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[color=silver][h2]September 9th | Hardt Family Home | NYC / NY | 20XX[/h2][/color][/Center]

The morning had started off fine enough. Adalbert had woken up and seen the news; The memorial service was a great thing, and he planned to attend. But getting ready for the event was another trial from just going. It got him curious, too. His father had been quiet thus far about the whole attack, what did he plan to do with this whole service deal going on? 

“Son, you ought to have been up an hour and a half ago -and- ready.” A voice rang in Adalbert’s ear as his father already began to bog down his morning. Ah, yes. Father’s perfect routine. Despite his recent discoveries of what he could do, Von was still playing a bit tired and worn. And in his mind, he honestly was kind of worn out. Not that his father really cared.

[color=silver]”I’m not coming in this morning,”[/color] Adalbert responded, phone in his hand as he made his way into the bathroom. He popped open the door to his walk-in shower, reaching in and twisting the hot water knob before quickly pulling his hand out, closing the door back. [color=silver]”There’s a memorial service for the victims of the attack. I assume you won’t be there.”[/color] 

“Not the proper time or place, though there’s announcements to be made that might raise good publicity.” His father spoke calmly; Casually, even. “If you find you must skip work, I suppose your arrival will make for good publicity at the memorial. Do comb your hair, don’t look too ragged, son.”

Adalbert held back the urge to shout between his gritted teeth. [color=silver]”Yeah. I’m sure I’ll make a big splash. You ever consider doing it yourself? Your fatass could use the exercise.”[/color] 

”Do try to be mindful while talking to your boss, Adal. Your mother never taught you to have a mouth like that.” His father lectured, still in his ever-so casual voice. “And remember what I’ve always told you--”

[color=silver]”Myeh bidness hadhs nwo playce fwour fauwures!”[/color] Adalbert mockingly predicted in the dumbest tone of voice he could manage, rolling his eyes so severely he thought they might pop out of his skull. [color=silver]”Trust me, this business will be better one day.”[/color] He added, without actually mentioning that it’d be without his father being the pain in the ass Hardt he knew too well.

 There was a moment of silence on the phone, before his dad finally spoke a few final words:

“Goodbye, Adal.”

The young man almost threw his phone, but instead let his father hang up. Sack of shit. He left his phone on the sink as he got ready for his shower; The steam of the bathroom already making the place a blurry mess. It was short, and sweet: But effective. He washed up and was out before seven minutes had passed: Towel around his waist as he wiped the mirror to see himself well enough to comb his hair. It was here that he began thinking; By going like this, he’d be doing what his father wanted. And doing what his father wanted was the last thing he wanted to do during this memorial service, as taking any attention from it would be disrespectful. 

He took a moment to think to himself, before deciding on something: He couldn’t be himself. If not for the memorial service, then to spite his dad for being a dickhead. He went and opened up a cabinet within the bathroom; Digging through a few things before finding some unused hair dye. He had wanted to dye his hair for awhile, but never for an excuse until now. This ought to be fun.

He had enough time; So he went ahead and dyed his hair. It gave him time to think about a few things. One, specifically, were the events of yesterday: Rather than freak out over the fact he could crawl on walls, he had taken it as a confidence booster; Maybe that was why he was able to be such a dick to his dad now; Realizing he had something greater going on. Did he want an explanation? Yeah, because he had none. Last thing he was doing was vomiting blood and getting hospitalized, unless that journalist somehow gave him this ability. Which that was just stupid, right? Whatever the case, his thoughts of somehow putting them to use ran wild since he discovered it: Everything back at the workshop was developing nicely; It was all functional, he just wanted to test it to ensure nothing would backfire on him. His inspiration from yesterday went wild and paid off; He was willing to say the stuff was actually ready for use, but at the same time, he didn't want to use them at the moment unless he truly had to do so. He'd get the bag stuff and memorial service done, then go from there.

Auburn-colored now instead of his blonde, perhaps it was a bit of an extreme but to him he liked the change. After he was finished, he made sure to take a look in the mirror at his impressive new look, a smile crossing his face. Of course, just some hair-changes weren’t going to be enough. Probably. His attire needed adjusting, so he’d focus on that next.

