Gabriel Lloyd

[mrnobooty]

Gabe’s eager and enthusiastic interest in Teddy’s power was, well, flustering to the man. It wasn’t that he didn’t hold any sort of pride in the rather impressive ability—because he did. It was more how little he’d really explored his own mutation. Having been rather late in discovering his powers, especially compared to the other mutants he’d met who had been honing since birth, Teddy knew only what he’d abused in his life before the Project— and most of it had been used criminally.

But he took note of the questions and tried his best to form a satisfying answer. Of course it wasn’t satisfying in the slightest… “I don’t know if I can timetravel, to be honest with ya Gabe. Stopping and slowing time is a breeze but I’ve only really been able to make specific objects go back.”

He was relieved when Gabe spoke of his own powers, shifting the conversation. “But damn. If I were to pull out a gun and shoot you—which I wouldn’t, mind you—you’d be okay? Either way, I’m sticking with you when things start heating up at this place…”

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

"That'll be interesting to see in action," Gabe commented, his tone light, and his words rather unspecific. After all, he didn't want to ruin a potential friendship, nor did he want to upset the man. But, the curious ones always went as far as curiosity could lead them, and Gabe was no exception to the rule. He wanted to ask more, to learn more - especially when he had never met anyone with that specific talent before.

Could he even call it a talent? So far, he hadn't met many mutants who truly considered their mutations 'talents', and unlike something to show off at a school competition, it was simply the hand that creation had dealt them - a side effect of being born.

"Stopping and slowing, though..." He let the actions and their connotations roll around in his mind for a moment. "So, if you were gonna be punched, like you anticipated it - you could just stop and duck or run away? I mean, you've practically got what I got." Gabe paused for a moment, his brows furrowing in thought. "Well, not really, 'cause if you didn't... Yeah, never mind." He bit his bottom lip, nervous habit taking control as his words faltered.

For some reason, he felt his cheeks reddening. No one ever wanted to stick with him, not to his knowledge, anyway. He was too awkward, too bulky, far too disadvantageous for anyone to actually want to stick by his side. Then again, he had always extended the invitation to actually be used, for once, rather than feared or even disliked - but, was that even possible at this point? They'd all end up out of the Project one way or another, with more than a fair share of them not returning whatsoever. As for Gabe? Oh, he'd be around until there was nothing left...and then some.

A small chuckle escaped him. "Think you'd mind sticking with me, regardless?" He couldn't help but ask, realizing just how easily he could misconstrue friendship for what simply being taken advantage of. "Ah, fuck. Sorry, I, uh... You're not from one of the camps, are you?" He half-asked, half-muttered, mentally berating himself for pointing out such an obvious fact. "So, have you gotten a chance to look around the facility?"

[mrnobooty]

"Wonder away. But, no. You, baby bear, are the only one lucky enough to be bestowed such a cuddly nickname. Teddy, however, is short for Theodore, not Teddy bear,” He hummed with a wink to the other man, a friendly grin pulling at his lips and dimpling his cheeks.

But while this side of their conversation may have been lighthearted, the other side was depressing enough to soften the amusement on his face and in his tone. Listening to the other man describe his powers with an impressive humbleness, he pursed his lips when asked of his own.

"I can control time—stop, slow, reverse…Sort of.”

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

"Cuddly," Gabe repeated with a chuckle. "That's definitely a new one." It made sense, of course, why 'cuddly' wouldn't be the first adjective to come to one's mind upon first meeting the hulking man he had somehow grown into. And, as if to make matters worse, his ineptitude at conversation either only served the purpose of making him more intimidating seeming, or allowed him to appear like a true Neanderthal - large, hulking, but otherwise stupid beyond belief. His brows furrowed at the wink, not entirely sure how to respond - but when was ever certain about anything, to begin with?  His eyes widened as the man described briefly his mutation. Could it even really be called that? After all, it was of biblical proportions, the ability to control time - a power reserved for the gods, and not even gods among men. He'd read about it, had read theories about how people with the mutation had unlocked a part of their brain, pushing them past the forefront of even the smartest humans alive, seeing as they could mess around with space and time without so much as a scratch.

