Zacaraya Samble

His hand was emptied.

Epel tried to yank the box back, immediately panicking, but Zacaraya held it farther than he could reach, all the while wrestling Epel down and away from it.

"A secret for a secret, guppy. It's only fair. You utter a word about this to anyone, and whatever's in your little treasure box will be what Night Raven gossips about for the rest of the year."

What tha hell!? Why was he doing this all of a sudden! He thought Zacaraya was okay now! What a fuckin mistake that was. He honestly felt a little betrayed. Maybe he shouldn't have, but... when Zacaraya gave him his bag back he really thought he was gonna be cool about it. He had even considered, again, showing him what was in the box willingly. How stupid was that.

Seven, this was just like what happened back then. He insulted Epel and threw him around, then he tried to speak nicely with him and carried him most of the way to the nurse's office. What the hell. So Zacaraya would just flip on you, just like that? He was nice one second and then decided to be an asshole the next? What was Epel supposed to think? What did Zacaraya want with him?

"Stop!!" Epel shoved Zacaraya, trying to get to the box. "Dont--!!" he shoved him again harder, more like a punch in the chest with the side of his fist, trying to get him to bring his hand down, or make space for him to jump up and grab it. Epel tried to yank his captured hand back at least, but Zacaraya held him in place.

Epel was the one upset now, glaring up at Zacaraya, disgusted. Did Zacaraya enjoy making others feel as awful and panicked as he was? What an asshole, what a jerk. What a no good barrel a rotten words.

Zacaraya had gotten the box out of the bag, and Epel could hear its contents being shifted around inside. The dark wooden box was wider than it was deep. At about eight by eight inches, it wasn't much bigger than the space taken up by Epel's fanned out hand, and it was only about two inches deep.

"I wasn't gonna tell anyone you asshole! That's why I asked if it was a secret! Just give it back!" he was angry, and bitter, and he never wanted to speak to Zacaraya again.

If it was an item that hadn't meant so much to him, he'd be a lot fiercer right now. But it was hard to be livid when you were preoccupied with worrying about what would happen to something you held dear.

Epel reached again for the box, eyeing the golden (in colour) clasp strain under the force of Zacaraya's attempts to open it. No. He couldn't. Epel looked more and more distressed.

"STOP!! You're gonna break it!!"

With the side of his free hand, Epel hit Zacaraya in the face. It was an awkward angle, but it landed, hard.

Were Zacaraya to look back at Epel (instead of immediately pummeling him for the strike), he would see that Epel's face had changed. Where there once was anger, there was now dismay. A helplessness in Epel's face. The tears that started to roll down his cheeks were not the kind he was known to shed without much weight, as the type of person who was easily consumed by his emotions (be they anger, happiness, frustration, etc). The tears now were a rarer kind, for when he was seriously distraught. And he was. Maybe it was stupid, maybe someone else would think it wasn't such a big deal. But Epel was... afraid.

His stomach twisted, a million thoughts tearing apart his head. Zacaraya was gonna laugh at him, he'd have teasing material on him for months, and then he'd tell everyone and they'd laugh at him too, and theyd gossip about it forever like Zacaraya said. Worse than that, Zacaraya was gonna break the box, the box that meant so much to him, and it'd be broken forever, and everything would fall out and Zacaraya would break it too. Worse than even that, if his meemaw found out that the box and its contents were torn up and ruined, she'd be really sad. They had worked so hard on it together, and he knew it was one of her favourite memories. Worse than that still, was that he couldn't fucking do anything. For the second time he was at Zacaraya's mercy. This was so pathetic.

He really hated that he was crying, but once he had started it was hard to stop. Whatever. Zacaraya would probably never respect him. He just wanted his belongings back. He just wanted to go home.

A sudden shriek and a sudden sharp slap to his face got him to stop fidgeting with the box momentarily to glare down at the Pomefiore, just about ready to rip this guy into shreds.

But... Anger did not arise within him. Rather, when he saw the look on Epel's face: the look of betrayal, of helplessness, of regret... Zac's stomach churned and his heart became tight in his chest. Epel looked so... vulnerable, and he was reminded of the days when he himself was but a small and frail cub, desperately trying to fight the bigger and stronger bullies to find his place in the world. He didn't feel sorry for him, far from it. He felt... a remorseful connection.

