@Plank Sinatra@Silvan Haven@Write@LokiLeo789

--

Vega Venetia - Team VGNB - Dorm

Responding to Geni, the new member to which she realized she needs to get to know, “Juice at a café?! Come on Tea is wonderful to drink. Bubble Tea especially! I’ll let you try some of my mine once I get it.”

Excellent, I have started socializing with the new guy.

Vega then felt the vibration of her scroll and opened to see it was Sarina talking to. Oh yeah I was supposed to meet up with her.

*Reads Message*
*Sends Message*
>Sender: Vega
>Receiver: Sarina
>Currently at a Cafe. Conversing with Geni, a new member of our team.
*Reads Message*
*Sends Message*
>Sender: Vega
>Receiver: Sarina
>Sorry I forgot their was a new guy on my team!
*Reads Message*
*Sends Message*
>Sender: Vega
>Receiver: Sarina
>I am not slacking! I am a good team leader!
*Reads Message*
*Sends Message*
>Sender: Vega
>Receiver: Sarina
>Alright I’ll see you later then. :P

Vega then put her scroll away.

Jericho Piper rolled his eyes faintly at Vega's protests, but stood up to go grab the requested drinks anyway. He would just ask for the money back later; he wasn't exactly hurting for funds himself, but it seemed like everyone else assembled had plenty to blow. If Vega were any team leader at all, she would be willing to pay for her own teammates.

They're asking for a couple of teas, not HJNS vs. the Bastion Jäger-train Speerlectric Boogaloo.

If she were asking for 108 shots of tea to celebrate her second sub-40 Gauntlet run, that might be different...

But he was getting ahead of himself.

"I've got you covered," he told the others - though Geni in particular, as he was the only one who had an order Vega seemed to find unpalatable - on his way to the counter.

He was almost completely out of his chair when Beryl Harken's tail slapped him.

!!!!!!!!!!

"Beryl, behave."

@FlitterFaux@Plank Sinatra@Ayazi@Silvan Haven@Write@LokiLeo789@Crimmy

Lucas Schwarz

"Don't worry about it."

The words left my mouth before I had even realized, being so natural to me at this point. There wasn't too much of a reason to get worked up over her idiosyncrasies—not when I hung around Gratia Mindaro, Bianca Nuit, and my very own self on an extremely regular basis. Country bumpkins getting overwhelmed by the city wasn't any new concept either: I understood the feeling, being a mountain hick. Albeit one hailing from an unusually developed mountain range, that was...

In any case, being swept up by the raging torrent of people in a true-blue metropolis was understandable. Since she was walking around just fine, presumably she didn't have much in the way of injuries to be worrying about, despite it being the hospital she was returning to. That helped my case, because I've never been good at rushing things.

"Yeah, sure, just gimme one second:" I requested, before attempting to pry at least one of my sisters out of a certain militaristic gold stripe's hair.

"Ah, need any help with all the orders, Jer-kun? Leave it to me!"

"Oi, April." I cut in, "Let Jericho think for two seconds and listen real quick before you go:"

I helpfully gestured in Skye's direction. "I'll be showing her the way to the hospital. Once that's done with, I'll head right back here, so don't go running off somewhere or trying to chase after me saying I 'didn't let you know' like this morning. Got it?"

"Hmmm..." she frowned thoughtfully, before effortlessly shaking her wrist free of my grip. "Dawn! Gameplan!"

"Hai!"

They huddled, chattering amongst themselves in hushed tones so that I couldn't hear.

..........

What, was I literally a natural disaster these two had to plot around? An enemy sports team with moves to decipher instead of just the older brother that they needed to listen to?

Come on! I may not be living in Shiroyama anymore, but I'm still part of this family! Would it kill them to remember that?

And they have the gall to ask why I think our relationship's so bad.

"Alright, break!"

Oh, now that was just rubbing it in.

"Sure, go ahead! I hope you and Skye get there quick!" Dawn said primly, turning back towards the masked woman and I as April marched off in pursuit of helping the local Atlesian, regardless of whether or not he'd accepted her help. Well, that one was to be expected, honestly— these girls had a habit of just bowling over you and your concept of normality without a care in the world, just as they had with whatever plot they'd come up with just now.

I eyed the willowy striker's retreating, mostly yellow and black frame.

Ganbare, Jer-kun...

"Right, then I'll be back in a few, guys." I told the rest of the group, before rising and nodding to the masked girl as I made my way for the door, beckoning her after me.

"So— first things first. Which hospital was it?" I asked, holding open the door. "In a population center like Vale, there are plenty to choose from, so if you've got a name..."

...It dawned on Amy, as she watched one of her three closest friends dangle out the window from the arm of a man who could only be her ever elusive and still unnamed father, that this was only her second experience with a father and his daughter.

Huh.

