y o u & i -- safe&sound. [skye]

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Usually it was easy for Emmett to fall asleep. His head would hit the pillow and less than a few seconds later, he'd be off to dreamland. His escape from reality. If Emmett had the choice, he'd rather stay in bed and sleep the day away, but unfortunately, he can't. It'd only be a matter of time until someone thought he was in a coma. It wouldn't be far off, considering the amount of time he slept in a day. But hey, it was what kept Emmett function properly. Without them, he'd be the stereotypical Thunder times 100 with their easy irritation.

But today was different. No naps. No sleep. It was currently 2AM, an hour the Thunder was usually asleep, but he just...couldn't. Clean and simple. He figured the dark circles were under his eyes were a dead giveaway with his lack of sleep, so he ducked his head under the street lights. As if anyone was going to seem them anyway--it was the middle of the night and the only people who showed up were party-goers and drunk alcoholics and Emmett avoided them like a plague, but they paid no attention to the brooding Thunder as he walked along, hood over his head and hands stuck in his pockets.

Strangely, Emmett didn't feel any annoyance. Rather, he just felt...numb? No, that wasn't the right word for it. Unfeeling? Now, that just sounded a bit creepy. He pondered the thought as he looked up at the dark sky, his eyes barely going beyond what he could appreciate. The stars, the crescent moon--all of that soaked in, but he was torn away from his focus when a drunk couple walked on by him. Emmett flinched away, the burning smell of alcohol and sheer stupidity of the sound of their drunken slurs disgusting him, and he veered off to the right, into the path where trees shielded him, leading off into what he assumed was the park. He assumed because he hadn't been to Maple Hollow in years, let alone the park. He faintly remembered it in his memories with his mother--so distant and bittersweet, that he pulled all those thoughts into the corner of his mind. Emmett took a seat on a bench near by the playground, his eyes barely adjusting to the darkness of the night.

There were single light posts in the distance, one right above him, and he ducked his head again, the shadows casting over his face in an attempt to hide himself. It's not like he was afraid he'd be randomly jumped and mugged--because he could handle himself just fine, though he'd be in trouble if he used any of his powers. It was more like...he didn't want to be found. Emmett was just fine in his little bubble of solitude, taking in the settings he couldn't when there were large groups of people around--because then the panic would set in, the fear of being lost in a sea of strangers clouding his mind.

Emmett tilted his head, looking up at the sky as he let both the fluorescent and moon light wash over his pale skin.

Peace? That was the word.

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

Skye would consider herself sort of... responsible -- not ridiculously so, but pretty much. She didn't go out and get wasted on school nights, didn't run around breaking every law she knew how to, did her homework, tried to eat three meals a day and go to bed relatively on time... The problem was that this kind of thing, especially those daily things like the last few were a little more difficult to do because they actually required the kind of discipline that college students sort of sorely lacked. Skye wasn't as bad as she could have been, but it was times like these that she really wondered why the hell she was even allowed to do anything. Two in the morning was definitely not a good time to be up and about and wandering in Maple Hollow, definitely not. Admittedly her classes started pretty late and she didn't have much else to do in the day, so it wasn't like this would be such a huge problem for her later, but still, it was the... the principle, or something.

Skye didn't really know -- she kind of felt dead tired, honestly, which was part of the reason she'd been so antsy about getting up to get on the bus and go back to the school in the first place... but also, she just really didn't want to. It wasn't like the Academy was a particularly exciting place, except maybe for those attention-seeking teenagers who liked to go around starting shit, and Skye really was not willing to deal with that. Instead she wandered, or at least this was what she was doing now -- earlier she'd been at the library, and then she'd gone and had dinner and then retreated back to the library until it closed. She didn't know why its hours were as late as they were, but she wasn't going to complain about it. When they'd eventually closed up she'd left, and... since then, really, Skye hadn't really wanted to do anything. It was one of those slow, sluggish days -- mostly because she'd already spent a couple hours slaving away on this stupid essay that she had due the next week, so more work was very much the last thing she wanted to do, and this was probably pretty much all there was to do this late at night back in her dorm. While she felt tired, she also felt... wide awake at the same time, and Skye was starting to think that her body and her sleep schedule were just too fucked up to even be real.

At least she didn't have work tomorrow, she thought, wandering into the park. It was so weird here this late -- there were lights but everything was so dark and quiet. She didn't think there was anyone really around at all -- the park wasn't exactly a popular destination for people hanging around the city at this hour, which was mainly obnoxiously drunk people. It wasn't like Skye didn't drink or anything, but god, that was annoying. She wondered about the amount of brain cells these people must have killed by now somewhere between that alcohol and crashing with hangovers the next day. The park was away from all of that though, even if it was almost eerily quiet and empty -- so when she saw a figure sitting somewhere ahead on a park bench, she was immediately suspicious. Closer inspection revealed that he was more familiar than she'd thought, though. Well, it was a small world... or at least a small city. "Boo," she greeted, but not bothering to sneak up on him. "Breaking curfew, are we?"

