Cammie & Julian

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Cammie and Julian meet and 'bond' over fighting shows.

Homework. To be precise, reading. Lots of reading. Julian carried several books down the hallway, unable to study in his room with the his suite-mates making so much noise. Instead, he was headed for the relative quietness of the rec lounge- where he could expect a little background noise, but could still concentrate. He strolled into the open area and found a table near the window. The only other person in the place at the time was an attractive girl with green hair. Julian tried to catch her eye as he passed the couch, but she seemed firmly focused on her show. With a sigh he picked up the first book in the stack and cracked it open- this promised to be a long night.

Cammie was still nursing a sore nose and, well, everything else from her workout earlier. It might not have put her in the best mood, but the show she was watching was a pick me up on its own. She went from being beat on to watching other guys get beat on. Always a good thing to watch in her opinion. Discovery was having a marathon of some fighting show and it was good stuff.

She didn't not notice the kid that wandered in as she lounged on the couch watching the show. He was one of the sushi kids if she remembered right. Cammie had spent most of that dinner eating the wasabi and tormenting Pointy Red.

After a moment when the show rolled over to commercial and she didn't have to worry about missing someone getting a few broken bones she sat up a little and looked at the kid, "Weren't you at the Sushi thing the other night?"

Not even through page one, Julian looked up at her, suddenly able to place her as the girl who'd tagged along on the Sushi thing. "Yeah, so were you right? I mean, of course you would, or you wouldn't know that I was there." He flashed her one of his heart melting smiles and set the book down on the table, since it wouldn't be very difficult to find the first page. "I don't remember introducing myself, I'm Julian."

She raised an eyebrow at the smile. It was funny, a kid trying to charm her. But whatever he wanted, she supposed. She wasn't going to encourage it, but neither was she going to stop him. It was like real world entertainment. She could handle that.

"Yeah. It's not like I'm psychic or anything. And in this case it's not a bad joke, I'm really not a mind reader," and good thing too, she thought. "Julian, huh?" she said, sitting up a little if only because laying back was starting to hurt. Not a comfortable couch; or not a comfortable back. Likely, it was a bit of both. "I wasn't really introducing myself at the dinner."

She certainly wasn't the first girl he'd run up against here who was immune to his charms. Julian toned down the smile and turned to face her. "Yeah, weren't you the one sucking down the wasabi and picking on Callie? What was up with that? Were you on something?" He kept smiling, trying to indicate his sarcasm, but something told him he hadn't gotten that across.

"Yeah, I was on the wasabi, possibly the only thing at the table that tasted like anything at all. Well, some of the fish was okay," she said thinking back. "And yeah, the kid's cute. But honestly, I thought she'd buy into the fact I was lying to my teeth when I related my 'life's story' as being a combination of just about every movie I've seen," Cammie said with a laugh. She hadn't been joking when she had told Callie that 90% of every thing she said was total bull shit.

"Yeah, I think I remember you saying something about wrestling a shark...what's your power anyway? Super strength...animal manipulation..." he paused, hesitating to add the worst power he could think of to the list, "breathing underwater?"

"I'm just like Aqua Man," Cammie said easily, grinning from ear to ear evilly. She wondered if he'd catch on or not. If he didn't this could get to be so much fun. "I even have my own underwater kingdom, but then I got screwed out of it and they turned it into Sea World."
Given the years he'd spent in the in crowd and being groomed to take over for his father when the man got too old- not that he was welcome to that position anymore- Julian knew how to read people. She was lying, but not maliciously, so he had no reason to bust her on it. "Ah, I'd heard that Lord Shamu was looking for someone. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he said with a wink.

"Good, good. Don't want to go letting on that I'm royalty and stuff," Cammie said with a wave of her hand and turned back towards the TV. The show was back on. "Oh, that hurt," she said, focusing on the fight again. "That really hurt."

