Blue Archive - An Otherworldly Sensei

"We never did look into potential buyers at the Black Market..." Ja'vassa stated as he slumped down into one of the chairs. "And it probably won't be a great idea for us to visit the Black Market for a while, at least not until the place simmers down from our... visit to the bank." Shiroko didn't seem all that disappointed, but rather, she seemed relatively proud of herself for pulling off the heist as well as they did."Even if we didn't get everything we were hoping for, we at least proved the connection between Kaiser and the Helmet Gang." She reminded him. "That's true. I'm thinking that Serika's trip into the desert with them wasn't just a coincidence. Perhaps they were intending to meet with Kaiser before we showed up." Ja'vassa suggested. "Do any of you know if Kaiser has any bases or major properties towards the desert?" None of them responded immediately, taking a few moments to think about it. While it was entirely possible that the location of the Helmet Gang could be mere coincidence, there was definitely more to it. The connection between them and Kaiser was certainly concerning, and given how aggressively they've been targeting Abydos, it seemed that Serika was likely to be used as a bargaining chip to convince them to just give up the school. "Back when there were still students going to Abydos... I mean, beyond the five of us, there were rumors about a hidden base somewhere in the desert. I always thought it was nothing more than that... just baseless rumors, but maybe there's more to it." Hoshino replied, crossing her arms slightly. "I'd suggest we go and look into the rumors in person, but I'd hate to have wasted our time over nothing if those rumors proved to be false." Ja'vassa nodded in agreement. "Even if we don't discover this rumored base, perhaps a trip to the desert could prove useful. We might be able to find whatever it is they're looking for out there." As they discussed the plans, a frantic Ayane suddenly spoke up; her eyes widening as an alert popped up on her tablet. "An explosion has been detected nearby. It looks to have been centered around Shiba Seki." She quickly stood up, worry plastered on her face. "B-But, why there? We need to go make sure the Master's okay!" Serika quickly stood up, hastily grabbing her weapon. "Come on! We don't have any time to waste, maybe if we get there quickly enough, we can catch whoever was behind it." Ja'vassa quickly stood up as well, "I hope the Master's okay. Let's get going, we'll discuss the Kaiser problem more later." Within a few minutes, they had quickly armed themselves and rushed off towards their beloved ramen shop. Upon arriving, they discovered the shop had been reduced to rubble, and there wasn't any sign of the Master. Serika's eyes filled with tears. "I... I can't find the Master anywhere, you don't think he was hurt, do you?" She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but was just seeking any form of comfort or reassurance. Fortunately, there were a few people tasked with cleaning the rubble. One of them approached Serika as she asked about her employer. "Master Shiba wasn't seriously injured, but he was transported to the hospital just down the road if you want to visit him." He explained. At the news, Serika smiled gratefully. "That's a relief... we should go check on him." She said, looking towards her companions with a hopeful expression. "Come on, let's go pay him a visit. We can begin our search for the culprits later." Ja'vassa nodded, motioning for her to lead the way. Without any hesitation on her part, Serika hastily led the way to the hospital. Upon arriving in the Master's room, her smile widened slightly. "Master! How are you feeling? We came here as soon as we heard you were in the hospital." Setting his pipe to the side, Master Shiba returned the smile. "Such a dutiful employee, Serika. It was a surprise, but nothing that'd keep me down for long." He replied softly, his expression falling after a moment. "I was planning to shut my doors soon, but this isn't exactly how I intended to do it..." He chuckled softly, staring out the window. "You're planning to shut it down? How come?" Ja'vassa asked, his ears drooping slightly at the news. "Kaiser's been buying up much of the surrounding district and they've been raising rental prices. I haven't been able to keep up with payments as well as I should have, and as a result, I received an eviction notice from them." The Master explained, his ears drooping as well. "I intended to let Serika know the next time she came in for her shift, but then the explosion happened. Fortunately, none of my customers were too badly injured." Ja'vassa could feel his blood boiling; Kaiser turned his students' lives into a living hell, forced him to fight with Problem Solver 68, and now, they're targeting random civilians. "Damn them. I... what's with this district that's so important that they're now forcing innocent civilians to lose their livelihood? This place isn't built on a gold mine, is it?" He asked, his fists trembling slightly. "I don't know, but I'm not the only one who's been