Southern Comfort [Open 2/4]

[Felix Satou]

It was a typical afternoon at Beacon for Felix. His classes were all finished. He didn't have any arrangements with his friends. He had nothing to do but spend his time on whatever felt worthwhile. Today, it was the humble art of cooking. Beacon's library had a great deal of resources and reference books on all sorts of topics. It should not have come as much of a surprise to Felix that they would have a wide selection of books on cooking and the philosophy thereof, and yet he still found himself shocked and fascinated to find a detailed book on the inner workings of southern food. He'd always enjoyed cooking! It was a very practical skill to be able to make delicious meals from next to nothing out in the field. Knowing the basics of how to season dishes meant that a few jars of ground spice tucked into a rucksack or camping pack would be enough to ensure tasty meals even in remote wilderness. He knew a fair amount already, but without practice or study that knowledge would fall into disrepair.

So Felix found himself studying, feet kicked up onto one of the many tables in Beacon's library, headstock of his guitar Dover also leaning against the table near his feet. The book was propped up in his lap. Any passing student would be able to read what it had to say. Near to his feet, on the table sat a few more books on various other kinds of cooking and theory that he'd grabbed at random to kill the time with. The sound of rain pattering against the windows along with the occasional rumble of thunder was wonderfully relaxing. It certainly helped him feel better about spending his free time sitting in a library instead of being outside somewhere.

[Keid Sharma]

Running through the library to fetch unrelated books was a common occurence at this point. Keid would often get intrigued by something he read in a book, find another one on the subject and postpone finishing the first one, rinse and repeat until he'd started more books than he was allowed to take with him. Between those he needed for some classes and the ones he borrowed in his free time, the pile he carried quickly grew taller. Fortunately, his Semblance made the most amazing bookmarks ever. White, flashy lights only visible to him, that stuck to any page and spared him a tedious search every day.

Like always, after zigzagging through the shelves and collecting yesterday's reading material without slowing down, Keid closed his eyes and spinned around, spotting two of his stars by the tables. With any luck, the books had been left there after someone was done with them... or not, as it turned out when he came closer. They belonged to a dark-haired boy, whose posture and lack of any part of the uniform indicated either a rebellious or relaxed nature. Keid hoped it was the latter as he sat down in front of him, and dropped his stack of books on the wood.

As curious as he was about foreign dishes, he wasn't about to try to steal someone's reading. But since this guy was interested in the same books as Keid, he would obviously be great to talk to... if he didn't mind the intrusion at least.
"Hi, I'm Keid", he announced with a wave, then pointed to the stranger's pile. "Do you mind if I sit? You seem to know a lot about cooking."

[Felix Satou]

Felix looked up from his book as he heard someone ask him for a seat at the table. He didn't recognize the boy, but that was no reason to say no! Felix gestured with a hand towards the seats. "Help yourself! I can only use one at a time anyways." His eyes tracked back towards the pile of cook books he had sitting on the table in front of him. "Well, I don't know if I know a lot, but I certainly know enough to get by." He gave the statement a little bit more thought. He probably knew more about cooking than the average Beacon student did. His parents had always been amazing home cooks and when he'd eagerly asked to help they'd included him. He could make soups and stews, bake all kinds of breads and cookies, grill steaks and burgers, stir fry just about anything, the list went on and on.

"Well, okay, yes, I know a lot about cooking. But you don't stay good at anything by saying you know everything and neglecting your skills, right?" His eyes finally came up from the book to give the newcomer a better look over. He was actually pretty handsome. His jaw was especially well defined and the eyes seemed drawn to it by the bizarre piercings he had in his neck. Felix's eyebrows raised at them. "Woah, those piercings are sick." He'd always wanted to get a few. It would probably complete the rock star look to have them, but he had no idea they made studs for the neck!

[Keid Sharma]

"Indeed, you don't", he agreed with a smile, then grabbed a book from the guy's pile, glancing distractedly at the back cover. "I try to decide on what dishes I'd test, should I ever travel to another kingdom. It would probably be for a mission, so I figured I wouldn't have much time for leisure", he explained and looked back at his listener. Now that Keid saw his face, he was convinced that he was talking to a student, despite his not-uniform.
"Then I thought: if I miss on something, I could try to cook it here at least. Plus, you know, it's always better to have someone's opinion on top of the books." He paused for a second before adding sheepishly: "And thank you to let me sit."

