Need a Little Sun [Video/Log]

[vernal_miss]

Date: June 20th (Video), June 22nd (Log)
Characters: Network wide, close CR (Log)


Video
[As the video begins to record, Nel has one arm extended forward to hold her phone as far as she can reach away from her face and high enough to get a mild downward angle. Seated in the backyard at her house, evidence of her practicing with her powers is behind her with a vibrant garden patch as her backdrop. The preteen uses her other hand to wave with a smile that holds eager anticipation.]

Good morning everyone!

Walter and I have been talking. We think it'd be nice for everyone to get together like we did at the meeting, but this time we'll do it just to have fun! We've planned a whole picnic, but we haven't been able to decide where it would be best to go. We agree someplace out of the way or secluded might be nice, and that way, everyone can come and ditch the disguises.

The edge of the east side of the forest might give us a good place to go, but that's pretty far out of the way. Does anyone else know of a good spot?

Oh, and what day would be best for everyone? We don't want anyone stuck working!

Log
As promised, with the weather warmer and the sun keeping a steady presence to make for a comfortable afternoon, Nel finally has the opportunity to explore the reaction she has with water. With the portion of her family without Numbers otherwise occupied, she had helped carry the empty wading pool out into the backyard where no one can see it without entering the backyard itself. Sporting her bathing suit, she brings an armful of towels to set in a chair nearby, and a potted plant from upstairs that could use a little attention with a second trip inside. The wading pool is filled with only a couple centimeters deep of water, as that will provide enough for her to get wet laying down while saving as much space as possible in the pool to catch the expected runoff from her hair.

She stands at the edge of the pool for a pause once everything is in order. Patiently, Nel has waited for this chance for months, and she doesn't want to squander it. Stepping out of her flip flops, she enters the pool standing with focus on the water. Nothing happens as expected, in the same way wetting her hands does not evoke a reaction. Slowly, she lowers down to one knee, then the other. Still nothing, even as the tips of her hair slip under the surface and begin to spread apart over the thin layer of water. One hand goes under the water, then the other. Bit by bit, she rolls herself sideways towards laying down, and even laying on one side is not quite enough. Then finally as she rolls onto her back, the warmth she carries in her chest gives way to the the expected coolness that rushes through her veins as water mantles over her hair as it turns shimmering blue. Squealing at the yet unfamiliar sensation, she sits herself up out of the water in a hurry, and laughs as the heavy curtain of water follows to her back and over her shoulders.

"Found it!" she declares with humor.

Comments

Log

[dreamtamer]

With the nice weather, Thom had spent most of the morning taking Gizmo out for a walk. (He hadn't intended to take quite so long, but they'd found a lot of squirrels in the park, and Gizmo had wanted to chase all of them.) By accident, he comes back just in time to see Nel's hair change color.

"That was amazing! Is that a new kind of magic?"

[vernal_miss]

Twisting halfway round into a side-sit to look to her brother and Gizmo in surprise, Nel immediately has a smile to offer, “It’ll be more amazing once I figure out how to use it! And it’s kind of new. I got it the night the tsunami hit, but I haven’t been able to practice. I had to wait for the summer so it’d be warm enough.”

While seated, her hair is tenting out around her back and shoulders, and should Thom get close enough to look down, it seamlessly meets the shallow water in which she sits. Rather than keep twisted, she shuffles around to face her brother, and her hair follows at a slower pace.

“I don’t know what it does yet except make more water,” she says as she swipes a run of water on her arm to temporarily disrupt it. As expected, it resumes without delay.

Sorry about the late response

[dreamtamer]

"That's still really neat! Do you think you're going to get other kinds of magic too?"

No worries!

[vernal_miss]

“Maybe! I mean, I hope so. I wouldn’t be much help with only two bits of magic,” she speculates. The ability to grow a single plant or make a little water seems hardly beneficial to the Numbered as a group.

Seated in the small pool, she starts to play with her water hair by moving it around. It acts heavy, always slowly sliding back to where it hangs out in a spread.

Re: No worries!

[dreamtamer]

"Two bits of magic is still neat! I still don't know whether I'm going to learn anything like that."

[vernal_miss]

“It really is, but it’d be silly if you learned the same magic. Having different talents is loads better, and you’ve already helped Gizmo talk!” she says in hopes of being encouraging. He hasn’t had his number as long after all.

Slowly, Nel reaches both her hands into her hair and holds them in place. She can feel the way the water moves more clearly through the touch.

[dreamtamer]

"I guess so. But I hope I find out what else I can do soon!"

Thom peers at her curiously.

"What are you doing now?"

Log

[catted]

Mary Ann is sitting nearby, watching the proceedings. For the most part, she'll just be around, reading a book and look over if Nel wants her to look. But she's also here to be there in case things get out of hand. They don't want the basement flooded, after all.

She flashes Nel a thumbs up, fuelled in part by relief - seeing just how much contact Nel needs to get like this is very reassuring.

"Does it feel the same?

[vernal_miss]

The presence of parental supervision lends a sense of safety as Nel explores entirely new territory with her magic. So long as her Mum is here, everything will be fine.

