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Joanne simply shifted her focus away from looking at Enzo. "Just because Ling likes you doesn't mean I would. Making friends annoys me. If you get on my nerves in any way. I won't hesitate to beat you to a pulp." She started walking down the hall. "Tell Ling I went home. I'm feeling sick the longer I am waiting here." Joanne disappeared into the crowd at the end leaving Enzo alone.
Kenji popped out of Enzo's hair, shaking his head. "She's one of the people you want to avoid, Enzo." He explained to him. "If someone can be that cold, they aren't worth being your friend." Some of Enzo's messy hair was covering his eyes from view. It made him look angry. "You're wrong," He spoke with his darkened voice. "Just because she's harder to be friends with, doesn't mean it's totally impossible." Kenji sighed. Man, what would it take for you to realize limits? Kenji thought. "Well, nevermind her anyway. We have to build a team." Kenji felt the need to change the subject, as Enzo was starting to change for the worst. "You're right, but, that's for tomorrow.." It had only been a few hours since Enzo came to Sorcerers. Luckily for him, not those many classes were available on the first few days. Mainly to ease in the students.
Volitaire finished his venison steak and he noticed his brother was looking a bit forlorn. "What's wrong, Einso?" "Can you tell me the last time you had an incident?" "U-umm..about two and a half months ago..?" "Can you say it a little more confidently?" "No..." "Are you lying to me?" "Yeah, just didn't want you to worry. Volitaire's face was riddled with guilt. "What caused it, and when did it really happen?" "Last month, I had a very vivid nightmare about what happened 13 years ago. It was a kickstarter for him and when I woke up from the nightmare...he was there. "Why don't I know about this?" "It was when you left on that trip to find anymore survivors or see if anyone knew anything in town for a few days." "Was anyone hurt?" No, Einso." "Good. We should take a walk and get out of this bad air." "Yeah, yeah.." "Watch it, Na-" "Don't you dare use my middle name. You know how much I dislike it." Einso threw his hands up and looked a little shocked. "Geez alright, calm down." Einso made his way out of the house and Volitaire soon followed. They boarded up their shack to make sure it's hidden and made way through a forest path. A few animals frolic by, drinking stream water, and chewing on shrubbery. "See? Don't you feel better?" "You know I hate wildlife. They stink and sometimes try to eat our food." "Look to the brighter side, okay Voli? I know you've been through things and it's made you who you are today, but try to lighten up the best you can? I don't know how you fake your good mood around Enzo." "With Enzo I have to. He needs a good friend that can be comfortable around him so he remains comfortable." "I still wonder how you both became such good friends after you saved him." "I aided him with the traumatizing flashbacks and phobias that came with the aftermath of the event." "Try to act real around him" "I do. I just improv. when I'm having a downer of a mood." They come to a cliff side with a water fall in the distance, the forest seems to end here and a grassland can be seen over the ravine. This was a place Volitaire or Einso came to relax and try and clear their minds of bad memories or lift their moods. The roar of the waterfall was powerful. Strong enough to be heard from the fair distance it was from, as if it was right next to them. Moss and willows hung from the near edge of the ravine. Volitaire sat at the edge and looked out over at the grassland. Einso stood and took a look at the waterfall. His eyes focused on the rushing water going down and into a river then back again. "I wonder how Enzo is even doing."
Having gotten through the first day of school, Enzo and Kenji went to the public pool to cool off. Upon reaching it, He saw a smaller kid getting bullied by a much older one. Enzo looked away. In a sense, He felt the same as the kid. The bullying was getting worse, though there was nobody else around to stop it. The little kid was bruised pretty badly, and about to lose consciousness. "Hey, pick on someone your own size!" Kenji shouted as he tried his best to sound like Enzo. The older kid was even older then Enzo by a few years. "What'd you say, punk?" The brute halts his assault on the boy. "Uhh, I..." Enzo was too scared to talk properly. Sure, he was doing wrong, but it wasn't like Enzo could really deal with someone stronger then him. The brute got closer, and Enzo noticed his magic power. "Enzo, your seal broke a while ago, after that encounter with Joanne. Let loose for a while." Kenji whispered into Enzo's ear, and hopped off his backpack. But, I promised I wouldn't use my hyper mode..." Enzo said. "Idiot, the only reason we're in Sorcerers is to control it. Now change." Kenji sat and watched as the brute got closer, clearly in a state of rage. The older kid punched Enzo, knocking him a few feet back, landing onto his backside. "I can't leave any witnesses. The risk is too great." The brute said. "I won't tell anyone! just leave me be!" Enzo quickly got up, his face ached from the punch he received. The more he feared the brute, the stronger his own magical power grew. Can't leave any witnesses... does that mean he'll... Enzo had just realized that the situation was alot bigger then what he thought. The brute swung his fist at Enzo once more.
