Let's Talk Sprite (But Not The Soda)

[Seiji Lockard]

“Many don’t, nothing wrong with it. That is why I am here.” Seiji assured Franck and hesitantly reached out to try and pat the other guys shoulder. He didn’t know if that was comforting but he knew he had to be careful of boundaries when it came to him and students at the school. Even if he never meant anything bad by what he did, someone could take it the wrong way and he didn’t want to get into any trouble. He did want to comfort the young man, but he just had to wait for him to either do it first or to receive permission from him. At the next question Seiji didn’t hesitate to give a confirmation nod, even if he was not one hundred percent sure.

“I can’t say that it is impossible, but I can say that it is highly unlikely given how the mutations themselves become active in an adolescence stage or typically high stress. Typically.” Seiji went ahead and explained. He could never say something was impossible when it came to mutations because they themselves should have been impossible. Plus with SPRITE and just the general way powers worked and were different from one another really made it had to say something was one hundred percent. Seiji was not going to lie to the kid; he didn’t really think he could lie. He could keep a secret and lie in order to keep that secrete but he had no secrets to keep hidden here.

Seiji nodded his proudly when Franck asked his question regarding Ghost, who was now peeking his head outside the tank as his way to say hello. “Yes. That right there is Ghost and he said hello.” Seiji informed Franck, but he didn’t go to remove Ghost from the tank, just in case the kid was not fully comfortable around snakes. He would ask, but that was not what the young man was here for and he didn’t want to waste his time. “Yes. You should not worry about it at all, don’t stress about something that would be out of one’s control. Plus as you said, if something like that were to occur you could help and I would also be here for any form of help I could provide.” Seiji informed Franck, making sure the young man understood that he was here to help.

It was his job after all. At Franck’s next comment, Seiji could not help but to look a little bit sad by the young man’s words. He could not be upset with him for having parents who possibly loved him, while he himself did not. He was never the type and he was already making several assumptions as to why Franck said what he did; however, he would not pry. “I you wanted and they signed a waiver, I could test them to find out who has the gene.” Seiji offered up, but he needed the parents okay since the test would have been done on their blood sample.

((Tag: François Laffont))

[François Laffont]

Franck was a little surprised when he felt Seiji’s hand on his shoulder but he did not make any attempt to remove the hand there and break the physical contact. He knew where that came from. He should have told Seiji he only needed to feel the comfort he wanted to give Franck, that it was enough. Then again, a physical contact could help him feel it more. It could also have him feel other things he should not. Luckily for Seiji, it did not last long enough for Franck to pick up anything he would have preferred to keep to himself.

His next words also help appease him. Sure, Seiji still admitted there was a possibility, but said possibility was very small. Franck’s parents would have to be very lucky, or in this case unlucky, to see it happen. Franck shouldn’t think about that. Except he was still, but for a different reason. He was actually ashamed he overreacted like this. He had this tendency, sometimes, to be dramatic. It was a trait of his he needed to work on. But the thought had obsessed him so much that he needed some information on the subject. While he did wish for a total reassurance it was impossible, he knew the chances were more that it could happen. Still, hearing that he may as well consider it impossible reassured him enough to try and forget about the whole thing.

Discussing their powers helped change his mind a little. His eyebrows arched up when the snake looked up as he mentioned it. Ghost. And he was saying hello. Franck gave him a small smile and nodded his head. He was not sure if he should wave too, it sounded a little too much for a snake, even one who just said hello.

Seiji assured him there was nothing to feel bad about. He was here to answer such questions. Franck was not sure but he welcomed it with a smile. “I still feel like I’ve wasted your time because I panicked over nothing,” he admitted. Franck wasn’t really good at hiding his emotions. It was hard to when you could always tell how someone felt, no matter how good a poker face they had. As a result, he couldn’t hide how ashamed he was for his reaction. Besides, what Seiji said reassured him for his father but not his mother. Maybe he should test his dad, see if he was the one this came from. But he dared not. He already did enough over this, that would be going too far. He shook his head when Seiji said it was possible to do it though. “My dad would do it, just to reassure me, I’m certain of this. But... it’s not like it really matters to me, who I got this from. I don’t want to make it sound like it does.” He frowned at that, not sure he expressed himself well enough for Seiji to get what he meant.

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji was pleased that his touch to Franck's shoulder didn't cause any issues, because he meant it to help. Of course he did not maintain contact for long since Franck didn't ask for it and he also didn't want to overstep any bounds for too long. He was just happy that he was able to help and that Franck seemed like he calmed down a bit. As for Ghost saying hello, Seiji was pleased that Franck gave a nod and a smile which was more than some others did. Ghost was just super friendly but there were a lot of people that could not just so easily greet a snake that they themselves could not hear talking.

"Don't feel that way at all, please. I assure you this really is my job." Seiji tried to comfort Franck further. If people didn't come to ask him question be it big, small, or in their view a waste of time then he would be useless. Well, not useless all the way but he would be missing out on a part of why he took this job in the first place. "You are not the only one who was worried and asked such questions. People all had their own reasons for coming here and trying to figure things out. It's good to meet someone that cares about others more than themselves but don't forget you are important too." Seiji informed Franck.

He could tell the young man was much like him all from their conversation. He just hoped Franck was good at making friends and didn't let people walk over him like Seiji did at times. Seiji was half confused by what Franck was getting at but for the most part he assumed that Franck again was the type to be more worried about others than himself, such an honorable young man. "Well, it is their call and your call as well if you would want to know the result. It won't change who you are as a person." Seiji pointed out, wondering if that would help Franck a bit on his choice. He didn't even have to make one now or ever.

((Tag: François Laffont))

[François Laffont]

Franck probably knew better than most people how useful physical contact could be to relay an emotion. While Seiji simply stood near him, he could tell the man had a desire to help and comfort him, but that became more specific when he touched Franck. The young man was then able to feel it. Not just that, but pretty much everything going on inside Seiji right now and the mix sort of managed to calm Franck. He knew Seiji did not try to upset him on purpose and only wanted to help him. It worked.

Saying hello to Ghost seemed weird, because he could not hear whatever the snake said and he didn’t want Seiji to keep giving them messages while they discussed together. Plus it was a little weird to be able to speak with a snake. He may not be all that afraid of the boa, especially while he was in his tank, but that didn’t mean he was friendly with snakes either. Unlike Seiji, snakes were to him nothing but snakes.

He was not surprised to hear he was not the first who had questions. SPRITE hit pretty much everyone and no one knew where it came. At least, if they found out, Franck never heard of the causes. “I know but... I don’t have any reason to worry the way I do. I’m not... My power did not disappear, evolved or anything.” He was surprised to hear Seiji remind him he was important too but he shoved that thought off, thinking it was beside the point. In reality, Franck was a bit ashamed of his reaction when some people really suffered from SPRITE. One of his closest friends nearly died due to his own power turning against him. In comparison, worrying whether or not his father may start feeling people’s emotions around him like he could seemed rather small and pointless.

Again, Seiji assured it was his decision, and a bit their parents’ too. Franck knew why he wished to do the test. It would reassure him to know he got it from his father. Because if it was because of his mother, than his half-sisters may just suffer the same fate he did. “I’ll think about it,” he just said as an answer. Maybe it wouldn’t change how people saw him but he felt like it may change how he saw himself. That mattered as much. He looked up at Seiji and gave him a small smile. He wished it was bigger but he just had so much to think about right now that he could not give more. “Thank you, really. Maybe it was not exactly what I wanted to hear but at least it was the truth.”