In Need of a Hero. (Aoife)

[Deleted]

Light feet echoed as a young blonde walked through the hallway. A heavy backpack slung from his shoulder, holding everything he was going to need for the day. He took note of the other students around him; some were projecting their emotions like crazy. He felt like it was a chance to see if he had any more control. Violet eyes closed, as the young teen seemed to mumble to himself.

He tried to find someone nearby, they would have to be completely in ranged or upset. He found it. A spike of emotion not too far from him, it took a lot of Tino's concentration to avoid absorbing the feelings into himself. Alright, lets if this works.[/b] His smile widened, as he tried to focus all the good thoughts he could, and tried to force the same feeling into the other teens mind. The two emotions stirred and fought each other, hatred and despair wrestled with reassurance and kind hearted feelings. Tino opened his eyes and watched as the other teen walked off with a smile, toward his class. "Well it seems it worked."

Within a few seconds, Tino found himself on the floor staring at the eyes of an older student who was glaring down at him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Tino pulled himself up, and tried to apologize again, when he felt one of the hands shove him into the nearby lockers. "Gah," Tino crashed into the metal shelves, the grates carving into his back. No sooner had the pain hit him, that the cry had escaped his lips. The young blonde tried to force his powers one more time, hoping to try and get them to feel the same fear he was feeling. His eyes widened when the emotion in the other students didn't change any. Damn, why is it not working now.[/b] His mind raced as he tried to think of what to do, as the two bullies closed in on him.

[eire]

Red curls flew out behind her as the Irish woman sprinted down the hallway, her feet softly thumping against the hard floor beneath. “Dammit, I’m late,” Aoife hissed to herself as she slung her bag over her shoulder and began trying to tie back her wild hair as she ran. She couldn’t be late for class on her first day! The hallways were practically empty now, as the last few kids began packing away their things and making their way to classes.

Just as she sprinted round the corner, almost tripping over her own feet, she noticed a guy, probably a year or so younger than her, crash right into a pair of really big looking seniors. The redhead began to slow down as she stared at the three, feeling a pang of worry inside her. Her feelings were confirmed when the kid was shoved into the lockers behind him. Her eyes widened with shock, and instantly she found herself storming over to the three. “Oi!” Aoife yelled as she marched over and stood between the bullies and the younger kid. “He said he was sorry, so back off!” Emerald green eyes were blazing with fury as she stared the other two down. They were much taller than her, but that didn’t mean she was afraid. It just pissed her off even more that they were picking on someone weaker than them. Cowards.

The two guys looked her up and down with clear surprise, not too sure what to say. After a moment’s silence, they both suddenly burst out with laughter. The redhead narrowed her eyes at them, letting a small growl escape from her throat. They’re laughing because I’m a girl, she thought to herself, fury bubbling inside her. Well, I’ll show them!

Aoife let a small, dangerous smirk play on her lips as she stepped towards them. "What's so funny, boys?" her tone was bitter-sweet as she drew closer to them. Without another word, her eyes quickly scanned the corridor for any teachers. She didn't want to get detention on her first day... After confirming the area was clear, the redhead snapped her fingers and a small flame appeared hovering over her hand. “Now, will you leave this guy alone, or will I have to make you?”

[Deleted]

and here I thought this place was devoid of people like this. His violet eyes followed up toward the other students as they towered over him, even as he was standing up. He had tried again, this time more of a panicked feeling rushed through him as he tried to force his power. There was a little spark of anger mixed with a superiority complex. Alright that’s the absorption part, I might be able to get it work if I focus hard enough.[/i] A smile emerged across his face, as he tried to gather all his strength. As he tried once again, pain shot through his head causing him to fall back into the locker.

“Oi! He said he was sorry, so back off!”

Tino watched as a girl who appeared to be a little older then he was. He couldn’t remember if he had seen the other student before, and thought if she was new to the academy. He forced himself away from the locker, his left hand shot back to hold his right shoulder. He watched as the other student stepped between him and the other students. His eyes widened slightly, anger emitted off of her in waves, but there was something more to it. A feeling of strength and wanting to protect someone mixed with the anger, causing it to almost become visible to the young teen.

