* Believer *

     WHAT WAS THE POINT of giving his all if the others kept messing up? It was but wasted energy and time. His patience begun running low and he felt like throwing the towel — and the controller against the screen of his TV. He wasn’t the problem, was he? No, of course not. He was the best at videogames, he knew what he was doing!   Then why did it feel like taking steps back every time a session ended so abruptly and injustly?

He took a couple of steps before he felt the strain on his arm from Ness’s grip and finally came to a stop. His shoulders were tense, fists trembling by his side - ready and raring to go - and then he inhaled sharply. 

He wanted to hit something - ANYTHING.

He couldn’t understand why Ness wasn’t mad. He should be mad!  You couldn’t let people act and say whatever they want. You had to let them know what they did was bad and that there were repercussions for their words and actions. 

Or perhaps Claus was just looking for a reason to get mad. A reason to get into a scrap and fight someone. No, that couldn’t be it. He didn’t WANT to hurt others for the sake of it; there was always a justified reason behind every fight he got himself into.

‘ Fine, ’ came a huffed reply as he exhaled, a scowl tugging sharply on his lips. His fists clenched tighter before releasing, arms hanging loosely by his side. ‘  Such bullshit… People in your world have no common decency. ’

     IT WAS A LOST CAUSE, DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT.   With a simple shrug, every problem washed away and Ness felt a little lighter. Claus’ intervention did its part in easing the burden in his heart but Ness didn’t want his friend to react violently over something that futile. Nobody got hurt, in the end ; they were mere words and Ness had heard a lot in the course of his life up to now. Whatever the kids of Onett had to say towards him — out of spite and jealousy — it didn’t brush the raven’s interests in the slightest. And Ness wanted Claus to know it.

     “You shouldn’t generalize because you’ve seen a buncha kids with a large mouth.”   decency was individual, but the surprise followed right after Claus said those words.   ‘ In his world ’   , weren’t some people a little over the edge, if so could be said? It wasn’t just an Eagleland thing.

◣ ❀ ✿ ❀ ◥ ;

The changes in the air around them were so rapid, Lucas had to wonder if Ness was really okay. His mood seemed to have gone up and down, up and down so many times in just a few moments that Lucas actually felt the need to ask. But just as he opened his mouth to do so, Ness suggested they take a break.

That was odd…he hadn’t thought Ness would want to stop so soon after they’d started. Once again, Lucas began to think he had done something to warrant this. Did Ness think he was lying? Could Lucas have cheated? Confused and concerned, Lucas lowered the bat, frowning slightly at his friend’s change in demeanor.

❝ Oh…are you sure? We can try again later if you’re not feelin’ up to — whoa!! ❞

Quite unlike the last time, Lucas wasn’t even anywhere near the ready position, having lowered the bat when he believed Ness was ready for a breather. Left with nothing to swing at the suddenly rapidly approaching ball, his reflexes kicked in before he could think about it, and he flinched away from the ball, which sailed past his right shoulder ( a safe enough distance away, actually, but to Lucas, it felt as though it were inches away from hitting him ).

Yep, the last hit really was just a stroke of beginner’s luck.

Once the initial shock was gone, Lucas looked back at the ball which had traveled several feet away by now, and then back at Ness incredulously. ❝ Dude — what the heck? That ain’t fair! ❞

     MAYBE IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO SAY THAT Lucas didn’t cheat and that he had really been struck by beginner’s luck — and that, if the ball would’ve actually hit, it would’ve left a mark on his face. Ness would’ve then felt guilty and he knew that he would’ve apologized countless of times, perhaps even used his whole energy to heal the bruise. But the ball luckily flew past the blond at an impressive speed, nearly brushing the other’s skin.

     The verdict : Lucas didn’t cheat, it was purely beginner’s luck. It was clear as day that it was beginner’s luck but Ness wanted to test it and almost risk an injury on his friend’s face   ( though, not going to lie, the thought had him stifle a chuckle under his breath ! )   .

She made no remark on what she had heard, though a stifled laugh slipped out into the real world garnering her a confused look from the preschooler she was with, and any other thoughts of amusement from Ness’s little calculations were withheld from him as she was capable of keeping her internal thoughts to herself.

