Extreme Studying!!! (except not really) (me and Zacky) FINISHED

Isabela was sitting in her usual alcove in the library. The window here caught just enough light so she could read, but it didn't overwhelm her. The current book she was reading was a dissertation on molecular structure. She had a test coming up in her chemistry class, so she wanted to be extra prepared. It wasn't like she needed the extra help; she was top in her class right now, and it was an online course offered through UCLA. It was really kind of the school to let her take these classes even though they cost a lot of money. She had long passed her other classes her at the DWMA, but still enjoyed some of the extra curricular courses that they offered like fashion and PE. The only thing missing in her life right now was a weapon that she could call her partner. As a meister who had been here for two years, it was odd that she didn't have one. She had tried to find one, but every time she was asked to be a partner, she just didn't feel the connection. Yes, their souls could resonate. She was a utility meister, so that wasn't the problem, but she just didn't like the weapon or it didn't feel right. She hoped that she would find a weapon soon so she could make her abuela proud.

Ryder was walking down a very long hallway in the school, while wearing gym sweatpants and a gym shirt to match. Ryder had decided to ditch P.E. due to multiple people deciding to spar with each other and didn't want to get picked to spar or simply caught in the crossfire. "This school is very intense.", Ryder whispered to himself as he crept into the library. It was there that he spotted a girl that seemed to be reading a very large book. Everyone else he met at this school seemed to be pretty nice so he decided to try to befriend her by setting up a seat next her and giving a simple, "Hello... My name is Ryder."

Isabela looked up at the boy who greeted and instantly put a smile on her face. She hadn't really been too engrossed in her book (really, this dissertation was quite simple), so she wasn't bothered at all. The boy....Ryder, he had said, looked out of place in his gym clothes. Clearly he must be needed somewhere else. She hadn't really made too many friends because a lot of people didn't like her because she was smart. "Hello! I'm Isabela. Please, sit! You look like you should be somewhere else." She pointed out, patting the spot next to her. Her accent wasn't as bad as it used to be, but it was still distinctly Mexican.

Ryder gave a small smile and sat down, "Yeah... I kinda... Ditched P.E. It was just a bit too intense for me. People there looked as if they were trying to rip each others heads off but they stated that they were just sparing. The teacher said that it was alright as long as he was there to supervise it all. I didn't really want to fight soooo... I ditched and found myself ending up here, looks like the library. It's nice to meet you Isabela, do you mind if I ask what you're reading about?"

She closed the book and showed him the title, "Molecular Structure in the Atoms of Noble Gases: A Dissertation by Harold Greene, so, basically, something only I would ever read." She said, laughing a little bit, but feeling slightly nervous. Stuff like that had caused people t get up and walk away before. She really didn't want that to happen. "If you don't want to fight, then I'm afraid you have come to the wrong school." She added on, hoping to the lighten the mood a bit.

Ryder gave a one last long look at book before speaking again, "Yeah well, I don't really need to learn how to fight on my own though. I'm a weapon so all I really have to do is transform and let my Meister fight for me. Well... If I had a Meister partner, but sadly I don't. I've been here for a few days though so there's still a chance to find a partner I think. Hey... Are you a Meister... In need of a partner?" Ryder held his breath for a moment, he couldn't believe he just asked that from a person he just met. He felt as if it made him sound incredibly desperate.

"I've been a meister in need of a weapon for two years now, but that shouldn't stop you from bettering yourself. I know several weapons that are good fighters." Isabela said. She recognized the hope that he had in his voice. She used to have it every time she tried a new weapon, but it eventually just became a chore. Still, he wouldn't be the first person to ask her to try and wield them. Like always, she would humor them and give them some false reason for why she couldn't partner with them.

Ryder gave a shocked look when she said that she was in need of partner for two years. He was partner less for just a few days but he seemed to be more desperate than her and that made him feel terrible. "I'm... Sorry that's it's taking you so long to find a partner. It must be horrible to be without one for so long, do you think there's a particular reason that you can't find the right one?"

"I just can't seem to find a weapon that is.....for me. Do you get what I'm saying? It hasn't been a problem with resonating; I'm a utility meister, so I can have just about as many weapons as I want, but I'm looking for the perfect one. I won't settle for anything less." Isabela explained. She had long grown used to people calling her too picky and a perfectionist. She couldn't blame them for their opinions because it was their right to have them. However, she viewed the bond between weapon and meister to be really special, and she wanted that bond with a weapon that she felt aligned with her the most.

Ryder scratched his head in confusion, 'The perfect weapon... Could there be such a weapon? What could possibly make a weapon perfect. It's damn near impossible because that weapon is a person.' Ryder sighed before he finally said, "Listen... Maybe there isn't such a thing as perfect. Perfection is literally almost impossible to achieve, everything is going to have some type of flaw. To be perfect would be simply unnatural. The weapon you choose will be a human being just like you, asking that weapon to be perfect would be asking you yourself to be perfect. To have flaws means that we're not perfect, but at the same time we are being perfect because we're being flawed. Do you... Understand what I'm saying?"

Oh no, no, no!" Isabela said, shaking her head, "I don't mean perfection in that sense. I mean a weapon that aligns with me the most. I understand that people have flaws and such." Isabela explained, feeling bad for what she said. She wasn't the best at people skills, but she tried her best. However, she usually came off as egotistical when she really wasn't. She just had a problem with getting on other peoples' levels.

