Out of nowhere, Abel found his forward progress interrupted by another student, this one a bespectacled boy in what looked like a suit jacket. Sheathed in his belt were two slender blades, practically rapiers. Though Abel knew the term, he had never seen the like of them before; such small, elegant weapons had no place at the edge of the civilized world. More interestingly, though, was the amount of attention Abel was getting; back home, the brooding, bleak atmosphere stifled any chattiness. Here, he had barely even stopped off the sky boat and he had already come face to face with three new, intriguing people. What mattered, though, was how he was going to handle this one.

"Nice?" Despite not returning Nevin's smile, Abel tried to seem genial. His to-the-point nature, however, shined through. "Not really. Hate bullying, though. That guy was just trying to look out for himself. The blonde girl didn't need to go and humiliate him. If we're not allowed to be proud of our skills, our selves, what we've learned, what's the point?" Though he realized he was probably sounding a little preachy, Abel decided to power through to the end of his spiel, echoing what his father had told him. "Confidence in oneself is the ultimate weapon. If you can't believe in yourself, why should anyone else?" He raised the palm of his off hand up, fingers splayed in a gesture of 'I don't know'.

He noticed Mary nearby, conversing excitedly with an overweight brunette as she walked. Abel watched her for a brief moment, entertained the idea of joining her again, but decided to stick with this new guy for the time being. As he'd learned back home in Pallisade, there was little to be gained by a fixated pursuit. He couldn't make friends happen; he had to let it happen. While that approach hadn't earned him many friends, those he had were worth it. He turned back to regard Nevin again. "But whatever. You hungry? I'm hungry. Gonna check to see if this place has vending machines before the headmaster gives his speech. My name's Abel, by the way."