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Zhen agreed with Suzu, which was well and fine, but Yue was stubborn and a little ridiculous. She just stared at Suzu, and when the girl tried to motion her to clean as well, Yue snorted.
"I don't answer to you, princess; I'll move when those I respect do. Not a second before." Yue shrugged. She was never the favourite, and she didn't care at all about getting in trouble. She regretted the food wasted, but it was a little late for regrets, so she kept it to herself. Yue started to lick the jam off her hand, staring at the wall.

It wasn't until Eiji and Kotone moved that Yue got to her feet and started, silently, to gather things. She found a cleaning cloth in one of the cupboards and started to tackle the harder messes, and the sticky ones, scrubbing things free of the signs of combat. It had done a little to ease her boredom, but she still hadn't gotten the bloodshed she craved. Why did she? Yue sighed at herself. It was ridiculous, to crave physical contact and bloodshed so much. Although whenever she got physical contact it wasn't so bad, it sort of overrode her desire for violence and chaos. Yue Lao didn't speak for a while, she just cleaned, and cleaned, wringing the cloth into a dirty pot she'd found lying on the floor, covered in tomatoes and potato slices. Messes didn't bother Yue. She hated when things dried all tacky to the touch, though, like if Chishio spilled jam on the counter and forgot to wipe with a damp cloth instead of just picking the jam up with a dry cloth. It always left an irritating residue.

While she was cleaning, Yue bumped into a couple other lunarians, using the contact to abate her pressing need for physical contact. She missed her friends back home; none of them had come to the Academy with her, and she missed even the simple embrace of one friend to another. Yue blew upwards to move a stray strand of hair and kept on scrubbing.

"I like that idea, maybe we can take it to a farmers after the lessons are all done and donate it. I do not see the school needing the compose however I am sure a local farmer will want it. Thats such a good idea Kotone! and very practical too."

She laughed clapping her hands before skittering to collect more things to put in the basket, she was happy her words seemed to have stopped the food fight and got everyone working together to do something constructive. As she got on her knees, rubbing a old rag against the floor to clean the juices, she began to sing a tune, one that she usually sung during her smithing.

She did so quietly and to herself, however it was a song easily recognized by many as one that was present in their childhood. Very common folk music.

She was not too shocked that Yue did not want to work, already she could tell she was the kind of person that did not like to make life easy on others. However soon enough Yue started to help, she smiled. Glad that she had chosen to do so.

It was pretty strange, how fast Yue could flip her disposition. She had been feeling pretty lousy, and fed up with the Academy, particularly Suzu, but as soon as Huang asked if she was okay, Yue practically shone. She perked right up, became her irritating old self; almost. For a moment, actual gratitude shone through, and she smiled at Huang, "Sorry I bumped into you, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going," Yue laughed, "Too much jam in my eyes." She smiled wider, then tilted her head to the side. "Hey, Huang-- you're not so bad, are you?" Yue observed, crossing her arms over her chest, trying not to hit herself with the dirty rag.

Of course, she remembered his name, and she remembered having met him earlier. She hadn't particularly taken to him, not like she'd been amused by Eiji. Yet he had asked her if she was alright, and being observant enough to ask that made Huang interesting in Yue Lao's books. Her eyes flashed with curiosity as she regarded him, and finally, she felt like it would probably be better if she left. However, she had been scrubbing at jam and other messes for long enough, now, and she thought that perhaps she would at least offer Huang her assistance in whatever he was trying to do with the bowls, as per Kotone's instructions. "Need any help with that?" Yue gestured to the bowls with her thumb, casually, a flick of the wrist. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, since Chishio usually did all the cleaning, but just because Huang was observant, she felt like she would at the very least offer to help.

Yue Lao was never kind, nor helpful, unless she thought the Lunarian genuinely deserved it. Although Huang couldn't begin to fathom, Yue's offer was a compliment, a rare one. She didn't really let that show. Her posture and facial expression were carefully controlled. Her face was grateful but otherwise empty of the nausea and longing she felt for her friends and physical contact, and her posture was one of casual boredom.

Even the largest classrooms in the Academy could not contain the scorn that Van held for research projects. The girl’s staccato footsteps as she marched down the hall with her armfuls of scrolls were the only thing that filled the silence. Muttering something about fighters and the questionable necessity of essays, the Legionnaire found her way into a conveniently deserted classroom. At least now Van would be making headway on her homework sooner rather than later. Spreading her work across the span of several desks, she began to read.

Only moments into the first line of text, something moved in her peripheral vision. Looking up automatically, Van’s violet gaze was met with... nothing. Shrugging to herself, the girl resumed reading her textbook, this time following the weathered sentences with a perfectly manicured finger, so as to improve her concentration. But it was not long before she caught movement in the corner of her eye again, and she turned... to meet nothing but still air. Van was more reluctant to return her attention to her research this time, but nevertheless tried to continue loading streams of knowledge into her consciousness.

In Ancient Lunaria, the first bladed weapons were forged by the Moro clan—

It was too difficult to concentrate again, for now, she was almost certain that someone or something was watching her. She could feel a pair of eyes boring into the side of her head, burning, daring her to look up. Van suddenly shifted her line of vision to the doorway, and sure enough, she managed to catch a glimpse of black fabric before it disappeared into the hallway. Removing herself from the mess of desks, benches, and scrolls, the girl set out to investigate. She had to at least chastise the person distracting her from her studies, didn’t she?

