[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

The baby grand piano sits on it's own in the middle of the room. There are several music stands stacked in one corner, while a bookshelf holds ranks of neatly ordered folders. Against the opposite wall are several large racks, containing a selection of instruments ranging from cellos to bassoons and just about everything in between. The floor to ceiling windows let in a good deal of natural light, reflecting of the polished floor. The teacher of music here at EMBA clearly keeps the room spotless. Love and care has gone into this room. Melody stares at the baby grand with some hostility. It's almost identical to the baby grand her father keeps in the front room, a baby grand that has now gone more than a year without being played. Her father still keeps it as spotless as the one here at EMBA though. Stepping quietly into the room, she glances around, tearing her gaze away from the piano. It's still empty, obviously she's early, which she had not intended. She crosses the room to the piano, stepping carefully around the matching piano stool and sitting. It's not locked, and she lifts the lid from the keys with only a little effort. Tracing her fingers across the keys, she presses one, then another. It's perfectly in tune, and before she realises it music is pouring forth from the keys. It's halting, lacking confidence, it's clear that she hasn't played in a long time, but with each new note that is played she grows in confidence as the skill begins to return. Then she hears footsteps at the door. The slam of the lid echoes through the room as she turns, looking guilty.

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[Nell Omix]

Nell was quite new as an EMBA student and it still felt odd and uncomfortable to her. In fact that was a relatively accurate assessment of how her life had felt for a long while but she thought it was a bit too melodramatic to say that, even to herself. However there were a few things that were familiar and comforting and music was one of the first that came to mind. Nell had been playing violin for about a decade at this point so when she noticed it was one of the instruments the music class offered she had signed up for it in a heartbeat.

It took a few wrong turns but Nell managed too find the Music room, only to realize she was early. It had been too long for her since she had played, it always made her feel far calmer while she was able to focus entirely on music instead of anyone else around her. She had been rather eager to be able to again that she had not looked carefully at the time. There did seem to be somebody inside however so she slowly opened the door, looking in to find a girl seemingly a little younger than her, though she had never been good at guessing ages to begin with and teenagers were especially variable.

Nell blushed almost purple as the other girl turned to her. Though clothing covered most of her skin there were several visible bits on her neck and a small one at the edge of her forehead where there were light brown patches running along her skin, made of a smooth and thin layer of bark instead of skin. "Oh.." Nell stuttered "I'm sorry, are you sing the room? I was going to wait in here for class to start but I'd rather not like... disturb you"

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

The one responsible for the interruption looks even more guilty than Melody. The girl is shorter than Melody, but still looks to be a year or two older. Though slim, she doesn't quite have the slightly gangly look that Melody seems to have acquired through her growth spurts and is desperately eager to grow out of. Still looking awkward, Melody stands and moves away from the piano as she's been caught doing something shameful. As she does so she continues looking at the girl who has entered the room. She's new. Melody certainly doesn't know everyone in the Evergreen Metahuman Boarding Academy, but she's been here long enough to at least know if she hasn't seen someone before. It's only during this inspection that Melody notices the light brown patches on her neck and forehead. She can't make out what they are, but they don't look like something that should be there. Some sort of skin condition maybe? To be a metahuman and have a visible skin condition like that, some people just had no luck. Melody shrugs, trying to give the impression that she's not bothered by someone walking in on her while she's playing the piano, despite all evidence to the contrary. "You're not disturbing me." Sure, that was totally believable. She takes a step closer to the other girl, fiddling with the overlong and chewed sleeve of her hoodie with the same hand. The other in her pocket. Her slightly sharp features grow a little suspicious and the amber in her eyes glints unnaturally. "You're new right?"

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[Nell Omix]

Nell blushed deeply, giving a very guilty smile. She unconsciously tensed as the other student approached her, for somebody who seemed to be younger than her it was far more than physical height that made her feel smaller than the golden-eyed girl. Nell was used to this sort of feeling, though usually less intense than this, it was rather a natural consequence of her unconfidence that she had very little presence or force of personality, there might not have been anything all that frightening about the situation but it wasn't hard to scare her.

