Nala instinctively flinched away from being touched.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can't...I just..." she looked like she was going to cry and then she suddenly vanished as she teleported away.
"I wish I didn't have to be here for this either." Ryo admits. "Unless you got something to eat while you were away from school grounds, I'd suggest getting some food. I'll contact you when the Winter Queen comes knocking."
His shoulders slump
"Hai."
He ports to the garden.
"Down that road lies madness.....let's not try that theory....but I bet you could convince Professor Yrrum to make a potion for you that will bolster your courage for short periods of time without being intoxicating. He loves a challenge."
"I.. don't think I've met Professor Yrrum. He's the alchemy professor, right? Well, whatever he has has to be better than drinking all the time. Thank you Sis, for putting up with me." Vai says with a somewhat-forced smile. "I'm gonna go look for Sadie to talk to her. Wish me luck."
Seeing that the meeting has been adjourned, Fei excuses himself with a deep bow and goes back to the locker rooms. He removes the shop coveralls and changes back into his gi, then returns the borrowed clothing back to the shop after neatly folding them back up. (^-^)
"Down that road lies madness.....let's not try that theory....but I bet you could convince Professor Yrrum to make a potion for you that will bolster your courage for short periods of time without being intoxicating. He loves a challenge.""I.. don't think I've met Professor Yrrum. He's the alchemy professor, right? Well, whatever he has has to be better than drinking all the time. Thank you Sis, for putting up with me." Vai says with a somewhat-forced smile. "I'm gonna go look for Sadie to talk to her. Wish me luck."
She snorted. "You're my sister. I'll put up with you no matter what. That's how family works. Besides, you're not being difficult. Just understandably confused. Anyways, good luck with Sadie."
Ephebe waved goodbye to Vai and headed back towards the lab hoping to run into Fei. Okay, she was interfering. It's what siblings do.
Not finding him there she went in search of him.
Mopes around the garden, changing into a mole, and burrows for a bit finding a place to sit and think. 'Gotta fight the need to be where she is. She needs her space, especially after all that's happened.' He ponders what he's gonna do...
Deciding to try her luck first in the fencing room, Vai made her way there, peaking her head in. Lucky! Sadie is here, though she seemed pretty focused on her drills. Vai tries to quietly slip in and wait for a break in the action.
Ephebe intercepts Fei in the hallway as he is returning to the lab, the coveralls he was wearing at the meeting folded crisply in his arms as he has returned to his more familiar raiment. He bows to her as she walks by.
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"Down that road lies madness.....let's not try that theory....but I bet you could convince Professor Yrrum to make a potion for you that will bolster your courage for short periods of time without being intoxicating. He loves a challenge."
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Deciding to try her luck first in the fencing room, Vai made her way there, peaking her head in. Lucky! Sadie is here, though she seemed pretty focused on her drills. Vai tries to quietly slip in and wait for a break in the action.
Sadie noticed Vai right away, but made herself continue with the drill until she reached the end before turning around.
"Hi," she said, feeling awkward.
Ephebe intercepts Fei in the hallway as he is returning to the lab, the coveralls he was wearing at the meeting folded crisply in his arms as he has returned to his more familiar raiment. He bows to her as she walks by.
"Fei, do you have a minute?"
Nala curled up on her bed and cried while Vasya tried in vain to comfort her. She knew that Ryuzo had been trying to be comforting and she felt awful that she still had that reaction. But she'd been thinking about ....before. And the memories were so strong at that moment. She just wanted to put all that behind her and stop being afraid of being touched.
Ephebe intercepts Fei in the hallway as he is returning to the lab, the coveralls he was wearing at the meeting folded crisply in his arms as he has returned to his more familiar raiment. He bows to her as she walks by."Fei, do you have a minute?"
Fei stops and looks around briefly.
"If I am not teleported away for another meeting, then yes," he replies with a faint smile. (^_^)
"How may I help you, Ephebe?"
"It's about Vai. Okay, so I'll start out by saying that I'm being an interfering busybody, but she's my sister so it goes with the territory."
"The thing is, she has a bit of a crush on you. Which is slightly complicated by the fact that she also has a bit of a crush on Sadie. She's confused. And thanks to some trauma in her past she's terrified of being touched. Which makes things even more complicated for her. Anyways, it would really help if you would just...I don't know, talk to her? Just normal conversation. I'm not saying you have to go out with her or anything. I just think that it might help her sort out how she feels if you guys interacted a little more."
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[Blink]
"Umm.....what?"
Ephebe sighed. "Vai...you remember who she is, right? You guys have special training from my mom at the same time in the afternoons. She has a bit of a crush on you. But she's kinda dating someone else. Sort of. She needs to sort out her feelings. It would help if you actually had a conversation with her once in a while."
Fei tilts his head slightly, clearly puzzled at Ephebe's comment.
"I...do remember Vai, yes - but we do not have much time for conversation in your mother's class. We should not even be in the same class..." he quietly adds, a look of guilt passing over his features at what his classmate has to be around on a daily basis.
