Intertwined Genes (Griselda Banks + Akira.S)

[Griselda Banks]

((Yeah, they can't access their powers until they're a lot closer to each other, so they'll need to meet up face-to-face before they leave Genosha, I guess.

Okay, so the Inside People will leave first, then the Outside People? I think I can work the hint for the next arc in this post, we'll see.... I was thinking we might have a short lull when they go back to the school, you know, to let our characters kinda get used to "Wow, we actually love each other now!" But I was thinking the part where they investigate their connection would happen almost immediately after. This arc might also provide us with a real villain that they can defeat to make a satisfactory end. 'Cause you know...we couldn't really kill Magneto or something sweatdrop ))

Oliver heard the Professor's voice in his head, and glanced around to find Jill and Robert. They all began making their way towards the door, trying to make it look like they were just moving naturally about the room, fighting enemies they came across. When they were all getting close to the door, Oliver realized they would need a bigger distraction if they were going to slip past the clump of mutants blocking the way to the Cerebro.

Calling on his power with all his strength again, Oliver went so far as to reach up with both arms and pull downwards, as though he was trying to yank the ceiling down with his bare hands. And a few large chunks of concrete did fall on the startled mutants as more and more plants crashed down from the exposed earth overhead. He made sure to have the plants shoot down all over the room, so he wouldn't draw attention to the door they were now able to slip through, unnoticed.

And there it lay, in a room that looked like some kind of science lab. Maybe Magneto was trying to figure out how the Cerebro worked, so he could duplicate it or something. But they didn't have much time. Robert set to work - Oliver assumed it would take a little while to transport such a large object - while the other two stood out of sight, guarding either side of the door. Of course, they were supposed to be paying attention to the movements of the mutants outside, so they could stop anyone from raising the alarm before the Cerebro was safe again.

But when he saw Anna's face glowing on the wall behind Jill, Oliver forgot all about everything else. Computer screens lined the walls of this room, some displaying models similar to the ones they studied in science, showing the mutations from normal human genes that granted them their powers. Others were just lists of information, and one looked like rough plans for some kind of huge cannon. But there, close to the door, were a few screens displaying faces.

Anna's display was large enough that Oliver could read the words from where he stood. File 1205A. Anna Roads. Age: 18. Sex: Female. Blood Type: A+. Power: Air current manipulation.... Oliver frowned in confusion, then glanced at the next screen and blinked in surprise to see his own face staring down at him. File 1205B. Oliver Harding. Age- But then Oliver's eyes skipped down past all the personal information he already knew, because he had just noticed an item on both screens that said the same thing: Containment center: Copperstone 15. Observation: 600 days, results inconclusive.

But before Oliver could try to read more, he returned to the present as the Cerebro blinked out of sight.

((She is 18, right? sweatdrop And I just made up her blood type too, because I thought it fit....))  

[Akira.S]

((Yeah I think...hmmm how are they gonna meet up....before they leave Genosha, maybe Oliver decides to go outside to help or something and something happens with Anna or something happens to Oliver and he has to help her...something around those lines so they can access the others power. Yeah short fillers are always good to keep it like what’s the word...like...normal? in a sense? Yeah we’ll need a made up enemy one that dies...or whatever cause of course we can’t kill Magneto! He’s too important. And yeah Anna’s 18 smile and no worries on making up stuff it’s all good))

“Alright there it is, hurry up and teleport Cerebro back to the ship and then come back for us.” Jill instructed Robert while standing guard by one of the doors, cracking her knuckles and keeping her stun gun and all other little trinkets handy.

Robert, a shy junior, wandered over to the machine placed in the centre of the room and began running his hands all over it. He had to get the exact size, weight and feel of the object so he could properly teleport it without losing any pieces during the transfer, after all he didn’t want to be blamed if Cerebro broke. He then got up and stood a couple of feet away from Cerebro, put his hands out in front of him, palms open and concentrated on the piece of machinery in front of him. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out of his hands and lit up the machine, causing it to slowly fade in and fade out of the room. The more complicated the machine the harder the transport. People and animals were simple because they were living creatures, machines and objects he knew very little of and had to spend more time teleporting it. “Tell the Professor it’s on its way, he can signal some of the others to retreat.”

Jill nodded from where she was and took out her communicator and called the ship and spoke to the Professor. When she finished she turned and looked over to Oliver who seemed to be in another world or something, “Hello! Oliver this isn’t the time to be dawdling you better get out of here first and send some of the others back here so Robert can teleport us back to the ship.” Now with more of the earth inside the tunnels and halls it was easier for Oliver to get a firm grasp of the situation. Hopefully the others in the training chamber were still alright and hadn’t lost all their fighting spirit.

After Jill had called the Professor he communicated with them once again to instruct them to retreat and get in contact with someone who could fly or to where Robert was so he could teleport them. Of course it was two at a time so it would take a while to get all of them out. At the same time he instructed the others outside to create an even bigger distraction, something that needed severe attention. Storm got on increasing the lightning jolts and aiming it at the buildings; Zeek and his elemental coop team dug deep in the earth and came up with giant trees that coiled around the taller buildings, using them as towers to attack from above. From the ground Anna and some of the others just continued the fight, trying to throw them off the side of the island and what not. Once she gathered up her strength once again she flew to the skies and created a twister somewhere around the centre of the island having it suck in some of the opposing students, whirl them around and around to the top before throwing them into the water. This gave some of the other students who were fighting a chance to get into the building and retreat with the others.