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Wandering around at night wasn't really Emmett's thing. The people that were out and about at night were equally annoying as people during the day--just less sober, so he tried avoiding it. Usually if he just wanted to get away he'd wander the Academy grounds (which was also hard on his ochlaphobia), but it was easy to isolate himself from the others. Just get a little static and people just knew not to disturb him. His favorite place was actually the bell tower--overlooking the whole school, watching people from a distance and the stupid shit they do that make him question the concept of common sense. Like seriously. Emmett couldn't fathom the idea of hurting himself, on purpose at that, for the expense of other people's entertainment. He couldn't wait to get out high school and just move onto college--where there were hopefully some maturity and basic sense. But even then he couldn't escape the idiots because he planned to stay at the Academy for college. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. Sometimes he wondered if it was his Thunder personality just getting the best of him, or he really was just grew up faster than a normal teenager should. But then again, Emmett wasn't normal. None of the kids were at the Academy.

A small "boo" broke him out of his thoughts and he turned his head, realizing after a second of adjusting his eyesight that it was Skye, a senior graduate. And possibly one of the few who understood the idiocy at the Academy. Emmett didn't greet back. Rather, he just slightly nodded at her as he placed his gaze elsewhere. Maybe it'd be nice to have some company, even if they weren't the types to talk much. Just how Thunders were. "Couldn't sleep," he said simply, stretching out his legs in front of him. He turned his head slightly to look at her, a slightly amused look on his face before asking, "What's your excuse?" Granted, Skye probably didn't even need a curfew, being a graduate and an adult and all, whereas Emmett was just...sixteen years old. Still in high school living in the dorms with no parental supervision. Emmett argued that he could take care of himself and didn't need to be lumped together with all the immature students. He didn't go out doing stupid shit or starting trouble--he was just...there. Minding his own business. He didn't think he needed to subjected to that kind of behavior but he guessed it couldn't be helped. There was immaturity in both the students and the faculty. The faculty had to be the worst though. "And besides, I can handle myself," he added on for good measure, as if Skye was implying anything in the first place, which he highly doubted. But Emmett's pride once again prevailed.

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

It didn't actually surprise her when he didn't actually say anything in return. Thunders were so... stoic or something. Skye was one of them, though. There was no doubt of that. Maybe she just felt weird because... of reasons. She didn't like to think about these things if she didn't need to. It was more than a little hypocritical. Emmett didn't bite her head off, though, and she took this to mean that he wouldn't mind if she took a seat next to him. It was weird how young he was -- he seemed older in most of his mannerisms. "So you decided to come into the Hollow and sit in the park for a while?" she asked, seating herself on the bench too. Well, whatever his reasoning was, she had to admit that it was pretty peaceful out here at this time. The place really calmed right down at night... though then again, two in the morning wasn't really nighttime anymore. It was still dark, though... obviously. The dark was alright -- there were small street lamps in the park along the paths, so it wasn't like they were completely blind. It was difficult to be completely blind in a city anyway, even a city like Maple Hollow -- there were always lights somewhere.

She considered his question. There wasn't really a good excuse for her being up and about in the city at this time at all, she realized. "I was here earlier. In the city I mean, not the park. Just... didn't feel like going back." She lived in a dorm, much like Emmett did from what she knew. Then again, for all she knew he lived in Maple Hollow with his parents, maybe just a few minutes' walk from here. She didn't know much about the kid's life. He probably didn't know much about hers either, not that she had anything to hide -- but Skye just didn't like to shout about her life all over the place, even though she didn't think there was anything bad about it at all. She'd lived a pretty uneventful existence. Her past didn't come up all that often, though, nor did her family -- considering they lived in Ottawa, they couldn't exactly be around often enough for her friends to all meet and learn much about them. They'd probably be surprised anyway. Skye's parents were nothing like her. "Plus, I don't have any morning classes tomorrow," she added. That was important too. She did like her college schedule. "But I know you can. It's still kind of weird to be hanging around at two AM." She said it pretty matter-of-factly... because there was no real other way to say that. It was just true. People were automatically suspicious of teenagers hanging around in the dark at night. Even Skye was, and she was around teenagers way too much of the time as it was.

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Emmett really wasn't the type to socialize. He barely socialized with any fellow Thunders, with the exception of Skye right now. They never talked much in the first place with the five year age gap, bu that didn't bother Emmett at all. In fact, he much rather get along with the "older" crowd as they were less idiotic than the rest of the high school students he went to school with. "Precisely," he answered, slipping into silence again as he briefly watched Skye sit next to him. He didn't know if it was a Thunder thing or something, but being quiet with little conversation was what was common in their element. Not that Emmett minded, he was actually more than glad about that, but it was obvious they weren't as tight knit as other elements. "Besides, didn't really have anywhere else to go." It was the truth, and if he wandered around at night at the Academy, he'd probably be caught and sent to detention whenever daylight came. Maple Hollow was a small, close-by town, and even though there were loud drunkards roaming around at night, it was peaceful if he found the right place. And it's not like Emmett had any parents to go home to--as if he'd actually tell Skye that, anyways.

