Dinner for One. (OPEN)

Aoife walked into the dining room around dinner time, hearing the light chatter of the room within. Many of the students were away visiting, but the were enough left to make the room feel warm. And enough to make her head buzz with perceived energy. She calmly shut it down, as she had been methodically practicing for the past few months since her previous year of school had ended. She was slowly getting used to these abilities. She would master them like she did anything else. 

Walking over to the food table, she grabbed a plate and began loading with anything that looked 'safe'. She was starving. Satisfied with a few pieces of pizza and some breadsticks (it doesn't take much to fill you up when you're 112 pounds), she walked back to the nearest empty table. She placed her messenger bag, a "Bag of Holding" she bought from her favorite site, beside her chair and  sat down. Lifting a piece of pizza to her mouth, she began to eat. Her mind still brimming with curiosity about this new school.

Bran hurried into the lunch room. Most of the people seemed to have disappeared; probably back to friends throughout the world, or to family. She sighed a little, but it would have taken super-human sight to pick out the tiny movement in her chest.

She had been practicing her abilities in her own dorm room, using her full concentration to try to flick the light off while fighting against the mains. She had managed it before coming down, although she had only been able to keep it off for a couple of minutes, and the low voltage of the bulb meant this was actually a rather poor achievement. It was true that she rarely tried to use her abilities in opposition to her surroundings, which made her feel slightly better about her mediocre performance.

Unusually for Bran, she wasn't wearing any heavy apparel, having just come down from her room upstairs, although she had taken care to cover as much of her skin as she sensibly could.

Bran pulled a few reluctant strands of curly black hair back into her pony tail before she glanced back across the room. Really, she didn't spend much time worrying about social interactions, but it was still somewhat discouraging to see nobody that she could easily recognize here. Bran knew she would have to change that. She needed little persuasion to just hurry over to the lunch table.
 
The staff at the labs where she had spent most of her life had always encouraged healthy eating, something Bran had not failed to maintain. She carefully avoided much of what was on offer. Bran turned to what looked like some form of curry and a large helping of salad before she looked back at what was around her.

Noting a girl nearby who was sitting all on her own. Bran glanced around to see if there as anyone else approaching, before approaching the table where the girl was sitting confidently.

She hesitated for a second, hovering opposite the girl a few feet away, unsure as to whether her company would be appreciated. Bran cleared her throat, before speaking with her slight Welsh accent. ”Hello, is it okay if I sit here?”

The school food was beginning to make her sick. She wasn't used to the quality of food that was offered. She wasn't full, but she almost felt a little nauseous, and her stomach was starting to hurt. She pushed her plate back and looked up. Another girl had entered the room, along with a very slight buzz in her head, though she had her sense firmly in check. She hoped the girl didn't sit with her. She didn't know how to handle others like herself. She reached down into her Bag of Holding to pull out her cell phone and her mug, which may or may not be filled with something that wasn't a soft drink.

Aoife felt the buzzing in her head increase in response the the approach of the other girl. She looked up and took a brief moment to take her in. She was taller than Aoife by a couple of inches, but still built pretty small. She was dressed modestly, with her curly dark hair pulled into a ponytail. Her hands glowed slightly, and Aoife wondered if that was where the sense of energy came from. She opened her guard a bit and focused. Sure enough she could sense electricity running through her fellow student. Maybe this could be someone she could connect to. She set her things on the table and sat up.

"You certainly may", she said after the brief, slightly awkward pause. "I apologize" She continued in her Irish lilt, "I was a little distracted... Your hands aren't easy to miss" She suddenly realized how rude that might sound to someone who didn't know her. "Th-that was daft" She stammered, "sorry again..." She reached out her hand,not noticing that she had gathered a bit of a charge from the awkward statement, towards her new acquaintance. She only briefly what touching someone who might control electricity might do... "My name is Aoife".

Even though Bran had been at Foresta for almost a year, she was reminded daily of how much better the food tasted here than where she was created. That was really no achievement.

Bran noted the mug Aoife was holding; however, having very little experience of the world outside the academy, she didn't think anything much of it.
 
Bran nodded gratefully and sat down opposite the other girl. She probably would have sat down even if she had said no. ”Ta.” She picked up her cutlery. ”There’s really no need to apologize.” She casually picked up a forkful of curry as the other girl continued. Bran eyed up the girl,

Bran’s eyes shot over to one of her hands and back. ”I got used to that a long time ago. It’s really no issue.” Bran was actually quite confused by the girl’s repeated apologies. There was no crime in observation. ”I’d say you were daft if you didn't notice that my hands glow.”