Keid ran his hands over his face in surprise at the last comment. "Piercings? Where?" Surely you couldn't get piercings without knowing, right? He breathed out when he followed the guy's eyes and realized the mistake. "Ha... no, those are all me. Guaranted one hundred percent natural", Keid beamed as he prodded one of his lights as proof. "I'm a faunus like you." He wondered from which animal could come a bunch of spots on the nose.

[Felix Satou]

Felix narrowed his eyes. Those piercings were all natural? They weren't piercings at all? He was a faunus!? His ears turned red as he realized his mistake. Shit! He'd never even heard of faunus with markings like Keid had! His heart skipped a beat as he internally panicked, wondering if he'd just made some kind of grave offense, but the feeling was immediately replaced by confusion as the blonde haired boy flashed him a toothy smile and seemed utterly unphased by the mix up. Felix blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Uhhhhhh..." He looked back behind his chair to check and see if he'd suddenly sprouted a tail and ran one hand through his hair to check and see if he'd grown ears of some kind. Nope. Everything was completely normal. This guy was definitely joking, which Felix was extremely relieved for. Much better than getting yelled at.

"Yes. Yeah. That is what I am, a totally, one hundred percent, natural faunus." He could go along with a joke. "I'm surprised you noticed, because everyone I've ever met seems to think I'm a human. My parents, my sister, everyone in Vale, they, uh, just don't understand really. Because of the kind of faunus I am it's hard to tell. Even for me sometimes. So thank you for reminding me that I am...a...uh..." Felix trailed off, a raised eyebrow and expectant look on his face as he left the rest to Keid. He really couldn't figure it out. Was it the hair dye? His ink? Some other feature? He knew this was definitely a joke, but he couldn't solve the punch line!

[Keid Sharma]

The boy's panic was obvious as soon as Keid uttered the word "faunus". He immediately chalked it up to a fear of being discovered, which wasn't new to him. He'd heard a lot about how faunus were treated worldwide, mostly in Atlas from the ones who didn't hide (and often paid a price for it). Himself had been told to hide his lights back then to avoid bad surprises. People were supposed to be much more accepting in Vale, but some apparently still felt the need to pretend to be humans.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me", Keid whispered quickly after looking around for anyone listening, and winced when he caught one or two curious looks. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." That said, the guy's lack of a disguise told it all for him. It was unfortunate that a faunus so anxious to pass as human had his trait all over his face... Nothing short of a full mask would conceal it entirely.

Although... his parents didn't realize? Nor did his sister? But didn't you need one faunus parent to be one yourself? Surely a doctor would have told them at some point? Keid only had a vague knowledge of faunus biology. "Wow... They must be really bad par- Er, I mean...", he caught himself but paused awkwardly.
What did he mean except what he'd nearly said? It would take a really, really unconcerned family to ignore their own son's nature. The thought irritated Keid, but he forced himself to avoid hasty judgment. There may have been another reason that he couldn't figure out. "They... must have very bad eyesight?", he amended and grimaced, fully realizing the stupidity of such an explanation.

[Felix Satou]

Felix brow furrowed as he listened to Keid whisper conspiratorially at him. This was starting to sound a little less like a joke and a little more like Keid genuinely believed that he was a faunus. Bewilderment was an understatement! Maybe Keid was just very committed to the joke? Well, if that was the case, Felix didn't really mind letting him have a win here in the name of getting to the bottom of this.

"Er, actually," Felix said with trepidation. "I...I'm definitely not a faunus. Both my parents are human and I'm not adopted or anything. I've even got a twin sister who's also absolutely a human. Not, er, that there's anything wrong with being a faunus, but...I'm just really confused here man, what makes you think I'm a faunus?" The book in his lap had been completely forgotten, pages turning of their own accord while Felix tried to sort out just exactly what kind of misunderstanding or joke was happening between the pair of them. Maybe Keid's relatively subtle faunus trait was making him see something that wasn't there on Felix? Or had he sprouted fuzzy ears while he wasn't looking? He was pretty sure he hadn't. He would have definitely noticed if furry appendages had started growing from the top of his head.

[Keid Sharma]

Keid sat back in total confusion. Didn't this guy know what he was? It didn't feel like he was mocking him, yet he was flustered whether he claimed to be human or faunus. Keid hesitated between telling him again that he wouldn't spill or believing his second statement. The right answer could have been to avoid the clearly touchy subject and let the maybe-faunus calm down, but Keid wasn't one to give up on answers.

