2013-02-26 - New Friends are Nice

Finishing up the tour of the mansion, Kenzie would end with a walkabout of the grounds outside. Specifically finishing up with the eastern grounds. "And dis here be Breakestone Lake" Kenzie pointed out as she finished the walkabout, "Mah own lil peace of heaven, though ahh ain't actually able t'go in t'water anymo'." she said, almost sounding regretful, "But somethahms ahh like t'look out over t'water, or just sit on t'docks and meditate, lettin mahh mind wander." she says "Ahh find meditation be easiest out here."

Dasha nods at the end of the tour, breathing in deeply of the lake. The slight stagnant water smell was pleasant. Kenzie's drolling accent was wonderfully pleasing to Dasha's Russian-trained ear... her language wasn't harsh at all, so relaxed. She nods at what Kenzie says. "Why can't you go in water?"

Kenzie looked down, playing the belt of her heavy duster between her gloved hands. The same gloves which seemed to go up to her elbows. "Cause if ahh go inna water an anyone's unlucky enough to go in wit me, dey gon be lucky to survive. Even if dey do..most people be struck bahh lightnin and survive aint exactly...right...ever again. It be lahhk dey...slip a few cogs here an dere, just..change." she explained, describing the symptoms of people who survive potentially lethal ammounts of electricity. "It's mah power, aint able t'turn er off. Skin crawlin wit enough juice t'power...well." she shrugs "Sometin big for a long time."

Dasha looks over at her, her expression in the classic Dasha frown. "So it's always there, just lurking under your skin, yes?" She closes her eyes. "Something uncontrollable,"

Kenzie nodded "Mostly." she said, "Ahh been learnin t'focus mah thoughts an emotions." she said, "Meditation, breathing exercises and such. If ahh do it well enough, ahh c'n control it enough to touch someone, even hug em." she explained, avoiding the obvious train of thought that would go from there. "But it takes a lot of focus, so ahh aint good fer much else other then that. Even then, deres a risk ahh might slip." she continued before clearing some snow off her favorite 'sittin' rock near the shore of the lake and moving to pull her duster under her butt before sittin down. "It's hard, but the people here...dey make it a lot easier. Spent some tahhm livin on t'streets before dey found me, pulled mah butt outta da fire dat night." she explained. "Ahh owe dem mahh life a few tahhms over."

Dasha nods in understanding. "They seem like good people. Accepting." She moves to sit besides Kenzie. "This is why I came here as well. To learn control." She looks her over calmly with her yellow eyes. "How did you end up here with them?"

"Dat's somethin of a loaded question, no?" Kenzie asked before sighing softly. "When ahh turned 16, mah powers manifested. Problem was ahh was havin a party. We been playin spin the bottle, got t'kissin on mahh crush at t'time. Sent a lot of electricity into his body, burnt his face and neck. Thought he died. Was told he did atleast, so ahh ran home and got fixin t'run away. Ahh didn't wanna go t'jail; father turned a shotgun on me, told me t'get out before he killed me." she explained. "So ahh hit the streets and began headin north. Year or so later...jesus hard t'rememeber, feels lahhk ages ago; ahh got t'hitchin a ride wit dis trucker an we pull inter dis truckstop t'gas up late one night." she said, "Tol'me gas, grass or ass but aint no one rahhdin fer free." she said, holding her arms and visibly shiverin. "T...they gott'me jes in tahhm. Dat was fixin t'be endin badly one way or t'other."

Dasha lowers her eyes. "I... I'm sorry," she sounds genuinely apologetic. "I didn't realize," She looks embarrassed. She bites her lip, looking out onto the lake. The muscles in her neck and arms bunch, jumping at the memories of pain she was making Kenzie retell

Kenzie nodded, "Me to. But dat be in t'past now, yeah?" she offered. "Ahh mean, Ahh done seen some horrible tings, but ahh'm still here yeah? Can't be all dat bad. " she looks out over the water and pulls her glasses off, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Ahh been given a lot of chances, dat truck stop, when ahh ran, when mah father shot me...hell when ahh got acquitted. Every day ahh get now's a gift." she said, and it sounded like she believed it, or atleast that she wanted to believe it. "So dont fret none shug, aint nothin bother me lahhk dat no more."

Dasha shakes her head. "You know, when the news came out... I wasn't sure I believed it. It didn't make sense to me, why a pretty young girl would go and do those things. I am sorry for what happened, but I am glad they saw you were a good person." She looks back up. "You look like a good person." She looks out at the lake again, unsure of what else to say

Kenzie blushed slightly at the compliment, her eyes literally casting off sparks as her pulse quickened. She looked down at her hands, tugging off her gloves and digging around in her pocket. She had managed to pick up a pack the last time she was out, "Hey, don't tell no one ya saw dis" she says softly, pushing a cigarette between her lips. Touching her fingers together the girl managed to get a good enough arc of electricity to light off of before her concentration fizzled, her powers still on the mend. "Students regardless of age ain't s'posed t'smoke on campus." she looked down, "Been tryin t'quit but...sometahhms ahh ain't strong enough" she laughed "They didn't see ahh was a good person, just wasn't enough evidense t'proove ahh was a bad one" she looked up into the grey sky as a few flakes of snow began to fall, exhaling softly up into the air.