Hopefully soon it’d be all over and they could go back home. The moon was already setting and everyone could catch a glimpse of the sun beyond the horizon. Everyone, including Magneto’s students were getting tired and even while controlling the twister, hovering in the sky Anna seemed like she could lose control any second and just fall right out. Her eyes began to open and close, her body beginning to sway back and forth as she felt the weight of exhaustion over her. The important thing right now though, was not to give up and to make sure the others, including Oliver were safely back on the ship before she could cut the power and leave. Sleep would come later...now she had to focus.

((I kinda thought that somehow...Oliver goes outside just as like Anna’s about to fall out of the sky from exhaustion and sleepiness and he somehow, however he accesses her powers....accesses her powers and catches her with like a cradle of warm air and like they’re together on the ground and like..ummm Tanya is hiding somewhere about to shoot some giant fireball at them and Anna somehow makes some large tree root come out of the ground to block the attack. That’s what I can think of if you have something better feel free to use it))  

[Griselda Banks]

((Yeah, it's good to have a balance. I once read a book about writing stories, and it said that good stories always have a tension and release - like something exciting happens, then there's some downtime, then it gets exciting again. That keeps the readers (which I suppose in this situation are us) interested but not overwhelmed.

And that actually sounds like a really good idea, so I think I'll go with it. Oh, and Merry Christmas! ^_^))

Oliver started as the Cerebro disappeared and Jill spoke to him, suddenly remembering where they were. What he'd seen was weird, but now was not the time to dwell on it. They had their lives on the line, which was much more important than some place called Copperstone.

After checking to make sure no one was looking directly in his direction, Oliver slipped back into the fray of the other room. He fought his way through the room, once more trying not to make it obvious, struggling to reach the other side. Finally he saw his chance, when everyone else was fighting and he'd just thrust a vine at the nearest mutant.

Slipping out into the hallway, Oliver focused at first on just getting out of sight of the battle and making sure no one was about to come at him from behind. But it seemed that most of Magneto's mutants were fighting in one of the two battles, and the hallways were deserted. So Oliver backtracked along the hallway they'd used to get here, finally slipping out the door onto the island. A storm was raging overhead - definitely Storm's work - and Oliver had to squint through the rain to see the battle on the other side of the island.

He ran towards the battle, knowing that everyone must have heard Xavier's voice telling them to retreat, but wanting to help people do so. And a cold knot of fear twisted in the pit of his stomach, his mind easily flitting to Anna after seeing her face on that screen. She had to be all right.

Oliver easily blended into the battle, just another mutant making various plants thrust up from the torn and confused earth at Magneto's forces. But even as he fought on the ground, he kept on taking swift glances all around at the mutants fighting overhead, searching for one familiar form. Then he saw a single form floating in the air, controlling a gigantic twister that was picking up mutants and tossing them into the sea that raged against the side of the island.

He dared not rush over to her, but he felt warmth shoot up his legs even as he hurriedly glanced away and continued fighting. She was here, she was all right. But as soon as he had immobilized the man he was fighting, pinning him to the ground with all manner of plants, he glanced up again and realized something he hadn't on first glance. Anna was swaying almost drunkenly in the air, looking as though she was exhausted and barely holding on, like she might lose control and fall out of the sky at any moment.

And then Oliver did start to run towards her.

Anna's twister faltered, then swirled away into nothing, and after a visible struggle she began to fall to earth. She seemed to be struggling to slow her descent, but her movements were lethargic and her fall was only slightly slowed down. Oliver put on a burst of speed, ignoring the enemies and allies he passed, keeping his eyes fixed on her falling body. As he came closer, his connection to the earth winked out and Anna began to plummet.

Why couldn't she use the air to save herself? Why couldn't she catch herself in a little hammock of air and let it drift to the ground? Even he could see the wind currents buffeting her as she fell. And suddenly, as his desperation increased and she nearly crashed to earth, the pressure in his mind as he strained for his power roared the other way, and he pushed the air currents upwards, cushioning Anna before she could land.

He didn't even stop to wonder how he had done it. He just rushed over as fast as he could and held her close, breathing deeply of relief and her smell, even if it was rather sweaty. She was safe, and that was all he cared about.

((I'll let you do Anna's save ^_^))  

[Akira.S]

((Merry Christmas, I was out in a snow storm today >3< 0 visibility while driving back it was so bad! LOL BTW if some of my words are missing an “o” its cause my o key is defective right now))

Anna wasn’t sure how it happened. One minute she was moving the twister on top of some of Magneto’s mutants, and the next her vision was starting to blur together and the ground seemed to be getting just that much closer. It must have been the fatigue and over use of her powers. Anna had never been sent on serious missions before so today’s was....especially difficult for her. Not only did she and the others have to defend the school but not even four hours later they were in the air flying to Genosha. It was a lot for the teenager to take. But it wasn’t just her who was tired. A lot of the other mutants were falling out of the sky or retreating somewhere where they could get picked up by another mutant who was leaving. The sun was already peaking the horizon and Xavier’s students were overstaying their welcome.

It all seemed like a blur, but one minute the twister the there, and the next it was gone. At the very last second Anna remembered opening her eyes and seeing the ground come closer and closer to her face. She must have been more tired than she thought. Gasping she tried to put her hand out and creative a wind cradle – something to catch her before she face planted into the ground. But no matter how hard she tried nothing worked. Was it because Oliver was nearby? Or did she have a limit to how much of her powers she could use in a day?

