Recycled Takeout [Private w/ Felix Satou]

[Terra Fennel]

There had to be something wrong with Valians. Some terrible curse in their blood, or some toxic chemical in the water that changed the way their brains and bodies worked. The summer day had been unbearably hot, causing the wolf to sweat enough that she'd struggled with her hair clinging to the side of her face or brow in the midday sun. And she'd been wearing just a white tee and a purple knee length skirt! Nearly every Vale born citizen was wearing something heavier as if the heat of summer didn't bother them. Full pants, some wore long sleeves, and still one woman actually had a jacket slung over her arm as she left a restaurant leaning on her partner. They were damaged, every last one of them.

The reality was, it was a cool day for a Vale summer, and the poor Mantle born wolf was still struggling to adjust to the difference in temperatures. Just above freezing had been a warm day for her before, a day she could let her hood down and feel the biting wind on her cheeks. Still, wandering the city hadn't been all for naught. Navigating the city was getting easier, some of the street names finally beginning to stick in her mind, and she could even tell which direction a given district was wherever she was at, which meant she could always find the airship docks to get back to Beacon. She'd even found a handful of lien on the sidewalk, some of which had been turned into a bottle of cold grape soda that offered a little respite.

Not for naught. The pair walking ahead of her were talking about what to do next on their date after a dinner hardly eaten. There was a touch of annoyance in the taller woman's voice, but she was doing her best to seem perfectly content she'd spent lien on a meal that her date had taken all of two bites of before deciding she didn't want to risk her figure. Furred ears were perked up, listening to the two talk, some of their words lost, but the wolf's focus followed the foam container that was discarded into a trashcan as the pair walked by. Terra slowed her pace for a few moments so not to alert the pair to her plan.

“And yoink.” The wolf with sandy blonde hair stopped by the trashcan just long enough to reach and grab the same container that had been discarded and forgotten. While the woman may have wasted money on her date, the food wouldn't be a waste at least. “Waste not want not.” There was hardly a care if anyone had seen her opportunistic rummaging. Terra cracked open the container, her attention entirely on the treasure that might be within. It was an unidentifiable treasure to the hungry wolf, but a treasure none the less from the savory and sweet scents coming from the still warm food. They containers tumble into the trash hadn't done the takoyaki any favors in appearance, the sauce and toppings scattered messily around, but finger food was usually messy. Her tail swayed happily behind her as she debated taking a bite now, or waiting until she got back to Beacon.

[Felix Satou]

Felix closed his eyes for a moment as he walked down the city streets of his home. The air was fresh and relatively cool for this time of summer. He hardly needed to strip down to stay cool. A black t-shirt that fit his slim frame well, a pair of jogging shorts with a sliver of teal highlighting the edge, and some athletic leggings that went down to his plain black sneakers was enough to keep him at a nice, mild temperature. He hadn't even broken a sweat and he'd been out busking all afternoon! His guitar was snug against his back, the stock pointing down at the ground as he merrily made his way along, making sure his eyes didn't stay closed so long that he ran into anyone. Not that he had to worry about that with the way his semblance sparkled around him. No way was he going to be having any rotten luck with his pockets practically jingling with all of the lien he'd made! It was basically chump change in the grand scheme of things, enough for a nice dinner, but the affirmation from the people who donated was what he'd really been after. It was a good day.

He turned a corner and almost immediately spotted someone who was assuredly not having a good day. A dozen meters or so in front of him was a wolf faunus who stuck out like a sore thumb. Her sandy, blonde, wet hair was plastered against the side of her cute, freckle smattered face. She had an absolutely enchanting look of concentration on her face as she stalked a pair of rather well off looking citizens. The expression of triumph on her face and the wag of her tail was melting his heart as she...reaching into a trash can to grab the pair's leftovers?! Felix nearly yelled at her from where he stood not to eat it! It had been in the trash! Well, it had been in a styrofoam container and then put in the trash for all of two seconds before she'd snatched it, but still! That was no way for a Beacon Student to behave.

Beacon Student?! He recognized her! He'd seen her before! They shared a freshman class on dust studies taught by some faunus professor. How could he not recognize her? Her features were so identifiable! He had already been walking towards her, but he picked up the pace a little more. No way was he going to just stand there and watch her eat something out of the trash. He couldn't help feel a little guilty that he was probably about to embarrass her, but stars be damned, he couldn't stop himself.

"Hey," he said, voice soft and bright as he stopped a couple feet away from the girl. "You're, um, Terra, right? Fennel? From Ms. Valiente's class?"

[Terra Fennel]

Maybe it was better to wait until she got back to Beacon. The more she looked at the little fried balls that had practically tossed in white and brown sauce and their little green onion topping, the harder it was to actually identify anything but the onions. Whatever they were would still be good by the time she got back to her dorm, and it didn't even look like any of them had a bite out taken out of them, which meant no reason to worry about having to toss one out. There was a trick to discarded food being safe to eat, and it was knowing what to look for. Not that anyone would probably stomach her regaling them with the details.