forced to close our doors. Several other businesses have either shut down or been taken over by Kaiser." Master Shiba glanced towards Ja'vassa, his expression becoming serious. "It's no secret that they're after Abydos High School, too. I'm not sure what you'll be able to do, Sensei, but do whatever you can to protect those girls. They've lost so much over the last few months, don't let them lose their school or each other." Ja'vassa was silent for a moment, briefly glancing towards his students. "Of course. I'll do anything I can to ensure they're safe." He promised, his gaze returning towards the Master. Nodding his approval, the Master let out a soft, but joyful sigh. "That's what I wanted to hear. I'm glad to see they've got a teacher that cares for them. After all they've been through, they've earned it." Leaning back a bit in his bed, he looked up towards the ceiling. "I'll admit it, I'll miss all of the hard work Serika put into the shop.." Tilting his head slightly, Ja'vassa smiled lightly. "Just as I can't give up on them, you can't just give up on your shop, Master. There's gotta be someway for you to carry on with your business. Even if it's just to ensure Serika still has a job, or to ensure that people still have a chance to savor your cooking. I know it seems impossible without your shop, but you'll find a way." Shiba looked a little surprised at Ja'vassa's words, staring at him for a moment before bursting out into a hearty laugh. "Hah! You're right... Here I am making you promise not to give up just as I was about to throw in the towel. Shiba Seki's Ramen will be back soon, and better than ever. I'll be sure to have a bowl set aside for you and your students." After speaking with each other for a little while longer, Ja'vassa's group had bid their farewells and returned to the streets to begin looking for the culprits behind the destruction of the Master's restaurant. As of right now, they didn't have a clue as to where to start looking. They had a gut feeling that Kaiser was behind the attack, but without any proof, they couldn't just openly accuse them. If they did throw out accusations and turned out to be wrong, it could easily cause more trouble for them in the long run. It might give Kaiser more of an excuse to foreclose on Abydos, or even raise the interest on their debt. As they wandered down the bustling streets, Ja'vassa had begun to delve into some of his ideas. "Do you think that the Helmet Gang could've played a part in it? Maybe in an effort to draw us out into open battle, they attacked something important to one of us." He sighed softly, crossing his arms. "No, maybe not. It doesn't make a lot of sense." Ayane nodded in agreement. "What about Problem Solver 68? Maybe they had attacked the restaurant thinking we were there? They were hired by Kaiser to deal with us, after all. It could be they were planning to lure us out, too." She suggested. Ja'vassa swallowed softly, clenching his teeth for a moment. Ayane's suggestion made more sense than his own, but he wasn't particularly thrilled about the potential of having to fight with Problem Solver 68 again; it hurt him immensely to see the stress and uncertainty their previous battle had put Aru through and it wasn't something he wanted to do again. "I... I hate to agree with you, but.. you might be right. If we find them, let me talk with them before we engage them in combat." Serika silently rolled her eyes in response, but nodded anyway. "Right, but if they're the ones behind it, I'll be sure to return all the pain they caused the Master." Their patrol of the blocks surrounding the smoldering pile of rubble that was once Shiba Seki's shop amounted to nothing. They hadn't found any suspects, any witnesses, anything that might lead them to the culprits. Frustration was silently building within them, but none of them said much of anything and kept their eyes open. For as alert and open as they were, it hadn't prevented someone from sneaking up on Ja'vassa. Without any warning, another student approached him from behind and quickly wrapped her arms around him, giving her a tight, but affectionate squeeze. "Sensei~" A familiar voice rang out as she gave him another squeeze. "Fancy running into you out here." Though the sudden contact caught him off guard, once he realized who it was, he sighed. "Mutsuki... I'd really rather you not try to give me a heart attack like that." Ja'vassa stated, attempting to turn around to face her, but the girl held onto him with an iron grip. "This was the only way I could give you a hug, I doubt you would've let me otherwise." Mutsuki replied with a faux pout on her face, but after a few moments, she slowly pulled away from the embrace. "You know that isn't true. You could've just asked, I wouldn't have said no." Ja'vassa reminded her, shaking his head. "What are you doing here, anyways?" Before she could say anything, Aru had interrupted, walking towards them with a gentle smile. "Isn't it obvious, Sensei? We're planning to take you away for our ramen date like you promised." She teased, stepping over to grab his arm. "I hate to have to push it back