Oh, jeez, the tears...

He had built a reputation for himself, and being a big softie was not in those particular plans.

"I-" he choked out, though he couldn't find the words to continue. So, instead, he simply gawked at Epel's glistening eyes, a stinging red hand mark already appearing on his cheek.

He never wanted to be the foundation of someone's pain, but it was looking pretty clear that he was quickly becoming Epel's. All because he got scared that he revealed something personal about his past.

Zac was coming to the realisation that he could not 'fix' this particular relationship, and he hated it. It seemed like every interaction ended unfavorably. But if he handed it back now, Epel would just bolt and never speak to him again. For some reason, he hated that idea even more than his secret getting out.

"Wait, I... won't break it. Just- calm down a moment," he ordered with hasty breaths in an attempt to calm down.

"I don't run" ... but he was, though. He got up so abruptly that it had startled Epel, immediately going for tha door, and now he was tryna say he didn't run? Did he think Epel was stupid?

Suddenly, they heard approaching footsteps, and Epel stiffened slightly himself, tongue retracting. He shouldn't keep talking like himself right now, the walls here were thin and who knew who would walk in on them any moment. If it was Vil... Epel internally shuddered.

The footsteps trailed away, and they were met with an increasingly tense silence once again. Though this time it didn't feel so worrisome for Epel... this time it felt like the one under pressure was Zac.

Epel was about to say something when Zacaraya spoke instead. "There's nothing you could do even if I did decide to run, considering my single stride is about 3 of yours, little guppy. You'd never be able to outrun me." He took a step forward, and brought a hand down to Epel's head. Epel grabbed it, holding it (and, therefore, Zacaraya) in place. He had to let go of his bag with one hand, leaving it less protected.

His brow has furrowed with determination, but his eyes were somewhat soft. He didn't pity Zacaraya or anything. He just knew what it felt like to be so uncomfortable. He felt it pretty much every day, after all. And he knew that Zacaraya was just sayin stuff to say it-- there wasn't even any heat behind his words, Epel didn't feel insulted (though he knew that was the idea).

"Yer- You're tryna change the subject. You are running" Epel was having a little trouble controlling his tongue after letting it off so suddenly, then trying to reign it in just as. "If you dont wan-want to talk about it, that's fine. It's not like I'm going to force you. I just didn't want you to think that I was the type to judge someone for not havin- having a lot of money and stuff." He let go of Zacaraya's wrist, though he didn't use it to clutch his bag again. "I'm not some fancy little rich boy" he used his free hand to tuck some hair behind his ear, "... and I'm not a guppy" he said under his breath, mostly to himself.

Before Zacaraya could make another escape attempt, Epel had to ask, for clarification-- he wasn't sure he would tell Jinx about this interaction (especially since Jinx apparently didn't approve of them interacting at all), but if it did come up he wanted to know what was okay to say. He asked him, "Is... is this a secret?"

Zacaraya's eyes snapped down at Epel in warning the second he grabbed his wrist. He immediately yoinked it back to himself when he felt the grip loosen. Sevens, Epel was starting to annoy him now. He didn't like being cornered or being forced to do something against his will.

Everything that came from this Pomefiore's mouth was just static noise, as far as Zac was concerned; going in one ear and straight out of the other. It was just a bunch of pretty words.

"Is... is this a secret?" He needed to ensure Epel wouldn't utter a word of this to anyone, not after he'd spent so much time creating a reputation for himself so far. Normal people would politely ask to keep the information to themselves, but Zac didn't know Epel well enough yet to know that he'll keep his word. So, he needed to create a precaution.

The beastman suddenly let out a long dramatic sigh. So much for being 'nice'. He switched, just like that, from being uncomfortable and perhaps a tiny bit vulnerable, to outright nasty. In a swift motion, Zacaraya would grab Epel's wrist which was holding the box, and yoink it above his head so he could pry the bag from his dainty-looking fingers, all the while likely wrestling with him trying to keep him in place.

"A secret for a secret, guppy. It's only fair. You utter a word about this to anyone, and whatever's in your little treasure box will be what Night Raven gossips about for the rest of the year."

