Hot iron, cold steel, [10 Jan]

[Drake Kasteel]

He knew he wasn't supposed to be here. This was not his scho0ol. He hadn't gone to school since that day. But it was raining heavily outside. He had nowhere else to go. He had not been able to find his way back to the shelter he had been staying at. So there he was,, breaking and entering. Which, for his was as abnormal as it got. Such a thing was wrong. It hurt his heart to even do such a thing. However, now that he was here in this place, Drake supposed he could make it useful to him until he got caught.

Perhaps it was not a very normal sight to see. Expecially not in a heat like this. One would have to be certifiably insane to do what the figure was doing. Clad in a pair of dark black pants with a blue stripe up the sides, and equally dark blue shirt. The shirt was long sleeved, with a reinforced hight necked collar. Over it all was a long cut uniform coat reminiscant of the SS Officer. The heavy long coat nearly dragging the heated sand. It would have had it not been for high knees black jackboots.

The entire unifrom made the large man wearing it that much more intimidating. Well over six and a half feet tall, it seemed amlost surprising how fulidly he moved. Nothing so musclular should move as this man moved. Nothing. Expecially not with the silver blade currently moving though the air.

He knew this was insane. He knew it was already 100 degrees inside. He had turned up the heat in the gym for his own personal reasons. He was used to the blazing heat of the forge. Plus there was the heat that his own body seemed to always radiate. Besides, the heat made it far more enteresting. When one had no opponent, one had to improvize with other challenges. Which was also why he was in full Heidelberg regalia, other than the clothing was the only thing he owned after his luggage had been stolen while he slept.

Could he go though the enire regimene without falling over from heat exhaustion? Probably so. He stood over the fire and the bellows for hours on end, just barely sweating. Could he ingore the own discomforts of his body sizzling away under his coat, or the way sweat dripped from silver blond hair into freezing gray eyes? Could Drake truly make it though the forms. All six or seven hours of it.

He didn't know. And he was going to find out. Lightly kissed in sweat, but breathing as if he'd been running for days, the large german was approaching hour four of this personal trial. Massive silver Zweihander unwavering, though he had switched to the opposite hand. So that his arms wouldn't get too tired from hefting something that was nearly taller than most of the people he had ever met.

His only break was that switch and a mutter of, "Three seconds too slow." In a self critical style he was imfamous for.

[Jamie Doyle]

Monday was Habitat For Humanity, not through the school but through the town which meant Jamie had to put aside at least one Friday and Saturday for training with organization officals.

Tuesday was set aside for his friend, Jillian, and her main cause of animals. Whatever club she went to that day, Jamie faithfully followed along.

Wednesday was, of course, when their school debate club meant up, and there is no way that Jamie would chance missing that. Unfortunately, Young Democrats meant at the local college campus the same day, which meant Jamie's day was fully planned out, what with school, debate, the bus ride, and the political campaigning.

As for weekends, they were a little harder to schedule but most Fridays Jamie spent at the local soup kitchen when he could, and Saturday and Sundays he either did volunteering or programs for one of the many other organizations he participated in.

So it would seem, over all, that Jamie kept himself busy through out the week with his various causes. The only day he ever had free was Thursday, but he was about to fix that. It wasn't so much that Jamie had no friends, but typically they were all in the same organizations and he couldn't imagine a better way of spending his time than saving the world. In this case, he had to come all the way to the public high school to find a GSBA to join, but it would be well worth it to spend his Thursdays supporting other kids and setting the world right. This was just what Jamie did.

Well, of course, first Jamie had to actually find the meeting. Jillian had told him about the club and when it meant, but somehow in all her ramblings he missed WHERE in the school they actually convened. Seeing as Jamie didn't attend Hallam, it was going to be awfully hard to find even if he knew the room they meant in.

Wherever it was, he hoped it wasn't in here. Jamie stepped into the gym, since it's the first door into the school he sees and almost ran right back out again. How did they train kids at this school, by testing their ability to survive volcanic explosions? Jamie wiped some sweat already creeping out from under his hair off his face and took a look around the giant microwave. He only saw one person, and older man in a track suit who was built like his older brother, only more so. Must have been the gym teacher, or possibly Lucifer if he locked kids in this room to exercise.

