Curiosity Drawn [open]

The pressures of school were already starting to be too much. Elisabeth felt as though she hadn't had any time to make friends or talk to her dorm mates. Not that she would have been able to, anyway. Her parents called every other day, asking how it was going, and making sure she was staying on top of her homework. The only freedom she felt she had was to choose when to go to bed and what she could have for meals, although a small voice in the back her head always told her she was eating too much.

The weekend finally came. In an anxiety-induced rush, she had finished her homework on Saturday and found herself at a loss for what to do with her time. The nearby town, Rosebury, caught her attention. Many of the students around her in class had discussed visiting for the game lounge, the bakery, the cafe, and many others. It drew her curiosity and so, on Sunday morning, she dressed herself in a light jacket and made her way from the school into the town.

All the shops were fascinating. Elisa walked into every door she passed, eager to view everything. There were many varieties of food, clothing, faces, and activities, it was almost overwhelming. She paused for lunch at the restaurant and eventually found her way to the edge of the town. A hill loomed over everything. Breathing heavily, she made it to the top and sat down, surveying the buildings and school from a high place, feeling on top of the world. The sun was just past its highest point and starting its descent.

Chris had been sitting against the tree standing on Diane's Hill, reading one of his favorite books, when he saw a girl breathing heavily and sitting a close distance away. He closed his book and tucked it into the inside pocket of his winter jacket. Even if it was nearly 40 degrees Fahrenheit, Chris was freezing due to his gift. "Hello." he said to the girl.

Kirin had passed through a small town on her way to the school. She hadn't really been paying attention to anything when she passed through and it was the weekend now. She wouldn't be starting classes till Monday, but she figured she would be busy with homework and studying. Kirin was better prepared for the cold weather this time. She wore a long black coat that was heavily accented with reds, matching her usual attire. She walked around the town and found a couple people standing next to a tree. She approached them, "Hello!" she called, waving a hand.

The peaceful moment had gone. Elisa looked up from where she sat to see three people approaching. They all seemed fairly friendly, and she wanted to appear hospitable, but it made her nervous. The pressure to speak and not mess up weighed on her shoulders. Feeling anxious, she pushed herself off the ground and brushed any dirt off her behind and legs.

"Hello," she greeted the first person. It was a boy with striking blue eyes and...white hair? She tried not to focus on it, sure that he received stares all the time. Redirecting her gaze to the second person, she got the feeling that she would constantly be surprised at this school. A fishing rod and a bucket? "It's not that cold. I've had colder." It was true. Her extended family lived in Denmark, and she'd experienced deep winters.

A third person approached with a cheery wave and smile, and before she knew what she was doing, Elisabeth was returning it, a half-smile on her face. If she made a friend out of this, maybe it wouldn't be so hard talking to new people. Besides, she needed someone to be friends with. These were clearly all friendly people.

Chris shrugged. "I'm always cold. Side effect from my gift." he said. "My name's Chris, for those of you who haven't met me yet." he continued, realizing that no one had introduced themselves. "Nice to meet you all, except for you, Juliette, we've already met." He flashed her a smile, as she was the only familiar face in the group that had gathered on the hill.

"Ah, yes. I've just transferred to the school here. My name is Kirin and I am admittedly cold as well." She wrapped her jacket around herself tighter. "It's nice to meet you all." she then took note of the fishing equipment that Julliette had set down. "Are you a fisherman?" she pointed to the bucket.

So many names, so many different people to try and remember. A bit nervously, Elisa smiled and said, "I'm Elisabeth." It was almost immediately drowned out by Kirin's question about Juliette's objects. They were strange, but she had thought maybe it would be best not to mention them. Let everyone have their own hobbies and interests, and that would be that.

Kirin smiled. "It's not the equipment that makes the fisherman, but the patience of the one holding the rode. Do not give up hope yet." she smiled. Her attention then turned to Elizabeth, who had been posed a question and was intrigued to know the answer herself.

Having believed the attention would be directed elsewhere for at least a little while longer, Elisabeth had let her guard down and had been studying each person individually. Chris was silent, apparently content to simply watch rather than contribute. Juliette seemed fairly easy-going and cheery, while Kirin spoke with a precision that reminded Elisa of her father and his careful English. She suddenly found the attention on her.

"Oh, uh, my family is from Michigan," she told them. "The winter there is fairly cold. I'm used to it." Her family was from the Netherlands, but she had grown up in America and grown to have a thick skin. She rarely felt cold.

"You'd think that having ice powers would mean that you were immune to cold. Nope, the opposite, actually." he said. He lifted his hand up. It bothered him that there was still ice beginning to creep its way down his fingers, but there wasn't enough of it for the others to noticed. With his hand at about shoulder level, he concentrated and a cold bluish mist came from his hand. "Pretty cool, right?" he said, smirking.

Kirin smiled. "I'm from Japan, actually. We get more rounded seasons." Her attention was then drawn to Chris' hand, which had just become coated in ice and was emanating a cool mist. "That's obviously his power, some sort of icy manipulation." she said to Juliette. "My power is..... Well, I'll just show you." she held out her hand and a grey ooze rose from her palm and an azalea formed. "These flowers were quite common where I grew up."

Azalea:

She was from Michigan, Chris had ice powers (that would be pretty neat, she thought), Juliette was actually cold, and Kirin experienced "normal" seasons. Hands shoved into her pockets, Elisabeth felt a bit odd with this strange group of people. It was interesting how different their lives could be simply because they grew up in different places.

After Chris had mentioned his powers, Kirin created some sort of flower out of an odd substance. At a loss for words, Elisa took a couple steps closer, curious to see it. She hadn't seen someone create something seemingly out of thin air.

Chris quickly "shut off" the flow of mist and put his hands back into his pockets. He wasn't about to fight anyone over whose power was cooler. "Ice is my specialty. I've never gotten any cold-related issues, even though I'm always really cold. Its snow walk in the park, having my gift." he explained. He then realized how bad the pun he made was, so he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, that was bad, even for me."

Kirin's attention was draw to Juliette's laughter which was a bit much. She couldn't help but laugh as well; not at the joke but the scene the other girl had made.

At Chris' joke, Elisabeth couldn't help but let out a sharp snort of laughter. It was quickly stifled as Juliette fell to her knees in a fit of laughter. Elisa appreciated a good joke, and it was clear that Chris had been making them nearly their whole conversation, yet Juliette was laughing more than seemed necessary. The good mood filled her and she grinned, laughing a bit more with the other girl. She was giggling enough that she almost hardly noticed that she was exuding good feelings and giddiness.