2013.09.16 - Flowers In Wake of a Wind

It's still early in the day, the sun is high in the sky and the mansion is very active, people walking about everywhere. In these moments, ironically, one of the places people go the least to is the cafeteria, and this is where Sofia Mantega is, a half-eaten apple in one hand and head limp over an open chemistry book. The venezuelan girl is sleeping, drooling over the pages, her hair disleveled, notebooks around her full of annotations. Someone has been completely overwhelmed by school.

It's not a school day, and that means the cafeteria is not likely to be crowded. Studying is certainly not an option, not for Doug Ramsey. No, he was just plundering the cafeteria for a few junk food (soda, chips) for an upcoming online session challenging Kitty.

Catching wind of a vulnerable student in the cafeteria, Doug frowns. One of the new students, a mutant, if he remembered the dossiers right - a candidate for the program.

He almost hates disturbing her, but one had to check on the student.

"Pardon me...?" he says, gently, and then with a slightly louder tone as he repeats until she wakes up. No sense touching her until there was no other option.

It might be subtle to most, but Doug is a teacher to mutants, so it might not pass by him so easily, but as soon as the beauty opens her eyes there's a brief gust of wind that closes notebooks and rearrages a few table towels. Looking around still a bit drowsy-looking the venezuelan blinks a few times, frowning as she wipes her lips from her own saliva. Yuck!

"O-oh! Oh my God, sorry.", she says fast when Sofia finally sees Doug there, clearing her throat and trying to wipe her drool from the book with a napkin. Blushing furiously the girl tries to stand, a bit clumsy as she escapes those cafeteria benches "Sorry, Mr. Ramsey...", she begins, her accent barely visible, but nervousness making it flare that much more.

It certainly wasn't people passing by that caused -that- gust of wind. Which, by process of elimination and her apparen accent, meant that the girl had to be Sofia Mantega, if he remembered the dossiers correctly. Which meant...

<< It's not a problem, >> replies Doug in Spanish, offering a comforting smile, as he quickly puts the napkin he'd been about to offer behind his back, the better to avoid adding to the young student's embarassment. Not that he was that much older, being only 21. But at least she knew his name, he knew hers, so all was good. << You don't have to be studying right now, school only started. I understand about making a good impression in a new place, but it wouldn't be good to wear yourself out before things even got started. May I? >> Doug motions to the seat next to Sofia, body language shifting in a way as to ask if he can sit down.

Sofia seems startled at first, when Doug beings saying things so well in spanish, and despite not even realizing, it's obvious the girl likes it, her lips curving into a very sincere smile as she relaxes and lets the boy sit besides her.

<< I know... It's just that in Venezuela we didn't have this quality of education... I have to catch up... I have a lot to catch up to... >>, Sofia sighs a bit nervous, looking down at the book. She is a prideful girl, and from her looks it's difficult to expect she has ever been the end of many jokes. Maybe she is having a hard time dealing with the fact her grades are the worst in the school. << It was the same when my father brought me here to the United States, but I've managed. I will catch up. I know... >>, she says once again, that smile returning before it's full and bright << What about you, teacher? Excited about another semester of pranks and brats complaining about your tests? >>

<< There's tutors we can arrange if you need that assistance, >> Doug replies, as he takes a look towards Sofia's homework. Hand reaches out, pausing as Doug glances at Sofia with an eyebrow in an unspoken question: may he look?

As he waits, Doug smiles softly. << I'm not terribly worried - I spend more time working on the tech, teaching computer classes. >> And field instructor, but that was something to be worked on.

Sofia nods coyly as Doug asks the silent question, her behavior extremely docile for someone so few years appart from Doug, and looking nothing like a little girl her respect for the man's skills might make her seem. She awaits expectantly as the man looks at her homework, wetting her lips subtly and blinking, nervous, both hands clasped together between her legs.

Sofia's homework is somewhat messy, and it might show a lot about her personality. If she is wrong more than two times in a row the ammount of pen ink she spends scribbling over it in shame and rage is uncanny, her notebook nothing like other girl's: cute and feminine. Sofia is very hard on herself, and her lack of patience, and issues with calming down show: if she doesn't get it right in two or three attempts, she can barely write the numbers and letters down without ripping the paper a bit.

Taking a look through Sofia's homework, Doug considers the way it's written - the way she corrects information, scribbles hard over errors, and the intensity before the young mutant looks up. << You don't like making mistakes very much, do you? >> the blond mutant asks in a bemused tone, the smile on his face conveyed more as a way of sharing a joke than to mock.