Bran looked awkwardly at the other girl’s hand. She shook her head slightly. ”Sorry, I can’t shake your hand. My abilities can be unpredictable.” As if to prove her point, a spark crackled across her palm for a split second, which caused Bran to twitch; inside her glove the spark had been a lot stronger, although this was barely anything compared to what she had done before. Her brown eyes moved back upwards again. ”I’m Bran. Nice to meet you.”

Another mouthful. Bran considered the girl in front of her for a second. She was sure she didn't know Aoife, but she was also sure she hadn't spotted her around the grounds before. Bran didn't say it outright, but this most likely meant she was fairly new here- either that or Bran was even more of a loner than she thought. This was also reinforced by how far she had been sitting from most of the other students; something most people would avoid doing. Additionally the location made it seem as though Aoife wanted to be in and out as fast as she could, possibly to avoid others.

Bran realized she had been staring at the girl, lost in thought, and shook her head to stop herself. Her vision flickered back down to her hands again.”So what can you do?”

Aoife set her pizza down. There was a lot to get used to here. People were just casually asking about her ability like it wasn't strange or anything. Aoife raised her hand, as if she were holding and egg between her thumb and forefinger, then sent an arc of electricity between them. "Apparently, I can sense and control electricity. I haven't really explored it much... I thought it was kind of weird at first, but after being here..." She trailed off. After being here, she realized that she wasn't as wierd as she thought, and being weird wasn't a terrible thing. "After being here it isn't so bad". She finished, smiling. "What can you do, Bran?" She inquired "If You don't mind my asking, that is. I assume it's something to do with electricity... I could feel it as you walked up."

Honestly, the spark that Aoife demonstrated was feeble compared to what Bran could achieve when she was really concentrating, but if Aoife had just found her powers, it seemed plenty powerful enough to have any degree of control.

”Nothing’s weird, right?” Bran wanted to add that after the nightmare of her childhood this was an utterly normal place. However, she doubted that would be at all helpful to Aoife right now. For once she was coping with a normal conversation, and she was highly reluctant to blow it. Instead she popped a piece of greenery into her mouth, swallowing, and continued.

”Honestly, I was amazed with this place as soon as I saw it.” Again, Bran refrained from expressing the rest of her thoughts: that she was amazed at being somewhere she could be given so much freedom, without tests or –horror of horrors- spending hours at a time in a closed space, trapped.

”Why would I mind?” Bran smiled at Aoife’s last comment. She nodded. ”I’m electrokinetic, at least, that’s my main ability, but I can control light to a degree too. A very small degree, actually.” A few more sparks crackled across her hands, thankfully avoiding her skin this time. Bran paid it no attention; this being a normal occurrence for her.
 

Alouette proudly walks in the dining room with her head held up high, with her high and mighty aura around her, her hand tucking a stray blonde hair on her ear while the other hand is carrying some kind of a small and light baggage. Truthfully, she wanted to go to the library first, but she decided that it's best to fill her empty stomach first. Her knee-length silky dress fluttered as she went over the food table. Despite being a princess, she's well-aware of where she is. She's in a school, and in that school, she's a student. She's not the person everybody should obey at all costs here, she's just Alouette Sorell.

I wonder if this is the feeling commoners always have, she mused as she picked healthy foods she liked. My, my, what a weird feeling.

She turned around and looked for a table quickly. It's still hard to carry a baggage and a tray of food at the same time! Multi-tasking was never her forte, after all. Or heavy-lifting, she still was raised as a princess!

She just decided to sit on the table nearest to her, which is occupied by two girls who are younger than her by one or two years. I should make some friends here, she reminded herself. I need to familiarize myself in this school and those two are good enough for me...

She walked towards the table, which actually just took a few steps actually, and sat on a chair. She immediately dropped down the tray of vegetable salad and fruit juice. How could commoners eat such a simple meal? she wondered in frustration. The wavy-haired girl simply put the baggage beside her before turning to the two girls. She gave them the most charming smile she could muster.

"Why hello there, how do you do?" she greeted serenely.

