A late meal [Open]

[Gideon Rede]

Gideon was sitting at a table away from the relatively few students who ate late dinners. He'd tried to schedule his meals during times that the cafeteria wasn't filled with people. His plate was actually fairly sparse. All the excitement and tension on campus had subdued his appetite.

[Elena Rousseau]

Elena had had another unexpected nap that had claimed most of her evening and pushed her past her dinner time. Maybe if I could sleep properly at night, I wouldn't have this problem. At least she hadn't had a nightmare during this nap. She shuffled through the line, collecting food and looking around for someone to sit with.

[Gideon Rede]

Gideon looked up at Elena as she stood looking for a spot to sit. People thinking about nightmares or feeling fear seemed to gather his focus just as it had since his mutation first presented itself. He didn't recognize the girl, but that wasn't an uncommon event. There were just too many new students to keep track of.

He realized he'd been looking at Elena a bit too long and tried to cover it by drinking his tea.

[Elena Rousseau]

Elena caught Gideon looking at her and wandered in his direction, "Is this seat taken?" She gestured to the seat opposite him.

[Gideon Rede]

Gideon looked at Elena and cocked an eyebrow.

"It's free," Gideon said, "New to the school?"

[Elena Rousseau]

"Not really, but I had my head in my studies last year and that kept me out of sight," she said, taking the seat.

[Gideon Rede]

"Ah, at this school keeping out of sight is not always a bad thing," Gideon said, "Well, I'm Gideon."

[Elena Rousseau]

"Elena. Nice to meet you."

[Gideon Rede]

Gideon stifled a chuckle at what Elena said.

"I'm still getting used to that reaction," Gideon said before taking a sip of his tea.

[Elena Rousseau]

"Why is that?"

[Gideon Rede]

"To put it simply my reputation is not what it used to be," Gideon said before trying to change subjects, "What brings you here this late at night?"

[Elena Rousseau]

"Accidentally ended up taking a nap," she said sheepishly. "And then overslept. I usually try to eat earlier."

[Gideon Rede]

"From personal experience taking a nap is still better than not sleeping at all," Gideon said, "Unless it affects your performance in class I doubt anybody at the school would notice. Strange sleeping schedules are hardly the worst thing a student here can get involved in."

[Elena Rousseau]

"So far I've avoided falling asleep in class, thankfully."

[Gideon Rede]

"Have you been having problems sleeping?" Gideon asked.

[Elena Rousseau]

"I'm surprised more people around here don't have trouble sleeping. Just a stupid nightmare. It will go away eventually."

[Gideon Rede]

"Try being a telepath," Gideon said, "It can lead to some sleepless nights. Sometimes it can lead to sleepless nights for everybody in the dorms. It must not be such a stupid nightmare if it's keeping you up at night, eh?"

[Elena Rousseau]

"Depends on your definition of stupid I suppose," Elena allowed.

[Gideon Rede]

"Why do you think it's stupid?" Gideon asked.

[Elena Rousseau]

She thought for a moment, "Because, it resembles something I went through on a mission and at the time I blew it off and did my job. So I don't understand why it's bothering me now."

[Gideon Rede]

She thought for a moment, "Because, it resembles something I went through on a mission and at the time I blew it off and did my job. So I don't understand why it's bothering me now."

"Sometimes those kinds of things stick with you," Gideon said, "Easy to blow it off when the adrenaline is pumping and there's something on the line. After it's all over is when the skeletons start coming out of the closet in my experience."

[Elena Rousseau]

"Just a new experience for me," she said with a frown, picking at her food.

[Gideon Rede]

"I think it'd be abnormal if you were used to risking life and limb to save the world," Gideon said, "Took me some time to deal with it in a...productive way."

[Elena Rousseau]

"I guess I'll just have to give it more time then."

[Gideon Rede]

"If it bothers you for much longer I'd talk to the counselor," Gideon said, "Better not to let it fester. Otherwise it could start affecting you on missions or back here at school."

[Elena Rousseau]

"Unless the mission involves tentacled monstrosities that should not be, then I think I'll be fine there. School is another matter though."

[Gideon Rede]

"You'd be surprised," Gideon smiled. "School can be...difficult when you're on one of the X-Teams. You spend so much time training for the next mission, which ends up meaning either schoolwork doesn't get done, you become a hermit or you never sleep. Not a problem if you're the resident android, but I don't either of us are one of them."

[Elena Rousseau]

"That's probably a good thing. I don't think I could handle that."

[Gideon Rede]

"Being an android?" Gideon asked. "I think it'd be simpler."

[Elena Rousseau]

"If that's all I'd ever been then I guess so, but to go to that, knowing what experiences I would miss? I don't think it would be worth it, even if I could shut off nightmares."

[Gideon Rede]

"Maybe having had an android roommate has colored my perceptions a bit. Never really asked Madrox what things he cannot experience," Gideon said, "He's about as close to a living thing as any android I've ever encountered. Feelings, thoughts, and most of the same senses to my knowledge. He makes it seem like it would hardly be a sacrifice at all."

[Elena Rousseau]

"I worked with Madrox on this last mission. He seems like a good person," she said.

[Gideon Rede]

"Better than most organics," Gideon said, "He had to be to put up with me during high school and even now I suppose."