again, but we're a bit busy. Besides, Shiba Seki's restaurant was destroyed. Even if I wanted to go with you, we couldn't." Ja'vassa replied apologetically, a sheepish expression on his face. The mention of Shiba Seki's caused Aru to instinctively step back; Haruka, who had just been silently watching and listening suddenly looked nervous. Her legs trembled and her face paled slightly, no longer able to keep her gaze on Ja'vassa and his students. "O-Oh, is that so? We heard the explosion... I hope the Master's okay." Aru stated, and though she was just as nervous as Haruka was, she was able to hide it a bit easier, but her eyes still gave it away. Ja'vassa hadn't responded immediately, but took note of their sudden nervousness. The way Haruka trembled in fear, the worry in Aru's eyes. Even Mutsuki and Kayoko seemed uncharacteristically nervous; something was wrong. Something had clicked in his head, the sudden reactions made it obvious. "Aru... please tell me that you didn't have anything to do with the explosion at the restaurant." He asked quietly, looking her straight in the eye. She knew she wouldn't be able to sweet talk her way out of it. Biting her lip slightly, unable to find the right words, she'd back away a bit more. Fortunately for Aru, Haruka had soon spoken up. "I-It was an accident, Sensei. I-I-I didn't mean to." She spoke frantically, "W-We wanted to draw the Abydos students out, but... I-I didn't intend to destroy the store. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She stepped up to him, tears pooling in her eyes. Before Ja'vassa could say anything, Serika quickly raised her rifle, aiming directly towards Haruka. "You're the reason the Master got hurt! You're gonna pay for it!" She growled. "Serika, wait! At least listen to them before you fire!" Ja'vassa suggested, unintentionally taking a protective stance in front of Haruka. "Get out of the way, Sensei. They're still under contract for Kaiser, even if we ignore them here, they'll just come for us again!" Serika yelled back, her finger dangerously close to the trigger. "Lower your weapon, Serika!" Ja'vassa ordered, turning back to Aru. "Whatever Kaiser's paying you, I'll pay you double to drop the contract. I don't want to have to fight you..." Aru bit her lip again, the offer was tempting, but she knew that no matter what choice she made there, there was no way they'd be able to leave without a fight. "I want to accept your offer, Sensei, but it's much too late for us to turn back now." Taking a deep breath, she raised her rifle. "I'm sorry, but we've got no choice here." His attempts to convince her were useless, and before he could say anything else, Serika fired the first rounds, barely missing her targets. Within seconds, the street they were on became the center of yet another battle for the Abydos students. What started out as a misunderstanding turned into a destructive conflict; Mutsuki's explosives turning nearby vehicles to flaming piles of scrap metal, Kayoko skillfully fought off Nonomi; Haruka and Serika traded blows with each other, with neither of them giving the other much room to breath. Aru kept her distance, her eyes firmly on Hoshino and Shiroko, doing what she could to keep them away from her companions. Though his loyalties firmly belonged to the Abydos students, he couldn't bring himself to intervene just yet. For the time being, he'd step back and observe, only planning to join in the fray if things began to look bad. The battle hadn't lasted all that long, and yet, the once bustling city street had already been reduced to a pile of burning rubble. It would've been an impressive sight if it weren't for the fact that the battle was between the students he's grown to adore. Gunshots echoed throughout the city block, and it seemed neither side was gaining any ground. Serika's anger and determination drove her to continue fighting, while her classmates were just as eager to help her get vengeance on the ones that hurt someone she was so close to. Problem Solver 68 largely remained on the defensive side of things, merely looking for an opportunity to escape. Out of nowhere, as the fierce battle raged on, a mortar had been launched from afar; harmlessly landing and exploding nearby, but the suddenness caused the fighting to temporarily cease as they tried to look for the source of it. At first, nobody saw much of anything until Kayoko noticed an approaching group in the distance. Her eyes widened as she recognized their uniforms. "What the...? Is that... is that the Prefect Team?" She questioned, her usually stoic expression turning nervous; it was obvious who they were after. Problem Solver 68 has caused their fair share of problems within the Gehenna District, so it's likely they were ready to apprehend them. "The Prefects? What are they doing out here?" Ja'vassa seemed confused as he watched them approach. "There's... there's so many of them." Aru clenched her teeth, gripping her rifle tightly. "They're coming for us. Ako's information gathering abilities are second to none, that's probably how they knew to come to Abydos for us." She replied, subconsciously moving