Bellator: Heat and Motion

Calor eventually found Vivran back where they had had their first encounter; by the dojo's cooling spring. Apparently, he had forgotten his luggage in the aftermath of the morning's events and had ran off in search of it. Said luggage was a single, albeit massive, backpack that seemed to be stuffed to the brim with various items. Multiple bulges were visible on the black and brown sack, and it gave off the sense that it was about to burst at the seams from overpacking.

What could be in there in such a quantity? Is he a weapon user?

Calor twitched at the thought a bit, but shook his head immediately after. The way Vivran conducted himself in a fight made it painfully clear that he only knew how to rush in with fists blaring at max power. Using tools in a fight would require diligence and strategy, while the silver-haired boy valued speed and stupidity.

"Ah, come on, please be okay, please be okay..."

As Calor approached, he heard Vivran muttering while frantically trying to unzip the giant rucksack. He seemed to be in a mild state of panic, the same as when he had taken off.

Honestly, Calor thought. How truly dull. It's probably just filled with camping supplies that he had thought he'd need. Nothing to fuss so much over.

And yet-

"What are you doing?"

Calor still felt the need to call out to the boy.

"Ahhhh, Nanny Yeast said she packed them for me, I hope they didn't get damaged by any loose debris from the tornado..."

Calor blinked at Vivran's answer which didn't even sound like it'd been aimed at him.

Nanny... Yeast?

Was that a family member? Had they'd packed some sort souvenir for the Trash-Monkey to remember them by?

Calor felt a slight pang go off in his chest as the image of a pale-haired girl flashed in his mind. His expression softened just a tiny bit. Rather than calling off the boy like he had planned, Calor decided to remain silent and let Vivran examine the insides of the bag.

"Ah! There we go, the zip finally got unstuck."

Both boys held their breath in anticipation as the knapsack started to open. There wasn't even a breeze present; the only thing that filled the air was the sound of the slowly unfurling zipper. A single bead of sweat rolled down Calor's cheek as his whole body tensed, his eyes focused completely on the sack. It was only after it had crossed 90% of the bag's surface that Vivran took hold of the flaps and splayed it open to reveal the insides. Calor leaned slightly forward to view the contents and what he saw was-

Bread. Just bread. Lots and lots of bread. It came in different variations, all the way from baguettes, brioche, and sourdough to more exotic types such as peachkin, gratup, and yussa. There were even different pastries equipped with spreads that miraculously hadn't been smeared everywhere.

"Oh thank God, most of it's fine!" Vivran sighed in relief. "A few broken off crumbs here and there, but who cares about that! NOM!"

With a huge bite, the boy started to dig into the first piece he could get his hands on. After gorging for a few seconds, he seemed to remember Calor had been standing behind him and turned around to see why the other boy was suddenly so silent.

What met his eye's was Calor's face of disgust, pure and simple. Actually, maybe not so pure...? Compared to the last one, this felt way more personal for some reason. And was it Vivran's imagination, but did he also look a little embarrassed?

Vivran blinked and extended out his hand holding a piece of pastry.

"Croissant?" he offered.

"I take back every compliment I've ever said about you."

"Even though you haven't said any?!"

Calor was beside himself.

"You- you- you- I thought this was going to be something important from the way you were acting!"

"-? It is important. Nanny Yeast's baked goods are the best! You should never let any of them go to waste."

Calor just shook his head in disbelief. He had actually let himself be led on by this monkey.

"Sigh. Whatever. Can we get back to the lessons now?"

Calm down. Remember what you need to do. No time to waste.

"Mmphe, bfe yme sphae one thwng."

"...First lesson, chew your damn food. Second, swallow before you talk. Seriously, it's like I have to teach you about everything, not just Csen."

Vivran's stuffed cheeks of bread quickly vanished with the sound of a gulp. Honestly, it was a terrifying motion, as if he was part snake.

"Really don't wanna get into the advanced course of food manners with you though," he snarked. "Maybe if it was basic class..."

"Shut up," glowered back Calor. "It's your own damn fault for having the learning capacities of a stingray."

