Studying isn't that hard [Syd]

[Rodrigo Santos]

Rod leaned against a tree and sighed, letting her bag drop to the floor unceremoniously as he hurried to get a smoke. His finger tips hurt and he was feeling tense from before, though walking here had really helped him get over his previous awkwardness. The girl didn't like him, so why bother? He sent her a dirty look as he took out his cigarette from the pack and the lighter he kept inside. He lightened it and took in a deep gulp. Oh that was good. He closed his eyes as he blew out the smoke, feeling relaxed already. But she was still there...

"So what are we doin' here?" He wondered, looking bored already, smirking around the cigarette as he looked down at her. "I've got math homework." He added, nodding at the notebook he'd dropped next to her bag. "Not like it ain't easy. Just-" He shrugged. It wasn't that he didn't understand the subjects, it was just that it was so boring! Why make a thousand problems with the exact same result when he got how to solve them from the start? It was just bullshit. So he stopped doing the work all together, and then grew more tired of it and stopped paying attention as well. It wasn't until exams started to hit that he even realised how behind he'd gotten. Not that he'd cared at the time. The first couple of months were just tossed aside as if nothing. He could still make those exams up, but then the teacher had warned him. It wasn't just math either. He'd fallen behind with everything. So now he had the rest of the semester to make it up. What a bother...

He sighed, cracking his knuckles as his fingers returned to normal and he suckled on one finger to lick off the blood. What a bothersome power... which reminded him.

"So, what's yer ability?" He asked her, looking at her from his position, still smoking while licking his fingers. "Apart from being a super pain in the ass." 

[Sydney Emerson]

Whatever had caused his nerves had clearly faded because now all she sensed from him was tension and annoyance, both of which were only made more obvious by the look he gave her as he took out a cigarette. She wasn't always good at interpreting body language, but even she knew that look had a negative implication. As he lit up, she kept her distance, finding the smoke to be unappealing.

She took a seat on a nearby bench as he asked about what they were doing and went on to explain that he had math homework. Sydney raised an eyebrow as he commented about it being easy. So her hunch was right. He was the sort who just didn't apply himself. "So then your main issue is either motivation or focus," she concluded. She considered for a moment, trying to decide on a solution. If it was focus, then simply helping him would likely be enough to keep him on task. If it was motivation... Given their first attempt at studying, she was a little worried about what it might take to motivate him.

Then he asked about her power and she immediately began to fidget. "No, you'll just laugh," she said as she bit her lip, shyly looking up at him. The irony of her power was not lost on her and she was fairly certain he would pick up on it as well. That or the idea would make him super uncomfortable. Either outcome was not something she was looking forward to.

[Rodrigo Santos]

He rolled his eyes at her. "Why can'tcha act like a normal girl and speak of normal stuff?" He wondered. Motivation or focus? Who spoke like that? "Ya sound like a teacher." He added in a grumble. And he disliked teachers. It was a thing against authority maybe or hating the fact that anyone would think what was best for him. No one did. Maybe his abuela, but she was the smartest woman in the world as far as he was concerned, so he would always listen to her. He closed his eyes again and leaned his head back. God, the cigarette was good. It'd been just what he needed. Maybe that had been why he'd been nervous around the girl before. It wasn't about her, he'd just gone too much time without a smoke.

"'sides, I ain't got any problem." He added, meaning to make her angry again. She was cuter when angry, besides, he was intending to make this as difficult for her as possible, what with her messing with his feelings before like she had. "The teach just has it against me." He sucked in more smoke and let it out, moving his mouth to make rings in the air. He smirked at them. So relaxing... "He said he'll fail me if I don't turn in the work. So there's the work." He nodded towards his notebook again. "It's such bullcrap. He knows I know the stuff. Or can know the stuff. I just-" He'd been missing a few classes or slept through others, but he wasn't about to tell little miss perfect that. Ugh, that was so annoying, that she was so good at everything.

