Cappuccijoe

"Apologies, but given the situation, conversation will most likely have to wait until after these are taken care of." Olli shot the man with the stupid hat a disapproving stare, left palm open in disbelief as he continued to run into battle without any sort of care for the world. The girl, for whatever it was worth, ran right past him and began hacking her way through the horde of Undecided all on her own. Olli figured the best plan of action would be to join them, so he quickly got to work, dashing in near the mage and gripping the Undecided that came closest by the skull. Olli's own Undecided half showing a display of rather terrifying strength, breaking through the skeletal structure of the monster with a morbid crunch as the skull of the creature exploded into something of a black mist, the rest of the body fading away quickly thereafter. Olli chuckled, satisfied by his work. That smile would soon fade as a ship passed overhead, quickly stealing his, and everyone else's, thunder by unleashing somewhat of a thunder of its own. The blast charges and cannon blasts alike tore through the crowds and put a severe dent in the hulking Behemoth in front of them "Of course SHE has to show up." Olli groaned; the Captain always seemed to show up "just in time" for these kinds of things, coming in with her hulking monster of a ship and laying cannon fire to the ground below. There were times were Olli questioned if she was even really a Pirate or just a Paladin with a costume, but even Olli's bitter mind had to concede that her timing here was impeccable. As the ship landed, and the Captain stepped foot onto battle, Olli decided he would not be outdone, and charged into the fray himself. As Olli approached though, the voice rang again, though this time a bit more menacingly: Courage... it is nothing without a test. Show me your strength. Olli's vision, ditto that of our unsuspecting party members, would become blurry, and blackness would spawn from the ground they walked on, crawling up the soles of their shoes, and gripping at the ankles. Panic washed over Olli's chest; was he about to die? There was no time to struggle, as the darkness quickly shot up his human form and collapsed over the top of his head, crashing like a wave, and devouring the party whole. In just a moment's notice, a flash would come in front of them, now suddenly standing on a stained glass platform, showing the face of the last known remaining Keyblade Wielder, Ventus, and a similar, but unfamiliar, figure on the other side of the design. All around the platform was darkness, and it seemed as if you were to take a step off the side, you would fall for eternity. The six heroes, now arranged in a circular pattern at the center of the platform, were greeted only by themselves for now. Olli looked around in a panic, frantically looking for a way back to The Ever, "Where- Where are we!?" he snapped his gaze towards the Mage he met before, "Did you do this!? Get us back to The Ever, now! The Invasion is happening out there, we don't have time for magic tricks!" There would be a short time to talk and react to the area around them, and Olli simply sat down in his spot in the circle, deciding uncharacteristically break the sounds of confusion with a question: "Sure seems like the 6 of us are trapped here. The name's Olli. I've been in The Ever for.." he stopped, hanging his head back to look up at the infinite darkness above them. "God, I can't even remember how long. Time sort of started to melt away in there..." he lifted his head back up, looking over at Trevor and Melia, "But when you two passed me by... something changed. Did either of you feel that? That was the beginning of all... this stuff." He gestured out into the nothingness, "Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I didn't even know THIS existed." Not long after the conversation, however long it took, ceased, a rumble shook the floor beneath them, sending OIli slightly off balance. The rumble was the sound of not one, but two Behemoth clawing their way up the side of the platform, standing proudly and towering above the party once they reached the summit of their climb. Olli shot up his feet, mumbling something under his breath. Monster: Behemoth (x2) HP/Level: ???/??? The Behemoth on the left of the platform wasted little time, immediately charging towards Olli, Regina, and Cori, swinging its large, lumbering arm towards the ground, hoping to sweep the three of them off of the platform and half the party's size in one go. The other one, however, took a much more relaxed approach, simply standing there with its arms crossed, looking menacingly at the party, perhaps planning something if left untouched. Current Battle Arena Layout OST: Legend Of Dragoon OST: "Last Battle"

Elizabeth had barely cracked one eye open; it was still covered in makeup from the party Ashley had invited her to, so it felt even heavier than it would have normally. Parties were emotionally exhausting to her in the first place these days, but as her vision came into focus, she had begun to notice the time. The hairs on her body rose straight in the air as she shot out of bed, realizing exactly what time it was. "No, no, no, no, no!! I'm supposed to meet Ashley at the florist in thirty minutes!!" she looked around her room; she was positive the only way she would make it there on time for their appointment would be to run, and on her knee... she shook her head and hurriedly began taking clothes out of her dresser. It no longer mattered what would happen to her or her knee. It was the third time in this week alone that she would have been late or blown off Ashley entirely. Normally, Elizabeth would selfishly proclaim it was due to her "mourning", or "not feeling well", but she knew the truth this time: she was becoming a busier person, and Beth was doing an awful job of making time for the person who had dropped everything at the drop of a hat for her over the past year and a half. She could not afford to let that happen again; truthfully, she had already begun to feel the strain of her impertinence on their relationship this year. As she began practically jumping into clothing she could quickly change in and out of so she could get into a dress quickly for the florist, Elizabeth picked up her phone: there were two messages. It was less than she had expected the day her and Ashley had plans, but she would at least wait until she read the contents of the messages before worrying. To her surprise, it was actually one message from Ashley, and one from Yushiro, confirming that she would show up later for his match. The vengeful part of Elizabeth's brain considered mentioning the fact the he was suspiciously absent from her big match against Hitomu, but she felt it was not the best course of action to take with the awkward guy she had just spent a decent amount of time snogging a few nights ago. She chose to ignore his message for the time being, instead panning to Ashley's message which simply read: "Hope you remembered the Florist's today." Elizabeth's heart sank; she knew this was Ashley's way of getting back at her when she was feeling slighted or ignored, which, in Ashley's defense, was partially the truth. Elizabeth knew that if she had started spilling every detail to Ashley that it would become the truth, and that she would be putting her life back on track. In some ways, the idea that there is a life after the person she had been for the last year and a half, no, the last seventeen and a half years, scared her as much as the fact of being without her brother in the first place. Once Elizabeth was fully clothed and she grabbed her dress bag, she got on the phone with Ashley, quickly rushing out the door, and quickly trying to smooth over the mess she had created, no matter how futile she felt the activity might be. The phone didn't ring for long. "Hi Beth, is this you telling me you're gonna be late again? Don't worry, I got here early anyway so I'll just pick yours out with the extra ti-" Elizabeth quickly cut her off, for fear of being dug into too much further, "No, Ash, I'm not going to be late. At least, I'm not going to try to be. I'm on my way now. But, about the thing with Yushiro-" It was now Ashley's turn to cut Beth off, not entertaining the casual mention that she might ACTUALLY be late. AGAIN. "Can we maybe talk about that when you and I are in the same room? Like, when you're actually on time for this thing you and I have been talking about all week because this homecoming dance is actually for us and we're both 'really excited' to go this year?" Ashley threw up finger quotes in the middle of the flower shop, clearly becoming angrier now. Beth was caught off-guard; Ashley was taking a tone with her that she wasn't entirely comfortable or familiar with, "Wait, Ashley, of course I'm excited to go, that's why I'm running over as fast as I can. I'm going to be there on time." Ashley sighed, now pardoning herself from the group of people in the flower shop she was previously talking to, "I just wish I was the plans you were blowing people off to go see for once, if I can be honest Beth. I heard Hitomu asked you to help coach the duel team in some capacity... Couldn't help but notice you never invited me to grab lunch with you two then either." A weight of sorts had now begun to form itself at the bottom of Beth's throat, on the top of her lungs. It wasn't until Ashley had started saying all these things that she had really thought about whether or not Ashley was keeping receipts on all the ways things were changing between the two of them. Of course, once she had actually dedicated some thought to it, the answer was obvious: of course she was keeping receipts. It was practically what Ashley did for a living in her academy career. "I... Wish I had a good explanation for you Ash, I really do. Things have been moving really quickly for me lately, and I know that's not an excuse but, I'm just not really sure how to handle it. I should have told you first. It's the least I owe you." Beth's pace picked up just a bit quicker than she could comfortably speed-walk now; the urgency rose with every word of their phone call. "What I really need is for my friend to show up for our appointment on time. Can we start there? I'll stop looking at stuff for us until you get here. There's other people I could help in the mean time." Elizabeth quickly doubled down, "I'll be there in fourteen minutes. Not a moment later." Beth hung up her phone, now pushing herself to her absolute limit without breaking into a full on run or sprint down the campus walkway to the florist. Ashley groaned, slipping her phone back into her purse. A few concerned inquiries were quickly waved off with her sunny disposition and superior acting skills, and Ashley was quickly back to work. Ashley was always quickly back to work; a moment wasted on self-pity is an opportunity to network with the student body and strengthen her connections. Speaking of such opportunities, as if an angel herself had just walked through the door, a small, black-haired girl had walked through the florist door, and she was practically perspiring with anxiety in the storefront. Ashley quickly tapped over to the unfamiliar face, although as she was approaching, the face did gain some familiar qualities; the complexion and description matched that of the girl Elizabeth had described from the coffee shop, and Ashley was positive she had seen her face at a club fair or two. Yes, Ashley was now positive it was the girl from the community service organization that went by the name of Melissa. She quickly introduced herself. "Hi there! I don't mean to be nosy or intrusive, but I feel like I've seen you around before and I've never introduced myself! My name's Ashley Rendleman. I'm your student council president! Are you looking for flowers for tonight too?? I was just looking around at some of the beautiful arrangements they have back there; I don't even know where to start with all of it!" Ashley matched her cheery introduction and immediate offer to help with a brightly lit smile and bend of the knee, like a curtsy given up on well too soon. Today she was simply in a pair of leggings and a rather suggestively cut top, so that she would be able to get into her dress quickly and keep the floral matching process moving along quickly, but her signature radiant blonde hair was flowing freely down her shoulder blades, gentle waves tickling their way down her shoulders and neck, and framing her figure. She extended a hand, hoping Melissa would choose to continue the conversation on her own, and if not, Ashley had a whole slew of other questions ready to get her talking; it was just in her nature to be that way.

