College AU! - Small Group RP - Closed

The Squad | The Camping Trip | strider

Varian knew exactly what he did for fun. It was exactly what he did almost all the time anyway. Every spare moment, almost, was spent on his chemistry, his ideas and experiments. When he was doing that, he was thinking about it. And every once in a blue moon, he might even get distracted by something else for ten minutes before he went right back to work.
He didn’t know what drove Nico. For him, it was curiosity. It was his passion for all things science, for inventions and minerals and all things unknown.
He didn’t know the others had left the fire. He’d been the first to go, after all. Which probably hadn’t been the best new roommate move, but he’d done it anyway, so here they were.
He shrugged a little, scuffing the ground with his shoe. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, really. On the one hand...he’d love a single, if only so he could take up more space and not worry about plant murder. Still, he didn’t feel very good about kicking anyone out just like that…
“Yeah,” he mumbled, giving a small, nervous laugh. “Single. That'd be...great…”

“Ooh! I’d like to see a deer in Henrietta!” Juuzou exclaimed, eyes widening a little as he bit into another marshmallow. He didn’t think it odd in the slightest. He was trusting, for one, with most people, and he didn’t really have a grasp on what was considered normal and what wasn’t, anyway. He wasn’t terribly normal. Neither was being bitten. He wasn’t too concerned about it.
“Maybe when we get a break, I can let you drag me to Henrietta with you?” He suggested hopefully, shifting to a more comfortable position and nibbling his marshmallow.

Ronan glanced at Newt, waiting for his reaction,
He wasn’t disappointed. Much. Newt didn’t freak out, but he did look fairly startled. Ronan didn’t turn it down as he drove off, hitting the gas and speeding off just a bit faster than was technically acceptable for the road he was on.
The next song was much more fitting for Ronan’s general persona. Meaning loud. Loud and intimidating. The lyrics themselves were surprisingly gentle, though.
“You do that. And look up where we can get it, too.” Ronan called back. For the reckless driver he seemed to be, he knew what he was doing. His chaos was not a lack of skill, but a flaunting of it.

Sal hoped the others would be understanding. He couldn’t exactly...blame them for being wary, though. He himself was perfectly willing to let things settle. He didn’t think Zuko had done anything more than he misunderstood. Actually…he’d been really trying to be open and inclusive. It had just backfired a little.
No one needed to be against anyone else. This didn’t need to be a fight, no one actually disagreed, it was just...yeah, a misunderstanding was probably the best description for it.
He followed Zuko’s glance at the road and hesitated. He didn’t like that they’d just...left. He didn’t know either of them very well, but he had his doubts about Ronan in particular. He seemed to border on mean. Then again, he and Noah seemed to be close, and Noah seemed like the exact opposite of mean...but opposites did often attract...no, he wasn’t going to make any decisions until he knew them better.
“It’s cool,” he replied, giving a small nod as he closed the distance between them. He didn’t get too close, just enough that they could walk back together. For his part...he wasn’t good at playing people, even if he tried. He wasn’t even good at playing games. His brain just didn’t work that way. It was more on the...well. He had a hard time knowing exactly what he was actually good at. He was more of a Jack-of-all-trades than a master, he had decided a while ago. He’d have preferred to be a master, overall.
He moved to head back, assuming Zuko would come with him. If worse came to worst, he’d offer to switch with Varian and room with Zuko, but he hoped they could just...work it out.

Nico cringed a little bit, realizing he had probably said the wrong thing. He wanted this to sort itself out, but he knew that sometimes it really wasn’t that easy. People had misunderstandings, and no matter how well-meaning everyone was, there were some people that didn’t forgive people, and there were some things that shouldn’t be forgiven. Nico had learned the hard way to forgive, had learned that holding onto grudges could very easily be the reason he died. So he had tried to let go. Which was probably why he wasn’t terribly upset with Zuko. He didn’t know if Zuko had good intentions or not, and at the moment… he didn’t really care. He didn’t know Zuko, and he didn’t believe he’d be spending very much time with him. But Varian was obviously a little uncomfortable with the whole thing.
“We’ve only been here for like a week,” Nico murmured lightly, catching Varian’s gaze. “I dunno how it’s all going to work out yet, but it will work out and settle down somehow. And we probably won’t actually think about this except as like… a weird anecdote or something. No matter how it turns out.” He hadn’t meant to use ‘we,’ but it was out there now. He… wanted to be friends with these strangers. He just didn’t know how to do that.

