If you build it... (IC)

[quotemyname]

If you really like Gwen, just thought you might want to know another student by the name of Brian who shares the same opinion. Remember, 'the booka that gets away is always the best eating.'

Well, that's going to make this building party kind of awkward. Zach finally returned his sister's sending after what seemed like ages. Still, no future is set in stone. Even the Tekton's master masons know that. We'll just see how these things play out. Besides, how serious can they be after such a short time?

Zach floated through the air toward the group. Once he was close enough, the teen dropped to the ground rather rapidly. A solid thud resounded as his feet hit the ground and made to deep impressions in the soil near the greenhouse they were building. He hadn't damaged the lawn, thankfully.

"Hi, everyone!" Zach gave a friendly wave and smiled from behind his reddish tinted sunglasses. "I'm so sorry I'm late," He said, approaching Gwen, "You wouldn't believe the training session Mr. Archer had me doing."

And before you ask, Sis, I did check. The last two gemstones are still safely hidden under ground.

[Raveled]

Brian blushed, the different parts of the catwalk flying apart and floating inside of the greenhouse, while the teen marched along underneath them. "Right, right. It's a catwalk, not a widow's walk. Oh, and I'll take whatever pizza you order. It's all good, right?" Once inside the mostly-completed building, he levitated the pieces upwards and started slotting them into place, much as he had done with the foundation outside. "Feel free to scramble all over these, guys," he called out to Corbin and Morgan. "Mr. Archer's had me juggling buses for practice."

[Heritage]

"I'm sorry, the vines are just... they make it hard to do almost anything romantic. It's like having a four year in my head all the time."

Jeena winced sympathetically. "That does sound awkward; is there anyway you could...distract them, or give them something else to do while you...uh..."

"Unless there's something else, I think it's ready for me and Jeena to put the catwalk on."

Happy for a distraction of her own (as her conversation with Gwen was getting a bit too personal), the Tektani girl eagerly clapped her hands together. "Yes, let's get to it, then!" She followed him into the incomplete greenhouse and grew up to fifteen feet in height, a nice compromise of size and strength.

Well, that's going to make this building party kind of awkward. Zach finally returned his sister's sending after what seemed like ages. Still, no future is set in stone. Even the Tekton's master masons know that. We'll just see how these things play out. Besides, how serious can they be after such a short time?

The giantess snorted to herself as she held a piece in place for Morgan to insert the fasteners. Well you never know; I'll let you know how things turn out, but for the moment I wouldn't worry about it too much. There are good beverages and pizza is on the way!

Seeing her brother in the flesh, she waved at him from inside the greenhouse before returning to work.

And before you ask, Sis, I did check. The last two gemstones are still safely hidden under ground.

Glad to hear it! I was starting to get worried about them.

[Breella]

Gwen pushed her braids out of her face and took a drink of some ice water. She watched Zach arrive. "It's ok. Better late than never, You're just in time though! Pizza is on its way and we should have plenty to eat!" The vines decided they wanted a break of their own and set out, moving outside Gwen's skin like odd projections. Some curled around in her hair, others flowered on her hands but still under the skin. As if they weren't there Gwen grabbed a shovel and dug down a little away from the greenhouse, edging grass up but then moving to another area, then another. Almost as if she was looking for something in the ground.

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin had been about to lift the catwalk himself, but then Brian got to it first. The large youth shrugged and flew over to start tightening screws and such. As he went from bracket to bracket, he glanced at the energy constructs holding everything in place.

"So, Brian. What all do your powers let you do? It's just that, even though it looks different, it seems like you're getting a similar end result to what my ring can do. Which isn't bad, mind you."

He shrugged as he worked.

"Guess I'm saying, if you want, I can give you some tips later on. Never hurts to bounce ideas off of others, you know? This sort of power takes a lot of effort and thought. Never hurts to find out "shortcuts" for stuff."

[quotemyname]

Glad to hear it! I was starting to get worried about them.

