XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Northern Cross Academy
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

Lucas sat silently on his bed, his gaze stubbornly aimed outside, as if it was enough to remove the window from existence. He was too impaired to escape in his state. And even if he hadn't been, the feeling of being indebted was something that compelled him to remain there.

It was awful, but it was a fact.

It didn't take long for the boy to realize that his condition had been treated in such a way that there would be no lingering effects from what he had been exposed the previous day. Outside of the drugs still active in his body, numbing his movements, nothing felt off, which was a relief in itself.

Didn't see a need for invasive measures?

He certainly hoped whatever had been stuck in his stomach was gone for good.

Nobody could deny that Ariel Lynx was indeed skilled, not even Lucas would tell otherwise. However, he had half-expected her to punish the duo for their stupidity, by adding few tweaks here and there, for example. Yet, considering that he now had to face a line of questioning he wasn't exactly eager to explore, maybe it would have been better.

Wouldn't be so bad if the place wasn't so quiet.

Yes, it felt secure and could certainly be called an ideal place to rest but...

...the feeling of being cut off from the world was somewhat suffocating.

Lucas' life had been spent surrounded by environmental sounds and noises. Even after joining Sleipnir, living quarters had been just that, places where people discussed, roughed each other's up, played cards or laughed together. Even if he was majorly part of the background himself, the teenager felt comfortable observing and listening to ambient echoes.

Meanwhile being placed in a bubble only served to remind him how isolated he was from others. Made him feel ill at ease. How Ariel managed to stay locked up in such a room for extended periods of time was beyond his comprehension.

And look at this guy simply snoring like a log.

Daisuke had survived, it was not really expected. Ariel hadn't wasted time. Still, Lucas felt annoyed at the student for leaving him alone to deal with the interrogatory. He thus had used an indelible marker to draw all over the sleeping boy's face. It was now as if he had grown a marvelous beard over night.

Lucas had wondered if Ariel had actually noticed and chose to not bring up the point, or if she was simply too intent to get an answer from the Sleipnir to pay attention to the change that had occurred during the time she had briefly left the room to answer a call.

I mean, this isn't even the first time you've done this to yourself. Why do you keep giving that girl access to cooking equipment? I've seen your grades, don't act like you can't learn lessons.

The question was certainly legitimate but Lucas had no real answer to that. In fact, he agreed, as much as he would have loathed to admit it, with Ariel on this, it was a dumb thing to reiterate. Yet, if he were to be honest, it had been a decent distraction, which could have turned horribly wrong, no, it had actually turned wrong, but still.

When the concerned adult questioned his motive, he opted to play dumb.

"Who knows... Maybe I enjoy a good challenge? Or was it a bonding moment? A sudden rise in hormones perhaps? Too much weed? Insanity due to Seithr? Weak to pressure? Difficulty to integrate myself in the new environment? Depression following a rejection?"

An almost imperceptible grin showed up on his traits as he delivered the next sentence.

"Or maybe I really didn't want to be your watchdog."

The fact that he would go that far to avoid her is...

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Unnamed Cafe, Tomobiki
Evening, April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Union Phase: 1

Naoko seemed as tired as ever, how unfortunate. The poor woman seemed as if she hadn't had a proper day off in ages. Tsugumi made a note to treat her to a good day off at some point or treat her to something nice, sooner rather than later.

Tsugumi nodded along as his aunt spoke, happy to hear everything was going to plan for her, however at the mention of tea-

"So what will it be? Oolong, Green, Herbal, Peppermint, lemon?"

-Best he could do right now was to make sure she was as comfortable as she'd allow herself to be, at least until he could help her proper. However as Naoko crossed her arms, and turned the tables back as the conversation shifted back to him. Normally an unpleasant situation but Naoko was one of the few exceptions to the rules he set for himself. For a long time they only had each other after all.

"Sleep?" Tsugumi replied, giving off an obvious faux yawn in the process. "I'm not sleeping bad, no that's not it... I think I just need to catch up on some time I've lost."

That was the most accurate analogy that Tsugumi could think of.

A passing thought just ran by his head.

'Ask her about Isako.'

But no, he'd been down similar roads and that never worked out for anyone, especially Naoko. Tsugumi wasn't going to give her grief when thing's were going well for her.