“I’d like that,” Noah replied, a small smile appearing on his lips. “I’d have to convince Ronan, but he listens to me more than he thinks he does, so it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just that he’s my ride home, and he could be yours, too… or you could get another motorcycle or something.” Noah broke off, rubbing at his cheek as he realized he had been rambling. Making new friends was new territory for him. He didn’t know exactly where to step, and he couldn’t see time as a circle, not anymore. He had to go through it like anyone else, which meant he didn’t actually know how any of this was going to turn out. He wasn’t sure he liked it much.

Newt wasn’t easily frightened. He didn’t think he had reason to be scared here. As fast as they were going, Ronan was very clearly in control. With the music blaring, the turns that made Newt’s heart leap into his throat even though he knew they were safe… it felt very Ronan, and Newt hadn’t even known him that long.
“Can do,” he returned, flashing a smile as he started to look it up. He hesitated, still looking at his phone as he listened to the lyrics of the music. They… weren’t what he was expecting. He did his best to hide his smile. He had a feeling that said a lot about Ronan as well, but maybe not something he was okay with sharing with people that were more or less strangers. He probably wasn’t meant to be listening closely to the lyrics anyway.
“Got it,” he said, setting his phone down. “Shouldn’t be too hard to get a hold of,” he added, stretching his arms back and resting the back of his head on his arms.

Zuko didn’t know what to think about the fact that the two had left, but he couldn’t blame them for it. He probably would have done something very similar, in their place. Or he would have stayed and just made things unintentionally worse. He had a knack for that, for saying the absolute wrong thing and then immediately covering it up with the next worst thing. But if driving off was Ronan and Newt’s way of dealing with the situation, that was fine. It meant Zuko had plenty of time to try to figure out what to say to them. He couldn’t help but wish Iroh were there. His uncle would know what to say. He thought Sal would probably have a good idea, too, but Sal didn’t have the wisdom and experience that Iroh had.
He looked after Sal, wondering distantly if going back was really the right thing to do. He knew the person he probably most needed to talk to out of everyone left was Varian. Varian had been the first to leave the campfire, at least, and… and he was going to have to live with him for the next several months. He figured he had already created a pretty awful first impression with worrying about his plants and keeping Varian out of the room as he desperately tried to find a place to hide his binder, but… maybe he could improve it a little bit by honestly apologizing here. He figured Juuzou and Noah were the least of his worries. They hadn’t left the fire, they had just… well, they had seemed to pretend nothing was happening. He could respect that.
“Sal,” Zuko said after a moment, stopping. “If… I say something that could be heard… wrong… while I talk to them… could you let me know?”

Orpheus gave a tiny smile, letting go of the braid he had just finished and watching the bottom of it untangle. The rest stayed in L’s hair… and probably would either until L decided to shower or until Orpheus untangled it next time he decided to braid L’s hair. He gave a tiny smile, moving to work on another tiny braid. He knew L didn’t mind it, knew it helped him think, but it was relaxing for Orpheus, too. And he thought he fell a little bit deeper in love every time he saw L walking around with dozens of tiny braids like he didn’t mind how others would think of him if they saw him. L had never been one to care too much about other people’s opinions, at least.
“I think you can do that,” Orpheus murmured, pressing L just a little bit closer as he settled into the comfort of being close enough to fee L’s breathing if he tried. “He seemed really excited when I asked if you could come over tonight, so I think… as long as we don’t bother him, he’s just happy that we’re both happy. He’s good, he’s… he’s really good,” Orpheus continued, shifting just a bit so he could get a better look at L’s face.
“Not as good as you,” he added, dropping his hands to wrap them around L and pull him into something like a bear hug, but a little bit easier to get out of.

Newt couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t think he was a dishonest person, but he really wasn’t used to being quite so candid, nor was he used to others being as candid with him. It was a nice change, and he meant what he had said. Hange was both smart and nice. Newt wanted to believe they could be friends. After all… why not? They were here, they lived on the same floor, they were studying similar (ish) subjects…
“Does your aunt work here?” he asked distractedly, looking around at the wide array of pets and supplies the shop was filled with. He cast a few glances at the things Hange poked at, but they seemed to be fairly random, so he didn’t pay them much heed.
He did, however, pay very close attention to the glass his new friend was pressing their face against.
“I didn’t know pet stores regularly sold tarantulas,” he commented, coming up behind Hange just close enough to see the tarantula. “Oh,” he murmured, eyes widening. “It’s more vibrant than I thought it would be. It’s… pretty,” he decided, unsure quite how to describe the small creature. He hadn’t ever paid particularly close attention to spiders, but he could see why Hange was enamored with this one.