"That's...amazing! So, can you time travel and stuff? Take people with you? Reverse it enough to play a prank on someone who pissed you off or something? That's pretty fucking brilliant, if you ask me," Gabe spoke excitedly, wanting to know more and more about such a wonderfully strange power. "I never really said what I've got, but, uh, it's called 'Invulnerability'. No one seems to really be quite sure how it works just yet, but it does, one way or another. Human shield, at your service."

[aseaofquotes]

Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca

[soldieronbarnes]

[mrnobooty]

The way Gabe responded to Teddy’s abrasive, melodramatic outburst was surprising. While he usually prided himself in being more open minded about people, he’d expected the stoic looking man to be as hard as his abs. …They were quite hard weren’t they…

But instead he was met with cautious nervousness and a calmness that Teddy did deserve. And his heart melted ever so slightly.

Ever so slightly.

"Pleasure, Baby Bear," The Irish man said, grasping the offered hand firmly. "My family and friends call me Theodore—but fuck them. You can call me Teddy." 

His introduction was cut short, however, by an exasperated sigh and the withdrawal on his hand. “BUT you’re crazy if you think that we’ll be used as anything other than weapons. Doctors? Pilots? Nah. We’re the front line.”

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

He chuckled lightly, smiling at the nickname. "Alright. Teddy it is. I gotta ask, though - are most of your nicknames bear related?" The question sounded entirely asinine coming out of his mouth, but he couldn't help himself, the curiosity over a seemingly quite simple matter getting the better of him. "Not that I mind or anything. Just, uh... Just wondering." Gabe's countenance frowned slightly at the other man's remarks. It wasn't that he wasn't comfortable being first line, but with a mutation like his - and some proper training, of course - he'd been hoping that the Project would give him some help with learning how to redirect the healing nature of his mutation, in an effort to be something akin to an on-the-job medic. "Well, I guess that only reinforces what I've been thinking all along. I don't really have a purpose here, not with a mutation like mine. I'm pretty much just a human shield, to be perfectly honest.  I think I could be more than that, if the higher-ups saw the potential, I guess. How about you?"

[drakexxthorne]

Drake would of smiled at the sight of the man chuckling, that would be if his entire being didn’t protest whenever he wanted to. If a smile was to grace his lips, he would be reminded of the pain once more, of the feeling of loss and death, which would very quickly cease his want. “Some food does sound good right now, some actual food which doesn’t have someone’s hair in it, or taste like cat food”

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

"I dunno if it's just me and my clearly very strange taste buds, but I think the food's been pretty decent so far. Everyone else seems to think otherwise." He knew the highly likely reason why that was, of course, having lived off of scraps and random free meals given to him by the owners of the club he used to fight at. "Nah, it's probably just me." He muttered, shrugging a bit as his stomach growled with hunger. "You don't know of anywhere to go right about now, do you? I mean...legally, of course. Wouldn't want to piss off any of the higher-ups during the first week, right?" Although, with the increasing roar of his stomach, he couldn't really help but consider all possibilities - including breaking into the kitchen.

[elliot-piertz-deactivated201410]

"You have a very optimistic world view. It’s endearing." Elliot was almost tempted to point out that being mutants, a species that was undergoing government sanctioned genocide, meant that most of them probably didn’t have the happiest or healthiest backstories. And who bared their souls to strangers? Not me— but Elliot kept that part and his thoughts to himself, steering the conversation to lighter pastures.

"So—I’m Elliot. Let’s start with your name, where you came from, and do you have any family?"

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

He simply looked at the kid - and he looked very much like a kid, rather than the more 'matured' seeming others walking around the facilities as of late - quizzically, wondering if anything that he was saying or had said was nothing more than mere lies. After all, he had practically introduced himself by saying that lying was the name of the game, and in this kind of life - this new life each and every single one of them had stepped into - who knew what was true and what was false anymore? Hell, maybe that was his power, playing mind games with others that involved lying. You're overthinking everything, he thought, and shrugging the thought away, Gabe simply responded, "I'm Gabriel, Gabe for short, and it's nice to meet you. Uh, Camp B, out in San Francisco. And, yeah, I do. It's just my mom and sister, but I'm the only mutant in the family, so there's that, I guess. How about you? And, don't take this badly or anything, but you look really fuckin' young. They didn't start drafts or something back wherever you're from, did they?"

