The young woman woke early that morning, prepared to get ready for her first day at her new job at the casino, though it was normal for her to drop by the coffee shop before work even when she was filming so today after she showered she dressed in a long shirt, leggings and her boots before scratching her cat between the ears and taking her dog out to the backyard. She'd been in town for three days, unpacking and setting up home in the comfy two-story house she was currently renting using her funds from her latest season of Elyrian Darkness. She'd gone to the interview the day before and barely had to say a thing, since the manager had had her demonstrate her skills as a bartender and hostess, and already he had a crowd of new customers coming in as they witnessed the girl outside on the patio dining area where the men where allowed to smoke. He had asked her to come in the next day at 1pm to start her training as a Dealer since she would be working the day shifts as a Dealer and nights along the rail. It was fine with her, as the young blonde beauty didn't need much sleep to work as well as she did and never did she get bags under her eyes.

With the large husky beside her Roza locked the door to her house and walked down the sidewalk, hips swaying teasingly and a slight grin upon her lips when she knew that the males who walked passed her would take a look at the long legged, curvaceous beauty that had made her entrance to the streets of Shine City. It wasn't long before she reached the cafe and walked inside to find several people sitting around. There were no other animals inside though Kaskae never barked or looked toward any of the humans food while Roza walked over to a booth by a window and sat down, waiting for the waitress to come to her. The large male husky jumped up on the bench on the other side and sat down as if he was eating with her, though he was perfectly behaved and alert. It was strange to find such a well mannered animal, especially without a leash.

The alarm went off at 9:30AM next to Shizuka's bed. She opened her eyes slowly, waking up, and stared at the clock for a few moments before the noise got too annoying and she was prompted to turn it off. Getting up and stretching, she took note of the fact that she had slept quite well last night, though she couldn't remember if she had dreamed anything. Though the thought was kind of melancholy, she didn't dwell on it. She got changed, brushed her teeth and went out to the kitchen to make herself brunch. She noticed that her roommate's door was closed, indicating that she had returned, though Shizuka had no idea when she got back the previous night. Shizuka made sure to make enough food for her roommate as well. When she finished eating, she wrapped her roommate's portion in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge, leaving a note to her roommate, telling her that there was food for her and that she should microwave it. Then she headed out to go to the academy.

Shizuka made it to the life sciences wing of the campus; she had some cages of hamsters that she was taking care of as part of her graduate project. She had just walked past some of the offices when she heard a click behind her. Turning around, she saw Shou Matsuoka, the professor of the class for which she was the teaching assistant. "G-good morning, Dr. Matsuoka," Shizuka said with a slight bow out of courtesy. After straightening back up, she got a better look at him and saw that he was worse for wear. "Umm, Dr. Matsuoka, I don't mean to pry, but are you feeling well?" To be in such a condition at almost noon made Shizuka wonder if Shou was, like many of the other professors, overworking himself and not giving himself enough sleep. She had heard enough from many of the faculty here about the commitment and sacrifices required to be a successful member of academia.

Arty felt the vibration from his lap as he got a text. After finishing his oh so spectacular breakfast the ginger read the text, a slight smile forming on his face. "Grand, see you then lassie =)" -Arty He texted in response to Ryva before he stood up from the couch and stretched. "To hours eh?" Arty mumbled to himself as he yawned. "That is enough time to swing by the market." He before he walked to his bathroom and jumped into the shower. After a quick wash, and some rather horrid singing, Arty emerged from the shower and strolled to his room, luckily he didn't have a roommate or they would of gotten quite the eyeful that morning. About a minute later Arty was back out of his room dressed in a dark green flannel shirt, a slightly faded pair of jeans, and some pretty battered brown work boots. "I'll see yo' in a bit Nessie, don't burn down the 'ouse." Arty said with a chuckle as he lightly stroked the cat that had taken up a seat on the counter leading into the kitchen.

