someday, somehow* open

[ADDISON LEIGH OLEANDER]

A slight smirk played across the dirty blonde's lips as she lay sprawled out in the hallway of the third floor in the girl's dorms. The female's laptop sat propped up in her lap, and a ratty, old pillow was squashed into a lump underneath her head. Electric blue headphones lace their way from the laptop's headphone jack and up to her ears where the buds pumped loud dance music into her thoughts. She nodded her head slightly to the beat while trolling her typical websites such as facebook, twitter, flickr, and others.

Addison felt unbearably cooped up in the room she shared with her dorm mate[ooc; which is open for the taking should anyone be interested] and decided her time would be best spent, this rainy, sleepless night, in the hallway. Generally, when the shifter couldn't sleep she would prowl the school grounds in her cougar form, doing her best to keep quiet and unnoticed. Her T-shirt barely covered her shoulders as she shifted slightly and the sleeves came further down her torso. About 70% of her shirts had the collar cut or ripped off, she felt they were more freeing this way. Addison's pajama bottoms were a typical red plaid, probably something she located in the men's department for sure.

It wasn't all too late, just nearing 10 o'clock at night, and Addison highly doubted anybody would come across her curious display of limbs at this hour. To her this was early, but unfortunately the school board thought otherwise. Though, lost deep in her thoughts she kind of wished that someone would show up and offer her a chance for a little thrill. A small sigh escaped her partially open jaw as she mouthed the lyrics to a nickelback song that came onto her Pandora list. "Some day, some how, I'm gonna make it all right, but not right now, i know you're wondering when..."

ATTIRE

[/color] cut off old t-shirt, plaid pj pants CREDIT SAM !? of A Changed Hogwarts. Don't remove the credit or I will find you. LYRICS someday - nickelback NOTES notes here WORD COUNT three hundred and eighteen[/center][/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Asia Nicole Sedgewick]

Sprawled out on the lawn in front of the dormitory building, Asia rolled her head back and peered at the neat rows of lights shining from the rooms. She knew she ought to get up, go shower, and hit the sack, but she wasn't remotely tired. Not sleepy tired, anyway, but rather the comfortable tiredness that came after a long run. At night. Asia knew you weren't supposed to exercise right before bed, but she countered that by staying up later. It was always funner running int he dark anyway. As long as you stayed out of the bad neighborhoods, and went along familiar paths it wasn't extraordinarily risky. Besides, when you can shift into an African predator at will, you developed a stronger backbone. Of course, that would be a last resort. However, Asia doubted the authorities would listen to the rambling of some drugged up thug going on about shapeshifters.

The Junior rolled onto her side, a smile flickering across her face at the thought. She strolled over to a drinking fountain, looking around at the deserted grounds. After drinking her fill, she entered the multistory building and started up the flights of stairs until she hit the third floor. She slipped into her room silently, on the off chance that her roommate had already gone to bed. After taking in the smooth surface of the bed, she flipped the light switch and gathered her bathroom stuff. She had been assigned this new roommate at the start of the year and hadn't gotten to know her too well. She liked that they both stayed up hellaciously late, eliminating that as a potential point of conflict. She could also identify with her need to be outside a lot of the time.

Following her shower, Asia turned a corner in the halls and saw none other than Addison, absorbed in the screen of her laptop. She crept forward, not wanting to draw her attention, and lucked the headphones from her blonde head. "Evening, Roomie." Asia dropped the headphones in her lap and sank down to the floor across the hall from her. "Sorry I couldn't find you before my run. I know you were dying to come along." She leaned back against the wall, smiling. Her sarcastic tone was softened by her good-humored expression.

[ADDISON LEIGH OLEANDER]

A yawn escaped the blonde's slightly chap-sticked lips, she let her eyes close for a few moments as the song on her pandora went from a heavy dance song to a more mellow rock song. "The Thief" by Relient K. Needless to say, when one gets to know Addison they would know Relient K was one of her guilty pleasures. She just doesn't come across as one to like that style of music. but it makes her heart swoon. In fact, the song came close to ending and the female opened her eyes to search through her own library of music until she found the folder of all the Relient K CDs she had. Addison's lips curled up in a small smile as 'The Thief' ended and 'The Lining is Silver' began. She hummed a little, having to stifle a laugh as the vibration of her own hum tickled her lips.

