⁺☆ Rooftop

@ᴴ cai xukun Lisa felt sick to her stomach. She knew how to calm her nerves, both the physiological way and the substance ways They had taught her, but she could not and did not shake the empty stomach pit that dug itself so fast when she came into her room after hitting the gym. She had found a note while she was drying up under her pillow. Both of her roommates weren't present, and at first she thought it would be from them. Wrong. Dead wrong. "25411, meet me on the roof to talk." No one knew her digits. No one, except the people she was working for.

She had suspected for a period of time that while she was being sent away from Thailand to this school in Korea, she would be watched. Though they and trained and drilled into her for years, and she had gained some amount of trust and they had the leverage, this was a long term field mission, and she was by herself. So check ups were expected. What had crossed her mind though was the possibility that they would send a physical person to watch her. Maybe someone with a cloaking or teleportation ability that could be hidden in the radar but able to watch her from a distance and make sure she wasn't lolly gagging. After all, she had to send reports of herself in various ways so that New Hero's wouldn't be able to track or hack the intell, and so consistency was not a possibility. Plus, someone could check to make sure she was accurate in her self reporting.

Still, she wanted news of her siblings. Pictures, something. Asnee had started training and schooling, and she wanted to make sure he was doing ok while taking care of the rest of the siblings. His birthday would be in a couple short weeks and she wanted to send her gift to him. She had brought it with her, keeping it in her pocket until the timing was right. She got to the stairs that lead to the rooftop, climbing up them with heavy legs. 'Focus, reset' she told herself. She needed her composure to be as cool and as guarded as possible. She had been working as slow as possible without suspicion- she was glad the group had given away that someone was keeping eyes on her early, so she would be sure how to keep up the act. She needed to be prepared for anything they were going to say. She turned her heart cold and with a wall mentally, before she took a deep breathe, and opened up the metal door to the roof.

Upon stepping out in the late afternoon, the sun setting and almost gone as the stars were trying to appear. She looked around to any sign of life, waiting in anticipation of her groups presence with her hands in her pockets, and her ears listening closely.

@ˢ catherine chi He felt a feeling of relief sweep over him, grateful that she was one to have had the same struggles as he did in terms of practicing. He was somewhat tired of hearing people who never had to worry about his issues, saying that they had went through the same thing; people who had easy control over their powers and got things right on the first or second try.
Yangyang gave a soft nod, taking a leap of faith by believing her again when she said she’d stop if he told her to. “Thank you, really,” he muttered quietly, but sure it was still loud enough for her to hear. His hand retreated back to his side as he wiped his palm against the concrete, trying to collect his thoughts once again.

His favorite place? He allowed a hum to escape from him while he thought. There weren’t many places Yangyang could say he enjoyed being at, his childhood mostly consisting of hiding, training and studying. But even amongst those things, there were small snippets and moments where he was able to see the world for what it was, without having to worry about anything else. Allowing his gaze to meet her’s again for the second time, after trailing his eyes up to the sky as he wracked his brain for a response, he sighed out, “I really liked living in Germany. More specifically, the house we lived in for a few years that had this huge backyard. The grass was so green and we had a white fence so high, I always imagined the days I would grow tall enough to finally be able to look over it. In the summer, the flowers were at their brightest and it was so hot it made me feel like I could reach out and touch the sun myself.”

Yangyang continued, “I was really busy with other things as a kid, so I could only have time to myself for two hours. One hour in the morning and one hour after dinner. I spent both of them in our backyard and it was one of the few moments where I felt like I didn’t have a care in the world.” Unconsciously, his smile slightly widened at the memory while he tapped the tips of his fingers on the ground beneath them. “If this place isn’t good enough, I can try to think of another one.”

@ᴴ liu yangyang "I had a similar issue when I first started training." Catherine agreed, using one of her hands to brush back her two-toned locks. "I'd try again and again for hours and once I thought I got it, it fell apart."

One. Two. Three. Try again. Try again. You have this. Breathe. Focus. One at a time. Focus. The faint sound of her father's voice in her ear disturbed her thoughts. Everyday after her powers came into being, he would have her outside their bus practicing her skills. One day it might be nothing but reading the thoughts of show patrons. Another day it was finding a woman's favorite cookie flavor that she decided on when she was 7. And others, it was creating illusions based on her own memories. Instead of reading someone's current thoughts, she'd find a side thought from hours earlier about someone good-looking they saw at the mall. Instead of the cookie flavor, she'd found their worst fear. And as for the illusions, she'd instead find herself in a living version of her nightmares. There were many days where her father would have to break into her illusion and pull her back out of her head. It wasn't fun.

