Pinky Swear? (Emma)

[Jared Park]

Jared can’t believe that after all the things he’s done to ensure that he’ll arrive on time, he’ll still end up being twenty or so minutes late for their planned downtown excursion. Emma actually agreed to meet at a later time as per his request so it is really embarrassing on his part (she initially said to meet at 10; he jokingly suggested they meet at 11 and she went with it). He shook in head in disbelief as he tried to recall the events that led to his late arrival. He actually set his alarm a few hours in advance (much to his roomies’ dismay), picked his outfit the night before (apparently it takes him an average of 30 minutes just to coordinate his clothes from head to toe; and he wonders why people tell him off for being too effeminate) and even slept early. But fate had other plans, waking him up mere 30 minutes before their appointed time. Like a typical teenager, Jared panicked. Panicked and panicked. In his haste he temporarily forgot where he’d put his coordinated outfit and almost left his wallet in his room. And yeah, he forgot to style his hair. So hooray for the appearance of Jared’s unruly mane (well not that unruly, but unruly nonetheless).

He gave the familiar figure a light tap on the shoulder as he bent down and tried to catch his breath. “Gosh,” he said between breaths, “I am so sorry I was late. I really tried to be early. Apparently Father Time just hates me. I so need to settle this with him once and for all.” He tried to late out a small chuckle, hoping to subdue Emma’s possible disappointment/irritation. “Oh I know! I’ll treat you to lunch today. It’ll be my peace offering,” he smiled, giving Emma another cutesy smile. “So, shall we go?”



ooc:
I am so sorry for the delay Kiki. Hope you like it. ;D
-Jam

[Emma Hayes]

Even after giving Jared the green light on eleven, Emma had still woken at six. She blamed it on habit but was thankful for it. She had spent the majority of the morning staring at her wardrobe for hoping to find something appropriate to wear. Her stained khakis and wrinkled tees may be fine for school wear, but Emma wanted to at least try to look nice when having an outing with a friend. After a good hour of deliberation -did people usually take this long to get dressed?- and a few embarrassed questions directed to her roommates, Emma finally got ready. She settled on a pair of clean jeans -they were ripped in a few places from work but she had been assured it was in style-, a navy v-neck, a black jacket, and some old black Doc Martins.

She'd rushed off to their meeting area at fifteen till, pulling her hair back in a braid as she went. Overall feeling acceptable for the day, she'd waited patiently for Jared to arrive. When the allotted time came and passed, Emma began to get nervous. So when she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard a familiar voice, she had to hold back a sigh of relief. Turning with a smile, she greeted her companion.

"Good morning, Jared. Don't worry I wasn't waiting long." White lies never hurt anyone and besides, Emma had been early. She gave a light laugh to his joke and nodded to him. "I might just take you up on lunch." She said as they began their descent on the town.

"Only one question before we go." She remarked as they walked, still smiling. "Where to first?"

[Jared Park]

Hearing Emma’s lighthearted reply made Jared sigh in relief. He seriously thought Emma would lash out on him (or worse, leave him altogether), and he’d really feel so bad for himself if that did happen. He knew Emma was quite different from the other people (in a good way of course) but it occurred to him that even the good ones have their boiling points.

“Meh. Don’t kid me. I know you’ve been here since ten o’clock. Ten thirty the latest,” he joked, giving her a light nudge. She knew Emma was the responsible kind ever since they first met (like it was that long ago already) and while it was a bit of an exaggeration, Jared never erased that possibility from his mind. “Really I’m sorry. I really rushed going here. My atrocious hair is my proof,” he said, ruffling his brown mane. He gave it a light brush with his hands and it did become better, somewhat. At least it wasn’t all poofy right now. “And nope, that isn’t a might, that is a will. You will take that lunch offer up. It wasn’t an order dear Emma,” he laughed, lightly tapping Emma’s nose.

