[Log] RIP, Ugly-sweater-san~

[just_aflame]

Who: Jackal Kuwahara & Mizuki Hajime
What: Mizuki accidentally interrupts Jackal's power practice......
When: Saturday, Feb. 23
Where: Various places around campus. Starts at the training rooms.
Rating: PG for some light flirting and innuendo



Jackal had gone to the practice room to work on his power a little. Since setting a whole wall on fire during the tour he'd given Akaya, he'd been curious...could he fill the entire training room with fire? It was an interesting thought. It would be the largest fire he had ever created, completely by himself. The one or two in his past that were larger had been accidents, with kindling. The fireplace at home, which went out of control and nearly burned the house down, and one at his previous boarding school had been similar in nature. But with only his power as the source....his fires had been significantly smaller. It would be quite a test...

He'd left a change of clothes in a duffel bag outside the training room door, and stripped down to his flame-retardant shorts, strictly for modesty's sake. Then he stood in the center of the room and focused. Slowly, a line of fire spread along the bottom of the back wall. The flames began to crawl upward working their way towards the ceiling. He held that for a moment, with just the one wall, and tried to judge how much power he had. It was hard to estimate, though...he still wasn't very good at that...so he figured he'd just try and see. He lit one adjacent wall, letting the fire spread horizontally in one direction....and when that was done, he let it spread the other way. Three of four walls...and so far, so good.

Having done all of his homework, and not scheduled for tea with anyone that afternoon, Mizuki thought he’d spend his afternoon productively in a spot of power practice. His phone rang on his way up the stairs, and he picked up immediately because it was his favourite sister.

“Mmm, you have to stop getting engaged and un-engaged, nee-san,” he told his sister as she bemoaned her latest lack of luck in love. Holding the phone to his ear with one hand, he walked down the corridor of practice rooms, looking for one that said ‘unoccupied’. Unfortunately it appeared that it was a popular afternoon for practice. Mizuki was almost all the way at the end of the corridor before he found a room that was unlatched, with the sliding sign indicating that no one was currently using the room. Distracted by the phonecall, Mizuki failed to notice the small bag on the side and reached out to push open the door.

Jackal decided to do the ceiling next, saving the floor and the last wall for the grand finale of filling the entire room. He started with the end that was already lit and worked the flames across, until the ceiling was covered, too. Two more surfaces to cover, and the way he planned to fill the room would take care of both. It was tempting to close his eyes for better concentration, but he knew better. For big fires like this, controlling it was every bit as important as seeing what you were working with. Even his fires were unpredictable sometimes...a spark could fly and catch something on fire just from a breeze......

Which there was, now, in his training room. The influx of air whipped around, and the fire he'd already made lapped at it, hungry for new oxygen, which sent the fires rushing towards the opening door.

Mizuki opened the door ---and shrieked loudly as huge towering flames surged towards him. He could feel the heat on on his skin as he dove madly back behind the door, his phone clattering to the ground. He barely dodged a blast of fire to his face, escaping with slightly singed curls. His cashmere sweater, on the other hand, was not so lucky. An ember had caught and ignited the fabric. Mizuki screamed as he realised he was on fire and tried ineffectually to remove the garment without burning himself in the process.

“Help!” he cried, stumbling around blindly. He was going to be burned alive!

Jackal was insanely glad he'd not closed his eyes. He watched the fire, to see why the door was opening...and as soon as he spotted Mizuki, he used every ounce of power he had in him to extinguish every last flame, the whole room going dark with a hiss. The effort left him a little dizzy, and definitely drained....but at least Mizuki wasn't going to burn. Unfortunately, Jackal noticed as he stumbled towards Mizuki, it was too late for the sweater the other had been wearing. "I'm....so sorry..." he panted, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

One moment he was on fire, then the next he wasn’t. Once Mizuki stopped panicking long enough to realise he wasn’t combusting any more, all the adrenaline drained out of him and he collapsed onto the floor, coughing and tearing a little at the smoke. “Jack-al-kun?” Mizuki recognised the boy who had both caused and ended his near-death experience. That would explain the flames. He hadn’t quite realised Jackal was in control of his powers enough to extinguish such a large fire so quickly, but was extremely thankful for it. “I’m alright, thanks to you,” he said, then stared horrified at the tattered, charred remains of his sweater. It had been his favourite! He pulled it off and looked at it sadly. Then he remembered that he’d been talking to his sister and looked around for his phone. All that remained was a smear of melted plastic and metal on the ground.

