Just Under the Upperhand

[Rob Snow]

Rob sat in the courtyard, humming to himself while he wrote in his notebook. It did feel odd not to have his guitar slung around his neck, but he couldn't quite go everywhere with it. He didn't technically need it to write up notes on this homework assignment. Tempting to try and set some history to music, but he wasn't quite ready for the schoolhouse rock circuit just yet.

A noise drew Rob's attention away from his work. Noises generally did that, and this proved no exception. his head looked up, and he squinted as he tried to figure it out. A few students were playing around with their powers. Probably not strictly allowed, but most people didn't kick up a fuss so long as nothing happened. Rob watched for a while, glad for the distraction from his boredom.

Which is why he was one of the first to see it, even before there was screaming and yelling. He shot up and began running forward. "Hold 'em still, you don't want to make it worse!" he called as he hurried up. "It's cool: I'm a healer. Still going to need some help though," Rob turned, looking for anyone willing to step forward. Wasn't like he needed an EMT or anything.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina was walking through the courtyard on her way to go workout in her typical sweatpants and t-shirt when she heard the commotion. She rolled her eyes at the dumb kid, as they probably merely got what they deserved, but paused when the kid started screaming. When one of the other students ran forward and called for help she glanced around and didn’t see anybody else stepping forward.


    It wasn’t strictly within her nature to help out foolish people, but if this was as serious as it sounded, perhaps she could afford to put off her workout for a little while. She shrugged off her duffle bag and stepped forward, “I’m no doctor or anything, but if you tell me what me what to do, I’ll do it.” Selina figured the man had a better idea as to what to do than she did, considering how he’d claimed to be a healer.


    Selina had loosely considered the possibility of using her powers for healing, since the human body was mostly made up of water, but she’d never gone any further than absently considering the idea. She’d taken care of her mother’s and Maria’s injuries before though, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with first aid. She also knew CPR, but she doubted she’d need that here.

[Rob Snow]

There was a moment when Rob saw the girl coming and he wanted to make some comment. He did end up smiling and nodding. "Nice to see the school comes with angels of mercy," he said, his voice having that slight lilting accent that he'd picked up from somewhere. He waved the girl forward, more focused on making sure that the guy got the treatment he needed.

Rob hit the ground and looked it over. They'd been playing around with some fire, from the looks of things, fire and dirt. The dirt had caused a fall and likely a sprain of some sort, and the fire had caused some burns. Rob leaned forward, his fairly practiced eyes going to look at the reddened flesh.

"Damn," he cursed, shaking his head slightly. He looked up at the "angel." "Don't suppose that you can do something involving water or air? Magic spells are also acceptable, in case I'm off about the angel thing." he winked. "have to hedge my bets."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina couldn't help the dry chuckle that escaped her at the idea of being an 'angel of mercy,' but she didn't comment. It didn't quite strike her until later that laughter at this point in time with a boy screaming in pain on the ground probably wasn't the most socially acceptable thing to do, but honestly, she wanted to see the heaven that had angels like her giving out 'mercy.' She was still smirking when she knelt down next to him and examined the boy for herself. 

    "I manipulate water, but I'm not sure how much that'll help here," she admitted. She could clean away the dirt, but the wound would still need to be disinfected. She then smiled at the mention of witchcraft, "And while I've made a few deals with the devil, sadly no magical powers have ever come to me as a result," she commented wryly.

        Selina pulled her full water bottle that she always carried with her out of her bag and pulled out some hydrogen peroxide as well. She'd gotten quite a few injuries while working out and she usually came prepared, but not for burns though. She unscrewed the cap on the water bottle first and pulled the water to her hands, "What do you want me to do?"
        

[Rob Snow]

Manipulate water? Rob was already nodding, glad to have at least something to work with. She also took off with his teasing comment, which had him grinning. "Man, did he screw you over and give you some shitty tattoos too?" he asked, flipping an arm over to show off one of his poorer done bits of ink. Most of them at least bled together, so he didn't have to worry.