Hange | a proposition | strider |

"Yes, she works here," answered Hange brightly, still admiring the tarantula. "She is here Friday to Tuesday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. It is, isn't it?"

They turned, studying Newt's expression for a moment, following his eyes and seeming to think very hard about something.

"Do you want to get it?" they asked finally, tilting their head. "I am going to have a salamander. So you could have a spider. Then we'd both have pets, and we could come see them sometimes, and that way we'd stay friends."

Nico managed a small smile, about to say something else when he felt something move a few feet away. Ah. Sal and Zuko, coming back… he hadn’t actually expected them to end up together, after what had happened at the campfire, but the two of them together seemed like a good sign… even if Ronan had left. He shook his head, waiting a few seconds for the two of them to come within eyeshot before he cleared his throat and tilted his head in their direction so Varian was aware as well.
“Not sure if they’re coming towards the tents or just… coming back… but they are coming this way,” he informed Varian lightly, letting the other boy take the lead here. If he didn’t want to deal with Zuko after what had happened, that was fine. Nico would probably talk to Sal if that was the case… he didn’t know Sal very well, but he didn’t know Varian any better. In fact, he thought of everyone here, he knew Sal the best. Maybe that was because he had been rooming with him for a week… he felt he owed him a little bit of a conversation, even if Varian didn’t want to deal with either of them. He stood up, arms crossing and brows raising as he waited to see if they were actually coming this way.

“Oh,” Noah murmured, surprise drawing his brows together. “I think he’ll like you enough that you can at least go to Henrietta, especially if I ask. Because I like you, and I don’t even know you all that well. And don’t tell anyone, but Ronan has a soft spot for me. Not that he ever admits it… and he’s pretty good at covering it up, too,” Noah laughed softly, catching himself before he let slip that Ronan had thrown him out a window, once. He figured Juuzou probably wouldn’t take that well, especially given how Noah had reacted to someone biting him. Throwing someone out a window was about as appropriate as biting someone, at least without the context that Noah was dead. He didn’t really want his new friends here finding that out.
“And even if he doesn’t… then I’ll make sure we find a way to see deer here, too.”

“Works for me,” Newt shrugged, not bothering to grab onto anything as Ronan made the sharp turn. He wasn’t technically driving legally, but Newt didn’t care – he was clearly in control of the car, and they were the only ones on the road. Legality was subjective at that point, and Newt trusted Ronan not to land them in a ditch somewhere. As ridiculous as his driving was, it was surprisingly competent. He let himself listen to the lyrics for a bit, silent as Ronan drove. If Ronan had expected conversation… well, then he probably would have initiated more of it. Newt didn’t mind the silence. It wasn’t exactly silent anyway, not when there was music.
“There?” Newt asked, pointing as lights appeared up ahead of them. It looked like a gas station of some sort, or maybe something a little bit fancier. A convenience store, at least. “We could buy lotto tickets or something while we’re here,” he shrugged, a small smile touching his face. “Our luck has been pretty rotten tonight, but you can only strike out so many times.”

Zuko wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing, but… he had come to college to learn. He had come to college to get away from Ozai and Azula’s influence, to become his own person and foster his beliefs as far away from them as he could. He had come here to make Iroh proud… he wasn’t sure his father and Azula were wrong, at least not 100%. There were still things they said and believed that got in his head, that made him think the way they did, but he didn’t think he wanted that. He wanted to explore the world on his own. His hand drifted up to his scar, and he touched the edges of it tentatively before letting his hand drop back down to the side. Ozai had ruined his first interaction he’d had with a group of people he was supposed to live with. The one thing he didn’t want was to come across like his father did, but… here he was. The difference was, he was going to make up for it. It didn’t matter whether or not his intentions had been good, he had hurt the people he had wanted to try to make friends with.
“I know,” Zuko murmured after a long moment, glancing over at Sal. “You’re not… the expert on what sounds right and what doesn’t. I get that. I just think… you’re probably a lot better at it than I am.” He looked back ahead, gaze catching on Nico and Varian. They… seemed like the best place to start. Noah and Juuzou hadn’t been upset enough to leave the campfire at all, but Varian and Nico had left almost as soon as the trouble had started. He had a feeling he owed them an apology and an explanation, if they were willing to hear it. Not as much as he owed Ronan and Newt that, but… he couldn’t do anything about that until they came back.

