Carrick’s nose scrunched for a second before he added to Kai ”Well if I knew he would have catch you I wouldn’t have tried to save your crazy arse, would I?” Carrick asked as he took the hand offered to him and shook it firmly. There was a silence for a moment but once their hands met and an equally firm grip Carrick smirked and nodded his head, ”Like wise Kai…”

After the shake and now firmly planted on the ground Carrick looked to the tree then to Kai, ”Falling I can do, you want to see it first hand?” Carrick asked as he opened his wings and closed them. It wasn’t the falling he was afraid of, in fact he reveled in the feeling of your stomach dropping a mile a minute, no the thing he was afraid of was being stuck in that tree, he didn’t like it when his wings were bound he was after all a free bird.

He wasn’t serious about taking Kai falling; it was his way of teasing, ”Why were you on the building to begin with?” Carrick asked in all seriousness quickly turning it back into a joke, ”Was it Jack or the giant that took something from you?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t mind the free fall for a moment , but I’m not sure that I’d like to experience it from any significantly greater height.” He shuddered, “I don’t think my trees could catch me.”

>>”Why were you on the building to begin with? Was it Jack or the giant that took something from you?”

Kai snorted. “No, nothing like that.” This guy sure did have a good sense of the cliché. “It was the climbing vine. In case you hadn’t guessed, plants and vines are kind of my thing. Anyway, I was saying hello to the climbing vine and it… well it was a sweet elevator straight to the top.”

He laughed a little bit. “Man, it must have been funny from your perspective! So what were you doing, flying around up there. Spying?” If Carrick could be cavalier and make jokes, so could he.

Carrick smirked at Kai and nodded his head, ”People watching is a hobby of mine, I was actually just coming down from a flight when I noticed a boy hanging on the side of the building.” a shrug, ”Had to check it out, stuff like this are often the reason why I like this place so much, a lot of interesting people.” Carrick said as he looked to the tree he was held captive in then back to the boy who released him from the trees clutches.

”Sooo…when you talk to plants… they talk back?” Carrick asked still not sure how his powers work, ”Can’t believe it would be much of a conversation,” he raised his hand and pretended he was a tree, ”This sunlight is delicious, yum! Water!” he lowered his hands and smirked, ”Then again, if you like that sort of thing…” Carrick shrugged and laughed, ”To each there own.”

Looking to the tree again Carrick walked over to it and patted it with a serious look on his, ”I’m sorry I used you as a bathroom my first week here…” looking back to Kai he smirked and stepped away form the tree, ”Interesting power at least, mine is a bit more obvious.” Carrick said as he turned his back to Kai and wagged his bushy lion like tail, ”I have a tail!” Carrick said as he laughed purposely avoiding mentioning his wings, which were an obvious part of his mutation.

Turning back to face Kai, ”Speaking of interesting I’m supposed to get me a roommate today…” Carrick said still not really sure how he was supposed to react to the news. ”Just hope he isn’t and Eejit, last thing I need is another one of those mucking up my parade…”

Kai nodded. He also liked people watching. Nodded. He talked to plants. Nod. They talk back. “Well, they don’t always need ‘words’ for those types of things, but you would be surprised what trees and other plants can tell you. What they notice around them and the stories they tell.” And yes, the sunlight is delicious…

Carrick had once used the tree as a bathroom. Nod- Hey wait a minute! Grimacing, he let that particular comment pass. It wasn’t an unheard of or even uncommon thing. …Carrick has a tail. Nod, cock head to side. It seemed like a stupid comment to make, but “…And the wings, of course. Or did you buy those at a Renaissance festival instead of fairy wings?”

“Anyway, my power can be visual if I want it to be. Or I can pass, undetected, by the evil forces around us.” He laughed...

>> “Speaking of interesting I’m supposed to get me a roommate today..”

His died on his lips. “Oh. Well I can pretty much guarantee that your new roommate will pretty much be awesome.” Kai held up the key that he’d picked up only short moments before.

The officials at the mansion moved fast. He’d been put on the list only the day before. And he’d really thought that it was more of an interest list, rather than a ‘sign here and we’ll show you to your new room’ type of list. But, that morning, express mail, he’d gotten a letter from them. It was actually the reason that he was on the mansion grounds that day. He was surveying his potential new digs.

The more Kai spoke about the conversations he had with plants the more it scared Carrick, were plants really sentient beings could they think and feel? If they could what ever he learned in biology was incorrect. He smirked, as he added that to his reasons why school was useless, mutants defied the laws of it. ”They were all out of the dragon wings actually, got stuck with these…” Carrick said as they opened up and curled around in front of him so he could brush his fingers upon the soft feathers, something he did when he was younger to help him get to sleep.