"Reinforce the gates! Do not concede the line until my signal!" A gruff, proud man outfitted entirely in plate screamed from the top of the watchtower, so that all the watch towers in the front sector could hear. Fairlight Town itself, despite being the largest population of anywhere in The Ever, was quite spacious. It was split up into 4 sectors in the shape of a rhombus, with the back triangle of the rhombus buried into a mountain structure, so that all but the front triangle would be impenetrable by anything but an aerial attack, which was an uncommon battle tactic in this time and age. The front two sectors in the forward facing triangle featured the military, guilds of all classes and jobs, the blacksmiths, medics, and all other manners of things that would require fast and convenient access in the event of an invasion or attack, such as this one. This provided a deep and numerous defensive response before any potential invaders could reach the back two sectors, which featured the residential and shopping districts for your less battle intensive needs: clothing, non-magical jewelry, furniture, and the farmers market. This impressive display of city planning and architecture surrounded the most important and defining characteristic of Fairlight: the Sages guild. The Sages of Fairlight, the last possible line of defense against the ravages of The Ever and the eternally spawning Undecided, were placed in a high reaching tower, adorned from top to bottom in resplendent jewels, crystals, and ever burning lamps that reflected and refracted the light all over Fairlight, giving a warm, orange glow to the city, which had since become extinct in most other worlds due to the lack of a colorful sky in The Ever. The large wooden gate buckled heavily, bowing into the wall of men that had formed a makeshift barrier behind the gate. Causing the bend was a behemoth about 12 feet tall, and about 3 cabbage carts wide from the shoulders, slamming its fists into the wood. The captain grimaced as the dark energy pulsed around the creature's magma-like skin: pitch black to the point of being hard to make out in broad daylight, cracked open and seething with energy all its own. The warrior paced in his post, weighing the pros and cons of the hardest part of his job: does he release the gates and allow the monster in, surely killing some good men? Or allow them to continue slamming against the gate and grow in number, potentially dooming the entire civilization? He removed his helmet as despair washed over his heart. "I can't take many more of these decisions..." he walked towards the ladder and made his descent, sliding down the edges, rather than stepping down each rung. As he approached the gates, his subordinates appeared shocked, "C-Captain! What are you doing here?! Who's watching the post?!" One lieutenant voiced his concerns. "I'm ending my cowardice. Release the gates." "What? Are you sure?! The warriors are still gathering!" Sweat accumulated on both their brows; one out of fear for the worst, one out of anticipation of the same. "I SAID RELEASE THE GATES!" A roar flowed through the ranks of the Fairlight Military's loyal as the command rolled through, giving way to the gates and allowing not only the Behemoth, but several waves of your generic, storebrand Undecided as well. Ollie snapped his head to the gates as the command was issued; "What are they thinking? The boy scouts aren't even ready yet..." he readied himself, tapping into his more aggressive side, and allowing for the energy that powered these beasts, The Undecided, the transformation that had been laid upon him, to consume just a bit more real estate. But as he began to walk towards the gate to take on the Behemoth that had wandered into Fairlight, and rather quickly got to slapping away fully grown men and making room for the next round of souls, Ollie felt a pain. Normally, he would have accepted this particular brand of pain as a gas bubble or some sort of cramp, but it felt like... it had felt like it was coming from the Magician, then the girl with the large sword that ran by. "Ah! My heart!" He clutched his chest, "Wait.." something had dawned on Ollie: he didn't have a heart. Nobody did in this realm, so what was this pain? And what did the other two have to do with it? He could only assume such a pain, or perhaps some similar signal had been imparted to them as well, but even if it didn't Ollie knew one thing for sure: he had to keep those two alive. They were important for something. "You two, wait!" He chased after them, and thus towards the Behemoth, hoping they could escape the first wave of Undecided alive to get some answers. WARNING!! Monster: Behemoth and Swarm HP:??? Level: ???

Elizabeth looked around with some degree of surprise as the students filed out of the meeting, most of them not so much as even paying note to the binder of cards itself. She remembered the times when she was a newcomer to the team; those cards were like literal gold to her at the time. There was a part of her that had just wanted to poach the binder for its rarity, rather than its actual perceived value to her. She always came back to some degree of morality and simply took what she genuinely thought would be valuable to her deck, but there was always a small devil on her shoulder telling her to take the high rarity synchro and use it for favors. What she meant to derive from this memory was unclear, but nonetheless it was surprising that the newer members either: a) Had enough confidence in their current cards to leave the binder well enough alone, b) Were too shy to ask for help and take the cards, or c) Genuinely had no clue what would and would not be of use to their decks. Regardless of the final choices made internally, all three of those prospects concerned her; a deck could always be made better, even Hitomu's, which was treated as the holy grail of sorts on campus. Once the meeting had cleared out, she stood from her desk gingerly and exchanged a few vapid bits of small talk with Jun and Hitomu as a thanks for having her out to the meeting, before turning her attention to what she viewed as the more exciting portion of the night: Yushiro. He had agreed to a date with her this evening, and she had every intention of making him follow through with it, sore kneecap and all. "All ready to head out?" Beth examined Yushiro's stature. He was a bit nervous, you could see it in his shoulders, and the way he was carrying himself. She supposed that wasn't much of a surprise; ignoring the fact that she thought herself to be a bit of a hot mess, the word "hot" had always seemed to follow conversations about Elizabeth, for one reason or another. "I know we agreed on you choosing this time, but if you hadn't thought of anything I thought perhaps we could get some takeaway and watch a movie or something of the sort. I brought my cards, anyhow, if you wanted to keep it casual." Yushiro grinned, "Nah, we can save the pizza for the next date. I know exactly where to take you! But uhm... we can't eat there so, wanna grab Tito's first? I've been craving it all day." A next date, you say? A rare moment of smooth-talking from Yushiro had certainly piqued Elizabeth's interest; after all, it was better than waiting for him to text back for a week. "Oh! Well alright then, let's be on our way!" --- It had been some time since they left Tito's, and just about all small talk subjects had been gone over; they surprisingly avoided the duel team, given that they were just there, and had instead talked about some more menial things: How Elizabeth got to know Ashley, what classes they're taking, how the week has gone for the both of them, and the standard fare of awkward small talk that often provokes the dance between two teenagers of "I'm not really sure what to do here so I'll play it casually" and "My hormones that I have no control over are telling me to ravage you at the drop of a hat, and I'm trying to let you know that". This dance, of course, was dropped occasionally by the semi-paranoid nagging of Yushiro, who Elizabeth had assumed he thought her leg to have been shot, rather than taking a simple fall. Sometimes even the cute gestures got a bit stale, but she took them for what they were at face value: concern on some level for her well being, and that's what she would appreciate about the questions. “Sorry again for having you walk all this way. Iiiiis your leg doing alright?” Yushiro asked, for what had to have been at least the fourth time since they’d left Tito’s with their food. He’d taken Elizabeth back up through campus and out through a very specific corner of Blue Yonder’s property that, seemingly, just led up into the woods and nowhere else. For the past half an hour or so they’d hiked uphill, intermittently stopping to take another bite of food or for Yushiro, in typical form, to ask if Elizabeth was doing alright. It was more to reassure himself that he was doing this date thing right than it was out of actual genuine concern for her well being-not that he wasn’t concerned- but he knew she was tough and in all likelihood far more athletic than he was. Elizabeth would be just fine. At last, when Elizabeth might have begun to think that Yushiro had no idea where he was going, the path opened up into a spacious, overgrown lot, dotted with a few dilapidated structures. It was the kind of place one almost never saw in Ambrosia- most old buildings were either renovated on ADMIN’s direction or torn down to make way for new ones. To see what had to be a couple of acres worth of old industrial just sitting out here would mean that this lot had been forgotten by more or less everyone in the dome, up to and including the supercomputer that ran the place. While the largest and most imposing of the buildings was what appeared to be some kind of old pump station, Yushiro ignored it and instead led Elizabeth toward an old water tower- the tallest structure there. It was so tall, in fact, that it could be seen from campus proper if you looked up the hill, though if you didn’t know what you were looking for it would probably just blend in with the trees or anything else obstructing your view. As he made his way toward the large staircase that spiraled up the base of the water tower he turned back toward Elizabeth one more time. “I guess it's sorta too late to ask, but you’re not afraid of heights are you?”