‘ Yes. If I’m not outside the preschool, come find me inside. ’ 

It wouldn’t have been a challenge to mark a halfway point for them to meet at, but she felt he may have needed a nice quiet walk to clear his mind after a hard day’s work at school. He wasn’t as academically inclined as their friends from Winters and that was okay. Where he lacked in brains, he made up for in courage, strength and kindness… and recklessness on that matter. 

She wouldn’t have her friend any other way. There was charm in his approach to life even when it made her worry for his safety or question his lifestyle choices.

‘ Enjoy the rest of your school day. I hope to hear from you soon. ’

…

Half an hour passed and before she left, her mother helped touch up her ringlet curls. Of all the things she could not do so well, it was actively styling her hair. She wouldn’t do them if her mother didn’t. They suited her youthful face perfectly, perhaps more so if she smiled more consistently, but she felt indifferent to them. They were just fine.

‘ I’m ready, ’ she thought, directed at Ness.

     VISITING THE POLESTAR PRESCHOOL also meant having to interact with at least a few of the kids in there. Although Ness addressed himself as someone who clicked with kids right away   ( it was particularly easy when you were interested in childish things )   , a few in the preschool were a bit harder to reach. For example, there was one kid who strongly believed he had the   ‘ mind of an adult ’   . Whatever it meant, it made Ness shifts his expression from joyous to confused in the blink of an eye.   In any case, it wasn’t the time to think about it ; it wasn’t the time to think about anything as he had to close these books, put this almost-finished essay somewhere and run to Paula.   Thirty minutes were not enough ...

     ... they would be if he teleported. He didn’t teleport not to attract unwanted attention. The rumor of a kid with supernatural powers in Twoson still traveled from voice to voice across the streets ; Ness couldn’t keep up if it was about himself   ( though sometimes he thought that it was about himself, until someone specifically says Twoson )   . He ran as fast as he could, he ran out of breath and nearly stumbled on his feet multiple times on the way — but he made it ... almost fourty minutes late but he made it to Twoson!

     Not even a few minutes to catch his breath that Ness knocked on the door a few times ; weak knocks as he was currently exhausted. He didn’t run that much not even during his trainings ...

@pk-rockinly​ ||  ｡ﾟ･ ✧  ° ｡

His face wrinkled with his growing frustration with the other. He did this every time! Any time he got hurt, he’d act like everything was fine and that he could handle it - which he didn’t doubt! - no matter how bad the injury may have been. It was ridiculous! 

He couldn’t stop himself from speaking a bit more brashly towards him. He didn’t hate him or even mean what he said, as it was spoken in a less than friendly manner, but he was fed up dealing with this boy’s hard act. He was going to ruin his body if he didn’t stop to take a rest now again’ PSI healing would only help him so much in the long term.

Despite all his attempts to worm his way out of help, the shorter male stepped closer to him and squat next to him before abruptly hauling Ness off the ground without warning or permissions; and seemingly without any effort.  He was no weak kid - and never had been in regards to his age - but he was now far stronger than he should have been. No PSI was used to strengthen himself up; it was all down to all that metal apparatus lodged inside him.

And with that, he shamelessly threw Ness over his shoulder and began to march onward. 

’ Sit back and enjoy the ride, toots. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride, ’ he said in a jocular tone, his face now riddled with a childish grin. 

     NESS’ CONFIDENCE WOULD OFTEN THROW HIM OVER THE EDGE if that meant keeping it up as much as possible. He was the core of the group, THE TANK, if so could be said — squatting to a much lower role didn’t suit him and, if he ever did, he knew that his confidence suffered it. That included letting Claus carry him over his shoulder because of a trivial injury in his ankle.   Even though it hurt like hell, his confidence made him believe that he could still walk. He had to, at least.

     But the pained expression across his face clearly spoke for himself. In that moment, more than anything, a ride sounded like a dream — but how could Claus even manage to carry him over his shoulders? Last time he checked Ness was at least a few inches taller than him and that said a lot.

     “No, really — I’m fine. I’m — wOAH-!!”   taken aback by surprise and slightly startled by the forced gesture, Ness instinctively held himself by clawing at Claus’ shirt above his shoulders the moment the other — without a warning and apparently without shame — effortlessly threw him over his shoulders against the raven’s will.   Before Ness snapped back to reality, his mind drowned in thoughts, like   ‘ how can he even carry me like this? ’   or   ‘ ugh, this is awkward ’   . Awkward or not, it felt like a blessing for his sore ankle.

