#【📚】✦✧✦【v: tactful agent 9】

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Dion is laying on his couch, mindlessly scrolling Squidder. After about an hour, he sighs, puts the phone in his pocket, and rolls over to face the back of the couch.]

"Puh, friends? Why would they act like I'm anything but a liability to them?"

"...A liability--"

[Suddenly, his thoughts are interrupted by a knock at his door. He lets out a sigh, before reluctantly getting up and going over to answer it...]

"Hi, Dion!"

"Uh... What're you doing here?"

"We came to see you, obviously."

[Dion falls silent for a few moments, before letting out a huff and gestures for the others to come in.]

"Make it quick."

"C'mon, don't be like that! Look, we brought pizza!"

[Ursula walks in after everyone else, holding a box of pizza.]

"...Really? You're trying to bribe me with food?"

"It's more of an offering of peace."

[Dion shakes his head, but still takes the pizza from Ursula and puts it on his coffee table. He then sits down next to the table, and moves to take a slice.]

"So what was so important that you needed to come to my apartment with no warning?"

"What? Can't friends visit friends without warning every once in a while?"

[A scowl covers Dion's face at this.]

"Cut the act, Cerrin. We all know that you guys don't consider me a friend, and you're only here to lecture me about some stupid thing I did."

"...Did you do something stupid?"

"No! What makes you think I did?"

"What makes you think we don't consider you our friend?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's the teasing? Or how you always point out my flaws? Or, just maybe, it’s the constant scolding every time I get hurt in Alterna or you just think I did something stupid?"

[There is a short silence, before Cerrin lets out a sigh.]

"Dion... We do that because we care about you."

"Yeah! And we all tease each other all the time, it's all in good fun! We don't mean any harm by it!"

"That's a load of shit and you know--"

[Insert Koa getting up and grabbing him by his shirt collar.]

"No. We are not doing this! You've never listened to our advice when we tried being gentle with you, and do stupid shit despite being warned multiple times not to! How else are we supposed to get anything through your thick head, if not through harsh words and criticism?!"

"........."

"You remind me of my parents..."

[orbitaldeathwoomy-a]

[At the Alterna base...]

"Has anyone seen Three? He should have been here a while ago..."

"Nope."

"No, ma'am..."

"Do you think something happened?"

"Well, I don't call these NSS meetings very often and I gave everyone plenty of time to prepare, so he'd better have a good excuse for--"

[As if on cue, Dion hastily arrives at the base.]

"Sorry I'm late! Something came up and I couldn't ignore it..."

"Mind telling me why you made us wait almost forty-five minutes for you?"

"...Mother and Father called, and they wouldn't let me--"

"Hold up. Did you just say "mother" and "father"?"

"Uh, yeah? What's wrong with that?"

[The other Agents snicker a little.]

"You sound like a pampered little prince, talking like that!"

"What?! I'm not a--It's just how I was raised!"

"But hearing that from you is so weird!"

"It does sound out of character, doesn't it?"

"Are you kidding me...?"

"Alright, alright. Let's just get this meeting over with so His Highness can be on his way..."

"Not you too, Captain!!"

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Everyone falls silent again, the air rather heavy as everyone tries to find some way to lighten the mood. After what feels like an eternity, Dion reaches for another slice of pizza.]

"...Y'know, I'm kinda surprised."

"About...?"

[Dion laughs softly.]

"This pizza… You actually remembered what I like, instead of just going with something plain."

"That was all Cerrin! I have no idea how he knows what everyone likes, but he does!"

"Well, it's not hard to remember something as strange as yellow peppers and pineapple..."

"Says the guy who likes... What was it? Chicken, olives, and onions?"

[Everyone laughs a little.]

"Does this mean you're not angry with us anymore?"

"Huh? Well... Yeah, I guess."

"That's good..."

"But, uh, one thing? Let's all try to just. Not be dismissive or harsh or whatever when we're talking, okay? About the NSS stuff, about life, or anything else..."

[Ruby reaches over and hugs Dion.]

"Well, duh! We care about you, Dion, so of course we'll do our best to be better now that we know where we've been doing wrong."

[Cue a short pause, before Dion sighs.]

"Yeah, I... Care about you guys, too."

"Soooo... Friends?"

"........."

"Ha, yeah, I guess!"

[orbitaldeathwoomy-a]

[After the NSS meeting...]

"Okay, so, if it's so weird that I call my parents "Mother" and "Father", what do you even call yours? What's normal to you?"

"My dad's just "Dad"! Nothing more, nothing less!"

"Well, my parents were never a part of my life, so it was my grandparents who raised me. But, I've always just called them "Gram" and "Gramps". Pretty normal, really..."

"Uh..."

[Cerrin looks at Ursula.]

"It had to be "Ma'am" and "Sir". Anything else ended... poorly for us."

"...Horrific implications aside, you guys really aren't in any position to be making fun of me for being polite about my parents. Especially you, Four."

"But that level of politeness just sounds so strange coming from someone like you!"

"Someone like--Don't give me that! You're rich too, so formalities and manners shouldn't be so weird to you!"

"They're not, when I'm in a professional setting. But talking like that when I'm among friends, even if it's for an NSS meeting, is just overkill."

"It's true. She's almost like an entirely different person when she's at work."

"So why are you all picking on me??"

[orbitaldeathwoomy-a]

@ourple-octoling said: 🌟 + Vio for Cerrin's sister, Ursala.... Has he told his sister about his boyfriend yet? 👀👀👀 || Ask my muse about their relationships!

"Cerrin told me about his boyfriend in private... But, even if he hadn't, I have seen them together enough times to know they get along well. Viorel seems very... reserved about his own feelings, despite his louder and more, ah, violent personality. Cerrin hasn't introduced us yet, but when he does..."

"I will make sure Viorel knows that if he ever hurts my brother, I will hurt him."