Skool Daze (Cafeteria, Open; try to behave?)

Beyril shook her head, "I've never seen him issue a challenge like that... It worries me a bit honestly. I hope Ace is okay..."

Akira looked to Savannah, "Does this happen infrequently? In Japan, it's common among those I know."

Antonio shook his head, "This day just got more interesting...." he looked over to the two beside him, curious.

"It's not very common in America, even at this school." She gestured towards the way they'd left. "I would like to look into that more. Neither of them seem entirely... stable."

Tony raised a brow, shaking his head. "One day without analyzing someone would be nice. Although... it wouldn't hurt me to know who the new 'toy' is." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Not a toy." She pointed out. "At least not in the usual sense. Papa is still trying to.... tame me."

He laughed, and Jasmine looked over at them both, even more confused. "What, he trying to tie you down, and not in your usual way?" He asked, still chuckling a bit at the thought.

"The old ball and chain." She muttered, shaking her head, pushing most of the dessert over to Beyril, finishing up the one sugar roll she'd started.

Tony paused, looking at her incredulously. Jasmine was wincing, looking down at her hands and pretending that she couldn't hear. "No shit?" The Italian asked. "You're serious?"

Beyril munched on the sugar roll, the dust from the top making her hand sticky, "Wait, so what does that mean? Are you engaged or something? Like an arranged marriage?"

Akira said nothing, looking to Savannah and letting her explain. It wasn't his place as far as he was concerned.

"Exactly like that." She muttered, tapping her fingers against the table angrily, a shadow falling over her golden eyes. Jasmine's breath hitched and she excused herself from the table, darting from the cafeteria completely.

Tony nearly choked on his food. After a few moments of coughing, he got it down and looked over at her, wide-eyed. "You're fucking serious, aren't you?" He said, shaking his head. "What the hell?!"

"Petto." Savannah said, waving to gesture towards the others. "Explain, if you please, before I scream." Her voice was flat but angry as she sat there, eyes staring holes into the table.

Sarah looped her arm through her sisters, waving at the group. "We're going to head to class a little early. How about we all meet up for lunch again tomorrow?" Claire let her sister to pull from the vista, giving a small wave to the others. However, her eyes followed Jazz out of the lunchroom, brows drooping some.

Akira sighed, "Our grandfathers were very close back in Japan. Her grandfather saved my grandfather's life, so to pay his debt he arranged that his first born grandson would be given to her grandfather's family. He intended to merge our families together. My whole life has been spent training to act as a servant and bodyguard to her. Her parents seem to intend to hurry along the joining of the families as a way of excersizing control over her." He looked to Savannah, "Did I miss anything?"

CAre"That I get cut off if this arrangement fails?" She said, voice bitter and sarcastic as she sat there. She reached down, pulling her ipad out and running through her calendar and bank account. She set up an email, sending her father a copy of her calendar for the rest of the month. "Once my father sets up my therapy session, will you be able to take me?"

Antonio shook his head. "Anything to calm your ass down, huh? Looks like your games are over."

Savannah glared daggers at him. "My games are never over. I don't care what arrangements my parents try to arrange. If and when I actually do get..." she shuttered, seeming unable to bring herself to say the word, "....tied down, I'd like an actually say in it. And hell, ya know, actually know the person."

"Still too scared to talk about loooooooove?" he teased, laughing.

"Don't even joke." She said, voice hard and deadly, silencing him instantly, his hands raised as if in self-defense.

Akira nodded, "I can take you if you need." He glanced to her, inspecting her change in positioning and tone, "I'm not going to stop you from doin what you want, you know."

She looked up at him, a glare still in her eyes. "I am not so disrespectful that I will flaunt my tendencies when I am... bound to you." She shuttered, shaking her head. "And besides, my parents are already expecting me to drop the habits. Not that I have any real interest in doing so, but it is still expected of me." She sighed, closing her eyes and thinking to herself, far too frustrated to think properly.

"Need a new toy?" Antonio asked, leaning away from Akira as he looked at the two.

"I have plenty." She practically snapped at him, shaking her head.

"Rag next week?"

She looked like she was about to rip his head off when she looked up at him.

Akira glared at the boy, a fire and wrath hidden behind his gray eyes that looked like it could ignite him at any second, "You are not to make her uncomfortable in any way. Understand me?" his eyes narrowed.

Lani:

Antononio shrank back instantly, hopping into Jasmine's now unoccupied seat, eyes wide and visibly beginning to sweat. "Look, man, it was just a joke. I didn't mean anything by it-"

"Down, petto." Savannah said, reaching over to tug at the man's arm. "He gets the point. There's no need to threaten him as well." She sighed, looking down, elbows on the table, massaging her temples. "Remind me to make a point to set up my next psychiatric appointment. I need to ask her about my mood swings again."

Akira calmed down instantly, relaxing back in his seat and nodding along in silence. Beyril fidgeted, "So, your family's pretty traditional, then, right?" she asked.