Baggy pants; Cotton linen, wide leg. Normal white undershirt, but maybe something a bit heavier over it? Not terribly so, but perhaps a hoodie. He had a few of those. Nahh… He found a better shirt: A grey one, with the word ‘PRINCE’ printed on it in a fancy border, then he threw a black coat over it, leaving the ‘PRINCE’ text visible. Mixing blacks and greys, mhm. That’d work. A pair of shades felt like too much though… Maybe a hat? He had some ballcaps; Barely worn, but he found one that fit snug enough; Matching with his pants while going well with his new auburn hair. 

He took a look at himself in the mirror, and felt a little smug. He didn’t look like himself, for sure. Rather than some rich boy he looked like he was maybe trying a little too hard? Or he was just attempting to look like the kind of person he actually was. Perfect in his opinion. What was missing, though? He wasn’t sure, but it felt like it was something or other. Oh well.

He brought out his phone and snapped a photo of himself with a grin and a peace-sign. He’d need that as he decided to text that Reyna woman; If she was going to be at the memorial, it’d be a great place to meet up. She’d need to know he was looking a bit different though. While he wouldn’t fit in with the civil suit-and-tie crowd anymore, he’d blend just fine with the crowd that’d be there, right?

[quote][color=silver]Hey, it’s Von. Would you happen to be heading to the memorial service today? I thought that would be a good place to meet up this afternoon. A little warning, I’ve changed appearances a bit. Don’t hold back any opinions~[/color][/quote]

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[SUP][SUB][H3]Memorial Service Day[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup][color=silver]September 9th, 20XX | Reyna’s Apartment | [@AmpharosBoy][/color][/sup][/INDENT]

The sizzling sound from a hot skillet rang out through the small apartment, the only other sound to be heard coming from the TV that played in the background which had been turned on earlier for a bit of white noise. A spatula gave a quick stir to the contains inside the skillet before an egg or two was added into the mix, working to scramble them in with the potatoes, bacon, peppers and onion that had previously been frying. Reyna hummed happily, half way listening to the news report that had popped on. It seemed that was all anyone was talking about for the last two days though she couldn’t blame them. Of course she wanted to honor those that had been lost but it also felt awkward to be one of the lucky ones that had survived. It was like a slap in the face to hear the numbers, knowing how close she has really been to losing her life and never having done much with it. At least, nothing she could truly be proud of. She frowned a bit at that thought, shaking her head which caused her ponytail to sway from side to side. [i]’No, I can’t think like that. I have to keep moving forward and just be thankful I am here....that there has to be a reason for that.’[/i], she thought with a nod and scooped her freshly prepared breakfast on a plate. 

Reyna carefully sat down on the couch, placing her plate on the coffee table before grabbing the remote to flip to a new channel. [i]’That is enough of that. Let’s see what else is on.’[/i], she thought as she flipped through the favorited stations and just left it on a random movie. It was at least a better choice than the news since that bored her to pieces most of the time. [color=red]”Hey mister! What do you think you are doing!?!”[/color], Reyna scolded the black cat that was leaning near her plate, sniffing and half way to licking or stealing her meal. [color=red]”I know you think I made this for you but that is mine.”[/color], she stated before picking up the furball that ended up meowing at her and swishing his tail in irritation at the treatment of being placed on the floor.[color=red]”Don’t give me that sass. You know better![/color], she replied, picking up her plate and taking a bite which made Jiji turn and snub her. [i]’Fine, give me the silent treatment. See if I care....[/i], she pouted in her thoughts and tried to enjoy her meal. 

In all honesty though, she was just glad it didn’t taste weird like most things had since the attack. It seemed soft foods or things with less biting tasted normal. Soups and drinks being the most delicious by far as well as the most fulfilling in her opinion. It was like everything else was just strange and she just didn’t know why. The pain in her mouth had faded completely now and she just had to hope that everything else would fix itself. She placed the dirty dishes in the sink once she was finished and headed for the bathroom to get ready for the day. Reyna grabbed a hold of her toothbrush from the cup on the sink, opening up the medicine cabinet and snagging the toothpaste before depositing it onto the brush. 