closer to Ja'vassa. Stepping towards the approaching team, the Khajiit's expression became a bit more serious. "Perhaps we could talk about this before we do anything rash? This block has seen more than enough violence for the day." Ja'vassa said, glancing back towards his students for a brief second. "Of course, Sensei. I'd rather us not having to trade blows. We're only here to apprehend Problem Solver 68. Give them to us and we'll return to Gehenna. I'd suggest you cooperate with us; for all of your talents, surely you must realize how sorely outnumbered you are." Ako replied, a surprisingly warm smile crossing her face. "Why should I turn them over? Unless I'm mistaken, their crimes in Abydos are technically under the jurisdiction of the Abydos Student Council, yes?" Ja'vassa asked in response; he wasn't all that well versed in Kivotos law yet, but he's learned a few things from studying with Ayane. "Generally, yes. The Abydos Student Council isn't available right now, are they?" Ako asked, glancing towards the others, noting Hoshino's sudden disappearance. "Of course they're available." Ja'vassa turned back to his students, growing both confused and concerned as he noticed that one of them was missing. "Hoshino? She was just here a few moments ago... I hope she hasn't gone off for another nap." The remaining Abydos students shared concerned looks amongst each other, just as surprised by their classmate's disappearance. "I'm not sure how she could've slipped away... unless she was using the moment of distraction brought by the Prefect Team." Shiroko's ears flattened slightly; she wanted nothing more than to begin searching for her missing friend, but given the situation with both Problem Solver 68 and the Prefect Team, none of them would have the chance to do so any time soon. "Since the student council is unavailable, it's up to us to determine the best course of action, and so, we came here to personally apprehend them." Ako explained, her smile never fading away. "It's in your best interest to cooperate, Sensei." Instinctively, his stance in front of the group became a bit more protective. "Does Hina know about this, Ako? I don't see her among the group you brought..." At the mention of the Head Prefect, Ako's previously stoic and warm expression briefly changed to one of surprise, a hint of nervousness in her eyes. "The Head Prefect is currently on a trip, so she couldn't join us today. I can speak with her when she returns and have her explain the situation to you when she can." She replied quickly, her uncertain tone betraying the relaxed look in her face. "Is that so? Still... it can't look good for Gehenna, or for the Prefects to have brought such a large force just to apprehend four students. Were all of them really necessary?" Ja'vassa's hand moved closer to his weapon, as he knew that he likely wasn't going to be able to talk them out of it. "Problem Solver 68 is known as being quite troublesome. You can clearly see the destruction they've caused with your own eyes. It's in your best interest to cooperate with us, Sensei. Hand them over and we'll leave. I don't want to open fire on you, but we will." Ako warned him. Ja'vassa sighed softly, briefly glancing over towards Haruka; noticing the worry in her eyes. "...I'll have to apologize to Hina later. I'm sorry, but we'll be handling them from here. Their crimes were committed in the Abydos District, and as such, we'll worry about figuring out their punishments for it." Ako's smile morphed into an annoyed, somewhat surprised frown. "You're really quite stubborn, Sensei... I don't understand why you're so protective of them, especially what they've done in your district." She crossed her arms, preparing to give the signal to attack. "Criminals or not, that doesn't change that they're my students. I've grown to... adore them. Perhaps it's foolish to protect them, but it's not like I haven't been making foolish decisions all my life." Ja'vassa took a deep breath; preparing himself for battle. "I'm sorry, Ako, but they're not going anywhere." An annoyed sigh escaped her. "It's... admirable to see how much you care for them, but your love is misplaced. I'm sorry, Sensei. You could've avoided this if you simply cooperated with us." Ako shook her head, giving him an apologetic smile. She'd raise her hand, giving the signal to begin the attack. At the moment the signal was given, Iori rushed into battle with incredible speed. With hardly any warning, she dealt with Serika, disarming her with alarming precision. "You held off Problem Solver 68, but you've never faced anyone quite like us." She smirked, turning towards Haruka next who watched on with fear etched into her eyes. For as long as she was with her companions, she was repeatedly warned to not make trouble with the Prefect Team. For as strong as they were, they'd never make out of a battle with them. As Iori made her advance, the other Prefect Team members opened fire on the other students. Despite having just been enemies moments ago, the formerly opposing groups found themselves unintentionally working together. Nonomi and Mutuski remained in the