[MIW] No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

[Thomas Hallowell]

    Thomas groaned as he hefted yet another goddamn bag over his shoulder. Couldn't these people just suck it up and do it themselves? And the fact that he had to wear a uniform? Icing on the fucking cake right there. If he'd known that boxing for the school meant catering to assholes who couldn't take care of themselves, he wouldn't have joined. Alright, that wasn't strictly true. Particularly not since he'd been at Bellefonte for two plus years already and knew that this was how things were.

    Thomas merely dropped the bag to the complaint of the person who owned it and headed back out. Seriously, they should have claimed that what was inside was fragile if they wanted him to be gentle with the shit. He might have dropped the bag slightly lower to the ground or something. Might. He headed back out to the courtyard, praying that no one else was going to ask him for help. 

     He really wasn't in the mood to be here right now, but then he never would be. He would have found somewhere to hide and avoid responsibility, but he was one of only three who were currently involved in boxing and he didn't trust his absence would go unnoticed. Besides, it was a relatively small price to pay all things considered. Didn't mean he had to be happy about paying it though.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

For the most part, Zoe's move-in week job entailed following people around and taking photographs. This was, for the most part, what she did anyway, so she really didn't mind. Nor did she mind pitching in and helping with other parts as well. Unfortunately, most of these packages and loads had a tendency to outweigh Zoe by at least fifty pounds. More often than not, Zoe found herself taking a corner or helping or something like that. Not like a bulkier guy could really argue when scrawny little Zoe was doing her part.

Right now, she was dealing with a family with a small child and a single mother. She and the mother were doing the best they could, but the boy was still very much eleven and only so much "the man of the house."

Fortunately, Zoe saw someone coming who looked a good deal bulkier. "Excuse me!" She called, walking over to him, hoping to get his attention. "Hi, we were hoping for some help over here?" she pointed toward where the new kid and his mother were. "We're trying, but we could really use someone who's, well, bigger."

[Thomas Hallowell]

    Fuck. He'd so been hoping to not have to deal with anymore baggage today. Ah well. "Alright, alright," he agreed, though his tone was bland and not the least bit enthusiastic about actually helping. He picked up the load they seemed to be struggling most with and glanced down at the girl, "Where you headed?" he asked calmly. 

    He wasn't exactly going to complain or make an ass out of himself when there were other people around. There was a chance something like that might get back to the guy who headed the boxing team, and Thomas really didn't want to have to deal with that type of bullshit. His reasons were completely selfish as they always were, but he was willing to help these people because of them.

    The girl was pathetically scrawny and why she'd even thought she'd be anything other than a hindrance, he couldn't begin to fathom. Really, she should be finding someplace out of the way where she wouldn't get trampled by the eleven year old, who would probably be more useful. Thomas didn't comment yet though. First, he had to be the good student and help these people as was expected.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

The young man didn't exactly burst with enthusiasm. Then again, who got excited over the prospect of lifting up other people's belongings? Zoe could hardly blame him, though she did wish he'd at least smile or something for the family she was with. She could feel their unease with the whole situation and almost saw the mother looking about ready to suggest they find someone else. Which left Zoe almost springing forward to talk, hoping that she didn't put her foot in her mouth as she did.

"The dorms!" she almost blurted. Flushing, she nodded. "The, ah, younger male only dorm, actually. So this will be the first time I've been," she had to flush slightly at that. Zoe hadn't exactly been "underaged" when she'd arrived here, and she honestly hadn't been in the boys' dorm all that much. "But I'm sure you can help with that. We just have some of the heavier things over here?"

Zoe turned to point at the relatively small pile of things. The mother had already picked up a decent sized backpack and the boy looked ready to help Thomas and Zoe carry the heavier suitcase and the rather large box that had "fun stuff" scrawled on it with marker. "So we just have to get these things there," Zoe was already walking back toward it, hoping that the young man followed suit and helped. Especially as she was still fairly certain that the box outweighed both her and the boy put together.

[Thomas Hallowell]

    He almost laughed at her sudden outburst. She was amusing to say the least, perhaps she would be useful for entertainment's sake. Thomas nodded to her and went to pick up the box so they could handle the suitcase. "Sure, I know where the guys' dorms are. And if you want to wait here with the boy, I can come back and get the suitcase too," he offered with a shrug. 

    If he was going to do this, he might as well do it right. Besides, he got the impression the girl would break if she lifted anything heavier than a small purse. Not that he would mind too much, but again, there were people around, and he at least had to appear like he cared. He then started off to where the younger kids stayed, and to where he used to stay when he was first here. It would almost be nostalgic.
    
    Regardless, he didn't pay too much attention to whether or not Zoe actually followed him. He was just concerned with getting this over with, although even with his crass attitude, he did make sure to keep pace with the mother. 

