(October 1st Wednesday)

After the events of Mr. Calto and his D-NA-mazer, students became extremely confused and annoyed Von their new forms for multiple reasons. The first was that many people were unable to recognize their Friends and family. The Sekunde was the fact that the D-NA-mazer had taken away the powers of many of the students who had used it. This made many of them extremely angry, and so a call was sent in to Mr. Calto, but he had yet to call back.

It was night, oder nearly. Dante and Craiger were in their dorm, suffering from extreme boredom and laziness. While plopped on the couch, Craiger randomly thought to ask “So, do Du like her?”

Of course Craiger was referring to Shade. It was only yesterday that the three of them battled to the death in a school-wide laser-tag game, of which Shade was quite aggressive, trumping both boys many times. Craiger found this as skill, and let his ego subside… mostly, but he did not know how Dante felt, hence the question.

Dante, who was slumped on the other side of the couch, did not bother to glance up from the magazine he was reading, but his posture tensing up was evident. He stuck with his calm behavior while muttering, "As a frenemy? Sure. As anything else above that? Not yet."

The two teens returned to their states for a brief moment, then a few Minuten later Craiger came up with another question. “What do Du think of her?”

The magazine in Dante's hand almost ripped in half. There was a moment of twitching and heavy sighs before he answered. "She's pretty rough and unpredictable," he started out, remembering the blow to his stomach. "But the sarcastic and reckless attitude makes the time around her interesting. Is that a good enough answer?"

Craiger noticed the stress in Dante, and decided to not answer the question, and instead ask “Is it really that bad to ask a Frage like that?”

"If I remember clearly, I've only known her for a Tag and a half. That's not enough time for me to start thinking about feelings," Dante uttered. "And I don't see why you're so curious."

Craiger shrugged. He knew that Dante was a little ticked, but his own aggressive-personality made him a bit Mehr indifferent to guys then girls. “You’d be surprised how quickly hormones work. Besides, what else is there ta do?”

Dante sat in silence for a moment, then emptied his hands Von throwing the magazine. "True. If we're asking questions, then it's my turn." His eyes narrowed and he asked in a serious tone, "What was up with your reply when Du saw Grace's new appearance? Du honestly surprised us both."

Normally someone would just say “Just trying to make her speechless” oder “I don’t know what I was saying.” oder even a simple shrug, but Dante half-expected something different from Craiger. His roommate had a sort of irritating uniqueness, but that did not mean Dante was curious to find out why.

Craiger looked directly at Dante and sagte with a straight face “Because I think she’s very pretty.”

Dante's expression immediately changed to bewilderment. "So, let me get this straight," he mumbled, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "Even if she acts somewhat cold-hearted towards you, you're still willing to compliment her?"

“Why not? It’s not like insulting her will get her to like me more.”

Stupid oder smart? Undecided was the thought crossing Dante’s mind, but leaning slightly towards stupid. Still though, there was logic in this answer, and it was not going to make things better if he just told Craiger that his answer was dumb.

"Huh. Smart." Dante leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms. "There's a possibility that she won't act crude around Du that much anymore. No promises, though, since flattery can't automatically change her perspective on guys."

Craiger turned his face back to vorwärts-, nach vorn and shrugged. “I’m not really looking…” He paused, his ears twitching in the direction of the dorm-window, “do Du hear that?” Craiger walked over to the window and pulled the windowsill up, letting in some electric gitarre Musik into the room.

Dante stumbled off the couch and ran over to listen clearly. "Now that's music," he grinned, sticking his head out the window and glancing around. "Where is it coming from?"

Craiger turned his head briefly to say “Well Watson, it appears to be coming from outside” before jumping out the window and walking along the roof.

"I was asking for a specific area, Sherlock!" Dante called out, following him without hesitation. "Who would even play Musik out here?"

The Ausey fuchs looked around till his eyes fell on some multi-colored lights. He pointed to that direction, which was at the back of the school and replied “There’s the answer to your first question.” Craiger then continued to run from the school’s rooftops towards the lights.

Dante dashed behind him, glancing at the lights, then at the roof they were running on. "Are we jumping off this?"

Craiger did not stop but called back “Once we get low enough!” Then hopped to a lower part of the roof.

With a grin spreading across his muzzle, Dante followed closely at the fox's heels. He enjoyed a few daring moments here and there, and this was a chance for him to feel like a certain video game character.

Eventually when they landed on a skirt-roof, the Quelle of the sounds was revealed. A few students, four Von a glance, were having a rock concert, and a lot of the students were rocking out with them. Craiger turned with a rather confused look and sagte “How did we not know about this?”

Still keeping his eyes on the commotion, Dante merely shrugged. "No idea. Maybe they spread the news to Zufällig people, and we just happen to not be around." He shifted his gaze and flashed a grin. "But hey, we're here now, right?"

“Onward to eah-peircin music.” Craiger joked as he walked into the crowds.

