Early One Morning (Open to anyone in the dorm)

[Jared Park]

‘Devin isn’t such a scary person as I thought she would be,’ Jared thought, immersed in the shine that is Devin’s smile. Jared couldn’t help being frustrated with himself for being so reclusive and scared of his roommates, since all his fears turned out to be for nothing really. At least he’s slowly making the barrier he made for himself, he thought, consoling himself.

“Well, if you consider being so frail, fragile, a bit too talkative and curious annoying, then I’d better be going back to the couch now, watching dull TV shows all morning,” he chuckled, happy that he could somehow joke with Devin now. Sure what he revealed may be considered a bit too much but even though she’d hate that, she wouldn’t tell that to his face right? Despite society telling that the truth will set you free it also tells that one should be cordial and respectful, and keep usually negative comments to yourself. Jared unconsciously scratched his head with his recent life discovery. ‘Let’s just hope for the better, I guess,’ he thought.

“No problem,” he answered as he shut the door quietly, hoping not to cause too much of a ruckus. “Hey wait up!” he almost shouted, laughing as he saw Devin trail off, “Low stamina boy here. Haha.”

[Devin Sykes]

"Don't be so hard on yourself." She said sternly, momentarily serious before returning to a grin "You can still run, but if you annoy me I'll just run faster." she teased "Ditch you somewhere along the route and hope you can remember the way home."

She probably wouldn't do that, of course, even if he was annoying her, she didn't pretend to like people when she didn't, but she also wouldn't be outright mean to someone unless they'd genuinely gotten on her bad side, someone she just didn't get along with would usually at least get her being polite.

"If you can't keep up when I'm walking we might have a problem." She laughed, but paused for him to catch up all the same.

[Jared Park]

“Well, it does depend on your definition of a run,” Jared said, acting all brainy and no-nonsense-y, “If you consider half a meter per second a run then I might as well be a sprinter.” He laughed, enjoying his newfound company. This is more Jared, more joking and talking, less silently-going-to-a-corner-ing. “I should step my game up then,” he continued, “I have a bad sense of direction.”

He put his hood over his head and jumped, hands close to his body like a lion pouncing on something. “Rawr,” he jokingly said as he landed beside Devin. “Don’t you think the ears, claws and tails are a nice touch?” he added, playfully ‘wagging’ his tail. Jared is just a bundle of joy. Once he gets started, it would be very hard to make him stop.

“See. Are you not regretting your decision yet?” he joked, then did a forward roll to go forward a bit. Forgive the energy Devin, it seems being so silent for so long made Jared bonkers and he’s releasing everything now.

[Devin Sykes]

He might be loud and sort of hyper, but Devin was actually glad to see it, he'd been so hesitant at first, and this was the first time they'd really properly had any sort of interaction, it was good to see him out of his shell and being chatty and friendly.
She laughed at the comments about stepping up his game and put on a fake serious face long enough to nod in agreement, before a grin broke out again.

"I think they look ridiculous." She told him, honestly but good-naturedly. Yes she did think they looked ridiculous, but she didn't think he should have to change if he didn't want to. There was a certain oddball charm about them, but Devin would never have worn it.

"Totally." She agreed, deadpan "In fact I'm going to request a transfer to another dorm."

[Jared Park]

Jared was having so much fun. He was having such a fun and liberating time just talking with Devin. He has spent so much time staying silent so now he has much to say about stuff. Like how nice the laces he lent Devin make her look extra spunky or how she could’ve used pigtails instead of a pony to make her look even younger. But instead of blurting these random stuff out, he decided to put it off for later, when their conversation drifts to something close to shoes or hair.

“Oh really?” he looked at Devin with a mischievous grin, running backwards as they talk, “As the line goes, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He laughed, imagining Devin’s reaction if he wore some of his more ‘unique’ clothes. “I have this elephant-themed hoodie, complete with the big, flat ears and a loooong trunk,” he said, making an ear-like imitation with his hands then a trunk imitation with his arms. “I also have this backless hoodie, which I gave to my sister on her 16th birthday. And those are just the hoodies.” He made a sly face, as if saying be prepared for the worse.

“Really? Hope you get roomed with the one they call Verax then. Or the pyro Sam,” he joked. Though it isn’t very nice to put people down, Jared thought it was ok to use the two as objects of his jokes, seeing that they do have a reputation already. Yay for using knowledge he just learned last night.

