Beneath the Old Oak Tree

[Deleted]

It was a year today that Lexi had come to America. Which meant that it was a year today that she had lost her entire world to those who had hated her for what she was...

...Green eyes fluttered open as the young woman on the bed roused from her sleep and just for a moment closed her eyes again to listen to the rustle of leaves and the pouring rain as it hammered down outside of her bedroom window and wrinkled her nose as a few splatters of water managed to get inside and splash her face. Eugh. Her eyes opened once again so she could turn her head to look at the dark skies and the stormy weather. It took only a moment for her to realise what day it was and a bitter smile crossed her lips- the weather was perfect for today, it would suit her mood quite well as she didn't want to be happy today.

Forcing herself from the comfort of her blankets she began to dress, pulling on a pair of black jeans that had seen the back end of better days thanks to the frayed ends and the threadbare knees and a green cropped top that stopped just above her pierced belly button. Neither was appropriate wear for the rain but she didn't care...she could have worn a rain coat but what would be the point? Besides, she actually quite enjoyed the rain, it was only today that she didn't fancy running about in it. Nor did she want to stay inside with the rest of the household.

Which was what made her decided to step out of the front door to the mansion- barefooted as usual- and making her way to the bench that many students enjoyed on their sunny days off from classes and training. Although she had no intentions of sitting on the bench. Stopping before said bench she stared up at the large and very old oak tree, breathing heavily and completely ignoring the fact she was soaked to the bone and her feet and bottom half of her jeans were heavily splashed in mud. Pink hair plastered to her face as she stared up and it was only after a moment or two that she realised that she no longer just had the rain running down her face. Tears fell from her eyes unbidden and it was a quick glance around to make sure she was alone that she allowed them to continue.

Stepping onto the bench she jumped up and caught the sturdy branch just above her head and with the grace of an athlete swung herself up and onto said branch before moving up a little further so that she could perch herself on one of the thicker branches, placing her back against the trunk. Once she was sure she wasn't going to fall off (not that it would ever happen of course) she allowed her head to fall back so this too was against the tree, tilting her head up to look at the sodden trees. It was a little more sheltered here so the rain couldn't get to her but at least she wasn't in full few of the whole school now.

Her eyes moved to look to the side at the school as she thought this before she gave a small sob, bringing her knees towards her body so she could tuck herself into a small ball. It was still so painful being here. She had been here for a couple of years now but everything was still so different to back home. Home. She missed England, but more importantly she missed being a part of a family. Not to say the school wasn't a family but it wasn't hers. And now that she was too old to be a student she found herself stuck in the middle of the groups- too old to go to class and too young to even consider teaching. She had never felt more alone in her life and she was already something of a loner.

Another sob wracked her body and she wrapped her arms around her legs so she could curl up even more before she allowed herself to cry properly. She could live with being alone at the school but she could never forgive herself for what happened that day...Never.

"Never." The whispered word tumbled from her lips as she screwed her eyes together, willing her moment of weakness to pass quickly.

[feferi]

Feferi looked out the window of the recreation room. She had been up all night for the first time in a long while, only going to sleep after a bout of watching silly infomercials on the television. Only minutes before, she had been sleeping away on the couch, covered in the spare blankets that were kept in the closet nearby. She had been woken up by the students that had been walking by to where ever they were going, and she dozily sat up, her chocolate coloured eyes glazed over in sleep and tiredness. She yawned slightly, and looked out the window to see that the sky was dark and cloudy. Rain was beginning to pour, and she sighed. As if the freezing cold swimming pool wasn't bad enough, now she was going to have to swim in the rain. That is, if she was going to swim. It wasn't bad skipping one day, was it? To Feferi, who had the skills of dedication drilled into her by her mother, it was; but now that she was out of the house, she realized it was perfectly fine to skip a few days. So long as she didn't go a full week without water, she was fine, or so she hoped. Well, maybe a little walk in the rain wouldn't hurt, it could quite possibly fulfill her hydration requirements for the day. She threw the blankets off of her, folding them nicely and returning them to the closet where she had found them. Walking down the stairs to the dorms, Feferi made her way to her room, and rummaged through the closet. She didn't need to wear her usual swimsuit today, so she changed into her bra as quickly and discreetly as she could. Choosing a long sleeved shirt and her skinny jeans, she changed out of her pajamas, put on some socks and her polka-dotted rain boots. She chose the navy blue Institute hoodie, and threaded her hair into a ponytail.

