9 Impact

For second period Shizuo had AP Calculus, which he didn't share with any of his close friends, but still had many others to pass the time well with. The spar with Riku earlier had given him a kickstart to his day that he appreciated, a nice perk to having his CL class first thing in the morning. After second period, break came quickly to Shizuo, which, today being Wednesday, meant he was due for a meeting with his Impact mentees. Since it was only the second week of their weekly meetings, Shizuo shot a group text reminding his mentees to meet in the student lounge at break. Slinging his bag over one shoulder, he went his way from the classroom to join the mass of students filing out of the class halls.

A few bodies ahead, Shizuo made out the towering figure of his friend, Kane. As the crowd began to disperse into the open area, Shizuo weaved through it to catch up to him.

"Kane! Heading over to meet your mentees?"

Through a light sweep of his long hair, Shizuo caught a glimpse of Kane's glowing green eyes as he glanced down to him at his side. After a low, agreeing grunt, Kane spoke.

"I assume you are as well?"

"Of course. We're meeting in the student lounge, though, I gotta be quick. There were a few other groups there last week, I just hope we can make it there before they show up."

Shizuo's grin relaxed as he looked ahead at the building that housed the student lounge, "Where are you meeting with your mentees?"

"Library. It's big enough so we're not disturbed by other groups, but even then, there weren't many others last week."

Shizuo continued to walk alongside Kane, but after finding out his friend's destination, it became apparent to him that he was starting to walk out of his way. Redirecting his path to the lounge and leaving Kane behind, Shizuo raised a hand in farewell.

"That sounds great, man. Well enjoy your meeting, I'll catch you later!"

"Thanks."

Kane's low voice faded as Shizuo continued along his way, a more upbeat grin reforming across his face. It was already a surprise to Shizuo when he found out that Kane was joining Impact, but to see him in a seemingly good, or at least willing, spirit about it was even better. Shizuo knew Kane to be more reserved and avoidant of social interaction when he could, so him following through with the program appeared to be a step in the right direction for him. Shizuo was curious how Kane's mentees would turn out, as one's Impact mentor was more-or-less their first exposure to a seasoned student of the academy, playing a big role in their perception of it. In any event, Shizuo's concerns were refocused onto his mentees, sure that Kane's own would turn out just fine... probably.

As Shizuo walked through the automatic sliding doors of the student lounge, he was delighted to see two of his mentees already there. Waiting for him at a set of couches making an "L" shape around a coffee table in the corner of the room, the prouder of the two stood up to greet Shizuo.

"Good morning, Shizuo! How's everything been since last week?" the youth eagerly questioned.

The boy who had risen to meet his mentor was named York Briggs, a freshmen with high hopes in attending the GATE Academy and even higher ones in pursuing justice as a "hero." While such a career didn't exactly exist in the day, there had always been talented who made names for themselves with local, heroic feats. Standing at five feet, eleven inches, York's lithe frame had yet to be as trained and seasoned as it could. With a head of messy, dark brown hair and kind blue eyes, York had a boyish charm that was only enhanced by his naïveté. York was a farm boy from the Midwest of the United States and grew up putting his powers of wind and flight to use adventuring the countryside and tending to his family's harvests. A triumphant encounter with some pesky, weak monsters that attempted to steal his crops about a year ago inspired him to attend the GATE Academy and use his powers for the good of others.

Shizuo chuckled to himself as he closed the distance between him and his mentees, reaching out to shake York's hand over the coffee table, who took and vigorously shook it, "Hey hey, that's my line! Though I appreciate the question."

As Shizuo took back his hand, he greeted the still-seated of his mentees with a wave and light smile, who turned her attempt at a hardened expression away to hide a blush. Emery Kingston was a small young girl, standing at only around five-three, with long, wavy auburn hair that was up in twin tails, the tips of which reached her shoulders. Her dark green eyes were usually tinged with annoyance, but being easily flustered, her act was more often than not broken to reveal a softer side. Being raised in the state of Washington, Emery's control over nature flourished in the many forests and fauna that surrounded her quiet town. Initially, Emery did not want to enroll at GATE, not seeing a point in expanding the powers she saw as weak and nothing more than a hobby, but her parents strongly encouraged her to. Emery's parents had no powers of their own, but as she approached the age to, they saw GATE as the perfect opportunity to loosen her from reserved nature and experience a world outside of their small bubble.