Mizuki sighed and turned to address Jackal. “Are you all right?” He couldn’t really feel annoyed at Jackal when he’d tried so hard.

Jackal tried to straighten himself up, but as soon as he did the room spun hard enough to knock him to his butt. He decided that for the moment, that was the best place to be, and just stayed there. "Yeah....I'll be alright... Just....wore myself out. Never used so much power so fast before..." Mizuki was okay. His sweater, not so much, and neither was his phone, apparently....but material possessions were replaceable. People were not. "I could've sworn...I locked the door.... but I guess not, huh?" he chuckled softly. "Damn...I'm sorry about your sweater. And your phone."

Gingerly, Mizuki slowly picked himself and went over to Jackal. He patted the other boy on the shoulder. “Don’t move if you’re not feeling well! I’m actually quite impressed at the control you have over your powers,” he said with a wry chuckle. “Otherwise I’d be ashes by now, maybe. So really, I should thank you.” He looked back at the door. “Perhaps I should have knocked first to be sure, but I was distracted and on the phone.” He sat down beside Jackal, feeling that he should at least stay until Jackal recovered a little.

Jackal shook his head slightly. "I...wasn't sure I could do that. I was trying to fill the room with fire....just to see if I had enough power to. I planned on letting the flames burn themselves out or, at best, putting them out little by little, because I figured it would take everything I had to light that much...and I'd end up being in here for hours." But then he'd seen Mizuki and the flames on his sweater and heard the panic in the other's voice... "I didn't know if I could...but I knew......I had to try. I didn't bring a fire extinguisher." He rest his arms on his knees, then lay his head on his arms, peeking his eyes open just to make sure. "You're sure you're not hurt? Maybe we should get you to the nurse just to be sure..."

“Mmm, wasn’t it dangerous practising by yourself? I know you’re immune to the flames, but still, you might have suffocated,” Mizuki chided. Jackal should have at least brought a fire extinguisher! “I’m really fine,” he reassured Jackal, twisting around to show him. The shirt he had on under the sweater was miraculously largely intact, save for a few singed parts. Mizuki still felt a bit dazed, as the fact that he’d narrowly escaped death was still slowly sinking in. He rubbed his face, frowning as his fingers came away sooty. “Just a little...unkempt.” He sniffed. Was that burnt hair he smelt?

Jackal gave a small shrug. "Honestly? I didn't think I'd get more than two walls covered. It would've been pretty safe, with that. But I wanted to push myself and see what I was capable of.........." He chuckled, and even if it did come out sounding a little weak, he still smiled. "At least now I know about how big a fire I can put out in a hurry." Even if it was a little bit of a stretch and left him feeling pretty damn tired. But even at that....he seemed to be recovering fairly quickly, too. Already he was starting to think he could probably stand without falling over. Walking....maybe. "We should probably get you cleaned up." Though it was kind of cute, to see Mizuki with smudges of ash on his face. The thought made Jackal's smile a little wider.

“Still, it pays to be careful...though at least you learned something about yourself today.” Mizuki smiled faintly back. “Are you sure you should be getting up so soon? You still look exhausted.” Mizuki would dearly love to get himself clean, especially since he was quite sure his face must look ridiculous covered with soot, and who knew what had happened to his hair? “I have a handkerchief, don’t worry.” He shook out the square of cloth from his pocket-- Mizuki never went anywhere without it, as a true gentleman should. He was a bit loathe to get the pristine white fabric dirty, but needs must. He dabbed at his face, trying to clean the worst of the soot off.

Jackal smiled and stood, carefully, making sure he was steady enough before reaching out and tugging Mizuki up with him. "I'll manage. I'm tired, but.....I won't always be able to live in the luxury provided here, where I can just pass out for a while after using so much of my power. Someday, there might come a time when I have to use a lot of power...and can't let it slow me down." He hoped it'd never happen, but he was too realistic to expect it. "Just let me take a second to put some clothes on so I'm not walking all around campus half naked," he chuckled, making his way to the door to grab the duffel bag left outside. "We'll get you to a bathroom to wash up properly because....honestly? That handkerchief is mostly just spreading it around."

