2/20 Instance: Chalking it up for Friends

[Starfish]

Timeline: After the instance "Lunch on the Patio".


Pietro: Pietro gave Penny a smile as he noted down her vitals, "Well all the basics seem to be okay... you're still feeling alright?" He took a seat, "Settling in okay?"

Penny: "I went to explore the garden." Sitting on the edge of the sturdy table, her legs kicking idly back and forth, Penance watched Pietro with interest while he worked. Her fingers moved rapidly in response to his question. "Then I fell off the roof when I tried to get a better view."

Pietro: Pietro blinked at her, "Fell off the roof? Ouch. Not hurt I hope?"

Penny: "Of course not," Penance signed back, a smirk appearing on her face. "I have a tough skin." She pointed at a stretch of deep red showing through a tear in her tattered clothing.

Pietro: He smiled again, "Well good... for future reference though, the garden is better explored from the ground." He nodded sagely then gave her a grin.

Penny: "And it's not so much fun," she replied, keeping her head tilted slightly to the side. After a short pause, Penance added: "I met some of the others there."

Pietro: "If you don't think it's fun exploring, you're not doing it right," He put the items he'd used back on the tray, "Who did you meet?"

Penny: "First there were Callie and Max." Penance thought back to their encounter for a moment. "Taken together, they would look somewhat like me." She leaned from side to side. "Then I met Chris. We all had drinks and snacks. They seemed nice."

Pietro: "Yeah I met Max and Callie - I was on the jet when we picked them up," he returned the items to their correct places then went back to Penny, "Chris is alright too... it's good that you seem to be making friends. That helps." he gave her another smile.

Penny: After wasting some time by peeling at the cracks in her falling apart leather attire, Penny looked back up. "I never made many friends. Rarely stayed long in one place." She glanced downwards. "Most people are scared of me. And I can't talk to them."

Pietro: "I don't have a lot of people I'd call friends either - I didn't know anyone my own age before I came here and most people around here are a little funny about me." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, "But I don't think you have to worry, you're safe here so you can stay and settle down and people have seen far weirder and scarier mutants than you so they won't be afraid."

Pietro: "So that's two out of three fixed already and we haven't even gone anywhere."

Penny: A faint smile curled the girl's lips. "Thank you," she signed, followed by a brief pause. "There are many curious looking mutants living here. And Callie gave me a pen, until I ended up cutting it in half. I didn't mean to do that, but it happens all the time."

Pietro: "Then we need to find you something to write with that still works when it's cut in half..." he paused and looked around, "Well, we're all done here so if you want we can go and have a look for something?"

Penny: Penny replied by flashing Pietro a grin, then rolling backwards over the table until she dropped to the ground and landed on her feet. Peeking her head over the edge, she waved and gave him a quick sign. "Can we go now?"

Pietro: Pietro nodded, "Sure... I was thinking we should start in the art room since it'll have pretty much everything you can think of to write with and on. How does that sound?"

Penny: "I like art!" Penance rounded the table and perched by the door, waiting for Pietro to follow her. Her gaze fell on the scratch-marks left by her spiky hair when she had tumbled across the table, causing her to put on a sheepish expression.

Pietro: "Don't worry about it, the medlab's seen far worse damage, trust me." Pietro gave her another reassuring smile, "Place full of mutants, some with very destructive powers - it's bound to happen." he resisted the temptation to pat her gently - it might hurt.

Penny: "I try to be careful, but sometimes it is very hard to pay attention." Penance added a somewhat awkward shrug, before turning around to peek in either direction of the hallway. With the coast being clear, she slipped out and headed for the staircase.

Pietro: "You really don't need to worry about it," Pietro assured her, showing her the way to the art room, "If you were going to get yelled at for it they'd have gotten it out of the way already, trust me."

Penny: "I like it here," Penny signed when they approached their destination. "Getting yelled at for breaking stuff gets old when you do it all the time." Poking her head around the door, she curiously let her gaze wander across the art room.

Pietro: "Yeah I can imagine," Pietro nodded understandingly, "Somewhat like getting yelled at for eating all the food when you can't help it," he gave her a grin, stepping past her into the room and moving over to the supply closet.

Penny: "I have done that a few times," Penny signed when Pietro was looking her way, a grin on her lips. While he was busy with the closet, she decided to follow her curiosity and began snooping around the room.

Pietro: Pietro chuckled, using his speed to search for the different writing substances she could try and surfaces to write on. A pile appeared very quickly.

Penny: Penance occupied herself by peeking into various shelves and drawers, careful not to leave too many scratches on the furniture. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed the blurry shape of Pietro. Turning around, she watched in amazement as he collected all the different things.

Pietro: "Okay... there's a few things you can try here..." he took a seat, "See anything you like?"

Penny: Stepping over to the table, Penny took a curious glance across the edge, before she decided it would be easier to just hop up on one of the stools. Beginning with the paper, she cautiously reached for it - and promptly tore into it. She frowned, tucking her tongue into the edge of her mouth as she became even more careful.

Pietro: Pietro watched her, deciding to just keep quiet and not disturb her while she made her selection unless she asked him something.

Penny: A smile played over her featured when she held up the sheet of paper and used a claw to cut interesting shapes into it. While it might work in a pinch, Penance knew the stuff was just too fragile to carry around. Working her way through the pile of pastels and paints, she eventually picked up the chalks and crayons.

