Realistic or Modern Radcliffe High

[cadence]

CÉLIAN DEBROSSE

"You Americans are so bad at making people feel welcomed," he tsked, shaking his head in (mostly) feigned disapproval, something of a smirk appearing on his lips as his sister, he assumed, elbowed him in the side. Unfortunately, it didn't seem as though he had any choice but to starve. Célian had given the potatoes a chance and regretted it, the taste and texture somehow still lingering in his mouth. As hungry as he was, starving really was the better option. He was positive eating anymore of the food might actually kill him.

"Yeah, be nice, Monroe. But why would they make bad food on purpose?" He asked, genuine concern etched into his features. What were they trying to accomplish? Poison and kill half the students so they wouldn't have to cook as much? Were they being held against their will, making worse and worse food just so someone would come and investigate? Those all seemed unlikely, but what did he know? He shriveled up his nose once again at Lucky's imagery, pushing his tray away from him with a single finger. Even the sight of it made his stomach flop. He was surprised to see Lucky hand him a bag of chips the next moment and stared at them a full second before accepting them with an unsure 'thank you.'

"That is no way to treat a guest, Monroe!" He pouted, placing a hand on his chest in mock offense. "I'm not demon, I'm America's guest," he clarified before opening the bag of chips, popping one into his mouth. He could pretend to be offended all he wanted but the glint in his eyes was a dead giveaway for how much he really enjoyed annoying Monroe. "You should be nicer to me, you know?" He stated, innocently batting his eyelashes as though he had done absolutely nothing to deserve the treatment at all. "How does that saying go? You'll reap what you sow, or something? I'd be a lot less annoying if you were."

Interactions: Monroe & Lucky ( elytra )

 

[PenguinFox]

The first half of Ian's day was pretty uneventful. He sat mostly quietly in each class trying to work up the courage to make new friends. He felt really awkward going up to people and just talking to them. It felt unnatural. So he mulled over exactly how to make friends, friends beside Ash that is. Ash was great and he eternally grateful he had met her and gotten along with her so well but he couldn't survive with just one friend.

Ian figured the easiest people to befriend would be people that Ash was already friends with. In addition to the immediate access and pre-established connection, they would have some common ground; making things less awkward. Chase and Owen were the two Ian was going to try and talk to. He'd already interacted with them on twitter some and they seemed like they would be nice enough in person. Ash wouldn't be friends with people who weren't decent right?

Finally lunch rolled around and when Ian texted Ash he found out that she wasn't going to be there due to an 'urgent issue'. That was going to make things a little more awkward. He had been planning on her being his sort of safety net. If he needed help speaking up and actually talking to Chase and Owen, she was going to bridge the gap, but now...it was all on him.

It wasn't that Ian was necessarily socially anxious, it was more that he was shy around people he didn't yet consider a friend. Once someone got to know him he was drastically different. He would laugh boisterously and and unreservedly once he was comfortable with someone. The problem was getting to that point. Green eyes scanned the lunchroom until they landed on the two that Ian had seen Ash with earlier in the day. In addition to trying to make friends with them, Ian also just needed somewhere to sit during lunch, and they were probably his best option. His heart rate increased as he made his way to their table. Thankfully it was just those two at the table and no one else. Ian wasn't sure he would've been able to do it without Ash if there were others besides the two boys.

Ian went over what he was going to say in his head one more time. He'd been thinking about it all morning, but he had been planning on it being with Ash. He supposed it could still work, so with one last deep breath he strode forward and arrived at the table where Chase and Owen sat. "Hey, Owen and Chase right? Ash told me about you..." he paused. This felt kinda awkward. Was it weird to talk like this? "Mind if I sit here?" Everything sounded wrong when it was out loud. Why did it sound so much better in his head? He didn't think the two would mock him at least, they didn't seem the type, but Ian was confident he wasn't exactly leaving a good first impression. cadence Beeze

 

[DrabberRogue]

Jace Rose

"Fun!" Jace intoned with his cheerful voice, directing that same sarcasm towards the description of the rabbit hole that was room 230. Even if he may or may not have actually thought it sounded kind of entertaining. He wasn't a drama geek himself, but he didn't mind bearing witness to a little 'drama' every now and then. Plus he was a little curious about drama class, now that he thought about it. It was certainly more interesting an idea than English in the morning...

"Ha! Yeah, not lookin' forward to that." He agreed, letting out a short laugh at his own misfortune. "I can't figure out what they're trying to teach with that sort of thing. Like, do we really need to have a whole unit picking apart one book?" Jace went on to complain, perhaps getting at the wrong reason for why English in the morning was annoying. Perhaps intentionally. See Jace actually didn't mind the idea of reading Moby Dick, or Shakespeare, or whatever other ancient text they forced the class to read for no good reason. What bothered him was that they slowed his reading down with classwork and circle jerking about the meaning between the lines, or whatever.

"Never thought reading could be a chore 'till I got to high school..." While Jace was busy blathering about reading and English, his eyes had started scanning the signs indicating what rooms were down what halls. It wasn't long before he spotted a promising candidate for the location of room 230 and promptly turned the corner. He'd have liked to continue the conversation, maybe ask about what theater was like or get the girl's opinion on some of the fairy tales he liked, but unfortunately time was running short. Class would be starting soon and he was apparently just a little too good at tracking down room numbers. So once they'd arrived at the room in question he bid his new locker twin farewell, wished her an amused 'good luck', and started to head for his own class.

He never did mention his name nor what grade he was in.

Jace's first few classes went uneventfully, as to be expected of the first day of school. Just sitting and idly letting his gaze wander the classroom while the teachers read through their syllabi. Standard affair really, although Jace didn't mind. The first hour or two in a new classroom was always at least a little interesting. He got to look at all the decorations and see who his classmates were. Like this one really pretty blonde girl in his English class, for example.

Of course that wasn't enough, and inevitably the boy wound up periodically sneaking messages onto Twitter. So when lunch time finally rolled around he actually had a decent idea of what he would be doing. Courtesy of a few new names, the likes of 'Key' and 'Juni' offering sage advice. Get to the lunch line early for good chicken biscuits, bring his own lunch, and don't eat the urinal cakes. That last one being especially important. Also following on from important lesson #2 Juni had offered him her own spare lunch, in light of the fact that he hadn't brought his own.

Jace wasn't one to turn down free food and good company, so he was on the lookout as he strode into the cafeteria. His piercing blue eyes scanned curiously not only over the room itself but over the tables of people who'd arrived before him. Searching for the girl who was being so nice to him as he slotted into the still short lunch line. He may have been getting a (probably) free lunch, but he was still curious about that chicken biscuit. So he'd made haste to find the cafeteria the moment his third period class ended. Unburdened by slow moving social groups and tedious locker visits, the energetic new kid was more than capable of arriving in time despite not knowing where the cafeteria was beforehand.

