[Lucia] Bumps and bruises.

[CATHERINE FAYE ARI]

It was sunny outside, Cat noticed with a far-away look in her eyes. Perfectly sunny, but not the type that blinds you as soon as you walk out the door. It wasn't the type that got in your eyes, causing you physical pain if you looked virtually anywhere its rays reached. It was a more subtle type, content to warm everything in its path, but didn't hog the spotlight. It was more than willing to share the attention with the trees and the grass, the people who chose to bask beneath it, the plants and animals and the entire world. Cat decided then and there that she liked the sun; it seemed very unselfish to her, and that was a very endearing trait to have.

The click-clack of high heels against cold tile sounded from behind her, and Cat turned away from the window, revealing the long but shallow gash above her left eye. The nurse sighed and shook her head at the sight. "Honey, this is the third time this week you've come in cut up," she said, sounding resigned as she cleaned off the wound. Cat winced as the alcohol seeped through the broken skin. "How on Earth did you manage this one?"

"The tree by the picnic table outside the art classroom," Cat announced, as though that explained everything. The nurse, knowing that asking further questions would earn her the same type of cryptic answers, simply shook her head once more, though a smile hinted at the corners of her lips as she placed a bandaid over the battle wound. "Right. Sit here for a few minutes, just to make sure you don't get dizzy, and then you're free to go." Cat nodded once, feeling the blood start to rush to her brain, then turned to look out the window once more.

She liked the clouds today too, she decided, looking up at the puffy white blobs against the pale blue backdrop. They seemed to smile at her as they floated along, dancing between each other in the most perfect breeze. Snow dripped down from them like fairies, weaving in and out and joining in on the dance of the clouds. It was all synchronized, set to music too soft, too beautiful for human ears, and Cat squinted her eyes. In her struggle to hear the silence, she failed to notice a second set of footsteps in the room.

[LUCIA HUDSON ARI]

Lucia didn't mind study hall. At least, she didn't mind having time to get her work done. But the silence was deafening. Lucia was a social creature, talking helped her think, process, enjoy. But she was sitting in a classroom both too hot and too cold (the windows leaked cold air and the radiators below were on full blast). She had her face propped up in her hand, gazing out at the flat snow covered area, glimpsing the town beyond.

She had almost fallen asleep when the phone in the classroom rang. It was the nurse for her, her sister had gotten cut--yet again. Pretty soon the administration would think Lucia was cutting her baby sister between classes. She sighed and asked for a pass down to the nurses office.

The hallways were quiet, which was to be expected and she marched herself down quickly, not wanting to talk to any security staff. there was only one guard, just in case, but he scared Lucia still. She made it to the nurse without any problem and spotted her sister gazing out the window.

"Cat, just what did you do this time? Mom and dad are going to have your head. Would it kill you be careful?" She asked as she marched in and peered at the sizable gash on the younger girl's forehead.

[CATHERINE FAYE ARI]

"Cat, just what did you do this time? Mom and dad are going to have your head. Would it kill you be careful?"

The words cut through the silence like a knife, just when the first notes of the silent melody graced her ears. Cat wasn't disappointed though-- the wind often sang for her, and it would again in the future. Interruptions were always welcome, especially from her sister. She turned once more from the window, wide eyes falling on the elder girl, who was staring at her in a vaguely disapproving manner. Cat folded her hands in her lap and swung her legs, looking more like the five-year-old she seemed than the fifteen-year-old she was.

"I was being careful. I was just dancing," Cat insisted, voice soft as she explained herself. "The snow was so pretty, the way it was falling. Like little ballerinas. I wanted to dance too." Of course, that didn't exactly explain how she received the gash just inches above her eye. She failed to mention the fact that during one of her flying leaps (with a little help from the breeze), she'd spun around just in time to crash face-first into a tree branch. But these details didn't strike the girl as important; she wanted Lucia to understand her reasoning for the scratch, and only by explaining what compelled her to go outside in the first place could this happen.

