there's a rumble in the floor

[buddinghopes]

Who: Lia and YOU
What: It's not quite Lia's usual routine, but it's close enough given the situation
When: The first week of September
Where: The Mythril Cage, Lumière 4th floor or the cooking club room, around campus
Warnings: Shouldn't be any, but I'll update this if necessary

Mythril Cage
[All things considered, Lia's on high alert--little hard not to be, all things considered.

She'd stayed behind for the last two Herald fights. Not this time. She's going on that next mission, come hell or high water. And she's going to make sure she's prepared.

So, of course, this means training. That's what brings Lia to the Mythril Cage at the start of the month. Transformed, she runs through some training sessions with various weapons--guns, rapier, scythe, hammer, staff--against some of the combat training golems.

But eventually she does have to take a break. She moves off to the side, away from the golems and sits down, opening a bottle of water. Just a bit of a break. Then she'll get back to it.]

Lumière Dorm, 4th Floor or the cooking club room
[Of course, there's also this familiar sight. It's not a Stressful Time of some variety without Lia spending even more time in the kitchen than usual, regardless of where it is.

And also entirely too many cookies. Some cooling on racks, some that have already cooled sitting out on a plate... and she's just pulling another tray out of the oven. If anyone wanders over, she's going to wave cheerfully once she sets the tray down.]

Hey!

Around
[Of course, Lia can be found in other places around the school. Class, the library, the Anvil, or the Legionnaire Quarters.

... This is basically your wildcard prompt, come at me with whatever.]

Comments

at the Cage, Saturday morning

[unlogic]

[It's during Lia's break when Desidera wanders in, dressed in her old black-and-gold since it's easiest for her to move around in and planning on one of her own regular sessions; Tuesdays and Thursdays are a bit different now as she's started trying her hand at tutoring some other students to help them keep up in Valvatorez's classes as he starts to ramp things up, but Saturdays are still the usual in order to be sure that she doesn't fall behind when it comes to her own things.

The custom poleaxe that Gunvolt had designed for her was brought with her, and she puts it aside for the moment, leaning it up against a wall with the bladed end at the floor. She's about to start getting ready to start when she notices Lia there.]

Oh! [Those preparations are put on hold.] I wasn't aware that you'd decided to come out here today.

[buddinghopes]

Oh! Desi, hi.

[She hops up from where she's seated and wanders over, water bottle in hand.]

Yeah, figured I should get in some extra training given... y'know. How the in-service went.

[That is to say, she's actually gonna be on the trip to deal with the Herald this time. Whenever that happens.]

[unlogic]

Mmm, yeah. [She takes a glance over to the golems that Lia had been using, before looking back at Lia herself.] I've started trying my hand at helping some of the professor's other students during my other sessions each week, but today I was planning on making sure that I don't start to fall behind myself.

I don't want to put myself in the way, though, so I could wait until you're done, if you want.

[buddinghopes]

[She shakes her head.]

That's okay. You wouldn't be putting yourself in the way. [She pauses, thinking.] Come to think of it, we haven't really spent that much time training together for all the missions we've been on, have we?

dorm

[stavros]

Greetings, Lia! [Kokoro waves, walking in with a pack of convenience store instant noodles.] I see you've been hard at work.

[buddinghopes]

Kokoro, hey!

[She beams.]

Feel free to help yourself.

[stavros]

My thanks!

[She takes one and stuffs it in her mouth to free her hands for pouring water into the noodle pack, then puts the noodles in the microwave. Finishing off the bite of cookie, she smiles.]

You've done well. An energy boost after training, I take it?

[buddinghopes]

Kinda, yeah! For me and for other people. Some of these are definitely going to the infirmary for the people in there.

[As she and Becky have been known to do.]

... I've been thinking about handing some out to others in the dorm, too.

[Certainly seems like there's going to be enough to at this rate.]

at the dorm

[lifeforced]

[Becky is assaulted by the sight and smell of what may as well be the entire academy's worth of cookies when she steps out of their room.

So, of course, the first thing she does is walks over to grab one of the ones that literally just came out, and pops it into her mouth; she knows that when it's Excessive Amounts Of Cookie Time that Lia's not going to mind (at least not much).

So what if it's ridiculously hot due to having just come out of the oven? She can take it.]

Yo. [That was with the cookie still in her mouth. She takes a moment to get it down, then goes on:] Any particular occasion this time, or you just killing time because you need something to do?

[buddinghopes]

[Becky can take it, and that's why Lia doesn't comment.]

Little of column A, little of column B. Things are a bit tense with the whole incoming Herald business, and, well, since a few classes have cut back on the homework...

[She's grabbing another tray that's ready to go into the oven, then setting a timer.]

I've got some other stuff going on, but you know me, always gonna come back to baking.

[lifeforced]

[Things are probably going to get busier for Becky, too; though she's questioned some things more than a few times by now and has been urged by multiple people to think about what she really wants to do with herself, she still can't completely pull herself away from the things that she does now.]

Yeah.

[She eyes another of those cookies, but doesn't go for it.]

You gonna want help with these? At the very least I've still got a bunch of boxes waiting to be used if you need something to put them in. [She always has a bunch of boxes waiting to be used, largely due to her regularly making things to take to the infirmary.]

[buddinghopes]

I won't say no to any sort of help. Also, boxes would be great. I'm probably gonna take some of these to the infirmary, anyway.

Dorm

[ninehilist]

[Nines comes out of his dorm, phone in hand like always.

He stops.

He looks up.

He stares.]

Uh.

[buddinghopes]

Go ahead and help yourself, Nines!

[And that's... another sheet going into the oven...]

[ninehilist]

[And that's Nines going over to carefully take Lia's hands away from the oven once that tray is in.]