"I see you're as quiet as ever, Em. All good?" Shizuo asked the girl, who had recovered and was looking off to the side. Seeing as she was just addressed, she glanced up Shizuo before quickly adverting her gaze again.

"Who- me?? Uhh... yeah, yes, I'm good..." Emery pursed her lips to the side, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Emery wasn't the first girl to react to Shizuo like so, but he knew to be careful and intentional with what he said around girls like her. While Shizuo only saw her as a mentee, in his experience, girls of her nature were often drawn to the boldness of his natural charisma and pride.

"Hey, look who made it, you smug bastard!" York cheered as another one of Shizuo's mentees entered the room, though contrary to York's greeting, the energy of it was not matched.

Lazo Grim entered the room with the grave air he usually carried. With shaggy, dark gray hair and blackened eyes, Lazo's tall frame (six foot, two inches) was thin and expression, haughty. A werewolf hailing from the barren countryside of Ukraine, Lazo was a weaker member of his pack and suffered physically from it, a combination of being treated as a punching bag and the last to eat from their hunts, if at all. Being born of a mystical race, the werewolf had inherited naturally enhanced physical attributes, as well as control over shadows like the rest of his pack. Lazo had yet to share with the group his downtrodden upbringing, but it was something he alone chose to carry. Lazo took advantage of the new setting where nobody could judge him on his past and saw to it that he would be respected, but his suppressed anger and loneliness only showed itself in bitterness.

"Shut up, will ya?" his accent was subtle, but easily recognized. Lazo brushed past Shizuo and seated himself besides Emery on the three-person couch she sat in the middle of. Emery began to shift away from him, but a piercing glance up from the werewolf stopped her.

"What? Afraid I'll bite?..." Lazo lowered his eyes, clenching his jaws, "... because you're damn right I will."

An audible gulp was heard from Emery as she readjusted herself, looking up at Shizuo as if asking for help.

"Lazo, easy man. We're all friends here. How was yo-"

"I didn't come here for friends," he spat, "If I did, I'd have joined a knitting club or something. I'm just here to get stronger, so if we can cut the bull and get on with it, that'd be great. I'm getting hungry..."

Shizuo's easy going air tensed, but a deep sigh helped ease him. Though not nearly as rude, Shizuo was reminded of his first days with Keita. Keita often refused his friendly attempts at conversation, but after some time, Shizuo had noticed that he was the only one the demon would not outright ignore or walk away from. Luckily, Shizuo was patient and knew that, with time, Lazo would eventually warm up to him, or at least tolerate.

Shizuo gave Emery a reassuring nod, an idea coming to mind. As Shizuo turned around, he noticed another one of his mentees walking in. Flashing her a smile, he gestured her to follow.

"Reina! How's it going?" The student, catching onto his cue, caught up to and hugged him from the side.

Reina Lucero was another freshmen of Shizuo's mentees and, like him, had control over fire. Thick, dark red, wavy hair and golden eyes against a deeply tanned complexion matched Reina's fiery abilities. Tall (five foot, nine) and fit for her age, Reina had already joined the volleyball team during orientation and had her sights on soccer when the season came around. Reina was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to a comfortable family. The constant noise and life of her home helped shape her into the bright, free-spirit she was, but that wasn't without its own faults. Reina was the most familiar to Shizuo, as she had reached out to him for training just days after their initial meeting. Growing something into a little sister figure, Reina had already found a place under her mentor's metaphorical wing, though she could easily fit under his literal ones if it ever came up.

"Going well! Thanks for giving me something to actually look forward to. Mornings really drag on, you know?" As Reina let go of Shizuo, she saw they were in front of the snack bar, to which he had started picking from.

"Skipped out on breakfast?" she asked, following suit and taking an apple for herself.

"Something like that," he said, though a little more mischievous smile formed across his face. With his hands full of light snacks, Shizuo turned around to walk back to the rest of his mentees with Reina at his side. Shizuo set down the array of small delicacies on the coffee table in front of his mentees and took a seat on the unoccupied couch, crossing his right leg over his left knee. Reina took a seat besides her mentor.