When she looked up at him shyly he blinked in surprise. Wow, he hadn't seen her so fidgety yet. Well, wasn't that a surprise. He smirked around his cigarette and approached her, sitting next to her in the bench, despite knowing she'd been trying to stay away from the smoke. "Come on, princesa. Ye know you wanna tell me." He chuckled, leaning on her and placing an arm behind her, resting on the back of the bench. "I can find other things to laugh about ya anyway. 'Sides," He shrugged, "If we're gonna do this, we gotta be straight with each other, right?" He twisted his cigarette with his teeth and then pulled it out with his free hand. "So what is it? Telepathy? Perfect memory?" What else would a little genius like herself have? "Or is it something cool, like makin' yer boobs grow at will." His eyes lowered to her chest and frowned. "Nah, can't be that."

[Sydney Emerson]

She frowned as he complained about her talking. "It's just how I talk. If that means I'm not acting like a 'normal girl' then I guess I'm not one. Look, I'm not complaining about how you talk." She gave him a glare as she spoke, feeling sort of irritated by his remark. Really, what did he expect from her? She certainly wasn't about to start talking like him. She didn't think she could even if she tried. Not that she had any intention to try.

A stern look followed his declaration that the instructor had it out for him. "Homework is generally a fairly large portion of one's grade," she pointed out. "The teacher is hardly singling you out for any sort of vendetta just because your lack of completed homework is dragging down..." Her voice trailed off as she heard herself. She paused a moment before starting again. "Homework counts for a large percent of your grade. If you're not turning it in... your teacher has no choice but to fail you. It's not personal." Hopefully that was at least an improvement.

Her reaction as he asked about her power was clearly the wrong one, because now he was far too interested for her liking. She sighed heavily. "No, I really don't want to," she grumbled. His remark about finding other things to laugh at earned a glare though. Still, she knew she was going to tell him. She just wasn't looking forward to the inevitable reaction.

But then he started taking guesses. At first she listened with interest, but his last guess and the comment that followed sparked her temper. She was moving before she even fully intended to, closing the distance between them and giving him a good shove. "You're an ass," she exclaimed. Being in a class with people one or two years older than her made her stick out easily and she was acutely aware of that. She might not place much value on appearances, but she wasn't ignorant to the fact the rest of the world did. She certainly hadn't been deaf to the remarks her classmates made about her mocking that very fact. To hear him say more or less the same thing now was infuriating and... well... hurtful.

Sydney turned away from him then, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was going to tell you, but now I don't think I should," she said, though she wished it came out more angry and less... pouty almost. Still, she kept her back to him even as she bit her lip anxiously.

[Rodrigo Santos]

"The way I talk is my accent." He said with a glare, "Ain't nothing wrong with it. I come from a Mexican family, in case ya didn't notice from the name." He took a deep gulp of smoke before talking again, smoke coming out of his mouth with every word, "You on the other hand, just like to be a show off." He nodded, smirking as if he'd just hit jackpot. "I can tell, ya know? Ye just want to be all mature and shit." Why she would want that, he didn't know, but he wasn't stupid nor self centred enough not to tell. Besides, wasn't she like some genius kid who got like... promoted to their grade? No wonder she was all tense all the time. And he made out with her. A smirk broke his features at the memory. Too bad she wasn't like any normal girl he knew, or he would be enjoying her reactions to him. Instead, it was her with her touches that was driving him crazy. A slight blush appeared on his cheeks and he grunted, scolding himself inwardly for remembering that. Better focus on other things.

He rolled his eyes. "Figured a little teach pet like you would take his side." He muttered, feeling himself get angry again. What a bitch! Couldn't she be at least a little bit more... empathic with him? Why couldn't she just go 'yeah, teachers suck' and be done with it. No, she had to scold.

When he got near her, sitting in the bench, he couldn't help but lean closer. It was fun being there, teasing her. He liked pressing her buttons to make her frown like she was. She looked so cute like that... And she shoved him! He laughed happily as she did, moving back and forth. "Please, like someone this small can hurt me." He teased, just in case her power was triggered by anger like his was. "Come on, princesa. Just tell me!" Aww, but she turned in embarrassment. So cute!

"Oh, don't tell me ya got all mad now." He said, but she still had her back to him. He sighed, flicking his cigarette out to wherever and turned to her. "Don't get upset!" He added, scratching the back of his neck nervously. What could he say? "Some guys like 'em small, ya know?" He added, though it was probably the wrong thing to say.

