Quickly! To action!

Who: Kaysen and Porter
Where: Lower Harbor
When: early evening

Porter had managed to put away a slice of pizza during dinner, his mood upbeat enough to make his parents wonder when he left the table in a rush and headed upstairs. But hey, meeting a girl could do that to a guy, and meeting Medea definitely had done that to Porter. He was curious and hopeful about the town, eager to get out, to explore and find some new spots, maybe even some locations to draw. Still, Porter knew there was unpacking to do first. He'd invested a couple of hours after dinner in unloading boxes, filling and alphabetizing his comic shelves, and feeding Wade a couple of mice, as well as two for himself.

Fresh with the tiny bursts of life energy, Porter had started back on the same path he'd been walking when he'd met Medea, determined to see just where it led. The view of the lake only got better as he walked the curve of the shore, and as he walked he snapped a few more pictures with his phone, drinking in the cool air that felt so natural on his own lower-temped body. But eventually he saw the park off in the distance; a sprawling mass of green with a pavillion at one end, a playground, and a bell tower at the other. It needed a closer look, the locale superimposing itself in Porter's mind for some kind of action scene he could use in the comic. Heading down the pavement of the driveway, Porter smiled appreciatively as he moved under the streetlights towards the pavillion.

Kaysen happened to be out, skateboarding because soon it wasn't going to be an option. Actually right now it was cold, so she had her hoodie on, hood up as she skateboarded along, occasionally hopping it up from the road right next to the dropoff to the water and back down again, and sped up so she could hop up to one of the benches that lined it. As was her habit of not paying enough attention, she rolled up fast on someone she didn't even see there, and very nearly barreled right into him. She bailed at the last second, which sent her deck shooting out from beneath her, and she ditched on the ground, right before she heard a splash.

Porter had been transfixed by the reflection out on the water, so much so that he was nearly mowed down by the dark blur that suddenly arced around him and fell towards the ground. He moved fast, twisting around and lunging down to loop an arm under Kaysen's stomach as he braced some of her impact. There was sudden temptation, the feel of life flitting within her solar plexus, so deliciously close to his hand. Porter frowned in revulsion at the thought itself, shifting his grip to her armpit to help Kaysen to her feet. "You okay?" he asked the girl or boy in the hood as he helped them to their feet.

"Oh my god where'd it fall?!" Kaysen squeaked, sort of half letting herself be helped up and half scrambling to her feet. "Where'd it go? My baby!" she cried, kind of half dropping down to her hands and knees to peer over the ledge into the water but....well it was dark, and she couldn't see it. "What the fuck were you--where'd it go?"

He let her go, taking an anxious step back as the girl seemed to freak the hell out. "What?" Porter asked, popping his earbuds out so he could hear everything properly. "Where'd what go? Calm down! Are you okay?" All three statements came out in a rush as Kaysen's manic energy seemed to slip over to Porter. He'd missed the splash, hadn't even really seen her approach, but from her speed and the fact that 'it' was gone? He could guess what was missing. "Look, if something's in the lake? It's probably pretty gone by now."

"Oh hell no! It can't be!" Kaysen insisted. "And I'm fucking fine, if it wasn't for my--my deck just dropped into the goddamn lake! Fuck!" she cried out, growling and the air around her heated up a good few degrees before the breeze took it. She was still staring over the edge towards the water. then she sat back and started tugging her shoes off. "Fuck it I'm going after it." Irrational? Never! ...or all the time, considering it was Kaysen, the Irrational Fire Elemental. Rash decisions were her thing.

"Whoa, hang the hell on," Porter was quick to say, moving around in front of Kaysen as if to block her path to the water. "Going in? Like, in the lake? It's got to be like ten degrees in there, tell me you're joking." Even if she wasn't, Porter wasn't about to let her go diving into deep, cold water that was probably pitch-black. The last thing he'd need was to be tied to a death on his first day in town; his parents would flip over that. "How would you even see it down there? Just gonna feel around and hope there's no such thing as tides?"

She tossed her shoes back over her shoulder, and her socks, then yanked her hoodie off, leaving her in a tank top underneath. She laid back on the pavement, digging shit out of her pockets to drop on the ground too, her ipod, her wallet off the chain, the lighter. Then she stood. "Don't touch my shit." she said, jumping in without hesitation. It was her deck, man. She couldn't let that go.

He had a second to gape in disbelief as Kaysen started shirking her top and dumping her pockets, but when Porter's tongue finally caught up with his brain? Well, Kaysen was diving over the edge, leaving a splash against the wall and dark ripples in the water. "Wait!" Porter yelled, too late to do anything but rush to the edge and look after. "Hey!" he called down at the ripples as if Kaysen might hear him, anxiously looking over his shoulder for some onlooker, some adult who could do something. But there wasn't one. "Oh god what am I doing?" he muttered, unzipping his sweatshirt and tearing it off. It almost looked heroic, the way the dark material parted to reveal the Flash logo emblazoned underneath. "What the fuck am I doing?" he asked no one a second time, kicking off his shoes and throwing his wallet back before he followed her, plunging into the water.

Kaysen of course knew the water was cold, but it was a huuuuge shock when she actually was down in it, knifing down through the water. Ohhhh god this had been a bad idea. Her lungs immediately felt like they were going to burst, like she'd had the air knocked out of her, and god god god bad plan! Bad bad plan! But her deck!!! She dove down, not even sure how deep this stupid fucking harbor was. Which really would have been a good thing to think about before diving in. But Kaysen didn't do forethought. She did irrational, split second decision action. Often times, like this--emphatically dumb ideas. But her deck! She tried to get lower but her ears were starting to hurt a lot from the water pressure, and she couldn't see anything because it was dark, and mother fucker this was just stupid. but...her deck....