Zacaraya was never one for bullying or instigating fear, but at the moment, he felt trapped, and a trapped Samble meant a desperate Samble. Later, he would likely come to regret taking such an action, if he ever truly got to know Epel. But for now, it was the best course of action to take.

Oh was the other insulted? Did he think Rove was calling him weak? It wasn't really the case but from what little he saw of Zac he could tell the other was more physically driven...a lot of beastmen tended to use enhancing magic to increase the natural brawn they normally had. Normally this was no problem but against spiritual foes the physical were at a disadvantage.

Pocket monster logic after all. Fighting ineffective to ghost type.

He puffed his cheeks in annoyance. No he didn't need to explain the reasoning for his words to the others. If Zac didn't question it further then he wouldn't care to explain it.

Once they got to the dorm he was quick to put some space between the pair, glad to have his own personal bubble once more, leaving Zac to shake off the umbrella and place it in the rack to not track more water through the shared house then needed. Stomping into the kitchen Rove mulled over the other as he put his items away.

Grumbling angrily he grabbed a pot and some milk setting to warm it up on the small camping stove they had.

It would be about ten minutes until Zac would hear a throat clearing behind him. The minute the beast man turned a warm cup of hot chocolate would be carefully placed in his hands topped in thick whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows. Almost childishly overly sweetened but the warm ceramic likely welcomed in cold hands from the outside.

Rove stormed off the second they entered Ramshackle, leaving him to shake off the umbrella, and Zacaraya rolled his eyes and muttered a sarcastic ‘thank you, Zac. Oh, no problem, Rovey.’ underneath his breath, thinking that was the last he’d see of Rove for the night, and likely the next few days considering how angry he seemed, though he was pretty much used to Rove's temper tantrums at this point. Nevertheless, he gently leaned it against the wall next to the door for the Ignihyde to find another day and shrugged off his windbreaker (which was completely drenched on the right side), and hung it up with the other array of coats.

With a long sigh, he immediately retreated into Ramshackle's lobby, kicking off his sneakers and crouching in front of the fireplace to warm up his hands. This had become one of Zac's favourite spots amidst the recent chaos. It was warm and usually had some chatter as background noise considering students always come and go.

He was enjoying the warmth on his face, his lips curving upwards into a content smile with his eyes closed. Though this didn't last for long when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him to get his attention. His content smile immediately vanished, and he turned his head to look at who was bothering him.

He almost dropped the mug of hot chocolate, it was basically thrown into his hands, and he blinked in confusion to see it was Rove that made it for him. He could immediately smell the cocoa in the air, and his hands were so much warmer now.

Well, this was new.

"The slums, actually." Oh. He wasn't really sure what he expected honestly, he wasn't sure what he thought Zacaraya would say. He really didn't know him that well after all. But it didn't seem like a big deal to Epel, especially since he already knew people with similar backgrounds, like Ruggie from his spelldrive team.

He would have to do some reasearch, but it didn't seem like too tall of a task-- "So you've got your work cut out for you since I presume you come from a nice, rich, caring little family with zero hardships." and then he got up, quite abruptly, and grabbed his jacket, starting to leave. What? What?

"Hey--" Epel stood up suddenly as well. Was Zacaraya upset with him? It sure sounded like he was. And what was that with assuming things about where Epel came from? That's all everyone did, assume things... "I'm not..." he hesitated, but... it's not like anyone was around but them right now. "... Ah ain't from no rich family. And we fer certain have got our share a hardships." he reminded Zacaraya of what Zac himself had said earlier, when they were coming down the mountain. That Epel wasn't like the other Pomefiore students.

Zacaraya... was he upset talking about where he came from? Was he ashamed? Ruggie seemed to talk about his background fairly openly. Though Epel himself was reluctant to elaborate on his... he didn't know what Savanaclaw was like, but it felt like everybody in Pomefiore was super rich and fancy, and they always just assumed that Epel was too, and well... it put him in an awkward position, to say the least.

Epel didn't know what to say to fix this, but he didn't want Zacaraya to just leave. He just didn't. "Ah don't care about where ya came from, ah care about who ya are. Ya don't gotta run away from me now." Epel looked down, giving Zacaraya some space. He knew he hated it when people looked at him sometimes.

