[Elsword] - Masked Renegade

04 - Pact

...

Ara wasn't quite expecting transfer students, much less two of them. Though she saw it as an opportunity to make new friends, if they were able to handle her eccentric tendencies, that was. Despite having a cheerful and optimistic disposition, the other students tended to see her as a clumsy child whom still believed in the works of magic.

As the pair walked by in order to reach their seats, Ara smiled, hoping to be noticed. It was no more than a friendly gesture, however, the results were positive. Aisha beamed, waving hello before skipping off with a usual pep in her step. Elesis simply nodded at her action, acknowledging it with no other motion to respond with.

~

The class was fairly normal, beginning-of-the-year course outlines handed out to be read, long explanations and such. Really, there was no real work done, and so, lunchtime came by relatively quickly in a rapid flash.

Teenagers evacuated from the classrooms in a hurry, and in no time, Aisha, Elesis, and Ara were the only individuals remaining, apart from Daisy (though she had to remain in the classroom; after all it was her job). An awkward silence filled the air, the Sakra Devanam attempted to break it, but wasn't exactly sure how she'd do so without making the atmosphere more stiff than it already was.

The magician let out a stifled giggle. "Hey, you over there!" she spoke boldly, referring to Ara. "It doesn't seem like you have anyone to sit with for lunch, right? Mind if we join you, then? We'll be alone, together."

"Ah, um, I don't mind..!" she replied with a smile, as she held her lunchbox in her hands. "To the cafeteria, then? Or um, is there another place you'd prefer to sit at?"

"Bleh! The cafeteria is too mainstream. Let's go to the roof, instead! (because that's totally not overrated at all)" Aisha declared, grabbing both of the ladies' arms to drag them along with her, deciding not to wait another second for an affirmative answer.

~

Without any rejections nor rebuttals, the trio had settled down on the rooftop, the flaring sun gazing down with its beams of light for a warm environment. The sunlight felt relaxing on their exposed skin, and it was a beautiful day outside on Earth.

Opening up their packaged meals, the girls had begun to dig in. Ara had a container filled with riceballs, Aisha had a BLT sandwich, and Elesis ate a meat burrito. Along with the large variety of food, they also conversed about a range of topics.

"Hmm! Now that I think about it, I never really asked for your name. You already know our names, so it's right for you to properly introduce yourself!" Aisha scolded after wiping her mouth with a napkin, finished with her scrumptious bread.

"Mm? O-Oh, ah, I-I'm sorry!" she stuttered. "My name is Ara!"

"Ara, that's quite a pretty name, if I say so myself." Elesis added for once, nodding in approval. "I look forward to... building our friendship." she hesitated before extending her hand for a shake.

She gratefully shook the redhead's hand. "Yes! Thank you, Miss Elesis!"

Ring! An item in Aisha's pocket had vibrated with a chirp. She quickly removed it from her pocket, swiping around with her phone, only to see that she had a new text message. Intently, the mage had read it, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Dammit! Such terrible luck on the first day of school!" she whined. "Er, if it isn't asking too much... can Elesis and I please, please, please stay over at your house for several days? I know it's a random question out of the blue, and we just met, but I beg of you! Our residence suddenly had some sort of mite infestation, and it'll take a while before we can return safely. We don't exactly have enough pocket money to rent a hotel of some sort for the time being, either. I'm sorry for the urgent request!"

Ara blinked, pondering about what Brother Aren would think about the situation. Her thoughts trailed back to Add; how would her new friends deal with the situation, if they saw the albino boy? She anticipated that it wouldn't end too well, but she felt too guilty if she had refused without a genuine reason.

"I-I'll ask my older brother after class. We can um, walk over to my place! If the answer ends up being negative, I'm sure you guys can stay for at least a day for a sleepover kind of thing..!" she offered, attempting to compromise.

Aisha tackle-hugged her new ally. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, ARA!!!"

Elesis softly chuckled. "Yes, thank you..."

"Y-You're welcome!"

Ring! The actual school bell had rung, indicating that class was going to be in session shortly.

"Ara! You can head off without us, we need to sort out some things first!" Aisha called out, soon releasing the fragile girl.

"Oh, okay! Um, see ya in class!" she stood up and politely bowed, before dashing off into the building.

~

Aisha turned over to Elesis, smiling. "Ta-da! First part of our operation has been a success! You did well, playing along. We'll get to Ran, sooner or later. And if we're lucky, maybe we'll find Add sooner than expected!" she cheered.

The Grand Master nodded. "I suppose..."

"By the way, doesn't Ara seem a lot like Ava to you?" the Void Princess queried.

"Yeah, she does..."

"Then, without too many extra details, I'll briefly conclude and sum up that... Ara is Ava's reincarnation."

...