back, protecting Ayane while providing heavy fire. Shiroko and Kayoko worked in tandem, keeping the lesser members from joining Iori in her assault on Haruka and Serika. Things seemed to be going from bad to worse by the second, the Prefects were incredibly well organized, attacking in near perfect synchronization with one another. It didn't seem that Ja'vassa would be given much of a choice in whether he wanted to intervene or not, but for the safety of his students, he'd have to step in. "Forgive me, Hina..." His first instinct was to stop Iori as she continued to slowly overwhelm Haruka and Serika. Employing his Whirlwind Sprint shout, "Wuld... Nah Kest!" He yelled out, dashing forward at high speeds. He'd come to a stop in front of Iori, just as she was preparing to fire another shot towards Haruka. Without thinking, Ja'vassa grabbed a hold of the rifle's muzzle. Given she had just fired recently, the barrel was still relatively hot; burning his hand as a result. Despite the pain, he held firm. "Go on, Iori. Fire away." He suggested, his hand never moving. "You... you idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Iori yelled back, though she seemed hesitant to fire again. Taking advantage of her hesitancy, Ja'vassa quickly pulled his hand away and then delivered a swift kick towards her weapon. He was attempting to disarm her, but Iori held firm and only stumbled back a few steps. Having to physically engage his student in combat like this, he didn't really have much of a choice. Using a Bound Sword spell, a translucent sword formed in his hand; he aimed to remain up close and personal in an effort to prevent her from being able to effectively use her rifle against him. The closeness of the two and Khajiit's aggressive offense forced Iori to resort to melee combat; using her rifle as a makeshift club to parry incoming blows. It was obvious that Ja'vassa wasn't intending to hurt her as he only used the dull side of the sword to clash with her rifle. "Serika, Haruka! Grab your weapons and join the others, hold off the other Prefect members for as long as you can. I'll keep Iori from getting in your way!" Ja'vassa ordered, briefly looking towards them. "Show no hesitation! If either of you are to make it out of here safely, you'll have to fight on with everything you have." Serika glanced towards Haruka, not particularly happy about the whole situation, but she didn't have a choice. Recovering her fallen weapon, she had joined up with Shiroko, aiming to keep the Prefects from advancing upon Ja'vassa. Iori seemed to grow angrier with each passing second, watching as Haruka joined Aru's side. "You're not going anywhere!" She yelled out, attempting to fire at her once more, but her attack was interrupted by another attack from Ja'vassa. "Keep your eyes on your opponent, Iori." Ja'vassa suggested, once again attempting to disarm her. Clenching her teeth, Iori growled in anger as she was forced to focus on his incoming attacks. "Damn you...!" Despite their best efforts, even combined, the sheer number that the Prefects had was making the battle much more difficult than it needed to be. For every Prefect taken out of the battle, five more seemed to take their place. None of them could hold out forever and their opponents recognized their growing fatigue, increasing the pressure with each passing moment. "Not like this..." Ja'vassa muttered, watching as both the Abydos students and Problem Solver 68 were surrounded; rifles pointed directly at them. "This could've been avoided had you cooperated with us, Sensei. Holding Iori back like you did was impressive, but all you did was delay the inevitable." Ako taunted him, a pleased smile appearing on her face. "Don't worry, your students will be fine, but Problem Solver 68 is coming with us." Before any of them could do much of anything else, an unmarked car had pulled up close to Ako. In their confusion, much of the fighting had come to a stop as they stared at the mysterious stranger. Their confusion turned into surprise, and in some, into fear as Hina finally stepped out of the vehicle. Glaring daggers towards Ako, the Head Prefect spoke in an almost unnervingly calm tone. "Care to explain what's going on, Ako?" Hina asked; though she seemed calm, it was all too easy to see the boiling rage building up in her eyes. "O-Oh, Head Prefect Hina! We-We're just... we're just apprehending Problem Solver 68." Ako replied nervously, trembling slightly at the sight of her boss. "That's not what it looks like to me. It seems to me you're causing unnecessary trouble in someone else's district." Hina replied, crossing her arms as she glanced towards Ja'vassa. "Is Hoshino not available today?" Ja'vassa gave her a slight shrug in response. "She was here, but she disappeared before the Prefects showed up. I'm... I'm not sure where she went." Nodding at him, Hina let out a silent sigh of relief. "You should be grateful that Abydos wasn't at full strength, Ako. We're pulling out." She ordered; once again, she'd turn back to Ja'vassa, bowing apologetically. "I'd like to extend my sincerest apologies to both Abydos High School and