"I cannot believe you did that." Lexi growled at the pirate, dragging him by his sleeve out the door of the lecture hall. Behind them, students were calling out in approval to Law. He smirked, trying to turn to look back at the others, but Lexi pulled harder at his arm. He allowed himself to be guided towards the centre of campus, though she suspected that if he'd been really intent to, he could simply dislodge her grip from his hoodie.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡpybxlDYhUA
"I don't understand what you could be mad at. I taught your class quite well, didn't I?" He boasted, to which Lexi pouted. Silently, she simply kept walking.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHluUZxPEx
He was right. His class had been the most intriguing and the most easy to remember that she'd ever had in the medical anatomy category. If Law hadn't been a pirate Captain from another world who most likely had a criminal record and was not someone who she shouldn't be associating with, she'd have recommended he be a teacher.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NEH923vtO
The whole class had been engaged; laughing, smiling, asking questions-albeit, it took a while for them to start raising hands and shouting out their questions before too long-and altogether learning. Law made it a point of repeating information several times for emphasis, then turning right around and quizzing the students to be sure they understood. It was the ideal teaching technique, an engaging setting, with a rather unique instructor.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡTR5ojBqikw
Now, praying wholeheartedly that no one would say anything about the impromptu substitute, Lexi dragged the pirate towards the union building, glancing around for an administrator coming to expel her from the college.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKEh0PgB6I
"What is your hurry, Lexi-ya?" He asked, and she turned around, satisfied that no one was coming for them.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLvqHSLypZ
"Are you serious? I asked you not to do one thing. One thing. And the first thing you do is turn around and make a scene! I could get kicked out for what you did!" She ignored the curious glances of those walking by.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BtYAJmvg0
"I would think they'd thank you for bringing me along. I was rather effective at instructing your fellow students." He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes down at the brunette. She shook her head, gesturing angrily.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡotzbRhuBeQ
"Why in the hell would they thank me for bringing someone along who stuffed one of their staff into a broom closet?" She sighed, walking inside of the union building, hearing Law follow behind her.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnjBRqEwri
"It's your fault for bringing me along, then." He said, and she almost didn't resist the urge to punch him. She figured he'd stop her before she was able to anyways.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ187P6XBPKb
"Just don't do anything else. Don't talk to anyone. Don't touch anything. Just…don't." She gritted her teeth, shouldering her bag once more before finding a table with two chairs. Setting her stuff down, she sat and pulled out her laptop, all the rage of a thunderstorm about her. Law sat opposite, glancing around the building with interest.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUUVtnCOgB
"What is this place?" He asked, seeing the stairs doing up to the floor above. On both ends of the wide, high-ceilinged hallway were cafe-type stores. One looked like a store, with various food items lining the shelves. The other looked like a small restaurant.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeIRcsbuTw
"It's the union building. Like a general meeting place. People study and eat here." She distractedly input her password, navigating the home screen and documents she already had popped up. She still had an english essay to finish before the next day.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiAmnD8LnX
"What is that?" Law asked, inspecting her laptop curiously. She glanced up, still mad at him, and pulled the electronic towards her, out of his reach.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡOI80fhyQz0
"It's a laptop. I'm not even gonna begin to explain what a computer or internet is right now. That's a long explanation for another time. All I can really say right now is that it allows me to access any sort of information in the world."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcRr5hWmXS
He narrowed his eyes, looking at the strange device in a new light. "Such a device would be much sought after in my world. How did you come to have it?" He tried to reach for it but she pulled it closer again, raising an eyebrow.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡcu6wBjf7jl
"I bought it. Almost everyone has one." She gestured around them, and Law saw dozens of others with similarly looking devices, eyes focused on whatever it was they were watching on the front.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0lbWtdSCp
