Show Me Your Moves!

[Demi Smith]

Some soft heart had apparently decided that, despite everything she'd done lately, Demi should get out and experience the fair. After all, a little socializing, experiencing "normal" culture, should be good for her. There had been a slight addendum though: Demi had to dress like a normal person, and she had to behave herself. This former meant that instead of her normal clothing, which resembled nothing so much as a peasant out of a bad zombie movie, had to be replaced with a pair of baggy jean shorts and a tank-top that someone had pulled from the lost and found. It was purple and had some kind of cat on it. Demi hated it.

The behaving meant that she couldn't use her powers and she wasn't allowed to fight. This sounded like pure torture to Demi, and she'd offered up a counter argument, suggesting that instead she should be allowed to go, oh, she didn't know, to the arena? They'd recently opened that up, and it had become Demi's new favorite place. They probably realized what she had in mind though, because the no had been almost painful.

So a grouchy Demi slouched through the fair, still coated in dust and looking like, well, a petulant teenage boy...

Yeah, Demi wasn't very feminine.

She finally stopped as she heard someone calling out. They talked about a display of strength, showing your skill for everyone to see. Now that sounded good to Demi, and she hurried, soon finding some bald guy standing beside some kind of meter. It stretched up pretty high, with various markings etched into it. They were at regular intervals, each labeled something stupid or inane. At the very top was a bell of some kind. While Demi watched, someone hit a pad at the bottom with a hammer, and this thing rose up a little. It almost got to the top.

"I could do that," she said. She hurried up, practically snatching the hammer. She hefted it up, feeling dust and dirt gathering around it, ready to slam it and nobody would ever know. Show them...

[Scott O'Riley]

Scott didn't usually frequent big places like the fairground as often as most his peers did. Something about going somewhere with people having fun with other people kind of placed him in a not so great mood. It wasn't like he was lonely or anything. He was way too awesome to feel that way. But it didn't change the fact that seeing other people with other people made him flinch.

Which was why it was so easy for him to detect people who were less than happy. Like that girl with the rubber hammer. She looked angry enough to knock the bell off the top.

"Ten bucks says you can't make it kid." Scott called out, waving a tenner in the air.

[Demi Smith]

Demi's attention turned toward the voice when she heard it. She let the hammer slide a bit, her eyes narrowing. She'd never seen the guy before, but he definitely looked like one of those stupid, wussy types that hung out near the school. For all Demi knew, he was actually a human of some kind. In fact, that struck her as more likely, given that he obviously didn't think about someone having a power that could help with something like this.

"Why would I want a bunch of deer?" she demanded though. "Are they, like, butchered or something?" she was dead serious, blinking as she looked up at him. Demi tried to wonder what she'd do with ten deer, bucks no less. Were they tame enough to ride or something?

Seriously, who bet deer?

[Scott O'Riley]

The girl's response made Scott burst out laughing. He was pretty sure he could also hear the others titter with laughter. When was the last time someone ever made that joke?

"Kid, I meant this." He waved his tenner in front of him as he gestured for her to go on with it. "Prove me wrong, nugget."

[Demi Smith]

"Then why didn't you say so?" asked Demi, not sure why everyone had been laughing. She hadn't thought anything she'd said had been particularly funny. She also didn't like that a few other people were looking. There were those stupid rules about using her power in public and junk... but did this place count?

Eh, what did Demi care about their stupid rules? She didn't really care about winning the bet either, though she definitely didn't want to look like a wuss. So she grabbed the hammer, pulling it. The weight of it caused her to lurch a bit, which probably made more people laugh. Demi took a deep breath. She shifted her stance, clearly adjusting. another deep breath. Her body began moving slightly, almost dancing, and she kicked the hammer up, snatched it. Using pure momentum, Demi flung forward, putting almost her whole body into the blow. At the last moment, she pushed the dust and dirt on her body with her power, adding just a little more.

The hammer hit the thing.
The ringer rocketed upward...

and Demi heard a sharp "clang" that made her grin, stepping back, her chest moving only a little. Now she just had to wonder if ten "bucks" was a lot of money...

[Scott O'Riley]

Squinting his eyes at the girl, as though it would help him understand where she was coming from, Scott raised an eyebrow at the other people who almost instantly went quiet. He hadn't expected that to happen so he grinned cockily at himself. "Because saying ten dollars is one syllable too many. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to talking." He joked, though considering she didn't even know what 'bucks' were conversationally, who knew if she actually caught the joke.

He was actually pretty intrigued to see whether the girl would actually be able to do it. The little stunt with the hammer solidified his theory that she was special. Whether it was because she was a mutant or not, Scott wasn't too fussed about it.

And when the bell clanged, a somewhat proud smirk came to his face when the other people started clapping. They look confused as all hell but they were hella impressed. And so was he.

"That was impressive kid. Wanna earn some more bucks and prove that wasn't just a fluke?"

[Demi Smith]

Saving syllables? Whatever. Demi guessed she got that; she went by Demi instead of Demeter after all. Though that was also because she didn't want the idiots around here to keep using her real name. Felt funny, hearing them say it and everything. Made her edgy just thinking about it.

Well, she won the money or deer or whatever. She looked up at the guy running the game, who only looked mildly surprised. There were plenty of mutants with various strength abilities at the fair after all; Demi was hardly the first he'd come across. She turned to look at the better though, that confident smirk on her face.

