Welcome back to a new cooldown arc. We're back to it with the usual antics and lore-building.
I'm once again asking you to check out Fate Shadows, a fic by one of my best beta readers, MegaDumbo. I highly recommend it if you like Fate and JJK.
The same goes for DBlaviken's fic, Recipe for Chaos. He's a good friend of mine and deserves more followers.
With that out of the way, let's get into this.
Beta Readers: Chris72637, Luxutor, MegaDumbo, and Tupjunk
...
It was a typical Tuesday morning at Beacon. The sun was shining, and early risers were groaning about how tired they were while mutually hating the one person who liked getting no sleep and wouldn't stop talking about it-
Usual student stuff.
With Vale's riots ending with an Atlas incursion, life returned to the status quo. The government didn't want to stir the pot with Grimm on the horizon, so the issue was largely dropped and ignored. Instigators were thrown in jail, and things went on as if nothing had happened.
Ignoring a problem was a norm in their world, and fixing one was a rare occurrence.
While most people went about their day as normal, a few didn't have that privilege.
*Boom-boom-boom-pow
The gym lights flickered as a certain blonde bounced back and forth on her feet from side to side, her purple eyes glimmering as sweat trickled down her tan skin.
Yang snarled, throwing a barrage of straight torso shots, each impacting a bare hand that refused to budge, a familiar voice following suit, "Nice form."
She smirked a bit, stepping back to readjust her stance, staring down the only other fist fighter the school had to offer, "That the only nice thing about me, Pinkie?"
Yuji rolled his eyes, more than used to her ploys at this point, "Nice try."
"Oh? What am I trying?"
"You're-"
*Bwoosh
The fistfighter charged, throwing a left for a kidney shot, only for the vessel to lean to the side, slamming his ankle against her shin, but the teen rolled with it, clawing a hand against the soft floor, dragging herself to a halt.
At that moment, her eyes flickered red as her hair ignited, but for once, the blonde didn't charge. Instead, she slowly circled her opponent, her chest rising and falling as she tried to keep herself in check.
Yuji nodded, mimicking the motion, "You're getting better at controlling it."
The bombshell lunged, her right foot blasting into the floor as her left swung up from below, aiming to crack the vessel's temple, only to be deflected with the back of his palm.
She huffed, "It's not about controlling IT! It's about controlling myself!"
Yang used the momentum, diving to the left as her right palm collided with his side, dragging the sorcerer off his feet as both combatants tumbled across the floor.
The blonde pushed off her palms, sending herself into the air, lashing out with a vicious kick from her right from midair, shouting all the while, "Every time I get into a fight, I don't think, I just do!"
Yuji braced his arms like an X, feeling the impact across his bare skin as she hit him with a right, then a left, but before she could fall, the sorcerer simply caught his opponent by her legs, holding Yang in place, but that only made her grin.
"I gotta start thinkin' with my thinker!"
The vessel's eyes widened as she took a swing at him, tilting his head to the side as she latched onto his torso with her thighs, stopping him from tossing her off, feeling her knuckle graze against his cheek as she went for another, then another, with each hit sending a light wind in every direction.
Itadori could only dodge, but the gap was narrow, and so the vessel did the only thing he could.
Yang was using her thinker, so he'd use his thinker.
He leaned back and head-butted her in the forehead with an audible thud.
*CRACK
The blonde winced, letting off a yelp of pain as the world started to spin. Abusing her stupor, the sorcerer grabbed her by her thighs, and with a gentle toss, Yang rolled across the ground like a rock, falling flat on her back as she saw stars.
Yang squinted as she stared straight up at the ceiling before letting off a deep sigh. She slumped against the floor, "Mannnn, I thought I had you that time..."
Itadori shook his head, walking over before crouching to her level, "No offense, but you're kinda predictable."
She faked a gasp, holding a hand to her chest, "Me? Predictable? How EVER could you say such a thing?"
The sorcerer chuckled, nudging her side with a foot, "Gee, I dunno. Who knocked you on your ass?"
Yang blew a raspberry at him, her grin not leaving, "Maybe I wanted you to do that. You ever think about that?"
*Crack
He flicked her on the forehead, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Itadori sighed, "You know your stuff, but you lean way too hard on tryna make the person you're fightin' uncomfortable."
"Hey! It works!"
"Yeah, on normal dudes, but what's gonna happen if they don't roll that way?"
The blonde laughed, "Talking about yourself? I might have to warn Ren you're on the prowl-"
His face went blank, "Oy, don't do that."
"Do what?"
"You know."
"Know what?"
Yuji pointed a finger at her, "Don't go telling my brother those lies. You'll ruin our vib-"
*BANG
Yang's arms flashed to her right, crashing against the floor as she pushed herself into a spinning leg sweep, aiming right for the vessel's ankles, only to-
*Bop
He caught it with a single hand, standing up as he held her upside down, his tone growing severe, "Any last words?"
The bombshell hummed, tapping a finger against her chin, "Hmmmm...Oh! I got one! Whaddya call a fist fight at lunch?"
Yang leaned closer, her grin nothing more than shit-eating, "A lunchbox."
Yuji laughed, tossing her over his shoulder and across the room, with her slamming into a mountain of padded cushions.
...
A few minutes later
The pair sat on the floor as Yang lazily drank from her water bottle as Yuji leaned back, his head against his arms, "So...how's thing's been with you guys?"
"Hm?"
Yang gulped, holding the drink to the vessel, and he took it with a lazy hand.
The fistfighter shrugged, "Honestly? Pretty good...God, that feels weird to say."
Yang met his confused stare, laughing, "What's with the look? Is it...is it really that weird for me NOT to complain about them?"
Yuji looked to the side, "I didn't say that."
"Oh, you're totally thinking it!"
"You have no proof."
"Oh, please! I can see it on your freakin' face!"
The blonde shook her head, falling back against the floor, "I don't blame you. Since day one it was just fight-fight-fight over the dumbest stuff. Weiss was a minefield, Blake didn't talk, Ruby didn't know how to handle being a leader, and I was-"
She looked to the side, embarrassed, "I sucked too."
Yuji closed his eyes in thought, "You don't suck, Yang."
"What I did sucked. I just didn't really know it until Coco called me out for it-"
"What did you two talk about anyways?"
"Wanna guess?"
Yuji tapped his chin, "Mmmmm...she...made fun of your clothes then said some weird advice-"
"Pfft, no!"
"Huh?"
Yang snickered, "She only makes fun of your clothes, dude."
The bombshell puffed out her chest, "She said I have biker energy."
"Wait...why does she rag on me then?"
