Gryphentastic (Phen)

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph casually strolled down the hall, hands in his pockets. He had a lesson soon, but that didn't mean he couldn't relax for another few minutes. He wasn't about to miss his lesson though, he had enough problems involving his education, he didn't need to add to them by getting even more behind than he needed. He wished he could spend more of his time stretching his wings in the open air, but the more he stuck to his books now, the more time he'd have for doing that at a later date.

The hallways weren't too crowded at the time, most people were just finishing off a lesson or chilling out since it was nearing the end of the day. It was pretty quiet too, just the sound of footsteps and muffled speech... and a regular clicking sound that got louder as he walked forward. Gryph saw the source, a boy with crutches. He wondered if he had a similar disorder to him, osteoporosis. It wasn't particularly fun to deal with, it made it way to easy to break bones.

His face contorted a little in concentration as he got closer and closer to the hobbling man, he seemed familiar... he was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of something clattering to the floor. He chirped a little, his bird speech breaking through a little from how much he had been practicing his ability. He saw the object, a phone, which lay on the floor now. He had only been a short distance from the boy before then, and it came from behind him... he swiftly snatched up the phone and quickened his pace in the direction of the person.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, trying to catch the boy's attention. The figure turned as Gryph approached, "You dropped your..." he trailed off towards the end, taking in the boy's features, as his eyes widened,

"Phoenix?"

(Outfit)

[Deleted]

Phoenix was struggling a bit. He was going to one of his last detention sessions, which were thankfully getting easier and less demanding as the people that ran it realized the boy wasn't as troublesome as he used to be. Phen always made it a point to behave well and be polite, even though the adults he usually interacted with often scared him out of his shoes. He didn't remember anymore what he had done to deserve this hour, but it didn't really matter - by the time New Year's passed, he would be done with them unless he did something else to deserve more detention, which he hoped wouldn't happen.

He was also struggling because of these stupid crutches, which he had quickly gotten tired and sore of. The arm rests were hard and uncomfortable under his shoulders, and he quickly grew exhausted from carting the things around. His wings were a pain, too - since they'd broken, he had to have them out all the time, bound in some personalized wire-frame braces that helped support them while he healed. At least they weren't hurting as bad, which was a relief.

Overall, he was in a sort of glum mood. He just wanted to cuddle with Oriel in bed wrapped up nice and comfy in a warm blanket and try to enjoy this time of year. Phen was mulling in his own pouty thoughts to much to notice that he had dropped his phone; it was only when someone called out that he looked back, blinking confusedly at the stranger.

"Dropped my wha-?" he blinked again, suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia. Something about this guy seemed eerily familiar, only.... Older. Nah, it couldn't be. What Phen was thinking was so far back and nearly forgotten that he had to be mistak-

But then the guy stopped and stared at him too. And then... Said his name. Phoenix gawked. The guy... Well, he was an adult now, but now that Phen studied him more, there was no mistaking those eyes, that face...

"Dimp- Gryphon?" he gasped, shocked into paralysis. "How-? When-?" Finally forcing his legs to move, Phen turned his body around completely and hobbled as fast as he could manage back to his old, old friend. "Is that... Is that really you?" Immediately, Phoenix felt guilty. After he'd started getting into drugs and other shady things back in Seattle, the two had had a falling out. But Gryphon had been one of his closest friends before then. One of his only ones, really. "Oh my God," he choked out. "Look at you!" He wondered if he was dreaming.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It was like a Christmas miracle or something!

Of course, when Gryph had discovered the possibility of Phen being at Hammel all those years back, he'd looked, but on find Phen, he seemed far too out of reach for him to be interacting with again. But this... this was Phen. Not the one he'd seen when he first came to Hammel, this was one of the best friends of his childhood, stood right in front of him. He could barely believe it.

But it was definitely him. His voice, although deeper now, thanks to puberty, was practically the same. He had the same baby face, but with just a bit more definition. And then there was the obvious difference of the fact that there was a pair of bandaged wings sticking out of his back.