The sound of a soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts and drew her attention to the young man walking up to her. There was something familiar about it, like she'd heard the boy talking near her, but never to her, and when she saw his face, it clicked. No, he hadn't talked to her before, not that she could remember, but they shared one of her favorite classes. Dust was a passion of hers, and it made everything in the class a bit brighter. Not that Felix needed any help. Handsome wasn't the right word for him in her opinion. He was pretty with soft effeminate features that had caused her to stare on more than one occasion. Why was he talking to her now of all times? The culprit spoke out with a quiet squeak of styrofoam as she closed the lid.

“Oh, Felix right?” She spoke with a smile and without a skip in the sway of her tail. He remembered her name. That was more than most people bothered with. Even the people she'd grown up with preferred a nickname that she hadn't been fond of. The wolf in her took a moment to appreciate his appearance up close, and took note of his outfit. Maybe they weren't all damaged. It still looked too warm for her tastes, but not nearly as stifling as some of the outfits she'd seen today. His guitar held her attention almost as much as the rest of him together did.

“Can't say I'm used to running into other students in the city, at least not any that recognize me. Were you out for a run or something?” He looked like he was dressed for a jog, but why jog with a guitar? Weren't they kind of delicate?

[Felix Satou]

He felt a bit of relief that she hadn't gotten too panicked or flustered at his approach. Good, he could absolutely pretend like he didn't see her pull that foam tray out of the trash. Either she knew and was trying to save face, or she didn't know. Either way, he wasn't about to put the spot on her. He could see her giving him the once over and smiled a little wider. His clothes were rather nice, weren't they? "Yep, Felix," he said with a nod, but he shook his head at her next question. "It just felt like this was the thing to wear today if I was going to be out in town for a while. I was busking. With the guitar. Uh, so I chose something comfortable that wouldn't be too hot." It would have been a good day for a run, though. There was a bit of nervous energy in him that he probably wouldn't have if he had been running and he could feel it bleeding through into the way he was being a bit more overtalkative than normal. He couldn't help but marvel at the fact that Terra was dressed more lightly than he was and looked like she'd just run a marathon. She was hot. Ha ha! She was hot and she was hot.

"I don't run into a lot of my classmates out here, either. Huh, well, more like walk into them, right? What're you up to?" Now she could give him any reason she liked! She could tell the truth if that was her thing, brush off the take out container, say she didn't like what she got, whatever, and he would absolutely believe her no matter what came out of her mouth.

[Terra Fennel]

“Busking?” There was some uncertainty as she mouthed it quietly feeling an unfamiliar word on her tongue, a brief look of confusion on her freckled face until he mentioned his guitar. The context was enough to clue her in, her eyes almost shining as she felt like she understood. “I've known a few people who tried the whole street musician thing. Doesn't work out so well in Mantle though. Fingers get too cold and then... Well, you know what happens, and then I had to patch them up.” There was no sense in going over the messy details of guitar strings and nearly frozen flesh. Injuries like that were just another thing she'd learned people didn't have the stomach for.

“As for me, I've been trying to learn my way around the city, familiarize myself with street names, landmarks, and interesting stores for whenever I figure out a way to make some money that doesn't cut into my studies. Basically just finding the fruits of the city to enjoy now and later. Even managed to snag dinner that isn't cafeteria food.” There was a part of her that always urged her to be cautious, to not tell too much, but the way he'd approached her seemed genuine enough to lend a little trust at least. It also let her test the waters if he really had spotted her.

Terra wiped at her forehead with back of the hand holding her half drunk soda. “I still don't know how people handle the heat here. I can't even imagine what Vacuo would be like for me. You're the first person I've seen that looks to have actually dressed for it.” Her eyes lingered on his shorts for a moment. “Actually I think I have a pair of those for my morning runs. They're cute.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix played up his grimace at Terra's mention of frozen fingers. He could imagine how painful it would be to have frostbite while playing guitar. It had felt like that when he'd first learned to play, before he'd started developing callouses. His fingertips had been so sore it made him wonder if he would ever be able to play again! And then he'd played again the next day. It probably wasn't nearly as bad, but if you imagined the pain and turned it up to eleven, well...neither one of them needed to dwell on it. She did say she snagged dinner, but he was sure he hadn't seen her take a bite yet. His stomach turned at the idea of eating food out of the garbage. Was she really that hard up for lien?

He blushed at the compliment, laughing giddily. "Thank you! I thought the same thing the first time I saw them. Though, you're the first person who's ever mentioned having their own pair." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I usually stay cool by just dressing for the weather and having lived here all my life. Recommend the former, sometimes the latter." He eyed the leftovers in her hand and half-frowned in somewhat exaggerated disappointment. "You know, I was...actually about to ask if you maybe wanted to grab a bite to eat with me, if, you know, you're still hungry. And if you're not, you could always just enjoy the air conditioned interior and maybe have dessert? It'd be my treat and definitely not a slightly desperate attempt to have a good excuse to keep talking to you for a while." The expression on his face was still mostly hopeful that he was going to get a yes from her, color lingering on his cheeks and ears from the word cute being used to describe him.

[Terra Fennel]

Terra watched him as he laughed, really more of a giggle. Her own smile came easily even if she still felt some suspicion of his serendipitous approach. How often did boys, or girls for that matter, stop to talk to her, without saying something crude or mean? It was hard to feel like she measured up to any of her peers with their looks. Felix even looked better in women's shorts than she did, though she was pretty certain what she wore underneath hers was far more interesting to look at. It took her a moment to stop her mind from wandering. It was easier to keep her mind from wandering when there was so much familiarity with the people around her.

