A History of Skiving (Open)

[starsmore]

Jono folded his arms behind his head as he lay on one of the few benches scattered around the Institute’s grounds, the dim light of his biokinetic flame flickering briefly beneath the bindings around his face in a mannerism that passed as a content sigh. History class would be in full session right about now, and his absence would probably be noticed given his somewhat unique presence. It wasn’t as if he was skipping out of a sense of laziness, well, not entirely. The British teen just sometimes felt the need to get a little fresh air, even if said fresh air wasn’t really as applicable to him as it once was, and be away from the mass herd of students that roamed the halls. Of course the current ‘fresh air’ happened to be accompanied by a heavy set of ‘fresh rain’, and the teen was quickly getting soaked through.

‘Bloody wonderful.’[/b][/i] He sarcastically groused out loud in his distinctive voiceless manner, the words being broadcast telepathically to the immediate surrounding area as the light beneath the facemask shifted from its usual calm yellow to discontentful orange. There was no fear of getting sick, his ‘condition’ as it were effectively removing it from the equation that was Jono Starsmore as assuredly as it had most of his major organs and his lower jaw. The only concern was his clothes, but they could always be washed, so Jono was quite content just to lay back and get wet if it meant he could get a few minutes to clear his head. ‘Another soddin’ beautiful day...’[/color]

[Viscid]

Classes weren't something that Viscid had been deemed ready for, so the young mutate was lounge outside, up in a tree. She was hidden from view, at least she believed she was, but her tail was actually flicking visibly below the branch she was on. At first it had been kind of nice but then the rain started and she liked that. The tiny orange creature stretched out to her full length on the branch and rested her chin on her folded arms. She hadn't even been aware that someone else was around.

When she heard a voice, well sort of, it was in her head. She reached up and smacked the side of her head and figured she was just imagining it. Then she heard it again and frowned. Now, Viscid wasn't one to hear voices in her head. Well, except for that one time in the kitchen but it was the red headed girl that was doing it. Her curiosity caught, she scooted along the branch to look down. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized the branch wasn't as sturdy as she had thought. There was an audible snap and then a yelp as she fell from the tree. Viscid tucked and rolled, well rolled several times. Actually, she was more tumbling head over heels until she was stopped by a bench. Unfortunately for her, the bench was occupied and she was just in a tank top and shorts. Not in her usual head to toe covering. Reptilian eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to clear her head.

[starsmore]

Jono was oblivious to another presence around him, his mind lost in its usual reflection about his progress here at the institute. If he really thought about it, he had come a long way since he first arrived at the gates. He was still shy of achieving a sense of comfortable normalcy to his condition, but he was getting there day by day. Sort of. At least he didn’t wake up in the middle of the night anymore, having the same panic attack over what happened to his face before his mind kicks in and refreshes his memory. And he’d got a better handle over his powers, too, so that was a bonus. Not as much as he’d like, but enough so he wasn’t totally a walking blast furnace twenty four seven.

A loud snapping above his head and a sudden surprised yelp caused his attention to shift back to the present, and Jono had just about enough time to look up and watch as an orange and black blur plummet from a nearby tree, his dark brown eyes following its path as it fell and slid into a roll that stopped at the base of his bench. It took him several seconds to work out that the blur was actually a girl, and an odd reptilian-esque looking one at that. Not that he could judge really, he had no jaw and a crater for a chest. Sliding into a seated position, swinging his legs around to plant his feet down onto the floor once more, he regarded the new arrival for a scant moment before arching an eyebrow. ‘You alrite, luv? You took a nasty spill there.’[/b][/i]

[Viscid]

The beauty of being Viscid is she didn't know enough to be embarrassed about her impromptu attempt at paramilitary techniques. She only really knew when something was bad and when something was good. Had she not practically crashed into another person she would have been giggling. As odd as it was, that had been kind of fun, not that she'd ever want a repeat. Not intentionally anyway. She'd have to thank the rain later, had it not been muddy, it might not have been such a soft landing. But then the mud was what made it fun after all.

