Spare Time (open)

[Constance Bumble]

Constance listened as Jodie told her about the zen exercises, "I will. Thank you very much." She said happily, she probably had a book on zen exercises somewhere in her library, she could ask one of the family maids to send it to her. When Jodie cocked her head to the side slightly, Constance made the same motion without realising she was doing so.

She gave a small nod as Jodie said that she hadn't really met her roommate yet."Maybe." Constance nodded again, it had taken her a moment or two to remember that the word 'vacay' was short for 'vacation'. She remembered reading it in a book once and having to figure out what vacation had meant.

Constance's eyes widened when Jodie told her about temporarily blinding around two hundred people when she was supper happy. She wishes her powers could be that strong, well, they had been once, but she had been forbidden by both her auntie and mother to never ever speak of it again. But it hadn't effected more than two people, let alone two hundred. She listened as Jodie finished explaining what had happened when she'd temporarily blinded Cora and moved her head slightly to the side when Jodie looked down to her hands, then back up to her. "Well, I suppose you should have warned her," She told Jodie with a reassuring smile, "But you'll never really know how strong your powers are until you try things out." Constance said, if she was honest, she should probably try doing this herself.

[Exxie]

Jodie heard Constance say that she'd try the zen exercises and she smiled. She saw the other girl nod when she was told that Jodie hadn't met her room-mate yet. When she watched Constance's eyes widen when Jodie told her about temporarily blinding around two hundred people, she figured it was probably with shock. But she couldn't figure out quite...wait...were everyone's powers not that strong or something? Wait...Constance had said she had trouble lifting objects, but Jodie had thought it would just be a sort of mind barrier. Maybe her powers weren't quite as concentrated? But then why were her own? Jodie's face took on a confused look. Then she heard Constance say that she supposed Cora should have been warned and Jodie nodded somberly. Not knowing how strong your powers were until you try things out was a real pain.

"I knew how strong they were though. I just didn't know whether they'd show it all. And it didn't." Her face was still a bit puzzled though.

"So...wait...my powers are strong? It might seem a bit stupid that that didn't occur to me, but I just assumed...I dunno...that everyone's powers were as strong as mine. Or whatever. They didn't seem that strong to me. I hadn't met anyone with powers before the Academy, and I guess I just thought...that the other people were holding back, or controlling theirs...or they didn't know how to use their full potential yet and mine was somehow unlocked. I guess it's right what they say about assume making an ass of u and me." Jodie bit her lip before hitting her forehead with her palm.

"So stupid! That hadn't even occurred to me!" She sighed and thumped her head to the table once, leaving it there for a moment.

"I'm an idiot. An idiot with powerful powers. I need to get smarter quick, or these powers are going to take over way easy. I still have fight in me, but if I don't smarten up, they're going to get the upper hand."

[Constance Bumble]

Constance watched Jodie curiously as she seemed a little confused about something. She only realised why when Jodie asked if her powers were strong and that it hadn't occurred to her, she continued to listen as her friend spoke about how she didn't think her powers were that strong and she'd thought everyone had been holding back. A gentle laugh erupted from her lips as Jodie mentioned the word assume, but the laugh stopped suddenly as Jodie hit her forehead with her palm, she hadn't seen anyone do that before.
She pulled her legs up onto the chair and crossed them as she thought about a reply to what she had said. "I think your powers are very strong, especially compared to mine and I don't at all think that it's stupid that it didn't occur to you. There are probably some people whose powers are the same strength as yours, you said when we met that you had made five friends, how strong are their powers?" She inquired gently, "And my powers can be stronger if I'm in the right atmosphere, my favourite thing to do with them when I was younger was to create whirlwinds in glasses of water." Constance chuckled softly, she could probably make a tiny one on the table if she had enough time to concentrate on what she was doing.

"It wasn't stu-" Constance began, but the sentence had halted quite suddenly when Jodie's head thumped to the table, making her jump back in surprise, that was definitely something she'd never seen anybody do before. Then Jodie spoke about being an idiot, Constance relaxed from her surprised pose, she wasn't entirely sure what to do in this situation but leant her torso close to Jodie's head on the table, her head tilting gently to the side, her arms crossing tightly across her chest, "You're not and idiot at all." She told her, biting down on her bottom lip worriedly, "You're one of the smartest people I've met, and your powers can only get the upper hand if you allow them to do so." Constance wasn't sure if this was comforting or not, she was useless in situations such as this one.

