The Dungeon Crawler's Academy

"Better than Expected;"

"Walt! Oi, Walt! I'm here for a job!"

Gauge shouted casually, waving the contract paper above his head as he pushed through the doorway and into the establishment. The main room was akin to that of a tavern, littered with tables and chairs, with a bar counter to the far side. A middle-aged but attractively mature woman glanced up from the side of the tables, where she had been carefully sweeping the floors. Seeing Gauge she smiled, offering a small wave as she leaned upon her broom.

"I'm afraid Walt is out today, dear."

"Ah, hello Eli. Thanks! Who's uh.. Manning the counter, then?"

"That would be me."

A younger man, probably in his later twenties, stepped out from the back rooms behind the bar. He was wiping down a rocks glass with a fresh white rag, which he set carefully upon a shelf once he was certain it was spotless. Turning his attention back to the two members of Class X13 and flicking his barkeep's towel to rest over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed as he looked them over, dark brown hues rife with suspicion.

"Not that it's much my business, but you two look a little young.. DCA Students, I take it?"

Argent nodded instinctively before he could even think about the question, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Gauge.

"Mm.. And you're third years, then?"

"Yep. I take jobs from Walt all the time."

The rogue didn't miss a beat, but the man behind the counter only hummed curiously at the statement. Leaning his elbows on the counter, he looked the boy dead in the face and motioned for him to approach the bar. Gauge did so fearlessly, at which point the man held out his hand palm up.

"You won't mind showing me your Crests, then?"

Argent felt the hair on his neck stand up, the momentary stalemate causing a veritable charge in the air between the two at the bar as they stood off from one another. He wasn't sure how Gauge was going to play this one off. A sinking feeling gathered in the pit of his stomach as he watched the rogue set the job contract down on the counter.

"Hi hiii, Eliza! Rahndall!"

The tense atmosphere was shattered as a lively girl who looked to be their age came bursting through the doors. Her long violet hair was tied back with flowered ribbons into a knotted ponytail, with bangs and edges cut short to frame her face like slender blades. Her eyes were a curious mix of cerulean and gold, their irises offset from one another, with flashes of colour that swirled occasionally and then subsided through their depths. Her right eye in particular was entirely abnormal, it's iris a strange diamond shape marked with a clearly defined cross inside of it. She maneuvered through the room in an energetic swoosh, all smiles and spins as her clothes fluttered behind her. She was dressed in something similar to a loose-fitting martial artist's Gi, with the sleeves tapered short and the waist held tight with a sash. Beneath it she appeared to be wearing several sets of silken wrapping, along with high rising socks and pair of steel-plated geta.

"Oh, It's you two! Hello! That's a surprise~"

She turned her gaze between Gauge and Argent, raising a hand in a 'V' with her fingers sidelong over her eye as she made her greeting. Her skin was tanned but fair, with a scar along the bridge of her nose and a beauty spot just below her left eye, and her friendly smile shone like the sun. The boys exchanged a wordless look, 'do you know her??' painted across each of their faces.

"Ah.. Hello..?"

Gauge almost asked.

"You know these two, Kotomi?"