[indent][u][b]January 27th, 12:39 AM
Outside Asterion Dormitory[/b][/u][/indent]

What little hair he allowed to grow on his head still just slightly damp from hitting the showers after his workout, Mal silently trudged his way down the ethereally lit streets of Poseidonis towards the campus. Dressed far more casually than the norm- the jacket of his grey tracksuit open, gymbag slung over his shoulder and the lip of his Vanguard ballcap hiding a furrowed brow as he marched forward with trepidation concealed under years of practice towards the inevitable confrontation of his own making.

His powerful peepers quickly picked up on Karen's familiar figure, leaning up against the wall of her dormitory around his next turn.

[color=orangered][i]'...Crap.'[/i][/color]

This had been a lot easier over the scrying stone.

Just what the [i]hell[/i] was he supposed to say?

Still, despite his doubts, the boy carried on without even a change in his gait. This conversation [i]needed[/i] to happen- there was no way of getting around that. If not for Karen's sake, then his own.

[color=orangered][i]"I choose to believe in Karen Hernandez."[/i][/color]

The boy's own words from a few weeks back rattled around in his head. He had meant every word of it and still did. It was just a matter of getting [i]her[/i] to believe that, too, a Herculean task in it's own right.

His feet moved on autopilot.

Goddamn, life was a lot easier back when his day to day routine was just defusing bombs and punching people in the face.

His feet came to a stop. It took the boy a half-second to realize that that was because he'd arrived at his destination, on the sidewalk and to his oldest friend's left, hand rising out of his pocket on habit to give her a little wave.

[color=orangered][i]'Well, Mal. Time to nut up.'[/i][/color]

[color=orangered]"Mornin', Sunshine."[/color] The boy greeted with his usual little smirk, but much less volume, both due to the lingering fatigue of his workout and out of consideration for the girl's neighbours [color=orangered]"Didn't wake ya, did I?"[/color]