[Log] Study time turns into gossip time

[shiny_balls]

Who: Kuwahara Jackal, Taki Haginosuke
When: Dec. 18th
Where: Senior dorm lounge
What: They chat about a variety of subjects.
Ratings/Warnings: G13, Jackal has a dirty mind that comes up with a disturbing mental image.



Stretched out on the dorm lounge couch, Taki turned the page of the book he was reading for literature. He was supposed to be paying attention to motifs and symbols but it was far easier to just get lost in the story. It meant he had to go back and reread a few times to catch the things that no doubt would be mentioned in class. Doing this was turning it into a very tedious read. He'd have preferred to read in his room but that held the possibility of dealing with Akutsu. The library was too quiet and uncomfortable but the dorm lounge was a nice compromise.

Getting up, Taki wandered off to his room to grab a drink. He'd long since learned that leaving anything in the kitchen meant risking someone else snagging it first even if it was in your space. Or risking it being tampered with and neither of those options sounded particularly pleasant. Re-entering the lounge, he took a drink out of his bottle as he settled back down on the couch.

After pretty much not leaving his room for a week and a half, Jackal had decided he needed to get out, even if it was only to somewhere else for some quiet homework time. It felt good, though, to be walking around in light pants and a t-shirt, no socks, no shoes....instead of being buried under every possible blanket he could find. Book-bag in hand, he stepped into the lounge, and as soon as he did a fire sparked in the previously cold fireplace. It made him blink, though, because...he hadn't meant to start that. But it wasn't out of control. It was a perfect start. A small flame to begin with, one that grew slowly as it consumed the kindling and the firewood, but never once showed a sign of growing larger than the fuel it possessed.

He didn't want to think about how or why. Instead, he glanced at the lounge's other occupant and smiled. "Hey, Taki."

Taki looked up at his name and smiled in return. "Good call on the fire." It wasn't cold in the room but the extra warmth was always appreciated. The same went for the company. "So, you're feeling better now?" Between the fire and the lack of particularly warm clothing, that seemed a safe guess. Gesturing to the open spots on the couch, Taki went back to trying to read the book for class. He'd have preferred to just read the book and not have anything class-oriented with it but that was never going to happen, not when he was reading it for class. Picking up on the things the teacher wanted was just not his strength. It was tempting to go grab a notebook and pen to try to note down anything that seemed important but it would be his luck that he'd pick up on everything but the important parts.

"Eheheh....Thanks...." Jackal chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed about the fire. Would Taki believe him if he said he hadn't meant to do it, when it seemed so perfectly controlled? "Yeah, I am. Temperature's back up to what's normal for me. When I was cold, I couldn't use my power at all....but it seems like with my temperature back up, so are the flames." He took a seat on the sofa and dug out his math homework, the stupid stuff. Not his favorite subject at all, and his expression showed it.

"Does this mean you're back to be our resident heater?" Taki wondered after he'd read his current page twice without picking up on anything like what his classmates had been discussing in class. It was far more interesting to talk about Jackal's recent power difficulties. However, that would be far less productive for Taki's grade in this particular class. Spending the next several minutes trying to read the page again, Taki closed the book with a sigh. He glanced over at Jackal and gave a little smile of support. "I take it you're not having the easiest time either."

Taki's comment interrupted Jackal's train of thought...not that there was much to interrupt. He'd been staring at his calculator, knowing he'd need it to solve the problem before him, but.....that was as far as he'd gotten. "Mm, I guess so. It is Open Cuddle Season, after all. School tradition~~" He shifted his paper, moving on to the next problem and deciding he'd go back to the first one later. "Ehh... I hate math. Never been very good at it when you start throwing letters in." He noticed Taki's closed book and chuckled. "At least I'm not the only one fighting the homework demon. There's an odd sort of comfort in that."

Numbers made sense when they had something real behind them, such as money. Math was harder without that but still understandable. Numbers were simple. They didn't change and the outcomes were, once you figured them out, predictable. "The homework demon is a terrible foe," Taki agreed. "Mine's literature though, not math. I'm still trying to remember just why I'm taking this class." It had turned into his most challenging class of the term though it wasn't as if it was an impossible class. "So, have a lot of people been taking you up on it? Since it is cuddle season around here."

