All animals..

“Oh,” She took a hesitant step back when the animal was offered to her. Not that she was scared of it, more-so herself. There was a certain fear of her own hands that had come with the discovery of her true power, and the small rabbit looked so…delicate. She didn’t trust herself to actually hold it. “Another time.” She replied, pulling her hands further into the sleeves of her jacket protectively. “Are you—— you said read lips?” Valeska wasn’t entirely sure how to broach the question. 

"You're scared of your mutation." Myka pointed out gently, taking the bunny back into her own arms to kiss its head, then put him down. "That's okay." She had never been scared of hers, so she didn't understand the feeling, and she wasn't in any position to tell someone to feel otherwise. A lot of what some people could do could be terrifying  - not so much for those around them, but for the person, themselves. "Oh, yes. I'm deaf, but most of the time I can read lips. It's peaceful." She didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her, because she'd never choose to hear if she could help it. Maybe some would, but she wasn't one of them. “Your accent just reads differently.”

The question threw her, lips parting with an answer she initially couldn’t find. Her accent was obvious, English far from seamless — could the other woman not tell? It seemed to be the most obvious thing about her to everyone else. However, a moment later, the brunette said something about reading her lips, a phrase Valeska didn’t completely comprehend, though she knew it had something to do with not being able to hear? “Um…” She thought back a moment, trying to remember the sentence she’d just spoken. “Interrupt…” That’s what she’d said. What was another word. “Disturb?” 

It took Myka a second more to read that word, as well, but she got there. "Oh, it's fine. You're not bothering me." Well, maybe she was a little. Myka knew, though, that animals on campus weren't exactly a common thing, and there was an exception for her, and because of that, people would come by to see them sometimes. It was just something she'd have to deal with. She held out the small bunny in her arms to the other. "You want to hold him?" Her bunnies were the epitome of adorable, after all, and were naturally just small little things with floppy ears. And fluffy. They were very fluffy to the touch, which made them great to pet.

Fernando´s brows creased when the woman seemed surprise for a moment but he smiled kindly at her words, not at all unused to people staring vacantly at him at times when he went off on tangents. People like them couldn´t be held to the same social standards than non-mutants because some of them had extra senses or things like that and those usually made harder paying attention to things that weren’t that important to begin with “Well, I can’t blame you, I was rambling just a tiny bit.” he assured earnestly with an easily graceful shrug before his hazel eyes settled on her assesingly “Are you alright, though?” the Telekinetic inquired curiously. Sometimes clairvoyants and the like could get lost inside their heads and it could take them a hot minute to get their feet back on ground but even if he assumed that the woman was fine he could not help but be alert for possibilities.

"I'm not a fan of rambling." It was pointless to ramble on about something, in Myka's opinion. Rather, it was useless with her, because she din't have the patience for it with people she dind't conside friends. And this man didn't fall into that category. Of course, that wasn't the end of it when he went on asking if she was alright. Which was a fairly random question, if she were being honest. Why wouldn't she be okay? She was actually semi enjoying her day so far, which was a good thing, really. It was more than her usual day, but to be fair, she didn't really give days a chance when she should. Very much like people. "That's more small talk." She answered with. "It's a way to pretend to be nice as someone's passing by. No one really cares for an answer that's more than two or three syllables. And no one can be bothered enough to give a similar answer. It's a social trap of small talk."

She emerged on what seemed like a zoo in the corner of the property. Several dogs — one of which was being ridden by a bird — all appeared at once, followed by a woman Valeska hadn’t seen before. Not surprising if the woman stayed out here, Valeska keeping to her own room most of the time. The dogs seemed focused on the ball, one jumping up on the woman in order to get her to throw it. 

“No, it’s fine.” The brunette replied, accent contorting the ‘f’ into more of a ‘v’. She shook her head slightly, not sure exactly what to say. She hadn’t exactly been intending on running into someone. However, Valeska knew how to make polite small talk. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” 

Myka's eyebrows furrowed when she saw the othe speak, watching her lips move in an odd fashion. This would be more of a challenge that usual. "Sorry, do you have an accent?" It was going to made reading the woman's lips that much more difficult, and the woman had to take a deep, mental breath. "I'm not sure what you said after 'mean'. Your accent is hard to read on your lips - can you use another word?" She wasn't sure what else to say, when one of her holland lop bunnies came hopping up to her, causing Myka to smile as she picked him up, kissing the top of his head as she pet him. She also should of said 'please,' but it wasn't like she was asked nicely to repeat something at times, because of being deaf.

