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Post by zenguardian on Apr 15, 2016 20:56:57 GMT -6
"New York Park" Gil said out loud as he confirmed he was in the right place. Today would finally be the day that he and the other Chipless - what he refers to people without chips as - got together. They'd been communicating back and forth for quite some time now, discussing the current state of the world. Although there was reportedly less crime than before the Princess began her reign, Gil believed that a form of peace built on brainwashing the citizens is no kind of peace at all, only deception. But back to the meet up, though! Gil was casually walking around the park, throwing furtive glances at anyone who resembled Jason, the de facto leader of their troupe. When they exchanged basic information about themselves online, Gil had told them that he had blonde hair, when he actually had brown hair at the time. It was a precautionary measure, until he actually went and died his hair blonde. It was a sorry mistake on his part; he'd completely forgotten he had said that. But blonde was his original hair color. With all of the identities he'd shifted through over the years, it was nice being able to have some semblance of his original self. Guess one good thing about it is that there were apparently plenty of blondes in the park. It'd be easy to blend in with the crowd. Hell, it'd be even easier if everyone had a robot arm, he thought to himself Gil was wearing simple white and turquoise clothing. In a situation such as this, it was best to dress casual. Like it's a day in a park. Which, well... it technically is. But with style.
As he was walking through the park, Gil noticed a young man sitting alone on a bench in the shade. He stopped and crouched down as if he were tying his shoe, getting a closer look at the boy. He went through a mental checklist of everything he knew about who he would be meeting up with, which honestly wasn't much. "Red hair? Check. Purple clothing? Yup. A nervous wreck?" Gil squinted his eyes, focusing on Jason's body language. "Absolutely," he said with a soft laugh. Gil was very impressed with Jason. He organized this whole thing and managed to stay under the governments nose and could probably continue to do so. Online, at least. Gil was better out in the field than with computers. It just wasn't in his skill set. Gil stood up and walked over to Jason, projecting excitement. It had just turned 10:38. "Jason, man, long time no see!" He walked up to the red-head, who was sitting on the bench, and joined him, throwing his arm around his shoulder. "It's been so long! I'm glad we could see each other again!" He said with enthusiasm. He then looked Jason straight in the eye and said "Boy, it's almost like we're meeting for the first time, huh?" He then winked, a knowing smile spreading across his face. Gil noticed another person approaching them. He feigned recognition, ready to greet him when  Gil stared bewildered at the person who, uh... clearly wasn't a very good actor. Gil laughed, hoping to relieve any tension. He seems nice. "H-hey... friend! Remember me, Gil? It's been a while! Why don't you take a seat so we can catch up?" |
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Post by Allie on Apr 15, 2016 21:22:48 GMT -6
Her cheeks puffed out in frustration at traversing the park, her chubby little legs almost giving out. Her mother nudged her shoulder, concerned about her well-being.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, stopping in her tracks. Charlie shook her legs in response, her mom scowling.
"Come on Charlie, we talked about this. Use your words." She spoke, an unintentional cold tone forming from slight frustration. Charlie averted her eyes again, trading off one form of social contact with another, and spoke.
"...tired..."
Her mom patted her on the shoulder, encouraging her to move on to find her newfound friend, the two of them sauntering along the beautiful scenery. In any other situation, this would be considered wholly wrong on all kinds of levels, but there was no other choice but to take risks. At least she had her parents to save her if anything went south. Hopefully.
Those thoughts were clouding her mother's head, with Charlie on look out for what she needed. Her eyes were caught by the sight of a redhead man hanging with two other men, albeit none of them looked particularly scary outside of the man with the robot-arm. She stared at the redhead, seeming to match all the descriptors. But what really set the deal was the model of his laptop: no one would take down the government with a standard-issue model. At least no one who wasn't a movie character who used laptop models with less than 4 gigs of RAM. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and opened her mouth.