Worry no more, Sis. No one's gonna find those for a good long while. I found a remote fissure and stuck them in it. Even if you knew exactly where to look, you'd still have to mine them out. Veerlon knows a cavern made of stone and earth beats the Meeka out of a safety deposit box any day.

Zach watched the strange way that Gwen was digging for a few moments. He was no stranger to digging holes. No Tektani were. Whether or not her interests lay elsewhere, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you need help, Gwen? Jeena can vouch for me, I dug a lot of holes as a kid." Zach smiled, "If not, maybe there's something else I can work on before the pizza gets here?"

[Breella]

Gwen kept edging into the soil and moving to no avail. "I'm trying to find a water line... Mr. Summers said it was here in this area. We need to find it so I can tag it." Gwen thought about that for a moment and realized it wasn't a full thought. "I need it marked for the groundskeeper. I'm going to get a rain barrel set up for the greenhouse but just in case of drought we need a hose line here." She looked up at Zach and stopped edging the shovel in. "You wouldn't be able to help would you?"

[quotemyname]

She just... I mean... I... Say something, idiot!

"Yea! Sure!" Zach blurted out, before he knew what he was doing. He didn't after all know if he could find that water pipe. He just really really wanted to be able to. "Here...Can I use that?" He held his hand out for the shovel. Once he'd received it, he pressed the blade firmly but slowly into the ground. In his most dense form, all he had to do was stand on the end of the blade, and it could slip right in. But he took advantage to show off how strong he was and did it with just one hand instead.

Once it was in the ground, he closed his eyes and grasped the end of it. He felt the density of the molecules in his own body. He knew he had full control over those. But Tektani had been tunneling and mining their own homeworld for years. The dirt on Earth couldn't be that much different. He reached out with the power of his genetic modifications. After all, he was supposed to represent a perfect specimen of their race. Why shouldn't he be able to... "There it is!" His eyes shot open. "Metal pipe carrying water from point A to point B, right? Yea. It runs from the school to the sprinklers in the soccer field. Well, Football in this country, I guess. It's there." Zach leaned in closer to Gwen so she could see along his arm better. He drew an imaginary line in the air at the approximate location of the water line. Zack pulled the shovel out of the ground, and handed it back to Gwen. "No reason you should hurt your back, right?" He smiled at her before asking, "Want me to draw a line in the dirt for you?"

[Raveled]

"So, Brian. What all do your powers let you do? It's just that, even though it looks different, it seems like you're getting a similar end result to what my ring can do. Which isn't bad, mind you."

Brian shrugged. "Red energy," he said. "With little black bits in it, as I'm sure you've noticed. Mostly I've just used it to blow stuff up -- it's really good at that -- but lately I've been doing some, uh, training under Mr. Archer, and I've figured out how to make shapes out of it."

"Guess I'm saying, if you want, I can give you some tips later on. Never hurts to bounce ideas off of others, you know? This sort of power takes a lot of effort and thought. Never hurts to find out "shortcuts" for stuff."

Brian's eyes goggled as the upperclassman -- and a member of Young Freedom! -- offered to spend time with him out of the other boy's own free will. "Yeah. Totally! I'd love to see what you could come up with."

[Quinn]

As the catwalk went up, Crow vanished, going from point to point with a power drill and screwing in the various points that the metal frame would attach to the wood greenhouse. Following after Corbin's points, the large metal walkway was soon nicely riveted and bolted into place. Morgan wasn't particularly talkative during this phase; Vicky was busy elsewhere, and the others seemed to be quite engrossed in other conversations. Of course, when Corbin started mentioning help vis-a-vis power training to Brian, a positively devilish smile creased the young student's face.

"Hey Bri, why don't we have Corbin attend our morning training session?" Morgan asked quite innocently, drilling in one last bolt. "You'd be more than welcome, mate."

