The empath

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Ashni sipped her drink, the bar she had chosen was full, the weather had delayed most of the flights coming in and out of Heathrow, Ashni absently thought to her self that she might beable to use her mutation and change the probability of a clear spot opening up, but it wasn't like she had anywhere to go. And Charles frowned on frivolous use of powers, and honestly so did she. After all she was still learning exactly what she could and could not do. And changing weather patterns? That seemed like the sort of thing that could back fire easily. 

The thought of Charles brought a smile to her lips, after all it was for him that she had to visit London, his gift was finally looking like it might happen, the delightful men at Aston Martin had, (once suitably convinced) been very helpful in redesigning the controls so a handicap person could drive the car. Expensive, time consuming, and possibly a waste of effort if he hated it. But...but for him she wanted to take the risk. 

Ashni stried her dark red drink, still thinking of him, in her culture it simply wasn't done for a woman to buy a man a gift and to pursue him as...obviously she was. And when he hadn't shown her any more favor then any other woman? Folly, simple folly.

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Tags:
Lana

[Lana Kane]

Lana stumbled out of the car and turned to slam the door. "You little shite! You bet'er keep drivin'" She called out as the car drove away. After a few seconds of standing there, Lana started chuckling, then laughing, then spun toward the bar. Really, some men couldn't take a joke. She'd had to apologize later, but for now she was hunting something fun--boredom was a dangerous hazard to girls like her.

She was short, so when she got into the bar, she had to all but hop up on the stool. Leaning forward to display her girls, Lana called out to the bartender. "Oy!" When the looked over at her she used her powers to make him feel just like she wanted him too. "Buy a girl a drink?" She asked him in a flirty tone. He smiled and walked toward her, 'Anything you want is on the house tonight.' Lana grinned, and used her powers to turn it up just enough to be fun. "Really? Anything?" She let her eyes traveled over him. Nope. He just would not do, but she take the drinks. "I'll keep that in mind, love,"

Looking up and down the bar, she paused seeing another girl with a red drink. "What's that?" She asked pointing toward it. Maybe she'd try that.

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Ashni shifted over slightly to make room as a short woman jumped on to the stool next to her, she watched the interplay between her and the bartender, a tiny thoughtful cress between her eyes. Thats odd...she is pretty but...the reaction? She did a quick survey of the room, the new girl and her were some of the more beautiful women. (Ashni had no modesty over her looks, not with the life she had lead.) But it was a very strange offer in her experience.


 "Peachtree and cran." she answered the question about her drink, "I like the sweet things." She could and had drunk hard liquor but that had been for..work. And while she was not ashamed of her choices in life, she did not court the memories either. Ashni crisped up the British in her accent. 

"Wanda Bedi." she introduced herself using her western name, she found it was...easier that way in most English speaking countries. She curved her body around to offer her hand. A small smile on her lips. 

[Lana Kane]

Lana could feel the emotions of everyone in the room, which normally was always full of lust in a bar--lust, pride, and some sort of anger underlying the mood. Yet she felt the slight surprise and confusion coming from the girl beside her. Not that she cared. It wasn't enough to curve her playing. "Peachtree and cran." Ugh, not what what she was in the mood for. "I like the sweet things." Yeah . . . nah. Lana looked at the bartender and smiled, "I'm not a girl who settles for sweet. Why don't you surprise me?" Something less then sweet.

"Wanda Bedi." The woman turned and offered her a hand, and Lana waved her hand to dismiss the bartender, sending him amusement in return to keep him willing to bring her drink. Then she turned toward the woman, taking her hand and shaking it, before letting go. Touching people made her powers stronger, so she didn't overly touch people who's emotions she didn't trust. She felt their emotions either way, but when she touch them the feelings were stronger, and harder to separate from her own. "Lana Kane."

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"You don't settle for sweet?" Ashni's smile got a little wider "Are you a dangerous girl? Or just like...hard things?" she winked. The hand shake had been brief but not shockingly so for the situation. She was surprised at how...accommodating the bartender was with Lana, did they know each other? She leaned in conspiratorially, "Is he sweet? a friend of yours?" 

Ashni was a outgoing woman, give her a little hint of wanting to talk and she would sit and chat for hours. It was a personality trait that had been nurtured to serve her well in her old life, and now at the school it meant she could sit and listen to the children with out being bored. 

[Lana Kane]

"You don't settle for sweet?" Lana paused, watching the girl while trying to decide where this was going. Not many people in her experience just wanted to talk. They always wanted something. "Are you a dangerous girl? Or just like...hard things?" That was subtle. Was she hitting on her? Oh bloody hell. "Do I look like a girl who is dangerous?" Lana piped back, because she knew she didn't. She was short, tiny even. Her small frame made her look weak--and physically she was. However, mutantly she packed one hell of a punch.

That was thanks to her training. She had started off a girl on the streets using her powers to get by. Then she was picked up by another mutant, trained, and saw what more she could do. "Is he sweet? a friend of yours?"  Hmmm. Lana shrugged, "Never met him before." However nor had she met the girl talking to her before either. "Look, kid, your not from around here--" Neither of them were, if their accents were to be hear, "--so let me give you a bit of advice. Americans don't like the questions." She wasn't saying it with a rude tone, more of one that said 'this is not how you blend in'.

