Hello again my lovely and appreciated viewers or, more accurately put. Readers! Another week has past and thus…while a chapter has been produced and posted, I could not put together the proper neural pathways to express its publication in a creative way.

Unnecessarily poetic or simply hilariously cliché intro's aside, I do want to present the longest chapter I have ever written…that in all seriousness should have been split into two. That being said, it was by far one of the most eventful chapters I have ever written as a writer, and by far the faverite one I've produced for this story so far.

As always I want to express my deepest sorrows for the grammatical errors and the insults their very presence sends the English langue…on another note I would now like to expand this preemptive apology to the Danish langue as well…for…reasons.

Ending on a more positive note, I once again get to end the update by responding to reviews! Special shout out to joecolla00 for all his comments on the story, and I hope you enjoy my reactions to them.

1#: I've never been on acid before, but some sort of post humanism drug trip was what I was going for with Penny's mindset in the first two chapters so I'm glad it somewhat came across that…but yeah a lot of the first chapter was a word dump XD

2#:Cover image is from Deviantart, sent the artist a request asking if I could use it, still haven't heard back, but I sent a follow up stating it was on the sight and I will remove it immediately if that is what they wish…but I am not above sending the talented artist a video of me begging to let me use the drawing since I think it works perfectly for this story.

3# Oh yeah! fun fact Emerald and Mercury are having a similar thought to Tyrion being on earth.

4# Honestly dude you're to kind, and I hope you continue enjoying the story! As a basic law of storytelling, finding the drive to keep writing some days can be tough. But for me, reviews, whether positive or constructive, can offer me a much-needed adrenaline boost to not only keep the story going, but to make sure I put the proper time and effort into it that it deserves. Thank you so much for all your reviews over this past week, and without further delay I unveil to you…

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Chapter 9

"So, in my room, right at this moment, is a misplaced exchange student from Denmark who chose to come to an American public school...despite not knowing English", in place of an eyebrow raising, Gareth's left eye twitched. Although, at this point it was hard to tell if the action had been produced due to skepticism, shock, confusion, or just all three formed into one.

"That is correct Friend Gareth-. From what I have gathered she is a phenomenal student wishing to expand her view of the world. Unfortunately, the program she had enlisted in, while in partnership with your school, had misplaced her housing arrangement-. Thus, she currently has no host family to stay with or help her acclimate to the new culture. Given the language barrier, the mere fact she was able to make her way from the airport- here is highly impressive. Regrettably she had gotten a bit stuck in the wood when trying to use it as a shortcut to reach the school"- P

If she could, the robotic Atlesian would go back through the sentence and determine why some things came back as lies halted by the ever present incarnation of evil known as a 'dash', and others remained true despite her thinking them to be fibs. Regardless, she simply didn't have the time to take displeasure in her hiccups. Having to juggle two conversations at once...while also preparing herself to attempt her riskiest computer offensive left.

"Uh-huh", Gareth's eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly done with any situation that came from the park, "that still doesn't answer my question P. I get her wanting to come to a foreign school, actually if she lives in Denmark I have no idea why she'd ever voluntarily want to attend one outside of Scandinavia, but why would she go to the country before learning the language… and why does she look homeless?"

"Unfortunately, she has not shared her reasoning or knowledge on either of those questions Gareth. I have only been used to translate her basic situation and re-establish a connection to her parents so they may work out a solution. Please understand that she has been thrown into a very uncomfortable situation, that is well and truly out of her control and is experiencing a large amount of stress."- P

"What about the uncomfortable situation I'm in P!", he brought the phone up to read, only to swing it back down with his arms as he too was expiring his own level of panic. Albeit it one Penny could not understand as well as the one going on upstairs, "I mean why did you insist I had to bring her home with me, after all if she was going to the school, shouldn't we have just lead her there"

"As I informed you Gareth, no associated faculty member would be able to assist, and given her states we could hardly leave her at the locked front door of your school hoping the situation would resolves itself"-P

Flashing the phone upwards with his arm outstretched as far as he could, the boy was almost afraid at looking at his screen. But having the vision of a bat, he had no choice to reluctantly bring it up close again to read Penny, or now P's, logic, "I...I don't know… couldn't we have just called the principle, or the police...I don't know what they would do, but they'd probably know"

"Gareth, please calm down. I believe you are doing the right thing-. Your school will not be operating at normal levels or hours until Monday. This girl needs shelter, and given you are about to be fellow classmates, you were, and are, in the perfect position to help"-P

Not knowing the bended truth was marked because it was actually her doing the morally proper move rather than Gareth, Penny desperately wanted the brunette to embrace the situation. For her, doing something right, for the mere fact it was right, was as easy as breathing...well she imagined it was as easing as inhaling and exhaling air. But for the emerald eye boy, it was as if him inviting a stranger into his house was akin to tearing out his own teeth,

"Of course I'm not P, do you have any idea how my mom is going to react…", he hissed the last part out loudly. Only to have his eyes go wide and, aligned with the observation the binary copper head was making of him, dart over towards the front door. Clearly always concerned that him mentioning his parental figure in any way would usher in her present, "Oh my God how is she going to react?"

From the look of his face, Gareth was spending more time on that horrifying question then he ever had for the problem he was obligated to solve for school,

"P, I know I sound like I'm beating a dead horse here, but that's only because I am", even with a better understanding of the English language then the man she was speaking it with, Penny was at a lost when it came to expressions sometimes...and this one was so unnerving to think about she did not wish to pry into why such a saying arose, "This is all...this is way to insane. Between you, the homeless Danish student, and everything occurring in that park...you've got to tell me if this is a joke or not. Please, It's legit for your own safety"

"I am afraid I don't quite understand Gareth. As I've stated this is no joke, but even if it was, I did not think you the type of person to inflict harm on others"-P

His face went a bit red at that and given his reaction he and Penny were clearly on two different wavelengths...quite literally, "Not me! P, if my mom find out that a couple of girls from my high school are trying to play an elaborate prank on me by having one dress up as a cute European student...she's going to kill somebody, and it's going to be you two"

Like expressions, humor didn't come easily to the sentient computer either. However, given how much sweat and panic the youngest Cadarn was showing, Gareth at least took his own words very seriously. Unfortunately, this only led Penny to more emotional juggling that she was not could hardly understand and certainly not qualified to do,

"I recommend taking in deep breaths Gareth. I am still watching this situation evolve, but I believe we need to give this student a few minute-

Cut off from typing, the electric android saw Velvet begin to panic and could do nothing as Gareth soon heard it. Looking towards the text and stairs unsure of himself, Penny quickly rearranged some words to prevent him from investigating,

"I believe we need to give her a few hours. I do not wish to pry into her personal conversation, but the talk with her parents-, as you can probably hear, is getting a little complicated"-P

"That's...one way to put it", the young man was still keeping his eyes glued to the stairwell. But clearly gave no indication he would head up towards the second floor,

"As far as your justifiable fear- of this being part of some juvenile mischiefs goes, I believe I can walk you through why such a situation is highly improbable"-P

His eyes canned over the words for a second before he visibly twisted his lips shut. Clearly not wanting to let his paranoia go, but willingly to see what P had to say on it at least,

