Hanging around

[Shade]

Shade turned her head, studying him. He was a couple of years older than herself, but not too many years. She could imagine what he said. She nodded. "Strange to imagine everyone grown up now being teenagers here years back." she said.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro shook his head slightly; that was not what he found odd about the situation. After all, he had only arrived six months ago; he had no memories of the staff as adults; he knew them as the teenagers they had all been. They had changed, and yet they had not.:: "It is strange that the children I knew teach now."

[Shade]

Shade smiled slightly at that. She hadn´t known any of the staff as children, but she could follow his thought there. "I rather tend to think that you never really see yourself as a kid even when you are. And when you look at kids today you think they look younger than you did at their age."

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro mulled over her statement. It was true that he viewed the children now as younger than he viewed himself, because they most certainly remained children while he was an adult. He afforded them the innocence that had been stolen from him in his childhood, and was protective of them because of it. At the same time he wanted, at least for those girls he had taken under his guard, to overcome their own naivety so they could cope with the dangers of the world.

He remembered being their age; he simply had been forced to grow quickly. It was difficult to remain innocent, to remain a child, when you had to protect your sister and yourself from danger. He shook his head slightly.:: "It depends on the childhood you had."

[Shade]

"Possibly." Shade said. "And on how your see yourself." If the childhood was a good one, one could be a child for a long time she guessed. She knew perfectly well that she had never left her childhood behind completely. She wouldn´t want to either. It had nothing to do with being naive or depending, it just meant to keep a childlike spirit and humour. Pietro´s childhood seemed an edgy topic so she did not ask.

[Pietro Maximoff]

"That also," ::Pietro agreed with a slight nod. Some adults saw themselves as children long after that window had passed. He was not among them.::

[Shade]

Shade nodded. "Sometimes I don´t see myself as an adult yet." she said. She stretched her legs and her left hand came to rest on a torn paperback issue of a novel she had taken outside with her. She had read that book countless times and had decided to browse through it a little later. She knew quiete some passages by heart but that didn´t matter. She had owned that book for quite a few years now. It had been part of growing up. There was a bookmark between the much browsed pages that looked out just a little. The playing card from months back. It had been her bookmark ever since.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro was not surprised in the slightest to hear her describe herself in that fashion. She struck him as naive, unwilling or unable to accept adulthood yet. He could see no merit in that philosophy, not at her age. However now was not the time to speak of such matters; instead he simply replied with a slight nod.::

[Shade]

Shade caught his nod from the corners of her eyes, wondering what might be going through his head now. She did not make a secret of what she had just said. Back at college, even earlier at high school, there had been the sort of people too intent on being totally grown up and Shade had often found their company rather tiring. She knew how to lead her own life, how to fend for herself and all this which was unlike a child. but she simply did not have a problem in a little childlike thinking now and then. Not in a naive way, more in a way of a careless joy in life whenever that was possible and in having fun in simple jokes. That sort of philosophy was also mirrored in her sense of humour - which Pietro had not even gotten a glimpse of but which as she thought with an inward chuckle, he would - no doubt - find unnerving. Whatever might be going through the young man´s head, Shade therefore thought, was nothing that concerned her. Whatever he thought of her she did not care.
For a moment, she was daydreaming, her thoughts somewhat absent, not heavy but light and going into good directions, affectionate ones, her gaze passing over the grounds with no clear aim.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::The conversation had reached another lull, and Pietro found himself with neither topics nor volition to artificially revive it yet again. She seemed content to laze about this afternoon, and he grew uncomfortable, physically. The pressure on his ribs returned from the rigid position he had taken, and he needed to change the dressing. Truth be told, he would also simply be more comfortable with his sister at present. He rose to his feet and checked his shirt.:: "I should change these bandages."

[Shade]

Shade looked up at him, blinking a little at the autumn sun. She had been dwelling in her own thoughts; not because she wanted to make Pietro leave, but because she had felt like it and because she had not known what else to talk about with him. Normally it was not difficult for her to talk or have a conversation. Pietro was a true challenge there and right now she felt somewhat lazy and had no more motivation to stick up to that challenge.

She nodded. "Okay." she said. What else? I guess I´ll see you? Well, she couldn´t say she was looking forward to that like looking forward to see a friend. So, no. "Well, get well then." she said.

[Pietro Maximoff]

"Thank you," ::Pietro said with a slight nod. He did not know if she meant her words or not, but he would give her the benefit of the doubt. They had a relatively unmarred conversation, and that was a start. Taking his leave of her, he returned inside to change the dressing on his ribs.::