"I'd take literature over math any day, personally," Jackal shrugged, but then, they all had their own preferences with things like that. "....There haven't been as many, this year, actually. At least not so far. Really only a couple of seniors." And his roommate, but he was fairly certain Atobe wouldn't appreciate it going around, even if it wasn't really a big deal. "There seems to be more in the way of romantic relationships this year, though, too, so I can't help wondering if that has something to do with it."

To each their own when it came to favored school subjects. "There have been a few ones," Taki agreed. "I think the one that's been the most surprising has been Sanada and his kouhai." The lovesick stupidity had been amusing to watch though for now it seemed as if most of that had been shifted onto his kitten that he kept posting pictures of. Giving up on the reading, Taki watched Jackal for a few moments before asking, "so, any romantic prospects for you?" It was always good to stay up to date on his gossip.

"Hahaha, yeah, that's an interesting one. Never would've seen it coming." Seriously. Jackal had always figured they were too different...But hey. Who was he to judge? He didn't know either of them particularly well, so maybe there was something there that he didn't know. "As for myself...heh. The usual, I guess. Everybody wants a space heater for the winter, nobody wants me for a boyfriend. I'm pretty used to it by now, really..." Which was...really pathetic.

"I'm not sure anyone saw that one." Taki certainly hadn't and it'd been a surprise to watch Sanada go ga-ga over the second year. An amusing surprise at least. Leaning back, he spent the next few minutes just enjoying the fire. The room hadn't been cold before but the fire was making it a lovely warm that only a fire could make. It made the room feel nice and cozy. Thinking about Jackal's situation, there was one possibility that jumped to the front of Taki's mind. "I wonder if your warmth is what keeps people from getting too close. They're afraid that everyone will turn on them for taking you away from the rest of us."

If black men could pale, Jackal did. He hated even the thought of what Taki was suggesting. His heat wasn't anything he could control. He was just warm. Still...it wasn't impossible.... "I don't have to be taken away, though..." he shook his head. "At least, not in the platonic-cuddles space-heater way." Sometimes his cuddles turned into something a little more...active...and yeah, if he had a lover, there'd be an end to that, but it wasn't exactly like he had a harem of boys or girls to go to whenever he wanted. His senior year had actually been...mostly celibate, so far. "So as long as my potential partners are willing to share...and I probably wouldn't really want to go out with someone who wasn't....there shouldn't be much of a problem...."

Taki shrugged. "It was just a possible explanation why," he pointed out. "Though it could just be as simple as you not meeting the right person." Or of not saying something to the right person. Curiosity was getting the best of Taki though. "So, got your eye on anyone? I know someone who just loves to play matchmaker." And if setting Jackal up with someone kept Mizuki from noticing anything going on in Taki's personal life, well, that was just an added bonus.

"I hope it's not why. That would leave me lonely for life." Jackal pouted for a moment, but he was generally an optimistic guy, so it didn't last long. "But no, don't have my eye on anyone in particular. There's a few people I like enough that I'd be willing to give it a try with them, but I wouldn't call it a crush...and a few others that I find physically attractive, but don't know well enough to judge if I'd wanna date them." He set his math homework aside, finding the conversation far more interesting than his math homework (watching paint dry would be more interesting than math homework). "What about you, Ta---oh, yeah. You've already got someone." Jackal tapped his own temple with a finger. "I remember."

It was difficult to keep his expression from showing anything. Taki had been keeping quiet about the situation wanting to, for once, keep something private around the school. "There are plenty of attractive people around here. Almost seems like it goes hand in hand with being a mutant." He smiled a little at that added perk. Or it might have just been the constant forced interaction that made everyone seem attractive. Potentially, it could just be a combination of both. Sighing, Taki shook his head. "Is it that obvious?" He and Sengoku were still trying to keep the situation quiet in an attempt to keep personal lives personal for once around the school. Knowing just how others saw the situation could only help.

Jackal grinned. "It does, doesn't it?" The school was full of good-looking people. Even if they weren't all Jackal's type, he could still admit they were handsome or cute or pretty, or whatever adjective fit best. "But still, that doesn't make all of them someone I'd want to date. Fool around with for a night or two....maybe..." He winked, just to tease a little. "Mm...You and Sen? No, it's not. In fact, if it hadn't been for you guys having a certain conversation on my journal and the way Sen reacted to it, I wouldn't have noticed. But, I do have a tendency to pay attention to my journal, so..." He shrugged. "And honestly? I wasn't totally sure until just now. Mostly sure, but not completely." He made a zipping motion across his lips. "I won't tell. It's not my business who knows and who doesn't."

