The next morning began extremely well for the Schwarzer heir as he was well enough to be unplugged from the machines monitoring his condition and his insides were deemed healthy enough to be allowed to eat freely once again. Fie grumbled a bit at his immediate food request, but perhaps understanding just how fervently he needed it eventually acquiesced and brought him his meal quick enough. She did put her foot down, however, when he asked for a second breakfast, stopping his eternal hunger by logically pointing out the hazards of overeating after having gone without for so long, although he was fairly certain she only said that because she was being lazy.
After that came a rather unexpected surprise. "Clothes?" He asked as he curiously looked at the contents of the bag Fie had just handed him.
"Yup. Our normal outfits are still getting patched up so I went and bought these instead. I got some too." In her hand was a matching bag, presumably with clothes of her own. It isn't much, but it will get us through today.
Indeed it wasn't. A plain shirt, some sorts, a pair of strega sneakers, socks, and underwear. "Today? Wait, are you saying...?"
"Yup!" She answered the unasked question with a grin. "I figured you could use a change of scenery so we're going into the city today."
"Really?" He asked dubiously. "It's only been three days. And you got permission to take me out?"
She nodded, but despite her stoic expression he detected a hint of something in her eyes... nervousness? "Of course I did. Not a single person I asked said we couldn't."
There was something she wasn't telling him, but ignorance really was bliss and he did want to get out for a bit... "Alright." He agreed at last. "I'm gonna need help getting dressed."
"And you will get it... right after your sponge bath." He stiffened at those words, which didn't go unnoticed by his caretaker. "Did you really think I was letting you go out like that? You stink, and unless you want to be known as the Stinky Chevalier you'll let me wash you."
"...Stinky Chevalier? Really?" It was such a dumb nickname, but Fie seemed amused with herself for coming up with it so he decided to let it slide. "Whatever. If we really need to do this let's just get it over with."
Fortunately it wasn't as bad as the first time he went to the bathroom, but it still wasn't an experience he would look back on fondly. Between the teasing remarks she made as she undressed him, her complete inexperience with such a job, and the fact that she inevitably turned it into a game where she kept squishing the sponge on his face to see what kind of reactions she could get from him, what should have been a fairly quick and painless task became a miserable time for the injured bracer, but an enjoyable one for his partner.
Getting dressed wasn't much better either. Fortunately his lover had had the foresight to get him loose shorts to wear as he didn't think they would have had any success in getting anything else on him. She also decided to tease him while tying his shoes, pretending to be a parent doing it for their child, but her only experience with such an act came from Rutger Claussell, so her words were anything but what a normal parent would say to their young child. It was actually kinda terrifying and he worried for their future children.
With him prepared Fie decided it was her turn to change and she did so... right in the middle of the room. He did his best to not show how affected he was by such a sight, as those days in isolation had apparently left him more affected than he realized, but it was a pointless endeavor because she had a knack for noticing these things. That probably explained why it took so long for her to slowly put on each article of clothing in increasingly exaggerated displays.
Eventually the little minx finished and the next step was to get Rean from his bed to a nearby wheelchair. What should have been a tricky task was concluded in seconds as despite her size Fie was easily able to lift her partner up, carry him to the chair, and gently set him in it. Once finished the girl wasted no time in wheeling him out of the room.
If he wasn't already suspicious of her actions the fact that she avoided taking him through the main hospital building and instead used the rooftop entrance to the inn would have sounded some alarm bells in his mind. But just spending a few seconds on the rooftop after being cooped inside for so long was extremely pleasant and he again adopted the mantra 'ignorance is bliss'.
He wasn't sure if Fie had planned this well in advance or merely had uncanny timing (although he sorely suspected the latter), but they arrived at the hospital entrance just as the bus pulled up. Since it was a hospital bus it was designed to be wheelchair accessible and after allowing the other passengers to depart and embark Rean was lifted in with Fie right behind him.
