Quarrie Higurashi's Story

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Emethil looked at the boy whom gave her the seat before she took said seat. As she took out one of her books, she noticed others begin flowing in after her, and some doing something Emi couldn't, introductions to the class. That took lots of courage that Emi never seemed to have, though some broke down just like she would as far as she knows. Though as the classroom filled in, the little timid girl continued reading her book, which was a manga, disguised as a normal book, adjusting her glasses every so often, it was an interesting read, being that it was a mystery and something was always afoot, which stimulated Emi's mind as she worked through it with the character whom tried to solve said mystery as fast as he can. It wasn't as interesting as the conversations per say, but for someone whom cannot even speak sometimes to others, the book was what she had to do.

Yet soon the teacher came in, and well, it amused her since he was rather eccentric, in that he didn't seem to notice that the chair was structurally weakened from what looked like use, before basically forgetting it ever happened. He was a strange individual indeed, though what he had said next, seemed to make Emethil almost cry, he told the class about choosing partners. Which that involved a thing Emi hadn't been able to do well since before she could remember, something was always making her timid that the rest of her class, though soon the others were away and talking with each other. Leaving Emethil out and thinking she wouldn't be approached by really anyone, at least, until the boy next to her spoke, which he sounded bored for whatever reason, and upon looking at him, he seemed bored and almost annoyed about this, in sharp comparison to the blank read most would get from Emethil, though soon she nodded, as if to say yes to his offer to partner up. Without thinking ahead, wondering if he was a weapon, which she didn't realize before taking his hand with a gentle and rather cold hand, Idiku was his name. Emi's heard stranger names, including her own, before making an attempt to introduce herself, which failed as what felt like a well of nervousness came over her which felt like a stone was placed in her throat, making it difficult to be able to breathe, and talk for that matter. Slowly her pulse rose and she began to shake a little as she tried to speak again, but just couldn't. Retracting her hand, Emi thought of what to do, how to communicate, her mind raced and rushed as she tried to think of a way to talk without making an absolute fool of herself.

Though the idea presented itself as she took out a small notepad her sister gave her while packing, it was to help in case the well of nervousness came and choked her voice, she took it out, and with a pen worte what she made an attempt to say, of course with some timidity to it, "My name, is Emethil Arca, Meister. It's a pleasure...." she wrote before it became an incoherable mess of shaky writing, soon she presented her note to Idiku in hopes he wouldn't judge her. Of course, she felt that no matter what, she was going to be judged and ridiculed as per usual when people find out sheis so timid she can't even talk most of the time.

One can hope can't they?

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South America - Two Years ago


”Wait, why is she here?!” He thought to himself as he lied there on a jungle floor, still in a daze from the punt he suddenly received to the chest. ”And why does this combat uniform have to be so heavy? I can barely get up.” With a quick glance to his side, he spotted the onyx chainsaw resting a few feet away, the initials ’FT’ stenciled into its side. Fumiko was probably a tad pissed that he had lost his grip while flying backwards, but it wasn’t Moto’s fault she was hard to swing around. After affirming the girl’s wellbeing, he quickly diverted his attention to the more prominent problem. The previous question still repeated itself in his head, unsure of her presence. Meters before them was young woman in similar attire, standing bravely against an Arachnophobian stone golem. The mindless creature attempted to strike the weapon down, yet her right arm transformed into a gleaming scythe blade within the blink of an eye. She may be an adult, but weapons are unable to stand against opponents on their own. The boy gritted his death and forced himself onto his feet, refusing to idly remain on the sidelines.

”Ms. Rem-” The boy began to call out before he broke off into a brisk sprint towards the sprawl. Neither the cries from the chainsaw nor the explosions ringing in the distance distracted the boy. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and the will to save a close friend, which he had lost many of in the past weeks. Yet it was a meaningless plight to ascertain the unobtainable. The woman managed to parry one more attack and displaced the brute’s footing momentarily, yet the stony beast soon retorted by bringing down its limb yet again. It was obvious that she was out of energy, and had already accepted the outcome. She took one last glance at the boy running towards her with an outstretched hand, the sense of accomplishment and contempt painted on her face as she her clock ceased to tick. Where she had stood was only a formation of stone bricks connected to a monster. He had failed yet again. The boy spun around at the sound of hurried footsteps. A squad of academy members were rushing towards them, the leader’s iconic labcoat blew with the wind as he came to a halt. The man already knew of the aftermath before he had even arrived, yet nothing could prepare him for the sight before him. Not even his tinted spectacles could hide the bewilderment filling his eyes.

