Stepping into his apartment, Jake tossed his bag onto the couch before he began to undress. He removed his armor, it falling to the floor with a heavy thud, before making his way to the mirror. Once he stepped into the bathroom, he tossed his hoodie to the side before giving himself a look over. One thing that he noticed immediately was how his skin was rather different than before. Dragging one of his fingers against his face, instead of the roughness he was accustomed to, it was instead smoother, as if touching treated wood. As he continued to look over his face, he noticed something. His eyes have completely changed. Rather than the dark, forest green eyes he had often seen in the mirror, they were instead…brighter. They seemed to shine like that of fresh gemstone, almost seeming to shift into different shades as he tilted his head.

‘Shirt’s a bit tighter,’ he thought as his gaze lowered to his body. The seams slightly dug into his skin, the cloth stretching over his body. While it wasn't by much, the fabric seemed to strained every time he twisted his body or flexed. It felt…different, to say the least. Each time he moved, he felt a low buzz travel through his body. It wasn’t painful, but would take a while for him to get used to it.

Rolling up his sleeve, he saw that the tattoos on his arm changed significantly. Instead of the solid lines on his wrist and forearm, they were replaced by that of vines, each one covered in vines. Not only that, but the sigils themselves seemed to have changed as well. They were more fluid, each one seeming to have twisted to connect to another. As he flexed his arm, he could help but feel…hungry. Stepping out of the bathroom, he turned his gaze to his bag, his throat suddenly becoming drier as he did so. As he slowly closed the distance, he felt his heart begin to beat against his chest, the sound slowly growing in volume.

Pulling out one of the hearts from his bag, he watched as it suddenly began to write in his hand, the drum-like beat seeming to send small shocks throughout his arm. Bringing the still-beating heart to his mouth, he sunk his teeth into the fruit-like flesh, juices falling onto his tongue. As he felt the liquids fall onto his tongue, he found the flavor profile to be rather…strange. It seemed to shift flavors at rapid speeds, going from sour to spicy to sweet before the flavor could fully set. Despite that, he couldn’t help but continue biting into it. As he continued to bite chunks out of the fruit-heart, he felt a low sizzling in his mouth, similar to the sound of a fuse.

As he ate the last of the heart, he felt a wave of refreshment wash over him. His body suddenly became warm, as if he was wrapped in a heavy blanket. As it slowly faded away, he was left feeling the feeling he felt in his first match. That urge to move, to shake his hands, to bob his head.

As he felt that small tingle go through his body, his H-Cell suddenly came to life, grabbing his attention. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw that Jill had sent him a barrage of messages.

Jill| yo

Jill| i'm bored

Jill| wanna go grab some food?

Jill| hello?

Jill| u alive?

As he read the messages, he silently weighed his choices. He didn’t really have anything else for him to do for the rest of the day. All his weapons were in rather fair condition, with the only one he should pay attention to being the pistol. He was also in no exact rush of locating where Chimera’s Northwater branch and finding Ryder. After all, he seemed to be well known enough that people knew who he was from simply a glance.

As he mulled it over, he suddenly heard a low growl come from his stomach, as if telling him to agree. Hearing it, he shrugged before sending a quick message

Jake| Be there in a bit.

Might as well get free food.

----------------------------------------

“How long are they gonna take?” Jill groaned as she leaned back into the chair, balancing on a leg. The restaurant was going to be busy if those two took any longer and as much as she loved the food, she did not want to deal with waiting for a seat.

“Be patient, Jill,” a familiar voice said, amusement clear in its tone. Turning her head away from the window, she focused her attention on the person suddenly in front of her. Skin like that of polished porcelain, seeming to shine when touched by the sun. Crimson eyes like that of Blood Rubies, with her hair seeming to be almost like velvet. “They’re eating with their betters.”

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“Well, you’re here earlier than i expected,” Jill said, bringing all of the legs down to the stone floor. “Did you miss me, Flann?”

