groovygamers.com

Sarah tracks down colin to talk to him about something urgent.

Sarah waves down Colin in the hall, "Hey, Colin!  Wait up!"

When she catches up with him in the hall... "Sorry to run you down... I just wanted to talk with you about some stuff if you have time ?"

((OOC: Simultaneous posting.  I say at school is more liekly.))

After having missed her all day, Colin is visibly happy to see Sarah.

"Hey stranger, where have you been? Sure I got time for you."

Sarah smiles, a bit in relief.  "Great.  Listen, the other day you offered to try and help me find my power if I had one... well... nevermind."  Her mouth is pressed in a grin like it's Christmas morning. 

"Well, the offer is still valid if you..." his eyes go wide as saucers "You mean? ... it's wonderful, I'm so happy for you!"
He takes a look around at the other people in the hall.
"Where do we go? I want to know everything!"

Sarah shrugs, "I don't know... I just had to tell someone before my head exploded."  She thinks about it for a minute.  "Well if the play is on hold.. maybe backstage is empty?'

"Very clever, Ms. Hari. Let's go!"

Colin leads the way to the stage of the unlucky musical.

Once backstage Sarah finds a quiet place... feeling rather foolish sneaking off with Colin.  Once there she grins again.  "You heard about the attempted armored car robbery at the mall yesterday?"

((OOC: This should be the day after.  I think I let you fall off the continuity bus.))

(OOC:Mall was Ch 7 - Wednesday.. This is Ch 8 Thursday... right?  That's why I skipped lunch.)   EDIT:  OOPS I wrote today.. meant yesterday.  I am idiot.  Me bad.  *slaps forehead*

"I only read the titles. The one that was foiled by a new superhero? God and Great Spirit, was that you?"

Sarah laughs... "No, not even close!  I was there... though I didn't do much in the way of foiling.  I saw the new superhero who actually stopped them.  That part... well it's not my story to tell.  But... well I was waiting outside the mall for my Mom when these nutsy gunmen show up and start shooting at the armored truck.  They blow a hole through the side of it with some gun.  So I'm hiding behind a bush and one of the guards takes a shot at a gunman.  Apparently didn't have such great aim because I was right behind the guy and the bullets came straight for me!  I was totally dead when..."

Sarah brings forth the glowing staff.  "this popped out and I deflected the bullets.  Like some kind of movie or something!"

Colin's eyes go wide again as he takes a good look at the glowing staff.

"Wow." he whispers. "And it came out just at the right time to save your life. Oh, they shot you! You must have been scared out of your mind. How do you feel now? And... can I touch it?"

Sarah laughs, "I'm fine and go play with your own staff!"  She grins.  "Sorry, um, honestly I don't know what'll happen if anybody touches it, besides me.  I don't want to zap you by accident.  I'm honestly.. not even sure if you can touch it.  I tried swinging it around at lunch time and I didn't seem to hurt anything with it.  I mean I whacked chairs and tables and nothing happened.  But what the heck, the worst that can happen is I knock you on your butt like you've done to everybody else around here."

Colin laughs, and slowly, very slowly, closes his hand arond the top of the staff, squinting at the last moment.

((OOC: Make a Will Save DC 17))

OOC: Will save: touching Sarah's staff. (1d20+3=20) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=619355)
Fear my mental fortitude.

When Colin's hand touches the staff he gets a zap and the world goes entirely black.  A sound like a howling wind rips through his skull and there is a cloaked figure standing behind Sarah, shrouded in shadow.

With a crash the light and the world return to normal, and Colin's hand hurts.

"Owww!" says Colin, letting the staff go and shaking his hand.

He looks at his hand for a moment, then back at Sarah and he kinda expects to see that ominous figure behind her again.
He looks at where he saw he saw it, and then in Sarah's eyes. Sarah can clearly read a bit of worry in his eyes.

"Sarah, since the staff appeared, have you felt like... well... you weren't alone? There was someone else with you?"

She nods, "Good guess?"  She quirks an eyebrow at Colin. 

"Yes.  A voice in my head... doesn't sound like me... didn't think like me.  Told me it would be okay."

She makes the staff disappear.  "Thats how I knew I wasn't just crazy.  My brain's always sarcastic.  So it couldn't have been me."

Sarah leans against the wall, a frightened look coming across her face.  "Now I just have to worry about other peoples thoughts in my head.  And that's just the start.  A lot of people are cropping up with powers suddenly and to some of them bad stuff is happening."

She looks at her hands, empty now and cold.  "I've wanted a power my whole life, anything to be unique and now I've got it.  But I don't want to die like Rory."

"Not really. I just saw it. Right behind you."

Colin takes out a notebook and a pencil, and begins to sketch the cloaked figure. When he's done he rips out the page and give it to her.


Before he realizes what he's doing, Colin takes her hand into his warm hands and stares into her eyes with a strange intensity.
"You won't. I'll never let you go."
Then he comes to his senses and actually lets her go, though. Fortunately his complexion hides the roaring blush he would be sporting otherwise.
What the #@%& did I just do? Have I gone completely crazy?

"S-So... " he tries to say, looking away "...have you tried to talk with him? ... or her, I couldn't really tell."

"Thanks.. I'm glad I'm not the only one with a bunch of crazy stuff happening to them."   
She looks at the cloaked figure in the drawing.  "I don't know whether this is comforting or scary."
When Colin asks about talking to the voice, "Uh, no?  Huh... might be something to try."  "Helloooo?"  Hello?  Anybody home... besides me?

Sarah shrugs.  "I'll keep trying and let you know?  Maybe the voice has something to do with the vision I had the other day that led me to the Death Ray.  It really makes me wonder if something else is in my head.  Oh man."

