A Lonesome Road. [Sophia/private]

[Sophia Tanner]

Sophia was content to walk along quietly, but when he asked what she had liked to do before...this...she had to think a moment.

"I liked to read. I would stay after school until the teachers made me go home, just reading. When i was home i couldn't bring books, because my mom would get drunk and tear them up. I would go to the college sometimes, and some of the students would tutor me. I was good enough i got into my freshman year of high school when i was eleven. i took French and Spanish in seventh grade. And i was on the Science Team in eighth. i was going to start my sophomore year, and then the bombs hit."

Sophia was not actually a 'genius' but she had found a way to escape her home situation by reading, and learning. In her case it wasnt talent, or natural intelligence, but hard work that had gotten her to where she was.

[Vaughn Mallori]

As Vaughn continued his rather lopsided walk, he listened to what Sophia enjoyed doing. The library was on the way back, so perhaps they could stop by and take a few of the less damaged books. It was clear to the masked man that the little girl enjoyed learning considering how much she had done prior to the apocalypse. The entire story gave Vaughn the impression that Sophia was definitely a hard working, which was further confirmed by the fact that she was still alive during the post-apocalypse. "The library is on the way back, if we have time we could stop there and you can pick out some books if you like. It may help you settle into the settlement a little easier," Vaughn suggested. "Also, may I say that is very impressive Sophia. I couldn't even imagine me doing anything like that when I was little. I barely even knew what I wanted to do when I grew up." He did not dare to state anything further, just the mere mention of school brought up memories of Leon. Mentally, Vaughn had vowed to not speak about his childhood friend since it brought back painful memories. Any thoughts of Leon were immediately shoved away, he did not need to dwell on them now. "Did you have any plans for when you finished school?" Vaughn asked out of curiosity. It would give him a better idea to what Sophia enjoyed after all.

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 242 n/a

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Sophia Tanner]

Sophia shook her head.

"Maybe some other time. Its too dangerous to take time, and besides, last time i went to the library there was a...thing...not human...but big. Very big."

When he asked what she had wanted to after school she didnt really need to think.

"I was going to be a teacher. But not a normal one. I wanted to teach kids who were always told they were worthless. My teachers didnt care. If i did well on a test, they praised me, but if i didnt, they ignored me. When i was angry or sad, they ignored me. I want to be a teacher who helps, not one who doesnt care."

[Vaughn Mallori]

The masked man gave a small nod to the little girl's words. He could certainly eliminate this atrocity, but Sophia had insisted that lingering was a terrible idea, thus Vaughn kept moving. There would always be another day to deal with the big creature in the library and besides, there were likely a couple of books back at the settlement that people had kept or gotten. Not to mention these mysterious blue hats were always a threat if they were lurking and due to their lack of patterns it would be difficult to predict where they would head off to next. "Very well, and feel free to ask anytime. I'm not always free, but I would be willing help nonetheless," Vaughn responded. When it came to his question of what she wanted to do, Sophia was rather quick to answer. The answer, however, caused Vaughn to stiffen a moment. It made complete sense that Sophia would desire to be a teacher since she enjoyed reading and learning, but what caused the masked man to tense a moment was the mere mentioning of the career. His brother had been a teacher after all and since the beginning of the apocalypse, Vaughn had not gotten the time to try and find him or even prove his innocence. "That's an excellent choice and that would make you an excellent teacher. Teachers should care about their students no matter their grades," Vaughn responded simply. Talking about his past was never something the masked man did often, mostly because it reminded him of his failures in finding Leon and proving his brother innocent then everything in between seemed a tad boring to company.

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 278 n/a

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Sophia Tanner]

Sophie nodded sagely and followed him.

"Teachers should teach, not just educate."

She noticed how he reacted to the teacher bit, if only subtly, and opted to change the subject.

"I saw a man with animals...I thought all the animals went insane from the Maras...But he was acting like they were normal, and one of them was a cat with wing flaps like a flying squirrel!"

