Dorm Sweet Dorm

Cain walked into the student dormitory with a yawn. It was rather late in the afternoon so yawning wasn't entirely out of place, even if it wasn't exactly ordinary either. Still he'd had a rather log day, so for him a yawn was appropriate. A large duffle bag was hanging from Cain's shoulder, in addition to the backpack he was wearing. It was nice to be back. His parents had wanted him to visit and, while it's not like he outright hated his parents, he preferred living alone. Then again considering this was a dormitory for a fairly large school it's not like he could say he was actually alone. Still it was about as close as he could come at this age. He walked over to the main lounge and set down his bag before finding a seat. Sure he wanted to get back to his room, but he wanted to rest first. Just for a little while. He relaxed in his chair and let out a low groan before opening up his bag and grabbing a book to read. Just a quick chapter to clear his head, then he'd head back up to his room and, well probably sleep the rest of the day. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

"It's good to be home." He said quietly as he flipped through the pages of his novel, trying to find where he'd last left off.

Hibiki was getting slightly bored while lounging around in the dorm. He had been passing his time making small talk with his fellow students staying at the dorm, but truth to be said, most of them weren't very interesting and he eventually got tired of putting on a happy face in front of others and not really feeling that way. He went off to his room, planning to spend the rest of the evening doing stuff alone. Alas, after getting irritated at his computer for not working properly, he once again set off towards the main hall.

This time around, there weren't many occupants, actually there was almost no one at all. Hibiki noticed one lone boy sitting in a chair, reading some book. After giving it a little thought, he walked over, just at the moment when they teen muttered something. ''Yeah, it is.'' he commented with a slightly amused tone. After giving the other boy a while to comprehend what was going on he asked ''Mind if I sit there?'' and absentmindedly waved his hand in the direction of the chair next to the teen.

Cain flinched just the tiniest amount when he heard a voice behind him. He utterly hated the idea that someone could be looking over his shoulder, or listening to what he said. Sure this was a public place, and thus the exact opposite of what someone craving privacy should relax in, but still he just hated feeling watched like that. However the only thing worse than feeling that way would be showing that he did, so instead of looking uncomfortable Cain made every effort to seem at ease.

"Hey, it's just as much your seat as it is mine. Go ahead. Relax a little. It would be my pleasure." he said with a small warm smile. It was false, of course but that didn't matter. You had to smile at times like these or you ended up with a thousand questions about why you weren't happy.
"Oh, I like the jacket. It's pretty sweet." Cain said deciding that he should at least say something that was honest. He leaned back in his seat and tried to think of his next move. He could say nothing else, but that would risk being seen as cold and dismissive. Then again, he was a bit cold and dismissive, though it's not like he wanted to advertise that. On the other hand he could be kind, but it might invite further conversation instead of letting him relax. Still, the quickest way to be left to one's own devices was to simply give them what they wanted, so talking would be the quickest way to get back to his silence...maybe? He decided he was over thinking things, and decided to act as tradition demanded, with civil politeness.
"I don't think I've seen you around here before. Funny, but I guess there are plenty of people in the dorm I haven't seen yet. Anyway, it's nice to meet you Mr...?" Cain let his sentence trail off to imply a question, hoping that the young man would pick up on this and supply his name.

At first, Hibiki had this funny feeling that the boy wasn't very enthusiastic about added company, but he did smile and answer, so maybe he was just seeing things that weren't there. He dismissed that stream of thought into the back of his mind and instead focusd on the matter at hand. He would find out later anyway. Of course, only if the conversation manages to proceed somewhere, with which Hibiki wasn't sure as of yet. But he was prepared to give it a try, if only for the niceness of the idea.

While he didn't really feel the need to relax, and it wasn't the reason he wanted to sit there, he didn't correct the other teen and just gave a thankful smile in return, making his way over. ''Thanks,...for both, I suppose.'' he voiced with a tilt of his head, offering a friendly smile. It was kind of nice hearing that someone liked his jacket. Most people found it funny that he wore such a piece of clothing at his age. Well, to each their own, right? Afterall, everyone had their differences, no matter what.