“I'll give you an A minus for honesty.” An A minus because she hadn't missed that there was something more than disappointment to that exaggerated frown. He had seen hadn't he and thought he was helping her didn't he? “I'm happy to keep talking for a bit, and I'm not really in a hurry to get back except to make sure I catch the last airship back to campus. Not sure you needed an excuse. Since I've already got dinner, you can pick something up if you're hungry and we can eat together.” What she had in her hands wasn't merely a free meal, but something she could see to wouldn't go to waste. It would even be a kind of food she hadn't gotten to try before.

[Felix Satou]

A minus for honesty? Well...she certainly had him pegged, didn't she? She knew he knew. But she was going to eat it anyways? They both knew! And she wanted to eat it?! He could feel his brain frying in his head. Should he just come out with it? She had said that he was getting an A minus, so maybe full honesty would be better? It probably was?

"Sorry," he said, sheepishly. "I just didn't think it would be, uh, tactful to, um, loudly accuse you of diving through a trash can for food the second I walked up to you." His voice got progressively quieter as he spoke that particular sentence out loud. "But you're obviously not embarrassed, so, er...can I buy you dinner because I think you deserve better than someone else's leftovers?" He quickly held up his hands. "I swear, I'm not trying to do the whole 'Human Savior' bit. If you're a Beacon student you don't need me to rescue you, it's not like that or anything." It might have started out a bit like that, but now it definitely wasn't. It might have been a bit of a hamfisted attempt, but he was trying to be a decent person!

[Terra Fennel]

The sway of her tail slowed and then stopped her brow furrowing slightly in annoyance. He meant well, she could actually believe that. It actually helped his case when he mentioned the whole Human Savior stunt that some humans liked to pull thinking it would get them an easy lay. It wasn't exactly a secret, and even less experienced faunus knew about it. For some, it was almost like a business transaction. That was how her mother had taken care of her family wasn't it... Terra closed her eyes for a breath to stop herself from getting too annoyed with him.

“I appreciate that offer Felix, but if it was really just about needing a meal, Beacon's cafeteria always has meals, and snacks for that matter, for students. A real nice change of pace from what I was used to, never having to wonder if I was going to get to eat. There's even soup kitchens around here if I was actually in trouble.” Her willingness to pluck a meal from a trashcan came from a time where she had to occasionally go for days without a good meal. Terra opened the container of food so he could see its contents. While the food had clearly been jostled and tossed around in the container when it got chucked into the trashcan, it didn't appear spoiled.

“Sure it's not pretty, but it's not bad. It still smells good, and my nose has never let me down. It's even still warm. It's unwanted and otherwise going to go to waste, but I don't see why it has to because someone else decided to throw it away instead of eating it themselves.” He really seemed to want to help her, but... She didn't need help. Not in this. People just took things for granted, and wasting food only came easily to those who didn't have to go without.

[Felix Satou]

The moment she closed her eyes he could feel a pit in his stomach opening up. It only lasted a second, though, no need to assume the worst when she hadn't even opened her mouth. If the air around him ended up full of purple stars it wouldn't matter how charming he was or how well he might have apologized for pissing her off. He'd end up doing it on accident. No, no need to worry, just listen and figure out what to do from there. He had been making a bit of an assumption about Terra's previous state of affairs, so it was at least nice to know he wasn't wrong about that. She was also right, the food didn't look too bad. It wasn't in perfect order. Much as it might have made his stomach turn, and as much as he felt like it was definitely beneath her, he couldn't exactly feel outraged on her behalf when she put it like that.

"Well, um," Felix rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not going to argue with that. It's not like anything you could catch from someone else's saliva is going to kill you, so, no shame in taking it. Would you want to, maybe, take it home, microwave it tomorrow for supper and let me take you out to dinner as a friend and I can, uh, apologize for being kind of rude?" He coughed, looking down towards his shoes as he went on. "And, yes, I am still hungry even after eating all of that shoe I just put in my mouth. It's not as filling as it looks." She had her reasons for taking someone else's leftovers and they were sound enough to him. Sound enough that he wasn't going to try and lecture her out of it. She was old enough to make those choices.

Hopefully she was about to choose his offer!

[Terra Fennel]

The sheepish way he reached up to rub as his neck and the tone of his voice was a surprise. One that she couldn't be sure was a pleasant one or not. It wasn't as if she wanted him to feel bad about trying to be helpful, to feel guilty he had said something. It had just been presumptuous to think that she was some damsel in distress simply because she'd grabbed a meal that had been discarded. Would he have thought the same thing watching human wait staff pluck a few uneaten scraps off a plate in a restaurant? Terra's face softened as she closed the container again, content to keep it for the next day or even a late night snack. A hand offered in kindness oft stung would soon be a fist given in anger.

“You know what? I think I'd be happy to. You weren't actually all that rude and you were actually well meaning. You thought you saw someone in need, and you tried to offer a hand, which is more than some of our classmates can say.” The small smile, and the relaxed sway of her tail returned as quickly as they had vanished. There was no grudge worth holding onto for a misunderstanding. “Besides, this will give me a chance to get to know one of my classmates a bit better. A cute one at that.” Not that he would likely think highly of her for her trash diving, but at least he had backed off on that. His comment about saliva wasn't forgotten, but he didn't seem the type that wanted to think about the fact that some of their peers had gone so far as to spit at her.

