#{ ahh I'm sorry this is late! I spent too much time overthinking it ^////^ }

[vantagx-archive-blog]

@nesufuratu & @royal-botanist | Trick or Treat! 

    The meager, dying light of an old candle flickers against the caress of the wind as it slithers in through parted windows; brushing aside silk curtains and ruffling the pages of books that have been left open upon the floor. And it’s strangely hypnotic dance casts eerie shadows upon the walls that stalk the scarcely lit room like carnivores; highlighting old portraits of forgotten kings and velvet rugs that that had been gifts from long lost nobles. But they’re little more than a mockery in the presence of fluttering capes and dark fabric that seems to glow in the timid gaze of the tiny flame that distorts pretty features in favor of highlighting the scowl upon the prince’s smooth lips (as if to mimic the stoic expressions of the men who have laid claim to the same title as they bore holes into his back from the safety of their haughty paintings). And it’s a stark contrast to the way a devilish grin tugs at the corners of a paling mouth; yellow eyes piercing through the darkness like the sharpest of knives.  

       “Unnerved are you?” The vampire purrs; chilled words striking the other man’s chest like a cleaver as he leans closer; the pointed edge of a nail dragging along the prince’s chin until long fingers curl about his chin. And the booming noise of the party unfolding in the ballroom nestled beneath their feet feels like it’s taking place an entirely different world; one full of liars and imposters that try to mingle about in the dead of night like they have some place being there. Rather than they one they’ve built up here; behind locked doors, where the prince’s hot breath is the only thing truly alive, and it burns against his skin   

         “You flatter yourself too much,” Leo retorts, features remaining largely unchanged as his gaze settles on Veles, but he can feel a chill slither up at his spine at the touch. It’s not enough to make him falter; not even for a moment (and not when that damnable smirk is sprawled across those lips like he’s won this argument; because the prince would never let him off so easily). So it’s with little hesitation that he reaches out to wrap warm fingers (that feel like an inferno against the thick fabric of Veles’s vest) around that obnoxious cravat tied about the other man’s neck, and yanks him down with enough force to rattle the papers scattered about the desk (oh how the vampire would just be overjoyed by their fluttering forms as they fell to the ground) as Veles’s hands slam down on its wooden frame, landing on either side of the prince’s hips to prevent himself from falling face first into the other man (and he could have easily resisted if he so desired, after all, he was stronger than any mortal man could ever hope to be).   

          “Your manners are in need of-” And he’s swiftly cut off by the prince’s lips as they slam into his with such a lack of grace that he’s almost appalled. Heat pouring into his mouth, as fingers tightened about the prince’s jaw; knuckles went white against stiff fabric that was still clutched so tightly between the prince’s fingers that all of the blood was draining from his hands. 

            “My manners are in need of what?” The prince breathes as he pulls away from the other; a grin to rival stretched across his own features. And he doesn’t think he’ll come to regret the motion anytime soon. 

[sainadazai]

Chapter 3

Returning home that day, you had a new sense of determination. You weren't sure if it was different than that of this morning, considering you really did think you could make friends, but you hoped it was. Todoroki may have been one of the least approachable people in class that day, but for some reason you knew he'd be the easiest to talk to. Well, once you got him to acknowledge your existence.

As you swung open the door to the single story home, you were greeted by the sight of your mother, shuffling through bills at the kitchen table. She didn't seem upset with it, though, rather content in her chore. You admired your mother for that, always being content no matter what. Sending her a quick wave, you march down the hall to your room. You might not have looked it, but all those tests got you tired, let alone all the people trying to speak to you. They seemed nice enough, now that you could think back on it, why did you feel so scared at the time?

Tomorrow would be different, though, because now, you had a plan. The stone faced boy, shoto todoroki, was going to be your first friend. Or at least acquaintance.

You really just needed a nap, maybe some laying down peacefully on your bed to forget the disaster you acted like earlier. However, your cat had other plans. Mochi was perched happily in the center of your bed, curled up as cats do and looking way too adorable to be mad at. YOu cooed at her being so infuriatingly cute. Why couldn't you just go to bed peacefully as she does?

"Ahh, mom come here!" you whisper-yelled marching your way back to the kitchen.

"What, darling? Is it your quirk again?" she shouted excitedly, not moving from her spot.

"NO!Better!"