S'a good thing she was prepared, in a way. Laur-err, Lorena wasn't exactly the Wonderbread kinda girl and judging by the way she'd been carrying on, she'd somewhat expected something like this too, if not being dangled out the window. Her feathers had started to rise at the occasion, her weight shifting from the doorframe to the balls of her feet, almost imperceptibly, just in case the younger Negasi's struggles accidentally knocked her loose from her father's grip. In the end, though, her father's hold seemed as ironclad as his physique.

She relaxed again, only momentarily tensing as his eyes fell on Lauren's jacket for an instant. In retrospect, maybe putting this jacket on was playing with a little more fire than she'd first realized. Too late now. A slight nod in response to his question, nodding again in affirmation of her captain's response.

"It's never boring," she said, laughing softly. "And we've enjoyed her a lot."

@HereComesTheSnow@FlitterFaux

The creaking door to the café opened with the quiet tinkling of a bell, and in came two women conversing animatedly with one another. The shorter of the pair, older and having entered middle age, brushed back strands of short, neatly-cut black hair as she turned her warm green eyes upon the room, her very face becoming aglow upon catching sight of the large, bustling group seated deeper into the venue. Her youthful companion, whose similar pretty looks indicated a clear relation, shook her head with a bemused smile at the excited waves being sent that far-off table's way, instead choosing to move out of the way of the two teenagers that had wished to exit rather than take up time by also happily waving.

Her luscious, dark-brown hair, bordering upon a deep, inky black, was tied back into a swaying ponytail by a simple white hair-tie. She wore a woolen grey cardigan, one that had been neatly buttoned over a brunswick green shirt. Her black-and-white checkered skirt cut off just above the knees of her stocking-covered legs. Each quiet step she took with her black flats made her hair swing gently from side to side as she walked past the duo of Luke and Skye, her manner and aura light and casual.

She turned her head towards them as she passed, onyx eyes meeting them with an even gaze. Her smile, a soft and radiant expression that seemed so natural on her pale face, had yet to leave.

"Schwarz," said Gratia Mindaro in casual greeting.

And she kept on walking.

@Crimmy@FlitterFaux

Luke Schwarz

Oi.

Oi, oi!

---

---

Just who in the world was that passing through? Despite being an inch, maybe two taller than me, obviously Mistralian by way of charming face and accent, and clad in frugal, comfortable clothing that matched her dark hair and eyes well, this obviously couldn't be Gratia, right? Of course not, but then how did she know my name? Was someone stalking or starting rumors about me so bad that I was recognizable by sight alone?!

No, no. That couldn't be it, I'm nowhere near interesting enough for that to happen. Most people on campus barely know me, and I'm sure none of them talk about me. And for that matter, very-much-cannot-be-Gratia here might just be some pretty teenaged tourist from Zephyr.

This mystery girl, who was nothing like the Gratia I knew in her casual demeanor and graceful, content smiles, obviously had gotten my name from somewhere, though...

"G-Gratia?" I ventured, despite knowing that it obviously couldn't be her.

The girl turned her pretty face to me, gracing me with that same relaxed smile, that definitely couldn't belong to Gratia.

"Schwarz," she said lightly, as she and her presumed mother walked in. Instinctively, I stepped to the side and held the door so they could pass through. It was only gentlemanly, right? It's common courtesy to hold doors open for people trying to get in, and doubly common courtesy if they're cute or pretty girls.

---

---

What the hell, universe?! Why can't you throw me a bone for once in your worthless life?! This girl couldn't be Gratia?! Says who?! I happen to appreciate this weird aberration of a formerly acerbic classmate of mine! It was a breath of fresh air to see that woman actually emote, let alone loose a pleasant smile upon the world! Who had the big idea of keeping it so locked away that I didn't even recognize her?! Fine, I admit it, that's totally Gratia Mindaro, but what took so long in getting a smile, an actual smile and not some berserker sharkmouth thing, out of her, huh?!

---

---

I mean, hey, if it takes family, I'll vouch for letting family day go on forever... Really, set up a guest dorm, or something! At the very least, don't we have a videochat station somewhere? Wait, no, that's also unfeasible on account of their income level... I could pool money with Gratia and buy them a unit though, right? Even with my relatively frivolous recent spending, I still had a pretty sizable investment from Brewing Storm... Surely, handing that over would be enough? I'm not angry any more, I'm willing to negotiate! If I need to defeat a hydra to prove my worth, or reroute a river to clean some stables, I'm game, honest! I know I may not look it, but I had a pretty big hand in taking out a Manticore, so how hard could the Lion of Nemea be? Please, this is just so much more pleasant than the walking on eggshells act...

---

---

...Well, it's pretty terrible of me to be talking like that right after complaining about my sisters, isn't it? And let me guess, karmic retribution ensures that for having been such a hypocrite, despite the very real issues I was complaining about, this will only be a fleeting passage that doesn't even encompass a chapter in the storybook I call our friendship. Hell, of course it would. It would actually be a pretty just comeuppance for a guy like me if things played out that way, and being selfish as I am, I wouldn't even be able to argue I'm undeserving of a cruel bait-and-switch like it. I'm sorry, Gratia. I wanted to take advantage of your rare moment of joy. I wanted to force something that was obviously going to be fleeting, now all the moreso because of it. In fact, the fickle winds of fate may even directly destroy this happiness for you, solely to get back at me.

