Violet was strolling across campus, just for the sake of getting some air. Cold air, but fresher than that in the dorms and classrooms.

Her hair was in a loose, straggly ponytail, being whipped about by the cold breeze. The loose strands kept flicking her in the eyes, and the cold was making her sniffle. She became something of a hypochondriac at this time of year - every cough, every sniffle made her worry she was coming down with something. Usually, she'd be wrong, but maybe just this once she actually was catching something. She hadn't been her best, the past few days.


((blahcrap.sorries.))

Squall made it a point not to smoke near campus. Just, because, well... it felt like the wrong thing to do. He'd come out here to try and numb his fingers, which positively itched to have one of those dreadful cancer sticks. It wasn't like he couldn't just take one, but... he somehow felt it was wrong.

He was wearing a sweatshirt with the university name on it, and dark blue jeans. Probably something like Levi's jeans.

The breeze was almost bone-chilling, but he smiled rather than shivering. He waved at the passing figure.

"Hey," he called to Violet, "You tryin' to catch your death out here or what?"

"Huh...?" Violet blinked over at him, startled. Then she smiled, and made a slight detour in his direction.

"Yeah, that's the general idea," she replied, "Seems to be working, too. How 'bout you?"
It was so easy to be friendly to people when they were friendly, first.

Squall's skin had just a little bit more color than the snow did. But he was still smiling. "What're you doing out here? It's like, ten degrees below zero or something. You're trying to get sick?" Hew cocked his head like a puppy dog sometimes did.

Violet shook her head.
"I think I'm already coming down with something - a little more cold won't hurt. Much."
She made a point of looking him up and down - very un-Violet-like, by the way - and continued, "Who are you to comment, anway? You don't look so good, yourself."
This is all good-natured teasing, of course.

"If you think you're coming down with a cold there's no sense in catching pneumonia. You should be inside. Where it's warm. And less... snowy." Even if it was a bit stuffy in the dorms. And sometimes uncomfortable.

And then he pouted, putting a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt," he said. "These are my best jeans." But he knew what she was talking about.

Then he grinned. "I'm naturally this pale." Or, rather, he'd been this pale for so long it seemed natural to him.

Violet shrugged off his point about going inside - he might have been teasing, but he was right. She just didn't want to go back inside yet.

His comment about his jeans earned him a laugh from the girl, and a bright smile. "You know what I meant," she said, mock-huffily, "Silly."

He smiled when she smiled. He liked to see people smile. It made him happy.

"Of course I did. I was being facetious." Grin, grin.

"I'm Squall, by the way," because he didn't believe he'd introduced himself just yet.

Squall?... Odd name. Had she heard correctly?
Well, if she hadn't, she'd find out soon enough.

"I'm Violet," she offered in return. "...You said 'Squall', right?"

Poor Violet. First Morlos, then Squall. But Squall wasn't Swedish.

"Yep. Squall. Like, y'know, a storm." He offered a small smile.

"D'you plan on continuing to get sick, or do you have other plans?"

"I always thought it was just a nautical term," she mused, with an apologetic sort of smile. She looked at the ground for a moment, scuffing a track in the dusting of snow with her sneaker.

"Umm,...yeah, continuing to get sick is pretty much the only thing on my agenda at the moment."
And exams. But everyone has exams, and she was tired of hearing people complain about how they're going to fail all of them.

He was still returning the smile. Gods, that boy smiles too much. But he couldn't help it. "I think it is." It wasn't supposed to be a name, in any case, but some people were weird in naming their children...

"What about coffee? Is there room for that?"

"...Coffee?"
Usually (and unusually) Violet was the person asking people to go out for coffee.
"Yeah, of course there is. Plenty of room."

"Feel like walking to the Bean, then?" he asked, with another one of those little head tilts.

(gahshort.)

She gave him an odd little smile.

"Sure."
Yay for random coffee breaks!

"Shall we go, then?" he offered his arm to her.

No, he was in no shape or form flirting with her. This was how Squall was with every girl, you see. Friendly. Friends. Just friends.

"Let's," Violet said, and gave a small laugh, taking his arm.

Only friends? Violet might be a little disappointed to find that out. Squall is, after all, pretty cute.

Squall had the notion that someone as pretty as Violet couldn't be single, you see.

Squall wore that pretty little grin as he walked in the snow, and he looked over at Violet.

"So, you're staying at the dorms, or... what?"

"Yep, I live in the dorms. Wing C," Violet explained. "...I was thinking of rooming with some other students off-campus this year, but that hasn't worked out so far. By the time I started looking, all the places close to campus were filled up."
She shook her head, smirking.
"How about you? D'you live in the dorms as well?"