[Felix Satou]

His relief was palpable as Terra chose to take him up on his offer. It had been just a tad dicey there. Terra could have totally blown him off and he probably would have deserved it. Sure, he was just trying to help, but that wasn't always a good excuse for intruding into someone else's business if they didn't want you to. It was a lesson he found out the hard way. He hadn't truly internalized it. His nose kept finding it's way into places it wasn't invited. He usually didn't get bitten for it!

He chuckled, grinning at Terra's compliment. She'd been calling his shorts cute earlier, but now she was calling him cute. "Thank you. I was actually thinking something along the same lines." Terra was definitely cute. Even now, there was charm to the way her hair clung to her face and how the sweat shone. It probably wasn't appropriate to think about whether it tasted as good as the soda she was carrying or not. "Right, okay, well, first question, what's your favorite food?" Please say snacks like him. Ah, well, that was expecting a bit much and he wasn't sure he had a good answer for that. He did have good suggestion for just about any other kind of food she might have been looking for. He may not have seen much of the rest of the world, but he'd seen a lot of what Vale had to offer.

[Terra Fennel]

Somehow he still thought she was cute despite the fact he'd quite literally caught her rummaging in the trash? Terra let out an amused breath through her nose, but didn't comment further on that. Right now it felt like they'd stepped back to square one on talking to each other, and she didn't want to mess that up. Well, maybe square two since they were going to get food somewhere. She genuinely hoped whatever the fried balls were would still be good after sitting for a bit. This wasn't Mantle and she didn't need to risk actually getting sick from spoiled food.

“My favorite? Well, that's kind of easy. I got to try sushi at this little faunus run sushi place a couple days after I first arrived here in Vale, when I still had the lien to spend. There's really nothing like that in Mantle, or at least if there was...” She glanced towards the trashcan, not exactly wanting to broadcast what she was willing to do to everyone. While she didn't have a problem with it, she'd already known others might. “Well it's not going to be edible unless it's bought fresh, but that's expensive so I'm more than open to ideas. Clearly, I'm not picky.”

[Felix Satou]

Yeah, sushi wasn't something that you really wanted to take a chance on. It was the only food that Felix had ever gotten sick from eating it fresh! He was convinced that it wasn't the fish, probably someone on the staff not washing their hands, but still! It hadn't stopped him from occasionally indulging in the stuff. And the restaurant that she was describing sounded familiar to him. There weren't many faunus run businesses in Vale as far as he could tell, but it was a bit too far away from where the pair was. "I've been there before! Quicksilver, right?" He chimed in merrily. "They're quite good. It's actually the first place I'll end up suggesting if I'm going out for sushi with someone and we're making a trip anyways. They've got some of the best stuff in the city, and I've never ordered anything off the menu that made me sick."

He brought both of his hands up to the back of his head and laced them together as he took a moment to think. They weren't too far off from a decent alternative. Quicksilver was a decent bus ride or walk away from the pair. "I know another place nearby that's not quite as good, but it's a much shorter walk. They do more than sushi, though. If you want some fresh fried squid they've got that on the menu, among other things." He gestured over his shoulder for her to follow along and he turned back in the direction that he'd been coming from. "It's just around the corner."

[Terra Fennel]

Terra's ears perked up at the familiar name and she quickly nodded in affirmation. “That would be the place! Relaxing music, delicious food, good- oh what did they call it? It's a “rice wine” I think?” How could she not be excited? It was her first experience with a faunus run business, and the first place she'd gotten food in Vale, on top of that Felix knew about it? Most humans she'd met wouldn't even bother with places they knew were frequented by faunus, let alone a business owned by them. Somehow through sheer dumb luck the boy who'd caught her seemed to have no issues with her kind.

“You know it doesn't have to be sushi just because that's my favorite? I know it's more expensive than most street food. It's really kind of you, but I wouldn't want to put you on the spot.” Terra half-walked, half-skipped as she moved to keep up with his longer strides. It was clear she wasn't lacking in energy. “What about you? What's your favorite food, or place to take someone to?” The urge to ask a dozen questions about the kind musician bubbled up and just wouldn't let go of her until she asked some questions. He was a living, breathing experience that she hoped to remember.

[Felix Satou]

"Sake?" Felix filled in for her before letting her continue. The disaster had been avoided, and the blue dots of light winking in and out of the air around him were back to a moderate level of strength. It was kinda cute that she was letting him know he didn't have to break the bank for her, but he waved off her concern. "Didn't you hear? I spent all day busking. I've easily got enough extra lien in my pockets right now to pay for both of us and maybe have a little bit leftover." He chose not to make a joke about sitting there eating all evening. He wouldn't want to guilt her into thinking there was some kind of limit. "Besides, I'm the one making the offer here. I might have made a little bit of a fool of myself, but not enough to break the bank paying for dinner over it." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm...fairly certain that there aren't actually any restaurants in town that a single meal could really drain me down to nothing on. There'd be some uncomfortable moments signing off on the check, but..." He shrugged. He wasn't rich, but one meal, no matter how fancy, was only one meal.

