New Kid in School (open)

[Ariela Hayes]

Moving in had been alright, save for the fact that she was rather new and the only face she recognized was that of her brother Zeb so far, who lived just down the hall. Somehow she had a feeling that they would always end up in the same place no matter what. Life just seemed to work out that way and Ari had a feeling that Zeb liked it that way. The idea that he needed her so much scared her sometimes because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to always help him and that maybe she needed help herself sometimes. But here she was, still trying to unpack the last box that had been glaring at her from the corner of the room for the past week. She'd been so busy trying to get into the swing of things that she'd left it there.

She sighed and walked over to her iHome, plugging in her old big block of an iPod and turning the volume up loud enough to where she wouldn't hear wandering snipets from conversation in the halls, but soft enough so she could hear her own thoughts. She let the music of The Donnas seep into her bones and began to tackle that last box.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Ever since Zeb had heard his sister was taking a job as dorm monitor at Hammel, he'd had to suppress doing a jig through the hallways. Of course it would have been a slightly zombiefied version of a jig, depending on his sleep and coffee ratio. Still he had tried to reel in his excitement around Ari. So far he'd managed to only give her one bear-type smothering hug and that was on the day she'd arrived. After that he'd thought it wise to maybe give her a little space to settle in. Even though he and his sister got along, they still could get tired of being in others space all the time.

Still, when he heard music blaring from her apartment, he figured it would be a good enough excuse to stop in and check up on her.

"Hey sis," he said loudly and added a loud knock in case she hadn't heard him over the music. "Up for a visit from your favorite brother?"

[Ariela Hayes]

It would only be a matter of time until Zeb came by. Ariela knew that. He'd managed to keep his excitement at bay for the most part, but the was overwhelmingly excited on the day she'd arrived a week ago, smothering her with a too tight of a hug. She was glad to see him of course, but didn't express it in nearly the same way her brother did, although he was probably the only one she'd hug willingly. But he knew her well enough to give her some space after that, which she appreciated. After all, he'd be seeing plenty of her around here now.

She heard a muffled voice coming from the doorway and a knock and made her way to the door, not bothering to turn down the music. Of course her brother was standing there. "I guess I should just be glad you're not a student complaining about my loud music," she told him, holding open the door further. "And you're my only brother, Zeb."

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb was already grinning before Ari even opened the door. "You're the boss now, keep it as loud as ya want," he said. He had a feeling his sister would have no trouble being stern with the students who complained about her music habit. And since she was his sister, there was no way Zeb would have a problem with it either.

"That just means ya gotta love me more," Zeb said, reaching out to pull Ari into a hug. He couldn't help it he was just so happy to see here and to have her here. Everything seemed so much brighter with his twin around.

"So how's the unpacking going?" Zeb asked, walking into the room. "Anything ya need? I was going out for a coffee run later if ya need me to pick up anything, or wanna join me?" Okay so maybe he was coming on a little strong. But A) he had given he enough time to adjust and B) that's what big brothers were for, right? Ari should just be glad he didn't tackle her to the floor, tickle her, and give her a nuggie.

[Ariela Hayes]

"I intend to," Ariela told her brother, with a slight smile. She would keep her music loud if it meant tuning out a lot of what was happening on the other side of her door and students shouldn't complain about it because it was keeping her from knowing what they were up to when she didn't want to be bothered.

She accepted Zeb's eager hug and then stood watching after him with her arms crossed over her chest as he walked into her room. "Fine," she told him. "It looks like I have enough room for everything." This wasn't the job she was planning on getting after earning a college degree, but it would work for now, and maybe she could work herself up to a position in what she actually studied, exercise science.

It was like she and Zeb were little again and she'd been away at a sleepover for a night. He was acting like he hadn't seen her in years. She hated coffee, the smell, the taste, but she loved her brother and she did need to get out of Hammel... "As long as I can get an iced tea," she told him.