Taki gave a little nod. "It's hard not to pay attention when it's your own journal. Though the responses he was giving were rather hilarious." Maybe not at first but definitely now they were. Talking about Sengoku reminded him of something and he gave Jackal a curious look. "So, did you ever get that ginger tea he was going on about?" Homework was completely forgotten about now. This talk had been more interesting to start with anyway but even more so now that it was onto Taki's own personal life. "Though I will say I appreciate that you're not going to say anything. It's rather nice to have some semblance of a personal life around here for once."

Grinning at the memory, Jackal nodded. "He's so funny when he gets all flail-y and keeps putting his foot in his mouth," he chuckled. Still, he felt a little bad for Sen...the guy was a natural flirt. It had to be hard to keep that reigned in, now that he had a boyfriend. "He did bring it by, a couple of days ago. And I made some soft pretzels with melted chocolate for dipping, and we sat and chatted for a while. The tea was alright...not something I'd drink on a regular basis, but definitely something I could handle if I get sick again." He put a hand on Taki's shoulder for a moment in a friendly pat. "I'm happy for you guys. And I do get it, not wanting it to get spread around...people here are nosy. Everybody's gotta have a secret or two, just to feel like they have some kind of privacy."

"That does sound delicious." Chocolate and pretzels sounded like the perfect snack. Ginger tea didn't seem like it'd taste particularly good with that combination. Taki gave a happy smile at the warmth from the touch. "I hope you don't get sick again. You're so warm; it'd be a shame to lose that heat." Taki rather hoped that Jackal would find someone soon. Between his actual warmth and just being a good guy, it was more of a wonder that someone hadn't tried to snag Jackal already. "But thanks. And at this point, I'm sure I'll be killed by a certain friend of mine for not saying anything to him about it so the longer I can keep him guessing, the better."

"It is. And he totally didn't believe me... Looked at me like I was crazy or something," Jackal huffed, though the mood didn't last long. Everybody had their preferences, after all. "And I really don't plan on getting sick again... Man, I never realized how used to being warm I was, until suddenly I wasn't, anymore....." He failed to suppress a small shiver just at the memory. Yeah. Definitely not something he wanted to repeat.

Taki's comment made him chuckle. "Friends do have a tendency to be nosy. Usually with the best of intentions, but...sometimes, a fella's just gotta have his secrets. Not for the sake of being secretive, but...it's more like... It's just not something that gets brought up outta the blue. Either because you don't consider it important enough -which I realize is probably not the case here- or because it just seems so normal that it doesn't occur to you to make a big deal of it."

Taki laughed at that reaction. "Sometimes it's just far easier to humor him," he admitted. "Especially when he goes on about certain things like superstitions." It made life simpler to just go with whatever it was. Besides, in Sengoku's case, those things ended up better to just follow anyway. Stretching, Taki gave a little nod in agreement. He couldn't imagine just how Jackal had felt when sick but being sick in general was never fun. "It's more like this friend likes to think he knows what's best. And he's been dropping all these hints and attempting to match-make Sengoku and myself. It's been fun to watch but when he finds out..." Taki just hoped Mizuki wouldn't do anything too ridiculous when the time came. "Part of me hopes I'll survive, the other part just hopes I have a quick and painless death."

Jackal laughed a little, trying to imagine this friend, or more accurately, figure out who he was. It wasn't incredibly difficult... He knew of one particular person that Sengoku and Taki were both friends with, that also happened to be a bit on the nosy side... "Well. When he does find out, you can just tell him that you two made such a good pair that you didn't need his help to get together. Maybe knowing he was right to try to pair you two up will be a good enough stroke to his ego to get him to forgive you for keeping it from him?" Maybe...

"It's an idea. Still, I'm sure I'll get yelled at plenty." Taki was obviously willing to take that risk. Stroking Mizuki's ego was sure to either make the situation better or come off as patronizing. It was hard to say which one until it was time. "So, there's really no one that's said they're interested in you? I find that hard to believe." Nice and warm with some spice? That was a combination that seemed priceless around the school.

Shaking his head, Jackal smiled. "No. Not for more that just being friends or just having sex. Everybody seems to want one or the other from me, really, but when it comes to wanting to be more than that...." He shrugged. "I used to get frustrated about it and thought there had to be something wrong with me that I just couldn't see. But I'm trying to have a different outlook. It just means I haven't found the right one yet."

