Utterly Lost [Open~]

[Tino Väinämöinen]

Tino's first day one campus, and he already had no idea what to do with himself. He didn't know anyone yet, the whole place was so much bigger than he thought it would be, and everything was so much different than in Finland. The biggest adjustment so far, however, was getting used to the imperial system. He was so used to the metric system it was really taking him a while to get adjusted. He had a campus map with him - he wanted to explore around a little and get used to the place - but it was utterly useless when he had no idea how far one mile was, and what the hell was a square foot? Eventually he became so frustrated he just threw the damn map away, knowing he could just get another one later anyway.

And so Tino was stuck with wandering around until he found something, or someone. He wasn't a Freshman, but as an exchange student he of course hadn't been there before. He missed orientation and any other informing class he needed, so he was pretty much thrown to the dogs and told to survive. As soon as he saw a bench he sat down, sighing, and tried hard to take in his surroundings. It was already getting dark, though. Would he even be able to find his way back to his dorm?

'What am I going to do?'

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald throws a quick look at the watch at his wrist, and sees the numbers 17:53. He tucks the hand back into his pockets and walks across the open, grassy space between the campus buildings. His strides are long, but not hurried. As he steps across the green, his mind automatically goes to review the last 9 hours of his day. It was relatively all right. It's only been a few days since he started here, but he's got the hang of the layout of the campus grounds, and the system itsself. Though something was tugging at his stomach, telling him that there was more that he doesn't know yet. He sighs at the thought, but allows himself to accept the fact.

Something just outside the corner of his vision catches his attention and he instinctively turns his head. Another student sitting on a bench; looking , to put it simply, lost. His steps slows as he wonders if he should go towards the other. He makes a decision a moment later, and with a small shrug he hesitantly makes his way to the bench.

He bends his head downwards, suddenly feeling awkward, but forces himself to look up when he reaches the bench. He was a few feet from the bench, but it was enough for him to make out most of the features on the man's face. Cute, was the first word that registered in his brain, prompting him to give himself a mental slap. He clears his throat, "Firs' day?"

[Tino Väinämöinen]

Tino was still going through his options as he sat there on the bench. Should he look for someone, or wait for someone to come by and hope they knew where to go? Try and find the information offices? Find a phone and call information? But then he'd probably get lost trying to do that. It would have been much easier if he had remembered to get a cell phone when he transferred, but with all his other preparations it completely slipped his mind.

And then he heard a voice that snapped him completely out of his thoughts. The accent was familiar, but the voice wasn't. He automatically pinned it as Swedish as he had heard the accent many times before at home. A smile automatically donned his face before looking up to say hello. But it was soon gone and he gave a yelp as he saw the man's face. His features were stern, masculine...scary! Tino had to quickly recover, however, not wanting to seem rude, and gave a nervous chuckle.

"S-Sorry," he said shyly. "You just startled me. I haven't really seen anyone all day and wasn't expecting someone to suddenly come up to me. I guess it's because I'm new and a transfer student. But maybe that means more people would come up to me? I got here a little late because of problems with my luggage and flight and passport and college papers. They made it here late for some reason so I had to wait longer than most to make my way h - " He suddenly stopped mid sentence and gave another little chuckle, rubbing bashfully at the back of his neck. "I started ranting, didn't I? Sorry, I do that when I'm nervous. Umm..." Tino forced himself to look up at the man, only jumping a bit at the look that time now that he knew what to expect. He was still terrifying, though.

"Y-Yes, I am new here. My name's Tino...and you?"

[Nice to meet you, too, Su-san~]

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

His mind gave a heavy sigh. The usual reaction of course. Everyone always looked terrified everytime they looked at him, like the personification of death its self has come to them to reap their souls. He should really learn how to loosen his expressions. To, at the very least, appear less frightening. He listened as the other started to talk. At first, it was a few simple and hesitant words then, it quickly became an entire story. A small chuckle came to his throat, as the other told his story with a flustered, hurried voice, but he kept it low enough to make sure that the other doesn't hear, because that would actually be... scary and creepy.