"I was not aware she was...'dating'...anyone. If that is the case, I will offer her my congratulations when I see her again. She has come very far in the time she has been here from what I know of her, and that is a most commendable thing."
"And I will tell her to not bear any other concerns towards me - she should focus her attention on this other person, as it should be. I should not be a choice in such matters now that my...ability...has been released," he says, his free hand moving to clasp (or cover) one of his energy cuffs. "It would not be...appropriate."
"Okay," Ephebe said. "Fair enough.....you can sort that stuff out with her. I'm just interfering because she's being all shy and stuff and would never tell you how she felt on her own. A little push if you will. Just....talk like an actual conversation okay? Don't just assume stuff. Your ability doesn't make you unable to have relationships. I know that's how you feel. But you should leave your options open....you never know what might happen someday. And I'm not talking about Vai now. What does or doesn't happen there is between you two. Just in general."
"Yes, it does," he replies simply, taking a steadying breath.
"But our focus is on Vai, as you said, and her options. She has more than earned a new beginning after all she has endured, and we will make sure that she has it - whatever she ultimately chooses for that to be."
"Thanks, Fei. I'm sorry if I brought up painful stuff for you. I just want what's best for my little sister."
He nods slowly, as if weighing the ramifications of that statement.
"It is...never a subject for timely conversation. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
Sadie noticed Vai right away, but made herself continue with the drill until she reached the end before turning around.
"Hi," she said, feeling awkward.
"H-hi Sadie. I.. I'm sorry for disappearing on you last night. I kinda had a bit of a freak out." Vai looks at the floor, unable to keep the shame from her voice.
Ephebe stood on tiptoe and ruffled Fei's hair. She laughed.
"You can be responsible without being serious all the time. It isn't a crime for you to enjoy yourself. You don't have to treat yourself like a prisoner. There's a lot of us here who have done terrible things, some on purpose some not. You just have to let it go and move forward. The future is full of surprises. Don't miss them."
"H-hi Sadie. I.. I'm sorry for disappearing on you last night. I kinda had a bit of a freak out." Vai looks at the floor, unable to keep the shame from her voice.Sadie noticed Vai right away, but made herself continue with the drill until she reached the end before turning around.
"Hi," she said, feeling awkward.
"Vai, I'm so sorry. I was totally out of line. I promised you I would take things slow and I totally messed up. I...I hope you can forgive me."
Sadie bit her lip. "I know it's not an excuse, but it turns out someone spiked the punch. It was the first time I'd ever had alcohol. Apparently the rumors that it impairs judgement are quite true."
After a suitable amount of sulking, Ryuzo decides to shake off the dirt, and go get some food for himself and Nala, and deliver it.
When Nala answers her door her eyes are red from crying and her hair is rumpled.
"Come in," she said, her voice hoarse. "I'm sorry about earlier. It wasn't your fault."
He smiles
"Oh, I know that. I still should have been more careful. Dinner?"
He shows her a boxed salmon meal
She relaxed a little. "Yeah, come on in. Just, if you get the urge to hug me again change into a mole first. I find you less scary that way," she said with a weak smile.
"I've got the urge to hold you all of the time, silly. I'll take it as a mole, if I have too. Or with you as a bear. I'm just glad you're with me. Now enough tears." he says softly "I figure some dinner, then we can talk or work on shifting and maybe a little Champion question and answer...although I dunno how much help I'll be on that last bit. Haven't been one for very long." He sits down and opens his meal box
She stared at him for a moment completely floored. She looked down at her boxed dinner and back up at Ryuzo.
"I love you."
"I mean, I knew I really liked you, but just now...it's more than that. And I...I really hope you can be patient with me."
"Thanks for dinner by the way." She took a bite. "It's good."
"She'll be here soon. An hour, two tops. I felt the temperature drop again just a little bit ago."
Blinks, then smiles a big goofy smile.
"Umm...wow...I didn't think I'd hear that for a while yet. I love you too, ya know. I'll be patient, and more careful in the future. I hat it when I cause you tears. And you're welcome for dinner, of course. I remembered you liked the salmon the last time I got it."
He frowns.
"Well, then we'll deal with her. Side by side."
She took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm still getting used to this whole together thing. But I like it. It's a lot easier than doing this all on my own. Like there might be an outside shot we all live through this."
"I'm pretty sure we will. We work for people who would eat your mom for breakfast."
She smiled. "I hadn't really thought of that. Well, I'm still new at this whole champion thing. So I guess it's not that surprising that I didn't think of that."
"Yeah you'll want to talk to Luck before the fun starts. I think for everyone it's different, but if you just mentally call for him, he should answer. He can fill you in on what his agenda is if he has one, and some of your new abilities. Whether he will do any of that or not is up to him, of course. I had to figure mine out. Assuming it is a 'him', of course."
"Honestly, for the brief second I met Luck, I couldn't tell age or gender. Hopefully Luck is feeling a bit more chatty now. Or I'll just have to wing it. Trust to beginner's luck," she said with a wry grin.
"Good luck!" he says with a grin
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria Jiminy and friends are having an impromptu celebration since Jiminy has just been elected student council president.