She scrubbed her teeth thoroughly, spitting into the sink after a couple of minutes. She went to turn on the water but paused looking at the foam in the sink. There was an odd dark color mixed in and not one that she would say was blood.[color=red]”What the hell?....”[/color], she muttered softly. She shut the medicine cabinet so she could see the mirror, poking around in her mouth and looking at her teeth to figure out what the hell that weird crap in the sink was. It was when she pushed at her canine that the same weird goo but now a purer color popped out. Reyna literally flinched back in surprise, tripping on the bathroom rug and could do nothing more than close her eyes. She waited for the fall, to hit the wall, anything really but nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes, finding herself stuck halfway from falling by a single strand of god only knew what that was now connected to the ceiling but also her wrist.

This was where she was in full blown panic. One, what the fuck was this!?! Two, why was this coming out of her wrist!?! Three, how the hell did she get rid of it!?? She carefully pulled on it with her free hand, testing its strength carefully before using it to stand up properly. [i]’Am I dreaming? Did I actually hit my head and this is some realistic dream I am experiencing?’[/i]. She couldn’t think about that now, she needed to get this....this thing off her. She started pulling, wincing as it just tugged at her wrist unpleasantly. Reyna gritted her teeth, placing her free hand on the sink and yanked harshly. She was determined to get herself free. She heard a snap as it finally let loose, almost falling again but was able to keep on her feet this time around. [color=red]”Yes!!!”[/color], she called out in triumph, throwing her hands in the air or at least she would have but her hand on the sink didn’t move an inch. 

She groaned, looking at her hand with a glare as she tried to move it. It just stayed there as if super glued to the porcelain and no amount of effort or tries would get it from the surface. It didn’t stop her from attempting anyways but each one was met with failure. In a last ditch effect, Reyna placed her foot on the skin, the other hand on the wall behind her for leverage to yank the stuck hand free. It finally gave way from being stuck, making her stare at it and wonder what in the name of Sam Hill was happening to her. She tried to straighten up once more, only to find she was now not just stuck to the sink by her foot but her left hand was also stuck to the wall. [color=red]”You have got to be kidding me!?! I am sick of this!?!”[/color], she hissed angrily. She had no clue if she had said the magic words or what but she suddenly was able to move her fingers again. She slowly placed her foot back down, curling her fingers and toes to make sure they weren’t doing the sticky. 

[color=red]”Nope, I can’t handle this! I don’t know what that was. I don’t want to know. I must have a fever or something......yeah....oh come on Reyna, I know that is bullshit. What the hell is going on with me!?!![/color], she whined and yanked out her ponytail just so she could run her fingers through her hair. There was no way she could tell anyone about this. Whatever it was was definitely not natural. She pulled the string from the ceiling, shoving it into the trash before turning on the shower. She let the water heat up while she stripped out of her pajamas and jumped in. Reyna scrubbed her hands and feet like crazy, trying to just rule out that nothing she had touched was the issue. She found herself just relaxing in the hot water after that, letting her thoughts drift on everything that had happened as well as the unanswered questions roaming there and let time just escape her. She didn’t even noticed she had been so deep in thought until she came out of it, yelping at standing in what was now icy cold waters. 

She quickly shut it off, drying off and wrapping into a fluffy robe to dry her hair. Reyna moved to her closet, taking a look at what to wear and found herself wanting to be comfortable. She pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and a loose blue plaid button up shirt that stopped at her elbows. She pulled on a pair of socks while making her way to the bedroom and jumping onto the bed instantly. Her arms dig under her pillow, pulling out her phone before unplugging it from the charger. Reyna unlocked the screen, noticing a notification from labeled ‘Von’ and clicked it.  She had been debating on whether to go to the Memorial ceremony or not but now she guessed the decision was made. He needed his laptop back and honestly, it wouldn’t be so bad seeing him again. The events of this morning had rattled her a bit but there was nothing she could do. She would just have to deal with it on her own like she had with most things. 