Yet, when she stood in the hallway, she saw nothing. Heard nothing. There were no signs of life, and it looked just as it was before—empty. The only thing that Van could perceive was the faint, distinct smell of apple blossoms...

Pulling out her butterfly knives, Van took it upon herself to find the source of her annoyance. Creeping slowly down the corridor, so as not to make a sound, the Legionnaire made her way to the neighboring classroom and cautiously slid the door open. It was empty.

No matter, she’d simply continue checking the rest of the classrooms. Shuffling slowly down the hall, every once in a while throwing a glance backward, she opened the next door. Empty. Door after door she threw open, and each room was, without fail, bare. Why was the Academy so empty? There should have been one class in session, at the very least! Within mere minutes, the girl had reached the end of the hallway. Perplexed, Van planted her feet. There was no way she could go back to studying now, not with her curiosity piqued like it was now.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry much longer. Suddenly, the scent of apple blossoms had returned, overwhelming her senses. The smell that had once been faint was pungent, sweet, sickly... and the feeling of eyes on her back had returned. Turning quickly, as if in preparation for a confrontation, Van finally locked eyes with a masked man. And her blood ran cold.

His eyes were wild, crazy, and they were the cruelest she’d ever seen in another Lunarian. The low laugh that came from deep within his throat was equally chilling, and Van had never felt so small under another’s gaze. He was the cat, and she, the mouse. When he drew his weapons, she paled, stepping back. He was no student—her butterfly knives looked like toys in comparison with his gleaming swords. As she backed into the wall, her stomach dropped and her chest tightened. There was nowhere to run.

[[ Do not reply to this yet. Just keep going as you have been. Nobody should notice Van yet. ]]

Eiji started groaning as he continued to clean, not particularly enjoying this annoying task everyone was given. If anything he’d only be asking for something else to happen. Or at least have the teacher finally arrive so something other then scrubbing can happen. When suddenly.. his wish came true: in the sign of a loud explosion.

Both Eiji and Sumu flinched at the sudden explosion that had happened, in a location outside the classroom. ”What the hell?!” Eiji shouted before being pounced on by Sumu. Any immediate sign of danger wont go longer without Sumu and Eiji being reunited. Suddenly the class was in a panic. Not particularly one to panic as easily as some Eiji just watched the entire event trying to figure out what the hell just happened. At the sound of footsteps rushing into the room Sumu jumped down off of Eiji to the floor.

Who on earth were these random masked strangers? Obviously something happened otherwise they’d have no reason being here. Eiji stepped back until he felt the counter behind him and slowly slid towards the direction of the door. He didn't get very far before stopping as more of them entered. In his mind he just needed to get out of the room. Their new visitors were setting him at unease. What bothered him the most was that he had no idea why he was feeling that way towards them. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Huang successfully sneak out during the commotion. Lucky b*****d.. he thought with a smirk. Huang was smart in his time of escape but no way was that same method possible more then once. The opening was there and it was taken while the chance was available.

Sumu was in no way planning on being anywhere near this place. Taking the first chance he got he bolted for the door, keeping himself hidden by taking cover under the workstations. He was small enough to make it out of the room undetected and made sure to stay light on his paws. Eiji just leaned back and watched as his traitor of a cat left him in the room alone. Oh yeah? You better scat! Damn cat... wait until I get a hold of you! Ditching me like this... he angrily thought to himself, clenching a fist that was pressing against the counter.

Sumu silently bolted down the hall. He seemed to be following after Huang for whatever reason he had. It didn’t take long for him to get close enough to let his presence be known without alerting any possible guards patrolling the area by letting out a meow.

The sudden explosion had Kotone react with a frantic jolt. This was then followed by another unexpected event. However, despite her surprise, her reckless nature had her stand her ground as the classroom was suddenly invaded by masked individuals. Her head darted in quick scans, as her mind worked desperately to reach a decision on a plan of action within the next instant.

Her brows furrowed in anger at the situation, this had the war written all over it. And next, she had unsheathed her staff from her belt‘s ring. Chaos, chaos, chaos, but Kotone pushed her mind to make some sense of her surroundings. The pots and bowls filled with food were possible options to utilize, she considered. These masked mysteries looked to be taking hostages as they pushed students to keep them away from the exit’s vicinity rather than killed at first sight like they looked to be capable of.

Being a held captive though, was not what Kotone wanted to be and she moved swiftly to follow through with a spontaneous idea, speedily pulling a stool back noisily in place several meters in front of the vertical surface directly across the still open door. This was Operation: Confound.

Mounting said stool with a crouch, she pushed off from it high into the air.

“Extend!” Her staff then elongated with the end behind her pushing off from said vertical surface just below where it met the ceiling. This momentum sent her zooming across and out of the room overhead.

Perhaps that could serve as some means of distraction for other classmates to execute any escapes, she hoped as she landed and used the still-present momentum on her to distance herself from the cooking room taken over by masked Lunarians as fast as she could. Blocking with her staff was all she would be able to do with it for the next thirty minutes. She’d resorted to elongating it right off the bat and realized her caliber as a warrior was child‘s play in comparison to the shady figures that had infiltrated the grounds. The element of surprise had gotten her out of one pinch, true. But it would certainly be foolish if she deluded herself with that luck and overestimated her abilities.

Her figure dove into shadows upon presuming an opportunity to attempt to proceed further in stealth, Huang-Fu, Sumu, and Yue Lao she then found currently within sight. Huang-Fu and Sumu kept hidden as well, however, Yue Lao was out in the open and challenging a spotted trespasser it seemed. Is the academy no longer neutral ground??