Once secure the bus slowly started driving off, causing the girl to release the breath she probably didn't even realize she had been holding. Again Rean made the conscious decision to ignore that. "So where are we going anyways?" He asked at last.
"Juna told me about an interesting event taking place in the Harbor District park today, thought we might check it out."
"I do recall seeing her pull you away yesterday, but I get the feeling you're leaving something out.."
She winced at his astute observation. "Well..."
"It's fine." He waved her off. "I trust you. If you're keeping something from me it's gotta be for a good reason, right? Er... Or is this just one giant prank that will leave me too embarrassed to want to leave the hospital ever again?" Sometimes he couldn't be sure with her.
"I'm not Vivi, you know." She let out a huff as it was clear that he remained unconvinced. "It's a good surprise. You'll love it. I promise."
The two remained in comfortable silence as the bus made the trip to the city. One advantage with the casual clothing they were wearing was that not a single person on the bus appeared to recognize them. Perhaps this was a more effective disguise than his fake glasses that he was so fond of?
Soon enough they arrived and found themselves once again in the increasingly familiar view of Crossbell City. They still had a fair distance of walking before they reached the Harbor District, but Rean didn't mind it at all. He got to enjoy the fresh air and take in the sights while the grumbling Fie behind him was forced to do all the work pushing him around. An absolute win in his books.
"Stop doing that." She hissed at him, causing him to shoot a questioning look back at her. "You're enjoying yourself way too much."
"Sorry for being stuck in this chair with nothing else to do." He shot back.
This of course only further increased her ire. "And no sarcasm either! Keep this up and I'll knock this chair over and leave you stuck on the ground."
"You wouldn't." He replied, calling her bluff.
She paused, causing Rean to stop. "You're right. I wouldn't." She finally admitted, but right after allowed a very dangerous grin to form on her face. "But I might do... this!"
'This' turned out to be her breaking into a sprint while pushing Rean in front of her. It wasn't the fastest she could move, but not Fie's fastest still meant moving at speeds fast enough for the average civilian to only see a blur shoot past, followed by the sounds of a man screaming and a woman giggling in it's wake.
Moving at speeds like that normally wouldn't be an issue for the Ashen Chevalier, as he usually went far faster when utilizing the second form of the Eight Leaves, but doing so in a rickety wheelchair that obviously wasn't designed to move like that was an entirely different experience. He nearly had a heart attack when she came close to running over an unknowing pedestrian, as such a collision would almost certainly kill them... and him!
She didn't slow down until after they passed the city center and found themselves back in East Street, fairly close to where the two stayed during their stay in the city. He was afraid she would just turn on the brakes and send him flying from sheer momentum, but luckily for his survival prospects Fie seemed to have considered that and instead made it a gradual decrease in speed before gracefully bringing him to a complete stop.
"Never. Do. That. Again." He complained once he was certain he wasn't about to meet Aidios.
"Or you'll do what?" She challenged back.
Rean frowned. "You're getting awfully cocky now that I'm hurt." He paused to consider what he could threaten her with. "Gotta admit, I kinda miss being an instructor. Maybe when I get back to the guild I should take on a few junior bracers for a couple weeks. Show them the ropes and all that. Maybe partner up with Toval for a bit. It's been a while. Hope you don't mind working with Sara for a while."
He kept his face steady as a narrow-eyed Fie scrutinized him. It wasn't hard since his words weren't exactly a lie. He did enjoy supporting the next generation and he genuinely liked working with Toval. He definitely could see himself spending a couple days doing that, but not weeks. That privilege was for Fie and Fie alone.
"Bah, fine." But Fie wasn't sure of it so she was forced to relent. "I will treat you like a widdle baby Rean who is afraid of a little speed."
"You do know that one of these days you'll be the one hurt and I will be the one to take care of you, right?"
"Nah. First off, I don't ever intend on getting hurt. And secondly? You're a big softy. You would probably cook me whatever I wanted, wait on me constantly, let me nap on your lap, and pet my head until I was better. That... actually doesn't sound so bad."
