[Ashley Shepherd]

The 'school' portion of being in college was the easy part.  Ashley, in spite of being a 24 year old sophomore with a still undeclared major, found studying, book work, class assignments and exams to come naturally.  Although there were times when her education had been drastically slowed due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, she still found comfort in the academic process.  What she really had trouble adjusting to was being thrust out into the general population of students.  Everything was much louder than she was used to and the distractions came at a breakneck pace.  Still, there was always the relative peace that could be grasped from within the pages of a textbook.

It had been merely a week since Ashley had joined a 'normal' college English class.  She kept to herself for the most part, opting to remain quiet during discussions and never raising her hand when the class was posed with a question.  To most onlookers she seemed a usual staple of the Bellefonte college scene; merely a new student attempting to come to grips with the strange life mutants led, though the truth wasn't quite so simple.  Regardless, she wasn't the first new student to come off as shy and reserved and would likely not be the last.

When lunch rolled around on a typical, sluggish Monday, Ashley made her way to the cafeteria.  Thankfully her day of classes was over, what with her only afternoon class being cancelled at the last minute by the professor.  She breathed a small sigh of relief as she stepped into the crowded lunchroom.  There was something oddly comforting about the anonymity found within the bustling sea of humanity.  Everyone was so busy with their own business she could slip by with nary a glance from her fellow students.  After filling her tray with a few pieces of fruit and a simple turkey sandwich wrapped in plastic, Ashley made her way through the small clusters of students to the nearest empty table and claimed a seat.  It wasn't the best table, as it was located closer to the center of the room, rather than off to one side where she could easily look out over the crowd, but it would do.  Regardless of its position the table would allow Ashley to partake in one of her favorite passtimes:  people watching.

[Isaac Williams]

He'd noticed her before: The way she seemed to always be alone, stuck in a bubble of deep thought. Few seemed to approach her, too, and the more he studied her, the less he understood why. He supposed it wasn't really his problem. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy who anyone would have as their first choice for friendship. And yet, he still moved over to her table and sat down.

Blue eyes studying her face: He could see her thoughts churning. He could see the cogwheels moving. There was a lot of things going on within those striking blue eyes. More than others noticed, it seemed.

"Hi." He offered, propping his elbows against the table and leaned forward. "What's up?"

[Ashley Shepherd]

Startling, azure eyes darted up from the tray of food in front of them to the stranger who was now sitting across the table. Ashley's brow furrowed as she noticeably studied the young man. She recognized him from her English class, though the two had exchanged nary a word making his sudden presence a curiosity, to say the least. Her gaze fell as it became apparent she was beginning to over think the situation. She hadn't isolated herself from her fellow students due to shyness or a lack of social graces. In fact, she could remember a time not so long ago when she was as outgoing and friendly as anyone. Quickly though she became strikingly aware of the long pause that had followed Isaac's simple greeting.

"Oh, uh, hi." Came the equally simple reply. Ashley took a deep breath, seemingly scolding herself with a shake of her head before a smile touched her features and those brilliant eyes of hers finally settled upon her surprising lunch companion. "Isaac, right?" She said, her voice clear and confident. She wasn't nervous or apprehensive at talking with the stranger. On the contrary she seemed almost intrigued by the situation.

[Isaac Williams]

The silence seemed to stretch between the two, and once again, Isaac could see the cogwheels move about the young woman's mind. He supposed it wasn't such a weird thing, for someone to be taken aback when she clearly wasn't approached much. Though, for all he knew, she was the most damn popular girl at school. He looked around then and somehow doubted that to be true.

"Yeah." He said, nodding. "Though, I hate to admit that your name have escaped me." He offered a slight shrug at that. He supposed he was a little surprised she wasn't a stuttering mess. Most of the loners he came across seemed to be shy wallflowers. He was glad to find himself mistaken in his assumption.