Suddenly, The brutes fist was stopped in it's place by armored gloves.
Enzo's eyes had turned orange, with his iris being red. Orange flames emitted from his forehead and two hands. His expression was blank. When he spoke, his voice had a much more deep and mature tone to it. "I will beat down this source of fear." He said.
Volitaire felt a familiar spike in energy. "Enzo..?" "Hmm?" "That spike. It's enzo again!" Volitaire sounded worried but in a rush. "What's wrong now?" Einso sounded confused. "Since me and Enzo have such a strong emotional bond, I can monitor his magical energy from afar. It's how I can tell if he's in trouble or not. Like you can with me when I have my magical accidents." "I see...well hurry and go to his aid." Volitaire thrusted his hand forward and a black abyssal portal opened and he dashed inside as a black blur. The portal re-opens behind the brute attacking Enzo and Volitaire jumps out and gives him a strong swipe to the back with his sword. The brute falls over and Volitaire quickly looks to Enzo. "Enzo, stay with me now, and calm down." Volitaire worriedly looked at his friend, hoping he heeds his words.
"Volitaire?" Enzo saw the brute knocked out,and his flames disappear, returning to normal. "Vol.. What are you doing here?" Enzo asks. Kenji sighs, half expectant of Volitaire to come to the rescue. "I'm preparing him." Kenji said.
"You know I can tell when you're about to go berserk. Nu do you think it's best to try it on random people? A less dangerous and suggestive approach? And to top it off...who can't feel that strong presence? Especially someone who is quite deeply involved in magic?" Volitaire lets out a hefty sigh. "Be careful with him." Volitaire teleports away in another opened portal, and walks through it. The portal closes behind him.
"He was right, Kenji." Kenji closed his eyes. "Yes, I know. But you really need to man the fuck up now." Kenji glared at Enzo. "I have to look after you." Enzo looked towards the pool, and noticed everyone had left due to fear or another reason. "I know." He said. Enzo had planned to visit the pool, so he already had on his swimming trunks under his school uniform. Enzo got out of the uniform, and went into the pool.
One of the things Enzo liked was to swim. He couldn't do it well, but it relaxed him. He floated on the top of the water, and stared at the sky. "I wonder what other kind of magic schools are out there." He said to himself. Kenji took the liberty to make a lemonade drink from a stall nearby. He took the drink to one of the sunbathing chairs and laid back on it. "I've got a bad feeling about the future." he said, taking a sip of the lemonade. "These new students.. they're all odd to me. I mean, why would you join a school when you already have a magic presence? Normally, you would learn magic first, then it would be detectable, but I felt the pressure."
The next day, Enzo had slept in a bit late. All the chaos from yesterday took it's toll on him. He was awakened by his father opening up the door to his room. "Hey Enzo, Get ready for school, breakfast is ready, too." His dad said, then left. Enzo slowly got out of bed, and performed his morning rituals. Afterwards, he headed downstairs and noticed his dad had a few traveling bags with him. "I'm going out for a buisness trip. I won't be back for a few weeks, so I left you money for the dorms at Sorcerers." Enzo stretched and yawned, he wasn't surprised. His dad was a busy buisnessman. and his job required him to be at different spots on the globe. "Alrighty, dad. I got it from here." Enzo replied.
Papa smiled, and left the house.
Kenji had already starting eating his share of the meal, and soon, Enzo joined him at the table. "Have you thought up of a team yet?" Kenji asked him. "Kind of. I really want Ling to be on my team, that's for sure." Enzo said. "I'll scout for you, how about that?" Kenji offered. Enzo's response was a nod and smile.
