Not a Chance (Open)

Ash was very, very tired. He had been up late the previous night trying to figure something out after having broken his schedule and had less time for what he wanted to do. Of course, just because he had broken his schedule once didn't mean he was going to do it again. The tall Spring boy sat on one of the couches in the lounge, a book propped open as he slowly skimmed the pages, trying his very hardest to actually get something out of it.

It was becoming harder and harder to concentrate and the Spring fell backward onto the couch, covering it from armrest to armrest. He held his book above his head but the new position made it worse. Slowly his eyes closed, but he fought it hard, his head jerking up every time he caught himself dozing off. But it didn't take long before the tiredness took over entirely and he was out, the book laying open faced on his chest, his arms flung randomly where they had fallen. And his entire body taking up a whole, long couch.

Erika had been up all night reading her books. Now she had proudly taken advantage on the stack of books her parents had mailed her, perhaps conscious she'd finish her book the day she came. The package, wrapped in green paper, was gorgeous. She had literally ripped it apprt to get to the books. A sticky to the package, one she had found litered on the floor with the pieces or torn, miserable green paper, read: 'I thought you like those. They are for teens.- Mommy'. Teens... she sometimes repeated to herself as she read through the book, like it was such a new word, one from another language, one she couldn't understand. But she couldn't say the books weren't good. They were nice, actually, so she took sometimes to go to the lounge, read. Maybe she'd meet someone new there.

Nose ducked in a book, an entirely purple one, with delicate white writing etched on the stub of it, she pushed the door to the lounge absently and slipped in. She went for the nearest couch, noticing it from under the book she was caring, merely a bit of surface to tell her it was there. She sat down quietly on the couch, tired, and relaxed, leaning with her back against the cushions. She kicked of her trainers and put her feet on the socked feet on the couch. It was a perfect way to read, at least to her. Well, perfect if it didn't happen that her feet where in a boy's lap. She ducked closer into the book, without noticing the awkward contact.

The tall Spring boy was out. He hardly slept this well so he was deep into his sleep when someone else entered the room. He had fought falling asleep to stay on his schedule and to not impede on anyone elses use of the lounge, but instead he had fallen asleep and it would take a lot to get him to wake up. Or maybe it would take hardly anything.

There was little noise from Ash as he woke to the feeling of something resting on him. His eyes flinched tighter, slowly taking in the light from above as he remembered where he was and what he had been doing. Dang, he had fallen asleep. This was no good. Maybe the pressure was someone trying to wake him up? But it wasn't incessant poking or shaking, just a single, firm pressure. And it wasn't even that heavy. Rather light, in fact. Perhaps someone had just dropped their jacket on top of him without noticing? No, it was just a bit lighter than that.

Done with playing his game of deductions he slowly opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light above him so he didn't hurt himself. Slowly he tilted his head to look in the direction of the feeling on his lap when he noticed feet. Small, socked feet rested there, not appearing to mind where they sat. Ash was confused, that was for sure. Who had the confidence to assume a sleeping person didn't mind this? Feeling himself heat up a bit as he turned to find the culprit, he wondered who it could be. They had to be female, these feet were far too small to be a guys. "Um, e-excuse me?" Ash started, wondering where he was supposed to go from there.

Erika read and read, for a long time, for a short time, she couldn't say, but at one point, the exaustion came over her, and her head toppled back as she fell asleep of the couch, her book on her chest, lifting and lowering as she breathed slower and more settled, signaling she had fallen asleep.

When she woke up at the sound of a voice, her only thought was to ge back to sleep, perhaps ignore it. It was surely a boys, but she restrained from opening her eyes to look at him. She tried to remember her dreams, instead. She always had puzzling dreams... Her mind drifted away to remembering, until her eyelids turned heavy again and she fell asleep once more, making a faint sound as she exhaled one last time through consciousness.

Ash had no idea how long he had been asleep. Just that it had been long enough for someone else to enter the room. His work on deducing what was on his lap had taken quite a long time since drowsiness still took him over and his tired eyes didn't feel like opening. But eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he had to see who it was.

When he opened his eyes he found someone there, asleep, breathing lightly with a book resting on her chest. He hadn't registered, at first, that there was a book there. Or that the person had been female. He hadn't looked closely enough, but he had gathered from her light weight and her small feet that she had to be female. Unless there was a guy out there with the power to make himself lighter. But no, as he looked closely, though she was a distance away from him despite being close, he noticed her feminine features and her small body. She was a girl, that was for sure. Which made this all the more awkward.

For a second, Ash thought he saw her shift when he spoke, but there was no reaction to his voice and she appeared to be still asleep. Ahh, this was really awkward. He didn't want to wake her up if she was that fast asleep, she had to be dog tired. But he was afraid that if he shifted his legs too much to try and get up, he would still disturb her and wake her. What was he supposed to do? Oddly, he realized as he panicked, this was just like back home when the cat fell asleep on his lap and he needed to get up and do something. She was too precious looking to wake, but he really wanted to move. Wait, did he just think she was precious!? Ash turned a bright, lobster red at the thought and insisted to himself that he meant the cat when he had thought it. Definitely not this small, delicate girl, asleep with a book on her chest.