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

And he just picked up the box as if it were nothing. Both Zoe and the boy had to stop and look, surprised at his ease with handling it. Even the mother looked a little impressed. Zoe tried to just brush it away: there were mutants after all. He probably just had super strength or something else that would make it easier for him to carry things or something along those lines. Or, if nothing else, it was probably because he was an athlete, someone who was used to using muscles and such.

Zoe and the boy were left with the suitcase. It took some awkward working, but they managed to each grab part of the handle and move forward, carrying it between them. They couldn't go quite as fast as Thomas though.

"Um, do you think you could perhaps slow down a little?" Zoe asked. "We're not able to go quite as fast as you," she flushed at that, though she tried not to let it get to her. Nobody said she had to be muscular or anything. "And, ah, I'm the only one who knows where you're going, well, besides, the room and the map and all..." Zoe trailed off, looking over at the mother who at least gave her a reassuring smile.

[Thomas Hallowell]

    Thomas slowed down and barely prevented himself from rolling his eyes. Damnit. Not that it mattered. The girl was right. Even if he knew the general direction of the dorms, he still didn't have the room number. He merely waited for them to catch up, the box wearing on his arms a bit, but he could handle it. He could understand why the kid would have issues lifting the suitcase, but really... He kept his mouth shut for once though.

    As shitty as his personality was, he knew how to play nice for as long as he had to. One of the benefits of suburban living really. Plastic faces and false kindness came so easily. He should make sure to thank his parents for raising him so well next time he saw them... or next time he had to put up with them.

    Thomas realized he hadn't yet said anything and that that could come across as rude so he offered a bland consolation, "It's alright. Sorry I was walking so fast. Sometimes when I get focused on a task, I forget about everything else." It was a truth, though not one that was all that relevant here. Still, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.  

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Lifting and carrying was proving to be a bit of a challenge, but the boy was definitely up for it, almost beaming with pride at being able to lift it. Zoe just had to hope that he didn't have a power that would somehow kick and make this awkward. They already had to make sure their hands didn't quite touch so that her own didn't cause his fingers to numb to the point where holding onto the suitcase became impossible.

The young man paused, apologized, and Zoe flashed a thankful smile. "That's alright. You were just focused," she nodded. "Plus, you're a lot stronger than us. I take it that's from playing sports?" Zoe smiled and worked to move forward again, knowing that the momentum would help. She could already feel her arms burning slightly and had this feeling that she'd have to ask them to stop. Given the way the boy was struggling, that would probably be good.

The mother stepped in at the mention of sports, commenting on how the kid used to play soccer and track, asking politely what Thomas happened to play. Zoe nearly sighed with relief. Pleasant conversation would make this all go a lot easier. It was about as good as they could hope for, short of whistling or singing. Something told her that the young man was not a singer.

[Thomas Hallowell]

    Wow, she was a simple one wasn't she? Thomas didn't really care that much, but he liked taking note of such things for future reference. Sometimes knowing who you could take advantage of came in handy. Thomas nodded in response to her question, listening to the mother ramble on with disinterest. When she turned a question on him it took him a few seconds to realize that she was actually talking to him. "Oh, I box," he offered simply.

    A real good way to continue the conversation that, but he didn't care much for talking with them. He was just concerned with getting the job done so he could go to the gym and train... or go back to his dorm and sleep. He was honestly debating between the two and paying much more attention to his mental list of the pros and cons of either choice than he was to the other three.
 
    He absently noticed Zoe's struggling with an indifferent expression. He would stop when she inevitably asked to, or when she dropped the suitcase. It didn't really matter which happened first. She could have saved herself some trouble, but nope. She just had to get involved. Did she seriously think she was doing anything other than slowing them all down? Surely she could have merely told him where to go and waited for him to come back for the suitcase. It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with the layout.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Clearly the young man wasn't much of a conversationalist. The mother and Zoe both picked up on it, exchanging looks. Zoe's had a touch of a sympathetic smile, which was her usual expression even when she wasn't in over her head with physical labor that she clearly wasn't meant to handle properly. It wasn't as if they really needed Thomas to hold a conversation or anything along those lines.

The boy, however, seemed utterly thrilled by this idea. He immediately perked up, asking if they really had boxing at this school. When Zoe nodded, he turned, moving ahead, effectively dragging Zoe along behind him as she hurried to keep up. The boy's enthusiasm meant he was soon falling right in step with Thomas. Questions started to pop up about boxing and training and, most importantly, what you had to do to get into the sport.

Zoe lowered her head to try and hide both her slight smile and the struggles she was having keeping up. The mother already moved a bit to the side to try to help, but she was at least as amused as Zoe herself.