Mizuki had to smile when he was chivalrously given a hand and pulled to his feet. Jackal was a gentleman like that. He blushed a little when Jackal informed him that his work with the handkerchief was doing more harm than good. How terrible he must look! He fidgeted as he waited for Jackal, trying not to give in to the urge to just rub at his face. To distract himself, he watched Jackal dress from his rather nice vantage point. While Mizuki was highly enthusiastic about clothing and fashion, he had to admit that some people looked better without them. “Was that bag outside all this while?” he asked. “I should have noticed it and suspected someone was in the room.”

Jackal pulled on a tanktop, then leaned against the door frame as he stepped into a pair of shorts. "Yeah. Not all of my clothes are flame retardant, so I don't risk taking them in when I practice. I always have a bag outside the door for when I'm done......I just usually don't forget to lock it." Once dressed, he zipped the bag and hefted it over his shoulder, then walked back towards Mizuki. "I promise, I will be more careful in the future. Especially if I'm planning on working on something big like I was today. The last thing I want is for my power to hurt anyone...." He felt the need to make it up to Mizuki, somehow....buy him a new sweater, to replace the burned one?

“Well...everyone makes mistakes...and I should have been more vigilant...” Mizuki felt bad blaming Jackal since he was so sincerely apologetic (though it really was Jackal’s fault that Mizuki ended up sweaterless and phone-less, thought MIzuki). “I know you do try to be careful. So let’s just consider it a lesson learnt, for both of us~”

He couldn't help giving Mizuki a grateful smile. Even if Jackal did blame himself - and only himself - he was glad Mizuki didn't seem too terribly upset... Hardly upset at all, really. And even though he wanted to apologize again and again, it was probably best to do as Mizuki suggested, consider it a mutual lesson learned, and leave it at that. "So..." He brushed a little charred sweater from Mizuki's shirt before draping an arm around his shoulders and guiding him towards a bathroom. "What were you going to practice?"

It wasn’t that Mizuki wasn’t upset... it was more the fact that he had yet to process the trauma completely. Once he was alone back in his room Mizuki would probably go on to have his fit of hysteria about the loss of his beloved purple sweater. Right now though, the comforting weight of Jackal’s arm across his shoulders was quite welcome.

“Hmm? I was going to work on my pheromones,” Mizuki replied. “I’ve been trying to make cocktails of more than one type at a time but it’s difficult to hold concentration.”

"Seems like that's a common problem around here. Lack of concentration. Miyuki-chan needs a lot of work on it, too.....and it took me a long time to get where I am." In Jackal's case, most of his ability to concentrate came from fear of the consequences if he failed and his power went out of control. "Still, though. That's impressive. And potentially dangerous, depending on what you mix together," he chuckled, trying to imagine the potential consequences. Though it made him realize he wasn't very well versed in what exactly Mizuki was capable of.

“It seems like you have your hands full with that girl,” Mizuki commented. He’d been slightly amused by the school’s youngest student’s propensity for setting things on fire with the slightest provocation. “I can quite accurately produce one pheromone at a time in different concentrations... but when it comes to more than one it becomes more difficult to visualise the outcome, which is how I control my...ah, output. So sometimes I do lose track of what I’m making.”

Jackal laughed. "Yeah, she.... I think she has even less control than I did when I was that age." After all, when Jackal was fourteen, he managed to only light the candles on his birthday cake, with small, candle-appropriate flames. "But...At the very least, I'll get in practice putting out fires, if nothing else comes of it. For now, I have to focus on getting her to actually want to practice." Not as easy as it sounded.

"....That makes sense, though, for you. You know what each one will do on its own. Combined...they might not do what you expect them to." He thought about it a little, as he pushed open the bathroom door and held it for Mizuki. "Maybe...if you focus on making one, then the second, just one right after the other, instead of both at once? So they'll mix in the air around you..."

