"Former loves in a foreign land"

Farrah di Prima had been through a rough couple of UA months, between the increased villainy around Japan creating worries for her mother and her internship turning up less than stellar results. Various wrinkles had her wondering if she was really cut out to be a hero or support specialist. Her ordinarily sunny disposition had been hard to keep up lately. When she realized the time of the next festival was upon UA, and furthermore, it meant going overseas, she'd been stricken with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. The trip was, ideally, a chance for her to put those worries behind her and regain her usual pep.

Key to that would be enjoying herself to her fullest- seeing all that the locale had to offer would be a great place to start. Who better to show her around than Angel, a tested master of the art of date-planning? "Play-date planning is what I meant to say. It's time to have fun, sight-see, and play!" she thought to herself in correction, prancing out of the hotel and spinning with her arms towards the sunny sky. Today, she'd dressed in a knee-length gray sweater-dress and black tights, with a long, mint-green scarf, decorated eccentrically with what were intended as bag-patches, from various gift shops she'd been to. It was as though she wanted to advertise being a tourist... and perhaps she did! Farrah's optimism led her to believe they'd run into all kinds of helpful souls that wanted them to enjoy their time to the fullest. Her black, flat-heeled boots tapped against the sidewalk and pavement as she danced out, singing.

But would the two of them be mistaken for a couple? Farrah thought it would be a little painful for Angel and her both if that happened. Still, it was just a risk the two of them would have to take for the sake of a great time out and also going just a bit further to reconnect!

She wore her usual over-sized black shades, well-suited for the bright sun but without her cap, just for a chance of pace, and with silver, many-pronged star shaped earrings, for a bit of a punk look. "We're close to the heart of punk and counter-culture! A place that lay the roots for a musical future! There's much to take in and much to learn! There's allowance money in my wallet to burn," she announced, spinning on her heels until she spotted her UA classmate. "Angel, my cherished and fabulous friend! Let's rock this town hard, from its start to its end!" Farrah greeted her buddy, pantomiming running her hands down the neck of a rock guitar.

There was so much to see and do, Farrah couldn't begin to guess where their trek would take them.

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WC 453

Farrah's awkward expression of emotion was hidden behind her dark sunglasses, as she watched Angel's delicate fingers caress her bicep. There was a part of her saying that as long as she was in England, she ought not to worry about what her mom had warned her about... it couldn't be dangerous to be in love when her mother wasn't even around to see, right?

But then another part reminded her that with the exhibition just around the corner and her behavior being tested, it was actually more important than ever that she remained focused. She would unfortunately have to limit her flights of fancy to the ones that didn't contradict the rules of her increasingly strict hero training.

"You're lovely as well, Angel! Always lovely, to boot. Now to where in England does our duo first scoot?" Farrah questioned, returning them to the topic and trying to avoid laying on any extra skinship herself. Angel had a few suggestions, all of which sounded riveting. "Chocolate or vikings?! Vikings or culture?! I want to pick them each to the bones, just like a vulture!" she responded, perhaps not choosing the most attractive poetic metaphor to use in describing her enthusiasm for the sights.

While she was enthralled in making that choice, Angel seemingly succumbed to the lingering regrets between the two and embraced Farrah in a hug. The poetess shot her hands up like she was surrendering to a mugger, before calming down and returning the gesture, pressing her palms to each shoulder of her former lover while avoiding her wings. She realized with a pang of sadness that she'd never learned if Angel liked to be touched there... "Angel, you helped me out too... In fact, I'd be dead if it weren't for you. But more than that, you were my first friend in UA... The first to ensure me my antics are okay. More than okay, you made me feel great! And I hope that more fun together awaits!" she encouraged Angel, while secretly biting back a more romantic, less friend-focused poem that could have slipped out.

When the two broke apart, she adjusted her sunglasses again, then fixed her smile back hard onto her face. "With the upcoming exhibitions, I feel the need for viking fuuury! How about to the viking exhibit we scurry? That's the sort of spectacle you won't find near our school! Learning about them here could be totally cool," she elaborated, spinning in the direction the map indicated. As she prepared to make her way there, she pantomimed rowing a viking longboat, tugging herself along a bit at a time. Thankfully, she quickly abandoned that slow movement pattern and started into a brisk pace alongside Angel.

Once there, they'd find the place just a bit busy... not because it was a bad time for it, but rather, because the whole city was a bit busy. After all, it wasn't every day you had a big hero tournament like this one. Angel and Farrah would be far from the only visitors seeing the sights this day.

