[BitP:R] Mortal World

[Purple Rose]

[Takara]

After looking through their pile of groceries, Takara nodded.

"Looks good! Oh! The strawberries!"

[Kasanip]

[Erima]

Erima's stomach made an angry noise.
The tsukumogami turned swiftly and marched determined to get strawberries.

She returned and put the box gently into the cart.
"Finished. Let's go home and eat dinner now." She said with a sigh.
Suddenly it seemed like she was very sleepy again.

[Purple Rose]

[Takara]

Takara pays for the groceries and heads outside. When Erima arrives back through the door, the girl smiles.

"It's a good night. Want a ride home?"

[Kasanip]

[Erima]

"No, I will help to carry the food. It is fine. I need to improve my stamina for school." She said with a tired voice.

And then she stopped and frowned.
To go home would take maybe 30 minutes. It was dark now, so surely the abominations were out. Already she knew they were watching.

She looked at Takara and the food.
It was still hot outside too.
No, she would not burden Takara this time.

"Yes, I am fine." Erima repeated, with a brave and sleepy smile. She took one of the bags from Takara and they walked home together.
No abominations attacked. Erima noted this good fortune for the start of school.

But during dinner, Erima finished early, and Takara found her sleeping on top of her bed. she barely changed into pajamas. Ah, she even forgot the strawberries.

[Purple Rose]

[Takara]

Takara stood at the door to their room and smiled. Poor girl. Wore herself out. She changes into her pajamas and climbs into bed.

"Goodnight, Eri."

She smiles again and turns the lights off.

[Zarah]

Bordeaux, France
1:04 AM

The city was still. At the hour they were waiting, nothing stirred around them. Of course, the odd car or bus would glide down one of the nearby streets now and then, but it was a relatively rare occurance. No one could be seen walking anywhere, since after all, who would be wandering around a museum in the middle of the night? Everything was closed. There was nothing to see. There was nothing left to do there until morning. That is, for most people.

For the three men that waited in a nearby car, things were only getting started. The two men in the front shifted nervously in their seats as they watched the building not far from where they were parked. With his hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, the driver glanced at his passenger, and then at the third man in the back seat, who returned the look with a slight tilt of his head. After the intense silence of the moment apparently getting the better of him, the driver let his eyes wander back to their target and finally decided to speak up,

"This is crazy. Who the hell robs a museum?"

"I dunno," the front passenger replied. "Sounds like the guy who hired us knows what he's doing. Seems like he's got class."

"He's got balls, that's what it is. You ever seen the security they got wired into these places?"

"Heard about it. But we've got guys takin' care of that, don't we?"

"We'll see," the driver stated, finalizing the conversation as he craned his neck downward a little to get a better look from his seat. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared to be happening, which made him a little nervous.

"You let them worry about their job. We have our own concerns," came a voice from the figure seated calmly in the back. Both men in the front spun around to look at him, making eye contact despite the black face-masks covering the rest of their details. The driver opened his mouth to protest the new words spoken, but he didn't get so much as a mutter clear from his lips before the third figure leaned forward and pointed out the windshield. A small, white light was flashing on and off from the roof of the building, just long enough to be seen before disappearing into the night again. "We're up."

All at once, the three men flung open their doors and crawled out from their seats. Immediately upon reaching the asphalt, the third figure spun in place and made his way straight to the trunk of the car. Upon opening the hatch, he was met with a long, black duffel bag, which he promptly zipped open and reached inside without a moments hesitation. The other two men gave odd looks and obviously wanted to say something, but were quickly shut up when they were each thrown an uzi pulled fresh from the bag. As for the third figure reaching inside again, he then pulled a sawed-off shotgun before snapping the bag shut and yanking it from the trunk by the handle.

"What are you a magician with that thing? What're you gonna' pull out next?" came one question as the three regrouped and began their short walk to the front doors. The "magician" took the lead, but didn't reply. Instead, he kept his eyes scanning back and forth for any possible witnesses.

Trying not to let the tense silence get too heavy to bear, the other passenger decided to run over the plan as they continued their pace. "Alright, the power gets cut and we slip inside. Then we head straight to the security office and make sure there's no one calling for help. Once the coast is clear, we start grabbing as much as we can," he explained to no one in particular, probably just going over it again for his own good. That is, until he suddenly stopped himself with a furrowed brow. "Wait, how are we gettin' all the goods out of there?"

