Thread: Zen and all the crap WHO: Alex Jiang and Fred Jordan WHEN: August 10, afternoon [backdated] WHERE: Hydra Dorm, Fred's room
Alex arrived back in the United States a week before but he felt strange. Out of place. He fully disconnected while in China. He had intentions of texting his friends but at some point he simply just forgot he brought his phone at all. Upon arriving into LAX, he had texted his friends back, apologizing for the quietness on his part. He expressed excitement to see them again and then went to handle some matters. He spoke with the family lawyer who had pursued actions per his request via his parents. He was assured he'd be kept in the loop. Alex's California friends suggested going out partying and it tossed him back into a world that was loud and brash. For the first time in his life, he felt uncomfortable. He hoped returning to St. Margaret's would remedy that. St. Margaret's had people he thought of as his real friends.
His flight into Boston had come in the previous Thursday, and the taxi he took to the school was noticeably less crowded than it usually was. He sat quietly with his headphones plugged into his phone but no music playing. The insulated headphones kept a lot of the noise out and let Alex stare out the window of the taxi as the city faded into the lush forests of New England. The school's large gate welcomed him. The feeling of discomfort dissipated.
"What grade are you?" the taxi driver had asked once Alex removed the headphones.
"Last year here," he informed, pausing to let that sink in. He arrived as a Standard and now approached the Expert year. That was a strangely sobering thought he would need to ponder in greater detail later. For now he wanted to catch up with his friends. He was anxious to see Haylie and Davian and Fred. It wasn't long there that the gossip of Kitsune house informed him of Sorin's death. Alex really only knew Sorin casually but he felt a tinge of sadness still. A real shame.
He unpacked his things and went in search of friends. Davian was either not in or he was dead asleep because he wasn't answering. He couldn't find Haylie but he wandered toward Hydra. He ignored some of the looks he got from some students there. A Kitsune walking into Hydra was pretty unusual. He dodged some punk Standards that tried to pass off some bullshit about there being a password. The password was "Hydra rules." Amateurs.
When he arrived at Fred's room, he knocked on the door and waited for her to answer, hoping she was in. Alex shoved his hands into his pocket and whistled a song he'd learned from one of the monks at the monastery. Despite spending all summer in shaman training and away from civilization, Alex still dressed well, though lacking the usual flashiness. The colors were more subdued and even his hair wasn't styled in some weird or sleek way. Just parted and he even had some stubble growing on his face.
"Yo, Freddie, it's Lex," he said as he knocked again, "Don't worry, I'm not some dumbass standard." A standard walked by and gave him a dirty look. Alex smirked and returned his attention to the door opening.