[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

Maddie returned to her seat and gave a non-committal answer as she resumed her task, but her smirk had his eyes gleaming, quietly confident that she would warm up to the offer.[break][break]

Still, she denied how special her gift was with a shake of her head, and though Noah vehemently wanted to disagree, he held his tongue and didn’t interrupt as she inquired after his own gift.[break][break]

“Yeah, I actually borrowed it,” he confirmed, smiling as he twirled his fork. “I could… feel you – which, wow, is a sentence that sounds creepy out of context. But you know what I mean. Obviously you do.” The awareness (he absently wondered if she had a better word for it) had been there the entire time he’d possessed her gift, but he couldn’t be certain it was always like that, or if he’d inadvertently done something to trigger the sense. It was important to know, if he ended up needing to swipe it from her for his own purposes. “Is it constant? Or is it something you have to ‘switch on’, so to speak?” [break][break]

Rather than borrowing like he could, she revealed she could cancel out other abilities completely – adding that she didn’t think she’d met someone with his gift before. [break][break]

He swallowed another mouthful, so pleased by this information that he barely registered how good the food was. “Well, far be it from me to complain about being someone’s first,” he grinned cheekily. “You meet people like us a lot, then?” He certainly hoped she did. Perhaps she could introduce him. “And you can just… stop what they can do? At will?” Another immensely useful gift. How nice would it be if she could turn off Mattie’s empathy powers, to stop him from being saddled with them whenever she was around? And if he were ever in a jam where his ability to borrow one gift at a time would leave him at a disadvantage, Maddie could level the playing field by practically making everyone human.[break][break]

“I suppose, if we’re being really technical, my ‘thing’ is a little like that. I can ‘turn off’ other people’s gifts, as you experienced earlier, but only if they’ve used them on me first.”[break][break]

He sat back in his seat, chewing another bite as he eyed her thoughtfully. He made sure to swallow before asking: “Can you cancel out other gifts… permanently?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

It seemed that Noah had about as many questions for Maddie as she had for him. It was only normal. They were both excited to learn more about someone similar, yet very different, from themselves. At least, Maddie was excited to hear more. If it meant answering some of his questions as well, that was just fine with her. It was only fair.

She glanced around occasionally, making sure they were good to continue their conversation. Her few straggling customers all seemed to be engrossed in conversations of their own, oblivious to anyone or anything going on around them. That suited her just fine. She was content to drag out the silverware task as long as she could and continue talking to Noah.

He confirmed that yes, he borrowed her gift. She didn’t know how she felt about that. It was a little strange, and it happened without her even knowing. ”It’s always there. I can kind of try to ignore it, but even if I’m not paying attention it's still there.” She explained, answering his question.

Maddie suppressed a laugh at his comment about being a first. It was funny, but she didn’t want to draw attention by laughing too loudly. She dropped a roll of silverware in the bin and mulled over his next couple questions.

”I mean, I wouldn’t say a lot of people like us. And meet… that’s an overstatement.” She shifted slightly. ”It’s more like.. I notice them. But I usually don’t say anything. If you hadn't done your borrowing thing, I doubt you’d have realized I noticed.” She explained a bit further. ”People get weird about it. And sometimes they don’t even know. It’s not like I can walk up and say ‘hey, what kind of freaky thing can you do?’, right? I mean, that would be weird and could go so poorly.” She let out a breath. ”As for canceling, well, that I have to put effort into. Usually.”

There had been times when she lost control of her gifts, accidentally canceled everything in a radius around her out of a fear reaction. It was rare, but it could happen. If she lost control or wasn’t doing it intentionally, it was always out in a fuzzy radius around her, the more emotional she was the further it extended. But when she focused, she could focus on just one person. It took more concentration to just cancel one person, but it took more energy to actively hold the negation on more than one person.

He went on to explain that his borrowing gift worked by basically taking someone else’s gift, and she made a note of the fact that he said it had to be after they used it on him. That was a neat little catch. She wondered if it just happened without his control. That would make sense on why they had both been so wary, tiptoeing around the topic. From what he’d said so far, she didn’t feel like he had been lying to her, but what if he had to let his gift activate, so to speak? Wouldn't he have had to know a gift had been used on him first? Or did his power give him some kind of signal or warning? So many more questions that she would save for later.