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”Um, alright…” Was all the boy could muster after being directed by Viena to not drop her. Moto had no intentions of dropping the knuckles, as he would probably receive a swift kick to the groin in response. He wasn’t able to ponder much before the blonde suddenly appeared in his arms. He felt like a male anime protagonist catching a girl falling from the sky, a common trope and kickstarter to some series. Thankfully unlike half of the related animes, Viena was fully clothed. Yet rather than falling gently into his arms in a daze, the heroine instead suddenly materialized in his arms and instantly shattered his meekly stance. The boy emitted a high-pitched yelp as he fell to the floor with his hands firmly keeping the girl in his arms, although they were against something a bit squ- ”Holy shit I’m a dead man.” He thought as he braced himself for the inevitable backhand to the face. Yet to his surprise Viena shot to her feet and pieced together her stern expression. She further claimed that the two were obviously compatible, to which Moto could only offer a quickened nod.

Even though he appeared flushed and distraught on the outside, he was truly pacified by the recent event. In the few moments he was given to analyze Viena’s weapon form, he was rest assured that they were indeed coherent. Light-weight and sturdy, the alloyed knuckles could still pack a punch- literally. A perfect weapon for a student with a lot of endurance, yet not so much in the strength department. The boy smiled a sliver before getting to his own feet, then nodded to Mr. R. ”We’ll wait as long as we need, Sir. Take your time.” Already other students were filing towards the bottom of the room. It was amazing how quickly people opted to form partnerships, an experience Moto has had to abstain from for the past two years. Her Highness was already testing what the boy presumed was Barry in his weapon form, firing a few wavelength projectiles into the wall. Others were already swinging their partners about. ”Time to turn that page, Kentono.” Moto gave a reassuring nod to his partner as they waited to be called up. The whole class was about to embark onto their next arc in life.

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Barry soon found that his new found meister was pretty well versed with wielding guns. Peering through the flashy shine in the barrel, he looked around the room. Everyone was also picking out their weapons and meister pairings. Time to go talk to the teach, eh? Barry transformed back into his human form, with his back to Quarrie. He knew that he enjoyed the transformations strange sensation. It felt cool, sending tingles into his head that made him relax.

" Alrighty. That was fun. But I guess it's time to get out wavelengths tested, Quarrie. Er, Queen. I should find out what to nickname everyone, shouldn't I? Anyways, it's time to got see the teach himself..."

He turned to face Queen, and extended his hand as a gesture for a handshake. His eyes met hers, and he smiled.

"Friend, meister, partner, and Queen."

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Three Weeks Ago, Funeral of Anne Hendrixen
Barry sat quietly in his small chair. He many people crying, in dark suits and dresses. Family, friends, and loved ones in attendance of Barry's former meister's funeral. She had supposedly killed herself, with a knife. Barry wasn't welcomed, as he became a suspect for many of the members of her family. They had only known each other for one and a half weeks, but still became great friends. Her father even screaming at Barry to not attend the event. It was depressing. It is depressing. It forever will be depressing. Barry, at the end of the funeral and ridicule, placed some flowers at her headstone. It was in the shape of a large heart, with her name on a plate in the middle. It really hurts to look into the heart of someone you once loved, you know?

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The boy made a perplexed expression after being requested to idly remain on stand-by. Viena’s stern face transitioned into the gleam of the brass ring fastened around his finger. He tilted his head at the suspensions brewed by his partner’s ceasing of communication. After Fumiko and Yua had moved clear out of the way and the line of students was a decent distance, the metal knuckles began to produce sparks out of nowhere. Moto was definitely caught off guard, his surprised demeanor and eminated a short cry. Rather than flailing his arms frantically, he instead kept them jutted outwards as they began to generate heat and electricity. If asked to summarize the feeling, the student could only compare the experience by referencing a trip to Alaska he had to take for a school assignment. During the duration of the mission, he was clinging to a portable heater like it was his newlywed.

The jolts of electricity gave a last hurrah by creating a clutter of energy. Unfortunately, the created light died down as soon as it appeared. The boy let out a sigh of relief as nothing else life threatening occurred. Thankfully he didn’t spontaneously combust or suddenly catch on fire. Instead the blonde’s face returned to the same ring and stated that was their current extent of the ability, but more practice would lead to improvement. Moto could only give a devoted not in response, yet thrashing around any more school property was out of the question. ”Eeeeeh, sorry Viena. I can’t break anymore chairs, I don’t think R would be able to endure such hardship. I can give a few punches through the air though. Just imagine I’m beating up a yakuza, alright?”

He ended off the sentence in a hopeful tone before scrutinizing his complexion. The boy shifted his stance into one utilized for combat, mimicking countless meisters and other heroic figures he had observed in the past. Over the past two years Moto had only subsided to taking the required amount of PE and had next to none experience in any form of physical arts. He was like a white dove attempting to spread the wings of a proud eagle. It would take some conditioning to get used to such a sudden change of pace. He brought up his fists to head level and presumed the figure of an ordinary boxer, yet he lacked the refined and passionate form most professionals had. Instead a timid figure stood with brass knuckles at the ready, but appeared he could be pushed over with a light gust of wind. Even today he was unsure why he forced himself into this new lease on life terminology. The student was happy finding refuge behind a desk, with a pen in hand and a pair of glasses squishing his head.