"That's a mature way to think about it," Taki admitted, impressed at how Jackal had decided to handle things. "Watch yourself find someone in the most unexpected place." Someone entirely random that Jackal had never looked at twice before. That was usually how it seemed to go with these kinds of things. Looking for love never seemed to work as well as it just happening. "But until then, at least you've got plenty of people to keep you company for one or both of those things~"

Jackal blushed a little at Taki's compliment. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who thought he'd grown up in the years he'd spent here. "Yeah...they say you always find what you're after the moment you stop looking for it. So...I'm not going to worry too much about it. What happens happens...and I'll enjoy all the company and affection I can get in the meantime." He grinned. "In fact, if I didn't already know you were taken, I might be flirting with you right now," he added, teasing a little.'

"Only might?" Taki pouted. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to decide if that could be taken as a compliment or not. After a few moments of internal debating, he settled on it falling under the 'or' category. "It's not as if being together has really stopped either of us," meaning himself and Sengoku, "from flirting with others." Case and point being that first year, Aoi, who seemed to be harboring crushes on himself and Mizuki. Granted, Aoi thought they were girls but Taki hadn't exactly been trying to set the younger boy straight either.

Jackal chuckled at the pout and couldn't help the urge to ruffle Taki's hair. "I only say might because I don't quite know you well enough for the kind of flirting I had in mind," he winked. "Plus, I'm a good boy. Even if it's harmless and both parties know it won't go anywhere, I do try to behave and not hit on the unavailable." He stretched a little, draping an arm along the back of the sofa. "Kind of comes from a hard lesson learned. Flirted with someone, once....knew he was taken, so there were no intentions behind anything, but...the boyfriend didn't take too kindly to it...." He'd had a black eye for a week, after that...

Taki gave a look as he straightened his hair. His hair was off limits for ruffling. People did not just mess with his hair like that unless they were doing other things that kept Taki from noticing. It took him several moments before he was as satisfied as he could get without a mirror. "Now how exactly does a good boy survive at a school like this?" Granted, Taki considered himself to be fairly good. Never got into trouble with the teachers and he tended to stay out of the school drama, preferring to watch from the sidelines. "I take it someone didn't exactly approve of some harmless flirting."

Jackal just chuckled at the look, and to make up for messing it, once Taki had finished with it, he tamed a small lock that was still a little out of place. "It's not that hard. Don't hit on anyone too young or already taken. Beyond that, anybody's fair game," he shrugged. He'd never said he was a saint, after all. "As for that...er. I nursed a black eye for a few days...and I think they broke up after that because the boyfriend didn't trust that the guy I'd flirted with wouldn't go cheating on him..." He still felt bad about that.

"I think the too young thing is why there's that unspoken rule about not messing with the first years," Taki agreed. He was going to have to track down a mirror and completely fix his hair before anyone saw him. Of course, Taki and Mizuki were technically breaking that first year rule with Aoi but that was just playing around. "Luckily there's only a few people taken around here so you shouldn't have to worry too much about jealous boyfriends." Unless there were others keeping quiet. It was entirely possible but hopefully for Jackal's sake and safety, it wasn't.

Jackal nodded. "I have no idea how Sanada gets away with having that second-year of his." As long as the second year wasn't complaining, it wasn't a big deal, but... Ah well. Like Taki had said. Unspoken rule, which meant it wasn't a very strict one. "Mm. Just you and Sen, Sanada and his boy.......... Those are the only two coming to mind, right now. Did I miss somebody?"

"Sanada's is a second year, that's how," Taki answered. "I think they're fair game as long as they're willing but don't quote me on that." After all, the person that seemed to be most affected by that relationship was Sanada. His stupidity was entertaining to watch. "I think that's all now that it looks like Shishido's gone." That left poor Ryou all alone. "I haven't heard about anyone else in particular though it's possible there are some others."

Jackal gave that some thought. It made sense... Second years were more likely to be sure of what they wanted and aware of what they were getting into... Not that the first years couldn't be, but...well. In either case, it would always have to be a case-by-case basis. Some second years could be less equipped to handle those kinds of relationships than first years, after all. "And maybe as long as they're mature enough?" he suggested with a little chuckle. "Mm...someone else could be keeping things secret. In which case, all I gotta say is, if I flirt and tick off someone's partner, well...it's not my fault I didn't know." Jackal made a mental note to himself to see how Ryou was holding up with all that.

