Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Nexus Earth - Chapter 1: Fracture -Session 1

[Justin OOC]

It was somewhat Stuffy in the assembly hall. When you cram seven hundred students into a room that can just barely contain them it's bound to be. The Student Council sits on the front row, their own place of privilege. Kai sits at the right hand of President Atsushi Hayami, with Amaya at his right. Valerie and Saito follow and The entire room is abuzz with the rumors of why this emergency assembly was called for. The full teaching staff is assembled as well, many are standing around the room or at the back, though the head of each grade and department are assembled on the stage. All of them look very serious and in some ways worried. Kai leaned over to Atsushi but before he could speak, the President shook his head. "I don't know Mr. Morisato. Normally I address the student body, but today Principal Shikishima will address everyone directly."

Kai nodded and smiled. "Ok then I'll let the rest down the line that." he turned to Amaya and relayed the message and waited as it went down the line. Principal Shikishima took the stage purposefully and Motioned for silence. "I have called this assembly to announce that all activities after five pm are now canceled. There has been a string of killings around the high school and within our district that has everyone on edge. I'm sure you all or at least your parents have seen reports of it on the news. I advise those of you who live near each other to go home together in groups. If it's possible and one of our faculty lives in the area, I ask that each of you shpered home what students you can. I understand this sounds like paranoia and that I am asking what may sound silly, but it is the best i can do since I have been informed that I cannot cancel classes here. This semester will go forward as it would normally, I, we, just ask that each of you takes a moment of time to think of your own safety and that of your classmates on your way home."

He nods once and continues. "Alright, everyone I will give you fifteen minutes to return to your classrooms, Now please, think Safe and let's try to have a good day. Coaching staff and physical club sponsors please report to my office in five minutes for a brief meeting following this assembly."

The student body begins filing out to the various classrooms, Only the Student Council and a handful of normal students remains. The fifteen member Council comes to form a loose circle with President Hayami. "I want each of you to go through the student body today and try to reassure the students. I didn't expect to actually hear about the killings from him like that and I know its going to rattle the student body. Be very public, very accessible to our fellow students. Do your best to help anyone who asks. Mr. Murazaki, I want you to doublecheck all the monitoring systems and the perimiter. Make sure that everything is set so that the school can be locked down as the principal wishes. Report back to me with any issues."

He looks to each of the other thirteen members. "If any of you hear anything strange report it to me. Now if you would, let's all go to our classes. We can't set a good example by being late." He rises from his chair and nods, his primary gesture of dismissal.

The Council follows suit and they all spread out to their separate classes to do as the President has asked. President Hayami stops Saito before he leaves. "Considering the nature of things, go ahead an invite your brother to come to the meeting today. You always seem to do even better when he's around."

Amaya and Kai go in one direction to physics, Valerie and Ryo and Lily and the rest of the council each go their separate ways to their classes. Through the course of the day each member of the party hears rumors about the attacks. These rumors range from aliens to vampires to terrorists and demons. Some are really outlandish, but some make sense. Most agree that the victims were cut up and mutilated, some would even say mauled, and then incinerated. All in all they died a very gruesome death.

-----------------------------

Inside his office The six coaches and four Teachers aides responsible for running the schools various sports teams, PE classes and clubs such as the archery and Kendo club are all assembled. "I realize the semester has only just started and that you all require after-hours acess to the school for yourselves and your clubs. Even so I must refuse any exceptions to the 5:00 pm lockdown. I will come in early in the morning from now on at 6:00 am. Those of you who wish to schedule yourselves to be here will be permitted to do so. It is my hope that in this time some of the lost afterschool activities can be made up." There was a collective grown from the assembled staff.

"This isn't open for debate. The Superintendant himself offered this as the only other option. All these killings around the school have everyone worried. But the word from on high is to go on as we normally would, albeit with the Lockdown. The other thing I've been told is that we are to keep a minimum of three faculty members on the premises overnight to ensure that the Lockdown is effective. We don't want any students on campus except for the Student Council."

That brought a look from the gathered teaching staff. "Atsushi Hayami procurred special permission for a part of the council to continue their activities here, provided they all signed the proper waivers."

"Principal Shikishima, this is unthinkable." It was Head Coach Dogen. He was responsible for most of the Athletic victories the school had won over the last decade. "To allow them to stay if it's so dangerous..."