Alas, here he was, taking on an arduous and insurmountable task. Moto let out a few sighs as he attempted to give a few succinct jabs, then proceeded with an uppercut. Viena’s weapon form was light enough that it barely restricted the boy’s movement, just as he had guessed previously. The two were able to fluently move, putting Moto even more at ease. After repeating the same process a few times over, he let out a tired sigh and turned to his teacher. ”Good morning R. Glad to see you got that coffee stain out of your Monday coat! I’ll have the last of my reports in later today.” With that, he gave a succinct bow to his older friend. It was obvious the spectacled teacher was in distress, yet was holding back any surfacing feelings for the sake of his pupils. ”I believe that’s all, we’ll move on for the next duo.” He made sure to keep the exchange of words short and sweet. After all, there was time for conversation once class was over. Time was of the essence.

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Quarrie looked to the boy as he transformed, giving him a friendly smile as she sat her hands against her hips. ”It was fun, and at least I know now to keep both hands on you.” The girl – though appearing confident enough, could only hope their wavelengths matched. So far things were going not too badly, and if she just kept focused then things would progress just as well, if not better. Sighing, Quarrie knew it was time to face the teacher, and once forcing a smile she relaxed just a little. As she was about to turn and head off Barry turned to her, offering out his hand for her to shake.

Looking at the boy briefly, Quarrie slowly held her hand out and took hold of his, squeezing it a little as they shared a handshake. ”Yeah, I am your partner, no matter what. And, when it’s proven that you’re the only weapon fit for me, you’re going to be stuck with me for the rest of our time here – I hope you’re ready for that.” Grinning, she held more tightly onto his hand before pulling the short boy forward as she then turned, ”Now come on, let’s show that teacher we mean business.”

Pulling Barry with her, she held his hand and gently dragged him with her as the girl walked over to the group of students that stood near the teacher. Once they were with the other students Quarrie took the chance to eye up her competition more closely, especially the meisters. So far she only knew Baron, her only worthy challenge. Besides him, there was a short boy with purple hair – he didn’t look that capable as a meister, in her opinion. Not to mention the stuck-up guy who thought he was better than everyone else – he just annoyed her more than anything. Then there was the girl she had met, the orange-haired one, who was not as bad in comparison to the boys.

When about to add further comment the girls attention was caught by the - previously assumed 'weaker' meister in her opinion, who was one of the next students to be chosen. He seemed to bear brass knuckles of some sort, his weapon obviously, though the thought of those two paired together sort-of amused her in an odd way. From what she had noticed of the weapon-girl before, she was perhaps his opposite in every way - and yet here they were, together, as a team! It was intriguing, however, despite wanting to watch the pair more Quarrie refocused her thoughts yet again.

As she stood briefly waiting the girl looked to Barry, releasing his hand quickly after when realizing she had still been holding it. ”Follow me Barry, we're doing this now - line or no line.” With a swish of her ponytail the young meister held her head high as she walked forward past the handful of students who stood, making her way up to the teacher before giving him a slight curtsy and bowed her head. ”I am Queen, sir. My partner is Barry and we are ready, whenever you are.” She informed the man in a polite tone, returning to her upright position as she stood and waited his response. Indeed, Quarrie meant business. She viewed herself as the most determined meister there and waiting around was not her style. Plus, the sooner they got it over - the better.

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Baron looked to the short girl as she spoke, before tapping a finger against his chin as he thought. ”Where do I live? Well, here and there I guess. I’ve lived in Death City for a few years now though my living arrangements are always changing.” He told her and then shrugged. ”It’s better that way ‘cause no one can hunt me down find me, you know.” Something of a lone-wolf the boy was hard to track down, which he often enjoyed. Dropping his hand and rested it to his hip the boy sighed quietly, raising the other hand and fidgeted with his goggles. ”But regardless, I aim to be the best meister I can be. It’s why I’m here, and with a bit of luck, I’ll make you into a death scythe in no time. I think we can manage that, no biggie.”

Glancing away he noticed the girls were done and now a new pair was being put to the test. Soon enough they would be chosen, but in the meantime it didn’t seem like they were going anywhere, even though could focus on nothing more than testing himself with Amaya. ”Man these guys move slow.” He sulked, hunched over a little as he stretched his arms downwards. ”It’d be quite funny if we were a match, as it would out of pure chance we met, don’t you think Amaya?”