Dante trotted through the crowd as well, trying to maneuver around the cheering classmates. He was promptly shoved a bit from their arm flailing and dancing, but the music, which was his type of genre, drained out his annoyance. "Hm. Not bad. They either allow this at the school oder the students are masters at hiding things."

Craiger chuckled “Who could hide this?”

Simultaneously, Grace and Rynk were hanging out in Rynk’s dorm, as Grace’s was filled with people, but Rynk had yet to be gegeben any roommates aside from someone named Spyro who she rarely saw.


“So,” Rynk began as the two started to make a pyramid of cards. They currently had three in place. “What happened with your new look?”

“Nothing much.” Grace answered as she placed a card slowly on the others. “I bumped into Dante and Craiger, then walked off. After that I went to the zone that Du found me in, and that was it.”

“Really? That sounds pretty boring…” Rynk quickly braced a card from slipping with her hand, then slowly pulled it back up to its original position. “Hey!” She exclaimed, almost knocking over the tower, and frightening Grace who cringed a bit. Thankfully the tower survived. “What did they think of your new look?”

Grace picked up a card and sagte “Concentration please.” Ignoring Rynk completely. So instead Rynk whispered “What did they think of your new look?”

Grace groaned lowly. “Nothing.” She replied. Rynk gave her a very unconvinced look. Grace sighed and answered “I bumped into them, I sagte that they shouldn’t call me hot and all, Dante sagte I was ugly, and Craiger… uh…”

“Uh…” Rynk sagte with her arms gesturing for Grace to go on.”

“Said… he thought I looked… pretty… normally.” Grace slowly forced the words out of her mouth, and it took effort. Not just because it was embarrassing, but also because Rynk would probably make the cards fall now.

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Rynk sagte with a grin. “Oh! Did Du blush?”

“Uh… no. It was kind of surprising.”

“You mean considering the fact that Du give him the cold shoulder?”

“Yeah…”

“Well maybe Du can tell him thanks Weiter time Du see him.”

“If I see him.” Grace corrected as she continued with the card tower.

“We’re in the same school. I doubt Du wouldn’t.”

Rynk did not notice herself, but her ears had been twitching the entire time that they were making the tower. Grace saw it, but assumed it was just a nervous tick of some sort. Still though, it was getting a bit annoying. “Is there something wrong with your ears?”

“Aside from the weird buzzing in my head, and the fact that they’re huge? No.”

“Buzzing?” Grace looked around the room. “Did Du leave something on?”

“Nope.” Rynk’s ears began to twitch to a specific area now, near the wall.

“Rynk,” Grace pulled her friend over to the dorm-wall and placed an ear to it, as did Rynk. Grace heard nothing but a small beat, while Rynk with her larger ears was able to catch on to what that buzzing was.

“It’s music!” Rynk exclaimed. “Coming from outside!” She ran over to the window and climbed through it. Grace stuck her head out and asked “Where’s it coming from?”

“The back of the school!” Rynk pointed to the flashing lights ahead of them. “C’mon!” Rynk dashed across the roof, with Grace following behind her. They eventually found themselves in the crowds, rocking out to the beats. Well, Grace was rocking out, Rynk was trying to cover her ears.

“You gonna be okay?!” Grace yelled, trying to call over to her friend.

“Eventually!” Rynk yelled back. “So this is what a konzert is like!”

Grace looked around to see who was doing the song. To her surprise it was Sara. Sara was brown dog with brown hair to match. She was a bit energetic and very enthusiastic. Most people in the school would find her doing something random. Sometimes the events she planned were not best suited to her skills. Thankfully Singen was.

Grace did not recognize the lyrics. It had something to do with hearts and clouds oder something else. It was a bit hard to tell with the students screaming their heads off. One tried to climb up and KISS one of Sara’s Friends on the stage. He was quickly shoved back into the crowds. Grace now understood just how hectic this event had gotten.

“Hey! Look who’s singing!” Grace pointed out.

“That fits!” Rynk replied. “Didn’t know she could sing though!” Rynk looked around for some form of an exit. None developed, but she did spot two people that she recognized. “DANTE! CRAIGER!” She called out, waving rapidly for them to come over.

Dante was a bit reluctant, so Craiger dragged him over. Dante grumbled as they went, though no one could hear it. Keeping his attitude positive, Craiger waved a bit “Allo! Enjoying the show?!”

“Trying!” Rynk replied, pointing to her ears and squinting a bit. Grace started out sauer, saure then started to simply feel unnerved, but managed to say hello. It was not because of Craiger completely that unnerved her, but with Dante and Craiger, two boys of which she did not particularly have a good relationship with, it was a little too much at the moment.

“Um… hi… b-bye.” Grace started walking out of the crowds but stopped suddenly when Craiger called out “WAIT!”

Slowly she turned around. “What…?”

Craiger had a slightly saddened face, oder desperate, whichever. What he sagte Weiter only added to it. “Are Du sure Du have ta go?”

“Why should I stay?” Grace asked, crossing her arms lightly. Rynk and Dante were standing there in confusion. Craiger and Grace were talking in normal voices, even though the Musik was as loud as ever. How they understood each other still was only guessed as Lesen lips.

