9031/Awkwardness Does Not Equal Cuteness

Awkwardness Does Not Equal Cuteness
Date of Scene:	10 December 2021
Location:	Empire State University
Synopsis:	Turns out Alexander and Kate share a group of friends. They meet for the first time. This is the start of...well, something. Beautiful friendship? Enemies? Time will tell!
Cast of Characters:	Alexander Aaron, Kate Cha

---

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Winter Break is just a day away, and you can feel it on the campus of Empire State University. The mood is split between the two extremes, with anxiety and stress felt by a good number of students as they go about the day's routine. While others are enjoying the holiday, embracing the happiness and Christmas. There are decorations up on the quad, trees have some brilliant red and silver bulbs hanging from their boughs, little Christmas trees line the walk ways, and bundting can be seen on the faculty buildings.
    And with the fresh snowfall from last night? The setting seems set for the start of the holidays, but also might explain why few of the students are hanging out in the park part of the quad itself and more along the heated walkway that leads up to the library.
    Which includes one young man known as Alexander Aaron, draped in his heavy pea coat though now with a backpack over his shoulder, he's standing on the top step (of course) while around him is a semi-circle of other students as they chat and good and smile while surrounded with their compadres.
    "So seriously, a year long trip to Greece?"
    "Yeah man," Alexander grinned a bit, shifting his weight to the other foot as he leaned against the railing. "Had to. Was go with him or poof, bye bye trust fund."
    The heavy-set guy in the thick black sweater and red scarf shook his head as he crinkled his nose, "I mean, that's cool. Right? In a way. But still, a year."
    "Yeah, it kinda was cool, but indeed also sucked."
    "I mean what the fuck is there to do in Greece for a year? Other than, you know..."
    Shannon casually shoved Kelso in the shoulder, "Ass." Even as she smirked sidelong toward Alex, "I'm sure it was very culturally enriching, right Alex?"
    "Oh I dunno."

Kate Cha has posed:
The door opened at the top of the stairs, allowing a young woman to step out into the crisper outdoor air. Though the walkways did have heaters lining them, it was still more brisk than the interior of the building. A gust of air could rip that warmth away only to have to rebuild between zephyrs. Yet, sometimes the interior heat could get a bit too stiffling. It was nice to get outside and breathe.

The young woman appeared to be of Chinese heritage, with her black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pair of jeans, but the shirt was hidden from view under a knee-length jacket. The jacket itself was a deep maroon color. Her hands were tucked deeply into the pockets, a messenger style bag slung cross-wise over her torso atop the jacket. It held the few things she had needed for her classes.

Seeing the small gathering on the top step, she immediately approached and just added herself to their number.

"Hi, guys. What's up?" she offered in greeting. She did reach into her bag and pull out a paperback which she offered to Sharon. "I finished this. Thanks for the loan. Wanted to get it back to you before break."

Then she turned her gaze to the new guy. Tall. Well taller than her but not like scary tall. Hair was a bit long but a great color. And the guy was pretty. Like seriously good looking. Handsome. Whatever the right word was for it these days. All she knew was he looked really nice. "Hi, I'm Kate," she offered by way of her own introduction, not waiting for someone else to do it for her.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    For most people who wandered by they wouldn't notice the casual body language of the group. The three other students standing there do seem like they're standing sort of around the new guy. Kelso, Nelson, Shannon, all three of them turned more in his direction while he was looking equi-distant between them with that casual smile on his face. Only Nelson was standing on the top step of the stoop, yet still his stance seemed slightly uncomfortable but gregarious.
    But Kate with her knowledge of those three, she knew how they would fit into social settings. Usually Nelson took the lead in things, but now...
    "So what all did I miss?" The blond guy asks lightly, one hand sliding out of his pocket to rest on the strap of his backpack.
    "Oh man, so much stuff. You gonna have to take extra classes to catch up." Nelson, a little shorter then Kelso but more classically handsome, he shook his head.
    Though redheaded Shannon made a face, "That is if you wanna catch up, nothing says you /have/ to finish in four years."
    "That's true." Nelson affirms even as he shifts to the side, "Oh hey..."
    And that's the moment Kate joins that conversation circle, everyone's attention shifting to her. She gets a hug from Shannon, a grinning wave from Kelso, and Nelson steps to the side to let her into the group better. But of course next to him.
    "Hi, Kate. This is Alex. He was here last year but then ditched us. This is Kate Cha, my future significant other." His smirk was all sly and wry.
    "I didn't /ditch/." Alexander says, turning his gaze on Kate, pale hazel eyes meeting hers. "I had familial obligations." But that's the moment he pushes away from the railing he was leaning on and offers her his gloved hand.
    "Hey, I'm Alex. Good to meet you."