A sheepish smile graces her full lips when she sees the boy smile, using it to give her the strength to keep going with this. She wanted him to do better than she did when she trained. Her dark eyes watched his movements as he made an attempt to grasp her outstretched hand, only to retract it and bring it back out again. How odd. "I can see your hesitation. I'm not going to harm you in any way and if at any point you tell me to stop, I'll stop." She explained to try and reassure him further, gently squeezing his hand in her oan and shaking it. "It's very nice to meet you too, Yangyang." She nodded as she released his hand, returning her own into her lap. "Now, please tell me about your favorite place in the world. Or one of them, if you have several."

@ᴴ jeon jungkook seeing jungkook right in front of him was a stun for mingi. after all, he had been thinking about his best friend not too long ago, and that was what brought him to the rooftop in the first place. when the darkness parted from jungkook, revealing the boy he'd known for a long time now and that he had been so close to, mingi felt his chest swell. standing before him, mingi never thought he'd see jungkook again. after all, the world was constantly torn between those with powers and those without. who knew if they had ever been able to see each other again, unless it was in war? in the midst of his thoughts, mingi didn't make the one connection that he should have. he was just happy to see his friend.

"i never thought i'd see you again, oh my god." mingi mumbled, his deep voice rumbling as he tossed his arms around jungkook. he was a little bit taller still, and he knew that they both still had time to grow. mingi was the younger of the two, but even so he almost felt at home with jungkook there with him. pulling away from the hug, mingi's brows furrowed slightly before a wide smile broke over his lips. "yeah! can you believe it, i found out like... two, three weeks ago. i can fricken control /time/, man!" the enthusiasm was evident in his voice, and a deep laugh followed his words. however, even that sound trailed off. "hold on... why are /you/ here? you... you have powers?"

@ˢ catherine chi Yangyang stared back at the girl in front of him, trying his best to not fidget so much under her gaze. It was interesting to him; he didn’t really know her and it was obvious she didn’t know him either. Yet and still, here she sat, willingly to help with an issue that’s been bothering him for years. He admired that. Most people would’ve probably just felt sorry for him and went somewhere else to be.

As he listened further to her as she explained her abilities, his mouth opened slightly to form an ‘o’ and his eyebrows furrowed together. He had never heard of anyone who could do what she could, not even in the books he studied, which was very impressive considering how much he has read. Upon hearing that she can read others thoughts, he couldn’t help the slight spike of his adrenaline, thinking that maybe she heard all his stupid worries upon her arrival. But just as quick as Yangyang got nervous, one of his hands clutched his chest, as a way of saying he was thankful that she wasn’t operating that power right at that moment. She could’ve been lying for all he knew, but something about the way she looked and spoke to him told him otherwise.

“I have,” he admitted with a slight sigh. His hand that held onto his chest, dropped back into his lap. “I just get a little upset that no matter how hard I practice, there seems to be very little progress.”

The sincerity in her voice was enough to keep his smile elevated and even pull a light rumble of vibrations from his throat, that sufficed as a chuckle. Somewhat hesitantly deciding to take up her offer, he slowly lifted a hand, it noticeably shaking the closer it got in the proximity of her own. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly and pausing, he clenched his hand into a fist to try and stop his hand from shaking so badly, almost instinctively retracting it. “She is here to help and it’s never bad to ask for help,” he reminded himself. Finally unclenching his hand after a few moments, the male placed his hand in Catherine's, his eyes blinking open to accompany her’s once again.

“I’m Yangyang,” he breathed out shakily, his smile much more sheepish than the first one she received. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

@ᴴ chittaphon leechaiyakul Tiffany watched him contently, her head tilting to the side in a relaxed manner as she listened to him explain his side of the change in name. Her hair gently moved from her back to in front of her shoulder due to the way she leaned her body from her sitting position. She thought about asking if Ten preferred her to call him by his birth name, but then desided internally to wait for a later date. Names had their own significance, as she knew herself since her birth name is Stephanie instead of Tiffany. She herself didn't have very many close friends - co worker friends and friends who made an effort to spend time outside of work were two different categories - but for the people who really, really knew her were among just her family. Even then, she didn't like when people called her Stephanie, because that name was linked to her mom and... that was too painful. Even if Ten didn't have the same negative feeling with his name, she understood that Ten was his name which had created a wall on his heart, and she didn't have the right to knock it down unless he granted permission.

Another strong gust of wind blew over the top of the building, hitting the pair on the roof, wiping their faces and clothes for a couple short seconds. Since the temperature was dropping fast due to the winter season, it was already pretty cold. Tiffany had a jacket, which she around for her zipper to pull it tighter up, before sticking her pale hands back into the safety of her pockets. The cold didn't bother her too much, as she really enjoyed spending her days outdoors, hot or cold, just feeling the earth move around her entity. The nipping at her cheeks and nose she invited. If she was meant to feel everything, than let her feel every thing.