Normally, Porter could handle cold water. His body temperature was just cool enough that natural water didn't phase him much. BUt that had been back home, where there was industry along the docks and who-knew-what heating things up. And this? This sucked. He plunged in feet first, stars flooding his eyes as the cold punched into every bit of skin and sapped the air from his lungs in the form of a shocked cry. Porter pushed downward, forcing his eyes open as he tried to see some sign, any sign at all. He broke the surface a moment later, chest heaving as he gasped down a lungful of air and waited close to the wall, hoping to see Kaysen pop back up. Nothing... nothing... what would Namor do? Besides breathe underwater. He knew the answer, but the cold didn't make it one he liked. Sucking in another breath, Porter pushed down again and held as still as he could, trying to feel the current that another person swimming would send his way.

Her current was pretty easy to follow, what with the flailing going on. It was also possible that little patches of water heated up a slight bit, almost imperceptible. She kept trying to get to the bottom, thinking she could push back up before she drown, and she'd just magically happen upon her deck as she hit there. She could grab it and go back up, right? Right? Air seemed pretty important right then...which way was up? Shit.

He felt it, the gentle push of the water in a direction that ran counter to the surface itself. Porter broke for air again, crossing his fingers over his head as his legs kicked in the not-getting-warmer water. "God, I'd even go for being Aquaman right now," he muttered, diving back down and pushing hard for the motion he could feel. He was a decent swimmer, it had been a sport he could handle back home, and as Porter pushed deeper he frowned against the chill. Were there... patches of warmth? Chemicals heating the water, maybe? Emissions from a boat? Or... oh GOD. Was she dead? He knew all about the voiding of one's bowels when one died, and Porter suddenly felt like he might warm the water himself if he grabbed onto a dead girl. There! He could see a silhouette, a dark outline in the water thrashing, and faint bubbles of breath coming from it. Kicking his feet to spur himself forward, Porter lunged a hand out to grab what he thought was an arm.

He got an arm and a fistfull of her long hair, which pulled and hurt, but it was something to latch onto, and she turned to grab his arm in return, though she still was disoriented. she didn't know where she was or what way to go, and she released the held breath in her lungs, them feeling like she was about to cave, here, shit, this had been a stupid plan.

He almost let the air out of his lungs with a cry of relief as Kaysen grabbed his arm, but they weren't exactly clear yet. Instead Porter tugged her his way, keeping his grip on her arm and looping his other around Kaysen's waist, then pushing desperately for the surface. The cold of the water was giving him a combination of dizziness and a headache, sapping strength from his fingers, but he had a clear idea of which way the surface was. He felt the pressure bleed off from his ears as he swam with Kaysen in tow, finally pushing to the surface and gasping for three deep, shivering breaths. "What the- what the-" he gasped, shoulders heaving with her held close, "-fuck were you doing?" he finally managed.

When Kaysen surfaced, she was coughing. Coughing a lot, sort of half flailing in the water and splashing around, and trying really hard not to drop below the surface again to drown her stupid ass. She tried to find something to hold onto, and wound up grabbing her rescuer's arm, since it was right there and everything. "I have--" she started, but it was cut off by another coughing fit that she couldn't quite get over so easy. Shiiiiit.

God, why couldn't she just swoon and hang onto him like Lois or Mary Jane always did? The way Kaysen was moving, it was almost like she was fighting him, trying to go back down. "H-hey!" Porter shivered at her, reaching with his free hand to slick her hair clear of her face, "Your deck? GONE. Me? Not drowning. You? N-not drowning," he asserted with as much vigor as he ever had, swimming them both over to the ladder moored into the wall they'd dove from.

"motherfu--" she started, but it was eaten by another coughing fit, and she didn't have a whole lot of energy to fight him. She did a little, or tried to help, but swimming when one person was trying to drag another was kinda a weird endeavor, and didn't necessarily work out fantastically well. Nor did hacking up a lung while coughing either, though, so she was just all sorts of not helpful.

"C'mon," Porter groaned, treading water and turning to put Kaysen in front of the ladder first. "Grab on! I'm not s-sure if my toes are numb or gone," he told her, tapping into what strength he had left to push her up out of the water, leveraging her for an easier climb and silently wishing that he could just launch himself from the water with his power.

Kaysen started climbing up, the boost helping, but it also knocked her forehead into one of the rungs with a hollow metal sound. "Fuck!" she hissed, climbing up and as soon as she was up she clapped a hand down over her eye, her eyebrowish area throbbing. "Goddamnit!!!" she shouted, not especially caring about her behavior, drawing attention to herself, or anything else in that moment. To say she was pissed and sullen would have been understating it entirely.

Porter winced at the shouting, teeth chattering in his mouth as he watched Kaysen climb higher, bit by bit. Knowing his luck, and judging from how well the rest of the rescue had gone, he expected there to be cops waiting up on the bike path when he finally got out of the water. "J-just keep climbing!" he snapped at her, resisting the urge to give a shove and grabbing onto the lowest rungs instead, slowly starting to climb after.

She sat there, just beyond the ladder, and god she was freezing. The night air was cold anyways, there was frost, she could see her breath, her head hurt and she was soaked to the bone. And her motherfucking deck was still gone!! Gah!! She sat there, not knowing quite what to do. All she knew was she was pissed, and the air around her kept occasionally heating some, but...just in flashes. The wind took it far too quick to do her any good. She let out a string of colorful swears, wondering if she could get it back some other way. God, tomorrow maybe? Bring...something? It couldn't be gone forever, it was her favorite thing. She'd had it for years, and it hadn't failed her, and...gah!! It was almost belatedly that she focused on the guy who'd helped her out of the water, and she shot a death glare at him. "I would have got it just fine!" Only really not. And this was illustrated by the coughing fit she burst into again.

"Uh huh," Porter agreed vaguely, hauling himself over the edge to the bike path in a dripping mess. He dropped to his knees, still gasping down each breath as he tried to get his lungs back to capacity. He was pushing both hands over his hair, flattening it and shedding excess water as fast as he could, not to mention trying to keep moving. "Sure you would, Namorita," he went on in a mumble, glancing Kaysen's way from where he knelt. "Which explains why y-you were still down there while I surfaced twice. J-just... enjoying the view." Sarcasm? Porter didn't indulge in it often, but his head was aching and he was freezing, she had it coming for that.