"Radio for pickup. Should be a van waiting 'round back," the driver answered with a slight nod. "Nice and discreet."

"The van's only as discreet as those who're riding in it," the magician added, stopping just short of the stairs leading up to the museum entrance. He then turned and gave both others a strong glare before labeling them with his own nicknames. "So let's not go shooting up the place. Sound fair, Butch and Sundance?"

Before any other words could be exchanged, they saw the lights dotted around the side of the building give out and plunge the entire lot into pure darkness. They all shot each other a quick glance, then bolted up the stairs and went to work. The doors were still locked manually, but glass wouldn't prove much of a barrier for them. A prompt strike from the handle of a gun sent shards of it scattering in every direction. As they heard the shatter, their hearts stopped as the fear that something had gone wrong grabbed hold of the back of their minds..

But there was no alarm. So far so good.

Prior studying of the building layout proved to be rather useful, as the men wasted no time in heading straight for the main security office. They expected to encounter an officer or two along the way, looking for any clues as to what was going on, but were pleasantly surprised to find no one in their path. They simply barged into the office, held up the two men hiding out and had them bound and gagged in a matter of minutes. Things were going almost too well. Of course, as soon as anyone realizes that, that's when things start going wrong.

The vague sound of voices being carried as an echo through the halls filtered in through the open doorway. For a second, they stopped in their tracks and listened in, trying to decipher them. Someone was yelling, but it was too far away to make out. Not a good sign.

The magician was the first to speak up, "Something's up. Me and Sundance here'll take a look. You stay here and make sure these clowns don't try anything heroic, alright?"

Butch gave a silent nod in reply, letting the other two to quickly slink their way out the door and start moving toward the voices. The black duffel bag was still in tow, never leaving the magician's hands the entire time. While they were making good progress, the sound of a couple gunshots made them share a concerned glance, which they followed up by breaking into a heavy sprint. Eventually, as they neared the stairwell leading to the next floor, the voices became more and more clear.

"I won't tell you again! Get on the ground!" came one.

"This is Lambert, we need immediate back-up in the north stairwell! We are under attack! Come in!" came the next. "I repeat this is—" he started, but a couple more gunshots immediately cut the voice off. It seemed that the other officers were indeed on patrol. They just happened to find them somewhere unexpected.

Sundance slammed open the stairwell door to reveal one of the blue-clad men laying in a heap at the base of the stairs, a pool of blood forming around his corpse. At a small landing a short distance up was the other officer, taking cover behind a cement pillar. His eyes immediately jumped down to meet those of the new assailants. As if moving in slow motion, his eyes widened in horror, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Oh, shi—" were his last words. Or would have been if Sundance had given him a chance to finish instead of hastily gunning him down without a second thought. The magician shot him a quick glare, as if reiterating his point of "not shooting up the place," even if they had little other choice. He didn't make any comment, however, and instead simply made his way up a few of the steps to meet up with the other two teammates.

But they only met with one.

Sundance looked up and down the stairwell a few times before turning to the new arrival with a raised eyebrow. "I thought there were two of you. What happened to the other guy?"

"Didn't make it," was the nonchalant response. After checking his handgun, the newcomer pushed his way past the others and began moving down the hall where they had come from. The magician pointed a finger out after him, ordering Sundance to follow. They both glanced back out toward him before Sundance finally let out a small sigh and caught up. The magician, meanwhile, stayed in the stairwell to investigate.

He found it strange that the officers had so rapidly located the others without having been drawn there by something. Of course, that may very well have been the case. Both men had pistols drawn, obviously having expected some kind of trouble. Something had tipped them off, but the question was what? What would they have been investigating?

As the magician let his eyes wander back to the empty hallway where the other two had been, another gunshot caught his attention. He immediately broke into a run, moving straight toward where the others had disappeared into the darkness. Although he had a suspicion, he didn't want it to be proven right. Unfortunately for him, he was.

Sundance lay on the floor, bleeding out from an open wound while the newcomer was already wandering away from the scene. The magician leaped to action, shoving the other man forward to get his attention and pointing his shotgun right toward his face. The hostility was returned in kind by the newcomer, he pointed his own weapon at the other's torso. For a long moment, they hung there, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually, it was the magician who broke the tense silence,

"I know what you're up to. You think you can get away with that?"