But instead a different way to reach out.

"I'll be taking drinks through and see if Chiasa want's anything. You want to come though?"

A hot drink and some domestic bliss was what he needed and above all else, he needed to know if Naoko and Mizuki could co-habitate in the same room safely considering... well, everything.

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Northern Cross Academy
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

"I see."

The verbal jab just bounces off of her.

Her eyes don't widen at the implication, she doesn't pause or stutter, really, listing off whatever excuses come to mind in an attempt to get in a sneak attack while playing dumb, the woman just laughs aloud to herself at the end of it, hands still in the pockets of her lab-coat as she clearly seems to find your logic amusing in some way.

"In order to avoid Ariel Lynx, I poisoned myself willingly, therefore ensuring that I not only have to see Ariel Lynx, but that I have to do it even earlier than normal; no, not only that, I also have to do it under circumstances in which I can't leave until Ariel Lynx releases me. Is that really it? Truly the most masterful of ideas. I'm quite in awe of your long-term planning skills."

In response to the verbal jab, she responds with a verbal roundhouse-!

"But you're stuck with me now kid; don't bother trying to run, bounded field ain't letting anyone out and you'd collapse after ten feet anyway. Not only that, I assure you you haven't managed to shirk guard duty -as unneeded as it is, my combat data is fine- if nothing else I could use someone to stamp my papers for me."

From what you had seen so far in this town, there were many powerful 'older sister types' here, but this...

Was about the same level of invincible as the principal...

"Let it serve as a lesson. We'll call it detention. We'll repeat it next week too. These are orders, by the way. And don't worry, Daisuke-kun will be punished thourougly as well for poor personal judgement."

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
"Abandoned" Amanohokosaka Shrine Stairs, Tomobiki
Day, April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

"That's quite the story. "But it's not like I'm the police either; this place has been empty for ages... Breaking in isn't a great thing to do, but there are worse kinds of trouble you could be getting in; just promise you won't do it again and we're square. Wife won't be as lenient as me if she catches you. She actually is with the police, I'm a bit more... Loosely associated with the Agency... Pretty much obligated to check the shrine myself now, but I was going to do that anyway..."

"I promise." He nodded. And he really meant it, unless his hand is forced and there is no other choice but to warps in.

It seems they managed to avoid trouble. Yuuki let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding.

Though the fact that Adelina said that her wife was with the police - despite being a woman - makes him rise an eyebrow, he wisely didn't choose to comment on it; same-sex marriage isn't unheard of in this day and age, and who was he to judge?

Besides, there are other, much more important things to be thought about.

"As for this thing... Far as I can tell... Looks like it's made of "Memories," or I guess you can say someone's "Feelings" were condensed to make the base of this stone... Pretty lonely ones, if I'm reading this aura right... Can't blame you for grabbing it, feels like it wants people to grab it, might have rolled itself out into the open so you could see it... But that's about as much as I can tell with just my eyes."

Like the ring.

'Something made of memories and someone's feelings, huh...?' He mused as he looked at the ring that now left his hand, wondering whether it was the feelings and memories of the woman in the picture. If the ring wanted to be found, and rolled itself so he would find and keep it, the question becomes...

Why him?

Did the unknown dweller of the shrine really never checked the photograph?

"Mind if I confiscate it for a bit?"

"Ah, sure." He nodded, even as he could felt doubt creeping back on his mind when he saw her stopping herself just short of wearing the ring herself; she is surely much more resilient than he is, and he is rather curious on what the ring could do. "I suppose we should make an arrangement to meet?"

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
School
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

Kasumi had been acting strange ever since you had gotten called out of class for a 'special meeting.'

Or rather, she had started acting strange when she had heard that the person calling you out of class was someone by the name of 'Vier.' Normally a bit more laid-back, she had suddenly jumped to her feet at the announcement, and shouting out something like "We're getting taught by Vier-Sama?!" had practically dragged you out of class in spite of your daydreaming about the shrine.

You had been thinking about school earlier, but the shrine was a more enticing train of thought to you; school was weird, people talked to you an awful lot, and when they did, it was pretty much always about the tails and ears which was strange, but easy to just disregard for the most part...

But...

"It's Vier-sama! I get to meet her, she's going to teach me, this is so cool-!"