After exiting his apartment, and prying Nessie off his leg, Arty made his way up the street from his apartment building and into the small corner grocery store. It was a quite little store that Arty had been going to ever since he moved into the apartments, mainly because he didn't have to take the Bus to get to it. The flannel clad man entered the store and gave a nod to the elderly man who sat behind the counter and played a game of solitaire. It didn't take long for Arty to find what he was looking for, just some milk, bread, and a few cups of instant noodles to make through out the week. He was heading back to cash register when he accidently bumped into one of the shelves in the aisle, which was already pretty cramped for Arty and his massive size, which caused quite the disaster. The shelf he bumped into collapsed causing the ones under it to fall as well. In his haste to catch what he could Arty bent over too fast and his huge rear end hit the aisle behind him causing the whole shelf to topple over with all of it contents flying all over the place. After a moment that felt like an eternity Arty looked back to the old man sitting behind the counter, who's mouth hung open in shock. "Uhhh.... I'm sorry.."

--------------

Arty walked into Mochavine with a remorseful look on his face and made his way to one of the booths where he took a seat and released a large huff. After his blunder in the store Arty insisted on helping cleaning up and paying for the damage he caused, but the big oaf still felt like a right ass for what he did. He had always been a tad bit clumsy, but no matter how many times he screwed up he couldn't get over the embarrassment that came over him each time. Arty sighed and leaned back deeper into the booths chair. "Hopefully chatting with Ryva will raise my spirits..."

Ryva was locking her apartment up, when her phone played Radioactive again. She unlocked the screen of her phone with one hand as the other one clipped Moose's leash to the ring on his vest. She smiled fondly.

She put her phone in her pocket and headed for the stairwell, Moose's leash held loosely in one hand, seeing as how Moose was faster than her when it came to running down the stair. They reached the bottom floor and Ryva stepped out into the morning air, breathing deeply.

"Come on, Moose," she said to him. "Arty's waitin' for us." Ears pricked when she said Arty's name, the young dog obeyed.

---

Ryva stopped in front of the window and waved to Arty. He seemed romorseful, and it piqued her interest. Her eyes were unreadable behind her mirrored shades, but her smile said it all. Moose had his Service dog vest on-Ryva was blind in her left eye and needed surgery soon-so he was allowed into the cafe with her. She opened the door and made her way to Arty, politely taking off the hat she had been wearing.

"'Ello, Arty ol' lad," she said, sliding into the seat from across from him. Moose looked at Ryva with a pleading look, his tail waggging. He wasn't allowed to greet people until Ryva said. Ryva smiled."Say hello, Moose." Moose nudged Arty's hand, tail wagging furiously. "So how ye doin' today? From what I can tell, you did something on accident, but ye still feel bad about it."

Legs first, April swung herself out of bed, pausing for a moment to allow her room to stop spinning and her head to stop banging. She felt sticky and gross, and April was sure she probably stunk after falling asleep in her ensemble from last nights partying. Grabbing a towel, the pink-haired waitress headed for her bathroom to take a shower.

After an ice-cold shower April felt much fresher. Although her head was still banging, it was less of a hammer-to-skull sensation and more of a dull ache. Wearing a powder blue towel as a dress and another as a turban, she prepared her brunch- grapefruit, orange and apple. As she was cutting the fruits, her phone let out a "PING!"

April laughed at the text and accompanying picture she'd been sent by Rosanna. Still smiling, she sent a message back:

Rosa ur a lifesaver, thanks!!!! I meant to grab my timetable on the way out but I was kinda in a rush (tell u about it later). Pretty sure only 99% of the club saw u making out with dj dangermouse LOL!! :D <3 <3 <3

Once April had eaten her fruit, she realised there wasn't long until her shift at the Mochavine cafe and bar. She got dressed in her usual work outfit and turned on the small TV in her apartment. Whatever show was on, she wasn't watching it and was allowing her mind to wander. Usually April dreaded work-plastering on a smile and being extremely polite to everyone, even the people who treated you like dirt, was not the most enjoyable job. Today, however, she was more optimistic. She kidded herself that it wasn't because she was hoping Shou Matsuoka would drop in, and instead told herself she was just in a good mood because she had had a lovely night out.

