[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]”Ah Melody, so good of you to join us.”

The Spanish teacher actually did look pleased to see her, which instantly put Melody on guard. More usually there was frustration in the teacher’s voice at Melody’s inability or unwillingness to master some aspect of the language. In was unwillingness of course. Melody saw little point in bothering to learn another language, and certainly wasn’t going to do it because some teacher told her it was important.

Narrowing her eyes, Melody remained standing in the doorway of the classroom, which appeared to be what was wanted of her anyway. The teacher took a moment to set the class a task in Spanish, then turned her attention fully to the teenager stood uncertainly in the doorway.

”You don’t need to be in this lesson today Melody, you’re to report to the library to meet your new tutor.”

The teacher glanced pointedly at the clock on the wall, ”I’d hurry if I were you, or you’ll be late.”

Melody looked around hesitantly at the class that was now ignoring her, then at the teacher who had already turned back to the lesson she was teaching. She paused long enough to mutter ”whatever” before turning and heading to the library.

---

It took her ten minutes to get there. She’d stopped for a smoke, taken her time about it as well. She wasn’t going to be rushing for any sort of extra educational activity. The library in question was well equipped, it was a large building set slightly apart from the main school, with three floors, all of which was equipped with a vast array of books, computers and study booths.

She wasn’t going to completely blow the whole thing off though, and so she walked up to the main desk in the lobby area, gave her name and was directed towards a booth on the second floor. Dawdling up the stairs, it took nearly another five minutes before she got to the booth, although when she did she seriously regretted taking so long to get there.

Maia Morales was sat in the booth.

”Uh… Hey?”

[attr="class","nikki103"]352

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

Starstruck?

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

After about a week of foregoing her private tutors in the name of living out the experience of a normal teenaged girl, Maia was coming to discover that being educated in a classroom environment left much to be desired. The days of having the teacher's undivided attention were behind her and if there was something that she didn't understand or grasp immediately, then she'd have to schedule time with the teacher to discuss at a later date. There was also an insane amount of restrictions when learning in a classroom. She needed to permission to do everything and worse of all, she wasn't allowed to  keep her phone on her person. The latter had taken the most getting used to as her phone was constantly ringing with calls from her agent. She'd insisted upon arrival that she wasn't looking for any special treatment and EMBA had delivered in full on their end of that agreement.

If there was anything at all positive about her experience thus far, it was that her tutor had insisted on educating her far above and beyond what was standard for her age and grade level. At the time Maia had found the extraneous work tedious, however since starting at EMBA, Maia quickly discovered that quite a bit of the material currently being taught she'd already learned in her previous lessons. Which put her at a slight advantage to her classmates prompting EMBA to not only place her in advanced level classes but to also designate her as a tutor for classes that she truly excelled at. Initially, Maia hadn't been entirely thrilled with the idea, until it was explained that her tutoring sessions would count as class credit eliminating the need for her to take classes that she wasn't too fond of. 

Today's tutee was struggling in Spanish, a subject that she was aptly suited to mentor in as she, herself was bilingual. The Spanish instructor had already forewarned her that the student might be a handful, but Maia preferred to remained optimistic.  A disposition that was getting more and more difficult to maintain by the minute as the teen glanced down at her watch. Sure, it was possible that Melody may very well have just been running late or had gotten turned around but truthfully, the pop star was beginning to suspect that she'd been stood up. Resolving to give the girl another 10 minutes before giving up completely on today's session and reporting Melody's absence, Maia had been just about to gather her belongings and exit the library when she heard a soft voice  greeting her. Turning to see a brunette with the most fascinating eyes that she'd ever seen, the nineteen year old gracefully rose from the booth.

Turning towards Melody, Maia flashed the younger girl a bright smile as she extended her hand. "Melody, right? I was starting to worry that you wouldn't show. That would have been so mortifying, so I am really glad you didn't stand me up," Maia started. As an afterthought, the brunette added "I'm Maia Morales by the way. I saw you in ballet class, but I don't think that we were properly introduced."


 

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]It took longer than Melody would have cared to admit for her to process just what was going on. Not that it would have taken a genius to put two and two together about her hesitation. Maia was significantly older than her, and while Melody had seen her about school, she only shared the one class with her, dance. She looked around, searching for someone that was closer to the idea she had of a tutor. Preferably someone with a pile of books and spectacles that she could terrorise into giving up in despair.