An unfamiliar sound broke through the silence in between songs, was it water shutting off? She hadn't heard anyone come into the hallway, but then again her music was rather loud and she had her eyes closed for a little amount of time. Had someone came in unnoticed? Addison sat up a little on her elbows, her grey eyes scanning the hallway, having very little difficulty adjusting from the bright computer screen to the dark area. One of the best things about having a wild feline in her veins, amazing eyesight. The female felt slightly unsettled by the noise, but shrugged it off and resumed to her music, closing her eyes again. Another one of her favorite songs 'Curl up and Die' began and then came to an abrupt end when her headphones had been tugged away from her ears and a familiar voice filled the void of sound.

'Evening roomie.' Addy could have nearly jumped out of her skin in those few, quick moments. 'Sorry I couldn't find you before my run. I know you were /dying/ to come." The blonde's stone colored, and now wide-awake eyes found the brunette's, "Sweet Jesus Asia! Tryin to give a girl a heart attack?!" Addison exclaimed in a hushed tone, taking a second to reach across the hallway and give the other girl a soft nudge. "Jerk, ha ha, what're you doing up so late? I totally thought everyone was asleep! And, of course I was DYING to go running, aren't I always?" The blonde let out a huff, placing the laptop on the floor in between them and closing the lid so it would go into 'sleep mode'. She stretched her long arms into the air, letting them come down and combing her fingers through her mass of bushy hair. She gave her head a small shake to loosen some of the tangled curls before pulling it all into a black hair tie. "Anything exciting going on this evening? It kills me sometimes how everyone seems so boring!"

[Asia Nicole Sedgewick]

Asia took the friendly shove without protest, knowing she deserved it. She laughed quietly at the other Junior's remark, remembering the time. Most likely, everyone else would be holed up in their rooms by now, a good percentage already asleep. "Lazy cat. One of these days I'll drag your ass outside for some exercise. Even if I have to steal your iPod as bait." She smirked and narrowed her eyes in challenge. As of yet her attempts had been half-hearted a best. Even though Asia lived for running, she knew that not everyone felt the same way. The thrill, the high, the sense of freedom and liberation... Other people got those things by different means, not all of them legal.

Thinking back to Addy's previous question, Asia shrugged. "It's not so late. Besides, everything looks more interesting when it's dark. You should know that." She hadn't missed the prowling tawny feline that disappeared down the halls at night. People did what they could to bring some interest to the melancholy of school life. Asia hadn't commented on it previously, and if she hadn't been Addison's roommate she doubted if she'd have noticed. Well, maybe she would have. Both of their penchants for late night excursions would have caused them to cross paths eventually.

The Junior pulled her wet hair over one shoulder to keep it from dripping on her black camisole. She grabbed her towel and made an effort to dry it further. Bunching up the towel in her lap, she let whatever water remained drip onto it. Meanwhile, she replied, "Of course! The Freshman are throwing a party on their floor. In the middle of the week. Past curfew. Sorry Addy, but no. There isn't anything to do, unless you want to sneak out and get drunk." Asia stretched then, settling down more comfortably. "But I am already so comfortable in my pajamas."

[ADDISON LEIGH OLEANDER]

A soft, yet playful growl came from the female's lips as Asia remarked how she was such a 'lazy cat'. "Hush woman, cats are naturally lazy," Addison replied, her small growl turning into a giggle. "And stealing my things would get ya a swift, quick, cat slap across the muzzle." The Junior reached over and lightly gave the Brunette a pat on the cheek before rolling her eyes in a very exaggerated manor. A thought train of images came piling into the blonde's mind as she imaging how a fight between a cougar and an African wild dog. The battle would surely be intense, but who would actually come out on top? The feline definitely had size over the canine, but maybe the canine would be quicker. Asia ran an awful lot, though Addison had rather large claws and teeth, Asia was lacking those a little.

The imaginary battle raged on in Addison's head for a few moments before Asia's words trailed into her thoughts, "...looks more interesting when it's dark. You know that." Addison blinked a couple times, regaining her composure from 'space face' mode. Whenever Addison zoned out into the time warp continuum everyone always made jokes about her having a spaced out gaze, aka the space face. "Touche," The blonde commented thoughtfully, it was rather true that night excursions brought more life into her eyes at least for a day or so. Asia's next words filtered into her thought process, smart remarks about freshman throwing parties. Pshaw. "Okay smart ass, and yeah I'm pretty comfortable myself, besides what's the fun in getting drunk in only a two-some.. we need more like a five or six-some for it to be efficient fun." The freckled face of the girl grinned brightly, even laughing at her own humor. Generally speaking, Addison's mind was usually in the gutter.