“Um, I dunno. Just thought… never mind.” Craiger turned around and started to walk off with Dante eagerly following to avoid getting involved with the awkwardness.

Grace felt a bit mean about this. It wasn’t like Craiger actually did something wrong. She had to stop him for a second, not to stay, but just… to say something, but she did not know what to say. First though she called out “CRAIGER!!”

Gradually Craiger turned around again, but sagte nothing, so Grace sagte the first thing that came to her mind. “Thanks… for… th-the thing Du said… y-yesterday…”

Craiger smiled and replied “You’re welcome.” Then he and Dante walked on.

Rynk was hopping up and down in excitement. Grace rolled her eyes, then the two of them left. For some reason, Grace now felt very tired.

Sara eventually started getting a sore throat, and reluctantly ended the concert. The students departed, leaving a large mess of glow-sticks, cups… vomit, and other Zufällig items for whoever was left to clean up. Of course, to Dante’s anguish, Craiger volunteered them both to help clean up.

Ten Minuten into the cleanup, at the time of eight o-seven, Dante was dumping some glow-sticks in a large bin when Craiger walked up and emptied his own amount. Dante felt as if this was as good a time as any to ask “How do Du do it?”

Craiger knew better to ask “Do what?”, unless to tease, and from what he could tell, Dante did not enjoy his humor, so he answered “I’ve been in the playboy-jerk business long enough to tell when ya need to stop thinking with your hormones.”

“Surprised Du haven’t gotten a girl yet. All buff, ausey, and gentlemanly.”

Craiger paused, lowering his head and sighing. “Yeah… sadly” raising his head a bit Mehr “the only gals I’ve ever come close to seem to run off.”

“Anyone in particular?” Dante would not normally ask so many questions, but his boredom and lack of sleep had clouded his judgment for the moment.

Craiger chuckled a bit. “Believe it oder not, one of them had both ‘Shade’ and ‘Dark’ in her name. Old flames and what-not.”

“… What happened to her?”

“She wasn’t… liked in her world… had to run off for safety reasons.”

Dante stopped after that. When he first met Craiger, something about the fuchs always seemed to irk him a bit, mainly because of how “dashing” and “Girl-getting” he seemed. He almost thought of him as kind of dumb in a way. But it seemed that he and Grace weren’t the only ones with troubled pasts, and even if he still did not like Craiger that much, he did have a bit of respect for him now… though he still hated him for making them clean up the konzert mess.

After they were finished, sleep was imminent. Both fell into the world of Z’s instantly after hitting the beds. With Grace and Rynk however, things were a bit Mehr energetic.

“That was romantic!” Rynk cheered, running in circles.

“Do Du EVER run out of energy?” Grace groaned as they walked to their separate dorms, where they would thankfully part for the night.

“Nope… Night makes me energetic usually. Sorry. Didn’t think you’d actually do that. That was really Merida - Legende der Highlands of Du ‘N all. Nice work!”

“Y-yeah…” Grace replied nervously. “I just… felt kind of sorry for the guy…”

“Yeah. He did look kind of let down, but Du brightened up his da-… er night. So does this mean that we can be Friends with him now?”

“Rynk, Du can always be Friends with him. He doesn’t have anything against you.”

“Or you.”

Grace sighed. “Maybe… I just need time to think this through, okay?”

“Okay.” Rynk sighed. Rynk gave Grace a hug before going into her dorm, then Grace slowly walked to the elevator leading to her floor. When she got in she found herself stuck with Dante.

Neither talked for a few seconds. Dante looked one direction, Grace looked another. She eventually popped the Frage “What are Du doing here?”

“I go to thi-…” Dante stopped himself. This was not the time for quips. “I… was going to the restroom. The one on my floor stinks really bad…”

“Oh… sorry… to hear that… I guess.” Grace rubbed her temples a bit which Dante noticed. He wanted to say something along the lines of “Thanks… I guess.” But couldn’t decide between silence oder that on the scale of awkwardness.

Grace dashed out of the elevator when it reached her floor, then walked the rest of the way. Dante was about to call out “Grace!” then eventually get to something like “I’m sorry.” oder “Hope Du sleep well.” oder something to slowly melt the ice between them, but he remained silent. Would they ever be Friends again? Who knew?

The following Tag Grace and Rynk were about to go to their Sekunde class after lunch when they saw a crowd gathering around. A female student put up a poster and wrote her name, which was “Giesel”.

“It’s a talent night poster!” Geisel announced. “Tomorrow at four! If Du want to try it, write your name, the time that your act will take, and your dorm. We should get at least fifteen people in it.”

Grace and her large-eared friend approached the sign-up sheet pondering of what they would do. “What are Du gonna do, Grace?” Rynk asked chipperly.

“I dunno… I sing… a little.” Grace sagte groggily. “Nah, I’ll just watch.”

“Oh come on! I’m sure you’d do great!” Rynk nudged.

Grace was a little unsure but wrote her name down anyway. “Are Du sure…?”

