[center][h1]Collaboration with: [@Damo021] & [@Pilatus][/h1][/center]

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[hider=Part 1]
It had been an interesting few days for Cleo to say the least, Sunday and Monday had the teen mostly sitting in the infirmary recovering from her injuries and the constant headaches she was getting from her new developing abilities. Later on that night, Cleo had met Jasper in the early hours and spent a short time conversing while stargazing, it was a nice enjoyable moment of peace. Tuesday found herself back in class and although she didn’t feel herself many thought she was back to her old self when blamed for a classroom prank that had everyone sounding like chipmunks.

Today however; Cleo found herself at odds with everything going on in her mind. She remembers a conversation she had with Heidi, Kaylee and Cole on Saturday, it’s gritty details of a night before, but one she can not recall, it’s like the memories of the night have faded away, like they never happened and it left her confused, worried. How could she have a graphical conversation like that and not remember it happen? Cleo didn’t know but as she sat alone at the fountain, her words of Ashford and this inner conflict had convinced her of one thing. She had to get out and dodge. 

The days that followed Saturday night reminded Cole of how bad a decision it was to stretch his rule of no working relationships. Granted, there wasn’t truly a [i]relationship[/i] per se; they had been out a few times and that was all. He felt like he was the one pumping the brakes more than her and while the resulting silence from the confessional with Heidi and Cleo had probably put the brake pedal firmly on the floorboard, he didn’t feel bad about it. The vision that he gained when the time called was so clear that there was no dispute. He could [i]feel[/i] it in his soul, like he could see the world as it was truly made without influence or suggestion. When he looked on Una in the midst of the burning building, he knew with certainty he wasn’t looking at a mutant. The fog that clustered around her had reacted to his sense of discernment as if it was curious and afraid at the same time that it had been recognized. The image played behind his eyes as he sat in front of a laptop at a high table in the large campus dining area.

The food was surprisingly good, though he rarely indulged for lunch, instead only a couple protein bars and coffee sat next to his fingers as he worked. The office would have been quieter, but he needed some fresh air and a change of scenery. As it were, Ashford was making a serious investment in the protection of the campus and while Cole understood the significance of the work they were involved in, the level of expenditure seemed a little grandiose even for those standards. There were competing bids for the work, however the leading quote came from [i]Senturion[/i], a European firm with which the Dean had stated he was familiar and had done business with in the past. They specialized in a mechanized drone line referred to as [i]Sentinels[/i] that worked within a network based around the objective they were meant to protect. There were some that resembled standard, quad-rotor drones, but the [url=https://www.deviantart.com/kondor0/art/Metalhead-Dog-Black-Mirror-723251181]ground units[/url] were completely bizarre. Cole’s hands worked over the keys as he made some notes. Other sizable upgrades would come with the plan, many of which would be extremely useful so he couldn’t be too skeptical.

Running a hand over his face, he looked over an email before firing it away and reached for his coffee, taking a sip and sitting back in the chair for a moment, he crossed his other arm over his chest and immediately reread what he had just sent. Like everything else about the Ashford Institute that he had encountered thus far, there seemed to be a pervading sense of [i]compartmentalization[/i]. The detective in him also couldn’t help but be curious, though his gut instinct quietly whispered for him to be suspicious. He rubbed at the stubble on his chin for a moment and finally closed the window, though sensing someone approaching he turned his glance away from the screen.

Cleo had since made her way in, as much as she loved the peace she was enjoying within the rays of sunshine. The teen decided she wanted to calm her nerves with some coffee and made her way to the diner area of the school, there were many students going about their business, and the usual crop she found herself in weren’t around probably attending to their own devices of course. Cleo had got herself a cappuccino, like most coffee it was her kryptonite and most likely have her bouncing off walls later, but for now it will help calm her nerves.

Turning around and leaning against the wall, Cleo took in her surroundings while taking in the scent of the coffee, this made her want to simply sink into a chair and vanish for a while and enjoy this moment of bliss. With happiness on her face for a moment as she blew at the hot liquid before taking a sip, she saw one face that she most certainly wouldn’t forget in anytime soon. Cole was sitting by his lonesome and working on something, She would end up staring at the guy longer than she would admit, he was present during her whole blurt out session from saturday and he came out with some interesting revelations too. After a moment of thought, Cleo would go and approach him. 

Walking up to the table the guy was sitting at, Cleo approached his side, taking another sip of coffee to keep her nerves calm. [color=f7941d]“Excuse me Mr Cole, Sorry if you are busy, but is it okay to join you? I kinda feel the need to talk to someone.”[/color] Cleo shyly smiled.  After a moment, she sat down across from Cole, shifting a little until she was comfortable, again taking another sip from her coffee. [color=f7941d]“So like, I am trying to figure out how to put this, Things have not been the same since Saturday, I got this feeling later into the night that i can’t explain, like a sense. not to mention our conversation.”[/color] She paused as she sighed. [color=f7941d]“I can’t even remember why we had it”[/color][/hider]