This was a tad harder to ignore...

Then again, thinking about it, unlike you Kasumi's family hailed from Ishana, and thinking about it a bit more, you thought you had seen a Vier on the train into town. You had heard about those number mages from Kasumi a few times, Ten Sages if you remembered right, and they were apparently basically worshiped back where she came from so...

Was this kinda like meeting the God of one's shrine?

Or was that taking things a bit far?

From what you could remember of your glimpse at this Vier, she had been dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, which didn't really scream out "one of the strongest people on the planet" to you, but...

"Yoko, is my hair alright? I don't look messy do I?"

She didn't, but...

This reaction was...

Interesting...

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Northern Cross Academy
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

In order to avoid Ariel Lynx, I poisoned myself willingly, therefore ensuring that I not only have to see Ariel Lynx, but that I have to do it even earlier than normal; no, not only that, I also have to do it under circumstances in which I can't leave until Ariel Lynx releases me. Is that really it? Truly the most masterful of ideas. I'm quite in awe of your long-term planning skills.

"The plan was clearly to die. Civil loss as collateral damage isn't the best way to go about it though."

Lucas frowned, for he hadn't expected the joke to go that far initially.

"Thought he would back out when he realized how bad it would be. But he didn't."

It was painly obvious that Daisuke had accepted the invitation for the sake of not disappointing Hailey. A gesture that Lucas, who had been ready to throw him into flames to escape safely, could never replicate.

Reaching out for someone you barely know...

Lucas sighed heavily.

He is as dumb as her, I swear.

"Do what you want with me, I owe you so I'll make sure to repay that debt, even if I don't like it."

That was only where he was concerned though. When it came to Daisuke;

Lucas could still picture how happy Hailey had been to be given a chance to cook. How much efforts went into the meal, in spite of the end result. And her enthusiasm when she brought the dish to them. Her mood had been restored thanks to him. Even if the two boys had ended up in trouble...

In the end, Daisuke had done good by Lucas' friend.

Which is why...

"You don't have to punish him. I was the one who forced him into it. The lesson was bitter enough that he will not forget anyway. I'll take over what you had in mind for him too."

Lucas knew full well that he would soon come to regret that decision but, that was fine.

He owed him one too.

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
"Abandoned" Amanohokosaka Shrine Stairs, Tomobiki
Day, April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

"Gotta make sure it's not dangerous. Never trust a mind-altering object at first glance, little ones."

Explaining herself a bit more, the woman's dexterous fingers dance once more, rolling the ring back around to her palm, where a muttered word encases it in what seems to be some sort of glass sphere, and the moment she does...

It's 'pull' on your eyes, or rather your thoughts, seems to fade away.

"Honestly, so many weird things in this town."

This comment seems to be aimed more towards herself than the two of you, but you listen to it nonetheless...

"As for a meeting... Come drop by my shop in a couple of days, next week maybe? It's called "Atelier Adelina." It shouldn't take too long to figure out exactly what this thing's purpose is, if it is dangerous I won't be able to give it back to you, but maybe we can see what kinds of memories are stored in here, that's normally what these things are for... It should settle that natural curiosity you two seem to have."

Nodding once at this, she turns her gaze to what's left of the horizon, and the moon slowly edging out from behind the clouds.

"Anyways... I've got some late night repairs to make on a shed, and a shrine to check for freeloaders... You two should head back to the Dorms. No more trouble tonight, okay? Save it for when the sun's up."

And with a light wave...

She starts up the stairs towards the shrine alone.

--}i{--

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
"Abandoned" Amanohokosaka Shrine Stairs, Tomobiki
Day, April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

"Gotta make sure it's not dangerous. Never trust a mind-altering object at first glance, little ones."

And with a little display of what he assumed to be magic, Adelina easily stopped the ring from pulling at his thoughts.

If he had any doubts or reservations left, it certainly was gone now.

"Honestly, so many weird things in this town. As for a meeting... Come drop by my shop in a couple of days, next week maybe? It's called "Atelier Adelina." It shouldn't take too long to figure out exactly what this thing's purpose is, if it is dangerous I won't be able to give it back to you, but maybe we can see what kinds of memories are stored in here, that's normally what these things are for... It should settle that natural curiosity you two seem to have.

