such great heights | toby

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

There were many things that one could dislike while they were in school. Maybe it was that they seemed to be surrounded by idiots, the establishment could not serve good food for the life of the students, or that they didn't offer classes that fit your wants. However, for Kennedy none of those really seemed to bother her too badly. At least, not in comparison to her loathing for five simple words that teachers seemed to simply adore:

"This is a partner project."

Alright, so partner projects weren't that bad. You had to work with somebody, but at least it implied that you got to chose who you would work with. It would not be that bad, either, if you happened to be in a class with a few of your friends. In fact, partner projects could actually be pretty exciting under the correct circumstances. But then, we come to the next words that just drive the nails into the coffin:

"You will be assigned a partner."

Well, crud. Kennedy glanced around the room, seeing if there was anybody that she would absolutely refuse to work with. Thankfully, it seemed that there wasn't anybody who disliked her too much in her class. Maybe she'd luck out and get somebody who would actually work well with her. The last thing she wanted to do was be the grade carrier in the pair. Then again, she would rather that happen than fail utterly because of the incompetence of her partner.

The class waited with bated breath as the teacher recited names that were paired up. There were many groans and moans about being partners with this person, begs to switch, and other such complaints that rather grated on Kennedy's ears. It could have been predicted the teacher didn't really care for them either.

"Kennedy Beaufort and Toby Kwon."

The brunette glanced about, searching for Toby. She had ran into him once or twice, they were acquaintances at the least, and he seemed like an alright kid. She gave a nod towards him, a faint smirk, before turning her attention back to the class. The project was simple, just an Elemental study on stamina for certain activities. They had a month to do so--"we don't want you to strain yourselves"--which was more than enough time.

The bell rang, dismissing class for the day, and Kennedy collected her stuff quickly before walking quickly over to Toby. "We could probably put a pretty big dent in this project in a single day," she commented, giving a smirk. "When is a good time for you?" the Beaufort asked politely, knowing full well that she was already trying to take the driver's seat on this project. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind.

[TOBY MASON KWON]

School wasn't exactly a party. He didn't mind it really, except that he had to sit in a room full of people he wasn't particularly fond of. If they weren't strangers they were obnoxious and either one were not exactly ideal when he felt trapped in a box that smelled like dry erase markers and arm pits. Lovely. He stared at the board as the teacher spoke, only drawn from his point of focus when he heard the dreaded words: partner project. Great, just great. That meant being paired up with people he would probably want to strangle after five minutes of conversation, if they even made it that far.

Assigned a partner were the next words to reach his ears and the scowl deepened; why couldn't they simply choose people they wanted to associate with? Sick, twisted demon in a teachers' skin hellbent on creating chaos by possibly placing the most volatile people in a group, and expecting them to come out with something productive. This was going to go over splendidly. While his fellow students were being placed with their partners and griping aloud about the teachers' choices, Toby sat with a pensive frown on his face and awaited his sentence.

The name Kennedy Beaufort was not unfamiliar, at least, when he heard his name follow shortly after hers. His eyes shifted over to meet the girl's own, her smirk driving him to lift his chin in acknowledgement. Toby wasn't a very optimistic person by nature but it definitely could be worse. The project itself seemed simple enough and so hopefully they wouldn't wind up choking one another in the end for whatever reason or another. They were at least the same element. That was reassuring.

As soon as class ended he packed his things and set the bag on the desk. Kennedy was in his space before he could even think to stand up and make the connection first. "Oh yeah? And how do you propose we do that?" Toby asked briskly, standing up next to her and slinging the bag over his shoulder. "I was just thinking to myself how much pent up elemental energy I have available to get this shit done all in one day." He knew that she didn't mean it the way he put it but there was no helping the snark. The other students were already filing out of the room but Toby did not even take much of a glance around him. He was busy assessing his project partner, with only a small smile at her question. "Now, probably. I need to get lunch though, otherwise neither of us will be happy." It was a subtle invite to eat in the mess hall before his hunger got the better of him. Toby figured she would catch on well enough. He tilted his head towards the door before walking past her and towards the exit.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

The Beaufort didn't know much about her partner, but she had ran into him a few times. Hopefully, the boy didn't have a face that seemed like he would be a good person and turned out to be a snob. The thought did not cross her mind that something could cause them to butt heads. While Thunders were more solitary creature, she could manage to have a conversation with somebody and not try to kill them. At least, if they didn't bring it upon themselves. She gave a laugh as she recalled her last incident.

