[Judd scans quickly though the photos, finding a tear in the wallpaper in one that triggers as unique. Several seconds later he's 'ported into the room and extends a shield over David, the strongest, most unforgiving one he can whip up.]
What happened?
[He silently takes in the condition of the room, and David's current state of dress and has an idea, but he wants to be sure.]
[It's just so suddenly, blessedly silent that David almost sobs in relief. And definitely doesn't envy people with more powerful telepathic gifts than he'd had as a teen. If his own had awoken like this, he might have stopped at very little to make it all stop.
After a moment to breathe he looks up at Judd. And really processes that the guy is there. And definitely feels a bit awkward about his state of dress. But he can't bring himself to reach for his discarded clothes.]
I... was gone for a while. At least the time doesn't make sense. And when I came back everything was just... It was telling me everything. Don't sit in the chair by the desk. The last person to rent the room, well, you really don't want to know.
[If it helps any, David, living in a wolf pack, you grow used to naked people. He's not staring.]
Psychometry.
[He begins to move around the room, searching for something for David to eat. Even inadvertently, he must have been utilizing a lot of energy with his abilities triggering like that. It's times like these a tasteless Psy nutrition bar would come in handy--none of the defectors have been able to figure out a suitable substitute for a high caloric replenishment.]
I'm sure I've seen worse.
[Either as an Arrow or as a SnowDancer lieutenant... depending on the activity David might be alluding to.]
Telepathic reading of the history of an object. Yeah. I know of it. Why the fuck does this world not want me to touch anything?
[He half wants to scream, and doesn't dare move, for fear that Judd's barriers will fall and he'll learn something new about the carpet. It doesn't know much, just being walked on and vacuumed. It's relatively safe.
But hey, there is food to be had. After all, Damian had gotten connected rooms where one had a kitchenette, and they had been stocking the fridge so David could cook, so in the end there would be food. Even a carton of ice cream for when David had needed to indulge the other night.]
I could barely hear my own thoughts, it was all so loud. I didn't know what to do. I told you, I've got no mental defenses. I didn't even dare get my suppression bracelet, because it would only be an hour of relief.
Psychometrics are rare, even among Psy. [He pauses.] Perhaps you're meant to find something the rest of us cannot.
[An emotional reaction to what should be a logical thought. But he isn't the man he used to be.]
On the plus side, once you get your shields functioning... you can make a killing in the antiquities market.
[If they don't all die first.... but Judd wisely keeps that bit to himself.]
Typically, the older the memory, the quieter it comes in--[Or so he's been told by psychometrics.]--but for you, who have never experienced it before...
When I arrived, my shields initially failed. The strain from all the sudden noise almost killed me.
[There are times he isn't sure how to properly express empathy, after years of having his emotions suppressed. He knows that other people can do it so flawlessly, and yet... He hopes that the meaning comes through; that he's trying to let David know how much he acknowledges the gravity of this situation.
And he will find a way to fix it.
Finding the kitchenette, he digs around until he finds the calorie-laden ice cream and a spoon and hands them both, slowly, to David. His shields are holding, but who knows what this world may bring.]
I don't know about your mutants, but when Psy overwork their abilities, they need to eat. High calories are best.
[Plus, he's learned there's an emotional element to eating ice cream straight out of the carton.]
[Antiques? David is hardly amused. He's a doctor and a psychiatrist and a logistics man and he's working a mind-numbing job as a tutor and life is miserable and he can't even touch anything. Not anyone, not anything. He does look up at the ice cream when it's offered, and frowns.]
My... mutant ability was a constant, passive thing. And I only really touch one person without my gloves or suppressor. So it's not like I needed more food in irregular intervals there and I haven't got experience to say here. But...
[He sighs and takes the food and spoon. This will kill his diet.]
I can't shield. At all. I never could. How am I supposed to function like this?
[It's only partially a joke. Most Ps-Psy, in order to avoid dealing with the messier side of their abilities, work in the antiquities field dating paintings and authenticating statues.
And most of them make tons of money doing it.
Judd sits down on the floor across from him, his arms crossed over his chest, his face impassive.]
[Well, if David finds that full time work is too much, he can definitely consider that. As it is, he just nods. His eyes cast, briefly, toward the door joining his room to another.]
