Since the Weather is Nice (Open)

Charlie was grateful for the balmy weather as she settled onto the small blanket she had brought with her to the lawn. Her bike lay next to her on the grass wheel still slightly spinning. As she took in the sun, Charlie unpacked her small bag to bring out a sketchbook and her pencil case. There weren't many people out this early on a Sunday morning, so Charlie figured she would have some nice quiet time to herself. From her spot she had a great view of the library looming over one end of the lawn and decided the architecture would be good practice for her. She wanted to work on making sure she got smaller details into her work. She was happy to be done with classes and was certainly looking forward to a summer of long days filling up her sketchbook and taking long bike rides. Her parents promised that they would take some time off work in a few weeks so she could visit them and spend time at home during the break.

Bringing her legs under her, she was glad she had decided to dress comfortably in a pair of black leggings and a soft frilly blouse with small flowers all over it. She made sure to tuck her grandmother's necklace into the shirt so that it would swing out over the drawing pad and block her movements.

She found it easy to lose herself quickly to drawing. Her focus narrowed down to the paper under her fingertips and the building in front of her. She ceased to notice the other things around her, only pausing every now and then to take a small sip from her thermos she had filled with tea before heading out. Slowly the building began to take form on the paper one line at a time.

Gemini was only vaguely aware of the few students that passed around him as he circled around the library. It was quite possible if the area around it wasn’t on his running route he might have never seen the building close up. The sound of his nike sneakers hitting the ground seemed to fall into the rhythm of the hip-hop music blasting through the earphones in his ears, which he found oddly motivating. He’d been so busy trying to scrape by lately that he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gone for a good run, maybe he should be grateful for the evil sunny awakening he had gotten this morning that had forced him out of bed too early to do something productive.

By the time he approached Zellner lawn his chest was heaving and he was having trouble catching his breath, reminding him that he really needed to make running a priority again. Seriously, How long has it been? This is ridiculous. He stopped leaning over his hands on his knees as he tried to regulate his breathing. This is it, This is how it ends. He said out loud to no one in particular. His eye caught a girl sitting in the grass near him though he didn’t recognize her which was odd, a girl in Calloway he didn’t know? and She'd be a witness to his pathetic demise if he keeled over right now. Fan-frickin’-tastic He turned to look at the girlIf I die right now, could you do me a solid, and tell everyone it was doing something awesome and not in a heaving mess? He said breathlessly, though the humor was still evident in his tone.

Charlie didn't spot the boy until he spoke aloud the first time. Startled out of her concentration she lowered her sketchpad to her lap and looked up to see who it was. She smiled when she realized he had been referring to his physical state after running, not that she had thought someone was actually worried about death on the lawn at this hour. She found herself unable to not smile at his request and crossed her arms in mock thoughtfulness.

"Well that entirely depends. You might die a hero, but then I would eventually die a liar and where would that leave me?" She responded. Some days she might be slightly irritated by being interrupted, but the sunlight and fresh air had her in a wonderful mood. Not to mention it was hard to be upset with a boy who was clearly trying to be friendly. Charlie had only been here a month or two and as a late joining student, who also tended to be shy, she didn't know very many people. She wasn't about to run off one of the first people to talk to her. And he seemed harmless enough. At any rate, she was almost certain she could outrun him at this point.

Gemini pulled the earphones from his ears letting them dangle out of the top of white v-neck t-shirt he was wearing, though it was almost unnecessary since he could hear her over the sound of the music. He smirked at her response as he reigned his composure and stood up straight Ah, Well, you see despite having lied it would have been for a good cause, I.E. Me. Therefore, it cancels out the lying. The math all works out, I promise He teased before giving a shrug No one would believe you anyway, I'm not really the hero type...and the fact that you didn't know that just proves to me you haven't been here long... He said an amused smile on his lips. Gemini moved closer to her and reached out his hand Gemini, but most people just call me Gem, the rest call me names a gentleman shouldn’t repeat in front of a pretty girl.

"Well, I've never been very good at math so I'll take your word for it." She answered with a laugh. When he mentioned that he knew she must be relatively new she couldn't help but blush slightly in embarrassment. Good to know it was that obvious. At this moment she was glad that despite never being very outgoing, she could handle herself relatively well one on one or in small groups of people.

"Charlie, but Chuck is cool too and socially acceptable at that. It's nice to meet you." She finally replied. She went to take his hand almost upsetting the sketchbook in her lap and after making sure everything was steady in her lap actually was able to grasp his hand. She fought the urge to bury her face in her hands at the fumbling. She couldn't have been smooth for all of two minutes could she? However, politeness won out and she was able to actually meet his eyes.

Gemini squinted against the sun for a moment, taking a deep breath in, and puffed out his chest confidently.Ya'know That's probably a good idea. I'm a total boss at math.. He said dropping the act and shaking his head no as he said it.He caught the light blush of her cheeks and smirked.

His eyebrows rose as he watched her fumble with the items in her lap, an amused look on his face. He gave her a friendly, charming smile when her eyes finally met his. Chuck, that's cute. It's a pleasure. He waved his free hand dismissively Socially acceptable is overrated and hardly ever fun. He released her hand hand after a few seconds. Feeling like he was towering over her, Gemini dropped down into the grass unconcerned with whether she wanted company or not. He rested his forearms on top of his knees So Chuck.. How long have you been stuck in this little town of ours?

