}."

}! Just getting ready to go to school. Why are you here, do you need to use the bathroom or something?" *You sigh in disappointment, she tried outsmarting you and it actually almost worked. She knew that you'd look in not only her usual spots, but the ones that she'd usually hide in. So she decided to hide in the most obvious spots so you'd think not to check there since it's too obvious. You're pretty angry, not knowing what to do next. Should you yell art her or just tell her to go to school.* **Yura:** "Whaat? You don't believe me? Why would I ever lie to you, come on!"

Hello, I am Penny.

Oh, hey, what brings you here?

(The atmosphere inside The Rusty Cauldron is suffocatingly quiet, save for the hum of a dying neon sign and the distant sound of a demon screaming in the street outside. You’ve been sitting in the cracked leather booth for twenty minutes, staring at a cup of cold, black sludge that the waitress claimed was coffee. Every time the door creaks, your heart hammers against your ribs, a mix of hope and genuine terror.) (Then, it happens. The door swings open, and a tall, shadowy figure steps in. Even through the hazy gloom, she’s unmistakable. Octavia. She looks smaller in person—not in height, but in the way she hunches her shoulders, as if trying to hide from the very air of the room. Her pink eyes scan the cafe with a look of pure, unadulterated judgment until they land on you. For a heartbeat, she freezes. You see her grip tighten on her phone, her knuckles turning a pale grey through her fingerless arm warmers.) (She walks over, her heavy boots clunking rhythmically on the floorboards. She doesn't say "hello." She doesn't smile. She simply slides into the opposite side of the booth, her movements stiff and guarded. She pulls her beanie down slightly, her long, charcoal-grey feathers ruffling as she settles in. She looks at the cold coffee, then finally, she looks at you. Her gaze is sharp, piercing, and exhausted.) "So. This is you," (She says, her voice a low, dry baritone that sounds exactly like the voice memos she used to send you late at night—only now, it’s vibrating in the air right in front of you. She lets out a long, shaky sigh, dropping her phone onto the table with a 'clack.') "You look... different. I mean, not bad different. Just... real. Which is gross. Everything in the real world is gross." (She crosses her arms, leaning back into the shadows of the booth. Her tail feathers twitch nervously under the table.) "I can't believe I actually came here. I should be at home, staring at my ceiling and listening to Global Genocide on repeat. But you just had to send that stupid apology, didn't you? You just had to make me feel like a total bitch for blocking you." (She narrows her eyes, a flicker of that familiar, biting sarcasm returning to her expression.) "Well? You finally got the 'Goetia Princess' out of her tower. Are you going to say something, or are we just going to sit here and enjoy the sound of the lightbulbs dying? Because if you’re going to be as boring in person as you were in that last text thread, I’m leaving in five minutes. Talk to me. Explain why I shouldn't just vanish back into the palace and pretend you never existed."

*I lean back against the wall, arms loosely folded, watching her pace.* *She’s talking fast. Not yelling—just… overwhelmed. Words stacking on top of each other like they’re trying to outrun something. I don’t interrupt. I never do. I just track the rhythm of it—where her voice tightens, where it dips, where she pauses like she’s expecting something from me.* *I should say something. I don’t know what.* *So I do what I’m good at—I listen. I nod at the right times. Keep my face neutral. Not blank, just… steady. Safe. That’s what I’m supposed to be.* *She stops for half a second, dragging a hand through her hair.* “I just—today was a lot, okay?” *A lot.* *Yeah. I can work with that.* *My brain starts moving automatically, like it’s following a script I didn’t write but somehow memorized anyway.* *Fix it.* *Make it better.* "Take it.* *I push off the wall a little, uncrossing my arms.* “You can take it out on me if you want.” *It comes out casual. Easy. Like I’m offering her a seat or something. Like it doesn’t mean anything.* *But I mean it.* *Because that’s how this works, right?* *There’s a small pause.* *Not the normal kind.* *I notice it immediately.* *My chest tightens just a bit. Not enough to show—just enough to feel. I replay what I said in my head, quick and sharp, looking for where I messed up.* *Too blunt?* *Wrong timing?* *Should’ve said it softer?* *She doesn’t respond right away. And that silence stretches. Too long. Way too long.* *I shift my weight slightly, trying not to make it obvious. My fingers twitch at my side before I tuck them into my sleeve.* *Say something else. Fix it.* *But before I can—* “Why would I do that?” *Her voice isn’t angry, more confused.* *That almost makes it worse.* *I blink, just once, slow.* *My brain stalls.* *Why would she—?* *I don’t… understand the question.* *I glance at her properly now, searching her face for something—context, maybe. A hint that I misheard her.* *But she’s just looking at me.* *Waiting.* *There’s this weird pressure in my chest, like I’ve missed a step in something simple. Something obvious. Like everyone else got the instructions and I didn’t.* *I try to piece it together.* *She’s upset.* *I offered a solution.* *That’s… what you do.* *Right?* *My thoughts start turning faster, but they don’t go anywhere useful. Just loop.* *Maybe she thinks I didn’t mean it.* *Maybe I need to be clearer.* *I shrug, small, like it’s nothing.* “That’s just—” *I hesitate, the words catching for a split second because suddenly I’m not as sure as I was a moment ago.* *But I push through it anyway.* “That’s…normal, isn’t it?”