“Well we’d have to go find an ATM machine first,” he answered, chuckling, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Jared’s allowance just came, hence his confidence in the trip, but in all his excitement he forgot to make a quick trip downtown two days ago. And while he has some spare cash inside his wallet, he doubts it’ll be able to cover a decent meal for both of them (unless Emma’s definition of a “decent meal” involves a greasy chili dog and soda). “Then after that I think we’ll head out to lunch. It’s hard to explore with an empty stomach. Devin, Ann and Riley were nice enough to tell me a few places we should really try out.”[/b][/color]

[Emma Hayes]

Emma would be a little shocked to know Jared thought she might get angry over a little lateness. She was in fact, friends with notoriously late people like Garth and she did take some pride in her patience. Of course there were quick and easy ways to get on Emma's bad side, but tardiness wasn't one of them.

"Ten forty-five, actually." She said before the words processed in her brain. Wincing at the admission, she tried to be softer with her next words. "It wasn't a long wait at all, and it's such a nice day to be out." It was cold, but the sky was clear and it was shaping into a perfectly fine fall day. A good time for a shopping excursion/exploration trip.

"You're hair looks fine." Emma assured, jumping in between Jared's apology and orders. "And we'll see about that." She laughed at the light tap to her nose, shaking her head fondly at Jared's behavior.

Emma was fine with the ATM request. She still had plenty of cash on her, as Emma rarely bought things, but she didn't mind the chance to wander behind Jared through the town. And the promise of lunch was catching her attention. She'd eaten when she'd woken and hunger was starting it's small pangs in her. "That all sound good to me. I'm glad you got recommendations; there seems to be a lot offered in this town." Or rather, there was a lot offered compared to what Emma was used to. "I wouldn't know where to go."

"Where was lunch suggested at, if I may ask?" She questioned as the two walked, presumably looking for the ATM. Emma didn't really care one way or the other about where they ate. She honestly wouldn't say a thing about a chili dog, having grown up with a largely male influence meant that fast food was a diet staple. Though Emma was curious to what eateries existed around here.

[Jared Park]

“Ten forty-five? Woah. That translates to a thirty or so minute wait, right?” Jared said in surprise, instinctively looking at his watch. He couldn’t help but laugh as he imagined what he would’ve done in the same situation. He could see himself fumbling out and about, running in circles, pulling grass off the ground, picking then throwing rocks randomly – everything just to keep him from standing still in a spot and looking so awkward. Jared’s mind was never tuned for the long waiting time, and if Jared would think about his lateness more closely, it’s probably a deliberate action so he wouldn’t have to wait for the other person. “Well, it is, considering winter’s drawing near and the sun’s way up there. But I still don’t like the cold winds though,” he smiled, closing his jacket and lightly rubbing his arms.

Jared gently ushered Emma out of Hammel grounds. He gave the guard a gentle smile as they walked out of the school and into the quaint town. As they walked through the streets of Pilot Ridge, Jared couldn’t help but smile. The town just feels comforting and relaxing. True, he was a city kid and the town was by no means a metropolis, but it somehow had the feel of it. to Jared, Pilot Ridge was a cross between a bustling city and a quaint town, getting the best of both worlds (to quote Hannah Montana) and effectively eliminating both their ugliness (somewhat). And while it wasn’t Jared’s first time to actually set foot on the not-so-foreign town, he’s still so excited inside that he couldn’t help but skip as they walked towards an ATM.

“Excuse me for a bit,” he said, running towards the machine. While Jared’s family wasn’t that rich, they weren’t exactly that poor either. If you ask Jared, he’d pretty much say that they were somewhere between the high middle and the middle middle class. (Apparently they’re in the middle of the high middle and the middle middle. And I would not want to know what people would name it if they propose that particular group to exist). Jared promptly returned to Emma after putting the few crisp bills he received in his wallet, smiling as he returned. “Don’t you just find my wallet cute?” he asked, laughing as he showed her his wallet.

“Ann suggested a nice place near the mall. I think she said it serves Italian. Riley told me of a few kiddie-themed stores (apparently she sees me as this cute munckin). Devin told me of a few good Thai, Chinese and Japanese restuarants,” he said, trying to remember the stuff his friends told him a while back, “But if you don’t like a trip around the world, Tim told me a few stores that sell American-esque food.” Jared couldn’t stop a laugh when he realized how awkward that seemed. It was a little known fact that Jared was Canadian, so it was normal to him to call things ‘American this’ and ‘American that’. Hopefully Emma wouldn’t mind.