”No, that’s not something I can do. It’s only temporary, as long as I can hold it.” She shook her head. She couldn’t imagine anyone being able to permanently take away the gift of another. Was that a thing? It was terrifying if it was. ”Have you met someone who can do that?” She was hoping his answer would be no.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud
This was solid speed run. Let me know for any changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]
Noah hummed, nodding along as he ate. It was good to hear Maddie’s sense was constant; it would be a shame for him to borrow it and walk past someone gifted without knowing, all because he’d forgotten how to turn her power on. [break][break]

She continued, saying she didn’t often meet other gifted but surely noticed them, and he nodded a tad more overtly as she commented on how unwise it was to approach them directly about their powers. He was more than aware of how poorly that could go. It was why he spent so much time investigating people. Sussing them out, understanding their temperament and views on the world…[break][break]

Again, he was pleased to learn she had to put effort into cancelling out a gift. It assured him that she wouldn’t knock powers out of his hands by accident and implied she could possibly be stopped via distraction if it was something she had to concentrate on. Then again, if she was close enough to sense him, he supposed she could effectively negate any power he’d picked up anyway by throwing her sense in his lap instead. Perhaps his plans of a roadtrip would be more about finding gifted who he could approach later on his lonesome, rather than as a duo.[break][break]

As for negating powers forever, that was beyond her capabilities. It eased any remaining tension lingering in the back of his mind, though he had to wonder – what would hunters make of a person who could do that? Someone who could essentially turn all of their targets into humans? And what about The Sector? Would they rejoice in having a human-maker, or would they decide it was unethical and lock them away if they refused to cooperate?[break][break]

Maddie drew him out from his trail of thought, asking if he’d met anyone who could do that. He smiled wryly.[break][break]

“No. And honestly? I don’t think I’d be very pleasant company if I had.” A life where his gift had been taken from him… No. He wouldn’t have been very amicable at all. Hell-bent on getting it back, on having a new power given to him, or at least getting revenge on the one who’d ripped it out of him, he’d hardly be in the mood for socialising and playing nice. He licked his lips, watching her thoughtfully once more. “I do meet a lot of our peers though, so, believe me, I mean it when I say you're one of a kind.”[break][break]

“In fact…” He put down his knife and fork, folding his hands together on the table to give her his full attention, and when he spoke he made sure to do it gently – eyes soft and lightly concerned, enough to show care but hopefully not so much as to inspire panic. “You’re probably already aware of this but… I think you should be careful who you tell about this sense of yours, Maddie. Whether they’re like us or not. There are people out there who would want to use it – use you – for the wrong reasons.” [break][break]

Not me though, went unsaid. You can trust me. It was a shame they weren't in a more intimate setting, or simply sat close enough where he could stroke his knuckles down her forearm and lean in. Be a little more convincing. His plans for her gift were selfish, yes, but they wouldn’t endanger giftedkind as a whole.[break][break]

“Hunters and the like would adore you. The… government.” The Sector. Did she know about them? He’d met others of their ilk who didn’t, though usually they assumed that at least some authorities must know. “They’d probably want to get their hands on you too, and I don’t think it would be right for us all to be tagged and monitored like animals.” He tilted his head slightly, gaze searching as it flit between her eyes. “Do you?”[break][break]

It was risky, to be nudging around at her politics so early in their acquaintance, but it was important. Something he needed to know. If she was going to be a threat to him (and, he supposed, to Blackstorm; she might walk past their hideout and sense it was teeming with gifted), he ought to do something to remedy that. As far as he was concerned, being on The Sector’s radar was to be avoided like death itself.

[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

The thought that someone could just go around removing gifts was terrifying. Maddie was relieved when Noah said that he hadn't met anyone who could do that, and she hoped it wasn’t actually a thing. With the variety of gifts though, she supposed it could just be a matter of time, there could be someone out there already who could effectively turn a Gifted person human. He went on to say he met a lot of Gifted, though she didn’t know if she believed him when he said she was one of a kind. Her combination of gifts couldn’t be that rare. Right? After all, he could do something similar, even if the mechanics were different.

Then came a serious expression. A warning. Maddie had heard similar warnings from her brother. He was always vague on details and the topic didn’t seem to be open to discussion. Maddie generally assumed he’d seen something at work, and was just being over protective. Now being given another warning, from a stranger this time, was worth curiosity. Especially since he seemed so serious about it.

”I have heard a similar warning.” Maddie confirmed. She left out the part that Mason didn’t say anything specifically about her, just all Gifted. Mason told her there were people that wanted to hurt them, people who targeted them. That it was part of the reason why she was so wary when she first felt something weird with Noah himself. She’d been worried that maybe he was one of those people.

But he was giving her much the same warning. He seemed so sincere. Maddie didn’t get the feeling that he wanted to hurt her, and she was so curious.

”Hunters?” The word piqued her interest. The government being mentioned wasn’t really a surprise at all, she’d always assumed they knew about gifted folk and would want to know more about them. But hunters? Was that who Mason was trying to warn her about, the people who targeted Gifted? It was convenient to have a name for them. ”You mean the people who target people like us, right? Why would they-” Maddie stopped mid sentence. She was putting the pieces of what he said together.