Chapter One: Unity Fires burned brightly in the basin of the several magically fueled torches that lit the walls of the Head Sage's home. Sweat trickled down her forehead and into her brow as she made the horrific discovery that always came with a brief, sinking feeling: this one could not be saved. Incapacitated before her laid what used to be a human; a poor, misguided soul who had not been able to find peace or direction in The Ever. Neither a cause for life or a purpose for death, and would soon be warped into the familiar beasts that tortured Fairlight, and soon the worlds beyond The Ever as a whole. "Nir." Sage Courth beckoned. "Yes, Head Sage?" the small boy looked up from his desk in the corner, turning ninety degrees in his chair to face the Head Sage. "Please retrieve my book. This soul... will not make it." Her graying hair fell in front of her face as she bowed her head in shame. Dismissing a soul from The Ever to...whatever the afterlife held in this realm was never an easy task, even for a Sage of her strength and wisdom. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was the best she could do, but death was still human, and it still made her mournful. The much younger boy, clearly an apprentice, also bowed his head, "Yes, Head Sage." He reached to the far corner of his desk, over a lit candle and over the stacks of paper; research, to be specific, to grab the Head Sage's book. Before handing it to her, one sheepish question leaked out of his lips, "Is...is the invasion today, Head Sage?" He knew the answer. He only wished there had been a rescheduling of sorts by the monstrous, relenting enemy lead by something and yet nothing. "The Councilman has warned me of such an occasion. The warriors have all been summoned. We can only hope that when The Ever decides to consume its next harvest, it will have kept everyone we've seen today safe." Lola Courth grabbed the book, and soon unleashed a beam of light from the bindings, simply evaporating the very presence of the transforming soul before her; it seemed more reminiscent of a teleportation than anything resembling a holy smite or a destruction of the human form. The Head Sage pursed her lips, standing up and placing the book back on the far corner of Nir's desk. She slowly moved towards the window and opened the blinds, looking up into the increasingly gray sky. "Looks like it'll be any minute now." --- "Could this place get any worse?" Olli kicked up the dirt as he lazily walked through the town square, slowly venturing into the small crowd of warriors, archers, mages, and other seemingly normal people that were, supposedly, preparing for The Invasion. The Invasion was somewhat of a yearly event for Fairlight; it was a time when The Ever harvested another large area for souls and indecisive hearts, expanding its alarmingly fast reach over all that was known in the universe. The problem with that, however, was that The Ever also appeared to have a very clear cutoff line in terms of population, and would use the hordes of Undecided at their disposal to "clean up" Fairlight, by far it's most populated city, to make room for the new people that would quickly be finding their way into Fairlight as a permanent resident. That was until another invasion happened, anyhow. Olli looked up at the sky; it was never particularly sunny in The Ever, usually some sort of overcast weather was the norm, but even by those standards, Olli perceived it to be rather dreary. Just as that thought crossed his mind, a bell rung from the top of the tallest tower in Fairlight; this was, of course, accompanied by several screams of panic and the common folk immediately running into their homes. "Here we go again." Olli looked around him; he hadn't seen any familiar faces this time around. He thought that was a smart call. In all honesty, Olli questioned himself why he even showed up to Fairlight to help the invasion; Courth wasn't in any danger because of her attachment to The Councilman, and he could care less about any of the other common folk in this town. Maybe he just liked the idea of conflict with the monsters that shared some of his physical traits. --- The gates of Fairlight shook violently and rumbled loudly with the sound of Undecided scratching at the wood that composed the first line of defense; it wouldn't be long until one of the more magically attuned Undecided opened a portal of Darkness that would allow them to walk into the town with impunity, but for now they simply attacked the gate mindlessly. There was something decisively zombielike about the way they went about their business, especially when they were in droves, such as right now. A good 100 Undecided had lined up now; far more than any normal horde of Undecided, but that was what made The Invasion of Fairlight so annually terrifying; where were these flocks of Undecided even coming from? And how did they all end up here? Nobody has yet been able to come to a conclusion as to how these beings have been unified to such an agenda, but perhaps something bigger lies in store for the troupe of heroes that will unknowingly be tied together by the strength of their souls... The gate buckles slightly; and the Undecided start pouring into Fairlight, which is right about the time a familiar yet unknown voice would ring in the heads of our heroes: Your strength... what is it made of? Would you risk it all... for the truth?

Concept, Logo, and Story: Joe Host: Joe (but accepting a co-host!) Introduction & Roleplay Rules Setting Plot Reference Creating a Character! Cast Of Characters If you're interested or considering creating a character, PM me with your discord tag and I'll add you to our very own server!

So this is what they call déjà vu, huh? It sucks. Elizabeth recognized that look of peril on Melissa's face. It was the look of "Well that question was way more than I bargained for when I said hello." Beth, unfairly so, found herself getting angry as Melissa stammered through a phrase that vaguely resembled "I'm sorry," and "Are we talking about something?" as if the answer wasn't apparent. But that wasn't causing the déjà vu; she'd seen the look of someone overwhelmed by her forward misery a thousand times. No, it was this exact moment in time, this exact conversation, frozen in her brain. Only difference now was the weather. --- "Elizabeth, what are you saying? You're just going to quit dueling like that?? This team needs you!" He stopped, immediately putting his hand out, as if he was trying to catch the words and put them back in his mouth before they reached Beth's ears. "Ah, what I meant was-" "No. I know exactly what you meant. And it's not fair, Kyata. How am I supposed to go back in there? His funeral is on Sunday. You think I can focus on a f***ing meeting right now?" her hand gripped the handle of the gymnasium, her knuckles becoming a mixture of purple and white, both from the cold air and the tightness of her grip on the handle. Snow was falling from the air, but that didn't phase either of the teenagers standing outside of the door. There was a brief silence between them as their heated exchange had taken a pause, both attempting to strategize for their next move. In a way, this was a dance they had done a million times. Things tend to get complicated between two people when you sleep together, and that's not even including that one of the people in this conversation captained the school's most successful duel team season to date, or the recent tragedy that befell the former heartthrob standing in front of Kyata. "Beth, of course you should take some time... I think any of us would. But you're not like any of us." He motioned towards the gymnasium door, "Neither of you were. Even when we won you would go home and practice like you got FTK'd. You wanting that time off is why I'm worried about you." "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she released the door and took a step towards the captain, "He was my brother, Kyata. Is that not getting through to you? It's bad enough that you dragged me all the way out, but to a duel team meeting? Is staring at his spot supposed to make it hurt less, you goon? He was your friend too. What I can't figure out is how you're able to move so quick. " Kyata winced; it hurt to see Elizabeth like this. The insults didn't much bother him, it was more the person it was coming from that surprised him. "I dunno Beth," he scratched the back of his head, fuzzy hair from his buzzcut brushing through his fingers as he pondered his next move. "Yea, of course he was my friend. I guess the way I see it, the best thing I could possibly do is continue to live my life, you know? I don't know, I think that's what he'd want us to do. The way I see it It's always going to hurt." Elizabeth snapped back into focus on the present, where Melissa continued to impart her thoughts to the best of her abilities. Elizabeth found herself somewhat emboldened by the new interaction. It was true that things were not entirely identical; Melissa was seemingly not destined for pro dueling, they hadn't been great friends for very long, and they certainly hadn't slept together, but those details hadnt mattered much now. The scene that had followed just under 2 years ago came back to her as a warning, and she was just now remembering the ending. "Well that's awfully easy to say as the person that got out of the car, isn't it?" The world fell mute around them. Blood rushed to her cheeks and ears as what was once simply a heated conversation had come to a full boil, releasing words that could never be taken back. Kyata simply blinked in bewilderment. He opened his mouth once or twice, doing what he could to contain himself, before continuing on: "...you think it was my fault." He put his hand up to his mouth, stroking the bottom of his chin, perplexed, "I guess that's all there is to it, then." He walked by her, swinging open the door to her left, leaving her frozen near the right door. "I'll see you Sunday for the funeral." He slammed the door shut, leaving a loud bang in his wake. Elizabeth tried to chase after him, grabbing the right door handle with the intention of opening it, but instead she just froze, as if something was holding her in place. It was the last time they ever spoke. "That'll just swallow you up, too." Elizabeth nodded her head, "Yeah... yeah I know. I guess it's nice to hear it from other people sometimes." she leaned against the wall, exhausted by the situation as a whole. "I really am sorry for dumping on you like this. It's not fair of me." she pointed to Melissa's cross, then Elizabeth's own chest, "My mother would be so proud of you for having the strength to listen anyway, though. I get the feeling you two were a lot alike as kids." She stood up straight once again, " I know we've only met a few times, but... you've got your baggage too. It's written on your face, the way you looked at me when I opened to you both here and at the coffee shop. she pulled out her cellphone and shook her wrist to the left, then right. "I want to repay the favors you've done me today... even if it's not a meal of some sort." she snickered a bit, "If you ever need anything... please. It's the least I could do. I'd love to repay you now somehow but..." Elizabeth looked into the windowpane of the door, into the gymnasium hallway, wherein a few brief memories flashed into her brain. She looked back, "But I can't shake this feeling that I've got to go in there at least once before I leave this campus. It's going to hurt, looking at all the photos in there. But I should try." She placed her hand on the right door handle once more, and this time found the strength to yank it open, pushing the door to the magnet on the side of the wall, holding it in place. "Maybe you've got good timing after all." Elizabeth stepped inside, doing her best not to look back and run back to the safety of her apartment. Hell, highwater, or the pain of seeing the last place he stood would not let her let down her friends again. She was worried this may have been her last chance. As she turned the corner of the hallway and into the room proper, she noticed that there was already some chatter. They had already started the rules and regulations talk, followed by some resistance by the group at large. "Sorry for running a bit late, captain. Elizabeth set her notebooks and duel boxes down on a table behind the captaincy, "Been a while since I made the hike. Was longer than I thought." Way longer. she thought to herself.

