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[Reader] found themselves a little more relaxed than when usually meeting people. Be it the odd manner, the fact they’re all Cleaners, hence trustworthy and judged by Semiu, or the fact that a part of this team was teens and not adults, [Reader] seemed to be able to just roll with it for now. Even the way they reacted to [Reader]’s offer of getting burgers spoke volumes.
They looked at the menù, smiling a little as Rudo and Riyo leaned into Zanka to check the menù together while Enjin sat by [Reader], checking his own. They had come here in the past, which made deciding what to get easier:《So what are you getting?》 Enjin asked them, tilting his head a little:《They have great fries here, they’re very salty, just like I like them and uh… an hamburger》《I’ll get a cheese burger myself, they any good here?》《Ya kiddin’? They’re great!》 Rudo seemed to smile when he noticed the milkshake section:《Wanna share a strawberry shake?》 Riyo offered:《Hell nah, I’m getting a chocolate one and not sharing》 Zanka hummed as he ruffled Rudo’s hair, making [Reader] think of them as brothers yet again.
As they waited for the food, Riyo looked outside before turning towards [Reader]:《So you lived here? What was that like?》《Ah well… not too bad, you gonna know the hidden spots to live it best, like this food place, they got great burgers》《I’ll be the judge of that》 Enjin smirked, clearly hungry:《Hidden spots,uh? Like what?》 Riyo continued:《Mhh… some food spots, an arts store, a few cute places for clothes, you seem like a stylish person, I bet you’d like them》 [Reader] complimented her with a smile:《That’d be fun, we can also show Rudo some other clothes he might like》 Riyo grinned at her own idea:《Don’t spend all your money on clothes, Riyo, you might want some snacks later》 Enjin scolded a little as he smirked at the idea of snacks before continuing:《You guys wanna go try some clothes?》《Sure, I could use a new pair of pants or two》 Zanka nodded as Rudo looked outside, soon agreeing with the idea too.
[Reader] smiled a little, feeling acknowledged by the group since they were the one to mention the store and indirectly hoped to have them ask to see it. Despite it being the first day with this team, [Reader] found themselves much more relaxed around the group. Be it the fact they were in a familiar area, the fact they had set activities or the way the group seemed to behave like a family of sorts, [Reader] was settling in ok, which is all that mattered to them right now.
With the anxiety slowly lowering more and more, they ate lunch with the group, listening to stories about previous missions and sharing a few of their own.
After lunch, [Reader] tried to sneak off to the bathroom, aka trying to pay for everyone’s meal, finding that Enjin was already doing that, that sly dimpled son of a:《Hello there, seems like we had the same idea, too bad I’m faster ay?》《Damn it… you’re too quick》 they relaxed their shoulders and tried to peek at the receipt but Enjin stopped them:《Nope, no peeking, plus I got some desserts to go, don’t tell the kids》《You said that like we’re some married couple with kids ahah》 [Reader] grinned and shook their head while Enjin laughed:《Could you imagine me with kids?》《I mean》 [Reader] pointed at the trio who was at the table with their thumb:《Ok, BUT they don’t count and they’re teens》《Still kids tho dude》《Yeah yeah… why? You want some kids?》 he winked at [Reader]:《Boy don’t get ahead of yourself》 they moved to ruffle his hair, making him chuckle.
The duo returned to the table to pick the others up before heading to the car again:《Hey [Reader], where was that store again?》 Riyo asked, tilting her head curiously:《Oh, not too far actually, if you make a left turn at the very end of this street and then turn right you should be able to see it》 Enjin nodded, driving there as some more Too Lily songs played.
After parking the group entered the small store, it looked like it had rather eclectic styles inside, some items more elegant and stylish while some clearly more comfortable and meant for everyday use. The group spread while looking around, Riyo pulling Rudo with her to ask for his opinion while Zanka went to check out some t-shirt with interesting prints he liked, leaving Enjin and [Reader] at the entrance together:《Not planning on getting anything?》 Enjin asked while looking at the three teens exploring the stores:《Nah, I just moved》 [Reader] sighed, likely still having some boxes to unpack:《Fair enough, I personally don’t need more stuff I won’t wear, plus trying on stuff is annoying at times》《I get that… plus some fabrics itch, some look awful as hell when you try it and you end up feeling insecure and zoning out and now you can’t try any more clothes and… uh… my bad, I kinda started rambling, but you get it》《Yeah. I do, and don’t worry about the rambling, I don’t mind, plus I’m used to these three doing it too》
He smirked while [Reader] sighed. Enjin didn’t seem like the massive weirdo they had assumed him to be, sure, they felt a little guilty about that now, but this is their first “official meeting” so they tried not to be too harsh anymore, especially without knowing them too much. Gosh that was so embarrassing tho, rambling on like that UGH. So weird.
《A-Ah… thankfully, I guess ahah》 they laughed awkwardly before gently pat their back reassuringly:《It’s alright dude, it’s weird to meet a group of people when they already know the others》《Exactly that! It’s just that every group in the Cleaners can be kinda…》《Different?》《Yeah… in a way. Every group is so different, there’s some that are like super strict or uptight, some where the people are so stubborn and with their head so far up their ass they just- UGH. Ya know?》《Is that something you had with your previous group?》《Yeah. I- NO! Well… kinda… it’s just… sometimes it’s best to be just friends with people and NOT work with them, be it because you have different schedules or anything else》《Sure can be true. You should have seen some of the other teams of HQ dude》《Like?》《Well, there’s a team where one of the guys has a rope thingy, you can imagine the amount of jokes, especially when the other guy has a water-nozzle, so the rope and the wetness jokes are a constant》《Pff, WHAT? Like mid-battle?》《Raiders can make jokes and you can’t really say much, who am I to talk when I carry Rihanna’s song with me as a jinky?》 [Reader] laughed loudly, not expecting the self-satire from the blonde:《Right-》《Yeah yeah, laugh it up…》
The duo chatted while the other three went to pay, the blonde with his arms crossed with [Reader] fidgetted with the fabric of their clothes before the group returned to the car:《You guys tired?》 Enjin asked while peeking between the seats:《I could use a nap but I have to take care of Aibo》 Zanka rested his back on the seat while Riyo tilted her head to rest on Rudo’s shoulder while he blushed:《I’d say we all can》 [Reader] responded, but secretly needing to decompress from being out with a group of people they’d need to see every day for the foreseeable time.