"I know it's not much, but eat up guys. Maybe next time I'll order us a pizza or something," While he spoke, Shizuo intentionally only watched York and Emery, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lazo staring him down.

"Thanks Shizuo, don't mind if I do!" York chipped as he reached forward to grab one of two apples. Emery scoffed and crossed her arms at Shizuo's invitation, closing her eyes, though slowly opening one to peek at what was still going on.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!!" a small voice squeaked as another student joined the group. Stumbling into the room, the boy's recovery was short lived as he stubbed his toe on the leg of the coffee table, causing him to wince and shut his eyes out of pure embarrassment and pain.

Akesuke Iroh, Ake for short, was a small youth of five foot, four inches, with neatly kept long blonde hair and pleasantly light purple eyes. Ake's powers consisted of a unique control over light, pushing past its typical use and being able to manipulate color from objects into tangible, glass-like constructs. Having been homeschooled in Japan up until his junior year by choice, his small amount of friends were limited to those he's met online or long time neighbors. Unbeknownst to most, Ake is a sponsored artist and runs a successful business and following on various media, though has yet to reveal his face on any of them. The manifestation of his powers were fairly recent, only about three years ago, but his use of them have been solely recreational. Sharing in York's passion, Ake too hopes to expand his powers for the good of others, even if he only has two years at the Academy to do so.

The remaining apple rolled off of the table due to Ake's run in, but with quick reflexes, Lazo caught it. Nobody but Shizuo took note of this and Lazo was aware, making eye contact with him, though there was a hurt in his eyes. Before anybody but Shizuo could notice, he snuck it into the pocket of his black pullover hoody. Shizuo knew then that he found one spot soft enough for him in Lazo's heart, even if it was just an inch.

"Ake!" Reina shot up from her seat to catch the blonde boy, but he held a hand up to her and laughed sheepishly.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine, Reina..."

Reina continued to hold her hands out as she backed into her seat, anticipating another clumsy move from Ake just in case, but he was able to make it safely down in the seat besides her. With all of his mentees present, Shizuo leaned back in his seat and rested his arm on the couch's armrest.

"Well now that we're all here, how was everybody's weeks? Take your time, I just have a little activity for us after, so no pressure."

As expected, York was sitting at the edge of his seat to answer, "My week was great! We went to the Arena for the first time yesterday and I totally kicked some guy's butt!"

Emery, who was in the same CL-3 class as York, rolled her eyes, "That was hardly a fight. You just kept flying around until Professor Alpin stopped us."

York took offense, "That's not true, I definitely punched him a few times!"

Emery scoffed, "Maybe, but you punch like a girl. I bet I could easily take you in a fight."

Before York could think of a clever comeback, Shizuo held a hand out to ease the escalation, laughing lightly at the innocent squabble, "Easy, easy. You guys are still new to the whole sparring scene, but give it some time and you'll pick up some new tricks here, I promise."

York, who was ever-so agreeable, smiled brightly as he listened to Shizuo's words, gleaning everything he could whenever he spoke.

Reina cleared her throat and spoke up, "I've been having a good time so far. It was a bit of a culture shock, but my friends and I visited town before your party."

Emery now took offense, "You had a party and didn't invite me, Shizuo??"

Shizuo laughed sheepishly, "I mean, it wasn't my party, but I might've helped a bit. Besides, you shouldn't worry about partying yet, that's something that comes later."

Emery pouted in disapproval, "I can't believe you'd invite Reina but not me."

Shizuo waved dismissively to her and chuckled, "Fine, you got me. I'll let you know next time we throw something together.... Maybe."

Emery's face turned a light shade of pink as she blushed, her attitude dropping, "R-really??"

Shizuo looked down to Reina at his side, "I mean, pretty sure I said I would, right?"

Reina laughed lightly, "Yeah, you definitely did."

Emery closed her eyes contently and folded her hands in her lap, a silly smile forming across her lips. Emphasis on the maybe... Shizuo thought to himself, noting her odd reaction.