[Sydney Emerson]

She forced herself to take a deep breath before responding. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with your accent," she said with a sigh. "Though I didn't know you were Mexican," she admitted. It was then that she realized he hadn't mentioned his name and she couldn't quite place him. Of course she couldn't exactly place him in the classroom hardly. "I don't see how it's so obvious in your name though," she added, hoping he might actually say his name in reply.

Focusing on the topic at hand once more, she spoke again. "And I'm not showing off. If I was, that would mean that I was putting effort into it. This is just how I naturally speak." She punctuated her sentence with a small shrug.

"Why does my being good at schoolwork bother you so much?" she demanded to know as he called her a teacher's pet. Here he was wanting her help and yet he kept mocking her for the very reason he needed her.

She shot him a glare over her shoulder as he implied she was weak. She had put in so much effort to ensure she wasn't. He just kept pissing her off more and more. This time it wasn't even her feeding off his emotions either. She was actually just angry with him, enough to ignore him even as he asked her to tell and called her princesa again.

It was his final remark about some guys liking them small that was enough to make her whirl around to face him again, the back of her hand hitting his shoulder. "You are such an ass!" she repeated, her voice more distressed this time. "What makes you think I care what stupid guys even think?" she demanded. Because she didn't. She wasn't interested in sex and she wasn't interested in romance. It was all just a confusing concept for her - she literally did not see the point. Besides, if she couldn't handle a friendship hardly, how could she ever consider anything more? Not to mention it would be such a distraction.

Why did she sound like she was trying to convince herself that she didn't care?

"Well I don't care."

Sure she didn't.

[Rodrigo Santos]

"I'm not Mexican." He said with a roll of his eyes. He knew how defensive people of his culture were when dealing with that sort of remark. "I'm American. It's my family that's Mexican. I speak Spanish with 'em, but speak English with everyone else. " Stupid girl. But how could she understand what it was like? Sure, he was proud of his heritage and his culture, especially because his abuela was Mexican herself, but that didn't mean he belonged to the country. It was... difficult to explain. Technically he was both though, but he wasn't about to say that. At the mention of it not being obvious he snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Ain't ya supposed to be smart?" He asked, "I know it's not 'Jesus' or anything, but it doesn't sound like anything other than latino!" Or was she making fun of him? "Much better than 'Sydney' anyway."

"It doesn't bug me." He replied instantly, "I just think it's a waste." He didn't explain why it was a waste because it was obvious to him. A pretty girl like herself shouldn't be hiding away behind books and grades. She should be out there making some guy very happy. Or some girl... ha, he didn't really know where she hit. Probably guys though, she'd kissed him after all.

She shrieked in anger and he winced. "What now? I was tryin' to help!" He claimed, "I don't! I mean, you ARE a pet, right? You make it clear you don't!" Unless... she did? Rod rubbed the back of his neck, looking at her in confusion. Why was she so weird? She didn't care. "Fine, ya don't." He said in amusement. How cute was it that she got mad over something like that? But if she didn't care, then why react that way?

"Still a pity though." He added, smirking at her, "Pretty girl like you. Lots of guys are missing out." He shrugged and turned his head forward. He was so wasting his time here, wasn't he? She wasn't going to kiss him again... ever. She'd made it clear.

"So what about that studying? I kinda want to get this torture over with."

[Sydney Emerson]

"Oh," she said softly as he explained the distinction. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize." She truly hadn't meant anything by it. "I mean, Hammel has students from North and South America after all..." she started to say, but she let the topic drop. She was disappointed though that he didn't share his name. "Well, to be fair, you never shared your name," she admitted sullenly. Though her expression turned cross. "What is wrong with my name?" she asked, trying to sound less offended than she was.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what he meant. "A waste? How so?" she asked, once more appearing very confused. That seemed to happen a lot around him. No wonder he was questioning if she was actually smart.

"Why does everything have to be about sex with you?" she asked in frustration. The topic baffled her and that was a feeling she didn't particularly enjoy. It irked her rather and so his continued focus on such topics was really getting to her. "What the hell do you mean, I'm a pet?" That didn't sound like a good thing. It sounded like he was comparing her to a dog or a goldfish or something. He may have agreed with her eventually, but the amused smirk he wore said anything but.

A pity? That was a first. That seemed to imply some sort of failure. "Missing out on what?" It was a vague statement after all, and she was hesitant to assume anything further with him. Besides, even if he was implying a sexual meaning like she guessed... well, she didn't really understand it. As much as he seemed focus on it, she couldn't help be a little curious.