She tilted her head to the left slightly, awaiting her sister's response patiently, then glanced at the window once more from the corner of her eye. The snow was finally starting to stick, blanketing the grass in what looked like a thin cotton blanket. Cat was reminded of a duvet, and imagined briefly the world tucking the grass into bed, allowing it some much deserved rest. In order to aide the universe, she softly hummed a lullaby, and turned back to her sister with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

[LUCIA HUDSON ARI]

Lucia sighed, but smiled as she shook her head. Cat was an conundrum really, and Lucia would bet money that her sister had never really grown up and never would. Dancing with snow... it was a reasonable sensation, Lucia understood, but phrasing that way? And the seeming ADD of talking to her would make anyone wonder. "I doubt the snowflakes cut you up." She said looking at her sister as if she were looking over glasses, eyebrows raised.

However much Lucia sort of wanted to know, she realized it didn't much matter. Whats done was done. But still, it was only reasonable. Humans had a problem of focusing to much on the past and too much on the future... not like a present only attitude would be much better.... Her mind wandered back to Cat as her eyes did. But the younger girl was looking out the window again, humming away.

Sometimes Lucia wondered where Cat when she went away into her mind like that. That blank yet meaningful expression. Wouls Lucia ever find out? Did Cat even know? She snapped abruptly. "Earth to Cat." She said. "You gonna tell me how you got cut Madame Ballerina?" She felt like a mother chiding her child as opposed to a sister talking to a sister only three years younger.

[CATHERINE FAYE ARI]

Cat was reminded of her mother as Lucia looked her over. Eyebrows were raised. Her lips were struggling to maintain the annoyed, pinched look, though it was wavering, a smile hinted at the corners. There was a searching look in her eyes, both concerned and confused. It was a gaze that screamed her intentions of trying to figure Cat out, trying to follow her thought process, trying to even imagine the ideas in her mind. It was a gaze that told her that she was different, not quite like anyone else, even the other mutants. It was a gaze that she always returned with a patient smile, inviting her to continue her search if it would help. Cat didn't understand herself; she welcomed anyone else to try to do so.

"I doubt the snowflakes cut you up." They could, Cat reasoned, struggling to keep her gaze on her sister, rather than turn back to the window. The wind could cut through exposed skin like a knife when strong enough, and when mixed with the wintery air, it seemed plausible that it could bring blood to the surface. And snow was only frozen rain, wasn't it? Ice. Tiny, beautifully-crafted ice butterflies flying toward the ground. Ice was hard, right? Ice could cut skin. But... she didn't think butterflies would do such a thing, so maybe she was wrong. Butterflies were too gentle to harm anyone. Lucia must be right.

A sharp command brought her out of her thoughts. "Earth to Cat. You gonna tell me how you got cut Madame Ballerina?" Ballerina? She liked that. A dancer, a master of her own body, her own movements. It seemed like the most lovely profession anyone could have, living off the knowledge of how to move, how to float, how to glide without anyone being aware of how you did so. Without seemingly being aware of herself, Cat allowed her fingers to trace patterns on the table next to her, different dance moves, different positions.

It was around then that she realized that Lucia was still looking at her, awaiting her answer. Cat looked up and smiled at her, eyes alight still with the idea of being a ballerina. "The tree by the picnic table outside the art classroom," she said again, deciding that that must be enough information for her elder sister to understand. She nodded once, then resumed her finger-dancing.

[LUCIA HUDSON ARI]

Ah there, finally a decent answer. Though a bit long winded. Lucia was one for the direct approach. Just say what you mean and move on. It was better that way, not to mention it saved you from ramblings that might take you from your point. If you got right down to it you could ramble afterwards. Simple. Cat rambled silently, in her own mind, and you felt like you were talking in an email, waiting for a reply, for when someone got home.

Lucia figured that in order to hit the tree she'd been fooling around with the wind, on the wind. Made sense. Lucia would have done it too if that was her power. "You have to be more careful Cat, next time it could be your eye." She said looking at her younger sister. Maybe the reason she felt like she was talking to a child was because Lucia had always treated Cat like a child. But she really wasn't anymore. Lucia made a mental note to work on that.