I'm sorry. I'll do it right from now on.

---

---

I guess I shouldn't deny it. I shouldn't be angry at it for not happening more often. I shouldn't try and bargain or swindle it into sticking around longer than it naturally will. And getting depressed over it... It's a pretty girl's smile. Who gets depressed over that? Gratia Mindaro's honestly happy, for once. Anyone with a right mind wouldn't be surprised— everybody's got something that warms them up on the inside and make them comfortable, content, and calm. I, of all people, should be able to accept it for what it is, and not really give a crap about anything more, right?

Of course I can. For the time you spend with us, Gladtia Mindaro, I'm sure we will truly cherish your presence. I hope you have fun cutting loose for a change, and, selfish though it may be, I hope this won't be the last I see of you, either.

Yeah, I'm a greedy, callous ass, but I'll be proudly greedy for my friends and their good spirits.

---

---

"Huh. Ponytail looks good on her." I said, blinking and finally allowing my eyes to stop trailing her and her mother.

It was about then that I remembered the elephant in the room.

Or fox, more accurately.

"Sorry! Sorry, I'm just not used to that style change, is all..." I sheepishly explained to Skye, before gesturing to the doorway. "Shall we go for real, then? No more distractions, promise."

Jericho turned at the sound of Luke's muttering to see the two Mindaros strolling into the cafe, wearing decidedly different hairstyles both form each other and from the last time Jericho had seen them, twenty five minutes previously. He saw the stalk of hair atop Luke's head batting around like a weather vane, and Gratia's gentle smile at him as they passed.

Clark Kenting only works when it's not too obvious, Grat.

Amber eyes rolled softly around their sockets before he looked back from the Mindaro women to the menu, and then back at the long-suffering assistant manager who had been forced into Bianca's screwed up reindeer games.

"Another cappuccino, just like it was before, two green teas, one juice, a cup for water--" he had no idea if drinking some of Vega's backwash would turn Geni into whatever the hell kind of techno-organic zombie it was that seemed to be shambling around at the head of Vignoble - "and--"

His gaze turned back towards the tall girl approaching him.

April Schwarz.

...Heh.

Those two were smarter than your av-e-rage hedgehog, alright. They had him pegged for a brother in two seconds flat. Down to the quiet manipulation.

"--and whatever it is you want," he told the kid, gesturing at the menu. "But if you get a dessert, finish it before Luke gets back or I'm going to be paying for it twice over."

"Iced green tea! And three oatmeal raisin cookies! Oh oh, and three chocolate chip cookies!"

Jericho waited for her to quiet down for three seconds before he assumed she'd made up her mind, and then added, "Might as well make that four green teas, then."

Luke had another sister, after all.

"And--"

Grat would no doubt roll her eyes and curse up a storm about what a patronizing rancid cunt he was if he demeaned her by paying for her family.

Ahh, fuck Grat.

"We're all one party, actually. So if the family that just walked in or the mustachioed guy who came in earlier orders anything, that's included here, too." Jer fished through his wallet for a few seconds for a hundred-lien note. "You're pretty close to Beacon. Student business always this good?"

"Ehhh, sometimes. On family days like this. Usually you find Beacon students trying to get into the bars after they come back from their missions. Most kids don't want a latte after a weekly exercise like that," the cashier commented. "Lotta Mistralians this year, though."

Jericho's eyes rolled in faint humor. It looked like he wanted to smile.

"Chyeah," he agreed. "Tell me about it."

The Young Devil's eyes found the ridiculous stack of paperwork Bianca'd had printed, only to promptly ignore. They rolled again.

The cashier was smiling herself. Clearly her face had none of the self-important frowniness of Jer's.

"And speaking of Beacon students, I'm sure they let you roam around like that in school, but here in Vale the police are a little bit more strict." She pointed to his chest. Jericho's face creased into a sulk.

"If you're saying I deserve the harassment I'm getting back there because of how I'm dressed, ma'am, I'm afraid I'm going to have to signal boost this place."

"I mean the weapons, Don Juan. This is a gun-free zone."

Jericho blinked.

"A what the hell now?"

No one told me they had laws about my weapons here. What if there's an ambush here in the cafe? Do they want us to fight back with the whipped cream?

He could count twenty ways that someone like Rebekah would utilize this place's layout to massacre everyone present. Only his guns would be able to stop his vent mole of a sister in her autistic tracks.

Was this the kind of research Troy Piper had expected him to make before he transferred?

Dad, you son of a bitch...

Of course, there was no use blaming his father for this. It was his own research failure.

