Oh man!

[Kaiser Reed]

Okay, so the first couple of days hadn't been terrible. It was still so different though, way different. Everyone who went here had freaking super powers...like woah.

Kaiser had woken rather early on a Saturday, unfortunately. He tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. The boy rolled out of bed and sleepily rubbed his eyes. Hrm, what should he do? Maybe go and grab some tea? Oh man, that sounded really good...and maybe an apple too. The kid was trying his best to convert himself to vegetarian but the Texan in him was fighting it quite a bit. Sometimes he couldn't help but crave some barbecue!

The boy looked at his closet and then down to what he was wearing and shrugged. An oversized shirt and a pair of gym shorts would be fine for a little trip to get a breakfast snack.

Kaiser moved towards the door and yawned. "Maybe some coffee would be better..."

The kid walked into the hall in a sleepy haze, passing a few other students. Kaiser's hair was a mess, seemingly having a mind of its own and trying to go in every direction possible. The kid rounded a corner and nearly knocked into another person.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you!" Oh geeze, he hoped the other guy wouldn't be angry. "I should have been paying attention! I'm so sorry!"

[Jasper Blackwater]

Jasper Blackwater, habitual early riser and self-proclaimed morning person, had never entertained the idea of being a vegetarian.

He’d finished his breakfast—turkey bacon, two fried eggs, and a small container of Frosted Flakes doused in low fat milk—a little under half an hour ago. The meal had left him feeling particularly energized, which had been fortuitous; he’d been promising himself that he’d take the time to exercise for weeks, and he had no doubt that the turkey bacon had strengthened his resolve. There was no way that he would have been able to convince himself to run laps around the dormitory stairs if he’d eaten a fruit cup.

He was nearing the end point of lap three; his sneaker soles were squeaking against the rubber-coated steps, and his round, youthful face was florid with exertion. When he turned the corner onto the boys’ hallway, he told himself with a renewed sense of determination, he would rest.

He wasn’t wrong—he turned the corner wide, which fortunately gave him enough forewarning to slide to a stop on the close-knit carpet and avoid hitting the shorter, thinner blond-haired boy who had been walking in the opposite direction.

Jasper blinked. Then, he took a moment to catch his breath. Then, he grinned.

“You’re good,” he said, dismissing the other boy’s apology with a nonchalant wave of his hand. There was a beat of silence as Jas studied his visibly distressed companion again, this time for detail: short, unfamiliar face, hadn’t yet learned to turn corners widely to avoid the infamous Headfirst Hammel Crash.

New kid.

Jasper’s grin softened into something more brotherly and approachable.

“Hey, no sweat,” he said. “Okay, well, some sweat,” he appended, looking down at his barely-damp navy blue t-shirt and unsticking it from the skin of his belly and chest. “Anyway, no harm done—nobody’s on the floor, which is how this scenario,” he gestured between them for emphasis, “usually ends around here.”

A pause.

“You headed to breakfast?”

[Kaiser Reed]

Kaiser sighed in relief. The guy wasn't angry, normally people got really mad whenever you nearly ran into them. Maybe things were different here? Maybe people didn't get mad at little things? Or...maybe this guy was just really nice. That was the most likely of answers. Kaiser stared at the ground for a moment, happy he wasn't down there. The kid was incredibly clumsy and knew that before long he would be on the ground, somehow. "Thanks..." He said, shyly looking back up at the other.

"Oh...um...yeah." The boy said with a nod of his head. "I was gunna go get a snack or something." Kaiser shifted his weight. He wasn't really sure what time it was, not bothering to check the clock before he left his room, all he knew was that it was early. "They do have breakfast now...right?" The smaller boy asked, looking up at the other.

[Jasper Blackwater]

The new kid thanked him. Jasper beamed, unfazed by the other boy’s tentative responses; he was a great many things, but socially awkward was not one.

“You bet,” he said. “I ran into three people during my first week. The trick is going wide around the corners. Never hug the wall—seems like it’d be safer, I know, but that’s where you get into trouble.”

He relayed all of this information in a very conversational tone, as though he were commenting on the weather. His dark brown eyes were sparkling with memories (of nasty bruises and ankle sprains, presumably).

“Anyway, you’ll get the hang of it,” he said. His voice, which was too deep with age now to fairly be called boyish, was warm with reassurance. “It all seems overwhelming now, but it’s not so bad.”

He paused, then, to let the other boy speak; he was careful to do this every so often, because he was perfectly capable of carrying an entire conversation on his own, and had been known to talk right over more reserved individuals when he wasn’t paying attention. He was rewarded with a brief, disjointed sentence in reply. He grinned a wide, genuine grin that dimpled his cheeks; the boy’s pattern of speech reminded him of his younger brother, Hunter.

“Yeah, the cafeteria serves breakfast until ten-thirty,” he said. “It’s better to get there a little early, though. Everyone makes a beeline for the good stuff, and there isn’t much left after that.”

He gestured over his shoulder.

“Do you remember how to get there?” he asked.

[Kaiser Reed]

"Never hug the wall." Kaiser repeated and nodded. He would certainly have to remember that. The other guy was right though, it did seem like the safest option but obviously it wasn't. The boy ran a hand through his wild hair, trying to tame it a bit, though there was no use.

When the other said he would get the hang out it a small smile formed on Kaiser's lips. "Hopefully...it's just a lot to take in all at once." Sure, Kaiser was used to a school environment, but this was completely different. It was a school that he was living in...that taught kids with super powers. He'd been fortunate enough not to run into anyone that wasn't entirely nice. The other students that he had met had been incredibly helpful and kind.

"Ten thirty." He repeated, making sure to make a mental note of that as well. If he wanted breakfast he'd have to make it to the cafeteria before that time, shouldn't be that difficult.

Kaiser looked up at the other male again and gave another smile. "Thanks...my name is Kaiser by the way. Kaiser Reed." He extended his arm out to shake hands with the other. When the other asked if he remembered how to get to the cafeteria his smile faded for a moment.

"Uhhhh...yea...no...maybe?" He responded and shook his head. "I'm sure I can find it though...it can't be that hard to find." He hoped. As much as Kaiser would like Jasper to remind him of where it he was sure the other had more important things to do than show the new kid around.