ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
Those few that knew Brodie knew that he preferred to work outside the realms of technology when he could. His companions were a film camera and a notepad. They were all that was really needed, even if other items made a job easier. In today's age, however, it was impossible to do his sort of work without a laptop. It wasn't that he disliked it, but everything wrote better on paper. It was why he had a folder next to him, and his notebook was already filled with the article he just had to type out.
His fingers looped around a small, grey up, bringing it up to his lips. A shot of espresso was his usual preference, but the reported opted for something he could take his time with today - a cappuccino. The noisiness of the coffee shop had yet to bother him, and when he set his cup down again he started typing on the slick plastic keys of his keyboard.
Then everything went black. Bright eyes took in immediate concern as he pressed his finger to the power button a couple of times to no avail. Eyebrows lowered, confusion taking his features when he looked to see if his power cable had come unplugged. It hadn't. "What?" He whispered towards the machine, a hand pressing to the screen to wiggle it slightly, as if that could solve this problem.
Alex Harper
Ask me how I'm doing I'll say okay, but ain't that what we all say?
It was kind of terrible, the reason that Alex frequented coffee shops. More often than not, it was to mess with people and she could typically always tell who it was that deserved it. The people who were rude to the baristas, the ones raising their voice on the phone for no reason whatsoever. She was like a vigilante that no one knew about, although her ways of protecting people were a little unorthodox and probably not for the best.
On rare occasions, however, she found that she could be useful in a way that wasn't tormenting. The sudden voice that bubbled into her mind was the only reason she even knew what was going on. There was always a sort of tinny undertone to an electronic devices voice when it came to her. All she heard was 'Yeah, shake me, that'll really make me want to work. You're a real computer whiz.' Her hand covered her mouth quickly to keep from laughing and she cleared her throat before bringing her cup of coffee to her lips.
She knew she shouldn't laugh, it wasn't his fault that his computer decided to throw a tantrum, they were typically over-dramatic anyway. Alex took a moment before she stood up and walked over, "Uh, hi, sorry to bug you. I just saw that you're computer shutdown and thought I might be able to help? I'm kind of good with electronic devices."
Brodie was by no means a computer expert, and something like this - were his continous attempts to press the power button and wiggle the screen weren't enough - looked like it would have to be brought into a professional. Something he didn't want to have to deal with today. A small groan escaped his lips, as he started to close the laptop all together, but a voice calling his attention stopped him mid act.
His gaze landed on the brunette standing in front of him, eyebrows raising. "Did I really look that troubled?" He tried to joke, gesturing to the empty seat beside him and turning the laptop towards him. "Thank you, it is kind of you to offer. Do you have a drink? I can get you one for the trouble."
Alex Harper
Ask me how I'm doing I'll say okay, but ain't that what we all say?
Alex felt her lips twitch at his joke and she nodded, "Actually, yeah. But I have an acute sense of when someone is about to shake their laptop violently." She'd seen it one too many times and heard the echoes of frustration that came from the devices as they were being shook or poked at repeatedly. Anything to get the voices in her head to quiet down, she was willing to do.
"I'm okay, I had a drink already, and it's really no trouble." Especially as she just needed to tap into her freaky-deeky magic and it would turn on without much trouble. Under her fingertips she could feel it starting to hum and her eyes glazed over as she stared at the screen. It was always weird fixing the computer without actually taking it apart. All she had to do was touch it and it told her the rest. After the brief conversation she had with his computer, she pressed the power button and felt it breathe as if in relief.
Alex blinked and cleared her throat, suddenly aware that she'd just done that in front of someone who could easily have been a mutant hater. "I think the power button was just jammed," It was a poor attempt at cover, but it was all she could think in the moment. Once the screen came back up asking for his login, she slid off of the chair she'd claimed and turned it back to him, "Your work should, uh, should still be there."
Without stepping away to get her a drink, Brodie instead remained in his seat, watching her work. Or rather, stare silently at the computer like she was in some sort of daze. His eyebrows quirked upward when he realized that she must have been a meta - it seemed clear to the reporter who specialized in learning about people. Though he found it brave for her to showcase her ability in front of a complete stranger. Maybe she had yet to experience the hatred people could harbor. She was lucky, if so.