She coughed some more, then took deep breaths, which still kinda hurt, then shot a glare over at him. "The fuck did you call me?" she snapped, voice very hoarse now, and she was starting to shiver violently. In fact, about two seconds later, there was the loud click of her teeth as she actually started shivering that hard. Oh dear. This cold bullshit did not agree with her. Nor did being all wet and cold.

If he wasn't so cold, Porter would've laughed at her apparent offense. As it was, he still smirked at the dripping pool that had gathered around him on the pavement, shaking his head. "Namorita," he repeated with a tremble, rising and rolling his shoulder sorely. She'd put up a fight in the water, and the cold must've dampened it then, but it certainly felt strained now. "Cousin of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, king of the seas," Porter went on, moving over to where he'd thrown all his stuff and grabbing his hoodie. "Comic stuff, but if you don't know then it probably sounds like I called you something nasty in another language." He smirked a little, digging out his phone to check the time, then flinging the sweatshirt towards Kaysen. "Sorry, there's just no good water characters in comics."

She caught his sweatshirt, and sort of...wondered what the living fuck was going on. Cuz...seriously now. What was he on about? And had he really just like, fucking dove into the water to like...save her? "You knocked my head." she snapped sullenly, though it had a lot less bite to it than it could have, both due to her subdued temper, and the fact that she was still sitting there with her teeth chattering just awful. "I've got my own hoodie..." she offered, looking round to where it might be, along with her other shit. Damn, she'd drifted a ways, hadn't she? It was way down to her left. "Who the fuck are you, rescue-boy?"

Past the cold and the soreness, Porter realized he was feeling proud. He'd saved her. I DID IT! The thought made him smile in spite of the shivers, both hands rubbing along his arms for a moment. "I see you've heard of me. But it's Rescue Man, thank you," he joked, walking over to his shoes and sitting on the cement edge long enough to peel off his wet socks, then shoving his feet into his shoes. "Sorry, for the head thing that is. It's not like I do this too often? But, uh... you dove into dark, freezing water? I was just worried. I'm Porter," he finished, standing back up and wiggling his toes in his shoes. He could feel them warming through at the tips already.

She stood up and started to make her way over to her discarded clothes, throwing his hoodie back towards him because hers was still dry. "Turn the fuck around for a second." she muttered, planning on shucking her tanktop since it was soaked, but he wasn't getting a free damn show out of it. "Well, where the hell did you come from, Porter?" she asked, teeth still chattering away, and good goddamn, she was freezing. She wondered if she could get away with trying to heat herself up, or the air around her or...somethin. He was probably bad off too, and while cranky, she wasn't heartless.

He was quick to comply, guessing that she was about to, well... yeah. Without the internet? Porter probably wouldn't know what a breast looked like. Reaching blindly behind him for his sweatshirt, he followed suit and peeled away his Flash shirt, tugging on the hoodie and zipping up. It was instant relief, cloaking his chest and pushing him towards his already-low normal temperature. "What, tonight? I was just out for a walk, I moved here, like, today. From Baltimore, if that's what you meant," he answered, too pleased with himself to really let Kaysen's foul mood scare him off. "But, uh, we should probably get moving? It's only gonna get colder by the water. Do you need to call someone for a ride or anything?"

She pulled her shirt off, then after a moment's hesitation, her bra, too, since it wasn't like she had a huge rack or anything, and she could get away with it. Then she very quickly yanked her hoodie over her head. That was slightly better. She grabbed up her other things and shoved them into her pockets. "Okay you can turn around again." she told him, eyeing him warily. She was still shivering, her lips were blue, and she was feeling her fingers were stiff. Crap. Putting her shoes on, she just wanted inside where it was warm. "No, I don't live far. Just up on Ridge." she said, making a vague gesture towards her street. "What about you?" she asked. She noted his whole not having been here longer than a day thing. So that explained why he wasn't already slinging insults at her and she had never seen him around. That would remedy itself within about .2 seconds when he got to school and realized that if he told anyone he saved in Kaysen St. James, he'd get shit for it.

"Let's go, then. Circulate some blood," Porter told her, squishing along in his soaked jeans towards Kaysen and eying the path beyond her. Ridge had to be that way, right? Kaysen had come that way, after all. He'd just have to hope it linked back around to Crescent; Porter didn't want to get lost and freeze to death on his first night in town. But at the same time, he wasn't about to bail on the girl he'd just saved. He stopped once he'd closed the distance between them, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I live over on Crescent, down near the shore. Um, do you have a name?" he asked belatedly, a little of the confident humor gone now that the rescue was behind them and he had to just be weird little Porter again.

"Yeah, I have a name." she said, rolling her eyes as she started walking, still just kinda wishing she could use her nifty flame tricks to dry her off and warm her up. Or them. Cuz he needed it too. But how did you explain that shit? You didn't, that's what. "Kaysen." she said. Then she was walking for a few long moments, before she said anything more. "And whatever you do don't tell anyone at school that you saved anyone named Kaysen because I'm the only one and you'll be told that you should have let me fucking drown and ya know I just don't wanna hear bullshit about it getting back to me, I get enough shit on my own, thanks, so if you're going to go telling people shit about saving anyone, just say you never got the chick's name or some shit." she rambled in a rush at him, sounding annoyed.

That was... weird. Not at all what Porter was expecting, either. He supposed he shouldn't expect to find everyone as friendly as Medea had been, but still. Maybe whacking her head really pissed her off, he mused, shaking his head. "I wasn't going to tell anyone," Porter told her, glancing over, "Maybe my parents if they asked why I was soaking. Otherwise, why? Bragging's stupid, and it never helps the new kid in school." He knew; his art hadn't done much when he'd first enrolled in public school back in Baltimore, and he wasn't eager to go through the ritual hazings again. "You're not real popular, I'm guessing?" he asked, his tone light enough to make it clear that he didn't put much stock in popularity.