I didn't come out here alone. So when I came back and it started to overload, he came to check on me. Touching him was... it was too much. I'm used to his mind, but the added mess from the brush of his shirt was too much.
[So he'd banished the guy to the other room. Wouldn't be surprised if Damian had made himself a portal out into the city to go enjoy LA street life while David tried to get himself under control.]
I can't touch people. I can't touch things. Maybe next I won't be able to touch plants and animals. Just for fun.
Deep breaths, David. My shields will only drop if you're ready, and not a moment before.
[A pause, as he stares at the other man.]
I am not saying that you have not been dealt a bad hand, but unless you plan on sitting on the floor in your underwear for the rest of your time here, we have to try something.
[David shudders. This is just the first of his problems right now. There's everything he did back home. That was bad enough. But this? This was life destroying.]
Trust me, I don't want to stay like this. I... I reached out to you for a reason. You're the only psychic I know of any note. I need help.
And I will do everything in my power to help you. [He pauses.] If there were a true Net we were both connected to, this would be easier, because if nothing else I could keep a shield around you from greater distances, but we will have to work with what we have.
[There's a soft, telepathic "knock" at David's mind while Judd stares impassively ahead.]
We didn't have many people back home who were telepaths, but I knew a few. Including some girls who could operate as a hivemind. But maybe you'll be a better teacher.
[At least in this David has some experience. Too many telepaths in his mind before. And it makes it easier for David to open up to it more, to allow another mind operating within and beside his. Though they definitely left his brain a bit of a damaged mess. Sure, he's organized, but anyone with the powers and really looking might be able to pick out the signs of psychic scarring in how his mind once had a far deeper block between knowledge and skill centers and normal consciousness. Like that part of his brain had been a safe, the doors of which had been blown open.
All Psy, from A to M to F, know how to shield. It's the first thing a parent teaches their child the moment they enter the world. It's especially vital as we don't just have to shield from the world at large, we also have to protect ourselves on the PsyNet.
[Without skipping a beat, he switches to telepathy.]
Will you grant me permission to look in your mind? I will not violate your privacy.
[Those letters mean nothing to him. But he does trust Judd. Deeply.]
I didn't develop my gift until I was nearly sixteen. And even among mutants, true telepaths are rare. I went to school with a kid who could implant the telepathic suggestion that someone was 'it', like in the game of tag. Everyone ran from them. Or from a thing.
But yes. You're welcome to look.
[Though he is a big afraid that Judd will learn what he did back home, because David... judges himself for that joy and pride and secrecy. It makes him sick.]
True telepaths are rare amongst Psy as well. Most Psy have a primary and a secondary designation. My primary designation is telekinesis.
[He just happens to be rare that both his designations rate so highly. His family has produced 3 cardinals--Psy with power so high it couldn't be rated on the Gradient--and his own telekinetic ability was a hairsbreadth from cardinal level.]
I know a woman who, if it's to be believed [And he very, very much believes it.] can implant mental viruses into her opponents.
She is the grandmother of the child I mentioned to you before.
[Judd begins his examination, almost stumbling along as he makes sure there's nothing wrong with the brain itself that might interfere with the lesson. It's clear the longer he goes on that a. he's doing it on purpose, so that David knows exactly where he is mentally at any given time and b. he's doing little more than a surface examination of the brain itself, and not digging into anything David might not want to share.
It's actually harder to be this obvious than if he had gone in there normally, but from the look on Judd's face, he might as well be doing nothing.]
[It's... uncomfortable actually. He's only ever been this aware of people in his mind once before, and it sends a shudder down his back. It's like an itch that he can't scratch, and wouldn't be able to. At least his brain is organized enough that there isn't much clutter. David is very clearly highly experienced at organizing his thoughts, though he's used to running through quite a bit more at a time.
This new status just means that he can't focus like he normally does. Too much external data. And with the overwhelming input, pain. And fear.]
Yeah, Emma could do that too. Jean-Grey probably if she wanted to, but she's unnatural, even for a mutant.
[Thoughts of them are accompanied by hatred and fear in turn, but he is very quick to quash that.]
[Judd pulls back the second he's finished looking. He is nothing if not psychically polite.]
It was unusual for us too... And Nikita Duncan is one stone cold bitch. She makes me look like a exuberant wolf pup.