"And these things are just sold at any regular market?" He leaned back in his chair, disappointed that he couldn't get his hands on it right at that moment. In fact, he'd been letting Lexi control what he did since they'd arrived. Perhaps once they returned to her home he would start throwing his weight around, now that he'd come to terms with the way her world worked.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ta6JI2XNC
"Yup. But we don't call them markets. They're just stores. Markets usually sell produce." She explained, eyes trained on the 'laptop.'copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1G96xEiTxG
"Fascinating." He mumbled, and that seemed the end of the conversation.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DilIROHjp
After another hour or so, Shachi and Penguin were thoroughly bored of the tv. They'd flipped through numerous shows, not seeing anything that made any sort of sense or anything remotely entertaining for them. Sighing heavily, they sunk deeper into the cushions.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1obnVk6Py
"Now what?" Penguin asked, glancing around the room for anything they could occupy themselves with.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52QNoh46Ia
Bepo had woken up by that time, and he stretched out his arms. Settling again, he also glanced around…and spotted the stairs to the basement.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdFmfDOv2J
"I wonder what's down there?" Bepo said, pointing towards the stairs. Both engineers looked where he was pointing, their curiosities suddenly shifting into overdrive.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡoR7K49NHSr
"Bepo, don't you remember what Lexi-chan said?" The bear shook his head. Shachi poked the first mate's head with a finger.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9DYNAlmQ2
"Baka, she said, 'You are not allowed in the basement at all. Don't even think about going down there.' Lexi-chan would be mad."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUAKdaaZdE
"But…what else are we supposed to do? We already watched tv." Penguin argued, rubbing his face with his hands.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HlmRzJBU2
"Yeah, we're pirates. We do what we want." Bepo added, standing to go over to the stairs. Shachi shifted from foot to foot, nervous about the implications of disobeying their host.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwT66xS6Oj
"I don't know guys. Lexi-chan can be pretty scary…"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LZ4ZfWXoQ
"Come on, Shachi. You gotta man up. This is the defining line between being a boy," Penguin puffed out his chest, "and a man. So, what's it gonna be?"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡWL78NAU59p
Once his manhood came into question, the decision basically made itself. No one would be calling him anything less than a man, Shachi thought, and so the three headed towards the stairs that lead to the basement.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡu47zJ8eTK9
The door wasn't locked, surprisingly. It was several degrees cooler than in the living room, and a shiver went down their spines at the cold air.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBuay0Cymf
The first room they saw wasn't really a room at all. In fact, the entire basement seemed to be just the skeleton of rooms. The walls weren't finished, only wooden frames for support, and the floors were a cracking cement. Lightbulbs with strings dangling down were the only source of light, and the three looked around at the illuminated mess.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TkapquzSl
"Woah." Penguin said. Woah was right. The basement looked like a giant storage area; boxes were stacked at the corners, sometimes three or four high, there were large bags of different sorts scattered about the floor, newspapers everywhere, and at the far wall sat a large gun display.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6voDc8EbUN
They spread out, curiosities leading them their own separate ways. Bepo went to the gun case, wiping away the layer of dust that covered the glass. Inside, there were two or three guns, though what kinds were hard to distinguish. Weapons in Lexi's world were foreign to the bear.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEyyr4W82g
Shachi fingered through the various piles of newspapers stacked on the floor. They all seemed to be dated from around the 1940's and 50's. The only obvious thing he could tell was that there had been a war, which matched up with Lexi's story.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaFvcVaepb
Penguin had gone over the one of the boxes, opening the cardboard flaps in hesitation. He didn't want a next of spiders or rodents jumping out into his face. Nothing sprung him, and he peered inside.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡIui7fEEQys
"I think we've hit the motherload." He said, earning the attention of his nakama. They wandered over to him as he held up a magazine with several women on the front cover.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfn3Bu7X1t
"What's that?" Shachi asked, and Penguin held it out.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbkadG8q6H
"This, my friend, is exactly what we needed."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2ghRgxkDu