While he was waiting for the line he made use of Twitter once more, getting some last minute info to guide him into the right table. Cute, red, stoned... Back of the room. It was just as he was coming off the line that he finally zeroed in on the table in question. Blonde curls? Check. Red hair? Check. Stoned? Couldn't tell from a distance, but that literal red head was enough of a landmark. Now the proud owner of a fresh chicken biscuit, Jace began to make his way across the room. Weaving between tables and people while he strode up to the table in question, taking a couple bites from his snack along the way. It was... Decent. Not Cracker Barrel quality, but good enough for school food.

"So..." Jace intoned, announcing his presence with a crooked smile as he arrived at the table in the back. "Cute, red, stoned, aaaaaaaand..." His finger briefly pointed at each of the table's occupants in turn, corresponding to his words. First the sweet looking girl with blonde curls, then the girl with bright red hair, then the guy who'd definitely smoked something earlier, then a third girl. Kinda cute, with glasses and a reserved demeanor. Presumably Juni, Ange, Drake, and someone he hadn't met yet. An eclectic looking group of kids, continuing the trend of meeting interesting classmates on his first day.

"...I'm Jace! Mind if I sit here?" Almost seamlessly he transitioned from the stall of his opening sentence into introducing himself, a humored tone coloring his voice as his bright eyes shifted back to Juni. It was a partially rhetorical question, but he wanted to be at least a little polite. He felt a little awkward about the idea of just rolling up and sitting down at this table of people he'd sort of met on social media.

Chimney Swift (Sorry I took forever again...)
Winona PenguinFox Taelonthesands ohdittoh

 

[cadence]

OWEN BOSTWICK

It was truly amazing how much one person could fuck up in the span of, what, five hours? Just five measly hours into the school day and Owen Bostwick had already managed to double the amount of laps he had to do, for both him and every other sports team in the school, and score them all ten push-ups after each lap. He ran his big fat mouth about Grace and Ash's secret dog and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, JJ was probably right when she said he was the sole reason everyone knew. Now, they'd both probably get detention or worse and it was entirely his fault. He felt like a shitty boyfriend, a shitty friend, and, really, just a shitty person in general. And even that barely even scratched the surface of the mess that was his feelings. Simply put, Owen felt awful. So awful he was barely even looking forward to lunch.

Exactly how shitty of him would it be to just, like, completely skip out on lunch? To leave his best friend all alone at their usual table with no idea as to why he didn't show up? He'd be lying if he said the thought didn't cross his mind, because it did. More than once, actually. He could quietly slip away after fourth period and go straight home. Sure, he'd have to walk because Chase was the one who drove him their in the first place, but it would be worth it, right? Better to have him sad about him skipping on lunch than, like, Owen and his stupid loud mouth accidentally blabbing about his stupid feelings and Chase hating him forever. Right? He currently had a track record for saying dumb shit that got himself (and others) in trouble. It was best to not even risk it... But then he was promising Chase a hug and, admittedly, he wanted a hug too, so by the time lunch came around, he really had no choice but to stay.

It hadn't taken him long for him to find Chase. He sat where they usual did, eyes peering across cafeteria as though he were looking for something. Probably looking for him, he realized, because he had taken a few minutes to compose himself in the bathroom and was now about ten minutes late to lunch, according to his watch. He stood frozen in the middle of the cafeteria for a moment, tightly gripping the plastic blue tray that contained his lunch. Deep breath in, he reminded himself, and plastered a smile onto his face. He couldn't lose his cool in front of everyone. He especially couldn't lose his cool in front of Chase. So, after one or two more deep breaths and forcing a convincing smile, he made his way towards Chase, setting his tray down at the empty seat across from him but not quite sitting down just yet.

"Don't think I forgot about that hug I owe you, bro," he grinned, arms opened wide despite the number of stares he was probably getting for it. Frankly, he didn't give a shit what people said about him and Chase anymore. He was dating Grace, first of all, so it wasn't like their assumptions were correct. And, second of all, he and Chase were just bros. Best friends who comfortable enough with their friendship to be affectionate to one another -- that was all. Despite convincing himself that that was all they'd ever be, it wasn't enough to stop him from holding onto the hug more than he should have, a weight practically being lifted off of his chest. Because, yeah, Ash and Grace and half the school might hate him, but Chase didn't, and that was all that mattered.

"How've you been?" He asked the next moment, finally taking his seat at the table. He began drowning his food in hot sauce immediately, tearing open the packets and dumping it over everything (except the chocolate pudding, obviously). He didn't need to taste the food to know it was horrible, he'd gone to Radcliffe High long enough to know better. He wasn't sure he'd be able to stomach the food even with the hot sauce, but he knew he had to try. If he didn't, Chase would know something was wrong, ask about it, and then Owen, being the loudmouth he was, would spill. Which would be disastrous. "Feeling any better than before?" He asked, taking the smallest possible bite of salisbury steak he could manage. He barely even remembered what Chase was upset about he'd been so preoccupied with his own shit, but there was probably something if he offered a hug over it.

"I was kinda hoping Drake would do his strip tease," he laughed, desperate to focus on anything but the elephant currently in the room. Or could he even call it that? Was it an elephant in the room if you were the only one aware of it? Or was there some unspoken rule that said there had to at least be two..? Either way, his feelings for Chase felt like a big, giant elephant and he planned on ignoring it to the best of his abilities. "Why didn't you wanna see him shirtless? He's your crush, you should've been, like, all over that," he pestered, only breaking eye contact when he noticed someone was standing beside them.

Talking about strip teases and shirtless men... Quite the first impression! He let out something of a nervous laugh, hoping he didn't notice as he moved his backpack off the seat beside him, clearing off a spot for him. "Shit, yea, take a seat. You're... Ian, right?" He guessed, going off of Twitter memories alone. "You're the one Ash snuck off to see, eh?" He wiggled his brows, wondering if there was more to Ash and Ian's relationship than met the eye. She deserved to be with someone, he thought, even if she currently probably hated his guts. "Do you like hot sauce, bro?" He asked, changing the subject without any warning. "This shit is practically inedible. Tastes, like, infinitely times better if you smother it with, like, hot sauce or ketchup or something." He slid his leftover hot sauce packets to the center of the table, offering them to whoever wanted them.

Interactions: Chase ( Beeze ) & Ian ( PenguinFox )

 

[Soap]

Maisie

Aaron was right.

Both definitely worked. There wasn’t many people she could hold a conversation with without wanting to run away. Even if that was the case, Maisie didn’t know where to go from here. It seemed like she was in the same spot she was moments ago, but doesn’t everyone do that? Doesn’t everyone Internally panic about small talk? If the answer was no, Maisie wouldn’t be surprised. “Sometimes, I kind of find new people exciting— after the scary part fades and you know them a little enough not to panic.” She probably wasn’t making sense but Aaron probably understood what she meant.

Probably.

“It’s sort of fun. Figuring out what they’re like, what they like.” A pause sat between them for the first few seconds and Maisie found herself wondering.

“What do you like?” Was it the cheap way of saying, ‘do you have any hobbies?’ Yeah. But that didn’t make her any less curious about the suddenly less scary stranger across from her.

mikaluvkitties
​

 

[Soap]

Grace

It was exactly what it looked like.

