Emily stood gently tapping her foot, she was leaning against a pillar, backlit by a bunch of faintly lit posters. It was a reasonably late time in the evening, but the cinema wasn't all that busy, she wasn't being bothered and she had plenty of personal space to herself. She had a love hate relationship with cinemas. She certainly loved the movie going experience there on the big screen.

On the other hand though, when you could feel the emotions of 200 other people in the same room as you, it tended to cause a headache. She was barely able to contain her excitement today though, because she was going to watch a horror movie minus the horror. Kind of. Normally, if she went to watch one on her own or with friends it was a particularly harrowing experience because she was kind of rubbed off on by all of the fear in the theater with her.

This time however, she'd be with her friend Bailey. He was kind of cute and awkward, but she had taken a serious liking to him. He was honest, friendly and fairly innocent. And on top of that he was an adapted. Which meant ultimately, if she went to a theater with him, she'd just be feeling her own emotions. Nobody else's. She started rocking gently on her heals, humming to herself.

She had over-ear headphones on and was playing some fairly loud music to try and drown out all of the emotions surrounding her. She was wearing a stylish designer black leather jacket over a black dress, embroided with the name of the band Evanescence. She had done her hair, and was wearing slightly more make up than usual, topped off with black leather boots that came up about half way up her legs.

She'd taken to texting Bailey quite a lot over the holidays and had hung out with him once or twice in social settings with events going on and the like, but not very much just the two of them. She glanced down at the thin watch on her wrist.

Bailey strolled into the movie theatre, still half asleep. He stifled a yawn and covered his mouth with his arm, looking around for Emily. Sure, it was four in the afternoon, but he hadn't slept at all the night before, so he'd slept through the day right up until he was supposed to meet her. Well, maybe a little bit past, actually. He was a tad late.

That didn't at all mean that he wasn't excited, though. He'd actually really been looking forward to seeing a movie with her. Ever since they'd hung out at the mall, they'd been texting back and forth constantly. Basically, the only time they weren't in some form of communication was when he was at work and wasn't supposed to be using his phone. Occasionally he still did, though.

He was also looking forward to seeing the movie they had picked out. He was very much a fan of horror movies, and he'd been looking forward to seeing that one for a while.

He glanced around for his... well, he didn't really know what to call the outing, actually. Was it a date? Were they just friends? Did she even like him that way? Did she even like guys? All of it was too confusing and complicated. Maybe he would just not bring it up and let her direct things. That seemed like an easier option.

Bailey had just taken out his phone to text Emily when he finally spotted her. He slipped the device into his back pocket and approached quickly. He couldn't help but notice how nice her hair looked as it was backlit by the movie poster behind her. He felt a little underdressed in his hoodie and jeans, but tried not to dwell on that fact. It was a little late to do anything about it.

"Hey," he greeted. "Sorry, I'm a bit late. Ready? Do you want popcorn or anything?"

Emily's face lit up when she saw Bailey approaching, she pulled the headphones down to rest on her shoulders. Her hands gently clasped each other behind her back as he got up to her, she offered him a wide and pleasing smile. "That's okay Bailey, you showed up. That's what matters." She soothed.

The brunette was gently rocking on her heels back and forth, very lightly swaying as she spoke to him. "Popcorn sounds good, maybe a small drink too." She hopped up from the position she'd been half-leaning on and immediately dragged him over to the snacks area to get said food and drink before they went to any of the screens. She flashed him a playful smile. "So how are you with horror in the cinema?" She queried.

Emily watched Bailey's face and stood just outside of his proximity so her power was still active.

Bailey nodded stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling around for his wallet. "Popcorn and a small drink it is, then," he grinned and began to walk in the direction of the concession stand. "Any candy? Gummy worms? M&Ms? Skittles?" He could think of many things that he wanted to eat, but he decided to let her choose. It probably wasn't the best time for her to be privy to the bottomless pit that was his stomach.

He approached the lineup for the stand and finally was able to fish out his rather beaten old wallet. He stared at it for a minute, trying to decide what to do. If it was a date, then gender rules dictated that he paid for the evening. That much he knew, but he didn't really know whether or not it actually was a date. They hadn't discussed that, and he didn't really want to bring it up then.

Bailey glanced at Emily with a slight frown and decided to do the same thing as with the candy; let her decide. 

