shieldacademyau | [Mingle-Log] Only non-alcoholic beverages in the punch bowl...

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[Mingle-Log] Only non-alcoholic beverages in the punch bowl...

[This is an open mingle log. You do not have to be part of the community to post in this thread. Consider it a test-drive of sorts to get your voice or meet new characters!]

SHIELD Academy
Open House
Everyone is congregated in the spacious auditorium of the SHIELD Academy. The noise level is probably a decibel below deafening and the lights are probably a little dimmer than what might seem normal for this time in the evening, but it doesn't seem to bother anyone as they just carry on. There are banners strewn about welcoming all first years to a new chapter in their lives while others welcome the others back for another year at the Academy. Refreshments are served up on stage while other tables set up around the massive room are home to pamphlets and flyers for clubs and classes. Special electives and advertisements for training sessions are also littered amongst the tables.

Make a few friends, find old ones, look into clubs that catch your interest. This is open house for all returning students and prospective students, so hang out, hit up others and just mingle!

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He should have gone to juvie.

It's really a feat to look so disgusted and irritated with all the people and flyers and chatter within twenty seconds but look at him go. Look at how he would literally rather be anywhere else in the world right now. Going to some fancy high school, that was stupid. He should have taken his chances in prison.

Though-- Roy clenches his fist at his side, pushing his nails into his palm until the skin there is white and indented. And then he watches it fade back to normal within seconds, not minutes like it would take a normal person. He swears he can feel his new strength just waiting in his fingertips and he's reminded why this was a better idea. It'd be easier to escape from this place than a padded cell in lockdown because he nearly killed another kid with his bare hands.

Roy pulls up the hood on his red hoodie, stuffing his hands into his pockets and generally trying to make himself look as unfriendly as humanly possible.

And guess whose attention that hood stunt has gotten you? One Miss America in a stars and stripes hoodie of her own. She's standing a few yards down from Roy, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Freshman?" Why ask when it's obvious. But courtesy dictates, and sometimes America listens. "It gets better. Trust me."

Isn't he just the luckiest person ever.

Roy just... hardly looks at her, because looking means that he cares. Or something. Look, he doesn't care. He doesn't care if it gets better or whatever touchy feely crap goes on here.

"They pay you to say that?"

"Trying to be little red riding hood?"

Natasha's voice is amused as she wanders up to the new kid with a crooked smile. She stops in front of him, studying his expression a moment, her head canted slightly to the side.

"I think you need to growl a little more to pull off the big bad wolf."

He's seriously tempted to growl. Just to see what she would do. And he just might still, but for the moment, he simply tips his head to the side a little.

"That's funny. Never heard that one before."

She's not so easily intimidated, however. Especially not here. So she just grins at him, arms crossed over her chest. "Wait, so the little red riding hood is a thing you usually do? My bad. Kudos on having your own personal fashion statement though, I guess?"

She holds out a hand to him, friendly and bemused. "I'm Natasha."

Let the boy have a favorite hoodie, holy shit. Now a little self conscious and irritated more at her for pointing it out, Roy doesn't extend his hand back to her. He just eyes it for a moment, and keeps his fists firmly in his pockets.

"Don't care."

"Ahh, you must be one of the ones who didn't have much of a choice in getting dragged here," she comments, dropping her hand when he stares at it, crossing her arms over her chest instead, not really all that daunted by his irritation. "I'd offer my sympathies, but that'd be lying. Besides, this place isn't so bad. For a school, anyway."

"I hate school," Roy says, deadpan and dry. "So if that's meant to inspire me, try again."

"It's not my job to inspire you, I try to leave that to the cheerleadery types," she answers dismissively, waving a hand in careless disregard. "Besides, you haven't even been here for a day yet. How would you know if you'll hate it or not?"

"Didn't your mama tell you that if you kept on scowling your face would freeze like that?"

He'd be absolutely gorgeous if he wasn't sneering so much. Lydia doesn't seem to expect a positive response to her banter, and she's prepared to move on quickly if he offers her so much of a sneer. She does feel compelled to note, though, "You know, this place isn't really the suck you seem to think it is. Give it a chance."

It's not that she can read his mind. At least not in the genuinely telepathic sense.

"Really? Because juvie is looking pretty great right now."

There's the sneer she's expecting. His lips curl, like why do people keep talking to him and trying to give him peptalks. There's another comment about how he hasn't seen his mom in about two years, so who cares what she has to say about anything but that never makes it past the tip of his tongue. He doesn't know this girl, doesn't care what she thinks.

"Suit yourself. You're pretty obviously much happier being miserable and I'm sure if you really wanted to, you could get yourself into juvie anytime you want. In fact," she looks around thoughtfully. "Go ahead. Get started. Put your money where your mouth is. You won't get to juvie any faster if you don't start making yourself a trouble-maker. Now's the perfect opportunity, don't you think?"