“What’s so funny, boys?”

Tino’s eyes widened as she they laughed at her, he almost felt sorry for them. He wondered if they would still be laughing if they could feel what he was feeling. The emotions from the other three students mixed and lashed at each other. It was one thing the obvious emotional hatred that could be seen in their eye contact, but to feel the emotions as his powers started to recuperate. He watched as a small flame appeared over her hand. He hoped this wasn’t going to out in the way he was thinking. I have to do something to help.[/i]

“Now, will you leave this guy alone, or will I have to make you?”

As the other student turned toward the girl with a crooked smile, Tino knew he had to something. He felt some of the emotions pull from the young red-head, and took in some of the courage that was emitting through the room. Damn, I have to something.[/i] He watched as one of the two bullies rolled his shoulder back, started to lift his arm up. Tino had seen movement like this before, and without thinking his body acted on its own. NO! The young blonde charged into the bully while his attention was taken up by the other student, as they both crashed to the floor, he felt similar pain shoot across his shoulder from earlier. The other bully turned toward the small blonde teen when, forgetting about the other student who had interfered.

[eire]

Aoife was more than ready for a fight, with one hand clenched in a tight fist at her side and the other till holding out the flame as an obvious threat. These guys would have to be total idiots to ignore that. She felt repulsed by the sight of one of them giving her such a cocky grin, who was seriously pissing her off now. Honestly, didn’t these brutes have anything better to do than pick on a someone?!

The redhead could sense the boy was still behind her, and quickly glanced over her shoulder to check if he was ok. Just as she turned her head, the bully who gave her that crooked smile raised his arm. Catching to movement in the corner of her eye, Aoife snapped her head back round, her scowl deepening. He must be really stupid to try that when she was literally holding fire in her hand!

“NO!”

Aoife’s eyes widened when the kid suddenly threw himself at the bully, sending him flying to the floor. For a moment, she was stunned into silence, the flame in her hand flickering out suddenly. Had that kid, who had one second ago been getting picked on, really just done that?! The girl blinked and turned her attention to the other bully, who too was stunned by what had just happened. Smirking as she saw an opportunity arise, the redhead pushed off from the floor and rugby tackled the other to the ground. For quite a petite girl, she was a lot stronger than she looked.

Narrowing her eyes again at the guy beneath her, she pressed her palm on his shoulder. She could feel the patch on his shirt heating up as energy pulsed through her. The guy winced, causing Aoife to chuckle. In a swift motion, she removed her hand and stood up, staring down the older student. He had gotten the message.

“Go on then,” the redhead’s thick Irish accent was laced with disgust. “Scram!”

The guy didn’t need to be told twice, and instantly he was up and running away, batting at the smouldering patch of cloth on his arm. His friend quickly followed him, looking just as frightened by what he had just seen.

After watching them run off with their tails between their legs, Aoife’s frown dropped into a look of worry as she ran over to the boy.

“Are you ok?” she asked softly whilst helping him to his feet, her mood instantly swinging back to her normal self.

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Tino groan as he sat up, as he tried to wrap his mind on what he had just done. ”Gah, I’m so sorry.” He was about to apologize again as he watched the bully was distracted with what was happening to his friend. His violet eyes scanned toward the other student, right as she had tackled the other bully. The young blonde was surprised by her strength.

He watched as the young girl brought her hand down on the patch of his shirt. Tino struggled back a little, unsure of what to make of all this. He watched as the guy winced in pain as it burned into him. Now that’s just a little scary.[/b] He was about to try to convince the other girl to stop, when she had removed her hand from his shirt. Thakn God.[/b]

“Go on then,” the redhead’s thick Irish accent was laced with disgust. “Scram!”

Tino was happy when he watched the others had learned their lesson and had run off. Slightly wishing she would have handled it a little bit better, but if she got the point across, would it matter? He watched as they took off running, the trail of fear and anger reeked as they ran. Well at least it’s over.[/b]

“Are you ok?”

