Robbie Likes Snow - Open Tag

[Robbie Wilkes]

Robbie chuckled and tried to wrestle his way out of the headlock but to no avail. Those biceps. It had magic. But Robbie did manage to get out albeit with very messy hair. He pushed Zac into the snow and laughed. "Damn you messing with my hair." He grinned before it dropped when Ann's period came into topic. "What the..." he turned to Ann in time to see her sigh and he held back a snort. Zac was ridiculous. Even more ridiculous than Robbie was and that was saying something.

"And I'm not scared I was just - eh, what's the point in arguing about it." When Zac leaned in to 'whisper' to him about them sharing Ann's first kiss, Robbie again turned to Ann to see her seething. He wanted with all his might to try and follow the conversation but Robbie was as always lost. As he always was when there were way too many people around. And yes, he thought three people were way too many. He busied himself with correcting his hair that Zac had messed up. He was a bit too vain when it came to his hair but it was worth it especially since he had a head of amazing almost white blond hair.

All of a sudden Zac had his face buried in Robbie's hoodie. Apparently Ann's concern was somewhat of a touching gesture but Robbie figured it was obviously a ruse when Zac spoke afterwards. Something to do with taking his shirt off. His conspiratorial whisper did nothing to help the gurgle of laughter bubbling in Robbie's throat. These two were hilarious together. He was inclined to believe that they really were a couple. A very dysfunctional couple but so very hilariously dysfunctional.

When Zac mentioned 'indie films', Robbie couldn't help the snort that emitted from him before he pelted Zac with another snowball. "You talk too much about that, don't you think it's just a projection of your own subconscious, Zac?" Robbie had moments when people wonder if his tendencies of being a moronic dunce was just an act but then again, he was a dork first and foremost before being known as the flirty weather manipulator he was now. Robbie using words like projection and subconscious was pretty much like a receding hairline. It gets thinner and thinner as he grew up.

Robbie smiled and laughed slightly when Ann spoke about his vagueness. Well, he had to say something to let the two know he wasn't just there watching the verbal sexual tension between Ann and Zac like a tennis match. He turned to Zac when he mentioned his tornadoes. "It was a her actually but..." Robbie changed his course of answer when the Ice Queen was mentioned again. But not before he heard Ann whisper something. "Say what?" he said distractedly to Ann who had scooted away from the two boys who were already making new snowballs.

"Is she blond, this Ice Queen? Because I think I've seen her around and while she is aesthetically pleasing, I can't imagine being with her would be filled with warm cuddles and hot cocoa." Robbie sat down on the ground before turning to Ann. "Why you move so far away?"

[Zachary LaRousse]

For all the money in the world (at least those under his dad’s name and his), Zac has yet to buy himself a decency filter. Granted such things aren’t even in the market yet, given they’d manage to manufacture some, there’s not much chance that Zac would buy one, at least for himself (he would buy a couple and give it to a few of the people he’s incredibly stressed out with, Verax being one of them). He’s got waay too much pride to even consider him using such an offending material. And while he does try to hold his tongue around people he’d want to leave a good impression with (namely those he’d want to flirt with a bit more, maybe sway them to worship him), he figured the rest knows that he’s pretty much a jerk who doesn’t care much about offending people so why worry.

In short, he’d keep on bugging Ann about her period (or at least use it to explain her ‘moodiness’ towards him) and insist that they kissed despite their encounter not even lasting ten seconds.

“Don’t worry Robbie, the messy look works for you,” he teased, a smirk on his face and his eyes looking at the kid playfully. Had he picked up on the boy’s compliments about his biceps, he would’ve locked him again in such a hold and played with him more. Sure he’s pretty much confident about how he looks already and knows thinks that everyone admires him, but such flattery still make him smile, especially since he couldn’t see the boy being sarcastic. Dense and gullible maybe, but not sarcastic.

“Meanie,” he said, sticking his tongue out, looking so sad and devastated with his ruined snowball. “Really Ann, why are you so uptight around me? Always so moody and a killjoy.” He doesn’t really need to ask right? Since their accidental pair-up and ever-so-disastrous meeting in his room, Zac’s been taking every chance he could get to ‘know Ann more’, be more comfortable with her. Problem is, he’d made a rather unpleasant impression already and apparently, he’s not willing to change. He stayed away from all his touching, but his general pompous attitude, he has yet to bend over. Maybe that’s why ‘his plan’ isn’t working (towards Ann at least). “Porny, if you’re ever going to get a girlfriend, take one that has a sense of humor. Or at least one that’ll agree to throw snowballs with you.” He quickly turned towards Ann and threw a snowball at her. “Duck!”

