Chapter 11 - A Day in Vale

The midday winds danced about the land of remnant; its gentle breeze caressing the inhabitants with a welcoming embrace and carrying with it the faint sounds of hushed laughter along with the soothing symphony of the birds.

The winds danced its way through the halls of Beacon before finding itself tussling the cloudy white curtain of a certain dorm room. The room housing surprisingly next to no inhabitants; with three of the required four seemingly out and about.

On one of the bunk beds, each with varying states of cleanliness, the image now directed at the ground level bed, a sizable, bundled mass laying comfortably beneath several sheets, covers rising and falling in a cute rhythm.

With the hushed antics of the nearby dorms continuing as it pleased, the figure shivered, signs of revival slowly coming before falling silent once more...

Just outside the room, a door open and closed just as fast, noisy ramblings sounding out before the actions replayed itself, a familiar male and female voice clashing against the other before taking off down the hallway-

"NORA! You cannot take my brush! I can't spend hours removing your hair just for you to do it again!"

"You're such a baby Ren! JUST HAND IT OVER!!"

Hidden beneath the coverings, a lone hand painfully emerged before falling back onto its owner's face; losing the life it once displayed-

"No, Nora, you cannot get my brush!"

"Pyrrha! Tell Ren to share his stuff!"

Those muffled voices were getting on her nerves now.

Utterly defeated, Blake willed the covers off her face, hair and body a complete mess from her rather lovely cat nap.

Sitting up, Blake barely acknowledged the silenced calls across her dorm, eying the mid-day sky through her clouded vision with a rather-

Wait.

Noticing the sky once more, Blake...ignored it, her team was somewhere doing whatever, she'll just read a book before heading off to the shower. It could do her good to simply laze about for a while

Like Nora across the hall, she was not in the mood to argue with her bed hair.

Eyes shifting over to the book stand, a certain title called out to the young woman, begging her to revel in the secrets within, the wonders of its interior staining her mind like a dirty fantasy.... Atleast it would if it was there.

...

If it was there?

Squinting her eyes at the wooden stand, her brows narrowed as she exerted a bit more energy to hasten her search.

Maybe the floor? Her legs failed her but no matter! This book could surely compensate for such movement-

The floor was clean.....WE HAVE A RUBY IN OUR DORMS! HOW?!

Maybe Yang's bed? She borrowed her books often so maybe?

Slowly peering up at the top bunk, the brawler's bed was neatly spread, purple sheets as soft and smooth as it's owner...

Dang.

Head craning at a snail's pace to the shower doors, only one painful, humiliating, deceitful, uncouth choice remained...

The toilet.

Taking a deep breath, the amber eyed Belladonna marched onward past the curtains before promptly turning back.

Yeah she was not gonna look through that.

-.-

"Watcha lookin at?" Aria asked, peering over Toño's shoulder as he sat by the study at his bedside with his scroll in hand.

"My scroll." He offhandedly replied, still browsing through the contents of his device as he lightly rocked his chair back with his feet now resting on the study table.

"Oh gee, thanks. That deeefinitely answered my question." Aria monotoned with a deadpan.

"Hn, I'm sure Harry would do the same." Toño teased with a dismissive wave, not once averting his gaze from his scroll even as the blonde's cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"....Please forget that."

"Sure thing, Harry." She gripped his ears and tugged hard causing Toño to hiss and flick her forehead.

Yosuke chuckled, striding from the kitchen with four plates and an equal amount of coffee cups in tow, "You two are as friendly as always."

"Ouuu!!! Breakfast!" Aria beamed, turning and 'accidentally' bouncing Toño's chair, causing him to tumble to the ground, before taking off with a chuckle; "That's whatchu get!" sticking out her tongue as she hid behind Yosuke.

Toño's brow twitched at the provocation, "Seriously?" lying on the ground as Saya, who had just woken up, stooped next to him and placed a hand atop his head, shifting his de-shelved hair from over his eyes.