“No, but we can’t change it now.”

“… Thanks.” Grace scowled sarcastically. “Well if I’m stuck in this thing, Du are too.”

“Okay!” Rynk began pondering what she could do in the show. As she did Craiger walked up.

“Even better…” Grace sagte under her breath. “You here to sign up?”

“Sign u- Oh.” Craiger had just now noticed the poster. He had his eyes on the ground till then. “No. I’m just walkin. Are Du gonna sign up?”

“… Classified.” Grace smirked.

“What what what what whast flasthufli- what what what what…” Rynk kept saying “what” so long that she started to twist her tongue.

“Is… she alright?” Craiger asked.

“Trying to figure out what to be in the contest.”

“You talkin about me?- Oh. Hi Craiger!” Rynk waved happily. Craiger waved back.

“Allo. Um… I’ve gotta keep movin. See Du too later I hope.”

Once Craiger was far enough away, Rynk went back to saying “what” and began walking in circles.

“You’re going to hurt yourself.” Grace said.

“Well could ya help me think of something?” Rynk asked.

“Uh… okay…” They both began pondering. As they did, Spyro, a white and black hedgehog, walked up and signed himself up.

“What are Du gonna be, Spyro?” Rynk asked hoping that it was something she could tag along with. And seeing how Spyro was her roommate, her chances might be good.

“I’m playing gitarre and singing.” He answered. “You?”

“Er… haven’t figured it out yet.” Rynk answered with a sigh.

“What about… uh…” Spyro also began to ponder what Rynk could do. All three of them were walking in circles trying to come up with something, till *BANG* they walked into each other and fell down.

“I GOT IT!” Grace announced as she got up.

“Really??” Rynk replied hopingly.

“You’ve got metal bones, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Well why not do something with magnets, oder walking on walls?”

“Hmmm…” Rynk went back to pondering.

“That sounds pretty cool.” Spyro added.

“I dunn-.” Rynk stopped; no motion whatsoever. Then she grinned, “I’ve got it!” and started running off.

“WAIT! WHAT DID Du DECIDE?!” Grace yelled.

“SECRET!” Rynk yelled back.

“But… we have class next.” Spyro noted, not that Rynk could hear him now.

Later…

Grace groaned at the dreaded word, and was tempted to think of a plan to skip. She wasn’t in the mood to sit in class and pretend that she was listening, especially with the talent Zeigen on her mind. Sometimes, on stage, determination seemed to drain out of her within Sekunden without some encouragement from others, making her voice crack and her brain turn into pudding. To oben, nach oben it off, she wasn’t pitch perfect when it came to singing. Grace was experienced, but she wasn’t gifted with undeniable talent.

Those were just a few flaws she has kept hidden.

“Just need something to calm me down,“ Grace muttered to herself, rubbing her temples roughly. Promptly, an idea arose inside her mind. Essen was usually the answer when it came to easing stress, and she was lucky that the calories were often burned off afterwards due to her active habits.

She could already savor the chips that she seemed to crave for that moment, and not a moment should be wasted. As the fuchs spun on her heels to embark on a Suchen for a vending machine, she almost collided with a certain bat.

“Sorry,” Grace hissed between teeth without taking the opportunity to glance up, and she continued down the hall with a slight jump in her step.

What she hadn’t notice was the aardwolf that stood Weiter to the bat.

“Completely ignored me,” Dante grunted, but he was relieved that he didn’t have to face another awkward silence with her.

Shade wasn’t paying attention to his complaints, and was observing the sign-up sheet with interest instead. “You going to try out?” she grinned, pointing at the empty lines that needed to be filled.

Dante walked over and gave the poster a glance. His eyes immediately saw Grace‘s name, and he cringed slightly, still wanting to avoid her. He sagte nothing as he attempted to figure out what act she would be performing, since he knew of her nervous habits when on stage.

“Dante? Du listening?” Shade interrupted his thoughts, waving her hands in front of his eyes.

Dante blinked and shook his head, ending the trance. “I’m not signing up.”

“Come on,” she nudged his side. “It’ll be fun.”

“If it’s so entertaining, why don’t Du try out yourself?”

“Got nothing to do.”

He shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing off to the side. “I’m not changing my mind.”

“You don’t have any talents?”

“I wouldn’t call them ‘talents.’ They’re Mehr like hobbies,” Dante explained monotonously, keeping his eyes away.

Shade sighed. “Can Du dance?”

“Hardly.”

“Sing?”

“I will not even attempt to in front of others.”

“Do some fancy magic tricks?”

Dante stayed silent, and Shade cracked a grin. “Have Du done anything with your life?”

He shot her a glare, but the bat kept her cheeky smile. After a few Sekunden of his fierce stare and her smug look, a sly smirk grew upon his muzzle. For some reason, he could not stay irritated at her.

“I play instruments,” Dante confessed, breaking the silent moment between them. “Only drums and guitars, though.”

“Really?” Shade leaned over in interest.