She walked out of the room, grabbing a water bottle from her dresser and followed the group of students that were headed somewhere. After chatting for a few seconds with some of them, she headed off towards the front door. She opened it, and stepped outside into the freezing cold weather. Instantly, when the first few drops of rain hit her skin, she could feel her gills open up. She breathed in, though it wouldn't do much use to close them just yet. She made her way out and down the steps, looking up at the cloudy sky as she started to walk forward. She didn't really know where she was going, but so long as she could stay in and out of the moisture was perfect. Then she realized that under the oak tree would be perfect. Sitting on the bench would be both in and out of the rain. She made her way down the path, putting her hood up to cover her hair. She really didn't want to have that soaking wet, considering the frizzy mess it would be later after she went back inside. Right about now, she'd be swimming, doing laps and other things just to keep her mind off of everything else. However, the weather decided to interfere today. She figured that Storm couldn't chase it away like normal, because it was the time of year for storms. Making it otherwise would be pretty suspicious to the outside world. She sighed and saw the bench in sight. She ran to it, being quick about it, and sat down on the wooden bench.

Taking out a small booklet, she looked at the protected pictures in it. She had wondered where this had gotten to, and she smiled as she looked through all the pictures that held her and her mother, smiling so similarly. Every now and then when there was one of her in the pool, she could see the glimpses of her gills showing beneath the sodding wet hair. Feferi blinked back tears as she put the book back in her pocket, looking out into the rainy lawns. Yeah, a few good minutes to an hour out here, and hopefully she'd be all hydrated up. She wanted to talk to the Professor about an indoor swimming pool for all the aqua-mutants that needed it. Going through the Fall and Winter months without on was really hard, and they really didn't want to go to the local high school to use their facilities. The outside students made fun of the Institute students... a lot. It was enough to make them want to stay away from the high school at all costs. Feferi leaned back, letting some of the drops of water fall on her, though she used her aquakinesis to keep them mostly away. She didn't even noticed that she had basically intruded on someone else.

[Deleted]

Lex's pity party was in full swing when she was suddenly aware of someone coming up to the bench she was perched above of. Blinking back the tears she shifted slightly so she could watch one of the students run across the lawn, although it didn't stop the other person getting rather wet- and unlike herself the other girl was actually wearing clothing suitable for the weather- and then perch herself onto the seat below her.

Lexi wasn't sure she actually knew the girl below her but she seemed familiar. Not that that meant very much these days...Lexi spent most of her time hiding out in the gardens somewhere or up in a tree, making sure there was never any possibility of being stuck with people she didn't really want to know. Of course she was very lonely but she had chosen to live like that. And many people chose to avoid her anyway thanks to her bloody accent! They all thought she was some stuck up rich snob and although she was in fact very rich no one at this school knew that (except the professor she guessed) or they thought she was too much of a bookworm to want to spend time with actual people. It was no matter to her, she much preferred her plants to human beings.

She watched as the girl pulled out what looked like a small book and quickly turned her head away feeling like she was invading some private matter, choosing instead to stare back up at leaves and branches above her. Even with the rain just sitting here was enough to make her tears stop and with a small sigh she closed her eyes as she allowed that feeling to wash over her. It was nice to not have to think about what was going on around her and this tree had been here for so long that she could sit and listen to its stories for hours and never get bored. There was no one in this school who could possibly understand her ability to communicate with the plants and trees around her and she was ok with that. It made her unique and when she was here she didn't care that she was alone in the world....well, not so much as she usually did.

Finally though she had to face the fact she needed to get back to the real world. Thanks to this rain the newly planted bulbs would probably end up in a slightly different place to where she had put them and she simply could not allow them to flower wherever they wanted- it would ruin her flower bed if they didn't behave themselves. She moved so that she was kneeling on the branch and then with the same grace she had shown before she had swung herself back down to the earth, landing in a crouch and grimacing ever so slightly as the mud splashed onto the rest of her jeans although she didn't mind too much since she was happier covered in mud anyway.

It was only a moment after she had stood up that she remembered the other girl on the bench and she winced before turning around slightly to look at her. Lexi was well aware that she had just appeared out of nowhere in a manner of speaking and she hoped that she hadn't scared the other woman too much.

"Sorry...I forgot you were there." She apologised.

