Players:
Summary: Rashmi gets Jeremy to open up a little.
Date: March 28, 2011
Log Title: Everyone Needs A Friend
Rating: PG-13
Barnes Academy - Library
There are only a few thousand volumes on display here, mostly for decorative purposes, though of course they can be checked out. The actual 'Library' is almost entirely electronic, with secure link to the entire contents of the Library of Congress online as well as hook-ups to the best universities and research facilities in the free world. Students can browse the Internet or do work projects from the stations here or download materials to the next generation pad computers/e-readers that are stanadard issue to all students and staff.
Jeremy tries to be a good student even if it's not always easy. So with classes done for the day Jeremy is skipping his nightly meeting with Vinny in favour of doing homework. He's barely slept at all in the last two days and it shows in the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes have been lingering on the same math problem for about fifteen minutes as he just can't seem to fully concentrate on it.
One of the best things about going to school at Barnes is having the Library of Congress on tap. While it may not quite be the same thing as a massive building with stacks upon stacks of books, the ability to read every major work ever does a lot to alleviate it. And so Rashmi arrives, PDA in hand and set to terminal mode, pausing for a moment as she spots Jeremy at one of the tables. "…Oh! Hi, um… Jeremy, right? From the dance meeting?"
Jeremy jumps slightly and looks up. "Oh…hi. Yeah. Jeremy, sorry was just out of it." He says pushing his hair out of his face. "Rashmi, right?" He asks but it's hard to find a person who doesn't know the red-head. "Uh..how are you tonight?"
"Um… A lot better than you seem to be doing," Rashmi says, clearing her throat. "…Need help with anything?"
Jeremy shakes his head. "Not unless you have a way to knock me out for a bit so I can sleep for a few hours." He mutters before shrugging. "Thanks, I'll manage though."
Rashmi pulls back a chair near Jeremy, setting her PDA on the table. "Nothing… really *dependable,* no," she says slowly. "…Why can't you sleep?"
Jeremy looks down at his book and is really quiet for a while before letting out a sigh. "Just a lot on my mind…literally." He isn't sure if he wants to say much more but he does. "Just, I was at Mutant Town when everything went down."
"I know the feeling," Rashmi says heavily, dropping into her chair, mouth tightening as Jeremy mentions his presence at the riot. "…Seems like quite a few people I know were there… Um… I know you don't know me all that well, but… maybe you want to talk about it? It helped me a *lot,* having someone to talk to when I got back from Nigeria…"
Jeremy shakes his head as his hand grips his pencil tightly but the look on his face suggests otherwise. He almost looks scared. "I've had to deal with most things on my own for the last few years, this time isn't any different."
Rashmi lets out a quiet breath, nodding. "Okay. Well… I *am* worried, and if I can help at all, I *will.* …But I'm not going to force you. Just… look. Just because you *have* dealt with things on your own, doesn't mean you *always* have to." With that, she picks up her PDA, calling up a novel to read. A few moments later, she speaks up again. "…I could probably also help with your homework, too, if you wanted."
Jeremy looks up at Rashmi and lets out a sigh. "You just think you're worried. Just like everyone else. They just see someone worse of then they are then try to 'help' them to make themselves feel better. Give themselves brownie points. You know, I thought someone finally was starting to give a damn about me but my powers proved more important."
Rashmi's eyebrows rise. "Um… Actually, no, I *am* worried. And I don't even know what your powers *are.*" Sighing, she leans back in her chair. "Look, Jeremy. This isn't because I want brownie points for anything, okay? This is because you seem like you're running yourself ragged, and you can't sleep. Well, okay. The only way I know how to fix that is try and help you with what's keeping you awake. I don't need to take on charity cases to feel better about myself," she says with a short chuckle. "I'm doing this because I want to. And everyone needs a friend."
"Actually I said what my powers were around you before." Jeremy says with a sigh. "I can see the past of anything I touch. No details are left out and it stays up here." He says tapping the side of his head. "Most of what I see isn't pretty."
"…I'm sorry," Rashmi says quietly, nodding. "…I really should have remembered that. Really, I'm sorry." Looking up, she tilts her head, eyebrows rising. "…Probably because most things in a city are old enough that there's always something bad, right?"
"Most people." Jeremy whispers. "I just want it all to go away, everything I've seen just to go away."