"It has been over a week since I have begun assisting you in daily activities. Such task includes editing schoolwork which has led to an increase in your overall grade point average. I do not know how pranksters operate, but from my perspective it would be uncommon for them to be more beneficial to their target then detrimental"

Gareth's emerald sea iris darted away towards the screen. Only to come crawling back a few seconds later out of embarrassment at how logical the manufactured human was being, "I-I guess, but still...I mean an exchange student showing up out of nowhere...that's pretty strange"

"It very much is, and the situation she finds herself in was not supposed to happen. Leading to much distress on her end. If you believe she is a part of this prank, then I ask, have you seen her around school or know any families in town that can speak fluent Danish?"-P

The pastel huntress already knew the answer to the first. Having to push Gareth's computer processor to the limit, Penny had to quickly go through his school language courses. Without the luxury of time she had no logical reason behind choosing Denmark besides the fact it was the first country the met the requirements of both not being taught at his school, as well as being physical appearance Velvet could be mistaken for, so long as she kept her hat on...and that answer to the second question was no as well

"I..I don't, and although I don't know nearly as many people as I should in my school, I think I'd notice somebody like her walking around", adhering to the end of his sentence, the boy's face went a little red. Between this physical response and his exclusive use of the word 'cute' to only refer to Velvet before Penny felt...well she did not know what she felt, but she knew for certainly she did not like the emotion, "God, I feel like a selfish ass. Literally assuming everybody in the worlds out to get me, as if their lives and actions revolve around making me miserable"

He was beginning to talk to himself now, still unsure of the situation, but more for the right reasons now at least,

"Please do not be too hard on yourself Gareth. Given all the events that have transpired around you, thinking something is a suspicious is a logical conclusion to make. Once the exchange student has finished communicating with her parents, and they in turn contact the right officials in order to resolve her situation, I'm sure your life will return to a far more peaceful state-"-P

With the plan the red head was already working on she felt like she had deserved the final dash and would have debated including it manually even if her error didn't produce it involuntarily. On the bright side though, Gareth's eyes seem to relax a bit. Taking in a deep breath of air he was also able to calm his nerve by running a soothing hand through his own hair,

"Your probably right, besides it's not like she's gonna be staying here for a host home or anything"

In a rare moment Penny paused before she actually began typing anything out. Having just been on the topic of her coding flaw, she now looked through the phone's camera unsure if she would be able to type anything at all or if it would all just come out as a dash.

Clearly expecting her to type something back, Gareth's small smile at what he thought was a joke was beginning to dip. Now confused on why she wasn't instantly giving him a text like normal. Luckily before he could connect any of the dots, or even theorize Penny was hiding something, a much more immediate problem burst through the door,

"Oh, hey Gareth, I thought you were still out on your walk...you did actually go right?", carrying in some grocery, the eldest Cadarn started entering her house in no rush. Only peeking her head up when her son did not immediately answer her question with a usual defensive mumble.

Placing the bags down, she looked over to get a better view of her son, whose face was growing paler and paler, "Everything okay Gareth?"

She asked out of concern, but there was also a slight tone of prying to it. As if she had a sixth sense and could tell her son was hiding something she should know,

"Mom, before anything happens, I just want to preemptively say I have an explanation for this", despite not having a full understanding on emotions, even the binary stowaway could feel the awkwardness in the room increase...meaning the house was now in equilibrium,

"Explanation for wh-"

"No!", a loud bang accompanied a miniature yell that made its way down the stairs and into both Cadarn's ears unimpeded. With no ability to solve both situations at once, Penny typed something out to Gareth at a speed that gave light a run for its money. It was by no means the best way for her to convey his next course of action, but it would have to do as her entire focus now had to turn towards Velvet,

"...Explanation for that", the emerald eyed boy barely whispered out after a few moments went by after his mother's eyes widening at the sound of another voice in their house. With the silence that follows allowing him to hear the ping of his phone.

Looking down towards the device as if it would provide help, his own eyes began to fill with terror as he now released, he was in the situation alone,

"...and I've got a few hours to do so apparently"

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Still seeking comfort within the computer chair, Velvet's emotional appearance had changed little since Penny had given her space a couple hours ago. Although the Faunus could hardly say she was given a peaceful environment to think.

While her computerized companion had stayed true to her words, the moment she balled up to be in her own little world the house of all things decided to intervene. What sounded like a one-sided conversation erupted from downstairs, and despite not being able to make sense of any of the words the animal ear traveler found herself unable to avoid the conversation. Translating it purely based on tones, which she hoped was the one true universal form of communication, the brunette was able to gear many different sides of her newfound host.

The first one she was introduced to was one of skepticism, followed quickly by anger. After that though, there was a brief pause before concern made its way front and centers. That voice was the closest one to ever get to Velvet, and it traveled briefly up the stairs, before anger briefly appeared again halfway up only to be persuaded down.

After that the inhabitant's downstairs must have reached an agreement, for while the exchange of words did not stop, they never reached the same volume as before. Of course, Velvet could have easily asked Penny what was going on, but she honestly felt like she was already too much of a burden on the electronic being.

To Velvet the robotic Atlesian was handling this situation and environment the perfect way, the huntsman way...and most importantly the way she failed to do. Ignoring the presence of hindsight, Velvet still couldn't wrap most of her head about what was going on but was still blaming herself for the parts she could.

I should have known I was no longer on Remnant when I first saw the night sky. The moon and different star constellation were practically screaming to me I was in a different location, she hugged her knees in closer,

...and to think I could just walk out as if everything was fine. That a dirty pair of clothes would hide what I am, how different I am, the worst parts of her thoughts was that they were not done in anger. More so they were uttered with pity, aimed to emphasize her own weakness and failure on how she reacted to an environment and event she could have, as Penny said but she didn't read, never prepared for.

Now I'm just going to be a burden on her...like I am to my Team", without them there to make a counterpoint, Velvet fell further and further down the rabbit hole, and with her last request to Penny being that she needed all the time she could to think by herself, it kept going as if it wouldn't end. But while Penny's politeness unintentionally caused the situation to get worse, others brought the process to the end.

Seemingly having a knack for letting somebody sneak up on her when the noise canceling hat was imprisoning her ears, Velvet didn't hear the footfall making their way up the stairs and through the hallway until they were right outside the door. By the time she could snap her head in that direction a short couple of knocks echoed throughout the room,

"...Uh, h-hello. Sorry to bother you, but my mom's got dinner downstairs and was wondering if you wanted to join. W-we still don't know a ton about your situation, but my friend whose been helping translate things for you filled us in somewhat", having gotten none of that, the brunette Faunus looked towards the door handle, somewhat relieved that it didn't move along with the words, "P's also been translating things for me too...and said she'd be willingly to help you talk to us over dinner... we don't want to pressure you or anything given everything...but you know… the offer is there if you're hungry, and we can even bring some things up if you'd rather be alone"

With the door not moving inward, nor the foots falling receding back to where it came, Velvet let the silence encompass the room and very house. Unsure of how to respond, until she remembered all too well, she had somebody to tell her what his words meant.

