The weather outside... is fine. Really. It's nice. Tropics.

[Nicholas]

Nicholas sighed trying to steady his breathing" Now I am not trying to put down your fight I may have misjudged you. It is just you remind me of some people that I knew that had already given up and it is hard to not assume that you haven't given up when that happens sorry. Thanks for you fighting as you call it I can't determine that I agree with your side or the others till I really get more hands on information. However I don't believe that it is impossible to have a normal life or well as normal of the life as you can. Another thing I believe is this place gives you something many people can't get else where which is acceptance. Think about it for a minute I can do more than explained but even if all I could do you think normal people wouldn't be scared. I am definitely not the worse off here so what do you think they felt like when with people normal" Nicholas said almost like a lecturing parent. Then he thought I doubt he would argue that point if I show him else I could do or at least it may be more convincing so he walked as close as he could without really invading Raleigh's space said "Let me show you something else I can d and tell me if the combination wouldn't scare normal people off." After the last word darkening the area around them considerably.

[Raleigh Crowe]

Raleigh didn't react except to watch the shadows spread around them. He had not wonder, not shock, not fear. Nicholas was right. This school offered acceptance. Within days or weeks of being at Ashford, one completely understood and grew more comfortable with themselves and others. Very few of the students, before Ashford, had been openly able to display their abilities - and special talents were almost inevitably a pillar of most of the students' identities.

They could be themselves, free in that way, in this prison.

"...Wouldn't it be better if we were allowed to go anywhere and be anyone we wanted to be? Is it really your ideal to be able to be you, as long as you stay in a little fenced off area in the middle of nowhere?" Raleigh met the gaze of Nicholas. His mouth was a tight line, and his jaw clenched. But his eyes were moving, studying Nicholas' every movement to gauge him.

[Nicholas]

Nicholas couldn't help but laugh at the idea Raleigh suggested he knew how most of the normal people reacted scared and that wasn't going to change anytime he thought." Well yeah that would be better but think about it it is natural for people to be scared of things they don't understand and for the most part we stay within our instincts so the likelihood of that happening is very unlikely in my opinion. See in my experience I have rarely seen those who are truly able to move past differences or fear. Now think about it we can move past it because we know how it feels to be different than everyone else but normal people they don't know so they do whatever they can to forget about us probably why some of us are orphans and that they created this place. So in my opinion this will probably be the closest thing we get to that. Now if you disagree I would like to hear of those normal people that accepted you and didn't get hurt by it" Nicholas said who couldn't decide to laugh or to take the dude seriously. Deciding he was serious  he took off his old sunglasses to look him into the eyes "I like to hear about it because then me and many others will have a reason to envy you."

[Raleigh Crowe]

Raleigh completely sidestepped the issue of people who knew what he could do, and how they'd reacted. His mind responded for him, even as he brushed the thoughts aside. 'They arranged to kidnap me at a field trip to see how pretty and great the government was. That's how the normal people reacted. They're the only ones that knew.'

"They don't understand now, but what did people understand at the beginning? Before people can understand something, they have to experience it. They have to live through a few uncomfortable experiences until they see 'hey, maybe this isn't so terrible'." Raleigh returned his gaze, narrowing his eyes. "How do you think things are ever going to get better, if you don't even try to fix them? Where's your hope and optimism, if you won't work towards a more ideal future?"

[Nicholas]

'Where is your hope and optimism" Nicholas thought about those words and realize he really did have low expectations for the world and why was that maybe greed or something else he saw in the hearts of others sometimes." I well I guess I lost hope for us a long time ago truth be told I probably shouldn't of lectured you on having hope because for the longest time I didn't have any either. I mean living on the streets alone and stealing  everything I needed wasn't exactly the best pick me up however the reason I doubt that a change will happen would probably be the fact that I have seen how people act when no one sees them. When they have a chance their first instinct is to take advantage of those unfortunate and yeah maybe if they realized how we felt and that we didn't mean them any harm but look us do you really see this little crowd of kids who got stuck on an island for years is going to convince enough people that we aren't threats. I doubt it sincerely maybe someday their minds will change, but I doubt it will come any time soon." Nicholas said somberly sliding down to sit on the ground. He couldn't believe that he was finally voicing his doubts about the world and the students and to someone he just met too.

