1873/Icy Inspections

Icy Inspections
Date of Scene:	27 May 2020
Location:	Abandoned Warehouse
Synopsis:	Joel and Nessa test out their ice powers in common.
Cast of Characters:	Joel Sterling, Nessa Donovan

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Joel Sterling has posed:
Once the meeting spot was settled upon, Joel decided to arrive a little early to scope it out a little more. And so Joel is already there at the abandoned building, doing a jogging circuit around the exterior, looking at it thoughtfully.

Joel is dressed to look exactly like an athlete getting his exercise in via a jog ...mostly because that is exactly what he /is/ at the moment. He's in some bright white atheletic shorts, black sneakers, t-shirt, dark blue windbreaker. He doesn't really 'fit in' at an abandoned warehouse really, but he also doesn't attract much notice as some wandering jogger, either. Some blue-tinted aviator sunglasses mask a lot of his face: on purpose.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
While Nessa wasn't expecting Joel early, she doesn't seem too bothered as she shows up and he's there. She's dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a loose-fitting t-shirt of an pastel blue. She's got sneakers on, clearly so that she can move about if needed. As soon as she spots Joel she raises an eyebrow.

"You certainly look like you're ready for some kind of sporting event. I'm not sure this is as much of a workout as you are preparing for."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Hi, Nessa. ....I usually do. But, yeah, I figured I'd get a run in. I didn't park close," Joel answers as she talks to him. He comes over in long strides to come right over to meet her, hands resting in the pockets of his windbreaker. He's upbeat in mood, a hopeful quality to his smile. He wasn't entirely sure she'd show up at all, so a run was still going to happen.

"Or, you know. An excuse to be out here," Joel adds. "I went in and looked around; it's deserted." He gives her a curious look; this was her idea, so he's expecting her to direct a little.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Can't say I am much for running. Maybe I should get in the habit," Nessa looks between him and the warehouse. "Glad you showed up, though, I'd feel a bit awkward just standing around here waiting for someone." She proceeds to move towards the nearest entry to the warehouse. "I just want some space. Honestly I tried to find somewhere that we had space, in case we do want a snowball fight."

She doesn't seem to be joking about the last part.

Joel Sterling has posed:
"This side's open, this way," Joel offers, extending a hand to attempt to brush her elbow so that she'll look his way and the direction he's indicating. He'll lead off in that direction, with a relaxed but swift walk.

"I don't think the lights work, but the skylights are good for now," Joel observes, looking up and around them as they go inside. He wanders in a little way and stops, still resting hands in his windbreaker pockets. He shrugs his hands out, while still remaining in the pockets - which opens the front of the jacket and enhances the shrug. "So... what will help you decipher this?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa turns to face the direction he indicates, following him into the building itself. "Should be alright without the lights if we linger near the sunny bits." She finds a good spot, looking in his general direction. "Alright, so my guess is... you do something with your ice and I'll feel and see if the energy seems stronger."

She peers in his direction. "I can throw something at you if you need a little something to work with." She grins.

Joel Sterling has posed:
"No, you don't need to throw things at me," Joel laughs a little bit. He looks around the place, a blush coming into his face. This is weirdly awkward for him, put on the spot to make ice. He draws his hands out of his pockets, though, fidgets his hands near his sides a little, and then finally seems to work himself up to it.

"Um, okay. Here goes, I guess." Joel puts one hand out, palm up, and a long stick of ice begins to surge into existance. He's balancing it roughly in the middle, and it grows out either end, to about three feet; like a narrow icicle. He watches Nessa more than he does the ice stick.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"So you're able to create it? Can you shape more than just the ball you did before and the icicle?" Nessa keeps an eye on what he's doing. "You said you're kind of new to this?" While she's watching, she's also sensing--sensing if the ice magic seems present, seeing if the darker sense seems to come out at all.

"Don't be afraid of it, you probably won't hurt me."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I don't know that I'm afraid, just unsure what to do," Joel answers, with a rueful, quick smile. He's just not sure what exactly he should be doing with it other than making said stick, it seems.

"Create it, yeah; various shapes. I was... well, nearly died in a snow storm. And now this." Joel looks at the icy shape and it melts down into extremely cold water, falling in a sloshy mess onto the floor as he steps back a little. All of the process had a magical signature to it, inclusive of that darker presence. The magic is cold, but has a demonic vibe to it, too.