“Hey there Romeo, aren’t you just the most handsome good boy?” Kit cooed as he kept playing with the dig, unabashedly hugging and giving the black lab all the attention that he wanted. Upon hearing that Myka was deaf, Kit felt slightly guilty for simply going straight for the dog. “Sorry about that,” he said as he faced her, still holding the dog close and playing with the ball he had brought. “This might be the first time I actually get to play with a dog up close. It’s really cool that you have them all here, and what are all their names? “

Myka stood there, genuinely smiling as she watched the other interact with the animal, and watching as Romeo thoroughly enjoyed the attention. She especially enjoyed when the lab decided to roll onto his back and expose his belly to the other. "The first time? How?" It was odd to hear someone had neve played with a dog before, but she was more than willing to give someone that expeience if she wanted. "That one's Romeo, and the little guy here is Gizmo - he's deaf, too." She pet the small dog in her arms before looking and pointing. "The dalmatian is Bella, and the other is Dodger."

She decided to sit crossed legged on the grass and motioned for the other to do the same. "Be still." She smiled at him before holding out an arm and looking over to the campsite silently. It took a couple moments, but she was able to successfully ask one of the squirrels to bound over with its endless energy, using her held out arm as a tree branch. "She'll let you pet her if you'd like. Just move slow." She couldn't control animals, but she could ask favours of them and if she had their trust, she could usually count on them.

A wet nuzzle at her knee pulled her from her day dream, and she looked down in surprise, extending the flat of her palm for the dog to sniff. Clamping her current cigarette between her teeth, she ruffled her hands through the dark fur, the animal giving her an appreciative lick in return. Letty’s gaze cast down to the mess of butts at her feet, nudging them around with the toe of her shoe. “I think someone’s actually paid to do that,” she replied sheepishly.  She was guilted easily, she knew she would be on her knees collecting them before she left. “Sweet dog,” the brunette remarked as the lab scuttled back to the other woman. “Are they all yours?” She asked, gesturing towards the animals that trailed at her feet.

"Someone's also paid to treat animals who eat those - but it's the animals that suffer, and not every animal has someone to care for them." Myka retorted, half tempted to just pick them up, herself. She looked to her dogs, petting Bella's head when the dalmatian came up to her side, and she nodded. "Sort of. I'm mostly theirs." She smiled when the dalmatian jumped up on her, and then the little one did, as well, whining and giving a few small barks until Myka picked him up. Romeo, however, was still interested in making friends with the other woman.

@mykaxreyes  ||  plotted starter 

Valeska had been in her room for two days, only emerging for the occasional meal. She wasn’t a student, wasn’t required to participate in anything… Which was probably bad for the fact that it enabled her to stay hold up for days at a time. However, it also meant she could build her confidence in her own time, finally deciding that a walk around the grounds was something she could handle. Skirting through the halls, she made her way outside without having to talk to anyone, though she did receive a few stray glances. Emerging into the daylight, she shoved her hands in her pockets, striding away from the residential building, picking her way down a path that looked otherwise deserted. She wasn’t exactly concentrating that far ahead of her, so it was a bit of a surprise when the large black dog appeared, Valeska taking a step back. “Hello—” A hand came out from her pocket, fingers receiving a sniff from the dog. Valeska hadn’t thought to ask about the school’s pet policy, but the dog didn’t look like a stray. Nor did she believe a stray could infiltrate the school grounds. With tail wagging, it trotted off, a curious Valeska following along a few yards, simply to see where it was going. The destination came up rather abruptly, catching her off guard, the dog entering what looked to be a sort of campsite. “Oh…” She definitely hadn’t meant to stumble across anyone. 

Myka looked up to notice that Romeo had wandered off again, and she sighed a little. He was always so friendly towards people, he probably went on to bothe someone. She called out for him through her mind, but not out loud, waiting to see if he'd come. Eventually he did, and went right for his ball, which she threw. Of course, two of her other dogs went after it, as well, and soon the three of them were playing, before Romeo got hold of the ball and ran back up to the stray he brought along with him. It meant she was going to have to get up and apologize.

