ic Roomies 2: The Roomening.

[Thunder King]

September 4th, 2018

 

Adam's parents had agreed to back off once he was ready to move into his room. He adored them, he really did, but he was eager to get out on his own. At least somewhat near something similar to 'on his own'. Not like he needed help bringing in his bags. He felt stares on him as he walked up to the building with everything he packed on his back and in his arms. He was wearing a light hoodie, jeans, and a sturdy pair of boots. He much preferred boots, they wore out slower than shoes, especially given his size.

 

He had on his wig, fake eyebrows and contacts. He had already decided that if he was going to be a superhero, the best mask was no mask at all. He was a bit warm, but too self-conscious of his scars to wear anything short sleeved. At least yet. His parents had tried to assure him that they were sure there were other odd kids at Claremont. it was a good place to start really getting out there. He wouldn't be so much of a freak.

 

He stepped into the room and put his things down as gingerly as he could. Then, he set to work.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Thunder King

[SpicyWaffle]

Black Rabbit

 

Claremont was big. Bigger than the incognito AEGIS escort had lead Tom to believe when they'd dropped him off outside the gate. Thankfully, that same brochure applied a decent enough map to guide him to the dormitories where he would be staying for the foreseeable future. He must have been quite the sight, wandering the quad in clothes that only just fit and shoes that looked like they'd seen more action than an 80's action flick, dollar store sunglasses the kid's only accessory and his normally wavy and unruly dark hair bound into a ponytail. The only luggage he possessed was what the tanned young boy carried over his shoulder, a duffel bag stuffed to the brim with equally unappealing outfits for the semester ahead.

 

This was exciting! A chance to really live like an American teenager, which in itself was an adventure worth going on as he stepped into the dormitories. The halls were alive with the sounds of children, all milling about in their endeavors to meet and greet their fellow classmates. It was so different, seeing everyone smiling and laughing. Back home, knowing the members in your unit was the closest Tom had really gotten to something similar.

 

"One-oh-four, one-oh-five, one-oh-six..." Tom counted aloud, stopping in front of Room 107. "Here we go."

 

Inside, Tom was surprised to see someone else already there! This must be the roommate he was told he'd have. Compared to the kid with the rabbit totem, the teenage guy standing inside the dormitory easily dwarfed him in every dimension, both in height and musculature. Even from the entrance Rabbit had to bend his neck just slightly to get to eye level with the burly mountain he'd be sharing his domicile with -- his new squad mate. His roommate. His friend, he hoped.

 

"Hey. What's up," Tom greeted with a smooth richness in his voice, maneuvering his way over to set his bag down beside the other free bed. "You must be my roommate. I'm Tom. What's your name?" he inquired, peeling off his laughably cheap shades and giving Adam a friendly wave.

Edited September 13, 2018 by SpicyWaffle

[Thunder King]

"Adam." Adam said with what he hoped was a pleasant smile. He was very new to this type of freestyle socialization, and he hoped it didn't show. "Nice to meet you. I uh, well.." He looked around. "I'm kinda new to this whole...outside world thing." He flinched. "I probably wasn't supposed to admit that." 

 

His shoulders slumped. "Not that it matters, I was told that Claremont is home to, well, all sorts of people. So I suppose I should admit to something." He reached up and grabbed the shaggy mop of black hair on his head, and removed it.

 

Beneath the wig was a criss cross network of scars on the top of his head. Only his face was free of scars and, on further inspection, looked almost too perfect.

 

"If we're gonna be roommates, I should admit that I don't have hair, or eyebrows, and my eyes are yellow...and they glow in the dark. Don't want you freaking out if you wake up in the middle of the night and see me like that. I've got uh, a lot of scars. Except on my face, surgery helped with that."

 

"So with all that unnecessarily personal information out of the way, what's up?"

 

[SpicyWaffle]

Black Rabbit

 

"First day meet and greets, man. It's cool," shrugged Tom with an oddly even-tempered measure of acceptance as Adam bombarded him with a Truth Bomb, taking the whole thing as if it weren't any stranger than someone putting ketchup on beans as he began unpacking his bag, each garment and article of loaned clothing meticulously folded with borderline obsessive precision. No soon than he'd said this than he realized how odd that must have sounded; for him, this was really nothing odd or unusual - after you see someone with an octopus head juggling plasma, these sort of things just sort of feel mundane by comparison. He had to remember that this wasn't New Freedom though, and Adam obviously wasn't from a place where everyone had weird, unusual powers.

 

"I've got a magical rabbit spirit that blasts me with its emotions all the time. So there's that about me, I guess," he added with a slight chuckle, shifting gears while also being careful not to spill too much about himself. It was true, Adam was a weird cookie -- but so was Tom. And their weirdness, if he'd learned anything from television, was the anchor that bound them together. Now was his chance to really make a friend; but Tom had to admit, even if he didn't show it, he was nervous, and wasn't really sure how teenagers from America acted outside of the shows he'd picked up along the way. But he came here for a fresh start, and he wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers. And Adam seemed like a nice enough guy -- plus, he was brave enough to open up, a sharp contrast to Tom which in comparison honestly made him feel a bit cowardly. The least he could do was find some common ground and forge some camaraderie. Since this was typically the part in the show where one of the characters made a heartfelt plea or speech, what better time to put knowledge to practice than right here and now?

 

After a moment, he turned to Adam, still bizarrely unphased by his scarred-up appearance as he thumped the still folded sheets form his bag onto the mattress. "We've all got our hang ups that make us different. Comes with the territory. So you know what? Let's just be different, because that's who we are. Whatever," he continued, giving Adam a solid pat on the... well, more on the forearm, really, as his shoulder was awfully high. "If people here have any kind of problem with you, then they've got a problem with me. We're the new kids on the block here, but we're also in this together. I've got your back, so no pressure."

[Thunder King]

Adam genuinely smiled, and sighed. "Thanks. I mean, it's not that bad, you know? I know what I just said makes me look like or feel bad, but trust me, I was told all about how superheroes work. There are all sorts of oddballs. Besides, you seriously think anyone's gonna try to pick on me? I could pick up and carry off an elephant." He reconsidered that thought. Yeah, someone probably would. Maybe not here, though.

 

He sat on his bed. "I mostly read. I like to work out but I'll be at the gym for that. Can't get anything in here that I could work on. I know I'm big, but I'm mostly quiet."