Pietro: "Well the crayons are going to need paper I think... but chalk might be good... one sec..." he dashed to the cupboard and rummaged around, finding a chalkboard that was on wheels - he rolled it out, "Here we are... I promise to find you a smaller one if you like the chalks."

Penny: Carefully lifting them up between two claws, Penny's smile widened when she gave them a curious squeeze. "I used these before," she signed at Pietro. "They are very sturdy. Even work when crumbling to bits."

Pietro: "That they do," he smiled at her, "So you want to use the chalks? Will that be okay?"

Penny: Cocking her head, Penance arched her eyebrows upon seeing the chalkboard. Then she nodded and promptly put down the crayons,hopped off the stool, and carried a piece of chalk over to the board. Her first lines were quite cautious, but quickly became bolder.

Pietro: "Alright then, let's see what I can find in the deepest darkest recesses of the closet. Have fun drawing while I look." he went to see if he could find a smaller one or, failing that, some of that special black paint so he could make her a smaller one.

Penny: Penance smiled and quickly went back to the table to gather as many differently coloured chalks she could find, then bounded back to the board to try them all out. Tucking a piece between the knuckles of two fingers turned out to work best - that way, she wouldn't have to hold them with the sharp tips of her claws.

Pietro: Pietro frowned at the lack of a smaller board but he did find some of the paint, "Okay there's no smaller one but that's fine because I can just make you one with some wood from the other closet." He put the paint down on the table and headed to the afore mentioned closet to look for a flat piece of wood of suitable size.

Penny: Penance leaned to the side to peek past the chalkboard, a curious expression on her face, before she returned to playing with her newly found chalks. There appeared stick-man drawings of the people she had met at the mansion, including blue haired Doctor Hank and Pietro with the white hair.

Pietro: Pietro found a suitable piece of wood and went to get a cloth to wipe it free of sawdust. He glanced at the board Penny was drawing on as he passed it, "Hey, is that me?"

Penny: Penance turned to look at Pietro, eyed him up and down, and compared what she saw with the drawing she had made. Then she nodded.

Pietro: He smiled at her, "I don't think anyone's ever drawn a picture of me before, it's a shame I can't keep it." He picked up a brush so he could paint the piece of wood black for her.

Penny: Penance put the chalk down when she was done, so she had her hands free to sign. "I could cut the board out for you so you can keep it," she suggested, a frown showing when she thought that the board might still be needed. "Or I can draw you another one on something else."

Pietro: Pietro laughed, "If you want to draw me another one, feel free - I'll treasure it." He painted over the board and stood it up to dry, "But now I'll have to draw you a picture too, it's only fair."

Penny: "I would like that," Penny signed, before hopping up to perch on the stool again. She pushed it away from the table and rolled over to the mini-board, patiently watching the paint dry.

Pietro: Pietro watched her for a moment then picked up two pencils - red and black. He then located a sheet of thick paper and did a quick drawing of Penny, crouched as she was on the stool.

Penny: Penance studied her new board with wide eyes, until she no longer heard the noises of Pietro's rapid movements behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she found him leaning over a sheet of paper. She gave the stool another push and rolled back to him, leaning forward to get a better view.

Pietro: Pietro turned the picture around so she could see it properly, "For you." he told her.

Penny: Studying the picture for several long seconds, Penny eventually gazed up at Pietro's face. A heartfelt smile showed on her lips, and instead of signing any words back to him, she carefully leaned closer and put her arms around him, very cautions to touch him only lightly.

Pietro: Pietro was a little surprised but hugged back gingerly, "You're welcome."

Penny: Penny sat back with a smile on her face. "Can you carry it for me," she asked. "I don't want to risk tearing it."

Pietro: He nodded, "Of course, and it's no big deal if you accidentally tear it - I can just draw you another one and I promise not to take it personally." he smiled at her.

Penny: Penance nodded, then looked at him for a while. "You said before that you don't have many friends." Her fingers were moving swiftly to form the signs. "I like you." She showed him another smile.

Pietro: "I like you too," he replied, "If it's okay with you, I think I'll consider you a friend. Would you like that?"

Penny: With a kind smile on her face, Penny gave an eager nod. "I would like that a lot."

Pietro: "Alright, that's settled then," he gave her another smile, "I'll find you a proper portable chalkboard as soon as I can but this one will be okay for the next little while... and I'll get you lots of chalk too just in case."

Penny: "Thank you." Considering this supposedly was a school, Penny had no doubt to always find a generous supply of chalk. Looking down herself at the worsening state of her clothing, she added: "Maybe some duct tape, too."

Pietro: Pietro nodded, "Yeah that sounds like a good idea..." he gave her a sympathetic look.

Penny: "There is nothing you can't fix with it." Penance then jumped off the stool and fetched her chalks,taking them over to the small board. Cocking her head, she watched the things while wearing a from. Carrying all those things would be tricky.

Pietro: Pietro watched her for a moment then got up to get her a box to put her chalks in, "Here," he held it out to her.

Penny: Penny smiled while she carefully placed the pieces of chalk in the box. It looked sturdy enough to last her a while - and could probably be fixed with duct tape if there was need for it. "How long until the paint has dried," she asked Pietro.

Pietro: "A little while, I'm afraid... How about we get something to eat while we wait? Then at least you'll have someone to translate for you if we bump into someone in the kitchen."

Penny: Penance nodded, a smirk curling her lips - a snack was always a good idea.