Her purple eyes looked him over in a deadpan, "Are you serious? You dress so plain, Yuj. You gotta stand out more."
"Sorcerers don't-"
She waved a hand, "Yeah-yeah, sorcerers don't like standing out...anyways, Coco sat me down and said I wasn't being a good sister by sitting on top of Ruby all the time. It really stung, but she had a point-"
Yang sighed, "I kept treating her like I did back home when it was just us... when she was the only one I had to look out for, but now, we've got a whole team, and she cares about them, and...so do I."
She turned on her side to face him, "I guess letting other people watch out for her kinda spooked me, and with how much we fought? I didn't trust them, and it just made things worse. Yesterday was different. We had a real team conversation for once...even Blake was talking a little."
Yuji turned to meet her stare, "Bet it's awkward with her and Weiss."
The bombshell deadpanned, "You have no idea, but hey...they're talking. Even with how bad things were, I think we kinda needed a wake-up call like that to get our stuff together...I mean-"
She made a face, "I didn't think Blake was a...you know what...and I didn't think you were human, but I guess that's what happens when no one wants to talk, huh?"
Yuji went quiet for a second, so she scooted a little closer, "By the way, we...never got a chance to talk about all that, did we?"
He opened his mouth, but she shook her head, "I just wanted to say, if it was me and Ruby there, I would've done the same thing. I just didn't wanna say it around her 'cause of how upset she was."
Yuji just sat there for a second, "It's not a big deal, Yang. Ruby's your sister, and I'm-"
The vessel paused for a second, "Actually, uh, what...are we?"
Yang tilted her head, "Well, whaddya want us to be?"
"I-"
The longer she stared at him, the more his brain short-circuited, and eventually, he awkwardly looked away, scratching his head, "I don't know."
Yang shrugged, "Same."
She was very nonchalant about this.
Her answer was so confusing, Yuji went dull for a few moments, "So...what do we do?"
The blonde scooted a little closer, "I'm just fine having fun as long as you are. It doesn't have to be serious-"
Yang leaned closer and-
*Chu
Kissed the same cheek as before-
She leaned back, gently smiling, "Unless we wanna be something real."
So...they weren't dating?
Yuji really didn't understand how these things worked.
He couldn't even respond before she pushed off of him, clapping her hands, "B T W, how's suspension been for you guys?"
Itadori's brain was still processing everything, "...suspension?"
"Uh, yeah?"
Oh, right...they got suspended.
Yeah, that's how their chaotic night a few days ago had ended, with the whole group getting dragged in front of Ozpin for stealing a Bullhead and going on an illegal crime-fighting spree.
Apparently, they would've been expelled if the immortal threw the book at 'em, but good old nepotism saved the day.
He wasn't gonna kick his own 'grandson' out, but he needed to do something, so-
Two week suspension, and in Yuji terms, that meant they were on vacation.
Itadori waved a hand, "Eugh, Pyrrha's still all upset about it, so I promised we'd do a team thing today and cheer her up."
Yang snorted, "Tell me about it. Weiss spent the first day blubbering about her record being ruined-"
"Can't she just pay someone to remove it? Ya know, be corrupt?"
"Oh, that. Weiss already did but was all mad because we MADE her do that...then Blake had to say she was sorry and blah-blah-blah."
"I'm kinda surprised you aren't pissed about your bike and all that."
"Eh, I was, but like...It's a thing, ya know? I mean, yeah, I built Bumblebee, but even if I don't have it, I still know why I had it."
"Huh?"
Yang rolled her eyes, "Why I became a Huntress, dingus. I wanted to see what the real world was like, and Bumblebee helped me do that. I can just fly down the open road and see all kinds of stuff, but now that I have a team-"
She waved a hand, "I dunno. I think I'm just starting to realize how easily I get attached to stuff and how I...don't like change. I wanted to be more free, but the second I got to Beacon, I just refused to let Ruby do the same thing. It's something I really wanna work on, so...we have Blake, and I got my bike back, and I'm just leaving my feelings there."
Itadori nodded along, his smile appearing and fading soon after, "That's good, but I just wish I coulda given Blake some more closure...what with, you know who going missing."
"Yeah, Blake's been...taking it pretty hard, but you know what's weird? She's actually talking to me about it, not...a lot, but I know she's upset, and that's something, right?"
The vessel tapped his fingers on the ground, "It helps, but...trust me, not knowing can drive you nuts, and that feeling can keep you up at night wondering what really happened, and there's just no answer."
Yuji stared right at her, "Someday, Blake's gonna want to go looking for him, and I'll help out however I can."
It was frustrating, but there were almost no leads. Adam had seemingly just vanished with no trace, leaving them completely in the dark about what actually happened.
There was no choice but to keep living life and hope something popped up.
The bombshell lightly shoved him, "Don't act like you're the only one involved in this. Blake's my partner and my teammate...we gotta carry each other's weight, right?"
...
...
He nodded, knowing just how much that pressure could drag you down, especially if the worst happened to someone you cared about, "Yeah, it's something you gotta do for life."
The implication went over Yang's head, and soon, the blonde bounced to her feet, stretching her arms, "Sounds like a plan. Alright, Pink stuff, let's go another few rounds before calling it quits."
...
later that day, on the streets of Vale
Ren raised his hands behind his head, "I still don't know what you're so worried about."
Pyrrha grumbled, running a hand along her arm, "I don't know how you're not! This is our future we're talking about!"
"And? Your future's not going anywhere because of a mark on your record."
Nora hummed along, "Mhmm, if that were true, me and Ren wouldn't have been let into Beacon at all!"
The redhead deadpanned, "How...how many things are on your-"
The hammer-user threw her arms in the air, "I dunno, I lost track after page nine or ten!"
Ren nodded along, "It matters a lot less than you think it does, Pyr. Just 'cause a piece of paper says something doesn't change who you are as a person."
The invincible girl huffed, "I know, I just...it makes people think things, you know how it is back home. It's-It's complicated."
Yuji idly watched a car drive by, "Oh yeah, you said somethin' about your country bein' bad the other day, right? What was all that about?"
Pyrrha's green eyes shifted toward him before soon looking away, but Ren hardly batted an eye, pointing a finger toward the vessel, "You wouldn't last for a day there."
Itadori went blank, pointing a finger at himself, "Huh? Me?"
"You have no filter, dude."
The vessel elegantly waved a hand toward himself, "Oh-pish-posh, I'll have you know I am a paragon of elegance and grace when it comes to conversational propriety."
Nora mimicked him, raising her hands and spinning around like a ballerina, "Ohhhh, we're doing Weiss impressions? Quick, gimme something to complain about!"