Her face contorted into a grin as you re-entered the room. "Oh? What could possibly be better than the great metallic's quirk?" she teased your nickname.

Ever since you were little you had been planning to be a pro, that came with lots of different possible hero names. Two years ago, Metallic came into the mix, as your dad suggested you use a more simple name.

"Mochi can, mom."

She giggled a bit, gesturing her hands to the handles of her wheelchair. " You'll have to take me then, I'm not sure Mochi is enough to sheel all the way away from my bills.." she continued to chuckle as you grumbled, but happily went behind her to push her forward.

"Hold on tight, then!"

"Wait, Y/N."

It was too late, you went zooming through the halls, giggling joyously as your mother laughed in fear. She knew you wouldn't let her fall, but she hated the feeling of needing to be picked up by her daughter and hauled into her chair. It made her feel unbelievably helpless.

"Woohoo!"

"Y/n, you passed your room."

"Oh, right, thanks mom!"

Backtracking a couple feet, you swung your room door open, revealing your little cat all fluffed up on your bed, eyes staring at you in alarm at your volume.

"I think you scarred her, hon."

"Shh, isn't she so cute, though? When I came home she was all cuddled up in my blankets."

"Yes, that cat is my favorite child, she is always quiet..." your mom mumbled, smirking although you couldn't see from behind her.

"Hey!"

"Ah, your right, maybe your brother too.." she faux pondered.

You pouted, not knowing if she was joking or not.

"Just kidding I love you all! But seriously hon I need to do the bills."

"Okay, want me to wheel you back?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm sure you're tired after school, go move that cat over and get a nap in before your dad gets home."

You were skeptical about letting her go back on her own, it wasn't more than twenty feet away, but you were protective of your mother. Seeing her even at the chance of pain was unbearable. Maybe it was the attachment that comes with her and dad being your only friends since day one, or your heroic nature, but her suffering was almost more painful to you.

She had always relentlessly assured you that she felt no pain in her legs, but it still always felt like it would. Especially when you were younger and first noticed how she could barely stand. See, when mom and dad met, dad had been an aspiring hero, while mom wanted to be a chef. Neither of them went to U.A, but he was in a hero course, while she was in general studies. It worked out for the most part, too. Dad had gotten his hero license at 18 and mom her first job at a small restaurant.

Didn't last, though. One day while mom was out shopping in the city, a large villain attack occurred. All might have come to fight with an unknown villain who seemed to fare quite scarily against him.

During the fight, however, moms legs were crushed under a fallen building, damaging many nerves and breaking bones. All might saved her that day, kept her from bleeding out and got her to a hospital safely, but the damage was very painful.

Mom never blamed that villain for her pain, or anyone for that matter. Once she began healing and started physical therapy, she had almost completely forgotten the pain of it all. Then, when she had you, she promised her husband that she would try her best to stand and walk and move for you. So her daughter always had someone to play with. Dad didn't like that, though. He wanted her to be safe, and not in pain.

So he hung up his cape and got a job in construction, given the family quirk it suited him well. With that, he could spend more time with you and your mother, looking after both of you.

That didn't stop the pain from getting to her, though, and the nerves going numb. Leaving her completely unable to walk now, but she wouldn't trade those years when you were little for anything. She just loved you too much to mind her own pain.

Smiling at the memory of the story your parents used to tell you, you fell asleep with one arm around mochi.

-

Todoroki never minded other kids. He spent most of his life training with his father, though he couldn't say he liked his father all that much either. Kids his age had a habit of making him jealous though, even if their lives weren't perfect, they didn't have endeavour for a father.

Still, mow he stood in his home bathroom, looking at his face in the mirror, practicing how to speak to you. Wondering what might male you smile.

It was stupid, really. He had been speaking all his life, words weren't all that hard, but he guessed je might have to try a little harder on these ones.

"Hello, im shoto."

No, you already knew that, you would probably think he is dumb.

"How does your quirk work?"

Metal, obviously. How could anyone have missed that after yesterday. Maybe if he tried to relate to you? But how could someone like him relate to you? You looked so pure, maybe not the happiest, but you didn't seem like you'd been to hell and back.

He thought you were likely just the nervous type, an overthinker.

"Hi, y/n."

"I'm sure that would work.."