Apparently people just have a knack for ganging up on him. When he stumbled into the library with JD and a new girl named Emma, they both agreed that Zac was a pest. Turn the clock a few months earlier, Eric, a girl named Jenni and quiet ‘Van all stood up against him. But then again, being the Zac that he was, it didn’t really dissuade him much. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t all guys go through that phase? I’d be a hypocrite if I’d say I haven’t seen one,” he smirked, sending a wink to Ann. “But unlike this guy over here,” punching the weather manipulator lightly in the arm, “I grew out of it fast. ‘Cause I’m a proper gentleman just like that.” He finished his statement with a smug, trying to seem so innocent and nice but ending up looking more sinister than ever.

Warm hugs and hot cocoa. Two things that would never fit Aurora really. “Don’t worry Horndog, I have faith in your boyish skills. If I wasn’t so ‘committed’ to this girl right here, I would’ve chased her myself.” Yup, he’s just so cocky like that. Sorry Ann. “Though I still think girls dig ‘bad boy’s more than ‘boys-next-door’. But don’t give up hope, right Ann?”

Someone should really tell Zac to grow up.


ooc:
Sorry guys. >.<
- Jam

[Ann Hudgins]

Ann couldn't really understand the amount of touching the two were doing. The headlock, the hiding-in-the-chest...it was just something Ann was not a part of, it was like she was looking at aliens go about their daily lives. She shifted from foot to foot (and not just because she couldn't feel her toes anymore). She'd also gotten to the point where she wasn't even mad at Zac anymore for the things that were leaking out of his mouth like bio hazardous waste, she accepted the fact he wouldn't let it go, and that he was going to say whatever he damn well pleased. Now, she was going to focus on not being affected so much by those things he could and will say. She was just tired of being mad and/or furious.

"One of us has to be the sensible one," she replied dryly to his uptight question--she had promised herself not to be mad (though it did hurt that he called her a killjoy)--with her hands on her hips. Her hands then moved to being crossed over her chest when he spoke to Robbie about getting a girlfriend with a sense of humor. Ann had a sense of humor! She stuck her tongue out at Zac. "It's not my fault some people aren't funny."

Her eyes went wide when he threw another damn snowball at her. This time she didn't knock it out of the air because her hands were freezing, she stepped to the side so it went soaring passed her. "Quit it!" Ann wrinkled her nose as the two spoke about a movie, or something--she really had no idea what they were talking about anymore. She lifted a hand and rubbed her nose, and realized how very cold her extremities were.

She looked back at them when Zac mentioned being a gentlemen. She let out one derogatory, "Ha!" and left it at that. If she could wipe the smug look off of his face for even a moment, she would be happy. She glanced between the two of them when Robbie asked what she said so quietly. "I--er. Earlier, you almost knocked me over. I wasn't sure it was you. But I think only one person ran out of the doors like a bat outta hell," Ann explained, a little embarrassed that he called her out.

Ann tried so very hard to ignore what Zac mentioned about being committed. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want him to say it. She didn't want him to think it. "Don't you think it's rude to talk about Robbie like he isn't here?" Ann asked looking at him. It was a joke, both at Zac and Robbie; to Zac like he is chasing Robbie and not Ann, and to Robbie for being 'this girl right here.' She hadn't exactly thought about it before she said it, but after the fact, she felt she had been rude and out of line. Ann rolled her eyes at Zac's question. She had no experience in the matter and wasn't even sure if Zac could be qualified as a 'bad boy.' He was just annoying.

Someone probably should tell him to grow up.

(Sorry for this uber long delay)

[Robbie Wilkes]

Robbie gave Zac a confused look, something that just so happened to be his second most used look. The other being his happy face. But more often than not, the confused look makes its way on to his face. Mostly when he was in groups. And this group is the oddest one he'd been in by far. An empath, a cad and a horndog walk into a bar...

