#V; Finding a Smile

[getyouraoion]

“lay your burdens on me.” (shingo)

For a moment, Aoi felt her breath catch in her throat. She’d been close to Shingo for so long, though his offer to let her unload was still new enough to catch the raven completely off-guard. He didn’t really want to hear why she was in a bad mood, did he? He was just being sweet… Right?

Slowly, she reached out to first cup his cheek… Then pulled the younger close for a tight hug. “Thank y’.. I’ll b’ fine, b’…. Thank y’, Shingo.”

[getyouraoion]

“we are the lost & the silent.” (shun)

“…Th’ unheard an’ th’ weary,” Aoi continued, staring out at the people bellow. Heartland’s rebuilding had been going so slowly,and the only reason she wasn’t out lending a hand was because she needed a break - And had been forced to take one by Aster himself. ‘I’ll be fine’ never went over well with a stubborn former commander, it seemed. “B’ we’re gonna fix that. Even if y’ don’t want m’ helpin’, I’m here… S’ put m’ t’ work.”

Even if it’d make Aster kill her later.

[getyouraoion]

@pendulumrisen From Yuri knows how to get under Aoi’s skin HERE

Just the fact he’d brought up her parents sent a shiver down her spine. If she could, she’d have thrown him off a cliff just for bringing them up - But for Yuya’s sake, at least, she could force a smile over her shoulder at the other Fusion native. Hurting him meant hurting her brothers, and she wasn’t about to do that to either of them or Yuto.

“More like y’ jus’ some kindda cockroach I can’t snuff out.” “Course, nobody said she had to be polite, the fact Yuya’d probably be groaning at them both over it zipping right over her head for the time being. “How ‘bout y’ close y’ mouth an’ sit on a cactus f’ once, yeah?”

[getyouraoion]

@pendulumrisen from HERE

“Or y’ lost a week,” Aoi teased, grin brighter than the sun itself. It’d been so long since she’d seen him; why wouldn’t she want to check out the sale with her little brother? “Jus’ wandered past there an’ it’s definitely on. S’ whatdya say, card sale or somethin’ else?”

Only if he had time, the bubbly raven quietly reminded herself. As much as she adored Yuya, she wouldn’t ever drag him away from his plans just because she’d decided to jump back into the dimension.She could always check out how the school was doing in that case- ...Was it even open at the moment?

[getyouraoion]

@shadowgoddessrin wants the annoyance that is a piglet-

“Y’ new here?” She hadn’t meant to sneak up on the girl, but she’d also honestly thought her footsteps heavy and loud enough to clue her in. Then againg she was curious and couldn’t be bothered to think on if she was being obvious enough in her approach; since when did the school have new students? “You Show’s definitely th’ best school y’ couldda picked.”

[getyouraoion]

I can't leave you unsupervised, can I-

Aster, when he learns Aoi lives to piss off Yuri

[getyouraoion]

@incantix wants to START A RIOT-

Of all the people to catch her attention, it had to be him. One of few people in Academia who set off every blaring warning sign and red flag in the pigtailed soldier just by looking at him. There was just something about this boy.... Something... Off...

And yet, despite her better judgement, she was all too quick to step up to him with a bright smile. Why she’d been sent in his direction was beyond her, but how could she argue? Er... More than usual? This asn’t even her area- Then again, she was ranked lowly enough that file fetching really was in the job description. More like her entire job description, really. “Mornin’~! Got sent t’ pick up a folder!”

So why was she chirping at him like he was Aster?

[getyouraoion]

@incantix because you told her no now she has to-

Aoi shuddered, pressing her back against the wall. Something about her said this guy wasn’t friendly at all, and she was without backup... But how hard could it be to just slip on by like she belonged? Not that she ever wanted to belong to Academia again, but she had been born and raised Fusion so-

Shrugging her shoulders, the raven slipped around the corner, casually wandering by the brunette. “Pardon m’, Goldie, jus’ headed t’ class, nice shirt-”

[getyouraoion]

@incantix

“It takes less muscles t’ smile than it does t’ frown,” the former soldier reminded, beaming a grin at the other. Sure, it wasn’t a traditional greeting, and she usually didn’t tease people she really didn’t know, but her mother had always told her ‘if you frown too much your face will stick that way’. And how could she risk him staying in a permanent frown? “See? Like this - Cheeeeese~”

[getyouraoion]

@incantix

“Let m’ follow around th’ Lancers.”