Shoto's head jolted to the open bathroom door and he saw fuyumi standing there. He didn't know her well, but they lived together so he should have shut the door.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, not sure that was the right one at all.

"Brother, I don't know who you want to talk to, but, it's best if you speak in the moment, all you have to say is hi."

"Maybe to normal people." he spoke, still stone faced, not believing he would work.

"So this person isn't normal?"

"No, she apologizes too much."

Fuyumi laughed a bit, "What does that mean?"

"Well, after observing her today, I think if I said hi, she would just say sorry.." he pondered, imagining your cute face flustering and stuttering and putting an apology.

"Oh my, well I guess I'll leave you t0 it then."

"Um, thanks?"

-

School the next day was exciting for both of you. You, being ready to train and learn and make friends, and he to use his well rehearsed conversational skills. Little did the two of you know the dramatic training that would take place all but the second day of school. It wasn't like anything to be expected, the day started out with a simple english class led by present mic.

Having arrived barely on time due to the crazy long bike ride, you had no time to become friends with todoroki. However, upon first entering the school, you met the smart and pretty girl from the day before. It seemed she was still curious about your quirk, but this morning she was mindful of your anxiety.

Her movements were soft and her voice was calm and quiet as she questioned you on the way to class. The way she treated you was very settling, it made the brisk walk towards class 1-A just a bit easier today. No one had ever really spoken to you like that.  Kids at your old school opted to ignore you because you were always busy anyways, or tease you for being sheltered and as they would say "innocent." You were not.

All of the things middle schoolers seemed to fancy were just irrelevant to your career as a hero, it made no sense to indulge them. So, given that history, this sweet girl, who had a habit of pulling and twisting the ends of her skirt, had made you feel ecstatic. Yaoyorozu had actually changed her demeanor to accommodate you, she really was too caring.

"Now, which of these four sentences contains a mistake?"

You weren't paying attention, to say the least. English and learning could wait for a time when the boy next to you wasn't looking so endearing. Today you learned he has different colored eyes as well, beautiful cerulean blue on one side and dark grey on the other. It was odd of you to be staring, even more odd at this boy you barely know, but something about that blue in his eye was so familiar, you just couldn't place it. Not to mention the burn scar residing around it.

It would be rude to ask, but you really were curious. Suppose that's a topic to remember when you know him better-if you know him better.

The class went by in a haze as you tried to find another pair of those blue eyes in your memory, but to no avail.

Then, you quietly shuffled down the halls to the lunch room. The line for lunch was very long, so you it was nerve racking to enter, but you wandered up and made your way there. Once you had your lunch, you took a long inhale, treasuring the steam of the rice that warmed your face.

The table's seemed mostly occupied, but you had to remind yourself there were probably no assigned groups. Everyone was new. Everyone was confused about where to sit. Or maybe they weren't? Maybe they made friends on the first day while you were busy apologizing...

"Hey, y/n, I still have some questions if you wanna sit with me?"

Startled by the voice, you jumped, the food on your tray doing a quick bounce to mimic you. The voice was recognized quickly, though, as the girl you'd spoken to earlier. It wouldn't hurt for todoroki to be your second friend, would it?

Turning over your shoulder you shot a half-assed smile at her to mask the sudden discomfort. She really was right behind you, had she been there the whole time?

You walked to a table in a corner, following her, and noticed a couple other girls there. It wasn't a new idea that in school settings, people often linked to stick with their own gender. It was just a bit of a shock that they could all bond so quickly over something so miniscule as being female.

In life your mom and dad had always equally been your best friends, it's an odd example but the dynamic is similar to if they were kids, too. That led you to believe there wasn't much difference between hanging around girls or guys. You wouldn't complain, anyone talking to you here was a blessing. Well, maybe not the yelling one.

"So, um, you had more questions?" you look up at momo warily.

Her face brightens in excitement as she pulls out a piece of paper. It seemed to be a list, had she been preparing questions? Geez, no need to make you feel special.

"So, you used your blood yesterday and somehow applied ample force to it to hurl a ball to an exact distance, care to um elaborate?"

The rice was just about to reach your mouth, but you paused, for her sake. Best to answer, then eat, although it smells delicious.

"Oh, well, you acknowledged earlier that my quirk has to do with metal, the medical term would be ferrokinesis. So, I was just manipulating small particles of iron, without unbonding them from my blood."