It would be a lot easier, in her opinion, to do this project since they were both Thunders. It meant that they didn't have to do nearly as much, as they weren't testing the stamina of two similar powers from different Elements and trying to find a common ground. It eliminated a lot of middle ground work, which meant she didn't have to think too much about it. It was a good thing, which was why she might have seemed eager off the bat to get started. In all honesty, however, she wasn't too enthused about the idea of testing anything with stamina. It was unreliable, seeing as you naturally would decrease over the number of times you did it. Which meant they probably would need to record what they did in classes to factor out the abilities in that... Okay, maybe there was a lot more to consider than she was giving it credit for.

Kennedy couldn't blame his reaction to her initiating the conversation so quickly, simply shrugging off his blunt retort. Well, at least he wasn't somebody who would bore her. He seemed to at least have a little spunk, which always made for great working conditions.

As long as they didn't interfere with each other.

She gave a smirk as he, despite his earlier distaste, he agreed that he had time now to work. If now consisted of after eating a meal, which the Thunder was perfectly fine with. As Toby started towards the door after a nod, she accompanied him. Kennedy wasn’t extremely hungry, to say the least, but she would eat just for the fact that she would get hungry later if she didn't. Plus, she needed the energy if they were going to do anything. School just drained the energy right out of you. "Sorry for the suddenness," she apologized, though her tone was somewhat neutral, as if trying to seem like an apology if he wanted or just something to say if he didn't want to hear it.

"I was thinking maybe if we just figured out what we could do for the tests, then maybe meet up about this time maybe three times or something and measure the results," she suggested, giving a shrug. Man, I really hope he doesn't mind me acting like this...

ooc: sorry for the general lame-ness of this. figured they'd probably start get distracted once they get to the mess hall.

[TOBY MASON KWON]

While Kennedy assumed the best of their being partnered up, Toby was not quite sure what to make of her. Sure, she took the lead now but would it end up being solely his responsibility in the end? A leadership complex, as he liked to call it. One reason he hated these group projects. Too many different personalities thrown together, too many opportunities for things to fall apart. Oh well. There was nothing to do now but go along with it and see where it ended up. The teacher had put them together and that was that.

He weaved through the other students to get out of the room, eager to breathe again. God, how he hated dealing with hallway traffic. Toby turned his head long enough to see if Kennedy was following him, nodding in approval to her before finding a clear route towards the mess hall. "Oh come on, I know you can manage a better apology than that. I expect groveling at my feet." His finger angled downwards towards his toes, giving her an expectant upward twitch of the eyebrows without even the hint of a smile. Part of him found the image amusing but left the comment at that, wondering what she would say.

Toby snorted. "You are so demanding," His voice was laced with a faint whine. "I don't think I can work under these conditions." Her request wasn't all that much really, he was just being difficult because he could be. Still, wanting to make sure he wouldn't create the chance for her to dump all of the work on him, he offered a smirk. "Let me at least get my food and we can talk tests." Food would give him something else to focus on instead of staring at Kennedy the entire time and making full blown conversation. He wasn't social enough for that. As soon as he grabbed his food, the tray wobbled slightly on his palm before setting it down on a half empty table.

A slice of pizza, some fries, and a soda would do the trick for today's lunch. The kid looked pretty eager to dig in and picked up the slice before looking across the table towards his partner.

"So," Toby mumbled mid-bite, "What sort of...'tests'...do you think we should do for this?" The pizza flopped up and down as he spoke. "Maybe we should try electrocuting one another. See how much voltage we can take." Would that even work? He had no idea. He'd never attempted to use his powers against his own element.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

There were many words that could be used to describe Kennedy Beaufort. Stubborn, headstrong, intelligent, violent, mercurial. The list went on, most of the words lacking a positive connotation that most people received. Nice, caring, outgoing... No, those words were typically not applied towards the brunette. She was not particularly scary, but many people choose to keep their distance. Kennedy had not always been as calm and level-headed as she was now. First impressions tended to stick, though, and that was how people would view her until they decided to get to know her otherwise.

Optimistic never had, and probably never would, be a word that was applied to the younger Beaufort.

