, it's only natural that you tell me yours too,'' Erika smirked as she wrapped her arms tighter around her waist.

[Everett King]

Placing his hands on his hips in a mock stance similar to hers, Everett pouted. "I'm a big ol' boy, dove. Ain't no 'ass kicking' going down here thanks, my butt is super-muscular and I wouldn't want you to bruise your dainty feet." he almost purred in his completely amused sarcasm, bending down to flutter his eyelashes in a more-than-slightly ridiculous manner. Perhaps he really would get a beating for this behavior, but something told him he'd find it more amusing than not, even if it did hurt. After all, if he had garnered one pearl of knowledge from his mother, it was to never underestimate a scorned female.

He began swaying his hips as he walked, twiddling his fingers daintily. "My legs are killer. I'll wear a mini-skirt if you let me get on top of that pyramid thing you cheerleaders do." Stopping, he pivoted and pointed a demanding finger at her, eyes suspicious and bordering between utter betrayal and hope. "You do, do that pyramid, right?" he asked.

Maybe he liked being alone, though he couldn't disagree that some company (and this company) wasn't unwelcome. It was human nature to crave contact, though personally he just found social situations tiring. He'd never experienced an easy conversation flow like this though, so there was no complaining to be had as of yet. Though, by nature Ever was a complainer. 

"Mmmhm," Everett voiced his agreement quietly. Lifting a hand absently, he watched as the tiny snowflakes fell, frowning when he felt no cold touch on his hand. With the drop in temperature the snow was falling and lasting longer, but not enough to touch the ground. And he took it's chance avoidance of him as a world class insult. With a huff he shoved his hand back into his pocket. The paper slip burned as his fingers brushed against them, and he felt his fingers moisten as the ink liquefied and stained them. He kept quiet for a moment.

He grinned at her somewhat late agreement and shrugged. "Always do, dove," he assured her with a brief laugh. The silence was heavy with curiosity as the girl thought. From what Ever could guess, she was either deciding whether or not to tell him her name, or she was trying to remember what her name was. Finally she spoke up and his ears pricked with interest. 

"Creepy?" he asked, placing a hand over his wounded heart. "That is most cruel Erika, most cruel." Still she was right, and jokes aside, a name given was a name warranted in return. It was basic etiquette. "Call me Everett then, young miss Erika." 

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

At that moment, Erika felt like letting her ability run loose and just let it feel the poor thing up. It was as restless as ever and she had to keep it in check at all times to avoid getting charges for molesting people, but still, it would have been fun if only to see his reaction, ''One of these days I'm going to make sure you eat those words,'' she said with a grin. The funny part of it all was that this guy didn't even seem to consider the possibility of her having some awesome power that put everyone else's to shame. She didn't, but still it was silly of him to underestimate her.

Being around this silly excuse of a boy made it hard for Erika to keep her laughter back. He made even the most idiotic thing seem ridicules and it was hilarious as crap. ''I guess you'll have to come to one of the games to find out,'' She shrugged and pursed her lips, trying to keep her face as serious as she could - without much luck. ''And don't worry babe, I'm sure you'd look great on top - though I can't quite picture you being on top of a group of girls.''

Erika found herself enjoying this childish bicker more and more, and hey, if she kept on laughing like this, she wouldn't have to worry about ever working out again. She could already feel the muscles in her stomach aching as she kept on laughing at the boy's comments. It was adorkable.

She remained silent for a few minutes and simply enjoyed the silence and the way the cold breeze felt against her hot cheeks. A lot of people found the winter ugly, but Erika had always seen it as a more subtle kind of beauty. The earth looked dead covered in white blood, yet when the snow fell and covered everything, stretching over the branches on the trees and just lit up the lonely darkness; It was breathtaking. It could be so stunningly beautiful Erika would end up staring at it through her window for hours. Falling snow had a kind of romantic edge to it, and it was highly underrated.

''After all the things I've said that's what you react on? Sheesh, boi. Get a grip already!'', she said with a laugh and skipped a few steps ahead of him only to turn around and walk backwards. She stretched out her arms and curtsied in front of him, ''It's a pleasure to meet you, Everett.'' She stood back up and smirked before turning her back against him. She tapped her index finger against her lip, wondering what next to say. Asking about powers seemed rude and quite frankly, even if it was comment it was sort of personal, so that wouldn't do, ''So, besides cooking for hundreds of sloppy teenagers, what else do you do?''

[Everett King]

"I look forward to it," Ever replied readily spreading his arms out as he walked, as if in open challenge for the world to come and kick him. "I basically eat for a living anyway." he joked. It was about right, when he thought on it. Eating and words were his life. Two very different parts for sure, but he loved both.