"We need more male friends, Yep. That'll solve a lot of boredom problems." Addy's stony eyes glittered in amusement. "No, seriously. We need to go man-hunting, not like the game, but for real. We need to find some guys who are up to our challenge, ya know?" She could already picture it in her head, there was a boy from the senior class she had already had in mind. He was also a large cat shifter, a lion to be exact. He made her drool. Though, of course she was too much of a pussycat to even approach him about her attraction for him. The female closed her eyes for a moment, her more feline side taking over as a low purr rumbled in her throat, thoughts of the lion boy in her head.

[Asia Nicole Sedgewick]

Honestly, a head-on battle between the two Juniors in their animal forms would end very quickly and very sadly, for Asia. There was a reason wild dogs hunted in packs, and only went after prey that ran away. They could gut a large ungulate as it ran for its life, but a large feline? Maybe if she had 3 or 4 others just like her. She had no doubt that she'd be able to outpace a puma, no matter the distance, however. She could always swipe the mp3 player and make a run for it. Confident in her knowledge, Asia smirked and said, "Sure, if you could catch me."

It was strange, this coupling of human rationalization and animal instincts. She always felt that canine presence in her mind, ready to spring to the forefront on a whim. In her human form the instincts and senses were quieted, but they were still there, offering their 2 cents for every issue. It certainly contributed to her need to socialize. There was a part of her that automatically figured in the support of a pack, and saw things in a hierarchical way. Then the human side would discount it, readjust it, because no matter how much that part of her bitched, it wasn't who she was.

Addison struck Asia as a complicated person. She definitely mirrored her shift well. On one hand, she seemed laid back, and yes, even lazy. On the other hand she seemed to have a fierce, restless side to her. Asia's head tipped ever so slightly to the side as she puzzled over the contradictions. Addy was easily bored, but also acted content enough to be left to her own devices. Maybe she was just bored with people. Asia herself didn't get bored. She loved people in general and always found something interesting in everyone. When alone she occupied herself without a problem. Well, maybe Asia had her own set of contradictions. Despite being extremely active and social, she was also a very mellow person. Not lazy, exactly, but definitely not reactive.

Asia laughed and arched a brow at Addison's comment. "Efficient? How can fun and efficiency possible be related?" The Junior turned her head and looked down the hall, thinking. She still listened to Addison as her eye's settled on the far wall. Asia had male friends, but they were all just friends. She had a feeling Addison was referring to... Yep, there it is. She glanced back at her roommate, noticing a change in her expression. Lost in thought again, most likely. As it stood, Asia hadn't had a boyfriend since middle school, but that hardly counted, given the circumstances at the time. She was a completely different person, and What's-His-Name was surely in Juvie by now. She hadn't made a concentrated effort to start dating, and hadn't even given much thought to relationships in general. Well, she didn't have boredom problems, so she was happy leaving things as they stood. In Addison's case, though, something could be done. She had boredom problems. "Hey, you know I'm always here to be your wingman. Have anyone in mind?"

[Nicki Burne Michigan]

It soon became apparent to Nicki that pikas couldn't run very fast. Oh, sure, for something their size they were down right speedy, but compared to some damn cat chasing him? He was going to be eaten! He pushed himself faster, skidding around a corner, his tiny claws failing to get traction on the linoleum flooring. Outside, yes, outside was good! He dashed out the open doors, diving behind a rock and hunching down to hide his furry little self as the cat shifter passed. Luckily, it didn't notice him and walked right on by, leaving him to shift back into his human self and roll over on his back, hand over his chest in a vain attempt to stop his heart from beating so fast. After a few moments he sat up and adjusted his clothes, his face red with both intense embarrassment and the effort of running so far. He had started out in the choir room, doing his homework there because he had been much too lazy to go back to his dorm. Well, then things had gone wrong. His mouth had gone off again, and he had offended someone and... well, he hadn't meant to, but he shifted. The girl had, too, and suddenly it was some demented cat and mouse (well, pika) chase through the halls. Oh, he was going to be in so much trouble! He ran a hand through his hair, groaning softly as he thought about the multiple detentions he was sure to earn for shifting in the school building. His homework had been shredded, too. Sighing in exasperation, he looked around. The cat shifter was gone, that was good, but he wasn't sure where he was. There were dorms to his left and dorms to his right, and he wasn't sure which was the girls' and which was the boys'. So he stood up slowly and began walking over to one of them mindlessly, hoping that it was his.