L | Room 4C | strider

L didn’t mind the braids. Far from it….he was pleased every time he saw them, tiny reminders that he was loved weaved into his hair, resting near his skull and there for all to see. Not that he was seen by many people who knew who he was, of course...he was aware that not a lot of people probably saw him. But he did go outside now and then, and since no one knew his face, there was no harm in going out in public. So, plenty of strangers had probably seen him with the braids,
The point was that he didn’t care at all what they thought.
He nodded a little, letting the quiet proximity to Orpheus relax him. It was rare for him to feel completely comfortable, but not as rare as it had once been...growing closer to Orpheus, getting to know him, that had been the most comfortable thing he could remember experiencing.
“I’m glad, then,” he murmured back, and relaxed into the hug as Orpheus pulled him closer, making no move to get out of the embrace. He rested his head gently against Orpheus’ chest, curling as close as he could. “I’m not better,” he replied after a moment, thoughtfully. “YoU only feel that way because you love me.”

Orpheus didn’t think about the fact that people probably saw L with the braids. He knew they stayed in, but that was only because L didn’t bother to take them out. It was easy to forget, sometimes, that there were people who saw L and didn’t have a clue who he was. It was a good thing, of course – it had likely saved his life more times than either of them were aware of – but Orpheus couldn’t imagine seeing L and not knowing how brilliant and kind and wonderful he was. Okay, so maybe most of the other people who knew who L was wouldn’t consider him kind, but they also didn’t know him as well as Orpheus did. He wasn’t the violent type, but he thought he would be willing to fight anyone who wasn’t willing to consider that L’s actions were often born out of a genuine desire to save as many lives as he could.
Holding L here, both of them on his bed passing the time like any normal couple… this felt like a moment of perfection. There was no pressure, no need to be anything but completely genuine. While Orpheus was sure L felt the difference more than he did, the relief was tangible for him, as well. There were residents that he had to worry about, but they were on the other side of the door. This moment… it was theirs.
“Perhaps I’m biased,” Orpheus admitted, absentmindedly tracing a pattern across L’s back as he held him close. “But I do love you, which means I know you better than most people do… which means I’m uniquely qualified to know these things. So… if not better, then just as good at the very least.”

It was a little bit odd to Nico that they were returning together, but Sal was the sort of person who could solve arguments as easily as that, so he wasn’t too surprised. Mainly he was just… impressed. Sal was a better person than Nico, but Nico had already known that. And he would be willing to hear Zuko out if he wanted to try to explain why he’d said what he had, but… the truth was, Nico didn’t want to get in the middle of it. He knew that who he loved wasn’t an issue, not anymore, but he couldn’t shake the mindset of the time period he’d grown up in. He didn’t really want to expose himself by telling this group of total strangers who knew exactly where he slept that he liked boys. He didn’t trust that nobody would get violent. He didn’t trust that nobody would make snide comments.
“I think we should both go,” Nico murmured after a moment, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “They must have reached some sort of agreement, so it might be easier to just… talk to them both together.” That made sense in his head, at least. “And with more of us there’s less of a chance it’ll get out of control, or anything. Just in case.”

Noah felt comfortable around Juuzou, though he couldn’t quite place why. It was disorienting, being thrown out of the circular way he had seen time before he had sacrificed himself, before he had let himself melt back into the ley line. Of course Ronan hadn’t known to dream him to see time that way… but it meant he didn’t know if he was going to be friends with Juuzou, or if he was secretly as terrible as Whelk was. It was going to take Noah a while to build up to trusting people again, but he was trying. And he didn’t currently see any reason to distrust Juuzou.
“Even in the winter,” he confirmed, a smile crossing his face as he nodded. “In the winter we can try to track them, because their hoof marks will be easier to see in the snow than they are on dry ground! I hope you can see them in Henrietta because there are so many, but you’re still going to see some even if we don’t make it to Henrietaa. I promise.”

Newt was aware that there was probably something he was missing. He didn’t know Ronan well at all, and though the silence was comfortable (well, not quite silence, but lack of conversation) in his opinion, he also knew that Ronan likely had ways to speak to the people he was closest to when the music was blaring and the rev of the engine drowned out the sound of voices. He just wasn’t privy to those means of communication, and he didn’t deserve to be. One day he might, but he wasn’t banking on it. Ronan seemed… prickly. Not in a bad way, but just… generally. Newt didn’t mind, it was just an observation.
“Won’t know until you try,” he replied lightly, shutting the door behind him. He was careful not to slam it – he didn’t want Ronan thinking he didn’t respect his property or something. He gave a sharp nod, crossing his arms and heading towards the store, where he carefully held the door open for Ronan.
“I’ll look for the camera if you get the sparklers?” he suggested, brow raising as he proposed it. That was the most efficient way to go about this, he thought, but he wanted to make sure Ronan didn’t have any other ideas, first.