Given a positive signal, Nel sits herself up straight with a small burst of confidence feeding into her eagerness to understand this novel reaction. The question that follows is given serious consideration in a quick downward glance; thin trails of water are running down from her hair into the pool, her chest has a cool center in place of the warmth, and the chill is circulating. It has been a while, but there is no mistaking.

“Yep!” she confirms looking back to her mother. “Exactly the same.”

Nel bends up her knees and rocks forward with arms stretching the same way to transition onto her feet. Pushing through her legs with hands to steady at her knees, she stands with the weight of her hair pulling backwards to tilt her head, but she corrects as she fully stands. As before, her hair is stretching to stay in the shallow pool of water, drawing it closer around her. Steps are taken around the circumference of the pool to observe her hair dragging behind, but it does not slow her or pull again even as it slopes more broadly in her wake.

[catted]

"What happens if you step out of the pool?"

The ground should be able to absorb some water before a problem arises, so this is the time to experiment.

And, she has to admit, she can't help but feel a kind of almost childlike inquisitive curiosity, wanting to push this as far as they can.

[vernal_miss]

Admiring the way her hair follows her in a train over her shoulder, Nel pauses when her mother suggests a change. The girl looks over at her mother, then to the grass in quiet consideration for all of a few seconds before boldly stepping out barefoot onto the lawn. Her hair stretches and thins at the edge of the wading pool as she takes a few steps before seeming to tear with a soft splash of attracted water falling back into the pool. That which remains with her retracts upwards to about her knees where it circulates into itself to bring a round swirl of waves at the bottom.

Nel tilts forward when her hair gives, but not enough to be thrown off balance. Stopping once her hair is hanging more heavily, she pats a hand to the top of her head and shrugs, “I guess it sticks around.”

[catted]

"...But it stops flooding the area if you're solidly away from water...?" Or at least that is the impression that she's getting right now. So the trick might be to somehow manage to get Nel to a dry spot if she starts flooding again...?

[vernal_miss]

Lips thinning in thought, she hums as she looks over herself, “I still have water running down...” in an effort to demonstrate, she holds her arms forward but still downward, funneling some of the water trails to her hands to trickle freely down to the grass visibly away from her watery hair.

The flow is steady until she closes her eyes for a long pause to focus and will the water to stop. A soft sigh out accompanies her opening her eyes once the water has ceased to drip from her entirely, “There. I can hold it in. Just like before.”

Network

[scarsolderthanyou]

There's a lawn out by the airfield. Might not be quite as far, and nobody really uses that place except for me these days. Forest might have more shade, though. Wouldn't want anybody to get sunburned.

[vernal_miss]

That sounds like a good place too!

I think the trees would give us nice shade without having to carry out umbrellas or a tent or something. But we probably should have sunscreen wherever we decide to go.

I don’t mind the long walk if you think everyone else can handle it.

[scarsolderthanyou]

I was actually expecting we'd drive there, kiddo.

[vernal_miss]

That would be much faster!

Come to think of it, if we decide to go somewhere other than the forest, maybe I can go a little early and grow a tree for shade.

[The airfield lawn could use a nice focal point, right?]

[scarsolderthanyou]

[Can he facepalm? He's facepalming right now, because she can't see him do it.]

Nel, that really wouldn't be a good idea at the airfield. People might hit it coming in or taking off.

[vernal_miss]

Okay, that would be bad, but what if we go somewhere out in the fields? If no one normally goes out there, then it should be okay!

[She has magic and she’s been very good about keeping it quiet. A chance to indulge in its use is too tempting not to at least consider.]

Network

[spaghettimonster]

The more out of the way it is for us, the more out of the way it is for anyone else. The edge of the forest seems good to me. Tree cover for anything flying over head, and a far enough hike no one's likely to come through...

Maybe Walter should set up some motion sensors, so we have warning if someone comes through, just in case.

[vernal_miss]

Exactly! All the way East won’t be near anything. And trees are great fun for climbing and swings.

Do you have some motion sensors? Or maybe Walter? Can they use batteries? [She genuinely does not know about security equipment beyond its existence, but she does know most technology needs either a battery or an outlet, and the forest will not accommodate with electricity.]

[spaghettimonster]

I don't have any, Walter might have some spare... and I'm sure there are battery-powered ones.... [He's seen some affixed to fences to light up as a vehicle enters a driveway, with tiny solar panels to actually get their power, anyway.]

The tricky thing is if they'll detect all the motion from wind in leaves...

[vernal_miss]

Do you want me to ask him then?

That would be a problem. Maybe we can point them away from leaves? [How do the sensors even work?]

You know, even if we don’t have motion sensors, I think we’ll be safe. Sadie has wicked good hearing, and my grandpa, Chad, and Gizmo might smell strangers before they get too close.

[spaghettimonster]

Well, that's true enough I guess.

You should ask just so we know how he'll answer.

[Leaving aside the fact that this exchange is happening on the Network, meaning Walter has access to it and might listen to it before then - or be listening, right now, as they talk.]

[Text]

[iamnotgod]

I can tune the sensors to a reasonable range. Minimize the varieties and frequencies of errors.