Snippet #2203958

The boy at last spoke, breaking the momentary silence between them. He introduced himself, but was so quiet that Morgan couldn't quite be sure he had heard him right, despite the almost complete lack of sound in the room. His voice was barely more than a whisper, and was seemingly directed at the ground rather than at his new roommate, making it even harder to interpret. Morgan raised an eyebrow slightly, looking a little conflicted. He seemed to have been right with his assessment of "nervous," but still, this was above and beyond even what he had expected. It was perfectly reasonable to be scared at the prospect of having to live in a strange place with an unfamiliar person for at least a year, if not more, and Morgan really couldn't blame him for being unable to adjust to the new environment. But still, retreating into himself this much made it look like the boy, Oliver, was terrified of the newcomer, a feeling that rendered Morgan somewhat indecisive. If that was the case, how should he react? On the one hand, it felt like a him-ish thing to do to keep on trying to be as friendly as possible, to show Oliver he wasn't anyone to be scared of, but on the other, now would probably be a good time to exercise some tact and just leave the boy alone until he calmed down a little. But if he kept on pressing conversation, wouldn't that just overwhelm his subject and make him feel obligated to respond? And if he simply stopped talking at such an awkward point, wouldn't it seem like Oliver had done something wrong and had insulted him? Either way he looked at it, there was no right way out of the situation! On the one hand, he'd seem like a self-centered, talkative loon, and on the other, he'd just be distancing himself and making Oliver feel guilty. Either way was no way to go about things. The way he saw it, the only way to break this long, awkward pause was to bring up a subject of interest to both of them. If there was something they both felt they could comfortably, the situation could possibly be salvaged. But how...? How was Morgan supposed to know that much about a person he had only just met? Unless he could somehow manage to make an educated guess and hit the target, there just wasn't any way he could discover such a subject, was there? Almost unconsciously, he began to fidget with his ponytail, spinning it around furiously until it began to twist, then turning it the other way and continuing the motion, making him look rather ridiculous as he stood deep in thought, frantically searching for some sort of clue to the solution he sought.

Suddenly, however, his reverie was snapped apart by just a few softly spoken words. Although they were still quiet, they were there, and Morgan could this time be sure of what he'd just heard. Stopping abruptly - unintentionally slapping himself in the face with his own overly long mane of hair in the process - he glanced up, and smiled slightly at what he heard.

"You're...You're not bothering me," Olver said at last, his face still angled downward, but his eyes glancing nervously up through his bangs at Morgan, who gave him a reassuring grin.

"Ah, that's good," He replied, relieved, mustering all of the friendliness he could and trying his best to continue the conversation. But how? What was he to speak about... If he went silent now, Oliver would feel like he was expected to say something, and considering how hard it seemed for him to speak up, he would probably just lapse into silence and distance himself again. It was a pattern Morgan - no, Tessa - knew all too well from her childhood. Always, everyone had expected her to be just as perfect as her brother, and had forced her into decisions and situations she never wanted to make. Always, she had let them down, and after a while, she had simply stopped trying, drawing back into her little shell and hiding within her own small world. Everyone had just accepted this and ignored her. For every single day of that isolation, she had wanted someone who would reach out to her, who wouldn't drag her kicking and screaming out of her comfort zone, but rather would help her gently to extend her reach out into the broader world. Her brother had filled that void until his - no, her untimely death, and now that she was Morgan, there could be only one option: to fill that place, and to be just like he had always been. It was just as much a matter of sympathy as it was a matter of personal nature. She couldn't just act the part of her brother. She had to be Morgan. Although her heart went out to the boy to begin with - she knew exactly how terrible it felt to never know how to interact with others - she now had another reason to help him. Because she, Tessa Drake Kewell, was more than just a liar. She was the ultimate imitation, the greatest swindler ever to have lived!

At last, Morgan's eyes fell upon exactly the thing he had been searching for: a clue. Smiling slightly, he walked as casually as he could over to a small side-table, upon which sat several unmistakable items. Ah, so that was this boy's hobby... Anime and Manga fans weren't exactly common, being somewhat an esoteric form of media in the United States, but admittedly, Morgan himself had seen a few - mostly big ones like Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, and, his personal favorite, The Slayers - and was familiar with the sort of style and genre.

"Oh, hey," He asked, inspecting the items on the table. This was his best bet. Now, all there was to do was bring the subject up casually, and hope for the best. Taking a silent breath, he mustered himself, and spoke. "Aren't these books of yours manga? That's interesting. You don't really come across fans of Japanese media often here in America. I've seen a few anime myself, but I don't really recognize any of these volumes you have."

Damnit. That wasn't casual at all. That sounded so forced! Well, he'd gone and done it now. All he could do at this point was hope that it worked, regardless.


x█ ♞ ⊰ ωнєяє αм ι؟ :: Dorm A2.
x█ ♞ ⊰ ωнσ αм ι ωιтн؟ :: Oliver Abel Bells.
x█ ♞ ⊰ ωнαт'ѕ ση му мιη∂؟ :: "He's so quiet... It's almost like... no, I think he IS scared of me. In that case, what do I do? I suppose I should try to just be friendly, but that's easier said than done."
x█ ♞ ⊰ συт σƒ ¢нєѕѕ-ριє¢єѕ :: By Kewell being familiar, are you perchance referring to Code Geass?