Tate, Oliver, Hunter and Tanya
Tate, Oliver and Hunter were having lunch - and a break from their tutoring, when Tanya showed up with Christian.
"Hey guys," Tanya said. "I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Christian. Christian, these are Oliver, Hunter and Tate."
"Hi," said Hunter, with a wave.
"We've met before haven't we?" said Oliver.all
CHristian
"Uh, hi," Christian scratched his arm nervously.
He cocked his head slightly, and gave Oliver a curious look.
"I... don't know. I don't think so," he looked to Tanya.
He thought Oliver did look slightly familiar...
Tanya, Tate and Oliver
"Hmm..." Oliver said. "Wait, you were with that guy, The Spider?"
"That's in the past Oli," Tanya said, a warning tone in her voice.
Tate started walking towards Christian.
"Hi," she said.
Then she tripped and fell towards him...
Christian
Christian's eyes widened, as he ducked forward to catch her.
"Woah, hey," he began, helping her steady herself again.
She was kinda cute.
"Ah, no need to be throwin' yourself at the ground like that," he chuckled nervously.
Tate, Oliver and Tanya
Tate giggled and blushed nervously.
"I'm so clumsy. Thank you so much for breaking my fall."
Oliver's eyes met Tanya's. She didn't seem to mind at all. But after Oliver's conditioning from Leroy, he wasn't sure he liked what he saw.
Christian
"You're... you're welcome," Christian smiled a little, but quickly wiped it from his face.
He glanced at Oliver, now remembering him. Leroy's nephew... that's it.
Great.
He looked to Tanya uncomfortably, looking for some direction.
Tanya and Tate
Tanya just gave him a reassuring smile.
"Would you like to join us for lunch?" Tate asked.
Christian
"Ah..." he looked between her and Tanya, "um, yeah, sure."
He shrugged, keeping his gaze away from Oliver as he went to sit near Tate.
Tanya, Oliver, Tate and Hunter
*Be nice, Oli,* Tanya said. *He's been through a rough time. Don't you dare make it worse.*
*Okay, okay!*
"What would you like to eat?" Tate asked gesturing to the food. "You might like to get something before Oli and Hunter eat it all. Guts."
"I resent that remark," Hunter said.
"No, you resemble it," Tate grinned.
"That's so old."
"But accurate."
Christian
Christian smiled a little, glad that two out of three didn't know who he was, and hadn't even mentioned a resemblance to Taylor.
This was nice.
He reached for some food.
Tate
Tate sat right up close to Christian. He was interesting to her, much like Leroy was. When he looked at her, he wasn't fixated on sex, although Tate sensed he liked a great deal of that.
Tate figured everyone thought about sex. She was probably right.
Christian
Christian frowned a little, wondering what was going on. This girl was just getting closer and closer... not that he minded, she was pretty hot. It just felt awkward.
He wondered if she had a power, and what it was. He remembered Oliver was a pyrokinetic.
"So ah..." he began, "what's, what's happening?"
Tate, Hunter and Oliver
"Not a lot. Put up a space station, and now everyone wants to visit. People going in and out... well... mainly in... all day," Hunter replied.
"I want to go up, dang it," Oliver complained.
"Same."
"Me too," Tate agreed.
She reached over for a roll and used the opportunity to move a little away from Christian. He was feeling awkward and Oliver didn't like it one bit.
Christian
Christian glanced at Tanya.
"Seems all the hard work was worthwhile," he raised his eyebrows, before beginning to eat.
"I meanwhile, am happy on Earth."
Oliver and Tate
"If the bombs go, there may not be an Earth," Oliver stated.
"Don't listen to him," Tate said. "He's being silly."
"And you're not?" Oliver got sarcastic. "Oh thank you for breaking my fall."
"I'm so clumsy," Hunter added, snickering.
"Oh shush."
Christian
"Yeah but, unlike yourself, I don't care if I die either."
He ate some more, glancing at Tate. Something was up with that girl.
Tate
"I don't want anyone to die," Tate declared.
She went to pick up her glass, and knockedit over instead. All over Christian.
"Oh my gosh! I'm soooooo sorry," she said, grabbing a napkin. "Here, let me clean that up for you..."
And she made an attempt at soaking up the drink before it soaked into his clothes.
Christian
"Oh, God."
He held the front of his shirt out and started fanning it, then grabbed another napkin and began to try and get it off his pants.
During which, they knocked heads.
"Ah! Sorry," he apologized, beginning to blush.
Tate, Hunter and Oliver
"No it's okay. I'm the clumsy one around here," Tate giggled.
"Clumsy! Ha!" Hunter snickered.
Oliver gave them all a dirty look.
Christian
Christian glanced at Hunter, then threw the dirty napkin onto the table as watched as Tate continued tot ry and get it out of his shirt.
"I don't think it's gonna work. It's kinda... in there now," he raised an eyebrow.
Tate, Oliver and Hunter
"Oh, umm, sorry," Tate giggled, embarrassed.
