Meeting the New Kid (Cain)

[Kevala Badoer]

Well, her job as HSN was pretty basic. She was to be some sort of gossip bunny. Hopping around the school and trying to get all the dirt that anyone and everyone could find interesting.

So, with her new found ability to gain inside information, she had learned of a new student to their lovely little slice of HELL heaven.

So that was who she was in search of now.

Dressed in her usual set of denim jeans and a black tank top. Kevala was pretty for sure, but she held a bit of maturity about her. Something a lot of people lacked int his place. But then she had her reasons.

Making her way through the school she would try and find the guy that she as looking for. Sure that it would not be too hard, given that according to his file he had blue hair.

Yeah, not a lot of people around here had that trait, at least not to the point that it was on their school record.

After checking around everywhere that was possible inside and outside the school, it left her with two options. Either he was not here, or he was on the roof.

So up up up she went. Damn they needed an elevator around here.

~Mind on track please~

~Sorry sorry~

Coming to the door to the roof she would push it open, stepping out into the crisp air of the day and letting icy blue eyes scan the area. Nope, nope, nope, BLUE HAIR!!

SCORE!!!

She could have almost bounced with joy at this point, IF that was the kind of girl she was. But as it stood, she would simply smile to herself and then make her way over to him.

Stopping beside where he was and speaking softly. Her tone calm and friendly.

"Excuse me, but your name is Cain right?"

[Cain]

Cain sat upon the bench in the courtyard of the school, clad in navy blue shirt that had black sleeves, reaching mid-way down his forearm, and a pair of dark blue denim jeans, his attire completed, of course, by his blue-and-black sneakers. What a simple choice of clothing, and yet, it seemed to fit the boy perfectly, with his dark blue hair. His hazel eyes were fixated upon no particular spot on the ground, his mind wandering off to something more distant than where he was, even though tens of pairs of feet were passing him every minute. His mind was on New York.

The place where he was born. The place where he had grown up under his father's abuse, before suffering even more under his harsh training methods. The place where he first entered school, specifically Public Highschool 552, only to meet all kinds of fighters. The place where he had met his first love. The place where he received his first ever authoritive title; the School Captain title. In short, a place where he had lots of memories. Memories that he could not easily forget. He sighed, leaning back against the bench, the muffs of his headphones placed over his ears, playing the sounds of Disturbed.

The past two weeks had been quite eventful for him. He had not only met a lot of people, but he was reunited with a few too. Gabriel, Matrim and Emily were some of them, though he barely knew them. He also got to know a few more, like Mitsuki and Leon, the latter become a sort of mentor to him, under his employer's instructions. A scary man indeed. He thought back about what happened during the fight and closed his eyes. Was he truly that weak? Did Chrynos send him here because of that? To prove him that he was yet to become one of the best, after being thrown around like a rag-doll as Leon had done so?

The song ended and just as it did, it was replaced by the sound of footsteps around him, and a few voices. However, one, in particular, stood out among the rest. Not because it was familiar or anything, but among the sentence came a word that was quite familiar to the boy.

"Excuse me, but your name is Cain right?"

Cain opened his eyes, looking up to see an attractive woman standing in front of him. He reached up, removing the headphone's muffs from his ears, his hazel eyes locked with hers as he repeated the question on his head. At that, with a small hospital smile, he nodded his head.

"Yeah? Who's asking?"

[Kevala Badoer]

She would smile once more as he spoke.

YES!!! She did find him! Finally!!

Inwardly jumping for joy. Her feet freaking hurt!

Taking a second to compose herself she would let her small hand extend forward in a gesture to shake hands.

"Hello. My name is Kevala. I am Head of the School Newspaper. I was told it is kinda my job to stay in the know about new arrivals and what not."

She did not sound to sure about bugging people. But hey if that is what they wanted then she would do it she supposed.

"So sorry if I am bugging you, but the powers that be say do something and I do. Unless I want to have to listen to the bitching."

She would roll her eyes lightly as she would draw her hand back once it was released, assuming he even shook it to begin with.

That smile curling across her lips still as she stood there. Not sure really where to start with this, but figuring any place was as good as any. Right?

