"Okay JJ, open your eyes and tell me what you think." Mom says, and I do so. She had called me out of Gaster's room and told me to close them, before leading me to another room.

When my eyes open I see Joey standing in the middle of this room with a big smile. His face and clothes have smudges of black on them, as do his hands. The same black that is on the walls..

I look around, seeing a large bed with black 'blankets' on them and two very fluffy looking 'pillows'. There is a table with drawers next to it, and on this table is a bundle of posters that have not been put on the walls yet and a small 'figurine' of Mr. Void. He was my favorite character from Agency Heroes. He used tentacles, very well designed!

Hmm…

"It stinks." I say, scrunching my nose, which causes both Joey and mom to laugh.

"Aye, that's the paint still drying off kiddo. But other than that, do yeh like it?" Joey asks, and I look between him and mom, who has gone to stand next to him. She also has small smudges of this black on her hands.

They both look expectantly at me, and I look around the room again. "Other than the stink, it is a very pleasant room." I acknowledge, and Joey's smile widens as he wraps an arm around mom's shoulders.

"That's good, because it's your room." Mom says, and I blink. I look around again, doubtfully.

"My room?" I question, and mom nods.

"That's right hun. We sorted out the adoption yesterday. As of today, this is officially your home." Mom says quietly. For a few moments, I think about my other home. The door to it always closing after being shocked with poking instruments, while I patiently wait for biomass or being told to move to the bigger home for testing.

This home is much better. Far more pleasant.

Wiggle.

I hop onto the bed, laying out across it as Waffles runs into the room and jumps onto it with me, yipping excitedly. She licks my face, and I allow it. I am feeling too pleasant to correct her right now!

"Well I think yeh were right, going with black." Joey says to mom, amused. "It fits him for some reason."

Mom laughs. I like mom's laugh. She squeezes Joey one more time before walking over to my bed and sitting down, gesturing towards the posters.

"We can hang those up once the paint dries." She explains, and I sit up, nodding excitedly. "Gaster said you liked Mr. Void, so I picked those out for you. We can decorate it more later, when you've figured out everything else you like."

"Thank you." I say quietly. There are warm feelings in my chest. Like happiness, but more. I hear footsteps in the hallway, and turn to see Gaster walking into the room while looking around curiously.

"This is my room Gaster!" I say proudly, and he smiles while looking around.

"I know. Mom told me to keep it a secret, and to keep you out of it until they were done." He laughs, and Joey rolls up his sleeves.

"Well Brooke, should we let the kiddos break in the room?" He asks, and mom nods, standing up. She ruffles my hair before they both walk out.

"Lunch will be ready in about an hour." She says, closing the door behind her.

Gaster comes over to the bed and sits down on it, holding out his fist. Oh, he told me what this is! A fist bump!

I touch his knuckles with my own, and he grins. "Welcome to the family. I guess this makes you my little brother?" He asks, and I tilt my head.

"Kin? But we do not share relation." I state, and he shakes his head, rolling his eyes.

"You don't have to be related to be family." He says as if it is obvious, and I pause as Waffles crawls into my lap, her tongue hanging out. I scratch her ears, thinking about this.

I had only viewed kin as prey. The Observer was kin, I could feel it in my Core, as was the… Mist Walker, one of the people who had watched my fight called it. We shared relation through what Star-Reader had called H̴̛͉͚̮̞̖̃̈́̒̈́̂͊͗́̋͑͋͝o̷̡͚̞͓̦̲̰̭͇͎͓͊̈̄̎͐͌͂̀̋̊͘͝m̶̖͖̘̩͉͕̘̦͗̊͆̌ͅͅė̷̡̠̼̻͚̞͙̪̟̫̝̫̦̈́́͜͜. But if we did not have to share relation, and we could be family otherwise…

I frown. Did that mean that the Pack had been family?

I touch my chest. Uncomfortable feelings are there again, and Waffles whines as she nuzzles me with her nose.

"You alright JJ?" Gaster asks, and I nod.

"I am undamaged." I respond quietly, grooming Waffles. But Gaster still looks concerned.

