Regaining lost ground

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh goggles slightly at Bobby's strange response. While it wasn't exactly something he would expect, it was infinitely better than his emotional responses as 'Robert'. I'll take what i can get.

> "Would you mind maybe...just sort of flicking through my, uh, brain every once in awhile? Just to make sure I'm not manipulating anyone? I could probably find you a gasmask, I mean, we must have gasmasks here somewhere right? If I knew I couldn't do very much harm I think I'd feel a lot better about controlling these...pheromone things... and control is apparently good here? So, um, yes that's it."

He thinks about her request for a minute. Laurie seemed like a rather private person. For her to ask this of him (who was mostly just another student, not even a friend, really) it had to be weighing on her mind pretty strongly.

"Control is good. Are you really that worried about manipulating others? Hmm." Josh picks up his water bottle and passes it absently from hand to hand. "Well, if it means that much to you, sure. I can look around your mind every so often, if you want." He looks squarely at Laurie for a second.

"Before you agree, though, maybe you should think about this for a second. If you are manipulating others with your pheromones subconsciously, what are you going to do about it? I don't know how your powers work, exactly, so I'm not sure if you can do anything about it." Josh looks at Bobby for a second, then back to Laurie. "Also... I'll respect your privacy as best I can, but it's possible I'm gonna encounter things you hadn't planned on sharing. There's that to consider, as well. You sure you don't want to go to Jake about this?"

[Laurie Collins]

"Control is good. Are you really that worried about manipulating others? Hmm."

Laurie looks a bit shocked that he even has to ask before biting back the expression a bit sheepishly as she realizes he’d have no reason to know either her history or the nature of her mutation beyond what most people do by now as a product of attending the same school. And that’s the problem, isn’t it, with the whole tragic ‘you just don’t understand’ routine? You can only use that as an excuse as long as you keep everyone from understanding. If they understood, if they knew what could happen, they’d choose to stay away and that would make it all worse somehow even if it would be better for them wouldn’t it? But that’s back into the well worn, circuitous mental grooves of stolid self-pitying isolation and that’s what she’s trying to escape with her request, so she settles for nodding solemnly without further explanation.

"Well, if it means that much to you, sure. I can look around your mind every so often, if you want."

There’s a moment of dual emotions- relief and apprehension- spearing up from her tension-tightened stomach to constrict her chest as he agrees and she opens her mouth to thank him but the way he’s staring stops her. I sense a ‘but’ coming oh no…

“Before you agree, though, maybe you should think about this for a second. If you are manipulating others with your pheromones subconsciously, what are you going to do about it? I don't know how your powers work, exactly, so I'm not sure if you can do anything about it."

She nods and, eager to show she’s taking him seriously and following directions, mulls this over for a moment though the response she wants to make is on the tip of her tongue surprisingly quickly.

“Well,” she starts after the moment is over, “I know I’m affecting people now. I’ve been able to mostly feel when I’m emitting for awhile and cutting down on smaller-scale emotion emissions so it mostly just happens now when I’m very nervous or very upset or very happy I suppose. I hope I’m not manipulating them though, that is, I try to keep from being around or invested in people here beyond sort of friendly acquaintances because I don’t think anyone would be too hurt or angry if I’d unknowingly manipulated them into…not hating me and talking to me for a few minutes instead of… I don’t know killing me in my sleep. I figured as long as I kept to myself here and didn’t learn to control my pheromones I wouldn’t really be able to manipulate anyone.” she shrugs, looking a little sheepish and seems to steel herself to continue what is, for her, quite the lengthy speech. “So I suppose if I am actually manipulating someone I’ll just stay away from them until I’ve got enough control not to?”

"Also... I'll respect your privacy as best I can, but it's possible I'm gonna encounter things you hadn't planned on sharing. There's that to consider, as well. You sure you don't want to go to Jake about this?"

“I, um, no.” Laurie answers quickly, shaking her head rapidly, “Um, about going to Mr. Shepard it’s…well it’ll be embarrassing enough if you see…private-ish things but a teacher would be worse, you know?” Then she blushes hotly thinking, no he probably doesn’t know since he’s living with a teacher you idiot. “And I know, um, it probably won’t be fun and embarrassment-free for…either of us I guess… so I really, really do appreciate it because I don’t really see any other way I could start learning to control myself without being worried I’d…well I don’t know. Something bad.” she finishes lamely, plainly having exhausted her stores of courage for one conversation and dropping her gaze quickly to the floor.

[Bobby Drake]

"Well, so… I guess that’s settled, then?" It doesn’t quite feel settled – Laurie clearly has other concerns she’s not sharing, and Bobby isn’t entirely convinced that this whole watchers-watching-watchers business is actually going to hang together – but he’s beginning to understand that “not feeling quite settled” is sometimes as good an option as the world offers.

"Glad we could work that out. See? Telepaths come in handy every now and again. Least as long as we don’t start worrying about Josh messing with your head, right?" He chuckles at that before plucking sadly at his sweat-sodden Tshirt and adding "Meanwhile, I desperately need a shower before everyone has to start wearing gasmasks around me. Catch you guys later…"

He’s already feeling his leg-muscles growing sore as he heads towards the lockers. OK, a shower, and maybe a sauna while I’m at it.

(( OOC: wandering offthread… ))