Julian got up and got closer to the couch to see what she was watching. The TV showed a rather intense fist fight between two men in what had to be china, given the trees and architecture around them. It had been a long time since his dad had taken him to China- they hadn't made that trip since Hong Kong got turned back over to the Chinese. "What is this?"

"Fight Quest," Cammie said now watching the fight in earnest. "Damn! That guy is getting his ass kicked!" she said, leaning forward. If there was one thing that could really get her going it was a good fight.

He watched the guy on TV get laid out by a single, well-placed punch, "Ohhhh, ouch. So it's what, Street Fighter Five?" Like he hadn't heard enough Hadokens from Leong recently. "Wait...did he just lose an ear?" His eyes were a little wide, as he stared at the man picking up his own ear and smiling at the camera.

"Oh, I think he did!" Cammie said, leaning in a bit. "Heh, way to go Mike Tyson on a guy," she chuckled. "He could've blocked it though, so it's his own fault. He totally fumbled it. But the other guy's being so brutal too. Once he got the opening he just laid him out!"
He looked at the screen, then back at the green haired girl. "Um, okay. You really like this stuff, huh?" He'd never seen a girl get into fighting before. "You know any martial arts, your highness?"

"I have a third dan black belt in the touch of death," she said lightly, leaning back in the couch, eyes still on the fight. If only it wasn't true. She had done pretty good so far. Kept her hand bound, no accidents, mistake or blood on the floor. And it was boring, but a relief in it's own way. Of course, getting the snot beat out of her earlier did curb some of the urge to hit things.

"And trust me, it's all in the wrist. Can't get any better than a show about people getting their asses kicked, you know?"

'Isn't that a movie? Julian thought as he smirked and looked back down at the green haired girl, who still hadn't given him her name. "I'll have to remember not to pick a fight with you then. Just started learning the stuff they teach here this semester." Another thought crossed his mind, 'I wonder if there's a martial arts style for telekinetics.

"Yeah, I ended up getting my foot in the door with some private lessons so I'll be even deadlier," she said with a smirk. Hence more dangerous. But at least more controlled. She loved this type of stuff. So much. "So you're going to have to watch it if you decide to pick a fight with me. Oh yes. I am the Queen of Ass Kicking."

"Two royal titles, wow, I'm gunna have to watch myself around you," the sarcasm dripped from his words as his smile downgraded to a smirk. On the TV the next fight was starting, this time involving some sort of tribal sword. "So...what's your royal name then?"

"Yep. My blood is so blue it's black," she chirped. "Cammie's the name. Don't wear it out." At least he didn't know her full name. Too many people had started out by calling her Carmilla for her tastes. "Or any other of ten million bad name puns."

Bad puns began racing through his head, Cammie Wammie, was one of his favorites, but he held his tongue. "Alright, Cammie, Queen of the Fighting Seas, and that's the last time I'll call you that, just had to get it in there. Seeing as this show is a bit more interesting than what I'm doing-" he pushed himself over the back of the couch and plopped down next to her. "Mind if I take this seat?"

"Not at all. Just don't touch me," Cammie said lightly, still watching the fight. "And yes, it is more interesting than being a slave to homework. We all know what happens if you become a homework slave."

"Let's pretend for a second that I don't. What happens?" Julian settled into his spot, trying to ignore the nagging call of his books on the table behind him.

"If you become a homework slave? It's a horrible, horrible affliction. First, you lose a total interest in things that matter. Like fighting and loitering. And then you find there's nothing left but the horrible drudge of class work and then your eyes fall out. Horrible, horrible illness. Sucks your will to live it does," she said shaking her head.

Julian laughed for a good minute at that, finally managing to recollect himself. "Oh, wow, that's good...some people around here could use a pamphlet on that." He looked over at Cammie as a bloody fight raged on screen. "You're pretty funny, your highness...or is it your majesty?"

"I respond to Your Worship quite well. Or 'Hey You' or 'Stop that Girl' in a pinch," Cammie returned, grinning. "I am she of many names."