”Oh…” She’d never considered someone wanting to use her to seek out other Gifted. ”No, that would be bad. Either way, that would be bad.”

Maddie had always thought of her gifts as harmless. The worst she could do was get her brother punched in the face because she stopped him from using his senses and reflexes to his advantage. She never thought about the wrong people finding out about the nature of her gift and wanting to use it, to use her, to target others.

Maddie was quiet, thinking about the implications of what Noah had said. She’d stopped rolling the silverware, hands rested idly on the stack of napkins. When she looked down at the bin of forks and knives, nearing the bottom, and remembered she was supposed to be working on the task while talking. She glanced around the room, all her customers still seeming content in their own conversations as the night wore down.

”So, you said you met a lot of us?” She wondered if he, like her, just ran into people randomly. Or was it something different, something more? Had her original suspicions been more warranted than she had come to believe?

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]
Although she claimed to have received similar warnings, the way she began to question what hunters might want with her made Noah doubtful. Or at least, doubtful that whoever had warned her had emphasised the extent of bloodshed that her capture in particular could lead to. [break][break]

Maddie cut herself off, evidently putting two and two together and Noah gave a sombre nod in response to her conclusion. ‘Bad’ was an understatement. While warning her was mostly intended to build trust between them, he did wonder if he ought to keep an eye on her regardless of how she felt about him. Perhaps he should even flag up her existence to other Blackstorm members if he couldn’t check in on her regularly, to ensure such a disastrous situation did not occur or was swiftly nipped in the bud if it did. [break][break]

Silence fell between them, Maddie presumably mulling over the implications of what they’d discussed. He picked up his utensils and resumed eating, allowing her the space to think without interruption.[break][break]

When she spoke again it was to ask whether he had met a lot of gifted. He hummed thoughtfully as he chewed to give himself some extra time before replying. It was too soon to tell her about Blackstorm. She'd agreed that she didn’t think it would be good for gifted to be singled out in the way he’d described, but that didn’t mean she was opposed to The Sector. Or interested in making gifts become common knowledge. Perhaps he would tell her later. Once he’d done some investigating and he knew for certain she was safe. Or maybe he’d tell her even later than that – ask her to be his ‘recruiting partner’ when he eventually proposed the idea of a road trip.[break][break]

He nodded. “I do. I tend to pick up other people’s ‘trades’ accidentally, like I did yours.” It wasn’t as common an occurrence as he made it sound, but it did happen once in a blue moon. Far more in Los Eurosia than in any other place he’d lived. He smiled, quirking a brow. “And I’m friendly enough – or perhaps stupid enough – to say ‘hey, I’m the one who borrowed your work, sorry about that, you haven’t lost it or anything’.”[break][break]

He ate another mouthful of food, then continued. “I think, for a lot of the people I meet, it’s nice for them to be able to share with someone, y’know? Most of the time they’ve only been able to describe to others what it feels like for them, whereas I can experience it. I… understand. And I can give them a break, if their ‘thing’ is burdensome in any way. It’s a fast way to make friends – I’m sure your ‘stop button’ could make you a lot of friends too, if you wanted. You could probably be a tad less secretive about that than your ‘radar’. Probably.”[break][break]

Putting down his knife he pulled his phone from his pocket, swiftly unlocking it and opening up the ‘Contacts’ app before holding it out towards her. “Here. Put your number in and I’ll send you a message right now. That way you can call me if you’re ever in trouble–” his smile brightened into a full-blown grin– “or I guess, I wouldn’t be opposed if you called just to say ‘hi’, to talk about life, or to get a ride home from somewhere.” [break][break]

It struck him that he might have jumped the gun; perhaps it was too soon to be asking for her number. His enthusiasm made him careless, sometimes. [break][break]

He exhaled a soft laugh, his grin affected by sheepishness. “Or… if you’d rather not give me your number – which is completely understandable, by the way – I can just… write mine on a napkin for you, if you have a pen?”

[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

When he confirmed that he does meet a lot of other Gifted, Maddie was more than a little intrigued. She wondered how often it went smoothly versus how many times it had been a complete disaster. She had to imagine it went poorly at least some of the time, but she hoped that the bond of being the same kind of different would make people less likely to be upset. The way he made it sound, as he continued on, was that it was more often a positive experience.

”I mean, I don’t know. Being able to stop people from doing what they do.. It isn’t always a great ice breaker.” She’d put the damper on strangers a couple times, but she usually didn’t outright tell them it was her. A few times it was accidental, nights when she was feeling out of control and grasping at anything to ground herself. Then, more often than that, if she witnessed someone being a pest or malicious, and she could do so discreetly, she had put the damper on their playtime. Mostly, though, she only used it on Mason and Tomas.

