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Chandler had been at the old Bellefonte enough to know the difference, but instead, she simply offered the other girl a secretive smirk. "Will do." She saw no point in giving it all away right off the bat. Besides, this was a different school than the one she'd attended previously back in Kalispell. A lot could have changed.
She had never been into finger painting herself, but the image brought a smile to the brunette's lips. The girl seemed fairly free spirited which was a breath of fresh air, given how stuck up a lot of the people here was. She'd met her fair share of drama queens and "woe is me". She didn't particularly feel like repeating it. "That sounds really nice," she answered truthfully. Chandler was an only child and while that had been great, she often wondered what it would have felt like to have a sister or a brother. Maybe her biological mother had some other children out there Chandler didn't know about. "Are you planning on a trip the upcoming summer?"
"Yeah." Chandler had taken a few hikes with her dad before she'd manifested. After that, life had gotten rather busy, which hadn't helped by Chandler swapping countries. And by the time she'd moved back to England, her father's health didn't really allow him to exercise much. It was fine, though, Chandler could always pick it up on her own. "Used to go on hikes with my dad back in the days," she offered with a shrug. The latter part had Chandler chuckling. "I think that's just part of being a teenager." It seemed to be a common trait at the very least.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Deb just nodded. It was nice. They'd really gotten to see a lot of America's countryside by doing it. Deb had some sort of souvenir from nearly all 50 states to boot. "This summer we were planning on starting off here and heading towards Mississippi by going down through Nevada and Texas and the like. Already figured out the roads and everything so we know we're heading in the right direction. But that's pretty much the end of our planning: we tend to stop whenever we see a town nearby that looks fun. That or play road roulette and see where we end up. Which has gotten us into some really crazy situations." She chuckled and shook her head. Crazy usually didn't cover half of it.
With her dad, huh? A near instinctual twitch tugged at the corners of Deb's mouth. Something so little and so quick that the other girl probably- and hopefully -wouldn't notice. Even if it had, she let out a huff of amusement at Chandler's comment- moved on. "Guess I do tend to fit the stereotype in that regard." She shrugged. Sometimes they were there for a reason. Coupled with the fact she often felt little to no regret for her actions, she definitely got up to mischief more than most. Not intentionally mean stuff, but just for fun. Most of the time.
"Though hey, if you ever had an itch to go trailing or give a road trip a try you could tag along with us." She offered, stopping once again before another important school landmark. "If you don't mind being in a car for a while or lots of passing commentary and karaoke, you'll love it. You're already surviving my tour thus far, so I have faith. And speaking of-" Deb gestured towards the doors they were near. The lettering above already gave away where they were, but she said it anyways. "Here we have the cafeteria. Argueably the best, or most decent, place on campus. Typically the answer depends on how hungry you are."
Listening to the plans the girl had with her sister made Chandler feel restless. She had never truly had the chance to do something like that. Or maybe she'd never truly given herself the chance to. There was always something, or someone, holding her back. "I have to admit," she said, looking at the girl with a soft smile. "I kind of envy you." She wondered what that kind of freedom would feel like. Such a careless freedom without feeling the pull to go back. She shook the images out of her head then. No point in dwelling on the past.
The offer actually had Chandler pausing, brows furrowing. She wasn't used to being the person who got invited to these kind of things. Then again, that was mostly her own fault. She hadn't exactly built herself up the best of reputations over the years. The conversation moved along before the brunette could respond and she followed the movement of the girl. "I doubt the menu has changed much since my last visit."
She turned to face the girl, back leaned against a nearby wall. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You know," she began, pausing a moment to think through her words. "I think I'll take you up on your offer before." Hey, she had nothing to lose. Worst came to worst, she didn't go. "I think... I mean, it sounds nice. Really nice."
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Envy? Now that made a girl wonder. Although, then again, the road trips were loads of fun. Still, that wasn't something someone admitted all that much. Not so openly. So Deb gave the other girl a curious glance- though a smile was returned in kind to Chandler's own. Soon the cafeteria proved a nice enough distraction from the question buzzing in her head.
"Probably not." She agreed with an airy laugh. It hadn't changed all that much since Deb had been there either. Although what was there wasn't necessarily bad. If it was, the bright haired girl wouldn't spend nearly as much time trying to sneak her way into the culinary classroom and kitchen.