They sat in silence as the next match started, which ended up only lasting a moment before the next commercial started. Julian turned to Cammie, "You're new here, right? I mean, newer than I am. How're you liking it so far?"

"Beats Texas with a stick, that's for damn sure," Cammie said, shaking her head at the outcome of the last match. That guy was a total wuss. A ten year old could've defended themselves better than that. "And it's big."

Julian shrugged and looked around the room, "It's alright. I've seen bigger- though my home, er, my house back home, was only a quarter of this size. Also...it was warmer. I'm from California by the way." He watched the historical explanation with a glazed over expression; an unintentional yawn passed his lips. He decided not talking might be a better idea since she wasn't really offering too much information and Texas wasn't all together interesting.

"So you're a rich boy," Cammie said simply. "A quarter of this size is still a damn huge house."

He shrugged and put his feet up on the coffee table, "Rich is a relative term, besides, my parents are the ones with the money," he cracked a rather cocky smile. "I just use it."

"Ah, I see. So you just spend their money. Sneaky, sneaky boy. Can't say I disapprove. I'm all for the spending of other people's money," Cammie quipped. Professionally speaking, she was a thief after all.

"Heh, yeah, I don't mind spending their cash either, and they don't even notice it's missing for the most part." The thought of homework nagged him again, but he shrugged it off. "Didn't I see that the T-Shirt Fairy visited you recently?"

"Yeah, some mythical creature attached to things of cotton and other fibers people commonly wear," Cammie said. "Three shiny new shirts. All for me."
Julian smiled, "I needed new stuff when I got here too...not shirts, but a winter jacket. Damn cold here. Why couldn't this place be in," he paused, trying to think of somewhere warm, then caught sight of the southeast Asian landscape shots on television. "Oh, how about there?"

"Nah. People aren't that lucky. If this was some Asian island resort I wouldn't be able to afford freeloading here," Cammie said, "The sad truth is, this part of the world is cold this time of the year. So it will be awhile before I go happily streaking in the warm, warm sun."
A slight blush crossed his cheeks and Julian did the best he could to repress it and changed the subject back to the islands. "Well, you couldn't you just use your underwater breathing to save drowning babies and endear yourself to the natives like that? Oh, or you could kill another shark or something. I hear that's like falling off a bicycle."

"Once you learn how, you never forget. Killing the shark is easy. It's getting it to stay dead in the event of a Zombie Invasion that's hard," Cammie said, completely ignoring the blush and her part in causing it. It was a game, to see where someone's comfort zone was and then to push it as much as she could without the other person exploding. It was an art form.

"But once I make the island my own other peeps might not feel so comfortable."

"You're going to take over the island? I'm afraid I'd have to thwart you with my legion of super powered monkeys and, of course, my TK Fu." Julian mimed striking a stance without leaving his seat, even including a Bruce Lee like "Wuaaaah." Then laughed and relaxed back into his seat.

"Damn straight I'll take it over. Those Super Powered Monkeys of yours? ...Well, have you ever seen monkey puke? Not a pretty picture. Not even you teek-fu will save you," Cammie said. And then, "Bruce Lee totally did it better. Do not mock the master. The Master could rip your heart out and eat it with corn flakes."

Julian thought about her last statement for a moment, "Why would Bruce Lee want to eat a heart with corn flakes? For that matter, do corn flakes really enhance the taste of a human heart and" he held up a hand and paused, "keep in mind that if you answer yes, there will be a follow-up question."

"Who doesn't eat corn flakes?" Cammie returned. "It's Bruce-fucking-Lee."

"But-" Julian shook his head and chuckled, "never mind. I'm sure you're right. Hey, look, the show is back on." He settled back into watching the show, contemplating the outcome of a fight between Bruce Lee and super-monkeys riding sharks.

"Yes, yes it is," Cammie said, turning her attention back to the TV and the fight.