Donuts and Conspiracies (Open)

[Benjamin Park]

Okay, Benji knew the blonde chick working behind the counter at this place was traveling with some sort of time-traveling alien in a blue police box in her hours off; he was desperately curious to figure out how she'd gotten herself into that situation, and how she kept other people from finding out, but every time he even tried to ease into that sort of conversation, she just gave him weird looks and he gave up.  No need to go making a hot girl think he was a total whack, even if he himself thought he was sometimes... Right?

Whatever.  Benji eyed the various donuts on display, picking out a fruit-loop covered one along with some hot chocolate (who cared if it was warm out, it sounded good), and paid for them with a flash of a smile to the lying worker.  Feeling a sudden desire to do a good deed (he wasn't all bad boy all the time), he peeked at whoever was next in line and declared,"I'll pay for whatever they're getting, too."

Whoever the lucky person happened to be, Benjamin shot his grin at them, with a thumbs-up and a wink.  Oh yeah, he knew how to make friends and influence people.

[Julien Duval]

"You're buying me a donut?" Julien asked, blinking at the guy in front of him. He looked around as if the guy's friend had gotten lost in line and he wanted to pay for his donut instead. "Paying it forward? I thought that was a myth in America." It was a light joke, and he knew it would be obvious he wasn't from here with his accent, which had slightly worn off since being here for a while. He was waiting for a joke about a crossiant, which usually helped him judge whether or not people were nice, rude, or just terrible at small talk.

He wasn't going to lie. He was here every Sunday. It was a part of his routine. And as much as he hated living so predictably, he succombed to it every single Sunday of his life since he came to Pilot Ridge. After all, he did love pastries.

[Benjamin Park]

"Yeah man!" Benji replied, still grinning. He took his donut and drink from the space-traveling chick, stepping aside with his wallet still out to pay for the skinny stranger. No, not stranger.... Dude, this guy had saved the planet! Benji's eyes widened at this realization, but he pressed his lips firmly together, not saying anything. He probably didn't want his cover as a samurai blown, or anything. So he just laughed a bit at what the guy said next, taking a bite of his pastry. "I'll be honest, you don't see it all that often," he admitted. "Where are you from?" He'd always been bad at accents; and he didn't want to make assumptions.

Benji took a sip of his hot chocolate next, subtly eyeing the guy up and down. You never would have thought he had skills, looking at him like this, but Benji knew better. "Get whatever you want, man. Trust me, I've got plenty." Read - his parents were pretty well-off.

[Julien Duval]

"Nah, but I guess anybody can be rude," Julian added. "Not just Americans." He knew the guy was assuming he wasn't from America and he was right. Julian's accent often gave him away, although it usually triggered a response like 'Oh my god, you're french!' or 'What's the Eiffel Tower like in person?' It was ridiculous really.

"France," he offered, turning to gaze up at the menu again. He decided on an iced tea and a simple iced donut. After all, even if the guy did say he had plenty of money, Julian wasn't one to take advantage of that. "Thanks," he replied.

[Benjamin Park]

"True enough," Benji replied with a nod. He could be rude; when he was putting on his bad-boy persona, he could be all kinds of rude. But sometimes, like today, he just felt like being nice. He needed some good karma in his life, after all. "All I ask is you do the same for someone down the line, yeah?" He gave the stranger a wink as he bit into his own donut.

"Mm, France!" he exclaimed. "Wow, you're a long way from home, then. Studying abroad, or something?" That was something Benji hoped to do, somewhere in Europe. Probably once he graduated and was in college, he could study in England or something. He pulled out the bills to pay for the guy's purchase, flashing a charming smile at the girl behind the counter (who totally flirtatiously smiled back - he was onto this space chick!), before turning back to the guy with an outstretched hand. "Don't mention it. I'm Benjamin, by the way. I go by Benji though."

[Julien Duval]

"Definitely," Julien replied. "Pay it forward." After all, random acts of kindness were becoming more and more rare. He thanked the woman at the register when he received his iced tea and a bag with his donut inside, who this guy seemed to be having quite the interaction with even if there wasn't a lot of words. He raised an eyebrow at him before nodding. "Yeah, I was taking part in a foreign exchange program, Pilot Ridge sends some students to France and I got to come go to high school here in Vermont. I graduate shortly actually." And he currently was thinking he wasn't going to go back. Not after what he'd discovered about Pilot Ridge.

He met Benji halfway with the handshake. "Julien. I just go by...Julien." Somehow, he felt the need to mirror his introduction and found himself grinning sheepishly afterwards.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji smiled and nodded, content with the stranger's answer. As long as his good deed kept going, that was what mattered. See, he really wasn't all the bad he cracked himself up to be... He listened with interest as the guy explained why he was there, sipping thoughtfully at his hot chocolate. "Oh... Do you go to Hammel?" he asked curiously. He knew the school had been doing something like that, although he hadn't seen the guy around. "I mean, I do, so I'm just assuming," he added as an afterthought. Did a samurai need to go to school? What kind of powers did he have? Benji wasn't entirely sure.