As she came closer and closer to the ground she turned and put her arms over her face to try and soften the landing. She knew it wasn’t going to do anything but what else could she do in this situation? She never thought it’d end like this...that she was going to die from falling from the sky. Closing her eyes and shutting them tightly she waited for the big crash, a million things rushing through her brain until everything stopped.

Anna thought the floor was closer than that, but she hadn’t face planted into the ground yet. Instead she felt a soft breeze hold her up. Did her wind catch her? That was impossible though she hadn’t called for it. Opening her eyes she noticed she was hovering a couple of feet from the ground. “What the...”

Turning her head she saw Oliver approach her, grabbed her from the floating cushion and held her close. She felt warm in his embrace, comfortable and safe at the same time, like she could just sleep like that just like back at the manor, but now wasn’t the time for sleep. Opening her white eyes again, she looked up at him and put a hand on his cheek, “I’m surprised you’re not covered in dirt...or bleeding to death.” She tried to make a joke though was really bad at it. She was still new to the whole friend...and niceness concept.

She still wasn’t sure if he had saved her...or if she’d done it unconsciously, but now was not the time to really think about it. Taking a deep breath in she got up and tried to wake herself up, “We can’t be near each other, I can’t fly you back to the jet you’ve got to find another way.” As appreciative as he was for saving her it’s not like she could fly him back, especially with their power block – wait a second...it couldn’t have been Anna who saved herself because she couldn’t access her powers...so was it Oliver who created that wind cushion to save her?

While the two were talking, Tanya was hiding inside a building, watching the two closely from the shadows with a couple other mutants, “we’ll see has the last laugh now...” she smirked while creating a fireball in her hand then wound up, throwing like a baseball toward the two.

As it left the building opening it only got bigger and bigger with each passing second. Tanya and the others were standing behind Oliver so there was no way he could see the attack. But Anna, who was standing in front of him could see just behind him. Widening her eyes she stepped in front of Oliver and held him back with her right arm, “Get back!”

Without even thinking about it she put her left arm out and tried to create a shield of some kind to block the attack, but nothing was working. She kept trying to create a different kind of shield or throw off the path of the giant fireball but nothing was happening. Why wouldn’t her powers work? Why was Oliver able to use her powers but she wasn’t able to use his...she couldn’t understand it. ‘Dammit why isn’t it working!’ she thought to herself. All she wanted to do was protect Oliver, to be useful to someone...so why couldn’t she save the person she wanted to protect. ‘Please do something!’ she tried summoning her powers one more time as the ball of fire was inches away from them.

All of a sudden there was a rumbling in the ground and suddenly a giant tree just burst out of the ground and took the attack in place of them. Its leaves began to fall around them from the impact and the smoke began to fill the air above. Looking up at the giant magnificent tree that was burning in front of them Anna wondered if she was the one who called on that tree...

“Zepher! We have to get back now!” Storm’s voice cut off Anna’s train of thinking as she called to her from up above. “Get back to the chamber so you can teleport, quickly.” She insisted pushing him off gently and then began climbing the gigantic tree in front of her to separate the two of them so she’d be able to fly. Once she was flying with Storm she was sure not to fall asleep, but now her mind was questioning how she was able to create that tree and how Oliver was able to create that wind cushion to catch her.  

[Griselda Banks]

((I actually didn't notice any missing 'o's, but I hope your keyboard works okay! There was one time I had trouble with the 'e' key DX That was a nightmare, since that's the most common letter in the English language.))

Oliver smiled shakily at Anna, his heart pounding. That had been too close. But he was too busy staring at her and trying to convince himself that she was actually safe and hadn't fallen to her death that he didn't even realize he was in danger until Anna pushed him aside. He whirled around, gaping as a thick tree burst up from the ground and protecting them from the fire, even though it began to burn itself.

What was going on? Had their powers somehow...switched? But then they had to leave, and Anna flew away when she climbed up high enough. Oliver experimentally gestured at the earth when she had gone, and sure enough, a somewhat half-hearted thorny bush burst up before a mutant rushing towards him. Everything was back to normal again, though he was now exhausted and weakening by the minute.

As quickly as he could, he hurried back down underground. This time, he had to fight his way through the tunnels; the battle seemed to have spread throughout Genosha. But finally he made it to the teleporter's side, and fended enemies off until Robert could take him. He felt an odd swooping sensation in his stomach, and before he knew it he was standing back in the jet, where the others were collapsing wearily.

Robert immediately disappeared again, returning to Genosha to get the last couple of stragglers, while Storm ducked through the door to the cockpit to confer with Xavier. And if Storm was here, that meant.... Oliver glanced quickly around, and saw Anna sitting wearily in the same seat she'd been sitting in when they arrived. He stumbled over and dropped into the seat next to her, feeling all the adrenaline finally slipping away from him. His whole body ached, and his head throbbed from straining so much with his power. The only thing he could dredge up the energy to do was reach out and clasp Anna's hand in his own, and then he dropped off to sleep.  

[Akira.S]

((Well if you do notice any missing letters ignore it. I just got back home cause I was in NJ and I sprayed my keyboard so hopefully it’s okay now))

Back inside the jet, Xavier and some of the older students who were technopaths were changing and checking the Cerebro, repairing it to its original state. Who knows what Magneto had done to it, or any sort of ‘improvements’ he’d made. For all they knew when Xavier put it on he’d be poisoned, mind controlled, or weakened.

