June 10th - Water and the Lifting Of Spirits

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:49 pm

Jennifer harumphed as she wandered by the pool, looking out at the water with crossed arms. She was dressed in long t-shirt that dwarfed most of her frame. She adjusted her glasses and swept a hand towards the water, watching it ripple in response. Sitting down on the edge of the pool, she lowered her feet into the water. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply as a column of water began to form two feet in front of her, rising to about four feet in height.

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:56 pm

Salma walked in right about then, observing the watery spectacle.

"Um, hello. I wouldn't be interrupting you very much if I took a dip, would I?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:58 pm

Jennifer opened her eyes and the column slid back into the pool. "No. No call for me to monopolize the pool at any rate," she said.

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:20 pm

She just smiled, genuinely. "We have to practice in what ways we can, I guess, right?" Quite a bit of her body, especially on the left side, was covered in metal instead of skin. She slid her down legs into the water first as well, sitting at the poolside.

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:27 pm

"Easiest large supply of water short of going down to the Thames," Jennifer said, obviously looking at the metal, but then going back to looking out at the pool. "My name's Jennifer."

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:33 pm

And if Salma noticed her noticing, it didn't seem to phase her much. "I'm Salma. It's good to meet you." She let her feet and legs adjust to the water temperature for another brief moment before jumping all the way in, bobbing back up to make sure her hair was still held back in place.

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:38 pm

Jennifer started moving her hands over the water in front of her. The water started to churn in tight swirls, following the motions of her hands. "Been here long," she asked with a slightly distracted tone.

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:50 pm

She shook her head. "No, not even a month yet. But the way I got here was kind of...weird. I'm going to enroll in summer courses at the end of this month, though. What about you?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:55 pm

"Just a few days. Finally got sick of the assholes at my old university messing with my stuff, destroying my projects, and just in general being... well... assholes. I'll probably have to take summer classes to make up for the classes that they can't or more likely won't transfer." She made a scooping motion with one hand and the water curled into a cresting wave, but just hung there, not actually finishing the crest.

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:58 pm

"That part doesn't sound so ba--Oh, wow. Nice power control, there. How long can you hold it in place like that?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:12 pm

"For a while if I'm not doing anything else with it or trying to manage another shape. I don't know that I've ever timed it. Water's an impermanent medium, so I use it largely to amuse myself," she smiled, "And occasionally to show off."

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:21 pm

She grinned. "Keep holding it, just like that." She plunged back under the water and started for the static wave, trying to swim up the surface of it. Hey, how often do you get to swim in uphill water, after all? It was a really odd sensation, and she cheated by using her cybernetics to give her a strength boost as she climbed the water.

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:26 pm

Jennifer watched her, mentally making adjustments to the wave to allow for the water Salma was displacing. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she exercised the fine control while holding the larger structure intact.

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:35 pm

Salma finally made it to the top. She cried out a short cheer before she fell under the water, resurfacing out of the back side of the construct. "Talk about a workout!"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:38 pm

Jennifer let the construct slide back into the pool, "You're pretty good at swimming. It wasn't easy adjusting things to keep up with you."

by **Salma Tournier** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:50 pm

"Thanks. I've had to go through a lot of, um...practice, to get used to all of these shiny metal parts. All kinds of endurance stuff. Good job keeping it up, by the way!"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:05 am

"Thanks. Once a construct gets that big, fine control is not easy. Usually constructs that size are only good for looking pretty or smashing things."

by **Salma Tournier** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 1:57 pm

"I think I like the former better," Salma said with a little laugh. She swam back over to the edge of the pool.

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:01 pm

"Both have their uses," Jennifer said. "Nothing like water erupting from a fire hydrant to convince a mugger he's better off finding other prey."

by **Salma Tournier** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:09 pm

"I'll bet." Much more effective than accidentally setting yourself on fire...

"So, where are you coming here from?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:15 pm

"I was trying to attend university in the States, and I've been there for a while," she said. "But I was originally born in Cardiff."

by **Salma Tournier** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:23 pm

"Oh, so this is close to a homecoming for you then, hm?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:26 pm

"Something like that. Mum's moved all over the island since I left. Da went back to Russia."

by **Salma Tournier** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:38 pm

"Mmm, a binational family, then. I know what that's like." She eased off and started paddling in the water. "Has your Dad ever taken you to Russia?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:41 pm

"Twice. Mostly I think he prefers to talk to me over the phone," Jennifer said with a frown.

by **Salma Tournier** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:49 pm

"Oh, um. Well, I'm sorry to hear that..."

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:55 pm

"Whatever helps him keep up his illusions of a normal life, I guess," she said with a shrug.

by **Salma Tournier** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 3:17 pm

"Mmm. I've been to Algeria a few times with my mother. It's not where I would want to live, but it's fun to visit sometimes."

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 3:35 pm

"Russia seemed nice enough and my father's family seemed like good people at the time. I haven't been back since my powers showed up though."

by **Salma Tournier** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:56 am

She nodded, and because of Jennifer's dad, figured that changing the subject away from families might be a good idea.

"Have you chosen a major?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:15 am

"Art," Jennifer said without hesitation. "It's what I was majoring in before I transferred here and it's what I enjoy, so I thought I might as well stay with it."

by **Salma Tournier** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:49 pm

"Oh, cool! What kind of medium do you focus on?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:47 pm

"Sculpting in stone and clay mostly. I've worked with ice a bit too, but I tend to cheat when I work with it."

by **Salma Tournier** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:08 pm

"Oh, so you can do that, too?" She seemed a bit hesitant for a moment, before finally splashing one of her arms up out of the water to send some droplets flying.

You can do this, it's just freezing, not burning.

As she looked up at them, the air around the droplets seemed to waver, then turn into mist. The water droplets themselves were turned into pellets of ice that floated on top of the pool water once they fell back down.

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:12 pm

Jennifer concentrated on the ice, pulling it all together into a block that sprouted arms and pulled itself out of the pool clumsily. It grew legs and started a slow stilted march around the pool with Jennifer watching it intently. "Ice lacks grace. The way the water's rigid structure interacts with my power. That's what they said at the Institute at least."

by **Salma Tournier** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:36 pm

"Oh, wow! I don't know what's cool, that, or the wave," she said, laughing.

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:01 pm

The construct stuttered to a halt and Jennifer quit watching it. "Like I said, they're clumsy and it takes a lot more to make them move."

by **Salma Tournier** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:24 pm

"Hm. Still, if what you can do with water so is so powerful, why not be able to do some parlor tricks as well, right?"

by **Jennifer Tarasova** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:26 pm

"Could always get involved in fountain performance art, I guess," she said with a smirk.

by **Salma Tournier** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:38 pm

"There has to be a market for that somewhere."

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