Ren hummed, "...everything?"
Pyrrha rolled her eyes with a smile, "Don't be rude. She only complains when a certain someone keeps bugging her."
Everyone looked at Yuji.
The vessel shrugged, "She's not that bad. Weiss is just...particular."
Lie lightly snorted, "Yeah, particular is one way to put it. I never know what to say around her. It's just...rich girls like her are kinda-"
Nora bounced on her heels, "Mean?"
Yuji closed his eyes for a second, "Weiss isn't mean."
Ren gave him a side eye, "Maybe now, she isn't, but you can't act like she wasn't pretty bad when we all met."
"People change, and it's not like she meant harm by it. I think Weiss was just out of her element being around us and didn't know what to do."
"Just 'cause you're uncomfortable doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."
"I'm not sayin' it's right, but she had her reasons. Weiss is actually pretty nice if you talk to her enough."
Ren made a face, "It's not just about her. She's a Schnee, Yuji. They're ALL like that. They get whatever they want, whenever they want, and if they don't, they act like you're the problem. They're mean people."
Pyrrha shook her head, "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. Mean isn't right, and Weiss has gotten better. You at least have to give her that. It's more like...she just doesn't know how normal people act."
Nora stuck out her tongue, "Neither do you, big red!"
"Hey! I got better! And it's not like our team is the most normal one out there! We shouldn't be so judgemental!"
The ginger shook her head, "Who wants normal anyways? You guys are way more fun than some boring old group that does nothing all day. I mean, yeah, Ren is a little quiet, Pyrrha's a little...Pyrrha-y-"
The redhead's eyes bulged, "What does that mean!?"
She went ignored, "Yuji is Yuji, and I'm the fun Queen!"
Itadori scoffed, "You wish, shortstack."
Nora shoved a finger in his face, her face being overshadowed by an evil presence, "So help me, God, I will touch you."
Why did that feel so threatening?
Yuji shrank in place, "...I'll be good."
"Yes, you will."
A hand grabbed Nora's finger before she could pull it back, followed by an unemotional voice, "I request you judge my personality as well. Does it qualify for a meat-human person?"
The hammer-user blankly stared up at her fellow ginger, riding on Yuji's back like a monkey, and the reason he was breaking through the concrete with every step he took, "Who even are you?"
Yuji deadpanned, "Penny's been here the whole time. How'd you not notice her?"
Pyrrha stopped in her tracks, rounding about on her heels, "Oh my God, when did she get here!?"
Ren seemed completely indifferent, leaning up against a stop sign, "Does it matter? Yuji picks people up like strays at this point."
The android put a hand to her temple as her green eyes glowed, "I will inform you that as a being created by the Atlesian government. I would not be defined as a stray, as that means a lost entity without purpose."
"...What?"
The sorcerer inched his way toward Pyrrha, loudly whispering, "Oh yeah, try not to use your semblance around her. You and metal aren't really...you know-"
Penny blankly stared down at the redhead with a smile, "I would likely 'die' as you organics tend to say, which would upset several parties present."
Yuji nodded, "Mhm, can't lose mah bro-bot."
"Query: Why do you insist on referring to me as a 'bro' when I am clearly designed as a 'girl.' Should I request further modifications?"
"Bro-bot sounds better than sis-bot. Fight me about it."
"Processing...request denied, as I would likely lose an encounter between us and would not like to besmirch my current battle record."
The vessel snickered, reaching up to pat her on the head, looking at his team, "I'm tryna teach her how to do stuff on her own without someone tellin' her to, so I invited her to come with us."
Penny puffed up in pride, crossing her metallic arms, "And I agreed on the condition that I would be allowed to ride the back of the Sus scrofa domesticus."
Pyrrha's mind was blank, "Ride the what?"
Nora raised a finger, "That means piggyback ride!"
"How...how did you know that?"
The ginger tilted her head, "Know what?"
The invincible girl pinched between her eyes, facing the sorcerer instead, "Okay...forget it, just...can one of you just explain this whole...THING you're talking about?"
One magical robot girl explanation later
Pyrrha took a deep breath, looking up to the sky, taking a deep breath, then-
*CLAP
Her palms slapped together, and she looked back down, "Okay...I'm good...I'm good."
Yuji tilted his head, "Really? That easy?"
Ren shook his head, "At this point, I'd be more surprised if you didn't attract something weird. A robot girl is nothing."
Nora reached up, pointing a finger at the girl's orange locks of hair, "Mhm, plus she fits our color scheme!"
Lie squinted, "...Color scheme?"
"Yeah! You've got that pink line in your hair! Yuji's hair IS pink. Me and Penny are orange, and Pyr is red! We're the redhead legion!"
Yuji made a face, "Then why did Gramps call us Prune? Isn't that like purple?"
Nora ignored him, her figure seeming to grow as her authority rang strong, "When you strike us down, our pigment becomes more colorful than you can even imagine...in death we are one, in death we are strong, in death we are the redhead legion."
Everyone just stared at her.
Itadori survived the brain rot wave first, taking a breath, "Okay...so...what was all that about Mistral sucking or...whatever?"
Ren slapped himself awake, blowing air from his lips, "It's not that Mistral sucks is the problem. It's that you're not allowed to talk about how much it sucks."
Nora waved a hand, "Ehhh, you cannnn, buuuut...it kinda depends where you are like...Pyr, you're from Argus, right? It's not the same there, is it?"
The invincible girl bit her cheek, "No...not-not really, but...well, it's not as bad as the capital. The government doesn't have that much control over Argus, and we make a lot of money for the kingdom, so they try not to enforce stuff as much...not that they need to."
Pyrrha took a moment, looking at her partner, "Yuj, you know the whole 'we thought you were a faunus' thing? In Mistral, I'd get in deep trouble if I even pointed out that you were different. In the capital, you'd go to jail and take a ton of 'reform' classes, but in the outer parts, it's more like the entire community would shun you for causing problems."
The vessel puffed his cheeks like a chipmunk, "What? You guys don't have freedom of speech or whatever it's called?"
Ren scoffed, "Not even close. Vale is the most lax with letting people say what they want. Every kingdom has its own way of dealing with Grimm, and Mistral's is by not letting people talk about things that could attract them."
Nora rolled her blue eyes, "Yep-yep-yep...there's even a whole saying about it."
The redhead faintly smiled, "Ohhh, did they make you guys say that stupid thing in school, too?"
Ren nodded, "Every single class. Not even like once a day, they made us do it like ten times."
At once all of them starting mumbling, "Don't speak it, don't think it; silence is the armor against negativity's grip. By holding your peace, you fortify your spirit and let positivity flourish."
