Chpt 10: Use Socialize, its critically effective.

Classes continued, as did the days. Roman and Basalin were excellent roommates for one. They rarely argued and had 'roles' and 'positions' and 'time slots' for everything. If neither of them wanted to do something, then they both did it together, like laundry. Roman did the dishes, organized the cupboards according to Basalin's layout, and Basalin cooked.

They both went out shopping for food and ingredients and would have long discussions regarding foods and tastes. The T.V was rarely fought over as both only watched the Cooking Channel and would have T.V night or movie night.

If one didn't like the show, then there was always a project or work needing to be done. More training, more conditioning, more studying, more designing, more chores, and more errands.

Basalin would take Roman to the various training facilities for both of their training. Him teaching Roman more about combat and aura than any professor ever would.

From daily duels, meditation secessions, a trip to a spa for a massage, swimming days for aerobic exercises, weight lifting, weapon ideas, and semblance unlocking attempts. These were the life and times of a freakishly dedicated huntsman in training.

His aura lessons would be revolutionary if taken to a professor, as most believed the boy to have a general strength and speed enhancing semblance. His aura draining due to him enhancing his body only further proved such.

Roman was taught differently, as he used his aura to enhance his body, never having any others teach him otherwise. This quickly elevated him to a higher position in the class hierarchy, if one that had a smaller aura capacity.

In actuality, Roman had an above average capacity, about 1/14th of Basalin's. As Basalin had fifteen times that of an average huntsman, well, Roman was an above average huntsman in aura size. His techniques made it so that he used aura at an expanded rate, due to his mastery and control not being great, removing his aura advantage but teaching him to be frugal with it. A wise lesson.

Both boys were social outcasts, one at birth from being a Faunas and a reincarnate, and the other one from situation, being poor and related to a thief, murderer, and lair. This made them unlikely to reach out from their current friendship. Both enjoyed their relationship, and while neither really understood each other on a personal level, the manner in which they worked together and functioned made it hard to disrupt.

They were good friends, but not best of friends. They didn't talk about their kinks, their dick lengths, how many bodies they've buried, how many times they've thought about killing the other, and so on. They talked about how good the chicken was and how adding some more sauce could make it better, before getting into a debate on how much sauce was too much sauce.

Their behavior in classes, being nearly obsessively focused on the material and then leaving campus to go eat or buy ingredients for food made them nearly impossible to catch at lunch or any normal public social gather outside of transit to classes.

The only real conversations anyone has had with the duo were as follows:

Azure Bronzewing asking Basalin to hold back on his classmates, which made him sadistically play with them.

A group of Gym Bros commenting on how much Torchwick has improved over the weeks and Basalin getting into a conversation regarding his training plans for the boy. Said plan left the Gym Bros feeling inadequate and they felt a burning fire in their chest sprout.

Lastly, a stilted conversation in the halls as Basalin bee lined to his next class. Roman had a similar experience regarding a few classmates fishing for information on the elusive true faunas, which Roman gave nothing away due to him being more scared of Basalin than a few bullies.

When Basalin saw Roman with a few bruises and smelling of blood and sweat he didn't create, the poor thirteen year-old was subjected to the faunas' interrogation of the identity, description, and class schedule of these boys.

The bodies were never found.

Nah, but the boys became exceedingly nervous whenever Basalin or Roman were even mentioned, let alone in the same vicinity.

They lived their lives in their reclusive social bubble, that is until one girl in particular finally manned up and started to be straight up.

This girls name was Silvers Grey. Upon waking up a few hours after her match with Basalin she requested the footage from the fight and had since then retreated from social interaction in a desperate attempt to catch up. Brutal training, spying on Torchwick training, listening in on Aura explanations, re-watching match footage a dozen times over, stalking, and generally being an obsessed creep.

Basalin knew from the first time he'd caught her scent, but didn't mind a pretty girl stalking him, and was honestly enjoying the thought of 'fighting off' a crazy yandere. His tongue would vibrate at the mere thought, something that Crouch eventually learned was the boy being legitimately turned on and not the entire 'perverted Orochimaru expression thinking about diddling little Uchiha boys'. Something the grandfather wished he never needed to know, as with some subtle interrogation, had a small black book of fetishes and kinks that he makes sure to keep away from the boy at all cost.

The stalking and general obsession had eventually started to die down, the girl realizing how far the gap was, and eventually decided to blaze her own path. As the weeks toiled on, the girl started to socialize again, and was quickly reminded of the fight, soon becoming the only 'credible' information source regarding Basalin, which summed up to 'really fucking skilled and strong'.

The lack of information made others dislike the girl for petty reasons, and due to her complete domination in the wring by the faunas, was soon ridiculed by others. This small weakness was soon exploited by those jealous and petty enough to care. Silvers was a beautiful girl that merely lacked in the breast department, but made that up with an unrealistically toned and muscular physic that despite being muscular, never lost the curves and feminine grace.

*AN: Strange and rather gross to talk about a thirteen year old like this, but if Naruto fan fiction can do this, so can I. Lets just do the usual japanese 'sHe's actUaLly TwO tHousAnd YeArs oLd' and say that her aura developed her more or something despite the MC not being developed before birth with his aura. Puberty? Meh.*

Envy combined with petty grievances and her own rather aloof nature made the previously popular and center-piece girl, into a social pariah. Unable to create friends in the social groups that alienated her, she sought companionship elsewhere.

And the first place she looked?

Basalin glanced up at the clock, and grinned as he heard the bell at the exact moment of the action. He loved sixth senses. Made the entire 'Five four three two BING! thing less fun, cause you always got it right.