Wait, he had wings too?

This was just too good to be true. He heard Phen echo back a reply by saying his name, and he couldn't help but break out into a huge grin, especially as he had almost called him by his old nickname. There were people who called him Dimples nowadays, but it was really Phen's nickname for him. He never liked hearing anyone else call him by it. He tried to form an answer, but in the process of his racing mind and over-excitement, something else happened. He felt his shirt tighten a bit, but he didn't both to stop his wings expanding. It was an old top anyway, pretty scruffy too, so he helped his wings rip out the back, and when they did, they unfolded completely, showing them in all their grand glory. They looked like a large pair of eagle's wings, brown and dark blonde in colouring. Gryph couldn't do anything but smile wildy at the meeting of his friend.

He laughed out a few breaths, echoing his words, "Look at you!" He shook his head, he couldn't believe it, "Phoenix Joaquin Tang, I can't believe that I'm meeting you again!" He signaled behind the boy's head, towards his bandaged wings, being careful not to accidentally touch them, "And what about these! Holy crap!" He calmed down a little, spinning Phen's phone in his hand. "I just... I thought, after what happened, you were gone for good!" He just kept shaking his head, "Holy crap." he breathed out. I was truly amazing.

[Deleted]

Unfortunately, Phoenix had been too far out of it the past couple years to register the possibility that one of his old friends was at Hammel. It was too crazy to even consider; and, especially after Phen had sort of made their friendship fade out with his misbehavior and bad choices (which he regretted immensely), he didn't expect dimple-face to ever really be friends with him again, or at least not welcome him warmly.

Apparently he was wrong, though. Because based by the smile on his old friend's face, he was as happy to see Phoenix as Phen was to see him.

Not just that, though. Right before Phen's eyes, there suddenly seemed to be a strange tightening around Gryphon's shirt. Before he could say anything, there was a ripping sound, and Phen's eyes widened and lips parted upon seeing his friend's wings. "Ohmygod," he gasped, automatically reaching out to touch them, to know that they were real and he wasn't hallucinating. The feathers felt soft and smooth in his fingers. He immediately felt awkward with his own wings, all fragile and girly and broken, and his cheeks flushed. "You... You...." He was speechless. He didn't even know what to say. Gryphon was a meta, he was here, how had he not known....

"Dimple-face," he shot back breathlessly upon hearing his full name, and he let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "I never thought.... I never thought I'd see you again." He glanced over his shoulder at his own wings, shrugging with another laugh. "Yeah, well, they're not nearly as amazing as yours," he replied, still gawking at the majestic limbs. "You're... You're like a fuckin' angel or somethin'!" Even with all this giddiness in his heart, he still felt guilty, too; and Gryph's comment about him being gone for good made him slump his shoulders in regret. "I... I'm so sorry for what happened... Back then," he mumbled, his voice tinged with worry. "I was messed up and did awful things and ruined our friendship..." He breathed out and looked up again with renewed hope. "B-but I'm clean again! Haven't done any drugs in almost two months. S-so..." He swallowed hard. "D... Do you wanna catch up or somethin'?" He desperately hoped Gryph would say yes. Phen was still finding this hard to believe.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph never held anything against Phoenix. Of course, he was upset at first, when they began seperating off as kids, but after a while, Gryph, although not forgetting about it, just moved on. This was over 5 years later, they were older, more mature, and more intelligent (hopefully). Gryph didn't hold anything again Phen now, because he was a different person back then.

Gryph hoped he hadn't scared Phennie with the sudden appearance of his wings, but instead of fear, he seemed to show... amazement. He let him touch the feathers of his wings, even though it tickled a little as he did. He smiled and nodded, "I've got wings!" He straightened them out as he said that, just to accentuate the fact that were there, actually on his back. His wings relaxed a little after that, so that they stayed out, but they were stiff with excitement now.