"Honestly? I like taking people to wherever they like to go. If the food's good, I'm gonna enjoy it no matter what it is. Seafood, steak, vegan, foreign stuff, classic diner food, I like it all. I kinda just like impressing people with my solid guesswork." His semblance assisted guesswork, that was! He didn't always have to use it. Right now, he was going off of the fact that he had eaten here before. No guessing needed! "I know that's a boring non-answer, though, so my real answer is pizza. Million different ways to get it, and every one of them is delicious. Yes, even pineapple and ham," he nodded, heading off the most common question he heard when saying he loved all forms of baked dough with cheese and sauce.

[Terra Fennel]

“Yeah, sake!” Another thing to remember, another thing that she enjoyed about the world outside of Mantle. Sort of like this odd young man that she kept her eyes on as she listened and skipped along beside him. The styrofoam container was balanced in one hand, a slight twitch of her wrist all it took to keep it steady as she moved or when the wind caught it. Terra scrunched up her nose when he mentioned how he'd be able to pay for a meal at any of the Valian restaurants they might go to. She knew he didn't mean anything by it besides to reassure her that him treating her to dinner wouldn't be a problem.

“How's it guesswork though if you asked me what I liked? Isn't that kind of like saying you're good at taking tests when you have the exam answers on your hand?” Her tone was teasing even as one of her furred ears flicked. The fizzing sensation in the air was beginning to get distracting. It wasn't a sound or even a feeling on her skin so much as something akin to bubbles blowing on the breeze. There but ephemeral, gone before she could really take notice of what it was. The only thing she could be sure of was that it was someone's aura, likely his.

[Felix Satou]

"Ah, but the art of guessing is so much more difficult than that," he said as he rounded a corner at a leisurely pace with her. "Consider a pizza place that buys all of their ingredients at the lowest possible cost. Previously frozen, pre-formed doughs. Fully seasoned sauce from a can. Toppings whose only ingredients are salt and preservatives!" His hands moved expressively, raid in front of himself in faux indignance. "And another whose doughs are given a three day slow rise, made from scratch, with beer instead of water. Hand picked tomatoes with garden grown herbs. Fresh! Not frozen for a second! Homemade sausage and hand tied pepperoni! There's a world of difference between picking a good answer and a bad answer here!" He turned to look at Terra as they continued walking. "Not every pizza place is a hit, and even the good ones, well, you'll have variance in flavor based on the chef, the time of year, so on and so on. It's not just a matter of the right place, but the right time too, and I happen to think I'm pretty good at it. Not that I put much thought into all those factors, I just guess," he said with a laugh. "And I'm very, very good at getting lucky.

He stopped abruptly and turned ninety degrees to his right, gesturing with energy and an unnecessary flair of drama. "Tadaa!" The building was about as ultra-modern as it was possible to be. The tiling, walls, paint, signs, all were new, sharp, and had clearly been designed by a recent graduate of architectural design. The logo was a small, black cat with a fish in it's mouth, highly stylized to look adorable and inviting. "It looks more expensive than it actually is," he said, totally oblivious to what Terra's ideas of expensive might actually be. "Worth every penny, every time. The only reason I don't go here first is because the whole ultra-modern design isn't as fun for me as the classic, but, location, location, location. It's location is close to us. I kinda like this place's name, too. Black Cat Sushi. It's simple."

[Terra Fennel]

Terra listened and tried to follow along as Felix gesticulated over the differences between two different pizza places. While it was clear to her which one was supposed to sound better, it would have had the same effect if he was speaking in one of the old languages. Salt and preservatives weren't necessarily bad, and were necessary for things to keep, especially when you lived someplace too cold to grow fresh produce. Something frozen was also something she might actually be able to use to cook a meal, where as all those extra steps he mentioned in the fresher pizza were why she couldn't. Whether it was a lack of patience or experience applying heat in a controlled way to food, was impossible to say. Between that and the fizzing at the edge of her senses, she almost missed something he'd said. Almost. Very good at getting lucky.

While it was true they'd already been flirting a little, it came as easily to her as breathing when she was comfortable, he couldn't really be implying that of all things. No, he probably wasn't. Not with his theatrics right after saying it. While it caused her tail to bristle, she brushed it off as nerves. A bunch of other humans, and some faunus thinking she was easy didn't mean he was thinking that. He probably just meant he tended to have good luck when it came to guessing.

“I'm looking forward to trying it.” A cursory look at the door and windows was enough to confirm she wasn't likely to run into an issue bringing outside food, and at least there was no clear sign saying faunus were not welcome. “You know, with Black Cat in the name, I'm a little surprised they didn't go with a more magical looking décor.” She couldn't exactly fault Felix or the restaurant though. It was her love of books that made her quick to associate a black cat with witches. It was unlikely many other people did.