It wasn’t a question. Aoi rarely had it in her to demand things of anyone, but form the little she’d gathered in following around Yuya, this was her best course of action. If they had no idea she was there, it might prove difficult... The least she could do was stare down Reiji and all but demand he grant her permission, before he or anyone else he’d collected during the tournament tried to take her out.

She had her reasons, after all.

“N’ closely. At a distance.”

[getyouraoion]

@incantix seriously what is impulse control-

She’d barely been listening in this time, back pressed up against the wall and arms crossed over her chest.Her mind was racing too much to pay attention to much else anyway; what was Academia up to?  What was the point of anything they were doing? Heartland hadn’t done anything wrong-!

Even the sound of footsteps didn’t get her to look up, preferring to keep her focus on the ground. “...I’m sorry. Heartland deserved better.” it didn’t matter who it was, just that she’d gotten a chance to get it off her chest. Heartland had definitely deserved better... And knowing it was her own homeland that’ caused the damage made her sick. “I’m sorry.”

[getyouraoion]

@incantix

Johan had a tiger. Fluffy, big, behaved, cute... An actual tiger!

In a heartbeat, Aoi’d left her newfound friend in favor of said large cat, dropping to the floor to show Topaz her hands, first. Clearly, he was no typical tiger, but it was just polite to give him the chance to back away before she just dove right in! “D’ y’ mind?” And to ask, because she wanted to keep her hands, not become tiger-chow.

Giving it a moment, a broad, bright smile pulling on her lips, she reached out with one hand to gently stroke the fur just above his eyes, first. A few seconds later, the other hand came up and well, fingers moving behind his ears for light scratches. He was such a pretty tiger-! “Stop m’ if y’ don’t like it, ‘kay?”

[getyouraoion]

@incantix  <3′d for a Starter! (<3!)

Don’t get caught. Three simple words she’d been living her life by for the last several years. On most days, it was fairly easy; just act like a normal, every-day citizen, and nobody noticed. Her jacket had been altered and cut short, she didn’t look or act like a soldier - pretty simple stuff that usually worked out fine.

But that was when she had her butt firmly planted in Standard, not following around a group dead set against Academia. Simple didn’t apply when most of them had eagle-sharp eyesight, forcing her to hide around corners and keep to herself more than usual... And this day was no different. With her back pressed against a wall, it was all she could do to just peer around a corner; what were they up to now?

[getyouraoion]

@thunderdriven <3′d for a starter!

“Y’ need t’ rest sometime,” Aoi reminded, tugging on the other raven’s sleeve. He was the only one she felt comfortable enough with within the resistance to touch, which meant she had no problems in trying to get him to stop and take a breather, too. “Th’ refugees’ll b’ fine with everyone else helpin’ out. C’mon. Take a break an’ get a drink.”

Not that there was much water to go around, she quietly reminded herself, glancing to a family nearby. So few people left... And all because of her homeland. How was any of it not just one giant nightmare? “...C’mon, Manjoume. I’m n’ takin’ n’ f’ an answer.”

[getyouraoion]

@pendulumrisen From HERE

“Breakfast treats! Y’ really think I wouldn’t have somethin’ sweet in mind f’ breakfast, t’?” Well, not as many as she did for later in the day, but if it meant distracting him from his new pile of nicknames, why not? “An’ if all else fails, buffets! C’mon, trust y’ sister~”

[getyouraoion]

@dueltorn from HERE

If he was looking for a laugh, he’d definitely succeeded; A light giggle left her lips seconds before she slapped a hand over them. He could definitely be ditzy - she just hoped he hadn’t taken offense to her laughing! “Some of them might b’ mini-cupcakes, then.. Wait, don’t we have a mini-muffin pan somewhere?”

Brightening considerably, Aoi laid a hand on his side, leaning around the redhead for a glance around their kitchen. The action smeared flour across his shirt, transferred from hers to his, but if she’d noticed she wasn’t about to admit it. That... And she wanted the glob of batter on the handle of that spoon, so if she could just sneak it away from him....

“We could decorate tiny ones t’ look like little flowers, Plushfire! Or...” No pan; where could they have put it? “Or maybe just pile icing up on ‘em... An’... Gotcha!” With that cry, the hand on his side snapped up, quick fingers swiping at the extra and stray bit of batter. They really needed that pan, but she wanted a taste, too!