Reiko Sonata wheezed to life in the early hours of the dawn. She had let herself go at the party last night and had paid for it with a single cracked rib. It hurt, but it didn't impede her movement in particular, so she was just a little thankful. It was stupid, the whole lot of it, and she had herself to blame. Aurelie had been the first to start that stupid show, and somehow she'd been the one to call it off, or so Reiko had been told. She had whited out as the music had crested, as she foresaw.

[i]Baka ne...[/i]

The time for parties was over, the time for school was beginning. Pain aside, getting up was relatively easy. Reiko did not sleep very deep at the best of times, and the pain in her chest only exacerbated this. She arose easily and skulked back to her room to change her clothes, having slept in her 'party clothes' (such as they were) in the infirmary. She tugged her usual dress down over her head, never the type to buy anything fancy that might tie up to look more feminine. Sparing a quick glance into the bathroom mirror as she washed her face to make sure nothing was amiss, she left her room on very little ceremony. Oddities led to you being noticed. Change your hair, your wardrobe, people will notice. It was not Reiko's style to be noticed for things like that, and so she kept to the same morning ritual most days. Her hair seldom changed, and her outfits all seemed to look alike, just with minor differences. She looked fine, overall. Not great, not bad. Just fine. But the consistency was important.

After walking down to the cafeteria, she scanned the room for familiar faces. Too many were present for her liking. She was ashamed of herself this morning, and didn't want to talk to anybody who was around yesterday. This was reasonable. So, like always, she would order her food, the same as always, and sit alone, as she always did. Other people would not spoil this morning for her.


"Bonne Journee, Reiko. I hope your chest is feeling better. Hey, we ordered the same breakfast."

...[i]Must have been the wind.[/i] Turning the other direction, Reiko walked slowly, scanning the room for any more tables. In truth there were plenty, but she wanted to avoid sitting with certain people, if she could help it.

"If you are looking for a seat, there are plenty, girl, just choose one and sit."

Her ears were ringing today, for some reason. How odd. Still, it wouldn't ruin her morning ritual. Turning 90 degrees away from the source of her aggravation, she dropped to a table two away from where the large group was forming. Close enough to hear their conversation, but hopefully far enough not to be noticed. If she was quiet enough, her position would remain undetected. Yes, solitary mornings truly were the best. Mornings without the clinking and clanging of large metal weaponry. Or without the visible aura of high-strung energy emanating from a certain light-haired schoolmate of hers. Since when were they even this close? If she remembered correctly, Aurelie thought she was creepy and a bother. It had always been Reiko who had approached her, never the other way around. So this turn of events was both jarring and unfortunate.

"I am glad I made it back to my room in time. [i]Chevalière[/i] was lonely all by herself, you know. It felt as though I were, heh, [i]au natural[/i] without her, is the saying? I even squeezed in some time for meditation and independant training this morning."

Closing her eyes, Reiko rested her chin in her hand, her blank expression seeming a little more sarcasting than usual as she uttered her first words of the day.

"I believe your table is over there, Aurelie-chan."

Somehow, this hit home, and the inexplicable swordswoman seemed to take the hint. Simply shrugging, Aura scooped up her breakfast and moved herself over to where the group was conversing the morning away, leaving Reiko behind. She shoved herself into an open spot at the table, not particularly worried if her large weapon made anybody uncomfortable, before butting rudely into the conversation.

"Hey everybody, what's all the excitement about?" Aura asked with an ignorant grin.