Chile ‘Kyle’ Guerra Seymour | M | 20 | AB- | Pan/Ambi | Reindeer Shifter | Yes | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

Chile watched Maya nod and take back the notepad, waving her pen in the air as she thought. Was she realizing just how much information she’d given him? Realizing how much she shouldn’t have written? Or was she just trying to figure out what else to write?

--

May seemed to decide on something though, given how she started to write. So he was fine to just let it be for the moment, he glanced over to his sister instead. Clio was still asleep, but she didn’t seem in pain or anything at the moment. Which was always a good sign. Besides, she needed as much rest as she could get. Chile was just glad she was alright. Every day was a gamble, and he’d come close to losing too many times to even think about getting comfortable. Not just in taking care of her, not just in getting enough money to take care of her, but also in the arena. The amount of times he’d almost lost was beyond him, but he couldn’t lose. Because he had people to take care of. Clio, Aries, May… Everyone here.

--

Kyle looked back over at Maya, who had stopped writing but was still staring at her notepad. Her pen was still waiting to write too, starting to cause a small puddle of ink to form. He was about to say something, because he wasn’t sure if she noticed or not, but she started writing again.

--

So he moved his attention away, looking towards the closed door to the room. He wasn’t sure how much time they had left before Ari was done, probably not too much. Which meant he needed to wrap this up soon, and get back to the kitchen before Aries was done. Last thing Kyle wanted was for him to finish and leave the kitchen, see Ingall, and end up back at the edge.

--

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw May look up and smile, weakly, at him. He looked over and, out of just knowing that she probably needed it, gave her an encouraging smile in response. Taking the notepad from her as she handed it to him, Chile began to read.

--

‘The main thing that's important with actually making progress with Gall is making sure he's in a space where he feels safe. His room is a good place, but he doesn't typically like anyone in there, so I'll recommend somewhere outside, he tends to feel more at ease in nature. There's not really certain combinations that work better than others though, you'll probably just have to poke around a little to find something that works best for you. The more confident you are in what you're talking about, the more willing Ingall will be to open up. It's kind of the same with the order that you want to approach things.’

--

That all made sense, Kyle could understand all of that. Frankly, he was usually more comfortable in nature too. Ari was hit and miss, couldn’t be somewhere too open or he’d feel threatened, unable to account for everything that could happen. But too small of a place was terrible. Chile hated small, closed off places too. Honestly, an easy to escape but also easy to see the entire room was usually best for Aries. Which was fine, Kyle didn’t have an issue with it. He mostly just preferred nature himself though.

--

This was where the ink puddle was though, so Chile took a breath before continuing to read. Making sure that everything else had been categorized and understood before looking at the next words.

--

‘Just avoid mentioning anything relating to relationship stuff and, I know this sounds weird, but don't mention marigolds either. I'm sorry, but I can't give you more information than that. Hopefully it proves helpful though!’

--

And that… Wasn’t as bad as he was expecting. Not mentioning marigolds was a bit odd, but… Well, Kyle also didn’t mention doctors around Aries. Or needles. Plus, there was literally a forbidden word. Not mentioning marigolds was the easiest thing to remember. The smallest thing to worry about accidentally doing. He didn’t really know when he would, honestly. No, the relationship bit was more obviously concerning. That probably meant that Ingall had been in a bad one before.

--

Which… Didn’t really surprise Chile as much as he thought it should. But he was willing to follow that rule. And why wouldn’t he? Chile knew better than to mention Troy to Aries, knew better than to call Quincy out on the shit that he did. Because bad relationships were just… Difficult to deal with without hurting the wrong person.

--

So, Kyle nodded to himself, smiled and looked up at May. “Understood. I’ll probably figure out some way to get Ingall outside to talk to him. Not sure if I should start today or not, since I spoke to him earlier. Like, right before coming in here and all.” He paused for a moment, passing over the notepad. “By the way, since I don’t think you mentioned it anywhere. How much eye contact is too much or too little?”

--

Chile knew some people liked eye contact and some didn’t, knew that it could change with some people. He also knew that it was important to know ahead of time where someone fell on that spectrum. He hadn’t known that information for Aries and it had made a lot of things harder when getting to know him. But it had still been possible, so if Maya didn’t know it wouldn’t be too terrible, at least.

*~*~*~*

Garvin | M | N/A (22) | N/A | Brin/Ambi | Catecholamine Rush | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Hell yeah, you are! Yeah, that's what I was thinkin', that way no one gets screwed over or anything. Ooo, ya know what could be fun? What if we make it so we can steal from each other too, as long as we don't get caught! That would be fun, up the stakes a bit, what do ya think?”

--

Garvin grinned brightly at the idea, usually dimmer eyes lighting up in interest. “Fuck yeah! Stealin’ from each other too? Damn, Sparrow, that’s the best idea yet. It’d be fuckin’ hilarious ta just be swipin’ shit left and right from all of ya the whole time. What’d happen if ya did get caught though? Like, d’ya just get kicked out the game and can’t win? Or d’ya just have ta give it back?”

*~*~*~*

Oculi ‘Opal’ Aisling Belmira | Apagender | 23 | A- | Cupio/Pan/Ambi | Sight | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“I'm sure he will, he usually does, I think. Yeah, that's definitely an option! Those two are equally as competitive, so I do quite enjoy watching them.”

