[Misti Manning]

The university campus wasn’t somewhere she’d usually frequent. In fact, Misti would often avoid it altogether – even on her jogs. But today (the one day she’d needed it) her local library’s printer had broken, so she’d posed as a student and made her way into the university library to use one of theirs.

Everything had been going fine, until she accidentally pressed the machine's 'zero' button twice.

She’d only wanted ten. Just ten tear-off flyers advertising her piano lessons. But by the time she had figured out how to cancel the action, fifty-eight copies had already printed.

Misti huffed as she stapled another flyer to yet another notice board. She generally brought in new customers from word of mouth (because gosh, rich people sure loved to talk about the people they paid for), yet she figured there’d be no harm in trying other methods. Business wasn’t exactly running slow – it was simply better to have a full diary planner than one with spaces.

Now her heart was full of regret and her hands were full of paper (and a staple gun).

At least the university grounds weren’t ugly. The buildings were mostly grand and old and had a sense of character Misti could appreciate, even if there were a few desperately modern structures dotted around, presumably linked to the university’s renowned science program. And it was a nice day. Sunny but not unbearably hot. Many students were milling about the campus or were sat out on the grass in groups, emitting friendly chatter.

Silver linings, silver linings…

“Damnit,” she muttered, giving her staple gun a couple of smacks. Much to her chagrin it loved to jam at random intervals, though rough-handling usually whipped it back into working form. 

She tried to use it again and, lo and behold, it worked! A triumphant smile inadvertently broke across her face but she quickly wiped it off, aware that she was in public. She finished stapling her flyer over a weirdly plain poster about 'LIBERATION' and 'BLACKSTORM' (probably some kind of modern dance troupe), and set off again in search of more notice boards – or a recycle bin.

[Deleted]

Even though she was no longer a student, Corrine still often loved to come to S. C. University to visit the campus.

As always, the campus was busy and bustling with activity. Students and professors alike roamed the campus grounds and halls, everyone going somewhere; a break, in-between classes, running late for a class or project, getting something to eat. It was always one thing or another as a student. It hadn’t been that long ago in fact that she had roamed these same halls, these same walk ways, dragging herself to morning class or night classes, spending long hours in the campus library with three bottles of soda and food from the food court or on campus restaurants. It brought back both good and terribly stressed memories.

Shaking her head to herself and clasping her hands behind her back, Corrine tried to push such thoughts aside. The last thing she really needed was more stress. She was already under a lot of pressure with these new federal agents lurking in their office, especially their leader Blanc, and handling cases in her job or with Blackstorm. Then there were the typical stares towards her direction. Metallic bone spikes weren’t exactly something to miss after all, especially on a crowded place such as this even retracted at their fullest along her body. But, Corrine did her best to ignore them.

If anyone did ask, she usually could get away with her gift by stating it was extensive body modification. Worked most times in her favor.

Though Corrine found herself caught off guard as she rounded a corner, meeting Misti at that exact moment with enough force knock the remaining papers the other woman carried all over the place. And enough force to cause the spiked woman to stumble slightly. “Crap! Sorry about that!” Corrine apologized immediately without thinking if it was her fault or not. All she processed was that she had ran into someone and papers had gone flying in that moment. It just seemed the natural reaction in that moment. “Really sorry. I hope these weren’t too important.” She apologized sheepishly once more, crouching down to start picking up the papers Misti had been carrying.

[Misti Manning]

It was probably a useless endeavour. Misti doubted many of the students had the time, finances, or energy to learn piano alongside studying for their degree. But there was always hope for a few overachievers – or even kids with trust funds who wanted to impress (or rebel against) their parents by following more artistic pursuits.

Then she rounded a corner and slammed into a sharp wall.

In her shock, Misti practically threw her flyers up in the air, and watched in dismay as they scattered around her. A few passing students snickered, and the wall stumbled backwards – oh, not a wall; it was a shorter woman.

“Crap! Sorry about that!” the assailant apologised. Misti just stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. The other woman recovered more quickly, crouching down to retrieve Misti’s strewn flyers. “Really sorry. I hope these weren’t too important.”

“Are you blind?” Misti blurted. She crouched beside her, gathering as many papers as she could before they could be lifted away by the breeze. Why wasn't this girl looking where she was going? At least she seemed unharmed, but–  “I was holding a gun, I could’ve hurt you.” Sure, it was a staple gun rather than a Glock pistol, but having staples sticking out of your skin wasn’t exactly enjoyable either.

Spotting a glint of silver on the other woman’s face, Misti’s stomach dropped. Had she really stapled her?

Upon closer inspection, Misti noticed there were a few bits of metal on the woman. Not staples, but spikes, almost as if they were growing out of her skin. Woah, the theatre department had a higher budget than Misti would’ve thought. Or… wait… maybe that was actual metal studded into her skin. Misti had never been particularly interested in tattoos or piercings, but she knew some people went wild for it and would cover themselves in modifications if funds allowed.

She realised she was staring. She should be more focused on cleaning up her mess!

“Hang on, I–” she lurched sideways to snatch a flyer that was starting to flutter away across the ground – “I’m sorry, it’s fine. I should’ve…” Misti sighed through her nose, now more annoyed with herself than the innocent woman who was probably having a good day before Misti crashed into her.

Seeing there were no papers left on the floor, she stood up and hoped none had flown off without them noticing. She frowned down at the ones she held in her hands. In her hurry to collect them they hadn’t exactly stayed pristine, and she couldn’t go putting up creased adverts; it wouldn’t look professional. She shuffled her flyers and stapler into her left hand and held out her free one towards the stranger expectantly. “Here, let me take those. I guess you’re supposed to be on your way to class.”




