Black Sheep

The confusion quickly fled his expression at the sound of Iggy's response. So... he still didn't have any other teammates. In the back of his mind, he felt some smug satisfaction at the news; maybe he really had made an impact, tearing down fliers like that. Neglecting to voice it, of course, some realization smoothed over his features. "Ohhh... Gotcha," he replied, sounding somewhat disappointed in spite of his best efforts to conceal the emotion. Here he'd been hoping there'd be a spot left for him, and certainly he'd been granted that much, but they couldn't make a team with just two inklings.

Pursing his lips, it wasn't until Iggy continued in a clarifying manner that Casper even realized what he was implying. He blinked, torn from his thoughts, and gave the other boy a knowing, if not somewhat anxious, glance. This was something he knew all too well, but he wasn't about to accept it. He needed to be a part of this team - even if it was lacking half of the members it needed to actually qualify to compete. Refusing to lose his confidence regardless, he grinned good-naturedly at his company.

"I am a lot to consider, aren't I?" 

Trying to keep his hopes in check, he awaited the other inkling's response with palpable expectancy, bouncing slightly on his feet and clasping both hands together before him. Cas bit the inside of his cheek, chewing anxiously. As oblivious as he was, it was nearly impossible not to notice Iggy's hesitation. Still, even at the sound of his rather unenthusiastic response, Casper couldn't help the excitement which rose up within him at the sound of it. "Duh! Why wouldn't I want to continue?" he blurted, nearly cutting the other boy off in the process. "You wanna do tryouts, right? I'm down! Let's do it right now!"

An eager grin tugged at his lips and he leaned inward slightly, cupping one hand around the side of his mouth and continuing at a lower volume, albeit after casting a brief glance about the plaza, "I brought my gear and everything!" Cas jabbed a thumb behind him at the backpack hanging loosely over his shoulder and winked playfully at the other boy before leaning back again, a self-satisfied way about him. "Gotta come prepared to these kind of things, am I right?"

Grinning broadly, his smile began to wilt at the sound of Iggy's reply. Disappointment intruded upon his features in the moments following, posture slumping slightly and a forming pout upon his lips. The more the other boy went on, the more the feeling grew. Huffing a bit, he crossed his arms snugly over his chest, looking off into the distance. "Yeah, right. Not like I'm planning on shooting someone with it or something," Cas mumbled. He cast his attention back to the other boy's face, pout worsening.

"That's what electricity's for - I'm sure we could find somewhere safe to practice! I know tons of places. I come around here at night all the time!" he insisted, sounding rather desperate in spite of his best efforts not to. "Besides, there's no need to be so serious. You could stand to loosen up a little, if you ask me." He paused, a sheepish grin overtaking his features again. "Uh -- no offense."

Having hoped that his teasing would will a positive reaction out of Iggy, his grin waned rather quickly into an uncomfortable smile when the opposite happened. Again with the staring. Cas wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. The extended silence was hardly beneficial to his discomfort and, as a result, he gave an awkward, half-hearted laugh, though quickly the sound faded into silence and he shrank back under the other inkling's stare. His smile resembled more of a pained grimace now than anything else. He swallowed thickly.

Unaware that he'd resorted to holding his breath until Iggy spoke, he coughed a bit and cleared his throat, gluing his attention nervously to his feet. "Oh, uh... right," he agreed, albeit after an uncomfortable pause. At the sound of the other boy's voice, he reluctantly lifted his gaze, a cautious way about him. Could he impress Iggy? He remembered his pathetic performance during the last turf war they'd been in together and fought the urge to cringe. His confidence took a hit at the mere thought. Still, he had no plans of letting the inkling intimidate him out of tryouts. Furrowing his brow, he took a steadying breath and asserted determinedly, "Yeah, I think I -- I know I can!"

Sure enough, all it took was a bit more staring on Iggy's part to dismantle nearly every ounce of Casper's confidence. The more the other boy stared, the more unsure of himself he became. Certainly he'd just said that he could impress Iggy, but what if he couldn't? One look at the inkling's passive expression was all it took to make him doubt himself all the more. He began to fidget, finding it increasingly more difficult to continue meeting the other's gaze. At the unimpressed comment he made, Cas resumed chewing the inside of his cheek, brow furrowing in uncertainty.

He stiffened when Iggy leaned forward, his stare unceasing, and caught his breath, trying for an unruffled expression but falling painfully short. It wasn't as if it mattered, though. Evidently the other boy was already entirely aware of his nervousness. It wasn't until the inkling cracked a smile that Casper hesitated, torn from a state of perpetual embarrassment and uncertainty at the sight. He blinked, realization slowly setting in at the sound of Iggy's teasing. As rapidly as his certainty had given way to self doubt, however, defiance rose up in its place, his cheeks flushing with heat.

Unsure of how else to recover, he retorted hotly, crossing both arms snugly over his chest, "Bite me! You were the one acting like a huge tightass! How am I supposed to respond to that, huh?" Expectantly, he huffed at Iggy, looking none too pleased.

His embarrassment tripled at the sight of the other boy's grin. Frowning, he scoffed and turned his attention stubbornly elsewhere, grumbling something under his breath in a mocking tone that sounded vaguely like what Iggy had just said. It wasn't until the other had finished that he even returned his gaze to the taller boy's face. "Yeah, well, you're not doing a very good job of it," Cas said. "At least my idea would have given you a chance to actually see whether or not I have any skill - and it's not stupid." He made a face, eyeing the boy with an air of distaste.

"It's not like you're gonna bother meeting me again even if you do hold tryouts. I've seen enough to know your type."