[$] Puppy Love

[Your Missing Period]

"Yea, we should probably grab a bite to eat before heading to bed. I've got a busy morning tomorrow. I was told not to take morning classes but I figure, get it out of the way ahead of time, y'know? When do you take your classes?" Dale felt his stomach give a silent growl, placing a hand on his stomach and quickly changing it to looking like he was smoothing out his hoodie. God he was hungry. Time sure did fly by when he was chatting and browsing stores.  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Sarad heard Dale's stomach and quickened his step slightly, "i have morning and afternoon classes. i'm taking nineteen credits, so i have a full day." unlike most high schools, you could choose what classes you took here, like they did at college. you had to earn enough credits to graduate, of course, but you could graduate with different emphasises, like cooking, or psychology. it really was an avant garde school, which is why his family liked it so much. twelve credits was considered a full time workload and most students took that many since they could graduate in four years with just that. technically Sarad could graduate at the end of this semester, but he was moving to the AP classes and didn't want to leave without learning as much as possible while here. besides, why would he leave his home? "here it is, the cafeteria." it had surprisingly few students, most using the break to eat at the restaurants or having a last dinner with their families. Sarad lead Dale to the end of the line where the menus were periodically posted. "so the daily specials are listed here, they change according to what the chef chooses to make. these are the items that are always available and here are the seasonal specials. there is also a 'pre-exam' special right before midterms and finals as well as a 'sick special' that is always available. it's got all sorts of soups and things to help when you are under the weather."  

[Your Missing Period]

"Ah, I'll try to be quiet when I wake up then. I think my first class starts at six, I'll be quiet." and looked at the nearly empty cafeteria, following him around to the line and looking at the menu. "This is a lot for a private school. It's like a restaurant." and looked at all the menus, "This literally says ramen. Like, ramen ramen or cup ramen or boil but still practically instant ramen? And steak, and burgers." THis really was like a restaurant, and look at this sick menu. One two three, five different types of soups with crackers and toasts and breads and rice and oatmeal, "This is so great."  

[VampuricWerewolf]

"Ramen like you see in anime and manga," Sarad said, smiling a little. "one of the chefs trained in Japan, so some of the menu items reflect that style." he decided on the miso ramen with some fruits and veggies from the buffet and moved along with the line. "they really focus on the students here and making them as comfortable as possible." he shrugged and got a tray, asking for his ramen from the lady taking orders. she smiled and he moved down the row so that Dale could make his order. by the time he reached the check stand, his ramen was on his plate along with an apple, a plate of sliced kiwi and a large green salad. he swiped his card and waited for Dale before finding a table that was clear and off to the side. "you don't need to worry about being quiet. i'm conditioned to wake up when there is movement near, so it won't matter if you make noise or not." he smiled a little, "but i go right back to sleep easily, so it's not a big deal. i'll try to keep quiet when i study since i assume you will be going to bed early. let me know if i bother you at all and i'll fix it, ok?"  

[Your Missing Period]

"Ramen like, what?" he asked, not totally sure what this man was talking about, but he looked at the menu and decided to try out the burgers here, wondering if they were made out of mystery meat like the public school food system. With that he also gone some french fries and decided some juice would be better than soda. And soon he had his food, following Sarad to a table and sitting across from him.

"You have really pretty hair for a guy." he said, completely re-directing from the rest of the conversation, "And it's a really pretty shade. Your parents were totally okay with that?"  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Sarad frowned a little, his eyebrows coming together as he tried to think of why his parents wouldn't be ok with the shade of his hair. "oh-" he smiled, "i forgot, most people think i dye it." a hand went up to touch his hair, "it's natural. hard to believe, i'm sure, but i was born with this color. my parents did a lot of research with new chemical compounds, looking for improvements in medical and energy sciences. before my mother knew she was pregnant with me, there was an accident and some of the chemicals spilled on her. there wasn't any lasting damage, actually that's how they found out they were expecting, but something in the compound soaked in and made my hair turn from black to purple and my eyes this sort of golden brown color." he lowered his hand and picked up his chopsticks, "and no, i don't have any secret super powers." that was always the next question when people found out about his hair.  

[Your Missing Period]

"That's natural?" he asked, not believing it, and the story of how it happened was more farfetched. Did he have superpowers?

