6/10 Instance: Great Minds

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: current


Bruce: With a satisfied smirk, Bruce stepped back from the chalkboard, smiling at the various scrawling upon it in white; there was his first A-grade in science.

Bruce: In his opinion, Tridium was a silly idea. That said, science was about delving into the 'silly' - in his opinion - and coming out with facts. The schematic he'd drawn up was partly based on the paper he'd read of Mayday Parker's design.

Bruce: He laughed to himself - naturally, his changes were superior.

Laura: While she used to make a habit of wandering down to the labs, Laura had mostly cut them out of her schedule, as she didn't have any use for them outside of the class. However, she now found herself in need of her roommate, who did spend time tinkering with things in labs, because she was stuck in this Mass Effect game and wasn't sure where to go from where she'd left off.

Laura: Instead, she came across one of the new guys, her brow furrowing as her gaze cut across the chalkboard, "What are you working on?"

Bruce: Turning to the owner of the voice Bruce adjusted his glasses, "Theoretical Tridium-powered fusion reactor," he explained, casually as you like, "Impossible with modern technology but still..."

Laura: "What is it supposed to do?" she questioned as she ventured further into the room, moving to stand next to him at the board, head tilting upward as she turned her gaze on him.

Bruce: "Is the description not self-explanatory?" Bruce smirked back at her, "It's a reactor that - in theory - would provide renewable energy fer…anything'," he turned back to it, shaking his head as he went on; "'Course stabilizing the reaction's nigh impossible..."

Laura: "Would I have asked if it wasn't?" Laura replied, eyebrow cocked. Looking back to the equations covering the surface of the board, she decided that most of it didn't make any sense to her, and, while she enjoyed math and science for their more definite answers, she had never enjoyed it enough to get to this level. Plus, she wasn't really a genius like Mayday and this guy appeared to be.

Laura: Sighing, she looked back over to him and questioned once more, "Why is that?"

Bruce: Bruce approached the board and pointed at one of the areas; "There's nothin' that could act as a field to contain what is, essentially, a miniature sun," he let out a dry laugh, "Toyed abou' the idea of using robotic prosthetics but the sheer level o' planning's an entire differen' project."

Bruce: He looked back at Laura, brow furrowing slightly, "Yer name's...Luna? Or...?"

Laura: "Laura," she corrected as she glanced over where he was pointing, "Your's is...?"

Bruce: "Robert Banner, a' prefer Bruce," he greeted back with a friendly smile, "So...enjoy science?"

Laura: "Casually, I suppose," Laura answered as she returned the smile, "As in I enjoy the classes I take, however I don't tend to dabble in science outside of them."

Bruce: With a little mock sigh Bruce shrugged, "It's a canny shame, bein' a man o' science is such a tragically lonely life!"

Laura: "Only if you make it one," she reasoned.

Bruce: At that Bruce snorted, "Ah were jokin', but tha's a fair point," he laughed, "So what does Laura do? Aside from amuse?"

Laura: "I wouldn't say I'm that amusing, and I'm not anyone else would either," Laura started, "However, I go to class, study, train, and lately my roommate has convinced me to take up video gaming."

Bruce: Nodding along Bruce decided to remain silent for a moment. "...a' gotta confess a' dinnae do video games ma'self. Prefer books."

Laura: "I was actually looking for Mayday because I am not very good at them," Laura confessed.

Bruce: "Oh?" Bruce grinned, waving his chalk in the direction of the blackboard, "Tha's actually one o' her designs with....more than a few improvements, ah'll not lie. Read her paper over an' this is my answer."

Bruce: He spotted chalk dust on his shirt, huffing a sigh before rubbing it off with his sleeve, "Ah can help you if y' want."

Laura: "You do not do video games, but you are capable of helping me?" she asked with a grin.

Bruce: "Aaah, a' thought y'were talkin' about sciences..." Bruce sighed, rubbing his forhead, "Sorry, ahm....not actually eaten yet, come t' think of it..." he hummed, "Overworkin' as usual. Sorry."

Laura: Considering this for a few moments, Laura tucked some strands of hair behind her ear as she glanced to him, suggesting, "Well, we could go get something to eat, you can attempt to help with this game, and I'll listen to you talk about science."

Bruce: Laughing again, Bruce shrugged, "We can....give it a go if y'want?" he thought the idea of him attempting a video game was hilarious at best; aside from his dabble with shooters he never considered himself much of a gamer - certainly not as much of a gamer as Mayday Parker - that said, meeting new people was always nice.

Bruce: "....yeah. Sure, actually, could be good!" he nodded, "Ah' have ta' be honest, a' dinnae know much about games, but....eeh, haway, le's try it."