Joel seems mostly oblivious. "I can do snowmen too." Joel and his immediate ideas are things like sticks and snowmen. He's probably not a villainous mastermind of evil cold in the making. "What do you make?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa takes the opportunity to pull the thin gloves she wears off, tucking them into a pocket in her shorts. "So all this happened because of a snowstorm?" She does seem a little cautious now--perhaps a snowstorm as a demonstration might be a bit traumatic. She looks towards him. "What can I do?"

One hand moves, and she mimics the creation of the icicle. "It's much the same, there's... a bit more. I've been practicing since I was young, so I imagine it's a little more detailed than what you're doing. But you've got something strong."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Blue eyes widen a little as she makes an icicle like he did. He approaches, extending a hand, as if to request that he be given the icicle she made. "Yeah, I don't really think about it a lot. Things just appear," Joel answers. "Sometimes when I don't want. I just try to be really careful."

"I get, um, this sort of thing a lot," Joel says, drawing his other hand out. Ice surges up around wrist and the back of his hand, curving out over his fingers. Compared to the stick or ball, this is far more radically interesting and detailed: it forms a large thick splay of icy talons off his already broad hand, like the claws of an enormous icy eagle. It doesn't mesh with the items Joel made on purpose at all, and brings more of that darkness into the front, magically. The claw is pulling, somehow, a magical open maw.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"You'll probably need to practice. I think I started when I was ten? It was definitely when I was young." Nessa seems interested in the icicle in her hand until she notes him forming the talons. She tosses the icicle aside and takes a step closer, mostly to get a good look at it. "Okay, that's one I /don't/ do." She blinks a bit. "How sharp are those?"

But it's the way it seems to pull that almost has her taking a step back. "That's... certainly the more dangerous of the two things you just did. I'm not sure how powerful that darker energy is there."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Really sharp, but I can blunt them. But I try not to do this sort of thing at /all/," Joel explains, gesturing with his other hand at the thick talon-like gauntlet. He leaves it intact, though, relaxing that arm next to his side, the talons curled in; it doesn't bother Joel at all to have it present, by all appearances, and he isn't aggressive with it.

"I don't know, either. I'm not sure what it is. If it needs an exorcism or something," Joel laughs, but he's uncomfortable. He shrugs helplessly. "Whatever it is, it likes the cold."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"It's not the only thing that likes the cold," Nessa points out, looking a bit amused. "But I understand that." She shakes her head. "I've never exactly run /into/ a demon before so I can't tell you what we should do here. I can definitely tell you it's strong, though." She frowns. "So you didn't have any of that before... the snowstorm?"

It's a bit different for her, but she's certainly curious.

Joel Sterling has posed:
"No, no ice things at all before," Joel clarifies without a pause. "It's definitely connected. I nearly died out there, they told me. But I waded back through the snow, back to the lodge, and ... now I make ice claws and things," Joel reports. "And I think you're right about practice. I don't want to freeze someone by accident. I haven't hurt anyone yet, but until I stop accidentally freezing objects... seems safer to keep some distance."

Joel started to cross his arms, but the bulk of the talons got in the way so he stopped doing that and lets it drop back to his side. "I mean. The snowballs are fun, but." Joel turns his free hand over, manifesting a snowball in the bare hand, and flips it into the air, catching it, with a brief sad smile.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I've been doing the distance thing most of my life," Nessa smiles wryly. "It gets pretty tiring, though. But learning to get better at it? It means you don't have to worry as much. It's why I'm practicing. I can't quite stop it from happening all the time. I've given people frostbite by accident before. It's pretty guilt-inducing when you send someone to the hospital for touching their arm."

She does take a closer look at the arm before smiling at the snowball, forming one in her hand. "That is a perk of it, yes. I can make it snow, too... but it's sort of just a small bit of it. That's fun."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel tosses the ball a little, without paying attention, and then tosses it aside, eyes on her. He approaches, with some curious intensity there. He offers her the icy forearm, above where the claws are. "Try to freeze me?" Joel suggests.