Was he expecting her to call bullshit?

Uh no, actually he wasn't expecting her to call bullshit but then he wasn't expecting her to talk to him for this long either. Roy's fist clenches at his side, keep it together Harper, don't freak out, don't become that thing, don't do it, she's not worth it, she's just some stupid girl with a big mouth.

"The hell do you care for, anyway?"

"I don't." she says succinctly. "I just think if you don't like your circumstances, you ought to change them, instead of being a jackass to the people who aren't at fault for where you are."

She assumes a hipshot stance. "Well? Go on. If you'd rather be in juvie getting those gorgeous cheekbones busted, you better get started, right?"

True facts, Roy is weak against pretty girls challenging him to do things and especially against sassy hips.

"I'm not just going to go punch someone because you dared me to."

"Is that really the only thing you can think of that would get you in trouble?" Lydia drawls, casting her eyes heavenward. "Flip a table or something. God, I thought you were supposed to be an actual delinquent, not a juvie wannabe. Show some creativity, will you?"

She's teasing him now, a little. "The point is, like I said, if you don't want to be here, obviously you don't have to be. There are plenty of people here who do. Cleatly at some point you had an option and you chose this. So instead of being a jerk to everyone, take advantage of the opportunity. Try and get some friends, people who'll have your back. The only one who's going to make this place miserable for yourself is you. But I mean, if you honestly think state of the art tech, a swimming pool, a top notch athletic program, and better food than you're ever gonna find in any juvie hall is really worse than actually being in juvie? You're probably better off there. But I'm gonna bank on you not actually being an idiot. Go ahead though," she gestures vaguely toward him. "Prove me wrong."

Damn her and her speech that actually makes sense. He's not an idiot, despite the stupid things he's done. He's a kid with no one to check up on him, keep him in line, make him feel rooted down to anything and maybe a couple years ago, he would've taken her up on the offer. Reached out but he's learned the only person he can trust is himself. The only person worth fighting for is number one in the red hoodie.

"Are you paid to give peptalks or are you just bored? Cause I'm fine. I don't need you sticking your nose in my business like you know anything about me. What do you care what I think or do? You met me ten seconds ago."

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lefthandedgenius - 2014-08-10 23:59 (UTC) - Expand

"You should scowl more, then nobody will walk up and talk to you. I can practically hear you being tense and anti-social."

That is the voice of one Maya Matlin, and it isn't directly attached to a person close enough to be talking to him. But it isn't a telepath, the voice is external. But you might be crazy. Of course, Maya is somewhat obvious as she's staring and wearing big bulky headphones.

"So why are you here? Cause it seems pretty clear you don't want to be here."

He feels crazy, don't even worry.

Roy jumps and looks around for whoever is talking to him-- and there's no one within like two feet of him or paying attention to him or female if they are and maybe he's going crazy now too, wouldn't that be nice. Wouldn't that just be the cherry on top of this freak show.

"This is not happening," he rubs at his forehead and is about to turn away when he realizes that some girl across the room is staring at him. His scowl deepens and he kinda points at her like was that you actually don't answer that.

The girl winks, smiling just a bit.

"This is happening, but if it helps you're not crazy. So why don't you like it here?"

She brushes her hair out of her face and rested her head against the wall behind her. Eyes closed as she waits for him to speak up. Not that she's expecting much, he looks ready to punch someone in the face. Probably best she's halfway across the room. Oh, right.

"Would it help if I muted what you say so it doesn't look like you're talking to yourself? Cause I can hear you from here."

"No, I think I'd rather keep on talking to myself like a freak." Do you hear that sarcasm, Maya? Because it's practically bleeding out of his voice. He's actually even tempted to cross the room to be closer to her, to talk like a normal person, like within a foot of each other and that freaking sucks.

"What are you anyway?"

"A freak," Maya answered, with all the grandeur of answering what color her hair was, or how the weather seemed. "I'm not a mutant, the current theory is a chemical interaction while my mother was pregnant. Some rare side-effect of an experimental MS drug."

Maya didn't bother with his sarcasm, she could tell what it was and didn't feel like teasing until her idle curiosity was sated, "And what are you? Other than really unhappy to be here."

That's honestly more information than Roy was really looking for. Could've left it at freak and he would've been happy. Not normal people but you know. Roy's version of it.

"I'm no one," said with a shrug. "It was this or prison and I think I made the wrong choice."

"You should have said nobody. It's more tragic for the reference."

Not that she thought this guy was well versed in Greek myth, but it was what came to mind. "I'm sure prison would be easier to escape from. But I've heard a few others like you, so if you find the right folks at least you aren't alone."

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