"So Beacon students aren't allowed to carry weapons?" he asked, with a faint playfulness that would have no doubt sent Bianca into contractions. Speaking of the birdbrain, Jericho turned over his shoulder and jerked a thumb at her to the cashier,
the picture of smartassed feigned innocence. "I mean...you know the owner, right? She's in love with me, I'm sure she's cool with it."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," joked the cashier back with a wry grin. "Buuuut the owner doesn't write the laws here."

"Yeah, that thought helps me sleep at night."

That got a laugh out of her. That was good; this was a tense situation. He hadn't been stripped of his weaponry as a punishment since his fourth grade kickball tournament, the year before he and Babs were sent to Bastion.

Nobody was gonna steal from me then, and nobody is gonna take from me now.

"Well, Beacon students can't have guns around. That's understandable," the crafty Devil cajoled. "But what about Atlas students? Are we cool?"

"Are you an Atlas student?"

Watch and learn, April Schwarz.

"For God and the Kingdom," Jericho Piper recited, extending his Gold Stripe student ID and the hundred-lien note for the cafe crowd's order. On his face was the patented, dreaded, rarely used, never-duplicated Piper-half-smile.

I do it all for you, Speer. Are you proud of me in whatever fascist anime hell you're shitposting from?

---

---

"Alright, alright. But don't complain to me when you're paying a five thousand lien fine or spending up to six months in jail."

"Well, God damn it. You were going to be my phone call."

Another laugh. On this day, Jericho Piper truly became a Gold Stripe of Atlas.

He turned around and leaned on the dessert case, arching his back gently over the glass with his hands tucked protectively underneath the chest holsters where his two pistols and weapons were strapped to his person. He looked at April Schwarz for a long second, head cocked at the Signal student as he tried to decipher how much future knowledge she'd just picked up from that little exchange.

She had one hell of an opaque grin, he'd give her that. Massive and happy, but betraying nothing. Like Babs. Bekah was more like the other one, Dawn; their pleasure was communicated through words and actions, not just facial expressions.

"...So."

What was he supposed to say to her? What was the kid looking at him like that for?

"...He's always been like that?"

@Plank Sinatra

April Schwarz

"What, completely hopeless? Yeah, pretty much!" the girl scoffed, before returning to that same wide and inexplicably infectious grin as she threw her hands behind her head. "Nihihi! But, nah... He used to be a whole lot worse, really. Like, yeah, we bug eachother like siblings are supposed to and all, but..."

As Jericho's observant golden eyes doubtlessly noticed, her smile actually narrowed into something smaller.

Gentler.

Warmer.

Her restless arms brought her left wrist forward, and that tender, genuine smile was just barely reflected in the glass of the nondescript, yet instantly recognizable watch it now bore. Quietly, moreso than any of her verbalizations before, she chuckled and spoke.

"Well, he's a lot like you in there being a decent guy beneath the grumpus, I guess."

It turned up to the Atlesian, suddenly assaulting his carefully guarded and composed veneer of professionalism with simple contentment as a little sister. April wasn't entirely aware or concerned with the fact that he was trying to maintain that demeanor— to her, you just simply were.

And as an obvious big brother trying to hide himself beneath a suave and debonair secret agent, it was only right that she, being an open and proud little sister, be a curveball thrown at that mask, wittingly or not.

"So!" she began after a brief period, ratcheting back up to the megawatt grin and energy without as much as a single skipped beat. "How's an Atlas boy like you end up stuck over here in Vale, Jer-kun? Are you mid-transfer, or something?"

This was the crux of Dawn's grand plan. Nii-chan hadn't been much of a texter at all in his life, going 14 years without a single contact in his phone before losing the only one he'd gotten six months later in an event best described with fire and brimstone, but in terms of the decay in the amount of information they were getting from him, it had reached an unacceptable level! All he had reported in with were questions about building a scouter and 'hey guess what cruise trip', for pete's sake!

How on earth, then, could they keep track of their poor wayward sibling? The grand Schwarz rehabilitation project was bound to fail if its subject were to go unresponsive for weeks at a time!

Luckily, Dawn was a great planner and Human Relations type, and had quickly come up with a safety net.

---

See, nee-san, following him would be the juice.

The juice?

The juice. Temporary. We spend a little more time seeing him in action and grilling him about how he's doing, but what happens once family day's done with?

...We're back to square one, and our data flow is gone. You're right, that is juice!

Mm, juice. But sauce, sticky and gooey and savory and hard to move as it is...

Yeah, what's the sauce?

The sauce is letting him run off, maybe get lost, maybe not—and using that time away to build a network!

Oh my god you're right! Sis! That's completely sauce, we can just ask all of them how he's doing and what he's up to if he won't talk to us!

Exactly, and he'd never let us talk to them if he was around, so this is a great opportunity!

Right, we'd "annoy" them.

And we only "annoy" him.

But he doesn't know that!

Or doesn't acknowledge it.