Zuko didn’t know Nico. Hell, he barely knew Varian and he had been living with him for a week. He didn’t particularly trust either of them – so far Varian hadn’t noticed Zuko’s binders, but if he did? Zuko forced the thought away. It wasn’t Varian who had accidentally said something to alienate people he should have had something in common with, it was Zuko. And he was just here to try to repair the damage, even if he wasn’t entirely sure how to do that. He silently cursed the fact that he had spent the majority of his childhood with Ozai rather than Iroh, or even Ursa. Lu Ten probably would have been much more well-adjusted, had he survived, but he hadn’t. And if Zuko was going to make him proud and be the boy his cousin had been teaching him to be, then he needed to stand up straight, square his shoulders, and face this head on. Why was it so much more difficult to face an apology head on than it was to face a fight?
He was grateful that Sal had been willing to listen to him, and that he was standing here beside him now, helping him fix his mistake. He hadn’t expected anyne at college to be quite so understanding, but maybe there really were people like Sal out there in the world. Zuko had a feeling Uncle Iroh would appreciate Sal a lot, but that was just based on first impressions. He could have been wrong. Deep down, though… he knew he wasn’t.
“Yeah,” he managed under his breath, bridging the gap between himself and Sal and Nico and Varian. He found it more difficult than it had been with Sal, because he didn’t really know where either of them stood on the issue. It was possible that they had left because of the mere mention of LGBT people, but somehow Zuko doubted that.
“I said some things,” he began roughly, casting a nervous glance back at Sal before turning back to Nico and Varian. “Some things that I didn’t think about before I said them. And they aren’t what I really believe, regarding… well, regarding LGBT people.” He hesitated, realizing he hadn’t yet actually apologized.
“I’m… sorry,” he said in a stilted voice, swallowing back words he didn’t need. “That I said things I didn’t know not to say, because I stepped outside the bounds of what I knew without… being careful. And that it caused a rift between all of us. This was supposed to be… fun.” His voice dropped on the last word, defeat dripping in his tone.

Nico shifted a little bit uncomfortably, wishing his feelings about the whole matter were just a little bit… simpler. It felt like everything was constantly getting more complicated, and this whole situation with his new roommates just seemed to prove that. He had left. He had left Sal alone to deal with the situation. Sal had come out, and Nico had left him alone. He had to live with that, live with knowing that he was too ashamed to come out because he was a product of the time he had been born, not a product of now. He wished it were as simple as snapping his fingers and being able to accept that maybe the people he cared about wouldn’t care who he loved.
“Yeah, well… I’ve heard worse,” Nico said after a moment, shrugging. “Probably not me you should be apologizing to. Have you already talked to Newt and Ronan?” Okay… so that was a little bit mean, especially since he knew they weren’t there anymore, but… in his defense, he wasn’t supposed to have a way of knowing that. It was just that he really didn’t want to come out now, like this.

Noah gave a small smile, not looking away from Juuzou. He didn’t know how things were going to go, but he would gladly trade his circular version of time for the ability to feel as present and whole as he did now. Like he was an actual person, even if he was really just a dead thing. He didn’t thank Ronan often enough for bringing him back… for giving him a second shot at being a ghost. He wished Ronan could have dreamed him alive, sometimes, but… but he would take this.
“Of course I’ll help,” he murmured, holding Juuzou’s gaze. “Because that’s what friends do. They help, even when they don’t necessarily have to.” He didn’t dare look away, didn’t want to miss anything Juuzou said.
“Oh,” he whispered, a little bit surprised. “Well… you’re really nice, too. I’m glad I actually got to talk to you. I guess… something good came out of everyone else leaving for now.”

