-"Raora Panthera you Italian scum!! Where did all my pizza go!?"
The absolute fear inducing woman that is Elizabeth Bloodflame whilst in anger, was turning over every single room to find the assailant who had eaten her food.
"You cannot hide from me you sly feline! Come out this instant!"
She put her hand on the hilt of her sword, a vein popping on her forehead.
"If no one confesses to Raora's location, I will turn you all over to ASH!"
She accentuated her words with a bang of her fist on the wall.
Right, the other HoloLive "Justice" unit members were here, sitting in fear for their lives.
Gigi Murin and Cecilia Immergreen were no snitches however! Their faces lowering to the ground in a rejection.
"Fine. Be that way. No collab strea-"
-"SHE LEFT EARLIER TO GO MEET UP WITH NEW FACE!"
Gigi folded faster than you'd make a paper plane. She hated the idea of being locked from fun.
She wasn't even sorry about it because she'd know that it wouldn't be true!
Cecilia let out a massive exhale, as if she was holding her breath for a year.
-"There.. can we go now..?"
-"..You may."
-"Don't tell me you're going to her now?"
-"No, but she will come back eventually. And I will be positioned for ambush. The enemies of Bloodflame will fall."
An unworried expression graced Gigi's face as she ran out laughing, her careless self returning to frontview, and Cecilia started fixing the mess Liz had created.
-"May the Gods have mercy on your soul, Raora. The few times I get to try pizza to further enrich my knowledge on the culinary arts.."
There are always bigger fish out there, and there's also always smaller lions to hunt.
Jude, now Iudex, understood that. But in front of him, was a big lion.
Beeg lion.
-"Ciaora Altare and Iudex!!"
Altare and Iudex looked to Raora as she walked towards them, Altare was still going to deliver Iudex to the formerly mentioned A-Chan, but they stopped as Raora approached, they currently were in a small hallway that was emptied, it was a detour made for those who prefer silent strolls.
"How are you doing? I hope you're doing well! I brought you this!"
As Iudex was going to voice his opinion, Altare quickly laughed nervously and took the box and shoved it in Iudex's hands.
-"H..hahaha! Thank you so much Raora! I'm sure Iudex will enjoy this delicious meal of yours!"
Iudex looked confused but didn't talk, looking between Altare and Raora.
Raora seemed to have had a very very imperceptible dark expression as Iudex was about to say he didn't want it, but her cheer returned as he took the box via Altare's shove.
But he didn't really get it, he didn't want it, why is he being forced to?
-"Thank you Raora. I am not the biggest fan of pizza however. I do not like it, only with a few select toppings, usually the healthier ones,"
Altare's face dropped as he put more distance slowly, his eyes narrowing in fear.
Raora's eye twitched as her yellow eyes took on an aquamarine quality.
She was not happy.
But Iudex made it worse.
-"Sadly this isn't a pineapple nor a ketchup-added pizza, so I'll have to pass on it, thank you for keeping me in mind tho."
He didn't seem to take into comprehension the fact this was supposed to be his "Welcoming" gift.
-"..P..pineapple. Ketchup..?"
Nodding, Iudex ensured Raora heard it correctly.
Altare had already went and began speaking to others very far away in separate hallways.
"..You.. would willingly.. Turn down a gift.. And insult me..?"
Her eyes had a full aquamarine color now, she stepped closer, pushing against Iudex, the pizza box pushing against their torsos as she backed him against the wall.
Iudex seemed confused, but she was staring down at him, her tail on end, he didn't know what was happening.
-"HISS~"
-"What?"
She was mad. Mad enough to let her animalistic side through. Raora was truly beyond enraged.
Ripping the box from his hands, she opened the box, and took out a slice.
She kept herself pinning Iudex against the wall, making sure he wouldn't move.
"Raora, if you are about to do what I think you are going to do.
I heavily suggest you don't even try.
I will not eat that."
She hissed louder in return, and went to shove a piece down his throat.
But it was too late for her to react.
He had palmed the box out of her hand, sending the pizza splat against the floor.
Raora's eyes shifted back to yellow, and she gasped in absolute misery.
-"No!! No!! Pizzzaaaaa!!! Iudex you.. You.. You wretch! Waaaa!!!"
She got on her knees in front of the pizza, letting Iudex go as she held her hands in prayer to the fallen pizza.
-"Wretch? You're literally an overgrown cat who attacked me for not liking standard pizza.
Fix your mind. That's an overreaction and a half."
-"Don't talk.. You dared.. Disresp-"
-"It's food for God's sake. Food. Not everyone has to shove anything from other cultures down their throat.
Pick it up already."
He left her behind on the ground to think for herself, she still found herself right, but pushed these thoughts aside for now to pick up the mess she had made.
Altare peeked around the hallway later and found Iudex no where, and ran past Raora to go find him. Iudex was a new face around afterall.
-"Just passing through!!"
He zoomed past Raora who was still mumbling incoherently about the pizza being defiled.
She was going to eat it off the floor directly but the embarrassment would be too intense if anyone saw her.
Raora was always a passionate person, always loving for her friends.
She was considered by many to be the most easy to know in any groups, super outgoing and all.
But she just can't help it when it comes to matters like this.. it's just instinctual reactions.. Every moment that passed made her feel worse and worse about what she did.
Her tail dropped to the ground, her ears drooping in shame.
She clutched at her chest. Even if Iudex hadn't taken it seriously, she knew that she's going to have to live with this thought for a while now.
So she stood up, having called someone to clean up the stains left after she put back the dropped pizza into the box, and went after who she had wronged.
Iudex and Altare couldn't have gotten far, so she ran. She ran faster than Altare did when he wooshed past her.
