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Joy's enthusasim and flushed features calmed in the moments that followed Neil speaking up. She felt guilty now. Hadn't she, just a while back, felt affronted when Neil had exclaimed at the presence of Rena? And here she was doing far worse with Mr. Lesley. She looked, with no amount of sheepishness, over at Neil.

The reminder that Rena would like her help gave Joy's mind a small shot to get it back on track. "Oh! Oh yes! of course! I'm sorry Mr. Hyland!" She quickly replied. Turning on the ball of her foot, she gave Neil a small half wave. "I'll be right back with Rena!"

Oh indeed! Perhaps Mr. Hyland wished to speak to Neil real quick? Joy was certain she hadn't exactly managed to create a shining image of herself with her sillyness. "I am too ooooold for this." She groaned to herself after she had left the room. now...just to find the kitchen....

She'd gotten herself turned around or lost or something...we'ren't those the gardens Ace and Lee had involved themselves in a mud fight back in her world? Joy wasn't positive.... Her jogging had slowed to a casual walk. Well, she needed to learn her way around if she would be visiting here right? Time to backtrack!

When the little boy smacked into her legs Joy staggered back. her green eyes wide as she'd look down. "Oh! Are you all right!?" She began. But the proclimation of the child and his quickness to resume play convinced her that he was fine. Young children had such a tolerance to bruising! With a wide smile on her face she turned to look back at the boy hiding behind her.

"Oh sweetie, I don't think thats a good place to hide! I'm going to be moving in a moment and then what of your hiding place? Maybe you could help me real quick? I'm looking for the kitchen, I'm supposed to be helping Rena."

Joy lifted her head at the 'oh' and looked over at Robbie. She still had that smile on her face. Not the silly one from meeting Mr. Hyland, but the gentle one she had formed at seeing the little boy. Her smile remained as she watched the two interact. It was obvious Robbie was the boy's father. So very obvious!

"Jimmie? That's a cute name." Joy called out as she took a few quick steps to close the distance between her and Robbie. "Hello Jimmie" She continued, then she waved a hand before her.

"I didn't know you had a son Robbie. He's really cute...ah...before you go...could you show me where the kitchen is?"

"My name is Joy." She replied brightly to the little boy first, then she turned to look up at Robbie. For the most part Joy assumed that he still felt strange around her. His co-leader and all. That had to be uncomfortable for him to handle still. "Thank you Robbie. I think that's why I didn't notice it." She'd go in just a second though. She turned back to Jimme and smiled, with a tiny wave she murmured to the boy. "I have to go now Jimmie, it was very nice meeting you!"

Joy was taken aback by the outburst from the child. She actually took a step back at the kicking fit that he began. She wasn't even aware her mouth had opened slightly in shock.

"Was...was it something I said? hey...hey jimmie I'm sorry sweetie. Don't kick so hard, your going to hurt your daddy." She cooed to the boy in an attempt to calm him. her eyes lifted to look at Robbie. "Wheres his mother? I'll go see if I can find her."

Joy felt a cold numbing of her insides. Oddly enough her mind was pretty clear. She was having a easier time thinking now then she'd had ever since she had arrived in this place. Joy had a two year old, and here was Robbie with a two year old, Named Jimmie no less. Jim. Like her father.

She listened with a drawn face to Robbie pleading with the boy to behave. She felt so many different things. The greatest at the moment was a empathic heartache for Robbie and the crying child. She had only thought that her presence would be difficult for Ace to handle. All the small things that had happened or been said was now coming much more clearly to her. Joy felt the tears in her eyes. Cold wetness that clung to her lash's. her hand had somehow made it up to her mouth and covered it.

What did someone say in this scenario? What could she possibly say? There was not a single thing she could say...or do for that matter. Any gesture she thought she could make would only worsen the pain they were feeling. How long ago had Joy died? Not very...not nearly long enough for them to be okay...

"I'm sorry." She finally replied. Her voice felt so empty in the quiet after Jimmie's wailing. It was a poor and weak thing to say to a man that probably felt like his wifes ghost was just hanging around him all of the time.

Joy rose to her own feet. She felt like she should be determined to leave the man in peace with his son. She shouldn't let this trouble her because it wasn't her fault. He didn't need to worry about her when he had a child to look after. But her thoughts felt more selfish then anything. She should be more considerate and caring...she should be trying to make amends...but for what she didn't know. Joy did know that she had no right to cry though. Robbie and Jimmie and Ace were the ones who had the right to cry. Not her. Yet anything she thought she could do she feared would only make things worse. Honestly...

She was surprised Ace hadn't wanted to cling to her a bit longer. Danger aside.

"I should get to the kitchen...maybe we can...talk later..."

