In her room, Noel set aside the pills, and whipped out her communicator. She sent a message to both Tsubaki and Makoto, inviting them to the barracks after their classes were over. She should check for their replies after her duties were over...
"It's about time you returned, Lieutenant." Wisely, Noel chose to keep her mouth shut even as she looked at her superior in the eye. Jin turned his gaze aside. Those eyes...
"Your next task is to take the trainees for their combat training." He fought hard not to yell at her, such was the anger that was building up in him.
"Understood, Sir." She then gave a salute and left the room.
"Damn it!" The major then looked to his communicator. At least for today, all other orders would go through the device to her. If he saw that face for one more second, he was sure that he would start a fight...
At the training hall, Noel realised that the major had not been very precise with his orders. She was to be a sparring partner for the trainees. After all, it wouldn't be right for a new officer to be training new recruits so quickly. The head instructor paired her with a trainee. As was the custom, before sparring, the fighters would have to recite the NOL's motto.
"Dispatched in mankind's darkest hour, we are knights of the blue flame!"
Noel was sure that something was in her voice as she said the motto, for when she assumed her stance, she noticed that her opponent was shaking.
"Are you alright?"
"..Yeah!" That wasn't very convincing. Indeed, in that instant, the poor fellow thought that he was going to fight something otherworldly. As it turned out, he wasn't that far off the mark. Even with Bolverk set to its weakest setting, the trainee never did see Noel's movements. He hit the floor with a loud "thud". While the medics carried him off to the sickbay, Noel saw the need to allay some fears. The rest of the class were staring at her and becoming as white as her hair.
"He's alright, I promise!"
"Lieutenant, perhaps it would be better for you to excuse yourself from the class. I'll inform the major." The head instructor kept one observation to himself: that even he couldn't see how Noel had attacked the trainee. Seeing that her presence was indeed disruptive, Noel politely left the hall.
As she walked to her room, Noel was startled. During that short fight, she had actually been aware of what she was doing. She knew that she had shifted to the side, where the trainee had a blind spot. There, she fired a shot from Bolverk which would hit the back of his neck. She then shifted back to her starting position. There was just two things wrong with the picture. One was that she moved too fast (No one saw how she had attacked.) Two was her awareness. She had never been this observant of her moves before. Something was going on...
Her communicator rang. It was a message, from the major.
"You're dismissed for the day. Report to me first thing tomorrow morning," read Noel. Sighing, she then removed her hat. All personnel were allowed to take off their headgears once they were not on official duty. As her hair flowed past her shoulders, she caressed it. In those care-free days back in the Vermillion household, she had enjoyed an ancient fairy tale where the female lead was known as Goldilocks. Her foster mother mentioned that both of them had the same golden locks. But now...
She shook her head. All that was in the past. Though they were fond memories, perhaps it would be wiser to look to the future, she thought. She was already outside her room when she realised where she was. Although it was still morning, she thought that it would be a good idea to have a nap. This time, she would remember to change out of her uniform...
It was evening when she woke up. She had not been exactly exhausted when she lied down, but somehow, she didn't feel like waking up until the sun was down. Sitting up in her bed, she then heard a loud growl. It was then that she remembered that she had not eaten for the whole day... or taken her pills. Time to get them done. But first, she checked the communicator. There were new messages from Tsubaki and Makoto. They couldn't promise that they could come, but if they came, it would be late. Classes were particularly long, they noted (and in Makoto's case, boring).
At the mess hall, the dinner crowds were already thinning. Good for her, for the few who remained did the now-obligatory stares and hushed whispering. Despite the volume, Noel discovered that she could hear them as though they were talking right next to her. Their comments... Well, let's just say that she simply wanted to finish her meal and get the hell out of the place.
Just as she left, new messages were sent to her communicator. Tsubaki and Makoto were already outside the barracks. Her heartbeats were a little faster at the thought of seeing her friends again. Then, she remembered what Tsubaki had said to her not too long ago.