Kate Cha has posed:
"You wish," was the immediate response from Kate followed by her elbow travelling back sharply in the general direction of Nelson's ribs. "That ship already sailed. Good news it wasn't the Titanic. Bad news, it's still left the docks." He had been shot down a while back. Everyone in the group knew it. Except maybe Nelson. Though he knew it but hadn't fully accepted his status firmly in the Friend Zone. For that was where he had landed after their few dates.

As the hand was offered, Kate grasped it in her own. Her grip was firm. Not one of those handshakes of a woman afraid she might get broken. "Alex. Nice to meet you," she said with a smile. "I've heard your name a few times but they haven't given me any of the juicy details. Have to get that fixed soon. I'll grill Sharon with some bamboo shoots and water torture later, unless you're the open book type?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Assuredly for Eddie Nelson he knew it, but there was always hope. The battle cry of the chronic nice guy who wasn't actually really nice. At least he had a good nature about it as he made a subtly exaggerated /whuf/ around that elbow, then held up his hands as if to signal 'uncle'. Sure the ship left the docks. "Good thing I can swim, huh?"
    Poor Edward.
    It's a brief handshake, his grip was warm and not aggressive, then he stepped back and slipped his hand back into those deep pockets of the pea coat. "Oh you have?"
    A glance is given to the others as he quirks an eyebrow. To which Kelso takes up the gauntlet, "Always in a positive light, man. Well... mostly."
    Then Shannon adds, "The Tau Kappa Epsilon thing?"
    Which has all four of them going, 'ohhhh' for they had been there and Kate had, unfortunately, not. Yet leave it to Kelso to reiterate, "That thing with the egg challenge." Which involved eating. A ton of them.
    Then Alexander replied to her last query as he smiled easily enough, "There's really not much to tell, not that many pages in the book yet."
    Which is when Shannon smiles and adds, "Kate, though. She's... a brilliant student, kicking ass since we've known her."
    "More ways than one," Adds Nelson as he rubs at his side theatrically as if seeking pity and comfort.
    "Taking lots of classes," Offers Kelso.
    "Oh, what are you studying?" Alexander then adds, "I'm leaning towards the Humanities."
    Then Nelson pipes up, "So you can be all pretentious while you're unemployed."
    "That too." Alex offers in affirmation.

Kate Cha has posed:
"Ohhh yes," Kate said, dragging out the first word for emphasis. "I heard all about the egg incident. At least three times. At various sorority parties so I won't be the only person to know about that one. You've been warned," Kate says to Alex with an unapologetic grin.

"Now you're embarassing me," she protests to their shared friends, giving them the side-eye. Especially Nelson when he adds his two cents. She rolls her eyes a bit and looks back to Alex, dismissing them entirely.

"Just don't believe a word they say when they tell you about the bookstore. I did nothing wrong and I stand by that."

He could figure that out later. Or not. She moved on quickly to answer his questions. "I do take a lot of classes. A pretty heavy course load. I managed to get a scholarship so want to take advantage of the ride. Limited amount of time so have to keep the nose to the grindstone." She tried to spin it like she was taking what she could from the system but it may not paint her in that light as much as she hoped. "I'm majoring in Genetics with a minor in sports medicine. Figure I want to keep my doors open, depending on how things go."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Oh an incident in a bookstore?" Alexander says as he looks to the others, "Sounds very sordid." Those three words delivered very quickly, with a hint of condemnation as if he would never partake of anything not upright nor upstanding. "But that's a cool thing to aim at. Genetics and sports med, especially with everything going on." The mutants and the world after all.
    "Sounds like you have your life planned out pretty well..." When he hasn't even really settled on anything approximating a major. Slacker.
    Then Shannon lifts her voice, "We were about to go down to that restaurant on the corner, they have mulled cider with cinnamon."
    "Yeah, you want to come?" The invitation from Kelso is extended to both of them though Alexander is the first to answer.
    "Nah, I need to get back and clean. It's been a year since I've been in the apartment and... man, lots of stuff needs doing." Alexander's nose crinkles slightly as he rocks back a little on his heels, that subtle body language of detaching oneself from a group.
    "What, did like squatters invade and have sex all over your furniture?" Nelson's lip twists up, smirking.
    "No..." And then they perhaps get a little insight into Alex's mind as for a moment he looks actually a little disturbed, "I mean I don't think so..." It's... possible? Ew ew ew.
    Then it's Shannon's turn to thwap Eddie even as she tugs on Kelso to get going, "Well feel free to drop by if you get bored, we'll be there for a few hours."