Ah, again the book had drawn his attention. Perhaps it was a good one? Maybe it had been what had put her to sleep? The only way to find out was to look, but the angle was awkward and he couldn't quite see what the cover said. Slowly and carefully Ash pulled himself into a better sitting position, flinching and freezing when he realized he might have moved too much. What if he woke her? Would she be angry he had? Or would she be angry he hadn't? If she had sat down like this on purpose, the likelihood of that last bit was slim. Still, he sat, waiting to see if she reacted and panicking, trying hastily to decide what to do other than check the book she was reading. Ash was almost the same color as his hair.

A slight movement disturbed her sleep, waking her up slightly. She tiled a little and the book topled over on the couch. She realized with an awful jolt of exhaustion that it must be late, but she lacked the wish to move. Still, she had to get to her dorm. The Initiate got up, her bones aching, her muscles telling her to go back to sleep, to lay back down. She took up her green, delicate glasses and rubbed her eyes like a child, blinking away sleep, before she actually opened them to look around. She gently stretched her back like a cat and looked around the room. When she caught sight of the boy on the couch, her feet resting into his lap, she turned a pale shade of pink, yet visible in contrast with her green sweater and pale blonde hair. She fetched her glasses from her lap before she drew her feet quickly away from his. The movement send another jolt of exhaustion through her bones.

"I am so sorry..." she whispered, eyeing his shyly with the with quick glances as she looked awkwardly to the floor. He had pink-red hair and red eyes and he was... So handsome. she thought and tremble.

Ah, she had moved! Ash watched, frightened that he would wake her, as she shifted, her eyes still closed. But she didn't make sudden movements, just tired, slow ones. She continued to move without looking up, grabbing a pair of glasses he hadn't seen earlier. Her book had fallen over when she had first begun moving and he had a slightly better look at its cover, but still not good enough to read what it said. That was too bad. But he was still mostly preoccupied with the awkward fact that she wasn't even saying anything or looking in his direction. His face still red, unsure what to do, he watched her shift and stretch and move.

Then she saw him. It wasn't terribly quick, she seemed to take a second to register he was there before she pulled away from him. Slowly he pulled himself up, still red in the face but trying not to look as awkward as he felt. He pulled his legs into himself and crossed them, sitting sideways on the couch, half facing her.

Her voice was quiet. That or she was whispering. Based on her size, the volume of the voice was very fitting. "It's okay. Um, I'm sorry for waking you." Ash wasn't sure if he meant the first part, she had presented him with a super awkward situation, but based on her apology, she hadn't done it intentionally. But he still felt bad that he had woken her up. Somehow the time hadn't concerned him and he still hadn't taken a look at a clock to see what time it was.

Erika saw with pang of... something.. was it joy, or fear? Or both? She was uncertain about that, but what she was sure about is that him, too, was a shade of red. Oh, it looks perfect with his hair... she thought dreamly, then felt like slapping herself for thinking that. That stupid, awkward thing...

He apologized to her and she felt terrible. Why apologized to someone who had put you in such a terrible situation, she did not understand, but his words made her feel better on one side, as it made her feel worse on the other. She stood with her legs tensed against her, her hands on her knees, her wide her poking from above them.

"Don't..." she whispered from behind her cover. She wasn't sure why she was hiding behind her knees like that, bus around the boy, it felt natural. She tried to clear her mind and think her next move, like she always did. Her mind was foggy from lack of sleep, so the only thing she could think was to put out her hand and make acquaintances with the boy.

"Hey, I'm... Erika..." she said, her name merely a faint sound, like the moment you thought you heard a song, and you kept listening, still imagining the song.

It was noticeable, just barely, that she was blushing. It was easier to see because her sweater was green and it contrasted with her skin, but it wasn't nearly as dark as he sure his was. This was really awkward, Ash thought as he wondered what to do. This had never happened before and he was sure, from the way she acted, she had never done something like this before. It was hard to decide what to do and, despite having months of practice under his belt, he felt his hands beginning to spark from the nerves.

Nope, nope, nope. This wasn't going to happen right here. Not now, not ever again. His power was under control, he'd had it under control for a while now, he was just working on focusing it instead of keeping it under control. So he took a deep breath, thinking of the positives he got out of this situation. A new friend and another book to read was about all he could come up with, but he figured that was better than nothing and he felt the parks begin to fade slightly. Slowly he positioned himself and watched as she drew behind her knees, hiding from him. Ash felt bad, he wasn't sure if it was because he was frightening or if it was the situation. He hoped it wasn't him because, despite his size, he wasn't a terrible person, he was much nicer than many perceived him to be at first.

"Huh?" He wasn't sure if he had heard what she had said, but it was short and didn't seem terribly important because she didn't expand on whatever it was. Ah, a handshake. Avery felt his nerves acting up again and his body heating up some more but he willed his power to stay calm, he didn't want to literally shock this girl upon first meeting her. So he took her offered hand for a shake, glad the sparks were being nice and holding back. So his training was paying off, that was good. He was able to control the gift even in the most uncomfortable of situations. "I'm Ash. It's, uh, nice to meet you." He said awkwardly, trying to recall what she had said her name was. It was quiet, but he was sure it was Erika. It kind of echoed off of the walls of his mind, like a distant memory though it had been merely whispered.

