Aria Starstone -
Seren flopped down into a seat in the cafeteria, with a plate of Today's Brown Muck On Rice in front of her, glad she hadn't had food prep duties assigned today. She would have been horrified to be involved in the preparation of something as unidentifiable as this nonsense. She poked the food with her fork, not really aware that the other seats were filling up fast, and soon the other tables were full of people chattering at each other, or sitting in silence together.

Apparently she'd picked a busy time to come into the caf today.

Finally, though, she gave in to the inevitable, and took a bite. Her expression was eloquent of her displeasure, but she kept eating. She had to feed herself.

Carhop -
Lex was still getting oriented on the island, easily identified by his grey doe eyes and the uneasy tension in his shoulders. He’d just settled into his dorm and had been given a basic set of clothes and a jacket, when his stomach rumbled. Someone had said something about a cafeteria, and that he’d eventually need to work there.
After asking for what felt like an eternity of 5 minutes, the teenager found his way to the mess, trying not to look horrified by the slop put on his tray. It made his mother’s casseroles look appetizing. A quick scan of the room let Lex see an open spot, which he slid into without missing the blue hair next to him.
One bite later, and Lex’s face looked a lot like hers. He turned, attempting a smile through the revulsion. “I didn’t realize we were in prison.”

Aria Starstone -
Seren looked up, startled, at the sudden voice, not having even noticed the young man settling in next to her. She took in the details of the slender, tall youn man besides her, and then slowly said "Ah. Yes, it's impressively bad, isn't it?" She gave a slow sigh, and said "I try to make it less appalling when I'm on Kitchen Duty, but today was not one of my days back there. They had me on clean up outside, working on rubble."

She had taken a shower before she came to the caf, of course, so she at least looked clean and fresh, even if she was a bit tired from all the lifting and hauling. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Seren Yong." She held her hand out to the young man, and said "I'm guessing you're new here? You seem on the young side, even given we're all mostly pretty young here."

Carhop -
Lex gave her, Seren, a little smile and shook her hand. She was pretty, and her hair was quite interesting. “Alexei, but just call me Lex or Alex.” It was a rehearsed line, not quiet smooth. “And uh...yeah, you could say I’m pretty new here.”
From what that Marcus guy had said, as well as his Twitter history, that was only partially true. Lex had apparently been here a long while, but not as he was now. It made him uncomfortable to think about, as anyone could see by his squirming at the thought.
“I’ve yet to be given any duties. Just woke up yesterday.”

Aria Starstone -
Seren smiled a little. "Nice to meet you, Lex." She found the attempt at smoothness cute. She could tell he was younger then her, and it reminded her, kind of, of her brother. Not the attempt at being smooth, just the way he tried to come across as more mature, or adult, then he was. Even if it had been years since she'd talked to Dai, it still had that feel.

Which meant she instinctively ended up liking Lex, in a sisterly sort of way, without even quite realizing it was happening. Her eyes went wide about that. "Oh yeah, first few days out of the pod are hard, not gonna lie. Lot of things to deal with, and it gets confusing. I went through all that back in July. If there's anything I can do to help, seriously, let me know? I might not be the most experienced hunter here, or the one around the longest, but... I stick my nose into things, to learn, and I like to help."

Carhop -
Right...the pod. Lex had caught a glimpse of the pods, with the sleeping Hunters, and was told that’s where most Hunters come from. “Well, there’s one thing I could use some help with already.” Lex gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head and ruffling his already messy hair. “Where can I get some more clothes? The quartermaster gave me the weirdest look, like he’d seen a ghost, and only threw me a few fatigues.” He picked at the shirt, plain grey , under his unbuttoned jacket. “And what does a Life Hunter do? I’m not exactly into science or medicine...”

Aria Starstone -
Seren smiled a little at the question, her eyes taking in the outfit, looking thoughtfully at the young man. "Hmmmmm... Yeah, those are pretty standard issue. Ok, well... There's a few options. We can see if we can arrange a day for you to go off Island to go shopping... Most of the time, it's a few months before hunters can take leave, once they come out of the pod, but maybe since you're in kinda dire straights, they'll make an exception?"

She had no idea he was one of the ones who'd been youthened, so she was going based on what she knew regarding new hunters. "If not, you could ask one of us who DO have leave to pick you up some stuff. Other options would be seeing if anyone has stuff to spare, and barter work or something for it..." She paused, then looked thoughtful. "Or, well... I know that Frederick Roswell had mentioned tailoring on Twitter... It might be he could help you out too."