"He was a rat," came the reply without a moment of thought. "I was doing all of us a favor by getting rid of him." Although he wanted to call the man out on his claim, he knew there was little else he could say. To make matters worse, he didn't have the time to say it. They were still on a deadline, which they were promptly reminded of when the final member of the team arrived on the scene.

"Ladies," came the call from the getaway driver, who emerged from the shadows a moment later. "Can we move on? The other guy's already gotten bored and started piling the loot in the other room. I suggest you all follow in suit."

Conceding to the point for now, the three made their way back to Butch, who inquisitively asked where Sundance had gone. They dodged the question effortlessly, which seemed a good enough response for him, as he went back to work looting almost immediately. Once they had a fair pile of riches growing, the driver took a few steps back and explained, "I'll get the van ready. You boys play nice while I'm gone, alright?"

There was no answer. The men all worked in silence for the longest time, until eventually they stood over the pile of loot and waited patiently for the driver to return. In that brief, idle moment, Butch decided to question his partner's fate once again. This time, however, the magician was quick to explain the truth.

"He shot him. Right in the back," he noted, pointing a thumb toward the newcomer. There wasn't a hint of anything other than conviction in his voice.

"You should be careful who you trust," came the newcomer's response, his hand starting to raise his pistol.

The magician didn't even let him get a head start, pointing his own shotgun up once again as the full force of his accusations came to bear. "No kiddin'. I've met your kind before. You think you can just kill us all off and get away yourself. Get us to do all the work while you get all the glory, right? Well, I'll give you a tip. That doesn't work. You won't get outta' here alive."

A scoff escaped from the newcomer's mouth as the two tightened their grips on their respective weapons. Each one wanted to pull the trigger, but the confrontation wasn't yet over. "This world is too ****ed up for idealists like you. I'm gonna' take everything I can get without looking back, got it? Even if that means walking over top of your cold, dead bod—"

Before he could finish, a sequence of loud pops rang out. A column of smoke rose from Butch's uzi as the newcomer dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap. It seemed that some took betrayal a little harder than others. "No ****ing honor among thieves," Butch said, staring intently into the body of the other, as if trying to find some sort of answer to the questions he knew would never be resolved. However, when he raised his eyes to the magician, only another slew of questions were raised only to be silenced a moment later. The man's shotgun blast shattered the silence and reduced Butch into a similar heap in a split second.

"You can't pull that kind of **** off by yourself," he noted as he watched Butch squirm on the ground. He had aimed for the torso, to ensure he didn't get a killing shot. "That's why me and the driver there made a deal. Two shares is still better than four, right?" Another shotgun blast ceased any protest Butch may have had.

A moment after surveying his own work, the magician threw his duffel bag onto the ground and tore it open. He dug around for a couple seconds, then lifted four large blocks of explosive from the shadows and placed them on the floor nearby. Once again, he reached inside and grabbed four more before going to work placing them around the walls and rigging them all to a common detonator. A strange request made by the driver for his cooperation, but the magician didn't question it. He only wanted to get the job over with at the point he was at.

"Got everything rigged?" the driver's voice floated over from the darkness. Although he searched for its source, the magician couldn't see the other figure, only squinting his eyes in vain. After a second or two of trying, he simply gave up and answered.

"Yeah, it's ready to go. Now can we start loading this stuff up already?" he asked. There was no reply. He raised an eyebrow and looked around, as if silently asking if the driver had disappeared. Once he had done a full circle around the room, seeing no sign of the other man, he threw out his arms to each side to ask what had happened, but before another word escaped his mouth, he felt something puncture the his back and shoot out the front of his abdomen. Ever so slowly, he looked down to find a silver katana blade jutting from his body, which was quickly torn from the wound with a prompt yank, causing him to crumple over and write in agony upon the now blood-stained floor.

"He said it best. There's no honor among thieves," the driver noted with a nod toward Butch's mutilated form. As the magician's eyes frantically jumped back and forth to take in as many of the clues from the situation as he could, the driver reached up and around to the back his neck. With a single pull, the black mask over his head was soon free, revealing the man's pale face and sunken eyes, nearly covered entirely by a mess of filty, white hair. "But there's even less among my kind."

