Beat the Heat [Kei]

    School may have started, but that didn't mean summer was over. It was still pretty damn hot outside, actually, and autumn didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Letting out a long, heavy exhale, Julian leaned back on the bench he'd claimed, combing his bangs back with one hand. At least Galaxy theme park had lots of shade to hide in when the heat got too bad. That was something, at least.

    Julian's dad had suggested that the teen stay at the park for the day; when evening rolled around and his shift was over, they could go out to eat or something and spend a little time together. A nice idea, considering the two had been so busy that they'd barely seen each other in the past week. So Julian agreed, and was now trying to kill some time by going on all the rides he hadn't been able to visit the last time he came. Which, since there was still about half the park to explore, shouldn't be a problem. But after about an hour, the heat got to be a little too much, and so he'd opted to take a little break before going to the next attraction.

    // Maybe I should find a water ride... // Plucking lightly at the tank top he was wearing, he figured it wasn't such a bad idea. It wasn't like he'd been visibly sweating, but the shirt was starting to stick to his skin from the humidity. At least he'd been smart and worn a light grey one; a darker color would have just made wearing the thing a tad more uncomfortable to have on. But getting splashed with water was sounding nicer and nicer, even though the shade was pretty cool right now. It was decided then; next up was a water ride.

    But he'd sit here for a few more minutes before moving anywhere. Walking in the heat just sounded so unappealing right now. Instead, Julian sat up straight for a moment and reached into his back pocket for the park map. Resting his elbows on his knees and unfolding the pamphlet, he started scanning the park layout, searching for the closest thing that had to do with water.

My god... It's so warm today. It's Saturday, two weeks into the first term. Walking down to the Theme Park seemed like a good idea yesterday. Sure the weather is nice, but the heat is unrelenting. I really need to cool off somewhere. I take a look at a nearby map of the theme park. Ah! There's the water ride. That should cool me off at least for a while. I run off towards the water ride. On my way there, I spot a familiar face. I'm sure I've seen him at school somewhere.
"Hey. Surviving the heat? The sun is unusually relentless today. You're from Zela Academy right?" I stretch out my hand towards him. "I'm Kei Edogawa. Nice to meet you! Wanna Join me on the water ride? The heat is killing me!"

    // Hm? // Who was standing in front of him? Julian glanced up, blinking at the greeting. ...Did he know this guy...? ...Oh. He looked to be about the right age...a student at Zela Academy? Smiling lightly, he blinked as the guy extended a hand and introduced himself. "Likewise." Letting the map dangle from one hand, he returned the handshake. "I'm Julian."

     It didn't surprise him that the guy was heading to a water ride. It was so hot, he was sure lots of people either had the same idea or jumped ship and went home. Judging by the lack of crowds, it was probably the latter. Julian laughed lightly as he stood and folded the pamphlet, shoving it back into his pocket. "Sure. I was headed to one myself, actually." If memory served right (which his normally did), there was a log ride not too far away. Good; the less time he had to spend trudging in the sun, the better. Pushing a hand into one of his front pockets, the teen started walking in the direction of the attraction. He turned in Kei's direction, smiling again as he asked, "So, what grade are you in?"

"I'm a Sophomore, Class 2-B. I just transfered here two weeks ago. I used to live on Port Island in Japan. We had to move for some reason. Now I live in Penecia together with my dad. His sushi resturant opens up on monday. Which grade are you in yourself? We're taking the log ride right? I haven't actually tried it yet, so this should be fun." I start heading for the log ride as we speak. "So, do you live in Penecia yourself or...?"

    Ah, Sophomore. That explained why this guy hadn't been in any of this classes. Julian nodded lightly as Kei continued to talk, mentally filing the information away for later. He hadn't asked about any of that stuff, but there was no harm in knowing. So this guy came from Japan? Huh. He wouldn't have guessed. And his dad owned a sushi restaurant...the same one Hyde worked at?...Nope, this one hadn't opened yet, and the place Hyde worked  at had been open for a while now.

    "I'm a Senior." Smiling lightly, Julian turned his head to look at the boy next to him. "And yeah, I was headed to that one. As long as you aren't afraid of drops, it'll be fine." Besides, the log ride was the closest and had the best chance of getting him soaking wet. With this heat he'd be dry in no time, so what was the harm?

    Obviously the conversation would come back to him eventually. "I actually live in San Malarus. This your first time to Galaxy Theme Park?"

"Alrighty then, the log ride it is! and no, It's not my first time here at Galaxy Theme Park. I was here with some First years last week actually. We never took the log ride though, we went to the ghost mansion instead. So, you're a third year, huh? That explains why We never really met. I've seen you at school a couple of times though." I open up my backpack and take a sip out of the bottle of water I took with me from home as we start walking towards the Log Ride. "So, what's it like, being a Senior and all? Lots of homework, right?" So, now I've met 2 First years, 2 Sophomores, and 2 seniors... Of course, there's also Chance? She was also a third year right? "You don't happen to know someone at school called Chance, right? I met him/her my first week here in the library, and I haven't seen him/her since... S/he sticks out like a sore thumb among all the other students, it's like S/he just up and vanished."

    Julian didn't offer much more than a nod to Kei's answer. So this wasn't his first time, but all he'd done was go on one ride? Not the usual way people enjoyed an amusement park, but to each his own. He wasn't really surprised about the redhead recognizing him; with his height, Julian tended to tower over a lot of the other students at school, which made a lot of people remember him.

    "Yeah. There're lots of subjects you have to take. English Composition, Trig, Government...lots of fun stuff." There were some electives mixed in there too, but the core courses could get kind of tedious sometimes. Oh well. Better to learn it now and not need, right?

    // ...? // Turning his head, the teen blinked at Kei, trying to link a face to the name mentioned. Chance, Chance...nope, he couldn't remember anyone in his grade with that name. What was with that S/he stuff? A non-binary...? No, the pronoun you used there was "they", right? ...Weird. "Sorry, I don't think I know 'em." He shook his head lightly to accentuate his point. Maybe he should be a little worried, since those kidnappings were going on and all, but there were so many students at Zela Academy that it was possible to spend a whole week in the same building with another person and not see each other once. High school was crazy like that.

    The walk to the log ride was pretty short, and thankfully the line was the same. A lot of people must have given up on riding rides because of the heat. Well, that just meant he and Kei had to spend less time waiting, right? Turning to Kei as the few people ahead of them boarded the ride, Julian grinned. "We're next. You ready?"