Jamie considered turning around and running back out. Maybe not running, he was a little too hot for that after only a few seconds of standing in the gym, and Jamie had never been in the best of shape. His brothers' favorite term was generally 'wimp'. Plus, well, the guy was huge and Jamie didn't want to tempt any homophobia out of him by asking about the club. No, he could do this. He wasn't afraid of confrontation, even with someone twice his size. He'd gotten into plenty of fights with his brothers, he could do this.

"Um..." Jamie stuck out his hand like he needed to ask a question in class, trying to get the man's attention. "Excuse me, do you know where the GSBA meets?" See that, he didn't stumble or anything, just came out with it and asked and if the man didn't like it, well, Jamie wasn't going to back down on something he believed in, not even if it meant being a little terrified.

[Drake Kasteel]

He had at first not heard the entrance of the young man into the heated domain that he had snuck into. He hadn’t heard, but he had felt it. Drake was so focused and so connected to the fire and the forge, he could tell the strange subtle shifting between the heat of the room with the door open and the door closed. He had felt the slight shift when the door opened to allow his guest inside. Not that this was his home. Right now, his home was a nice quiet alleyway, under an old rusted staircase. Not exactly the greatest of places, but he couldn’t’ afford anywhere else. He was sure that if he tried to sell the silver he made, he’d go to jail under suspicion of theft, or worse.

However, at the moment, Drake had something more important to worry about. It was probably a very good thing that he was so stoic. It was probably good that he was not at all excitable. Had he been , it might have been a grave threat to the boy who had entered. Drake was, after all, holding a six foot tall, seventeen pound sword of pure silver. He was not a violent person though, despite his strength and his looks. He envisioned himself a modern knight. Even if he was so tarnished that he couldn’t even look himself in a mirror anymore.

For a moment, Drake considered putting the sword back where he had gotten it from. He didn’t think that would be smiled upon. He knew better than to use his gifts around others. He had learned what happened when people knew what he was and what he could do. He also didn’t think he could convince this young onlooker that he had never seen a sword at all after it was returned to the very ground Drake had pulled it from. Instead, he slowly lowered the blade and then very very carefully placed it on the gym floor. He took five steps away from it, so that he could not reach it without effort.

He was very careful when he looked up, so that the other could see his face slowly. He knew that a lot of time, the reaction to the ugly scar that sliced his face cleanly in half was usually not a happy one. When he finally locked eyes upon the younger male, he frowned a little. Just a slight bit. Not because he was upset about being caught. He was frowning because he knew he was going to have to answer the boy in his terribly thick and broken English.

“I…am sorry. I am not knowing vhat you are talking about. I am not being from this school either. I was thinking that this gym vas open to everyone. I am guessing I vrong, ja? I am not even knowing vhat these letters are meaning. But I am thinking I can help you finding this place. If you are being pleased to not tell that I vas being in here.” Despite his size, and the rich deep rumbling of the German’s bass tones, his voice conveyed guilt and hesitance.

[Jamie Doyle]

The twitch across Jamie's features was entirely unintentional. He hated being one of those magazine-minded people who the claws of capitalism had ripped at so that they judged everything on the shallow outset of appearance. Jamie honestly believed people were, as a whole, better than that, and you didn't have to fall for the advertising on-slaughter unless you wanted to. Jamie certainly didn't want to. Still, before he can stop himself, Jamie's mind flashed to the fact that this man should be the last one playing around with swords.

He shook that thought away as quick as he could. See, no, judging people on looks alone was such a shallow, non-world changing attitude. One Jamie was determined to keep out, just like everything else he saw as being harmful or bad. That was plenty of things, too, all collected in his mental list so he wouldn't cross those lines. He wasn't about to judge him on his accent, either. It sounded German, but Jamie didn't want to appear ignorant if it was from some other country, or perhaps the man would rather he just not ask. It's too bad, Jaime spoke a little German, it came from living there a year while his father was stationed over in Europe. He also got to see the Philippines because of the same constant moving the army had them doing.