He chuckled at the full use of his nickname; it had been a long time. "It does seem a bit... surreal, doesn't it?" He queried, still smirking some. He shook his head as Phen brushed off the appearance of his own wings, "Well, that's not a fair judgement is it? I haven't even seen your's properly yet! Don't put yourself down, Phennie." His lips quirked at the use of Phen's nickname, the last time he'd used that was probably when he was 10. It felt nice to air out the name again.

Gryph shook his head at all of Phen's apologies, it was really considerate of him to apologize, and it might've been necessary, but it didn't feel like it to Gryphon. It was good to hear he was clean though. He didn't have any personal experiences on the matter of drugs (Fiona had practically scared him into never touching them), but addictions are hard to crack. It made him happy to know that Phennie was doing well, and he smiled at his with the pride of a big brother, "I'm so glad for you, Phen. It must've been difficult." Gryph probably would've hugged him by this point, had it not been for the broken leg and wings. He didn't want to hurt Phoenix by accident, he'd feel way too guilty.

His offer couldn't have come soon enough! "Of course I do, Phen! I've missed having you around." He poked the crutches, "And, I want to know why you need these." Something clicked in his mind. They both had wings, Phoenix had to have bone problems, right? He did look a little on the skinny side, but not anorexic, which was a relief to Gryph. He didn't want Phen to be upset. Gryphon hadn't had a properly close friend since he came to Hammel, and he couldn't help but silently pray to the Gods that he and Phen would become close again, or at least decent friends. He didn't want to lose Phen again.

[Deleted]

"You have wings," Phen repeated in a whisper, watching as they moved around. Having wings himself, he understood (to some extent) how they worked, but Gryphon's were obviously more complex than his wimpy little insect-y wings. He wondered if his friend had anything else that came with them, like his own dust, or if he just had the wings. They were definitely an amazing ability on their own. "They're gorgeous," he said quietly, his voice still full of awe. Well, really... All of Gryphon was gorgeous now, which Phen was well-aware of. He didn't know his friend would grow up into... This.

He nodded; this was definitely surreal, he was still half-wondering if he had somehow inhaled some dust without meaning to. But the feeling of Gryph's feathers told him otherwise. "Oh, well," he stammered, hesitantly turning around to show his own wings. They weren't as shattered-looking as they had been at first, but they were definitely still a little crumply and missing some sections of translucence between the veins. "They usually look better than this, at least," he murmured. He giggled at 'Phennie'; God, he missed that nickname. "And they don't usually have the brace on, obviously..." It was a pain to wear, but he knew they were helping.

Phen was really, really glad he hadn't ended up pulling Dimples into the mess he made of his own life. If he had, he probably never would have forgave himself; Gryphon was so nice, so sweet, that he couldn't imagine his friend being tainted with that kind of dark history. "It... It was really hard," he admitted. "And it still is sometimes. B-but, I... I gotta boyfriend!" he squeaked, eyes lighting up. "And he's really helped me a lot. You'll... You'll have t'meet him, he's..." How would he explain Oriel to his old friend? Oriel would likely be possessive as hell if he found out about their old relationship from childhood. "Well... You'll see," he chuckled. He was just beyond grateful that Gryphon so quickly forgave him.

And Gryphon wasn't the only one that wanted a hug. In fact, on a whim, Phen leaped on his old friend, carefully but energetically wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his face against the boy's shoulder. It was hard with all his broken things, but he managed; his crutches just clattered to the floor. "I've missed you too," he whispered, eyes squeezed shut. At the question about his crutches, he pulled back a bit, still keeping his arms wrapped loosely around Dimples as he smiled with embarrassment. "I fell on some ice," he said. "That's... all, really. Got weak bones, you know?" That was definitely something they had in common. "I... I gotta run t'detention soon, so I can't really do anything now, but... Wanna walk there with me?" He hoped Gryph wouldn't be too bothered about the fact he had detention. And Phen would gladly skip in order to hang out with his friend, but... He didn't want to get in even more trouble.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"They're gorgeous."

