Roomate 101

[Kyukaku]

Room 101, this should be easier to find than Audrey's room was.

Kyukaku pondered his choices of a roomate as he walked on the first floor of the dorms, navigating for his room.

I wonder if I'll be with a Hircinian, or hopefully by myself. Though it would be pretty cool if I was put with Leon, Bruce or something. Maybe with another old Legion buddy...or maybe not. Odin's always grumpy, and I assume Zerreth and Li are bunked together. Too bad, I like those two guys. Everyone else I know is graduated...

Kyu halted in front of his room, tightening his grip on his bag as he fished the key out of his pocket. He stuck it in the lock, turning it the wrong way first, before finally unlocking the door and pushing it open.

"Hello?" Kyu asked as he stepped inside, halting at the sight of his roomate.

"Oh...please no." Kyu pleaded, shaking his head and looking at the ground. "I'd rather be choked unconcious again, everynight for the rest of my life than have to live with you."

[Pain Killer]

"God, I'm stuck with the whiner."

There, seated in the middle of the couch with his hands behind his head, feet up on the coffee table, Pain Killer rolled his eyes, highly disappointed with who had walked through the door. His trenchcoat was on the floor near the window, laying in the same crumpled heap that Adam had left it in after throwing it off after arriving. Given the state that Adam's apartment had been in before he left, it was only a matter of time before this dorm became a dirty hellhole as well.

"Well, I suppose I should give you the one golden rule of living with me. Don't screw with my stuff, and I won't kill you."

Adam closed his eyes, sighing heavily. Since he'd been the first to arrive, he was hoping that his roommate was someone he got along with. Aryck, or maybe even Bruce. Of course, the only real friends he'd made, and would be somewhat happy to be living with were all female, and the one he wanted most was apparently already graduated.

I guess they didn't want any hanky panky between Varronites.

He opened his eyes, looking at Kyukaku. Maybe it wouldn't be all bad, as far as he knew, there wasn't much reason for him to hate the guy yet. After all, he'd won every fight they'd been in so far, the only time he'd actually been angry was with his sister.

Damnit.

He closed his eyes again, unhappy with where that train of thought was going, ignoring Kyu for now. Unless the other student said something, he'd simply remain where he was, relaxing on the couch.

[Kyukaku]

"Yeah, well if my brother framed you and you get thrown in jail, getting released just before rooming with someone like you, you might have some whining rights too."

Kyukaku sighed, and shook his head again. He wasn't exactly whining as much as Pain Killer might have thought. Kyu and him didn't tend to get along, and if this situation annoyed Kyu, it wouldn't surprise him if it annoyed Adam more.

And that he could deal with.

Kyu walked over to the bed closest to the door, the one that hadn't been made up yet. He threw his duffel onto the matress, turning to face Adam, the man he used to call the man that would be best described as his rival, or personal pain in the ass. Those days in Varron seemed so long ago now, so much had happend since then. Both to Kyukaku and the city in general.

He looked around at the floor, looking at all the random pieces of clothing, trash, and god knows what else that had been spread around. "Yeah. That should be simple." Kyukaku muttered, glancing back up at Adam.

"So poopstain, have anything wise to share with me about this school?"

[Pain Killer]

"Tch."

It was all Pain Killer really had to say about his brother. Trent was a touchy subject with him, and Kyukaku had already used up his Q&A session about the older Rydell. However, the fact that he had apparently run into Adam's brother twice and was still living gave Adam something new to ponder.

He's taken an interest in this kid. Hm. Wonder why?

It was a thought that he would keep to himself, rather than let Kyu know the sorts of thoughts running through his mind. He pushed the idea to the back of his head, focusing on the new words coming from his apparent roommate. His eyes opened upon hearing the insult, though there was little other physical reaction than that.

"You haven't been, yet? You're missing out on a lot of fun."

Adam's face took on a crooked grin, driving the point home that he believed the events unfolding at the school was simply entertaining. His hands dropped from behind his head, his upper body leaning forward to dig through the garbage on the table to find a half full bag of regular chips. Pulling the bag to himself, Adam began snacking away, not bothering to offer Kyukaku any. After all, he'd bought these chips with his own meager funds, Kyu could simply go get his own damn chips.