He nodded. “I’ve been playing since I was a kid. Du can ask Gr-,” he stopped himself, almost choking a bit. “Nevermind.”

“Who?”

Dante shook his head, lowering his eyes. “You wouldn’t know her. Can we go now? We have class.”

Shade ears fell back from his sudden change in behavior. She was shocked to see his mood be affected completely, and it was rather puzzling, as well. Not wanting to cause any unpredictable outbursts, Shade kept her mouth shut and obliged Von nodding slowly, but her terrified eyes were evident.

Dante noticed her expression, and immediately regretted letting out his annoyance on her. “Sorry,” he mumbled, and it was truly sincere.

After a moment of fumbling with “it’s okay” and “are Du sure?”, it was silent as they both strolled down the hall, walking to whatever class that was next. Dante’s eyes were avoiding anyone who walked passed them, and Shade was shifting uncomfortably in each step she took. Usually, Dante would let things pass Von without a Sekunde thought, then things would go back to normal, but this situation seemed different.

As they neared the turn of the hallway, still stuck in their awkward silence, they could hear grunting and slamming of some large mass impacting the floor just around the corner. The sound made them both jump, and they even stumbled back in alarm. At first, they were both uneasy about taking another step forward.

“Maybe it’s just a frustrated person?” Shade guessed with an awkward grin, and they both agreed to peek over.

In their view was a fuming fox, shaking a vending machine and yelling at it for taking her money. Dante realized it was Grace herself, and his feet began to shuffle back.

“You need help there?” Shade piped in, and Dante abruptly tensed up.

Blue eyes fell on them, clouded with bewilderment. “Wh-” she stopped when seeing who they were. For a moment, nothing was said, but tension was rising.

Grace’s eyes lowered at the sight of Dante, and it was noticeable that she was muttering under her breath. “I can get it myself.”

Shade and Dante sagte nothing for a moment, but then the bat nudged Dante as a sign to say something.

“Uh…you sure?” he questioned, sounding somewhat uneasy. The only reason Dante wasn’t speaking normally was because he just wasn’t ready yet. Making an apology years late wasn’t an easy task.

“Why must Du waltz in here and insist on helping me?” Grace snapped, turning her head towards them.

Shade’s eyes widen, but Dante had no reaction. Of his years of knowing Grace, her explosions were sometimes predictable. It still sent shivers down his spine, though, especially considering that Grace changed dramatically.

They both watched as Grace swung back and faced the vending machine once again, but she did not continue to attack it. Instead, she leaned her head upon it, as if she was thinking, oder maybe calming down.

Dante held back his tongue, thinking about what he should do next. According to his memories, Grace did not always obtain such a short-tempered behavior, and was actually just a naïve and curious girl years before. Fortunately, Dante knew of the girl’s change of personality and was aware of how to control her anger and weaken her bitter perspective. Maybe he still had his touch.

Grace did not acknowledge Dante’s footsteps as he stepped over cautiously, but her fist tightened up as a warning. She did not want to deal with anyone at this moment, being a bit cranky with an empty stomach.

Dante was conscious of her vexation that she subdued, but he persistently took the risk to keep walking forward. He managed to stride alongside his old friend without being struck Von an arm oder a lethal glare, and his fidgeting hands began to stay stable. He was not going to let any obstacles ruin his ‘performance,’ and suppressing his instability was the first step.

Grace reluctantly peered over, and noted his firm stance and stern expression. No words were uttered as Dante coolly motioned for Grace to stand back. She did not comply of course, and shot him a strange look instead, silently questioning if he was kidding oder not.

“It’s obvious that Du need help, Grace,” Dante grunted in an agitated tone, which in Grace’s perspective, was a pretty normal attitude coming from him. Although it was a typical demeanor that Grace had known for years, it hadn’t been noticeable ever since they reunited.

“Not from you,” Grace replied, concealing her bafflement Von glancing down. She glimpsed over to Shade, who was a complete stranger to the fox. At first, she speculated on why this bat was following Dante around in the first place. Assumptions clouded Grace’s mind as she averted her gaze to Dante.

His eyelids lowered in disbelief, knowing exactly what she was thinking. “Don’t get any ideas. Now do Du want your snack oder not?”

Grace shot a piercing stare, but sagte nothing Mehr as her feet trundled to the side of the vending machine. She crossed her arms and sighed, impatiently waiting for Dante to do his thing.

The aardwolf stepped before the machine, observing the mass and silently conducting a method to Bewegen it. He noticed that the bag of chips the fuchs was striving for was protruding out of its slot, yet it still needed some effort for it to tumble out. Dante felt confident that he had that effort, and he just wanted to avoid messing up in front of his old friend again.

Grace still appeared avid while she waited, even tapping her foot upon the tile floor. On the other hand, Shade stood motionless in the sidelines, dazed Von the events that she just witnessed. First, Dante was Schauspielen like someone she hardly knew, and she wasn’t understanding the relationship he had with this fuchs named Grace. The girl seemed to detest the company of Dante, but he appeared completely tolerable with her attitude.