Arty, despite all his moping, noticed someone from the corner of his eye waving at him outside the window. Turning his head he spotted Ryva and, of course, Moose at her side. His sour expression softened and gave a slight wave back to the pair before watching them make their way into the little coffee shop and over to the booth the lummox was currently occupying. He shot Ryva a smile and a slight nod as she took the seat across from him. Ay it is good to see yo' too lass." He said in his usual warm tone, though a slightly guilty look stayed on his expression. Arty chuckled slightly as he looked down at Moose and reached down to pet the dog. Eh boyo, how yo' doing? Oh guess what I got yo'!" He said as he pulled out a new bone out of his pocket and held it out to Moose. "I know it isn't that steak I owe yo' but this should 'old yo' over for a bit right?" Arty chuckled before turning his attention back to Ryva. He let out a slight sigh as the girl pointed out his glum expression, Ryva was always pretty good at picking up on when Arty was felling down. "Ay lass, I made right ass of me self today." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck, something he always did when he was nervous. "I managed to wreck an aisle or two in the store up the street from my place. Don't think I'll be goin' back there any time soon." He said with a slight groan as he let his head fall back onto the back of his seat. "Not the way I wanted to start this day."

Ryva smiled and took her sunglasses off as Moose took the bone and nudged Arty's hand in thanks.

"Ay lass, I made right ass of me self today." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck, something she had noticed he always did when he was nervous. "I managed to wreck an aisle or two in the store up the street from my place. Don't think I'll be goin' back there any time soon." He said with a slight groan as he let his head fall back onto the back of his seat. "Not the way I wanted to start this day."

Ryva couldn't help but chuckle. "Och lad," she said. "I do no' think they were overly upset. Knowin you, I can expect ye helped them put everything to rights again." Then she adopted a firm, but gentle tone. "Do no' be so hard on yourself. Ye're a great man, and anyone who can no' see that is an idiot." Then she raised her hand a bit, signaling for a waitress.

"Ye gonna order anythin', lad?" she asked him. "It's on me." And, seeing him opening his mouth to protest, she added, "Ye let me do this, Arty. I did no' get to buy us drinks las' night, and I'm makin' up for it."

---

@Saarebas

Kameyo sipped on her coffee, she scrunched her nose at the bitterness. The steam felt nice on her face. Clean clothes would probably be better. Hey maybe people won't recognize you as the random dancing drunk chick. She looked up at Nori. She was still pretty, even with her hair all messed up. "Yeah, If I had time I was going to move my things in. I only have a few boxes of things. The bed would be the only thing that'll be tough to move." Oh! But would it be an inconvenience to ask to wear her clothes? What if they didn't fit?!
She had also been looking around the room. Kame was planning how to sort all this out later. She was sure it wasn't REALLY Nori's fault. Between working at the club and dealing with the people there, buying clothes appropriate for the job, and taking care of herself, Nori was certainly busy. Plus not everybody enjoyed or was good at housework. Well Kameyo lives here now, so she would make sure Nori wouldn't have to worry about it. She still had to get through today though. First step of every day was to at least be presentable. So asking Nori, no matter her fears, was the way to get that done. Would it be ok?
There was only one way to find out. Kameyo took another gulp of her coffee. Alright, you already know she's nice, you can do this. "Y-yeah, some clothes would be nice. Oh! but only if it's really ok! If it's a bother I'll be fine and just change at the dorm." Wow way to ramble Kame. Ugh she managed to make herself a dork...again.

“That’s the spirit, Shou,” Jun laughed as the teacher sat down at the roulette table. “With a pretty gal by your side, you can take on the world, am I right? Soon you’ll be walkin’ outta here saying ‘veni vidi vici.’” He turned back to the other men at the table. “You fellas ready for a round with this lady killer? Right then, place your bets!” With that, the next game began.

After two rounds, another familiar face made an appearance at the roulette table. “How’s it going, Jake?” Jun greeted before a thoroughly drunken Shou intercepted the rock star. A brief exchange followed in which Jake offered the others a shot of Vodka and Jun respectfully declined. “Thanks, but if the boss man catches me drinkin’ on the job, I might as well kiss this place goodbye,” he shook his head. Well, that, and a few shots of vodka would have me flirting like the cocktail girls. “How’s about a couple rounds of roulette instead, Jake?” he asked, casually changing the subject. “There’s an open seat at the table with your name on it!”

