"So Davy," Rust inquired, "how's the CABB been working out for you?"
Davy swallowed his mouthful of cereal before replying, "It's… odd. My Semblance isn't defined by a single term like most people, so I don't get to be very experimental with how I use it. All I managed to do with the belt was trigger all the Dust and scare all the people in a fifty-metre radius."
"I can imagine Dust spontaneously reacting like that would frighten a few people," Navy smirked, gesturing with his sandwich.
"No, that was my Semblance too," Davy clarified. "It induces fear in people as well as triggering Dust remotely." He gave a small, unenthusiastic chuckle. "It's really weird like that."
Any connection to your addiction, I wonder? Varin pondered as he nibbled on his french toast.
"Right," nodded Rust, jotting down notes. "For my next test, I think I'll skip straight to you, Navy. That slowdown Semblance of yours should have an easy reaction to the CABB to model compared to Davy."
"Sure," Navy shrugged with a mouthful of sandwich.
"Oi, Vez!" someone called to their table from the other side of the cafeteria.
Varin looked up from his plate, and was pleasantly surprised to recognise the violet-haired young man jogging towards them from the right. "Dusk! I was wondering when you'd notice me!" he cheerfully called back, waving.
"Who's this, your senpai?" Navy snarked.
Varin couldn't help but bust his gut with laughter at that.
"I see you've got at least one teammate with your sense of humor, Varin," oberved Dusk dryly, walking up to behind Varin.
"Yeah," Varin giggled, calming down. "Guys, this is Dusk. He's an old friend of mine, and I was wondering when we could meet again in person."
"You know a third-year?" asked Rust incredulously.
"In both senses," joked Varin.
Everyone on his team just stared at him confusedly.
"Firstly, what the jick do you think you're doing hinting at that?" Dusk growled, pointing with the textbook on Grimm he'd been carrying. "And secondly, not yet you haven't."
"Uhh… what?" Rust was oddly unarticulate.
"Wait, there's another meaning for 'know'?" Davy pondered.
"Evidently," Rust mused, confused.
"Seriously, Dusk? You know a first-year?" smirked another older student, approaching from the left.
"Yes Ruby, I do," sighed Dusk with a roll of his eyes.
"Ah, Miss Sangui! We are blessed to be in your presence!" Varin smuckled, pulling off an impressive bow in her direction despite being seated in a direction more than ninety degrees off and sitting between Rust and Navy.
"Suckup," snickered Navy.
Ruby prepared to make a derogatory remark to Dusk about socializing with subordinates, but something about Varin made her stop herself. "Varin, isn't it? You wouldn't happen to know of the book Tainted Rose, would you?"
"Know it?" Varin chuckled. "I've written fanfics of it!"
Rust and Navy rolled their eyes, while Davy 'ooh'ed at him, and Dusk pondered.
"So have I," Ruby observed. "Meet me after breakfast." With that, she turned and left.
"I didn't know you wrote fanfiction!" Davy observed.
"Shows what you know," smiled Varin, returning to his french toast.
"Hey, Dusk? Neo's trying to get at your food!" a guy called from the table Dusk had come from.
Dusk's eyes went pinprick-narrow. "Catchyalatergottasavemybaconliterally!" he called as he raced back to his table, leaving Varin to spit his french toast back out from more gut-busting laughter.
"So how are you involved in the Rose empire?"
Varin jumped. He'd forgotten Ruby had wanted to speak with him about that. "Eh, I'm just an assassin. Expensive, but effective."
"Then… why did you use the highest level of indicator?"
Varin just smiled, winked, and dissapeared in a puff of green smoke.
Ruby blinked a few times, confused. Was that… No, he couldn't be! she thought to herself, shaking her head. His Semblance is the wrong colour, and other people can have red eyes too!
Varin, on the other hand, had thoughts of his own. Seriously? Carnelian's here as well? No, wait, it could still be someone else. Better check with Auric at some point.