"Hey, so I know we've only known each other for like a week and some, but…" He looks hesitant, adjusting his glasses. "But I think you're a pretty okay dude. Weird, yeah, but okay." I frown. Why do people keep calling me weird? I am perfectly normal! "And I want you to know that if there's anything you want to talk about, like serious stuff or normal stuff or whatever, I'll be here to talk. Since you're my little brother and all."

I look at Gaster. He'd stated the last sentence with amusement, but I can tell he is concerned.

The warm feelings are back, and I nod. "Thank you Gaster." I say, and he grins.

"So little bro, you've been getting pretty good at Agency Heroes. And now that you have a circlet, we can play other stuff too. Or watch something!" He seems excited, and I smile. I like when Gaster is excited, he doesn't display cowardice behaviors. "Oh man, you've never even seen movies, or anime. We gotta do that."

I tilt my head curiously. "Movies? Anime?"

Gaster nods emphatically, tapping on his circlet. "Yup! We've got like an hour until lunch is ready, so we could watch something until then. Want to?"

I am hesitant. But if Gaster is excited, I will do so! "Want to!" I confirm, and he laughs, swiping through the air.

"Oh, this one's pretty good. Until You. It's about a guy who… you know what, I won't spoil it." He taps the air, and I see a notification in my vision. I tap it, and a screen pops up. "I'm remote sharing, so I'll be the one controlling it. Here, let's-"

He pauses, his hands hovering in the air. "Sorry, one second." He says, lowering his hands. "Hey Sariel. I was just about to watch a movie, what's up?"

I tilt my head curiously, but realize he is using the long distance communication. Joey said it was rude to talk while someone was doing it, so I remain quiet.

"Oh, you guys just got back? Awesome! How did the training go?" He leans back on my bed, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks up at something only he can see. "Uh huh. No… really? It'll be alright, you still have three weeks to improve. Yeah… yeah I guess so. What's that? Later tonight? Uh…" He glances at me, sitting back up. "Yeah, I guess… you can come over. I… no, I'm not acting weird. Yes it's fine, really! But listen, before you come ove-"

He blinks, frowning as he rubs his temples. "Damnit, she always does that." He grumbles. "Hangs up without letting me finish."

"Someone is coming over?" I ask, and Gaster nods hesitantly.

"Yeah, Sariel." He sighs. Oh, she is one of Gaster's friends! "Alright JJ, I guess you'll be meeting her later tonight. Just so you know, she's a little… much."

Hmm.. "What does that mean?" I ask, and he shrugs.

"She's just a lot. And she's brutally honest, so if she says something, don't take it too personally." He warns, and I nod seriously.

"I will not take it personally." I promise, even if I don't know what that means, and Gaster smiles.

"Thanks JJ. Alright, anyways, where was I… oh right! Until You."

-

"JJ." Mom says, and I stiffen, looking up at her hesitantly. Her tone is threatening. Joey, Gaster and I are all eating food mom had made, 'Jambalaya'. She is looking at me with her brows furrowed.

"Yes mom?" I ask, and she taps her fingers on the table. That is not a good sound. She does that when she is displeased.

"What did I say about eating with your hands?" She questions, and I bristle.

"But it is inefficient to use the utensils!" I protest, and Joey laughs. But he quickly stops as Mom glares at him, clearing his throat and continuing to eat.

"Wow this is good! Poured your heart into it love, can really tell." He says, and mom rolls her eyes, but she is smiling slightly. I hesitantly reach for the food aga-

"JJ!" She snaps, and I flinch. Annoyance!

"But I stopped eating with my tentacles like you asked…" I grumble, and she glowers at me.

Deflate.

I sigh and pick up the 'fork', stabbing it into the jambalaya and bringing it into my mouth. "Don't catch an attitude with me." Mom warns, and Gaster chuckles as he continues to eat.

Reluctantly, I take a bite with the utensil, but…

DELICIOUS!

Mom always makes delicious food.

Wiggle.

Even if it is inefficient, it is still worth it if it means consuming biomass mom prepares.

"Thanks mom." I say, and she smiles as she picks up her own fork.

Waffles whines from underneath the table, and I growl. You will be fed biomass later. No begging! She deflates, resting her head on her paws and looking up at me, and I happily resume devouring.