She watched Ten stand and move, not rushing to stand up if he was leaving, but calmly he brought over a metal trashcan to be on the ground between them. She looked to him calmly, wondering what he wanted to do. Her lips parted just slightly as Ten reached out to the can, lighting a paper she hadn't seen with just his touch, creating a fire inside the metal can. She blinked in surprise of the great "woosh" the flames made upon entry, but welcomed the fire gladly as she took out her hands from her pockets and pressed them against the hot air. "Thank you," she said, sending a nod Ten's way as her lips smoothed a small smile in relief of some warmth. If you have powers at a school full of powers, you should learn to use them. Ten may not be following the school handbook all the time, but she understood expression. We all needed it, and she wanted Ten to know she wasn't here to judge his art form.

She could sense before she looked up his annoyance at her music comment, and she looked up to catch him watching her with a unaffectionate expression. The reflective flames in his eyes showed the guard even better, though it honestly wasn't too bad to Tiffany's mind. She softened a bit under his accusation, but it didn't read too much on her face as she cooly shook her head. "Nope. Just agreeing with your current genre taste. What else do you listen to?" she offered another question, happy that they were able to hold a conversation. Her mind was open as she sinked herself into the present.

She was catching herself was thinking a lot about being present while they talked, constantly having to remind herself. She knows she's an introvert with some extrovert abilities, but again emphasis on introvert, on top of the fact she wanted herself to make a good impression. But then again, she was human like everyone else, and if you live by others acceptance, you'll die by their rejection. It wasn't about Ten approving of her and her skills, it was about a human to human connection, which meant flaws on both sides, not just his which many knew of. She came with stuff to, and she wanted to show him that. So, she shut of her inside thoughts, making the decision from here on to just go with whatever first comes to herself.

Ten called bs on her again, with the wall and attitude, also already annoyed with her "sorry's". She turned her hands over so the flames could warm the back parts and some of her exposed forearm. She made eye contact with him again, calmly being attentive until she could speak. "Like I said, I want to get to know you, not for what other people say but for who you actually are. And to to become your friend, but, I don't expect you to become or want that immdeitly, so I can just support you like one, even if it's a one way street." she explained in a bit more detail, as she scooted her left leg to perch itself on the rail, giving her a knee to rest her lazy arm on while she warmed up. "My work hours are over for today and the school didn't ask me to talk with you. The school doesn't have that much extra money anyways since most goes into security," Tiffany thought about all of the hacking and cyber security that went into keeping most of the students and staff untraceable to being in this area of the state, and being able to consistently keep up with the rising technology trying to combat any hero or villian activity. "Graduating is up to you. I'm not you teacher so I don't have any power in persuading the board." she finished with that, turning her head toward the sun as it glowed a deep orange. In short minutes it was already 1/3 of the way gone as it sunk into the mountain line. Stars were slowly appearing into the purple parts that were turning black while the light dissapeared. Another good reason to have lit the bonfire, so that they could still see one another.

@ˢ song mingi jungkook had seen some interesting and unbelievable things in his lifetime thanks to his powers, but this was probably the most surprising thing to ever happen to him. so it's pretty understandable when he freezes in his place and even holds his breath when the shadowy figure before was the last person he would ever see in his lifetime. there's only a few yards of a distance between them, but even in the dark night, it's clear to him that the fellow before him was his old best friend. "mingi?" the name comes out in a hushed whisper. without another word, he takes a few hesitant steps forward on the concrete floor of the rooftop. when the gap between the only two humans on the roof lessens to only a few inches, he first takes off his hat to get a clearer view at the taller individual and slowly reaches out a hand. he places a grip on the other's shoulder as if to check if he was real. jungkook glances at the lean face before him for once more reassurance that it's actually him. then, without missing a beat, he throws his arms around the latter into a strong embrace. "it really is you."

for the first time since his arrival at nha, jungkook felt emotions of warmth swarm through his mind. letting go of the tight hug, he stepped back and gripped the sides of mingi's arms. his heart warmed at the sight of the one person in his life who had actual faith in him, but how was he here? a scoff rose from the back of his throat in disbelief. "what the hell are you doing here?" he paused to hear a response, but before he could receive one, various thoughts raced through his head. if mingi was here...at nha....then that means.. shocked, he let go of the other's arms and stared at him with a look of confusion. "you have powers?!"

@ᴴ liu yangyang Had she scared him? Was he uncomfortable now? Catherine's eyes scanned over the boy's features for answers but finding none. Dammit. She really needed to learn how to read people without the use of her powers. After their appearance, they became a crutch and later a curse. There were times more often than not that she'd use them without realizing it and find herself in rather awkward situations.