[Felix Satou]

Felix wasn't so imperceptive to miss the way that Terra's tail bristled at his choice of words. He usually thought that was a cute joke to tell, but Terra had definitely not appreciated it. No commentary from her meant that she was either rationalizing it away, or it was just a knee jerk reaction. He'd just need to be a bit more careful about what he was saying. If that was even possible. "You know, I wonder about that myself..." Pumpkins, cats, harvest festivals, witches, they were common themes. Sure, cats liked sushi, but why not pick a different cat? "I think the owner just likes cats?" He shrugged, truly not having any idea as he lead the pair into the restaurant. There was no server there to greet them. "So, you know how modern looking it is? It's so modern, they've automated table service...eh, sort of. Here, c'mon," he gestured for her to follow him to one of the corner booths along the front of the store. The windows were tall, clear, and clean in their spacious booth meant for four. Sitting on the table with a metal string attached to it was a single scroll.

"You order off of that, and the wait staff brings it out when it's ready. The lack of table service can be nice, from time to time. Kinda wish they'd gone with pneumatic tubes or something for delivery so it could be totally automated, but hey, I like some amount of person to person contact in my restaurant experience, so it's not all bad." He took his guitar off his back as he was sitting and rested it against the window before grabbing the small ordering device. "Oooookay, tell me how hungry you are. I'm going to pick a few random things off the menu, and we can give them all a try. Please say wildly hungry, it'll help me feel a little less guilty about before."

[Terra Fennel]

As Terra followed Felix into the restaurant, she breathed a sigh of relief from the air conditioning that kept the building cool. The refreshing cool air and the smell of freshly sliced fish and seasoned rice were pleasant experience compared to the outdoors. Something was missing though. While the wolf had little opportunity to experience many places like this, the lack of a host or wait staff meeting them at the door stood out to her almost immediately. She'd been expecting at least a sharp stare when she walked in, but found herself pleasantly surprised... Though a lack of people disturbed her in its own way. It felt oddly impersonal. Like trying to ask an Atlesian Knight for help. Felix's explanation took some of the edge off.

“I guess that's kind of neat, but I definitely prefer people. I'll take being glared at for walking into the wrong place to something completely automated.” Terra replied as she sat down across from him. Her soda and scavenged meal were set to the side and out of the way. “You kind of lose the soul of the experience when it's automated purely for convenience rather than necessity.” At least there were other patrons. This place with it's sleek and modern interior would have felt too cold otherwise. Why couldn't she just be happy with the free meal.

“I'm plenty hungry. Only reason I didn't snack on the way here is I didn't want to see if you'd turn green.” She rested her elbow on the table and her chin on the heel of her palm while looking at the rest of the restaurant. A quiet sigh escaped her before she turned her attention to him. Focus on the people near her rather than the lack of people around her. “Sorry, I probably seem pretty ungrateful. I don't mean to. I guess moving to Vale's just been weird for me.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix reclined back into his bench for a moment, feigning hurt. "Oh, so, it's the waiters and servers scowls you're most interested in and not my company?" The look on his face would dispel any doubt that he might actually have been hurt by what she had to say. He knew what she meant. It was nice to have someone else do all the work for you, but there were perks to coming to a place like this. Without looking at the menu, Felix tapped away at the screen, letting his semblance guide his fingers to wherever he felt like clicking. "It's okay. I've never had to move a great distance before. I don't usually like to make assumptions, but from the way you were handling the weather I was starting to think you might have been from somewhere a bit colder."

He only looked down at the scroll long enough to finalize an order and press the accept button. "And...er, thank you, for that. I usually have a pretty strong stomach, but...I think I would have had to avert my eyes. I can tell myself it's fine, I know it was only in the bin for a second, but...uggghhh, yeah, my stomach doesn't like that idea." He set the scroll down and scooted it off to the side. "Is it bad weird? Good weird? Bit of both? More of one than the other?" He'd lived in Vale his whole life! Moving from another continent would have been a big deal.

[Terra Fennel]

“Spoken like someone who's never had to survive off scraps.” There was a hint of a smile on her lips and a touch of amusement to her tone. “It's okay though. I get it, I really do. I'm looking to be a Medical Huntress. I'm well aware of the pathogens and illnesses that exist out there and what might be hidden in that sauce. Our aura does a lot to alleviate the damage or symptoms of a lot of illnesses, but there are diseases that harm us even with aura, and even a common cold will sometimes slip through.” Being less likely to get sick didn't mean a huntress never got ill. Would he be able to follow along if she really went into specifics? Even some of the professors just started smile and nod after a moment. Medicine was a specialization and a complex one at that.

“To answer your question though, it's definitely a bit of both. Mantle even this time of year is frigid. Cold enough that ice will form on the sides of buildings, especially those that are caught in Atlas's shadow.” Terra ran her fingers against her brow brushing some of her hair to the side. “Here though, it's felt like I was melting today, and I'm dressed as lightly as I can.” She pulled on the front of her shirt and let go as if to emphasize how thin the fabric was.

“Where it really gets weird though is dealing with the people. Learning what's okay, and what isn't like it's a different world. The people here are kinder, but more closed off than what I grew up around. I mean, I still get glared at, called names, and hit with things. The usual, but even the hate feels kinder.” Maybe because it was at least familiar to her. “I know it's not specifically Mantle or Vale that's the difference though. The people I grew up around were basically their own little subcommunity. I was always in arms reach of someone. When I'd go to sleep, I might be resting my head on another person's shoulder, arm, or leg, maybe have my tail half hugging someone else's. And my semblance quite literally makes me connected to the people around me, so I really feel the absence of people.”