[Exxie]

Jodie heard Constance say that the powers probably were very strong and she sighed. It was stupid that it hadn't occurred to her. Some people who had strong powers like herself? Perhaps, but she had yet to find them. Five friends? How strong were their powers? Jodie thought a moment.

"You're the third friend at the Academy for me. The other two...well, I don't know how strong Ainsley's are. I don't even know what they are. And the other friend just turns invisible as far as I know. And the other two friends before the Academy didn't have powers. One of them was my trainer, and the other was...just a kid I made friends with when I was seven." She reddened a little. When Constance said that Jodie wasn't an idiot at all. She heard the compliments and that the powers coulc only get the upper hand if Jodie allowed them to. Those were all really nice to hear, but her fight was rapidly draining. Maybe she did need to ask a teacher for some help to learn to control her powers, like Cora had suggested. She yawned a little bit. Tired. That tended to happen when you spent half the night trying to control your powers and keep them under control. She looked up at Constance and smiled weakly. Weak, but genuine. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She shrugged, not sure what to say. Then she chuckled.

"Why not just leave me with my self-loathing? Naw I kid. Thanks." She sat straight up in her chair again. She was starting to see that Constance was a beautiful person. Her kindness complimented her looks. Of course, there was no bloody way Jodie would say that aloud. That would just sound stupid and really weird.

"I bet that water tornado trick is probably pretty cool. Ever tried a bigger goal to move. Like, I dunno. It's fine to perfect the little things, but maybe gradually moving it up in size would help. Just an idea."

[Constance Bumble]

It was easy to listen as Jodie spoke to her about the friends she had and their powers. She didn't know who Ainsley was, but she got what Jodie was saying. And she hadn't realised that the other two friends Jodie had weren't at the Academy, Jodie seemed so friendly that she'd thought that she probably made friends pretty quickly. Invisibility? That was another power that fascinated her, everyone's powers were so interesting compared to hers.

She grinned when Jodie chuckled, yet her smile dropped slightly when Jodie told Constance to leave her to her self-loathing. The smile quickly returned when Jodie made it clear that she was kidding. "You're welcome." She replied when Jodie thanked her.

"It isn't really as good as it sounds." Constance told her when she bet that her tornado trick was cool. She gave a gentle nod as Jodie suggested that she should try gradually moving up the size of her tornados. "That's a very good idea." She gave a wide smile as she stared at Jodie happily, "Thank you."

[Exxie]

Jodie saw the smile drop when she had joked, but it returned with Jodie making sure Constance knew she was kidding. It made her feel a little sad that the smile had dropped though, even for the short time. When Constance said the trick wasn't as good as it sounded, Jodie shook her head.

"It sounds cool to me. You think my powers are cool, but I really don't think they're that cool. After all, I've got them for my whole life now. Now yours, on the other hand, are yours. They will never be mine. Which, of course, makes them way cooler to begin with. Besides, you can create a freakin' tornado! Doesn't matter how big it is. It is what it is." She grinned. She wasn't used to hearing all sorts of compliments. While it was nice, it was starting to make her feel like she was gradually being put off balance. So she figured it was about time to have said that. Obviously Constance didn't think much of her powers. And for someone who hated her own powers, Jodie thought it was a crying shame that others didn't like theirs. After all, she WANTED to like her own powers. Really, she did. But there were problems they had caused in her life that held her back from doing that.

[Constance Bumble]

Constance listened as Jodie told her about powers, about how they were her's not Jodie's. She gave a large, genuine smile as she was told that it didn't matter how big the tornado she could make was, it was what it was. "Thank you." She said to Jodie, still smiling happily, when Jodie was nice to her, or complimented her, she actually believed her, unlike others that complimented her before, like her mother or her tutor, Jodie's kindness seemed genuine.

"I've never seen anyone with powers like yours." She explained to Jodie leaning forward where she sat, speaking what was on her mind, she felt more comfortable around Jodie now which means she would begin to say whatever was in her head. "Your powers are brilliant," She said for about the fourth time, "I know two people in my family with the same powers as I have, yours are completely unique," She said quite quickly, "I have never seen anyone with powers like yours." Constance repeated to Jodie, she looked over at the cafe in the bowling alley, "Do you want anything to eat or drink?" She asked, her gaze moving back to Jodie, "It'll be on me."