He felt her emotions change, to a normal attitude. His violet eyes had turned to look at her, as she helped him up. “I’m fine thank you.” He winced as the pain return to shoulder, increased by the fall. “Are you okay?” Forcing a smile, he tried to get in check with his powers before they could cause anymore issues.

[eire]

Aoife knitted her eyebrows together in concern as she helped the boy up. It was clear he was in pain, as the wince that flashed across his face was far too noticeable. Had the bully really pushed him that hard? Just as she opened her mouth to question his well-being again, he took her by surprise by asking how she was! Either he didn't want attention, or he was too nice to worry about himself. Maybe both.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the redhead replied warmly, shaking her head and making her red curls bounce around her face. "Trust me, I've grown up surrounded by boys who were always much older than me, so I know I can hold my own. I'm more worried about you!" Her green eyes glanced at him back as she bit her lip. "You seem to be in pain, so you can't be fine if that's the case. Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

As Aoife stared at the boy, she couldn't help but feel slightly happy at the sight of his bright smile. She found it rather sweet that he was trying to look positive. But she just couldn't help but notice it seemed a little... forced.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Aoife began quietly as she lowered her head. "Sometimes my powers get a little... out of hand when I'm angry..." She honestly felt bad if she had scared him, and knew very well that she should try a bit harder to control her anger. All of a sudden, her head snapped back up and she grinned at him, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "But I don't regret what I did. Those eejits deserved it!"

[Deleted]

The pain in his shoulder wasn’t horrible, but he could feel the large bruise starting to develop on his back. He wanted to avoid making the other student worry, especially if it turned out to be something as light of a small bruise. He was more worried about the other student anyways.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Trust me I’ve grown up surrounded by boys who were always much older than me, so I know I can hold my own. I’m more worried about you!”

Tino smiled as he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. He was still slightly shaken up by attack, but was happy that it was over. Violet eyes and blonde hair turned up to the red headed student and watched as her hair bounced as she shook her head in response. He was about to comment, but before he could say anything the other student said something that had caught his attention.

"You seem to be in pain, so you can't be fine if that's the case. Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

“No I’m fine, it’s probably just a bruised muscle, it’s no were near that bad, I’ll be fine.” He turned back toward the girl, as he tried to reassure her that he was fine. He wanted to avoid worrying her, so he continued to smile. He didn’t want to keep forcing the smile, but Tino still struggled to mentally grasp what all had taken place.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. Sometimes my powers get a little... out of hand when I'm angry..."

Tino’s smile turned more natural, as he started to understand what was fully going on. “It’s fine, my power has the same tendency, especially if my emotions are stretched.” He had seen how easy it was loose control of one’s powers.

“but I don’t regret what I did. Those eejits deserved it!”

Tino blinked slightly at the words she said. He had thought they needed to be taught a lesson, but couldn’t it have happened without the fire. He wasn’t sure if there was another way to get the point across to the bullies, but wished he had a chance to find one. He blinked slight, realizing he had fully introduced himself. “Yeah I guess they did, I’m Tino Väinämöinen, thanks again for the help.” His smile became more natural, as he offered his hand out. He could still feel a slight dull pain, but for the most part was able to ignore it for now.

[eire]

Aoife let out a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing at what they boy had just told her. Clearly she was more than happy he was ok. Even so, she made a mental note to check on him later on that day to make sure he was still fine.

"Well, a bruise isn't so bad, right?" she replied with a grin, giving his arm a soft pat. "I mean, I'm sorry that you've even got a bruise, but I thought you'd dislocated your shoulder or something like that. I'm just glad you're alright."

Aoife shifted her bag on her shoulder as she took in as much as she could about the other student. He still seemed to be a little edgy, but that was understandable for someone who'd just got pushed around for no reason... and had then witnessed another student getting burned. She was really starting to regret doing that now. At least he seemed to understand that sometimes emotions could get the better of you.

The redhead returned his natural smile and nodded, listening with interest at what he had to say. "What's your power? Is it something hard to control?" Aoife asked inquisitively.

