Three days after Mikado and Tokino were introduced for the first time, Mikado had them both meet up to assemble a plan of communication.
"It's important that we have a method of contacting one another set up; when we're not together, we're defenceless. Being together all the time is impractical, that goes without saying, but with some pre-emptive measures I believe we can cover most circumstances."
"That's okay, I have Mikado-chan's mobile number and you have mines." Tokino was standing while Mikado was sitting, a tall figure in the centre of the room who was looking about curiously. Mikado was at her desk with her notebooks laid about her.
"Yes, I know," Mikado had been the one during their first meeting to insist that they exchange numbers, and had watched to make sure he entered it in his address book. "But if another team should surprise one of us, we must be sure we can get a hold of one another."
"Ah, Mikado-chan has very cute stationery!" Tokino had moved closer to Mikado's desk.
"Thank you. We should both be careful to never let the batteries on our phones run out. Occasionally entering areas where there is no signal is unavoidable, I suppose."
"I have an umbrella like your notebook. It's got a little froggy on it. I think they're done by the same brand?"
"Probably. We both attend classes of some sort and I assume your professors also forbid interruptions, so during class we'll set our phones to vibrate. Never turn it off though. It's easy to get away with a phone during class just by having it on silent. We don't want to get them confiscated."
"Mhm. Oh, your handwriting is so neat!"
"Ah-"
"Is this your Maths jotter? There's algebra written above your notes. I was pretty good at Maths when I was at school, but I've forgotten most of it now. I was good at calculus. That's integration and differentiation, I think? Maybe I'm wrong. I hope your Maths teacher doesn't get mad at you for writing in the middle of your classwork!"
Mikado had her arms half-raised helpessly from her desk to take back the jotter that Tokino had picked up. She now sat twisted sideways in her chair as she looked at Tokino chattering away, frozen in mid-stretch because she was unsure if they were acquainted well enough for her to take it back herself, or if she should ask him for it, or if she should wait for him to put it back. Tokino was standing close enough that his hip bumped Mikado's elbow as he gesticulated while talking; the denim was pleasantly warm with his body heat.
"There's a nice ice-cream parlour in town, just a fifteen minute walk from the school. It'll be nicer to sit in and talk in there. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla?"
"Um," Mikado said. Her notebooks and pens were spread all over the table. She'd spent all last night putting together tactics and things they needed to try out to establish their parameters and co-operative ability, foregoing her homework and skimping on sleep.
"Come on, you're making a face like you want ice-cream. Mint chocolate chip? I can tell these things."
Tokino leaned down and, slowly enough for Mikado to stop him if she wanted to, gathered up her notebooks, shutting them neatly and stacking them all atop one another. Tokino's arms were bigger and stronger and he carried with ease the unwieldy bulk that Mikado had carried awkwardly to the desk before. He smiled at Mikado and the hot sunshine pouring through the window made Mikado realise that his hair was a golden-brown, rather than the dun colour that she had carried with her mentally since their initial meeting.
Mikado hated mint chocolate chip ice-cream.
"Okay," she said, and when a piece of paper fell out and fluttered down, loose from the jotter it had been placed in, Mikado picked it up and tentatively eased it back between her Maths jotter and a kanji dictionary, brushing Tokino's index finger in the process.
Mikado held the door open for him and, once in the corridor, resumed her talk on when to expect calls. They'll probably never battle at night, considering their name, so the expectation levels of a phone-call at night-time are minimal, excluding emergencies and particularly important occasions. Although, of course, because of that, other Units would also be more likely to try and engage them at night... Her voice echoed down the hall and so did Tokino's gentle and attentive "mhm"s until they reached the end of the corridor and the outer door banging shut cut them off.