Not that Rob had much time to flirt: he had the whole moaning guy to deal with. He moved forward, assuring the guy that he had this under control. "Hey, devil girl," he said, looking back at her, "I did mention the healing bit, eh?" he said. He then jerked his head toward the wounded. "If you can clean up his wound, I can hum up a little song and get him all fixed up."

Rob smiled and turned to look at the guy, raising is brows slightly. "Then you'll just owe me a life debt. don't worry though: I'm a fair and noble master."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina grinned back at him before she briefly glanced at his arm and shook her head, “No tattoos for me. Just a few scars,” she replied easily. She’d wanted a tattoo a while ago, but tattoos cost money. Though Selina knew her mom would be willing to pay for it, as her mom tried to provide her with everything despite their lack of funds, Selina would never ask it of the woman. Nor would Selina spend her own money on it, as all of whatever she’d earned went straight back to her family.


    Selina laughed again at being called a devil girl and then nodded to show she’d heard what he’d said. She manipulated the water at her command to flow over the wound, cooling it off to give the poor kid some amount of relief as she carefully removed the dirt. This was much more of a mental task than a physical one, so she had to focus her mind and concentrate harder than usual. Her daily meditation helped her get into the mindset she needed though, and soon enough his wound was cleaned.


    Selina then poured hydrogen peroxide over it to clean out what she couldn’t see or remove with plain water and stepped back. “And I may be a harsh mistress, but I’m fair enough,” she added with a semi-sadistic grin down at the boy. He had interrupted her daily routine after all.

[Rob Snow]

Rob smirked and nodded. Yeah, it seemed like everyone picked up a few scars. That was part of what made them all beautifully human, and it was definitely something that Rob had heard of in song after song, even written a few of them himself. Maybe he'd teasingly ask her to show him a few at some later point: they really did have something to focus on right now.

Water moved. Rob got out of the way, though he listened closely for the little noises that it made. He could already start working them to some degree, at least enough so that the water sort of vibrated along, leaving the wounds feeling a little better. Judging by the sigh of relief that came from their patient, it had to have worked to some degree. Rob nodded, the smile only widening.

then came some actual first aid materials, which was even better. Rob reached to hold a hand, knowing that shit stung, and then grinned at her comment. "hey now, best lay off the leather and chains for a bit, though I don't think we'd mind seeing that too much," he gave the lad a wink, then looked at the wounds. Looked about ready for him.

So Rob nodded, moving to place his hand near the burn. "Apologies, but it'll feel nice in a tick," he said, flashing the guy a smile before beginning to sing slightly:

"'Cause we're just under the upper hand. And go mad for a couple grams," he could already feel his lilting voice starting to work, carrying the vibrations through his arm to accelerate the healing process, "And she don't want to go outside tonight. And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland. Or sells love to another man. It's too cold outside. For angels to fly," and naturally Rob had to end with a smile and a wink at his partner, before pulling back. sure enough, the burned skin was back to normal: all pink and freshly healed. "Right," Rob said, turning to look at the other, "looks like you'll be a-ok, and your mate looks good?" he was looking from one to the other to confirm, also giving a slight look to his helper. She could at least check for anything that Rob's eyes missed.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina had felt a slight difference in how her power worked when she tended to the boy, but she was unsure of what exactly had happened. After she stopped she glanced at her hands in slight confusion and decided she’d try manipulating some water later to see if it happened again or was merely a one-time anomaly. It hadn’t entered her head that the healer would augment her power with his own.


    Selina then scoffed and shook her head, “Most likely you won’t be seeing it at all,” she replied with a wry smirk. She was tempted to add, ‘unless you’re very good,’ but she didn’t. The boy was still groaning a bit, and even she had her limits with being callous and insensitive to others’ pain. When she’d cleaned the boy’s wound out, it had left her feeling slightly tired, so she wouldn’t be going to training right after this. Selina sighed at the lost time and workout, but she could always make it up later. Besides… the healer was cute and seemed to have some intelligence. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to get to know him better.