He correctly deduced what was going through her mind as she started scanning the surrounding environment. "Please don't look for ways to intentionally hurt yourself, especially when I am already like this."
"I wasn't!" She replied, offended. "At least not while you are hurt. I was just checking around for... future reference. That's all."
By now they had reached the Harbor District and as the buildings opened up into the large open section Rean could contain his curiosity no longer. "So what are we do-"
"Rean! Fie!" He was interrupted by the waving form of one Juna Crawford as she stood at the edge of the park. Behind the pink-haired girl he could make out the forms of numerous members of Class VII, old and new.
"Does that answer your question?" Fie asked. He didn't need to turn around to see the amusement on her face, he could hear it plain enough from her words.
Juna's cry drew all attention to her and by the time Fie and Rean arrived at the park every member of Class VII was gathered and waiting for them. "Is this what I think this is?" Rean asked the assembled group.
"It is." Alisa confirmed with a nod. "Since we're all already together and it would be a pain to take more days off in a couple weeks..."
"We decided to move up our Class VII reunion!" Elliot finished for the General Manager."
This time it was Crow who stepped forward. "But just cause we're doing this here and not at your place doesn't mean that you guys are in the clear. I still fully intend on taking advantage of your hospitality the next time I'm near Trista. Raid your food and sleep on your couch and all that." Rean noticed Fie's eye twitch in annoyance, both at his comments and the many murmurs of agreements that they heard from their 'friends'. He strongly suspected his own reaction was something similar.
"Rean gave me permission to shoot any trespassers on our property." Fie warned with a growl. He nodded along even if he didn't ever recall saying anything like that. It beat having Crow showing up at their house in the middle of the night.
"Yeah, sorry." Ash interjected. "But I don't believe that for one second." His statement caused the silver-haired bracer to glare fiercely at him, but he merely smirked in retaliation.
Sensing that his love was mere seconds away from lunging at his former student, the Divine Blade hastily captured her hand with his larger one, both to keep her from storming forward and to calm her down with the comforting gesture. "So what did you guys have planned for today?" He asked curiously.
Given that she was the only native to this city it was Juna who answered the question. "Well this was all a last minute idea so we don't have much organized. This park is ours for the morning, so we can do whatever we want here. I did make reservations so we can all eat lunch at Long Lao together. After that..." She simply shrugged.
"That's more than enough." Gaius reassured with a smile. "This place has such a tranquil breeze to it."
"So why are we all just standing around burning daylight?" Sara asked the assembled group.
Since actions spoke louder than words the senior bracer of the group stepped forward and grabbed Fie, before dragging the struggling girl away. "H-Hey! What about Rean?"
"Please. Your boy toy can look after himself for an hour. Let's have us a girl chat!" She gestured to the other females in the group. "C'mon you lot." Some looked more reluctant than others, but eventually most of the girls acquiesced and joined the two bracers.
Now alone, Rean started wheeling himself over to where his male friends were gathered, but didn't make it far before he felt another set of hands take Fie's place at the handles. "Allow me." Came the soft voice behind him.
He didn't need to look behind him to know who it was, but he did so anyways. "Huh? Altina? Shouldn't you be with the other girls?"
His partner from the Intelligence Division shook her head. "I'm sure Juna and Millium will rope me into whatever asinine conversations they are having eventually." She muttered distastefully, but with the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. "For now I want to be with you. If that's okay with you, that is..."
Rean couldn't help but chuckle. "The more things change the more they stay the same, doesn't it? No matter what happens in life I will never be anything but okay with you having my back. I hope you know that."
"Right!" Apparently that was the right thing to say as the artificially born girl beamed down at him. With that out of the way Rean continued his journey towards his guy friends, bunny in tow. The duo had been expected and garnered some amused looks from their friends when they finally arrived.
"Glad you could finally join us." Jusis was the first to greet the pair, with the rest following suit shortly after.