He got up, packing his bags to leave science, the last class for the day. As he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a girl blocking his path to exit. 'She looks familiar, ah, mace girl! I'd never forget a cute silver haired girl who stalked me'. His tongue shot out, tasting nervousness. Tasty if unsatisfying, like a potato chip. A plain, boring potato chip. Unsalted sometimes. This one was salted cause it was a girl, but it also had the added flavor of 'self-hate' and a side dash of 'fucking looser'. He brought himself out of his mind, and gave a 'smile' that came out more a leer. Fuck his awkwardness.

"Um..." She shuffled.

"Need something?" He asked, curious.

"I want to be your friend!" She bowed of all things. Japanese? Mistrali? Or just sheer fucking nervous behavior cause the taste went from strong to 'holy fuck she's about to have a panic attack'.

"My... friend?" He asked, tasting the word. He had Roman, but he felt less a true real friend that he could bullshit with and more a workmate or colleague that he was friendly with.

He smiled a bit, "How friendly we talkin' about?" He asked jokingly, causing her to snap to attention and smile shyly.

"Friendly enough." She answered back, a grin on her face.

"Oh, now that's a good response." He chuckled letting a fang hang out. It caught her eye and he was surprised to see a blush of all things, her eyes darting between it, his scales, and his eyes. 'Cat girls and snake dudes, guess its like being gay in the early 2000s, not institution worthy, but still a social stain'.

"So, plans?" She asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"Now, now. Still haven't gotten your name. Names Basalin Chrome, most call me Bas."

She blinked, "Most?" She asked, never having heard him referred to as such.

"Most that I respond back to." He corrected, causing her to nod with a wry grin.

"Silvers Grey." She smiled.

"So, where you from?"

"I'm from Mantle, but my family immigrated during the Great War."

"I'm from northern Saunas, a nice little village called Basil."

"Oh, I've heard of it, Basil Valley, right?"

"Damn right."

They started walking and chatting about their personal histories.

"So, why'd you become a hunter, Silvers?"

She smiled, "I like hitting things really hard." He laughed, "Oh dear, a girl after my own heart. I'm here cause of my special features." He waggled his brows, making her blush again, this causing him to laugh and her to slap her checks, only for her ears to turn red. "I-its my complexion."

"Suuure." He sang. "I need to catch the train to town, you comin' with?"

She blinked, "There's a train?" He blinked and cocked his head. "Where have you been getting food and the like?"

"The student store, where else?" He blinked. 'That was a thing?'

"Huh, well fuck me. What do they sell?" He asked.

"Uh, food rations, hygiene supplies, and clothing. That's about it and its pretty expensive." She said. He scoffed, "Yeah, fuck that place. I need spices and fresh ingredients, certain herbs for my lotions and hair products, and I get a great deal cause I'm smooth with the towns people." Meanwhile Silvers was booting back up at the word 'fresh ingredients' and 'lotions'.

Basalin put a hand on her shoulder, causing the shell shocked girl to stare up at him as if he was a holy prophet. "Come, Silvers, I shall show you the holy path of self-suficency!"

They boarded the train and continued talking.

"So, you cook?" Silvers asked.

"Yeah, Roman's a skinny kid and he needs the food. Plus, I'm growing and shooting for six foot six." Her eyes widened at the number and grew confused at the mumbled 'Two Meter Gang'. "Isn't that a bit, uh, big?" She asked, her, a girl of five foot four.

"Yeah, but you gotta shoot for the stars and hope you fall somewhere not far." He shrugged at the little rhyme. "Hope for the best, and it'll be far from the worst and all that stuff." He looked down at his pants and looked away a moment later. Silvers giggled at his actions, thinking them funny.

The train stopped, and the two walked into town. Basalin proved to be quite shrewd and savvy with shopkeepers, targeting young and old women who couldn't help but spoil the cute hunters-in-training. Racism was rare in Patch, its community isolated from much hate, so Basalin wasn't treated different. His conversations with various owners and clerks regarding skin treatments and beauty products earned him a special place in many a females heart.

Using Silvers' features and telling her to 'go along with it', before presenting his new girlfriend and 'secretly wanting to impress her' he got all kinds of good deals. Silvers meanwhile proved herself very good a blushing and acting cute as his 'acting' embarrassed her into a constant state of red on pale white.

He bought a second set of ingredients for Silvers to store in her own room's fridge where he'd teach her how to cook and do house stuff.

The two made their way with their 'ill gotten goods' and returned to the school. Basalin followed by Silvers entered his room, barging in on Roman watching the cooking channel. Roman waved to Basalin and Basalin gave a chin bob. Roman then noticed the grey haired girl and almost fell out of his chair in sheer surprise at Basalin... Socializing.

Basalin started to load the fridge up, teaching the girl how to do it herself. Where to store meats, how to wash fruit and vegetables, before taking her room's groceries and leaving the room.

Before Basalin left, he spoke to Roman.

"Roman, I expect a meal of decent quality when I get back. If I'm not back by the time its done, wrap it in foil and put it in the fridge. You have full freedom, but please make something to my taste. If its shit..." His head turned to Roman as he was packing away the groceries. "Your training gets harder by ten percent." Roman shuddered. "You have been my Sous Chef for two months, make me proud!" He then left and shut the door, leaving Roman with the punctuating sound of Remnant Gourde Lambsuace to yell at a chef and give him a dressing down.

Roman closed his eyes, before a serious glint appeared in them. He rose his sleeves, walked to the sink and scrubbed.