"So you're one hundred percent, natural, definitely not a faunus... secretly?", he summarized slowly in a low voice.
"You can't tell me those spots aren't a faunus trait, I haven't seen that on anyone ever, human or faunus... nor any animal for that matter. Huh." It could have been a sickness, too, or a one-of-a-kind scar... Keid's eyes widened when he thought about it before he looked pointedly away and prayed that he didn't make that mistake. If this guy was so nervous about not being a not-faunus, he could be self-conscious about his not-faunus trait too.
"Gods, I'm sorry, I shouldn't assume. It's not weird or... I mean, it's just unique... but that's fine!", he bumbled. Someone help him. Lauren cartwheeling in right now would be a good diversion.

[Felix Satou]

The lightbulb finally sparked in Felix' mind. "Ohhhhhh." He then couldn't help but laugh, heartily and genuinely. It was probably the first time in history that someone had mistaken freckles for a faunus feature. There were spotted cats that prowled the drier climates of Remnant, but surely he'd have needed a much larger smattering to look like one of them! Then again, Keid himself had a very unusual trait. "Sorry, sorry, hold on a second," Felix managed to spit out as he nearly teared up from laughing. He took in a deep breath, trying to steady himself enough to actually speak.

"Hoo, okay, uh, those are just freckles, man. They're not a faunus feature or anything like that, humans get them all the time. I don't remember what they actually are, but they're not spots. Well, they're spots, but they're not, like, that kind of spot. I'm really just a human with freckles. A human named Felix. With freckles." He held out a hand towards Keid, finally remembering to introduce himself and prove that there were no hard feelings between the two of them. "And I assure you it's my pleasure to meet you." This had to be the most harmless misunderstanding between faunus and human in history. His sister was going to get a kick out of hearing this story later. Stars, just about anyone he knew was going to find it hilarious.

[Keid Sharma]

With the most puzzled look he could muster, Keid stared at the boy cracking up. But no matter the misunderstanding, his laugh was contagious. So Keid started chuckling then laughing along him, albeit less loudly, still mindful that they were in the library. When they calmed down and he got the explanation, however, he wasn't sure how well it held up.

"Freckles? Never heard of 'em", Keid admitted. Then again, the first he'd seen someone with dark skin, he'd thought it a faunus trait too. Why not, after all? They'd been a lot less friendly than Felix, though he'd thankfully managed to defuse the situation.
"Still seems counterintuitive if you ask me. Who decides what's human and what's faunus anyway? Does your sister have freckles too?", he insisted, but shook his head right after and took the offered hand with a bright smile. "I guess it doesn't matter, people can be what they want to be. Nice to meet you, Felix."

After they were both corrected, one detail still bothered Keid in the whole conversation. "You think my lights could have passed as piercings, then?", he sighed. "Would've been less hassle than wearing a coat indoors..." Although, seeing how his instructors in Atlas frowned at tattoos, it might have been just another reason to get yelled at.

[Felix Satou]

Felix' handshake was firm and confident, but not so strong that it verged on painful. The issue was mostly resolved, though Keid did raise a fair point. Where did the line between human and faunus blur? Were there animals out there that had freckles? Did it even matter? "That's a pretty philosophical question. Personally, I think we're all people who just want to be able to live the life we want to live. Faunus and humans ought to have the same rights and opportunities. So, I don't think there really needs to be a line drawn. We should just treat everyone with respect." It wasn't the most radical opinion to hold of faunus in Vale. There were a lot of people that Felix had known in his life that felt similarly. Other kingdoms, though, saying that might have gotten him run out of town!

He narrowed his eyes again to scrutinize Keid's lights. "I think if you told someone they were piercings you could probably get away with it. It might work even better if you painted them. I don't know how well it would hold up under extremely close inspection, but at a glance it would probably fool most people." Was he forgetting something? "Oh, and yes, my sister does have freckles." It ran in the family! Mom and dad both had them. He would have preferred being able to have a nice even tan, but the freckles were eye catching! That's what he liked to tell himself, anyways!

[Keid Sharma]

Keid let out a good-natured chuckle at Felix' ideas. "Ha! That's a Huntsman's way of thought!", he praised enthusiastically while leaning forward. "You're not the first to tell me that... Actually, I think every Huntsman I've met said something along those lines. That we have to be fair to everyone, that every life matters, we're all allies, and so on." Keid nodded along the quotes he somewhat remembered, mostly heard in speeches or after sharing a few glasses with his mentor. "And I try to do that too, because it feels like a standard we have to uphold, you know? It seems like a step in the right direction."