[Exxie]

Jodie heard the thanks, and shrugged. When Constance explained she hadn't seen anyone with powers like hers, and said they were 'brilliant', Jodie ducked her head slightly. Compliments weren't something she was used to at all. When Constance mentioned two people in her family had the same powers and that Jodie's were completely unique, it sparked a train of thought. What if her powers ran in the family too? But then...no-one else in her family had the same powers. Or did they? She wondered if maybe her parents weren't her biological parents. Jodie was silent, thinking on this. Then she remembered she was in the middle of a conversation and did her best to focus again. Just in time for her to register Constance asking if she wanting anything to eat or drink, and saying that it would be on her. Jodie thought a moment. She wasn't super hungry. A definite good thing. But a side of nachos with cheese and chili might be nice. And the bowling alley's ones were especially good, she knew.

"You sure?" She smiled, somewhat unsure in the situation.

"If you are, I wouldn't mind some of their cheese and chili nachos. The ones they make here are ace." She grinned. Then she returned to her ideas about her powers.

"Maybe it runs in my family too. I do have a different last name from my parents. I always just assumed they were using aliases to keep me safer. But maybe that wasn't it...I just assumed."

[Constance Bumble]

Constance watched patiently as Jodie seemed to get a little lost in her thoughts, she didn't say anything because she didn't want to interrupt and she knew that when she got lost in her own thoughts she couldn't really hear anything going on around her until someone nudges her. It didn't take long at all for Jodie to return the the conversation, making her smile gently as Jodie began to talk again.

"I'm positive." Constance grinned cheerfully when Jodie asked her if she was sure. She nodded when Jodie told her what she wanted from the café, and stood up from the table and pulling her bag over her body and leaving it in her seat, there was only a book, wristwatch and pens and in there, her money was sitting in her pocket. She began to move away to go get the food, "Cheese and chilli nachos." She repeated, fixing it in her memory.
Constance retrieved the food, payed for it, having also payed for a small fries for herself. She placed the change back in the pocket of her jacket, in a position where she wouldn't jingle as she walked. Bringing the foot back to the table she placed the cheese and chilli nachos in front of Jodie. "Here." She grinned sitting back down again with her small portion of fries.

Jodie told her that maybe powers ran in her family too. She gave a nod in agreement, "Powers only run in the females in my family, each have a different element depending on when they were born." Constance explained. She frowned for a moment when she was told about Jodie's parents. "So..." She paused, trying to form a sentence in her head, "Does that mean your parents aren't your real parents?" She asked softly a confused frown on her features, she wasn't sure if that was what Jodie meant or if that was the way she had meant to ask about Jodie's parents.

[Exxie]

Jodie was so busy thinking about what this meant that she barely registered Constance coming back with the food. When it was set in front of her, she started before closing her eyes and giving a dry chuckle. She opened them and looked across the table.

"Sorry for that. Thanks." Only the females in Constance's family got powers, and which power set depended on when they were born? Jodie was silent a moment, thinking and listening. Then she was asked if that meant her parents weren't Jodie's real parents. Jodie kept thinking. Everything she had taken for granted was now falling to pieces because of speculation that, now that it had occurred to her, seemed to make more and more sense.

"I don't know if it's true, but it does make sense. My parents are real psychos. I didn't realize that until the days following my sixteenth birthday banquet. I wouldn't put it past them to not tell me I was adopted. In fact, I don't really doubt it. Of course, that alone doesn't make them psychos or bad people. Plenty of people don't tell their kids that they're adopted. But considering my parents wanted me to use my powers for their gain, I still say they're maniacs. The things they wanted me to do for them. So...so...sick." Jodie's shoulders slumped. Her glow disappeared thinking of it.

"Still, to know that one of the most important parts of my childhood was a lie...that kinda takes a toll. But it makes sense that I am adopted. In a way, I'm also relieved that I'm not related to them by blood. Life is so confusing sometimes." Jodie shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images running through, of the things her parents had shown her. The things they had made her do before she was whisked away to safety. It made her wonder, too, if there were reasons like that, circumstances like that, which caused some of the other 'gifteds' to have to come to the Academy.

"So...I'm just curious. I obviously didn't come here by choice. Did you? You've heard my story, but I really don't know much about you other than that we share a love of books and...well, powers of course, and a rich family. Not that I don't love having someone to talk to, but...why did you come here, Constance?"

[Constance Bumble]

"You're welcome." She replied with a cheerful smile, when she was thanked. Constance gracefully sat back down on her chair across from Jodie, pulling her feet onto the chair with her and crossing her legs on it. She picked up a couple of fries at the same time and popped them in her mouth, chewing silently as Jodie spoke. She told her that her parents not being her real parents made sense. "What happened on your sixteenth birthday?" She asked Jodie when it was mentioned, but continued to listen to the rest of what Jodie had to say. Constance looked down to her fries when Jodie's glow vanished now she felt bad for even asking about the subject of Jodie's parents. Though, still not having any proper people skills, she still asked about it, not having thought about the words that came out of her mouth. "What did they want you to do with your powers?" She inquired very softly, looking back up and her head tilting to the side with slight curiosity.