Maybe doesn't realize it?

In any case, that's the sauce. Besides, these people are all really nice!

Yeah, they're super cool! One's even an alien!

Who, Vega-san? No, that's just high fashion.

Oh. I'm not big on fashion, I couldn't tell.

I don't think she is either, but she doesn't realize it.

Should we tell her?

No, that'd be mean. Let's just nudge her along.

We can do that!

Absolutely! Oh, the order's getting big, so you can start on Jer-kun while I try and resuscitate Bianca-san, sound good?

You bet! Say no more, sis!

---

So the best way to start on things with Jericho was pretty simple: figure out why an Atlesian Gold Stripe, the cream of Atlas's fertile crops, was doing here in Vale amongst Beacon students, of course! The Valic-Atlesian rivalry, while friendly after the marriage of Brennan Griese and Kawaguchi Umeko, was definitely still a thing!

Oh, wait, Umeko was Atlesian-born and Vacuan-educated, wasn't she?

Wasn't there one of them on her team from Vale?

Eh, it likely wouldn't matter in the long run.

What was more important was, right down to the grouchiness, dry wit, and weird internet humor (shut up), there was no denying it: This debonair boy totally would get along with their Nii-chan, and making him a surrogate elder brother by extension would offer a wealth of insight!

If he was gonna stick around!

If not, he'd be good for Signal tips, probably!

After his business at the shooting range Gren decided to grab a bite to eat. His folks still weren’t here yet so he was in no rush to meet them. Packing up his things Gren headed on over to the courtyard. He heard that some other students opened up a shop there. He debated setting up a place himself but decided against it; too much of a hassle. As he did head to the courtyard though he spotted an old friend of his. ”Ah. So there’s where you’ve been.” Kneeling to the ground Gren picked up a small albino ferret. ”Food!” Gren smiled and petted the little creature, putting Scoot on Gren’s head. ”Yup. Gunna get some food.”

The courtyard was bustling with students, and though Gren was a giant he just melded into the mass. His lumbering hulk shuffled through the crowd as he set his eyes on some sort of fish place. ”Sushi huh? Let’s give it a go.” Gren walked on over to the booth ran by some upperclassmen. Or perhaps they were his grade too? He didn’t know for certain; too many students here at Beacon. Gren looked over the menu briefly before lifting a finger up.

”I’ll have two of everything. I hope this is enough to cover it.” Laying down some Lein, Gren waited patiently for his grub.

Probably shouldn't have brought up my friend killing himself to a girl with an empathic Semblance. That was not a good idea. Sighing, Oswald turned his head to Sapphire and gave her a sad little smile. "I'm...gonna go on ahead. Wanna talk to Emerald about what's going on with Cobalt. Changed my mind about letting it wait, she should at least be ready for whoever gets shoved into our team next." Gently taking control of his chair from Sapphire, Oswald quickly broke off from the two girls, though his side was twinging with pain every time he flexed his arms.

Unfortunately, his efforts ended up being for nothing because it seemed like the firing range was essentially deserted at this point.

"Wow. Fuck today, huh?" Grunting in frustration, Oswald bit the inside of his cheek as he wheeled himself back towards his dorm.

This was bullshit. He'd let Emerald know when she came back to the room.

Stopping for a moment, Oswald fished out his Scroll and typed a quick message out to his remaining teammates.

@Abillioncats @Forsythe
To: Emerald Felicia, Diamond Frost
Subject: Going to the Room

I'm going back to the room. My chat with Sapphire took a turn for the ultra-fucking depressing. Emm, when you get the chance, stop by. Got something to talk to ya about real quick-like.

Thanks,

Oz

@FlitterFaux@HereComesTheSnow@FlitterFaux@Abillioncats@Crimmy@Onarax



"Hmhm, I see it is there are those who desire sushi. Perfect timing, as it so happens I have completed yet another batch, no thanks needed", Varius had the most confident expression on his face, moreover he seemed to actually be having fun. Given how grim and cynical he was on missions it was a near surprise. He seemed quite fond of exercising his skill with a blade.

"Furthermore I welcome you Sterling. It appears losing team members these days has become a common occurrence. Must not look good for Beacon's track record these days, thus we must strive to stay together", he expressed. It honestly was a somewhat surreal experience to see Varius wearing a Japanese chef's uniform while saying such things, even more with Taidan's choice of waiter uniform, it was a western style. Their styles didn't even match, showed how disorganized they were, plus the fact that they only had tuna, regardless Varius made the best of it, in his opinion at least.

"Also... Lunch should be forthcoming. We may expect many more people to come. Help would be appreciated".

@FlitterFaux@Onarax@Abillioncats@Sho Minazuki@HereComesTheSnow@Ryonara





Emerald let out a little squeal as she was poked. She mentally cursed her ticklish body.

"Raw is great, but I'm just in the mood for fried. And my name is-" Emerald began, before Annabelle blurred out some random questions that took Emerald off guard.