Pyrrha gave an exhausted sigh, "Eugh, even saying it is tiring."
Yuji blankly stared between them, then looked up at Penny, "Were your schools like that?"
The android smiled, "Not quite. While Mistral relies on cultural suppression, Atlas instead prefers a form of patriotic fervor to instill the youth with a sense of purpose. As the saying goes, 'Not human, nor Faunus, your path is clear. As Atlesian, your duty is here.'"
Itadori's face scrunched up, "The hell? Your countries suck."
Ren looked him over, "What? Is yours not like that?"
"Not really. Japanese kids just go to school and do sports and stuff. There's not really this whole 'gotta fight' mentality anymore."
"Says the guy that gets into fights every day."
He opened and closed his hand like a mouth, "Blah-blah-blah. I don't even look Japanese compared to what most of us look like. They're all dark-haired and short."
Lie gave a tiny smirk, "Says the short guy."
"Oy, I'm tall by Japanese standards!"
Penny looked around, "May I ask...what was the designated 'friend activity' for today?"
Yuji stopped trying to punch his teammate for a few seconds, "Oh yeah. I was thinking we can do somethin' for some team building, but-"
He chuckled, scratching his cheek, "We don't really fight or anything, so I figured we'd just go do something fun as a team insteada whatever therapy crap Ruby's group has to do."
Pyrrha slumped forward a bit, "I'm just glad their midnight shouting matches are over...it was getting hard to think when I was on four hours of sleep."
Yuji waved her off, "A tough girl like you coulda just made 'em shut up if you wanted to."
"I wouldn't start a fight over it!"
"You'd probably win if you did."
"I...you really think?"
In a weird way, his offhand compliment made the redhead happy.
...
A bit later
A door locked shut behind the group, leaving them in an ornately decorated room with furs adorning the floors and wall, with antique decorations coating the periphery, the entire room lit by a burning fireplace.
It really just looked like a fancy hunter's cabin.
Ren dropped into a leather seat, reading off a sheet of paper, "Welcome to your escape room...solve puzzles to get out..."
He dropped the scrap, dully staring at Yuji, "...Why are we doing this?"
The sorcerer made an 'I dunno' motion, "I saw it in a Mr. Beast video and thought it looked cool."
"Mr. Who?"
Itadori looked at his teammates, "You...you seriously don't know?"
His head hung low, "I'm so disappointed."
...
...
Pyrrha shakily raised a hand, "I...I'm excited to try! I think some head twisters are a good change of pace! What's the first step, Ren?"
The teen slowly went back to his form, reading it over, "It says...you need to get into your safe. Inside are instructions to find your way out, but first...you lost the keys while taking a nap. Where could they be?"
A lightbulb dinged over Nora's head and she took off running, "Bed-bed-bed!"
Pyrrha started to follow but saw her partner sluggishly making his way toward a leather couch near the fireplace, "Is...something wrong, Yuj?"
The vessel couldn't even look at her, stopping at the arm of the couch, "Mr. Beast...Mr. Beast-"
"Eh?"
*Poof
Yuji slumped onto the sofa in a depressed huff.
Pyrrha just stared at him, "...Are you being serious?"
He looked at her, his eyes blurry, "...Mr. Beast, Pyr...Mr. Beast!"
"I don't...I don't...what?"
Penny, who had been standing by the entranceway soon made an excited face and rushed over, "Ohhhh, I have come to understand what friend-Yuji is trying to do."
Pyrrha tilted her head, "You do?"
The android expertly raised a finger, a scientific symbol appearing above her head, "Of course I do! You see, to understand where ones keys would go when taking a nap, one must TAKE a nap, and I will assist my friend in this endeavor!"
Itadori came out of his stupor, his visible brown eye-widening, "Wait-what?"
"Initiating dive mode."
"PENNY DON'T! AHHHHHHH!"
*BOOOOOM
The sofa exploded, and the two disappeared into the floor, making a crater in their wake.
*DING-DING-DING-DING-DING
Out of the smoke, a key bounced along the ground, stopping right at Nora's shoe. With complete disregard for her teammate's well-being, she grabbed it and came bouncing back to Ren, "Found iiiiit!"
He gave her a quick thumbs-up, "Nice job...now, we gotta put it in the safe ...where's the safe?"
Penny's head popped out of the hole, her eyes glowing like a lighthouse as a green ray of light billowed over the room, "Initiating x-ray scan...scanning...scanning...target located behind the stuffed moose along the wall."
He squinted, "This...this just feels like cheating, but-"
The robot girl raised a hand, "I would also recommend you seek professional medical help for acute radiation poisoning once this is over."
Yuji's shivering hand tried to escape the hole but was too weak, "She's...so...heavy."
"According to my father, it is rude to insult a girl's weight, and I will not be moving until you apologize."
"Why...did I...teach you...to be...sassy...?"
His hand disappeared into the void.
Penny tilted her head, "As far I recall, you told me to tell General Ironwood that I 'do not want any damn vegetables' during my next maintenance check."
Nora crouched down to stare at her, "Hey...when you're hungry, do you...take a byte...of your... microchips, eh? eh?"
Penny blankly stared at her, "...You are next, as they say."
The android leaped up and tackled her fellow ginger across the room, sending both of them tumbling.
Yuji gasped, pulling himself out of his second grave, rolling onto the floor, "Eugh...freedom...freedom."
Ren ignored his suffering, even as Pyrrha tried to resurrect the dying sorcerer.
Instead, Lie plucked the fake moose off the wall, and with the turn of a key, the small metal safe popped open, revealing a-
"Is that a hole?"
He looked inside, seeing a button at the very end of it, but couldn't reach it even after sticking his entire arm in.
It took him all of two seconds to figure out how to cheat this.
He looked toward a certain redhead, "Hey, Pyr. Did you bring Miló, I wanna use it like a stick."
Pyrrha sheepishly looked away, "No...Professor Ozpin banned us from any Huntsman activity, so...I didn't want to get in any more trouble."
"You are such a straight shooter."
She smiled, "Aw, thanks!"
"That...that wasn't a-"
Lie dragged a hand on his face, "Nevermind, you're a straight shooter...okay, let's...let's just think this-"
A glitchy robotic voice echoed out as Penny went facefirst into the floor with Nora grabbing her by the legs and spinning her around, "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE GINGER IN THIS GROUP!"
She kept spinning, letting her fly into the wall, and the resounding blast tore a shelf clean off the wall as its contents bounced along the floor. All the while, the crazy girl roared, "NORA IS STRONGEST THERE IS!"
