The Adjudicator's Institute for Heroics

"Hm? Astrid?" Evan wiped his eyes, blinking down at the little person in front of him. They had a violent mop of spiky black hair and bandages covering her eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest, a little off-put by being randomly touched by a stranger. "Is there something wrong with my walking? I thought I was being quiet..."
He considered melting away and continuing his journey to...wherever he had been going. Where was he going? Nowhere, apparently. Besides, if Astrid could hear him before, they'd undoubtedly know he was trying to sneak away now.

Astrid wasn't able to tell his expression without her trusty glass bottle, so instead they just shrugged. "I mean, it was loud for me, but you're probably walking normally. To be honest, dude, everything is loud for me, so it's always gonna be hard to tell. All I know is it's the middle of the night and normal people don't walk super fast and loudly during the night. So, like, either you're trying to run away, which I'd totally join you in, you're gonna kill someone, or you're upset. I'm betting on upset, even if killing someone is definitely the cooler option."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." Evan muttered, the image of the knife poised over the Adjudicator's back flashing through the back of his mind. "But, um, I'm fine. Just going for a...late-night stroll."

"Uh-huh," they said, clearly not swayed. "Well, if you don't wanna look like a weirdo or some creep stalking through the night, I'll can come join you! I might do that anyways, 'cause I was probably just gonna play video games all night and my parents are saying I should exercise more, soo... I guess one late-night stroll won't suck." Astrid quickly hopped beside Evan, smiling innocently. "And yes, when you ask if I'm always this annoying," she suddenly smiled wide and giggled, "Well, I am." At least they were aware of how easily they attached to people.

Evan could tell he wouldn't be getting away from this new person anytime soon. He gave an internal sigh. Social interaction was distinctly not what he'd been looking for when he left the dorm.
Oh well. At least they'll be distracting.
"All right," he muttered. "I was just going up to the roof for some fresh air. If you really want to come, you can."
With that, he set off toward the stairs.

"Cool! Fresh air is awesome. Is there water on the roof? Never really up there, the whole blind thing makes that stuff kinda dangerous. Not that I really mind, but..." Astrid skipped alongside Evan, the exact polar opposite of Evan's current mood. She didn't seem to mind, though. "All I ask is you make sure I don't be dumb and fall, 'kay dude? Cool." It didn't seem like they'd ever wait for an answer. Ever.
When it went silent for more than a minute, they quickly picked up the conversation as they arrived on the roof. "Sooo, Mr. Mysterious Dude, what's your name?"

"Evan," he replied shortly. "...Why would there be water on the roof? Did it rain?"

"Sup, Evan!" she said, cheerily. To his next question, she once again shrugged. This time, they spun on her heel and began walking backwards for the fun of it. "I dunno!" Astrid said, before tripping over a root that was on the ground. She quickly caught herself on the other foot. "I'm just shooting darts here. Water helps me see and I forgot to grab some, so yeah. Why are we on the roof anyways? What's so fun about a rooftop?"

"It's quiet and away from people," Evan flinched a bit as Astrid started to fall, but they caught herself. "I haven't had the best of luck friend-wise this year."
The pair had reached the bottom of the stairs.
"There's a staircase here," Evan pointed out. "Will you be alright going up?"

"Oh." Astrid clicked their tongue when they heard about Evan's friend luck. "Well, maybe I'm the golden ticket, or winning number, or lucky charm. Or I'm all of it. Then I'm three times as lucky because I'm just so cool," she said, stretching dramatically, "It hurts to be so awesome sometimes."

"Oh, this?" they pointed to what they presumed were the stairs, in actuality, it was just more concrete next to them, "Uh, duh. Of course I can. I've had years of practice. Never messed up in my life-" Astrid promptly bumped her toes against the first step. "Ignore that. I just... uh, testing the stairs. Yeah." she paused. "You saw nothing. But, uh, if you're offering... Who wouldn't want to help up the most badass person on Earth?"

"Trust me, you do not want to be my friend," Evan muttered. "Golden ticket or no. I have a habit of getting my 'friends' into trouble."
He raised his eyebrows when Astrid bashed their toes into the step. "That looked painful. And very unpracticed. Here. I can pick you up, I think. You look light."

"Ooooh," Astrid hummed, rubbing their hands together, very 'menacingly,' "The aloof, stand-offish, sorta angsty type? I can dig that. Yes sir, I think I do want to be your friend."

"I never feel pain. Why would I?" That was clearly another lie, since now they were massaging their foot. When Evan offered a free ride, she shot up. Their grin reached from ear-to-ear. "Piggyback ride?" They opened their arms instantly, flexing her fingers after a moment. "I can't be on my feet all the time. Gotta preserve my energy, otherwise I die," Astrid said. "Just kidding." She flexed her fingers again, eagerly waiting. "But it feels like I'm dead when I'm tired, so... same thing basically."

Evan sighed. It was clear he wasn't going to win with this one. But having some company was nice. He couldn't stew in his aloof, angsty juices forever.
"All right," he crouched down to Astrid's height, guiding their hands to his shoulders. "Hold on. I don't want to drop you. That would hurt, no matter how badass you claim to be."

Astrid quickly made themself comfortable on Evan's back. "Eh, it might tickle," she replied. Of course, they knew all they were saying wasn't real, that things did hurt and stuff, but it was just way more funny to pretend it wasn't. Astrid liked funny, people liked funny. It'd be a good time all around. She hummed a small tune as Evan made his way upstairs, before starting again. "So, Mr. No one should be my friend dude, why is that? What's your tragic origin story? I want alllllll the deets." Astrid's most double-edged sword was their directness. On one hand, it was almost impossible for her to lie and sugarcoat things, but on the other, well, she didn't think twice. They didn't even think once, in all honesty.

"Well, if you must know," Evan grunted as he climbed the stairs. His human backpack was a bit heavier than he'd anticipated. "One of my friends here was Sam Hawkins. You...might have heard about their expulsion. That was my fault."