But before she could comment much more on that, she got a surprise. Her offer was accepted. Slowly the corners of her lips tugged upwards into a wide and toothy grin. Definitely pleased, but definitely promising mischief. "Welcome aboard then, Chandler. I'll let my sister know we have a guest so she'll behave herself. For maybe five minutes in." A laugh left her just thinking about how her sister was going to react. Hopefully Chandler would survive. "She's fun though. I do believe you'll like her. Her name's Alex- think of a mini-me, only three-quarters of the trouble. I can text you the date she's flying in and we're heading out, but for that I'm going to need your number." In perhaps one of the easiest ways she'd ever had to ask for one ever. She didn't even need a half-baked excuse this time.
Chandler hadn't known she'd been holding her breath until she slowly exhaled it. Making friends had never come easy to her and she didn't think that it would change so easily. Maybe leaving had not only changed her perspective on things, but also the way she reacted to certain things thrown her way. Either way, the brunette was glad she was making what could only be seen as a possible friendship.
A smile formed on her lips; "Thanks," she chuckled sheepishly. She didn't think she'd mind being around this and what she claimed to ber her 'mini-me'. In truth, it sounded absolutely delightful. Without hesitation, Chandler fished her phone out of her pocket and handed it over to the girl. "Only if I get yours first." Things like this had never come easy to her either. Sure, she'd had quite a few numbers saved on her phone over the years, but none that had really stuck, and most of the ones who could have, had already left a long time ago.
Rolling her shoulders, she took another moment to study the girl in front of her. "Do you stay at the academy, or do you live in town?" Chandler had only just settled into her own dorm room. And by settled she meant full boxed piled up everywhere. She hadn't really taken the time to unpack yet.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
With the grin still on her face, Deb took the phone in her free hand. Idly she pondered whether or not she should put a funny name down or not. In the end she kept it simple: "Deb Barok (Road Trip Bud)". So the girl could remember. A quick text was sent out, and before long there was a familiar buzz in her pocket.
Deb returned the phone and pulled out her own to give to Chandler. The number was already there, but now it needed a name. She could answer while that was being done. "I'm a townie, actually. Got a little studio apartment all to myself. The dorms are fun though- lived in them for a while before I figured I should get my own place. It's closer to work and I have no curfew." Not that she honestly stayed out super late anyways. Only on occasion when she went out with friends. "Plus I can really decorate it how I see fit. So long as I'm not wrecking the place, my landlord is pretty forgiving."
"What about you? You staying in a dorm or the town?" She returned the question. Once she had her phone back, she'd start slowly walking again. They did still have the tour to go through. And unless Chandler decided otherwise, she was content to walk and talk. "If you're doing a dorm, that would be a good place to stop our grand little tour."
Chandler couldn't quite but to arch forward, stretching so that she could peek at the name the other girl put down. It immediately put a grin on her face. "Funny," she mused.
She accepted the phone, fingers running over the screen with familiarity. "Chandler Bing, but cuter". She wondered if the girl would get the reference. She handed over the phone with a shrug. Well, it was true; She was cuter. Her attention returned to the girl, fully this time. "Probably the wisest choice." She would eventually do that too, once she got herself a job. But she wasn't in any rush. Not yet. "Bet your power gets handy in that field too." Ah, all the possibilities.
Stretching her arms before resting them against the back of her head, Chandler shrugged. "Currently I'm at the dorm," she said, but continued, "Eventually, though, I'll be getting a place in town." It was the closest thing to a plan she had thus far. She followed the girl then. "Doing the full circle, eh?" But she nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."
Truth be told, though, the way the girl had captivated her attention, she didn't remember much of the actual tour. It couldn't really be helped, though. Maybe she had to ask for a map at the reception. "You mentioned having a job. What do you do?"
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Once the phone was back in hand, Deb checked it. Then immediately laugh. The reference was, fortunately, not lost on her. Her gaze turned back to Chandler, and she was given a deliberate once-over. A thoughtful look came to Deb's face while she glanced between the girl and the phone. "Cuter, huh? Hmm I dunno..." It trailed off in a tone of fake debate. The expression only held for a moment before Deb was grinning again, teasing.