[Felix Satou]

Medicine was a particular field he wasn't well versed in. He knew the very basics of what his aura could help protect him from, but the long and short was that anyone could still get sick, even severely so! Huntresses and huntsmen were much less likely to die, or suffer extreme side effects, maybe, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant to get food poisoning! And aura certainly wouldn't help mitigate the heat. He shook his head as she described just how cold Mantle could be. He had heard stories, but knowing someone who really lived there and hearing about the first hand accounts was wild. He frowned at her description of the way that she was being treated and he could feel his heart swelling. To go from having all of that closeness to being alone in a big city like Vale sounded terribly lonely. He felt a sudden urge to hug her, but managed to stay in his seat.

"Well, not all of us are closed off or full of...kind hatred," he said. "And I think it's a crying shame that that's the impression my fair city has been leaving you with. It almost feels like my civic duty to prove we're not all bad." He grinned lightly at that. "I have a twin sister. Her name's Telu. We've pretty much shared a bedroom up until the point we enrolled in Beacon and even that was an adjustment for me." He looked around conspiratorially, but actually was checking to make sure no one was watching. "I...may have...ended up staying in her room the first week we were at Beacon because I missed her, even though we were attending the same academy. And...maybe...I might have cried once or twice from missing home. Our parents own a farm, so making a trip out there isn't exactly the same as coming into town. So, I...don't want to say I know exactly how lonely it must feel to be where you are, but I think I have an idea." He took out his own scroll, and sent out a proximity invite to Terra. "And, I also know it's a lot easier to deal with feeling lonely when you're not alone."

[Terra Fennel]

It was clear to her that he didn't quite understand what she'd meant with that seeming oxymoron, and she didn't know if she had the heart to explain it. If he wasn't aware of the cruelty that people could show her kind, then she was content not to educate him. He likely wasn't one of the one's that needed their outlook changed, and one person wasn't likely to change the hearts and minds of the many anyway. Besides, her entire point was that for the most part Vale was better. Almost in every way Vale was better. Even if somehow she found herself expelled from Beacon, she was confident she could survive, comfortably even. At least he understood some of what she meant. It was easy to share a genuine smile with him as he talked about his sister and slipping into her dorm to sleep.

Terra glanced down at her left arm where the fractal scarring from lightning crawled all the way from her hand to the skin hidden beneath her shirt. A gift from her brother... “It's funny in a messed up kind of way. My brother was there with us, but I don't know if we were ever close. Maybe once upon a time.” Her scroll buzzing caused her to quickly pull it out long enough to see he'd sent a request. A quick tap of her thumb confirmed it as she put it away. “You don't have to understand exactly what someone is going through to sympathize though, so I appreciate it. It's not all bad. There are benefits to having a dorm and bathroom to myself.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix couldn't help but beam at his scroll when he saw Terra's name show up in his contact list. The little blue lights that flickered in and out of existence around him were strong enough to be seen easily in the broad daylight the pair was bathed in from the large windows. He had successfully salvaged his introduction. Success! Scroll number get! He tried not to let himself seem too enthusiastic, Terra had just said in a rather forlorn tone that she wasn't close with her own family. That wasn't exactly something to be excited about. He shrugged at her mention of having a private bathroom. "It's weird, because I know that's true for other people, but I can't think of any advantages other than it being slightly less cluttered than before."

He sent Terra a little picture, a chibi version of himself sticking out his tongue and holding up his fingers in a peace sign, one from a set of instant messaging stickers he'd commissioned some talented artist to make for him. "I use just about all the same hair products that my sister does, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sometimes I pick different scents. I kinda prefer stuff like watermelon, lime, lemon, and orange. I uh...also tend to use the same make up she does. Eye liner, concealer, you know, just really simple stuff." Terra was a girl. She would be able to tell that he was wearing makeup even if it was the most basic of basics. But how could he not? His sister wore the stuff. He and his sister were always in each others hobbies. If Telu was using makeup he couldn't stop himself from learning how to use it to! And what was wrong with hiding the circles under your eyes or making your cheeks look a little more colorful or just making your eyes pop a little more? Nothing! That's what! And there was nothing wrong with using lip gloss either, but he didn't have to call any attention to that. "But...even then, it's kind of a downside because I can't borrow from her when I run out, I have to just make sure I don't run out. Is it, uh, just the privacy? Being able to be alone when you want to be?"

[Terra Fennel]

At first it seemed a trick of the light, a reflection of the sun off a car driving by, a blue sparkle appeared in the air and vanished. Except it happened again and there was no car, and she could feel the sparkle form and felt it wink out of existence. It reminded her of the fizzing sensation from before. Gold eyes darted to each new one as they appeared around the young man, and the sensation matched each time. They were tiny stars of aura, a visual representation of his aura and potentially semblance, like the threads and cords that could appear when she used her semblance or used dust. “Well, that's certainly kind of neat.” She was tempted to reach out and try to catch one with her semblance, but thought better of it. Whatever his semblance was, wasn't really affecting her, but that could change if she did that.