Kate Cha has posed:
"I need to run an errand first," Kate said as the group started to make moves to break apart. "Might be able to join you after I finish that up. I'll drop you a text either when I'm on my way or to let you know I can't make it." That last is said directly to Sharon, making eye contact with the other woman.

She bounced down the steps to the walkway, turning in the direction she needed to head. Which seemed to be the same way Alexander was going. "We can walk together if that's okay with you. Until I reach my turn off at least." Which wasn't that far really although she wasn't above making it a little further if she enjoyed the company.

Truth be told, she had somewhere to be. With her class load, she had one more class to finish up this afternoon before she was officially off for winter break. Course, it was in the opposite direction than Alex was travelling. Yet, she had other thoughts in mind and they involved getting to know this guy she'd heard about--and turned out to be way hotter than Sharon had let on. That would be a girl chat later! She also needed to make sure Sharon had no designs on him cause sisters before misters. But if all was clear? She may want to spend more time with the pretty newcomer. Well, old friend of theirs. Newcomer for her.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The look that Kate got back from Sharon was a little side-eyed as if to try and discern what the hidden subtext of her words might actually mean, but she goes along. "Alright, whatever you decide to do is ok with me?" She offers in way of perhaps answering as she can to what she thinks Kate is asking? Subtle girl talk, engage!
    But then the trio are strolling down the steps and setting course for that corner restaurant, even as Alexander is now descending as well. He stops at the last step and looks off toward the others, lifting a hand to give a small wave.
    "So... bookstore?" He asks, because of course that's a story that needs telling. Though when he meets her eyes his grin twists up a little.
    Then he hops down that last step, curls his hand around the strap of his backpack and starts strolling, but at an easy pace so she could keep up. "You should just come clean and tell me all the embarrassing stories, save yourself the pain of prevarication."

Kate Cha has posed:
"But then what will we talk about six weeks from now. You have to let those stories out little by little to keep oneself interesting," Kate said with a laugh, negatively shaking her head as she did so. She fell into step alongside him, heading in the same direction. "We'll trade an embarassing story once a week and see how long we can keep it up."

As they moved along, she glanced around to get a good feeling for their bearings then spotted what she needed up ahead. The others had disappeared out of their line-of-sight by this point. There wasn't anyone else out braving the cold at the moment. So for all intents and purposes, they had this area to themselves. Good.

"Bookstore." She took a deep breath, held it a moment, then let it out in a puff of vapor that stood out white in the air. "Alright. I had gone to the bookstore to pick up a text I needed. I had gotten the text about it from one of my classmates, that the prof just added it. I was on the way home, had a dozen donuts in a box on hand that I'd picked up. Figured what the hell, go ahead and hit the bookstore since it was on the way to the sorority house."

They turned a corner in the path. At which point, she willed a duplicate into being. The second version of her split off from behind her. It might give an out of the corner, will o' the wisp moment for Alexander. But if he looked, there would be nothing to see. Kate 2 was wisely now concealed behind that oversized bush. Her mission? Head for class. The Kates didn't want to be late, after all.

"So there I was in line with textbook in one hand, a box of donuts balanced on the other. Which is when some football player decided to 'go long' and his friend threw a book at him. Which hit me. Or more precisely my arm. And the donuts paid the price."

