ic Smokin' in the Boys Room

[angrydurf]

Claremont Academy

9/18/2015 (three days post Lets get it started), 10:30AM

Sunny with light clouds

If Huang had been raised in circumstances less bizarre the trek down to the boiler room adjacent janitorial office would have been downright creepy with the poor lighting and strange sounds in the distant subterranean halls echoing like something out of a horror movie.  As it was however event the more familiar environs could not improve his mood much.  Not only detention but detention wasted on menial tasks for the mundane staff of the not so mundane school.  He arrived a few minutes later than he had been ordered too outside the door to Basil Faulks 'office' and paused with a smirk listening in for the mans famed odd mutterings, if there was truth to any of them they could after all be useful and if not they certainly sounded hilarious from the poor attempts at being scary the upperclassmen had made regarding the strange groundskeeper.

[Avenger Assembled]

Turning a corner, Riley spotted Huang. Great. Freakin' great. As if 'detention' wasn't BS enough, now he had to serve it with Huang Faretti. He was sure Huang had already seen the video of his training exercise - the accidental 'leak' had 'gone viral' among the boys, spread by Jayaman and his jackass friends. He could just imagine what the arrogant dhampir had to say on the subject. He hesitated a bare moment, then kept walking, deliberately making noise so he didn't sneak up on the other boy. Maybe he didn't like Huang very much, but you didn't startle somebody in the middle of a darkened corridor. That just wasn't right. 

"So. Whaddya in for?" he asked quickly as he took a wary position alongside Huang. He felt naked without his bow; the hatchet on his hip his only weapon. 

[angrydurf]

Huang looked over at the slight scuff behind him and frowned, "I know you're better'n that tarzan."  he murmured with a small laugh and turned to face the other boy his gaze still haughty as he examined the other student.  He took in the absent crossbow thoughtfully and turned back to open the door, "Crap rolls downhill and my Dad yelled at half the staff and the headmaster cus he caught me bailing on the lame museum trip."  he left out getting high as a kite on god blood as that was not the part of that rumor that needed to get around the school if he was going to be the revered bad boy rebel of the school.  "So now detention for a week."  he moped and held the door still not entirely comfortable having a monster hunter with an axe at his back. 

Inside the room lined with confiscated toys of varying complexity and world ending potential stood the seemingly frail and slightly mad figure of Basil Faulks head custodian.  When the boys entered he seemed to be in a staring contest with an old concert poster in one corner of the room mumbling about it always staring at him.  He whirled as he heard them and eyed them each with a mad glare, "No students down here what're you about?"  he demanded then looked down at his desk and the slip of stationary from the headmistress desk, "Oh you all are here for the detention then."  he grabbed a pair of plastic buckets that had seen better days each with a screwdriver and pair of pliers inside and held them out.  "There are bulletin boards outside each dormitory, the Gymnasium, and the administration building."  he barked, "You two are to clear down any fliers without an official stamp or past their date and remove unused staples and pins."  he ordered and sniffed as he looked over their shoulders like there was someone behind them, "An no leaving them on the ground!"  he gestured at the buckets as expected receptacles of the tiny fasteners.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Oh yeah, that thing!" said Riley, surprised to hear sympathy in his voice. "Yeah..." He looked away, having actually been present for that pretty uncomfortable moment, and having heard some of the rumors about the other boy after that. He'd been tempted to ask if Huang had really had sex with Set right in front of the Centurion statue - but he knew what rumors like that were like. "Jerk move. Shouldn't punish you because they were dumb. Back home they'd have been walking the line too." 

Riley was perfectly attentive, practically at a military stance, as they got their assignments. He understood the needs of recycling well enough - he'd done his share of scavenging. "Yessir." Once they were outside, though, he relaxed fractionally. "Okay. Do the field first," he suggested, pointing towards the school's athletic field. "Fewer people there now." 

