Highmauve: Winter's Dorm Room

Lindy listens and nods as Winter speaks. She hears the girls brief tales of freshman year- adjusting to the campus and student body, professors, classes. All with a tinge of sweet fondness that Lindy felt when she left her own small town and found herself surrounded by so many people her own age! She held the large wooden door as the cold blustered into the building. As Winter passed, Lindy closed the door and begun to walk toward town. She took a moment to appreciate the icicles hanging from the large trees in the quad, the briskness in the air. Lindy closed her eyes for a moment to breath in the world around her, to truly appreciate it. The breath she took in was filled with everything that had happened the past couple of weeks. And the exhale was filled with the intention for it all to straighten itself out.

“Sounds like it’s been a good time!” Lindy laughs, smiling at the girl “I have a couple professors like that. But, I don’t have too much trouble. I bet it’s tough to be far from home- you’re family still in Alaska?”

As they emerged back outside, Winter shoved her hands into her pockets and braved the cold. It had certainly been a semester to remember. It wasn't quite what she had expected from college but some things were good. She smiled a bit. She was discovering who she was which is the whole point of college right?

She looked to Lindy. "Yeah. My whole family is there. I have a couple of aunts and uncles that live here in the continental states but they're out west. So it's been an experience truly being on my own."

“Dang- I only have my Dad, but he’s not too far away.”

The response hung in the air like one of the icicles above them. The implications of her small family was something that, as usual, she would explain when asked. But, if those were not interested, she would breeze past it as she always did. After a couple steps, hands are shoved into her pockets, her shoulders raising to cover her ears from the cold.

“Still can’t believe this storm. It came outta no where- and I was going to hike this weekend too.”

There is no bitterness to the words, just mild disappointment. And it was accompanied by the same breezy smile as before.

Winter nodded. She could feel that Lindy didn't rest want to discuss the fact that she only had a dad so Winter decided that she wasn't going to press for answers. It wasn't her place afterall. She wouldn't want people to pry into her life. So she let that comment pass and continued on with the conversation.

"oh man. That sucks! Though you could probably hike around here. Just get a good pair of boots and some hand warmers!" She said with a smile. "Then you could have a grand ol time!"

“I could hike.”

The thought of trudging in the cold was a little less appealing than the fall foliage that had surrounded them only days ago. Lindy loved the colors, loved the crunch of leaves as she jogged up hills and down valleys. There was a lovely little county park a couple of miles south of campus that she frequented when the weather was nice.

Which wasn’t today, unfortunately.

“I’ll probably skip though. I usually end my hikes with some yoga at this overlook I love. It would probably be too slippery this weekend.”

Lindy sighed, a little disappointed. She loved yoga, loved to meditate afterward. Looks like she would need to make do in her room this weekend.

Winter could tell that Lindy and thought of the possibility of hiking in the cold and she obviously did not like the idea of it. She smiled a bit. "Eh, that's okay. It's just an idea. If you're not used to the cold, it would be pretty miserable, wouldn't it?"

Winter grinned at the idea of yoga. "Ooo now that's a good idea. Stretching after a long hike would feel pretty darned good. Maybe you could get a few people in your dorm to join you."

Lindy grinned as they continued walking towards the edge of campus. She lead Winter down a less worn path, one that passed through the ancient buildings, swooping near an icy duck pond, and back to the quiet streets of Jules. Her breath spilled from her ips, the foggy air blowing like a cloud.

“I’m a yoga instructor for those summer/spring campus events on the Quad. But, unfortunately, most of the people on my floor are already gone for the weekend. It’s alright though! I’ll just put on some music and stretch out myself!”

They wait for the crosswalk light to blink with the little walking man, but Lindy turns to look at Winter once again, meeting eyes. She couldn’t help but-

“Your eyes are so pretty, by the way.”

Winter kept her hands in her pockets as they walked. She knew these paths fairly well as she did enjoy walking around campus. Granted, it did look a lot different under a layer of fresh snow which Winter like. Again, it reminded her of home. In times like these, she did get a bit homesick, especially since she couldn't go home. She sighed softly, her own breath appearing in the air in front of her.

"Oh that's cool! Maybe I'll go to one of your yoga classes in the spring. Obviously when it's not like this." She chuckled a bit. "It'll be a tad difficult to do yoga outside in full winter gear. But regardless, that sounds like fun. Even if it is by yourself."

Once they arrived at the crosswalk, she glanced at Lindy only for her to compliment her eyes. She blushed and looked down. "Oh uh... Thanks." She was about to lie and say that they were contacts but Lindy didn't seem to be the type to be anti mutant so she left it at that. "I was born with them... Sort of."

“Well, they are SUPER pretty.”