15 minutes later, Enzo was nearly at Sorcerers, wearing a black shirt and beige pants. Kenji rode on his backpack as usual. "Let's get signed up for the dorms." Kenji said. Enzo nodded and went into the lobby of the school, refreshed by it's library scent.
Volitaire was reading a old notebook left by his uncle that described necromancy in deeper forms. He came across a chapter that had something to do with shadow weaving. His eyes were puffy and baggy. He spent all night reading the book, too distraught about missing his uncle's teachings. He closed the book after reading through that chapter and headed outside in the back. The ground was wet from Einso trying out new water spells, his feet made squishing noises when he stepped down. He felt a little unhappy at dirtying his shoes. He let out a sigh and took a look at his shadow. "Okay...I have to treat my shadow as if it's another dark substance. With it's void of anything light, I can manipulate it. Okay..." Volitaire's hand had a rising black energy forming from it and his shadow began to react. It stretched from the ground and fell back. The process repeated itself many times... "I really wish Uncle was herre to better explain this to me. And Einso is still asleep..." Volitaire again sighed and kept trying.
Maria Amaya walked through the door into the lobby and looked around, Her tail between her legs as she looked around. She gripped her books tightly and looked at the different doors and then the stairs feeling completely lost. " Um ... " she said allowed sighing and taking another step towards the stairs. She sat down in the corner of the room and started to fall asleep. Her feeling of worry and fear of being lost suddenly hitting her at once and making her jump. She instantly got up and walked up the stairs as if she knew where we was going. ' What am I doing .... I'm getting even more lost the more a move ' She thought kneeling down and summoning her small little spirit which was a tiny fox spirit. "Can you help be find someone to show me where to go? " She asked softly to it has it a small bark like sound and trotted on ahead. She followed curiously until she saw the figure of another student but she was so nervous she couldn't say anything. "U-Um... " was all she could manage.
Enzo saw the girl and automatically assumed she was new, because of how lost she seemed. Kenji looked over the shoulder of Enzo and saw the tiny fox spirit. "Another one?" Kenji said to himself. "I would go help her, but..." "Yeah, a female." Kenji sighed.
"Aaaggh!" Volitaire was aggravated by the time spent trying to weave his shadow. Out of the loss of mana and his growing frustration he needed to stop. He let out a hefty breath and went back inside. It was still early and he was beginning to pass out from the lack of rest. "I'm just going to go to sleep..." Volitaire walked through his small house with a stagger in his step, at some points looking like he's going to fall over. He made his way to his room, wooden and only with a shelf of books, some sculpting clay, and his bed with a small table with a lantern next to it. He layed down in his bed and instantly went into a deep sleep...
A scared panting was made under the sounds of running feet scuffing the ground. A young Volitaire with tears in his eyes was running away in a strait line, not looking back or thinking about what he was running from... "Run...run..." Volitaire said under his breathe. The area around him was dark and devoid of any light. There were trees surrounding him, all by the sides of the narrow mud road Volitaire was running from. The darkness covered some of the dead trees. There was no sky, just pitch black. He kept running and turned back once, a man in a blue hooded robe with a insane smile was barely noticeable in the dark. He was slowly following Volitaire from a long distance. Voices could be heard ringing through his head. Screams of people in suffering and agony buzzed all inside his head, it drove Volitarie crazy. He was scared, running for his life, and losing control of his thoughts. Suddenly a hand came from out the dirt and gripped Volitaire's ankle causing him to fall. The hand came out from the mud until an upper body was seen, it was a woman with long blonde hair, though dirtied from the mud and decaying from being dead. The skin was rotted and had holes in it and one eye was present. "Wha- Who are you!?" "How could you forget your own mother and leave her to die..!?" Volitaire's eyes flooded with tears out of fear and grief. "I didn't mean to..you told me to go!" "Why would you listen to m-" A blue, glowing clock hand was shot through his mothers skull and split in half. His already dead mother fell again and back into the mud hole she spawned from. Volitaire looked up and saw the robed man again, this time looking down at him. He raised his hand and another clock hand formed and he gripped it. The man laughed and strikes Volitaire with the clock hand...Volitaire wakes up sweating and sobbing silently. His heart was racing and he sat at the edge of his bed with his hands covered over his face.
