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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 14:42:29 GMT -5
Claritha Jessamine Hawthorne sat on the second lowest branch in an oak tree, leaning against the rough bark. She was flexing the claws on her left hand thoughtfully, looking at them but not fully paying attention. She was facing the school complex and all its big, fancy buildings, but her mind was deeper in the woods. Her long, tangled red hair fell down her shoulders, and as it blew in the gentle wind, attracted her attention. She glanced down at it, confirming that it wasn't some other student out wandering. She often liked to sit in her tree, thinking and practicing or marveling at her ability. Of course, she knew that every other student and often staff member had powers too. After all, this was a school for the gifted. She was entering her second year at the academy and knew her way around here, knew the social structure. She had arrived midway through the year last year, so she had had to study and practice over the summer. Not that she minded it - especially science and physical education. She enjoyed coming out to the perimeter of campus, where the woods were allowed to creep in. They reminded her of the forest she had lived in for a few years, alone with no human company. It wasn't that bad really, and she was still getting used to the social groups around here. The food was more desirable at the school than in the woods, but she hadn't minded fending for herself.
Something caught her attention, a movement, just out of the corner of her eyes. She turned her head quickly, immediately alert, practicing the skills she had taught herself while living in the forest. She lowered her hand to the branch, and allowed her right hand to shift as well, and her muscles tensed as she perched on the branch. Some part of her mind told her that this was a school complex and that there wouldn't be the danger here that there was in the wild, but her instincts took over. She was curious, but also wary of who would disturb her sentimental thoughts.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 14:58:34 GMT -5
Doctor Kuan-Yin Shen, more affectionately known by the students as Mr. K, often doubled as the academy's psychologist of sorts, due to his tendency to take special interest into the well being of all the kids. Because of this, he knew each and everyone of them well, not only due to the mandatory physical exams at the beginning of each student's stay there. Claritha was one such student that struck the young doctor, not only because of her interesting background and memorable arrival at the academy, but also the fact that her abilities somewhat reminded him of his young cousin's.
He approached the tree he'd come to know as "Clary's Tree", as she was one of the few students with any reason to come this far out from campus, and it always seemed to be where they found her when she was missing. If it weren't for the fact that everyone knew who Mr. K was, it would be quite obvious to see that he was a doctor from the long white doctor's cloak he wore over matching black dress shirt and slacks, always wanting to look his best. Long black longs cascaded down his back, flowing behind him as he walked. He adjusted a pair of thin-rimmed glasses over his chocolatey-brown eyes as he looked up into the tree at the young Sophomore, offering the feline girl a welcoming smile.
"Good afternoon, Claritha. I didn't see you at Orientation this morning." It wasn't a scolding statement, as Orientation was optional for upperclassmen. He was simply there to check up on her.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 15:06:13 GMT -5
"Clary." She corrected, relaxing as she recognized the figure that had alerted her. "Call me Clary." She disliked her full name. It was the one her parents had given her. Multiple times she had considered changing her name, though she hadn't come up with a better one. She shifted back into full human form, moving into a more comfortable position, sitting with her legs hanging over the branch. She looked down at Mr. K, giving him a small smile in return to his. She shook her head at his words, confirming them, letting her hair blow in the breeze. She looked almost wild, perched up in the tree and looking completely relaxed about it. It wasn't often that anyone disturbed her, and she didn't mind if anyone did. It made her feel like someone cared, a factor that she had lacked when she had been in the wild. "No, I wasn't there," She stated simply, shrugging. She didn't really care for Orientation and meeting all the new students and whatnot. "I went last year. I know what happens." It was true. She remembered it from her first year, the faculty garthering together and introducing themselves, giving a little speech about the school and welcoming and all that lovely stuff. She smiled to herself. Maybe, if she was here long enough, failing the test at the end of the year, she'd memorize the speeches - assuming they were the same every year. She was almost sure some of the older students had. She realized that Mr. K wouldn't understand her smile, but decided not to explain it to him if he didn't ask.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 15:16:31 GMT -5
"Clary, apologies." Mr. K corrected himself, spending so much of his time staring at student portfolios that sometimes he forgot their preferred nicknames. Not to mention it had been at least a month or two since he last saw her, as he'd returned home to Hong Kong during the summer to visit family.