She let that hang a moment then added. "As did a few books. And Professor McClain's toupee."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    It was just a stroll along the walk through the quad, footsteps scuffing in the faintly snow-covered path. Though it did head to the streets and further into Greenwich where Empire State made its home. Behind them were perhaps some students still in the park area, but ahead of them rather few people in the handful of curves and paths that lead to some of the faculty buildings before the iron gate that leads beyond.
    Then she says the word 'bookstore' as if announcing the title of her 8th grade report and he smiles, mirroring it by saying himself, "Indeed, Bookstore."
    His head tilts to the side slightly, not looking directly at her, but able to see her out the corner of his eye as he listens. "Oh no."
    Then he stops her, "You're in a sorority, I'm so sorry." But then he grins as those hazel eyes meet hers, "I'm sorry, go on."
    He listens further, "Ohhh, so you pasted everyone with donut debris. That is embarrassing. So basically I'm talking with the school pariah. You should've warned me." His tone is oh so deadpan, and sure he has that passive sort of smile he wears as default, but the twinkle in his eyes offers a hint to the light-heartedness of his manner.

Kate Cha has posed:
"Of course the one that hit the professor was the jelly. Because it couldn't just be chocolate. And it exploded. Looked like he took a headshot in CoD or something. It was just wrong." Kate couldn't help giggling at the memory so it must not be that horrific.

She did give a negative shake of the head. "It became a thing of legend, especially for those who had to suffer through the professor's classes in the past while trying to pretend they didn't notice that awful toupee. I became a hero for them. Slayer of the Wig. I found one of those little plastic trophies people get for participation with that written on it."

She may or may not be kidding. But she focused now on something else he said.

"What do you mean you are sorry I'm in a sorority? I am very happy I got in. I wasn't a legacy or anything and had to work hard. Looks great on a resume later, with the community service angle. And make friends for life. Kappa Alpha Theta!" She raised her voice a little on the name, obviously proud of her house. Then she gave him a look.

"I take it you are not part of--or intending to be--a fraternity?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Oh a hero, I could see that." As he strolls along he casually nibbles the inside of his cheek, perhaps hiding a smile that way as he nods oh so solemnly about her fate as The Hero Empire State Truly Needs. "You play CoD? But yer a gurl." Which has him smirking a little, accenting those words a bit goofily to make it seem a touch ironic.
    Though he's distracted when she presses on that sorority button. "Oh the whole Greek thing on campus, I feel it's cultural appropriation against my home."
    There's a beat. Two. Maybe three. Where he says nothing and perhaps she might think he's serious, though when he shifts to give her a side-eye as he walks he very slighly sticks the tip of his tongue out of his mouth and makes a face as if he's super crazy face.
    "Ok nah, more just the last sorority people I spent time with they were a little out there." He lifts his chin, "There was this one gal, Cindy. In Beta Sigma... something? She was pretty mean to Kelso so I have like this mental... block? Stigma thing? I dunno. You'll have to prove me wrong that not all sorority people are evil."

Kate Cha has posed:
"Girls play video games too. We even use the internet these days. I know, shocking!" Kate returned at his reaction to her possibly being a CoD player. She hadn't actually said she was one. She just mentioned the effect. Though in truth, she did like video games. Especially FPS type. Course, she also could be her own entire squad at once but that required her to have access to multiple computers at the same time. Not a story to be shared.

When he mentioned the cultural appropriation, her brow beetled a bit and she fell quiet. Trying to figure out what to say to it. Should she apologize? She wasn't quite sure how them using Greek letters was cultural appropriation. Okay, some of the places did toga parties. Which could be interpretted as...

He let her off the hook with that look. "Phew. I was scrambling there for a second," she admitted. The explanation about the past sorority girl had her making a small face, frowning.