Said nerd resolutely failed to materialise.

Instead a hand appeared before her, and eventually she grasped it, more by instinct than anything else. They shook, Melody still processing that she was currently holding the hand of a popstar. Eventually she let go, then kicked her tongue back into gear. It took a few kicks.

”Hey uh… Maia…”

She couldn’t believe she was actually talking to Maia Morales.

”Sorry I’m late. I just uh…”

She trailed off pathetically. She’d been deliberately late for her tutor in an attempt to piss them off. It was pretty much part of her systematic rebellion against everything in this school. She was late for everything as a rule, but she’d been significantly later for this appointment than her other lessons. Everything had sort of compounded, which she’d thought would be a good thing. She was revising that opinion rapidly now. As well as trying to come up with a good excuse for her tardiness. Finally her brain kicked back into gear, mostly. It still felt pretty fuzzy, but it was moving, which was a slight improvement. She realised that over the last few moments her eye’s had shifted. The realisation made her blush.

”Melody yeah, here for Spanish. Are you my tutor then?”

She was desperately holding back the urge to squeal in excitement. Melody did not squeal…

[attr="class","nikki103"]WORDS

[attr="class","nikki103"]@tag

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

notes here, i guess?

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

The perplexity on the younger girl's face was curious to Maia as Melody's gaze darted anxiously about the library as if in search for something or perhaps even someone. But whom, was the burning question in Maia's mind. Was she supposed to be tutoring more than just Melody? The teacher certainly hadn't said as much to her about taking on more than one tutee at a time. Was she displeased with her as a tutpr? Seemed hard to imagine that would be the case if they hadn't even begun their first session yet. The professor had warned her that Melody might prove to be a challenge, but if she couldn't even get the girl to shake her hand then this arrangement was doomed before it even began. With the awkward silence between the pair growing more and more unnerving by the minute Maia had just parted her lips to inquire as if to whether Melody was alright and suggest that perhaps they should reschedule for another time when the other girl finally reached out and grasped her hand.

The gesture were followed by words that Maia assumed were meant to be a greeting of some sort but somehow failed to hit the mark.  "She speaks," Maia teased in an effort to lighten the mood a bit.  The greeting was then followed by yet another failed attempt at coherent communication, however the gist of it seemed to be an apology for her tardiness.  As a general rule, the brunette made a conscious effort not to read people of whom she was unfamiliar with or without their permission, but somehow in this case the pop star felt that doing so might very well be the only way that they could move forward. If she could figure out what was prompting this sudden surge of bashfulness then maybe she could come up with a way to counteract it.  Holding her classmate's hand for perhaps a moment longer than necessary, Maia briefly met Melody's gaze just long enough to perform an emotional scan on the younger girl.

Shock, confusion, and...excitement? Hmmm, she wouldn't have thought her a fan, Maia mused to herself with a smile. Well, now things were starting to make a little more sense.  This sort of sheepishness was thankfully easily resolved, the nineteen year old realized as she felt a familiar heat sweeping through the palm of her hand. The sensation was brief but lasted long enough for the starlet to release as many soothing pheromones as she could in that short spans of time before releasing Melody's hand. Certain that the effects of her ability had never before been instantaneous, the diva could only assume that the younger girl had regained her wits on her own as she finally seemed to find her tongue.  Nodding in response to Melody's inquiry Maia replied "That I am. Assuming that's cool with you of course. They will never tell you this, but you do have a right to request another tutor if you want. I'm sure I read that in the bylines somewhere."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]Melody smiled awkwardly at Maia's joke. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of this situation. She certainly hadn't expected to run into Maia in the library. She'd expected her to be her new tutor even less. All plans of ignoring and bullying said tutor went out of the window. After all, she'd idolised Maia, and would have had a poster of the older girl on the wall of her room had she not had a roommate. That was another issue. The girl was her idol, but Melody was certainly not going to pass that piece of information on. She'd spent a long time building up a reputation here as a student that didn't care for the school, or her appearance, or other people. She couldn't let that image be ruined by letting people know that she liked a tween popstar like Maia Morales.