The dark haired girl was still a bit dazed, so when she heard the voice in her head she smacked the side of her head again, as if clearing it. That's when it dawned on her full that she was completely exposed to the stranger. Her head snapped up and she looked up at him. Fear danced through her eyes and she started to scramble backwards. The mud making it a bit too slippery for her to get a grip, and stand up proper. Another yelp escaped when her tail got yanked. Panicked, reptilian eyes followed the length of her tail and she saw it had been caught up in the leg work of the bench. Vis sat up and grabbed her tail and gave it another yank. A whimper escaped when it wouldn't come free.

[starsmore]

The girl was certainly unusual, although in retrospect not overly in comparison to some the residents of the Institute, Jono included. He was sure he hadn’t seen her around before, so that meant she had to be a new arrival. Probably getting used to the place or skiving lessons pretty much in a similar vein to him. As her head snapped up and she tried to bolt away, her eyes shone with look that was all too familiar for the British mutant, it was something he’d seen all too often since his powers had kicked in and could instantly recognise. Fear. Despite knowing it was focused at him, or at least not in the same manner as it usually was, his hand instinctively came up in a placating gesture and his “voice” dropped into what he hoped was a quieter, more soothing tone. ‘Woah, steady on, luv. I know I ain’t a sight for sore eyes, but you don’t have to go runnin’. I ain’t gonna hurt you.’

Brown eyes followed her gaze to the base of the bench, and his brow furrowed as he caught sight of the girl’s tail and its current predicament. ‘Alrite, I see, I see. I’ll get you out of this in just a sec, okay?’[/i][/color] He broadcast as he leant forward, sliding his hand between the struts of the bench and begun to unhook the girl’s appendage from what it was caught on. Finally after a few seconds, he glanced back up and met her gaze as the tail sprang free. ‘There, that’s better, yeah?’ [/i][/color]

[Viscid]

Yes, she was afraid of him, but not because of how he looked, but because he was another person. When his hands first came up she flinched and shrank back a bit. It wouldn't be the first time that someone took a swing at her because they freaked out. It didn't dawn her, just yet, that he wasn't freaking out about how she looked. When the voice came into her head again she realized it was him. Her head tilted a bit when he said he wasn't going to hurt her. Cid opened her mouth but all that came out was a rusty squeak. For the longest time she didn't talk because she just didn't want to, but it had been so long, she'd almost forgotten how. The fear left her eyes but she was still a bit wary.

Tears were gathering in her eyes as her tail was starting to ache. When he said he was going to help her get out of it, she stopped trying to yank on her tail and watched him. As soon as her tail was free she grabbed it and started to rub the area that was caught. Again her mouth opened she tried to work her throat muscles and jaw to get the words to come out. Another rusty squeak was her reward and she got a bit of a frustrated look on her face. Reptilian eyes scanned the area and she dashed off, on two legs and picked a flower from one of the bushes. The girl scampered back and handed him the flower in thanks. She really did try to get the words out but to no avail. Something she was going to have to work on.

[starsmore]

The squeakish squawk of noise that escaped the girl’s mouth in lieu of words wasn’t much of a surprise for the British mutant, having already surmised from her odd silence that speaking wasn’t really her forte. Then again, he had to muse; it wasn’t really his anymore in a sense, not since that fateful day his genes kicked into overdrive. He brushed it off with a nonchalant wave of his hand, his eyes crinkling in what passed for a smirk these days and tilted his head in soft amusement. ‘Not a problem, luv. You might want to avoid tree climbing on less-than-sturdy branches in future, eh? Probably the crashing into benches, too, but having done that many a time myself, I can’t really talk.’[/b][/color]

Jono arched an eyebrow at the flower the strange girl (as his mind had dubbed her until he had a name) presented to him, the faint traces of light visible around the edges of his face mask flickering in a bemused confusion that was mirrored by the look in his eyes as he awkwardly reached out and accepted it. He really wasn’t sure what to make of the orange mute girl other than the initial air of carefree innocence that was plain as day, admittedly tinged with the faint undertones that hinted of a darker life that many other students at the institute carried. ‘Um, thanks, I guess?’ [/b][/color]

[Viscid]

Viscid tried to think of how to tell him her name, it was a name she heard when someone was doing a crossword. A six letter word for sticky. Viscid. Well she thought it fit since she stuck to things. Her head tilted when he 'spoke' to her again. She nodded and worked her bottom lip with her teeth. Her hand reached up to the bench and she acted like she was stuck. That same hand patted her chest in hopes that he'd understand she was trying to tell him her name. Honestly, she had a hard time remembering her birth name anymore. She repeated the action and looked up at him, a pleading look in her eyes for him to understand.