He hated patiently for Skye to answer, tilting his head slightly as he watched the night sky wondering exactly how many other restless people were up that night. "Ah." It was all what Emmett could pretty much say. What else is there? 'Oh that's too bad'? It'd end up sounding forced since Emmett didn't make conversation on a daily basis, so he went simply with, "Why? Annoying roommate to come home to?" It wasn't a far stretch, and besides, it was easy to irritate Thunders. And when you put two irritated Thunders together? Not a pretty picture. Trust him, he knew with his current roommate. That's why he avoided interacting with him on a daily basis--Emmett had his own corner, his roommate had his. Thankfully Thunders weren't as quick to anger like Fires were, or they'd have multiple problems with singed furniture. "Tch. Lucky." Fuck. He'd almost forgotten he actually had school tomorrow. Emmett groaned, leaning his head back. When he didn't have a good sleep, he'd become the typical, irritated Thunder magnified by ten. He practically relied on sleep to keep his sanity in check, otherwise people would be dealing with a snappy dude who was overly sensitive. And the last thing he needed was to get into any potential fights when he wasn't in his right state of mind. "Let's not forget you are too," Emmett pointed out, turning his head slightly to look at Skye. "And no worries, it's not a habit." It really wasn't. Emmett was usually conked out at this time. "But thanks for the concern." Okay, so maybe he really wasn't thankful. He just hated when people pointed out the obvious, just as his sarcastic tone implied.

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

Skye never expected to find out every single detail of her friends' lives. It wasn't even worth bothering to hope, honestly, because she knew it would never happen -- Thunders just weren't big on sharing, not when it came to information... and not really any other times, either, now that she thought about it. At least she got along with the majority of them, but she... tended not to try to start shit in the dorms or anything of the sort. Most of them were younger than her at this point, though -- not much threat, but Skye didn't want to start a fuss. It had been a pretty long time since she'd bothered expending that much (negative) energy on anyone. Certain people she got along with more than others -- Emmett was definitely alright, even if she didn't know very much about him... at all, actually. He never did say much. "Guess there isn't much else to do at this hour, yeah," she agreed quietly. Alright, her sleeping patterns weren't always excellent, especially when she didn't have much to do in the mornings... but at least by this time she should be back in her dorm even if she was still awake.

She smirked a little at his question. Nope, no roommates for Skye, which could only be a good thing. She would probably just start hating people even more -- she was sure she could find someone she'd be alright with enough, but she was also... the type who needed her space. Roommates were not helpful for this in the least, even when they were fellow Thunders. Considering there were fewer college students, it hadn't been impossibly difficult to get a dorm of her own. "Not exactly. More like annoying everyone to come back to," she said, even though it was likely that everyone else was asleep at this point... or they should be, at least. Then again, there were two of them here in the park right now, and that was just a weird coincidence enough. Maybe it was just a great night for people to stay up or something, though Emmett didn't seem like he was exactly happy to be awake. "Kind of. Don't envy you in high school at all." She rarely brought up the age difference because she really didn't think it was a big deal, but in this case she thought it'd be alright. Skye really did not miss high school, though. "Anytime," she quipped, ready to dish back the attitude if he decided that it was necessary. "It's your life. Make it a habit if you want to." Then again, that was probably not good advice if he actually did have classes the next morning. She didn't bother correcting herself.

"But I'm leaving you here if you fall asleep in the park." Maybe Emmett wasn't in the mood for humour, though, but it was too late for that. Skye wouldn't actually leave him there of course, but fuck it if she'd actually try to wake him up or something and she just got a face full of angry, tired Thunder student. No thanks.

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Generally Emmett wasn't a talker. What was there to say when you found over half of the student body obnoxious and idiotic? He could honestly only stand a few people at the Academy, but he put up well with others most of the time. Hey, Emmett was still a thunder. Couldn't really help the irritation that followed by some of the stupidity. "Yup." He nodded, eyes wandering elsewhere. Yeesh, there really wasn't anything to say, so he shrugged, slumping in the seat so his head rested the top of the bench. "Being underaged sucks." It honestly really did. It's not like Emmett was into the whole partying scene (his ochlaphobia prevented him from that) and going into bars to get drunk just didn't seem appealing. Why he wanted to be of legal age? So people outside of the Academy would take him seriously. Not one of those teenagers in the rebellious stage. He guessed his personality could be taken the wrong way, but...it was just who he was. Emmett would say he couldn't change that, but he honestly could if he had the willpower for it. Which he didn't.

Emmett raised an eyebrow at her smirk, wondering what exactly she was smirking for, but he didn't pry about it. Those people were exactly kind of people he hated--did they really have no shame? Thankfully thunders were naturally reserved and not talkative, or else Emmett would have a problem with having a roommate. He wasn't fond of his own in the first place, so adding the whole nose-in-business was not appealing considering his own life story. Even now, he wished he had his own room. Less troubles and he liked the solitude. "Oh, I know how that feels." He shook his head and shuddered. It was probably just the thunder side acting up again. Smirking, he added, "So I guess the whole irritation thing doesn't get better with age?" Not until those words left his mouth did he realize how bad that probably sounded. He hadn't meant it in the way that Skye was old or anything, but it could be interpreted that way. Emmett shrugged. Oh well. Too late anyways. "Who would?" he asked, rolling his eyes. He knew for some high school was the best time of their lives, but he hated it. Wanted to get out as soon as possible and just...leave. Emmett bit his tongue to prevent saying anything he would regret and so opted for a sigh, adverting his gaze elsewhere again, but he was almost sure that his irritation could be felt in the air. "Tch. Good influence." Emmett looked back at Skye, his eyebrows raised. He guessed he kind of deserved that one, but his pride was too big to keep quiet.