"Oh, well, that's fine. I didn't mean to interrupts you're... um, practice." Jamie can't even imagine what he was doing all alone, fighting with himself in a school gym. In fact, he was pretty sure it was illegal, not just because he didn't belong here but weapons seemed like a bad idea when it came to things to carry around a high school. To each their own though, right, and Jamie didn't have too much of a problem with illegal actives, all things considered. "You should be careful though," he added, realizing the man might not realize the zero tolerance policy in place by most high schools if he didn't go here. "You could get in trouble for carrying a weapon onto school property." Jamie got in trouble for that once, and that was simply a picket sign that apparently was too pointed at the end.

[Drake Kasteel]

Drake could see the slight twitch. He couldn’t help but not see it. It was something he looked for. He always looked for those small little ticks that would give another away. He could tell right away that the younger male found his looks a little repulsive. At least that was what he thought. It was hard to think of himself in any other fashion when his own mind saw himself as that. He was defaced. He was not anything to look at. People didn’t look, they stared. At the twitch, Drake straightened up more. He straightened until he stood at his full impressive height of well over six and a half feet tall.

His massive, powerfully muscled arms crossed over a truly impressive barrel chest. He wasn’t; crossing his arms because he was angry. Not at all. He was doing it in an unconscious effort to protect his diminished feelings. So long as he did that, he could block out whatever might be causing him pain. Even if it was just the normal staring that he had grown accustomed to over this last year.

He did not know that this boy had lived in Germany. Drake would have been happier if he could talk to the young man in his own language. He hated the fact that he was so very poor at English. He hated that every other word was fumbled over or mispronounced. He hated that he had to think about what he was saying for a long time before he let it come out. He hated most of all that no matter what he did, or how much he tried to kill the feeling, he grew frustrated by it all. So much so that he wanted to throw the nearest dictionary across the room he was in, just to make himself feel a little better. Even if that wasn’t what a knight did.

“You did not bothering me. I vas almost being finished vhen you vere arriving.” He wasn’t really, and he hated himself even more because of it. He didn’t’ tell lies. He just didn’t. in fact, the moment after those words left, his head hung in shame, silver shaded blond hair falling in front of his face just slightly in the ragged uneven cut. It was not enough to hide his face or his shame. “I vas not done but I do not belong. I do not know about the rules here in this place. It is better here than to do it out there…vhere anyone could see me.” He trailed off and took a few steps, He walked straight past the sword on the ground and towards the young man. As he did, he hoped that this boy wouldn’t notice how threadbare and bedraggled he was. “I am being careful, Herr stranger. I did not take that in here vith me.” He would not say how he got it. He knew the rules about magic and not talking about it. “It vill go avay vhen I leave this room.”

He still was approaching the young man. “You are needing help to find these letters of yours, ja? I vould like to be helping. That vay, I am having a gutt reason for being here vhen I know I am not supposed to be.”

[Jamie Doyle]

"Um... Alright." It occurred to Jamie that this man could be crazy. A crazy man with a very sharp sword. Great, that’s the second time he’s tried to judge this guy based on nothing. Maybe he just got confused with some of the words, it was clear English wasn’t his first language, or at least not with his accent. It would be nice if Jamie gave him a break, that was what he should do instead of standing here making assumptions. They make an ass out of people, he tried to remember that.

“No, no it’s fine,” he said, shaking his head at the offer of help. Not that he wasn’t still helplessly lost, but he didn’t want to bother the other guy. He came into school with a sword - maybe - and didn’t seem very familiar with the place. Jamie didn’t want to bother him more by trying to get him to lead him around a school unfamiliar to the both of them. “I mean, you can come if you want but…” Jamie hated this. He’s so much better at talking to people when it for some cause. Actual conversation scares the crap out of him, and he just tried his hardest not to offend people.