~Yeah and hopefully you are not now officially the creepy hot chick running around campus~

"So, if you dont mind, I was just gonna get to know you."

Shrugging softly as she crossed her arms lightly over her chest, those icy hues scanning over him as she shifted her weight to one leg, her hip lightly sticking out to one side.

"Keep the dogs at bay and what not."

She laughed softly, a soft and delicate sound which seemed to light up her face and eyes, making her all that more beautiful. Or at least some of the guys she had known had thought so.

[Cain]

"Hello. My name is Kevala. I am Head of the School Newspaper. I was told it is kinda my job to stay in the know about new arrivals and what not."

"My name's Cain... but I guess you already knew that, huh?"

Cain noticed the outstretched hand, that smile on his face unwavering nor widening. Then, without hesitation, he reached forward, grabbing the female's hand in a firm yet gentle way, his fingers wrapping around the back of her hand. Then, he gave it a trio of shakes, before letting go of the hand, knowing that holding onto her hand longer would only make it more awkward than appropriate. Then, she started to apologise about being a bother, to which Cain only shook his head to, implying that she was far from one. Hell, he did not have much to do at that time anyway.

"So, if you dont mind, I was just gonna get to know you."

Cain gave a shrug. Personally, or publicly, he did not really mind being known, for he knew that such reputation could help him in his run of getting to the top of the ranks of fighters here in 259. And besides, the girl was quite attractive herself. It might be nice for her to at least get to know him a bit, which would indefinitely give him a good support to start a relationship at. By relationship, of course, I mean friendship.

"Sure, sure. I don't mind. However..."

At that, Cain paused for a while, before reaching to his side and removing the bag from the bench, thus making space upon the bench. He did not want to seem like a douchebag, sitting down while the interviewer was standing up in front of him, much less the person being female.

"... Why don't you sit down first?"

[Kevala Badoer]

She would continue to watch him. It was now more than just habit to take in every move that was made before her. She was a nervous little thing. Inside, though she did not show such on the outside. Why? Cause then that gave away weakness.

~OH COME ON!!~

~STOP~

She would mentally scold herself for being so paranoid, but she could not help it. She had been attacked too many times in her time here to really trust anyone. With the exception of Leon, Spike and Gabriel. That was about it.

As he moved his bag she would smile, his offer getting a nod of her head before she would move to take a seat. Her eyes once more becoming focused on him as she settled down there.

Hmm...Now where to start?

She thought this over for a moment before her hands would come to rest upon her lap.

"I suppose the first question I should ask would be what brings you here?"

She was trying to make normal small talk. But those who knew her knew that such a task was very hard for her to do. VERY..

She would now wait. Needing to know what his reply would be before she could continue.

[Cain]

And she would sit down beside him, Cain adjusting himself so that he partially faced her, seeking to make this conversation as comfortable as possible, for both parties. What came next, however, was something he did not expect, as she sat there then, looking into blank space, as awkward silence enveloped the pair. Cain cleared his throat, looking away for a moment, waiting for the first question. Was she new to this? Cain doubted it. She was, after all, head of the newspaper club, or whatever. She may just be that shy.

"I suppose the first question I should ask would be what brings you here?"

He looked back at her. What brought him here? At that point, Cain's eyes would wander towards the school, though only briefly, before turning back to her as he smiled.

"Well, I'm just a guy who loves finding new challenges in life, and I heard that this school had all kinds of trials and fighters, so I moved here the moment I heard about it. I've been moving from school to school the past three years, actually. And besides, I was asked to come here too."

He chuckled. He did not have much to say anyway, mostly because he was not allowed to.

[Kevala Badoer]

She listened as he spoke, his words striking her as odd slightly. Asked to come here? She thought to push the matter but thought better of it.

After all, she was not the pushy type and it honestly did not set well with her to try and do such.

"I see. Well you are right that this place is full of challenges. I have had my fair share. But luckily I have Gabriel Seran and Spike Sudeki to keep the wolves at bay so to speak. Or else my little ass would be handed to me on a daily basis."

She laughed softly as she shook her head. Catching herself rambling and shutting up. Yes, she had a bad habit of doing such things and she really needed to learn to keep herself in line.

"So, how do you like it here so far? Met anyone interesting yet?"

