xp_logs | [Log] Tandy and Topaz: Saturday Afternoon (Reply)

Tandy seeks out Topaz to ask for a favor.

Tandy hadn't been getting full night sleeps recently, even if things in her life were starting to turn around for the better. Sometimes it was hard to pretend nothing was wrong with her, the lingering fear of D'spayre lurking in her dreams - so the blonde teenager decided to go to Topaz for help. She knew Topaz well enough but they weren't close so how would one go about asking such a personal question? The tired teenager waited until she couldn't stand it anymore, she needed these feelings gone. Tandy knocked on the other girls suite gentle and waited for it to open, "Topaz. I need a favor."

To say Topaz hadn't been expecting to find Tandy standing on her doorstep was something of an understatement. She could feel the anxiety and stress and tension rolling off the blonde in waves. Ouch. "A favor?" She repeated uncertainly. What could Tandy possibly need from her? "M'not sure what I can do for you, but...come in, I s'pose." She stepped aside to let Tandy in.

"Is anyone else here?" Tandy asked as she looked around but didn't hear anyone at the moment. "It is kind of private."

"No, just me." But she could sense Tandy's hesitation, and since didn't know when the others were getting back... "Here." She led Tandy to the room she shared with Molly, closing the door behind them.

"Thanks." Tandy sat down on the bed. "I was wondering if you could do what you did before. The time that happened when Hope was there. I've been having trouble sleeping and I just want it to stop."

Topaz blinked. Well. She certainly hadn't been expecting that. Her immediate answer was yes - she still wanted someone to experiment on with this unfamiliar aspect of her powers. And if Tandy was willing, then why not? But... "How long did it take that to wear off before?" She asked, crossing her arms loosely and leaning against her desk. She didn't want to go in completely blind this time.

"Couple hours? I fell asleep and didn't dream anything...which has been the first for the last couple of weeks. I woke up later that afternoon and maybe around dinner time - it came back slow and by the next morning I was back to normal. Well back to feeling like shit again."

So normal for Tandy. At the moment, at least. "A couple hours," Topaz repeated slowly. That was good. At least the effect didn't seem to be permanent. And this was a chance to explore it even further. "Are you sure?" She asked, tilting her head. "I'm not saying I'm not willing, as long as you know what you want."

"Yes. I am pretty sure. Plus wouldn't it help you understand your own powers. Magic right?"

"It's something I wouldn't mind experimenting with." Topaz pressed her lips together for a moment, taking the time to examine Tandy's emotional state. "All right. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Tandy knew what to expect but she was still nervous, in a way she was an experiment. "Okay go."

Experiment indeed. Topaz reached out, latching on to Tandy's radiating emotions. It was easier to tell, this time, when the emotions invaded her consciousness. That she was used to, and it was easily ignored; she focused instead on Tandy, gauging her own emotional state - or lack there of, as she slowly descended into apathy. How had she never noticed this before?

Tandy breathed out as her anxiety started to fade away. It was a weird feeling, something she couldn't explain, about having ones emotions just disappear into a blink of an eye. She closed her eyes and smiled a bit before she felt normal, and relieved. "I feel like there is a large heaviness was taken off me." Tandy opened her eyes and titled her head, "What does it do to you?"

"Nothing really," Topaz said with a shrug, refocusing on the now-emotionless girl in front of her. She ducked her head, deliberately holding her breath as Tandy's anxiety and stress began warring for dominance in her own head. "Emotional war in my head for a bit, but it works out in the end. You're all right, then?"

"Yea. I am alright. Sorry, I didn't want you to have to go through the emotional war. It sucks it really does. I hate feeling like that." Tandy looked up at Topaz, "So how does your power work exactly? I never asked that."

The day was just full of surprises. Topaz rubbed the back of her head. "It wears off after a while, not a big deal. As for my powers..." She shrugged. "The empathy part is pretty cut and dry. Feel everyone else's emotions, tweak them here and there to make them feel something else. It's the magic that complicates things. Instead of just tweaking emotions, I...borrow them, I guess you could say." Steal, really. Same difference, though. "Emotions generate energy that can be channeled for spell-casting. That's what I do."

"So in a way you are a witch?" Tandy winced slightly, "Sorry that came out wrong. But that is pretty cool, do you know any spells that can ward away demons?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that's what they're calling us these days," Topaz assured her with a bit of a smirk. "Demon-warding spells...exist, but they're beyond my skill level."

"It is pretty cool then, to know a real life witch." Tandy smiled at Topaz as the other girl put her mind to ease. "I am not saying D'spayre come back anytime soon, just be nice to know there is something out there that can help."

Topaz raised an eyebrow in response. Cool. Right. It really was amazing how different Xavier's was from her old school. "I can ask Amanda, if you'd like." Why she was offering, she didn't quite know. Something about having Tandy's feelings in her head... "She'd know better than me."

"Amanda...I think I heard of her. Or heard of her from other people. But never met her personally."

"She's nice enough. And she knows magic, she's been practicing a lot longer." Topaz shrugged. "She could probably help."

"I wonder if it is the same person that Mr. G was talking about." The blonde looked over at Topaz, "Thanks. For helping me out."

"Of course. You should take advantage of it while you can. Let me know if it lasts longer than a few hours this time." She was slipping back into operational mode now, experimenting with this new aspect of her powers, trying to figure out everything she could.

"I will. Promise. And thanks."