And suddenly, the machine was booting up. His eyes widened as the login screen appeared. "Thank you so much," he replied. The corner of his lip twitched upward. Leaning in a little closer, he let his accented voice drop a little. "Your secret is safe with me."
Then, he extended a hand. "My name is Brodie Grant. Reporter for Stagfort Herald. You just saved my latest article."
Alex's eyes widened when he leaned in closer and gave way that she hadn't done a very good job at covering her tracks. She'd been shut off from the outside for long enough that she'd managed to avoid most hateful acts. Of course, she was tormented for being a robot by her own kind, but she'd never had anything harmful happen to her. She was lucky given the fact that she often caused a lot of problems for people.
She cleared her throat and felt her face burning, "I really need to work on a way to make it look like I'm doing something that's fixing it. Or a better cover story. Like, 'oh would you look at that, I just have a magic touch.' That'd work right?" Alex laughed unsure of herself. More often than not, she only went out to meet with people she knew. It was always odd for her to talk to someone who wasn't aware of her personality flaws.
Her eyes lifted to his and she stared at his outstretched hand when he introduced himself. She took it hesitantly and tried to smile like she was used to shaking someone's hand. "Alex Harper, college student and tech whiz," Her title didn't sound quite as good as his. Nor did she have the accent to make it better. "I'm really glad I could help, uh, even if I was being totally nosy," She laughed again.
Brodie was quick to pick up on the hesitation of contact. He glanced down to his own hand, considering retracting it, but before he could he felt the gentle hold offered to him. Delicate in his own nature, he offered a light shake before retracting his hand and settling it against the table. "Alex Harper," he repeated. "It's a pleasure." He kept a warm smile as he slowly closed the lid of his laptop, offering the girl who saved it his full attention.
"You attend Bellefonte, then?" He asked, curious. Having only been in this town a short time, he had yet to hold a real conversation with one of the students of the school. Dozens of questions ran through his mind. "Do you enjoy it there?"
Alex Harper
Ask me how I'm doing I'll say okay, but ain't that what we all say?
Alex felt a little guarded when she gave him her name. She was by no means shy, and he'd given his. However, with the recent events that had happened to one of her closest friends, she supposed she should probably be a little more careful than she usually was. And he'd not given much away of whether he was one or not. All she knew was that he was a reporter and that was almost as dangerous.
Her eyes remained level with his and she pursed her lips, "That depends, are you interrogating me for an article or is this off the record?" Her lips curled into a bit of a smile. It was a fair question, she thought. Better to know her audience as well as he seemed to want to know his. She wasn't reading much from the laptop now that it was shut, but she had a feeling that she was just being paranoid. It was all part of hearing voices.
Ah, he should have expected this. People so often asked him that question; it was hard to have a genuine conversation with a person without them feeling at least a little guarded that they were talking to someone who could easily publish their words. He smiled, hands rising up to show the young woman her palms before letting them settle in his lap. "I had attended St. Bethany in England," he explained. "I was curious how Bellefonte differed; I've heard stories but never actually met anyone who has attended. I'm fairly new to town."
She was smart to be on the defense though. At least, in this country. Where he attended school, life was quite different. To help put the girl at ease, gestured for her to glance down at the table, and his pen started to gently lift off the table and float. "Gravity." He explained, before the object dropped back on the table.
Alex Harper
Ask me how I'm doing I'll say okay, but ain't that what we all say?
The familiarity of the sister school name struck her and the tension in her shoulders eased. Well, at least that took care of most worries she had. Although, she knew he could have just been name dropping. He was a reporter, what were the odds that he didn't do his research on schools like Bellefonte? Before she could say as much, he gestured down at the table and her eyes followed to where his pen started lifting in the air.
Alex's eyes widened and she had to laugh, "Well, now that you've just shown me up as far as abilities go, I guess I can stand to answer some questions." She chewed on her lip and took the seat across from him again, folding her hands in front of her to rest on the table. "You want to know how Bellefonte differs from schools like the one you went to?" Alex didn't think she was the best for the job to explain what Bellefonte was like. She and her brother didn't have the normal student life that most others did.