“Oh, you could say I’m your kid, if anyone asks,” Jamie added quickly, always ready to help, and so much better at it than just talking uselessly about nothing. He didn’t seem so dangerous, and if he needed an excuse if a security guard asked, then Jamie didn’t see why he should get in trouble when he could be the guy’s excuse. He smiled, proud of that excuse, thinking it would definitely work and at least he did something helpful.

[Drake Kasteel]

Drake hoped that the other was understanding him well enough. He knew his English was not all that great. He knew that. He didn’t like to repeat himself though. It made him feel even more stupid and foolish than he already did. It was probably good that Drake was not a mind reader. If he was, he would be quite upset deep down over all the nasty assumptions that were being made about him. He had enough to worry about as it was. Lie that he had been caught in a place he didn’t belong. And that he had been caught with something made with his magic. The only relief was that Drake hadn’t sprouted those useless little silver dragon wings. At least his body would listen to him, even if this boy before him did not.

He tilted his head to one side a little as the other continued to refuse him. He supposed he should just leave it alone. He couldn’t. The young smith just could not let this even younger male wonder around a school looking for letters that made no sense to Drake. Besides, this boy had been the first to talk to him. Actually talk. Not take one good look and run the other way. Or not totally ignore him because he lived under a fire escape.

“I vould like to be coming vith, ja? That vay it is looking like I am belonging here.” He blinked again, even more confused than before. He slowly uncrossed his arms and pet them into his pockets to make himself slouch a little, to help him seem just slightly smaller. Not that six and a half feet could ever be small.

“Herr stranger…How old are you thinking I am?” He wasn’t insulted as he was curious. He knew he was quite a large person. He was over three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He had dragon in his blood stream. Plus he was a smith, making him that much stronger looking. His hair tone didn’t help maters either. But he really was only twenty years old. He gave a very unemotional sigh. More to himself than to the younger male, Drake muttered in German. He didn‘t know the boy actually knew German. He thought his words would be safe. “I suppose sleeping on the streets ages me.”

[Jamie Doyle]

"Oh..." Managing something between a sheepish smile and a grimace, Jamie had the feeling that he had said something off and insulting. Completely by accident but still.... This was why he tried not to do the whole social conversation, it never turned out well for him. When he kept his mouth shut or - better yet - when he was protesting or debating something, than Jamie could do a wonder with words and never felt so embarrassed as he did after even a second of just... plain talking. Playing the part of a normal teenage boy instead of radical activist.

Biting his lip, Jamie took a step back, trying to weigh in his options of what he could say now. Clearly he'd messed up with the age guess, and now he had to attempt a quick fix. I he guessed too low, it would be clear he was lying and what he said earlier would look even more ignorant. On the other hand, guess too high and he would just look like an insulting idiot. Which didn't leave him a lot of chooses.

"Twenty five?" Jamie asked with an almost frightened looking smile. No, too low. He was sure that was too low, at least way too low to have him as a kid. "But then, I'm told I look twelve," he said quickly as some sort of cover, not that it helped at all, and he knew it but blurted it out all the same, trying to save himself at least somewhat.

He needed to just stick to saving bunnies in science labs from now on.

[Drake Kasteel]

Maybe it was a bit insulting. But only a little. It was actually rather difficult to really insult the large man. Especially not like that. It was actually a little bit of praise for someone to think that he was older. But not that much older. He wasn’t old enough to have a child. Not a child as old as the young men right before him. At least though, the young man seemed not to notice the words he had muttered in his native tongue. At least this man didn’t know the dire straights Drake was living in. So, regardless of what age the other guessed, Drake could try his hardest not to feel anything but what he normally felt, which was almost nothing.

“Actually, you are being very close.” He observed softly. Normally, people did think of his as older because of his muscles and bulk. He ended his short stroll to stand right next to the young man. This close, it wasn’t hard not to notice how much bigger he was. This close it was impossible for Drake to be anything but dragoon blooded. Even when he wasn’t using his magic, his size gave him away every time. He didn’t even bother to look back. He knew in a few more minutes, the sword he had been using would dissipate. Even now, he could feel it slowly starting to fade, as the magic was no longer being pumped into it.