--

Oculi nodded in agreement, “Yeah, that’s for sure. They’re way too competitive for their own good. But at least they aren’t too hard on each other? I don’t think anyone would be happy if they were.”

Agnar ‘Agni’ Solefair | Male | 22 | AB- | Homosexual | Poly | Enhanced Senses | No | Mentions; Everyone (Dir/Ind)

“Fuck yeah! Stealin’ from each other too? Damn, Sparrow, that’s the best idea yet. It’d be fuckin’ hilarious ta just be swipin’ shit left and right from all of ya the whole time. What’d happen if ya did get caught though? Like, d’ya just get kicked out the game and can’t win? Or d’ya just have ta give it back?”

Agnar snickered at Garvin's excitement and nodded enthusiastically. "Hell yeah, it is! I say ya just give the shit back, and, who knows, ya might even get another chance to steal from the same person. That ought to be fun!"

Kage ‘King’ Virgo | Male | 19 | B+ | Homosexual | Ambi | Shadow Manipulation | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir)

“Yeah, that’s for sure. They’re way too competitive for their own good. But at least they aren’t too hard on each other? I don’t think anyone would be happy if they were.”

Kage hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Lucky that Kira knows when to stop, really. Agnar would never give up, even if it killed him, so it's good that Akira doesn't let him, always stops it before it goes too far. That's what makes them a good team." He smiled fondly. "Plus, it's more entertaining to watch when you don't have to be worried all the time!"

Maya ‘May/Fawn’ Mildred Eniko | Female | 23 | AB+ | Bisexual | Ambi | Blissful Dreams | No | Mentions; Everyone (Dir/Ind)

“Understood. I’ll probably figure out some way to get Ingall outside to talk to him. Not sure if I should start today or not, since I spoke to him earlier. Like, right before coming in here and all. By the way, since I don’t think you mentioned it anywhere. How much eye contact is too much or too little?”

Maya nodded with a faint smile and took the notepad back.

'That sounds good! I think today is probably fine as long as you do it a little later, sometime in the afternoon or something. Gall doesn't do great with eye contact, being socially awkward and all, so minimal is probably good. Unless you manage to get him to rant about something, then more eye contact is better because it signals to him that you're listening.'

May handed the notepad back with a more relaxed smile this time.

She trusted Chile, and she was very glad that he hadn't pressed for more information about the relationship stuff or anything. Honestly, if anyone else other than her was going to get through to Ingall, it would be Chile or Skylar. The two were probably the only people Maya would actually trust to talk to Ingall, make some progress, and not get annoyed or anything.

Plus, they didn't make her friend uncomfortable like most of the group did.

In all honesty, May was a little bit glad that someone else was trying to talk to Gall this time. She was always happy to do so, of course, and her friend could never annoy her, no matter what he thought, but she could only do so much. She'd known him for years, tried everything she possibly could, and, though she'd found some things that worked, it was always good to get some fresh ideas and strategies. If anyone could do that, it was Chile.

Chile ‘Kyle’ Guerra Seymour | M | 20 | AB- | Pan/Ambi | Reindeer Shifter | Yes | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

The time between handing the notepad to Maya and getting it back was definitely shorter this time. Not that Chile was complaining, or would ever complain. It just meant that he got to take the notepad and start reading again sooner. Which was honestly probably a good thing, since he didn’t think he had much time left before Ari was done with the pancakes.

--

‘That sounds good! I think today is probably fine as long as you do it a little later, sometime in the afternoon or something. Gall doesn’t do great with eye contact, being socially awkward and all, so minimal is probably good. Unless you manage to get him to rant about something, then more eye contact is better because it signals to him that you’re listening.’

--

All of that was honestly really good information. Eye contact should be minimal unless Gall starts ranting, that definitely made sense. Easy to remember too, which was good. It meant he didn’t have to worry too much about accidentally mixing up tactics. That was always good news. It was incredibly good news to know that he could start the conversations later today. That would be helpful, not just so he could start helping sooner… But also as a way to make sure all of the information May gave him actually cemented in his head.

--

So he handed back the notepad to May again, smiling a bit stronger now. A bit more confident that he’d be able to help. “Thanks for all of this, May. I might try and see if he’ll go on a walk with me later then. If it’s a good day for Clio then we can take her too, so that it isn’t too obvious that I’m going to be trying to get him alone to talk with him about anything emotional. Have him bring his flute if he’s up to it. I think I’ll try the psychology quiz idea, or try to make him think I’m just interested in psychology and want to learn more about it myself. That might could work as a good detach method for him. Plus, then it’d be easier to convince him to keep talking.”

--

Kyle paused, glancing towards the door. He really didn’t want to take too long in here, Aries would end up leaving the kitchen to tell him that he’d finished, after all. And Ingall was probably still in the common area. So he took a breath and looked over at Maya again, “Aries is probably close to done with the pancakes by now. I think it’ll be alright if we go ahead and go out there. We can just keep the door open so if Clio wakes up, she’ll be able to tell us if her throat doesn’t hurt too much.”

*~*~*~*

Garvin | M | N/A (22) | N/A | Brin/Ambi | Catecholamine Rush | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Hell yeah, it is! I say ya just give the shit back, and, who knows, ya might even get another chance to steal from the same person. That ought to be fun!”