"It's not a bad school, I mean, okay the community surrounding it isn't perfect still, but that's to be expected right?" There was no place on Earth that could be completely safe for them. There was too much prejudice and fear and ignorance in the world for it to be safe. "They do their best though, with what they're given. And I think it's sort of cool that the trainers take into consideration the more extreme mutations and deal accordingly. Like, my brother, he's a human lie detector and he can't be around people very much so we both kind of got sheltered from everyone." She noted that she was beginning to ramble and she stopped, pressing her lips together into a tight line, "Sorry. Lots of information all at once."
It was surprisingly easy to get the girl to talk, and Brodie's eyebrows shot up as she started off on what seemed like a tangent. This was completely off the record, but he was sure to keep up and listen carefully. It was still important information to hold onto, and he was genuinely curious about a student's perspective of the US institute. His hands folded together on the table, letting her continue going until she came to a stop.
What stood out to him the most was that it seemed normal that a community couldn't be accepting of the bustling meta population. Still, he smiled. "It's quite alright. You'll find I'm an exceptional listener." It was part of his skill set, after all.
"Sheltered?" He wondered if it was the best approach, but did well to hide the thought from his tone. "That must have been hard growing up without much contact to the outside world."
Alex Harper
Ask me how I'm doing I'll say okay, but ain't that what we all say?
Alex realized she was probably more biased against non-metas than most might be. Her history was proof that people were less than accepting of metas which was probably the biggest reason she allowed herself to be more sheltered from the rest of the world than others were.
"It sounds worse than it is, although I suppose it explains why I'm terrible with social interaction," She laughed. Her mouth often worked as fast as her brain did and it was harder for her to slow down. There were two extremes to her, one that talked nonstop without a break for breathing or the other, complete silence. The only two people that she socialized with knew that much about her, but Sam and Emmett had been part of her life for a long enough time to see it.
Alex chewed on the inside of her cheek, "It was just easier to keep Sam away from people. And I guess I lumped myself with him because we're twins and I just, I'm really protective of my brother."
This girl still had a lot of information to get out, and Brodie continued to listen, sure to give every sign of his interest. She seemed to be self-conscious of the fact, and he had no desire to make her feel uncomfortable over what he felt like was a normal conversation. Perhaps it was because he was far more used to listening than talking in the first place. "You seem to be doing fine to me," he reassured as she stated she couldn't socialize.
At the mention of Sam - who he assumed was the aforementioned brother - he smiled. "I imagine you two are very close then. My brother is protective of me as well, and we're not even twins." They didn't even share the same blood, but that hardly mattered to him. "He kept bullies off of me when I was a student."
Alex Harper
Ask me how I'm doing I'll say okay, but ain't that what we all say?
The comparison he drew to his own brother made Alex feel better still. It was the same kind of thing that she did for Sam, it was just something she did for anyone she cared about. Alex grew up a protector, but she wasn't sure where it stemmed from because it had started long before her and Sam manifested.
"That's what I did for my brother, too. He's about as small as I am," She had to laugh because she could hear Sam in her head defending his frailty. But he wasn't the strong type in most ways, not that she was either. "Which one of you is older?" Alex was so interested in getting to know more about someone who could relate to her on a level that she was unfamiliar with. She realized that he was probably used to asking the questions, but wasn't that how conversations worked? Going back and forth, learning new things? It was a little new to her still.
Given the fact that she had said that she wasn't good with social interactions, she seemed to be doing well. He smiled when they found a similarity, especially in one that seemed to put the girl at ease. Talking about family could do that to a person. "He's a little older than me, though only by a few months." Given the fact that they hadn't met until they were both young teenagers, it didn't hold too much over their relationship. "I'll still say I'm the more mature one, though." He laughed a little at the idea of how Eli would respond to the idea of that.
"I'm sure he appreciates what you do for him." Brodie continued. "I know that even though I didn't always show it, I knew he had my back. It's a comfort."