--

11:45AM
Jun’s Apartment

Jun groaned as he rolled out of bed and silenced the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. Despite having just woken up, he already wanted nothing more than to climb back into the warm blankets for another five hours of sleep. He hoped the new music he had released on his website last week was selling well so he could finally ask his boss to cut back his hours at work. I don’t think I can pull off many more of these back-to-back graveyard shifts…

Still in a half-asleep state, Jun shuffled over to his desk and opened his laptop to check up on the proceeds from his latest single. He flipped through tabs of software until he found the page he was looking for and quirked a brow in surprise. The song had nearly twice as many downloads as he had expected! He stared blankly at the computer screen for a moment until he remembered the music video he had filmed with Jake Vanguard. Fans of the rock star must have looked up Jun’s page after listening to their collaboration. Looks like I’m gonna be able to cut back my hours after all, he smiled, closing the laptop and walked to his bathroom to get ready for the day.

After taking a quick shower and throwing on a fresh set of clothes, Jun decided to start off the morning—or was it afternoon?—by having brunch at Mochavine to celebrate the success of his new songs. So, eager to have one of the café’s signature coffees, he grabbed the first set of headphones he could find, turned up some music on his phone, and headed out the door.



--

12:10PM
Mochavine Café

As he stepped inside the café Jun took off his headphones, letting them hang around his neck as he looked for a place to sit. There were already a number of other people seated in the dining area—including Ryva and Arty from Club LUSH, he noticed—so most of the tables were filled. Catching sight of a pretty blonde, he momentarily toyed with the idea of offering to sit with her, but the large dog that accompanied the girl was more than slightly off putting. He didn’t want to risk being bitten by a husky and there weren’t any other people dining alone that he could see, so Jun decided to sit by himself, claiming one of the few remaining empty booths near the front window and waiting for a waitress to come to his table.

"No, I don't mind at all. Lemme see what I can do," Nori informed with a wink, taking a big gulp of coffee before scampering off to her closet. 'What can Kame-girl wear...,' the blonde mused, rummaging through various articles of clothing. 'She's taller than me, so pants would high water. Definitely out. Maybe a skirt?' she pondered, pulling out a grey skirt with little eyelets cut out of the bottom. It was on the short side, but most of the DJ's wardrobe was skimpy to fit her work's dress code. 'She'll just have to remember not to bend over.'

Nori returned to her roommate with the skirt and a soft blue button down in tow. "Try this on," the shorter girl ordered, dropping the clothes in Kameyo's arms before shepherding her into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Nori waited outside for a few minutes before calling out, "Alright, I'm coming in!" in warning and opening the door again. "Aw, you look cute!" the blonde complimented, before noticing that the buttons at her chest were gaping quite a bit. "Well, except that," Nori giggled. "Looks like you're boobier than me. I think I've got something that'll fix it though."

The tattooed girl left and came back, holding an oversized sweater in her hands. She handed it to the blue haired girl and watched as she pulled it on over the button down. "Much better!" Nori beamed, reaching out to straighten the sweater a little. Her stomach chose that moment to growl angrily and the florist flushed, coughing awkwardly. "We gotta get some food or I'm gonna pass out."

---
Mochavine Cafe

"Geez, this place is packed," Nori said, holding the door open for her roommate. The cafe wasn't that far from the apartment, so they had skipped the cab and just walked. The blonde could see Arty and Ryva together at a booth, the songstress' faithful dog making happy huffing noises. 'He's pretty cute when he's not growling at you,' she admitted to herself. There were a few other notable people, including another girl with a dog and a good looking brunette boy who was sitting by himself, but Nori didn't recognize them.

"Er....," Nori squirmed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Where should we sit?"

---

Jake finished his 3rd cup of honey vanilla chamomile tea and his third cig as he got up he set money down for the other two teas and started walking to the arcade.On the way he saw allot of familiar faces at the Mochavine cafe he just looked through the window as he passed by and saw how happy everyone looked hanging out with there friends and was tempted to go in and say hi but he didn't want to intrude so he kept walking.Lyrics forming in his head as he walked he finally reached the arcade but it didn't interest him anymore.He couldn't stop thinking on how people thought he was a hobo,he was contemplating buying a house but what house and where,maybe he should just walk the town and and try to find any houses for sale to choose from.Then he realized he still hadn't got his clothes back from club lush.'So many things need done maybe I should stop hiding who I am every one thinks I'm a hobo or bum because of the clothes I wear...when I'm not drunk for then my clothes tend to disappear.' He thought to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck.'I should find a house,small,quaint,out of the way,maybe I'll find one just gonna have to check up on some websites for houses for sale around Shine City.'At that thought he walked to the park and sat down on the bench.He pulled out his phone,lit a cig,and started searching for a house with lyrics still rolling through his mind.