When he arched a brow at the flower, she held it out again to him. Her mouth opened and the squeak came out once more. Reptilian eyes darted back and forth and she remembered seeing something on tv when she'd pass an electronics store. So, she stood up to her full height, of five feet, and bowed to him, still holding the flower. When he took the flower she flashed him a quick and shy smile and bowed again. At his words of the thank she clapped and then sat back down at his feet. She was already covered in mud so she didn't see a problem with it. Her tail was in her lap and she rubbed the area that had been caught in the bench. Every so often she'd rotate her left shoulder and wince a bit.

[starsmore]

Jono watched on blankly as she mimed out a set of actions, both eyebrows arching as his confusion over this girl continued to sky rocket. It was almost like she wanted him to play a game of... He mentally grimaced. Charades. He hated Charades. His parents, being upperclass and falling quite neatly into a variety of stereotypes you can associate with that predicament, often entertained for dinners and were considered champions at the game. Unfortunately Jonothon Starsmore was most assuredly not his aforementioned parents, not by any stretch of the imagination, and had outright refused to join in and achieve the same level of mastery. ‘An’ of course it’s bloody typical that it comes back to bite me in the arse,' he mentally groused in the privacy of his own head for once, ‘I must of been a soddin’ war criminal in a past life to get this amount of bad bloody karma.’

‘Stuck?’ He threw out an outward guess; quickly followed by several more in the off chance he was wrong with the first go. ‘Trapped? Sticky? Glued? Your gonna have to give me a bit more, luv, I ain’t exactly the greatest at this type of game all things considered.’[/b][/color]

The bow caught him off guard once more, although he was beginning to grow accustomed to the girls... oddities and highly eccentric ways. It was almost as if she didn’t know how to act per se, and that she was merely carrying out what she’d seen in the hopes that it passed in her current situation. As she sat down in the mud his eyes crinkled in a frown, the light beneath his mask dimming to a dull orange in correlation. Shifting along a bit he patted on the bench and nodded his head. ‘Prolly best not to sit in the cold mud, luv. Take it from me, I’ve woken up in my own fair share of ditches an’ parks to know that it’s generally not too good for you, ‘specially if you’ve taken a tumble.’[/i][/color]

[Viscid]

Cid grew frustrated with herself when she couldn't communicate what she was trying to say. At his words of not being good at this kind of thing, she tapped her chin in thought. When he said 'sticky' she bounced a bit, but more like letting him know he was close. Her eyes lit up and she bounced to her feet and held up one finger. Telling him to wait. Then she dashed off to the school. As she barreled through the door she ended up sliding butt first. The girl bounced up and rushed to library. She smacked into Jean. She asked her mentally for a book on different words and finally got that she wanted the thesaurus. After getting the book she dashed back outside.

As she rounded the area where Jono was she slid in the mud once more, holding the book up so it didn't get dirty. Then she handed it to him. The girl held her hands together and slowly pulled them apart, only to have them clap again. She did that a couple of times and pointed to the book. She knew the word would be in there, she wasn't a complete moron, regardless of what people thought.

At his comment about sitting in the mud and being in ditches she frowned. He was too nice to have to have gone through that. When he patted the seat next to him, she carefully climbed onto the bench, careful not to touch him since she was so dirty. He was right though, she was going to have to soak after this, since things were starting to stiffen up. Oh, and her bum ached something fierce.

[starsmore]

Jono had to watch on, still with a somewhat bemused expression gracing the visible part of his face, as the girl bounced off at a flat-out sprint. He really couldn’t get a handle on her beyond the basic observations he’d made thus far, the girl really was... Unique to say the least. She was like a pent up ball of energy and childlike innocence, totally different from what he’d expect a girl her age to act like, especially if she’d had a hard life like he suspected. He scrubbed a hand through his wet hair before flicking the excess water away, the skin around his eyes tightening in a faint grimace. While being wet didn’t affect him too much, he hated having wet, slick hair.