Her hand felt warm, and reflexively she wiped it on her jeans, cursing herself when she realised she'd just shaken Maia's hand with it. What did Maia think she was doing that for?

In an effort to hide her confusion she sat down, dropping her bag onto the bench next to her and beginning to pull out her books. Maia had continued talking, and Melody made a show of listening as she tried to recompose herself. That show had to become real only a moment later.

"What? No that's uh, that's totally cool. I don't think that they'd let me choose another tutor anyway."

She scrambled, "Not that I want to or anything. I'm sure you're great."

Right now, Melody was so glad none of her friends were in the library to see her stumbling through a conversation with her idol. Her dad would have had a field day with this. What was wrong with her? Her eyes had changed fully now, and she looked away from the other girl, pretending to sort through her books, trying to keep the freakish side effect of her abilities out of sight.

[attr="class","nikki103"]334

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

Could I embarrass myself anymore?

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

Admittedly, Maia's sense of humor could be dry as the Sahara desert at times, but had her lame attempt at calming the other girl's nerves really failed that miserably, Maia questioned as she noted the awkward expression on Melody's face.  Tough crowd, the teenager mused. The teen had expected a mouthy, sarcastic, uncooperative young woman whom was likely quite bright but disinterested in applying herself on a scholastic level. Surprisingly, the girl in front of her seemed to be none of those things.  In fact, she was damn near polite. Had the Spanish teacher simply misjudged the student or was something else at play here? The nineteen year old couldn't help but to feel curious about the drastic shift in demeanor.  Sure, the younger girl was a fan but surely that fact alone couldn't be the sole source of her newfound muteness.  This was by far the most challenging tutoring session that the pop star had had to date and it hadn't even started yet.  Strangely, despite having frowned upon the ability in the past, Maia now found herself wishing that she could read minds.
 
Perhaps, if she could sort out what was bothering Melody then their interactions going forward would be far less awkward. With her nerves this frazzled, the likelihood the other girl retaining anything that they went over would seem quite slim.  For most, the simple act of wiping one's hands on their jeans would certainly be  no cause for alarm, and yet the diva's over analytical mind went into overdrive. Why had she done that? Typically, when she shook hands with or hugged a fan, they literally gushed that they would never launder the limb or item in question ever again. Yet Melody had immediately rubbed her hands on her pants leg as if she hadn't cared for the contact at all. Were there perhaps such personal space or boundary issues that Maia had failed to pick up on? The young woman had displayed the sort of emotional profile that was often synonymous with those of most of her fans, yet she appeared repulsed by the starlet's touch?

Was it possible that somehow she'd misread the situation entirely and it turned out that Melody disliked her? As she was pondering this, Melody plopped down on a bench and began withdrawing her books from her bag. Concluding that perhaps it was best that they go ahead and get started if for no other reason than the cessation of her overanalyzing, Maia followed suit.  Interesting, the brunette thought to herself as Melody failed to take her up on her offer for another tutor.  As Maia had just parted her lips to inquire if she was certain, the brunette went on to say that she didn't believe that they would allow her to select her own tutor anyway. So.... was she accepting her tutelage begrudgingly, Maia wondered. 


"Um, ok. Well I mean... let me know if you change your mind. I could speak to them on your behalf if it came down to it. I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be."

As Melody rushed to clarify herself, Maia found herself resisting the urge to quirk her brow in response.  Clearing her throat awkwardly, the brunette added 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. To be honest, this is actually my first session, so I guess we'll have to see what your test scores look like before we can determine how great I am. Speaking of which... we should probably get started."

Digging a manila folder out of her bag, Maia flipped it open and withdrew several sheets of paper.  Plucking them out of the folder, Maia showed them to the younger girl saying "The teacher gave me the lesson plan for today but to be honest it's boring as hell so I don't think we're going to follow it.  The gist of it seems to be conjugation. I find that writing in Spanish for some is easier than speaking it for some and it helps with things like conjugation, sentence structure, and drastically enhances your vocabulary. So, I think for today's assignment maybe you could help me with a special project that I have been tossing around in my head for a bit. Definitely beats reciting "Yo,  Tu, El, Ella, Ustead fifty times. So, what do you say? Interested?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]"No, no that's OK."