Ake peeked out from Reina's side to give Shizuo a little wave, indicating he wanted to share next, "I had a good week as well... I... the beach is really pretty here."

"I'm glad you enjoy it, Ake, but I'm more curious about class yesterday. I heard you put on a real show in the Arena." Shizuo pressed the shy boy. Shizuo had heard from a friend, who knew Ake was one of Shizuo's mentees, that he had managed to defeat his opponent in yesterday's training at the Arena. Shizuo had yet to see Ake's power in action, but the fact that a first year attendee at the academy without any formal training could make it to CL-8 thoroughly impressed him.

"Oh! You heard about that?" Ake nervously laughed, "It really wasn't much... It's just that, everything in the world has color, and... it just makes everything a lot easier for me, I guess!"

Shizuo had a feeling that, even if he asked further, Ake himself wouldn't even know how to respond. It seemed that he was a natural protégée and that intrigued Shizuo even more. Shizuo made a note to eventually take him up on a friendly spar to gauge his ability.

"Wait, you're CL-8, right Ake??" York interrupted, leaning over the armrest of his couch towards the blonde student, "We've gotta spar then! I can probably learn a lot from you!"

Ale shifted uncomfortably in his seat and continued to watch Shizuo, as if for guidance, but Shizuo just gave him a nod.

"I... Uhm... maybe one of these days?" Ake answered, though he was and unsure with his response.

York clapped his hands and pumped a fist in the air, "Sweet!! I get to fight a CL-8!"

"You're getting way too excited about a stupid thing," Lazo said lazily, his lean frame slumped at his end of the couch, "If you want more power, just get it. Don't act like a child about it."

Lazo, despite being a weaker member of his pack, was still strong by objective standards. Both the werewolf and Reina had been placed in CL-7, the highest CL a freshman could be in.

"Well I think it's good that York's passionate about something," Reina interjected, "At least he has an honest pursuit, which is more than some could say."

Her words were deliberately spoken to single Lazo out and he knew it. Lazo clenched his jaw before giving his rebuttal.

"Don't talk to me like you're my equal. Just because we're in the same CL doesn't mean jack shit. I swear that I would rip you to shreds," Lazo shot. Shizuo knew he should probably break up the tension, but instead, he sat back to watch how Reina would hold her ground.

"Bet. Next time we go to the Arena in class, I'll make you eat your words then," Reina smirked. While Shizuo had been able to get a feel for Reina's abilities, he was unaware of Lazo's. He'd had his run-ins with werewolves before and their ruthless, all-out offensive style would likely be a hard-pressed challenge for Reina, but he wished her the best in their seemingly eventual clash.

With the tension fading as Lazo slipped into nonchalance, Shizuo looked to Emery, "So... anything you want to share about your week, Em?"

Emery raised an eyebrow at Shizuo after looking between Lazo and Reina, making it clear she didn't want to say anything after their short spat, "Yeah, no, I'm uh... good."

Shizuo shrugged as he brought his backpack up from the ground, taking out a folder, "It was worth a shot!"

After retrieving the folder, Shizuo pulled out five sheets of blank paper and handed them to Reina to his left, taking out another and setting it face down on his knee, "Take one and pass it on. For today's activity, I want you guys to draw yourselves as superheroes. I know we're not all artists here," Shizuo gave Ake a wink, "So don't worry about the quality. I went ahead and did one myself beforehand so you can see."

Shizuo uncrossed his leg, scooted up to the edge of his seat, and held out the paper that was on his knee for his mentees to see. It was far from perfect, but the colored picture was of Shizuo in a skin-tight black body suit with red flames trailing up his sides from his feet, ending in his chest. Over his wrists and ankles were golden bands with small, upwards facing wings attached to them, complimenting the wings he had out in the picture. The drawn Shizuo wore a red, typical superhero mask and had flames wrapping around his appendages.

"I gave myself the name 'Hell's Angel," even though I know it's already a thing, but it seemed to fit with the wings. Red and black are my favorite colors, and I gave myself a little superhero touch with the mask."

Emery hummed approvingly, "Not bad, but you had more time than us, so that's not fair."

Shizuo chuckled as he put the paper away in his folder and set it on the coffee table, "I can't argue with that."