"Don't mind her, she has issues," Oliver said.
"Issues? That's one word for it," Hunter remarked.
Tate poked her tongue out at them.
Christian
Christian chuckled.
"Well... as I'm guessing you two are either alien or part thereof, do you have powers? And if so, what are they?"
He looked between Hunter and Tate.
Oliver, Tate and Hunter
"Well, I have pyrokinesis," Oliver replied. "I'm a Dathrian/Human hybrid."
"I'm a hybrid too, but Dath/Sem. And I have Technokinesis," Hunter told him.
"And I'm the only full blooded Dath out of the three of us," Tate grinned. "I'm a pathic shifter. What about you?"
Christian
"I know," he said to Oliver, before turning to Tate.
"Pathic shifter? I'm telekinetic. Full blood so they tell me. How old are you?"
Oliver, Tate and Hunter
"I'm 17 and Hunter and Tate are 15," Oliver said.
"I empathically and telepathically find out what people want me to be, and then I become that," Tate told him with a wink. "My attitudes change as well as my appearence."
"So the fact that she's clumsy is really the fault of one of us," Oliver said pointedly.
"You have a sister right? Are you this protective of her too?" Hunter asked.
"Miette's older. She can take care of herself."
"Uh huh."
Christian
"It sounds interesting," Christian smiled at Tate, "you're going to make someone a good wife one day."
He took hold of his own glass and had a drink.
"I'm... twenty, as far as I know. Give or take. Why are you so quiet?" he turned to Tanya.
Tanya, Tate and Oliver
"Nothing to say," Tanya smiled.
"Thank you Christian," Tate smiled.
Oliver nearly choked on his drink at the idea of Tate getting married. How... that would... he couldn't really wrap his mind around how that would work.
Christian
Christian chuckled, then looked at Hunter.
"SO what's your story? How'd you end up with Tanya?"
Hunter and Oliver
"Necessity. I lived in an anti-YIRAAS community, but I liked to hack into their system, and I found out that these guys," and Hunter pointed at Oliver and Tate with his thumb, "were not the people they were pretending to be."
"Suffice to say Tanya and Leroy were investigating, and me and Tate were along for the ride," Oliver put in.
"Well, anyway, I became a member - I didn't want to turn them in 'cause I mean... the community might have been anti-YIRAAS, but that doesn't mean that I was. I thought it all look like fun. But like, I said, I became a mamber, but then my stepfather found out and yeah... had to leave then and there. I knew these guys had gone to Houston, so that's where I headed."
"I'm so glad you came," Tate said smiling.
Christian
"Cool," Christian nodded.
He had a feeling no one wanted to hear his story... not that he'd be willing to tell it. They probably didn't even know he wasn't a member.
"And I'm starting to feel glad I came too. I was seriously not willing... I mean, at first," he quickly amended, his eyes bouncing to Tate's and the table.
Tate, Oliver, Hunter and Tanya
"Do you wanna go for a walk with me?" Tate asked Christian.
"Tate, we're supposed to go to tutoring after -" Oliver began
"Actually," Tanya intervened. "I cancelled tutoring for the rest of the day."
"Cool," said Hunter.
"A walk?" Tate asked again.
Christian
Christian looked between the two boys and Tanya, a weird feeling in his stomach.
Then he turned to Tate.
"Sure," he smiled, standing up and offering his hand to help her - the other putting his sunglasses back over his eyes.
Tate
Tate smiled back and took his hand.
"C'mon, I know a really good spot to go," she said, and lead him out the door.
Christian
Christian glanced over his shoulder at Tanya, but followed her.
"So... where are we going, Tate?"
Tate
"There's a park, just over there," Tate said pointing. "It's really beautiful."
She smiled at Christian, and slowed her pace.
Christian
Christian nodded.
"Nice. Kinda intimate," he chuckled, blushing slightly - not as much as Taylor would have, that's for sure.
"So, I still don't really know much about you. How'd you end up with Tanya?"
Tate
"Well, my parents died, and I ended up with a human foster family. But some some strange reason they expected me to be rebellous and run away..." Tate puzzled over this for a moment. "Of course, my power being what it is, they wanted it so they got it. I ran off, and I got mixed up in this gang, which ended up getting caught breaking and entering. I wad being tried in court about it when Leroy rescued me, and I ended up becoming his foster daughter. Then he and Tanya got this assignment where they would have to act the married couple, and Oli and I were their kids."
Tate shrugged.
"We've been together ever since. What else would you like to know?"
Christian
Christian shook his head slightly.
"This power of yours is kind of... I don't know, interesting?" he began, frowning slightly.
"Is there, like... a you? I mean... Under your power? Cos I mean obviously your personality changes at anyone's will, but is there something you can go back to? Like, a normal Tate? I hope that's not too confusing..."
Tate
Tate considered the question.