Carhop -
A tailor? On the island? Lex’s eyes went a little wider when Seren mentioned that. There were plenty of clothes in that old house - his house, apparently - that the 14 year old had woken up in. It would mean spending less money, yes, but all those clothes weren’t him. Still, maybe a tailor could fix some of the less douchey shirts and pants for him. “Huh. This place has its on tailor.” Lex shrugged, a bright smile taking hold. At least now there were options, and another friendly face.
“How long did it take you to get used to the other voice in your head?” Lex’s tone dropped, not necessarily ashamed but very worried. He’d been assured that all Hunters had the link with their bonded weapons, but that didn’t make it seem any less crazy. “He gives me a headache.”

Aria Starstone -
"Don't know how fully set up he is yet, to be fair. I just know he mentioned it, and that he does know how. I can try to introduce you, if you want. I've met him before. Worst case scenario is he isn't ready to help. I'm not, unfortunately, more talented then simple repairs. My skills lay elsewhere." She gave him a freely smile, glad to see his smile. Helping people out always had it's rewards.

She suddenly remembered he asked her about what Life Hunters do, and she added "I can't really tell you what your division does, beyond the science and the medical..." She gestured at the big sun logo on her coat. "I'm in Sun. My job is to go whack the bad things with my big sword."

When he asked about the voice of the weapon, she gave a slight shrug. "A month or two, I would guess? Not totally sure. I'm lucky, my weapon and I mostly get along well, though she's always ******** hungry, and sometimes takes my comments on her size wrong."

Carhop -
Lex chuckled at the miscommunication between Seren and her weapon, shaking his head. “Mom always said to never talk about a lady’s size.” He sighed, looking down at the brown goo on his plate. Times like this, he missed her. “She also said that none of this s**t was real.” He waved a hand about the cafeteria, ending at the little gold stud on his ear. “Yet here we are, monsters living in our brains, training to kill more monsters.”
Lex shoveled some more gruel into his mouth, swallowing it quickly in hopes that he wouldn’t taste it. He shuddered, hopes proven wrong. “Yeah, an introduction would be nice. This ain’t Vegas anymore.” Another blustery sigh. He missed the desert, the sage brush, the way the city absolutely beamed and came to life at night. “Do you know if I can switch divisions? Or is this like Hogwarts, and I have to find myself and where I fit in to my ‘house?’”

Aria Starstone -
"Your Mother is a wise woman. However, when it comes up, it's always been a reasonable situation... Like when I was asking my friend Rhys" A slight blush at the name crossed her cheeks. "To help me with upper arm strength, because my weapon is REALLY BIG, and I didn't want to end up exhausted in battle, or when on duty in a place that if I tried to use Diwata, there'd be problems because I'd either be likely to hit my duty partner because of close quarters, or get her stuck in the wall. My sword is nearly as tall as I am." Seren stood up for a second, so he could see that she was 5'8", then sat back down. "That's a long sword, and it's got some breadth to it too."

People tended to comment on Di, in fact, always amazed at how she looked and how big she was. And for whatever reason, it was only when Seren did that Di bothered to get upset. In fact, Di was grumbling a little now, but only a little.

"Mmmm that works well for me." She ate some more of the Muck, and sighed in annoyance at the flavor. She really wanted to go back there and make a real meal for them both, especially as Lex was a Growing Boy™. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, Vegas huh?" She sounded interested. "You were East of me, then, by some hours. I'm from a podunk butthole of a town in the southern central Valley in California. What was Vegas like?"

Carhop -
The blush didn’t escape the young Lex, and his face slipped into a softer smile. Rhys was a lucky guy, if Seren was as sweet as she was right now. Lex would be so lucky to have someone like her crushing on him.
The soft smile grew into a larger grin at the opportunity to talk about home. “Oh God, it’s amazing. Sure, you’ve got the Strip with all the lights and hotels, bars and casinos glowing like a big, city sized night light. Don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous to see, like a man-made aurora borealis. But then there’s the desert, with all the little hares and vultures, lizards and sage brush. It’s a different kind of beauty than California, I’d assume - only ever seen Tahoe myself.” His eyes had glazed over, peering into the window of nostalgia. “There’s so much to do, y’know, other than drink and waste your money on rigged machines. Dirt biking, rock climbing, camping under the open sky and seeing the stars for miles.” Lex let out another wistful sigh, staring at the ceiling.
Oh, shoot, where were his manners? She’s asked about home, but he needed to stay present. “Man, sounds like you’re capable of kicking some serious butt with a sword like that. I’ve just got an old pistol, from the civil war era by the looks of it.” He shoveled more muck into his mouth. “But I’m sure Diwata is a very wonderful lady, and large isn’t exactly a terrible thing to be.”

