InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "That's not love. That's hate."

Elisabeth Braddock (locked_on) wrote in academy_x,
@ 2010-04-05 01:11:00

Entry tags:

chamber, psylocke

Who: Betsy, OTA
When: Sunday night
Where: By the pool
What: The crowded club had left Betsy with a headache that still lingered the following day. Maybe reading outside away from where most of the people were would help? Not like she needed light to read in the dark anyway.

The night before had gone well enough, at least from what Betsy could tell. She was not horrified by the fact that not one, but two of their teachers had shown up at the club, mostly because Betsy was still oblivious as to what the auras of Emma Frost and Raven Darkholme felt like. She would probably learn soon enough- and then the next time something similar happened have a panic attack- but today she was focused more on the headache that had resulted from being surrounded by so many emotions and thoughts at one time.

Apparently long term exposure to large crowds meant long term headaches. Betsy almost wished she had more to drink than she had- at least then she would be able to blame the headache on the alcohol and not her own stubbornness.

Not to mention, a hangover would have been better than this.

So, here she was, sitting in the dark about as far away as she dared to stray from the school she was still a bit unfamiliar with- the only reason she dared to even go this far was thanks to that sweetheart, Sam, who had shown her around pretty much the entire campus at the expense of his voice- and holding a book.

Reading in the dark.

To anyone else this would be odd... but when it's always dark, day and night make little difference. And her brothers had apparently assumed Betsy had not taken enough of her stuff with her and sent a huge package filled with braille books and some more clothes- much to Betsy's embarrassment, as she did not want to clutter her room with unnecessary items when Rahne had been trying so hard to keep it clean and organized for her.

But running her fingers across the page was very soothing, and the distance from the school was relieving her headache. She had already been out her about an hour and found that the lack of noise had reduced the pounding to a mere agitation that could be ignored if Betsy focused on something else, namely her book. Another hour would probably cure her entirely and then she could stop being a recluse and return to her room, if she didn't find something else to occupy her time, that is.

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_hollow
2010-04-07 04:34 am UTC (link)

Jono hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights and tonight was proving to be no exception. Ever since his break up with Paige he'd been feeling especially down on himself (even more so than usual if that was possible) and when he laid down to go to sleep his mind was still racing. At least he knew that after a while he'd get tired enough that his mind would just shut itself off when his body needed to recharge. For the moment however he was feeling restless and in a shitty mood.

He climbed out of bed and threw a t-shirt on over his ever-present black bandages before shoving his feet into the nearest pair shoes and silently slipping out of his room. It was well after curfew so he wasn't anticipating running into anyone as he crept downstairs and then out of the sliding glass door that led to the back yard and the pool. He just wanted some air, even though he didn't breathe the chilly night air was comforting.

As he walked out onto the pool deck he sensed Betsy before he could actually see her in the darkness. Though of course he didn't realize that it was Betsy as he hadn't met her in person yet and thus wasn't yet familiar with her unique energy signature. Frustrated that he couldn't seem to find any bit of privacy around the mansion no matter what time it was, he started to turn back to go inside.

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locked_on
2010-04-07 04:48 am UTC (link)

The night was nice, and Betsy's concept of time was lost- she didn't realize how late it had gotten until her watch chimed, and even that she had been ignoring for quite some time now- but she knew it was way past curfew. Which meant when she felt someone approaching before she actually heard them she initially worried it was a teacher come to bust her- and during her first week, too!

But after a few moments of no one saying anything, she began to wonder if it was someone else- maybe a student? It was dark, but even a teacher would have noticed her, so if she wasn't getting in trouble then maybe...

Betsy decided to take a chance and called out, quietly but firmly, "Hello there... may I ask who's there?" She wasn't really in the mood for talking, but the aura felt upset... and Betsy would rarely ignore someone who felt like they might need to get some burden off their chest.

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_hollow
2010-04-07 04:59 am UTC (link)

Jono normally would have just continued on his way back inside without a word but the English accent caused him to pause. He had spoken to Betsy on her journal and had actually been looking forward to meeting her as he hadn't really been around anyone else from England in over year. And she had seemed nice enough at first glance. He also remembered her mentioning that she was blind. He assumed she must have heard the door shut behind him when he came outside.