Again, his attention was divided into two as Zac and Ann went back and forth. Well, more on Zac since Ann seemed to really not like talking, apart from grunts and affronted looks. But at least she actually responded mildly whenever Robbie questioned her, that was good in his books. Zac must have rubbed her the wrong way.

"Girlfriend? Me? No way." He laughed, thinking of Estelle. No way was he going to compromise any time he had with her for some girl who would be annoyed if he didn't call or if he talked too much or made too many bad puns or messed up with their hair. Estelle was the closest thing he would even likely call a girlfriend if only because she was a girl and a friend.

Besides, people already thought they were a couple and they weren't doing anything to dissuade that. If he managed to hook up with a girl, all he had to do was say they had an 'open relationship'. Girls apparently liked that.

And Estelle loved having snowball fights with him.

At the mention of "seeing one", Robbie frowned before making a face. "Okay, see one what? Grow out of what?" He demanded, even with the grin on his face, he was actually really wondering what the heck the other boy was talking about. He was about to scoff at Zac's 'gentleman' comment, Ann did it for them and Robbie snickered.

"Wow, you really are invested in Ann. Good luck." He innocently gave her a shrug. At her explanation of her earlier comment, Robbie nodded understandingly. "Riiiight...yeah sorry about that. That pyro was damn feisty. Hmm...maybe I should find her again. She might be a lot of fun." At Ann's joke, Robbie narrowed his eyes out of confusion before letting out a staggered laugh, belatedly realising that Ann was indicating that Zac was talking about him instead of Ann when he said 'this girl right here'. And Zac thought she had no sense of humor.

And he wasn't the type to tell people to grow up. Simply because he wasn't there himself. Zac was fun to hang out with despite his rather crass personality. But he was a guy who knew how to have fun and Robbie enjoyed that. "Okay now it's getting cold and I'm not even doing it. Y'all want to get inside and get some hot cocoa or something?" He suggested, packing another snowball to threaten Zac with.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Robbie’s face turn into his trademark clueless expression. Really, for all the times the young boy had managed to make his day not so right, he can’t get angry with him fully. Not when he has this dense face that really says innocence and apparent confusion. “Stop looking so puzzled Porndog,” he laughed, lightly punching the boy on his arms, “You’re making me look like one heck of a creeper.”

“One of us has to be the sensible one,” mocked Zac as Ann spoke, repeating the exact same words, only with an exaggerated pout, hands on his hips and a rather demeaning voice. “Sensible, shmensible. You just can’t take it that you’re too uptight at times,” he added, apparently not realizing that he may have been crossing some line already, “You have to lighten up you know. You may have to be on guard all the time because of your powers, but you have to let loose at times too. All work and no play…” He gave Ann a wink before finally shutting his mouth. Sorry Ann, but he’s got some sort of image of you being so uptight about everything, so he’s somehow trying to tear that wall down. Obviously he can’t do it with much tact.

Upon hearing Robbie’s look however, Zac’s confident-mocking glare turned into one of surprise. “You mean…you’re gay?” he asked, slightly backing from the guy. Not that he’s all homophobic or anything (he does have a lot of gay people around him, not only in school but even back home), it’s just that he never imagined Robbie being one. He may be bubbly and cute, but he’s never seen him flirt with a guy before. Or even felt Robbie check him out. (Riiight. ‘Cause everyone checks him out. [/sarcasm]). Surely he’s missing something from all these.

Seems no one would believe that he’s a gentleman after all. Well, he would never believe it himself either, so why bother? “I am invested in her,” he said smugly, holding his head up high and giving Ann another one of his rather full-of-himself looks. He’s under the impression that Ann’s all smitten with him already, only she’s too shy and proud to tell him otherwise, so he’s trying his best to get her to say it to him. Hence him acting like some jealous boyfriend Ann never wished she had. If only he knew. “Oh how I wish she’d finally come to her senses and admit that she likes me too,” he nodded to Robbie, again talking as if Ann wasn’t there, “You think another kiss is in order?”

“Feeling cold? That’s just Ann,” he said as he chuckled inwardly, praising himself for a rather smart retort. He stood up, stretched and brushed his shorts for a bit, before offering his arms out to both Ann and Robbie to help them stand. “Hot cocoa sounds nice. I just hope they have marshmallows this time.”