Kaysen scoffed. "Try like, the most unpopular social leper in the known universe." she told him. "So, walking social disease, that's me. Might just want to steer clear entirely, or you'll catch it too." she told him. And she was only telling the little punkass because he probably had actually helped her out there, even if she was sporting a lump on the head now, and she'd lost her deck. She guessed it had been like...brave n shit.

Porter smirked with a shiver, pushing both hands back through his hair to leave it standing straight. "I'm not really homecoming king," he told her, falling back into his normal, soft-spoken tone. "Guys back home played football? Talked about the lineup of the Orioles for the season? I was, am, the kid who could do a timeline of the Avengers roster, mainstream and West Coast." Given what he'd already seen tonight? There was a good chance that Kaysen was overstating her social problems. But then, who knew? Maybe she was that girl every school had, the pariah, the untouchable one.

"So you're a comic book geek." she observed. "Fanboy. Right. Check." she added. She didn't sound necessarily like she found that strange. It was actually more on her level than the jocks he was talking about. She and jocks didn't get along. She wanted to set most of them on fire. "But, still. You so much as look at me in the halls without making some kind of fucked up comment or whatever, and things'll be bad for you." she told him. Though, that hadn't happened so much with Charlie. But then again Charlie had kinda drifted a little in her mind. They didn't exactly hang out at lunch or anything. "Just...giving you fair warning, dude." she added, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Porter was quiet, smiling through her warnings and nodding solemnly. "Yeah, comics," he confirmed. It was nice that she didn't snicker or roll her eyes, he'd only mentioned it for some kind of common ground after all. Really, comics? Well, cool kids didn't idolize men in tights and matching booties, now did they? "I just might take my chances," Porter warned, "It's not like I know anyone else. Plus? It's only highschool. Eventually it's gonna be over." Which wasn't optimistic so much as it was realistic. Porter'd gone in late, and already had something to pursue in life. Sure, he wanted to be greater than he knew he could ever hope, but he'd settle for having something in his life that kept him out of the petty school-hall bullshit. "I'm not going to really care, I hope. I mean, I'm a junior? So two years and I won't have to see anyone I don't want to."

"I guess. I'm a sophomore. Three more years for me. Of hell. Every day." Though her hoodie and bracelet helped that out now. Actually, that kind of reminded her that he wouldn't still be talking to her and shit if he meant her harm. So...that was maybe a point in his favor. Maybe. She'd still have to think about it. She was still freezing, though, and glanced in his direction. "...my house is probably closer." she said. It wasn't actually a blatant 'you can come to my house and dry off' sort of statement, though that's sort of what she meant. Kaysen just wasn't well versed in things like social niceties. That and her attitude tended to cripple her ability to just come out and offer something nice to anyone.

"You, uh, you care if I warm up before I go home?" Porter asked uncertainly, "I don't want to hijack your dryer or anything, just catch my breath..." Which he already had, and, wet ass aside, Porter was feeling okay. He wouldn't want to repeat the stunt any time soon, of course, but given how little forethought it'd had? It had gone okay. Just give me a mugger next time, Porter thought as they walked. "Oh, and? I'll need to know how to get back to Crescent." He could probably figure it out on his own, but directions would make it far easier.

"Yeah, whatever." Kaysen said. "Let's just go to my house first." Since that had been what she'd been getting at. Though the drier idea was an okay one. Way less suspicious than just drying out really quick because you could heat the air up around you. Plus far less likely to result in him catching on fire. It wasn't like she had spectacular control or anything. "You can dry off and shit. And use the drier if you want, no one's gonna care." she told him. "You want like...I dunno. Hot chocolate or something?" she asked, feeling out of her depth. She didn't do this whole random socializing thing, she was more just thinking about what she was going to want when she got in.

Hot chocolate? Is it 1950? Porter didn't say that out loud, of course, he wasn't about to spurn the offer from someone who obviously didn't do that sort of thing often. "Yeah, that'd be cool," he said instead, smiling a little. "But seriously, no dryer. I'd be stuck in my boxers at your house for like an hour. Which is weird." But he definitely wanted to stop by, if only for the address. Whether he'd actually been at fault or not, Kaysen had lost her skateboard. And Porter? Well, Porter intended to do something about it.

"Whatever, it's not like we dont' have like...blankets or whatever." she said. But she didn't push it, either. Because it would be weird. Maybe she'd just like...try to help him out with her abilities. She just hoped she didn't actually set him ablaze. Maybe she shouldn't. Right. Whatever. She turned them up Ridge street, heading up the hill. "I've got a brother, too, you might be able to borrow something of his." she added, thinking Isaac was a lot bigger than Fanboy here, but whatever. Guy stuff was guy stuff, right? Maybe?

Porter was glad Kaysen was giving a little bit of ground, at least. If she'd kept protesting? He might've had a theory about why she was apparently the most unpopular girl at school around here. Of course, even with the theory, he wouldn't say as much. Following her up Ridge, he was feeling better with every step. Nothing like a little physical exertion to get his blood flowing and warm his skin again. "A brother? If he's there, I might ask? It'd be weird to just take some pants or something. Does he go to the highschool too? Or is he, like, older by a bunch?"

"He's a senior." Kaysen answered Porter. "So yeah, highschool too." She was wondering if Thom's clothes might not fit Porter better, but she wasn't really talking to Thom just now. She was more...avoiding. Not necessarily Not Talking like she had been before their last talk, but...yeah. Plus it'd be weird to go over there to borrow clothes for someone she didn't know. That would take far more explaining than she cared to even think about. "I dunno if he'll be home, he might be at his girlfriend's house." He was there a lot, after all.

"Well, seriously don't worry about it then," Porter insisted, filing away the details about Kaysen's brother. A little webcrawling with her address would give him a last name. Which wasn't creepy at all. Nope. At least, that's what he told himself, since his intentions were good. "I'll just... have some hot chocolate, write down directions back to Crescent, and try not to feel like an idiot for making you whack your head." The last bit came with a smile to show that he was only teasing; mildly injuring her or not, he felt like he'd done the right thing. And look, now they were even being moderately social with each other!