With a heavy sigh, Grace scrambled up from the floor to her feet taking Bernard protectively away from Sawyer’s grasp as she held back the slightest smile. Grace had to admit, it was a little funny to see Ms. Cool being all cute and cheesy with baby Bernard. Sawyer wasn’t really the type to be cute with anyone— well, not that she’s... never mind. “Bernard Jackson-West.” Grace corrected. What? They were obviously still working on the name... even though Grace was pretty sure Jackson-West was the ultimately perfect— she’s getting off track here. “I didn’t kidnap him, I saved him from the evil bad guys.” The blonde hugged the dog tighter, a grimace on her face when she felt Bernard slobber all over her.

Gross.

“It’s a secret, if anyone found out we’d be in trouble. So... it’s either you don’t tell anyone, or we’ll have to kill you.” She’s kidding! As if Grace was capable of murder... although she didn’t think she’d kidnap anybody ever so maybe there’s a first time for everything.

“Seriously though. We’re gonna hide him in the boiler room until practice and take him home over, so... keep your lips sealed.”

KingofAesir Winona​

 

[PenguinFox]

Lulu jumped just in the slightest when Juniper called out to her, but most of her anxiety melted away when her friend hugged her. She returned the hug and grinned. It was a strange feeling to be hugging someone she was so close with already, but physically still a stranger. Lulu gave a small wave to the people she was introduced to and slid down into the chair that Drake offered up.

The other girl, Ange, immediately spoke up and welcomed Lulu to the group. She seemed warm and friendly. That combined with the grin that the guy introduced as Drake had was all adding up to making Lulu feel quite welcome. Her shoulders relaxed and she returned a smile to the red haired girl. "Yes, my family and I just moved here a couple of weeks ago." she said with a nod. "I'm a sophomore. We moved here from New York." Typically a barrage of questions like that would overwhelm Lulu but this group felt like safe, familiar almost. They seemed like they were one in the same with her. Oddballs, like her. "It's not at all a problem." the Woods girl reassured Ange.

Drake's comment about not usually biting brought the smallest of chuckles from Lulu's throat. The joke helped ease Lulu even more into the group dynamic. It was already beginning to feel natural being with these people. The glimmer of excitement began to burn in the petite girl's stomach. Growing up she had never really had many friends, most found her too strange to hang out with. She would always sit alone at lunch and draw or write; doing her best to be unnoticed by the rest of the world. But these people- these people had the potential to be friends; her friends.

Nimble fingers played at the corner of Lulu's notebooks as she listened to how Drake's first day had gone so far. A small smiled tugged at the corners of her lips. What an interesting character with a flare for the dramatic he was. It was positively entertaining, and Lulu doubted she had ever met anyone quite like him, or any of the people at the table for that matter. As he finished she realized that it was now her turn to share how her day was going as her 'initiation to the group'. "Nothing has really happened so far for me. I'm being made a pie, which is super sweet." Her story felt entirely inadequate compared to Drake, but thankfully she was saved by the arrival of another person.

The boy pointed to each person in the group and gave them a nickname. Lulu felt a tad defensive when he called Juniper 'Cute'. He wasn't wrong, Lulu just didn't know his intentions and that made her protective of her friend. She scooched closer to her friend instinctively, keeping her eyes on the stranger. Her expression held only her typical curiosity. When the boy pointed to her the sophomore perked up some, almost excited to be included in the nicknaming. But alas it wasn't meant to be. Lulu received no nickname or cute one word title. Her shoulders dropped ever so slightly in disappointed. She supposed that no nickname was better than some of the cruel ones she had received in the past. She almost spoke up to provide the boy with her name so that he didn't have to refer to her as 'you' but she couldn't find the courage. Hazel eyes dropped down to her sketchbook where the start of a goldfinch patiently waited. It was only the rudimentary beginnings of a sketch but she could already picture the bird in her mind. The boy introduced himself as Jace and asked to sit down, but this was not her table seeing as she herself was a newcomer so Lulu remained silent. That was what she was best at as mother was so oft fond of reminding her. Winona ohdittoh Taelonthesands DrabberRogue

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer​

Sawyer was slightly offended that Grace had taken Bernard from her. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. Although, maybe it was for the best. Sawyer didn't need people to think she had a soft side or anything like that, and when it came to dogs, Sawyer was an absolute puddle. Especially with ones as cute as Bernard was. Sawyer found herself wanting to kidnap Bernard herself, she could see why Grace had done it in the first place. It's hard to resist his little fat rolls and his slobbery face, Sawyer shook her head and unfocused from the adorably slobbery dog. As soon as her focus was off of the dog, it was drawn right back to him when Grace said that they were going to stash the poor guy in the boiler room. Sawyer gasped rather dramatically and tried to grab Bernard back from Grace in panic. They couldn't put him in there. That was awful.

"You can't put Bernard in the boiler room, are you crazy?" Sawyer clutched Bernard close to her chest and buried her face in his fat rolls again, "The boiler room is dark and scary and hot." She frowned at them like they'd suggested throwing Bernard in the trash dump. "He'll be scared and lonely. There has to be somewhere else you can put him." Sawyer was only now realizing how stupid she sounded. She sounded like she actually had feelings for something other than theater and her beanie. Speaking of which, Sawyer didn't know where she'd put that but that was a disaster that she'd have to deal with later. Right now she had to try and salvage her coolness.

"I mean, not that I care." Sawyer handed the dog back to Grace with only slight hesitation, "Do whatever you want with him. Not my problem." She laughed awkwardly and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets.

Soap Winona

 

[Winona]

Ash

"We're still working on the name." Ash piped up when Grace corrected it to put her name first and she couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit. It was such a ridiculous thing to argue about but it was also very important when she was, apparently, being forced into partial ownership of the little puppy that was being passed back and forth between Grace and Sawyer.

"The boiler room is better than where Grace wanted to put her." She blurted out as she walked over and pressed her palms against the top of a lab table before hopping off the ground to sit on top of the table. Her feet swung back and forth beneath her. It seemed like Ash was the only one not interested in stealing and holding the little puppy. "Grace wanted to put her in one of our lockers with pictures of ourselves so that Bernard wouldn't think he was alone."

"There's nowhere else to put him." She added with a sigh, looking at the little puppy again. What had Grace gotten them into? They could attempt to hide the dog, of course, but eventually their parents would find out. One of them would slip up or their parents would be home on an unexpected day or... something.

But for now, maybe they could hide in the bliss for a little bit of hiding a puppy.

Soap​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

CASPER OLLILA​

Casper’s day had not been going well. In fact, it had been going pretty poorly. School sucked, and Casper wasn’t very smart, and besides having Ange to giggle with in Geometry, they’d felt… alone. The only thing they were looking forward to was Art, but that wouldn’t happen until after Spanish, and they couldn’t quite help a vague sense of dread at the idea of having to learn more letters and words and grammar as if they were a baby all over again.