He raised his eyebrows again, the corners of his lips being tugged. As dry as that humor was, he could help but let a small smile cross his lips. "No worries. Won't happen." Emmett sat up straight again, side glancing at Skye. "Just worry about yourself. I'm not too fond piggy backing you all the way to the Academy. Even then I'd have to dump you on the grass." Guys were forbidden in girls' dorms. Besides, even if he somehow managed to break in, he had no idea where to put her.

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

The funny thing was that Emmett was probably the furthest thing from a "rebellious teenager" that Skye could think of, especially for a teenager living in a dorm, on his own, away from his parents and any other kind of caretaker figure. There were teachers and the like, of course, and they were supposed to be in charge, but in the end she knew from experience -- having been at the Academy for so long now, throughout her own high school years, with her parents back in Ottawa -- that it really wasn't the same thing in any way. Still, some people were able to keep more composure than others, and Emmett did seem to be one of the better ones -- he didn't strike her as the type to get stupidly drunk and throw up all over the street before being taken to the police department... or that kind of deal. She couldn't think of much other reason to want to be of age, unless maybe he wanted to vote or something (which was kind of important, Skye thought, but she was majoring in political science -- and worked under Maple Hollow's own Member of Parliament -- and so she was almost definitely biased). "Why the desire to grow up?" Being old wasn't fun. Skye wasn't so old, but there were a good few years between herself and Emmett all the same.

Speaking of age, she felt the usual twinge of weirdness, realizing she really was one of the oldest fucking people at the Academy anymore. She wasn't particularly huge or tall, but she always, always forgot how absolutely tiny some of them were. Emmett's comment brought this all to mind, but Skye was going to just have to assume that he wasn't calling her old. There would be trouble for the guy if he was... maybe. He didn't seem the type to say something like that either -- at least, he'd yet to say anything stupid like that (seriously, anyway) to her. Besides which, he was the one who'd said earlier that being underaged sucked... which it sort of did in a way, but that was immaterial. "No, the irritation stays with you for life," she informed him pretty nonchalantly. "It'll be even better when you're old and bitter about all these ungrateful teenagers." It wasn't so bad most of the time, and she didn't even mind all of them, but there were probably a couple particularly obnoxious kids around the Academy that just ruined everything. College students were a little better... but not really much. Skye was just a little bit cynical all in all. "A lot of people who grew older to do nothing with their lives, probably," she said with a roll of the eyes. She knew what people said too, that high school was supposed to be the best four years of her life -- but if Skye honestly believed that her best four years would be before she even turned eighteen, she'd probably have quit everything a long time ago.

She would have pointed out that she never claimed to be a good influence, but considering all the bullshit these days, maybe she was close enough. "You act like I'm trying to convince you to pick up a career dealing drugs somewhere downtown." Pushing him probably wasn't the best idea, but she was just as irritable as Emmett was -- and if he could dish it, then he was going to have to be able to take it too. "I'm not overly concerned about myself," she said anyway, noting the small smile on his face. Smiling was always good, and this was coming from someone who was usually pretty... stoic. Emmett was too -- but smiling was good. Sometimes it was just too easy to forget that some of the Thunders they were always around were even human. "Tell you what, if you fall asleep I'll make sure to wake you up before I leave. Don't make any promises if you just go back to sleep after that though." No, she really would feel pretty fucking awful if he ended up spending the night on a park bench when she could have done something about it.

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

There were only a few times in Emmett’s life where he got into trouble. He isolated himself from people, so it wasn’t that hard to stay out of it, but of course, there were times when enemy alliances liked to push his buttons and he just wasn’t in the mood for it. Snap. Quite frankly it was hard to anger Emmett, but to irritate him? Simple. Talk to him when he clearly isn’t in the mood. This isn’t hard to detect, as the static electricity in the air would be enough to make your hair stand on end. But getting off topic. Emmett wasn’t the type of guy to frequently get into fights, despite popular belief. Most people only saw him when he was in a bad mood because at that point, he didn’t care much about solitude and isolating himself, it was all about how to get the anger and frustration out on someone. This was rare, of course, but he was horrible to deal with during it. Just ask his best friend, Kai. Emmett was a rational person, but when all he could see was red and his fingers were itching to shock something, let’s just say he’s more than a handful. Not to the point where he’d put someone in the hospital, but enough to hurt someone. Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet. “I’d be able to do shit.” He shrugged, not dwelling on his answer too much. Skye could interpret it whatever way she wanted, but his answer was the truth. He could do shit—not the whole alcohol, clubbing crap—but do his own thing; get an apartment for himself, get a real job, make his own decisions…and not be looked down upon just because he was a minor. For over half of his life, he took care of himself without any help, not even his parents who disappeared from his life. What was the difference now?