That comment alone made Gryph's cheeks brighten pretty profusely. He wanted to swing it around, and comment on how good Phen was looking in general, but at the same time he didn't want to accidentally make things awkward between them. Besides, he didn't even know if Phennie... swung that way.

His wonderings were answered, however, soon after they came to mind. Phennie had a boyfriend? Now that wasn't fair, Gryph didn't have a boyfriend. He felt a minor pang in his chest, but it was pushed away by how happy he was to see Phen bright and energetic (well, as energetic as you could be with a broken leg and no wings to fly with) Phen seemed to glow simply at the thought of his loved one, it was just so adorable! Gryph laughed a little as Phen tried to describe his boyfriend, nodding as he concluded his statement pretty indefinitely, "I'm sure he's a great guy, I looked forward to meeting him!"

Gryph flinched a little at the noise of Phen's sticks clattering, and gladly folded his arms around Phen's necks, a warm glow lighting up inside him. He rested his head slightly on top of Phen's when he spoke. Gryph had really missed Phen. He'd gotten new friends and everything, but none of them were similar enough to him to fill the gap that his friend left. It warmed him to just be in the presence of his childhood friend, it was sometime he had missed quite dearly.

He nodded understandingly at the topic of weak bones, he mist definitely understood that. He'd probably been to an ER at least 5 times for broken limbs, almost they were usually arms or hands. He'd only managed to break his foot once, when he'd stood on a stone. And then someone jumped on him. That was most definitely not a good day. And if he couldn't use his wings... he didn't even want to imagine.

It irked him slightly that Phen had detention, but he laughed it off with a joke, "~Ooooh, Phennie got detention! What'd you do, steal a puppy or somethin'?" He smirked and ruffled Phennie's hair cheekily, his chuckles slowly dying down. Detention... another thing that reminded him of his childhood. Phen and him used to muck around loads; their teachers must've hated them! So many detentions... he couldn't pinpoint the worst scenario they'd been in, they were all hilarious and atrocious in their own little way.

He checked the time (using Phen's phone) and nodded, "Yeah, I'll walk with you... oh!" He pulled away even more so that they were practically seperate, keeping one arm on the other boy's shoulder. He unlocked Phen's phone and went into contacts, where he punched in his number, labelling his number 'Dimples', before slipping it back into the boy's pocket, "So now we can actually plan to meet up at some point. I wanted to do that before I forgot." He admitted, kind of sheepishly.

By this time, his wings had folded back onto his back, so they were out of the way. He let go of Phen completely, waiting a second to make sure he'd be alright standing unsupported for a moment, before quickly retrieving his sticks and helping him get them back in position. Once they were ready, Gryph signaled forwards, "Lead the way, Phennie-boy!"

[Deleted]

Phen was bursting to know if Gryphon had his own special someone; he, too, wasn't completely certain of his friend's sexuality, but based on certain things that had happened when they were younger, he had to wonder. "He's definitely great," he smiled, looking to the floor as he thought of Oriel. Great, yes; also possessive, squishy, lovable, temperamental... All sorts of things. But Phen loved him, and that was all that mattered. He couldn't say for sure that he and Gryph would get along, but Phen hoped they would. "Do you, um, have a.... Anyone?" he asked curiously, slipping up on the last word. He didn't want to assume things, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him, and he had to ask.

He let out a soft giggle at the embrace, overjoyed that the two of them so easily fell back into the friendship that had too long been out of his life. It made him feel like a kid again, back before he'd gotten into the shit that had ruined his life for so long. Phen felt incredibly lucky that Gryph was so kind.

And this wasn't the first time Phen had broken something either - they could swap broken bone stories, how fun would that be! Once Phoenix's wings were better, too, maybe Gryph could even convince him to fly around sometime - he rarely used his wings at all, he thought he looked silly doing it. But if someone flew with him... Hmmm...