[Raleigh Crowe]

"There's gotta be enough people who would look at the fact the governments of the world kidnapped us, a bunch of kids, and left us on an island... There's gotta be people who would be on our side just because of that." Raleigh argued, tossing a hand up in the air. His eyesight wandered. His vision focused beyond Nicholas. He was speaking not only to Nicholas, but to himself.

Raleigh crossed his arms in front of him, gesturing with the hand left untucked. The movements were empty; accompanied by no further words. He came back to himself, watching Nicholas. 'Look at him. Just a kid. Just a kid who apparently knew the streets, and then had some weird ability to separate him more. That's what this place is all about.'

"...Keep your guard up here, okay? It's dangerous. It might feel nice to be normal, but even here, our abilities make us a target out of fear. The fear in the minds of the authorities."

[Nicholas]

He couldn't even think of a response to the possibility that some people might chose their side it just seemed so unlikely so for a little while it was silent his just standing there. Then to his surprise he was basically telling him to be careful here that it was still dangerous. Did he think he was stupid the only reason he showed him his power was because he could tell he was totally against the people behind this . He had avoided the question with others he met but this guy probably thought he was just a stupid kid. " Look I know it is dangerous it just well you know obvious that you weren't going to turn me or whatever here's equivalent is to that which was a nice change for once you know. So don't worry about me okay worry more about yourself you are the one fighting I just stay in the shadows." Nicholas said realizing yes that was what he usually did even back home this place was the place he had left the shadows the most yet without coaxing like usual.

[Raleigh Crowe]

Raleigh frowned. It had seemed before like Nicholas was the sort to open up, tell his story. He'd tried to convince him to be more hopeful, even if it had ended up being a bit hypocritical. 'But he's attacking me, now. Driving me off. He doesn't want me involved. Hm.' Raleigh adjusted his hat, and shook out his matted ponytail. When he finished, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't know what you're going on about, kid. I was just tryin' to tell you how it was around here." Raleigh sighed. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's almost dinnertime. Good luck with figuring out how to stay out of the crossfire. And as far as I can tell, any rule against using powers has never been enforced. No one'll turn you in for that, bud."

Raleigh's annoyed, angry, or controversial nature had disappeared entirely by the time he finished. He was back to the calm, chill guy persona he had displayed dozing against the tree awhile earlier.

[Nicholas]

" I will be fine can't be that hard to adjust to this environment right anyway whenever you need me call seeing as I got nothing else to do and well might as well help a few people while I am here even if they are stubborn people like yourself eh. Well anyway however we meet next make sure it isn't with you injured okay you don't really have a fighting power and by the looks of you your not much of a fist fighter so it would be safer for you to just not fight however I know I am not good enough to convince you not to fight so just be careful. You say people die all the time but I would be disappointed if you died." Nicholas said with a chuckle the dude didn't seem that bad and for once in a long time he had talked about his feelings. "So what you say we got a deal?" He continued getting up to put out his hand.

[Raleigh Crowe]

Raleigh seemed bemused. Now the kid who'd been driving him off was playing the end of it with concern for his well-being. His face cracked into a sideways grin. 'People are nothing if not 3-dimensional when they've had interesting life experiences, goes to show.'

"I'm disappointed every time someone dies. I'd be pretty disappointed if I died, too." Raleigh took his right hand from his pocket, offering it to Nicholas. His eyes half closed, head titled, he stood almost lazily. "But yeah, sure, that's a deal."

Behind them, the midday sun was just starting to touch the roof of the old 'castle' structure that housed Ashford Academy. It would be hours yet until true 'sunset', but the optimal midday nap time had long since faded from the grounds.