Zac was relieved the second Epel looked away from him, because he wasn’t sure how to react in this scenario. His ears lowered and so did his posture, his eyes darted around, tail stiffening…

Running? He wasn’t running. Was he? All he knew was that he needed to get away from this guy, and quick. He let his guard down, and he doesn't feel in control anymore, and Zac tended to spiral whenever he didn't feel in control of a situation. Perhaps it was because this little imp wasn’t like most of the other students, he wasn’t cunning or manipulative, and he had an 'innocent' friendly face on top of it.

His fingers clenched tighter around the strap of his backpack, just as Epel fastened his grip on his little precious bag.

"I don't run." Was the only thing that came from his lips, his tone dark and low, sounding suspiciously like a growl. However, all he wanted to do right now was run and never bump into this guy again, but he couldn't now that he had fortified his decision.

So, he just stood there, still and silent, not moving a muscle.

The sound of some students walking through the lobby doors filled the air, but they quickly turned around and went the opposite way when they felt the tension in the air between the two.

Thinking it over in his mind, he could play it off multiple ways; put on his usual sarcastic mask, flirt to distract or intimidate. He took a subtle breath and forced his lips to quirk into a smirk, even though his ears still betrayed him.

“Hello, Samble,” he says as he flicks his wand to pick up the gum packets, neatly folding them to breakdown size. “Ismail has commented about you to me, so it’s nice to meet you in the flesh.” He gives a bit of a nod as he politely places the trash away. “Have you arrived for breakfast? I’m about to prepare some egg dishes.” Little things to improve the morale, and it’s not like he dislikes cooking either. It’s definitely not to the world-class cooking of Jamil (regardless of how much he wants to deny it), but his dishes usually has a homey feel to them. Keyword being usually, as the pickiest are nosy about his food, but they still continue to eat it. Food is food, especially in these circumstances.

“Hello, Samble,”

Zacaraya's lips quirked upwards uncomfortably, an instant dislike forming.

However, he would move to casually lean backward against a counter, a lazy kind of demeanor enveloping him. He'd grab an apple from the fruit basket sitting next to him and chomp into it, sharp white fangs glistening as he did so. "Can't say Ilam ever mentioned you, so you mustn't be too important," he replied with his mouth half-full.

His bored gaze would wander over him. "What, am I supposed to know you or something?" A sarcastic chuckle escaped him as he idly flourished the apple in his hand as he spoke. "Sorry, but I don't tend to keep tabs on the insignificant students, no offense."

It seemed like a pretty fun project, and he was sure the idea and effort put in was more important than any technical skill. He wondered why Zacaraya would delegate this to him instead of just painting it himself, even if it was true that he wasn't a very good artist. "Oh, and it's due in a week." A week? Zacaraya was quite the slacker... though Epel could sympathize with wanting to put off doing things you didn't like. It explained the outsourcing, at least.

A week... between spelldrive, instruction from Vil, and regular classes, he didn't know where he'd find the time. He could get it done for sure, but he'd be pretty ragged by the end of it.

"Though, I suppose I could give you what theory I have already done if you reveal what's in your box. Are you scared I'm gonna laugh at you or something? Please, I've already seen you at your worst."

Many would consider Epel naive for even considering showing Zacaraya the box. He already had it secured, he was home free, why push it? But something about this seemed different... since Zacaraya gave it back to him willingly, without forcing him to show, Epel felt more trusting of him. That, and the scene just felt a lot calmer, Epel felt more secure. The tension had seemingly been sucked out of the room, Epel wasn't angry or anxious or defensive anymore. So he was a little more open to the idea...

That didn't mean he was going to, of course.

Though... it sounded like Zacaraya wouldn't laugh at him. That's not exactly what he said, but... and he had already shown Zacaraya a less than cool side of himself. Leaning on Zacaraya, crying and thrashing as Zacaraya held his hands above his head... ugh. Though he definitely wouldn't call that 'his worst'. He at least did some damage, if anything Epel wanted the opportunity to swing at someone again-- maybe just, not where he'd get in trouble for it this time.