It had probably only been a few moments, or so she thought, but Elizabeth's hand remained frozen to the door handle. It had seemed as though the second Elizabeth touched the opening to the duel team's meeting place, some mystical spirit had rushed to her place and trapped her feet in cement shoes and shackled her wrist to the door. It was infuriating how conscious she was of her self imposed helplessness; how there would be moments, going on days, going on weeks, going on to a year and 354 days, 18 hours, and 16 minutes (but who's really counting), where her mind and body would be stricken with grief. She would ultimately be left at the mercy of that same grief until someone, anyone, came to break her free of that grief and buy Elizabeth more time until the next. "Elizabeth." the voice of an angel perhaps? No, but it was a familiar voice. It wasn't quite as sheepish as the time they last met, but it came at what felt like an identical time as last time. Elizabeth was in what some would call "crisis mode" and Melissa was certainly no stranger to how that mode usually went. Then again, the last time Elizabeth was having a crisis, melissa decided to join her. That didn't sound quite as fortunate. As soon as Melissa's voice touched Elizabeth's ears, it was as if she had been fully released from her shackles. Perhaps this would lead to a good enough excuse, a reason why Elizabeth could, yet again, skirt an attempt at healing and go back to her loneliness. "Oh, Melissa! Didn't even see you there. That probably looked a bit awkward, what with me just hanging on the door. I promise I've a decent reason for it..." Elizabeth stood up straight, releasing the door and pressing out the wrinkles in her pants, "You see, I've been invited to the duel team meeting as somewhat of an advisor and well, I'm not really sure if I'm meant to be there just yet." She looked up; to some this would just be weather watching, or perhaps a bird had caught her eye, but there was a greater purpose in her stare, as if she were trying to communicate a question to nothing. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but as someone devout of a certain faith I have to ask..." Elizabeth just continued to stare up into the sky, "Have you ever lost something irreplaceable?" She started to frown uncontrollably as the grief came back, "I mean, how are you ever supposed to know when it's okay?" The words found their own way out of her. Elizabeth, truthfully, felt badly about always being in crisis mode when she ran into Melissa, "And before you answer any of that, if you even could... I really am rather sorry for being so strange around you. You have a certain timing for these things it would seem. I'm really quite a decent cook; I could at least offer you a meal for all this baggage." What on earth was she even saying anymore? Lunch? That was her best apology for unloading on a stranger? Disappointment, it would seem, also found its own way out of Elizabeth.

Des Lacooda Cigarettes: Take A Fresh Draw On Life! "What a crock of s***." Elizabeth scanned over the front of the pack of cigarettes she produced from her bag, running her delicate fingers over the golden foil that was etched into the cardboard. Ashes sprinkled down from her face to her fingertips, causing her to yip slightly from the heat. As she removed the cigarette from her mouth, tapping the ashes to the ground, the irony began to cross her mind. The most humor she could derive from her addiction to nicotine is how painfully aware she was that it was bad for her. She knew that one day it would take her lungs, then her skin, then her hair, and eventually her life. She knew that if she continued, dancing would become harder and harder to do until smoking just became more preferable to going out at all. She knew that people would look at her strangely every time she excused herself, thinking quietly: "Doesn't she read the box? That stuff gives you cancer!" The thing was: those worries always faded first when she inhaled that cloud of toxins. She would tell herself all sorts of things when she was done being in public: "I'll have two before I go to the duel team meeting. One on the secret walk back to my place, and one in the shower before I shampoo so nobody can smell it in my hair." It was always the newest strategy. Mints, change of clothes, beanies, hats, coffee. Whatever she could do to feed her addiction without further damaging her already strained relationships. Some days Elizabeth was even proud of how well she had planned these things out. But… I'm not addicted. I just do it to take the edge off. Liar. She was always trying to convince herself of something. Still, there was some truth to not caring much for the "addicted" lifestyle, if ever there was such a thing. Having spent a lot of time thinking about grieving and why people do it, Beth had always thought there to be 3 ways to grieve: Go out in a blaze of glory, shut down and become a hermit, or be strong and get better. There wasn't much guess work in figuring out which one Elizabeth had decided on, but there was in fact a time where she had felt the best way to heal was to be around people. Constantly partying, constantly out, consistently being sapped dry of resources by the leeches that tend to populate those crowds, and consistently going home in a haze to cry alone in her pillow. It wasn't something Elizabeth could live with and when her looks started to fade as a result, she panicked and decided to keep all the pain to herself. The irony was never lost on Elizabeth. She never tried to take her own life directly after Todd passed, but when it became apparent that was the direction her life was taking, she took everything in, repressing it instead of choosing to be a wild child. But what was there to make of this? Elizabeth took another drag from her cigarette. It was slower, but she knew the result was all the same. Just easier to pretend I can quit when I'm better. she flicked the remainder of her cigarette's ashes onto the curb in front of her apartment. It was only when she finally entered the apartment did she really begin to think about what she had just gotten herself into that evening… and how much her knee was hurting; When on earth did that start pulsing like that? Beth quickly hobbled over to her bed, removing her jeans. She winced at the sight of her own kneecap, which had gone from her usual shade of cream color to mixtures of red, purple, and other colors knees should probably not be. "Christ… that better just be an ugly bruise. I can't go through another sprain. She laid back onto her bed in slight agony as she remembered what it was like the first time she had sprained her kneecap. It was shortly after Todd had passed, and right about when it felt like the world was conspiring against her. When she wasn't partying, she was dancing or working out at the gym, simply because she couldn't stand the thought of being alone with herself and her own thoughts for more than a couple of minutes at a time. When you put your body under that much stress, however, things are bound to give, and Elizabeth, despite her particularly good training regiment, was no different. What was only a couple of weeks on crutches felt like 40 years, staring at her ceiling and chain smoking the day away. That was when the grief had really set in, and it was largely why Elizabeth is the way she is today. Another sentencing to the inside of her own 4 walls and… Beth shook her head, refusing to give the thought any credence. Slipping some sweatpants on, Beth went to the porch and grabbed a plastic lawn chair to sit on while she showered. Some hot water and some time off of it should do wonders… But what should I even wear to this duel team meeting? She immediately opened her wardrobe and pulled out her old duel team jacket. She smiled just a bit; fashionably speaking it was a complete mess, but the REGIONAL CHAMPION 20XX, 20XX patches on the sleeve of her old uniform provided a beam of pride not even Beth's cold, angry heart could shelf away. Elizabeth groaned, putting the hanger back in her wardrobe. "What on ambrosia are you thinking Beth. You're going to look like a loser wearing a jacket for a team you're not even on. Let's stay a little sporty without going for the 'football father that cannot let go of the golden era', can we? Oh, something like this. Beth pulled out a soccer-style jersey with the Blue Yonder logo and sponsoring school clubs on it. In all honesty, it was a rather fetching design, apart from the fact that the old captain's name was on it from when they had somewhat of a fling during their first championship run. "Still, it would go well with-" Elizabeth stopped cold in her tracks and applied her palm directly to the center of her forehead. "It doesn't bloody matter what your tits look like with the pushup if you're wearing a jersey that has another man's name on it to your date!!" Beth threw the jersey to the ground; when had she become so awful at this? "Let's just start from the beginning Beth." She looked up at the clock: 48 minutes until the duel team meeting. That was plenty of time for her to get a quick shower and put her hair in a beanie or a hat of some sort. Beth made her way to her underwear drawer; now on most days she would just pick whatever was on top and be on her way. However, today was a bit different. It's not as if she intended on having Yushiro, or anybody else for that matter, discover what her underwear looked like that evening, but as her mum always told her: "If you want something good to happen to you, you need to start by looking good from the inside out!" Beth rolled her eyes, "Yes mum, I know, I know." she reflexively alleviated the nagging she imagined to herself as she rifled through her undergarments. Laces, ribbons, patterns and colors of all kinds strewn about her room until she settled on two pieces that matched without being too obvious or making her feel undercovered. She nodded in satisfaction at work and turned her attention back to the wardrobe. Elizabeth briefly pondered just how shown out she wanted to be for her date with Yushiro, and perhaps more importantly, what she would be able to wear at a duel team meeting that would also be appropriate. She quickly ruled out dresses and skirts; with her knee looking the way it did she would need to put it in a wrap, and there’s no matching that to any type of shoe. Elizabeth stood there for a moment, snapping her fingers, hoping to allure the physical embodiment of an outfit idea into her brain. Certainly, it must have worked because soon after her ritual she sprang into action. She snatched a t-shirt from her drawer: one she had laboriously cut the middle out of so she could display her toned midsection. On the gray t-shirt was a simple artist’s rendition of a Cyber Dragon, her brother’s favorite card. She figured pairing that with a pair of black, low-rise skinny jeans would give enough of a sight for sore eyes while keeping things reasonably professional and duel team focused. A pair of skater’s sneakers and a Blue Yonder beanie hat later, and her outfit was complete. A punkish look would be different enough for Yushiro to catch some looks but normal enough that, aside from her abs, should go without too many looks. Beth snatched her plastic chair, wiped it down quickly, and dragged it into her shower, placing it into a spot where she could rest her knee without having to cramp up her body in other places. She twisted the knob on her shower, quickly opening up the way for scalding hot water to rain down upon all that was inside of the tiled walls. That wouldn’t be Elizabeth quite yet, as she hadn’t turned on any music yet, but she wouldn’t be bothered by the heat. To Beth, nothing was more relaxing than attempting to sear the skin on her bones with water alone. Finally, after putting on music that seemed to more closely resemble an angry riot than a melody, she hobbled over to her chair and took a seat. A slight groan exited her mouth as the pain shot through to her toes, but that pain quickly faded as the heat began to swarm around the afflicted area. Inside her shower, there was nothing else to do other than face her own thoughts. God, I can’t believe Hitomu roped me into this meeting. The things I agree to sometimes. she sighed, leaning her head back into the chair, And Yushiro… bloody hell Yushiro. I’m way in over my head on that one. Elizabeth grabbed for a bottle of shampoo, running the soap through her hair as she pondered, He doesn’t know anything about me. The way he looks at me, talks with me about Duel Monsters, I sometimes wonder if he even knows I had a brother. Maybe he doesn’t care. It’s so unfair of me to expect affection from him when I haven’t even been on a date since... Elizabeth stopped. Come to think of it, I went on a lot of dates last year. But… he’s different somehow. I’m more than a spotter at the gym for Yushiro. I’m not even sure Yushiro goes to the gym. "He's something brand new." Elizabeth finished up her shower and turned the water off, letting it drip from the faucet for several moments before moving a muscle. Something felt different, and Elizabeth froze, trying to solve the feeling. Was it anxiety? No, no, she wanted to go out tonight; if it was anxiety she would want to stay in bed all night. It wasn't excitement either; she somewhat dreaded the idea of having to regulate herself to a duel team's schedule again, no matter how long the offer stood for. No… it was something much more sharp than either of those feelings: Fear? Yes, that was the feeling. It was gripping the bottom of her spine and clawing it's way up the vertebrae, digging into her lungs and heart as it climbed. But why? She didn't have time to think about it now. Elizabeth simply shook her head and jumped out of the shower, preparing herself into the outfit she had laid out for herself. She groaned audibly upon discovering her cigarettes on the desk. She didnt remember to take a smoke before her shower, and she couldn't do it now, she would reek of nicotine! "Ugh!" Elizabeth slammed the door behind her on the way out to her duel meeting, with her decks, a notebook, and various nic nacs for her date in her bag. The walk went off without very much curious introspection, a departure from Beth's normal day to day. But just as she was about to approach the door, that feeling of fear had revealed it's true origin: You're going to forget him, moving on like this. The thought felt like a knife stabbing it's way through her brain and froze her in place, hand still on the door handle. She could feel that familiar soreness of a crying bout coming to her chest, so she would spend even more time frozen to that door handle, trying to suppress it, hoping nobody came to the door to notice it before she had time to collect herself.