"I have the ability to create illusions. They can only be done towards one target at this point, but they can be very elaborate. Perhaps I could use my ability to both keep you calm as well as give you something to focus on for your manifestation." She elaborated as calmly and evenly as she could, hoping to sound sincere despite her nervousness. "I can also read minds and memories and though I haven't read any of your specific thoughts, I can tell you're thinking quite a bit right now." She continued, resting her hands upon her lap.

"That's alright. I was never a fast learner either. I'm still not, actually." Rosy lips part in a soft smile as she meets the boy's eyes. "Best or worst, you're not wasting my time. I wouldn't have come over here if I thought it would be a waste. Even lost causes can find their way with a little bit of help. So will you let me?" She holds a hand out to him, silently hoping he'll take it but preparing herself in case he didn't. It would hurt, yes, but she'd have to get over it. "I'm Catherine by the way."

@ᴴ jeon jungkook ever since mingi made it to the school, he was mostly alone. well, save for the one guy that took a liking to him and a couple of kids that seemed to look at themselves like they're high and mighty. without his brother there, mingi was back to feeling like he was out of place. like he didn't belong. back in school, he had a similar situation. he had one friend, his best friend, and his brother to protect him. now? he had one friend, no brother, and the memory of a friend he didn't expect to ever see again. it was a bit painful, when he had to let him go. but mingi moved on, and then he had to deal with his powers. powers he didn't even know he had until just a few weeks ago, when he saved himself the pain of being late to work. that's what got him to the school, and away from everyone and everything he knew.

it was thoughts of the past, his high school days, that brought mingi to the rooftop. he snuck out after curfew, something he was sure he'd get in trouble for later once he was caught, and managed to easily make his way up the stairs. he was lounging back, looking up at the stars for a long time, reminiscing about his friend, before he began to doze off. and for a while, mingi laid there on the ground - which probably wasn't good for his back - and slept. he only woke when he thought he heard noises. listening to what he thought was a familiar voice, mingi managed to sit up, pushing himself up to look over the area in front of him. "jungkook?" the boy kept speaking, the voice drilling into his senses. there's no way that wasn't his best friend. "jungkook is that you? i'm - i'm right here." looking up to what seemed like a mass of darkness, mingi stood there for a moment, wondering if he was hallucinating. he really wouldn't put it past himself. "it's me, mingi... is that /really/ you?"

@ˢ catherine chi Yangyang tried his best to mentally remind himself that all he needed was more practice. But just how much? How much and how long did he have to practice for him to have down the basics? How much longer did he have to keep embarrassing himself before he could even be considered a decent rookie? Sure, there were “impressive” things he could do without them, but what did it matter if he could barely control them? That only made the things others considered impressive all the more dangerous. The more he sat around thinking about it, the more pathetic he began to find himself.

Just as he was about to get up and find somewhere else to sulk, the sound of someone sitting in front of him made him jump slightly, forcing his eyes open. There sat a girl, one he couldn’t remember ever seeing around the school before nor remembering if they ever had a conversation. Regardless of how much she had frightened him and how unfamiliar her company was, he still remained in place and listened to her as she spoke comforting words of wisdom.

“How could you help?” he asked her, voice full of curiosity and not a trace of sarcasm or mockery.
Worry danced upon his features. How much of his failure had she seen? Even though he was desperate for any way to be able to control his powers, he’d hate for someone, anyone, to feel sorry for a loser like him when they could be doing much more important activities. But, what did he have to lose at this point? So what if she seen him as a loser? His desperation was becoming thicker than he anticipated it would as he shifted in his spot, sitting so that his weight was no longer supported by his knees.

“I’m not exactly a fast learner, so I don’t know if I’d be the best person to waste your time with,” Yangyang gave a slight smile as he spoke quietly, followed by a soft shrug. “I’m a lost cause.”

@ᴴ liu yangyang Love. Hate. Success. Failure. Torment. Triumph. The book in her arms held all of this and more and Catherine couldn't wait to bury herself within the elaborate storyline. It was part of a series she'd started years ago and had just /now/ caught up on. Though she knew most wouldn't enjoy some of the cheesier aspects, she still enjoyed it all the same. So with some pep in her step and a good beat in her ears, she made her way up the stairwell towards the rooftop. If she wanted to be free to laugh and cry and get angry, she might as well be somewhere where no one could laugh at her. She'd experienced embarrassment from her book reactions far too many times in the past and she wasn't in the mood to deal with it some more.