After a Minute of silence, Dante held a firm grip on the oben, nach oben edge of the bulky body, adjusting his feet in a stance for what he was about to undertake.

Grace rolled her eyes. “I tried that.”

Ignoring her comment, Dante jostled the vending machine back against the Wand with sudden strength, lifting the front frame off the ground. There was a moment of strain for him, but he managed to let go while stepping away, allowing the machine to level back onto its position with a thud. The chips inside landed in the dispenser with ease.

“It appears to me that Du didn’t try hard enough,” Dante proclaimed, suavely cocking his head to the side.

“Strength isn’t my artistry, show-off,” Grace muttered, brushing passed him. Dante did not feel offended, of course, standing Von her side obediently.

It stayed silent as Grace grabbed her snack from the opening, her ears lowered in mute embarrassment. She was obviously shocked that he was willing to help, but she tried not to express this. As she struggled to open the chips, Shade took the chance to step beside Dante, leaning over to whisper. “What was that?”

Dante glanced over in shock, almost forgetting that she had been an audience for quite some time. “What do Du mean?”

Shade fumbled with her words for a moment, still in a state of awe. “I’ve never seen Du act like that before. All…masterful.”

Somewhat flustered, Dante hunched his shoulders with his eyes downcast. “It’s a method I’ve used on her some years ago.”

“Method?”

“…More like an old personality that appeared uh, authoritative to her back then. She rarely fights back when she meets someone who’s corresponding to her behavior.”

“Is she…uh, Du know-”

Dante grinded his teeth, attempting to keep his cool as he interrupted, “The one whose name I refused to engage into a conversation about from earlier? Yes.”

“What are Du two talking about?”

Both Shade and Dante shifted their eyes over to Grace, who was licking the crumbs off her lips. She was oblivious to what they were conversing about, possibly occupied from eating her snack.

“Nothing,” Dante objected, hoping Shade would also play along. To his delight, the bat nodded as well to make it less skeptical.

Grace kept her blank stare. “Sounds suspicious.” She then crumbled up the empty bag, a sign that she wasn‘t really interested, which was fortunate for Dante. “Anyways, I’m out.”

Before any protests were made, Grace trudged past them without a Sekunde glance. Of course, Dante wasn’t expecting her to say thank you, but he would have appreciated it if she had at least made Mehr eye contact with him. As the fuchs advanced toward the corner of the hallway, Dante cleared his throat, letting her know that he did not approve of her leaving just yet. To his surprise, she halted to a stop and glanced over her shoulder.

“What?” she spat, blowing her curled bang away from her eyes. Dante was relieved that she was willing to meet his gaze, at least.

“You’ve joined the talent show, huh?” Dante questioned, though he was aware of what the answer was. His plan was to start a conversation so she was unable to walk off.

Grace blew her breath out through the mouth in exasperation. “I’m not even going to ask how Du knew that.”

“I saw your name on the sign-up sheet. So, what are Du singing?”

Slowly, Grace’s expression transformed into bafflement. First off, she was overwhelmed Von the fact that he remembered her old interest, and second, she wasn’t sure what he was trying to lead her into. Satisfied with her reaction, Dante kept his composure, patiently waiting for another response, oder possibly a few words.

It seemed like an eternity for Grace to put pieces back together, attempting to comprehend what was going on before her. Unexpected events have been shoved into her cramped mind in those few minutes, such as Dante actually walking up to help and talk to her, and the perplexity was becoming unbearable to her.

On the other hand, Dante was at ease as Shade enjoyed the Zeigen as a bystander, not minding that the dramatic scenes were utterly confusing to her.

“You still think I sing?” Grace‘s murmur shattered the tension between them.

Dante shrugged lightly. “I doubt you’ve Lost interest in it.”

“I’m becoming Mehr involved in other activities.”

“I believe that,” Dante nodded. “But I also believe that Du haven’t Lost your talent.”

“I appreciate conversations without flattery,” Grace hissed.

Dante sighed, hoping he can keep this personality going much longer. “Let’s get back on topic about the talent Zeigen then, shall we?”

The fuchs snorted, not impressed Von the witty personality. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t put much thought on what song she would be performing. Without a doubt, and to her dismay, she knew she wouldn’t able to do it alone. Grace wasn’t going to lie to herself, she wasn’t ready at all. No one really knew how she was when it came to singing, such as her style and so forth, so she couldn’t really go around and ask. Unfortunately, there was one person, and he just happened to be standing before her.

“Well?” Dante chimed into her inner thoughts.

“There is nothing that needs to be discussed,” Grace lied.

“You need to work on your lying. I know you’re unprepared.”

The fuchs twitched, not understanding how he managed to read through her mind.

There was a moment of silence as Grace thought to herself, trying to choose the right decision that was wise. “Fine. Du want the truth? I haven’t actually thought about what to do for the show,” Grace finally confessed, biting her lower lip.

“And?” Dante raised a brow.

“You seriously expect Mehr from me?”