"Atelier Adelina. Got it." Yuuki repeated to make sure he committed the name to memory; he'd make sure to come next week, being curious on the ring and what kind of memories it held...

And perhaps even get a magical ring if it's not dangerous.

He couldn't lie that having such a thing was one of his dreams as a child.

"Anyways... I've got some late night repairs to make on a shed, and a shrine to check for freeloaders... You two should head back to the Dorms. No more trouble tonight, okay? Save it for when the sun's up."

"Alright." He affirmed, and seeing the woman climbing the stairs up with a light wave, gave her a wave of his own as he's sure Evelyn did the same. Staying in place until the woman disappears from sight.

Meeting and getting to know three nice people on his first day...

It's a new record for him.

Looking back at Evelyn, he gave her a light smile before realizing that, the dorms being the dorms, it means that they would no longer be staying at the same place anymore.

Who would make her breakfast then? Evelyn could only make toasts...

"... Let's talk about breakfast and such as we walk." He offered after a few seconds of silence. "Hopefully the rules doesn't prohibit boys from visiting the girls dorm, and vice-versa..."

Though even if it is prohibited, Yuuki is sure that they'd find a way, just like they did for the past two years.

"And I suppose I owe you a story time regarding on what happened back with Aoi. It's also very important, as I learned a crucial information regarding someone dangerous." He began as they walked down the long stairs, expression serious. "So back in the train, I met a girl named Moto Chiasa..."

Event

>>>

Friday, April 15th
Evening/Night
[Ariel: Strange Red Examination]

>>>

[Mooncake]

Kotetsu Shima
Location: Room 241
Phase: Evening
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies
Event Stock: 2

Shima paused, laying down his pencil with the care of a soldier and his gun. The sudoku book went back into his backpack - he'd saved the Sundays for last, to give himself a bit of a challenge.

He leaned back in his chair.

"Arbitrator..."

Shima flicked his phone open and closed idly. Naoto had texted him that if he kept it around he might grow more comfortable with it, something that he considered a little bizarre, but wasn't going to question. She was in charge, after all. He'd gone through some preparation, looking over his textbooks, writing titles and dates, making a class schedule for himself, but by now the lack of sleep was starting to sink in.

He'd found himself thinking about whatever that invisible phone app had been. The principal hadn't seen it, and a careful, phone-guided computer search hadn't turned up any results, no matter what Naoto had him try.

Shima, privately, had figured it wouldn't.

Sometimes, it paid to sleep on it and wait for the morning.

With that in mind, one teeth-brushing and re-dressing later, he crawled under the covers and promptly passed out.

[Airen]

Kotetsu Shima
???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies
Event Stock: 2

(BGM On)

Sleep offers little rest.

The sensation of drifting along on the top of a clear-water lake is one that defies the reality that lies before your eyes; awakening amidst the confines of an endless blue sky, black and azure clouds drifting around and beneath you, the metal beneath your feet is certainly that of a fishing boat, and the rod in your hands is certainly that of a fishing rod, your own, one of many.

The boat isn't very big, but it's quiet.

Floating on clouds rather than water, the question of what you're waiting for is something that cannot be answered; the logic of a dream exists within the realm of a dream, and thus, accepting it all simply because this is how dreams are, you look out over at what should be a lake, but the clouds block all visibility.

It's much like fog, no it's exactly like fog.

In the distance a bell rings, a school bell, loud and deep and vibrant, but the sea does not budge even when you turn your head to find the source; turn your head to find...

"Hey."

A white-silhouette, one that reminds you of yourself -albeit without your features- sitting along at your back with it's own fishing pole in hand, endlessly casting for a catch that will never come.

"Nice seeing you here."

It sounds friendly.

[Kuroyuki]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
School
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

Kasumi is acting weird. It wasn't due to the fact that Irmina-oneesan was a teacher here... While shocking, I don't think she isn't unqualified to teach biology because as she says, she is the Great Doctor Reborn. A person capable of performing both medical and sorcery treatment interchangeably. Earlier in class, Kasumi was trying to make sure I wasn't overwhelmed by everyone's questions (most of which were oddly about my tail/ears). However, she didn't seem to be weird back then...

It took me a little bit until I remembered that someone called Vier was calling for a special meeting after school. Wait wasn't that when she started getting excited? Because as soon as class ended, I was dragged out of my seat until we were outside of the meeting place.