[Devin Sykes]

Devin laughed, she didn't often run with other people and she had to admit this was sort of on the entertaining side, she was actually having fun.
Plus Jared's enthusiasm was sort of contagious and she didn't even mind that he seemed to have an absolutely insane choice in clothes, since crazy things like elephant hoodies didn't exactly fall under 'dedicated follower of fashion' she could probably forgive his interest, and she found it all sort of amusing anyway.

"You must get a lot of weird looks." She said, though she didn't intend it meanly.

She almost stumbled when he mentioned rooming with Vincent, and she laughed a little awkwardly.
"Maybe I will just stick around, I'd take elephant hoodies over Vincent any day."

Which wasn't technically the truth, but she was past those days.

[Jared Park]

It would be an understatement to say that Jared had an insane choice in clothes. From novel designs to hot neon colors, Jared’s got it all. Being the youngest, he had a hard time finding something he could call his “own”, his brother being a top student and his sister a star athlete back then. So when he suddenly found ‘fashion’, he went all out on it. There’s nothing too insane or striking for dear Jared; as long as he can muster the confidence to wear it, it’s all good.

“Meh. I’ve rewired my brain to think that they’re just jealous of me,” he laughed. He did get demeaning stares when he started going to the @@ side of things, but his optimism and siblings’ support helped him get through. “My brother and sister backed me up, despite finding my outfits weird,” he chuckled, “They even agreed to be my models back then.”

Just then, a bright idea popped in Jared’s head. “I know,” he said, smiling so brightly, “Maybe I could accompany you in shopping some time. I’ll make you a nice outfit.” He clapped, finding his idea so amusing. Hopefully Devin would find it just as entertaining too.


ooc:
Haha. Yes, @@ is now a word. Lol. I could not find a better adjective than that emoticon to describe people's reaction. Forgive me Shini. Haha. :3.
-Jam

[Devin Sykes]

Devin grinned a little.
"Well if you can be who you are and to hell with everybody else, that's a pretty good thing." she told him sincerely, admiring the attitude since it was one she held as well - though she didn't use it to be quite as ...obvious as Jared, she still thought like that.

Her grin faded quite spectacularly when he mentioned going shopping, and she shook her head emphatically.
"Oh no," she said, tone still good natured but also very definite "I don't do shopping unless I absolutely have to, I'm not a shopping sort of person."
A lot of people, at first glance, thought that she was. She was a pretty girl with usually quite nice clothes and they often took that to mean she was one of those fashion conscious types, and she was most decidedly not.

[Jared Park]

Jared couldn’t help but smile at Devin’s statement. Despite sounding too cliché and usual to some, to Jared, it felt like he finally found someone he can connect to in Hammel. Not only were Devin’s words encouraging (in the sense that Jared can go and pursue whatever he is as long as he’s happy), they also served as a nod to Jared that there are people who can understand him in Hammel. It was a nice ‘ego-boost’, as they say, and somehow, Jared found himself more confident of himself.

But his smile turned into a frown, a puppy-cutesy frown at least, when Devin mentioned her dislike of shopping. “Really? You’re not the typical teenage girl who enjoys shopping for bags, boots and bras?” he asked, playfully teasing her while walking backwards, “Meh. Fine then. I’ll just stalk you and wait for the right moment when you’ll venture to the Pilot Ridge Mall and purchase something.” He laughed, an idea suddenly forming in his head, “I’ll ambush you and force a makeover on you!” He added the comical “MUWAHAHA” laugh in the end to emphasize that he’s only joking. Though he would like to have a shopping partner in Devin, he wouldn’t force her yet, seeing that they’ve only just warmed up to each other.

[Devin Sykes]

"Definitely not." Devin said firmly, feigning a shudder - though it wasn't actually all that faked, she genuinely could think of nothing worse than doing the typical teen shopping thing. If she absolutely had to go to the mall, it was in and out as fast as she could.

"You do that and this friendship'll go downhill very fast." she said in a warning tone, though she had a smile on her face to show she knew he was just joking - and he better be, because though she was acting good-natured about it, she really would have to rethink a friendship with anybody who did that. "Besides, you'd have to move really quick to catch up with me when I'm in the mall, I get in and out so fast you'd think my power was superspeed."

[Jared Park]

Jared couldn’t believe his eyes (and ears). He would’ve shrugged it off as another joke, given that their latest jabs are more jokes than ever, but her tone was just so different that it would be stupid to think otherwise. “Really? Like really really? I thought shopping was a ‘girl thing’?” he asked, scratching his head. After all, one of the things that made people think he was gay was the fact that he liked shopping (or clothes) a bit more than the prescribed amount for males.

