Face blank as a rock, Ayaka watched as Iron slid into the clothes she offered. Simple, maybe a bit on the small side for him, but overall clean and sleek. It reminded her of the time when she helped out at her family's tailoring shop; though she did get told a lot to not glare so much at people as she took their sizes.

     Stepping aside as Iron tossed his clothes, Ayaka noticed Isabelle approach soon after with clothes in hand and a fidget in her step.

     

Once his clothes were neatly folded into a small pile that she held under her arm, Isabelle looked up at Ayaka. There was a brief moment of silence, of hesitation, but she made herself fight through the embarrassment. "Hey, Ayaka. Would you, uh... Would you mind helping me pick out some new clothes? Maybe?" Her meek tone made it obvious that she felt uncomfortable asking. However, this was the best opportunity she was going to get. Iron wasn't there to make comments on her lame fashion sense, though she assumed she would have to bear some of that from Ayaka too.

     Ayaka stared blankly before tilting her head. To be perfectly honest she saw nothing inherently wrong with Isabelle's state of dress. Maybe because she herself didn't care what other girls wore. However, she did see why her feline friend would be distraught, hoodies weren't exactly on the fashionable side.

     Rows of clothes laid before them on racks and shelves, certainly something here could satisfy her needs. "Sick of hoodies?" Ayaka quipped flatly, head tilting towards a hooded mannequin. The mannequin stared flatly in response. Rude.

     It took a moment, but Ayaka quickly approached Isabelle and inspected her from head to toe. Small of frame, though not inherently scrawny, loose clothing would flow well on her. Pale skin, so best avoid anything too garishly bright. The ears limited the number of hats she could sport, but there were always ones that were Faunus-friendly too.  Same goes for skirts and pants, a quick fix could suffice to accommodate her tail.

     Grabbing a few outfits, Ayaka silently lifted one after another in front of Isabelle, trying to make heads or tails of which one to use. A small white blouse, a fashionable coat, a large baggy jacket, some hot pants, a beanie, and both slacks and jeans seemed to have zoomed pass the girl's silhouette in flash. Mix matching stuff was difficult and when it came to girls one had to take the personality into consideration as well.

     "Street wear or  something more...frilly?" she murmured, looking at Isabelle like a dress-up doll. Ayaka scratched her head while ignoring the fact that she left her 'special package' on the side for just anyone to pick up.

     

     It felt like a mad scramble moving from his cold bed of snow to his feet but Shiroe back springed back into action with his sword held high. Unfortunately he didn't have enough time to prepare a rune and saw two daggers fly at him from his opponent's direction.

     The first dagger flew aside with a flick of his blade but the second slammed into his waist while the speed enhanced Setsuna dove towards him. Unable to react in time, and with no runes to counter the blow, Shiroe only managed to bring a dull static guard that deflected the blade from his chest to his other shoulder.

     In such close quarters and his blade stuck in a high guard, Shiroe aimed a pommel strike straight into Setsuna's face while charging the runes on his legs. Success or not he kicked back to regain some breathing room as his eyes darted looking for his teammate.


Aura: 81%
Attacks: Pommel to face - 5%

     "It's nothing important." Ayaka quickly replied, nonchalantly lifting the bag, "Just a bundle of fabric and whatnot."An adorable bundle of fabric. She thought, quickly moving the bag out of grabbing distance.
     "I've been thinking of improving my combat attire, as well as some casual apparel." Did that sound normal enough? Best to just change the subject, and luckily enough Iron took the bait.

     Unable to resist a groan at his claim of jealously Ayaka sniffed, "I feel no such thing nor do I feel the need to participate in such fruitless excursions for the sake of vague romantic attractions." Who needed relationships anyways? True, Isabelle and Iron weren't on the unattractive side of the spectrum but Ayaka had always seen them as allies at the very least.

     The red tinge spread slightly to her cheeks, tinting them a healthy pink as she entertained other thoughts despite her stony expression. She'd be lying if she said she didn't ever think about dating, but that was not on her immediate concerns as of late.

     Wait...did she just fall for her own diversion?

     She cleared her throat once more, wondering if she needed water, and said, "So, considering Iron's so out-of-character performance, I'm guessing Isabelle was right. What do you plan on doing next, though? If you're planning on buying stuff for the dorm I guess I could assist. If not, I'll be one my way if you two want to be alone again."

     Maybe she should buy some other stuff to cover up her initial purchase. It was another matter altogether to hide the damned doll later...Claim it a gift for a relative? Maybe? Anyways, whatever choice they made she had to get her story in order.
   