[feferi]

She looked out into the rain, sighing. She didn't know what else there was to do. Feferi didn't want to stay inside, or go anywhere outside the institute grounds. It was her day off from work, and so she decided she could only just sit there for as long as she could possibly take the rain. There was the fact that she could use her aquakinesis to keep the drops away and off of her, but she decided to hydrate some more. Give her a few more days from staying on land than having to go swimming with the sharks at the aquarium She looked out onto the rain filled area, and tilted her head only slightly, hearing a small pop. Instantly her upper spine felt better, and she put her hands into the pockets of the sweater. Fef didn't know if she had class today or not. Usually, she would be on her way to the library right now for study group, and now she decided to blow it off. Sure, she'd get into trouble probably, and lectured that she wasn't being a good role model for the younger students, but she really didn't care right now. Usually, she did. But today... today was different. Feferi wanted to relax, and here she was doing it.

Feferi had been too busy to notice anything else, but she did notice when the other girl landed right in front of her, like she fell out of the sky or something. Feferi jumped slightly and she breathed out of her gills, making it unnoticeable that she was even scared -- besides the widening of her chocolate coloured eyes. She nodded, feeling the slight shock wearing off. "It's alright," she said, adjusting her position on the bench. "No harm done," she added, a smile coming to her face. She had seen her around before, and knew that she was older than the typical student. There were a lot of mutants here like that. Most of them were teachers though, but some of them were just looking for a safe haven from the outside world. She looked the girl up and down, still smiling. She knew that some thought that she was a bit snobbish or something, but maybe she just didn't know how to communicate with people . Fef had that problem, especially when she had first come here. There were so many people that it had overwhelmed her for the first few months, but she went back to being the normal Fef that they seemed to fall in love with in the first place. "I'm Feferi," she introduced, standing up not for really any purpose. Sitting on the wooden bench was really getting to her butt, and her legs said that she needed to stretch them out.

((I'm sorry it's a bit short... >< ))

[Deleted]

Lexi's earlier assumption that the other girl was a student had been a correct one. She certainly didn't look much older than nineteen (although who knew?) and just for a moment a small pang of sadness hit her. Well, she should have known better than to think that she might finally meet someone at this school who would be around the same age as herself...she was getting fed up with talking to those younger than herself or those who thought they were wiser just because they were older. She was a genius for Pete's sake! And yes, ok it was mostly in the sciences but who cared...she was in desperate need of someone to talk to.

She was however glad that she hadn't made the other girl jump too much although she hadn't missed the girl's eyes being slightly wider than normal when she had turned around. Oops. Lexi had always been proud of her ability to get about outside without anyone any the wiser but she didn't like making people jump out of their skins if she could help it, so she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about it. Then again, had the other girl not come she could still be sitting in her tree wallowing in her grief instead of having to move.

Eventually the other girl got to her feet and Lexi tilted her head slightly to the side in curiosity as she wondered what the other was going to do- was she going to go back inside the house after getting so thoroughly soaked or was she going to stay out here in the rain? Although if her memory served her wasn't the other girl a mutant with powers more suited to being in the water? If that was the case then she would probably stay outside...Lexi herself enjoyed the rain since it watered her plants and allowed them to live and for the most part she to enjoyed getting thoroughly soaked. It was good for the body.

"I'm Feferi,"

Well, that was a name one didn't hear often. Lexi might have been one smart lady but she had never quite gotten around to learning foreign languages other than those plants which had names other than plain English. She made a mental note to look it up at some other point in time since it would be terribly rude of her to ask right at this moment.

For a moment or two she didn't reply to the introduction as she thought about what would happen if she did return the compliment. Feferi would either talk to her or leave her again and right now she wasn't sure which of those was the better option. Oh, what the hell. She finally shifted into a slightly more relaxed stance before reaching up to swipe some of the sopping pink hair out of her face before sticking her hand out to the other.

"Lexine. Charmed."

[feferi]

Fef blinked, her eyes going back to a normal size and her breathing calming down slightly. She didn't mean to be scared, but when someone dropped out of the sky like that, well, you couldn't help but be frightened. She looked up and around, making sure that no one else would come flying at her, in hopes to scare her. She knew that some of the others would definitely try to do that, but Fef figured that this girl didn't mean to at all. She was probably just headed somewhere else, because she had come out here for her own moment of 'alone time'. Really, this place needed and indoor swimming pool. Badly. Sooner or later, the aquatic mutants were all going to come outside and frolic in the rain. Then everyone's alone time would be ruined and destroyed, and left crying in a puddle. Feferi sighed, sticking a hand inside her hood to scratch at the back of her neck. This was only slightly awkward. She wasn't really used to making new acquaintances after all these years.