Ryder noticed the sorrow Isabela felt in the sound of her voice and decided that it might be best to try to change the topic, "Let's just stop talking about what you mean by perfection. What are some of the things that you plan on achieving later on in your life? Do you have any big goals or possibly even almost unobtainable dreams that motivate you to keep pushing forward in life?"

"Um, well, I do, but I did kind of just met you. I'm don't usually divulge everything on day one. It reduces the chance of there being a day two." She told him, trying to sound as polite as possible. She really didn't have an issue with talking to people about her life, but she just didn't like to do unless she knew and trusted them. Ryder seemed like a nice enough guy, but they had only been talking for a few minutes. "I will say that I was born in Mexico; my family owns a vineyard there, and I came here when I was 14, so two years ago, as you could probably assume from the fact that I've been waiting for a weapon for that long." She said, keeping the conversation flowing.

"From Mexico huh? That place always sounded like it might have been a place to visit. I come from California, in a place where everyone thought they were... 'Gangster'.", Ryder said while making quote signs with his fingers to emphasize gangster. "Many people would talk trash to each other, pull their damn pants down to their ankles, jump others regularly, and so on." Ryder then looked Isabela in the eyes to show her that they were both two different types of colors, "It didn't help that my eyes really made me stand out in the crowds. I simply didn't fit in with many people over there and was usually ignored. To grab the attention of others, I basically did stunts that could have gotten me really hurt but I didn't really care back then. Eventually I discovered that I was a weapon and to try to fit in, I decided to come to this school. That's pretty much my whole life story, as you can see... I'm a bit of an open book."

"I didn't find out that I was a meister until 2 years ago. My Abuela was a meister before me, but, since my mother did not inherit the ability, she did not tell her about that part of her life. She only explained it to me when I told her I had developed what I now know is Soul Perception." Isabela said, giving him a bit more of her life since he was so open with his. She was saddsened by his upbringing, but she did not pity him. He had survived, and that was the important part. She had seen the horrible places in her own country, and she admired the people who made themselves from those areas.

Ryder was happier to know a bit more about her life now but who couldn't fully comprehend how Meisters genetics worked or what Soul Perception meant. He didn't want to bother asking about it though so he just tried to keep the conversation going as best as he good, "That's really nice to hear. So, how to you like the school? You've been here longer than me, do you have any tips about navigating the school, passing classes, or just some people I should try to avoid?"

"Memorization is the best way to learn this place. It so confusing and a lot of corridors look exactly alike. As for passing classes......well, I'm already finished with high school. Lord Death allows the school to pay for online classes for me through UCLA." She said quietly. She didn't like talking about this because it usually made her seem like some know-it-all weirdo.

Ryder gave a look of surprise, he wasn't use to be around people with such a high intellect back home. "You're already taking college lessons? That's really amazing, you really finished highschool level learning? That's very impressive, most people back home would be dumber than a log stuck in the mud. How are the college lessons, are they hard?"

"Yeah, I've always been.....above average, and the college classes challenge me, but they are not too difficult. I can still take other classes here like training classes and gardening. I love to grow things. Probably comes from mi papá having me help him in our fields. You should see my home when he grapes are blooming. It is so beautiful." Isabela said, losing her thoughts to memories of her home. She had been fighting off the homesickness really well these last two years, but it got hard sometimes. She rubbed her hand over her bracelet, a piece of jewelry that her abuela had made for her.

Ryder took a look at what her hand was rubbing over and smiled, "Hey, that looks very pretty right there. What type of bracelet is it and who gave it to you?" Ryder wasn't sure if she'll actually like answering this question. He didn't know if he'll possibly get an answer similar to question, 'What's your dream?' The bracelet looked pretty personal so Ryder won't be surprised or offended if she did.

"Mi abuela made it for me. It keeps me grounded and reminds me of home." Isabela told him, smiling a bit as she recalled the memory of receiving the bracelet. She was about to leave for the DWMA; leave the only home that she had ever known, and she was scared. Her abuela had pulled her to the side and showed her the bracelet and, putting it on her wrist, she told her, "Never forgot who you are, mi nieta, and never forget that you will always find your home here." She hugged Isabela close before sending her out the door.

"I hope I get to visit your home someday.", Ryder said before immediately hearing what sounded like some sort of spray nearby. "Huh... Hey... Did you hear that?", he asked Isabela as he started to look around the library for the cause of the sound.

"I think so, like a spray?" Isabela asked, going to her feet to look around a bit. She knew this library better than anyone else she knew, so, if there was an issue, she could probably find it.

Ryder got up to follow her, he obviously had nothing better to do and this may possibly get interesting. He just had to wait and see.

In aisle of the library, Alexander had been sitting on floor. He was wearing black shorts and a white shirt that both had paint stains on them. The sound of the spray had came from his spray paint can, he had just sprayed the pages of many books and tossed them aside. "None of these books of shit about him.", he grumbled to himself as he rubbed his tired eyes that had bags forming beneath them. He was completely frustrated for some apparently unknown reason, he sighed to himself as he picked out another book from the bookshelf next to him and began reading it.

Isabela followed the sound until it led her to one of the fiction sections in the library. She saw a man sitting on the floor surrounded by books and holding a......can of paint!? She went from curious to furious in two seconds. How dare he treat these books with such disrespect. They were not his and some of them were classics. "¡Qué en el nombre de Dios! ¿Qué demonios estás haciendo?" Isabela yelled, slipping back into her native Spanish out of surprise. She rushed over to take the spray can from the delinquent.