Emmett rolled his eyes. “Great.” He was a patient person, but it was way too easy to irritate him, just like the stereotypical thunder. Emmett sighed, but his eyes glimmered in amusement. “Just awesome. It’s always been my life goal to be a crabby old man,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes once again. But he agreed silently about the whole “ungrateful teenagers” thing. Every time he walked past people and their friends, all he ever heard were complaints about the smallest things—and every time he scoffed at how petty all the “problems” were. Maybe Emmett was just being cynical (which was practically all the time), but c’mon! Really? Not having the latest update for the iPhone won’t kill you! “Fair point,” Emmett admitted. “But that’s because they probably regretted the choices they made.” Emmett was the kind of person who took his life day by day. Shit happened. Sometimes, they were unavoidable, but he found no reason to regret any of his choices, even if some of them were dumb. They were only stupid mistakes if he didn’t learn from them later.

It felt like Emmett was rolling his eyes more than usual tonight. Morning. Whatever. But for whatever reason, he wasn’t too irritated. Besides, it’s not like he could do much to back up anything—Skye was like, what, five years older than him? Six? She was more than capable of kicking his ass and the irritation he felt radiating from her confirmed he shouldn’t even be pushing any buttons. But he wanted to anyways, because Emmett was just a jerk like that. “Thanks, but I’m not worrying about myself either.” He shot her a look, eyes almost challenging. “I’m not even tired.” It was true, he really wasn’t, which was strange. He was usually drowsy all the time, hence his need for naps, but sleep just wasn’t coming for him that night. Emmett had a feeling he’d feel the wave of exhaustion later that day, though, during class. Great. “And let me tell you what.” He started, a small smirk on his face. “If you fall asleep, I’ll make sure to give you my jacket. Don’t want to get a cold now, do we?” Oh sure, being left out at night, vulnerable to everything, and catching a cold was totally the thing to worry about.

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

Typically she'd assume that "doing shit" when they were older meant, for teenagers, drinking and partying and being generally unproductive members of society. There were plenty of reasons for all of this but overall, Skye didn't have a very good impression of most teenagers, and that was probably why she felt like she made herself sound like an old woman or something half the time. Kids were dumb. God, she hated kids sometimes. In this situation, though, Skye got the distinct impression that Emmett wasn't talking about this at all. "What kind of stuff?" He just didn't seem the type, and honestly, Skye actually kind of liked the kid -- he was so much calmer than most people ever were -- so she didn't want to have to assume that he was in the end just the typical idiot teenager who liked to do nothing but get piss drunk on the weekends. She'd had her fair share of drinking and doing stupid things in the past, though -- she just hadn't been stupid and out of control. Skye had seen quite enough idiots doing that.

Unphased by his irritation -- something she was used to dealing with around her fellow Thunders -- she just raised her eyebrows a tiny little bit. "Yeah. Bitterness is always great." Her voice didn't even sound sarcastic (though it wasn't meant seriously, obviously not) but more flat than anything else. She was a pretty straight-up person but she could have her moments -- and if he was going to be sarcastic and snippy with her, then she could dish it right back. "Don't have to aspire to something for it to happen, Emmett. Fact of life." Most people didn't aspire to be dropouts or bums or generally unhappy, but it happened. She was pretty sure more people were innately unhappy than would admit it. "Right, well." She forced herself not to sigh but instead inhaled and exhaled slowly through her nose before saying, "I guess everyone should try not to make decisions they'll regret later, then." That was near impossible and did that on purpose, her tone dry, but she was a little more amused than she let on.

She turned her head a little bit to stare back at him when she noticed the look he shot her at that moment. It was like a challenge and really, it was just lucky that Skye didn't have the kind of pride that would have told her to get up and start a fight. Besides which, she didn't want to get in fights with high schoolers, even in Grade Eleven or Twelve. She especially wanted to avoid fighting with her own element or alliance, because that had never ended well for anyone and she really didn't want it. Even the Thunders didn't do that, and they weren't as fiercely loyal as their bad-tempered counterparts. "Not tired? Yeah, but your body will be feeling that tomorrow in first or second period." Well, that all depended, but she knew that the fatigue was bound to hit him eventually whether he stayed up all night now or wound up going to bed soon. At this hour it was definitely too late to be heading to bed. Her eyes flashed a little when he mentioned giving her his jacket, but it was mostly out of amusement rather than actual annoyance. "Well thanks, that's such a sweet thing for you to say. A jacket will really help me when I'm left out on a cold park bench at..." She checked the time on her phone and then slipped it back away. "Two thirty in the morning. Such a kind boy you are."

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Emmett shrugged silently, his eyes staring forward. It wasn't like he had an obligation to answer Skye, so why should he? Oh, right. Because it's not like they're ever going to talk to each other again anyways. "Get an apartment. Get a real job. Own up to responsibility. Not have to deal with the pricks at this school," Emmett listed off absentmindedly, not really caring what he probably sounded like at this moment but all of it was true. He wanted to get out of this place with all it's fucked up memories and fucked up people--Emmett sighed, taking a deep breath. The main reason he wanted to get out of Maple Hollow as soon as he was done with school (which would be another five years, considering he still needed to go to college) was because of too many bad memories, most including his family. And how he was abandoned, left to be alone. Emmett was sick of all the dramatic flashbacks he'd get when he passed by somewhere familiar, and even when he saw other kids with their families. It hurt; made him long for something he never had in the first place. And overall, he felt suffocated. Emmett's phobia was starting to take its toll and he just hated the feeling of losing control of his own mind.

