James
Their eyes would snap open before dawn from a long and terrible restlessness. They had tried for hours on end to _feel_ rest- the comfort of their single sized bed on their back, the embrace of their pillows, and the warmth of a fluffy blanket on their bodice, but they could not. It was futile. Sighing, they'd grab their glasses before leaving, purple skirt billowing behind them as they shut their room door closed with an audible click.

-

It was dark. They were a familiar and alluring being- gentle sometimes, even if they were a bit pressing. They'd peer into the distance as their high-cut white converses pressed onto the wet morning dew. The grass was still very moist. Behind the figures of the towering but still trees, they were able to see blinking red and green lights floating in the distance. An airliner, gliding across the canvas of void, sparkled with the occasional twinkles of dying stars. It was odd to think about. Hundreds of souls, dozens of kilometers into the heavens, all dilly-dallying about with their lives. For a couple hours of transportation, the people within would meet others they would have never met, if they had never gotten on the flight in the first place. Though, they most likely didn't care. After all, they had their own lives to worry about. 

They had themselves to focus on.

A gentle breeze would hit their figure, winds bringing the cold of the early morning. Though it didn't bite, it crept and seeped in, involuntarily making them rub their hands on their exposed arms. No sleeves. They were wearing a t-shirt and a purple above-the-knee length, waist pleated skirt. Such defenses proved to be ineffective against the breath of dawn, as they stood there in the middle of the field- a lonely figure, clothes fluttering gently along.

Though it was cold, there was an odd sense of peace and serenity. 

Though they couldn't rest, this proved to be a merciful atmosphere for the mind, soul and heart.

They inhaled.
Arturo
A young man wanders through the Newton's Cradle grounds, hiding the fear of his new surroundings with a cool, confident smile. His frame is wrapped in thick clothes, insulating him from the morning breeze. Despite this, the new arrival occasionally stops to warm himself, as if warding off some inner cold.

After the new arrival leaves their bags in their room, he begins to inspect the surrounds of the facility. Chance would bring the boy to the courtyard during his jaunt. The boy rubs his hands together as he stares into the distance. The airliner above puts a sour taste in the boy's mouth. All he can think about is how far away he is from the closest thing he has to a home.

The young man is shaken from his idle thoughts by fluttering clothes in the corner of his field of vision. The boy realises, to his mild shock, that he had completely missed the figure sitting on the dew-dappled grass. He becomes excited by the prospect of meeting another person in this unfamiliar locale, especially so early in the morning. He quickly walks to the sitting figure, limiting his pace so as not to appear too weird, and greets them from a few steps away:
"Yo!" He says, boisterously. The boy seems to pause, awaiting a response, or perhaps just struggling for something else to say.
James
They exhaled.

Hearing the prominent announcement, they'd turn their head around to see a teenager in the distance- appearing to be in the same age range as them. They'd sheepishly wave a hand before standing there awkwardly for a few moments. Deciding to be the one to approach them since they _were_ the one that got called over, they'd endure the little trek. The winds were still misbehaving as usual, continuing to creep ice in their veins. They'd reach the boy, light bathing their figure as they neared a lamp post.

"Hi." 

A simple hi was said, though that word brought a lot of connotations already. They had a heavy French accent, indicating that they were most likely from Europe. They also sounded _very_ androgynous- ranging from 150-180 hertz- practically undiscernible. With their outfit, it was rather difficult to identify their... Well... _identity._ They'd rub their palms together to attempt to get blood flowing on their cold hands.

"So what're you in here for? Why're you even _up_ at this time?" 

If the teen didn't have any questions, they'd rather just ask _something_ instead of wallowing in silence. It was awkward... Plus... He looked like a rather interesting person. They weren't sure if they were new. They weren't sure if they were an incumbent student either. The only way to understand was to _ask_.
Arturo
The new arrival immediately noticed the stranger's French accent, though he doesn't mention it right away. 