“Ha,” Newt replied, though it wasn’t particularly funny. He was surprised by how well he and Ronan were getting along. He had expected the other boy to be entirely standoffish, had expected him to be rude and borderline cruel… it seemed to Newt that there were two Ronans. The one he wore like a suit of armor, and the one underneath. He had only just gotten a glimpse of the second, but he found he hoped he saw him more. He seemed much more tolerable to live with, even if he still used his words and his smile like knives. Ronan was sharp. It was the best word for him. But he was also far softer than Newt had expected, and he’d been able to gather that just from a short drive and an even shorter conversation. His barbs were pointed, but Newt could tell he took care not to let them be deadly.
There was something about stores like this that left Newt feeling at home. Maybe it was because he couldn’t really remember ever having a home, and places like these were transient places. You didn’t stay there for any longer than you had to. It was a place you were supposed to exist in for a brief moment in time before time moved on. Years could pass and the place would remain the same, but you changed every time you came back. He wasn’t usually very poetic, but… well, he supposed places like this were probably nostalgic, too.
He walked down one of the aisles, fingertips brushing against the merchandise until he found what he was looking for.

Zuko looked back at Sal for just a moment, waiting for him to catch something and correct it, but it didn’t come. He didn’t know why he trusted Sal so much. It would be very, very easy for the other boy to lead him to make a fool of himself in the middle of a group he was supposed to be living with, but he found he believed that Sal wouldn’t do that. Sal seemed… well, more genuine than almost anyone Zuko had ever met before. The bar was low, but still.
“Well…” he murmured, glancing at Varian, “I’m sorry people got upset because of me. Even if… I think they probably had a right to. I’m still sorry it happened.” He glanced at Nico, accepting that response as well. He had known that these two weren’t really the people he needed to apologize to, and their responses more or less said as much.
“Friends,” he echoed, shifting back and forth on his heels. “I guess… that’s not really dependent on me. Newt and Ronan… left for a bit. I guess whether we’re all friends depends on whether they think my apology is sincere.” Even then Zuko had his doubts about them all being friends. They all seemed very different from each other. He didn’t want to spoil Varian’s vision, but he had a feeling they would end up existing in the same space, not necessarily as friends.
“If not friends,” he managed with a shrug that looked more casual than Zuko felt, “then at least people who tolerate each other.”

Nico glanced at Varian, brows raising as the other boy proved that he really didn’t know how to shut up. He meant that in the best way possible, but… well, it just seemed that Varian was absolutely determined to dig himself a hole. It was sort of unfortunate, actually, and Nico didn’t really know how to save him from it.
“I think most of us left because we were uncomfortable,” Nico allowed, not quite looking at Zuko. “It was hard to tell that you meant well, with the way you said it. But… I can do tolerance. As long as you’re tolerant, too.” He didn’t know about friendship, but that was less about what Zuko had said and more about the fact that Nico really didn’t know how to have friends. He did his best, but it never really seemed to work.
“I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, here,” he added to Zuko, just barely looking at Sal. “I just… ask that the same courtesy be extended to me if I ever say anything similar.” He knew the chances of him saying something accidentally homophobic were lower than they used to be, but he was still working through a lot of the stuff he had internalized. The difference was that he usually didn’t verbalize it.

Noah didn’t really mind that nobody had come back to the campfire. Sure, it had been nice when everyone was together getting to know each other, but he was also enjoying the fact that he could have a one-on-one conversation with Juuzou without having to keep track of all the other conversations that were going on at the exact same time. That tended to be stressful, and he always missed something when he was trying to pay attention to his own conversation and other people’s at the same time.
“We should do something,” Noah agreed, giving a small smile. “Climb?” he repeated, looking around. The only thing there was to climb was the trees, so he figured that made the most sense. “I haven’t done it in a while, but I should still be able to. I mean… it hasn’t even been that long,” he replied, giving a wide smile as he stood up and brushed himself off, though he didn’t really need to. “It would be fun to scare them.” His smile widened into something more mischievous.
“We should choose one with really thick branches so they don’t see us even if they happen to look up.”

Newt scanned over the cameras, eyes narrowing as he read the descriptions of each one in the hopes of finding the one they wanted. They needed one where they could adjust the shutter speed… with any luck, they would be able to find one that wasn’t super expensive. He read another box, sighing softly as he realized that it didn’t have a shutter speed setting either. Finally he found one, eyes widening a little at the mention of a time lapse feature. They could time lapse the stars, maybe. Or the fire… something exciting, something that would be cool to see sped up, something that they didn’t really get to watch because they didn’t have the time or energy to pay explicit attention to it.
He grabbed the camera, eyes skating over the price tag. Not ideal, but he did have a certain amount of spending money for each week, and if he didn’t spend very much in the next couple weeks, a purchase like this would be manageable, as long as he was able to make it worth it.
Newt quickly pulled out his phone to try and find a coupon online, but upon finding nothing he turned back to head towards Ronan.
Something in him was screaming that sparklers weren’t exciting enough, but he pushed away the voice. They hadn’t even thought to bring sparklers. Hopefully the others would find them as amusing as Newt still did… there was so much you could do with a sparkler…
“Hey,” he said, pulling up a few feet behind Ronan. “Do they have any fireworks or anything? Those could be fun to try and set off, if they have any from this summer. I don’t… think it’s illegal…”

