some spicy drama 👀👀 and Caramelldansen,,, what a cursed song to battle to

Chapter Seven
[now playing: Morning Walk by Park Bird]



Riri slipped her handheld console into her bag, protective case sliding in near her other materials. She had lunch already made, the efficiently-sized box placed in the top of her bag. Trodding down the stairs quietly with her backpack slung over her shoulder, she swung the door opening to the bakery open, walking into the already-lit and busy area. She could spot her father working behind the counter, her mother in the back, busy as ever.

“Dad, I’m off,” Riri called out, strapping the buckles to her chunky mary janes and fixing the mask on her face. She wasn’t fond of others seeing the lower part of her face— wasn’t a fan of people acknowledging her in general. “Do you need any groceries from the market?”

“Oranges and cucumbers,” her father called around the customer leaving. “Have a good day, kiddo.”

“You too,” she called over her shoulder, swinging open the glass window to the bakery and smiling under her mask when she made eye contact with her best friend. “Oha, Ark.”

Ark nodded at the casual Japanese greeting, switching to their second language as they started their walk to the train station. “Good morning, Riri. Did you eat?”

“Toast and eggs,” Riri responded, adjusting her surgical mask. “Mama gave me leftover pastries to give to you.”

“Oh, heck yeah,” Ark grinned, clapping his hands together and switching back to English. “I ate, like, a hardboiled egg.”

“Typical,” Riri said, a laugh tracing her voice. “I made extra food for lunch too, if you’d like.”

“You’re the literal best,” Ark beamed, clearly excited at the promise of food.

“Says the guy who filled the entire school elevator with chickens in his sophomore year,” Riri said, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she landed a playful jab on the other’s arm. Ark rolled his eyes, adjusting his backpack. The duo walked in the quiet, watching the people pass and buildings come to life as they crossed streets. 

“You need coffee?” Ark asked, breaking the duo out of their silence as they passed a convenience store. 

Riri looked at the store, at her watch, and back to the store. There was a bit of hope in her eyes at the promise of caffeine.  “Yeah. You want anything? I'll pay.”

“Orange juice?” Ark said with a hopeful smile, shooting a finger gun with one hand and ruffling his purple hair with the other. Riri responded with a nod, trotting off into the store.

Ark watched the other run into the store before leaning against the wall next to the store’s entrance, watching two crows in the parking lot brawl it out for a half a hash brown. He knew the younger girl wouldn’t take much time— she wasn’t a fan of being in public places or interacting for ages. He knew Riri especially well; she was like a little sister to him at this point. The two had stayed friends throughout both of their middle school years, despite the pain the two had gotten through.

Ark smiled at the memory of them celebrating Riri passing the Passiones application test. She had managed to get into the same school as him and the two were more than grateful to be able to spend their highschool days with one another.

The chime of the convenience store door rang again and Ark recognized the chime of the buckles on Riri’s mary janes, the girl scurrying out with a bag in hand.“Got your juice,” Riri said as she rummaged around in the plastic bag, handing the juice box to the other. “‘Nd a straw.” 

Ark patted the other on the head, turning back to their walk and opening his juice. “Thanks.”

Riri pulled down her mask, stabbing the straw in the foil lid of her coffee cup and taking a long sip before pulling her mask back up. “No problem.”

The two continued their silent walk, arriving at the train station and riding up the escalator to the platform.. Riri pulled on an extendable cord attached to her bag, her pay card loosening and ready to tap at the turnstiles. Ark pulled out his phone, hastily opening his pay app.

“Your dad gave you enough, right?” Riri asked, tapping herself through the turnstiles. “I know your dad is working overtime as of late, and—”

“Relax, I got some extra money from my job last weekend,” Ark said, tapping his phone. He tried to ignore the breath he let out when the light flicked green, allowing him through the turnstile.

The two continued their quiet walk, getting to the furthest spot on the platform.Riri turned on her phone, a cartoon bunny charm dangling off her phone. “Did you watch the festival?”

