etc.<Cormick> Mick trundled, as best as could be described, feeling too damn lazy to even flicker to the kitchen. He was taking a break from Warcraft for the break, concentrating on pushing his abilities and generally just chilling and avoiding going home. But right now, the kitchen, she sang to him - more specifically, the oven with its cake-making abilities.
<Cormick> He wanted ginger cake, and damnit he was going to make the best damn cake that ever graced this school.
<Hisako> Hisako walked into the kitchen, carrying her scabbarded bokken over her shoulder and dressed in her old school uniform, complete with cliché skirt and knee-high white socks. She felt comfortable in it, more at home.
<Hisako> "Ohaio.", she greeted Mick with a flick of her hair, not looking at him as she went for the fridge.
<Cormick> It showed how often Mick saw things at this school that were clichéd when he barely even glanced at her as he pulled out the ingredients. He did, however, reach up and switch on the tiny, near invisible blue thing hooked around his ear, wincing at the beep. "Hey there." He shot a smile. "You're the new kid, righ'?"
<Hisako> Hisako nodded as she opened the fridge, looking around for something to snack on. She sighed, muttering something in Japanese before spotting a yoghurt pot and drawing it out.
<Cormick> Oooh, a quiet one, that made a nice change. "Name's Cormick, though most call me Mick." He smiled at her again as he found a bowl. "You uh...you like cake?"
<Hisako> The girl turned around, knocking the fridge shut with her hip, "It depends what cake.", she answered, placing the yoghurt on the counter and placing a hand on her chest, "Ichiki Hisako.", she introduced herself.
<Cormick> "Well, was plannin' on ginger but it seems like some bastard's nicked it all and I ain' going out to get more, fuck that." He squinted at the snow outside. No, not even flickering would make him want to, not this close to Christmas. "Anythin' you fancy?" He turned to face the girl with a half smile.
<Hisako> Hisako looked to the yoghurt slowly, then back to Cormick with a blank expression, "I should be good.", she assured him, approaching the counter for a spoon.
<Cormick> Mick blinked at her before pulling the scales out. Fair enough. "How're you adjustin' to here then? Can imagine it's a little different than Japan."
<Hisako> "Have you been to Japan?", Hisako asked him, retrieving a spoon and approaching her yoghurt. She rested her weapon on the table and opened the pot licking the excess from the film lid, "It's much louder. My house was large, but I still could have peace.", with a frown, she recalled the body the group had found at the beginning of the month.
<Cormick> "No, unfortunately, missed out on goin'." Because of a Goddamned seizure, but at least he knew his ability limits and they were getting less now. "This is quieter than where I'm from - right in the middle of London. Still...more excitin', if that's the word. Settling in okay?"
<Hisako> Hisako hummed, "Cormick-san is from UK?", she nodded, "And yes. It is....strange things happen here, but I make many friends. Antigone and I are getting closer too.", she smiled as she thought of her new friend, spooning a little bit of yoghurt into her mouth.
<Cormick> "I am." Good job he was used to the myriad of accents and languages in this place, smiling a little and glancing at her. Eyes front, Mickey, eyes front. He started weighing out the ingredients. "Antigone?" He frowned. "We have another new kid?"
<Hisako> "Oh, you don't know.", Hisako smiled, "Danger-sempai: her name is 'Antigone'."
<Cormick> Okay, that actually made him flush, partially because they were talking about Danger and partly because...well...he'd never thought to ask and felt stupid for it. She was a person in her own right, of course she'd want a name... "...Oh. I uh...no, I didn't know." He said quietly. "She...she choose it?"
<Hisako> With a nod, Hisako made another humming sound in reply, swallowing another spoonful, "We talked, she decided to ask me for help. I was happy to help her choose it."
<Cormick> "...Oh." He ducked his head, trying to hide the blush behind his hair. "...Antigone...that's...that's a good name for her. I'll remember it." It was nice, actually, she had a name for herself. As he started mixing the ingredients together, he didn't realise he had a shy little smile. "Shoulda thought that myself, I spend enough time with her."
<Hisako> Hisako smirked at his reaction, raising an eyebrow, "I will keep your secret.", she assured him, going back to her snack.
<Cormick> "Huh? What? What secret, there's no secret." He suddenly shot her a half-terrified look, unusual eyes flaring. "Dunno what you mean, she helps me chill and work on my powers and we play games t'gether, there's nothin' sinister about that."
<Hisako> Her expression turned blank, ".....you are worst liar in the universe. For shame, Cormick-san.", she shook her head, mocking disapproval.
<Cormick> "Not lyin', there really ain't a secret..." He ducked his head again, blushing badly, before rubbing the back of his neck. "I uh...I just...I mean I don't even know if she...we play games, we talk sometimes but you know..." Guh, he felt like Joker and EDI, only at least that worked. Aaaaand now he was comparing his life to a game. He huffed quietly.
<Hisako> "You liiiiiie!", Hisako giggled, "You have a crush on her!"
<Cormick> "I don't - I don't-" Mick wrinkled his nose at her giggle before sighing. "...Is it really that obvious?"
<Hisako> Hisako nodded, "To me, yes. But I am observant.", she smiled, "It's cute!"