She would continue to watch over him as she smiled that soft and friendly smile at him. She was one to always try and make friends...though some just did not want her to be their friends. Never really made sense to her, but meh! What could you do?

[Cain]

"I see. Well you are right that this place is full of challenges. I have had my fair share. But luckily I have Gabriel Seran and Spike Sudeki to keep the wolves at bay so to speak. Or else my little ass would be handed to me on a daily basis."

Cain chuckled. He would figure as much in this school. It was a real battlefield, a real jungle. Kill or be killed. Still, he was surprised to hear Gabriel's name there. From how the man had beaten him down back in Moral Crest High, he had figured him to be the sadist brutal kind, but it seemed that he had a kinder side to him too. He reminded Cain almost of Jay. Both were brutal in the battlefield, friendly out of it, especially to women and most important of all, both could hand Cain's ass to him. Of course, Jay's superiority over Cain was short-lived, as he kept training himself to be stronger and soon enough, became School Captain and went up to par with the once-strongest fighter in 552.

"So, how do you like it here so far? Met anyone interesting yet?"

Cain chuckled. Truth be told, he had yet to actually befriend someone new. All those that he had seen thus far were simply reunions to him. He looked at her, before giving a shrug, accompanying it with a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess I like it here. It's definitely different from the other schools I've been to. And no, not really. In fact, I'm actually being reunited more than making new friends, with people like Gabriel. Yeah, I know him too. Small world, isn't it?"

[Kevala Badoer]

So he knew Gabriel. It was not a big surprise really. Many people did seem to know him. Gabriel always did have a flare for making his presence known. Never a dull moment with that one.

She smiled, nodding to his words and then letting them play over in her mind.

"Hmm..well you have met me. I am new."

She laughed softly. Sure they were not really friends...yet...but they did now officially know each other and so.....he had met her. Heh. Her mind worked in some strange ways sometimes.

"Well, I hope that all your reunions have gone well. Though I am guessing that a fight was involved with Gabriel. That man cant seem to help himself from starting something."

She shook her head as she continued to smile. Her mind playing over the things that she could be asking, that she probably should be asking.

"So, who all have you managed to reunite with? Sorry if I sound like I am being nosy. But if you know Gabriel then you probably know a few more of the people I associate as my friends."

She shrugged softly. It was something to learn about. Right? Well either way she would continue to watch him, her small hands coming to rest on her thighs as she ran her tongue lightly over her lips. A somewhat nervous habit of sorts.

[Cain]

"Hmm..well you have met me. I am new."

Cain chuckled, looking at her. True enough, he did meet her. Of course, they had not yet met long enough to be of close acquaintance, but this could pretty much be the start of something, right? He nodded his head in slight agreement.

"Yeah, true to that. Heh."

Cain was, after all, one sociable person. He made friends easily, because he always knew what to say and when to say it. He was analytical and wise and had this big habit of trying to red what people was thinking, thus allowing him to easily get to their good sides. Of course, such was a natural skill to the man. He had no bad intention for doing as such. At least, not on Kevala.

"A fight? Haha, yeah, you got that right, but I guess I was kinda calling for it."

Cain smiled, not saying anymore. He was never one to talk so much about himself, answering only when needed to. Besides, anyone who knew Cain well enough would know how much he loved fighting. No, he was not violent. He did not enjoy inflicting pain upon others. He just loved the thrill and adrenaline he was fed with in the battlefield, and the exhilaration of the challenge provided by his opponents. That was just the way he was. And besides, fighting better people helped him realise just how much more he had to go to be at the top. Until that time, he was going to keep training and keep getting better.

"Well, not many people, actually. Matrim Gallagher would be one. I'm sure you'd know him. He is the School Captain here, after all, if I'm not wrong? I met the two of them back in 42. Other than them, I never really got around to socialise. Not yet, at least."

He looked towards her, a small smile on his lips. What was the point in hiding such information, after all? It was not like revealing who he knew would kill someone, much less kill himself. He could not think of any way he could get himself hurt by doing so.

[Kevala Badoer]

"Yes, Matrim is the school captain."

She nodded as she continued to look at him, that smile still on her lips as she let her hand come up and brush back a bit of her long brown locks, tucking them behind her ear as she sighed softly.