"You know, you don't need to be aggressive." She said causing Toño's brows to furrow slightly before slowly unfurling with a huff.

"Yeah, say no to violence." Aria said, still hidden away behind Yosuke while making an X gesture across her chest and donning a cheeky grin.

"Oh shut up, Pendragon." Toño snorted as he rose to his feet, closing his scroll and placing it into his back pocket.

Yosuke chuckled softly, handing the blonde her dish before doing the same with everyone else as they took their seats and ate. Upon finishing his meal, Yosuke spoke, "Seeing as it is the weekend, I was thinking of going to Vale."

"What for?"

"For books, I heard there was a bookshop nearby and thought it wouldn't hurt to check. Would any of you like to come along?"

"I guess I'll go, I mean, I don't have much to do anyways." Aria shrugged, taking a quick bite of her egg-sausage sandwich.

"If I recall correctly, you said you live in Vale don't you?"

"Mhm."

Saya's gaze fell upon her brother for a brief moment before flitting back to Yosuke, "I-"

"Saya and I will stay." Toño stated as he bit into his meal, silently savoring the taste of the ingredients. His statement earned him a slightly stunned gaze from his mirror image which soon faded into a faint pout, not that anyone noticed.

Even her pouting face seemed neutral.

"I see." Yosuke smiled softly as he rose to a stand and doffed the dishes in the sink, soon followed by Aria who did the same before strolling up to the door.

"Byeee." Aria saluted Sokka style before strolling out.

"We'll see you two later." Yosuke waved as he closed the door behind him.

-.-

Sigh

Glancing at her reflection, Blake took in the horrid sight of her features, eyes cringing in disgust at her dented, dry skin, her horrible, spongy, knotted hair and bloodshot eyes....whatever she did yesterday must have really taken a toll on her mentality...

Drowning her face in the sink's water, Blake began her daily ritual, hands once again moving to her toothbrush and washcloth..... Was she really going to disturb her body that much, all for a nice book? Yes, yes she was...

With exactly 20 minutes passing, the young woman emerged from the steam filled passage of the shower, her being now a more natural state of array with her hair having been carefully kept up in a bonnet. (A yellow one at that...maybe she stole Yang's by accident) Appearing before the steam filled mirror, not a moment passed before the aspiring huntress was to see her reflection, a smile momentarily creeping up her lips at not only seeing herself, but what the day might entail as well.

Removing said bonnet, Blake began, fingers, combs and brushes working in tandem with the soft humming of her voice, her hair's natural shine bouncing back not too long after its careful resurrection.

Yang and Weiss weren't the only ones who took pride in their hair.

Re-entering her room, the sun soaked floors and lint filled atmosphere greeted the woman, a familiar but welcomed sight all the while. Now, she had to pick an outfit.... joy...

Meanwhile, "N-Nora please—just give Ren his brush back, I-I-I can order a new one if you like the one he uses so badly, c'mon please?" Jaune tried as he might to reason, his pleas like wordy blasphemy to the agitated ginger.

"NO! You keep your money to yourself young man! Ren's brush is one of a kind and I wanna use it!" "JUST LET HER HAVE THE BRUSH REN!" Both Nora and Jaune hollered at the youth, with the blond crying silent tears of defeat as he too received a lack of a response from the boy.

"It's not the fact you keep stealing it and refusing to clean it after you return it, but the fact that you keep taking it and refusing to returning it right after I clean IT!" Stunning the three at his contradiction, Ren simply exited the room, leaving an even more angered ginger, a tired redhead and an exhausted blonde in his wake.

Though, as Ren went to close his door, a small creak buzzed beside him, glancing towards the source, his eyes met those of Blake's, a knowing look held within both that almost instantly sympathized with the other's situation.

"What book are you missing?"

"I-I'd rather not say."

Ren closed his eyes and nodded, "I understand."

Walking their separate ways, Blake couldn't help but spare a glance of sympathy at the boy, her ears picking up on the rampant pattering of feet before.....