"She used to beat me all the time back when we were freshmen, so I figure she could show you all a thing or two, you know?” He's such a knob. Was all Elizabeth thought to herself. Was this his way of talking her up in front of Yushiro? By making her seem like some sort of expert duelist? That was so perfectly Hitomu; frustratingly good at shifting gears when it came to getting down to something emotional. Elizabeth fiddled around with her fingernails a bit while the two talked, seeing as the meeting, conversation at hand in general, didn't much suit her. That was, until, she felt the sensation of a stare. She didn't look up, but she could tell Yushiro's eyes were on her. In that strange, animalistic way, she could feel his gaze sweeping around the curve of her bust and down her ribcage, into her lap. Elizabeth had become somewhat accustomed to it; she knew she was an attractive girl for her age, and he was only human, but something about it disappointed her. A frightened pang shot into the back of her brain: What if it was only her looks he was after? Elizabeth shook the thought from her brain the best she could; it was often hard for Elizabeth to date. Most of the time when she dated, it was the musclebound freaks of genetic nature that inhabited the gym with her. It was almost purely a physical relationship, full of guys who were after her body or sought to use her as some sort of trophy. The thing was, Elizabeth never really found muscles all that attractive; there was something naturally submissive about dating someone who was twice the size of her dainty figure, and that never gelled much with her. She hadn't quite taken Yushiro for that type, or at least she hoped. "you wouldn't mind helping me practice for my match on saturday. Y-you know, if you're free later and you're not burnt out after practice." Elizabeth snapped back into focus and looked up in a panic for Hitomu; he was gone. Elizabeth's heart dropped as she realized what had just happened. There really could not have been worse timing for that, but there was nothing she could do about it now. The best she could do was make it up to him sometime later. “Did … did you just ask me out?" Elizabeth looked up with a shy smile; she felt responding to him in the same way he did in her apartment was the only way she could possibly be cheeky in this scenario. One on hand, she felt miserable for Hitomu, but on the other, the blood rushing quickly to her cheeks was an obvious sign that she was at least pleased to have Yushiro (clumsily) asking the question. "Or, well, I suppose ask me in, really. Well I'd be glad to play some more cards Yushiro." She looked longingly at the space where Hitomu used to be; another missed opportunity wrapped its coiling tail around her chest, squeezing just a bit tighter than last time. "But uhm, I hope this date comes with us being able to talk a little more than a week at a time?" Elizabeth swung her legs out from the bench, seeking to stand up quickly and meet him eye to eye, rather than looking up at him, "Its just, I really enj-" The sensation of tendons grinding together due to the light swelling in her kneecap felt like buckshot being blown through her leg. Elizabeth put one hand out to brace herself and one towards her knee in reaction, only to catch herself and shake off the pain. This had happened before; a day off and some tea would do the trick, but it hurt like nothing else while it was happening. It wasn't until the pain faded that she realize she was leaned fully into Yushiro, hand on his chest, faces separated by mere inches when she looked up, if that. Up close, she could not help but to notice the color of his eyes... Elizabeth quickly shot off of him, beat red from embarrassment, "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to assault you there. I fell at the dance studio before, I guess my knee is a bit worse than I thought." She tried to play it off with a subtle laugh as Elizabeth had just now observed the developing lump in the middle of her pantleg. "What I was trying to say was... I really enjoyed our previous date, I've been looking forward to the next opportunity to do so." The breezes through campus had definitely stopped; Elizabeth could feel sweat beginning to cling to her forehead, the humidity trapping it into her pores. "The meeting doesnt start for about an hour." Hitomu's voice rang out in her head. Oh bollocks, Hitomu. I aught to text him and apologize for all this. "Well hey, listen, if I'm going to come to this duel team meeting for Hitomu and then go off somewhere with you I'll need to freshen up a bit. Sweaty tank top isn't exactly my preferred state of fashion. See you at the meeting later?" Elizabeth offered her arms open for an embrace of some sort, teasing her hip to the side to allow for a quick, non-committal hug, if that's what he opted for. Regardless of the outcome, Elizabeth would make her slightly belabored way back to her dorm to get changed for the meeting, rolling around potential texts she could possibly send to Hitomu to apologize for having to sit there for whatever amount of time he was exposed to that for. It always came back to her having to admit that perhaps she was actually looking for a relationship of some kind with Yushiro, which felt rude to admit to Hitomu in and of itself. Finally, something came to mind: To: Tomu From: Beth Sorry about that. I didn't even know he worked there; the last thing I would have wanted was for that to happen in front of you. Elizaberh hung her head back in the sky as the message sent, disappointed with herself. Not good enough, Beth. He doesn't care about your love life. Boys don't even think about that kind of garbage. One more try, and then she would leave it be. If her and Hitomu's track record were anything to follow, this would be the last conversation they have for a week anyway. Then it would be back to hoping Yushiro texts and Ashley calls with something to bug her about. To: Tomu From: Beth Listen I don't know how to say this elegantly. I'm making you Toad in the Hole this weekend. I have mum's recipe and everything. I'll save you a plate. It's not healthy to hold this stuff in. Trust me, I know. She knew he would at least be tempted by the offer of her mother's cooking, and that was the best she could do. There was only one problem... "Hi, mum? Sorry for bothering you at work... so you have your recipe for Toad in the Hole? I know we've made it at home but I've got a knackering. What? No, no I can't come home for it..."

Somewhere, deep in the pit of her stomach, she knew something like this was coming. This was the sort of duality she had come to expect when she interacted with someone from her past. At some point, it would always come back to, in some way, bringing things back to the way they used to be. With Hitomu though, it was different. It was part of the reason they barely spoke meaningfully anymore. Hitomu isn't a part of her past. For as many anniversaries of Todd's death there will be until she joins him, Hitomu will always be there. Hitomu was, quite literally, the fifth mouth at the table. He had coffee mugs hanging above their sink, he had his preferred spot at the table, there were even nights where Todd would go out and sleep on the couch so Hitomu could get a night's rest in a bed. Elizabeth would never admit it, far be it for her to judge people on the way they mourned someone's death, but there was always a part of her that wanted to scream at him every time she saw him. Why didn't you ever come back for supper? It was stupid. Elizabeth knew she was being irrational and yet, when Todd died it felt like she had lost both brothers. There was a canyon-sized divide driven between the both of them when he passed, because neither of them were old enough, mature enough to process what happened. Now it had been nearly two years, and it felt too late to reconcile on what happened. She should be over this by now, he clearly is, and it's as simple as just helping a friend out you've known since you wore duel monsters pajamas to sleep with his meeting. And yet... "Oh, I don't know Hitomu. " she straightened up on the bench, quickly retying her ponytail while mulling over the question, "You really think someone like me has any business even being there? My rating has been in a free fall for years now." It was a flimsy excuse; she knew Hitomu could care less about her rating, and he also knew exactly why her rating had fallen so severely over time. The truth was still there: she would be a perfect fit for what he was asking for, but there was this rock in her chest that felt like it was crushing her heart and closing her throat, just from the anxiety of putting herself back in that spot. Still, there was a part of her that yearned to be with the team again. It had always been that way. She wore her blue yonder duel team shirts every meet day, and she never missed a date. She knew the standings down to the percentage, she even tracked the opposing decks, like she used to when she dueled in the three spot on the lineup. There was a part of her that still felt like she never left the team. "Maybe just this one time. It's uhm," Elizabeth continued to nervously fidget in place, clearly beginning to crack a bit under the question. "It's just a lot of time commitment, you know? The last duel team function I even went to was right befo-" "H-hey guys. Sorry if I interrupted something. Mind if I sit down? I uhh, actually wanted to ask you both some things." Elizabeth was thankful to have been interrupted...that was until she realized who she had been interrupted by. The anxiety in her stomach from Hitomu's question had just rushed straight to the top of her chest and into her cheeks. Oh NOW he wants to talk?! I'm not wearing any makeup, and my hair's a mess from this humidity, I'm practically walking around in bloody gym clothes!! Why did he have to see me like this NOW? Elizabeth looked to her left for a moment, both avoiding eye contact and checking to see if there was any more bench, scooting over a bit to make room for him, "Oh, Hi Yushiro. It wasn't much of anything. Take a seat." She looked at Hitomu, a slight panic in her eye; things were about to get infinitely more awkward, she could feel it. What Yushiro had on his mind bewildered Elizabeth; it could be anything from "It's not working out" to "I hate you and your ugly face" or a "I would really love to ask you out", or if he was a tad crazier than she had pegged him for, perhaps a "Let's elope!" Part of her hoped it would be something innocuous; a "sorry your burger is overcooked". That type of cherubic naivety was what made Yushiro so attractive in her eyes; he didn't have this soul-crushing weight that loomed over him. He was so full of life and eagerness to take a duel he had no chance of winning and try anyway because: "Hey! Can't lose them all right?" But she knew there was no chance of that happening. She had done something dumb to ruin it and asked him out on a date. Now he would always see her in a different way; same as it ever was. The last thing she wanted right now was for Hitomu to walk away and leave the two of them alone right after she had dug up emotions with him and looked like a sweaty mess. But all the while she hoped Hitomu would stay with them and make things a little easier before they left for the duel meeting, she had this sinking feeling. It's happened before. Was all she could think, and as much as she wanted to lash out internally, she hated herself more for thinking that's how it went down.