"It's Vier-sama! I get to meet her, she's going to teach me, this is so cool-!"

Yes... It looks like she's excited to meet this person called Vier. Vier... Vier... Wasn't that one of those Sages that Kasumi talks about occasionally... There were ten of them right? And they ran Ishana or something? I'm not sure. In fact, didn't I see Vier on the train? She looked normal? Something felt off about her. But she looked normal? Like she wore just a t-shirt and jeans instead of some long flowing sorcerer robe or magitech armor.

So I just wasn't sure on how to react to...

"Yoko, is my hair alright? I don't look messy do I?

This. Kasumi didn't look differently to me. Kasumi was Kasumi. But if she wanted me to look at her... I guess I will... As much as I don't like how Kasumi is right now... But I'll do my best.

"Your hair is fine... But your uniform needs to be fixed a little."

I got up close to her and fix up her uniform's tie. My face close to hers as I absolutely make sure that it was done right. I looked up to Kasumi one last time before nodding my head.

"Are you ready?"

[Mooncake]

Kotetsu Shima
???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies
Event Stock: 2

"Hey."

"Hey."

Shima figured manners were important, even in a dream.

He hadn't actually turned around since he found himself in the boat, other than a glance over his shoulder to see what he could only call a cut-out Shima. It even had a fishing rod.

Couldn't be that bad.

"Nice seeing you here."

"It's a good place to fish. Quiet."

They stayed in silence a while, floating along the endless lake under skies that Shima thought looked almost real, even if they were like nothing he'd ever seen. After a while, he figured that there weren't any fish here to begin with. A while later, moving along the sea of fogs, Shima began to think.

He wasn't a fool.

The dream felt right.

"Are you the Arbitrator?"

[Airen]

Kotetsu Shima
???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies
Event Stock: 2

"Yeah."

A simple, easy answer.

Seemingly not the type to waste words, but perfectly content with continuing to cast line after line into the fog-ridden sea, the copy of yourself that has casually admitted to being responsible for that 'virus' earlier, does so without being particularly concerned about your reaction to that admittance.

"I could only get your attention in a few ways; the phone system was the only thing around compatible enough for me to use. Even then, it took a bit of effort, prototype software, and an unexpected data request."

He at least offers that much as an excuse for the actions though, although goes strangely silent for a moment afterwards; it's unsettlingly close to you in a number of respects, your own voice, your own figure, your own mannerisms, but...

"But you were going to an interesting place, so I thought I should warn you about it."

...Slightly more talkative than you.

[Mooncake]

Kotetsu Shima
???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies
Event Stock: 2

"Yeah."

Shima looked vaguely confused.

"What do you judge?"

He glanced at the sea of fog before them.

"Not much to judge here."

He paused, casting out his fishing rod again. He figured by the look of things that going over the edge would be much worse than a few minutes of splashing.

A lot of words washed over Shima, who barely understood his microwave on a good day. The kitchen, he could handle. The various electronics that started there and spilled out into the world ranged from difficult to near impossible.

"But you were going to an interesting place, so I thought I should warn you about it."

Shima nodded. For some reason, this seemed to make perfect sense.

Probably because it was a dream.

"Yeah?"

[Airen]

Kotetsu Shima
???
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies
Event Stock: 2

"I judge you of course, amongst other things."

Stopping itself in it's own explanations to answer that of all things, there's a certain emotionless quality to it's mimicry of your voice that you finally realize is the most unsettling aspect of it.

"Whether you are worthy. How worthy you are. How much help you should be given by me, things of that nature; that is the meaning behind this form's name... And one of the primary tasks of my existence."

Of course, explaining all of this, he neglects to mention the fundamental aspect of it all; namely, whether or not you were all the things he had listed, but such information is clearly being withheld on purpose.

"Now then, to move closer to my original point; tell me, what do you see out here? What do you hear? What can you observe with your own eyes? There are no wrong answers."

Oh...

That's when you get it.

That this being, the silhouette...

Is one of those annoying people that will never just say what they mean directly...

The kind who likes to deal in puzzles.

Or would it be better to say 'games?'

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
School
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

For some reason seeing her get so excited over someone else was kind of annoying, but you did your part as a friend anyway.