[Ann Hudgins]

The urge to flip him off at mocking her was almost palpable, but she held herself back, less he make a mountain out of that as well. She also had to prove that she was, indeed, the sensible one and wouldn't resort to arguing like a child with him. "You let loose all you fucking want to. I'll stay like this." Her tone wasn't harsh or even angry, just level. She had forced herself not to be offended by what he said, after all. It was almost as easy as it sounded.

Zac had a way of hearing only what he wanted to hear. Even if what he extracted from a conversation wasn't said in any shape, way, or form. The most current example; Robbie said he had no girlfriend and Zac accused him of being gay. Two things that Ann had no...knowledge or experience about. "That is not what he said," she defended. Hopefully that wouldn't unleash a crapload of Zac defending himself with his ridiculous logic, because she usually felt her IQ drop a few points everytime he tried to make a point.

"Why?" She didn't even bother being specific with her question. Why in the hell was Zac so goddamn interested in her? 'Invested?' That didn't even make sense. She wasn't a stock bond he put money in to slowly accumulate cash. "Oh my god you are an idiot." She massaged her face with her cold hands and tried to keep her head level. She couldn't get why he wanted her to 'like' him. It just didn't make sense! Her mind tried to wrap itself around the notion, but it just ended up going in circles.

Hot cocoa. He said it. She ran a tongue over her cracked lips. That was an amazing idea. She nodded her head eagerly. "Yes. That's a fantastic idea. Inside. With hot cocoa." Made with milk, and not water, of course.

[Robbie Wilkes]

Robbie bent his head down, more in confusion than anything else before looking at Zac with his lower lip in his mouth. It made him look younger and more innocent than he actually was, which always confused people around him. Not that he was aware at all of the expressions his face conveyed. It was like his body animated him instead of the other way around. Sometimes it worked for Robbie and other times it just annoyed the hell out of other people.

The light punch from Zac didn't help matters any as he grew even more confused but for the sake of actually being in the unlikely trio that was Zac, Ann and himself, Robbie ditched the whole deer caught in the headlights look and tried his best to reinsert himself into the fold without making himself look like a right moron.

"She's really not that uptight," Robbie offered, not too sure about it being any help to Ann or not. He was about to remedy the situation by naming some good qualities Ann had (which boiled down to only one; that she made good snow angels) but Zac's completely and utterly wrong exclamation and backing away from Robbie awarded the animal mimic a dropped jaw.

And before he could defend himself, Ann fortunately did it for him. "Really, Zac. You gotta do something about this projecting thing because you've got it bad." Robbie of course didn't know if Zac's comments were really a mirror to his own latent repressed homosexuality or it was just to rile Robbie up. Fat chance on the latter seeing that the boy was thick as a brick. A seemingly contradictory feature of Robbie Wilkes given that he had just used the word projecting correctly in a sentence.

Ann's aggravation was by now quite apparent to the weather manipulator as she rubbed her face and called Zac an idiot. Robbie even went so far as punching the other boy's arm, not quite gently either for the jab at Ann being cold. Even Robbie, dumb as he was, thought it was a low blow despite it being quite glib. But things were quickly forgotten once Ann and Zac agreed to hot cocoa. Good job, Robbie, banding them with a common like. He grabbed Zac's offered hand and because Zac had extended his to Ann, Robbie didn't bother extending his.

"Did I mention I love snow?" And again with the randomness that was Robbie Wilkes. His ability to jump from one topic to another without so much as a bat of an eyelash could be seen as nothing short of a miracle.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Robbie defending Ann after Zac’s ‘you’re-too-uptight’ attack didn’t come as a surprise to the mimic compared to Ann’s apparent silence and, well, apathy about the issue. Robbie was, after all, the good kid of the group; dork-ish and dense, but a good kid nonetheless. What he didn’t see coming was Ann’s calm response. He could see that he somehow riled the empath up with his first killjoy comment, but seeing her like this somehow scared him more. Her tone was level, but Zac could taste the firmness she has in her voice. It was scary. Like she’s somehow planning to get back at Zac like that. Not good. “Fine,” he sighed, rolling his eyes in resignation, “I’m a boob. Ann’s not uptight. Or isn’t that uptight. Sorry. Happy now?”