As soon as he entered the little common room area it became apparent that this definitely wasn't the male dorms. Girls were scattered around, playing board games and watching tv and other various activities, so he, the only boy, earned a multitude of looks that ranged from confusion to hatred. Okay, boy in the girls' dorms, this wasn't good. "Uhm... bringing something to a friend..." he mumbled, blushing slightly and looking down at the floor. Who did he know here, who did he know here? He was a freaking loner, he didn't know anyone! But, there was her...

Asia, the only person that had actually bothered to protect him while he was being bullied. It was during a classic little hold-the-object-over-the-monkey's-head game in the hallways, where two sophomores had taken his homework and passed it between them, not letting five-foot-one Nicki get his desperate hands on it. Uh-huh, a classic joke, right? He had been on the edge of tears by the time Asia had come along and rescued him, the darling diplomat she was. Hell, she hadn't even punched anybody, and yet she had managed to get his homework back for him! It was love on first sight. Well, no. Friendship on first sight. His instant admiration knew no bounds, and he wasn't even rude to her when he learned that she was in the jock group that detested him oh-so-much. She was, like, his protector, and he wouldn't give that up for the world. Asia was the person Nicki went to whenever he had problems, and he was pretty sure that almost being eaten counted as a problem. A big one, in fact.

He started up the stairs, blushing even more when the girls started giggling. He wasn't doing anything wrong! It had been afternoon when he had shifted... but he had no idea how long he had been running, or even how long he had lay on his back and tried to calm down. Nicki forgot the time a lot, and he never wore a watch. He couldn't even see the sky from his current position on the indoor staircase, and for all he knew it could be past curfew. Oh, wouldn't that be lovely? It would just add to his already large pile of to-be detentions. He sighed and checked his pockets as he wandered up the stairs, looking for some sort of present for Asia. He had said that he was bringing her something, hadn't he? And she deserved some sort of payment for sticking with the pathetic little freshman. All that he could find was a pack of oreos from lunch, still wrapped and perfectly intact. Those would do. They were better than nothing, right?

"Asia?" he called softly as he reached the third floor, eyes peeled for any danger, such as other girls or staff. "Asia, a sophomore ruined my homework again..." he laughed weakly at his little joke, spotting her down the hallway. "Oh, and I brought you a pack of oreos. Is this a bad time..?" Seriously, Nicki needed to start wearing a watch eventually. This whole I-don't-know-what-time-it-is thing was starting to get annoying. "Hey, Asia, what time is it, anyway?" he chirped cheerfully as he walked over to her, not noticing the girl sitting next to her. He sniffed his hand slightly as he scratched the bride of his nose. He smelled like... pika. He smelled like his shift form, dammit. He really needed to get back to his dorm and take a shower, but first he needed to talk to Asia. The girls downstairs would just giggle at him more if he came back down so soon, and he hated being laughed at. But, still... he didn't like smelling like his shift form.

notes I havez permission to barge into the thread. No one yell at me? x.x

[ADDISON LEIGH OLEANDER]

"It happens, okay. Don't hate woman," The blonde scoffed at the brunette's remark. 'Efficient and fun were totally able to go together, right? Right.' The female confirmed in her head with a small nod. She blinked a moment, rubbing her closed eyes lazily with one hand, trying to rid them of the lack of sleep she had been getting. Addison's stormy eyes searched Asia's for a moment as she noticed her friend became lost behind a misty expression, perhaps in distant memory of some sort. Asia's 'space face' was different, more dream like as opposed to vacant the way Addison's often would appear. The brunette's words filtered into her thoughts, "Hey, you know I'm always here to be your wingman. Have anyone in mind?" Addy sat up straight, laughing a little, "Get out of my head, dammit, you're too good at reading my thoughts." She spoke in a hushed yet teasing voice, letting her posture relax into a heap on the floor again.

The ceiling seemed to have a slight sparkle to it, probably something to do with the texture 'popcorn' coating they layered it with before painting it. Addison couldn't help but think of the deep night sky as she started face up at the ceiling above the two girls. "Yeah, there is one guy in school that has kind of caught my attention," The female's words trailed off slightly as she considered whether to reveal her secret man crush to her room mate or not. 'Oh what the hell, might as well, she's one of my closer friends anyways, right? Right.' The decision had been made with ease, "I think his name is... Chris? Christian? Something, I'm not sure. But damn, he is good looking. I mean, especially in his shift, lions are damn sexy. With their bushy mane and stuff..." Addison paused, realizing she probably sounded like a pervert, but she couldn't help that sometimes the cougar side of her took more hold than the human side of her. What's a girl to do?