But she was a leader. The last thing that she would do is drop a group project on somebody else. Of course, Toby would not know that. He wouldn't know that the particular Thunder he was paired with would rather do the entire project alone than leave it in the hands of somebody else. Her grades were a fragile thing, something that she took far too seriously, but they were something that she prided herself in. Unlike her artistic flairs, her grades were something that she wore like a badge. Most people knew about it.

Kennedy followed after him, noting the way that he easily made his way through the crowds. There were some people who could easily maneuver themselves around any obstacle. Toby seemed to be one of them. As with his physical movement, he also appeared to be able to banter with ease. Her apology had come up short, but she couldn't say that it bothered her. She gave a smirk as the boy explained his conditions for a better apology. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Kennedy replied, though she didn't have the tone of voice that said she would ever act on that demand.

Obviously, the boy had a lot of... Sass? Was that the word she was looking for? Whether it would become a conflict of interests in the end would definitely be interesting to see, but that wasn't the point right now. He made a complaint before explaining that he needed to get some food before they talked about tests. She snagged some food along with him, though she rather detested the school lunch. Kennedy sat across from him with a sandwich and a bottle of water. She would be heading home for an actual meal within a couple of hours anyways.

Toby asked her what type of tests she was thinking about, suggesting that they should try electrocuting one another and seeing how much voltage each person could take. She couldn't help but give a laugh, shaking her head. "Shocking each other would definitely not be approved by the teacher," Kennedy explained. "But you have a good idea. We could get a voltmeter and see how high of a current we can generate," the brunette suggested, opening her water bottle and taking a drink as she watched Toby. It probably wasn't nearly as interesting as he wanted the idea to be, but it was a start.

[TOBY MASON KWON]

When Kennedy said she would keep his demands in mind, Toby could only give her a cocky smirk. He was not going to assume for one second that, should an apology come up again, she was going to fall on her knees and kiss the very ground he walked on. That would be ridiculous and honestly he would question her sanity if she did so. The guy was pretty sassy and was fairly proud of that, knowing that life wouldn't be exciting if it were left to the people who couldn't take a joke.

The mess hall had good food in his opinion and enjoyed his pizza, glancing over at her sandwich and water. He felt the urge to ask why she didn't get something else--anyone could make a sandwich--but decided eating was more important. He drew his head back and set the pizza on the plate. "D'you honestly think the teacher is going to care whether or not we experiment on ourselves?" He asked seriously, fiddling with the edges of the tray and feeling the urge to see if he could spin it on one finger like a basketball. Maybe when he wasn't trying to work on a class project, or when his food might get flung to the floor. "You should ask her. I mean, I think it would be fun." Sarcasm laced his words, knowing that if Kennedy wasn't open to the idea right off the bat then there was little chance she would be swayed to try it. He didn't want to attempt convincing her anyway.

"You've gotta be shitting me." There was a laugh following after, his head rolled back as it drifted to the ceiling. After a second he looked at her again. "Who would volunteer for something like that? 'Yeah, I'll volunteer to be electrocuted' probably won't happen unless we pay them. Don't suppose you've got a couple hundreds in your pocket?" Toby poised his eyebrows at the question, smiling a little. He wasn't mad, nor did he care how they got this project done so long as they managed to complete it and get a decent grade. Did that include shocking some poor classmate? If they were willing, he wasn't against it. Or maybe even if they weren't, but that could cause problems.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

It wasn't that the school lunch wasn't good. However, she took a preference to what she received from her own house or where she went out to eat. The sandwich and water were simply a supplement until she could get something more filling--and most likely--more healthy for her. Part of her sort of wished she hadn't grabbed the food in the first place, but another part of her knew that she probably should manage to settle her stomach a bit. Plus, the Beaufort wasn't one of those girls to go without eating. Her metabolism made sure of that.

Toby rebutted her argument against experimenting on each other. Of course, she had a feeling that shocking each other wouldn't do much. As they both harbored a control for the element, they could probably just throw it back and forth at each other. While that would be a liable idea--seeing how long each of them could go with pulling up a charge and maintaining it as they passed it back and forth--it seemed something of a waste of time. At their stage, summoning it would require a large amount of effort though it wouldn't effect them much to continue to shape it and throw it about. So that definitely would not blow over well for a project. Her partner, however, seemed sarcastic by nature and she somewhat liked that. At least this project wouldn't be dull.