to you, Sensei. The operation they undertook far overstepped our boundaries, I hope you can forgive us." He wasn't entirely sure how to respond right away, but he nodded anyway. "You had nothing to do with it, Hina, you have nothing to apologize for." Ja'vassa replied, his expression softening slightly. "Maybe not, but I still lead the Prefects. I'll take responsibility for any damages here; Problem Solver 68 is under your jurisdiction until they return to the Gehenna District." Hina replied, turning to face Ako. "Begin pulling out, now. We're going to have a talk when I get back to Gehenna." Ako wanted nothing more than to argue, but she knew better than to do so with Hina. Reluctantly, she nodded in response and gave the signal to retreat. Seeing that this would be their only chance to do so, Problem Solver 68 had quietly made their escape, leaving no trace of them being there behind. As the Prefects pulled out, Hina had approached Ja'vassa, speaking a bit quieter. "I know you've been having trouble with Kaiser lately. There's evidence of them operating in an old outpost in the desert. If you're looking to get any more information on them, then your best bet might be to look into it." Hina said softly, gazing upon with a gentle expression. "Even with our information gathering resources, we're not entirely sure what they're looking for in the Abydos District. I... I know it seems suspicious, with Ako's operations here, but I hope you know we're not working with them." Ja'vassa nodded, absorbing the information given to him. "I know you wouldn't be with them, Hina. You've got a little more class than that. Thank you for the information, I'll look into it as soon as we can." He sighed softly, giving her a sheepish smile. "This isn't how I intended to meet with you again, but hopefully the next time we meet, it'll be under more pleasant circumstances." Hina let out a soft laugh. "Hopefully. I'm still looking forward to the tea you promised me before. Be careful, Sensei. I'm not sure what'll happen if you visit that outpost, but I can't imagine it'll be easy." Hina bowed slightly, stepping back into the car after a few moments. Within minutes, the street had fallen silent once again, with both opposing factions gone, Abydos could finally rest easy for a bit. Coincidentally, just as everyone disappeared, Hoshino had returned wearing usual groggy smile. "Did I miss much?" She asked, yawning slightly. "Where in Oblivion were you? I'm glad that the battle ended without a problem, but we were worried when you suddenly disappeared." Ja'vassa was genuinely relieved she was okay, but was clearly annoyed with her actions. "Yeah, sorry about that, I... I went off for a nap. You know how it is with old-timers like me.. we can't help these things." Hoshino replied nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Let's head back to Abydos... I'm sure the others could use some time to rest." She was hiding something, Ja'vassa could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but chose not to press into it, at least not in front of her classmates. He sighed, nodding in agreement. "Yeah.. I suppose we should head back and wrap up for the day. We've had a long day." There wasn't much chatter between them, even as they finally returned to the meeting room. The students silently gathered their belongings, said brief farewells, and one by one, left the classroom until it was just Hoshino and Ja'vassa. "Before you leave, Hoshino... can we talk?" He asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "When you disappeared earlier... Was it really just for a nap? You seemed... nervous earlier." Hoshino looked towards the hand on her shoulder, and then towards him. Laughing softly, she gave him a warm smile. "I can't hide anything from you, huh? I... I had to attend a meeting with a higher up from Kaiser. It's... it's nothing you have to worry about, Sensei. I'm not going to do anything foolish, I promise you." She gently placed her hand over his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Right. Just... be careful going forward, Hoshino. I... I'd hate it if anything happened to you." Ja'vassa replied softly, returning the gentle squeeze. "It means a lot to me that you care so much, but I'll be fine. I promise." Hoshino sighed softly, releasing his hand. "Sensei... Thank you for everything you've done for us. When you first arrived, I wasn't sure what to think of you, but I can feel the sincerity and warmth in your touch and the love in your eyes... and I'll be the first to tell you that the feeling is mutual. I'm glad you came into our lives." After a moment, she turned for the door, waving behind her. "Goodnight, Sensei. I'll see you tomorrow." Ja'vassa nodded in response. "Sweet dreams, Hoshino." Despite the reassurance, he couldn't help but feel nervous about the coming days; a terrible feeling was growing within his stomach. Unable to bring himself to sleep, he'd spend the remainder of the night quietly meditating. In the time since he had arrived in Kivotos he had neglected his spiritual needs, and perhaps meditating on the Voice would help to clear his mind.