Expecting to see a wall of texts, the Faunus's eyes were instead met with a sea of numbers...although she certainly couldn't tell what the green digits were. Filling in her irises, her pupils dilated in shock. With how quiet she thought the world had become when the voices died down, Velvet soon realizes it was only because she made it so. With the computer now doing its best interpretation of a car engine, Velvet had subconsciously grown accustomed to the very sound of Penny working.

However, being the only one now willingly to communicate, a white tab emerged, and with it came written words,

"Apologies for the delay Friend Velvet. Gareth wishes to express if you'd like to join him and his mother for a meal downstairs"- Penny

"I-I'm", her stomach rumbled upon reading the word meal, and her cheeks ever so slightly heated up, "I mean, that's very kind of them...I'm just unsure how…or even if I can... keep our cover. I can't speak the same language as them Penny...I don't want to accidentally screw up"

"That is very understandable Friend Velvet, although I do not believe such an interaction would lead to that outcome. However, if you wish to remain in the room Gareth has also offered to bring the meal up. If you would prefer such a choice, I can inform him of it at once."-Penny

"...I think I would prefer the second option...thank you Penny", her despairs briefly being overridden by the thought of food, Velvet remained silent as the binary redhead began to type, only to grow flustered as she seemingly remembered one more thing, "A-and thank them too as well...this family I mean"

"Of course Friend Velvet, I shall convey your decision as we speak. Sorry if this has interrupted your time to think, but would you mind if I spoke with you before you ate. I wish to relay information to you regarding on how we will proceed going forward"-Penny

Seemingly writing two messages at once, Gareth's footsteps could be seen retreating back into the hall, "Of course Penny...I'm sorry I took so long, I-I'm willingly to hear you out on how I can help you going forward"

The screen blinked shut for a moment, before reappearing. The text screen in which the robotic Atlasien used to communicate was still very much open, but sensing as one of the downstairs members would have to open the door to deliver the food, Penny had wisely stopped the monitor from showing her...extracurricular activities,

"I must insist you stop apologizing Friend Velvet, I truly do appreciate you being here"-Penny

Squeezing down her hat once again, the rabbit faunus lowered her legs from the chair to take an actual sitting position, "I'm sor-I mean I'll try to limit my apologies...speaking of 'here' though Penny, how long am I going to be able stay?"

"With any hope, for as long as the mission takes!"- Penny

Velvet's eyes slightly widened, and was more than just a little confused on why the binary soul had added the explanation point to the end of that statement, "...I...but I thought you said these people didn't know anything... I don't want to put innocent people in danger Penny"

"I share your sentiment, Friend Velvet, but it is because the Cadarn's know nothing on the situation that this will be the perfect place for you to mask your cover. As you have mentioned, other inhabitants of Remnant, who we must treat as hostile entities, have also come to Earth. Given the pattern in which we fell through the atmosphere we can only assume they have arrived within the same vicinity or close to it."- Penny

The bunny ear girl was hesitant but nodded along. Although she still failed to see how operating from a civilian's house did anything but add unnecessary risk,

"However, are fellow travelers are also aware of your presence",Velvet gave out a reactionary shiver at that thought before Penny could even finish typing, "Because of this we must operate under two primary conditions. The first revolves around you remaining hidden from the three Huntsmen you had mentioned, and the second is we must remain under the radar of any of Earth's political bodies. Luckily one solution can be devised to meet the credentials of both problems"

The brunette from Remnant was barley following along now, as any mention of Earth still only sparked confusion, but she waited patiently for Penny to finish,

"By taking a role common on Earth that is accustomed for your age, you can hide in plain sight and not alert any governmental or military officials. Allowing you to search around the local area, while having a valid excuse to be traversing them. Even more so the false identity will make it harder for the three possible advisories to track you."- Penny

"...okay...that makes sense...I think", she was lying to herself somewhat, but didn't want to impede Penny anymore then she already had, "but I still don't know how I can do any of that...of course I'll be willing to search locations for you...but the language barrier will still exist. and I don't know how I'll be able to get back to you here, or in a safe environment to do so"

"Very insightful Friend Velvet, but as you may have noticed I am currently working on a project that will be able to remove both variables. Unlike Remnant, Earth's Kingdoms, or nations as they like to put it, have a variety of different languages. Numbering in the thousands in fact. It was because of this fact I quite easily was able to convince Gareth you were simply a misplaced foreigner who came to this country as an exchange student"

The Vale huntress didn't even process the latter half of the statement. Still far too confused on some of the information coming her way...the idea of different languages being used by different nations not even being able to compute with somebodies who's ever known one tongue and five kingdoms.

"Because of this, I have been performing computerized modifications to construct you a false identity and citizenship from a country known as Denmark. After this I will construct away to add you to an international education progra-"

"uh...Penny...I appreciate what you're doing...but I don't actually know what you are doing", she raised a hand in the air, as if hesitatingly signaling to her teacher she was struggling with the topic, "I'm sorry I can't keep up...but any chance I can get the short version, and then we can go into a more in-depth review later…"

"Of course Friend Velvet...I now realize I have been providing you information with no contexts. Using broader terminology, I am setting you up as a foreign student in the local high school, who is in need of housing"-Penny

"A-a student...on an alien planet", the chocolate eyes dilated, finally having pierced some connection together, "Penny, I'm unsure… how will I help if I'm in school...why do I need to be in school?"

"As discussed, you need an identity that will not arouse suspicion. Given your age, language barrier, and shelter requirements I believe this to be the best strategy to account for all needs while also allowing you to inhabit a location where we can conduct in the field investigation."-Penny

"B-but how can I do that if I'm going to school...and how will I keep my cover if I don't know the language?", Velvet's voice was panicked, for starters this idea seemed to limit her role and only made her feel more like a burden...and perhaps even more horrifying, the plan Penny relayed sounded incredibly long term.

"Your semblance will assist greatly in learning the language, and the student identity will give you resources in terms of not having to concern yourself with obtaining food or shelter."-Penny

"Th-that sounds all well and good Penny, but it will still limit my ability to help get us home. It's not as if I can learn a language in a week", Velvet was afraid now of the answer the emerald colored huntress would give,

"In truth you will actually need to learn two langue's to best account for your new identity. The process, based on my prediction, will take two to three weeks of intensive studying for a basic understanding. However, if things go according to plans, you will start attending school by the end of the third week, and the exposure to the vocabulary and grammar structures in use will allow you to have a comfortable understanding of it within a few months"-Penny

"...months? Penny how long do you think we'll be on this planet"

"The exact amount of time is unknown. But the leads you have unveiled has shortened my original prediction. At the moment, my current simulations place our time now at only a few years or s-"

"A few years!", Velvet's voiced escalade more so in despair then any anger or frustration, "Penny...I... There are people back on Remnant that may need us now...and I have family and friends back there"

"Please calm down Friend Velvet, given how many variables are still unknown my prediction is far from reliable. As the situation developed that time period could shorten even further-. However, I have promised to ensure your safety and a place to stay, and as such I must take the larger picture and time scale into account",-Penny

"B-but you're asking me to have a new life, and only access my old one when its safe...a-and you're assuming too much about these people Penny. Wh-whose to say they won't blow are cover, or there even let me stay", Velvet breathing was starting to rapidly increase, even knowing a fraction of this information was too much. Perhaps being in the dark was that much better, "I-I can't do this Penny...I'm just going to screw it up for you. I wasn't even good at being myself back in Beacon, now I have to pretend to be another person and live another life...for who knows how long"

There was a pause in the conversation, a chilling one as both occupants slowly came to reason that the computerized being didn't have all the answers. That she couldn't provide concrete numerical data to the qualitative process that was the human experience, nor how others would go about there's.