Once all the students had returned and were accounted for, the jet blasted off into the horizon as the sun came up, the weather around Genosha had returned to its calm original state. Xavier and the other teachers knew they’d hear about this from Magneto – when he was done repairing school. Both institutes were badly damaged in the battles and had to be shut down while full repairs were being done. However the lot that had come out that evening needed a well deserved rest. School would have to be pushed and postponed, which sadly meant it had to cut into all their summers, but it was a sacrifice they had to make.

Just before Oliver had teleported back onto the ship, Storm and the others flew back in, practically collapsing at the door from exhaustion. They all struggled to their seats, getting water, and medical kits, some even falling asleep when they sat down. Anna was no exception. Once her feet touched the ground she stumbled over to her seat collapsing in the chair and hiding her face in her hands. She was perspiring, her hair sticking to her face, breathing heavily as her body begged her to sleep. But she couldn’t. Not until she knew Oliver was back safely.

Before he returned she took a quick moment to look at her hands. Staring at them she created a small wind sphere and played with it like a ball, bouncing it between the two and then closing her palm to destroy it. Her powers were in check...so how did she make that giant tree come out of the ground back on Genosha? This was getting really weird and it was definitely something she wanted to talk to Oliver and the Professor about when they had a chance...although that wouldn’t be for a while. While she was thinking she noticed Oliver walk on over and sit beside her, equally as exhausted and equally as sweaty.
When he sat down she turned to look at him wondering if he’d notice the change in their powers but before she had a chance to even mention anything Oliver had reached out and grasped her hand gently before falling asleep. At first Anna was a little embarrassed but she realized no one was really watching for they were just as tired. Looking around, making sure no one was really looking; Anna turned back, squeezed his hand gently, and leaned against his shoulder as she too closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The journey home was quiet...and pleasant. The school was just as quiet as the jet landed inside and other teachers came out to greet those that had returned. Anna didn’t remember how it happened but the next time she woke up she was in her bedroom wearing sweatpants and a tank top instead of her uniform. When she opened her eyes she felt groggy and weak. Sitting up slowly she felt a heavy head rush and the hunger of the world on her, “Argh...how long have I been asleep...?” she thought to herself turning to her window and opening it slightly. Outside was nice and sunny and the students and teachers were helping to rebuild the school ONCE AGAIN. The weather was nice considering it was mid-May and school would be over soon if school would resume.

Swinging her feet over the bed she got up slowly and felt another head rush, falling back down and sitting on the edge. “Maybe flying’s not such a good idea...” she muttered to herself and grabbed a bag of things and some clothes from her closet before slowly walking out of her room and toward the washroom. Even the inside of the school was being repaired; hopefully the baths were still alright.
When she got there, luckily they were pretty empty, and so Anna spent a long...long time in the hot steamy shower, mostly thinking about what had happened. She thought about her powers, about the block, about Oliver, about the sessions she’d been having with the Professor, and about how she made that tree come out of the ground. What was happening to her? Was this normal for a mutant? She thought she was weird before but now this was just getting ridiculous. Anna spent a long time getting ready for nothing. 90% of the school was out of commission and the students and teachers were helping rebuild it. Whoever wasn’t was either resting or lounging about the school. Anna decided to take the latter approach and lounge about the school a while...perhaps talk to Oliver and see if they could talk to the Professor.

She hadn’t really thought about the change in the two of them since they got back. She was still the same quiet strange girl the school knew. The thought of them being a couple or anything never really crossed her mind when she thought about him; all she could think about was the strange behaviour in their powers. Once she was out of the shower she changed into a jean skirt and casual flats, a white graphic tee, blue vest, and put on her necklace/choker that she had forever. After washing up she decided to go get some breakfast instead of going to see if Oliver was awake.

While she was eating strange things kept happening while she was minding her own business around the school, for example in the cafeteria when she was having breakfast she seemed to notice a lot more of the mutant couples hanging about being all...couple and cute like. Having a special someone was a strange concept to her as she never really cared about anyone in that way...she didn’t know how to act, didn’t know what to say, it was pretty awkward actually. Just after she finished she noticed Valon and Luke were sitting together and eating while discussing changes being made to the school. Casually, she decided to walk over and see if they’d heard anything from Oliver.

“Morning.” She said softly while standing over the two, “you haven’t seen Oliver today have you?” she still asked quietly, her eyes sort of looking away as a slight pink blush appeared on her cheeks when she asked. It was actually kind of cute, but she’d never admit it.

((I wanted to go longer with this post but I didn’t wanna take over lol. This is just an anything post XD))  

[Griselda Banks]

Luke looked up at Anna's approach, smiling invitingly and scooching his chair over closer to the window, giving her room to pull up a chair if she wanted. "No, haven't seen him yet. You guys must be tired after yesterday. But at least you got the Cerebro back, right?"

Then he glanced over Anna's shoulder, and his grin widened. "Speaking of which...."

----------

Oliver woke slowly, dozing off again a couple times before he found himself staring at the ceiling, thinking back over everything they'd done the day before. The warm feeling of triumph that accompanied the knowledge they had succeeded in their mission was laced with the confusion of remembering how he had caught Anna with wind. And that reminded him of what he had seen on the screens in Genosha, files about himself and Anna.