    Selina listened to him sing with a small smile and was surprised to find herself disappointed when he’d finished. He had a beautiful voice. Her mom, being a dancer, loved music and had brought her daughter to many free concerts in her youth, so Selina grew up with an appreciation for musical talent, even if she had none herself. Or at least, she’d certainly never tried.


    “He looks fine to me,” she agreed. “And at the very least, he isn’t moaning anymore, so I think he’ll be fine.” She hadn’t really given either of the boys a thorough inspection, because her ability to empathize only stretched so far. Selina figured she’d done her good deed for the day and was quite willing and ready to leave those two far behind her. “You have a lovely voice, by the way,” she complimented him.

[Rob Snow]

It did seem as though the healing song had done its bit, not that Rob was all that surprised. He'd seen it work a few times by now, though sometimes he still marveled that he could do something like this. Well, it certainly beat out other gifts.

It did seem as though his partner agreed with him. Rob nodded and pushed off his knees to get to his feet. Then he bent down to offer a hand up. "Should be moaning though, on account of my saying you should be heading to the medico," he said, nodding to the guy. The nod continued as Rob turned to the friend. "You oughta take him, work in the apologies and all."

Rob nodded, then turned to his partner, raising his brows. "Keep complimenting me like that and I'm going to have to insist you buy me a drink, luv," he said. Rob followed with a smile, a wink, and an extended hand. "Rob, just got back to this lovely little burg a short while ago. If someone had told me that everyone was going to be as impressive as you I would've worked harder to get here sooner."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina watched the boys walk away and sighed. If she were a betting girl, she’d put money on them being at it again by this time next week. She turned back to the man who was speaking to her and let out a laugh, “I suppose I could manage that, so long as you don’t mind being seen with woman in sweats,” she teased loosely indicating her workout clothes. Selina shook his hand, “I’m Selina… And sorry to disappoint you, but not everyone is as amazing as I am,” she replied with a playfully sympathetic grin.


    “And you’re new here? Where are you from?” she asked as the crowd dispersed. She always found herself drawn to immigrants like herself. Maybe it was just the shared experience of living away from home or maybe it was just her interest in anything foreign. American culture in and of itself was foreign to her, but her interests spanned elsewhere quite often. Of course, he could just be from another part of the U.S. She’d only spent time in Montana so far, so it was difficult for her to tell what accents indicated which part of the country.

[Rob Snow]

Rob looked down at the sweats, then raised his brows. "Oh, sweats. You're right, no way I can be seen with someone wearing those," he pointed at them, nodding, "you're definitely going to have to take those pants off," he looked back up at her, adding a wink. Soon his smile turned into a chuckle at his comment.

Then a nod at her question. "Well, strictly speaking," he said, letting a little more accent slide in. "I was born on the British Isles, technically in what amounts to country for our wonderful little island. Most recently..." he wrinkled his nose, tilting his head to the side to think, "I'm going to say... Canada? Not exciting, but I'm pretty sure I came down from there."

Rob nodded a few times, then crooked an arm. "And you're from hell, as I believe we covered earlier. So if you don't mind being seen with a ginger," he leaned forward, "don't worry: it's not contagious. I took the shots," then leaned back, "then I see no reason I can't accompany you to the fine dining hall here and torment you with whatever they happen to have on hand."

Rob bowed his head slightly, gesturing with the hand not crooked in a vague, upper-crust like manner that certainly didn't mix well with the sleeve tattoo said arm happened to be sporting.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina grinned, “Hmmm, if you want a strip show, I’m going to have to charge,” she warned playfully as she glanced around the courtyard, “Though with all these people, I could probably make some damn good money,” she added with a smirk. She would do it too, but standing out wasn’t really one of her goals at this point, as she’d much rather remain somewhat unnoticed by the general populace.