Problems with luggage and paperwork; a perfect description of a bad day. Then the man ended his tale and looked up. Berwald's eyes did gave his brain another feed on what they saw and his brain interpreted it as 'nice eyes' 'cute face' 'he's blushing' . He quickly looked away, now feeling a bit more awkward than he was before. Tino. His ears heard, and he wondered where Tino was transfered from. It didn't sound like any English names. His hands fiddled uneasily in his pockets and he coughed slightly, "Mm...Berwald," He mumbled, " D'ye need any help? " Great now he probably looked and sounded like a creeper. Why doesn't he just stop trying to talk to people he doesn't know.

[Short again. g2g ahh;;;]

[Tino Väinämöinen]

"Berwald?" Tino repeated with a warm smile. He didn't want to seem rude for being afraid of him. And really it wasn't his fault he looked that way and he was probably a good guy. Tino believed you should never judge a book by its cover and give everyone a chance. And if he did end up being a bad guy he knew how to fight and take care of himself. But he doubted he'd have to use self defense against Berwald, it seemed like he was feeling just as shy and awkward as he was at that moment. Tino stood as Berwald asked if he needed help, that smile still on his face.

"I really do need help, if you wouldn't mind," he answered cheerfully. All his frustration was gone now that he wasn't alone anymore. And even if they did remain lost at least it would be more fun with someone to talk to and he could even make a new friend. "I was going to explore the campus and find out where all the important buildings are, but I got lost because I don't know how to use the imperial system. It's really different from the metric system, you know? All these terms and things I don't know, and they're not translated into metric on the map. They really should be for exchange students like me. I got so frustrated I just threw the map away!" He laughed as he picked up the bag he was toting around. Luckily it didn't have his books in it yet.

"So, where do you think we should go first, Berwald?"

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald smiled slightly at the other, "Ye didn't ask anyone fer directions?" he asked, absently wondering if he even bothered to look at what system the map used, or if he even looked at the map on his first day. After dropping his luggage at the dorm, he remembered picking the map and folding it in his pocket if he ever needed it before stepping out of his dorm to walk around the campus. He remembered spending the rest of the day outside trying to figure out the layout of the grounds. Then he found himself out of the university area, and walked around the town for a while. No... He probably forgot that he even had a map, on his first day.

He took a step back to give Tino room, or maybe he simply wanted to keep his distance. Socially awkward; A Perfect description for a Berwald Oxenstierna; law student. He gave a long silent sigh and shoved his hands further into his pockets as a breeze swept past them. He turned his head to look at the buildings surrounding the quad. The lights have already been turned on, while the lights in the office buildings have just begun to flicker off. A few other students hurried across the quad. One of them was laughing loudly, followed by a few chatty moments between them, before they disappeared into a corner.

He gave Tino a shy smile then bent his head down towards his feet, and pretended to hum thoughtfully. Since it was Tino's first night here, " th' Dorms, I s'ppose?" Ugh why did that sound wrong? Really wrong. What was he doing?

Berwald cleared his throat and forced the thought out of his mind before it could take hold of any other parts of his mind. " Wha's yer dorm n'mber?" He asked not wanting the air to be more awkward than it already is. He glanced up. Tino seemed allright. At least he seemed less awkward than he was. Berwald definitely needed to deal with his social awkwardness problem.

[Gaaaahhhhhhhh the berwald part of my brain just . died. when i told him to start talking and msads aslkdas hnggggghhh.............. i'm not good at making him talk... sorry...]

[Tino Väinämöinen]

"I couldn't find anyone to ask," Tino admitted with a shy smile, though he was looking to the side and ended up looking at the same buildings as Berwald. He truly didn't notice how late it was until now. Most of the school offices were closing, which meant he would have to visit them all tomorrow. 'What a productive day this has been.' He sighed before looking to Berwald once he spoke again. "Eeyaaaaaaaah!" He looked even more frightening in the dark! Tino couldn't help himself but yelp, er, at least it was supposed to be a yelp. He soon realized it turned into an outright scream and he started laughing to somewhat cover it up.