She could tell by the few words that were said that she wasn't from this country. Feferi kind of grew excited from that. She had never met anyone from England, well except the Professor. She had been raised in Virginia, in a small little town that hardly had any excitement, and when it did, it really wasn't wanted all that much. She could also tell that her name wasn't really one that was heard too often. That was for sure. Feferi was a deviation of 'metasepia pfefferi', a type of poisonous cuttlefish. Leave it to her mother to name her after a fish. It was only suiting, considering that she was basically a human-fish. Her mother had told her that was the name that her father wanted for her, he said that she was going to be special enough to have it one day. And it was from that statement that Fef figured her father was some sort of water-mutant too. She never knew though. And anyways, her mother didn't like mutants, so why would she marry one? She didn't even know that her daughter was a mutant, yet. Fef had been planning to tell her for the longest time now; however, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't know if she would ever be able to either. She had already lost her dad, and that was before she was born. She couldn't loose her mother too.

Feferi looked down to Lexi's hand, and smiled slightly at her before taking it, and shaking it slightly. "Same here..." she nodded. Fef had gathered before hand that she wanted to be left alone, but now she was a little unsure. Feferi wanted to make it clear that she didn't mean to disturb her or anything of the sort. "S-Sorry, about intruding... The swimming pool is closed down, and I needed a place where I could be wet..." she apologized quickly. She could tell that she had disturbed Lexi's private time. Feferi never meant anything by it. She usually did that, walk in on something and not know it was important or anything. However, she was mostly included in most things, and when she wasn't she left. If she was told to leave now, then she would; probably outside the walls to the aquarium to get a decent swim in with the fishes. She liked the sound of that better than just standing here in the rain. But, she wasn't a water-dweller all the time, like everyone made her out to be, she did have land friends, and she probably made a new one just now. She let go of Lexi's hand and put it back in her pocket, gripping onto the small picture book that was inside. Her gills continued to breathe for her, making no motion of breathing through her mouth or nose. She sighed though, glancing up at the rain clouds, feeling the drops on her skin. Seconds later, she looked at Lexi once more.

[Deleted]

Once the other had released her hand Lexi pulled her arm back and went to tuck her hands into her jeans pockets before remembering that thanks to the rain it was nearly impossible trying to get them anywhere into the material. Never mind. She crossed her arms instead as she wriggled her toes into the ground, instantly relaxing as she did so. No matter where she was or what kind of situation there was something about being in the mud that made her relax and chill out. It helped her forget that today was the anniversary of her parents being killed trying to protect her and the reason why she had come to this place and never leaving despite the fact that she could afford to live on her own in the middle of nowhere. And don't think that hadn't crossed her mind at one time or another...the thought of living in the middle of the Amazon forest where no one could get to her was such a beautiful prospect and she could live life without fear of the world.

"S-Sorry, about intruding... The swimming pool is closed down, and I needed a place where I could be wet..."

Lexi blinked as she snapped out of her daydream about living in the trees and not having to worry about technology and focused on the other girl before she gave a one shouldered shrug. "Its fine," She answered a little too quickly although she was glad that her voice hadn't betrayed how much she had wanted some time alone today. She supposed she really needed to move on with her life but it was still so raw in her memories that she wasn't sure she was able to just yet. Of course, had she just talked to someone at the time maybe things would be different. Whatever, she couldn't turn back time and even if she could she wouldn't do it. Things weren't made to be changed.

As Feferi looked up at the sky Lexi also looked up although her eyes were drawn to the oak tree and she mourned the loss of comfort and shelter it had provided for her but she soon brought her attention back to the ground as she felt something wriggle over her toes and she watched with wide eyes as vines seemed to creep up out of the ground, winding around her feet and then ankles. She unfolded her arms and in a stern voice she shook her finger at the ground like one would do with a naughty child.

"Now you stop that." The vines wiggled in response, "You know better than that. Back with you." It retreated back into the ground and she sighed before looking back up to the girl with a grimace. "Sorry...they have such a mind of their own."