“That is what I have been doing, to get things going,” Mizuki said, smiling in thanks as he ducked through the door and nearly passed out in horror when he glimpsed his reflection. He had to give Jackal credit for keeping a straight face considering how he looked. He wet his handkerchief under the tap and started cleaning his face. “Well...I have to keep making the pheromones, or else they diffuse and become too dilute to have an effect,” he added after a while. “So I can’t just make one, stop, and then make the other. I am also training to make more of each substance at once, but it’s very tiring for now.”

Jackal bit back a small chuckle at Mizuki's expression when he saw himself in the mirror. It really wasn't that bad, though Mizuki probably would've argued with that. "Hmmmm...." Jackal gave thought to Mizuki's power, and what the other had said about it. "That does make things more difficult, then." And short of suggesting meditation, which Jackal imagined Mizuki had already tried, he really didn't have any ideas. "I guess, in a way, I should consider myself lucky that I can really only do one thing with my power. Makes it a little easier, in some respects." Jackal reached over and rubbed at a sooty spot Mizuki seemed to have missed.

Mizuki had indeed tried meditation. It helped him focus and concentrate, but in the end, what was needed was practice, practice and more practice. Things just got a little dull when he had nothing but an empty room to practice on.

“Yours is quite an impressive power,” Mizuki reminded Jackal, slightly distracted by trying to tidy his hair. He would have to get a haircut to remove the singed ends. He blinked a little when he felt Jackal’s fingers on his face, then smiled. “Now who’s smudging soot around?” he teased. “Trying to undo all my hard work?”

Jackal shook his head. "Mine's just a dangerous power, if I'm not careful enough." Again he thought of Miyuki, and how she'd been incredibly lucky that no one had really been hurt. He shuddered to think about it. "And no, I'm being nice and trying to help." He showed Mizuki his finger, once he'd gotten all the soot off. "See? Or would you rather I have licked my finger first?"

“When I don’t know where your mouth has been? No, thank you,” Mizuki said, wrinkling his nose in mock-distaste, though his eyes were laughing. He took Jackal’s finger, then wiped it clean with the dampened handkerchief. HIs face was (barely) presentable by now, thanks to their combined efforts. Mizuki still wouldn’t feel clean until he’d scrubbed his face a few times, though. To Jackal’s earlier remark, he added, “You do seem to take precautions, and you’re here to learn how to control it.” While Mizuki admittedly wouldn’t like to be playing with fire all the time, power practice had to be more entertaining for Jackal than it was for Mizuki.

Jackal laughed. "Nowhere dirty. At least not since the last time I brushed my teeth," he promised, grinning ear to ear. The last time had actually been Ryou, after the twins' return to school...but Mizuki didn't need to know that. "I do. But even I have my moments where it feels like no matter what I do, it's not enough. Like today....My flames shouldn't have come at you, even with the influx of air. If I had better control......." He trailed off, mentally kicking himself. Really. He should've been able to maintain what he had despite the additional oxygen, instead of letting it run away. "But enough about me. I know you make pheromones, but....what kinds of things, exactly, can your pheromones do?"

Mizuki gave Jackal an exaggeratedly suspicious look before chuckling softly. “Good to know,” he said, before sympathetically patting Jackal’s hand as he started expressing guilt. “Everyone makes mistakes,” he said comfortingly. “As I said, I’m all right, so let go of it.” He decided to use Jackal’s question about his powers as a distraction.

“Well now,” he said with a suggestive wink. “What do you think my pheromones can do? Would you prefer a demonstration?”

Jackal went ahead and let go as best he could, though he had already decided he was going to buy Mizuki a new (and less tacky) sweater to replace the burned one. Hopefully he could find a nice middleground between tasteful and appealing-to-Mizuki. "Well...I know that pheromones are chemicals that are naturally produced by all animals, including people, and that they're part of what attracts one to another...or pushes one away. So...At least something along those lines, though you could probably attract or repel anybody you want.... But uh...beyond that, I've got no clue." Jackal had to raise an eyebrow at the offer of a demonstration. Oh the potential consequences of that... "....I'm not sure that'd be an entirely wise idea. Since I don't know what I'd be getting myself into and all."