"That's a random comparison. And besides, back to the bread analogy-"

"That was an analogy? I just thought it was your head finally catching up to your ass."

"You need to learn how to actually talk to people," Vivran shot back. "I get that you're trying to go with the whole 'I'm soooooo much better than the rest of you plebians' shtick for whatever reason, but seriously, no one finds it endearing for long. If speaking with you is like an uphill battle, then I'd rather just have an actual battle. You're seriously lacking in class."

"I don't wish to hear this from an Upsilon ingrate."

"The hell? Why are you going after my name now? I didn't want to eat the low hanging fruit and call you 'Calories', but if you wanna go down that road..."

"This is coming from the one who's disgustingly stuffing his face with bread."

"Oh, thanks for reminding me. Mmph fo goad!"

"..."

Calor didn't even know how to react to this scene of barbarism. Even back in the hell-hole of his household, all occupants and neighbors at least respected basic daily etiquette. In comparison, Vivran looked like a peasant pig. Ah, now he knew how he should react.

Groaning in exasperation, Calor covered his face with one hand.

Damn it, this is tiring. Everything that's occurred at this training ground so far... it's like my values are just being shredded to pieces in front me, like they're some sort scrap bundle not even worth considering. I was right; the world does just hate me. Getting paired with an ape from who-knows-where that embodies everything I want gone-

"Cause you already know everything about him, don't cha?"

...

"There's only one thing you're right about: you're pathetic. Treating everyone else with the same behavior that you want dispelled from the world; what kind of selfish demon do you think you are?"

No, that was just-

"It was you giving up. The only one dragging your 'values' through the mud is you. The only one who's judging people based off their name is you. The only one ridiculing others over their mastery of the Arts is you. You're just a hypocrite with a grudge against a phantom that you'll never even meet at this rate."

...

"No wonder she never looked your way again."

"Gh-! SHUT UP!"

"Mmph-?"

Calor's sudden shout and swipe at thin air startled the silver-haired gorging boy, nearly causing him to choke. Having been peacefully enjoying his yeast feast after his back and forth with his "tutor", Vivran had been blissfully ignorant of Calor's silent agitation before he seemingly exploded for no reason.

Well, this is definitely a new experience, he thought to himself. Never seen someone talk to themselves this much while simultaneously being such an open jerk. I wonder if people would also label this behavior as insane?

Despite semi-joking around in his head, Vivran was a little nervous about what was next to come. The last time Calor had flipped out like this, a false sun had been directed at the nearest visible personnel. Last time, he'd been fortunate enough for the attack to have focused in on The Spinner instead of him, but now that he was alone with this alleged nutcase...

"Tch-!"

"Ngh-?!"

Calor abruptly sat down crisscrossed in front of Vivran, startling the boy further from the suddenness of the action. With crumbs trailing down his cheek, Vivran nervously regarded the red-head.

"So uh-"

"Which village are you from?"

"---Huh?"

Vivran blinked at the unexpected question that had came from out of nowhere.

V-village? So he isn't going to attack me? Ah, come to think of it, we never did do proper introductions. We just said our names and signed ourselves off as fellow students. To go out of his way to ask me first... maybe he isn't that bad of a guy after all?

With this cheerful thought in his head, Vivran swung his body around to properly face Calor and start their first real conversation as respected equ-

"Hurry up and answer damn it!"

...Ok so maybe it won't be a proper talk, but at least they were getting somewhere. Progress! At least, that was before Vivran said:

"You know, I don't really know."

"...What?"

"Never really bothered to check," shrugged Vivran. "Or maybe I did but forgot."

"...You don't... remember... the name of your village..?"

"-Erm, well, at the very least it wasn't like it was plastered on signs everywhere. At least to the same degree as Paraphernalia City."

The silver-haired boy tried to muster all his energy into remembering his own home village's denomination, but an unexpected term was brought up that perked Calor's attention.

"Paraphernalia..." he echoed. "You said you frequented there?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, whenever one of the guys from the trading hall went out for an expenditure they always let me ride along. By the way, I say expenditure, but the city was one of the only two possible trading routes that the wagons could get to in less than a day."

