The itinerary says that he doesn't need to be to class until nine, but Soul's internal clock seems to think that six in the morning is the perfect time to wake up. He rolls over to see Ox mumbling incoherently in his sleep on the other side of the room. The sight is comforting somehow. Shibusen wasn't a dream after all.

The boy carefully slips out of bed, doing his best to avoid his belongings he'd kicked off the bed in his sleep while he picks up fresh clothes. May as well get up and face the day. Padding quietly out the door, Soul makes his way to the bathroom to change. He takes a moment to look at his hair in the mirror, tugging a bit on the end of a strand. It lays a bit like Wes's, and a wave of homesickness washes over him. Maybe he should cut it short? Or dye it? Anything to get rid of the constant reminder of home. But his goal at Shibusen is to find himself, and he happens to like his hair color, so he decides to pick up some hair gel after class. Besides, spiky hair is supposed to be cool, right?

Ox stirs a bit when Soul returns to their room. Very quietly, he sets his old clothes on his bed and leaves once more, locking the door behind him. It's an ungodly hour, and he isn't about to be that roommate. Restless legs scream at him to move from his place in the hallway, and he decides to take a small tour of campus, like his roommate had the night before.

Early morning in Death City is still much warmer than New Haven, but it isn't as unbearable as the previous day had been. The sun isn't showing its face yet, and the streets are empty. Soul takes a deep breath as he looks out over the city again. "This is home now…" he whispers. The morning calm is interrupted when a body runs right into him, knocking him over the edge of the first step. He somehow manages to catch himself before falling too far down the stairs, but not without a nasty gash on his knee.

"Black Star, watch where you're going!" a tall girl shouts at the person he assumes ran him over. The girl comes to his side, extending a hand to help him up. "I'm so sorry about that! I still don't know how he can be so energetic in the morning…" He takes her hand and stands up, wincing at his knee. She notices and immediately searches the pockets of her running shorts for a handkerchief. "It's not much, but I hope it helps," she says handing it over to him. "Oh! You seem new here, am I right?"

"Yeah, just got here yesterday," he answers, leaning over to press the handkerchief into his wound.

The girl fishes in her pockets once more and pulls out a small piece of paper. "Here, it's an invite. Sid agreed to a party to help welcome the First Years. It'll be at six tonight, so hopefully you'll be there?" She smiles warmly at him, waiting for a response.

Soul hesitates for a moment before finally nodding. Parties are supposed to be his scene if he's going to keep up the cool guy act.

"Tsubaki! Hurry up!" a voice calls from above them.

The girl sighs. "That's my partner, so I'd better be going. I look forward to talking more later!" She waves at him then runs back up the stairs to follow the loud voice going on about needing to train harder.

"They supposed to be the welcoming committee?" he smirks. With the wound finally beginning to clot, he straightens up and looks down at the paper in his hand. He can't help but laugh a little. The words are scrawled in all capital letters, just barely legible. He's able to make out directions to Sid's house and the most ridiculous signature he's ever seen, complete with giant five-point star in the middle. It probably belongs to this "Black Star" character, who is sure to be at the party if his partner plans on being there.

Suddenly his stomach is doing backflips. He hasn't been to a party in ages. What does one do at parties? Especially ones for a group of people who can either see souls or turn into freaking weapons? But wait, everyone is in their teenage years. So maybe it's more of a hang-out thing. But Sid is hosting the party, so it must be at least semi-formal? Soul's head is spinning, but he knows he has to go no matter what. His new reputation is on the line.

"Um… excuse me? Are you okay?"

The boy looks up to find a familiar face, the same brunette girl who had been staring at him the day before. "Yeah, why?"

Her hands fidget slightly. "Well, you were just kinda staring off into space. And your knee…"

"I'm fine now, no worries." Short sentences are the key to not sounding like a total doofus, he decides.

"Oh, good. Um, we didn't really get the chance to talk yesterday, but I… know you saw me." She blushes and holds out her hand. "I'm Sophia."

Both his hands are full, so he takes a moment to figure out that he should tuck the party invite under his arm so he can properly greet the girl. "Soul."

Once the two break contact, she fidgets with a strand of hair. "Sorry about yesterday," she says. "It's just… your hair and teeth are really awesome."

Many words have been used to describe Soul's hair and teeth. "Awesome" has never been one of them. His tongue presses gently against one of his sharp teeth and he thinks on his next words. "All real, you know. Didn't dye, didn't sharpen, nothing."

"That's really cool."

His act is working. The invite starts to slip from under his arm, but he catches it before the wind can take it away from him. Soul watches her eyes dart towards it and takes a chance. "Do you, uh… Do you know about this First Year party?"

Sophia shakes her head. "Sounds like it'd be fun though. Maybe."

"Maybe I'll see you there," he says as confidently as he can, forcing a toothy smirk. Taking one final look at the invite to memorize the address and time, he hands the paper to her. "Be nice to see a friendly face."

Her face grows a little redder as she takes the invite from him. "Yeah, it would. I'll, um, see you later then," she says with a small wave. With that, she's gone, leaving him behind with a racing heart.

Wes would be proud, he thinks. Heart threatening to beat out of his chest or no, he can still talk smoothly to women. Sorta. Fake it till you make it they always say.