"Apparently, only a select few from Varron made it here. I don't know who all did, but I've seen Leon and Junpei, and heard Ein's here too. Other than that, you're the only other person I know. Feel proud."

He shoved a few broken chips into his mouth, chewing rapidly but quietly. After all, the youngest Rydell hadn't had much money when he'd come to Varron, and after losing his job in the move, he was back to square one.

"It gets better. San Francisco hasn't exactly welcomed us with open arms. Most of the students seem to think we're all punks and psychos, which most of us are, but all Varron transfers are getting a bad reputation. But that's not the best part! Here, they actually have Pillars and a School Captain!"

[Kyukaku]

"Yeah, just got into town a few hours ago. Went to see someone first, then made my way here. So the extent of what I've seen so far is a hot girl, and you."

Kyukaku kept their conversation on a light note, despite the two's difference the two knew eachother decently well for not exactly being friends. At least it wouldn't be awkward having to come up with conversation for a new roomate.

"Well you remember Audrey, my date for the X-mas dance? She's here too, but other than that I don't know much. I hear Kazu-, I mean Taiku was building a new establishment to take place of the Edge here in San Fran also."

Kyukaku walked over to where Adam sat, listening as the larger man spoke about the way things were here. Kyu took a seat on the corner of the coffee table where Adam's legs were propped up. He wasn't offered any chips, but that was fine with him. Adam could keep his goddamn chips, Kyu didn't like that kind anyways.

"All punks huh? That doesn't sound good. The only punk out of the above names I know would be you, and even then I guess you aren't too bad. So what about these pillars? I can't imagine they take a big liking to us if they think we're all punks."

[Pain Killer]

"Ah, but see; I give punks a good name. I give them something to aspire to, while losers like Junpei and yourself simply add to the garbage pile."

If Pain Killer had noticed Kyu's attempt to keep the conversation light, he certainly wasn't showing it. He had been in a bad mood since leaving Varron, which was understandable given the state of things during his departure with the rest of the school, and that likely wasn't going to change if things continued as they did. Rather than continue on that train of thought, Adam continued eating the chips, mowing them down before finding the bag empty. His hand simply tossed the bag to his side, allowing it to fall on the floor, and with nothing else to occupy himself, the Rydell boy resigned himself to responding to Kyukaku's question.

"Haven't seen a Pillar yet, and I don't much care to. They're bigger fish in our little pond of a school, but not the big fish."

He crossed his arms in front of him, refusing to look at the younger student. It was obvious Kyu wasn't quite grasping the concept behind why Pain Killer was so happy at the newfound knowledge of the School Captain and the Pillars. While it was a newly formed plan, Adam still believed it to be a good one, and he saw no reason why not to tell his roommate. After all, it would become public knowledge soon enough.

"Just think of it. This little school, peaceful and happy, takes in the worst students that had just finished leaving Varron Academy, a school known for reforming even the worst of kids. It's pretty obvious what they want to do. The plan is, they're going to reform us all, change everything that makes us unique. But what if their very icons of order were to be beaten? The School Captain and his Pillars beaten within a matter of weeks, by Varronites. Think of the recognition the first Varron student would get, after taking down Hircine's top dog!"

The cocky smirk would slowly begin to form upon the Senior student's face, his eyes finally travelling up to meet Kyu's. Now, maybe the kid would get it. I'll be ranked right up there with the rest of the graduating class from last year. It'll no longer just be Dain this, King that, Kaz-

...wait.

The words that Kyu had said finally clicked in his mind, and Adam could only stare at the younger man for a moment first, unable to find his voice for a few seconds. The smirk rapidly faded away, his eyes widening in shock as he finally understood what Kyukaku had meant.

"You've got to be fucking joking. He's alive."

[Kyukaku]

"Yeah, 'cause those of us that actually try and do something good with our lives are the ones who are trash."

Kyukaku rolled his eyes at Adam's statement, brushing it off as he continued to listen to the larger man. Adam threw the empty bag off onto the floor, something that didn't really bother Kyu, at least for now. He wasn't a neat freak in the least, but if Adam continued at the pace he seemed to be at, the personal dump in their room might get to be a hassle.