The words weren't coming. She strained her mind to think of something that would indicate she was happy, some social behavior that matched up. She twiddled her thumbs in her hands before breaking from her mother's grip and sitting next to the supposed 'Jason', waving her hand at the young man and flashing a dorky grin.
...that's how they greet people in the movies, right? That's one thing that they would get right? He's a real human being, right?
To confirm this, she squished his hand, focusing on poking at the veins to confirm it. Whether or not he had problems with personal space was of no concern.
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Post by norimo on Apr 15, 2016 22:04:26 GMT -6
Striding along the sidewalk, a figure could be spotted basking in the sunlight as they made their way through the bazaar aligned with decorated boutiques, quaint kiosks, and bustling pedestrians going to and fro according to their busy schedules. The figure stopped in his tracks, lifting a hand over his eyelids to shade his view as he peered among the array of signs and intersections. After a moment, he resumed his stroll leisurely, even twirling the strand of gold that hung from his ear between his fingertips. The drop of turquoise dangling from the adornment shimmered in the sun's rays as he continued on. It was nice. His hair swayed in the wind, its ends fluttering on air as he moved his palm to sweep it back. It had been too long since Kaine treated himself to an indulgence such as this. Perhaps being cooped up in that musky old room of his was beginning to weigh him down, but regardless, the current moment truly left a blissful sensation within him. It wasn't everyday, or even often, that Kaine had the chance to meet up with "friends." Now, the term being used lightly, being that he truthfully only agreed to such a rendezvous on a whim. A ragtag ensemble of supposedly un-chipped individuals, well, how could there not be a spark of interest or curiosity? His eyes darted from sign to sign, scanning the landmarks as he strode by as to not miss a detail. It almost appeared effortless as he navigated through the streets without a hint of doubt crossing his features. While a shady park wasn't the best of descriptions, it wasn't as if he didn't have a clue on the location "Jason" was referring to. He'd obviously want a place with few people, so picking a less popular location would be the smarter decision. It was just a matter of distinguishing which bench he could've chosen, and while it could prove rather menial dragging one's feet from bench to bench, eventually he'd find it. A yawn escaped from his lips as he pursued the stranger onward, slipping a hand in between his wrap to check if his phone was still on his person. His feet came to a halt as he checked the park's gate overhead, before picking up his pace once he had affirmed his whereabouts. The trees' leaves dangled on thin stems and danced in the breeze lightly as they canopied over him. The sunlight had poked its way through the crevices in small beams that lit the intricately placed tesserae on the pathway. The colored stone shot back a hint of color as the light struck it, illuminating the park subtlety, yet beautifully. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to come back and visit again sometime. The first bench came up at his left, though not a soul was perched upon it. Kaine lifted a brow, but it was to be expected. Choosing the first bench seemed a little too convenient, if anything. Upon carrying on, the possibility of a set-up struck him once more, but if any ill feelings were to raise immediately, he would decide it wasn't worth the stay. Besides, could their abilities hold their own against his? He had the chance to send them soaring if they tried anything too sketchy, though it may not be needed in the end. If they were the dead set anti-chip group they lead on to be, then perhaps he could humor them. The second bench was propped under the sunlight, definitely not the one. His eyes wandered to the glimmering pond, their lids narrowing as he stared at the reflection of the ripples on the leaves above. If there was no one to be found at the end of the road, then at least he would have enjoyed a day out in the park. Needless to say the last time he visited one was... awhile ago. Whether or not if it was as fulfilling as before was questionable, but it wasn't terrible making a return. According to the information relayed, purple clothes and red hair were the key components to hunt for. The willows closed in as their barks hunched over the area, creating a sheet of gray over the pavement as he progressed farther. Faint voices in the distance touched upon his ears as he drew nearer to the noise that echoed through the trees. A minute gathering of his contemporaries were adjoined on the other side of the flora, and a... child? Ah well, he might as well have