“Yeah,” Ark said, throwing a glance to the train arrival timeboard. “Who’dja root for?”

“I was in it for Solamoon,” Riri said, scrolling through Statmix and responding to a quick message. “But I’m sad that Abyss lost. She seemed to be having a rough time.”

Ark let out an amused puff of air, turning to look back at the train tracks. “Yeah, kid really planked on stage. Opera Ghost was interesting with the use of the needles this time. I didn’t know it could pin clothing items down like that.”

“They remind me of sewing needles,” Riri said, raising her voice's volume as the train pulled into the station. Ark nodded, waiting behind the shorter as the train pulled into the station. Both got onto the train and near the door, seeing as a majority of the seats were taken. It was rush hour, as to be expected.

The ride to Central station was again silent. It was rude to talk on the trains, after all. Disembarking the train at the central station, the duo made their way to the faithful, yellow-painted theme of the Passiones High School train line. One of the hundreds of benefits of attending such a nice school was the fact that the train entered directly into the school, guaranteeing the students arrived safely.

Riri tapped her student ID at the turnstile, moving forwards to talk with one of the many guards stationed to verify identity. She muttered out her name and grade (“Riri Bellman, 11th,” she had said, voice choppy) and scrambled to catch up with Ark, who had sped by his guard for some reason.

“How’d you get by that fast?” Riri wheezed, catching up with the other and trying to smooth down the nonexistent wrinkles in her blazer. The school uniform at least kept her relatively warm, especially in the harsh weather.

“They all know me by face recognition at this point,” Ark said with a sheepish smile. “They kept stopping me after school because me ‘being on school premises that late’ was apparently suspicious.”

Riri let out a soft “ah”, nodding. She knew Ark had to stay late most days— studying was something he was trying to pursue, despite his hatred for it. The guards knowing him made sense; he made conversation easily. He was the social butterfly, always easy to talk to, the chaotic manner he had bestowing flavor into people’s lives. 

Riri considered herself more of an introverted pill bug. Hard to pick out in a crowd, curls into a ball and rolls away if you touch her, and likes to hide in the dark.

Riri quickly finished her coffee, tossing it in a garbage can so she had no excuse for people to see the lower portion of her face. “Are you meeting up with your friends this morning?” she asked, trotting to keep up with Ark’s fast pace. 

Ark nodded, walking onto the train with open doors. “Just gonna see the others again. Maybe eat lunch with them, too. That fine?”

Riri shrugged, seemingly indifferent as she followed him through and took a seat. “Yeah. Brought my console, so I won't miss much.” The younger seemed to come to a realization and scrambled to unzip her backpack, yanking out a paper bag and handing it to the elder. “The pastries.”

“Oh, heck yeah!” Ark snatched the bag from the other’s hands, clutching it at his side. “Tell your mom I said thanks.”

Riri nodded. “Will do.” She twisted an earbud into her ear, keeping an eye out for the students getting onto the train.Riri recognized a few— Rebel was the one with long red hair and hung out with Ark; Specter, who shared a few gaming interests as her, and others she couldn’t recognize climbed onto the train.  Riri averted her eyes as a girl with dog ears climbed on the train, who was talking softly with a girl who had cyan hair. Her finger compulsively clicked the volume of her earbuds louder, using the sound to drown out her surroundings. The train doors slid shut in the corner of her eye and the vehicle lurched forwards, already on a fast path to Passiones High School.