''Hmm, I haven't met many people yet. I just moved here recently. In a way it would be pretty weird if you knew who I was, without me knowing you.'' Hibiki gave a short laugh, before moving onto the introduction, as that was apparently what was expected of him, from what he could tell. ''It's Hibiki. Nakahara Hibiki. Nice to meet you too.'' he said in a friendly tone. While he would like to know the teen's name too, he didn't ask in case the other would be uncomfortable in telling it to a stranger that he just met. It was probably for the best to let him decide if he wanted to introduce himself or not. Hibiki wasn't in a particular hurry, and he did tend to approach new people with a slight caution at first anyway. He didn't want to screw it and offend someone.

"Cain Owlglass, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hibiki. Welcome to Kizuna Academy, though it's not like this is your first day, I gather.  In any case, it's still nice to meet you." Cain said closing his book. It would be rude to keep reading, so he decided to give the young man his full attention for a time.

"Well, if your goal is to get to know your fellow students, I'm exactly the wrong guy to speak with. I'm not exactly a social butterfly." He said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Normally he had no reason to be quite so forthcoming, but he wanted Hibiki to know that If he'd come here hoping Cain could be his pass to popularity, he was barking up the wrong tree.
"I'd direct you to a few more popular students, but I couldn't really tell you their names or faces. Still I'm sure that a little time around and you can pick up on them easily enough." He said as if he were some uninterested guidance councilor rather than Hibiki's junior.

"So what are you doing in the main hall at a time like this? There are not too many students to hang out with." he said a bit inquisitively. Cain supposed that Hibiki could be seeking solitude, but if that was the case why come over and address him? He realized what he said could be a little rude though and decided to backpedal a little.
"Sorry, I've got a bad habit of minding other peoples business. I don't mean to make it seem like you're unwelcome." He said drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair.

Hibiki found it a little funny that Cain reffered to him in a kind of formal way. That probably meant Cain was younger than him, although he couldn't really tell just from a glance. Still, even with that in place, it seemed a little unusual. Maybe he should just be glad that Cain was not rude and not dwell on the use of formalities. It wasn't his concern as of now. Hibiki nodded towards the welcome, as there wasn't much he could say to that.

It surprised him a little that Cain instantly began with explaining how he wasn't the sociable guy and suggested that Hibiki moves on to someone else. That was some brutal honesty there. The funny thing was, that Cain had no idea how useless his suggestion was. For some reason Hibiki tended to hang out with exactly those people who weren't very popular, or at least not in a good way. It just happened. The popular guys were mostly boring stereotypes and that wasn't much to Hibiki's taste. At least most of the time.

''Thanks for the suggestion, but it's not really that way. I enjoy hanging out with anyone. Popularity isn't a matter to me. Everyone has their qualities, no matter how others percieve them to be. Whether one is popular or not, is just a label, really.'' he said, quite casually, yet with a friendly undertone. Hibiki didn't fancy putting people in a box, just by their first impressions. It was a sad way of going about. ''No worries, I don't mind.'' he waved his hand in lieu of Cain's apology before responding to the actual question. ''Yeah, everyone is doing their own thing I suppose. My computer started acting up, so I ended up with nothing to do. I thought I might find something of interest down here.''

With that he leaned against the chair slightly, mentally sighing as this made him remember that he would have to fix the machine later on. How unfortunate.

"Well, don't you have the kind heart? If only everyone was so open-minded.  You're sure to make quite a few friends with an attitude like that." Cain said kindly. He looked Hibiki over as if the young man was an equation he was hoping to solve. He didn't care about popularity?  Hmm, he was probably one of those 'quirky, think outside of the box' types. He stopped drumming on the arm of his chair and brought his hand up to his chin instead. The young man rested his head on his hand and crossed his legs wondering what to think about Hibiki. On one hand he was glad to speak with someone who may not be completely dull, but on the other he wasn't sure what sort of think someone like Hibiki would be interested in or want to hear.  

"Your computer broke? Shame, I wish I knew a little more about that sort of thing, maybe I'd be able to help. So are you a big gamer? Personally I just use my rig for web-surfing and a few other things, but I've got a few games on there, too." Cain said, essentially making a guess at what Hibiki might be interested in.  That was one of the only things he liked about labels, they gave him something to go off of when he had to talk to people.