"I only recently met him myself. But for the most part he seems like an alright guy. Though he is not the typical type of person I hang around."

She shrugged softly as she let the tip of her tongue brush slowly over her lips. Her small hands now settled in her lap and resting upon her thighs. Once again her mind ran over the things she could talk about it was usually not that hard for her. But then she never really had a reason to talk....That was when it occurred to her. Why the hell was she trying?

~Cause it is your job?~

~Yeah and so is taking photographs. Dont see me doing that all the time do you?~

~True...Very true~

The little battle going on in her mind ceasing as she shook her head. Oh yeah...she was supposed to be talking to this Cain. Okay so yeah, she was not gonna try. It just made things more complicated for her. Instead she would just ramble on and see what came of it.

"Anyways. Matrim is a Dragon along with Leon and since myself and Leon are friends and since I am dating Leon's son, Spike, I feel that I should at least attempt to get along with Matrim. Plus the guy has not really done anything to me. Yet."

She would once more let those slender shoulders roll as she shrugged it off. It was true. Well aside from the whole beating Emily thing and then of course she was still watching the way things went between him and Gabriel.

Not to mention if the guy ever tried anything against Leon or Spike she would see fit to have his head. But then she loved Spike so it was a natural reaction to the thought of anyone harming him. Heh.

~Back on topic!~

~Oh yeah!~

Her icy hues finding him once more as she laughed a bit nervously.

"Sorry I tend to get lost in thought sometimes and tend to ramble on. Don't mind me. Anyways. What are your plans here? I mean what do you hope to achieve while being here?"

It was an honest question. You would think people came here to get an education, but really there was soo much more going on than that usually. So, why not ask right?

[Cain]

Well, the confirmation from a third part would always be helpful. At least he knew that Matrim really was the School Captain, and he even had the combat skills to live up to the name. Cain remembered the beat down he had from the male just a day back. He made him shiver slightly at the thought of Matrim's power, before instinctively letting out a smirk. He knew now then how powerful he should be and until he had reached that point, Cain was never going to stop training. He was never going to stop getting better, until he had beaten Matrim. That was, after all, the way Cain lived. Whenever he got beaten, he would hold no grudges, save a promise. A promise to get better in the future, and come back to test himself once more.

Silence once more enveloped the two like a blanket, Cain watching Kevela blankly, as if waiting for the next question. True, Cain had a lot of questions, but he was the one being interviewed here. Perhaps when the interview was over, he could ask her for lunch or something. With her position, she should know a lot about this school and its students. In other words, she had information that could prove very useful to Cain indeed. And besides, she seemed like an interesting enough person. It would be fun to get to know her a little bit more, right? And speaking of information, it seemed that he did not have to wait till lunch to get them, as she started to spill out about Matrim.

A Dragon? Wait, wasn't Chrynos a Dragon too? The Storm Dragon, was it? It had been one of the reasons why Cain had been sent to California, for here was where the stronger Dragons were. Though their identities were unknown to Cain, he knew that they would be here in 259, considering this seemed to be the hub of fighters here in Long Beach. Leon, huh? His name failed to strike a bell, though Cain had a gut feeling that he should know the man. Then, as she finished her words with a 'yet', Cain acknowledged the joke with a chuckle and a nod.

And once more, they were silent. Cain, after all, did not have much to say. At least, not yet. He failed to catch up on the topic, after all, Dragons and all. Wait, why not, eh?

"Dragons, huh? Well, I know of a Dragon. The Storm Dragon, to be precise. Chrynos. He used to school here too, I think?"

"Sorry I tend to get lost in thought sometimes and tend to ramble on. Don't mind me. Anyways. What are your plans here? I mean what do you hope to achieve while being here?"

Cain chuckled. What did he hope to achieve here? Cain looked at the ground for a moment, before giving a smile as he innovated what he probably thought was the best answer in this case. Cain was a fight-lover, but there was no way he was going to say he came here to fight. There were other reasons he came here too. Education was one of them. He still had his future to look to.

"Self-improvement. In more ways than one. Haha."

[Kevala Badoer]

"I only know a few of the Dragon's myself. I never met the one you speak of. I know of the Nova Dragon, the Infernal Dragon, the Lightening Dragon, and ......"