Anna. Slowly, a smile crossed his face and he briefly closed his eyes again. He liked her. He really did. Just thinking about her made him feel limp and warm all over, and unless he was mistaken, that smile on her face after he'd kissed her meant.... His eyes popped open again and he felt heat creeping up his neck, even though no one else was privy to his thoughts. That had been a pretty lame kiss, even for his first one, hadn't it? Maybe she had smiled because she thought he was stupid.

And...oh crap, even if she did actually like him, she'd probably expect him to kiss her again. Not that he didn't want to kiss her. The thought made his heart pound with fear, but also excitement. But what if he tried, and it ended up as stupid as the first one? It wasn't like he'd had much practice....

In the end, it was another fifteen minutes before Oliver forced himself to get up. He'd been far too exhausted to shower last night, so he went to the showers now instead, and dressed carefully afterward. Not that he had much to choose from; he eventually decided on a plain green T-shirt and his newest jeans. As he slowly made his way down the staircase, avoiding a couple of the Elementals who were fixing the banister, he wondered where Anna would be. It was quite late, and no classes seemed to be taking place with all the damage the school had sustained, so maybe she was in the piano room.

But when he hesitantly pushed open the door, the room was deserted. Nevertheless, Oliver wandered over to the piano and ran his finger over the smooth black cover. Whether she liked him or thought he was stupid, they were still linked. They had to figure out what had happened with their powers. Oliver glanced around the room and tried to manipulate the air, but nothing happened. He had no idea how he had done it before, nor how to make it happen again. Then he pushed open the window next to the piano and looked down at the little lilac bush he'd grown there back when he and Anna first became friends. He tried making another cluster grow, and of course they popped out easily. Anna was far enough away for that. Plucking the flowers thoughtfully, Oliver wondered why their powers had seemed to switch when they were close together. Was this a way out?

He set the flowers on top of the piano and hurried off to the cafeteria. As nervous and uncertain as he was to come face-to-face with her again, he knew they had to work down to the bottom of this whole affair. He soon spotted Anna, Luke, and Valon at a window table, and made his way over. There was something a little too knowing in the looks the boys were giving him, but as usual he had eyes only for Anna. He tried to stop the blush creeping up his cheeks, but failed abysmally.  

[Akira.S]

((Whenever you decide to put your plan in motion just start it and then we’ll talk about more details))

“Honestly I don’t even know if I’ve just been sleeping for a day or...a week...I’m still pretty drained.” Anna said quaintly while sitting across Luke. She hadn’t had breakfast yet, and since Oliver wasn’t here maybe he hadn’t eaten either. “Yeah we got it back but sorry we left without telling you, but we felt like we had to go...you know?”

“Ah don’t sweat it love! We’d be pretty’ useless ‘here anyway.” Valon was right but it still made Anna feel bad. All Valon could do was look at things and memorize it quickly, like photographic memory except better, and Luke’s powers would have been useless because Storm and the others had to block out the sun. Neither Anna nor Oliver really spoke about what happened on the jet, but it was pretty clear from the rumours some people were spreading.

After Valon and Luke attempted to make her feel better, she caught word of what Luke was saying and turned her head slightly so she could look over her shoulder. Oliver was standing right behind her with a bit of a dorky blush on his cheeks. It was cute but she didn’t really know how to respond or react to that, because inside she felt her stomach bubble and her heartbeat faster and faster. “You sleep well?” was all she could really come up with, looking at him with her transparent eyes and without much emotion on her face. She felt it was a bit of a dry thing to say but what else could she possibly have to say...was she just going to talk about what happened in public like this or something? “These two already ate without us...did you want to go grab something to eat?” something about Anna was different and the same.

She was still the polite young lady she was when she met him, but at the same time she’d become more relaxed, at least around those three. It was kind of nice to see her act a little more normal instead of reserved and composed all the time.

Getting up off her chair she walked toward the kitchen and grabbed a plate and tray before hitting the rows to see what there was to eat. She didn’t know what to say to Oliver; maybe they should have talked a little more about what happened...and what they were. But what if he didn’t like her that way? Nah! “Do you think we should talk...” she paused for a second, and looked away, “to the professor about what happened, I don’t think he knows. I mean I don’t even really understand it myself.” Unlike most girls Anna seemed too shy to really talk about her feelings not really sure what they were. All she knew was that she enjoyed Oliver’s company and whenever she was with him saw him, or near him it made her happy. Maybe that was what it was like to be liked and needed by someone.

While reaching for a pair of tongs to grab some sausages, their fingers touched for a second and both of them sort of pulled away. Anna trying to contain her blush despite the fact her cheeks were pink, “Sorry...” she muttered quietly trying to look up at him, but no matter how much she tried she just felt so shy.  

[Griselda Banks]

Oliver trailed after Anna to the buffet of breakfast choices, and because they were late, no one was nearby and they could talk in something approaching privacy. When Anna began to speak, Oliver half-expected her to bring up what had happened yesterday. The other thing that had happened yesterday. He was simultaneously disappointed and relieved when she only mentioned the switching of their powers, and tried to respond normally.

"Yeah, we probably should. I bet he could explain-" Then they both reached for the sausages at once, and his train of thought derailed as their knuckles slid past each other. He could feel his heart rate escalating, and he became increasingly aware of how close they were still standing, since there wasn't that much room to maneuver.