''Perhaps so. It might get a little boring if everyone had a similar mindset, though. You would get the same thing over and over again. Then again, I guess this kind of attitude can help when making friends.'' Hibiki said with a small smile. In honesty, he wasn't sure if he agreed with Cain or not. Relationships between people were complicated and it was hard to tell the right way to go on. Every person had different standards and liked different things. Humans were a complex species, that was for sure. They were so alike, and yet, had so many differences. And Hibiki doubted that anyone would ever figure out how it really was.

''Well, it didn't really break. It's just acting funny. Shouldn't be hard to fix, I think.'' At least Hibiki was pretty positive about that. He could be terribly wrong too, but he didn't care that much. ''Hm, I don't play games very much. Not that I wouldn't want to, but schoolwork tends to take time. I only play if I find myself with plenty of time to spare, which isn't really often.'' Truth to be told, he didn't know much about games at all, but since the topic was brought up, he was willing to talk about it. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

A swing and a miss. Cain supposed that he shouldn't be too surprised. It had been little more than a stab in the dark, and it's not like those things always worked out. Still he was a little disappointed the gamble hadn't worked out. It meant he'd have to try and work a different angle instead. He tried not to let this disappointment show and instead tried to keep the conversation going.

"Hopefully it's just a little hitch in the software or something. It'd be a real shame if you needed to get it repaired." Cain said before trying to move on to the next topic.
"You seem like a pretty devoted student. I wish I was that motivated. So, what are you planning to get into? You know, as a career? You're buckling down, so I assume you must have some plans in the work, right?" he asked casually.

In a way, Hibiki hoped that it wasn't a serious problem too, although it wasn't like he couldn't do without his computer for a while. It wasn't that important. Aside from basic stuff, he didn't use it very extensively. He simply nodded off at Cain, not commenting on his first statement, as he didn't think it would develop into a bigger conversation that way.

Woops, career. That was a pretty unexpected question. Not exactly a smooth change of topic, but it did benefit Hibiki anyway. Computer talk wasn't truly his cup of tea and while he could pass it off as if he had the knowledge, steering away was always the more favorable option. This was something he had to think on though. It wasn't an usual occurence for him to think about future that way. ''I just have a good memory.'' he stated with a laugh, ''But I suppose I have thought about it. Perhaps something in the lines of Psychology. I'm good at dealing with people, so that might do.'' he added thoughtfully. Truth to be told, he could choose almost anything, as he had the capability to remember stuff easily enough, but his interests weren't as broad as that, unfortunately. ''What about you?'' Hibiki asked back, lightly interested in what would be Cain's answer.

Well that seemed to accomplish something. It wasn't the best transition, missing even the smallest hint of eloquence, but Cain could get past that. He'd accomplished his goal, and a win was a win, right?  He resisted the urge to pump his fist at this little success and retained his composed calm demeanor.

"Me? No, I'm terrible at dealing with people. C'est la vie, we all have our little faults." Cain said, purposefully avoiding Hibiki's actual question under the guise of misunderstanding. He knew it was a bit hypocritical but he always hated the 'what are you going to do with your life?' question.  He'd never been able to come up with a good answer, one that felt satisfying or doable.  So he attempted to steer the conversation someplace a little more comfortable for himself.
"I've got to say though, psychology has always fascinated me. The human mind is quite a worthy thing to study. Sometimes it seems so simple a child could decipher it, and other times to complex for even the greatest minds. It's quite an amazing subject." He said with a sincere sort of intrigue.
"You seem like an interesting sort of person, Mr. Hibiki. Do you have any hobbies? After all, no work and no play and all that." he said, not feeling that it was necessary to even finish such a predictable line.

It did occur to Hibiki that Cain didn't answer his question in the way it was originally intended. He wasn't about to inquire though. First, he had no idea if it was intentional or Cain just didn't get it. And second, even if it was on purpose, there was probably a solid reason why he said what he said, and being persistent might just create an unwanted tension. Of course, it doesn't have to, but still it was most likely for the better to just take it at face value and leave it at that. So, rather than insisting on a proper answer, Hibiki took the bait and went along with Cain.