@corrineburns

[Deleted]

“Sheesh, I said sorry.” Corrine muttered as the other woman seemed to snap at her about watching where she was going. “Can’t exactly see around corners you know.” The responded with a sharp tone, indicating with a nod of her head towards the nearby corner. It wasn’t like she had been going out of her way to purposely ruin this woman’s day. But, she wasn’t about to let Misti snap at her for an accident.

Snatching a few final loose papers-having to stop herself from extending any of her spikes in the process-Corrine finally shuffled them in her hand. It wasn’t exactly pretty or organized, but at least they gathered all the papers before they had been lost. Unfortunately, some hadn’t survived unscathed. Some were slightly torn, others creased in the corners or crumpled, causing the woman to frown slightly. Well, could have been much worse in hindsight. “Maybe you should make sure you have your staple gun faced down then to avoid that possible outcome.” Corrine spoke with mild annoyance now, extending her arms to return Misti’s papers to her. Her pile showed equal damage and disorganization, but at least they all seemed accounted for.

It was also how Corrine noticed the taller woman staring.

No doubt she realized there was something rather off about her, the metal spikes not being exactly difficult to miss. And Misti wasn’t the first person she talked to that stared either. “I could say the same for you, if you are a student.” The metal spiked woman sighed, letting go of her annoyance as quickly as it showed itself. No point holding onto anger when everything had been said and done. “But, I’m no student lady, haven’t been for a few years now. I just like to come visit once in a while.” Corrine explained, figuring she could clear up at least some confusion. “Just sort of wasting time before I have to get to work.” She explained, “And, uh, don’t worry about the staring. You aren’t the first person to do so, and definitely not the last.”

It wasn’t often Corrine acknowledged the stares, whether of shock of disapproval, but she made a rare comment about it. Mostly just to clear the air between them that had shown it’s brief tension. Instead, she let her gaze fall to the flyers Misti was carrying, skimming its contents enough to get the gist of what the woman had been doing. “So, you play piano huh. Could try the performing arts building to advertise if you haven’t already.” She suggested without much thought to introduce herself yet.

Misti Manning

[Misti Manning]

Misti took the offered papers gratefully, even though it was clear they weren’t in much better shape than her own pile. She was reluctant to put up any of them. “Oh,” she couldn’t help but huff a short laugh, both amused that Corrine wasn’t a student and embarrassed to be called out for staring. “I’m not a student either. I guess this is what we get for being in places we’re not supposed to.”

“So, you play piano huh. Could try the performing arts building to advertise if you haven’t already.”

Misti blinked. “I… have no idea where that is,” she admitted. Unlike Corrine she had never been a student at the university. She felt her face growing warm. Even if she was trying to advertise, was it super weird for Misti to walk around campus when she had no connection to the place? If Corrine wasn’t supposed to be there, then that was doubly true for Misti. However, the mention of the performing arts building stopped her from following that line of thought and instead reminded her of her initial assumption about Corrine.

Corrine had said Misti wasn’t the first or the last to stare, which implied her metal piercings weren’t theatre makeup. Yet she wasn’t boasting about the body modifications in the way Misti assumed an enthusiast would. She almost sounded resigned. Maybe she got them when she was younger and now regretted it. But if that was the case, why didn’t she simply take them out and let them close like Misti had once done with a septum piercing? She shook her head. Now was not the time to be delving into the psychology of a random person she just met.

Feeling guilty again, she ran a hand through her hair. “I am sorry, really. For the bumping, the snapping at you, and the staring. I’m really just annoyed at how many of these I printed, it’s made me forget how to be an actual human person.”

If she’d bumped into anyone else, Misti might have tried to put a stop to the conversation at that point and made an awkward departure. But Corrine had helped her pick up her flyers and even tried to suggest a good place to advertise. She hadn’t had to do either of those things; she could have just carried on walking right after they collided and left Misti to gather the paper by herself.

She tried to remember one of her extroverted father’s favourite sayings: talking to people is easy, just be open to them. “I’m Misti, with an ‘i’. My parents were trying to be unique,” she told Corrine drily.



@corrineburns

[Deleted]

Misti wasn’t a student either.

It wasn’t often Corrine met someone else who wasn’t, or at least wasn’t an alumni. Which Misti also was not either when she expressed not knowing where the performing arts building was. “No worries, I can show you where it’s at if you want.” Corrine offered, not minding the additional distraction. She still had a few hours to spare, and she certainly was in no hurry to return to an office full of federal level agents who had taken over the place. Especially not dealing with their supervisor, Blanc. Something about the man, from his attitude to the way he spoke and the way he treated his people rubbed her the wrong way in every way imaginable. Something about the mane as off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

Still, she merely smiled and shook her head, pushing the thoughts of work aside for the time being. “Don’t worry about it. We’re all human, it happens.” Corrine assured her, “I’m sorry for reacting the way I did myself. Suppose it has just been one of those days.” Honestly, they both probably could have just said their apologies and moved along from there. No introductions needed, a simple “thank you” and “you’re welcome” and moved on with their lives. But, it seemed this was no such encounter.

“Pleasure to meet you Misti, my name’s Corrine, but you can call me Rin. Most people do.” Corrine introduced herself in kind. Though their encounter had been somewhat hostile, it seemed for now everything had settled. If Misti was a piano instructor, she could only imagine the amount of stress she was feeling trying to advertise especially in a place she did not know. All was forgiven in the end. Now, maybe she could offer the woman a little guidance around the place.

Misti Manning