"I'll pull away if it gets too much," He adds, then stands there, bravely, and lifts his forearm questioningly.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"What?" Nessa looks at him in surprise. The snowball is tossed aside as she takes a half-step forward. "You really want me to try?" She's only slightly hesitant, but it doesn't stop her from holding a hand out to rest on his forearm. "If something goes wrong I swear..." She mutters.

Her hand begins to get cold, slowly dropping in temperature as she begins to form ice under her fingertips. "I don't know if this is going to feed you in a bad way, though."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel shrugs a little, but seems to be considering it. "I mean. It seems like a good idea to try it," Joel says, but he's thinking it over more. Is he being influenced? Nah. That's ridiculous. But this does seem like a good idea, to find out what happens.

Joel watches her hand on his arm, attentive, but not really reactive. "I don't feel different," he reports, as she drops the temperature. He blushes a little bit, but otherwise just also drops in temperature along with her lead. He does not appear to be reacting a lot otherwise. Aside from her hand on his arm, which doesn't have /no/ reaction. He automatically flexed his arm a little. For reasons.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa slides her gaze from his arm up to his face and back. She's thankfully not turning red, but she certainly has noticed he's blushing. She turns the temperature down lower, carefully watching his arm to make sure there's no frostbite. "Well, on a positive note, I'm probably holding your arm for longer than I have with most people since I was a kid."

There's a careful assessment again, then she looks back at him. "So nothing? It doesn't feel weird or painful or..." She trails off.

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I'm fine," Joel assures her. He doesn't look like he's upset or powered up or turning into a world-munching demon. He's just the same. "I mean, I can tell you're making things really cold," Joel adds, with a gesture via his gaze to his arm. He was a little tense, but seems to stop being quite as tense over time. He just waits, now, but glances up to meet her eyes instead of staring at his arm.

"Feels nice, actually," Joel admits, sheepishly. He sheds the ice talons, letting them fall into loose soft splinters off his arm, so she's holding his bare arm, not a lot of weird demon-iciness.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa continues the icy touch, glancing back at him as it doesn't seem to make a difference. "I... have to say that this is a first, certainly. I don't think there's anyone I've ever touched like this that's not..." She clears her throat. "Congratulations on being the only person I know that's immune."

She catches his gaze, then looks quickly back to his arm. "So it feels good? I'm not sure if the magic within you is drawn to it." She looks back up at him.

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel clears his throat, and nods. "Maybe it is? I'm not sure how to tell you for sure," Joel continues, though his smile is not uncomfortable. His reaction is mixed, but includes relief. "Just kind of feels like standing in a nice air-conditioned mall after sweating outside for too long," Joel compares. "Don't really want to go back outside," he says, with a brief smile.

Joel's magic pulses lightly, as he enhances the cold himself, the chill under her fingers on his own arm. He's clearly able to go very, very cold.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Kind of refreshing," Nessa laughs, though she doesn't move her hand immediately. "I get that, though. I don't like the heat much from all of this. I prefer the cold, so having the extra chill is just kind of a relief. I imagine it's a similar sensation for you."

She laughs. "Honestly it's a little strange running someone that can do something similar to what I do. I haven't ever even thought about this."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Well. Okay. It means we can... safely practice. And figure this out. Right?" Joel asks, with a smile and firm nod. "You've got some things to teach me, if you've been doing this for years?" Joel asks, with some hope. Even if he still hopes to be rid of it, understanding it and controlling it might be necessary as well.

"My apartment looks like the inside of a snow-globe exploded."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa eventually removes her hand from his arm, offering him a smile. "Sounds like my place. I find it's a little awkward having people over but... I don't tend to have people over anyway. Glad I've got one of those hands-off landlords who don't poke their noses in."

She nods in his direction. "But it's good. We can practice. I'll teach you what I can. I can't say I'm perfect."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Well," Joel asks, thoughtful, "What cool things /can/ you do?" He wants to know, opening the floor up to her showing off a little bit, with an encouraging grin. "Impress me," he invites, curiously, and supportive.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa glances around. "Well..." She gives it a shot. Holding out her hands, the magic isn't really visible as the room slowly starts chill, but towards the top of the building the skylights are clouded over with... exactly that. Clouds. Clouds inside the warehouse. Eventually the clouds thicken, making it significantly darker in the room but things are still visible. From where the rays of light stream into the warehouse from non-covered skylights, soft snowflakes seem to fall down towards the ground.