He rolled his eyes. He didn't hear the sarcasm but he could definitely sense it--it was basically oozing from her sentence. "Is that why you're always so bitter?" Emmett raised his own eyebrow at her, an amused smirk on his face. Well, he didn't know Skye well enough to know if she even was bitter, but the look on her face (you know, the typical bitch face almost every girl has) when she walked around campus told it all. That, or Emmett was just a judge mental jerk. That was true, though. "Awesome. I'll remember that when I'm living on the streets." He rolled his eyes again. Yeesh, he was really being extra snarky that night. Oh well. It was just Skye. She should know how Thunders got. "A lot easier said than done," he pointed out. "Everyone regrets. No matter how much of a prude they are about their decisions." Fact. Hell, he even regretted eating that cake earlier that day. It was delicious, but he felt sick after wards with the amount of chocolate.

"I can keep up." He shrugged. It was true--he was a smart kid, more than he let on, and easily caught up whenever he managed to fall asleep during lessons. Which happened often, actually. But that's because the class was boring, the teacher was boring, and so was the lesson. Not because he decided it was a smart idea to wander around town in the middle of the night. Though, Skye had a good point. Not that he'd admit it. Emmett had too much pride for that. "Thanks. Who says chivalry is dead?" he asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes again, though he slipped off his jacket and held it in front of her, not even looking at Skye. "Here. Take it." It wasn't that cold, actually. Well for him anyways, but that's because he enjoyed cold weather. Hot weather tended to make him more prone to be annoyed and quick to anger. After a moment of silence, Emmett turned his head, raising his eyebrow at her. "Can I ask you something?"

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

Teenagers were always very optimistic about their lives like that, Skye thought, thinking about all the things her own friends had thought they'd do when they left school, back when they'd been in eleventh grade and that wasn't yet a Real Problem. It was kind of amazing how quickly all of that changed -- before she'd had a chance to figure anything out here she was now as a college Senior, still with very little idea of what she was doing, at least regarding all the things he had listed. She didn't have an apartment, she... well, had sort of a real job, now that she thought about it, so that was okay -- but she wouldn't say that she had particular responsibilities to own up to now, not too many... and, of course, she still had to deal with the pricks at the school. People really were so awful. Something about some of these Academy students made it even more true than normal. "A lot of that stuff is a long way off still," she said, softly, making sure she didn't sound horrible and pretentious, because that was the absolute worst way to come off. She couldn't tell if she was trying to give him advice or something, but if she was, she probably shouldn't be -- she barely knew the guy. "Especially the dealing with pricks part," she added after a second, lightening it a little bit, "because they'll be there regardless of where you go." That was the truth.

Skye wasn't sure if she would call it bitterness, whatever it was she suffered from. It might have been, maybe, but then again, on the other hand, there were plenty of other words for it too, and it was hard to say anything from a personal perspective. She could take Emmett's word for it, but then again, he didn't know her or her life -- she was admittedly far happier (less bitter, if he wanted to use that word) around people she actually genuinely liked, but there was a big difference between liking and tolerating. Either way, it didn't bug her all that much what some guy a few years younger than her thought, so she just raised her eyebrows back at him. "Oh, I see. Pot calling the kettle black, right?" They should have crowned this guy King of Bitterness. It was a good thing, anyway, that she could keep up with the snark -- and kind of had fun with it, because really, most kids these days were so stupid and not even up to the task of good old snarking. Emmett was okay, she decided, his somewhat annoying tendencies aside. "Good. Remember all this advice, because the streets are rough, you know," she said with an air of total nonchalance. Hey, if he wanted to do it, then it was totally within his rights. Who was she to tell him what not to do? "I know," she said, not bothering with anything snappy at his next words. "But in the end you do whatever makes you happy." So really, she wasn't trying to give him any advice, but if she were, that'd be the best thing she could come up with -- that, and "people suck", but he knew that already.

He seemed like a relatively intelligent person, or maybe she was just projecting that onto him because he seemed jaded about the world and, in her experience, those people tended to be intelligent. Either way, she believed what he said. "I don't doubt it. Just stay in school. And eat your vegetables," she said, kidding even if it wouldn't have been obvious to other people. Well, she could see how Emmett took it, and then she'd just... roll with it. If he were that smart, he could figure it out. She hadn't actually been looking at him for those few moments, and so when she was met with a face full of Emmett's jacket she was actually surprised -- they'd just been joking around, she'd figured. Plus, being a Thunder, she was actually pretty alright with the cold, though she'd admit that there was something different about the nighttime cold as opposed to snow or winter or something -- night made everything weird and creepy and different. After a few moments' deliberation, she reached out the gingerly took the jacket, sliding it over her own shoulders. She hadn't actually felt cold earlier, but it felt better with it on, somehow. "Thank you," she said, looking at him this time just briefly to show genuine appreciation. "I guess chivalry isn't too dead." Emmett wasn't too bad a guy, actually. The conversation lapsed into silence after that, though, and she wondered if maybe they'd just stay quiet from then on -- which she'd have been alright with -- until he spoke, catching her off guard. "Yeah... yeah, what is it?" Well, that was interesting. She wondered if it would be a legitimate question or just something stupid. He didn't seem the type to say stupid things, but maybe.