There wasn't much Taki could do but nod to that. It was one of the things that just went with keeping a relationship quiet. You couldn't expect people to be psychic. Well, actually, at this school that wasn't necessarily true. No doubt there were a few of those running around but most students weren't. "It's just a risk but as long as it's harmless flirting, you shouldn't tick someone off." And if that was enough to get someone all riled up...honestly, that was a little terrifying. Someone that on edge shouldn't be in a relationship, let alone one that was being kept quiet.

Jackal just chuckled and stretched a little again. "Well, here's hoping, anyway," he smiled, propping his feet up on the table. "So. Other than all that. What's new with you, Taki? It's hard to follow all the journal stuff sometimes...whole lot easier to just find a fellow and ask." And he and Taki didn't usually talk much. Shame, because Taki had always seemed like a nice guy.

"I can't say much is new. I've managed to luck into having a terrible roommate but I think everyone's heard of that by now." Taki certainly hadn't been quiet about it. He gave Jackal a curious look. "You wouldn't be interested in doing a little roommate change-up, would you?" Either Jackal or Atobe would be far superior to having Akutsu as a roommate and it didn't hurt any to ask. The worst that he could be told was 'no' and things would remain as they were. "You? Anything interesting going on?"

Jackal grinned. Poor Taki. Poor, poor Taki. "You know...if it was almost anyone else, I'd go for it. But that guy? I wouldn't inflict him on anyone. Except maybe someone as bad as him, but....we don't seem to have anyone that bad here." Though it really didn't make sense why the staff wouldn't do anything about it. There were unoccupied rooms...why not just split the two up and let them have their own room, even if it would only be until the next roommate shuffle? "Nope, nothing interesting on my end. Which is pretty sad, really. There's a little family stuff going on but...I've pretty much detached myself from family, so it's mostly like background noise."

"No one seems to want him. I've brought it up with a few different people and just keep getting the same answer," Taki answered. He wasn't surprised. It was disappointing but he'd long gotten used to that particular disappointment. "At this point, I think it's going to take a miracle for me to get a new room or roommate since the staff have made it clear I'd need full cooperation from all parties involved." At times it felt like there was some school conspiracy going on that kept him in that room. There wasn't much to say on family. Taki felt the same, that their going-ons were background noise. He wasn't detached from them but at the same time, them not knowing about Taki being a mutant meant things weren't exactly as chummy as they could be.

"Can't say I blame them. But what I don't get... These dorms aren't full. And while I understand pairing us up with people we don't necessarily get along with can teach us things...there's a line, you know? Most of us at least tolerate our roommates, if we haven't found ways to actually get along. But you two... They could move one of you out of that room and give you each your own rooms without messing up rooming arrangements for everyone else...and you two would both probably be a whole lot happier that way...." Jackal shrugged. "Though I guess that's one of those 'If I ran the school' things. Ryuuzaki probably has her reasons."

Taki glanced around the room, looking for cameras or microphones or some other recording device. It wouldn't surprise him if Ryuuzaki had some in each and every room. It'd make sense since that old woman always seemed to know what was going on in the school. "Honestly? I think she just likes to make us all suffer." An idea hit him and Taki gave a little chuckle. "Perhaps her power feeds on student misery."

Jackal laughed, good and hard. And then he groaned in disgust as his mind supplied him with a mental image of Ryuuzaki in like, S & M bondage gear, holding a whip and laughing. "I wouldn't be surprised. She likes to come up with some of the craziest punishments.........Hey. You didn't do anything to get punished by her, did you? I wouldn't put it past her to have assigned Akutsu as your roommate as a punishment for something...." He couldn't imagine it, Taki doing something to get in trouble for, but hey. They all had their moments, right?

"As far as I know, I haven't. Spotless record in fact." Well, as far as Taki knew, it was spotless. There might be a few faint blemishes but if so, Taki had long-forgotten about them. He wasn't sure what the groan of Jackal's was about. Something told Taki not to ask about it either. Something about this school led people to have strange minds that thought of even stranger things. "So unless this is some sort of future punishment thing..." He shrugged.

"Wouldn't put that past her, either. ….Or maybe she's punishing you for being too perfect....or not having enough fun...or something bizarre like that." The woman was hard to predict, after all. Jackal gave Taki a smile, though. "Maybe you should think about it differently. ...Imagine all the good karma that will come your way if you survive being Akutsu's roommate. You're stockpiling the stuff as we speak. You've gotta be." It's the only way it really made sense.