"If I could only grow some balls to actually talk to the kid, Another pause as she chewed her lip in thought, "Well, he;s not a kid really. He's a senior, and I'm sure we have at least one class together, not that I could actually think of it now that we're talking about it... Hmph..." A small huff escaped Addison's parted lips, she stretched her arms above her head with a long, cat-like yawn before rolling on her side to face Asia. "What about you, yeah? Any ideas-" The female's words halted abruptly, a new scent, something odd, but almost making her mouth water. Addison's eyes glinted a slight golden color, typical when the female mentally prepared herself to shift, but she held off this time. The scent was strange, like a human, too. It must've been another student, but... a boy? His smell was about to drive her nuts by the time the short male came around the corner.

"Asia?" A small, nearly scared sounded tone emitted from the smaller boy's lips. "Asia, a sophomore ruined my homework again..." Addison curled her lips slightly into a scowl, this boy was young, timid, and reeked of outdoors and possibly some sort of rabbit? The female rubbed her hands over her nose to try and cover the scent, hoping to control the predator blood the flowed in her veins. She scooted away slightly, taking a more aggressive appearance as her heart started pounding a little harder. 'I should've hunted today, oh man I definitely should've hunted today...' She thought somewhat nervously, having to keep her feral thoughts in check she reminded herself he was human! And she couldn't help but wonder how Asia even knew this poor sap.

[Asia Nicole Sedgewick]

Asia had to cut her laugh short, remembering the time again. It seemed like Juniors got insanely bitchy when you woke them up. She glanced at the doors, half expecting some cranky face with serious bed-head to peer out and glare at them. She smothered what remained of the laugh with a grin, then leaned forward slightly to listen as Addison shared the details of her crush. Her smile dropped for a second when the guy started to sound familiar. It returned instantly, spreading and brightening as the explanation continued. Before Addy could get offended and ask what the hell she was grinning about, Asia explained. "I know Christian! He's a friend of mine." She leaned back against the wall again, thinking. "My roomie's got good taste. Who needs balls when you have a wingman? I'll have to introduce you guys sometime or something."

She turned her head ever so slightly to the side, picking up a new smell. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Addison had stopped talking and was also concentrating. Shifters were so weird. There was something familiar about it... Her expression relaxed as she placed the scent to the face, then the face to the name. Sure, it was a little strange for him to be in this building so late at night, but more likely than not he was seeking her out for something. Her brows drew together suddenly as she caught a glint in her roommate's eyes. That was not a good glint. That was a predatory glint. She turned her head again to see Nicki turn the corner, saw his face brighten as he recognized her. He looked fine, a little winded, lost and confused maybe, but on the whole unhurt. For now. She stood up in a single smooth motion, taking a step to the side so she was more definitely between the two of them.

"Hey Nicki. Did you get the guy's name? Fucking sophomores." She smiled at the Freshman, looking down at the battered pack of Oreos. Right. "Nah, it's fine. As you can see by our fashionable attire, it's past curfew. I'd say around 10 or 11." She gestured at her camisole and grey sweats. "By the way, Nicki, this my roommate. Addison, this is Nicki." She turned to look at Addy, slightly concerned that her expression was still somewhat strained.

[Nicki Burne Michigan]

Nicki shook his head. "Didn't get the name, but I know she's a cat shifter," he said slowly, staring at the floor. It was kind of hard to get someone's name when you were running for your life, and the nameless one in question was chasing you with an intent to kill. Well, at least an intent to pin down and hiss at. But who knows, sometimes the shift part just took over, and Nicki actually could have been killed and eaten. He shuddered; that wouldn't have been pleasant. He was starting to think that maybe attending a public highschool sounded a whole lot safer, but then the whole shifting thing would have to be kept a secret, and that would be a pain in the ass. Nicki would be forced into even more of a loner state than he already was, if that was even possible.

It was nice that in this place, a lot of shifter kids could get together and be accepted for what they were, not having to hide the fact that they changed into freaking animals and had the instincts of one, too. Except for the constant danger that they smaller shifters were put in; that wasn't nice at all. It really gave a new meaning to the highschool food chain when your shift form was in danger of being eaten by someone else's. Constant freaking danger. The only aspect of this school that Nicki despised with his entire being. And with a quick glance over to the girl behind Asia, it looked like the danger had just followed him up here, too. Well, darn. And here he had been thinking that he was safe when Asia was around. But apparently, she kept the company of something... Nicki sniffed the air slightly, his nose twitching. Something feline. Something large and feline. Suddenly Nicki didn't feel so safe around his junior protector anymore.