But he recovered himself by grasping the tongs and serving her half of the few remaining sausages. "Here," he said softly, before dishing up some for himself. They maintained their embarrassed silence as they filled their plates and returned to the table.

As they approached, Oliver distinctly noticed Luke kicking Valon and nodding pointedly towards the door. When Oliver and Anna drew near, Luke stood and stretched lazily, drawing attention to how tall and lanky he was. "Well, guess I'd better see about those light fixtures Frost told me about. Y'all take it easy, hear?" he added to the two newcomers. "You're practically heroes now. C'mon, Val."

Oliver sat down, wondering if he was just being paranoid or if Luke suspected what had happened between them. He sat facing Anna, but didn't have the courage to look up just yet, and focused instead on his scrambled eggs.  

[Akira.S]

Things were getting more and more awkward by the second and someone had to say something before it got too awkward. Anna didn’t want to change...she didn’t want to seem too different but she couldn’t help it when she was around Oliver. Was that normal for high school girls? For them to be so gaga when they liked a boy?

After their fingers brushed against each other Oliver was nice enough to serve her half of the remaining sausages. Anna felt like a total spaz and couldn’t say anything in return. She felt like slapping herself in the face if she could, but nothing inside her would give her the courage she needed to just come out and say something, or to really confront Oliver. She wasn’t herself, she wasn’t the same high strung polite free-spirited...and yet...conservative, composed shy girl that she used to be. It seemed Anna had many faces, and those faces were always changing; now she was afraid of not knowing who she was and that scared her. She couldn’t control her feelings or what she did in front of Oliver and it was just plain weird.

Once the two of them filled their plates and trays, they walked back over to the table Luke and Valon were sitting at. While standing beside Oliver she couldn’t help but feel some of the eyes in the cafeteria on them....like everyone was watching her or something. She’d never been the center of attention so this sort of thing was freaking her out a little bit.

When she turned back to the table, Luke had gotten up and explained how he had some work to do for Professor Frost and had to get going. He pulled Valon up with him before he said anything stupid or decided to make the situation for the two of them even more awkward. But Valon couldn’t help it; he was curious and wanted to be a part of the development. He struggled when Luke sort of hauled him up and dragged him towards a door. Before the two were out of sight he yelled something at the two of them, “Oliver! You bette’ not chicke’ out y’here!” and then he was pulled around a corner.

“Okay...” Anna eyed the two as they left before pulling her chair out and sitting down. She flipped her long black hair behind her shoulder before adjusting the window to let a breeze in. “You don’t mind do you?” she asked quaintly while resting her left wrist out the window. Even from where Oliver was sitting he could tell that nothing was going to happen. Usually when Anna sat by the window and stuck her hand out he could see the currents of wind circling her fingers and her hand like a bracelet, but now there was nothing. Sure the breeze coming in blew her hair back and forth but other than that there was no current around her fingers, but regardless she still tried.

Her gaze remained downward, the emptiness in her eyes focused on her food. Every so often she’d pull her left hand back in if she needed spread butter on her toast or cut up some sausages, but other than that the two didn’t, couldn’t speak a word to the other. It was the overall awkwardness that was getting to her and maybe even to both of them, she felt like not only the other students were watching her, but he was secretly trying to steal a glance at her too. Anna found that she wasn’t really hungry, that her mind was elsewhere...she wanted to eat to regain her strength but she couldn’t stand the tension around the two, but what else was there to say to him, what could she possibly say to make the situation better.

Anna sort of just sat there for minutes at a time looking like some sort of dead zombie. Occasionally she’d put something in her mouth or take a sip of her apple juice but she looked dead. She couldn’t sort out her feelings, couldn’t understand what was happening to her, to him, why it was happening in the first place and the biggest question she played with was why they kissed at all. Abruptly, she stood up and decided to excuse herself, picking up her half finished tray of food and carrying over to dispose of the rest, “I’m gonna go talk to the Professor...alone.” it was the first time in a while, despite their sessions, that Anna had gone to talk to the Professor alone about what she was feeling. She’d never bothered him so much in the past before but ever since Oliver showed up strange things had been happening. She confided in Professor Frost about it but she felt that Professor Xavier knew more about her than she’d come to understand.  

[Griselda Banks]

At first, Oliver was too timid to look up much, but after a while he glanced up at her hand dangling out the window. She had nice nails, he suddenly realized, then wondered why he would be thinking about such a thing. As he looked, though, he realized that he could see faint, transparent wisps floating past her hand, through the window. He could see the wisps floating in with the breeze and brushing past her hair.

Air currents.

He knew they'd have to bring it up sometime. They were pretty close right now - their knees were almost touching under the small table - and he knew without even trying that his connection to the earth was completely shut off. Yet he could see the air moving, and if he tried, he could probably control them.

But just as he was about to mention this fact to Anna, she got up and announced that she was going to see Xavier, alone. "Okay," he said, even as she walked away, but a hollow pit yawned in his stomach. Why was it so awkward between them now? Things had been somewhat strange when Anna had suggested they not hang out anymore, but they'd been growing closer again. And he had certainly expected things to be easier between them now that they'd actually kissed.

That probably meant she wasn't happy about what he'd done, didn't it? Oliver stared at his plate, all appetite forgotten. What energy he had seemed to seep right out of him, and he rested his chin on his hand. He was too downhearted to even notice how the air currents grew more and more transparent as Anna walked away, till they were invisible once more.