However, his response towards her suggestion about the voltmeter was a bit over the top. She was about to lash out before he continued to ask her who would volunteer for something like that. She couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head. "While I probably do have the money to convince somebody to stand there while we shock them, that wasn't what I had in mind," Kenny argued laughingly, a smirk still on her face. "Though shocking a few Waters would be a nice project, I think you misheard me."

"Voltmeter. Not volunteer. It's a little machine you can attach to batteries and stuff. But instead of using a battery, we'd try to summon a current to complete the circuit," she explained, giving a smirk. "I think they're a bit more reliable than a volunteer," Kennedy continued, giving another laugh. "Plus, we won't risk suspension this way."

[TOBY MASON KWON]

Toby was feeling like hot stuff because he was able to toss out his sarcastic remarks, but it was quickly deflated when she laughed back at him. The noise of the mess hall was fairly obnoxious and it was fairly easy for someone to mishear the person across from them. Sometimes if he sat there long enough in silence he could hear friends asking friends to repeat themselves. He didn't have the chance to do that and felt a bit irritated with himself. Still, he watched her and offered a response after she spoke. "Yeah, I see that." The guy was naturally a bit of a grump anyway so it didn't take much to make him cross his arms and look indignant, so to speak. He refrained from the arm cross to keep from looking like he was pitching some sort of tantrum.

So she probably had the money to pay someone to take on a good thousand volts or so through their body? What kind of cash was she sitting on anyway? Toby wasn't about to ask; that would make him overly nosy--which he hated--and probably showcase that he probably had a smaller wallet than she did. He had what he needed though. "We wouldn't need to pay Waters," The boy pointed out simply, running his tongue along his molars. "They can have their daily dose of electricity for free." Maybe that made it only a little obvious that he didn't have a strong taste for the opposing elements. Pacey was an Earth though, and his cousin, so he was an exception to some degree.

"Yeah I know what a voltmeter is. I'm deaf in large, loud crowds, but not stupid." He didn't say this in agitation, more stating a fact as he continued to eat. Hey, discussing school wasn't going to stop the kid from getting lunch in before going off to do other things. It was easy enough to multitask. The pizza slice was done now, the bread crust lying on the plate all by its lonesome before he leaned on the table. Maybe leaning a little would help make sure he didn't get something else wrong. "You're no fun. Don't you ever try to live on the edge?" He made light of the situation knowing that suspension was a pretty big deal but not the end of the world. "Anyway, that sounds good I guess. Are we going to close the circuit with ourselves? Or what? You should draw me a pretty diagram or something." He drew an invisible circle on the table and smiled. That might actually be a good idea, but as to whether or not it would be really pertinent he couldn't be sure.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

She hadn't meant to offend him. Or had she? Laughing at him definitely was not on the top of her list of "How to Make New Friends". Not that she was actively trying to become acquaintances with Toby, but she did need to add a few more people to her meager list of people that she trusted. Whether the boy was going to be somebody like that for her, she couldn't be sure. They were not going to get anywhere arguing. Partner projects were not a good forte.

Plus, her wealth was not something that she typically flaunted. It was the sort of thing that she sat on, sometimes visible in the items that she carried, but unless you connected Kennedy to her older sister it was hard to connect Kennedy to wealth. She did not dress in designer clothes or follow any trends. Only the sort of technology that she had, which usually didn't make it into the walls of the school anyways, might tip off somebody that the youngest Beaufort was sitting on some sort of wealth.

She smirked as he argued that the Waters could have their shocks free. "Maybe we can have a few live subjects then, if you're not against it," she responded. For Kennedy, she was very Elementalist when it came to the alliances. Like Toby, Kenny had a cousin on the other side of the fence. However, unlike Pacey, Kennedy's cousin was no exception to the rule.

He explained his misconception before asking her if she ever lived on the edge. She could name a few times where she had done things out of line, but Toby was the last person she'd confide those actions to.

Well, not the last.

But definitely not the first.

Toby continued to consent to her idea before asking her to draw a diagram or something, which made her roll her eyes before she pulled out a notebook and drew a rough diagram. Two wires, attached to a battery, then a lame-stick figure holding both ends. "There." She shoved the paper towards him, giving a smirk as she did. "As long as neither of us is stupid enough to somehow shock ourselves, I think we'll be good," Kenny pointed out, giving a sincere smile with her joking tone. They really should be trying to lighten the mood.