So, of course, they’d decided to have lunch with a friend, and with that friend they had gone to the art room, where they ate a strawberry jam and nutella sandwich and drew. They drew the sandwich in their hand, and then their hand holding the sandwich, and then just their hand in various poses, then played with the shapes of all three sketches, entirely tuned out to the drumming of Casey’s fingers or the fact that they were being quite silent right now.

When Casey finally spoke, Casper jolted, looking up at them with wide eyes. They almost asked them to repeat themselves, but then the words processed, and they perked up, nodding. “Yeah! Max and me hung out. We drew stuff and Max talked about trees and I practiced sign language!!”

They wiggled, then paused, brow furrowing as they cocked their head, gaze returning to Casey from where it drifted as they really, truly looked at them. “Why?”

elytra

---

AARON OLLILA​

It occurred to Aaron he was having a civil situation with someone he didn’t know- More civil than the usual conversation with Ange- and for a second, it felt like he was in the clouds. This moment didn’t feel real. He felt himself smile, just a little, then hum, not agreeing but not disagreeing, even if, to be honest, he really did disagree. New people never became exciting for Aaron- They just came to have a place in his life where they stayed.

They were just talking. No expectations. No harsh words. Just two people. Talking. He nodded as she kept speaking, took a bite of his sandwich, gaze on the table.

She asked what he liked.

The smile dropped from his lips as he chewed, and he still felt fuzzy around the edges, like this wasn’t quite real, or maybe he wasn’t real. He swallowed.

Normal people having a normal conversation shared interests. There was no reason to believe that she’d use this against him- That this was all some clever ruse that would leave him heartbroken.

And yet he couldn’t shake the feeling it was. What could he share? What was safe?

Might as well go with what people already thought of him, right?

“Skipping school, smoking weed.” He paused, then added, because she’d hear it sooner or later, “Starting fights, if the mood strikes.”

Soap​

 

[Beetleings]

Benjamin Miller
Senior year
​

Sitting down against a wall outside Benjamin placed his cane down gently in-front of him before quietly pulled out his lunch, which contained a poorly put together sandwich containing american sliced cheese and baloney and some mayo between two pieces of whole wheat bread and hazardously placed it on his crossed legs balancing it on his knee. Staring up at the sky he let out an exhausted sigh. The school stairs have been unkind to his over-worked legs, struggling to keep himself from toppling over his own feet had proven to be challenging today, and the fear of being laughed at for it even worse. He watched as people strolled by, half considering giving a friendly wave a 'Hi' or 'Hello' to spark conversation and thinking far to hard about what
would happen if he did. As his stomach turned anxiously he looked back down at his sandwich, a bit underwhelmed of what he had decided to make himself the night before.

 

[Soap]

Raven

The more Key talked, the more Raven found herself actually listening. He wasn't just the dim-witted douche everyone thought he was. Key Killough was more than the school's stereotype jock, and it was definitely something she'd add in the upcoming paper.

Although her job was to listen of course-- and write a piece on it... it was just... She hadn't expected a guy like him to actually have... what? A dream? Or maybe was it a dream so similar to her own? No, Raven didn't want to be a football star, but she wanted to be someone people didn't forget. She wanted to actually make her own mark on something. The brunette didn't see his dream as childish in the slightest way, she believed you could achieve anything if you actually worked hard for it. You weren't gonna get anywhere if you just sit on your ass and hope.

Although Raven hoped he knew that most of this would be printed. His hostility towards Mason wasn't going to be the greatest thing for the other Rivera to see, but it was definitely going to get reads. Raven's job wasn't to groom Key into the perfect interview, everyone should be on their toes when talking to a journalist-- well, a wannabe journalist. But... dress for the job you want, right? Might as well act like it too. "Homecoming was a good game, no? It was a shame you guys didn't win playoffs." The brunette picked a pen off the desk and twiddled it in between her fingers. Hesitating for a moment before leaning closer to him, and gently pressing the bandage back down on his nose.

"With a yes or no question, do you think you'll win playoffs this year?"

ohdittoh

​

 

[Soap]

Grace

The lockers were a perfect place to put him! Although it was a little tiny, Grace could most definitely make it comfortable enough for him. She doesn't care who says what-- her locker would be acceptable. "What? You're the one who asked your twitter followers what's the most sound proof room in school. You made it seem like you're murdering someone or..." Well, she wasn't going to finish that sentence.

Grace sighed and held onto Bernard tighter when Sawyer had shoved him in her arms, as if she wasn't paranoid about the little guy spending an hour alone in the warm darkness. Sawyer definitely needed to keep in touch with her softer side. It was sweet... and Grace would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about seeing more of that side to her. She always pretended to be so... tough? Was that the word? Doesn't matter. Sawyer was definitely a total secret sweetheart. "Anyway, the boiler room will be fine. We'll put him in a little box with a small Tupperware of water and he'll be totally okay. It's only for a little while." Besides! It wasn't like she could put him anywhere else.

Nobody went into the boiler room except the janitor and thankfully Marty had the day off today.

KingofAesir Winona
​

 

[ohdittoh]

STATUS:
Getting interviewed, bro
LOCATION:
The Journalism room
INTERACTIONS:
Soap (Raven)
MENTIONS:
N/A

keagen killough

Key listened with an empty look on his face. His eyes focused nowhere in particular. He seemed not to have even realized that he had done a strange thing-- that is, show emotion and ambition. Instead, he looked...numb and emotionless after getting out all of that for the previous question.

His eyes flicked back to her for a moment when the question was fully out, and then he went back to looking all around the room. "Yeah, I mean..." He grinned half-heartedly. "Homecoming was dope. Playoffs would have been dope to make it to. It was dope just winning homecoming. I mean, our game against Newport before it made it like...ya know, those fire birds? Like one of those coming back up after getting burned." He paused, his face sinking and eyebrows furrowing as he thought. His face relaxed after a moment.

"Phoenix," he said. "That bird."

He noted some movement in the corner of his eye, and he glanced over just in time to watch Raven gently poke his bandage. He didn't move just for a second, and then another brow-furrowed look of confusion dissolved onto his face. He stared at her for a moment, just kind of noting, mentally, that she was...pretty, since he hadn't noticed before.

Only after he did that did he begin to compute the question. If one looked closely in his eyes, one might even be able to see that the few, underused cogs in his head were turning.

He didn't pull back from his spot near to her. He didn't exactly look at her eyes. He looked more around her facial area than anything. "Yeah, I do," he said. His breath had no particular scent besides a distant mint from the gum that he'd gnawed for an hour before the lunch bell. "The team has always been great." (There was, again, a hidden "except for Mason" in there.) "We got a new coach-- Coach Richards. You know her, probably. Anyway, she'll be tough on us, probably. I guess...uh... I guess it'll mostly be a matter of, uh..."

His eyes met hers, and his brows furrowed once more. "Uh..."

Staring into her eyes was a little more distracting than helpful, actually. Even so, he didn't look away, and finally, the word came to him, and his face relaxed again. The grin he gave this time seemed a bit more genuine. "It'll mostly be a matter of managing to stay together, yeah."