"Oh! Rean! I got you a gift." Elliot stated before handing his friend a large bag. "I'm sure you haven't had much time to practice in a while so I thought it might be nice for you to have while you're stuck in the hospital."
Inside the bag was a lute. Pulling it out he could see it wasn't just any lute, but a Rieveldt Company lute. His knowledge of musical instruments wasn't the best, but even he could tell that this was a top of the line instrument and one that probably cost a lot of mira. "Um... I appreciate the gift, and you're right that I am out of practice, but isn't this a bit much?"
The musician tilted his head in confusion. "I'm not sure what you mean? It's just a lute. I'm glad I was able to find a Rieveldt in Crossbell."
Rean could tell he wasn't the only one confused by the gift. You don't buy a top of the line musical instrument for someone who's only stuck in the hospital for a couple weeks! That's something only the filthy rich would consider.
Although thinking about it... Just how rich was Elliot anyways? It's easy to forget since his personality was mostly unchanged from those days at Thors, but he was a famous musician who was going on international tours... A glance towards the others showed that many of them were having similar thoughts, with even the more unflappable members like Gaius and Jusis shooting speculative looks towards the youngest Craig.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked nervously as he saw all the looks directed at him.
"Hot damn. I gotta get on your good side." Ash muttered to himself, but loud enough for all present to hear.
While many of the others continued to stare at the oblivious healer, Machias turned his attention back towards Rean. "I also got you something, but it isn't nearly as elaborate as that thing." He proffered a small box towards the bracer, which was readily accepted. "I know you're an avid reader and collector, so I thought you might appreciate it."
Inside was every issue of the Imperial Chronicle from the previous week. "Awesome. Thanks, Machias. I'll definitely read them later."
"You do know that half of the articles written in the past week are about you, right?" Jusis knew just how to dampen his spirits. While he had grudgingly accepted the fame and celebrity status that came as a result of being the Ashen Chevalier, having others sing his praises in the news was something he would never be comfortable with.
Many in the group laughed at the sour expression he donned after that comment. Gaius, while not quite able to hide his own amusement, did place a reassuring hand on Rean's shoulder. "Don't worry. There are still quite a few good pieces in there. As a matter of fact I saw one in the most recent article that I think you will really enjoy."
"Kinda surprised you still read the Chronicle." Crow admitted to the Dominion. "Aren't you usually off in random countries doing super sneaky shit for the church?"
"Well, I can't say you're wrong, but the church is pretty flexible in how the Gralsritter operates." The Nord spearman chuckled as a recent memory came to mind. "Last month, for example, I was working with another Dominion to infiltrate a heretic lodge that we suspected was supporting Ouroboros. While I and the Fifth Dominion's squire handled the main mission, he found himself relegated to air support and spent most of the time running frequent grocery trips for the squire. He was kind enough to get me anything I asked for as well."
The males (and lone bunny) of Class VII shared a look. "Is that really something you should be telling us?" Kurt asked for the group.
Gaius didn't appear at all concerned. "Normally yes, but ever since the day Father Thomas revealed himself to Rean the Gralsritter has considered Class VII to be allies, at least insofar anything related to Ouroboros is concerned. And they understand that while I heartily embrace my role as the Eighth Dominion, my loyalties will always lie with my homeland and with Class VII."
"Allie!" Further conversation was interrupted as a loud voice called out to the girl who had been diligently standing behind Rean. Turning, they witness Juna and Millium approaching with the rest of the girls not far behind them. "Why are you hanging out with the lame boys?" The policewoman complained.
"Tilly! Jusis! Let's play!"
"...I knew this was coming." Altina muttered under her breath. Rean, being the only one who heard it, couldn't help but grin in amusement.
Naturally, his gaze inevitably focused on the arrival of his partner, and he noticed that she too was holding a bag that she didn't have previously. "They give you something too?"
"Yup." She reached a hand into the bag and pulled out a hardcover book. "Emma gave it to me. Autographed first edition copy of Dorothee's new series."