 

[angrydurf]

Huang stared at the strange little man and his buckets and took one with a huff, "Yea got it don't lose any of your precious staples."  he said snidely earning a none to pleasant glare from the groundskeeper.  He winced in the bright light of the outside as they emerged and pulled his sunglasses from his coat and quickly shielded his vision.  Looking out towards the open field and lack of shade he reluctantly agreed, "Yea sure as good as anywhere I guess."  he acquiesced with a quick longing glance to the tree laden quads nearer the buildings.

As they walked over he peeked at Riley out of the corner of his eye, "Avoiding them isn't going to make it go away."  he finally murmured when they were out of earshot of the crowds in the quad, "Just feeds the fire lets them dictate the terms ya know?"  he offered with care.  He had seen the video of course, it had been kinda nasty but it was less shocking when you thought the guy hunted your kind to start with and moreover Huang knew better than most the sting of assumed villany due to unusual habits.  

[Avenger Assembled]

"I don't give a crap 'bout their stupid opinions," Riley snapped back, his voice almost a snarl. "Buncha spoiled fat-faced brats." He shook his head. "Just easier to work without them getting in the way." He cracked his neck, relaxing fractionally once they were away from the crowd. Despite his short legs, he led the way down the path, his wiry muscles pulling him forward. "Shouldn't even be a punishment," he muttered. "You ask me, everybody should be taking turns doing this. Just teaches people that cleanin' work's for losers."  

[angrydurf]

"Oooo Kay."  Huang replied letting the all too obvious lie alone for the time being and walked a few paces in silence letting the shorter boy take the lead easily, he'd gone enough places with his mother to know it was way easier to pace yourself when they were in front anyway.  "Uh it kinda is?"  Huang replied with a small smile, "I mean sure it is a thing that needs doing and all but you can hardly say society is better off if a doctor is scrubbing floors when he could be curing diseases or performing surgery."  he noted with the kind of quiet privilege of the very out of touch but not actively randian.  "Hedge fund managers on the other hand."  he shrugged with a laugh, "It's an imperfect system to say the least."

At Rileys brisk pace they soon reached the staple studded board and the torn remnants of fliers from the last year and summer.  from the weathering this was a task not done regularly likely only when there were particularly problematic students to task with it.  Huang let out a sigh and began lazily pulling staples from the board with the pliers and depositing most of them in the bucket.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Doctor damn well better know how to scrub things," Riley muttered in reply, "Gangrene's no damn joke." It was hard to tell if he was kidding or not. He went to work on the staples without another word, and for a few minutes there was nothing but the regular sound of staples being cleared. "That's the problem," he finally said, "People here put on airs because they can turn into some kinda divine avatar or build a reactor with their eyes closed, they think that makes them better than everybody else. People need to start workin' together and not give so much of a damn about what other people are doin'." 

[angrydurf]

Huang looked over at Rileys retort and nodded, "Uhm, Well at least on all the medical dramas my grandparents used to yell at on TV they had orderlies and nurses to do that part but yea sure sterile conditions are important."  he agreed and went back to quietly and rather slowly pulling staples.  He stopped entirely when Riley launched into more vitriolic speech on the lack of communal spirit in the world and how that was somehow tied to rare superpowered beings.  the dahmpir stared for a long moment at Riley not exactly sure what was even said no less how to respond precisely.  Finally he bit his lip thoughtfully and carefully spoke, "Uhm, What?" he asked as how superpowers, lack of community and people being all up in others business did not seem even loosely related to Huang.

[Avenger Assembled]

"People fight each other over stupid things. Who's black and who's white, who's a girl and who's a boy, whose god has the biggest stick, who's rich and who's poor." Riley's hands kept working as he talked, smooth, fast, and efficient. "People here should...just work together, man, against the real bad guys, instead of acting like their neighbor's gonna knife 'em in the back over a can of beans. It's even in the movies. Every time people talk about the world going to Hell, there's always some stupid-ass metaphor about how the real monster is man. Well that's BS. The real monsters are the freakin' monsters!"  