Arty couldn't help but chuckle, he was starting to suspect that Ryva was either some kind of psychic or she had been fallowing him around with the giant oaf noticing. "Yeah I 'elped clean up the mess, even paid for the shite I broke. Don't think I'll be gettin' that car I wanted anytime soon." Arty said with another chuckle, his sullen expression slowly fading. When Ryva waved over a waitress and asked what he wanted Arty was about to protest, but the girl quickly cut him off and insisted that she was paying. Arty simply chuckled and shook his head, he knew he wasn't about to win this argument with Ryva. "'ave it yer way lass. I'll just 'ave a coffee, black if that is okay." He said with a smile to the waitress. As he waited for Ryva to order Arty started to pet Moose again, smiling as he watched the dog gnaw on his new bone. When he heard the chiming of the door opening Arty turned his hazel gaze over t see who just came in, much to his surprise it was Nori. He was about to wave at the young DJ until he noticed the blue hair that stood just behind her. Arty quickly retracted his hand and pinned his attention down to the floor where Moose was. "Shite..." He mumbled under his breath as he tried his best, which wasn't quite honestly that good, to hide his face. He already made a fool of himself this morning at the store so Arty really didn't feel like having a repeat of last night, especially if he could avoid it. Please please please please don't look over 'ere. Arty played over and over in his head.

@Narcotic Dollie
Arty chuckled."Yeah I 'elped clean up the mess, even paid for the shite I broke. Don't think I'll be gettin' that car I wanted anytime soon." Arty said with another chuckle, and Ryva noticed that his sullen expression seemed to be fading. It made her smile to see him happy, or at least trying his best. We all do our best to be happy, Ryva thought. Even if we really don't feel like it. And It's really the little things that matter most. Like the touch of a hand on your cheek, or a wave goodbye. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Arty chuckled.

"'Ave it yer way lass. I'll just 'ave a coffee, black if that is okay." He said with a smile to the waitress. Ryva was still smiling as she ordered a small Iced peppermint mocha. She heard the chiming of the door and turned her crystalline blue gaze over to see who had just entered the coffee shop. To her slight surprise, it was the female DJ from Club LUSH. Remembering last night's events, she realized how conceited she must have sounded, and it made her cringe. She turned to Arty.

"I'll be right back, lad," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I realized how conceited I must have sounded last night, and I need tae go apologize." She got up and approached Nori, bowing slightly with her right fist over her heart, then straightened. She gave a shy smile. "Excuse me, Lass," she said. "I wanted to apologize fer how I acted last night. I realize how conceited I must have seemed, and I apologize. I was only tryin' to make amends fer shovin' ye, and we got off on the wrong foot. I'd like tae start over, if ye do no' mind, lass. And ye're welcome tae come sit with me and Arty, and my pup does no' bite."

"Mm?"
Shou yawned lazily and looked over at the source of the voice with lidded eyes. He hadn't realised his dark circles were back to haunt him, and he barely got enough sleep anyway, the casino the night before only made it worse. Having barely four and a half hours of sleep under his belt was obviously unhealthy, and it showed now, too.
"Oh, good morning, Shizuka." the latter half of the sentence was intercepted by another yawn, with him hanging on the door handle for a handful of seconds longer before pushing it open and trudging into his office, "Walk and talk, Shizuka. Need coffee." And as he said this, he took a long sip from the coffee-to-go cup.

He was inside when she asked her next question from where she stood at the door, and he gestured for her to come in. Speaking to her while gathering his sheets and making the necessary exchanges between his shoulder bag and the items on his desk, he ran a final check before leaning back against the desk on his palms, lazy brown eyes finding the girl's. It warmed his heart, the way she worried.
"I'm alright, I'm alright. Don't you worry, young lady." he replied fondly, running a hand through his silver hair and managing his best smile in that state, though it never reached his tired eyes. "You're sweet to worry about me on top of all of your assignments, mm? I just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."
And here he noticed the hamsters in the cage Shizuka was carrying, which made him leave his belongings at the desk for just the moment and close the distance between him and the girl.