Kenji hopped off of Enzo's backpack after he took the money that was left for Enzo. "I'll go get the dorm paid for. You go find some people to recruit." Enzo was happy to see that Kenji was so willing to help, and so Enzo started lurking around the crowded lobby, looking for some of the familiar faces of yesterday.
Sage eyed the doors of her new school skeptically. As far as Sage was concerned, she had been doing just fine studying under Gimsal, her private tutor. The disbelief which had rose in her after her parents told her that she had to attend a school with other people was still hanging potently around her shoulders; wrapping her in a mind-numbing chill.
As Sage’s feet carried her unbidden through the doors, she glimpsed what could only be the student lobby. The area was packed with other students, all of whom seemed animated and chummy with each other. Sage cursed her parents for not sending her to the school on the first day like everyone else- if she had to go to this God-forsaken school, they could have at least made sure that she started on time! Sage entered the lobby, trying to avoid bumping into anyone. At least she was more fashionably dressed than any of them. Her fingers fluttered down to smooth her Sara-Anna skirt and she couldn’t keep a small smile from touching her lips. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad- obviously she was going to have the upper-hand around here.
Sage spotted an awkward figure at a stand-still some 20 ft in front of her. The girl’s crimson-on-red striped hair had drawn her attention, as well as her strange matching belt. As Sage moved towards the girl, she was astounded to note that the “belt” hanging below this girl’s waist was actually a tail. No way! No wonder the girl was nervous- Sage would be too if she had arrived with a tail! I hope that I don’t have to share a dorm with---
“Oof!”
Crap. Sage had been too busy chuckling over tail-girl to notice that she was about to walk head-long into another student. Her confidence briefly failed her as she looked at the stranger she had unintentionally assaulted. Trying to gain her composure as quickly as possible, she asserted:
“Hey, I’m Sage. Hasn’t anyone ever taught you to watch where you’re going?”
"Gahh!" Enzo jumped into a defensive pose when the woman walked into him. "S-S-..Sorry!" He blurted out. Kenji wasn't around to knock any sense into him, so he was a complete wimp, with his phobia of females. He noticed her high-class attire and wondered if she was a rich kid.
"You.. did bump into me, though." He said lowly.
"Gahh! S-S-..Sorry!"
Sage considered the guy standing before her. He was only slightly taller than she was, but he seemed nervous in her presence.
"You.. did bump into me, though."
Sage was amused by the passive defense, but felt sorry for him. It had been her fault, after all, that they had crashed into each other.
Sage put on her most winning smile. "You're right, I'm sorry, I guess I didn't see you there..."
When this boy didn't respond immediately, she prompted, "I didn't catch your name..."
"I'm Enzo." He said with a shy smile. "Thats enough about me, are you new here?"
He asked her, trying not to focus the conversation on himself. Kenji had come back from paying the dorm off. His small, fox like appearance gave an impression that he was a summoned familiar. Kenji hopped onto Enzo's backpack and gazed at the girl infront of him. "Making more friends, I see." Kenji said.
"I'm Enzo.... Thats enough about me, are you new here?"
Sage was briefly distracted in her answer as a familiar appeared and settled himself in Enzo's backpack. "Making more friends, I see."
Sage had never actually met a familiar before, and she was unsure how to respond to it. She avoided the question and focused her attention back to Enzo.
"Yeah, my parents just enrolled me... I'm just trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be headed. I know that my stuff was transferred to the dorms already, but beyond that I'm going to need some help." Sage winked at Enzo.
Volitaire sat on his bed leaning against the wall, staring strait forward. He stared at the shelf of worn books and a lantern sitting on that top shelf. He was stuck thinking about that traumatizing nightmare, about four hours he's been awake just sitting here. He sighed and rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. "Guess I'll make some breakfast.." Volitaire got out of his bed, heart still beating profusely from the nightmare ringing around in his head, he went outside and starting hunting.
"Well, the new students get their classes cut in half, basicly. You don't have to do as much, and after that, you'll need to take an exam with the headmaster." Enzo felt as if he were at Sorcerers for a few years when he explained it to Sage.
[[Scene music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H05cB...cvgmFeoaVBG9LQ ]]
Somewhere on a distant island, near Japan, a medieval castle stood. It's wall defenses broken from past battles. Though the castle itself is not empty. Over by the main gates, a group of men wearing long robes were being escorted by 4 eerie looking people. One of the eerie escorts had long red hair going down his back, he wore an ancient monk robe. "This castle looks empty." The man said. Another escort, who stood 7'5 feet tall, with a built frame, responded to him. "Pipe it down, Kuro. We haven't even gotten in yet."