• Reckless (Rune and she are both reckless in behavior, potential lead)
• Childish voice
• Socializes constantly?? social butterfly ??
• Has no value of monetary goods(???? Presumption??)
• Seems like an anarchist?? anarchy vibes
• Probably fourteen
• Gremlin???
• Earth Elemental
• Actually maybe she’s a teenager
• Half of these are awful leads dear god
• REMINDER TO SELF: CHECK STATMIX FOR HER INFORMATION
• PICK UP CRACKERS FROM GROCERY STORE

C H I C K E N S

and they were project partners...
"oh my god, they were project partners"

thank you so much guys 🥺🥺

You're really good at getting chapters out fast!! I'm really impressed!! And awesome chapter!

loved this chapter!! 👀 butterfly effect is such a bop i'm-

thank you guys !!!!
@time i just get into a writing mood? i typically have to work alone in my room and have some sort of ambient noise playing (asmr or lofi works well) that can't have lyrics; the only exception for that is battle scenes so i can get the vibe down
i also plan out how each chapter is going to go. i have up to 20 chapters planned rn ehehe

basic outlines! enough to figure out what to do with each chapter but still have creative room 

I wish I had your dedication to writing. I had plenty of outlines back in the day that I never got around to completing.

Cool chapter btw

Chapter Eight
[now playing: tunnel vision by potsu]



Lunchtime was the least favorite part of Rune’s day. Mornings were tolerable. Her parents never joined her for breakfast, so it was always her, alone, at the long table with dim lights and dark curtains. The train ride gave her a small burst of freedom, getting her out of her predictable loop of daily life and giving her prime time to catch up on whatever novel she had checked out from the school library the previous day. In classes, she had somewhere to go, a task to perform, something to keep her busy and focused. 

Lunch sucked. Not because of the food-- the food at the school was great, don’t get her wrong. It was just finding somewhere to sit. With the arrogant and cold face she had put on towards other people, it meant that no one was exactly scrambling to let her sit at their table. She wasn’t part of the dance crew at school, so the studio was a no go, and god forbid she even get near the music rooms. 

Which led to her current position. Sitting under the librarian’s desk, lunch tray resting on the floor next to her, with her current book in hand.The librarian knew she was here. The two were on quite decent terms, actually; the librarian being one of the few people Rune deemed “intellectually adequate” and of an equal maturity to her. (She also was more of a mother figure than Rune’s own mother, but Rune would rather die than tell a single soul that information.)

“Ms. Santiago,” Rune called in a stage-whisper from underneath the table. Rune heard a few footsteps and a soft “shh” before the elder woman tapped on top of the table, letting the younger know she was there.

“Do you have any new books in?” the younger replied, moving a lock of hair out of her vision so she could see the librarian clearer.

Ms. Santiago gave a sigh, tapping her foot. “Well, I’m not sure. You could ask Xenon, he knows all about the new books in.”

“Zarkon?” Rune scoffed, squinting in confusion. “Never heard of him.”

“Xenon,” the librarian corrected, a patient smile on the elder’s face as she pulled out a few books from the return section. Rune recognized the three she had finished over break. “He’s a quiet one, but quite nice. You should talk to him. Getting to know some people would be good for you.”

Rune rolled her eyes. “I’d rather not bother with the likes of others. Menial creatures, the lot of them.”

Ms. Santiago kicked the side of the desk playfully, making the younger jump, Rune leaning into her ruffled feathers. “He shares the same interest for reading. You know, he built a bird on his own.”

“A bird?” Rune asked, clearly perplexed. “Why a creature such as that?”

The librarian rolled her eyes in return, placing a stack of books next to Rune’s ankle. “When you’re done eating, go bring those to him in the 500s. Okay?”

Rune made a noncommittal noise, turning back to her book and taking another bite of her sandwich.

Which happened to be the last bite of her sandwich.

Whiiiich meant she had to go bring the books to the bird kid.

Rune grumbled to herself, climbing up from her (rather comfortable) floor seat, grasping the stack of books. Of course, she could not bring the books-- she just felt bad if she didn’t do something for Ms. Santiago. The librarian was the only exception in her book.

The dark oak bookshelves passed by as she walked through the aisles, finding the white paper card reading “500s”. It was fine that she had to talk to another person, really-- she just didn’t like people and didn’t like it when they were inadequate to her mentally.

Striding down the aisle with her head held high, she spotted a boy who seemed rather invested in the book he had open. His face was resting in what looked to be a painfully uninterested expression, his mouth opening quickly to blow a strand of his brown hair out of his eyes. The book in his hand was labelled “Intelligence Exercises for Robots: Exceed in AI and develop beyond the Status Quo”. What a mouthful.