--

Garvin nodded, snickering along with Sparrow. “Oh, for sure! Imagine havin’ ta give back this pricey ring ya were tryin’ ta steal only ta actually steal it again later! Whoever just got stolen from is totally not goin’ ta be happy ‘bout it.” He paused, thinking things over for a moment, humming to himself and taking a short drag. “If someone steal larger shit, is there goin’ ta be a specific place ta put it or are they goin’ ta just have ta carry it around? Or could they find a place to put it themself, an’ then just hope no one else finds that place and snags the shit?”

*~*~*~*

Oculi ‘Opal’ Aisling Belmira | Apagender | 23 | A- | Cupio/Pan/Ambi | Sight | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Yeah. Lucky that Kira knows when to stop, really. Agnar would never give up, even if it killed him, so it’s good that Akira doesn’t let him, always stops it before it goes too far. That’s what makes them a good team. Plus, it’s more entertaining to watch when you don’t have to be worried all the time!”

--

Oculi nodded in agreement, eyes drifting around the rest of the room as they answered. “Definitely lucky, yeah. Agnar is great, for sure, but he definitely doesn’t seem to understand the idea of limits. At least whenever it comes to working or training, or like… Anything else? Definitely good that Akira does, and that they make sure to not push Agnar too much. I think Maya would slap them both upside the head if they didn’t stop when they should.”

Agnar ‘Agni’ Solefair | Male | 22 | AB- | Homosexual | Poly | Enhanced Senses | No | Mentions; Everyone (Dir/Ind)

“Oh, for sure! Imagine havin’ ta give back this pricey ring ya were tryin’ ta steal only ta actually steal it again later! Whoever just got stolen from is totally not goin’ ta be happy ‘bout it. If someone steal larger shit, is there goin’ ta be a specific place ta put it or are they goin’ ta just have ta carry it around? Or could they find a place to put it themself, an’ then just hope no one else finds that place and snags the shit?”

Agnar shrugged, debating for a moment before answering. "First off, that'll be hella chaotic and I love it! Second, I say they just find someplace to put themselves, inside or outside the store. Then it's like a game of hide and seek within the stealing game." He grinned and winked. "Sure to be fun!"

Kage ‘King’ Virgo | Male | 19 | B+ | Homosexual | Ambi | Shadow Manipulation | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir)

“Definitely lucky, yeah. Agnar is great, for sure, but he definitely doesn’t seem to understand the idea of limits. At least whenever it comes to working or training, or like… Anything else? Definitely good that Akira does, and that they make sure to not push Agnar too much. I think Maya would slap them both upside the head if they didn’t stop when they should.”

Kage nodded in agreement. "True. Though I must admit, it'd be nice to see someone else get hit on the head other than me. Though Agni gets hit a lot too, so maybe just Aki?" He grinned playfully. "'Course I'm glad Kira's careful though, I would never want to see Agnar hurt or anything."

Maya ‘May/Fawn’ Mildred Eniko | Female | 23 | AB+ | Bisexual | Ambi | Blissful Dreams | No | Mentions; Everyone (Dir/Ind)

“Thanks for all of this, May. I might try and see if he’ll go on a walk with me later then. If it’s a good day for Clio then we can take her too, so that it isn’t too obvious that I’m going to be trying to get him alone to talk with him about anything emotional. Have him bring his flute if he’s up to it. I think I’ll try the psychology quiz idea, or try to make him think I’m just interested in psychology and want to learn more about it myself. That might could work as a good detach method for him. Plus, then it’d be easier to convince him to keep talking. Aries is probably close to done with the pancakes by now. I think it’ll be alright if we go ahead and go out there. We can just keep the door open so if Clio wakes up, she’ll be able to tell us if her throat doesn’t hurt too much.”

Maya smiled and nodded happily, glad that she'd been able to help Chile possibly help Ingall. Of course, there was a nagging voice in the back of her head, warning that she'd given away too much, but she was determined to ignore it. She'd done the right thing. It was better than letting Chile go in blind!

After a last glance at Clio, May stood and, shooting another bright smile at Chile, she walked out the door, quietly setting a beat with her footsteps. After all, everything had a beat, you just had to find it. If you were lucky like she was now, you could even control it!

Her optimism dropped, however, when she reached the common room. It only took her one look at her best friend to know that Ingall was out.

Without wasting a second, May hurried to his side and, after lightly knocking on the table, hoping for a reaction (which she did not get), she knelt in front of him. She tried everything that could possibly bring him back, waving in front of his face, lightly tapping the couch beside him, and even lightly fanning him with her notepad. Nothing worked. This left two options.

Touch him or talk.

Touching Ingall was a guarantee that he would panic even more, so, unless she wanted to cause a full-blown panic attack (which she did not), that wasn't an option.

Taking a deep breath and licking her lips, Maya opened her mouth, letting out a single, raspy, painful-sounding word.

"Ingall?"

His eyes shot up, landing on May's face and shifting quickly from glossy, to panicked, and finally to concerned.

"May, are you okay? Why are you talking, what happened? Is everyone okay?"

Maya quickly shook her head and gestured to her friend's hand, which was bandaged up. Ingall glanced down and seemed to shrink back.

"Oh. I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you."

May's eyes narrowed and she sighed softly, picking up her pen. It was best not to press right now.

'We'll talk later. I think the pancakes are done, let's go eat!'