EXPLODING off its hinges, the door to team Juniper's dorm splintered about like shrapnel, the culprit?

Nora Valkyrie.

Who wielded Magnhild with a crazed look in her eyes as she took sped after Ren who still had his brush with an exasperated Pyrrha following suit and Jaune, who, for his poor soul's sake; was being carried by Pyrrha as well, silent tears dribbling off his cheeks as they took off into the darkness of the dorm.

"....I just want my book."

-.-

Blake stepped out of the bullhead, her hand going to her face to shield her from the blinding rays of the morning sun that illuminated the bustling streets of Vale. Peeking through her fingers, she sighed before striding forward.

Well, as you know, she didn't find the book. Unfortunately...

She could give a guess as to who might have hid it.

Sitting on her bed, Blake quietly skimmed through the pages of her book, a small grin threatening to break out as she read its contents. She was just getting to the good part before she was rudely interrupted by her teammate who hung upside down from the bunk above, "Hey, Blake. Wanna go out with us tomorrow?" She asked.

"No thanks." Blake replied, skipping to the next page as the blonde groaned. "C'mon, it'll be fun. You can't possibly wanna be cooped up here all the time do you?"

Blake's eyes never left her book as she replied, "Maybe." Yang deadpanned with a huff, "Man, can't you do anything else except reading?"

Blake rolled her eyes and continued reading her book, not paying the blonde brawler any mind. "Don't blame me if you can't find it." Yang grumbled, hopping off her bed and landing with a soft thud as she stalked off into the bathroom.

Sigh, she would definitely hide it.

Pulling out her scroll, Blake offhandedly noted the temperature readings for the week, a notification popping up that read...

"Temperatures to be higher than 60 DEGREES?!" Of course that fiend had to hide her book, making her tread all the way out in this blasted heat to get out of the dorm!

"When I get my hands on her, she'll wish she had locked her hair products away from me!" Making the less than comfortable trek, Blake took in the familiar sights before her, people going about their lives, stores and restaurants housing customers, cars and their annoying horns honking every now and then.....adjusting her bow, Blake's expression remained undeterred, despite the annoying sound of those horns.

Stupid Yang.

Turning a corner, Blake realized just how much longer she had to go, now walking downhill as the sun was fortunately hidden between a rather thick collection of clouds, her lips quirked into a small smile for a brief moment as she- smacked into someone, Blake's eyes snapped to her front, already moving down to help whoever she hurt- "Blake?"

"Yosuke?...And Aria too?" Glancing down, Blake's eyes widened to see the ever energetic blonde sprawled on her back, her apparent companion making no motion to help her to her feet.

"I thought you were sleeping in, seeing as today is a weekend." Yosuke spoke, his lips curling into a soft smile as he eyed the amber ninja.

"I was, but some problems arose..... How do you know about that by the way?"

"We ran into Ruby when we were heading out, told us that you were taking a cat nap." Aria interjected, seemingly floating to a stand as she recovered.

Momentarily pausing, Blake sighed, opting to walk and talk because she might as well make the most of the misfortune YANG put upon her.

"So, she did something like that? I never thought she'd stoop so low." Yosuke commented as the girl beside him recited the previous night's actions.

"Personally, I would not take that level of disrespect." Aria chided, snacking on...a snack she asked (forced) Yosuke to get her.

"That's exactly what I said." Blake tittered to herself as she eyed the blonde fondly.

Yosuke chuckled softly, shaking his head, arms tucked into his pockets, "By the way, Blake, what business do you have in Vale?" His eyes met Blake's who rolled hers playfully before responding.

"What, I can't go anywhere by myself now?" Aria laughed, still munching on her snack. Yosuke quirked a brow in slight amusement earning him a small smile from the ninja gunner.

"I'm searching for a bookshop since the library doesn't have the one I want."

"What a coincidence, we're actually on our way to one as well." Yosuke said, "Would you like to come along?"

Blake nodded, eyeing the blonde as her eyes took on a mischievous glint, "Then I'm guessing you came because you wanted to publish your fanfic?"