"My hands are tied in this matter. Hayami is evidently planning something large for the student body to help alleviate the worries of his fellow Students. I have been given my directives to allow him to proceed at his discretion, so long as each of the student signs a waiver acknowledging the risks they take by remaining."

He nods and then makes his decision. "For the first group of three faculty I am asking you,Coach Illiyev, You, Ms. Zebb to join Mr. Kongou from our Home sciences department and stay the night here with whomever of the student council stays. Keep an eye on them and don't let anything happen to any of them. We will rotate the overnight schedule every three days. For today I want you to go home and rest when you leave for your lunch. return here by 5PM sharp so we can lock everything down. "

"Now all of you, go out there and try to reassure our students that everything will be fine Nothing will really change and they'll catch whoever is doing this, then everything will go back to how it's always been." He offers them a warm genuine smile. No one looks remarkably happy, but they have jobs to do.

The council reconvenes at Lunch on the roof of the building. Normally they aren't alone, but today their position grants them special privelages. Only a select membership is being allowed up and suprisingly that includes two teachers and an aide.

((OOC)) The story picks up with each of you arriving at the rooftop to find four tables set out with ten chairs around them. This is of course provided you choose to go. The President is seated at the head of the table and quietly waits for everyone to arrive. During the course of the day, a student leaves an invitation for lunch with the Council in the office of each of the three teachers assigned to nightwatch.

At this point each of you may post your reactions to the brief assembly and then the ensuing fear it engendered throughout the day. To see how well each of you did I want each of you to roll your Soul stat. (Target number 12 for students, 9 for teachers)

Failure means that you tried but the students are still somewhat fearful. Failure by 6 or more means you actually made it worse in some small way, perhaps you let slip a particularly gruesome rumor you heard and since you're a member of the Council the students believe you.

Sucess means you quelled some doubts and generally brightened the days of those you spoke to. Success by 6 or more means you totally calmed a good amount of people and they have renewed faith in the student council and the faculty. Perhaps you promised to walk someone home even if they're a bit out of the way or even if you have to come back, or for teachers gave out easier assignments than normal.

Teachers, this all holds for you as well. you're in a more authorative position so your word is accepted a bit more. How you choose to respond to the invitation is up to you, but take into account that the Student Council president doesn't make many invitations to faculty for any reason. If you're going to be stuck dealing with the council, perhaps it would be best to get to know them.

Please include your roll at the top of your posts and describe what you did. Once everyone has posted I will move along.))

[SalmonMax]

(Soul check result 19! Here's the link: http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1194032 )

Lily spends the day trying to reassure the students...and maybe it's something about the confidence she puts out, or her unending cheerful energy, or even her colorful, mismatched clothes...but between an impromptu speech between classes and promising a particularly upset lowerclassman that she'd walk with him home, Lily makes quite an impression on the student body.

As such, she's in a great mood when she meets the others on the roof and is actually humming to herself as she takes her seat. During the entire crisis, Lily has only ever expressed concern for other students. Not once has she seemed worried about her own safety. She's either woefully overconfident, or completely out of touch with reality, it's hard to tell which. Whichever it is, at least it's good for keeping the panic level in others down.

[Karrie Sherman]

[OOC: 14 on Soul roll]

Amaya shivered as the principal made his announcement. Her hand reached out and found Kai's, gripping it tightly, as if to reassure herself that he was there. When the principal called for a break, her liquid blue eyes lifted to his as she whispered, "This is awful."

Kai nodded as they stood up and gathered around the Council President. Amaya clutched Kai's hand as President Hayami spoke. When he dismissed the council, she continued to hold Kai's hand as they headed to class.

They'd barely cleared the auditorium before a young girl stopped them. The sophomore was one that Amaya recognized only by sight; she’d never had any classes with the girl, but the girl had big purple eyes that were hard to forget. “I know that I’m such a nervous child, asking this,” the girl cried, “but … is it true that we’re all in danger?” Tears brimmed in her luminous eyes.

“Of course not,” Kai said quickly.

“Yeah, they’d send us home if there was real danger,” Amaya agreed with a smile, and she hid her surprise at how convincing she sounded. Stepping away from Kai, she gave the sophomore a quick one-armed hug. “Now, you need to get to class!”