Besides... no one had ever called her pretty before. Or princess. Or kissed her. He was just full of new experiences for her it seemed. She might not understand most of it, but maybe in time she would. And it wasn't all bad either.

"Yeah, sure, studying," she agreed, moving back to sit at the bench. A moment's pause and her curiosity got the better of her. "I thought you wanted to know my ability. Didn't think you were the sort to give up so easily."

[Rodrigo Santos]

"Yeah, I get it." He said a tad defensively. Maybe it was the latent racism he'd dealt with before, but it was still a touchy subject. At least no one in Hammel was going to be asking him about immigration papers. Wait- what? He turned to her in surprise. He never said his name? So she... He snorted, laughing again. "Ya mean you kissed me and didn't even know my name." He said with a smirk, "Well, you might be much wilder than I first thought." He chuckled again, licking his lips at the memory. "It's Rod. Rodrigo actually, but that's too hard for you to pronounce, so Rod's fine." He didn't like how his name sounded with the way people here purred the 'r's'. It changed the entire name. In Spanish it sounded strong, but here? with their accents? It was just weird.

And she asked what was wrong with her name and he shrugged. "Dunno. It's just... common." And she wasn't common at all. And then she asked about the waste thing. "I just mean, you know, since you look the way you look, some guys might be interested." Some guys. Not him though, her personality made it really hard for anyone to like her, he figured. Did she even have any friends?

"Woah, who mentioned sex?" He said with an amused smile, "Less yer thinking about it." He winked at her, "I do have that effect on women." He didn't, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Ya know there's plenty things one can do without actually going that way?" He was meaning to make her uncomfortable, so he leaned over the bench, grinning at her wickedly, "Yer a teach's pet! Didn't I say before? You're all... ya know. You want them to like ya. But yer-" He blushed slightly, but still smiled at her, "You don't need that. You're good without it." Or would be if she stopped being so defensive.

Missing out on what? Well... "You." He said as if it was obvious. "I mean, I've kissed ya in case you forgot already, princesa." He added the last bit with a glare, pursing his lips at her in resentment. She truly was acting as if she hadn't cared for that bit, even if he'd found it hot. "Plenty o' guys would've killed to be able to do that. But with the whole pet thing? Yeah, no one's getting close to ya." He added a shrug, "Maybe some perverted teach, but I doubt you want one of those."

She mentioned her ability and he raised his eyebrows. "I thought ya didn't want me to know." He said in confusion. This girl was really weird, like she contradicted herself constantly. Women.. He shook his head and smiled at her again. "So what is it?" He asked again, hoping this time she would share.

[Sydney Emerson]

"Sorry," she said again. His reaction to her remark about him not sharing his name got the same mocking reaction she had expected. She sighed heavily as he teased her. "You were the one who made that the price of the deal. You didn't exactly leave me a lot of choice," she protested. His remark about being wilder than he had thought made her fidget a little. She was all about order, not chaos. "Well, in my defense, Rod could be short for quite a few names. So it's not quite as obvious as you thought."

At this point she was just being difficult for the sake of being difficult, but really so was he. It was just a matter of leveling the playing field.

She wrinkled her nose as he implied her name was common. "What is that supposed to mean? There are way more Rods than there are Sydneys I'd bet." It was a silly thing to take personally and yet... One's name was an association that was permanent and Sydney wasn't the sort who could stand being associated with something... common. Just the thought practically made her shudder.

"Look the way I look?" she repeated, confusion heavy in her voice. "How do I look?" She wasn't even fishing for a compliment - she just didn't get it at all. "Interested in what?" she added. After all, people were only interested in her for her intelligence which had nothing to do with appearances...

She huffed as he tried to act innocent. "You have. Repeatedly. Like 5 times at least. You even screamed it in the library, remember?" He leaned forward, talking about there being other things to do and she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. She had read about the topic of course, so she knew what he was talking about. But just like with kissing, all her knowledge was technical and she couldn't help but think that wasn't really the sort of things he was getting at with that positively devious grin of his. Besides, she didn't really understand why anyone would want to do those things. Though, while rather pointless, kissing had turned out to be more pleasant than she had expected. Still, she pushed those thoughts from her mind.