"Er...Betsy yeah?" he projected, letting his thoughts reach out to hers tentatively at first. His telepathy had a tendency to startle people the first time, but he didn't know Betsy was a telepath as well. Or an empath for that matter, if he had he would have left her alone immediately. He did want anyone else feeling his own self-loathing and depression. "I'm Jonothon. We talked on the journals a bit," he introduced himself, his own London accent was still prominent even though his words weren't spoken aloud.

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locked_on
2010-04-07 05:17 am UTC (link)

Betsy waited, a silence filling the area for such a long moment that Betsy wondered if she had sensed something wrong. Her powers were strong, allegedly, but that did not mean they were always right. However, as she heard her name she smiled and said in response, "Yeah, that's me, it' a pleasure to meet you." It was only after she responded that she realized that he had spoken to her with telepathy- it had felt so familiar, even the accent had- and her surprise came after her response as she connected it with-

But she wasn't going to think about that.

He mentioned the journals, and she responded as she memorized his aura for future reference, "Ah, that's right! It's nice to be able to place a name with a face. Well, I guess that's a tad inappropriate for me, isn't it?" She commented, wondering what other expressions didn't apply to her anymore.

But she could make a list of that later. She reached out to her side, reaching about until she found her bookmark, and placed it in her book before closing it gently and setting it aside. She couldn't tell if Jono intended to stay or go, but she was ready to talk if he did stay. "Well, Jonothon, what brings you out here at this time of night? It's real late, isn't it?" She hadn't checked her watch lately, and of course, could not tell by the sky, and jet lag still kept her sleep schedule quite odd despite having adjusted a bit.

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_hollow
2010-04-07 06:37 pm UTC (link)

Jono nodded in return, and then caught himself, remembering that since she couldn't see he'd have to be a bit more talkative than he usually was. "Likewise," he said, taking a step or two closer so that he could actually see her face in the dim light. She was really quite pretty he realized and he decided that he didn't mind staying and talking for a bit after all.

He watched as she felt around for her bookmark, chuckling caustically (albeit mentally of course) at her observation. He had gone through a similar process after his powers had manifested when he realized all of the stupid figures of speech he couldn't use/felt stupid using now that he was missing a good portion of his body. And there had been quite a few.

"S'not too bad, almost one o'clock I think," he replied, taking a seat on the bottom of the concrete steps that led to the pool deck. "Couldn't sleep. What about you, love? Reading in the dark?" he asked.

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locked_on
2010-04-08 08:06 am UTC (link)

"Ah, that's not bad at all." Betsy responded, happy to know it was not as late as she assumed it had been. She heard Jono stop walking and figured he must have sat down, and turned so she was 'looking' in his direction. Even if she couldn't see, she often found people preferred to think that she could, oddly enough.

Betsy giggled gently as she replied, "Well, technically I'm always reading in the dark, mate. But yes, it must look quite odd, especially if the pool area is not well lit." She wasn't sure how the lighting was, but was fairly certain even if the pool area normally was lit up, lights went down after curfew.

Betsy continued on to explain, "Well, I guess I can't sleep either at the moment, though I'm real sorry to hear you're in the same mess." Grinning in a way that clearly showed she was embarrassed, she admitted, "Regan invited me out to a club last night and I thought it would be real rude to to refuse, so I went. Now I have an awful headache from the whole bloody event. I thought being outside might help a tad." She didn't elaborate on why she had a headache- to her it was quite clear the reason, and she easily forgot that people were not aware of powers.

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_hollow
2010-04-08 08:20 pm UTC (link)

"Ah. O'course," Jono 'mumbled' in response to the reading in the dark comment. Smooth, Starsmore. He was sort of getting a taste of how people probably felt talking to him sometimes, cautiously trying to avoid saying something insensitive. Though of course Jono tended be rather blunt and didn't bother censoring himself. "S'alright, I'll get tired eventually," he continued. "That flight really messes with you, yeah? I was bloody knackered afterwards," he said, recalling the first time he'd flown to New York from London and getting adjusted to the time change. It had been only two months or so after his powers first manifested and it had been quite the nerve wracking experience.