Vivran shook his head with a sigh.

"I kept telling Old Man Net that as long as I was there, they wouldn't have to worry about night time attacks, but noooooooo, better play it safe and cautious and secure and booooooooring!"

"Less than a day... that narrows it down to... no, actually considering..."

While Vivran ranted about his fellow villagers lack of trust in his bodyguard capabilities, Calor murmured to himself, attempting to calculate which village the silver-haired boy hailed from while doing his best to look past yet another one of Vivran's boorish tendencies. Seriously, who forgets their hometown's name? Actually, now that Calor thought about it... his habit of calling the villagers odd names that no parent would ever name their child... he hadn't really gave it much thought before but...

He was hesitant to ask, mostly because he feared the answer, but he needed to narrow down the list of potential settlements.

With a deep breath, and bracing himself for the absolute worst, the red-head asked:

"Were the other villagers also designated as Upsilon?"

Nanny Yeast and Old Man Net... those are names that he definitely made up based on his shallow impression of what their trades are. Judging from his luggage, Nanny Yeast is a baker, while Old Man Net... is probably a fisherman or a trapper. Either way, to go as far as to not even know the name of your home is one thing, but to disregard and disrespect those who love and cherish you in such a manner... such a thing is-

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"--Eh?"

"I mean there were a few who had different middle names like that wrinkled old bat, Votano. I think his was Town? Or was it Toon? There was also Lady Cricket, Beastman Braun, Pelter West, and Crazy. Those four's middle names were Chi. I remember that one pretty well cause sometimes visitors would make a fuss over it. They got kicked out by everyone pretty fast though."

Counting off names on his fingers, a nostalgic expression washed over Vivran's face as he recalled some sort of past experience. Although to Calor it sounded more like it had been a malicious event.

"You- you actually remember their real names?"

"Uhhhhh, for the most part...? It's a pain to remember all of 'em cause of how hard they are to pronounce and spell, so I just use nicknames to speed things up. Oh uh, no one actually minds! In fact, they say it's 'endearing' or whatever, so you know, everyone's happy. Except Votano. He doesn't get a nickname cause he's a turd."

"I-I see."

Calor felt a strange emotion wash over him. Guilt..? He had been assuming the worst, preparing to- no, it was much more deviant than that. He had already started to bash Vivran in his mind before the boy had even said his answer.

Giving up on his fellow student before he even had a chance... Calor had been acting exactly like the people he claimed to despise and hate. Was he really just a hypocrite? Nothing more than a vessel of empty words, helping to continue this sick cycle? Bullying those who never deserved a single bit of that malice?

Ah, now he knew what he was feeling. Shame.

Ha-ha. How shameful indeed. You sick, rotten, piece of-

"So, uh, what was the point in asking me that?"

"--Ah yes, sorry, um, so a majority of the villagers were Upsilon's, huh? So that would make it an Upsilon village and... uh... sorry, hold on, let me get my thoughts in order again..."

"...'sorry'?"

Vivran blinked at the unexpected mannerisms coming from Calor. He was acting so... meek. It was different from his previous mood swings where he would (seemingly) exaggerate his despair at being partnered up with the silver-haired boy and interrupt all conversation so he could talk to himself in all his vanity. Earlier, he had been the one to ask about Vivran's background, actively seeking out a way for the two to connect and quickly put an end to this stupid arrangement.

However, that momentum once again quickly dissipated when another example of just how incompatible they were arose. Granted, unlike last time, Calor still seemed to be trying to push forward, but it was clearly a tough task.

So Vivran decided to switch gears.

"Oi, what do you mean by 'Upsilon village'?" he asked abruptly, talking over the other boy's confused mumbling. "It's true that most of us had 'Upsilon' as our middle name, but I just thought that it was some weird community tradition or something. I didn't really care, but you're making it seem like a big deal."

Knowing that Calor hated ignorance by default, Vivran decided to press his curiosity on him now to draw attention away from the boy's melancholy while also softening the blow from any savage comeback from the red-head.