"You kidding? I'm just that good," she said. She kicked the hammer again, pulling back with her body and using momentum. Okay, technically it was using the Flow to show off, which was a bit of a no-no, but Demi wanted the stupid people at the school to start realizing that she was better than them. "What are you thinking anyway? Want me to start punching you and see if I can make you cry?" she asked, slinging the hammer onto her shoulder, practically preening now.

[Scott O'Riley]

Scott couldn't help the grin on his face when the girl turned to him with that smirk of hers. He was impressed, no doubt about that.

"Show me what you got." He shrugged lazily as he took out a few more bills to the initial tenner he had taken out earlier. When she did do it again, he nodded, clearly impressed. The girl had some skills.

"I don't see why not. The Arena's always empty." Their conversation seemed random, though given some assumptions no doubt the locals had, it was clear that these two were not baseline humans.

"Here, go buy yourself some...detergent or something." He held out the wad of bills towards her without moving from his spot. The others were waiting in anticipation.

[Demi Smith]

Show him what she had? Demi snorted. She whirled again, readjusting to match the weight of the hammer and flinging her body forward. It looked odd, seeing as she practically rolled in the air and all. The hammer connected; the bell rang, and the confident Demi rolled a little further still, dropping the hammer off and smirking at the surprised clerk. He stuttered something about her needing to collect her prize, but Demi had already turned to the guy.

"Arena's not so empty when I'm around,' she said. Demi took a few steps closer to the guy, her movement light, pausing only when he spoke again. She blinked, looking up at him and crinkling her nose. "Detergent? What's that? Some kind of weird drug?" She still reached for the money. If he was going to give it to her, she might as well take it. Who knows what it could be used for?

Not Detergent though. The only drugs Demi took were the ones needed for the various religious rituals, and even those she didn't care for too much. They made her way too giggly.

[Scott O'Riley]

Scott chuckled as the girl managed to hit the bell again. He took out a few more dollar bills and handed it over to her.

"Yeah, you're pretty space-consuming I bet." He teased before shaking his head at her confusion. Yeah, she was definitely not from this world.

"Where did they pick you up from, kid?" Scott asked as he approached her.

[Demi Smith]

Space-consuming? That just sounded stupid, and Demi wrinkled her nose at the thought of it. She seriously considered punching the guy in the face. Maybe she could just do that and make off with all his "bucks."

"I'm one of the--" she began, before looking around. Lots of people around that were going to be Purged. Yeah, sure, Demi could probably take them if she needed to, but she'd get pretty beat up. plus, the school might, like, panic or something, and Demi had heard enough about being thrown in some kind of prison or something.

"I'm not from where most people are," she said instead. "I lived with a big family in a place that most people," She jerked her head toward the various norms about her, "don't go. Which just makes me better than them," Demi finished with a smirk, folding her arms over her chest and looking quite full of herself.

[Scott O'Riley]

When she cut herself off so quickly, Scott frowned slightly, wondering what exactly she was hiding. It also reminded him that they were in the middle of the fairground where baseliners were literally crowding them right then.

And they were both plainly talking about their statuses.

"Clearly." Scott responded when the girl explained as vaguely as possible as to where she came from. He didn't really need to know. It had been a rhetorical question anyway. He was just wondering where this girl could have come from; the way she talked and the way she dressed dictated an impoverished area.

"Careful now. Just because you can work a hammer doesn't mean you can work a crowd." He approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder unwittingly before pulling her away.

[Demi Smith]

Yes, clearly. Demi was tempted to repeat that, but she didn't see any point in actually doing so. She just snorted and looked at the crowd again, looking very much like she'd attack them given the slightest provocation. Of course, the guy had to put his hand on her shoulder and pull slightly.

"Hey, I can so work them," she mumbled, glaring at them. She moved to tap his fingers, looking up at him and practically glowering. "What's your deal anyway?" she narrowed her eyes. Something about him, the way he acted, it seemed to hint that he knew what she was, at least in some vague manner if not precisely. Weird. So why was he bothering with her?

"And stop touching me," she mumbled, rolling her hand. Demi would keep squirming if it was at all possible. No touchie was more than just a safe guideline with her: It was the law, and she would attack all lawbreakers.

[Scott O'Riley]

Scott underestimated a lot of people, present company not excluded. Which was why when she tried to convince him that she could get everyone in their vicinity, he highly doubted it.

The tap made him raise an eyebrow before he chuckled at her question. "Me? You're actually asking me that question? You're the one with a deal, kid." He pointed out before pulling his arm off her and holding both his hands up in defense. "I just need to get you away from these unsuspecting people. Hurting them will only bring you temporary peace." He walked over to where the corndogs were and he turned to the girl.

"You want anything kid?" He asked, not sure but suddenly taking a shining to her.

[Demi Smith]

Demi snorted as Scott insisted that she had a deal. He was hardly the first and he certainly wouldn't be the last person to tell her that she "had a deal" that there was "something going on there." Whatever; Demi didn't care. She knew she was awesome, so she didn't need to be constantly reminded of it by the people around her. If they did, good for them. That just meant they were a little more awesome.

Wait, did she want anything? Demi looked up at Scott, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "So... what's the catch?" she said. She actually stopped moving, turning to face him. her arms folded over her chest and she looked up at him, the skepticism written all over her compact little body. "Like, did you want me to win some more games or something? Because I totally could."

And hey, if she got some free food or some more money out of it: so much the better.