Wait dying!? Who said anything about...

"Hey! We're the same height! Oh right, sorry, I'm being a rude angel, huh? I'm just so excited to be here! What was your name again?"

Wait a minute, she was right! They were the same height! I'm not alone in being the shortest! Emerald almost shed a tear.

Wait, wasn't I supposed to be answering a question of some kind? Oh yeah!

"I'm Emerald Felicia, huntress in training!" She spoke quickly before Anna decided to ask something else. Man this girl was really scatterbrained...it kind of reminded her of someone...

Oh yeah, I'm scatterbrained! Duh! She giggled and bumped her forehead with a fist.

Emerald looked Anna over again, taking her image in. This meeting must be fate, we're so much alike! Well, except for our clothing, my parents would lock me up forever if they caught me wearing something like that!

"Anna, this may seem rather sudden, and completely crazy. I know we're like total strangers and we only just met but...I think we're destined to be soul sisters!" She said this very sincerely, before she was distracted by the scent of frying tuna.

"Oh gods that smells so gooooooooooood!" Her scroll vibrated suddenly, and she was now distracted from her distraction. "Hmmm? Oh it's a message from Oswald..." She frowned as she read the message and sent a quick reply.

K. I'll come over after I eat. May bring a new friend with me.

Geni gave Vega a look of disbelief. "What? I can drink juice at a cafe. What law says I can't?" he challenged, laying emphasis on each word with a gesture similar to that of a hand-wave.

Inwardly, he wondered if drinking her backwash would turn him into whatever "thing" she was. And that was a test Geni wasn't willing to take. He was too beautiful to go zombie mode now. He had girls to talk too. Grimm to punch in the face. And fathers to despise.

Geni glanced towards the rather darkened figure courteous enough to take everyone's order and nodded his head in thanks. He seemed like a cool guy.

@Abillioncats@Sho Minazuki@HereComesTheSnow@FlitterFaux@Ryonara

Teàrlag Cirsium - "Student Counselor", Heading to Food Cart

Sometimes people think that teachers are supposed to give 100% of their support to anyone willing to go for the self-improvement, but you'd be off your head to think that I'm going to let this brat throw their shame away just to be something more! I know what it was like to be some quiet lass nobody cared about, but trying to escape other folks' perception of you by flaunting societal mores won't work out. Even if you think it'll work out wizard, that nobody will keep throwing you into that box of what they believe you to be, will changing one category out for another really chib at any of your issues?

They like to talk up the entire individuality bizzo, but one Great War doesn't overturn aeons of human nature. People are fine with you expressing your unique traits, but only if it continues to stay within the realm of what this society considers to be acceptable. What it considers to be truly laudable. And not all behaviours are considered to be worthwhile, either. Look at those introverted buggers who just like to stay at home and read; sure, it's still something we think slots into the category known as 'acceptable', but despite that, society as a whole is still going to bloody complain about their lack of 'outgoingness' or something and try and force them to conform to what it thinks is best. Some animals are more equal than others, and all that jazz.

That's the unfortunate fact, you know? If you're a tad more different than anybody else, you're no longer going to be part of that 'tribe'. They refuse to acknowledge you as part of their 'acceptable' standards. You're just something that's too different, too clarted in unwanted behaviours. A problem. But not one that they will be willing to actively work to fix. Humans are selfish creatures, me included, and we just don't have the time to spend on somebody no longer within the 'tribe' when we have to deal with our own - supposedly more important - issues. If you're not affecting us, then we'll just completely ignore you. You're somebody else's problem.

Except that doesn't mean we won't stop judging you.

The impressions we make are the strongest in this society, after all. No matter what you try and do, some bugger won't budge a single inch from their perception of who you are. Humans hate change. They refuse to change. No matter how daft it is, they'll cling to that view like a beached whale and stubbornly refuse to admit that it's unjustified. The judgement of society as a whole is almost impossible to break free of, you know.

In an ideal world, maybe we wouldn't pretend that our own beliefs and values are bugger-free, but this isn't an ideal world.

If you want to manoeuvre through society, you're forced to be superficial. Stick to the script they've given you. Mask the truth of what you want and you want to be just so you can avoid being judged by everybody else. Even as they continue to judge you by the impressions given off by that mask you wear. No wonder there's so few dobbers who have really achieved individuation. When it feels like the entirety of society is working against you, what point is there in trying?

A teacher isn't supposed to tell the brats they're responsible for not to try. That effort should be something that gets extra marks onto your report card, right? Why aren't you doing your job, Teàrlag? We're going to be talking about this at the next staff meeting!

Except it's because I'm a teacher that I don't want this brat to do something crazy.

Being crazy is an express trip towards society's negative judgements.

