Unbridled Jealousy

So it turned out that he had misjudged Malara pretty badly. He knew she was kind of into the whole hedonism thing, only his understanding of hedonism was very different from his own.

He gave Endless Summer a sympathetic look as Malara threw some insults her way.

"Well," Jude said, considering carefully. "If you aren't getting along with yours, but I think I actually know someone who would get along with Summer. Not me, but... they're a bit sensitive, but they're very focused on creativity, which might work better with you considering you run Muse."

Alright. So she was biting the hook.

"Alright, so, to start, I have a power that lets me know the powers of others. So I know that they don't have much to offer you in terms of actual capabilities. I'm hoping to, ah, shuffle things around. My guardian--uh, Officer Genovese--" Oh right, she knew who that was. "He has a Regalia too. Their power is the ability to fuse with others, but he's kind of iffy on it for professional reasons. They're creative, but a bit sensitive, like I said. On the other hand, he gets along really well with Wind's Respite-"

"Wait," Respite said from behind them. "Are you saying I do get to be with Mr. Genovese?"

Jude winced a bit at the Mr. Genovese, but tried not to let it bother him.

"That's the idea. I think I'd be happier with Endless Summer. We could get along, and she doesn't seem really happy here. Officer Genovese would be happier with Wind's Respite, and you'd probably be happiest with Conjoined Soul."

God, she was so sad. Jude wasn't exactly the most empathetic person, but even he couldn't help a sympathetic wince, wondering desperately what she'd said.

Something good, apparently.

"Alright," Jude said. "I'll call him, and I'll send you a message. I think he's out right now, but maybe in an hour or two? I don't think it should take that long, but Conjoined Soul isn't always around."

It actually took closer to a half hour, but Angelo ended up taking himself, Jude, and the two Regalia out for some food before Malara was actually ready. By the time they returned to the lobby, Conjoined Soul zipped right over to Malara, looking up at her with an appraising look.

"Do you actually run a fashion design company?" She asked, with Angelo trailing behind her. He offered Malara a hand for a shake, giving her a grin. He had some pretty mixed feelings on Malara, but that was kind of how most people were with Malara.

She could be a bit hit or miss.

Conjoined Soul seemed to light up. She was sensitive, but she wasn't really nervous--she just didn't handle rejection well, and didn't particularly like being told no either. Malara seemed like a better fit, and it wasn't like she was helpless or anything.

"Alright," Angelo said. "So, how do we do this?"

Wind's Respite was the oldest of them, and she gave a polite smile, reaching out to touch Angelo on the shoulder, even as Conjoined Soul moved over to touch Malara on the hand.

"We break the contract," she said. "And re-pact."

"Off work," Angelo said. "Big stuff happening at the station I can't talk about, which means I get to stay at home and keep an eye on the kids. Probably handy, considering they're off running around with this pact stuff."

Jude grinned at him, glancing away after a moment.

"School," he said. "Just starting. Doing the whole... senior year thing, trying to get to know my classmates."