Oh, so he had been referring to that whole teacher's pet thing he kept harping on about. She was also set to try to explain to him why he was wrong yet again when his words took an unexpected turn that shocked her into the silence. She tucked her hair behind an ear as she considered his words, trying to figure out what to make of them, even as she smiled back at him. "Thanks," she said finally. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was without all her books and the things he was talking about, but he seemed to think it was a good thing at least.

"I didn't forget," she said quickly - perhaps a hint too quickly even. Her skin flushed as she thought about it. Still, she shook her head as he insisted other guys would be interested in something like that with her. "Nah, no one looks at me that way. They all just see me as some kid. Like you said, I basically look like one too," she added with a small shrug. There was a sincerity to her words though. As far as she was concerned, she was just reciting facts.

Sydney chuckled a little as he spoke again. About time he was the one confused. "Well, you were being mean to me." She folded her arms smugly as she looked over at him. "I just didn't think you'd cave so easily," she said with a shrug. "But I mean, if you don't really want to know..." Okay, at this point she was just enjoying teasing him for once. It was only fair after all. She smiled a little as he asked again, sensing his hope she'd answer. "Alright fine. Empathy," she answered, her gaze shifting from him to the ground and then back at him, nervous about how he'd react.

[Rodrigo Santos]

"The deal." He repeated in a grumble, blowing air out of his nostrils. Well, that'd hurt. Especially so because he had liked it so much, stealing her first kiss and all, and it seemed she didn't even care about it. The girl was much harder than he first thought. Bummer too, since she was actually kind of hot, in a very know it all way. He rolled his eyes, smiling in amusement as she still was defiant about the name. Wow, this girl never gave up. "You just have to have the last word, don't cha?" It was getting more annoying than amusing.

Rod smiled and shrugged in answer, finding it funny that she seemed so defensive about her name. It was just a name, still, if it was a button to be pushed he would press it. "No, no, mami. Rodrigo is special. It speaks of heritage and culture and strength." He leaned, grinning wickedly, "Sydney on the other hand... well, what's that? A city! What does it say? What does it even mean?"

He snorted. "Yer kidding, right? You're a hot girl. Hot girls are liked by guys. What else would they want but to-" He stopped talking, feeling his cheeks flushed. He was so not going to give the talk to some random girl. "Go read a biology book, princesa. I ain't sayin' anything else."

He laughed again at her claim. "Well, what else ya want me to think about?" He wondered, "School, like you?" He chuckled again and leaned back. "Ye just need to try it out. Once ya do, I betcha you won't be able to stop thinking 'bout it either." Oh, he was such a show off. He wasn't as experienced as he wanted her to think he was, but he was a man! He needed to gloat or he would be less manly or something. It was an odd thing. It was as if he had to win over something, and since he was the one with some experience in that area, he wanted to show off. "I'll even volunteer," He added, trying to sound suave and smirk but blushing slightly, "If ya ask nicely." Like he wouldn't jump at the opportunity. Though, given his record, he would probably just get all flustered by getting asked that.

It was sort of surprising how gracefully she'd accepted the compliment. He smiled grimly at her. He'd sort of half expected her to deny her beauty, as if she was unaware of it. She wasn't. Well of course not. No one who saw that reflection in the mirror every day would ever think herself as anything other than pretty. He grumbled, looking away from her. Well, that was shitty. She had confidence in everything she did and had, right? And why the hell not. She was perfect in every way. Which sucked, because that only made things harder, if not impossible, for him. Well, who cared, right? Plenty fish in the sea. Though for some reason he felt truly disappointed.

But then there it was. That admittance of weakness and he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. So she hadn't had any guy go after her. He smiled, flushing slightly, fully enjoying the idea of an untouched girl. He covered his face with one hand, trying to hide his smirk. And she hadn't forgotten the kiss either. Good. Better than that. So there was a chance, right? "Ye just have to put out more." He advised. It was terrible advise but he didn't care much, as long as it benefited him. Not that he expected her to be easy, just... easy enough for him.

Wait what? Mean? "I was not!" He replied hotly, glaring at her, "Yer too sensitive, princesa." He snorted, "If I'd been mean you wouldn't be here." Because he knew how he got when he was 'mean'. He got angry and saw red. He had scars to prove how many fights he'd lost because of that 'meanness'. She teased him and he growled in response, not liking her games. "If ye want to say it, say it already!" He said, raising his voice slightly, feeling mildly miffed. When she said it his immediate reaction was to roll his eyes.