"Horror movies are great. They're usually pretty funny, actually. It's rare that one will actually scare me," he grinned as he thought about the last one he saw. That had been a real hoot.

"What about you?" He asked, noticing that she was standing a little ways back. It was a bit odd, but maybe she was trying to make it abundantly clear that it wasn't a date. That made figuring out whether or not he was supposed to be paying a little bit easier, at least. 

Emily grinned at Bailey as the two of them walked towards the counter and waited in the queue. Candy, sugar. Bless him. "Hell yes, I'll get the drinks, you get the snacks?" She offered with a wide grin. "I'll trust your judgement on the sugary snacks." She winked. The cinema tended to be a very fun place to be in her experience, you seldom got people here who weren't having very much fun. It cost so much more these days that it was often only people who really wanted to go that went.

She grinned in response. So Bailey wasn't a baby with movies? Good. It wasn't fun if the person with you couldn't enjoy them either. Still. It might have been fun to tease Bailey and see how far she could make him blush. Maybe she'd do that anyway. Hmmmm. 

"I like Horror movies a lot, but they've been a little overwhelming since my power activated for the first time. In the cinema at least." She responded, glancing at the queue that was advancing. Two cashiers, cool. They could get their stuff twice as fast. "What would you like to drink?" 

"Sweet things coming right up!" Bailey grinned excitedly. She trusted his judgement. That probably wasn't the best idea, but he wasn't one to argue. He waltzed to the front of the line and began to inspect the candy display case eagerly. There were so many good things to choose from. Too many good things to choose from...

The teen raised an eyebrow and looked up at the cashier. "I'll take a bag of skittles, a bag of M&Ms, a box of cotton candy, some Sour Patch Kids, some Fuzzy Peaches, some peanut butter cups, and two Twix bars." That would probably last them until after the commercials, right?

He looked over at Emily, who was talking about her opinion on horror movies. He nodded, trying not to imagine how horrible it would be to have to sit in a room with people terrified out of their minds and have to feel what they were feeling. That would definitely be a pass for him.

"Uh... coke?" He shrugged at the drink question. He wasn't all that picky. 

The cashier handed him the pile of sugar that he'd ordered, and he piled it into his arms and handed him two twenties. "Ah shoot, I forgot. Two popcorns too, please."

He frowned a little as he the guy began to ring up the total. It was going to hurt his wallet a little. But hey, what was money for, if not for spending? He probably wasn't going to go to college anyway, so why not blow it on fun things?

He added the two bags of popcorn to his already overstuffed pile and shoved his change into his front pocket. Then, he turned to join Emily, trying to get a view of her between the snack bags that blocked his line of vision. 

You ever have your friend do something so adorable and embarrassing at the same time that you aren't sure whether to laugh, or facepalm? That's how Emily felt when Bailey with her blessing, went and got most of the selection available at the counter. Her lips were tugging into a teasing grin. "Ahem, are you following the can't go wrong with enough variety approach, Bailey?" She asked with her eyebrow quirked. 

She chuckled and went and grabbed each of them a large Coke from the cashier. It was Pepsi, not coke as the Cashier sarcastically informed her. Emily gleaned some satisfaction from the realisation that the person was not enjoying being near the person working next to them very much, despite the rudeness. So she wasn't above being petty.

They'd gone for small drinks, but it was an extra 0.20 to get a large with their tickets, so it wasn't really a big deal. She grabbed the drinks and turned to snort a giggle out and nearly drop the drinks when she saw how much Bailey was carrying. "You need a waiter tray or something?" She asked, her voice dripping with a playful sarcastic note. 

    

"No, I think I'll be fine," Bailey said as he did his best not to drop anything. He brought one of the popcorn bags up to his face and took a kernel off the top with his tongue, and then munched it loudly. Nothing beat extra buttery movie theatre popcorn. 

He hadn't really understood Emily's sarcasm, so he just kept walking, oblivious to the fact that most people didn't order an entire row from the candy display. With four brothers, Bailey had grown used to eating whatever he could when he wasn't around the other vultures that would take it from him.

"Which theatre are we in?" He asked after a minute of walking blindly through the theatre lobby with a mountain of snacks in his arms. 