Melody had never met someone she had a poster of before, certainly not someone who's music she listened to every day. Part of her desperately wanted to not be in this situation. Surely it would be better to never be able to talk to Maia again, and therefore avoid all potential embarrassment. On the other hand, she'd miss her chance to actually spend time with her idol. There were so many people that would kill to be in Melody's position right now, and she knew it.

The comment on test scores didn't have Melody worried. She'd deliberately tanked tests at school for years so she wouldn't end up going to college as a kid like her dad had

That, and she knew her Dad wouldn't have reckoned with something like this happening when he sent her away. Part of her realised that she wanted to impress her Maia, and that would involve actually engaging in the work and trying to do better, which was precisely what she'd spent so long avoiding. The rest of her shouted that small part down.

"Yeah."

Melody punctuated her small response by finding her Spanish book and dropping it onto the desk between them. She wasn't really sure what else to say. She might be more committed now to engaging with the work, at least a little, but she wasn't going to make it too obvious.

She glanced over the lesson plan, concluding, similarly to Maia, that it would have been incredibly tedious. It mostly consisted of repetition, some speech exercises and a worksheet. Clearly all the stops were not being pulled out for this tuition session.

Maia's plan sounded like it could have more to it however, and she perked up a little, looking up properly for the first time with her now silver eyes.

"Sure that sounds like fun. Better than just reciting stuff anyway."

She leaned forward a little, then paused, relaxing back into the seat. Although relaxing may have been the wrong word. Endeavouring to be casual, she asked "So how come you're here? I'm not sure why anyone would choose to come here."

[attr="class","nikki103"]357

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

I want to do this, but I so don't. Does that make sense?

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

"No, no that's OK."

It wasn't the enthusiastic acceptance that Maia had hoped for, but she supposed that indifference might be the best that she could expect when it came to Melody. While the brunette understood that it wasn't quite necessary to be liked in order to provide her services as a tutor, she imagined that it had to help at least a little. For most the other girl's reaction or lack thereof  likely would have no effect, however the teenager was certainly not like most people. Courtesy of her ability, the nineteen year old songstress tended to make friends rather easily and was often beloved by those that met her and knew her. It was strange to encounter a person whom wasn't immediately enchanted by her.

"Yeah."


Wow, seriously tough crowd, the nineteen year old thought to herself as Melody half heartedly agreed to getting started with the lesson.  Sure, Spanish wasn't the most fascinating subject to study, particularly the way that their professor taught it, but still it wasn't the dullest either.  Curiously, Melody had found the lesson plan just about as fascinating as she herself had, so at least they seemed to be able to find common ground on that front.  Her as of yet unannounced modifications to the lesson plan, however seemed to perk her tutte's interest. In fact, Melody even lifted her gaze to meet Maia's for the first time since the pop star had first introduced herself as Melody's tutor.


Progress, the singer thought to herself as a glimmer of hope filtered into the teen's dark orbs. Being able to get her first proper look at the other girl, Maia was stunned. The younger girl's eyes were a magnificent shade of silver unlike any that she'd ever seen before.  "Wow, your eyes are breathtaking. If you don't mind my saying so that is," Maia breathed. "Are they naturally that color or is that a meta thing," the diva inquired. Maia's cheeks tinged a faint pink as she realized that her inquiry might have seemed a bit insensitive. Bashfully, the starlet dug into her bag and withdrew a notepad. Placing it on the table, she flipped it open and shifted through a few pages before coming to one where she'd scribbled down a series of lyrics. Smiling conspiratorially Maia continued "Ok, so  first of all I have to tell you that you are the first one to see this so I am really trusting you not to leak it."


"That being said, I am working on a new album and this will be the first song on it. This one is going to be much different than the others because it's going to be a Spanish cross over. As you can see these lyrics are in Spanish and it is unfinished. We can go through the first verse together. The second verse I want you to write but it will have to be written completely in Spanish. Eventually, we will compose an entire song that will be featured on my album with you being credited."

