Free From Hell [OPEN]

Free from Hell at last. That was the first thought in Salea's head the second the weekend came. She didn't exactly go to Hell, it was just her nickname for school, which she really didn't like. At all. Never in her life did she imagine actually liking school and making friends. Although some people had actually nagged her about it and told her to have fun while she's still alive. Not exactly good advice, because she's sure she's dead already. At least soulless, but whatever.

The girl sighed as she made her way through the streets of Grand Rapids. The name didn't make much sense to her, but nothing ever seemed to make sense to her. Probably the effects of being soulless.

Salea suddenly stopped walking, causing people behind her to bump into her. Normally, she would have been annoyed at the ignorance of the mortals, at their ignorance of the possibility that she would stop in the middle of the street, but she instead tuned out their complaints and looked at the coffee shop at her side. She might as well have a drink before resuming whatever she was doing.

She opened the door to the shop, causing small bells to tinkle, and closed the door behind her. There was a calm, peaceful feeling inside the shop. And it was really, quiet, too, except for the occassional chitchat of friends. But mostly the people just ignored each other and do their stuff, like read newspapers or type away in their laptops.

She walked over to the counter and asked for some Frappuccino, whatever that was. When the drink was handed to her, it seemed pretty interesting for something made by mortals. She took a small sip, then another, as she walked towards an empty table. The small bells tinkled once more, and Salea looked up to see who it was.

Caffine was something that Claude found himself wanting a lot recently. Which probably wasn't a good thing. It seemed to be a more acceptable day-time drink than alcoholic substances though, especially seeing as he wasn't technically allowed said alcoholic substances yet, so it was better than that.

He stepped into the store, heading towards the counter to get his drink. It was certainly quiet in the shop, not something Claude was used to be being around, but it was nice. He certainly had things to think about, what with Rhea being all absent recently. Maybe that little picknick thing hadn't gone overly well.

He turned to observe what was going on in the shop, hoping to find something to take his mind off it. Part of him wanted to talk to Theo about it, but...that would be awkward. Instead he found his eyes settling on a familiar looking girl who was at a table by herself. She was in his year, wasn't she? At school?

Well, a distraction was a distraction.

"Hey," Claude greeted, his usual smile on his face when he talked to people. Couldn't stop being his usual happy-go-lucky self, could he? Now he just had to remember her name. Sally or something. "I see I'm not the only one enjoying their weekend in Grand Rapids."

Salea forced a smile at the guy, which looked quite convincing for a girl who rarely smiled. He was in her year... C-something... Clogged? Wait, no, Claude. Who usually hung out with Rhea something.

"Hey," Salea replied, the fake-ish smile still on her face. "Yeah, well, I seriously had to get some fresh air. Being locked up in my dorm room isn't exactly fun." She took another sip of her drink before continuing, "Um, so, what are you doing at Grand Rapids?"

It definitely began with Sal. Maybe Claude should just call her Sal and hope she didn't mind? It wasn't a name he heard often, and was kind of pretty. Why did his memory always seem to fail him?

Well, she was smiling and talking to him, so he was certainly grateful. "No, I can't imagine being locked up in your dorm is fun," he said with a slight chuckle. He probably spent more time at the club than in his dorm. "Nice place to come to get away."

What was Claude doing here? That was a loaded question. He shrugged, glancing out the window. "Oh, you know. Fresh air. Enjoying the buzz of a city. Running away from The Man," he grinned, gesturing to another chair at her table. "Mind if I sit?"

Salea nodded. "Not fun at all. And I don't have a roommate to annoy," she said, laughing lightly. Then she became confused. "The Man? I really have to get out more if I wanna know what's going on around," she said, chuckling.

"Nah, I don't mind," she shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. Awkward silence, until Salea breathed out a laugh. "This is awkward. I don't know a thing about you, and you don't know a thing about me." Five seconds passed. "So where's your.... friend? Rhea?"