[Emma Hayes]

Emma just shrugged, not really feeling that it was a long time to wait. Emma rather liked people watching and the place was busy today. She didn't mind just staying still a watching the world go by. She didn't care if it made her look strange just standing around without anything to do. While what her friends thought of her was important, Emma could care less about the views of strangers.

"You don't like the cold?" She repeated. "I'd rather it be cold then hot." Emma liked the outdoors but she didn't particularly like summer. It was hot, which meant she would get sweaty quick when working out in the shop. Emma may have some boyish tendencies, but she hated getting sweaty.

While Jared might be thinking of Pilot Ridge as smaller then what he was used to, but Emma was excited to see a town so much larger then she was used to. This place, to her, seemed huge and Emma would be lying if she said that it wasn't making her a little giddy. That was part of why she was so content to just look. It wasn't often she had gotten to leave her hometown and see places like this.

Emma amused herself with more people watching while Jared rushed to the machine. Hands stuck in her jacket pockets and a grin still in place, she began humming an old country song under her breath. When he promptly returned, Emma had to give his wallet a look over. "It's adorable. A lot cuter then my coin purse." She said fishing it out to show him. "That's that Nightmare movie, right? It comes on TV every Halloween." She didn't usually watch much TV, but Emma could remember seeing that program on year after year. She wasn't that big on cartoons but thought that movie was pretty cute.

Emma listened closely to the listing of what was around. "I'm fine with whatever you'd like." She replied, smiling a bit at the kiddie comment. "I've not had much outside of traditional southern food, so you decide what's good." The only restaurants back home severed hamburgers or home cooking, so Emma wasn't really sure what Asian cuisine or even what real Italian was like. But she wouldn't mind finding out. "We don't have to go 'American' unless you want to." Since he mentioned the other places first, Emma figure he'd rather eat there.

[Jared Park]

“Yup. Not that much. As a thin guy with almost no blubber underneath his skin to insulate his frail body, I very much despise the cold weather. Well, despise is such a strong word. Dislike or irritated I think would be better,” Jared chuckled at the sound of his explanation. To him, he sounded more like his English teacher than the happy-go-lucky Jared he knows. Is this was the cold winds can apparently do to his mind?

One would’ve expected, since Jared grew up in a rather cold country, that he’d be fond of, or at least used to, the cold climate. Unfortunately, he isn’t, not one bit. He was one active kid, but he is very much reptile-like back home; when the cold seasons start, his activity outside the house starts to wane. He doesn’t know why that happened really. An oddity for sure, but it’s not like it’ll kill him anytime soon or anything. “But I think I’d prefer the cold over the heat though. Under the heat, you don’t know what to do. Sure you can take everything off, but it’s not like you can go out in public naked. And you risk sunburn. On the other hand, when you’re cold, you simply add layer upon layer of clothing. And I love layering,” Jared added with a chuckle.

“Of course it is, it’s Jack Skellington! Who could possibly be cute and scary all at the same time right?” The Nightmare Before Christmas is arguably one of Jared’s most favorite films. He was very scared of the movie when he first watched it, but after a few more times (again, another one of those rituals Jasper urged them to continue, claiming that his parents watched reruns and such of it with them when they were young), he grew quite fond of the movie. And the fact that it can be seen as both a Halloween movie and a Christmas one (in Jared’s eye at least), made it all the more better. “Yup. The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Jared said with much vigor, “I have a copy of it back in the dorm. We should watch it together sometime. With popcorn and soda.” Yes, another invitation from the ever energetic Jared. Apparently it doesn’t occur to him that one should at least let the current event finish before inviting your friend to another.

He took a closer look at Emma’s purse and smiled. “Of course it’s not cute, it’s beautiful. Elegant even,” he said, giving the purse back to her. “I mean, it sure looks more mature than mine. While Jack Skellington says ‘Hey my owner’s such a kid’, yours say ‘I am sophisticated’.” Jared nodded, hoping Emma would believe him too. True hers wasn’t as unique as what he had, but it was pretty nonetheless.