Joy was exceptionally muted in her words and actions. She helped Rena in the kitchen wordlessly, thankful for the mundane and mindless tasks that gave her the opportunity to reflect. And yes...Joy had a lot to reflect upon. The following meal that she took with the group was a fairly noisy event. With chatting amoung many of those present. Joy should have been exceptionally excited to be sitting beside her hero, however she could not muster anything more then a small smile through out the entier setting. When it was that it came to a end, Joy excused herself under the pretense of exhaustion and found her way to the guest house room.

>...............<

As per request of Lesely, Joy borrowed a notebook from Rena and the next day she wpent a rather extended period of time alone working on the requested information he had asked for.

Known: Limitations of my own powers. Repercussions for extending myself beyond the limitations of my powers. The ability to know when I am attempting to Mimic a evolveds powers that is either incompatible with my own cellular structure or is too powerful. I am capable of mimicing for a indetermined period of time a maximum of two powers and a third for a temporary span.

What I would like to learn: A improvement in my concentration concerning the use of this new power. Guidance in using a power that is unfamilar to me but is one that you have undoubtably seen from it's very begining and it's progression.

Goal: I wish to master the power to such a degree that i will be able to return home as soon as possible. I understand that my continued presence here is a burden to those who were close with this worlds Joy and the longer I am here I feel the worse their grief over her death will become. I also have obligations and responsibilities back home that can not wait, as my own Brother is quite likely not taking my dissappearence well and I am afraid what drastic measures he may be taking just to find me.


>...............<


In the days that would follow, Joy's mood would not lighten. She found sleep difficult and on many nights she merely gave up the attempt. Joy spent a better part of her sleepless nights on the internet, following the news and looking up what bits of history she could concerning major and minor events that she thought may have shaped this worlds current state. She obsessively jotted down notes in a notebook she had obtained from Rena. When she was not surfing the internet she was pouring over her notes, making small time lines and attempting to puzzle out how such events may have impacted others and how better results could have been generated. The topic she spent a great deal of her time agonising over was the 2013 Act in America.

Her girlish enthusiam over concerning Lesley did not return either. Aside from her simple and gleeful outburst in his office, Joy exhibited nothing but calmness and a respectful urgancy that he teach her what he could about concentration and focus. As it was not his power itself that she was attempting to master, Joy felt it was only his guidance she may truely need. As well as someone a bit more familar with all the 'oopsies' that could occur. He was Rena's father after all.


Concerning Neil, Joy attempted to spend her off time with him, seemingly in an attempt to avoid everyone in the manor house altogether. When it was that Joy was convinced or decided herself to take a day and relax, she only wished to spend it with Neil. Seeing how he was holding up and discussing whether or not there would be a time difference when they got home and by how much. Of course she also spent time chatting with him about things that had happened after high school...but it felt rather empty and hollow when Joy considered her own life.

Though she had mentioned to Robbie a desire to speak with him that first day... She did not pursue it. Nor did she make any easy opportunities for conversation. It would not be too long before she'd begin to skip meal time altogether. Breakfast, lunchs and dinners. Joy would claim to 'be along in a minute' that would stretch until the end of the meal time when everyone had left, if she showed up at all. Joy's appitite had waned to the point she was given to skip a meal every so often and lived mostly on snacking vegetables from the kitchen to and from her practice sessions.

She did not even ask about Ace. Though he was supposed to be present to boost her power, Joy did not ask after him or request his presence for her training. She really did seem incredibly focused. She accepted the training with Lesley eagerly for the amount of time he was willing to spend with her... Then she spent the rest of the day doing nothing else. Joy did not once leave the manor house. Despite the initial claim of wishing to see England and sight see a bit. When such a thing was mentioned Joy would merely smile and brush it off with a 'Maybe in a few days'.

Joy was aware that her behavior was out of sorts, but she did nothing to correct it. Though she preferred for people not to worry about her, she was aware that she simply could not fake a happy attitude just to satisfy everyone else. Ace would have been proud of her, after worrying about her, she supposed. Joy wasn't living up to another persons false expectations anymore. She just wished she could get rid of the hollow feeling inside of her chest. Every day that she spent in this world...it was a day she imagined Ace waking up without knowing what had happened to her. A day where he might sink further into the questionable group. A day further away from her saving. It surprised her a little, how much more she thought of her brother then anyone else. She knew she loved her mother and she knew she loved her father...but she thought of Ace at least four times more often then either of them. She didn't even think once about anyone else in her life. Not even Raven...

It was only after Joy noticed the dakness clinging under her eyes that she made some effort to at least change her sleeping habits and eating habits. If she wasn't healthy then she would not make good progress with her training. Joy opted to force herself to stay in bed at night, and when that did not work she made use of easily accessable night time medication for colds. She also planned her meal breaks more carefully and stuck to them even when she would have preferred to continue her practicing. She chose to have her meals earlier then everyone else by a good hour, so that there was little chance of running into someone or for someone to worry that she was not eating at all.

