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Aorio wasn’t expecting much when he heard the door knock.
“I’ll get it,” he decided, waving off Max and Rayne when they perked up from the knocking. It continued shortly after, a bit more persistent in the rapping.
“Yes, yes, hold on a moment!”
Oh great, someone persistent. Really, he thought it would be for Rayne or Max since it’s their dorm room after all. Who would he have to hound off for his socially wayward friend this time? A bold fan? They’ve been getting a bit too pushy lately as of late. Gonna have to fix that ASAP. Divine Visionary business? He knows it’s important to Rayne, but that guy also needs a break from it once in a while. One of the other prefects? A shiver ran down his spine as he grasped the doorknob at the last prospect. Aorio’s not really sure if he’s up for seeing Margarette’s smug face again anytime soon. His beat down was still fresh in his mind.
So, when he opened the door to see a vaguely familiar face, Aorio was taken aback. It was none other than his temporary ally from the Selection Exam: Moore Tomato. Drooped face and Lang uniform all the same.
“Moore?”
Aorio got a blasé, “Hey”, in return. Max got up from where he sat to approach the door next to Aorio.
“Oh, hey man. You’re one of the guys who took the Selection Exam, right? Moore, was it?”
“…Yeah.”
“What brings you here to our neck of the woods?”
“How’d you get into the Adler dorm in the first place?” Aorio asked, cutting off Max before he could continue the small talk.
“I was hoping I could talk to you, Aorio.” Moore ignored his question.
He then glanced at Max, before muttering “Preferably alone.”
Aorio could feel Rayne’s piercing stare upon hearing that. Since he and Max got their sorry butts whooped during the exam, he’s been keeping a bit of a closer eye on them. Which, at first he was a little grateful, but now it’s just grating. Really, they can take care of themselves. They just had the misfortune of facing off against even crazier people.
“Sure,” Aorio agreed.
He knew Rayne and Max were about to protest, but he spoke before they could stop him.
“Let’s talk out here,” Aorio began, stepping out of the dorm.
Moore frowned. “In the middle of the hallway?” Ah, so it was indeed a private conversation he wanted.
“No one goes bothering the Prefect during lunch unless it’s super important. Like someone’s dying.”
Max snorted from the sarcastic quip. Moore’s lips lifted slightly.
“Alright then,” Moore agreed, stepping back to let Aorio out. Aorio turned to his two compatriots, looking them down sternly.
“I’ll only be a few.” They were to leave him alone. There was no room for argument.
Max pouted as the door closed. He paused for a moment, staring at the door before a lightbulb lit in his head. Quickly, but quietly, Max walked to the back of the dorm, grabbed an empty glass, and returned to the door. Rayne raised a dubious eyebrow as he witnessed Max press the end of the glass against the door, leaning his ear into the glass.
“What are you doing?” Rayne asked, even when he very well knew Max’s intentions.
“Shh!” Max quietly shushed him, trying to listen to the muffled conversation. Rayne shrugged to himself, getting back to his studies and leaving Max be.
“So, how’d you know I’d be here?” Aorio immediately began.
“Mushroom Head and his friends told me.”
Aorio’s eye twitched, knowing very well who exactly Moore was referring to.
Those damn freshmen! They’re too trusting!!
If only Aorio knew that Mash was more bribed than anything by cream puffs, but Moore didn’t need to let him know that particular detail.
“Great. So…what do you want?”
Moore didn’t immediately respond. Aorio could see the gears turn in his head, as if configuring to figure out the appropriate response. He decided to indulge and let him take his time.
“Do you recall what you said during the second round of the exam? Before we fought Margarette.”
More like got one-sidedly defeated by Margarette. But semantics. Aorio took a moment to recall what Moore meant.
~~~
Aorio and Moore, having teamed up to work together, explored the labyrinth in awkward silence. After they quickly talked battle strategy, neither had much else to say. Though Aorio was normally more adept at sparking conversation, neither were really interested in talking as much in the first place. Or, at least, that’s what Aorio thought before Moore broke the silence first.
