Chapter Four: Wednesday and the Invite
(Wednesday)
Breakfast on the third day of the first week found all six resuming their seats at the customary table, though not their former attitudes. Bryan, Spencer and Kai had nodded a 'morning' to Kali; she nodded back, then greeted Ian. He then started a conversation about the newest MMORPG they had discovered. Tala observed the other five before nodding curtly to Kali; she hesitantly nodded back.
During a pause in the conversation, purplish-blue eyes found hers. "Fire crotch; not one I've heard before."
The other five began to choke on their food or drinks.
"I'm thinking most wouldn't think it wise to antagonize you...Reds." Kali returned once she had cleared her airway of hash brown.
Tala smirked. "Touche." He noted her use of the nickname. "...you think it's wise?"
"Eh, not so much." She replied. "But if you're gonna dish it out, you better be able to take it." Her brain caught up with her mouth and she facepalmed. "...and that was the most horrible accidental pun I have ever made..."
Ian snorted as the others shook their heads.
"How come you're not still mad over that?" Bryan asked after the next pause.
"I'm not normally the type to hold grudges...'less you do something reallybad."
"Like?" Spencer prodded.
"Like..." She paused, wracking her brain. "Uh...well, most of my less recently made friends aren't here yet, I generally don't care what people do to me for the most part...""Eh, to be honest, I can't think of anything at the moment."
"So you have no temper?"
"I think you've already been acquainted with my temper, Reds."
The other four shook their heads; Tala sneered at her.
"I just don't see the point in stayin' mad at someone; whatever happened is done and over with, so it may as well be left alone." She paused. "For the most part, that's my philosophy."
"Most part?" Ian questioned.
Her face lost its open, if neutral, look. "...there is an exception."
"I'm gonna assume you don't wanna talk about that over breakfast and attempt to blatantly change the subject now." The purple haired teen commented in an off-hand manner.
She quirked the corner of her mouth. "Okay. You lot glad orientation was canceled?"
"Yeah." Bryan replied instantly. "The last thing we wanted was to deal with fangirls..."
"Haven't you guys noticed?" She asked, eyes dancing; her face was no longer closed off now that the taboo subject was dropped.
"Noticed...?"
"Beyblading's not as big here, Reds. Sure, there'll be some fangirls somewhere along the line-and you'd best hope they're not rabid, let alone yaoi fangirls-but for the most part, you're safe."
Kai raised an eyebrow at her. "Yaoi fangirls?"
"Yeah...for some odd reason, a lot of girls think that it'd be hot if you and Reds or Bryan and Reds got it on."
Tala's eyes glittered with malice. "And howdo you know this, exactly?"
"Simple. My friend and I were having a contest to see which yaoi pairings were more popular in a fandom. I, due to luck of the draw, chose Beyblade. My friend got Yu Yu Hakusho...lucky little..." Her statement trailed off to incoherent grumbling. "At any rate, the number of times you and Rei," she nodded to Kai, "were paired matched the number of times Kurama and Hiei were...so...our contest kinda failed, 'cuz no one won..."
Bryan made gagging noises; Tala shuddered; Ian was still wide-eyed; Kai looked like he wasn't sure how to react at the present time but would decide later and get back to them; Spencer, who had been hungry before that little discussion, hurriedly pushed his plate away.
"Just be glad I didn't share the data on the mpreg stories."
"Mpreg?"
Ian turned green. "Don't tell them."
"Why not? They won't be scarred for life...much..."
"Shut up and tell us, wench." Tala snapped.
"...that's not exactly possible, you know..." She squeaked and ducked when he threw a french toast stick in her direction. "Okay, okay, it's male pregnancy."
All who were not already green promptly turned green and shoved their plates away.
"Pansies." Kali muttered and continued eating. "You'd never have survived having to watch the birth video senior year..."
They only turned greener as a thick silence descended.
"How does it even-" Spencer began in a strangled tone.
"Spencer!" Ian yelped.
"...ow..." Tala muttered, wincing at the thought.
Kali just shook her head and decided to let the topic drop...for now.
-x-x-x-x-
(Later that day...)
"Yanno what I just realized?" Ian's voice broke the silence that normally descended when the six were busy attacking homework assignments.
"What?" Kali muttered absently as she fought her way through more math homework.
"You never gave the rest of us nicknames."
"...Kai's name is too short, yours is too...and I can't think of any for Bryan or Spencer that aren't simply shortening their names to one syllable, which is lame." She replied calmly.
The shorter teen pouted. "But Tala's name only has one more letter."
"But it has two syllables. Which is my point."
Ian glared. "Do we get to come up with a nickname for you?"
"...yeah, but if it's bitch, wench or any other number of unflattering words that are essentially synonymous with female, I won't answer to it." She replied.
"How 'bout..." He trailed off, wracking his brain. "Shiva!"
Tala arched an eyebrow.
Kali scowled. "I am NOT going from Goddess of Destruction to the Destroyer...nor am I being my own consort, either." Noting the four confused looks, she sighed. "Kali, in Hinduism, is actually the goddess of death and time, as in "your time has come"; she is also the consort of Shiva, who is one of their holy trinity. Shiva is seen as the Destroyer, though Kali has more recently been seen as a benevolent mother goddess..." She rolled her eyes.
