blaze it | Jesper & Hisaya | Chapter 2
Even in such an extreme situation, one would fall into a routine. People were dying but Hisaya still had to sleep, entertain himself, and eat. Above all else, being in such a confined area was boring and for the first time in his life, instead of having too much to do and too little time, he was dealing with the exact opposite. There were certain coping mechanisms that he’d managed to concoct, but even those left him with a constant buzz of frustration over how dull everything was.
One method to deal with the constant irritation was cooking. He’d always been good at it, and it gave him busywork. Over the past week it’d gotten even more elaborate, to the point he was making tiny three-course meals just for himself. A remarkably clear memory had left him without a need for recipes, and a few years of practice meant he was rarely disappointed with the results.
On the menu today was Eggs Benedict– a bit more European than they usually worked with, but variety never killed anyone (hopefully.) As he gathered the ingredients his mind slowly started to relax– whisking the sauce required the most active thought, it was far too easy to end up with a poor consistency. With everything else, he was able to comfortably fall into absent-mindedness. Enough so he managed to completely miss someone else walking into the kitchen and then back out again.
Thus, when everything was finally to his satisfaction, it was a surprise to see someone else in the dining hall. He blinked in surprise, frowned, and considered leaving. Never the most sociable person, recent events had led him to trust the other people around him even less than usual. But, goddamnit, he had been here first. Probably. What would people think if he just slunk off from any possible interaction?
So he walked with his back straight past Jesper. The file caught his eye, its writing difficult at best to make out at a casual passing glance, but it looked almost like a police report. (He could dream at least, it’d been a while since he’d read anything remotely interesting. It was enough to compel him to sit within speaking distance of the (incredibly tall, now that Hisaya was close enough to him) boy.
For a few seconds, Hisaya considered outright demanding the file, and even opened his mouth to do so. Then he remembered they were supposed to be equals and that would probably be considered a breach of conduct. A gentler approach would be needed here.
“Sorry to interrupt. I don’t think we’ve met.”
(He wasn’t sorry at all, and honestly he’d always seen these social niceties as being an absolute waste of time. Why be so worried about sparing feelings when there were important things to be done?)
And as much as he tried to feign interest in the other student, his eyes still flicked down to the file for a split second.
Jesper always considered it a success when he managed to go unnoticed by someone he didn’t care to talk to. After returning to the table with his food, he resisted the urge to pat himself on the back. Good work, Jesper. He didn’t even notice you, so you didn’t have to acknowledge him. Nice. That always made things so much easier, really.
Alas, the boy seated himself at the table mere moments later, after Jesper had only made it through about half of the file. There really wasn’t a way to keep quiet without being rude, so Jesper prepared himself for the interaction by chewing slowly, finishing off the mouthful of rice.
The other boy spoke before he got the chance. Jesper lifted red eyes to focus on him. It was difficult not to stare at… well, whatever that was on his head. Hopefully something the boy planned to fix. Despite his harsh thoughts about what his classmate decided to do with his own hair - thanks for that, Jesper - he smiled at him warmly in greeting.
“Not at all,” he said, waving away his companion’s apology. “My name is Jesper Khansari. Hope’s Peak has dubbed me the Super High-School Level curio purveyor, but you can consider me an antique dealer. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He glanced down at the file, which, unfortunately, he couldn’t read until the boy was done conversing with him. So as to not seem rude, Jesper folded the file closed. “I’d actually been… meaning to introduce myself to you, as you seem to have… Well, you investigated together with Miyako-san, correct? I’ve known her a good while.”
There was a glint in his eye that almost seemed like suspicion, perhaps.
Hisaya frowned slightly upon finding out the other's title. Better than another artist, he supposed, but still.
"Charmed. I'm the Super High School Level Arson Investigator. Hisaya Hisakawa. I believe my title doesn't need an explanation."
He folded his arms, keeping his expression as stern as ever-- even if he'd apparently realized that kind words were helpful he'd never quite gotten to the point where you needed to smile.
"I see. You're correct. She seems reliable. And she mentioned you might be, as well. I hope that's the case-- given the situation we're in, we could use people who can actually contribute."
If he'd picked up on any changes in expression, he wasn't showing it. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for the taller boy to continue.