Elizabeth Hall Elizabeth could only chuckle at the mention of Todd going barmy over another Andover victory; the way he used to swear, stomp, and sometimes throw small objects was almost frightening at times, but was always, always followed by a speech to the effect of: “We're gonna beat those guys when we go pro! They won't know what to do when these Blue Yonder chaps take the scene by storm! Harpies, Toons, and Cyber Dragons… we are gonna reinvent dueling bruv, I swear on it. Bet my whole lot of cards we're going to be the best. Andover will be a footnote.” “I guess you're right Hitomu; he would have f****** hated that. You'd be world champ by the end of the year though.” She shrugged, “It'll be two years in just two more months. Delia and Broderick miss seeing you two around the pantry, I think. More food than they'd know what to do with these days. I think they probably just throw it in the wastebasket.” She snickered. Conversation went silent for some time after that, as it always did. Inside, it made Elizabeth want to scream; she wanted to find something, anything to say. Something that would snap the universe back into focus for the both of them, where they could laugh about how Elizabeth's hair looked sweaty or something. About how clumsy it was of her to fall in the dance studio while dancing her favorite ballet. About how Todd was going to fail his biology lab, again, if he didn't beg and plead Tess or Elizabeth to “help him out with it”, which really meant he would buy some pizza for the apartment and the girls would spend the night studying RNA samples. About… being alive again. If only it were that simple for the latter. “I tried to catch you after our duel… How are you anyway?” Hitomu, mercifully, broke the silence. “Ah, truth be told I stormed off like a child. I was mad at myself for taking the duel; I wasn't even close to ready for it. Then when Ash put me up to it I felt like I couldn't really say no, you know? She was right. I mean, look at us right now. You would think we've never met before.” She looked up at the sky; a dark cloud loomed off in the distance, but showed no real signs of danger. For once, she told the absolute truth: “Things haven't been the same. I'm trying really hard this year to get past it and be myself again, and… yeah I went on a date trying.” She laughed, both nervously and genuinely, covering her mouth with her thumb and forefinger to stop any spit or remnants of burger from flying out, “But I uhm, I don't think it's going anywhere. He doesn't really seem all that interested. It's a shame… I liked our night out. We just played cards all night and talked about school.” Elizabeth smiled from ear to ear, despite trying to hide it by looking down, “I don't think he won a single game. He was trying so hard but, he really needs a lot of work.” The smile, however, faded quickly. “It was the first time in a long, long time someone looked at me without… well, y'know, guilt.” she tapped her phone quickly: No New Messages. It was about then that Beth realized how selfish she was being; Hitomu had just broken up with Tess and she had the nerve to complain about her love life. She looked up to Hitomu, and if he had a loose hand on the table, would place hers on top of it, squeezing lightly. She felt it was inevitable that she at least brought it up, and she wanted to make it quick, but memorable. “I know you don't want to talk about it… I'm familiar with that feeling. But when you're ready, or if you're ever hurting, I'm not exactly a therapist but I'd be glad to cook you a meal and cry with you.” She smiled softly to the man she considered part of the family. As she let go of his hand, she could only hope he took her offer seriously. Silence fell over the lunch table once again, and a cool breeze swept through the campus. Ashley Rendleman “You and I both know we can't just host a school spirit event on a weekday for no reason, Ms. Rendleman. The budget will never endorse that sort of plan.” A balding, elderly man looked upon the student board with a familiar frown. It wasn't often the teacher sponsors agreed with the board initially. Ashley's mind snapped to a boxing ring, her other board members in her corner, frantically wiping sweat from her brow and coaching her after taking the last big punch at the end of the round. She shook her head and continued back into the ring. “To say we're proposing a school spirit day with no purpose is short sighted at best. It's the Duel Team's first meet; it's important to have the school in their colors to support our most fiscally profitable organization, especially after our captain just got signed to a professional organization!” Gut punch! The enemy boxer wobbled back, sucking for air, but this fight was destined to go through every round from the very beginning. “If the students want to wear their colors for the Duel Team, a simple PA announcement will do. There is no need for merch tables, the cheerleading team, the school band, AND the student board all at the front of the academy.” Her imaginary boxer had just dropped to a knee. The PA announcement was the kiss of death for student board ideas; it was cost effective, showed an increase in attendance, and could be done twice a day. When combined with something, it was lethal, but alone… there was a chance this fight wasn't over just yet. Ashley adjusted her bun, straightened her back out, and brushed the wrinkles out of her platinum skirt, matched, of course, to a blue blouse, to prepare for what would likely be her last chance at getting approved: she busted out a simple folder, and removed a few charts from it, then continued, “Once again, I disagree. Attached here is the cost-benefit analysis of band and cheerleading involvement, prepared by our treasurer. You can see here that the chart clearly states a direct positive causality between student attendance and aggressive performance based advertising. When students show up, students spend money, and when students spend money, the school can afford the next month of events.” Ashley smiled confidently, “Ones we most certainly have already prepared charts for, Sir.” It was a knockout! The imaginary boxer howled in defeat as he crashed to the canvas, coinciding with the disgruntled man disapprovingly stamping the sheet, ironically approving the event to go through. The school board bowed respectfully and collected their belongings, exiting the room quietly. “YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!” Ashley proclaimed, hunching over and wiggling in excitement, stamping her half inch heels back and forth. The rest of the school board followed in kind with their own unique celebration of sorts, where that be hand shakes, high fives, or awkward fists in the air. “Great win team! We're off to a great start this year, and I think the school is really feeling it! This pep event is going to be LEGENDARY!” she looked down at her wrist watch after celebrating and talking with the team for some time, only to be quickly grabbing the top of her head in shock, “Oh!! Oh no! I'm going to be late for history! Okay, see you on Friday everyone for our board meeting. Take the rest of the day off, you all earned it!” Ashley scampered away, smiling from ear to ear. She knew that, from a personality standpoint, she wasn't always the student body's favorite, but there was a certain joy she got knowing that the school was benefiting as a result of something she helped to create. She loved watching people make new friends at events, even if it came at her personal expense. Her daydreaming came to a halt as she burst into the lecture room, apologizing profusely. “You're late Ms. Rendleman.” Stating the obvious was a voice she was all too familiar with. Ashley could only groan as she knew what was coming next from the same balding, elderly man: “Should I make a chart to show how this will affect your grade point average if you continue to be tardy?” He returned a confident smile, pointing to her chair. “And can you believe it folks?! After taking an uppercut like that, the boxer has stood up! We're on to the next round and Rendleman looks stunned!”

"Is this seat taken, Lizzie?" a familiar deep voice rang in her ear drums. Elizabeth snapped out of her haze to discover it was Hitomu, who looked... well he's looked better, she thought to herself. "The Duel King himself wants lunch with little old me? Well I would be honored." she snickered and gestured to the empty seat across from her. It was only until after she offered the seat did she realize what sort of trouble she had just gotten herself into. If Ashley was anyone to believe about the hot gossip, and she certainly was, Hitomu and Tess had just had something of a breakup. Shocking as it was to Elizabeth, she was confident it paled in comparison to how Hitomu felt. Elizabeth had never gone through a large scale breakup; she had had her flings here and there, maybe a few months at a time when things were really hot or when the partner was... providing things she enjoyed, but never anything on a deeply emotional level. The closest thing she could imagine was the death of Todd, and if it was anything like that, Elizabeth felt deeply sorry for him. She thought about asking him how he was doing; after all, that's what any decent friend would do right? After all, Elizabeth and HItomu used to see each other daily. She could vividly remember a time when Todd, Hitomu, Ashley, and herself would all be in the same room, dueling game after game, talking about their dreams and aspirations, the people they were seeing that week, and whatever else bright-eyed high schoolers talked about with each other. It remained to this day that one of her deepest regrets was not staying closer to Hitomu after Todd passed; it had just become so hard to see him after the event because of how much he reminded her of Todd. At the same time, Elizabeth also knew that she hated talking about Todd, and that was what eased her regret; it was easier to pretend this sort of thing never happened than confront it, and it would make her nothing but a hypocrite to push him to answer now. "I heard you signed with a dueling team. That's excellent, Hitomu. You've always adored Chasden, although we could never quite figure out why." Elizabeth had another small laugh, "Especially with the rumors that Andover wanted to groom you." she placed her burger down in the small paper tray they were served in, "I'm happy that you seem to be putting it together professionally. Not that any of us ever had any doubt you would make it there." The infrequent breeze swept through the campus, breaking the humidity and brushing Elizabeth's ponytail to the top of her exposed right shoulder, "What brings you here, anyway? I thought the duel team was meeting today. Is that later in the day?"