Brat, do you want to be forever seen as a girl who runs about in a luchadora outfit? Maybe some buggers might think it's a wizard-looking set of clothes, but you'd be a dunderhead not to realise that the majority of people will only have that impression of you. Their judgement of you will be of someone without any shame, of someone who is perfectly willing to dress up in cold, revealing outfits. All their assumptions will be made entirely on that view. They won't take you seriously just because you don't look like someone who seems like they can act seriously, and that's a pretty superficial assumption, isn't it? You're just another boot to them, and everything about you'll just get discarded without mercy.

I don't want that to happen to you.

"I can't do that," I begin.

Then the brat runs off.

Oi.

Oi.

That's my hoodie you've got. Don't just run off with it!

I immediately start running after her.

This isn't my day.

---

Shuai Taidan - Food Cart

"Fried tuna? As you wish, senoritas."

Taidan smiled warmly at his customers, before smoothly transitioning into a bow. That was two servings of fried tuna for the girls that he needed to get from Varius, then! The prettyboy pyromaniac extraordinare of Canvas was, even though he was currently still in-character, totally excited for all the people flocking to the food carts. And having Sterling along for help was pretty cool too!

"No sushi, Varius!" he called over to his serious teammate. "They want it fried!"

The arrival of that luchadora from before meant that he could give her her meal too!

"Here you go, senorita! You forgot this!" he said, popping over towards her and handing over the sushi from before.

Jer smiled at Hayley, as her nametag read. If she was to be believed that her name is Hayley. I think it’s probably something as stupid as Hayley with two Y’s but who knows. It was less of a smile, but a wry grin. She would remember that when exacting her punishment.

“O-kay” I said putting the pen down. “Looks like you’re done- Ahem, sorry Hayley, I’m done, of course.”

…

Phew.

Almost blew my cover.

She can’t see it coming.

“Let’s go into my new office, I’ll walk you through what I need from you!” I said, not even glancing at any of the newcomers or Jericho. She followed me to my office as I closed my door.

“So what can I do for you ma’am?” Hayley said. Wryly. I bet Jericho would’ve grinned at that.

“You come to me… On the ‘eve of my daughter’s wedding.” I said sitting down in my giant swivel chair and lacing my fingers together.

“Y-you have a daughter?” Hayley said sitting down across from me.

“Did I ask you to sit?” I asked motioning to the chair with a scowl.

“Uh, no.” Hayley said standing up quickly, patting her skirt.

“Ah… Well then, please sit.” I said motioning once more to the chair. She, rolled her eyes and sat down. Is this the kind of mettle it takes to make Jer laugh? Fine then, I’ll show her mettle.

“I’d like to promote you for your patience.” I said, using my thumb to stroke the side of my index finger, slowly, methodically, like a godfather would.

“Oh, well I’ve only been here for a few minutes, but that sounds great!” Hayley rejoiced, naively.

“You’ll be promoted to regional manager!” I said quietly, threateningly. I laughed sullenly.

“Goodness. Thank you so much for this opportunity.” The poor fool.

“You’re very welcome, you’re region is going to be southwest Vacuo. Your flight is paid for and I hope it’s a perfect fit. Thank you!” I said with a smile, stretching my wings. A weight had been lifted from my shoulders and wings and I felt amazing.

“What? But I have family-“

“In Vacuo? That’s great!” I said fixing my hair standing in front of the exit back to Jericho.

“No, what the hell is this?” Hayley said angrily.

“This? It’s a wry grin.” I said leaving the office. “Jericho, I just got a text from my dad, he’s here, mind if we pick him up?” She said placing her phone in her purse and preparing to leave. “If you don’t want to come, that’ll be fine. But anyone is free to come.”

Yue ran back to the courtyard, but much to her dismay it seems like there was a large crowd of people here now. The table she had chosen was also full, and she was worried that her food had been tossed away. Her inner maid refused to have left something like that happen! Fortunately for her however, one of the waiters spotted her and quickly handed Yue her food. "Oh! Ah, thank you. Oh wait, did I pay yet?" Yue asked.

@Crimmy

@Write@Plank Sinatra

Gratia Mindaro - Café

"Mama?"

"Yes dear?"

Onyx eyes turned away from the table where her team members were sitting, focusing instead on the white-haired figure who appeared to be looking away. She would need to change her plans. That was irksome. It was a damper on her mood, and she could feel her smile dimming.

"Go on ahead," said Gratia Mindaro as she began to make her way towards her new target. "I need to take care of something."

"Do you want me to order you something?"

"Mocha. Five sugars."

With that flat response, the ponytailed Mistralese teenager was already closing in on Bianca, her expression schooled into her usual stoicness as the smile that once sat there flattened out.

"Nuit," she flatly announced in a tone that brooked no argument, stopping behind her former teammate. "Behind the café. Now."

I nodded at Gratia and nodded at Jer knowingly.

"Be back in a second." I said holding a finger up and winking. Happily making my way to the outside of the Café. I braced myself for the spring heat. Waiting for my friend, I held onto one of my arms with a small smile. But I knew the truth.