“Mmmhmm,” Mizuki nodded, pleased that Jackal had some idea of what pheromones were. He wasn’t surprised or offended that Jackal decided not to sample them for himself, since he had only been teasing with the offer. “They can affect mood, too, for example promoting a sense of well-being and dulling the perception of pain,” Mizuki explained. He was still learning just how many different kinds of pheromones he could produce and their various effects, no small task when willing guinea pigs were scarce. “I’ve also made some that seem to attract animals.” He decided to leave out the fact that his pheromones were completely useless on psychics and other naturally mentally robust people.

"Huh. Pretty powerful stuff, then. Makes me glad I didn't agree to let you experiment on me," he teased, resisting the urge to ruffle Mizuki's hair. Though truthfully, it made Jackal a little curious, too. Not curious enough to change his mind, but still. "Sounds like you can do a little bit of everything with pheromones. But yeah....having a better understanding of what they do kinda makes it easier for me to understand why it'd be so difficult to use more than one at a time." Sadly, it didn't give Jackal any ideas to help Mizuki with his power and control, though.

“Oh? Who knows, you might enjoy it,” Mizuki joked, smiling. “I promise not to use one that has negative effects.” Out of habit, he reached up to tug on a lock of hair, only to find it rough and slightly singed. Frowning, he tucked it behind an ear. “Well...I suppose I will have to improve my skills on my own, slowly. Doesn’t everyone have their particular problems, though? It just takes patience and time.” And guinea pigs. Mizuki resolved to investigate the younger students for a possible gullible target.

Jackal's grin slowly spread across his face. That statement was true, actually...depending on what kind of pheromone(s) Mizuki decided to use, there was potential.......... "I might actually have to think about it. As long as you're keeping that promise. And aware that I would not completely be responsible for my actions...." Assuming, of course, that Jackal was actually affected by Mizuki's powers. He had no reason to think he wouldn't be, but then, it seemed to be the way things worked that there were always some who wouldn't be affected, regardless of what the power was. "We do. But it's nice to work on things together, when possible."

“Are you volunteering to be my test subject then?” Mizuki raised an eyebrow at Jackal, smiling. “I promise not to do anything too wicked, so you don’t have to worry about not being in full control of yourself~” Deciding that they really shouldn’t be having a lengthy conversation in the bathroom, Mizuki nodded his head in the direction of the exit. “Let’s go?” he suggested. “I do like working with other people, but sometimes it’s just too difficult given our abilities.”

Jackal laughed, draping a friendly arm around Mizuki's shoulders, letting him lead the way out of the bathroom. "Not quite. I'm saying that I'll think about it. I might like to see your power in action, before I really decide....Mostly to satisfy my own curiosity." He'd seen people act on pheromones, he was sure, since they were something natural that came about whether people had powers or not, but...it would be different, to watch someone act on them and know that it was intentional, and by someone else's design. "Yeeah.... I know that feeling. Mine, for one, is definitely better practiced alone. Too high a risk for anyone nearby....." He frowned, thinking again about Mizuki and how badly this whole thing could've gone, but he shook his head and tried not to dwell on it anymore. Mizuki was fine.

“Wouldn’t that involve finding yet another willing test subject though?” Mizuki pointed out as they walked back out into the corridor. He wandered to a nearby vending machine and purchased some mineral water for himself and some juice for Jackal. “Are you still brooding? I thought I told you not to.” He handed Jackal the can. “Let it go, I’m fine.”

"I was thinking more like....a blind study. One so blind they don't even realize they're participating....." As long as Mizuki didn't use his weirder pheromones, the fact that he was using his power on someone might just go unnoticed... Okay, yeah, so it was shady, but...with a lack of willing participants, there weren't a lot of other options. "Thanks," he smiled, taking the juice. "And I'm trying not to. I really am. My conscience is a wicked thing sometimes, though, so it's hard to actually succeed in putting a sock in it."

“And here I thought you were such a well-behaved, upstanding person,” Mizuki teased with a wink at Jackal. He’d certainly done things like discreetly testing his pheromones on others when he thought he could get away with it. It was still a bit difficult though, especially if his targets were moving and constantly shifting out of range. “Would you feel less guilty if I ask you to do something for me as an apology?” He gave Jackal his best innocent look but couldn’t quite keep a sly smile off his face.

