AN: Y'all know the drill at this point :D
Library (Ash)
A ding makes the librarian look up, and she can only shake her head in exasperation when she sees a blonde boy standing there, wearing a cocky grin that's only slightly marred by a noticeably split lip.
"Hello, Ash. Fighting again?"
"Winning, more like. Y'got anything new?"
Her sigh is long and loud, though the fondness is impossible to miss. "I pulled out something you might like. It's on your usual table."
The grin turns genuine. It's a pleasant sight.
"Thanks," and within minutes he's lost within ink and paper, a besotted wanderer in a world not of their making.
Puzzles (Mint, Sidney)
Mint had learned long ago that she didn't always see certain things the way other people saw them.
"Whoa!" Sidney had exclaimed once, watching her tinker over a pile of assorted parts. "How long's that gonna take ya?"
"Hiya Sidney! Couple of hours, tops," Mint said, flashing him a grin.
"S-Seriously?"
"You bet! It's just an actuator, so all I gotta do is connect that to that, then those to those, then – "
Sidney whistled. "Daaaaamn. This looks way above my pay grade."
"Nah, it's easy! Everything has its place, kinda like a jigsaw. Wanna see?"
"Sure! I've got time."
Fortune (Crow)
It would come as little surprise to anyone who knew Crow Armbrust that he had far more tricks up his sleeve than what he usually showed off.
Dice, loaded in such a way that rolling them with a specific flick of the wrist would give up snake eyes like clockwork.
Cards, specifically marked and scattered throughout decks that he'd conveniently have on hand.
And of course, a double-sided coin in lieu of a bag at his feet.
Was this fair? Certainly not. Life, however, was equally as unfair, and he'd learned long ago the importance of making his own luck.
Vast (Klein)
Klein had only gone swimming in the ocean once.
He'd pierced through the crystalline surface with a cheer of exhilaration (ignoring the shouts from his mother to be careful), and swam like he'd never swam before. How could he not?
There was water surrounding him, but it was different from the pools, the rivers, the lakes; this was vast, this was all-encompassing, and never before had he been made to feel so small.
He'd broken for air, his limbs and lungs burning as he stared into the cloudless sky, wondering all the while if this was what heaven felt like.
Uncivilized (Freddy)
Freddy's well aware of the kind of reputation he's created for himself.
The ones that are polite call him things like eccentric, or a little weird. The ones don't bother hiding their disgust pull out charming words like savage, uncivilized, freak. He honestly can't bring himself to care all that much. Oh, it might sting a little – he's only human, after all – but what he does, he does for a reason. If they can't see it, that's their problem.
If the worst comes to pass, the wilderness won't hold back. Better to be uncivilized and alive than civilized and dead.
Frozen (Rean)
When he was younger, Rean would always keep a careful eye on newcomers to Ymir.
First, they would comment how beautiful everything was, how the frozen landscape was so lovely and picturesque. Then the shivers would inevitably start, and before long someone would call for a retreat to the Phoenix Wings where warmth and nourishment awaited them.
He didn't get it. He loved the crunch of snow beneath his boots, the silvery wind whipping through his hair. Didn't everybody?
"You're a child of winter, Rean," his mother had said once, smiling as he played. "Maybe someday, they'll understand."