Chile ‘Kyle’ Guerra Seymour | M | 20 | AB- | Pan/Ambi | Reindeer Shifter | Yes | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

Chile watched May smile and nod, seeming very happy. Optimistic. Trusting… Certain in Chile’s ability to help Ingall. Maya stood, after casting a glance to Clio, and left the room. He stayed sitting for a moment longer, before he stood up and walked over to a still sleeping Clio. Luckily enough, if nothing else, she seemed like she wasn’t in any pain. That was always a good sign. He smiled softly, a gentle gaze in his eyes. He’d give her a dose of her medication when she woke up for breakfast. If she felt well enough then he could probably convince Gall to go to the abandoned park with the two of them today.

--

It almost felt wrong to be using Clio’s time in nature for that, but… Well… For one, he doubted she would mind. Secondly, she’d still get her time outside, she mostly slept when they got there anyways. Thirdly? He’d be able to help both of them at the same time like this. That was what was important. So, he forced his feet to move back. He needed to check up on Aries again, see if the pancakes were done. They probably were. He hoped his friend hadn't left the kitchen yet though, given how Ingall was in the common room. Kyle also hoped that Quincy hadn’t woken up yet, but he hadn’t heard him, and he was loud, so he doubted he needed to worry too much.

--

He stepped out of Clio and Maya’s room, leaving the door opened behind him, to see May crouched down in front of Ingall. Who looked like he’d just gotten out of a state of far-away panic. May wrote that he hadn’t pushed too far, but had he? Or did something else happen? Kyle wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to overwhelm Gall by staying in the room, and he still needed to go back into the kitchen.

--

“May, are you okay? Why are you talking, what happened? Is everyone okay?”

--

Chile stepped into the kitchen without a word, there was no reason for him to get involved and risk overwhelming anyone. Plus, knowing May, she probably had it under control. If she didn’t, Chile would help. But for now, he trusted her.

--

In the kitchen, Aries had plated all of the pancakes and berries already, with some left over. Leaning a bit to see what he was up to at the moment, Kyle gave a light rapping on the door frame, and then one on the counter as he walked forwards. “That plate for Sky?”

--

Aries glanced over, nodding, placing a few more berries on the otherwise bare plate. “Uh, yeah… You said he just wanted berries… Right?”

--

Chile nodded, “Yeah, that’s right. I can go ahead and get someone to start giving the plates out?”

--

A few plates being slid his way seemed to be his answer, so Kyle took them into his hands and went back to the common room, setting them on a dresser. He just had to hope that Maya and Gall could read into them the right way. As much as he wished Ari and Ingall could be in the same room… He didn’t want to risk anything right now. Not when both of them were already having a rough day. So, without a word, he stepped back into the kitchen with a light rapping on the door frame.

*~*~*~*

Garvin | M | N/A (22) | N/A | Brin/Ambi | Catecholamine Rush | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“First off, that'll be hella chaotic and I love it! Second, I say they just find someplace to put themselves, inside or outside the store. Then it's like a game of hide and seek within the stealing game. Sure to be fun!”

--

Garvin chuckled at the wink, at the words, nodding along at Twig’s words. Deciding to just act like he knew whatever that game Fletch mentioned was. Not like it was hard to figure out, at least. His signature smirk was plastered to his face, eyes rather bright. “Oh, totally! No way that it wouldn’t be. Man, my shit won’t ever be found in that case. I have so many places I know ta put it all. In an’ out of the mall. Maybe I’ll use a few of ‘em, I can put all the stuff worth less points in one an’ then the better stuff can be hidden better. Ain’t no way I could lose, ya are all goin’ down!”

*~*~*~*

Oculi ‘Opal’ Aisling Belmira | Apagender | 23 | A- | Cupio/Pan/Ambi | Sight | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“True. Though I must admit, it'd be nice to see someone else get hit on the head other than me. Though Agni gets hit a lot too, so maybe just Aki? ‘Course I'm glad Kira's careful though, I would never want to see Agnar hurt or anything.”

--

Oculi nodded, “Yeah, I don’t think I’d want to see either of them actually hurt. Don’t know why they’re so adamant about sparring together, honestly. Seems too dangerous, too risky. Like one wrong move or bad attitude to being a huge problem. You know?” They paused, and then shrugged. “I’m sure that they’re careful enough to not have that happen though. I trust them. Besides, it's not like we don’t have any way to keep them safe even if something happened.”

Gwyar ‘Aries/Khorne’ Ariethous Fraoch | M | 20 | Varies/O- | Demi/Ambi | Blood Manipulation | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

Gwyar felt like his movements were still too slow by the time Chile came back into the kitchen, asking about the plate of berries. But, if they were too slow, then that would’ve been asked about. So he assumed that he wasn’t moving too slow, that he was just being stupid. The second time the rapping on the doorframe came, he still didn’t look over at his friend.

--

Not because he was busy, per se, all of the plates were done and made, after all. But… Well, he wasn’t really sure. Still, he slowly reached to the count and knocked before speaking, holding back the urge to clear his throat. “So… How do we want to give everyone their plates?”

--

Chile hummed somewhere in the background, as the front door opened and closed somewhere in the background. Gwyar held back a flinch, biting his tongue and deciding to be thankful that he wasn’t facing Kyle. Did someone leave or come in? If someone left, who? Did they get breakfast or were they only leaving temporarily to hand out the plates that Gwyar had handed to Chile just a few moments ago? And if someone had come in… Well, again, who? Who was most likely to come in this early? No one of the group seemed particularly likely… But then again, Kyle hadn’t locked the door. But if the person was a stranger then the others would be saying something, right? …Right?

