“Does it still hurt?” Karoto asked, a bit of a teasing grin on his face as his young found-family induced sister Nabiu walked alongside him with a grumpy face, one hand pressed against her mouth that had teeth newly christened with braces. The young M.A.G.E looked up at him with a glare that could probably wither fruits and vegetables alike, her blue eyes an angry light sea.

“Of course it does!!” She protested, her dark blue hair with two buns styled like blueberries being tossed around in the wind as she had to pull her floppy yellow intern hat down to keep it from being swooshed off her head.

Karo braced against the wind as well, his own orange, slightly spiky hair tussled around. The little green fringe in the back, curly like the leaves of a carrot, poofed up more than they usually did, and he quickly patted them back down before Nabiu could notice. Putting his hands in his pockets, he gave her a half genuine, half forced easy smile.

“But look at it this way, Nab. You gotta have those on for just two years and then you’ll be home free. Maybe your smile’ll get brighter!”