"That's what someone with secret super powers would say," he teased, sipping his juice, "So what is it, then? Invisibility? Psionic abilities? Elemental control? I bet you've got the ability to change people's hearts or their feelings."  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Sarad looked down, maybe he did have a power. an anti-power that only worked on his family, making them hate him. he pushed the thought aside, "nothing fun like that, i've the power to study. pretty boring, right? that's why i hide it." he glanced up at Dale, but quickly returned his gaze to his food. "no, really, there is nothing special about me. my looks set me apart, but that's about it. sorry you have such a boring room mate." he caught some of the noodles between his chopsticks and brought them to his lips, slurping a little as possible as he ate the long line of ramen. "oh," he said after he'd swallowed, "this is what i meant by anime ramen. see how there is all the added things? it's not your normal, from a package, ramen."  

[Your Missing Period]

Dale took a bite of his burger, listening to the other, chuckling someone as he swallowed, "Well then, if you're not the superhero..." and stared in thought, taking another bite and chewing in silence.

Then he slammed his hands on the table, swallowing.

"s**t if you're not the superhero I am!" and gave a snort, eating a few french fries.

"I don't know what anime is. I just know packaged ramen and I know it comes from Japan." he said, interested, "What's anime about?"  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Sarad jumped when Dale slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide. the joke only made him smile faintly, his heart still hammering too much to find much amusement in the act. it was too soon after summer break for him to be able to handle sudden loud noises and displays of strength. but the subject change was effective and he found himself surprised that Dale hadn't heard of anime. "it's japanese animation, but the title is shortened to Anime. it's sort of like American cartoons, but there's a wider range of genres and age levels. have you ever watched Dragon Ball Z? or Digimon? they are both anime that was brought over to America. Pokemon as well." he'd found anime as a good escape during the long months with his family. he could turn off the sound and watch it with subtitles, careful to have a book read in case he was checked on so it would look like he was reading. "i can show you a few later, if you wish."  

[Your Missing Period]

"That actually sounds really interesting. Is there like, action?" but he nodded, "I had friends who watched dragonball, I never did, never got the chance." more french fries, "Do you watch that stuff a lot? I think it sounds really cool to watch. Are there horror ones? I bet that's really awesome."  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Sarad nodded, "action is one of the most common genres, that and romance. there are several horror ones as well, i don't particularly care for them, but i know a few that have recieved good reviews." he was glad that Dale didn't make fun of him for watching cartoons, that had been his biggest worry. "i tend to watch them during the summer or breaks since i spend most of my time studying at school. i can show you a website where you can watch them when we get back home. they have a part where you can select the genre you want and it will list all of the anime on the site that's under that category." he finished his noodles and began to spoon up the broth, enjoying the subtle flavors of the miso. "i'll show you a couple of my favorites as well. One is called Sword Art Online and it's fairly actiony with a good plot. you might like it."  

[Your Missing Period]

"We should definitely watch some. I'm excited now." and finished off his burger, adding ketchup to the remainder of his fries and eating those. "Sword Art Online? Sounds video game-y."  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Sarad smiled softly, "well, it's set inside of a game. i don't want to say too much, since it'll give away a lot of the plot, but everything is explained in the first episode." he finished his ramen and fruit, enjoying the last of his dinner between drinks of water. when Dale finished, he showed him where to put his dirty dishes and led the way back to the dorms and their room. "classes are pretty easy to find, the maps really help out too. the teachers give some leeway on the first day to give you a chance to get used to what is where." he said as he sat at his desk. his throat hurt a little from talking so much, he'd spoken more today than the entire break. "it's late, and you've an early class. are you going to bed soon?" he could show Dale an anime that weekend, when they had free time. he didn't want to disturb his sleep if he planned to go to bed in the next hour.  

[Your Missing Period]

"I was right, it's video game-y!" and chuckled, tossing his trash away and setting his tray up. "Yea I got a map with my classes earlier this morning. I was walking around trying to memorize possible paths to get me there quicker. I like being first, You get the best seat if you're first in class most times." and entered their dorm, flopping onto his bed and kicking off his shoes. "Yea I might. Early morning tomorrow and I don't want to be too exhausted. D'you mind if I undress here or would you feel comfortable if I did it in the bathroom?"