    Selina nodded to him, “You move often then?” She had only ever lived in the same apartment in Santiago for the entirety of her life, and sometimes she wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing. She was familiar with Britain and Canada but only in terms of geography, she hadn’t cared to study much about them independently of the bare minimum she’d been taught in schools.


    Selina smiled and bowed, “The devil’s right hand is at your service… though I must say it feels so much like home here, that, aside from the change in temperature, I’ve hardly noticed a difference,” she quipped. Selina then laughed at his dramatics over being a red-head and turned to head towards the cafeteria, “The food’s not all that bad here. Sometimes, it’s even edible,” she teased.

[Rob Snow]

"Damn, and here I am without my wallet. Do you take student ID cards?" Rob replied, leaning forward slightly as if he were wholly in earnest. He, too, ended up looking around. "or maybe I should just pay you by being the bouncer. I'd wager the moment you start taking off anything, they'd be on you like jackals."

An image that further amused Rob, enough so that his smile spread. He kept it as he nodded along to Selina's question. "Not a fan of putting down roots, really," he admitted. "Plus, they're always telling you to take off and travel the world. Figured I'd actually up and do it before I got too old to really enjoy things. Plus, seems like most places are fine with musicians as long as you pay attention to the customs."

Rob was tempted to show off his tattoos and explain the various stories, but he didn't think he'd have to resort to that. Besides, he had the girl on his arm already, and she was willing enough to be led along while still tossing out the various quips. "Ah, edible food. I hear that's the best kind. Do I have to kill it myself though? Because I might feel guilty and start singing to it or something after. Horrible mess, that."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina paused as if to think about it and then shook her head, “I’m afraid not. Has to be cold hard cash or nothing.” Selina smiled at his offer, “True, but no offense, you don’t look like you could hold off more than two of them at a time. I could probably do a better job fending for myself, so unfortunately you’ll still have to pay,” she teased with a smirk.


    Selina nodded. “I’ve always wanted to travel myself,” she admitted. She’d never had the money to afford such a luxury though. “It’d be nice to see the world as a tourist instead of being gawked at by them,” she added mirthlessly. Santiago was one of the most popular stopping points for tourists in Chile, but luckily they usually stayed on the wealthier side of town. The times she mostly had to put up with them in her part of town was when they were on some sort of self-aggrandizing mission to ‘save the poor heathens’ and that had never been pleasant, but she’d mostly figured out how to avoid them. Not to say that they’d never done any good, but for the most part they either made no real impact or just ended up making things worse.


    “Yes, we hunt our own food here, as the school likes to keep us in line by using hunger as a weapon. Those that can’t fend for themselves starve. Survival of the fittest and all that,” she replied with a grin. “I think today you just have to pick your own beans and rice grains though. They decided to take it easy on us, lucky for you.”

[Rob Snow]

Rob nodded, his lips pursed together. "Damn, I knew I should have brought the guitar with the gun in it. Quite ill prepared of me," he shook his head in disappointment a few times. He was tempted to continue along those lines, offering to sing for his booty, but he didn't want to push it quite that far. There were lines that you shouldn't cross after all, especially with someone you'd just met and worked through first aid with.

Besides, there was talk of travel, and what could be more enjoyable than that? "It's as good as it sounds," Rob admitted. He reached up to lace his fingers behind his head, nodding slightly. "Though I imagine that someone like you would probably be gawked at wherever you go. You could go for the headscarf look, but then you'd just go around eye-fucking people," Rob clicked his tongue, shaking his head for shame. It was, after all, what a devil-child would do.

Speaking of what devil-children might do: "Ah, so clearly I've been sent to bring the light of British civilization," he said, putting a little more upper crust into his usual light lilt. "I'll have you all drinking tea on the regular and eating proper British food. Fish and chips all around!"