“Right!” the girl cried, giving them a thumbs up before dashing away down the hall.

“Nice job,” Kai told her, and Amaya blushed as she took his hand again.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice a touch shy. With another warm smile just for him, they hurried to class.

* * *

And so it went all morning. By the time they went up to the roof, Amaya was tired of saying, “It’s okay.” She wanted to grab someone and shake them, but she didn’t. It was her duty to calm and quiet, not make worse through hysterical fear. And she’d done a great job of it too; everyone she’d spoken to walked away smiling and relieved.

After her morning class, she caught up to Kai and headed to the roof for their lunch meeting. She paused as she saw the tables and Lily already there. The look wasn’t entirely friendly; Lily had been a bit too friendly with Kai in the past, and Amaya didn’t trust the strange gaijin. Taking a stronger hold on Kai’s hand, Amaya stepped onto the roof with the smile that had calmed so many. “Hi, Lily,” she said, waving with her other hand.

She sat down across from the foreigner, and gently directed Kai to sit next to her with casual tugs on his hand. “Quite the day, wasn’t it?” she added as she took her seat.

[SalmonMax]

"It's sure kept me busy," Lily replies, returning the wave. "Seems like each person I talked to had a worse rumor than the last. I don't know -where- they're getting this stuff from. Some of them really seem to think it's a monster." The redhead shrugs. "I was late to a couple of classes, but I set them straight."

She gives Kai a warm smile, then asks Amaya, "So what have you been up to?"

(OOC - Amaya, your post is fine as-is, but I thought I'd clarify that Lily hasn't openly expressed romantic interest in Kai...the 'speaking clearly of desire' would more likely be a denial. But she DOES seem to find convenient excuses to be around him a lot, and she really is overly friendly to him, so not trusting her is perfectly IC. I just wanted to be sure I was clear OOC. )

[Karrie Sherman]

"Homework, archery, the council," Amaya replied easily. "This whole thing is terrible - not only are there students dead, but the rest are rattled. I'm a little shaken myself." She looked at Kai with her glorious eyes, seeking comfort from her boyfriend.

He squeezed her hand, and Amaya looked more at ease as she glanced back at her peer. "We haven't gotten to talk much, have we? What's been keeping you busy this school year?"

[OOC: Noted and post changed slightly to reflect that. Sorry!]

[Georgi]

Soul Stat Roll: 11. http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1194247

When the principal spoke of the killings, Georgi became angry. The idea that someone was targeting students violated everthing he had been taught. As the assembly ended, Georgi took off for home to gather his equipment. It was a short trip.

He spent all morning conducting team-building excercizes with his PE students. Most of what he taught them, was based in military ethics and philosophy, but the result was to alleviate fear. If there was a lession to be learned; it was that fear is the true enemy. If you can conquer your fears, nothing can stop you. Obviously, this was more of a mental excercise than a literal science. But by getting his students to work as a team, they could turn away ther fears.

It worked. Most of his students felt more confident and trusted their fellow students for support when it is needed.

As lunch began, Georgi stoically sat down at a table on the rooftop. He surveyed the students and the teachers around him, as if searching for an enemy. His index finger absentmindedly tapped the safety on the Hekler and Koch MP5K, submachine gun, that he had concealed beneath his windbreaker. It was one of the things he grabbed from home.

[SalmonMax]

"Oh, you know," Lily replied, flapping a hand. "Settling in from the big move, mostly. Checking out clubs. Making new friends." Here she shot Kai a quick smile. "Getting used to everything being different. But in other ways it's the same. School is school no matter where you go, I guess."

She glanced around as the PE teacher strode ominously by, then looked back at Amaya. "Though it's pretty unusual for there to be weapons, isn't it? I'm not sure it's really helping people feel safer."

[Kai]

Kai patiently listened meanwhile his eyes drifted to President Hayami. Hayami's steel grey eyes expressed nothing but, he could feel the senior watching him intently. He looked away and nodded as Coach Illiyev joined them.

He chuckles softly at Lily's remark about weaponry. "you have seen the arsenal that Saito Murazaki carries I assume? Sure it;s all nonlethal, but I imagine if he unloaded everything he'd have a stack about this high."