“I don‘t believe you‘re exactly independent when it comes to singing.”
Another twitch was noticeable from the fox, and she also added a groan. “…Although I heartily regret saying this, I may need your help.”

Dante looked startled. “Help? You’re asking ME for help?” He glanced around in doubt. “There must be a camera here.”

Grace growled. “You’re the one who lead me to this decision. This isn’t a prank, Dante. I’m serious.”

He smirked dauntlessly. “Why are Du asking me?”

“I have realized that I am completely unorganized, and Du are the only person who knows what I’m capable of doing, and Du know my boundaries when it comes to singing…so far.” She threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “I don’t even know what I’m going to sing! I also don’t want some cheap stereo playing in the background.”

“You want a band of instruments, huh?”

Grace sagte nothing in reply at first, shifting her feet on the tile floor. She soon glimpsed up and forced a nod, putting much effort into it.

“You have high expectations.”

“If Du keep up with these comments, I’m changing my mind about getting Guter Rat from you,” Grace threatened, and Dante held up his hands in defense.

“Fine. I might need some time to think, but I can write up a Liste of songs that Du used to know. Hopefully, those songs from the good ol’ days can still be sung Von heart.”

Grace’s ears perked up, remembering a few tunes that she had heard and memorized as a child. “I suppose they’re still fresh in my mind.”

Dante nodded and crossed his arms. “We need to make a deal, though.”

“Are Du kidding me?” Grace snapped, realizing why she would regret this. Something in her guts was telling her how questioning this whole thing was.

“I’m serious,” Dante mimicked, earning a pierce glare from the fox.

“Let me…think.“ Grace spun around and ran her fingers through her messy hair in aggravation, and even a muttered a few words under her breath. She needed time to think about decisions such as this, but she had no other choice but to just choose and silently hope that it’s worth it. She knew something was up, but she had to see if her instincts were right. Grace met his gaze once again, rather stressed. “What do Du want in return?”

“To have things fixed.” For a slight moment, a sincere look in Dante’s eyes was evident. “I know you’re upset with this…dysfunctional friendship.”

Grace‘s expression softened lightly, but it soon returned to its bitter self. She was not going to be overcome Von him just yet. “Not much of a friendship anymore, Dante,”

“Why do Du think I‘m standing in front of you, then?”

“Bit of a smart-alec, eh?”

“You act like the six years of knowing each other meant nothing,” Dante interrupted with a temperate tone…and immediately felt guilty.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Shade fidgeted slightly as she watched Grace’s expression change and Dante’s determination drain in seconds. They both knew that he had gone too far.

Grace’s eyes were lowered as she spoke in a quivering tone. She realized what he was aiming for. “…I could ask Du the same thing.” Although he could not see her eyes, her ears twitched with schnell, swift speed, a sign that something in Grace snapped. There was no doubt that the last Kommentar was the last straw. He could see that his plan backfired, and Dante soon felt hesitant.

“What do Du mean?” Dante managed to gulp out, his bottom lip being chewed on Von his teeth in nervousness.

A low, chilling chuckle erupted from the foxes throat, and her icy blue eyes shifted back up to Dante. “Well, as reported Von the memories engraved upon my mind, you’re the one who ended those six years!”

The aardwolf found himself taking a step back, shocked Von her short temper being shorter than he thought. “Wh-

“Don’t start Schauspielen dumb just so Du could avoid this,” Grace sneered, rage blazing within her. She took a sinister step towards him and Dante stumbled back once again.

His eyes nervously peered over to Shade, who was watching in shock and confusion. “Can we please not discuss this right now?” he pleaded, facing Grace once again.

She halted to a stop. “Oh, are Du not ready to talk about this?” she questioned sarcastically, tossing her head to the side to appear innocent. “Well, I know we have busy schedules, so how’s Weiter week? No, wait. I’ve already waited three years to hear what Du have to say about this. Now start talking.”

No words were uttered Von the alarmed male.

Grace drew her breath in sharply, glancing to the side with an eerie calmness. “Ladies first, then.”

Dante blinked excessively as Grace stuck her index finger near his chin. “First, I don’t know what fancy plan Du got in your mind, but it’s not changing anything. Du think Du can suddenly walk back into my life, Schauspielen like your sly self, and expect things to be just like old times? If Du wanted to fix things so badly, Du could have apologized three years ago.”

Dante stumbled with his words, becoming stiff. “Grace, ple-”

“Another thing, that trick of yours about fighting feuer with feuer doesn’t work on me anymore. If Du wanted me to stay all naïve and passive, then Du shouldn’t have suddenly vanished from my life, leaving me to deal with things Von myself.”

Dante winced. “That wasn’t my intention. I thought Du were going to be safe, sicher if I left you-”

“That’s what caused all these problems in the first place! Du sent me away…alone. And guess what? Du left nothing behind. Brilliant job, Einstein. Just brilliant!”

Noticing that Dante was starting to become speechless, Shade soon stepped up. “Can we please not-”

“Stay out of this!” Grace snapped as she spun towards the bat. Shade breathed heavily as she shuffled back to her spot.