Aria paused, her cheeks reddening as they puffed into a pout, "I didn't!" She grumbled, scarfing down the last of her snack and wiping away the crumbs, "I jus came cuz I was bored!" Pushing the empty bag into Yosuke's jacket pocket she trudged on with a huff.

Blake chuckled at the girl's reaction, "Come on, it's not bad. In my opinion it was actually alright, it might need a few spelling checks but it's still good. I suggest you create an original book."

Aria nodded, humming before replying, "Nope, nope and nope." Crossing her arms with a childish huff she whipped her face away from that of the blasphemer, she was not going to indulge in such fallacy.

The blue eyed boy could only shake his head with a soft smile as he discarded the wrapper into a bin before regarding the blonde enthusiast, "She's not wrong. Aside from a few minor spelling errors you did great in how you handled the story's exposition."

"If you were to create an original work, I'm sure many people would love it."

Aria peered over her shoulder at the taller boy, taking a moment to mull it over before shaking her head and sticking to her previous decision.

The trio continued for a while before happening upon a bookstore titled, "'Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun'... I sure hope so." Blake remarked while staring up at the huge sign above, absentmindedly entering the store behind the blonde and blue-nette.

Entering the shop, Aria's eyes widened, Yosuke hummed and Blake nodded as their eyes skimmed across the interior like multicolored searchlights. Upon their entrance, they were immediately greeted by the pleasant aroma of fresh pages and the soft melodies of classical music playing in the background. The interior was lined with wooden bookshelves that remained pristine, even though it was filled to the brim with books of all sizes.

'Well, this is a surprise...Who'd expect such a simple bookstore to be this aesthetically pleasing?'

"Hmm, Not bad." Blake mumbled, fingers finding the spine of a random book as she tugged it from its spot on the shelf and inspected it, "They've got both the books and the atmosphere down." The girl commented as she flipped the book open.

"...I agree." Yosuke nodded, picking up a book titled, The Great Gatsby, before flipping it open, "Though, I wonder where the owner might be."

Closing the book, he placed it back on its perch and turned towards the interior where the blonde stood by the counter, and abruptly slammed her palm down on the counter bell, slightly startling Blake who jolted as she snapped the book shut.

Blake stared at her with a deadpan, the girl in gold just glanced between the bell and the amber beauty before shrugging, "What? I was curious."

Blake rolled her eyes with Yosuke smiling softly, just then the door to the backroom creaked open as a burly man stepped out donned in a burgundy and black quarter-zip short-sleeve with a snow white undershirt. He had cleanly cut curly hair, with his sideburns proving prominent as they jutted out from his jaw like spikes. The man spoke in a deep voice as he slowly lifted his head, wiping his arms with a blue cloth, "Welcome to Tukson's book Trade, home to everything under the-"

He paused as hazel orbs met the widened ambers of Blake Belladonna.

"...sun."

The girl's bow twitched as she stood rooted in position, her breath hitching in her throat as she observed the older man.

"Oh, Yosuke, you can ask him." Aria pointed a thumb at the man.

Yosuke looked at the man with a smile on his face as he went, "Excuse me, do you..." He trailed off, taking note of the man's silence before following his line of sight where he saw a visibly shocked Blake. Furrowing his brows, he carefully glanced between Blake and the man as he slowly made his way to her side.

"Blake? Is everything alright?" He whispered, snapping the girl from her stupor. Taking a breath, she nodded, "Yeah... I'm fine."

"Do you know him?" He inquired. The girl averted her gaze, choosing to remain silent which prompted Yosuke's gaze to harden in turn, "I see..."

Tukson raised a hand, attempting to speak only for Blake to flinch, her reaction making Yosuke harden his expression as he slowly rested his arm on Sanction—he left it at Beacon.

...If a fight were to break out, he might have t-

"You don't have to worry, I'm not with them anymore." The burly man assured from his spot behind the counter as he too lowered his gaze and donned a somber expression, "I... I ran away from them too."