The Irish girl's grin widened when the boy held his hand out. She took it graciously and gave it a firm, strong shake, her eyes sparkling with joy. She had to admit, she loved meeting new people. "Tino, huh? Is that a Scandinavian name?" she giggled slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tino. I'm Aoife O'Neill, and trust me, I was more than happy to help." Aoife slowly pulled her hand away, letting it drop to her side as she locked eye contact with him, her expression suddenly turning serious. "If those guys ever give you grief again, just let me know, ok?" For some reason, Aoife had taken an instant liking to Tino, and hated the idea of him getting picked on by such brutes.

[Deleted]

"Well, a bruise isn't so bad, right? I mean, I'm sorry that you've even got a bruise, but I thought you'd dislocated your shoulder or something like that. I'm just glad you're alright."

Tino smiled as the other student mentioned about a bruise wasn’t the worst things that could happened. He felt slightly guilty for making her worry, and he hadn’t mean to over play the injury. He rubbed his fingers over his shoulder, trying to figure out how big the mark on his shoulder blade would be. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to worry you.”

"What's your power? Is it something hard to control?" Aoife asked inquisitively.

Tino thought about how to explain his powers. He wondered how she would react to the way his powers worked. “Well it’s nothing compared to your power. Let’s see the best way to say it, I can pick up on emotions of others, as well as force emotion onto others.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. His small fingers brushed through strands of blonde hair. “But the later unfortunately kind of has a mind of its own. On one hand it works at times, sometimes without me even trying to or noticing it work, but then there are times like just a little bit ago where it won’t work at all.”

"Tino, huh? Is that a Scandinavian name? It's a pleasure to meet you, Tino. I'm Aoife O'Neill, and trust me, I was more than happy to help."

His smile softened as she asked about his name. It was nice to be able to say his name and people ask where it derived from. The fact that she was close on her question had made it a little better. “Huh, yes it is, I actually came here from Finland.” He closed his eyes as his smiled widened as she shook his hand and introduced herself. It was reassuring when Aoife mentioned she was happy to help, making the young teen feel slightly less like a bother. “It’s nice to meet Aoife.”

"If those guys ever give you grief again, just let me know, ok?"

Tino nodded as he was told what to do if the two students tried to pick on him again. “Right.” He wondered if would be able to stand up to them himself the next, if there was a next time at least. He looked toward Aoife, he wasn’t sure why but he felt something odd. Not so much emotional but he felt something like he could look up to her, and the way she would handle others.

[eire]

Aoife watched Tino as he rubbed his shoulder, a look of slight concern flashing across her face for no more than a moment. She quickly nodded and smiled again, not wanting to make him feel bad. "You don't have to apologise!" she insisted, patting his arm with a large grin. "If anything, those other two bullies should. But please, don't worry about... worrying me." The redhead couldn't help but chuckle at the end of her little statement.

As she listened intently to Tino's powers, the Irish girl couldn't help but let out a gasp. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with amazement. "That sounds amazing! You must be a hero with those sorts of powers!" She wasn't being spiteful at all. In fact, she really did think his powers sounded much more interesting than hers. "It must be quite hard to control them, though." Aoife gave a firm nod as she said this, her expression going serious.

From the moment she asked about his name, Aoife could clearly see that Tino appeared to be happy that she had taken an interest. It wasn't surprising really: everyone she had met so far loved talking about their cultures. "Wow, I was pretty close then!" she chuckled light-heartedly, giving him a wink. "Finland must be nice, especially at Christmas!" The redhead beamed back at him as he shook her hand with a huge grin plastered on his face. He was such a sweet, kind guy! He really didn't deserve to be picked on at all. Well, nobody did, but him in particular. She couldn't help but start to feel even more defensive of him as those thoughts circulated in her mind.

Aoife gave Tino a warm smile, glad that he was listening to her. She really hated the idea of him getting hurt again. She noticed him glancing at her, but quickly shrugged it off. She wasn't one who was too fond of attention. "So, this may sound rather forward, but do you want to be friends?" Aoife asked, changing the subject casually.

[Deleted]

“You don’t have to apologise! If anything, those other two bullies should. But please, don’t worry about worrying me.”