And if he got to use what Zacaraya had already done so far, it'd make his job a hell of a lot easier, which meant he could manage his time better... but he couldn't, it was just too embarrassing, too personal. But maybe, since he was actually having a chill moment with Zacaraya, he should capitalize on it and get closer by sharing a secret? Epel didn't have many friends. Did he want to be Zacaraya's friend? He was thinking that maybe Zacaraya wasn't as bad as he originally thought, but let's not get crazy here... Epel still probably couldn't trust him.

"I... I really can't. I'll just come up with something on my own, if you tell me where it was exactly you were born."

Zac's heart skipped a beat at that, and his eyes widened in realisation. A long moment of silence passed as Zac seemed to contemplate his situation and response, eyes glancing around slightly as if to find something that would help him come up with a decent answer. For once, he hadn't thought a scenario through. He slipped up.

Where he was born... He was born in a wealthy neighborhood, but where he was raised was a completely different story.

His mind went back to the orphanage where he spend the majority of his childhood and teenage days, located in an area that was filled to the brim with poor families and degenerate youths running havoc, including himself. Sometimes he wondered how the hell he got into Night Raven, but then he remembered he cheated and manipulated his way to the top of most of his public school classes. Exactly like he was doing to poor Epel just now. A bitter, amused chuckle escaped his lips. Some things just never change.

He always got amazing grades, and for this project, an amazing grade would need something personal, something deeper... He could have done it himself, yes, but he despised this waste of time subject. The question was, did he hate it enough to reveal something that he otherwise would not? Something that he would usually take with him to the grave?

Was it just him, or did the air around them change suddenly?

He was really expecting Zacaraya to give him some push back, to threaten him or dangle it over his head, to ask him why he wanted to keep it a secret so bad. But instead he... just stared at him. He didn't say anything. Somehow this was more unnerving. Like when Vil was really angry at him, so angry that he was past yelling.

Epel caught a glimpse of the lion beastman's shiny sharp teeth. In the glow of the fire, he wondered what those would feel like in his neck. Probably worse than his own human teeth, flat and dull in comparison.

He could feel the arm falling across his back, and watched as Zacaraya reached down and grabbed his bag. Epel stayed still, not wanting to make any sudden movements and disrupt... this. He still didn't know what was going on, exactly, but the moment felt fragile.

Zacaraya placed the bag on his lap and shifted away from him, finally giving Epel some space, leaning back with his eyes closed. He was really hard to read at that moment. Epel didn't know what he was thinking, or why the sudden change in attitude. But Zacaraya had motioned for Epel to open the bag, so he did.

His hands immediately went to the bag. His bag. With the box poking out.

He held it close to his chest, curling in on himself as he held it tight, a wave of relief and joy washing over him. He could finally breathe. A few tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over, though he was smiling, a surprised laugh bubbling out of him. Great seven. He could finally breathe. The panic he had felt ever since he had realized he had lost it was gone now; the fear that had shaken him at the thought of someone finding it, at the thought of having to show Zacaraya-- it all melted away, replaced by a feeling of safety, and a determination to never lose this again.

Gosh, if he had known it was this close the entire time, just right inside Zacaraya's bag-- well, he wasn't gonna jump to taking it and running first, but if talking to Zacaraya hadn't gone well, he would have had the option.

He didn't need the option, though. Zacaraya just... gave it to him. Just like that. Epel sat up and looked at Zacaraya. Epel thought it was really out of character for him, but... he had only had the one interaction with Zacaraya, hadn't he. Maybe he had just caught Zacaraya on a bad day, back then. Even though he was being a jerk, he did carry Epel down that time. Maybe... maybe Zacaraya wasn't so bad?

Still holding the bagged box close to his chest, he ran his fingers over the clumsy stitching like he had a million times. "Thank you" he smiled up at Zacaraya. An unsure smile, but a grateful one nonetheless.

For some reason, Zacaraya felt uneasy, uncomfortable, and fidgety at the fact that Epel flat out came out with the words 'thank you'. He still had his eyes closed, his demeanor and posture indicating he was relaxed, but in his mind, he felt unsettled. He wasn't used to hearing those words, especially when they were directed toward him. The lion's ears slowly, lightly, fell back against his head. His ears were probably the most traitorous things to Zac - they were expressive, exposing whatever he was feeling at the most inconvenient times. However, Epel didn't know him well enough to know this yet, which he was thankful for.

