So, like, nouns and plurals and adjectives- I'm starting to get what they are. Like, I've always known which words to use in which sentences, but I never knew whether that specific word is a noun or a verb or- WHATEVER.

ARGH!

THE PAIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

It certainly was wild to see Neopolitan eat a simple vanilla ice cream and not, well, a Neapolitan ice cream.

It did make him feel dumb for ordering Neapolitan ice cream - and rather confidently, at that - and holding it out to her expectantly, only for her to shake her hand, looking at him as though he was a weirdo.

Well, he grumbled as he took another bite out of the pink and brown ice cream, it was the obvious choice.

"So, how are you coping with it all? You know, the whole… transported to a universe where you're an anime character." He cringed, and wished Clementine was here to help him out. She may be too blunt at times, but at least she had some form of communication skills.

Neo dug the spoon into the cup as though it were a knife and grumbled mutedly. He found it interesting, and sometimes entertaining with how expressive she was.

I guess when you can't talk you have to figure out how to communicate in other means.

Even before she began to sign, the desperation that laced her face and hunched body told him what clouded her mind.

The only clear word he caught was 'home'. But that was enough.

"We don't know how to get you home-" when her face fell, he added "-yet." He scratched his chin. "Clem and I are working on it. We're not even sure as to how you got here."

Her lips tugged down and her jaw moved around.

Comfort her, Fox, a voice that suspiciously sounded like Clementine's sounded in his head. You've got to be a gentleman and comfort her.

"Don't worry, though. I'm sure we'll figure it out!" A confident grin broke in his face, despite him not confident at all. She didn't smile in response. But she didn't scowl deeper, as well, so he counted it as a win. "Why don't we just enjoy our ice cream?"

A relatively tense silence swayed around them. Feugo pretended not to notice it and hummed an off-note tune to himself and looked around.

Despite him being a terrible planner, Feugo had been at least smart enough not to let Neo went out and about dressed as her normal self.

He, however, had not been smart enough to remember what her semblance entailed, and had spent two to five minutes worrying about which of his clothes she could wear, and debated borrowing from one of his female friends.

He sensed that Neo followed his gaze.

"Something on your mind?" He crossed his arms and rested it on the table. He leaned and hoped the gesture made him approachable.

She signed grimm and with the look on her face, it seemed like a question.

"Grimm?" He paused. His eyebrows rose. "Oh. Grimm. Yeah, we don't have that here."

Huntsmen?

"No. We don't have that, too." He smirked. "Though, it would be cool if we did."

The frown on her face told him she didn't agree with his idea.

Ah. Right. She's a criminal. Huntsman are her enemies.

"It's not like we really need them. Or Aura, in fact." At her shocked face, his lips pursed. "We don't have any White Fang or Grimm or anything to fight. We're past that." Mostly.

Much to his pride, Feugo managed to catch most of her words. You do have Aura, no?

"That's tricky." He leaned back and stared up at the cloud-covered grey sky. "Some people claim to have Aura. But even if they do, it doesn't work like in your universe."

So, Neo signed, if you get stabbed, you just… die. Easy as that?

The prospect horrified her. He chuckled. "Yeah. No magic."

Semblance and magic are not the same.

Neo, somehow, emphasized the word "not".

"Sure, it's not."

There was no silence. Not from him, and not from her in the non-verbal sense.

Neo started to ask questions. About what this world was called. About why this world was called dirt. About how many kingdoms existed. About why there were no more kingdoms.

It was fun to have her ask questions even a basic child should know, and respond to every new discovery with wide eyes and opened mouth.

She wasn't the only one who learned things throughout their conversation.

Feugo learned quite a lot, as well. Things that he never would've noticed whenever he watched her in a distance and through a screen.

Neo smiled with a dimple. And she tilted her head down and covered her mouth whenever she laughed even when she was soundless. She was well-mannered and civilized. And she could be quite charming, too. Her eyes would revert back to her heterochromatic color whenever she was accompanied by intense emotions. Though a simple blink would fix that.

During an intense argument about whether or not Semblance and magic were the same - even though they so were, Feugo's phone buzzed demanded his attention.

C_Dvs: good news or bad news first?

FF42: Um

FF42: Good news, I guess

C_Dvs: ok so

C_Dvs: bad news is that theres no acc by the name miracle_exists

"What?!" A few bystanders turned to look at him. Neo's gaze pierced with unspoken questions. He opened his Instagram and found that his PM with the account was no longer there. "Shit!"

The account was the only proof that all of this was real! They were the only thing

His phone buzzed again and he forced himself not to panic.

C_Dvs: good news is that i think i know a way to send her back home

FF42: Really?!

C_Dvs: well

C_Dvs: still need to do some research but

C_Dvs: i think im going somewhere

C_Dvs: maybe

C_Dvs: probably

C_Dvs: definitely

Feugo sighed in relief.

C_Dvs: not

Ah. Of course.

At this point, Neo stood next to him, and looked as worried as he was. Her eyes flashed white. And he'd come to learn that that meant she was fearful.

Feugo looked at Neo. There were certainly many things he could ask, but after he chanced a glance at her, something hard and heavy in his chest fell down.

It began to dawn on him just what her situation was and what it meant. She was stripped away from her loved ones, forced into this unknown world where everything was different and she wasn't real.

You must feel so alone. And it's my fault you're in this position. Accident or not, he'd be damned if he didn't take responsibility.

FF42: How long will it take to bring her back?

C_Dvs: ummmm

C_Dvs: it depends on how soon i crack the code ya know

C_Dvs: how quickly i unravel the onions

C_Dvs: peel the banana

Feugo frowned and grumbled.

FF42: I get it Clem

C_Dvs: tomato the potato

Neo's shoulders trembled as she giggled and nudged him. He grumbled harder.

FF42: That doesn't make sense

C_Dvs: but yea

C_Dvs: it can range from 1 day to 1 decade

C_Dvs: im THAT uncertain

C_Dvs: sorry i guess :/

"No…" Feugo grabbed her shoulder as an offer of support. She didn't blink at his touch. She stared at his phone. Her face was neutral.

But there were tears in her eyes.

He opened his mouth and squeezed. She gasped as though he'd burned her and pushed him away. She sent him sprawling into the ground. And before he managed to get a word in, she was gone.

Never in my life would I ever think of writing a story in which I am the supporting character rather than the main one...

But, eh. At least I'm the coolest character here!

... Jeez, it's kind of weird to refer to myself as a character.

But then again, writing in your own best friend's POV is kind of weird, so what the heck?