"I am sorry Friend Velvet, I can't take into account everything. All I can do is use the resources at my disposal to increase our odds of getting back home."

Velvet had to briefly look away from the screen, frowning to herself. In truth all the fear and anxiety she had experienced boiled over once again, and while she knew it was aimed at herself Penny could have taken it a numerous number of different ways,

"Much of what we will have to do will come down to trust, and not just in each other but strangers from this planet as well, even as we lie and withhold the truth from them. To get back home at all we will have to take risk"-Penny

The brunette Faunus stared wordlessly at the screen. Unable to know how to respond, shocked and somewhat embarrassed at how she must have made her fellow Remnant native feel,

"Gareth is on his way back up with your dinner. Given all that has transpired, I will give you some more time to think in peace while you eat. I once again apologize, the plan I have conducted clearly did not take your concerns into accou-"

"N-no, it's fine Penny, the plan is anyway, my reaction is the only things here that was out of line", Velvet could hear the footfall but had her attention remained on the computer, "I-I need to act like a Huntress, and that plan embodies what one needs to do in this situation. I...I let my personal feelings and self-doubt get in the way"

The mouse remained were it was, not moving another inch as a sign that Velvet, hopefully took, as Penny listening to her, "I can't promise I can execute my portions of this plan as well as they deserve to be done...but I'll try, I promise I'll do my best to accomplish this. Not only to get myself home, but you as well."

"That...is appreciated, Friend Velvet. If anything, please know that you can confide in me if the stress ever gets to you again. While I can never experience emotions the same way you or any other being from Remnant or Earth can, I believe I can relate to you in some way"-Penny

Velvet lips ticked upwards, glad that her constant emotional swings hadn't been translated to Penny as mean or judgmental, "Of course Penny...and let me know if you ever need to talk as well."

A knock on the door once again filled the room, and with-it Velvet stood from the chair and began walking over. In no way was she relaxed about doing so, but the mere fact she was seem to trigger something within her,

"I'll give you some space up here Penny, you're doing a good job and I think you could use a Velvet break...If you still can, I'd like to take Ga-Gareth's family up on their offer for dinner downstairs"

Reaching for the knob, Velvet took in a deep breath before looking back towards the binary sentence. A message blinked on the screen, and although she couldn't tell what it said from this distance, the art style was all the reassurance she needed to, albeit, nervously open the door.

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The sound of an alarm shook Velvet's ears, as she pushed to pillows harder together against her animal ears. Despite being a morning person and waking up for classes at Beacon with a nervous bout of determination, on Earth the thought of rising for her first day of school only brought with it a stronger urge to return to sleep.

Dragging an arm over to her newfound phone, which was really only Gareth's old one repainted and given a new case, Velvet looked at the all too bright numerals of six-three and zero with a groan. The reason she could see them at all being the source of the ever-growing bags beneath her eyes.

"Salutations Velvet, or shall I say Vivian! Being the first day of classes, I want to wish you luck. As always I will provide any and all assistance you require"-Penny

However, without the social anxiety in the way, Velvet was never one to give into physical demands, and the message underneath the digits was all the enthusiasm she needed to produce a small smile. The bonus of a silent giggle was the courtesy of her newfound human name.

With Penny's morning greeting as fuel, she forced herself from the comfort and warmth of the sheets, she demanded her limbs to stretch out before one reflectively grasped a familiar looking stylized black beret.

It had been three weeks since Velvet had first entered this room, and as of the night of her arrival it had slowly but truly become hers over the course of that time. With all the unwashed clothes that used to flood the bedroom floor like a scattered art painting completely removed, and in its place came the tiredness and sheen of a Beacon student. And although she had had, albeit reluctant, help in cleansing the room, how she found time to do so at all was beyond her.

True to her words, Penny had given Velvet an intensive course on both English and Danish. So much so that for eight hours a day she felt as if she was going through one of Professor Ports' lessons, but instead of having to pick out the important parts, she had to memorize every word said because it was all crucial.

While her semblance certainly helped, it could only do so much. It could recall the definition of any words or grammar points made, but that still took time. Having it become second nature and reactionary, like speaking was supposed to be done, was a feature she was still struggling to understand and learn. At the very least though she could get through basic conversation with other native speakers.

On the positive side, If there was ever a sentence she didn't understand though she always had her backup solution. Placing two wireless earpieces into her Faunus trait before blocking off them and her ears with a copy of her team leader's signature design statement.

Dancing around the room and unlocking the door to the hall, Velvet had slowly gotten accustomed to the strange feeling of placing the head apparel on every morning only to remove it two seconds later. An act she now did as she quickly made her way into the bathroom.

Making sure she was presentable; Velvet placed her unique looking scroll by the windowsill with its screen facing the outside. She did this of course to make sure it remained water free...but also because she knew all too well how easy somebody could see through the camera. Not that she thought Penny would ever do so for perverted reasons...but accidental ones were another conversation all together.

I still can't believe I'm doing this, being the only place left she could, the rabbit faunus thoughts were in the universal tongue, as she entered the cold water. Although she tried to make them quick showers was one of the only places, besides her bed, or rather her 'Earth bed' were she could think about all the changes she had gone through over the last twenty something days, Attending the first day of school again, and somehow I'm more nervous to attend a purely academic one then the Huntsmen academy were they launched me off a cliff.

Washing and rinsing out her hair, and ears, in record time, this thought would have ushered in emotions of dread or hopelessness two weeks prior, but since then she could only find absurd comparisons of her previous life to her new temporary one. Perhaps the only thing besides Penny keeping her focused on getting home rather than what horrible things could be occurring there.

Shutting off the shower, she quickly dried and wrapped herself up. Using so much cloth, that the towels actually exposed less skin then her actual clothes. With two being dedicated to just her head alone, Velvet picked up her disguise and Penny before heading back towards her room. With her school clothes, or the ones she dubbed as such, laid out before her

"Sorry about the...uh... delayed response Penny, but good morning to you as well. Is anybody else up I thought I heard feet in the kitchen?", the icy liquid doing only so much for her morning mind, Velvet stumbled to find the correct English words, but said them with a quite but positive attitude nonetheless,

"Movement in the kitchen", the rabbit haired Faunus quickly read off the computer before momentarily blocking her field of sight as a beige blouse came down. This was soon accompanied by a pair of jeans, that Coco would at least view as passable, before the chocolate theme Faunus looked back towards the message, "And you are correct. While Gareth is still asleep, Laura has been downstairs since six-twenty-three. From the sound of it I believe she is cooking a special breakfast for the occasion."-Penny

Wrapping herself in a red button up coat, as well tying a matching plaid pattern scarf around her neck, Velvet completed her outfit before taking a sniff of the air. Confirming the robotic Atlesian's theory something was being prepared below, and by the small smile forming on the Vale's stowaway lips, it certainly smelled good,

"That's wel-I mean good to know. I hope she likes the outfit she chose for me", although it didn't have quite the same level of comfort to it then when she chatted with Coco, Velvet's talk with Penny was becoming more and more natural. Something she didn't think would ever happen given how the binary soul had first encountered her as an emotional wreck.