''True, no one can be good at everything.'' he stated calmly, almost as if the topic hadn't really deterred from its original point. ''So it is. Humans are fascinating beings no matter which angle you look at it from.'' he mused, staring off into space for a moment. ''Hobbies? That's...'' Hibiki, this time was actually quite unsure as to what he should say. Hobby, wasn't a term that he liked to or even knew how to truly specify. He did many things, but rarely stayed with one for a longer time than it was necessary. He didn't even know if there was something that he could call a hobby, except perhaps...Well, that might do. ''Unless hanging out with others can be called a hobby, then nothing of importance really. Or, maybe....I do play the piano, so that might count? I rarely have time for it nowadays though.'' Ahem, he was getting a little tangled up in this. As outgoing as he was, telling others more personal info about himself than is truly neccesary was usually a no-no. Disclosing his true motives and stuff was something he steered away from. He had a feeling that he already said a bit too much, yet it wasn't an easy task to worm himself out of this, and he wasn't a fan of giving direct lies. ''I'm sure even you have more than that.'' he commented casually, hoping that there wouldn't be much more of this assault of personal questions.

Cain was never the most empathic individual, but he could tell Hibiki was on his back foot. It made sense, not everyone was okay with being barraged by questions. Though Cain was indeed a little confused, weren't the types who engaged total strangers in conversation the types who were ready to deal with a little inquisition? It was just part of the trade off. If you came over attempting to 'get to know' someone, you had to reveal a bit in turn. It's why he almost never approached others. Still, he was well aware that could easily be a flimsy justification for his prodding. It was a bad habit, but sometimes he tended to view people less like human beings and more like well walking characters that could simply be picked apart and analyzed. He briefly considered intensifying this approach. It could make him seem friendly while giving him back his privacy. However he quickly tossed out that thought. While he could be detached, he wasn't quite to the point of blatant manipulation. If Hibiki felt uncomfortable Cain didn't see a point in pushing him even further just for the sake of cruelty.

"Piano? Very nice. I've been hoping to learn a new instrument myself, but like you've said it takes time." Cain said, hoping this small comment about himself would help Hibiki gain a bit more comfort. Interactions like this ere about give and take, right? So perhaps it was time he gave a little?
"Honestly though, most of my hobbies are the more boring ones. Reading, puzzles, a little gaming stuff like that. Sorry, by the way. I'm not usually so nosy. I suppose I'm just a little bored. I tend to pick at things when I've got nothing to do. I'll try my best to ease up a little." he said, in an apologetic tone.

How did....Hibiki didn't think that Cain would catch onto the fact that he wasn't entirely comfortable with so much personal prodding. That wasn't very good. He was planning to keep quiet about it and just give vague answers if asked any more. This was an unexpected derail, and guess he'll just have to deal with it. Not exactly favorable, but there wasn't much choice. ''There's no need to apologize. It's alright, you just surprised me, that's all.'' he shrugged slightly, kind of feigning indifference. It was for the best, probably.

''I wouldn't say they're boring. These things can be fun to do. Depends on the idvidiual, I guess.'' Afterall, they wouldn't be hobbies if they weren't at least somewhat interesting. Nobody would do something boring, logically. ''What you do doesn't change who you are.'' he said with a thin smile, settling himself more comfortably in the chair.

Cain was satisfied with his efforts. Hibiki didn't seem as uncomfortable as he had before. Honestly he seemed indifferent, but indifferent was a feeling, or rather a lack of feeling, that Cain was familiar with. After all, he didn't need Hibiki to like him, just not utterly hate his guts. He wasn't exactly a picky person.

"Well I didn't say they weren't fun. I enjoy them at least. It's merely that such hobbies aren't what most would find exciting. I mean the book club isn't exactly bustling, though truthfully I prefer it that way. It's a nice place to relax and just think. Some things just work better without too many people around." Cain said with a resigned sort of sigh.

"Not like I mean to drive off members or anything. If you're interested anyone's welcome, doors always open, et cetera!" he said with a small laugh. = He was hoping it would make him seem more congenial than just snarky. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"What you do doesn't change who you are? Interesting theory, though some may disagree. After all, in some schools of thought one is only what they do. After all if you have a good soul, but only commit evil acts are you truly good? If you've got a kind heart, but only look out for yourself are you really kind? But I'm sure you didn't come over here to hear half baked philosophizing." Can said with a small smile. It was too bad he love half baked philosophizing. It was a nice way to pass the time.