She stopped there, smiling as she let out a nervous little laugh.

"There I go rambling again."

She shook her head as she sighed and reached up pushing back her hair from her face.

"I suppose that is all I really need to know. I do not wish to keep you from anything. Never my intent to be annoying."

She had nothing better to be doing but she assumed he did. Most people here were always so busy that she barely had time to talk to them before they had to hurry off to do something.

"But if you ever wish to talk or something just let me know."

She was a very chatty person it seemed. She had come a long way from the closed off girl that she had once been when she first came here. But being a single Mother of twins and having your life threatened on a regular basis tended to do that. Okay so not really. She should have been more closed off and guarded but for the life of her she could not help but want to make friends.

It was always good to have friends. Always.

Casting those icy hues back up to him she smiled once more.

"Unless you have anything you would like to ask me. I mean I am a pillar. It seems only right that I offer to help you if you need anything."

It was true. She could offer her help in any way he needed. She had been here long enough to be able to assist in any questions he may have about the school or the people here.

[Cain]

Nova? Infernal? Lightning? Cain's smile widened ever so slightly with every mention of a Dragon's title. America's elite fighters. The Dragons. Such were students of the corporal punishment system that had reached a level of skill that surpassed human limitations and reality. However, she stopped soon enough, Cain's improvement in terms of lip width dying off almost instantly. He chuckled, before letting out a soft sigh, shaking his head. He did not mind the rambling, really. It was becoming more helpful than annoying.

"I suppose that is all I really need to know. I do not wish to keep you from anything. Never my intent to be annoying."

"Nah, nah, it's ok. I wasn't really doing anything, actually."

He chuckled again. Cain himself did not mind new friends too. Hell, they were greatly appreciated. Cain enjoyed the support and understanding of others, for more often than not, he was mistaken for a sadist for his perceptions in life, or at least, on how to have fun. And also, friends often made greater sparring partners. Such could be seen from Shu Ryorin, Narin Carter and the likes. He smiled.

"But if you ever wish to talk or something just let me know."

"Uhm, sure. You too, I guess?"

Cain raised his right, scratching the back of his head as he smiled nervously at her. Yeah, he was quite unsure of how he should have replied there, but he did anyways. And there he was, acting and looking like an idiot, as he usually sometimes did during conversations. Growing up as he did, Cain never really had the chance to polish up his social skills.

"Unless you have anything you would like to ask me. I mean I am a pillar. It seems only right that I offer to help you if you need anything."

A pillar? His eyes shot towards her, his smile almost fading away. He had actually been sitting beside a pillar? Cain, back in 552, had been the School Captain, appointed only due to his determination to protect the school's general population and also his skill in combat. And his first act had been to remove one of his rivals from the pillarship position. Jay. The fight was grand, as they destroyed a classroom and two cars, before ending it with a draw. Cain left shortly after that. He was not a stranger to the life of a pillar.

"A pillar? In that case, other than Matrim, could you tell me who the other pillars are?"

He smiled.

[Kevala Badoer]

She was about to get up and leave when he asked his question, a little raise of her brow as she settled back into her seat.

"Yes, I am a pillar."

She shrugged softly. No, she did not have the strength that most associated with pillarship, but she could not help it. She had been offered the title and figured what the hell.

At the time she had her own personal reasons behind taking the title, and had not thought it would last long, but now here she was over a month later and still with the title.

It was rather.....odd to say the least. But then most people she fought with, were her friends, and soooo yeah...Besides that. Matrim would just take the title and give it back soooo yeah.

Shaking her head she would turn her attention back to the topic at hand.

"Well there is Sarah, who is the Student Body President and Matrim's wife. Then there is Mitsukai, she is one of my dearest friends. Though I will be honest in saying that neither her nor myself hold the strength that is accustomed to the people who hold the titles. I do not hide from this fact. It would be silly to try and say that I am strong when I know deep down that I am not. But that is just how it is. We were both offered the titles and well, at the time, I had my own issues I was going through and decided it would be a good thing. Not to mention it looks good on college applications. Heh."

She was honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that is just how it was when you were talking to Kevala.