Jackal couldn't help a laugh. "Hey, now. As much as I do try to be, even I have my....less savory moments. I am only human, after all." Mizuki's query got his curiosity, though, so after a drink of his juice, he arched an eyebrow and gave him a measuring look before asking. "What kind of something?"

Mizuki toyed with the cap of the bottle of water. “Did you think I was going to ask something naughty? It’s nothing too scandalous, I promise,” he chuckled. “I just perhaps need an assistant to help me carry my purchases when I go to replace this sweater.” Usually, his shopping trips were limited by the number of items he could carry. Jackal would be useful.

Jackal gave Mizuki a rather...not-amused look. Honestly, while he felt terrible about ruining Mizuki's sweater and putting him in so much danger.....he wasn't the least bit sad that particular sweater was gone It had been....so, so ugly... And he was planning to replace it anyway, with one that was hopefully a nice compromise between something Mizuki would like and something everyone else could look out without needing eye-bleach later. "So. You want to use me as a pack mule." He rolled it over in his head, mostly figuring out how he wanted to reply. "Er...I'd rather you ask something naughty, honestly, if that's the case..."

“You don’t like shopping?” Mizuki was disappointed. He supposed he couldn’t blame Jackal though-- shopping was less fun if you were just watching other people do it and got delegated to carry everything instead. “Oh all right.” He thought for a while, wondering what else Jackal would be useful for. “You can be my personal space heater for an evening or two?”

"Haha....not really, no." He wasn't sure if he could stomach watching Mizuki purchase multiple fugly sweaters, either. "I don't mind it occasionally, but...only when I already know what I'm after." And usually last minute. Always put off things like Christmas presents and birthday presents... "Is that the something naughty, then?" Jackal winked. "I can handle that. You'll get preferential treatment during what's left of Cuddle Season."

Blissfully oblivious to Jackal’s less than flattering thoughts about his taste in knitwear, Mizuki smiled. “It’s only naughty if you want it to be~” he replied, winking back. “Either way, lucky for me that winter is long up here in Hokkaido, hmm?”

Jackal's grin grew. "And if I do want it to be? Even though you, as you put it earlier, don't know where I've been?" It was mostly harmless flirting, but even despite the horrific taste in clothing, Jackal had to admit that Mizuki was an attractive fellow. And not nearly as...creepy? Slimy? Whatever...as he'd previously thought. "Yes, lucky you. That means you'll have lots of chances to take advantage of my warmth."

Mizuki had to laugh at that. “Well, you seem on quite good terms with the twins. And if they approve of you you must have some level of hygiene,” Mizuki reasoned as he pretended to think hard on the matter. “Though with your aversion to water, perhaps you don’t wash as much as you should?” he added playfully.

Jackal poked Mizuki's side, wiggling his finger in a mock-tickle. "The twins adore me. And I promise, I have very good hygiene. I admit, when I was first coming into my power, even a shower or washing my hands freaked me out, but that much I'm used to now. Showers, handwashing, brushing teeth... No problems now. I can even take baths, if there's a reason to...but I prefer showers. Easier to keep them short while still making sure everything gets clean." He shrugged a little. "It's mostly the big bodies of water that freak me out, now."

Mizuki jerked away with a squeak, being more than a little ticklish in his sides. “You don’t play fair,” he complained good-naturedly once he recovered himself. “I’m glad to hear bathing isn’t too repulsive an activity for you, though.” Cleanliness was next to godliness, in Mizuki’s opinion. He did wonder though, if Jackal disliked all that frozen water everywhere around them in winter. “In that case you are clean enough to be permitted entry into my room~”

Jackal blinked, then grinned at the sudden discovery that Mizuki was ticklish. It was one of his favorite things, tickling others....especially if it led to him lying on top of someone who was flushed and panting...and made for quite an easy transition into other things.... Well, he didn't know Mizuki well enough to try going past tickling, for now, but...who knew? At the very least, he wasn't going to rule out the possibility. "Not repulsive at all. Just don't expect to get me in a swimming pool anytime soon. "Oh~ Should I be honored by being permitted into your room? And are there other privileges that go along with it, that I should be aware of?"