To emphasize his point he holds his hand about a foot off the table. "It's certainly cut down on the brawls and such we had here having him around. The student body is unified in their general fear of him, that said he seems like an ok guy when he's not "on patrol."

[Valerie]

[6, 6, 4 = 16. Critical succes]

Valerie spent all morning among the students of the Sophmore and Junior grades, always answering dutifully to the call of "Senpai" wanting to ask about the abundant rumors of cybernetic robots from the future, super powerful bioengineered monsters and even the odd case of a Magical Girl gone wrong.

Valerie soothed all the students, among promises of chivalorus protection from the Judo and Kendo clubs, and the mothering of every girl in the Home Economics class. She could feel her head twirl with so many questions, but somehow Valerie managed to answer all of them one by one. By lunch break, she was exhausted but she had to answer to the summons of the Student Council president, so she made the long journey to the school roof, where she had been many times before asked to eat her lunch.

Sighing and preparing mentally for what will probably amount to either a boring or intense meeting, she opened the door, waved to everyone with a cheerful "Hiya!" and sat down besides the vice-secretary.

[Kongou]

[ooc: Soul roll: 14]

Mr Kongou sighs when he hears the news about the club cancellations, and shakes his head. This probably won't stop the attacks, but it should help the students deal with them.

When the classes resume for the day, he assigns the students a bunch of work, including an essay in his cooking class. While the students groan, he smiles. Good. This might help them keep their mind off the assembly and the attacks. When the invite arrives for the gathering, Kongou chuckles and makes a note on his day-planner.

*****************************************************************

As lunch time rolls around, Kongou makes his way up to the rooftop lunch area. At his side is a leather briefcase. When he enters the sun-drenched rooftop, he puts on a pair of sunglasses, and walks over to the tables. He sits down across from Georgi, nodding to the other teacher, then looks over towards the president of the council.

[Saito]

http://invisiblecastle.com/rolldice.py?u=Saito&r=1&d=2d6%2B5&n=&a=Roll+the+dice

Saito spends the morning reassuring students that everything will be fine. He convincines most of the students that he speaks with that the student council has everything under control and if need be, Saito can be counted on to bring his own manner of "Justice" anyone who threaten's school peace.

===========================================================

Saito marches up to the roof and proceeds to walk cooly up to President Hayami, salute him and move quickly to sit down in an open seat making sure to save a seat for his brother Ryo.

[Karrie Sherman]

Amaya smiled at Lily as she spoke. She was about to make sure that Lily was settled in well when the conversation changed. "Weapons? Yeah, they make me nervous. I wish that Saito didn't carry them at all, but I do admit that they have forced a calm on the school."

Valerie bounced in, and Amaya waved and greeted her. "Hi! You ok? You look tired, Secretary."

Valerie's response was interrupted when Kongou appeared in the doorway. Amaya dropped her eyes so that she wouldn't stare at the teacher, careful to not grip Kai harder. It was shameful, this way that she felt, but Amaya couldn't help it. Instead, she focused on the warmth of Kai's hand, the sound of Val's voice. Both of those grounded her, and reminded her of her duty.

[Valerie]

"Yes! I'm ok Senpai, I was swarmed all day with questions about the assambley and my head got dizzy from all the questions! People are saying the WEIRDEST things about the...uh...Cases" Valerie visibly blanched when she stuttered for the word "So yeah...I have been trying to calm everyone down today all day, I will have to ask my companions for notes on todays classes, I didn't get to write anything down!" Valerie laughs forcedlly at that last comment. "How have things been for you Miss Vice President?

[Kai]

Kai nodded to Mr. Kongou and smiled and waved back to Valerie as they joined. He watched Saito arrive and salute in crisp military fashion and wondered exactly where Saito had come from. He felt Amaya squeeze his hand harder and he kept his on hold on hers steady, a rock of strength in turbulent times. She'd suprised him when she showed up and they hit it off so well. the past month of having her as his girlfriend had been the happiest here at Jindai High.

"Well Ms. Secretary it's good that you calmed them down some. I think the worst rumor I've heard is that there's a sentai team of mutant catgirl vampires going around and punishing the wicked. The sad part is, I've heard it more than you'd think."