--

A knock in the background, he forced his mind back to his friend as Kyle spoke. “Well, not everyone is awake yet. But Sky said he’d come and tell us if Oculi wants any once they’re awake.”

--

Gwyar nodded, digging his teeth into his tongue a bit more. The door could’ve been him then… Maybe. He definitely needed to get out of the complex today. Being stuck in here most days was not helping much of anything. “Alright then..”

--

Silence lapsed, and he moved to biting his lip instead of his tongue. He took a breath, hoping Chile didn’t notice too much as he did so. Gwyar turned over to his friend, watching as his friend gave him a soft smile that he could only try to match. Watching as Kyle went to speak, hand raising slowly in thought of whether or not a knock was needed. Before he even had a chance to feel guilty that the knock was something anyone ever needed to even think about doing, the sound of a door opening and closing with what was basically a slam causing him to flinch.

--

Had he made someone upset? Did someone come in planning to do something? What door was that? Who was that? His eyes flicked over to the doorway of the kitchen, tension lining his shoulders until a loud voice started talking, quieting a bit to a conversation level just as quick.

--

“Heyyy, Maya!”

--

Oh. Quincy. That was all. Just Quincy waking up. He held back a wince at his previous reaction. Who got scared of their energetic boyfriend waking up? What kind of- What level of idiot was he? He bit his tongue and forced his eyes away from the doorway. He didn’t look back at Kyle though, he wasn’t sure what he’d see and didn’t want to risk seeing the disappointment that he knew he deserved.

--

“Hey Chile, hey babe! How’s it going in here?”

--

He flinched at the sudden words, looking over quickly to see Quincy leaning against the doorway of the kitchen now. Seriously, again? Flinching at his boyfriend? Why, because he required stupid knocks that literally no one else did? Just how pathetic was he? He dug his teeth into his tongue, forced his hands not to tap idly against anything, forced them to stay at his sides. A light knock before Chile spoke had his eyes dragging themselves over to his friend, who was now leaning against a counter.

--

“Fine, Quinn. I’m going to go check up on Maya though, make sure she’s eating the plate we made her.”

--

Gwyar watched as Chile grabbed a plate from the table and left the kitchen, leaving him alone with Quincy. He bit his tongue harder, trying to read Quinn and finding nothing. Best to just… Skirt around his failures then, Quincy could bring them up whenever he felt like doing so.

--

What to say then though? He looked around the kitchen, and then found the plates of pancakes and berries on the table. Definitely awkward but better than nothing, better than the silence that he knew Quincy didn’t like. “Do you… Want a plate?”

--

Immediately, Quincy was stepping forwards and towards the plates, an obvious answer to the question. Gwyar decided to count himself lucky that Quinn was so easily distracted. Which wasn’t fair when he deserved his failures being punished but, well… Quincy was always too soft on him anyways.

--

“Well, of course I do. Pancakes and berries? Damn, that shit is delicious. You know what I mean?”

--

Gwyar nodded off instinct, agreeing with whoever was speaking was always a good option. But he only really got halfway through the nod before he saw a hand reaching over to him and grabbing his shirt, trying to pull him down. He tensed, already flinching— Of course Quincy wasn’t that easily distracted— and then was blinking in confusion, tension leaving just as quick, as he realized that Quinn was kissing him. Not… Anything else. Not anything he’d been expecting.

--

When Quincy let go of his shirt and allowed him to go back to how he’d been standing before, the only thing he was able to think about was how terrible of a boyfriend he was. He didn’t have any reason to think that Quincy would- Who would even- What was wrong with him? Thinking Quincy would- would ever- Gwyar bit down on his tongue, eyes darting to Quinn as he spoke.

--

“So, do you have any plans for today? If I gotta guess, Kage has probably come up with something fun to do today, so I’ll probably be doing whatever that is. But you don’t ever really tend to come with us though, you know? Which sucks! It’s always fun, you’re totally missing out.”

--

He held back a flinch, but otherwise shrugged. “Uh… Think I’ll probably leave the complex today, find something to do outside.”

*~*~*~*

Chile ‘Kyle’ Guerra Seymour | M | 20 | AB- | Pan/Ambi | Reindeer Shifter | Yes | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

For a bit, Chile contemplated knocking on the nearby table and saying something, but he wasn’t actually sure what to say. It was obvious enough that Aries was still tense, the way that he wasn’t looking at him said that much. Luckily, Kyle didn’t have to think for too long, since a knock from the counter nearest to Aries drew his attention to his friend.

--

“So… How do we want to give everyone their plates?”

--

Chile bit his lip, thinking it over, humming in thought. He honestly wasn’t sure. There was no way that Aries could leave the apartment without running into Gall right now, after all. A door opening and closing halted his thoughts for a second, but given how there was no loud voice, that meant it wasn’t Quincy. Which meant it had to be the front door. He wasn’t too worried, it was possible that Ingall and Maya decided to hand out the plates he had put out there, or that they decided to leave and eat somewhere else. Or it could be Skylar, here to tell him that Oculi was awake and whether or not they wanted breakfast.