Tino cringed slightly when Aoife mentioned that he didn’t have to apologies. His mind raced back to when his sibling would scold him for saying things like this, or looking down on himself. He looked up when she patted his arm. His smiled returned with a nod as she mentioned about not worrying her. “Right.” His mind trailed for a moment, he never did like making people worry, but he felt something a specific reason on why he didn’t want to worry Aoife.

"Oh my goodness! That sounds amazing! You must be a hero with those sorts of powers!"

Tino blushed, his mind tried to grasp why others had liked his power so much. He wanted to try and figure out why others as he tried to piece everything together. “Actually I’m in the sidekick classes. “ The young blonde blinked as tried to look think how his power could be used as a hero. At the most he could be useful on an emotional level but that still didn’t help with being a hero.

"It must be quite hard to control them, though."

Tino sighed silently as he thought about his control record with his powers. Between the events before he arrived at Asher’s and the occasional times he lost control here, which he was sure there was a mile long list of issues. “The empathic part isn’t so bad; I mean it’s a passive skill so it’s always active minus a few spots here and there. And then the forcing emotions well, I’m not sure if I can ever get control on that one. It seems like it’s going to work, but then it either completely ignores me or kicks in a few minutes later."

"Wow, I was pretty close then! Finland must be nice, especially at Christmas!"

“Oh I love my hometown around the holidays, especially Joulupäivä and Juhannusaatto.” His eyes widened as he perked up. There was nothing like being able to talk about one’s holiday, and even more so when the weather worked with it. “You should come visit some time Aoife. The holidays are extremely beautiful. Oh, especially once all the bonfires are lit. How does you your homeland spend their holidays?”

"So, this may sound rather forward, but do you want to be friends?"

Tino tilted his head as the conversation changed casually. The question had caught him off guard, but he decided that he thought it would be for the best. He gave a small blush at the question, but shook any doubt he had from his mind. “I would love to be your friend Aoife.” His smile brimmed from ear to ear, as he looked toward the red haired student.

(Side note Joulupäivä means Christmas and Juhannusaatto means Midsummer’s Eve.)

[eire]

The Irishwoman chuckled lightly when Tino agreed to not worry about her. He looked so serious when he said that. "I can see you agree with people a lot," Aoife smiled softly as she noticed he seemed to be drifting off into his own thoughts. He reminded her a bit of her twin brother and how he was always dreaming... She paused, swallowing thickly. It seemed everything was reminding her of him, now. Quickly shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts, she turned back to face Tino and let a smile form on her face again.

Aoife cocked her head to one side slightly at the sight of Tino's blush, grinning at him as she tried to hold back a giggle. He looked so sweet when he was embarrassed. "The sidekick class, huh? That's a shame. I'm a hero..." She trailed off, her brow creasing in thought. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she let out a delighted squeal. "I have an idea!" Aoife exclaimed as she grabbed Tino's shoulders and lightly shook him. "You should be my sidekick! That is, if you aren't paired with anyone yet."

Quickly, she let go of the younger teen, worried she might have grabbed him too hard. She didn't want to give the poor boy another bruise by accident. "That sounds really amazing, though. I'd love to see it in action. Seriously, when you've fully got to grips with it you need to show me how it works!" The redhead put an arm around his shoulder in a friendly manner, beaming from ear to ear. "Promise? And hey, maybe I can show you my full powers at some time... hopefully without burning something down."

Aoife listened intently to how happy Tino sounded talking about his homeland. And of course, she could relate to that completely. "Oh I'd love to come! It sounds lovely!" she let out a giggle, her eyes sparkling as images of bonfires and Christmas markets came to her mind. "Well, in Ireland Christmas is quite similar to Christmas in the UK. Only we get a lot more drunk. But our main holiday is Saint Patrick's day. You should see it! Everyone dresses up in green and there's parades and parties... I'm sure you'd love it."

Her smile widened when Tino replied to her, agreeing to be her friend. "That's great!" she exclaimed as she pulled the Finnish boy into a tight hug. "I'm really glad I met you!" Aoife was so happy to have already made another friend. Today was turning out to be a much better first day at school than she thought it would be.