While she should have suspected that eventually someone would inquire as to why she would come here, nevertheless the question caught Maia a little offguard. Perhaps, she had expected that at the very least it wouldn't have happened quite this soon. Grinning sheepishly, Maia added "Well, it's actually not so bad here. Definitely a step up from schools that I have visited. Supposedly, this is supposed to be an institution that will teach you how to master your abilities and... I guess I can use as much help as I can get in that regard."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]The comment about the eyes ad been expected, it normally came up. After all, they were far from a natural colour, and the fact that they changed colours depending on her mood rarely went without notice. She felt a strange mix of annoyance, embarrassment and a faint flush of pleasure however. Normally it was just the first two, rarely did the latter make an appearance when someone commented on the shade of her irises. It still didn't make her feel that much better about it though.

"It's uh… part of my power, they changed when I developed my abilities… It's kind of annoying."

Melody was grateful for the opportunity to look away, and she looked down at the notebook that Maia had produced from her bag. It was upside down for now, but at least offered something else to look at that wouldn't have been construed as rude or awkward. She raised her eyes once again however at Maia's next comment. Her eyebrows quirked in surprise at the suggestion that she was the first person to see this. Other than Maia of course.

She looked on interestedly as Maia referred to her notes, gesturing to the unfinished first verse, written entirely in Spanish. It took her a second to refocus her mind to read the foreign language. She wasn't actually bad at it, but she'd certainly never tried hard enough to be good. It took her a minute or so to work her way painstakingly through the verse, working out what the song seemed to be about. She glanced back at Maia, "OK, I think I get it."

She smiled, "That's really generous of you… I mean… I don't know how good I'll be at writing lyrics, but I can definitely try."

The other girl's response made sense, after all, it had been Maia's choice to come here, so there had to be something that had appealed to the popstar. Melody wasn't so naïve as to think the girl could have gone anywhere she wanted, but she'd probably had a definite breadth of choices compared to her forced exile here.

"Yeah, I guess there aren't many schools around that help you out with powers and things."

[attr="class","nikki103"]366

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

I know they make me look freaky.

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

Maia had always been rather intuitive and the development of her abilities had only seemed to make the teen moreso as she studied Melody's face. Despite the beauty of the younger girl's irises everything about her tutee's body language suggested that the topic of her eyes was one that made Melody quite uncomfortable. Having not been around many metas, the brunette was still growing accustomed to the idea that there were some metas whose abilities manifested themselves in physical ways. Most kids Melody's age just wanted to fit in with their peers and having uniquely colored eyes was bound to make such a thing, a challenge, even for someone as tough as Melody.  Her theory seemed to be proved when Melody referred to as the shifting hues of her irises as 'annoying.' With a casual shrug, Maia replied "I don't know. I think it's kind of cool actually.  It definitely makes you stand out and you don't seem to be the type of girl that worries about fitting in."

As Melody studied the lyrics scribbled in the notepad, a wave of anxiety washed over the popstar.  Being the perfectionist that she was, it was always difficult for Maia to share work that she wasn't completely sure of. Indeed it was rare for the nineteen year old to allow others to witness or be a part of her creative process, but somehow she suspected that in this instance the payoff would be well worth the momentary discomfort. Besides, watching the younger girl work through the lyrics would give her some insight into the younger girl's skill level.  Even incomplete, the teen idol could already say that the song was shaping up to be one of the best songs that she'd ever written as it as it told the story of a girl struggling to escape the box that society had placed her in. 

Much to Maia's surprise and delight, Melody hadn't asked her once to translate a sentence or what a specific word meant. Which had to mean that Melody could at the very least comprehend written Spanish so perhaps the issue was with pronunciation. Maia had been solidifying her lesson plan when Melody concluded that she "got it." Nodding in response, the brunette replied "Well, maybe you won't need as much help as the teacher seems to think that you do. If you were able to translate that then you are actually further along then most of your classmates. Reading Spanish is much harder than speaking it ,in my mind because you have to have a firm understanding of conjugation and sentence structure." Smiling softly as Melody voiced her uncertainty of her skill level when it came to writing lyrics, Maia answered "Yeah, I thought the same thing. Still do, but for some reason my songs seem to resonate with a lot of people. So, I guess you never know till you try. It goes back to that whole being our worse critic thing."