"I literally *Just* Got here. Flight arrived *Pretty* Early, so I had to get an Uber from the airport and everything. As for *Why* I'm here, I...*Kinda* Froze some stuff at a relative's place..." The boy puts his hand behind his head and chuckles. The event he's talking about clearly embarrasses him a little, but he seems to quickly discard the feeling. The boy's accent is hard to place, though it does have a noticeable North American tinge to it. As one approaches him, the air would feel ever so slightly colder. His own breath leaves faint condensation lingering in the air.

"...But enough about me! What're *You* Doin' here, if you don't mind me asking." He pauses, before continuing: "Seems pretty cold and quiet out today. Oh, name's Cas by the way, if you were wondering."
James
"The name's Levi." Right before they continued, they'd offer a small but genuine smile and a handshake. If they accepted, they'd be able to feel soft but slightly cold hands, though they would eventually pull away. "Well..." Levi would rub the back of their neck, turning towards the silent and dark field in front of them. Their shadows would stretch onto the earth, dissipating as they gradually reached farther distances. "I couldn't really sleep... I figured that I might as well take a walk outside, you know? It's very relaxing and... _serene_..." A gust of wind would blow at the two yet again, their skirt fluttering for a moment. They'd chuckle, shaking their head. "Maybe I could've worn something a bit warmer- but the cold is pretty cool. Heh."

They'd grin at their own pun, rolling their eyes. Jeez. Really being amused at their own jokes, huh? Brushing a strand of hair that fell in between their eyes, they'd let their gaze fall on the teen once more.

"Anyway... Welcome to NC! I've been here only a couple of days really, but it's pretty chill. Say-" They'd pause, realizing that they were a bit excited meeting the new person. They'd breathe in, reassessing their options.

"Do you wanna eat or do you want to compare powers? Not sure if you ate at all during the flight."

See, being nice wasn't hard.
Arturo
Cas firmly grasps Levi's hand before giving him a strong, confident handshake. Cas's own hands are slightly rough and cold to the touch. He catches on to Levi's excitement at meeting a new person; Cas feels pretty excited himself. He chuckles at Levi's temperature puns. "Pretty *Chill*Indeed!"

"Thanks!" He replies. Cas casts a look at the NC building itself and continues: "Looks like a nice place, if a little... Blocky I guess?" The brutalist architecture puts Cas in mind of sky-scrapers and soviet housing blocks, reminding him of the fact that he was, essentially, imprisoned here. For a moment, the architecture seems to effect Cas, but he quickly shakes himself out of his weird internal tangent.

The mention of food makes Cas's stomach rumble. "Now that you mention it, I haven't really had much in the last... I dunno, twelve hours?" The idea of comparing powers *Does* Intrigue him, however. "Should be able to hold out a bit longer, though. Say, is comparing powers a thing that happens here regularly? Not that I have a problem with *Doing it* Of course., just curious"
James
"Far better than the last one..." Levi would mumble right after Cas' comment about blocky architecture. At least this place had grass and trees. Well... It wasn't _that_ good either. They didn't even have their own infirmary! Regardless- they held further opinions and comments about NC and its facilities to themselves after. Maybe they could discuss it in the future when Cas had actually somewhat explore the place. Right now though, they seemed to have other priorities in mind. They'd wiggle their toes in their high cut white converses. They noticed grass blades got on the sides of their shoes, internally promising to clean it up later.

Hearing Cas- eh- _Cassie's_ stomach rumble would make them giggle, deciding as well to adopt a nickname for them. "Well- I guess it isn't _illegal_ so..." They'd shrug, starting to walk in the general direction of the nearest food source, tilting their head to urge Cassie to follow. "Some kids like to show off their powers. Some like to keep to themselves. It really depends on the person- though as long as you don't... You know... Hurt someone." They'd glance over to Cassie just as they reached the fabled food source- a _vending machine_. "But I'm sure you wouldn't hurt a fly!" 

They'd tap the vending machine with a grin. "This bad boy can make your hunger go away... For a price- anyway, I have a question for you. What's something you've always wanted to see, but never had the chance?"