[KnightDisciple]

Brian shrugged. "Red energy," he said. "With little black bits in it, as I'm sure you've noticed. Mostly I've just used it to blow stuff up -- it's really good at that -- but lately I've been doing some, uh, training under Mr. Archer, and I've figured out how to make shapes out of it."

"Red, blue, who cares what color it is. You've got the touch, as it were. How big can you make things, and how complicated?"

He continued to work as he talked, moving from piece to piece to fasten the catwalk on.

Brian's eyes goggled as the upperclassman -- and a member of Young Freedom! -- offered to spend time with him out of the other boy's own free will. "Yeah. Totally! I'd love to see what you could come up with."

Corbin noted the junior's expression and couldn't quite hide the smile.

'Man. Wasn't that me, a year ago? Seems like a good guy.'

"Well, I've got a few pointers, anyways. Let me ask you this: Do you do any sort of visual art? Drawing, painting, sculpting, that sort of thing?"

As the catwalk went up, Crow vanished, going from point to point with a power drill and screwing in the various points that the metal frame would attach to the wood greenhouse. Following after Corbin's points, the large metal walkway was soon nicely riveted and bolted into place. Morgan wasn't particularly talkative during this phase; Vicky was busy elsewhere, and the others seemed to be quite engrossed in other conversations. Of course, when Corbin started mentioning help vis-a-vis power training to Brian, a positively devilish smile creased the young student's face.

"Hey Bri, why don't we have Corbin attend our morning training session?" Morgan asked quite innocently, drilling in one last bolt. "You'd be more than welcome, mate."

Corbin turned to face Morgan, a cautiously curious look on his face.

"Oh? What time is the session? Don't want to interfere with my classes or anything."

'Or my occasional chance to sleep in with company...'

[Breella]

Gwen smiled at Zach, "That would be very kind of you." Gwen stepped back and let him take over. We want to help! The vines called out in Gwen's mind. I'll have to think about that. she told them. Gwen turned back to everyone. "Finish up your current things and come and take a short break, drink some drinks and the food should be here any minute." Gwen herself went back to checking the inventory on the boxes. "Its got to be here..." Gwen mumbled.

[Azuth65]

Vicky dusted her hands and walked over to watch Brian work. "Nice work Bri. Glad one of us with energy manipulation can do more than blow stuff up," she sighed. To Corbin she added, "He's got a bit of a head start on energy manipulation, mine just started coming in. I am however glad it only cost me a couple pencils and a sketchpad before Mr. Archer's training helped get it under control. I still need to work on my aim, though the training I've been assigned, both from Mr. Archer and Fulcrum, has more to do with improving my strength, endurance, and teleporting abilities."

When Gwen called out that food would be incoming shortly she called over, "Let me know when the gatehouse calls over. I'll run over and grab the pies. The security guard likely won't let the driver past."

[quotemyname]

"It's strange putting things in a different language," Zach said to Gwen as he hefted the shovel in one hand, "But I think the saying is, 'Ask and you shall receive'." He threw her a casual smile and saluted her as he backed away toward the underground water pipe. Only after he'd saluted did he realized he'd used the Resistance Salute: a closed fist, palm outward, with the first two fingers at his temple. He hoped she either wouldn't notice, or would take it as a Netherlands thing.

Once he was repositioned at the pipe, he drew a mental image in his head of where the line needed to go, then he let that new sense fade out of focus as he reached out and tried to affect the density of the dirt rather than sense it. There was a small rumbling as he shook up the molecules of the dirt in the ground just under the surface and grass along where the water line ran through their construction site. The grass on top of the soil became broken up as fresh, less dense dirt he'd just created rose above the now more dense top soil to the surface. A second later, there was a dirt line through the grass of fresh topsoil along the place where the water pipe ran. Zach looked up toward Gwen, and saw that her attention was otherwise occupied. The smile on his face faded slightly.