----------

Xavier looked up from his work and smiled when he saw Anna tentatively poking her head through the door. "Come in, come in," he invited, pushing his papers aside.

The previous day's events had worn them all out, even him. It took a lot of effort to keep his mind so open for so long. But at least they had retrieved the Cerebro. That was the important thing. He had made sure it was safe beneath the school again, and changed all the locks, before going to bed himself. He was glad to see that Anna looked relatively fit again, after the exhausting ordeal they'd been through. It was hard to put these young people in such danger, but with Magneto around they had little choice.

Pushing aside these thoughts for the time being, Xavier nodded Anna into the chair before his desk. "How can I help you? Are you rested up after yesterday?"  

[Akira.S]

“You-are-pathetic with a capital P you know that.” Jill was walking by with a cup of coffee in another one of those all white, skin sticking suits. A lot of students swore she was Emma Frost’s daughter, what with the way they acted, the way they dressed, and the way they looked. “You’ve got no chance with her Hardy so I don’t know why you try...she’s weird, she doesn’t even act human half the time, she’s always staring into space and she doesn’t talk about her past or anything. She’s so isolated that it’s impossible for anyone – even you to talk to her about anything other than school. Face it; you’ve got a better chance being normal and popular with the Elementals than you do with her.” Jill then sat down and took Anna’s seat across from Oliver and crossed a leg over the other while sipping her coffee.

She was right. There was a lot about Anna Oliver didn’t know but there was also a lot about Oliver Anna didn’t know either. Maybe they just never really sat down and talked about it other than the first few days they spent together, but what was a few days really. It was true they didn’t really talk about anything outside school and their powers, and maybe the occasional time Anna would play something on the piano for him, or at least try to teach him a simple song. Other than that she was distance, sweet, isolated, yet kind to those who took the time to know her. Anna was a very complicated person without really meaning to be, probably because she wasn’t used to receiving any sort of human compassion before.