[Murazaki_Ryo]

Ryo pretty much avoids the rest of the student body as he usually does. If he attempted to speak to his fellow freshmen, it probably would have backfired on him. He wasn't really much of a people person anyway. Instead he made his way up to the ceiling of the school and sat next to his brother as he typically did.

[Valerie]

"Oh Senpai!" Valerie laughs again, admitedlly less forced. "Did you got to hear the one about the mercenary organization that is sniping international spys around the school grounds? I couldn't believe it when they told me that one!"

[Kai]

"No I hadn't heard that one. How about that one with the army of shadow ninja warriors searching for an ancient demon gate yeah to unleash demonic hordes into the modern world? Kyoga in class A-3 was saying that one. Said he could feel the presence of otherworldly beings."

He sighs. "Kyoga always has been a little weird, but he's a pretty nice guy. Sometimes he's a bit creepy though. Funny thing though. Most people say he's crazy but he's been right a couple a times with some of his predictions. who knows, maybe he's right this time..."

He says it all with a straight face to nobody in particular. But it does serve to remind everyone that there are strange occurences going on here and that they are going to be somewhat responsible to the student body. They have to come up with a solution, or at least some way to keep the students from panicking.

[Karrie Sherman]

With a laugh, Amaya dismissed Kyoga's tale. "I heard that it was Kitsune who are punishing students who 'went all the way.' But I'm sure that the President will have some ideas of what is going on, and how to fix it," Amaya said softly, nodding to the grey-eyed student at the head of the table. "We just need to put our heads together and work something out."

She smiled at the council. "We have a lot of strong, capable people here. I'm sure that we can pull together." She flashes a particularly brilliant smile to Kai.

[Kongou]

Mr. Kongou coughs loudly, and violently at the mention of the last rumor by Kai. After a minute or so, he straightens up and reaches into his briefcase, pulling out a bottle of water. "Excuse me." Mr. Kongou downs the bottle of water, and looks around. "Pardon me, but did you say this was mentioned by Kyoga in class A-3? Very interesting theory, but ninjas and demons in this day and age?"

Kongou laughs and smiles at Kai. "Next thing you know, someone will be suggesting it's a miniaturized Godzilla."

After another minute, Mr. Kongou takes out a yellow legal pad and a pen and starts jotting down some thoughts.

[Kai]

"Actually I think that's the only one I haven't heard. Miniaturizing Godzilla is almost a sin in and of itself. Spreading a rumor about such a thing, that ain't right." He laughs too and flashes his own winning smile to everyone at the table.

President Hayami nods and returns to his own note pad.

[SalmonMax]

"At least no one's talking about UFO's and aliens yet," Lily says brightly. Then, as if just realizing that vampire kitsune sentai were really a LOT weirder than mere aliens, she clears her throat and quickly hurries on.

"Anyway, it seems to me that the only way to fight these wild stories is to find out what the truth is. We could call the...uh..." a curious blank look steals over her expression. "The people that...enforce the laws. The guards. The...uh... You know what I mean! We could ask them to release details of the cases!"

[Kongou]

Mr. Kongou looks over the edge of his sunglasses at Lily. "The police would not be likely to release that information to private citizens." He then looks directly at Lily, "The only information we have to work with will have to come from what they give to the general public. Also, they may wonder why we are trying to find out this information. In that case they may start to ask questions. Questions that the police might not like the answers to."

[Karrie Sherman]

"Agreed," Amaya said softly, looking at Kongou. Her eyes flickered over to Lily quickly, though, as she continued, "As good as that idea is, the police aren't going to be very cooperative with us. Which is too bad, because we could use the data.

"But... I mean... shouldn't we let the police do their jobs?" Amaya asked. "We're supposed to calm and protect the students, not solve crimes. Right?"

[Valerie]

"But we need this information to calm down the students, what? They think they can just dismiss deaths like that?" Val has a bit of tears welling up on the corner of her eyes, but she wipes them away with the sleeve of her uniform. "Anyway, Could you believe the one about the teachers being Mecha pilots for the JSDF and that they had to 'Silence' the students that discovered their secrets?"

[SalmonMax]

"Well if the -police- won't help," Lily says, enunciating the word slightly as if committing it to memory, "Then maybe it's time we did some investigating of our own. After all, if it happens on school grounds, it's our business to know what exactly is going on. We can't do our jobs otherwise. And for some of us it's even an actual paid job!" She nods at the teachers.