He reclined in his seat after that. It amused him how much of a deal could be made about faunus, when just by thinking a bit, you realized that there wasn't really a deal to be made. "Maybe it's because we already have something to fight... or maybe I've just met the right people", Keid added with a shrug as an afterthought. Either way, he didn't feel pushed to hide his nature at Beacon, and while he'd keep the idea in mind, painting his fifty lights sounded very time-consuming. Although...

"Hey, if I put a different color on each spot, I could totally be a living disco ball! You could do the same, Felix; why just the red lock when you could be a rainbow?", he joked with an open laugh.

[Felix Satou]

"I think we've probably both just met a lot of the right people growing up." Wow! Keid was really boisterous. Had Felix finally found someone who was more gregarious than himself? They were out there, he was sure, but this might have been his first time meeting one in person. He had to laugh at the idea of himself sporting a rainbow style of hair color. That was a little bit too loud for his own tastes. Well, for the tastes he currently had.

"I've done it before, when I was younger, actually. The first time I ever got my hair dyed I did that. I didn't end up liking it as much as the single stripe of red. I think my sense of style just evolved?" He shrugged, bemused look still on his face as he imagined the library going dark, only illuminated by the glow of Keid's multicolored lights. "I think that I would pay good lien to go to Disco Keid. Do they even get that bright?"

[Keid Sharma]

"Bright enough to light an entire room? No, definitely not. It would be cool, though, being super glowy like a jellyfish. Maybe a tad inconvenient", Keid admitted, wondering not for the first time how that would look. Small organs like his were meant for deep ocean waters, not the open sky. One Scroll's flashlight would easily outshine him.
"I think some scientist said I could make them brighter, based on my diet or whatever but... yeah, whatever", he dismissed. He hadn't bothered memorizing the explanation, since Huntsmen couldn't really afford to be picky eaters. "And like I said", he added, flipping through his book, "I don't want to miss out on anything tasty."

Felix' mention of his sense of style brought Keid's eyes to the boy's clothes. "By the way, is that allowed?", he asked, pointing to the lack of Beacon's uniform. Keid hoped for a yes, as it would mean two fewer layers to put on each morning. Then again, Felix had been lounging with his feet on the table, so he probably wouldn't care much about dress code.

[Felix Satou]

"Didn't happen to be batteries, did it?" Felix said with a cheeky grin on his face. He felt similarly about cooking. It was good to not be picky. It was even better to know how to make the best of what you had on hand! His semblance could do a lot of the heavy lifting with proportions, but if the spices he chose weren't good together there was only so much his paranormal instincts could do for him. Hence the cookbooks they'd both been checking out.

He looked down at the clothes that he was wearing, raising his eyebrows at them. "Oh, these? Yeah, wearing clothes is generally allowed. Kinda encouraged, really." He flashed Keid another smile before answering his question in earnest. "Yeah, you don't always have to be wearing Beacon's uniform. A lot of students like to wear it around Beacon because it's generally quite good looking, functional, and comfortable. It's also a bit of a status symbol, too. It tells the world you're important, you're skilled, and you're dedicating your life to a noble cause. I...well, I think it's a bit too drab for my tastes, so I only wear it when the school says we have to for school functions. I think my own wardrobe is far more comfortable."

[Keid Sharma]

The quip was met with a matching grin, although a tiny bit tense. There was a reason why Keid didn't fight with Lightning Dust anymore. "Not trying", he retorted quickly. "Little chance of that working when Burn Dust doesn't."

He'd dropped the subject to ask Felix about his choice of outfit and chuckled at his comeback. "Sometimes you wonder", Keid added, recalling some of the more eye-catching attires worn by students. Not that he would complain about them.
Fortunately, the Valean's serious answer was music to the ears. It hadn't crossed Keid's mind before that casual clothing could be okay to wear inside the school. Since there was a uniform, he'd logically assumed that it was mandatory, but now he could finally get rid of the stupid inside vest - that you could barely see anyway.
"When you describe it like that, I can see the appeal... and I assume you don't really care about flaunting your skills, then", he concluded. "You're right that it gives an aura; no pun intended. It's nice to go outside and be sure that you won't get collared by random people, but awkward at the same time. Everyone kinda takes larger steps around you, you know?" Civilians were often both more polite and warier around Huntsmen, for good reason sadly.