As the magician remained stunned upon the ground with nothing more than an incredulous look upon his face, the driver gave a slight smile before moving toward the duffel bag and promptly pulling free a small, remote detenator. He took a second to inspect it, and upon being satisfied, he began making his way to the front doors of the building, leaving behind everything they had come for. Although no words were spoken, he could feel the questions burning from the man he had left behind. However, there was no explanation that remained to be said.

The final moments of the museum counted down with each step, but they came to a curious halt as the man saw a piece that caught his eye. A small, elegant dagger of some kind was displayed atop a stand with a sign nearby. Despite his interest, it was not the dagger that had caught his attention. Instead, he leaned in closer to get a better look at the sign, just to make sure he hadn't possibly read it wrong. When he did, however, it was unmistakeable.

"Property of Ryouta Tadayoshi of the Pheonix Town Regional Museum."

He raised an eyebrow at the mention of the town. With the hilt of his sword, he made short work of the protective glass, then reached inside and snatched the dagger from its pedestal. He spun it around a few times, taking in the intricate details one by one before smiling and tucking it away in a pocket. Satisfied with his find, he continued his journey out the front doors and down the set of steps until he was out on the street.

Without even looking back, he pressed the button on the remote, lighting up the windows of the building with a magnificent explosion from within. The air rocked with a tremendous bang, followed by the familiar hiss and rumble of a growing fire. Although the building stood the impact, there was no telling how many artifacts were lost within its walls.

And before anyone could even get a look at the scene, Kujo took one last step and vanished from sight, leaving the museum burning in the shattered tranquil of the night. Not even history was safe from his wake of destruction.

Pheonix Town, Japan
Two Days Later

"—it is not yet clear how the fire started, though police have stated that it may have been the result of explosives. What makes the case even more puzzling is the apparent lack of any major theft. Although many pieces of artwork were destroyed in the blaze, none appeared to have been stolen aside from a small historical relic that had been recently bought by a Japanese museum and was slated to be shipped off the next day. The bodies have been recovered from the disaster, but police have not released any names."

The television had been tuned to the news for hours. Every time one outlet would change stories, Ryouta would fumble for the remote and switch it to a station that was covering it. He wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to glean from watching it over and over again, since the details were always the same, but it seemed to give him some strange sense of comfort. And yet, at the same time, it only seemed to anger him more and more with every watching.

"Who the hell takes only that one piece from an entire museum?! Out of everything they could have had!" he barked into the cellphone held firmly between his hand and head. Almost as long as he had been watching the news, he had been on the phone. With anyone. With everyone. Trying to get the colors to pain a bigger picture of the event that had just robbed him.

"Well of course I needed it, it was part of my damn display! I can't have an empty space! No— What do you mean no compensation? The damages? Yes, it's terrible, but I paid money for something that I'll never get back!"

Sitting a short distance away, watching the TV intently was Ryouta's daughter, Mina. Although she had been watching for quite some time, she had remained silent the entire time. Either she was incredibly patient, or simply didn't know what she could possibly say in the situation. More likely the latter, given the elevation of her father's voice causing her to flinch ever so slightly.

"Three years?!" he shouted, pushing himself up from his stool as the conversation heated. "N- No, I can't wait three years for that kind of money. That's ridiculous. I— Yes, yes I know, but— Well, figure something out! Yes, get it done! Just do it!"

Although the person on the other line wanted to continue, Ryouta wasn't going to listen, instead snapping his phone shut and ending the call without another word. For a moment, he sunk back to his stool, sliding his phone across a nearby countertop and running both hands over his face, and then back through his hair. A drawn out, almost painful sigh escaped his lungs as he slumped forward in disappointment. After a long while remaining in thought, he eventually tore himself from his mind and turned to the shape of his daughter, sitting straight up and staring into the burning building still shown on the screen before her.

As he watched her, a weak smile spread out on his lips, almost taking him by surprise. Even despite his... Less than satisfied mood, simply thinking about his daughter was enough to bring a little bit of his calm demeanor back. Slowly, he lifted himself from his seat and wandered over toward her, standing behind the couch and putting a hand on her head. After tussling her long, dark hair for a second, she turned back and looked up at him with a smile of her own.

"Going crazy, dad?" she asked.

Ryouta chuckled at the remark. "Only a little. But it's nothing you need to worry about," he answered, making his way around the couch and taking a seat next to her. Together, they sat in silence, watching the news tell the same story over again until Ryouta finally glanced at a clock mounted on the wall. "It's getting late. Don't you have your opening ceremony for school tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Mina shrugged, "but it's not a big deal. I can stay up and watch this."