*Whir-whir-whir-whir
A metal ball rolled into Ren's foot, and with a raised brow, he grabbed it and tossed it toward their leader, "Think you can hit it with this miss shooter?"
The redhead rolled her eyes, catching it with her semblance, but soon flinched, letting it hit the floor, "I-I can't...not with Penny here she could-"
She mimicked an explosion.
Lie hummed, "Then how are you supposed to hit it?"
"Why don't you roll it?"
"Cause if I do it too hard, the thing breaks, and too light, we don't get another ball."
Yuji raised a weak hand, slowly rising to his feet as his bones pushed themselves back together, "I got this...I got this."
His footsteps thudded against the floor as he stumbled toward the safe, and Pyrrha raised a hand in concern, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Nah-nah-nah, it's fine...she just crushed my lungs for a few minutes...I'm fine."
"That doesn't sound fine!"
Yuji stumbled forward, ignoring Ren as he tried to hand him the ball, "Like the great man, David Martinez once said. I'm built different, choom."
Itadori raised a hand and bit his finger, letting a thin trail of blood leak out, and nonchalantly shoved his arm into the wall, muttering something about Prototype.
...*Click
The fireplace turned off, revealing it was no fireplace at all, just colorful strands of paper held aloft by a flowing air vent!
As the vent turned off, the papers fell, revealing a small box with an open top.
Ren squatted down, picking up and turning a round little ping pong ball, "This thing...hold on a sec-"
He rapidly started counting, "All these things have a number on them...oh wait, there's another set of instructions...they say...doo-doo-doo...find the correct code to enter on the panel hidden behind the lightswitch to escape."
Yuji stared down at the box, "We gotta try all these numbers?"
Lie nodded, "We could brute force it, but that could take a while. I mean...hold on...one-two-five-eighteen-twenty seven...ping-pong balls, that's a few thousand possible combos at least."
The vessel's legendary IQ went to work and soon-
He was curled up in the corner, "We're gonna die here..."
Pyrrha patted him on the back, but it was no use. Yuji Itadori had gotten bored, and when bored, the sorcerer shut down.
Nah, I'd give up.
The redhead tapped a foot on the floor, picking up the box soon after, muttering to herself as she shook it around, "There has to be a clue here...they couldn't just-"
A booming voice echoed from the side, followed by mechanical twitches, as Nora stumbled in, the sheer pressure of her presence cracking the floorboards as she carried the defeated android in with her bare hands, "And her name is-"
Thunder-thighed ginger raised Penny onto her shoulders, in her signature move that she may or may not have stolen from one of Yuji's ramblings about WWE, the Attitude Adjustment.
"Nora Valkyrie!"
She flipped the robot over her shoulder and dove on top of her as she fell, with both of them slamming into the floor, cementing her as the strongest ginger to have ever lived.
The nonexistent crowd went wild as Nora happily waved to them.
Pyrrha just stared at her, "You need horse tranquilizer at this point."
The hammer-user hopped to her feet, "My doctor tried that once, but it wasn't strong enough."
"What?... What kind of doctor do you go to?"
"Horse doctor."
"You know...my mom's a Paediatrician, I could probably ask her to take a look at you if she comes b-"
"Boring! Gimme-gimme!"
Nora yoinked the case out of Pyrrha's hands and shuffled it around for a moment, "Ooooooh, density-density."
Without missing a beat, the ginger strolled into the kitchenette and turned on the sink, flooding the box with water, and to the invincible girl's shock-
Four of them started floating.
Pyrrha was dumbfounded, looking back and forth between Nora and the puzzle, "How...how did you know some of them were hollow enough to float?"
Was
Was Nora actually smart?
The ginger tilted her head, "Can we get ice cream after this?"
...
...
Even if she was, it was hidden behind the layers of crazy.
Pyrrha gave up, her head hanging low, "Yeah...we'll get some ice cream."
Nora happily giggled, marching up to the still-defeated sorcerer, and as he groggily raised a hand, they had a high-five.
Why was Pyrrha the mom of this team?
Ren looked over the four numbers floating along the surface, "You know...there's still about twenty-four combinations out of these. It might take a minute to-"
"Reboot complete."
Penny rose from the ground, slowly turning as she scanned the numbers, and approached the exit door, "Allow me to be of some assistance."
She oh so gently opened the fake latch disguised as a lightswitch, seeing a number pad before-
*Boop-boop-boopboopboopboopboopboopboopboopboop
*BOOOOOP
The door clicked open, and the keypad was smashed into pieces with bits of electricity crackling out, but at least they were free from their self imposed prison, with no one having learned anything of value.
Honestly, this was pretty tame by PYRN standards.
...
Twenty minutes after they were banned from the escape room place.
The sun was shining, and the group was sitting beneath the shade of a nice little parasol at a table outside one of the many storefronts of Vale.
The shop door clicked open and shut as Yuji came walking out with a tray of goodies, giving them out one by one, "Chocolate cup for my favorite partner, Pyr, a plain old vanilla cone for my plain old buddy, Ren-"
That earned him a light punch and a laugh from his team, and soon he was back at it, "A Triple-Decker Super Duper Ultra Mega Giga Choco-Fudge Swirl Vanilla Bean Marshmallow Whipped Cream Caramel Crunch Nutty Sprinkle Explosion Delight Supreme Sundae for my sistah without a mistah, Nora-"
The ginger stuck out her tongue, "I'll get him one day!"
Yuji knowingly nodded, ignoring Ren asking who they were talking about, "mhmmmm...and for little miss Pen-"
The vessel held out a giant green colored cone to the android's confusion, "Scanning...detecting member of the cashew family...identified...pistachio-"
The sorcerer chuckled, "Yeah, I figured you'd like it since robots eat Nuts and Bolts...eh...eh?...You can eat, right?"
As his entire team groaned at the awful pun, Penny didn't understand it at all, instead tilting her head, "Although I am capable of consuming matter, I am prohibited from ingesting metallic components as they tend to clog my armaments."
"Diddya try eating a gun to get its powers or something?"
"...I am choosing to not respond to that query."
She definitely did.
The vessel just smiled, patiently waiting for the android to make a move, "Alright-alright, I won't push ya on it. Just give it a shot. I bet you'll like it."
Penny stared at it
Then, at the others, watching them slowly lick their treat
And chose the route of maximum efficiency.
*CHOMP-CHOMP
It was gone in two bites to everyone's horror.
Yuji was in utter shock and soon put a hand to her forehead, "Oy, you alright!? That's gonna give you a killer brain freeze!"
