institutesamples | (no subject)

[Vriska simply raises a brow as she takes the unlit cigarette from her lips.]

Yeah, no. Not going to risk the whole stick.

[There's a pause as she put the cigarette back in the tin she carries around.] So who the hell are you?

[He just grins and shrugs his shoulders at her as if to say that he tried.]

I'm Merlin, I'm new here.

[his British accent comes out a bit stronger than he means for it to, but he blames her gaze on him. Quietly he prays for no wizard jokes.]

...Merlin. Really?

[She's holding them in for the moment.]

[SIGH]

Yes, really. It's on my birth certificate and everything. My mother was a fan of Arthurian legends.

Of all the names she could have picked... So what? You got the mutant equivalent of magic then?

[he smiles secretively] Maybe. [his eyes flash gold and I hope you didn't want your cig because it's been plucked out of your fingers and is now in Merlin's hands]

[Only he'd be taking her whole case as she had put that cig away. She scowls and focuses on him.]

You will return that.

[While there is the push of a demand behind the thought sent into his head he can resist if he has the will power.]

[Yup, this sure is a case of cigarettes that he sure has no idea what to do with and really feels like he should give back. He tosses them back rather than levitating and looks a bit embarrassed.]

Sorry, I didn't really mean to take your things or anything! I was just, sorry.

[he rubs his forehead a bit, perhaps because of the feeling of her demand]

[She smirks as she catches the case and shoves it into her jacket pocket.]

So what was that? Telekinesis? Useful. [Run while you still can Merlin, you've got her interest.]

It's not telekinesis. [the response is automatic, but after that he closes his mouth and doesn't offer an alternative]

I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.

It's similar though. In the family so to speak.

[She grins.] That'd be because I didn't give it but since you're asking, it's Vriska. Vriska Serket.

The kinesis part, yes, the tele- part, not so much.

Pleasure to meet you Vriska.

In any case it's useful I bet. More so that what I got going for me.

[She stretches before shoving her hands into her pockets. An almost predatory grin forms on her lips.] You might not think so later.

Oh no, it's horrible really. My room is always a mess and I'm a walking fire hazard. A mother's worst nightmare.

[he laughs again and acts as if she didn't kind of threaten him, but while he looks relaxed his body is a bit tense and ready to act if needed] You can't be too bad. You know I'm almost but not quite telekinetic, what can you do?

[She could shut him down a thought if she wanted. In theory. Maybe. So really being ready to act would do him no good.]

Used to I had a kind of x-ray vision. [She taps the left side of her face near her covered eye.]

But there's other things I can do.

[Just a little voice in his head, no push or suggestion with it this time. Just communication.]

[Merlin may be a bit used to having voices in his head, but still it's always a bit startling]

Oh, a form of telepathy, that's useful. Why do you think that it's not?

[Vriska's so used to voices in her head that she forgets that other people aren't. So she often doesn't bother to ask before just thinking at someone.]

Well, I can't exactly be lazy with telepathy. Or fly. Or appear to have super strength. Or you know, anything cool.

[Back home, Merlin had druid friends who just liked to speak to him in his head, it stopped being weird after a bit]

But those who fly and have super strength can't read minds or communicate without speaking. I'd rather have telepathy over super strength.

You say that only because you don't have it. You don't have to hear every little thought coming off everyone else because they can't keep their minds walled off. You don't know what people really think about you when they're sitting there talking to you and saying the exact opposite of what they're thinking. [There's a bit of a snarl with the last bit.]

[Merlin frowns a bit and tries to think about what he's been thinking about during this conversation. He's been pretty straight forward with her, can't say he's mentally contradicted anything he's said to her. Really he just thought about home, about how his mother's house is finally clean, and how his mentor Gaius doesn't have to deal with him and his hazardous ways, and about his friends back in England who don't really know where he is. If anything the only thing he's hidden is sadness (and the fact he wonders that if he tries to fly if he would spontaneously combust because he shouldn't be fucking with his own molecules), but he understands that others hide a lot more than him.]

[sincerely] I'm sorry. That must be really difficult, I had no idea. I'm sure with training you can block it all out. [and he genuinely believes that, he has faith in this girl he just met]

[That's part of the problem with Merlin, he's actually genuine that it's kind of pissing Vriska off. She's just too used to two-faced assholes.]

I can put up walls to keep other thoughts out but they're so tedious to keep up.

[it's only because he feels safe in the school, if she were to go outside of the school walls with him she'd see all the barriers he'd put up. He thinks about that a bit too, about he feels like he was never honest with his friends]

I'm sure eventually you'll be able to do it subconsciously.

[She shrugs and finally moves to retrieve her lighter from where it landed.] Maybe. Or maybe I'll be doomed to hear what everyone doesn't have to say for the rest of my miserable life.

You'd make an amazing spy.

[he smiles and starts imagining her as a super spy and going on ridiculously cheesy missions in hopes of cheering her up]

[Except it only proves to make her remember the life she had before. What she was being raised as. It gets a violent reaction of her as she moves quickly to slam him into the nearest surface.]

Stop that!

Stop that!