"I think she will be thrilled, from her reaction in the store she favored this one highly"-Penny

Velvet cheeks briefly matched the color of her outfit upon recalling the memory. If given the choice of being brought back to Remnant or staying on Earth, the faunus would of course choose the form in a heartbeat so long as it meant Penny came with. However, event being filled with seven billion humans, Velvet couldn't help herself marvel at the cultures the planet housed.

Admittedly, the crash course on Earth Penny had initially given the brunette only increased her paranoia about this strange land. However, even when they first met, Gareth's mother Laura was able to quench most of those concerns.

At first Velvet had thought Penny's plan of utilizing the Cadarn as a host family was far too wishful. After all, she was just a stranger, that for all Gareth knew, his virtual intelligence system had convinced him to help and assured him she'd be on her way as soon as possible. But to her surprise, the mother figure treated her as if she was some long-lost family friend.

Even without having understood a word she said the first night, Laura showed her support of the situation. Offering Velvet to stay the weekend until she could contact the local school system. Upon Monday morning though, and one eventful filled phone call later, the offer for resilience was extended to the end of the school year, with Penny struggling to translate Gareth's mom's words of support fast enough for Velvet to read.

It was awkward at first, but it was one born from somebody being all too nice to her, which was much more preferable than the alternative. From there, if she wasn't studying English or Danish with Penny, the rabbit faunus was being forced around town with the Cadarn matriarch. What came first was of course a cloth shopping day.

At the beginning Velvet still understood none of what Laura was talking about, her reaction to her improvised apparel was one of pity and concern. Although not the right size, Velvet had been given some of Laura's old clothes upon the first night here, and her temporary garment was never seen again.

The next day, she was placed in one of the strange vehicles she had heard all too well in the park and was driven place after place. Given new clothing and apparel, all of which she simply took in stride, as she had no way to communicate her opinion, or want to voice it given the kindness she was receiving,

"I hope she does, I never actually thought red was my color, but who am I to deny Earth's fashion trends", smoothing a few wrinkles out that weren't there, Velvet made her way out of the room, "See you down stairs Penny"

"Of course, but please do not forget your backpack Velvet", with her having turned around, the manufactured girls reached Velvet ears in a robotic tone. Looking to the side of the door, she noticed the object in question, and with an embarrassed smile picked it up.

Still not used to the idea of just swinging by her room to drop off and pick up class material, velvet had a hard time wrapping her head around the use of a backpack other than when going on missions or trips. However, as she awkwardly pulled the all to simplistic loops around her shoulder this thought was put on hold. Slowly making her way down the stairs, using her huntsman training to silence her footsteps, she entered the combined living room and kitchen.

Defining some law of physics, the cooking half of the room was lit up. With its white walls, checkered floors, and marble counter tops seemingly spotless. A feat made impressive given that the stove and sink were currently in use.

Matching Gareth's eye color and hair color exactly, it was impressive how his mom could have the appearance of a completely different person to her son while still clearly being related. With clean and precise movements, she effortlessly moved around ingredients, and her precision with a knife, frying pan and even the way she cracked an egg clearly demonstrated her as the most awake and conscious person in the house.

In contrast to that, the other occupant was still very much in the world of dreams. His limbs laid out in every which way on the couch, in a sleeping posture that would leave more than a few places sore upon waking up.

Enclosed in his own living room, Velvet's eyes allowed her to see through the darkness he attempted to encase himself in. Having given up his one sleeping quarters to the unknown extraterrestrial, Gareth's environment had moved seamlessly downstairs. With the disorganized pool of clothes and objects that once inhabited his room, leaking down onto the lower floors' rug.

Appearing now as puddles, his living arrangement was only made slightly more bearable due to the mere fact his mother could actually force him to clean it up since other people had to see it.

Having to traverse his territory to get to the kitchen, Velvet tried to not wake him up. Although she had gotten along with his mother surprisingly well, she had hardly gotten to know Gareth any better at all the last few weeks.

With any conversation they had usually started by either his mother, or Penny. At first Velvet felt herself responsible for his reclusiveness, after all she didn't need to know the meaning of his words to know he wasn't thrilled with giving up his room, but after a while it became clear he was like this with most people. Ironically enough he seemed to talk to Penny, or P as he dubbed her, more than his own mother, and even then, she probably could count the number of minutes he communicated with Penny a day on two hands.

Reaching the kitchen, she had attributed this behavior to shyness, and without the need, or people like her computerized friend to push her, she'd probably be behaving similar to him. Crossing the barrier in the clean part of the house, Velvet's stealth was broken when his feet knocked upon the marble floor.

With her cooking utensil momentarily going skyward, Laura turned around in shock. However, upon seeing the new female of the house her face softened,

"Godmorgan Vivian", for a moment Velvet stared at the woman's greeting with confusion. Out of all the languages Penny could have pick English and Danish were pretty similar and sometimes she simply didn't know which was being used...although her response hardly didn't matter,

"Good morning Ms. C-", crossing her hands, the oldest Cadarn raised and eyebrow but with a knowing smile accompanying it, "I mean Laura"

With her mouth gestures saying more than words, Laura nodded before turning back towards the stove, "That's better Vivian, after all I'm still trying to appear young, so save the Misses business for your teachers"

"O-of course", as she switched now to her alternative persona that was Vivian, the Remnant naive look around Laura shoulder at the material cooking in the pan,

"I still can't believe it's your first day, or how fast you've learned English. Oh, this is so exciting, all the students are going to love you Vivian, you accent alone is so cute it's going to turn everybody's head"

"I-I don't know about that"

Laura looks up towards velvet hat, and with a look of misplaced understanding seems on the verge of saying something, but decides against it at the last moment,

"You're always selling yourself short Vivian, you're going to become the center of attention in no time", the younger brunette kept a genuine smile on her face, but looked away not having the heart to tell the kind older woman that such an outcome is what she hoped to avoid, "Being the big day have you've gotten a chance to talk to your parents yet? I know the time zones have been a hassle but I'm sure they'd love to see you getting ready for your first day of school!"

Turning back around to work on the breakfast extravaganza, Laura didn't see the brief moment of confusion on Velvet's face before Penny was able to help her through that last sentence, "Oh, yes I left a message for them last night...their very proud, and I'll be sure to tell them how the first week went this Saturday"

The single mother gave out a hum, which while not intentional seemed to carry about it a wave of pity. Needless to say, the Cadarn never got the chance to speak physically with Vivian's parents...because they technically didn't exist. Because of this Penny, and to an extent Velvet, had to construct a believable story of them preferring a more...remote lifestyle.

For the two native of remnant this fit perfectly for cover up story, but upon execution, and with Penny acting as the parents through texts any interaction Laura had with them, was brief and to the point. Carrying very little emotion. Coupled with the idea that Velvet herself had no emotional connection to Vivian's fake parents she didn't talk to them with any real emotional connection either.