Laura: "Neither do I... I think I've played Dance Dance Revolution with Cecilia and some others a few times, and Mayday just introduced me to this Mass Effect game," Laura explained as she nodded to the door and turned toward it with a slight grin, "Did you want to go out for something to eat, or would you prefer to grab something from the kitchen?"

Bruce: Bruce couldn't help but grin back, going to lift his bag and put away the notebooks strewn about the table before the chalkboard, "We could go out, sure! Haven't been many places aroun' here, like," he threw his bag over his shoulder, adjusting his glasses again.

Laura: Laura thought about where she would take him and crossed coffee and bagels off the list, assuming he'd want something more substantial than those, even though she knew of a few good shops thanks to Eddie. Then, she eliminated the possibility of going to a bar at this time of day. Finally, she ran through the list of places her and Hisako had been to, finally saying, "I think I know of a place."

Bruce: "Oh?" Bruce nodded, "Y'probably know the area better than me, like...an' ya' seem pretty certain."

Laura: "I am generally certain of myself," Laura assured him, practically able to hear Hisako telling her how egotistical she could be. However, she would reason she was merely stating a fact because she was confident in herself and her abilities. Luckily, her abilities extended to a sense of direction because she'd only been to the place a handful of times but was still able to successfully lead the way for Bruce.

Laura: She eyed the Megatokyo sign as she approached the door and slipped inside, holding it for the guy as she announced, "Obviously, this is it."

Bruce: The journey had been relatively short, which impressed and confused Bruce; he himself had always taken longer to reach the city - such were the perks of being led somewhere as opposed to finding it one's self. Once in eyeshot of the sign, his curious smile widened.

Bruce: "Japanese food?" he hummed and - always one to try new things the notion was entertaining rather than off-putting - turning to Laura he shrugged, "Have t' confess, a' didn' peg ye' for an 'otaku'."

Laura: "I'm not," Laura shook her head as she stepped into the place and gave the hostess in the ridiculous costume the number of their party, following her to their table. The decor in this place never ceased to stun her, as she wasn't entirely sure how people dealt with it. To her, it pushed gaudy with all the bright colors. Looking over her shoulder at him, she supplied, "My best friend, however..."

Bruce: "Aaaah, y'mean tha' Japanese lass? Or...one of 'em? There's a few abou'...", Bruce laughed dryly, "Tell y' what, that Elizabeth's canny weird...u-unless tha's yer friend..."

Laura: "Is she?" Laura asked curiously, shaking her head as she slid into one side of the booth, "Because I have not met her. I suppose I should've been more specific, but I meant Hisako."

Bruce: Bruce sat across from her, resting his bag first before himself, "Oh, aye, that one. She's...she seems nice. But the one a' meant? Well....she's...nice enough, jus' a few legos short of a Death Star, ye' na'?"

Laura: Blinking at him, Laura paused as their waitress appeared to order herself a drink and waited until she'd taken Bruce's as well to reply, "...Death Star?"

Bruce: With a smile and a wink to the waitress Bruce turned back to Laura, "Eh? A' mean...like Star Wars lego..."

Laura: "Ah," she slowly nodded. Laura was only vaguely familiar with Star Wars, and she supposed she should ask Mayday about the movies later. Picking up her menu, she glanced it over and debated what to get, feeling at a slight disadvantage without Hisako here to give her recommendations, as she spoke, "I'm afraid I'm not very... geeky?"

Bruce: "N-neither am a'!" Bruce scoffed, lifting his menu and deliberately hiding his face. He didn't like to think of himself as a 'geek' - he had his reasons - and he didn't like having to explain why; "S-so what're you orderin'?"

Laura: "I suppose I was thinking about some sort of sushi," Laura answered, reasoning, "We could each get different kinds and sample each other's?"

Bruce: Bruce hummed a response, pausing and glancing over at her; that was a little....intimate. He blinked, having not pegged this girl as being quite so open. Then again, the entire journey he'd been trying to angle her personality.

Bruce: Was she more like Sophie? No, Sophie was very reserved, quiet, objective. Laura was wholly unlike Melati also, and Alison. Where did she fit? It almost irritated him, but it was endearing, which simply confused him more.

Bruce: Realizing he'd been quiet far too long, he cleared his breath, "Yes! Yes, tha's a good plan."

Laura: Laura was relatively oblivious to any intimacy in the act, as it seemed the most practical way to try new things while still maintaining a reasonable price, so, at his affirmative, she flipped her menu around for him to see, finger landing on her selection, "I was considering this."

Bruce: Reading the name - and feigning understanding what the item in question was - Bruce nodded, "'Reets, I'll choose...." he had a glance at the menu, picking something at random from the same section and showing it to Laura, "That."