“Oh, so you’re not gay?” Zac asked, now using Robbie’s confused face. He thought back at what Robbie said earlier and, oh, right. Robbie’s apparent homosexuality isn’t the only thing you can draw from it. “Honest mistake, sheesh.” They just couldn’t let him off the leash easily can they? “Oh yes Robbie, I’m a closeted guy who has wet dreams of doing you like crazy each night of the week,” added Zac, his voice teeming with sarcasm. While the whole ‘projecting outward’ thing was nice a moment ago, it just doesn’t work too well know.

Then Ann asked why. A question Zac hasn’t answered fully himself. He could remember planning to break Ann’s heart when they first met to get back for her punch (which was quite the overkill, he knows) but he knew it somehow changed too when she saved him from being choked. He was so conflicted at that point (yup, their short meeting changed him that much) that he bugged Ann quite frequently. And still his emotions don’t match up. Why was he chasing after Ann really? “Why? Because you’re so stunning, beautiful, hot and gorgeous. Not to mention so annoyingly spunky.” Thank God he thought that up the last minute. Would he have stayed silent any longer, his chaotic emotions and thoughts might leak out too much and bam, end of the line. “Don’t flatter yourself too much Ann,” he added, “I’m just doing it because I can.” In the end, pride wins (or at least it’s the best cover Zac could think of).

“Oh yes you did,” he grinned as he pulled Robbie up and playfully messed up his hair. “Come on princess, we haven’t had all day,” said Zac as he coiled his arm around Ann’s own and pulled her up.


ooc:
Sorry for the delay. >.<
- Jam
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[Ann Hudgins]

Ann didn't exactly have any feelings of revenge, because she wasn't that type of person, however she felt Zac's moment of unrest because of the words that had come out of her mouth--or how she had said it. Or both. She just felt general uneasiness from him which was...good? As it seemed, Robbie took her side on the matter and defended her a bit. She cast her eyes from Robbie to Zac and gave him a little prideful smile with a lift of her eyebrows, as if saying, 'see?' She then, however, rolled her eyes when Zac 'gave up' in his own way and clarified she wasn't that uptight.

From what Robbie then said, defending himself against Zac's accusation, Ann held back a laugh. From what she understood of it, Robbie accused Zac of 'projecting' his own gayness or something of the sort. Ann wasn't too sure about the whole subject of sexual attraction...because she had none herself, but from what she had absorbed from other people (attraction to both boys and girls) it was the same feeling. She didn't exactly see why they were accusing each other of being gay if it was true or not. What was the big deal, right? However, she was feeling just a tad awkward as they were talking about it to each other, especially because of the picture Zac so brazenly painted. She scratched her head and looked down at the ground.

It just really made no sense to Ann that Zac had even the faintest glimmer of wanting to have anything to do with her because they were so different. He tended to make it quite clear whenever they 'hung' out what he liked and how she should like it too, or just how 'boring' and 'bland' her life was. Whatever. She rolled her eyes expressively when he called her all those things she wasn't. Obviously. Zac just....ug! She snorted when he said something that made (more) sense. He could. "Well stop."

"Because you are crazy," Ann reasoned to Robbie, why he liked snow. There was no other explanation. Snow was hell incarnate, just in a....much colder form. Ann's eyes went wide and she squeaked when Zac grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. She jerked away from him, because, no. She had not gotten over the last time he'd gotten close to her, nor had she gotten over waking up in her bed screaming in fright from choking to death. An extremely frightened Jean admitted Zac had carried her in then left like a bat out of hell. She pointed a warning finger at him but didn't call any more to light about it than that. She led the hurried way inside because she wanted some damn hot chocolate.

[Robbie Wilkes]

Seeing Zac finally give in made Robbie smile, mostly because it meant the tennis match of sarcasm and comebacks was over and done with. Robbie didn't want to get a whiplash from two bickering teens.

Zac's usage of the word boob made Robbie giggle.

Robbie gave Zac an apologetic grin for making him feel bad but that only last a second before the other boy made a comeback that had Robbie blushing. That was rather embarrassing. He obviously hadn't meant it in that way. But thankfully Ann drove the other boy's attention back to her.

Oh poor Ann for having to deal with someone like Zac. Robbie on the one hand couldn't care less because the other boy always made him laugh but Ann was a girl. For all her cussing and moodiness, she was probably still a girl who valued manners but she was now in the presence of two boys who were abrasive, callous, naive and just completely moronic. Poor Ann.