"Woahh, I totally didn't even know blood was like that..." Mina, the pink haired girl spoke, shaking her head and bouncing her beautiful curls as she did so.

Seeing her distraction, you shoved an ungodly amount of rice into your mouth, feeling a bit more comfortable already. Your cheeks squished out like a chipmunks and you chewed the best you could to both savor the flavor, and not choke.

"So you could do that with other people's blood?"

Mouth still full of food, you continued to answer casually.

"Well, I suppose I could.." you continued to chomp, voice slightly muffled by the rice in your cheeks,"but I'm not sure that'd be vewy hewoic of me."

E/c eyes glanced up at them casually to scope their opinions on your words, but the girls were too busy cooing at how adorable you were. Their sudden change of emotion caused an embarrassment trigger to go off in your mind. Cheeks heating up, but not showing any red. Eyes widening, you quickly swallowed the last of your rice, and sputtered out an apology for your disrespect.

"Oh gosh, it's rude to talk your mouth full, I'm sorry. My mother usually finds it funny because of the way my voice changes, but you're not my mom, haha. Wait!Um no she doest say that, um, I-"

"It's okay, you're adorable, and please don't say sorry, okay?" The girl with the sound quirk, and stylish hair spoke.

"Oh, um, yeah.."

-

Hero basic training. The moment of the day you'd been anticipating. Come to U.A. for the hero course, and this is the time of day you will always look forward to.

"I AM HERE!" You heard a voice boom from the doorway.

Sure enough, there he was. The number one pro hero, All Might himself. He was cool, but you preferred endeavour or best jeanist. It was just, he was so flashy, and people always depended on him for relief or safety, it didn't make sense. What happens when eventually, he is out of commission? Heroes that didn't worry about being some beacon of hope might be less comforting, but at least they'd get the job done now, and be easier to let go of later.

These thoughts, however, did not change the fact that you did still revere him. Who wouldn't? It All Might.

He went on a spiel about today's training, being ridiculously loud. Today wouldn't fight training, and it seemed the boy next to you was indifferent about that, but you, you were excited. This was what your quirk did best. Not to brag, but you'd say you have about a 7/10 chance of beating almost anyone in this class in hand to hand or quirk on quirk combat.

After all, you sacrificed your childhood to pursue it.

"But one of the most important things about being a hero is looking good-" The walls suddenly protrude outwards, causing your body to stiffen. Oh. It was the costumes. How exciting.

"Get yourselves suited up, and then meet me at training ground beta."

You happily obliged, rushing to grab your case and to change, this would most definitely be a fun training day!

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 15

Scene 6:

[Ren is lying on her back in the grass with Tāraki laying next to her and the rest of her pokemon scattered around nearby. Kai and Wally are off somewhere else at the moment and Ren seems to be enjoying her nap. Her nav buzzes and she grasps for it blindly and brings it up to her eye. The screen informs her that Steven is video calling her. She snaps upright, staring at the screen, heart suddenly pounding.]

Ren: [muttering quietly to herself] It’s probably no big deal. He’s probably calling you because of Magma stuff. If he was in imminent danger he wouldn’t bother with video. Just breathe.

[Ren takes a deep breath, pushes her hair behind her ear and answers the call.]

Steven: Hi Ren.

[Steven appears to be sitting in the grass leaning against a stone wall. He looks far more disheveled than usual and there are dark circles under his eyes.]

Ren: [concerned] Hey Steven. Is everything okay?

Steven: Hmm. How to answer that? Yes and no, I suppose. [seeing her look of panic] Nothing life-threatening! No Magma or Groudon or asteroids involved. I just wanted to talk to you about something and I can’t talk to Rire, so…

Ren: No, go ahead, what’s up?

Steven: [rambling] Well, we had a League meeting this morning. I stayed up the night before working on the agenda because of—you know—and I admit I looked like crap because I forgot my concealer and I was tired, but that can’t be the reason. It doesn’t make sense. They obviously planned this ahead of time. This was not a spur of the moment thing.

Ren: Steven, back up a minute. You’re not making sense.

Steven: Oh. Sorry. [clears throat] So, we went through the whole agenda and I was about to call the meeting but then it turned into like… an intervention… for me.

Ren: [confused] What?

