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Life gets in the way far too often for Dustin's liking. It's suddenly six months since he's seen Hunter, longer since he's seen Blake – he gets semi-weekly updates through Tori via emails from Blake which normally cover both of them, but it's definitely not the same as hanging out on the regular.
He and Shane still see each other daily – that's pretty much assured when they're both still teaching. Cam's always at school at the same time as Dustin, he knows, because that's what happens when Cam lives on the grounds too, but he might see him a few times a week. He sees more of Tori than he does his own reflection, he sometimes thinks.
But he misses Hunter like...well, maybe not as bad as a missing limb. Because he's only got four of those, and if he missed four people as much it's not like he'd be missing all four limbs. Maybe like a couple of cut-off toes. Can still walk and drive, but overcompensates for something missing and overbalances occasionally. He knows Tori misses Blake the same way.
So the next time Blake emails through his race schedule Dustin gets all super-spy and copies it down. And then channels his inner Tori and works out when Blake will swing past somewhere roughly between the Wind and Thunder Academies. So then it's set and agreed by everyone that they're all going to the nearest main town to Blake's race in a fortnight – Ocean Bluff.
Shane, Tori & Dustin arrive first. They're scoping out the outside of town when Cam lands out of his ninja streak. It's the first time Dustin's seen Cam in civilian clothes in, like, months.
“Dude,” Shane said in amazement as they passed a massive brick building with vines growing over it. “That's a pizza place!”
“Pizza? Oh man, I could go some pizza,” Dustin echoed as he rubbed his belly. “As long as it's good pizza, none of that rubber stuff you tried to tell me was organic hippie style Hawaiian, Tor.”
Tori wrinkled her nose at the reminder of the Unfortunate Hipster Surfer Catering Incident of the 4th of July. “How old are you, five?”
“Plus twenty!” Dustin agreed cheerfully.
“It is lunchtime,” Cam pointed out. “And since I can see Blake and Hunter heading this way we might as well.”
Tori and Dustin spun around to see Hunter and Blake playfully shoving at each other as they walked down the street. Dustin was only a few steps behind Tori when she took off, colliding with Blake in an all-encompassing hug. Dustin pulled Hunter into a hug of his own, ignoring Hunter's noise of mock-complaint.
“Dude, my hug. I want it. Let me have my moment,” Dustin muttered into the collar of Hunter's shirt.
Blake was now exchanging bro-slap handshakes with Shane and Cam, and Tori had filled him in on pizza plans by the time Dustin decided to let Hunter go. Hunter gave him a concerned look even as he hugged Tori (for a lot less time) and greeted Shane and Cam. “Alright, man?” he asked under his breath as they followed the others into...Jungle Karma Pizza? Dude, so much for non-rubber non-hippie pizzas, Dustin thought.
“Yeah, just. You know. I missed you guys.”
Hunter raised an eyebrow but, in the process of seating themselves and Tori threatening everyone within reach with hair pulls if she wasn't next to Blake, the subject was mostly dropped.
“We've got to do this more than every six months,” Dustin explained quietly. “I know the Thunder Academy's got zero reception but it's not good hearing third hand from Tori through Blake's emails.”
“Messages get passed on, don't they?” Hunter half-heartedly defended himself. “You see each other at school or at the shop.”
“Do you know how Tori gets when she's doing her boards?” Dustin demanded. “Half the time she doesn't even stop for lunch, let alone come into my bike mechanic side of the shop. Plus I'm only there when something's booked in, otherwise I've got to see her at school.”
Hunter shrugged, a little resigned. “What you gonna do, man, that's what no Internet at the Thunder Academy means.” He bumped Dustin's shoulder with his own, and his hand found Dustin's under the table for a momentary squeeze. “I know it sucks,” he said in agreement quietly as a guy in amazingly bright pants bounded over.
“Welcome to Jungle Karma Pizza, the name's RJ,” the aproned waiter intoned, dropping a half-dozen menus on the table. “Specials today are the organic Hawaiian and the Thai peanut chicken. Can I get you any drinks before you order?”
Tori and Dustin exchanged a look.
“Despite initial impressions, that was all really good,” Tori said begrudgingly, sizing up the last slice of Hawaiian left on the table.
Blake raised a fist in solidarity next to her, other hand busy claiming the last slice of mandarin star anise that Hunter had been staring down. “You snooze you lose, man,” he said happily, not bothering to block Hunter's half-hearted kick under the table.