"... Oh, it's past curfew?!" he yelped, looking wildly towards the door for any staff. He wasn't allowed to be out of his dorm past curfew, and certainly not in the opposite gender's dorms! Oh, that was two rules he'd broken today... this just wasn't a good day for Nicki, was it? When it became obvious that there weren't any teachers prowling the hall, he relaxed a bit. So that was why the girls downstairs had been giggling so much, then. It all made sense, except... it didn't.

Before this, he hadn't even noticed what the juniors were wearing, but now that it was brought to his attention he was suddenly embarrassed. He was still wearing his jeans and a dark brown sweater that reached almost to his knees, so he would have looked exactly like he was heading for the school building if he hadn't lost his shoulder-bag in the choir room. He would probably have to stop by there early tomorrow to get it... but that was fine. Nicki didn't really mind waking up early, except in the winter. In the winter his need to hoard things in his room just got more strong, and he didn't like leaving said room at all. The whole need to eat comfort food thing got worse too, and Nicki was surprised that he managed to retain an average weight. But whatever, that wasn't really important at the moment.

What was important was the girl that Asia introduced as Addison, and the obvious predatory gleam in her eyes. It made Nicki nervous, and when Nicki was nervous he just smelled more like his shift form. Which really sucked, because that kind of started an endless circle that he wasn't at all happy to be pulled along in. "Uhm... hi. Nice to meet you, Addison..." he mumbled, keeping his eyes down and trying to look as small as possible, which with his height wasn't that hard. He didn't offer his hand to shake, since he was kind of afraid that she would bite his fingers off or something. He looked up at Asia, his expression a mix of intense fear and guilt. "Er... if it's past curfew, are you sure I shouldn't leave...? I don't want anyone to get mad at me..."

[ADDISON LEIGH OLEANDER]

The blonde watched the smaller male with wary, gleaming eyes. She acknowledged Asia's introduction of the boy, 'Nicki'. Addy made note of this in the back of her mind, taking a deep breath to commit his name and scent in memory in case they had a run in while either of them were in their shift. She also made note of how nervous she seemed to make the male feel, the scowl painted on her lips slowly formed a smirk as she rose to her feet. If Nicki wasn't nervous before, he would be now that the female towered an estimated foot above him.

Addison stretched her lanky limbs behind her back, twisted her wrists to make them crack a little to release the tension they held from using her laptop for so long. "As Asia said, I'm Addison... A short pause, "Nice to meet ya, need to be more careful out there," She commented in response to his story of his bad sophomore experience, she could only imagine in her head how the scene played out. A small snort emitted from the female's nostrils, hoping to push the remnants of Pika stink out of her nose. "Most freshman are consider freshmeat to about ninety percent of seniors out there, lucky you found Asia here to follow around." Addy couldn't help but laugh, most people compared the first impression of her like a cat's tongue, similar to sandpaper. But generally the female didn't bother trying to make any impression at all to most people, only those who she knew she'd be around a lot, such as Asia, Remy, and Taylor. Everyone else could bite the bullet.

"To be honest you'd probably end up in more trouble trying to make it back to your dorm alone than by just staying here for a bit," The Junior half shrugged, tossing Asia a loaded look, 'Where the heck did you find this kid?' Was all she could think as she shook her head enough for Asia to notice. When Addison said 'man friends', she really meant '/men/'. Nicki didn't seem much a man, maybe it was because she dwarfed him in height, a big reason why Addison had a hard time finding a guy she was really into. They were all far to small. Then again, maybe she was just way too big, but she refused to see it that way.

[Asia Nicole Sedgewick]

She? Asia's smile was sympathetic, but she didn't let it become patronizing. Pretty much anyone could get the upper hand with Nicki. She was a little over 5'9" herself, and she knew that she'd have no trouble at all pummeling him into the ground. If she was that type of person. Luckily for the Freshman, Asia felt more like finding the feline shifter that had terrorized him and doing.... something. If people truly believed you'd back them up, threats took you a long way. The Junior took care to never threaten something she wasn't 100% willing to follow through with. Nicki would have to point her out later. Part of her wanted to go out right now and track the chick down, but her logical side won out.

The tension in Asia's stance flowed away as soon as Addison spoke. She wasn't much of a welcoming committee, but her attitude was perfectly understandable. And she wasn't making a move to scare the guy away, so there was nothing to fear. "She's right. It's probably better to just lie low and relax a bit." As she said it, she just caught the look Addison shot at her. She wasn't going to apologize for helping the kid out. When she'd first seen him being taunted by two sophomores, she hadn't thought twice about striding forward and putting an end to it. After that, when she realized Nicki was just prone to getting into bad situations, she'd made it clear that she would look out for him. So, in response to Addy's look, the Junior only lifted a corner of her mouth and shrugged minutely. 'So sue me.'