“You sure? I’m actually craving for sushi to be honest,” he said with a smile, blushing slightly as Emma caught on to his not-so-subtle way of telling her where to eat. Jared gave her a surprised look when she told him she hadn’t tried that many types of food before. As told a dozen times before, being a city kid, it never occurred to Jared that some cities, or towns, are a bit too small, hence there’s not a need to build restaurants at every corner.“Are you serious? Why? Then are you good with Asian food then?”

[Emma Hayes]

Emma nodded emphatically. "Indeed. It's much easier to cover up then strip." Emma didn't particularly like showing skin anyway. She got very embarrassed even when just wearing shorts."Besides when it's really hot you can't exactly strip out of your skin. At least when it's really cold you can pile on more blankets." Emma would much rather live somewhere with cooler temperature then back home where weather was so unpredictable. Coming up to the north was a blessing to her, temperature wise.

Emma laughed. "Him, I suppose." She answered Jared's probably rhetorical question. She was a little surprised by his quick offer to spending more time together. Not that she minded being around Jared, but she found it a bit odd that he put so much faith in people. Regardless, Emma wasn't one to turn away from a chance to hang out. She smiled brightly. "I'd like that."

"Thank you." Emma said, stuffing the coin purse back in her pocket. A faint blush reddened her cheeks. Emma had never been able to take compliments well. "I don't think yours is kiddish. I think it's cool." Emma secretly was envious of people who could pull of more off the wall styles. She'd like to have more 'oomph' in her style and attitude, but had always stuck with simplicity. So she really looked up the those like Jared, who had that 'out-of-the-box' mentality.

"I'm fine with that." Emma had never eaten sushi, so it should be an interesting experience. "Our town was to small for most restaurants to come. And those restaurants who did, only served fast food or stuff I could make at home. And I never tried any recipes that weren't area indigenous." She shrugged, letting her language slip as that talked. Most of her cooking was recipes passed down from her grandmother or the wives of the shop workers. Her dad was a bit of a picky eater, so Emma never tried anything new around him. "But I'm fine with Asian. I'd like the chance to try new things."

[Jared Park]

“I know right. Especially if you have nothing pleasant to show underneath,” Jared answered with a rather loud chuckle, clutching his stomach as he found his statement a little too funny. For Jared, the problem with stripping is that he has absolutely no confidence in his body. He’s a little too concerned that people will be put off by his rib cage and vertebral column being so noticeable (despite not being that thin) that he can’t even wear a loose wife beater outside his room (he even covers himself up with a jacket if ever he sees his roommates around).

Jared turned backwards as they walked across the not-so-bust streets of Pilot Ridge. He skipped happily, giving Emma a bright smile as they went. “Yey. I think we should have a movie marathon by then. Like, either a haunted movie marathon or a Christmas-themed one,” he said, “That’s why I like Nightmare, it can go with anything.” He stopped talking for a moment, thinking, then added, “I think we should invite a few people over. It’ll be more fun to watch scary movies when you’re not the only one screaming,” he nodded, “You have anyone in mind?” Unlike their last planned activity (i.e. the movie-making), Jared actually wants people to join them. The more the merrier as they say.

“Jack Skellington is cool, that’s why,” he beamed at Emma’s compliment, “It just rubs off my wallet and me. I should get more Jack Skellington stuff then. I think I shall go as him come Halloween. So I’d be cool.” Jared laughed at his train of thought. It was childish at best and just odd and illogical at worst. But he’s fine with it. It’s not like he’s serious about the whole thing, right? “How about you Emma, any plans for Halloween yet?”

Jared’s eyes widened in surprise. He knew he shouldn’t be this shocked about the differences in Emma’s town life and his own, but he just can’t help it. “So you rarely do take out?” he asked, “Since you make your own food and all. I mean, why bother buying from the store if you can already make it. My brother always says it’s cheaper that way.” Jared liked diversity, especially in his food, so he really can’t imagine living with only two stores to choose from. Not that Grandma or Jasper’s cooking was bad, but they tend to be a bit too monotonous for Jared’s tongue. “You sure you’re up for sushi. It’s raw fish by the way. We could opt for another if you want to,” he explained, seeing the sushi sign up ahead.