[Vaughn Mallori]

When Sophia talked about what teachers should do, Vaughn merely nodded in agreement. It was a true statement, but the masked man still felt mildly discomforted by the subject of the conversation. He could not cease the thoughts of his brother; Vaughn had an excellent bond with him despite the occasional sibling bickering. Even though Derek had not been the best father, the tall man knew his brother still did not deserved the false condemnation he received. He was most certainly innocent after all! Vaughn kept his smooth pace and listened as Sophia changed the subject. Although he was not completely certain if it was due to his discomfort over the previous topic, Vaughn still appreciated it. "That's very interesting, Sophia," Vaughn said. "Perhaps he was capable of controlling them due to gifted abilities. There are plenty of incredible powers out in the world nowadays." He had not seen anything of the sort, but the masked man would not doubt the existence of it in today's world. Considering he could move at sonic speeds, alter his body and suppress unbearable amounts of pain he was fairly certain that people could control animals. Concepts like such were no longer works of fiction in the post-apocalypse world and there were many testaments to the idea. "Hmm, must have been an interesting cat. Mutated animals are always quite an interest after all. At least when they are not trying to do someone harm," Vaughn commented simply. The change in topic had relaxed the tall man and warded away any thoughts of Derek; which was definitely something that did not require pondering over in the present situation. Vaughn's yellow began glancing around as best they could from outside the holes of the mask. They recognized multiple landmarks that meant that they were closing in on the settlement. The idea gave him a sense of relief, his left leg was still aching after all and he could use some time to simply relax.

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 328 n/a

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Sophia Tanner]

Sophia nodded. she noticed signs of habitation, obvious evidence of salvaging, and the occasional person seen in the distance, possibly looking for usable materials. When they came to the gate she noticed it had marks from animal claws, and that people were repairing.

"You should use wood, not metal. Metal tends to be brittle, and can be broken if something heavy enough hits it. Wood splinters before it breaks, and while flammable, it would also be more easily replaced, without using metal you could use for weapons."

Sophia had practically lived in the world of books, and she had a wealth of knowledge. She only hoped it would make her useful enough people could over look her faults.

[Vaughn Mallori]

Gradually they closed in on the Aimon Settlement and evidence of human habitation became more frequent with each step. A few of his fellow settlers were pass by, some offering a wave, others a mere nod and some bore a face of confusion at his unrecognized company. Vaughn ignored them for the time being, they could bombard him with their questions later, for now he wanted to return to the inside of the settlement. It was likely he would have to report the new arrival to Xander after all, the leader had every right to know. The makeshift wall made of a mishmash of random metal plates and a few other unknown materials came into view alongside the large front gate. When he began to approach he looked at the various repair makers before his eyes went to the top of the wall. His attention only went away when he heard Sophia speak about the wall. "Hmm, I will mention the notion to Xander. He is the leader of the settlement after all," Vaughn responded. He was going to have to go see the leader anyways. "For the time being, let's get you inside and settled. I can speak with him a little later. Now come along, Sophia. The guards should not be a worry." Priority number one was getting Sophia settled within the place, it seemed like the proper task to begin with. He began to approach the gate, the guards quickly recognizing him as their superior. It was likely they would want to ask about Sophia since their skepticism of even high ranking officials in the settlement was required. Once the gates squealed open, Vaughn motioned for Sophia to follow and passed through the threshold and into the familiar area of the Aimon Settlement.

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 296 N/a

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Sophia Tanner]

The small girl nodded and followed closely, getting slightly nervous around so many people. Her power being what it was, it did not take long before people around her began to get irritable. A shouting match started over who had been in line first, despite the 'line' being all of four people long. Two men got into a slugging match over a joke that normally, between the two of them, would have incited laughter.

Sophia shrunk into herself, tightening her hood, despite the heat of the day. Of course as her nerves grew, so did the level of influence, however, once she was more than twenty feet from those being affected, the effects wore off quickly, leaving the victims bewildered at their sudden aggression.

Sophia still had no clue that it was a power she had, a mutation, and still thought it was just, part of her.

[Vaughn Mallori]

Being around the familiar faces of his fellow settlers made Vaughn feel slightly more comfortable; they were friends and allies after all. Although, there was always that underlining concern that they would discover the full extent of his mutations, but for now they believed he possessed no gifts. As he walked down the inner streets, the more concerning the area seemed to get. There was that strange, unexplained feeling of anger that seemed keen on sparking again. Alas, there had been nothing that occurred to actually make Vaughn mad. To make matters worst, it appeared that he was not the only one to be effected by these sudden emotions. The masked man bit down on his lip to make certain he would not end up screaming; he was determined to not get in trouble with Xander should terrible events unfold due to it. Movement caught his eye while he passed by, Sophia following behind him. Two men were soon at fists with each other, and from what the masked man knew they were excellent friends. It caused him to raise an eyebrow, but he kept walking while he watched the pair. He wanted to wait to get involved, assess what was going happen and know how to deal with the problem. However, they suddenly stopped with looks of confusion on their faces. Now that was definitely peculiar, clearly there was something he was missing here. Vaughn thought for a moment, which was ludicrously hard when somebody felt randomly angry at literally nothing, but eventually he reached a possible conclusion as he remembered the incident at the house. He glanced back, yellow eyes noticing his company who had taken refuge inside her hood. Perhaps this was connected? "Everything will be alright, Sophia. Nobody will hurt you here," Vaughn began. He quickly thought for a moment before adding, "the heat might be getting to them. I assure you they are normally not like this." The masked man was clueless to how he managed to keep an even tone while talking, although, he would have been more pleased if his voice was gentler. Then again, considering these peculiar feelings of anger he would take any tone that did not make him sound angry. Getting Sophia out of the crowded streets seemed to be the best plan for the moment since if he was correct it would be best to calm her down. Thus, he began to search for someplace out of the way and where no eyes would watch in curiosity.