[Felix Satou]

Was he actually suggesting he'd tried eating burn dust? No, surely that was just a joke of some kind.

Felix often did wonder just how much clothing was required! Some of the girls he'd seen around campus had so much skin showing that you had to wonder if they were attending the same academy. What exactly did the dress code say was too much? Did the headmaster really care about something as superficial as the exact coverage of the clothing you wore?

"Yeah, I know what you mean about the larger steps. I think I wore my Beacon uniform off campus grounds once. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to just head into town and grab some lunch while flying the university's flag, but...ahhhh, it was too much attention for the wrong reasons." Felix shook his head thinking about the memory of it. "So I never really made that mistake again. Also...I'd hate to do something really dumb and have it reflect poorly on the school, you know? Hey, look at what that idiot Beacon student did! What are they teaching those kids up there?! I don't know if I could ever live that kind of thing down."

[Keid Sharma]

Having a reputation to uphold? Keid knew that hurdle. "Yeah, I feel you", he sympathized. Indeed, he wouldn't have dared spend any of his nights out in school uniform. The thought made him snort right after, because instead of showing up in Mantle dressed like an Atlas student, he'd more than once ordered alcohol as a minor, with his sponsor's newest weapon at the hip. "Never mind, I don't", he waved off. At least he could still choose to stay incognito like Felix, for his face wasn't trademarked yet.

Keid took a long look at the ceiling and sighed before he spoke again. "I should've started caring about expectations sooner than I did, but... it's just a lot here. You can't butcher the company's image, but you can't just behave normally either. I guess Beacon's entrance exams just suddenly make you better at everything, huh?", he snarked. "... Even if it doesn't sit well with me, Huntsmen kinda have to stand above everyone else as their protectors. Great power implies great self-righteousness or something."

[Felix Satou]

"It's more like the entrance exams, uh, validate how good you are at everything? You can say you're a lot of things, but if you make it in here, well, you don't have to say much of anything at all at that point." He thought about the rest of what Keid was saying. As much as he wanted to disagree when it came to acting normally, you did have to conduct yourself differently when you had the power to turn most people into a soup-like homogenate with a single punch even without a semblance that boosted your strength.

"I...guess you've got a point there, sort of, but it's not like you've gotta stand above everyone. That's not what I'm gonna try doing, anyways. I wasn't really that different from anyone else my age until I was, like, old enough to attend combat school. And I'm still pretty normal, I think. I worry about school, how I dress, girls, boys, friends, stuff. I just...have also picked a very dangerous profession to pursue on top of it." He quirked a brow at Keid. "What do you mean, caring about expectations sooner, anyways?"

[Keid Sharma]

Hearing Felix's positive outlook made Keid shake his head. Being so gloom about the subject wasn't like him, which meant it may have become a problem despite his efforts to look at the bright sides. Entering Beacon Academy definitely added some pressure, but it was comforting to know that others felt the same. "You're right", he amended with a less heavy sigh. "I just overthink this, there's no reason to worry that much. Nothing prevents you stepping down from that pedestal when you're off duty." The Huntsman who taught him the ropes certainly did so without hesitation.
"It might be the same no matter your job, when you think about it", Keid added after a moment's thought. Unlike Felix, he hadn't felt completely in tune with other children until he learned how to fight... although strictly speaking, there was no civilian in his hometown, where everyone and their mother at least knew how to fire a rifle. "Do you still have friends from before combat school?"

He had to chuckle nervously and rub his neck at the last question. "Well, I didn't mean much really... just that I was a bit careless last year." Mostly due to being thrilled by the novelty of living in a major city, and his mentor dragging him into the worst situations. "Actually, I think I risked expulsion a few times...", he muttered, but laughed it off: "But hey, unseen is uncaught! I'm not about to take that chance again."

[Felix Satou]

Almost expelled?! Felix' face lit up in surprise at that one! It was almost enough to make him forget that Keid had asked him a question. "Oh, uh, sure I am. We still shoot each other messages on our scrolls, and once in a while we make plans to hang out, but it's kinda hard to do that more than once a month or so. Beacon keeps me busy." That, and it was hard to feel the same connection to those kids as he used to. "But...we're sorta growing apart. That's life. We don't go to the same school, we don't have the same hobbies, or the same overabundance of time. I'm trying to be a huntsman, he's trying to be a baker, there's a lot less overlap in our lives." He shrugged. "But, you meet new people along the way and make new bonds!"

