Kimberly
Fennel was tired. Just in general. Their entire life they'd been moving around, from place to place to place, in search of stability; then when they got it, it didn't work out well for them and they moved again. And again. The fact that they started fucking with people's brains in their teenage years didn't help anything; they only really realized what they'd been doing recently, after arriving at Newton's Cradle, and the weight of their guilty conscience far outweighed any benefits they might have gained from leaving their old life behind.

Slowly, then, as they became more acquainted with the people at Newton's Cradle, they realized there were others like them. Other people who did the same thing they did, or something similar. It took them a while to talk to one of them, but they did eventually manage.

...Leading to them sitting, alone, in a relatively small study room on the 3rd floor, waiting for a stranger to show up. They grasped the amethyst pendant hanging from their neck, closed their eyes, and breathed. It was going to be a long day.
Judith
: ̗̀➛✯ It wasn't often, that Vi was summoned by a stranger.
And by wasn't often, I mean this had never happened before. Yes, being specifically asked for was definitely a relatively new experience- after all, throughout her life, it was always her sister being asked for, or her mother, or brother- or *Anyone* But the weird one that hallucinates and when mad enough, oftentimes makes you do the same.


: ̗̀➛✯ All seemed safe, fennel looked peaceful enough, now was just the question of 'am i actually in the right room?'
... The age old question.
Does she even dare ask? Best case scenario is shes in the wrong room, worst case scenario is she was right all along, and made herself look a fool in front of someone that specifically asked to see *Her*, and not the other way around.
Any company is good company though, *Everyone* Knows that.

: ̗̀➛✯ Shaking away the thoughts of annoyance, the door slowly swung open fully now, revealing a girl of short stature. Raven black hair, bumpy scarring staining the right side of her face like spilt wine, all the while she managed to seem like... Any person. She wore fairly normal clothes for her age, a cordoruy pinafore dress over a cream button up shirt, with tights and mary jane shoes.
For a moment, the girl is quiet, studying Fennel with her one functional eye.
"You... Asked to see me?" She bluntly questions, inching her hand away from the door, allowing it to slowly close behind her.
Kimberly
Fennel opened one eye to peer at the person opening the door. It might be who they asked for, or it might be someone looking to study. It didn't take long for Fennel to figure out which; Violetta didn't leave very quickly, instead leaving the door ajar for a few moments, and no one just looking for a place to study would do that.

Violetta seemed insecure. That was fine. Fennel was insecure too, just differently.

They nodded. "Yeah, I did. Come in." 

Fennel was wearing a knit button-down sweater over top of another sweater, and had a blanket wrapped around their legs. They looked like they were trying to keep from freezing to death. Their hair didn't do them any favors in that department either, thick and curly and puffy, only pulled away from their ears in the service of revealing their earrings.

They folded up the blanket around their legs and stood up, offering Violetta a hand to shake. "I'm Fennel. Good t' meet you."
Judith
: ̗̀➛✯ Vi closed the door behind her quietly, she noticed a similarity between them that she couldn't quite easily place... A mirroring of disposition that screamed fragility and an unforthcomingly timid inclination.
For a moment, she was quietly stood, looking around the study room, despite it being a place that she actually tended to frequent, it was nice to just take it in for a moment. Sure, it's not like it was the pinnacle of scenery but... Especially with someone dressed so snug, a drowsy, cozy ambience eminated from the room.

: ̗̀➛✯ She stepped forward, staring down at the extended hand presented before her. Momentarily, she lacked any meaningful response, as if she were comprehending the digit.
Her grip was sudden, dainty and weak like the gentle touch of someone about to die, yet it sprung in with a youthful, alive vigour. Whether that be down to her abrupt realisation of what she should be doing, or if it was just What She Was Like wasn't clear through just the unexpected handshake.

: ̗̀➛✯ She shook their hand, and the exchange was over as quick as it started
"Violetta, hi" Her voice held a warm smile, uncertain, naive and breathy. The short girl's now free hands fiddled with eachother, fingers dancing amongst eachother, all the while she gazed idly at the folded up blanket, and at Fennel's hair, face and clothes.

: ̗̀➛✯ "Should we take a seat? I'm assuming you wanted to talk about something?"
Kimberly
Fennel nodded, and they took a seat. For a few moments, the only sound was a slight buzzing coming from the light fixture in the ceiling. Then Fennel spoke up.

"Do you-" 

They stopped. It didn't feel right. 