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Emmett sighed, feeling a bit tired. Tonight was probably the most he's ever spoken to someone in one sitting, and it was rather tedious--probably why he didn't do it on a daily basis. Emmett found it as a waste of breath no matter who he was talking to, so for him to speak this much surprised him. It was probably his lack of sleep. Yeah, that's it. Because in reality, Emmett would've gotten up the moment Skye plopped down next to him. Harsh, but it was reality. He liked being alone. He liked the silence. He liked not having to speak--speaking was just made room for him to say too many things that would reveal too much. Emmett only had a few people he trusted with the kinds of secrets he had, and even then, he barely spoke to them in fear that they'd take pity on him or something. The only reason he told them in the first place was to give them an explanation. He cared about them enough to make sure they didn't think he was just blowing them off. It was easy for people to think that, so he made sure they didn't. "'Course it is," he agreed. "For some. I have no choice." Since he was an orphan--Emmett cringed at the word--and nearing 18 years old, he was too close to being set out on his own. It kind of scared him, thinking about if he just wasn't cut out for the real world, but he always pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Emmett was not going to let it consume him.

He laughed a little, rolling his eyes. "Nah. The pot is just speaking out his observations," he put nicely, or whatever. Emmett was never really good with the "nice thing," so Skye wasn't an exception. Well, she kind of was. Obviously, considering he stuck around. She was an alright person, someone Emmett would consider speaking to on a daily basis, but he was sure she had better things to do than to speak to a high schooler. Skye was a hell of a lot better responding to his rather... snarky attitude. Too many people took Emmett's comments personally. Sure, sometimes he meant them (okay, most of the time), but it's not like fights and getting all up in his face was going to solve anything. It was going to get him irritated, that's for sure, but nothing much with any other reactions. Verbal fights were more entertaining. It served humiliation so much better. "Oh, of course," Emmett said sarcastically. "I'll remember your face when I'm rummaging through trash for food." He rolled his eyes, sinking deeper into his seat as he stared up at the sky. Emmett shuddered at the thought of him living on the streets. It was too much of a reality that could happen. "Happy." He nearly scoffed at the idea. "Is that why so many people do stupid shit?" Well, hey. It was true.

"Yes, mother," he said scathingly. Emmett restrained from rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time that night, and he quickly fell into silence again. Well, geez. He hadn't said the word "mother" in a really long time. It made him contemplate how long it had exactly been, and if he wasn't wrong, it'd been nearly a decade since he last spoke that word and had seen of her. It was quite shocking, really, and he instantly tried to push back his thoughts. No. Emmett was not going to think of the woman who abandoned him, made him have this staggering weakness. She had too much power over him, even though she wasn't even here to establish that power. It frustrated him to no end and sometimes wished he had that part of his memory erased, just so he didn't have to live under the weight of the world. "..." Emmett stayed silent as she thanked him, pretending he didn't hear her. "Chivalry" things were rarely ever done by Emmett, so he' rather ignore that he did one right now. Saved his pride from deflating. "Why are you still here?" he asked bluntly. He didn't mean it in the "go-away-I-was-here-first" kind of way, but in the "genuinely-curious-as-to-why-you-put-up-with-me" kind of way. Emmett wasn't a pleasant person; someone no one would want to bump into while they took a night walk expecting peace.

[SKYE JESSICA FORD]

Skye didn't know Emmett well enough at all to understand what he meant by those rather cryptic words. She wanted to know why, but that felt uncomfortable, as if she were prying into his life. As she hated when people pried into her business, it should come as no surprise to anyone that she rarely did it to others. She really was curious though, and so she settled for something that was kind of sort of maybe in between asking why and just letting it drop. "No choice?" she repeated, the "why" implication clear, but this did leave him at liberty to answer or not as he pleased. Skye was all about subtleties like that. She wondered what to say to a kid who was about to, apparently, have to live on his own from now on, but couldn't think of anything -- she was a few years older and still more or less dependent on the school where she lived and studied, too. Of course, she had a job and technically she could get an apartment if she liked, but really, she was sure that as far as current positions in life went, the two of them weren't all that different. "Are you not returning to the Academy for college, then?" she asked, changing the topic slightly. This did seem like safer territory than potentially dangerous questions about someone's personal situation. School was a boring but generally safe subject.