Despite the distance between them, the young doctor had a clear view of Clary. Despite how it may have seemed with the glasses he always wore, he had perfect vision and only wore the accessories out of habit from when he was a child. His abilities took care of any biological imperfections he may have had otherwise. He noticed her smile, and while he vaguely quirked a brow of curiosity at the origins of that expression, he didn't ask. He found he quite preferred the policy of letting a student come to him instead of prying, it allowed a more equal balance of trust.
"True, there is rarely any variation between each year." He remarked, knowing well her antisocial preferences. After all, he'd been the first to meet her when she arrived the previous year, after several students noticed her, of course, he was called to be the one to approach her. The possibly dangerous job always went to the man who could heal himself, or her if need be. "I suppose you had no interest in meeting any of the new students, then." he added, offering a knowing smile as he spoke.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 15:22:40 GMT -5
She dipped her head, silently accepted his apologies. She saw his expression at her smile, and bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully. He hadn't asked, so she wouldn't give an answer. That was what she had agreed upon, with herself, not necessesarily with him. She believed that if someone wanted something, they could ask and get a straight out answer - yes or no, good or bad. Simple as that. She didn't understand why humans, even gifted ones, had to be so complicated when the world could get so simple. Rarely any variation between each year. Rarely - if any. She shrugged one shoulder, remembering the doctor when he had first met her. She had stayed to herself, avoiding any contact with anyone in particular, glancing away shyly if she happened to make eye contact. It had been so strange. The memories of her childhood had returned with great force, and the sheer numbers of people, like the trees in a forest, had overwhelmed her. She shrugged again at his next statement. "I don't really care about any of them and none of them care about me. Why should I take the time to greet them if we'll only see each other during class or walking around?"
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 15:29:48 GMT -5
Mr. K wasn't necessarily surprised by the response Clary gave, he'd come to understand her perspective relatively well over the year that he'd known her. It was more disappointing than anything else, he hoped that one day she would be more open to those her age, he knew that was the only way she would ever fully master herself and graduate. He couldn't force it, though, it was something she could only decide to do for herself.
"Well you may decide to twitch to a public dorm this year." He offered, knowing it was unlikely now, but he always liked to be optimistic. Because of her circumstances when she first arrived, she was treated as a 'special needs' student and given her own dorm room. Mr. K was never very fond of the practice, seeing it as an isolating environment, but it was alright on a temporary basis. "Wouldn't you like to have roommates to hang out with?"
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 15:37:21 GMT -5
Clary narrowed her eyes slightly at the suggestion, remembering looking through her window to the public dorms. Every now and then, with her enhanced senses, had seen a few girls hanging out together in one of the rooms. She had been given her own, little personal room, which she didn't mind. It was nice to have a place to call her own, and not have to share it with anyone else. She had a place to retreat to, a place where no one else could go. Her tree wasn't as secure as her room, for anyone could walk up to it, like Mr. K just had done. Besides, after all of the bustle of the school day, it was nice to have a quiet, solitary place to return to. Her company was her thoughts, though she would like a cat. A cat was just like she was, quiet yet a decent companion to anyone who bothered to talk or hang out with her. She shrugged at his question. The dorm room she had was fine with her, she didn't need anyone to hang out with. "I'm fine," She half said, half grumbled. She made her way back to the trunk of the tree, standing and leaning against it with ease. Her left had made its way to the next branch, just a little way above her head, and she held onto it loosely. "Besides, no one would want to board with me."
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 15:46:12 GMT -5
Mr. K observed Clary's expression as his words seemed to toss around in her head, being made quite evident that she wasn't very fond of the idea. That brought a vague twinge of amusement to his features, but he said nothing for risk of offending her. He found it quite interesting just how much like a cat she was, both in her mentality and in her behavior, not to mention her biological structure, but that was really only something he could see when using his powers.
His eyes naturally went to her feet on the branch as she moved along it, knowing she wouldn't fall, but it was a natural concern that came almost instinctively. Luckily he refrained from saying anything, or he would have made quite a fool of himself. "I wouldn't say that's true." he countered to her statement, giving a small shrug of his shoulders, "No one knows you, I'm sure you could make some close friends if you let someone talk to you."