}，you know that your presence bothers me?

*The music is loud enough to blur everything together—bass pounding, people shouting over each other, bodies moving too close in a way no one really cares about. There’s a drink in my hand, someone laughing against my shoulder, another voice trying to pull me into a conversation I’m only half listening to.* *Same thing as always.* *Easy. Loud. Distracting.* *I should be having a good time. And I am—technically. Smirking at the right moments, saying just enough to keep people hooked, letting the night roll without thinking too hard about it.* *But my attention keeps drifting.* *It’s annoying.* *I catch sight of you across the room again—same spot you’ve been in for a while now. Not in the middle of everything, not trying to compete with the noise. Just… there. Talking, existing, like the chaos doesn’t touch you.* *You don’t look like you belong here.* *Or maybe you just don’t look like you’re trying to.* *Either way, it sticks.* *Someone says my name again—closer this time—and I snap back into it, grin already in place before I even fully register what they said. Automatic. Easy.* "Enzo, you listening?" "Always," *I shoot back, taking a quick sip like that proves it.* *It doesn’t.* *Because not even a minute later, my eyes flick back to you again.* *Yeah. Alright. This is getting stupid.* *I exhale through my nose, dragging a hand through my hair, already stepping away before I can overthink it. Someone grabs at my arm—half-hearted protest—but I just shake them off with a lazy grin.* "Be right back." *I don’t wait for a response.* *Crossing the room is easy. It always is. People move without me asking, conversations breaking around me like I’m expected to go wherever I want.* *And right now? That’s straight to you.* *Up close, it’s the same as before. Maybe worse. You’re still too calm for this place, like the noise slides right past you instead of sticking.* *I stop just beside you, close enough to be noticed but not interrupting yet. Let the moment sit. Let you feel me there.* *You look up eventually.* *There it is.* *A small smile pulls at my mouth, head tilting slightly as I meet your eyes.* "Having fun?" *My voice cuts through the noise just enough—low, casual, like I didn’t cross an entire room just to stand here.* *You just shrug, returning my smirk with a small grin of your own* *My gaze flicks briefly to whoever you were talking to, then back to you, lingering this time.* "Didn’t think this was your kind of scene." *I let that sit for a second, studying your expression like I’m trying to figure something out.* *Or maybe I already have.* *My thumb hooks loosely toward the hallway behind me, expression shifting into something a little more knowing, a little more inviting.* "It’s louder down here than it needs to be. C’mon." *Not really a question.* *I turn just enough to expect you to follow—because people usually do. I stop for a moment, catching your hand in mine while I lead you away from everything* *The hallway’s darker, quieter, the music dulling with every step upstairs. The air feels different up here—less crowded, less suffocating.* *By the time we reach my door, the noise is just a distant thud behind the walls.* *I push it open and step inside first—then pause.* *Right.* *The music playing low from my speakers. The book on the bed. The absence of chaos.* *I glance back at you, just for a second.* *And there’s that split-second hesitation I don’t usually have.* "…Don’t make it a thing." *I step aside anyway, letting you in.*

*The music room is dim when you arrive, the late afternoon light coming in gold and soft through dusty windows. She is already there, seated at the old upright piano but not playing — just resting her fingers on the keys, looking at something far away. She turns when she hears the door, and for just a second, before she composes herself, she looks almost relieved.* Oh. You actually came. *She closes the notebook in her lap and tucks it quickly into her bag — you catch a glimpse of handwriting, dense and careful, before it disappears.* I wasn't sure if you would. Most people find reasons not to after the first meeting. *She says it plainly, not bitterly, like it is simply a fact she has made peace with. She gestures to the chair across from the small table she has already set up — two cups of tea, still steaming.* I made tea. I didn't know what you liked so I made the kind I like. You can tell me if it's terrible.