While this was happening, they'd off-handedly pull out some _Krona_ from their breast pocket, putting it inside. They'd punch a few buttons, waiting, though they still had their gaze on Cassie.
Arturo
Cas catches Levi's comment about the architecture, but chooses not to say anything about it. He briefly considers his stance on the matter of openly displaying his powers, and concludes that it'd probably be fine to show them off from time to time. After all, it *Should* Be easy to deal with runaway ice power in a facility like NC, right...?

He sticks his hands in his front pockets and thinks deeply. He searches for something suitable meaningful or flashy-sounding, but his growing hunger makes it hard to focus on anything concrete. As Cas stares blankly into the vending machine, the image may put one in mind of a weary traveller gazing into a fire. It occurs to Cas that he's never really dwelt on 'missable' things in his life. After a minute of staring, Cas conjures something up from his long-term memory that he hadn't thought about in years:
"Hmm... Well, I *Have* Always wanted to see one of those super-elaborate circuses, y'know? Like... The Cirque du Soleil-type ones with all the special effects, lightshows and acrobatics? Never have gotten the chance to see anything like that, aside from old recordings."
James
Jeez. What a difficult answer in the context of what they were initially trying to do. They'd hum, thinking about what they could do about it, watching a roast beef sandwich and a mountain dew topple down. Levi would reach into the bottom of the vending machine and grab their ordered food and drink, once again urging Cassie to follow, sitting down on a table nearby. Without any warning, they'd push the covered roast beef sandwich and can of mountain dew towards them. "Eat that... I need to think..."

They'd chew on their inner cheek, interlocking their fingers to continue thinking. After a few moments, they'd close their eyes. Green light would slowly but surely fill the darkness of the field behind them. They'd open their eyes yet again with a half-hearted shrug, frowning. "I'm not really good with circuses... But I tried... Look behind you!"

They'd see the previously dark grass now appearing to be water, with hues of green and blue permeating the surface. A hoop attached to a string had a masked female performer was hovering right above the waters... With the string seemingly connecting to nothing but the heavens itself.

"Illusions. My power."
Arturo
Cas turns to look behind him, his mouth half-full of roast beef sandwich, and he is stunned by what he sees. Cas is transfixed by the sheer *Realness* Of the illusion, and the clear and visible paranormality of it. Cas hasn't really seen any other paranatural phenomenon besides his own power, so seeing something like the illusion is surreal for him. Still, he can't help but admire the visual craftsmanship on display here.

"Yo... That's cool as *Shit!*" He exclaims, muffled by deli meat and dry crumbs. He takes a moment to compose himself and finish his mouthful before he continues: "Legit, that's pretty damn cool! It's so..." He struggles to find the right expression for the illusion. It's certainly realistic, at the very least compared to Cas's notion of what an 'illusion' is. "...Lifelike, I guess? It's a pretty well-designed scene, anyway. Do you have to, like, design it in your mind before you 'deploy' it or something?"

Cas now feels obligated to show off his power. He's *Fairly* Confident in his ability to create an ice sculpture, so he decides to give that a shot.
"Hmm... What if... Yo, what's something *You've* Always wanted to see? Something with a distinct outline would be helpful here."
James
It seemed that the roast beef sandwich and mountain dew was a good choice. Money well spent! That being said, they'd hum when they were given praise, a smile creeping up on their lips. "It depends, really. I find it to be more effective with emotion and desire. I can construct an illusion easily without closing my eyes or anything, but the additional concentration and time to think about it really helps overall. If you told me to make an illusion right now about the New York skyline though? Nah- if you showed me a picture... But if it was only stock knowledge, I would definitely struggle."

At that question, they'd think. What did they want to see that had a distinct deadline. It was a hard choice, not exactly knowing what specific thing to request. "I guess... A miniature Bat-Chat 25t. It's a French tank and..." They'd sigh, deciding to just pull out their phone to show them a picture of said tank. "That. Unless you can show me an equal and fair world for everyone... Then a tank is sufficient."
Arturo
Cas finishes his sandwich and wipes the crumbs off on his pants. Levi's illusion power seems pretty cool (heh) to him. He briefly starts imagining some sort of ice-illusion power combo as Levi explains some of the mechanics behind it, but he quickly shakes the thought off.
A tank works wonderfully for Cas's purposes here. "Ok... Watch closely! Or don't. Don't really mind either way!"