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)​

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Spoiler: Plain Text

Key listened with an empty look on his face. His eyes focused nowhere in particular. He seemed not to have even realized that he had done a strange thing-- that is, show emotion and ambition. Instead, he looked...numb and emotionless after getting out all of that for the previous question.

His eyes flicked back to her for a moment when the question was fully out, and then he went back to looking all around the room. "Yeah, I mean..." He grinned half-heartedly. "Homecoming was dope. Playoffs would have been dope to make it to. It was dope just winning homecoming. I mean, our game against Newport before it made it like...ya know, those fire birds? Like one of those coming back up after getting burned." He paused, his face sinking and eyebrows furrowing as he thought. His face relaxed after a moment.

"Phoenix," he said. "That bird."

He noted some movement in the corner of his eye, and he glanced over just in time to watch Raven gently poke his bandage. He didn't move just for a second, and then another brow-furrowed look of confusion dissolved onto his face. He stared at her for a moment, just kind of noting, mentally, that she was...pretty, since he hadn't noticed before.

Only after he did that did he begin to compute the question. If one looked closely in his eyes, one might even be able to see that the few, underused cogs in his head were turning.

He didn't pull back from his spot near to her. He didn't exactly look at her eyes. He looked more around her facial area than anything. "Yeah, I do," he said. His breath had no particular scent besides a distant mint from the gum that he'd gnawed for an hour before the lunch bell. "The team has always been great." (There was, again, a hidden "except for Mason" in there.) "We got a new coach-- Coach Richards. You know her, probably. Anyway, she'll be tough on us, probably. I guess...uh... I guess it'll mostly be a matter of, uh..."

His eyes met hers, and his brows furrowed once more. "Uh..."

Staring into her eyes was a little more distracting than helpful, actually. Even so, he didn't look away, and finally, the word came to him, and his face relaxed again. The grin he gave this time seemed a bit more genuine. "It'll mostly be a matter of managing to stay together, yeah."

 

[Chimney Swift]

Mentions: mikaluvkitties

Lunch time.

At the best of times, not Ivy's favorite period. She couldn't help but imagine she was being watched as she gingerly stirred her salad around in its styrofoam tray, poking it with her plastic fork.

She hadn't really paid any mind to who she was sitting with: some seniors, she supposed... frankly, she didn't give a damn. She'd just taken the first empty seat she laid eyes on.

Absentmindedly running the prongs of her fork along the rim of the tray, she caught eyes with a tall, brawny brunette across from her. He was so tall, in fact, that to do this Ivy had to tilt up her head. She cockily raised her eyebrows, as she often did when preparing her latest snippy comment, but nothing came from her mouth. She just stared for a moment or two, her gaze fixed as if reading his mind through his green eyes. Balancing a single shred of carrot on the end of her fork, which dangled precariously from her fingers, she rested her head on her palm.

Then, just as she was sure she had his full attention, her eyes rolled back, the fork slipped from her hand and her forehead hit the cafeteria table with an almighty thud.
And there she lay, slumped like a corpse. "I'm done here. Donate my body to science." She pleaded in a dry, overdramatic whisper.

​

 

[Taelonthesands]

Juniper Ava Rowlands

Juni

Melody Meadow by Louie Zong

Mood: The more the merrier...

location Cafeteria
mentions Chase Beeze
interactions Ange ohdittoh Drake Winona Lulu PenguinFox Jace DrabberRogue

Before she knew it, things were getting overwhelming rather quickly. Juniper tried to stay focused as the excitement and nerves and emotions around the table were increasing. However, she was beginning to feel herself fade away. Gently grabbing onto Lulu’s shoulder, she hoped it would seem like one of her loving gestures as she worked to try and center herself. Smile along to Ange's questions, pat Lulu encouragingly and give her a loving look when she answers. Roll your eyes and giggle at Drake’s performance, whatever tale he spun would definitely be one that he wanted reactions too. It was about school, right? Right. Ange asked about the other twos’ days so far.

She needed to breathe, these were her friends. She never let herself freak out like this before, but she also hadn’t let herself sit with so many people in the past. Partly because of status reasons, but mostly because aside from study hall, this was the time of day that Juniper could relax before the rest of her classes. Her love for her friends was as large and deep as the oceans, it was just a shame that her nerves and focus were as vast as space. At least this was all who was here, her and the sophomores. She could definitely handle that. Biting her lip, she let the sting bring her back to focus, blinking quickly a few times for extra measure. She was looking to Lulu now, listening intently to her day even if it was far shorter than the adventure that Drake must’ve presented. Wrapping her arm around Lulu’s shoulders, she gave the girl a squeeze. “I think both of those days sound lovely, especially the sound of a pie! I was actually promised one too.”

She would’ve said more about the generosity that was her out of the blue new friend Chase, until she heard the word Cute mentioned in her direction, causing her to turn and gaze at the newcomer at the table. More people, just what she asked for. One day her kindness is going to push her to her limits. Gods, she really hoped today wasn’t it.

The boy standing at the edge of the circular table was definitely a looker, her cheeks blushing now that she knew who exactly called her cute. She gave him a once over, doing her best to get a read on him and although she didn’t really know him, she could definitely pick up on the awkward air that was forming around him. Removing her arm from Lulu, Juniper reaches into the bag and pulls out another boxed lunch, placing it at the last open seat between Ange and Drake. Hopefully, the two wouldn’t mind the setup, they had already adjusted so many times.

With a chuckle, she pats the table behind the lunch, “Definitely got those details right, though I believe I told you curls, not cute. Also of course you can sit here Jace. The more the merrier I always say.” When had she ever said that? That was definitely a quote from her mother.

“I hope you like soft pretzels and beer cheese, my mom was experimenting this morning for a party she's hosting soon and she sent me here with the extras. There’s also some berries and baby carrots if that isn’t your style. Sorry, there isn’t much more than that,” She gives him an apologetic look before continuing, “How have you been holding up so far? I heard you’re new, I bet navigating these halls must seem crazy.”

coded by incandescent

Spoiler: Mobile Friendly

Before she knew it, things were getting overwhelming rather quickly. Juniper tried to stay focused as the excitement and nerves and emotions around the table were increasing. However, she was beginning to feel herself fade away. Gently grabbing onto Lulu’s shoulder, she hoped it would seem like one of her loving gestures as she worked to try and center herself. Smile along to Ange's questions, pat Lulu encouragingly and give her a loving look when she answers. Roll your eyes and giggle at Drake’s performance, whatever tale he spun would definitely be one that he wanted reactions too. It was about school, right? Right. Ange asked about the other twos’ days so far.

She needed to breathe, these were her friends. She never let herself freak out like this before, but she also hadn’t let herself sit with so many people in the past. Partly because of status reasons, but mostly because aside from study hall, this was the time of day that Juniper could relax before the rest of her classes. Her love for her friends was as large and deep as the oceans, it was just a shame that her nerves and focus were as vast as space. At least this was all who was here, her and the sophomores. She could definitely handle that. Biting her lip, she let the sting bring her back to focus, blinking quickly a few times for extra measure. She was looking to Lulu now, listening intently to her day even if it was far shorter than the adventure that Drake must’ve presented. Wrapping her arm around Lulu’s shoulders, she gave the girl a squeeze. “I think both of those days sound lovely, especially the sound of a pie! I was actually promised one too.”

