[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/cXxrzFd.png[/img]
[@HereComesTheSnow] [@Write] [@Crimmy][/center]

Jericho's heart twitched in his chest.

[hider=Read: 1:41 AM.]
[code]Sender: Babylon P.
Recipient: Jericho P.
Message: 

It me! Papa John delivery girl!

Gigi once asked me a question that I thought was pretty good: what does it make us if we lived in the same room before we were even born?

Daddy called me tonight and told me that you'd made up your mind somehow about Atlas over the weekend and wanted some time off from the whole thing. I get that. Or that you wanted to find yourself or something? I didn't picture you as the type to chew peyote in the desert and look for meaning in the stars or anything, bro, but hell, I can't blame you. Atlas could never ask anyone for more than you've already given, and I don't know a whole load of people who would've stuck around after what they took.

I know that's why I couldn't stick around. I don't know if Daddy will ever forgive me for that, but I still remember that you did.

So! From one Atlesian washout to another, I hope you enjoy the big wide world. I've thought it was pretty brand spanking fucking cool,
and so does Bekahboo. She's in the vents above my bed proofreading while I type right now. She remembers all you've done for her, too -
and she wants me to let you know that she's living proof you're more than the orders Atlas gives you.

I love you, Jericho Dylan! Vale is comfy; I hope you think so too. And for fuck's freaking sake, don't be so standoffish during your next semester! I know you're gonna miss the team, but that's no reason to take it out on these poor Vale kids. You'd better pay attention to me! :)

I mean it. You'd better. I remember our first time in Vale, when Daddy took us to the Vytal Festival. I still remember how much you cheered for BANK. Remember my bad Umeko costume, and how you spent the whole two weeks calling me a race traitor?

I remember, big bro. 

And I remember that you were an even worse Noel. you pink haired brat. : )

Glomps and kisses!
Babylon Paris Piper

PS. It makes us womb-mates! God I love Gigi.[/code][/hider]

[color=9e0b0f]"Yeah, I'm spending a semester here. Maybe even until the Vytal Festival. Honestly? It may have just been past time,"[/color] Jericho admitted, meeting April's stare as coolly as he could manage without thinking of his sisters in wherever-the-hell principality of Mistral or wherever. He'd thought sometimes about how many caveats Babs would probably have to cop too before the all-important [color=f49ac2]"but I still love him, he's my wonder twin!"[/color] but had never really seen it in action before. Luke Schwarz hadn't terribly impressed him too much from what he'd seen, apart from a cute face and a body that was marginally fun to splash water on, but it was hard to find someone with a more intuitive grasp on what made you who you were than a doting little sister. Loving you despite your faults. Seeing you through masks. Warming you up even when you wanted to be a cold, confident, aloof son of a bitch - and always hampering your training when that's just what you were trying to become.

In one facial expression, one throwaway sentence from a dumb high schooler with ridiculous hedgehog hair, she'd cut to the heart of what it was to be a big brother. The big brother he'd been before he became a knight of Atlas.

Jericho's hair twitched, glowing brightly and folding up into a scythe shape over his right shoulder.

[color=9e0b0f]"Babs always liked to tell me I wasn't born wearing a Gold Stripes uniform, so I might as well stop acting like I have one up my ass,"[/color] he continued. [color=9e0b0f]"But don't tell your brother I'm passing on [i]my[/i] sister's coarse language to you. You haven't been through boot camp. He wouldn't understand."[/color]

Jericho Piper's smile was returning. There was even a threat of him showing teeth, fulfilling most of the criteria a normal, functioning adult without manual control of their face would call a [i]grin.[/i]

Then Gratia came over, drinking up any mild fun Jericho Piper may have been having for the first time in three days and replacing it with a chill that made the hairs on his exposed, dark arms want to stand on end. Bianca was with her.

And the barista was walking out the door in a huff.

...

The barista.

[color=9e0b0f][i]Oh, Jesus goddamn Christ.[/i][/color]

There was now officially [i]no employee[/i] on duty, for reasons he didn't need to be a frickin' [i]palm reader[/i] to grasp - and not a single Beacon student aside from he and Bianca, ENTREPRENEURIAL [color=9e0b0f][i] V I S I O N A R Y[/i][/color] that she [color=9e0b0f][i]G O D D A M N  W A S,[/i][/color] had gotten their drinks! 

And [color=9e0b0f][i]WOULDN'T YOU GODDAMN KNOW, T͈̗H̗͉E̻͡R̰̠͖̞͍̤ͅE͘'̦̪̞̟S̢̱ ̵̫̖̘̗A͏̲̠͔̮̠ ̧̭̙̖̪̜͕K̭̝̠̲ͬ̍͒ͮͥͥ͂̆̀͠I̢͇̠̭̣͖ͩͨ̂ͧ̿͞Ţ̟͚̪̹̯̦̂̏͌ͯ͋͞C̞̻̩̦͍̹͎̫ͮͬͨ͑̉ͩ̾͛̄͡͝H̛̫̗̠̥͚͙ͯ̏ͅE̸̷̱̫̭̝̳̝̝̹̔ͭ͗͒ͦͫN̠̮͕͈̹͖̳̍ͪͬͮ̆ͮͮ͛ ͉̫͐͒ͪͭ͆ͩ̀́ͅW̴̃́͆ͦ̈́͏̖̮́E̴̛̫͍̮̞̠ͣ̅ͥ́̆̍͌͊N̴̛͌ͧ́͛̈́͛ͬ҉̜͓̥̼̙͚̝C̸̬̬̲͖̣͒̿̇̈ͬ͐͐Ḣ̤̝̞̯̦͙͎͙̺̿̒̇͗͜͟͠ I͔̘̲̣͡ͅṆ̯̙̥̭ ̠̫͓͚̘̞͍͘T̴̺̝H͠E̹̫͙͘ ̫͖͚͝ͅB҉UI̶̳̬̫̮͕̜̫Ḻ̖̖͉̲͎̘͘DI̹͓͇͞N̡̝͎̬̖G̷̜.̮̘̱̖ͅ[/i][/color]

His face had grown still as Grat pulled Bianca out of the cafe, with only a quiet [color=9e0b0f]"Hey"[/color] to even acknowledge the Mindaro's presence, and despite her cavalier farewell he stared at the birdbrain emotionlessly until she walked out of the door. Then he let out a quiet, long-suffering sigh at April and an apologetic shrug before vaulting over the counter and turning back to face her from where an employee would normally stand.

[color=9e0b0f]"Break out the tip money, it looks like [i]I'm[/i] on duty,"[/color] he remarked sardonically, noticing an approaching figure out of the corner of his eye. A faint blossom of warmth that [i]didn't[/i] feel like blood welling up in his throat began to return to the Young Devil. [color=9e0b0f]"Hey, Ms. Severa. I already paid for you and your family. What's your poison?"[/color]