--

Which, that was a good point, now that he thought about it. Oculi might not even be awake, Akira and Quincy both weren’t awake yet either. So, he knocked on the table and spoke, shrugging mostly to himself since Ari still wasn’t looking at him. “Well, not everyone is awake yet. But Sky said he’d come and tell us if Oculi wants any once they’re awake.”

--

Chile watched as Ari nodded, and then practically mumbled a response. “Alright then..”

--

Silence. Kyle contemplated again whether or not he should say something. He probably should, but what? Aries wasn’t even looking at him. So he couldn’t read what topics were off limits at the moment. But he couldn’t do something too random or different, the sudden change never worked well with Ari. Again, he found himself thankful as Aries turned around, and… Darn, he had been off talking a bit too long, hadn’t he? Definitely lucky that his friend had been busy enough to not have enough time to spare going through the drawers, at least. He offered Aries a small, soft smile anyways, one that his friend tried to return but missed the mark just a bit.

--

Now that he could see Ari though, he thought he recognized a look in his eyes, and went to speak, hand somewhat raising as he tried to decide if he needed to knock on the table or not. Unfortunately, because his luck could never stay for long, he heard a door open and close loudly. Quincy was officially awake. He tried to keep the anger off his face as he saw Aries flinch at the sudden noise, eyes darting to the doorway of the kitchen, tension lining his shoulders. More than usual, at least.

--

‘Heyyy, Maya!”

--

The rest of whatever Quincy was saying faded to the background, and all Chile really could focus on was the way Aries’s expression dropped, tension leaving and returning in a different way. Figuring out how to help when it came to Quincy and Ari had always been harder, something he didn’t really know how to do. Something he wasn’t sure he could do.

--

The sound of Quincy’s footsteps were getting louder though, and within seconds, a loud voice spoke without warning. “Hey Chile, hey babe! How’s it going in here?”

--

And it took everything in him to not turn and punch Quincy. He’d just gotten Aries to a semi-stable state, well, compared to his friend’s version of stable. But he knew that doing that would not help anything, at all. It’d make everything worse, actually. So instead, he rolled his eyes and forced a small smile, pushing himself to lean against a counter, quietly knocking against it before he spoke. “Fine, Quinn. I’m going to go check up on Maya though, make sure she’s eating the plate we made her.”

--
Probably a good idea, given how Quincy didn’t say hello or anything to Ingall, which was kind of odd. But that meant Gall was probably the one who had left. Had he remembered his flute and taken a plate of food? He’d check once he left the kitchen. As much as he wanted to stay and play referee… He couldn’t, not with these two. So, Kyle grabbed himself a plate and left the kitchen, lightly tapping the doorframe as he went over to the couch to sit down, grabbing the plate that Gall didn’t take with him on the dresser as he did. At least he knew that Ingall had taken a plate with him then.

*~*~*~*

Quincy ‘Quinn’ Jordan | M | 21 | A+ | Pan/Arospike/Poly | Pyro | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

When Quincy woke up, his heart was racing and eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to realize where he was. Sitting up, stretching as the webs of sleep echoed through his bones, and looking around. It didn’t take too long for him to realize it was his room in Chile’s apartment. So he yawned, stretched a bit more, and forced himself to stand up. It felt way too early to be awake, but now that he was up? He might as well be.

--

He got dressed as quickly as possible, trying to generate some energy before he even thought of leaving his room. He ended up going with a simple t-shirt, one of the pairs of blue jeans that he had that had fewer rips than some of the other ones, and one of his jackets. It ended up being a yellow-orange-ish color one, grabbed at random. Pushing his feet to get him over to the desk where he kept his jewelry, he took out his gold and black earrings and put them on, grabbing his sunglasses and just letting them hang off his jacket for the moment. Reaching down, he grabbed the worn tennis shoes sitting there, faded blue and orange with frayed black laces being pulled onto his feet without a glance.

--

Tying them was a different story, since as soon as he tried to do that, he almost lost his balance and had to go sit down to do it. He huffed as he walked over to his bed and sat down, bringing one leg up and starting to tie the laces. The other foot tapped impatiently as he forced his hands to stop moving so quickly that he kept messing up. As soon as one shoe was tied, he was bringing the other one up as the first one went down, starting the process with that one, foot tapping impatiently basically as soon as it had hit the ground.

--

When his shoes were finally tied, Quinn jumped up and stretched for a moment again before walking out of his room, door opening and closing with a loud crash. Somehow, he felt like it was quieter than usual, and he huffed at the overall silence of the apartment. He looked around the common room and saw Maya fairly quickly. He grinned at her, shooting her finger guns as his nose picked up the scent of food. “Heyyy, Maya! How’re you this great damn morning?” He paused for a mere second before continuing, “Did the other two make something? And did they make enough for me?”

--

All the while, he was already on his way towards the kitchen, a grin plastered on his face with a sincerity that he could never even think of faking. He didn’t really ever wait for May to write a response that he’d have to read, way too slow of a process for him. Especially when he could just see the answer for himself by going to the kitchen. There was a plate on the dresser, pancakes and berries, but given how Maya hadn’t had a plate over there, it was probably for her. And as tempting as it was to just take that plate, there was probably a plate with larger pancakes in the kitchen. Which was definitely a better choice.

--

So, he stepped into the doorway of the kitchen and grinned at the two in there. Chile and Aries. And plates full of pancakes and berries. “Hey Chile, hey babe! How’s it going in here?”