She's making their own snowglobe. "I can make objects and things, but I'm not feeling very creative. This one's much more flashy."

Joel Sterling has posed:
With a blink, Joel looks up; he drops his arm as she turns her hands upwards towards the ceiling and begins to summon the snowflakes. It's very impressive to him. "Oh wow," he says, stepping forward towards the center of the room, head tilted to look up into the start of the snowflakes, clearly intending to let them land on him and around him, a smile on his face.

"Snowing indoors," Joel chuckles.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Yeah, I know, kind of silly," Nessa says sheepishly. "Never need any AC in my apartment though." There's some amusement there and it's entirely too hard to tell if she's joking or serious. "Sure looks cool, too, but not a great party trick. Not like I just make it entirely go away the same way. It's got to do its thing."

She follows him towards the center of the room. "I don't know if this is something you can learn, but... we can try it."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I can't make my ice go away either. I can turn it into wet slush, but vanish, no," Joel says, still with his head inclined up into the snow she's made, before he looks down as she nears him. His light brown hair is dusted with snowflakes now as he smiles at her idea.

"Okay. We can try. What do I need to do?" Joel asks, interested, turning to face her. "I haven't been able to do anything I'm not touching. Even the snow in my apartment is just... because I make the place cold from being in it, I think."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"You can't do it with anything you aren't touching?" Nessa seems curious. "Might be a bit hard to make a storm. Maybe some clouds in your hand or something?" She's not entirely sure how to explain it. "It's like making snow, but... it kind of feels slower. Like when you're folding blueberries into batter and you don't want to squish them."

She holds out a hand towards him. "Or you could try making something in my hand, see if you can make something you can't touch."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I'm not sure how to. This stuff just... happens when I try to will it," Joel explains. He nods as she puts her hand out, turning, and swallowing, then focusing intently on her hand.

There's a lot of focus in his eyes, an intensity, as he focuses, trying to will something into existance. Slight ice curls from his breathing, flecks of the snow in his hair getting larger, some of them more apparent on his cheeks: sites where ice is clinging already to his body.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"So it's all by pure force of will? You don't think about it at all? What's it feel like?" Nessa studies the ice from his body, shaking her head. "It's kind of just forming on you and not on anything else." She takes a step towards him. "So it /only/ forms from your skin then. Perhaps because it's not your magic, it's its."

She seems thoughtful. "You could touch my hand and see if the ice only comes from your hand or if you can ice my /other/ hand just by touching a part of me."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel pauses what he's doing, frowning at her hand a little as if slightly pouting that it didn't form ice just by him trying to make it so. "Okay, let's try that," Joel agrees, extending his hand out to accept her other one, palm first, weaving fingers into hers if she allows. He distractedly looks at their fingers but then seems to shake the distraction off to try to focus.

Cold blundgeons in from the area he's touching, the magic attempting to chill through her hand and arm, towards the other destination, as if expecting to freeze her upper body with the exertion.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa looks first at their hands, then at her other hand. She's aware of the flow, the feel of magic coming in through one hand. "It's certainly contact, I feel like." She looks between him and their joined hands. "The magic stays in you, it doesn't really go far beyond you. Almost like you're holding it hostage."

She glances back up at him. "You can stop, it's not going to get much farther than our hands there. I suppose I'll have to rethink what I can teach you, then, if it's limited to such close range. We're perhaps opposites as much as we are the same."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel was really trying, and there's some additional marks of ice appearing on his body: mostly exposed skin areas, which means he has bits of it on the backs of his hands, neck, specks on his face and in his hair. There's some clustering on his hairline in front, and some of the return of the icy talons, but it isn't like it was when he manifested the full ice claws.

Frowning, Joel nods and lets her hand go when she tells him to stop. "I'm sorry; I tried."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Don't apologize, Joel," Nessa gives him a stern look. "Not like you failed me. You don't owe me anything. I'm just making suggestions for you to try so we can see what you might be capable of and suss out the nature of whatever you have." The look is followed up by a small smile.

"You're doing great with all of this. Way better than me when I first started. Took me ages to somewhat figure out how not to freeze something by touching it. I'm still only somewhat able to control it."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Well, I just... push this cold urge down, suppress it," Joel explains, drawing his hands in near his upper chest, to demonstrate pushing dowards towards the navel. "And stay positive, as much as I can. Stay warm, I guess."