a peek. As he reared around the corner, a male with blonde features crossed his arms to the side of them. His positioning came across as stand-offish, even reluctant. A peculiar man with a robotic limb stood near, greeting who appeared to be a meek boy of seemingly sheepish posture. A young girl perched herself atop the bench, fiddling with the hand of a man with red hair. A smirk spread across his lips as he registered the man to fit the description. Was this the group they assembled then? They're certainly a colorful pack. Without hesitation, he sauntered across the stone path and parted his lips, "Jason, how are you?" he lifted a hand for a wave. Kaine's pupils surveyed the group, taking another good look at the people presented, "It's certainly been awhile."  |
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Post by Kisaka on Apr 16, 2016 14:02:31 GMT -6
Fluttering his eyes closed for a moment, Jason took a deep breath of the fresh breezy air to try and calm his nerves. That's right... Nothing to fret about. After all, if this whole thing flopped he'd only be sentenced to death or something, right? Haha... Opening his eyes, he focused on a younger looking gentleman who'd seemed to be approaching him. Maybe it was just the brightly colored clothing that gave off that impression, but... he certainly caught his eye. The only thing that threw Jason for a loop was the different hair color. Maybe this wasn't really- But before he knew it the man had called out his name and made himself plenty comfy right beside him on the bench, arm draped around Jason and all. Instantly, the redhead's shoulders rose and his body shrunk in on itself a bit until his laptop started to wobble. Catching it with his right hand, he straightened his lap out and zipped his eyes up to the other. "Haha y-yeah! You're telling me!" the man weakly replied back before coughing a couple times and clearing his throat. 'C'mon Jason, for Christ's sake, is this any way to make an impression!? He's going to think you're some stupid wimp and all the confidence you talked up online was all a lie!! Stand up straight and act like the real Jason!' His inner thoughts echoed loudly, forcing himself to get out of his awkward anti-social funk and try to behave like a normal socializing human being. Slowly, a bigger smile stretched across his lips too as Gil looked him straight in the eyes. "It really is. It's good to see you" He said, looking away quickly when he'd winked. When he'd looked away, that's when the redhead was able to spot the next person he'd be meeting that day. Black hair... This could be one of two people, yes? He had a good feeling as to which of the two it was, but he couldn't be for sure just yet. As the man approached the ginger, Jason smiled a little awkwardly back. Never mind the dark haired one's stammering, nor his awkward demeanor, Jason honestly kind of felt... relieved. Jason might have been alright at keeping a somewhat cool demeanor in a few of his online posts, but he related with this guy's lack of confidence on a social level. Was this guy his spirit animal? "Oh yeah! Hey, join the party!" Jason laughed along, switching his gaze from one man to the other. The next person to show up was a mother with a child... Jason had started to feel nervous now. Who were these people? The older one didn't seem to match any of the descriptions listed in their conversations that led up to the meet up and yet.... the smaller one absolutely did match one. At first, he worried he had fucked up and this family was actually working for the government and it was merely chance that the little girl looked like how his friend had described but... Practically jumping when she'd darted from her mother to the spot next to him, Jason flushed at the sudden interaction despite the fact that no words were spoken from her small lips. This girl... could she seriously be... Fortunately or unfortunately for him, his thoughts were once again interrupted by another introduction. Oh! This one, on the other hand was definitely blonde and there was no doubting who this was. It was him for sure. Having a rather cold but cool aura about him, Jason had a hard time finding words... Especially words he hadn't already used in greeting the others. He couldn't repeat exactly what he said before, now could he? If he did, then the brunette boy would be able to see just how weird this whole real life social thing was for him and he'd really be judging him... Not having nearly limitless time to decide what you're going to say before you say it was hard. "Great! How about you? Isn't a great day out? I'm glad we were able to all get together like this after such a long time!" None of it was a lie, either. And that's when the final person to the group had showed up. Glancing at his watch, they were right on time as well. Everyone was! Jason was honestly impressed. Impressed and feeling