"I'll just tell people I got into a fight. They'll believe that. Y'know, not that anyone would ask anyways, but I'm willing to bet that you'll hear how I got into a fight, even if I say nothing to anyone all day." she told in. Then she paused and looked back at him again. "Do I have a bruise?" she asked. It felt like she did. Felt like she had a bump there too. She didn't actually sound concerned about it, though. Like she could really care less, and it was just a point of curiosity.

It was dark, for sure, but Porter tried to see anyway. Staring intently at Kaysen's forehead, he raised a hand to point just above her eyebrows, keeping from touching her. "Looks kinda red there," he explained, withdrawing his hand, "But nothing some ice won't fix. Good thing it's still the weekend." He was curious now, thinking that even if his first day at school went horribly he might be entertained just trying to listen for the rumors that apparently plagued Kaysen. "You should try and blow the rumor out of proportion if it's going to happen," he suggested, "Say someone cracked you with a pipe. Maybe... Colonel Mustard, in the library."

That actually managed to pull a little bit of a laugh from her, and a smile for about .2 seconds. "Well that's assuming two things. One, that people around here would actually have the brains to have played clue before, and second, that I'd have anyone to tell. I'd have to have someone else spread it. So, if you happen to be talking to people and let it drop, I wouldn't care." she told him. Because she wasn't exaggerating about her social problems, he'd figure that out soon enough. They were coming up on her house, a huge one, that you could see lower harbor from the back yard. She started to cut across the front one. "This is it." she said.

"Hello there, stately Wayne Manor," Porter mumbled, staring up at the massive house she'd stopped outside of. He'd seen bigger back home, but it wasn't a contest. And it was a lot larger than anywhere he'd ever lived. "I, um, I wouldn't count on me talking to a whole lot of people? But if I do, yeah, I'll work in that you took on a group of skinheads or something," he joked, following her across the yard and to the front door. "This place is huge, are your parents doctors or something?"

"Dude--you're new." Kaysen said, as if he were a dumbass for not putting that shit together. "You're going to be like, fuckin swarmed. We've had a lot of new people lately, but still, everyone wants to rush in for news of the outside world." she said with an eye roll as she opened up the door, and headed into the house, figuring he'd follow her. "And not doctors. Just like, business people. Mom used to be a cop." she said. Or a detective, that was probably slightly different. Their mom just never talked much about it. "Anyways, make it frat boys or something."

"Frat boys? Are they really... villainish?" Porter asked, following her inside, all wide-eyed as he studied the house. It was grand enough that he could reuse it for some kind of setting, that was for sure. "And I'll take your word for it? But for real, I'm not exactly the type who draws people in or anything. I bet if I get noticed it'll be because people think I'm lost or in the wrong class or something." A cop? That was cool. He would've loved to grill her mother for details, little factoids to blend some authenticity into his own work, but that'd be too revealing.

"Frat boys are just the slightly older versions of jocks." Kaysen said. "Who are inherently evil. They're all just the popular assholes who care only about how good they can look and like, who anyone's fucking. They have no real substance. They're sub-fucking-human son of a bitching assclowns." Kaysen said. Clearly, she had strong feelings on the matter. "I'm...gonna run upstairs and change. I'll like..grab you towels n shit." she told him, suddenly awkward.

No real substance, Porter mused, watching Kaysen distractedly. He'd never really encountered college kids, so he hadn't had his opinions set yet, but hers obviously were. And she liked to swear, apparently. "I'll, um... wait here?" he suggested meekly, hands spreading to both sides as if to say 'what other option do I have' as he turned his thoughts around again. He'd needed some ideas to work on for the future; some one-off stories and new approaches, so why not evil frat boys?

Kaysen dashed upstairs and quickly changed, throwing on some flannel pj pants and a new, slightly drier hoodie that she'd stuck a bunch of band patches all over, before she brushed her hair quick, pulled it back, and grabbed him towels. Isaac didn't appear to be home, so that was out. Then she was downstairs, tossing towels in Porter's direction. "here." she said, then nodded for him to follow her to the kitchen, so she could make the hot chocolate. She felt better for being drier though. She motioned to the stools around the island counters, and started filling the kettle on the stove. She didn't do that microwave shit. "So..." she started, entirely unsure what to say.

Putting one towel down to sit on, Porter draped the other over his legs to soak up some of the water as he sat at the counter, arms resting in front of him. "So...?" he echoed, smiling faintly at her awkwardness. He knew how it went, and Porter figured that the two of them probably wouldn't be the most thrilling conversationalists without a rescue to discuss. "So!" he tried again, "When, um, when you almost ran me over? With your skateboard? Have you been doing that long? And did you just... not see me? I can't believe my mom was right; a black sweatshirt at night's going to get me run over."

"Yeah, I've been doing it long. I'm really good, I just...didnt' see you. What with your wearing black and shit, and it not being well lit, plus most people aren't there this time of night and...whatever, you were just like, not there then there, and you're lucky I didn't completely crash into you and send us both into the water!" she said, naturally defensive, though it wasn't as defensive as she could be. She got mugs out, and shot him a sulky look over her shoulder, reaching up to rub at the bit of a bump she had above her eyebrow.

He wanted to reach out as well, to feel if there was any swelling from the smacking of her head against the rail, but Porter knew better than to even try. It was too close, her Third Eye chakra was right there, and he'd be able to feel her energy beneath it. Luckily he'd fed just a bit tonight already, and he'd be able to get by without even considering the temptation. "Yeah, apparently I teleport," he joked with a smile, sitting back a bit with his hands in his pockets. "But I am really sorry. I tried learning to skate back home, but never got a feel for it. And now I'm close to having the cash for a car."