When all of the biomass has been consumed, Gaster picks up the plates and sets them in the 'dishwasher'. I am disappointed there isn't more biomass, but… it was still delicious. I will have to be okay with four 'servings'.

There is a knock at the front door and mom starts to stand, but Joey waves his hand. "I'll get it love, yeh can relax." He says, and mom smiles at him as he stands and walks away.

"Hey mom, Sariel wants to come over a little later if that's okay." Gaster says, and mom nods, tapping her circlet.

"That's fine! Will she be staying for dinner?" She asks, and Gaster shrugs.

My ears flick as I hear quiet talking coming from outside of the house, from Joey and another person.

"I don't know." Gaster replies. "I was actually thinking of going out with her and JJ. He's never been to Giorno's, and you know how much she loves that place."

Mom laughs and nods her head. "Alright, in that case I'll give you both some money to spend. If you're going out anyways, would you mind taking Joey shopping for some clo-"

I turn, unfocusing from the conversation as I hear footsteps enter the home. One pair I recognize as Joey's, but the other's is unfamiliar. "If yeh wouldn't mind just waiting in the living room." Joey says quietly, and another voice says they will.

Joey walks into the dining room a few moments later, his expression uncomfortable. He looks at mom for a few moments, and she seems to have noticed his expression.

"Who is it?" Mom asks curiously, and Joey clears his throat.

"It's uh… some bloke from the Academy. Says he's here to talk to JJ and… us." He says quietly, and mom frowns.

"What? Why would they be here for JJ? I told him not to…" She trails off, then turns to look at me, her eyes narrowing accusingly. "I thought I told you not to take the Trials."

I pause, my eyes lowering. "You told me to say no." I mumble, looking up hesitantly as mom raises an eyebrow. "And I did say no! I kept the promise! But then…" Hesitant, as mom glares at me. "But then I said yes."

Mom pinches the bridge of her nose, scrunching her eyes shut. "JJ…" She lets out a sigh of exasperation. "We are going to talk about this later. For now, let's go see what he wants." She lowers her hand and stands up, and I do too. Joey turns around and we all follow him out of the dining room and into the living room.

There is a human man in a black suit standing in there, a bright smile on his face as he sees us. "Hello there." He greets, extending a hand that Joey takes with his own and shakes. Oh! That is what you are supposed to do when the hand is extended. "My name is Leo Pensenata. Do you mind if I…" He gestures to a couch.

Joey nods his affirmation, and we sit down on a couch opposite of him. Mom looks displeased, and Joey just looks uncomfortable. Waffles wanders into the living room, growling as she sees the man, Leo.

Interesting. I push out with my mind…

Hmm…

He is not a predator, but I sense a Core from him. I lick my lips.

Leo glances at Waffles, who bristles and stands protectively in front of me. Wonderful threat display yet again, Waffles!

Leo looks around the house, his smile widening as his gaze settles back onto mom and Joey. "This is a beautiful home you have here." He compliments, and Mom crosses her arms over her chest.

"Thank you. Now can I ask what you're here for?"

Leo nods, leaning forward as he looks at me, then back at mom. "Yes. I'm sorry, I meant to come earlier but there wasn't a home address assigned to Mr. Waffle's circlet ID until this morning. You two are his parents, I presume?"

Mom and Joey both nod slowly, and Leo continues. "Well, in that case I am happy to inform you both that Mr. Waffles has been accepted as an Academy Selectee."

He looks at us expectantly, but mom only continues to stare at him while Joey clears his throat. I tilt my head curiously.

"Selectee?" I ask, and Leo nods.

"That's right. Although your performance in the other Trials were… less than what is typically expected, your performance during the Combat Trial was exemplary. I reviewed the footage myself, and I must say, you are a very capable combatant Mr. Waffles."

Oh, so he recognizes my superior form's combat ability!

Wiggle.

"It is my absolute pleasure to extend a formal invitation to the Academy, on behalf of the Bounty Agency." He says, once again looking expectantly at mom and Joey.

"I'm afraid we'll have to refuse." Mom says, and both me and Leo turn to look at her.

