Fears and Failures [Liyang]

[Sooraya Qadir]

Her steps out of the classroom were slow, easy, drifting along and flitting between the people that exited in a wave, as well. She stood out, of course, being who she was, she didn't quite blend in, but she did not allow herself to be swept up in the torrent of people, walking her own, easy pace. Slipping along the outside of the tide in a small trickle.

It was a small class, though, and there were not too many people in it, so the tide was quick, short, ending abruptly without any sort of indication. Sooraya hung back, slightly, eyes crinkled and warm as she looked over the fleeing students, most of which were the new mutants, the ones that she regarded as young, having been through... so much less.

They were innocent, carefree. Oh, yes, she did not doubt that they each had their own skeletons in the closet, as the saying went (None of them really knew what an actual skeleton looked like, someone utterly stripped free of flesh, skin, down to the bone-), each had their own sufferings, but... It did not compare, and for that, she was thankful. They should not have to go through what her class went through.

Her eyes continued, until they lit upon one person: Flare. Liyang Yoon. The crinkle in her eyes faded, lips tightening underneath her niqab, and she turned purposefully away, letting her eyes close and sucking in a small breath to not let him affect her.

It was... weak of her, she knew, and he would likely never do anything to harm her, but her... memory, of what had happened, was not something she wanted to go through again, and when one considered people like Kevin-

No. She was not going there, with her mind. Thus, purposefully, a bit more firm and with a bit more of a pace to her step, Sooraya walked away, not letting herself look at the other.

Bad memories, bad memories.

[Liyang Yoon]

Liyang Yoon, The self-proclaimed Handsome Beast of the Institution had been here less than a week and he was already enjoying it. All the people he had met seem to be pretty cool and easy to get along with... All but one.

Sooraya Qadir. Liyang knew that not everyone would like him, but it seemed like she avoided him and it rubbed him the wrong way. They were peers. He did not expect everyone to be best friends, but at the very least to get along. For the past days he had been racking his brain to find any reason to why anyone would dislike him.

Class had ended and Liyang had found himself with a bit of free time which he planned on filling with video games. He took his time placing his books in his bags as the other students were leaving. Placing the bag over his shoulder, he caught Sooraya glancing at him for just a brief moment before walking away. Today's the day. Just approach her... Simple, right?

He walked after Sooraya, smiling at his other peers as he passed them. He became a bit hesitant as he slowly grew closer to her. She did not strike Liyang as someone who was hostile, it was the opposite. Maybe it was his lively attitude. He knew that he could be annoying from time to time. "Sooraya! Wait up!" He waved. Was it still too late to walk away? He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he slowly approached her...

"So...If you're not busy... Could we, like, talk?"

[Sooraya Qadir]

She had to curse the fact that who she was wouldn't allow her to just pretend that she hadn't heard and continue, if she was the type to curse, and Sooraya jerked to a halt, closing her eyes in defeat, before turning back to where Flare stood, her brow knitting underneath her niqab in slight concern to where exactly this was going, though barring the slightly confused and worried tint to her eyes, not much was visible.

"Ah... No, I am not busy," she stated, feeling vaguely awkward at how familiar he was with her, given that they had not even had a proper conversation. It was their culture, she had to remind herself, even if it could often get quite unnerving to her...

"What do you wish to speak of? Or is this not a proper place for such a conversation?" Her eyes remained focused on his cheeks, just below his eyes, not comfortable with looking directly into his gaze, for a variety of reasons. One hand curled into the fabric of her abaya, crinkling it in her grip as she waited for the answer that would soon be coming.

She was technically not supposed to be alone with a male... But, unfortunately, she had been forced to bend many a law of Allah's since coming here, though Sooraya felt he would understand. It was not as though she went out to purposefully find such things, but it simply, well, happened, given her immersion in a completely different culture.

Compromising... As long as they were not enclosed within the same area, utterly alone, she felt it still lived up to the purpose of the law; that is, no unpure things. More on the male's part, they were far too easily tempted.

It seemed that American males were especially so.

[Liyang Yoon]

She stopped and was now standing face to face with him. Getting her attention was the easy part. What would come next seemed like it was going to be difficult for Liyang. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, thinking of how exactly he was going to say what was on his mind.

"Well... It's a beautiful day we're having, right?" He said, obviously avoiding what he honestly wanted to ask. "Ah, one second please..." He turned away and started to mumble to himself. Truthfully, he had no experience with these things. Granted, he dealt with people disliking him before at the school he attended before, but he never confronted anyone. Eventually, Liyang peers realized that they had misjudged and grew to love him.

"I apologize. I should have had my thoughts collected before hand," He said, turning to face her again, "Did I... do something to make you not like me?" Finally, he had voice how he felt. Of course if he had done anything wrong to Sooraya he would be the first to apologize. He was never one to purposely hurt someone though he did love to joke around a bit.

"It's just that it feels like you're avoiding me..." He added. He could feel his heartbeat getting faster as he waited for her response.

[Sooraya Qadir]

The odd statement made Sooraya pause, eyebrows lifting, but before she could reply to the... honestly quite random sentence, he asked for a pause, and began... mumbling to himself? Were she any other type of person, perhaps she would have eavesdropped, but Sooraya certainly was not, and...

She was confused.

What, exactly, did he wish to speak to her about? It was infrequent that the 'new' mutants approached her, as she referred to them as (for though they could be older to her, and at the school for a bit, they were still 'new', mutant-wise), and she had occasionally given tips and advice to them, as she was far more experienced, but... She had an odd feeling that that wasn't it.

He was apparently finally done, though, and Sooraya refocused her eyes on him, on his cheeks, to be precise, giving him a small nod of acceptance (yes, he should have, but the fact that he did not did not particularly bother her), but before she could state what her nod meant, he spoke.

Involuntarily, her eyes flickered up to meet his, something that she did not often do, growing wider. He...?

Continued, he continued, and that was what allowed her to break away, eyes flickering away as she shifted, focusing on the wall, instead, and not directly looking at him. "Ah... no, you did not," the Islamic girl replied, wishing she could just leave it at that and move on, but knowing that such a thing was not possible.

"It is not that I do not like you..." No, she was fine with him, personality-wise. He seemed like a very nice boy, and she was completely fine with him on that level. "It is more that you make me, ah, uncomfortable, through no fault of your own."

Both because he was a male, and because of his powers. The first was something that was gradually becoming easier for her to get over, with select people Jay, but the latter... Ahhh, that would depend.

It wasn't a weakness she wanted to spread around.