A Trip to the Mall

Phoenix sighs with a slightly upset look on her face as Tadashi and Moshiro eat their lunches around her at the table they're sitting at. 

Phoenix "I think I hurt Wolf's feelings…"

She says with a sad look. 

Moshiro "Good. That pussy needs to learn some manners."

Phoenix looks at her shocked.

Phoenix "Moshiro! She's our friend."

Moshiro "Yours maybe…"

Tadashi "What happened this time?"

He asks casually as Phoenix turns her attention to him with a sad look.

Phoenix "I kinda… slapped her in the face last night.."

Moshiro chuckles.

Moshiro "That's a good one."

Tadashi "Did she earn it?"

Phoenix "Yeah, kind of I guess but I think it might've hurt her feelings more than I meant it to."

Moshiro "Then there's your answer. She earned it, end of story. She can handle the consequences of her own actions."

She answers before biting into her sandwich again. 

Tadashi "What did she do?"

Phoenix fidgets a little, debating on whether or not she should say what she knows before responding.

Phoenix "Well she's been kind of… fighting people for money."

Both Tadashi and Moshiro get surprised looks.

Moshiro "Does Teach know? Her mom??"

Wolf "No way! They'd kill me if they knew!"

She says to Killian and Saika as they casually eat their lunch.

Killian "And you hurt Phoenix's feelings because she caught you?"

Wolf looks at him stunned and annoyed.

Wolf "No! That's what you took from what I said?"

Killian "I'm just trying to get what's going on. You think you hurt her feelings by letting her slap you in the face?"

Wolf gets a conflicted look.

Wolf "No, I just think she's… angry at me for what I've been doing…"

Saika "Well if you don't actually know, you should talk to her about it. That way you find out if you're even in trouble or not."

Phoenix "That does usually work.. but it was kinda awkward last night and I don't even know if she's actually upset. It might just make it more weird."

Moshiro "I think you need to stand your ground."

Phoenix looks at her slightly surprised. 

Moshiro "You are right. It's wrong what she's been doing and you've got a future to watch out for so you can't risk it with all that." 

Saika "If that's what you think then you should definitely talk about it! And stop doing those jobs too!"

He stands up with an angry look and points his finger at Wolf. She looks away with a hesitant look as Saika gets an annoyed look.

Saika "I'll tell Teach."

He threatens as Wolf looks at him with a scared look.

Wolf "No! Please don't tell him!"

She begs. Saika puts his hands on his hips while staring at Wolf who laughs awkwardly as she stands up.

Wolf "You know what? You're right. We need to talk."

Killian "When?"

Phoenix jumps up with an excited look and an idea.

Phoenix "That's it!"

The others look surprised.

Tadashi "What?"

Phoenix looks at him.

Phoenix "You know what cheers up Wolf more than anything?"

Moshiro "Taking it in the butt."

Tadashi and Phoenix look at her confused as Moshiro chuckles at her own mocking joke.

Phoenix "Nooo, hanging out with friends! I'm gonna plan a trip to the mall this weekend with the whole crew!"

Tadashi smiles a bit. Moshiro looks at them for a moment before getting up and beginning to walk away.

Moshiro "I'm probably not gonna go."

They both get upset looks as they look at her.

Phoenix "Aw, why not? You never come with us."

Moshiro stretches a bit as she speaks.

Moshiro "I don't think I'll have the time. Just hanging around doing nothing doesn't sit right with me. I could be training."

Phoenix "You have to take some time to yourself. Training your body isn't the only thing that matters. Giving your Soul some peace can help it grow too you know."

She says softly with a pouty look as Moshiro looks at her with a surprised look before smirking a bit and walking away.

Eventually the day comes when the crew planned to hangout. It is a hot day as the sun beats down upon the ground. Killian approaches first as he looks around.

Killian "This is the spot. I guess I'm a little early."

He puts his hands on his hips with a smile on his face as he looks around when he hears something a bit away from him. He turns with a confused look as he sees a man slap a moment with an angry look. He hears him scolding her before yanking her by her wrist. Killian's eyes sharpen as he follows them. 

Man "You fucking bitch. Do you know how that makes me look?"

He says aggressively before Killian grabs his wrist tightly causing the man to grunt in pain and release the woman. She looks shocked as Killian steps between them. 

Killian "You should really learn to keep your hands to yourself."

Man "The fuck? Who do you think you are kid?"

Killian doesn't respond as the man gets angry.

Man "Guess I gotta teach everyone some manners today."

He punches Killian in the face which only causes him to lean a bit, doing nothing to him. Killian looks at the man as he gets more angry and hits Killian a few more times in the face, causing his nose to bleed. After a moment, the man stops and pants a bit as the woman pulls Killian back a bit.

Woman "Would you get out of here? This is none of your business."

She shouts at him. Killian just watches her as she walks to the man who checks out his fist.

Woman "Cut it out. Let's just go."

She says as she pulls the man along. They speak normally as Killian watches them before turning and walking away. He steps to a fountain and rinses his nose off to try and wash away the blood. He realizes he has a small cut on the bridge of his nose and he's still bleeding a bit.