A cognac-brown eye peeked open to look at Epel. "Mm... Painting a nature landscape relating to my homeland, so Sunset Savana." He closed his eyes again and shifted slightly to get comfortable. "Though you have to include theory on why you chose to represent your homeland with that particular scene. Oh, and it's due in a week." He smirked to himself. Students usually get given a month or two for projects such as this.

He had just begun to zoom out from the stars he'd been studying as someone spoke up, breaking the peace, and concentration he'd had. It certainly did startle him, though it didn't manifest in the way the beastman was likely hoping for. He slowly raised his head, but didn't turn to face him just yet. Solaris' grip on the telescope tightened in irritation, though relaxed just as quickly, he didn't want to break it.

There were few things he hated more than being interrupted, especially when he knew most, if not all students were sleeping. And had planned on hours of undisturbed studying.

"My reasons for being out here are quite clear. If you truly believe otherwise, you are incredibly unobservant and quite daft on top of it." He calmly replied, turning to see who had decided to harass him.

"State your intentions. It is hardly common for those from your dorm to be gallivanting about at this hour." He commanded, as he studied Zac with a harsh gaze, posture defensive, and reflective of his annoyance.

The more this guy spoke, the more Zac's grin seemed to spread across his cheeks. Oh, he loved a good arrogant, reactive little project. Rather than a stereotypical response that a Savanaclaw student would produce; such as threatening behavior, bullying, or right out wanting to punch the guy, Zac let out a hum. "Now now, that's not the tone of voice you should be using on someone who was simply concerned for your safety," he said, 'shocked', tone dripping with sarcasm. He even went so far as to place a hand on his chest to express his 'hurt'.

Much to Zacaraya's dismay, he was sure to hold the umbrella in a way where no rain would hit Rove, even before the little guy demanded it, mainly because he couldn't be bothered listening to Rove's constant shrieking right now. However, this meant that his right shoulder was getting drenched. Sevens, why did the rain make him so grouchy...?

The lion simply looked ahead as he walked at a slow pace, no indication of teasing the Ignihyde or making him feel inferior or stupid for once, just... Comfortable silence. For Rove, anyway. Where he found the raindrops relaxing and lulling, for Zac, it was a completely different story. Each drop that hit the umbrella above was an irritation, and his ears would twitch angrily every time a particularly loud one landed above them. His senses were completely dulled from the damp air, and he was restless.

When Rove began to speak, Zac found himself only giving him an uninterested hum to indicate that he was listening.

“You don’t have to worry, I guess I’ll protect you if needed.”

He blinked. Blinked again, and finally peered down at the Ignihyde in shock. He thought he glimpsed the tiniest of blushes, but it was hard to see in this lighting. He thought he felt his own heart skip a beat, but it must have been his imagination. This was so... uncharacteristic of Rove.

Having no energy to come up with a sarcastic comment right now, Zac simply breathed a chuckle and continued to look ahead.

"Me? Want something? I would never ask you for anything, little guppy, just for returning a prized possession to it's rightful owner." Epel's fists clenched. He wanted to shout that he was not a 'little guppy', but he kept his cool. Just barely, he kept his cool. It was getting harder and harder for him to stay calm, though. "However, since you insist..."

Zacaraya shifted, and suddenly he was looming over Epel. An arm reached out, and Epel leaned away, but the arm closed in to wrap around his shoulders anyways. His entire body stiffened up, clearly uncomfortable with their proximity, but of course Zacaraya didn't seem to care. It just made Epel madder.

"I'm not too good with art, and rumour has it that you're good with your hands. Do my art project for me, and I will happily give you your precious box back," fine. Fucking fine. He'd do the stupid project, just as long as-- "once you show me what's inside, that is."

"No." Epel said immediately.

"I'll do the project, but I'm not showing you what's inside" his still stiff body was trembling-- though a newcomer may have mistaken it for fear, Zacaraya might have had a better understanding of the fact that it was anger.

Well, maybe it was just the tiniest bit of both.

Zacaraya opened his mouth to come back with a smug retort but stopped and blinked when he felt Epel's body trembling underneath his arm, and it was only then he realized just how small he was in comparison to himself. So much anger, in such a little body. It was impressive, which was why Zac had a reputation for riling him up more and more. It was the first time, however, that the lion sensed a tiny bit of legitimate fear from him, though it was incredibly well hidden underneath the layers of anger and stubbornness.