Her smaller dog followed we as Zazu (her bird), rode on his back. When she reached the stranger, the Dodger had managed to meet up with Romeo, in order to get the ball, but Bella hung back; she wsan't a fan of strangers. "Sorry if he bothered you." Myka spoke up, before Dodger jumped up on her with a ball in his mouth. She couldn't help but smie widely at the dog, despite the person being around, and she gave it a toss for them.

Sol was in the kitchen, ding his best to throw together a quick snack. He was using his powers to cook both a grilled cheese and a pot of tomato soup. As he went to grab a plat and bowl to eat off of, the young mutant tripped, causing the soup to spill over his head, and the sandwich to land in his lap. He quickly stood, turning to see the other there, steam from the hot soup coming off of his body

“…….You saw nothing….”

"I'm deaf, not blind." Myka spoke back, half in defiance and half in amusement, but all towards the others' angry reaction to his own slip up. All four dogs sat impatiently, wagging their tails and whining - Myka had quickly used her ability to communicate that it was too hot and to not touch the food. They listened, but that dind't mean they didn't really want to clean up the mess provided by the other man. She set a reuseable grocery bag on the island counter, along with a portable bluetooth boombox and a pair of over the ear bluetooth headphones. At least someone else seemed to be having a day more miserable than her own, right?

Kit wasn’t used to seeing animals, ever since he was a child all he knew where the alabaster white walls of the facility. The project that he was sold to with hopes of weaponizing mutant children was all he knew and it wasn’t until he was eighteen that he had a glimpse of the outside world. Now he was roaming the institute and all it pertained and oddly enough a black lab with a ball was running towards him and the sight alone brought a smile to his lips. “Don’t be sorry about him, he’s adorable.” he said as he began to pet the dog, even giving the boy kissed on the top of his head as he played with him. “What’s his name?” He asked curiously. “Also, wow, you have a lot of animals with you, you must be living the good life. What kind of breed is he? I really don’t know much, just that they’re dogs.”

"Romeo." She answered as she watched the other interact with her dog. She smiled at the sight - genuinely. It was always nice to see someone react positively to animals. Unfortunately, because he wasn't looking directly at her, she didn't catch anything of what he was saying or asking, after he asked for the name. It was the first queston most people asked, so it was easy to read on the lips. Putting the bird on her shoulder, she lowered it to his kneeling level, and waved it a little to get his attention. "You have to face me when you speak, otherwise, I can't hear you. I'm deaf." The others' excited reaction to Romeo left her less annoyed about interacting with another human being, which she knew she should do more often. It was just difficult to bring herself to do so with an open mind.

Caden’s eyes widened once he realized that there was a dog headed his way, and he dropped to his knees to greet him. “Why hello there,” he said, grinning at the rather excitable animal. He looked up to see someone heading over, and from the feel of things, it seemed like she was the owner.

At her apology, Caden shook his head and offered a smile. “Oh no, it’s all good. I love animals,” he replied. “What’s his name?”

Myka was glad the other didn't get upset when Romeo had run at him, and the beautiful black lab dropped the tennis ball at the man's feet, sitting and wagging his tail expectedly. "Romeo." Myka answered, bending down to offer a finger perch to the bird with one hand, and pick Gizmo up with the other, kissing both the animals on the head. "But if you throw that for him, he'll never want you to stop. Fair warning." She gave a polite enough smile, but she was always sceptical about people, even if there was no reason to be. It's just what her experiences in the world had taught her, and it helped protect herself. She may of been a mutant, much like the rest there, but she was still deaf. Prous as she might be for that identity, it still hurt her head when people got dumb about it.

Her own four dogs were there, as well, playing with one another - except the smallest, Gizmo, who was always by Myka's side. Her bird was also with her, taking a ride on Gizmo, and her two lopland bunnies were out with her, as well, though inside the tent. She was normally left alone, though sometimes someone wandered over to see the animals or just because they were cuious. Today, Myka was having a better day, so she didn't entirely mind when she looked up to see Romeo (black lab) take off for someone close by, tennis ball in his mouth. She didn't know if they were heading over to where a bunch of unlikely animals had gathered or not, but now Romeo was trying to make friends again, so she had to get involved.

