Strangling? Face-Bashing? No probs. (The Nest)

Roo paused as she approached the double doors that led into the Nest proper, a secondary gymnasium with padded walls and shark-tunnel glass panes separating a few observation rooms from the big open area.  There were bleachers on one wall.

She set her backpack on the floor and dug around for her prize-- a binder covered in sharpie graffiti designs exclusively featuring odd archaic symbols and shapes that looked like antlers and tree roots.  Along with the binder came an Eng Lit textbook and what looked suspiciously like a hit list.  Rudy had left these in Professor Satou's classroom.  Roo sat next to Rudy in that class, and wasted no time volunteering to take it to him.  He was a cool dude.  He also gave her his other antler once it finally shed, and it was currently sitting on her desk in her room waiting to be carved.

With binder, textbook, and note pad in her arms, Roo carefully pushed one of the doors open just enough to slip inside.

"Hello?"  She looked around.  "Professor Oakleigh?  Is Rudy here?  He left some things behind in our last class..."

Baram was in the nest about to head out to his next class. He grumbled as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. He looked up when he heard the door open and the voice that followed. He paused and tipped his head looking at her. She looked very familiar.

It suddenly came rushing back to him. This was the girl from... the "incident" in the cafeteria. He blinked a few times before offering a kind smile. "H-hello, are you looking for Professor Oakleigh? I think he's with another student right now." Maybe she wouldn't remember him or would accept his apology.

He cleared his throat. "I'm... I don't know if you remember but I'm very sorry for what happened in the cafeteria.... A while back. I wasn't... Myself."

Roo started to turn towards Baram on "Hello," but her eyes went wide and she seemed to tense up. She took a step backwards, accidentally knocking herself back against the newly closed door. She hugged the book and binder tightly and her brow furrowed for a moment before she took a sharp breath and stomped one foot.

"Not-- Not yourself? You nearly strangled me!" She took another step forward. "You would've bashed my face in if Kazuo hadn't tackled you!"

Baram flinched at the harshness of her words... But she wasn't wrong. His eyes looked down, feeling himself unable to meet her gaze. "I am in the Beserker class for a reason... It was supposed to be safe." He grumbled, gaining some new courage. He looked her square in the eyes. "I can't change what happened. All I can do is try to improve and apologize to you for my weakness and failures. If I had killed you I wouldn't be standing here today."

Roo growled and gave her own hair an aggressive ruffle to try and clear her head a bit.  "I know you can't change it and I know you're a fucking Berserker but that doesn't make it any less fucking terrifying."

She glared at him and breathed hard through her nose, failing in her attempts to calm herself.  "And don't talk to me like I'm in the wrong for snappin' at you!"  She was talking louder than she meant, but after years of cowering in front of her father it was all too easy to trade fear for anger.

"Is Rudy here?  I came by to drop off his shit."  She dropped the book and binder off to the side, where they hit the floor with a loud sharp thwack!

Baram steadied himself and adjusted his bag again. "No, you have every right to be mad at me. I just wanted to say my piece. I'll leave you alone."

"Rudy should be in isolation," he stated as he walked past her and out the door. "I'm glad you are doing better. Good bye." He walked down the hall and to his class. He grumbled as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Maybe it would just be better for him to disappear after all.