What Do We Have Here? (Open)

[Ariel Har-Zahav]

So far, the inspection was going fairly well. Seeing the school up-to-code was a relief, given how many such institutions let renovations fall by the wayside in the name of "preserving a monument to history", and the faculty were generally polite and well-mannered. The few Ariel had spoken to had been such, but now it was time to see if the students were on their best behavior as well.

Given that metahuman schools were mandatory across the globe and plucked up children from literally everywhere, the likelihood of running into a particularly uncouth and ill-mannered child was strong. No matter; he could easily handle himself.

Student lounges were rare in schools, and this particular one piqued the Israeli man's interest. It was a sort of playroom, as well as somewhere to relax, and seemed almost built for adults (young ones, but regardless). The teenagers filtered in and out regularly, and the room seemed to appeal to a variety of youths, so where better to cast a wide interview net?

The room was empty when he arrived, but Ari simply set up a game of pool and waited, leaning against a cue as if pondering the best place for the break shot. He could play, and by allowing himself to relax a little he'd let those he was researching become comfortable as well. With the bell having just rung for lunch, there would undoubtedly be someone here soon.

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Naozumi couldn't cook worth anything. So naturally he lived off of instant noodles and whatever he could get his hands on. The lunchroom was an excellent option. There was actually more variety there than he expected and so that's where he picked up a grand meal to-go. From there, he scuttled through the crowds and raced himself to the student lounge(maybe unintentionally using his power the slightest bit...or a lot) so that he could claim a comfy chair in the lounge and then get some more treats from the vending machines without having to compete too much. Sometimes there were even treats left on the tables that were up for grabs.

Nao entered the room swiftly and smoothly, not even noticing that there was another person in the room already. He set down his food, quickly grabbed a soda from the machine, of course in the manner that a previous acquaintance had shown him so that it would not steal his dollar, and quickly sat down and began nomming at his food. From entry to settlement, the whole thing took maybe no more than 30 seconds. And he was already almost done with his meal.

It was only then that he noticed the older man standing next to the pool table. Nao blinked twice while he stared with a blank look. He looked around the room, suddenly wondering if he had gotten lost again and mistaken the teacher's lounge for the student lounge. Finally he spoke up. "....Is this the teacher's lounge?" With Nao's luck and sense of direction, it probably was.

[Ariel Har-Zahav]

The Asian teen entered the room with speed and fluidity, as if he were in some big hurry to be here, and the Israeli man really only caught him as the boy plucked a soda from the machine with practiced ease (the faculty would likely have to be told that their vending machine was faulty to give out free drinks). The student seemed to notice him standing there, though, so that point of idle musing would have to wait for a few moments.

"Not unless I've been turned around as well," the Inspector replied with a shrug. "I don't remember there being a pool hall either, so I would hope this is the student lounge." Gesturing to the table, he added off-handedly, "Do you play?"

The question was, of course, entirely open. If the youth wanted to play, he could play; if he was too uncomfortable (or, more likely, hungry), he was welcome to eat. Either way, Ari would have some information on the school itself from the perspective of the student body.

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He wondered who this person was. Was he a teacher? Nao hadn't been at Hammel nearly long enough to know who all the teachers and trainers and staff were. He hadn't even heard about the inspectors that were meandering throughout the campus recently, or if he had then Nao probably wasn't paying attention as usual.

Naozumi took what the man said with a blink, accepting it quite easily without any further thought. To his question, however, Nao cocked his head, unsure. "I've never played before, but I know how." He figured he could if he wanted to, it was just geometry and geometry was easy.

Though he was still unsure if that was an invitation to join the older man or just an idle question. He took another bite of his food…well, another three bites. The boy was used to quick meals and coming to Hammel hadn't changed his habits in the least.

[Ariel Har-Zahav]

Huh, the kid was an awfully speedy eater. Idly, Ari wondered if that had anything to do with the teen's ability, or it was a product of growing up. But that was a more personal question than he was looking for, so the man let it sidle off somewhere else in his mind. Right now, he had other questions.

"Would you like to play, then? I have some time before my next appointment." Considering that his appointments were often with staff members and his own team, the Israeli was more than willing to put off dealing with adults for the time being. Teenagers, while complicated in their reasonings, were far more simple than their older selves to understand. It was one of the reasons that Ariel rarely spoke with his sister anymore.

Readying another cue, he gave the boy a choice of which one to use if he desired, then leaned against the stick he had. "So how long have you been attending the Institute?" he asked idly. "You're... about sixteen?"

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Nao's tendency to eat quickly was unfortunately a combination of both his ability and his own natural gluttony which had only gotten worse after he manifested. And all it did was make it easier for him to eat faster, though not by much as it had little effect on short, fine motor skills of the mouth and fingers.

Naozumi looked at the older man and tilted his head slightly, chewing through his food then attempting to speak through his chewing. "Ai c'n quai(I can try)," he said, taking another bite. He was almost done anyway.

Nao wiped his mouth with a napkin and stuffed the last bite into his mouth. With another wipe, Nao stood and came over to the pool table, accepting one of the offered cues. "I've only been here about a week…maybe." Naozumi had already lost track of time. He looked up at the taller man. The two of them standing next to one another only made it more obvious how short the boy was. "I'm fourteen."

