[6/14 (Saturday) - Morning]
[Beacon Academy — Library]
Ever since his Courage had become more Earnest from the trust he placed in Jaune and his actions, Clerval had been searching for Velvet Scarlatina so he could finally return her lost purse.
Unfortunately, despite several days of searching around Beacon, he simply could not find the rabbit-Faunus anywhere. So, with his strengthened Courage, he worked up the resolve to ask around directly.
From what he had quietly observed over the past few weeks, many Faunus students tended to keep closer circles among themselves rather than openly mingle with human students. Clerval could not really blame them; the divide between humans and Faunuskind ran far deeper than he thought.
Still, it did make searching for Velvet somewhat easier once he knew where to start looking.
Unfortunately, the results were less than encouraging.
Whenever he approached and asked about Velvet, conversations would abruptly quiet down. Eyes drift toward his lack of animal appendages, then slide away dismissively. A few even ignored him outright and continued talking among themselves as if he wasn't beside them at all.
With no one left to turn to, he suddenly recalled a conversation he had overheard while wandering through Vale for the first time.
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"At least there are some places that accommodate Huntsmen. How about we go to the Knives today? Heard that the new waiter's a bunny-faunus Beacon Academy student!"
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Knives. He pulled out his Scroll.
Scrolling through the local listings, he quickly found it through the internet. Knives, a Huntsman-friendly café during the day that shifted into a bar during peak evening hours.
The place catered mainly to Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Beacon students, with civilians appearing only occasionally. At the bottom of the listing, a pinned link displayed its location, accompanied by a high review score.
Pocketing his Scroll, Clerval made plans to head into Vale in the afternoon. Keeping Velvet's purse inside a brown bag, he stood from his bed and got ready for the day.
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[6/14 (Saturday) - Afternoon]
[Vale — Knives Café]
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Opening the door to the café, he noted that the interior looked... surprisingly ordinary.
If one ignored the copious amounts of weapons pinned along the walls, the banners of all four Huntsmen Academies hanging overhead, the neatly organized rows of Dust vials displayed near the counter, and the number of Hunters wearing full combat gear as they ate and drank, that is.
Scanning the café filled with Hunters, his eyes soon landed on a familiar bunny-eared Faunus standing near the counter in a barista uniform, speaking with Coco and two other individuals while holding a notebook in hand.
Clerval moved through the crowd, weaving past seated and standing Huntsmen, until he reached the counter.
"We have company," the redhead with milky eyes announced, causing all four to turn their attention toward him.
Coco tilted her sunglasses down slightly and gave him a sharp appraisal.
"Oh, you're that first-year with the poncho. Hmm... you'd look better in darker tones. The white shirt doesn't really match your jeans or overall color scheme—"
"Ahem, Coco." The larger member of the group cleared his throat, cutting her off. "You're rambling again."
"Oh, darling, you can't stop me from giving fashion advice—especially on such an interesting specimen—"
"Coco!" Velvet cut in, her face flushing red as she interrupted her, prompting her team leader to laugh outright.
Clerval gave them a brief nod, then took a seat beside them. Without a word, he placed the brown bag on the counter and gently slid it toward Velvet.
The atmosphere tightened instantly as the other three turned to look at their teammate.
"The package is safe," he said after a moment of silence, eyes closed in a slight frown.
With hesitation, Velvet slowly took the bag and opened it. Her eyes immediately lit up.
"My purse!"
"You dropped it," Clerval stated stoically.
Coco and the larger teammate both let out relieved sighs almost in sync.
"Couldn't you have said something?" Coco protested. "You made it sound like it was blackmail or something!"
"And I was ready to bring out Fulcrum..."
"Yatsuhashi, you almost sounded disappointed there." "Screw off, Fox."
Hugging her purse tightly, Velvet turned to meet Clerval's gaze.
"Thank you so much. This purse means a lot to me."
Before he could respond, Coco suddenly slung an arm around his shoulders, yanking him forward with surprising strength and pressing his face into her chest.
"Well, this calls for a celebration! Drinks are on me, little firstie!"
"You mean us, right?" Fox snarked between sips of his drink, the introverted image he gave off completely slipping away. "You didn't bring your wallet today."
Coco rolled her eyes.
"And it's not like it isn't my money. I sponsor you guys with Dust rounds all the time!"
"And you take it back as soon as a new brochure appears from that favorite clothing store of yours," Yatsuhashi sighed, already reaching for his wallet despite his remarks.
Somehow, Clerval found himself swept into the makeshift party in celebration of Velvet getting her purse back.
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"Thank you, really," Velvet muttered as her teammates went off to pay—and haggle with the owner of Knives over the bill.
Her fingers gently brushed over the slightly worn purse as she held it close.
"The purse... it's actually from Coco. It was a graduation gift from Pharos Academy. She bought it for me after I managed to graduate a year early."
"I was bullied a lot in Pharos, and it was Coco who helped stop the bullying without even knowing me back then. After that, we became friends and she's been helping me since. So this purse really means a lot to me."
She paused abruptly, then let out a small breath as her gaze drifted aside.
"I... don't know why I'm even saying this since we just met," she admitted. "But there's this feeling, a déjà vu, I suppose—that you're a kind person."
He actually felt the same way too, a familiar resonance of his bond with Forneus of the Hermit Arcana pulsing as he talked with Velvet.
"If there's anything I can do to repay you," she said, meeting his eyes with a resolute expression. "Please feel free to call me. I'll do my best to help."
At that moment, a familiar sound of glass shattering echoed within his mind.
["I am Thou,"]
["Thou art I."]
["Thou hast established a new path,]
[bringing thee further into your odyssey."]
["With the birth of the Hermit Arcana,]
["Thine soul shalt be blessed to call forth stronger Personas of the Hermit Arcana..."]
Velvet suddenly froze, her ears folding down against her hair as the reality of what she had just said fully sank in.
"... That was embarrassing," she muttered, face flushing bright red. "J-Just know I'm a call away!"
Handing over her contact information, she hurriedly spun on her heel and dashed back toward Coco and the others, who had been watching the entire exchange with a hawk-like gaze.
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[6/14 (Saturday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Dorm Room]
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While doing his usual maintenance on his sword, he suddenly received a ping from his Scroll. Gently placing the weapon down on his table, he reached over and unlocked the device.
[Conversation with: VELVET SCARLATINA (Online)]
[Velvet: Hi, this is Velvet.]
[Velvet: Earlier I mentioned that I would do my best to repay you for returning my purse.]
[Velvet: So I talked to Coco.]
[Velvet: If you'd like to train with your team for better teamwork, Coco said that you could ask Team Coffee as training partners to improve Technical skills with your teammates!]
[Velvet: Our schedule is random due to us having access to the mission board as second-years, but we'll open up some time to help!]
[Clerval has sent a sticker of an ash-blond boy giving thanks with a nod.]
[Velvet: No, no. Thank you instead!]
[Velvet: Goodnight!]
[Clerval: Goodnight.]
[VELVET SCARLATINA has gone offline.]
Setting his Scroll down, he continued to perform maintenance on his sword, acquiring more Proficiency with his dexterity while doing so.
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SOCIAL LINK RANK UP!
HERMIT (IX): Velvet Scarlatina
Level 1 / 10
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NEXT UPDATE: 24 June, Wednesday
A/N: Sorry for the late chapter again! Really busy with IRL stuff! Here you go!
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