I am definitely absolutely positively not doing anything girly!!! (Private:Raziel&Warren)

If there was one thing that Raziel never wanted anyone to know about, ever it would be this. Or maybe the bread sticks. She shuddered slightly at the thought, but was quickly forgotten as the distraction in front of her was all too great. It was just too cute: an orange fox plushie with seven tails. A long, quiet squeal left Raziel as she stared at the stuffed animal through the glass of the claw machine.

She had to have it, absolutely must be hers. Placing a Lien into the machine Raziel started moving the joystick, moving the claw into position. As soon as it was over her target she hit the button on the stick. Seconds seemed like hours as the claw descended on it's target. The claw wrapped around the plush then began to lift. Yes! Yes! Yes! No! The fox fell from the claw back into the pile of stuffed creatures. The look of pure defeat dawned upon Raziel's face.

The day was cloudy and cool, as even as Spring threatened to come around the corner, Winter still held tight its grip on the weather. The boy looked up at the shrouded sun and shivered, tugging his jacket a little tighter against him as a strong breeze blew past. He'd dressed a little lightly for this weather, t-shirt and a thin sweater. The weather had told him that the sun was going to be out earlier that day, but he supposed that it was his fault for trusting the news one-hundred percent. He gave a sigh as he continued on, looking for a place to escape the chill.

In the end, Warren ended up finding his way into a small restaurant of some kind, selling greasy foods of all sorts, with an arcade tucked by the entrance, drawing in adults and children with flashing lights and shrill sounds. Warren hadn't been particularly hungry, so he hid himself amongst the games, trying to look busy as he glanced around and fiddled with consoles, hoping not to get kicked out before he managed to warm himself up. Tucking himself off in some unseen corner, Warren glanced around, blinking as he spotted a pair of furred ears and a large blonde and fluffy tail that both seemed absurdly large sitting on the slim figured girl who seemed enraptured by the claw game before her. Hell, her hair and tell actually hid quite a bit of her figure, and the only reason he could really see that she was more petite was due to the fact that he was looking at her from the side.

Warren couldn't help but smile a little at the variety of emotions running across her face as she played. Nervousness, tension, joy, and then crushing sadness as the stuffed animal slipped from the crane's arm. Her face seemed familiar now that he had a good look at it too. One of the students at Syne if he remembered correctly, though the two of them hadn't spoken before. Well, if the boy had wanted to look like a paying customer, what better way than to start a conversation with a real one? There was no harm in making introductions to a fellow student either, now was there?

"Having a bit of a hard time there?" The boy asked as he walked up besides her, arms crossed as he peered over her ears and at the game in front of them now. He gives a slight chuckle. "You know most of these games are rigged, right? Though, I suppose that stuffed animal you were going for seemed pretty worth it."

Damn! Raziel had gotten so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten where she was: a public place. You show even a moment of weakness and the world will swallow you whole. Even if you think you're somewhere safe, you never are. If nothing else the chances were that this person was just some regular city goer, and Raziel could play this off and never see him again.

“I was just trying to get it for a friend of mine,” Raziel vehemently denied trying to get it for herself, “not like it was that important anyway.” Her ears twitched ever so slightly at her own lie. Lying to someone else was easy, trying to lie to yourself was much much harder. She still wanted that plush, but it could wait. For now she has to make sure that she doesn't look weak. Raziel turned around to face whomever had come to interrupt her. Double damn! He looked familiar, please don't let him be a student at Syne.

As the girl turned around to look at him, she would be able to see that the boy had a wry smile on his face, looking a little smug in fact, though it was hardly anything against her personally, simply finding it a little funny how the girl tried to play off her desire for the stuffed animal.

"Oh?" Warren inquired, tilting his head a little at her. "You seemed to be getting pretty into it though. She must be a pretty close friend for you to care so much about it then." He glances over at the claw machine now, giving a contemplative hum as he think to himself for a moment. "Well, if it's not that important, I suppose you wouldn't mind if I gave it a shot then? I know a couple people who'd love a stuffed animal just like that too, you know?" Warren walked over besides the girl, pulling out his own coin to slide into the game, taking control of the joystick as he does so.