Joel looks at his hands, and brushes some of the ice from the back of his left hand, the little bits falling off, others more clingy. "I have never smoked, but I feel like it might be like that. Like resisting an urge to smoke. An urge to be comfortable and cold."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa winces a bit. "I've... tried that before. I've done it both ways. I think at a certain point I figured out that this ice magic is just not going to go away. I could ignore it but it wouldn't ignore me." She gestures at him. "Yours is different. It's not all you. Maybe you have something deep down it attached to, maybe it's all that thing, but you're probably able to keep it down if you try hard. It's not going to be easy."

She frowns. "But I'm sure you can get rid of it entirely if we research. This kind of thing seems like something that should be straightforward. I would hope, at least."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I know I can.... exhaust it, whatever it is. I can make... lots of ice, and it seems to fade out for a while. I've done that a little bit. To try to just... keep it out of my life," Joel explains. "Big stuff seems to." He considers around them, and squats, lowering his hand to the floor.

Joel begins to build something, a low icy structure, up from the floor. He builds it with his hands, forming a low shape, then bringing it up.... over about twenty seconds, he's got most of a bench in place, while biting his lower lip, icy flecks clinging like glittery specks in his light hair as he works on it.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa glances at his bench. "Perhaps I can help you refine what you can do at least. Maybe it'll take some work, but it'll be something. It'll help when you need to use it." She laughs. "And if you ever need someone /else/ to make things chilly, that's second nature to me right now."

She wiggles her fingers at him, frost at her fingertips. "That's some strong ice, I do have to say... not sure if I could make it that intense."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel isn't exactly /sweating/, but he releases a deep breath, turns, and sits on his ice bench amidst the snow she's created. His bench looks like hardened, dark ice; not fluffy snow or mist by any means. It's very similar to the icicle he made, and the icy claws. It's certainly his default, from what he's shown.

"It's fluffy snow that's difficult," Joel says with a shake of head. And a soft chuckle, "Guess we are opposites there, like you said. But that's okay. It's still cold magic. Maybe this will help identify what's inside me, and get it out?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa looks up at the softly falling snow, where the clouds have dispersed only a bit to let more light in. She moves over to sit nest to him on his ice bench, regardless of how much or how little there is to it. "It'll help, I think. I'm not sure how to handle the darkness, though. It's not something I've dealt with."

There's a sheepish smile. "Practical experience with anything outside of ice is unfortunately limited for me. Maybe I'll have to fix that. Maybe helping you would be a good way to go."

Joel Sterling has posed:
The bench is sturdy; it's going to take a long while for that much ice to melt, particularly when neither of them are giving off a lot of heat by sitting on it. "But you said your family is magic, right? So they were able to help you work through it?" Joel asks, interested, watching her face.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin to figure this out. I didn't even know this /was/ magic until you said something." Joel draws his hand in, towards his upper chest, rubbing there, with a worried frown on his face. "I don't like the idea of this thing being inside me, Nessa."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Yeah, it's kind of a family thing. Goes all the way back several generations. I've got family in Ireland who are all a bunch of crazy magic users. Pretty sure I've got some kind of second cousin who runs a magic shop. Never been to Ireland so I couldn't tell you," Nessa offers him a small smile. "But they helped. My parents helped me figure out what was going on when I was young, but... the touch thing's been there pretty much since I was a kid."

She looks at her hands for a long moment before looking back towards him. "I'll help. I don't like seeing people stuck in these sort of positions. I'll do some research. My family's got books, I know where I can look in New York for information."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"If it was ice just by itself, I mean... I think that'd be something great to... to have. A power like that. Like what you have," Joel explains. "But if it's darker, and it's going to do something awful? That's another story. I'm picturing like... I don't know. An Aliens chestburster," Joel says, with a worried laugh, and brief stupid grin.

"Probably not the right horror movie to think of with demons, huh," Joel shakes his head.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I'm not gonna let something burst out of your chest, Joel," Nessa insists. "I'm not too familiar with demons but I know magic and I could at least /try/ to stop something like that." She gives him a slight nudge. "So what if we try to get the demon bit out and leave the ice? I'm not sure if that's possible, they seem very much tied to each other, but if we figure out the nature of it perhaps we can just... kill it and it'll leave the ice."