As Nell tensed the small patches on her skin shifted; shrinking too nothing replaced by regular skin and reappearing in different shapes a few inches away, though she didn't notice anything happening. The bright eyed girl clearly had been somewhat disturbed by her entrance which just made the entire thing more uncomfortable, and not knowing what else to do she gave an expression than was passable as a smile though it also was passable as a panic attack. It was in fact both, Nell had certainly interacted with people before but somehow it never really got any easier.

Nodding slowly Nell said "Yeah, I'm new here" she adds "Since you can tell I'm guessing you aren't considering you can tell." her olive green eyes darted around the room before coming to a rest on the other girl's own. She'd swear those eyes were a sharper and brighter shade of amber than they had been a few moments ago. "I'm sorry, wasn't paying attention to the time and for a moment I thought I was late instead of early..."

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

Melody's eyes widen as the girl's skin changes before her. Now that she's closer she realises that it's not just a simple skin condition. The girls skin seems to be changing into something that looks like bark, and it's shifting and changing over a matter of seconds. She'd thought her own physical side effects were bad and her voice is hushed. "Fuck." Shaking her head sympathetically, Melody responds. "You really drew the short straw on the power side effects..." Melody has some experience of that herself, and is very sensitive about the shifting colour of her eyes that betrays her unnatural abilities. Even so, it's not as potentially embarrassing as what she's seeing before her. Every teen fears their skin breaking out, but she doubts anyone has been afraid that they might be turning into a tree. She leans in a little to inspect the strange patches on the girl's skin, showing almost no concern for how it might make the other girl feel. The light in her eyes seems to fade slightly, in time with the reduction in her hostility. There is no apology forthcoming as she steps back, but there is very little other reaction either. No pity or disgust, just a faint glimmer of empathy. "You're not late. No teacher yet, that's all." She glances back at the piano, strangely wistfully. "So how'd they rope you into this?"

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[Nell Omix]

As the younger girl's eyes seemed to drill into her Nell's body tensed up as far as it could. There didn't seem to be anything malicious about the inspection but it was rather unnerving, it gave her the feeling of being inches away from a roaring fire. From how close the pair were now Nell's skin patches were visibly a layer of relatively smooth bark, it was somewhat thicker than the surrounding area making it look from a distance like a layer covering it, but it wasn't; the bark was embedded into her body, perfectly integrated with the skin around it.

Nell pulled herself back a step, but the feeling of heat seemed to already be lowering. She concentrated, closing her eyes tightly, and he patches of bark receded down her neck and below her shirt's collar. With a calmness in her voice that was evidently rather forced she said "Sorry about that. I can't get rid of it completely but I can reduce the size of the effect and move it to a different area, but it doesn't feel that different from normal to me so I often don't notice when it shifts" in fact Nell was rather of the opinion she had gotten off terribly as metahumans went; though undoubtedly a pessimistic viewpoint it was certainly troublesome to have abilities that she couldn't fully turn off.

 Now that she had a little space Nell started looking around the room before turning back at the question, a confused expression on her face. "Rope me into this? Nobody tried to or needed to, who's the 'they' in this case?"

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

"Sorry?" Melody take another step back. "Why the f&*k are you sorry?" Always one to lash out rather than apologise, the girl's meekness catches the younger teen off guard. She steps up to her again, which probably won't resolve the issue of the girl's meekness, but that seems to escape Melody in the moment. "If anyone has a problem with what you look like, then f&*k 'em. I mean... Don't really f&*k them. But like... Do whatever your shit is..." She makes a vague gesture in the girl's direction "Your power I mean." She's aware that many people have abilities that are borderline, if not actually useless, but everyone here at EMBA seems to have an ability that is dangerous to other people, and in many cases themselves. Rolling her eyes, Melody finally comes back to question she'd actually been asked. "The staff. Obviously. Told me I had to start playing again or they'd take away my privileges. Something about letting it go to waste." The last sentence is grumbled, half under her breath. "Guess you volunteered then?"

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[Nell Omix]

Nell winced at the girl's aggression, feeling a rising tension in herself, ears ringing with a high pitched whine growing in volume. She took a deep breath and shrugs "Ahh.. thank you I suppose". Nell found the other girl rather frightening but she still was more supportive than she'd had experience with in a while, and Nell wasn't quite sure what she ought to think about that or the situation, other than reminding herself not to apologize for apologizing which had been her first instinct. "You're right, no real point in apologizing for..." she gestured vaguely at her skin "..this". She was given the impression of having a conversation with a wildfire.