The tan, lacquered floors of the dance studio shined brightly against the fluorescent lights hanging above. There was only one woman there, and as she danced furiously to the sounds of an ancient tune from a world long gone by, the internal struggle of her mind matched the steps in kind. Platinum hair rifled it's way through the air behind her as grace and pain intertwined to an audience of none. Step Left, As if there would be any reason to expect anything anyway. We played cards at a coffee shop. Step Right, That girl said your pain was etched on your face; who would want to associate with that on a daily basis? Spin, quickly! Your efforts aren't even noticed, Elizabeth. Left! He hasn't even texted you in days. Right! You scraped his card and lost in front of an entire assembly. Crap, what was the next step? Plie...? Maybe if you could stop focusing on yourself when talking to people, they would actually like you. Left! It's a miracle Ashley even still talks to you. What's the last thing you've done for he- The self-destructive thought process had come to a screeching halt as her step into the next spin had become too distracted, and her ankles made contact quickly. Elizabeth unraveled like a spool of yarn and her knees collided against the floor with an alarming thud. Pain immediately radiated to her legs, forcing her down to her elbows. Sweat exploded off of her forehead onto the floor. Elizabeth could only clench her fists and fight back frustrated, angry tears. Now not even her dancing was going right. She had done this exact routine hundreds of times, and yet her feet failed her. She stayed there for a moment in complete mental and physical silence as the ballet continued to play behind her. She could feel though, deep in the back of her brain, a harrowing thought had just begun to sprout: something she had never felt before that had sent a sharp chill up her spine: What if I really do lose everything? She looked up at the clock: 12:30. It was almost a relief that to her that it was lunch time; just another reason to dodge the issue that had presented itself, choosing to get lunch instead. She grabbed her bag, headed to the changing rooms, and headed straight outside the second she was finished changing. --- "I'll take just a hamburger today, Jo. No fries or anything; I've got to be watching my figure. I'm sure you understand." Elizabeth found herself at Fast Food, the most popular culinary spot on campus, and one she was obviously quite familiar with as a Senior student. She hadn't paid much attention to the truck or whomever was in it; instead just taking up light conversation with Jo as she waited for her meal and then quietly taking it to the table she had chosen some 10-15 feet away, choosing to eat alone instead of with the crowds that had gathered or bunched up around the truck or the school building itself. The truth was she could barely eat after the self-inflicted scare at the dance studio. That, combined with the dry looking patty, had her not particularly excited for lunch time, but she had already paid for it, so she figured she might as well chow down. The sun continued to beat down on her as she picked at her meal, sweat glistening on her exposed upper chest due to her tank top. She could feel her already skin tight jeans becoming more one with her skin; it was that time of year where the summer had started to break, but the humidity wasn't quite gone for the year. She sighed, exasperated from the heat, and adjusted her ponytail, only to be distracted by the feeling of her phone buzzing in her pocket. Her heart skipped for a moment, hoping perhaps her doubt before was more of a premonition, only to be slightly disappointed by a text from her best friend Ashley: Hey Beth! WYD? Any word yet? Just getting some lunch after the studio. No, nothing. I guess I scared him off or something. Not like we were really hot for anything anyway. Scuffing up his card probably isn't his design on a love story. She took a bite from her burger, placing her phone back down on the table. One of the things Elizabeth's mum wanted her to do was to be more honest with people, even if it hurt to do so. She figured if anyone would understand, it would be Ash. Oh Beth. Are you gonna be around for a while? I'm in meetings and class pretty much all day, but I'll reschedule with Mr. Skeiner if you need me. Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief; She'd dip on meetings with teachers for me? ... Why? I appreciate it Ash, but don't be ridiculous. I'll be fine, but I might not be around campus a lot today... I fell at the studio today, I should probably get some ice on my knees at some point today. Beth!!! Gosh! Take care of yourself will you? It's our Senior year, we won't be able to enjoy it if you're in a wheelchair!! Elizabeth snickered, Guess not. She placed her phone back on the table and went back to staring into space, continuing to eat her burger about as slowly as humanly possible.

"Yikes." Ashley spectated as the one-sided carnage continued, blowing large bubbles through her outrageously pink bubble gum, "Clearly not his dueling ability that's got Elizabeth's insides all twisted." she looked around, still no sign of her either. "Guess it's a good thing she didn't show up. Poor guy, he would have been mortified." blowing another obnoxiously large and loud bubble or two, Ashley groaned, "Well, if she's not going to show up and say hi, I guess I will." Just as Ashley went to take a step forward towards the duel table, a cold, familiar hand was placed upon her shoulder. Ashley gasped, not only due to the sheer frigidness of her hand, but because she knew who it was. " Boo." Beth snickered as Ashley whipped around to face her, "Beth!? What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?! And what even took you so long? The duel's already over. Your man over there got pummeled. Look's like he made the team anyway though. What's up with that? Dating amateur's now? What happened to the Duel Queen herself? I thought that's kinda what we were working towards with the whole Hitomu duel?" " Oh bugger off with that. It was a single date, and what business do I have grading people on dueling skill anymore these days? When's the last time I won a big duel?" Beth looked over her friend's shoulder at Yushiro and her stomach had become uncomfortable; like a small burning in the bottom of her stomach from the anxiety of potentially having to talk to someone she went on a date with in public, " Strange, though. I don't think he mentioned he was trying out for the team when we were together the other night. I wonder why? We played plenty of cards that night." "Maybe he was worried you'd laugh him off." Ashley turned around to look at Yushiro herself, "Say what you want about your recent record, but he's still an underclassman. They get all worked up over nothing. Well, you remember what it was like anyway, right? Gosh, remember how we used to act around Brendan Ulmarr? You practically threw yourself at him." Beth obnoxiously, " How could I forget HIM? He was built like a brick house, and I wanted a room. But, that was until now, of course. I've certainly never thought about him since. " With that, Elizabeth started making her way over towards the duel team, figuring she may as well say hello to Yushiro and the co-captain, " Hi Yushiro!" Beth tiled her hand to the right, like a wave that wasn't ever going to come back close to her ribcage to the boy and turned her attention to the co-captain, "Looks like you got dragged into doing tryouts eh? Why isn't the Captain doing this, anyway? I know he's at work and all, but I thought this would be a mandatory duty of his."