"Really?" she asked. Don't let me near it. I set my boyfriend's car on fire this one time.. "That's cool I guess. It'll probably be good for the winter and shit. I just usually take my board everywhere, I kinda like doing tricks an shit." she admitted. Then she scowled, because she was thinking of her deck down at the bottom of the damn harbor. "Maybe I'll go back tomorrow and try to get it." she mused aloud. Then she started dumping cocoa mix into the mugs, sort of automatically making his like she liked hers, really chocolatey. "Do you want marshmallows?" she asked, since she was considering them. They had the mini-ones.

Porter looked shocked by that little musing Kaysen had, his jaw dropping a little. "Y-yes?" he answered hesitantly, watching her mix the cocoa up. "But, um, don't. Okay? Don't try to go get it. It's a bad idea. The weather online said it's going to be colder tomorrow? And potential for snow? Which, hey, snow? It's October. What the hell." He took a little breath, sighing it back out with frustration and wondering if he'd have to hang around the park all day to make sure she didn't go back for it. Hey, Batman does patrols. I wanted this.

She grabbed the marshmallows down and started to dump some in the mugs. "Whatever, snow isn't going to kill me." she said, not really paying much mind to that. "But I have to get it back." she told him, as if this were not only obvious, but completely reasonable. "It'll be way easier if I can see in the water. I mean the lake's clear n shit, it'll be fine." She shrugged, and grabbed the kettle as it started to whistle irritatingly.

He sighed, thunking the heel of a hand against his forehead. "Not the snow. The temperature drop's going to be even worse in the lake. You'll freeze solid in there!" He was getting exasperated, not having even the slightest idea why it was so necessary to go back for her board. It wasn't a car or computer or a copy of Amazing Stories #60, for crying out loud! It was wood with plastic wheels. "Seriously? Kaysen? No offense, but why is a skateboard worth possibly dying and probably getting hypothermia?"

She didn't answer him immediately, instead she filled the mugs, stirred them up then went over to set his in front of him. She took a stool on the other side, and wrapped her hands around the mug. "It's not just a skateboard." she said. "It's...every one is different, you can't just grab one from the store and it's the same as any other. I built mine myself. I've had it for years. I know everything about it. How far to lean to get how sharp a turn, how much force I have to use to hop it, how fast it goes on a hill or on the sidewalk versus the road, shit like that. It's an extension of me, and it's irreplaceable." she explained, far more calmly than she probably would have if she wasn't in the process of warming up. Sure, her tone had a little bit of 'duh' on it, but she wasn't screeching at him. It wasn't like she expected him to Get It.

It was good that she was being calm about it, since yeah, Porter didn't get it. The only thing in his life was that irreplaceable was far more abstract, and only really depended on access to a pencil. Still, it sounded like his idea to replace her board would be a moot one, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. He had the money, there was no reason not to. "Oh hell," he muttered, frowning guiltily, "I had no idea. I'm really sorry I got in your way... but seriously, it's dangerous. Like, deadly dangerous. If you go? Bring someone with you, okay?"

She shrugged, finally starting to drink her cocoa. "...guess I can't be too mad at you, you like...jumped in and pulled me out of the water." she said grudgingly. Because he had, and she was sort of in retrospect realizing the gravity there. So, she was less likely to be bitchy to him now. Plus, her parents were probably home somewhere, and she didnt' want them coming in wondering what the holy hell was going on. "I'll think about it." she added, not sure who she'd ask. Crap in a hat. "I'll get it back somehow." she said, figuring that she'd just have to suck it up or something, and figure out the best way.

Porter followed suit, wrapping his hands around the mug to leech heat from it for a moment, then sipped it lightly. "Oh holy Human Torch that's hot," he murmured a second later, fighting not to spew it all over and gulping his partial mouthful down. "Ow. Sorry..." He smiled sheepishly, deciding to just blow on it for a while before drinking again. "I, uh... I could come help? I'll try not to whang your head this time," Porter offered between blowing at the errant curls of steam.

Kaysen looked a little twitchy for a second. Goddamn that whole never getting burned thing. She probably should have realized it was too hot. She just...never got burned from anything. So...yeah. Crap. Which reminded her...she dug a lighter out of one of the counter drawers and lit the strawberry jar candle on the island. She did that because then she could channel. And she could try to see if she could heat the air around him a little. Maybe dry him out or something. It was worth a shot to try and be helpful, right? Especially after the burning his mouth and his dive in to try and save her bit? Even if that did make him a total fucking tard. When his words sank in, she arched an eyebrow at him. "...why would you do that?" she asked, honestly mystified. Like an offer of help for something was an alien concept to her--and it was.

He shot the questioning look right back at Kaysen, setting his mug down and skimming the cocoa's surface with the tip of a finger to feel the temperature. "Why wouldn't I? I mean, let's say I punched up the news online, right? Reading about a drowning or something, in a worst-case scenario? It'd be worse if I knew I could help and didn't." He smiled a little, shrugging and blowing at his mug some more. "I'm not saying you would drown? Just... the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, or in this case, misfortune, is the inaction of good men," he quoted, trying another halting sip.

Kaysen stared at him for a long few moments, just...staring. Openly. Like she was intensely surprised, and was trying to figure out what language he was speaking. "Um." she staid intelligently, trying to break herself out of it. "You're--you're fucking with me, aren't you." she said, shrinking back some, giving him what was a cross between a pissy and hurt look. "You're just...you're fucking with me." she repeated herself, the second time sounding more sure of herself. "This is just some fucked up joke or something, and you're just...you'll...there'll be a flip here somewhere, well it's a little harder to get me than that, asshole. Tell whoever put you up to it to eat a dick, and if they want to get one over on me, it'll be a lot harder than that." By the time she was done speaking, she was all worked up and the heat around him was a lot less subtle than it had been, not that she noticed. Her tone was upset, her expression closed off, and she looked that combo of angry and vulnerable that she'd picked up as she started to 'piece together' what she thought was going on.