When the girl explained her question further Nell nodded timidly, not fully understanding but figuring that asking the girl questions was generally more trouble than it was worth. She had been generally aware that rebelliousness was a thing but Nell had never known anyone who actually showed it well enough to have any experience. She supposed she had 'volunteered', though the word seemed a little strong to be used to refer to going to a music class. "Yeah. I've played Violin most of my life, so I figure it would be nice to have a class I'm sure I won't have to worry about if I'm any good..." she shrugs.

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

At the mention of the violin Melody finds her eyes drawn back to the piano. Classic partners as they are. It's almost as if someone has planned this meeting out, which she realises someone has. This time her eyes find their way to the small black sphere in one corner of the room. They are everywhere in the building, mostly out of sight, but always reminding the students that there is someone watching them. She could have obliterated the intrusive black sphere with a thought, but all that will do, other than granting her some brief privacy, is bring the school's ire down upon her. Melody has already experienced that, and she is more than protective over her rare chances to leave the school campus with weekend trips. Melody takes a deliberate step back. "I'm Melody. I guess I should introduce myself." "I'm Melody." There is an awkward pause in which one would normally extend a hand to shake, though Melody makes no such move. She turns back towards the baby grand instead, the piano which dominates so much of the space, small though it is. Just past the gleaming black instrument she can see the strings. Including, amongst their number, several violins. She wonders if Nell has her own, violinists often do. "I haven't played the piano in a long time." There is something defensive in her tone, as if expecting Nell to mock her musical skills.

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[Nell Omix]

Well, it was good to have a name instead of thinking of her as 'that girl' at least, Nell supposed.  After a rather long pause she caught herself and responded "I'm Nell. Good to meet you". She certainly meant it as well, while the whole conversation had been a minefield it had been quite interesting in many different ways for her, having never previously talked to any of the other students for more than a single sentences worth of conversation at a time. At Melody's defensive comment she shrugged "Well, that's a head start over anyone who's never played a instrument in their life, and there seem to be a shocking amount of them in every music class". Nell walked over to where the string instruments were being kept. Her own instrument was supposed to have been sent here for 'safekeeping' and indeed she found it rather quickly from it's case, a rather unremarkable one aside from a printed label reading N Omix.

Rebellious behavior was mostly foreign to her but one place she had always felt very strongly about was her name, for no reason she could articulate she had never liked her legal name, Naomi. Although the violin the case had come with had been accidently broken and replaced a few years back Nell had kept the case as a reminder of her parents finally conceding to her (or at least reaching a middle ground) on the topic, it had been mint as a reminder to herself that she could and had succeeded at things in the past. Not that she had figured out since then how she had managed to summon up enough courage to do so.

"So how long have you been here?" she asked when the silence finally got more uncomfortable than her discomfort with talking.

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

Melody hasn't moved from her position facing the piano when Nell finally breaks the silence. She's been staring at it, lost in thought, not really listening to what the other girl had to say. The baby grand seems to drink in the light, it's polished black surface both reflective and bottomless at the same time. It's almost hypnotic, and the fact that her fingers had been dancing over those keys only a few moments before makes it harder for her to pull herself away. The question brings her back, reminds her that she's been in this place for nearly a year. Well... Sort of. She'd had a brief break from EMBA after the ferry attack in New York City, but otherwise had spent all of her time here. Even the brief weekend trips to the local town felt like they were imprisoned, watched over as they were by the staff at all time. "I guess... About a year?" She shrugs, staring at the case Nell had extracted from the collection. None of the cases quite matched, and the other girl had seemed to go for this one with unerring accuracy. It must belong to her. "So what got you sent here?" She changes topic, moving on from the instruments to something completely different. "Did you lose control of your power or something?"

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[Nell Omix]

The question as completely innocuous but it still made Nell briefly wince. It was a good question, why was she here? The reason still somewhat eluded her. Without needing to think about it she opened her violin's case, looking it over and ensuring it wasn't in need of any maintenance or repair. "I'm not sure if it was ever in control to begin with exactly, but I didn't damage anything, so I guess it was more of an issue with NYC public schools than anything. The people there were... normal, and I wasn't any more" Nell smiled sadly.