Her challenge had excited him. After all, who didn't enjoy befriending a girl that could potentially kick your ass in a fight? While her slight form was toned at best, he had no doubt that she wouldn't be bragging (in a sense) without something to back it up with. That left her with only her power, right? After all, you didn't see too many brainiacs kicking butt nowadays.

He found he enjoyed her laughter just as he did with anyone else. Everett's life basically revolved around the lives of others, by his own choice. If they wished for him to be happy, he was happy, because it was what they wanted. Whether this happiness was 'real' or not he could not say, and secretly the not knowing scared him slightly, and so he never thought on it. In total, the laughter and happiness of others was all he needed to survive.

He huffed and his breath misted, disappearing quickly. Was the snow reaching the ground yet? He wasn't sure and didn't bother to look. The dorms were finally appearing before them, and the crunchy grass was disappearing into sections and spurts too. Surprisingly he was regretful that he'd have to part ways with Erika soon enough. The next time they met would probably see him in a hair net behind a counter. No really, he didn't wear a hair net. Perhaps he could try....


"I'm selective, don't judge," Ever grinned broadly at her exasperation and laughed. "My grip is fine. What I have a grip on however is debatable." he argued, quite innocently, thought the curve of his lips betrayed him.

At her curtsy he stopped and watched the display. Cocking his head, he examined her cheekily. Finally, he fisted his right hand over his heart and bowed. "Silly little princess," he murmured quietly, not lifting his head. "The pleasure is mine." When she turned her back he straightened and smiled, then followed her in silence.

"I swim and surf, whenever I get the chance. If there's water, I'll be there. I don't do much else," he shrugged. "I'm quite the boring little lamb, truth be told. Innocent to the world."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

She was fairly sure she'd lose if it ever came down to it, but hey, at least she'd get a head start by throwing stuff at him. She could throw rocks - ouch, or plates - even more ouch, or something lighter like a pillow. Or a shoe! Needless to say, she couldn't exactly lift a car with her ability, but maybe she could scrunge up enough to push him or hold him down? She obviously had to try it out sometime, because she really hated to go back on her word, like really, really. ''Yeah, you better. It's going to be awesome,'' she smirked.

Totally not boosting her own ego? Pffft, never! Maybe she couldn't actually kick his ass like she claimed she could, but she could surely try and that was good enough. For now anyways!

The sound of frozen grass underneath her feet made her squeal on the inside. She didn't know why - but she had always loved the sound. It made her both happy and nostalgic all at once. When she had been younger she used to love running around in the yard, just listening to the sound of the frozen grass all day. She had been quite the odd child, but like every other girl born into a rich family with a snobby mother - she was shortly after sent to art and piano lessons, because that was what ladies did. They did not run around in the yard like cavemen. The mere thought of her mother made her roll her eyes and let out a silent puff. Nope, that woman could burn in Hell for all Erika cared.

His comment was met with yet another roll of her eyes and she looked at him in faked disbelief, ''You go champ! You keep that flower tucked in nicely and don't let any big bad men come steal it from you!'' No, she didn't really doubt that smile of his, but it was still fun to tease him, if even a little.

''Princess,'' she repeated and stuck her tongue out, ''Don't hate just because the pink dress doesn't look as cute on you. And we both know you don't have the hair fit for a crown! But don't sweat, I'm sure there's a Prince Charming even for you, Maleficent.'' If there was anything Erika hated to be called, Princess would reach high on the list. Of course, Everett didn't seem to know who she actually was, so he was excused. But there were plenty of other people using that nickname for her, her dad included and they weren't met with the same humoristic smile as this guy was. Lucky shot.

''Well, what do you know - guess we have something in common after all. Who woulda thought,'' Erika grinned at him and raised her thumb in the air. She had been on the swim team for as long as she could remember and it was something she had done even before coming to Bellefonte, ''You see, this fine example of a young lady just happens to be on the school swim team too!'' And she was quite good at it as well, but hey, no need to brag... ''So, if you're boring because of that - I guess that I'm boring too. Geee, thanks!''

As the school building raged upwards in front of them, Erika turned her gaze towards him and pursed her lips once more (Man, she was really doing that a lot, huh.), ''Do you live at the school or are you all fancy-smancy with your own place and stuff?'' She didn't realize that it could have come off wrong until after she asked, and she quickly corrected herself, well tried to anyways, ''A lot of my teachers live here - and one could almost believe my grandfather does too as much time as he spends here.''