“I’ll remember to leave you out of pool parties or beach expeditions then,” Mizuki replied, giving Jackal a suspicious look at that slightly maniacal grin. He twisted a lock of hair around his index finger. “You should be very honoured,” he added with a smile. “Being invited to my room means you’re invited to join me whenever I hold tea~ I make the best cakes and pastries, you know.” Well, Atobe would disagree, but he wasn’t here now, was he? “And of course other things, depending on good behaviour~”
"Mmmm.... I dunno...tea parties don't strike me as the kind of thing I'd go to....." Jackal imagined them all - Mizuki, Taki, the twins - sitting around, drinking tea out of tiny delicate ceramic teacups with flowers painted on the sides and a gold edging, complete with a matching teapot, creamer urn, and sugar bowl, all sitting on lacy doilies... It wasn't that hard to picture, until he tried to imagine himself there, too. That was just....more than a little laughable. "But I'm always on my best behavior, Mizuki~" he smiled.

“Aw, you don’t like tea, either?” Mizuki was disappointed. He always looked forward to worthy additions to his tea-time gatherings. “You claim to be such a well-behaved gentleman, yet you would ask something naughty of me?” Mizuki said playfully. “Well then, Jackal-kun, what do you like?” Flirting aside, Mizuki was quite curious as to the other’s hobbies and preferences. He liked Jackal and talked to him occasionally in the past, but had not been particularly close to him.

"I like tea, but just as a drink and not a social gathering," Jackal clarified, already pondering the answer to Mizuki's questions. "I can be a well-behaved gentleman, when the occasion calls for it....but I'm also still a teenage boy, and I'll admit that that tends to override the gentleman side more often than not. It all really depends on the situation." Mizuki's parents, of course, would find nothing but a polite young man in Jackal, if he were to ever meet them. "As for me....hmmm.....I like sports. Tennis and soccer....and occasionally basketball. I've also been known to enjoy a little bit of martial arts here and there, though the only one I've ever practiced on a regular basis was capoeira."

“Then perhaps we can have a private tea on a cold day,” Mizuki suggested. “Then you can make good your promise to be a space heater, and be as well-behaved...or not...as you please.” He was already thinking about the exact brew he would have-- high grade pu’erh with a hint of lavender, in the glass tea-set. He eventually snapped out of his daydream and continued paying attention to Jackal. “Mm..tennis? I play, too. We should have a game when the weather’s warmer. And I’ve heard capoeira is quite delightful to watch.”

Jackal chuckled. "That would be much more my speed, and you'd be warm from the inside and out." And if the tea went cold, Jackal could always reheat it. One little thing his power was good for in everyday life. "We should. Though I might be out of practice... It's been a few years. But if nothing else, my stamina will make it an interesting match." If Mizuki didn't manage to win it quickly, Jackal could - and would - draw it out for ages. "Capoeira is....almost like a dance. It's even most commonly done with music. It also makes for a great workout if you're looking to build up upper-body strength."

“Hmmm, I shall look forward to it,” said Mizuki, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Mizuki was in good physical condition, but didn’t quite have the endurance and stamina of better athletes. He wondered how good Jackal was at tennis. Either way, his competitive streak had been rekindled, and Mizuki resolved to go to the gym more often in preparation for their future match. “I would also love to see a demonstration of capoeira, if there is an opportunity.” He looked questioningly up at Jackal.

Jackal grinned. He could use some practice with the capoeira, too, but that was easier to practice on your own than tennis. He wondered if he had any good music to practice to... "Give me a little time to warm myself up with it, and I can set something up. ...Actually, I wonder if there's anyone else here who knows it at all... When I was a kid and watching demos, it always seemed so much cooler when it was more like a sparring match than just one guy showing off." Maybe, after he'd gotten back into the habit of it, he could use the school's journal thing or message board and ask. If there was someone willing to demo with him for Mizuki, that would be awesome.

“I have heard that Sanada-kun has some talent with martial arts,” mused Mizuki, remembering something he once heard about Sanada. Was it a secondary power or something? Mizuki could not quite remember. “Perhaps you could ask if he could help you?” It should be quite something to watch, whether Jackal went at it alone or with a sparring partner.