”Although, I do know that there is somewhat of a demand for relief. I have a- friend. He’s grateful for it sometimes.” She’d almost said brother, but stopped herself in time. Mason would be absolutely upset with her if he found out she had been this honest already, he’d probably have a heart attack if he found out she told someone about him as well.

Maddie’s manager, Vince, came back out of the office. She watched him walk to the register and begin straightening up behind the counter. She lazily went back to rolling the silverware, now milking the task. Vince wouldn’t care too much, it wasn’t like she messed around at work all the time, and most of her closing duties had already been completed hours ago. Besides, she could just say that Noah was an old friend, now that she had a name for him, and Vince would leave her be.

When she looked back, Noah had taken his phone out and was holding it out towards her. She glanced down, smirking at the contact names and took the offered phone. She was already clicking add contact when he started saying he could just write his number for her on a napkin instead.

”It’s fine. Besides, it’s just a phone number. It's not like I can’t change it if I need to.” She was teasing, but she had changed her phone number once before because of someone who she’d given it out to. He wouldn’t stop calling and texting constantly, and every time she blocked one number from him, he just started texting her from another.

”There.” She handed back his phone. She’d put herself in as ‘radar maddison’, assuming he’d change it to whatever he wanted to have her listed as. ”Keeping in touch sounds nice. I don’t have all that many people who I can talk to about, well, stuff that happens with people like us.”

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]
Visible scepticism met the idea that her negation gift could make her some friends. She pointed out that cancelling others’ powers wasn’t something that everyone would like, and he was hard-pressed to disagree. He’d seen first-hand how quickly someone could switch from easy-going and amicable to hostile and trigger-happy after they learned he’d ‘stolen’ their power, and some people could be just as dangerous without their powers as they were with them.[break][break]

Nevertheless, Maddie admitted that her negation was a relief for at least one friend of hers. Of course, Noah immediately wanted to know who this friend was and what they could do, but asking about them would be too obvious. Too disconcerting. So he would have to be patient; to wait. Maybe she’d introduce them to him in time.[break][break]

He followed her gaze to the man who had seated him at his table, presumably her manager. The man paid no attention to them, however, and Maddie seemed in no hurry to go to him or call him over either, rolling her silverware slowly. A good sign. If nothing else, it showed she wasn't looking for a way to escape their conversation.[break][break]

When Noah offered his phone, she took it without a hint of hesitance, a smirk on her face as she looked over his contacts before adding her own number to the list. Once she was done he took it back, his own lips quirking at the name she’d set herself as. He’d switch out ‘Maddison’ to ‘Girl’ (just so her identity would be slightly harder to figure out if anyone snooped) but otherwise leave her moniker untouched. “I would love to be a person you can talk to about stuff,” he purred. “Any questions, anything you want to rant about - I'm your guy.”[break][break]

Pocketing his phone, he returned to his meal. He was almost finished with it and absently wondered if he would need to order desert so he could stay in the restaurant. “How old were you when you realised you could do what you do?” A pretty basic question, one that he usually asked gifted acquaintances sooner rather than later. And it was sort of Trojan horse, a softener leading up to the more important question: “Do you have any family? Do they know?”[break][break]

Family. Likely to be gifted too, since she was. More to borrow from. More to utilise. Hopefully with similar if not the same talents: it was always good to have backup options in case plan A failed.[break][break]

---

[break][break]

OOC: Sorry this is a little all over the place x3


[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

When he took his phone back, Maddie didn’t miss the amusement at how she’d labeled herself. He made a quick change before putting the phone away, and she was a little curious, given the rest of his contact list, but she figured she could find out what he changed it to another time. ”You don’t even know how many times that would have come in handy, to have someone the same, well, almost the same, to talk to.” She had Mason and Tomas, but they were different. They didn’t know what it was like to accidentally stop someone’s ability, or to be the one to spill the beans about gifts being a thing.

Noah went on to ask about how old she’d been when she discovered her gifts, and about her family. Honestly, she couldn’t really explain how she discovered her gift without bringing up her brother, since turning off his ability was the first time she realized what she could do.

“I was in middle school, about eleven, when I figured it out.” She glanced around. Everyone still seemed content, so she kept rolling the silverware slowly. “And stopping my brother and his friend is how I figured it out.” She kept it vague. What harm could there be with just the simple facts? She didn’t name him or say what he could do, so it wasn’t like Mason could be upset with her for it if he found out she’d mentioned having a Gifted brother.