The hair ruffling got Robbie doing the same but he heard Ann's response and laughed. "Maybe. But look! The melt in your hand!" He followed Ann, his hand extended. "It's a miracle." He breathed out with a grin.

Once inside, he bounded for the canteen, leaving the other two alone, and ordered three big mugs of hot chocolate. "Heavy on the marshmallow." He made hand gestures to illustrate how much marshmallows there needed to be in the mugs.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Should Zac know of Ann’s apparent ‘innocence’ on the whole ‘sexual attraction’ issue (as I doubt Ann’s going to tell him something quite intimate really), he’d laugh. He’d laugh so hard and scoff at her and call her one big fat liar (even though she’s not fat). ‘Cause really, how can you live for eighteen years and not feel it towards another person, guy or girl? (Being an empath, Zac knows Ann has felt it from someone; he implicitly assumes that she’s felt it for someone too). As far as he knew, he’s been having crushes since he was in third or fourth grade. Maybe even earlier. He just didn’t know how to act on such crushes (or the fact that you can act on them) until he was in sixth grade. (Which, coincidentally, was the year Zac’s narcissism started showing itself).

“Only when you’ve finally admitted to yourself that indeed, you like me,” Zac said with much finality, giving Ann a wink and his ‘trademark’ cocky smile. Seems there’s no breaking that thick skull of his. As his confusion about the why gets stronger and stronger (why did she have to ask that question anyway?), the more he’s burdened to keep it under wraps and put more bravado as a cover. Nope, he’s not going to admit that he may have developed feelings for Ann over the course of his bugging and would really want her to fall for him truly. ‘Cause that’s just lame and really not him, he tells himself.

“Geez. So touchy are we.” He put his arms up and simply resolved to walk beside Robbie, sandwiching the poor boy between him and Ann, as the thread the snowy grounds. Why was she so grouchy anyway? he asks himself. It’s the first time that he’s been ‘sincere’ on what he did (that is, no other reasons to touch her other than to help her out), and all he got was a snarl. So much for being Mr. Nice.

He was about to head over the counter and order them the said drinks but Robbie insisted. The baby. After much insisting he finally surrendered, leading Ann to ‘his spot’ in the cafeteria (despite the rarity of his visits in the said place). He gave the kids already in the chairs a rather menacing glare and, as expected, they quickly dispersed. Poor kids. “So Ann, what are your plans this Christmas? Heading out to meet your beloved Aiden?” he asked as he sat down, trying to make small talk as they waited for Robbie to arrive with their promised drinks.


ooc:
So late, sorry. >.<. And and and...HAPPY NEW YEAR BANANAKEE AND NUNU!
- Jam
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[Ann Hudgins]

Finally going inside was brilliant. Only it clued her in on how absolutely cold she was. The edges of her face and hands positively burned and she almost wanted to go back outside, because at least out there it didn't hurt. However, she knew that once her blood started moving she would feel better and actually start to warm up. As it was, she still put her hands to her face and rubbed her nose and cheeks to help speed up the process.

She probably had reacted a bit extremely when she jerked away from Zac, because his only motive was to get her up, but still. She did not like being touched, and he had broken that trust she normally had for people to just not touch her, so she would probably always be a bit jumpy around him when he came close. However, she did not say anything about it just so they could forget it and move on. They had only just now stopped bickering and she would like to keep it that way.

Ann's eyebrows knit together when Zac led her towards a table that had people on it already, and glared at them until they left. "That's hardly fair," she couldn't help but say, "they were there first." She sat down anyway, because he had already, and she returned to her task of warming herself up without the use of hot chocolate. "I...haven't actually made any plans yet," she told him honestly. Aiden had suggested he come up and see her, but Ann wasn't too sure that was a good idea. He couldn't stay with her in the dorm because...it was against the rule, and he would waste a lot of money on a hotel otherwise. "What about you? Taking the private jet back to Daddy?" She could only joke about Zac having a private jet for his everyday use because she just simply couldn't wrap her brain around it.

[Robbie Wilkes]

It was a feat for Robbie to walk across the canteen with three mugs of marshmallow filled hot cocoa but he managed to without even spilling anything! "Go me!" he exclaimed once the mugs were distributed to his...huh friends? Schoolmates? Whatever. People he had just hung out with.