"You're in good company, I'm afraid." Colim smiles.

"It was kinda scary, but it also saved your life, so for the moment I'd go with what it does rather than with what it looks like."

"What did it feel like when the staff first... came out?"

"Snrk!"  Sarah covers her mouth.  Then she bursts out laughing.  "I'm sorry," gasping for breath, "I'm sorry... but you gotta stop saying stuff like that!"  She just falls down chuckling. 

After a minute of childish glee she dusts herself off and stands up.  She tries to answer in reasonable way. "When," she starts grinning.  Takes a deep breath.  "When I first created the staff I don't know exactly what if physically felt like.. I mean, my heart was racing a million miles an hour, a guard was shooting a bullet at me!  There wasn't time for anybody to react but I did.  It just sprang into existence in my hand and suddenly, 'Ping!' 'Ping!' 'Ping!' bullets are bouncing away from me like some kung-fu movie.  It was completely amazing.  I haven't really been able to test it out again.  I mean, it's not like I want somebody to shoot at me again, or even throw a rock.  I mean, what if I miss?"

Colin frowns in embarassment as he watches Sarah fall down laughing. He mentally repeats what he said, but doesn't seem to find the funny in it. If it was a double entendre, it was lost on him. He tries a nervous laugh, the way he usually reacts when this kind of things happen, since they happen quite often, much to his dismay. Also when they explain them to him, he is so embarassed he wishes to be dead. He tries to focus on a solution for Sarah's problem instead.

"You know those machines... they use them in tennis training... that throw tennis balls at you, as fast and as often as you want? Do you think something like that would work? They're nowhere as fast as bullets, but it could be a sort of training, letting you get used to it."

"You're a genius!  That would be perfect.  Only, I think they'll notice I'm not using a raquet.  Does the school have one of those machines?  Did  mention you're a genius?"  Sarah obviously excited about this idea.   "Hey listen, I wanted to know how you were doing with your talents?  Have you figured out anything new about them?"

Again, Colin's complexion almost saves him from awkwardly blushing, although who knows him well could still tell.

"I dunno about the school, but my mom's tennis club sure has one. About not getting noticed... uhm... I'll have to think of something.
Uh, my talents. Nothing really new. I figured they work mostly by touch, and work the most when I'm stressed. I can heal people, unless they are already too hurt, and get a... glimpse of what they have within. Like just now with you. And if I really really concentrate, I can see something that happened in the past. I don't really control them any more than last week. But... I told my mom about them. And she has been totally cool, and told me that she'll help me find someone to teach me. She only made me promise to be careful and not look for trouble. You know, things like jumping into a burning lab."

Sarah waves her hand in dismissal, "Oh that, well I'm sure we wont have to jump into a burning lab anytime in the near future.  Unless Kirby creates something new.  Um I hope your mom can help you out.  I don't know if I want to tell mine or not yet."  

"If you think of a way to sneak me into the tennis club let me know.  Maybe I'll just throw rocks up in the air and try that way for a while."  

She gives Colin a quick hug.  "Listen, thanks for talking with me.  You're a good listener and you really try and help people.  I've got to get going to do some homework.  I didn't get anything done last night and school is a harsh mistress.  It will takes me half the night to get through this stuff.  I'm just glad Mom bought copies of my books for home so I'm not lugging those monstrosities back and forth everyday.  I'd be a hunchback."

"I'll drop by to see if there's a field that would offer a decent amount of cover. And I'll check if she still has the keys. But I hate lying to her, and trying to steal the keys to sneak in there would require a huge amount of lies. Or a foolproof plan. I'll see what I can come up with."


Colin never really understood the meaning of "butterfly in the stomach" till this very moment. He's utterly confused for a few moments as a thousand of thoughts explode in his mind. He is always hugging people. Mom, Mama Walters, most of his friends, but this hug somehow feels... different. And just when he is about to hug Sarah back, she breaks away, as something screams Nooooooo! in his mind.
As a reflex he picks his glasses and wipes them on his shirt, squinting the whole time.
"I-If you'd like help with anything, you only have to ask. Math gets a little less boring if you're not alone with it. Just a little, not way less boring, but it's better than nothing."

He sees that she's about to go, and suddenly he feels desperate. He needs to understand, he needs to...
Great idea!!! Now, be calm, level-headed, steady voice, don't blow it up...

"Sarah?" he stops her, and makes her turn.
"I-I was j-just w-ondering"
No! Not this way! Breathe!
"This week-end they're re-opening "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and I was wondering if you'd like to see it. If you're not busy."
As he waits for her answer, Colin can't help but hold his breath.

Sarah's brain, long since focussed on herself finally gives off a buzzer warning.  God I'm so self obsessed  She turns and looks at a nervous Colin and really has to think about his question and not just shoot off a flip answer.  "I'd... like that?"  Hey nothing stupid keep going! "Sure.  I'll well I'll have to ask my parents but I think it will be okay.  Um.. they'll want to meet you.  They want to meet all my friends.  Be prepared for grilling.  Oh and you'll have to shake hands."  She pauses feeling really awkward asking this but, "Have you worked that part out yet?"

Colin resumes breathing with a gasp. With an enormous effort, he manages not to start grinning like an idiot.
"Meet your parents? Check. Grilling?...Check, I'd say. Shaking hands? Ugh. Needs work. Them being healthy would help. Me being... relaxed would help too. The last few times nothing happened, so we should be safe. Otherwise we could blame it on static? I..." he breathes in again "I'll keep it under control. Promise."

"Well as both my parents are healthy... I think... and neither seems to have any powers you should be okay."  Sarah smiles.  "I have to run!  This homework isn't going to do itself... unless thats one of my powers?  Probably not.  See you tomorrow?"