[feferi]

She heard the words, but Feferi still felt that she was disturbing on some time that she obviously wanted to herself. She was used to being told to leave someone alone though. She could hear the words of her mother ringing in her head. Feferi unnoticeably flinched at it, and she tried to push the voice out. She didn't want any reminders of her only parents buzzing about in her head, especially when she constantly thought about the outcomes of her telling the woman what she was. That was the one thing that she did not want to think about right there, and yet here she was thinking about it. She knew that she wasn't being a good person by keeping herself busy with other thoughts when she was here talking to another person. She just couldn't help it. She kept on going back to it. Maybe it was because that she had looked at her book earlier. That usually did it to her mind. "Are you sure... because I can find somewhere else..." she said, still unsure.

Feferi shrugged and nodded. She looked amused at the ground though, who knew that vines could be so... expressive? Well, she didn't know, she didn't have that power. However, she did have one that was pretty similar. Coming along with her Waterbreathing was the ability to talk to aquatic animals telepathically; not quite the same as controlling vines, or plants, but it still got the job done. She glanced around, kind of hoping that they wouldn't come up and get her. It must've been the fish in her that had the unnerving feeling about the ground that she tread upon. She much preferred swimming in the water to standing on the land. "Fish are the exact same way..." she replied, not thinking before talking. Her mind was going to the aquarium in which she worked. Not entirely true, seeing as she could control them in the slightly same manner, but they did have a mind of their own when it came right down to the nitty-gritty. Sharks were worse though, unless they had been fed first.

She looked back at the bench and stepped back towards it. She needed to sit once more, and she figured that if she sat back down, she could let the girl go on to whatever she wanted. Feferi didn't want to be the reason that she stuck around. She did seem that she didn't want to be talking anymore. Fef understood, she'd rather be in the water. Said before, but the point needed to be made in her mind. If she left, she left; if she didn't, well, that was a plus. Feferi didn't know though.

[Deleted]

Lexi didn't miss the way the other girl glanced about the ground and just for a moment she was slightly amused by her worry, but it passed quickly enough and she gave a small smile at the other. "Don't worry, they only really do that to me...my power gives them the ability to move." She shrugged slightly, "You have no reason to worry about them." Besides the fact that they only came to her because she always kept her power 'on' as it were there would be no way she would allow them to attack anyone else unless she had no other choice but to do so. She hated using her ability to hurt others but sometimes there was a point in life when that had to change...and she was more than aware that humans and mutants had done more damage to the world around them than they seemed to realise. And she was one of the few people who could do something about it (since she rather doubted she was the only one with the power to communicate with nature).

Fish? Lexi blinked as the girl mentioned fish having minds of their own before she let out a small laugh. "Yes, I suppose they do." She agreed, although she would never have dared to say otherwise. Everything had a will and life of its own and anyone who claimed otherwise was an idiot. Besides all that, if her plants could be alive then why not the fish and the animals?

Lex watched as the other girl moved back to the bench so she could sit down and just for a moment she toyed with the idea of going back into the tree, to finish listening to the story it had been telling her, helping her to forget her troubles and the pain she felt but she wouldn't let herself do that just yet. She needed to grieve and that was not the best way to do it...and it was nice to be around someone for once who didn't seem to judge her immediately after meeting her. It made a good change to be able to have somewhat of a conversation with someone...although no one could ever say that it was a proper conversation since neither girl knew one another well enough and they were both completely different- although if the other was an aquatic mutant then perhaps she could get a closer look at plant life that lived in water? Even she found it difficult to get close to those.

[feferi]

When she said that they weren't going to grab her, Fef's stance seemed to relax more and more. She couldn't help that she was on edge, well, maybe she could. Fef had lots of things to worry about when she was on land, she didn't want plants to be one of them. "Thank Cod," she sighed, the fish pun accidentally slipping out, "I mean, no offense, but I've kinda grown accustomed to water, and land dwelling plants have kinda freaked me out..." The last time that she met a person with Lexi's type power, she was attacked by them, and basically tied up in stems and vines for four days. That was right after she had come here. Luckily, the person was gone now, and she could go back to frolicking through the flowers, well so to speak. She figured that Lexi wasn't the type to do that anyways. She was the same. Feferi wasn't a fighter at all, she preferred to be on the technical side of things; and the fact that water really didn't do much damage, so far she knew. She wasn't really that developed with her Aquakinesis yet, so the most she could do was make water balls, and shape it to whatever form. She knew that she could quite possibly use it to make weapons, but she hadn't gotten that far. She needed to train more with it, but she usually didn't have the time or didn't want to. She had a job, she had schooling classes, plus the fact that she didn't really want to train too much. Again, she wasn't really a fighter.