“Meh. Fine fine,” he laughed. Clothes are nothing compared to friends, no matter how cheesy that sounds. “I won’t force a makeover on you anymore, I promise. Haha. But I’ll still drag you to the mall some time. I need a shopping buddy and I think you’d be perfect,”flashing a cutesy smile. While Jared wouldn’t mind shopping alone, he feels it’s much more fun going in and out boutiques when you have someone to talk to. And with Devin’s apparent dislike for fashion, maybe she’d shake some sense into Jared as he does have a tendency to overspend.

“Gosh. I hope I don’t sound too weird to you right now,” said Jared, blushing in embarrassment. He just became comfortable with Devin a few minutes ago and he’s already asking her to be his buddy.

[Devin Sykes]

Devin shrugged "I've always hated the assumption that just because I'm female I must go crazy over clothes, or anything for that matter, everybody's different, we can't make such sweeping generalisations about gender." she did her best to keep her voice from getting particularly impassioned, but it was at least obvious it was something that bugged her, though luckily it was also obvious that her irritation wasn't aimed at Jared himself.

"I'd be perfect if you want someone who's going to stop you spending too much and going on too long." Devin pointed out in an effort to get him to change his mind, she wanted to make a friend but she really could think of nothing worse than being dragged round a mall. Her slight annoyance softened when he blushed, guessing he was probably just enthusiastic or something, and he did seem like a nice guy.

"Not weird at all, apart from liking shopping." she teased.

[Jared Park]

“Oops. I’m so sorry,” said Jared, a bit embarrassed about insisting that Devin was a typical shopaholic girl. She already told him that she wasn’t one once, but he still asked, hence the sudden outburst of a thought-evoking speech. And Jared couldn’t really blame her.

“And yeah, I know what you mean,” he nodded, fully understanding Devin’s point. He too, had been the subject of such hasty generalizations, and his self-esteem suffered because of that. He had topic as Devin (shopping), though his situation is a bit reversed. “My love for clothes and shopping has brought me labels like ‘gay’ or ‘homo’ back home, and it was really depressing. I should’ve known not to make such general conclusions. Sorry.”

Sensing that his statement (combined with Devin’s previous speech) might lead to something more serious than what they both would’ve wanted (a heavy discussion about gender roles and stereotypes may be reserved for later; morning runs are for idle chitchat and generally happy thoughts), Jared gave Devin a sweet smile and said, “Anyway, let’s just leave that there, shall we?” He let out a laugh before doing a cartwheel by Devin’s side. “Yeah, I think you’d fit that job perfectly. My sister told me a thousand times I need someone to tell me when to stop. Haha.” Jared wasn’t really that rich of a child (unlike some other prince we know) but his parents work paid a little more than needed, so even with his brother going to medical school and all, Jared and his siblings still have extra to spend on their wants.

“And we’ve arrived at the grounds. How shall we start this run of yours?” he asked Devin when they got out of the dormitory compound.

[Devin Sykes]

Devin was all ready to get into the discussion, but when he cut it off she just nodded and smiled, reasoning that it probably was a good idea, it was hard to have such a deep conversation while you ran, and the running was the whole point of this little venture after all.

"Well maybe I'll do it - but not too much." She warned, finally conceding since he didn't seem to want to let go of the idea, and at least if it was technically her job to whine about how long everything was taking and couldn't they go home already, she could get away with doing it.

"Well, usually, I put one foot in front of the other, really quickly." She teased. "But how about we do a few stretches and then just get on with it?"

[Jared Park]

“Great! I’ll expect you at 9am this coming Saturday, ok? If not, I’ll just bang on your door repeatedly until you wake up and nag you all day until you won’t have a choice but to accompany me,” Jared said, smiling brightly upon hearing Devin’s reluctant agreement. He paused for a bit, tried to look for subtle clues that might tell him Devin’s thoughts about what he just said, then shouted, “Just kidding!”

Unfortunately for Jared, his allowance hadn’t arrived yet, which means he just had enough for meals and maybe some snacks here and there for the coming week. Also, he’d heard that a boy with the power to manipulate plant life has been attacked for no reason. He’s been beaten up pretty badly, but fortunately he was still alive. If a kid as powerful as that could get hurt, how much more can Jared be, a fragile kid who can do nothing but disappear in cameras?

“Haha. I see. I have to mentally remind myself then,” Jared laughed, then propped down to do some leg stretches. “Stretching is fun. I do hope running would be as easy as this.”