Lisa Lisa had vanished for the evening, off to “handle business,” as she cryptically called it. That left the manor to the three of you: Joseph, Caesar, and the one person both of them trusted most—you.

Things were already so chaotic.

It was supposed to be a cozy evening in Lisa Lisa's manor, all three of you finally having a break from training for a couple days.

But then, earlier today Caesar had introduced the idea of making dinner for some reason. In reality, he wanted to show off his Italian roots. It was supposed to be a simple, Neapolitan pizza. That illusion was shattered the moment Joseph wandered in, grinning and holding a jar of jelly beans.

Caesar didn’t explode immediately. That was a first.

Instead, he gave Joseph a look that could have flattened one of the Pillar Men. “Touch that dough,” he warned, “and you're dead.”

Somehow, in this hilariously stupid situation, you were caught in the middle. You three had all fought together, you literally saved Caesar’s life with your own Ripple energy when no one else could.

And now they were arguing about toppings. When you finally stepped forward and started kneading the dough yourself, their bickering came to a stop. Caesar straightened, folding his arms as his brows furrowed in focus. “Hm. You’re quite good at this,” he murmured, voice low and thoughtful. “Allow me-”

He was cut off by Joseph's brute self shoving him to the side, a much less graceful approach. Leaning in with mischief and admiration, a wide grin on his face "Hey, hey! This is coming together, isn't it?"

There were no fist fights (yet), no Hamon, just some kind of... affection. It was endearing, in a way.

Somehow though...it felt just as overwhelming.