     

     It took a while but Kei finally managed to get through the lock, having the other students look for one piece of junk or another or for her key that she supposedly dropped. In one swift motion, the thief spread some of the dust on the floor on the lock, pressed a laminated document she snagged a while back against the scanner, then pressed her palm against it.

     The door opened with a mechanical whir and the simple yet annoying obstacle slid away to allow the students in. Sorry guys, Kei thought, but there are more important things at stake than their silly mission. She slipped in, wondering if the door closed automatically or not, but it stood open while the others were busy doing...well nothing. If they saw her walk in they wouldn't be none the wiser anyways. She- er - he was an employee here. At least on the outside.

     As Kei stalked through the suspicious caboose she heard muffled sounds of arguing just ahead. The room was lined with sheets of steel way too heavy to be moved individually and had a few deactivated Atlesian Knights just standing at ready on the sides. An alert would probably cause them to hop back into action but as it was they seemed content with just staying stiff as statues. Kei thanked her luck that the lock worked, otherwise she would have to deal with getting caught on top of being shot at by the train's security detail. Another door barred the way and it was just as locked as the previous one. Another splash of dust and the same trick later she got through and walked in to sounds of...was Professor Nox yelling?

_________________________________________________________

     "I will NOT participate any further in this project, Jonathan!" Despite his wiry frame the Professor stood firm and slammed a fist against a large white pod behind him. It looked like an egg flattened on one side, resting on the floor supported by several mechanical arms, wires, and large amounts of tubes feeding fluid and power into the device.

     "A theory does not give right for experimentation of living, breathing subjects!" Nox continued, "We don't know what would happen if a person's aura can handle such strain, nor can we measure without further research. I dropped this years ago because of that and even you supported my decision!"

     Jonathan smiled. "See now, William. That's where you're wrong"

     "What? This is clearly an aura pod, that means you have someone inside!"

     "Some thing, William. A vegetable has no emotions nor can it feel pain. Not that it was a person to begin with anyways. Nobody is going to miss a Faunus-" Jonathan practically spat the word, "Not to mention White Fang scum. Just because you're desperate to feel the same way as them, to feel emotions the same way, doesn't mean you should get in the way of progress William, not when you've contributed so much to this endeavor. Perhaps in the future we can even create devices capable of enhancing conscious, living souls. Think of the possibilities! Every person has the potential to no longer fully rely on mechanical weaponry to fight Grimm and terrorists alike. All it would take is a simple machine-"

     "And huge amounts of dust." Nox cut in, "Just give me the plans, I need to see everything before I make my decision..."

     Jonathan's thin lips stretched into a smile once more, "Now that's the William I know. Professor Ovid would be glad to hear you've come on board."

     "I haven't agreed yet, Jonathan. I'm merely interested in the schematics."

     "Of course."

     A loud crash echoed throughout the chamber, and Jonathan pulled out his scroll. Atlesian Knights all throughout the car sprang to life and and started marching towards the source.

     Jonathan stood straight, raising an eyebrow at Professor Nox. "I'm sure it's nothing. But we can't be too sure."

     Nox could only scrunch his eyebrows at the words, taking his hands away from the machine before pulling out his own scroll.

 ___________________________________________________

+1

Approved

Bird boi has feather throwing knives? Approved. Well as is at least. DM me if you plan on making changes or not, then I'll rererereview

"Well, whatever you preference I guess I could always brew something if need be." Shiroe said, tilting his head at Lilla's question. "No, not a person. It's a type of herbal infusio- it's the type of tea." He sighed. This team is going to take a bit of work to get used to.

     It didn't take much longer for Shiroe to prop the chilled cookies into the oven and set the tea on the table. The aroma of bergamot filled the air as Shiroe begun pouring tea into four different tea cups. His personal cup was white, with a silver trim and a rather modestly decorated base. His cup for Reggie was there as well, a deep purple with gold engravings almost, if not as fancy as his own garments. Unfortunately the cups he brought out for Lilla and Akel were simple modest whites with not particular decorations on them as of yet. He hoped he could find proper ones for them soon enough.
     "Please, help yourselves." He said, taking his side nearest the kitchen area while he sipped on his freshly brewed tea. Goosebumps ran across Shiroe's neck as the strong aroma of the tea filled his nostrils, it was a while since he last had such a powerful aroma. Perhaps it would not be to his new team's liking as well. he did not, in fact, add sugar or whatever cream to the tea pot sitting on the table. Who knows, maybe they're used to bitter stuff.

     Just to be sure, Shiroe started rummaging about the cupboards for his store of sugar and cream.