He chuckled as the guy introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Julien," he replied with a nod. The guy seemed a bit dorky, but that didn't matter; Benji thought it was probably a facade anyway, to hide his real identity. "So ah... Are you going to stay in the area after you graduate, then?" he asked a bit curiously. He started edging towards a table, finding himself wanting to talk to this undercover hero some more. Maybe they could be friends, and Julien could teach him some tricks, or something!

[Julien Duval]

At the mention of Hammel, Julien immediately perked up. And then he'd mentioned that he did as well! Hammel had exchange programs? Probably not for non-powered people though. Really, what would be so bad about that? It would be like...introducing people to a new kind of diversity. Diversity appreciation. That was it. Teens needed that. He should so pitch this to the education board...if Hammel even had something like that. Maybe it was so hush hush that it was a secret.

He thought about telling the truth. 'No, I just go to a local high school in the area.' And then he'd play dumb about knowing what Hammel was, but when Julien was presented with something like this, an opportunity to seem more than he was, sometimes he couldn't help himself. "Yeah, I do. Graduating soon though. And yeah, think I might attend the Univeristy of Vermont. Seems nice enough," he mused. It was amazing how fluidly a lie came out when it had to do with the desperation to be a meta.

He followed loosely behind Benji towards a table setting down his iced tea and removing his donut from the bag.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji didn't really know nor care about how the exchange programs worked, because 1) his parents could pay for him to study anywhere abroad if he liked and 2).... Okay well, maybe that was the only reason, because actually he did like when it brought hot, foreign babes to their school. With accents. Mmmm....

He had no reason to not believe the guy was lying, though; after all, a guy like him had to be truthful or something, right? For honor's sake or whatever? Eh, maybe Benji didn't know what he was thinking. "Right on. Mind if I ask what your ability is?" He smiled and took another bite of donut, wondering why he'd actually asked that. Pure curiosity, he supposed... He just hated it when people asked the same question back at him, because he never knew how to respond. "I still have a couple years left, unfortunately. But hey, maybe you'll meet my 'rents, they're professors at UVM." So he had a particular fondness (and also distaste, to be honest) for the college.

He sat down then, pleased to see that the guy didn't seem in any hurry to leave either. "So, ah... Have a job in the area?" he tried to ask casually. "I mean, I've sort of been looking, but I don't really have any idea where to start, you know?" And he could mooch off his parents as much as he wanted, really.

[Julien Duval]

Mind if I ask what your ability is? There it was. It was the question he didn't even know he was dreading, but the dread set in the moment the words left the other guy's lips. Not only had he said he went to a school that he didn't, that also meant he'd said he had a power...when he didn't. "Ability? Is that the proper term for it?" he asked, half-curious, half-stalling. "Why not call it a power? That sounds way more exciting." If he had a power, what would it be? It was something he fantasized about often, but he couldn't pick just one. And what if the guy asked him to show him his power? He had to be careful what he picked. "I'm a precognate," he said suddenly. After all, it was still a cool power and he didn't have to prove it. Because... "It happens randomly for the most part."

"That's a shame, really. High school...well, it sucks. And maybe...depends what I decide to study." After he sat down, he wondered why. He'd started his conversation with this guy on a lie, but would he have even stayed to talk if he knew that Julien wasn't actually a meta?

"No," he replied, after taking another long drink of his iced tea. "I'm looking though. Same as you. I need a job. Badly." He was moving into an apartment in a matter of weeks.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji had no reason to disbelieve that the other guy was a meta, but he did shoot him a quizzical, confused look at his question. "Yeah... At least, I've heard a lot of people call it that. Why, do you guys not use that term in France?" He wasn't trying to be rude, he was just confused and curious. "I... I guess power sounds exciting," he chuckled, sipping at his tea with amusement. This guy was entertaining. Benji rose his brow as it seemed to take the guy a moment to 'recall' his 'power'. "Ahhh... That's cool," he said with a nod and a polite smile. "I bet that must give you killer headaches, huh?" At least, it seemed like a headache-y power. Ability. Whatever.

"Yeah... It does suck," he agreed wholeheartedly. "I can't wait to get to college and get all the smart, hot babes." Ben gave Julien a wink as he took another bite of donut. "Mmm, my dad's in the bio department, mom's in human phys. So... Guess you'd have to be a science guy," he said with a shrug.

"Hmmm... Darn," he chuckled. "Heh, maybe I should look into getting hired at this place. I know the chick behind the counter totally has a thing for me." He turned and winked at the blonde, who rolled her eyes but gave an amused smile. "What're you into? Uh, let me guess... Saving the world." It was a totally not-subtle prod at the boy's real identity. Let's see how he responds!

[Julien Duval]

"Nah, it's more like power just makes it sound more exciting than saying you have an ability, I guess. An ability sounds so mundane," Julien explained with a shrug. He really did believe that, but he was also following up on his stalling tactic. "Yeah, headaches are bad, but I deal." What was a headache when you had such a cool power though? Is that all metas concentrated on was the side effects?