Aoife twitched a little at the sparks. She could feel them. Her focus was still on Bran, she hadn't tightened it down yet. She let her focus slide and close up, just as someone else walked up to the table and set their tray down. The newcomer had a large smile and an air of importance. She almost reminded Aoife of her mom. Not quite as terrible though.

"I'm doing quite well", answered Aoife. "I was just introducing myself to Bran, I'm kind of new here."

Aoife took a brief good look at the girl as she spoke. She was rather pretty, and she carried herself well, as if she was high-born. She also had a slight European lilt to her voice. She would tower over Aoife, it was kind of intimidating.

"So what is your name? And what can you do?" Aoife inquired.

OOC - Sorry for the shortness, I really need to get better at dialogue. I can write it solo well enough, but I find it hard to tie it in with other people sometimes.

Alouette straightened her back and put a hand on her chest as she introduced herself. "My name is Alouette Sorell. It's a pleasure to meet you."


"And to answer your second question..." she trailed off mysteriously, then opened up the luggage she's carrying. Inside the luggage are...papers. A lot of. Blank. White. Empty. Papers.

Alouette waited for a moment to see what her reaction would be, then using both of her hands, she made a couple of papers get outside the luggage like it's been winded, even though there are no breeze around them. She concentrated for a while, and after a long ten seconds, she managed to make a miniature house. It's a two-story house, thought there's nothing but emptiness inside the walls.

She audibly sighed. Making those details are already complicated for me..she thought, sulking. But she pushed that thought away quickly, reminding herself that she's stronger than her siblings. She turned to Aoife with a light smile. "I can control paper." And ink. And summon objects by writing.


Alouette neglected to say that she can control not only books, but literature. That will be a story to tell some other time...

"What about you?" she asked curiously as she tried to smooth the papers and put them back to the baggage.

OOC- No prob! ^_^

Bran noted how Aoife reacted to the sparks. "It's okay, normally, I just try not to contact people's skin too much. Best not to give people shocks, right?"
Bran watched in near silence as the other two girls interacted, puzzled, scanning them both carefull and takign her next mouthful as an excuse not to talk for a short while. 
Judging by the other girls' accents she was surprised to see that they all appeared to be from the British Isles. Given how many pupils here seemed to be American, it was slim odds that even two Brits would find each other, let alone Brits from different regions of the country entirely.
Actually the second girl didn't just sound English. She sounded like those old recordings people had of wartime English accents. She felt like the girl had been raised by Churchill himself, but she kept this silent.
Bran was extremely puzzled by the bag of paper. Why would she need to show them paper to demonstrate her powers? The only way the paper made sense to her, given Alouette's accent, was that they were some kind of visa, but they appeared to be blank, and only when they started to move did Bran get past this impression. She was to some degree impressed upon what appeared to be accurate control, although she was intrigued as to why an entire bag was filled with paper if the girl only used a couple of sheets at a time.
Bran stared up at Alouette's eyes piercingly for a second before she casually said. "I doubt you'd carry an entire carrier that size full of paper if that's the full extent of your abilities."
She probably seemed like she was deliberately being hostile to the new girl, and in fairness, she was. She tried to soften herself a little, as she knew she should, but Bran knew that little look she had had when she'd seen Bran's chosen meal; it was the almost superior look of the scientists who had looked after her for most of her life. It was probably coincidental, or else just aimed at her meal, but it still unsettled Bran.
"I'm electro and photokinetic. But I suppose if one of us is going to show off..." Bran felt that she had already explained enough of her power, so she took one of her gloves off, and let the electricity in her hand crackle around. Consciously she forced the sparking to stop and instead upped the power on her glowing fist. She stopped before it could really become glaring, or for that matter, draw too many people's attention, and released the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding, letting electricity spark up her arm once more, starting in a violent outburst.
She quickly wrenched the glove back on, anxious to minimize the chances of shocking the other two, given their proximity.
Bran quickly turned her gaze to Aoife.

Alouette's smile didn't falter, though her eyes slightly narrowed at the girl who didn't talk much. But she tried to be patient with her, as making enemies at a place she doesn't know the ropes yet is a bad move. She thought about answering her question, and decided to reply truthfully:

"Well, I carry this much because even though I can use it for combat or meaningless deeds, it's still a paper," she explained elegantly. "Paper is a very light and fragile substance...it's so easy for the wind to carry it if it's strong enough, to turn to ashes from a single lick of fire, and become useless when drenched with water." Alouette slightly furrowed her eyebrows as she realizes how many disadvantages she has with this mostly-used ability of hers. "That's why carrying as many as possible is assuring me. Impractical, but effective, nonetheless."