"Th-The dorms, you said? I really do need to find out where they are. It's where I need to sleep after all. And by how late it is I guess it's the only place I can go now. I really need to get used to the time difference here. People in Finland are probably just waking up right now!" Tino chuckled again then stood before he continued talking. "You're from Sweden, aren't you? I recognize the accent. I've met a lot of Swedish tourists and I've been there a few times. It should be about the same time there as in Finland, huh? Do you have family back in Sweden? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, of course, I know it's kinda weird to talk to people about family when you've just met them. I just really like talking, I guess."

Then Tino finally paused, allowing Berwald to say what he wanted about the subject. If he wanted to say anything at all of course. He got so side tracked talking, however, he forgot to tell the man his dorm number.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

[ sorry late reply . had exams ]

Berwald could barely restrain from flinching when Tino screamed. What was that about? He stared at the new student for more than a moment before he realised why and quickly looking away. He wished that he didn't have this habit of scaring people everytime they looked at him. He didn't understand why, or what made him look 'scary'. The closest he can come to an answer is his seriousness and the fact that he doesn't smile much. It can't be how his face looks. He knows that much that his face wasn't the deformed type of scary. Is it?

His stomach twisted uncomfortably and he gave a low cough in his throat. Berwald glanced sideways when he heard Tino mention his home country. And Tino was a Fin. Now the name makes sense. He smiled slightly when he answered with a nod and a brief hum, " most 'f m' family 's still back a' Sweden. An' yeah. 't 's weird talkin' t' a stranger 'bout yer family," By the last part of his sentence he could feel his smile was more amused than polite. The man was cute.

He cleared his throat again and straightened his face and took a step forward. Mm... He forgot to tell him his dorm number. Should he ask again? Don't think so. Doesn't make a difference if he does remind him. The dorm buildings were basically in the same area anyway. He'll ask again when they get there.

He walked across the quad and started to make his way towards the dorms. They were across the campus. It'll take a while to get there, a voice in his head reminds him. He looked over his shoulder to see if Tino was following.

[Tino Väinämöinen]

"Yeah, I thought so," Tino said shyly when Berwald confirmed that it would be strange to talk to a stranger about your own family. For a moment they continued in silence, Tino not wanting the man to get annoyed with him. Though he seemed like the type of person who didn't mind listening since he didn't talk much.

"So...how did you transfer here?" He smiled up at him, though didn't look directly at his face. He didn't want to end up screaming again and make him feel uncomfortable. He would definitely have to apologize for that later... "Or have you been here since your freshman year? You're so lucky if you have been. You'd probably know the entire campus and have a lot of friends already, huh? I came here knowing nothing but my room number and class schedule. Heh!"

But as Tino mentioned his class schedule he gasped. "Oh, crap, I don't have my math book yet!" He completely forgot about it! Getting all his other books had been a hassle and he couldn't find the math book he needed anywhere. He was going to look at the campus's book store but it was closed by now. "I have to get it before Tuesday! Could you show me where the book store is tomorrow?" He looked up at Berwald with pleading, puppy dog eyes he didn't even realize he could make.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

"Transfer?" He repeated the man's words in a low mumble and hummed thoughtfully, "Got recomended," He answers simply, deciding not to go into the petty and meaningless details, ""ve been 'ere bout a few days or so," He pauses, shifting his hands uncomfortably in his pockets, "Don't know tha' many people yet," Then Tino gave a gasp and Berwald twists to look around. Then, he smiles. Forgot his math book. Hmm. Then Tino looks up at him, with eyes that- He supposed the best way to describe them was 'puppy dog' eyes. Berwald felt warmth touch his cheeks and he clears his throat, turning away. Cute. Cute. Cute. Was this man always this adorable?Because if he was then-

He shakes his head and straightens his face , "Mm... Allrigh'," Bookstore. That was on the other side of campus wasn't it? "'ll meet up with ye at 9?" He suggests. He doesn't notice at first, but his steps have resumed to quick, fast strides. He slows after a few minutes. Berwald then stops, and briefly looks around. The dorm compound consisted of several buildings, a few stories high. Most of the lights were still on and he could hear the sounds of jukeboxes playing in a few rooms. He turns around and looks at Tino, "What's yer room number?" He asks, repeating the question. He could feel his fingers fiddle awkwardly in his pockets again.