--

Quincy stepped a bit more into the kitchen, leaning back against the doorframe as Aries looked over and Chile rolled his eyes, leaning back against a counter. As per usual, Kyle ended up being the first of the two to speak. Not that he really minded, he was more interested in the pancakes right now, if he was being honest.

--

“Fine, Quinn. I’m going to go check up on Maya though, make sure she’s eating the plate we made her.”

--

Quinn nodded, shifting a bit to let him through after Chile had grabbed a plate, probably for himself. Then, he looked back at Aries, trying to keep his eyes off the pancakes as much as possible. He was probably failing but whatever, it didn’t really matter. Besides, the silence was definitely starting to get annoying, and he was suddenly focusing on not tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. Aries did eventually speak though, and it was like a breath of fresh air.

--

“Do you… Want a plate?”

--

Quincy grinned, taking the invitation immediately, and going over to the table as he spoke, “Well, of course I do. Pancakes and berries? Damn, that shit is delicious. You know what I mean?”

--

As he grabbed a plate, not really paying attention for an answer, he turned towards Aries and grabbed the collar of his shirt, dragging him down a bit so that he could tiptoe his way to kissing his boyfriend. Grinning up at him, Quincy stepped back and leaned against the counter, “So, do you have any plans for today? If I gotta guess, Kage has probably come up with something fun to do today, so I’ll probably be doing whatever that is. But you don’t ever really tend to come with us though, you know? Which sucks! It’s always fun, you’re totally missing out.”

*~*~*~*

Garvin | M | N/A (22) | N/A | Brin/Ambi | Catecholamine Rush | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Sure man, whatever ya say! Don’t count us out just yet though, ya might be surprised!”

--

Garvin was half tempted to make a joke at that, and as usual, he never really thought before speaking. In his opinion, at least. So he did, grinning his usual grin all the while, “Man, ya could tell me that ‘m bein’ kicked out tomorrow an’ I wouldn’t be surprised, good luck surprisin’ me with anythin’. But hey! You’re always welcomed ta try!”

*~*~*~*

Oculi ‘Opal’ Aisling Belmira | Apagender | 23 | A- | Cupio/Pan/Ambi | Sight | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Yeah, true. I’m sure we could manage if one of ‘em messed up or something. I’m not too worried about it though, they’re usually chill. Well, chill enough not to accidentally hurt each other anyway. Kinda agree with you though, I don’t get why they like training so much, that shit’s more stressful than fun!”

--

Oculi nodded along, “Definitely agree with you on that one, those two are totally crazy.”

--

The sound of a door opening had them turning around on the couch, looking over to see Ingall walking in, hearing as Kage greeted him.

--

“Wassup, Ingall? Have fun at your pity party?”

--

Oculi’s eyes narrowed in confusion, unsure of what they had missed before waking up, and they shot Ingall an apologetic glance at Kage’s behavior. They watched as Ingall walked past without a word though, and bit their lip. They turned back around, sinking into the couch a bit more. They looked back at Kage, “So… How long do you think we’ll be at the mall for?”

Gwyar ‘Aries/Khorne’ Ariethous Fraoch | M | 20 | Varies/O- | Demi/Ambi | Blood Manipulation | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

Gwyar tensed as Quincy huffed, and he momentarily wondered if he’d said the wrong thing. Chosen the wrong option for today. Or if Quinn was amused, or teasing, or something else that wasn’t immediately negative. He didn’t have to wonder long, as Quincy spoke.

--

“Orrrr, you could leave the complex and join the fun gang today. I don’t know what Kage is planning yet but it’s totally going to be better than whatever you have in mind.”

--

Wrong option then. He held back a wince. Gwyar could just say that he’d changed his mind, that he would go with Quincy. But that might be unnecessary? Quinn wasn’t really asking him to go, more so telling him. Especially since he seemed so casual, like he wasn’t concerned about convincing him. If how Quincy spoke around a bite he’d just taken was anything to go by.

--

“Even if it’s not outside, it's still way better than whatever you do.”

--

Gwyar held back a flinch, and then another as Quincy’s face went bitter. Had he messed up too much? Had he done something else and that had crossed the line? Was Quinn done beating around the bush of his past mistakes that had never been taken care of properly?

--

“Fuck, I hope it’s out of the complex though. I need to move, see the sights, and meet new people. Like, love you and the group and whatever, but it’s way too boring with no one new to talk to. I feel like we’re running through the same old conversations at this point.”

--

He kept himself from flinching, even if he couldn’t keep away the tension raising his shoulders. Quincy had just been… Just been getting upset over the idea of being cooped up in the complex today. That was all. Yeah. And over the fact that they didn’t have anything new to talk about… He bit back the apology he’d been about to give when Quinn started talking again.

--

“Just like, you know what I mean? It’s dumb as shit to only talk to the same ten or so people. I need new faces!”

--

Gwyar nodded along reflexively, agreeing with whatever was said was always best. Always easiest. Always right.

--

“Ehhhh, though, now that I think about it? If you come along I might end up not talking to anyone new. Ugh. Torn between the need for new and the need to show you how boring your day will be if you don’t come! How does anyone make decisions here?!”