“Of course. Why would I miss eating with my darling?” Flann answered, giving her a small smile. Snapping her fingers, wisps of smoke seemed to flow between them. As the smoke danced between the woman’s digits, it rapidly began to weave into each other, forming into the shape of a glass. It slowly began to settle, with the smoke giving away to glass. As the remains of the smoke climbed into the wine glass, it took a bright red hue, becoming almost like that of a liquid.

Jill couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle at her antics. There she goes again, always seeming to keep up that aura of untouchable mystery. At first, she found the act to be annoying, almost an insult to be so aloof. However, as the encounters between them grew and she found small cracks in the girls' masquerade, she couldn’t help but find it amusing. It was as if she was watching a younger version of herself. Always eager to not just grow, but to prove.

“Well, as your ‘darling’, I'm glad to talk with you,” Jill smiled, leaning back into her chair, “How has life been treating you?”

“It has been well. Business has been stable and everyone has been well-behaved,” Flan answered before her face twisted into a small frown, “Even with that foolish adept out and about.”

“I honestly thought that was over with by now,” Jill muttered, furrowing her brow. She had only heard snippets about the whole ordeal. Apparently, someone was going around killing people, often jumping into already raging fights. Not only that, but they often seemed to only use their fists. She honestly expected for it to be dealt with rather quickly, with how amateurish it seemed.

“It seems like they have gotten smarter in their acts. I pray that it gets resolved soon,” Flan said, shaking her head. Taking a drink from the wine glass, she let out a small sigh, her lips forming into a small smile.

“Yo, yo, yo! Sorry we took so long,” a voice suddenly echoed, grabbing the duo’s attention. Turning her head, Jill was met with two familiar faces coming their direction.

“Niko, Andy! What took you two so long?” Jill asked, a small smirk on her face as she watched the duo come close, “I was beginning to think that you flaked on us.”

“Well, you can blame Andy here for taking so long,” Niko chuickled, pointing a copper thumb in the individual's direction, “They were taking their sweet time.”

A clear lie.

“The pistons in Niko’s leg started to malfunction and I had to fix it,” Andy answered once Jill’s gaze landed on them. Niko’s eyes widened before his head snapped in their direction, shock clear on his face at the betrayal.

“Niko, didn’t we have this talk before?” Jill scowled, her brow furrowing. This must’ve been the…what, tenth time an issue like this came up with him?

“Anyways,” Niko said abruptly, trying to take the attention away from him, “Are we all ready to go? Because I'm starving.”

Yeah, best to deal with that issue tomorrow. At the very least, it would allow her to drag him to get an upgrade for his leg.

“We’re waiting for one last person,” Jill answered, mentally putting away her plan. Seeing the confusion on their faces, she realized that she didn't really say much to them. “I sent them a text and they accepted. They'll be around soon.”

Shortly after those words left her mouth, the air around them suddenly became colder. It bit into her skin, almost seeming to rip off a pound of her body. Putting aside the admittedly uncomfortable feeling, she turned around to face Jake, only to pause at what she saw.

“Well, you definitely had a glow-up,” Jill complimented after a beat of silence. To say that something wasn’t different about Jake would just be a lie. While they weren’t drastic, it was rather notable. A taller than before, a little bit bulkier.

Yet, there was something else. The small shining in his eyes, almost showing a glimmering of life. The faint scent of aged sap and oak. It felt…strange, if she had to be honest. It was still Jake, there was that still cold and callous aura around him. However, it seemed a bit older, more jagged.

“Went through a procedure recently,” Jake responded, his voice as cold as ever. Yet, it sounded…deeper and more rough.

“Everyone,” Jill started as she turned around to face the others, “This is Zero. He'll be joining us for lunch.”

Seeing the three of them pause in a mixture of both confusion and shock, she couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. After all, to have the newest and most mysterious fighter join them would definitely be a surprise.

Might even learn something about the bugger.

“Everyone ready to get some food?” Jill asked. As she saw everyone nod, she hopped out of her chair before making her way down the stone pathway, with them following shortly behind.

Hopefully the place is still open by the time they arrive.