She smiled lightly and nodded, with a chuckle to complement Lexi's laugh. They weren't really different after all. Land and Water, two completely and different things, but still in their own little way, the same. While Fef could control water life, Lexi could control plant life. Fef wondered if she could control underwater plant life. Maybe, but you had to get underwater as well, and of course, not everyone could breathe underwater like she could. She didn't know what else to say. She wasn't particularly chatty today, for some unknown reason. Fef was a chatty sort of gal, but just today... it wasn't happening. "So... how long have you been here...? At the manor?" she asked, not even really thinking about it. She knew she had seen her around, but in any earlier memory from before a year or so ago, she couldn't be placed. Feferi didn't exactly remember when anyone new came. She was always busy, or out at her job. Plus the girl was from a different country. Maybe the question of how long had she been in America was more appropriate.

Feferi scooted a bit, leaving room for Lexi to sit down if and when she wanted to. The whole Southern hospitality thing was really coming through now. Doing what her mother raised her to do. Even if she was quiet for the time being, she still had to be polite and courteous. She wondered if they could be friends, despite their different powers. It was possible, though. She rubbed her neck, tilting her head from side to side, hoping it would pop. The gills seemed to open and close as she breathed. She really needed to be submerged. The rain just wasn't cutting it. Sometimes, she cursed this power to no end. Being fish-girl was really annoying at times, especially when she couldn't swim. She knew that eventually this was going to evolve more, and soon she wasn't going to be able to come on land much more.

[Deleted]

Lexi couldn't remember the last time someone had said that plants freaked them out...in fact she was pretty sure no one had ever used those words. Scary maybe but not freaky. Her power allowed her to do things most others couldn't so she was a little biased in the matter as she believed them to be fascinating and full of life...she couldn't quite see why anything that grew from the ground was classed as freaky but she guessed it was probably due to the fact she could move and grow the things to suit her needs. And it might possibly be because she had once grown a patch of Foxglove in the gardens and when someone had gone to touch them she had lost some of her quiet nature and told them in no uncertain terms that touching said plant was really quite idiotic and that unless they wanted to die then they should not touch at all. Maybe it was she they were calling scary but it made no difference to her. She really didn't care what people thought of her these days.

"So... how long have you been here...? At the manor?"

She blinked slightly as she was asked the question and for a moment or two remained silent. She couldn't remember the exact date or month or anything like that of course but she could give a rough estimate. The problem was that she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about when she had come to the manor....or why she had come. Those sorts of questions always led to the reason behind being in this god forsaken country and why she had left England. And those memories were something she wanted to keep to herself...no one but the Professor had any need to know about her time before the school. How could she tell the others that her parents had been killed trying to protect her? Many of the other kids here had been left behind by their parents whilst her's had loved her more than anything. Had loved her enough to die for her safety.

As Feferi moved back to the bench to sit down, Lexi moved as well and as soon as the other girl had scooted over enough to give her room to sit down she did so. Closing her eyes slightly she thought about her answer before deciding she ought to say something if only to avoid being dreadfully rude.

"About three or four years." She answered, opening her eyes and staring ahead into the still pouring rain. "I don't go into the mansion much so you might not have noticed me." She reached up and ran her fingers through the tangled pink mass on her head. "Despite my hair colour."

It was true that in all the time she had been here she had barely stepped foot inside the house. Not because she didn't like being inside every now and then but because she hated being around people who thought her different even with her mutant ability. There was something about any race of animal that didn't like things that were different from themselves- like humans didn't like mutants. It made no difference really, and she really did enjoy being outside. It was just lonely and she sometimes felt her power was that of being invisible to everyone but her plants.

