Rude Helen

[Cassidy Carstyn]

Cassidy loved walking through the halls in the middle of the afternoon because it was empty and she could disappear into her books without having to worry about knocking into other people. That day, decked in a long-sleeved printed tee with a sleeveless dark blue parka and jeans, Cassidy was immersed in her newest obsession from Scott Westerfeld. She didn't even realise there were some people training just out of her peripheral vision.

Before she knew it, her book was flying out of her hands and over the parapet. "What the-" she gasped, turning all around to see who had done it. She saw two people with their eyes bulging out of their sockets just before they ran off. Cassidy's jaw slacked when she heard a thump and a loud exclamation and she rushed over to the parapet to look down. 

"I...am so sorry!" she squeaked before running down the stairs to check on her book. 

And maybe the person the book had hit. She picked up the book and dusted it off. "Are you okay?" She asked, mostly the book until she looked up at the person. "Are you okay?" She asked.

[Timothy Carter]

The promise of a bit of alone time was not something that Timothy ever sneered at. It was precious enough for him never to take it for granted. With no class right now, he had two current priorities : get back to his dorm and Argent then go outside somewhere quiet and let her fly a bit. It would be nice to get away from here for a bit, in the scheme of things it hadn't been long but his head was still ringing slightly. That was why he'd chosen to go the long way around, in order to avoid his classmates as they left in a mass. 

Crowded masses like that were well worth avoiding as far as he was concerned. The tightness around his temples was beginning to relax and the teen dared to hope that he might be able to escape this place without developing a splitting headache which would send him straight to the infirmary for the rest of the day. For obvious reasons, he wanted to avoid that. Walking steadily, he noted with a certain amount of pleasure that whilst there were still a few people here, for the most part they were too far away for him to be able to pick up their thoughts and for it to bother him. A welcome relief...

The thoughts above him reached the teen before he heard the gasp. He didn't really understand what was going on but it had surprised whoever was up there. Was there some kind of trouble? Whatever it was- "Ouf!" He couldn't help but exclaim from a mixture of surprise and some genuine pain as something connected with the top of his head. The impact caused him to drop his bag and go down to his knees for a few moments, more from shock than anything else. A little dazed, he looked around wondering what had hit him. By his feet, he found the answer, a book... Who would drop something like that?

Raising his eyes, he looked above him as a female voice registered. He briefly caught a glimpse of a figure but she was gone too fast for him to properly register who it was. Tim raised a hand to where the book had hit, it still throbbed slightly but not enough to cause any lasting pain. A few seconds later, a young woman appeared. She was older than him without a doubt, probably one of the local college kids. He winced slightly as she drew nearer and into the range of his telepathy.

He couldn't be sure but she seemed almost more concerned about the book. He frowned slightly, part of him wishing that she'd shown a little more concern for the flesh and blood that she'd hit rather than the pieces of paper. Still, he supposed he shouldn't complain at least she might give him some space rather than bother him as he had initially feared she might. "Forget about it..." He muttered in a slightly dismissive tone as he brushed some of his hair back into place. Reaching down, he went to pick up his bag and sling it back over his shoulder.

[Cassidy Carstyn]

The way the boy dismissed her had Cassidy feeling rather awful. "I'm sorry." She bit her lower lip and tucked her book under her arms. "It's not an excuse but I think someone's powers malfunctioned or something. I swear I had a good grip on the book and I was nowhere near the parapet!" She tried to explain, her arms wrapping around herself.

"Do you need to go to the nurse's office? Did the book hit you hard?" She asked, a little more concerned about the boy than the book now.

[Timothy Carter]

The ringing in Tim's ears had passed, replaced now only with a small amount of residual pain from where the book had hit. In a few minutes, that would be gone too. As a footballer, he'd taken quite a few bashes to the nut in his time with and without a helmet and in the grand scheme of things, this was nothing. It hadn't fallen from high enough and wasn't quite heavy enough to have caused any real damage, the main reason he had fallen had been from the shock of the impact more than anything else and some surprise.

Malfunctioned or a prank, he wondered? There was no telling now, although at least she was telling the truth, so he knew that it hadn't been done by malice. Accidents happened he supposed. The teen offered her an indifferent shrug. "They shouldn't be using their powers, period..." He couldn't help but mutter, imagining what would have happened if it were something heavier or sharper that had fallen or if it had been the student herself who had been knocked over the balustrade. 

Tim was fully aware that his somewhat dismissive and abrasive tone was unlikely to endear him to this college student, whoever she was but then it wasn't supposed to. Avoiding a conversation was paramount to him as the longer he lingered here the more likely he was to encounter a larger group of people and suffer yet another headache. Being here with just this girl was bad enough with her current thoughts drifting around without her even realizing it and him picking each of them up. "Seriously, I'm fine. I've just got to get out of here." He turned, making a break for the door, with any luck, she wouldn't pursue him and he might actually be able to let Argent out of her cage and take her flying.

[Cassidy Carstyn]

"Well, it's not always that they have control." Cassidy tried to reason with him. She obviously didn't know that it was a prank but she wasn't about to accuse people she didn't even know. She was glad that there wasn't any permanent damage.

She sighed and nodded. "Okay. I'm really sorry." She offered him an apologetic smile before turning to walk the way she had come from. She pulled her book to her chest before opening it again and continuing where she had last read.

[Timothy Carter]

Timothy grumbled something as he struggled to snap something about keeping control. It would have been hypocritical of him of course. He had such marvellous control of his abilities and that he unwillingly used them on pretty much everybody who came close to him. Somewhere inside of himself, he knew he was wrong from being so hostile and cold towards her. No harm had been done and it wasn't as if she'd done it deliberately. A built of guilt stung at him as he looked at the girl. Darn it... He let out a frustrated sigh, it was harder to play the tough guy than it looked sometimes. "It's really not a problem." He assured her, his voice softer. "I'll be fine but thanks for your concern."

He didn't say anything else, slinging his bag over his shoulder and beginning to walk off. It wasn't too late for him to let his falcon stretch her wings. Behind him, the girl was going back to reading her book. As he took a few more steps away, he gradually felt her mind fade out until he was left with only his own thoughts. The young telepath couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.