"That's not the majority. Most of us are just people wanting to make friends. Some want to make a difference. Some are really into the community aspect. There are some of the bitches. It's just the way it goes. Any place there will be assholes but thankfully they are usually a tiny percentage of the whole. Don't judge us all by this girl. And if you can get the info on her, I can make sure she suffers horribly. I am not afraid to buy more donuts."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The tall jerk actually rolled his eyes a little at her relief of being left off the cultural appropriation hook. Though he half-smiles once she finally gets past it. But by then he's listening to her talk about the evil girl known as Cindy.
    "Oh yeah, I know it. To be fair I think... Shannon was in a sorority for a time? Or is she still? I should ask." Though the fact he doesn't know shows he hasn't really been keeping up too much with his friends in the last year and some. "But I know on some level that they're not all bad people. I just... you know, Kelso."
    He pauses in his footsteps and turns to face her, hand resting under the strap of his backpack, "You kinda wanna protect the guy from the evils of the world, and when you hear someone was like, deliberately mean to him it's all. Grr."
    Of course now that they're almost to the gate, there are few people around. He gives a nod toward across the street, "This is me, I live down thattway. The restaurant is..." Another nod is given to the turn to the right, in case she didn't know.

Kate Cha has posed:
"I get that," Kate admits as she grins a little, bringing out a gloved hand from her pocket and letting it rest atop her messenger bag. "He's like a puppy and if someone kicks him, you want to break them. I mean he's a super nice guy. I really like him." Then she answers that one before he has a chance to jump on it and run with it. "Not LIKE him. Just like him. As a friend."

Phew. Didn't need him thinking she was off the market. Not that Alex likely cared if she was or wasn't. Too early to get a feel for that at this point. He was just polite. Maybe she just wasn't his type. It wouldn't be the first time. Not all guys were into people with her particular looks. Or habits. Or personality. Then there were those who were way too into her particular looks. And didn't care about any of the rest. The joy.

"Yeah, I will be heading over to join them," she said but her hand was sort of moving on the top of her bag. She paused, flipping open the top and digging inside. He might see a couple of notebooks, some textbooks. "But I just realized I forgot something. So got to go grab it first." She took a step backwards, indicating she was going to be heading on her way in a moment.

"It's been nice meeting you. Hope to see you around more since we hang with the same group."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    To be fair she might well have seen that first hint of conjecture as she mentioned how she liked Kelso, those eyebrows of his lifted in a silent, 'oh really?' look that she was on the top of and dismissed with her words quickly uttered.
    Which led to a soft breath that would almost be a laugh if it was given more effort. His smile blossomed and he nodded. "Yeah, it's like you can't imagine someone not liking him, and if they don't that's a good litmus test to see if they're eville."
    One gloved hand rests on the iron gate's frame as he gives a nod then, however, when she's mentioning going and joining the others. He nodded, and maybe she was waiting to see how he reacted before she decided her plans, but he seemed to be alright with letting her go. Maybe she really wasn't his type. "That's cool, I hope you have a good time."
    The smile seemed earnest. Dammit.
    Then he's walking away, strolling through the gate. Yet he pauses, or rather turns around to walk backwards as he calls out, "Hey, if you want give me a call, they all have my number, just grab it from them."
    And then he's turning back, stuffing his hands in his pockets... then half-jogging across the street.

Kate Cha has posed:
He had called that one perfectly. If someone didn't like Kelso, she had no interest in being a friend of theirs. This story of Cindy was one she hadn't heard in the few months she'd been friends with Kelso. She didn't want to pry on things there were sensitive for him. There was only one thing she could do. She'd ask Sharon later.

Then he was starting to shift and his words made her feel like friend-zone it would be. Not a problem but a tad disappointing. She didn't really even know him after all. She might hate his guts after spending more than a few minutes with him. She found it unlikely given they had some friends in common. They wouldn't hang with him if he was a dick.

She turned back toward the quad, to head further in as he started down the sidewalk. Just as he started his backwards walking so she paused in her movement, giving him a curious look.

Yes! He wanted her to call him. Well, seemed to. Although if he really wanted her to call him, he could've given her his number. But if he didn't want her to call him at all, he wouldn't have made a suggestion. Was that friend zone? Was that interested but trying to play it cool instead of seeming eager? Her mind was going a dozen directions now as she considered every possible implication that might be discerned from that one sentence. This might take a few hours.

"I'll do that. Good luck on your place!" She was paying attention. She remembered. Then she waited until he turned around to jog off again before she did a little happy-dance in a circle. A moment later glancing around to make sure no one saw that.

She quickly started toward the house then paused. A moment later, another duplicate of her was there. Then another. One headed for the house. One headed for the restaurant. And the original? She passed the messenger bag over to Duplicate 2, who was heading for their room, so she would be able to move around more easily.