[Deleted]

"I can see you agree with people a lot,"

Tino rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Aoife said this with a smile. “It’s not so much that I agree with people a lot, I just like to be open to new ideas.” He smiled as he explained his odd habit. It wasn’t that he wanted to agree with everyone, but there was in no harm in being open to others views. He blinked as he felt an odd feel begin to swell as she turned away for a short second. He was about to ask if something was wrong but before he could she turned around smiling again.

“The sidekick class, huh? That’s a shame. I’m a hero…”

Tino tilted his head as he listened to the other teen mention that she was a hero, and he took note of her changing facial features as she talked. He was curious on why she had stopped but was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor and let a squeal. Tino stepped back slightly, unaware of what was fully going to happen.

"I have an idea! You should be my sidekick! That is, if you aren't paired with anyone yet."

Tino’s head moved as Aoife shook his shoulders. “Huh, I don’t have a partner yet so…” His eyes shot up as a few strands hair fell down over his eyes again. It’s true I don’t have a partner, and my power could help Aoife with hers. He smiled and tilted his head softly to the side. “Alright I’ll do it. I think we could be an amazing team.” A small fire could be seen as he normally soft eyes tensed slightly with excitement.

"That sounds really amazing, though. I'd love to see it in action. Seriously, when you've fully got to grips with it you need to show me how it works!"

If I get control over them. He mentally sighed at the thought of if he would be able to get used to his powers. For the most part the empathic part was always active, and the emotional forcing was well, needing help. He wanted to get a full grasp on his powers, but the young teen wondered what was driving him to gain full control.

"Promise? And hey, maybe I can show you my full powers at some time... hopefully without burning something down."

His thought was broken up when Aoife put her arm around his shoulder again. “Of course. Once I get full control of my power I’ll be more than happy to show you its full potential.” The determined look in his eyes seemed to strengthen once again, but he was sure he needed a lot of work first. He turned his head to her when she mentioned about her powers. “You promise?” He couldn’t resist repeating her question to Aoife, with a goofy grin on his face.

"Oh I'd love to come! It sounds lovely!"

Tino nodded as the other student commented about the way he set up the festivals back home. “There is no other time like it. I especially love the feel if you watch it from a cliff and the fire’s light is reflecting off of the water.” He hummed a small song as he closed his eyes as he tried to reimagine the feel of the last holiday he spent at home. “Oh, the music that can be heard is truly the best part.”

"Well, in Ireland Christmas is quite similar to Christmas in the UK. Only we get a lot more drunk. But our main holiday is Saint Patrick's day. You should see it! Everyone dresses up in green and there's parades and parties... I'm sure you'd love it."

He thought for a little bit. He always loved learning about others cultures, and it did sound like something he would love. Tino’s smiled grew he thought about the holiday, and seeing it with his own eyes would be amazing. “Alright how about once we graduate here, I’ll visit you’re country for St. Patrick’s Day, if you promise to visit Finland for Juhannusaatto.”

"That's great! I'm really glad I met you!"

“Humph.” Tino let out a small grunt as Aoife hugged him. It was slightly followed by a small laugh of excitement. He was happy to have made another friend, and his ideas on being forced into another school just because the where different. “I’m happy that I met you as well.”

[eire]

Aoife shrugged slightly, her warm smile staying firmly in place. "Well, that's a really great quality to have," she replied brightly. "No wonder I instantly liked you!" Her freckled face brightened even more (if that was possible) as she patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture. It was hard not to feel upbeat around Tino, Aoife was discovering. She was starting to wonder if his powers were already taking an affect on her. Not that she minded; it was nice to get distracted from any unpleasant thoughts. 
 
It had been hard not to giggle at the male student when he had stepped back in surprise at her sudden outburst. Am I really that terrifying? she mused to herself jokingly, her eyes narrowing as her smile pushed her cheeks upwards slightly. She was finding the Finn and his attitude pretty adorable.
 