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

[ let them eat cake; gabriel and kettryn. ]

[kettryniyers]

The more she started interacting with others, the more Kett started feeling like herself. Or, as much as herself as she knew. She knew that being social was one of her strong points and she usually knew how to fill the silence, perhaps a bit awkwardly at times, but other than her nerves that were slowly dying down she felt fine. Kett started to feel like if she could make acquaintances and friends everything would go much smoother. Everyone needed some sort of support in their lives other then pushing them and Kett had to learn that the hard way with still being human. She was able to connect with these other mutants on some sort of level and that was very important to her.

“I’ve never had the experience myself – knock on wood,” she went to knock on the table but quickly realize that it was plastic. And then she noticed that there wasn’t anything in the entire room that was wood. “Well, that’s unfortunate.” She muttered, looking back up towards the tall man. “Anyway, it just feels like there’s a heavy pressure on my chest. I understand, honestly. I don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side and I can be sporadically rude so that’s something I’m going to have to work on. You seem like a decent guy. You’re cutting me a piece of cake right now which you didn’t have to do at all so that’s a good start in my opinion.”

Kett smiled politely hearing him mutter. She took the plate gladly, her thanks expressed through an excited, child-like motion of weighing her shoulders down from side to side. But, the smile on her face went stiff when he held out his hand. “I didn’t know shaking hands was a thing still.” Her smile became natural again. This was where she had to begin trusting herself with her mutation. It was hers and hers alone and she was the only one who could control it. With the help of others as well perhaps, but Kett had to learn how to make this ability her bitch and not let it get out of hand. She set her own dainty hand into his own large one and clasped down giving him a quick and friendly handshake before withdrawing her hand so that she was able to occupy it with the plastic fork. “This is exactly what I need, believe me. If you really wanted to look out for me, you’d cut me another piece of cake so that I can take it back to my room for later,” Kett’s brows raised as a playfully challenging smile slipping upon her face. “It’s nice meeting you Gabriel, I’m Kettryn.”

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

Talking with new people, meeting them, and getting to know all about them in an atmosphere he certainly wouldn't have gotten the chance to be in prior to the Project, it all made him wonder what it was like to be a people person, to be so adaptable to any situation while not making a fool out of oneself whatsoever. It must've been nice, he thought, to find everything so easy.

Gabe supposed that it was the biggest downside to his mutation, his inability to relate to people in a way that they could all relate to each other. If there was one thing that could unite even the most opposite of empires, it was pain and suffering - things that Gabe not only didn't feel, but barely even understood how to sympathize with. And, despite his efforts and best intentions, it seemed as though he'd never quite know what it was like to feel so endlessly stretched and worn down. Of course, he was thankful for that, for never feeling tired, for never having or knowing his true 'limit', but he hated it all at the same time. After all, everyone else could bond together, could discuss plans and strategies for what they'd do once someone fell short, their energy spent up by hours of training and fighting, and what could he do? Nothing more than just stand there, constantly ready to go, a human shield up for the taking. Now isn't the time, he told himself. After all, there was cake to be eaten and an acquaintance to be made. Chuckling at her comment, Gabe responded, "Yeah, just consider me your friendly little cake cutter." He wanted to avoid the thought, but it constantly popped up in his mind, pounding against his thoughts: What else are you good for, anyway? "Shaking hands? It's always been a thing, right? Well, not always... But, it's definitely been around for awhile, and it's the polite thing to do when ya meet someone, right?" He shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of his supposedly old-fashioned ways. "I gotta say, that's a pretty cool name. So, what're you in for? Uh... Not to make this sound like a jail or anything, of course, but you know what I mean."