“Zelda?” Rune said, as uninterested as the boy across from her. “Ms. Santiago told me to bring these to you.”

The boy squinted at his book, head moving just a bit. “Did you just call me Zelda?” he asked, drawing his lips into a thin line.

“That’s your name, is it not?” Rune said, tilting her nose upward, eyes resting on the other. “Books. Take them.”

The boy snorted, clearly trying to fight back his laughter. “I’m...sorry, that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever been called.”

“Zuko?” Rune questioned, clearly unimpressed. She shoved the stack forwards, waiting. “Take the books.”

The other couldn’t help it-- he burst into stifled laughter, earning a few shushes from the students at tables studying. The guy wiped away a tear from his eye, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “Oh my god,” he wheezed, adjusting the long, leather band over his blazer jacket. “Zuko, are you kidding me?”

Rune hadn’t budged from her position, books still extended, mouth drawn into a thin line. “Zarkon. Books.” She shoved the stack onto the lower bookshelf next to the other, who was still recovering from his laughter.

“First of all, my name is Xenon, so get that down,” he chuckled, voice easing out of the laugh. He made a small tcht noise with his teeth twice, and Rune’s head turned in the direction of the sound of ruffling feathers and whirring gears. Down swooped a metallic parrot, shining silver in the fluorescent overhead lights. The parrot’s feathers shook out again as it landed on the leather band, comfortably perching itself on Xenon’s arm.“And this is Enten.” The bird squawked loudly in response, once again followed with shushes. The bird cocked its robotic head, looking at Rune with intent.

“W-what is that mechanical beast?!” Rune exclaimed, expression disgusted. Enten sent a violent peck towards Rune’s arm, nipping the skin of her forearm with a grumble-like noise.

“It’s a robot parrot,” Xenon said with a shrug. “Helps me organize books.”

“Why a parrot?” Rune questioned, seeming oddly interested now. “Did the school fund it?”

“Built ‘em freshman year in the tech lab,” Xenon responded, scratching the bird on the beak who returned the sign of affection with an aggressive nip. “Did you know he knows how to kill a sizable animal? He learned it when he escaped at the pier one day. I also coded him to know how to take out someone’s back knee out, but then he learned how to snip wires. That was the end of free reign for him.”

Rune glared at Enten, the two engaging in a staring battle. Enten didn’t waver, leaning forwards, as if he was taunting Rune. “...How interesting,” Rune said. “Can this bird do anything else?”

“Get annoying people to go away.” Enten seemed to scream on cue, earning another chorus of shushes. Man, they were not following library regulations.

Rune frowned, straightening her posture. “I presume I’m annoying, then.”

Xenon shrugged, patting Enten on the head again. Enten headbutted Xenon’s palm in return. “Nah, can’t be that bad. Besides--”

Two tanned hands slammed down on the low bookshelf, next to the stack of books that Rune had shoved down. A short teenage boy with ruffled, dirty blond hair stared intently at Xenon. “Where did Enten go? I was trying to teach him a new curse word.”

Xenon sighed. “Ash, for the last time, you can’t teach Enten any more curse words. I almost failed a class because he dropped a no-no word in the middle of an exam. Do you know what it’s like to watch Mr. Thamus attempt to throttle a bird in the middle of midterms?”

Ash shrugged, face expressionless. “Not my class, I don’t care.”

“Well, you should,” Xenon said, pulling back his middle finger and flicking the younger in the forehead. The younger hissed in pain before glaring at the older. Ash turned to the side and made eye contact with Rune, who scowled at the sight of a younger.

“Ew, why do you have her here?” Ash asked, the expression matching one of a seven year old who watched a couple do anything borderline romantic. “I hate her. Her parents are stupid and have too much money.”

“The feeling is mutual, you sunburnt chicken thigh,” Rune spat, matching the younger’s expression with an equally cold glare. “I don’t like my parents either. Why do you talk so much trash? I could drop kick you.”