"Lexi! Don't pretend you can't hear me!" Brittany's voice floating across the courtyard where Law and her had been eating. She stopped chewing her sandwich, frozen with that feeling that a disaster was imminent. Brittany's excited form was weaving through the crowd of people that floated through the large spacious area in the middle of campus.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x636ipdd6
Lexi sighed. She'd been able to avoid her friend through medical anatomy, but now it seemed luck was not on her side. When asked, Lexi had pointed out the men's bathroom, in which the pirate was still absent. He'd been gone for several minutes, and she assumed he'd be back at any time. Hopefully, he'd stay out of sight for a few more minutes.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡryAduYli2k
The black-haired beauty readjusted her bag on her shoulder, sauntering up to Lexi with that natural swagger of a confident young woman.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRSMqjhnxe
"Lexi, could you believe that guy in anatomy today? And oh my god, did you see his tattoos? Talk about a major turn on." She sat in the chair facing her, and Lexi swallowed the bite of her sandwich.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf0tKcHEGk
"Huh? O-oh yeah, that was pretty insane." She looked away nervously. Her friend didn't seem to notice.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCSyRqBkZZ
"Anyways, the guy."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaQUOf0TEt
"What guy?" She asked curiously, causing Brittany to roll her eyes in exaggeration.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAlkMjM0bs
"You know. The. Guy. The one who had your cellphone." She stared at her intensely, loosening Lexi's resolve second by second.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bCZIaCRJw
"Oh, right. That one. Well, you see-"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQHumddT0V
"What is he like? How do you know him? Is he as hot as he sounds? Does he have piercings?"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡHW0d5Sz1XJ
"Slow down!" Lexi held up her hands, calming the storm that was her friend. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the entrance to the bathroom, hoping beyond hope that Law would still be a few more minutes. If she could get Brittany to leave quick maybe they could avoid a meeting.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBz3QqHo1E
"Wait, didn't you date that guy for awhile?" She pointed to a guy walking by, recognizing him vaguely. She glanced his way, giving him no more than a dismissive wave of her hand.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xYwWhgyOT
"Todd. Lasted four days. Addicted to porn, pass." She leaned forwards. "Now, tell me about this guy."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHwpLdFvme
A flash of bright yellow caught Lexi's attention, and she saw Law making his way over to the table. With a rising sense of panic, she sighed deeply.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtimuNRmLu
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" She muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose with one hand. Brittany frowned, not understanding. At that moment, Law approached rom behind her, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GcKH7qdWM
"And who might this be, Lexi-ya?" Brittany turned in her seat, staring up at Law with wide eyes. After a moment she flipped back to Lexi, giving her a wide-eyed, shocked look. She mouthed the words 'That him?' and Lexi nodded. Turning back, she continued to stare.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡDc10VcBl90
"Is it considered socially acceptable to stare at someone for extended periods of time?" He asked Lexi, and she sighed, figuring that if she didn't do something Brittany would continue with this train wreck of a first meeting.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QcpKgzOKa
"Law, this is my friend Brittany, the one you talked to on the phone. Brittany…this is Law."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RiXeTPVsr
"You taught our class." She blurted out, and Law smirked.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡaF9U0mEGGB
"Indeed."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7kR4i1iwk
"So, you're a professor?" She asked, and he glanced to Lexi.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9CEvLr1Tm
"Actually…" Behind Brittany's back, Lexi frantically nodded her head, trying to get him to agree. If Law started going on about how he was a pirate Captain, everyone would start asking questions that none of them had the answers to. Luckily for her, he got the message. He raised an eyebrow, deciding he would get back at her for all this. "…Yes, I am. I'm a professor."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrqEzaVg9U
"That's pretty hot." She said, and Lexi looked away from embarrassment, though her friend didn't have any such qualms. "Nice tats, too. Who did them?"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsM0YvWy9S
"A small shop in…California." He said, remembering Lexi mention the word before.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKjOQ8labW
"Damn. Whoever they are did an awesome job. Do you have more?"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwBqgy2jD3