[feferi]

She could tell that she had said the wrong thing instantly, and now, she instantly regretted it. There were times that Feferi's mouth said something without her even thinking or knowing about it, and then she realized what she had said moments later. Fef could tell that she had done this exact thing. She sighed, mentally slapping herself. Why did her brain have to be so inconsiderate at times? She was pretty forgetful, and now was one of those times as well. Feferi wished she could take it back instantly, but it was true. Fef didn't like earth plants. Only the underwater variety held to her liking. Coral, seaweed, other plant life under the water. Fef thought it was even more beautiful than anything, with their bright colors and beautiful patterns. The way that the fish and other creatures could use their secrets as homes and living spaces. Sure, land mammals could do that too, but it just didn't seem the same at all. She didn't know what she could say to take that back. Maybe an explanation would do. Maybe Lexi could understand her fear a little bit better with that. "Not that I don't like them!" she started, blinking. "I'm just more used to the underwater plants and everything. The last time I was around land plants, there was someone like you, with your sort of power that attacked me with them. It was a sorta water versus earth debate thing..." She only hoped that she didn't seem like she was a horrible person for not really liking land or anything. Like everything else in her life, Fef had to get used to it. After all, within a few years, she would have to be in water, full time.

Feferi watched her sit down next to her. Fef didn't mind the quiet or the time that she was taking to reply. She adjusted her hair out of slight overcoming boredom that usually took over when she wasn't doing particularly anything. Sitting here talking wasn't really anything active to her body, so it was pretty much getting restless. She twirled a piece around her finger, drops of water racing down her skin as it happened.

"Wow..." she said, leaning forward, resting her arms on her knees. Her eyes glanced to the manor. She thought of nothing else as home except this place. Her hometown, should they find out what she was, would probably turn their backs on her for anything; this would include her own mother as well. She thought of everyone here as family, including the staff. "I've been here since I was twelve," she replied. Six whole years. It didn't seem like that long, because she really enjoyed her time here, even if she did miss home, and her mother, though they weren't that close entirely. She chuckled slightly, eyeing the pink hair. It was actually pretty spectacular. She wished she could do that, but she knew it wouldn't look good on her. Maybe a few streaks of blue? Maybe... "I know what you mean... I prefer the pool, but with the fall and winter months, it's closed down because it's basically all ice now..." she explained. Fef was always found at the pool when she wasn't in class. She preferred it more than anything else Inside or outside. "The pink hair is really cool. It reminds me of the coral exhibit at the museum..." she said, nonchalantly. While it wasn't really coral pink, it looked like the color when it in the florescent black lights that the aquarium used during the night tours.

[Deleted]

Lexi sighed as the other girl got all flustered over her declaration of not liking plants and waved her off. "Its fine," She told the other and it really was. Everyone was afraid of something and she couldn't blame the girl for not liking anything that was on land...afterall she hated fire herself but it didn't stop her from being around the log fire that they seemed to have insisted on having in her room. Granted she barely went into said room but still. One couldn't be unafraid of everything. She was perfectly aware of that as she had more than just fire to be afraid of. Sometimes she really hated her power. "Besides it was rather terrible of them to do such a thing," She frowned, "They must not have much respect for the world under their feet."

Even before her powers had manifested she had never understood how anyone could be so abusive to the planet they lived upon. How could people just abuse it in such a manner and expect it to just take it? It was no wonder that the plants she spoke to hated humans and mutants alike and sometimes she had to agree with them...It was even worse knowing that someone had used their power to actually use the plants as a weapon just for some silly horrid joke that had gone to far! She hated fighting and the only time she would even consider such an atrocious act was if she had no other choice in the matter.

Finally though she had to stop thinking about the idiots she lived with and focused back onto the girl as she spoke about how she had been here since she was twelve. Wow. Twelve. When she had been twelve she hadn't the first clue there was even such a thing as mutants since her ability hadn't kicked in until she had turned fourteen. She couldn't imagine having a childhood where she had to worry about people who hated her. It was still painful thinking about it now...thinking that there were people outside of the school who wanted her dead because they feared what they didn't understand.

"The pink hair is really cool. It reminds me of the coral exhibit at the museum..."

A small but true smile passed over Lexi's lips at those words. "I wasn't aiming for coral but I am rather fond of it." She ran her fingers through it once more making a mental note to have a warm shower when she went back inside as she didn't fancy having water riddled hair all day...and it probably looked horrific what with it all being in tangles and knots but never mind, some of her conditioner would sort it out and leaving it smelling like mint in the process. She really loved making her own things it was so much better for her than all that shop bought rubbish they insisted on buying.

"I make my own dye," She commented without really paying attention to what she was saying and when she did she blushed ever so slightly. "If you ever want any come to me...don't go buying that stuff from the stores. It will be so much better for you and your hair."