“I am being twenty years.” He informed. He frowned a little, despite his personal promise he wouldn’t get angry. He wasn’t. He was a little disappointed that this young man seemed so afraid of him. Drake didn’t think he posed a threat right now. He had left the weapon behind. He had done nothing to the boy. He hadn’t even touched the kid yet. He wondered if it was because this close, the dirt of the street was plainly visible on his clothing. And the slight rumbling of his stomach that he constantly ignored was audible.

“But they are tell you vrong, Herr Stranger. You are looking like you are belonging at this place.” He was trying to tell this young man that he looked like a normal teenager. “But, Herr stranger, you are looking for something. You are not vanting to be late, ja? Lateness is not a good trait.”

[Jamie Doyle]

Oh, God, Jamie can't believe he said that line about the child thing. He was way, way off, by at least ten years, and five when he guessed out loud! He was going to die of embarrassment. Blood was going to rush to his cheeks and hemorrhage in his brain, and Jamie would die, it was as simple as that. He'd already figured it out, because just about any time that Jamie had a conversation with someone that wasn't political, he ended up looking like an idiot or an ass or just a child, and it always left his face a bright red that made it clear to anyone passing by how horrible Jamie was at being social. Why couldn't everyone just want to talk politics with him? It would make conversations so much easier.

"Ah, right.." He fiddled with the strap of his backpack over his arm a bit, smiling up at the strange and hoping that he didn't total hate Jamie for the age thing. He seemed to be taking it alright, but then he could be secretly pissed or just waiting for Jamie to leave to mutter about him in private. You never could tell, and Jamie still felt plenty guilty for saying such a stupid thing. "Yeah, I guess I better find the place... Are you still coming?" He asked, not sure if the other man wanted to follow him now that Jamie had messed up with this whole conversation. Probably believed Jamie was just another clueless American student, an embarrassment to the world stage, which was the last impression he wanted to make.

"Oh! And a rude American at that. Jamie stopped playing with the strap of his bag and held out his hand. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm Jamie... James, really, but call me Jamie. And you?" At least he finally remember his manners, even if it was after all of that. His mom would slap him outside of the head for going this long without the basics.

[Drake Kasteel]

Drake was really trying to get the younger male out of the gym before the sword on the floor faded away. He had been registered of course. But that had been in Germany. This was America. He had no idea if the ACs had to reregister when they came to another country or not. Not that he had an place to register at. He doubted that many street folk with exceptional skills like himself were actually registered. It did bother him that he might be doing something so wrong and illegal…but if his defense, he was absolutely ignorant about the way America worked. Until just a few months ago, Drake had been planning on living all his life in Germany. He was glad that he had such a large frame. He could feel the silver sword ebbing back into the ether and he maneuvered his frame so that his muscled body could block the sight of the slowly disappearing blade.

“Ja. I vould still like to be coming vith you.” He answered without even thinking about it. Anything to get out of the gym before the younger male took notice of the magic hanging about the place. Even if he didn’t know what it was they were going to. Even if this boy was a stranger, anything was preferable to being found out as an illegal so early on. If he was found, drake was sure he would end right back up in the one place he never wanted to see again…his home town. Even thinking of that place and the people there made the scar on his face burn painfully.

“I vill be needing you to be explaining things to me though. I am very new to this country…It vould be less questionable if you vere showing around a German you are helping to Americanize, ja?” Sure, it would be a lie. Drake hated lies so much that it felt to him like he wanted to vomit for even suggesting that. He would actually rather the boy drag him to his letter meeting and tell the truth. He would rather be known as the strange man with the six foot tall magic sword that insisted on helping to find the meeting. Even that was better to him than the half truth he was asking for Jamie to say.

He tried to crowd the younger male out of the sweltering gym and into the hall. As he did, he too realized he had not been very thorough with his manners. It had been this young man who had remembered them first. Surely, back in that place…his grandfather was having a stroke because of how forgetful and rude Drake was being. But Drake was going to get ruder very quickly.