[Tino Väinämöinen]

"Oh, thank you!" Tino exclaimed when Berwald agreed to help him. He then took the taller man's hand and squeezed it just for a moment before letting go. He didn't want to make him uncomfortable, it was just his way of expressing himself to others. Though he supposed it could be embarrassing for someone who wasn't used to it. And soon he found himself falling behind Berwald, as he didn't even notice him start to walk again. He quickened his pace, adjusting his bag, only looking down for a moment. But during that moment was when the Swedish man stopped and he ran smack into him.

"Uwagh!" Tino stumbled back a bit and bowed in apology for running into him. "Sorry!" He stopped himself before he started ranting however so he could hear what Berwald had to say. He simply followed along silently and waited to answer any questions. "102 is my room number. I haven't been there yet, though, as you can see. I think my bags were sent there? So they should be in the dorm waiting for me. I just need to see if anything's missing. I really don't want to go through finding all my bags and things again."

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

"an' 's allrigh'," He mumbles, remembering that the Finn had bumped into him. 102... "Yer room's next door," He says, turning to look at the man. Thats nice. Next door means that he will see him everyday at the very least and- Wiat what was he thinking. Stop thinking so much Berwald. He cleared his throat and started to walk again, "Mm.. yer bags should be in th' room," He walks across the dorm courtyard and to one of the dorm buildings.

He pulls the door open, and holds it open until Tino walks in. Wait- He was being polite. He was being polite. Just, simple politeness. He makes his way past he lobby and towards the opposite wall, where he pushed the elevator button. His hands return to his pockets as he waits for the elevator. Their dorms were on the first floor, they could just take the stairs.

He softly sighed and looked at the Finn, wondering if he should say anything. Then he remembered that Tino had taken his hand and squeezed it. Was that how the man thanked people? His hand shifted in his pocket, and he tried hard not to smile.

Ding.

[Tino Väinämöinen]

"I'm right next door to you?" Tino asked excitedly. How lucky, his first friend and helper would be close if he needed anything else, and he wouldn't get lost when he went to meet him in the morning! It was a very convenient situation indeed. "That means we'll see each other all the time, huh?" He started to ramble again as they made their way into the building, cutting the silence of the otherwise awkward moment of waiting for the elevator. "I wonder if we have some of the same classes, too? Thought probably not, you're older than me. Or at least a year ahead of me at this school. What's your major? Mine's English, with a concentration in creative writing. I really want to be a writer when I graduate, let the whole world hear my voice, you know? It would be wonderful!"

Tino was slightly distracted by the ding of the elevator before it opened its doors to the two. He skipped over the threshold and kept a hand in the doorway to keep them from closing and leaving Berwald behind. After all, he truly had no idea where he was going, even now. "Do you have a roommate? Are they nice? I don't think anyone else is in my room, yet, at least since the last time I checked, but that was a while ago. Maybe I'll have a surprise waiting for me when I get there? Ehe!" Tino smiled heavenly and waited patiently for the other man to talk now that he was done doing so.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

It seemed that the Finn had become more comfortable now, or maybe he was just talkative. EIther way, Berwald smiled at the words, "Writin'," He mumbled thoughtfully, "Is good tha' yer aimin' to do tha'. Yer thoughts out fer th' world. Not many people are lucky t' have tha'," He coughed, turning his head to look down at his shoes for a moment "Mm. Senior," He replied, adding, "Majorin' in Law. Inte'national law," THe last bit was an afterthought, after he decided that it was good to put some length into his sentences, "Hoppin' t' do th' right thing with it after I gr'duate," He said as he stepped into the elevator.

"Roomates?" Heh. "I s'ppose, Never really talked t' them yet. But we get along allright so far," He shrugs, " M' sure ye'll get someone nice in yer dorm,"

The metallic doors pull open and Berwald quickly walked out into the hall, Turning left and stopping after five steps infront of a door. 102.