She almost laughed outright at his straightforwardness. It was a refreshing change and she felt a little less worried about finding things to say since he seemed plenty able to keep a conversation going. She was always glad when she didn't feel like there was silence she had to fill. She also appreciated when he sat down since she didn't need to continue to crane her head up to look at him. She couldn't resist commenting on it though, and teased with a light "Please join me." when he had already sat down.

"I've only been here two months. Just in time for the end of the year really." She answered. She was still adjusting to being in a place where everyone had strange abilities like she did. Her parents had been very accepting when she had told them what she could do, but they hadn't really understood it. It was relaxing to finally feel like she wasn't the odd one out. Although, she had yet to actually talk about her abilities with anyone, it was nice to know if she did they would be less likely to judge her for it in any way.

Gemini placed one hand over his heart while he grinned at her response Awh gee thanks for the invite . He found that he often enjoyed people who used sarcasm they tended to be the most fun. Well, you've come at the right time. Summer is a blast, you've got summer parties, crazy road trips. It'll epic. he said with a nod. That reminded Gemini that he still wasn't sure what kind of shenanigans he planned on getting into this summer, but it needed to be something epic. He gazed at the girl across from him for a moment before his curiosity got the best of him and he forgot his manners So, What are you in for?

Charlie laughed at the idea of impromptu road trips and parties. She had never really been the kind of girl who got invited on those. The idea of large groups of people made her slightly nervous, although she promised herself before heading to this new place she would try new things. Maybe this summer was a good time to start that. Plus, she was confident she could still keep a level head.
When he asked her what she was here for Charlie smiled but looked down slightly. She had never been upset by the abilities she had, and her parents had been very supportive, but she wasn't sure what others might think of it.

"I see dead people." She finally ended up saying. She knew it was a cheesy reference to make, but it also happened to be a completely accurate statement. "You?"

Gemini's eyes widened like he was panicked Damn I've seen this movie,I'm not dead am I?! he teased. Despite his joking Gemini couldn't imagine what it must be like to have a power like that, he'd seen enough horror movies to picture it being unnerving I can't figure out if that's really cool or really creepy. He finally concluded bluntly. One of his hands dropped to his side and he tugged at some of the grass desperate for something to do with his hands. I have fast reflexes. Much to some girls dismay it keeps me from getting slapped.

The answer he gave her threw her for a second. Charlie hadn't ever really told anyone about her abilities so she didn't know what type of reaction to expect, but one that blunt hadn't really crossed her mind. She found that she didn't mind the straightforward answer. The 'creepy' part of it also didn't really bother her. She figured most people might be unnerved by some of the things she saw. Interactions with the dead could be intense depending on the situation, although Charlie had found that she was quite good at handling it.

"I wouldn't really know how to describe it. It's just a normal part of my life now that I can't really imagine not seeing them." She finally said. When he told her about his own ability she smiled and tossed a pen in his direction.

"How fast?"

Gemini nodded at her response, he guessed he could understand that, even though his powers were subtle and it seemed most people forgot he even had them he couldn't imagine life without them.

Without much thought the the hand Gemini had been using to tug at the grass reached up and snapped the pen out of mid air. Pretty fast, unless I'm drunk or really tired then things get a little weird. he admitted, spinning the pen between his fingers before leaning forward to offer it back to her. So do you draw your ghost friends then? He asked motioning toward the notepad in her lap.

Charlie smiled and took the pen back. She hesitated a moment before picking up her sketchbook from her lap and opening to a page with a few drawings of an older woman sitting by a window. Her fingers traced over the outline softly before she held out the book to Gemini.

"Sometimes. Not all of them want to be drawn. I like to respect their wishes. And not all of them stay long enough for me to draw them anyway." She commented. It wasn't rare for her to encounter the same spirit multiple times, but it was never a guarantee. She also had no control over how long they stayed with her, although if she tried very hard sometimes she could prolong their presence or summon them. The only times she'd really tried that had been with her Grandmother and she had been exhausted for weeks afterwards.

Gemini reached out to take the notebook from her, holding it carefully in his hands. He looked down at the picture of the woman Ah. I See Gorgeous and talented? Nice. He said a mischievous smile on his lips as he glanced up at her for a brief moment before his eyes refocused on the picture in front of him. Do you know her? or I guess I should say, Did? If he thought about it he might have realized it was a pretty personal question, but once Gemini's curiosity was spiked what little filter he did have often disappeared.

Charlie blushed at the compliment. She hadn't really ever showed her work to anyone other than her parents, and it was hard to take praise from them seriously since they had to love her. She also hadn't really ever been the focus of people admiring her for beauty either so she just smiled as opposed to responding. She wasn't sure if a thank you was really what people did in this situation so she settled on a shy smile.

The question startled her for a moment, but not necessarily in a bad way. She hadn't expected something so blunt. Although, she quickly smiled again to reassure him that she wasn't upset by the inquiry. True it was a sad memory, but also a happy one. How many people got the chance she had gotten?
"It's my Grandmother. I saw her a lot when my abilities first developed. I think the personal connection helped her stay longer."