She would’ve said more about the generosity that was her out of the blue new friend Chase, until she heard the word Cute mentioned in her direction, causing her to turn and gaze at the newcomer at the table. More people, just what she asked for. One day her kindness is going to push her to her limits. Gods, she really hoped today wasn’t it.

The boy standing at the edge of the circular table was definitely a looker, her cheeks blushing now that she knew who exactly called her cute. She gave him a once over, doing her best to get a read on him and although she didn’t really know him, she could definitely pick up on the awkward air that was forming around him. Removing her arm from Lulu, Juniper reaches into the bag and pulls out another boxed lunch, placing it at the last open seat between Ange and Drake. Hopefully, the two wouldn’t mind the setup, they had already adjusted so many times.

With a chuckle, she pats the table behind the lunch, “Definitely got those details right, though I believe I told you curls, not cute. Also of course you can sit here Jace. The more the merrier I always say.” When had she ever said that? That was definitely a quote from her mother.

“I hope you like soft pretzels and beer cheese, my mom was experimenting this morning for a party she's hosting soon and she sent me here with the extras. There’s also some berries and baby carrots if that isn’t your style. Sorry, there isn’t much more than that,” She gives him an apologetic look before continuing, “How have you been holding up so far? I heard you’re new, I bet navigating these halls must seem crazy.”

 

[ohdittoh]

@therealangewalle

​

Status: Guess we're the welcome wagon now
Location: Cafeteria
Interactions: Taelonthesands (Juni) Winona (Drake) PenguinFox (Lulu) DrabberRogue (Jace)
Mentions: mikaluvkitties (Laurel)

• A N G E L A • W A L C O T T •

Ange scooted her tray away from herself so she could sit her elbows in front of her. "Drake, how the eff did you fit yourself in the locker?" she laughed, a look of amusement on her face. "And why aren't you, like, in lunch detention for the weed thing? You're amazing."

As Lulu answered, she looked at her and listened with a small smile on her face. "A pie? Dope, bro...you better share." She grinned. "Call it a toll for parking here."

Her eyes shifted from Lulu as she saw Jace approaching. "Either we're suddenly super popular," she mumbled, "or we're new kid purgatory."

She held up a peace sign as Jace addressed her as Red, and she gave him a quick once over. She could dig him, really, if she were slightly under something's influence.

"Yeah, dude. Help yourself. We got a limited number of seats. Get 'em while supplies last," she teased, smiling. "Rose, right? First name...Jace or something? I'm Ange." She paused, then looked at Juni. "Looks like we're growing to be nearly bigger than that one's table. Giving her and her crew a real run for their money, huh?"

Ange indicated with a point of her finger just whose table she was talking about: Laurel's.

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)​

 

[Chimney Swift]

elytra mikaluvkitties

Max couldn't bring himself to eat today. Anxiety was still clawing at his insides, knotting his stomach and muddling his thoughts into a cold fog. He honestly couldn't remember a damn thing that happened throughout the last 4 periods, except getting clocked in the face with a kickball in P.E because he couldn't hear the coach yell for him to duck. He was now sporting a bruised black eye.

Even going into the crowded cafeteria seemed too daunting, so he had decided to head down to the art room early to root through the pile of homework sheets he'd accumulated throughout the day. Might as well get some work done...

He had expected the room to be empty. It wasn't.

He found himself staring blank-eyed at Casper and another kid he didn't know, cringing back away from the door. Oh, no. It would be painfully awkward to just run out now, but it would be even worse to intrude on whatever they'd come into this secluded spot to do. His face reddened and his eyes shifted uncomfortably; his fingers raking through his hair. He waved sheepishly, mostly at Casper. His friend, at least, deserved a hello before he made a swift exit.​

 

[DrabberRogue]

Jace Rose

The initial comments of both girls, Ange and the Cute one, got a chuckle out of Jace as he gradually slid his heavy backpack off his shoulder. This he let slide gently to the ground next to the empty seat on Drake's side, the weight of all those school materials producing a noticeable thud. God he really needed to secure his locker. Jace's focus wasn't on his pack of overpriced bricks, however. Instead his attention was directed briefly toward the bag that Juni had passed him.

"Awesome!" Jace chimed, his awkwardness about approaching the table evaporating as he was faced by the friendly attitude of its occupants. "Good thing I got here early, seems like the seats are in high demand..." He continued jokingly as he took his seat, shooting a playful grin at Juni in response to her 'curls not cute' correction. His attention continued to bounce between the two of them as the girls addressed him, nodding with a smile when Ange confirmed his name before turning his attention to both Juni and the spare lunch bag. The bright blue of his eyes lit up when she mentioned pretzels and cheese. 'Not much more than that' she says. As if there was any doubt that pretzels and cheese was, like, one of the best food combinations possible.

"Oh that's way more than enough." Jace insisted, his half eaten cafeteria biscuit finding itself forgotten on the table as he procured the pretzels and cheese in question from the bag. He was already getting the cheese open and tearing off a piece of pretzel to dip in it while Juni moved on to asking him a question. "Hm? Oh, it hasn't been that bad." He replied, momentarily glancing off in the direction of the table that Ange was comparing them to. Blonde. A table brimming with what he figured were probably cheerleaders, by his guesstimation.

"Finding stuff's been kinda interesting, but I've actually gotten a lot of help!" The boy continued cheerily, his icy blue gaze returning once more to the girl he was addressing. "I mean if it wasn't for that Key guy I could've eaten something really toxic. And!" He paused very briefly for effect, dipping that piece of pretzel into the cheese with his eyes focused squarely on Juni's. "There's this really nice girl who offered to give me her spare lunch. Saved me from choking on dry-ish biscuit..." With that he took his first bite of cheese-pretzel, smirking while he savored the flavor of cheese.

Taelonthesands ohdittoh PenguinFox Winona

 

[Winona]

Drake

They were popular? Like that's what happened when your entire table was jam packed, right? His pale eyes widened as the new dude came over -- the flowery one although to be honest, Drake didn't get it. His face certainly didn't look like a flower so why was he called Rose. Wait... was Rose a name? Why would you wanna be named after something that was sharp and pokey and made small children and old people cry? Flowers were stupid, anyway, and it made him sneeze.

He watched as flower man took the seat beside him and Drake gave a lazy grin. A lazy grin because it was only kind of maybe like a half smile of some weird sorts. Like an attempt. Smiling was hard. He was tired. There was a lot going on. His gaze shifted around, trying to keep up with everyone as they spoke. Someone was talking.

Ange mentioning the growing girth of their table numbers. He blinked once, twice, trying to focus straight on her but his gaze drifted away for a moment before snapping back when he realized she was pointing. His eyes followed her hand and fell on the table she was referring to -- the dun dun DUNNNN.

Cheer table.

It gave him the SHIVERS.