Dante‘s jaw clenched. “Grace, don’t get angry at her, too.”

Grace rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Wasn‘t she the one the stepped forward?”

Dante nodded to Shade, silently explaining to her that he would be alright for now. She seemed to understand and gave a nod herself. Dante’s eyes shifted over back to Grace, and he cleared his throat, hoping it‘ll make him appear Mehr determined. “Don’t do this, please.”

Grace was not phased. “Do what? Shove all of those mistakes that you’ve been trying so hard to forget? Do Du really think that walking away is going to help Du feel less guilty?”

Her words pierced Dante. He gulped deeply, being nervous for a number of reasons, and Grace’s impatient glare was one of them.

Von now, he wasn’t able to say anything in return. Although it pained him to accept the fact, but he knew Grace was right. He knew it was his fault, and it didn’t look like his mistake will be forgotten oder forgiven anytime soon.

Witnessing her short-temper was bad enough, and being the reason why she was raging in the first place was worse. In his guts, he always knew that taking this risk of apologizing when he was undoubtedly late wasn’t effortless. Usually, Dante wouldn’t even have trouble when it came to asking forgiveness, oder even speaking up in general.

Grace was a different matter, though. He knew that she had changed over the years, but he did not expect this kind of behavior. He was now aware that she held a grudge on him that seemed impossible to get rid of. From his years of knowing her, there was no doubt that a few words would not change her mind. She was stubborn, and Dante had no clue on how to maneuver around her anger without making things worse. Right now was great example.

“If you’re not going to say anything, I’m done here,” Grace’s fierce tone interrupted Dante’s thoughts, and when breaking out of his trance, he could see her already storming off.

Dante held his breath and took a step forward, attempting to stop her.

Grace noticed his movements and her fist tightened. “Don’t,” she commanded, turning back around to give him one last glare. “Also, trying to avoid me earlier wasn’t the best idea. Time doesn’t always heal things.”

Dante clamped up, searching for the right words. “I can’t let this-”

“No,” the fuchs snarled between teeth. “Forget that this happened…just like you’ve forgotten everything else.” Grace spun on her heels and marched off, her ears lowered in undeniable anger, yet it hinted another emotion.

Dante almost took another step after her, but was held back Von Shade. Her hands were gently grasped around his arm, yet it was firm enough to avoid having him go any further.

“…Let her cool off,” she whispered reassuringly, and Dante’s posture loosened up.

It took a moment for Dante to control his stuttering, to smother the feuer within him. In that exact moment, the person he seemed to loathe Mehr than anyone was himself. He wasn’t sure how he could expect Grace to value their friendship again when he couldn’t even forgive himself. Dante knew this whole idea was possibly foolish, but what else could he do? He couldn’t wait for the ‘right moment’ to come over, since it seemed like it already passed. It seemed like he was too late.

Dante closed his eyes shut and hoped that the silent stillness around him would calm him down. Shade’s compassionate grip managed to help bring back a sense of promise, and eventually, his eyelids slowly rose back up. His gaze never left the ground, though, and anger still boiled deep inside--an anger towards himself, of course. Shade kept her clutch on Dante, leaning over carefully so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. She wanted him to know what she was still there for him.

“She was your old friend?” she finally questioned, her soft voice echoing within the empty hall.

“Yeah,” Dante began, his silver eyes still glued to the tiled floor they stood upon. “And I don’t think it’ll change anytime soon.”

Shade‘s ears dropped. “Are Du still going to…help her?”

Dante thought for a moment, figuring out which choice was the right. Finally, he nodded in reply. “I’m also going to find other members for any instruments involved in the performance.”

Shade blinked in shock. “A-Are Du serious?”

“I’ve already gave her plenty of space, and staying away from her isn’t going to make things better,” Dante declared, sighing deeply.

“…But is staying together going to fix things? I mean, after what I’ve seen when you’re around her-”

“We just have to see what happens.”

Shade sagte nothing in reply, but she had enough courage to step closer to him, almost leaning against his side. This was her way of silently giving sympathy, and Dante seemed to accept it. Although a slight smiling was growing upon his muzzle, she could see that he was still somewhat discouraged. “Are Du going to be alright?“

His teeth grinded together. “Just disappointed to see a heap of courage and honesty be insignificant to her. But I know it was my fault. I guess I wasn’t able to let her understand that.”

Shade didn’t exactly know Dante that long, but from what she has seen, he didn’t enjoy talking about feelings very often. Knowing this, no further Fragen were asked from her. Instead of pouring apologies oder kindhearted words to lift his spirits, she maintained the sympathetic hold on his arm, and started to walk down the hall with him.

At first, it was Mehr like tugging him along, but the fact that she stood Von his side gave him some strength to start walking normally. To anyone else, Shade‘s actions seemed rather useless, but Dante appreciated every act now that his faith was almost crushed. Dante wasn’t going to continue moping around after this, since he didn’t exactly lose everything that meant a lot to him. They both knew that there was still hope to cling onto, so no other words needed to be uttered from that point on.