[hr][center][h2][color=00aeef]Jonathan Walker[/color][/h2][/center][hr]

It was [i]definitely[/i] a misunderstanding, but Jonathan couldn't quite see how what he'd said would be so offensive. At least, not until Yuki explained it to him. He scrambled away a couple feet, slightly red. Nope! Nope! Not what he'd meant [i]at all[/i]. He accepted the handshake, though it was slightly awkward using his non-dominant hand. Red blood was hidden by the red of the handkerchief, and it was getting rather damp. At least the bleeding seemed to be slowing to a stop now.

[color=00aeef]"I thinnk I'd like that,"[/color] Jonathan replied. He was going to extend an invitation to join the study party he'd had with Ryuuto when none other than the man himself appeared. He held up his finger to silence Ryuuto and Yuki for a moment and produced a tissue, then turned to blow his nose. Red everywhere -- thankfully it didn't touch his suit at all. He didn't need to call his attack names to dispose of trash, right? With a second of preparation, he balled up the bloody tissue and sent it on its merry way. Somewhere around two hundred meters out, the tissue came unfurled and fell apart in the wind. The rain would take care of the rest later.

[color=00aeef]"Much better. And yeah, but it's not much of a first day if I don't get bowled over. Remember when I met Taro?"[/color]

Taro had been a small student too - an augmentor, capable of enhancing his reaction time and speed, and he had been looking for a fight on the first day the previous year. The boy was a couple years older than Jonathan, though, and has since graduated. It wasn't really the same kind of situation - in this case, if Yuki was right about what 'hot coffee' meant, Jonathan had [i]definitely[/i] deserved it. He'd thought as much earlier - since she didn't keep pummeling him, it must've been a one-off thing.

[color=00aeef]"...I'll have to apologize after she's cooled down a bit,"[/color] he said, too deep in thought at the moment to notice what either of his companions said. Akiko still seemed like someone he'd like, and getting whacked like that did nothing but reinforce his judgment. Maybe she'd be willing to join the study group. The other three students who had been involved the prior year had already left the Institute, so he'd have to build it back up again.

[@Cu Chulainn][@Yuuta]

[hr][center][h2][color=f26522]Brock Van de Vate[/color][/h2][/center][hr]

Brock stood off to the side of the crowd, listening in. It wasn't really his [i]thing[/i], y'know? Standing around talking about making up and shit. If you don't mean it, then don't fuckin' get punched! Fight back!

His attempt at recruiting Natsuki as a [s]peon[/s] friend was wrecked by the affair, too, but that wasn't a huge deal. She was impulsive, so she'd probably... Oh. Now, there's a good idea. With all the impulsive, fist-flinging, magical abominations wandering around out here, perhaps he could start up some sort of club? Schools usually liked that sort of thing, right? He'd been missing that sort of thing ever since the pigs grabbed him and his pals last year. Court dates every month were hella boring, so he was itching for some fun, and this presented the perfect opportunity to do something new.

A quick look over the gathering showed only two people who outwardly [i]looked[/i] like his usual sort, and neither seemed to give a rat's ass about the goings-on in the hugbox around Jonathan and Akiko. One of them was... A sukeban girl? He'd scrapped with a few types like that back in Chicago, but they were mostly filthy weeaboos. This chick looked like the real deal. The other looked almost like a gang member with his nautical uniform, and his constant yelling only strengthened that image. Brock figured it was time to make a less 'dramatic' introduction, and approached the two shortly after a third joined their group.

[color=f26522]"Yo, you guys see that shit? Haven't seen someone get rocked like that in a [i]long[/i] time."[/color]

[@Mercurial][@Cu Chulainn][@blumenk]

[hr][center][h2][color=92278f]Daler Ghumman[/color][/h2][/center][hr]

[color=92278f]"I'd rather be back in my study, myself. Too bright out here."[/color]

Daler's eyes were [i]also[/i] not what they used to be, like the rest of his withered body. They worked fine, but like everything else, they hurt when exposed to too much of anything - sunlight in particular. Despite the aches, he was amused by the students' antics like Mako was. It seemed that counselors almost universally had that sort of twisted pleasure in witnessing 'learning experiences', as he liked to call them. The ones who didn't wouldn't last more than a couple years in the Institute, after all. Too much stress for those sorts of teachers.

[color=92278f]"Clarabelle, Mako? If you'd like, we can go to my office for tea after this event is all over. I'm sure your dolls would love to come, too."[/color]

There was a hint of pity in his voice as he spoke - out of all the people in the gathering, Clarabelle seemed to be the most broken and hurt person there. He still didn't intend to take Mako's case unless she asked for his help, but he didn't know the new counselor as well as he'd have liked yet. It was always good to know the other staffers and he'd been woefully lax in that duty.

[@Silver Carrot][@VitaVitaAR]