Reading by the River ((open))

[Odin]

"And if you get tired of them, you can run a want ad for a mentor," ::Odin suggested, mostly in humor.::

[Aqua]

Emily laughed. "That's a brilliant idea. Never occurred to me."

[Odin]

::Her laughter caused Odin to smirk.:: "Well, I do work in the business."

[Aqua]

"Advertising?" Emily clarified. "That sounds like an interesting job. Do you run your own business or work for a company?"

[Odin]

"Marketing," ::Odin replied, which was closely akin to advertising although there were different specialties within each.:: "I work for a magazine."

[Aqua]

Emily nodded. She looked at the river, not knowing what else to add to all this.

[Odin]

::Silence fell between them, as she appeared not to have a response to that. Odin enjoyed conversation, but there was a limit to how much he put another mutant "on the spot." As such, he made his offer.:: "I can let you get back to your job hunt, if you'd like."

[Aqua]

Emily shrugged. "To tell you the truth, that is my only occupation for today. As soon as I'm done with those and with corresponding phone calls and e-mails, I'm left with nothing to do. But I am running out of ideas to give to you in response, I can easily be exhausted by a conversation, unfortunately." Must be a social disability or something, she added in thought.

[Odin]

::Odin had met a few people like that in his time, and he nodded to convey he understood, to a point. Not being one of those people, he couldn't be said to have an in-depth understanding.:: "What do you usually do when that happens?"

[Aqua]

"Nothing," Emily said. "Other than keeping silent and desperately searching for something relevant to say."

[Odin]

::There went Odin's attempt to guide her through cross-application. There was a reason that he had never considered a career in teaching, as guiding others in realms outside of mutation wasn't a skill he possessed in abundance. Particularly when he didn't have the same starting point to use as reference; he was rarely at a loss on a topic. If he lacked the knowledge, he would either feign it or compensate with enthusiasm.:: "I don't suppose that a suggestion to enhance your stamina would go over well?"

[Aqua]

"What do you mean?" Emily asked. "That I should persevere in a conversation even after I've ran out of ideas?"

[Odin]

"In a way, in a friendly atmosphere," ::Odin confirmed, and folded his hands atop his knee.:: "With someone whom you like who can keep you on track. It could teach you how to find ideas when before you'd be tapped out."

[Aqua]

Peculiarly, that sounded just like the advice Pietro had once given her on how to handle her low alcohol tolerance. Emily mused on the similarity. "Maybe I will try that someday," she said. "First, it takes finding someone like that." She had sometimes been able to do that with Rin when he used to be around. The thought saddened her; she hadn't seen the guy in months. Hopefully he was all right.

[Odin]

::Odin nodded, acknowledging that. Finding the right person was key to bringing out otherwise hidden personality traits and skills. Again, he had benefited from that earlier in life. had he not, he could only imagine what sort of self-conscious, antisocial introvert he would have remained.:: "Which comes back to the topic of classified ads. 'Young mutant seeks same for verbal sparring partner.'"