She knew her roommate came across as abrasive to some people. Honestly, when they'd first been assigned to the same room Asia hadn't been sure if Addison hated her or was just insane. It wasn't long before she'd gotten past the first impression though. Honestly, she thought that it would be good for Nicki to know Addison, just to have another strong personality familiar to him on campus.

Feeling completely at ease once again, Asia leaned her shoulder against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "Your homework isn't due tomorrow, is it?" She assumed his teacher would understand if Nicki explained what had happened, but she doubted that the Freshie would want to explain. "If so, just tell him your roommate ate it or something believable." The Junior laughed lightly, wondering if she was corrupting the younger kid at all.

[Nicki Burne Michigan]

There were two predators standing with him in the hallway, and though Asia had committed herself to protecting the pika shifter, he was pretty sure that this Addison's shift wouldn't mind having him for dinner. It just made him even more uncomfortable when she stood up, towering a full foot over him. He gulped. This what was happened when you made friends with people older than you, he guessed. Though, it might have been that he was about six inches shorter than any male his age should have been. That little fact really didn't help much with the whole bullying issue.

Nicki had always liked cats. Even before he had learned that he was a shifter, he liked the little balls of fluff that acted so indifferent to the humans around them. He even kind of liked to watch the big cats hunt on tv, liked watching the way they pounced and faded into the shrubbery. Sure, it had made him a little nervous, but he had still admired the big cats and adored the domesticated ones. They were all adorable! He just didn't like the cat shifters. Oh, and he didn't like animals of any kind when he was in his shift form. Hell, pikas ate various things, but they didn't hunt for meat. He himself had considered going vegetarian a few times, the food just always reminded him of what he might look like if somehow, a predator got their hands on him. But he didn't like tofu, either, so he didn't go vegetarian. But it made him shiver to think that over fifty percent of the students here had shifts that wouldn't mind eating him for lunch.

"Yeah... careful. Good idea," he mumbled softly, staring absently at anything but the juniors. Fresh meat... yeah, that was about right. Sure, there were some pretty obnoxious freshmen around, even some ones that would would join the ranks of jocks or the "popular crowd" when they moved up grades, but Nicki definitely wasn't one of them, so he was in kind of a lot of danger. Being careful... he honestly didn't think that would help much. Most of the predators here had great noses, even in human form, and were able to smell his prey scent from down a few hallways. He was literally a bully magnet, and he didn't like it at all. So, yeah, he had been pretty lucky to find Asia, even though he wasn't sure why she herself wasn't trying to eat him. What did african wild dogs eat, anyway? There weren't any pikas in africa, so he was pretty sure that he wasn't on her daily menu, but... still. It confused him a lot more than it should have; he should have just been grateful and forgot about the potential of being dinner. But the fact that you were edible was kind of hard to forget, even when he was in human form.

"Uhm..." he rubbed the back of his head, starting to get confused again. "Why would I get in trouble if I tried to go back to my dorms...?" he asked, blushing slightly. He hated it when other people knew more than he did, but it was just part of life when you were the lowest grade in the school. And, of course, one of the lowest cliques in the grade. If he was caught exiting the girls' dorms sure, he could see himself getting in trouble, but he could always just lie and say that he had been there for a while and lost track of the time. Of course, he wasn't a very good liar, but he didn't think that Addison knew that yet. Then again, maybe she did. Were all shy guys bad liars? It was just like the juniors to have a full dictionary of stereotypes in their heads. Well, Nicki wasn't exactly shy. Around Asia he was, and around bullies he was pretty pathetic, but when he was comfortable in a situation he could be quite nice. Of course... it was more likely that he'd just be plain apathetic and ignore everyone around him. That happened more than he would care to admit.

He glanced over at Asia for a moment when she mentioned the lost homework, then back at the floor. "Uhm... it's due the day after tomorrow. We have a project in the class, so we get more time to work on homework, since we're supposed to be focusing on the project itself." It was a partner project, too, which he really disliked, but oh well. At least he had more wiggle room when his homework was shredded by multiple claws sliding over the surface. He sighed, thinking about how he would just have to do it all over again. "I can probably just ask for another copy of it tomorrow," he admitted. So it wasn't that big of a loss, compared to running through the hallways in his shift form, but he still disliked the idea of redoing something he had been close to finishing. Oh boy, he was going to get in so much trouble tomorrow.

