How was Gwen so good at coming up with names for things in record time? Forget Karma- the girl clearly had a future as a Marketing Director!
His attention turned in Kim's direction now, toward her energetic new friend. Speaking of energy, the atmosphere had suddenly become packed full of it- if it hadn't been already, that is.
Tsugi, as observant as ever, offered to take the bespectacled girl to "somewhere quiet", a proposition so blunt Orion had to stifle a chuckle or two.
Once Pamela had started eyeing Tsugi up and down like he was a crazed person though, Orion knew what was coming and wanted to step in to Tsugi's defense, but once the damage had already been done, the girl started firing off questions rapidly at the table before Orion could get a word in.
He sighed cooly and remained silent for a few beats, glancing sympathetically at his friend. Asuna'd whispered something, but he couldn't quite catch it in the moment.
Orion had only known the Japanese young man for about a day, though it was crystal clear even to him that Tsugi wasn't the sleazy pick-up type. In fact, the guy never meant any harm with just about everything that left his mouth. The pain of being misunderstood- Orion knew it well.
So while Pamela's abrasive response was completely appropriate given the circumstances, it had admittedly rubbed the portal weaver the wrong way, and his demeanor had become notably more subdued by the time Gwen had taken off to go see her friend, directly clashing with the wave of energy that had been crashing against him.
Tsugi opted to brush it off and move on, prompting Orion to do the same, but he made a mental note.
He didn't think the question about his hair was actually intended to be answered, but after listening to Asuna's answer, she redirected the question back at him.
"...yeah, they are actually." he began, offering a soft, if not somber smile at the group, playing with the purple twists in question. "It used to be all black, but once my power came around, my eyes and the tips of my hair started changing colour. It was freakish. Made for a couple interesting days at school and at home though."
He moved his attention back towards Tsugi, whose tone, on the surface, was as professional and level as ever, though a trained ear would reveal there was a slight edge, a disappointment, present in his discourse. Orion looked him over for a while with sympathetic eyes before answering.
"Homeroom was...weird," he began, before relaying how he met his classmates, the scene of Ms. Thornheart, her eyes, the threads, and how he was the only one able to see them. Once done, he leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.
All the socializing had actually helped him get his mind off of all that, but now here it was again, a parasite eating at his peace of mind.
All the more reason to stay connected with these guys and put myself out there, he thought to himself, knowing that perhaps the most dangerous enemies weren't roaming about in the streets, but rather sneaking about inside your own head.
Glancing down at his watch, he noted the time- 11:55 already? There were only about 25 minutes left!
He recalled their next lessons were...Applied Superhero Engineering, and then two periods of Electives. What did he pick again? Ah, he would find out soon enough anyway.
"Well," Orion exhaled, rising, picking up his tray. "Think I'm gonna go return this. Be right back."
[USER=234888]@Cryronn the Mudkip[/USER] (Tsugikuni)
[USER=259557]@Blotch'd[/USER] (Pamela)
@Cmeriwether (Asuna)