"Iudex!!!! Wait up!!"
She called after him as she ran.
Some maintenance crew for the floor she was in pointed her in the direction Altare had run towards chasing after someone they hadn't seen before.
The management building.
That was where most of the work for HoloCorp happened, where new members are supposed to be normally processed and all.
Coming to a stop, Raora looked around, and spotted the two males who stuck out like sore thumbs in the sea of office workers.
"Finally.."
She goes up to them, Iudex turned around, if his back made a noise it would be the sound of a gear snapping into place.
-"If you're going to attack me again."
He threatened directly, the coldness of his eye as he stared a dagger of solid ice into her heart was powerful.
Altare went to de-escalating again.
-"Iudex, you must remember Raora is your senior, you must forgive and forget.
Raora, what might have brought you after us?"
Nuclear war successfully avoided.
-"I swung by to.. watch Iudex and help in anything he might have.
...And to apologize, for what I did.."
Iudex could sense the truth in her words, evident by her still low-hanging tail and folded ears.
However, he couldn't forget. Neither forgive.
He wasn't the type of person to plaster a bandaid on a scratch and call it a day, he's the type of person to actively attend it the entire day.
-"No. Don't apologize, because it's not like I'm going to accept it."
Ouch.. a tiny mewl left her throat as she looked down, holding her arm with her other hand in disgrace.
Altare wanted to speak out but he hadn't seen the interaction directly to tell Iudex off.
"Although, I will accept it if you fix your problems."
-"Yay! Iudex you're the best!"
Lord knows why she's happy about that.. She really has a guilty conscience huh?
She squeezes him in a tight hug, Altare wanted to join in on it, it could bring tears to his eyes seeing such happy moments like this.
-"Raora you're going to kill me-"
-"Hehe~ Okay, there you go."
She let go, her tail now swaying happily behind her and her ears standing on point once more.
Raora grabbed hold of Altare's hand with both of hers, bowing slightly.
"Of course thank you for all your help Altare.. You did everything you could."
Altare's face burned red as he looked up down left right, laughing it off.
-"Oh.. ahah.. you know.. I just had to get you both off on the right footing!
L...let's go talk to A-Chan now!"
He stumbled onward, going for the door all the HoloCorp members were familiar with.
The corporate pillar, the local therapist, the crutch.
A-Chan.
------{Jude POV}------
After that exchange of a lifetime, we stood in front of a door whom I assumed was this fabled A-Chan's door.
It wasn't anything grand, and to be frank after seeing Mr. Yagoo's office, I half expected this to look like a 1x1 cubicle.
But no, it was actually a rather spacious office. Neatly organized, in fact it was organized exactly how I would've done so. Not a missed beat.
We saw a woman sitting arms sprawled out on her desk, looking at the door as if knowing we were coming to her office.
-"Welcome, Regis Altare, Raora Panthera, Iudex.
Take your seats, what can I do for you all today?"
The other two went on and sat, but I stayed standing. I don't feel like it would be right to sit down the first time you meet someone. That's the best way you can show your upholding of respect etiquette.
And A-Chan seemed to understand that, not questioning me whatsoever.
So Altare lead the conversation.
-"A-Chan, as you know, Iudex is to debut soon, and he has already been presented and all.
I don't think this needs to be repeated for the millionth time."
-"Yes, Altare, continue?"
-"Iudex's concerns lie with where he should wait until his debut."
-".. Isn't that a problem Yagoo-San would handle..?"
Altare had the response ready and so did I, but she held her hand up to stop us from talking.
"Forget I said that.. Yagoo-San has way too much on his plate to deal with sometimes. That's the whole reason I'm here."
It seems that was Mr. Yagoo's escape card everytime.
-"I am also quite lost with.. how do I say this.. Peculiarly built.. All these buildings are.
If you added one more tunnel you'd have a fully operating Metro system."
That caused a bit of laughter, it appeared as though all the three knew it well, it was indeed very very mind-breaking to memorize passageways and rooms.
-"You get used to it, Iudex! That's the beauty of HoloCorp! I actually wanted to do a painting of a layout of the buildings, it would be a fun way to do for map guides."
Raora was a true artist, the world was her canvas, and her brush was her imagination.
-"What she said, Iudex, you get used to it unbelievably fast.
Being around those with a higher plane of being than you, it makes your brain catch up quicker than it naturally should.
Remember those words."
A-Chan was a master of efficiency. She gets the point across frighteningly well, and her efforts always yield the best results.
Am I jealous right now?
"Now, let's talk temporary housing."
A-Chan glanced over at Altare, who nodded and looked towards me.
"You can stay with TEMPUS if you want, they're all equally as good as Altare.
Unless you want someone else."
-"I can vow to you Iudex that so long as you stay with us you'll never feel bored nor alone.
Even if you don't opt to stay with us, we welcome your visits at any moment's notice."
I held my chin thinking, Raora wanted to suggest her own idea, but she didn't want to at once.
Something in her eyes told me she knows that I wouldn't be exactly compatible with the HoloLive crew.
TEMPUS wouldn't be a terrible idea.. Considering all options and the presence of Altare who I can safely assume is a proper friend of mine now by definition.
-"Wait,"
Right, how could I forget this question.
"Don't tell me Jurard is there?"
-"Pff-"
Raora and A-Chan cracked up immediately, Altare rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ahah.. Iudex.. even if he was and you weren't here I'd probably kick him out.."
-"Well, that settles it, TEMPUS it is."
Altare stands up, and so does Raora.
A-Chan fixed her glasses and finished the interaction with a simple conclusion.
-"What did we gain from this part? Yagoo-San needs to pick up the god damn slack before I beat his fu-"