Rashmi falls silent at this, nodding slowly. "…Y'know… I don't think I'd blame you for wanting that at all," she says after a long moment. "…It's bad enough in my head as it is… I don't know *how* I'd manage if I remembered everything ever, too…" She draws in a deep breath, frowning at herself. "…And there aren't any telepaths here who could show you how to, Iunno, put them all in boxes or something?"
"I don't know any telepaths." Jeremy admits. "They've been working with me but..I don't know. I met someone, he's been helping me but I told him what I saw and I thought…" He just shakes his head. "I know what is going on is important and I know it helps that I know where those people were taken just, it's all in there."
Rashmi blinks sharply, brow furrowing. "…Taken?"
"They were taken people to use for blood samples for that Mutant Growth Hormone." Jeremy explains. "I touched one of the guys and saw everything."
"…And you can't get it out of your head," Rashmi whisperes, eyes widening. "Oh my *God* I'm so sorry, Jeremy…"
Jeremy shrugs his shoulders. "Eventually it'll subside but it's the week after that's confusing until I'm able to sort it all out. It's like my memories and his memories are both one for a bit."
"…So for the next week, you're going to be a complete wreck, huh?" Rashmi subsides for a moment, thinking. "…I have an idea. It might not help *much,* but… It's all I can think of at the moment. Just, um… gimme a few while I go down to the cafeteria?"
Jeremy shrugs at Rashmi not really expecting her to return. He goes back to trying to work on his homework but after a bit shuts his book and lays his head down on the desk. He figures he'll give Rashmi ten minutes before just leaving the library.
Rashmi is back rather quickly; at least the trip to the Cafeteria, it seems, was made at a brisk jog, if not an out and out run. Even still, as she makes her way back into the Library, she's moving at a rather rapid walking pace, teacup and saucer in one hand, her other holding another saucer atop the cup. "Sorry… Had to ask if there was any. I, um… hope you like honey, because chamomile on its own is pretty stunningly bitter, but it should put you out in a half hour or so." The cup is set down, the covering saucer removed to reveal steaming, very fragrant… and very *yellow* tea. "Mami used to make me up some when I had nightmares," she explains, shrugging helplessly. "…I don't really know much else I could do, y'know?"
Jeremy looks down at the tea cup and lets it sit for a while before picking it up and slowly drinking it. "Things were so much easier before I was a mutant." He says once he's about halfway through. "Or I should say before my powers manifested, I guess I always was a mutant. Just, life was so much easier back in Ohio."
Rashmi nods slowly. "Yeah… It was," she says, slipping back into her chair. "I mean I still lived around here… but… Things like the Avengers and mutants and super-powered people fighting… It always seemed like it was some other world, y'know? But it's our world, now… I just wish sometimes it wasn't so harsh."
"I ended up in New York City cause it was the next bus." Jeremy says still sipping on the tea. "There really aren't superheroes out in Ohio, I mean their might be but it was unheard of."
Rashmi smiles, tilting her head. "What's it like, out in Ohio? I've never really been all that far out of the City, myself."
"Different." Jeremy says. "Much more suburban. Not really small town but not city but, life was different too. I mean, it was all about school and doing what was best for college. If my parents made sure we were going to make them proud but me being a mutant wasn't exactly respectful. It more brought shame on my parents."
Rashmi snorts. "Well *that's* a load of crap," she mutters, then flushes. "…Sorry, I shouldn't say anything bad about your parents, just… That's *annoying* to hear. Just because you're a mutant doesn't make you not their son."
"Actually my powers saved my life. I touched my Mom and I saw her and my father were planning on having me killed cause I was a mutant. They're members of Friends of Humanity." Jeremy explains to Rashmi. "Just, ever since then things have gotten worse."
"….Oh," Rashmi says after a moment's shocked silence. "…Then yeah that's *total* crap. I'm… well I'm really sorry you've had to deal with this stuff alone so long, Jeremy… Just… Like I said. Everyone needs a friend, okay? And if you don't mind, well… you've got one."
Jeremy finishes up his tea and picks up his stuff, including the tea cup. "Wait to make that judgment until you really know who I am." He says with a shrug. "Thanks for the tea and have a good night." He says giving her a hint of a smile before heading out.
"It's not judgment," Rashmi answers as he passes by, chuckling. "It's an offer. 'S up to you if you want to take it up or not. G'night, Jeremy."