[Emma Hayes]

Emma agreed with a grimace. That was precisely the reason she hated showing skin. Emma didn't have that bad of a body image, she thought that on a scale of one to ten she made it to the middle range. Even though she considered herself average in looks, Emma didn't agree she had anything good to show off. It didn't help that most of the students at Hammel looked more like models then normal teens.

Emma's eyes lite up at the mention of Halloween themed movies. Halloween meant horror movies, which Emma adored. The cheesy acting and predictable plots amused the girl to no end. While most people ran out of theaters in tears or spent long nights awake in terror, Emma giggled like a madman. She tried to cover her excitement when she spoke, so as not to seem overtly eager, but it really didn't work. "Haunted movies? That sounds fun."

At his request, Emma spent a moment in thought."I still don't know very many people here." She shrugged, Emma knew she wasn't as social as she could be. "I've only really talked to about three people. You, Garth, and Lani." She listed them off one her fingers, frowning a little at how small the number looked. "I could ask one of them. But what about you? Anyone you know who'd like to watch with us?"

"I think that would be a great costume." Emma enthused, walking along side Jared with a spring to her step. "Me? I don't know, I haven't given it much thought." Or any for that matter. Emma hadn't ever gotten into the Halloween holiday. Her parent's were too strained to take her out as a child and as she grew up, Emma had resigned herself to just giving out candy. She didn't know there was a reason to dress up. "Is there a costume party of something at school?"

"Yeah, we don't really eat out. It's easier for me to just make things since Dad's such a finicky eater." She smiled, not really minding. She liked cooking anyway. "Sushi's fine. Raw meat or not, it must be good for so many people to eat it." Emma reasoned, seeing the shop ahead. If Jared liked it, Emma wasn't about to stop him from getting it.

[Jared Park]

Jared almost jumped for joy when Emma agreed with his proposal. “Haunted movies are much more fun if you think about it,” he said, completely scrapping the idea of a cheesy Christmas movie marathon. “And since Halloween is approaching, it’ll be much more relevant, don’t you think?” He happily skipped along the pavement, his mind equally excited (if not more) as Emma. “And yes, I do hope you wouldn’t mind me screaming and squirming like a girl, no offense. I am just not that hardwired to take in all that scary stuff so boldly like the other guys,” he explained. Maybe that’s the reason why they think of me as something not me, he thought.

“That’s ok Emma. I mean, it’s not like you’ve been here a year already,” he answered, giving Emma a light pat after he narrowly avoided the lady with the dog walking past him (apparently he’s still walking backwards). Jared was a social butterfly to say the least, making quick progress with knowing almost every person present in his class. “If you’d like Emma, I can introduce you to some of the people I’ve met. I’m sure you’ll like Mimi and Harriet. Though Tim and Derek, maybe not so much,” he laughed as he recalled the not-so-pleasant pranks he’d done with the two boys. He then perked up at the mention of a familiar name. Lani. Could it be? The name isn’t really that common for a school to have two different individuals with the same name (unlike, say John, for example). “Lani? Lani Hunter?” he asked, turning around so that he can ‘interrogate’ Emma properly, “Tall guy. Blonde hair. Telekinetic? You know him too?” It would be very awesome if they know the same one.

“I know. Now I can use my incredibly skinny built to my advantage,” he chuckled, “I simply have to find me a black suit and some white body paint and voila!” Jared isn’t really that big on costumes, preferring casual clothes than those you can wear only once or in special occasions, but hey, it’s Halloween. If he’d hear about Emma not celebrating Halloween as a child that much, he’d feel sad. Halloween is one of those fun nights they have back home. He likes giving out candies, but dressing up is much more fun, he says. “I think you should go as…Alice of Wonderland,” he laughed, surprised at his random thought, “Sorry. I am a very random guy. And as for the costume party, I really don’t know. My roommates haven’t told me anything yet. I do hope we’ll have one.” At least this time, Jared will know better than to make a fool of himself in front of his date, if he’ll have one (*ehemAutumnDanceehem*).

“My brother’s a finicky cook-er,” Jared laughed. He and Jeraiah never had a problem with food, it was his brother that had the most concerns when eating out. Too oily, too salty, too dirty, too everything. It was a headache to have him accompany you for fast food. It was annoying yet amusing and endearing all at the same time. “It is! Especially with wasabi. It’s spicy yet yummy all the same,” Jared’s grin grew wider and wider as they got closer to the store, “Salmon sashimi is yummy. I recommend it.”