Shane gave a thumbs-up from where he was nearly falling asleep on top of Dustin. “Enjoyed thoroughly,” he muttered.
“You right there, man?” Hunter asked, semi-concerned.
“Dude, I don't know if I've had five hours of sleep in the last three days,” Shane said tiredly. “Classes for the third year students started including sneak attacks last week, and someone's spread the rumor that if someone manages to surprise me that's a automatic pass.”
Dustin laughed around a sip of his Coke. “Oh man, I heard that one. That's right up there with what everyone thinks we did with Tori.”
“What does everyone think you did with me?” Tori asked dangerously.
“Since you started handing out your custom surfboard business cards everywhere, everyone thinks you're actually on a super special ninja mission with a really good cover. And that Dustin and I volunteered you because, well, we didn't want to go,” Shane explained.
Tori snorted. “And the fact that I still teach twice a week doesn't make them think otherwise?”
“If you had only one teacher that lived off-campus when no one else does, you'd probably make up a dashing story to explain it too,” Cam shrugged, stretching out along the booth. He noted, somewhat begrudgingly, “Apparently Marah and Kapri are next in line to teach first-years the Water principles.”
“What?” Tori, Shane, Hunter and Blake all boggled.
“Dude,” Dustin startled, “Tori's like, right here. Maybe you shouldn't tell her she's being replaced like this?”
“It's not true, Dustin,” Cam sighed.
“Oh. Good, 'cause that'd be a super awkward conversation for a head teacher to have in front of, you know, fellow staff.”
“Although, speaking of,” Hunter interrupted, “how are Marah and Kapri? What are they doing?”
“Who knows?” Cam asked rhetorically, rubbing at his eyes with his palms. He gestured something that could be indicated frustration, or perhaps an alien attack. With Marah and Kapri both were about as plausible. “They're doing a lot of enrolment work for the school. Mostly so Dad can keep an eye on them and they're not exposed to the broader outside world. There's something they're doing with another ninja school, I don't remember-”
“Pai Zhuq, dude,” Dustin reminded him.
“The animal spirits, I know that one,” Tori put in. “Marah nearly asked Sensei for a transfer the other day, she was hoping to get in and find out she's a parakeet or a koala or something cute. I told her it probably doesn't work that way.”
“Dude,” Dustin turned to Shane, having clearly thought of something important since he lowered his tone under the conversation continuing around the table, “Do you think our spirit animals would be our Zord animals? You'd be the hawk, and I'd be a lion, and the Thunders would be bugs?”
Shane snorted and Blake must have overheard, because Dustin caught a kick to the ankle.
“Can I remove your plates?” their server asked, materialising next to Hunter and reaching over him to grab the obviously empty trays without bothering to wait for an answer. Hunter pushed his chair back a few inches to give him room when his eyes caught on the guy's forearm, bared to the elbow by a mostly-white shirt. Dustin saw his eyes go wide, and when he looked up at Dustin he mouthed something that looked like 'pie show'.
“Pie show?” he asked, just to be sure.
The waiter twitched and looked at him a little askance. “We have pie?” he asked, as if not sure Dustin had asked a question.
“No,” Hunter sighed. “Pai Zhuq.”
“What about Pai Zhuq, dude?” Dustin asked, “We'd deal with them a lot more than you would, wouldn't we? I mean, if Marah and Kapri are doing their thing?”
“Marah and Kapri?” the waiter interjected shrewdly. He looked between Dustin and Hunter a couple of times. “You know Marah and Kapri? From...a school in Blue Bay Harbor?”
Shane studied him a little. Everyone drew in a little closer at the table, and the waiter noticed, changing his grip on the trays he carried. “We teach at the school in Blue Bay Harbor,” he said carefully.
“Dude,” the waiter sighed, “Am I glad you came in. I've been trying to get through Kapri to some guy named Cam Watanabe, do you know him?”
“Maybe,” Blake said, a hint of steel in his voice. “What do you want from him?”
The waiter twisted his forearm so what Hunter saw was obvious to the whole table. Three claw marks. “I'm interested in some...technology that he apparently knows about.”
“Dude, is he talking about morphers?” Dustin demanded loudly of the table at large. Hunter barked out a laugh and Shane and Tori exchanged exasperated looks.
Cam dropped his head to the table. “I assume so, Dustin.”
“Maybe a little louder next time,” Blake said, “those guys coming in the door didn't hear you.”