Taking a deep breath, bark crept up her hand as it held the violin, and where it touched the wood of the instrument it changed, becoming faintly red and slightly less course than it had been before, fingers touching the fingerboard tuned darker-hued. Nell opened her eyes and it slowly receded below her sleeves. "If.. if it's not too much to ask, what about you? why are you here?"

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

"Shit... New York..." It's entirely probable that most metas are not aware of the amount of hate they might receive in New York, but Melody is the daughter of one of the foremost metahuman researchers in the country. She's heard what it's like in New York. Her face softens a little, and she looks away from Nell awkwardly. The attitude towards metas is considerably different in San Francisco, the strong Hero presence and the city's reputation as the home of Paladin means people flock there to catch a glimpse of the famous Hero. There is damage done by villains, even casualties, but somehow the West coast manages to keep a positive attitude towards metahumans. "I uh... I didn't fit in before I was a meta." A shadow crosses her face, perhaps a flash of guilt. "I'm not really much like you then I guess. I... Uh... I got caught in someone else's car... Smashed it up, like, real bad." Melody shrugs, sitting down on the piano stool. "My 'friends' ditched me and let the cops collect me." She emphasises the word 'friends' with two fingers on each hand. "Guess they weren't great friends after all." She rests one of her hands on the piano keys again, feeling the strange warmth that they still seem to hold from her fingers earlier. "If I hadn't been a meta and had an influential Dad I guess I would have ended up in Juvie. I got the choice of here or that." She shrugs once more. "It could have been a lot worse. Though I guess I'd have had a few bitches if I had ended up in Juvie, so maybe I'd have had more fun there." Glancing at the door, Melody returns her gaze to the violin in Nell's hands. "Teacher isn't here yet... Want to play something before I have to be a bitch? I warn you though, I haven't played in a while, so it has to be something easy."

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[Nell Omix]

Nell pursed her lips slightly, she had heard New York was especially bad on the news but it wasn't something she really thought of- quite simply she didn't know enough about what an accepting environment is like to recognize a hostile one. She understood intellectually she shouldn't feel ashamed for happening to have changed that day, but it didn't stop her from feeling like she had committed some grave sin.

Listening quietly to Melody' explanation Nell nodded "I wish I could be like that sometimes, I mean not the car smashing but having the bravery to do things like that. I... well.. we got here through very different paths and that's important, but that both paths led here is also important I guess" she blushed a deep crimson. She didn't really want to defy people in the sort of way Melody had, but Nell felt awed at her ability to rebel. The world needed that sort of talent sometimes, and she herself had never had it. 

Slowly raising the violin to her chin Nell said "I'll let you pick then" smiling slightly and for the first time in a while, warmly. She wouldn't have taken Melody's statement that she had to be a bitch seriously if she hadn't met her, but it was so evident that this sort of aggressive independence was a core part of who Melody was. "Well then, age quot agis" she said mostly to herself.

[Melody Newton]

Eclipse All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died + Nell Omix

"Brave?" Melody raises an eyebrow, "I dunno, all my so-called friends ditched me in the car to get arrested instead of actually helping me out. I guess stealing and joyriding in a car doesn't make you brave. Just stupid." There is a flash of anger and just a hint of regret in her tone. It is the reason she's here after all, the straw that broke the camels back and gave her the choice between juvie and boarding school. The so-called friends she'd been with had gotten off scott-free. She hadn't snitched, they were still in their own homes and probably hanging out together. They'd ditched her though, right after they'd talked her into breaking open the car with her powers. So much for that friendship. Having been given the choice, Melody crossed the room to the bookshelf, prodding her fingers against the folders, looking for something that seemed familiar. She hadn't played in a long time, but a few of the names stand out to her. With long fingers she pulls a fresh looking folder from the neatly ordered rows. 'Brahms' is written on the spine in a neat hand. She rifles through the folder as she walks back over to the piano, producing two sets of sheets and sliding one across the lid of the baby grand. She unfolds the pages onto the piano music stand and sits down, discarding the folder onto the floor behind the stool. "Was that Latin?" Melody asks the question as she arranges the pages to her satisfaction before opening up the lid once more. It takes her a second to settle into position, resting her fingers gently on the keys as she reads through the sheet music before her. "I'm really rusty, so if I fuck up then...." She shrugs. Finally settling herself, she looks expectantly at Nell. "Ready?"

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