Well, at least he knew how to laugh, and Skye felt a brief twinge of pride that she had managed to get that out of him, even if it was a kind of hollow victory considering the situation. Then again, it was the wee hours of the morning -- she was lucky anything was coherent at this hour. "Well, if it makes the pot feel good about himself," she said, her tone the same as always, but her expression was actually pretty amused -- or as amused-looking as something got when it was this early (or late, or whatever). "The kettle can... take one for the team." This expression had stopped making sense a very long time ago. Skye would blame it on possible sleep deprivation. It was a very lucky thing that she didn't have to be up particularly early the next day. "Try to aspire just a little higher than that," she suggested. "I'm sure you'd be capable of working fast food or something." Then again, Emmett seemed like he was too bright to want to do that, though she had no idea if he was actually intelligent in any kind of academic sense -- just that he was mature for his age. She knew that she would hate working at any kind of fast food place, for instance -- she might settle for Tim Hortons just because it meant she'd get things for free, but that was as far as she'd take it. Luckily it wasn't necessary; she had a job that she was content with.

"Yeah. Pursuit of happiness," she said, almost with a twinge of disappointment at the bitterness in his tone -- not because she cared particularly that he was scoffing at her, but maybe that a teenager was so jaded about happiness of all things. It wasn't a bad thing, necessarily, but it was much too early for the kid to already feel like that -- too early for pretty much anyone who hadn't yet experienced a mid-life crisis, though, to be honest. Even Skye didn't think she was quite that cynical just yet. [colro=FFCC66]"They probably wouldn't agree that they're doing anything stupid, though. You can't convince them."

[/color] Skye didn't try anymore. [colorr=FFCC66]"And don't forget to go to bed on time,"[/color] she added when he called her mother. "Probably before six in the morning would be good." She checked her watch. It really was much too late to still be up. Why was she doing this? The thought that she should possibly go back to the dorms so she could go to bed already -- though she doubted she'd be able to, at this point, even if she was tired -- was only reinforced when he asked his question. "I just like to make a habit out of sitting on cold park benches at night for no reason," she said, but then continued, not offended in the least, "Or did you want me to leave?" It was probably time for the both of them to head back to the Academy, though. As a high schooler, he was definitely out past curfew, that was for sure.
[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA]

Emmett stayed silent as she echoed his words, not even contemplating for a second if he should confide in her or not—which was definitely a not, by the way. She didn’t know anything about him and vice versa, and Emmett would like to keep it that way. He didn’t have anything against her; he just wasn’t an open person when it came to his life. Too many broken pieces and grave-digging for Emmett’s liking. What he meant by “no choice” was just that—he had no choice if he wanted to be forced out into the world by himself. It’s not like he could stop by the foster home and stay like he usually did when things at the Academy got a little unbearable for him. Even if he stayed at the Academy for college, Emmett wouldn’t know what to do with himself. Same thing would happen if he went to any other college—he just didn’t know what to do. Become a doctor? Lawyer? He cringed at those options. In the long run, he was going to have to get an apartment, a job to support himself, so why not start early? It was easier that way and much less of a shock after he graduated college with whatever degree he decided on. “No idea,” he answered simply, glancing at her with sincere eyes. “I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself.” He could at least tell Skye that much, no matter how vague it was. It was an honest answer, nonetheless.

When Emmett lacked sleep it was easy to get any kind of reaction from him, which was why he often took naps to prevent that from happening. He could easily grow irritated, angry, or laugh at the smallest of things. Like right now, which he didn’t like to admit. “He very much does. Thank you for your concern,” he replied, returning her amused look, before raising his eyebrows at her. “… don’t tell me you’re tired.” Emmett peered at her face for a brief moment before plopping back into his original position on the bench; slouched. Perhaps nothing was making sense at this time night—um, early morning. As if on cue he leaned his head against the back of the bench and closed his eyes, breathing slowly. He fought to stay awake though, because he knew that every part of his body would be sore once he woke up and that would just contribute to his annoyance. “Oh, yeah. Of course. Stop by in the future and I’ll give you coupons.” Emmett rolled his eyes, not really fond of that idea nor did he think he’d do a good job in the area. Dealing with rude customers was just asking for trouble.

Emmett refrained from rolling his eyes when he heard the smidge of dissatisfaction in Skye’s voice. He was cynical, that much was obvious, and so far he hadn’t really experienced “happiness” to believe such a thing existed. So he bit his tongue, trying to avoid making another comment that would probably make him sound like the grumpiest teenager in the world. It wasn’t too far off, after all. “Do I get breakfast this time?” God, if Skye was really his mother in some sick, alternate universe… he won’t finish that thought. It’d leave a bitter aftertaste. Skye was an alright person, but being his mom—Emmett shuddered. He knew she’d do the same thing if he was her son. “It was just a question,” he answered, peeking open one eye to look at her, then down at her watch. Internally he sighed, sitting up straight. It was way past curfew and if he got caught on his way back into the dorms, he knew he wouldn’t be let off easy. Emmett’s annoyance was catching up with his restlessness enough as it was; there’s no saying how much patience he had left for a lecture he’s heard infinite amount of times already. Silently, he stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You can keep the jacket. I don’t think I want to smell like rainbows and flowers for the rest of the morning.” He turned his head to look at her for a brief moment, his way of saying goodbye, and began casually heading back to the Academy. “Oh, and I forgot—” he said without turning around, loud enough for Skye to hear. “Do you need an escort or is the madam capable of protecting herself?” And the whole way, Emmett didn’t need to pause for her answer.

It was obviously the latter.

[thought this was a good place to end? :3]