"We don't have to interfere with the police...I wouldn't say that," Lily quickly qualifies. "But if we could find out more about what's going on, we could not only comfort the students...we could also keep them safer."

[Lawrence Thebes]

Originally Posted By: Soul Stat Roll

6 (Soul rating) + 6 + 5 = 17
Target = 9
Success + 8
Wow, I'm happy this isnt 2nd Edition

Ariel spent the morning with her friends among the students. Her presence seemed to do a lot for their spirits and worries. It was knowing that one of the teachers weren't busy enough to spend all their time in meetings, or all their emotions in worrying. Was Ariel worried? Of course. But they didn't need to hear that, and on more than one occasion she even convinced a teacher to give the students a few minutes of free time before the ending bell.

When Ariel arrived at the roof for the lunch, she paused in decision. She decided to sit next to the group of active chatters. "If the police need us, they will ask, I am sure. But I think sticking students heads into this isn't the best idea, Lily." She replied, over hearing her previous statement. "Hi everybody." She said as she sat down, smiling at the group.

[Georgi]

Georgi returned a nod to Mr. Kongou, and listened to the others around him at his table an the others. His super hearing let him eavesdrop on everyone's conversation on the rooftop.

Mecha, Vampires, Kitsune, demons, sentai...the lists of possible perpetrators went on and on. Maybe it was healthy for them to fantasize about who was killing those people, as it displaced their fears. But then again, Georgi had become familiar with the rumors put forth by the students these past 6 months.

Miniaturized Godzilla! he laughed quietly at Kongou's statement. For Georgi, having the students babble about perps was one thing, but for a teacher to encourage them was almost hilarious. Almost, exept a miniaturized Godzilla was not funny. Godzilla was a giant radioactive lizard who wrecked cities while battling evil monsters. To miniaturize the beast was shameful. Although distracting the gossip for a few minutes might be for the best.

The students were right about one thing. Being kept in the dark about the situation was frustrating.

[Kai]

Kai smiles and nods to Ms. Zebbs. There was only one chair left open now and yet President Hayami had yet to actually speak. Just as he was about to say something The president smiled and shook his head.

He knew Kai was about to say something. God Atsushi that still freaks me out. Just then Kai's stomach growled loudly, spoiling their staredown. He looked down to the lunch he'd prepared and then back to President Hayami and felt his face growing red.

"Well it is lunchtime Kai, we should go ahead and eat while we wait for our last guest. That way what I have to say won't ruin your appetites." To get the ball rolling he too opened his own lunch and began eating. Kai quickly follow suit, hoping the two of them wouldn't be the only ones.

[SalmonMax]

Lily sulks a bit at Ariel's input, but brightens instantly when Kai takes out his meal. She immediately digs a paper bag out of her backpack and starts pulling things out. Something wrapped in a napkin that turns out to be a sandwich. A plastic bowl with a lid. A little ziplock baggie with weird little orange colored chips in it. Finally a carton of juice she must have bought from the cafeteria.

When she unwraps the sandwich, it steams a bit, and emits an odor a little like lasagna, steak, and curry. The bowl has what looks like butterscotch pudding topped with a curl of ketchup. The chips smell like oranges. The oddities of her meal are gone almost as fast as they're produced though, so prodigious is her speed of eating.

When done she dabs her lips daintily with the napkin, then tucks all the containers back into the bag, wads it up, and tosses it back into her backpack.

"I think lunch is my favorite meal of the day," she decides. "Except maybe dinner...or breakfast."

[Karrie Sherman]

Amaya pulled out a tin bento box; Kai recognized the container and seemed to pale a bit. “Wanna share?” Amaya asked her boyfriend, smiling with pleasure. “You are the only person who seems to like my food.”

“Yeah,” Kai said, not entirely convincingly.* Amaya didn't seem to notice his recalcitrance; instead she opened up her lunch box, revealing normal-looking food that smelled fine.

“Mmm,” Amaya said, inhaling the aroma of her food. But she quickly became distracted by the food in front of Kai, using her chopsticks to snag a strip of chicken. Kai took a strip of what appeared to be beef** from her tin and popped it in his mouth with all the enthusiasm of eating a live scorpion. His girlfriend turned blue, blue eyes on him and asked, “How is it?”