Upon reaching the rooftop, however, she found herself with company. Male company, no less. Gently tugging an earbud from her ear, she blinked curiously at the male. What exactly was he doing? She quietly took a step closer, hoping not to disturb whatever he was doing. Was he trying to manifest something? Destroy something? Her answer came in the appearance of a violent gust of wind leaving the boy's hands. Was he...an air manipulator? She'd never met one before in her lifetime. Maybe a water one and a few fire ones here and there, but not one like him.

Catherine then noticed the evident agitation on his handsome features, her own lips curling downwards into a frown. She knew that expression all too well during her own training. After receiving her own powers in the middle of a life or death situation, she spent the next year with her parents attempting to help her control them. Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus. Don't overdo it. Don't think too much or you'll waste your energy before you can finish what you need to do. Day after day of constant failure and inconsistencies that caused her to go to bed in tears, frustrated that she wasn't as quick of a learner as her father once was.

And then it hit her. Why didn't she try and use /her/ powers to help him calm down and focus so he could use /his/? It wouldn't hurt to try, right? She set her backpack and novel on the ground by a nearby bench, tucking her earbud cords into the back pocket of her jeans. Here went nothing. She made her way over to him, carefully sitting down on her knees in front of him. "It's not stupid, you know. Your emotions are just influencing what you're doing and that's why you can't focus on what you're /actually/ wanting to do. Make sense?" She spoke in a softer tone. "Now, if you'll allow me, I think I can help."

@ˢ catherine chi “Focus,” the male had muttered to himself, trying his hardest not to get frustrated with himself again for the umpteenth time in the past hour.

It seemed like no matter how hard he practiced, all of it was just amounting to nothing. Even the old books he dug up, written by philosophers and aerokinesis users alike before they were exiled from the public eye, described what he was trying to do as the simplest form of control. What was so wrong with him that he couldn’t do what everybody else had already mastered at such young ages? His eyebrow twitched in irritation, watching as the ball he tried to form between his two palms failed to keep its shape for more than a few seconds, before eventually breaking and sending the small gust of wind back to his face. He had known for many years that practicing your powers was never meant to be easy, but if he had known how difficult it was, he would’ve probably spent a lot less time reading about what was supposed to happen instead of actually trying to see for himself.

Trying to recollect himself again, Yangyang’s hands repositioned themselves, but just as he began to concentrate again, a heavy sigh of agitation escaped his lips. His hands collapsed against each other, a loud slap echoing throughout the rooftop, the gust of wind being slightly more violent than the last one he had let go. Closing his eyes and bringing his hands to roughly tug through his soft, brown locks, he couldn’t help but groan. What was he doing wrong? Maybe his parents were right; maybe he was just destined to never be able to properly use his powers, and should just stop all together. The only reason they sent him back into society was because they believed he was never gonna use them, anyways. So why was he trying so hard to disobey them?

Yangyang’s hands dropped back into the middle of his lap, not wanting to frustrate himself more than he already was. He knew that if he got too angry, then the whole weather and atmosphere would change along with him, and even with the help of his parents, changing it back to normal was a struggle.
“Stupid,” he scoffed out to no one in particular, the shake of his head following after.

@ˢ song mingi life had been a bit boring since he got transferred to nha. the teachers were just glorified jail wardens, all of the students either had daddy issues or were scared of their own powers. weaklings. but to be honest, jungkook was both of them in one. abandoned by his parents and also scared to use one out of two of his powers. he had been in the dark for so long that he had forgotten out to use his ability to manipulate the light, and this also went in tandem with how he forgot what it was like to be good again. maybe that's why his parents abandoned him at nha, so that he could actually learn how to be a hero and not become what he's currently on track to be... but he wasn't always such a troublesome lone wolf. he had been a shining ray of light at his old high school before all of his school suspensions and expulsions. it was mainly due to the crowd he rolled with and especially cause of his old best friend: song mingi. mingi was the one person he trusted back in his old town and always made sure that he didn't stray too far off the path. they did basically everything together and was rumored to be conjoined at the hip. jungkook could barely remember any bad memories that he had with the old friend. but as much as he loved and trusted his best friend, he never told him about his powers which he sometimes regretted, but the regret quickly slipped away. there was no use on lingering in the past.

he took a few steps around the rooftop before hopping on top of the roof of the shed that inhabited the corner and laying down to gaze at the stars. this was his favorite place to getaway. students weren't allowed out of their dorms at night, but jungkook would always take advantage of his powers and cover himself in darkness to avoid the eyes of the night guards. while admiring the dark night sky, he wondered what his friend was up to and it brought a warm smile to his face. "i sure do miss you mingi..i'm sorry that i never said goodbye." he muttered to the night sky. from a far away, a muffled sound caught his attention, but it wasn't big enough for him to get up. stil gazing at the stars, he continued to talk to the sky. "huh...i guess i really miss you cause it kind of sounded like you just called my name mingi, but that can't be possible.." then he heard it again. his name being called out from afar. still shrouded in darkness, jungkook sat up to see who could possibly be calling his name. even with his 20/20 vision, he couldn't believe the sight before him. whisking away the darkness that covered him with a swat of his hands, he jumped off the shed, landing with a thud on the rooftop. hesitantly, he carefully called out in the dark "m-mingi?"

