[Gideon]

"So how old are you guys?" Gideon asks lightly, making small talk with his Binded as they walk down to the cafeteria.
"I'm eighteen. Just turned eighteen actually." Jordan responds.
"I'm turning eighteen soon." Wilson says cheerfully. "Hopefully I'll live long enough to get there..."
"I'm sixteen." Ethan adds a bit reluctantly when the others glance at him expectantly. "You're all so much older than me..."
"Not really, I'm only seventeen too." Gideon says comfortingly. "I wonder how old the girls are."
"We should ask them later. We'll probably see them at lunch right?" Wilson adds in eagerly.
"We probably will." Gideon says back. 
"Man, I was really looking forward to graduating Skyline with honors and joining the military as an officer. I heard that you could immediately get a high-up position once you graduate West Point if you attended Skyline. Looks like it was too good to be true." Jordan says miserably. 
"It's actually most likely true." Gideon points out. "It's going to much harder to graduate than you thought, but from what I've heard, the perks after graduating are genuine.
"Really?" Jordan perked up before his face fell once more. "At this rate, none of us will survive though. Look how many of us died just on the first day."
"That's only because of the idiots that picked stupid words like Grass and Frog probably." Wilson laughs scornfully. 
"Frog could be useful though. What if you made a gigantic one?" Ethan realizes, eyes alight. Wilson looks at him funny and starts arguing about how colossally stupid it would be to have "Frog" as your word.

---

"Why did ya wanna join the military anyways? All wars are stupid anyways." Cynical Wilson is cynical.
"...My dad, and his dad, and his dad too as far back as they can remember all served in the army. I guess its a family tradition or something. My dad expects me to do it. And hey, wouldn't it be pretty cool? I could command a whole army and win battles and stuff. It'd be honorable!" Jordan says excitedly. 
"Sure, sure." Wilson scoffs.
"What are [i]you[/i] planning on doing after you graduate?" Gideon asks curiously.
"Hell if I know. Get rich on some cushy government job that Skyline will give me? It'll work out.
Gideon gives him a dubious look. [i]Somehow I doubt it.[/i]

--

The girls call out to his group as the boys walk into the cafeteria.
"Hey Mister~, you gonna let a girl eat all alone~?" Ashley says flirtatiously, licking her lips and winking before grinning and turning around.
"You're such a tease." Sarah complains. "How do you have so much confidence?"
"It's easy! All you have to do is dress like this..." Ashley partially unzips Sarah's hoodie and throws the hood back, letting Sarah's long, smooth hair hang free down her back. "Instead of whatever that was supposed to be before." She finishes. 
"It's too embarrassing, everyone can see..." Sarah murmurs in a panic, looking down at her chest.
"That's the idea." Ashley whispers mischievously.

"Don't look, but here come the guys. I bet they'll be looking at you a lot more often now." Ashley giggles teasingly.
[i]Fuuumuuuu...[/i] Sarah thinks in despair.