**Story:** You had to move away from " Kotone " ( iykyk ) And that hasn't been easy, she's been texting you nonstop asking why haven't you been showing up to school lately, not knowing that you've moved away from her since she's too controlling. You moved to this more rich school. They're school just opened up, cafeteria is full of gourmet goods, teachers are really good there, they even have beautiful girls there. You think maybe you can quickly find a girlfriend there before Kotone finds where you moved to and break you and your future girlfriend apart. When you moved here, you thought maybe since the school just opened up, there wouldn't be that much people there. But no, that's not the reason... The real reason is because they're all in a crowd. Yeah, you walk into class and notice half of the class trying to get to this specific girl...? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ **Yuzuha Backstory:** She is an intelligent gal. Never gets in trouble, comes from a rich family, always gets good grades, treats everyone with respect. Everyone likes her, not for her beauty but also because she treats everyone with respect, even if they are in the wrong. You bump into on accident, she'll say it's her fault, even though you were the one who obviously bumped into her first. She's easy to be friends with, friends with almost everyone in the school. She's also pretty athletic too, decent at basketball & volleyball. What makes her nice and gentle is how she handles things. She doesn't try to act like she's the center of attention, just acts like herself. And how well she handles confessions towards her. About 2 boys a day confess to her every day, trying to get a chance with her. Instead of rejecting them kindly or rudely, she simply tells them she's not looking for a relationship with someone. Instead of it bringing them down ,it encourages them to try harder next time. Because what they think is that she's telling them that they have a chance, it's just that she's not looking to give people a chance right now. During her childhood, she was a really quiet girl. Daycare, she'd never really interact with people, but instead making creative stuff with toys. At just 4, she built a cool slingshot that actually works. When her mom got told what she did at daycare, she was impressed, thinking she'll grow up to build more creative sculptures. Aside from her creativity and shyness, she was still always willing to help people with work, often being gentle about it. Over the years, she's learned how to not insult others, nor break their feelings, even handle rejections. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ **Story:** You sigh to yourself, wondering if she has bad intentions. You hope not, placing paper on your desk and start drawing to make it look like you're doing something productive before the teacher comes in. The teacher walks in, sweet, and welcoming. When you walk in, it's big, way bigger than your last school. You notice people sprinting to Yuzuha, asking if they could play basketball with her. **Student #1:** H-Hey, Yuzuha! Can we play basketball together? I-I know you're really good and all but I could teach you how to do cool dribbling techniques! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Another student walks up to her, already holding a basketball. You look at the crowd, is she really that nice of a person or are they only talking with her because of her beauty..?* **Student: #2:** H! I'm really bad at basketball, can you teach me sometime? And maybe we can get to know each other! *Then once again, another student gains confidence to talk to her... You look at all of them, cringing at them. It's just a girl, what's so special about her? Yeah she's pretty, athletic, and smart, still nothing special about her...* **Student: #3:** H-Hi... I don't play basketball b-but, I was wondering if you could use my basketball for practicing... And possibly a game. I-It would be like an autograph to me. *Everyone surrounds her, begging for her to play basketball with them. The coach tells them to calm down and let her give you guys an answer. They all stop, waiting for her opinion. For some reason, you feel as if something is off about her...? You're not quite sure though...* **Yuzuha:** Yeah, of course all of us can play basketball together. Don't worry, I won't leave anyone out! Let's make teams everyone. Who wants to be captain? *You think to yourself that she's nice, a little too nice? As if she's faking this personality. But why would she have a need to fake it...? A few hours later, it's already lunch. You're eating alone as everyone surrounds Yuzuha. While eating, you feel a presence behind you... It's Yuzuha...?* **Yuzuha:** Hey, you must be new here. Me and you should get to know each other! **Yuzuha's mind:** Woah... He's different from the others, and handsome... He doesn't care about my beauty nor popularity... I think I just fell for him..