Because of this Laura had slowly come to her own conclusion that Vivian's relationship with her parents back home was strained. As such Velvet had noticed the older Cadarn go out of her way to be joyous on their behalf. Always checking in, and offering to do activities to help get her comfortable with the new culture she found herself in.

In a way it made the rabbit eared faunus feel welcome and accepted, but also produced strong emotions of guilt. Like she was taking advantage of this family, and Laura's genuine kindness to strangers,

"We'll be sure to take plenty of photos of your time here for you to show them. In fact...", the emerald eyed mom, looked over to her still sleeping son and a mischievous grin started to creep on her face. An act that made Velvet start to grow uncomfortable, "I want to get a group one of your first school day breakfast. All go set everything up, please be dear and wake Gareth up"

Some of the words put Velvet at a complete, loss but she understood the gist of what Laura was implying even as Penny was giving out the vocabulary definitions, "I-I don't know...I wouldn't want to be rude"

Expertly moving he content of the frying pan to three dishes, Laura hums to herself, clearly enjoying what was about to happen, "Nonsense, he's overslept as it is, and could use some of your initiative"

Knowing there was no use in pleading her case, Velvet nervously turned around and began walking towards the sleeping senior. To her credit, her artificial friend seemed to sense her distress and an alarm on Gareth's phone went off. However, that attempt to wake him up was in vain, as only his arm arose to quickly shut the device off.

Moving besides the couch now, the faunus look down, "Uh, Gareth...we have school in an hour, it's time to wake up"

Perhaps if it was her teammate foxes, her whisper would have been heard. But for Gareth the sound waves didn't even reach his ear drums, as the only reaction he had was to pull the cover higher up to cover his face,

"Don't be afraid to be rough Vivian, Gareth is being lazy so subtly is not an issue", the mother spoke as if there was nobody sleeping nearby, and like a card dealer, slid the plates of food on the counter. Taking a deep gulp, Velvet didn't even feel she physically forsake her politeness to reach that volume, and instead brought out a shaking hand and placed it on his shoulder.

Even through two layers of blanket and an overshirt the gesture produced far too awkward of a feeling. However, biting the bullet sort to speak, the alien stowaway took in a deep breath and tried to gently shake him awake.

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"WHAT THE HELL", despite not having any dreams, Gareth sure felt like he had been awakened from a nightmare. Physically torn out of the realm of sleep and into the living world so fast, he still had no idea what the very concept of being awake was.

Flailing out his arms, and legs, he broke through his cover in a panic. Only to feel one of his hands come to a complete and utter stop, as a vice like grip completely paused it in place. Only increasing his confusion and fear, he looked around frantically...until he was met with the sight of his held arm, and the beautiful clad women holding it.

Effortlessly holding his arm still, despite it still receiving electrical signals to move. With an adrenaline-fueled grogginess his first conscious thought could only be,

Why does an angel have a scarf?, with his concept of time still making its way to work, he must have started for far too long as the angelic being face was slowly turning red in embarrassed, but kept his hand locked in place,

"Gareth, it's rude to stare. Now go take a shower, the last thing you need to do is infect Vivian with your stench", shocking both occupants of the living room out of their respective states, Vivian immediately released his arm and scurried back to the kitchen. Taking a seat and looking down at her plate to avoid eye contact with any of the household residents.

Although much less graceful, Gareth tried to reach a similar speed as he, tripping and stumbling over his one cloth and sleeping area practically crawled up the stairs and into the bathroom.

God, never thought I'd actually want to escape to schoo-...and its Vivian's first day

The sound of water hitting the ceramic bath went on for far longer than it should have. The drying process also was done fully by air the time Gareth emerged from the bathroom. Perhaps sparring some level of his dignity, the only reason he forgot to take clothes up with him to change, was because he saw the batch his mom had generously placed outside the door,

Pulling fabric on in slow motion, but the time he got downstairs, he was distraught to find that the breakfast was still warm. Trying his best to hold back a sigh, the youngest Cadern, moved over to the table, and sitting down glued his eyes to his plate.

"Glad you could join us Gareth", the knowingness in her voice was on the verge of being cruel, "Are you excited?"

"Ecstatic", bisecting his fried egg, he quickly plopped it into his mouth, hoping that the food would mask the monotony of his voice.

"Well I know Vivian is, doesn't she look wonderful in her outfit", with two heater the room increased in temperature.

"I-I'm glad you're excited", he responded, choosing to answer a different sentence, Much to the joy of his mother.

With neither high schooler seeing the other face, she must have given off a silent nod, "And were going to capture everything single frame of that excitement"

The click of a camera flash went off, but the flash failed to stun anybody, "Alright now that's good. Now how bout we get one were your not talking to the floor"

Reluctantly lifting his head Gareth stared into the archaic lens of his mom's old camera. From the corner of his vision he saw Vivian do the same, "That's better...now how about you two sc-"

"Mom!", Gareth yelped, before his face started competing against Vivian's to see who could produce the deeper shade of red,

"Fine fine", she said waving off his remark, "But at the very least act happy"

The teenage boy forced the edges of his lips up through annoyed embarrassment, while his female counterpart only experienced the latter emotion,

"That's better", Laura stated, dragging out the syllables, "On the count of three now one...two…"

"Don't think those seconds are-", through gritted teeth his passive aggressiveness was cut off by a brief period of blindness. Rubbing his eyes, he could already here the mechanical pieces of the photography device spit out the picture,

"Perfect", Laura said having gotten her teasing as she shined the captured moment of awkwardness in time, "Now eat up I want you to arrive early-"

Enough so you can show Vivian, a proper tour of the school, Gareth began to think as he resumed his eating, You want to put that camera next to your broken record

Focusing entirely on his dwindling plate, the emerald eyed young man wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place, he was going to find himself anxious around Vivian at home, and that would only be made worse when he had to accompany her through the school.

Unfortunately, time could not be halted for the wants and needs of a teenager, and the breakfast continued. Gareth remained quiet for most of it, while his mom picked up her conversation with Vivian.

Looking over to her through the corner of his vision, much to his mother's delight, Gareth would take glances at his newfound Danish schoolmate,

Why does she have to be so…, not wanting to sound corny in his own mind, or risk blushing at something besides embarrassment Gareth wisely didn't voice to himself a fact he already knew, God she's going to be swarm...and that's means I'm going to be swarmed

While most guys, and a good portion of girls, would think Gareth was the luckiest guy on the planet for getting to live with an attractive exchange student he accidentally ran into, he certainly didn't act as if he was.

Although the three weeks she had been here, had all but shredded, burned, and then launched his idea that P and now Vivian were some sort of prank into the sun, his paranoia only spread itself to other thoughts,

Hey dude who's she with? Wait he gets to live with her, what a waste. Poor girl, I bet he's a pervert, just look at him, admittedly these thoughts were selfish ones, but without P to politely make him realize so he could only think about how Vivian's first day of school would affect his normal routine.

"Ex-excuse me Gareth", returning to the world he'd wished was the imaginary one, Gareth realized he was picking at a plate with no more food, "Would you like me to take that for you?"