[drakexxthorne]

"Together? Yeah, why not? Coffee cake with chocolate sauce, chocolate with a hint of coffee hidden somewhere in the bar. Maybe a time will come where I will do that, but I think for now, I will stick to them being two separate things"

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

Chuckling lightly despite himself, Gabe responded, "I hadn't realized how hungry I was until you started talking about food, but I doubt the cafeteria's open now. I guess that's pretty sad for both of us, huh?" His instinct, of course, told him that he could just bust through the wall, no damages to his body incurred, and pick out whatever he wanted, but he was done relying on finding a way around things and much more in favor of going about things the 'right' way.

[elliot-piertz-deactivated201410]

"Let’s play a get to know you game. It’s like truth or dare—without the dare. And with probably lots more lying."

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

"I... What?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion - an action that was getting more and more common as the hours ticked by, meeting new people and interacting with those he'd seen before. "Why lie in order to get to know someone? Isn't it just easiest to lay it all out there?"

[mrnobooty]

Ever the drama queen, the man seemed taken aback by the words coming out of the stranger’s mouth. “No. Do not speak any further to me about comradery or suffering at my side. You are half muscle, half bear,” He declared with the motioning of his hands toward’s the other’s body.

With the flickering of his gaze up and down the other man, measuring and judging, Teddy rolled his eyes and shook his head. His loud tone softened dramatically. “Isn’t that what we’re being prepared for? The battlefield?”

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

Gabe's eyebrows quirked upwards, partially in confusion, though mostly in surprise. He hadn't gotten the chance to meet the man before, not at the little mixer, nor throughout the day, and already it seemed as though Gabe had only served the purpose of exacerbating the man's foul mood. "I... I'm really not..." He stammered, trying to think of an appropriate response, but, as was entirely too typical, fell short of one, barely making sense in what likely sounded like a different language altogether.

He simply remained staid as the man looked him up and down, having memorized intimately how being on the receiving end of such a look felt. "I-I guess so. I mean, maybe some of us are gonna end up differently, though. Maybe they'll train us to be pilots or medics or something. I mean, sure some of us can do fancy things with our fingers or our minds, but if we're working alongside humans, we gotta be well-versed in what they do too, right?" Realizing he had rambled a bit more than intended - though, in all honesty, it wasn't exactly the rarest of situations - Gabe shook his head, and started to apologize. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." He paused and simply extended a hand. "Gabe. Nice to meet you."

[drakexxthorne]

"I have to say, some coffee and chocolate sounds well deserved now"

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

"Chocolate and coffee, together? I mean, no matter what, I'm sure you could make a special request for the chef or something."

[mrnobooty]

You expect me to run and sweat? Lift weights?!

What next? Do you expecting me to bleed for you too?

Christ, I should have known I was entering Hell when I was given a class schedule. “Highschool 2.0.” Sans weed and booze. I might cry.

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

Gabe approached the man who looked, in all senses of the word, distraught. "If it helps any, we'll all be sweating and running and bleeding along with you. Most of us, anyway. And, hey, it beats going out on the battlefield and dying, right?" He doubted his words were of any comfort to the man.

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

[ let them eat cake; gabriel & leda ]

[ledamarch-blog]

Its typical human and mutant nature to judge at first meeting. And Leda was certainly one to judge, even when she herself might not have a right to, although its not as harshly as some but not as kindly as most. But all she’s been able to find out about this other male, Gabe, so far was that he probably wasn’t as used to social interaction as the others, or was less comfortable with it than most. It’s a fault sure, but at least it wasn’t a more annoying or dangerous fault, like arogance or overconfidence like she;s seen emmited by one or two of the other mutant’s that she’s come into contact with thus far.

She’s accidentally burned people like that before, little touches that everyone else can do fine that Leda struggles with. Usually if there was no avoiding a touch like that she’d attempt to pull the heat from her hands, putting a lot of energy into it so that the other person wouldn’t think anything strange of the touch. She’s rather them question why she was suddenly feeling weak afterwards than them rushing to hospital with burns on their palms. The last time she’d displayed power like that had ended her up in a situation she would do anything to never have to repeat again.

"No, no, it wasn’t you I just didnt want to…" He was a mtuant too, she shouldn’t have to fully hide all of herself right? Not when they’re in the same boat. And they would all find out each others abilities soon enough through this Maya, or through training together. So with a sigh she continues. "…Accidentally burn you." His words confused her at first, how could he not feel that sort of-oh! "Is that part of your mutation? It’s okay if you don’t want to answer that, its a bit forward, sorry." A small, somewhat comforting smile grows on Leda’s lips as she tries to help the other feel a little more at ease.