"You gave her porn!?" Alisa accused.
Emma wilted under the myriad looks she received. "I was just supporting the work of a friend! And I knew Fie was a fan so I thought it would be a good gift."
As much as he knew he should leave well enough away, Rean did recall the conversation they had a few months prior. "Is that the series you were telling me about?"
She nodded happily. "The first book starring..." Anything else she was going to say was stopped by Emma covering her mouth with both hands.
She struggled against the witch, but Emma's flustered state gave her a surge of strength to resist her younger friend. "Don't tell them!" She hissed quickly.
Unfortunately for Emma there was one other in their ranks who didn't possess a curim of shame. One who would gladly open their mouth to blurt something utterly crazy and humiliating to the rest of the group without reservation, despite her youthful appearance. "Oh! Lechter told me about that. That's the book where Jusis and Machias bang, right?" That person was Millium Orion.
"What!?"
"Excuse me?"
The collective assembly of Class VII alumni wasn't so cruel as to laugh at the horrified and bewildered expressions that took hold of two of their numbers. Not at all. They just collectively had the urge to laugh at the same time.
"She's writing a new series? Neat. I'll have to pick it up." And just like that all the laughter stopped and everyone turned wide-eyed towards the speaker. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" Asked Crow in confusion.
"Are... you an avid reader of her books?" Emma asked hesitantly.
He nodded in the affirmative. "Got the entire collection back home."
"Aren't the characters in those books in the likeness of you and Rean?" Laura bluntly asked the main question on the minds of everyone.
"Sure, it's a little weird to read about, but the books are well-written and the sex is pretty spicy, so what's the problem?"
"So creepy glasses chick likes writing about the old Class VII guys screwing each other all the time? Sucks to be you guys. Literally."
Juna looked upon Ash with pity after that statement. "Um... Ash? You remember how Tatiana has been apprenticed to her for a while, right? Well..." She trailed off, unable to look her classmate in the eye.
Luckily for her, the force of pure chaos known as Musse Egret was there with them. "She's recently started writing her own novel!" She clapped her hands together in joy. "A steamy high school romance between a blonde delinquent and a young noble swordsman. I'm so excited!"
"You're shitting me?" Ash was not at all happy to hear that news.
Kurt wasn't either, but instead of complaining he decided to do what Rean always did when the teasing got bad: Change the subject. "Laura. About that request you made before the operation...?"
Said woman blinked at the sudden change in topic and needed a second to recall what he was talking about. "Oh! You want to duel now?" The smile on her face made it clear that she wasn't against the idea.
"I do. Who knows when next we will get this chance and I would like to see how I stack against a more experienced master."
"In the same place that Rean fought Arios a few months back..." Juna noted as the two swordmasters prepared themselves for battle.
Rean blinked in realization. Indeed it was where he fought his fellow Divine Blade. That memory left him feeling somewhat frustrated, having gone from one of the fastest-paced battles in his life to being stuck in a chair unable to even walk. He did his best to quash those feelings, as he knew his situation could have been far far worse. It will only take a few weeks before he is back to full strength, and he could wait... Even if he desperately wanted to be up there dueling Kurt or Laura in that moment.
The rest of those gathered made space for the two and seemed eager to witness the upcoming spectacle. Although many of the members of the combined Class VII weren't warriors by nature, after all the experiences they had gone through together even the most peace-loving members among them could appreciate the allure of a good fight between friends. Sara attempted to start a betting pool but was quickly rebuked by the others.
Without much fanfare the two collided in a clash of steel. From the beginning it was clear that Kurt held a large edge in speed and thanks to his twin blades was able to keep up a relentless attack that would have overwhelmed most opponents. Laura, however, was not among them as two of her favorite sparring partners were also extremely quick on their feet and she effectively blunted his attacks with large swings of her massive weapon.
Those two watched alongside the rest as the two fighters continued to engage each other. "Wow, Kurt's gotten really good." Alisa commented, surprised.