Shizuo leaned back into his seat and pulled out his phone to start a timer, as well as to pass the time on, "Alright, you guys are up next. Have at it, go all out!"

Seeing as his mentees didn't have any questions about or problems with the activity, Shizuo went ahead to busy himself with his phone. After a few minutes, he turned to Ake as he heard him reach for his backpack and pull out a large box of markers. Attempting to look at the progress on his drawing, Shizuo was unable to see the blonde student's work from his angle, but what came next is what really caught his eye. Ake opened the box and held it at the side of his paper in his left hand, tilting it diagonally towards the paper, and hovered his right hand over his drawing. With subtle movements of his fingers, like a pianist masterfully gliding over their keys, thin strings of color were pulled out of the markers and onto the sheet of paper. Though Shizuo could not see the detail of what Ake was doing, he was able to make out blotches of color being spread throughout the sheet of paper. Deciding to wait until the time was up to see Ake's final product, Shizuo turned his attention back to the rest of his mentees who were diligently working on their own drawings. It seemed Lazo had already finished and was on his phone.

Shizuo looked down at his own phone to see that they were within the final minute, "We're coming up on thirty seconds guys, start to wrap it up if you can!"

York glanced up at Shizuo, letting out an "Oh crap!" before getting back to his work. Emery continued on with her drawing silently as Reina turned her drawing to show Shizuo.

"Check it out, not too bad, eh?"

Shizuo chuckled at Reina's piece, "Not at all. You can go first."

"Bet," Reina turned her drawing around to face the rest of the group as the alarm from Shizuo's phone went off, which he promptly ceased.

"Hey guys, so... this is me as a superhero, I guess!" In her drawing, Reina's hair flowed upwards, twisting and waving like the fires she held in the hands held out from her side.

"I feel like I'd probably wear this if it wasn't for the school's dress code, but I went for a more urban hero look."

In her self-portrait, Reina wore a long sleeve, cropped jacket that she explained was red leather, a simple white sports bra underneath. Short, black jean shorts and a pair of black thigh highs finished her outfit, though she also wore a black cat mask that covered only the top half of her face.

"I gave myself the name 'Cherry Bomb' for the rebel spirit. I think I'd be more of a vigilante than a hero, but I think it works, right?"

Reina's last words were directed at Shizuo, who nodded, "That's perfectly fine, good job Reina. Was there anything else you wanted to share?"

Reina flipped her drawing back to herself and gave another look over, "Nah, I think that's about it."

Shizuo leaned past Reina to make eye contact with Ake, "You want to go next, Ake?"

Ake smiled lightly, "Sure, I don't mind..."

Ake turned around his drawing to show the group, which amazed everyone, including Lazo. Visual cues, such as widened eyes or leaning forward in their seats, indicated their captivity of Ake's piece. The piece was done in an American comic style, but the detail and dynamic pose of it was made to feel like the cover of a comic. The picture was an upward angled shot of Ake leaping off of a building in the background with his right arm covered in a flurry of colors, giving off the appearance of him in the middle of punching the camera. The flow and shading of the clothes, in what appeared to be during a sunset, were perfectly rendered to the pose and setting. The perspective photo was beautiful, even more so when considering it was only done with pencils, pen, and markers.

"That's... amazing, Ake..." Emery said in awe, "I remember you said you liked to draw, I didn't know you were a master."

A shy chuckle from Ake made it clear he didn't like the sudden attention, but he went on to explain his drawing.

"I didn't name myself properly, but I thought "Hue Man" sounded funny... I gave myself a kabuki mask to represent my Japanese heritage, a fox one because they're my favorite. I decided to go with multiple colors instead of just red to showcase my powers. I even thought of changing the colors myself every now and then for fun!"

Ake turned the drawing to himself to get another look before facing it back towards the group.

"I know it's a little bold, but I figured to become a hero, I'd have to be bold! I didn't give myself a shirt and am instead wearing just a shoulder pad that covers half of my upper right chest. If you notice, the pad is actually packed with three rows of markers. They tend to work better with my use of color. I'm also wearing a glove that reaches my forearm on the right, but I made the end cover just the side of my palm, pinky, and ring finger to act as a color guard for digital art."