Blake eyed the man, analyzing his expression. He didn't seem to be lying since he would likely have attacked her upon sight. Taking a moment, she nodded slowly, causing the man's lips to curl into a small smile.

"Hey you," Aria uttered, "You said 'you ran away'. Who did you run from?" Tilting her head while scratching her cheek, the blonde peered into the shop owner's dusty eyes her own lit with genuine curiosity.

Yosuke stood silent, his own curiosity having been piqued by the man's earlier words. What could have happened in Blake's past that made the man have to say such words upon meeting...

The cat faunus stood by his counter, maroon orbs sweeping across the room before coming to a pause when they met two almost pleading spheres of amber who's owner nervously slowly shook her head in disapproval, before plastering a smile across his face as he waved dismissively.

"Don't worry about it."

The blue eyed boy glanced at the girl next to him, seeing her deflate just a bit as if in relief, donning a more quizzical look to his features.

"Aww, c'mon! Seriously?" Aria drawled, staring at the burly man with her cheeks puffed into a soft moe, earning her a shrug from the man.

Sighing exaggeratedly, the blonde turned and continued inspecting the store in search of more fun activities, her questions remaining unanswered.

For a while, the trio stood silent with Blake eyed Yosuke who seemed lost in thought. The amber beauty narrowed her gaze slightly, a bead of sweat threatening to slip down her face. She knew Yosuke was a curious and observant individual, even more than herself, so it would do her no good if he heard even a sliver of information about her past; it would take little for him to connect the dots and that she knew for a fact upon their first meeting with Weiss.

Her eyes shifted back to Tukston, seeing the older man stanced silently, taking an occasional glance to her eyes. Thinking for a moment, Blake suddenly spoke. "O-oh, I almost forgot. Do you happen to have To kill a mockingbird in stock?" She fumbled, trying to bring the boy out of his thoughts and distract him just enough that he doesn't ask any questions later.

And what better way to do it than to use the very reason they were there in the first place?

Tukson stroked his chin as he replied, "Yeah... I think I have it somewhere..." He muttered, eyes meeting Blake's who was silently indicating for him to address the blue-nette next to her.

Fortunately, a signal he picked up on.

"Do you need a book also?" Tukson posed, watching as the blue haired teen slowly returned from his thoughts.

Blake stood next to the boy who looked to her with a conflicted expression, seemingly staving off his curiosity in hopes of respecting the girl's personal life. He opened his mouth slightly to speak yet halted before returning his gaze to the burly man behind the counter.

Blake seemed... off ever since they met this man, just earlier, she looked tense, almost anxious, like she was on the verge of sprinting through the door without a second thought when he appeared.

And after he said, he "ran away too." Only then did she seem to calm down.

'How strange...' Yosuke mused to himself, he wanted to know what could have made him say such peculiar words upon what seemed to be their first meeting in what he assumed to be a long time...

'He's not with "them" and he ran away "too"... That means they were former members of a group of some kind... The only groups I know of at the moment that might drive its members out due to their questionable morality be it intentionally or unintentionally are...'

Slowly, the blue haired boy connected the dots, a hand going to his chin as he lost himself in thought, unintentionally ignoring the words of the shop owner and the amber ninja.

'...When we first met Weiss, Blake seemed passive aggressive, and while her behaviour was justified due to the situation with Weiss and Ruby at the time I still found it rather odd the way she dodged the topic by using the fact that the S.D.C's questionable methods were already public knowledge....But now, her relationship with the shop owner might give some insight into her involvement with the controversy behind the Schnee's company or...'

'Her possible involvement with the white fang...'

The possibility wasn't entirely out of the question what with the way Blake reacted to seeing the shop owner who just so happened to be a faunus that knew Blake prior to this and had to make his defection from "them" known to her who had defected "too".