[ADDISON LEIGH OLEANDER]

Addison rolled her eyes at her friends silent response, Asia always seemed to be picking up 'strays', as Addy liked to call them to Asia's disapproval. Strays were random students, generally young, seeking advice, assistance, protection, you name it. "Well, I say you'd get into trouble, not with staff, but have a run in with another fierce predator," The female paused a moment, inching slightly closer to Nicki. The poor boy continued to give off the 'scared shitless' vibe, and it had become rather cumbersome to the cougar in her blood. The whole sensation of the small hallway had been different since the boy had appeared, tense, nervous, awkward, and reeking of critter. Addison came slowly closer to the male, if he wanted to act freaked out, she'd give him a reason to, just to liven up the atmosphere.

"Y'know, maybe a big one this time, massive claws, a mouthful of teeth, something fast and powerful," She cast a look over her shoulder to Asia, the glint in her eye was slightly playful to show her friend she had no intentions of true violence, just a cruel joke. Her eyes fell back to Nicki, fading from stone grey to liquid amber, she even brought on a deep growl from her chest. "Something that'd tear you to shreds faster than that little kitty did to you homework!" She burst out, mocking a pounce at the boy but stopping just short, letting her finger tips tap his nose. And in a sickly sweet voice she continued, "That's why we suggest a little stray like you not wander too far from the big predators like us." A light giggle bubbled up from her throat, patting the short male on the head before collapsing to the floor in more giggles at the look on both the freshmans and juniors faces.

The tall blonde gave a wide, toothy grin to the pair, turning her attention back to the question of homework they had been discussing before her 'little' outburst. "What kind of homework was it?" She asked before leaning against the wall and pressing her cheek to its smooth, cool surface. "Maybe Asia can do it for you! She has no problems with plagiarism!" Addison snorted another laugh, she knew she was being a little rude, or maybe really outrageous, but she didn't quite care. For the time being, this freshie meant little to her, and probably wouldn't for a long while. Which, was totally fine with Addison. She wasn't too keen on the idea of having a shitton of friends anyways, less drama without them.

[Asia Nicole Sedgewick]

As soon as Addison spoke again, Asia had a feeling she knew where this was headed. Her tone sounded so cat-like, like she was toying with her prey. In a sense, she was doing exactly that. The Junior sighed, knowing they were entering dangerous territory once again. It was all fun and games with Addison, but it was going to scare the bejeezus out of Nicki. Her back stiffened, her jaw clenched, she swallowed. No one would have noticed a change in Asia's stance, as she still stood leaning against the wall, watching events unfold carefully. She stared at the back of the blonde's head with her stormy blue eyes, waiting for some kind of reassuring look. The instincts that were rushing to the forefront of her mind were not predatory, but protective.

Wild dogs were not aggressive with their own kind, but they got a bad wrap due to their grisly style of hunting compared to, say, a big cat. Instead of slow strangulation or a quick crushing of the skull, wild dogs opted for a speedy disembowelment. Fearsome, successful predators; mushy and hierarchical family members. Still Asia was not an African wild dog. She just had the instincts of one. Violence was not always the best option, but for high school, it got you point across a lot quicker than word ever would. Right now, though, she was torn. She felt like she needed to protect Nicki, but at the same time she regarded Addison as her friend. So the hierarchical part of her brain said 'let them work it out' while the protective side said 'GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR AND RUN THE COUGAR OFF'.

Before she could make up her mind, that conspiratorial look she was waiting for arrived. Asia's expression was as disapproving as it could be, her eyes never leaving Addy. Nicki wasn't in any danger. Well, maybe some psychological damage, but nothing irreparable. The other Junior sank to the ground, clearly pleased with herself. "Jesus Addison. Was that completely necessary?" She shook her head, but before long she was smirking. Looking back at the freshman, she said, "You're fine. She's not going to eat you. You're safer with us than you would be with anyone else." She smiled reassuringly, reaching out to pat the Freshman on the shoulder.

Asia rolled her eyes at the plagiarism comment, but her good humored expression didn't falter. She was used to the cougar-shifter's erratic behavior, and like everything else she just let the comment slide away. "Just ask for it again. If you were already almost done you shouldn't have trouble filling in the answers again." Sure, it would be a pain, but there weren't any easier alternatives. And she certainly wasn't doing anyone's work for them, as she communicated to Addison with a pointed look.