“…Kinda rotten luck you got teamed up with the same guy who beat your friend, huh?”
Aorio, normally one who can school his face, couldn’t stop the sharp glare he directed towards the taller student. He couldn’t read the other student’s drooped face as he only stared back at him.
“‘Beat’ fails to convey how brutally hurt my friend was,” Aorio answered. Moore took a moment to process that.
“…True. That’s my bad.”
“Tch. As long as you know. He knew the risks, yes, but that was still extreme what happened. Not that it’s your business.”
“I understand.”
Awkward silence fell back on the duo. Giving Aorio some time to stew a bit in his anger…And deep breaths while he’s at it.
“…So what’s your reason?” Moore began, trying to restart the conversation.
“Huh?”
“For joining the exam?”
“It’s not really anything grand, I assure you.”
“Oh?”
“I’m just looking out for one of the examinees.”
“You’re not doing this for yourself?”
Aorio scoffed as he kicked aside a pebble in the way.
“My friend got it in his head that since he had the means, he would join the exam to also keep an eye on the same examinee. I joined hoping I could keep him from anything too stupid or self-sacrificial. And look where that got him…”
“Oh. That’s too bad. It sounds like you both had noble intentions, but naively entered thinking you could best all these extraordinary participants.”
Moore’s blasé responses irked him more than he realized.
“Well then, what about you? What’s your reason for being here?”
“I just figured I might as well give it a shot. I had the coins, and none of the top students of Lang would be able to participate anyway.”
“Oh riiight. Your Prefect and his little clique got in big trouble after that stint with the coins and students.”
“Yeah…” At least Moore had the decency to look just a bit ashamed.
“My condolences, you had such a troublesome Prefect.”
“Meh. They don’t represent Lang as a whole. I’m here to show you don’t need to use such underhanded tactics to get to the top.”
“That so? You sure you’re not salty from not being able to be in Abel’s clique? Did it have to do with your prowess? Title, or lack thereof?”
“Not sure, and I don’t really care to find out.”
“Was it your RBF?”
“My what?”
“‘Resting Bitch Face’.”
Moore glanced at him exasperated, unamused. It certainly amused Aorio, as he felt compelled to goad him on. A little payback for calling him “naive”.
“Oi-“
“Or maybe it had to do with your name. ‘Moore Tomato’. They don’t like tomatoes? You obsessed with tomatoes or something?”
Moore snorted at Aorio’s quip, slightly taken aback.
“Actually, I heard the Prefect really likes tomatoes.”
“Oh?”
“…And so what if I also like tomatoes?”
It was Aorio’s turn to snort, before a full-blown laughter tickled his belly.
“Wha- HAHAHAHA. You heard it here, everyone. Tomato likes tomatoes! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Moore rolled his eyes as he watched Aorio keeled over. “It’s not that funny.”
“Oh dude, you have no idea!”
“You must think you’re hilarious.”
Aorio quickly regained his composure to address him.
“I am hilarious, actually. The best, really.”
“Awfully confident about that.”
“Thank you, it’s a gift.”
Both chuckled from each other’s quips. Aorio was about to continue before both heard footsteps coming toward them. The two readied their wands as they saw someone clad in green making their way towards them. Their magic hummed to life.
“We’ll have to continue this conversation another day!”
~~~
“Ah, yeah. My joints painfully remember that all too well.”
“Oh. Mine too.”
Aorio snorted. “So, what about it?”
“It’s just that. I wanted to take up on your offer, and…continue the conversation.”
Aorio raised an eyebrow. They barely knew each other. And while the convo was getting somewhere, he didn’t think it would merit Moore taking all this effort to seek him out and ask him.
“Why?”
“You seem like a fun guy to hang out with,” Moore shrugged.