"Dorms were fun, but getting an apartment is definitely better. There's plenty of places to find some space if you know where to search." It had taken her some time, but she'd found her own apartment by herself. "The power definitely does come in handy too." She added on, smirking. She never had to worry if something's color scheme would match hers. Now she could make it so.
Since they were in agreement Deb kept walking. Though the next question passed her way made her hum with actual thought. "I'm a hair stylist, pretty much. Do the full trims, touch-ups, complete makeovers, and whatever you can think of to make someone look good. My specialty is what you'd expect." A smile was flashed the other girl's way before she looked forward again. "Cutting of course." She said without a hitch to her tone. But the quirk of her smile was enough on its own to give it away.
"Most people come to me for dyeing though. Like I said, the power makes it pretty easy. Plus non-damaging to the hair, which makes it extra appealing to anyone wanting to try a different shade or color altogether. The owner of the salon I work at has been really nice to me with hours since I'm still in school. I think it's because she'd really like to keep me, frankly. Though I do love it there so I'm honestly considering just working full time once I've graduated." With that she shrugged. The idea had always been hanging around in her head and considered numerous times before. But graduation was still a decent while away. She wasn't going to have to decide her entire life just yet.
Now slate eyes turned back to her."If you had your choice, what would you do after school was all over?"
She didn't take the bait. Instead, the brunette grinned, then shrugged. "Suit yourself," she mused. Chandler knew she was cuter. That was all that really mattered - arrogance or no arrogance.
Chandler hadn't had the chance to get an apartment when she'd attended Bellefonte the first time around, back in Montana, but she'd be damned if she ended up living in the dorms until she graduated. "Yeah, especially since the city's grown ever since Bellefonte was moved here." It had become quite the sight to behold, she'd heard. It had also become some sort of beacon for mutants all over the world. She supposed there was both good and bad things that came with that, but at least it seemed to make the mutant population feel a little safer.
"Figures," Chandler laughed. She should have expected something like that, though, she'd also learned that assuming things about other people usually didn't get you very far. The girl continued and Chandler found herself mimicking the smile she wore. "Of course," she repeated with a humorfull roll to her eyes.
It was rather strange how powers worked sometimes. Some people struggled with them, some people liked them. And then there was those people who used them to further themselves. She supposed the girl should have been thankful she'd drawn the longest straw. "Or you could buy your own place and steal all her customers." That was probably something Chandler would have done, but then again, she'd never claimed to be a particularly nice person.
"Hm." That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? Chandler had never given life after school much thought. Sure, she'd always been passionate about dancing and in later years, photographing, but was that something she saw herself doing for the rest of her life? "I don't know, if I'm going to be perfectly honest." She offered Deb a shrug. "Guess I'll find out when the time comes, so I'll just see where the road takes me."
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
The suggestion to essentially steal away her current workplace's business brought out another laugh. "All things in due time." She replied with a cheeky smile. In the business world, yes she could understand that that kind of thinking was probably best for her to get money. Though she couldn't really find it in herself to completely run her employer out of business. If such a thing even could happen. The woman had been very kind and lenient with Deb's work schedule. That sort of treatment probably wasn't the most common.
Deb's head bobbed in a short nod. Not everyone knew exactly what they wanted to do right in or even out of college. She'd simply been fortunate enough that her power essentially decided for her. Or at least made the decision easier. "Not such a bad thing, that." With a shrug, Deb looked back at her and smirked. "Options tend to crop up whenever they please, so who knows? Might end up with a job a lot more interesting than a hairdresser. Shouldn't be too hard." She joked.
It wasn't much longer before she stopped again. These rooms were pretty familiar to all the students- although some more than others. "These are the training rooms. Perfect place to go all out and not get in trouble for breaking something. Most of the time anyways." Deb shrugged, but it brought to mind one of the numerous questions that had been buzzing in her head.
"Mind if I ask what power you're packing?"She didn't have to answer if she really didn't want to. Some people were a little funny on that. Never knew if someone thought of their power as a gift or a curse. Deb had met both, and one was usually more pleasant than the other.
The girl was right, whether Chandler cared to admit to it or not. Despite her parents stressing the subject and the apparent norm about how everyone should have figured out their life by the time they finished the subject, Chandler wasn't too worried. If all else failed, she did have a few things she could fall back on. "Combined with your power, I find that hard to believe." She said truthfully. "But here's to hoping."