     Ness didn’t really fight back but merely accepted it nearly right away, also because wriggling would not only send a shock from his ankle to the whole side of his leg but he would also risk of hurting Claus somehow. No, he didn’t fight back — he relaxed his pose and crossed his arms around the other’s neck, not too tightly.

     Perhaps interesting was a nice way to put it, though certainly blunt, and maybe even a tad mean as words rounded out at the end. The other’s smirk faded, yet he seemed to be picking up the parts quickly enough. Apologies she kept behind a mental wall. It was a standard facet of the Kumatora package. Forthright and rash, though capable of some careful customization if need be.

     “Rope Snake, he……” Eyes stare to the side as her own smirk falters. “He tries his best. Got the kid this far, at least. It was– yeah, Duster, you got it. Real good guy, it was his idea for Lucas t'take Rope Snake with'em. I taught Lucas the PSI damage, Duster taught the physical damage, and everyone wanted Lucas to do his best when he showed face in this place. Seems like you did, too. So thanks for that.”

     Heroes? Mm, wasn’t sure about all that, but it was flattering that Lucas spoke about them enough to give such an impression. “Can’t bash ya for that one, phenomenal is a good way t'put it. I gotta know, though. What brought on a discovery like that? Were you swingin’ a PK Thunder around and miss your target? Or did you pop one out, look at it, and go… ‘eureka’. –Look, I’ll come clean: I’m just curious if I should start settin’ myself on fire t'see what I might get out of it.”

     Chuckles fell from an amused smile, clearly having fun with the discussion at hand. Also? That was no goof, either. There would be a Burning Kumatora if there was a benefit to be retrieved. Her recklessness truly knew no bounds. Don’t tempt her.

     HOW HE CAME UP WITH SUCH A   ‘ PHENOMENAL STRATEGY ’   , Ness didn’t know it himself. He wished he could say that it was out of a moment in which his curiosity got the best of himself ; that, in itself, wasn’t a valid answer — perhaps not to Kumatore who had suggested that she would set herself on fire if need be. That was something they wanted to avoid ... just in case.

     Sincerity had him shrug.   “I dunno. I ... I just did, I guess.”   because saying that it was a moment in which an idea sparked into his mind wasn’t valid enough. Adopting a fleeing-like behavior was, though.   “I felt it was right, an’ it happened to be right. So ... ”   so, that was it. Ness couldn’t find better words to explain it   ( no, really, he couldn’t )   . His reckless thoughts led him to try a few PSI moves on himself : worse case scenario, he would’ve spent most of his energy healing up ; the thunder seemed to have been the   ‘ harmless ’   one, if so can be said.

     If Kumatora was just as reckless, Ness had no problem clicking with her.

@pk-rockinly [ continued. ]

     Is he really going to sit there and lie to his face about something like this? What’s the point of being stubborn about a very real and very physical injury-? If he has something that he’s trying to prove, the Commander wants no part in it. That’s why he’s rolling his eyes underneath his visor, though the Captain can’t even see past the dark mirror regardless. Seriously?

     If the schedule was tight today, he’d seriously consider just calling medics on him and leaving him to deal with that alone.

     “You’re asking for it to worsen that way. What will you do if it gets so bad that it needs surgery, and you’ll have to wait and recover even longer? Here…” The Chimera holds his hands out awkwardly, eyeing the the other momentarily before pulling them back. No, maybe he’ll think it’s weird. Or maybe he’s making it weird by acting like this; isn’t it weird for a weapon to place its hands on anyone without permission?

     “Um. Do I have permission to… help you?” Even the question is coming out stiff and awkward; more so than his normal speech, if he’s honest.

     ‘ This is not good. ’   thought the Captain to himself among frustration breathed through gritted teeth ; an overly painful expression is painted across his face as the Captain puffs out his chest to bear with the pain of his sprained ankle. Though he tortured himself with having to keep a relaxed composure not to attract attention, it was hard to do it with a constant shock that traveled from his ankle and all the way up.   He couldn’t do it, not even for the Commander, who was already prone to lend both hands. No, it wasn’t weird ; if anything, the Captain gladly appreciated it although he didn’t show it.