(and Melissa) Why would you, if you were a normal person? Was the last thought Elizabeth had to herself before Melissa’s outburst, although that question had become quite a bit clearer as the vomit of sentences continued: Melissa was not what you would call “normal”. “oh” “sorry” “sorry “oh my” “sorry”; the cycle seemed to continue infinitely as Elizabeth could do nothing but stare. Truthfully, Elizabeth was stunned; who on Ambrosia was this girl? She looked around, and as fate would have it, it appeared that nobody really took notice of the stranger’s meltdown at her table. Gently, Elizabeth reached her hand over and reeled it back in some sort of anxious reaction to her breakdown before putting her hand down on Melissa’s “Ah, hey, mate I didn’t mean it like that. Hey come on now, let’s not be too loud about all of this.” she chuckled, nervously, “After something like that I think I’ve no choice but to believe you!” she gave an anxious smile. “But -- I’m terribly sorry, I’m not positive I’ve understood a single word you just said.” she pulled a napkin from the holder on the edge of the table and slid it over to Melissa discreetly, “But I have plenty of experience crying in washrooms by myself. I’m not much of a therapist; most days mine wants to send me to the bin, I’m sure of it, but I’d be more than happy to… what was it? Talk to you for only a few minutes at a time?” Elizabeth took her hand away from Melissa’s, then settled them in her own lap, “Although if you do genuinely care, I’m sure it’ll take a bit longer than a few moments to sort me out.” ------- Melissa let her papers fall from her hand and onto the table. Elizabeth’s reassurances had only made her feel worse about the whole situation. She -- Melissa! -- was the one approaching, asking if there was anything Elizabeth needed, and it seemed like what had ended up happening was the other way around! She picked up the napkin Elizabeth had offered her and smothered her face with it. After a few deep breaths, she folded it up and placed it back on the table next to her crumpled literature. She still felt terrible, but maybe less so. Maybe. Still, Elizabeth hadn’t immediately left the table, so perhaps not all hope was lost? She’d responded (thankfully not in kind!), so maybe that was enough? “I don’t know,” Melissa said. “I don’t really- I don’t really know what I was talking about either. I’m glad you believe me.” She paused a moment. “Um, actually what does help is just texting? Instead of talking, I mean. Like, um, I don’t think the only thing wrong with me is a voice thing. I don’t know.” Melissa took out her phone. “I’m almost a normal person with this thing!” she said. She even almost laughed! “Um, especially if neither of us are getting our problems solved today, probably, it’d probably, I don’t know… I think it’d be a good idea to swap numbers.” ------ While it was a bit of an understatement to say that this was a strange way to make a new acquaintance, Elizabeth felt okay about accepting Melissa’s request to exchange phone numbers, “Well, alright then. I’ll say this: you’ve made quite the introduction, and… it got my mind off of things for a bit so, I’d be glad to.” Elizabeth slid her phone across the table with the contacts book open, inviting Melissa to put in her own information. “But before that, I really must ask: what exactly was it you were set out to do before this? Surely it wasn’t just a mission to find those in need?” She looked back down at the table, and the mess of things that had occurred as a result, “And I certainly hope I didn’t fit that description if it was; it seemed like things were finally starting to get a little better.” Elizabeth sighed, “Last thing I need is for it to all come down again.” ----- Six six nine, two two one, six two five one Melissa typed into Elizabeth’s phone. She also typed in her name, though she shied away from adding a picture or anything like that. To Elizabeth, she said, “Um, I don’t- I’m part of a community service club. Just, you know, picking up trash, um, volunteering for fundraising efforts, sometimes a soup kitchen if we can coordinate that. I don’t know, I like helping out.” She uncrumpled her stack. “I- it’s the club fair, right? So one of the things we had to do was pass these around.” She showed one flyer to Elizabeth. It was a simple thing, just a watermarked stock image of someone picking up litter with the words SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY on it, and CONTACT CONNOR AT: with his email address right after. “I wasn’t doing so great handing these out, so I, yeah I came here.” She put down her flyers again and handed back Elizabeth’s phone. “Um, just shoot me a text or something so I can get yours,” she said. The last quip from Elizabeth, the “I hope I didn’t look like somebody in need,” gave Melissa pause. She tried to replay the encounter in her head, searching for any sort of thought process, but it had all been wiped away by her outburst. But she still wanted to reassure her! Even if she had to- “I just- I don’t know how to explain this, I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” Melissa said. “I don’t know. I --” She brought a hand up and rubbed her crucifix necklace. “-- I have to help people, I think. I know you said you didn’t think you looked it, but- I don’t want to lie to you, um, you looked like you needed help.” ------ Ever had a question you asked but didn’t really want answered? The type of question that would have been better off just voiced into nothingness? Those types of questions, it would appear, do not fly well when a brutally honest, potentially mentally unstable church girl is looming over your coffee table. “Yeah, yeah I kind of already knew the answer.” she looked down at her phone and sent Melissa a quick text from her phone saying “it’s me, elizabeth” so that they could firmly exchange numbers. She was about to go on and talk about the crucifix, something that had caught her attention and her interest when she noticed a notification in the upper left corner of her phone’s screen. It was a text from Ashley, reading: “Hey, are you like, actually coming to the duel team tryouts? They already started and you’re… kind of not here.” Then, another just a few minutes later, “I didn’t mean it with the kiss from Yushiro if you’re ignoring me, Beth. Just having fun.” Elizabeth shot up from her table and grabbed the back of her head, “Oh! Oh no! Ah!” she looked at Melissa and then back to the absolute carnage that had happened on their table, “I’m terribly sorry, I was supposed to be meeting a friend of mine and I completely forgot about it, what with our… episode. But I’ll be talking to you again soon, I’m sure of it!” she rambled on while quickly accumulating the garbage from the table, then rushing over to the trash and emptying it on her way out. Well Elizabeth, two complete strangers in one week both believe you to be insane, and you went on a date completely by accident! Couldn’t just have a quiet senior year, could you? Ugh. Let’s just get to this stupid duel team thing so Ashley can beg me to make things like they were and I can get back to smoking, alone, in my apartment.

"You went on a DATE and didn't tell me?! Elizabeth what the hell! I thought we best friends! Partners in crime! Why wouldn't you tell me these things?! You know how excited I get for dates, especially for you! It's been a while since you've gotten some action, and you deserve it too!" Ashley continued her rant, of which the duration felt like an eternity, over the phone. Beth knew this phone call had been coming for some time now; she was just surprised it came after the date, knowing how tapped into the school community she is. The problem was, no matter how prepared Beth was for this phone call: the guilt trip phone call, the lamenting the death of her importance to Elizabeth phone call, the somehow-making-it-about-her phone call, it felt a lot like her duel with Hitomu. You can prepare all you want, but when someone is that good at what they do, all the defenses in the world aren't going to save you, and Ashley was damn good. "Ashley no, come on that's not very fair is it. I didn't tell you because it was hardly even a date; I asked him out by accident for Exodia's sakes. We played cards at the coffee shop and got to know each other a bit. Speaking of that shop, where are you anyway? We were supposed to meet here almost a half hour ago." Elizabeth looked around the tables at Coffeecards for her best friend, but there was no sight of her. All in all, a fairly busy day, but no sign of the blonde currently berating her over the phone. "I got roped into a meeting that went late, that's why I'm calling you, duh. And don't think I'm letting you get off that easy with not telling me; that really hurt my feelings Beth. You could have been on a date with Pimples from Calc and I would have been excited for you." The phone went silent on the other end, and only the fuzz of the signal bouncing back and forth remained. Beth was a cynic, and she believed for every second that up until now it was a guilt trip, but even so, Beth couldn't help but feel poorly for leaving her best friend out of the goings on of her life. Ashley didn't have to say much else; she knew what the point was, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just didn't want you to get your hopes up, I think. Like I said we were more just talking than anything. I can't imagine he'll ask me back." Elizabeth, of course, only partially believed this to be true. She was confident he would ask her to play Duel Monsters again; he seemed happier than ever to get off of the small talk and into the games, but she was a bit unsure she would be asked off to an actual date by Yushiro. "Well now you're just acting depressing Beth. Why on Ambrosia wouldn't he ask you out again? Slamming body, awesome duelist, smart as anything, he would be lucky to get another date! And besides, I've seen you kiss so after he got a taste of that I mean-" Ashley was cutoff abruptly by a "Well hold on just a minute Ash, who said anything about kissing the boy? I've done no such thing thank you." Ashley went silent for a moment, bewildered, "What?! You didn't kiss him?? Why not?! Beth if I ran into a boy not once, but twice, in the rain, and had him in. my. place, where we did nothing but talk? Quite frankly I'd have kissed him a long time ago, and we both know that, but you went on a date! A real date! What are you waiting for?" Elizabeth shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Romantic clichés aside, Ashley, I'm not quite sure I'll have met anyone nearly as... available to kiss as you, so maybe the standard you've set here isn't exactly fair. And besides, I'm not kissing a boy I've barely met on the first date, especially when I've asked him to it. If I'm to be macking on with some lad, they better be the ones to start it. If, and I mean IF he asks me back to another date, a real one, I'll consider it, and I'll tell you exactly how much spit was in it this time around. Happy?" Ashley could only giggle in response, "Oh, I pissed you right off didn't I? Alright, alright, I can take a hint. If you're still there in a bit I'll come by the shop, otherwise I hear the Duel Team auditions are going on today; I sort of want to see what's going on with them. Wanna come with?" "Oh, is that today? If you promise to restrain yourself from trying to rope me into it again this year I'll go." "Pinky promise, Beth. I just want to go see the new faces; you know how I am." Elizabeth smiled, "Then we've got ourselves a date. Don't bother coming by the shop, I'll just grab you something on the way over. Delia's sent me my allowance this week a bit early; I think she's trying to reinforce some sort of behavior, perhaps the duel or something. Normally I'd say I'm not sure how she even knows about that but, I've learned better than to ask those questions while knowing you. Ashley giggled again, "Bye Lizzyyyyy, I'll see you later!" *click* Elizabeth took a deep breath in through her nose and looked towards the ceiling; it always was a mixed bag, talking to Ashley. On one hand, it felt great to have someone so blindly supportive of your life and the time it takes to get back into your own skin. On the other... She looked down at the table, where her playing cards were spread out. She had taken some time to dissect her deck and determine what was wrong with it. Again. The same thing she does every time she loses with this deck, which is more times than not. On the other hand, she thought to herself, How many more times can I fail everyone around me before it just becomes pathetic? No matter how many times Elizabeth went through it, the feeling of an impending depressive episode never got any easier. Hiding them was a different story, but coping with them? That's a duel she's lost many, many times before, and she felt another loss coming quick. Her throat became sore, the sinuses surrounding her eyes slowly beginning to swell with the feeling of tears coming quickly. She swallowed a sip of hot coffee, and with it, a hard lump of emotion trying to force its way up her throat. Replacing the grief with the taste of cinnamon; it made the coffee better, in her opinion. She sat back in her seat, lightly groaning to herself, she pulled out a sleeved card from the small crossbody purse she carried around for the day: the card was Cyber Dragon, her late brother's signature card. It was still in pristine condition. Just know that I'm really sorry Todd. I'm trying so hard to get better, but I don't know if I can. I'm really sorry. “Um, sorry, are you okay?” Melissa said. "Oh f---!" Elizabeth nearly rocketed out of her chair in surprise; she had been so wrapped up in her own misery and intense effort to reserve her emotions that she failed to notice the diminutive brown-haired girl with the crucifix approaching her table. Elizabeth immediately sat back up and straightened her situation up a little bit before responding, "Okay, what? Gosh I've not been that obvious have I? I mean the coffee's a bit stale but really, just a touch of sugar should be fine, I hope. I don't think we've ever met, have we? My name's Elizabeth." Elizabeth stopped herself internally What? The coffee, that's really the best you could come up with Elizabeth? You expect her to believe that? she simply smiled in return, half hoping she would stay and call her out on her bluff, and half hoping she would believe it and go away.