He blushed as Gryph teased him, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno what I did this time. I've gotten into so much trouble in the last couple months, I've lost count of them," he admitted. "But... I only have like a week more and I should be free unless I do something bad again!" His eyes crinkled shut at the head ruffle, and he laughed again. "Stoppittt!" he complained, reaching out blindly to muss up Gryph's own hair. His pretty hair...

Phen beamed as he agreed to walk with him, watching as Dimples messed with his phone (which he had all but forgotten about after seeing his old friend). "Ahh," he breathed, beaming as the boy handed him his phone back. "I'll text you my number later!" he promised. "We definitely need to meet up. Like... Right after my detention if you're free. You can meet Oriel!" he grinned.

Gryph pulled away then, and Phen wobbled a little as his friend retrieved his crutches. "Thanks," he mumbled, taking them and putting them under his arms again. "Will do, dimple-face," he grinned, spinning around as much as he could manage and clicking off down the hall, not going very fast. "So, um... Man, it's been so long," he breathed. "You been back t'Seattle at all recently?" Phen hadn't gone back since he left.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph's smile dropped ever-so-slightly when the question spun back round to him. He had avoided any relationships that went any furthher than good friendships after what happened with Nick... you trust someone once, they betray you... it makes it more difficult to trust people again. "I don't have an 'anyone', but I'm happy as I am at the moment." He scuffed the floor with his shoe, trying not to bring down the conversation, "I-I had a... there was a... I had... difficulties with my ex-boyfriend. It's just... " He sighed and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's just difficult to deal with, y'know?" He decided to stop talking there, Phen didn't need to know all the uncomfortable details.

He chuckled a little when he felt and heard Phen giggle, he was so cute! And he was immensely looking forward to spending time with him again, you have no idea how ecstatic he was!

"Phennie the badass, I don't know how much of a ring that has to it. But at least its only one more week. Don't throw hammers at anyone or anything between now and then, ‘cause then I'd have to get detention for something too!" Gryph hoped that Phen understood his logic. He did sound a bit silly, but the message behind it was caring, in a way. He felt Phen ruffle up his hair too and laughed a little, "Ok, Ok, I've stopped!" He looked at Phen's hair, a lot of it was covering his face. Gently, he put his hand forward and pushed the long hairs back, grinning cheekily as his didn't, "There, see," he spoke softly, "All better." He stopped what he was doing as soon as he realized he was doing it: he couldn't flirt with Phen. Yes, he was adorably attractive, and yes, he was very important to him, but Gryph wasn't the type to steal boyfriends!

...it was a shame though. He sighed a little, the corners of his mouth still turned up, as he fixed his own hair. He listened to Phen's proposals and nodded, "Sounds good to me. I have a lesson whilst you're being a rebel, just text me when it's all over."

Gryph accepted Phennie's thanks with the slight bow of a head, "No problem." He couldn't help but chuckle at his nickname again, it never seemed to get old when it came from Phen.

He sighed at the mention of his hometown, all it reminded him of was his stupid parents. He didn't want to go back to Seattle to see them, especially now the she-devil, but he nodded, "I've been back once or twice to see Fi," he stopped himself, "You remember Fi, right?" He stayed silent for a moment then sighed, "There didn't seem to be much point in going back other than to see her, so it's not exactly regular..." he paused for a second, then looked at Phen, "I'm guessing you haven't been back yet?" It was a statement and a question. He wasn't particularly certain on the subject of Seattle and it was a little... touchy. He didn't want to say the wrong thing.

[Deleted]

Phen was unaware of Gryph's relationship troubles; had he known, he would have been able to relate. A lot. Rue leaving him had caused him to spiral into the depression that led to his addiction over the past two years; it wasn't until Oriel started caring for him that he got better. It was amazing how much the support of one person could help. He listened with worried eyes as Gryphon recanted his story, automatically reaching out to squeeze his hand comfortingly as he obviously struggled to tell Phen about it. "I know exactly what you mean," he replied softly. "I dealt with somethin'... Really similar. Took me two years and the right person t'finally get past it." He offered a small smile. "I'm sure you'll get over yours, too. An' if you ever need t'talk..." He let the offer hang in the air. He'd be sure to be there for Gryph after all those years of being a terrible friend.