Ah yes; The training rooms. Chandler had spent many hours of her time within rooms like these, like every other student before her. Though, with her power, she supposed it was a little different for her. While other people had a chance to get familiar with their power's limitations and side-effects, she got them all thrown in her face like, 'here, figure this out'.
"Power mimicry." She replied without hesitation. She supposed she was lucky; She didn't have to deal with side-effects on a regular basis like most others. She usually only had to deal with them when mimicking a power and she'd learned to handle that part rather nicely. At least, she didn't accidentally mimic powers as often as she'd used to. "I have the easy one, I suppose." She shrugged.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Power Mimicry. Something about that ability had always managed to impress Deb. It was essentially every power you could think of. With limitations, of course, but still- that level of choice was massive. "The 'jack of all trades' deal huh? Pretty cool."
Although she was sure it came with its own issues. All powers did. Still, the kind of things Deb could have gotten up to with the ability to copy other people's powers. It was a fun idea to entertain. Which soon got her thinking about another kind of possibility.
There was a 50/50 chance because Deb had no idea how she'd react. Public displays of power varied between meaning to people. Some couldn't care less while others really didn't use their abilities all the much. She herself probably fell somewhere closer towards the former spectrum. Chandler? Only one way to find out. A grin reformed on her face. "So that means you could copy mine, right? Wanna give my power a spin? Kind of curious to see how someone else might handle it." No one had ever mimicked her power before. At least, not to her knowledge. Would be a curious sight to behold someone else trying to deal with it. "Promise I don't even have that bad of side effects either."
"Something like that, yeah." She laughed. She supposed it was like that in many ways. She could, technically, have any ability she wanted for a short period of time, though, it always required other people. And other people wasn't something Chandler had in tenfold.
The other girl grinned then, which had the brown eyed brunette tilting her head curiously. Her curious expression turned blank for a second before the corner of her lips quirked. She'd always been vary about copying the powers of others, because you never really knew what you got yourself into. While she didn't always control when it happened, she'd always preferred staying away from the whole thing. This idea, though, intrigued her.
"You're going to have to hold my hand, then." She didn't have to, of course, but it had its benefits. One, it usually worked better through touch, and two, it was a nice excuse to hold hands with the girl. How could she ever possibly refuse such a chance? Holding her hands out, Chandler couldn't help the almost smug smirk on her lips. She wiggled her fingers then. "Let's see if you're right."
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Curiosity was good. Curiosity she could work with. And when it made people actually agree to the little spontaneous ideas that cropped up in Deb's head, she was always satisfied.
Upon hearing the "requirement," Deb arched a brow. "You make it sound like such a horrible thing to have to hold hands with a pretty girl." She teased, grin settling back into a familiar lopsided smirk. Not one bit of her minded. And when a hand was out stretched towards her with that sort of smirk on the brunette's face, Deb couldn't help but laugh and dare to lace her fingers together with the proffered wiggling digits of her companion. "Just don't go having a tantrum suddenly and you should be good." Her smirk had grown in response as she joked. "Otherwise, let's see what you've got, hot shot."
Since Deb had never had her powers copied, she really was wondering what would happen. Would it be like her manifestation all over again? At least if it was, Deb knew how to fix any sudden discoloration that might appear. Or how to make the item match if she liked the color well enough.
"You never know." She offered with a shrug. She'd met all kinds of people during her lifetime, so she didn't think anything would surprise her at this point. Of course, this girl didn't at all strike her as someone too shy to hold hands with another girl, but Chandler had learned it was generally easier when you gave them a heads up. Fingers laced with her own and Chandler's eyes closed; she could feel the shift, the way the girl's abilities were mimicked and her own was replaced. Each power felt different. Each had a different sensation. The girl's power felt... Strange, but in a good kind of way. It felt inspirational and warm.
Dark brown eyes opened then. "Hm." She mused. She wasn't sure what she'd expected it to feel like, but this wasn't it. The ability felt personal, and not at all generic, like some powers did. It was... Oddly nice.
Dropping her hands, she stared at them for a moment. It always took her a moment to figure out how the powers worked. She concentrated on her hands and nothing happened, which meant that the ability was similar to her own in that retrospect; Either fully or partly touch based. She placed her hands on the stomach of her t-shirt and nudged at the power and concentrated in on it; two yellow hand prints was left once she lifted her hands.