“Our dad knew. He called it ‘weird shit’. Honestly, I don’t know if my mother is aware or not. She’s pretty oblivious to most things. It’s probably better off that way, I guess.” She shrugged, realizing she really didn’t have any idea if Miranda knew that she’d created two Gifted kids or not. Was she even aware that Gifted existed? They’d never talked about it. Maybe she should ask Mason at some point. He would know if Miranda knew or not.

“What about you? Does your family know? Are they the same?” With her limited experience with families of Gifted, they didn’t tend to get it. Tomas’ parents were garbage. Her and Mason’s parents weren’t supportive of anything, let alone their gifts. She’d never really had a chance to ask anyone else about their parents, or siblings.

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]
Maddie had been eleven, only a little older than most were when they realised their potential. He figured she might have actually developed it earlier, as gifts like hers would have taken a little longer to notice if there hadn’t been other gifted around, yet a moment later she said she’d discovered her abilities by stopping her brother and his friend. A late bloomer, then.[break][break]

And that was interesting too, wasn’t it? 'Stopping' them implied they had gifts that weren’t quite the same as hers. Gifts that were perhaps more tangible and needed powering down. And what had they been doing to trigger that ability of hers? To make her want them to stop? Hurting her?[break][break]

She went on to answer his question about whether her family knew and at face-value her response was pretty simple, but there were layers there. Keywords that caught his attention. Her dad knew about her gift. Not ‘knows’. And calling her mom ‘mother’ was quite telling as well; she couldn’t have been close to either of her parents, and it seemed her dad was no longer in the picture – though, her gifts weren’t the type that would allow her to kill him accidentally nor on purpose, so Noah doubted they had patricide in common.[break][break]

“Huh… sounds a little like my mom.” Well, not at all really. Rachel had been the opposite of oblivious; all too aware of their differences to think of much else. But perhaps she could be called oblivious in a distant, uncaring way. Oblivious in the sense that she didn’t realise her actions had consequences – or rather, that consequences could be delivered by someone who wasn't her God.[break][break]

There was a chance Noah was overanalysing. Or projecting (something he’d been doing more often recently). Maybe both.[break][break]

Plate cleared, he reached for his milkshake and took a hearty sip while Maddie turned the question on him. He tended to lie about such things. Talking about his family in an honest way could be irritating, making him feel like he was giving them attention they didn’t deserve. Reflecting someone’s story back at them, on the other hand, giving them common ground to stand on that wasn’t truly there, was far preferable and worked a treat. But from what he’d gathered so far, he didn’t have to twist the truth so much to parallel parts of his story with Maddie's.[break][break]

“Yeah, my family knows, they thought it was ‘weird shit’ too.” He rolled his eyes with a lazy smile, aiming for the same level of casualness that her shrug had conveyed. “My brother’s in the same boat as us, and uh… he needed to be stopped sometimes as well.” He allowed his grin to sharpen just slightly into something more wolfish before reigning it back in. Baiting her. Letting her know: ‘if your brother’s a piece of shit and you needed to do something, this is a safe space to talk about it’.[break][break]

He tapped his fingers against the base of his glass. “I’m guessing that means you and your brother can’t do the same thing, hm? Do you see him much? Your parents? Or is it easier to stay out of the way, avoid ‘weirding’ them out?”



[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

Maddison frowned when Noah said it sounded similar to his own mother. Why couldn’t parents be supportive of their kids, involved in their lives even? Why did it seem like so many parents just didn’t care? It was part of the reason she didn’t want to have kids of her own. She was afraid that she would turn out just like that, just another horrible parent who screwed up her kids for life. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Noah admitted that his family also thought he was weird, and that his brother was like them and also needed to be stopped sometimes. “Brothers.” She let a smirk play back on her face. “Are you guys close?” Even during the times when she wanted to strangle him, she couldn’t imagine what her life would be like if her brother wasn’t there. She relied on him for everything. He was probably her best friend. He definitely knew her better than anyone else in the world.

“No, we don’t do the same thing. He’s got the more practical, useful gifts. But he used them to be a menace when we were kids.” She gave a small shrug. “Thankfully, he grew out of that phase.” She answered his question without giving away too many details about Mason. “And yeah, I see my brother a lot. But our father died a couple years ago, not very surprising or sad, and now my brother has moved our mother in with him. I only see her when I go over to his place, which isn’t very often. Usually, we meet up somewhere around here.”

It made the most sense for Mason to come to her more than her going to him. She didn’t have a car and East End was far easier for her to get around than it was for her to go out to his house in the Heights. Not to mention, she preferred to avoid their mother as much as she could.