“If you’re going to go out with her why not just be a man and say something, because Anna’s never going to open up to you.” Jill sort of smirked to herself while sipping her coffee and looking out the window. She was an evil cunning sly fox who knew how to read people, and Oliver was no exception. Even if she did see them kiss on the jet it didn’t mean anything...not until they actually did something about it.

~~~

Once Anna was standing in front of the professor’s door she gently knocked on it with her knuckles and peeked her head in. He seemed a little busy, and she didn’t want to be a bother. Thinking this was a bad idea Anna turned away and wanted to leave but the Professor caught her and invited her in. Pushing the door open slightly she walked into his office shyly while keeping her head down and her eyes turned away.

He asked her how he was and if she was well-rested. Of course being the Professor he didn’t really need to ask to know but it was polite enough of him anyway. Anna sat a little timidly in the chair before exhaling and looking up to him to respond. “Professor, I’m a little lost and confused and no one is giving me a straight answer. Maybe the others are right...maybe I am weird and I can’t feel emotions as well as the others. I know Oliver is important to me...a-as a friend but when I’m with him everything inside me just tenses up and I hardly know what to do with myself. It’s disconcerting that I can’t really control myself anymore...or control my powers when I’m with him.” Now that she was a good distance away from Oliver she began playing with the air currents in the room and lifting objects on the Professor’s desk; twirling them around like puppets on a string. “Just, tell me what I’m supposed to do. I’m just as long as I was when I was a kid running away from home.” She buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were just all over the place and she wasn’t even sure what she was talking about made any sense to him.

Point being, Anna was lost confused about her feelings, her emotions, how to express them, and how she felt for someone she barely knew.  

[Griselda Banks]

Jill's words smarted horribly. In the end, what did he know about Anna? He knew she was pretty, quiet, pleasant, strong with her power and good at the piano...but none of that was terribly important. Sure, he liked all those things about her, but he didn't know much about her dreams for the future, or her memories of the past. Why had they never talked about that before?

But the more Jill said, the angrier Oliver felt. What right did she have to judge Anna like that when, as she had admitted herself, she knew nothing about her? There were probably reasons for everything she did.

"...because Anna's never going to open up to you."

That pushed him over the edge. "Shut up!" Oliver snapped, trying to keep his voice down so the few people left in the cafeteria wouldn't hear. He got to his feet and glared at the pretty, but vicious, girl before him. "Don't you dare say those things about her ever again." Turning on his heel, he stomped away, leaving Jill to her self-satisfied smirks and her coffee.

----------

As Xavier quietly listened to Anna's tale of woe, a crease of concern slowly formed between his eyebrows. Even though he was a man, he was old enough and experienced enough to have some knowledge of the turmoil of a young girl's heart. Over the years, many girls had come to him seeking advice or just someone to talk to; he supposed it had something to do with his age and apparent wisdom, though he had long ago decided that most of that 'wisdom' came primarily from seeing so much of other people's minds, rather than any natural brilliance.

Now he wondered what to say. He wanted to be sensitive, nor did he want to embarrass Anna unduly. Most importantly, however, he knew that Anna and Oliver needed to work this out themselves, whatever the result was. So after a few moments of silence, he wheeled himself around his desk and positioned himself next to Anna. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, he said softly, "I may not have all the answers, Anna, but I do know one thing: You can feel emotions just as deeply as those girls who wear their hearts on their sleeve. This wouldn't hurt as much if you didn't, don't you think?"

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "It's natural to feel confused and even a little frightened when you're in such a position. Oliver is your friend, and yet...he changes you when you're together. Am I right?" He smiled gently at her, knowing his words could be interpreted two ways and intending that to be so. "Well, I have a challenge for you, Anna: Talk to him about this. Or write him a note, if you'd rather. I daresay you'll both find it awkward and embarrassing...but at least you'll know where you both stand, right? It's much better to have everything out in the open than to always be wondering what the other one thinks of you."

Xavier let his hand drop, sitting back comfortably in his wheelchair and thinking of the boy who had encased himself in thorny vines when Anna had suggested they break off their friendship. "And if it's any comfort, I have a shrewd guess that Oliver is just as confused as you are."  

[Akira.S]

(Damn spelling mistakes I just noticed in my post!)

Taking all that in took a lot of time to process and Anna was at a loss of words, or thoughts. She didn’t know what to say in any conversation or letter but at least she was reassured that Oliver might be feeling the same feelings for her. Besides, anything the Professor had to say had to be good advice. “You’re right, as usual sir. I’ll talk to him when I figure out what it is I want to say.” She tried to give a sort of half smile before standing up and excusing herself quietly from his office.

While leaving she passed by Emma Frost who was going off to the Professors office to talk about the security changes around Cerebro. She and Anna exchanged friendly greetings before Emma Frost asked her about whether or not she was excited to be graduating later in the spring. After all that had been happening it really didn’t seem like a big deal, it’s not like Anna would be leaving the school, where would she go? She had no family to take her in? The institute was her home; she was just going to start building something of a life for herself there. Anyway, after their conversation Anna headed back to her room to do homework...or something but was more preoccupied on writing Oliver a sort of letter by hand (who did that anymore). When she was gone, Emma Frost continued to the Professor’s office and quietly shut the door behind her.

“Something strange is going on...but I don’t think I want to know.” She smirked at the Professor before sitting down in the chair across from him to talk. She didn’t want to pry in other students lives but sometimes she couldn’t help but take an interest in some more than others.

For the next little while Anna kept to herself and in her room, either studying or writing whatever it was she could think about, that she’d like to say to Oliver. A lot of times the paper would come up blank, or she’d ramble, or she wouldn’t even know what to write about. “Writing a metaphysics or battle tactics paper would be easier.” She said to herself while putting her hair behind her ears and tapping the pen on the table in front of her. Of course everything was all technology and laptops but this was something she felt needed a firm hand on (literally). She’d work in between doing projects, papers, and meals, trying to avoid any awkward silence between herself and Oliver. She even avoided Luke and Valon for a while.

The only time she had been seen out of her room was when she was in the drawing room downstairs practicing the piano. It was one of the only things that really relaxed her nowadays and gave her comfort in doing without being disturbed. {.x.} When she was playing she really felt like her again and things were back to the way they were; except they weren’t. Now she enjoyed playing with an audience, or at least with Oliver around to watch. She was so used to him being there and yet not used to it. She had to get this feeling off her chest without losing him as a friend, but she found herself a little too cowardly to say or do anything. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t people; maybe it was because she was afraid of people in their entirety.

When realizing this she sort of stopped in the middle of her song and held one note while sort of staring into space – even though you couldn’t really tell she was staring at anything at any given time. Her blank eyes looking at nothing, her hands so perfectly frozen in position, it was almost sort of creepy.

((It’s mostly a filler post because I wasn’t sure if you wanted to do something....like now or when they go on their mission cause again it was supposed to be a surprise so I can’t really do too much you know?))  

[Griselda Banks]

((If I'm reading your post right, a few days have passed, right? If that's not what you intended, pretend I said "hours" instead xd ))

Over the past few days, Oliver had tried not to think too much about the weight of dread that seemed permanently settled in his stomach. But it was all he could think about, and he knew his studies were suffering from his lack of concentration. But he couldn't get the thought of Anna, himself and Anna, those files from that place called Copperstone, out of his head. Did those files hold the answer to their mysterious connection? Was that why they couldn't use their powers around each other, and yet now seemed able to use each other's powers instead?

And most of all, he wondered what Anna was really thinking about him. She had smiled at him after he'd kissed her. He knew she had. Or was he just remembering wrong, replacing what had really happened with what he wished had happened? She seemed to be avoiding him now; the few times they passed in the hall, she barely even looked at him. Even Valon and Luke had noticed; Valon complained that he should talk to his "girlfriend" so that she'd stop giving them all the cold shoulder.

As embarrassing as it was to hear and rebuff such comments, Oliver wished he could say that Anna was his girlfriend. It would make things so much simpler, just to know that they were more than just friends. Surely they were, now? Or had she considered him nothing but a friend all this time, and now she was uncomfortable after what he had done?

But finally, Oliver decided that enough was enough. Classes were over for the day, so he closed his textbooks and set off on a search through the whole school, looking for her. In the end, he realized that he should have known where she would be. He tentatively pushed open the door to the piano room, listening to her play. He realized that he was once again in the same position he had been the day they met. How could he have known then what she would come to mean to him?

Anna's song petered off, and she sat there, staring at nothing, not playing, and he realized now was the time. "Anna," Oliver said, before he could think better of it. And once he had started, there could be no running away, so he stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. As usual, no one else was in the room. So he made himself walk across the room that had never seemed so large before, silently telling himself to be strong even though his knees felt weak. "Um...Anna," he continued when he approached the piano. "I...I just need to know." He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry and his voice lowering to a murmur. "Do you like me?"