He shoots the girl a glance as he starts up the game. "What's your name by the way? I'm Warren."

The boy wore a self-satisfied look on his face, damn it! Raziel stepped aside as he took control of the claw game. “Be my guest,” Raziel said more than a little indignity in her voice, “Name's Raziel.” He could go for it if he wanted to, but he wasn't going to win, not if she had anything to say about it. Raziel watched him carefully and waited like a predator ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

That plush would be hers, no matter what it took, no matter if she had to do a little cheating to get it, she would have it. Raziel payed close attention to the boy, apparently named Warren, as he worked the machine. Waiting until just before he pressed the button to send down the claw. And right as he goes for it Raziel bumps into him in an attempt to jostle the joy stick enough so that it won't grab the plush, “Oops, my bad.”

Warren stared at the plush animal for a moment, pondering for a moment where exactly to grab at it in order to bring it over to the prize bin. He shrugs before sliding in the coin and maneuvering the claw into place. He wasn't seriously going for the stuffed animal, after all. He'd more done it just to tease the poor girl. Maybe he was a little ashamed to admit it, but he was having fun poking at her like this.

The claw was set over the plushy's head, and Warren moved to give the button a lazy tap when Raziel bumped into him on 'accident', Warren giving a short "Hey" too accompany her "Oops".

"You're awfully friendly, aren't you?" Warren asks with a quirk of his brow as he glances over at the girl. The machine continued with its orders, claw now positioned over the plushy's tails instead and slowly reached down to grab at it. It grabbed a clawful of the stuffed animal's tails, lifting it up into the air. The 'thunk' as it reached the top knocked one out of its grasp. The sudden jerk as it began moving knocked out another. A third fell out as it reached the halfway point, leaving it hanging by only a single stuffed tail that began to slip out slowly, inch by inch. It slipped right as the claw had barely passed over the prize bin, bouncing once against the lip of it and into bin. The claw stopped, opening and closing anticlimactically before sliding back to its starting position.

Warren blinked. He hadn't been expecting to win... Or even get close. He reached in slowly, taking out the soft plush animal in his hands, and looked down at it, before over at Raziel in shock.

“Of course I am,” Raziel responded to Warrens question. She had planed to continue with some sarcastic remark, but when the claw actually grabbed the fox and started to lift it from the pile. Yes! Wait... no! If it goes out now then that means that she didn't win it. Raziel watched in anticipation as the tails slowly slipped one by one from the claw. It dropped, hit the lip of the bin then fell in. NO!

Raziel stared half in horror half in shock at Warren as he pulled out the prize. This say just went from bad to worse. She needed that fox, but she couldn't let anyone know that she needed it. Can't show weakness. Conflicting feelings swirled about inside her until finally. “Well looks like you won it fair and square, so you can have it,” Raziel said trying to put on her most uncaring face, when it reality she had to stop herself from taking the plush by force.

Raziel's sudden huff shook Warren out of his shock, and he took a moment to look down at the stuffed animal in his hands and back up at the girl. Whoever she was, this girl really wasn't all that good at lying, the sudden shift in emotion fairly evident on her face, even with only the brief moment that Warren caught. He felt a brief pang of regret shoot through him. He hadn't actually meant to win the thing. It just... Sorta happened. Her fault really, bumping into him. Yea... Well, he doubted the girl would take it if he just gave it to her, so it looked like he needed to brush up on his acting a little bit too.

The boy sighed, rolling his eyes, and putting on a heavy tone of disdain. "Man, I didn't actually want this..." He holds the animal out in front of him. "Nobody I know is really worth giving this too..." Another sigh, "Here, catch," the boy said, and Warren tossed the stuffed fox into Raziel's arms with a shrug. "You made me win the thing, so you take responsibility for it. I ain't dragging that stupid thing home."

Raziel caught the plush fox and almost let out a squeal of joy, she had to hold it in though. She held the fox trying to look like she didn't care about it, but making sure to be very careful with it. Yes! Best day ever! Of course she had to make it look like she didn't want the thing, but would begrudgingly take it.