"Have you ever-" 

No. No, not that either.

"Did you have- Did you know anyone else who was like you before you came here? With the... Hallucination stuff, I mean."

Fennel had known people like that. In fact, they'd known those people before ever getting any powers of their own. Fennel got it from them, and then one day, Fennel was suddenly left behind, alone.

They missed their friends, but that wasn't really why they were talking to Violetta. There was something else.

But they'd let Violetta answer first.
Judith
: ̗̀➛✯ She plonked herself down, unaware of whether she should find the deafeningly silent humming buzz of the light to be a daunting or awkward addition to the hushed tension.
Until Fennel spoke up, and suddenly it wasn't quite as terror inducing to be in a one on one interaction.

: ̗̀➛✯ ...People like her.

: ̗̀➛✯ That was certainly a way to define. Vi hadn't really known many people in her life, let alone anyone who stood out like a sore thumb as much as she did; much less a parahuman that fucks with people's brains.
So she promptly shook her head after a moment or so of pondering
"Well... No, I suppose I didn't. I didn't know many people, though so... I'm hardly the best example." She drummed her fingers against the table, the rhythm keeping her from delving into daydreams.
After all, daydreams were the very things that lead to disaster when it comes to Vi.

: ̗̀➛✯ "Why? Did you know other parahumans before attending here?" Vi queried, tilting her head to the left.
Kimberly
Fennel sighed and nodded. "Yeah." They missed their friends. They missed Ronne, especially. "I had... Friends, I guess. They figured out I had these powers before I did, I think. They taught me how to use them, sort of."

But that wasn't really what Fennel wanted to talk about. Their friends had given them access to their powers, taught them everything they knew... But there were things they didn't know, and probably things they didn't even know they didn't know. Their friends had only cared about themselves, and each other. Never anyone else. And that had influenced how Fennel thought about their powers, for better or for worse.

In other words...

"But they never really taught me when to use them. They didn't care about that very much and all. They just used their powers when they thought it was funny. I... I think I've hurt a lot of people."

Fennel paused.

"Have you ever hurt anyone with your powers, Violetta? On purpose? Did they deserve it? I... S'pose I just wanna know I'm not alone."
Judith
: ̗̀➛✯ "I see... That is better than the introduction most people get, myself included, aha" Vi chuckled, her knuckles clicking underneath the table. So far so good, she was almost impressed with herself for toughing out a one on one interaction like this for so long, Fennel... At least seemed pleasant, good, thoughtful conversation in a place that seemed to lack that sentiment at the best of times.
"It... Must have been nice to have been around other parahumans since you were small, even if they were reckless... Though..."
Admittedly, it always made Vi a little jealous to hear people talk about friends back home- or escapades of their childhoods! All she had was books, books and more books... Hallucinations kept her company growing up, and part of her is glad she doesn't know anyone similar to her in that regard.

: ̗̀➛✯ But now wasn't the time to daydream, she shook herself back into reality, knocked with the morbid last question.
Had she... Hurt people? Well, who hasn't? She hummed quietly, taking a book that lay in the center of the study room table, and then delicately tracing a finger down the spine

: ̗̀➛✯ "I've hurt people with my powers before- myself and my father, mostly... I'd say it was deserved. I never knew it was my powers though, I thought I just developed insanity from him or something... So partially on purpose? I think it's inevitable that people will get hurt by your powers at some point or another..."
Kimberly
Fennel hadn't known their friends since they were small, but they didn't have the heart to correct Vi. The conversation they were having - or rather, the things they were admitting - were difficult, so much so that Fennel was too exhausted to actually correct anything Vi was assuming. They just let her think whatever she was going to think.

"How do you know?" Fennel asked quietly. "That it was deserved, I mean. How d'you know?"

Fennel had never known if it was deserved unless they knew for sure it wasn't. Fennel had ruined people, probably permanently, just to fit in. They regretted it, but there was still part of them that missed it. There was a morbid part of them who stared into their own soul and came back with the prognosis that Fennel was just as sadistic, if not more, than their friends; that Fennel would hurt more people just for the thrill of it.

And Fennel worried that it might end up being right.

"I haven't told many people here about my powers, actually. I've tried to hide it. I don't want people to know what I do, 'cause I think I'm gonna hurt someone again."

They paused for a moment to take a deep breath in... Hold it... And let it out. It calmed their nerves a bit.

"I think I might need help."