[angrydurf]

Huang followed nodding through the first bit the level of strife human tribalism caused was not completely unfamiliar background radiation of his life.  The neo-anarchist socialism wasn't completely new either anyone with an internet connection and willingness to look at the bottom half of hte internet had heard one form of this rant or another before.  "Well yea but how do tell who the real-"  then it went into the whole monster thing and Huang clamped his jaw shut and turned to pull staples angrily for a long moment as he simmered then turned to glare at Riley, "See that's exactly why all the movies point out the real monster is man.  Because you all just assume some absurd binary, Us versus Them, with us or against us."  he barked and shook his head, "Because humans can't be assed to work together without world ending armageddon on the line and even then they'll pull up and lock out the outsiders so they can scrape by in some cave or ridiculous fenced compound like a bunch of damn cattle in a pen."  he stared Riley down for a long moment, "The only way humans beat the monsters is when they become more monstrous, and not for food, or lack of control but because they decide they are better and more worth saving then whatever else.  THAT is why man is the real monster."

He turned back to the board then and started pulling the staples out again his eyes glinting red slightly as his hand started to move faster as he spoke, "Lets just get this over with, I thought you had a bad rap, maybe different idea of who or what was ok but maybe you are just another racist murderer like my parents warned me about."  he grumbled as his hand became a blur his vampiric speed plucking the last staples in under a minute.

[Avenger Assembled]

Standing behind Huang, Riley had the unsettling realization that he had a perfect shot at drawing his hatchet and smashing the butt into the back of the other boy's head before those superior reflexes would let him turn around. The moment passed quickly - the anger did not. "So what, you finally figure out you're not gonna get in my pants, jackass, and now you think you can talk crap about my family?" He was acutely aware that, without his bow, Huang could probably kick his ass in anything like a fair fight - but that awareness was not foremost in his mind right now. "You have no idea what you're talking about. We didn't have a bunch of creeps in tights back home to save our asses because they all died and left us to pick up the freaking pieces. And you're the one from the world where people give a damn if you're black or your mom's Chinese, so don't throw that race thing at me! I don't care about _you_, why would I care about your damned grandpa?" 

[angrydurf]

Huang realized the speed with which he was moving right as Riley spoke and dropped the pliers as he stood and slowly turned looking nervous.  This is why one shouldn't let anger steer the ship.  "Uh it was nothing."  he murmured, "I didn't mean."  he struggled to cover for his lapse and leaned back against the now empty board and shook his head slowly, "What?" he scowled down at the other boy, "First off my chances of getting in your pants has no bearing on my opinion of your family."  he said rolling his eyes, "I don't even know them but I can guess the type."  he grumbled sourly, "For the greater good ridding the world of the evil monsters stalking the night preying on the living." he mocked in a poor vincent price impression.  Huang huffed blowing a stray hair lock of hair from his eyes, "And I don't know what craphole you came from but-"  he paused for a long moment then, "world?"   he murmured, "So you're not like from some long line of blackula hunters or something?"  he asked honestly surprised, "You're like from one of the armageddons?"  he slowly put together and looked down at his feet, "Sorry, it's just."  he shook his head, "My family has taken a lot of crap from these so called heroes, and I thought this was another of Summers damn mind games sticking me with some damn hunter." he grumbled, "But you're right I don't know you."  he shrugged, "So sorry your crappy world didn't have capes to save the day."  he shrugged, "They are not all they're cracked up to be here either."

[Avenger Assembled]

Riley stared at Huang, bafflement on his face for a long moment as he tried to process the bizarre series of words coming out of the other boy's mouth. "Okay then. Let's go hit the dorms." When the boys were finished cleaning out the athletic side of campus, that was the direction they headed. "So why'd heroes give your family crap, anyway?" Riley asked Huang on the way. "Something to do with being a dhampir?" He thought Huang's habit of flashing inhuman, biting fangs around was pretty creepy to be honest, but it was a stupid thing to oppress people about. "Your mom seems to do okay, if they let her comeonta campus and talk to us about dimensions 'n stuff." 