"Even I'm getting sick of hearing this," he said with a grin, reaching for the remote and returning the screen to still blackness with the press of a button. "Maybe we should all get some sleep."

"Alright, alright," she conceded, rising from the couch and slowly wandering off down the hall and to her room, leaving her father to his thoughts. Thoughts that he couldn't shake regardless of the effort he put into forgetting them. Sleep was going to be a hard thing to come by after a day like the one he had been through. However, despite his rampant mind, his body wasn't going to let him stay awake, and he soon found himself slipping out of consciousness.

Tomorrow was indeed another day, but Ryouta knew that the worst was only yet to come.

[Steilos]

Somwhere in Pheonix Town

Seated in the living room of his dingy yet surprisingly tidy house, Henry took another drink from his teacup as the morning's news washed over him. Looking at the back of his hand, he murmurs the address written under his breath and reaches for the remote.

Soon he is getting ready for yet another day of work. The first day of school was today, so he was going to have to add that to his intinerary. But first, he needed to go report to the station, not to mention the address. That address... He checked his hand again, making sure it was right. The thing about paranomal investigations is, you have to keep it hush-hush from 99% of the police force because they won't know what the hell you're going on about. And Henry didn't know the 1% that would know, so this was entirely a private line of enquiry... Clambering into his car for the nth time, the detective gets on the job.

[Terry576]

[Streets]

Sora quickly walked out of his house, turning the strange pathways once again, searching, seeking an answer to why he was hearing whispers in his house. The sound of glass cracking came behind him, and he spun around, a cero ready in his hand.

There was nothing.

"Yikes... I must be getting nervous. In hindsight, staying awake for three days was a bad plan."

"And now I'm talking to myself."

He continued walking quietly through the streets, and took several sharp turns, and then stopped in front of a cafe.

The cafe was his favorite place to come to get some coffee, and just to think. And while he didn't know it, he wasn't the only one who thought so, and several others agreed with him.

Sora stepped into the cafe, and the world became quieter. It was one of "those" cafes, the ones that are more for hipsters, and didn't really feature heavily in sound or people.

He sat down, and breathed a sigh of relief. Being off the streets was always good, especially considering that his Secret Place, his home, was whispering. he groaned as he leaned back in his chair, and began to think.

[strawberryman]

[Valeria's House]

Val sits up from her bed at the crack of dawn as her alarm goes off, stretching and yawning immediately. As her consciousness peaks, the excitement of the upcoming day is renewed, causing the girl to squeal in delight for a moment.

It doesn't take her more than half a minute to jump out from under her sheets, instantly setting about preparing for her first day of school. Real, public school! In a matter of minutes, she's prepared; wearing the school uniform, with her hair tied up into a ponytail behind her head. Around her neck hangs a single necklace with the peace emblem; she figured she'd wait on really decking it out until she was better acquainted.

With that, she heads downstairs to see about acquiring breakfast before she left.

[Terry576]

[Streets]

Sora walked back out with his wonderful coffee, helping him to relieve the accursed feeling of insomnia, and blinked a couple times.

"Wait... Oh please, don't tell me..."

He ran the dates through his mental calendar. He looked down at his clothes. He swore loudly. He blushed as people glared at him.

And then he began to walk quickly towards the school, muttering darkly about "Idiot", and "Mondays" and something that sounded like "Raggle Fraggle Schnauzer Rowf."

This narrator thinks he was trying to be the dog from Wacky Racers.

But this narrator also thinks that he should stop narrating, and allow the story to continue.

"Least I woke up early enough to not be late on the first day for once..."

[riccaru]

An abandoned warehouse, rusty and silent sits on the outskirts of town. Inside is a giggle, a small unnatural sound. Also inside stands Yoko Rose, her slim frame inside the local school uniform. More unnatural was the massive beast beside her. The mouth of the red and black wyvern was open lazily, its face being rubbed by Yoko.

"Good boy! Ready for school? If you behave I might get you a puppy for snack time! Would you like that, huh?" She says as she pets the dragon, then reseals him and heads off for school.

[Terry576]

[School; In Front Of]

Sora gasps as he catches his breath in front of the school.

"Never...Again. I am never running all the way to school again."

He leans against a wall, and takes a deep breath before sinking to the floor.