"Hrk-! Right, yes, you didn't understand what I meant when I brought up your rank earlier either come to think of it."

"Mhm- wait, rank?"

"Yes, your 'middle name' as you call it, is your rank in society judged upon your standing and merit."

No snappy retorts, huh? And he still looks a little depressed... but at least we're finally getting somewhere.

"Ehhh, rank? Standing? So am I like, part of some sort of awesome elite? No, wait, then why do the other villagers have the same-? Are you saying I have the same amount of merit as Old Man Net and Pikeman Hysue!?"

"That's what your identical ranks would imply, yes."

"EHHHH?! But I'm way stronger than both those guys! They can't even use any Arts, much less beat an Elden Cat uninjured!"

"...Do you know what merit means in this context?"

"Sure I do! It means how awesomely strong you are, right?"

Calor's eye slightly twitched at that bovine response, but his lingering mental self-reparations drained him of any insults to say.

"'Strength' can mean... many things. I notice that you didn't include your beloved Nanny Yeast in your complaints."

"Hm, well.. that's because-"

"It's because you see the value she brings, albeit selfishly, in the form of baked goods. Her merit comes from her ability to produce these products and contribute to society. 'Pikeman Hysue' and 'Old Man Net' are likely similar in terms of productivity with their respective jobs."

"...Ok, but-"

"If you're going to say you're even more important than them, then do please back it up by listing what you've gifted your village's economy through your existence despite only being 15 years of age."

"I-uh-wha-you-erh... well, like I said, I was the certified pest handler who fought off any vicious wild animals... and hey wait, I'm 17, not 15!"

"You say 'certified', but I highly doubt that anyone would validate you at your age regardless. And I ruled out you being a licensed Pathfinder since you came here to train under a master, something that only future candidates can actually do. Those who have already been instated would have a hard time being accepted as a student."

"Urk--! Ok, fine, I'm not "officially" a fighter, or whatever, but still... the way you're making it sound, it's like I'm not even supposed to be on their level or something."

"...I never said that."

"You damn well implied it!"

"I think you're beginning to jump at ghosts, personally."

"Says the one who starts muttering to himself and blocks out everyone else at the slightest inconvenience!"

"..."

Calor's eye twitched. His whole face slowly morphed into sick grimace, not for Vivran, but for himself.

"I'm... sorry for that..."

"Eh-?"

Calor's mouth opened and closed several times, obviously trying and failing to find the proper words to continue. Vivran was too stunned to rush him and ended up simply starting at the red-head.

Eventually however, Calor clenched his teeth and pressed his eyes together, giving off the most pained expression Vivran had ever saw.

"Things happened and... I wasn't in a right state of mind..."

"You're telling me! Who tries to turn someone's bath into a hotpot?!"

Calor grimaced slightly.

"I wasn't apologizing for that. I still think I acted correctly on the basis of you being an intruder."

"You shouldn't have had that basis at all!" Vivran cried.

"What I'm sorry for," Calor continued impatiently. "Is continuing my rude behavior due to my first and clumsy impressions of you."

"Eh?"

"When I noted that your name was Upsilon, I sneered at your low rank, thinking to myself 'that makes sense given his peasant habits.'"

"I know you're being honest right now, but you could've lowered the damage on that a bit..."

"I-I... like you said, I've been selfish and self-centered all day..."

"..."

An awkward silence fell between the two sitting boys. However, no matter how serious or mature the topic was getting, Vivran refused to stand for it.

"Alright, let's put that on hold for now, and get to the urgent business at hand."

"...Huh? You mean the lessons?"

"That's a good one, but something even more urgent than that. We'll continue with them right after though."

Calor narrowed his eyes.

"And what could possibly be so important?"

Vivran took a deep breath and shouted out-

"THE FRICKING LIVING QUARTERS! NO ONE'S GIVEN ME A PROPER TOUR OF WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO EAT AND SLEEP, AND NOW THE SUN'S GOING DOWN AND I'M STILL NONE THE WISER!"