Felix crossed her arms over his chest. "And are you really going to leave me hanging? Just mention casually that you almost got expelled and say nothing about it? What did you do? I won't tell anyone, promise." He wasn't sure he had ever heard of Beacon students getting expelled. What did you need to do to get expelled? What did you need to do to hide that?! He wanted to know!

[Keid Sharma]

That made Keid wonder. He hadn't felt less close to his old friends, but he'd switched from seeing them daily to biannual letters instantly, with no time to feel the connection dwindle. He was focused on leaving Solitas at the time, and left with the insurance to see them again, convinced that their bonds would stay intact. His hometown was a close-knit community, after all. Thinking about it, maybe solitude was the reason his mentor had spent so much time with Keid in Atlas; though like Felix, he'd been too busy with school and novelties all around to worry about it. "Yeah", he agreed with a grin when Felix was done, "I guess you don't have any trouble picking up new friends."

Keid then crossed his arms as he pondered what he didn't mind telling Felix. "Er... I had a habit of going in town on Friday nights to drink with my mentor. Or rather, he had a habit of dragging me with him against my better judgment." He hesitated between a frown and a smile at the mix of comforting but awkward memories this topic brought up. "And well, I was underage at the time, bought alcohol for two... and my school was in Atlas, so a bit stricter than here", he precised. "You get the picture." The truth was that Keid had only genuinely feared expulsion one time, when he'd nearly met one of his teachers in a strip club, but the only thing he revealed about that particular blunder was a light blush on his cheeks.

[Felix Satou]

Felix rolled his eyes in an overdramatic display as Keid revealed his big secret. "Oh, that's all? And here I was thinking that you'd gotten yourself into some juicy trouble." Trouble was as trouble did, right? While Felix had never spent time in Atlas he had heard accounts of the militaristic nation from other students who had. History classes were also rife with details about just how much of a stick the country had up it's collective ass. Keid seemed more innocent than he might have let on, what with a blush coming to his cheeks at the thought of drinking underage!

"I think you'll find Vale is a bit more to your liking. I haven't done much partying myself, but I know a lot of students tend to enjoy clubbing or barhopping on the weekends. Unless you're engaging in some serious public debauchery, literally painting the town red or something, it's probably for the best you're here and not Atlas." Felix chuckled. "I would never have guessed you were Atlesian, you know. Maybe I'm prejudiced, but you're way friendlier and more social than what I'd expect from someone from that frozen wasteland." He knew it wasn't a frozen wasteland. He knew all Atlesians were not the same, but there were such things as cultural values! There were some qualities that could get pounded into you from birth without your knowledge! Maybe he was falling victim to that right now in his assumptions, but couldn't those from Atlas, too? Then again, Keid was a faunus. His cultural experiences were probably different from anything Felix was assuming. "I don't think you're going to have too much trouble making friends if this is how you are most of the time."

[Keid Sharma]

"Naaaaah, they're not all that bad", Keid retorted in Atlas' defense, although Felix had kind of hit the nail on the head. "Well, I'm not from Atlas, and it's true that people up on the island can be stuck-up, but after a drink or two - or some - most of them get as chummy as anyone, trust me. Everyone who's more or less part of the military just has a hard time to get out of the serious mood. I probably would have too without Sin there. That's my mentor", he precised. "I don't know for Vale, but in Atlas it's unusual to have someone drag you through pub crawls during your studies." It had been convenient too, since the Huntsman's license allowed them to skip the queue for the elevators to and from Mantle.

"But! You have me now", Keid offered with a widening grin. "You sure you're not a party guy, Felix? Because I want to see what Vale's nightlife is like at some point, and I need some help on the 'Vale' side of things." Among the handful of people he'd met, Felix was amazingly the only Valean so far.

[Felix Satou]

Felix smacked is forehead saying "Duh," as Keid mentioned not not being from Atlas. How could he forget about Mantle? His world history was getting rusty! Or maybe it was geography? Either way, Keid did have a point. It wasn't the most usual thing in the world to have a professor take you out for drink after drink when your studies were over. Or anyone for that matter! Beacon was hard enough on it's own without a hangover to hold you back.

He blushed slightly at Keid's words of encouragement. "Alright, I'll admit it, I do have a bit of know how about places to go for drinks or dancing or...whatever you might be looking for, but only half of it is from my own experience. I could be convinced to help you out, though." He put a hand to his chin and gave Keid an appraising look. "What exactly are you looking for?"