even more confident about the kind of people he'd be working beside. The long hair on this man took him by surprise though. Jason looked as a few strands were picked up in the wind, ghosting over his dark complexion with such grace. Looking over everyone, Jason had to be a little honest with himself. Everyone was quite beautiful! He'd kind of expected at least a few who'd look to have not taken care of their physical being that well, or at least someone who just looked very awkward. Maybe they all looked super awkward and Jason was too awkward to realize it? No matter what, he was pleasantly surprised and happy with who he had surrounding him. "Certainly has. Come closer, I promise I won't bite!" Jason snickered, the hand that was preoccupied by the younger one's fingers twitching ever so slightly. So this was everyone, huh? ...Cool! He didn't have much complaints all things considered... But, there was one thing that bugged him. The motherly figure stood not too far away and since he'd had no information about her... he had to ask. He wasn't afraid to force her to leave, but he wanted to get to the bottom of this immediately. "Ma'am, may I know your name and your business here?" He looked to her and then to her daughter, putting on a more strict facial expression. "Who is this person to you?" He questioned the little one.  |
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Post by Allie on Apr 16, 2016 14:39:42 GMT -6
Charlie clenched up, her eyes darting around to other places. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed her mother walk away, somehow trusting these grown men to take care of her in her place. She puffed her cheeks out to the much MUCH taller man and crossed her arms, opting to stare at his talisman as a replacement for eye contact. Surely he wouldn't mind?
"That's my mom..." She meekly stated, repeating the words softly to herself to confirm she said them. She withdrew more within herself, before trying to reassure him again.
"She's safe... she's not dangerous..." She muttered, audible enough for the group to hear. Speaking of the group, she looked around at them again: many of the new recruits looking pretty intimidating. Charlie hoped in her mind they'd prove not to be as foreboding.
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Post by schribbit on Apr 16, 2016 14:42:36 GMT -6
"H-hey... friend! Remember me, Gil? It's been a while! Why don't you take a seat so we can catch up?" "Uh- y, yea-" Elrod was interrupted by a small girl joining them and basically taking up the spot he would have taken. He hesitated to move or finish his sentence as Jason began greeting the others. A blonde man had arrived but had taken to standing a bit to the side. That looked like a good idea. He looked so cool while doing it, too. If only he himself could pull off such a cool move. Instead, he found himself fidgeting with his hands in front of him, almost to hide behind the large flaps of cloth. He hadn't needed to turn his head to know another guest was arriving, for he felt from a distance the approach and knew there was someone waving towards them and greeting them again. Elrod was done participating and continued to look down. Someone earlier had been pacing. He thought it was the blonde one, and only wished he could be off somewhere doing the same to calm his nerves. Jason and the small girl had also begun to talk, but there was no way he intended to join them. He'd just make a fool of himself again. |
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Post by Kisaka on Apr 16, 2016 15:01:55 GMT -6
It didn't take much for the lady to leave, and though Jason wasn't all that surprised, he felt even better about it once the girl had given light on the situation. He took notice of her speech pattern, and tried not to stare at her too long before looking up once more to see that the woman had indeed left. Not even a hug or a wave goodbye. These people really are nothing anymore... Softening his expression, the ginger hesitantly placed his right hand atop the little one's head, rubbing it slightly. That's normal, right? The fact they had a child on board did make Jason nervous, no doubt about it. The only reason he didn't start bombarding her with questions, concerns and the like was mostly out of respect. This girl... she certainly seemed older online. Mature, fairly well spoken and her skills within her powers were impressive to say the least. He'd only experienced them a few times but... even then, he was still in awe. This little girl, however old she may be, was certainly one to be feared, having that power of hers. If she could maintain that sort of connection and skill for as long as she'd been chatting with them online, he had no doubt that she would be fine being here with them now. If anything, her small size would put her at a high advantage. Especially considering how tall some of them were...