[feferi]

Feferi nodded, rubbing her neck absentmindedly. She didn't want to diss anyone's powers, but when it came to plants, Fef had learned to stay away. Whenever that particular subject was brought up, she couldn't help but do the action. She didn't know why. She could feel the air coming from her gills, and she sighed out of them, being continually silent until the time came for them to close, which was increasing more and more. Feferi took off the sweatshirt, and her shirt along with it, revealing her light blue and white bikini top. Sure, it was freezing cold, but she wasn't getting enough hydration needed. Her torso gills opened and more oxygen poured into her system. She looked at Lexi, figuring that it might've seemed strange to her for a girl to be dressed like this. Even if it was raining, and cold out. She kept her teeth from chattering, and she kept herself from appearing like she was cold. It was a difficult task, but it needed to be done, unless she wanted to have an asthma attack within the next few days. "Yeah. He really didn't like me all that much either..." she said, remembering. Which really wasn't a good thing for her. "But, he's gone now, so it's all okay and I can go back to smelling the flowers without thinking they'll choke me or something..." she stated.

She could see the surprise on Lexi's face, and decided to explain herself. There weren't many kids her age who could say that they had been here since that time. Mostly, powers didn't progress until puberty. Feferi's powers only accelerated because of her athletic ability in the water. Each time she swam until her gills grew in, she had a hard time with breathing and holding her breath. Even before that, she had a clue of mutants. Her mother's social group always talked about them, always slandered them just for being different. Feferi was expected to behave the same way, but she just couldn't. Then she found out that she was one. It was a very conflicting matter until Professor Xavier recruited her to the school. "Yeah. My manifested when I was seven... but they started developing even before that. I was born with breathing problems... and I now know why..." she said nonchalantly, as though she were just telling a small story. It wasn't really a big deal to her anymore like it used to be. She was only glad to be rid of the horrible place who would judge her for a small indifference in her biology. She couldn't help it whatsoever. To take a page from Lady Gaga's book, she was born this way.

"It reminds me of the color underneath the black lights when we do the night tours..." she replied with an explanation to why she thought like that. "I really, really like it," she said, beaming. Feferi didn't mind about anything else. If her hair wasn't the soaking wet ponytail it was now, then it would probably be the same way -- filled with tangles. Feferi's eyes turned wide when she learned that Lexi made her own dye and stuff. "Oh wow! That is so cool!" she exclaimed. "I've been thinking about putting blue in... just streaks though..." she mused. "I've never dyed my hair before... but I do have to treat it a lot, because I'm constantly in chlorinated water or salt water..." Her hair did have a bit of damage to it, but she was lucky that some of the girls knew how to cut hair, and take off all the dead ends and used their specialty products to keep Fef's hair sleek and shiny.

[Deleted]

Lexi was well aware of what it was like to be afraid of another power but she did try and attempt to not show that fear in front of anyone- especially if that one happened to be the one wielding the flames. However, she had yet to meet someone who would intentionally use their gift against her...but who knows, it might happen sooner or later. She hoped not.

As Feferi talked about how her powers had manifested at such an early age Lexi thought back to her own childhood and despite having never really loved being part of the upper classes she could honestly say that her parents had given her the life every little girl wanted. She had had a pony, had dolls and went on holidays at least twice a year. She couldn't have imagined growing up with the knowledge that you were completely different to the people around you- and since she had grown up with other rich kids having money did not count in this instance.

She was glad when the other girl changed the conversation back to her hair colour and her smile was rather catching and Lexi found herself giving a tiny smile in return.

"I've been thinking about putting blue in... just streaks though...I've never dyed my hair before... but I do have to treat it a lot, because I'm constantly in chlorinated water or salt water..."

Lexi looked at the girl's hair a little more closer, already thinking about what would be the best colour and which plants would make the perfect dye, especially if the girl spent most of her time in the water like she said. "Chlorine is really not good for your hair..." And especially not for hair dye. Putting blue in was all well and good but after extended exposure to chemicals like that and it would eventually turn green. Which was not going to be a good thing if she did indeed go ahead and dye it.

"Although if you treat it right then it should last long enough to not go green," Lexi finally decided on the correct shade and nodded to herself mentally. "I can make the dye if you like? And I'll apply it as well so its done right. If you spend that much time in the water then you will really need to invest in some good shampoo-" She stopped herself. "Actually, I'll give you some of mine." She finished. There was no way in hell any shop bought shampoo would do the job right and at least her's would allow the girl to keep on top of it.