Witnessing Quarrie heading further up suddenly caught the boys attention, witnessing the ponytail-girl approach the professor and introducing herself. He was tempted to join her, but in a weird way he liked the thought of holding off for now, just to see.

Idiku changes form back into a person. He stares into blank space then smiles then looks to Emethil "Alright, my studies have payed off. I am the better version of the standard weapon. Anyways we need to go talk to Mr. R." Idiku takes off the glasses and puts them in his pocket. He was happy to know that all the work he did was for something. Hours and hours sitting at a computer and gun ranges studying every little detail. Even the rounds he studied. He counted every little speck of gunpowder in a perfect round. The one round with no small kick and a large amount of power. He put the smile away and looked back to Emethil. "Well lets go see if we are going to be partners or not shall we?" he hops over a desk and he stands at the stairs. Turning back waiting to see what she was going to do. He held out his hand. He had another thought what if It said no. He was glad that he had chose this girl for the fact that she knew her guns. This may be his first friend in a long time. Well the first one to not call him a freak as soon as they found out what he was. Then some memories came back. Ones he did not like. Idiku then just focused on what was happening now. Now was all that mattered. Now was all he had. Now was great. At least that was the exercise his therapist taught him.

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Whilst being dragged by Queen, Barry found that she was rather determined to make him her partner. He followed her, also intent on having a partner. Maybe after this wavelength test, he could go home and sleep off the day. Didn't seem like much to wish for, but he'd probably need some other form of contact to his to-be meister, Quarrie. Perhaps she owned a phone of some kind? Yeah, he'll just add her to his contacts list. Finally, Queen let go of his hand, and they walked to the teacher. As he followed Queen, he noticed that the blatantly walked past the line of students waiting for their turn. Well, looks like he was right about her being determined.

"Uhh... Queen I think there's a waiting line. I think we should go back... Welp, actually, I doesn't matter does it? Just a line for an incredibly important test to determine whether or not the meister can wield the weapon without his head exploding."

Barry looked up at Quarrie, and noticed how familiar she looked to Anne. The hair, the height, the face... Everything seemed so familiar to Anne. However, the personality was much, much different to Anne's. Anne was beautiful, like any woman is. But Anne was different... She was more than beautiful in Barry's eyes. More than beautiful can describe. Perfect wasn't the word for her astounding looks, either. Anne Avi Hendrixen, Barry's former meister. Deceased at age 17, for unknown causes. Suspected suicide.

Barry shook his head to stop remembering Anne, and refocused on the teacher. Hopefully this test would go well, without someone dying.

'Why would anyone hunt anyone down?' Amaya thought as Baron talked about his earlier life. She nodded despite her thoughts and kept listening to Baron. He commented on on aiming high and making her a Death scythe which is one of the things she really wanted to do. Amaya repeatedly nodded her head very fast, hoping to get the point across. "Yes please."

He glanced away and she quickly popped another candy into her mouth hoping he wouldn't notice. Amaya looked at the line as he complained and had the same reaction as him 'The line's only moved ONCE! Come on people. All you have to do is swing, shoot, or just use your partner.' She sighed louder than she wanted to and her candy fell out of mouth. She blushed as she tried to catch it but it slipped from her hands and landed on the floor. She dropped to all fours and looked for it as Baron started talking about something else. She never heard what he said and as she popped back up, -with out the candy.- and saw him looking at the same girl and decided to ask him about it. "Mr. Ghost. Do you know her? You keep staring at her like you know her, or just like her...." She looked up at him questioningly as she said that ready for a blush.

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Quarrie looked to Barry as she heard him speak, narrowing her gaze just slightly as she put her hands to her hips. ”I’ll handle you just fine – stop worrying, will you? Or else I will make your head explode, and then maybe you’ll cheer up a bit, eh?” Grinning, she looked away and turned back to the teacher. Mr. R merely gave a nod and motioned for the students to proceed, before readying his little device for reading their wavelengths. Wasting little time the girl turned to Barry, holding her hand out to him as she demanded, ”Transform.”

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Once the boy had morphed and was held in her left hand the girl turned away from the other students, aiming the weapon out in front of her as she directed her focus towards the opposite direction from everyone. Figuring that bringing any form of harm towards her peers was not in her best interest, not yet at least, she would settle with another wall and whatever furniture dared place itself in her field of view. Gripping hard on the weapon she narrowed her eyes, soon closing one as she aimed towards the center of the wall.

Parting her legs and getting a firm footing, she clenched the hand that held the gun just a little, her fingers squeezing the gun-handle hard – though whether Barry felt it or not she didn’t entirely know. Gritting her teeth she fired, calming her thoughts as she tried to ease her wavelength through, as well as managing her hold on the weapon. Last time she tried firing single-handedly the girl almost dropped the gun, but this time she went with the force and suddenly threw the weapon into the air to avoid any pain from the recoil – hopefully her partner-to-be would not mind being thrown about!