"I can barely keep up with him." Elliot admitted. "I wouldn't stand a chance."
"Go Kurt!" Juna cheered her classmate on, before turning to one whose opinion she trusted the most. "Do you think he can win, Rean?"
Said swordsman had been watching the duel very intently. "Kurt has certainly earned his title of master." He stated with a smile, proud of his former student. "That being said..."
"So you see it too." Fie had also been watching the fight intently and had spotted the same thing her lover had.
"Are you going to share with the rest of the class?" An exasperated Machias complained to the two.
Rean pondered how they would explain it to the less martial minded members of the group. "In all the years I have known Laura she has never really changed her use of the Arseid style. She's refined it and added new techniques, of course, but the core has always remained unchanged. And yet..."
"She's fighting differently right now." Fie continued for her partner. "More powerful swings and overhand chops. She's leaving herself open."
That explanation left the others even more confused, but Sara and Ash were the first ones to put it together. While the bracer merely chuckled, the delinquent had more to say on the matter. "She's baiting pretty boy in."
"Kurt's smart. He is definitely suspicious of her actions." Rean defended his student. "Still, he probably realizes he has to gamble if he wants to win."
"Yup." Fie readily agreed with him. "I have the luxury of my guns and grenades to help me get an opening against Laura. Kurt doesn't have those options, so he's gonna bite soon." She paused and let out a soft chuckle. "Laura's gotten devious." She stated proudly.
Sure enough, as Laura prepared another overhead swing the youngest Vander master took the opening to commit to a full assault. The tiniest smirk from his Arseid counterpart was the only sign that he had indeed charged into her trap.
In one quick move she changed her grip on the sword, raising her hands to hold onto the upper part of the handle. And instead of continuing with her overhand swing, she instead dropped her arms down in an attempt at spearing Kurt with the pommel. To his credit he successfully managed to block the surprise attack, but doing so halted his forward momentum and left him exposed to a follow-up swing that shattered his shaky guard and decided the battle.
With the impromptu duel concluded the rest of their friends gathered around them. After checking to make sure that Kurt was unharmed, which he was, the two were congratulated on a well-fought and quite entertaining to watch battle.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting pretty hungry." Alisa admitted once they were finished.
A quick glance at the time confirmed that it was indeed that time of day. "Oh I can't wait." Emma gushed. "I loved my stay at Long Lao during my first trip into Crossbell."
Those that often frequented the now independent city-state (plus the one who lived there) nodded in agreement. Long Lao certainly lived up to its reputation as one of the premiere eating establishments in the region. Decision to eat made the large group took the south exit from the Harbor District.
Arriving, they discovered one small problem. "So how should we sit?" Laura asked. Even with permission granted to move a couple tables together it wasn't practical to take up the entire room with one super large table.
"Two tables." Machias decided easily enough. "We can put the drinkers on one table and everyone else on the other. That should make it easy for the waitress." He shot a look towards the beautiful waitress, but shuddered when he felt the cold chill of death descending upon him from the kitchen. He coughed awkwardly and wondered why nobody else felt that, but Juna did seem to be giving him a knowing grin...
It was a sensible suggestion, and despite some grumblings about being put at a literal kiddy table the members of New Class VII acquiesced. Millium too, and while she was pouting at being excluded from her friends perked up at the idea of eating alongside her sister. That just left...
"C'mon, it's like two weeks away." Fie complained petulantly. "Nobody will mind if I skip ahead a bit, right?" She was subjected to multiple deadpanned looks sent her way in response. Slumping down, she miserably departed for the second table.
Rean chuckled at his lover's antics as he wheeled himself towards the first table, but stopped when he noticed all the looks had now turned upon him. "What?" He asked curiously.
"You can't be drinking alcohol while recovering from serious injuries, Rean." Emma stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I concur. It would be irresponsible of you." Gaius stated, backing her up.
Horror dawned as Rean realized what they were getting at. "Wait... You're not saying..."