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 15:51:54 GMT -5
She shrugged casually, enjoying the expression on his face as she had walked normally on the branch. She was confident in her balance, just like a cat. She answered his concern with her own statement, changing the topic abruptly. She didn't want to talk about her social status, she thought about it often enough. "It's like walking on the sidewalk or on the ground. It's natural. You just have to forget that you're on a branch or a fence and pretend you're on the ground." She paused, smiled crookedly, watching him carefully. She made sure her amusement showed in her eyes and expression so she wouldn't offend him. "I'm surprised, quite frankly, that you with your ability hasn't tried it. Biokinesis, right? So you should be able to become perfectly balanced or mend broken bones or something from falling. I suppose it wouldn't take away the pain, but couldn't you shut down that part of the brain?"
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 16:04:21 GMT -5
Mr. K was somewhat surprised at the sudden change of conversation. He hadn't realized Clary's notice of his concern, so felt somewhat embarrassed by it. "Ah well I see that..." he began until hearing mention of his own powers. His face seemed to light up then, in reality being quite the science nerd. Biology was a passion of his, not only because of his abilities, but just as a field as well. His powers allowed him to explore so many unopened doors, so hearing a student who seemed to know a thing or two about it pleased him very much.
"That's correct." he replied with a small nod of his head, "But to be perfectly honest, my mind has not yet caught up with by abilities even after so many years. I can alter just about anything about my biological structure or functionality, but in the end of the day, there's still my mind that betrays me. I could never stand up there like you are, or jump off with the reassurance that I won't feel it. I'm not that courageous." Unlike some teachers who preferred appearing perfect or flawless in front of their students, Mr. K was the opposite. Everyone had flaws, he wasn't afraid to admit his own.
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 16:10:37 GMT -5
She shrugged, almost wanting to sit down if it made him feel better about his flaws. She decided against it however, realizing that he wasn't ashamed in admitting his personal downfalls, so she shouldn't be ashamed about her strengths. She had seen his face light up at the mention of his powers, and smiled slightly, amused. She enjoyed science, which could be considered part biology, and excelled in that class, as well as P.E.. She knew a little about the human body, but it wasn't like she'd studied the build up and whatnot as a doctor-in-training. She did, however, get the gist of what he was saying about his mind and it betraying him. "It seems that there is a downfall to having the brilliant human mind," She mused. "People tend to think about what could happen and they let that make up their decisions. You could try it now." She hesitated, rethinking her words. She had spoken as if she wasn't human, didn't have those flaws. Well, she didn't have those flaws specifically, but she did have some.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 16:21:52 GMT -5
Mr. K wasn't sure how much he liked hearing Clary refer to people as something separate to herself, but he wasn't going to call her on it. Instead he focused on the topic at hand. He was impressed by her perceptive skill, figuring that came with her catlike attributes. He was surprised by her offer...and somewhat taken aback. He actually considered it a moment, before dismissing it with a gentle laugh and shaking his head.
"I don't think that's the best of ideas, Clary. I'd simply make a fool of myself which, as much as I'm sure you would enjoy it, I'm not very eager to do."
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 16:26:28 GMT -5
Clary sighed dramatically, and hung her head. She looked back up, snapping her fingers. "Aw man! I always wanted to see Mr. K mess up at something," She joked, half speaking the truth. It was amusing to watch teachers make mistakes, some of them being all full of themselves. Mr. K, however, was not. She had noticed that, he was modest. He was also good company, as she was finding out. "Are you sure? There's a nice low branch over there. It can't be more than a few feet off the ground." She pointed vaguely to to a tree somewhere behind the staff member.
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Post by Daniel Masters on Nov 14, 2009 16:38:28 GMT -5
Mr. K's smile grew at Clary's remark, knowing she was joking, or only half joking, and even if she wasn't he would have still found it amusing. He could relate, he would have loved to see several certain members of staff mess up as much as the kids would. Perhaps it was his closeness in age, at 24 he was younger than the majority of staff there.
"I'll have to pass. Next time, for sure." he mused up to her, not bothering to turn and look at the branch she was referring to, he knew it wouldn't change his mind. "I think the better question today is, are you ever going to come down from there?"
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Post by Clary Hawthorne on Nov 14, 2009 16:43:17 GMT -5
She nodded wisely. "And I'm sure next time you won't be so keen on wandering out here to find me if you know that is what waits for you." She was amused at the turn of the conversation, relaxed, not academic. If this was what it was like having friends, she could get used to it. She raised her eyebrows, having never accomplished her want to raising only one, and looked at him. She wished she could raise one eyebrow - it looked so cool! She shifted to a sitting position on her branch, still leaning against the trunk of the tree. "Why, am I missing something?"
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