This is actually fun... He sent to his sister, I'm not sure if it is the proper term, but it's like I'm playing a game. Trying to make her like me. I'm sure she will. Perhaps I should find out more about Brian. I don't dislike him. We just want the same thing. Has your roommate said anything about him I might be able to use? Is it wrong to ask that?

Zach's thoughts were silent for a moment. Finally, he thought to himself, There was so much fighting back on Tekton. There was never any time for romance. I've spent my whole life fighting, but here at this school there's some iota of peace. Zach smiled and looked around him at the project they were all using their powers to complete, This feels... right...

[Raveled]

Red, blue, who cares what color it is. You've got the touch, as it were. How big can you make things, and how complicated?"

"Pretty big," Brian allowed, starting to retract his energy from the catwalk and letting the fastenings and fittings take more and more of the weight. "Last time I made a dome about fifty feet across and the team was still able to fire through it and hit the targets. As for complicated," he added, "well I've been keeping it pretty simple. Domes and planes and cubes, mostly. Don't want to overextend myself."

"Well, I've got a few pointers, anyways. Let me ask you this: Do you do any sort of visual art? Drawing, painting, sculpting, that sort of thing?"

"Not really. Mr. Archer's trying to get me to do it, and I know I'm scheduled for some art classes next semester, but it's just not my thing, you know? I'm a doer, not a thinker." He stopped and thought about what he'd just said. "And that makes me sound like an idiot. I should really stop doing that."

"Oh? What time is the session? Don't want to interfere with my classes or anything."

Brian glared at his roommate. "Morgan's being an ass. I don't know if I'd inflict Mr. Archer on anyone."

[Quinn]

Crowe rolled his eyes, and spoke in a stage-whisper to Corbin as he stress-tested the catwalk. Namely, by hanging upside-down from it.

"Eh, don't mind him; he's just irked that he had to take extra training instead of an essay. And whaddya mean, inflict Archer on someone? Guy's probably the nicest, sweetest, most murderous drill instructor I've ever met!"

The raven-haired teen let out a peal of laughter, pulling himself up with just his legs, and looked down at the two from above, shrugging.

"Eh. Bri, Vick, John and myself usually hit the field early morning, 'round 6-7ish. John and I usually snag breakfast around 5, if we can; let Bri here get a bit of a lie-in before the fun starts."

[Breella]

Gwen looked up from her quest to find the box with the caulk and guns when the vines piped up. He moves the earth! Gwen could feel it too, the displacement of the grass left the simple plants feeling confuse at their sudden upheaval. She turned around just in time to see what Zach had done. "Impressive." Gwen walked over and inspected the earth he had upturned. She whistled. "Well that is one less thing the groundskeeper has to do."

[Heritage]

This is actually fun... He sent to his sister, I'm not sure if it is the proper term, but it's like I'm playing a game. Trying to make her like me. I'm sure she will. Perhaps I should find out more about Brian. I don't dislike him. We just want the same thing. Has your roommate said anything about him I might be able to use? Is it wrong to ask that?

Again Jeena laughed seemingly at nothing as Morgan finished the last of the catwalk assembly. Just remember, Zach, that every game has a winner and loser; 'be humble in victory and honorable in defeat'! Then she paused. But yes, I will keep you up to date on the goings on between Brain and Gwen, but I won't break any confidences; I have to live with her for a year, so I don't want to pour theetle spores into the deep-well.

For her part, Jeena wanted to test a theory of her own; not very scientific, but any data obtained would be most helpful. As she worked, she made a point of brushing up against both Morgan and Corbin; she used discretion, but made she there was decent contact lasting a few seconds. She made no comments or apologies and kept her face neutral, but carefully looked for even the most subtle change in posture, speech or attitude that might reveal the two boys' dating status. After all, it was only right that she be just as cautious in love as her brother!

[KnightDisciple]

To Corbin she added, "He's got a bit of a head start on energy manipulation, mine just started coming in. I am however glad it only cost me a couple pencils and a sketchpad before Mr. Archer's training helped get it under control. I still need to work on my aim, though the training I've been assigned, both from Mr. Archer and Fulcrum, has more to do with improving my strength, endurance, and teleporting abilities."