Constance gave a small nod when Jodie spoke to her about the lie in her childhood, although the lie Constance was being told wasn't as serious and hasn't lasted as long, she did understand where Jodie was coming from. She gave a small smile of agreement when Jodie said that life was so confusing sometimes, a frown crossing her soft features as Jodie shook her head, as of trying to get rid of a memory or something.

Jodie then asked about why she had come to the academy, and Constance looked back down at her fries, she bit down on her bottom lip when Jodie mentioned her rich family, the amount of money her family had made her feel a little ashamed. Her gaze returned to Jodie as she thought about why she'd actually come to the academy. "Well... I don't really talk to my parents, especially not my father. And I've been home tutored my entire life so I never knew what a proper high school was like, I'd barely ever even left the house, I was really only allowed to go to local library's, even then mother would buy more books for our home library so I wouldn't leave home as often. My parents didn't want anybody to find out about my powers, she thought that she was protecting me from the outside world," Constance explained, "But recently, my aunt, who still lives in England, heard about the academy, me and my aunt get along better than I do with everyone, probably because we have the same power, whereas my mother is a fire manipulator, so I don't get on as well with her as I do with my aunt." She was getting off track, "Anyway, she suggested it to my mother, who had a conversation with my father about the academy, they then told my tutor, who knew about my powers, and he was the one who explained the entire academy and everything to me." She gave a small sigh, leaving a long pause before she continued. "To put it simply, I agreed completely, glad for the change and being able to get away from home." She smiled sadly, things were very different at the academy, mostly in a good way, though she had a routine at home and it was hard to shake it off, she still couldn't sleep without taking a walk in the middle of the night and she still finds it almost impossible to go anywhere without a book.

[Exxie]

Jodie heard the question about what happened on her sixteenth birthday and she bit her lip. Well, Constance did deserve to know. It kept coming up in conversation, and it was a pivotal part of her life.

"I was all dressed up for the banquet. In my family, the sixteenth birthday party is when the kid is introduced to the rest of the assassin families. Before that, we keep to ourselves. But on our sixteenths, we decide whether we want to pursue a career in being an assassin, informant, advanced security or we just want to leave the world behind and pursue something else. All I knew then was I didn't want to leave it behind. I didn't really want to kill people, so I was considering the other careers. And then the party started. I met a guy. He was really cute, and about the only one closer to my age. We talked a lot throughout the party. Then he asked for my number and my powers manifested. And temporarily blinded everyone at the party, other than my parents and the guy." Jodie sighed and looked down at the table. Nothing like showing the guy you liked exactly how you felt, and making yourself look like a gigantic freak besides. Then she heard the question about what her parents wanted her to do with her powers and she shuddered.

"They...they...wanted me to kill off all their enemies so that no-one would oppose them. They wanted to take over the...well, basically the criminal world. Eventually, they wanted to expand those horizons too. I was just a tool to help them achieve that. They made...they tricked...me." Jodie listened to Constance tell her about how she ended up at the Academy.

"Definitely know how that feels. Really different to be out in the world. Sounds like you're lucky to have such a good aunt." Jodie smiled, genuinely happy for Constance. She admitted though, she felt a little jealous. Leaving her family meant she could never really go back. Or could she? But would they even want her back? Would she even want to go back someday? The answer to that one was yes. She missed her trainer. She missed...her sister. She missed...the familiar.

[Constance Bumble]

Constance sat quietly as she listened to Jodie tell her about her sixteenth birthday, giving the occasional nod meaning that she understood, her fries seemingly untouched, except for the first few she'd eaten, and were now going cold. A smile spread across her lips as Jodie mentioned a cute guy at her banquet, the only guys that she'd really found attractive were the ones she formed in her imagination when reading a novel, this was mainly because she hadn't really met any guys other than the ones in her family. All of whom were quite a lot older than her and not particularly attractive at all, though when walking through the academy, with people who were actually her age, she found there were a few people she found very attractive, not all of them male either.
"Was that when you temporarily blinded around two hundred people?" She asked when Jodie mentioned temporarily blinding everyone at the banquet. Constance could recall this from earlier in their conversation. "What was the male like?" Was the question that came next, followed with a wide smile.

