Welcome to Gaia! ::

Oliver had tried his best not to run down the hallway. Ever since he was little, he had that lesson drilled into his head. Don't run, you'll bump into someone. Don't run, you'll slip and fall. Don't run or you may end up with a target on your forehead and be shot in your sleep.

So the teen was moving as fast as he could, without breaking into a run, with a page of instructions clutched to his chest and a terrified expression on his face. He didn't want to be late, not on his first set of duties. But finding the labs, and this one in particular, was difficult so soon after waking up. He hadn't even had time to memorize the general layout of the island let alone the corridors in this building!

His shoes squeaked as he made a sharp 90 degree turn, having nearly passed the lab room he had been looking for. Without taking a moment to compose himself he pushed through the door.

And if he wasn't so immediately intimidated by the figure already present, he might have even congratulated himself on finding the room a half hour before his chores were set to begin.

"I-I was supposed to come here, I think, for uh... feeding and cleaning duty?" Oliver replied hesitantly, wilting under the scrutiny of the other man. "At least I think it was here, am I in the wrong place?" He said nervously, an expression of terror starting to emerge on his face.

This was exactly the sort of situation Oliver had hoped to avoid, he was never very good at explaining himself. The slightly crumpled paper in his shaky hand was quickly held out so the other could confirm the 'appointment'. Please don't let me be in the wrong room, he thought. Although under the man's gaze, there was a little voice in the back of his head saying a wrong room might be the easier of the two outcomes.

"U-untested?!" Oliver squeaked, fearing for his life all over again despite what the older man had said. The last test... well. It would be a long time before he could come to terms with the last test he had faced. It was strange how that word had taken on a whole new meaning, back in school it had been just an easy class and a night without homework.

The boy swallowed heavily and glanced towards the 'little monsters' in their cages. "O-Oliver, Oliver Keeley," he said quickly.

"I-I, uh, no! No allergies!" Oliver stammered, watching the man flip through his clipboard with no small amount of unease. "I um, had a bad concussion six years ago. I-it won't be a problem, w-will it?"

His pale eyes were full of worry as he glanced over at the cages, and then back at the man with the clipboard. This was bad, what if he couldn't do it? What if... he got a... a whatever infection?

The trainee hadn't even considered the potential for danger in one division over another, from what he knew about the Life division it had been selected for him based on his scientific aptitude. Biology in particular was where he had been heading before his... abrupt change in life heading. But still, he didn't like the tone of the other man's voice. "I-I was eleven, it was a c-car accident..." He offered weakly.

Oliver shook his head quickly. "N-no, no uh, felonies. I-I don't smoke, or drink..." Then the boy, who had been starting to look quite pale, began to blush brightly, and seemed unable to answer the last question. That probably meant a zero.

Oliver looked like he was trying very hard to relax. But the fierce blush wasn't going away, not when Jack continued on about... stuff, and the boy completely missed the smile while he focused most determinedly on the floor between the two of them.

He did see the hand though, and even though his own trembled ever so slightly, it was a firm shake. His dad had taught him that much. At the mention of the 'friendly welcome' and the sudden reminder of his dad, he remembered just how much he missed home. Oliver had only seen the cold, military-like side to the island so far, with it's plain white dorms, and frightening hunters and intermediates, even the other trainees seemed so much more confident, and sure of themselves. They were on a completely different level.

Had he been able to answer yes to either smoking or drinking, perhaps there would have been an end to his skittishness. But his nerves had been wound so tight since being woken up...

When he dared glance up at Jack, his lip quivered slightly and there were tears forming in his eyes. He managed to nod.

Oliver knew this. Oh he knew it so well, from the trials to the storage pod to the small, anonymous dorm room, with the cold atmosphere and abundance of weaponry... He was so out of his element. The boy's lip quivered a bit more, and he blinked back tears as he nodded again, and then shook his head.

He would try to man up, but the tears were just there. He couldn't help it. Jack's hazing hadn't even been that bad, certainly not as bad as what he had experienced back in high school. It wasn't the rough and cold atmosphere that brought him to tears, it was that momentary hint of kindness. He had been so terrified, and to be shown a moment of welcoming, it was like cutting the strings that had him so tightly wound up.

The boy rubbed at his face with his sleeve, and then looked straight up at the ceiling, trying to keep the tears from falling.