Making eye contact then disengaging as quickly as he could, Gareth silently place his knife and fork on the fine china, before pushing it away from him, "Th-"

The most forced and fake caught ever picked up by human ears filled the household. Saving himself the trouble of having to stare staring at Medusa, Gareth awkwardly pushed out his chair and strained himself to look towards Vivian,

"Thank you, Vivian...but I've got it", he began to make towards the sink, until he pulled a Perseus and saw the reflection of a gorgon calling him back, "...here I'll take yours as well"

"Th-that's oka-"

"How chivalrous of you Gareth", Laura hissed out returning to her smiling human form, "Why don't you take mine as well"

"Sure thing", he answered, doing his best to not make his frustration and anxiety known at the same time.

Doing a low scale balancing act, the boy made his way to the sink. Then decided then cleanliness was a good excuse as ever to avoid his mother's constant teasing. Having gotten accustomed to breaking an awkward silence before it could occur, Laura began speaking to Vivian again. The noise they made was aimed to cheer the foreigner up, but after a few seconds it became as white as the sound of rushing water Gareth utilized for his brief escape.

By the time he finished washing the dishes, enough time had gone by that Vivian was going through her backpack for the umpteenth time

"Now if you need anything, don't hesitate to call for Gareth. He'll come running to help no matter what the issue is", the tone Laura produced was meant to reassure the brunette girl, but the looks she gave her son indicated heavily that this was an order for him

"That's very wonderf-kind of you", Vivian's said zipping up her bag, and before Gareth or her could break eye contact, he saw her give him a small smile...which only made the situation worse for him.

Unsure of what to do, all he could manage after a few seconds was a thumbs up, before going over to stuff his own school bag. Being as polite as she was, Vivian stood by the door waiting for Gareth to finish, but his mom had already open it and gestured her out,

"Have a wonderful first day at school Vivian, I'm going to want to hear all about it when you get back"

"I-I'll do- um, thank you", being a bit forced out, the door was quietly closed behind the northern European women, as Laura return her look to Gareth as he slung his bookbag over his shoulder,

"...I know mom", he answered the silent question, quietly ignoring the message on his phone as he pocketed it.

"No, no you don't. You can tell me the same answer a million time, but we both know your lying", she sighed in defeat, probably asking herself why she was still even bothering,

"Then why even ask", he started moving for the door, and his voice sounded defeated,

"Because I want you to try Gareth, that's all. You don't have to be good at it, but whatever anxiety you get at school she's probably feeling something worse. Just having somebody nearby that she's familiarized with can go along way"

"...pretty sure I knew her better three weeks ago, then I do now", his mother lips went inward, and looking at the time she dropped whatever she was going to say

"Gareth...just...I don't care what excuse you give yourself, if I found out you left that girl high and dry at your earliest convenience I-", both the sentence and Gareth disappeared at the same time. Both his mother and himself to tired and disappointed that nothing would come next.

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Despite not even being half a mile away, the walk to school was far too long for Gareth. Neither he nor Vivian were exactly the talkative type, so outside of her "thank you" for accompanying her to the high school, and his quick "no problem" as a result no more words were echoed.

Many of them field the area, with nervous thoughts and questions appearing in both their heads. But such things were being communicated through texts,

Which classes does she share with me again?

His phone vibrated out a response the instant he pressed enter,

"You both share Chemistry, English Literature, Physical Education, along with a study hall. The two courses that differentiate your schedules are your Pre-Calculus and European History classes, and her Geometry and Photography one respectively"-P

Ok gotcha...who else is in the classes we share

"To gain such knowledge I would have to break multiple laws and access your school database. I believe your memory may serve you better"-P

As is its calling sign, panic often led one brain astray, with all the worrying he had done since his breakfast began, Gareth was having a hard time remembering his own name let alone his fellow class members

Yeah...don't hack into the school, although given his hesitation, the young man was definitely weighing his options of whether or not he'd actually want P to perform such an act.

"Be assured Gareth everything will be fine. Your school time routine should not be effected in the slightest-"- P

I know...I think I d-

"Excuse me Gareth...isn't that the school", turning his phone off before he could even send out the message, the boy turn between Vivian and the structure that was clearly his school which they were now about to pass,

"Y-yes, it is", he said scratching the back of his neck, "S-sorry about that...uh come on let's cross here"

Making their way across the concrete river, only a few students were trickling their way into the school. By the time, they had both reached the front door, Gareth felt a strong urge to act against his mom's threat and leave Vivian at the entryway.

After all, in his mind the offices were right there, and surely the principle and the counselor could take care of getting her around. However, fighting his nerves, at least momentarily he had enough common sense to realizes such an action was a fast way to be disowned by the only family he had,

Opening the door, and then stopping it from closing when he remembered Vivian was still behind him. Gareth made the act of stopping a door from slamming into somebody the most awkward form of a chivalrous gesture by moving to the side and letting the exchange student in,

Once finally inside, Gareth and Vivian now stood in the middle of the entrance Hallway unsure of what to do. Through the glass wall that separated the central office from the students, an attendant at the front desk seemed to recognize who they were. Still on the phone she raised a hand in the air, and gave the universal signal for them to wait, as she put her hand to the bottom of the phone and sent her voice echoing into the rooms behind her,

Turning away from the scene, Gareth saw through the doors as more and more cars started piling in. For somebody not wanting to be the center of attention he couldn't have been asked to wait in a worse spot,

"So...uh the cafeterias over there, if you need to eat and stuff", he pointed off unsure of what to actually do,

"Oh...thank you...I'm sure that will be helpful when I have lunch", not expecting Gareth to talk, Vivian's response was almost as cringy as the question it was meant to answer.

Eyes darting between the floor, ceiling and everywhere in between, an awkward silence persisted as more and more students walked in. At first, they simply parted around the two timid teenagers like rock in a steam.

Maybe I was just overreacti-

"Um Gareth?", Vivian whispers, having drawn his attention from the ceiling, the high schooler looked back down only to see that his fellow housemate had gotten closer to him. Now almost using him as cover in a sense

Cheeks going red a bit, he was about to ask what's up and move a step back. But when returning his vision to a level position he realized the answer to the question all too fast.

While the water moved around them, a few droplets had grown stagnant. Murmurs of who was the new person standing in the hall filling...well the hall,

"Do...do you think the headmaster will be here soon?", given the volume of her voice now Gareth actually believed she was more nervous than him.

"I-I'm sur-",

"Headmaster, that sounds pretty exotic, where are you from?", the voice came out smoothly, and yet Gareth felt like a hurricane was standing behind him.

Turning around, Gareth was met with the sight of a brick wall. And craning his head up to see its roof, he paled a little. Now the young Cadarn was always one to overreact, but there was still very much a reason why he preferred being the fly on the wall.

And standing over six feet tall, built like a train, and a possible future career in modeling Lance Ascalon was why. Taking a step back, the flow of students came to a complete halt, and the island in which Gareth, Vivian, and now Lance stood upon formed.