Jason gave a good look around the group and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Well then, I guess since we're all here and there doesn't seem to be too many people nearby..." Jason's eyes looked to Elrod specifically, as if to clarify that he didn't feel like they were being watched. "We should share our names. O-Obviously I'm Jason. And you're Gil." His eyes looked to his left sheepishly. "Then what names do you all prefer to go by? After all, it'd be rather suspicious and a bit dangerous to go by our screen-names..."
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Post by norimo on Apr 16, 2016 15:31:36 GMT -6
The redhead spoke before drawing the little one in a huddle. His eyebrows tightened, and his voice lowered as he whispered to her. Not wanting to interrupt, Kaine decided to take a step towards the two, before turning his back on them to leave them to their business. He pinched his chin between his thumb and index finger, his pupils scanning meticulously between the faces.
Is this all?
A pang of disappointment struck his gut at the realization of a missing face. In the back of his mind he had a hunch they wouldn't be here, but deep down a spark of hope still flickered within. Of course, now it had been doused out completely. Maybe this group wouldn't prove to be so interesting after all, seeing that a child made her way into the ranks. Yet even with doubt stirring within him, perhaps he could entertain himself with a few of those gathered. If not, then at least he enjoyed a nice day out in the sun. His attention was caught by the young man twiddling his fingers, his eyes averted from the crowd and fixated on the pavement below. He was the definition of anxiety, to say the least.
It appeared Jason was done chatting it with the little one besides him, and he was stuttering at this point as well. What they were doing certainly was a bit of a gamble, though maybe at this point Kaine was accustomed to taking risks. The man with spiked hair hadn't seemed too intimidated as the rest of them, being that he wrapped his arm around the ginger as though it was natural for him to do so. Could he be a bit of a gambler as well?
Ah well, he might as well speak up first to get the rest of them started. He raised his head, taking in a breath, "I'm Kaine," he smiled, "Though, you met me as Abel. It's nice to make your acquaintance."
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Post by zenguardian on Apr 16, 2016 17:45:15 GMT -6
Gil watched as the others approached him and Jason one by one. He had to say, he was still pretty excited to be meeting them all in real life. None of them looked too suspicious, though the other blonde and the little girl made Gil a little wary. Gil wanted to talk to them more, but he didn't know how to adress any of them except Jason. He was going to ask, then... Gil smiled and nodded. "Ah, yeah! Abel! Your hair's a lot longer than I thought. It's good to see you!" Gil said. "Like Jason said, you all can call me Gil. Online, I went as... eh..." Gil paused. He was embarrassed to say his online username, but then realized that they all would've probably made the connection anyway. "I was '_FireCyberFighter_'. It um... it rhymed. And it was inconspicuous. Yeah..."  |
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Post by Allie on Apr 16, 2016 18:16:18 GMT -6
 Her lip quivered as the rest of the group saw her as a liability, with the exception of... Elrod, was it? At least the man didn't seem to see her. There was no way this was the whole group: at least one of them had to be her age. Oh well, she had to do the introductions: at least in as few words as possible to avoid the awkwardness. "I'm C-Charlie. I was... um.... uh...." She blushed slightly, hoping her stupid username wouldn't be as bad as Gil's; but the trick was that her username was stupidly obvious. Honestly, she saw the conspicuous moniker as a challenge. She cleared her throat to speak, pulling at her collar nervously. "MajorLeagueHacker." ...at least she didn't spell anything wrong? |
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Post by schribbit on Apr 16, 2016 18:17:05 GMT -6