Still, it wasn't too hard to get through. Ironically, the event venue they were here to work would be far more crowded with tourists and hard for a hero student to navigate than this place was. "Oh, vikings! With axes and shields! A viking, on occasion, a two-hander wields! These guys sure knew their way around an axe. But let's see what knowledge this poet lacks," Farrah chuckled out loud as she moved deeper into the exhibit. Sure enough, gazing upon a bunch of burly vikings and learning about their ways was a pretty good way to dissociate from her ordinary troubles and focus on something new.

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WC 619

"Ho ho ho! These vikings must be a really big draw! But our festival to come will be the biggest of all!" Farrah pitched in; she'd intended that observation to get Angel fired up, without realizing just yet that Angel was actually bemoaning her dislike of large crowds, or, if not that, the cramped spaces created as a consequence of those crowds.

Still unaware, but slowly getting there, Farrah raised her eyebrows and listened to her friend's already extensive knowledge of vikings. In actuality, it hardly sounded like Angel needed this viking exhibit; she was already an expert on the subject. "Valerie, hm? That'd be a good name too! Though 'Angel' is already the perfect name for you," Farrah giggled, trying to think if there were any decent words to rhyme with the word Valkyrie. She raised one finger, suddenly stricken with inspiration, as she smiled into Angel's face. "Valhalla reminds me a bit of UA! And these warriors are like heroes, wouldn't you say? Maybe UA is our own divine battleground! It's like a hall of warriors we've found!" she boldly proclaimed, despite how little battling she'd done over her time at the school.

Despite all her giggling, it soon became apparent to Farrah, through watching Angel's behaviors, that she wasn't comfortable with the setting after all. "A-Ah, well, let's hope the school parallel ends with heroes! I don't want to imagine Ragnarok turning everything to zero," she laughed awkwardly, placing one hand onto Angel's shoulder to leader her away from the crowd and towards the entrance. "You know, that Jormungandr reminds me a lot of the UA-boros! It's a special cheerleader move I thought up for us! Everyone hooks their wings together and makes a wheel! But setting that aside, how do you feel?"

She looked at the crowd behind them, then smiled sympathetically. "You know, you thought up so many activities for today. Maybe we should go somewhere else, if you don't feel okay? Chocolateering or the museum might be nice, to enjoy this unique, cultural slice. If you'd rather go somewhere quiet and peaceful, the chocolate making class might be the least full," she suggested. "I want to try them all, don't get me wrong! But perhaps that would help us avoid this large-sized throng?"

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WC 379

Farrah watched in awe as Angel spread her wings, bursting them out from the back of her coat in feathery splendor. As integral as they were to Angel, it was always surprising for Farrah to see the before and after when Angel kept them hidden. Surprising and exciting, really... Farrah would never understand how such a great quirk could be seen as something shameful by Angel's father, or something that had to be hidden from the eyes of the world.

She was just as surprised by the kiss on the cheek, even though that was about as common as seeing Angel's wings by this point. She gulped down her feelings hard, tensing her eyebrows as though preparing to do battle. She eagerly picked up the change in topic... which wasn't really a change at all, since it ended in more flirting. Still, she spun and tried to get her mind off of the kinds of things that made her face hot, focusing on the tongues that made her stomach rumble. "Fu fu fu! I've saved up some money and on this way I had a feeling- funny! I knew I'd need it for something top shelf, and now, I get to make it myself!" she praised her own hindsight.

The subject turned onto internships... She was glad she'd managed to complete hers, but the results had left her feeling conflicted. Angel, on the other hand, had completed three and volunteered at an orphanage at the same time. It always felt hard to get on Angel's level, but Farrah had already resolved to stop letting that bother her. "I spent a while at an old folk's rest, bringing pills and fluffing pillows at their behest. It may sound easy, but I'll tell you, my friend, those days taught me to be humble and my back to bend! I learned a lot and got much to ponder! It left my scatter-brained brain to wonder," she explained, though even that explanation was a bit shrouded in mystery. "I learned a little bit about what's expected and how to perform better, without feeling rejected. Mosa was my guide; you know him, right? He's such a big guy, you'd know him on sight!"

A little bit more light chat and the two would arrive together at the chocolateer's, to prepare and make their own treats. Whatever Angel may say, there was no replacement for the genuine article! Farrah could already feel her mouth watering...

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WC 409