“My brother is the careful type now, though. He’s always warning me to be careful, not to give anyone reason to suspect me.” She came to the end of the silverware and glanced over to where her manager was. He was still behind the register, which was good because one of her tables were gathering their belongings to go to the check out. She watched them walk up and the manager began chatting with them.

“Sometimes, I wonder if I’d even know I was Gifted if I didn’t have my brother. Cause him and his friend were how I figured it out at all. I’d at least have been way older before I figured it out.”

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]
A smirk curled at her lips as they formed the word “Brothers,” in a way that was exasperatedly fond. She went on to ask if he was close to his own brother which, in Noah’s mind, was something only someone who got along very well with theirs would ask.[break][break]

Clearly he’d been wrong in his suspicion that she might have had problems with hers. It was a shame, because he’d much rather bond with her over how shit having siblings could be rather than having to pretend it was all good and fine.[break][break]

Noah nodded, smiling back at her. “Oh yeah, definitely, you know how it is, though I don’t see him nearly as much as I used to.” On account of him being six feet underground, thank God. “Just a consequence of moving away from home.” Ugh. Portland was not and never had been his home. Not really.[break][break]

Maddie continued, stoking Noah’s curiosity by claiming her brother had “more practical, useful gifts”. As if her own weren’t already an absolute goldmine.[break][break]

However, he doubted her brother was truly as valuable as she implied. If he used his gifts to be a menace when they were kids, he must have had powers that could be used offensively. And sure, it was good to have soldiers. Soldiers were handy; Blackstorm needed them to protect those with less harmful gifts against hunters. And even if they didn’t succeed in killing the hunters, they could be good cannon fodder to slow down their progress.[break][break]

But gifts that could physically harm others could also be messy. Could entail hurting the wrong people by accident and causing problems that Noah would then have to clean up. With this in mind, he was decidedly less interested in recruiting Maddie’s brother than Maddie herself.[break][break]

She explained that her father had died, claiming that it was neither surprising nor sad, and implied her mother’s subsequent moving in with her brother had made it harder for her to visit his home. Noah only nodded. It was too early to tell if raising his glass to say, “let’s hope it’s not too long before your mom dies too,” would be taken well.[break][break]

Throughout it all, Maddie hadn't let slip her brother’s name, which made the more suspicious corners of Noah's brain wonder if she'd done it on purpose. If she'd done it for a reason. If she was playing it safe to protect him. She’d said he was the careful type, after all; maybe he had something to hide – or something to hide from.[break][break]

No matter. Noah would try to find her on social media later and if she was on there he was sure he’d be able to find out who her brother was and be able to look into him too. Otherwise he might simply have to visit her restaurant a few times to see if she seemed particularly chatty with anyone who bore resemblance to her. Following him or her home would be as easy as it always was to tail potential recruits.[break][break]

Having finished her task of preparing silverware, she commented that she might not have known she was gifted if it weren’t for her brother. Noah nodded again.[break][break]

“It’s the same for me.” He took another sip of his milkshake. “I wouldn’t have known either if it weren’t for my family. Might not have known until a couple of years ago, when I moved here.” His head tipped sidelong. “Though if I hadn’t known from the start, maybe I wouldn’t have moved here at all.” He exhaled a short, amused breath from his nose as he shook his head. “Fate is interesting like that, huh?”[break][break]

He looked around at the rest of the restaurant, noting that a few of the tables had emptied since he’d first walked in, before turning his gaze back on Maddie. “Do you believe in that sort of thing? Fate? That some things are just meant to happen?”


[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

It was a shame when Noah revealed he didn’t get to see his brother much anymore. Maddie was glad that Mason lived somewhat nearby, that he could be there for her quickly if she really needed him. Even if he wasn’t living in East End anymore, at least they were in the same city. “Where did you grow up?” She wondered just how far away it was. Did he get to go back and see his brother from time to time? Maybe his brother came to visit him sometimes instead, if it was close enough that they could easily travel back and forth. If it was far, well, that would just be a shame for them.

Like her, Noah admitted that he also wouldn’t have known that he had a gift if it hadn't been for his family. She had gone through a time when she wondered if she wouldn’t have been better off, not knowing. Mason would have probably said that she would have been. But she wasn’t sure. She was part of something, with the gifts she possessed. She wasn’t just the sad broke girl who was almost thirty years old and had nothing to show for herself so far in life. She belonged somewhere. She had a connection to other Gifted that would be hard to explain to anyone who wasn’t also Gifted.

“It does seem like there are a lot more of us here than I ever really realized.” Maddie tilted her head to the side as she thought about what he said. He wouldn’t have realized, until moving there. So there weren’t as many Gifted where he was from? That seemed to be the implication. But what did that really mean?