Inducing genuine fear into others was never a goal of his, he knew too well how awful it was, and for the first time, he wondered if he took this particular pursuit a little too far.

Zac's lips parted ever so slightly, just enough for his sharp fangs to peek through. It was as if he was about to say something, another remark to mess with him even more, perhaps? Nothing came.

He remained still for a long moment, before slowly allowing his arm to finally fall behind Epel's back. Wordlessly, he leaned down and grabbed his own rucksack from the floor, and planted it on Epel's lap, motioning for him to open it before putting a little distance between them and leaning back on the sofa with his arms behind his head, closing his eyes as if he were intending to take a nap.

"Naturally handsome guy from Savanaclaw with striking red-brown eyes." So that confirmed it, the student was from Savanaclaw. The 'naturally handsome' part threw Epel off, though. That was kind of an... odd descriptor to add, wasn't it? Did Zacaraya have a crush on this guy or something? It wasn't really a helpful descriptor, either, since what was considered 'handsome' varied from person to person. What did Zacaraya consider handsome? Did Zacaraya consider himself handsome? Epel looked at Zacaraya's face and, for the first time, really took notice of his features. He... ... ...definitely wasn't ugly. But his personality was just too rotten to be considered 'handsome' in Epel's book. He looked askance at Zacaraya, trying to figure out what was going on in that head of his, when he noticed that there was a pair of striking... red-brown eyes... staring back at him...

He had figured it out just before Zacaraya basically gave it away with, "Oh, and a bite mark on his neck," pointing to the bruise that resulted from Epel's bite.

Epel's heart sank. His body stilled, a knowing, cold calm washing over him. Fucking shit. This was bad. This may have been worse than if Azul had found it, actually. He knew. This entire time he knew and he was just toying with Epel, just wanted to watch him fucking squirm. Of course. What else should he have expected from Zacaraya Samble? He felt so stupid.

He sat there frozen for a moment, not knowing what to say. He wanted to just punch him honestly, but that wasn't productive; how did he get his bag back?

Eventually, he gulped. He refused to look away From Zacaraya's eyes this whole time, refusing to show any weakness, refusing to back down. Cautiously, he asked him, "... What do you want."

Oh, the smirk that transitioned upon Zac's lips must have been infuriating for poor Epel. It wasn't like he was being purposefully malicious, but rather, he was highly amused by Epel's reactions.

"Me? Want something? I would never ask you for anything, little guppy, just for returning a prized possession to it's rightful owner." Despite his words, he thought for a good minute. "However, since you insist..." Epel certainly was not insisting.

The lion would slowly straighten himself into a sitting position next to Epel, but with one foot still resting the sofa whilst the other comfortably touched the ground. He loomed over Epel and casually placed an arm around the Pomefiore's shoulders and leaned close, despite his obvious discomfortant and reluctance to the motion. When Epel leant away, Zac would only close the gap even further.

Eagerly, he set up the telescope with precision and ease, routinely checking to make sure everything was just right. The stars sung to him, a siren song, a calling. He felt he belonged there, and he would make it there. He would stop at nothing to live amongst the stars. He took a deep breath, enjoying this peaceful, delightful moment as if it were a most pleasing delicacy.

Without further ado, he gazed into the lens, adjusting the focus and position as needed, when he spotted a particularly gorgeous, and not yet seen, cluster of stars. Oh! what a fortuitous night this was! He quickly began jotting down notes of this rare and exciting find, mind going a million miles as he compiled his thoughts, he couldn't be more over the moon about this discovery.

It always felt different going for a jog underneath the stars. When students were sleeping the night away, Zacaraya would often sneak out in the early hours to get rid of some excess energy he had built up from napping most of the day away. There was nobody to get in his way, he could just simpy... run. As fast as he wanted. He couldn't care less about the pleasing aesthetic that the night sky offered, but rather the sound of the wind gushing past his ears, the solemn quietness of the night allowing for him to think. Hell, even the scent of the air felt different; fresher, crisper.

Sweat caused sandy-blond strands of hair to stick to his face, most of it having fallen out of his lack-lustre excuse of a ponytail at that point. He suddenly stopped, a large hill looming over him and above it, a pure-white moon shining it's glow upon a silhouette on the peak of the hill.