"Oh, har har." He said, glaring at her, thinking she was messing with him. "if you don't wanna tell me don't. Just don't try to take me for a fool." Because she HAD to be kidding.

[Sydney Emerson]

She felt the sudden flare of annoyance, though she didn't understand it at all. "Yeah, I guess I do," she agreed. "I can get pretty competitive," she said with a shrug. But then he kept talking and talking about the names and his words... well they bothered her. "Well not everyone is born into that sort of culture," she said, sounding a little grumpy. "It's just a name anyway. It doesn't have to say anything."

How did he know how to press her buttons so easily? Especially buttons she didn't even know she had.

Still, him calling her 'hot' took her by surprise. Even more so when he applied that meant that boys would be interested in sex. He hadn't said it, but even she knew that much. "You think there's a textbook I haven't read?" she teased. "I know the mechanics of it." She gave a small shrug. "Beyond that though it's just never made much sense to me." Why was she admitting that to him? Why was she questioning herself so much? This guy gave her a serious headache if she thought too much about what was happening in their exchange.

"Well, I think you could spare a little thought for school," she said. "But I don't know about that. I mean, what's the point? It doesn't serve any sort of practical purpose really - not at this stage in our lives at least. Yet our peers seem so fixated on it... it's always confused me," she admitted, wondering all the while if she was saying too much. He would probably just make fun of her anyway, or think she was even more of a freak. After all, she was practically defective as her sister liked to put it.

His remark about needing to put out more earned a raise of an eyebrow. She didn't really know what to make of him. He was all over the place. She had trouble understanding consistent people, let alone someone who was so back and forth. Her head was practically spinning at this point.

"You were too! You made fun of my-" she gestured to her chest without thinking before blushing red and quickly changing the direction of her sentence. "-me." Yet there he went getting angry again. What was with him? So she told him and of course he reacted exactly as she thought he would - he laughed. She groaned. "I knew you were going to laugh."

Then she realized he didn't even believe her. "I am being serious, you know. That's my ability. I feel other people's emotions." She shifted uncomfortably, feeling awkward talking about it. Her mind was already anticipating dozens of directions his mocking could potentially take. She knew it was ironic that she of all people would have empathy. That same irony was what made it useful to her, even if it didn't explain things to her nearly enough. She often thought telepathy would have been vastly more useful. After all, that explained the why rather than the what. It was the why that Sydney struggled with the most.

Still, she just bit her lip and waited for him to react.

[Rodrigo Santos]

Wow, she even admitted it. Huh. At least she knew who she was and how she was. There was something special about a girl who knew that. It made Rod smile gently and stare at her fondly. Yeah, he was going to enjoy spending time with this girl... as mad as she drove him. If only she were a little bit... easier? Was that the word? Maybe not. He wasn't even sure what he expected from her. Which made it all even more confusing.

They were talking about sex now and he looked up at the sky, wondering how the hell he'd gotten stuck in such a conversation. "Well, you oughta experiment." He said, though he was teasing her, wondering if he could embarrass her in any way. "You could find that ya like what you do. And if ya don't," He shrugged, "Then you'll know." She didn't respond to his volunteering and he sighed in defeat. He was getting nowhere with her. Maybe she was right. Maybe she was young... too young for him. She was cute, but maybe a couple of years (how old was she again?) between them might as well be decades.

He made fun of her what now? Rod's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Did I hit a soft spot?" He wondered with a smirk, "Hey, I ain't gonna complain if ya feel like sharing those with me." Again he shrugged, "Like I said, some guys like 'em that way." Nor that he did, but what he'd said was true. He wasn't about to deny himself some fun just because the girl was flat. Besides, it was sort of cute... and now he was picturing her naked. And from the way he was staring at her, it could've been a tad obvious too, with his half dropped, darkened eyes staring straight at her chest, even though he couldn't see anything there. Wait- she was talking again! He forced his eyes to her face.