"I am incapable of having a temperature drop in my 'brain' as the processors within my frame are under a constant state of heating due to my physical activities."
"You sure you're good?"
"Query...why are you placing your palm on my forehead?"
He sighed, "Well, I gotta make sure you're alright...honestly, if you eat like that, you're not gonna get the flavor out of it. Here-"
The sorcerer held out his self-proclaimed 'everything cone' covered in every topping for the android, "Take mine and try to eat it like a normal person, you goofball."
Penny stared at it, "...That is yours."
Yuji nodded, grabbing her hand and putting it over the cone, "And now it's yours."
The vessel looked over his team, stepping back out, "I'll be back in a sec, I'm gonna go get another one."
As he disappeared back inside, the android was stuck staring at the colorful object in her hand, "Secondary Query: Why did Yuji Itadori willingly give me his portion when I have already recieved my alloted share?"
Pyrrha shrugged with a smile, "He's just being Yuji. He doesn't like it when someone gets left out."
"This activity is not necessary for my continued existence as it is for yours."
The redhead laughed, "We don't NEED ice cream, Penny. We're here because it's fun, and he just wants you to have fun too."
"I was led to believe the designation of 'friend' implied communal activities, but what logic is there in sacrificing one's own enjoyment for another's?"
Nora pulled back, her face smeared with ice cream until Ren wiped it away with a napkin, "'Cause he's your friend, silly. That's what you do for people you care about."
"...Care?"
Penny idly watched a sprinkle fall and bounce off the table, with the colorful flake soon disappearing into the grass below, "I do not understand why the term is relevant. Care is defined as the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something."
She raised her newly acquired cone, "I do not need this."
Nora slowly reached out a hand and tapped the robot on the forehead, accidentally smearing her fake skin with chocolate, "No, but you need fun, and that's all in your noggin! Ice cream just gets it joggin!'"
She smiled sweetly at the girl, "What's the point of living if it doesn't make you happy? He just wants you to have a good time with us!"
Penny stared blankly at her, "I am unequipped to answer philosophical quandaries such as the purpose of existence, which are irrelevant to my circumstances. As a being created by the Atlesian government, my objectives coincide with those of my makers. Any deviation would be an inefficient use of resources and see a cancellation of further artificial humanoid projects alongside my likely termination."
...
...
Things got awkwardly quiet after that.
Nora lost her appetite and crossed her arms, "...Atlas sucks."
*Click-Click
The door opened and shut as Yuji strolled back out with a yawn, holding a cone that towered to the heavens above, soon scooting in between Pyrrha and Penny, "God, that took forever."
The invincible girl nudged his shoulder, "It wouldn't take so long if you could make up your mind, you know?"
He looked at her, then his massive cone of every flavor and topping the store had, "What can I say? I like everything!"
"You won't be saying that when you're the one with brain freeze, Mr. Fun King."
"Oh yeah? Wanna guess what's on top of my tower of power?"
She squinted, looking up against the sunlight, seeing a horribly familiar round shape, "You didn't-"
He leaned closer, his shit-eating grin on full display, "Pumpkin...Pete's."
Pyrrha almost jumped in her seat in shock, "OH! You're the worst!"
"Not my fault they're good!"
"They're terrible for you!"
"Hey, you made the ad, not me, sister."
Penny blankly studied the cereal flakes for a second, soon raising a finger, "Interesting factoid: Pumpkin Petes and its associated products were banned in Atlas several years ago, following the revelation that their ingredients are correlated with significant risks of heart disease later in life."
Pyrrha stood up, "See! You're gonna give yourself a heart attack!"
Yuji shrugged, taking a lick, "We all gotta die someday."
Nora let off a curious hum, "Could you like...heat up your brain with your powers so you don't get brain freeze?"
The sorcerer stiffened up for a second but shook his head, "What, with my blood? I mean...probably, but I don't like messin' with it. Choso has way better control of it than I do, and he still almost got Thrombosis a few times."
The present android's eyes glowed as data flowed into her mind, "Thrombosis: a serious condition where one or more blood clots form in your blood vessels or heart. When this happens, the clot can block blood flow where it formed, or it can break loose and travel elsewhere in your body, posing the risk of stroke or even heart attack and death."
Pyrrha groaned, "Can we not talk about Yuji almost giving himself a heart attack over ice cream! Please!"
The vessel laughed and patted her on the back, "You don't gotta worry about me, Pyr."
"You know I do...even if you don't want me to."
Ren shrugged, "That's a pretty team-y thing to say."
Nora nodded, "Awww, we all love each other!"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah, let's all hereby swear to never intentionally have a stroke."
Yuji waved a hand, "Hang on, hang on. We can't just make agreements like that outa nowhere, that's for... The Talking Time."
As part of their plans to move on from what had happened a few days ago, the members of PYRN agreed that they needed to communicate better, so 'The Talking Time' was invented.
Once a week, they'd have a sit-down and voice any concerns or discuss things they thought were important to keep their team dynamic strong and healthy.
The invincible girl groaned, sliding into her seat as she fake-glared at her partner, "We really need to change what we call it. You and Nora are the WORST at naming things-"
Yuji puffed up his chest, "The Goblin Corner is a staple of our team and an important piece of history."
The ginger joined him, "Yeah! What he said! And look at what we're doing...We're TALKING at a TIME, so it's TALKING TIME."
The redhead looked around the group, "Are we really doing it right now? I mean...I don't mind if Penny's here, but-"
Itadori raised a hand, dropping it on the android's head, "I think it'll do some good for her if she sticks around. That way, she can see how real people act-"
Ren snorted, "Sometimes, I don't even know if you are real."
"Oh, I'm for real-real, brother."
"Yeah-yeah...brother."
He hummed in approval, glancing down at the robotic teen, "Whaddya think, Pen? Wanna try and talk out how you're feelin'?"
Penny tilted her head, "You...want to hear me voice my concerns?"
"Or whatever's botherin' you."
"My concerns are not relevant to this discussion."
"Of course they are, goober. Most of what friends do is complain about crap to each other while doin' cool stuff together."
"I will catalog and record this information for later use...I will begin if that is acceptable."
"First thing's first, your ice cream's melting."
The android looked down and prepared for maximum efficiency once more, but before she could, the vessel gently tapped her on the shoulder and mouthed the word, 'slow.'
Penny scanned him for a moment and tried one of her self-programmed means of diplomatic discussion acquired from observing one...Ruby Rose-
The Puppy Dog eyes, as they say.
It didn't work, and it just looked like a camera lens was zooming in and out at him from her artificial eyes, so she gave up on that route and instead licked her cone-
Then again-
And again-
Yuji happily smiled, rubbing her hair as the android didn't bother talking as she seemed to much prefer her treat instead.