--

He managed to hold back a flinch at the beginning, but at the raised tone at the end, he couldn’t hold back the wince and tension rising shoulders. Instinctively, he bit at his bottom lip, trying to figure out whether Quincy wanted him along or not. Trying to figure out what the right decision, right thing to say, was. Trying to figure out what all he’d done wrong. Especially as Quinn looked up at him for a moment, huffing and groaning and rolling eyes.

--

“Whatever. You already said you wouldn’t come so I guess I just won’t drag you along. You’ll be coming next time for sure though.”

--

So… He didn’t have to go then? Despite his confusion, he nodded along. The set in stone of having to go next time was enough for him to understand that everything had been decided. He didn’t have to go this time but he would have to go next time. He could do that. That was an easy enough decision to follow through on.

--

Still, as Quinn grinned, amused happiness written on his face… Gwyar was able to give a smile and ignore the tension still in his shoulders. “That sounds good, Quinn.”

--

“Of course it does, babe! I came up with it.”

--

He repressed a small wince and nodded, his smile still on as Quincy’s grew larger and larger. “That you did, love.”

*~*~*~*

Chile ‘Kyle’ Guerra Seymour | M | 21 | AB- | Pan/Ambi | Reindeer Shifter | Yes | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

Chile reached the couch and sat down, watching as May looked at him and smiled, small and sad. His eyes narrowed briefly in thought, before he smiled in greeting himself. As mad as he was at Quincy at the moment, he knew how to tune it out enough for it to not affect how he was with other people.

--

He held the plate he brought over from the dresser for Maya as she wrote, and as she passed over the notebook, he handed over her plate while setting his own plate down on the coffee table beside the couch. Then, he looked down at the page and read.

--

‘Let me know if Gall’s on his phone at all during the walk later today, please, and what his reaction is to it. If it’s negative, we might have to change tactics.’

--

Kyle’s eyes narrowed slightly, that did not sound too good. If the reaction to his phone was negative… This was probably part of the relationship stuff Maya had told him about earlier. Someone that shouldn’t be talking to him was talking to him. He looked back up at May and nodded solemnly. “Will do. You can count on me, May. We’ll figure this out.”

--

He paused, handing back over the notepad with a small hum. “Do you know if Ingall remembered his flute when he left? If not, then one of us can go and give it to him. After we eat though, we still have to take care of ourselves too and all.”

*~*~*~*

Quincy ‘Quinn’ Jordan | M | 21 | A+ | Pan/Arospike/Poly | Pyro | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Uh… Think I’ll probably leave the complex today, find something to do outside.”

--

Quincy huffed a bit, grabbing the fork on his plate with his free hand as he rolled his eyes. “Orrrr, you could leave the complex and join the fun gang today. I don’t know what Kage is planning yet but it’s totally going to be better than whatever you have in mind.”

--

He took a bite of a pancake before continuing on with what he was saying, “Even if it’s not outside, it’s still way better than whatever you do.” His face soured, scrunching up in an exasperated pout. “Fuck, I hope it’s out of the complex though. I need to move, see the sights, and meet new people. Like, love you and the group and whatever, but it’s way too boring with no one new to talk to. I feel like we’re running through the same old conversations at this point.”

--

Quinn shrugged, taking another bite of his food. “Just like, you know what I mean? It’s dumb as shit to only talk to the same ten or so people. I need new faces!”

--

He paused, humming to himself off-tune, piecing together thoughts as he took another bite. When he spoke again, his tone edged between humor, exasperation, and dramatic. “Ehhhh, though, now that I think about it? If you come along I might end up not talking to anyone new. Ugh. Torn between the need for new and the need to show you how boring your day will be if you don’t come! How does anyone make decisions here?!”

--

Quinn glanced up at Aries, huffing and groaning in semi-faux annoyance as he rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You already said you wouldn’t come so I guess I just won’t drag you along. You’ll be coming next time for sure though.”

--

He grinned widely as Aries nodded in agreement, and his eyes shone just a bit brighter as his boyfriend smiled, filling the silence with words that always managed to heighten his mood.

--

“That sounds good, Quinn.”

--

Quincy grinned even wider, confidence and humor painting his words, “Of course it does, babe! I came up with it.”

--

“That you did, love.”

--

He chuckled lightly, a slight giggle in it as he thought. “Man, with how good I am at coming up with plans- Maybe Kage should just let me decide what we do!”

*~*~*~*

Garvin | M | N/A (22) | N/A | Brin/Ambi | Catecholamine Rush | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“And try I will! What fun would a competition be if I didn’t give it my all?!”

--

Garvin laughed a bit at that, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, “Well, it’d be a really fuckin’ easy one to win, so…” He paused, thinking it through before continuing. An easy win was always fun. For him, at least. “Ya know what? Actually, don’t try. Yeah, I think I’d rather like an easy win. That sounds like a great time.”

*~*~*~*

Oculi ‘Opal’ Aisling Belmira | Apagender | 23 | A- | Cupio/Pan/Ambi | Sight | No | Mentions; Everyone (Ind/Dir).

“Hmm, I guess it depends on what we decide to do. I’d say at least a few hours or so, though! Oh, by the way, I bet Chile’s ‘bout done with the pancakes by now, you decided if ya want any or not yet?”

--

Oculi shrugged, a small smile forming on their features in a slight show of embarrassment, “Not going to lie, I kind of completely forgot about that. If he’s already done though, not sure I want to make him have to make more. Just kind of seems like a waste, you know?”