...maybe that's a little...too close.

He paused. Looking down into the girl's eyes, wordlessly he knelt down before her, level with the hamster cage she was carrying. His cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink though he wouldn't let her see it, no, he'd be too embarrassed. Though Shou was still pretty courteous and easily flustered around women.
"How are these little guys doing?" he reached a finger to one of the gaps in the iron-wire-walls of the cage, and immediately one of the hamsters curiously scurried over to sniff his fingertip, which made him retract his hand and rest in that kneeling position, smiling fondly at the little creatures in the cage.
"Seems you're keeping them very well, Shizuka." he tilted his head up, his smile a little more genuine now at seeing the little creatures in the radiant health in which they were in. "I'm glad."
The scent of bitter black coffee mixed with an elegant cologne must have reached her nose from his presence. It seemed he always smelled somewhat like the coffee he drank. In his favour, it only accented the colognes he chose to wear.
He grew quiet again at realising just how close he must have been to her, like that.

Sitting alone on the bench she crossed her legs at the knee, one of her feet unable to touch the ground though it didn't bother her much as she pulled a large novel from her handbag. The blonde wore no glasses, and had no freckles like those who usually read such large fantasy novels, and had the figure of a model; a strange sight though it wasn't entirely uncommon with what she did for a living. The young woman glanced from the page of her novel as a girl walked over to her and ask for her order, where Roza had already decided what it was that she wanted to drink and eat today. "White chocolate latte with cream and nutmeg." She said with another glance at the menu in front of her, a pastry catching her eye just as the girl asked her if there was anything else she wanted. "Yes. The peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate and strawberry sauce." If anyone ever saw all the foods she ate they would wonder how the young actress managed to keep her stomach as flat as it was and how she stayed as thin as she was. It was a combination of genetics and her daily routine, which was fairly simple as it was though her part required her to maintain a healthy figure. 'Of course miss.' The girl turned away from her and Roza glanced around the packed cafe again before returning her gaze to the book she was holding in her hands.

Lifting a single hand, deft fingers tucking a loose lock of hair back behind her ear, polished nails catching the light with the deep purple that set off her eyes nicely while near her face. She glanced up for a moment to see her dog looking around at the sudden crowd, obviously wanting to go see the dog on the other side of the cafe though she wouldn't approve and therefore he didn't move at all. "What's wrong Kaskae?" She spoke to the dog, saying his name in a traditional Alaskan Inuit accent though when the dog looked over at the male with brown hair she laughed slightly and stood, gesturing for the animal to come with her as she walked over to the male sitting alone. "Hey, sorry to bother you but Kaskae here wanted to say hello." The blonde, standing with her hands behind her back and the dog standing next to her though the animal didn't jump at the male even though his tail wagged slightly from side to side. He found him interesting, though the young woman couldn't figure out quite why it was that he animal companion had wanted to come over to see him.

It wasn't often that Roza would walk over to a stranger and speak to them, the rare occasions on demand of her dog or her job, since at times her partner in certain scenes would be too intimidated to go up to her first since she'd been part of the show since it's beginning three years ago. Elyrian Darkness was a fantasy show that aired at eleven on Thursdays, featuring an abstract sense of young actors and actresses trying to get into the spotlight of show business, and with the televisions shows growing popularity among fantasy, supernatural, war and romance fans, they were gaining enough fame that sometimes they would be recognized in public. Just after the release of the final episode of the season, Roza and her co-star, Matthew, had been in an interview on Late Night Magic - a talk show featuring both old well-known names and the up and coming. The man she stood before on the other hand didn't seem as if he would know about it, so she didn't worry about being recognized, at least not in a city this large, just yet. With blue eyes big and open, lashes fluttering and casting light shadows over her eyes, and her head cocked slightly to the side; she smiled and waited for his response.

Shizuka followed Shou to his office at his prompting. When he mentioned his lack of sleep, she replied, "I understand, I've heard being a professor is a demanding lifestyle. Please take better care of yourself. I know work is your top priority, but you can't do good research if you're not feeling well." She still misconstrued his tiredness as being due to work.