Aria Starstone -
Seren tilted her head as she ate, her eyes filled with interest at his description of his home. "Wow. Sounds like a lot to do, and a lot of fun." She sighed, sounding wistful at the idea. "Maybe I'll get to go see it myself, someday. On leave, or something." She pushed her food around her plate a little, and added "I'd like to see the real aurora someday as well, but a man made one sounds interesting." She took another bite, and made a slight face at the mention of California beauty.

"I... My home was definitely not beautiful. The Valley is hot in the summer, dry, and kind of nasty. It's... there used to be a lot more wetlands, but humans changed that. Almost desert like, where I lived, honestly. Got chilly in the winter... And we had tule fog, which was... miserable." She sighed and shrugged a bit. "Especially going home from work at nights, it was scary."

She chuckled softly at his switch back to the topic of weapons and said "Mmm guns can be a useful thing, though. Especially since I bet our Weapons don't run out of bullets when they're a gun form, so you probably would be great for distance work. I haven't actually fought anyone who uses a distance weapon. 1 shield guy, a number of sword types, though most were more manageable in comparative size, and a dude with paired whips. I think that's it. But it might be interesting to try at some point." She finished scraping her plate clean, and moved it away, to sip some water and clear her mouth out. "Di is wonderful, and we do work well together. Her size is definitely an advantage in open spaces."

Carhop -
Lex’s face fell as Seren described her home. “Sounds miserable. Maybe we can hit the town, one day. I can show you all the fun stuff.” He finished his gruel and grabbed Seren’s plate, stacking it atop his own. “Be right back.” The teen took both their plates and silverware to the bus bin, then took his seat.
“Yeah, I heard someone mention sparring on the way here. Sounds risky.” He rubbed the back of his neck, just imagining the guilt he’d feel at putting a bullet in someone. “But I know I’ll need practice before stepping into the field, if Life’s even do that?”

Aria Starstone -
"That sounds like fun. I'm definitely up for exploring new places, especially with friends." She gave him a warm smile, glad he didn't ask for more details about her past. That was something she didn't feel up to dealing with, especially with some one she barely knew. She blinked in surprise when he picked up her dishes, and watched him walk off, then gave him a grateful smile on his return. "Thank you, that was very gentlemanly of you."

She smiled a bit and said "I think everyone ends up in the field eventually. That's been my experience, anyways. My friend Terry, and an acquaintance by the name of Melvin, are both in Life, and they definitely were involved in a mission I was on recently. We went to Atlantis, and it was quite the ride." Her eyes were a little distant, a hint of sadness and discomfort, then she shook her head, and refocused on him. "If you ever need to practice, let me know. As a Sun, my job is to be on the front line, so I try to get as much sparring in as I can."

Carhop - Today at 3:06 PM
“My pleasure.” He smiled, downing the water in front of him. “And yeah, once I get leave we should hang out in Vegas.”
His eyes went wide with shock at the word Atlantis. “Hold on, now you’re telling me that Atlantis is real?!” He shouldn’t have been surprised, what with the confirmation that the shadow people in his mother’s hallways weren’t just figments of his imagination,m, but Atlantis? “That’s freakin radical.” He smiled, nodding more to himself. “Then yeah, I’ll take you up on that offer one of these days. If I’m gonna have to fight Atlantans, then I’d better be ready.”

Aria Starstone -
She smiled, and finished her water. "Here's my number, if you want a spar in the near future." She used a napkin, and wrote it down, so he could contact her. "Or you like, need help or want to hang with a friend. All are good. As for Atlantis... It's really real, but the inhabitants are... no longer exactly there. It's strange. I don't know if we'll be fighting them, but we do fight the Shadow bastards on a regular basis, among other things. Always best to be prepared. Anyways..." She stood up, putting her pen away. "I'll see you around, Lex. I have to go, I have some studying to do. Have a good one!" She trotted off, heading towards dorms, a smile on her face.