Fate. It seemed like it was something she should believe in. But did that mean that there was nothing she could do to change how her life was supposed to go? Nothing she could do to be better, to get out of the rut that she was in, or to make something of herself? What did it mean about how she grew up? Was that always supposed to be how her childhood went?

“I believe that we make our own fate.” She began, a serious expression taking over her features. “What we put out there, how hard we work, what we do... That determines what happens to us. Not some god, not some random predetermined cosmic force. We decide.”

It wasn’t fate that she had Miranda and Elijah for parents, it was just bad luck. It wasn’t fate that Mason was her brother. It wasn’t fate that she was here now, meeting Noah. It was just a coincidence, made possible by choices that they both had made that led to him being sat in her section.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, trying to look decidedly less serious. “Maybe fate is a real thing, but I find it hard to believe in. What about you, is it something you think is real?” Even if he did believe in fate, she wouldn’t judge him for it. Maybe she was too cynical, or maybe she was just plain wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time, and more than likely wouldn’t be the last time she was dead wrong about something.

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]
Upon being asked where he grew up, Noah shrugged as though to convey it wouldn’t be of much interest to her. “Up north from here. Washington.” It wasn’t a huge lie; he could make a case for Portland basically being in Washington and, growing up, he had occasionally hopped (or rather, been dragged) over the state border to see his maternal grandparents.[break][break]

He watched her tilt her head to the side, her tone thoughtful as she mused about there being more Gifted around than she realised. Had she been ‘in the know’ he would have commented on it being Blackstorm’s influence: rumours just bold enough to catch eyes and attract people like them to her hometown. But he was still feeling her out. There was still research to be done before he could bring up his fun little club.[break][break]

The initial answer that she gave to his fate question seemed to indicate Maddie was a realist. Someone with a good head on her shoulders and not prone to flights of fancy – someone who worked to get what she wanted. It also implied she was an atheist, which was perhaps less intriguing (it was usually quite interesting to see how religion could shape people in different ways) but always far preferred over a pushy fanatic.[break][break]

“I don’t know,” she said then, undermining herself a bit. It was as if she wanted to soften her stance, though whether it was an attempt to spare his feelings (should he feel differently to her about it) or whether it was because she had some doubt about her own beliefs, Noah couldn’t be certain.[break][break]

He shot her a wide-eyed look like a kicked puppy, hand lifted to his chest. “Wait, so you don’t think our meeting was fate?” The mock-despair fell quickly as he laughed to show he was just teasing again. He hummed. “For me, I guess I’m still deciding. Until quite recently I used to think similarly to you. I used to think: you get what you get completely at random, then you do what you can with it.” There were too many people on Earth for them all to have their lives scripted. Too many whose lives were cut short when they had barely begun. It didn’t make sense for them all to have fates where barely anything happened, and yet…[break][break]

“But I think it’s nice, in a way, to think that good things will come to you because you deserve it. Not karma, exactly. Not good things happening because you’re 'pure' or free of sin or whatever. More like… balancing scales. A sort of cosmic justice.” Putting up with enough crap to enjoy a nice little reward at the end. Surviving long enough in a game to unlock the most coveted achievements.[break][break]

He huffed an amused breath. “Hah, look at me. Just one strawberry milkshake and I’m getting all philosophical on you. What drinking and good company will do to a man…” He grinned, giving a small shake of his head down at his nearly empty glass before peeking back up at her curiously. “So, with all that being said, is there anything you’re working hard for? A destiny that you’re carving for yourself?”[break][break]

Maybe it was presumptuous of him but, looking at her, he suspected she wasn’t the type of person who really wanted to be a waitress and was content to be one for the rest of her life. Not that there was anything wrong with working in hospitality of course, but she wasn’t cloyingly chirpy about it all in the way that public-facing-enthusiasts tended to be. She was too calm. Maybe even too pretty for it. A face like that tended to be able to get places, if it wanted, and he had a feeling she wasn’t someone who would just settle.


[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

[attr="class","MADS"]

---

Washington wasn’t too far away, but it certainly wasn’t close, either. She supposed it was better than his family being on the east coast, or in a different country. Though, for someone who hadn't been out of her home state, she didn’t know if it made much difference if it was five hundred miles or five thousand miles.

Maddie smirked when Noah asked about their meeting not being fated. The obvious answer there was no, she didn’t. And really, she didn’t think it was fate.

The way that he explained it, his reason for being undecided about fate, made a lot of sense to Maddie. Mostly. “Okay, but here’s the thing I can’t get to fit with that concept. If good things happen because people deserve it, does it also mean people deserve the bad things that happen?” She couldn’t believe that was true. Bad things happened to good people all the time. And good things happened to bad people. It seemed much more likely to be some kind of coincidence than any predetermined destiny.