Tilting his head to examine the information, the blond mutant taps the paper briefly. << Maybe we should start with closing this book, and taking a break for a while - if you can't focus, then you're not going to answer things with a clear mind. Or with a brain that just woke up from a nap. >>

Sofia smiles at Doug's joke, a more sincere smile than she usually does. It is hard to perceive for anyone, but the omnilinguist can safely assume this girl's reaction to most things is smiling, be it to buy her sometime to absorb an insult or, in some cases, shield her embarassment because of terrible homework, this student just seems to be like this. Good thing all her smiles are pretty.

<< Sure, sure! I... I would love a break... >>, the girl admits, looking down, taking her cellphone, a very, very old Nokia, and checking it out for a second, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. She was expecting something that is not there, maybe a phone call or a text message. Still, she smiles, and asks << What do we do here, for fun, mm? Feel like going to the pool!? >>

It's later than usual for lunch, but that's an advantage, far as Laurie is concerned. It means she can avoid the crowd, grab a meal, and pretend that she's not sitting alone - there's just nobody to sit with. As she enters the cafeteria, though, it becomes obvious that there IS somebody to sit with: her roommate, and also probably her best friend. But there is an obstacle to this: her roommate is sitting with a young man. And while Laurie knows Doug's face, she hasn't had any real contact with him. And thus she is in a quandary -- to sit with Sofia and clam up and try to hide in the oversized sweater she's wearing, or to sit alone and hide from the others by taking an inconspicuously placed seat. Decisions, decisions.

She delays this decision by getting in line to grab food. Not that there's much of a line. But she dithers over the choices to delay her decision as long as possible. Corn or peas? Beef or vegetarian? Apple pie or chocolate cake? Why does the world expect her to choose?!

<< It's all right. Were you expecting a call? >> Doug replies, smiling as he looks back up towards the new face that had just entered. A very shy person, from the way she moves and reacts, which has Doug frowning somewhat as he notices the hesistant way she moves. << Is that girl someone you know? >> he inquires, absentmindedly skipping over the question of what there is to do for fun for the moment.

<< U-Uh? Oh. No, no. >>, and Sofia smiles, lying. She was expecting it, even if she thinks it's silly to, for whatever reason. Looking up at Laurie, however, the venezuelan smiles sincerely, and waves at the blonde girl, having no qualms with screaming a bit to get her attention "Laurie! Laurie Collins! Hey! Come sit with us!", she says without inhibitions. To Doug it will become obvious, through her body language and sighing, that she finds Laurie adorable, even if she worries a lot about the girl.

<< She is such a nice person... and so pretty... she shouldn't be hiding in the corners with those sweaters! >>, Sofia admits to Doug. She feels responsible for the girl, again, for reasons unknown. She worries about the blonde.

Ah, she's been spotted! She can hardly resist Sofia's summons even if she'd rather hide out from the guy she doesn't know. People she doesn't know are terrifying. It's a simple fact. But she takes her pie and makes her way over to Sofia's table, sitting down next to her far more vivacious roommate. She smiles at the other girl, nods hesitantly at Doug, and then fills her mouth with food so she can't be expected to talk.

Oh -riiiight-. With Sofia's explanation, Doug nods, finally putting a face to a name. He hadn't seen too much of Laurie, considering how much effort she put into fading in the background. But here she was. Practically a school urban myth, where people wasn't sure she -existed-. The wallflower, as it were.

Smiling, adjusting his body language so that it was at least indicative that he knew she was there, and was just waiting for Laurie to -say- something, Doug goes back to nodding at Sofia. Switching to English to make sure Laurie could follow the conversation, Doug comments, "Anyway, you answer your question earlier, there's plenty of activities... the Institute provides all sort of equipment, for indoor games or outdoors. It's a nice day, you -could- swim if you want to." Give Sofia the chance to pull Laurie in, since, if he's not mistakened by the way they behaved, the two knew each other quite well.

Sofia unbashedly raises both arms, as if to yawn, but rests one of them around Laurie's neck, bringing the blonde closer, to kiss her on the temple. "Your hair is smelling great, Laurie!", she says, complimenting the girl in what the teacher might realize is a carefully placed comment. Turning to their teacher the venezuelan leans back a bit, so he can see Laurie without Sofia acting like a meat shield.

"Mr. Ramsey, this is Laurie Collins, my roommate, and one of the most intelligent girls in this school!", she says, before taking her own fork and taking a slice of Laurie's pie. Sofia is not hungry, Doug will know, but she is trying to break Laurie's sense of boundaries, like she -has- to participate in the world around her, even if she doesn't want to.

Laurie doesn't expect Sofia to shield her so much as she expects to hide behind Sofia. The girl's sweater, plain white today, engulfs her enough that one might think she were a snowman rather than a girl -- the product of one of Iceman's jokes. "hello, Mr. Ramsey," she mumbles into her plate, still blushing at Sofia's compliment. "mom gave me this vanilla conditioner," she adds to her roommate. "you can try some if you want." This, quiet as it is, amounts to a major speech for her.