Taki shuddered. "That's disturbing, that she's possibly doing that. Any clue on her power?" The 'feeding on misery' idea was starting to sound like something that was actually plausible. Besides, it really didn't matter to Taki just how much good karma he might be racking up. He just wanted a sane, sensible, non-thuggish roommate. He doubted that was going to happen any time soon though. A sad fact of life but at least he had good friends who made it a little more bearable.

Jackal chuckled. "Are you saying she wouldn't? Because admit it, you could totally see it." Like there had to be a balance, a sort of fine line of the right kind of well-behaved. Too far on either side got you punished... "Omniscience, maybe? Or...hmmm...." Jackal paused, thinking. What sorts of powers would feed off of emotions? Psychic ones, probably... There weren't many psychics at the school, though, to base his guesses on. "It's probably something psychic. But as for what beyond that... I don't think I could hazard a guess."

"I can definitely see it. That woman..." Taki wasn't sure how she got to be in charge of a school. The woman just seemed to enjoy their misery. "Those are possibilities. I tend to feel like her power is omniscience." Of all powers, that one seemed to make the most sense with what Ryuuzaki seemed to always know. Psychic was a decent guess and Jackal was right, there only seemed to be a few. Perhaps she was keeping those students away so they didn't give Ryuuzaki away. "Perhaps we should stop with the conspiracy theories before we end up with some sick and twisted detention."

There was sense in Taki's last line. If she really was omniscient, then she knew about this conversation. Every last word. Or would find out whenever her knowledge base updated...which Jackal kind of imagined like a computer hard-drive or something.... Eh, with his luck, her knowledge was probably a running knowledge, learning about things as they happened. "We're lucky, so far. My one detention was perfectly normal and made complete sense. And you haven't gotten in trouble at all...."

Jackal paused, listening. He thought he could hear a soft buzzing sound. Not constant, but like. Buzz for two or three seconds, then quiet. Then buzz again, and quiet, and so on. "....Taki. You're not like, concealing some kind of vibrating....something, are you?" Okay, so he couldn't bring himself to ask if Taki had a vibe up his rear (and even if he did, would it really be loud enough for Jackal to hear it?) but...he was fairly sure the intended question got across.

It seemed as if practically everyone at the school had gotten detention for one thing or another. Taki, luckily, was one of the few who'd never received any punishment though the situation with Akutsu and it being a potential future punishme...wait, what?

Raising an eyebrow, Taki just gave Jackal a look as he realized what the guy had just asked. "Do you really think I'd just be sitting here if that were the case?" Staying quiet for a moment, Taki listened to whatever Jackal was hearing. Or rather, he tried to. "Sure it's not you?" He suggested. "I can't hear anything over here~" And really, who would jump to that first of all things?

Jackal gave a smile, but he also shrugged. "Probably not. But then again, who knows, in a place where anything can happen?" He listened, and for a moment, the buzzing stopped. It started up again, though, in the same on-off pattern as before. "Shouldn't be me, I don't have anything that-----" Something dawned on him, then, and he dug through his bag for his phone...which he'd thought was set to ring, but apparently was not. "Ehehe....Oops. Guess it's me after all." But the caller ID said it was a restricted number...

"Anyone special?" Taki asked, an amused look on his face. Of all things...and then it to be a simple phone call. Someone's mind was living in the gutter. "If not, maybe you should make whoever it is someone special so you don't jump to someone playing with a vibe when you hear buzzing." Something as amusing as this was unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.

"...Restricted number, it says. So weird... I don't give out this number except to friends and family............................" It hit him like a ton of bricks, and Jackal answered the phone before it could stop ringing (buzzing) this time. "Hello?" Excitement spread over his face in the form of the biggest grin humanly possible. His grandma. He cupped a hand over the receiver. "Sorry, I gotta take this. It's my grandma in Brazil...." He resisted the urge to ruffle Taki's hair and stood instead, glancing over at the fireplace, using his power to grow the flames a little for Taki to make up for the lack of body heat. Then he moved into the kitchen area, excitedly speaking Portuguese with the older woman on the phone.

So, definitely someone special but not in the way implied. Taki gave a little shrug at Jackal taking the call. It was obvious that the guy's grandma calling was something special. The extra fire was a nice bonus though it hadn't been necessary. With an unhappy sigh and the distraction from homework gone, Taki turned back to that night's literature assignment. It was going to be a long night.