Getting up, she walked over to try and get Romeo back - she could communicate with animals, though couldn't control them - and Romeo always wanted to make friends. Following her was a smaller dog with a cockatiel on its back. "Sorry about him - he thinks everyone wants to be his friend."

Sorem heard the sound of footsteps- multiple footsteps- getting near her spot. She took a deep breath. Now is not the time for company, she thought. Both  of her hands, which were planted on the ground, began to glow and the grass below her started to burn and char. She took several deep breaths, each one heavier than the last, as the footsteps drew near. The burnt area of grass were gradually spreading but she then heard a bark and instantly felt calmness. 

She knew it was Myka and her furry friends. She turned around and indeed, it was Myka and her pets. Sorem watched as Myka set up her picnic. She waited until Myka finished setting tings up, “Hello,” Sorem said, waving her hand as well, smiling a bit. Sorem was, yes, mad but she can’t be mad at Myka especially if there’s dogs around. At least now things were starting to get better for Sorem. She hopes.

Myka was grateful for the hand wave, because it was what caught her attention - otherwise she wouldn't of heard the other or paid much attention to her. Of course, the same couldn't be said for her black lab, who thought everyone wanted to be friends. And Romeo was soon licking the girls' face and wagging his tail in excitement. She pulled a medical book out on animals to study over - being a vet was in her blood now and there was no point in getting rusty. Gizmo settled in beside her and the bird, who decided to stand on top of the small dog proudly. Bella lay under the cot in the coolness, looking like she was judging Sorem, and Dodger lay between the large cot and the stranger.

After pulling out the large medical book, Myka reached into the cooler and grabbed an ice pack, tossing it over to the girl without giving her much of another look. "Get use to the cold feeling, then try using the memory of cold to keep cool." It was referring to the burnt grass that was on either side of her. She didn't know if it would help or not, but she certainly didn't envy anyone with an ability that took control like that. And she heard many times that apparently imagery helps. But what was imagery if one didn't have a muscle memory to call upon? Or something like that. Who knows, maybe the kid would just end up burning the ice pack, as well.

TODAY wasn’t Sorem’s day. Today was bad. She slept through her alarm making her late to class, she forgot her homework, she spilled coffee on her favorite shirt, and her room key just got lost. Perfect, she thought, can this day get any worse?

So, here she is, under a pine tree, with a huge coffee stain on her shirt, about to explode. Literaly, explode. She hopes no one notices her because she swears if someone tries to converse with her she’s gonna lose it.

Myka had a parade of animals behind her - well, just the four dogs, but her cockatiel was perched on her shoulder, happily whistling. She was carrying quite a few things to bring under the shade of the pine tree; but someone had beaten her to the spot today. She didn't use the same spot every day, switching it up often, but she used it enough. After careful consideration, she decided to proceed (with caution), and made her way to the tree.

She laid out the large blanket and unfolded the double cot, then reached into the cooler she brought and set up the water for the dogs, and laid on her stomach on the cot, petting the bird with her finger. Myka had no idea what he was whistling, but it was the Imperial March from Star Wars, which was probably something an old coworker had taught him.

“Not gonna lie, when I was younger I was so disappointed that I couldn’t get Flight as an ability at  first but when I realized that I could do that too with some practice and creativity it was really awesome.”  Fernando mused with a forlorn smile, clearly deep in thought for a brief moment before giving all of his attention back to his companion “I know that wanting to Fly is a bit of a cliché but it is a liberating experience. Ten, ten would recommend. Especially when it is rainy, it all feels so… I don’t even know how to explain it. We can try together if you want!” he offered, almost as an afterthought, positively beaming at the other person.

Myka had her faults, and not being openly friendly was certainly one of them. But she stopped giving people the benefit of the doubt a long time ago. Between her own personal experiences, and what she saw in the way people treated animals (both through her former job and volunteering), she leaned towards an attitude that put humans in a negative light. Until proven otherwise, anyways. The problem was, Myka didn't always give them a chance to prove it.

How long the man was going on for, Myka hadn't a clue, but it finally seemed like he was done, so she nodded, wishing she had at least paid enough attention to give a vague answer. Together what? Did she just nod at that? "I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what you just said." She decided to go for honesty instead of a fake out, because that often took less energy.