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 418 N/a

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Sophia Tanner]

Sophia followed him silently, nodding at his words. Although she herself was unaware of her powers, having learned of her Chimera ability when she had gained Vaughn's super strength, although she was not aware it was HIS power, or what had happened really, she was somehow aware that the fighting was her fault.

When they were away from listening ears and prying eyes she let out a whimpered "I'm Sorry..."

She hated fighting, but even before the bombs and the explosions people had always seemed to fight when around her.

[Vaughn Mallori]

Caution had to be taken while walking the roads of the settlement, something that was required for the moment given Vaughn's company. He was fairly certain that his strong-willed attitude, steely determination and lack of quick temperament were the only things allowing him to refrain from some angry outburst. The pace of his walk was average, hastening his speed seemed like a horrendous idea since some may queue into the idea of something being wrong, although, most people they passed seemed far too busy arguing. Each glance around made Vaughn dismayed, perhaps it was not possible to hide Sophia abilities. Midori's were easy to hide due to their passiveness and the fact that they were not threatening to those around her. Alas, Sophia's seemed keen on causing some mayhem which was definitely a bad thing. When Sophia spoke, the masked man's attention returned to her. It seemed likely that she was beginning to arrive to the same conclusion as he was. Vaughn glanced back at the little girl, it was not like she was causing this intentionally and she was still a kid who likely was not certain how to completely control her powers. "It's alright, let us keep moving for the time being. I assure you everything will be fine," Vaughn said in a neutral tone. Trying to maintain a happier one was awfully difficult when there was a little girl who induced anger right beside you. In order to keep his usual placid expression, Vaughn kept taking slow breaths and did his best to speak slowly. There was one thing that Vaughn knew, it was that it was very difficult to make him angry. After years of working with emotional people alongside children to solve crimes, he had gained a high tolerance for people of all forms; which included the more infuriating.

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 304 n/a

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Sophia Tanner]

Sophia pulled her hood tighter. This at least had the effect of limiting her sight-line to the fighting people, and reduced her stress level considerably, which in turn reduced the aggression around her.

As the fighting reduced, so did her anxiety, and thus the fighting reduced even more. The cycle was self-sustaining.

Sopia removed her hood, and seeing the people apologizing and smiling soothed her even more.

[Vaughn Mallori]

Every so often as they continued at a steady pace, Vaughn would glance back at Sophia, his yellow eyes making certain the young girl did not get separated. His yellow eyes immediately noticed that she had retreated to the depths of her hood; a hiding place from the fighting. Oddly enough, as they kept moving the effect of the mysterious ability that Sophia had began to diminish in strength. The masked man noted how the violence, verbal or otherwise, was reducing around them. It was a pleasant sign and once the induced feelings of rage were reduced enough a thin smile came across Vaughn's lips. Quickly, the tall man spared another glance back at Sophia, who had removed her hood. She seemed to be looking at the people who were apologizing and making amends with one another. To the second-in-command of the settlement it was definitely an improvement and it would be better for Sophia to see how everybody truly acted. "Everything is alright, Sophia. There is nothing to worry about." Vaughn spoke in a gentle tone and kept a smile on his face, despite it being useless because of the mask. While he walked, Vaughn debated what exactly he was going to do now that Sophia was within the Aimon Settlement. Logic told him to show her around so should the young girl get separated she could at least find her way around, however, other thoughts weighed on his mind. "Sophia, is there anything you are curious about here? I think it would be an excellent idea to give you a lay of the land so you can find your way around. We have a schoolhouse, an infirmary, there's a dinner and a few other places that I can show you." Vaughn explained while he walked. "I know my niece one time was excited to go to the wall and look over the city."

Concealed by a mask, that hides the many lies. Sophia Tanner 315 N/a

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