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Rowan smiled as the man fondly ruffled the dog's fur. Rowan liked animals, and the border collie in the back was adorable and soft. And he smiled brightly when Mister Foster nodded confirmation to having a bath. He laughed a little about her ending up in mud pits all the time. His expression turned to a dejected one. As quiet as he was, he was more than expressive enough in his emotions and facial expression. "N-No... p-parents were allergic..." His face brightened again though. "But I u-used to w-walk through a park on th-the way home f-from school, and th-there was this g-golden retriever called Aki, his owner w-was nice, so I g-g-got to play with Aki whenever I saw them. P-Parents kept reminding me a-about stranger danger th-though... but it w-was understandable." Rowan smiled at the memories of him and Aki.
Rowan gave a small smile and hopped in when he was told to. His smile brightened and his eyes lit up when he noticed the collie in the back. More dogs! It seemed like everyone owned one. "I-Is that your dog? Cute." Rowan put his belt on but still twisted in his seat to look at the collie. "Border Collie's were bred to herd flock on the border between Scotland and England. They're also energetic with high stamina, making them good competition dogs." Rowan stared at the dog's coat. "His coat is really shiny, has he been bathed recently?" Rowan turned back in the chair and looked at Mister Foster.
He nodded. "Alright." He smiled slightly. He wanted to improve, and he knew time and patience, but he still wished he'd have done better than that. But he was happy that Miss Arazi was his teacher. She was nice and patient and the dogs too. So as long as they believed in him, he believed in himself. He gathered his things and returned the now empty smoothie bottle she had given him earlier that session. He headed to the door, ready to leave, pausing a moment before turning back and walking over to Jodie to give her a hug and ruffle her fur, then gave Miss Arazi a hug too. As awkward as it may have been, that was to let them know he appreciated the help and that he trusted and liked them, not only that, it also meant a small, tiny, step to improving his nerves as well. After that he left the training rooms and made his way to his next destination.
He waited for her and the dogs to turn away. Then he lightly stepped into the corner away from where she could see. He took a deep breath and focused. He focused on manipulating the shadows, and he focused on turning invisible. A smokey effect at his feet. A little stronger than before. But easier. He was getting somewhere, that was always a good sign. He tried again. The effect made it around his ankles. That's a little better. He was getting there, but still not enough to replicate the turning invisible thing. He kept trying though. Getting slightly better with each attempt, but he had to stop again. He stepped away from the corner, and grabbed the smoothie bottle he had been given before and took a mouthful before looking at his trainer. "S-slightly better. The effect is at my ankles now." He smiled slightly. He would get there, he knew. It would just take time. Time and practice.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry! I just... uhm... I just n-n-noticed you drawing and uhm..." Rowan squeaked, taking a few paces back. People really weren't his strong suit, and neither was calming his nerves or stutter. "Your art.... i-i-it's really nice..." Rowan added kind of dejectedly. He really had to find a better way to approach certain people. But being young and trying to find people of his caliber wasn't exactly an easy thing to do. He just smiled awkwardly and politely, not sure what else to say.
The door was shut and Mister Foster was already heading down the hall. Rowan kept pace, if not a few steps behind the man. He pulled the hood of his jacket up as they walked through the halls and stepped out into the clouded sun. It was cool. That was good. He hated it when it was too hot or too sunny. He was still following Mister Foster. and listened in silence as the man began to talk again. So... they were basically just two dudes hanging out when the need arose? That was fine. He could handle that, well, he thought he could. Then came the first somewhat direct question. Him talking. Not really. Not unless it was necessary. He figured he did fairly well with Miss Arazi, his trainer. But they had a few things to bond over. Though other students were the trouble. He could barely find one his age, not that it mattered much to him anyway. "N-n-no sir... N-not often." Rowan shrugged shoving his hands in his pockets, peering up at Mister Foster.
During one of his moments of glancing around, his eyes fell upon a girl who was in another secluded part of the cafeteria. She seemed to be listening to music and had paper sprawled around her, with what looked to be pictures. His curiosity piqued, he got up and walked over to her. Gently tapping her on the shoulder so not to scare her... much. "Uhm... h-h-hi. I c-c-couldn't help but n-n-n-notice that you're drawing." He looked over some of the pictures, but was sure not to stare too much, as an artist himself, he knew that art was sacred, and should not be looked at without permission, he knew he hated it when people did that to him. So he just stood patiently waiting for her to notice his presence and respond.
Rowan offered a small smile then furrowed his eyes a bit at his comment about humans. "W-W-Well... we're kind of d-d-d-doomed anyway... Humans are... o-obsessed with p-power and control..." Rowan shrugged. "But... a-a-as long as th-there are those p-people that fight on the o-o-opposing wing, we s-stand a chance at p-preservation." Rowan added looking back up at the male across from him. "A-a-art is... sp-special. It's a w-w-window to many other w-w-worlds... it c-c-can give off an air of s-safety and comfort, an outlet to rage, it gives an honest outlook of the mind from which it came. There's no lies in art, only feeling. Be it music, drawing, photography, writing... there's always a certain honesty about the subject it portrays." His stutter seemed to drop halfway through his rant about art, but he didn't seem to notice it stopped. "I've been drawing since I was little. I've been pursuing the arts my whole life." He frowned again biting his lip. "Though... I used to get bullied for it, but it never stopped me. I like it too much to give it up. As I said, there's no lying in art, so I like putting my time into it." Rowan smiled.