The silvery goliath stared at the hand held out to him. Drake did not like being touched. He couldn’t stand it at all. He knew his flesh was very warm and very hard to the touch. He knew sometimes, when he wasn’t careful, his skin could feel like the scales of a large lizard. Most of all, there was a deeply hidden irrational fear. Not that he would hurt the other with his strength, but that he himself would be harmed. The last person he had touched had later been the same one who had sliced his face so dramatically. Drake was sure he’d not be able to take it again if he was so hurt and betrayed by anyone. Least of all by a stranger. His silvery grey eyes locked on the hand and for a moment, he frowned. There was a curt nod of the head but he made no move to take the outstretched hand in his.

“I am called Drake, Herr Jamie… Und I am being honored to be meeting you. I am being three months in this country.” He trailed off and sighed. The sword he had left on the ground behind him as no longer present. It had completely vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there. He hoped Jamie would not notice. “Ve are going not, ja? I am sure you vill be seeing others if ve are vondering the halls und looking into the rooms.”

[Jamie Doyle]

"Oh, hey..." Jamie perked up some, turning to smile at Drake as they started down the hallway. Not that it was at all hard to get Jamie to perk up. The mention of just about anything political or tasty would do it every time, which covered more than one would think. In this case, though, it was Germany that caught Jamie's attention. So he had recognized the accent, mostly, and had been right about Drake, somewhat.

"I know Germany," he pointed out, walking away from the gym without catching onto a thing. For a boy who picks apart so many government laws and bills, he wasn't too great at noticing small details like disappearing swords. "I mean," he added with a quick and nervous laugh. "I lived in Germany. Of course I know it but.. Yeah, I lived there a while." Just a while, of course. It didn't seem like Jamie's family lived at any one base for too long, except this one of course, but he did at least remember living in Germany. He hadn't been that young at the time, he even picked up some of the language.

”I really liked it over there,” Jamie said happily, then realized that probably sounded silly to Drake. Like he cared what this one high school student thought of his home country. Jamie just blurted it out, not thinking of that first. Well, at least he didn’t mention how one of his first crushes on a guy had been in Germany. That was probably best left to himself.

[Drake Kasteel]

Drake, though a reticent stoic felt a great bit of relief and contentment when it seemed that the young man took no notice of the magic that held together his silver swords vanished into the ether. Even more relieved was that the young man seemed more than willing to allow him to tag along. He was so used to others reacting badly to him once he was up close to them. Standing next to Jamie as he was, he knew how much larger he was. Even without showing what he really was, it was hard not to tell that Drake was different. It was there to be seen in his iron hard muscles and his silvery blond hair. Still, this younger male seemed more than willing to be with him in a desolate school hallway.

He didn’t know what suddenly made the young man so happy. It confused the German a bit to see Jamie suddenly more energetic. He soon found out why it was. It would seem that the young man had been to his home country. As far as Drake was concerned, he missed his homeland some, but there was too much pain associated with that country. He could no longer lived there. He could not go back to that place. He was too shamed and too scarred by one person who lived there to ever return. It also worried him a bit that the boy might know German after all. If he had heard about Drake’s pathetic homeless state, he didn’t know what he would do. He was a proud man. It was hard for him to let anyone else know his failings and weaknesses.

“You were living there for how long?” he wondered. “I have been living there all my life until I came to America this year.” He didn’t want to say more as to why he came left the place he had called home for so long. He didn’t have to. As he spoke, Drake lifted his hand to lightly stroke over the very bottom portion of his rather large facial scar. He did it often as it was a very bad habit he had developed. He often touched upon that mark when he spoke of things upsetting to him. As he touched the mark upon his face, he trailed off his talking for a moment. When Drake started up again, he had changed the subject. His hand dropped as if to say the previous subject was closed.

[b]“This school…Are you being a student here? I am thinking this is looking like a good school. If they are letting me get a green card, I was thinking of finding work here.” Drake needed a job too. He couldn’t make money working a forge he didn’t have. He didn’t want to start making silver as was his special talent, because sooner or later, someone would start getting suspicious of how he was getting such a pure, yet strong metal.