That’s a first. Usually, people pegged Aorio to be the calm, cool, sociable beauty with a sharp wit. Fun , though? Not something he’s heard about him. Not even from Rayne or Max. Though from the way the former is like, it’s not all that surprising.
“Are you asking me out?”
“…Yeah. I think I am.”
Oh. OOOH???
“You think ??”
“No. Not think. I am asking you out. I really want to get to know you a little more. If you’ll let me, that is.”
Aorio took a moment to process Moore’s proposal. It’s not uncommon that Aorio would be frequently asked out. He’s the infamous, cool beauty of Adler Dorm, after all. But this one felt new. Being asked to go out like this. Because he’s fun ?? It’s almost absurd, and he should really consider turning him down. But, he did admit he had a little fun himself talking to Moore for that brief moment. Despite his initial apprehensions, Moore was the one who made an effort to strike a conversation first. And, he let him get away with more smack-talk than he really should’ve from someone who’s not even really an acquaintance.
“…If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. It doesn’t even have to be a date-date. Or if you just don’t want to at all-”
“Why not?”
Moore quieted to let Aorio continue.
“I did have fun talking to you, too. Let’s meet up for lunch sometime.”
Aorio could see Moore’s eyes lit up a bit.
“Okay.”
“We‘ll talk more about it later.”
“Right. Your friends must be worried.”
Aorio scoffed. “I assure you they’re fine.”
“Hm. If you’re sure. I’ll look into some nice restaurants or cafes we could try to meet at, in the meantime.”
“Heh. You better be prepared. I’m an expensive date, after all.”
Moore chuckled at Aorio’s bold declaration.
“I’ll take my chances.”
Aorio smirked in return.
“You need me to escort you out of the dorm?”
“No, I remember how to get out. See you later.”
“See ya.”
Aorio watched as Moore walked off. After he turned a corner, Aorio glided back into the dorm. He saw his two friends on the floor, one pretending like he’s actually studying while the other had decided to play with the rabbits in the pen.
“Welcome back. Glad to see you’re alive,” Max jested.
A wide smile reached Aorio’s lips. Calmly, he reached for a pillow on the couch. He walked over to Max, and with a quick flick smacked Max with the soft pillow.
“YEOWCH! What was that for??” Max cried, more surprised than pained, failing to guard himself from Aorio’s onslaught of pillow thrashing.
“I just know you were eavesdropping on me!”
“Where’d you get that idea??”
“I literally see the cup you’re hiding in your robe!”
“Gah!!!”
Rayne paid the two little mind, instead focusing his attention on the sleeping Usao in his lap. It’s only when their screaming started to escalate more that he finally interjected with one command:
“Quiet down, you’re scaring Usazou.”
Aorio got one last whack on Max before backing off, huffing while brushing his hair back. Max sighed in relief as he was no longer under feathery assault.
“Sheesh, I’m sorry. I was just trying to look out for you, is all,” Max apologized, but he and Aorio knew very well he wasn’t really sorry.
“Sure you were. You two already know I can very well take care of myself. But, we had a perfectly civil conversation, if you must know.”
“Oh, yeah I know alright. Our boy’s got a date! I thought you would’ve turned him down, though.”
“He rubbed me the wrong way at first, but nothing ol’ Aorio Morris couldn’t handle. And, I don’t see why not. No harm in giving it a try.”
“Well, I hope it all works out for you. We’re ready to be your wingmen for it!”
“‘We’?” Rayne interjected, not really fond of being dragged in.
“Yes, Rayne, ‘we’. Because we’re all friends after all.”
“Friends who sure love to eavesdrop.”
“I said I was sorry!” / “I didn’t even do anything.”
Aorio rolled his eyes, unimpressed.
“Enjoy your date,” Rayne quipped. Aorio was actually touched.
“Why thank you, Rayne. I see your social skills are slightly improving. The you from before would’ve never told me that.”
“I try.”
Aorio snorted. “So. Back to studying, then.”
The trio all followed suit.