Moving in closer to fix up her tie, there's a moment where the rambling about how cool this Vier person is comes to a stop; or rather, she seems to quiet down a bit as you do as she asks and fix her up as best as you can, coming as close as you could in the process to make absolutely sure you did it right-!

And then you look up at her and ask if she's ready.

Of course you don't back away before doing this, there was no need to do so really, you had practically been raised together so it's fine.

"Uh..."

And now she was acting strange in a different way.

Red again (was she sick?) and going stiff, as if she wasn't sure if she should stay where she is or take a step back for some reason, of course you're not sure why that is, and the inquisitive push forward to follow her when she takes a step back doesn't seem to help shake her out of it either-!

"Yeah, sure! V-very ready, I'm okay now, so-!"

Her stammering doesn't seem to have a specific end point in mind, which is also worrying and...

"..."

Nearby, you can feel the stare of a girl (who had been putting away her things when you had come in) resting curiously on first you, and then Kasumi, looking back and forth as if she was waiting for something to happen, or to otherwise see how this situation (?) resolved itself.

She's not blinking.

A surprising amount of interest.

Mouthing something...

'Do it already...'

What was that about?

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Unnamed Cafe, Tomobiki
Evening, April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Union Phase: 1

"You know, for a self-proclaimed thug your skin is super soft and warm~"

"And for a fortune teller you're really touchy-feely, aren't you guys supposed to be all mysterious and unreachable?"

Eyes still on the screen when you return, Mizuki seems to be holding back Chiasa with a single arm in a tired sort of way; the meaning behind this scenario is vaguely unclear, the result of a sudden unexpected hug between an overly affectionate person and a more reserved one perhaps, but-

"Oh, drinks! You guys got any hot chocolate?"

Perhaps it's just the difference in visible maturity between two people who were -apparently- of the same age.

"Yes we do actually, I'll be back in a moment."

Having shrugged her shoulders with a 'sure why not' air before following you into the main room, your aunt had simply laughed at the sudden unabashed request before moving off to fulfill it of her own accord automatically, like a parent going out of her way to spoil her kid's friends a bit.

And once all of that was settled...

"So... Got any ideas for the name yet, boss?"

Mizuki, who thankfully doesn't seem to be holding any sort of grudge against Naoko (but definitely one against Isako) regards the room at large, shattering the ice herself with a surprising casualness that nevertheless seemed to fit her.

"Actually no," surprisingly, this is your aunt's answer, "Been brainstorming all day, but nothing really clicked for me I'm afraid."

"Oh! Oh! Leave it to me, I'll ask the stars for the true name-!"

Chiasa's answer however, is a bit less surprising...

"Seems like an abuse of 'divine' wisdom to me."

"Fufufu, this just proves how little you know thug-san... The stars have nothing better to do-!"

Perhaps those two were just destined to bicker in that special way.

"Hah... Well, I'm open to suggestions. Ask the stars if you'd like, I'd appreciate it," smiling still, nodding once at the younger girl who takes it as a cue to brandish a deck of cards even as Mizuki rolls her eyes at the motions, Naoko turns to you and:

"How about you? Any strokes of inspiration?"

Seems like it was quickly becoming a sort of group effort.

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Unnamed Cafe, Tomobiki
Evening, April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Union Phase: 1

Tsugumi found it was comforting to see them bicker in a strange way. Chiasa and Mizuki seemed as if they would be the kind of friends that would bicker but he had to agree with Mizuki, he would have never expected Chiasa to be the touchy-feely type. However, knowing his intervention wouldn't do anything to improve the matter to it was best to just let the two settle matters in their own way. The self contained wrestle/hug was almost amusing and most importantly, self contained.

However, once settled a whole other question was brought up. The name of the cafe, something to compete with 'Moon Under Water'. It wasn't as if Tsugumi had a business degree but he had been watching people for a while to better avoid them so some could say he knew how they ticked. When it came to dodging drama at least.

So, he began racking his brain and began to openly speak his thought processes.

"With a name, it needs to be short, punchy and memorable." Tsugumi stated, taking a sip of tea. "Above all else if there's a theme, it needs to be suited to it."