@⭑ ˢ tiffany young "you're sorry for lying?" ten's eyebrows shot up, rising up toward his hairline as he looked over the teacher before him. it's not that he wouldn't accept any apology from someone. it was more of the fact that he never expected anyone to give him any sort of apology. usually, people made sure to let him know that he was supposed to give the apologies. he never did, of course, but there were countless times where he was grabbed by the ear and told to say sorry. "it's a mixture of both. that, and people don't even know how to say my birth name. so it's just ten, and it will always be just ten."

he looked away from the teacher then, glancing along the open sky on the other side of the railing. as the sun was setting, it was getting chillier, but ten wasn't all that bothered. he was sure the teacher was, though. while she was speaking, ten listened to her, but pushed himself up from his spot. at least his alibi was safe, he thought as he dragged a trashcan closer to the spot where they were sitting. taking his spot on the edge of the roof once more, ten tucked his leg up, once more raising a brow. "well, if my alibi is clear, then you shouldn't worry about this. i mean, you're cold, right? i'm just taking care of the teacher." with a shrug, ten reached for a little piece of paper that was sitting on top of the trash, and as soon as his fingers made contact with the paper, flames grew to life and began along the flammable material. tossing the paper back into the trashcan, the contents came to life, engulfed by flames.

casting a brief smirk to the teacher, ten leaned back a little on the railing, knowing that the flames would grow enough to keep the two of them warm while the sun was setting beyond the horizon. when she commented on his music choice, ten slid his gaze back to her, the flames from the fire reflecting in his deep, dark pupils. he was far from impressed. "i listen to what i want, when i want. are you going to judge me for that, too?" as the flames in the trashcan grew higher, bringing warmth between the two of them, ten found himself yet again raising a brow. with a scoff, he looked away, off toward the horizon rather than the woman in front of him.

"i call bull, but okay. someone must have sent you to do some digging on me." snorting, ten shook his head, fingers coming to brush over the railing. "stop apologizing. you sound like a broken record." when he turned his gaze over to the teacher once more, a breeze blew through his hair. he couldn't quite place why the teacher was bothering to do anything about him, especially if she knew who he was. "why, then? why are you doing this? are you getting a bigger paycheck for this? god, all of you people are the same. i'm not graduating. get over it."

@ᴴ chittaphon leechaiyakul Tiffany nodded. Starting with a lie even if it was meant to breaking the ice was not the best way to start with someone who already felt wronged, and was wronged by most people. "You're right. I lied because I couldn't figure out the right way to create an opener, and I didn't want you to feel like I was pulling a power move by only stating my name but already knowing yours. I can't avoid that though, and lieing doesn't help-I'm sorry." she apologized genuinely, as she was already not making a good first impression on the trust stage. "I didn't know if Ten was the name you preferred to be called, or if people were to lazy to say your birth name." she nodded as she rubbed her hands together, warming them up against the cold air. She felt too uncomfortable to put them in her pockets with the way she was sitting, but it was kind of chilly out now.

She gave a little shrug in the air as she leaned back against the railing, letting her head fall back as she caught a bigger sight of the canvas in the sky. "They'll figure it out or the sprinklers will go off. Alibi is fine." she said, sighing softly as another breeze blew through the air, and she closed her eyes for a couple seconds. If he needed control, she would let him have control. Trust was a two way street, if she wanted his she would earn it first. And she came as a friend, not a teacher. 'Even if that is really gonna not make the janitors happy...' she let the thought go though, as that wasn't her mission at the moment.

She turned to look at him once again, as he thankfully did answer her little question about the music. Though the phone wave was a little arrogant, as she couldn't even read what song he was listening to, she was fine with his harsh defense, as he's had to put it up for so long, there wouldn't be another way he wanted to handle it. "Sweet. Edm is nice." she commented her honest thought, nodding again in approval. Country was just not okay, ever, period, but edm had a happy jamming feeling to it. Tiffany smiled as he leaned forward, trying to provoke her a bit but she invited whatever he would do to push her away. At least she would be able to read it better in the future. "That's what's weird, is I'm not pretending." she spoke, wondering light heartedly how he was going to react to that. "At least that's what I'm trying to show you, and failed at showing within the first sentence out of my mouth. Sorry," she apologized again, moving her long slightly annoying hair to the other side of her face so she could face him without interruptions of hair getting in her eyes and mouth.