Jackal nodded. He wasn't sure about Sanada's extent with martial arts, but for some reason he was one that came to mind when thinking about a demo partner. Kite, too......didn't he have some sort of martial arts experience? And Tezuka had Judo, or something.......but he kind of doubted a guy like that would know any capoeira. "Yeah, I'll post something up somewhere and see if I get any takers...."

“Mmm...I’ll be looking forward to your demonstration, then~” Mizuki said as they walked towards the exit. Mizuki was all for novel forms of entertainment. He hadn’t really watched much martial arts before, but figured Jackal could be a start. “Also, you’re walking me back to the dormitory.” Mizuki turned woeful eyes up at the taller boy. “I’ll freeze to death on the walk back without my sweater...”
Jackal just chuckled and, after making sure his duffel bag was securely situated on his shoulder, slid his free arm around Mizuki's waist, holding him close before nudging the door open. "I had no intention of letting you walk back alone. Especially not sweaterless in weather like this." And of course, it had started snowing since Jackal had gone in. Go figure. "Too bad I can't really wrap myself around you like a big warm coat. That would be a handy thing to do at a time like this."

“Ah, it’s snowing again...” Mizuki noted in dismay as the flakes fell and settled on his curly hair. It never seemed to stop snowing in Hokkaido. He leaned into the warmth and tried to forget about how red his nose must be turning in the cold. “As lovely as that would be it would make it very difficult to walk,” he said in reply to Jackal’s comment. He put an arm around his walking space heater as well. For once he would have warm fingers on the way back.

"It's always snowing up here... Why couldn't they have built this school in a tropical location? Okinawa would've been good..." There was a bit of a breeze with the snow, so Jackal shifted to block as much of it as he could. "And nah, I was thinking more of a shapeshifter ability...only instead of turning into people or animals, turning into objects. Like a bodysuit that you could wear. You'd do the walking, I'd just cling around you and keep you warm." Sure, it sounded a little ridiculous, but it'd work to keep Mizuki nice and toasty, at least.

“Mm, that’s true. If they wanted an isolated area it could easily have been on a tropical island instead,” Mizuki mused longingly. He wasn’t really one for the sun and waves, but nice balmy weather would be so much better than this bitter cold he was currently experiencing. Thank goodness for Jackal! … though it was Jackal’s fault that he was freezing more than usual, he supposed. Mizuki had to chuckle a little at the mental image of Jackal as malleable outerwear. “So keen to get as close as possible to me?” he teased.

Jackal smiled and tugged Mizuki a little closer, as much so as humanly possible without making it awkward for them to walk. "You know me...or at least, you should," he winked. "I am very fond of sharing my warmth in...entertaining ways..." Oh, but he couldn't help the flirting. A bad habit of his, he supposed, as he wiggled the tips of his fingers under the bottom of Mizuki's shirt, just enough to rest them on a little skin.

Mizuki raised an eyebrow and turned his eyes to look up at Jackal. “Why, I didn’t know you were this interested!” he said, misconstruing Jackal’s casual flirtation for a more intense interest. That would, after all, explain why Jackal preferred a more energy-intensive activity to shopping! Mizuki couldn’t help but feel flattered by all the attention, of course. He earnestly hoped that he wasn’t expecting much more. It would be such a shame to disappoint such a nice fellow! Not that Mizuki could help being such a regular heartbreaker...

Jackal arched an eyebrow, but he chuckled and shrugged it off. Whether Mizuki seriously thought it was a serious interest or was just pulling his leg and being teasing himself, it was hard to say. But he couldn't see any harm in leaving it at that, for now. Besides, they were only a few steps away from the dorm, now. "Well, would you look at that. Nice, warm dorm building to get us both out of this snow."

“Well then, thank you for so gallantly escorting me all the way here,” Mizuki said as they entered the building. He let out a sigh and rolled his shoulders, only then realising he had been tensing up from the cold outside. He smiled up at Jackal. “If you would excuse me, I should probably go clean up.” And deal with the singed ends of his hair, somehow. Mizuki could feel the hysteria finally coming on. “I hope you keep your promise, Jackal-kun~.”