“Well I didn't want the thing either, but I guess one of us has to take it,” Raziel said trying to hide her excitement, “I mean I guess it would look kind of strange for a guy to be walking around with a stuffed fox.” Now this little guy needed a name. Hmm? What's a good name for this little fox? Volpe? No to obvious. “In any case I know some people who I could pawn this off to if it comes to that,” Raziel said still trying to come up with a name for her new fox. Of course! Mr. Gray. Sure he was orange, but the name was perfect.

The boy crosses his arms and gives another huff as he frowns at Raziel. "Hey, hey, if you're taking that thing from me, you better take care of it. Maybe I don't want it, but it's still something I won you know?" Warren's frown quivers a little before it cracks into a reluctant smile, lips pressed together thin as he tries his best to hide it, and failing.

"You better not go and ditch the thing on the side of the road somewhere, you got me? If I find out, I'll be pissed. It's not everyday you win a crane game like that, and I'll be damned if you let it go to waste just cause I can't keep it." Warren's thin smile widens into a full blown grin. "I think I'll have to visit you at Syne every now and then to make sure you're not ignoring your responsibility."

“Well of course I'm not going to ditch it. That's just a waste really,” Raziel responded to the boy. Wait did he just say? Oh fates! No! No! No! Crap he is a student as Syne. This could ruin her forever of he decides to start running his mouth. Crap crap crap!

“Oh really? So you're a student there too? I never would have guessed,” Raziel lied through her teeth at the boy. As she did she made sure to hold Mr. Grey in such a manner so as to be careful, but not to look like she was cuddling him. All she had to do was deceive him long enough to get out of here. Then avoid him at Syne, and in Bellmuse, and everywhere. This could shape up to be much more of a problem than she was expecting when she woke up this morning. Damn this boy!

Warren's hands clench into fists as they move down to rest on his hips, as he shifts into a confident and cocky looking stance legs wide and facing the girl, smile still broad on his face. "That's right, Warren Novack, Huntsman in training!" He brings one hand up to point a thumb at himself as he says so. "I'm always glad to meet another classmate! I hope we'll get to be good friends." Warren holds out one hand as he offers a handshake to Raziel.

Wow, that was a lot of machismo. Raziel was confident, but that was some serious boastfulness right there. Well then two can play at that game. If he wanted to be macho then she would show him that even a girl could be manly. Raziel took Warrens open hand and shook it, though as she did she was sure to squeeze tightly, not enough to break his hand but enough to hint at her almost unreal strength. “Well then, Mister Warren Novack. I do believe we could get along splendidly.”

“Though I should warn you, there isn't a stronger person in town,” Raziel said more than a hint of pride in her voice. She hated this guy, but for now she would play nice. If nothing else though this guy did win her Mr. Gray so he did get some points there. This day had been quite interesting if nothing else.

Warren quirked a brow as Raziel gripped his hand a little tougher than was really necessary, his wry smile never leaving his lips. He couldn't help but feel a certain kind of smug amusement that came whenever you pulled some small joke or whatever on someone. This girl was certainly quick to believe him at least. His cocky attitude had been more in friendly jest than anything else, but she seemed to rise up to his 'challenge', not that he minded or anything. He shrugged at her.

"Well, that's awfully confident of you don't you think? You got the guts to put your money where your mouth is?" Warren crossed his arms confidently, continuing his cocky joking.

“Of course I will,” Raziel said flexing her biceps showingly. Well if nothing else this could get fun, if she beat this guy in a feat of strength then he might be too embarrassed to talk about it with anyone. Hell a five foot zilch little Faunus girl out gunning a guy, that was sure to be embarrassing. Then she would never hear about this ever again.


“I hope you are ready to be defeated, utterly and totally,” Raziel said, “So what did you have in mind? A wrestling match, brick breaking, arm wrestling, any feat of strength.” Raziel's face broke into a foxy grin. This night was going to be more fun than she thought it was a few minutes ago. If nothing else she will get to let out her anger on the same person who made her mad in the first place. Not often was that possible.