“Newt and Ronan drove away,” Zuko told Varian, something in his voice a little bit rough even as he tried to reign it in. “Which is fine, it’s up to them, but I can’t apologize to them right now because they’re not even here. And… yeah. The only people still at the fire are Juuzou and Noah. So technically I didn’t piss off absolutely everyone enough that they were forced to leave the fire. He tried to keep his animosity directed at himself rather than at Varian, but it was a little bit harder than he anticipated. He winced as his words landed without as much modulation of his voice as he had attempted to fix it. He didn’t want to make enemies here. Luckily, Varian was already starting to get to know him. Hopefully, he was starting to be able to read Zuko’s tone, even when it was difficult.
“I’m not a hypocrite,” he added, eyes narrowing a little bit in Nico’s direction. “If you say something you don’t mean, I won’t hold it against you, whatever.”
It was harder than Zuko wanted to admit, admitting that he was wrong. Admitting that he wanted to care, wanted to be friends with these people… bending to them was weak, if his father was to be believed.
“Sorry,” he managed after a long moment. “I… yes, I’d like to meet Gizmo. I like cats. I don’t… know if they like me very much, though. I’ve never really been able to spend enough time alone with one to know how they would react to me.” He forced a deep breath. This was, by some miracle, going better than he had expected.

“Well, I like you better, then,” Orpheus murmured, rolling his eyes affectionately as L insisted on arguing that he wasn’t better. Orpheus knew that in every way that mattered, L was incredible. He was… well, he was amazing. And Orpheus loved Xichen, he really did. His roommate was thoughtful and organized, kind and put together (well, not as put together as he claimed, but still), and just… all around a good person. But Orpheus wasn’t dating him, he was dating L. If L was better, it was by a slim margin, but Orpheus was going to insist on it. “And you know, that’s a really high bar, considering I like Xichen quite a lot.” His lips curled into a smile, betraying the fact that the conversation was just… theoretical, mostly. He was never going to have to choose between Xichen and L, because both of them were incredibly good people who wouldn’t demand that of him. They weren’t controlling, and both of them were good at communicating with Orpheus. He wasn’t sure how great the communication between Xichen and L was going to be, but that was a hurdle they could think about when the two of them weren’t trying to relax.
“Hm,” Orpheus considered, his fingers stopping mid-pattern on L’s back. “I mean… you could go to college, if you wanted to,” he returned, catching L’s eye. “Just as a part time student. We could take classes together and you could still work on cases. I think you’d like college, other than… well, the rules and stuff. But you’d love the classes and the material that they teach, I think. A lot of the professors actually like when you debate them about things. There’s nothing more exciting for the upper-level professors than being proven wrong, and I bet you could take all upper level courses, if you wanted. I mean… you’re… you.”

L Lawliet | Room 4C | strider

“That’s a subjective claim, so I can’t argue with it,” L replied thoughtfully, missing the eye roll entirely as his eyes were closed, and also his head was resting on Orpheus’ shoulder.
“That must be why you’re dating me and not him,” he added. “Or maybe not. Maybe you just like me romantically and not him…”
He considered that for a long moment before he shrugged. It was impossible to say, really. Unless Orpheus knew, no one would.
He wasn’t worried about it, but his mind was like a dog with a bone once he gave it something to chew on. Besides, he was interested to follow this thought to its conclusion.
Of course he’d never force Orpheus to choose. That would just be wrong...he didn’t see how trying to make him do something he didn’t want to do would be any way of showing he cared. If he ever did something like that, he fully expected to not be chosen out of sheer principle. Besides, that would imply he was jealous of Xichen somehow, which just wasn’t true. He was glad Orpheus had close friends. Everyone deserved to have people they trusted. If anything ever happened to L, he would want Orpheus to have people around still.
His thoughts often ran morbid if he let them go too long. He was used to it.
He looked up, surprised as Orpheus continued. He hadn’t really considered that...truthfully, he hadn’t considered it at all. Him, in college? He tried to picture it. Classes, people, dorms, roommate, people, studying, people, people…
“I think I would be a very bad roommate.” He decided, looking at Orpheus again. “Also, I’d need a single, obviously. Anyone could room with me otherwise. We’d either irritate each other or they’d kill me.”
He was genuinely considering it now. Him, in college, sounded...well. It would be something of an adventure. But he could take classes with Orpheus. That sounded fun. And he could possibly join any clubs Orpheus was in...which meant more time together.
“I’d need to balance my role as the three greatest detectives, naturally, but I think that would be alright. Do professors really enjoy being proven wrong? I hate being wrong.”