She lets out a breath, then a laugh. "Sorry, I sound like I'm great at this. I'm not. But I'll try."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel laughs a bit at the nudge, liftings his hand to brush is hand back through his hair, which creates a bit of snow. He notices, and shakes his short hair out, sending some snow around everywhere. "I made it snow," Joel says, charmed briefly, happily. He's being positive, like he had said: staying up, to keep the dark stuff away, to stay warm.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Hey, there you go!" Nessa grins, looking back over. "I thought you said fluffy snow was difficult. You're tossing your hair back like the best of them /and/ leaving fluff in your wake. I'd call that a win. Clearly your practice is paying off already. Just keep that up and you'll be controlling all of that in no time. You'll be better at handling magic than I am. You're a natural, regardless of the other side of all of this."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I know I didn't do it," Joel chuckles, but is still smiling. "It's just your clouds sticking to me," he says, dropping his hand and looking upwards at what's left of her snowy cloud shapes above them in the deserted warehouse. "But I'll take a win where I can get it. Even if it's a team effort," Joel says, attempting to pat her hand once.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's a moment when Nessa almost reflexively tries to move her hand away and another moment when she stops because she realizes she doesn't have to. Then it sinks in more that she /doesn't have to/. "Hey, teams are good. Teams are important. I could use more teamwork, I do a lot of stuff on my own," Nessa admits, her gaze on where he'd touched her hand before she looks back at him. "I'm glad I get to help. I feel like I can."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel watches her flinch away, but he doesn't have the same background of pulling away that she's used to: he's new to the problem, it's not his automatic urge to draw back. So he draws his hand away out of respect more than anything else, cupping them together in his lap, embarrassed; he didn't mean to make her uncomfortable or flinch.

"What else can help?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa winces a bit when she realizes how it looked. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just not used to..." After a moment, her cheeks flush. "I just usually have to avoid touch to avoid hurting people. I'm not used to people being able to touch at all. It's just too much of a risk most of the time. So I don't mean it to be any insult, it's just kind of rare that I'm not going to hurt someone by just being... me."

She offers him a smile. "You're doing great so far. I'm working out what my next steps need to be so I can help you with it... and that helps me figure out what /I/ need to do."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Well, the cold doesn't bother me," Joel says, with an earnest quality that suggests if he did quote something, it isn't on purpose or he doesn't realize. "And if I can /you/ help there... great." Joel watches her carefully, and her apology, so he seems open to extending a hand out to rest at her thigh, palm up: an offering.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa looks at him for a long moment, as if considering, but after a moment it's not a moment of fear, it's more of a moment of if it's alright. Even though she's already touched his skin and she knows he's unphased by the cold from her hand, it's very tenative when she puts her hand on top of his. Once the initial touch is over, she already seems a lot more at ease and she laces her fingers with his.

"It's... just kind of a weird thing to ask someone for? But it's nice."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"I do hugs too," Joel teases her, with a poke of his elbow while still leaving his hand available to her. His hand isn't /warm/, but then again, neither are hers. They can be oddly cold together, without it being a problem. Still weird? Yes, but problem, no.

"I guess if you phrased it straight up, like... hey, can i touch your hands... yes, I guess that's a weird thing to ask for," Joel admits. "But I get you were afraid. It's okay. Certainly no judgement here." He squeezes her hand.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Wait, would you really hug me?" Hugs aren't as bad, usually there's enough fabric to allow for a good embrace, but heads become dangerous. Certainly no heads leaning against each other. Nessa looks slightly embarassed. "This really is the /dumbest/ thing to ask for." It doesn't stop her from squeezing his hand back.

"I'd like to practice so that I'm not hurting people with this sort of thing. I hate the potential pain I can cause."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Sure, why wouldn't I?" Joel asks, surprised and a little baffled by her question. Hugs are normal in Joel-land. "Generally just for friends and family." Joel shrugs, but his expression is open: his view of things like hugs might be just a normal, healthy one. A lot about Joel, other than his inner ice demon, is possibly just entirely... decent.