His eyes narrowed slightly with faint unease creeping up the back of his throat as he glanced back at Blake, before returning his gaze back to the shop owner and shaking his head in dismissal, '...No, it isn't right to jump to conclusions without definitive evidence. The Whitefang are a faunus only group afterall.'

Blake held her breath as she watched the blue-nette speak, "Apologies, do you happen to have The Glutton and the Butcher in stock?" She sighed softly, seeing that the blue themed teen had decided against prying.

Tukson hummed with a nod, "It should be here... one second please." He said, crouching behind the counter and rummaging through the books situated beneath the counter and after a few moments he popped up with the items both requested.

"Here you are."

"Thank you." Yosuke took the book, glancing over the cover with a small, borderline somber smile. The bold crimson writing faded into a crooked black at the root of the letters. The words reflected off a butcher's knife and the tongue of the pig head it was embedded in.

Blake however, pushed her book back into the owner's grasp with a nervous expression, "Oh-umm, no, thanks but-no, I was only asking." She justified, eliciting a shrug from Tukston as he placed the book back.

"If you don't want a book, why are you here then?"

Blake averted her gaze, fidgeting with her fingers as her cheeks dusted a light shade of pink, "...Actually, I did come for a book but..." Glancing back at Yosuke, the amber beauty could barely stop herself from facepalming in embarrassment before striding up behind the counter and dragging Tukson down as she whispered in his ears.

Yosuke watched the exchange with an inquisitive look as the taller man stood stunned in place, his mouth slightly agape as he regarded an almost tomato-like Blake.

Not a moment later the man's shock turned to full blown laughter, "Hahaha! I never took you for that type of person, Blake." The older man chortled, further rousing the other customers' curiosity.

Intriguing the nearby blonde, Aria's head popped around a bookshelf at the brilliant laughter echoing all throughout the bookstore, noticing a somewhat confused Yosuke, a literal steaming Blake and Tukson, now crying with laughter.

Stepping up to the three, the girl couldn't help but ask, "Who's got you laughing like that?" She addressed the man holding his stomach. Aria glanced at Blake once more, seeing that she had fully turned her back to them, her embarrassment most likely fully getting to her poor, poor soul.

"It's nothing!" Blake commented, chuckling nervously.

Raising an eyebrow to her companion, Yosuke gave a crude shrug and shook his head in response, leaving her to turn to the only witness-

And Tukson strode to the back rooms as he laughed, leaving her queries unsolved for yet another time...

Donning nothing more than a blank stare aimed at Yosuke. She noted that he had his eyes on the still burning Blake to his right, silently fighting a losing battle with his curiosity.

Pouting, Aria went idle, eyes boredly scanning her surroundings before chancing upon a certain device.....one she's always wanted to experiment with...

With her features turning contemplative, Aria glanced to her sides once more, realizing she truly was in the clear, even if for a short time. Smirking, Aria wordlessly took her leave, arms clasped innocently behind her back as she approached said device, one that would cure every and all problems that plagued her being in this moment!

Slowly sliding up to the window's state change device, the blonde's cyan orbs held a look of pure mischief, hands rapidly changing the state of the store to different shades and lightings. The natural light the outside freely provided now shifted through various stages between brilliant and shining to near completely dark, save for the few lights within the store itself.

Obviously noticing the constant change in lighting, Yosuke and Blake turned their attention to the hyperactive blonde stanced mere feet across from them, giggling like a madwoman as she fiddled with the device of her dreams.

"Should I?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, please..." Blake sighed, her previous embarrassment now nearly absent from her features.

Prying the woman from the controls, Yosuke raised his brow at the stunned woman, who returned his look with her features trembling with anxiety, Blake stood a good distance away from the two with Tukson just re-entering the room.

"Hihi...my bad."

"Yer' fine, I don't mind." Tukson himself surprisingly spoke, his upper half resting comfortably atop the counter along with a darkened paper bag, hand loosely clutching the item before it was swiftly, and skilly pried from his fingertips. Blake somehow already at the store's entrance only to disappear through the store just as fast, leaving a confused and amused Yosuke and Aria in her wake.