Rowan just watched him as he made his way back to the desk. So... the councilor hadn't looked at his file? Wasn't he supposed to though? Not that it mattered, apparently, as the man continued to explain. So... when they met or talked, they were just going to get to know each other? That was it? Rowan usually found that most psychologists/psychiatrists/councilors made this a lot more difficult than it should have been. This was a refreshing take on the position the two were in, it was good, if not a little straight forward. But honesty was a valuable virtue, especially to him. It took a moment or two to realise that Mister Foster was at the door holding it open and saying something again.
Rowan got to his feet and silently made his way to the open door. So... the councilor hated offices, and was apparently hungry? That was a first. Most loved offices and the organised way they worked. It was an odd habit they had. People had odd habits and he wondered what his was. Mister Foster didn't seem all that bad, he was different to others, that was good. Rowan would know, he'd seen a few in his schools, them all trying to help him with his stutter and his nerves, all giving up, and none caring enough to give the boy a chance. Rowan stepped into the hallway and turned to face Mister Foster and wait for him.
Natalie had handed him a granola bar as well. He took it with a smile and thanks. She was looking after him, that was great.After he had finished eating and drinking, he but the rubbish in the bin in the corner of the room, and the bottle on the table that was in there. He rolled out his muscles, shaking off the stiffness and took a breath. "Perhaps...perhaps if you look over there." Rowan pointed to the corner of the room. "And I try to turn invisible somewhere out of your line of sight?" Rowan suggested. There were plenty of shadows he could use. There was no difference in causing them to smoke around him and manipulating them on a wall right? Yes, he had failed just before, but he figured the should be no difference in wrapping them around him and warping their shapes on a surface.
The man's sudden movement, mixed with the sound of his feet hitting the ground, and narrowed eyes, made Rowan flinch back with a squeak. "I-I didn't uhm..." He stopped when the other had started to speak. This was definitely the counselor right? Well, it appeared so by the sign on the door, and the fact the the man was welcoming him in. Rowan stepped lightly further into the room closing the door behind him. "Y-Yes, I'm Rowan." He walked over to the chair and took a seat. Even though there was not much to look at, and he had already looked around the room, he couldn't help but gaze around. It was so... simple and kind of unnerving. The boy's eyes soon refocused on the man in front of him though. It was rude to look away from someone when in conversation (even one as small as currently).
The halls were oddly crowded for an office area, and it did nothing for his nerves. Due to these nerves, after being dragged away from home and thrust into training pretty much on his first day, and having met a few other people in-between, he was told that seeing the counselor was probably the best next step. From what he was told, he wasn't exactly a counselor that dealt with issues per se, but did help one become more accustomed. Well, that's what he was told anyway. He was simply given directions to the office and told to be on his way. He had no idea what to expect. His hood, as per usual, was up, hiding his face as nervous blue eyes darted around looking at names on doors. He was looking for a Kyle Foster.
He eventually found the office he was looking for, he peeked in then stepped inside, he took a moment to look around. It seemed... empty. Just the white walls, filing cabinet and computer. Along with a man sitting his feet propped up on the desk. Rowan awkwardly lowered the hood of his jacket and coughed lightly to try and get the man's attention. He had no idea what to expect from the individual, and just by the appearance, he was slightly intimidated, but he knew better than to judge a book by it's cover.
Rowan took the offered bottle with a smile. "Thanks. I like smoothies." He nodded at miss Arazi. He took a sip of it. So first day wasn't so bad so far. He liked his trainer, and honestly wouldn't ask for anyone else. "Miss Arazi? A-Are you gonna be my trainer for the rest of my time here?" He looked at her with his bright blue eyes. "I hope so... Because I like you, I feel comfortable with you, and Jodie and Oz, can't forget them." He smiled warmly at the two dogs.
He tried several more times, with the same result, only lasting a little longer than the last. It was progression at least. But it'd take a little more time and a little more practice, it was draining on his energy after all. He stopped after what seemed to be the tenth attempt and sat down for a moment to take a break, feeling a little tired after that. "P-perhaps it would be b-better if you weren't l-looking... but I need to rest for a moment..."
One thing he noticed about Bellefonte was noise. Not that it could be helped as a school going right up to college years and as a school for the gifted. But... it also annoyed him. The library was full, the dorms were boring at times. And everybody was always talking with someone. Either someone new, or an old friend. There was always someone. Rowan had met a few of these someone's himself. But he wasn't going to make a habit of stopping in the middle of the hallway for break time catch up. Oddly enough, as he passed the cafeteria, it was relatively quiet. Sure there were still students milling about, but talk was quiet. Quiet... good. He stepped in lightly finding a table to sit at by himself, though the table did have a few other students at it, it wasn't bothering him. He pulled out a sketchbook, and looked around the cafeteria.