"Thats very true, we could have been taken to some underground mutant layer, lava and evil thrones included." Joking, now there was something she hadn’t felt like doing since she got here, but now felt comfortable enough to at least attempt it. The chuckle is returned by a slightly smaller laugh from the Pyro, the corners of her lips quirked up. "Well I used to play spies when I was a kid, so all this training will be interesting to see how much Fi-..I mean, I got right when I was younger." She’s already been introduced to one telepath, she couldn’t risk taking, and therefore thinking of the one person who she’s trying to protect.

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

He quirked an eyebrow as she started to form her words, her explanation of sorts - not that she was compelled to make one, of course. There was practically nothing at all that Gabe could force onto another person, despite his best efforts to execute his thoughts with clarity. And, besides that, what did she have to explain herself for? There were all in the same boat here, little lost lambs being prepared for slaughter, with some additional little quirks thrown in.

When she finally came over her hesitation of saying what she'd been thinking all along, his countenance relaxed, and he offered a excited little smile. "Oh, so you're a pyro! That's pretty neat. How does it work? I mean, do you get hurt when it happens? Do you have any special gloves or something? Oh, me, I just... My mutation is pretty dumb, to be honest. I... Actually, it might make  more sense if I just show you, so try to blaze me up or something, okay? You won't hurt me, so don't hold back. I guess that's kinda the point of my mutation, I can't really feel pain or get hurt like everyone else does, except for when it affects my mind. But, I'd really love to see what you can do, if you don't mind sharing." 

Gabe wanted to know everything when it came to his fellow mutants. The majority of his life was spent believing that they - his own kind - were part of a problem, an unavoidable, irreparably damaged and irreparable damage-inducing obstacle for the rest of the world to deal with. For the longest time, he had believed that the humans were the one with the powers, and in a sense, they were. They were the ones with all the money and technology, and a history to call their own. Mutants, being so new and already thrown into the early stages of battle, seemed to have such a small fighting chance at actually accomplishing any of that.

But, of course, as was human, mutant, and animal nature - they would all damn well try.

[o-hayes-deactivated20141101]

sacrificial lamb [oliver + gabriel]

[o-hayes-deactivated20141101]

The entire idea of the Genesis Project had been a safe haven for Oliver, but now he was more or less regretting his entire choice to come out as a mutant (and what a vulgar word that was) and join. At the time if had seemed like the only thing he could do. It wasn’t as if he had some other place he could hide out. He couldn’t contact authorities, tell them his mother was a crazy bitch who was after his head, cross his fingers and hope for the best. Now Genesis just felt like a needle in his spine.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows raising as he caught sight of a man. He had seen him in the room before, had been careful to catalogue his face and place it in his memory to pick apart later, but he hadn’t made contact with him. Oliver hadn’t bothered to talk to most of the people in the room. He was all tapped out for energy, and his quota for dealing with others had been filled by the scientists who had poked and prodded at him. It wasn’t that Oliver hated other people or had trouble actually dealing with them, but running on hot air and barely-there mental control made it difficult to suffer fools.

Oliver’s mouth twitched as he turned, leaning his other shoulder against the wall. A rambler. He hadn’t had to deal with one of those since he’d been plucked out of Louisiana and tested, forced to show that he was, without a doubt, the best man – or, in this case, mutant – for the job. He liked people who rambled; they were easier to extract information from.

“It depends where you want to go,” he said after a beat, eyes sweeping over the man slowly, trying to decide exactly where this conversation was going to go. Oliver needed to make allies. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that he could get away with being by himself, that the Project could thrive without the cooperation of all participants, but he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the idea. Alliances meant trust, even at the most minimal levels. Oliver didn’t trust people. After the betrayals he’d been subjected to, he didn’t see a point in it. The last man he’d trusted was dead now. He had no intentions of making new friends.