"Regan? Blimey, that girl. Knows how to party but she's mental," Jono said, rolling his eyes even though Betsy couldn't see it. He was surprised at how easily he was opening up to the new girl. The fact that she was English made her seem familiar he supposed. And the whole being attractive part didn't hurt either of course. "Hungover?" he asked, trying to picture the blind girl in front of him drinking in a club with Regan and having a hard time of it.

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locked_on
2010-04-09 05:33 am UTC (link)

Betsy nodded, not at all offended but noticing the change of tone in Jono's thoughts to her. Maybe talking about her blindness made him uncomfortable? Just in case, Betsy made a mental note to try and refrain from drawing attention to her lack of sight, at least in conversation. It would be a little difficult to avoid it, but she could at least keep from discussing it.

"I keep telling myself that I'll adjust and start feeling buggered at a normal time. How long did it take you to adjust to this blasted time zone? And I suppose this place as well?" Betsy was relaxing a bit talking with someone who had already been through what she was going through- and spoke much like she did. It was nice not having to worry about using the 'normal' terms for things and Betsy realized she had managed to forget her headache, even if only momentarily. It was certainly a welcome relief.

"Crikey! Is she? I know she gets bloody sloshed when she goes out, but mental?" Jono seemed to know a bit about Regan- who had only been nice to Betsy thus far- and did not seem to approve. Regan had seemed to make Rahne a bit uncomfortable as well... this was a mystery Betsy would have to investigate later.

"Hungover? I wish." Betsy commented, massaging her temple gently as it began to throb thinking about the headache. "I only had a tad to drink, and by a tad I mean one drink." Betsy sighed as she admitted, "No, it's my bloody powers. Being an empath causes beastly headaches when I go somewhere with large crowds since I can't control my powers real well."

Betsy paused, as she realized that Jono only spoke through telepathy. She considered asking why, but was not sure how to phrase it. Speaking slowly and carefully, she asked, "So... would you feel more comfortable if I talked back with telepathy? I'm a telepath as well, so if you prefer that, well I can."

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_hollow
2010-04-10 02:43 am UTC (link)

"As for the time zone, took me a couple a' days I remember,"</i> Jono replied. "As for the rest...took quite a bit longer," he continued. It had taken Jono quite some time to get used to life at the mansion, though most of that was due to the traumatic manifestation of his powers and his depression issues rather than the move itself. Though the lifestyle change and being in a new country hadn't been easy either. "S'not a bad place here though. Think you'll like it. This your first time in the States?" he ventured to ask. It had been his when he arrived at the school. He hadn't been back to England since.

Honestly I don't know her very well, but from what I hear. Just don't get on her bad side," he explained in regards to Regan. He wasn't much for gossip but he knew that Regan always seemed to be involved in some crazy drama around the school.

"Christ...Sorry to hear that. You always feel what other people are feelin'? M'not a good person to hang 'round then. Probably make you wanna kill yourself after a while," he confessed rather bluntly. He glanced over when she mentioned the telepathy. Since she couldn't see him she hadn't been able to put two and two together yet. "Nah s'alright. Used to it by now. You can if you want to though so you don't look like a nutter who's talkin' to herself when other people are around. I don't have a choice though."

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locked_on
2010-04-10 08:15 pm UTC (link)

Betsy hoped that, like Jono, she would have adjusted by the end of the week. She was already having an easier time with falling asleep later as opposed to at dinner time, but was still waking up far too early. "It's not bad here, but it's not home. And it's quite," Betsy paused, trying to find the right word, "busy." While she had the time necessary to heal somewhat after her traumatic incident, she was not yet over it, and her powers did not help. She did not want to be a recluse, but often times found herself staying away from people because of the emotions overload she was facing.

Betsy shook her head no, stating, "First time out for me. I used to travel a lot but never out of the country. How about you?"

"Right, got it." Regan was nice to her... but Betsy had not had enough time to upset anyone yet from what she knew. She made a mental note to make sure she was not the test subject for what Regan might do to someone she hated, unaware of previous drama at the school.