Maybe the girl--Wanda--wanted to stand out, but Lana wanted to blend in. Mutants stood out. Mutants got caught. Lana wanted to be the fun flirty girl who got away, and got away quickly.

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Ashni wasn't intentionally hitting on her, it was simply an old habit to speak in innuendo's, and honestly? It amused her to do so. "I didn't think you were American, luv." she winked responding to Lana's statement.


There was a subtle shift in the mood of the crowd, only the fact that she had grown up in a bar somewhat like this, and where the mood of the man next to you had a direct impact on your life, clued Ashni in. It was a small thing, just enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck. 
 

A glint of gun metal grey caught her eye. Peaking out of a man's jacket was the barrel of a pistol, he was next to the bar tender a few feet away from the girls. She could see his lips move as he threatened the boy Lana had been flirting with. She couldn't see from here WHAT he was saying, but she hardly needed to know. 

Ashni slipped her hand off her drink, trying to hide them in the shadow between her body and the bar, as a soft red glow peaked through her fingers. She pushed her mutation at the gunman, altering probability once, to try and ensure the gun if fired would draw blank. And second.

A smile pulled at her mouth as he tried to shove the bartender, and he tripped over his own feet. 

[Lana Kane]

"I didn't think you were American, luv." "We're all American's now," she countered, in a witty tone, rather then an annoyed one. America was supposed to be a land of freedom, where all races and genders could come together--but there was still much against them. For Lana she had the three strikes rule. She was a woman, she was black, and she was a mutant. At some point, one, both or all of them worked against her.

The emotions behind her hit her like a brick. She'd learned over the years to control her reactions to feeling the assault of fear, and anger. Inhaling slowly to keep control, she looked back at the bartender. Oh shite! Time to keep her head down. It wasn't her money, and it wasn't her fight. Seeing something red out of the corner of her eye, she looked back at Wanda and then bowed her head in annoyance. Why the bleeding hell did mutants always have ta be a hero? Not one, NOT ONE, so far had ever just let things go. No! They had to save the day, or they had to make it worse. Often times, the former lead to the later.

She noticed one of the men in the bar staring at Wanda, and his eyes wide. Well, there went a quite night at the bar. 'SHE'S A MUTANT!' Lana closed her eyes, and put up a shield. Xavier had taught her how. It was never strong enough but it would help her in moments like this. It was like being underwater--she still felt it, but it was a slow burred version of the emotions rather then pure and quick.

When she opened them again, the robber was clutching his gun and looking at Wanda--everyone was looking at her. The man who had outed her moved forward as if he planned to do something, the robber begin turning his gun toward her instead of the bartender. "Well, shite." Lana muttered, before holding up her hand, "Stop!" And used her powers.

Lana's powers were controlling the chemicals int he body that made you feel. And she used her powers to fill the room with a drop in adrenaline, and a massive spike in fear. The drop and spike was so strong that the few closest to her--the bartender, the robber, and the human who outed Wanda--passed out. The ones not near her, fell back to their chairs or on the floor and had blank looks on their faces. Jumping from the stool, Lana looked at Wanda. "This is where we leave." And she turned to walk toward the door, expecting Wanda to keep up.

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Ashni swore fluently and nearly inaudibly in Urdu when the man pointed her out as a mutant. She let out a more understandable "Shit!" when Lana commanded the room to stop and half the people in it dropped to the floor. So the other woman WAS a mutant, Ashni looked at the blank faced crowd, the ones NOT on the floor. She waved a hand infront of one face, worry on hers. 

Ashni grabbed Lana's arm "Are they alright?" she demanded. While the other woman had helped her out she was no longer part of the Brotherhood, she did not want innocent humans hurt just because she had been to flagrant with her powers. 

[Lana Kane]

A hand on her arm stopped her, and Lana paused to turn and look down at it, while Wanda asked about the humans. The ones who were about to kill her. Lana wanted to bit out how it shouldn't matter, but mutants had to look out for one another. "They'll be fine if I don't leave them like this long. Which is why we need to get out of here."

Reaching over with her free hand, Lana wrapped her fingers slowly around Wanda's wrist. Then she very subtly gave her just enough of a push. A touch of fear, a small drop of adrenaline. Fight or flight. "We need to get out of here so I can let them go, and we will be a safe distance from everything. They will be more worried about us then the robber." Pulling her arm free, Lana let go of her wrist. "Now, are we leaving, or do you want to stay and take your chances with so many?" Either way, Lana was walking out the door, and bolting to get away.

[Deleted]

The sudden spike of fear running through her body had her running out the door next to Lana. "Do you have a place to go?" She asked her heals clicking madly as she grabbed her rolling case to run with her. Ashni had already checked out of her hotel, and her flight wasn't for another four hours. If they were going to be fleeing a mob for a while, she would like to have a clue where they were going, and if they were going together. 

Ashni groaned her outfit wasn't really meant to be run in, the tight pencil skirt hobbling her gait. She threw out her mutation. Come give us a cab! She grinned as one just happened pulled up near them. "Come on!" she opened the door throwing her bag in before climbing in herself. "Were too luvs?" the cabbie asked. Ashni looked at Lana to see if she had an answer