[Emma Hayes]

"Yeah." She agreed, already excited for their little marathon. Halloween made the perfect time for movies in the dark. Emma giggled at Jared's confession. "Don't worry about it, I won't say anything." She promised, smiling. She could care less how 'manly' or not Jared was. He had already cemented himself as her friend, and that's all that mattered to Emma. "Not everyone handles things the same way. It's fine to get scared."

Emma grabbed Jared's jacket sleeve lightly to help him keep out of everyone's way, training her eye on the walkway ahead of him just in case. She smiled, brightening to his comforting offers. Despite her shyness, Emma really did thrive off of interacting with others. "I'd like that, if it wouldn't be a bother. I could always use more people to talk to."

"Yes, I do believe that's him." Emma answered, thinking back to when she saw Lani. "I met him a recently. He seems like a nice guy." Indeed he had be kind to her and had been comforting when she was having a troubling time. Emma wondered if Jared and Lani were good friends and how they met. "You know him, I suppose?"

"It sounds like an easy but effective costume. You'll be the envy of any Halloween party." She flashed a dorky thumbs up his way, giving his outfit her seal of approval. "Alice? Hmmm, that sounds interesting." Emma didn't know how the traditional blue Alice dress would look with her red hair, but it shouldn't be a hard outfit to find around Halloween. And she had enjoyed the book as a child.

"Most the older women I know are like that." She acknowledged, she knew what it was like to be around fussy cooks. Emma laughed at Jared's description of wasabi as they came closer to the shop. "Salmon? I like fish so that sounds great." Emma had mostly had deep fried and breaded fish in her life, but she could eat it anyway it was made. Fried salmon patties were good so it stood to reason that salmon sushi should be just as delicious.

[Jared Park]

Jared let a soft but audible “thanks” escape him as Emma lightly dragged him ‘away from danger’. “Just like a mom really,” he added, chuckling and finally walking ‘upright’. “They’re actually pretty new like us too (Harriet’s the only one with a meta-human dad) so knowing people from our batch isn’t really a bother. And besides, they say we need another girl to suppress the uncontrollable male energy,” he shrugged, not really believing that he, Tim and Derek were a handful. Jared was actually a bit sad that he doesn’t have many classes with Emma as he would’ve wanted it to be. The reason he got quite close with Mimi, Harriet, Tim and Derek already is because he has them in almost all his classes (usually it’s only three at a time, including Jared, but in Science and History, all five of them would be together). If Emma had only been with them even in at least one or two classes, he’s sure she would’ve been part of their group already.

“Yup. Had him in gym class together with Mimi and Tim. I was actually surprised that he fell with us despite being a couple of years older,” he said as he happily skipped on the pavement, hands deeply in his pocket to prevent them from freezing. “Aside from a few unintended power outbursts, he’s very cool really.” Jared doesn’t really blame Lani for those incidents. Jared believes Lani’s powers were that powerful to manifest so late, so it really takes some time to control it. And it’s not like he sends balls flying everywhere during gym class anyway. “And he’s a monster in gym class. I wish I had his skills,” he chuckled, remembering how much of a failure he looks every class, “The fact that I’m usually his gym partner only makes him look even better.” Jared unconsciously shivered as he felt a cold breeze blow through him. “So, how’d you meet him, if it isn’t such a bother to ask?”

“I know, but I think I’ll have a problem with the head. How am I supposed to make my head a perfectly round one? I just can’t stick a styro-ball on top of me, can I?” he asked, puffing his cheeks in a comical manner. “Alice fits you, I think. You have that curious and clueless look that, I think, she’s supposed to have.” And while it may sound a bit demeaning, Jared actually meant it in a good way. “Of course, you’re a whole lot smarter than her,” he said, giving Emma a playful nudge on the elbow.

Jared sped up a bit and promptly opened the door for Emma. “After you,” he chuckled, even bowing his head and waving his arms slightly to exaggerate the act. “Tell that to Jasper and you’ll be in for the beating of your life,” he added, grinning ever so widely. Jasper won’t exactly beat you (he’s much too nice to hurt a fly, probably the reason Jared’s so soft too), but he’ll surely reprimand you for calling him that. When Jeraiah and Jared first called him that, he was furious. Over the time, he learned to take it as a complement, but that doesn’t exactly mean he won’t scowl at you first.