"You're into the sciences, huh? Just like your parents?" he asked, with a mouthful of donut. "I'm afraid that's not really my forte." He wanted to go into media and film, but he was also sure there were plenty of smart and attractive women studying those things as well. "And this wouldn't be a bad place to work...however, I'm a sucker for pastries so it could be bad..." Although Julien was scrawny and it seemed he always would be. No matter how much he ate, he really didn't get any heavier.

When Benji asked what he was into, Julien first said, "Well..not science so much. I like film and media. I actually have my own video camera." It was in the bag over his shoulder right now. He proceeded to give the guy a strange look at his guess. "What?" he asked, rather confused. "I mean, I guess with my power, it's possible to save someone, but I don't know about the world." He was joking, right?

[Benjamin Park]

Benji tried to stifle his laughter. This guy was kinda weird, but then again, maybe it was all just a ruse to keep his real identity hidden. Yeah, that had to be it! "I guess you're right. But... Just having a power in itself is pretty awesome. I wish mine didn't suck so much." Whoops. Ben hadn't meant to say that. He pressed his lips together and took a long sip of his drink. He never knew how to talk about his ability, mostly because he didn't understand it at all. It was just... Reality to him. "I get pretty bad headaches too," he mentioned after a moment. But the worst side effect was definitely people thinking he was crazy.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess so," Benji shrugged. "At least, I'm not bad at it. I don't really have any outstanding subjects, though." He was just fairly good at most of them, except maybe history. "I do look awfully good in a lab coat and glasses, though, so maybe that's what I'll get into," he chuckled. Ben glanced at the counter again and nodded with a grin. "Yeah, it'd definitely be an easy place to gain weight," he mused. "Maybe it's not the best idea." There were plenty of other places... Hopefully.

He listened with interest to what Julien was saying a she continued to munch on his donut. Film and media... Yeah, that made sense! Benji was totally right with this guy. "That sounds pretty cool," he said casually. "I'm more someone who wants to be in front of a camera instead of behind it, but that's just me." He flashed another smile. At the French boy's apparent 'confusion', Ben's confidence wavered just a little bit. He seemed... Genuinely confused. "Yeah, yeah, that's what I meant," he said while waving a hand. "You could like... See if a bridge is going to collapse and kill a bunch of people or something. Yeah." Benji stuffed another bite into his mouth. Sadly, it was the last bite. Ben sighed. He wasn't going to have a reason to stick around and chat with this guy much longer, it seemed. Pity, he wanted to find out more about his secrets.

[Julien Duval]

"It really is," Julien agreed, without actually knowing, although he assumed it would be awesome if he actually had one--as awesome as his sister bragged about it being. He wondered what sucked so much about Benji's power. I mean, he had a power. He could do something regular humans couldn't. "What's so bad about it?" he asked curiously, unable to help himself.

"I guess I'd rather be proficient at everything then horrible at a few subjects and amazing in others. That's not really how it works out though." He wasn't so sure looking good in a lab coat and glasses was part of studying science or if it would help you, but he really didn't wanna criticize. "Yeah, I'm going to try and find a job that doesn't involve food."

"Yeah...I hate being in front of a camera," Julien admitted. Definitely wasn't his thing. He just looked awkward and his hair was always doing something interesting...

He wondered if that was actually what Benji meant, but again, didn't ask about it. "Yeah...maybe," he mused. If he actually had the power of precognition, he'd definitely use it to try and save others.

[Benjamin Park]

Dammit. Benji really should know better than to say anything about his own ability anymore. He squinted out the window as he thought of the best way to respond. "It's, ah... It's nothing I can show off," he tried to explain. "They call it... transdimensional perception, or something like that. It's all in my head." He tapped his temple, hoping that would be enough to satisfy the samurai's curiosity.

"Yeah, it'd suck to be really bad at something that you're required to take for one reason or another, like... I don't know, math," Benji chuckled. Everyone had to take that, and it seemed like a lot of people were bad at it, or just hated it. He was pretty good at it, though, which was fortunate for the sciences. "Mmm... Good idea. Maybe, since you're into film, you could look into working for a local news station?" Benji shrugged; one of his friends had gotten a job doing camera stuff like that. He said his boss was a jerk, but it was a job, so whatever.

"Really?" he asked with a crooked smile. "I'm the opposite." Benji loved being in front of a camera; he was vain about his looks, as was probably obvious by now. "And I'm a dancer, so it's sort of a requirement." Hmm, maybe he could look into a dancing job somewhere...

"Anyway..." He felt like the conversation was sort of leveling off, and he was done eating anyway, so Benji started to stand. "I better get going. It was nice talking with you, Julien. Maybe I'll see you around sometime... Not working at a food place." With a wink, he waved and wandered out of the shop, wondering if he'd ever get to ask the guy about saving the world without looking like an idiot.