"Phennie the badass?" he snorted a laugh. Phen sighed dramatically. "I will do my best not to throw hammers at anyone, but that'll be hard," he teased, snickering. "Aw, man, detention would be so much more fun with you," he sighed. He and Oriel usually didn't end up in the same one together because of obvious reasons; still, he didn't want his dimple-face to end up in detention at all! He was about to fix his own hair when Gryph reached up and began to brush it back himself, and Phen blinked, lips parted just a little; he didn't fight it, but he was sure his cheeks were pink. "Th-th-thanks," he finally managed to stammer, running a hand through his hair just for something to do. Why did he feel so flustered over something so small? Stupid! It was nothing.

He was too caught up in his thoughts to return the favor to Gryph; before he could blink, his hair was fixed. "Ooh, a lesson?" he asked, trying to get over his moment of awkwardness. "Sounds like a deal. I'll, uh, definitely text you," he assured Gryphon, nodding several times.

Maybe Phen shouldn't have mentioned Seattle. It held bad memories for both of them; smooth goinf, Phoenix. "Y-yeah, I think I remember her," he replied, squinting. The name was familiar, at least. He'd lost a lot of memories of his tween years, sadly; even now, his memory sucked. He shook his head, continuing to click along on his crutches as he sighed. "Nah.... I didn't want t'call mom and have her see what a mess I was," he mumbled. "I... I was thinkin' about callin' her soon, though. Now that I'm doing better." He knew she'd probably be happy to hear from him, but it was still nerve-wracking to think about. As they approached the room, Phen slowed down a bit more, reluctant to leave his friend. "Okay... One hour's all I gotta do, then I'll get t'you right after," he promised. He turned to Gryphon, smiling again as he went in for another hug, careful not to drop his crutches this time. "Sound good?" This still felt almost like a dream.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon felt Phen take hold of his hand and one corner of his mouth turned up as he listened to the boy talk about a very similar situation. Gryphon's break up was in January back in 2012, almost two years back. Only main difference was that Phen had a life support now, and Gryph didn't. He nodded slowly at Phen's offer, "Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind." He smirked and found himself looking at the floor, so he straightened up.

Gryph chuckled, "Yea, maybe. I haven't been in detention since... a few years ago. I think I shouted something... no, no, I poured some orange juice on some unsuspectin' passers-by, it was so fucking hilarious!" He laughed a little from the memory and was left smiling warming from the thought.

He felt bad about... doing what he did, but it still gave him a rush of warmth from Phen's reaction. And it just reminded him of the fact that Phoenix already had boyfriend. "I wish you didn't have a damn boyfriend, I knew you first!" The words kind of... rolled out of his mouth, but not in the way that either of them expected. Of course, Gryph understood what he had said, but Phen just heard coos of a forceful natural, like an angry pigeon would make. Gryph blushed and tried to apologize, but instead let out a little chirp. He cleared his throat and tried again, laughing and turning red, "Um, sorry, about, about that. I forgot to tell you, I can talk to birds." He chuckled some, rubbing his ear, "Weird, right?" That was so embarassing, it made him feel so stupid.

Gryph smiled at Phen's seemingly shaky nature, it was something too adorable for words. He smiled, nodding at Phen's desicion to contact his mum soon; he'd been doing a lot of nodding. "Good to hear." He enveloped himself around Phen one more time, "Sounds good." He affirmed Phen's words and smiled, "If I don't reply for some reason, I'll be in the photo rooms. You come to look for me if you have to." He smirked and tilted his head, his cheeks accentuating his nickname. He hoped this next hour wouldn't take too long to be over with. He was most definitely a fan of photography, but Phen was more important today.