"If we-- if are-- if." He stopped, eyebrows knitting together and gaze shifting down to the table in front of him as he tried to regulate his thoughts. Sometimes that happened. His brain would feel foggy and he would like he was staring at others through a film or, like right now, his thoughts would be like trying to piece together a puzzle.

He tapped the table with one finger and his foot started to bounce, his head tilting to the side for a moment before it all clicked into place and his eyes lit up and he lifted his head. "If we end up bigger than them does that mean we're the populars?" He asked, his voice a little louder than a hushed whisper. And then a new thought dawned on him.

"If we become cheerleaders, do we have to sit there?"

Wait, what even was the conversation right now?

Taelonthesands ohdittoh PenguinFox DrabberRogue​

 

[Soap]

Raven

Raven would be lying if she said Key had her full attention as he spoke. Her gaze focused on him eying the bruises, cuts, and the slightly reddened corners of his eyes. Naturally that had made her lock onto his own gaze. Blue eyes had always made her more curious about a person-- dark eyes made a person mysterious, unreadable to an extent, but most importantly; they were independent, self confident, determined.

It was as if an eye color suddenly made you a whole personality, which of course wasn't true. But it was associated with different meanings. To most people, blue was the most attractive on a person. They say people who have blue eyes are peaceful, a gentle soul. Anyone who had heard rumors of Key Killough would say otherwise. But everyone knew how Raven hated rumors, a heavy silence stood between the two as Raven realized those people might've been right.

The brunette leaned off of the desk, putting an end to the recording as well as the tension in the room. "... Well, I think we got some really good content. Have you done this before or you're simply a natural?" She always had the tendency to bounce back rather quickly no matter the situation. Awkward silences? Please, they had nothing on Raven. "We should do this again sometime, kid." She tipped the non-existent fedora on her head, as if they were a gender-bent 50s sitcom. "By all means, anytime you need a distraction..." She shrugged, letting her words linger the same as her slight smile did.

ohdittoh​

 

[Soap]

Maisie

Maisie couldn't tell if he was being serious, why would you tell a complete stranger the worst things about yourself-- not that skipping or smoking made yourself seem bad. The fighting thing bothered her to an extent, an extent. That meant Maisie wasn't about to run away and cower in fear like a little kitten. "I've skipped before, smoked too." She left out the part where she'd smoke regularly.

Well... almost regularly. Nobody had caught her yet in the Fischer house, but it was only a matter of time, so Maisie had only done it outside of school and the house. She wasn't exactly ready to get relocated just yet. "Not what I meant though. I mean... like... hobbies. Something you enjoy." He could've enjoyed what he listed, but everyone had something they enjoyed.

Maisie was simply just curious. "I like art... painting's fun." Sure, she could call it painting. She wouldn't call something she made art, or at the very least tell a stranger something as incriminating as graffitiing a sidewalk-- maybe if they became friends. They could become friends? She didn't seem a reason why they wouldn't.

But of course, that was all on Aaron.

"So, tell me, what do you... enjoy."

mikaluvkitties​

 

[ohdittoh]

MOOD:
Done with his little chat, maybe
LOCATION:
The Journalism room
INTERACTIONS:
Soap (Raven)
MENTIONS:
N/A

keagen killough

Keagen watched her turn off the recording, and he pushed off of the desk, dropping the chair that he'd brought up there with him back on the floor and pushing it back into its spot. "Natural, I guess," he said, not getting that it was a joke, and then he looked back at her with a small grin. "Though I dunno. I was interviewed once in, like, fifth grade because of my dad, you know."

He shuffled his letterman a little bit, and when she suggested that they meet again, he blew out a long puff of air and a soft laugh. "Aren't you an underclassman, kid?" he teased quietly-- a small sign of improvement. He gave her another small grin. "I dunno how interesting I am to talk to, Raven, but, I mean... I appreciate it..." For a moment, he just kind of stood there, and his brows furrowed as he considered doing something.

Finally, he pulled out his phone. "Hey, uh, Raven-- I'll need your number." He tapped on his screen, and then added a bit of context with a small smile. "You know, if you ever want to interview me again... or... you know... if... I guess if I ever wanna just talk to you..." He glanced up at her. "If that's good."

This was Key's little thank you for her comfort and an unsaid "can I count on you for comfort again?".

He looked up at her and held out his phone screen for her to type on and waited for her to put her number in-- if she would.

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)​

​

​

Spoiler: Plain Text

Keagen watched her turn off the recording, and he pushed off of the desk, dropping the chair that he'd brought up there with him back on the floor and pushing it back into its spot. "Natural, I guess," he said, not getting that it was a joke, and then he looked back at her with a small grin. "Though I dunno. I was interviewed once in, like, fifth grade because of my dad, you know."

He shuffled his letterman a little bit, and when she suggested that they meet again, he blew out a long puff of air and a soft laugh. "Aren't you an underclassman, kid?" he teased quietly-- a small sign of improvement. He gave her another small grin. "I dunno how interesting I am to talk to, Raven, but, I mean... I appreciate it..." For a moment, he just kind of stood there, and his brows furrowed as he considered doing something.

Finally, he pulled out his phone. "Hey, uh, Raven-- I'll need your number." He tapped on his screen, and then added a bit of context with a small smile. "You know, if you ever want to interview me again... or... you know... if... I guess if I ever wanna just talk to you..." He glanced up at her. "If that's good."

This was Key's little thank you for her comfort and an unsaid "can I count on you for comfort again?".

He looked up at her and held out his phone screen for her to type on and waited for her to put her number in-- if she would.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

CASPER OLLILA​

Out of the corner of Casper’s eye, they saw someone wave, and their attention was immediately stolen as they looked past Casey before they could even respond. When they saw it was Max, even a red-faced, shifting eye’s Max, their entire face split into a grin and they waved back with as much excitement they could summon, which was so much both hands ended up up in the air.

Casper probably should have asked if Casey minded Max joining them, but they were too caught up in the euphoria of the moment, and instead they straightened their arms out, leaning towards Max, and wiggled their hands in a vague ‘come here’ motion.

“That’s Max,” Casper told Casey, sparing them a glance. “You know Max, right?”

elytra Chimney Swift

AARON OLLILA​

Aaron started off nodding in response to Maisie’s words, but then she was saying that wasn’t what she meant, as if Aaron didn’t know that, and asking directly about his hobbies, which was about the worst case scenario Aaron could think of.

Even worse, she started telling him about what she liked, which meant that telling her unceremoniously to fuck off and that he didn’t want to tell her and that she asked too many questions for a new kid was even more inappropriate than it already would have been.

A hand moved to tap at the table, and he shrugged, as if it wasn’t that serious, and said, “I like reading.” The next words were hard to get out, even harder because of the what ifs of where the questions to such an answer could go- Places he wasn’t yet ready to explore. “I write, too.”

Soap

ELI FISCHER​

Eli had to admit: He was kind of impressed that a freshman- And the girl had to be a freshman. She looked like a middle schooler still- had decided to sit with him and his friends. Happy, but impressed! They were big, and they were so clearly seniors seniors that most would at least give it a second thought, but not this girl- she'd just sat down with them like it was nothing at all.