Then again, Cat acted like a child, wonder, magic, freedom.... "When I'm old and uptight, remind me how to be a child." Lucia said off hand, looking from Cat's hands to the window. "Just do me another favor," Her eyes swung back to her sister's face. "Try to be a little more careful please."


ooc- okay so, i love the way you write, I am totally and always in awe. i wanted you to know.
and sorry for the delay, i had to eat

[CATHERINE FAYE ARI]

"You have to be more careful Cat, next time it could be your eye."

All things considered, Cat reasoned, an eye wouldn't be the worst possible thing to lose. After all, she had another one which worked perfectly well, and it's not as though losing one would bring about a tremendous change. It would be much worse if she lost her nose, as she only had one of them. Or even a hand would be worse than an eye, because many simple day-to-day tasks require the use of two hands. Or a foot, because then she would have to hop everywhere, and Cat wasn't exactly known for her sense of balance. In fact, losing a foot would undoubtably result in losing an eye, she decided, and then she would be much worse off.

Besides, losing an eye would mean she'd have a substantial reason to wear an eyepatch, and while she didn't need a reason for anything she did, it was often useful to have one when people asked questions.

When Cat refocused on the world around her, she followed Lucia's gaze to her hands, still dancing by their own accord. Twirling, leaping, gliding, her fingers took a life of their own as they slid across the smooth surface, back and forth, telling a story. Cat herself wasn't quite sure what story they were telling, but she had long ago figured out that everything anyone does has a purpose behind it. People talk because they have something to say; people dance because words aren't enough. She decided that fingers can't be much different-- just because they aren't separate people couldn't mean that they didn't have their own story to share. She watched her fingers spin in apparent awe for a few moments, then glanced back up at her sister.

"When I'm old and uptight, remind me how to be a child."

Cat smiled vaguely and nodded, though wasn't quite sure how she could manage to do this. Hopefully Lucia never became uptight, even if she turned old, or a bit of her magic would be lost. Cat studied her sister silently-- much like herself in appearance, but her near-polar opposite in personality. Lucia was beautiful inside and out, and was strong, but still willing to have fun: she could never grow old. Relieved that her promise wouldn't have to be put into action, Cat nodded once more, and allowed herself to relax.

"Just do me another favor... Try to be a little more careful please."

Cat nodded once more, a vague promise for a vague request, then turned slightly to peer out the window once more. Was school over yet? She much liked the idea of going back outside and dancing again-- the snow was calling to her.

ooc ;; Aww, thanks Emma. You write really well too. :]

[LUCIA HUDSON ARI]

ooc- aw thanks Em, but I bow to your superior skill.


Lucia watched Cat nod in answer to her questions and smiled. The two sisters watched the snow fall for a long quiet moment. It was beautiful, free... Lucia wanted to be free. Get out of these walls, this town even.... and just be somewhere. Her blue eyes watched the aptly described, 'dancing' flakes and grabbed her sister's dancing hand and nearly pulled her off the seat. "Thanks Nurse, I'll get her back to class!" She called, nearly dragging Cat behind her as she took off down the hall to her locker.

She threw a few things in her bag and grabbed her coat. "Need anything from your locker? We're blowing this pop stand." Lucia's lips widened into a grin. She had a spunky mischievous streak. Cutting class would satisfy it. Their parents would get over it. Besides, Lucia was a good kid on the whole, it wouldn't hurt her record or anything.

Not like it really mattered. Could she go to college? Get a job? Sure her family had money, but she'd grown so used to living in a town where people had secrets, people had powers, and if they didn't they had some reason to be here. Would she ever be happy anywhere else? But she did so yearn for a different place, but was it worth it? Or would her own body become her prisoner? Lucia's eyes lost a little light as she wondered about this, but she snapped back quickly. She didn't show pain easily. Not at school anyway.