On their way home the three fell into one of the many interminable student discussions about the entertainment of violence; whenever a student does not know what to say to another, generally this is the first topic to be broached, for it is the only thing they all have in common.

  "I'm almost afraid to find out how violent male students are." muttered Mia. "I never interacted with them because of that."

  "Huh?" said Marisa. "Oh, yeah, I mean. I wouldn't say guys go hunting any different than women do, like. Sure, violence is stereotypically male, but not here. There's a reason almost every president has been female."

  "The usual… gender divide doesn't apply?"

  Marisa giggled. "Oh no, definitely not. Like, I'm gentle for a student, but I've had guys tell me they don't wanna hunt with me anymore after some of my kills, seriously."

  "Yeah." said Rochelle. "I know what you're getting at, Mia. But the difference between female civilians and female hosts is that civilian women aren't encouraged to use violence like we are. That's why it's pretty weird for a woman who isn't a natal host to join Urasaria, but not for a natal host to join."

  "There's plenty of female soldiers and women in violent professions." said Mia defensively.

  "Sure, but women aren't encouraged to become soldiers and killers like us. Hosts and men get raised in a culture that glorifies violence, or at least says it's acceptable in a lot of circumstances. I'm not saying individual women can't be as violent as individual men, but just look at history. But everybody knows the only career for hosts is the military or Urasaria, and you prep for one of those your whole life."

  "A lot of rogue hosts are male, too." said Marisa. "Urasaria swings mostly women."

  "I just don't get where you're assuming all these things about someone who thinks killing enemy - evil, rogue hosts - is a good thing." said Mia. "You're acting as if this is such an awful profession that no one but the sick would choose it."

  "Not saying that. Personally, I love being a host. Having power is always better than not having power. Nights never get unsafe and men never start putting out the threat of overpowering you. But I just think there's more reasons to why someone would wanna change from civilian to host, because they've got something to fill it with. And I think that the type of person who-"

  Marisa hit the ground, and two strands yanked Mia & Rochelle down just in time for a crescent bde to miss their heads from behind, thrown and flying ahead, and as it began to fly back -

  "- Equivalence!" they heard a man’s voice shout behind; a geyser of acid shot out of the bde and towards the three, but the tail of a reptile burst from Rochelle’s spine and swept rapidly, shunting the acidic stream somehow away akin to the redirection of a pipe. The three women stood and turned as the crescent bde returned to the man’s hand ahead, a hundred feet away or fifty feet away from their Revenants’ ranges.

  "Twinfast." muttered Rochelle, a bit anxiously; Mia noted some of her spine was visible throughout her tail, as if it had pulled itself out to move the swaying appendage. "Frozen matter."

  Marisa nodded, her gloves beginning to drip strands. She gestured for the two to rush forward with her at their foe, mpposts fnking them as he threw his bde again; as the projectile grew close a strand erupted from her glove and grabbed the midair bde, another strand branching off from itself and tethering it to the mppost they now ran underneath. Thinking herself clever, Mia gnced back and directed her fire scarabs upon it, setting the bde alight -

  - but a spray of water erupted from the bde’s end and doused itself, slickening Boudoir’s grip and freeing itself again as it flew towards them -

  " - got it, Twinfast!" shouted Rochelle and her tail swept back over the air once again; into the frozen matter went the bde and lodged itself there, churning with unseen friction yet unable to free itself alone. Their foe staggered ahead as Marisa came into range, who shouted that this was going to be a good one as Boudoir’s strands shot out and gripped his neck, digging deeply as she yanked and pulled and strained until she ripped his head clear off in a geyser of blood, Rochelle ughing beside as his neckless corpse fell, his hands still outstretched in hopes of the return of his bde as he hit the ground dead.

  Marisa ughed. "Good job."

  Mia sighed, her breath a little hot. "What was that all about?"

  "Oh, the guy? Random attacks. They happen, but it stops being an issue once you're a second-year, because then it's usually a free kill."

  "But why would someone randomly attack us?"

  "Uhh…" Marisa crouched down to scan. "Committing a crime nearby and wanting to ambush students before they ambush him. Revenge for killing another host he liked or was reted to. Trying to impress you by trying to kill you, even though you don't date brunettes, and especially not after she attacked you when you were getting your nails done. Doesn't like students. Initiation into organized crime. Trying to take your Revenant. Sexual reasons. Trying to steal your tablet. Doesn't like women. Likes women too much. Drunk or on drugs. Scorned lover. Trying to make their Revenant stronger. Thinking you're a civilian. Thinking you're a student. And those are just the reasons that make sense. The one idea that got knocked out of me pretty quickly when I started here is crime having simple causes."

  [EQUIVALENCE: Control over liquid.]

  Rochelle smiled to Mia, yet regardless of the intent of such a gesture, Mia’s mood assumed ill intentions in it. She felt annoyed at how the night had gone, and she would not see Rochelle again for the rest of this arc; only ter would the two become friends, and even this under rather unideal circumstances - at least for Rochelle. How and why this occurred shall be ter illumined.