Kai, ever the gentleman, gave the only answer he could. “Good. It’s… good. Nice… texture.”

----------

*Anyone who tried Amaya's brownies on the first day of class knows why. Mr. Kongou definitely knows why.

**You never know, and there has to be some reason the food is so bad.

[Kai]

It wasn't that Amaya's cooking was bad, it certainly was. Kai had simply gotten used to it over the last month. The things I do for my girlfriend. His own meal of onigiri and grilled salmon and rice was disappearing quickly. He'd gotten to where he always packed twice what he actually needed, because this was usually an everyday thing. In truth he didn't mind. She seemed to enjoy his cooking so everything was ok.

He thought back to the first time they'd shared lunches. That had really gotten the rumormill started and going in full force. Now, it was just an accepted thing that they'd eat parts of each other's lunch.

"How about mine? I went with Salmon today as the furikake. I figured I would spice things up. I found some more of the pickled sour plums that you liked so much too."

[Saito]

Saito reached into his knapsack and pulled out an MRE and began to eat his lunch while listening intently to the conversations of his peers.

[Valerie]

Valerie pulled up her bento box, a wooden box wrapped in a pink napkin with small kittens and flowers. "I had to wake up early to make my Bento, I really realy looked forward to this!"

Valerie snaps her chopcsticks before unwrappin the blanket and open up her Bento, just in time to find it empty.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! I forgot to pack it!" Valerie has tears swelling up on her eyes as she stares at her box. "and I even missed the train today because I was cooking it!"

[Kai]

Kai smiles and reaches down into his own bag and pulls out a econd smaller lunch, which he then proceeds to hand it to Valerie with a smile. "It's ok I made a bit too much today, so I packed a spare in case a friend forgot theirs."

[SalmonMax]

Lily raises an eyebrow at Kai.

"You made TWO lunches? What would you have done with it if no one had forgotten theirs?"

[Kai]

Kai shrugs. "I've never had the issue of them not getting eaten. It seems there's always someone who forgot theirs or can't pay for the school lunch." He looks over to Saito and smiles.

"Honestly man I don't see how you eat those MRE's. They taste like cardboard, though I heard the MAME's the Navy makes aren't that bad."

[Valerie]

"Thank you Senpai!" Valerie jumps and hugs Kai by the neck "I'm really really hungry and if the Archery clubs meets today I would be a laughingstock if I can't pull back my bow!" Valerie proceeds to practically inhale the lunch Kai gave her.

[SalmonMax]

"All right, but just say...as a hypothetical situation...that one day you come to school, and every single student, and teacher, has a fine lunch of their own. And there you are with two. What would you do with the second one?" Lily asks when Valerie releases Kai's neck so he can speak.

[Karrie Sherman]

"Your cooking is good, as always," Amaya told Kai as she delicately ate a pickled plum. When he passed his lunch to Val, Amaya smiled proudly at Kai's selfless nature, happy that she had the nicest boyfriend in school. Carefully, she slid some more of her food onto his tray, all too willing to share what she had with him. "You're getting a real treat," she promised the sophomore, unaware of the irony of that statement as Kai's expression changed to a hunted look.

But for all her kind words, Amaya's face hardened when Valerie threw her arms around Kai, and some of the ditzy warmth fled her eyes, replaced by cold ice. Her hand snaked out and settled on his arm, as if anchoring Kai in place. She watched closely until Valerie released Kai, her body tense. Her other hand was so tense that one bamboo chopstick cracked, bending around the other one.

Blinking, Amaya dropped the sticks and blushed, her expression warming up again. "Oh, my... it snapped! How strange," she mused, laughing. "It must have had a flaw in it." She flashed Kai an easy grin. "I guess I'm having finger food today."

[Kai]

even as Valerie hugs his neck Kai quietly hands over his slightly used chopsticks to Amaya. "Thanks I try to do a decent job. Here, you go ahead I'll finish after you do." It's the same selflessness that had always endeared him to so many others. Though in this case he was in no rush to finish Amaya's cooking. He would, because he was supposed to, but this gave him a moment's respite from it.

He nods to Lily. "If by some chance i really do just have an extra I'll eat it before Kendo practice, or if i don't have time, as a snack when I get home."