"Ah. That's too bad. It is a bit cramped in those dorms."

They hadn't been walking for long. How far was the Half-baked Bean from here again?

"Mmhm. Wing B, though."

"What're you going to Keaton for?"

Far enough that they're going to be close to frostbite before they get there, considering how they're both dressed.

"Mm,.. you mean what program...? I'm on the arts side. I'm leaning towards History and English,... and not much else." She reached up a hand to tuck the many loose strands of her hair behind her ears. It didn't take a second before they were back in her eyes. "You?"

"English and History? Y'don't say... coolness." He offered another little smile.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, went the snow under his shoes.

"Majoring in music and minoring in English."

"Really? Music?" She looked quite interested all of a sudden. "...What do they teach you in music? I never looked into those courses at all. Do you learn how to read music, orhow to play instruments or, ..or what? I really haven't a clue."

And, because Arc has no idea, Squall explained briefly what was being taught to him without rambling. He'd also mentioned the fact that he played violin.

"It's interesting, though. Music." The one thing he really just loved.

Squall had been starting to get really cold. They weren't there yet, though.

Violet listened patiently through the explanation (having really been curious).

"I don't think it's interesting so much as I like to listen to it," she said finally,with a sheepish look. "But I'm more into history and things, so I guess I'm biased."

The pair of them ought to have numb fingers and faces by now, at the very least. But thankfully, the cafe's in sight.

"I can understand that." So he gave a sort of apologetic smile.

"I couldn't remember dates in history to save my life, but... the stories interest me, sort of. D'you do a lot of reading in that subject?"

Heeey. There we go! Squall looked especially cheery as they approached the cafe.

"Boy, do I," Violet rolled her eyes. "There's a lot of reading involved, and all these bloody tiny ltitle details that have to be remembered,...still,...it's fun in its own way."

Her gaze landed on the cafe. "Oh, good," she sighed. "I'm frozen."

He offered a laugh. "By the way you describe it, it doesn't sound very fun," he teased.

Then he looked sheepish.

"Sorry 'bout that," he apologized as they came to the door. He let go of her arm and held the door open for her. "I didn't know it'd take that long."

"Hey, not your fault. I'm the one who wandered outside without a coat on," Violet grinned, and slipped inside. She paused just inside the door for a moment, letting the warm air wash over her. She quirked her head to one side, and glanced over her shoulder at Squall. "Come to think of it, you did too..."

Squall shrugged his shoulders, giving a small, sort of weird smile. "Great minds think alike, hm?"

He let the door close and then walked beside her.

"Doesn't look too busy, surprisingly."

"Well isn't that unusual..."

Violet gazed at the table on the wall that listed the different kinds of beverages, though she already knew what she would be getting. The same as always.

She looked over at him. "Squall?...What're you going to be having?"

"...Dunno. Something with lots of sugar, probably. I can pay for whatever you're getting, though. My treat."

He stood there for a moment, breathing in the warm, nicely scented air of the cafe before proceeding forward just a little.

"Aw, thanks." Smile.

She perused the list for a little while longer, then said hesitantly, "...Chai tea, I think. 'S that alright?"

"No problem."

"That's fine. Hell, anything's fine." Little, sheepish smile.

He was the only one in line, and progressed a little further to the counter and ordered.

Violet stood by, not quite level with him, gazing at her hands. Her fingers were tingling sharply as they thawed, and to speed to warming process, she was gently massaging them - not something you're really supposed to do with frostbite, but Violet thought it helped.

Squall turned to look back at Violet after he'd ordered, looking down at her hands, which she was rubbing.

"Hey, you really shouldn't do that, Violet."

(Blahpost.)

"Hn?"

She paused and looked up, letting her hands separate.

"...Why not?"

"Hold on a sec. Let me see your hands."

He looked down at Violet's hands and frowned, taking one in his own hand to look at it. His own hands were cold, sort of aching as well.

"'cause you prob'ly have frostbite.. Crap. You don't think they serve just really hot water here, do you?"

"I don't know," Violet shrugged.

And she may have blushed ever-so-slightly when he took her hand - but her cheeks were still pink from cold, so it was difficult to tell. She drew her hand back, then stuffed both hands in her jeans pockets at the mention of hot water.

"They probably don't. I'll be fine - what's a little frostbite? It goes away soon enough."

"Yeah, but you don't wanna thaw your hands if you're just gonna re-freeze 'em again, if you have frostbite. It's bad. You should get that checked out. 'S there a medical facility around here somewhere, you think?" Hor someone who doesn't have medical insurance, he was sure concerned about health.