[Deleted]

Gryphon didn't have a support back then... But he could have one now! Phoenix was determined to shower his old friend in comfort and affection to make up for all the lost time. Whatever he needed, Phen would do his best to provide. Granted, he didn't have a lot to offer, but companionship was something, right? "It gets easier," he promised. "I'm sure you'll... Find someone that will make it all seem like a bad dream." Like he felt about Rue now; it was a relief, though the pain that it had created would never be forgotten completely. It was too deep for that.

He snorted a laugh at the orange juice story, covering his mouth with his hand as it fell into giggles. "You would do that," he chortled, already imagining doing something to Oriel for laughs. Was that too mean? Probably... Maybe? He would figure out something. Although if he started a prank war, it likely would never stop...

Then.... Phoenix stopped and blinked rapidly at Gryphon as he started twittering like a bird, completely bewildered by this development. Before he could say anything, he chirped again, then cleared his throat and explained himself. Phen stared for another long moment, then doubled over in laughter, nearly toppling over as he guffawed. "Oh my God, I was so confused!" he giggled, flailing an arm out to hang onto something for support. It was actually pretty cool; just totally unexpected. "It's k-kinda weird, but that's cool too!" he exclaimed, finally finding his breath. "So what did you say?" He wondered if he should tell Gryph the other part of his ability, then thought maybe not; he would save it for another time. Phen let out a random giggle every few moments for a little while before he calmed down completely.

He nodded when Gryphon told him where he'd be if he couldn't contact him, letting his weight fall onto his friend for a moment before he hefted himself back on his crutches. "Photo rooms?" he asked curiously. "You into photography? That's awesome." Phen was still trying to find his own hobbies - drawing and swimming were developing, along with a slowly growing love for theater, but he was rather shy for the latter, even if he was doing better with it. "I'll hunt you down," he promised with a grin, reaching up and poking that adorable little dimple before giggling and turning to head into the classroom. "See you in a bit!"

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"I sure hope so." Gryph knew it was coming from someone with personal experience in the matter, but he couldn't help feeling like that reality was a fairy tale away. He hadn't really found anyone new since Nick.. he'd had the attractions, but he would never go any further than having a petty crush. It was pretty pathetic, in his opinion.

It had been a while since Gryph had done anything particularly... bad, but that was only because he had been distracted. The idea of pulling a prank or tricking someone was... tantalizing, there were so many possibilities. He smirked at the thought, it wasn't exactly something he ever did on a regular basis, but it was definitely fun.

His cheeks were burning ridiculously as Phen laughed continually. He reached back a little and took hold of one of his feathers, rubbing it gently. It was comforting, even though he was doing it to himself, but he froze when Phen bounced back with the question.

He didn't realize that he would ask! It was kind of obvious, but it completely caught him off guard. He was alright at lying, but only when he was prepared. This was out of the blue for him, so he stood still for a second, racking his brain, then began straightening out his feathers. He had to at least attempt to be casual. He wrapped his left wing around his front a little so he could reach it without hurting himself, and stuttered out an answer, "I, uh, I said that it was nothin', not a problem..." he stroked his wing but left it around himself still, "...yea." He didn't know how much Phen would believe him, he didn't really believe himself, he didn't sound very confident in what he was saying at all.

He flushed again at the compliment, nodding quite rapidly and stuffing his hands into his pockets awkwardly; it was pretty difficult to act casual around Phen when he was so friendly and adorable! Photography was one of his main hobbies, but he also liked dancing (he had signed up for the Dance club as soon as he found out that it existed). He wanted to learn to do other things, or at least expand his current talents to a larger scale. There were a lot of possibilities, and since he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box (and he knew that), he was more inclined to creative activities. But the main question was... what to do?

Gryph chuckled a little when Phen poked his dimple, it tickled and made him feel fuzzy, "See ya, Phennie!" He said, smiling brightly and with a wave, he turned around and walked in the direction of his next lesson.

Well, that was certainly a turnaround of events.