Steven: They all said that I was taking too much on myself and had to delegate. And they wanted me to get more sleep and keep them updated and coordinate stuff with them. Not just regular League things, the Magma stuff too. They obviously talked it all out beforehand. All of them! I didn’t think they knew about… I don’t know. But who started it? I would say it Wallace, but…  

Ren: You know, maybe ambushing you like that was a little much, but all of that stuff sounds good. It’s nice that they care about you and want to be more proactive.

Steven: You don’t understand. It’s like a conspiracy. Everyone is in on it! Wallace talked to Bes and now they have the rest of my pokemon in on it too. I’m supposed to take the rest of the day off. Damascus won’t fly me anywhere and Anthy insists on keeping house now and is trying to learn how to cook. I have Ptilometra in there making sure she doesn’t burn the place down. Alwyn and Komatsu are planting a garden—Oh, Alwyn likes her gift very much and wanted me to tell your sandslash thank you. I think she may be working on something to send back? I’m not sure. Anyway, she roped my excadrill into into helping her plant all of those seeds.

Ren: That’s good. I’m sure Kōtai will be happy.

Steven: But you see what I mean, right?

Ren: That does sound like a lot, but maybe it’s for the best?

Steven: I know. What’s really been driving me crazy is how this all started. Wattson was sort of the ringleader, but I don’t think it was his idea. I’ve hardly seen him at all lately and he’s such a workaholic himself. He’s usually the one that tells Wallace to get off my case. It doesn’t add up. But I know it wasn’t Wallace because I grilled him already. Wattson called him. But who called Wattson? You know them a little right? Got any idea who it might have been?

Ren: [Her face twitches because by this point she actually does have a pretty good idea.] Um, no. I can’t say that I do.

Steven: Dammit.

Ren: Steven, I think you should take a deep breath and try to relax a little. Otherwise all of this effort is for nothing. And I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually. Maybe you’re overthinking this. And I do know how you feel. I hate being forced to do things, even stuff I like doing. But you do need to take better care of yourself, like we talked about. And the more people working on the Magma thing the better. They are all League members, right? They are not going to blab and they can all handle themselves if something happens.

Steven: [sighing] You’re right. I know you’re right. And I know I’m being a baby about this. Today has just been very surreal. Thank you for listening. It helps a lot. I feel a little calmer now.

Ren: That’s good. That’s really good.

[He rests his head back against the stone wall and while he is looking away, Ren smiles fondly at him. She rests her head on her free hand and her eyes go soft and her expression dreamy. There is stomping on his end and Ren snaps out of her reverie. He looks over at the source of the noise.]

Steven: Yeah, I’m okay now… No, Bes, I’m not working, I’m just talking to Ren.

[A huge metal leg edges into the corner of the screen and pushes gently up against Steven. He leans away.]

Steven: Whatever. You are still on thin ice. I know perfectly well this is all your fault somehow.

[Ren chuckles as Bessemer continues to nudge Steven both physically and mentally until he gives in and leans against his pokemon. Steven readjusts himself so that more of Bessemer is in the frame.]

Steven: Sorry about that. Bes says hello.

Ren: Hi Bessemer.

[She can hear them rumble. Steven leans back against them, looking almost peaceful when something occurs to him and he starts.]

Steven: It was you.

Ren: What?

Steven: Bes talked to you and you must have told Senri, he’s your father. So it was Senri who called Wattson and all of this was really your doing.

Ren: [guilty] All I said was I was worried!

Steven: [loud and theatrical] Here I was, confiding in you, and you were at the root of my problems all along!

Ren: [defensive] That’s hardly fair. And I didn’t plan any of this, I swear.

Steven: I know. It’s just funny. I just—

[He starts laughing and covers his face with his free hand. Ren laughs a little too. Steven stops himself abruptly and tries to look stern, but he is still smiling underneath.]

Steven: No. This is serious. [a stray chuckle] How dare you. [stifled snort] I'm—I’m disappointed. Don't you trust me?

Ren: [trying not to laugh] With most things…

Steven: Well I hope you're happy because now, thanks to you, the Hoenn League Champion has a strictly enforced bedtime.

[Ren loses it and starts laughing really hard, almost dropping her nav. Steven laughs too but tries to fight it.]

Steven: This is my life, Ren! It’s not funny!

[Ren just laughs harder. She falls over and drops her nav so that all Steven can see is the sky. Ren can still hear him laughing on the other end before he quiets a little, distracted by something.]