What's wrong?

[He recognizes stress baking, even if he didn't know Lia did it. He stress codes, after all.

(He's always coding.)]

[buddinghopes]

[Oh...]

Nerves about the Herald stuff, mostly. [A pause.] My other option for dealing was going to be more training, but I didn't want to get myself hurt at a time like this by overdoing it...

[He'd probably noted her phone signal at least heading towards the Mythril Cage earlier...]

Dorm Kitchen

[rpdsfinest]

[There's a sweet smell as Leon wanders back up the staircase after his classes. A familiar smell, of baking sweets, sugar, and more. He was tempted to ignore it, carry on, and go get started on some reading, but a rumble in his stomach pressed him upstairs instead. With every step, the smell grew more full and alluring, sweeter, and more tempting, like a siren's call for someone on an empty stomach.

Leon walked into the kitchen, seeing the huge array of cookies and sweets on racks and on a plates and just... everywhere. And in the middle of it all was someone familiar. The man laughed a bit as he walked in, seemingly impressed at how much was here.]

Hey, Lia. ...You opening up a bakery up here?

[buddinghopes]

[She grins.]

Not quite. I just kind of needed something to do. Go ahead and help yourself, if you want.

[She gestures at the already-cooled cookies as she turns to put another sheet into the oven.]

[rpdsfinest]

Don't mind if I do, thanks.

[Those are the words he'd hoped to hear, walking forward and taking one of the plated cookies and taking a bite without a moment's hesitation.

His eyes lit up a bit when he did, the look of someone who unmistakably liked what he was tasting.]

...You could open a bakery with cookies like that. You do this often? Because it sure tastes like it.

[Wildcard - Anvil]

[shockingblue]

[Gunvolt's days, save for Fridays, are largely packed front to back with things to do. Class, studies, training, and every spare moment is spent at the Anvil working on some project or another. Most of the work on the railgun he'd been testing was done, and that would be something he could pass off to R&D before long.

But there was one big project left he had been working tirelessly on, and something he hadn't spoken much about to anyone. Hours upon hours of design work, that were he not a teenager, that probably would've given him gray hair. He worked with urgency and purpose, and had been pushing himself to degrees he never normally would have. And this is something Lia assuredly had noticed, especially over the past few weeks.

When she would get anywhere near the work lab that Gunvolt typically took while he was here, she would hear something very unusual. There were bright, visceral flashes of blue light flickering from inside the lab, illuminating the hallway outside, all the while a familiar voice was belting out a song. The closer Lia got to the lab, she could no doubt feel her Flame strengthen from its power. Monarch was with him today, and it was clear her power was in play for something.

Approaching the door would be nearly blinding, and inside, Monarch's hologram hovered behind Gunvolt, singing her heart out with everything she had. Meanwhile, Gunvolt himself had his Flashfield burning bright, the lightning bolts dancing off it arcing into a single object: a shielded, clear container with some sort of cylinder inside of it. One could guess it was some kind of battery, given it looked like Gunvolt was giving everything he had to charge it. And with Monarch super-charging him, what "Everything" was, was a lot.

...And given Gunvolt's teeth were gritted, almost grinding in focus, he wasn't doing any of this halfway.]

Come on! Just a little more!

[A computer, properly magically shielded itself, hooked to the apparatus beeped intensely as Gunvolt's output increased. He paid it no mind. He just kept pushing... until finally, his flashfield abruptly cut out with a loud zap and he staggered back, panting with exertion.]

[buddinghopes]

[She's gotta admit, she's been curious just what Gunvolt's been working on. Part of it being her natural curiosity at play, sure, but also a good deal of concern given how much he was pushing himself.

She's got her own reasons for being in the Anvil today, but the bright blue light and Monarch's song made her pause. She watches quietly with... a good deal of concern (and also a good deal of squinting because of the brightness. Ow).

When the flashfield cuts out, she frowns briefly, then finally pipes up.]

So this is what you've been working on.

[shockingblue]

[He staggers a bit, appearing a bit woozy, and leans on the workbench a little for support as he turned to face the voice that addressed him.

Monarch, for her part, halted her singing and entered standby mode, her hologram quickly fading. It was probably clear that given how much she was singing, she had used a fair amount of energy herself, and needed some time to recharge. Though part of this was because she saw Lia was here, and knew Gunvolt would be okay with someone else with him, such was her trust in their mutual friend.]

Lia... hi. Yeah. It is. [The device inside the shielded vessel thrummed with azure light, glowing intensely with the sheer amount of energy stored inside. The glow was perhaps beautiful... even if it also gave off an eerie, dangerous feeling with just how much power was stored within.] ...It's finished. I hope.

[He steadied himself, and pushed himself back into balance, but not before taking a heavy pull from a bottle of sports drink on the desk nearby.]

...Trouble is, I'm not even sure it's going to work.

[He glanced over to the computer screen, looking over the numbers it was displaying. ...He hesitated visibly, almost wondering where he should start, trying to explain this. After a few seconds, he shook his head, and sighed.]

It's for Vivi.

[...And that should probably explain quite a bit right there.]

LUM DORM 100000 YEARS LATER,

[soft_focus]

[Hey.

She smells somethin-

Which if course means, Reira's got to investigate. And what Reira's investigating is...cookies? Oh yes, those are definitely cookies.

She peers over the counter.] ....

Are you eating all of them...

[buddinghopes]

Oh!

[... Lia's just going to slide this next cookie sheet into the oven and set a timer before she goes over to Reira.]

Not all of them, no. I'm planning on taking some of these to the infirmary and giving most of the rest out. Feel free to help yourself.

[soft_focus]

....

...does that mean I can't eat too many...

[reira don't be greedy,]