Private Finished Cotton Candy Sunshine

Sarah carried some first aid supplies as well, mostly for small injuries like Anna had since she was prone to going on full auto-pilot in the middle of a stroll. She didn't like carrying bags, so most of it was stuffed into inner pockets. But since the girl showed that she too came prepared, she didn't bother taking her miniature kit out.

"I'm glad to see you're putting what you learned to good use, sorry it had to be on yourself." Sarah stood by and waited to see if the girl needed some assistance, but Anna was pretty much self-sufficient and didn't need her help. She sat down next to the girl as Anna recounted her experiences, which confirmed Sarah's hunch that she had recently discovered her powers.

"Mhm, all that can be overwhelming." She looked out into the distance, seemingly going back to her trance. "I've been here since January. There were... problems at home and I was sent here to get away from it all. Honestly, it feels like I've gotten on the wrong boat. But I guess it's better than what's waiting for me if I go back."

Sarah was playing down her situation by a lot. She desperately hoped that Anna wasn't in the same boat she was. It was a horrible boat to be in. Her expression remained neutral as ever however. She listened to her story, and in some way, Sarah could relate. But the big picture was that Anna was right where she should be. This place was for people like her. This was their haven.

She wanted to reassure her this, but doing so in the middle of her story would be rude. This might have been the only chance to tell her this, but that was alright. Anna could probably figure it out on her own.

As Anna told Sarah about her latent powers, the older woman looked to the younger. "I'm no expert on the subject, but from our brief contact, it seems like you're altering other people's emotions. I can't tell you how it works, at least not yet. Before coming here, I didn't even know those kinds of abilities even existed outside of fantasies... If your latent powers only showed up recently... then I suppose there must be something about this island that awakened it. Or perhaps it's like puberty for your supernatural half."

So she was a siren? She had read about them in the library of her new home. It was a lore book, something she would never have picked up if she weren't tossed into the insanity that is this island.

Sarah blinked at the request, a mild smile forming. Oh how the tables have turned. She was usually the one testing things on people, but now it seemed like it was her time to become the lab rat.

What the heck, it wasn't like she could lose anything. If what she read was right, Sirens could do more than just manipulate emotions. A form of mind control would be part of the package, but at the moment, it wasn't like it was a high-stakes deal for her. "I see no harm with that. It might help me understand the supernatural. It's a shame I don't have any of my equipment to record data with."

Sarah extended her hand out to her, an open invitation to use her for practice. "Okay. Whenever you're ready, Anna,"

It was just like some kind of drug. The moment Anna took her hand, Sarah felt the rush of positively-charged emotions flooding into her being. It was like her brain was forced into releasing a load of endorphin. The feeling was lovely. For Sarah, such emotions were out of reach. She couldn't even remember the last time she was this happy. Her hand twitched a little, clasping just a bit more tightly.

"Like a heavy weight just got lifted from me," she'd reply, unintentionally being cryptic. Sarah gave into the feeling, relaxing a bit with a sigh. She didn't want the contact to end, and that raised a red flag for her. This could become addicting. She could already feel herself being drawn in like a moth to a flame. If she ever started getting cravings for this, then that would be problematic.

Leaning against the back of the bench, Sarah relaxed a little more and allowed herself to let go of her troubles for a little while. This was a rare opportunity to do so, so of course she would take the chance. As it continued, she closed her eyes and focused on the emotions she was feeling. This was probably the most at ease her mind has been in a long, long while. If she could, she would have passed out and hoped she'd have nice dreams.

Her imagination started to run with her emotions, putting her in a grassy field with a moderately cloudy sky. All around her was a slew of nostalgia. The high hedges enclosing the property, the soft trickles and splashes of a fountain, the swaying leaves of the trees and the large mansion in the middle of it all. She remembered this place. This was her home. This was her safe haven.

"I feel even better," she'd say to Anna, the smile on Sarah's face growing ever wider. Until...

She saw two people walking towards her, a woman and a man. Their faces were covered in shadows cast by the parasol they both shared. For a moment, her heart was lifted up, until she saw what laid underneath the parasol.

Skulls. Bits of flesh still clinging on. Dead eyes staring back at her. Cold, dead accusing eyes... Sarah kept herself from screaming, but the imagery shocked her enough to pull her hand and herself away, the panic on her face showing. "These phantoms just won't let me rest. Not even for a moment." She hung her head and clenched her fists, exerting enough force to shatter rock. It was fortunate that Anna's hand wasn't in one of them.

Sarah had pulled herself together quickly, breathing in deeply then letting it all out with a sigh. "I'm deeply sorry..." she'd start, pinching the bridge of her nose before looking back up at Anna. "I suppose even with your abilities, bad memories can find their way in. I apologize if I startled you."