Eyeing the key in Kai’s hand Carrick smirked and shook his head, ”Ha really? Awesome isn’t the exact word I’d use…” he looked up to the window and then back at Kai, ”Well if you are my new roommate that’s our room, got a fully stocked fridge and everything!” Carrick said with a proud grin glad he found it at a near by garbage dump. Honestly all it needed was a little spit shine and it was good as new.

”Never had a roommate before!” laughed as his wings opened up and shot back fully extended behind him, ”You wanna see where you’ll be sleeping? Carrick asked as he jumped up into the air and flew towards the side of the school where a window was open, ”Race ya there!”

The race was on! Even though Kai knew that he couldn’t beat Carrick through the window- unless he could also fly. And, his new roommate had a head start. So he would have to settle for making a dramatic entrance, rather than a super-speedy one. Thankfully, the maple tree was growing under their window and they hadn’t strayed from under it. Could you catapult me through that window there? He hoped the tree would understand and be able to figure out how best to grab him without hurting him.

A branch leaned down, its leafy ends touching the ground. Kai hopped on, trying to place his feet where they would continue to be supported. He crouched low. Okay, now! The branch snapped up and forward, launching him with a considerable force. As the wall of the building came barreling closer and closer, Kai realized that he should have thought about aim a little more. Too late now!

Whoosh!

Miraculously, he made it through the open and waiting window. Unfortunately, it seemed that he also needed to practice landings. He crumpled into an ungraceful ball after sliding across the floor.

“Ugh,” he groaned. “I think you won that round…”

It wasn’t much of a race by the time Carrick was in the room and on his bed sitting and waiting Kai came in through the window on his method of transportation. He smirked a the thought of a giant tree house for a moment before he nodded his head, ”If I knew you were going to take that long I would have gone to the kitchen first to make me a sammich or something…” he was on the floor since the landing and within seconds Kai was in front of his energy drink tower, ”Careful!” Carrick said standing on the bed and hoping down next to Kai ready to help him up so he wouldn’t knock over the tower of red bull cans that stood in the middle of the floor.

It was something he did when he was bored, his way of cleaning his room seeing once upon a time the floor was littered with cans and garbage, now it was just garbage. For the cans were neatly stacked in a pyramid standing four feet high. Almost eye level with him. ”Cool right?” Carrick asked as he turned to admire his small monument.

On a full glance of his room Carrick realized that it wasn’t the neatest room by any means. Wrappers of candy and junk food littered the floor on his side of the room while only a little birdseed was on the other side of the room where Kai would be sleeping. ”It’s a bit messy, but it’s like my room back home….” Carrick said with a smile as he walked over to his desk where there were no signs of books or homework on it. Instead an upside down skateboard looked up at him. It was old and matted scratched and slightly bent but Carrick picked it up and flipped it over standing on it.

”Found this at the junkyard, be amazed to see what people throw away…” he rolled slightly on it knowing he had no real talent for it but continued to roll about in his room stopping only when he got close to a wall. Stopping and turning to spot a few other things he picked up at the junk yard. ”Whatcha think?”

Apparently his [potentially] new roommate was a hoarder. Looking around at the stacks of trash and recyclables, Kai thought that something MUST live in all of this mess. Surprisingly, he actually couldn’t sense any mold or moss… though he might be able to fix that if he really wanted a clean room. Roommates could argue with your ‘opinions’ but when there was literal mold to back up your claim, well, that was a little more legitimate.

He evaluated the situation briefly before speaking. “Not bad,” he complimented the tower of cans. “I don’t really mind too much mess, but if I move in, would you mind a few green inhabitants?” He was already planning which plants would go where, mentally devoting his entire desk to a garden.

“Oh, and I brought one today, if that’s okay. It’s a miniature pine tree.” He hoped the answer was ‘yes’ because no place would feel like home without that little reminder of his brother and the comfort of a plant-friend. Mess he could take, but a lack of plants he wouldn’t tolerate.

Looking around his room he smirked and scratched the back of his head, ”What mess?” knowing fully well what he was talking about Carrick made a mental note about attempting to clean his room in the near future. If his mother decided to make a surprise appearance any time in the near future she would kick his arse up and down the mansion till he had it clean. Heck even his da might comment on how dirty his room was, he wouldn’t do anything if it was just him but if his mother was there… shuddering at the thought he decided to underline his mental note a few times making it more urgent to look into before it was to late.

”Sure, we could make the room go green…” Carrick said as he looked around the room once again wondering how a tree would look growing in their room. Of course his idea of a tree was a large oak tree that would most likely end up growing out of their room and out into the backyard. It took tree house to a new level.

”You know what would look like the business?” Carrick asked looking at his tower of red bull cans, ”You want to try and make a chair or two of red bull cans and some of your plants?” Carrick asked picturing it looking like a throne. It might have been a bit much but Carrick was usually considered to be over the top from time to time.