“We’re the same height.”

Xenon sighed. “Guys, no disputing in the library. Ash, calm down, we were talking about Enten.”

“Who you won’t let me teach how to say f--”

“Fudge. The word is fudge and if you say anything even more remotely vulgar I can and will call your mother,” Xenon said, placing his free hand onto the other’s head and pressing down. Ash grumbled at the contact, grumping like a toddler in the toy aisle denied the newest lego set.

“There you went, Ash,” an unfamiliar voice said, turning around the library bookshelf corner. Rune swore internally. This is three new people in one day. Gross.

The owner of the voice leaned on the top of the shelf next to Ash, ruffling the younger’s hair. The younger squawked in opposition, scrunching up his nose and glaring at the girl who turned the corner. The female was ridiculously pale, to the extent that her foundation color could be white-out. She had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks, dark brown hair falling pin-straight next to her face. Two dark blue barrettes held her locks out of her face and she smiled at Rune. “Hi, I apologize for this gremlin’s antics and whatever the heck that metal bird did today.”

“Pecked me on the wrist and appears vaguely homicidal,” Rune said with no intonation in her voice. “And won’t stop squawking, just like the gremlin.”

The other girl nodded sympathetically. “Sadly, the bird had to learn it from somewhere. I’m Astra, by the way.” Astra gave a short wave, which was returned with a stiff nod from Rune.

“Wait a second,” Xenon said, squinting at Rune. Rune groaned internally. Oh boy, here comes the “aren’t your parents one of the main funders of the school” line.

“Aren’t you the one who said ‘I hate it here’ at a pep rally when someone handed you the microphone?”

Rune grimaced, getting a vivid war flashback to her sophomore year. “Dear god, don’t remind me.”

“I knew you looked familiar!” Xenon exclaimed. “You know, using humor is a rather healthy way of coping in uncomfortable situations--”

“No one cares, nerd facts,” Ash groaned, dropping his weight and dramatically sliding off a bookshelf. “Besides,” he continued from the floor. “Everyone hates it a little here. We’re here because we’re smart or something.”

“Or something,” Astra said, nudging Ash with her foot. “Hey, is he dead? Does this mean I don’t have to babysit him anymore?”

Xenon sighed. “You’re still babysitting Enten with me. We’re never freed of parenting duties.”

Astra stared into the distance dramatically, looking wistfully at the corkboard in the hallway. “Alas, my plans of sleeping without a communism meme, ruined again.”

Rune awkwardly leaned to try and see what Astra was looking at, but the corkboard was blank. Theatrics, I suppose. 

“So, thanks for bringing the books to me,” Xenon said, turning to Rune. “I gotta shelve them now. Library staff and all that.”

“You guys work here?” Rune asked, obviously confused. “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

“I’ve seen you,” Ash said, voice muffled by the floor. “I just don’t care about you.”

Astra snorted a laugh. “Don’t be rude, Ash.” Turning back to Rune, she nodded, continuing. “I’ve seen you once or twice, but you leave so quickly that we never get the chance to interact.”

Rune let out a soft “ah”, nodding. “I suppose that is true.”

“You’re welcome to stay for the rest of lunch,” Astra said with a welcoming smile. “Company is always nice, and you don’t seem too busy, no?”

Rune bit her lip, thinking back to her spot underneath Ms. Santiago’s desk and her novel, her empty lunch tray with it.

“...I’ll stay.”

hhhhh the character interactions in this chap were so good! i love the dynamic between astra, xenon, and ash (plus enten of course because he is a chaotic bird we stan)
and rune making friends?? heck yeah!

also :eyes: that rebel part tho! how did the tape get in her locker? why did rebel's mom leave beat? i have so many questions--

chicken man is confirmed to be a twig and senior squad continues to be a good friendship dynamic--
and, of course, the music was stellar!
all in all, great chapter!

Last edited by SongOfStorms (7/22/2020 11:28 am)