Dasha watches as she lights the cigarette. With the snow falling, she began feeling a pervasive serenity. "Perhaps." She bites her lip again. "What does it feel like, to know you should not touch another? Is it like loneliness?" Her frown deepens. "I am sorry, that was too personal"

Kenzie laughed "Ain't no such thing wit me anymore. Had mahh life plastered all over tabloids, tv, papers and junk. " she looked down, inhaling off that cigarette again and sighed, brushing her fingers through her hair. "It is, ahh had...some closeness. Experiences. It was terrifyin, couldda killed them at any tahhm, but now..." she said "Least ahh know...if ahh try, really hard ahh can at least pretend to be normal enough for it. Ya know?" she asked before inhaling again, exhaling the smoke as she spoke, "But yeah, lahhk loneliness. Worse. Cause now ahh know what ahh be missin." she said before putting her glasses back on to cover her eyes, and likely the tear that began to form in them. "So now, ahh focus on mah school work or mah therapy. When ann ain't doin dat, ahh drum, or skate." she laughed, "Even been tinkin bout takin some extra classes. Swordplay or sometin maybe, lahhk dem hero girls ahh see in the movies."

Dasha's frown lessens. "It may not be appropriate, and the instructors might not approve, but I'm fairly adept at hand to hand and knife fighting. My uncle trained me since I was young. If you are interested... I would like to spend more time with someone like you, with your honesty about yourself" she shakes her head. "I am sorry to prod, it's just intriguing to me to know there are others out there struggling to control their selves. It is relieving to not be looked at like a monster,"

Monster. It was a word Kensington was intimately familiar with, identifying with it for a long, long time. "Yeah, ahh'd lahhk dat." she said softly, leaning down to put out her smoke before tucking it into the empty cigarette pack to throw out later. "Nah, aint no reason for sorry." she grined "Sahhds, if ya really wanted dirt on me, ahh'd just refer y'all t'the public records of mahh trial." she laughed.

Tucking an errant strand of hair behind an ear, Dasha looks her over again. "May I ask... why were you and the others unafraid of me when I changed? This is an unusual thing for me,"

Kenzie looked to Dasha for a moment, reaching into her bag. Pulling out one of her gauntlets, the girl put it on and flicked a switch, "Ahh seen some shit in mahh time here. Both on and off missions yeah?" she explained letting the gauntlet whirr up, "and ahh mahh self ain't nothin t'sneeze at" she said pointing a finger at the lake, letting a single massive bolt of electricity jump from that finger striking the surface of the lake, shattering the ice layer on it with a thunderous boom. "Ahh'm somethin lahhk a monster too. So, when ya seen a monster in da mirror, it gets harder t'see them in others."?

Dasha watches the display of power with interest. "Amazing," she looks back "You are no monster, you are a gift." She smiles "Besides, I have not seen a cute monster before, so it must be impossible for you to be one,"

Kenzie had been putting her gauntlet back in her bag when Dasha began to speak, and not exactly expecting to hear what she did caused her to stumble back, falling into the pile of snow behind her. "W..what?" she asked curiously "Ahh...you.." she flushed, moving to get to her feet, her back covered in snow. "ahh uh.." she looked at her feet "ahh um..ain't never..uh..not lahhk.." she bit her thumbnail "Ain't never from uh..you know..a girl." she was still a girl raised in the south, this was new territory to say the least to her.

Dasha raises an eyebrow, confused. "Is this... inappropriate? I don't mean to offend. And why is this statement from a woman shocking to you?" She stands, looking down at Kenzie, offering a hand up to her despite the information just given. Her yellow eyes stay focused, determined. "I do not have many I consider friends, Kenzie. I would like to number you among the ones I do, so please do not take my statement too harshly,"

Kenzue looked to that hand of Dashas, breathing deeply before taking her hand. The skin on skin contact sends a definite shock into Dasha, like touching a light switch after scooting about on a carpet in footie pajamas. Kenzie hears the audible snap and winces "Ahh'm sorry" she says as she begins to brush her self off, something to do to look too busu to touch at the moment. "Ahh can always use friends." she said that blush never leaving her face. Looking down, Kenzie noticed the time on her watch "Hey, what time'r yer folks comin again?" she asked.

Dasha touches her slightly shocked hand in her other hand, just... holding it. She looks down, then back up again. "Ah, they should be here already, actually. They know I am being shown around," She chews on her lip "I should get going home, to pack my belongings." She turns to look at the lake again, "And you don't need to be sorry. I knew full well it could happen. This is part of control, yes? Knowing something can happen, but having the power to want to do it anyways." She gives a rare genuine smile "I would like to come back with you again if this is alright,"

Kenzie's cheeks go fully red as she speaks "S..s.sssure a..anytahhm" she said moving to lead Dasha towards the front grounds. "Ahh mean, ain't lahhk ahh own t'lake or nuttin yeah?" she laughed. A long, awkward and nervous laugh as she pushed her leather gloves back onto her hands before taking Dasha to find her parents.

Seeing her gloves back on her hands, Dasha reaches forward and grabs one, holding onto it. the almost 6' tall girl smiles down at her smaller companion. "You can call me Dasha," she says softly. As she looks towards the front grounds, she places the steady scowl back onto her face, going back to her normal demeanor. Perhaps the shorter girl besides her could help break her out of that guarded existence. She could hope.