[Ariel Har-Zahav]

The display of very teenage hunger and lack of eating manners was, rather than insulting, very entertaining in its own right. Ari breathed a near silent chuckle and shook his head. Well, at least the kids weren't afraid to be themselves, even surrounded by strange adults. That was a good sign; meant the school felt safe. Either that, or that it encouraged them to be themselves which was even better.

The other option, of course, being that the kid just didn't care, which was a possibility but seemed less likely. He was polite enough outside of that, after all.

Handing over the cue, the Israeli man realized that he was mistaken with the initial impression of the boy's age. Well, he wasn't all that good at judging Asian people by looks anyway, and the kid didn't sound insulted by it. "My mistake," he replied, leaving the subject there alone. Taking the cue ball and placing it in the proper place, he offered the chance to break (and start) the game to the kid.

"So, only a week, then," he mused, watching the colored balls idly. "How do you like the Institute so far? Comfortable? On the same level as your last school?"

These may have sounded leading if he were talking to an adult, but children were notoriously more direct and honest. Even teenagers, provided you actually got a word out of them that wasn't a non-committal grunt.

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Nao's lack of manners was likely attributed to his home life and having been raised in a large family, where meal-time was almost always a war at the dinner table. At least it was among the children, Nao and his little sister often stole each other's food and one had to eat it quickly to keep your claim safe. But even so, Naozumi was always one who needed more than the rest of his siblings.

If he had been aware that he might have been perceived as not having proper manners, Naozumi might have been shamed…a little. Enough to at least apologize, though not enough to change his behavior…probably.

Nao blinked up at the man, unsure at first what he was wanting Nao to do, then showed a slight face of surprise when he realized that he was supposed to start. "Ah. Sorry." He fumbled with the cue and threaded the end against his fingers, holding the stick parallel to the table's surface. There wasn't much power behind his break, so the balls didn't scatter quite as easily as he'd seen them do in movies. Nao puckered his lips in dissatisfaction.

"It's big. I get lost sometimes." He spoke honestly. Nao didn't know this was an inspector and even if he did, he still didn't have any reason to speak anything but the truth. Nao tilted his head as he recalled some of the amenities that he'd enjoyed at Hammel thus far. "There's more resources here than at my last school." The library had been like a playground to him.

[Ariel Har-Zahav]

The break didn't cause any balls to pocket, so Ariel looked over the cluster for a moment before re-positioning himself around the long edge of the table. Listening to the teen's response, he nodded, lined up a shot, and cracked the white ball. It hit three balls, but none of them sank, so he stood and gestured for his companion to continue the game with his next turn.

"Lots of boarding schools are like that," he agreed, watching the game rather than the kid. Most teens didn't like to be stared at, and this seemed like a good way to relax his attention and let him speak more freely. "I've gotten lost a time or two myself."

The mention of resources made his ears perk a little, and the taller man glanced over before looking back at the game. "What sort of resources?" he asked idly. "Books, tools... better cafeteria food?" The last was kind of a joke, but they'd met the head cook for the school yesterday - man was a certifiable chef, and even the buffet-style food his assistants made on their own was good. He almost wondered how they could afford it all with mostly government funding, but that wasn't a question a kid would know anyway.

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The older man was clearly a lot better than Nao was at pool. More experienced and had a lot more power behind his hits. Naozumi didn't really have much in the way of physical strength. But that wasn't the point of the game, in Nao's opinion. It was a social event, something to do while you hung out with someone.

He positioned his cue at the white ball again, aiming for a small cluster of balls that had not spread as much during the initial break. Nao hit the white ball with a light snap and it rolled into them, spreading the three out even further. But still none sank. Nao made fish-lips this time.

"What sort of resources? Books, tools... better cafeteria food?"

Nao nodded. "Yes. All of those." Especially that last one. Nao looked forward to lunch everyday because of that. His only regret was that he didn't have enough time during lunch to sample all the dishes served. But he wasn't about to go on a food rant. "I like the food and the language lab."

[Ariel Har-Zahav]

The unamused expression didn't go unnoticed by Ari, though he didn't do much more than smile. Despite what people thought, pool was a difficult game when played seriously and something for kicks when played for anything less. At least he still looked like he was having some fun.

"I had lunch in the cafeteria yesterday," he mentioned, lining up another shot and sinking a solid colored ball before looking around for another one to hit. "You definitely have some of the best food I've tasted in a school for quite some time."

Spotting another ball and angling the cue at it, the older male took his shot but didn't knock any balls in the pockets this time. "What about the dorms?" he asked, still keeping the idle tone of vague interest. "Do you think they're comfortable? Offer enough privacy from your roommates?"

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This man had an unfair advantage, Nao thought. The upper-body strength to hit the balls with adequate force and the experience to know how to hit them properly. Naozumi wasn't a competitive person so it didn't matter to him if he won or lost this game. He just didn't like not being able to do it properly at all.

He nodded in agreement. "The food is much better than my last school."

Nao looked over the table, trying to figure out where to hit and what to hit. "The dorms..." he idly repeated, raising his eyes to the ceiling to reflect back on them. "I have three roommates. They're all very nice." Though Naozumi hadn't actually interacted with any of them yet for more than a few passing seconds. "They don't bother me at all." Which was what me meant by 'nice'. "So it's very comfortable." Especially in comparison to his life at home with 5 younger siblings, all of which shared a room with one or the other.

"Um..." he interjected quickly. "I'm supposed to hit the striped balls, right?" That's what he thought he remembered, but he wasn't sure.