Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
A hybrid’s tail would sway side-to-side from the cliff on the bed, his eyes laying shut as he rested upon the soft covers of his bed. Today was… hard to describe. The Rock-A-Thon had ended just a few days ago, and the atmosphere was rather gloomy. A mass number of students were either disturbed or traumatized due to the events that occurred at the event.
Both the Rox and his sister were confused about what transpired. Merla didn’t know that any of this would happen, she thought it would end positively with Brown’s team winning, but nope! Students were harmed, some were arrested, etc. And for Leaf? He was just… dumbfounded.
What could he even think about this? His best friend was both drugged and almost murdered? Sure, he’s been in traumatizing situations, but this seems like the worse he’s been in yet. Honestly, he just needs a second opinion on this…
So, he got up from his bed and walked over to his closet, sliding the door open and grabbing the necessary attire. A comfy, warm sweater, a scruffy scarf that his uncle knitted for him, and some sweats that fitted comfortably on his legs. Leaf buried his muzzle into his scarf, letting out a soft murr of comfort, he could just feel the love radiating off it.
With a sigh leaving his lips, he slipped his phone into his paw and left his door, entering the dormitory hallway to head over to the main lobby. Students were either by themselves or in groups, discussing the events of what had happened at the contest.
❝ Gosh, I feel so bad for those guys, do you think they’re okay? ❞ A boy asked, looking worried.
A female student standing beside them rubbed their shoulder, attempting to comfort them. ❝ I hope so… With the school’s medical staff, I’m sure they’ll be fine! Keep your hopes up, those bad people are probably in jail by now! ❞
Ear twitch.
The Rox shook his head, pulling out a pair of earphones and placing them with his mint-colored ears. He stopped at a billboard with fliers detailing the latest news about ERA.
Sigh.
❝ You upset about what happened too? ❞ A soft-spoken voiced asked, pulling the attention of the Rox.
Leaf looked around, seeing where the voice could’ve come from. That’s weird.. where—
❝ Down here! ❞ They exclaimed! Leaf looked downwards to the left, tilting his head. Standing before him was a small, anthro Axolotl. He adorned a light green jacket with some grey shorts, a long tail gently thrashing behind him.
❝ O..Oh! Y..Yeah, I am… One of my closest friends was a part of the victims who got hurt. I’m… really bummed about it. ❞ The Rox exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. Just speaking about it was enough to bring his mood down slightly.
❝ Ahh… I’m sorry to hear, I really hope they’re doing okay… Just keep your hopes high for your friend! ❞ The aquatic therian gained a somber expression for a few seconds before shifting to a more soft and comforting one. He would put out a hand for the Rox to shake. ❝ The name’s Leven. How about you walk and talk with me about it, get ya mind off of it! ❞
Leaf closed his eyes, nodding his head and pulling his scarf down. ❝ H..Heh, sure. My name is Leaf! I know a good place we could probably go, it’s this nice fro-yo place.. ❞
The thought of eating ice cream with his newly found hybrid friend was very exciting to the axolotl, his tail beginning to wag more quickly. ❝ Ooo! I love the sound of that, c’mon! ❞ He exclaimed, his tail extending out and wrapped itself around Leaf’s palm. This seemed less like a walk and talk, but he wasn’t complaining!
Now on their way, the hybrid looked over to the tail that was coiled around his paw, looking rather bewildered. ❝ So uh, what is.. this about? S..Seeing that you’re in this school, this must be relating to your electi ability.. ❞
This definitely caused the axolotl’s excitement to rise through the roofs. ❝ Yup! I like to call my electi ability, “Stretchy Tail!” I have the power to extend my tail to a certain degree! If I stretch it too much, it’ll pop off and take a few days to regrow… Think of it like a lizard’s tail! ❞
A giggle left the Rox’s maw, placing a paw against his scarf. A lizard-like tail? For an aquatic-themed therian? Such a silly concept, it brought joy to that gloomy mood of his.