Spinning round on her heel, Quarrie twisted her body round and caught the revolver in her other hand, quickly holding it with both hands this time before aiming the weapon out in front of her once more. As like before she fired another shot, however this time she kept going, rapidly firing projectiles left, right and center with the odd break in between for reloading. The wall, desks, chairs and whatever else now decorated in small holes - but that was allowed, right? Anything and everything was a target as the girl kept her firm stance and fired happily. The recoil was heavy, knocking the girl back a few paces however Quarrie managed to keep standing as her sore fingers gripped round the weapon. Hopefully Barry was still good. She thought, looking down to the gun in her hands before taking a step back.

”I think we’re good.” She sighed, easing her grip on the revolver as she walked over and sat him down on a desk. He could transform himself back now, and as his now-meister, Quarrie began to rub her hands as she took a seat in the chair next to the desk. Her fingers hurt from the rapid firing, as Barry’s recoil was quite hard against her, but she’d get use to that over time and more usage of the weapon.

Mr. R stood and gave a confirming nod, ”Good, you work, and now the next pair.” He said, looking to the next pair of hopefuls.

”Not bad, I guess we’re going to be a team from now on then. Well, I guess we’re stuck together, and hopefully you won’t get fed up of seeing me everyday, ha.” She teased with a smile, leaning back in her chair as she looked down at the weapon. ”You ok?”

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Baron looked down at Amaya promptly, hearing her question and quickly replied with an ever-so-slight blush, ”O-Oh no, I don’t like her. Well, I do, but we’re just friends. We met not that long ago actually – but it’s purely friendship between us, and she’s a decent enough meister so we best watch ourselves.” He said with a light laugh, before looking ahead of them. Quarrie had gone and done her test, and the teacher was awaiting the next two students to step forth. Surprisingly hesitant at first, the boy wondered whether he should go next or not, and looked back to his potential teammate.

”What do you think, wanna go next Amaya?” He asked quietly and awaited her response, as really he didn’t mind, so he’d leave it to her. ”I’m ready if you are, and it’s now or never, right?” He gave the girl a reassuring smile, letting her know he was true to his word and ready at a moments notice. For sure, they'd ace this test. Baron had a feeling within himself telling him so, and thus he believes it to be true. ”When you're ready just transform and I'll catch you, now worries.”

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Barry transformed back into his normal form, and rubbed his hands together. He had been slightly disoriented from the spinning and throwing, but he was definitely fine. He hopped off the desk he sat on, and grabbed a small piece of scrap paper to write his cell phone number on. It was for Queen to be connected to Barry at all times, seeing as now he was her weapon and was apparently sworn to protect her from now on. Well, seems like he'd better get going soon.

"I'm fine, but a little disoriented. Here, his is my phone number if you need me somewhere. I'll be heading home pretty soon, so if you need anything I'll be at the Cafe down the main street to the left of the stairs... Nice to have a partner, isn't it?"

With that, he handed her the piece of paper, looked at the teacher, who overheard the conversation, and nodded to him. He grabbed his backpack and headed out the room. Looking back, he spotted all the others in the room waiting in line. He didn't care much about that, though. Some other students where also walking outside. He made way out the large door entrance, down the stairs, and through the street to the Cafe he called home. The streets were bustling with life, which didn't much fit the title of "Death City". He opened the door to the Cafe, noticing the many people inside drinking coffee and tea. His room was downstairs, just down the staircase to the left side of the main bar room. barry walked down the stairs and open the door, to his rather large room with yellow walls and a red-ish orange ceiling. He had some pretty good furnishings, like a king sized bed, bookshelf, large desk, couch, and TV. He also had a shower room and closet.

First, Barry thought about going on his computer and listening to music, but it didn't seem like the right time to blast music. Then, he thought about watching TV, but nothing was ever on TV in the first place, so the Idea of reading popped into his head. He liked the idea, so he grabbed a book titled "Guide to Evil Things, Volume 2" and jumped onto his bed. The first chapter was entitled 'Witches', and it seemed pretty extensive. The first ten pages told the basics, then the next told the more complicated aspects of Witches. After finishing the chapter, he thought about what it would be like to confront a Witch. Barry thought and thought, but he couldn't stop thinking about having a Witch as a friend. Looks like Barry's got a new goal, eh?

He put away the book when he finished the chapter, and tried to nap for a bit. He was tired from the productive day he's had, and hoped it would be a just as productive next day!