[quote][color=red]I have been debating on it but you’ve convinced me. It does seem like the perfect place to meet up. Oh wow, you look different but a good kind of different! I would be lying if I didn’t say I missed the blonde but auburn really suits you or maybe I am just bias since red is my favorite color. [/color][/quote]

[quote][color=silver]Well if you miss it, I may have to go back~ But I'm glad you like what I've got going on right now. I've been contemplating it for awhile, I thought it'd be a good change of pace for me. There's a lot going on right now, and a new me is the perfect way to reflect that. Sorry, kind of rambled for a second there: But yes, meeting up would be great. We can sort out our business, and pay respects.[/color][/quote]

[quote][color=red]Don’t change on my account! A new style for a new you sounds like a wonderful way to look at things. I would never want you to be anything less than yourself. It is always better to be who you are. Anyway, I look forward to meeting with you and paying respects. Catch ya later~[/color][/quote] 
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[SUP][SUB][H3]Memorial Service Day[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup][color=silver]September 9th, 20XX | NYC Streets | [@AmpharosBoy] [@Akayaofthemoon][/color][/sup][/INDENT]


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Adalbert had picked himself up a few hotdogs while making his way towards the memorial service; It surely hadn't started yet, but he did have to meet Reyna there. He was somewhat sloppy with his eating but made sure none of the relish or mustard ended up on his clothes; Despite trying to hide himself, he didn't need to have to worry about mustard stains or something. He could see the crowds building up ahead; There were quite a few people out for the memorial service, and he was glad that he'd be able to join alongside them without turning heads. Giving any publicity to the Hardt name at the moment was just an irritating thing for him to think about: He'd rather avoid it to spite his father after what he had to say. So, spite him he would. Now all he had to do was initiate this meetup. 

Though with a crowd like this, he felt like Reyna might be difficult to spot. Maybe it was smarter to keep to the outskirts of the crowd to be easier to spot? God help him if he had to dive in and look around for her; She'd never be found in the waves here. At least without some unnecessary shouting and scene-making. He finished off one of his hotdogs as he glanced around for the girl, fingers trailing up to his lips so he could lick off a small amount of mustard he had gotten on them. 

[color=silver]"Perhaps I should call...?"[/color] He pondered to himself, before deciding against it. She possibly wasn't even here yet; He wasn't a psychopath that was going to harass her. He'd be here until after the service was over, so there was plenty of time to see her-- To, to... Get his stuff back. Of course.

She slipped in between people, trying to slowly make her way out of the crowd that was forming the closer they got to the start the Memorial Service event. She knew she had arrived ahead of time but as they say, the early bird gets the worm...or something like that. Besides, Reyna was on a mission and she was gonna try her hardest to follow through. She adjusted the laptop bag on her shoulder, eyes scanning for a tall man in a baseball cap. She assumed that he wouldn’t be in the middle of the pile since that would be impossible way to anyone in that mess which would mean it would be a silly choice to wait. It had also come to her mind that he might not even be here yet. She knew she could always call but the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself by leaving her another voicemail or showing as multiple missed calls. If she had been smart, she would have texted exactly where to meet when they spoke earlier but too late now. 

She continued to wander almost aimlessly for quite awhile until a single person caught her eye. Reyna pulled out her phone, looking up the pic that she was sent and held it up to do a bit of a comparison. [i]’Yup, that’s him alright.’[/i], she nodded to herself before stashing the phone back into her pocket. It didn’t seem like he had noticed her yet and she felt her mischievous side tempting her. She lightly bit her lip, debating with herself before she decided. If worst came to worst and he couldn’t handle it then that meant that any possible friendship wouldn’t make it anyway and if he could take a joke or small prank then this could be that start of something beautiful as they say. 

Reyna lightened her steps, weaving through the crowd gracefully until she was just behind her target. She looked him up and down for a moment before her eyes locked onto his hand with a bit of a grin. She skillfully slipped by, one hand snagging the hotdog he held and spinning lightly so her other one could boop him in the stomach gently before skipping backwards a bit so she was still facing him. Her ponytail swayed with her movements, a large grin on her face as questioned,[color=red]”Did you miss me?”[/color], while enjoying his initial reaction. Reyna moved the hotdog to her left hand, noticing some mustard on her palm where it had bumped slightly from the grab. She stared at Von, slowly licking the mustard from her skin with a soft moan of delight. [color=red]”Well, I was planning to give this back but seems like I accidentally claimed it so....”[/color], she trailed off threatening to take a bite.