"Particularly if you can use one: sure." Joel releases her hand, mostly just to pull his hand back to give her space to express a hug onto her pleasant new friend. "For a second I thought you meant practicing hugs," Joel teases.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa turns herself in against him, moving to hug him abruptly and quickly, as if she were hugging a friend she hadn't seen for years. It's a strong hug, burying her face against him. "I'm pretty okay at hugs," she says, muffled. "Just a lot of these things have been risky and I hate hurting people that don't deserve it. But, you know, if you think I need practice it doesn't hurt." She does sound amused.

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel rocks back a little as she hits him hard, but with a deep laugh: he doesn't mind a bit, and he's welcoming to the pounce and squeeze. Fortunately he hadn't done all that much jogging, so he doesn't smell terrible when she buries her face in his windbreaker.

"Well, I was braced for it; if it were unexpected I might have a different score for your hug experience," Joel says good-naturedly, hugging her in return, slightly frosty chin against her forehead.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
The fact that she's not hurting him, regardless if her magic was working or not, seems to be exciting to her. Nessa squeezes him tight. "Sorry. Would have been pretty funny if I knocked you over, though, you look like you're someone who stays in shape." She grins. "Though if you hug so often, perhaps you're the one with the skills."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Yeah, I stay in shape for a living," Joel says honestly, with a relaxed exhalation of breath. "What do you do, Nessa, when you're not prowling in search of wandering magical possessed people?" Joel asks, glancing down at her hair, relaxed, but being a curious conversationalist.

"I'll guess you're not a massage therapist."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa grins. "Ah, yes, I specialize in cryomassage," she sounds amused, but she's not releasing him, even if it makes the hug much longer than most people would be comfortable hugging a newly minted friend for. "I work at a diner. Short order cook, I'd say I'm pretty good. You ever want warm food in a chilly apartment, I'm your woman."

There is, however, the tiniest amount of sheepishness in what she's saying. Not that hate the job--she's just expecting some judgment for it. "I've done it for a few years now. College just wasn't my thing."

Joel Sterling has posed:
"College for me was great... except for the classes," Joel says, with a quick grin, then eases back from the hug. They have recently met, and he resumes holding her hand, instead; more comfortable for being new friends. He can sense she needs that touch to her hand, and he's good for it too.

"I haven't graduated yet either," Joel explains. "I don't know if I'll finish it or not. Maybe sometime."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
She's not trying to weird him out, so when he moves out of the hug, Nessa backs out of it as well. She looks down at their hands before looking back at him. "Couldn't figure out what I wanted to do in college, it was sort of me wasting my time not knowing what I wanted. Still trying that out."

She squeezes his hand. "You worried the demon thing'll make a mess of your plans?"

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel's smile fades away and he nods, and closes his eyes for a moment, pressing them shut tight. "Yeah, I'd say that's something I'm worrying about. The ice thing. Now a demon thing. That it'll ruin my life? Yes. But did it also maybe save me from dying in the snow? Maybe. I'm just..."

Joel trails off, before he opens his eyes and looks at her again. "Trying to roll with it. Not much else I can do, at least until something or somebody turns up to help sort it out."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Look, I'm not one for letting anything get in my way," Nessa's voice is strong as she looks back over at him. "Maybe it saved your life. That's a good thing, it kept you going. It's just another thing that you learn to deal with as you go along. Life might be a bit trickier for a while, but you'll get through it."

Her smile is genuine, but there's something fierce in it. "You don't just roll with it. Don't let it roll you, you get up and run right along with it. You don't just let something or someone show up to fix your problems, you fix them yourself. I'll help you up to your feet, but this is all you. You're the only one that can help yourself. Teamwork, though. A team can help you, but you've still gotta play your role."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel seems surprised, but he doesn't resist her advice. "I...." Joel begins, but trails off, looking into her sudden fierce quality. He nods a little, watching her with a quiet, impressed expression. He nods a little bit, a smile teasing one side of his mouth. "Okay," Joel says, simply. "I'm resisting it as much as I know how."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Good," Nessa says, the smile still warm. "I don't like to see anyone dragged under by stuff they can fight. Even if they might need a helping hand to get started." She holds up their hands, fingers entwined. "See, helping hands work both ways. If you, even for one second, feel like you're merely just letting the days drag you along with them, just tell me. I can actually hold your hand, so... kind of feels a little fitting, right?"