Nico glanced back at Varian, uncertain how to respond to his addition. He thought it was a good idea, really, if they could all… just assume best intention, but he knew a lot of people didn’t say things with the best intentions. What mattered, he supposed, was how they reacted when they were told they had said something wrong. Zuko had apologized, which Nico hadn’t expected in the slightest.
“I didn’t know they left,” he commented, trying to keep his tone mild. It was a lie. He wasn’t in the habit of lying, but… well, he had just been wanting to see how Zuko would react.
“For the record, animals don’t like me at all. I freak them out, I think. And Gizmo’s fine with me. So yeah… I wouldn’t worry about Sal’s cat not liking you or anything.” He was trying to be nice, he just… wasn’t as familiar with that etiquette as he should have been. He’d spent too much time away from this world. Before that, he’d spent too much time alone, cultivating a reputation for himself. It hadn’t protected him like he’d hoped.

Noah considered, glancing at the tree Juuzou had chosen. It was a really good tree… though there were plenty of other good trees around the clearing. Maybe… his eyes narrowed and he spun in a circle before pointing at the tree next to the one Juuzou had chosen.
“This way we’ll both be able to see each other from the tree, but the effect of jumping down will be more scary!” He was already looking for a way up, though he figured it didn’t really matter how he got up. He could probably climb a lot easier than Juuzou could, considering he didn’t really have any body weight. Well… he did, it just wasn’t real body weight. It was complicated. He would much rather be alive again, but Ronan hadn’t dreamt him that way.
“Ready?” he asked, moving towards his chosen tree and staring up at it. They couldn’t climb too high, or else it would be dangerous for Juuzou to jump down. But there were some pretty nice branches that weren’t terribly high off the ground. “I can’t wait to see their faces,” he added, a grin plastered across his own.

Newt didn’t know whether or not it was illegal, but he didn’t think he really cared. It seemed… well, it seemed like a lot of fun to set off fireworks. As long as they were careful that it didn’t become a wildfire, he didn’t see what the issue was. They might have to find somewhere slightly away from their campsite to do it properly, but… he didn’t think he cared that much about the risks. The camping trip had already become something of a dumpster fire given the conversation they’d had with Zuko, so they really needed something explosive to save it. He had a feeling it would be cathartic.
“There’s gotta be somewhere that sells them near here,” Newt muttered, pulling out his phone to look it up. “There’s… a place about a mile out that says they have some… they’re still open, but not for too much longer. I think their stuff is on clearance because nobody wants fireworks this late after the fourth of July…” he glanced up, handing Ronan his phone so the other boy could look at the fireworks place he had found. If they wanted fireworks, it seemed that it was probably their best shot, but Ronan was the driver.
“Or we can keep looking around here and see if they have any,” he added, turning to gently poke at a lawn gnome. It seemed infinitely less useful than fireworks would be.

Zuko breathed out, relieved that both Varian and Nico seemed to have taken it well. They weren’t who he was concerned about, though. They were just… well, they were also part of it, but they had left before the conversation had gotten serious. He would need to find Juuzou and Noah and apologize to them eventually, too, but the longer Noah and Ronan was gone, the deeper Zuko’s heart seemed to sink in his chest. He had really, really messed this up. What if they didn’t come back? He might as well start filing for housing reassignment now so he could at least have good news for them when they got back…
“I’m not upset that they left,” he managed after a long moment, aware that Sal had stepped a little bit closer. It was a warning, and one he appreciated, it was just that he didn’t really know what to do with it. “I get that… they probably need time to cool down. I just… didn’t expect it. And it makes apologizing more complicated.”
He didn’t like that this had turned into them reassuring him. It made it feel like he had done the apology wrong, that maybe he had guilt tripped them into feeling bad for him… he shoved his hands in his pockets, awkwardly staring at the ground. He didn’t need them to pity him for messing up. He didn’t want them to. He just wanted to clean up the mess he had made.