"Sounds like they're working on your foundation. Aim tends to come easier once you know your limits. Plus, throwing teleporation into the mix always makes things more complicated. Seems like you have a good handle on things, though."

"Pretty big," Brian allowed, starting to retract his energy from the catwalk and letting the fastenings and fittings take more and more of the weight. "Last time I made a dome about fifty feet across and the team was still able to fire through it and hit the targets. As for complicated," he added, "well I've been keeping it pretty simple. Domes and planes and cubes, mostly. Don't want to overextend myself."

Corbin gave a low whistle.

"Fifty feet? I never really got much past that, though I didn't have much opportunity to do so. And there's nothing wrong with basic shapes, really. If that's what works, it's what works. I just am of the mindset that says it's always good to be versatile. Once my ring's not "shorted out" again, I'll likely work on being more precise than I was before, even. Hopefully I'll find a way to make tougher constructs, too."

"

Not really. Mr. Archer's trying to get me to do it, and I know I'm scheduled for some art classes next semester, but it's just not my thing, you know? I'm a doer, not a thinker." He stopped and thought about what he'd just said. "And that makes me sound like an idiot. I should really stop doing that."

"Hate to sound like a teacher, but that's probably a good idea. Never know when you might need that. But no, you don't sound like an idiot. Everybody approaches things differently, you know? But!"

He held up a finger as an amused look crossed his face.

"Give it a shot. You don't need to like them all, but try them all. Drawing, painting, computer drawing, carving, metal sculpture, clay sculpture, stone carving, LEGO kits, whatever works. Find some way to flex that particular muscle in your brain. It'll be worth it, and you might have some fun in the process!"

Brian glared at his roommate. "Morgan's being an ass. I don't know if I'd inflict Mr. Archer on anyone."

Corbin chuckled.

"It's not a big deal. Besides, I've trained with Archer a couple of times, in sessions with Erin, Mark, Trevor, and Eve."

Those student who'd been there last year knew he meant the previous year's roster of Young Freedom: Wander, Midnight, Edge, and Sage!

Crowe rolled his eyes, and spoke in a stage-whisper to Corbin as he stress-tested the catwalk. Namely, by hanging upside-down from it.

"Eh, don't mind him; he's just irked that he had to take extra training instead of an essay. And whaddya mean, inflict Archer on someone? Guy's probably the nicest, sweetest, most murderous drill instructor I've ever met!"

The raven-haired teen let out a peal of laughter, pulling himself up with just his legs, and looked down at the two from above, shrugging.

"Eh. Bri, Vick, John and myself usually hit the field early morning, 'round 6-7ish. John and I usually snag breakfast around 5, if we can; let Bri here get a bit of a lie-in before the fun starts."

Corbin just shook his head with a smile.

"I've dealt with plenty that's worse than Archer. Though yeah, he can be tough.

6-7ish, huh? Hm."

He finished tightening a bolt, then floated away from the catwalk a bit to ponder things.

"I could do that a couple times. How about day after tomorrow? I'll probably catch breakfast afterwards."

For her part, Jeena wanted to test a theory of her own; not very scientific, but any data obtained would be most helpful. As she worked, she made a point of brushing up against both Morgan and Corbin; she used discretion, but made she there was decent contact lasting a few seconds. She made no comments or apologies and kept her face neutral, but carefully looked for even the most subtle change in posture, speech or attitude that might reveal the two boys' dating status. After all, it was only right that she be just as cautious in love as her brother!

For his part, Corbin seemed generally oblivious to any motives behind the contact. He noticed it the second time, and back up a bit. An embarrassed smile crossed his face.

"Ah, sorry about that, Jeena. Sometimes, guy my size, we just bump into stuff. Add that into all of us scrambling around in here, and...Well, yeah. Again, sorry."