Lindy smiled kindly at Winter as the light changed and they crossed the street. Again, Lindy adjusted her pace to match her companion. She felt her comment hang in the air, how Winter reacted to it. She wasn’t telling the whole truth, that much was clear, but it wasn’t Lindys job to prod or judge. But, as they continued down the street and toward their final destination, she decided to open the conversation a little more.

“Sort of?”

Winter bit her lip and left it at that, even after Lindy said that they were super pretty. She didn't want to elaborate. Not yet. They continued to walk in silence but Winter could tell that the subject was far from over. And Lindy proved her right a few minutes later.

"Yeah... Sort of..." She took her hand out of her pocket to adjust her hat a bit lower over her ears. "I uh ... I'm a ..." She swallowed. This was harder than she had thought. Lindy was nice enough and she didn't seem the type to judge. She struggled to find the words to describe what she was as nicely as possible. But she couldn't. So she just came out and said it.

"I'm a mutant."

“Oh! Cool!”

The breezy smile never left her lips as she kept walking. Mutants were still people after all, even with their differences, and anyone who thought differently was a small minded bigot. It was too bad that the student body of their school had a loud minority of small minded bigots.

Lindy was, of course, aware of the rising tensions on campus. How that one scrubby RA that she saw sleep in a tree once and that one tall librarian girl had saved everyone from the one kid who snapped. Deep down, Lindy couldn’t blame the guy-while she didn’t see the torment first hand, she heard about it in the various circles she floated through. She wish she had done something, said something. But… like many things in her life, it was too late.

Best not to dwell.

“So? Any good ramen in Alaska?”

The switch in conversation was deft and casual, showing Lindy’s indifference to the status of Winter’s mutation. Again, if Winter was interested in continuing the conversation, that was up to her.

Winter just stared at her for several moments. Lindy thought that it was cool? She was shocked. She blushed a bit, relieved at the turn in the conversation. Then when she asked about ramen, she shrugged.

"Not really. Well, you can buy it at the store and make it yourself. But for authentic ramen.... Eh. It's lacking." She admitted.

“It’s okay, there isn’t much ramen back home for me either. Heck, this place has only opened within the past couple of years. Which is unfortunate, because good ramen is the best.”

At least, her little patch of home didn’t. Greentown was very… sparse when it came to any sort of anything. And on top of that, she didn’t really leave her little farmhouse and barn besides to go back to school and get groceries. Neither did her father- just stayed in that busted red paneled barn and worked and worked until he fell asleep on an overstuffed couch with a holey, loose crocheted blanket.

Lindy sighed, even letting the thought pass. She thought of her father often and his sallow face, his drawn eyes. He was fading away with each day. But, instead of dwelling, she smiled back at Winter. No use worrying about it, she would check in on him soon.

“So, what do you eat in Alaska?”

Winter chuckled a bit as she listened to Lindy. "Hey. Lucky for us this place opened then, huh?" She said. "A little bit of good ramen when our hometowns don't have any." When asked about what she would eat at home, Winter grinned.

"Lots and lots of fish. Salmon mostly. There's also reindeer sausage which is pretty good. But fish and chips is a staple back home." She sighed softly, thinking of home cooked meals her parents were prepare. "Mmm so good. You guys just don't have as good of salmon down here. I really can't eat it since I'm used to the real fresh stuff."

“I suppose that makes sense! I like salmon now, I can only imagine how it would taste fresh.” The giggle that followed was soft and gentle, and her blue eyes sparkled as she stared back at Winter. Lindy had that quality about her, that hard to describe charisma that just made her so damn likable. It eased people into a sense of security, like a blanket. It was what made her gel with so many social groups, something she herself never really recognized.

But others often did.

They continued walking down the block, until they reached their destination. It was a hole in the wall, as close to a literal interpretation of that phrase. It was a part of a line of brick storefronts, smooshed between a diner and a Jamba Juice. You could breeze on by and miss it, with it’s faded signs and dull colors. It was slim too- one of those spots that seemed to have been stuffed in the last minute to maximize the occupancy of that block. Through the dusty windows, a counter was visible, and the kitchen pass was right along the counter. An elderly man was hunched over a bowl, using his chopsticks and spoon slowly, not to miss any precious broth.

“Here we are!”

((Do you want to fast forward to after they are done eating? I am fine with whatever))

Winter grinned back as the other girl giggled. She was glad that she understood the idea of fresh tasting better than frozen. "Oh it's absolutely glorious. If you're ever in Alaska, I recommend the local crab or salmon."

They walked together and Winter actually almost walked on by the place and would have if Lindy hadn't stopped. "oh my! It's awfully small. Granted, I shouldn't be too surprised." She looked to her companion. "Yeah! Let's get out of the cold and get some food in our bellies!"

A little while later, after they both had their fill of the delicious ramen. Winter leaned back in her seat. "Alright. That was pretty much amazing. I'll have to visit this place more! Especially with it being so close to campus!" She rubbed her belly happily. "Mmmm now I'm full and could do with a good nap."