Zac's chest heaved up and down from trying to catch his breath, curiosity overtaking him. Why was there someone alone at this time of night?

The beastman began his trek up the hill, the closer he got, the more it was revealed to him that it was a student... Looking through a telescope? He quietly approached, seeing the man was completely lost to the world looking through the lens of that telescope, unaware of the beastman's presence.

That was exactly right. Epel leaned in, hopeful, nodding earnestly. So he had seen it? That was great! Maybe he could tell him where he saw it, and he could go right now and--

"Hmmm... I think I might have actually witnessed a student find it behind some bushes and stash it inside their own bag, actually"

Epel visibly deflated. This was bad, really bad... with the kind of characters around NRU, who knows what he'd have to do to get it back? What if it was that Azul guy who found it? Okay, that might have been a worse case scenario. He should think positively. Maybe he'd just have to buy a couple lunches, do a couple book reports. He had to find out who had it.

Before he could ask about it though, Zacaraya had brought up another point of interest. His instruction not to open the bag might have been a bad move, but... he didn't want anyone opening it. Sure, the box was locked, but he wouldn't put it past someone to just break it open. And he figured if he put 'Do Not Open' on the flyer, he might have avoided people seeing a locked box and getting that temptation. Though, the instruction itself may have been temptation enough... ugh. What was he supposed to do?

"I'm sure that anyone who opened it would be disappointed. It's nothing to be curious about, I just value my privacy is all."

He really needed to ask about who Zacaraya saw taking the bag, but again Zacaraya continued, "Oh, by the way, one of your little pom-pom friends approached me. Jinx, I think his name was, and told me not to fuck with you," he sighed dramatically, "So it appears as if we are not allowed to be friends, despite my wanting to spend more time with you."

Jinx had spoken to him? Had approached him, apparently. Specifically to tell Zacaraya not to mess with him, or had it simply come up in conversation? Did he say that they weren't allowed to talk? Or did he just vaguely express disapproval at their interaction?

Without knowing exactly what was said, Epel wasn't sure how to feel. Part of him felt... proud? Happy that Jinx cared enough about him to make it clear he didn't like Zacaraya messing with him. But he also felt sort of indignant. He didn't like feeling babied, and he didn't need Jinx to fight his battles for him. It's not like Zacaraya was gonna hurt him, he clearly wasn't interested in a fight. He hadn't even fought back last time (the frown on Epel's pensive face deepened as he was reminded). And even if he was looking for a fight, Epel would just fight back. It was sweet that Jinx was worried, but... he didn't want him to be worried. He wanted him to trust that he could handle himself.

Epel sighed. "He worries too much, you're no threat to us." That was meant to come off as a 'we're all cool' statement, though it maybe came off as a bit dismissive, or misleading. Epel didn't care enough to elaborate, and it was true anyways; Epel and Jinx could both take him on their own, he didn't know what Jinx was so worried about.

He severely doubted Zacaraya wanted to 'spend more time with him', but if that's what he was going with then great-- Epel could use this as an opportunity to steer the conversation back to the bag, and get Zacaraya to keep talking to him about it. Since he wanted to 'spend more time with him', after all. They could be friends for an hour, sure.

Surprisingly, there was nobody else in the Ramshackle lounge but them at that time, allowing them to talk freely. When Epel sat down in the middle of the sofa, Zacaraya's long body was essentially lounged behind him. It was an image akin to a fly trapped inside a spider web.

Hearing Epel talk about Jinx in such a light made him feel that his little side-objective had been accomplished. Perhaps Epel would approach Jinx at some point regarding it, but for now, his focus drifted back to the bag when Epel started asking more in-depth questions about it again.

The lion's lips 'smiled' in a 'friendly' manner at the motion. "Hmm," he hummed, thinking for an obnoxiously long moment. "If I recall, he had light brown hair, a tail... Incredibly tall..." He droned idly, listing off his own characteristics to see how long it would take Epel to catch on. "Naturally handsome guy from Savanaclaw with striking red-brown eyes."

He was just talking himself up at this point, seeing if Epel would make the same connections to Zac or if he viewed him in a completely different light.