trees are my friends?

When her only friend called her a jerk, Regina was about to be sturn with him, until she saw that she had terrified him. Is he really that afraid that I was dead? she couldn't help but blush at the thought of him caring that much for her. "Yes, that's how I learned how to act 'normal', by watching others from a distance," she explained, "In the town where I lived, I would use trees, rooftops, and sometimes electric poles and lampposts; it definitely improved my upper arm strength!" She flexed her arms, which showed her firm muscles, and giggled.
The tall girl watched as Grant laid down on the ground and drew his hood far over his face. When he started to speak, she listened intently. Regina could tell from the stutter of his words, but his persistence in getting them out, that he was trying to say something serious. "G-Go on..." she urged him gently.

He shook his head, "N-No... I'd Rather not. I-It's kind of... Embarrassing." It was true. He could barely speak, his voice was quivering a bit. "L-Let's just get away from it, okay?" He half hoped that she wouldn't just leave it. he wanted to do it, but he just felt weird asking someone who didn't really like him enough to agree. Sure, she liked him as a friend, maybe more than that, but he still didn't know how to say it. He was honestly afraid that if he asked her, she would avoid him. He was okay if she broke a couple bones, but he didn't want her avoiding him. The only other person he met was Roxie, and he thought he was making plenty of progress with them both. They both liked him enough to put up with him, he didn't want to drive them away. He thought about lifting his hood a bit so he could see her, but his cheeks still burned, and he was sure they were bright enough for her to notice if she was turned around.

Something is bothering him, and he needs to let  it out... Regina gave herself the mission in her mind. She swiveled her body, now facing Grant, and took in the sight of him. His mouth was twisted in frustration and confusion, and the rest of his face was obstructed from her view. She frowned a little to herself and made a move to take the hood out of his face.

He finally felt like he was starting to calm down, well, that was before she took his hood off. There he lay, unmasked. His cheeks burned, and she was staring straight at him, of course she would notice how could she not? Turned away from her, and pulled his shirt up quickly. His shirt stopped at his forehead, and left a small part of his belly exposed. With his free hand, he covered most of his exposed belly, feeling pretty embarrassed about this.

"G-Grant!" she said as she blushed uncontrollably, trying to avert her eyes, but finding she couldn't, "W-What on earth are you doing!?" She had known he was embarrassed about something, but now he was openly stripping and she could hardly see where he was going with this. Could it have something to do with his gift? she hoped that was the case.

Well, now he felt weird. He already felt weird, to begin with, but this was kind of pushing it. He was wondering if she would leave him there, just because of what was happening. He pulled his hood over his face again, this time over his mouth too, and pushed his shirt back down to cover the rest of his stomach. I've screwed up before, but this... How am i going to top this one? He didn't really want to speak right now, he felt that if he did, she might leave. He couldn't really find an explanation for doing this, but he knew the cause.

"Grant..." Regina could see him trying to undo what he had started, "W-Whatever it is you're doing you can tell me." She didn't want things to be this way between them, this fear and anxiety. "Do it, I trust you." the girl said, her voice stronger and she nodded to him in encouragement.

"N-N-N-No." his voice trembled as he tried to get his words out. "I-I-I-It would s-sound weird. I-I Don't want t-to say it... C-Can we just m-m-move on?" This stuttering made him sound kind of like he was cold, but how could he be? He was wearing a heavy jacket, and it's not like it was cold outside. Of course, the part of his voice that made her knew he wasn't cold was that quiver.

Regina bit her bottom lip in frustration as she thought over his request. It's best not to push him... she concluded. "It's all right," she said softly, coaxing him on, "Now, about that nap..." Regina smiled a little as she tried to bring humor and light-heartedness back to the pair. She took off her jacket and rolled it up to use as a pillow as she leaned up against the nearest tree, leaving room beside her for Grant to join her.

Grant was starting to cool down, his cheeks barely glowing, but they still glowed. H-Huh? She was serious about the nap? He put his hand on the tip of his hood, and slowly pulled it back until he could see her. He watched as she put her jacket against the tree in confusion. What is this? Why would she just do that? "Uh, what did you do that for?"

She opened one eye and looked at Grant with equal curiosity. "What do you mean?" Regina asked the question light-heartedly and even scoffed a little at the thought. "Just come join me, the rest will do you good!" the tall teen said with a warm, inviting tone. She wanted Grant to be comfortable around her; if they were going to be friends they'd at least need the basics of that, but if they were ever to be something more trust and relaxation should be second nature. Maybe he thinks I'm moving too fast, she wondered to herself, Then again, I've never done this sort of thing before, so what if I am...? Regina tried to wave the thought away, because she knew it would occupy her mind undeterred (which it still did) and gave Grant a welcoming smile.

He didn't really know what to think right now. I might as well just join her, it's not like I have anything better to do... Maybe it might help with my powers. Grant slowly crawled over to where she was sitting, and pushed his back against the tree. He felt weird being so close to someone, even though he had been closer than this to her before. He pulled his hood over his face again, and leaned his head to the side as he tried to forget about it. He couldn't fall asleep though. Something kept him awake. Maybe it was because he was close to her, but more likely, it was because he was afraid of getting another nightmare. He didn't know why they scared him so much, he couldn't remember them. They were so clear when he had them, but when he was awake he couldn't remember them. The only thing he could remember was the screams and voices.

Regina rolled her head to the side to look over at Grant, who was now seated at her side. She took note of how he had pulled the hood back over his face, but didn't do anything about it, as she was afraid she would scare him off for good. But suddenly an idea popped into her head, and the more she thought about it, the more hope she built around it. "Hey Grant," she ventured quietly, trying not to disturb him, "Could I try on your gloves, I-I think they might be able to conceal my powers..." The notion sounded a lot more far fetched when she said it aloud, but still, it was worth a shot.

He didn't really know what this meant, it seemed kind of strange. He just shrugged and pulled his hood up. "Sure, heck if it works, you can keep them." Sure, they had helped him, but he felt like he didn't need to use them. He was here for a reason, and he had learned how to control his powers just barely. It wasn't much of a change, but it was enough. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his gloves. He looked down at them for a moment, and passed them to Regina. I hope this works, I really do.

Regina slipped the thick material gloves over her hands and pulled them taunt on her hands. They were a little wide everywhere, but the fingers were nearly as long as her own. She liked the feeling of them; safe and secure. I really hope this works, she thought before looking up and over at Grant, for both of us...
She lied her hand out between then, wiggling her fingers to urge Grant to take her hand. Now, if her theory was correct, taking out the skin to skin contact from the equation should keep her breaking his hand. If they found this to be true, it could open a whole new world of possibilities for Regina; for both of them.

OOC: HA! That's what you think, Gina! >:D jk, it'll work for now, but when her powers grow stronger and she can generally control the physical side of it, the mental capability of her gift will arise (oh, that time will be much fun! >:3)