If she wasn't so loyal to protecting what was hers, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have lasted as long as she has.
[Because DarkRiver and SnowDancer would have taken her out, Sascha's mother or not. Thankfully, she's been... mellowed, if the cats are to be believed.]
I didn't see anything that would make me think that your mind would reject shielding techniques.
I've learned from some of the best shield technicians, but I'm sure Sascha or my brother, were they here, would be able to help you better. We'll start with the basics.
[There's another telepathic 'knock', only this time rather than Judd's presence, there's an image of a shielded mind. It isn't his. What follows is a series of pictures showing the shielding technique as he explains it to David. It isn't going to be an actual functioning shield, but one has to learn to crawl before one can walk.]
Pretty sure my brain structure here is different than it was as a mutant. So hopefully I can learn for a change.
[But if David's anything, he's a very good student. He dedicates himself fully to the process. He's open and quick and adaptive to a fault. Which means it takes almost no time at all to manage some level of mimicry of what Judd's showing him. Not strong, even for the standards that would be expected of a child. But picked up fast.]
[Judd nods slightly, approvingly. He thinks to how he had been taught, then thinks to how they've been teaching Marlee... how Aden is teaching the younger Arrows.]
Good job.
[Seeing that David's getting the basics, the images switch to basic shielding games a parent would teach their infant... perhaps modified slightly to actually be a challenge. At some point, Judd 'ports an energy bar he had found in the kitchenette to him and eats it.]
[Well, if you're going to make a game out of it, David's attention is going to sky-rocket. The guy is a fiend for that sort of thing. But there's also a quiet desperation to the process for David, and after a bit he raises his hands and shakes his head.]
I... I need a minute. I'm sorry.
[He's just so tired. This whole this is only hours old and it took him so long to focus enough to make his desperate cry for help. His whole body is about to give in, and there wasn't enough ice cream to stop that crash.]
There's nothing to apologize for. [The images stop, but Judd's shield remains firm around David's mind.] I occasionally forget that my training was... abnormal.
[It was torture, if he was being honest, but this isn't the time nor place to bring that up. He tilts his head to the side slightly, allowing his neck to crack. For a second his eyes seemed to darken from brown to pure black, but after a moment it fades back to normal.]
I can drink it... But I don't think you're asking that question because of me. I have a long telepathic range, David. I won't allow anything to slip inside until you're ready.
Oh, I don't doubt your range. I'm more wondering if caffeine would potentially inhibit my senses enough to affect learning this. I'm going to learn this. I'm going to learn it fast, because otherwise... I think I might go crazy.
[He doesn't want that. And he's terrified of it. That sort of overload? It'd fry his brain in new and exciting ways, and David has been given to extreme solutions before.]
I can't say. For the Psy, we have an... odd reaction to most stimulants and depressants, though I've personally found I can tolerate coffee. As you aren't Psy, I can't say with certainty that it would effect you in any way.
If that worries you, my suggestion would be hot chocolate. Caffeine would still be present, but in a lower dose.
Before joining SnowDancer, we were taught to avoid any food with flavor in them, as they could lead to an emotional response. Our diets consisted entirely of meal bars and nutrient mixes tailored to our exact caloric intake.
Walker and I almost fell over the first time we had jam on toast, let alone tried fruit juices or tea.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 04:18 pm (UTC)What happened?
[He silently takes in the condition of the room, and David's current state of dress and has an idea, but he wants to be sure.]
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Date: 2019-11-01 04:26 pm (UTC)After a moment to breathe he looks up at Judd. And really processes that the guy is there. And definitely feels a bit awkward about his state of dress. But he can't bring himself to reach for his discarded clothes.]
I... was gone for a while. At least the time doesn't make sense. And when I came back everything was just... It was telling me everything. Don't sit in the chair by the desk. The last person to rent the room, well, you really don't want to know.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 06:33 pm (UTC)Psychometry.
[He begins to move around the room, searching for something for David to eat. Even inadvertently, he must have been utilizing a lot of energy with his abilities triggering like that. It's times like these a tasteless Psy nutrition bar would come in handy--none of the defectors have been able to figure out a suitable substitute for a high caloric replenishment.]
I'm sure I've seen worse.
[Either as an Arrow or as a SnowDancer lieutenant... depending on the activity David might be alluding to.]