[Moon Wolf]

Beck yawned as she opened her fridge and downed the last of her old milk carton. She'd have to buy some more, perhaps after she stopped by her parents' house to tell them about her first day of school this year. She walked into the bathroom, making sure her appearance was sufficiently rebellious. She messed up her violently dyed hair, fixed her tie at an angle, and then grabbed her stuffed backpack and left her apartment, locking the door behind her. She walked casually to school, no need to rush. It was only a few minutes' walk, after all. She arrived there and waited, curious to see who would be in her class.

[Terry576]

[School; In Front Of]

Sora glanced up, and saw a girl there. He called out, fairly sarcastic,

"Well, you're here early."

[KnightDisciple]

[Watanabe House]

Kaito was going about his morning preparations with his typical efficiency. It helped that he'd had most of his books and such ready to go for a few days. It let him go about more leisurely activities with ease of mind.

He had taken a bit of extra time in the shower to try to really wake up. Started it off as hot as he could stand, and ended it cold. He was wide awake now.

He stood in the kitchen, putting his lunch together with the assistance of his mother.

"Are you excited about your first day?"

Watanabe Hinata has a gentle smile on her face as she helps her son get ready.

"Kind of. I mean, I think most of my friends will be there. But as much as I like school, it can be a drag sometimes."

"Well, you know it's worth it in the end, dear."

"I know mom. I'll do my best."

Hinata pats her son on the shoulder.

"Grab your breakfast and lets go. Remember, you'll have to catch the bus the rest of this week."

"I know mom."

Kaito grabs a granola bar as they head out the door.

'A new year...and new friends.'

[Moon Wolf]

[School; In Front Of]

Sora glanced up, and saw a girl there. He called out, fairly sarcastic,

"Well, you're here early."

Beck smiled, and replied in the same sarcastic tone, I could say the same about you.

[Terry576]

Sora shrugs.

"Hey, I've been late the first day for the past three years. I'd like to be on time for once."

He grins at her, and if she looks closely enough, she'll notice that his incisors are... sharp, and there's a feral glint in his eyes.

"I'm Sora Namikaze, and you are?"

[Moon Wolf]

I'm Beck Williams. She said, moving forward and offering her hand to shake. Sora might see a rather....interesting pentagram-shaped bracelet dangling around her wrist.

[Terry576]

Sora shakes her hand, and notes the pentagram, and chuckles.

"Wow. A Pentagram. Truly, you are a master of being polite to other religions."

He winks at her, so she knows its just a friendly joke.

[Moon Wolf]

She grinned. Yeah, well, I was bored one rainy weekend and decided that I'd try doing something different. So now you're looking at this bracelet. She laughed. I have to admit, it's not the prettiest thing I've made.

[Terry576]

He glances up at her, his red eyes glinting.

"Ahhhh, an artist? Well, you'll be happy to know that most of the teachers couldn't care less if you draw in the middle of class. They just kind of pretend you're not there."

He glances at the building and rolls his eyes.

"Only in Japan is it fine for us to be here so very, very early."

[Shades of Gray]

Behind the School

An adolescent is currently leaning against the back wall of the school, wearing a slightly roughed up uniform. His windswept brownish red hair doesn't really blow dramatically in the wind, much to his chagrin. In his mouth is a cigarette; every now and then he takes it out and feebly attempts to blow smoke rings (he is clearly not skilled enough.) All of the sudden he starts coughing.

*cough* "****" He angrily stomps the cigarette out.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Michiko

"That's what you get." The chill voice comes from around the bend sheltering Yuudai's shadowed 'alley' from sight before a familiar person stepped around the corner and into the light shadows that keep the heat off. "I still can't believe you got beat up by two homeless kids after all that tough talk of yours."

Michiko walks over to stand beside him, leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, sighing as she gives a shake of her head.

"At least you are in the same class as me again, that way you'll keep a passing score at least." She says softly, not wanting to draw too much attention to the little hiding spot as she leans her school bag up against the wall and begins to 'modify' her uniform like she always did when coming back to school. Tying it off beneath her bust and unpinning the extra inch or so of skirt that was usually rolled up out of sight.

The opening ceremony would be starting any minute now, but that wasn't really her problem either. She'd show up, a couple minutes late (as usual) and crib any important information that hadn't been given off of someone else later on. So, to pass the time, she fishes out her own cigarette and lights it, inhaling softly before turning a hard eye on Yuudai.