Adalbert felt something; Like back in the alleyway, when that man tried to come at him. His mind spoke of danger, but he didn't really take notice of it until after he found a finger poking his stomach and his hotdog removed from his hand. He was doing that thing where he began to think way too fast; His concern for his hotdog overridden by this sense he had felt multiple times now. If he had just listened to it and reacted, the hotdog would still be in his hand. It was like some sort of defense mechanism; Did this have to do with the whole crawling thing he discovered yesterday? Did he have [i]more powers?![/i] As freaky as it was, it was amazing: If he just reacted to that sense instead of just standing around like a dope, he wouldn't get hit! Why was he always thinking in a repetitive manner? He needed to snap back to reality.

... Fuck, his hotdog!

As Adalbert turned around, he momentarily froze at Reyna's actions. On one hand, it had just been her; Clearly a joke. On the other, her licking the mustard from her skin, and the sound that came with it, left Von's face scrunching as a reaction. He was embarrassed; Eyes shifting away from her for a few seconds as he tried to process the event in front of him without much success. Clearly she got under his skin with that one; But he wasn't about to take it poorly. It was just a joke; Even if she was saying she 'claimed' his hotdog. Ceasing in his hesitation, he approached Reyna and reached out; Hands pinching the hotdog and pulling it into two halves. He made sure to take the side with the smeared mustard, smiling down at her.

[color=silver]"I don't know what you mean; Still seems perfectly edible to [b][i]me.[/i][/b]"[/color] He commented, eyes not leaving her as his tongue lightly lashed the edge of the bun, clearing away the mustard she smeared everywhere. Rather than speak further, he simply nodded at her and took a bite from his half, figuring if she wanted to lay claim to it in the first place, she could have the other half of it: A small smurf had a smaller stomach anyways, right? She'd be fine. He needed some of this lighthearted interaction after his irritating start to the day; Yet again she was proving to be a lifesaver for him. 

Reyna raised an eyebrow as he approached without a word and waited to see exactly what he planned to do. It was easy to say that taking half of the stolen hotdog back had not been one of the options she considered so not only was that a surprise in itself but it was actually startling to see what side he had chosen. If she had any protest, it instantly died on her lips at his statement which caused her eyes to widen for sure but it was his next motion that made them even bigger. [i]’Well, that isn’t sinful as fuck...note to self, be careful with my future jokes’[/i], she thought, fighting back a soft blush by grinning ear to ear which actually made her cheeks hurt but in a good way.

[color=red]”That isn’t fair, you weren’t supposed to beat me at my own game.”[/color], she chuckled before playfully punching his arm and taking a bit of her own side of the shared food. [color=red]”Anyways....[/color], she started, a hand going up to the strap on her shoulder to lift it off before holding out the laptop bag. [color=red]”I do believe this is yours, my good sir.”[/color], Reyna teased happily before taking another bite out of the hotdog in her free hand.

He held back a laugh as to not choke while he was finishing eating; But this girl was hilarious! Just like before, she had him smiling; He had to give her props to managing to spark up a positive mood quickly. They needed it in times like these. [color=silver]"What can I say? Maybe it's just beginner's luck."[/color] He replied, body shifting with the punch to mock injury from her rough play. She was quick to get on topic about the bag; Which he was glad to address now, as he didn't need that laptop in other people's hands. Accepting the bag, he tipped his hat with his free hand. [color=silver]"Your kindness is appreciated, ma'am."[/color] He spoke politely, slipping the bag onto his shoulder. He'd check the contents later; If anything was missing, it could be replaced. The heft of the bag made it clear his laptop was in there, and that was the only real important thing. If anything else went missing he'd... Just have to overlook it.

He meant what he said; He did appreciate her doing this for him. Losing the laptop was bad enough in itself, but if his designs leaked out? Hoo, that could be nothing short of a personal disaster. He owed her more than she knew for this. [color=silver]"I mean it; Thank you for this."[/color] He said with a genuine smile, tilting his head as he observed her: What would she like, anyways? He wasn't sure what to offer, though then the other day clicked back in his head: Ah! It was so simple. [color=silver]"Next time, the tea and muffins are entirely on me."[/color]

She chuckled and shook her head lightly at his statement. She was just glad that he had taken her mischief in stride and while she hadn’t thought he would dish it back out, she was glad he did. It was nice to be able to joke with someone and not have them take it the wrong way or be uptight about it. He tipped her hat to her so she did a sweeping bow in return and answered in a serious tone and face,[color=red]”It was my pleasure.”[/color], before her face broke in to a smile as she straightened upright and waved her hands  gently in front of her. [color=red]”But in all seriousness, like I said before, it was no trouble at all. It was the least I could do.”[/color], she said.