And yet he knew he couldn’t make this work if he didn’t try. Being allies didn’t necessarily mean he had to make friends with everyone, braid their hair and talk boys in the evenings. Oliver didn’t think getting that close to someone was going to be possible for him. Not again.

“I’ve been to a few places,” he continued, pushing off the wall and stepping toward the man with touch of difficulty, “so I might be able to help you out. Unless there’s actual food that’s more interest than you. I might have to pass you up for that.” Would he use his mutation? Probably not. As easy as it would make everything, Oliver didn’t want to exhaust himself to the point of syncope. It had happened a time or two before, when he’d been young and dumb enough to believe that there wouldn’t be consequences to stretching out his mental capacity to a thin string. He always ended up being disgusted with himself when he woke.

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

The man looked tired and annoyed, as though he'd been kept up for the past few days against his own will. Gabe wondered if he had been running around the facilities, perhaps practicing the development of his skills a bit too much, and had tuckered himself out. Or, in almost slightly worse case scenario, he had gotten a bit of food poisoning and was now suffering the aftermath of a bad reaction. Either way, it couldn't have been that pleasant, and Gabe found himself feeling like more and more of a burden to the man than anyone he had run into throughout the day's events.

It hit him, soon enough, that practically everyone had appeared restless and anxious, though he simply attributed it to the very same nerves he had been feeling himself. Of course, that wasn't completely the case - they all were subject to rounds of physical testing, completing trial after trial of exercises and tasks that likely wore them down to their very cores. Gabe didn't know what that was like, given his mutation, and hadn't even concerned it as the currently existing reality for everyone else. He frowned a bit, having just disappointedly realized just how ignorant he had been all along, an odd mix of internal anger pumping through his veins.

Gabe looked the other man over once again, noticing the slight difficulty that followed him as he pushed off the wall. "Uh, wherever you think you can manage getting to, I guess. I don't wanna force you to do anything you can't. I mean, hell, I'll help you walk to your room if that's what you'd prefer, or, uh... Actually, can I...can I try something? I've been working on it for awhile now, but haven't actually gotten to see it in action, and this could, uh, help you, I guess? Don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything - I don't think I actually can."

Without asking, without exactly knowing the other man's personal boundaries, and without even sharing so much as his own name, he reached one hand over to the man's shoulder, at first a bit of a heavier touch before properly steadying his hand. Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts clear out, and concentrated solely on the objective he'd been trying to get at for the past few months - the transference of his energy to a person more in need. He assumed that, if what he had was a heightened form of Regenerative Healing, transferring energy would be the next step, no?

He breathed the moment in, deeply and calmly until his mind started to practically scream with the most horrifying pain he'd felt in quite some time - he felt tired, weak, even, and the mental pain wasn't as fleeting as it had proven to be in the past. Just a few seconds of trying to help someone, and he had already monumentally fucked it up - and on his own end. Gabe couldn't help but wonder if the pain he'd just receive was an aftershock of his power reflecting back onto him, or if he had actually managed to relieve the other man of some of his pain - pain that was now seeping into his own being.

Quite timidly, he asked, "Did it...help at all?"

[runawaylachlan-blog]

Clarisse had always prided herself on being easy to talk to. Most people felt comfortable talking to her the moment that she met them. Only because she was so open about everything. Rarely did she keep secrets. “I think you’re a fine talker!” she exclaimed, beaming at Gabriel. “You’re great company. Or at least you’re better company than the floor was,” she laughed at her own joke. In all honesty, she was just trying to make sure everyone was feeling comfortable. She wasn’t really focused on herself in the current moment. Everyone seemed to be so different, but she didn’t really mind. 

She had barely gotten to say goodbye to her family. Only giving each of them a gentle hug before being whisked away. With the promise to write, Clarisse had the itch to truly find a computer or paper and a pen so she could wrote to them. She wondered how many of these people had families. How many of them didn’t? She wasn’t going to ask though. She felt that was rude. 

"That’s pretty cool!" she exclaimed. "I’m actually more susceptible to damage by fire, so I have to be careful! But your mutation is neat. Can you fight?" Clarisse didn’t know what his background was, but fighting seemed to be something that he probably would be good at. She wasn’t so sure she would be good at it at all, but she could get pointers from those who were. "But I mean, you’re power is unique. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with that specific power before." 