Original Kate, or Kate Zero, turned quickly to head for the sidewalk and follow the path of one Alexander Aaron.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    It might take her a bit of time to catch up to him. Not that he was hurrying, since beyond the school and out on the streets the crowds of New York were a little more hectic. Yet he didn't seem to be in a rush, strolling along, taller than most people in that crowd, though not entirely the tallest. He was easy to pick out from afar with his semi-long platinum blond hair. Even easier when he lifted a gloved hand to push a lock of it out of his eyes, but only serving to charge it with that smidge of static electricity that has his hair floating up in the air now as he walks. A little goofy, a little cute. Maybe.
    It was through the side street near Greenwich that he walked, taking a turn down the way. He paused for a moment to consider one of the food trucks on the side of the street, then seemed to worry at his lower lip thoughtfully as if pondering the idea of eating before cleaning as if that might be good or bad.
    Then after a minute or two he left the line. It was down the way some more, crossing another street after looking both ways like a nice young man. He made his way toward a brownstone's stoop and with little hesitation he clumped up the steps, buzzed himself in, and then was gone from view.

Kate Cha has posed:
It wasn't that difficult to trail him. Certainly she lost sight of him here or there in the pedestrian traffic, yet he was distinct enough to find quickly once again. She'd practiced stealth a few times in her life. Spent her time running the alleys and rooftops a bit, with her brother, as vigilantes. An illegal activity, not even adding in dangerous since those they were after didn't follow the same moral compass as a normal person nor did those people want to go to jail.

But the skill came in handy now as she blended into that crowd as well, behind him so hopefully he wouldn't look back and notice her. When he stopped at t he food truck, she found a cute shop window to look into. They had up their holiday decorations and it really was adorable. She needed to get some decorations up in her room, come to think of it.

He continued on and she took a glance at the food truck in passing, noting that it might be good for dinner on the way back later. Then the trail ended as he reached his destination and disappeared inside. She looked at the brownstone, then to the buildings on either side, and back. Was it converted? Multiple apartments setup? Just rooms let? Or was it the whole brownstone, which in this town would be quite a chunk of change.

She frowned a little and kept an eye, watching for any specific lights to come on but it really wasn't that late so he might not need to turn on any. Which meant she wouldn't be able to pinpoint if there was a certain room or not. Seemed her trail might be a little cold. Unless she got creative.

And perhaps a little creepy if she let herself think about it too much. Thus refuse to think about it. She was not going in search of a fire escape to try to peek in and figure out the answer to her questions.

Following him home was bad enough, wasn't it?

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    A brief glance at the particular brownstone he went into told her enough. Just a look at the display on the side, the list of names, the visible mailboxes on the inside in the foyer. His name was right at the top for obvious reasons, 'Alexander Aaron' 3B it looked like. Third floor, so just the one apartment. A fair number of people were his neighbors so it likely wasn't /too/ expensive.
    Still. It was a brownstone. In Greenwich. Those things aren't cheap.
    But his was likely a unit in the middle of that chunk of apartments. No convenient fire escape access...
    Well.
    From the front. The back might, unless his apartment was in the front and that big circular window on the top floor...
    The lights came on in that window. That must be the place. Now perhaps Kate had some insight. Creepy indeed!

Kate Cha has posed:
Wasn't that just a kick in the teeth.

She had been telling her inside voice to shut the hell up when it suggested there might be a fire escape in the back. That she could go look at least. See if she could do some research and figure out the mystery. Alas, mystery sold. Front apartment, top floor. Doubtful he'd have a whole floor. Likely just the first half. She could still check a fire escape to be sure but she was already being such a stalker right now.

Kate shook her head at herself and turned, hands tucked into the pockets of her coat, heading back the direction from which they came.

She did take a moment to get in the line at the food truck, to pick up something for dinner to have back at her room once she got back. She already had too many dupes running around, a number she preferred not to have on campus. While she wasn't ashamed of what she was and obviously had no problem with using her powers, it wasn't like she announced it either. It was her thing and it was private. Besides, she didn't need to be answering questions about how her class load worked with her ability to go to all the classes as different duplicates of herself. If she wanted. And if that morally okay or got into some of those gray areas.