However, when Shou approached her suddenly, she stared up into his eyes, confused and slightly startled, forgetting even to breathe for a short moment, and when he knelt down, Shizuka cringed imperceptibly, before she realized that he was inspecting the hamsters. She loosened up a bit now that she knew why he had approached so suddenly. "Of course, he's curious about the hamsters," she thought to herself. This thought had a calming effect on her; she didn't know what to do when she got undue personal attention.

When he complimented her on her care of the animals, she smiled a little, "These hamsters were originally part of an animal testing group, but they were injured during the trial and rejected. My professor thought it would be a good opportunity for me to treat them and nurse them back to health." Shizuka was glad Shou was fine with an animal cage being in his office, some people didn't like the smell, or were afraid of the bedding getting everywhere. She found his tolerance and concern for the animals charming. "I need to take these guys back though, but if there's anything about your biology class that you want to talk to me about, I can swing right back." Shizuka doubted it since classes had only been going for a short time, and there wasn't anything to grade yet, but she thought she'd ask just in case.

When Kameyo and Nori walked into the Mochavine, she immediately regretted it. As Nori asked where they should sit, Kame spotted Arty. It's not like it was a hard thing to do, he is hard to miss. Oh dear! I'm not prepared for this! Her original intention was to try and seat them as far away as possible. However before she could say anything, the girl he was sitting with got up and walked over to them. And oh of course it had to be the woman she saw get a drink dumped on her. Kame was not prepared for this level of awkward. All she wanted was some cake. Was that really too much to ask universe?

As the girl came up to Nori, Kame quickly pretended to be fascinated by the pattern on the sweater. She made sure to memorize the types of stitching , in case she was questioned about it later. Just in case. At least she didn't seem mad about the whole thing. maybe Kameyo and her could be friends. That is if she could grow the metaphorical balls to actually look at her. She felt practically frozen aside from her very slow subtle attempt to inch her way behind Nori. Kameyo was desperately attempting to fade out of existence. I'm not here I'm not here I'm not here I'm not here I'm not here.

When she heard Ryva's invite she knew she was doomed. Overly aware that Arty had already seen her she sighed inwardly. She was going to have to face it eventually, weather she liked it or not.

Nori was about to give up and go look for another place to eat when Ryva came over and surprised the DJ by bowing slightly, her long hair tumbling over her shoulder in the process. "Excuse me, Lass," the guitarist greeted, smiling sweetly. "I wanted to apologize fer how I acted last night. I realize how conceited I must have seemed, and I apologize. I was only tryin' to make amends fer shovin' ye, and we got off on the wrong foot. I'd like tae start over, if ye do no' mind, lass. And ye're welcome tae come sit with me and Arty, and my pup does no' bite."

Nori felt her face heat up and rubbed at her upper arm embarrassedly. ’Alright, so maybe I haven’t been cured of my Ryva hero worship,’ the blonde admitted to herself, before reaching out to give the other girl a gentle and friendly punch to the bicep. “It’s all good, I think it was a long night for everyone. I’m Nori, by the way,” Nori told her, before shooting a look at the booth where Arty sat. “Yeah, we’d love to sit with you guys, right Kameyo?” Nori asked, turning to quirk a brow at her usually quite roommate. “I’m probably going to die if I don’t get some food soon.”

They made their way over to the booth and Nori gestured for Kameyo to climb in first, putting her across from Arty. Nori normally would have taken the inside seat, but she kind of wanted to pet Ryva’s dog. "In you get, darlin'," the florist insisted, nudging the blue haired girl into the booth. "Hey Arty," she greeted her coworker as she sat down. "You remember Kameyo, right?"

The waitress chose that moment to come back and deliver Ryva and Arty's orders. "Can I have a water and a Belgium waffle?" Nori asked, flashing the other girl a smile when she nodded. The florist had already had enough caffeine on an empty stomach and she was starting to feel jittery. "Hello sweet boy," Nori cooed, focusing her attention on the dog who laid patient at Ryva's feet. She held out a hand and let the dog sniff it, before reaching out to give him a good scratch behind the ears.