Laura: Her head tilted as she studied what he'd chosen, and she gave a nod, their waitress appearing to have uncanny timing as she was serving their drinks. Forcing a polite smile, Laura rattled off her choice and leaned back into the cushioning of the booth.

Bruce: Bruce sat back also, eyes trying to read the girl across from him, studying her impossible green eyes. They reminded him of his own - though, of course, not at the moment. He exhaled softly, something about her was just....

Bruce: Was there even a word? He sighed, rubbing his forehead. He did so dislike to be confused, especially by himself, "Sooooooooo..." he smiled, trying to move past his own awkwardness, "...what kind of thing d'you like?"

Laura: Laura gave him a more genuine smile than the one she'd given the waitress, considering her interests as she took a sip from her straw. Placing her glass back down on the table, she answered, "Challenges, specifically while training because nothing is really fun if it's too easy. I suppose I also enjoy traveling, the outdoors, and to some extent dancing... What about you?"

Bruce: "I...hm, a' think we're similar!" Bruce nodded, "A' like challenges, but ah'd be more intellectually based than physically..." he smiled, "A' guess travelin's alright, ne'er been much of a dancer, though!"

Laura: "I do not think I'm much of one either," she shook her head, "I believe I mentioned playing Dance Dance Revolution a few times, and I've enjoyed it." She couldn't mention Hisako's interest in it. "I suppose I could take Professor Guthrie's class, however I'm not sure I'm that serious about it."

Bruce: Bruce snorted, "Ah, Professor Guthrie...wonder what her degree was in...", he hummed, pretending to put thought into it as he stroked his chin, "I bet she's the Ambassador to the Candy-Cane Kingdom..."

Laura: "I cannot even imagine why anyone would want a kingdom of candy canes," Laura replied as she seriously pondered this, "They are hardly the best sort of candy."

Bruce: Unable to keep it in, Bruce laughed out loud, holding his stomach, "Oh, God! Ahahaha!"

Laura: "What's so funny?" she asked, brow furrowed as she insisted, "It is true. They're called candy, but it's like a lie because they are not all that sweet. Plus, people only use them for silly things like hanging them on Christmas trees, which leads me to believe that nobody wants to actually eat them, so they are reduced to holiday decor. Therefore, I do not know why anyone would want a kingdom of the things."

Bruce: Bruce merely continued laughing, rendered in stitches at Laura's obliviousness, "N-nah, it's...hhhahaha! It's jus' a phrase, but....hhahahahahaa!"

Laura: "I suppose I could've simply said I hate candy canes."

Bruce: Slowing down his laughter, Bruce cleared his throat, "Ah...er...sorry, seriously," he let out the last bits of laughter, "A' dinnae like sweets actually...prefer sour things actually."

Laura: "They are not my favorite things either, but when something says candy, I expect it to be sweet," she shrugged.

Bruce: Sniggering again, Bruce nodded, "Yeah, I see what y'mean, like." He scratched his nose, smiling at her. She was sweet, he decided. Sweet was the word.

Bruce: Or was it? He let out a soft laugh, eyes on her the whole time.

Laura: Her gaze was just as focused on him as she asked, "Is there anything else you don't particularly care for?"

Bruce: Bruce blinked, "What, like...oooh. Erm...yeah, a' hate people who pretend they're intelligent, and people who cannit accept they're not," he shrugged, "People call me arrogant, but a' dinnae get why: a' merely know my own strengths!"

Laura: Laura shot him a wide grin at that last comment, nodding, "Exactly. It's not arrogance, it's just a fact."

Bruce: At that, Bruce paused, "...y'agree? Jus'....outright?"

Laura: "Of course," she confidently stated, "Why would I not?"

Bruce: "...n-nothin'! S'just that mos' people think am bein' a bit of a twat..." he shrugged, "N-no, it's great! Fantastic, even!"

Laura: Laura also shrugged, "Well, I happen to agree with you."

Bruce: "Great!" Bruce ended up responding, clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses, careful to avert his gaze, "A' mean, why wouldn't you? Great minds think alike, after all..."

Laura: "So I've heard," Laura replied with a grin, thanking the woman that brought their food to the table as she reached for the chopsticks.

Bruce: With his own smile to the waitress, Bruce reached out also, hand meeting Laura's own half way across the table. He looked up at her blushing despite himself, though his hand remained on hers for a moment.

Laura: As their hands met, Laura glanced over to him and reached the rest of the way for the chopsticks, offering them to him, "Here, you can have these ones."

Bruce: "Ah….yes," Bruce nodded, taking the offered chopsticks and putting his cocky smirk back in its place, "Cheers."