"Ms. Collins," Doug smiles warmly. The body language of Sofia -is- rather deliberate, trying to be inclusive, and while Doug wasn't sure of the wisdom of trying to push Laurie into things she wasn't comfortable with, it -was- something that probably should be occasionally used in order to encourage her to interact. "That's a nice sweater you are wearing, too. It's a little bit warm for the weather, though, isn't it? Can you breathe in it?" There's a brief glance over to Sofia, and an arched eyebrow, as Doug nods, smiling back at Laurie. "I've heard stories about your grades. They're excellent. Have you been helping Sofia with her homework as well?"

Small talk, but baby steps, he supposes.

"Laurie is a life saver!", Sofia comments, something in the way she says it giving the impression that she has to swallow down something to say this, something about this statement hard for the venezuelan to take. "I wish I could convince her to ditch these sweaters, though!", she says, smiling at the blonde before wind comes and starts swirling around Laurie, refreshingly cool for someone with a sweater. "But if she wants to keep them, I can make sure she doesn't cook inside of them!"

The blonde girl flushes -- she's far too much at the center of attention right now for her taste. "I'm fine, really," she mumbles, eyes fixed anywhere but on other people. Oh look. Pie. She stabs the apple pie with her fork and starts moving chunks of apple around on the plate. "I promise, Sofia, if we're not out in public I won't wear the sweater." That she defines 'not in public' as 'miles from civilization' is neither here nor there. "Sofia is very smart, too," she adds, trying to push attention off and onto her friend. "I help her if she asks, but she's pretty capable of doing it on her own."

As Laurie seems extremely uncomfortable with the attention, Doug nods briefly, shifting his attention over towards Sofia, although he doesn't really adjust his body language towards Sofia as one would expect. More of a sit there and let Laurie get used to the situation. "Well, maybe we can arrange for her to wear them into the pool?" he says, not entirely unseriously. "Although we'd probably need Undine to keep her afloat."

Sofia arches her brow at Laurie, with a smirk, and waggles her finger negatively at the blonde "If Laurie can lend me some of her shampoo, hair conditioners and brushes, I might have to lend her one of my bikinis to the pool. Unless she's up for a shopping trip so we can buy something more to ther liking!". Sofia is all raw power, no finesse, and she really gives her friend no quarrel. She is a firm believer that no girl wants to hide behind sweaters all day long, and Laurie was blessed with a figure that allows her not to!

Laurie stares at Sofia with horror coming into her eyes, fork stilling on her plate. "I don't think a bikini would suit me very well," she says in a rush of panic. "I have a perfectly acceptable one-piece in our room." No, it doesn't look like something out of the 1920s. Really. "But... not a bikini."

Sofia Mantega laughs. See? No sweaters on the pool!

"That's fine, then, Laurie," Doug smiles. "Why don't you two go have fun while summer's still out?" He had a funny feeling about just how well Laurie might handle all the attention at the pool, but on the other hand, that she -owned- a swimsuit was a positive sign of some sort. What it was, he didn't know. He might have to watch just to be sure nothing would happen...

With a gust of wind rising from their feet and balooning Laurie's sweater, Sofia flies off instead of just standing up calmly, ther notebooks and notes flying about just as readily, making the venezuelan's smile sour instantly. "Puta mierda!", she lets out in her native tongue, dropping down to the floor and readily chasing her stuff. While she is at it, however, the girl keeps her good humor. "W-Well! What are you waiting for, Laurie! You heard the teacher! Folias malditas!"

Laurie looks cornered. "Oh. Uh." She looks from Sofia to Doug and back, trying to keep the despair out of her eyes, but finally nods and rises from her seat to carry the tray over to where it will be scraped clean. "I'll... I'll meet you guys at the pool," she says, and then retreats quickly, heading in the direction of the room she shares with Sofia.

There was an arched eyebrow as Doug registers the curse, before nodding, tilting his head at Sofia, and then Laurie. "Oh, enjoy yourself. I don't think you need teachers watching you all the time." Plus, he had things to do. Like chase chips and then proceed to thrash the heck out of Kitty's smuggler...

"Hey, wait for me, I gotta change too!", Sofia says excited, holding her notebooks closely to her chest and lifting up as the winds carry her closer to Laurie. Once she is close, however, the winds lift Laurie aswell, as the venezuelan takes her friend for a ride on the corridors, her voice loud as they leave the cafeteria. Sofia takes extra care not to run into anything now, since she has her friend to worry about, but a bit of adrenaline never hurt anyone. Right? Sofia believes there's a thrillseeker inside Laurie she can expose anytime now. Just give it time.

"LAURIE AND SOFIA, COMING THROUGH!", she says, laughing out loud, excited, as they leave to change.