-.-

-Beacon Academy-

Easily matching pace with the cat-like teen once more, Yosuke's curiosity finally overtook his senses, he might as well try to figure out the contents of what lay hidden within her bag.

"Blake-" "Yes!" The girl responded immediately, her bow as dark as obsidian perking up at the mention of her name, a sight that Yosuke eyed peculiarly yet chose not to comment on.

"I never got to know the type of book you requested." He began, placing both hands into his pockets and clutching his book under his arm as they strode out of the bullhead with Aria following closely behind, her hands clasped behind her head while humming along with the vehicle's engine.

The afternoon sun slowly dipped beneath the horizon, casting a beautiful golden glow on the inhabitants of Remnant.

"Would you mind telling me?" The boy asked, causing the amber beauty to flush red as she covered her mouth and averted her gaze.

"I-I'd rather not say. A-anyways later." She stuttered before hurrying off in the direction of her dorm room leaving Yosuke and Aria to their own devices.

Hand going to his chin, the blue-nette contemplated as he watched the ninja retreat into the academy grounds, "Blake wouldn't happen to be interested in that kind of stuff would she?" He muttered to himself before continuing towards his own dorm, 'If so, then you really can't judge a book by its cover,' glancing back briefly he beckoned a puzzled blonde forward.

Aria stood still, a hand stroking her nonexistent beard as she thought hard on Yosuke's words. What kind of book could Blake be interested in?

The blonde sat on the floor in her dorm room, still pondering on her partner's words and somehow completely oblivious to Toño who was waving his hand in front of her to gain her attention.

"Is she broken?" He asked offhandedly while poking her on the cheek, the action also lacking a response from the girl.

Yosuke sat on his bed, comfortably wrapped in a scarlet blanket that stood in stark contrast to his usual blue scheme. Flipping a page, he replied, "She has been like that ever since we returned."

Toño looked at the boy for a moment before returning his gaze to the preoccupied blonde as he quirked a brow, "Hn."

Standing, the pink eyed boy was about to walk off before the blonde suddenly shot to her feet with her mouth hung wide, staring into space as if she had just had a realization, an epiphany.

'So thaat's what she reads!'

Scrunching his face in growing confusion, Toño looked to the shorter girl, "You look like you gained enlightenment."

Aria snapped out of her stupor, her face flushing a beet red as she giggled awkwardly, "Well, sumn like that." She said, a finger scratching her cheek as she donned a wide smile.

Who'd have thought that Blake was into that kinda stuff... Now how should she mess with her? It'd be nice to tease her for a change and she was gonna cook up just that!

Aria's grin took a manic turn as she clasped her hands, a chilling chuckle escaping her throat, "Heh-Hehehe!!"

Toño eyed the blonde with an even more confused expression, he opted to pry when she suddenly slinked past him and began climbing onto his bunk.

Buuut she could do that later.

The pink-ette paused before huffing, "Hey, Get down."

"No."

"Do it now or else-"

"Cease your ramblings, you heathen!!!"

"Dammit! Just get down!"

"Nevah!"

And with that Toño started chasing the blonde around the room. Yosuke peeked up from his book and chuckled at the interaction, a smile finding its way onto his features.

Saya sat on her bed as she gazed out the window and into the sunset, she watched the beautiful radiance of nature dip beneath the jade horizon, it's sun-kissed beauty fading into the shadows as the clock ticked by, each second punctuated by the tick of the clock like a monotonous metronome.

Glancing back, she watched her teammates laughing and running about as the day gradually drew to a close.

Maybe she should spend time with them outside of the dorm...

Reaching for the lamp perched on the wooden desk before the window, she chuckled briefly, a soothing melody that went unheard by the dorm's lively tenants, before flipping the switch as a chain of thuds and groans emanated from her room along with two distinct shouts reverberating from another down the hall.

"BLAKE, THIS IS FILTH! FILTH!"

"I KNOW I'M SORRY!"