❝ H…Heh, I like the sound of that. My electi ability is ice powers! I..I can freeze things with my paws, and sometimes freeze myself if.. I..I get too anxious… It doesn’t really fit my name, but I’m fine with it! E..Ehehe.. ❞
❝ Seriously? ❞ Leven asked, turning around to face Leaf, tilting his head. ❝ That’s really cool! I like the irony of it! Makes it funny to me, hehe! ❞
The two shared a good chuckle together, Leaf now realizing something he should do more. Get out of his dorm more often. After the Rock-a-Thon, Leaf was starting to become more active to just see his friends perform, but he never actually went out to make some new friends.
Leven was a pure example of a new friend that he needed.
Once their laughter died down, Leven decided to speak up, ❝ So, tell me. What has you so confused about the Rock-A-Thon? ❞ The therian asked.
The Rox stopped in his tracks, scratching behind his ear and gaining a discomforting look upon his face. How could he even put his thoughts into words? Just think and take a deep breath.
Inhale.
Exhale…
❝ It’s… very overwhelming to think about, really. My best friend got injured, as well as his bandmates. And a whole bunch of terrible stuff happened too? The first one we attended went so well! What went wrong?
…Was there any way to prevent such a thing from happening in the first place? ❞
Leven listened into what Leaf was saying, stopping in his tracks to think. Poor boy, all of this was too much for him. Gathering his words and coiling his tail around his wrist again, he would bring him into the fro-yo shop.
❝ If I had to be honest, I don’t think anyone who was hurt knew about what was going to happen. I don’t even think there was that much security over there, aside from the judges, I guess… ❞ Leven would place their orders, guessing what Leaf would want, which was Mint Choco-flavored ice cream covered with Oreos.
Leading him over to a table and pulling out a seat for him, the axolotl would take a seat, continuing to speak his mind, ❝ In my opinion, there really isn’t anything you can do about what happened. Those events occurred and people got hurt. So, instead of worrying about what you could’ve done, go out and support your friends!
Check in on them, bring them gifts, tell them that they have your support, all that jazz.~ ❞
Resting his paws against his table, he’d look downwards, letting his mind wonder for a bit. After a few minutes, the therian spoke up, ❝ Yeah, you’re right. I got an idea… I’ll take a few days to meet up with everyone and get them something! Just to brighten up their moods, hehe.. ❞
Seeing the Rox’s mood grow exponentially made him happy, he was doing his job well!
One of the employees of the restaurant came over and provided the two therians with their desserts, which they started to dig into. God, the sweet, frozen taste of froyo was something he definitely missed, he hasn’t had it in months!
❝ Thanks for this, Leven. My mood has definitely gone up in the past hour, hehe… Say, are you doing anything tomorrow? Maybe we could hang out some more! ❞
Leven shook his head, giving him a very happy smile. ❝ Nah, I’m not. I’d love to hang out with you tomorrow! Heck, I could introduce you to the swim club’s coach, my dad! ❞
His dad is the coach of the swimming club? Interesting. He does remember that it started up a few weeks ago, but he never looked into it because of his fear of freezing up any body of water. Maybe he could join to overcome this fear of his! Plus, it could help him meet some new people to be friends with…
❝ Heh, meeting your dad sounds like a fun experience! Ooo, I could introduce you to the music teacher, my sister.~ ❞ The irony that their blood relatives worked in the same school was very humorous to him.
Leven began to giggle, nodding to the idea Leaf gave. Finally, their cups of froyo were finished, and the rox went ahead and paid for them. Patting the axolotl on the head, Leaf would speak up, ❝ Again, thank you. I really appreciate all of this… Here. ❞
He grabbed a nearby napkin and wrote down his number, handing it over to the axolotl. Leven looked down at it and nodded, putting it into his pocket.
❝ Thanks! I’ll make sure to text you later today and set up something! ❞ His watch started to beep, which reminded him of something important he needed to do. ❝ Shoot! I gotta help my dad with cleaning up the club. I’ll see ya later, Leafy! ❞
He waved goodbye to him and ran off towards the swimming club. Leaf returned the farewell and went on his way. The therian came out of this in a good mood and with a new friend. How wonderful…
First things first, he needs to decide what gifts he needs to give everyone. He wants his friends to feel better than they did during the Rock-a-Thon!
With his phone out and the notes app opened, a list was being written, enlisting gift ideas for each member of Collateral Damage, plus its associates.
Time to show his support!