Porter 's expression had a slow, constant shift to it as she spoke. His eyes kept going wider and wider, lips half-parted as if to protest as he let go of his mug and drew his hands into his lap, huddling in on himself ever so slightly in the face of her accusation. Really, with how young he looked? It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to expect tears to follow. Not that they would, that was just his curse. "I..." he tried weakly, shaking his head a little at Kaysen. "No? It's not... am I in Bizarro world? Is it like ninety in here?" he asked in succession, well aware of the sudden rise in heat. "Hidden cameras? 'Fuck with the new kid' day? I thought that'd be Monday... or does no one here really like being helped? Seriously. It's gotta be closer to a hundred... do you have pet snakes?" All of that rolled out, one bit after the other, as Porter reeled from the verbal barrage he'd just been hit with.

Kaysen gasped, and the heat abruptly cut off, as she dropped it, and suddenly she was very worried that she'd overheated him and was he red just cuz he'd flushed because of the heat or had she actually burned him? God god god! Shit!! Badness! Fuck! "NoI'mnotfuckingwithyouIthoughtyouwerefuckingwithme" she rambled out all in one breath in a huge rush, and she immediately blew out the candle, as the flame had shot up for no apparent reason, so she slapped the lid on it to snuff it out.

There was still heat around him, parching his mouth and throat as he tried to breathe. Was he having a panic attack? Getting sick again? It had never felt like this before, that was certain. Porter was so preoccupied with the stifling heat that he couldn't sort out Kaysen's ramble initially, instead reaching up to wipe under his eyes as he felt sweat beading up. But then the heat was dissipating, bleeding away even if it still felt warmer than it should've, leaving Porter to gape at Kaysen. "Um, slower please? I'm feeling kinda weird here... are there any weird bacteria in that lake that'd just... give me hot flashes?"

Fuck, fuck, fuck. was the steady mantry in Kaysen's head. "No, um. I'm sorry. Er. I thought you were messing with me because no one even talks to me let alone helps me and I figured you were put up to it or something and I'm sorry it's kinda hot in here sometimes the um. The er. The heating it's..fucked up." she said lamely, knowing that that was a stupid excuse, and not only that, but it didn't explain the candle. Maybe she'd be lucky and he hadn't noticed. But her internal systems were still all set to 'flail'.

It had to be hard being Kaysen when her lucky day involved losing her skateboard, whacking her head, and nearly drowning. Still, it was her lucky day. The rush of heat and her bewildered outburst had both neatly distracted Porter. He reached for his soaked shirt, blotting it against his neck and cheeks, breathing in the lingering coolness of the damp cloth as he shook his head. "Uh, no. For real, this is my first day here, and you're the second person I've met. The first didn't mention you either. So... is there usually a conspiracy against you I should listen for? Some kinda Guild of Calamitous Intent or something? Evil League of Evil?"

She sighed and sat there, feeling absolutely awful, and wondering how close she'd come to setting the guy on fire. god, this sucked. Bad bad bad. Fuck. "I don't rate evil that competant." Kaysen muttered, picking up the references without noticing. "I just deal with every stupid retard that gets shipped off to public school and they overlook the sharp IQ drop among students when they get within range of the popular crew. Or anyone. Just..." she muttered to herself, looking down, and she still felt like she just wished a hole would open up in the earth and swallow her down. "'msorry." she added in there somewhere, not daring to look up and make eye contact.

If he'd realized that she nearly lit him ablaze? Porter might've thought he was fighting a supervillain, and reacted accordingly. But what he thought in that moment was that Kaysen had some issues, and he was lucky she'd believed what he said. "it's okay," he told her, feeling the flush die down at last, "I expect all sorts of weirdness for being the new guy. Not this exactly? But hey, no big. Just... don't assume I'm the bad guy until I do the villain laugh, okay?" He raised his mug again, trying another drink and silently being thankful it was cooled enough to not scald him. It'd give Porter something to do for an awkward moment.

She ticked her eyes up to him for a heartbeat, before they went down to her now forgotten cocoa. "It's just...happened before." she told him in a halting sort of tone. "People like to play tricks." She didn't elaborate more. She wasn't getting into it, he could either figure out what she was saying or not, and that was his problem if he didn't. He'd hear more than enough about her when he did get to school anyways, and then this would all be a moot point. He'd forget he ever met her, sneer at her in the halls like everyone else, and...life would go back to normal. Or something.

Porter smirked, almost bitterly, as he looked away from her and at the countertop. "I've been there," he told her honestly. "When you look like a sixth grader? Yeah, people play some tricks." Taking his time with a long drink of cocoa, Porter looked at Kaysen directly, more earnestly. "And when you have enough pulled on you? Absolutely zero desire to play one on someone else."

She chanced a glance back up at him again, and managed to hold it for longer this time. More to pick up on the whole 'looks like a sixth grader' thing than anything else. Which, now that she was paying attention and had it pointed out to her, he did look pretty young. But then again, so did she a lot. But that didn't stop people from calling her a whore to her face. "What've people done to you?" she asked hesitantly.

He frowned when she asked that, picking up his mug again and holding it near his lips, ready to take a drink to cover his awkwardness again. "All kinds of things," he murmured, glancing up briefly and looking back down. "Stupid shit, mostly. Wedgies, stealing my books and coloring in them with crayons, getting their girlfriends to ask if I needed a babysitter." His cheeks burned even just saying it all, even with those people hundreds of miles away now. "They... filled my locker with diapers one time."

She made a face. That did sound a lot like the kinds of shit that got pulled on her. "I get asked how much I'm charging this week for bjs. And get std pamphlets taped to my locker, and...yeah. The main uncreative thing everyone seems to hop on the bandwagon with is the concept that I'm a slut. Which I'm not. But that's just...like one facet. One chick, Chrissy fucking Chapman, she kinda made it her life's work to ruin mind, and has been at it for like ten years or something, so she's pretty much managed by now. I'm pretty sure by the time you hit third hour on Monday, you'll at least have heard three rumors about me."

