Cal was relieved to hear that Aria had no problem understanding them. They rarely spoke English and the only time they did, it was in English class. Most of their knowledge came from the shows they watched and books they occasionally read. “That’s good,” they replied with a smile.
Listening to Aria speak about herself piqued Cal’s interest. They became even more curious about this girl and her life. It was a problem sometimes, wanting to know so much about people. What they saw on the surface was barely a fragment of the person, and they wanted to know their full story, life and motivations. “It is challenging, I agree. Even if you are from the States, you’re still away from your home most of the year.” They added, “But how are you adjusting? It’s your second year, right?”
When they joked about being locked in, Cal added, “It is a good trope for a thriller, though. Not that I want to be locked in some escape room scenario in real life,” they laughed, letting their slight obsession over fictional tropes show. “I mean, I don’t know, I don’t find myself interested in romance like other people. I just don’t get it,” they added with a shrug. Aria seemed like an understanding person and they’d already felt comfortable enough around her. It usually didn’t matter to Cal how others reacted, but they didn’t want another person dismissing them or trying to “change their mind.” They had a feeling she’d understand, considering her comment on her disinterest earlier.
When it came to making a difference on world issues, Aria seemed to speak with determination. In full honesty, Cal never saw much reason to try. The world was doomed from the beginning, it was apparent throughout their entire life. They just couldn’t see the possibility of their words making any change, no matter how small. But despite their view, there were people in who kept pushing forward even if there wasn’t an outcome in sight. Cal felt nothing but admiration for them, but they could never even dream to be on their level. So as Aria’s encouraging words flowed, they felt their own determination begin to build. Because maybe as one person, they were nothing. But if they had help from Aria and everyone else who shared their mindset, then they would surely be successful. It became even more apparent as Aria shared her story about the cafeteria food and the change the students made as a group. Cal nodded, listening intently to every word.
They went silent for a moment, looking to the ground. “…I never thought of it that way,” they finally said. Well, nor were they willing to try and change their perspective, due to their pessimism. They looked at Aria again, smiling with newfound enthusiasm, “Well, I’m convinced. I’m willing to try, at least! Honestly, I don’t know where this will of yours comes from, but it’s inspiring me too.”
As Cal brought up how many issues they hadn’t thought about, Aria once again responded with understanding. They were glad she’d brought the attention to everything they’d been missing. Because even if they were aware of the world’s problems on a surface level, they never thought to look into them deeply. Rather, they couldn’t. Because their mind was always occupied by their family and responsibilities they shouldn’t have. Their first priority was changing their situation at home. But now that they were away and finally had a chance to relax, all those worries slowly faded into the background. As selfish as it was, they didn’t want to think about their trouble back home, even for a moment. Their brothers could wait.
So when they heard Aria’s suggestion, they nodded. “Yeah! Let’s give it a try!” They replied eagerly. “We should make a plan for how we’re gonna work on it. Do you want to schedule a time to meet up? But I can honestly start now.”
@Jass // 
// Aria Parker
ORP: Is the speech easier to read with this color? Or was the old one better? I realized it was pretty dark
Outfit
)
oh also Rodney mentioned 