Emily paused as Bailey stacked up everything in his arms and started to walk past, letting out a hearty, deep laugh. "Bailey, you look like a new waiter who has bitten off WAY more than he can chew." She had a hard time keeping the laugh out of her voice. She turned back to the counter and gave her most radiant smile to the guy that Bailey had bought the sweets from. "Could I get bag for him please?" The man behind the counter couldn't be much older, maybe early 20's at the most? A student.

He tossed over the bag and she set the drinks on the counter for a moment, lightening Bailey's load severely and draping the plastic bag over one arm, a playful smirk dancing a cross her expression. "There, now at least you can see where you're going." She commented, gesturing with her arm in the direction of the screens, after glancing at her ticket.

"Screen 12." She playfully punched Bailey in the arm, without much force. It was a gesture of affection more than anything else. Then grabbed her drink and balanced his between her arm and her chest. "Lets go and grab some seats." God damn, this was probably an easiest way to carry everything given how much Bailey had picked up, but a drink with ice in it being held against your body was coooold.

"I don't need a bag!" Bailey insisted as his poor choices were called into question. Sure, he was struggling, but he was also managing! He didn't need Emily to fix the situation for him. He frowned as he watched her fill the bag with the various items he had picked up.

Despite his arguing, he couldn't help but recognize how much nicer it was to just have to carry the two popcorns. He didn't have to worry about a wandering package falling from his grasp. Plus, he could actually see where he was going. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted despite himself. He nodded to the cashier on the other side of the counter and thanked him politely. 

"Alrighty," Bailey nodded at the mention of finding seats. His arm was punched lightly, to which he stuck out his tongue playfully. It hadn't hurt nearly as much as when she'd punched him before, so he could take it in stride. Plus, he was getting far more comfortable around Emily. Sure, she was still a bit confusing, but she was also exciting. And fun. 

They walked through the theatre, and Bailey handed his ticket over to the girl manning the booth. She ripped the one side off quickly, and then handed him the rest. 

Bailey was being stubborn. She was right of course, shopping bags had been invented for a reason. They made it easy to carry a large quantity of differing sizes of bought goods, without dropping or ruining them. Though admittedly, most people that went to see a movie in the cinema didn't buy enough sweets and popcorn to need one.



She felt a large, smug smirk colour her facial expression and nudged Bailey's arm playfully. "Of course I'm right dummy."



Off peak indeed, after they had gotten their tickets checked over and been directed towards the cinema screen they swiftly found their ways inside, luckily it wasn't very busy at all. They found a fairly nice place to sit down and Emily smiled, leaning down into the chair and sighing contently.



There were enough people that were tense and excited to make her uncomfortable, she winced as she thought about it, and then leaned in closer to him visibly, taking a second or two before chirping in a low tone. "I wonder if it'll stay this quiet."

The two of them made their way into the auditorium and a pair of seats near the back of the theatre. That was always Bailey's first choice for seats. You got the full view of the screen without having to turn your head that way.

The seats were cushy, red, and rocked back and forth when you leaned one way or the other. They were very cool. Bailey swung his legs a little, trying to make it move without moving his back. He just wished that seats at school could be that nice.

He grinned as Emily sighed contentedly in her seat. She looked like she was having a swell time.

>> "I wonder if it'll stay this quiet."

"Dunno," Bailey admitted. He hadn't really noticed it until that moment, but no one was really talking. The movie was a few weeks old, so the theatre was pretty empty, but usually there was more chatter going on before the commercials started. That time, there was nothing.

Suddenly, he had a wonderfully awful idea. With a sly grin, he took a piece of popcorn and threw it at the couple sitting three rows in front of them. The little kernel bounced off of the man's bald head and landed in his boyfriend's lap. The first man, a large, muscled guy, turned around to see where the projectile had come from. 

Emily snuggled happily into the seat until she was comfortable, leaning near Bailey and feeling his field wash over her power, nullifying it in an instant. It was a bit of a shock and her skin felt like it had goosebumps, but quickly she found herself relaxing, the strain of all of the annoying people bustling around her, inconsiderately feeling all of those pesky emotions was made silent by his unique ability. 

She glanced at Bailey, as he picked up the popcorn and glanced down at the people a few levels below them a mischievous grin tugged at her lips, but they were in public. It wouldn't do to get thrown out before the movie started. "Bailey." Her voice low and her slender fingers gripped his arm, as he threw and it hit the man though she slid her hand over her mouth and stifled a loud giggle. 