Panda would probably be a lot better at helping this girl figure herself out, but the sorcerer was gonna do all he could to support her just like any of his other friends.
Itadori clicked his tongue, "I guess I can start, but it's not really a complaint or anything...so, besides the Atlas dudes, none of the kingdoms have an army, right?"
His teammates nodded, so he pressed on, "So...if things suck so much in Mistral...why do you listen to them? I mean, there's no way you're weaker than a cop so-"
Ren passively twirled his cone, "It's cultural, Yuj. You wouldn't do anything your people wouldn't do, right?"
The sorcerer shook his head, "If I acted Japanese, we wouldn't be talkin'. I told you guys a while ago that people in my country really hate foreigners. Like, you wouldn't even be allowed in certain stores because of how you look."
"So...like how the Kingdoms treat the Faunus?"
"Kinda...but it's more complicated than that. I shouldn't even say hate. It's more like we have an 'us and them' mindset with everyone who isn't Japanese. They'd see you guys as problem starters that wanna change how we do things."
Pyrrha slowly took a breath, "Then why aren't you like that?"
Yuji shrugged, "I dunno. I just think life would be pretty boring if everyone was the same...besides, you see enough stuff, and you realize this is the kinda crap you focus on when you've got too much free time."
Lie tapped the table, "It's not about free time. I hate how Mistral does things. With the ridiculous laws, the way your neighbors stare at you like you might cause trouble, and the 'culture boards' that don't even let you draw something without their approval, but there's a reason for it."
The quiet teen let out a huff, "When you're so focused on rules, regulations, and whatever else they do to keep your day busy. You don't have time to be negative. It keeps the Grimm away, so people do it, even if there's no one around to enforce it. They do it because they're scared, and it's their way of keeping control."
Nora glumly nodded, "But they sure they don't like it when people like us break the rules."
Pyrrha's eyes seemed to fade a bit, "The family rule?"
The other two gave a painful nod, making Itadori curious, "...Family rule?"
The hammer-user held her arms wide, "Mistral says we're all a big family of families. When you're outside, we all keep each other in check, but at home? That's up to your family, and if you don't have one, they-"
Ren took over, "They stick you with one, and those government stooges give the fosters more money the more they enforce the rules. Living in those houses is worse than being in prison. You do the same thing every single day."
He raised his fingers one by one, "You wake up at the same time, get ready by the same time, eat the same food, go out and do the same thing over and over, and then you go to bed and do it all again the next day. You don't get a second to yourself, and someone's always watching you."
Lie crossed his arms, nodding toward Nora, before turning toward Pyrrha, "It's why we ran away. Neither of us wanted to live in the capital for another second. I don't know how you survived being on their TV programs-"
The redhead idly played with the band on her wrist, "It's...different the higher up you go. When I was filming my first commercial, I tried to follow the protocol, you know...stand up straight, focus on your work, don't show more than you have to, and they thought I was making a joke."
She looked up at the blue sky, "It's like...if you have money in Mistral, the rules don't apply to you...just like all the other Kingdoms."
Yuji pushed back, leaning on his chair's hind legs as it wobbled back and forth, giving off a yawn, "So why do ya listen to 'em then?"
"Do you wanna get shunned? Because that's how you get shunned, Yuji."
"Who cares if you get ignored by a buncha lame asses? Rules stop mattering once you're stronger than the people tryna enforce 'em, so just do what you want."
Pyrrha sighed, "It's not that simple. Mistral has its ways...and if I or anyone else started problems, it would affect their whole family."
"Doesn't have to."
"What?"
Yuji stretched his arms back, nearly falling out of his chair in the process, "I think the big difference between Huntsmen and Sorcerers is that you guys are too focused on bein' liked, but making people scared of you is just as good sometimes."
The vessel scoffed, "The elders who ran the show for jujutsu society were real set in their ways and had a real specific way of showin' it. They wouldn't share techniques, treated non-sorcerers like my friend Maki as if they were dirt, and killed anyone they thought was a risk."
He briefly looked down at his teammates, "They wanted me dead too, you know?"
Pyrrha shot up her seat, "What!? Why!?"
He took a lick of his cone as if it didn't matter, "'Cause I was a risk, I mean...you guys heard who I'm related to, so, take a guess on why they thought I was a danger-"
The sorcerer mumbled to himself, "I still am one."
Yuji soon shook the thought away, "And I dunno if it was the right choice or not, but my teacher, Satoru Gojo, stopped it from happening 'cause he thought I could be a good sorcerer, and it's because of him that I'm around to talk to you guys."
Itadori pushed those feelings back further, "My point is...when you're strong like Gojo, stronger than everyone else, the ones in charge got no choice but to leave you alone and let you do what you want, so who cares if some nobody gives you a shitty look every once in a while?-"
He pointed a finger at his teammates, "That's the most they can do to a people like you, so just live life how you want, 'cause there's nothing more boring than being fake to live up to someone else's crap."
Ren shirked back, "We're three Mistralis', Yuji. We can't take on a whole country."
The vessel shook his head, "You've got me, and right now, I'm the strongest, so if they try and mess with you, they gotta answer to yours truly."
Pyrrha paled, "Why do you always pick fights?"
The sorcerer just smiled, leaning back in his seat as the legs wobbled back, "'Cause you guys are worth it."
...
...
Things got oddly quiet after that.
The invincible girl looked at Ren and Nora, and with a silent nod, she scooted into the table, "That's...sort of what I wanted to bring up...about what you said the other day-"
Yuji tilted his head, "Said what?"
"You...called yourself a cog and said all those things...do you really think that little about yourself?"
The vessel's chair hit the ground with a clunk, and he sat there, completely silent for a few seconds.
"...Yeah, I do."
"Why?"
He looked around at the public setting, with several filled tables nearby, "This probably isn't the place to talk about thi-"
She raised a hand, "Please don't dodge the question for once."
...
...
Yuji stared down at his hands, "You wouldn't understand it even if I explained it."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
He looked off, "I don't wanna talk about this anymore."
Like usual, Yuji completely stonewalled.
...
...
Another round of silence lasted for some time, but eventually-
Penny looked up from her now nonexistent cone, "Am I permitted to ask a question?"
Nora was the first to respond with an 'I guess' shrug.
The android remained oblivious to the tension and faced the vessel with a smile, "I would like to ask, what ability allows you to 'cut and dice' with such proficiency?"
...
...
Yuji slumped into his seat, "It's...my other technique, the one I got from, you know who."