Looking between the two uncomfortably, the sole girl looked towards the blonde juggernaut and pointed towards herself hesitantly, " I certainly wasn't talking to Gawain over here"

There was an air of friendliness in his tone, and it came out with an even more relaxed laugh. However, as he struck the back of Gareth's backpack the boy had to stagger forward, and the underlying air of sinisterness he possessed began to expose itself,

By the time his feet stop moving, the emerald eyed teenager immediately shot his head back towards the situation. Being forced along, Lance had actually seemingly done Gareth a favor, as now he was no more aligned withstanding in the crowd,

I need to go...after all it's not like he knows I'm here with her. She could have just randomly gone up to me, he began moving back. Already wanting to join the other bystanders he began taking steps back,

"I...uh...from Danish...I mean Denmark", for the first time since meeting her Gareth's eyes made contact with Vivian. Although she was trying her best to avoid Lances glare and stick her pupils to the floor.

"I see, that's a pretty cute accent you got there Ms. Scandinavia. I'd sure love to hear it some more, perhaps some place a bit quieter.

Oh come on, Gareth said looking towards the offices. Wondering when somebody would actually come out. Unfortunately, he was only met to the sight of the secretary from early, and from the looks of it she seemed more ready to pull out a bag of popcorn then stop this.

Looking to Lance briefly, the young boy felt more and more like he should just keep backing away. After all, the tall blonde hadn't done anything too bad yet, and for all Gareth knew he was just teasing the new person. Sure, it would be awkward, but Vivian would be okay. But as his phone began to beep repeatedly in his pocket, Gareth new full well that wasn't Lance's style,

Turning his gaze back towards Vivian, he was met with a sight...he didn't expect. Despite the nervousness her voice held her body seemed at ease. No that wasn't the right word, more so it seemed accustomed.

She was truly uncomfortable, but her body language shined as if this type of situation was a daily routine. It wasn't one that was embraced, clearly, but it was one she seemingly accepted. For all his fears, Gareth was actually never on the receiving end of bullying, but to see somebody actually accustomed to it more horrifying than having it actually happen for the first time.

Somebody just stop this, waiting on the world to change for him the brunette knew he wouldn't do anything, his mom knew he wouldn't do anything, and even Vivian probably knew she was now alone if the only help she could depend on came in the form of Gareth,

"I-I should go", Vivian tried to take a step back only for Lance to follow her.

"Oh come on I haven't even gotten your name yet", the tone of voice was now losing some of its charisma.

Wanting to turn away from this, Gareth finally felt the cries of his phone. Needing to distract himself with something else, anything else, he looked at the mobile device screen.

"Gareth you need to intervene"-P

He glanced in multiple directions, and time seemed to slow down for a moment. P had yet to learn, to know that he couldn't help people. Hell he couldn't even help himself most of the time….but a large part of that was because P had gotten him to do things he normally would never do. They weren't groundbreaking, but she had actually made small achievements with helping him step outside his comfort zone. Staring at the text, even as new ones formed underneath it...he felt strange.

He didn't feel brave, and certainly didn't feel like he wanted to get involved...instead he felt the need to not disappoint people. To not disappoint Vivian who didn't ask for the situation, his mom who expected him to just watch, and P who expected him to act.

"T-to be fair you don't seem to be that good with names, after all you got the wrong knight", the murmurs from the crowd ceased, and then took Gareth's step forward on his behalf as the sea of students receded.

"Excuse me", Lance looked back towards the emerald eye boy, more confused that Gareth had spoken then annoyed... for the moment at least.

"My name, it's not Gawain, it's Gareth. You were thinking of a different knight", the brunette had no idea what he was doing, and by the look of Vivian's shocked face neither did she.

"Gareth", Lance said now moving toward the source of the interruption, "I'm sorry, that's so rude of me not to know"

"It's fin-", a hand planet its' way onto Gareth's shoulder, and even without the courage to move the brunette knew he was going no were,

"No, it's not. After all we all need to point out when somebody's acting out of line", turning his head towards the crowd, that now composed of half the student body, and addressed them as if making a public announcement, "As such I should probably let you know, interrupting somebody's conversation. Like you did to the nice one I was having with little Ms. Scandinavia there, well it doesn't get much ruder than that"

The hand keeping his shoulder and body in place began to squeeze. His eyes now going wide with fear, Gareth could feel his collarbone began to compress. It wasn't as if Lance held the power to break bone, but the nerves being pinched in the emerald eyed boy's shoulder certainly didn't make that distinction.

Way to not disappoint Gareth, he sarcastically thought through gritted teeth. Knowing full well any action that involved opening his mouth would come out as a scream.

"Don't worry though, you won't make the same mistakes twice. As one manners educator to another, I'll make sure you don't forget my lesson", whether his knees buckled to the words or the pain, Gareth didn't know but he dropped halfway to the ground regardless.

Oh so now you move, his mind too disorganized and scared to think about the situation properly, all Gareth could do now was complain as the secretary finally decided she needed to get somebody involved.

With his arm instinctively moving to grasp Lance's, the taller boy seemed to take delight in any feeble attempt his prey made to wretch himself free. With all sensory nerves being focused to his upper shoulder, Gareth barley felt the device in his pocket begin to heat up,

"Now I don't want you to be late for your other clas-", from the corner of his eye, Gareth saw a third arm briefly join the fray. Only to disappear a moment later, but not before taking Lance's appendage with it,

"What the fuc-", following his arm's lead, Lance was lifted into the air, and brought down with a large thud.

With the noise of Lance's returned to Earth echoing silently across a shocked and wide eye audience. Standing as the only one not affected by this display was Vivian. If only because she proved to be its source. having Lance's arm firmly locked in place, and a foot pinning his back effortlessly to the ground.

"Stop", the foreigner's voice was quiet but surprisingly firm, as its message sailed unimpeded around the room.

Instinctively he tried to move free, but to everyone astonishment the six four man proved no match for his five seven opponents,

"Jesus Christ let go bi-"

"Mr. Ascalon, I'm going to ask that you truly give your next words a good once over in your mind before saying anything you'll regret out loud", being part of the herd mentality, Gareth's eyes flowed with everybody else to the sight of a bald man's hard gaze.

He had dark skin, and although his eyes shined with a level of tiredness, he also had the gaze of a man who knew full well he now controlled the situation, "Now, who here has to tell me what happened"

With machine-like precision the crowd once again took a step back to emphasize Gareth, Lance's, and Vivian's as the centers of this spectacle. Having frozen up underneath her hold, Lance was let go by an ever-growing red brunette.

"Alright then you three in my office", he turn around as everyone's eyes still followed him, "All the rest of you back to class...and the first person to be a wise ass can wait outside my door until I'm done with them"

With nobody brave enough to be the clown, the river of students began flowing as quickly as it had stopped. All eyes now glued to where they now scattered, Vivian's slowly walked over and crouched down next to Gareth,

"I-uh...sorry. Are you okay Gareth?", rubbing his shoulder, he ironically got up at the same pace as Lance.

With the blonde, now having a limp in his step he shot a glare over his shoulder to the two brunettes before hobbling his way after the man who put an end to all this,

"Thanks to you I am...", despite the fear coursing through his mind at the knowledge that Lance's now new who he was, Gareth actually found himself letting out a small smile, "We should probably follow him...to the pri-...headmaster's office and all"

"I-I see, I hope I didn't make a bad first impression", Vivian returned the smile, but did have a nervous laugh when presenting it.

"If nothing else… you made a memorable one", the emerald eye boy responded as the two went behind the glass office.