Wait- she was serious? He snorted and then laughed loudly. "La princesa de hielo!" He said between shoots of laughter, holding his stomach. "That's just too precious!" He turned to her with a wide smile, fully enjoying this. "How do ya manage to stay this..." He waved at her, "Like this and still feel. Ah mean- You should know 'bout feelin's, right? Yet you're all- ya know, ice cold!" He chuckled, lowering his teasing laughs slightly, knowing she could get mad enough to leave him without his homework done.

"I can teach ya, ya know?" He added with a devious smirk, "To feel. Or to understand." He moved closer, licking his lips as he stared at her, stretching out lazily on the bench like a spoiled cat. "Like that kiss before. I can keep doin' it till ya get it." Inside, he felt excitement hitting his chest as he spoke, but outside he tried to keep his cool. Would she feel that?

[Sydney Emerson]

His reaction surprised her. She had expected him to make fun of her not to do... well, this. Whatever this was. "That is a surprisingly logical suggestion," she said finally. After all, experiments were the process through which things were learned. She was honestly more shocked that she hadn't come up with that conclusion herself. "I might have to consider that." Her gaze returned to him then. "Isn't that generally something that is associated with romance?" she asked. Really, socializing was so complex.

"I'm just saying it was rude to remark on," she said after a long pause. There he was making those sort of comments again, about guys liking her. Why was he so fixated on that? "Are you some guy?" she asked finally, turning her head to look at him only to find him staring at her. "What are you looking at?"

Of course, once he realized she was serious about her ability, he burst out laughing. It took a moment for her to remember but hielo meant in spanish, but once she did, her jaw dropped. Ice Princess. It wasn't the worst thing she'd been called - her sister loved to comment on her flaws after all - but it still stung. "I'm not cold," she said, trying to keep her voice from sounding hurt. Just because she was more logical than emotional didn't mean she didn't feel anything. Maybe she wasn't especially volatile, but she still felt things. Despite what people seemed to think, she wasn't some robot. "Like for example, right now, I'm feeling pretty pissed off."

But just like that, suddenly he was being nice to her again. She heard his words, but it was his emotions that were confusing her most. Yet... he brought up that kiss again, and she couldn't help but think of it. "Well, the kiss was sort of nice..." she admitted. After a moment she shook her head though, feeling the sudden excitement he felt. "How do you do that? How do you switch from one emotion to the next so quickly, one after the other after the next, without going crazy?"

[Rodrigo Santos]

He frowned at her response. Wait- what? She hadn't realised he was flirting? Wow, was she slow. He sighed again, pouting childishly as he turned away from her in disappointment. But then she added that bit. He turned to her so fast he felt his neck crack. She was going to consider it? He felt his face turn red, though he still grinned at her, wondering if she was about to ask him to start... showing. But she didn't. Instead she asked about romance. He leaned back, his blush deepening. "Whatcha mean romance?" He wondered, suddenly feeling nervous. Sure he knew what she meant. She was talking about... flowers and chocolate and dating. That part... yeah, that was the part he didn't know how to do. Did she- did she want that? All that romance crap?

She asked if he was part of those guys who liked small breasts and his eye widened as he turned redder, feeling like a deer in the headlights. "I- I..." He stuttered for a second. Well, was he? He'd been staring at her for some time now, picturing what she was hiding. "If I say yes, will you show me?" He asked stupidly, obviously already knowing the answer. Yet he still couldn't force himself to look away. Her next question brought his eyes back to hers and he smiled nervously. "Well... Ya were talking 'bout them." He said as if that exonerated him from all fault. Hey! She was mentioning them and all. If anything, it was her fault and in his mind she was just teasing him.

When he laughed at her powers, he figured she would get mad at him again, yet he couldn't help himself. It was just so weird! She told him she was pissed off, yet he still chuckled. "Oh, come on, princesa! You gotta admit, it's pretty funny." He grinned widely at her, leaning closer, "Yer not exactly a warm person, ya know? Not that you're not swell. It's just-" What was it? He pondered for an extra second before adding it, "Hilarious." Maybe that wasn't the right word to describe it.

She admitted she'd liked the kiss and he grinned proudly, leaning closer just in case she wanted to do it again. But then she asked him a question and he pulled back. Wait, what? "Whatcha mean?" He asked in confusion, "I just am who I am. Feel what I feel." He stared at her for a second, eyebrows furrowing over his eyes. "You mean you're not like that?"