 He looked up for a split second to see Jason looking straight at him. He immediately looked away and chose to focus on the movements of the branches and leaves in the trees above. It was much better to focus on those things than the blood pumping through his veins. He didn't realize the look was not to scrutinize him, but to ask if there were any others around to spy on them. If he were to answer, he would say no, only a few stragglers in the park who did not seem to be interested in spying in any way. They were just enjoying themselves, as their own group would seem to be doing. "Abel", the one he remembered to be able to manipulate others. It was a scary thought. Terrifying, actually. He made note not to get on his bad side. He put away the new information being that Abel was now Kaine, and listened as more people spoke up. Next was "_FireCyberFighter_", he had definitely remembered that one. He always thought it was silly. Oddly enough, he seemed to be very comfortable with talking to people, despite his silly name. Elrod envied that. "Trois_mttes". He hadn't talked to him much at all. What did make him think was his true name. Dry Seagull...? Was he sure he wasn't just saying another handle from a different site? Elrod wasn't looking, but he could tell the blonde was messing with his hair. A nervous gesture. Was he lying? Elrod hoped that wasn't the case. It wouldn't do any good to try to work with someone like that. "MajorLeagueHacker" was next. The small one. That was certainly not what he expected at all. Not at all. He expected someone taller, someone appearing more confident than she did. It was odd. It did not match up at all. He did know she was good at what she did however, and he supposed the username fit that. He just hadn't expected someone so, so small. There was a bit of silence, and to fill it Elrod decided to get his name out while he could. Get it over with. "I'm Elrod, but you would... know me as... Sun," Elrod coughed a bit. He didn't want to finish saying his screen name. Surely "Sun" was all they needed, correct? He never thought about having to say his screen name out loud. It was embarrassing enough to tell people his e-mail address. Sundropella. Not very cool. Not very cool at all. He probably should've changed it before getting involved with the others. What a fool he was. It was too late now. |
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Post by Kisaka on Apr 16, 2016 19:36:39 GMT -6
It was kind of strange to see that one by one, each person was replacing their previous alias, one that everyone knew to learn and familiarize themselves with, with a new name entirely. One was to assume that these were their legal names, or at least nick names based off of their legal names. However, there was no way for them to prove it unless IDs were shown. Something like that seemed a little drastic and suspicious, so Jason had no reason to ask for such information so long as no one were to raise any red flags to him.
Kaine, much like his alias Abel, sounded majestic-like. It fit his overall appearance quite well, if Jason was being honest. Another thing to note about him was how non-talkative he'd been since meeting they all met face-to-face now. It made Jason a little nervous but it was nothing new considering Kaine had always been quiet.
The blonde one at Jason's side spoke up once more, and once the ginger had seen an opportunity to slip out of his grasp, he went for it. It's not to say that Jason didn't enjoy the physical touch, but more like he wasn't used to it and so it made him feel a little strange. After all, they'd only just met. In person, that is.
Drei, aka; Trois was the next to peak Jason's interest. Jason had pretty much already known who he was when he'd walked up. Not really sure how, but something about how he looked really chirped at him. The blondie hadn't said all that much yet, but Jason wished he would. Maybe he needed a little encouragement.
Charlie's alias name was seriously hilarious. The redhead had completely forgotten how ridiculous it sounded since he'd referred to her as Major for so long. Now that Jason really thought about it, her handle was pretty childish, so it probably made sense to the most of them why she chose it in the first place. Also... the name Charlie... it seemed to fit her very nicely.
The name Elrod seemed to stick out a lot to Jason for some reason. Unlike the others, it didn't really suit his pal Sun at all.
"If you guys suddenly hit your head and forget who I am, it's Sonicscars2556, otherwise known as Jason, at your service~" The tall man popped up off the bench and did a little bow, trying to ignore the festering nervousness he got from being looked at by everyone in the group since he did the whole introduction thing. For some reason or another, Jason wasn't all that embarrassed by his handle.
Offering up a small laugh, he silenced it before long and spun around, taking a few steps back to now be beside Drei. His eyes shone with curiosity and his expression softened. "So Drei... " He started. "What's going on in your head right now? You're awfully quiet..." Jason didn't make it known, but in that question he'd used his thought manipulation power to help persuade the glasses wearing boy. You could say that this meetup would definitely help train his abilities more and more. Also... he was curious.