An amused smile flitted across the teen's face as she responded "Yeah, there's like literally one school that helps you learn how to use your powers...this one. So, I guess it technically won out over the others by default. I felt like I had pretty much gotten as far as I could with trying to sort out my ability on my own. I don't feel like I've tapped into the full potential of my ability and I definitely haven't mastered it yet."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]Seeming to brush over Melody's dismissal, Maia almost made the younger girl feel comfortable about the change in her irises. Almost. It would probably take several years and several epiphanies about teenagers before she fully got over that insecurity.

It had maybe helped that Melody could empathise with the lyrics in the song, in as much as she understood them. Some of it she'd definitely got from context, but she definitely wasn't going to play dumb in front of Maia Morales. It might not have been society's box she was fighting as much as her father's.

"Yeah well, she's boring…"

Melody trailed off, glancing down at the pad again. Currently the crucial differences in this lesson was the presence of a genuine celebrity, and her song lyrics. Melody ignored the hypocrisy that this represented, moving on to the next thing Maia had said.

"Otherwise we're all just expected to sort of learn them on our own. Not that they've taught me anything to do with my power yet."

She pulled a face. She'd heard that they did, a couple of other students had even talked about private lessons with certain teachers, presumably several of them were metahumans themselves. No one had mentioned it to Melody though. She felt a momentary burst of anger at that unfairness. Did they not trust her to use them properly? That one time in the science lab had been a complete accident. They couldn't blame her for that, surely?

"Have you had any lessons with your ability yet?"

After all, Maia was not only older, but she was a good deal more popular with the teachers than Melody, maybe she'd been put forward for that aspect of EMBA education.

[attr="class","nikki103"]284

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

So unfair...

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

While Maia could certainly appreciate the bravery that it must take for a person, especially a teenager these days to be comfortable with standing out and being different from others, nevertheless, it always struck the nineteen year old as a bit odd. She supposed that the fact that so much of her life was in the public eye played a part in the way that she viewed such things. It had been the singer's intention to remain as inconspicuous as possible when enrolling in EMBA and she desired nothing more than to fit in with her peers, but such a thing was proving to be quite impossible for the pop star. Still, she was overjoyed that she wouldn't have to spend a fair amount of their tutorial session translating every paragraph for her tutee as she was certain that eventually Melody would become bored and apparently boredom was what had truly led to the perceived necessity of a tutor. Which made much more sense when the diva thought about it.

She'd picked up quite a bit from Melody in that brief scan she'd done when their hands had grazed and in the fragments of info that she had obtained, nothing had led her to believe that Melody was unintelligent or otherwise incapable of grasping the subject. So, was it perhaps that she simply wasn't being challenged enough? The starlet wasn't really much one for criticizing her professors, however when Melody indicated that the instructor was boring Maia was inclined to agree.

"I'm not sure that boring is exactly the word that I would have used, but is hard challenging to maintain your focus when she's just standing in front of you chanting words at you in rapid succession. It doesn't provide enough of a challenge to keep you invested."

The mention of having to learn on your own how to control one's powers caused a small shiver to run along the diva's spine as she recalled the numerous mishaps that had befallen her when she had initially come into her powers. Some had been more humorous than unpleasant, but she had despised how out of control those instances had made her feel. Shrugging off the recollections, Maia replied "Yeah, I've been there and it wasn't fun at all. Each time my ability advances, it feels like I have basically starting over from scratch. I am really glad that there is a place now for people to go where kids can get help. Especially in instances where someone has a really volatile power. That's definitely not something you want to have to figure out through trial and error."

Truthfully, Maia had some discussions with professors there but she wasn't exactly sure if she could call these sessions actual lessons as she hadn't really learned anything yet of consequence. Or at least anything that she hadn't already known anyway.

"Well, I have met with people about my ability, yes. I haven't really done much practicing yet though. Honestly, I think they are still trying to figure out how it works. Seems that they haven't really come across anyone that can do what I can do or even anyone that an do something similar in nature."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]Melody probably knew a great deal more about powers than most people her age, her father was nothing if not obsessed with his work. He didn't share much about it, but he had occasionally mused aloud over dinner or in other situations. He was knowledgeable on metahumans. It had been a science for less than two years, but already he was considered something of an expert on the matter. She knew that no metahuman he had ever studied had possessed the same power set. Many seemed to have variations or themes, super strength for example, but it always had something different about it. Could anyone ever really teach you how to use your abilities if they were always different?