She glanced up at his face, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous light and pleasure. "That wasn't very nice~" She murmured insincerely. 

"Sure it was," Bailey grinned mischievously. "But only for us. It may not have been all that nice for those guys." He was used to pushing peoples' buttons. He did have four brothers, after all.

He reached into the popcorn bag and pulled out another three kernels, casually waiting until the man turned back around. When he did, he threw the kernels at him, snickering quietly as he did so. They bounced off his head again, and one went right into his boyfriend's eye.

Bailey froze as the man rose out of his seat, adjusted his jacket, and turned around to face Bailey. His face was twisted angrily, and he was obviously looking for trouble. His boyfriend tugged on his arm and whispered something to him, trying to stop him, but the bald guy ignored him.

He stepped over the other people in the row and climbed up the steps on the edge of the auditorium until he was at Emily and Bailey's row. He lumbered over to them and stopped just short of Bailey.

"You got butter on my boyfriend's jeans. That's gonna leave a grease mark. We don't like when that happens," he growled. 

"Uh... sorry?" Bailey mumbled.

"Sorry? How 'bout you pay for dry cleaning?"

"I... don't have any money..." Bailey's voice had become rather faint, and he looked at his feet. He'd spent all his cash on the movie and the snacks.

"Wrong answer, twerp."

Emily was very amused by the whole situation, it was mean but then again, sometimes she was like that. She was smiling broadly at Bailey, and then shifted away from him a little bit in the seat. Her power clicked back on, accompanied by a wince as it hit her like a sack of bricks. She'd need to hang out with Bailey more often to get used to that feeling.

She felt the guy coming up before she saw him, a ball of anger rolling it's way up the stairs between the levels of seats. There were a few other people in the cinema screens, all in small groups of three or four, their heads turned, and a few pointed as the angry man child got to the top of the cinema. Emily scanned their emotions, glanced straight past him as if he wasn't interesting when he confronted Bailey and got a feel for his alleged boyfriend.

She felt the sides of her lips tug up into a smirk, the man wasn't concentrating on her, he'd practically ignored her presence in fact. She glanced at Bailey and gave him a meaningful smile before brushing off her facial expressions, pulling it back to neutral and uninterested. She stood from her chair, dusted herself off and cleared her throat, the angry individual spun his head quickly at her.

He wasn't very good at controlling his temper, that much was obvious. And he was tittering on the edge of violence. Emily wasn't observing his body language all that much, it was more just a sense she got from her power and using it on a great deal of people with anger issues. She didn't noticed the slight shakes in his posture, or his hands slowly balling into fists.

His expression faltered, he'd been about to spit something at her, but it was as if he'd barely taken note of her, or not even considered the possibility that it could have been her to throw the popcorn. That irked her on some minor level like misogyny always did.

"I was the one to throw the popcorn, you testosterone fueled idiot." There may or may have not been stronger words in between those last two. "And before you start something you should consider a few things."

The man barely had time to respond. People's brains didn't even stop to consider some things, on top of that everything operated less smoothly when you were angry. "Firstly, the only person who has embarrassed your boyfriend, is you. Right now he's going through a mixture of that, and a little fear at how aggressive you are over a piece of freaking popcorn." She supplied, obviously feigned sympathy in her tone.

"Secondly, if you go for my boyfriend, I'll step in. I'm not particularly strong, but I know where to go for an asshole that'll hurt. On top of that, there are people here to keep rowdy customers out. Whom do you think they'll side with, the angry unreasonably man that an entire theater just saw stand up, roll their ass up the staircase, and then threaten an innocent teenage girl. Or, us?" She replied, once again with disinterest.

"Or, you could reconsider and go and apologise to your boyfriend for getting so angry about it, and freaking him out, maybe mend things before they get any further." She growled, venom dripping in her voice.

The man looked as if he'd been physically slapped. He was more shocked and confused than angry now, she could tell that much. A few other people were standing, looking cautiously over at them, they were out of earshot though, and as a result it probably looked fairly one sided in their favour. She fought off a smile.

It was another few moments before it settled down. She flopped back into her seat with a sigh, leaning over to give Bailey a kiss on the cheek and smirking. "You're welcome buddy."