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Baron thought quietly for a moment, crossing his arms as he swayed his weight a little from side to side. He agreed in that the pair should have a way to contact each other, it made sense and the boy was a little surprised he hadn’t thought of it before. Smiling he looked to the short girl in front of him, dropping his arms to his sides. ”Good idea, we could just sway phone numbers if you have one? That way I can just call you whenever I need you, sound good? ” He noticed the slight blush to her face, and in a way found it quite cute though he’d refrain from teasing her over it. Instead, opting to ignore it he continued, ”We can swap numbers later, once we’re at that café you mentioned. Since I think we could both use some food right about now, what do you say?” Grinning, he poked the side of her shoulder before hurrying past the girl, and took a few steps ahead. ”Come on slowpoke, we’re done here so let’s get a move on! I may even treat you to lunch, or whatever their selling at this time of day – and sure, it’s totally NOT a date weapon.”

Not really looking where he was going Baron ran into Quarrie, who by that point was already standing and had watched her weapon head off. The smaller boy had given her his number, which she kept and securely tucked it away into one of her inside pockets. Barry had also informed her that he would be at the café just down the main street, though the girl was still relatively new to the area but she was confident enough she could find the place should she need her weapon. Feeling the sudden bump from behind the meister looked round, seeing he fellow black-haired meister walk into her.

”You should look where you’re going, idiot.” Quarrie teased with a grin and nudged the boy, before peering round him and noticing a shorter girl close by him. She figured it was his weapon, though was a little surprised by his choice of partner. Baron merely shrugged, giving a brief hint of laughter before looking between the two girls.

”Yeah, whatever. We’re heading to some café, you should join us – since your partner ain’t around I see. Wouldn’t wanna leave you on your own, eh?” Shoving his hands into his pockets the meister-boy gave his partner a quick glance and smiled, ”That’s ok, right Amaya?” Regardless of the answer the boy looked forward again, heading off in a quick pace as he took his leave out of the room.

Quarrie just sighed and walked over to the girl, giving her a smile and slight bow. ”Nice to meet you, I’m Quarrie and I take it your Baron’s weapon? If you don’t mind I’d love to join both of you, since I don’t really know any people hear, it would be good to get to know some. So come on, let’s go?” She looked away from the smaller girl and took a step forward, before grinning and glancing over her shoulder. ”Hey, I’ll race you to it! Maybe one of us can beat Baron.” With that said the girl then ran ahead in pursuit of the other boy who had gotten a head start, soon leaving the room as she made her way outside of the building.

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DWMA Mission Assessment Office - Two Years Ago

The student continued to file his way through documents, as if he was sifting through the earth for an answer to all of his questions. But it was a futile search, since all he found was more deadends and stumps to his righteous quest. It was apparent that that was all which lied in his wake. The boy exhaled and slipped off his reading glasses. With his arm he rubbed his tired, waning eyes, nearing the verge of shutting. Moto perked up at the sound of the door knob unhinging. His eyes darted towards the direction of the doorway and set themselves upon the individual standing in its frame. The man had the same exhausted expression, though it had most likely spent its time crying its eyes out rather than reading through papers. His labcoat, always in pristine condition, contrasted from his composure. The man had been broken, his internal puzzle never to be pieced back together again. The boy winced as the teacher trudged into the room and pulled up a seat in front of his own desk. He stared blankly at pile of papers on his desk, then affixated his gaze on Moto. ”So, how many?” The boy rose an eyebrow at the sudden query, he instantly began to wrack through the back of his head what the man could be illuding to.

He let out a sigh when he finally realized what the man was requesting. ”Oh, right.” The boy said haphazardly before singleing out one certain document. ”Well… Only six meister pairs were listed as KIA. Their parents have already been notified. I’m sure it was the usual template with blank spaces for death himself to fill in. Twenty academy militants also died as well… And one teacher.” The boy debated whether to raise his eyes from the scripture or not. He was uncertain if he could meet the gaze of the man sitting next to him. He glanced at the man, surprised at the lack of difference in the man’s complexion. He still retained the same morneful expression. Moto shifted uneasily in his seat before treking onwards in the conversation. ”Do you have any idea why Fumiko was on the battlefield? I didn’t know janitors were assets in war.” Mr. R’s face didn’t change in the slightest. Instead he leaned on one elbow and rest his chin the palm of his hand, his charasmatic demeanor had fled for the moment. ”Well, I believe she was on cleanup patrol…