"So how are those two settling in at the warehouse alright? No more 'problems'?" comes the question, exhaling the smoke slowly. As much as she seemed disgusted by Yuudai's attitude and mannerisms sometimes, he was the reliable sort...mostly. And she had known him for a long time, which meant a lot.

[Shades of Gray]

Yuudai

Yuudai nods. "They seem to be just fine, Ojou-Sama." He says as he sticks out his tongue. "And it wasn't fair, they sneak attacked me. I could have easily taken them both on, if I had the chance to give them a taste of Masamune." He says, nodding insightfully before turning away to light another cigarette. "Masamune" was the name of his "sword," he thought it sounded cool.

Yuudai begins to light another cigarette, but he keeps on breaking his matches. He takes a short glance at Michiko over his should, before trying to light it again. He muttered under his breath. "Stupid matches."

[Sucrose]

[Valeria's House]

Val sits up from her bed at the crack of dawn as her alarm goes off, stretching and yawning immediately. As her consciousness peaks, the excitement of the upcoming day is renewed, causing the girl to squeal in delight for a moment.

It doesn't take her more than half a minute to jump out from under her sheets, instantly setting about preparing for her first day of school. Real, public school! In a matter of minutes, she's prepared; wearing the school uniform, with her hair tied up into a ponytail behind her head. Around her neck hangs a single necklace with the peace emblem; she figured she'd wait on really decking it out until she was better acquainted.

With that, she heads downstairs to see about acquiring breakfast before she left.

By the time she's about halfway down the stairs, the sizzle of bacon and eggs can be heard. In the kitchen, Claudia works intently over the stovetop, wearing a loose sun dress and an apron. The table is already mostly set, with one small plate full of the aforementioned meats and a bagel, and the other beside Claudia on the range. Both places have some orange juice set out beside them, and a small assortment of cold cereals have been prepared.

Not exactly gourmet for a family of their means, but certainly good enough.

She turns briefly at the sound of Val's approach, then smiles and turns back to her work.

"I was hoping you'd be getting up soon, Vally. Otherwise I might need to wake you myself. Breakfast's on the table."

She tilts her head briefly toward the filled plate, still mostly focused on her cooking.

"Did you sleep well?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Michiko

Michiko watches with a flat expression as Yuudai turns his back to her, hearing the thwip noise as he tries to get a match to light properly.

"Yeah, cause you know how dangerous an un-sharpened replica is." Michiko says dryly, shaking her head even as she holds out her own cigarette. "I swear, you can be so helpless sometimes. Just light it off mine."

Waiting until he'd done so, the multi-dyed student gives a bit of a sarcastic smirk before speaking again.

"How will you impress the ladies with your manliness if you can't even light a cigarette after all?"

[strawberryman]

[Valeria's House]

Val has a seat, taking a couple eggs and slices of bacon. She smiles widely and nods. "Yeah." For a short while she occupies herself with her food, before looking back up to her mother.

"...So... Are you going to drive me there? Or...?" A faint sign of nervousness enters her expression.

[Shades of Gray]

Yuudai

"I totally can. It's just that I, uh, dropped this box of matches into a puddle on the way here." Yuudai lies as he takes his now-lit cigarette. "...And I left my lighter at home." Yuudai did not own a lighter, but Michiko couldn't know that.

He examines the cigarette, and starts to smoke. He realizes that he does seem pathetic... He must rescue the situation somehow... Aha! that's it!"And besides, you can light my fire any day, Michi-Chan." He says, winking at his classmate; he is obviously very proud of his devilish charm.

[Sucrose]

[Valeria's House]

Val has a seat, taking a couple eggs and slices of bacon. She smiles widely and nods. "Yeah." For a short while she occupies herself with her food, before looking back up to her mother.

"...So... Are you going to drive me there? Or...?" A faint sign of nervousness enters her expression.

Claudia looks up from filling her plate to regard Valeria critically for a moment. She then shrugs.

"...Well, I'll let things go however you want, Vally. Do you want me to? If you don't want to be seen with your Momma, there's always Hayate..."

[strawberryman]

[Abel Manor]

"Well... I'm sure you want to make sure I'll be all right, yeah?" Val smiles, slightly nervously as she bites into a piece of bacon. "I don't want you to be worried or anything..."

"It's all right, really."