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Right," Joel agrees, with a quick smile, and then watches her, thoughtfully searches her eyes, as if checking for something else, or for her reasons for helping him. He looked maybe a little too long, just sitting next to her and looking at her, so he adds more of a smile, looks down at her hand, squeezes it in return.

There's a little bit of silence that grows, and then Joel eases out of it with a move of his lips, pulling lower lip in with his upper teeth, then nodding. "So what happens now?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa looks down at their hands again, thoughtfully, before looking back up. "Honestly? I don't know. I don't have all the answers. Do I know a bit of magic? Yeah. I know enough to help you through some of it and I know how to do some research to start it. But I don't know what'll happen and I've just outlined all I can do for it."

She pauses, and it's a long pause. "Unless you mean what happens /right now/, I don't have all the answers here either. Not exactly my usual circumstances. I suppose we'll probably sit here until I've made you feel awkward and then we'll both awkwardly agree to meet again at a certain point. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel sits there on the ice bench, looking up towards where the clouds were, then slowly panning his blue eyes over the whole of the warehouse, taking it in. "Well, there's always that snowball fight," Joel says, in a soft deadpan, before smiling at her. "Now that you know how I struggle with soft snow, might not be the /best/ idea ever," he says, his smile growing.

"Awkward... well. Only as awkward as you want it to be, I guess," Joel says, with a peaceful quality to his voice. He's not interested in making anything awkward. He shoots her a look: empathetic, really, as his gaze drifts to her hand. He's picked up from the flinch, and the fierce hug, and the hold now, that it's not 'awkward', but a relief to her.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa's gaze drifts down to their hands, then back up. There's been a lot of that, but she's considering it now. She's trying to suss out how he feels about it. "I don't want it to be awkward," she states, plainly. "But I also don't want to be selfish or make you feel uncomfortable." She pauses for half-a-second. "I'm not letting go until you do."

Perhaps slightly embarrassed for a brief second, she clears her throat slightly. "So, about the snow thing... maybe that should be your homework then. Practice your snow. Make me a real snowball and in exchange I'll let you see how /horrible/ I am at throwing them." She squeezes his hand.

Joel Sterling has posed:
"What if I don't let go?"

Joel is lightly teasing, but also curious what her response will be. Then he laughs softly, to reduce any weight from it; he didn't mean it in a serious way, not really. No interest in scaring the young lady willing to help him sort out his ice problems.

"Homework. Okay. I'll work on them," Joel says, agreeable. "I'm pretty good at catching even bad shots, and I'm a big target, so, we'll see on the throwing," Joel says kindly.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa blinks at him, her expression blank for a second. Mostly because she hadn't expected it and genuinely takes a moment to process it before continuing. "Then I don't let go," she answers simply, but the way she looks back at him resembles a challenge. Was she teasing too?

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of snow. It's all about feeling the air in it. It's light and fluffy, not dense." She winces. "And we don't want to be throwing balls of ice. Ideally, you won't have to catch the snowballs, they'll fall apart on impact. That's the proper consistency of a snowball."

Joel Sterling has posed:
Joel looks back at her as she blinks at him, his gaze steady. The challenge to her tone makes his brows lift a little, but there doesn't seem to be fire behind his gaze for the challenge. He doesn't say yay or nay, but also doesn't pull his hand away. He just smiles a little.

"That's a shame about the balls of ice, because I can do those really well," Joel mock-sighs, and then nods a little; he does in fact understand the concept of a snowball fight. "I'll practice."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Unlike you I'm not made of rock-hard muscle," Nessa protests. "One ice ball and I'd be down and out cold." The pun wasn't intended with that one. "You practice the snowball and I'll fill this whole place with snow and we'll have ice forts and snow trenches. We'll make a whole /war/ of it." Granted, that's a lot of work on her part, but she's trying to incentivise the snowball practice.

She hasn't forgotten about their hands, though, and he's afforded a small squeeze and the lightest brush of her thumb across his fingers.

Joel Sterling has posed:
"Should I just start now?" Joel asks, in amusement, lifting his free hand, and looking down at it, the fingers, as he draws his focus there. Some frost starts to gather along the insides of his fingers, a loose form of ice crystals. It isn't really /snow/, more like some kind of slush-ball, but it's a first try. They might be there a little while.

Then again, if neither of them is letting go soon, that might be okay.