A little while later at the castle, The group of people made it inside. The castle still looked neat on the inside, as if people still used it. candles lit the hallways and rooms. They reached a room that seemed like a library. The men in robes began to search the shelves carefully. One of them, wearing a brighter colored robe, walked up to the tall man. "It'll take us a few hours to find it, but we'll get it for sure this time." It seemed that the man in the bright robes were in charge of the ones in the darker colored robes. "Just don't slack off, anything could happen." The tall man replied, as the 4 escorts go to check out the rest of the castle.
The sun was nearing it's point at high noon. Volitaire wandered through the forest looking for his late breakfast. Hunting was usually no challenge for him, wildlife came by the abundance. Rabbits, Deer, Squirrels, Birds, the forest he and his brother lived in was an entirely active ecosystem. The fresh shrubbery and freshwater streams provided food and drink, while the large and sometimes hollow trees made a home for the smaller creatures. The sun shone through the leaves making little rays slip though the open room between leaves. Volitaire has been having trouble keeping focus to find open prey. He's passed a number of wildlife, some even stared him in the face. It was like he couldn't bring himself to do any action. The sound of leaves crunching under a foot was heard and Volitaire turned around immediately. He saw a buck staring directly in his direction. He swallowed his overbearing guilt and began raising his magic to his hand, a black and green aura began to rise and get stronger. But before he could make his move three ice shards jabbed into the buck and it fell over as if it was frozen. Volitaire snapped out of the focus he was in and saw his brother walking up with two tied up squirrels hanging over a stick. Volitaire scoffed. "You stole my kill..." Einso smiled and made a small chuckle. "It was going to run if you hadn't done something." Volitaire walked over and pulled out a knife, he skinned the buck and cut out the meats he wanted to cook and walked passed Einso in total silence.
Maria had followed Kenji around a little finding her way to her new dorm and then given a map. She sat down on the stairs and looked at it. " This place is huge... I'm going to get lost for sure! " She exclaimed flopping back onto the carpet and giving a long sigh. She finally got up and went to the doorway which led outside. Her eyes widened as she saw the beautiful forest like garden that was outside. Her fox friend had now disappeared and she decided to take a look around. She found a large rock and sat down and began to sing a lonely tune that she had heard once when she was little but never since.
[[Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYUWnOcU5sE ]]
As she finished her harmonic song she let a small tear run down her cheek before quickly wipping it away as if nothing had ever happened. " If someone was to see me like that, I'd never live it down... " She said softly to herself and giggled. Stopping and feeling as if someone was watching her.
Sage was just returning from her dorm room when she heard a sweet, small voice coming from outside. Glancing through the window, Sage spotted a beautiful garden and tail-girl sitting on a small boulder, facing away from her.
"Wow, she can really sing," thought Sage. "I never would have guessed."
Sage new she was staring at the girl, but she couldn't seem to take her eyes of her. Tail-girl was beautiful, in an odd way. The crimson and red in her hair, ears, and tail caught the sunlight in a way that Sage's own red hair never did and there was something both melancholy and awing about Tail-girl's presence. Out in the garden, Tail-girl seemed nothing like the awkward and intimidated girl Sage had seen earlier.
Sage broke out into a grin when she heard Tail-girl giggle, only to see her stiffen immediately and quiet.
"Does she know I'm here?" wondered Sage.
Maria looked up at the window but couldn't see anything through the glare the sun had cast on the glass. She squinted and looked away after a second. "I swear I saw... all well " She said sighing again and instantly forgetting everything as a butterfly fluttered happily passed. "Mine!" She yelled excitedly and chased the elegant insect into the forest, Disappearing behind some trees and gone completely from sight. She changed it until she became aware that she was no longer near the school building, Nor was she anywhere she knew. "um .. oh dear ... Hello? " She called softly her eyes filling with tears and her ears laying flat against her hair as a raven called it's unnerving chuckle. She was hoping what ever was watching her before was either a friend and had come to save her or a foe that had decided to leave her to her own self.