Out of everyone who'd met up, Jason was probably the most fond of Major/Charlie, Sun/Elrod and Trois/Drei. It was probably just because they all never tried to be the lead or center of attention in most cases.
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Post by norimo on Apr 16, 2016 20:29:08 GMT -6
Kaine listened intently each of them identified themselves, nodding as to take mental notes of it all. Online, he had much preferred to listen than to speak. After all, there was no way telling who everyone truly was off screen. It just wasn't wise. However, his attention was still focused on Elrod, or "Sun", who was fidgeting but a few steps away from the others.
Maybe now would be a good time to talk. Though admittedly he was a tad bit concerned his conversation partner would scurry off before even initiating a topic. If he could just offer some reassurance...
"Elrod, huh?" Kaine stepped toward the nervous boy, offering a smile. "A nice name, not to say I disliked "Sun", however. I find the handle rather... warming?" He chuckled at his own jest, "I'm sorry for my previous distance, I pride myself in outside communication more." He extended his forearm out, his palm open for a handshake, "I'm glad to meet you. Have been enjoying your day so far? I can understand if it's been a bit... tense. Seems like everyone's on their toes."
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Post by Allie on Apr 16, 2016 20:51:14 GMT -6
As she noticed her new found friend Jason leave to talk to the scary glasses guy, Charlie retreated more in her chair, opting to put her legs up in the fetal position for the sake of her own comfort.
The comfort was short-lived since she could hear her stomach grumble much more easily with this position. She adjusted her position once again, pulled her few dollars out of her pocket, and gestured to the nearest person to a food stand slightly far off. That person being Gil. At least it was only the robot arm that freaked her out. It wasn't like Kaine, who was just straight up acting creepy.
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Post by schribbit on Apr 16, 2016 20:56:23 GMT -6
"Elrod, huh?" Kaine stepped toward the nervous boy, offering a smile. "A nice name, not to say I disliked "Sun", however. I find the handle rather... warming?" He chuckled at his own jest, Elrod had been watching Jason introduce himself further and go up to "Dry". He meant to pay close attention to that interaction, but it seemed someone wanted to interact with him instead. This took Elrod off guard. There were plenty of other people to talk to. Why didn't Kaine just talk to Gil? Gil was obviously better at this kind of thing. He looked like less of a wreck too, despite his robotic arm. Nonetheless, Kaine came up to him and initiated a conversation. It felt a bit embarrassing, the joke that he made about his username. He probably thought his full username was stupid or something. That it didn't fit him at all, or maybe that he was stupid to have used it. However, he couldn't pinpoint any malice or ill will through Kaine's demeanor, and decided to try not to think about how dumb he was.  "Do you..." He interjected quietly. It was difficult, but he managed to look up at Kaine's face for a moment. He wished he were the same way. He much preferred online communication, but even then he had to be careful not to communicate too much. Anything can be interpreted as being uncool, real life or text. He had to appear sparingly to decrease the chances of showing his true nature. Elrod, seeing the hand extended towards him, was about to also reach his hand out before he remembered he needed to roll up his sleeve. Instead of rolling it manually however, he decided to wave his arm a bit until the sleeve was hanging at his elbow. After he lightly grasped the hand to shake it he realized how stupid that must have looked and once again adorned a red hue across his cheeks. He surely couldn't look at Kaine's face now that he made such a fool of himself. Elrod realized he was so busy worrying that he only caught a bit of what Kaine had last said. Something about their day being tense and on their toes. Something like that. He nodded his head a bit and decided it would look worse if he didn't say something, and finally spoke up a bit. "It's a nice day, but I'm still not sure if it was- a good idea to come out here," Elrod realized he could possibly offend someone by saying this out loud, and quickly retracted his statement. "Oh, um, well it's not that anyone is particularly bad at all... I'm just not sure... if this was all that safe-a good-i-dea at-all..." Elrod did not know how to finish his thought without seeming even dumber, so quickly stopped talking at that. |
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