As she returned with the book, performing what could almost be a textbook baseball slide by accident, the British teen snorted and shook his head. He should have added excitable to the list. A curt nod was given as he accepted the book from her, and he broadcasted once more as he opened it and begun to flick through the pages. ‘Yeah, I get you. The word you want is in here.’[/i][/color]

Jono found the page just as she’d acquiesced to his invitation to join him on the bench, having taken her reaction to his first guess of sticky to mean that that was roughly what she was after and located the relevant entry in the book. ‘Knock yourself out, luv,’[/i][/color] he “said”, passing the book over to her and pointing to the right section. ‘That’s the part you wanted, yeah?’ [/i][/color]

[Viscid]

Cid chewed her bottom lip as she watched his reaction and scooted away from him some. She pulled the hood up over her head and further down her face. She wondered if she had made him mad and if so what she did wrong. When he handed her the book back she looked down at the pages and gave him a blank look. Her head dropped down in shame as she handed the book back and shook her head. Cid couldn't read and it bothered her that even with the book she couldn't communicate what she was trying to say.

A slight sniffle escaped her and she rubbed the back of her nose with a talon tipped hand. Her face was completely hidden by the hood, so the sniffles were the only thing to give away the possibility she was crying. It was out of frustration and the thought that she might have pissed him off.

[starsmore]

Jono’s brow furrowed as the girl drew back from him and hid her face from view. ‘Way to go, Jono, you’ve upset her.’[/i] He mentally chided himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. This was why he liked having time to himself; he always seemed to get into this kind of situation otherwise. His head tilted in confusion as she handed the book back, not fully understanding what she was doing for several seconds before he finally twigged. She couldn’t read.

He was still trying to process how someone of her age couldn’t read when she started to cry, instantly sending a sharp stab of guilt flashing through his mind. ‘And now you’ve made her cry. Good one. Love to see what you’ve got for a bloody encore.’ With a faint rub of his face, or what little remained, and a brief flicker of a sigh with his biokinetic flame, he flicked the book back open to the right page. He really wasn’t one for apologising, not that he was really one for this kind of situation period, so he was just gonna hope that this little gesture would do. ‘Sticky. Agglutinative. Clinging. Gluey. Glutinous. Ropy. Syrupy. Tacky. Tenacious. Viscid. Viscous....’[/i][/color]

[Viscid]

Cid chewed on her bottom lip and fidgeted with her tail as she waited to see if he would understand. She really wished she'd been able to actually talk to him. Her head snapped up when she realized he had been talking to her in her head. Maybe she could talk to him in his head to. She let out an excited squeak and pointed to him, then her ear, then her head. The girl was barely containing her excitement at the prospect of being able to actually communicate to him. Maybe he was like the lady in the kitchen that could hear her thoughts.

The back of her hand rubbed at her eyes as she sniffled a bit and let out a slow breath. When he started reading off the words, her head tilted and she listened carefully. Once he said viscid, she started bouncing up and down and nodding. The girl started to smack her chest as her head bobbed up and down to show him that he found her name.

[starsmore]

Jono absently scratched his chin, or roughly where his chin once was, as he continued to watch her squeak and bounce around excitedly. It didn’t take a genius to work out what she meant by pointing to him, her ear, then her head, which was probably just as well with his lack of experience with this type of game. She was asking if he could listen in to her thoughts like the other, truer telepaths around here could. He couldn’t, instead he was solely limited to being only able to broadcast as opposed to being able to receive. Perhaps later once he had much more control over his powers than he did now, or if they evolved further, it would be a different story altogether. ‘Nah, sorry, luv. My power’s more of a one way deal. You can hear me in there, but I can’t hear you.’ [/i][/color]

‘Viscid?’[/i] Jono asked with a faint quirk of an eyebrow. Judging from her reaction that was her name, or at least her codename. The British teen really doubted anyone would go ahead and call their child Viscid, but you could never be certain these days. ‘Nice to meet you, I’m called Jono or Chamber depending on what takes your fancy, not that it really matters I guess at this point.’ [/i]