"Brother, I need to talk to you." Einso immediately began. "..." Volitarie stopped and listened. Einso looked in wonder trying to get what's wrong with Volitaire. "Ive been picking up a strong yet dark magica-" "It was me." Volitarie interrupted. "Not like yours. This is something different. Something new. It's to a good distance from us, but it's too close for comfort. I'm not sure what this new climbing power is but I don't like it. I propose we go an-" "It has nothing to do with me and is none of my concern"
"Voli, you're more bitchy than usual, what the hell is wrong with you?" Volitaire had a sudden frustration with what his brother had said. "I had another nightmare, so excuse my current mood." Einso's face was in sudden shock then lowered to a embarrassing guilt. "Sorry, you should've said so than being so cold." Volitaire kept silent for a moment. "Still, we should go look at this, we may not be heroes but we may be able to figure out what this is and show this to everyone else if this is a incoming issue." Volitaire walked towards the shed, meat and hide in hand. "Lets get this over with..."
A group of thugs that had been wondering around town had found their breakfast meal. Maria. They stalked her as she was following the butterfly, Once she was far enough away from the school, A group of 3, scary looking thugs appear before Maria.
"Hey there babe, what are you doing all the way out here?" One of them says with a wicked grin. It seemed they weren't going to wait for an answer, as more of them started to surround her.
Suddenly, they all stopped, and turned to face one direction. There stood Red, the strongest member of Sorcerers. Red's face wasn't anything to feel good about. He was pissed off. "Only I can bully students." He said. One of the thugs ran off back to where he came, as the other two remained. "Bug off, this is our prey." One of them says. Red's body started to emit red energy, making the ground around him shake. "Beast form: Tiger channel." Red uttered, and his body instantly changed to that of a tiger. Red charged into the nearest thug, sending him into a dumpster. Then, he turned around and pounced on the other thug, keeping him down with his front paws. The thug was nearly scared to death, so Red let him go, and the thug ran off.
Changing back into his human form, Red turned to Maria. "You should know not to wonder off like that."
Maria was completely shocked, unable to keep up with any of the fight she just stood there frozen and scared for her life. She felt her legs collapse under her as her eyes started to tear up. " I-I'm sorry , I didn't know... I didn't even see where I was going ... Please don't hurt me... " She sobbed, looking up at him with big tearful eyes and her eyes folded as flat as they could be against the top of her head. She tried to stand but she couldn't being herself to move as if he's gaze was paralyzing. ' What am I going to do ... ' She thought to herself looking away and starting to fear what he might do to her. Just at that moment she accidentally summoned her spirit which jumped her defense even though it was ten times smaller then her attacked. It gave a small bark and bared it's teeth as to put up as much of a threatening show as it could.
Volitaire puts the meat in a case with some ice made from Einso's spell. He hangs the hide up and washes his blood hands and scrubs the blood off his sleeves too. Einso walks out finished with putting away the squirrels he caught. He opens the door and a strong breeze catches him off guard. He smiles at the brisk and cool feeling of the wind and walked outside, appreciating the nature around him. Volitaire soon followed, his face riddled with gloom. His bangs hang over his face and he looks strait to the ground. Einso turns to his brother and gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Thanks...Einso..." Einso ruffles Volitaire's hair and begins his walk. "But wait, this is the way to Sorcerers. This power your sensing is over towards its direction?" Einso looked over his shoulder and said "Dangerously close." Volitaire worried about Einso and the students that he saved from being tormented by Red. "L-listen..I'm gonna-
"Check on Enzo? Go on ahead, I'm not stopping you." Volitaire nodded and went down his own path towards the school. Einso continued on his journey to the strange force.
Red smirked when he saw the puny fire fox growl at him. He had a weak spot for animals, despite his hatred for people. He shoved his hands in his pocket and turned toward the path to Sorcerers. "Head back to the school." He said. Red walked off back in the direction of Sorcerers, leaving Maria alone.
Enzo had finished his normal classes early, and was on his way to his Destruction class. Maybe I'll learn to blow stuff up. He wondered, a silly smile on his face. Kenji sat on the backpack, looking quite bothered by the atmosphere. Enzo saw Sage in the lobby again, and he approached her. "Yo!" He shouted. Kenji had noticed Enzo's calmness when approaching females he seems to be friends with.