"Well, it's not too bad, I suppose. With small groups. I used to have control, before my powers went ballistic because of my-" Betsy cut herself off, not wanting to mention her eyesight again. She cleared her throat and then continued, "Because of an accident." She smiled at Jono and stated, "I don't think it'll ever be a bother being around you, mate. You might be the one who gets bloody annoyed with me being unable to turn off these blasted powers of mine."

"I don't really care if people think I'm a nutter or not. I'm more concerned about what would make you feel better, especially if you don't have a choice on the whole matter." Betsy paused, wondering if she should ask. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she asked, "So you lost your voice?"

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_hollow
2010-04-11 01:09 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, say good-bye to your privacy. Who'd they stick ya with?" Jono asked. Growing up as an only child had certainly not prepared him for living with a roommate, let alone a mansion full of students. The school was busy indeed. And loud. And crazy. Especially to a fellow recluse. Jono had always been an introverted person but ever since his powers manifested he'd become considerably more anti-social, though for different reasons than Betsy. Although as frustrating as the school was sometimes it wasn't a bad place to be by any means. "Been out of England a couple a times for trips an' gigs. But this was me first time here, yeah," he answered her next question.

He listened as she spoke about her powers going "ballistic", his interest immediately piqued at the mention of an accident leaving her without full control. He could certainly relate to that. Then he wondered if she could tell that he related. It did unnerve him that she could feel what he was feeling as he was a very guarded person. He didn't like opening up to people and with her it seemed like it was unavoidable. He didn't want to make the girl feel bad though so he kept his thoughts to himself. "Heh. We'll see," he said, deciding against arguing who would get sick of who first when he saw her smiling.

Jono gave a soft shrug, momentarily reminded of Paige when Betsy said that his comfort was more important to her than her own as that sounded like something she would say. What was with these girls doing the whole selfless bit with him? He could not understand it. He wasn't phased by her next question however, knowing that it was inevitable and that since she couldn't see him she was probably especially curious. "Yeah. Literally. Had an accident of my own," he explained. "Me powers are sort of unstable, an' when they showed up for the first time it didn't go so well. There was an explosion..." He tried to keep his thoughts even and his emotions locked well away, not wanting her to feel the guilt and loss that recalling certain events brought about. Fortunately he had plenty of practice shoving things to the back of his mind like that.

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locked_on
2010-04-11 09:10 am UTC (link)

"I'm fairly lucky. My roommate is Rahne, not sure if you know her, but she's a real sweet girl." And quiet, but Betsy didn't mention that part. She didn't mention how she felt quite awful inconveniencing Rahne all the time with the special needs she required, either, though the thought was in her mind. "Right, because you play music you said, right? I wish I had traveled outside the country before I left. My brothers both did, but I was a bit too busy with school and then work." Not to mention she never wanted to travel without one of her brothers there, but that was a different story.

Betsy did indeed feel the mix of emotions, though they were not specific enough for her to know much beyond that he was interested in her situation, there was a feeling of connection between them, and he was nervous about something, probably her ability from what she could tell from her own experiences. Betsy was indeed trying very hard not to read his feelings, and thus was only getting bits and pieces but was also getting tired as a result. She could tune it out, but not long as it required a lot of focus. "Indeed," she answered, not daring to get into a battle of 'who is more undesirable of a friend' with someone she had just met, especially someone she hoped to get to know better.

As much as a girl did not like being compared to an ex, Betsy probably would not have minded considering she was being reminded slightly of Tom the more and more she spoke with Jono. She was not sure what exactly reminded her of him- talking via telepathy, the accent, or his personality- but the slight remembrance was there, and slightly unnerving, but also slightly comforting. She somehow missed him a little less talking with Jono, and slightly hated herself for it.

Jono had guarded his thoughts very effectively, but the words were enough to let Betsy know she was touching on a sensitive subject, much because her own 'accident' was a sensitive subject. "I'm sorry, mate. That's awful, I know. Sometimes I think having powers is much more bloody trouble than good when having them has only led to me losing so much." She hadn't meant to say the last part- it had just slipped out. But once it was said, she couldn't unsay it, and she bit her bottom lip nervously before stating, "Needless to say, I'm not too thrilled with my powers either, though mine didn't include an explosion exactly. Oh, bugger, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said... I shouldn't pry, or gab about things that you're probably not the slightest bit interested in."

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