"Rean has to go to the kiddy table!" Crow cheered with a laugh. "Don't worry little buddy, I'll even give you a lift." And sure enough, the former terrorist was quick to grab hold of his wheelchair before he could even protest. It didn't help that the others were laughing at his misfortune!
At least Crow was kind enough to place him next to Fie, but this led to a different issue. "Look at that! They're even pouting in unison!"
"How adorable!"
"They truly are a match made in heaven."
"I dunno. Always thought it was a match made in gehenna, personally."
Needless to say, after being mocked in quick succession by Millium, Emma, Elliot, and Sara, neither of the two bracers were currently sporting high opinions of their friends. "Can't believe I ever agreed to this stupid idea." Fie groused.
Luckily, the group of friends got bored of teasing the happy couple. Either that or they were intimidated by the fact that Fie had placed her weapons on the table and was currently glaring at anyone who dared look at her. Regardless, the two were left in peace and busied themselves in other conversations with their juniors while waiting for the food to arrive.
Lunch was a treat, especially for those members who were still unaccustomed to eastern cuisine. Rean ordered a bowl of the mapo tofu while Fie decided to try their signature Long Lao Fried Rice. Some of the others tried to tease the pair when they started sharing their food, but neither really cared as they were busy enjoying the best parts if two different meals.
Lunch came and went, and while a few ordered desserts or got a refill of their drinks, most of the graduated class was content to sit and gossip. Although some of the emotional impact of the reunion might have been lost due to the fact that they had spent most of the past few days together, now that they no longer needed to worry about the safety of their leader they were able to sit back and enjoy the company to the fullest.
Or at least they did so for a few minutes, as shortly after they were interrupted by the ringing of an ARCUS. It was somewhat entertaining to see half the tables check their own orbments, but there was only one winner, and in this case that title belonged to Juna Crawford. The policewoman was quick to answer. "Hello? …Oh, hi Lloyd... Wait what do you-" Although they couldn't hear the words from the SSS leader, the fact that Juna started rubbing the bridge of her nose while sending the most unimpressed look possible across the table towards Rean and Fie hinted as to the contents of the conversation. "Yes, they're here... I'll let them know."
By this point all conversation had died and the occupants of both tables were staring at the pink-haired girl curiously. Juna sighed. "Apparently this morning a temporary nurse kidnapped a patient from the hospital. They think the two might be in the city somewhere. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Her eyes, along with those of everyone else, were now firmly directed towards the duo in question.
"In my defense I didn't think they would actually call the cops." Fie said with a shrug, not really defending herself at all.
Rean's defense, on the other hand... "She told me she had permission. I never questioned it." Plead ignorance.
Which didn't sit well with his partner. "Oh please. It was super obvious. You knew what I was doing."
"Sorry, maybe it's because of all the drugs they had me on? Not able to focus correctly and all that."
She narrowed her eyes at his betrayal. "I can't believe you're throwing me under the bus! They're gonna send me to prison! I've heard about the things that go on in there! Are you really gonna let them lock up a beautiful young maiden like myself?"
Her attempt at garnering pity didn't work on him. "They're not going to arrest you, Fie." He paused before turning to Juna. "You aren't going to arrest her, are you?"
She rolled her eyes. "No I'm not going to arrest her. She's lucky that Cecile called Lloyd directly instead of taking more official routes. That being said, I will totally cuff her if she doesn't take you back immediately..."
"Fine. Fine." Said girl grumbled as she got up from the table alongside the rest. Hugs were given freely, hands were shaken, and goodbyes were muttered. Soon enough, however, it was time for the two of them to depart. With a final wave the two exited the building and began the trek back to the southern exit where the bus awaited.
You don't really realize just how stupidly large Class VII is until you try to write scenes with all of them. Bloody hell. So much easier just having one or two around to interact with our protagonists. Which will happen again soon enough. Gotta spend time with the characters who have barely been present in the story, after all. But not next chapter. Next chapter is pure 100% Rean and Fie. As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this and are having a good day.