Erika stiffened at his toich and looked down at his hand. When he drew it away, hers remained hanging in mid-air for a fewoments before she dropped it on the couch. Her face was even redder than before from the contact. God, she was so stupid today. It's like her power just turned useless. Wait...

The sudden urge to leave hit Erika. What if he asked of her gift? God, no. He will, probably, and that would have been her doom. She needed to avoid that subject, but she didn't want to run either. Strange... she thought, but she needed to avoid that subject. She willed her mind to buzz, her brain jumping from idea to idea faster than ever, until the familiar voice of her mom spoke. 'The only thing to do is leave.'

"Umm, I should really go... But we could talk tomorrow..." she whispered as she got up, but pain and exhaustion from using her power that much made her feet give away. She stumbled on the floor and groaned in pain.

There was a slight stiffness when Ash grabbed her offered hand for a shake, he too was a bit stiff from nerves and trying to keep his power down. It made him slightly dizzy in the head, but he had been practicing long enough that the side effects of his gift weren't bad unless he used it a lot more than usual. And this was nothing compared to how much he used it during practice. He often walked out of there with his head buzzing and his mind spinning. He had had to make a special slot in his schedule after training to simply cool down. It was a waste of his time, but it was something he desperately needed. The shake didn't last long, much like most handshakes, and soon they were back to awkwardly trying to figure out what to do next.

Ash was entirely unaware of the girls inner turmoil, he was one with some turmoil himself, but not as much as her. He was practically an open book when it came to his expressions and actions. One could read him with ease, there was no avoiding it. So his turmoil was often written in the creases of his brow, but there was nothing concerning him other than how to react to this girl and that was written in the red painted across his cheeks. It was awful, that he turned so red around someone he didn't even know, but girls just made hi flustered and awkward. There was little chance of avoiding it unless he initiated the conversation and nothing weird happened. This had been weird from the start.

"Huh? Um, ah, alright. Yeah, I'll see you later." He said awkwardly as she stood to go. But, without warning, she was on the ground, groaning. Ash felt sparks dance up his spine to the nape of his neck, his powers version of the hairs rising in shock. Quickly he knelt next to her, warily moving his hands closer as if trying to help, unsure if that was okay or the correct reaction in this situation. instead they just kind of hovered in the air beside her. "Are you alright? Should I take you to the infirmary?" He actually wasn't sure if Beata actually called the nurse's office the infirmary, despite having been there for a while, he had yet to injure himself enough to take a trip and find out its true name. It wasn't something he planned to do in his time there.

Erika felt exhaustion and pain buzz through her brain, making her mind spin. Ahe willed herself to stay conscious for a few more minutes, at least help Ash figure put what to do. The pale tint in her face took the place of the red that had coloured it before as she reached out with a thin, shaking hand.

"N-not the infirmary... T-the Initiates dorms..." she whispered up at him and closed her eyes, breathing sharply.

This was really confusing! Ash was lost, what was he supposed to do? This girl had practically fainted with him right there! He hadn't done anything and she had looked perfectly fine until only a few seconds ago when she had stood and then promptly dropped to the ground. Ash knelt by her, arms raised warily around her sides, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do with her. He was glad she was still conscious enough to talk and asked her what he needed to do. But what she said made no sense.

"What? But you don't look good and the infirmary's where people who don't look good go." Man, he sounded like he was talking to a child. But getting her to the infirmary sounded much more important than the dorms. Slowly and carefully he grabbed for the hand she reached out with to help her up, surprised at her miniature size. He had noticed she was small, but being right up next to her allowed that reality to hit home.

Erika's eyebrow shot up in surprise as he helped her up, but she made and effort to stand, leaning into Ash, barely reaching his chest. She tried to take few clumsy steps, but stumbled back to holding Ash like a pillar. She shook her head at his words, gripping his T-shirt tighter.

"No... the dorms, I'm fine, just tired... It's simply my power's aftermath..." she insisted, struggling to speak.

Ash didn't think there was any reason for her to be surprised. It was only natural that he help, why would he not? Carefully he helped lift her, though there was not much issue as she was extremely light. He expected her to be light, but this was crazy, how light she was. Why was she so light? Did she have some illness that made her this light? Was it safe for her to be out if she was this light? She was like a delicate porcelain doll, something could break her easily.

"Alright. I'll trust you." Ash said, carefully helping her walk toward the dorms. The grip she had on his shirt was tight and it made him blush slightly. He was helping her. There was nothing about this that was awkward, he was only helping her. "That's awful. I just get bad headaches. Sometimes it feels like someone's chiseling my skull away. You know, like sculptures do." He said with a shaky laugh. Mostly he was trying to lighten the mood, though it wasn't like she was upset. And from the sound of it, this was normal. But it was still shaking Ash.