"We would make an amazing team!" the redhead beamed as she pulled Tino into another tight hug, laughing merrily in his ear. She noticed the tiny spark of "fire" in his eyes, and instantly felt excitement grow inside her. "We're going to be the best team Asher has ever seen! Everyone will envy us!" The Irish girl pulled away, a proud look glinting mischievously in her emerald orbs as she cackled away with joy. Aoife was one hundred percent positive that this was going to go well.
 
Again, a look of excitement passed over the girl's face and she nodded enthusiastically. It sounded like more than a fair enough deal, and she was really looking forward to seeing Tino progress. "Promise!" She chuckled brightly, nudging the Finn softly with her elbow as she did.
 
Aoife closed her eyes as she did her best to picture what Tino had described to her. It wasn't hard, though. She could clearly see the fireworks reflecting off crisp white snow and the hazy reflections on the shimmering water. "Mmm, now I really want to go," she murmured to herself, her eyes still closed in deep thought. As Tino hummed, the redhead swayed in time slightly on the spot. "Music always makes everything ten times more special."
 
The two stood in silence for a while as Aoife continued day-dreaming about Christmas in Finland. She was fascinated by what the Finn had told her, and instantly wanted to see it first hand. Eventually, she cracked an eye open when Tino spoke up again. Instantly, her eyes brightened at his proposition. "That would be fantastic. I promise to visit Finland then, if you'll come to Ireland! Hey, I could show you around a bit while you're over." Already, she was excited about graduating. 
 
Aoife's smile widened when she heard Tino laughed, happy that she had made the other student… well, happy! As she pulled away, she quickly ruffled his hair teasingly before quietly, but firmly saying, "I also promise to take care of you. If you ever need any help, you can always come to me."

This school is turning out to be much better than I thought. Aoife thought to herself, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had to admit, she had been worried about fitting in, but already she'd met plenty of great people, and now she had a team-mate! I hope Tino and I will work well together, although I don't think I need to worry. Casually, the Irish student cocked her head back to flash her new Scandinavian friend another smile. I think we'll got along just fine!

[Deleted]

"We would make an amazing team! We're going to be the best team Asher has ever seen! Everyone will envy us!"

Tino felt his body pulled into the hug, and blinked as his mind raced. He thought about them as partners and knew it was an excellent idea. He took note of the look in her eyes. “Right we’ll be the number one team of Asher!” He felt the confidence blaze, like a fire place on a winter night. He was sure there was no way it could go wrong.

"Promise!"

Tino nodded when she commented on their agreement about the powers. He couldn’t wait to see what their powers would be like when they were in control. The thought about how their abilities could be used mixed into his mind and figured he might start planning an idea. He could wait to see how her control on the fire would grow in the future.

"Mmm, now I really want to go. Music always makes everything ten times more special."

The young blond watched as Aoife closed her eyes. He wondered what she was thinking about, as he described the holiday. It was always fun to communicate holidays to others, especially ones that he remembered so fondly. “It does. Music is one of the few things that are universally enjoyable.” He thought about it, and wondered if he could find music from around the world while he was here.

"That would be fantastic. I promise to visit Finland then, if you'll come to Ireland! Hey, I could show you around a bit while you're over."

He was happy that the young girl was excited about the idea. It was an interesting concept, and he would love to see Ireland. He had heard of the country a few times from various neighbors, and wondered what it was truly like to view the landscapes. He smiled when his friend offered to show him around if he visited. “I would love that, and I could do the same.”

"I also promise to take care of you. If you ever need any help, you can always come to me."

Feeling a hand ruffle through his hair, a memory of his older siblings came back to him. The words strengthened the memory; as he flashed back toward his family and when he heard the similar words. He nodded as the memory faded. “Thank you. I-If there is anything I can help with, I’d be more than happy to.”

Despite the occasional bully the school was starting to feel like home to the young teen. It was interesting to feel more like home. There was still a few things missing, but he figured he could overcome a few missing pieces here and there. He knew that this could be a good place, even if only for a few years. I’m happy I found a team-mate, now all I have to do is try my best.