"Yeah, my dad says everyone's powers are different in some way, sometimes big, sometimes just little differences so they look like the same power."

She shrugged, clearly she had given the matter some thought. Her own ability was relatively unusual, most abilities couldn't do as many different things as hers. She knew it had fascinated her father, which only made the sensation of being a disappointment more astute. Occasionally he'd looked at her as if he was close to taking her to his lab. He never had though, never even mentioned it.

"I wish someone could help me with mine though."

She glanced over at the older girl, "What's your power? I've never seen you use it or anything."

[attr="class","nikki103"]238

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

Totally not nosy...

PHARAOH LEAP.

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[Maia Morales]

- RISE -

"Together, we’re gonna rise with the morning light."

Ever since her abilities had manifested, Maia had been intrigued by them and had done all that she could to learn how to control them. However, it would seem that in her determination to learn how to master her powers, the teen had neglected to investigate the biological components of her ability. Indeed, the teenager had no real understanding of what had been altered within her to enable her to be able to do what she could do. It was an oversight that the professors at EMBA were determined to rectify. In truth, their intricate attention to detail was proving to be a bit frustrating to the rather impatient teen. The nineteen year old was certain that their investigation had very little to due with understanding how to control her power and more to do with their own personal research. More than anything, Maia had been hoping to discover the limitations of her ability.

At the mention of her dad, Maia's brow quirked slightly. "Your dad says? How would your dad know that? Is he some kind of scientist or something? Or is he just really into metahumans? Like maybe once you manifested, he wanted to learn everything he could about them so he could help you adjust," Maia inquired. Meeting others whose parents were supportive of their kids being metahumans was always something that the pop singer was fascinated by and envious of. Her mother hadn't necessarily been thrilled when her own abilities had manifested, to say the least. Uncertain how her fans would take to her being a metahuman and unsure of how to market her as a meta, her mother had simply opted to hide her power completely.

Smiling warmly, the brunette added "I wish that I could help you with yours, but I am honestly still learning new things every day about my own. Even though I thought that I was in complete control of it. I am sure that your time will come soon though."

The notion of not having ever witnessed her using her power bought an amused smile to the diva's face. If she only knew, Maia mused. Still, she had never really had to put her ability into words before and as such found herself temporarily struggling with providing the requested explanation.


"Well... on the less complicated end. My ability seems to be having the power to read peoples' emotions. On the more complex end of the spectrum, I can pretty much induce any emotion within a person that I want. Joy, Fear, Euphoria, Tranquility and etc. That's the what anyway. The hows are still a little murky. The running theory though is that it has something to do with pheromones. Which interestingly enough, I've been told that some pheromones I produce at a much higher rate than normal people. Particularly, the ones pertaining to um...attraction."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Melody Newton]

[attr="class","nikki98"]

[attr="class","nikki99"]

I NEED TO COME DOWN

[attr="class","nikki100"]

[attr="class","nikki101"]SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WENT AND LOST ITS MIND

[attr="class","nikki102"]AND ALL MY CHILDHOOD HEROES HAVE FALLEN OFF OR DIED

[attr="class","nikki109"]"Yeah he's a scientist, he works at the MNRU in San Francisco."

She didn't give any further information on the matter, after all, she didn't exactly hold him in the highest of regards these days. She shrugged in response to Maia's next words, she hadn't expected the other girl to be able to help, pretty much all of them were here to learn more about their abilities, and they all had different qualities. She didn't even know anyone else at the school with a power even close to hers, which made it even more difficult.

She listened, frowning, as Maia explained her ability, it was very different to her own, and she couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to be able to sense emotions like that. It must be confusing, or maybe it wasn't anymore. After all, it would be easy to work out what other people were thinking now, which must make a lot of conversations and situations much easier.

Wait… Did that mean..?
Shit.

"So… uh… does that mean that you can tell how I'm… umm… feeling?"

Please say she can turn it off. Please say she can turn it off.

[attr="class","nikki103"]196

[attr="class","nikki103"]Maia Morales

[attr="class","nikki103"]Eau de Resistance

NOTES

BUSTED!

PHARAOH LEAP.

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