Moto nodded slightly, accepting the response as an excuse. ”She still has a couple of years until she is qualifiable for being a student weapon, correct? She’s only fifteen, who in their right mind would throw her into that turmoil?” The culprit would most likely never be known, as most of the ranks were formulated in a hurry. The boy let out a sigh and shook his head. He still wasn’t contempt with the aftermath of the battle. Sure, they had stopped the spreead of madness with the help of a few certain meister pairs, but at what cost? Death City was still in the midst of being rebuilt, and half of the residents were still traumatized by the series of events. R didn’t seem phased by any of this. It was apparent that he was still lost in a trance, wandering down a tunnel without a light at the end. He stood up from his desk and began to walk out of the room. ”Don’t lose sight of yourself, R. Do you think they’ll rest in peace if you continue to destroy yourself? There are still people you have to protect.” The teacher stopped in his tracks, glancing back at his pupil ever so slightly. ”Say, Moto. Have you stopped cutting?” The man asked nonchalantly, brushing upon the delicate subject without any guilt. The student’s mouth was left agape at the question. R’s eyes narrowed even more, pressuring an answer out of the kid. ”...Not yet. I’ve been trying to.” He managed to force out, feeling his inner emotions choke his throat. ”Well, when you cease that habit, I’ll try to change my own, alright? I myself do not know where I will go from here on. I have to go make some funeral preparations.” Moto winced as the door slammed shut, leaving the boy to his own devices yet again. He slumped back into his chair and placed his forehead in the palms of his hands. ”First his eldest daughter, then his wife… What game are you playing, Death?”

---

---

Now

Moto watched from a distance each pair step up before Mr. R’s contraption. It was just took a quick snippet to analyze their wavelengths, yet most felt the need to draw out their time and show off. Rather than looking at them as competition or comrades, he instead spectated them as assets. It was natural for an analyst to look at other’s abilities in correlation with their personalities. He had already picked out a proud hothead out of the bunch, along with a view other unique individuals. The two weapon users were definitely forces to be reckoned with, especially the pompous royalty which Moto already wanted to reach out to. But striking a conversation with an old friend took priority. ”Oh, hey, Viena. I want to introduce a good friend of mine.” He made a slight motion to follow as he quietly paced his over to the more energetic duo, consisting of Yua and Fumiko. Moto stretched a modest smile to the two, ”U-um, hello. My name is Moto, I’m a friend of Fumiko.” He stuttered a bit with his cautious introduction, ”I apologize for any trouble she causes you in the future. She can be quite the jumpy and sporadic individual…” He trailed off before looking up at the auburn-haired girl, ”But if you’re her partner, I’m led to believe that you’re just as equally hyper. Thank you for accepting my friend’s request.” He then glanced back at Viena and nodded, ”Oh, and this is my partner Viena. We’re going to be classmates for a while, so we might as well get to learn about eachother a bit, right?” It was odd for the timid Moto to be stretching out the hand of friendship, but it was time to turn a new leaf.

She smiled as Baron bumped into a girl, the one who he said was friends with him. She told him off as Amaya arrived beside him smiling and waving at the girl when she looked straight at her. Baron invited her to join them at Death cafe before asking Amaya, She looked up at him then at the girl and smiled warmly. "Sure, fine by me." She shrugged and watched as he left not listening to her answer. The girl held out her hand and introduced herself as Quarrie. She asked nicely to join them and Amaya nodded as she dared Amaya to a race.

Quarrie ran out and Amaya followed her out into the sun. She saw both of them on the stairs, Baron a bit ahead of Quarrie. Amaya looked at the rails on either sides and ran towards those, transforming both her legs into blades sliding down the stairs in a minute way ahead of them. She jumped off the edge transforming her legs back but landing on her face. 'That's going to leave a bruise. Better hurry, they're catching up.' She got up and ran to the cafe she saw on the way here. Amaya turned down an alley, seeing the neon sign say Death Cafe. She turned around as They both came to stop in front of her, She smiled sweetly at them and said teasingly. "What took you guys so long to get here? I was waiting!"

”Operation: Getting To Know Others is CODE RED. I repeat me, CODE RED. All men, abandoned ship!” Was what he would’ve liked to do in the midst of the tightened embrace Fumiko had him in. Even though they had known eachother for well over two years, yet he had and probably would never get used to somebody wrapping their arms around him, especially in such a jollity manner. Worse off, given his physique, people can easily envelop him in a hug, usually with enough arm-length to do so two times over. Fortunately that wasn’t humanly possible. The girl’s pouting retrieved him from the mental turmoil he was lost in. She was lamenting the fact that Moto wouldn’t be residing on campus as often as he did in the past. Even though he has had his own apartment during his time at the DWMA, his job as an analyst had the tendency to entail unneeded late night shifts. Somebody, somewhere, always had to screw up on their own role, and it was this young boy’s task to fix it. Although he was fine with resting slouched over his desk, he was offered to reside in vacant dorms, or was even offered to crash at Fumiko’s. In other words, there was a decent amount of trust circulating between the two. ”Eh, it’s alright. I’ll still be on campus afterschool to help out teachers and such. But I have been meaning to renovate my apartment soon… I think I’ll actually have some hours between work and school to myself for a change.” Speaking of his job, he had a shift around seven. He could only breath out a sigh of relief, given the first school day’s entire devotion to formulating meister pairs.