[Keid Sharma]

Felix' positive answer made Keid put both hands on the table and half stand up in excitement: "You do?!", then he remembered where they were and settled back down instantly. "Well then you can add the other half to your tally", he continued in a lower voice, throwing Felix a wink. "Drinking and dancing sounds fine... I guess Sin knew the good places in Mantle, so I didn't have to choose. I'm not one for super fancy and expensive places; I like to let loose a little." Not to mention that he had to pay for his own drinks from now on.

As their earlier topic came to mind, Keid added: "Then again, I'd avoid shady places too. You're right that it's better to lay low as students, so I'd rather be able to spend a night without fighting." He had seen some minor trouble before, but the company of a certified Huntsman was usually enough to calm things down. With Borealis in hand, he was confident that he could handle a random bar brawl, but it would definitely get back to his sponsor and cost him the weapon. Unarmed, on the other hand, he wasn't so confident in his skills. "So any 'average' part of the city would suit me, I guess, though I do have a penchant for strong alcohols", he summed up. "What's your favorite place like?"

[Felix Satou]

Felix giggled quietly at Keid's sudden outburst. They'd drawn the attention of the librarian, but thankfully they hadn't acquired her ire. The thought of getting a little more experience touring the town wasn't an unpleasant one. It would be easier to do with someone else in tow! "I can think of a few places that would fit the bill..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Keid continued to describe what he was looking for. Thankfully, they were both on the same page about not picking any fights. Your average Vale citizen would end up a pasty smear on the wall if they drunkenly picked a fight with even the most inept student at Beacon. Fighting was out of the question.

Luckily for the both of them, Felix' favorite establishment sounded like it would be perfect. "Well, there's a place I like to go to from time to time called 'Spades.' It's this little hole in the wall establishment in downtown Vale. The neighborhood it's in isn't too bad. It's got these weird sort of punk, retro vibe. The drinks are as cheap or as expensive as you could probably hope for, and they do a lot of open mic nights. They like to support local artists and stuff, but they've got nights where the place is just like any other bar. It's probably not the best place for dancing, it's no club, but there's a few in walking distance. It's great by itself, or if you wanted to have a few drinks before going to a club you could do that, you can spend as much or as little time there as you want and still enjoy it." It was probably the most comfortable starting point he could think of!

[Keid Sharma]

Keid nodded along with Felix's description, trying to picture the bar at the same time. Everything made it sound like a good place to unwind. "I can see that it's your favorite alright", he smiled at the praise, then looked over the table to get another glance at Felix' guitar — why he brought that to the library, Keid had no idea. "And I guess the 'open mic' bit plays a part in that. Are you a performer there?"
In any case, there was no doubt that the depicted area would suit Keid just as well. "Well, you make it sound nice, so I'll trust your judgment", he decided. "Do you know anyone who'd be down for downtown?"

[Felix Satou]

"Yeah, I do a little bit of performing there from time to time. Friday nights once or twice a month. Performers get free drinks, whether you're good or bad, heh." Felix got a few more drinks than the mediocre or amateur artists tended to, a highly appealing fact! "I know a couple people who might be interested in coming out to a Friday night bash there. If you want to give me your scroll number I can put something together and let you know if it'll be just us or us plus."

Felix pulled out his scroll and tapped over to his contacts list before opening a new one and putting Keid's name in, leaving the rest of the information blank as he handed it to Keid to fill in the rest. "Oh, take a goofy picture of yourself. Or a normal one, if you like, but it helps me remember people when I can put a face to the name in my scroll."

[Keid Sharma]

Free drinks always sounded nice, but the extent of Keid's musical skills was a bit of drumming. Still, the quickly planned outing sounded more exciting by the second.

He hesitated with the scroll in hand. "Goofy? Um... Way to put me on the spot", he mumbled while figuring out what the best silly face would be (aka what would look the worst on a screen). After a moment, he turned the flash on and set the scroll down on the table for a low-angle shot, camera pointed directly at his two highest lights under his chin.
Photophores both produced and reflected light, which lead to two nearly saturated bright spots on the photo, completed by an overdone menacing look from above.

"No chance to confuse them with piercings now", Keid snorted at the result and took out his own scroll to add his number to Felix'. He too made a new contact and handed both back. "Your turn, go wild", he prompted.