Lani:

"They can be." She said, continuing to massage her temples. "I apologize that you all have had to see my like this. And Ant'ony, yes, I am menstruating next week." She sighed, shaking her head. "I have a temper problem. But yes, Beyril... my Papa likes to uphold the family honor, and when Papa says something, it is expected that such is final. There is no getting out of this arrangement."

Beyril nodded along, "Wow... I don't know if I'd know what to do in your situation. Then again, maybe that's one of the good things about living on my own." she chuckled to herself.

Savannah shrugged, sighing to herself. "If you don't work later, I plan on watching the fight. Other than that..." She brought up her calendar on her phone, looking through her schedule. "I have a test in two days, but I study in the mornings, so I believe I'm free for the rest of the day." She passed her phone over to Akira. "Put your number in, if you haven't already."

Akira nodded, putting in his number quickly, then handed it back.

Beyril thought, thinking of her work schedule, "I... I think I'm free. I'll have to call and ask. Sometimes they call me in last minute." she shrugged, "It's annoying, but I need the money."

Savannah took it back from him, immediately sending him a text message signed '-Aijin.' She then went in, editing his contact information, adding 'Petto' to the end of his name and placing him on her speed dial. "Where do you work?" She asked, still running through her phone, changing people's information and editing contact ID's and notifications.

"Well, I suppose that's a long story..." she trailed off embarrassedly, "Wherever I can is the short answer. Right now I'm essentially on cleanup duty for a restaurant in town. I'd prefer to be waiting tables instead of cleaning grease traps and cleaning out rat traps and bathrooms.... But, it's work. Pay's crappy, but no where else is really hiring right now. Especially students."

Savannah nodded. "You're sixteen, right? My age? I can look around for some extra work for you, if you want. You could try tutoring for the school as well." She shrugged, "I offered to at one point, but it's pretty limited to Work Study students and my temperament isn't exactly... Ideal for the job."

Antonio rolled his eyes. "Well, I gotta head out. See ya later, ladies... Akira." He nodded to them. "Sayv, will you send Beyril my number?"

She nodded, waving him off. "Sure. Have fun in Spanish." His eyes rolled. "I still hate you for forcing me into that class, ya know."

"Be happy it wasn't German. At least it's similar to Italian this way."

"True that. See ya!"

Beyril waved goodbye to him, and Akira simply nodded, "If you know of anywhere that's hiring, that would certainly help. As far as tutoring, I wasn't very good at it when I tried. I'm more... emotionally smart. Books and tests and studying aren't my strong points, unfortunately."

Savannah nodded, bringing up the school's website, which had taken ages to get added in the first place, and searching through available jobs on campus. "It would probably save you some money if you looked into scholarships and work study and lived in one of the campus dorms... It looks like they're looking for desk clerks and people to work in the cafeteria right now." She looked up from her phone. "We could always ask Death what he thinks about it. He is in charge, after all."

She shrugged, "I hate to impose on him... He's got a lot more important things to deal with than the fact that I don't like my job." she looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers, "Besides... My parents will be back eventually. It won't just be me forever..."

Savannah looked up fully then, locking her phone and studying the girl. "Where are they, if I might ask? And it isn't just about you not liking your job. This is affecting the way you live and how much of your time you can devote to studies. A school's first priority is always its students." She shrugged. "If you want, I technically have a double room with the second bed moved out. You can let your lease run out for this month, or I can talk to your landlord, and you can move in with me." She nodded to Akira. "Do you have any problems with that, Petto?" Something about her seemed off, more guarded the longer she talked, and her body seemed to be beginning to fold in on itself. She crossed her legs tighter, angling them straight ahead rather than towards the two on either side of her, and her normally perfect posture seemed to be slacking, hunching her over slightly as she held her hands in her lap, tapping her leg anxiously.

"I have no protests to any of it." Akira shrugged.

"It's... It's my parent's apartment... I don't know if..." her breath hitched and she forced her eyes closed, breathing in slowly, filling her lungs, and letting the shaky exhalation tumble from her lips, "I don't know where they are. They left when I was twelve. In a hurry. They said it wouldn't be too long, and they'd come back for me soon..." her mouth seemed to cease functioning, and she couldn't say anything further on it.

Savannah's eyes went wide, and she found herself doing something she never did: reaching out to comfort someone. Timidly, she reached her arm over, draping it across the girl's shoulders as she angled herself more towards her. "Hey, that's alright. How about we go job hunting today, instead of just chilling? We can get a job together, and I can help you pay for the apartment if you still want to live there. If you're not comfortable with that I... I could move in with you, and I would just be earning my keep. Is... Is that okay?" Her voice was shaking, her eyes actually seeking acceptance from the girl beside her, hands and lip trembling, heart pounding from nervous adrenaline. "I... I mean, I... I don't want to impose on you or anything, but... If... If you need the help, I can provide it..."