"C-Calm down, slow…down.. Wherever you were, you aren't there now. You are here."
Yuri was…trying her best. However, it was quite difficult for her to comfort someone whom she had met only fifthteen minutes ago who had already gotten onto Natsuki's bad side, (which to be honest, wasn't difficult to do) pass out on a desk and now break down in hysterics over what seemed to be a nightmare.
"Don't think about that place, think about here. Don't stress."
However, Noelle couldn't help but stress. Once she had woken up from that nightmare, all she could think about and want were her friends, not these strangers. No matter how many times she woke up, the dream felt just like it was happening right then and there.
"Sayori and Natsuki have left, you can let it out." Yuri's voice soothed, she sat down next to her. Noelle knew that it wouldn't be the best idea to force Yuri, this innocent girl, to listen to her spiel about the Cyber City.
However, both of them knew that she needed it, so it was allowed.
"She…s-she got him. Q…Queen…she.. She wa-wants…a Knight..a new Knight." Breathing was heavy, tears were flowing and Noelle had started breaking down. Yuri just listened, she listened despite not knowing what the Knight was supposed to be and what they would do, despite not knowing who Queen was or what Cyber City was. She knew absolutely nothing yet she listened.
"D…Do you want some tea?" Yuri offered and Noelle nodded, Yuri stepped up and left.
"Noelle?" A different voice called out, one of confusion and partial horror but most importantly, one of familiarity.
"Who..is it?"
"Me." They stated and Noelle felt herself wanting to jump up slightly and run, run towards, not away.
Kris walked inside as Yuri walked out, ran into Monika and went with her to wherever that would be. No words were spoken as Kris sat next to Noelle and grabbed onto her.
Noelle allowed herself to continue crying as she buried her head into her own chest and let Kris put their hand on her shoulder.
After a while, she completely stopped sobbing and wiped her eyes. "We should call the other's back."
Kris nodded and stood up, holding their hand out to Noelle right after so that she could also stand up.
"Let's go."
"Yea."
But before the two could leave, Monika and Yuri walked back inside the clubroom with Natsuki and Sayori walking behind them. Natsuki was holding some sort of container wrapped with foil and Yuri a tray with a tea set that had seven cups, one of which being empty and the rest being filled with an orange looking hot tea. Everyone walked over to the six desks that had been slammed together to form a table and sat down.
Natsuki and Yuri sitting at the end on opposite sides of the table after placing down their trays. Sayori and Monika sat next to Yuri and Natsuki respectively.
Kris and Noelle sat next to each other in a way that landed Kris next to Monika and Noelle next to Sayori.
Natsuki stood back up and unwrapped her container and opened it, revealing a set of a dozen fully white cupcakes decorated to look like little cats with chocolate ears and icing whiskers while Yuri set the full teacups down in front of everyone.
"Taa daa!" Natsuki announced whilst smiling with pride and swiping one of the cupcakes from the container. Sayori let out a seemingly fabricated and exaggerated gasp followed by putting her hands into fists in the air, Yuri looked at the cupcakes in intrigue, Monika smiled but overall looked kind of….bored for some reason, Kris's eyes immediately locked on the cupcakes and Noelle just stared, smiling a little bit more.
"So cuuuute~!" Sayori exclaimed, grabbing one out of the container automatically.
Monika started smiling again and her emotions seemingly switched on command. "I had no idea you were so good at baking, Natsuki!" She proceeded to grab a cupcake as well.
"Heh, you know it!" Natsuki smirked before shifting to a rather annoyed and flustered look for seemingly no reason. "J-Just hurry up and take one!"
Sensing that they both kind of have to, Kris and Noelle grabbed a cupcake each. Noelle started to examine it while Kris did the exact opposite. Natsuki looked over at her and wanted to interject with a snarky comment but remembered the argument they literally just had and what happened after, so she reconsidered.
"Also, do not worry about the tea set. The teachers gave us permission." Yuri clarified after taking a sip of her own cup of tea.
It didn't take long for the entire group to be idly chatting and drinking tea.
All of a sudden, Yuri turned to the newcomers "What kind of things do you two like to read?"
Noelle started thinking of her response and Kris shrugged again, eventually the former had a decent one that she could use. But before she could start saying anything, Noelle was cut off as her cupcake initiated a battle, somehow.
The battle had the cupcake that Noelle was eating on one side and Noelle, Kris and Yuri on the other.
A Cupcake blocks your way!
"W-What's happening?" Yuri yelled as she was forced into a battle stance, her pen suddenly growing longer and the ink turned red.
"Just…listen to us." Noelle responded, slightly confused as to how the cupcake was sentient.
Kris ACT Take bite
Noelle N-Action
Yuri Y-Action
Kris picked up the cupcake and took a bite out of it…which raised its MERCY level, for some reason.
Noelle then grabbed the cupcake and licked its frosting, it tasted soft, like a birthday during winter. The Cupcake's MERCY went up a slight bit more.
Yuri did not grab the cupcake, instead putting her hands together and pleading. "I-I won't eat you…d-don't kill me!" The cupcake's MERCY metre was raised even more than the other two times.
It was the cupcake's time to attack, it shot out some projectiles that looked like sprinkles that were easily avoided because of their basic pattern. Although Noelle had to grab Yuri to help her dodge since this was her first ever fight. Kris found it odd that compared to Yuri, Monika did much much better earlier, as if she'd done this type of thing before.
They figured it was nothing and layed out the team's new actions.
Kris Defend
Noelle Defend
Yuri Defend
Kris held up their shield, Noelle built a small wall of ice in front of herself and Yuri hid her face in her hair. All three actions raised the group's Tension Points greatly.
The cupcake attacked again, this time sending projectiles that resembled cake mix boxes. Whilst they were mostly avoided, Yuri still got hit by a few of them which lowered her health points.
Kris ACT Devour (Fifty TP) (Requires Noelle)
Yuri ITEMs Cup of tea
Yuri took a sip of her tea which gave her thirty-five health points back.
Noelle and Kris looked at each other and then grabbed the cupcake and started devouring it.
The cupcake's MERCY level reached the maximum and its turn was skipped because it had been basically obliterated.
Kris SPARE
The cupcake was SPAREd.
When the three came out of the battle, they noticed how Monika, Sayori and Natsuki were seemingly oblivious to the fact that that just happened, instead in a conversation with each other about….poetry?
"Awwh, I wanted to read everyone's poems…" Sayori almost whimpered at what seemed to be a rejection about sharing poetry.
The room was silent for a moment, but then Monika spoke up.
"Okay, everyone! I have an idea~" Monika announced. "Let's all go home and write a poem of our own!"
"Uh…" Natsuki mumbled in rejection.
"Uuuu.." Yuri seemed to share that sentiment.
"Wait, huh?" Noelle stared, wide eyed. When were poems mentioned? No one brought that up!
"Yes!" Sayori cheered in response to the idea.
"And besides, now that we have two new members, I think it will help us all become a little more comfortable and strengthen the bond of the club!" Monika turned towards the two Lighteners. "Isn't that right?"
Awkward nods came from both, as much as they wanted to back out, it was the only way home.
"That makes it official!" Monika smiled sweetly. "Welcome to the Literature Club!"