[angrydurf]

"uh yea."  Huang replied nervously and picked up his bucket, "Lets do that."  he agreed and followed Riley towards the more populated regions of the campus.  He let out a sigh at the question he really had gone a bit overboard with his ranting but too late now to take it back.  "Kinda?"  he suggested warily, "I mean My dads a vampire, so that doesn't win a lot of friends to start with."  he explained with care, "And there's history of squabbles with other heroes about that and,"  Huang shrugged, "It's like I said, people here words like that or any other supposed Monster and immediately assume someone is evil."  he crabbed with a sigh, "Lots of my parents old friends thought he had tricked my mom when they found out I guess."  he hadn't heard the bloody details but they'd been hinted at, "After that they stuck with other heroes that were more fringe, Deadhead, Atlas, people that other heroes and the public got the willies over."  he smirked, "And all the creepy guys hanging out together did wonders for all of their reputations among the shining heroes of Freedom."

 

[Avenger Assembled]

"Some monsters are evil," said Riley bluntly. "If you tried some of the things people do here on my world, you'd just be dead. Or worse." He sighed, then went on more quietly. "And yeah, I know this isn't my world, and I'm not supposed to act like that here, so don't go squealing on me to Marquez, all right? I'm not a psych case, whatever everybody thinks." It didn't sound like he cared about their respect so much as their disrespect infuriated him. "Sorry everybody here's been a dumbass about your parents. Drives me crazy how much everybody goes at each other here over the stupidest things." Once in the girls' dorm, he signed in, giving the RA an unblinking look, then went to work on the common room's bulletin board. They were both getting looks now - Riley's infamy had certainly reached the women's side of things. 

[angrydurf]

"So are some people."  Huang pointed out with a small smile, "That's why people should focus more on the what thena the who."  he opined with a shrug as he too signed in.  Making his way to the bulletin board he took pretty much the opposite tact waving and smiling with an overly polite, "Laadies."  as they walked past.  Armored in his idiom he didn't have to worry about the slings and arrows of frightened looks and uncertainty.  He glanced to Riley and shook his head, "I mean I know you know this, but this isn't your world."  he pointed out carefully, "I just mean the rules are different, not that different on the scale of things but different none the less."  he shrugged lightly and slowly plucked staples, "You know, you're not a psych case but that doesn't mean you're right either."  he said quietly, "But if you go around acting like this is that world you are gonna look crazy and eventually maybe make yourself crazy."  he offered with a shrug, "It's not easy, but there are benefits to things here,"  he smiled slightly, and eyed the other boy, "Robin for instance." he teased gently.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Yeah, well, she is pretty great." Riley couldn't help but grin. "You still hooking up with what's her face, that Egyptian girl?" Riley hadn't really followed those stories about how Huang had supposedly had sex with some sort of Egyptian deity, but everyone in the boys dorm had heard some sort of gossip. He found he liked this conversation far more than the one about his world - or for that matter about violence. "Seems like everybody's hookin' up. Robin says Raina and Anibal have maybe kind of a thing, and I'm thinkin' bout tryin' ta get Matt and Fred to know each other." 

[angrydurf]

Huang smiled with a faint blush, "Set?"  he asked biting a lip and shrugged, "I'm not sure what exactly we have there but whatever it is it is good too."  he offered somewhat cryptically still not entirely certain exactly what the relationship betwixt the godling and himself was exactly.  He wasn't terribly surprised rumors were flying after Sets visit to his room, everyone in this school was all up in everyone else's business it seemed.  

"My understanding is that is at least half of the purpose of highschool, along with drunken partying and worrying about tests you inexplicably ace."  he offered with a shrug, so far his teen movie binge had been paying off as he was fairly certain he'd nailed hte mysterious loner role on campus.  No mean feat considering Riley killed a fake guy within a week of the term opening.  He quirked a brow at hte suggestion of getting Rileys roommate together with Robins, "That is some machiavellian stuff right there man."  he said with a shake of his head he actually admired the boys plan, Fred going ape on his roommate would clear both his and robins rooms of interfering roommates and they'd probably both get that 'my roomie died/killed someone' automatic A, pretty ingenious really.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Uh, okay," said Riley, evidently not really understanding what the other boy was talking about. "It's just so they'll have something to do. Fred's cute and Matt's an all right guy. He's got a lotta dogs, girls dig dogs. So, uh, speaking of, so do you know anybody who drinks?" he asked Huang quietly as they moved to the other side of the common room, shooting a quick glance around to see if anyone was paying them attention. "Like socially?" He undid a staple noisily before commenting, "Stupid how they put the age at 21 here. You know you can get drafted into the Army but you can't go drink?" 