Ake pursed his lips and looked to Shizuo, "Am I taking too long?"

Shizuo waved him off, "Don't worry, I think we're all enjoying it."

Ake nodded confidently and continued his explanation. For the bottom half of his outfit, Ake sported a sort of long, white skirt that covered his backside, with a pair of white boots that came up past his knees over a pair of light purple pants.

"I didn't know what to do with my bottom half, so I just sort of... did something. I gave myself a little challenge with the half dress thing, but it was fun!"

Ake set the picture on his lap, "I think I'm done!"

A short silence followed Ake's conclusion, to which Emery broke by looking up at Shizuo, "There's no way I can go after that."

Shizuo swallowed out of slight discomfort, knowing that anybody who came after Ake would feel meager.

"I'll go next!" York piped up as he confidently flashed his picture around to the group. It was rough, but the smile on both York's and the drawing of York's face showed that he put it heart in it.

"It's no Ake, but it's something. I named myself Bravewind!" In his drawing, York was flying with a fist outstretched and his other, presumably at his hip where one couldn't see from the side angle presented.

"I'm just wearing a light blue and yellow body suit with white boots and gloves. Also a white cape because what superhero doesn't have a cape?!"

Roughly drawn clouds littered the background of York's picture to indicate he was in the sky, "I also gave myself aviator goggles because sometimes it gets hard to see with all the wind in my eyes. They work to protect my identity too!"

York brought his drawing back to himself with a content grin, knowing himself by all metrics that it wasn't good. York was happy with it, and that's all that mattered to him.

"It's nice, York," Shizuo reassured, "It's simple and you can see you really put yourself in it. Good job."

"Really?..." York asked uneasily.

"Of course man," Shizuo smiled kindly, "Let's make that outfit a reality for you one of these days."

York's awkward grin eased as he looked back down at his picture, taking a second to imagine it in person, "That... that's the dream!"

Shizuo's smile carried over as he looked to Emery, "Good to go now?"

Emery shrugged and looked down at the drawing in her lap, "I guess.."

The auburn girl flipped her paper around with one hand and showed it once around to her peers and Shizuo, "I didn't give myself a superhero name, but this is it."

Emery's drawing surprised Shizuo in its detail with her use of shading and the clear use of an eraser in areas for effect. In her drawing, Emery was seated at the base of a tree with a hand behind her head and the other lost in the grass at her side. Her outfit consisted of a low cut, sleeveless, mid-thigh dress made out of leaves with thin vines wrapping around her arms and legs.

"I'm resting here because I'd imagine superhero work is pretty exhausting. Plus, being around a lot nature puts me really... at ease..."

Emery pursed her lips and looked down to her side awkwardly. The picture was simple, but the mood portrayed was evidently more personal than the girl had liked to have shared.

"Wow, I didn't know you were an artist too, Emery," Shizuo leaned forward in his seat and leaned on one elbow with an easy grin, "Why'd you hide your picture away so quick? It was nice."

Emery blinked twice before looking up at Shizuo with widened eyes, "Y-... you really think so?"

A light chuckle from Shizuo preceded his reply, "Really. Pretty impressive for only ten minutes on top of that, too. I can only imagine how good your other stuff must be."

Emery blushed lightly and looked back down at her drawing, "Thank you..."

Shizuo angled his head up to Lazo and gave him a nod after making eye contact, "Show us what you got, man."

Lazo clenched his jaw as he lowered his eyes down to his own sheet of paper. A part of him wanted to sit out the activity altogether, but at the same time, he found it easier to skip the drama and just pump something half-assed out. That being said, he actually hoped that his drawing had come out better than it did, which really ate at him.

"Here. It would've been better if we didn't have only ten minutes," the werewolf spat.

In his drawing, Lazo was in, what Shizuo assumed to be, a partial werewolf transformation with clawed hands and longer hair. The drawn Lazo was lunging to the left of the page with his right claw outstretched and his left at his side. Lazo was shirtless with an "X" harness and tight black pants on. It was apparent that Lazo had a heavy hand with his pencil, as his lines were dark and shaky, but the general picture was easy to make out.