"Our lives are the sum of our experiences. And our expirences are made up of... well, everything. Everything influences us. I am... an amphlified version of that, you could say, because I am influenced far more by other people than someone else would be. The person you're talking to is who I am, even if part if it is you."
Tate giggled and then abruptly tripped over and giggled more.
Christian
Christian caught her arm and chuckled.
"I guess that kinda sums it up. So... if you were left alone for a long time without anyone to influence you... would you like, return to the normal Tate? Or remain as the way the last person who saw you saw you?"
Tate
"I remain as what the last person saw me," Tate answered. "Thanks for catching me again. You seem to be getting into the habit of that."
Christian
"Naw, I'm just such a gentleman," he joked with a grin.
He indicated a park bench.
"Want to sit down in case?" he chuckled.
Tate
Tate smiled.
"Sure," she replied, walking to the bench.
She sat down and patted the part of the bench next to her.
Christian
Christian spun and sat next to her, then sighed as he looked out across the park.
"So... got a boyfriend?"
Tate
"Mmm... nope," Tate replied. "What about you? Got a girlfriend?"
Christian
Christian shifted a little, thinking of Mouse.
"No, and I'm not too sure where I'm gonna find one either. I don't think any girl would want to put up with me at the moment."
Tate
"Aww, you're not so bad," Tate smiled. "Maybe you had some bad times, everyone does. It's life."
Christian
"Yeah, but others' problems mean precisly zilch from where I come from. Heard of the Spider?" he raised his eyebrows.
Tate
"Mmmm, I once knew a guy named Viper, but I don't think it's the same thing," Tate grinned. "Actually, I think I have heard the name of the Spider in some minds."
She shook her head, a little confused.
"I hear that he's dangerous."
Christian
Christian chuckled.
"To some that's an understatement. He's one of the most wanted... aliens by the YIRAAS. He's..."
He scratched his head.
"He took me in when I was little. He's like a father to me."
Tate
"Ooooh," Tate exclaimed, her eyes glittering. "How exciting! I believe I understand now. Any fun stories you'd like to share?"
Christian
"Only ones involving hunting aliens," Christian pouted a little, "I'm not sure that you want to hear about that."
Tate
Tate grinned at him.
"I want to hear anything you want to tell me."
Christian
Christian gave her a weird look for a moment, then laughed.
"I am trying so hard not to influence you, you know. But I'll bet anything it isn't working. Your hair's changed colour already," he grinned.
Tate
"Even Leroy can't stop influencing me, and no one tries harder than him," Tate smiled. "But it's impossible not to. The trick is controlling how you influence me."
Christian
"So..." Christian grinned a little, and focused on her hair.
From the roots outward, it became jet black with bright red streaks. He grinned.
"That's pretty cool," he raised his eyebrows, "and I mean, you wouldn't think it was annoying either... unless someone wante dyou to be annoyed."
Tate
"Exactly," Tate grinned. "You're catching on."
She sighed and looked around.
"Isn't this place beautiful? I could sit here all day. And it's so inspiring. I wish I had brought pad and pencial so I could draw."
Christian
Christian almost choked on absolutely nothing.
"Ah... wow. Ok. Yeah, yeah same here."
He frowned a little, gazing across the park.
"Do you draw often? Or... just started, in a sense?"
Tate
"Mmm... depends on the company," Tate replied with a grin. "I have drawn stuff before. Unfortunately, most of my stuff disappeared by the time I met Leroy, so there isn't much to show you. What about you? You draw often?"
Christian
"Well, I used to. I used to draw alot. I wouldn't say that it was any good..."
He raised his eyebrows.
"I used to draw like, fantasy creatures... dragons, demons, just small imaginery creatures like goblins, maybe unicorns, that kind of stuff. Mainly dragons. I used to have a folder I drew in, but I'm not sure what happened to it."
Tate
"Well, I guess you'll just have to start a new one," Tate smiled. "I'd love to see some of your drawings."
Christian
Christian smiled at her.
"Maybe you will someday. I'd like to see some of yours."
Tate and Tanya
"I'd like that," Tate smiled back.
The two chatted for a while longer, before Tanya came looking for them to tell them it was time to return home.
Christian
Christian stood abruptly and brushed himself off.
"Ok," he nodded, then turned to Tate.
"When can I see you again?"
Tate and Tanya
"Whenever you want," Tate replied with a grin. "I'm always free in the afternoons."
Tanya smiled. She liked what she was seeing. Although, it might take awhile before Leroy would be convinced Christian wasn't going to do Tate any harm.
Christian
"Cool. Do you have a number or something? Or do I just ask Tanya?"
He looked between them.
Tate and Tanya
"Umm..." Tate looked at Tanya.
Tanya pulled a card out of her pocket and wrote something down on the back.
"There you go," Tanya smiled, handing it to him.
Christian
"Cool," Christian grinned, "it was nice meeting you, Tate."
Then he turned to Tanya.
"Are we going?"
Tanya
"Yep," Tanya replied.
And they headed back to the base where they went their separate ways.