If it wasn't already apparent, Yuji was under strict instructions to never say Ryomen's name outloud to avoid causing a panic and from getting him recognized in public, but the latter was basically impossible after what he did.
Kind of hard to ignore the scared looks and tension inside the store from the workers and customers, but he managed just fine.
Itadori made a face, "It's called Shrine, and you're a hundred percent gonna think I'm kidding, but I'm bein' like...dead serious, okay?"
Penny readily nodded, "Acknowledged."
He took a breath as his teammates held theirs, "...I-"
Yuji looked up, "I have the power of a kitchen."
...
...
Ren squinted, "You can't be serious."
"I am! Look, I can explain it...sort of...maybe...how about I just show you?"
Yuji looked around, grabbing a stack of napkins, "Look the way I picture it. You ever go to the store, and they sell like... packaged food, you gotta cut open, and it's a huge pain 'cause you can't use a knife, and you gotta clip the little cardboard lines with-"
Pyrrha flinched for a second as memories of the broadcast came back but forced out a word: "Scissors?"
He nodded, and at that moment, a scissor line appeared across the napkins before they were perfectly sliced in half, "See? I'm bein' for real! Then I can turn on a stove, make a fire, and do some other stuff, but...I don't wanna burn this place down on accident-"
Yuji flinched, "Weiss would hit me again."
Nora stared at him, "You just said you're not scared of people weaker than you! Why are you so spooked about her? Did she freeze your pants again?"
The vessel shivered, "That was your fault."
"It was your idea to jump out of the bushes at her!"
"You did it at the freaking pool! She turned the whole thing into an ice ring! And then she hit me again!"
"That hockey match was fun, though!"
"...Yeah, it was pretty fun."
Ren shook the previous conversation aside, "Seriously. I've been wondering this since day one. Why are you so scared of pissing Weiss off? It's not like she can do anything to you."
Yuji flinched, "I just-"
He waved a hand, "The way she stares at you when she's mad is scary, man. She's like a spooky porcelain doll from one of those horror movies."
The quiet teen knowingly hummed, "I'm sure."
"What does that mean?"
"Just admit you have a soft spot for her."
Pyrrha seemed upset at that revelation.
Yuji slammed a hand on the table, "Huh? I have a soft spot for all you guys! You're my friends! And if I have a soft spot, then what about you and Nora! When that's happening?"
The ginger girl hopped up in her seat, her blue eyes twinkling in anticipation for-
Ren tilted his head, "When's what happening?"
*CRASH
Nora's head slammed into the table at terminal velocity, and in a rare sign of understanding, Penny started rubbing her back.
Even a robot could see how obvious it was, but not Ren. Such a tragedy.
Yuji hummed, watching the scene unfold, "You know, I never asked, but have any of you guys ever dated someone before?"
There was a silence, followed by a collective no and a brief description of breaching Atlas protocol by an android.
The vessel shrugged, "Huh."
Nora tilted her head from her early grave, "What about you, Yuj. Got any juicy love stories to share with the class?"
"Me? Nah, I never-"
The vessel paused, "Well, there was this one girl back home I mighta...ya know-"
Pyrrha seemed more upset.
He laughed, rubbing the back of his head, "It's embarrassing to talk about this stuff!"
Nora shot back up, propping her elbows on the table, "Come on, we won't judge!"
He shrank a bit but gave a defeated nod, "Fiiiine...her name's Yuko Ozawa, and I kinda told myself if I ever got a chance and if I was still around, I'd ask her out-"
The sorcerer briefly paused, "But it's been a while. She probably doesn't even know I'm still alive."
Their expressions dropped, but it went unheard.
Yuji pulled out his old phone, blipping through pictures until settling on one and turning it for them to see, revealing a-
Penny immediately spoke, "That girl is morbidly obese. I would recommend she be put on a strict regimen to compensate and prevent any future health risks."
Pyrrha spat to the side, "PENNY!"
Yuji raised a brow, then turned it back, and took more than a few seconds to realize the problem, "Oh, that's an old photo...hang on, I have a newer one-"
He turned it back around, showing Yuji standing next to a tall and...very slim girl with short brown hair and bangs that danced over her forehead, wearing a simple cream-colored sweater and yellow skirt, topped off with a pair of heels with shiny brown tips.
She was pretty.
They all silently gawked at her transformation.
...
...
Ren tapped his fingers, "So...you gonna do it?"
Yuji leaned in, "Do what?"
"Ask her out?"
"Pfft, probably not, man. I mean, shoot, it's been a long time since I saw her, and it's not like we know that much about each other. She's-"
Yuji chomped down what remained of his cone before putting his hands behind his head, "She's not a sorcerer. Ozawa's a normal person. I just thought she was interesting 'cause of a few things, and I heard she mighta liked me too from my friends, but it's just a crush. They don't usually last all that long."
The vessel laughed, "I hope she moved on and found someone right for her. A sweet girl like that deserves someone nice."
Penny tapped him on the shoulder, "What purpose does that serve?"
"Hm?"
"To be...right for another individual?"
He just shrugged, "Who knows?"
"I do not follow."
The vessel closed his eyes in thought, "Not everything's got an answer, Pen...well, it might have one, but that's up for you to figure out. You could look for someone or stay on your own, and that's just fine, too."
Yuji looked down at her, "I think you're goin' about these things the wrong way. People don't do the whole 'efficiency' thing. We look at what makes us feel better and who we like being around and choose them over other people."
He ruffled her hair, "We're selfish like that, and you should be too."
Penny gently hummed, "Then what is your reason for persisting in interacting with others?"
"Me?"
Yuji chuckled, "I just hate being by myself. Mind if I ask why you wanted to hang out with us?"
The android nodded, "You were designated as an optimal candidate for a subroutine of my programming, the 'peer mentor' system, whereby through continued interaction with selected individuals, my father believes I could become 'more human.'"
"See, you're already being selfish by choosin' me! Now I just gotta teach you how to swear more-"
Pyrrha slammed a hand on the table, "No, you are not!"
Nora double slammed the table, "Not without me! I know some good ones!"
Ren was quiet, but soon, his eyes slightly widened as he leaned into his seat, clasping his hands together, "Penny-"
"Say 'fuck.'"
The redhead tried to stop her, "PENNY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE-
The android looked her dead in the eyes and smiled, "Fuck."
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
...
That about wraps it up for this chapter. I think from here on, I'll put more of an effort into worldbuilding alongside the usual shitposting.
So, with everything said and done, take it easy. I'll see you guys around, but I have deadlines coming up, so who knows when I'll upload next. Cheers.
Discord:
/4edf44FSSn