"Yes, though they are hidden."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnw2pLrh8p
"Show me sometime?" She asked lowly, a seductive smirk on her face. Clearing her throat, Lexi glanced at her watch.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡILnXEkmPTE
"Well, looks like I gotta go to class. Law, are you coming?" She gathered up her stuff, rising from her seat and gesturing towards the hall at the top of the hill. Law grinned, looking back to Brittany.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9cbufmWT1
"A pleasure meeting you, Brittany-ya." Hearing her name being uttered from his lips seemed to be the tipping point, and her cheeks showed a hint of a blush. Waving goodbye, timidly, she blew a kiss on her fingertips.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcM45GRTp0
"Oh, hun. I'm sure I'll see you soon." Giving a little wink, she watched them leave in a hurry, though her eyes were trained on Law's back unwaveringly.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuIp0N9Yva
"Check this one out!" Shachi pointing to a page of a woman wearing some kind of military uniform, leaning suggestively over a stack of strange ammunition-looking objects. The saying, 'Ladies, join the fight and support our brave. They'll appreciate it!' She winked from the page, tipping her cap to the engineers, whose nose began to trickle blood.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡKf26QXwUCF
"I wonder why Lexi-chan had these in the basement." Then, a thought seemed to dawn over Shachi, and his eyes widened. "You don't think that…"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwH4BkEUyC
"What?" Penguin asked.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFWmZZq3cX
"Maybe Lexi-chan is…into…girls?" He whispered the end, as if she'd hear him from wherever the university was. Penguin seemed to consider the questions, then shook his head.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡivIYlvmsw5
"Nah, no way."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pxLX8tp7j
"How can you be sure?"copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lZ5UFgjZI
Unbeknownst to the two engineers, but not escaping the notice of the polar bear, the door to Nana's room opened slightly. The engineers were too engrossed in the images of the ladies to notice, and Nana silently entered the living room all bleary-eyed and confused.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡugkVy4nhDR
"Ah, this one's my favorite." Shachi said, holding up the page of a girl with a thin nightgown on, hair done up in extreme curls. Their noses began to bleed profusely, and unfortunately for them, Nana saw.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFSPv8qCEm
"By the gods, you're bleedin'!" At the sound of the old woman's shout, the three looking up in shock. Nana, who was very obviously not in a lucid state, rushed into the kitchen as fast as her legs would carry her, digging through the cupboard for something. She took the first aid kit and grabbed a kitchen knife from the drawer, and rushed into the living room.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQAUuzVETE
"Stay calm and breathe deeply, soldier. The medical camps are more than seven or eight miles away, so we can't do much more than an improvised surgery! Hold steady now." She pinned Shachi down to the floor and began positioning the knife over his shoulder, and everyone began to panic.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6SAbKGDzM
"I'm fine! I don't need a surgery!" He called, struggling in vain against the surprisingly strong grandma. Penguin tried prying her arms off of him but she wouldn't budge. Angrily, she pointed to Bepo.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF7mbk90E0
"Soldier! Keep his friend back and remaining calm. I can't work in these conditions." Fearing for the safety of his friend, Bepo stood and bear-hugged the grandma, forcing her to drop the knife onto the ground.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOeWQAkCCh
"This is insubordination, soldier! I'll have you reprimanded! A man's life is on the line!" She flailed and struggled to get out of Bepo's hold, but the bear wouldn't let go. Shachi scrambled away rom the frantic woman, clutching his nearly-amputated arm with relief.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBwKr00QmJ
"What are we gonna do?" Penguin asked, eyeing Nana with both fear and confusion. The intensity with which she had charged his friend was alarming, though since they'd seen her in a lucid and docile state before, they knew this wasn't like her. This wasn't normal.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtWsMEqIVs
"Should we lock her in her bedroom?" Bepo asked, getting a better grip on the old woman.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrlBR3vFH3
"We should keep an eye on her. We don't want her accidentally escaping. Can you hold her like that for a long time?" Shachi asked, and Bepo nodded.copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5weo84CNJo
Penguin sighed. "Now we just gotta wait till Lexi-chan and Captain get back."copyright protection222ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNMtPvvUug
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