It made sense to her why he was so thankful, losing a laptop was nothing to laugh at since they were expensive as hell. Heck, if she lost hers...there was no way in her current situation she would be getting another but it would extremely problematic not to have one at the same time. She didn’t know what his situation was so it could be the same kind of thing. It could be that he has something that was meaning for priceless to him that was on it. Her own contained a few pictures of her mother so she could get that. She felt a little awkward though, not used to being thanked so much but obviously trying to get around it was not working so instead when she was thanked once more, she smiled brightly in return and replied with, [color=red]”You’re welcome.”[/color]. Reyna watched him tilt his head which made her look down for a moment, trying to see what he was doing before tilting her head slightly to the side as well to mirror him. She blinked, a bit surprised by the offer he had presented since she thought he would honestly just want his stuff back and that would be it. It was in no way an unpleasant offer and one she was glad to receive but it was unexpected. That seemed to be a theme when she was around this guy. [color=red]”Oh, so there is a next time, is there?”[/color], she questioned with a small smirk that she had to fight hard not to turn to a smile.

[color=silver]"I-- Uh, I mean..."[/color] Adalbert slipped from his cool personality at that response; He maybe hadn't thought too much into what he said? Her smirk was comforting yet at the same time, nerve-wracking. How could one girl play both sides so easily? If not for her kindness he was interested due to her more foolhardy personality; Her remarks and jokes were definitely something he was enjoying. [color=silver]"Of course there'll be a next time,"[/color] He began trying to bring himself back after that slip-up. [color=silver]"Who wouldn't want to spend another day with you?"[/color] He ended up with a big toothy grin for a moment, until he blinked and shrunk it down, adding: [color=silver]"Well, without all the pictures, and such this time I'd hope."[/color]

She chuckled lightly as he stumbled a bit on his words before pausing. It was nice to know she could actually fluster him or do something he didn’t expect for once. It seemed he wasn’t one to be thrown long  though as he started to explain that of course there would be a next time. [i]’This oughta be good.’[/i], she thought as she raised an eyebrow waiting for the rest. A blush dusted on her cheeks instantly and she quickly looked anywhere but at him. Reyna really wasn’t sure what to do with that one but she found herself looking back to Von again when he brought up the picture. What had that even been about? It had been a little creepy that was for sure. [color=red]”I hope so, I am not really one who likes their picture taken. It kind of creeps me out that some random stranger has it.”[/color]

Hah, she was still worried about that picture? It made him scoff at the concept of him letting that guy escape; As if! He took care of it, and that was something he probably should have already told her: But now was better than never. [color=silver]"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I chased him down and took care of it; No creep taking pictures of you got away with it, I can promise you that."[/color] He spoke with confidence; The news hadn't exploded and neither had his father, so this obviously meant he was in the clear. Thankfully that also meant Reyna was in the clear; Not having to deal with being inflicted by his life any. She didn't deserve that; And if it had happened, he wasn't sure how it would have went. Would they have been able to meet up like this? He doubted she was petty, but a nice woman like her was surely hiding something scary. He'd hate to end up on that side of her.

For a moment, he looked over at the crowd: So many people, so many grieving families. Would his father have even grieved for him? He probably would have showed up if he was dead, honestly. That just made Von feel even more sick to his stomach than he had felt this morning: That old bastard was pretty ruthless, despite his smile. What he'd give to find a decent anonymous source to talk a load of shit too. But this wasn't the time or place, he'd figure it out later. The focus was on respecting the fallen that weren't as lucky as he was: It was unfortunate the whole attack ended up being so deadly. How did it go from killing those people, to sparing him? And perhaps causing him a rather crazy after-affect? He couldn't wrap his head around it clearly.

