I have to find my way [Open]

[redbanded]

Who: Claire Belacqua, anyone with access to the TB dorms
Where: Trailblazer dorms
When: March 29th, early evening
What: The Trailblazers have a new trainee!
Warnings: None at the moment
Notes: n/a

Claire Belacqua was ushered to the very edge of the Trailblazers living area by the CONDOR agents who brought her over from the facility they'd been keeping her while they figured out what to do with her, and told to look around and make friends. They weren't really in the mood to babysit, and sixteen was old enough to deal with the dorms herself, right?

So they have deposited one aerokinetic with one (red) duffle bag and one (red) backpack in the rec area, wearing one (red) t-shirt, and one (red) light hoodie. Those inclined to notice such things will also probably notice that both the elastic on the end of her braid and the shoelaces in her sneakers are red as well.

She's got a thing for red, clearly.

Claire takes a few deep breaths, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket, and carefully puts her bags down out of the way of anyone walking. Exploring and making friends were easier said than done, and she didn't know if she was allowed to go everywhere or if there was someone she should talk to, and it all ends in her not really knowing what to do, opting to stand still and look confused instead.

It usually works, especially if she isn't a familiar face or obviously doesn't belong somewhere.

Comments

[redbanded]

"Oh." Claire looks a little apprehensive. She doesn't handle personal confrontation well. It's different when you're stopping a bad guy - she used to get in the middle of fights on the playground to get bullies to stop and never stopped to be scared until AFTER - but if someone just gets up in her face? Ugh. "Well, I hope that doesn't happen."

Claire bounces up a little on the balls of her feet, then rocks back on her heels - it's a nice, unassuming stim that she's very fond of when meeting new people. "Oh, well, since before I can remember, really," she says. "I always made Mom's papers fly all over the place when I wanted something. That's what she said, anyway."

[withoutaworld]

"It's okay. He's probably calmed down a little since I got here, so... I'm sure it'll be fine."

Rikki pauses as the elevator doors slide open again, shifting the duffel bag on her shoulder before she steps out, and waits for Claire to follow her before she leads the way down the hall.

"So you finally got old enough to talk your mom into letting you register?"

[redbanded]

"You have to be sixteen to join the Trailblazers," Claire says. It's an answer, if not a particularly explicit one. "There would have been no reason to register earlier. I was finishing my high school curriculum."

She follows, almost surreptitiously glancing around her, like she's trying not to look like she's completely curious to know what every inch of the dorms look like. She's trying to play it cool. It's not really working, but it's an attempt!

[withoutaworld]

"Good point," she says with a little shrug. "I started pulling for it when I was fifteen, and I probably would've earlier if I had powers, but... I had an understanding mentor, so it's a little different than jumping feet first into the whole team thing."

"That's my room," she says as she passes it. "Well, mine and Nessa's - she goes by Wildcat. You can drop by anytime if you need something, seriously."

[redbanded]

"Yes," Claire agrees. "I'm not very good with people, and I've been homeschooled for a long time, so I'm a little nervous. But I think it is the best option for me as far as training goes, and learning to function within a team is important for any hero, I think."

She put great thought into this decision. Her mother may have been supportive, but that didn't mean she was gung-ho about the idea of Claire setting out to become a superhero at the tender age of 16. She had to have a good argument prepared.

"She's the shapeshifter, right? She turns into cats." Claire probably won't 'drop by any time'. She may not have first-hand experience, but from what she's gleaned through pop culture, real life observation, and her message boards? Offers like that are usually not meant literally.

People are weird.

[withoutaworld]

"Yeah, that's her. Guess the name kind of gives it away, huh?"

She stops a few doors down the hall from hew own room, across the way. "Everything from about here down the hall is empty, so... take your pick. They're all pretty much the same."

[redbanded]

Claire takes a step down the hallway and hesitates for a moment. Would her new teammates feel insulted if she put a few empty rooms between her and them? She wouldn't be, but other people's minds don't always make sense to her.

Well, if they were going to be on a team together, they'd have to accept that she sometimes has needs that they don't - like space and quiet.

She passes two empty rooms, and opens the door to the third, poking her head in and surveying it for a moment before deciding that it will do and steps inside. "I like this one."

[withoutaworld]

"Cool," she says, following Claire inside and setting her bag down just clear of the door. "When Agent Bubbles comes in tomorrow morning, he can give you the key to this room specifically. Until then... it locks fine from the inside, and no one's gonna steal your stuff here."

She quirks her lips in a tiny smile, pauses for a moment to study Claire, and then asks, "Do you need anything else, or... I don't know if you had to fly in or what, but if you just wanna chill out here, that's fine. Most of the others should be home in an hour or two, probably."

[redbanded]

"I arrived by bus two weeks ago," Claire says, not really paying attention as she examines the room for anything that might end up stressing her out, like a weird noise from the air conditioner or an odd stain on the ceiling. (There aren't any of these things, which is unsurprising, but she still wants to check.) "I have been staying in a CONDOR facility since I arrived and presented myself for registration."

She glances back at Rikki with a hint of a smile, though she doesn't look at her face. "It was a long trip, though. I don't really like busses."

[withoutaworld]

"Oh! I mean, I find CONDOR bunks kind of reassuring, but apparently most people don't sleep that well there."

Rikki smiles, taking a step back out of the room. "I'll let the others know you're here, and you can come down for dinner or... whenever you're ready. Welcome to the Trailblazers, Gale."