When the girl displayed her power, her shoulders tensed when the electricity sparked. She put her hands behind to hide the forming fist of her hands in frustration. It will be pointless and bad to make her an enemy, she calculated in her mind. She gritted her teeth for a moment, forming her next move.

After a while, a smirk formed on her lips, as she gave Bran an impressed expression. "Goodness, what a powerful display!" she exclaimed, however, a thought came to her mind.

This girl will be a great ally. 

Aoife struggled to keep herself out of the supernatural pissing-match, but her need to be superior won her over. The air hummed, and the lights dimmed. "My power, so far, seems very similar to Bran's, in that I can exhibit some control over electricity" the lights dimmed again as Aoife stretched her senses, making sure to concentrate on the light fixture overhead. "Not sure if this is all I can do yet, but here goes" she raised her index fiNiger towards the light. The four bulbs in the chandelier brightened blindingly, then burst (ah shoot, I'm in trouble), a shock of lightening transferring to her finger with a sharp crack of thunder. As she put her arm, which had been supported by her elbow, not raised aloft, back down, the remnants of the power she drew crackled around her hand. She felt energized, she had never actually held on to any electricity before. "Well. That was unintentional. I don't quite know my own strength yet. " she stated sheepishly.

Bran noticed the narrow eyes. Maybe her basic feelings were reciprocated. Still, Bran tried to push these feelings aside. They wouldn't help her purpose of getting to know some more people.
”Is that a reflection of your power, then?” Bran meant this to come out humourously, but realized as soon as she had finished that it probably sounded far harsher than she had meant it to. She had meant to make friends, not drive people away. ”Must be pretty strong to carry it all.” She hoped that comment might smooth her last one out a little.

At least the girl had said something of about the same snarkiness, or that’s how Bran perceived it. Sparks flew up her spine, producing an audible crack as they succeeded in shocking her. It was annoying that she could control it perfectly if it had a purpose, but the little use she had had for her powers lately had stored it up and forced it to become less tame-able.

Bran was surprised as Aoife started to order the electricity to do her bidding.

Bran moved as though to try to control the sparks away from Aoife, shifting herself round, frowning, raising one hand high, but they hit her before she had finished focusing. Like as she might to claim her reactions were that good, sadly no one was as fast as electricity. Or no one Bran knew anyway.

Bran grinned, as though Aoife was acknowledging the power of electrokinetics generally.

”Understandably. Electrokinesis is difficult.” Bran failed to pick up the tone completely. ”If you’re just starting that is pretty impressive.” Bran had had her abilities for as long as she could remember, and she knew from experience that electricity could be tricky and unpredictable, even when being controlled.

Alouette tried to keep a calm composure in Aoife's demonstration. One power demonstration after another, she thought wistfully. But if she has the same power as her, then that means two more allies...

"This is getting more and more interesting, somehow," she muttered quietly to herself. Then, molding a worried expression on her face, she put a hand on Aoife's cheek. "Why, you should be careful, dear," Alouette tutted in a sisterly tone, sighing in relief with a smile. However, the smile slightly but visibly faltered as a memory suddenly came to her.

She remembered those times when she would treat her younger siblings this way. Every time they trip when they try (and fail) to walk, she always pick them up gently. Read them books, and sometimes, teach them a few of her tricks. But those are when she was twelve and the twins were still babies...now, she pretends like they don't exist. Sibling rivalry isn't really uncommon in a competition for the throne.

She quickly withdraw the hand from the younger girl's cheek and sat straight, acting like nothing happened.

Alouette was actually ready to give a subtle but poisonous remark after Bran's comment. Did she dare call me weak?! she thought angrily in disgust, though the smile in her face is still frozen in place. When Bran called her strong, she calmed down instantly, though a little pissed that she have been thought weak.

I'm not weak! I'm strong. Stronger than any of my stupid siblings! And someday...I'm gonna be stronger than those parents of mine.


She pushed those thoughts away immediately. She'll get that crown, no doubt, but she has to plan for now...

OOC; Thread Retired, almost a year old and no response. Message Seren or I to have it reopened.