"By what I know about you and what you just said, I think its safe to assume you plan to challenge the school captain? Well that can't be good for our image. Does this captain have a name?"

Kyukaku stared at Adam for a few moments, not getting any response from him. Kyu bobbed his head forward, getting a little impatient.

"Adam? Are you th-" Kyu was cut off, something finally clicking in Pain Killer's brain, causing him to burst out verbally. "What? Yeah, I assumed the captain would be alive..." Kyu gave him a strange look, followed by his own realization not more than a few seconds later. "Oh....oh." Kyu repeated, pushing himself up from the coffee table.

Slowly, Kyu made his way over to his bed, purposely turning his back to Adam to avoid contact. "I uh...I don't know what you mean."

[Pain Killer]

"Don't play dumb with me. If Kazuki's alive, I'll just have to look him up sooner or later. I've got other work to do first."

Whatever Kyu would say, it was unlikely to change the self-proclaimed Pain Killer's mind. Now that he'd heard the news, there was very little keeping him from looking up "Taiku" and finishing what had been started so long ago. He pulled his feet off the table, pushing them against the ground to bring himself to a standing position. Finally, something starts to go right around here. He turned his head to look at Kyu, his shock long since forgotten.

"Don't worry. He's more than able to take care of himself, which is partly why me and him need a little chat."

The idea of Kyu running off to tell Taiku about Adam looking for him ran through Adam's mind, though he made no outward sign of this. The fact was, he couldn't care less if Kyu ran off to tell him. It would either speed the hunt along, should Taiku decide to deal with him sooner, or Kyu would decide it wasn't worth it, and allow Adam to make a surprise visit.

Shuffling through the garbage, Pain Killer walked over to the wall, grabbing his trenchcoat and putting it on. Perhaps he should pay this "Taiku" a visit sooner rather than later, deal with past and present troubles in the order that they occured to him. He pushed the collar down, refusing to look like that guy off TV, Fonzie or whatever, and began to stride towards the door, his eyes glancing over to Kyukaku for a moment.

"So, where is he now? You might as well tell me, since I doubt it'll be hard to find him on my own."

After his question, Adam would stand by the door, awaiting Kyu's response.

[Kyukaku]

"Kazuki? Heh..heh..who are you talking...fine. Whatever. Yeah, yeah he's really alive but thats not exactly front page news. It sucks that I'm a bad liar..." Kyukaku submit, throwing his hands up in the air before crossing them over his chest as he gave a glare to Adam like a child who didn't get a new toy when promised one.

"Yeah I know that, but I wouldn't be happy if someone said something that made me have to talk to you." Kyu retorted, though in all honesty he didn't mind speaking to the man as much as acted.

Kyu watched as Adam walked over, grabbing his trenchcoat before glancing back over at Kyu. If it wouldn't be hard to find him on your own, then why is it you are asking me? Kyu gave Adam a bewildered look before shaking his head and looking back at the man with a more focused mind.

"What, now? I thought you said you had other work to take care of? Jesus, you really are one track minded aren't you...?" Kyu pulled on the lapels of his jacket, moving it forward on his shoulders. "Fine. I've heard where it is, I got to see Kazuki eventually anyways, I might as well take you."

Kyu would walk past Adam, sighing as he did so before walking out of the dorms in assumption that Adam would close the door and trail behind him.

[Pain Killer]

"It's not a one track mind, I'm just goal-oriented."

Adam shook his head, smiling slightly at the idea. He had a perfect idea of where to stop on the way to Taiku, as he would insist that they take his new car. Well, the car wasn't exactly new, it was basically a blue metal box on wheels, and not old in the valuable way. In fact, Pain Killer wasn't even sure of what kind of car it was; he'd never heard of a "Bivic" before. Still, it had wheels, it moved when he pressed the pedal, a sound system, and a trunk, there wasn't much more he needed.

He could hear Kyukaku sigh on his way out, and Adam was forced to keep from smacking the younger man in the back of the head. If the kid wasn't such a freaking whiner, he might've had a higher opinion of him, but instead, he considered Kyu as being barely tolerable, for short periods of time. He stepped out after Kyu, his hand reaching back to pull on the handle of the door, though not without having one last thing to say before closing and locking the entrance to their temporary home.

"...You smell like sex."