Chrissy Chapman. Porter made a note of that, something to remember in case she or her friends tried to pull a prank or two on him. "That's, uh, well? The industry term is 'lazy writing'," Porter offered with a meager smile. "And I don't really listen to rumors, so whatever. You didn't, like, try to bag me. Which the girls always try in the comics. So I'm going to trust my fanboy instincts here." The smile grew a little as Porter glanced back down at his mug somewhat shyly and took a more steady drink.

She watched him through her eyelashes for a few moments, that natural paranoia itching in the back of her mind again. Was this just another ploy? Another trick? Maybe...maybe not. She was less apt to jump on it again though. Maybe she'd wait and see. Or...well. Something. She didn't know if he'd even remember her by Monday. Or ever talk to her again, it wasn't like she was supercool awesome, and he was just trying to figure out ways to hang out with her more or anything. She did let the corner of her mouth twitch up in a sort of return smile though. Least she could do. "Lazy writing?"

"Yeah," Porter replied with a smirk, nodding and swirling the remnants of his mug. "In comics, there's filler issues? Just crap they put out to take up a month. And sometimes you get cool ideas, like the Painting That Ate Paris? But most of the time you get, like, the Joker just wanting to pull a 'wacky' prank that doesn't really accomplish anything evil or kill anyone. It's redundant ideas that get rehashed for the thousandth time because no one can think of anything better." He finished the mug, pushing it forward on the counter a little. "So in school, if there's a girl you don't like but don't know? Well, she's automatically a slut."

She followed. "I get it." she said. She'd read some comics in her time too. Obviously this guy was really into them. "Well they're uncreative assholes with the mentality of kindergarteners and the smarts to match. No, i'm willing to bet there are smarter five year olds." she said, finally starting to sip her own cocoa again. "...what was the painting thing?" she asked.

"It's hard to explain?" Porter said with a small laugh. "But it's this comic, Doom Patrol? For a while this guy was writing it, this crazy Welshman who claimed aliens abducted him. And he just... he just went nuts with this comic. Like, a superhero whose powers are her imaginary friends." He thought about how to best explain it, frowning in thought. "I could loan it to you? It'd make more sense. But he basically took surrealism to it's logical conclusion; art that was so surreal it warped reality itself. And I know it sounds silly, but that's what I look forward to when school sucks and diapers pour out of my locker. Being done with it, forgeting the dicks, and doing whatever I feel like. Even if it's taking acid and writing comic books."

"Well, the dudes writing comic books are making tons of money off of the movie deals around now, I figure." Kaysen offered. "yeah, I'd read it, if you wanted to loan it to me. Sounds kinda fucked up and interesting." she added. Plus she liked to read, and she was done with all of Chance's stories, which she also liked. Huh, wait, did she know two guys who wrote now? Crazy. "What kinda comics do you wanna write?" she asked.

He smiled awkwardly, not having meant to give that much insight on his passions. "I don't know that I do," Porter told her with a shrug, "I just meant that I'll be free to do that if I want, and I'll find a way to succeed. But if I did? Definitely superhero stuff. They kept me company a lot when I was a kid, I'd have to repay the favor for some other kid out there with no friends and some spare money."

Kaysen propped her chin on her hand, watching him a little. "Super hero stuff is okay. But if you're gonna, do something like...more relateable to more people." she said. "Like...superman and shit? Whatever. Cool and all, but not something I can get in touch with. And while sure, a lot of superheroes kind have fucked up backgrounds, it's all kinda just...spotlighted on certain aspects, and shit. Do something like...like people maybe kinda sorta like...like you said." she said, unable to word it 'like us' so she tripped all over her words. "No friends and spare cash."

"Like 'Ghost World'," Porter agreed with a smile, "There's definitely a market for that. Comics about empathy and relatability." He'd considered it before, but with his life? Well, exploits of the bizarre just seemed natural. Still, maybe a small town grind could be something worth detailing. Kaysen'd be an interesting character to detail, that was for sure. Porter made a mental note to sketch her out in private, just in case inspiration struck. He sighed, hopping from his stool and piling the towels she'd given him on it. "I think I should go, though. My folks are gonna freak if I come in too late." Even with his improved health over the past few years, he knew his mother still worried a lot when he was out.

"Oh...erm. Sure." she said. "Crescent...um...that way?" she asked, pointing vaguely. "Do you want me to like, walk you home? Or have my mom give you a ride? She wouldn't mind at all." she promised. Actually her mom might be ecstatic. Another friend around? Or potential friend? Yeah she'd be all smiles and more than happy to bring him home.

"I think I'll find my way," Porter insisted, fishing out his phone and flipping it open. "But, um, do you want my number in case you decide to go back? Seems a little easier than asking for yours," he teased, thumb hovering over the keys. How hard could it be to find Crescent again? This town wasn't all that big, Porter was confident he could manage.
Kaysen looked really hesitant and suspicious again, but in the end shrugged, and rattled off her cell number. "I probably will. Like...I dunno. Mid-dayish. At least it might be bright enough." she told him. Because it was her baby, and she wasn't letting the poor thing just stay sunk in the damn harbor. Noooo siree.

He punched it in, smiling in spite of her uncertainty. "So now whenever I call you, you'll have my number too," Porter told her, snapping his phone shut, "Cool." He was still thinking it'd be easier to just buy a new board, but Kaysen seemed adamant. And no real hero, or fan of heroes, could just let her go try that again without help. "Thanks for the cocoa?" he tried with a small laugh, grabbing his still-damp t-shirt, "And for not totally biting my head off after I knocked yours around."

She quirked a little half smirk at that. "I'm just waiting to pop you one sometime when you're not paying attention in payback." she told him. Which wasn't true, but still. "Anyways...see ya. And just like...walk back down the hill and hang a left. You'll get to Crescent." she promised. Because it wasn't like the directions to the street were brain surgery or anything.

"Sounds good," Porter told her, stepping away from the kitchen counter to show himself out. Tonight, he'd sleep well. Just the idea of warm sheets sounded good, not to mention the personal pride for what he'd done. "Don't go swimming without me," he said over a shoulder, turning to head for the door outside. Down and left... how hard can it be?