It was going to be difficult. Gratia loved few things. I was probably not one of them. Maybe on my best day. But definitely not recently. I was about to be chewed out.

Damn.

@Crimmy@Ayazi@LokiLeo789@Write@Plank Sinatra@HereComesTheSnow



Beryl let out a squeak of surprise when Jericho's voice geminated from what her tail had thwacked. It had been somewhat harder than a slight tickle like that warranted, she was still pretty riled up.

"Ah, um. Sorry Jer-kun." She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

Jericho's heart twitched in his chest.



"Yeah, I'm spending a semester here. Maybe even until the Vytal Festival. Honestly? It may have just been past time," Jericho admitted, meeting April's stare as coolly as he could manage without thinking of his sisters in wherever-the-hell principality of Mistral or wherever. He'd thought sometimes about how many caveats Babs would probably have to cop too before the all-important "but I still love him, he's my wonder twin!" but had never really seen it in action before. Luke Schwarz hadn't terribly impressed him too much from what he'd seen, apart from a cute face and a body that was marginally fun to splash water on, but it was hard to find someone with a more intuitive grasp on what made you who you were than a doting little sister. Loving you despite your faults. Seeing you through masks. Warming you up even when you wanted to be a cold, confident, aloof son of a bitch - and always hampering your training when that's just what you were trying to become.

In one facial expression, one throwaway sentence from a dumb high schooler with ridiculous hedgehog hair, she'd cut to the heart of what it was to be a big brother. The big brother he'd been before he became a knight of Atlas.

Jericho's hair twitched, glowing brightly and folding up into a scythe shape over his right shoulder.

"Babs always liked to tell me I wasn't born wearing a Gold Stripes uniform, so I might as well stop acting like I have one up my ass," he continued. "But don't tell your brother I'm passing on my sister's coarse language to you. You haven't been through boot camp. He wouldn't understand."

Jericho Piper's smile was returning. There was even a threat of him showing teeth, fulfilling most of the criteria a normal, functioning adult without manual control of their face would call a grin.

Then Gratia came over, drinking up any mild fun Jericho Piper may have been having for the first time in three days and replacing it with a chill that made the hairs on his exposed, dark arms want to stand on end. Bianca was with her.

And the barista was walking out the door in a huff.

...

The barista.

Oh, Jesus goddamn Christ.

There was now officially no employee on duty, for reasons he didn't need to be a frickin' palm reader to grasp - and not a single Beacon student aside from he and Bianca, ENTREPRENEURIAL V I S I O N A R Y that she G O D D A M N W A S, had gotten their drinks!

And WOULDN'T YOU GODDAMN KNOW, T͈̗H̗͉E̻͡R̰̠͖̞͍̤ͅE͘'̦̪̞̟S̢̱ ̵̫̖̘̗A͏̲̠͔̮̠ ̧̭̙̖̪̜͕K̭̝̠̲ͬ̍͒ͮͥͥ͂̆̀͠I̢͇̠̭̣͖ͩͨ̂ͧ̿͞Ţ̟͚̪̹̯̦̂̏͌ͯ͋͞C̞̻̩̦͍̹͎̫ͮͬͨ͑̉ͩ̾͛̄͡͝H̛̫̗̠̥͚͙ͯ̏ͅE̸̷̱̫̭̝̳̝̝̹̔ͭ͗͒ͦͫN̠̮͕͈̹͖̳̍ͪͬͮ̆ͮͮ͛ ͉̫͐͒ͪͭ͆ͩ̀́ͅW̴̃́͆ͦ̈́͏̖̮́E̴̛̫͍̮̞̠ͣ̅ͥ́̆̍͌͊N̴̛͌ͧ́͛̈́͛ͬ҉̜͓̥̼̙͚̝C̸̬̬̲͖̣͒̿̇̈ͬ͐͐Ḣ̤̝̞̯̦͙͎͙̺̿̒̇͗͜͟͠ I͔̘̲̣͡ͅṆ̯̙̥̭ ̠̫͓͚̘̞͍͘T̴̺̝H͠E̹̫͙͘ ̫͖͚͝ͅB҉UI̶̳̬̫̮͕̜̫Ḻ̖̖͉̲͎̘͘DI̹͓͇͞N̡̝͎̬̖G̷̜.̮̘̱̖ͅ

His face had grown still as Grat pulled Bianca out of the cafe, with only a quiet "Hey" to even acknowledge the Mindaro's presence, and despite her cavalier farewell he stared at the birdbrain emotionlessly until she walked out of the door. Then he let out a quiet, long-suffering sigh at April and an apologetic shrug before vaulting over the counter and turning back to face her from where an employee would normally stand.

"Break out the tip money, it looks like I'm on duty," he remarked sardonically, noticing an approaching figure out of the corner of his eye. A faint blossom of warmth that didn't feel like blood welling up in his throat began to return to the Young Devil. "Hey, Ms. Severa. I already paid for you and your family. What's your poison?"