Issue 1 Downtime

In the middle of night, Steve found himself sitting on the common room couch, staring up at the ceiling as he idly tossed a miniature football into the air. The nightmare he had had ever since his attack had been especially bad this evening and he just couldn't will himself to go back to sleep. He had turned the television on, but his mind was far too occupied to really pay it any attention.

A sudden flash from someone's dream made him jerk and the ball went flying off somewhere.

Damnit...

There was a slapping sound as a hand closed around the runaway ball.

"...get away from you?" A girl's voice said from the doorway.

All of which seemed to startle a person walking into the common room from the other direction. She looks confused and in the darkness and the flimmering of the TV as the only light-source her white hair almost seems to be glowing.

"Oh."

"Sorry..." he said as he got up to regard Brigid.

"I was just... well telepathy sucks."

"It's alright," she said as she threw it back to him. She wasn't Bear, but she was a pretty good toss.

"Hey there, Ashlie. Couldn't sleep?"

"Jetlag." she lies. "But I don't sleep much anyway."

He caught the ball easily.

Good arm...

"You just got here too huh?" he asked Ashlie.

She nods and sits down on the couch.

"Lot of us are pretty new, it's nothing to worry about. I just met Ashlie earlier."

"Nice to meet you both," he smiled tiredly, yawning very slightly as he sat back down, "Name's Steve."

"Hello Steve."

"Why does telepathy suck?"

"Unintentionally seeing other people's thoughts is... distracting at best."

"I don't think anyone's really used to their powers, here."

"Yeah. I'm getting that impression," he said, beginning to tire of hearing the sentiment.

"Sorry. Just... seemed worth saying, yeah? I'm Brigid."

"Oh I understand distraction." she nods. "I'm doing okay with mine though." she says, thinking maybe a positive example might cheer Steve up.

He looked slightly annoyed by Ashlie.

Good to know.

"And yours are?"

Why didn't that work?

Ashlie blinks and the TV changes channels. Though the one it switches to seems to just display text.

Code: Select all

I did not mean to brag :(

He saw the screen change and blinked.

"Impressive... and it's... okay I guess. Don't... worry about it."

"I'm a technopath. I'm more used to computers."

"And my power is tactile... er, somethingorother."

"I know how to use things when I pick them up."

"See, now why couldn't I have one of those?"

Ashlie narrows her eyes in concentration.

"That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It was," he nodded.

"Oh good." she smiles.

"It's just... mind powers? Never saw that coming."

"Nobody gets to pick, yeah?"

"Obviously not."

He was silent for a moment.

"So... is insomnia a regular thing around here?"

"Mostly because of my roommate. She gets nightmares."

"Yeah... nightmares..." he shuddered, "That'd be my reason."

"...you alright?"

"I... don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure? I heard it helps."

"I get that we're all in the same boat here, but frankly I don't know either of you well enough."

And I thought I knew Pete.

"That's fair. Just... don't think you have to tough it out alone, yeah?"

"Yeah," he nodded before yawning. "Man... I think I'm starting to crash here. Stupid physical need for sleep."