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Date: 2019-11-01 06:44 pm (UTC)[He half wants to scream, and doesn't dare move, for fear that Judd's barriers will fall and he'll learn something new about the carpet. It doesn't know much, just being walked on and vacuumed. It's relatively safe.
But hey, there is food to be had. After all, Damian had gotten connected rooms where one had a kitchenette, and they had been stocking the fridge so David could cook, so in the end there would be food. Even a carton of ice cream for when David had needed to indulge the other night.]
I could barely hear my own thoughts, it was all so loud. I didn't know what to do. I told you, I've got no mental defenses. I didn't even dare get my suppression bracelet, because it would only be an hour of relief.
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Date: 2019-11-01 09:07 pm (UTC)[An emotional reaction to what should be a logical thought. But he isn't the man he used to be.]
On the plus side, once you get your shields functioning... you can make a killing in the antiquities market.
[If they don't all die first.... but Judd wisely keeps that bit to himself.]
Typically, the older the memory, the quieter it comes in--[Or so he's been told by psychometrics.]--but for you, who have never experienced it before...
When I arrived, my shields initially failed. The strain from all the sudden noise almost killed me.
[There are times he isn't sure how to properly express empathy, after years of having his emotions suppressed. He knows that other people can do it so flawlessly, and yet... He hopes that the meaning comes through; that he's trying to let David know how much he acknowledges the gravity of this situation.
And he will find a way to fix it.
Finding the kitchenette, he digs around until he finds the calorie-laden ice cream and a spoon and hands them both, slowly, to David. His shields are holding, but who knows what this world may bring.]
I don't know about your mutants, but when Psy overwork their abilities, they need to eat. High calories are best.
[Plus, he's learned there's an emotional element to eating ice cream straight out of the carton.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 09:18 pm (UTC)My... mutant ability was a constant, passive thing. And I only really touch one person without my gloves or suppressor. So it's not like I needed more food in irregular intervals there and I haven't got experience to say here. But...
[He sighs and takes the food and spoon. This will kill his diet.]
I can't shield. At all. I never could. How am I supposed to function like this?
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Date: 2019-11-01 09:23 pm (UTC)And most of them make tons of money doing it.
Judd sits down on the floor across from him, his arms crossed over his chest, his face impassive.]
The ability you had before, do you still have it?
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Date: 2019-11-01 09:28 pm (UTC)I didn't come out here alone. So when I came back and it started to overload, he came to check on me. Touching him was... it was too much. I'm used to his mind, but the added mess from the brush of his shirt was too much.
[So he'd banished the guy to the other room. Wouldn't be surprised if Damian had made himself a portal out into the city to go enjoy LA street life while David tried to get himself under control.]
I can't touch people. I can't touch things. Maybe next I won't be able to touch plants and animals. Just for fun.
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Date: 2019-11-01 09:35 pm (UTC)[A pause, as he stares at the other man.]
I am not saying that you have not been dealt a bad hand, but unless you plan on sitting on the floor in your underwear for the rest of your time here, we have to try something.
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Date: 2019-11-01 09:39 pm (UTC)Trust me, I don't want to stay like this. I... I reached out to you for a reason. You're the only psychic I know of any note. I need help.
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Date: 2019-11-02 01:09 am (UTC)[There's a soft, telepathic "knock" at David's mind while Judd stares impassively ahead.]
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Date: 2019-11-02 01:15 am (UTC)[At least in this David has some experience. Too many telepaths in his mind before. And it makes it easier for David to open up to it more, to allow another mind operating within and beside his. Though they definitely left his brain a bit of a damaged mess. Sure, he's organized, but anyone with the powers and really looking might be able to pick out the signs of psychic scarring in how his mind once had a far deeper block between knowledge and skill centers and normal consciousness. Like that part of his brain had been a safe, the doors of which had been blown open.
His life had been fun back home.]
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Date: 2019-11-02 01:20 am (UTC)[Without skipping a beat, he switches to telepathy.]
Will you grant me permission to look in your mind? I will not violate your privacy.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 01:27 am (UTC)I didn't develop my gift until I was nearly sixteen. And even among mutants, true telepaths are rare. I went to school with a kid who could implant the telepathic suggestion that someone was 'it', like in the game of tag. Everyone ran from them. Or from a thing.
