Across the aisle from her she would find her perfect foil. His posture was as stiff as hers was relaxed, his brows furrowed as he focused on the cadet handbook in his lap. Occasionally he would look up but he had no interest in the scenery. He focused on the other cadets instead, eyeing them when he thought no one was watching, sizing up each of his companions in turn. He was going to be stuck with them for quite some time, after all. Best to know what he was getting into.

He jumped a little when the girl addressed him, which was ridiculous. It's not like there was anything to feel guilty about.

"No thank you." He gave the lollipop a dubious look. "I'm not fond of sweet things."