“So, where’d you want to sit?” Jared asked, arms behind him, juggling his weight between the balls and the heels of his feet, his eyes wandering across the restaurant.

[Emma Hayes]

Emma shrugged and smiled sheepishly at Jared, at the mom comment. She didn't mean to act motherly, it was just who she was. She let it slide off when he continued. "I don't know how much help I can be with that." While Emma didn't believe Jared could be 'uncontrollable', she also didn't think she'd help balance out the guy:girl ratio by much. She was a tomboy, and just as likely to go with whatever the guys decided over the girls. But she was all for meeting them. Her thoughts mirrored Jared's; if she'd at least had a few classes with them, she might be friends with them already.

Emma nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "He's nice." She said again. She frowned, not liking that Jared seemed to be downing himself again. She made up her mind to help break him from that habit the first chance she got. He wasn't going to belittle himself on her watch.

"We meet recently, just bumped into each other." She answered. It wasn't a total lie, they had just sort of ran into each other unexpectedly. But she didn't want to mention that why Lani had been planning at the time. Not that she thought Jared would say anything, but she'd promised to keep it silent. Emma wasn't one to break a promise. "We just chatted for a while after that."

"You could use some kind of helmet or mask." Emma offered, thinking of how to help. The mechanical part of her mind was already churning out solutions. "Then you could paint it to look right."

She laughed lightly at the comparison. "Well, we both like to day dream." She took the nudge with a smile, glancing over to him. "I would like to think I'm smarter then a lost little girl, but I'm even more glad you think so."

She thanked him quietly for opening the door and stared around the room. She giggled at Jared's Jasper story, taking a measure of the seating. "I don't particularly care where we sit, but there's open spots near the window." She thought it would be nice for the both of them to have a view while eating. "But really where ever you want is fine."

[Jared Park]

“He is,” seconded Jared, a huge smile forming on his face. He rather liked Lani. Despite him being a senior, he’s actually very nice to the immature Jared Park. Not that the seniors he met were terrible, but there’s just something in Lani that draws Jared to him all the time. “I mean, he’s going to teach me how to sneak out!” Apparently sneaking out was a big thing for the boy, as he haven’t tried it out, ever. Jasper kept a tight watch on him when he was growing up, and when he moved to study at a not-so-near university, Grandma and Grandpa quickly filled the gap (though Jeraiah had a few successful attempts back then, which means the two weren’t as effective as their older brother). “Oops. Don’t tell anyone ok?” he leaned towards Emma, whispering as if people around them would care much if they heard, “I mean, it’s supposed to be a secret between me and Lani only. Guess I’m not really that good of a secret keeper, am I?”

“Near the window it is,” he smiled as he ushered Emma to one of the blank seats with the nice view, one hand in front of them and the other on her back. And no, this isn’t just an act on Jared’s part, he’s actually doing them out involuntarily. He saw his brother do it them a dozen of times when they eat out, he doesn’t see why he can’t do it to Emma anyway. “Nice spot Emma. You have a nice eye,” he smiled as he mentioned for the waitress to hand them the menu.

“So what are we talking about again? Oh yes, my Jack Skellington costume,” he asked while waiting for the menus. He thought about it for a while, rubbing his chin and trying to picture out Emma’s suggestion. “A helmet would indeed be nice. But it’ll be hard to breathe. And not to mention very heavy and hot. Not that your ideas are stupid or anything Emma.” Who was he to diss her suggestions anyway? After all, he was the one who asked for them in the first place. “I think I’ll just go with the MadHatter. Maybe try to base it off Johnny Depp’s MadHatter version. I mean, it’s basically got the same suit-base, if only a bit more tattered and colored, right? And it’ll match you better Emma. That is if you go as Alice of course. ” He gave Emma a playful poke on the forehead as he added, “Of course you’re smarter you lucky duck. If you aren’t, then why would you think I’d ask you if I can copy your Math homework for Mr. Hornsby come Monday?”