After several seconds, suddenly, it was obvious to him. The the aesthetic of the 'Semi-Edwardian' English theme, Naoko's pennant for wearing suits and perhaps a joke based around service. It was simple, memorable and somewhat amusing to his tastes.

"How about, 'The Butler' or something along the lines?"

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Hidden Examination Room
April 15th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Heavy Rain

You didn't come here quite as often as the others did, or rather, while you did show up on occasion with the others, it was more for the purposes of how it looked than any sort of actually necessary treatment.

Or to put it in another way, the visits you paid to this place were little more than check-ups in comparison to everyone else's time in the purification chamber; a clear glass pod whose exact mechanics escaped you, but seemed to be very important to the actual examination and purification process for the Unions. You had been in it a few times for examination purposes if not for purification ones, and while most of the other equipment was much like what you would expect in the average hospital, floating in what felt like zero gravity while being full-body scanned by a bunch of rapidly moving scanners was always something that felt rather science-fiction to you.

As did the sheer walls of data that showed up on the multiple screens as Ariel watched over and conducted the process from outside; close enough for you to even talk to her if felt like it, which you had done a few times before, and...

Speaking of the nurse...

"Hey! There's my favorite Red-!"

She seemed to be in her usual good mood today, something you notice the instant you walk into the room, and something that seemed to be slightly more common with your visits than others, where the "tsun aspect of her nature is more obvious than the dere" according to whispers from the other Unions.

And while you'd like to deny it, you do kind of get the feeling that she found your examinations particularly fascinating from the standpoint of a researcher, likely because of the nature of your existence as a Union.

You're not sure if that's a good or a bad thing now that you think about it (did she poke the others with as many needles?) but-!

You also got the feeling that this person had a 'unique' relationship with all of her patients, so it probably wasn't something you needed to worry about; at the very least, even if she came off as smug a lot of the time, and couldn't help but dish out lectures to those who crossed one of her many lines...

She wasn't a bad person.

"How are you feeling today? Same as always?"

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Hidden Examination Room
April 15th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Heavy Rain

It was raining heavily today.

Watanabe Yuuki had always been quite fond of rain; while it made it harder to listen to music and he dislikes getting his clothes wet, there is a certain sense of tranquility whenever it did. It made him appreciate the comfort of things that many take for granted, and serves as a reminder that having a place to call home is truly wonderful.

Nothing beats the warmth that he felt when he got home - cold and soaked - before being greeted by Evelyn with a towel in hand, while the unmistakable scent of tea came from the kitchen.

But that was enough remembering about the past.

Today is the day for his examination as a Strange Red, and as he stepped into the room...

"Hey! There's my favorite red-!"

The red-haired doctor greeted him with her usual good mood, and he couldn't help but give her a small smile in return.

Ariel Lynx was different from every doctor that he had ever met in his life, and to be perfectly honest, he preferred her compared to any other doctor; Not only because of her skill and prowess, but also because of her attitude.

Sure she can be rather fascinated with him with those needles, and more often than not she came off as smug, but Yuuki appreciated the fact that Ariel is very much approachable, some sort of a unique relationship between a doctor and her patient. Being greeted cheerfully when he is about to undergo an examination like this helps his mental health a great deal, especially with his unique condition as a Strange Red.

Besides, this is the woman that saved Evelyn.

If there is one thing that he is sure of, it's that Ariel Lynx is definitely not a bad person.

"How are you feeling today? Same as always?"

"Pretty much." He confirmed with a nod, taking a seat at one of the chair present. "Nothing bad or strange had happened thus far."

Of course, there is still something else he wanted to say; another reason why he liked Ariel as a doctor was because he felt much more comfortable talking with her compared to other people in lab coats.

"I met the principal's sister when I arrived here on Monday." he began, "She told me that I was the third Strange Red to appear, and that no one else had my symptoms at school. You know I don't like attention, so..." he clasped his hands together in front of his face. "Can you do something to not make me stand out?" He begged.

This is a genuine and honest request; he is honestly still baffled that he is the third recorded Strange Red in history.

But he is also curious whether there is something else that he doesn't know about this rare symptom, and while he's sure that some things will likely remain secrets to him...

Perhaps he can gain some new information from Ariel, and if not, then at the very least he can compare the info that he gains with the one that Chiasa told him.

Really, the fortune teller is too knowledgeable about all of this.