"What I'm up to is getting to know you and spending time supporting you." she stated her intent, wanting no more lies and just for there to be transparency between each other; about everything as much as possible. She watched him with careful eyes, being observant and aware of his emotional state which she could feel despite not touching him. She would read him, not able to completely dissect him, but to try and understand where she pushed and pulled against him.

@⭑ ˢ tiffany young "why lie in the first place?" ten's voice lacked the enthusiasm of someone catching another person in a lie. he was used to it at this point. people constantly lied to him to try and get past his walls, but it never worked. ten knew it by now. he knew the signs of people trying to wiggle under his skin, pry him apart, tear down his walls. it never worked, and it never would work. if he wanted to be open about anything, it'd be on his own terms, and he sure as hell didn't feel like opening up any time soon. everyone was the same, so why would he bother? "you know people call me ten. that's all i want to be called. everything else is a mouthful."

he was a little more loose than usual. not that he was off guard, or anything like that. he just felt a little at ease, since he was where he liked to be. a faint smirk lifted the corner of ten's mouth as he looked over to the woman, raising a brow when she declared he wasn't getting detention. "maybe you should go tell the guy about the fire. won't be my fault if the sprinklers go off. i've been up here with you, so my alibi is safe." shrugging a shoulder, ten brushed his fingers along the wires to his headphones.

ten liked having leverage over people. it was a habit of his, something that made him feel a little more in control when something like his powers was completely out of question. a slight breeze rippled through the air, dancing through ten's fringe as he lifted his shoulders to his ears, partially shrugging at the teacher's question. "i listen to a little bit of everything. but right now, it was edm." ten dragged his phone from his pocket, waving it at the teacher. however, he narrowed his eyes, leaning forward a little as if to size the woman up. "just what are you up to? why are you doing this? you don't need to pretend to give two s about me."

poking gingerly at the, now bandaged, wound in her forehead, minori trudged up the stairs that led to the rooftop while the Staff was clutched in her other hand. after all of that chaos she needed two things: solitude and fresh air. with probably her hundredth curse of the day, she shoved open the creaky metal door and walked to lean against the guard rails, just looking out over the scenery with more or less blank thought.

@ᴴ chittaphon leechaiyakul The fiery reaction (some pun intended) came swiftly back at Tiffany. She had known she was ruining his peace-time, which too many they would've called it not smart, considering most seemed to see ten only with a "on" switch, but there was no other way or time this would happen, and rather here in a open and quiet space than a loud, chaotic one with an audience. Not only that, but she was caught immidietly, as of course many knew his name, and so did she.

"You're right," she responded, holding her hands together and nodding in a chill matter. "I guess I do know you name. Thought I would ask anyway in case you wanted to be called something different." She sat herself on the edge of the roof next to him, but didn't copy his position to directly face him, instead letting both legs rest on the roof's floor as she looked in the direction she came in. She turned her head to go back to the male who asked why she was bothering him.

'there's a fire in the...' Was the first thought that crossed upon hearing the news, her face kind of shocked for a second, before she shook her head to all of the above. "Nope. You aren't getting a detention that I know of. I didn't come here sent, I just wanted to come." Tiffany spoke the truth, not trying to sugar coat her demeanor or intention. That was her goal. If she wanted to show him support and make a genuine friend connection, she needed to not be a teacher and make him feel not like a student. She tried internally throwing that mask aside and just stuck with being present. She looked over her shoulder at the sun set that was happening behind her. It was really beautiful, and it painted the sky blue and pink and orange, the purple chasing behind them all.

"So," she started, knowing that he would not be the one making the conversation here. "What music are you listening to?" she desided above all the casual questions she could ask, that was the lesser of the teacher sounding questions. She tilted her head and waited softly to see if he would respond.

@⭑ ˢ tiffany young ten usually went up to the rooftop when things were getting too rough for him. with people constantly bothering him, poking at his buttons and pushing him to the edge, he needed to get away. so when he was sick of people - which really, when wasn't he - he often just went off to be by himself. he'd either go back to his dorm room or the rooftop if someone was in the room. and it just so happened that someone was in his room. so he made his way up to the rooftop, hoping that no one was going to be there to bother him.

opening up spotify on his phone, ten lifted his over-the-ear headphones up to rest atop his head as he made his way up along the stairwell, cranking up the volume as he put on his favorite song. people liked to think that he listened to something like metal, rock, or something like that. he was a lot more basic than he'd like to admit. he liked his edm, his trap, his ballads - he liked variety. that, and he liked music that could calm him down naturally. not when people told him to or forced him to. teachers these days, really. with music blaring in his ears, ten made his way upstairs and pushed the door open to the rooftop.