Climbing into his seat, he folded his arms on the table and looked from Zac who had a smirk on his face and Ann with a sort of smile on her face. He attempted a smile of his own before sipping his hot cocoa, enjoying the chocolate flavour of the marshmallows as he chewed on one. "So," he announced suddenly. "Are you guys going home for the holidays? I'm not."

And as he always did, Robbie had interrupted what seemed to be a somewhat congenial conversation. He really ought to be more aware of his surroundings.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Ann’s scolding simply earned her an amused, and highly sarcastic, grin from the school’s resident jerk. While such a response isn’t really unexpected (it was Ann after all), he still found it highly entertaining that Ann would go at lengths though she knows that he could really care less. Haven’t their ‘accidental’ meetings taught her anything? ‘Cause really, Zac will stop at ordering others around, an act he’s honed through years and years of practice, just because Ann told him so. “Well, they’re not here now, are they?” he asked with a sheepish smile, running his fingers through the table. Dirty. “What a mess. The nerve. Guess I’ll have to talk to Jacob later once more.” He shook his head slightly as if disappointed with their juniors, then wiped the table with his hands, throwing the crumbs off the top of the table, and finishing off by clapping his hands together to remove residual dust. “There, all clean.”

“Probably. Maybe a trip to our island in the Caribbean. Or have another one of those Europe trips. Or go skiing somewhere in Asia. I could really care less,” shrugged Zac as he leaned back on the chair, hands clasped behind his head. When he was a child, the mere thought of the holidays gave him jitters, because it means it’s the time of the year when they’d be taking the private plane and going somewhere new. But as he grew older, ‘new’ became less and less (and consequently, more boring than ever). Walked the length of the Great Wall twice. Surfed around Australia’s shores more than five times. Heck, he even memorized the intricate Venetian canal-labyrinth (with little help from his power, of course). And the fact that he’s usually the only teenager around for these trips (Anthony does come from time to time) makes it much worse. “You know Dad’s private jet does have a whole lot of extra seats,” he smirked, hoping she’ll get the hint. Flirting aside, Zac’s really hoping to have someone his age (given that Tony’s reply is rather hazy at the moment) be with him this year.

He was about to insist that Ann should come spend Christmas with him when Robbie suddenly popped into view. You have got to love the kid’s impeccable timing. “We’re just talking about our holiday plans actually,” he smiled as he grabbed a cup from the tray. And he’s on the right track for the conversation too. Had he not known any better, he’d think the kid is a telepath, not some crazy weather manipulator. When Robbie told them he’d be spending the holidays in Hammel, Zac was actually surprised. Given his knowledge of who Robbie is, he actually thinks he’s one of those tight-to-my-family type of guys. But he’s spending Christmas in school? “Why?”

[Ann Hudgins]

Ann made a face when he clapped his hands after he wiped the table with his hands, any dust that he had picked up (she doubted there was any there in the first place) was now in the air between them for them to inhale. She rubbed her nose, already imagining the bazillion dust particles that was now stuck to the walls of her lungs. Gee, thanks. She mentally growled at Zac. She had thought about vocalizing her disapproval, but the danger of starting another one of their bicker fights had kept her quiet. If he wanted to put a shit ton of dust into his lungs, then she was not about to stop him.

The inexperienced side of Ann had a faint belief that Zac was actually making up how rich he was, or how he spent his Christmas' in the Caribbean. That sort of things was in movies, and actual living people couldn't afford that. It just wasn't possible. She shook her exasperated head at him when he hinted at the empty seats. She was not about to isolate herself with Zac or with his family (which in her mind were exactly like him) for any reason whatsoever. She would much rather spend the holiday here, doing...whatever. She glanced up and smiled when Robbie joined them and she wrapped her hands around the warm cup and wriggled in contentment, she could feel her fingers again!

"I'm not going anywhere either." She spoke to Robbie, answering his question, but she glanced to Zac, her answer was also to him about his vague suggestion he had made only a moment before Robbie had arrived. She took a tender sip, but it was all scalding water and she made a face at it. It was a mockery of hot chocolate! She picked one of her marshmallows off the top and closed her mouth around it, to sooth her now burnt tongue.