"So we call you GoD now?"
"I will kill you."
"In the face?"
"With a brick." Kali finished without missing a beat.
Tala deadpanned. "And how does one kill someone in the face?"
"Very carefully." Ian and Kali replied in stereo with identical smirks.
Spencer shook his head. "Anyway...you doin' anything after class on Friday?"
"Me? Uh...not really." She paused, then whipped out her phone to check. "I have a club meeting on Friday, but it doesn't start 'til 6pm..."
"When does it go 'til?" Ian prodded.
"Ten."
All five stared at her with incredulous expressions.
"It's the anime/videogame club. First hour and a half is videogames; the rest of the time is usually devoted to watching anime episodes..." She frowned. "Wait, it's still the first week right?"
"...right..." Ian replied.
"Okay, then I'm free. We always wait a week for meetings."
Tala glowered at her.
Spencer shook his head. "You up for a mall run?"
"Sure." She replied, somewhat taken aback; she was also somewhat gratified that someone other than Ian had invited her to join their escapades.
"So how d'we get to the mall from here anyway?" Ian asked as he finished his math homework with a flourish.
Kali scowled at him. "Most take the bus, as with our IDs we get free fare back and forth. If we wanna do that, though, I'll have to find a bus schedule."
"Alright...now budge over and I'll help you."
Somewhat mollified, the girl did so; the other four watched in shock as Ian calmly helped her through several math problems, then let her try her luck after his explanation.
The raven haired teen grinned. "I get it now...thanks, Ian."
"Not a problem." He replied loftily, but ruined it by snickering at the face she made at him.
"What the hell?"
Both Ian and Kali raised an eyebrow at Tala.
Purple eyes narrowed. "Since when are you two so buddy-buddy?"
"She mentioned it yesterday, Tala...she's known Ian for longer than she's known the rest of us." Spencer commented calmly as he jotted down a random constellation.
Said redhead scowled. "Oh?"
Kali turned venomous eyes to Ian. "Don't you even-"
"YEAH!" Ian yelled gleefully, then ducked when she launched a pillow at him.
"I will go Achmed on you!"
"...right." The purple haired teen replied.
"Dude, I will..." She paused, then grinned evilly. "I will do as Achmed did and 'take that Verizon bastard with me'."
He paled. "Where, exactly?"
Her smile merely became more evil.
"I don't wanna know, do I?"
"Nope." She smirked.
Ian swallowed. Hard. Things tended to get messy when Kali smirked. She had proved that during their time as 'wyvern08' and 'gryphon06'.
"Whiiiipped..." Tala muttered into his bio homework. Kali and Ian exchanged glances, then decided they would put their spat on hold.
To say Tala was unamused when he was tackled/attacked by the two was like saying Ian on a sugar high was only mildly terrifying.
-x-x-x-x-
(After Wednesday afternoon classes...)
Ian groaned and flopped on Kali's floor pillow dramatically. "Is it Friday yet?"
Kali snickered as she finished outlining her third bio chapter of the evening. "Ian..."
He made no move to remove himself from the pillow.
"Seriously, dude. I don't speak pillow-ese."
"Will you two kindly shut. UP." Tala snarled. Both glanced over at him at the same time Spencer, Bryan and Kai did. The redhead's hair was mussed, as though he had run his hands through it repeatedly; his purple-blue eyes crackled with irritation; the hand currently not grasping a pencil clenched and unclenched itself into a fist as its owner fought to remain calm.
The four who knew him well turned their gazes away and resumed their prior activities.
Kali, however, frowned and hopped off her bed, then approached the seething Russian.
"What?" He growled tiredly after realizing she was standing in front of him.
"Whassup?"
Purple-blue eyes narrowed.
The girl sighed. "What's wrong? You look like someone decided to tap dance across your forehead."
Before she could even blink, his face was inches from hers. "And why would that concern you?"
The other four froze, then wondered how they could pull her away from the violent altercation that was sure to commence.
"Well, if you get sick, that does affect me. In case you forgot, you not only have most of your classes with me, but are also my roommate...aka, if you get sick, I get whatever you catch."
Ian hid a smirk, proud that she had come up with a reason he wouldn't be able to refute; he was also glad she had realized that the "good Samaritan" excuse wouldn't work with him. "That would've most likely got her hit."
"What, gonna suggest I pop a few pills?" He sneered.
"Uh, no. I hate pills and go out of my way to avoid them...which is why I know how to deal with a lot of stuff sans medicine." She replied calmly, unperturbed by his sudden proximity to her face. "Want my suggestion for how to deal with headaches/migraines? Or would you prefer to be macho and 'deal with it'?"
Purple-blue eyes flashed and his hand moved before conscious thought caught up with it; it met flesh with a solid thwack.
-x-x-x-x-
On second thought, mebbe Kali is allowed to hijack more often...::snickers:: She dragged the topic of yaoi stories into this, haha.