Oz found himself in a little bit of a pickle. Not that it was too bad or anything, but he just found himself in the rare state of being absolutely bored. Now, normally he’d find some way of entertaining himself using his powers, but even doing that lacked luster at the moment. Meaning he had to find something else- something he normally wouldn’t do.

So, with that in mind, Oz sat in the cafeteria, practically staring down the nearest person as he built up the courage to force himself into socializing. Not exactly the most fun thing, but it was different for him. Another minute passed before he slowly scooted towards them, bag in hand. Pasting on a hesitant smile, all the while hoping it looked better than it felt, Oswald held out a bag to the other. 

“Peanuts?”

Myka was use to people staring at her - she had four dogs with her most of the time when she was wandering the grounds, and more often than not a type of animal that normally wouldn't follow a person around; squirrels, raccoons, possums, birds, etc. She couldn't explain it, she just knew how to talk to them all without saying a word. She couldn't control them, but she had no desire to. For some, the trust took time - especially for the birds. The squirrels took a little, too, but once she gained their trust, they were rambunctious and energetic and had a spaz like personality. Also, not the best of memories. But they were fun and liked Myka fo who she was, and that was all she ever wanted in a friend.

Right now, she just had two squirrels with her, as she sat in the cafeteria, and they were both chasing one another like Myka's entire person was a tree to run around and over. It amused her, even if sometimes her clothes were ruined or she ended up with insane scratches at times. When the person staring came over, Myka looked up, genuinely shocked that peanuts were being offered, but she still took some.

Opening her hand, she offered the peanuts to the squirrels, and gave them a scratch on the head before they both decided to take off for the trees. "Thanks." She spoke genuinely, at least. "They didn't say thank-you, but I'm sure they meant it."

The idea of trimming hedges to Aster was absolutely stupid. They would continue to grow back, they would always go back, and so Aster didn’t understand why people were content chasing themselves in circles. And if you thought the look of hedges were so unsightly then why would you grow them on your grounds? He often asked himself these questions, and often chose to rebel by picking one perfectly trimmed shrubbery and making it grow all out of shape, as he was doing now as he felt someone walk up behind him. “Plant life should be able to grow freely and as it wishes, don’t you think?”

Myka was unaware that she had been spoken to, though she didn't particularly mind or care. Instead, she walked up beside the man, knowing better than to come up directly behind someone - she hated when that was done to her, after all. Reaching out, she gently grabbed one of the man's wrists that held on to the clippers. "You shouldn't be so rough." Letting go of his wrist, she used both hands to reach into the bush and she pulled them apart a little - the squirrel playing on her shoulders made it half way down her arm before Myka gave a disapproving look; a conversation being held in secret. "See? A bird nest. It could fall, and when there's eggs in it, they could break."

There was a cigarette wedged between her fingertips, the thin haze of smoke coming from the end like a haphazard signal to whoever passed by. Letty’s face was tipped to the sun, she was prone to freckles but the warm light washed them all out. It was the first decent day of the year and she’d be damned if she wasted it. She could sense someone approach, but she didn’t look down, her eyes trained on the bright blue of the unbroken sky. Letty considered putting it out but instead chose to take another drag, the groundskeeper would be pissed when he saw the mess of half crushed cigarette butts at her feet. “I’ll trade you a smoke for a promise not to tell Mal,” she offered, her quiet voice hardly picking up over the light breeze that licked at the campus.

Myka wasn't aware there was another person in the area at first, until one of the four dogs at her heels got excited. Looking up, she caught the tail end of what was being said, and forced herself to not roll her eyes. What was she being asked not to tell.. someone? Of course, the black lab ran right over to make friends with the woman, and Myka stood back a moment to hand feed the squirrel on her shoulder a nut. She was better friends with the wildlife around Xavier's than she was with the people. But that probably wasn't something to brag about. "You're going to clean that up, right?" She asked with an accent, due to being deaf. Animals got sick from eating cigarette butts that have been left lying around from careless individuals, and it caused a frown to appear on her face. Of course, she had no idea that the breeze was loud, so whether or not she was heard wasn't something she would know.