<Cormick> "Yeah well, to everyone else it's weird." He huffed, blowing hair out of his face. "Hell, to me it's weird sometimes. I got...I got feelings for the Danger Room. I like her. A lot. She's cute, she's funny, she likes the same things as me and she doesn't expect shit and...she's an AI that doesn't have a clue." He sighed and shook his head.
<Hisako> "Antigone is a person. Like you and me.", Hisako nodded, waving her spoon in a matter-of-fact, sage-like manner, "She has feelings, thoughts, wonderings...people who have no understanding are just fools."
<Cormick> "Yeah...an' the way I understand it, she didn't exactly greet the guys here in the nicest way." He smiled a little. "I...know she's a person, it's...why I..." He stared at the bowl for a moment.
<Hisako> Hisako gasped, "You are in love, aren't you!?", she almost choked as she laughed, "Kawaiiiii!", she clapped her hands.
<Cormick> The blush suddenly got worse. "I'm not in love!" He flailed a little. "I-I mean, we hang out, we don't do anythin', I like her a-and I have feelin's for her but I wouldn't say I'm in love...am I?"
<Hisako> "The way you have such a crush, only you can say.", Hisako shrugged, "I think it is sweet, like in Bishoujo anime!"
<Cormick> The cake was forgotten in favour of waiting for the floor to eat him as he rubbed his face furiously. "I...a what?"
<Hisako> Hisako shook her head, "Doesn't matter! It's sweeeeeet!", she clapped again, "Cormick-san and Antigone, it would be so romantic!"
<Cormick> "...Yeah, if it was ever gonna work. Look..." Mick sighed. "Can appreciate th' idea it might be cute, this shit always is on paper or in games, but...truth is, it wouldn't work. She's way, way out of my league, even if she was even interested in that kinda thing. And at the end of the day, why the hell would she be interested in me if she was?"
<Hisako> "Ugh, you are hopeless...", Hisako sighed, shaking her head, "You just give up - no wonder! She never does, I suppose you have no chance because you are too different(!)"
<Cormick> "No, no, I don't give up, it's just-" Mick sighed, sitting down, no longer in the mood to bake. "Look...we are different. She's so far - so far - above me f' intelligence, skill and...everything. I mean, I must be like a Goddamned idiot to her."
<Hisako> Hisako frowned, "Silly boy.", she shook her head, "Antigone says to me 'why do you play Chess against me when you know you will be defeated?', as if it will stop me trying. She is above my skill, but I persist. I learn more from the encounter."
<Hisako> "Maybe I will beat her one day, maybe not...", she went on, shrugging, "...importance that I try, and I better myself for next engagement. Silly boy."
<Cormick> "Yeah, but unlike chess, Hisako, this is somethin'...that'll hurt to hell if I get it wrong." Mick sighed. "It ain't a game. It ain't about 'bettering' myself, it's about wanting to be happy and her bein' happy and she probably wouldn't be happy with me."
<Hisako> Rolling her eyes, Hisako threw her hands up in the air, "Then give up, it's hopless, obviously.", she stood, picking up the empty pot and pushing the film lid into it as trash.
<Cormick> Mick rubbed his face. "Do you really think there's any Goddamned chance? Really?" He wished that hadn't sounded as hopeful as it did. "I just...I wanna try but I don' wanna...you know?"
<Hisako> "Yes. You want to be a coward.", Hisako nodded, throwing the pot in the bin, "That is fine: be a coward. It is better to run away than.....", she pondered the words, "...well, better if you wish to living in fear."
<Cormick> "Ffff-" No, he was not going to snap at the new girl, he was not going to- "You know, this ain't like the movies, I'm not gonna suddenly grow balls and march in there f' my happily ever after from your pep talk." He let out a breath. "But...I can...I guess I can see your point...I guess I could jus'...ask, at least I'd know then...right?"
<Hisako> Hisako shrugged, "It is not like movies, but still, you wish to live without at least a spine then I should call you Takoyaki....", she giggled, covering her mouth with a hand as she picked up her bokken.
<Cormick> "...A batter-ball?" He gave her a confused look and tilted his head. "And it ain't a question of a spine or not, it's a simple human thing of not wantin' to be hurt by her brushing me off because I'm not as good as her." He huffed. But...he could ask her, right? Not directly, maybe just as a...as a learning thing...
<Hisako> "A batter-ball full of octopus: the most squishy animal with no spine.", she teased, sticking her tongue out at him, "Takoooooyaki!"
<Cormick> "I'd find tha' insultin' if I didn't like it so much, you know that, right?" Mick gave her a half-smile. "So all you're doin' is telling me I'm a tasty spineless snack."
<Hisako> Hisako made a 'bleh' sound, as if she'd swallowed raw lemon, "I hate Takoyaki.", she smiled back at him jokingly.
<Cormick> "And I like it. You wanna insult me, tell me I suck at a computer game, then I migh' just get irritated." He smiled back. "...Thanks for this, by th' way. Guess I needed someone to actually talk to about it. Kinda been sittin' on it since I got here."
<Hisako> "Sometimes an Ass needs a kick, not a carrot.", she laughed, "Come, we will talk to her right now!"
<Cormick> "Not this Ass, and thanks for that mental image - hey wait - you - now wait a second-" He was dragged out of the kitchen despite his protests, eyes widened. "Ah hell..."