“I guess it would be sort of nice, though, to think good things would happen to people who deserved them. I just can’t stop thinking that good things only happen to people who work for them, though. Or, the people who were born lucky.” Luck was something that she did believe in. Bad luck and good luck. But it was absolutely random, there was no reason to it.

Maddie laughed, amused by Noah’s joke about the milkshake. She started packing the leftover supplies from rolling silverware into the now full bin, stacking them on top. She still wasn’t fussed to hurry, no one seemed to need anything and her manager was still behind the register, no care that his server was still sitting around, taking her time.

When Noah asked her what she was working for, her smile dulled slightly. She would love to have some fantastical dream, something that she could tell people she wanted to do with her life. But the truth was that her main goal, the only thing she’d ever really thought she could do, was just exist independently. Even that might prove too much for her, at least some days.

“Nothing, really. As long as I keep my bills paid.” She shrugged. “I know that isn’t really a fun answer. But I’ve never been a fan of making unrealistic goals. It seems like a good way to be disappointed.” She used that excuse to keep from dreaming too big, from letting herself think she could ever really make something of herself. She didn’t have many skills, she wasn’t overly smart. She could get by, she was resourceful when she needed to be. That was all she would let herself want. To be independent, to never get evicted because she blew too much of her money on vices instead of rent.

It was depressing.

She couldn’t admit that at one point, when she was still a teenager, she’d wanted more. She wanted to get out of Los Eurosia, go to fashion school or find some glamorous job that would get her working with clothes. Costumer, designer, even just a seamstress, in the right circumstances. These days, those dreams were locked away, intentionally forgotten about. Unrealistic, lofty dreams that would never materialize.

---

Noah St Cloud
Let me know for changes.

[newclass=.MADS b]color: #702963;[/newclass]

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]JUST AS A FLOWER DOES NOT CHOOSE ITS COLOR,[break]
WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT[break]
WE HAVE COME TO BE[break]

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]


Huh. He was wrong. Maddie didn’t have any big dreams to speak of.[break][break]

It seemed a shame, looking the way she did and having such powerful gifts, but he supposed that it might be for the better. Ambitious people tended to draw attention one way or another. Flying somewhat under the radar would probably keep her safe and hidden from anyone who would wish to manipulate or control her. And yet…[break][break]

Unrealistic goals. Her words echoed in his head, prodding at something bizarrely defensive within him. A good way to be disappointed.[break][break]

He felt the inexplicable urge to argue. A slight weight in his chest and a queasiness in his stomach where moments ago it had simply been content and warmed by good food. Who says they’re unrealistic? He wanted to ask. If it’s good, if it would make everyone involved happier to pursue it, why shouldn’t it happen?[break][break]

But then he imagined he would start to sound like one of those ‘anything is possible through Jesus’ people, even if he would leave religion unmentioned, so he decided to meet her halfway.[break][break]

“Well, I guess the only real way to find out if something’s unrealistic is if you try. Or if you ask for it.” He gave a small smile as he shrugged. “But I think that’s okay – the not having big specific goals thing. Sometimes it’s more about the little victories rather than building up the end goal in your head.”[break][break]

Having finished his meal and his milkshake Noah supposed it was time to go. With most people he knew it was better not to appear too keen; he shouldn’t loiter until her shift finished or ask to hang out directly after it. The woman had likely been working for hours and probably would want to go home and rest, not entertain him for however long he could think of questions.[break][break]

His gaze swept to the register before returning to Maddie. He’d been ready to suggest they head over there so he could pay, but something else occurred to him first. “Do you actually get the tips here? As in, can I give it straight to you? Or do they go into a ‘collective’ tip jar that’s meant to be split between the workers but most of it gets pocketed by management?”[break][break]

He retrieved his wallet from his pocket, quickly pulling out a $50 bill. It was more than the 20% of his meal price that he might usually be inclined to tip, but he figured Maddie earned it for agreeing to his request to keep him company and for being so honest about herself and her gift. There was a chance she’d see it as charity, or perhaps even bribery, which wasn’t ideal, but he hoped she would accept it without too much fuss. Bills and rent weren't something he had to consider in the way she implied she had to.[break][break]

He quirked his brow, grinning. “Do we need to do one of those sneaky handshakes where I pass it over all secretly? Have a spy movie moment? Though – maybe this is more of the kind of thing that drug dealers would do.”


[break][break]

---

[break]

OOC: sorry for the wait! I'm slowly trying to get better with my posting again lol, feel free to move Noah to the register or wherever and maybe we could finish this thread in the next couple of posts? Unless you have an idea for more?

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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