He gave her a cheerful smile and got back to work on the last few connections, humming to himself as he worked.

[Quinn]

Morgan grinned, more friendly-like this time, and gave Corbin a slap on the back, laughing.

"Heh; you're YF, Corb. You'll probably eat all of us for breakfast on those runs, seriously. But it'll be good to get a guy who really knows the biz working with us; Vick and Bri aren't the only ones who need a handle on their skillset."

He gave a somewhat self-deprecating smile, indicating the numerous runes on his coat. Despite his newfound ability to carve runes, Morgan's previous experiments were...a tad more lacklustre. And Corbin had had his magic dingus for quite a while, it was plain Crowe was hoping to learn what he could.

The look he gave Jeena, on the other hand, when she brushed up against him, was quite different. He'd spotted her accidental thud into Corbin, logged it away as a one-off right before he turned to work on some more connections. Then he felt her bump into his back. And his suspicions were piqued. He turned to face her with a raised eyebrow; half of his face smiling, but two very piercing eyes looking right at her, assessing her as she backed away, and her subsequent glances. Not for the first time, he marveled inwardly at how his skills at observation had improved since arriving at the school, as well as the focus he was able to give to the minutae.

The marveling didn't reach his gaze, though, the oddly avian eyes disconcertingly intent, akin to a hunting bird assessing it's prey. Then he blinked. And shrugged, turning back to work. Although his next words were rather strangely picked.

"Hey Corb; think you and Quo-Dis might be up for a double-date with me and Vicky sometime? From what I've heard, she might be able to teach Vick a few things on how to use her new strength, and you know the city better than us, maybe you can show us a few hot-spots?"

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin finished tightening the last bolt before he turned around in midair. He had a look of concentration on his face.

"Um. Maybe? I guess it depends on when and where? Our last double date had...mixed results, but that was also a while ago. I'm sure things would go more smoothly this time. It'd be her call, though."

He was a bit curious what prompted this, but it didn't really sink in to his mind or anything.

"And I don't know the city that much better; my family's only been here about a year now."

[Heritage]

"Ah, sorry about that, Jeena. Sometimes, guy my size, we just bump into stuff. Add that into all of us scrambling around in here, and...Well, yeah. Again, sorry."

Jeena merely nodded and smiled. Duly noted. She wasn't so vain that she couldn't imagine someone not being attracted to her; not all the boys back home liked her, and since coming to Earth, she'd learned from watching movies, TV shows and commercials online that many humans preferred a bit more color in their women. She assumed she probably just wasn't Corbin's 'type' and moved on.

The marveling didn't reach his gaze, though, the oddly avian eyes disconcertingly intent, akin to a hunting bird assessing it's prey.

When Morgan locked eyes with her, the Tektani girl felt her heart sink, because in an instant she knew she'd been caught; her face went taut, her pale blue eyes never wavering from his. This was a young man not to be underestimated, and her childish games were an insult to both of them

Then he blinked. And shrugged, turning back to work. Although his next words were rather strangely picked.

"Hey Corb; think you and Quo-Dis might be up for a double-date with me and Vicky sometime? From what I've heard, she might be able to teach Vick a few things on how to use her new strength, and you know the city better than us, maybe you can show us a few hot-spots?"

Jeena's face flushed with color, perhaps more than it had since she was a child; her head downcast, she set down her tools, returned to her regular size (actually a few inches shorter than normal), and mutely headed over to the refreshment table, where she had some more Gatorade. She stood somewhat apart from the others as she slowly drank and stared at her feet, deeply ashamed.

[Azuth65]

Vicky, while out of earshot noticed Jeena trying 'the rub' trick she'd used a couple times in her dating life to gauge interest. She sure couldn't blame the sometimes-giantess for her interest in Morgan or to a lesser degree in Corbin. She could hear Morgan say something but couldn't make out the actual words as Gwen moved some boxes next to her. Then she saw Jeena shrink in on herself and all but run away.