[angrydurf]

Huang seemed nearly as baffled by Rileys befuddlement as the woodsman was of Huangs own sentiments.  A world where the Prince was not bedtime story material was strange indeed.  He dismissed it however as the kids instincts seemed good enough.  Huang chuckled lightly to himself, "Lots of people."  he said eying Riley with mirth dancing in his eyes, "But it sounds like you're asking if I know anyone who can hook you up?"  he inquired with a curious lilt to his voice pausing for a long moment consideringly, "I think I can set something up."  he said slowly, "However. You might have experiance."  he said though it sounded almost like a question, "But if your party guests don't it can get ugly."  he mused aloud, "What you have planned?"  He asked curiously.  He really wasn't sure just how bad an idea this was but the idea of Fred on alcohol was both hilarious and terrifying and he was pretty sure Robin could get as much booze as she wanted, which might be none granted, so Riley and Matt?  could be.  Regardless Huang kinda wanted to see what went down when Claremont got lit up.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Naw, man..." Riley waited till they were out of the dorm and on the quad, heading for their next target, when he said, "I'm asking if you know anybody who needs to get hooked up." He grinned. "I looked at the chem lab and they're all set up to make sure nobody makes zoom or super-drugs or stuff like that, but they've got enough copper pipes and beakers I can make you whiskey, even beer if I can get the grains. Hell, I figure superhero school can handle a little liquor on the side, right? I don't really partake myself," he admitted, "but you seem like someone who knows where the parties are." 

[angrydurf]

Huang paused in his meandering pulling of staples to look incredulously upon Riley, "Ahhh,"  he murmured not really against the idea in concept however he had some certainty that a bathtub still was still going to set off some sort of alarm bells for the school.  Taking a deep breath he offered for once a non-toothy smile, "No offense but is there a reason to do that when a fake ID can get plenty of light beer and wine coolers?"  he asked carefully, "I admit some temptation for the sheer audacity but I think there are simpler ways."  He shrugged however and continued pulling staples once more, "I've put out inquiries, I have access an ID and illusionary magics so." he shrugged leaving the rest unsaid, "If you go forward with it I might be able to put you in touch with interested parties but most want the watered down sweet stuff."  he pointed out as few even super powered teens went for rot gut when there was hard lemonades and cocktail mixers.   He turned once more, "You might talk to Anibal that new kid, his dad is big on tequila imports I hear."  who knew maybe boozy talent ran on the family.

[Avenger Assembled]

"I can make that," murmured Riley boldy, a smile on his face as he considered the challenge. "I'll see about Anibal, he's an all right guy. You know, I bet Fred could be a help too," he added. "They used to give their babies cocaine back when she's from, she's probably up for helping with a little party." When they looked to be on their own again, he added, "And we do it our way because if we're buying it from somebody else, we're just...just parasites, man. It's like sneaking and lying if we make a lot of fake IDs and stuff. If we're gonna do it, we do it ourselves, and we do it our way." 

[angrydurf]

Huang raised a brow, "Uhm, yea."  he said uncertainly, "Just make sure to leave the wormwood out of the mash and you should be good with that."  he joked at the suggestion of Fred joining the endeavor.  "Hallucinations are a lot less fun then they make them out to be in those PSAs."  he added quietly almost like a voice of experience before laughing slightly at the affront of lying about age but being totally OK with making terlet gin to distribute to underage students.  "Hey I didn't say it was a bad plan just that there are alternatives ya know?"  he suggested with a smile.  "It is a dumb rule I'll give you that."  he agreed, "The stuff doesn't even effect me so it's kinda moot but the principle is there it's not like we're children you know?"  he griped absently talking now with his hands animated about the injustices of the tyranny of adults.  "Like how are we supposed to learn anything in some tiny box insulated from the world ya know?"