But yes. You're welcome to look.
[Though he is a big afraid that Judd will learn what he did back home, because David... judges himself for that joy and pride and secrecy. It makes him sick.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 01:37 am (UTC)[He just happens to be rare that both his designations rate so highly. His family has produced 3 cardinals--Psy with power so high it couldn't be rated on the Gradient--and his own telekinetic ability was a hairsbreadth from cardinal level.]
I know a woman who, if it's to be believed [And he very, very much believes it.] can implant mental viruses into her opponents.
She is the grandmother of the child I mentioned to you before.
[Judd begins his examination, almost stumbling along as he makes sure there's nothing wrong with the brain itself that might interfere with the lesson. It's clear the longer he goes on that a. he's doing it on purpose, so that David knows exactly where he is mentally at any given time and b. he's doing little more than a surface examination of the brain itself, and not digging into anything David might not want to share.
It's actually harder to be this obvious than if he had gone in there normally, but from the look on Judd's face, he might as well be doing nothing.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 01:49 am (UTC)This new status just means that he can't focus like he normally does. Too much external data. And with the overwhelming input, pain. And fear.]
Yeah, Emma could do that too. Jean-Grey probably if she wanted to, but she's unnatural, even for a mutant.
[Thoughts of them are accompanied by hatred and fear in turn, but he is very quick to quash that.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 02:01 am (UTC)It was unusual for us too... And Nikita Duncan is one stone cold bitch. She makes me look like a exuberant wolf pup.
If she wasn't so loyal to protecting what was hers, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have lasted as long as she has.
[Because DarkRiver and SnowDancer would have taken her out, Sascha's mother or not. Thankfully, she's been... mellowed, if the cats are to be believed.]
I didn't see anything that would make me think that your mind would reject shielding techniques.
I've learned from some of the best shield technicians, but I'm sure Sascha or my brother, were they here, would be able to help you better. We'll start with the basics.
[There's another telepathic 'knock', only this time rather than Judd's presence, there's an image of a shielded mind. It isn't his. What follows is a series of pictures showing the shielding technique as he explains it to David. It isn't going to be an actual functioning shield, but one has to learn to crawl before one can walk.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 02:05 am (UTC)[But if David's anything, he's a very good student. He dedicates himself fully to the process. He's open and quick and adaptive to a fault. Which means it takes almost no time at all to manage some level of mimicry of what Judd's showing him. Not strong, even for the standards that would be expected of a child. But picked up fast.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 02:16 am (UTC)Good job.
[Seeing that David's getting the basics, the images switch to basic shielding games a parent would teach their infant... perhaps modified slightly to actually be a challenge. At some point, Judd 'ports an energy bar he had found in the kitchenette to him and eats it.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 02:21 am (UTC)I... I need a minute. I'm sorry.
[He's just so tired. This whole this is only hours old and it took him so long to focus enough to make his desperate cry for help. His whole body is about to give in, and there wasn't enough ice cream to stop that crash.]
I'm guessing coffee is out of the question?
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 02:36 am (UTC)[It was torture, if he was being honest, but this isn't the time nor place to bring that up. He tilts his head to the side slightly, allowing his neck to crack. For a second his eyes seemed to darken from brown to pure black, but after a moment it fades back to normal.]
I can drink it... But I don't think you're asking that question because of me. I have a long telepathic range, David. I won't allow anything to slip inside until you're ready.
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Date: 2019-11-02 02:40 am (UTC)[He doesn't want that. And he's terrified of it. That sort of overload? It'd fry his brain in new and exciting ways, and David has been given to extreme solutions before.]
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Date: 2019-11-02 02:54 am (UTC)If that worries you, my suggestion would be hot chocolate. Caffeine would still be present, but in a lower dose.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 02:59 am (UTC)[Yeah, he's letting that one slide.]
I'll make tea then. Could I interest you in some? I think it's herbal. Honestly, back home, I lived on coffee, before and after I lost my powers.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 03:39 am (UTC)Before joining SnowDancer, we were taught to avoid any food with flavor in them, as they could lead to an emotional response. Our diets consisted entirely of meal bars and nutrient mixes tailored to our exact caloric intake.
Walker and I almost fell over the first time we had jam on toast, let alone tried fruit juices or tea.
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