She nodded. “I donno. I’ve never tried that. Honestly, my mutation is sort not useful. I mean it is, but it isn’t. Like I don’t really know my limitations very well. And I guess, I’m just really smart and that’s why I’m here. I honestly couldn’t tell you. Erm, I’m sort of useless. I have great control over what I can do, I guess I just have to work on strengthening my mutation,” Riss smiled at him. “I haven’t been outside yet! But I’ve deducted that we’re on a tropical island. Otherwise it probably wouldn’t be so cold in here; they’d have the hear on instead!” She’d deducted that one night when she couldn’t sleep. They had to be on a tropical island. 

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

He laughed along with her, reveling in the ease of such a corny little joke, thankful that that particular kind of humor was welcomed around here, even if only by one person. Gabriel was starting to relax now, far more than he had prior to the event, and he found himself immensely grateful, not only to Clarisse for being able to sympathize with the awkwardness that came along with unfamiliar territory, but just for the situation in general as a whole.

He smiled cheerfully at her - something he believed to be an utter rarity, given the nature of the Project - and listened as she spoke again, his face falling more and more as she talked about his powers, and especially when she asked about his fighting experience. However, he let his response slide for a moment, hoping she didn't think it too awkward when he simply nodded. Suffice it to say, Gabriel had been absolutely dreading the question from Day One. It was easy enough to answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no', which was the barest answer that the question itself deserved - and yet, he couldn't quite bring himself to seem that rude. And, of course, if he wasn't truthful with his response, he'd run the risk of losing the few allies and friends he would have made along the way once he was found out. 

So, with a bit of a sigh, Gabe let it all spill out.

"Uh, yeah, actually. I do. I got tied up with this guy who threw me into underground wrestling matches - you know, the illegal ones you hear about on the news, the ones that are actually a front for drugs and shit. It was just to make money at first, to make money off of my mutation, which was really easily disguisable for everyone else there. The cops busted the place, and for some reason, instead of going to Alcatraz, I ended up here." He let a silence fall in the space between them, almost ignorantly so, until he realized just how criminal he sounded. "But, I mean, that's how I learned to take on the biggest of the big guys, you know? So, it did me some good in the long run... I think."

Well, if she didn't want to try and be friends with him after that, so be it. He had tried to tell the truth, and that's what was important.

"A tropical island, huh?" Gabe asked, a weak laugh escaping him in an effort to break the seemingly grave nature he'd driven the conversation into. "I gotta say, that's pretty cool - or warm, if you will. Alright, alright. Sorry for the shit joke, but - hey, if you wanna take a look around the grounds, I'll tag along. Exploring's always more fun with other people, right?"

In all truth, he didn't really know the answer to his own question.

[ozwilliamsreplicator]

"Are you serious? I’m pretty sure Maya Matthers even included that in the speech, and everyone has been talking about it." Oscar stared at the man incredulously until signs of recognition for what he was asking passed his face. "Yeah… that. Mine was, uh, something as well, my trainer was a little harsh but I think his constructive criticism will only help me improve."

[gabriel-lloyd-blog]

"Must've fucked that one up, then..." Gabe grumbled to himself, crumbling up the little scrap of meaningless paper. Of course he'd get the day-to-day schedule all mixed up. After all, it was a whole seven days worth of repeated fucking material; obviously, that was the most challenging prospect about the current situation they all found themselves in. Gabe could - and likely would - stay made at himself for days, but now certainly wasn't the time to show it, certainly not when the more knowledgeable man in front of him was talking. He nodded respectfully, even going so far as to smile a bit.

"Well, I really hope that ends up working out for you like that. I mean, that's the way it should be, right? And, I'm sure he only wants you to be at the top of your game 'cause that's what's expected from all of us, right?" Gabe's face fell slightly at the thought, knowing just how far from the top he, when compared to seemingly everyone else, was. Quickly extending a hand, he spoke once more, "Uh, sorry, I don't think I introduced myself. Gabriel Lloyd, B2. Hopefully you'll be seeing me in classes next time 'round."