"But mom!" I protest, and mom turns a glare on me.

"Don't 'but mom' me. You know full well what I meant when I said to say 'no', JJ." She snaps, and I huddle closer to Joey. He looks both amused and concerned, and Leo hurriedly raises a hand.

"If you're worried about expenses, I assure you that he will be offered a full scholarship, tuition and boarding. Any other costs, such as food and other arrangements, Novastorm has personally offered to sponsor." He says, and at this mom pauses.

"Wait, Lycia? What does she have to do with this?" Mom asks, and Leo's eyes widen slightly.

"Ah, we prefer not to use Agency member's names when…" He trails off, his eyes narrowing just the slightest amount. "Wait, Brooke Gruschwald… The Adjudicator?" He asks, and mom nods slowly.

"That's right. Now, what does Lycia have to do with this?" She repeats her question, and Leo shifts uncomfortably. Interesting! Upon learning mom's identity, he has begun to exhibit intimidated behaviors.

"Ah, apologies for not recognizing you sooner ma'am. You see, Novastorm was one of the judges for the Combat Trial. She has decided that should Mr. Waffles here accept the Academy's invitation, she will take him under her wing as a protege." He explains, and mom thinks this over, chewing her lip.

"Brooke…" Joey begins, sighing slightly. "Excuse me, Mr. Pensenata, would you allow us a few moments to discuss?" He asks, and Leo nods.

"Of course." He replies, standing up. "In the meantime, would you happen to have a bathroom I could use?"

Joey points further down the hall. "It'll be the first door on the left." He answers, and Leo nods gratefully as he follows Joey's instructions.

I look at mom pleadingly. "Mom, I was told I would get to fight if I join the Academy." I say, and she looks at me.

"Listen to me." She says quietly, cupping her hands to my cheek. "You have just gotten out of a terrible situation, and I don't want you to immediately place yourself in one again. We can-"

"Brooke. Love." Joey interrupts, and Mom glares at him. I look at Joey too, and on his expression I see he is troubled… but there's also something else there. "I've… there are things that I haven't told you about JJ. Things I've seen." He takes a deep breath. "I care about the kiddo, I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't. But he needs a space where he can learn more about his abilities. A space where he can meet more people like him."

Yes! Thank you Joey! Convince mom!

Mom looks like she's about to protest, and Joey holds up a hand. "I know. But he's not quite… adjusted, yet. Maybe, if he's around people with abilities like him, he can see how they behave. He can make friends there. Besides, it's not like he has to join the BA or RCO once he graduates. You took a full gap year between graduating from the Academy and joining RCO. We met during that gap year, remember? We can have him back after, and see if he still wants to go down that path later."

Mom purses her lips, but nods reluctantly. "I know, but…" She sighs, then takes a deep breath. "Okay. JJ, look at me."

I do so, and she cups my face with her hands. "Is this absolutely what you want to do? It'll be dangerous. You could get hurt, and you'll be fighting a lot."

I nod hurriedly, licking my lips. Fighting meant I would get to devour. I wished to attain more structures, and mom said only people who joined RCO or the BA were officially allowed to hunt Rift Entities.

Mom sighs again, before turning away and tapping on her circlet.

"Lycia? It's me. Yes, Brooke. I was told you were going to be sponsoring a new Selectee. Yes, Joey Waffles. Why do I care? Because he's my son. Yes, really. And if anything happens to him, I will personally throw you into a Rift." Mom growls, and both myself and Joey swallow at her tone.

Mom is once again a predator. But a predator for my sake. Warm feelings in my chest again.

Wiggle.

Mom lets out a large sigh, rubbing her temples again as Leo enters the living room. He sits down on the couch, smiling.

"So, have you all come to a decision?" He asks, and mom nods.

"JJ will accept the invitation to the Academy."

Leo's smile widens, and he taps on his circlet. "Excellent. There are still three weeks until the start of the semester. I will make arrangements for training exercises with some other Selectees, and will send you any relevant information."

Leo then stands, extending a hand towards mom, then Joey, and finally to me. I shake it, and he nods.

"Although it's a little preemptive… welcome to the Academy, Mr. Waffles."