"Promise me that you'll always be the Noel that I know."
Am I myself right now? Somehow, Noel felt that she had failed Tsubaki on that count, and she didn't even know what the cause was...
Outside, under a tree by the road, Tsubaki and Makoto were waiting for their best friend to come. As usual, Makoto couldn't resist a little gossip.
"Hey, Tsubaki, why do you think Noel wants to see us?"
"I don't know. The last time I talked to her, she seemed pretty confident about fitting in."
Makoto jumped and caught hold of a low-lying branch. It was sturdy enough to hold her weight.
"She must be lonely," said the squirrel girl, as she swung from the branch. Wisely, Tsubaki kept her comments to herself. But, Makoto was right. Noel had always been shy and quiet. Till today, she was never quite sure how Noel managed to be best friends with her and Makoto...
"Tsubaki! Makoto!" The girls turned their attention towards the voice calling them. It was Noel's but what they saw running towards them was a girl with flowing white hair.
"Tsubaki, am I seeing things or is that really Noel?"
"..." Tsubaki was tongue-tied. The girl now stood before them, and the duo took a closer look. That face was Noel's, but that blood-red eye... By now, Noel knew that her appearance warranted some explanations.
"Guys, I don't know what happened last night. When I woke up this morning, I was already looking like this." Makoto let go of the branch. She then wrapped her arm around Noel's shoulder.
"Relax. We're still best buddies, are we not?"
"Thanks, Makoto!" The pair then noticed Tsubaki staring at them, a concerned look on her.
"What is it, Tsubaki," asked Makoto.
"Something's different with Noel now, and I don't mean her appearance." Makoto looked at Noel, and back at Tsubaki.
"Noel's more ... open now. In the past, whenever we're together, her gaze was mostly on the ground, especially if we have other people with us. But, so far, she had looked at us directly when she speaks."
"Tsubaki's right. Somehow, I no longer have the urge to avoid people's eyes when I talk to them."
"Good for you, Noel! I always knew that you could do it." Makoto was obviously happy that her friend had overcame her shyness (or so she thought).
"Well, I don't know if that had anything to do with my new appearance. Even Major Kisaragi wanted me to see the doctor for an examination."
"Speaking of him, how's he doing," asked Tsubaki.
"Still scolding you for no good reason, I presume," huffed Makoto.
"I heard that, Cadet Nanaya." The icy edge to the voice meant that the trio knew instantly who was behind them. They turned around and saluted the major.
"At ease. Tsubaki, it's getting late and if I'm not mistaken, you still have lessons tomorrow." The displeasure was clear in his tone. To everyone's surprise, it was Noel who spoke.
"Major Kisaragi, I was the one who invited them over for a chat. If there is anyone who needs to be punished, it should be me." Her tone was respectful, but firm.
"...Be sure to go back on time. I wouldn't want to explain to the Academy why two cadets were late for their lessons after meeting someone under my charge. As for you, Lieutenant, curfew would be on very soon, and I would not hesitate to have you court-martialed even if you're a minute late."
"I'll be mindful of the time, Major."
As Jin made his way to the entrance of the barracks, the trio heaved a sigh of relief.
"If he can berate someone like that, he must be alright," sniffed Makoto. Tsubaki, on the other hand, was glad that Noel was now able to stand up to him.
"Guys, I'm sorry that I couldn't stay longer. I just want to say that I'm grateful that you came."
"Don't be, Noel. We'll always be there for you," replied Makoto confidently.
"Take care." Tsubaki held out her hand.
"You too, both of you. In a few more months' time, both of you are graduating. Maybe, the three of us can go on a mission together." Noel stuck out hers as well.
"I look forward to that day," said Makoto as her hand joined in. The girls held each other's hands tightly. After that, it was time to go. As they left, Tsubaki remembered Noel's promise. Now, Noel wasn't exactly the Noel she remembered from before. But, she convinced herself that the changes were for the better...