Steven: [still laughing intermittently] No, Bes! I'm not going to say that! You can tell her yourself when you see her. No! Get off me!

[Ren rolls over onto her stomach and grabs her nav to see what is happening. The camera on the other end is going a bit haywire as Steven flails around, but it seems as though Bes has him on the ground. From the strangled giggles it also seems likely that they are tickling him.]

Steven: No please! [snort] Ahh! [giggles] Stop! [wheezy laugh] Okay! Alright!

[Steven pops back up and swats the hair out of his face, aiming the camera at himself again. He takes a moment to catch his breath, then sighs.]

Steven: Bes says thank you.

Ren: [stifling giggles] Is that all?

Steven: And a lot more besides that they will tell you [directed at Bessemer through gritted teeth] when they see you.

Ren: [chuckling] Okay. You're welcome, Bessemer.

[Bessemer rumbles happily. Steven shoves them away and sits back against the wall.]

Steven: You know, I would never have pegged Senri as the instigator.

Ren: Well, he may not be the best dad, but he is still a dad.

Steven: At least the mystery is solved.

Ren: I wish I could say I was sorry for accidentally siccing the League on you, but I’m kinda not.

Steven: Well, at least you’re honest. I forgive you.

Ren: That's very generous of you.

Steven: It is.

Ren: [chuckling] Yeah, just go ahead and pat yourself on the back.

Steven: Will do. [He lets out a long sigh and readjusts himself against the wall.] So, we already talked about me. What have you been up to lately?

Ren: Pretty much training non-stop. I got my sixth badge.

Steven: Very good.

Ren: Oh, and my taillow decided to stay and train with Winona. Do you, uh, know her very well? I asked otōsan about her already, but he's not always great about… personality. He pretty much just talked about what kind of trainer she is, which was helpful but… I mean, I'm not too worried. She promised to let Māia stay a taillow and keep the stones you gave her and everything. I just, yeah, I can't help it.

Steven: No, I get that. Hmm, where to start with Winona? Is it safe to assume you know about the whole amnesia thing?

Ren: Yeah.

Steven: Well, I think that is a big part of the reason she doesn’t always give the best first impression. As I understand it, she spent a lot of time after the accident trying to be the person she was before and please all of these people who, for all intents and purposes, she didn’t actually know. So, at some point, she abandoned her old self and became someone new. I think the whole thing made her very uninterested in what anyone thinks of her. And losing all of one’s formative memories definitely shows, though it’s a little hard to pinpoint how exactly. It’s made her a singularly present person. She can’t dwell on the past and it makes her throw everything into whatever she is doing at the moment. She’s incredibly focused and tenacious, just maybe not the best people person.

Ren: She actually sounds like a good fit for Māia. Thank you, Steven. That helps a lot.

Steven: Happy to be of service.

[He smiles and yawns. He slumps against the wall and blinks slowly.]

Ren: Maybe you should take a nap.

Steven: I haven’t napped since college.

Ren: Well, you’re already falling asleep. I’m just saying maybe it should be on a couch or a bed.

Steven: I am not.

Ren: At least lie down in the grass. I know you love rocks, but that wall can’t be comfortable.

Steven: Alright.

[He edges away from the wall and out into the full sun. He lies down on his side in the grass and turns his nav so that he is still upright in the frame. Ren rolls onto her side and follows suit.]

Ren: Better, no?

Steven: [sleepy] Hmm.

[They smile at each other for a moment and his eyelids drift shut. Her face fills with warmth as she watches him fall asleep. It isn’t long before Kai and Wally can be heard returning, but it doesn’t really register until]

Kai: We’re back!

[Ren starts and looks up to see them approaching.]

Ren: Bye Bessemer, if you’re still there!

[There is a rumble on the other end.]

Ren: [quiet] Goodbye Steven.

[She snaps her nav shut just as Kai and Wally reach her.]

Wally: Who were you talking to?

Ren: Uh… my parents?

Kai: Ren, you’re red as a slugma.

[She rolls over onto her face and whines.]

Wally: [bouncing up and down, hands hovering near his mouth] Was it Steven?! Oh my goodness! What was he calling about? What did you talk about? What did he say?!

[Kai can’t help but smile a little at Wally’s excitement. Ren tries to melt into the turf.]