She stepped quietly over to Jeena after giving Crow a look that said, 'What did you say to her?'. When she stood next to the blond haired girl, she gently put a hand on the Dutch girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You okay Jeena? Why don't you come walk with me to the gatehouse? I could use a hand with the pizza. And if something's bothering you, you can tell me and maybe I can help?"

[quotemyname]

Gwen looked up from her quest to find the box with the caulk and guns when the vines piped up. He moves the earth! Gwen could feel it too, the displacement of the grass left the simple plants feeling confuse at their sudden upheaval. She turned around just in time to see what Zach had done. "Impressive."

Gwen turned her head to look at Zach just as he was busying himself by turning his gaze elsewhere. Whether or not he purposefully turned away, or was just finished looking her direction was unclear. One thing was for sure, however, he'd been looking at her. It was also clear that as he turned away, he'd missed meeting her gaze, didn't hear her comment, and wasn't aware that she was interested. If only he'd held his gaze a little longer... Zach's felt a small weight in his chest. He leaned against the shovel for a moment watching the construction. Just as he was about to walk off and see if he could help anyone else, he heard something behind him.

Gwen walked over and inspected the earth he had upturned. She whistled. "Well that is one less thing the groundskeeper has to do."

Zach jumped, startled, but he turned to smile at her. The weight in his chest lifted a little. "Yea, that's the idea," he told her, "Do you like it?"

---

Vicky, while out of earshot noticed Jeena trying 'the rub' trick she'd used a couple times in her dating life to gauge interest. She sure couldn't blame the sometimes-giantess for her interest in Morgan or to a lesser degree in Corbin. She could hear Morgan say something but couldn't make out the actual words as Gwen moved some boxes next to her. Then she saw Jeena shrink in on herself and all but run away.

Vicky wasn't the only one that had been watching Jeena. Her brother had seen the act as well. The two had been trained in espionage. To him, the Old Tektani 'Rub and Rock' was obvious. He said nothing, and watched. If Gwen had responded to his question, he'd barely heard her due to the distraction. He liked Gwen, but his sister's well being and peace of mind always came first.

Zach turned to ask Gwen another question, completely forgetting his first, "Can you do me a favor, Gwen?" He didn't look at her, his eyes were fixed on Vicky and Jeena, "Watch out for my little sister? We've..." Now he turned to Gwen, "Neither of us has ever really had any chance to get close to anyone. Back home or in the few months we've been here." Something told Gwen he wasn't talking about just Claremont, or Freedom City. A touch of sadness entered his expression as he looked toward his sister again, "In fact, most of our lives have been a literal battle for survival." Something told Gwen he really meant that.

"How can you have the chance to practice relationship etiquette when you're busy fighting for you life?" When he turned back to look at her and see her reaction, he finally met her eyes for the first time. Behind his bright blue eyes Gwen saw that he was hurting for friends, just like his sister was. She could tell that he was trying very hard to make the other students like him, but that it was something that he strictly wasn't cut out for. He didn't know what he was doing, and even if he did, he likely wouldn't be very good at it.

Gwen could tell that much of the time, Zach's words were guarded. It was difficult sometimes to peer through the smoke and mirrors to find the parts of what he said that held real meaning. But in the quick glimpse into his eyes, she could see that there was at least some part of him that was good and honest at it's core. Perhaps he just wasn't sure how to use it, or express it. "Just..." His speech was halting and he turned back to look at his sister, "Just watch her back, you know? In case I'm not around."

[Breella]

Gwen as looked up from the torn dirt to Zach she was about to ask for help with some boxes when his words cut into her. She listened, understanding on a level. Thought she may not have fought for her life every day she had constantly moved from place to place. She never had long term friends or lasting relationships other than her parents. Gwen smiled and nodded to Zach. "I find it hard to believe there will ever be a time you're not around." Gwen pause and then elaborated. "You guys are like the Irish Twins, but either way I'll be there for her when she falls, just like you will."