a breeze brushed his hair from his face, and his eyes narrowed as he stepped onto the flat landing. this was like his home away from home, really. it was nice up there where he could be alone, himself, and not worry about setting anyone or anything on fire. unless he wanted to, at least. climbing up on the ledge of the roof, ten sat down, legs kicking slightly as he sat on the edge, overlooking everything around him. for a while, he just sat there for a while, letting himself honestly relax. it was the first time in what was probably ages that he finally could relax. and yet, that all changed when he thought he felt the presence of someone else. pausing his music, he sighed, catching movement out of his periphery and reaching up to slide his headphones to rest around his neck.

"you know my name. everyone in this damned school knows my name, and what to call me." there went his one moment of solidarity and peace. ten slid his fiery gaze toward the woman, as if daring her to say she didn't know. he was on edge, of course. who sent her? who bothered sending another teacher with empathy to try and soothe his crazy emotions and powers to make him more likely to graduate? honestly, ten had no idea why they even bothered anymore. he doubted he was ever going to graduate. "so what are you here for? did the janitor put out the fire in the boys' bathroom? am i getting put in detention again?"

@ᴴ chittaphon leechaiyakul Tiffany comes up to the rooftop by herself sometimes. Every once in a while when she planned to take a couple minutes up there, either to reflect or see the sunrise/set, there was a couple spending time together, or someone who wanted to just be alone with their thoughts like her, and she would respect that in hopes that if someone ever did find her, they'd respect that wish to. But typically for the regulars who did come up, everyone gave each other space. But Tiffany wasn't exactly planning on that for this time.

A couple weeks ago, not too long back, Tiffany was in the teacher's main office wing, working on some paper work around her co-workers while gathering her assignments for the week other staff needed assistance with, when she over heard and got into a mixed conversation about one particular student. His name was Chittaphon, but most called him Ten. She had been debriefed that he was a exstreamly rebellious kid, with serious anger management problems, to the point where the school wouldn't let him graduate, due to the fear that he'll become a villain if he's released, and that he's too dangerous for most to be living around. Some of the adults had stronger opinions about him than others, but even so hearing them talk so negatively and hopelessly about a single student was heart breaking. Tiffany who was a Empath knew better than to believe that people just get messed up and can't be fixed, or that someone's point of being alive was to be a burden to everyone else. 'There's obviously something bigger happening.' and that's when she desided to seek out the male by herself.

She had waited a couple weeks to be sure of herself that her mission would be beneficial and of good intent, not just sympathy and pity because she knew herself how ugly and bad a pity party makes someone. No, she didn't want to pity him, or make him feel that way. She wanted to help him, but mostly befriend and support him, as many of the students and even adults weren't and deliberately were choosing not to do so. It honestly kind of angered her, but that wasn't what she needed right now, as she was sure she was about to feel some of that from Ten within the next couple minutes.

She opened up the metal door latch, letting in the cool air as she entered the roof top space. The breeze stung her cheeks and nose a bit, but in a good way. Breathing in and exhaling the fresh air into her lungs immidietly rejuvenated her mind and spirt. She closed the door behind her, and walked a couple of steps out, putting her hands in her jean pockets as she looked around at the sight, while also looking for the student. She turned the corner and then saw him sitting on the edge of the roof, looking out and chilling from what she could see. The teacher had no idea how to start this conversation, as she didn't want Ten to feel any unnecessary pressure by her presence. 'It's ok, you got it, just be yourself.' she thought, as she made her way along the roof toward him.

Upon reaching him, she faced herself to him, letting out a relaxed smile and just started what would be the beginning of their relationship. "Hi," she began with a greeting to gently get his attention. "My name's Tiffany. What's your name?" she asked, very chill and in a calm manner as she waited to catch his response.

Everything hurt. So much so that Jihyun wouldn't have come in today had the pain surfaced when she first woke up or when she was dancing around to Bobby Hebb, getting ready for the day. Had it came about on the walk between the dorm and the counseling suit, she would have turned right on her heel and returned to the sanctity of her warm bed. But, it hadn't. And she was stubborn. The pain started in her back, right at the center of the contact scare and spread throughout the rest of body like those videos of electricity coursing through glass.Getting to the roof was challenging enough, she walking slowly with minuscule breaks in between. She probably should have just stayed in her office but it was so stuffy in there. The chilled winter breeze outside seemed much better as it stuck to her lungs on the first inhale upon opening the door. She let it shut behind her, and rounded the corner. Sliding down against, she settled on the cold ground with a sound that was part-way between a grunt and sigh.

☆⇢ ᴏᴘᴇɴ