Yet the allotted amount of personal time diminished slightly at the statement of Viena’s voice. The boy glanced around after being released from the breath-restraining hug, until he found his partner seeking refuge behind him. His eyes widened, as he was definitely caught off guard by how quickly and silently she had moved behind his back. Rather than leaping into the air in a flailing fashion, he forced himself to keep his feet planted in the very spot he was standing on. Viena’s words were monotonous yet the utter truth. ”I have a bit of stamina on my plate, since I walk a majority of the time during my shifts… But I guess I can possibly handle it” He managed to vocalize without stuttering with his roundabout demeanor. The blonde’s statement was further solidified by Yua’s proclamation, that the four should be a training quartet. The boy could already imagine the amount of sweat, tears, and probably blood that will ensue with this new practice of combat. By some grace of light he was able to make a passable smile, ”S-s-sure… Wooooo.” There wasn’t much in the energy department, so it seems. Moto perked up at other students filing out of the classroom, ”Oh right, we should probably take our leave as well. Some of you might need to check in for dormitory sign-up later tonight. I think for now, Fumiko and I can show you two around Death City. Contrary to its name, it’s actually quite the lively place.” He managed a smile as he snuck in the pun. He made a motion to wait a moment as he quickly retrieved his messenger bag from his desk. Moto hurried back down and gave a nod of comfirmation, ”Alright, I’m ready to head out.”

Emethil looked at her partner and tilted her head, slowly she realized she was opening up to him, which she didn't mind all that much, it helped her to have a friend that she could talk to. Though he made a mention that he felt bad for not helping her, which made her mind race a little, 'help with what? I fell over on my own without your fault in it-' she thought before Mr. R had called the next duo in line, which was Emethil and Idiku. Slowly she approached with her possible partner, whom turned into his weapon form and landed in her hands with ease. It was easy for her to tell they were compatible, but it was up to Mr. R to determine,

"Hm" he said as he looked at the device screen, "Emethil, and Idiku, you two make a good pair, any fluctuation seem to resolve quickly with your souls." he paused, writing it down, "You can move along now, you two shall be partners"

With those words, Emethil took a sigh of relief, since her communications were lacking. Though she looked at Idiku with a kind look, her partner was found, and she could grow from there. Though she then remembered, her bags and all, which she went to grab before meeting Idiku at the front gates, with her six different bags that held most of her personal belongings, which she felt like she looked ridiculous. But that thought was brushed aside with the breeze going through, she waited for her partner with her mind racing, again, this time was more how Idiku was a boy, which was new territory to her, that's not to say she had not been around boys, where she grew up she had a brother, but it was more her friends that set her off, whom were girls, rather than boys. Bringing it up she ended it with just a few words spoken by mouth hesitantly and quietly,

"This will be different..."

Idiku stood there for a bit reading the tiny book until his new partner came out. He smiled. "Here let me help" He says putting away his book and glasses. Idiku then reached out to give her a hand. He wanted to trust her. He wanted her to him. After years and years of putting up with the crap that others did to him.... "We can drop these off at your place. If you don't have one yet then we can drop them off at mine." He reaches for one of the bags. "Then we can go grab a bite to eat. Whatever you like, my treat." It was time to build a friendship that he has not had in a long time. He heard the words "This will be different." In his own mind he then said 'Yes. Yes it will without the pain I can finally have a friend.'

---

Baron and Quarrie both followed on after the smaller girl, noticing her gaining a lead over them and hurrying off ahead of the pair of meisters. The boy and girl determinedly followed after Amaya, running a short distance behind her and making their way down a small alley that they had spotted the weapon rushing down through. Seeing the sign, the duo stopped just outside of the café.

”I should’ve so won that, I swear this thing was rigged.” Baron amusingly said with a slight laugh, before resting his hands to his knees a little tiredly. ”Anyways I’m starving so let’s head inside and get something to eat!” Wasting little time the boy headed inside and sat himself at a table before grabbing a menu and looking it over.

Quarrie just sighed and a hand through her hair. ”Clearly he’s not a gentleman, eh? Well we best get in there before he causes any trouble.” The girl giggled with a slight grin before following on after the boy and sat across from him at a table. Taking a moment she looked around the area, taking in its details. She figured that if it was a nice enough place then they could come there often, perhaps. Quarrie also figured that it was a good time to try out Barry’s number and just see if it worked. Digging out her phone from her pocket the girl pressed in the different digitals before sending a quick text to the boy, her partner.

’Hey Barry, just seeing if your number works. I’m at some café just now – Queen xx' Pressing the send button she sat her phone onto the table, before turning her attention to Baron and Amaya after the other girl joined them.