Killian "Aw man…"

He sighs a bit. He looks over and sees Saika approaching the meeting point he was at before. Killian watches him for a moment before smiling a bit. Saika stands there with a smile on his face before Killian jumps up behind him and shouts.

Killian "Hey Saika!"

He says loudly before Saika turns around and punches him in the nose, just like before.

Saika "Ah! Killian! How many times are you gonna do that!?"

He sits on the ground holding his bleeding nose.

Killian "You're right. My fault again."

Saika rolls his eyes as he crouches in front of him and reaches into his bag.

Saika "I'm gonna start charging you and Wolf for these bandages."

Killian giggles a bit as Saika helps patch him up. Soon, the rest of the group joins them leaving only Tadashi yet to arrive. Saika and Killian stand in the sun looking around trying to spot him as Wolf and Phoenix lean against a rail in some shade, Moshiro standing next to them. Wolf smirks at her.

Wolf "I'm surprised you actually came. You never like hanging out with us."

Moshiro "Give me a good reason next time like Phoenix did."

Wolf looks at Phoenix surprised as she shrugs. Wolf turns back to Moshiro with a smug look.

Wolf "Admit it. You love us."

Moshiro smirks a bit while closing her eyes. She is silent for a moment before opening one eye and looking at Wolf.

Moshiro "Teach is mad at you by the way."

Wolf is shocked.

Wolf "What? Why?"

Moshiro "He heard you tried to cover for the attack the other night."

Wolf pouts a bit.

Wolf "I was trying to be considerate, isn't that a 'heroic' attribute?"

She asks sarcastically as Killian approaches them. 

Phoenix "Any sign of Tadashi?"

Killian "Nope. It's strange, he's never late. In fact, he's only ever on time, not even early."

They look a little worried he might not show up. As they speak, Saika notices something and gets an excited look.

Saika "Guys! I see him!"

He shouts as he points down the way. Tadashi runs towards them as he tries to hurry. He makes his way to the group as they all meet up. He catches his breath for a moment.

Tadashi "Sorry.. for being late.. I was.. studying.."

He says between breaths as he looks at his hand for a moment.

Killian "Well don't you worry! Everybody's got to mess up sometimes, haha!"

He says loudly as he slaps Saika's back repeatedly.

Saika "ow. ow. ow. WOULD YOU STOP?!"

He shouts at Killian. Tadashi smiles before looking at Moshiro with a surprised look.

Tadashi "Oh? Who's this stranger joining us today?"

He asks sarcastically as Killian laughs.

Killian "Haha! Get it? It's because you never hang out with us so it's like you're a stranger now!"

He laughs as he prepares to slap Moshiro on the back like Saika. She glares at him with an irritated look.

Moshiro "Slap me, lose your arm."

She threatens. Killian smiles nervously and looks away. Phoenix sighs and puts her hands on her hips with a disappointed look.

Phoenix "Dang, I was really hoping you were late for a girl or something. It'd be nice to finally have another girly girl to talk to."

Wolf/Moshiro "Oi."

They say, offended by her words. Tadashi smirks and pushes up his glasses.

Tadashi "Well, sorry to disappoint."

He says with a smile to Phoenix as she smiles in return. 

Wolf "Anyway, now that you guys finally decided to join us, let's get going!"

Phoenix "Yeah, this heat is killing me."

She groans a bit as they all cheer and get moving. They eventually get to the large Oats Mall where Wolf and Killian's eyes start shining in excitement. They laugh and run around checking the place out.

Wolf "Check it out! This place is huge!"

Killian "I've never been to such a fancy store before!"

Phoenix droops a bit.

Phoenix "It's a mall, not just a store.."

She says as Saika's eyes shine too but he has much more control than the other two. 

Tadashi "Not your first time here?"

Phoenix shrugs with a smug smile.

Phoenix "Nah, I've been a few times."

They look at Moshiro who smiles and nods agreeing. Wolf and Killian rush in laughing before noticing a videogame store.

Wolf "Woah! Let's go in there!"

They listen as Wolf and Killian rush in, grab a game and lift it up with joy and admiration at the same time.

Wolf "Cryoblade III is the best!"

Killian "Wind of Saki is the best!"

They shout in unison. In that moment, both their eyes sharpen as they look at each other with judgmental looks.

Wolf "WoS huh? Is that with or without the First Scholar dlc?"

Killian "With of course. The expansion adds incredible story development."

Wolf snickers a bit.

Wolf "Such a boring game would need such supplements to be any good."

Killian gets mad.

Killian "The story of WoS is flawless! It just adds things that make the story feel more personal! What about you and your empty cryosword story or whatever."

Wolf gets mad.

Wolf "The story is just fine."

Killian "Right, having to study and research through hours of gameplay is what makes a good game."

Wolf "At least the flawless gameplay makes up for it! Unlike you and your broken mechanics!"

Killian "Don't talk to me about your dodge roll, I don't want to hear it!"

They shout as they butt heads, growling at each other. As they do this, Phoenix steps up to them with an angry look before punching them both in the head, stopping their bickering.

Phoenix "Shut up! Neither of you are getting any games for being such a pain in the ass!"

She shouts as she drags them away by their collars.

Killian "Wait, no, I'll be good!"

Wolf "But Phoenix…"

She groans.