”Again, it’s cool…” Carrick said as he opened his wings and flapped them once before landing on his bed jumping a few times then sitting down. ”You planning on super sizing it?” Carrick asked his head tilted slightly when he asked Kai.

Red bull can plant chair? Hm… “We could certainly discuss such a chair- but I don’t know if it would be very comfortable.” Kai was so excited about the plants that he was willing to agree to just about anything at that moment. “Hold on!”

He bolted out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, through the entrance way, and out to his van. He grabbed the pine and carted it back through that same journey. With an elegant leap, he made a grand and graceful entrance into the room, to make up for the last time he had entered it not-so-gracefully.

“This is the pine!” He considered the plant, then gave his honest answer. “I don’t think I’d let it grow a whole lot more. It kind of takes to being this size for one, and for another, it wouldn’t fit in the room if it got much bigger.” But apparently big plants were acceptable. He filed that bit of information away for a later time, taking it as a verbal contract of permission. Maybe he could even have the tree outside lean a little closer. They could have their own balcony!

Nodding his head Carrick figured as much but still how many people could say they had a stable chair out of red bull, not many that’s for sure and if he would be the first to have it, well then that was something that would make it all the better. Before he could say anything about the design of the chair Kai told him to hold on and then he left the room. ”Hold on to what!?!” Carrick called out behind him as he remained on the bed waiting for a response.

Growing bored sitting on his bed Carrick turned over to lay flat onto his bed his head hanging off the side to look to see what was under his bed. Blinking once and pulling out a pizza box Carrick opened it up to find a sock… ”YES! I FOUND IT!” he exclaimed as he removed the sock from the box and then placed the box back where he had found it. It was one of the lost socks, what it was doing in the pizza box Carrick didn’t quite remember but what he did know now was he finally had three full pairs of socks now.

Within a few minutes of finding his sock which was smelling rather foul Carrick noticed the reappearance of Kai and one of his green buddies. Dropping the tinted sock Carrick rolled over and got off of his bed and walked over to the plant that Kai had dubbed ‘Pine’. Reaching for one of the branches and shaking it gently with a loose grip Carrick smiled, ”Hello Pine, I’m Carrick nice to meet you!” Looking back to Kai he smiled, ”You have any place in particular you want to put it?”

Kai smiled back at Carrick as he addressed the miniature pine. Maybe he looked just as silly when he did it, but for some reason seeing Carrick try to shake the plant’s… branch, was sooo funny to him. He knew at once that if he could be this understanding and interested in Kai’s plants, he would be a good choice for roommates.

Sprout, move that branch up and down, he directed the pine. They’d known each other so long (Kai and the Pine) that he did it without question. He’s trying to say ‘hello’ to you. He explained anyway, out of respect for his long time plant friend who didn’t really have any idea why he was being grabbed by someone-not-Kai.

“His name is Sprout." Kai introduced them. "And I think I’ll stick him…” he looked around for a clear surface. “I was thinking on the desk, but he doesn’t necessarily need quite that much direct sunlight. I think on top of the dresser would work nicely.”

When the branch moved up and down on it’s own in the palm of his hand Carrick’s surprise could be seen on his face. His jaw opened slightly and he blinked. Not really sure how to respond. Yes, he had seen some of Kai’s control over plants before with the tree he got caught up in but he was a bit more concerned with other things to fully appreciate his mutation.

Now however was different. ”Deadly!” Carrick chirped up a second later as he let go of the plant limb and placed his hand back at its side where it was a few minutes before. Taking a few steps back Carrick watched Kai place Sprout in his place before leaving it upon Kai’s dresser. ”It’s looking greener in here already tree hugger!” Carrick said with a smile to his roommate hoping the new nickname wouldn’t offend.

The room was looking more homely already all they needed to do now is get the floor cleaned up, and with a roommate as cool as Kai seemed Carrick was more than willing to occasionally toss things out instead of leaving them on the floor or under his bed to keep his roommate from leaving.

Carrick’s face was priceless when Sprout moved his branch by himself, and he took it all in stride. Kai snatched up his plant and bounced over to the dresser, depositing it on the flat surface. He was extremely pleased with his placement- both of the plant on the dresser and his placement with his roommate.

>>”It’s looking greener in here already tree hugger!”

Kai grinned at the nickname, “And what should I call you, falcon? Super-man?” He laughed a little at his own joke. “Seriously though, I’m glad we’re going to room together and I will bring some of my stuff by next week, I haven’t really packed yet.”

Now, mushy stuff aside, Kai grabbed a spare pillow off the otherwise bare bed and leapt across the room onto the other bed to pummel Carrick in their first (probably of many) roommate-pillow fight.