Another buzz of her scroll, caused her to pull it out and set it on the table beside her so she could take a peek at what he'd sent. Terra exhaled a breath of amusement through her nose. “That's cute, and your makeup works for you.” If she was surprised, it didn't show. Her dorm neighbor wore more makeup than she ever would herself, but he made it an art. “I hadn't really noticed it at first, but now that you mention it, it's pretty clear. I'd probably look half dead right now without my makeup. My shampoo is strawberry scented, and my soap is just basic Beacon supplied stuff. Nearly everything in my dorm is.” You had to have money to have more than a few odds and ends that were your own in your dorm, and as it was she could barely scrounge enough up for her shampoo and conditioner when she needed it.

“You'll probably think it's weird, but it's not really the privacy, or not only the privacy I guess.” Terra rubbed her hands together as she talked, and tried to explain something she imagined would sound alien to him. “It's nice being able to take a bath or shower when you want, without having to share the little bit of room you've got because there's only so much hot water. I really like not having to worry about waking up to someone stepping on me because they got up to go pee and they're half asleep.” A soft giggle left her and she shook her head. "But yeah, being able to have a moment to myself is nice too. Especially with a good book."

[Felix Satou]

Felix usually didn't pay too much mind to his semblance's visual effect. It often faded into the background of his mind. Only if he was in the best of moods or the worst of moods and looking into a mirror did it really register him if someone else didn't bring attention to it first. There Terra was, though, her eyes tracking the blinking lights in the air around him. He owed her an explanation in a moment, but right now he was going to grin and bask in the glow of hearing a girl say his makeup looked good. It was subtle. It was just enough to make him look less tired and lend a little more pop to the already bright color of his eyes, but he was always a little worried it wasn't quite right. It didn't feel like it was his domain! "Thank you," he said, sincerely flattered, biting his lip a little to stop himself from talking over her in a hurry. His ears were red with delight.

He could understand her position enough not to think it weird. Telu had definitely woken him up more than once by stepping on him or crawling over him before they got bunk beds. It was having a space that was yours and no one else's. It was something he was adjusting to with his own room. "Not weird at all. I've been woken up by some poorly placed feet, too. Having your own stuff, your own space, being able to do what you want without having to think about the other people you're with? All things that are very convenient."

Calloused fingertips brushed their way through his hair while he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "The lights are my semblance. The really short version is that when I'm in a good mood, I've got good luck. If I'm in a bad mood, I've got bad luck. The happier I am, the brighter the lights, the better the luck. My guesses get better, but I'm not infallible. It also doesn't work with lottery tickets, but I'm pretty tough to beat at cards. Random chance conspires in my favor. It also rubs off on the people I touch, based on how long the contact is and how much contact there is. A handshake might last a minute. A hug might last five. A really long hug could last a half an hour, etc., etc. Same thing with the bad luck." He'd rehearsed this whole spiel before!

[Terra Fennel]

Terra's lips parted slightly and her eyebrows rose in surprise, but it passed quickly, replaced by a look of contentedness. It was nice to not have someone be bothered or confused by the fact she'd often shared baths and showers. Having a twin wasn't quite the same as living in a commune with numerous other people, but it didn't have to be the exact same for him to understand it. It was hard not to envy him. He had a family, and a sister he clearly loved and who likely loved him in return. Then again, she'd been a burden on her family. Her brother had reminded her of that enough. If she'd had a semblance like Felix's Atlas itself would have fallen on them all.

Every so often her gaze would flick away from his turquoise eyes to the blue flickering of his aura, and apparently luck. Both were pretty, and she wasn't sure which was more so. “Oh, so that's what you meant when you said you were “good at getting lucky.” Glad it was just a poorly thought out joke. If you're telling me about yours though, I should probably tell you about mine.” If he was able to transfer his semblance with a touch, she almost certainly would have been effected if she plucked one of those lights out of the air with her own semblance. Terra glanced around the room making sure no eyes were too focused on them before she brought the tips of her index fingers together and pulled them a few inches apart leaving a thread of aura taught between them. Some people got uncomfortable with people displaying their semblances.

“You're far less likely to see mine on accident, but my semblance manifests most commonly as threads or cords of aura. I can directly connect my aura to someone else.” For a moment she contemplated offering him an end of the string. Instead of being reckless, she continued to keep in visible. “When I'm not connected to anyone directly, it sort of just... Feels what's around, picks up loose aura that people give off as they live their lives. Like I said, my semblance quite literally connects me to the people around me. Everyone's aura and semblance kind of feels different. Your semblance sort of feels like the air is fizzing to me. A direct connection is something else though, and can feel pretty intense.”

[Felix Satou]

Connecting auras? His eyes widened at what she was suggesting. She could link the expression of people's souls together?! That was crazy! He had about a million questions buzzing in his head from the moment that she mentioned the thread. He put one hand over his smiling mouth to make sure he didn't just let every though in his head explode out into Terra's face all at once. When she'd finished her own introduction he took a second to let his thoughts organize themselves. There was one question that stood out among the rest.

"That's amazing," he said. "What does it feel like, I mean, to connect like that? How is it intense? Can I-...er, I mean, maybe it's too personal to ask if you don't mind connecting to mine, but I'm gonna ask anyways and if it's a no, then it's a no." He was fascinated. He'd heard of some very strange semblances before, but the ability to instantly connect to the people around you? Well, in a physical sense he had seen one or two semblances that worked like that, but this was beyond the physical! It was the metaphysical!