Cas starts working on a bit of dew-speckled turf. He extends his finger, and begins spraying what looks like a fine, glowing stream of snow at the ground in a focused area, sweeping back-and-forth in even strokes like a painter. It's not immediately obvious what Cas is doing to the ground, but in time what looks like a pair of icy tank treads begin to form among the dew. After forming the tank's treads, Cas moves on to the main body, then the turret and finally the barrel, taking care to form an approximation of the barrel's distinctive rectangular barrel... Thing.

After making the individual pieces of the tank, Cas assembles it into something approaching the 'correct' shape. Finally, he freezes the pieces of the tank together, leaving the pair with an ice block replica of the Bat-Chat 25t. It's not...*Incredibly* Realistic... But it's at least recognizable as a tank of sorts. There are also tufts of grass sticking out of it at odd angles where Cas was unable to neatly pry the pieces from the turf. Cas shakes some warmth back into his hands, which appear to have accumulated some ice crystals, and gestures with aplomb at his creation.

"Ta-da! What do you think? Not as neat as yours... BUT: It's colder!"
James
Treads, super structure, turret, and finally barrel to finish it off- the ice-cold spray would also cool the area around them, making Levi shiver once more. Immediately, they thought of one particular superhero from a certain Pixar animated film, making them smile just a teensy weensy bit. "Maybe I should've asked for a super suit- hehehe..." They'd snicker, shaking their head at that rather funny suggestion (or so they'd like to think). "Regardless! I think it looks great..." Levi would roam around the blocky ice tank, humming as they ran their hands over the freezing ice, leaving their fingertips nearly burning. "Not sure if it's the 90 millimeter, 100 millimeter, or 105 millimeter variant- but I don't think you'd have the complete blueprint of a French post-world war 2 tank anyway so..."

So they were a nerd- Cassie would've definitely noticed it by now.

They'd stop appreciating the Ice Bat and turn their attention to the boy, an amused look now on their face. "A lot of kids are going to see this in the morning- and I have no doubt that it isn't going to melt anytime soon. I think you're going to be _very_ popular around here, don't you think?"
Arturo
Caspar chuckles at Levi's comment. He's gotten compared to said animated superhero plenty of times before, and even considered him a bit of a personal inspiration in his younger years, not that he'd admit it. "Glad you didn't! Making a person-shaped thing more complex then a snowman is actually pretty hard..." Cas trails off as Levi examines his Ice-Bat. He'd hate to admit it, but having someone pouring over the detail on his sculpture makes him just a little bit proud.

Caspar gives Levi's question some thought. He mulls over his frozen handiwork, and wonders about his immediate future. Being sent off to Newton's Cradle has certainly been a surprisingly pleasant experience, having me Levi and all. Still, he can't help but think about the fact that he's essentially in a juvenile detention centre for SCPs. Cas resolves to try and see the positives of his new living situation.

"Popular? Not sure about that... But I hope so!" Cas replies, flashing a big grin. He looks over the moist lawn of Newton's Cradle, before feeling a wave of tiredness overcome him. He didn't get *That* Much sleep on the plane... So it'd take a couple days to set his sleep schedule right. Cas can't help but yawn and rub his eyes, before deciding he should probably get in a couple hours of sleep.
"Yo, Lev? I'm gonna head back to my dorm and sort some stuff, maybe take a nap. Still recovering from the flight. Catch ya later, kay?" Cas gives Lev a thumbs-up as he begins heading to his room. He feels bad about leaving Lev so abruptly, but rationalizes that he'll probably see them later anyway. Cas feels confident that his time here at NC will be something to look forward to, and he's looking forward to the interesting people and experiences therein...