Constance was silent when Jodie told her what her parents had wanted her to do for them. She couldn't imagine what that could have been like for Jodie, even though she didn't get along with her parents, they wouldn't ever do anything like that, so Constance didn't quite know how to reply, she couldn't know what Jodie had been put through, so she couldn't really comment on the subject, but she gave a gentle, understanding nod.

Jodie told her that she knew how it felt, it was different to be in the world and that it sounded like she was lucky to have a good aunt. Constance smiled thankfully, "I am lucky." She laughed softly, watching Jodie. The other girl seemed to be thinking about something, since they'd just been talking about family, maybe Jodie was thinking about her's again. "Do you miss home?" Constance asked her tilting her head to the side with an expression filled with curiosity.

[Exxie]

Jodie heard Constance ask if that was when two hundred people were blinded and Jodie couldn't help but wince a bit.

"Yeah. My parents invited their friends." What was the guy like? She thought about him and she glowed lightly, smiling.

"He was quite nice to me. Funny too. We had fun all night thinking up pranks that would freak particular people at the party out. He was the one who got me interested in doing that sort of thing. Could do all sorts of imitations too. Kept making fun of the adults who were caught up in themselves. Kind of a golden blonde too. I would've been lonely that night without him there, because to my parents it was just another chance to make connections that would help them later on. I was just an excuse. I don't really count him as a friend though, because I never did get around to giving him my number. So much going on. And so that was that." Jodie sighed. Then she heard Constance agree that she was lucky. Heard the laugh. Jodie took a bite of the nachos, untangling the chips from the cheese and chili before popping them into her mouth. Yum. Then Constance asked if she missed home and Jodie bit her lip.

"I miss the home I grew up in, but I don't miss home. Because it's changed. I miss my trainer, and my sister. I understand that they'd be a lot of danger if they sided with me. But it doesn't stop me from missing the familiarity, y'know? They were my only...well, I don't normally count family as friends. But they were the closest it got for me until I left. And I didn't realize how much I would miss them until I...already was." Jodie shrugged, not sure what to say other than that.

"My home was my family because we moved a fair bit. I always wondered why, considering my parents were mostly retired. Just assumed they had old enemies. But then that would be bad form, to have left witnesses...evidence." Jodie's face took on a puzzled look. Could they have been running from something else? She waved her hand in front of her face and grinned.

"Enough about my miserable past life! Read any good books?"

[Constance Bumble]

She gave a little nod about when Jodie said that her parents had invited her friends. "I see." Constance told Jodie gently. But when Jodie began to glow lightly after she'd asked about the guy she'd been talking about, Constance smiled.

Her smile widened as Jodie told her about the guy she had met, sitting quietly whilst she spoke about the guy, giving the occasional giggle at the things she thought were funny, like how the guy thought up pranks with Jodie. She nodded again when Jodie said she would have been lonely without the guy, Constance definitely knew what that was like, she always felt lonely at her parent's large social gatherings, yet she never felt lonely when she was on her own, she blamed it on the fact that she was completely unsocial and all the people, no matter how many there were, bored her to no extent. If she didn't end up reading at the gatherings, she'd end up sitting in the kitchen talking to the two family cooks, they'd always let her pinch food from trays before the maids and the hired waiters would take them out to the guests. The cooks always gave her the nicest food the made too.
"Maybe one day you will see him again." Constance commented, smiling at Jodie, "It always happens in books." She grinned, though she did mean what she had said. "It can shock people how much they miss things." She smiled to Jodie reassuringly, "I never thought I would miss my elder brother before he went off to medical school, but when he did go, I realised how much I enjoyed talking with him and messing around with him, when he did pull himself away from studying. I still miss him every now and again." She explained with another cheery smile, she was able to tell her brother almost anything without him judging her in any way, which was a lot more than what could be said for her parents. The thought of her parents made her smile drop, and the thought of missing people reminded her of Megan. Megan was who she always missed, almost daily, her younger sister had died at the age of four on Constance's twelfth birthday, which was why she didn't like her birthday, and it was why her parents always forgot her birthday because they'd blocked out any memory of her little sister.
She listened to Jodie when she said that she moved a fair bit, and gave a small, if confused nod when Jodie mentioned leaving witnesses and evidence.

Constance's smile automatically returned when Jodie asked her of she'd read any good books. "Yes, I read quite a good ghost story yesterday called Dark Echo." She told Jodie, the book had been odd, but she'd enjoyed it. It still didn't top her favourite book though, nothing ever did.
"What about you?" She inquired, still grinning genuinely,"Have you read anything good recently?"