     He couldn’t keep this facade up, his injured leg didn’t let him.   ‘ Ah, but it was but a mere slip. How could it get this bad? ’

@gentletwin ||  - ̗̀☆  ̖́-

     HIS FEELINGS MATTERED TOO, but did they still matter even if they were mostly out of childish behavior?   It was clear as day that Ness didn’t like to lose, that losing to a match, to him, it felt like losing a healthy chunch of his reputation among the other comrades ; and, goodness, did he sweat to even get to this point. It was pointless to drag Lucas in his own personal — created by none but himself. It was nothing to worry about, yet his persistence made him wonder if he really cared about it. Why should he, after all?

     Ness was an open book, that he knew it himself. He also knew that he couldn’t lie to Lucas, let alone hide things away from him. Would Lucas be annoying if he didn’t share his thoughts? He didn’t know, as he had never gotten to that part.

     Ness shifted his gaze down, dark hues pointed at his worn out red sneakers, whose laces were untied and carelessly tied.

;;   sorry for the inactivity, but ...

@pk-lovely || - ̗̀☆  ̖́-

     ALL THIS CONCERN FOR JUST A SPRAINED ANKLE. Ness didn’t want to imagine Lucas’ reaction if he poked his finger with a needle ; what would he do in that case, call an ambulance? If anything, the attention felt nice.

     “I can do whatever I want. A sprained ankle hasn’t killed anyone.”   it sure did hurt, though. Every time the pain felt like unbearable   ( and Ness was too much of a coward to admit that Lucas was right )   , the raven would roll his eyes to the ceiling and seal his lips while internally screaming. Before himself was a flight of stairs, the one and only obstacle to his room. Needless to say that facing such a horrendously hard task under such circumstances made his temples sweat.

     Maybe ... yeah, maybe Lucas was right, after all. Of course he was. As usual.

     “Actually,”   but Ness was too proud to admit it, even if his clumsy movements clearly let Lucas know that, yes, he was right.   “I think the sofa’s more comfortable. Yeah, I’ve been complainin’ about my mattress for a while. The thing’s not so comfortable.”   nonsense, his mattress was the most comfortable mattress on the market. He clumsily limped to the living room and let himself fall on the not-so-comfortable sofa, sighing at the relief of his pain finally fading away slowly.

@psykld || - ̗̀☆  ̖́-

     DID SHE SAY ANY STRENUOUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY? Did she actually say that, for the next couple weeks, even? It was as if Ness’ fear unveiled before his eyes — and the timing couldn’t be any better : his team was going to play for the finale in a couple of weeks ; he had trainings in the upcoming days. How was he going to attend them if he was denied any strenuous physical activity for the next couple of weeks?

     It felt like he caught a lump in his throat, much was the information to take in all at once. With a hand on his chest, the raven let out a sigh, eyes drifting from Paula’s concerned and overprotective figure to an insignificant spot on the floor.

     “That’s not good.”   he murmured to himself, lips quirking into a pout.   “I could just heal myself, y’know? I should be fine.”   it was but a mere sprained ankle ; how could such a pathetic thing stop him for a couple of weeks? A little PK Lifeup should do the trick, he was sure of it. But to what avail? His ankle would still need recovery ... At least he wouldn’t be absent for two weeks, yet he would still skip a few trainings.

     Another sigh.

@hcartlcss || - ̗̀☆  ̖́-

     AS IF CLAUS COULD ACTUALLY CARRY HIM UP ; Ness didn’t buy it. If anything, his expression shifted to a slightly disgusted one merely for the way he called him :   ‘ asshole ’   . Where have   ‘ dude ’   and   ‘ bro ’    gone? Though the other meant it playfully   ( or so he hoped )   , it left Ness quite bitter. It may have helped Claus sound more serious but, to Ness, it made him look like a fool.

     “I don’t think’s a good idea, dude.”   with his tone, he made sure   ‘ dude ’   was pronounced and well marked.   “It’s just a sprained ankle, I can walk.”

     Ness wasn’t the kind to cry about the pain. He would grit his teeth and endure. It was clear as day that, as he stood up, he was having a few difficulties holding himself up : he kept the injured leg slightly bent and would actually drag his foot rather than lifting it to walk. Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all. As long as it worked ...

@antcmbra || - ̗̀☆  ̖́-

     “Don’t be silly, commander. It’s just a sprained ankle.”   did this sprained ankle hurt, though. To think that someone of his rank could even get this trivially injured left a slight sense of embarrassment across his face — and, as if it wasn’t enough, the commander had even found him trivially injured like that. It would be a fun story to tell, that the Captain sprained his ankle out of recklessness. It would’ve certainly made the soldiers laugh from inside their helmets.