Needless to say, he had immediately taken a liking to her, even as he continued talking to his already friends at the table. After a while, he couldn't help but feel watched, so he turned to the freshman- And she slumped into the table quite dramatically, announcing her desires for what be done with her body.

He couldn't help but laugh, resting his head in a hand as he looked at her, not daring to pat her back because hey, he didn't know this girl that well- She might not like being touched! "You're not done yet. You haven't even finished your first day! I get that it's scary, but you can do it. Look at me- I've been doing it for almost four years now." He laughed again at that, eyes crinkling up. "What's made the day so miserable?"

 

[elytra]

Casey Dunn
Location: Art Room
Mood: Ah, The Ordeal of Being Known
Interacting: Casper ( mikaluvkitties ), Max ( Chimney Swift ) Mentions: N/A​

Casey was nice. That should be stated. They were nice. They tried very hard to be nice, mostly because they didn't have the guts to be mean (which, likely, was why they got suckered into as much stuff as they did). It wasn't that they were physically incapable of being mean, obviously. They tended to get a little snappish when they were tired, but usually felt bad about it after the fact. Point was, they tried their best. Most of the time, it worked.

They were not, however, great with strangers.

Which would explain their lack of actual friends. You couldn't really get friends without interacting with strangers. The few friends they did have were either flukes or were just outgoing enough to make up for their lack of social ability. They didn't really mind it- well, they did a little, but it wasn't catastrophic. They could deal with having a small range of people they knew. They just didn't do well when they were dropped into talking with strangers without warning.

You needed some sort of warning for that sort of thing. That's how it was for them, at least; they'd spent at least 3 hours before the party mentally preparing themselves (which had ended up not being nearly enough). They needed a bit to adjust themselves to act normal instead of acting weird because weird was their default, and they only got more weird when startled with new people without planning for it. It was why they hated ice breakers, because usually they involved questions about hobbies and interesting facts, and they had to gauge how interesting the facts should actually be and where the line was between 'interesting' and 'embarrassing', which was difficult if they ended up going first. At one point, one icebreaker had involved an inflatable beach ball for some godforsaken reason, and they'd gotten so caught up in trying to pre-plan their answer that it had ended up nailing them directly in the face.

So, yea. Strangers. They didn't do well with strangers. The one thing worse than strangers, though, was strangers that your friends knew and you didn't.

Because if everyone was strangers? Well, at least you were on even ground. It wasn't comfortable in the slightest, sure, but it could be managed if they just ducked their head down and soldiered through it. They couldn't just act like they didn't exist in the current situation, though, because some kid had just walked in with a big shiner from who-knew-what and Casper knew him and they'd been at the party together which screamed 'superior friend'. Which would've been fine, they were fine with being a secondary friend or whatever, it wasn't a big deal, but acting weird around Max would probably make Casper find them weird. That wasn't exactly an outcome they were alright with.

Were they panicking a little? Yes. Was it stupid to panic over? Yes. Were they going to continue doing so anyway? Correct again! They regretted not hiding in the music room with their violin. That would've been productive and would've had less of....whatever they were currently experiencing. They were kind of hoping that their chair would turn into a mimic or something and eat them alive, putting them out of their misery. Or maybe if they just sunk under the table and sat there they could actually have time to pre-plan the entire conversation in their head. That would be ideal.

But there wasn't time for that, because Max was being beckoned over and they were being spoken to and the world was ending. Very, very cool.

"No." They said simply, before averting their eyes, wanting to bite off their own tongue because that probably wasn't the right response. Not that 'yes' would've been correct, but a clipped response? Yea, not great. They tried to remedy it rather lamely, continuing with "I, uh, don't think we've met, so...." And while that didn't make it much better, it at least was a little longer.

Figuring it would be rude to just run out of the room at a high velocity, they instead opted to sink down into their chair a little bit, lips pursed as they tried to think of some excuse that would be believable, not rude, and allow them to leave immediately. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind that wasn't straight up lying. They weren't desperate enough for that yet, so it was time to participate in the time old classic tactic, 'I'm going to sit here and stare at the old gum thats sticking out from under the table and hope that I become invisible'.

Monroe (And Lucky?) Quill
Location: Cafeteria
Mood: I've Decided to be Rude Now
Interacting: Celian ( cadence ) Mentions: N/A​

"Yea, Monroe, he's america's guest." Lucky repeated, flashing an impish grin at Monroe, who was really regretting coming to school that day. He'd gotten a bad feeling that morning, and yet he'd still gone it. Look at what it'd got him. "You really need to be more polite. Its embarrassing to the rest of us who are trying to treat people correctly." She looked at Cian, mustering up a fake apologetic look, and he was tempted to take her by the shoulders and jostle her a little "I'm so sorry he's like this, we have no idea what happened. I can't believe he'd treat you like that. I will personally see to making sure he stops being--ow!"

Monroe pinched her on the arm, and she swatted his hand away, sticking her tongue out at him childishly, a stark contrast to the serious speech on being polite that she'd just been giving. "Oh, I'm rude? I'm the rude one? Yea, okay." He scoffed, turning back to his meal, though briefly glanced at the cafeteria dish that Cian had been given. "And the foods bad just because they make it quickly and shove it into heating trays for hours on end. That, or they're trying to kill us. Take your pick; they're equally likely options."

"Its because they're trying to kill us." Melvin chimed in helpfully, before going back to their meal, seeming content to just to watch the conversation unfold. Monroe was honestly thankful for that; he couldn't imagine having all three of the people currently at the table lecturing him on how polite he was. If that happened, he was pretty sure he'd just get up and leave.

Charlie
Location: Cafeteria
Mood: chanting STICKS! STICKS! STICKS! STICKS!
Interacting: Frankie ( cadence ) Mentions: N/A​

Oh, the choice was difficult.

Charlie knew he should stick around. First of all, first day of school. His teachers would probably notice if he just didn't show up to his later classes and hadn't gone to the nurse or anything. Second of all, the laps were happening after school. At first thought, that had been a pro for leaving, but thinking of it a little longer, he really didn't want to get on the coaches bad side so early. Did he want to run that many laps? Of course not. He really liked living. It was one of his favorite things, in fact; he'd say that 'living' topped his list of 'things I'd like to continue doing'. But he knew that if he didn't show up he'd probably get called out for it and given even more laps next time, which would double kill him. She seemed like the sort of person to take attendance for every single team present.

But on the other, tempting hand.....unlimited bread sticks. With his boyfriend.

Actually, the choice became less difficult. Better to live a short life of alfredo indulgence than to die on the track without having a single bread stick, as the saying went.

"Olive Garden. I don't want to be hereeeee." He said, already resigned to the fact that the coach was going to kill him. He had speed run the stages of grief and had landed firmly on 'acceptance'. "There's not even that many classes left. They won't miss us. I can just say I got sick or something and you took me home because you love me. They have no way to prove we went to Olive Garden."