“Yeah, you know, The Man!” Claude emphasised with a grin and a hand gesture. “Parentals bringing you down, the school’s rules being generally…boring. Though I am fortunate enough to have a roommate to annoy and who I get on with very well.”

As she said she didn’t mind, Claude sat down, warm mug in his hand. Well. This was a good idea. He took a sip of his coffee, surprised as she started talking again, though thankful for it. The smile he gave this time was softer than usual. “Yeah, sorry. Awkward situations are…awkward,” smooth.

“Rhea’s…about,” he gave a light shrug. “She’s been a bit absent lately, and-sorry, I’m not known for being a worrier usually. Where’re your friends?” this was going well.

"Oh. I'm not... yeah, alright," Sal said, grinning sheepishly. She really needed to get out more. "I don't have a, ah, roommate to annoy. It's not that I don't want any roommates," she added hurriedly, but didn't explain any more. Then she smirked at what he said, "Really awkward."

Salea nodded, then frowned. "I don't really...... have.. any friends," she muttered, then she took a long sip of her drink.

Claude's smile became amused at her response. She was pretty...interesting? Was that the right word to use? Not in a bad way, of course. Interesting people were cool. "Devestation! No roommate? How do you get through the day? Though I can kind of see the pluses to having a room entirely to yourself and everything," easier to get around the whole 'where to go when your roommate has a 'friend' round' thing.

Oh wow. Smooth move, Claude. Way to make someone feel uncomfortable. Was she uncomfortable-what kind of question was that of course she was uncomfortable. Who wouldn't be? This is totally saveable.

"Now we can't have any of that!" he said with a flourish of his hands, stretching his arms wide. "I hereby declare myself your friend. Because I can totally do that. Probably would help to get the whole 'getting to know each other' thing done quickly," he rested his chin on the palm of his hand, exaggeratedly eager. "So tell me a bit about yourself. What do you like to do?"

Salea shrugged, then nodded. "Well, honestly I don't really want any roommates, but if they wanna share a room with me, then it's okay," she admitted. Then she grinned.

"Trust me, you do not wanna be my friend," she muttered. She is a Spy, after all, and if she made any friends... she couldn't bear to see their reaction.

"Well... I'm old, I guess. No, seriously, I only look 18. And I'm part-Spanish, part-French, but I was born around here," Sal replied. "Uh... I... don't do many things. I usually just keep to myself."

And I kill people because I'm evil, she thought.

Claude blew a raspberry, taking a gulp of his drink. "I think I can decide whether or not I want to be your friend. Besides, I'd never forgive myself if I left you without one. I'm like, everyone's friend, because I'm just so amazing."

"How old is old?" she definitely looked 18, her eyes were actually quite pretty. "Ohh, do you speak French or Spanish? I'm from France, though I haven't lived there in a very, very long time. We visit a lot to see family though."

"People wo keep to themselves read a lot, don't they?" wasn't that code for 'reading'? He wasn't sure. He didn't really read that often. She was making him really curious.

Salea sighed. "If you insist, then," she replied with a small smile. Then she frowned. "I don't know, honestly. Probably a thousand years old, though. Or more," she replied.

She took a long sip of her drink before continuing, "I know a bit of Spanish, but that's it. And... usually. But I don't read much. Just when I'm really bored, but otherwise I just walk around."

That was very forward. Claude wasn’t entirely used to people speaking so openly about their…specialities, what with him usually spending his time hiding his so much. It was a bit unnerving. He whistled, impressed at the number though, curiosity screaming at him to ask her questions. “What do you do in all that time? A thousand years I just…I can barely keep myself entertained for ten minutes straight.”

And more importantly, though he didn’t know if it was rude or not: “What are you?”

“Walk around? Is watching everyday life really that interesting?” Claude figured there must be stuff to do or see, even if it’s the same stuff. Sometimes tiny changes can be pretty amusing he guessed.