Honestly, she felt relieved to hear him say that it wasn’t a problem and that it had been taken care of. It had been stewing in the back of her mind that some random and possible creep out there had a photo of her. She didn’t like people she knew to have pictures so that would have been a hundred times worse for a stranger. [color=red]”Thank you, that is a relief to hear and means a lot that you took care of it. I didn’t realize that is what you were doing when you rushed out.”[/color], Reyna said genuinely thankful and appreciative that he had taken that effort.

She watched his attention move to the ever growing crowd and started watching herself. How many families had been effected? How many loved ones did they lose in just a single moment? What about those they just knew? It was insane to think of on a grand scale but the numbers showing up made it all the more real for her. Reyna felt a chill crawl up her spine at the thought and suddenly she felt small and alone in the sea of people. Would anyone have truly missed her if she had disappeared? She knew people sure but it wasn’t like she had many friends if any that were still around or stayed connected with her. Her dad probably wouldn’t mourn her or even care if he had the knowledge of her death. 

She found herself crossing her arms a bit to hug herself. She didn’t feel like she deserved to be one of the lucky ones. There had to be someone that had been more worthy than her but no, it was her. She didn’t even know what to do. She was practically a failure if she explained her life. Now, she also had something strange happening to her and no one to even talk to about it. If she did, they would probably think she was crazy anyway. Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, that was enough self pity. She was here and the least she could do was not think of herself. This was for them, the ones that had been lost because of whoever had done this attack. She would love to track down the bastard that did this. She would like to know the reason why. [color=red]”I’m glad I came here today. I almost didn’t because I thought it would be strange to stand here alive while knowing so many hadn’t been as lucky as me. It feels better to be here, to honor them. I hope justice can be found for them.[/color], she found herself saying out loud, her eyes still locked on the crowd as she did.

Adalbert noted her appreciation; Glad to have cleared the air on that situation involving the photo. His reflection on the situation that caused this whole memorial service made him sad despite the laughs he was having; This whole situation had been no joke. Whoever caused that attack, and whatever the hell was in it that caused such an effect and bodycount, needed to be handled. He wasn't entirely a person who could fix such a thing; But if he ever found who did it... Even if he wasn't friends with his fellow students or the teachers, they didn't deserve this.

Listening to what Reyna had to say, his eyes widened as he looked back at her. A survivor...? So she had been in the attack as well? She looked incredibly healthy, not much different to Von himself in that regard. He supposed it wasn't crazy to know another survivor, but if they met at the memorial service it'd of been less strange; It was their encounter from the other day that made it more interesting. He contemplated what to say, hand slightly moving as he considered placing it on her shoulder as a comforting sign, but maybe now wasn't the time. This was all strange, but he couldn't truly vocalize something like that at the moment. 

[color=silver]"You..."[/color] He trailed off for a moment, blinking as if still processing it. [color=silver]"You were there? During the attack?"[/color] He presented it as a sort of question despite knowing the answer; Perhaps a slight disbelief. But what reason would anyone have to lie about something like that? He saw none, and honestly, being able to talk to someone else who survived it would lighten the load on his own mind. [color=silver]"I was, too. Kind of thinking the same way, honestly."[/color] He glanced back towards the crowd, readjusting his cap. [color=silver]"All those people dead, yet I'm still here. Kind of made me appreciate my life a bit more."[/color]

Reyna nodded gently at the question and wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t believe her. She looked completely healthy and normal when most would think she should be frail and weak having been in the hospital not so long ago. She didn’t have the heart to even look at him until he said he was a survivor too. That made her snap her gaze to him instantly. She would have never thought she would meet a survivor like herself. She didn’t think she would be able to find someone that understood but he did. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. [color=red]”Yeah...yeah, it really does.”[/color]

Silent at her response, Adalbert looked back towards the crowd. Not much else to be said on the subject; And he felt a moment of silence was fitting as he spent time thinking about his luck further. They were both lucky, weren't they? A true second chance after all that chaos. He slipped his hands into his pockets, a deep inhale being the lead into an exhale of breath that flushed out some of his emotion. At least things seemed to be going smoothly; The service seemed like it'd be a peaceful one, at least.