"The pants are spandex so they don't rip when I transform. It's why I wear baggy clothes, but if I had to be a superhero, I don't think that look would pass."

York leaned towards Lazo while staring at his picture, causing Emery to scoot all the way back into the couch with a look of discomfort.

"Woah, that's so cool! That makes a lot of sense too. Didn't realize that's why you wore baggy clothes."

Lazo leaned away from York as he entered his personal space with a face of slight disgust, "Er-... yeah..."

"Curious," Reina piped up, "Why not just go with a full spandex suite then?"

Lazo glared up to Reina slowly, "I don't like shirts."

"Same here," Shizuo added with a light laugh, "Great perk of Arcadia is that it's a beach city, so people don't really care if you're shirtless everywhere."

"Noted." Lazo mused while watching Shizuo. After York returned to his seat, the werewolf sat back in his own, beginning to put his drawing away.

"Are we done here?" Lazo questioned, "I still want to get something to eat."

Shizuo sat himself up and waved a hand to Lazo, "Yes, that'll be it for today."

Turning his attention to the rest of his mentees, Shizuo's opened hand turned into a "peace" sign, "Hope y'all enjoy the rest of your day. Good job with your drawings, everyone. Let me know if you have any ideas for next week or any questions for me. Otherwise, I'll see you guys here same time next week!"

York, Ake, and Reina gathered their things with a lighthearted air while Lazo and Emery both walked off quietly, not bothering to stick around.

"Not terrible, right?" Shizuo asked Reina as she readied herself to leave.

"Not at all!" The red-head replied, "Don't worry about Lazo, he just needs some time to warm up to you. Which I'm sure he will."

Shizuo chuckled as he leaned back in his seat, resting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes contently, "I'm not worried about him. More so the activity and such."

"Oh yeah, it was whatever. Maybe something a little more engaging next time?"

Shizuo let out a low hum, "Hmm... noted. I'll keep that in mind."

"Sweet! I'll see you around I guess then, Shizuo," Reina said as she went her way from the student lounge. Ake, who had more things to put away, was the last to leave and stood besides Shizuo before he did so, Shizuo remaining in his relaxed state.

"Uhm... I... I guess I'll see you in History later, Shizuo?" Ake hesitantly asked, worried about disturbing Shizuo's short rest.

Shizuo slowly opened one eye looked up at Ake, giving a reassuring nod, "Of course, man. Take it easy, alright?"

Ake returned Shizuo with a quick nod and light smile, "Will do! See ya later!"

As Ake began to walk off, Shizuo closed his opened eye and spoke out to him, "Watch your step out there."

Ake, who was startled by Shizuo's sudden remark, stopped in place and nearly tripped over nothing.

"Oh. Yeah, right!... Haha..." After his momentary stun, Ake continued on his way from Shizuo.

Shizuo sat alone for a few minutes in his resting state, the sound of a handful of other students in the room not bothering him in the slightest. One chime signaled the three minute countdown to return to class, but Shizuo remained at ease. It wasn't until a friendly voice called out to him that he opened his eyes.

"Yo! Get to class man, you're going to be late!"

Shizuo shook his head with a smug grin, "Thats rich coming from you, Riku..."

Shizuo lowered his arms, grabbed his bag, and rose to his feet, "I may not have super speed, but I know my way around this place."

Riku, who stood at the snack bar with some food in hands, chuckled at his friend, "Whatever you say, big man."

Riku tossed an apple to Shizuo before walking towards the doors of the lounge, "Let's do something later!"

Riku's voice trailed off as he turned his back to Shizuo and went his way. Shizuo didn't have to verbally confirm with his friend, as them hanging out was always a given. After Riku's departing, Shizuo approached and opened the sliding glass doors to the balcony extending from the lounge, which sat on the third floor of the second dorm building, and walked up to the edge. Taking in a deep breath, he set one hand on the railing and leapt over it, catching his fall with ease, joining the now-thinned out groups of students making their way to class. A fantastic warmup with Riku in the morning, a quick chat with his mentees, and now an extra apple from his friend made for a great start to the rest of his day. It was the little things that Shizuo appreciated.