With such a determined scedual. So very devoted and focused in compare to her previous training, it was no surprise that Joy's progression was rapid. With Rena's insight concerning her own power, and Joy's constant synching with the power, she managed to reach her maximum level of familarity within a months time. It was still too long in Joy's mind. Far too long. And just because she had become familar with Rena's power did not give her complete mastery over it...however... She had possibly gained enough skill to at least attempt to make the return home. All that remained was for Ace to be brought.

Joy did not feel that she had resolved anything. She felt as if she had done nothing but avoid a huge bleeding wound of a problem, and that by leaving she was only going to make it worse. She had no words for Robbie. She didn't know him. She couldn't possibly comprehend his grief because she had never lost anyone the way he had. She could not consol Ace either. He seemed at first to be in such denial over his Joys death that she worried he would only be sending her away out of a childish fear of loseing her again in the same way. Joy wasn't even certain how it was that Joy had died in the first place. It was a question she had thought to ask Robbie but could not bring herself to do.

She also felt like a corpse scavenger. When she sat down to look at all the notes she had made, a full notebook by now, she felt as if she was taking advantage of this worlds pain and agony. What sort of person was she, to use this morbid information with the arrogance of thinking she could change her own world so it would turn out better then all of this? She wasn't even positive that all of these events would mirror her own worlds. Look at Bolthor. Here he was a bit of a extermist that was chalked up as a villian. In her own world he was a respected hero. COuld she be so arrogant as to take everything she had copied with her and state without a doubt that these people were bad, these groups had the wrong ideals, and that if certain things were not done then the world would end up just like this?

And what about Robbie? A Robbie in her world somewhere. A fire elementalist that she may have met randomly before all of this. A man that maybe she could have fallen for. But now that she knew it had happened here would she have expectations? Would she make some mistake by expecting that Robbie to be her someone special? In which case it could ruin their future. And what of Jimmie? Would that be her future as well? Or would that be lost now that she had met him?

It was high time to try though...Joy had requested and recieved a charger for her phone. Thankfully the battery powered up and, though she recieved no signal, it did not stop Joy from flicking through her address book and looking at the numbers stored within. So many numbers...so many names of people she only knew casually. People from college that she had called and chatted about things that she didn't even care about. Just to keep up pretenses...One by one she erased the numbers until only two remained...her fathers and Aces... why hadn't she even put her mothers name in her phonebook?

((0o'' I think I skipped way way way ahead and if you wanna go back I can edit the post of course. I spent a good hour just trying to figure Joy out and came to the conclusion she's too smart to act like a child and cry, nor is she self centered enough to act like everything fine and a holiday. She's used to putting in extra effort to achive her goals, as per her college studies, and I felt that she would make her training her only priority, while attempting to distance herself from the ones she feels are suffering from her presence. Also I partly wanna get her home to Ace *Misses that Ace* crying If you wanted to throw a wrentch into her scemes it could be that her attempt to teleport could go wrong. Either because she really isn't up to full strength and she falters a bit, or because her mastery of the power just isn't -that- level yet. And she could feasibly end up somewhere else on the planet. 0-0'' ))

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sometimes little things can cause big reactions.

A little thing like a little rumor with a little person confirming the little rumor had....

.... Rena, Ace, Robbie, and Destin all tumbling into the dining room at that early hour where Joy was leaving and the others were coming in. Robbie already had fire bits out on his hands, and Destin had that rubbered look to him to do--who knew what?

"What is the matter?" Lesley had already been standing, as ever straight and well-postured, but he somehow seemed bigger when alerted to something amiss.

"Thank heavens, Daddy!"
"JOY!"

One girl went to wrap herself around her father, and one young man went to grab his alternate-universe siter by the shoulders to give her a critical up and down look.

"Where is Jimmie?"

"He is well and in the common room playing with his toys. What is this about?"

"The news says that the city has been destroyed."

"Well, I certainly would have been the first one to be informed of that." Lesley frowned, pulling his cell phone from his belt.

"Jimmie said there were bad people in the house." Robbie had only needed to turn around to find that Jimmie had escaped his play area and was staring in at the crowd, phone still in hand. "You shouldn't lie! That is a very bad thing."

"You look craptastic." Ace informed Joy, and shook her a little bit, then put a tight arm around her, "What are you doing to her, Hyland?"

"She's the one that hasn't been taking care of herself." Neil spoke up.

"You WHAT?" Ace turned his glare to Joy.

"She hasn't?" Robbie turned back, now also looking Joy over.

"Why didn't you tell me?" A snap to Rena.

"What is wrong?" Robbie had now taken steps forward, now putting a hand up to remove Ace's grip.

Jimmie reached over and put the palms of his hand on each of Joy's cheeks and squeezed. "Hahahaha!"